[PRP] Reunion (Kyoumei x Hanta )

[Tanakako]

The waves of heat flickered along the horizon, blurring the pale yellow sand with the weak blue sky. Overhead the sun burned, a relentless press of heat that sapped the strength and will from everything left exposed to it. Out of the shimmering, overheated landscape a lone figure appeared. As pale as the sands under paw and as insubstantial as the ghosts of distant trees.

Gradually, as the sun tracked across the skies above, the figure drew closer. Moving with a slow but determined walk, head dropped low under the weight of the sun’s glare, the shape gradually solidified into the slim form of a cheetah female. Pale creamy fur streaked with dust that almost obscured the wispy cloud-like markings trailing gracefully up her legs and across her brow. Golden eyes squinted as she paused, head lifting to turn one way and then the other. Flicking her tail she sighed softly.

She had been so sure this was the right area.. but there was not a tree root or paw print to be seen. Granted, it had been a while since she had been home, but how could she be this lost? Tipping her head back she scowled at the cloudless sky, wishing the wide open blue above would do the decent thing and gain a few clouds of its own for once… She would even sacrifice her own for a bit of relief from the heat. Lowering her gaze again she carefully braced her paws in the deep sand and shook hard, raising a cloud of fine dust all around.

She should start looking for a watering hole, she supposed.. she needed to hunt, or at least to drink..
 

[Neon Fly]

So explain to me again, the reasons why you expect to find Hime in a wasteland? The tall, lean cheetah cocked a brow at the dark pelted leopardess in question. Sagasu couldn't help but notice--not for the first time and unlikely the last--the allure Hantaishoku wore remained effective even when he was being an irritating a**. She'd never believed anyone could be effortlessly charming until she'd had the misfortune of meeting him. He had made it an art form.

Considerin' it took you several years to find your brothers I don't think I'll be taking advice from you on how to track my sister any time soon. If your dainty paws are gettin' sore though, you can always go back to them. With a smug grin Sagasu mocked her strange acquaintance. They'd possessed some sort of halfhearted rivalry since they'd met, but over the turbulent course of their travels together it had become something more.

And leave you to pining for me? Lifting his shoulders and puffing out his chest, the male strutted with his chin high. A warm chuckle filling the dry air with mirth as he added, I could never deprive you of my magnificence, it would be too cruel! You know I can never leave a lady in distress!

Striking a pose in the middle of the arid, barren landscape--which seemed only to enhance his desired effect--the calico cat lashed his long tail dramatically. There was no denying the boy cut a clean figure, but his reputation as a stud was far less notorious than Hanta liked to claim. In the time they had traveled together she had seen him come to the aid of many females like some dashing hero, but despite the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, invitations Saga had noticed the cheetah always wormed his way out of affirming his lady killing claims with action. It was one of the undoubtedly most peculiar things about him. After all, what male in his right mind wouldn't have accepted any opportunity for a quick romp? I'd miss you like running face-first into the backside of a porcupine. When are you gonna give it up already?

...Hanta? After an extended silence citrus hues rolled toward the male a few paces to her left a frown betraying her typically apathetic expression at the tension in his posture.

Maybe he had never fully committed to the likely reality that she was gone forever, after all he had been certain his brothers were alive, but Hanta had never believed he would see her again. She looked like wisps of smoke rising off the withered earth, nearly blending into the terrain--enough that he considered her to be a mirage. A ghost from his past. Nothing more.

The grace of her movement. The fluid lines of her body. Could illusions capture that sort of beauty? Even his dreams paled in comparison. She had to be real... and yet, for the life of him he couldn't will his body to move, stuck in a state of paralysis. Frozen by the fear that she might slip into shadows on the sand if he so much as twitched a muscle. Instead, Hantaishoku did the only thing he could, the same thing he did whenever she appeared to him in his sleep. He called out for her with the ache of longing in his voice, Kyoumei!

 

[Tanakako]

The dust that had coated her body floated in the air as if unwilling to drop to the hot sand below and caused her to sneeze, nearly taking her from her paws with the force of it. Rogue life hadn’t been easy for the cheetess. Though she had always been fast, faster than many of her kin at any rate, she had learned the hard way that she was not top of the food chain any more. Not even close. Lions had always been a problem but then she had discovered that not all hyenas were friendly. Leopards would steal her kills if they found her and that wild dog pack..? Strength in numbers indeed.

She had finally learned how to keep most of her kills and while not the glossy picture of health she had once been, she was leaner, her muscles harder. She had grown faster too and her endurance was massively improved. But throughout everything, it was the loss of her family, and more specifically, of one male, that had been the hardest to cope with. She knew it was unlikely that he would still be alive.. that any of them could have survived the flood that had destroyed the only home she had. She knew she had been unbelievably lucky to have escaped herself, swept unconscious with the mad waters, only to wash up in a strange and unfamiliar place. She owed her life to the lion that had found and cared for her. A soft spoken male of sandy cream with an unusual black marking down his side. His gold jewellery had fascinated her and his kind patience had helped ease the fear and loss of those first few weeks. He had hunted for her, protected her and cared for her. When her wounds had healed, he had stuck with her, first escorting her to what remained of her home, a wasteland of mud and bodies… Then he had taken her away and both of them had wandered, no particular destination in mind, just following prey and trying to stay alive and avoid the local rogue lions who didn’t like to share.

Eventually he had found relatives in a pride and decided to stay, while she had moved on, determined to keep up her search, though unable to admit to herself that it was likely futile..

Shaking the melancholy from her mind she sighed. Time for that watering hole...

Raising her slim muzzle she scented the air, hoping for some hint as to which direction she needed to go. But before she could make a decision, a call swelled out of the desert. A call from her dreams that had haunted her day and night since the flood.

Hanta…? Her head shot round in the direction of the call. Body locked in place as she frantically sought the origin of the voice she remembered so well. Trembling from her ears to her tail tip the slim female stood frozen, filled with shock and a desperate hope. Suddenly she was moving, lean body stretching, legs a blur as she raced across the hot sand, the famous speed of all cheetahs employed in a mad headlong dash.

“Hanta! Hanta! Hanta!” Her cries swiftly grew in volume and delirious joy as she tore across the distance, going from a wispy dream to solid reality in a breath. In the next she was suddenly there. Flesh and blood and panting calls as the sleek pale body collided with her mate’s. Unable and unwilling to slow her pace until she was sure he was real, that he was actually there and not one of the many mirages that had followed her about the desert for so long.  

[Neon Fly]

Puzzled by the bewildering behavior of the speed demon beside her Sagasu followed his gaze across the flat scrublands. At first she could make out only an indistinct shape which danced in place with the heat that rose off the ground in undulating waves. Just a smudge of wheat in the distance. It could have easily been a tumbleweed, yet the stillness of Hanta's frame told her there was something far more interesting on the horizon than a clump of ambling vegetation. Angling another glance towards the cheetah she watched his haunches quiver as he strained forward as far as his incredibly long legs would stretch. His tail straight behind him and slightly curved, didn't twitch a hair. Why didn't he move? Everything in his posture suggested he wanted to bolt with every ounce of speed the great goddess above had gifted him. Hanta what the hell---?

She'd missed his call, but her ears flicked to attention with the response it had garnered. Quickly jerking her head around to find that the perfectly unassuming blob had solidified into the shape of a lithe, streamline female charging straight at them. Another cheetah no less.

Kyou! There was enough time for an answering affirmation before the pair went tumbling headlong across the ground in a tangle of limbs. Hanta, did his best to shield his precious friend from being scraped an bruised as they skidded, baring his backside to the rocky landscape as his long limbs hugged Kyoumei against the length of his body. What damage their might have been from the collision was worth it. Knowing that she was real, feeling the warmth of her body and the brush of her smooth, short fur against his own consummated the reality he had barely dared to believe: Kyoumei was alive and he had finally found her.

Hugging her tightly against his chest long after their careening cartwheels had finally lost momentum Hanta stared into the beautiful face he had never forgotten, still unable to believe how much fortune favored him. First his brothers--all four of them and now.... her.

Under normal circumstances, were it any other female, the cavalier male would have been ready with some witty introduction and a debonaire smile. However, in the face of his angel all pretenses were lost to an overwhelming sense of awe. Pale, cinnamon colored gaze simply stared, swept up in the moment. When he spoke, his voice wavered with emotion and an embarrassing honesty that he might not have offered so freely to anyone else. ...I've dreamed of this moment every night since I lost you.

 

[Tanakako]

Uncaring as they went tumbling head over heels she clung onto Hanta tightly, pure joy bubbling up and escaping on stunned, breathless laughter. Fragile limbs wrapped about the male’s body as they skidded to a stop, Kyoumei safely cradled against the pale chest of her beloved. Soft laughter intermixed with his name as she panted, more breathless from the shock of finding him than she as from the mad desert dash.

“Hanta! You’re alive. You’re safe!” Squirming with pleasure she nuzzled his check then licked his muzzle, her smile huge and goofy, eyes still wide in astonishment. “Hanta...” Incapable of expressing all the emotions that filled her she dropped her head and pressed her cheek to his chest, letting the sound of his thumping heart reassure her. He was real, and alive, and here, when she had feared she had lost him for ever.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again...” She admitted, her voice soft now, the simple relief she felt making her words thick with emotion. Closing her eyes she finally relaxed, thought her forelimbs remained tight about him, the rest of her went limp, as if now, finally, she could rest. Nothing else mattered but the soft voice in her ear, the firm, lean body under hers, the silky fur and his warmth. He was alive.

Up close her soft fur hid the sharp angles of bone where her new muscles didn’t protect her. Delicate scars, hidden under re-grown fur, now decorated one shoulder, the result of her unconscious tumble down river. A deep sigh slipped form her as she pressed closer, tail curling about his own as she simply breathed in his scent. Dust and fur and Hanta.

Eventually she reluctantly opened her eyes and tilted her head, having felt the incredulous stare of another on them. “...Hi..” She offered sheepishly, smile shy and uncertain.  

[Neon Fly]

Holding her close as if she might blow away on the wind if he released her even a fraction, Hantaishoku returned the warmth of his best friend's affection filled nuzzles. Relief releasing endorphins into his system as he stared. She was a goddess in cheetah form, though he could remember a time when her fur had been sleeker and her body fuller. There were scars he couldn't remember seeing on her before and a angular cut to her frame that suggested her life since the flood had not been easy, but she had survived.

Not only that but there was still life in her eyes, vivid and sparkling. All the adversity she had met hadn't broken her spirit, only made her stronger. That was the Kyoumei he knew. Kyoumei.. I'm so glad to see you. Your family.. are they...?

There was hope in his gaze, he had always been fond of her parents and knew that she was their greatest treasure. He also knew the anguish of the uncertainty of knowing whether your kin were alive. Until recently he hadn't been sure if he was all that was left of his family line. Finding his siblings had been a welcome surprise. Unfortunately, the calico never completed his sentence, distracted by Kyou's distracted gaze and the voice that interrupted what might have otherwise been an otherwise perfect reunion.

Hey. So... I guess you two know each other or somethin'? Watching the pair roll around on the ground like cubs Sagasu could hardly help her disgusted face. This was more sickening than watching the full-grown cheetah bounce around like a grasshopper with his brothers as they has tussled and leapt over one another upon finding each other. Something had to be said for Hanta's luck though, the lady killer had not only found his family, but his female friend as well.

Are you still here? Hanta wrinkled his muzzle, gazing up at the dark leopardess with blatant irritation. Try though he could, he couldn't quite block out the image of her watching him so intently, a knowing grin upon her face.

Oh and knowledge was power, everything about the suave cheetah suddenly made all the sense in the world and swing Hanta's annoyance, ironically, gave Sagasu great enjoyment. Awhh, Hanta, that's no way to speak to the mother of your cubs! You're hurtin' my feelings!

Flipping the tip of her tail casually, she turned a sugary sweet smile on the pale female, ignoring the glare suddenly boring into the side of her skull as she introduced herself. I'm Sagasu, you a friend of my dear Hanta?
 

[Tanakako]

She knew she was grinning like a fool, a product of the silly joy she felt bubbling up within her now that her shock was wearing off. It still felt unreal, the fact that he was alive and right here. His words finally snagged her attention and she dropped her gaze, hoping to hide the pain she knew was reflected there as she sought a kinder way to break it to him. Finally she just shook her head. She and her guardian had found them not too far from where Kyoumei herself had washed up. Her only comfort had been the fact that they had died as they had lived, together.

“… I’m sorry…” Her voice was almost a whisper, the pain in her tone obvious. He was the first she had found from their old home, at least the first one who was alive.

The sudden intrusion of the stranger’s voice pulled Kyoumei back, her grief, still so fresh and raw, forced down and out of sight. It was clear she hadn’t yet had time to fully process it. No doubt too distracted trying to survive to do so.

Belatedly she heard what the leopard had said and she twisted her head round to look up at her, side-swiped by the topic change and everything it could mean. Her shocked expression only lasted a moment however, shifting to a more confused look as one ear tipped back. Graceful head turning back to Hanta she blinked down at him, her confusion was not the heart-broken ‘why did you mate with her’ look most females might had instantly adopted, but a kind of general ‘what is going on’ look as she sought some kind of frame of reference for the situation.

Looking back up at the leopardess, Kyoumei hadn’t attempted to break her best friend’s tight grip on her, and remained draped over his body, far too relieved to have him back to move just yet. No matter how inappropriate it was in company. “Hello Sagasu, I’m Kyoumei.” Her smile was genuine, if still a little puzzled. Though it wasn’t the bafflement of someone a bit slow on the uptake, but a much more intelligent expression. The leopard’s sickly sweet words and overly friendly smile didn’t mesh with the irritation she could feel rolling through Hanta. The male she had known all her life had never treated his friends so callously, and for him to do so now with someone he seemed to be travailing with…? Her instinct told her something was up and she was obviously going to believe what she knew of Hanta over a stranger’s words. A stranger who she didn’t know the intensions of.

Besides, nothing could ruin this moment. Her Hantaishoku was back!  

[Neon Fly]

Hanta felt his beloved friend's heartache, his brow unconsciously knitting with genuine sympathy for her as his arms tightened around her slim, bony shoulders, drawing her closer. How long had she been alone? How long had she gone without answers? Unknowing just how much--if anything--of their group had survived the devastating flood. Reluctant to dwell on the morbid when his chest swelled with joy at the very sight of her, he nuzzled the curve of her neck reassuringly. Even with Sagasu's intrusive gaze upon them, nothing could ruin this moment.

Well, almost nothing.

Long, lean frame tensed physically beneath the leopard's claims. Mother of his cubs?! It was a struggle to keep a cool head under the current circumstances, but Hanta managed gracefully. Glad for the fact that the gaze Kyoumei extended toward him was more inquisitive and perplexed than angry and wounded. It was a moment of dawning epiphany for the dashing calico as he realized he loved the sweet female for reasons well beyond her stunning figure and flawless good looks. I promise, it isn't how it might sound.. my acquaintance here has bad taste in humor.

The wicked look Hantaishoku shot her might have staggered a less capable female, luckily Sagasu was far more sturdy. Still, she was enjoying herself too much to let this drop so easily. Instead, she met his resentful glare with a wounded gasp. Hanta! That all I am to you? After everythin' we been through?

It amused her how quickly his playboy front had dropped before the lovely female he seemed to know so well. It was clear Sagasu was staring at the answer to her questions. The reason why, despite his gallant persona, he hemmed and hawed when it came time to act upon the benefits of being so effortlessly provocative. Why, I recall just minutes ago you saying how you couldn't bare to leave my si..

Alright! You've had your fun, now quit! At the nearly pleading desperation that edged the cheetah's tone, the chocolate colored female finally relented with an exultant grin of satisfaction. That ain't even half of what you deserve for leading on all those poor girls.. thinkin' they had a chance when all this time you've been holdin' a flame for your wind runner here.

Flicking her tail reprimandingly, the citrus color of her gaze finally returning to Kyoumei. Nice to met yah, Kyou. Me and Hanta have been traveling together for a stretch, can't seem to shake him. Honestly, think he feels like he might owe me for helping him find his brothers, perhaps you can set him straight and get him off my tail finally. He's a well meaning fella, slicker than snake oil though. Left a lot of females heart broke the way he shows up all suave and dashing, rescues 'em and then runs off. Never really understood it... until now.

Sticking her tongue out at Hanta playfully, Sagasu added finally, Luckily for me I'm not quite so gullible.
 

[Tanakako]

The faint tightening of his grip eased the pain that lived deep within her, helping to push it back into that secret place where she had stuffed it that first day. Unhealthy as it was she had not been able to give the pain the attention it needed, to grieve and let that grief follow the proper course towards healing. Instead she had struggled to keep it at bay in order to hunt and survive IN a land far more hostile than she had ever known.

But now, his warmth, his wondrous scent and the reassuringly strong grip of his arms about her eased that pain. And for the first time in a long time, she felt as if she could draw a proper breath.

The strange argument that had erupted between her Hanta and his companion only served to confuse her, as the subtext and their respective behaviour spoke of some kind of relationship, even if it was only by proxy of time spent together. She couldn’t figure it out. Turning once again to gaze down at the male beneath her she tilted her head, expression silently questioning even as a tiny, tender smile curled her slim muzzle. For though he was clearly agitated at the leopardess, his excitement and joy remained in the tight way he held onto her, the softness of his gaze, and the easy way they lay together, as if they had never been apart. Nothing could detract from that.

The more they argued, the more Kyoumei realised what they sounded like… which was nothing so more as a pair of siblings, well versed in tormenting each other. Though it seemed the female had the upper hand right now. She couldn’t help the soft giggle that escaped, her smile warm and genuine as she watched the pair of them.

When the lady leopard finally turned back to her, Kyoumei smiled warmly, soft golden gaze amused. “Thank you for looking after him.” She returned, her softly lilting voice shy and yet playful, and still infused with such happiness, it was clear she was still giddy with their reunion. She looked back down at Hanta, only belatedly realising just what the leopardess had said. “You really found Pachi, Genge and Menka?” Her excitement bubbled again, gazing at Hanta almost desperately. To know that at least those three had also been spared the destruction of the flood… it would give her hope for other survivors.

Neon Fly

 

[Neon Fly]

I'm not that desperate. Hanta snorted sharply in response, rolling is eyes at the cocoa colored leopardess, though he was having a hard time taking his eyes off Kyoumei for more than a few seconds at a time. Gods above, she was gorgeous and he thanked the stars that she had made it out of the horrid flood alive. Survived and grown. They'd barely reached adolescence when the high water and torrential rains had devastated their small colony of cheetahs coexisting together. Not necessarily with any sort of highly organized civilization, but just benefiting from the nearness of one another as they inhabited the same territory.

It was an unexpected result that the cubs of this small group would eventually find each other and play together, forming a stronger bond than had initially been there before the individual families had really bothered to know one another.

We did! They all survived amazingly! Pachi's grown up quite a bit! And Genge is as stoic as ever. They'll be so glad to know you're alright! I parted with them not long before, they were heading west, but I wasn't ready to follow them yet.. I just.. I felt something pulling me this way. Hanta was glad now he had followed his gut, gently grooming the fur along the curve of Kyou's swan-like neck. Her body looked so lean and hard. Too much travel and not enough food had made her disconcertingly gaunt and a shot of protectiveness jabbed straight into his chest without warning. He wanted to hunt for her. To bring the healthy luster back to her coat and fill out her bony haunches.

Wasn't any trouble really, though I'm glad to be rid of him. Sagasu assured quietly with a laugh. The longer she stood there the more she felt like an outsider and seeing the two entwined made her realize that she had been stripped of her title as the calico's companion. He no longer needed her. Hantaishoku had found what he was searching for. Allowing the pair to drift deeper into their conversation until they were completely oblivious of her, the cheeky female slipped away. After all, she had her own sibling to find still.

It was time that their paths forked. Gingerly bowing her head, though she was certain neither one noticed, Saga excused herself and slipped off into the tall, dry grass noiselessly. Maybe their paths would cross again some day, but maybe they wouldn't. Either way, it was an experience she would never forget.

You look famished, we should get you something to eat. Hey, Saga how about— Hanta began, turning his head toward where his snarky friend had been sitting only to find her spot empty.

Saga? Carefully unwinding himself from Kyoumei the lean male padded towards the imprint where she'd been sitting, confused and caught off guad. She'd been there just a second ago. Where had she gone? Yet as he looked back to the beautiful, sandy colored female awaiting him, he realized too what Sagasu had already known. Their time was up. Yelling over the tall grass though he wasn't sure which direction she had one.

IT'S RUDE TO LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE MUDBUTT! GOOD LUCK! Sighing with a disappointment he wouldn't admit was sitting on his chest, he turned back to Kyoumei awaiting him, bumping his head lovingly against her sharp shoulderblade. C'mon.. dinner's on me, anything you want. I'll catch it for you.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

As Hanta spoke of his brothers, Kyoumei couldn’t help but snuggle back against his chest, nuzzling her head up under his chin as if to get as close as physically possible. Her heart swelled to hear that the brothers were doing ok. She had feared for them as much as she had for Hanta. And had always help out hope that they had survived. Laughing softly she tipped her muzzle up to lick at his chin, both in play and reassurance. The thought of how close she had come to not finding him and she would never have even known… The thought alone terrified her.

“I’m glad you didn’t go.. I’ve been searching for you for so long.” Her joy at finding him still filled her, but the fear, so much a part of he for so long, flooded back again for a single moment, making her voice tremble. “I’ve missed you…” She finished lamely, knowing she could repeat it for the rest of their days and it would never be enough to express just how desolate the world had been without Hanta in it. If not for the nice lion who had nursed her, she was sure she would have died back then. Pressing closer, despite the fact that there was no more space between them, she only calmed as his rough tongue smoothed over her fur, letting the warmth of him and his comforting scent relax her until she little more than a rug drapped over him, boneless and content.

Her quiet rumbling purr, a noise she hadn’t even been aware she was making, faded as he stirred under her, voice lifting to his dark-coated companion. Kyoumei too lifted her head, amber-hued eyes seeking the tall female beside them and finding only a patch of flattened grass. Letting herself slide off Hanta as he shifted she rose up onto her haunches, looking confused and puzzled. “Where’d she go?” Sleek head craning round to try and catch sight of the leopard amid the tall grass. His shout surprised her but as he looked back at her, her confusion melted into a soft and tender expression. Love, for all that it was silent and unknown, filled her gaze as she smiled softly in return. Standing as he approached her once more she leaned into his sleek body, eyes closing with a soft happy purr before turning to follow him, content to let him lead them wherever they would now go. “Oh!” She chirruped in excitement, tail curling high as she trotted to catch up to him, then slowing to walk along with her head level with his shoulder, fur brushing with each stride. For she simply couldn’t bear to be parted from him again so soon.

“Antelope?” She asked with a smile. It didn’t matter to her what they hunted, only that they did it together. Closing her eyes for a moment she leaned into his lean, trim frame, amazed that he was actually there, walking with her again after so long.

Neon Fly

Fin?

 

[Neon Fly]

Trotting along with the lady of his dreams at his side, his paws moving in silent strides across the grassland despite all the dry, brittle grass they moved through, lean shoulders lifted in answer to Kyou's question. She says she's not looking for her, but I think she's still hoping to find her sister.

Knowing what it felt like to lose something you'd had with you your whole life, Hanta could sympathize with Sagasu's plight, though the leopardess was tough as nails. Not likely to admit she missed her twin any time soon, either. Rubbing an itch behind his ear on Kyou's cream colored fur, he laughed at her excited chirp and nodded his understanding. Had she always been this easy to please? I think I saw a herd moving back in the direction my brothers went in, maybe we can catch up with them.

Of course, keeping Kyoumei all to himself for a while longer didn't sound like a half bad idea. Adding in a matter of fact way. Eventually..

[ FIN ]

Tanakako