Inch by inch dying as the leopard gets closer to the ground,
His soft white and black fur blends as snow piles on top.
Larger and larger get his complicated crystal-like eyes,
An outline of white and a bead of ice-cold blue hugged by a circle of black.
Looking at his enemy or into a well-polished mirror.
Body still, but his sensitive twitching ears and expanding sharp claws.
Whiskers blowing in the fierce wind,
And nostrils tightening.

Territory must be decided.

               ***

Hidden in plain sight,
Stomach and chest hugging the sand.
Uniform colors camouflaging the body and head
With a red, white, and blue flag on the shoulder.
Concentration, patience, focus,
Sweat soaking into his skin
Heart exploding from his chest.
With his steely best friend sitting in his arms, bolt locked, 
Long, heavy, silent.
An eye like an eagle’s.

A burst of smoke pollutes the air.

                *** 

The same instincts, the same desire, the same greed,
More.
More territory, more food, more safety, more glory.
The same is killing the same
The same is not working with the same.

But if they were to,
Maybe both will get what they want.

More.