//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: The Borper // Story: The Big Cats of Bakula: The Rescuing // by PantheraMan //------------------------------// The other group was still looking on foot, however, they started to get a little hungry, so like in the old days out on the plains, Tulu sniffed the air for any signs of game, and Banda and the others followed. They were in luck, as a White-tailed Deer stag was in view, browsing on the leaves in the forest. Banda crouched down, and began stalking his quarry. With his padded paws and camoflauge, he was able to get close to the deer. He got ready to attack, however, he wasn't the only one who was hunting the deer, as a medium sized cat came out from ambush and used it's heavy build to get the deer on the ground, and those small saberteeth to finish it off. This cat had a white underbelly, dark brown fur, black stripes, pointed ears, a long tail, and small sabers that were now covered in blood. Despite this however, all wasn't lost for Banda, he just got up, walked over to the carcass, although this cat was deadly, there was no way it going to be able to fight off Banda, so it left the kill to the tiger boy. After he dragged it back to the group, Applejack butchered it, while Kama made the fire to cook the meat. While the group was eating, something unexpected happened once again. "HELP!!!" "HELP!!!!!" They group went straight to the cries for help right away, and when they got there, they saw a man who clearly wasn't from here being chased by what were possibly the weirdest cats they had ever seen. They were as big as leopards, had black spots, but had small bobbed tails, white underbellies, and were orange in color. But before they could kill the man, Rarity used her magic to make a huge shield to protect the man from the cats fangs and claws, and Banda charged and pinned one to the ground while Applejack was able to pick up two of them and throw them in the air, then Banda released the one from his grip. Afterwards, Rarity released her shield and the man gave her a big hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!!" said the man "You're welcome darling, now where are you from?" asked Rarity "New York City, why do you ask?" asked the man The ruby she had then teleported them man back to his home in New York city, then all of their rubies began to glow, which meant they rescued all the people stranded in the region, and since the lion said two regions, their entire mission was now accomplished. Banda called to get the others to come to them, after that occurred, the rubies teleported them back home, knowing that they had done a great deed. Back in the spirit realm, the three animals that met before had now met again. "I told you they could accomplish this task." Said the lion "They sure did.... and you know what, I'm impressed by them." Said the rhino "Yeah, and now they have some great tales to tell." Said the cobra "Indeed, while they may never go back to that place ever again, I know that they will never forget their encounters with the big cats of Bakula." BORPER Height: 2 ft tall Length: 3 ft long Weight: Males are from 130-200 pounds while females are from 70-160 pounds Borpers are indeed, very odd cats, and unlike other cats that have long tails that act as rudders, a short tail can't do that, so when it comes to hunting, they have 2 methods, one is to sneak up really close to the prey, and then in a short burst of speed, charge, get the prey to the ground, and kill it. Or the cat will climb a tree, wait for something to come by, leap from the tree and onto the prey, kill it, and after each hunt, like a leopard, will drag a kill up a tree to keep it safe from other predators. Their diet consists of deer, rabbit, turkey, fish, hares, and wild boars. As for enemies, they comepete with a sabertoothed medium sized cat known as Lynkosmilus, which these cats dominate due to being bigger and more powerful. Black bears will steal kills from these cats and kill their cubs, but Borpers will kill bears while they're hibernating. Their biggest rival is the Leotaka, which will kill a borper on sight, luckily, a borper is much better at climbing trees, and can make a quick getaway from their bigger cousins.