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 Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:55 am
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For the past several weeks, Ku had been waking up early to watch the sun rise. Today was no different. The dark Leopon crouched in the tall grass and watched the horizon, smiling as the familiar glow peeked from behind the earth. For several minutes she waited and watched, unmoving, an odd action for her indeed. Normally Ku was active and on the move, never still for a moment, but not now. For some reason, the sunrise intrigued her to the point where she didn't want to spoil the moment with her usual antics.
She nodded and stood up. It was time to keep moving. She had spent many months searching for her sister Bu, but had been unsuccessful. Her journey home had lasted nearly as long, and was equally futile. No matter who she asked, nobody knew how to get to the jungle. Eventually, she had even given up on that. Now the adolescent hybrid was wandering, hardly daring to hope that her old home in the jungle may one day appear on the horizon.
Without a word, she padded along silently in the partial light of dawn, unaware that she would have an encounter of a different kind sooner than she knew.
A meeting with someone like her. A chance to know that she wasn't alone in the world. |
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:47 pm
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'Freak' was not a term that Mhuni knew the meaning of. In his world, he was ordinary; loved by his family, accepted by his pride, nothing off in the slightest. This wasn't to say he didn't notice the differences. Mother and father certainly looked different. He could tell a lion from a cheetah. But him? No, he was perfectly ordinary, in every sense of the word.
His family was kind; Mother, father, his siblings.. they all got along well, and they all looked after one another. Penny, especially, was the one he made sure was alright. And they were ordinary; there wasn't anything wrong with the son of a cheetah and a lion. How would he have known, after all? It wasn't as if anyone had told him; when Mhuni looked into the water, he only saw himself.
And so, stretching out one early morning, Mhuni began the start to an ordinary day in his life. And maybe something exciting would happen, to tell mom? Smiling happily, he stretched himself lightly, heading out to the savanna with a bound. He could find something to do!
And then, he saw the black form in the distance. Hesitating momentarily, Mhuni's ears perked as he observed at first. She.. seemed about his age. And, friendly, too. She couldn't be bad, then! Bounding from his position in the grasses, Mhuni hurried after the foreign creature, light on his feet and a spring in his step.
"H..hey there! Miss! Excuse me!" He called after her, hurrying to meet her as she arrived. It might have been a bit over-bearing, but.. he NEVER got new company! |
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:26 pm
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Ku's ears perked up as the first voice she'd heard in days reached her. Was he talking to her? Glancing around, it didn't take long for her to realize that she did indeed have company, and she quickly tried to regain her composure.
"Hey yourself." She said blankly, stopping in her tracks to get a good look at this new face. "The name's Kumbuko. Ku for short." She gave a hesitant smile she she examined him. He looked odd, and yet somehow familiar. Perhaps it was the lion in him, perhaps it was the cheetah, both species she was familiar with, but she couldn't place her paw on which it was. Little did she know that he was both.
She yawned and stretched herself out casually, wiggling her bright yellow toes before speaking again. She debated about asking if he knew how to get to the jungle, but decided against it. No point in getting her hopes up. Again. Still, perhaps she'd have a new friend. Maybe even a long-term friend, rather than just an acquaintance as she usually had.
"So, you seem wide awake." An observation, nothing more, but Ku had a habit of speeding a conversation along with such random comments. It broke the ice, at the very least.
"You a morning person or something?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:34 pm
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What a forward young girl; smiling lightly at the comments, Mhuni nodded. "I am, actually. Always best to get an early start on the day, after all. You get more done, through that!" And why wouldn't anyone follow that idea? You got more done in the day, the earlier you started!
"Oh!" Shifting himself into a more proper pose, Mhuni ducked his head lightly, almost in a bowing manner. "I am Mhuni, though.. I have no interesting nickname to speak of. If you suddenly decide to one, though, you're certainly welcome to use it." A nickname would be nice, he thought lightly. Something new, and completely his, that only he knew the story of. It would be... very nice, indeed.
"I haven't seen you around here before," he casually put out, still chipper and upbeat in tone, "are you new? Or just passing through, on your way in some grand adventure?" Mhuni laughed brightly, and continued.
"Either way, that'd be very exciting; especially an adventure. I've never been farther than the Pridelands, here, but I've always wanted to see the world." Flicking his tail, he turned and gazed at the distant savanna.
"Have you seen a lot of it?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:55 pm
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"I guess you're right." Ku shrugged. She hardly noticed how much she got done any more. It had made her dull, and not nearly as energetic as she normally was, but having someone to talk to helped a good bit with that.
Ku pondered the possibility of dropping the 'M' and calling him Huni, but that would sound a bit odd for having just met. "That's a nice name." She said simply, deciding against finding him a nickname for the time being. After all, odds were that she'd never see him again, right? Hopefully not, seeing as he was one of the friendliest creatures she had met so far, but the sad truth was that she rarely made a real friend.
"No, I'm just kind of wandering." She sounded a bit less bored now that the conversation had started up, "Looking for a place to call home really, seeing as I can't find my old one." It felt good to say it rather than just keeping it in, she decided, and considered the possibility of forgetting her old life completely in favor of a new one.
"Quite a lot of land, not much variation." She laughed, "I've seen only two kinds of places. The jungle, and the savanna. Far more of the savanna." She glanced around, "There sure is a lot of it, eh?"
In fact, she had simply hated the grassy plains when she first left the jungle, but now they seemed rather friendly. Sure, she missed having endless trees to climb on, but it was far easier to get around when it was so open like this.
"What about you? I guess you probably live around here, right?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:40 am
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"And on top of that," Mhuni laughed gently, still chipper as ever, "if you get up early enough, all the prey animals are still trying to get their thoughts together, and barely see you coming. It's not something I do all the time," he added quickly, suddenly serious in tone, "But every now and then, when I'm just not up to hunting something full-speed down for practice, it's a nice change of pace."
"Oh, thank you!" He chirped up, excitement returning at the compliment of his name. Instead of just continuing talking, however, he listened to Ku talk about her wandering, nodding gently as she went on.
"Wandering sounds kind of nice, but maybe that's just me. All I've really seen is.. well, savanna." He laughed gently, following Ku's gaze out to the open territory.
"You have to travel a bit.. that way," Mhuni gestured with a nod of his head, in the direction back to home, "but I live out there, with mom, dad, and the rest of our crazy family." Turning back to look at Ku, Mhuni sighed lightly. "They're wonderfully, really, but it's nice to talk to someone outside the blood line every now and again."
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Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 2:41 pm
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Ku stared at him silently for a moment. He was so happy, so excited, so much like she used to be. Where had the happiness gone? Why was she so much more serious, and less willing to open up? Perhaps the lack of her family for support had caused it without her noticing it, and she didn't like this new world one bit.
The world seemed so dull since she had ceased to care much any way things went. It was time to change that. Perhaps caring wasn't so bad. If you don't care, you can't be hurt, but then life has no point.
It was worth the risk.
"Wandering is alright, I guess." She managed a faint smile, trying to recover from the brief (but still awkward) silence caused by her musing. "It's hard though. Being alone isn't as fun. There isn't anyone to talk to."
"Your mom AND your dad?" Ku was puzzled. Why would the father stay home with the family all the time? Because her father was a god, he was never around, so Ku had simply assumed that everyone was raised by only their mother.
"But... Why?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:35 pm
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Mhuni, unlike Ku, did not see any oddity in has upbeat attitude; rather, he worried for her sake on her seemingly downcast one. But.. maybe that was just tiredness from the early morning, or something? He certainly hoped it was that way. Seeing someone.. who could be sad.. the thought was a bit downcasting, if not downright depressing, but it wasn't his room to judge. Instead, he'd just have to smile, and be positive, for her.
"Oh! Well, any time you need someone to talk to," he offered brightly, hoping that it would be slightly reassuring to his newfound friend, "I'm always around. My wandering, unfortunately, doesn't take me very far beyond the lands of my home, you see. I've still got to stay with mom and dad."
Mom and dad.. at the questioning tone of Ku's voice, Mhuni tilted his head slightly, frowning. "Are.. they not supposed to be around, or something? I mean.. I know dad's a lion, and all, but.." shrugging lightly, Mhuni brightened himself once more.
"We're happy, and they love us. They take care of us, and we look out for each other. Don't.. all families do that?" That's how he understood it, anyway. Families were happy, and happiness for each other. Could it be.. different.. for others?
"And, you have a family somewhere, too, right..?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:55 pm
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"Thanks." Ku smiled weakly as she pondered the possibility of settling down somewhere nearby. Perhaps Mhuni would become a close friend, something she had never really had. "I'm glad I'll have someone to talk to, at least for a while." Again, Ku looked puzzled. Why should he have to stay? This new world where family was so important, the parents especially, was quite odd to her.
"I dunno. I mean, I never really see my dad, but he's a lion too." She paused, and examined him for a moment. "You don't look much like a lion, though."
"I'm happy for you." She tried to mask the surprise, but didn't do a very good job. Would having a close-knit family really make her happy? Hadn't she, in the beginning, left her home to try to keep her family together? So much time alone must have hardened Ku to the warmth a family could bring.
"My family... I don't remember them much." She choked out, realizing the sad fact that she couldn't even recall what her sister looked like, and her mother was just a blur in her mind. Her brother and her father were faint shadows in her mind. Had she truly lost her family? "My mother took care of me, and my father visited once..." She trailed off, digging through her mind to try and find a picture to match with the names she hardly remembered of her parents.
"I don't even know what happened to them. My sister ran away long ago, and I tried to find her. I haven't seen them since I was very young." With a sigh, she managed to make herself say one more phrase before falling silent, unable to speak again for fear of bursting out in tears in front of someone she hardly knew.
"I don't think they even care."
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:33 pm
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Mhuni's smile weakened very slightly. "In all actuality.. I'm not." It wasn't that Mhuni didn't know this, he merely.. chose to ignore it. Swallowing heavily, Mhuni looked away from Ku with some shame. It.. wasn't something to be disappointed about, but.. there was always this paranoia in the back of his mind. Someone might hate him for it. Someone COULD hate him for it.
"I'm half cheetah, half lion.. from the way mum explains it. Bit of an odd mix, but," he shrugged lightly. "The best of both worlds, I suppose?" And that was true, anyway. His parents loved him, he loved them, and that was all that mattered. So what if he'd come out a bit.. different?
Shaking his mind from the thoughts, Mhuni quietly listened as Ku went on, saddening the more she continued. No loving family..? Nothing to come back to..? THAT was why she was so sad, then. Staring back to Ku, Mhuni shook his head.
"I.. I'm sure that's not true, Ku, they have to care. Family loves each other.. even if it's not so directly." Pausing a moment, Mhuni nodded toward himself.
"And you've got family here now, too! With me! Like I said, I'll always be around when you need someone." Gazing out toward the savanna, he shifted lightly.
"And maybe, one day.. I can wander with you, if you want! And we can be a wandering family!"
The more he thought about it, the nicer and nicer the idea began to sound. A wandering family. You would see the world together!
How nice it would be.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:15 pm
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Ku watched as Mhuni seemed troubled when he explained his heritage. Half cheetah and half lion? He wasn't so different from herself then! Until that moment, she hadn't even been sure that there were any half-breeds other than herself and her siblings. This alone was enough to lighten her mood a good bit, and she couldn't help but laugh lightly for a moment before speaking.
"We're more alike than I thought." She smiled gently and nodded, "I'm half lion, half leopard."
Hold the phone. Had Mhuni just referred to himself as family to her? How strange. And yet, Ku rather liked the idea. In the span of the past several minutes, Mhuni had shown her more kindness and understanding than almost anyone else she had ever known.
"You know, I think you're right." Ku flicked her tail excitedly as she thought of the possibilities of having a new family here with Mhuni. "Yeah, I'll live here with you! And one day we'll wander together." A genuine happiness shone in her silver eyes for the first time since leaving her first home.
What a transformation she had gone through! No more sad, lonely Ku. No, her old spunk was returning and the result was a happier, more cheerful leopon.
All she had really needed all this time was a real friend.
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 2:02 pm
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"Half lion, half leopard..?" Pondering this a moment, Mhuni quietly laughed, nodding. In his time around, he hadn't heard of another hybrid.. and yet, here she was, showing up as easily as the rain. And the rain, he thought idly, was always nice; cool and refreshing, a nice change of pace from the ordinary. He liked the rains when they came.
"You.. will?" Shaken from his thoughts of the rain, Mhuni seemed dumbstruck a moment, silenced by the other hybrid's words. After a moment, however, he quickly beamed, nearly bouncing with excitement from the spot. Traveling, a new friend.. this day was certainly turning out to be wonderful!
"It's a great, big, beautiful world," He said cheerily, looking out from Ku to the distance of the savanna, "and we can plan to see all of it! No matter what's out there, or how long it takes, we'll have to cover it all!" It was bold, yes, but bold goals were the ones that took you farther. Besides, even if they didn't see ALL of the world, they'd cover a great deal of it trying to. So many places they'd see, so many creatures they'd meet.. the idea of it was invigorating. Beaming brightly, he turned back to Ku.
"You're going to love the family, they're all great." And they were; mom, dad, Penny, his brothers.. he wouldn't trade them for the world.
"And I promise," he added, his tone so cheery and bright it was nearly a hum, "They'll love you, too!"
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:49 pm
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The world was big, yes, but great and beautiful? If it was, Ku had hardly noticed. Perhaps in her state of depression she had failed to take in the wonders of the world she lived in. Though, as she gazed out at the savanna she couldn't help but see a certain beauty radiating from it. The shining sun, barely above the horizon, and the clouds that were painted pink from the recent sunrise. Yes, she could see it now, the beauty in the world, even in this one spot! Imagine what wonders waited around the corner for her and Mhuni to discover!
Ku perked up her ears at the mention of his family. "Oh yes! I'm sure they're wonderful." They would have to be, after all, to have raised such a nice friend! "I can't wait to meet them."
A new family for a new life... Ku could barely contain her excitement! She wiggled her bright toes in anticipation of meeting her new friends. No, not friends. Family.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Ku nodded excitedly, "I'd love to see my new family!" She glanced around, wondering which way they lived and what it was like there. "Lead the way, Mhuni."
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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:50 pm
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She was really going to stay with them, then. Teeming with excitement, he leaped from the spot, bounding around as he thought to himself. Yes, yes, they'd absolutely ADORE Ku! There was something to keep his hopes up, then; they would travel together. The entire world, vast and wide, was at their paws for the taking! And it would be wonderful, having someone to undertake the task with. Though he'd always intended to travel, the sheer thought of sharing this with someone else was intoxicating.
"Nothing, I suppose!" He replied happily, taking off in a bound in the homeward direction. The journey wouldn't take too long- they'd easily be home in the late morning, at worst. They might even be there before the family woke up! Turning back, and slowing so that he wouldn't speed off without Ku, Mhuni laughed heartily and gestured for her to follow.
"It's looking like it'll be a great day today, Ku! Maybe, if we hurry, I can spend the most of it showing you around! And I bet," Mhuni added, voice bursting with the young male's obvious excitement, "that you'll be able to meet everyone, too! Oh, you're just going to LOVE it! I'm so excited!"
His laughter kept up, even as Mhuni sped homeward once more. Home, with a new friend. It was incredibly nice.
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Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:26 pm
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