Being, but am I Breathing?

His muscles had begun to relax but blood still pumped rapidly through his veins. His green eyes were focused now on the stranger, giving him his full attention. Who was the man he had jumped in front of? He studied him through his glittered lens, as the other took a step back and righted himself. A silence fell between them and he was under scrutiny. But it was not something he objected to. He felt the heat of the stranger's eyes on him, even stood up a little taller so he could get a better look. His own gaze was merely fleeting upon the other; a simple glance to learn all he needed to. It was part of his nature, he oft made decisions on a whim. He was not prone to methodical study and perhaps never would be. He offered a flashing smile, knowing that it was taking longer for the other to accept him, this bizarre stranger that jumped near the cliff's edge. Perhaps it was a ploy - but no, it was not. He meant no harm and in time the other came to that conclusion.

Cathal realized the other was an intelligent being. This he learned from how he had been studied, the calm way the other righted himself before he spoke, how he assessed life's obstacles. Cathal was not such a being but rather lived with the beat of the moment, taking little time to cull his own intelligence. He dipped his head and said, kind of ironically, "Nice to meet you, Jed." As if Jed wanted to meet him, as if this was an ordinary experience. His lopsided smile was foolish on his maw and his tail wagged softly in the wind. It was so long since he had last seen someone!

He stepped away to give the other some more space, his gaze darting around them and then back to Jed. A rather pretty stranger. It would have been a shame if he had fallen - but he felt that even if he had not been there, the other would have been fine. Cathal was a mere stopper, a darting tree-trunk, a last resort should Jed's claws have failed. But he had to admit it had been... Kind of adrenalizing. The idea that he saved someone could inflate his ego; but in this way Cathal could be seen as smart, for he knew he had not exactly saved him. It was a mere safety net to fall into. Him. His eyes narrowed at the thank-you offered. Ah, he had been right... Jed was smart. But with it came some prejudice. At this, his demeanor darkened. "Ah, so it was smart to fall off the edge, I see?" His tone was dripping with sarcasm and rebuke. He liked Jed, yes. But he seemed to have little finesse with his thoughts and his words; a filter was missing. Or was it Cathal's filter? He paused for a moment, thinking. "But no matter. I needed something to do, anyways. Your welcome." His voice was dry and humorless, his welcome as empty as the other's thanks. He almost expected an apology from the man he'd saved; but that would be too far. He found a trickle of amusement from the whole thing, despite his wounded ego.