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 Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:59 am
What was he doing?
Where was his tree!? He little pool!? He rock!
All gone now, most definitely, and even if he turned back to go to them, Apollo was sure he would ger lost. He had, after several days of talking and nuzzling and just...caring (he still had a difficult time saying 'love'), finally given into Oboe's wish to continue traveling. And so now they were out in the wide open savannah, without a familiar thing in sight!
Sure, it had been exciting at first, and intersting, but now Apollo longed for a tree, shade, something he knew, something that could calm his nerves. He was edgy, and had been edgy for the last couple of days. He felt like a piece of him had been torn away when they left the tree, and it ached still. His wounds had healed nicely, but this emotional tear wasn't healing so well.
Oboe didn't seem to understand either, or she didn't seem to care. Yesterday she had started acting odd, and spacing more often then usual. One time she seemed to be thinking so hard that she nearly tripped over a rock. Apollo tried asking what was wrong, but she only shook her head and cooed 'nothing, nothing'. He was worried by this though. Barely a week or so ago, she had claimed she loved him, and he had happily accepted that, maybe, even, in his own way, returned that love. But now she acted as if he didn't exist.
Like now.
Apollo was slinking along behind Oboe, who was wandering ahead. He wondered what she was looking at off into the distance, and sighed loudly. She probably wouldn't tell him even if he asked.
And this little negativity didn't help him feel any better. He was homesick and now the leopardess he had left home to follow around the world was treating him as if he was no more then a speck of dust in the air.
"Oboooe," the purple lion moaned, and slowed his lethargic pace to the point where a snail would beat him in a race. "What's going on?" It was the same question he asked several times yesterday, the same question Oboe had merely shaken her head at. "You barely talk, and you won't even look at me. Is something wrong?"
Maybe she was sick.
That would explain things...maybe.
"If you are sick, we can rest for a bit, you don't have to act well around me, I will worry about you any way. Especially when you are being as quiet as you are. You haven't called me a name in at least two days now." There was a hint of a smile in Apollo's words, and he padded up to the pink leopardess and nuzzled her side. "Let's rest for a bit and you can tell me what's wrong, if you like."
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:37 am
It had been many days since the two had begun traveling together. They'd left Apollo's "home" and set out with no set destination in mind; just wandering. But Oboé didn't mind that. She was happy to wander anywhere, as long as Apollo was with her.
Oboé's eyes drifted overhead to the clouds in the sky and she allowed herself to make silly shapes out of them. It was to take her mind off of something...Something she knew was different inside of her. It was a welcome feeling, but very different and slightly frightening. Oboé was slow to accept change when it came to things directly involving herself and something physically happening to her. But someone whining for her snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Hmm?" The leopardess turned her ears back to listen to the lion beside her.
What was going on, he asked? Well, Oboé knew full well what was going on with herself just by instinct. But at the same time, she wasn't quite sure. Because how could one be sure if they weren't entirely sure that the thing they were sure of was sure?
Oboé sighed.
But Apollo seemed hurt. Oboé frowned and allowed him to nuzzle her, something feeling strangely at the pressure he put on her side. The side of her face winced, but the look vanished in an instant. "I'm not sick." she said slowly, sounding as if she wasn't entirely convinced at her own words. "I've just been..." She paused, eyes wandering once again to the clouds.
But that was all she said before she began walking again.
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:49 am
Oboe was hiding something, he could tell. When he pressed up to her, she winced and he felt her just barely moved away. It stressed the already very stressed out lion that the leopardess he cherished above his own security was not telling him what was wrong.
When she said she wasn't sick, Apollo rolled his eyes, but allowed her the chance to explain farther. And for a moment, she seemed willing to. Obviously though, she had changed her mind!
JUST BEEN!?
JUST BEEN WHAT!?
Apollo growled in frustration and planted himself on the ground. Fine, let her just saunter off! She wasn't gonna tell him anything anyway! He waited for a few moments, and irritation burned in his chest as Oboe continued to walk, as if she didn't care or even notice that he wasn't following. So, with a rather loud sigh, he pushed himself up and trotted back up to her side.
They walked in silence for a bit, and Apollo continually sighed. Long, depressing, irritated sighs. Then he leaned against her again and licked her ear, "Oboe," the purple lion moaned, "What is wrong? Tell me. I won't get mad. Are you bored of me?" That last question sounded fearful, because well..Apollo wasn't sure what he would do if Oboe didn't want him around any more. He had completely changed since he met her, and it was hard to think of going back to the way he had been.
"Let's stop for the day, Oboe. Let's rest."
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:08 am
The more Oboé sunk into her thoughts, the more her surroundings disappeared. She felt the kiss of the lion she loved, but didn't hear his words. In all honesty, she didn't even know he was speaking at all. Her whirring head had drowned out all sounds around her and she could only focus on herself.
The leopardess's legs were tired and her body felt much weaker lately than was normal. She had already begun walking towards a large, shady tree to rest under before Apollo had even said anything about stopping.
With a heavy sigh, Oboé sat herself down under the tree, shoulders slouching forward and eyelids nearly shutting in a look of tiredness. Or maybe thoughtfulness? It wasn't clear.
Many minutes passed in silence. Oboé continued to look ahead through half-lidded eyes, not looking as though she particularly cared about anything. But soon, as the minutes passed, as the silence dragged on, a spark brightened the gold hue of Oboé's eyes and her lips twitched into a smile. She took a deep breath through her nose and stared up at the clouds, pulling herself into a straighter sitting position.
She had gathered herself back; back to her normal self. Whatever she had been mulling over had stopped buzzing in her head. Now, she was alright with whatever it was. She smiled at the feeling, enjoying the presence of Apollo beside her.
"Hmm..." she hummed, gazing at the clouds lazily. "I wonder what it'll be like...Having baby Ratels running around..."
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:20 am
Apollo followed beside Oboe to the tree. He figured she was okay if she was willing to listen to reason, but worried about her anyway, pacing back and forth, as she slumped forward, looking tired and exhausted. She had to be sick. This was far from normal Oboe behaviour.
He sat beside her, purring reassuringly, and shortly after, she seemed to get better, and seemed to be smiled. What was wrong? He wondered what she was thinking. "Obo--" Apollo started, then paused, because the leopardess was speaking now.
Ratels? Babies? She must be really sick. She could be delusional.
"What do you mean baby ratels--"
As soon as he said it out loud, Apollo got it. He didn't just get it either, he was run over by it, like being trampled by a wildebeest. BABIES? Unless Oboe had been adopted ratels as of late, that couldn't only mean one thing.
"YOU'RE KIDDING RIGHT!?"
She had to be, but he had a feeling she wasn't. The signs all made sense, and now he was panicking. SHE WASWASWAS...
Apollo felt sick, and he stumbled back. Nonono. He could not deal with this. This couldn't be happening. It never happened before. Why now? Oboe was just kidding, and if she wasn't.
"I can't be a dad!" he squeaked, backing farther away. "I I...I wouldn't know what to do! I...I can't!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:09 am
"Oh, hush~. You're acting like a baby Ratel yourself." Oboé chastised teasingly with a smirk. She watched as he stumbled backwards, words stuttering out of his maw. He looked so lost, the poor love. Well, that was alright. If he didn't know how to be a father, that was fine. Oboé would teach him.
Not that she knew how to be a father...But she'd been around cubs, so she knew how to deal with them. She had been a cub herself, after all. Even though she never knew her parents and therefore had no memory of how to be a parent, she was sure instinct would take care of it, or even just plain old common sense. How hard could it be?
But Apollo seemed to be on an entirely different train of thought.
"Apollo~," Oboé cooed, waving him over with her paw. But the gesture didn't seem to be doing much, for he kept walking farther back. "Come here, love. Let's talk about our cubs." she said, making sure to drive in the nail deep. Oboé flashed a devious grin, enjoying Apollo's baffled expression. No matter how confused or shocked he was, no matter how many steps he took away from her...
Oboé would never let him get away.
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:49 pm
When she tried to call him over, he shook his head, and stumbled farther away at the mention of 'THEIR' cubs. No! He wasn't a father, couldn't be a father, and NEVER would be! "I! I CAN'T!" the lion nearly roared, anger and hurt and fear and confusion all jumbling together. He blinked several times and looked around him.
He had to get away.
"I can't Oboe! I can't be a father!" And with that, he turned, panic in his eyes, "I can't I can't I can't!"
He was running then, running away from her, and his heart was torn in two. He loved Oboe. But cubs!? He couldn't understand them, and didn't want to. At least his fearful half didn't. So he not only ran from Oboe and the cubs, but from the small part of him that wanted them.
He continued to run and run, and still ran, until he was far away. He couldn't go back! The thought of cubs...cubs!?
Apollo shuddered, and then glanced around nervously. He had found a small waterhole which was mostly mud, and trampled through it, and then crawled into the long grasses that lined its side. He felt as if Oboe was watching him, and it was kinda creepy. So maybe...maybe he would hide here for a bit, and just relax. Let his mind clear.
So with that, the purple lion settled into his spot in the grass, never expecting to be found by Oboe (surely she was far away and unable to chase him! Right?).
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:19 pm
A large shadow fell over the long grasses and smothered a certain purple lion who had taken shelter in them.
The stalking leopardess's eyes glowed and she smiled, mental images of a fatherly Apollo playing with their cubs running through her mind. Oh, how lovely...But how could he say he couldn't be a father? Didn't he believe that she was going to have cubs? Silly darling.
But it was alright. He'd come around to the idea eventually. After all, this meant he'd finally have someone to call his kind.
More Ratels!
"I wonder how many boys there'll be?" Oboé mused aloud, eyes glinting in a motherly way. She was right above Apollo, tail swaying behind her. "Or perhaps they'll only be girls? That would be so completely amusing~." she drawled.
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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:58 pm
ARGH!
THIS WAS PUNISHMENT!
Apollo leapt to his feet as he heard her, eyes wide in fright. How could she have followed him so quickly!? It wasn't natural. Did all expecting females have this ability to hunt you down like this? Apollo shook his head. "I-I don't care!" he stuttered out, voice raising into a high-pitched whine. Then he stumbled back, tripped over a rock, and then turned tail and ran.
He had to loose her, his irrational side stated, he had to loose her or be trapt forever. He could never be a father, for how could someone who never knew their father raise cubs themselves!? He had no experience! IT WAS TO DIFFERENT!
So he continued to run, sure that this time Oboe would not follow, and found himself coming to a large tree that sat ontop a rock, it's roots wrapped around the rock and into the ground. It tilted slightly to the left, and there was a spot in the rock that was grooved out like a den, and the ground sunk in as well. Apollo quickly darted into the makeshift cavette and hide amongst the shadows. She wouldn't find him here. She couldn't!
Apollo closed his eyes, ignoring the part of him that hoped she would find him. He couldn't let her, because...he didn't want to be a horrible father like his father had been.
But...wouldn't he be just like father if he ran away? Hadn't his father taken Artemis and then left him and his mother?
SHUT UP!
He could never be a father!
maybe...
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:42 am
"Scouting a place for me to have cubs already?" came a voice lined with amusement. "I am truly lucky~." Oboé sighed lovingly, staring at the purple lion beside her.
Of course the poor dear was too confused; too excited to notice that Oboé had already been inside the cozy little cave even before Apollo had seen it.
The idea of cubs had been so odd at first; so shocking. Oboé didn't think she'd be able to get over the fact even after she'd had the cubs. But she was able to, somehow. Because Apollo would be there with her and she wouldn't be alone anymore, endlessly wandering and thinking about the past. She knew it would take Apollo a little longer. He was a skittish thing sometimes. But he'd come to understand that bringing new life into the world wasn't so bad. After all,
he wasn't going to have to go through the intense pain of giving birth...
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:29 pm
WHY?!
She was everywhere. Apollo felt trapped, and indeed he was, for he was pressed up against the rock behind him. His eyes were wide and his breathing sharp and shuddering. This wasn't fair. He couldn't be a father, yet she still insisted.
"Oboe," he begged, pleaded, whined, moaned!, "I-ICAN'T! Why don't you understand. I am no father. What if they hate me!? What if I mess up? If they die? If it is my fault? If you find it to stressful!?" So many what ifs, all of them leading up to one question. He felt it burn his throat; it caused his fur to stand on end his he claws to dig into the rock beneath his paws; it was a question that he hated to ask, because it was a question that proved how afraid he truly was. But sometimes the mind is faster then one would like, and he blurted:
"What if I am alone? I can't bear it, I couldn't bear it if I let them in, and they just disappeared one day. I can't be a father...because I never had one. Oboe..."
He wanted to run and make her leave him alone, but he didn't even try to force his way past her. He didn't try to run. Because, under all this fear that was resurfacing, Apollo wanted these cubs. And he wanted Oboe to convince him.
"Would I be a good father?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:43 pm
Oboé listened silently to Apollo's concerns, sitting quite relaxed beside him.
"How should I know?" she said simply, bluntly, in answer to his question. But she was smiling. "I never had a father either." After that, there was an odd silence. She merely looked at the lion in the darkness of the cave-like area, a careless smile on her face. It was evident in her expression that she'd continue to follow him no matter where he went. Even though he acted like it, Apollo didn't want to be alone. Oboé knew that.
"I never knew my mother, come to think of it..." the leopardess drawled suddenly and without humor, eyes shifting away from the purple lion. "...But...I'm going to be a mother anyway. In fact, I already am. If you think about it..." she murmured. She stole a glance at Apollo's face. There was tension for a moment. Then Oboé moved forward and nuzzled Apollo's neck. "We are already parents, Apollo." she said, using his name for perhaps, at least to her memory, the first time. "And I think we're damn good ones." She grinned into his neck and laughed with an almost maniacal tone. Or perhaps it was innocence? It wasn't clear, like most things when it came to the leopardess.
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:58 pm
The lion stiffened momentarially as she pressed against him, for her words had been blunt. Hew felt horrible for the father complaints, because he never bothered to ask of her parents. He acted as if he was the only one with no experience, and it was obvious now how foolish that thought had been.
But she wasn't being cruel as she nuzzled him, and her voice was like magic, soothing his tight muscles. He was nervous, and would be.
But.
"Your laugh is scary," was the first thing he said, and then he leaned against the, no, his leopardess and growled happily, deep in his chest. If she believed they could be parents...well. Apollo would trust her. "We will be the best parents ever, Oboe."
Her name was like the sweetest, freshest water, and it soothed Apollo's worries. "Since you called me Apollo, that means you will stop calling me 'Ratel', right?"
He already knew the answer to that question. But it was still worth a shot.
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:07 pm
Oboé laughed again, possibly just to get another reaction out of him. And then...
"When did I call you 'Apollo'?" she asked, sounding guilty like she had said something to offend him. She nuzzled deeper into him and frowned. "I didn't know Ratels had names."
She didn't even brace herself for the outburst she knew would come. She was far too used to it. It was always comfortable when she was with her Apollo. Always. Even if their future was full of HORRIBLE problems, Oboé knew things would be fine. She could feel it. But she and Apollo would be able to get through anything. Having cubs, raising cubs, living on their own together...They'd always be with each other and it would always be comfortable.
Because they loved each other and always would.
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Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:18 pm
Apollo's stuttering 'I AM NOT A RATEL!' could be heard from miles away, and inside the cave, he looked flustered for a moment. He was not a ratel!
But already the smile was creeping back to his face, and with a sigh, the lion nudged Oboe, "And you are a tree-stealer. My tree-stealer, my annoying, lazy," with each word he nuzzled closer and closer, until he was almost sure they must be one entity now, and then finished, "tree-stealing Oboe."
And as if that wasn't lovey enough, he licked her cheek for good measure and sighed, "At least I picked a good spot right?"
Life would...go on. And it would be good.
Apollo stared out the cave entrance, and sighed happily, before looking over at Oboe, who seemed to be thinking to herself again.
Yes.
Life would be good.
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