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 Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 2:45 pm
The sun winked golden in the sky, occasionally ducking mischievously behind clouds. Perhaps it was playing some sort of cosmic game of hide-and-seek with the world. If that was the case, then Kayin would happily be It and then not find the sun, leaving it in some forgotten hiding spot as it slowly came to the realization that no one loved it. Perhaps there would even be some sort of cosmic therapy lesson for such a thing… but, right now, Kayin just did not care. The white---mostly, anyway---cheetah sighed and stretched out his muscles, which immediately protested such a movement with picket signs of pain. Well, damnit. Alright, so he admitted it. Perhaps it had been a bad idea, pretending to be a seer and using tiny clues to fuel such a belief. And, yes, maybe he had pulled the trick just a bit too far when he had announced that the lord’s mate was having an affair with the guard. It wasn’t his fault that it was actually happening!
Little white flowers were crushed under unwary feet as Kayin continued his journey, idly wondering where he would go next. Hey, at least he had survived. And being considered a ‘seer’ definitely had its perks for a few weeks. Ha! Stupid lions wouldn’t have known a seer if someone had dropped one on them! Maybe if they were extraordinarily lucky, they would take note of the species of whatever was dropped on them… but, knowing most lions, probably not. They hadn’t even been able to organize a good beating, to be honest. Kayin had been fast enough to avoid most of them.
Unfortunately, his stamina had run out before the lions’, but that was ok. He was alive, after all, and that was the important thing. And at least he had learned something. He had learned… umm… ok, so he didn’t learn a thing, since he was already planning out his next scam to make his life easier. But at least he had survived, and that was always a nice positive thing in his book of life.
At the sound of rushing water, his steps changed, leading him closer to a swathe of a river draped across the plains like a silken ribbon. Ignoring the pains in his muscles, he put on a brief burst of speed until he reached the river’s edge before greedily guzzling up the liquid of life. Ah… now that was better. With every joint and muscle still announcing their reluctance, he reclined near the water’s edge to clean himself. Sure, he might have looked as if he got into a fight with a family of enraged ratels, but at least he could be clean!
Hmm. Maybe next time he should socialize with leopards… they were slower than lions, right? And they were certainly weaker…
ooc| This rp is taking place over AIM. I'll post my posts in black and post Kierro's post in a different color. :3
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:27 am
A few weeks had passed since the incidence and while the survivors had put in a great effort to encourage each other, a silent fear lingered amongst them all. Why hadn't Aailyah seen the lions approaching? Had her visions let them down? The pale cheetah was not sure just what had happened or why she could not have helped more. She was their leader and they trusted her incredibly, but now she was not sure if she was quite suited for the position. How could she lead so many?
Aailyah remembered when she had doubted herself before and how comforting a fellow cheetah had been. Rakesh was his name and he was the first that she deligated a position to. While she was nervous at first about hiring a male, Rakesh was proud to be the first nanny for the coalition. He would help with the cubs and allow Aailyah to attend to other matters.
Sitting on the very outskirts of their land, Aailyah watched the roguelands around them. She felt as though it was her responsibility to keep a hawk's eye on the borders. They had found new lands far far away from the vast number of prides, but they were small and the same situation could occur again. Shutting her eyes for only a moment in which she released a short sigh, the white colored cheetah allowed a tear to slide down her cheek. Why did so many have to die?
Torn from her thoughts, the vision of a wounded cheetah entered her mind. The vision was blurry, but the sound of rushing water was clear to her ears. As quickly as it came, the vision left and she found herself searching frantically for some way to help. Reviewing her mental map of their lands, Aailyah knew exactly where to check for the nearest source of water. Perhaps she could help now!
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:39 am
Kayin was about halfway finished with his washing when he heard the sounds of another approaching. Standing up quickly, the cheetah’s fur began to fluff out, trying to make himself look more intimidating. Because, you know, nothing is more intimidating than a really fluffy cheetah. His tail lashed behind him and he weighed the pros and cons of simply running or fighting; for once, cheating was not an option, since his mind wasn’t quite up to it right now. Then again, his body wasn’t up for fighting or running either. Maybe he should just hide… There was a flash of white as sunlight glinted off of fur; it was too late to hide now, as Kayin could easily see the other cheetah. If you could see them, then they could see you.
Then again… it was another cheetah. Cheetahs would normally back off rather than fight, so if he was just intimidating enough, the other cheetah should back off quietly. He briefly considered this before discarding the idea, on the basis that there were probably flowers than looked more intimidating than him. His fur slowly went back down as he warily studied the white cheetah. Female. And, from the looks of her eyes, she had been crying just a bit. Or maybe her eyes were naturally that color. It was hard to tell sometimes. Probably not a threat to him though. Course, it was the probably that killed cheetahs.
“Am I trespassing?” he asked finally, since this seemed like the appropriate thing to say. “I didn’t know of any groups here, so I figured it would be a safe enough place to recover…” hm. Admittedly, he had heard a few rumors of gathering cheetahs, but had dismissed them. There weren’t enough cheetahs left in the world for such a group to last for long.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:01 pm
Aailyah, determined to help whomever it was in need, ran towards Kayin as quickly as possible. She did not worry about frightening him, having thought that by her vision this cheetah was struggling to survive. She had seen him wading in the water and all around him it was red. Once she was close enough to get a closer look, the cheetah seemed to be cleaned off and feeling a bit more refreshed. The only look of distress was likely because she arrived so suddenly.
Giving Kayin a quick look over, Aailyah couldn't help but smile lightly. Certainly a lone cheetah standing in a pool of water, drenched and attempting to flluff himself was not a very intimidating image in the least. In fact, in that instant Aailyah believed that she would have nothing to worry about with this male. He seemed harmless.
When Kayin began to speak, Aailyah's smile slowly faded and she seemed to appear more serious. Shaking her head, the head seer thought this the perfect opportunity to offer insight to the growing cheetah coalition, Duma'Chama. "No, this territory is beyond our borders, though not far off is a cheetah coalition. Duma'chama. You may have heard of us?" While Aailyah waited for a response, she glanced around them, curious as to just what it was that had wounded Kayin.
Because of the recent attack on the coalition, Aailyah was quick to assume that it was a group of lions that hurt him. Never would the pale female expect that perhaps Kayin was hurt because of something that he had done to encourage it.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:14 pm
For a second, Kayin only stared at the white cheetah, as if she had suddenly slipped into some obscure dialect of Girlese that he didn’t have the slightest chance of understanding. Duma’Chama? Cheetah coalition? Borders? Just what had this cheetah been eating, and did she have any more to share? Or… or wait… “I’ve heard of cheetahs gathering,” Kayin said warily, still unsure whether or not he should trust this cheetah. Then again, this was pretty far away from any lion prides who might have enslaved her and saddled her with the job of luring more cheetahs into slavery. “But I didn’t think it was actually real. It doesn’t seem like there’s enough cheetahs left in the world to really survive in a group.” He had no way of knowing that he was striking a chord so close to Aailyah’s heart with that statement.
Duma’Chama. A cheetah coalition. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Cheetahs had always survived by being lone hunters, except, perhaps, for mated pairs. Still… survival was tough for cheetahs now. He couldn’t remember the last time he had come across an actual pure-bred cheetah. This white cheetah was the first one he had come across in a while. Noticing her curious glance around them, Kayin explained, “I wasn’t attacked anywhere near here. There were some lions and…” he shrugged and immediately regretted the movement, since his shoulder was simply one of those muscles that didn’t want to be moved at all right now.
“Well, these lions didn’t care for finding a hungry cheetah on their borders,” he explained. It was almost the truth. He had discovered a pride of lions and they hadn’t been happy to find a cheetah… he was lucky and talked his way through that sticky situation by pretending to be a Seer. It was just that they had beat him later. “So… this is real then?” he asked eventually, after thinking for it for a while. “There actually is a cheetah coalition? I mean, this shouldn’t be a dream because dreams don’t hurt, but life has been a wee bit unfair to me lately…”
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:26 pm
Aailyah turned away when Kayin reminded her of the small numbers of cheetahs that remained in the world. Just before she had run out to help him, that same thought was replaying in her mind over and over. A huge guilt was put on the cheetah's shoulders after the attack. She felt responsible for the death's of her people and she knew that they did not quite understand her seer abilities. She could not call on visions willingly, but was often surprised by them suddenly. They were not graphic stories played out before her, but flashes of images with feelings attached. There had been times in which she was wrong about her visions in the past and there was no way of knowing for sure.
Releasing a sigh before returning her gaze to Kayin, Aailyah forced a smile and then nodded. He was right, it was just difficult to admit to. "Yes, you're entirely right. But this is why we have chose to band together. There is safety in numbers and we wish to offer help to all cheetahs in need of it. That is why I came to you tonight. To extend a welcome paw to our land in which you may have your fill of meat and a safe place to rest."
As Kayin explained his attack, Aailyah's body tensed. While he did not say much, the simple word 'lion' was enough to cause the female's fur to stand on end and a light hiss to escape her mouth. Hadn't the foul creatures done enough damage? It was as though they wanted to ensure the death of the cheetahs! With such great numbers and vast amounts of land already claimed as their own, Aailyah could not comprehend why they would ever bother one of her kind. Like Kayin thought, cheetahs were very solitary creatures, not typically meddling in the bussiness of others.
Kayin's voice had Aailyah snapping from her angry thoughts and returning a comforting expression towards the wounded male. "This is as real as it can be. We are small still, but increasing everyday."
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:38 pm
Well, it seemed that Kayin’s life was turning around! A smile found its way to his muzzle and he stood up eagerly, happy to let himself be fed and taken care of. Hell, who wouldn’t want that? Admittedly, joining a… a coalition didn’t sound too tempting. He liked traveling around and the idea of having a home region… it was a little strange. Foreign, really. But, perhaps, he would like the idea in the future. “Food and a safe place to rest? I think I like this place already. I’m Kayin. What’s your name? Or should I just go on and keep thinking of you as Angel?” That was, more or less, what she was, right? She even had the little wings on her back. No, he was not flirting, although it probably would have sounded like it to anyone who was listening.
Then again… a little flirting went a long way. He just didn’t want to get into another awkward situation where a lady wanted his kids. That was just… yeah… a little weird there. Crazy lions, they were all insane. After he had walked a few steps closer to the white cheetah, a few of her words finally hit the neurons in Kayin’s brain, setting off a complicated thought process. ‘That’s why I came to you’, she said. But… how did she know that he would be here?
His tail flickered behind him and his violet eyes turned wary once more. “How did you know I was here? How did you even know I was wounded? I’m fairly certain that I haven’t seen any cheetahs, so you couldn’t have gotten the news from any scouts… not unless you have a bird companion or something.” That could explain it, but he was also pretty sure that wasn’t right.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:48 pm
Aailyah watched as the male grew increasingly excited about the idea of the coalition. The female cheetah couldn't help but smile broadly as she prepared to take the male along the path that she had just come. He would be welcome with open paws into the land that they all called home. There were plenty of vacant dens and land in which he could claim for himself. All kills were shared with at least one other member to ensure that everyone was fed and through the Duma'chama was a beautiful river with fresh water and occassionally fish. The land was everything that Aailyah could have hoped for, even better than the original territory she had claimed. It was something entirely special to be able to share this land with wandering cheetahs, even if just for a moment.
When Kayin called Aailyah an angel, the cheetah's cheeks flushed pink and she looked away in embarassment. She did not know whether the male was a sweet talker or truly believed his compliment, but whatever the case, the female was not used to such kind words. When her blush faded and she felt it was safe to look back, she tried to smile in his direction without too much eye contact.
Beginning to walk along, expected the male to follow her to the lands, Aailyah was surprised by Kayin's observation. She had not thought twice about her statement, living with others who knew of her ability and the reason they had come together. Glancing towards Kayin, Aailyah smiled genuinely. It was nice for a moment to be in the company of someone who did not expect something from her. He did not know of her abilities, nor could he hold the attack against her for being unable to warn the others. While it would have been nice to remain with that naiveity for a moment, Aailyah knew it was a great reason many joined.
Continuing along, Aailyah tried to explain, "When I was a cub, I was born with the ability to see into the future and occassionally the past and the present. They aren't anything spectacular, but they are typically enough for me to piece together. Today, I saw you. Wounded and wading in a pool of water that was becoming red. I thought that maybe I could have helped, but it appeared as though you were alright."
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:02 pm
Kayin merely nodded at Aailyah’s explanation, only half-listening to her words. Already, he was idly considering the best way to work this new coalition to his advantage. A small group of cheetahs, all selflessly supporting each other… it sounded like a good idea in theory, but he was a bit dubious about the practice of it. No matter how many cheetahs Angel----yes, he called her that in his mind, since he still didn’t know her real name---gathered to her, the lions would always outnumber them. At best, the lions would merely ignore them. At worst… at worst, the lions would consider the coalition a threat and swoop down to crush it. And cheetahs could not stand up against lio… Waitaminute…
Once again, Angel’s words finally reached the synapses of Kayin’s brain, sending off another chain of thought. “You’re a real Seer?” he asked, in tones of complete surprise. Well, that answered a lot of questions, he supposed. Huh. This warranted a moment of thought. Real thought, not just that sort of idle speculation that he normally gave such revelations. If she was a real Seer… then, perhaps, it was best not to try and cheat the coalition of anything. After all, they were giving him free food and safety… if she was, indeed, a real Seer. “I was a bit messier before you got here. I figured I should clean everything up, that sort of thing…”
“…You still haven’t told me your name, Angel,” he said, smiling once more. Well, he would figure out whether or not she was a real Seer. Since he pulled the same trick himself, he figured he ought to be able to figure out the signs. “You know, you’re the first Seer I’ve ever met.” Real Seer, anyway, but he wouldn’t add that. “What is it like? Are they always visions? Literal ones?”
The image of himself wading through a pool of bloody water was a bit disconcerting, to say the least. It could be taken so many ways, when you really thought about it. It could be taken literally or more figuratively… he probably had swam through a few pools of blood in his day, always staying above the flow. He was good at that.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:26 pm
Aailyah, having been so embarassed by the nickname, entirely forgot to introduce herself. Careful not to break out into a blush, the cheetah was trying to stick to answering Kayin's many questions about the coalition. She wanted to be as helpful as possible so that she would not deter any potential members from joining. While the coalition had many things to offer new cheetahs, it was the new cheetahs that were really needed by Duma'Chama. The more cheetahs that inhabited the lands, the more set in stone their territory became. With new members also came the ability to introduce the coalition to others and soon word would spread like wild fire.
The cheetah continued on along the path she ran earlier, nodding to Kayin's question. "Yes, a seer as many call it. The coalition was actually founded on a vision I saw when I was much younger. I witnessed the death of our people. There have been an increased number of 'hybrids' in the savannah and as you may or may not know, these 'hybrids' are typically born infertile. With such few numbers of pure cheetahs and many choosing to take lions and leopards as mates, our ability to reproduce is becoming limited." Turning to look towards Kayin, the cheetah smiled lightly, "I'm sure i'm boring you with the history though."
When Kayin asked Aailyah's name again, the cheetah let out a nervous laugh, "Oh! Silly me! I get caught up in our stories. The Duma'Chama is my heart, my family. I care a great deal about this group. My name is Aailyah." Pausing long enough to face Kayin as she spoke, the cheetah lowered her head in respect. Unsure if he had noticed before, the female showed off her front paw which bore a circular design with small black dots wrapping it around her leg in a similar fashion to a bracelet. "This symbol belongs to my family and will be passed on by my son. Introductions in the coalition can be speechless if you wear one of these."
Once she had finished her introduction, the cheetah pressed on, "It won't be long before we're back now. I can almost see the land's borders from here. About my visions, however?" She continued, not quite sure how to explain, "They are not always visions, but sometimes simply images. I feel strongly, as though I am present in the vision, which often assists me in determining what is going on. They are not what most people would imagine. It is a difficult task to make sense of them."
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:38 pm
The death of all cheetahs… now there was a disconcerting thought. Kayin frowned slightly as he turned it over in his mind. Since his world typically revolved around himself, it was slightly disturbing to consider someone else’s welfare, but he managed it for a whole five minutes. He rather liked other cheetahs, honestly. Non-cheetah felines were merely targets, but other cheetahs… well, they needed all the help they could get, right? He sometimes felt a twinge of guilt after cheating another cheetah out of a meal. As for hybrids, he tried not to remember that lion from some weeks ago, the one who had declared that she wanted a child from Kayin. Yeah, he knew that the kid would most likely be infertile, if the lion was even pregnant. He hadn’t stuck around long enough to make sure the job was done, so to speak.
Since he wasn’t even sure about that, he decided that, perhaps, it was best not to mention this to Aailyah. “I never really thought about it like that before,” he said, still thinking it over. “It’s a scary thought, cheetahs going completely extinct. Now that you mention it, it has been a while since I’ve encountered any cheetahs. Or even leopards. Mostly, I’ve just been meeting lions in my travels.” As Aailyah produced her paw, Kayin looked at the marking with interest, his head canted to one side. “That’s a clever idea. That way, lions couldn’t overhear the introduction and try to find the coalition. I think the idea of so many cheetahs gathering in one place would be irresistible to some lions…”
Oh, yes. He had heard of that demon-pride. Mostly, he had just heard shadows of whispers, things that were impossible to believe or piece together, even for someone with his listening abilities. A pride of lions who lived to hurt and hunt down other living creatures? Oh, they would just love cheetahs! Probably the sort to consider cheetah-hunting a sport or something.
“So, you have a son then?” he asked conversationally, honestly curious about the cheetahs who lived in this place.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:38 pm
Aailyah nodded as Kayin spoke. The markings, like he described, were created for the mere purpose of allowing the cheetahs to interact with one another without others catching on. Only members of the coalition knew what each symbol meant and who were a part of each family. The markings also said a bit about each family as each mark had a meaning behind it. Some cheetahs chose marks to give them luck, others chose marks to show of their love for one another. Aailyah chose a mark to give her son the leadership skills that he would need to care for those of Duma'Chama. And those who knew of the mark knew that Chura would be their future King and that he would be great.
As they continued on, the coalition lands became more clear to the two of them. Unlike most of the savannah, the grasslands were lush and alive from the moisture of the river. The tall sacoya trees offered shade and shelter to many and dens farther into the land provided safety for kittens.
When Kayin asked if Aailyah had a son, the cheetah nodded. "I had an entire litter once when I was younger and more foolish. Only a single son has chose to remain in my company." Aailyah was unsure just what it was that allowed her to explain her most painful memory, but somehow it just came out.
Looking forward, the cheetah pressed on, "We're here."
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