|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:00 pm
The sun! It was shining for once in this dismal winter. The pale pink and white adolescent male was bathing in it. He couldn't help it. Matokeo'kwa adored the sun more than any of his siblings! At least, that he knew of. His love of the sun and walking got the better of him one day, and he wandered away. Since then, he's been lost and following hiss family's faint scent. Which lead him to a very strange looking area.
Dark cyan eyes blinked and looked around as that stupid looking grin was plastered on his face. God, it felt so good to soak the sun up into his fur. It'd been bitterly cold. He hated it. "Mmmn.. Mom? Dad? Shani?!" He smelled them very strongly here, which meant they just had to be close by. ....Right?
Still, it was great fun and she didn't seem to mind it. After a few zigzags back and forth, the cub finally stumbled to a halt, huffing and puffing as the hare circled back to join her. Chione laughed as she plopped down, tossing her tuft of hair out of her eyes. "You're too fast! I'm never gonna be able to catch you." She acused, though the hare just grinned and stayed silent. "Its getting too hot anyway... I suppose we better head back before Daddy gets angry." She commented, though she didn't seem inclined to move.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:51 pm
A voice caught his attention and his head snapped towards it. It was a young voice, but not one he recognized as male or female. They all sounded the same before they broke into his age. Curiosity got the better of him and Mato began at a steady pace towards the fits of laughter that seemed to echo out. Peeking over a sand dune, a grin broke out on his face, even bigger than before. Why, it was a little girl and her rabbit!
Backing down and out of her sight, Mato chuckled to himself. Oh, yes. He would make a grand entrance and start playing with her. He didn't think she'd know about his parents; since she looked so young. So, once he was a good enough distance away, he raced up the sand dune, trying hard for some kind of purchase and jumped over the top. His landing, however, was lacking. Instead of landing and sliding down the sand like he wanted, he stumbled over his own paw and toppled head over tail until he was at the bottom. "Ooof!" He groaned out, laying there, staring at the girl for a moment.
Chione started, her ears pressing back to her head, as a lion came bursting over the top of the dune beside them. Ife squeaked and ducked behind her bonded, huddling to look around her back. For a moment, the girl was scared a monster of sand had come to eat her up, but when the monster stumbled and fell, rolling to the base, she felt something bubble up inside of her.
The bubble broke from her mouth a rich, bright laughter, her deep colored eyes nearly shut as she rocked on her haunches. "Oh, sir! You fell really good! That was wonderful!" She laughed till she fell over on her side, her little paws kicking at the hair as she squirmed in the sand. Heartened by her display, the little rabbit straightened up a little, regarding the intruder with inquisitive eyes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:05 pm
Sir? He was called a sir? Mato couldn't get mad. Look how cute she was and how he made her laugh! Eventually, he broke into a deep, rich laughter himself, but it sounded like velvet and sandpaper. But that was his normal voice. He'd gotten complemented from older females about his voice. After a while of laughter, he let it subside as he got to his paws and shook out his, now, dusty coat.
"Well... I totally meant to do that. It's always important to make an unforgettable entrance! Remember that. It's useful." He nodded a bit more and sat back down, this time more gracefully. "Hi! I'm Matokeo'kwa! Mato or Mat for short. Whichever is easier. ....Where am I?" He flashed a grin at the younger one and flicked his tail, sniffing the air. Many lions scents now filled his nose, making him think he was near a large pride. Maybe she'd know his parents after all.
The little girl chortled as she rolled over to sprawl on her belly, her legs stretched out on the warm sand. It was hot, very nearly too hot, but she could stand it for a while longer. "I'm Chione!" She grinned as her tail flicked. "And this is my friend, Ife. She's a rabbit." She puffed up proudly at that, grinning at her friend, who just giggled to herself, paws up to cover her wiggling nose.
Still grinning, Chione turned back and tilted her head, rather surprised he didn't know already. "Well isn't it obvious?" She laughed. "This is Tuait'tekem! We're the Dawn Walkers, you know. Children of the sun! The temple and the dens are back that way." She waved her paw in a general behind her direction, though she kept her eyes on the male in front of you. "What are you doing out here? I've never seen you before, so you must be new.... what's it like out there? I heard someone say once there are places where the grass stretches as far as you can see, and rain falls all the time!" She said as she bounced to her paws, animated with wonder. All she knew was sand and small oasis of water and plants. A place like she described seemed impossibly strange.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:18 pm
He looked to the rabbit and gave her a bit of a nod before reaching a paw out in front of him and waving to Ife. "Hello, Ife. You're adorable! I love rabbits. They make fun companions when you can get one to understand you're not trying to eat it." He almost had a rabbit companion once. But there was a genet following him around right now. For a moment, Mato wondered where she was.
But that was before Chione explained where he was. He'd kind of heard of the place, rumors of a pride that lived in the desert. Seems he stumbled upon it by accident! Then he listened as Chione tried to figure out where he came from and he nodded. "Well. There's a rainy season, yes! Rains for days and days. And the rivers swell up, but it's not good to swim when its like that. Many cubs have been lost to rivers. But then there are places that's nothing but grass. It's so green and full of flowers, maybe a tree. And the places like the jungles.... Oh, man.. You don't know anything about that?"
Chione's soft purple eyes grew wider with every place he described and her jaw even fell open as she gaped at him, trying to imagine a place different than the one she grew up in.
"Wow... those places are strange! You'd get lost in all those growing things!" She reached over to poke at Ife, laughing again now at the absurdity of what he described. "That's just silly... and you've seen all those places? That sounds like a lot of walking." She teased him, grinning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:27 pm
"Oh, yes. A lot of walking. I wandered away from my mom and dad when I was about your age... and.... I've been searching for them since. Of course, I get distracted and go off in random directions sometimes, but I always get back on track." Mato's face pulled into a frown and then he sighed a bit. Time to get down to business.
"My mom and dad's scent is really, really strong here. I think they might be in your pride. If they are, I want to live with them to make up for the time I lost with them.... My mom is red and white, her name is Valenera. Then there's my dad... A big guy named Feleji. My sister, Shani, should be followin' them."
The dark cub puckered her mouth as she thought, a frown creasing her forehead. "That doesn't sound like much fun, getting lost from your family and wandering around..." She mused, wiggling her back paws as she sat upright.
"I don't know if I've seen them... I don't know everybody. You should go ask my daddy if he's seen them though! I bet he'd know." She broke into a grin as she nodded vigorously, Ife behind her mimicking the motion. "Daddy knows everything!" She said with the conviction of the very young.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:36 pm
He looked to Ife for a moment and wanted to paw at her and play with her. Rabbits were so hard to tame into being your friend, and this one looked ready to play. Looking back to the lioness cub, he nodded a bit. So Chione was a daddy's girl! That was so cute for a cub her age. He giggled, yes giggled, and flashed her a winning smile. "Dads are great! So... Can you bring me to your dad? If my parents aren't here.... I'll continue on my journey at day break. That is... if they let me stay the night."
He'd been to some prides that didn't let him. Instead, they kicked and chased Mato out of the pride. It was to be expected, though. Not everyone was a welcoming pride, and Mato was going on zero leads here. Just scents he remembered as his parents' own.
Chione beamed with pride. "Dads are great, and I have two!" She crowed before she bounced to her paws. "Come on, I'll show you! I bet you'd get along great with both my daddys." She laughed as she took off, eliciting a chirp of surprised from her usually silent playmate.
Ife gave Mato a look, like 'what can you do?' and shrugged, then raced off after her friend, taking the sandy dunes easily in her wake. With such a cheerful little friend to lead the way, there was little chance the young male would be tossed out on his ear, and if anyone knew about his parents, he'd be sure to find out about it with Chione to help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:42 pm
Two daddies? That was... well, not new, but it compelled Mato to follow her further. If this pride allowed two daddies, maybe there was hope for him yet. Not that he was gay. He didn't know what he was, since he never really liked anyone romantically. Thinking about that, he winked at Ife before she bounded after the little girl and he quickly followed in suit. So this was going to be his new home. Even if his parents weren't here.... this pride just felt like home to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
