Things had been quiet in the clan. No recent cubs, full bellies, and mild weather meant the hyenas were mostly sparawled out sunbathing or playing around. There was one hunched figure, however, who didn't appreciate the rare relaxed mood. The maned lioness, Finley, snarled and swiped at Scruffy as the hyena audaciously walked in front of her. He nervously scream-laughed and hopped away with a shocked look.
"What the heck's gotten into you, Finn?" Scruffy snapped. The lioness, who had lived with the hyenas much of her life, growled and huffed and turned to leave. Scruffy shook his head and scratched at an itch as he watched her storm off. 
"Cats sure are moody, huh?" He muttered under his breath.

Finn huffed and tossed about her maned head and growled as she slipped away from her noisy foster family. She was in a mood. She didn't feel angry, but something was definitely off. The lioness paused to sniff some brush with an unusual smell. A leopard? This deep in Gris Clan territory? She hesitated. It would be dangerous to confront a leopard without the backup of the clan. And if her nose was still working correctly, this one was a male too - even more dangerous. But The scent was a bit confusing. It was much deeper and muskier than that of a usual leopard, and somehow familar. The fact it was this deep into obvious hyena territory meant whoever it was happened to be very bold. It was also somewhat fresh. They were nearby. She decided after a few moments of hesitation to pursue the scent, albeit cautiously. She'd simply find them, then run back to the clan and let them know. That was all. So why was her head spinning a little with the scent of the unknown cat refusing to dislodge from her brain? She slowly exhaled and made her way through the brush and thicket deeper into the marshland territory border. 

The moody maned lioness carefully waded through low streams and thorny undergrowth before finally stumbling into a clearing. Lush with green grass and a small stream, she decided it was a good spot to rest. She lapped from the stream and her mind wandered. Scruffy was right, she wasn't really in her right mind. She was restless and it showed. She laid on her back in the middle of the clearing and gazed up at the solemn sky. It was deep orange as sunset approached. She sighed. Maybe I should go back, she thought. Apologize to Scruffy... She stretched, and could feel the strange antsy sensation from paw tip to nose. Not yet, she thought. Once the feeling passed she'd return, but there was an underlying buzz and warmth underneath the surface of restlessness. Her body just felt strange in a way she couldn't put into words. As she mused and gazed up at the setting sun, she heard a soft rustle of leaves and immediately snapped up, stumbling over her own paws. She couldn't hide the terror in her voice as she cried out a panicked, "Who's there?"

For several minutes, there was no movement in the undergrowth; no sign of life. Her unease and physical anxiety made her incredibly tense as her ears swiveled to imagined sounds. A low growl escaped her throat. 
"Not an enemy, if that's what you're asking." She whirled, claws extended, but stopped short. The being before her was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Her eyes widened. The figure sitting calmly before her was a striking cat of some kind. Spotted like a leopard, but with a dark sable overcoat and soft golden eyes. He was much larger than a typical leopard - even a bit bigger than her. His tail also was long, thin, and ended in a tuft of fur typical of a lion, but covered in dark splotchy markings. His slender head didn't have a hint of mane. She slowly lowered her paw and tilted her head.
"W-what are you?" She finally managed to stammer out. 
"Quite rude to phrase it like that, isn't it?" He asked, calmly licking smooth an errant patch of fur on his shoulder. He flicked his tail and his eyes slowly dipped up and down as he assessed Finley.
"I'm not a lion, if that's what you're after," he said with a firm nod. A sly smile crept to his face. "I'm not a leopard either. No. Somewhere in between, you see." 
"In between?" she asked. "So...a leopon?" It took her a minute to remember the exact word. The hyena matriarch, Tansy, had once warned her about such creatures and their terrifying abilities. This one seemed civil enough. Although, it was hard to make a fair judgement with her head spinning the way it was. She felt strangely much more restless than before, enough that she absently began kneading the soil beneath her paw. He smirked.
"Leopon, yes," he said. "Of course, one might ask you something similar. Mane on a lioness? Not to mention your scent is strong and reeks of hyenas."
"I-I'm with the Gris Clan," Finn stuttered. "I'm, ah, their enforcer." Why am I losing my nerve now? She thought. She was breathing slightly harder, kneading the ground and tail swishing nervously from side to side. He slowly, delibrately approached her.

The strange cat began to slowly walk around Finley. His scent was incredibly strong. It felt as if it were burning her nostrils. She began to pant and groaned, stretching her front paws out and growling softly. 
"I see," he murmured as he paced slow circles around her. "Late bloomer, eh? Never felt a heat before?" He gently rubbed his cheek against hers and she wordlessly pressed herself to him and her growl turned to a deep, rumbling purr. 
"Heat?" she asked as a deep fog settled in her mind. He flicked his tail and grinned, but only responded by walking a circle around her again - and stopping midway. She glanced over her shoulder curiously, but then shuddered and dropped to her front paws with a deep groan as he pressed his muzzle deeply against the source of her heat. She started to stammer out something, but stopped as she felt his rough tongue against her. Her back arched and she gripped the ground tightly. 
"Haven't tasted lioness before," he said with a purr to his voice between licks. "Rarely...mm...find them alone. Leopards...now that's easier." Finn was barely listening at that point, huffing and panting and pushing her hips back to his rough tongue. Her body was completely at his mercy, and her brain was too foggy to even imagine protesting. She drooled as he pushed his tongue in deeper. It was rough and almost painful as it slid against the most sensitive part of her body.
"Mmnf...fuck!" She suddenly whirled on him with a snarl as the vague thought of why she was here in the first place surfaced in her mind. He expertly leapt back from her swat and sat licking the moisture from his lips and whiskers, smiling knowingly. 

"Y-you shouldn't be here," she said. Her voice trembled. "This is our territory. You're, ah..." She panted softly and pressed her claws into the grass beneath. 
"Feisty," he said gently. "I appreciate a challenge." She growled.
"I don't know what you're planning," she said between ragged breaths, "but I won't allow it." He gazed at her with an enigmatic expression before very carefully choosing his next words.
"I'll leave," he said. "But I want something in return before I go." He lifted his muzzle and gazed over her tensed body and flicking tail. She shook her mane and a soft whine escaped her throat. 
"I've never -" she started to say, then stopped. It was clear she wasn't winning the fight either way, so she begged. 
"I don't want cubs. Please. Just leave." 
"As far as I know," he said, voice soft as down feathers, "I can't give you cubs either way. You know that, don't you?" Despite the fog, she was absle to remember at least a little of what Tansy had told her. Hybrids like him couldn't have offspring. She tried to find something else. Another excuse. A reason to actually preform her duty as enforcer of her clan. He casually approached as she struggled with her body versus her mind. He licked her cheek and nuzzled her chin before slowly sliding the length of his body against her. She deeply inhaled and his intoxicating scent filled up her lungs like smoke. She stretched slowly until she was laying belly flat against the ground. 

The leopon was quick. He mounted her swiftly, paws splayed on either side of her and his teeth were suddenly pressing through her mane and against the back of her neck. She rumbled loudly and arched herself slightly, moving her tail to the side as his tapered cock pressed against her. With a huff, he shoved his cock inside her slick hole and buried himself as deeply as he could. She cried out from the sudden sensation and gasped sharply, her entire body shuddering. She groaned as he pulled back just enough to shove it hard again, giving her a little taste of his painful spines - but Finn was too lost in her desperation to care. 
"Please," she moaned deeply and frantically. He snarled and roughly railed her, his balls making a rythmic smacking noise against her soaked pussy. He grabbed her neck tighter, his hot breath seeping through her mane. She was completely lost in the new, overwhelming sensation and felt it suddenly peak just as he shoved in as deeply as he possibly could with a viscious snarl. She moaned loudly, and it shifted to a deep roar as he slid out, his spines scraping and overstimulating her to the point she couldn't handle it. She turned on him instantly with a snarl and gasp, but he was quicker and bounded backwards. He was panting at that point, and slowly licked a deep red from his lips - he'd bitten her hard enough in his climax to draw blood. The two stared at each other for several seconds, both panting and licking their lips. Finally, Finn slowly settled and laid on her side. She quietly groomed her scuffed up fur while he did the same only a few feet away. Dusk had settled on them in the meantime, and Finley was still completely brain fogged with her heat. 

After a while, the leopon slowly stood and walked over to her again wordlessly. He nuzzled her cheek and she returned the affection with a soft huff and licked his neck. He laid beside her and the two quietly groomed each other. 
"This feels wrong," Finley finally said as he smoothed her messy mane. He paused. 
"It probably is," he said with an indifferent shrug. He stood, and Finley positioned herself without question. He was much more gentle this time. Rather than biting down on her neck as he mounted her, he rested her chin on her instead and carefully slid himself inside. They both let out low growls as their bodies connected once more. He buried his face against her and grunted softly as he did his best to breed her - regardless of whether or not he actually could. She returned with gentle moans and lifting her tail over her back completely to encourage him deeper. 
"Like that?" he murmured against her ear, pressing in deeply.
"Mm, like that," she moaned. He dryly chuckled as he fucked her aching cunt slow and deep, making her moan out and her eyes rolled back. 
"You're fun," he hissed against her ear as her body started to tremble and tense beneath him. "Go ahead. Cum for me." She yowled sharply and gasped, shoving her body back against him as hard as she could. She couldn't control her body mindlessly humping back against his cock until she slid back down against the ground, only muttering a small "fuck" with her face pressed to the grass. He leaned his body weight down against her and placed his chin on top of her head, shuddering as he got close.
"Good girl," he growled. "Take it-" he growled deeply as he pressed into her, and the pair both hissed as he pulled out. Finn didn't react as violently from the spines even though they hurt even worse than the first time, only wincing deeply and whining as he pulled away. Instead of backing of, he lazily laid beside her. She absently began to clean his cheek and neck while he purred contentedly. 
"You ever think about starting your own pride?" He asked her. His voice was so pleasant against her ears, but... She slowly exhaled and felt her thoughts return to her job. Her clan. Her family.
"Not with a leopard," she said, nipping his neck gently. He smiled, but seemed genuinely saddened by the response and quietly put his head down. She gazed up at the stars overheard, and then back to his dappled frame. 
"Maybe," she said gently, "I can bend my rules of being an Enforcer. Just a little bit."
"Mm," he purred softly, gently licking her cheek. "I'd like that."