Snatched

Icarus didn't like the idea of leaving the Sky Oasis camp for too long, especially with such a young cub like Hadithi being under his care. She was old enough to be alone, but he didn't want to risk her getting into trouble without someone there to watch him, and he certainly didn't want to be lonely.

However, he had a job to do. Besides, once he'd done it, she wouldn't have to be alone anymore, so it would only end up helping her out down the road. A cub like her would need someone to keep her company, and after some poking around, he had a feeling he'd found the next cub that would be making their way to the Sky Oasis.

"Just stay tucked away in bed, alright, Hadi?" That's all he said to her before heading off away from his concealed home.

He wound his way down from their mountain abode, making sure to cover his tracks behind him before making his way into the surrounding forest. Currently, he and Hadithi weren't too high up; he had yet to decide on a permanent home for his slowly forming pride, so he had chosen somewhere hidden but not too hard to get to. He also had, so far, avoided traveling too far from the spot, especially now that he had Hadithi to think about. He was going to take care of his new family. He was going to protect them at all costs.

What happened before...it would never happen again. Not when he had anything to say about it.

Icarus prowled through the shadows, pausing from time to time when he heard movement. He had yet to find any particular pride in this area, but that didn't mean rogues or other loners weren't around. After all, the cub he currently was looking to bring back was living with his family, so there was nothing to suggest that he was safe from anyone seeing him.

Luckily for the snow leopard half breed, he had no encounters with others. That was something Icarus was always grateful for; there was no guarantee that whoever the Sky Thief encountered would be peaceful, so it was best to just avoid any interactions with others. Besides, anyone could fake being nice, so even if someone seemed peaceful, Icarus had no way of knowing if they'd turn and stab him in the back later, even if he was peaceful towards them.

After all, being peaceful hadn't saved his family.

Shaking those thoughts off, Icarus continued his stalking, though now he chose to climb one of the nearby trees and continue his search from up high. He knew the family was nearby, as he'd been watching for a bit to see how the cub was treated. As he had suspected the first time he saw them, the cub was not well-treated, and if anything, seemed to be a point of contention in the small group of lions. Out of the three cubs they had, it was obvious that the cub Icarus had been watching was the only one not favored, and at times seemed to even be excluded from activities.

Icarus wasn't going to let that continue.

Finally, he found the fallen tree that the family had chosen to make their home in. His eyes combed over the scene, searching for any sign that someone was awake, but there was nothing. Relieved he wouldn't have too much of a problem this time, Icarus carefully (and quietly) made his way down from his treetop perch and crept towards the log.

He never entered the dens that he stole from. If a cub really wanted to stay, he would not take them by force; they always had the choice when coming with him. There was only the rare occasion that he would choose to take a cub by force, and even then, he still had to get them to leave the den, or else his magic would not work and he would likely awaken at least the mother. No, cubs generally chose to come along with the Sky Thief; it just so happened that, most of the time, he was very convincing, and going with him was far more appealing than staying behind. Instead, he stayed by the entrance, and with the last bit of his family's magic that he carried in him after the attack, would speak to only the cubs. The magic, so long as he stayed out of the den, allowed him not to wake the parents, which made his position that much easier.

"Hello, little cubs," he crooned from his spot in the darkness, barely able to make out the shifting of cubs trying not to be noticed as listening.

He was surprised when the cub he had been watching walked right up to the edge of the den, peering up at him with unabashed curiosity. "Hello."

Icarus tilted his head, but did not make any move to step closer. "What are you doing up so late?"

"What are you doing up so late?"

The fierceness in the cub's voice gave Icarus pause, and his confidence was slightly shaken as he asked, "A-aren't you afraid of me?"

The cub seemed to consider the question for a moment before shaking their head. "No."

Icarus sputtered for a moment, but finally managed to ask, "Would you like to come with me?"

"Come with you where?"

"Away from here. Wouldn't you like to go on an adventure?"

"Mama says not to trust strangers." And yet, despite the comment making it seem like the cub was saying no, they stepped out of the den.

When the family awoke the next morning, the cub was gone.