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 Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:23 pm
Ever since his father’s death Wahadi had been spending more time around his family, because he felt he had a responsibility to keep them safe. He couldn’t trust Ila with that. Even his own father hadn’t been able to protect himself from the swamp killer. Why should Ila be any more capable?
So it made him all the more upset when his aunt decided to spend the day alone with Ila. He thought she would at least let him go with her. He could be useful, he could look out for trouble. “What makes him so damned important?” Wahadi cursed, kicking a stone into the water as he stalked.
Normally, Asce would be found near his family, pressed against his brother or sister's side or weaving through his mother's feet. Today, though...today he decided to venture out on his own. Just a little bit. Which resulted in his current situation...
He was stuck. In a tree. And he didn't know how to get down. Gettin UP was easy enough, but down? Oh boy...The elder Kibou boy looked down and squeaked, a rather pitiful sound from a male, even if he was only a cub. Asce was very certain he didn't like heights now. He clung for a few more moments before gulping and trying to remove a paw to start down. So far, so good. But he removed another paw before his first had found purchase in the wood and he found himself falling...and landing on something as fuzzy as him. Phew...saved. Wait.
Fuzzy as him? He rolled so he could find out what he'd landed on. Uh-oh.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:38 pm
Under Asce was an older cub, though at first glance they seemed to be not much older than Asce, for this cub was still quite small. His mane was growing in a little thicker, that was all.
“Nugh… hey, what’s your problem?” Wahadi growled as he pulled himself up out of the mud. He shook the mud off his fur and bared his teeth at the other cub, trying to mask the hard soreness in his back. He felt like… well, he felt like someone dropped a cub on him.
Asce's ears went back as he got to his own feet. Oh geez! He obviously felt bad for landing on the other.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to land on you!" He sat, head sinking a bit. "I didn't even want to fall! I was just trying to get down. I uh...I never climbed a tree before. Mama makes it look so much easier than it is."
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:50 pm
Wahadi glared. “Don’t apologize! That’s stupid, it doesn’t get you anything.”
Apologies wouldn’t bring his parents back, apologies wouldn’t put his life back the way it was before Ila came to the swamp, nor would they make his back stop hurting. He stretched and glanced up at the tree the cub had fallen out of. He eyed it like he was wondering how many lions it would take to knock it out of the ground. He turned back to the cub. “Why were you trying to climb it anyway? There’s nothing up there.”
Asce blinked, an ear raising in curiosity. "But Mama said it's polite to apologize when you do something wrong. And...even if it wasn't my fault...I shouldn't have landed on you, right?" He tilted his head, then followed the other's gaze to the tree. Was there something wrong with it? He thought it was a nice tree. Besides getting stuck in it. He turned back to the older lion.
"I wanted to try it. Mama's done it a few times, so I thought there was something special or important about it."
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:00 pm
Wahadi stared at it. He saw his aunt climb trees sometimes. She did other things, too. Sometimes he tried to imitate them because they looked fun or just because he wanted to understand why she did them. He straightened and gave himself another shake. “Yeah, I know what you mean. What’s your name?”
This kid didn’t seem so bad. He wasn’t really mad about being apologized to, just being landed on. He needed something to snap about.
Yay! Someone who understood! He smiled kindly, the sort of smile his mother told him was a 'good' smile. "Mama named me Asce Kibou. But...more Asce than Kibou. Kibou is our 'family' name." Or it would be, until his Mama found her REAL name. Then he would have a new family name when HE got old enough! It was still confusing in his head, but his mother knew what she was doing! She ALWAYS did.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:11 pm
“My name is Wahadi.” Did his mother name him that? Or was it the name his aunt gave him? He frowned severely. He was starting to wish this kid would shut up about his stupid mother. Even though he still thought of aunt Kabu as his mother in a lot of ways, it irritated him that he would never know what it was like to have a birth mother when most cubs did. He decided to change the subject. “I can show you how to climb trees.”
Asce perked up even more, his smile turning to an unrestrained one. "Really? You'd do that Wahadi?" Wow! Even though the other had been mad at him at the start...Asce liked him! Older cubs were nice! "I would very much like that." Yay! He'd have something to show off to his mother later!
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:27 pm
“Calm down. It’s no big deal. All you have to do is plan your path and stick to it.” Wahadi immediately scrambled up onto one of the lower branches. Firm claws scratched against the trunk. It had been a long time since he’d gone tree climbing and he found it easier than he remembered. He must be getting bigger after all. He hopped onto another branch and found a bend in the tree where he could crouch and gage his surroundings. He looked down at Asce. “Don’t go too fast. Just take your time.”
The browny-gray and blue cub listened, nodding in understanding. At least...he hoped he understood right. He stretched a bit, then followed Wahadi up the tree, slower than the other. He didn't want to fall again. Or get stuck. Being stuck sucked. He finally reached Wahadi, a grin on his face. "What next?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 6:59 pm
Wahadi moved a little further up the tree to make room for Asce. He clung to an almost vertical branch with his claws deep in the bark and because he was so light he had no trouble hanging on at all. He watched the younger cub slowly make his way up the tree with an impatient twitching tail. Alright, he told the cub to take his time, but he still got bored while waiting.
“Watch.” When Asce joined him Wahadi started climbing the steep limb. Here is how he climbed: first he let go with his front claws then, without hesitating, pushed up with his back legs and grabbed the bark again with his fore claws, so that he did a little hop and grab. Hop and grab. In a few seconds he reached the next branch. This branch extended out from the other side of the branch he was on, but that was no problem for Wahadi. He shimmied to the other side and hauled himself onto the new branch and lay down to rest, letting his legs hang off the sides.
Asce watched, hanging on tightly. And then started towards Wahadi again. He almost slipped a couple of times, but he finally got his claws in deep enough and he followed a bit quicker this time. The brown-and-blue cub grinned brightly as he made his way over, and finally reached the branch Wahadi was on...though he didn't get on it. He didn't want to crowd the other! "Climbing is pretty fun! So...how do we get down?" It was an awful long way down...
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:22 pm
Wahadi looked at the younger cub. He was probably getting tired. Wahadi was only about half the size of an ordinarily juvenile (even his sisters were larger) but he had the stamina of an older lion. “Well, you could just re-trace your steps. I like to get half-way to the ground and jump off.” Any higher than that and he might hurt himself. He learned that lesson the hard way.
Asce nodded. "Mmkay!" He started backwards, the process much slower. And this time, he made VERY sure his claws were firmly in the tree. After a bit, he stopped, catching his breath. "This is fun...but HARD!" Maybe if he practiced more, he'd get better? Like his mother said his pouncing would.
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:49 pm
"You have to learn to visualize yourself doing it. Trust the strength in your legs. Once you learn that, it's easy."
Wahadi stood and took aim at the branch across from Asce. If he went down that branch it would be a lot easier to get to the ground. He tensed his legs, imagining himself hitting that branch, and leapt.
His claws sank into the bark. Gravity tried to pull him down, but his claws held firm. He then dropped down the branch a couple of times, falling for only an inch or so before grabbing hold of the bark again, waiting until the branch below him was close enough to drop down onto it. From there he simply jumped to the ground.
Asce tried to follow Wahadi's lead as best he could, and he managed to get most of the way down before jumping down. And then flopping in the mud of their home. He stay there a moment before getting up, a smile on his face. "Thank you very much for teaching me, Wahadi!" It had been tiring, but fun! He was definitely going to have to try climbing more often!
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:11 pm
That smile…. Wahadi could hardly believe a simple thing like climbing a tree could make this cub so happy. He enjoyed climbing too, but that didn’t mean it made him happy the way this cub was happy. Nothing made him smile like that anymore.
Wahadi simply shrugged in reply, turning away from that too bright smile. “It’s no big deal. Maybe I’ll teach you more sometime.”
It gave him something to do. He didn’t like this cub’s happy-go-lucky attitude much, but at least he followed direction well. Now that his adopted brother Tana was on his name quest Wahadi felt like there was no one for him to play with. “I have to go now. My aunt is probably looking for me.”
That probably wasn’t true, since she was spending time with Ila. Still, he missed her and wanted to see her again.
Asce nodded. "That would be v'ry appreciated, Wahadi!" Yay! He had someone to teach him things other than Mama now! He drooped a bit at the fact his new acquaintance had to go though. "Okay. I'll see you later than!" His own mother was probably looking for him...Alais was a rather attentive mother, and she wouldn't have let him wander off for too long. The cub started off in the direction he remembered coming from, deciding to see if he could get to her before she came looking.
((Fin~))
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