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 Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:43 am
It was done! They had arrived. At least, that was what Aushi assumed when they had made it to the boarder of the immensly green place in front of the three travelers. Her heart was pounding and she knew it was because they were even closer to goodbye and she did not like that one bit.
She glanced sideways at Hakan and then his daughter, tail flicking. "This is the jungle?" She asked, to make double sure she had been right in her guess.
She was a little frightened too, she hadn't been able to make her stomach feel calm for the last couple of nights. Half she thought it had to do with Hakan (which further confused her) and half she felt the spirits of the earth were trying to tell her that this was right, this was the way to go and this would be where she found her true name, whatever it may be.
A small frown settled on her features and she couldn't make the effort to cover it up. This place was most famaliar to her, it was full of trees. But it was different than the swamps on first impression too, no fog really looked to be contained in the jungle and it seemed dark in a different kind of way. The land was also slick looking, not exactly wet. Almost slimey. It was the same as the swamplands in a completely different way, and thinking that made her head hurt but it made her less afraid of the place they were about to enter.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:13 am
In front of them lay a vast clump of green, so wide that they could not see around it and so tall that they could barely see the sky. The trees were a tangled mass of vibrant green and even standing at it's verge, they could hear the sounds of strange birds and creatures shrieking at one another.
Hakan had never been very keen on the jungle, just because he didn't know exactly what strayed there. He'd met a leopard once before and she had told him that climbing in the boughs of jungle trees was her best skill. He glanced into the shadows and wondered, what if a leopard dropped down on him. Yes they were far smalled than him, but with that advantage...
He glanced to his daughter then swung his head around to Aushi. "Yes." He replied. "Are you ready? Don't worry, we'll be here. We'll keep an eye on each other to make sure nothing happens."
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:22 am
She beamed at him, nodding. She was ready, she had complete confidence in this male and his daughter. Her tail flicked and she moved forward curiously and then looked back to Hakan, hesitating. She stopped and moved to the side a little, expecting him to lead. He and his daughter, and she could follow behind. Or should he bring up the rear and be their protection from behind?
A struggle showed on Aushi's face as she tried to figure out where to go in line. "Should I go first... or should you go first?" She was feeling silly for thinking about such percautions, but she didn't have any clue what lived in the jungle!
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:26 am
He glanced at her, fondly perhaps? Then turned his eyes back to the forest. To protect those he loved, this is what he had been born to do! "I'll go first and open the path out." He spoke, glancing into the vine entangled jungle. It was going to be hard going. Very hard going for Hakan since he was so big. But he was strong too, no vines would hold him back. He took a step towards them, glanced back at the girls and then pushed his way through.
For a good few paces the going was easy and then suddenly the land plunged down a lion length into a tangle of undergrowth. Hakan forced himself against the vines and branches, that for a moment braced him with incredible strength. Then suddenly they began to snap and with an almighty push Hakan broke his way into the undergrowth. Strange creatures leapt away in flight. An unseen bird screamed in surprise, but Hakan's ears flicked as if he wasn't even bothered.
But after a long while the undergrowth became almost unbearable and Hakan had to pause for breath. "It's far more difficult than I remember it being." Which was only to be expected since he hadn't been here since he had been a juvenile.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:52 am
She let Hakan's daughter move in front of her but as they stepped into the darkness in the jungle she almost wished she had gone second! She berated herself for the selfish thought though, concentrating instead on what Hakan was doing. Clearing a path... he was so strong! Hakan was amazing, she couldn't wait to see her sister again and be able to tell her of him.
She gave a little jump and gasp when the bird screamed above them, her heard thudding against her chest painfully. It was much quietter in the swamp lands, that was what was different!
As he stopped for a break she found herself going closer to him than she'd meant to in the first place, feeling safer this way. "It is... too loud in here." She said slowly. True, noises were not happening constantly but they did happen more often than anywhere else she knew.
She sat silently for a moment to listen. It was almost like a pulse! "I am not sure I like it.." She gave a nervous chuckle. "But maybe I just need to get used to it."
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:01 pm
He turned to her, trying to gain control of his breathing again. "It is noisy." He agreed. "And wet too." Beads of moisture from the frequent downpours glistened on his whiskers and sparkled in his mane. He shook his head to scatter the droplets. "I'm not even sure where we're going either." Again he wondered how she would find her name, would they just happen upon it? Or would it be harder to find?
"Hopefully we won't be here for long. If we keep to the path we'll find our way back easily enough." He glanced over one shoulder.
"Okay, let's keep going." His tail brushed against Aushi's shoulder as he prepared himself for the next onslaught. He continued pushing, snapping branches and twigs, shaking his head as bugs landed on him. He continued pushing, his whiskers flinching as he continued to crash through. He was pretty sure that every leopard in the jungle would be able to hear them coming.
He gave another great push, and suddenly the ground beneath his feet disappeared and Hakan went tumbling downwards, sliding down a muddy bank. He stopped with his front half half-submerged in stream water.
"Ouch..."
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:15 pm
Aushi nodded. "I am used to land being damp though." The swamplands were, after all.
Where they were going? She looked around slowly and nodded. It would be hard to tell, even if they had a set place in mind. "Maybe long, maybe short." She said slowly, eying the are again. She honestly thought it might take a while, but she didn't want to down on his hopes.
A little thrill ran through her body as his tail brushed against her shoulder and she felt embaressed, but not in a bad way. Maybe just nervous. She rose and started to follow him, side by side with his daughter.
She yelped as he suddenly plunged forward and she gingerly followed after, thought she couldn't help but laugh a little when she spotted him half in the water. "Hakan! Are you alright?" She said, sounding surprised and a bit worried. "It is hard to tell about the ground here!" It was a little scary, really.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:24 pm
"Yes, I'm fine." He dragged himself up and shook the water from his fur. "I forgot how hard this place was to traverse." He admitted, glancing upwards. They could see the sky from here, peeking down at them from behind the trees. The stream was about three metres wide, shallow but fast. It frothed white where water met the stones.
Further along the stream dissapeared, falling down yet another dip in the terrain. The black lion stretched the weariness from his muscles and turned to Aushi again. "Well atleast it'll be easier going from here." If they followed the stream round, who knew, maybe they'd come across this place they were searching for.
So, he stepped into the stream that sloshed up above his ankles and began again, knocking his head against the branches of a low hanging tree. He didn't see it then, but something lost it's balance and fell. Hera had been minding her own business, lying draped in a tree, the same tree where she'd met the King of flowers. She missed the purple leopard and she missed company in general. However, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by voices and she peered out from the leaves just in time to see the black lion approaching.
Never having seen something so big, Hera tried to back up along the branch, only to have it shaken out from beneath her paws. With a yowling squeal of fright, the red leopard cub was knocked from the tree, impacting with something soft and warm and then...something wet.
Hera, with a loud splash, slipped down Hakan's back and into the water.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 5:09 pm
She smiled, glad he was alright. Her eyes followed the river to where it might eventually end (from her view) but she could not see an ending. Further alone, much further, she saw trees growing closer to it though. Her head tilted a little, curious of that part. She had decided in her mind that they should follow the river, she felt it would be a good place to begin their search. Hakan had fallen into it... things happened for reasons yes?
Her eyes rolled to the large lion for a moment and she frowned lightly. Ah, but why then let her meet such a wonderful lion only to lose him so soon? She was sure their time together would be short, if only because of a gut feeling. Ah, only to be a short friendship and a chance for a guide to this place. It was connected, but she hoped and hoped he would visit her sometimes when this was all done.
"Yes, the water gives us a clear path." She agreed, taking a moment to register that he'd been speaking to her. She winced as he knocked his head, thinking this was not a very good land for such a big lion... he might hate the swamps if he ever did visit. Oh, why was her mind so focussed on the future? She should keep it on now...
Her eyes widened as something red fell from the tree and she yelped, springing backwards. That noise! What was this thing? She slipped in the water and fell backwards herself, but only onto her rear end in a sitting position. "What is that!" She yelped again, scrambling to her feet. Something attacking?
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:12 am
Hakan felt the bump on his back, aware that something very much alive had dropped onto him. He imagined a snake, it's poisonous fangs sinking into his flesh. Or a leopard, it's jaws snapping closed on his spine. His mane prickled with a senstation he didn't feel very often.
Fear.
However, whilst fear might have others freezing in place, it had Hakan react. He swung his body, spraying water everywhere in the process. The creature had fallen into the water and was trying to pick itself up. He saw red, red. Anger. Blood. His jaws parted in a snarl, he thought of biting the thing's throat and shaking the life from it. Memories of Mrost flashed through his mind and he lunged, only to stop a hair away from the creature.
His mind cleared.
"A leopard." A little one, he added to himself wryly. He glanced up the tree, noticed the scratch marks where she'd been holding on and then reached out with a huge paw to poke at it. The leopard shivered and raised her head, chin and whiskers dripping with water. "What were you doing, treecat?" He hissed.
Hera said nothing, her chest heaved with panicked breaths and her eyes were fixed upon the huge lion. This was bad. Really bad. Her ears fell flat against her head and suddenly she was gaining her paws and stumbling back through the stream.
"N-n-n-nothing." She blurted. Suddenly she realised she was heading into the path of another. But this lion was smaller, nicer looking, though a little scared. The leopard pushed herself behind Aushi and huddled there in fear.
"D-don't eat me. P-please!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:53 am
Aushi's eyes went wide! She wanted to say the same thing to the little... leopard? Treecat? What the hell was a tree cat... her eyes flicked up to the tree branches and back to Hakan, looking helpless and scared. She was staying very still and she glanced behind her at the bright red feline. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. This thing was not harmful, it didn't act harmful... only terrified. She offered a shaky smile to the little thing before twisting and backing up, now facing the leopard and closer to Hakan.
"I won't eat you." She said softly, tail flicking and curiousity slowly slipping onto her facial features in stead of fright. She glanced to Hakan and whispered. "Are all ...leopards... this small?" She didn't quite realize it was a young one. She said 'leopard' with a bit of trouble, the word foreign to her tongue.
Lightly she pressed her side against Hakan's as she sat, he seemed upset. Defensive, possibly. Their (His daughter and Aushi's) protector! But she wanted him to know it was okay, though she was sure he could find that out himself. She ignored the deep thought of just having an excuse to brush up against the handsome male.
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 6:08 am
"No, this one's just a baby." He snorted, digging his claws into the pebbles beneath him. The water rushed past his paws but the current was weak compared to his defensive stance. His fur tingled as Aushi brushed against him and having her beside him only increased his confidence.
"Stupid little treecats should stay out of our way." He growled, lowered his head and then an idea struck him. "Hey, wait. Maybe you can be useful after all." He let the sentence hang for a while before speaking again, enjoying the leopard flinching at every word he spoke.
"You know this jungle well, don't you cub. Well, you can be our guide and lead us through it. If you do, maybe we'll let you live."
Hera flinched again and cowered, seeming not to notice that the water was almost streaming up her nostrils. She realised, a little too late, and erupted into a fit of sneezing that left her quivering.
"G-guide?" She squeaked. What choice did she have? She was small, he was big. He could crush her if he wanted! "W-where do you want to go?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 6:15 am
Aushi winced slightly. She was glad Hakan did not speak to her this way, she almost wanted to tell him to be nice! But she didn't she stayed quiet and tried to keep a friendly smile on toward the leopard. A baby? Should he really be speaking this way to her?
But a guid would be nice. "Oh yes! You could tell us what's at the end of this river!" She chirped up, pleasantly. She glanced to Hakan to see if that was alright, she was curious of the end of the river. Toward where she couldn't see the river anymore the trees had seemed to come back closer to the water, forming... a barrier? Maybe.
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 6:27 am
It seemed old habits took time to die. Aushi certainly had brought out a kindness in Hakan but others seemed to bring out bad qualities in him. Besides, this was the only way he could think of to make any good progress. The leopard would come in handy and really, he'd never harm her. She was small and too young, he'd never hurt a cub. However, he would threaten one if it meant getting it to do what he wanted.
Glad that the leopard seemed to have some sense he turned smiling eyes to Aushi and without thinking, buffeted his head against the curve of his neck.
"See, everything is working out okay." He turned his eyes back to the leopard and gave her a look that clearly said; 'come on then, guide us.'
With a quick nod the leopard splashed past them, heading up the river. She knew what was up there. In fact it was a beautiful place that she often visited. To her it had become something sacred, a place where she could relax and be calm. She didn't like the idea of others being there but at this moment she had no choice. Besides, lions wouldn't stay. They were too big! No, they'd be gone again and then she'd be left alone to her own devices again.
"Come on then, I'll show you the way through." Finding the way through meant leaving the river briefly and heading up onto the bank. Thick plants had gathered across the river, blocking any creature from getting through, but the leopard had found a path to get in. It might be a tight squeeze for a lion, but she had a feeling that they would get through if they were determined. She slunk up the bank and pointed a paw towards some undergrowth. The undergrowth here was almost as thick as the stuff growing across the stream but the ground was firm and held no pebbles made slick by moss and algae. If one looked closely they would see a small hollow in the undergrowth that she had made passing through here. She had grown rapidly and the hollow had grown with her, though it was certainly not big enough yet for a lion. She hoped that they wouldn't ruin it.
"Through here."
The tunnel through the undergrowth would lead them about fifteen metres and then open out too the river again and the secret haven.
She slipped inside, hoping secretly that the others might turn back.
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:33 am
Aushi stared at the little path surrounded by the delicate vines and other plants, glancing to Hakan and then his daughter. She or his daughter could fit with a tight squeeze but...
Why was her heart pounding?
"Ah, you two wait here!" She said, smiling as she looked to Hakan again. "This spot is too small for you... it would break the vines and such if you went through so... is it alright?" She said, sounding unsure but hoping he would be okay with it too. She didn't want Hakan staying alone either so... if it was the two of them she could follow the little leopard in and then come out after checking the spot out. Somehow in her heart that sounded right.
"I'm going." She dipped her head and turned, slipping after the leopard. It was... a very tight squeeze. She was happy none of these plants had those little prickers on them!
It was dark too... this sent her heart beating even faster. All sound seemed to leave this small space. "Little leopard?" She whispered, sounding afraid.
But suddenly she slipped into an opening. It was wet... her eyes widened. All around her large trees and plants grew. Small blue flowers seemed to grow over everything and they glowed! In the dark! She'd never seen anything like that.... the jungle was truly amazing!
She gasped as her eyes traveled up a huge, twisted tree. It seemed to be the biggest tree there and it was right in the center of everything.. "It's... amazing.." She breathed.
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