The possibility of Carletta being pregnant was becoming more and more certain and he couldn't be more excited if he tried. Maybe it was a bit much to be preparing for their litter so soon, but he couldn't help himself. He spent the morning digging out their den to give themselves some more space and now he was cleaning off his paws in one of the near by streams. His shoulders weren't too happy with him from the physical work, but it was worth it. Nothing was too good for his family. After shaking off as much of the water as he could he set to work, finding a grouping of bushes made of tall grasses to collect from to make some bedding for them. Since the fall weather had begun to take hold most of it was beginning to dry and turn light brown so it was easy to break off and he was sure it would be a nice cushion for them. Ever since his joints began to give him problems he really appreciated having something soft to sleep on. He hummed softly to himself while he worked, making a neat pile of grasses next to him so they would be easier to carry back later. "Talk" "You" Think

The boy, barely old enough to have been weaned, had found himself in the forest of falling orange, yellow and red. His coat spotted but across it danced the reason for his being out here alone. His mother had watched his coat develope and once it was apparent the darker splotches would not subside from his skin, she took him from his familiar den and left him in the center of this forest. She wasn't coming back for him she had told him, he was told he wouldn't make it either way with his color, she said this was the kindest thing she could do for him. She had given him no name, nothing to help another identify him.

His tail twitched as he watched the sight befor him from the safety of beneath his yellowed bush. with the shade here he hoped he blended in enough to go unnoticed. Some big orange guy was plucking at the bushes nearby and making a big nest it seemed. It was strange. His blue eyes watched the blue eyed orange man with a twitching tail. He couldn't quiet figure him out. A monarch fluttering past caught his eye, his head following the butterfly as it move eraticly. His haunches curled beneath him and he trembled as he got a little excited. Then with a yowl of triumph, prematurely done, he pounced. His paws missed the butterfly and he growled as he looked back at it. His face held a look like he'd been betrayed by the flttering bug as it tried to fly higher and away from him now.

Text "speech" Thought

Leo was so focused on his task that the sudden noise behind him startled him, making him jump and drop the bundle of grass he was holding in his mouth. He quickly turned, his hackles raised a bit from a nervousness that someone or something was attacking him. By the time his sapphire gaze finally settled on the source of the yowl he felt ridiculous for thinking it at all. He relaxed immediately and smirked at the little cub as he tried to catch the butterfly that seemed to just be out of his reach. He looked around for a moment, looking for a mother for this cub. He certainly didn't want to interact with him if it was going to end up with a protective mother attacking him for it. However, he didn't see anyone around and what scent of another cat he could smell on him was stale. That immediately worried him and he refocused his gaze on the cub. "Hello there," he said as he got a bit closer, giving the child a gentle smile. He'd never interacted with a feline before, but he couldn't imagine that it'd be much different from a pup at this age. "What are you doing out here on your own? Where's your parents?" "Talk" "You" Think

The sound of the orange guy coming closer had him immediately refocusing his gaze. His eyes narrowed on the man. He was tough and he knew it. He had to be if he was going to survive. He straightened himself, trying to prove how grown he was, though at only mere weeks old he was hardly a threat to anything. OF course that gaze dropped at the question of his mother. She was probably long gone now, and had no intention of returning. "Left, no Da. Ba pelt." His speech was no worse than it should be for a boy that had had no mother doting on his developement. She had held no hope for him and therefore had not helped him with his speech. The fact that he had longer front canines didn't help either, but it was normal for his species to have such things.

HE looked back up at the man with a shrug. He didn't care what she thought. He was strong and he was going to survive. He had managed to watch this guy without him noticing so that had to count for something. His ears flicked forward as he thought to ask the guy his name finally. "Who ou?" His tail flicked with interest. Was that how you made friends? He wasn't sure yet. He'd need friends one day probably.

Text"speech"Thought

Leo noticed the way the boy pulled himself up tall in what Leo assumed was an attempt to make himself look bigger even though he was still incredibly small either way. It didn't last long, however. As soon the topic of his parents came up the boy seemed to wilt a bit, saying that his mother had left and he didn't have a father. Leo didn't quite understand the rest of his words at first. "Ba pelt" didn't make much sense, but as he looked at the boy's fur that had the typical pattern that he associated with larger felines he had seen, but there was also uneven dark splotches across his face and body as well. Did he mean "bad pelt"? Whatever the reason, he couldn't just leave the boy here. He couldn't imagine that he would last long on his own. Of course he was still a stranger as much as anyone. It wasn't like he could expect the child to just come with him. When he asked who he was, Leo settled down on his haunches with a small smile. He couldn't quite tell exactly how young he was since he wasn't familiar with how felines grew, but if his speech was any indicator Leo would guess he was barely able to be away from his mother. "My name is Leo. What's your name?" In the back of his mind he was already wondering what Carletta's reaction would be to him coming home with a cub in tow. Something told him she wouldn't mind. "Talk" "You" Think

The boy waited ever so patiently to be answered, that was not so patiently. What could you expect from a boy barely weaned? A distraction came in the form of the butterfly he had tried to capture. His blue eyes that almost matched this man's went to it following it with a tilt of his head. His ear twitched as the man spoke again, finally answering his question. He looked to the man, now named Leo. He asked for his name and the boy couldn't help but want to give him some form of answer. But he had no name to give. "Boy ub." he was chipper enough giving this few identifying words though neither were his actual name. He couldn't help but show off his identifying canines as he grinned with his tail whipping behind him.