Hi ! I originally wrote this OS in French. It's a translation, English is not my birth language, so I'm sorry for mistakes and ugly expressions. I hope you'll enjoy !

She was running with all her speed. Her breath became jerky, her muscles began to hurt her. She looked over her shoulder to see if she was followed. Pauna was still after her, more threatening than ever. She tried to speed up but her paws couldn't run so fast. She focused back on the road to avoid trees, but too late. She couldn't avoid it. She collided with an animal three times bigger than her. When the young raccoon realized what she ran into, she instantly regained consciousness and moved back with fear. An almost adult female lion faced her, a little bit dizzy by the recent choc. She had never seen a lion before, she just heard of it in the legends told by her family.

"I-I'm sorry…" apologized the raccoon. She stood back even more on guard.

"No, no, it's ok…" answered the lioness shaking her head to comeback in reality.

The ground began to shake, Pauna was approaching, the raccoon remembered why she was running.

"Well… you shouldn't stay here." said the little animal "Run!"

The raccoon began to run again, leaving the lioness alone, without more explanations. The feline blinked her eyes and understood. She ran off like a scalded cat and rushed in the same direction as the raccoon. In a few strides she caught up the little animal. When she arrived at her side she grabbed her by her neck to raise her off the ground to help her run away. The raccoon, hanging by the neck, pivoted on herself and saw Pauna behind.

"Faster!" she screamed.

"I can't go fafter! I do wfhat I can!"

The lioness used all her resources and rushed. The gorilla rushed too and became dangerously closer.

Luckily, the two fugitives arrived in front of an enclosure's door. The Lioness entered without any hesitation, she threw the raccoon inside and speeded up to push the door who slammed in a snap. Pauna rushed in the door but she couldn't enter. She was banging against the metal door. The raccoon, which had rolled on the floor, shacked to snort and timidly approached to the other animal.

"T-thank you…"

"It's normal!" answered the feline with a large smile, showing her menacing teeth "What's your name?"

The raccoon hair bristled, she didn't dare answer.

"I scare you…"

The lioness lay face down and pouted. The raccoon hesitated for a while and finally approached gently. When she was near to her muzzle she blew over and shacked her tail.

"My name's Lexa, and you?"

"Clarke!" answered the lioness while she stood up.

"How did you land here?" asked Lexa.

"My family kicks me out of the pack." answered Clarke putting her head between her paws.

"Why?"

"They… they said I'm different…"

Lexa got alert and toured the lioness, watching every angles.

"I've never seen a lion before, but based on what they said to me, you seem very normal!"

Clarke smiled but a thud made them blench. Pauna was always striking against the door.

"I think we're stuck in here for a little while" said the raccoon.

"What have you done to her?! She's really pissed off!"

"Nothing! I… As usual, I came to close of her lair and then…"

"As usual?! It's not the first time?"

Lexa balanced several times her tail, without answering, with a guilty look on her face.

"You seem to like danger!" added the lioness laughing.

"Noooooooo" growled the raccoon "it's just because my favorites berries grow next to her lair, and I can't resist to eat them…"

"Bouahahahahah!"

Clarke laughed at Lexa's guilty face.

"Don't laugh at me." said Lexa almost upset.

"No! It's cute, that's all!"

At this moment, the belly's raccoon growled.

"I assume you haven't managed to catch the berries this time…"

Lexa answered with her head and the lioness smiled again. The feline inspected the cage. Suddenly a field mouse came out of the ground and began to run. Clarke jumped on her prey and caught it with agility. She killed the little animal with a scratch, grabbed it by the tail between two teeth and put it in front of Lexa.

"For you."

"I could kill it myself!"

"It's a pleasure to me!"

The raccoon observed the little prey, grabbed it between her front paws and rubbed vigorously under the surprised look of the feline.

"You want some?" said Lexa holding the field mouse in Clarke's eyes taking her curiosity for hunger.

"No, no, thank you."

"Too bad!"

Lexa threw the field mouse in air and swallowed in one mouthful. She licked her lips and stroked her stomach.

"Thank for the feast!"

Lexa peacefully laid down on the ground. After a moment of silent she stood up her nose to fix the lioness.

"Tell me" said the raccoon "why did you come here, in this forest?"

"I said that my pack kicked me out, but I didn't beg for staying… I wanted to find a place far from them, I want to forget them… I walked for days and I found this forest. There's something here that makes me feel good, but I don't know what…"

"I see what you mean, I feel it too, this forest has something magical."

"Exact!"

A new moment of silent.

"And you?" asked Clarke "what's your story?"

"I'm not sure you want to hear that…"

Pauna gave a new punch in the door.

"We have to pass the time anyway" said the feline looking at the door.

"Yes… Mmm… I was a part of a large family. We were nine. When I reached adolescence my parents disappeared. We have been trying to survive together, but it was not that simple. Cold, hunger, predators… Seven of my brothers and sisters died quickly…"

Lexa's throat knotted. She took a deep breath and pursued.

"Only remained Luna and me. We got along well at first, we were the last members of our family so we helped each other, we hunted together, we felt asleep together, we survived together. One day she got sick of it, I reminded her the tragedy which have hit our family. I tried to hold her back but without success. One night she left, without a word, without goodbyes, I don't know where she went…"

Few tears wet her moustaches, she sniffed and pulled herself together.

"Since that day I'm hanging around, I hunt, I bask in the sun after playing in the water, I go after Pauna to exercise me. There's nothing else to do now."

"This berries, near to Pauna's lair, they aren't just your favorites berries, isn't it?"

"My father used to bring them to make us happy, we knew that it wasn't safe to pick them, but we love this berries so much that he would do anything to steal some… And, being hunt by this monkey makes me some company…"

"Did you ever look after other members of your kind?"

"We were the last raccoon family living in this forest. This place is full of my memories, memories of my family, I'm not like my sister, I can't leave this place where I was born."

An uncontrollable sob seized Lexa. She began to cry bitterly. Clarke stood up and came to lay down at her side. The raccoon could snuggle against the soft and warm fur of the lioness. She let her tears go. Clarke licked her head several times in a comforting sign.

Lexa cried for a while and finally felt asleep. As Pauna seems to be always here, Clarke decided to sleep as well.

When Clarke woke up a few hours later, Lexa was no longer snuggled against her. She got up and stretched. A strange light passed through the cell. Indeed, she noticed that the main door was open. Pauna might be gone, and so the raccoon… The lioness felt sadness coming in her, she yawned and resigned to go at the door to follow her way. At the time she reached the door, Lexa arrived, a big dead ferret between her fangs. She put it at the entrance.

"You're awake! I brought you this, to thank you for earlier."

A warm sensation traveled Clarke, she smiled stupidly and bit in her meal. She swallowed the prey and licked her lips.

"Delicious! Thank you!"

"Are you coming?"

"Where?" asked the feline confused.

"Well, we are not going stay here, aren't we? But, I'll understand if you would follow your road alone…"

"You're kidding! Now that I have found you I keep you!"

Clarke gave a big lick on the raccoon's face who toppled on her back with a smile. She wiped her slobbery face and the lioness stuck her muzzle in Lexa's belly to tickle her. Lexa laughed heartily and tried to gently scratch her opponent to defend herself. Clarke stopped and looked at the small animal in her eyes. The raccoon grabbed her littles pawns around the big feline's muzzle and kissed it. Clarke blushed and stood up. Lexa got to her feet and waved to the predator to follow her.

"You didn't answer to my question, where are we going?"

"I haven't had my berries!"

"You're not the kind to let it go, aren't you?"

"Nope! Especially now that I have you with me, it will become much easier to run away!"

"My gosh…"

The two animals looked at each other and burst out laughing. Lexa began to run and Clarke rushed to catch her.

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