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 Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 11:14 am
 Dusk came too early, throwing pink and golden light against the back wall a snow leopard’s den. He rolled on his side to stare at it until the spirit to wake found him. His den ran wide and tall for some feet, enough for two or three of his kind to lounge comfortably. From there, the ceiling dropped, scooping a wide flat shelf in the rock. A litter of cubs would have enjoyed their own miniature room there, but today the cool, dry space only held the carcass of a mangled rabbit that the leopard had caught and brought home last night. He had supped upon it and left it to finish later. Now he rose to finish it, and carried the inedible fur and bones out in his mouth. The price of his ideal den (besides the waking to it alone each day), was its location. Nestled in a pile of crumbling stone, its entrance was high and took some delicate climbing to climb to. At least, the leopard thought as he picked his way down with aching slowness, it made it inaccessible to any roving wolves.
He was a mottled grey splotch on the pink, dusk-painted snow, walking leisurely as he looked for a decent place to drop the remains of his breakfast. He left the unfortunate rabbit by a rotted log where the insects would finish off the meat and wipe away the smell of downed prey. He wandered on further after that, steps still unhurried and silent through the hills. Patrol wouldn’t take long, even as his dull pace. Prey in the area was plentiful enough, and he didn’t bother guarding wide borders.
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 7:08 pm
 Liuxingyu meandered around in the mountain range. She rarely visited the mountains- she thought she might have once when she was very young... She vaguely remembered it. Or was that a dream? Hard to tell, but she took it for reality. She strained to remember all that there was to remember about the mountains, but it wasn't entirely easy. Back then, she hadn't known how to carry out hunts, so none of it really sunk in.
Still, she had tried and succeeded to survive up here for a while, and the view was absolutely breathtaking. Even if she wasn't too high up the mountain, watching the sun rise over the peaks around her was dazzling. She would stop at random intervals and just take in the sights, an ear-to-ear smile on her muzzle. "I haven't been anywhere that looked quite like this," she said aloud, sitting and scanning the terrain.
She hadn't been truly paying any attention to her surroundings by way of other animals or territories- a foolish mistake, but one she made pretty often. Typically for the same reason as today- she just wanted to see a place...
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 2:41 pm
The smell caught his attention first. Wolf. He hadn’t actually seen one for some time. A small group of them (more a band of rouges than a pack) came wandering through now and then and usually tried to start some trouble. He’d had no trouble avoiding the boisterous youngsters, but this sent wasn’t one of theirs. His pace hurried now, against the wind, stopping when he crested a low but sharp hill. There was the wolf, female, a rather pretty coloration that somehow matched the snow’s altered hue.
Pyotr lowered himself and turned his head slightly to keep the red mark over his right eye out of sight so he could blend in with the snow and rock face a bit more. His mother and sister, if they were still the vicious and cruel pair he remembered, would have ambushed the wolf to make some trinket of her ribs or skull, but his mind was geared more defensively. If she proved hostile he could be up a tree before she could climb the hill. For the moment though, he decided to watch her a bit before presenting himself.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 3:44 pm
Xing took in a breath of mountain air and decided to keep moving on. She took her eyes from the horizon and returned them to the terrain immediately before her, hopping carefully from ledge to ledge to make some headway. "Gotta find something to eat..." she said to herself after hearing her stomach growl.
Hunger gnawing at her, Xing made a leap upwards and then another- there was a flat area with trees just a little bit further up, she was sure she'd be able to find some poor rodent there to munch on. However... on her second leap, she had misjudged the distance. Her front feet made it, one of her back feet barely made it, but the other didn't. Xing's weight (and the fact that she was startled that she hadn't made the jump) made her back paw that had the ledge slip- leaving her hanging by her front feet. She yipped in both surprise and extreme concern- her claws dug into the rock and she was lucky to find a crack for them to slip into. "Oh great," she said aloud, taking a quick peek at just how much damage would come to her should she let go.
It looked like it would hurt like heck, but wouldn't kill her... immediately. It would probably do enough to indirectly kill her, though.
The wolf's back paws skittered against the rock, but a canine isn't built for climbing. She had one last option while she dangled there. "Anyone out there, help?!" she called, voice ringing out across the various ledges around here. She could only hope that only nicer animals lived here. A barbarian would trip her to watch her fall, but there was certainly a chance that someone kind was listening, right?
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 6:24 pm
Xing was in luck. Pyotr’s ears flattened when he saw her moving toward the hill and for a moment he thought she’d spotted him, but it didn’t seem so. Heart thumping in a small burst of excitement, he backed away while she was focusing on her footing. The safest thing to do would have been to climb on of the nearby trees and talk to her a bit, make sure she was friendly, before putting himself on the ground within reach of her jaws. He’d thought too much on how he wanted to present himself by now to like that idea much though. Instead of retreating, he moved to where she would have to just be coming over the ledge to see him. Vainly, he curled his well-groomed tail around a hind leg and leveled a droll look at the edge, waiting to see a blue head pop up at any moment.
Instead, he saw a paw. His tail twitched. The wolf said something to herself, then cried out. Ha gave the paw a disappointed look and cleared his throat as he approached the ledge. It would be really pathetic if he startled her into losing her grip. Brow arched over a discerning eye, his head popped forth and he gave a soft, friendly sort of grin as he eyed the situation. “There’s a ledge near your right foot. To the right. This might hurt a bit, but try and push up.” Without waiting for a response, he laid his wide, thickly furred paws over hers. He would probably have to dig his claws in a bit to help pull her up, but he meant to do as little harm as possible.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 8:19 pm
Thank the gods, the wolf thought to herself as she looked up into the leopard's face. Someone built for climbing, not like her. She couldn't help but to give a single chuckle at her good luck. "Oh, good," she said. She couldn't afford a glance that close to her body- it would make her lose her grip. The wolf felt around with her back paw for the mentioned ledge; ears folded back to try to pick up any sound that might eminate from it. Of course, it wasn't useful, but it was instinctual. Xing grinned widely as she found it.
She had been so focused on finding that ledge that she hadn't really realized that he had her paws. She gritted her teeth as the pain from his claws hit her, but it was still dull compared to what would happen if she were to fall. "Ready?" Xing asked before she decided to give that little ledge every ounce of strength her muscles had. "Here I come!" she warned as she pushed up as hard as she could, sure that with this leopard's help she would make it up.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 8:36 pm
((Holy crap, I forgot about Pyotr’s voice. *facedesk* Well, this is the first time I’ve gotten to RP him, so I get to make mistakes.
YOU SAW NOTHING! *throws writer’s dust around*))
“Push,” he encouraged in the same soft, whispery voice he’d spoken to her with before. With his claws digging into his skin, he wasn’t trying not to startle her anymore. His voice simply couldn’t rise above a faded whisper without cracking terribly. His rich fur hid it, but there was a small scar on his throat, evidence of an old, deeper wound that was evidence of his abandoned family.
He couldn’t drag her paws back without likely shredding them, but he held them in place as she pushed then pulled herself up. He stepped back carefully when she was safely over the edge, unable to shake the notion that she could turn on him. It would be the height of barbarity, but he’d seen enough of that in the past to be a little cautious.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 8:49 pm
((I dunno what mistakes you're talking about! XD))
Liuxingyu scrambled her way up onto the ledge, glad that there was no chance her front paws were moving. With a bit of confidence in that fact, the wolf was able to make her way up.
"Ugh," she said, clearly shaken from that. She looked up to that face that had popped out over the ledge as she calmed herself down. "You saved my life!" Xing said happily. She moved to put her paw on his. "I don't know how I can ever repay you, seriously, I owe you huge, stranger," she said, eyes wide and clearly thankful. Perhaps it was an exaggeration; the wolf might have been able to get up alright on her own, but this snow leopard had turned the tables in her favor. She watched him for a reaction, hoping he could come up with some way for her to repay him.
"Oh, I'm Liuxingyu, by the way!" she said with a broad grin and a tail wag. She was completely oblivious to any signs he might show of distrust, she was sooo grateful.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 9:16 pm
((OF COURSE NOT NOTHING HAPPENED))
Pyotr’s ears twitched and he very nearly flinched away from the wolf. It wasn’t cowardice, only nerves. The last time he’d been this close to another predator outside his immediate family, they’d been at one another’s throats. Of course he had just willingly grabbed her to try and save her, but instinct was a difficult thing to argue with.
After his hesitative moment, the leopard gave a sheepish little grin. His eyes softened, his ears pressed downward in pleasure, and his face seemed to fluff up a bit more with the grinned. With his grand theatrical presentation to himself swept away, he appeared young and relatively harmless. “It didn’t cost me anything.” After a moment he replied shortly with his name. “Pyotr.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 9:35 pm
"Pyotr, that's a nice name" Xing said. "One way or another, I still feel like I owe you, are you sure you wouldn't like me to do anything for you?" she asked with a pleading look. She wouldn't feel right. She had noticed... his voice was a bit hoarse, but she didn't say anything. She had a mild curiosity as to why it may be that way, but she would never say anything. That would be beyond rude, and that just wasn't in Liuxingyu's nature.
The second thing she had noticed was that in this exact moment, he blended in so well with the background here. The wolf knew that leopards were excellent "hiders," they could practically seem invisible if they wanted to. She wondered just how many other leopards had seen her over the course of her stay here in the mountains, and how many might be watching right now.
She doubted there were many, at the moment. The presence of one leopard sometimes meant that they claimed a territory.
"Well, I'm gonna get away from the ledge. Is this your territory?" she asked, the thought of territory bringing it up. "I don't mean to intrude at all, if you would rather not have me in your territory I can leave," she offered, hoping that he wouldn't take her up on it.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 7:40 am
Pyotr glanced down, his face thoughtful. His expression and body language was animated, conveying more thoughts and emotion than he had yet to admit to. He was having trouble pinning down exactly what he wanted from her, but he stayed closer to her now, posture pointed towards her as if it would keep her from running off after she finished making her polite motions about payback. He held to silence, pondering, until she made the next offer – to leave. “Oh, no,” he said, blinking widely and moving away from the ledge with her. “Well, yes, it is my territory, but you needn’t leave.” He paused to swallow and refrained from clearing his throat. “Have you been traveling far?” he asked suddenly, trying to draw her away from the thought of payback and leaving and towards gossip. He’d rather listen to her than have her go, not that he’d say so directly.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 1:04 pm
"Oh, that's good! I'm glad you don't consider me an intruder, then!" She said with a grin. "I didn't want to go just yet, I've just gotten here!" And before that, she had just gotten to the foot of the mountain, and before that... Well, it was a long chain of having just gotten to various places. That was the life of a loner who wandered, it seemed! "Oh yeah, I've been traveling for as long as I can remember. I just meander and pick up food along the way. Little food, mind you. Like maybe a rabbit, or a bird if I'm lucky," she said, not wanting him to think she was going to come here and down... Whatever big prey there was in the mountains. "I don't really ever stick to one place at all, so I just came up here because I've never been in mountains before. Well, ok, that's a lie, I've been in the mountains back when I was a pup with my mother, but since I grew up, I haven't been in any mountains," she clarified, probably unnecessarily.
"So you live in 'this neck of the woods,' huh? You've got a gorgeous little spot carved out here," she said, taking another look around. The sun still placed splashes of unique colors on the snow and rocks, making her smile. "I only see colors like this up in the tundra on rare occasions- in the sky," she said, thinking of the blues that the Northern Lights would create. The sun made the same shade in some places on the snow- or perhaps it was more like the snow in the shadows of any trees made that color. Regardless, it was rare to see it quite like this. "I've liked the mountains so far, and I would come back and visit them often, after having seen the sights I have. However... I'm not so sure I would stay here forever. Wandering habits were practically born into me," she said with a chuckle, wondering if Pyotr had been a wanderer before carving out a chunk of the area as his own.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:59 am
“Intruder? No, the only ones I bother keeping out are male leopards who look like they want to stay,” he said with a grin and amused chuff. It was hard to tell how his laughter would sound with that throat of his.
“It is nice,” he agreed. “Sometimes the clouds will roll in and it looks like fog marching across the ground.
“I’ve always lived in the mountains, in one spot or another. I don’t care for travel when I can avoid it, so this is my first home after my den as a cub. How long have you been on the move?”
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:15 pm
Xing listened to what he had to say. She nodded as he spoke. "That makes sense. Why waste your energy driving out creatures that aren't going to hurt you?" she asked rhetorically, eyes to the sky in thought. She had made the naive assumption that members of other species weren't out to hurt you. That was just like the blue wolf, though.
"And it sounds nice- I'll bet it would be great to howl here..." she said, that thought suddenly churning through her head. The wolf's song echoing across the peaks... It would be just as beautiful as the sun's radiant colors, just for the ears! She had the sudden urge to sing a song her mother had taught her... She bet it would bounce around these mountains and make a round with her. She smiled at that thought.
"Oh, I've been on the move forever-and-a-half. I can't really imagine sitting in one place for long, but to each their own. I actually kinda settle for the coldest part of the winter in the north, but I don't stay in just one spot. I meander around the tundra- I blend in better there," she said with a chuckle, referring to her coat.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:03 am
The strange comment made Pyotr p***k his ears, but he decided not to comment on it. His mother and sister had butchered other species, and in his youth he’d helped them. This seemed like a poor place to introduce such truthfulness though. He was more interested in keeping her here for a bit more conversation just now.
He imagined her howling instead, the noise filling the air. “I don’t understand why your kind do that,” he whispered. “It’s very enchanting, but strange.”
He grimaced at the mention of the tundra. “I’ve never been in the tundra, but I’ve had it described to me. Flat, little cover. I doubt I could stand it myself.”
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