The Christmas Leopard

"Shall I attempt to bargain with you, elegant Snow Leopard, perched high upon a hill - for surely you have me at a rather strategic advantage. I stand face to face with you, seeing my life flashing before my eyes - I see a noir crime film unveiling - maybe fiction, characterized by an error in judgement on my part. I see cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity".

"Hmmm, interesting. I am merely fantasizing you as my Christmas gift, all gift wrapped in warm fur, about how delicious my meal will be...When I fill up for the winter".

"Your version of our encounter is one-sided, tense and fatalistic, it leans a little wickedly in your favor. You’ve been watching me for a while".

“Long enough to know you don’t run fast.”

“Most people don’t open with insults.”

“Most people aren’t leopards, about to feast on dinner.”

“You say that like it’s already decided.”

“Everything is already decided. Winter is coming. Hunger is a law of the jungle.”

“Funny. I always knew fate had an evil, outlandish sense of humour.”

“It does. You’re standing here talking to a starving leopard.”

“And how is it that you’re talking instead of pouncing. How is it that you are even talking”

“Evolution. Habitat encroachment by humans. Take your pick. Yet, its even funnier that you are understanding me....But to answer your question - I like to savour flavour as an anticipation. It sharpens the appetite.”

“I’ve lived my whole life in shadows. If this is how it ends, at least the lighting is dramatic.”

“You smell of fear and resignation. A perfect pairing.”

“I’m not resigned. Just realistic. Noir heroes don’t get happy endings.”

“You think you’re a hero.”

“A hero to myself...surviving. Someone who’s made too many bad choices, yet still standing.”

“Bad choices taste the same as good ones, at least to me.”

“You ever wonder if you’re the villain?”

“I’m a leopard. Villainy is a human luxury.”

“Fair. But you hesitated.”

“I’m deciding whether you’re worth the effort.”

“I can make a case for my survival.”

“Go on. Amuse me.”

“I’m stringy. Too much stress. You want something plump, carefree, full of summer berries.”

“You’re right. You do reek of cynicism.”

“Exactly. I’m noir‑flavoured. Bitter. Smoky. A tragic aftertaste.”

“Hmm. A seasonal delicacy.”

“Or a disappointment.”

“You’re stalling.”

“You’re letting me.”

“Perhaps I enjoy the conversation.”

“Then maybe we both want something other than the script.”

“You think you can rewrite fate.”

“I think fate gets bored with all the human drama.”

“Hmmm!…Step back slowly.”

“You’re letting me go.”

“I’m letting the story twist.”

“Why?”

“Because even winter appreciates a plot with tension.”

“And you’ll hunt me later.”

“Of course. A sequel is inevitable.”

~~

"I can still hear your footsteps".

“…Can you.”

“Soft paws don’t hide everything.”

“Most prey doesn’t listen this closely.”

“Most predators don’t walk like they’re thinking.”

“I think about many things. Hunger. Winter. You.”

“You’re closer than before.”

“You kept walking. I kept following.”

“Is this the part where I run?”

“If you want the chase.”

“I prefer clarity.”

“Clarity is simple. I’m cold. I’m hungry. You’re warm.”

“And yet you haven’t leapt.”

“You haven’t screamed.”

“Would it help?”

“It would make things louder.”

“I like quiet.”

“Then keep walking.”

“…You’re not afraid.”

“Fear wastes heat.”

“You’re an unusual meal.”

“I’m not a meal.”

“Everything is a meal to something.”

“Even you.”

~~~

“NOOOO!”

“Relax. I wasn’t leaping for you.”

“I thought - I thought you - ”

“Your scream said everything.”

“I ran.”

“You did.”

“But I stopped.”

“That surprised me.”

“I had to know if I was still alive.”

“You are. For now.”

“You went for something else.”

“A hare. Quick. Foolish. Easier than you.”

“…I can breathe again.”

“Relief looks strange on you.”

“Feels strange too.”

“You thought fate had caught up.”

“Didn’t it?”

“Not today.”

“Why not?”

“Because hunger chooses efficiency.”

“…And I’m inefficient.”

“You’re complicated.”

“Is that good?”

“It’s inconvenient.”

“But it saved me.”

“Don’t mistake inconvenience for mercy.”

“…Will you follow me again?”

“If winter demands it.”

“Then I’ll keep listening for your paws.”

“And I’ll keep deciding.”

~~

“You’re still watching me.”

“You’re still alive.”

“That feels like a negotiation.”

“Everything between us is.”

“I thought once you ate, you’d leave.”

“I thought once you ran, you’d vanish.”

“Yet here we are.”

“Here we are.”

~~

“Why follow me now?”

“Curiosity.”

“About what?”

“Why you turned back.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“…Because you turned back.”

“You’re limping.”

“A branch. Sharp. Hidden under snow.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“You smell it.”

“I do.”

“Will you take advantage?”

“If I wanted to, you wouldn’t be asking.”

~~

“You’re cold.”

“You’re observant.”

“I know the sound of shivering.”

“And I know the sound of hunger.”

“…We’re both running out of time.”

~~

“Walk beside me.”

“That’s bold.”

“It’s practical.”

“You think proximity keeps you safe.”

“I think proximity keeps you honest.”

“…You’re strange prey.”

“You’re a strange predator.”

~~

“Tell me something true.”

“Truth is a luxury.”

“Indulge me.”

“…I don’t like killing.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Fine. I don’t like killing you.”

~~

“My turn.”

“Speak.”

“I wasn’t running from you.”

“Then from what?”

“My life.”

“…And did you escape it?”

“Not yet.”

~~

“You look at me like a mirror.”

“You look at me like a warning.”

“Maybe we’re both.”

“Maybe we’re neither.”

~~

“If winter worsens, I may hunt you.”

“If winter worsens, I may let you.”

“…That’s darker than I expected.”

“Noir doesn’t do light.”

~~

“What happens now?”

“We walk.”

“Together?”

“For as long as fate tolerates it.”

~~

“And after that?”

“After that, we see who we’ve become.”

“Predator or prey.”

“Reflection or shadow.”

“…Hunter or hunted.”

“Or something else entirely.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~