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 Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:28 pm
 Dru stared up at the tree, glaring at its branches and leaves, angry at it. She wanted to pounce from it like the leopard had done. And it wouldn't let her. She sat on her haunches and just glared at the tree in question.
It was being mean in her mind's eye. It provided shade, leaning post, scratch an itch pole, and a claw sharpener when needed, so why wouldn't it give her new higher hunting ground? How was she going to learn all about climbing trees and pouncing from them? The leopard she had seen when she first got the idea had gone away a very long time ago and cheetahs specialized in running. Dru could learn running later. Maybe. If she felt like it.
But she wanted to climb now. And the tree wouldn't let her. She would only get stuck up there like the last time and there would be any nice Rei to come and save her this time. She'd have to shout out to Mom and Auntie Keene or her male, if he was around, to help her down. And then her siblings would find out, and either they would steal her pouncing idea and grounds or they'd tease her, because lions aren't supposed to climb trees to hunt. But it had so many practical possibilities.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:00 pm
 Dar'Ian was just wandering. He didn't need to hunt, last night's kill was quite large, he had no family in this area to stop in and see, and the day just screamed for some climbing. Some times the male wished he lived somewhere that he could live his life in the trees and only return to the ground occasionally rather then spend most of his time on the ground and only occasionally spending time in trees.
With the thought of trees in his mind Dar began to earnestly look for a good climbing tree. The first few were to small and would not safely hold his weight. He really didn't need to get up in it only to fall on his butt, Kuari would laugh his feathery head off and Dar wouldn't be able to blame him. A glance to the sky showed his feathered friend just enjoining the sun and clear sky.
Shortly after rejecting the last tree that he spotted, Dar saw a larger tree in the distance. It looked like it would hold his weight quite well. The closer the dark colored leopon came to the tree the more he desired to be in it. He nearly missed the small cub glaring up at the tree. Curious Dar asked "What did the tree do that makes it look like you want to set it on fire?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:17 pm
Dru looked at the male startled. She had been so focused on her tree that she hadn't seen or heard him approach. She wondered if she shouldn't talk to him, but he kind of looked like her brothers. She would just have to be caution and observant like Mom said to be. It would help with her pouncing skills to.
"It won't let me climb it properly." Dru admitted. She could tell him because he wouldn't go back and tell her family about it. She really did want to master the higher pouncing grounds before they found out. Dru looked back at the tree and saw a way up, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get down.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:45 pm
Dar'Ian took a moment to study the young cub and then the tree. To him there was little reason that the cub would not be able to ascend to the closest branch other then the fact that it was a bit high to easily reach. The tree itself was a good climbing tree; a few large branches at a good reaching distance, smaller branches higher if one was light enough, and good foliage to hide behind if one was using the tree for hunting purposes.
"Well I think you will just need to use your claws to get a boost so you can reach the first branch. After that its pretty simple." Dar then did his best to show and example. Using his hind claws to dig into the lower part of the tree trunk he basically launched himself up until he was able to land on the lowest branch. He turned around carefully and looked down at the female, "It just takes some timing, strength, and balance."
Kuri watched from the sky as Dar showed a small female how he climbed a tree. The bird just snickered, he always thought Dar looked funny jumping in and out of trees but then again the lepon didn't have wings like he did. He couldn't just fly in and land on a branch like Kuri could and did. With that thought the dark bird did just that. He soared right past Dar's ear to settle on a smaller, higher branch and making a face at his wing brother.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:01 pm
Dru'etrosa eyed the nearest branch and saw the path up into the trees just fine, but what if nothing came along to be pounced. She wouldn't be able to get down. Again. She'd be stuck. Again. And Dru didn't like the feeling of getting stuck. No matter how comfy the tree may seem.
Dru stared at the larger male, in awe, excitement and a twinge of jealousy. Maybe it was because he was bigger. "But how do you get down? I keep getting stuck in the trees every time I try to climb down without pouncing!" She whined, flicking her tail in irritation. She wanted to follow him up into the branches, but she didn't want to have to ask for help getting down again. What if he laughed at her?
Biting the inside of her cheek, Dru looked at the tree rather than the male in the tree or his silent bird. She wasn't use to asking for help from strangers, but this should be easier than asking for help from Rei. At least she was stuck in the tree, needing to be rescued. But he could always say no, and then Dru would be just as embarrassed as she was with Rei or if her brothers and sisters had seen her up in a tree and unable to get down. Taking a deep breath and careful not to look at him, Dru took a chance. "I'm Dru . . . Would you teach me to climb the tree properly. Especially climbing down."
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 12:16 pm
Dar didn't really know how to answer the cub's question. If she could get down by pouncing what is the problem? Now if she just had an issue getting in and out of trees Dar could just suggest waiting until she was a bit older or finding a tree that was smaller. With a confused look on his face Dar did his best to ask clearly, "If you can get down by pouncing why is it difficult to get down?" The adolescent lepon jumped down from the tree exactly as if he was pouncing on something. He landed lightly and looked at the cub. It was true that there were many ways to get out of a tree but jumping out of a tree is a logical answer, although one really should know how to land properly in that case. "I'm Dar, Dar'Ian and that is Kuri. I'll help you if I can Dru."
Kuri whistled a greeting as well as his agreement. He enjoyed helping others and helping this cub should be interesting.
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 4:46 pm
Dru ducked her head and stared at the ground at Dar's statement and demonstrative jump down from the tree. She flicked her tail in embarrassment and muttered, "No one comes around to be pounced." Dru had been stuck for hours before Rei happened to pass near enough to her tree that she could shout out to him. And she had still managed to hurt her paw on Rei's head and face when he let her pounce him. If he had never passed near the tree or had left, Dru would have been stuck in the tree until Mom or Auntie Keene or one of her siblings had come looking for her.
At a whistle, Dru finally looked up and saw Kuri. She hadn't noticed the bird before and felt rude now that it was obvious that he was with Dar. Auntie Keene would have been very disappointed in her manners. "Hello," she greeted the bird.
"Thank you." Dru smiled at Dar and decided to show him that she could climb up the tree. She jumped onto the trunk of the tree, digging her little claws into the bark. She struggled to pull herself up into the tree, wiggling and swinging from one paw every now and then. When she got onto the first branch, Dru was panted but smiled down at Dar. "See, I can get into the tree!" She was so proud to be in the tree again, and that Dar was around and he was going to teach her to get out of the tree so she wouldn't be stuck until her family came looking for her. She wouldn't have to show them her great pouncing idea until she had it mastered after all.
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Posted: Sat May 28, 2011 8:16 pm
Dar smiled and said confidently, "It seems that the problem is you believe you have to pounce on someone in order to get down. This is easily fixed." He took a few steps away and pounced a poor clump of grass. With his paws smashing the grass Dar looked up and with an impish smile asked, "When you practice hunting do you actually hunt anything?" He knew the answer but still sometimes it takes asking the obvious to see the obvious.
Dar had gotten out of his pounce position and had moved closer as Dru said hello to kuari. He then watched as the youngster climbed into the tree and stood proudly on the first branch. "I can see. You did quite well. Now the hard part is getting out." He had no issues letting her use him as her pouncing victim but how was he to evaluate her technique if he was directly below her.
Kuari nodded a greeting back to the light colored female and watched in amusement as she joined him in the tree. He too was thinking about how best to teach this youngster but unlike Dar he was not going to be Dru's pouncing victim, sadly the lepon cub would flatten Kuari, or at least break something.
Dar happened to glance at his brother and noticed that he two was watching Dru with a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "Kuari could you keep an eye on her technique from above while I watch from below?" He asked the bird knowing that his wing brother would say yes mainly so Dru would have an idea as to what would happen. When the bird nodded Dar smiled and looked up at Dru. "Ok here is what we are going to do. You will pounce on me and Kuari and I will see what needs work. Then if we need to we will continue to work on it. Sounds good?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:52 am
Dru nodded and flicked her tail back and forth. She was nervous, but extremely excited. She would finally be learning to pounce from the trees, and she could hunt or even sneak up on her siblings. In her excitement, she wagged her rear as well, looking slightly like those wild dogs she liked to watch while she was lying in the shadows on the hot days. "Okay!" Dru smiled, and a small low rumble slipped out. She was kind of purring, kind of. Mom and Auntie purred louder though, so she was still only doing a small rumble in her opinion.
Lowering her upper body close to the tree branch and raising her hind legs to stand on the tip of her paws, even on her claws, Dru looked at Dar with a critical eye. His softer parts were too far away for her to pounce effectively, but she could reach his front shoulders and his head. She wanted to avoid his head. Pouncing there hurt the last time.
As she was mapping out where to pounce with her balance riding on the tips of her paws and claws, she started to slip forward and made a split decision to throw herself into the fall. Dru half fell, half pounced. She tried to keep her claws in and not set them into Dar since he was teaching her to actually pounce, but it was hard. Especially when she landed half on his shoulder and half on his head. And it hurt. Again. She was going to need to walk it off a bit, but that could wait. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to land on your head!"
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:02 pm
Dar saw the moment her paws slipped and knew that her fall was going to hurt either her or him depending on his move in the next two seconds. Knowing that he could take the pain he remained where he was and braced himself as the cub came tumbling down out of the tree. That does it we are moving this lesson to the ground he thought to himself seconds before the cream colored fluff ball landed half on his shoulder and half on his head.
"Are you alright?" Even with his ear's ringing he wasn't sure Dru was feeling anything worse then sore. If the gods smiled upon them there would be no lasting damage. Dar slowly and carefully lowered himself to the ground.
Kuari watched all of this unfold with a sense of horror. This is why he sometimes wished his brother, and other four legged grounded mammals like him, had wings. He flew down to the ground and studied both Dar and Dru to see if there was anything he could help with. A questioning whistle was his way of asking if both were ok.
Dar smiled weakly at Kuari. "I'm fine Kuari. Though I do think we shall move the pouncing lessons to somewhere closer to the ground."
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:50 am
Dru kept her head bowed and didn't look at Dar. "Sorry! Sorry." Ugh! This was so embarrassing. Why couldn't she get it? Pouncing shouldn't be this hard. And she shouldn't have fallen out of the tree at all. That was worse than landing on his head and shoulder.
She shook her right front paw, the one that stung and had landed a very hard bone. "I'm sorry!" She bit her lower lip and peaked at Dar and Kuari. At least he was grimacing like Rei had been when she had pounced him before.
"I didn't do that right." She whispered. "Maybe I should wait until I grow a little bit bigger. Maybe I can pounce better then." She gave a weak smile at Kuari when he whistled. She really wanted to pounce from the tree tops, but if she needed to wait until she was bigger, she could learn to pounce from shorter and small tree like places first.
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Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:49 pm
"Really. Its ok. No real harm was done," Dar said. He glanced at Kuari and then at the surrounding area. "You think there is a better place to try this?" He asked the bird. Kuari nodded in agreement. He knew what Dar was asking and took flight. Finding something low enough to the ground not to cause any major injuries like the fall Dru just took but high enough to get her the practice she needed was a bit tricky to find. Still it didn't take Kuari long to backtrack to one of the smaller tree's Dar and Kuari passed before they met Dru. High enough to be useful, small enough not to hurt, perfect for a small cub like Dru. The dark bird flew back to Dar and Dru, a whistle told his wing brother that he found something.Dar glanced up at Kuari's whistle and he watched him as the bird did a gentle turn and started back the way they came. Perfect, he thought before turning back to Dru. He waited until the cub was looking at him before speaking, "We all make mistakes but only by practicing can you prevent said mistakes. Kuari has found a better spot to practice so lets go." With a smile Dar slowly headed in the direction his brother flew, Dur keeping pace beside him.-Fin-
(WC confused ? PC:12)
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