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 Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:42 pm
Her whole body was numb as she wandered the lands, barely having escaped from Eris' wrath. Her flakes twitched and she flicked the tip of her tail,nearing a lake. The moon was high. She hated the moon. Hated the way it shone down on the lands, making everything seem softer than it should. She looked towards the north, letting out a screech in the hopes that one of her sisters would hear. She knew it was in vain, but there was no way she would admit that. She was too proud.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:19 pm
Night time. Curled up like this beside the lake, Jericho could still close his eyes and imagine - Keely laying beside him. The kits playing by the lake's edge, water shimmering in the light of the moon. Their moon. It'd always felt so soothing. Like it was watching over them. If that made any kind of sense.
Now, it felt like it was jeering at him. It was the part of him that held that connection to the moon that'd driven him away. And just like that, there'd been nothing to go back to. In a way, it was like it'd given him everything, then taken it away. But at the same time, it really was all he had left.
How pathetic was that? Where the hell had his pride gone?
His eyes snapped open as a screech ripped through the air. Not a roar - no. That wasn't like anything he'd ever heard before. So close, too. The lunar scrambled up to his paws, jaw clenched tight. He didn't know. But -- he did the only thing he could. He took a long, deep breath and belted out the loudest roar his body could give. A greeting. A warning. A threat. Take it however it wanted; he was ready.
He didn't know what he was hoping for. It might be dangerous, for all he knew. Could try and kill him. Could be a monster. But it didn't stop him.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:46 pm
The roar made her jump.
She'd let her guard down and hadn't even bothered to scout the area, which could have proved a deadly mistake had she not seemingly startled the male. As she swiveled around, hackles raised, fangs bared and her tail held high, his appearance startled her for a moment. But just a moment. Instinct told her to defend at the moment, which she did quite well. Flaring her flakes the best she could, she let out a blood-curdling screech, hoping to at least rattle the male.
But something wasn't quite right. She'd faced males before, having encroached on their territory, and usually they gave it all they had, and then some. This one...gave only what he had. There was nothing to protect that she could see, neither was there a kill he could be defending.
What was here that there was an attachment to?
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:33 pm
He tensed, angling himself low to the ground with a snarl. The sound did rattle him - rang in his ears and shook him to the core. It was a lioness. That much he could see. But sounds like that - from his kind - was she even his kind? She was. She wasn't. She smelled it. She didn't smell it. The lunar male flashed his fangs at her.
He didn't even know why. There was no reason to fight her. This territory wasn't his. He just wanted to be alone, that's - no. No, he didn't. He couldn't be alone.
Go away.
No, please, please stay...
No, not her. He didn't even know her. What the hell was wrong with him?
"What are you?, " he snapped, claws outstretched, head held high. He'd held his mask of pride for years. He could do it again now.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:51 pm
Confused. She had him confused. He could be categorized as prey at the moment, had she not pushed away the animalistic tendencies that rages within her to make room for herself. The ancient being that she was told her to rip him apart, he was a weak shell. She, herself, said to back down. She was in no condition to fight after Eris.
Stay? Leave? Choices.
She decided to answer his question first before deciding.
"No one ever asks that." she started, her body relaxing visibly. "Wise. I am an experiment. You are a shell. You should be prey." She hissed the last part, wholly unable to control herself even a little. He snapped, she hissed and dug her claws into the ground.
"Now i ask, Who are you?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:39 am
Jericho's eyes burned, shining in the moonlight. He didn't understand what she meant by 'experiment'. But the words she used for him needed no explanation. Those spoke for themselves. "I didn't ask what I was. Or wasn't, " he spat, glaring daggers at her. As if she had any idea. And what lion called another 'prey'? Ridiculous! "So keep it to yourself."
The lunar tried to think rationally about this. Halfway. This wasn't going anywhere. They were both just standing there, snarling and snapping and - no. Had to calm down. At least try. He took a long, deep breath. Why was he so angry at her?
Then again, why not?
"Jericho, " he answered simply. "And you are?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:05 pm
She gave him another once-over with her expert eyes before fully relaxing. But she made sure to not take her gaze off him; Males were unpredictable. But she listened and she estimated.
"My apologies then." she bowed her head respectfully. "I'm...i am Hysamacc Payido, but it is most often shortened to Hysa. Pleasure to meet you, Jericho."
"May i ask why you are alone here, Jericho?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:59 pm
Seeing her relax was enough to make some of the tension slip from the lunar's body. Hysa. Interesting name for an interesting lioness. The longer he looked at her, the more he realized just how unique she was. It was strange. But it wasn't horrifying. Just different. "Nice to meet you, too, " he returned, dipping his head lightly. "And I'm sorry too. I guess I was just sort of... on edge." Yeah. That'd do.
He fought back a bitter laugh at her question. What'd she think he was doing alone out here? Laughing it up and having a nice tea party? "I just happened to be passing by, " he answered instead. "I travel by night, mostly... this seemed like a good place to rest." That'd suffice. Hopefully. "I could ask the same of you, Hysa. Do you live alone?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:55 pm
“I was on…edge, as you say, as well.” Common ground achieved. But his next answer didn’t convince her in the least. Too many times had she seen her father protect them to be convinced that Jericho was doing otherwise. But she wouldn’t pry; he probably had good reason. “Yes…this is a somewhat lovely place to rest.” She took advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and lay down after padding a bit closer to him.
“As for myself…I live with my pack; My father, My nest-mates, my mistress and one of my sisters’ mate and…” she had to pause and think of what to call her niece and nephew. They weren’t hatchlings, at least not in this land. “…Her..cubs.” That would do, hopefully. She flicked an ear, causing the metallic tag on her ear to clank against itself a little bit. Tapping her sickle-claw on the ground, she continued. “As you’re probably wondering, I’m here at the moment to rest from an…unpleasant encounter earlier.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:50 pm
When she laid down, he allowed himself to sit at least. A closer look gave him an even better idea of what he was dealing with. Those strange back claws, that thing on her ear; none of it made any sense. But he found himself growing more and more curious in spite of himself. The lunar quirked his head to a side as she described her family. Or 'pack'. He'd never heard anyone use that term for lions. Just hyenas. And nest-mates...? That sounded more like birds.
But of everything she said, the last part was the one that really caught his attention. His ears perked forward. "What happened? Is there something dangerous nearby? You're not hurt, are you?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:39 pm
He was unaware. And that was dangerous. Other than feeling a bit tired, she now felt scared for the male. He was both a different color, like Bellus. Eris would attempt to kill him on sight.
"...There is something very dangerous, Jericho. She...Is like me." sighing, she felt as if an explanation was in order...at least she was the best one to give it. She stood up and walked closer to him, making sure to seem as un-threatening as possible. "If you...have the time, would you like for me to explain what i am and why you are in danger?" she asked gently, genuinely wanting to make sure to inform him as much as possible to keep him safe.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:48 pm
Jericho peered at her uncertainly, his ears flicking back and forth. The longer this went on, the more perplexing this lioness was proving to be. Perplexing, odd, but... it didn't seem like she intended to hurt him. Yet. He sat down, tucking his tail neatly around his paws. Though his eyes never left her, even as he nodded. "Just one thing. Don't skimp on the details, Hysa. Time's something I've got no shortage of nowadays, anyway." If nothing else, it'd keep him busy for awhile. What did he have to lose?
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 11:13 pm
"I will attempt to put as much detail as i can. However, there are some things that even i am not certain of."
Before she also sat down, she looked around to make sure there was no danger. As far as she knew, Eris could be following her, making any relaxation a dangerous mistake. All her senses went on high alert. If need be at the moment, she would defend to the death.
"As...you may have noticed, I am not what you would call normal. My nest-mates, my father and another are of a different species altogether." She took a deep breath, thinking for a moment as to what to say. It was difficult, explaning what she was. She couldn't find the right words at all. "We should not be alive. We do not belong in this era. We are something that everything should fear. Humans...engineers...two-leggers call us Velociraptors. Monsters. Some of us live solely on our instinct as we had millions of years ago...but others like myself use our brains as well. Our pack...what you would call a pride...when fully formed is unstoppable and deadly if led by the wrong alpha."
Taking another breather, Hysa looked at Jericho a bit worried. Once before she had recited this tale and the lion had fled from her in fear. She had a worry that that would happen again, and that this time it would be a deadly mistake. "...Are you following me?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:00 pm
Jericho sat back and listened intently as Hysa spoke, his brow furrowed, tip of his tail twitching back and forth. Some parts of her story seemed far fetched. Others resonated with him almost eerily. He nodded slowly as she paused for him to take it in, ears flicking back and forth.
"... I follow. Kinda hard to swallow, " he admitted, shaking his head, and his mane out along with it. "I mean, you don't really look that different from me... " His eyes trailed over her form thoughtfully. Different, yeah. But a completely different species?
"But I follow, " he affirmed again. "I mean, look at me. I've gotten the 'monster' label, and I hardly think anything as handsome as me can be called a monster." A flicker, a glint of that once-confidence. It had never really gone anywhere. He'd just let the mask slip; who was there to hold it for anymore? "Anyway. There's more to this, right? Keep going."
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 1:09 pm
She understood perfectly. It was hard for even -her- to swallow. His last comment sent a slight smile to her lips.
"I am glad i am not frightening you. Allow me to continue. We...I was bred...created rather, to be an attraction. Something for two-leggers to come and look at. 'Theme-park monsters', solely for entertainment. A while after I and my sisters hatched, another female was introduced into our lives. Back then, we were known simply as numbers." She flicked her ear, the metal tag clinking against itself. A reminder of her past. "She was...is VEL-2102LW-B, also known as Eris. The alpha of the pack and my 'father's' previous mate. Unlike me, my other two sisters, Bellus and Paola, are...extremely bright-colored. Eris Has an elitist view that us...all species should be 'bright' and she seeks to eradicate them. My sister were...are constantly under threat from her."
Sighing to pause for just a moment, she tried to remember. How had they gotten to be the way they are now? "I have no memory of how we came to be...like we are now. But Eris hasn't changed her ways, and any lion with an unnatural hide is in danger." Her eyes softened as she looked at him. To her, his pelt was quite lovely, the different tones of blue melding together with the intricate patterns...if he were a work of art, he should be a masterpiece.
"Unfortunately, this means you are in danger, Jericho. I am also in danger, simply for defending my sisters and lions like yourself. I refuse to see anyone hurt or killed because of their colors." She snorted, her eyes going from soft to fierce within milliseconds.
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