After meeting a curious feline, a clouded leopard warrior and his wife welcome him to their tribe where they learn he was sent as an ambassador to establish foreign relations with the tribe.

Snow Leopard Ambassador

Tig clutches his black loincloth at the sides while staying vigilant against the howling wind and blowing snow. This has to be one of his most grueling trips yet; a trip to Mount Everest was nothing to the adventurous feline. But battling winter conditions on a trek to a tribal village in the Himalayas? That is a different story on a whole new level.

The spotted feline can just make out the village along the whipping snow, seeing a few buildings in the distance. Against the wind, he huffs in relief, "Finally made it! It took a lot climbing up here, but I finally made it!"

Just a few more steps and Tig will be entering the village directly…

~~~~~

Along one of the trails in their snowy village, Aiden and his wife, Alice, are sharing a tender moment, making out with each other. The two clouded leopard warriors are just kissing and nuzzling each other, having finished a patrol route along their territory. This eventually leads to Alice clutching her husband while resting her head on his chest. After a while of snuggling, Aiden finally decides, "Let's head back up. We can't afford to have our chieftain throw a fit over us being lost."

Alice runs her palm along Aiden's abs, nuzzling him again while agreeing to the offer, "We're not that far anyway, so it shouldn't be a major concern!"

"Ahem!" The clouded leopard pair are stopped in their tracks when they whirl to see a snow leopard before them, his own tribal clothes fluttering in the cold wind. While immediately suspicious, the clouded leopard male assumes, "Are you passing through or just trying to gain access?"

"My name is Tig, and I am an ambassador for my tribe. I came here to build good relations between your tribe and mine. Is your chieftain here?" Well, that was quick and blunt, something that threw the married clouded leopards for a loop. This guy, Tig, was well-mannered and didn't even break a sweat when introducing himself and explaining his reason for being there.

"You're an ambassador for the tribe down below?? The White Mist tribe??" Aiden blinked in suspicion. He clutches his wife in a side hug while keeping his golden eyes fixed on the snow leopard before him.

Tig firmly nods in confirmation, not even taking his eyes off the married warriors. "Yes. Although I may be young for the task, I am capable of such a responsibility. May I see your chieftain please??"

"Uh sure, but how long were you here??" Aiden pressed, his tail lashing a bit.

"Not that long, really." Tig gently rubs his claws against his chest, buffing them briefly. "Just a couple of minutes. The elevation changes were a big doozy for me, but I made it."

"That's impressive considering our elevation distance. But impressive nonetheless, we welcome you, regardless." Alice removes herself from her husband to bow in respect to Tig, reattaching her arm around Aiden's waist afterward. And when the pair turn to leave, Tig follows them, sticking close.

~~~~~

Felix Vangarde observes the glinting orange glow from the candle before him during the time he is sitting inside of his tent. The clouded leopard chieftain had a contemplating expression, though this could not hide the intensity in his indigo eyes. His whiskers twitching, he notices a slight flap of movement from the entrance of his tent, followed by Aiden poking his head in and announcing, "Chief, we have a visitor; he's requested to see you personally."

Knitting his brows, Felix rises from his seat and begins to exit his tent while muttering in suspicion, "What does he want with me??"

Coming out of his tent, Felix notices a snow leopard waiting along with Aiden and Alice. Curious, the clouded leopard chieftain approaches the snow leopard, inquiring, "So you're the visitor Aiden's mentioned??"

Acknowledging this with a curt nod, the snow leopard introduces himself to Felix, bowing to the chieftain in return. "My name is Tig and I am an ambassador for my tribe. I was hoping we could establish relations between each other."

"I see, so you're a tribal diplomat." Felix assumed, scratching his chin lightly in thought. He shrugs and gives a carefree shake of his head, smiling in approval. He agrees to the demand, "Why not? I don't see any problem with it."

"Well sir, I'd be happy to oblige and join you if your people don't mind, of course." Tig assured Felix. He also casts a wary eye towards Aiden and Alice for emphasis, but Felix laughs him off, assuring the snow leopard, "If it's fine with me, they shouldn't mind!"

"No problem with us!" Aiden gives a thumbs-up while being snuggled by his wife. While Aiden hugs his wife again, he observes Felix and Tig leaving the area.

~~~~~

"So, what's this whole ambassador thing I should know about? What is your tribe like?" Felix inquired, scratching his chin lightly. Tig is silent for a bit when he reveals, "The Laurel tribe is down below and they are some good people, although you will find a few bad apples in there."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Felix hums, "Well then, you can have a tour around my land and then I will accompany you to see what your land is like. But first, I want you to show me what you can do in regards to your skills."

Tig shakes his head with a laugh, holding a hand up to pause him. He stares at Felix pointedly and rebuffs, "That's not what I meant, Chief Felix. What I meant is this: the assignment given to me was to see you personally, and long story short, my tribal chieftain is looking to unite and ally with the surrounding groups, including yours."

His indigo eyes widening in surprise, Felix smirks, "Why didn't you say so at first? Of course I'm interested! You can stay here for the time being while I call a group meeting."

"Accepted." Tig looks off to the side to see Alice and Aiden coming to meet them, the snow leopard gazing at Alice in particular. Smiling at their presence, Tig nods towards the duo and speaks, "You two must be married. I must say, it is an achievement for both of you to be standing side by side and serving your people."

"Yeah, we're married." Aiden nuzzles his wife, rubbing his head against her while Alice caresses his cheek. The female snow leopard then speaks up, "So Tig, what is this whole ambassador thing you have going on? Also, how did you know Aiden and I are married? We haven't introduced ourselves!"

"I already introduced myself, so there's no need for me to do so again, unless you want to start over." Tig smirked at the two, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Well, I'm Aiden Telesto, and this is my wife, Alice Donahue," he gestures to his wife for emphasis, "and we're both warriors for the Nefaro tribe."

"Not a fancy introduction but I can clearly see the potential you two have for the role. How good are you with a sword, Aiden?" Tig assessed.

"Can we head inside for this? We may be leopards but we can still get hypothermia and frostbite." Aiden rubs the back of his head, feeling a slight twinge of guilt at cutting the conversation short.

"Care for some caramel hot cocoa? I can make us some while Felix is busy!" Alice offered, holding her hands out to the snow leopard before her. While Aiden wraps his arm around her waist, Tig warns the duo, "I will accept, but you two better not be making out in front of me; or else I will be gone."

"Since when have we made out in front of guests? I can assure you that you're safe with us!" Aiden protested in offense. He quickly shakes himself to knock off the snow from his fur.

"I'll take your word on it. Now, where is your tent? It must not be too far from this house." Tig pursed his lips, also shaking himself to repel the snow off of him.

Alice shakes herself as well and turns to depart, trekking through the snow to reach the tent they're going to. "Come on, it's not too far! The sooner we get there, the sooner your cocoa will be made."

Aiden dashes off to catch up, with Tig quickly shaking his face to knock off some snow that was kicked up. The snow leopard casts one final gaze to the dark sky before setting his gaze back on the clouded leopards and stepping away to join them, jogging through the snow to catch up and reach them.

~~~~~

Another trade with CrazyBaby from ToyHouse, showing my end!

Tig belongs to CrazyBaby from Toyhouse; Aiden Telesto, Alice Donahue, and Felix Vangarde belong to me!