A Little Opera Goes A Long Way

. . .


Silverback felt her heartbeat flicker as the male came closer. So close... but not close enough to touch. And yet her internal reaction was not as violent as it could have been, simply for the reason that she couldn't believe this was happening. It couldn't be flesh and blood that moved before her - it had to be some sort of phantom. Perhaps she was becoming like that annoying little black dog she had met who said he had delusions. Well if it that was so... then she had a very skilled imagination. But no. She knew herself - or thought she did. She couldn't come up with this - especially not that accent of his. The sharp, drawling one that lent itself beautifully to his purr. He couldn't asked her anything and she would've answered. But for the moment he just desired her name.

"It is Silverback," she said obligingly enough. How hard had she yearned to finally be able to give her name to another cat? But that was just it - she'd wanted a meeting such as this so badly she'd begun to see it in her dreams. Was that all this was? A dream? A vision to be shattered what that sun climbed too high? It couldn't be - and yet the impossibilities kept stacking up. Now she was being told there were more? "You must forgive me, Sweet Prince-" she said, regaining the usual silky sarcasm to her voice that made it playful, "-if I have trouble taking you at your word." She gave a slight shake of her head. "I have lived four years and never seen another cat besides my own mother. I have left my birth mountains in search of others and until you I had found neither hide nor hair. And now you tell me that off somewhere there is a kingdom's worth?"

She did not want to be appear doubting, but it was incredible. She had begun to resign herself to be the last of the leopards. She had even made plans for her comfort - in the form of several caged birds. Everything had seemed so forlorn, so hopeless - but - but now...

She dropped her eyes to her paws. How was it that she was finding it hard to hold his gaze? Was she really that shy of a creature around her own kind? How curious. She was the boldest thing alive when it came to prey and dogs, for she knew those to be below her. But among cats... well perhaps her personality took a little more time to show. It was all so different and strange. She had no idea what to expect from herself or the male. All she knew was that he was the most handsome thing she'd ever seen, and his voice the sweetest she'd ever heard. After a moment she looked back up. "Is this really real?"