Bogda Shan, early in the morning.
Snow leopards preferred to descend from the mountains at this hour. In the daytime, they sunbathed on bare rocks high up in the mountains and would follow the trodden-out paths at dawn or dusk to moors and valleys at lower altitudes to seek their prey.
One was now threading through the withered grass with its back arched; its footsteps were soundless thanks to the thick pads on its paws. Stealthily, it pushed forward until it reached the top of the rocky cliff, then squinting its pale blue eyes slightly, it scrutinized the prey below.
It was a fully grown snow leopard, its grayish white fur speckled with black dots and circles. The leopard was over a meter long with a thick and long tail.
Snow leopards were extremely good at jumping. A single leap could take them down a rocky cliff three to four meters tall. It was their most common way to ensure an instant kill.
