Asafa laid where he was, staring at the stars and enjoying the alone time, until his ears picked up movement from the bushes.
The sound was very weak but Asafa had superior hearing, sight, smell and other senses that were above that of a lions, and therefor he could pick it up.
He instantly understood that this wasn't his friends as their movements wouldn't be so careful and silent.
Just as he turned around, a black shadow pounced towards him.... But as it neared close, it suddenly stopped itself.
Asafa finally saw what it was, a small black panter, only slightly larger than himself.
She had abruptly stopped and looked at him with wide eyes in shock... As if she was about to eat her next meal but misjudged the size of her food as it was almost as big as her.
"Gulp.... Ermm.." she started looking around trying to find excuses.
Asafa just stood there looking at her, still not understanding what's happening.
"Sorry about that, I-I thought you were food... Forgiveness is the medicine to all evil, no?" She said as she hurriedly turned around and ran into the bushes again.
"Wha- wait who are you?" Asafa shouted as he followed. She seemed like a young panther, that had almost reached adulthood,
Asafa followed but soon found that she had disappeared, so he tried finding her smell.
Before he could continue his plans he heard subtle sounds from above so he looked up and found her hiding on one of the branches.
"Eh, you found me?" She looked shocked as their eyes met.
"Wait, why are you running away?" He asked as she was about to run again.
She stopped and looked confused.
"Why... Wouldn't I run away?" She asked him with a brow raised.
"..." Asafa found himself speechless
'Oh right, panthers or leopards are loners while lions live in groups. Her first instinct was probably to hide herself after being found out...' Asafa realised.
"Because we're similar so we could be friends?" He said but not really convinced himself. He was just curious about this panther.
"... Is that so" she said sceptical of his words.
Soon she climbed down and sat in front of him and they just stared at eachother.
"You're weird!" She said after observing his looks.
"Thanks? So who are you?" Asafa asked looking at her.
Although she was a black panther, you could still see a shade of darker, spots on her back. but her head and limbs were completely black.
"I'm Imani, and what's your name weird panther?" She asked back.
"I'm Asafa- wait no, I'm not a panther!" He explained with a tilted head.
Her suspicion levels were even further raised as she looked at him.
They were very similar, although he wasn't black, nor did he have spots on his body... And his head had lots of hair.
"I'm a lion!" Asafa said seing her suspicion.
"LION!" She exclaimed in shock as she jumped back, slightly worried.
"What's wrong?" Asafa asked seing her so worried.
"You tricked me so you can kill, how evil!" She said with blame in her tone.
"Kill you, why would I do that?" Asafa asked weirded out by her eccentrick personality.
"Mom used to warn me about your kind, you look like us, but are always in gangs and kill us because we're rival in the food... Tree? Chain? Pyramid scheme?" The more she spoke, the more unsure she became as she couldn't remember the words of her mother.
"Oh.. I see, well I have no gang of lions "
"Sure you don't!" She said while looking around for any signs of evil spawns that might come out of hiding.
"I don't!" Asafa said rolling his eyes.
"Sigh, what did I expect, you look so dumb!" Asafa said as he turned around and started walking back to where he was star gazing.
As for Imani, she looked aghast at him, not understanding why he isn't trying to kill her.
'Wait, it has to be a plot, yes, lions are probably even sneakier than us panthers, I won't get tricked!' she thought but as she saw him really leaving, her curiousity made her follow.
"Why are you following me?" Asafa asked annoyed.
"I'm not, I'm just... Walking this way as well!" She said in a huff, annoyed that he would assume such dumb things.
"Sure.." Asafa said not convinced by her.
"HEY! Evil spawn why don't you believe me! I would never follow you!" She said as she ran up to him in anger.
"Yes yes sure I believe you!" Asafa said trying to get rid of her.
"Grrrr you're really are an evil spawn!" She said without hiding her irration.
"Go, go away!" Asafa said waving his paw at her as if shooing away a wild cat.
"Y-Y-you! How rude!" She barked in anger. His actions made her want to stick to him even more so he'd be annoyed to death.
Asafa just sighed and continued walking to his star gazing spot. As he layed down and stared at the sky full of stars, he got lost in thought.
As for Imani, she hid in the bush closest to him, both aware of eachother.
"What a weirdo, why should he lay relaxed in such an open place, isn't it better to hide like this?" She whispered not understanding his behaviour.
"..."
"..."
"What do you want!" Asafa couldn't contain himself, he wanted to spend some time alone yet behind him a black panther not much older than him was hiding and staring at him, totally destroying his peace of mind.
"Humph, nothing to do with you, this is my.... Resting place!" She said from the bushes.
"Fine!" Asafa said with clear annoyance.
"But why aren't you black? And why don't you have spots?" She finally asked.
"There's a difference between lions and panthers. You guys are very sneaky while we are strategic and strong. So our bodies are different." Asafa tried to explain.
"Butt-talk!" She said.
"Butt-talk? What does that mean?" He asked not understanding her.
"That you're talking shit."
"You're asking for a fight aren't you!" Asafa angrily stood up.
"Haha I'm bigger than you, lions must be overrated, come here and let me slap... Cough couch, come here and let me teach you a lesson!" She said arrogantly.
"Are you fully grown? Asafa stopped in his tracks and asked.
"No not yet, I'm still a teenager! We panthers grow even more than this!" She said proudly. After all, she had never seen a lion so she thought Asafa was fully grown considering that he was about 80 percent her size.
"But I'm not grown at all, I just started puberty!" Asafa said with a grin. He felt like a scheck mated her.
Her surprise couldn't be hidden.
"No way, you're still a child?!" She asked surprised.
"Well I wouldn't say a child, more like-"
"Then if this is your baby phase, then how big do you get when you're an adult??"
"I'M NOT A BABY!"
"I thought that animals that live in groups are smaller and weaker..." She said in wonder.
"Hey listen to me, I'm not a baby!" Asafa tried to correct her.
"Then how big do you get?" She asked, totally ignoring him.
Asafa's claws came out of his pawns.