CHAPTER 2

THE SNOW LEOPARD

Blue eyes gaze at the unexpected victim as the creature stealthily moves towards it target. One snap of a twig the wrong movement or even the slightest sound would cause the prey to turn and flee leaving the predator hungry until it can find its next meal. Slowly the predator moves closer to the prey. One more step and the prey will be it's. In a mighty roar and a flash of white and black fur the stealthy snow leopard jumps at the throat of the confused prey. Quickly the leopard bites down hard on the preys throat quickly killing it. The leopard growled in approval at its kill, the leopard slowly release's the preys throat.

"SKY GREAT CATCH!" a smaller version of the snow leopard named sky raised her head to see a young cub bounding across the deep snow to her.

"Do you think I can catch like that one day?"

Sky smirked as she spoke "When your older I think you'll be a fine catcher just not as good as me."

"HEY THAT'S MEAN DADDY SAY THAT I COULD BE JUST AS GOOD AS HIM AND YOU ONE DAY!" the young snow leopard's tail started to twitch in annoyance from being so small still.

"Well first of all you'll have to practice as much as I did, start out small first like birds or rabbits then as you progress move on to bigger creatures like fox's."

"Really? You think I could do it?"

"Yep I have faith in you Heykar."

"Really really?"

Sky's fur began to bristle from the cubs annoying question's.

"Yep I do now lets take this back for the other's I'll even say you killed the prey."

"Gee Sky you're the best older sister ever!"

Sky watched as Heykar bounded back across the snow to the cave in the mountains as she thought to herself at the last comment her younger brother made 'old….I'm not that old am I? Just a couple of months older…'

Sky picked the dead animal up by its throat and slowly dragged it backed to the cave. Her ears flicked behind her head to make sure that no animal was following her to attack her to get the free meal she just killed. Her claws still unsheathed was ready to defend of any attacker thinking they could their grubby little paws on her family's meal. She cautiously moved through the old forest, the tree's leaves long gone in the in the winter storm, leaving the forest barren with the color white only the tree's gave off the color brown in the white barren landscape. Sky reached the edge of the forest to be greeted by a unusual animal sitting on top of a boulder gazing out across the distance. The creature's gray coat gave off a old ghostly look in the white landscape it's tattered gray ears twitched signaling it knew her presence. Slowly it turned its head toward Sky, she growled deeply in her throat to let it know that she'll put up a fight, she crouched low to the ground ready to spring. The creature turned it's head fully toward her it's green eyes showed just how old of a creature it was. It flicked its tail as it spoke with a smile " Don't be afraid I wont hurt you I'm much to old and small to do anything like that."

Sky stood up from her crouching position to speak " Who are you and what are you?"

"I'm a animal called a cat and my name…is Pascow"

"So Pascow I have a feeling that you we didn't meet on chance."

"Your right we didn't cause I've been waiting for some time now."

"And what's that suppose to mean?"

"Sky…"

"How do you know my name?"

Pascow turned his head back to the faraway landscape before he spoke.

"Have you heard the ancient story of the Guardian's ?"

~Pascow~