It was early morning and Fumananya was doing her daily routen. She woke drank from the near by river before moving across it walking along the boarder while the others slept. By other mostly meant her cubs. Her eyes slowly began to gaze up seeing the light in the sky slowly start to get brighter and brighter as the jungle began in a uproar of waking animals. Sefu'tumelo flew around the colony's inner circle of ruins before gout out to seek his Mistress. On his was he spotted a male leopard coming closer to their lands. It was still two dark to identify his marks or sent since he was down wind. But this didn't put him on guard yet he was always a curious little bird as he landed on a tree branch.
The bird looked around several moments before hopping along the branch. He stretched out his head looking around for his Mistress before fluffing out his feathers as he turned to look to the male.
"Can I help you?" He chirped out. It was strange to the bird is was the first time he had heard his voice for more the several months. He was sworn into secrecy in not to tell his Mistress that her mate had left in the night and more so that he had a way of contacting him.
The trees stretched far and tall above Satriyo. The male's bright green eyes blended in with the leaves while his body blended in with the shadows. It was the inhabitants of this area spoke whispers of a colony of leopards in the direction that he was heading in. Whispers, whether they were true or not, was something he went to investigate. Being alone had its advantages and disadvantages, but he was used to company. Although, his companion had long since passed on by a violent attack, that made him more determined not to spend the rest of his life alone.
Shaken out of his reverie, he blinked before he found the source of the voice. A bird on a branch not too far from him. It must have been talking about him since he did not see anyone around. While he might have previously ignored the bird, he was not on familiar grounds and as such, he replied, "I am in search of something."
The male bird gave a small chirp before taking to the air and landing on a rock near the leopard. His eyes seemed to be interested in learning about the new comer as he looked back the way he came before looking to the male. He was not stupid nor foolish. He opened his beak to talk but then he smelt...her.
"Sefu!" She cried out coming out of the brush before finally laying eyes on her bird. She stopped suddenly seeing the male. She hadn't caught scent of him. She starred at him for sevral moments before moving over to him curiously.
"I see you found my disobedient bird." She snapped out coldly. It wasn't directed to the newcomer but to the bird that she stared down a moment as he let out a small chirp before moving to her shoulder trying to make up for his actions as she sat down and watched the male.
His ears pricked forward curiously as his gaze was kept on the bird as it came close to him. Satriyo knew the bird was going to say some more when he caught a scent along with a voice. Slightly surprised by the voice, his eyes snapped towards the newcomer. Another leopard, just like himself. Perhaps he was heading in the right direction then. That made him relieved.
At the female, he shook his head slightly. "Actually...he had found me."
"Fair enough." She said was she watched him before looking to her bird a moment glaring at him once more. Something smelt fishy and sooner or later she would find out why. She always had a act for it.
"I haven't seen you in these parts before let alone your scent I don't recognize it." She said not meaning to sound rude but she was bunlt when it came to things as search on information from others.
The bird on her shoulder chirped a little ruffling his feathers as he hoped the male said nothing about him talking if that happened he would surely looks several feathers as he eyes looked to the trees as he took to the sky moving to one not to far from his Mistress but a safe distance away from her reach.
She was definitely from around here, that much he could pick up on. The last thing he wanted was to do something brash or stupid, he was sometimes prone to it. Especially since he hasn't been in the company of others for quite some time.
"I just came here not too many days ago," He paused before continuing, "I had heard whispers of a leopard colony somehwere in this direction and that's where I was heading for. I was not always alone, but the loneliness is not something I want to accompanion me for the rest of my life and thus, here I am. I gather you live around here?"
The female blinked her eyes widened a little as she watched this male. He had seeked out their colony. She had been getting such good luck lately. She had just accepted a returning member just the day before and now a new blood was seeking her home out. A smile came to her face as she closed her eyes a moment taking a deep breath and a nod.
"You've found us. Though I'm interested in knowing just how you heared of us." she said as she looked to her bird curiously as he paniced shifting from foot to foot and then looked away quickly adverting meeting her eyes. He was failing and failing hard and he knew it. Soon he would have to tell her.
"I'll deal with you later." She growled to her bird before turning to the male.
"What is it you heard about the colony?" She asked curiously the anger in her voice fading not wanting to make the male thinkher anger was placed towards him.
Not at all oblivious to the tension he was feeling between the bird and the leopardess, he kept his mouth shut on that matter. It had nothing to do with him, so there was no need for him to stick his nose in business that did not deal with him.
At her words, he felt relief wash over him. So it was true then! This was good news! A small smile tugged slightly at the corners of his mouth as he replied, "I am surprised! I wasn't sure if what I had heard was true or not, since I've never ran across more than a pair of leopards living together at any given time." He didn't mind the company, whereas he knew others of his species did. It was just in their nature, he assumed.
"I just heard it from various small creatures passing by me, no one in particular." Not that he'd be able to give her a name if he did, since he didn't ask for names. "I hadn't heard anything other than a group of leopards living together somewhere in this direction. Perhaps, you can help fill me in? I'd like to know more."
The female stood moving in the direction the male was headed as she looked to the large squard bolder like rocks that where started to get more freaqunte as they moved closer till finally large building where seen.
"This is the Usafi'tukufu." She declared as she stopped sitting beside one of the ruins as cubs playing and other leopard where heard not to far off. "We take pride in living they way it suppose to be leopard living with and amongst other leopards. He frown upon are species gangling in other feline affairs." She said putting it layman terms on how the colony was run.
As the scenery changed around him, he took everything in. Sights and sounds he had not heard in quite a long time. Life. It made him feel good as he listened to her words. "The Usafi'tukufu..." He let the name roll off his tongue, it was as foreign as it sounded to him.
He nodded slightly, "I have no interest in other felines...I am a leopard, they are my species and my only priority." He spoke with a finality in his voice, no malice or venom, just a firmness that hinted to something more.
He then paused before dipping his head in her direction, "I have yet to introduce myself. I am Satriyo."
She turned to him a slight hint of a evil smirk crossed her lips but only those close to her would pick up on it. "Fumananya." She replied with a small bow.
"I'm currently the chief or leader if you will of the colony." She said before looking to see a small leopardess cub run out into the open growling as she moved off trying to attack a bug. Her eyes twitched a little as she watched. Her children where different compared to her.
"Most call me Fu I do not like the title of Chief since really its not my rightful place." She said honestly as she looked to the morning sky.
"Soon I hope that will be changed and I can reclaim my post as consort." She said as she watched her daughter a few more minutes before finally she got the bug as Fu whole body shook in disgust.
"Excuse me a moment." She muttered softly before moving quickly to her daughter side as the two began to fight over the bug. Fu saying it wasn't approperate to eat such things and Koko saying that she had killed it on her own and that she had the right to it.
Finally it ended in a staring match till Sefu swooped in claiming the bug and gulping it down. Kokoro'nthanda was about to yell out in protest but was hurried off to go eat for the morning.
Fumananya was walking back to the male with a small smile on her face. How ever much she hated what she had done to her mate she could not bare to not let feelings come easily for the cubs.
"A pleasure to meet you." He replied earnestly before his attention was caught elsewhere. The little leopard cub made him curious as he smiled softly at her play. This had to be Fu's cub, he concluded, with the way the female acted around her. He watched the two silently, taking it all in. Cubs were a good thing to a colony, it meant life and prosperity. It was a good sign for him.
As the female returned he was curious, "How many members are there here? What kind of roles do you have for your members?"
"There not to many at the moment I did my best to replenish the colony." She said softly not meeting his eyes while she talked it was a touchy subject talking about her children that she had with a male that was not her mate.
"There are many roles in the colony. Such as guards to protect the little ones. There also hunters or warrior's. Hunters go out for the food of course and the warrior's are like are guards and usually help guard when there service it not needed." She offered the information gladly to let the other know about the colony.
"As of now we only have one warrior and I suspect she might be needed to take leave soon. I have a feeling she might be with cubs but I have gotten to the point to ask her."
Content with the information handed to him, he pondered only briefly in his head what kind of role he would fit in best. The warrior class is what he would do, it was what he had done before. He protected his mate from harm, although there is only so much one leopard could do but he was getting off tangent, and there was no reason he couldn't do the same here in the colony.
"I was a warrior...a protector in the past. I think that role would suit my skills best here. And if you feel that your other warrior might be with cubs, it would be best to have another set of paws at the ready." He looked at her.
She watched him a moment seeming to judge him before nodding. "Yes...it would be greatly needed if the juvenile gorillas try anything." She said looking to the trees making sure none of the large tree dwellers where about listening to them she really did despise the creatures.
"I accept your help Satriyo. You are welcome to chose anyplace in the colony to sleep though try to stay away from the deeper parts of the ruin I'm not so sure if the sickness has faded within them just yet." She didn't want another outbreak of the sickness to make the slowly raising numbers to drop over night again.
Her words of advice would be well heeded, "I will make sure to do just that, Fu." His gaze flicked over the area...just taking it all in. It was such a nice and big change, something to look forward to in the upcoming future.
"Thank you very much for accepting me." He dipped his head once more at the female, grateful for having the opportunity to set his life down a path of which he wanted.
She bowed her head in reply before looking to the colony once more. "Fate have been really nice lately. A huntress and a warrior in two days time. Please do not let this be the up hill rise before the fall." She said as she began to move into the colony to see what the hunters had brought to eat.
