The Clumsy Snow Leopard

The snow leopard was the most graceful animal in all of the White Mountains. They were agile, powerful, their tails long and perfectly suited to keeping them balanced on the snowdrifts. They stalked prey along the cliffs and pounced, engaging in chases with leaps and bounds and spins like living flurries. Cekamet, the young prince of the snow leopard kingdom, admired a group of his cousins as they climbed the mountain ahead of him. Their haunches launched them along, and they made it to the top with an effortless spring. He gulped. I can do it... I can do it... He padded up to the base of the mountain.

"Oh look!" One of his cousins called down. "Cekamet's gonna try! I bet his mother has to carry him up again!"

"I bet he falls flat on his muzzle again!"

"Are you scared, cubby?"

"Look at his tail! It's all fluffed up! He's so scared!"

"We all have fluffy tails, stupid."

"Oh, right."

Cekamet wrapped his tail around his flank, ears back against his head. They were so far up, only silvery dots against the clouded sky. He tentatively extended a paw to a snowdrift and hoisted himself up. His heart pounded. I can make it, I can make it! He leapt, tail lashing as he shook. No, keep it straight! Keep your balance! He couldn't whirl on a dime. He had to shuffle awkwardly, his paws getting tangled. All of his fur was standing on end, making him look like a spotted hairball. He stopped when he saw a great jump before him. Maybe I should... wait for Mom... No! He jumped and missed, fear ripped through him, and he clung to the edge of the cliff by his forepaws. "Ah!" He reached his hindpaw back and slipped, tumbling down to the tune of their laughs and landing on a strangely furry mountain of snow. He realized it wasn't snow, but the leopard queen Tuphana's back. He meowed in sheer shame. "Hi Mom."

Tuphana looked up with a growl, and the cubs stopped laughing and scrambled away from the cliff's edge. She sighed. "I'm so sorry dear. Are you hurt?"

Cekamet slid off of her back and plopped into the snow. "Me? Nah, I take tumbles like that all the time! You know me!" He curled his tail up. "Made of stone and ice!"

"Made of ice? So that's why you're always slipping!"

The voice came from behind him. He turned around to see a snow leopardess, a cub like him. He blushed under his fur. "Hi Gwendolyn..."

"Hey Cekamet!" She beamed brightly. "I'll race your mom to the top!"

"You're on!" Cekamet looked up and gave his mother a pleading look. With a roll of her eyes she scooped him up and with beautiful leaps and spins she whisked him to the top. She gingerly set him at the summit and he watched Gwendolyn. She bounded, huffing and puffing. She sank her claws into the snow and spilled onto the top. "Phew! She's fast!"

Tuphana was already gone. Leading a leopard kingdom was hard work. He would see her again tonight. Gwen padded up next to him. "Were the others laughing at you again?"

"Yeah." He slumped. "I don't get it. I'm not that much smaller than they are, so why can't I climb right?"

"You're just taking awhile to learn. You'll get there. You just gotta practice. And keep your tail still." She extended her fluffy tail. "See? Spin, and pounce! Like hunting prey! Spin, and pounce!" She whirled around tightly and leapt, claws extended.

"Whoa!" He ducked and she sailed over him. She skidded and got a mouthful of snow.

"Pah!" She spat it out and bared her fangs. "Oh you're in for it!"

They chased each other around the mountaintop, laughing, shoving each other into piles of snow. She play-roared and kicked some into his face and he shook it off and immediately got his paws tangled under him. He collapsed.

There was laughter, but not hers. The smile faded from his face. Oh no... they're back.

"That was graceful." He recognized that voice: Pagos, the biggest of his cousins. "Do it again, that was funny!"

"Hey! Back off you hairballs!" Gwen swiped a paw, but Pagos paid her no mind.

Cekamet rose and shook the snow off of his pelt. "I-I'm not doing it for your amusement." He was disappointed by the squeak in his voice.

"Oh? Well then why are you? Oh, that's right! You're a klutzy little runt!"

The others laughed, and Gwen swiped again, this time landing a scratch. She and another leopardess cub growled at one another. Cekamet moved to help her, but he was shaking again. He was scared that if he moved, he would lose his balance yet again. "I am not!" He roared. "I can be just as graceful as all of you!"

"Oh really? Prove it!"

His heart dropped into his stomach. "What? Uh... h-how?" He licked his nose nervously, hoping Pagos was bluffing.

He wasn't. The leopard motioned to a log between this mountaintop and the next, a death defying drop between them. The log couldn't hold an adult but the cubs used it all the time. Except for Cekamet. The log was frozen over. If he slipped, his mother wouldn't be there to catch him, and the snow at the bottom may not cushion him enough to come out unscathed.

The leopardess pinned Gwen. She bared her cub fangs.

"Go on!" Pagos urged. "Do it!"

What was he supposed to do? Declare himself a klutz? He had more honor than that. He was a snow leopard of the mighty Mountain Kingdom! He began padding towards the log. What am I doing?! He stuck his tail straight out. Stop shaking, or you'll fall! He stood on the edge. He couldn't even see the bottom!

"Cekamet!" Gwen called between snarls, "You don't have to!"

He took a step onto the ice. Stupid! He took another, terror beating through every inch of his body. His blood was as frozen as the ice beneath him, and he could feel his pads losing a grip. Stay focused! Look ahead! Another step. He wavered. "Whoa!"

"Cekamet!"

"Oh come on!" Pagos growled, "You're barely halfway across!"

Was he that far? He couldn't look down. He'd lose all sense of everything! Despite the thought, his gaze was drawn down into the abyss, and his tail started whirling. "Ahh!" He lunged, missed, and felt his hindpaws slide out from under him. He clung to the log on his belly, struggling to pull himself up, but fell, digging in with his forepaws yet again. Ice was fiercer than snow. How had he let pride lead him to such a risk?! With every ounce of strength he had he pulled, he pulled until he couldn't tell if his claws or the ice was making that cracking sound, but to no avail. The log was shaking! With a wild flash the log moved, and he slid, all the way down. Exhilaration charged him and he spun out onto a ledge, where the other end of the log had landed. He looked up. Pagos gazed down in disbelief. The bridge was now a slope. "Hey," He said, "Hey, that was fun!"

The other cubs looked at each other.

"Fun?" Said Pagos.

"I wanna try!" Said Gwen, shoving the other cubs aside. She sat on the log and slid, all the way down, squealing 'wheee!' all the time. She was deposited at his side and bounced up. "It is fun! It's like an ice slide! You guys should try it!"

More glances were exchanged, and then the other cubs started sliding, one by one. Each of them cheered on the way down, grinning from whisker to whisker. Finally, only Pagos remained at the top of the slide.

"Come on, Pagos!" Cekamet called. "Try it!"

Pagos's face alternated between a judgemental glare and widened eyes, considering trying the slide. Finally, he raised his forepaws and planted them on the ice.

His paws slid out from under him, he let out a panicked cry, and slid the whole way down on his stomach. When he arrived at Cekamet's paws, Cekamet laughed. "See? It can be fun to be clumsy sometimes!"

Pagos finally smiled back. He let Cekamet help him up.

"Uh, guys?" Gwendolyn said from the end of the log, sloped upwards and covered in ice. "How are we going to get back up?"