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 Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 5:22 am
One.
Two.
Three!
In silence and with surprising grace the dog sprang into the air and deposited herself on the boulder a good distance away from her previous one. She held her pose and soon began to imagine the cheers of the crowd as they watched her gravity defying performance. The sounds were of course defeaning, so few in these lands had ever seen anything with such grace, such beauty, such... Well, one could dream. To say that the wild dog hadn't seen any of her own kind in quite some time was an understatement; it had been an age.
Still, that didn't stop her from revelling in her own 'perfection', she was quite the little gymnast and she wasn't going to let herself lose that unique skill. As pointless as some might have found it, it was an incredibly useful skill to have, particularly when a pack of Hyenas or a very angry feline was snapping at your heels. If they were about to catch her she just flew through the air, performed one of her most fabulous tricks and struck a pose - they were always completely mesmerised.
Not really.
Nine out of ten times they were surprised and did come to a brief halt but there was no way in hell that she would stay around to see it. Surprise 'attacks' made for the perfect getaway and if a somersault was what achieved such responses then she wasn't going to object.
Alas there were no immediate threats around today and given she had been fed and watered earlier this morning, she had no other immediate plans. All things considered, she'd found ample shade between the tree and the two boulders so she saw no real reason to move. On the contrary, she was going to stay put and practice some more of her acrobatics - if it got to warm she'd sit in the shade.
Good plan.
She liked this plan.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:54 pm
 Cier sat down on his hunches and brought a paw up to scratch his ear. It was hot, hot, hot...with a capital H. He hated this kind of heat, it made his head hurt and his fur itch. Seriously, if it wasn't that he'd drawn the so called 'short' straw and landed with this patrol into the low lands he'd be back up in the mountains playing with his twins.
However, short straw he had drawn and here he was boiling in his pelt while he checked the area that bordered the trails that lead to the pack's new home. Blowing air out his teeth, he squinted and took a look around. Surely there was shade somewhere in this gods forsaken place, a spot he could wait out the afternoon heat before continuing with his duty.
Squinting, he thought he saw a darker area between two large boulders that could be a tree...with some serious imagination. Lucky for him, Cier had that in spades. Giving himself one more good scratch, he hopped up onto his paws and began to trot toward the smudge, humming as he went in the vain hope to keep from thinking about how bloody HOT it was.
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Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:53 am
Clearly Cier wasn't accustomed to the warmth; by Kimaji's standards the weather was rather pleasant. In fact, there was a good chance she would probably find where he lived to be incredibly cold. Ah, but that was simply the way things worked, wasn't it? He was more than entitled to complain openly about his discomfort even if it did put him at risk of being advised to go to colder climates - stating the obvious as it were. Fortunately for the approaching male, Kimaji was generally too preoccupied to spot the obvious, let alone advise upon it.
The female had continued with her acrobatic, scarcely pausing each time she landed on the boulders. She hopped from one, swung round and then bounced to the previous. It was a constant loop, rinse and repeat, all intended to ensure she had completely mastered her approach and finish. She may not have given very much concern to anything important but she did take her acrobatics very important - besides it was fun and she would never pass up on that sort of thing. Unsurprisingly she continued to bounce around for longer than most would have regarded safe, particularly when there were indications that another was approaching her immediate vicinity.
In fact, it was only when the humming became much louder and was accompanied by the dull thump of paws on dry ground that her ears perked and she came to an abrupt halt. Decidedly curious, she sat herself comfortably on the boulder and turned her gaze in the general direction of the sound, aware of the approaching form of what could either have been a hyena or a wild dog from this distance - oooh, how curious! Her tail began to wag pre-emptively, an indication of the curiosity she might have felt but she was comfortable here and he was already moving, so she didn't really have any reason to move, did she?
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 7:46 am
Cier's nose caught scent of another canine, and since it didn't have the pungent order of carrion, it was more than likely another wild dog. Giving the breeze a few good swift sniffs, he figured it was female as well. Huh, interesting. Unlike the Knights of his pack, Cier was a scout. This meant he had a duty to seek out information along the borders and outlands of his pack's territory. This meant he needed information, and rouge animals provided good information....if they were friendly. If they weren't...well that was information as well...but not the kind he preferred to gather.
A conversation was MUCH more pleasant than a swift get-away-jog, and in this HEAT, certainly more preferable.
Putting on his best, hey-I am-harmless-grin and tail wag, he trotted up to the boulders and was rewarded with two very happy things. A: there was shade in this god forsaken place, and B: it was a wild dog female he had smelled.
" Afternoon!" he called out as he squeezed himself into the most on obtrusive bit of shade he could, " hope I am not interrupting anything important, but I was hoping to share this bit of shade and maybe some conversation." He sat down on is hunches, tail still wagging in the dirt.
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 4:38 pm
No way!
Kimaji's manners left her as her jaw dropped in surprise. It was a wild dog, a real, living and breathing dog just like her. Given that the young female hadn't laid eyes upon one like her in many years, his entire existence was proving to be a little bit of a novelty. If he had expected any form of viciousness he would be in for mild surprise as the female's tail appeared to thump even harder when she realised who and what he was. Fortunately for Cier, Kimaji did have some semblance of intelligence and as excited as she might have been she didn't speak imeediately - alas if she had he wouldn't have stood a chance of understanding whatever gibberish came out of her mouth.
Instead, she took a few moments to observe him and did note that his coat was much thicker than her own. That might explain why he was panting in such a manner, and perhaps why he was so desperate for shade as well! Really it wasn't that warm in Kimaji's opinion but as a naive female and very limited travel under her belt she wasn't entitled to such a remark.
"Ohnoit'sabsolutely -" she caught herself, took a breath and started again. "No, no, it's absolutely fine," she ammended, making sure to slow down and place a reasonable pause between each word. "Nothing important, just morning practices," she added as though she felt that an explanation was necessary. Satisfied that she had explained this thoroughly (even if she hadn't), she regarded him with a touch more curiosity than was probably polite.
"Who are you?"
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 2:54 pm
Cier gave her a few more wags of his tail and then bowed low, sweeping his front paw along the ground, " I am Cier, mate to Dame Kayla, loyal servant of the Mountain and the Sky, and Ranger to the Juu'Kilele. It is my pleasure to not only meet your acquaintance, but to share this small slice of paradise called shade."
The older male sat back down and took a breath, letting himself pant a little in order to cool down. He missed the mountain, his pups, and his adored mate, but he had a duty to do and do it he would.
" Practice, that beautiful display of aerial finesse was mere practice? I am duly impressed fair lass, duly impressed." Cier nodded firmly, his tone and expression clearly not mocking, but full of simple admiration.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 5:02 am
That was one long name, Kimaji could think of no other way to describe it. It was a total mouthful and she had to wonder if greetings where he came from took a few hours before anything practical ever got done. It hadn't dawned on her that some of these introductory names might be titles and ranks to describe himself more thoroughly. Alas, she did pick up on the 'mountain' bit and applauded herself mentally for her accurate observations - he had a fat coat because he lived much higher up than she did, thus his panting was completely warranted and accepted.
"I think I'll just call you Cier," she said after a few moments of consideration. "I'll never remember that full spiel of names," she tilted her head to the side, coiling her tail around her forepaws as she regarded him. "Must take you guys forever to get anything done where you live if you have to say hello to everyone like that. I wouldn't enjoy official ceremonies at all," she lifted a brow and then her expression became a touch impish. "I'd just fall asleep," she confessed and she wasn't lying in this in the slightest, had she been a human, she would have been the sort to fall asleep in the back of the church.
This aside, she pressed on to his other remark.
"Oh, I practice every day but jumping from one rock to another isn't the only thing I can do, these two just make good spots to practice because of the distance between the two," she explained with a small nod. "A real display is usually whenever something is trying to eat me," she sighed mournfully.
"Hungry lions just don't appreciate my performances..."
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:53 pm
The young pup's assumption that all greetings in his back were so long made Cier chuckle and shake his head, " No, we have much simpler greetings for those who are pack, but as you were a stranger mere minutes ago I greeted you with respect, letting you know exactly who I am so you would not have a need to guess."
He tilted his head to the side, listen to her explanation of her acrobatic ability and found himself very intrigued and amused by the young female. She'd be rather fun to spend time with he was sure, if anything it certainly would not be dull!
" Ah, well, when one is about to become lunch one's prowess usually peeks. I know I have pulled off a feat or two when being chased." The Ranger paused for a moment, " Do tell, are their many rogue lions or prides in this area?"
While he was enjoying just cooling off and her quirky company, he still had a task to attend to and being able to garner a little information from the female would kill two birds with on snap.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:46 pm
Rogue lions.
Rogue Hyenas.
Had she seen either of these two in recent days? The wild dog had to think back and the beat of her tail cease for a moment as she dwelled on his query. To her knowledge, she hadn't encountered any of them as of late but that didn't mean they weren't there. She'd made such a mistake before and had been forced to run for her life when a number of hyenas sprang up beside her. Suffice to say, she hadn't appreciated the sentiment at all but she had learnt her lesson that evening.
"Well," she began slowly and shook her head. "To my knowledge I haven't seen any lions or hyenas lately," she replied. She paused, allowing this tidbit of information to settle in and then furrowed her brow. "But the last time I said that, they sprang up during the night so even if I haven't smelt any of them in a few days, I wouldn't say they weren't about..." she shrugged loosely, assuming that this would be a reasonable level of clarity for Cier.
"I'd like to think there weren't though, they can be very grumpy."
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:32 pm
Cier's tongue lolled out in a canine laugh, truly enjoying the female's company, she really was very amusing, his mate would love her company, and the twins would probably engage her in all kinds of pup games.
" Yes, well hyenas have no sense of humor despite their perchance for laughter. I shall have to trust your observation however M'lady and report this sector free of any lingering ner-do-wells to my Queen."
He paused for a moment, seeming to consider something. " You know, if you have naught else to do for the next few days, you might consider joining myself. I am bound home, up the mountain. I would be pleased to offer you the hospitality of my den and pack. My mate, Dame Kyla,I think would be very pleased to meet you, and the twins would be over joyed. Think about it, food, frivolity, and friendship." The Ranger grinned, his tone inviting.
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 2:14 pm
What he had said had made absolutely no sense to the wild dog - in fact, he had used such bizarre language that she was left momentarily confused and for one of the rare moments in her life, she had nothing to say. It took her a while to work through the various words he had used, replacing them with ones she thought were logical until she had worked out, roughly, what in the world he had said. Well, it was a start and she was quite proud of herself in terms of the progress she had made, but it was best not to dwell on it overly much - afterall, silence could be construed as rude if it was prolonged, right?
"They sound more like they're having breathing difficulties when they laugh," she conceded after a few minutes. Ironically, she had no idea that this was exactly how all creatures laughed, but without exposure to science she would never know. That being said, Hyenas were the only creatures she met who sounded like they were having an asthma attack the second they opened their mouths. If they hadn't been a risk to her own health she might have encouraged them to get it checked out - maybe take a few herbs, find a makeshift inhaler...
Nevertheless, with the hyena topic cast to one side, she did cant her head a touch to the left and gave a twitch of her ears. From what she had gathered, he was returning home but he'd also provided her with an invitation. She'd always been acutely aware that she should avoid pridal or pack lands for her own safety, but if it was an offer then surely it wasn't as dangerous? Her tail gave a wag, her curiosity piqued at the prospect of poking her nose into an unknown land...that and she could meet even more dogs.
"Well, if I wouldn't impose..." she murmured gently and offered a smile. "It might be nice to see a new place."
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