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 Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:11 pm
It was a dark, cloudless night on the savannah, the kind Kasi liked best. Let other hunters prefer hunting in the daytime. Such dark nights were the sort that allowed her to blend with the shadows and become nigh invisible before springing into the pursuit with all the deadly speed of her kind. On this particular night, one where mothers might draw their cubs closer to them as the little ones whimpered in fear of the dark, the black cheetah feasted on her latest kill--a young antelope who'd laid itself to rest just a bit too far from the herd. Only a rustle in the grasses had heralded its passing, and Kasi was confident she'd be finished and long gone before scavengers arrived.
Hunting wasn't too hard, when you were trained to kill.
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Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:59 pm
"Ohh...Something smells nice tonight!" Like an adolescent boy drawn by the drifting allure of the greasy pizzeria down the street Kukuruza was off, easily trotting after his nose. It was safe to call him lazy--he could just as well have gotten his own dinner that night by putting forth a little effort--but that didn't make him unwilling to put forth the minimal effort that finding what smelled good required.
Nevermind that it was an impulsive decision and that whomever had made the kill might not be friendly. In all honesty he hadn't thought that far ahead. All he knew was that there was something tasty-smelling over there, and he wanted some. Now all he could do was hope that whomever he was gonna get to share with was in a good mood!
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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 10:10 am
At the sound of a voice, Kasi resisted the urge to run, vanishing into the night before anyone arrived 'on the scene,' so to speak. She wasn't fulfilling a contract, so the only discretion required was enough to ensure survival. And as the other cheetah trotted onto the scene, she relaxed and smiled congenially. "Ah, a fellow night hunter," she greeted him. "I was wondering if the usual scavengers had come to call early. The name's Kasi." She gestured at the half-eaten antelope before her. "Care for a bite?"
Kasi was as normal as everyone else when she wasn't fulfilling a contract, aside from a rather eccentric set of beliefs. And she certainly didn't mind sharing, as long as they didn't try running her off of her own kill.
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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:05 pm
Oh what luck! One of his own kind! If it'd been a lion he probably would have turned and run, but another cheetah? That was something entirely different! And a looker too, almost entirely black, though she had an odd bit of orange here and there. She was much better suited to the night in color than he, but no matter. "Yep!" Of course he wasn't tonight at least, but really, was it important? "Nope, just me. Though I guess under the circumstances I'm a bit of a scavenger. I'm Kuku...er, Kukuruza." Formalities, he had to remember, full names at first, or she'd be confised when he went by Kukuruza later.
Thankfully for Kuku, the nice female seemed like she was going to share. A youthful adult, he was a bit of a glutton, and though he never considered chasing her off, he would have made a nuisance of himself elsewise. "If you're offering, I won't say no! I followed my nose to it, but if anyone else is hunting nearby yours won't be the only kill to be pinpointed, you know?" He trotted up, bouncing along happily, and buried his nose in the gooey warm meat. He was a messy eater to say the least.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:00 pm
Kasi couldn't help but laugh as the other cheetah started eating messily. It was always so refreshing to meet those who knew next to nothing of the dark family she belonged to. Then again, she and her 'family members' did their best to make sure only enough word got out that the contracts, and the members, came in. "That's usually how they find it too, but if you're quick and quiet enough, it takes longer for them to realize someone's made a kill." She stretched, enjoying the peaceful moment while it lasted.
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:48 am
"Uhuhuh...yeah, yeah....yeah, that's true." Kuku's words were muffled by the mess he still had his face happily in. Nearly his whole head was red by the time he looked up long enough to take a breath, his white hood stained from eating. "But I mean, we're the fastest there are, so that's not an issue. And now there's two of us so like..." He looked around a bit, nope, still no scavengers other than himself. "One of us could keep them away I guess."
And he was back at the food. Ahhh, food. Delicious, warm, gooey food! He did his best not to gorge, knowing full well this wasn't his kill, but it was a healthy animal, and had a good few pounds of meat left. Maybe just one or two more bites...
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:11 pm
"This is true...we could." Kasi held no illusions that she would be the one keeping said scavengers away. This male might seem like he wouldn't be interested in fighting his way through more than a particularly thick clump of grass, but she didn't like to get her paws dirty when the odds weren't in her favor. Should something show up that she couldn't take on, she'd be gone, vanished into the night as fast as her paws could carry her. "You have quite the taste for a good meal."
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Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:47 pm
Kuku looked up again and took a step back from the food, dripping a bit of murky goo. "Sorry about that. My stomach is its own person sometimes." He sat down, determined to not eat any more until Kasi was filled.
He would keep watch. If it was day and a vulture came he could chase it off. But it was night, and the danger from the birds was less. On the other hand, the bigger cats were out. He blinked and looked back around.
"Uh, I'm sorry, what's your name?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:20 pm
The corners of the dark female's mouth quirked in a grin. "Don't mind me, I didn't mean to imply you were in the wrong." Of course, turning down a meal that she had brought down with the intention of eating wouldn't make much sense, so she hunkered down to consume a few more bites. Young and tender...why was it those that were so infused with the foolishness that youth could bring tasted the best? The world was strange, indeed. "Kasi'barakoa. Call me what you like, I know it's a mouthful."
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 5:24 pm
Kuku bobbed his head absently. He was still trying to wrap his mind and mouth around that name. And he'd thought his own was long! "Kasi then...Heh!" He chuckled. Kuku and Kasi? That was sort of lame.
He sat back on his haunches and scratched at his neck, lanky frame twisted up in knots to get the itch. "So, you live around here?" It'd been a long time since he'd seen other cheetahs.
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 7:39 pm
At this, Kasi paused. Her only home was with the Brotherhood, but she wasn't about to tell an uninitiated stranger that...fortunately, her quick mind came up with an answer. "I live here as much as I live anywhere," she stated cryptically, shoulders rising and falling in a shrug. "Keeps the game fresh, and the scenery fresher."
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:07 am
Kuku nodded. "So you're just like me then...wandering where you want, unless something interesting pops up." He grinned dumbly, half tempted to pose and ask if he himself was interesting enough...that usually didn't work, but maybe it would...for once...He shuffled his feet and licked his lips ponderously.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 5:08 am
"That's right," Kasi lied smoothly, choosing to ignore his signs of awkwardness for now. If he had something to say, he'd say it when he was good and ready to say it. You just couldn't rush a source of information...it didn't work that way. Intelligence gathering was always most effective when the informant wasn't aware it was being gathered. "I stop to chat now and again, and then I drift along."
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:33 pm
"Mmm." Like now, that meant. "Sounds sort of lonely though. Ever get someone to...I don't know...drift with you a little ways?" May as well ask. He could always run away if she got mad. She seemed like too kind a person to get that angry though.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:02 pm
One ear flicked back. Lonely? Yes, it was lonely, but there was a reason for that. Might as well be out with it, as much as she had to anyways. There were freelance assassins out there...the Brotherhood tried to bring them into the fold whenever possible. "Well...I haven't been entirely honest with you." She wouldn't be now, but that wasn't the point. "I kill for a living, for whatever's offered. You give me a target, and I eliminate it." She tilted her head, giving him a measuring look. "Do you really want to follow that sort of path?"
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