|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:46 pm
 Fresh blood speckled the face of a blue and gray lion as he stalked through the jungle, his head low and bright eyes glowing. What was left of the setting sun had been blocked out by black clouds which flashed occasionally with lightning. Tiny drops of rain had begun to fall from the sky. The water mingled with the wet spots of red on the lion's face, washing the blood off slowly.
Durion trailed his tongue over his bloodied maw, savoring one last taste of Bushbuck. But food wasn't on his mind.
He was going back to that place.
"Stupid, stupid," he chanted to himself under his breath, grinding his teeth as he moved through the jungle growth. He wasn't sure why he was going back. When he first left that crazy leopardess, he had found a nice place far, far away to rest. But he had only slept for a couple of hours. He kept thinking about what had happened...In "The Undergrove." Then he had woken up, hunted all day, ate, and here he was again, wandering right back to the place he wanted to get AWAY from.
Why?!
He couldn't understand it. That leopardess was crazy. But there were doubts in Durion's mind; doubts he couldn't ignore. WAS she crazy? Or was she serious? Did she know?
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:44 am
 Clotho's face was stern as she busied herself cleaning out fruits that had fallen from some of the surrounding jungle trees. She didn't particularly enjoy eating fruits, but it was somehow stimulating to remove their spikes and seeds. It was like meditating.
Eyes shifting from the fruit to rest on the darkening sky, Clotho watched the menacing clouds begin to roll in and morph together to create larger clouds. It was an inspiring sight. The dark clouds reminded her of the dark gray pelt of the lion she had just recently met, not two days ago. She felt that she would see him again...But did not know when.
Sighing nearly silently, Clotho brought her paw to her lips and began to clean off pieces of the fruit that had stuck themselves to her fur and claws.
He would come again...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:07 pm
The stalking male snorted rain water from his nose and licked the last remaining blood droplets from his maw. His mind was a flurry of fast-paced thoughts and angry, doubtful emotions. His imagination was taking him places he did NOT want to go, but there was nothing he could do about it.
The thought of some random stranger pretending to know what had happened to him in his past was driving him crazy. But the thought of some random stranger who wasn't pretending, and actually knew about his past was making him even crazier. And what was even worse was that she had said history would repeat itself. But how could that be? It was insane. It was all insane. He felt ridiculous even thinking she could be telling the truth.
The sooner he found that leopardess again, the better. But at the same time, he didn't want to see her ever again. Then again, it was too late; he was close. He could already smell the sickeningly-sweet scent of fruit and the misty scent of that strange piece of jungle.
The lion moved through the last shady part of trees and into the place he knew was "the Undergrove".
Blue eyes found pink and he stared.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:17 pm
The rain came down in a light, steady mist now.
The top of Clotho's tail twitched as it always did when she was pleased with something. Her face relaxed into a smile and she allowed the small drops to land on her face. She closed her eyes, feeling them...Smelling the earthy scent of the rain...But she stopped.
She smelled lion.
Pointing her head away from the sky, Clotho glanced around for the source of the smell. It was then that she saw him; the lion called Durion. Clotho smiled, eyes dancing at how lovely the lion's blue eyes looked in the dim light of the jungle.
"I knew you would come." Clotho called, bowing her head in greeting.
Though she sensed the lion was not quite as happy to see her as she was to see him...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:27 pm
Durion narrowed his eyes, lips curling slightly to reveal fangs. The rain was beginning to fall harder. It mingled into his eyes and danced down his teeth as he glared at the leopardess.
"You don't know s**t." Durion snapped darkly. He walked closer to the leopardess, making sure to keep a nice bit of distance between them. He examined her quickly, taking in the situation. What had she been doing? Eating fruit? She really was crazy. Durion tried his hardest to stifle the laughter that threatened to explode from him. It was all so stupid...How was it possible that he had convinced himself to come back? He felt like a fool.
But it had to be done.
"Why did you say that you knew what happened to me?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:37 pm
"Because I do." Clotho answered sagely. "It is not something that I can explain. It is something that just is. We are both creatures of the same world, child. We cannot always expect to understand what the world is." Truly believing she was a seer, Clotho was able to say such things with ease. There was not a doubt in her mind that she was saying anything false or wrong; that she was guessing most of the time when it came to certain people just because she had quite the talent for reading people.
But ask further as to what she "saw", and you'd unravel her guise.
"Would you like to sit down?" the leopardess asked, smiling kindly at the lion, paying no heed to his malicious-looking face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:55 pm
The rain was falling even harder, large drops of water landing loudly on all the surrounding leaves and grasses. The jungle was echoing the light, rushing sound of the falling rain that is usually soothing to one's ears. But in this case, it was soothing no one.
"No." Durion growled bluntly at her offer. "And don't. Call. Me. Child." he commanded, head lowering and hair rising on his back.
His level of anger was getting dangerously close to being off-the-scale. He took a few slow, ponderous steps closer to the leopardess, precariously closing the gap between them. The girl's eyes were shining amidst her smile and she didn't seem at all intimidated by the lion's gestures and glares, which was only succeeding in making the male even angrier.
"Your stupid explanation doesn't tell me anything." he said quickly. "So you've said you know what happened to me...Then say it." he ordered, spitting rain water out of his mouth. "Now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:03 pm
Clotho's ears flopped to the sides in disappointment at the lion's refusal to sit, rain trailing down her face. She licked water away from her nose and stood, stepping away from the pile of cleaned fruit that were once at her feet. She was more than aware of the lion closing the gap between them. His muscles were bulging under his fur and his claws were outstretched. It was obvious that he was not in a calm, relaxed state. Clotho knew that his current state was quite dangerous, so she felt that she should be on her feet.
"I know why you do not like being called 'child'." Clotho answered, tail swaying lugubriously behind her. She paused, examining the male's face. "...It is because of what happened when you were but a small lion...A child. Because of what happened then with your mother and father." she explained solemnly, face stern as she looked to the male.
Truly, she had seen that in him. She felt that her explanation wasn't lacking...But then, why was he still standing there so stiffly...?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:31 pm
"That's all fine and dandy, Pinky, but you still haven't told me WHAT happened in my past." Durion growled loudly. The more the leopardess spoke, the more at ease Durion felt. But at the same time, as his doubts were fading and he was seeing Clotho for what she truly was--a fake seer--, he was filled with rage and the urge to tear her to pieces.
Did she even know what she had done to his head?! She had made him go crazy! He had barely slept because of her. He was tired, angry, frustrated, embarrassed at his own foolishness, and now horribly irritated at the grating sound of the female's know-it-all voice.
He couldn't take much more of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:33 pm
Clotho closed her eyes, pondering, meditating over her thoughts; her "visions". She could see (well, imagine, but she did not believe it was imagination)...She could see...Hmmm...Yes, she knew that something tragic had happened between Durion and his parents; something dark and traumatic. He was young when it happened, of course. It was rooted deep inside the male's heart and hung over him like a dark cloud. Just like the black rain clouds that were growing thicker and thicker overhead. And then...
"...You lost both of your parents in a horrific way..." she mused. Her eyes opened slightly. "I cannot see any more than that, young Durion." she finished forlornly. "Perhaps in time I--" but she was cut off by a savage roar that made her hair bristle and her eyes widen. What happened next was all a blur, followed by pain; much pain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:49 pm
Durion opened his jaws wide, emitting a loud, echoing roar; the essence of his pent-up rage.
Somehow, for some reason, he knew he had wanted someone to know what he'd been through. Not just what had happened when he was young, but what had happened all throughout his life. He wanted someone to know. But he knew he'd never tell. It was his deepest, most well-kept secret. He hated his past and all of his memories. So no, he would never, ever speak of it. But if someone were able to see inside of him...Without him speaking...Somehow, he had wanted that. He craved it. Just someone to know; someone else to understand it all so that they could help him understand, too. Even though he acted like he was over it, he was never really over it.
He had wanted Clotho to be the one to see.
Durion sprang forward and was upon the leopardess in mere split seconds. Rain pounded heavily against the ground, almost completely drowning out the roars and snarls coming from Durion and the cries of shock and pain from the leopardess. Teeth and claws tore and ripped at flesh and Durion swatted the female around like she was a piece of useless meat.
Durion was sucked into his own anger and violence. But there was a heavy pain on the right side of his face that made him stumble a bit to the side. He shook his head harshly, lips curling as he snarled. His blue eyes glowed in the darkness and he glared at the leopardess. He tasted his own blood.
She had slashed his face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:19 pm
Panting heavily for breath and body wincing from the pain of deep flesh wounds that covered a good bit of her body, Clotho held her left paw loosely in the air. It had somehow gone numb. Or was it just cold from the rain?
Clotho swallowed sharply and ground her teeth, fear pulsing throughout her. The harsh rain stung her wounds, blood mixing with water and pouring all around her body. She stumbled in the growing puddle beneath her and raised her head, looking dignified, despite her appearance. She did not question the lion's sudden outburst of violence. Instead, she countered it. Before the male had time to recover from the blow he had received and attack again, Clotho leaped upon him and sunk her teeth deep into the back of his neck. She held her jaws firm and dug her claws into his back and shoulder. She tore and shook and did what she could to harm him. But he was large; much larger than she.
She had the wisdom to know that she would be easily overpowered very soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:30 pm
Durion had no time to react or prepare a dodge from the leopardess's quick movements. She was digging into his flesh before he realized what had happened.
Crying out in pain, Durion reached back with his paws, claws outstretched and searching for pink fur to clutch onto and rip at. He saw a spray of blood to his right and the blood from the wound on his face was blurring his vision. He seethed, turning himself around like a mad bull and clawing back at the leopardess. Finally, he felt the leopardess slide a bit and he was able to sink his claws into her shoulder.
Durion dug his claws in deep, gripped her arm, and pulled her from his back violently. He slammed her into the dirt and slashed at her face repeatedly. Somehow, the leopardess managed to throw him off of her, perhaps with her back legs, and Durion was sent stumbling backwards, trying to regain his footing.
But it was only a brief pause for breath for the both of them before Durion was upon her again. He bowled into her, slashing and biting, making sure she would stay down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:44 pm
Clotho had kicked her back paw against Durion's gut, thankfully causing the lion to stumble back. But something so weak and un-damaging wouldn't make for a long relief or even a slight victory. Of course, the lion had only doubled back to harm her more.
Clotho was choking on her own blood. All she could see was red all around her. She couldn't see Durion, and therefore could not retaliate properly. She could feel his claws sliding through her flesh as though she were a fresh fruit. She was powerless against him.
The rain was harder than it had been and it smarted her wounds so painfully that she cried out, slashing blindly at the air around her in hopes that she could land at least one hit on Durion. All her strategic methods for fighting were gone. Not that she had had many to begin with. She was a peaceful leopardess, believing that disputes were to be settled with calm words, or separation of those who disagreed if words could not settle the matter.
But that was not possible in this case.
Giving one last feeble swipe and one last cry, Clotho saw the black sky above her become lost in a blur. She saw two blue, piercing eyes.
Then all was black.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:52 pm
The lion was soaked with water and blood, the liquid pouring off of his body on all sides. It trailed down from his mane and onto the leopardess's bleeding face. Durion stared at her closed eyes, his head low and body sunken as if the weight of the leopardess was still on his back. He backed away from her slowly, tiredly, his own wounds stinging from the rain water. He continued to back away, staring with piercing eyes at the fallen leopardess.
Dead or not, he didn't care. She was down. She was out. He had won. She would never cause him any trouble ever again. And with any luck, she would never tell her false visions to anyone again. She was done. He hoped she was dead. But as he just thought, dead or not, he didn't care.
He didn't care.
Slowly, Durion turned away from that place; "The Undergrove". He turned away from it for the last time and dragged himself off into the jungle. The cool shade enveloped him, trees shielding his body from the water pouring from the sky.
The sound of the rain deafened all else in the world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![[Eskimo]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/ea/2c/53920899312cea_flip.png?t=1541710050_6.00_00)
