The Story
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Chapter 1
Far to the north west, bordering the great Congo jungle, lived a lion pride feared and respected for its power and influence. Pride Z'Har was ruled by the merciless King Taida, a battle-scarred tyrant. At his side was a beautiful queen, Hibara, whose tongue was as sharp as her wit. No amount of beauty or intelligence could make up for her one single failure, however; the queen had yet to produce an heir. A lions time as king is limited, it is known, and Taida was losing patience. The venom that once won his love soon began to poison it, and the great king turned elsewhere for both the needs of his pride as well as his own heart.
Deep within the jungle, a phenomenon had developed. A den of female leopards, vicious and feared above all else, led by a matron of unrivaled malice. Her red eyes were said to be an omen of death, as blood flowed wherever her gaze fell, and her coat had been stolen from the very shadows, themselves. Mother Vheer ruled den Merkos with ruthless efficiency. Any misstep was punished swiftly and harshly, and no challenge to her throne lived out the night.
One evening while patrolling the very outskirts of her territory, flanked by two of her most skilled warriors, Vheer came across a sight both amusing and unusual. A massive feline, one she'd never before laid eyes on, lay hopelessly tangled in the massive vines that swooped and twisted through the jungle. Her guards quietly disappeared to the left and right, slithering through the undergrowth until they flanked the male. It was only then that Vheer made her presence known, stepping into the moonlight and flicking that long, thick tail.
"You are a long way from home, are you not..?" Her voice was smooth and deep, those red eyes nearly glowing in the silver moonlight. The great feline looked up, his beastly mane snaggled deep into the rough vines, and scowled. He was ragged, and had no doubt been trapped for some hours. Vheer watched in amusement as he strained and struggled against the bindings, snarling them further into his glorious shroud.
"Kill me now, you spotted devil. I am not to be taunted." Taida growled, the deep sound rumbling in his massive chest and making the leaves around him tremble. Suddenly he noticed two golden shadows materialize to his left and right, their yellow eyes piercing the darkness. He was outnumbered and at their mercy. In a fit of rage and humiliation, he parted his jaws and roared, the sound ripping through the night like thunder and sending slumbering birds scattering through the canopy above. The two yellow shadows immediately sprung forward, falling on him from either side until-.
"Enough." It took only one word for her personal guard to freeze in their tracks, claws still tilling the earth and lips peeled back threateningly. The midnight mother descended from her stone perch, her black paws touching each cold step silently. Taida watched with baited breath as she approached, and even his humiliation could not distract him from the muscle that rippled under those black spots. Every step, every turn, was a strange and exotic grace like he had never experienced before. Even his queen could not compare. This revelation shocked him, and he folded his ears in guilt. Vheer noticed this and arched a slender brow.
"You seem troubled, deeper than simply the vines that bind you to this place..." The guard watched tensely as Mother Vheer walked calmly to the giant male's head. They trusted her judgement and remained in place, but their muscles bunched in preparation should he strike out at her. The black leopard looked down at the great beast and then lifted a paw, her razorsharp claws extended. Taida did not struggle any further. He knew it was useless, and closed his eyes in preparation for death.
The sound of snapping vines made his ears twitch. One by one, he felt natures ropes go slack around him, thumping to the ground as the black leopardess cut or chewed them away. She made a full circle around him until she was standing back at his head. She leaned down and very carefully gnawed the last vine away from his throat, her dark nose pressing close against the throbbing heartbeat buried beneath his mane. When he was finally free he made sure to rise slowly, pelt twitching and sending vines skittering down around him until the three leopards could see him clearly.
He peered at the strange black figure in front of him, perplexed by her actions. Something in his chest ached when his golden eyes met hers, that deep red gaze piercing into his very soul. Something buried inside of him sparked, a warmth, slowly growing and burning into a flicker of desire. He stared into those red eyes, lost, until the sound of movement around him brought his senses back. The huge feline did something unexpected, lowering his great head until his nose nearly touched the pile of vines at his feet. The two guards looked to their Mother, curious to see what her reaction would be.
"Why choose to spare me, A trespasser, a threat to your land and your life?" The huge lion lifted his head and peered down at her, taking in her petite frame and powerful curves. The leopard merely smirked at his question and cleared her throat. At once, her guards were at her side, watching the male warily. He normally would have tensed, but something about her gaze held him frozen in place, transfixed.
"I advise that you return to your homeland, trespasser. I may not be so merciful, should I find you snared in my jungle a second time." Vheer stood and turned, feeling the lion's eyes burning a path across her black body. She let her tail lift, brushing very quickly just under his chin, before she and her two guards leaped upwards and melted back into the shadows. She paused to look back, the moonlight catching her eyes. Her bright red gaze was the last that Taida saw of her before the silence of the jungle once again crept in around him.
He sat there for a while, listening to the insects sing around him, rolling her words around in his head and doing his best to recall every feature of her body that he could. The longer he sat, the longer he thought, the more the burning in his chest grew. When he did finally stand and turn towards home, she was all he could think about. Not even his queen could intrude on his fixation, her worry over his whereabouts as far from his mind as the pride lands he had left. His search, whether he realized it or not, had ended. His desire was renewed, burning brighter and hotter with every step further he took from the jungle at his back. He wanted to see her again. He must see her again.
