Gaara couldn't guess the reason why small creatures were drawn to Lee. He never would have described the older boy as gentle. Lee was much too loud, too enthusiastic, and too strong. It simply didn't make sense, except for the part where Lee made it look perfectly natural.
Maybe he just smelled right. Or maybe it was the fact that he didn't have excess chakra to make the air around him crackle with dangerous energy. There was the fact that he seemed to know how to handle wild things without harming them, but that didn't explain why they came to him in the first place.
Whatever the reason was, they did come to him, settling innocently nearby in those rare times when he was quiet and resting. They usually kept their distance, maybe just in case the beguiling boy who drew them in turned out to be dangerous after all. Though there was always at least one squirrel that was bold enough to perch on Lee's knee or shoulder and accept crumbs from his hands. It fascinated and annoyed Gaara to watch.
Gaara had never been enamored of small, fragile things. He remembered trying to catch mice and rats when he was very young, because he had heard that some of them could go their entire lives without water and had been curious. Only when he finally did catch one it had shuddered and died in his hands, from sheer terror.
Even now Gaara was aware that one quick movement from him could make Lee's little friend flee. Not that he intended to move. He was busy watching Lee smiling and petting the squirrel's head with one finger.
Maybe Lee was gentle, after all.
The cool, sharp prick of nails against his neck was more warning that Lee needed not to move suddenly. Not a problem, since it was more in line was his training to move smoothly, being aware of the position of his body at all times. The warmth he could feel close to his cheek, and the tiny paw resting against his ear were reminders of company, not an inconvenience.
Lee tilted his head to one side and turned just enough to peek at the squirrel out of the corner of his eye. It was always rewarding to see one of them settle comfortably on his shoulder, almost as if he was some sort of convenient and unthreatening rock, or tree. This one stared back at him for a few minutes before settling and starting to groom its tail.
By now, Lee knew the rules he needed to follow. This squirrel wasn't strictly one of 'his' (he was fairly sure he recognized all of the ones who had used him as a perch more than once), so he would be patient and quiet. He knew how easy it was to spook small creatures, and that was not his intent.
Waiting until the squirrel paused in its grooming to openly stare at him with its round, dark eyes, Lee held up a small peace offering. He had gotten into the habit of carrying a few nuts and other tidbits with him while training, since it felt more comfortable to have something to offer instead of simply watching them sniff hopefully at his hair and clothes. Now he waited, to see if the treat would be snatched before his visitor shot off in a blur of grey fur, or if the squirrel would stay to eat.
Lee honestly expected the former. The poor thing was clearly jittery, much more so than he was used to seeing from something bold enough to get close and climb onto him. It wasn't until the squirrel ignored the food entirely and settled closer to his ear, doing its best impression of a little squirrel statue, that it occurred to Lee that the nervousness wasn't because of him.
After a moment, Lee realized that Gaara was nearby, closer than he had originally thought, since he could actually see the other boy through the trees. Lee had been aware of his presence, but without consciously thinking about the fact, or having any idea that Gaara's presence might make his new friend nervous.
Now he wondered how aware Gaara was of him, or the animals nearby. He was looking in Lee's direction, sure, but he had a far-away look on his face that made Lee assume he must be thinking or meditating. Probably he had noted Lee's presence and dismissed it as not immediately relevant. It was the same thing, Lee realized with a touch of guilt, that he had subconsciously done. Since Gaara was neither a threat, nor making any move to approach him, Lee hadn't paid conscious attention to his presence.
Well, Gaara might not qualify as a direct threat to him, but his presence was making the squirrel nervous. Lee dropped the nut and reached up to let it sniff his fingers, smiling slightly. (He had to remember to keep his lips closed to hide his teeth. Fangs or no he would rather not do anything that could provoke a creature that was already visibly nervous.) 'See?' he meant, without saying a word, 'no claws. No danger. It's okay.'
In a few minutes he was petting the squirrel's soft head with one finger, soothing it without words. Its dark eyes were fixed on Gaara only, meaning Lee was not such a threat that he needed to be monitored.
Even though he would have explained if he could that Gaara was not a threat either, he knew it would do no good. He was aware of the deadly aura that Gaara exuded. It didn't terrify him, because he wasn't used to being prey. He hadn't really experienced the sense of being on the lookout for the creature that would inevitably devour him, not with every sense for every second of his life. He was used to having the ability to fight back.
Gaara was obviously a predator, menacing even if he seemed uninterested at the moment. Lee could understand that much, even without being overwhelmed by the feeling himself. There was no way for him to guess exactly how it felt for a creature whose every instinct must be screaming nothing but danger.
With this in mind, Lee lightly cupped his hand around the squirrel's trembling body, making a small shield for it. He was only hoping to make his new friend feel more protected and hidden.
Then Gaara tilted his head to look squarely into Lee's eyes. For one breathless moment Lee's whole mind was inundated with the feeling that Gaara was looking right into him, measuring and evaluating each fragment of his body and being with calculating eyes. For a moment he got the insane idea that he had somehow hidden Gaara's prey from him, even though there was no way he could have been so interested in the squirrel perched on Lee's shoulder.
Then Gaara turned and walked away, leaving Lee sure he had somehow imagined the way Gaara had looked at him, or through him.
The paw that was braced against his ear at that moment was comforting. A small, soft reminder that he was not alone.