He was really enjoying this new freedom. Though perhaps that was too strong a word. The adults still wouldn’t let him wander too far, but at least they didn’t come running as soon as he left sight of the den, only to drag him right back. By now, Leo had explored most of the central territory claimed by the pack, inching further and further each day, in his thirst to experience something new.

Today, his interest had been caught by a pile of bones from the packs last feast – still too young to eat meat, the lion-pup usually didn’t pay much attention to the adults’ food – but there was something unusual among these remains. Normal bones he had seen aplenty, the smaller ones were nice to chew on if he could get away with it, and they were all mostly the same, white and generally straight. The skulls, by far, were the most interesting, as they looked most different from meal to meal, however this one was in a class all of its own!

Puppy blue eyes wide with fascination, Leo climbed over the other remains to get to the domed shape, carefully raising a paw to touch the large protrusions on top. Darker than their bone base, these things rose in a big curve, curling in on themselves like the shell of a snail. Against his paw, they felt more rugged than the smooth bone, and bumpy too. With a smile, the curious boy leaned in to look closer.

Like so many times before, the curious cub had become so caught up in exploring something new, that he entirely forgot the world around him. As such, he didn’t notice his brother following in his tracks, nor heard his approach until he was only a leap away, letting out his war cry. Leo spun around, startled, stumbling on the bones under his overgrown paws.

Backstepping to keep his balance, the older pup threw up his front legs in a last attempt at defence, yelping when Lynx’s teeth locked around one ankle. Then he fully tumbled back, his head knocking against the skull he had so peacefully been examining just a moment earlier. The lion-pup whined in pain and annoyance, pedalling his big paws in the air to try and dislodge his brother, not shying away from knocking the darker boy over the head to encourage him to open his jaws. He even attempted a snarl, though it came out as more of a high pitched growl, drifting off into another whine.

“Lyn’ go. Le’ go!” He pleaded, bracing his back against the skull so that he could push Lynx away with all four paws. His jaws parted as he gasped in effort, showing off his small but sharp baby teeth. Squirming his best, he kept kicking out with his stronger hind legs, hoping this would be enough to his brother’s attack. But if not, he was ready to return the bite, aiming for the dark boy’s shoulder area, to gain the necessary leverage to fully thrust him away.

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