"Why does my body feel so heavy…?" The leopard staggered upright, his legs refusing to steady him
His last memory flickered: "There you are, little bird…." He paused for a moment.
"It happened again…"
His ears twitched, as if listening for an echo only he could hear.
The forest seemed to tilt around him.
A rabbit darted past, vanishing into the undergrowth, but the leopard remained unmoved. He ignored the rabbit entirely, his focus locked elsewhere
A single feather clung to his tongue as he steadied himself.
"Why does my tongue itch?!"
His head sank to the ground, eyes shut tight. The taste lingered, unsettling yet irresistible.
A smile crept across his face before he realized it.
"…It was so tasty…"
Birdsong trailed through the forest as the leopard walked.
A fragile branch bowed beneath a robin's weight.
The leopard froze, eyes fixed on the bird.
The branch swayed under the robin, creaking in the still air.
"Why did my body stop?" He staggered backward, as if the forest's attention had shifted to the robin itself.
"Another bird?" The leopard fixed his gaze on it, watching as it tore at its feathers.
"Why… why am I doing this? That was me.... one of my kin!"
His tongue flicked out despite the denial written on his face.
A sick recognition twisted inside him.
"Should I devour it…?"
Before thought could catch up, his body lunged.
"Please! Let me go!" the bird's last words echoed in his ears.
The bird vanished between his jaws in less than a heartbeat, never given a chance to spread its wings.
"W… why did I do that?!" The leopard bolted to the riverbank, feathers still clinging to his tongue.
A shiver of delight ran through him at the memory, nameless and unwanted.
The taste lingered—sharp, bitter, yet irresistible.
"It's even better being in this body. It was tastier than the worm." The leopard collapsed, a smile never leaving him—
until a sound echoed from the forest.
"W… who's there?!" The water's surface trembled, mirroring his panic.
His breath came ragged, the forest pressing closer around him. For a moment, he thought he'd be killed again.
Branches cracked; a shape moved between the trees.
"Claw! There you are!" Another scarred leopard stepped from the shadows, eyes fixed on him.
"…Who… who's this?" The leopard staggered back.
My name's Claw?!
"Hey…?" The leopard's gaze sharpened as a thin figure stepped into view.
"Claw, what's wrong with you? Did you hit your head? You never say things like this," the thin leopard asked.
"Shut up, Gash, you fool! Don't you ever dare to talk to our leader like that!" the scarred leopard snapped.
"S… sorry." Gash bowed his head, paw scraping the earth
"The air thickened, silence stretching as though this were their first meeting."
"So, Claw… are we hunting tonight? The prey group you tracked…" the scarred leopard said.
"A… ah, yes… the prey group… the prey group…"
What are they talking about?! he thought.
What's with that skinny leopard… he seems so naïve.
"I… I can't wait to eat those humans alive, right, Vein?!" Gash said, drooling.
"Exactly." Vein's scar pulled into a crooked smirk.
And the other one… Claw's throat tightened; the forest seemed to lean in for his answer.
The silence cracked, waiting to see if Claw would answer.
Alright… from now on, I am Claw.
Even the leaves seemed to hush, pressing him for a reply.
"R… right!" Claw forced a fake smile.
Vein kept staring at him, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
Then he stepped closer.
W… why's he approaching me… will he kill—
Their eyes met. Claw's eyes widened, a black circle almost swallowing his gaze. Vein's stare cut closer, eyes narrowing as if to peel him open.
He sniffed Claw, then staggered back.
He kept staring at him; his expression was dead.
Claw's paws froze, his chest tightening.
"Oh, I understand, Leader!" Vein let out a knowing laugh. "You're so hungry you were munching that bird and talking with us at the same time! Clever!"
"We'll follow your command, as agreed yesterday—stay out of the territory until you call for us. Let's go, Gash."
Vein staggered back.
Territory? What territory? Claw's paws shook beneath him.
The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
"Wait!" Claw shouted.
A strange strength swelled in his chest, foreign and uncontrollable.
Both Vein and Gash froze where they stood, shivering.
Was the real Claw always this terrifying? Claw wondered.
I don't know that territory… I don't even know what kind of creatures those "humans" are…
But I will seize the opportunity..... and use Claw's prestige.
"YOU BOTH!" Claw shouted.
"How dare you act without telling me about the territory!"
"The true leopard must be loyal, trustworthy… and above all…"
Claw paused, clearing his throat.
"Proud." His voice fell into silence, heavy as a claw striking stone.
"What a speech… it struck me deeply." Gash brushed a tear away, as if wringing out the last drop left in him**.**
Vein's eyes went rigid with shock before he stepped closer.
He jabbed his paw, pointing toward a mountain not far from the forest.
"Do you see the fire above the mountain?" Vein's tone dropped to a whisper.
His whisper barely touched the air, but it carried like thunder.
Claw's chest tightened as the words hung unfinished.
"They're there."
Claw swallowed, the sound small as an insect's wingbeat.
His paws dragged for a heartbeat before he forced them onward.
"R… right. Now go! both of you!" Claw said, his voice sharp with command.
When Claw vanished from the scene,
Gash muttered hungrily about when he'd last eaten.
Vein's gaze lingered on the sunset, then dropped like a stone to the earth.
That speech… it was good. Too good. I've never heard anything like it before.
He paused, staring at Gash.
The silence between them deepened, thick with unspoken dread.
That's not our leader… Vein's thought cut sharper than a claw.