The forest that Gnole and Druvt called home had been still for some time. It was quiet, almost ominously so. The heavy male lion walked beside hundred year old trunks of trees that had been saplings in a time only the gods could remember. At time he would stop and stand upon his back legs, his large paws pushing against some of those very same trees to keep himself steady as he looked into their branches. The birds had been whispering of trouble. A trouble that seemed to scare them from their nests.
He frowned. Another empty nest.
Both forearms pushed off of the bark, scraping it slightly as he did so. He landed hard on the ground, with a thump that startled a nearby anthill to action. Without giving it a glance, he turned and continued searching for the cause of the disappearance of the forest life. The dimmed sunlight that managed to make it through the canopy illuminated sections of the path both he and those who lived in these woods walked.
Closer to the treeline, Malygos stalked what he thought to be a seer, prey, and an abomination that no longer belonged in the world. Amber eyes looked over the trunks of dozens of trees. Everything seemed to blur together. Everything looked the damn same! It was frustrating and the chirping birds that flew overhead towards the open grasslands behind weren't helping either. Still, his scaled looking paws walked through the grass, water dripping onto him from time to time as dew that still remained from the morning slid off of the leaves.
Another tree checked and yet again there was nothing in the branches. Gnole's ears fell back with worry. That was the fifth nest with nothing in it and no sign of just why they were fleeing. Just as he was about to go back towards his and Druvt's den to see if the white cheetah had any better luck, a sound hit his ears. The sound of..a bird! Black eyes quickly turned skyward, squinting through the leaves to try to make out any shapes.
"Hello!" He called out, hoping that the beating of wings would get closer instead of fading.
Malygos' ears also turned. A voice. That was the distinct sound of another voice. How low it was told him it was likely from a lion, probably a male, but still, he had to check it out. A sly grin began to creek onto the killer's face as he walked in the direction he had heard the single word come from. Maybe it belonged to his quarry.
"Hey! You up there!" The black lion called out again as he quickly walked through the trees, dodging branches and brush as he tried to follow the shadow above him. "Wait, please! What are you flying from?" This might his only chance to get an answer. This was a forest he protected and so far he was doing a poor job at it. Everything was leaving and he had no idea why.
