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 Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 12:01 pm
She was hunkered down in the grass, eyes focused on her prey just ahead. So far her presence had gone unnoticed and she wanted it to stay that way. So, there was no rushing, no hint of impatience. She would wait for her perfect opportunity and strike. She felt the ground shift beneath her paws and sunk her claws into the soft earth. When the time came she'd have a strong pounce and she'd be upon them before they even realised.
A growl started in her throat and, finally she found the opening she had been waiting for. She shifted, set her hind paws to the ground and prepared herself for her pounce.
She flew, and the power in her lithe frame was somewhat astounding. Two quick strides and she'd be upon them! Her prey - a small flock of fat, sleepy looking birds - screamed in terror and took to the air, clouding up around her. She felt their wings whisk past her face and, instinctively, her jaws closed around one.
It gave a cry of terror and agony, flailing its wings with the madness of one that new death had come for it. Aryiola squeezed her jaws and did not loosen them until the bird hung limp.
Success!
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:54 am
The blue cheetah managed trough the thick growth of the jungle encircling his homelands in search for his avian fried. He and Khepri had only recently met and he already felt like he had known her for a long time. She and her sister had become an important part of his family. However, today she had disappeared to somewhere. He had searched trough the entire jungle (well, maybe not, but it certainly felt that way) and now he found himself in the grasslands on it's other side. Wonderful. When had he managed to get this far?
Hi train of though was cut off when he noticed a lioness barely a few paces away from him, catching a yellowish bird with her jaws. His eyes widened with horror and he leaped towards her yelling "Khepri!", without a second thought.
When he got to the lioness he realised his mistake. That bird looked nothing like his friend. It was larger than her to boot. Suddenly embarrassed, Sumati's ears drew back and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he could form a proper apology.
"I'm really really sorry! I just thought that...I have a bird friend and...I'm just really sorry!" He gave an uneasy smile.
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:57 am
She was stunned for a moment, her eyes widening as a terribly bright male came bounding towards her. Did he mean to take her kill? Well, she sure would show him! Her lips curled back in a snarl and she went into the defensive. However, a second later and it seemed to be all a big misunderstanding. She tried to talk but her words were muffled by the body of her kill, so she dropped her lunch to the ground and coughed feathers out from between her teeth.
"A bird friend?" She chuckled and looked down at the scraggly carcass at her forepaws. "Why would you want to be friends with food?" She blinked and tilted her head to get a better look at him. "Is it a cheetah trait, to befriend the prey?"
She laughed then and shook her head, dismiising it. "Don't worry about it, Kitten, all is forgiven and forgotten. I'm not one to hold a grudge, especially if you didn't mean to take what's mine." She blinked her eyes and sat, a paw resting on the dead bird.
"You've lost her, then? Your bird friend, I mean."
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:48 pm
Sumati wondered why she found it strange that he would have a prey animal for a friend. It was something quite common back home."You have never seen a predator with a prey animal friend before?" He voiced his confusion. "They are very useful, for one thing. And hey make great companions in general." He explained simply. "I've seen many with a bird, snake and even klipspringers as familiars. Not just cheetah, leopards and lions like yourself, too."
"Kitten, huh?" Sumati chuckled. It sounded like something his mother would call him. "I wouldn't steal from another. Especially not a lady." He said in the gentlemanly manner his mother had taught him. Having been betrothed to a cruel male once, Isikali had made sure her sons knew how to properly treat a female.
"Something like that. She does this disappearing act once in a while." His eyes averted to the sky as if he expected her to show up out of nowhere. After a moment he looked at the lioness again. "Khepri can reach places I can't so we can't always be together."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 6:55 am
"Never." Aruiola replied curtly. She didn't like the idea at all. It seemed unnatural and odd, even for a seer like herself. Perhaps she would have rather liked the idea if she thought about the possibilities it would offer, but all she could think of was food.
She glanced to the bird at her paws and curled a lip. No. Prey was not friend. Not ever.
She returned her gaze to him and gave a little shrug, smiling as prettily as she could manage. "Yes, Kitten, if you like. Unless you'd rather share your name. I like you, I think. Yes, you're a curious sort." She paused to gather her thoughts. "I'm Aryiola, rogue. How about you spend some time with me until your friend shows up again?"
She nudged her kill with a paw. "I'll even share, if you won't feel bad eating a feathered creature."
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:19 pm
"I see you don't like the idea much." Sumati made a mental note not to bring it up again. He didn't want to upset the lioness and make her go away. It was very interesting for him to meet rogues. They were not bound to one place and traveled wherever they wanted. While he too liked to wander about from time to time, he just couldn't leave the Achana.
"I'm Sumati. My home is the Achana, it's on the other side of the jungle." He motioned with his head towards the trees in the distance. "Nice to meet you, Aryiola." He bowed his head slightly. "I'd love to. You seem like an interesting person."
"Not really, no. I have to eat and it's food." Sumati said with a shrug. "And I've had Khepri since she was just an egg, so she doesn't mind either. She's just gotten accustomed to our ways I guess."
"Thank you for offering, but I'm not hungry." He said with a smile. "And I shouldn't take from your prey anyway. You have to hunt for yourself, while the Hunters back home bring food for everyone. I guess just I'm saying that you need it more than I do." Sumati said, hoping she wasn't going to get offended.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:01 am
"Not really, but we're all different, right? One lion's trash is another's treasure." She shrugged. "Something like that."
She flicked her tail. "You shouldn't be here, then, should you? Not if you have fixed territory. Won't they notice you're missing and get worried or something?" She purred, however, not seeming to dwell on this much longer. "You too, Sumati. Very interesting indeed. Your'e the first cheetah I've spoken to in person, and you certainly have some odd little quirks." She grinned.
"Come on, then, Mr. Honourable." She dipped her head in a mock-bow and lifted her prey into her jaws. Then, she spoke to him as best as she could. "Thissh way." And she turned and moved swiftly across the land. It was quite clear where she was heading. The water. It was only a minute stride away, fringed by trees and a number of other plants.
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Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:53 am
Sumati looked behind him to the tall jungle trees. "Ah, they won't miss me that much." He looked back at her with a grin on his face. " I tend to wander off a lot, they know that. I doubt they'll start looking for me for another day or so." Besides, there weren't many dangers in these lands. It was a rather peaceful place really.
"Odd sounds good. For a moment there I was scared I've made myself look like a complete nutter." Sumati laughed, noticing her pearly white teeth as she smiled. He found himself really enjoying the way she smiled.
"You must be a really good hunter. Catching birds can be quite the challenge." Sumati said out of the blue while following Aryiola to the water.
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:04 pm
She bobbed her head as she moved, her pace swift and nimble. Her prey swung from her mouth as she turned her head to glance back at him. Then, with a laugh, she flung the bird as far as she could, watching it hit the ground with a dull thud about eight paces away.
She turned to him. "Oh you're nuts. But I like nutters." She brushed against him and continued on. "Well, I don't like to brag, but I do enjoy a spot of hunting. Birds offer a good challenge, though they aren't the best prey to eat. Too many feathers. Fun to pluck, not so fun to eat." She chuckled, reached the bird again, and swept it up into her jaws.
Only when she reached the edge of the water did she drop it again, and she lay down on the bank, tearing out its feathers and scattering them to the air.
She blinked her eyes and smiled. "So tell me, what's it like being a cheetah, Sumati? You don't seem much different to a lion except in looks."
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 10:44 am
Sumati's ears pulled back when the bird hit the ground. He found it a little distasteful, playing with your food like that. He didn't show it though, he accepted it as one of her quirks. Instead he tried to hide his discomfort as best as he could.
Sumati smiled widely, his sharp white teeth showing. "Good, me too!" He felt an odd new sensation when her body touched his. It was a strange new experience, but a pleasant one.
He crouched at the edge of the water for a drink before laying down across from her.
"It's all about speed." Sumati answered with a smile. "To be able to just run and run and run...it's when I really feel alive and free."
"Lions and cheetahs are different in a few more things than just looks. We are speedy sprinters so we are built lighter than you lions. A cheetah couldn't hope to overpower a lion." The blue cheetah laughed. "But you can never outrun me. So if I choose to flee you can't catch me."
[Sorry for taking so long, some bad stuff happened.]
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:24 am
(( no worries hon! ))
She looked across at him, admiring his slender form; so lean and graceful. His colouring was bright, but friendly and warm. Cheetahs certainly were pretty little things.
"A lion could never outrun a cheetah? Yes, I think I believe that. You have longer legs, built slimmer. Lions are...chunkier? I suppose that's the only word to really fit them. I guess, it's how you survive, isn't it? Not being physically strong could put you at a disadvantage but...speed...it gives you the upperpaw in situations you need to get out of."
She paused to eat, crunching bones between her teeth and spitting stray feathers into the air.
"We're going to be friends now, okay? I like you, Kitten. Besides, our different strengths and weakness, they balance each other out, don't you think?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:17 am
"Yup ,that's pretty much it." Sumati nodded with a smile. Though it did get a little frustrating to be weaker sometimes. But he wouldn't tell her that, he was a proud cheetah boy.
The way she announced they were now friends amused Sumati. Short and to the point. She obviously knew what she wanted. And the blue cheetah was pleased to know that she wanted them to be friends. "Yes. We would make a nice duo, wouldn't we?" He chuckled.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 12:32 pm
"We would." She agreed with a purr, rolling onto her back and tucking her forepaws up against her chest. For a moment she lay there, staring up at the sky. The clouds were very beautiful. She often found herself wondering what they were exactly, what they were made from. Sometimes they brought rain but, most often, they did not. When did they choose was the best time? When did they know the moment was right?
She glanced back at her new friend and smiled.
"What sort of future do you think you're going to have, Sumati?" She asked. "Good or bad, fun or boring?"
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 3:52 pm
Sumati followed her gaze up and stared at the sky up above. Tilting his head he once again wondered where his bird friend might be. But with a space so vast to roam, it was no wonder Khepri often disappeared.
He averted his eyes back to her. What a strange question. "I've never really thought about it." He said slowly. "I think...I'll be fine. The Achana is a safe haven. Nothing can happen to me there." Of that he was completely certain. That was a place where one could escape from his past troubles and start a new, good life. "Though I tend to wander off...like now...so I guess there will be some adventures. Like this one." He said looking at her with a smile.
"But..you can't really know, in the end. Unless you were a seer, that is. And maybe it's better this way. If there aren't any surprises...now that would be boring."
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:10 am
"Achana." She replied thoughtfully. It must be odd being part of a bigger group. Though actually her family were quite big just on their own. Staying in one place, though, was an odd thing to Aryiola. She just couldn't imagine it.
"Life without adventure would be terribly boring, don't you think?" She let the words roll from her tongue in a purr. The purr came to an abrupt stop at the next sentence that came from his mouth.
Unless you were a seer?
"Some seers would say it's more fun to know what's coming. To try and change it. To try and prove yourself wrong. Other seers...maybe they can't see their own futures." She shrugged lightly. It was the case with her anyway. She leaned forward and brushed her head against his shoulder. "So, Kitten, are you sticking around these parts for a while?"
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