Well over a day passed since Chuki had taken her first meal in many, many moons. While lions were powerful hunters, they were also remarkably lazy, sleeping for most of the day and only rousing themselves to hunt and feed. For males, this included patrolling their territory. For a lone female like Chuki, normally she would be too stressed to sleep properly. But the large lump of fresh meat gifted to her by Atlas was the most potent sleep-aid one could ask for, and she was out cold for the rest of the day, taking her into the early hours of the day after next. Groggy, she rolled herself onto her belly, disorientated and still sleepy.

Yawning, she looked up at the tree to see Atlas, noting he was asleep. She managed to get herself to her feet, relying on her sense of smell to take her down to the river he had dragged her to before. While normally lions didn't appreciate water, she had been so grateful for her 'bath' the first time she was brought here she couldn't help but slip into the water again. Careful to look for signs of crocodiles on shore, she drank from the surface before dipping her head and neck under briefly, relishing the cool feeling against her sunburnt skin and dry fur. It would take time for her to regain her health and proper looks, but at least she was alert and her body was starting to repair the damage. Once ashore, she shook herself dry and used her forepaw to wipe off some of the dried blood from the ticks Atlas had bitten off her face.

Atlas ... she had to do something for him. He had brought her food, now it was her turn. She couldn't hope to take down a fully-grown antelope, but perhaps something smaller would be a good start. Begin paying back her 'debt' to him.

Following her nose, she was deeply surprised to find an ostrich nest ... and one that was not guarded. Cautiously, she waved through the long grass, looking at the three precious eggs. This was a rather small nest ... she would expect more eggs. Had the most dominant hen gotten rid of the others? Had the nest already been raided and these three were all that was left?
She didn't dwell on the question long. Her teeth were broken at the tips, but they were still all that was needed to pierce the thick shell and let her lap up the thick yolk and gooey albumen. She devoured two, but the third she carefully picked up with her mouth, trotting back to the tree where Atlas slept ...

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As per usual, his sleep was light but refreshing. Atlas was fully aware of Chuki waking up and moving down to the river to refresh herself, and had even watched her through nearly closed eyelids as she walked. She was already looking and moving much better than she did when he had found her, which was promising. Atlas had woken up twice while Chuki slept, eating a bit now and then from the antelope before moving to a different branch to sleep on each time.
When Chuki woke up, he had moved back to his original branch, and as she returned he was alert and completely awake.

He could smell the yolk of an egg on her breath as she approached him, and he could see the large ostrich egg in her jaws. This brought a smile to his muzzle, because this meant she was well enough to find herself food. She was improving.
"Well, someone looks like she had a great start to her day. How are you feeling, Chuki?"
Atlas' black tipped tail swished back and forth slowly over the edge of the branch as he watched her approach, and he rose to his paws to meet her on the ground.

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Chuki carefully put the egg down, moving her jaw around it to make sure she didn't accidentally pierce the creamy shell with her teeth as she licked the stray egg yolk from what remained of her broke whiskers.

"A lot better, thanks to you ... I can't hunt properly yet, but I wanted to thank you for what you've done for me. Iw ould have died without you. Here ..." She pushed the egg towards him, the egg wobbling on its axis as it rolled along the dusty ground.

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Atlas smiled and put out one gentle paw to stop the egg before it hit a rock.
"I'm glad I was able to help you feel better, and I'm grateful for the egg. How has that meat settled in your stomach for you?" The large leopard asked as he crouched down to start on the egg. He held it between his front paws, and then he bit down on the top of the shell. His sharp teeth pierced it instantly, and the shell made a pleasing crunching sound as he broke it.

Gleefully, he licked the shell clean of yolk, whites, and even stripping the thin but deceptively strong membrane from where it lined the inside of the shell. He hadn't eaten an egg in a while, mainly because he hadn't found any.

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"It felt nice to eat something that wasn't rotten" She sighed happily, still enjoying the fresh meat despite it being almost two days ago since she ate it, "I can't wait to try and hunt for myself ..."

She seemingly mused on this point as he enjoyed his ostrich egg, looking around the seemingly endless plains of golden grass.
"I haven't seen or smelled any other lions .... Who is the local pride?"

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"Might want to wait a little longer before you go hunting on your own." Atlas said as he finished his egg and looked up at her. "But I'm glad you're feeling better and the meat was good."
He paused quietly, considering her question.
"The local pride... hm... I'm not entirely sure. I usually avoid large groups of lions at all costs. And their territories as well. I traveled a long, long way to find a place that wasn't occupied by any of them. There were a few I met along the way, but most of them were on their own, like you were. This territory was once lion land, that I know. But it's been years since that happened. They were gone when I arrived. Wiped out by disease, maybe, or infighting."

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Chuki's brow furrowed a little in worry, looking again to the horizon as she pondered his words. An area like this, with prey and little competition? It just sounded ... odd, to her. A pride, or someone looking to start a Pride, would love a location like this. It was perfect for a wandering male to find a couple of lionesses and begin a new, unchallenged bloodline. A couple of lionesses could settle themselves, maybe one have cubs and start a new generation of hunters. A larger pride was more help, and more mouths to feed ...

But how would she convey the unease this caused her to the leopard? The leopard who, by all rights, would love to have a lion-free land to live in and not have to deal with noisy, stinking neighbours stealing his kills or chasing him up trees to protect their cubs. Especially a leopard as large as Atlas, who would make a male lion do a double-take and really see him as true competition for food.

"! ... see" She decided not to really press more into this. He was the only leopard, she hadn't seen any cheetahs, but a lion-free land would be good for them. Not even any hyenas ..., "Well, as soon as I am fit again, I'll move on and keep this place lion-free"

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He turned his head slightly, looking at her curiously.
"I don't mind your presence, Chuki. Really, I don't. I have nothing against you, or lions in general. It's the massive prides that unsettle me." Atlas stood, stretched, and then walked past her, his side brushing only just briefly against hers.

"If I had wanted a completely lion-free land, I'd have just left you out there. Besides, I know this territory better than the back of my paw. I'll always find ways to escape anyone who means me harm. It's a vast one. I just wanted to be the first one here. To sort of... establish myself before lions came out this way. Which I have, for the record." He leapt up onto the slanted trunk of the tree holding the antelope.
"But, if you do choose to leave, I won't stop you. Do you want some more of the antelope?" The leopard asked, half turning to look at her as he asked.

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Brushing past her made her realise just how large he was compared to her; she was aware she was on the smaller end of the scale for an adult lioness. Being deprived of food from very young was stunting for her growth, yes, but generations of lackluster food simply shrunk the available growth across generations and lead to smaller and smaller lions, which didn't help the males when it came time to defend the land from intruders, nor females in terms of the hunt.

Was the reason he was larger the inverse of her situation? A lack of lions lead to larger leopards who could hunt better prey with less competition and they didn't have to guard their kills so much?

"True ..." She conceded on his lion-free point, "But it's probably best I leave when I can, ot other lions might come looking for me, you know? Where the prey goes, normally the predators follow, but same thing when predators follow other predators"

she looked up at the antelope stored in his larder in the branches, and shook her head.

"No, that's yours ... the eggs were really good, and you need all the food you can get too. What other prey do you have here?"

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"With all due respect, Chuki... I'm not sure anyone will come intentionally looking for you." Atlas said quietly. "And if you do choose to stay, it might be nice to have some company. Even if said company meant that eventually others might come. I'm fairly sure I'll die long before I'm outhunted in these lands."

Atlas sat down on the trunk, yawning wide. Really, he had come here to get a good claw hold in the territory. A young leopard wouldn't make it far in life if he couldn't get enough. Atlas was at the point where he was probably ready for future competition, should it come.

"Polecats, antelope, ostriches, zebra, the occasional hippo... wildebeest come through here on occasion for migration. Porcupines, as you learned the hard way, badgers, meerkats... antelope are most common, though."

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"I've always wanted to catch an ostrich" She perked, though she hadn't seen any on her way here despite stealing their eggs, "The ultimate bird ... I would catch birds as not many predators my size go for them. Maybe one day I'll get one and I'll leave your den full of feathers before I leave"

"I've never met a leopard who wanted company" She looked over her shoulder, "Do you live close to your mother? I see mothers and cubs sometimes"

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Atlas chuckled softly at the mention of his den full of ostrich feathers. As amusing as that might be, part of him hoped that day wouldn't come. He paused as he heard Chuki's question, and then he shrugged.

"I wanted to live closer, but she told me to dream big. To find a territory of my own where I could thrive. No matter how far it took me from her den." Atlas said, a somewhat melancholy expression on his face. Then he forced a smile, looking himself over.
"I think I obeyed her fairly well, don't you think?" The large leopard looked over at her, a question in his amber eyes.

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Chuki tilted her head to the side slightly. Her mother told her to run as far as she could, even biting her flank to make her move and never come back. While she pretended this was for her sake and save her from the death of the Pride ... really, it was because she didn't want to have to help feed her adult daughter.

"I would say yes ... Was she as big as you?"

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Atlas shook his head, chuckling softly.
"Oh no, no, she definitely wasn't. She was on the average side for leopards. She once told me my father was huge, though. Looked a little like a lion, really. He even had a very short, scraggly mane." He crouched down on the tree trunk, tail twitching playfully.
"I always fantasized that he was one of those cross-breeds. You know, like if a lion made love with a leopard, and such. But I've never met one of those before. Maybe he was just a freak of nature like me."

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Chuki's face crinkled as she tried to contemplate the idea. Lions and leopards were blood enemies, and lions were usually significantly bigger than leopards. Either his grandparents had the same size difference that she and Atlas had, or it was the inverse and a very small male managed to seduce a leopardess.

For a moment, she tried to picture a tiny male lion with a full King's mane, and got so distracted by the thought her expression became that of pure amusement.

"I've heard of lionesses who have manes like males" She tilted her head, "They patrol, they roar, they do everything a male does. Their manes are smaller, but they have them. Like ... male lions in a female body. My family were split on them; my aunties thought they sounded like freaks, but my grandmother and great-aunties scoffed and said they were the spirits of ancient warriors given a joint form, and they were supposed to be treated with respect. I've never seen one, neither have they, but that's what they said"

"They're not freaks, and neither are you. If you hadn't told me about your father, I would have thought you were just a really successful leopard. You've no lions or leopards here, I haven't seen hyenas ... I haven't even seen crocodiles. There's ... no other predators here"

Now that she said it out loud, the thin hair on the back of her neck started to stand up. There were no predators here ...

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