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 Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:39 am
Kachero wasn’t much for baths, but he didn’t like the way his fur was starting to smell. It had been a while since he had let himself be caught by his family, or even older friends, to give him a bath, and now matters needed to be taken into his own paws. He was an independent, skilled lion, after all. And inventive. Genius, if he had to call himself anything. Grinning confidently, he knew he would be able to find a way to make cleaning himself less of a chore and more of a game.
His mind was constantly working, and he loathed being bored. He needed constant stimulation, his brain only happy and quiet when it was turning over some mystery or riddle. Most of the time he had to come up with his own games, and it was almost refreshing to have this legitimate issue to solve. Bathing, but not bathing. Swimming, but getting clean. Having fun, but getting rid of that funky smell. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Standing atop a rock, he peered down to the water below. It was rather a long way, though he had thought his estimations about ‘survivable falls’ were accurate enough to keep him from smashing into the water as hard as if it were the ground. It was just vertigo. He drew a breath and followed the line of the water fall down to the river, eyeing the rocks and danger zones. If he jumped with just enough force, he’d clear everything and land safely in the water.
Closing his eyes, putting his faith in his calculations, the young cub coiled his muscles, took a moment to empty his head, and leapt.
Posca had always been drawn to these lands over the years. She frequently returned to them, only to wander lost through the trees, never quite finding what she looking for. Of course, this was a hard task when she didn't know what she was looking for. Still, the pull had worked on her yet again, and she found herself slowly weaving between trees, her eyes half lidded. It was as if something invisible was dangling in front of her nose, but no matter how fast she walked, she couldn't bite into it. It was forever evading her...
A splash broke her out of her blurred thoughts, making her stop and blink to the right. The trees got thinner there, and lead down into a small shore, where a river cut through the earth. Someone was there, swimming. In the past the goddess would have imediately run away, fearing the company of mortals. She was always afraid of her powers going wrong and hurting someone. But recently she had learned to overcome her fears, especially since those hyenas insisted on following her around and serving her.
So she walked forward, her head low, peaking through the trees to the water below.
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:41 am
Kachero survived.
That was a good sign. He surfaced and let out a triumphant whoot before sucking in a deep breath of air and splashing around in a circle. He laughed as hauled himself out of the water, shaking his body off thoroughly of the clinging drops. That had been amazingly fun, beyond anything he had even imagined. Which was saying a lot, because his head was filled with creative and completely unrealistic assessments and ideas. His imaginary life was quite exciting, but this… this had trumped everything.
He didn’t notice that he was shaking his water off on someone else, though he caught a scent in the air that wasn’t his and he turned slowly. Blinking, he spotted the form of a stranger near by and, fur bristling, he tilted his head. Not particularly shy, his curiosity often trumping any impulses to be careful, he called to what he thought was a lion, obscured by some trees.
“Hello! Did I get you wet? Sorry if I did! Are you going for a swim?”
The goddess tensed slightly, staring down the shore towards him. She folded her wings tightly against her back, content to hide her true self from him. She secretly thanked the trees for covering her, though she knew they would slowly rot away if she continued to sit there.
"Oh, no... I do not believe so..." Her black eyes scanned over the river, watching how it curled away out of sight into the trees. The lion then looked back to him, frowning. He seemed... oddly familiar. But she had never seen the young lion before, so there was no way possible... right? "And no, I am not wet, do not think on it... What is your name, young one?"
‘I’m Kachero!” The little detective said, puffing out his chest as if this were the proudest statement he could make. And it was quite impressive, apparently, from the way his eyes sparkled, to be a Kachero. He blinked at the lioness, now realizing that was what she indeed was, not recognizing her but feeling like he should.
“Well good! I wouldn’t want you to get wet if you don’t want to be. Did you see that jump? That was crazy. I jumped from all the way up there,” he turned around and pointed with his paw, maybe adding a little bit of height to it, just to be showy. It would be difficult to follow the direct line of his paw, anyway, so he couldn’t be blamed if she thought he was pointing to the rock shelf a little bit higher up.
“Are you from around here? I’ve never seen you before. My family lives here, so I’m pretty used to every one… but I guess I don’t know every face.” He grinned leisurely, looking back at her. She seemed tense.
She nodded, her head tilting towards the direction he pointed at. "No, I'm afraid I missed such a daring jump... But I am sure it was quite awe inspiring, dear one." Her voice soft, but it carried on the wind well enough. The sweet sickly smell of decay went with it, filling the area with her 'perfume'.
"Kachero..." She muttered while looking back to him as if testing the name, her head tilting curiously. She still could not shake the feeling of knowing him... But how could she? She had never met any lions in this area. Even though she had wandered through so many times.
"I am not from around here. I... well, I am a traveler. I... hope I am not intruding. I will leave these lands if I am unwelcome..." Her tone was obviously reluctant. She did not wish to go... Not now, when she felt so close... to... whatever it was...
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:45 am
Kachero wrinkled his nose, but he knew better than to make a comment about the smell in the air. If he did, he would clearly be insinuating that she was to blame for it, and he had no proof of that fact. And even if it was true, no female creature, of any species, liked to be called smelly. No, he was a gentlemen first, a detective second, and a true hero somewhere in between. At least, that’s what his head told him. Dames needed special, delicate treatment. Even dames he could swear he knew, but didn’t know why.
“I don’t think you’re unwelcomed, per se,” he spoke slowly, giving off the impression of careful thought when really he was just trying to show his vocabulary off, “because the lions that live here aren’t… too mean to outsiders. I mean, travelers are allowed to come in. And you don’t really look like a red lion. We’re not supposed to be nice to anything that looks like it could be a Firekin,” he did not add the dangerous ‘though I’ve never met one’ that lingered in the back of his throat.
“But as far as I’m concerned, you’re welcome! And since I’m the only one around here right now, I guess that’s pretty good, huh? Are you wandering for a reason? Are you looking for someone? Lost? Just exploring new lands? Are you from somewhere far away?” Once the interest was sparked, the flood gates were opened and the questions poured out of his mouth like the water over the falls behind him.
She nodded, looking slightly less tense. Of course she could always just fly away if there was trouble, but she prefered to avoid confrontation whenever possible. The young lad seemed nice enough though, so she smiled towards him. Unfortunately, at the same time, the leaves that covered her were starting to turn yellow and brown, falling away around her... It was defenitly unnatural. Her chil tilted up to watch them fall, and she sighed. There was no use hiding now.
Her wings extended for a moment as she stepped down towards the water, only to settle again against her back. "I am from far away, I suppose you could say. I travel... well, everywhere, a good amount of the time... I do come back here often, though. I..." She frowned then, watching him. She waited to see his reaction before she continued on. "I suppose I am looking for... something..."
Kachero blinked. Were those leaves dying? He stared at them, watching them wither and fall off the branches. Everything was so healthy, because of the water and the mild weather, so then why were these trees wilting so suddenly? There was nothing normal about the speed of it, either. He was certain they hadn’t been dying when he had arrived at the waterfall, after all. He would have noticed it, his eyes sharp for details, if the tree had been different than the green trees around it.
He looked at the lioness again, almost missing her answers. The fact that she had wings distracted him from whatever it was he had wanted to know.
“You,” he said, suddenly grinning. He looked excited, not fearful, and thrilled instead of intimidated. He moved closer carefully, wary simply because the leaves had to have wilted for a reason and he didn’t want to get himself in danger, or drive her away. His fur was sticking in every direction as energy coursed through him. He was beyond excited, the sheer intrigue of this strange being almost over whelming him, “are not a normal lion. I mean. That’s an obvious and stupid statement. Sorry. What’s your name? And you don’t know what you’re looking for? I don’t suppose I could help you find it, then. But I’d try! If you wanted me to.”
Posca frowned and stepped back slightly when he came closer to her. She was cautious more than afraid, she did not like frightening people... But after a moment she realized that he seemed more curious than anything.
"No... I am not a normal lion... I am a goddess, and my name is Posca." She bowed her head elegantly, wings shifting backwards as she bent down towards him. "It is nice to meet you... And..." She stood again, seeming to be lost in thought for a moment. "I suppose you could help me, if you wouldn't mind... It'd be difficult, but perhaps not impossible with the help of a brilliant mind such as yourself..."
“A goddess! That’s… awesome.” Kachero was usually a cub of many words, but he found he didn’t have any quite impressive enough to encompass how he really felt about this moment. It was more than awesome, that was for sure, but it was suddenly the only word in his head. He offered a lopsided grin, an effort to mask his childish enthusiasm, despite the fact that he was a child, and nodded slowly. It was taking every ounce of will power he possessed not to leap up and down and bombard her with a thousand questions.
“I’ve never met a Goddess before! You know, I have powers of my own. I mean, they’re not like I’ve heard Gods are capable of, but they’re pretty cool. I get visions, of the past and the future,” he raised his eyebrows high and nodded, smirking at how cool this was. He left out the facts that his visions were usually only the past, never lasted more than six or so seconds, and often left him feeling like he was having déjà vu. Those were decidedly less cool, and thus it wasn’t bad for him to omit them.
“I’ll do anything you need me to! I’ve always wanted to help someone find something. That’s like, what I do,” he nodded, absolutely beaming because she noted his brilliant mind, “If you have any leads, I’ll get right on the case!”
She chuckled softly, smiling gently down at him. "Awesome. I have never been described as such... Most are put off by my domain. I control decay, which is why I unfortunately have such an impact on lesser beings..." She frowned and looked to the trees, frowning briefly... But she shook it off and looked back.
"Don't worry though, you're quite alright." She chuckled again, head tilting. "Can you? Marvelous, simply marvelous... You are blessed from the Gods. You know, that is truely a blessing. It usually does not happen unless you are born from Gods, you know... Mmm, anyway... I do wish I knew what I was looking for... I'm afraid I do not really have any leads... All I know is that these lands draw me in, for some reason. I think... it may be someone that is calling to me..."
I’m not easy to scare off,” Kachero said, grinning so that his teeth were bared, “I like things that might be dangerous, so long as they’re interesting. And you’re probably the most interesting lion I’ve ever met. But decay, huh? That explains the leaves.” He chuckled, his grin becoming goofy as he did so. He closed his eyes and shook his head, his mop of white mane flopping in his face.
“Born from Gods? I don’t know about that. All my family can see things,” he shrugged this off, deciding it was far less important than the mystery at hand. She didn’t know what she was looking for? That certainly complicated things! He frowned thoughtfully, listening intently, as if he were taking a mental note on every word.
“So someone who lives here… is calling to you? Except, not… like… literally. So it must be someone you know? Or should know. Like family? Or friends that got away? I guess the easiest way to approach it is to just walk around and meet everyone, and see if they give you that feeling,” he blinked, having never experienced anything like that, and not knowing how one might recognize it. He wondered vaguely if it was similar to how he felt he knew this Goddess, but couldn’t place why. Maybe it was this blessing of his, that connected them? He didn’t think so, but he had no evidence to prove or disprove the hypothesis.
“It’s quiet here, so I don’t think it would be too hard. Unless they’re scared of you...”
"What a brave, brilliant little one you are." She smiled at him, quickly growing fond of him, for some reason. A wing extended towards him, the wingtip brushing affectionately against his cheek.
"Yes, I believe you are correct. Someone is here that I know, or perhaps someone I am meant to find... We will see. Fate has an odd way of unraveling..." She chuckles, folding her wings back against her back. "I will just have to try my best to be... not as scary, then. I'm sure if your family is as nice as you, there will be no problems. And if so.. well, I will simply leave. You said your family lived here? Have they long?"
“Uhm,” Kachero looked thoughtful. They had been in these lands as long as he had memories, so he supposed that was a long time. He had never really asked about before that, which struck him as a shame. He was supposed to be a curious mind, and here he was, unable to answer a question about his own family. He blinked and frowned. “Well, we’ve been here for as long as me and my siblings have been alive, at least. I never really asked how long the family line has. I guess a while? I don’t see why we would leave.”
He frowned. That wasn’t the best answer he had ever given, and he didn’t like the way it felt not to know something. He would have to do better. He would make sure of it.
“I don’t see why anyone would be scared of you,” Kachero said, his attention drawn elsewhere once again, his mind racing. Of course he saw why others might be scared of her. But that didn’t mean he understood it. To him, she was interesting, someone that should be respected because she was so different, and had so much to share that he would literally have no other ways of finding out. That was amazing, not scary, “What’s that like, though? Decay, I mean. Is it like, everything? Would I be in trouble if I, like, pounced on you or something?”
She smiled down at him, shaking her head slightly. "You may pounce me if you wish, but please, do not do so to startle me... My powers are at times hard to control, and I do not want to accidently hurt you, dear one..." She stared at him for a moment, then blinked, looking slightly... startled. His eyes, they seemed so familiar that it was painful. Her chest felt a sharp pain, making her recoil slightly. She knew those eyes. She didn't know where, but she knew them.
"Kachero..." She said softly, stepping closer again and brushing a paw over his forehead, pushing the bits of mane aside. "What are your parent's names?" Her gaze was intense as she stared down at him, almost desperate.
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:45 pm
“Okay, so no pouncing unless you’re aware of it. Gotcha,” he grinned, taking a mental note. He wasn’t too afraid of being hurt, but he was aware that if a Goddess said her powers were hard to control he would be wise to take her at her word. So he wouldn’t attack her when he spotted her, or if he was bored.
He couldn’t help but be thrown off a bit when she suddenly changed topic and, more importantly, tone. He narrowed his eyes at her curiously, tilting his head to one side. It seemed a bit random for her to be so interest so suddenly, but since she had asked about them earlier… maybe she was just a fan of asking questions, like him?
“My mom’s name is Kizuka,” he said, finding it odd to be calling her that. To him, after all, she was just Mom. He smiled, trying something else, “and my dad is Ush.” It was a nickname he had heard, and always wanted to use, but never tried it. Sound cool to his ears, and he grinned. “Why?,” he asked, with sudden thought, “Are they who you might be looking for?”
"Ush..." She spoke the word softly, her eyes wide. "Could it possibly..." She frowned, watching him intently. "You said that your parents... they are not Gods? They're mortal?" She stepped closer to him, her black glossy eyes wide.
Her wings had folded out to their full length, as if she were ready to leap into the air after something... Her ears tilted back as she waited for his answer, full of hope, but still that doubt... it couldn't possibly be them...
“Of course!” He said, before thinking. But then he frowned. She had told him earlier that his ability to see into the past and future was a gift of the Gods, and it was rare outside those born to Gods. But how could he be? His family seemed perfectly normal. He shook his head. No, he had a normal father and a normal mother, and his siblings, were just special. He frowned.
“They always… looked normal to me, anyway,” he said, not wanting to commit to any one thought now. He was training himself to keep his mind open, to react only to that which was proven, and not to draw his own conclusions without the evidence. For now he would go with what he knew, but he would keep a more keen eye open when he was home.
He watched as she unfolded her wings, awestruck. He had no idea what she was looking for, or what she was so eager for him to say. A God in his family, maybe? Someone she was looking for? He had no idea. He blinked at her and found he had nothing profound or helpful to say. “Big wings…”
Her feathers dropped, and she frowned deeper, her gaze drifting down. "Ah..." She was disapointed and heart broken. She'd let herself believe that maybe, just maybe her children were here... But surely Ush could not live a lifetime as a mortal? She didn't think it was possible...
Then again. He was the god of deception... Perhaps it was him. A wolf in sheeps clothing. She sat, her wings once again folded against her back. "Still... it may be possible... Could you take me to him, perhaps?"
“Sure!” Kachero beamed. He didn’t like seeing a dame sad, and the fact that her feathers drooped told him that he had disappointed her. He didn’t want to be responsible for something like that, not after pledging to help her. He would live up to his words, no matter what it took. And taking her to his den didn’t sound like a particularly trying task, anyway. It would all would all work out: he knew it.
“I haven’t seen mom or dad for a couple of days, but that’s okay! I’m sure they’ll be back soon. They usually let our older siblings look after us, anyway.” He had no idea that things had changed completely since the last time he was home. He had been staying out longer during the day, in his own little world, exploring new things and meeting new people. He came home to sleep, yet he didn’t know there were things amiss. He just thought he was doing really well with avoiding every one.
“Come on, it’s this way!” he moved toward his home, and to whatever was there for his new friend to find.
She nodded, smiling gently. Her disapointment quickly fadded away as she moved to follow him, walking at a comfortable trot. She had not seen her children in... years. And though it still hurt her to think of them, it was her that had made that choice to leave them... She only prayed that they had grown up happy, at least. Thinking like that gave her a bit of comfort, even if she wouldn't find her children.
"Either way, dear... Thank you for helping me. I do appreciate your good deeds. It is no wonder the gods saw fit to bless you with your powers." She smiled down at the cub, her short tail twitching behind her. "I can tell that you are a very extraordinary young lion."
“I do my best,” Kachero offered with a suave grin as he added a bit of a swagger to his confident step, “I don’t mind helping you, or anyone else, out! It’s fun. You’ve given me a lot to think about, which is great because I was running low on interesting things. But this is just like what I’ve always wanted. Just… intrigue, I guess. A really great change to learn, and to find things out. That’s just what I like to do, so I should be thanking you!”
He smiled as he led the way, showing her the path to his den with careful attention, so that she might find it from the ground or, maybe, from the air if she was flying. He hadn’t asked if she could fly on those wings, but he imagined she could. They were more than impressive, so he couldn’t imagine they were just for show.
Eventually they made it to his den, and he pointed at it from a distance. He found he didn’t want to go home just yet, and was worried that if he was spotted by a family member he’d be forced to stay. So he turned to Posca and nodded his head, bowing theatrically, “I’ll be around, whenever you need me! I’m not going home just yet, though. Maybe I’ll find you again and you can tell me if you found what you wanted!”
She followed, looking around carefully. She walked slowly anyway, she always did. After all, the now great-grandmother was... fairly old. So she took careful caution, taking in every landmark so she could find her way back.
Once they got within eye sight of the den she nodded, staring at it hopefully for a few moments. "Yes... Thank you." It seemed that she would go strait there, but something made her linger for a moment... Perhaps fear. It'd been so long, would her children even welcome her? Would they have forgotten her? She couldn't blame them...
Luv4kou (11:38:26 PM): Her eyes drifted back to Kachero and she smiled, stepping forward to nuzzle her cheek against his. "I will, thank you again dear one." She stretched out her wings again and this time flapped, souring quickly up into the skies. She needed time alone to prepare before she sought out her children. Or at least, the lions she hoped were her children...
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