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 Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:21 am
Yale'buana:
Yale slowly slid off of the branch he had been dozing on and decided he wanted to go exploring today. It wasn't really a long thought process, really he just wanted to know what was around and there were places he hadn't been yet, things he hadn't discovered. He was about to head straight for the unknown when he remembered something and sighed. He'd made a promise, to take that little leopardess with him next time he went out on an "adventure". So, first he set out trying to find her, remembering her scent rather well.
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii'Naia had put some distance between her and her families den, eying the rather tiny looking tree in front of her. It was taller than her, but didn't go up very high. She thought it was a good place to start. Her mother probably wouldn't have been amused if she had known what Aulii had played to do when she'd left her mother's sight. The young leopardess had been curious over trees since she had met someone who had been able to outmanauver her by just climbing them. She was determined to figure out how he'd done it. Placing her paws on the trunk of the tree, she narrowed her eyes and unsheethed her claws into the bark. Sighing, she muttered, "okay, got this far" and tried to unhook one paw from the bark, intending to move it further up the tree, but in her nervousness, she wasn't able to retract her claws. Yanking at her paw, she yowled in annoyance when it stayed stuck to the tree.
Yale'buana:
Yale's ears perked at the sound of another, somewhere between annoyance and maybe pain. And it sounded familiar.
The growing leopard poked his head almost comically around a much thicker tree and tilted his head with a look of perplexed and curious amusement before speaking.
"Having trouble, little one?" he asked, a hint of his amusement also finding its way into his voice. He slipped out from around the tree and approached her, realizing her claws were stuck in the bark.
She'd been trying to climb...
Aulii'Naia:
Oooh, Aulii'Naia knew that voice. She felt herself shift in embaressement as she realised that it was the male from earlier, the one she had been trying to mimic by climbing the tree. Peering back over her shoulder at him, her ears dropped low against her head in a mix between mortification and plain embaressement.
"No," she tried to deny, hating the lie as it slipped out. "I...I'm just scratching my claws!" That was a legitiment excuse, she thought, tugging at her paws again. One of them came loose, but the other stayed stuck. Glancing at her freed paw, she realised that it had only come loose because it had taken some of the bark with it when she'd moved it away. Oh. She couldn't help but wondered how silly she looked to the male.
Yale'buana:
Yale slowly shook his head and approached her, putting a paw on the one still in the bark.
"Here, relax your paw and slowly pull your claws up and out," he said, explaining how he used to do it when he would get stuck when he was younger. He let his paw fall and stepped back, almost like a teacher watching his student. Maybe he should help her with the climbing thing, see how long it would take her to get it. Well, maybe he could do both the lesson and the exploration. He'd bring it up once her paw was free.
Aulii'Naia:
For a moment, she hoped he would leave so she could recover in peace, but when he moved closer and told her how to get out of it without hurting herself, which she had a feeling she'd do if she struggled too much. She focused on her paw, breathing deeply and trying to relax. When she felt her claws beging to retract, she stretched a little and lifted her paw up, slipping her claws from the bark. Dropping down onto the ground, keeping all paws firmly in the dirt, she sighed in relief. Well, that went well.
She peered at the male, looking a little sheepish. "Thank you," she said shyly. She probably would have struggled if he hadn't appeared, so she was thankful, just a little disheartened that he'd caught her in a stupid moment.
Yale'buana:
Yale merely shrugged and gave her a small nod.
"You had me promise last time that when I next went on an "adventure" to find you so you could come. I'm off to go exploring some of the outer territory bits, if you want to come," he said, standing again and turning in the direction he intended to head in. With and glance over his shoulder, he carefully flicked his tuft of fur from his eyes.
"I can also teach you how to climb on the way."
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii'Naia almost completely forgot her former mistake when he spoke of an adventure, her eyes lighting up. To be honest, she hadn't expected him to really live up to the promise, figuring he'd have other people to take with him, but he'd actually come and got her. Her tail flicked behind her in her excitement.
"Of course I want to come," she said, scrambling after him with the eagerness of a cub that hadn't disappeared yet. She hesitated and shrugged her shoulders. "You don't have to teach me to climb if you don't want to. I'll get it eventually." She was determined to know how to climb as well as he could, but he must have had other things to do other than teaching her stuff he already knew.
Yale'buana:
Yale shrugged again and looked upwards.
"I like traversing through the trees. Makes it more difficult for someone to get the jump on you," he said and found a good starter, a tree with low branches.
"Here, watch how I do it," he said, walking to the base. He stood on his back legs before it, front paws pressed to the trunk, and jumped upwards, sinking four sets of claws loosely into the bark.
"Don't put your claws too deep, or you'll get stuck again," he said with a small grunt as he quickly shimmied up to a branch. Sitting down, he looked down at her, not very high off the ground.
"Try now."
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii shifted nervously at the base of the tree, peering up at him. He wasn't far above her, but she was still impressed at his skill at climbing the tree. She wouldn't have been able to do that so easily! When he suggested she try it, she paused and eyed the tree with a faintly worried look. What if she got stuck half way like she had before?
Breathing deep, she refused to let her fear get the better of her and moved to the base. Resting back on her back legs like he had, she jumped the best she could. She was used to jumping so that wasn't hard. Latching her claws into the bark, she didn't give herself enough time cling too tight to the trunk, scrambling up onto the nearest branch as quick as she could. The nearest branch just happened to be the one yale was on. She flopped on her stomach, latching her claws into the branch she now rested on beside the male. She peered down at the ground, a little worriedly.
Yale'buana:
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Yale asked, poking her nose lightly with one claw and leaning down a bit to get a better look at her. She looked rather frightened and he couldn't help but wonder what her face would look like if he told her this was most certainly not the kind of tree he had climbed when he was first learning. No, those branches were much higher up.
Come on, now. We're not that high up, you can sit up," he said with a small sigh.
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii'Naia generally was not the adventerous sort. She prefered staying close to home, but she liked learning new things too, so the idea of learning to climb had a mixed reaction. Now that she was actually up a tree, it was a little scary. She peered up at him, knowing she probably looked ridiculous and huffed, pushing herself so she was sitting up, her claws still digging into the branch.
"I'm being such a baby," she muttered, not really to Yale but to herself. She lifted her head, eyeing the branch above them. It wasn't that high. She was going to do this! Fear was a stupid thing to let control you.
Sucking in a deep breath, she jumped, latching her claws into the branch. Using her back paws on the trunk, she hoisted herself, or rather, she scrambled, onto the next branch, clinging to it almost desperately when she'd finally seated herself on it.
Yale'buana:
Yale tilted his head in surprise as she pulled herself up to the next branch. He hadn't expected her to go on her own, and that intrigued him. He did the same (Only in a more fluid motion) and perched beside her. He didn't really think she was being a baby. It took a lot of guts to let someone teach you how to do something new and potentially scary or even dangerous, especially when that someone wasn't your mother or father, at least from what he had seen.
Probably why he learned most of his lessons on his own or with his brother.
"Do you want to get down now and walk on the ground?" he asked smoothly. True, he had said he liked climbing in trees, but he didn't mind walking to where he wanted to go. Sometimes he preferred one way, sometimes the other, and sometimes couldn't even care less which way. This was one of those not-caring times.
Aulii'Naia:
She was envious of his obvious fluidity at moving in trees, but he must have had a lot of practice. Though he did seem the type that just got everything without trying too hard. He was just that clever. She sighed. She was bad at learning new things, she had realised, it took her a long time for things to stick. When he spoke, she glanced at him with obvious relief. She wanted nothing more than to get back onto the ground, but she stiffened her shoulder.
"No," she said firmly. She sucked in a deep breath, glancing down at the ground which was further away now, and winced. "In a little bit," she changed her opinion. She glanced around. There was another tree nearby, a branch almost close enough to touch the one Yale and Aulii were on. Gulping, she unlatched her claws and took a blind leap at the other tree. She barely managed to grab hold of the branch, swinging beneath it. Yowling as it tugged on her claws, she dropped from the branch onto one below it, hitting it with a thud. "Ow," she muttered, slipping down onto the ground now that she was on a branch closer to the ground. She giggled, wincing as her paws stung in pain. "Not my best idea."
Yale'buana:
Yale stiffened in surprise as she jumped out for another branch, caught it but couldn't stay on and fell onto another branch then the ground. He quickly slid back down to the lower brach and jumped down, looking her over with a frown.
"Best not to experiment with that, little one. Get the climbing down first before working on the tree to tree jumping," he instructed as he looked her over carefully. He didn't want his mother's approval, but he didn't relish getting in trouble for hurting one of the other colony member's offspring. Even if it wasn't his fault per se, he was still around, the only one around, and he was responsible.
Aulii'Naia:
She walked on the spot, trying to get rid of the stinging on her paws. She didn't seem to realise one of her claws was bleeding a little, from being jerked so abruptly by her fall. She smiled sheepishly at him as he chastised her for her idea.
"Seemed like a smart idea at the time," she muttered. "Least I now know one way not to tree to tree jump! Just had to put more power into my leap." She tilted her head up, eying the branches. She could have made it, if she had only put more power into it. Sighing in disappointment, she turned back to him.
"We're back on the ground now. Want to go on that adventure ? I promise I won't do any more of my smart ideas," she said, grinning playfully.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:23 pm
Yale'buana:
Yale took his time checking her over, listening while she prattled on about the jump and such. It was when she was bringing up adventure that he noticed the blood.
"Well, first, you clean off that paw. Don't want your family finding a trail of blood that smells like you, no matter how little. Might think you were dragged off or something," he said coolly as he sat down to ponder while he waited. He knew the direction he wanted to go in, and how far they could go before turning around. Hopefully she'd be able to keep up, there was a good bit of ground to cover.
Aulii'Naia:
She looked surprised at the mention of blood, glancing down at her paw where the pain was that bit sharper, realising that she was actually bleeding slightly. It wasn't much, but he had a point. She really didn't want her mother worrying or her father to come racing after them because of it. She would get in so much trouble. She gave a slightly nervous giggle and settled to clean off the paw. It wasn't a large amount of blood, so she did not bother to find water to get rid of it, just cleaning it off with her tongue instead. When she had finished, she peered at the cut. It was small, just under her nail. It would heal easily, she would just have to not attempt climbing again for a while. Sighing a little, she glanced back up, getting to her paws again.
"Okay, I'm ready now," she said, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry about the blood. I didn't even notice."
Yale'buana:
Yale shrugged.
"Nothing to apologize for. Sometimes it takes another set of eyes to see something one misses," he replied, standing again. He turned in the intended direction, glanced over his shoulder at her, and tilted his head towards where he faced.
"We're going this way today. I haven't been in this area, so be careful and try not to fall behind, okay? But if your paws start to hurt, say something."
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii nodded firmly, and moved quickly so she was beside him, though still a little behind so he could lead the way still. "I will, I promise!" She said, pleased that he was taking her with him somewhere he hadn't been before. It was like a real adventure and she unconsciously began to purr lightly, not realising it, as she waited for him to lead the way. She knew though, that if her paws started to hurt and they weren't done yet, she wouldn't say a thing. This was too exciting to be messed up by sore paws from her own silliness.
Yale'buana:
Yale wasn't sure he believed her, mostly because in part she reminded him of himself. Nothing, especially not physical discomfort, would get in the way of his studies and experimentations, and it seemed that her enthusiasm was equal in measure to his determination. He had really asked her out of courtesy, but would leave it up to her.
"Well, come along then..." Yale started to walk as he spoke, but paused mid-step with his trailing words. Well, now, how curious was that?
True, Yale wasn't really one to introduce himself, he didn't really care if others knew him or not, so it often came down to him not telling others who he was, or caring to ask for their names for that matter. But, if this little leopardess was going to be following him around on all his "adventures", he figured it would be better to know her name rather than not.
"What is your name?"
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii was eager to follow him, but she froze immediately when he stopped, peering at him curiously. Had he found something interesting already? They'd barely moved! When he spoke again, she blinked. Oh. That was...new. She hadn't introduced herself! Oh, that was very rude, she scolded herself, before tilting her head at him, giving a rueful grin.
"My name is Aulii'Naia," she introduced herself politely, before adding, "you can call me Aulii or Naia though, my name gets long sometimes." She paused, trying to recall his name, giggling a little when she realised neither of them had introduced themselves when they'd met, or any time afterwards, and yet he was taking her on an adventure? A strange pair, they were, she decided.
"What's your name?"
Yale'buana:
Aulii'Naia. Yale decided if he called her by name at all, it would be Aulii. He started walking again, his gaze focusing on their surroundings.
"Yale'buana, but few call me more than Yale," he answered offhandedly, as if it didn't really matter to him. When in the back of his mind it damn well did matter! It wasn't that he didn't like being called Yale, in fact he did. But when others didn't know him as anything else... It was irritating. He took the time to remember full names when presented to him, others should respect him enough to do so in kind. That was his one true pet-peeve.
Aulii'Naia:
"I like your name," she said, repeating it in her head. Yale'buana. It suited him, in a strange way. Yale. It suited him too, but...he hadn't offered the nickname to her, so she would not use it. He had said that 'few use it' not that she should. Yale'buana it was then.
She was smaller than he was, so when he began to walk, she had to walk faster than her ususal pace to keep up with him, but she wasn't fussed. It meant that she was not hanging around, looking at nothing. Though she wouldn't admit it, she had not been far at all, so it did not take her long to find new places as they walked. She peered at the trees and shrubs with interest as they walked.
Yale'buana:
After a little while of walking in relative silence, Yale paused, looking up and around, his ears perked.
"Rest a moment, I'll be right back," he said, giving her a look that told her to stay put and disappeared into the brush.
He had thought he heard something. They were a good ways away from the main colony lands, though still just within the borders. He would never go outside the colony's lands and on top of that take another with him. The colony had rules and he wasn't sure he trusted anyone else enough with dangerous secrets, not even Kamau.
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii went to protest when he said to stay put, but he disappeared so quickly into the brush that she didn't have a chance. She sighed, flopping down by the base of a nearby tree. To her, that wasn't leaving where he'd said to stay, since she was still in the same area, she had just moved a few feet so she could sit down properly.
"Where did he go?" she wondered out loud, peering into the scrubs where he'd disappeared. Had he decided to go one without her? Had she not been able to keep up? She looked upset for a moment, peering down at her paws. Aw. No! She would wait. He would come back...she hoped.
Yale'buana:
The bushes rustled violently before Yale burst through them, running full speed towards Aulii. Damn, but he hadn't expected that! Eyes wider than normal, he growled as he gasped out her name. "Aulii! Get on my back and hold on!"
Skidding to his knees beside her, he paused only long enough for her to get on. Strange sounds rang out from where he had fled, sound he had never heard before and was quite certain didn't want to hear again.
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii hadn't expected Yale to return and certainly not so quickly or in such a panic. Her eyes went wide, breath catching as he raced towards her. It was the first time he'd used her name and from the way he growled and gasped, she knew it had to be serious. She spent barely a second glancing towards the brush, before trustingly climbing hurriedly onto his back. She looped her paws around his shoulders, holding on tightly but trying hard not to hurt him by doing so. She squealed in fear at the noises coming from behind them, burrying her face in his neck worriedly, without thinking.
Yale'buana:
Once she was on, Yale was off like a falcon, heading deeper into the jungle, away from both the sounds and the colony. He was faster than the creatures were, and obviously knew the terrain better. As he ran, he lost some track of where he was, but as things sped by he saw things he recognized. When he passed a tree he knew well, he swerved to one side and ducked in between a ground-plant with huge leaves and a tree trunk. Back there was a large hole between the tree's roots and it was down into it that he carefully stepped, taking his small companion with.
Yale didn't like caves and the like very much, he didn't really like the ruins either. But he knew of this "den" and was sure it would keep them safe. It smelled too much of other creatures that had used it to let what had pursued him to be able to smell them, if it could.
"Aulii, little one." His voice was hushed in the darkness that had enveloped them in their hiding place. He lowered himself to the dirt floor and let out a slow, labored breath. "You can get off now."
Aulii'Naia:
Through the racing, Aulii had kept her face pressed against his neck, holding on as tightly as she could without actually hurting him. She didn't see as the trees flew by, focusing on the noises behind her and keeping her face hidden in the soft fur of the male who was carrying her. She knew he was running and she whimpered slightly as branches brushed her back as they ran.
When she felt him drop down, stepping into the hole, she lifted her head, panicking lightly when she saw darkness. Realising they were in a den or cave of sorts, she panting lightly, glancing around and behind him to check for the monsters she believed following them.
Hearing his voice, she burried her face in his neck again, but felt bad for staying where she was, when he was struggling. Slipping off his back, she didn't move far, staying close at his side. "Are you okay?" She asked, worried that the monsters had hurt him before he had run to her.
Yale'buana:
"Fine. Just... winded..." Yale managed between breaths, lying his head on his paws and closing his eyes.
"Don't... ask me... what it was. I... I don't... know." Normally, he would be determined to find out, but... Not this time. No, this time he just wanted to let things alone.
"You okay?" he asked, tilting his head a bit so that he could look at her, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Aulii was pressed close to his side and looked positively terrified over the ordeal. Not knowing what else to do, he rolled to his side, away from her so that his paws were next to her instead of his side, slipped his paws around the small juve, and pulled her close. He had taken her on his excursion and she'd gotten hurt and frightened more than a youngling should. It was the least he could do to attempt comfort.
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii was worried when he panted heavily from the force it took, probably from carrying her and running away from whatever it was that had been screaming at them. When he admitted he didn't know, her eyes widened slightly. She felt for sure that he'd know everything. She nodded when he asked about her, blinking so her eyes would adjust to the dark. "I.." her voice broke a little, and she cleared her throat, trying to remove the wobble from her voice. "I'm okay," she whispered, her voice wobbling still. When he rolled over, she thought he was going to get up, but he only moved his paws and drew her closer to his chest. She sniffled, trying to hide the fear that still coursed through her. She pressed closer to him, hooking a paw around him and her face against his chest.
"I'm okay," she whispered, her voice muffled by his fur. She wasn't sure if she was convincing him or herself.
Yale'buana:
Fire colored eyes watched her for a moment before closing, Yale letting his head rest on the floor.
"Yeah, that I know," he replied in the same hushed tone, a smirk (the closest he would probably ever get to a smile) slipping briefly onto his features before he coughed a bit, his lungs still ragged from the mad dash.
"We'll stay here a while, then head back to the colony when the day starts to fall, okay?" he asked, his eyes remaining closed. She hadn't been heavy at all, but he was built for power and agility, not speed. With or without her, he would have been worn by the run.
Aulii'Naia:
She continued to press her face against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat and harsh breathing. It was a comforting noise. She nodded against his chest when he suggested they leave later. She didn't thinks he would be able to walk on her own right now anyway, her legs shaking from adrenline. "Okay," she whispered. There was a moment of silence, while they just laid there, before she realised something. She pulled back a little, so she could see his face, nudging his cheek with her nose, she said, "thank you...for saving me and for not leaving me behind." She gave a small shaky smile, before returning her face to where it had been before.
Yale'buana:
"They might call me cold, but I'm not heartless," was all Yale had in response to her thanks. No, he wouldn't have left her. He could be emotionless, calculating, crafty, manipulative, but he would never leave a "companion" behind in danger. That was just cruel. And he was a lot of things, but intentionally cruel was not one of them. Yes, there was a bit of cruelty in his honesty, but he was simply honest, blunt, it wasn't intentionally meant to hurt another. If the truth did so, was that really his problem?
He gave her a small squeeze and mentally shook his head. No, there wasn't a single bone in his body that would have left her behind.
Aulii'Naia:
Aulii opened her eyes at his words, though she couldn't see anything thanks to her position with her head on his chest. What? People called him cold? That wasn't right. Sure, he wasn't overly bubbly like she was, but that didn't mean he was cold.
"Your not cold," she said, not moving from where she laid. "You feel warm to me." It sounded childish, but she didn't mean it purely in the physical sense. He was kind, in his own way, he wasn't cold. He was just...different from anyone else she had ever met.
She smiled at the small squeeze he gave her, returning it without hesitating. She felt safe, even though she was hidden away in a dark den which would have terrified her usually. Yale had protected her, she was sure he would do it again. She sighed, her shaking subsiding.
Yale'buana:
Yale let out a soft snort and shook his head a tiny bit. How innocent she was. And yet, he'd told her many things about himself, how he didn't care for another's love or acceptance, how he felt outcast and preferred his experiments and such to time with other leopards, didn't trust, didn't love. He didn't really laugh or smile, didn't get angry, really he didn't show much besides curiosity, questioning, passiveness, and sarcasm. How could one not call that cold?
But he was tired, and he didn't wish to argue.
"If you say so..."
Aulii'Naia:
She had a feeling he didn't believe her. She sighed, wondering if he told himself that he was cold, or someone else had. She didn't mind that he didn't smile or laugh, she did that enough for both of them, but he was obviously caring, else he would have left her behind and saved himeslf. That was cold. He had saved her, and was letting her cuddle up with her, though she knew it wasn't his idea of a fun plan.
She peered up at him, staying close to him still. "You should sleep," she said, not feeling tired. Her heart still pounded furiously in her chest, keeping her awake. "I can watch out for the monsters."
Yale'buana:
What a ludicrous idea, him sleeping and her keeping watch when he was the older one. But... she had a point. He was tired from the run and she seemed wide awake.
"They won't find us, I promise," he whispered. Whether she said anything in reply or not, he didn't catch it. His promise made, Yale was dead to the world, for the most part sound asleep as his body recovered from the strain. How odd, that he would put his trust in such a young leopardess, and one he barely knew. But, he was asleep, and only in his dreams was he free from his questioning nature.
Only in dreams was he truly happy.
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