Who's the Pet? MxM

Chapter 1

The sun rose slowly over the land, slipping through the small cracks provided by the awning of trees. The nocturnal animals, which had ruled the night, seeked refuge in their burrows as the waking predators threatened to begin the morning hunt. Birds chirped cheerfully as they called to one another in the hopes to attract company, but to those who were trying to rest, fowl sounded like a great breakfast option. Among those who were debating on dousing the entire forest in the crimson blood of these small, pathetic creatures lay a leopard. He glared at a small blue bird sitting on the branch above him, not wanting to move from his warm, comfortable environment, but wanting to destroy all that the vermin knew.

With a growl of utter annoyance and displeasure, the small leopard stood from his makeshift den and started a small trek down the dirt path. As he walked, he stared at the animals above. Squirrels jumped from branch to branch and birds hopped from their nest in order to take flight. When it was this early in the morning, animals did not care for one another as they ventured out. As the wild cat walked, foxes and deer pranced past. The pond was tranquil as animals, large and small, drank the crisp, refreshing water.

The scruffy leopard watched lazily as a doe cared for her small fawn, nudging her offspring toward the watering hole. The fawn clumsily leaped into the shallow stream leading to the pond, creating a small splash which spooked off the remaining rabbits. Scoffing, the mangy wild cat walked past, making sure to give a small growl in order to scare the innocent child.

Yes, he was an asshole.

After a long, peaceful stroll through the woods, the male walked back to his small bundle of matted leaves in which he called home. It had been a total of 18 years since the incident, and as a solitary predator, there was much improvement throughout the period. For 5 years, he had been in the care of a wolf, who went by the name Roul, but as all must do, the adolescent left his home to go off on his own. Now the grown leopard found himself disinterested in the scenery around him. The hunt was all he had to look forward to.

That is, until he fought off an intruder and sprained his left leg, scraped his now infected side, and tore his ear.

Now, he couldn't hunt for shit. Living off of small, slow prey like possums and other small rodents, he had turned into a skinny little jerk. He had to scare all big prey such as deer and moose in order to show that he was still able to kill them with a single swipe of his paw, even though that was complete and utter bullshit at the moment.

Luckily, he was the biggest predator in these woods, and therefore didn't have anyone to worry about. No smaller animal would dare challenge someone higher on the food chain, injured or not.

Laying down on the small makeshift bed, the small, black leopard attempted to sleep. He had gotten his exercise and until noon, there was nothing to do. With the sound of faraway chirps and small scampering footsteps, the wounded wild cat was lulled to sleep.

Until a booming roar echoed throughout the thicket.

AN: Image above is a picture of leopard child BEFORE he was attacked. Now he's bloodied and.....skinnier?