|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:31 am
Life was good, Muli thought. Bright green eyes closed and the light breezes flowing through her fur...the sounds of her little gems playing and Chukua not too far away. She opened her eyes and smiled. Indeed, life was good. Despite the jeers some animals directed towards her half-blood children, and towards her for loving a leopard, life was good. Muli knew a place where those jeers would no longer be heard, and that was where their travels were leading them.
If only her mother could see her. Muli, Rohodamu's bright, naive little storyteller, a mother of six beautiful little cubs. She was jolted from her thoughts by a weight on her side and back. She glanced to see little Uhuru scrambling onto her back.
"What is it, sweetheart?"
Uhuru had taken to exploring the edges of the area they were in, curious about the world around him. He sniffed at this, batted at that, and tried to eat a couple plants before he realized they tasted disgusting. And then...he saw IT. His blue eyes widened and he approached it slowly, then squeaked and ran as its side heaved in a snore.
His oversized paws led him to his mother quickly and he moved to scramble onto her back. "Mama, mama! There's a...a...a something over there! It's big and hairy and has HORNS."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:00 pm
 Risasi was sitting quietly by himself, watching his family with a mild, protective expression. Though he was relatively small, the young blue mix-breed felt it was his duty to keep an eye out on all his siblings, and make sure nothing bad happened to them. Of course, being young, he got easily distracted and, despite his best intentions, bored after only a short while.
Yawning, he wanted to take a nap, but felt obligated to remain in his sentinel position, sitting upright. So his head drooped and his paws slipped slightly forward to support his shifting weight. He snapped awake, however, when he heard his brother yelping for his mom.
Trotting over dutifully, he joined his brother on their mom's back, careful not to shove Uhuru off. Curiously, he flattened his ears and looked at his brother, though his voice was directed to his mom, "what is it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:06 pm
Uhuru pressed against Risasi a little, just to feel his brother's warmth. "I bet it's one of those gruagch Mama tells stories about sometimes."
Muli blinked and looked over to where Uhuru had run from...and laughed. "Silly Ru! That's what waterbuck looks like with the fur on! I'm surprised you didn't scare the boy off."
Uhuru blinked, then smiled nervously, red tinting the skin underneath his nose-fur. "Oh...How can ya tell it's a boy, Mama?"
"His horns. Girl waterbucks don't have them." She looked to Risasi. "I'm glad you came over. Are you both interested in learning some hunting?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:41 pm
Risasi inclined his head toward his brother protectively, only to shift it a moment later as his mom addressed them. Blinking, he considered her proposal. He did not know very much about hunting. With his brother there it would be awkward to show how inept he was. But. They were learning, so there would be no shame in it.
And they were family.
Hopping down from his mother, rubbing Uhuru as he went, Risasi sat down next to Muli and stared at the waterbuck, "are you going to hunt that, mom? I think you could probably get it." He nodded sagely, as if this were an astute observation for him to be making.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:18 pm
Muli nodded. "Yup. And it would provide lunch for us. So I think it's a good situation..." She chuckled and moved a bit so her cubs slid off her back. "Now...lesson one of hunting is stalking." She spoke loud enough for Uhuru and Risasi to hear, but softly enough to keep the prey-beast in the dark. "You must be silent and swift at the same time and careful of your surroundings. It wouldn't do to send prey running with a snapped twig. The next part is pouncing. You wait for the right moment...and then pounce it! You want to go for the neck...a good crunch and snap will kill it quickly and with little trouble. And always make sure your prey is alone...far enough from their herd or group to not cause you trouble. Now...watch closely."
Uhuru watched as his mother stalked forward, her movements smooth enough to keep her shakers from making noise. It always amazed him when she did that. The waterbuck didn't stand a chance against his mother!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:51 pm
Risasi watched her intently, listening to her every word as if each one held an important lesson in and of itself. He eyed the creature they were supposed to be hunting curiously, taking in its size and the way it was built. Since it was his mother that would be killing it, Risasi had no doubt they would soon be eating.
If it were up to him, however, he imagined they would all be going hungry for a little while. Go for the neck, his mother had said. Just looking at it, even at this distance, he could tell that his teeth would hardly do any damage to its neck. It would probably run off with him dangling helpless from it. Which would not be so fun.
Crouching down, following after his mother whether he was allowed to or not, not looking back at his brother. Risasi's attention was bent on Muli's movements, fascinated by how utterly silent she was. He did his best to mimic such noiselessness, but he was not as adept. He rustled the grass and upset pebbles, murring softly at his mistakes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:41 am
Muli's ears flicked back as Risasi began to follow her. She smiled, then turned her attention forward again. The lioness stopped and prepared to pounce, a little bit away from the waterbuck...far enough away to not attract attention, close enough to make a leaping pounce if her son's noise attracted his attention. And it did.
Just as it made a move to run, Muli pushed off the ground and knocked preybeast to the ground, closing her jaws around his neck and snapping the little bones that ran down the neck and back.
Uhuru didn't follow...not yet. After his brother had gone several steps, Uhuru followed, trying to imitate his mother and brother's steps. He didn't do as well as Risasi, but he was further away, and drew less attention because of it.
He heard the death cry of the waterbuck as he saw his mother pounce then kill it. It was an awesome sight...but scary too. He'd never actually seen or heard anything die before...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:08 am
Watching the waterbuck run, Risasi knew it was his fault that it had been alerted to them. Frowning, but focused, he took mental note of what he would need to practice in order to make sure it did not happen again. He was dedicated to bettering himself, so that he might be a strong, capable protector of his friends and family one day, and he would not let minor set backs stop him from reaching that goal.
Plus, his mother was on top of it. He watched her pounce the unfortunate animal, his small legs taking him as fast as they could in her path, but only bring him to the duo once the kill had been finished. He looked back and spotted his brother lingering behind them. Tilting his head, he wondered why the other hadn't run to see the hunt close up.
Looking back at his mom, he beamed, "you got it so fast, mom! Nothing can get away from you, I don't think. Nothing at all! Because you're the best!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:20 am
Muli blinked at her son, then smiled. "I'm not the best...but I do try to make the kill as quick and painless as I can. Just doesn't seem right to make your meal suffer." She didn't LIKE killing...but she did like eating, and knowing her cubs had enough to eat. She thought a small prayer for the soul of the waterbuck as she cleared away fur, then stepped back so the cubs could have first bite.
"Mother Night and Father Day created prey so that we might eat, and grass and bugs so that the prey might eat as well. And when we die, we nurture the grasses and bugs, so that more prey might live, so we may live." She chuckled. "There's a pride that calls that cycle the 'Circle of Life'...I just call it 'Nature'."
Uhuru joined his mother and brother, amazed. Sure...he didn't like the death-cry...But his mother had been quick and deadly. It had been a sight to watch, even from not-quite-a-distance. He smiled at his mother...She always seemed happiest when she was teaching them something, no matter how little or trivial it might seem.
"Thank you Mom!" And with that, he picked a cleared spot and started eating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 9:14 am
Risasi frowned thoughtfully. What his mother said sounded true enough, and he knew better than to question the wisdom of one of his parents. Yet he did not find himself readily agreeing. He simply thought that they were supposed to eat the prey beasts because they were delicious. The idea that when he died he would become grass only confused him.
"I thought nature was just the trees and stuff? We're nature too? And everything?" He nodded, as if that made sense to him now that he had said it out loud. It didn't, but no one besides his inner mind needed to know that, "I guess that's right! It isn't nice to see anything suffering. You're very kind, mommy."
He moved to her and rubbed her leg, then went to the kill to eat. He let his brother have what part he wanted, opting for a different spot so as not to intrude. He tried not to eat too much, wanting to leave some for his mother. It didn't register with him that his little stomach was hardly a concern.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:49 am
Muli nodded. "Nature is the world around us, including ourselves and others." She sat back as her cubs ate, a content smile on her face. Life had given her so much...so very much, indeed. She would talk to Chuk and Maluuni later...perhaps it was best if the cubs learned to hunt from all three of them. Maluuni and Chuk especially, since the place they were going to was a jungle, best suited for the hunting styles of leopards and those used to so much foliage. After the boys had eaten a bit, she joined in.
Uhuru was rather unaware of his mother's thoughts...He had a full belly after a short time, and waited happily until his family was done. In his opinion, the only thing that would have made the scene better was if Mabaka was with them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:44 pm
Risasi watched as his mother ate, smiling peacefully. He loved his family, and he wanted to protect them as much as he could. He liked the calm, happy moments they shared, and though he was prone to wandering, he never wanted to lose this happy home to come back to. Purring as best as he was able, he moved to his mom and rubbed her legs affectionately, not paying particular attention to if he got in her way or not.
"I love you momma," he said, still purring, "and I always will!"
He eyed his brother and pounced over to him, falling just short of his target and ending up barreling into him in a sort of haphazard tackle, "and I love you too!" he laughed, tumbling onto top of Uhuru in a soft, playful tangle of limbs and fur.
He was content to spend the rest of the day just sitting with them, absorbing their company for all it was worth to him as the time wore away. He couldn't have been happier, even if he tried.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:25 am
Muli didn't mind her son's somewhat clumsy affections. It made her happy just knowing her little ones loved her. And she loved them all back. She nuzzled the top of Risasi's head, content smile on her face.
"I love you too, Risasi. I'll always love you and your siblings, no matter what." One day, when they found the place they were looking for, she would need to bring her mother there to meet them. The cubs deserved to meet their grandmother...and perhaps Rohodamu would teach them the stories she taught Muli.
She chuckled as Risasi ended up in a tangle of furry limbs with his brother.
Uhuru squeaked as his brother rolled into him, then laughed. "Love ya too!" He wiggled about, hoping to escape the tangle. But he didn't mind too much. He really did love his family, and was just as happy as Risasi to just spend time in their presence. Happiness sometimes seemed fleeting, but Uhuru grasped the moments like this and held onto them until he couldn't anymore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:56 am
Risasi laughed and purred, letting his brother go before sitting and looking from his mother to his brother and back again. He smiled at his family, a bright, warm expression that seemed to radiate from his whole form. His tail flickered and he sighed contentedly.
He was sleepy now that he had eaten and played, and he moved to his mother instinctively, drawn to her warmth and the comfort he got from being close to her. Curling against her, he eased himself down at her feet, closing his eyes and pushing against her.
Still purring, he let sleep wash over him .
(I think that's my last post for him. ^^)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
