Sadra woke, her muscles protesting the cramped way she had slept, curled in the branches of the umbrella tree, trying to stay not only dry, but off the muddy ground. She was following the herds as they moved across the plains during the rainy seasons. The only problem with following was, well, you got to walk in all the muck they left behind.
The pale leopardess didn't even want to think about what she had been stepping in the day before, and only hoped that there would be a pool or spring, or river, or some kind of water that was on the ground and NOT falling from the sky or being turned into a mud pond so she could at least clean off a bit. She wasn't overly faditious, but the muck on her paws was just disgusting.
Jumping down from the tree with some minor protesting of muscles, Sadra shook herself. Well, she wasn't soaked, which was a minor miracle, and she wasn't as sore as she thought she would be. Things were looking up already! What she needed was a good stretch, but the ground around her was fairly churned up and she'd get it all on her under belly if she wasn't careful. Frowning, she scanned the landscape hoping to see some rocks or high ground she might get to. Spotting the ridge of a ravine, she nodded to herself. That would do nicely, thank you very much.
She set out for it at a brisk pace, well as brisk as the muck would let her. It seemed like every third step it was determined to suck her paw in deeper, and by the time she reached the ridge, she was muddy all the way up to her elbows and knees. The only reason her tail was clean was because she had kept it arched up over her back the whole trek over.
Hopping up onto the ridge with a light step, Sadara shook out one paw and then the next, a disgusted look crossing her muzzle. Ugh, this was truly nasty, but at least she had made it to higher ground. Sighing, she stretched out, first a back leg, then the other, followed by each front on. She arched her back, and then dipped it, feeling the kinks work out. The sun was at least warm, and only partly covered by a high then layer of clouds.
Sighing again, the pale leopardess dipped her front paws down and stuck her rump in the air, stretching out her hind flank and tail. Her hurt leg was tight, but not overly so. Slowly but surly she was getting full movement back in it, and other then the silvery scar that was almost hidden in the white of her pelt, it was almost impossible to tell she had been so direly injured. Liahu may be many things, but he was a very good healer.
Yawning, she held the pose for a few moments, enjoying the feel of her muscles warming up. That was until she felt the ridge give away under her back paws. With an undignified yelp, she slid down with the crumbling sodden dirt to land on her rump, and sink mid belly into the churned up muck left by the herds. Ears laid back, Sadara mutter a few choice words her mother would have been shocked to know she knew. Growling, she began to haul herself out of it. She was defiantly going to have to find a river now....
Attempting to push herself up out of the muck only succeeded in making her sink more and before she knew what had happened, she was past her chest in the sticky substance. There was no way she was going to be able to clean this much muck off of her pale fur with just her tongue. In fact the very idea of DOING that made her want to gag. While she might not know the exact content of the mud she was currently trapped in, she could make a fairly educated guess and the very idea made her stomach churn.
However, getting clean was not high on her priority list at the moment, just getting out was. Glancing around, a little desperately at this point, she noticed that there was a scraggly root sticking out from the ruined bank, and the tree it looked like it was attached to SEEMED to be firmly in the ground. If she stretched her neck as far as she could and sorta swam forward she might be able to get it in her mouth.
Huffing, and repeating those words her mother would have been shocked to hear, Sadara swam forward with everything she had, finally managing to reach the root with her teeth. Clamping a hold of it with her teeth and working it back into her jaw and away from her sharp canines, she began the laboring job of hauling at least her front paws out of the mud. She only barely managed to get them out and braced against the ridge before the strength in her jaw ran out. Panting she laid her head against the roots of the tree, and wondered how she'd managed to get herself into this mess.
Once she had regained some of her wind back, she unsheathed her claws and dug them into the hardened earth and the hapless roots. Lucky for her a leopard's claws were meant for climbing, and she could manage this...she hoped. Hauling herself up with just her front legs was harder than it had a right to be, but with a lot of straining she managed to get her good hind leg free. Thankful for small miracles, Sadara unsheathed her back claws and dug them in as well, causing her to half hug, half cling to the exposed roots and trunk of the umbrella tree.
There was no way this could get any worse, she thought acidly to herself as she painstakingly began to try to free her bad leg. Suddenly she felt a large drop of water hit her squarely between the eyes. You had to be kidding....the sky opened up. Ears laid flat she growled under her breath as she was soon throughway soaked...again.
The pale leopardess didn't even want to think about what she had been stepping in the day before, and only hoped that there would be a pool or spring, or river, or some kind of water that was on the ground and NOT falling from the sky or being turned into a mud pond so she could at least clean off a bit. She wasn't overly faditious, but the muck on her paws was just disgusting.
Jumping down from the tree with some minor protesting of muscles, Sadra shook herself. Well, she wasn't soaked, which was a minor miracle, and she wasn't as sore as she thought she would be. Things were looking up already! What she needed was a good stretch, but the ground around her was fairly churned up and she'd get it all on her under belly if she wasn't careful. Frowning, she scanned the landscape hoping to see some rocks or high ground she might get to. Spotting the ridge of a ravine, she nodded to herself. That would do nicely, thank you very much.
She set out for it at a brisk pace, well as brisk as the muck would let her. It seemed like every third step it was determined to suck her paw in deeper, and by the time she reached the ridge, she was muddy all the way up to her elbows and knees. The only reason her tail was clean was because she had kept it arched up over her back the whole trek over.
Hopping up onto the ridge with a light step, Sadara shook out one paw and then the next, a disgusted look crossing her muzzle. Ugh, this was truly nasty, but at least she had made it to higher ground. Sighing, she stretched out, first a back leg, then the other, followed by each front on. She arched her back, and then dipped it, feeling the kinks work out. The sun was at least warm, and only partly covered by a high then layer of clouds.
Sighing again, the pale leopardess dipped her front paws down and stuck her rump in the air, stretching out her hind flank and tail. Her hurt leg was tight, but not overly so. Slowly but surly she was getting full movement back in it, and other then the silvery scar that was almost hidden in the white of her pelt, it was almost impossible to tell she had been so direly injured. Liahu may be many things, but he was a very good healer.
Yawning, she held the pose for a few moments, enjoying the feel of her muscles warming up. That was until she felt the ridge give away under her back paws. With an undignified yelp, she slid down with the crumbling sodden dirt to land on her rump, and sink mid belly into the churned up muck left by the herds. Ears laid back, Sadara mutter a few choice words her mother would have been shocked to know she knew. Growling, she began to haul herself out of it. She was defiantly going to have to find a river now....
Attempting to push herself up out of the muck only succeeded in making her sink more and before she knew what had happened, she was past her chest in the sticky substance. There was no way she was going to be able to clean this much muck off of her pale fur with just her tongue. In fact the very idea of DOING that made her want to gag. While she might not know the exact content of the mud she was currently trapped in, she could make a fairly educated guess and the very idea made her stomach churn.
However, getting clean was not high on her priority list at the moment, just getting out was. Glancing around, a little desperately at this point, she noticed that there was a scraggly root sticking out from the ruined bank, and the tree it looked like it was attached to SEEMED to be firmly in the ground. If she stretched her neck as far as she could and sorta swam forward she might be able to get it in her mouth.
Huffing, and repeating those words her mother would have been shocked to hear, Sadara swam forward with everything she had, finally managing to reach the root with her teeth. Clamping a hold of it with her teeth and working it back into her jaw and away from her sharp canines, she began the laboring job of hauling at least her front paws out of the mud. She only barely managed to get them out and braced against the ridge before the strength in her jaw ran out. Panting she laid her head against the roots of the tree, and wondered how she'd managed to get herself into this mess.
Once she had regained some of her wind back, she unsheathed her claws and dug them into the hardened earth and the hapless roots. Lucky for her a leopard's claws were meant for climbing, and she could manage this...she hoped. Hauling herself up with just her front legs was harder than it had a right to be, but with a lot of straining she managed to get her good hind leg free. Thankful for small miracles, Sadara unsheathed her back claws and dug them in as well, causing her to half hug, half cling to the exposed roots and trunk of the umbrella tree.
There was no way this could get any worse, she thought acidly to herself as she painstakingly began to try to free her bad leg. Suddenly she felt a large drop of water hit her squarely between the eyes. You had to be kidding....the sky opened up. Ears laid flat she growled under her breath as she was soon throughway soaked...again.
Word Count 1039