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 Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 9:32 pm
Yuki was traveling further and further from Mauja and from her mothers pride. The further she could get away the better. There was no way she was going to be any where near her mother. No way she was going to be near her family.
Her and Mei were going to have a fresh start. They were going to make it on their own and they were going to be just fine.
Yuki was going to make sure of it.
Mei traveled beside her. The small dark coated half cheetah half lion was so quiet. She didn't know how to talk yet but she never protested when the two traveled. It was a nice quality about her, she seemed content in her own way. Yuki adored her younger sister and wanted to raise her right. Be the mother neither of them got a chance to know.
It broke Yukis heart. Tossed aside, the both of them. What made their other siblings so special for their mother to take them with her. It hurt. It really hurt.
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Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:44 am
It wasn't exactly his job, going out on patrol, but as Mananakbo reflected on the matter he decided that his job was a fairly nebulous thing, and if he wanted to go on patrol it was perfectly acceptable. Besides, he knew for a fact that he was one of the few people allowed to roam within and without the pridelands, which placed a sort of obligation on him to patrol. At least that was how he planned to explain himself if questioned. Not that too many people tended to question him. He did as he pleased and people wisely left him to it.
It was a fine day to be out, however, and he had been enjoying the opportunity to really stretch his legs with a good run. His speed had been entirely too great for him to be effective at patrolling, but that didn't mean he didn't see Aiko leaving the pride for a bit. He knew she would not appreciate being followed, and engaged in a bit of an internal debate over whether or not he ought to allow her some privacy. In the end he decided to keep his distance, but at least determine whether she was keeping herself safe. Or so he would say if he was caught.
After several weeks of being on the run before reaching the 'Nera and never having a ready excuse, Mana had learned that he always wanted to have a story on hand to explain whatever he was doing, should anyone ask him.
He was gratified and a little horrified when he saw Aiko meet up with a younger cheetah who traveled with an even younger cub. Since he couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying, he was forced to wait until Aiko departed and guess. Since the pair did not accompany Aiko back to the pridelands, he couldn't be sure whether Aiko had attempted to recruit them or if she'd just talked to them. He had to know for sure.
Mana made his way through the grasses, coming up on the pair from the side, pacing them. From this location he addressed them, "Do you know where you are?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:24 pm
The female lifted her head to see another cheetah addressing her. It surprised her actually since she had not seen nor heard him approach. What kind of guardian was she if she couldn't spot other predators nearing. The female felt her heart sink just a little in her chest.
"No," She answered the stranger. "I take it you know where we are though." She eyed him. Maybe this was his territory and she'd crossed through by mistake. Funny though, she'd not smelt any markings.
Yuki was very careful not to cross over places that might result in a fight having Mei with her. Yuki could hold her own against a cheetah her age but some one wiser and bigger probably could take her out. Lions and leopards her best chance was to run if things went south. So Yuki was very careful to avoid a fight when she could considering it was not just her life anymore but Meis.
Mei gave the stranger a smile. She was clueless. Yuki was doing one good thing at least and that was sheltering and preserving the small cubs innocence as best she could. Yuki aimed to give her little sister a cub hood.
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Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:57 am
Mana could see the female's surprise at his appearance and for a fleeting instant he felt guilty. He could remember very well being on the run from the Mizimu and fending for himself of necessity. He remembered not being able to let his guard down, and the dismay he felt when someone sneaked past his guard to surprise him. It was a sickening feeling, and with a cub to care for - her own or someone else's? - this young cheetah probably had enough to worry about. But Mana had been injured while he was on his own, and he had been truly on his own, so their situations had really been about equal, and he'd gotten by. She would have to do the same.
"I have an idea, yes," he answered her with a wry grin, as he tried to figure out how old she was. She looked young to have a cub of that size, but he would have been the first to admit that he knew little of children. He didn't much care for them and avoided them when he could manage it.
"Here's the thing, though. I'm pretty sure you've got at least an idea where you are. I couldn't help noticing you talking to that pretty black cheetah with the spots. Aiko." He fixed her with a hard, blue-eyed stare and tried to will her to tell him what he wanted to know. Had Aiko spoken of the pride? "What did the two of you talk about?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:45 pm
((Note: Said rp with said cheetahs still going on .. Im not sure how its going to turn out but I'll be as vague as I can to prevent god modding what happened =3))
The female shook her head remembering that what had been told was a secret.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I've never seen such a cheetah in my life," She lied even though he'd seen her with the other cheetah. Yuki wasn't going to say anything to this male she'd only just met who had been watching her.
The question of why he was so interested in what the darker female had to say really set off red flags. Could this be some kind of enemy she was dealing with. Were her and Mei in danger right now. If he pressed to hard then Yuki would have no choice but to flee. Right at this moment Yuki didn't want to tell him anything.
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:03 am
No problem. I know how that goes. I'll try not to have Mana ask for too many details of the meeting.
Mana was not an idiot, and he knew what he had seen. The fact that this cheetah seemed like she would be keeping Aiko's words secret pleased him, for it meant that Aiko had advised her to do so. He trusted Aiko not to do anything particularly stupid, like forget to impress upon someone the importance of secrecy. But he didn't know this young cheetah, and he felt obligated to make sure that she, too, understood the importance of remaining silent about the 'Nera.
He gave the pale cheetah a look which said, 'oh, really?' It was with an effort that he refrained from basing his first opinions of the pair on their coat colors. In the 'Nera, such things were not important. They did not know or understand about spirits. Indeed, being a pride largely populated by cheetahs and leopards, there weren't a lot of spirits around to worry about, but the habits remained with him.
"Don't insult my intelligence. I told you that I saw you talking with her. I wasn't making that up as a bluff."
He sighed sharply, realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere if he continued in this manner. At least, he wasn't going to get any information or reassurance from her. Perhaps coming in instantly on the offensive had been a bad idea. He could do some work to correct that, though.
"Look, I'm from the same place Aiko is. I should have introduced myself earlier. My name's Mana. What's your name?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:50 pm
Yuki lifted a brow, the two knew each other. The female hadn't been sure why this male would be watching her but maybe he feared for his companions safety. Yuki couldn't say that she didn't blame him.
Still she couldn't be sure this male spoke the truth so for now she kept her mouth buttoned.
"My names Yuki Onna and this is my sister Mei." The white blue cheetah gestured toward the young leopon.
Mei gave the male a big smile. She was so sheltered thanks to her sister protecting her. Her smile reflected just how innocent she really was. A true pure being.
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:18 am
Mana listened carefully to the pale cheetah as she introduced herself and her sister. It made far more sense to him that the cub would be her sister. He'd done some quick figuring, and in order for a cub that size to be hers, she would have had to have given birth when she was very young indeed. Any male who would take a girl of that age, an innocent creature, deserved all manner of foul visitations from the spirits. It came as a relief to Mana to learn that Yuki Onna had not endured that particular horror.
"I'm glad to know you," Mana answered, gazing down at the dark cub with her beatific smile. His beliefs and his observations were in conflict, looking at the cub. Her expression bespoke an innocence which belied her coat color. Interesting.
"Aiko is better with people than I am. She could probably be a great ambassador for our people, if she decided that was what she wanted to do with herself. What do you think?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:03 pm
Yuki gave a thoughtful look trying to figure this one out still. He seemed like he was an alright cheetah. Least she hoped that he was.
"I.. think shes pleasant, " She said after a long long while. "I don't know many Cheetah out side of my family," The female finally admitted. After all this was her first time off on her own. Where her and Mei were headed was still very much undecided after all. Still Yuki kept striving forward.
"What about you. Are you an ambassador of some sort?" The female titled her head.
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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 8:42 am
It was difficult to argue with the fact that Aiko was pleasant, but Mana couldn't think of why it would take Yuki Onna so long to come up with the remark. He didn't like to think that she might be trying to figure him out, gauge him. If she looked too hard, she would see that his friendliness was a facade. He could be unpleasant if he had to be.
"You may be fortunate in that. I don't know what your family is like, but if it's anything like mine, getting away from them is probably a relief."
Again he looked down at the bemusing cub, whose dark coat did not match her nature as he imagined it to be. It was stupid, but he didn't want to be unkind to this cub's sister if he could avoid it. The thing was, he really did need to know if Aiko had made them an offer and then ascertain whether they would keep it secret once they left the immediate area.
"You could say that," Mana said. "Right now my job is to ensure the safety of my people by making sure they are not spoken of, and I do take my job very seriously."
For the cub's sake, he tried to keep the menace out of his tone, but there was a necessary hint of it that he allowed to remain. "So what I really need to know from you is if you're likely to remember this place in the future, since you don't know where you are anyway."
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:29 pm
(Seriously havent gotten to the part where the female cheetah reveals the pride or not. ^^" Im not entirely sure its going to happen or not either so Id like to avoid god modding. )
Yuki picked up on the small hint that he'd left and frowned. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to say anything now but Mei was with her and she couldn't very well fight for two at her age.
"I really don't know what your talking about sir," She kept her face completely blank.
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 4:14 am
((Update on the rp before this one. Yuki does not learn of the secret but he doesnt have to believe her =3))
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:34 am
Mana grinned, displaying sharp teeth in a manner neither threatening nor reassuring. "That being the case, there should be no difficulty with you speaking of any of this to anyone else, right?"
His attention shifted once more to the dark cub beside Yuki Onna. Something about the cub was familiar, and reminded him just a little of Enzi, but he wasn't sure what it was. The slight stockiness of frame not normal for a cheetah, perhaps. Well, that was none of his business, really. He tried to steer his mind away from thoughts of hybridism. His feelings on hybrids being what they were, it was best not to consider them.
"I really don't mean you any harm," Mana said earnestly. He didn't want to have to hurt either of them, and it didn't look like they would give him a reason, which was good.
"If you like, I can escort you to the edge of this territory and maybe advise you which direction you might want to depart in, depending on where you want to go." He'd spent a lot of time not knowing where he was before he found Nyoka and the 'Nera, and so as soon as he was healthy enough Mana had made it his business to know the pridelands and the area surrounding them very well, so that he would never need to be lost. It also gave him something to do when Nyoka didn't need him and he was otherwise unoccupied.
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:06 pm
Yuki felt a slight unease at that grin. She wasn't sure why but she felt chills. Mei didn't seem to notice as she was busy playing with her tail to really notice much of anything. The small cub was as carefree as one could get.
"Escort... " She didn't make any comment about the forgetting anything she'd heard. It really didn't add up to her and the fact this cheetah was so interested in what the other female had to say... There were a few red flags going up but Yuki really couldn't put two and two together. She lacked information that would allow her to understand the slight weirdness.
"Escort.. would be loved," So maybe this was a territory. Funny, she'd not smelt any sort of markings. The female bent down and picked up Mei by the scruff of the neck.
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 5:28 am
Mana was relieved that the young cheetah seemed willing to leave without making a fuss. He didn't think he was really cut out for intimidating people. At least, not women and children. He wasn't comfortable doing that at all, and so he felt it a grand thing that Yuki and her sister weren't going to be difficult. Not that he thought the dark-colored cub would have been a particularly recalcitrant person, but her adolescent sister could have been.
"We have a preference for concealment," Mana explained as he began walking in the direction of the borders. "It's why you probably didn't catch wind of us. It's also why it's important that you don't mention me or Aiko or this place to anyone else."
He wasn't sure that Yuki would be able to answer him with a mouth full of cub, but he didn't much care for walking in silence. Under the circumstances, it would probably be a very awkward walk if both of them were silent. He wasn't quite a chatterbox, but Mana did happen to be fond of the sound of his own voice, and so he would be more than willing to fill the silence if Yuki was occupied with carrying her sister. He didn't envy her that particular chore.
"I suppose you're sure you wouldn't like to stay?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the pair. With a humorous grin he said, "It would save both of us a bit of a walk."
He wasn't entirely serious, but a part of him was aware that he had not brought back anyone for the pride, and felt he was failing in his duties just a little. It wasn't his job to bring back recruits. Not yet, anyway. But it was something others seemed to be doing, and Mana would have liked to be responsible for bringing someone into the pride. He didn't know why. Maybe it would be a bit like being a father, but without all the children.
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