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Mani was lazing under a spindly tree, trying to take any pidly shade that it offered. It was hot today, more so than yesterday, even! Oh, this was not a good day to be dark coloured. Not at all. Even the usual panting hadn't been helping as much as it usually did. It'd be nice if she could find some water, to get a drink. The dark pelted cheetah was starting to get a rather partched throat. That, Mani knew, wasn't a good sign either. Then again, since Mani wasn't exactly a prissy girl, she wouldn't mind rolling around in some mud. The elephants did it, and they seemed to really enjoy it! But then again.. the clumps of mud would get itchy when they dried.

Ardhira'i was experimenting, as she usually was when the sun was up and occassionally when the sun was down. The adolescent leopard slinked gracefully - some of her father's grace, perhaps - across the landscape, though her usual pale brown fur was shrowded with...leaves. They covered her form, making her appear like a walking bush, though they were held there by mud and vines. If she was girlish, she'd be horrified at the mess her fur would be afterwards, but she was curious.

Fact one, she mused to herself, disguising oneself as a bush does not appear to improve hunting. That theory was well and truely ruined when she had tried to hunt and antelope, and was simply laughed at by the herd. Not a good way to start her trials, she noted.

Mani let a long sigh escape her, almost seeming to deflate her. If .. that was even any more possible. She's already felt pretty squished as it was. The humidity was so thick today, it felt like it weighed as much as a Rhino! Thankfully, none were around to sit on her. That..wouldn't have been unpleasant. In a way, the heat made the surrounding scenery rather amusing, as it usually did. Honestly, it looked like everything was dancing and moving. Including that bush over there! Funny bush it was. Seemed like it was moving more than other plants. Mani chalked that up to the tiredness she was experiancing from the heat. ..Or maybe that quietionable impala she took down. Maybe it had eaten something funky.

Ardhira'i wiggled a little, as one of the twigs dug into her side somewhat painfully. Ow, she thought, and stopped, twisting to try and nudge at the twig. "Aah!" She squeaked, when the twig that was covering her face got caught in the twig by her side, resulting in a very awkward position. Well, she mused, trying to pull the twigs apart without completely ruining her disguise, clearly she needed to be more careful. She took a deep, steadying breath, and tried to duck her head low enough to dislodge the joined twigs, but only managed in tearing off part of her diguise, though her head came free of it's captivity.

She huffed, staring at the rip at her rump, revealing brown fur. Eying it for a moment, she wondered if anyone would simply shrug that off as a clump of dirt on the bush? She sighed, probably not.

Mani kept watching the bush, having nothing much else to do. Well, she would work on cooling off but.. her solution would have to wait 'til nightfall. Too hot to try and do anything else. It was rather amusing to watch the moving shrubbery. It even seemed to stop and was.. fighting with itself? That's.. different. Maybe the bush had a split personality? Maybe. Though Mani thought all things had life and certain quirkds to them.. did plants count? Probably. She was far too mentally zapped from the heat to try and have an intelligent conversation with herself. As her purple eyes stayed on the bush, a patch of brown appeared. Well, not only was the bush having trouble with itself but it was also really dirty. Honestly, how did big clumps of dirt get onto a plant? Then again.. maybe it wasn't mud. Perhaps a hippos came through here at some point and went to the bathroom. Yuck. Mani shuddered at the thought. How gross, was that. Weird hippos and their poo flinging stubby tails.

Ardhira'i flopped onto her belly, shaking her head to dislodge a few of the leaves from her face and neck - maybe she could patch up her disguise so she could continue on with her tests? She hoped so. She'd hate to have to give up when she had worked so hard on her coat. Her mother would be very amused when she found out what she was doing, though she was more curious what her father would think. That's why she wanted to test if this worked, before her family found out, so she'd have conclusive evidence to tell her father and impress him with her knowledge. It was perhaps the most focused that Ardhira'i had ever been on a project, which was why when the flickering of a nearby bug caught her attention.

Completely disregarding her former plan to fix her disguise, she stared at the little bug that seemed to hum as it hovered above a dried plant. Ooooh! It was a beatle, she noted, and peered at him, trying hard not to move so as not to disturb it. Almost without her notice, her tail began to flick, dislodging twigs and leaves from her rump.

Oh, now it appears to be shedding? That..was slightly confusing. It's not like the bush is all dried up or anything so.. why? Hm, there had to be an explanation of some sort. Perhaps it wasn't really a bush then? Mani mentally gasped at the thought, but then de ided that it was just a bush. It was silly to think otherwise. Believing that she was delierious was a far more logical explanation than anything else. Yes, that had to be it. It's just a bush. Nothing would be silly enough to disquising oneself as a bush. Right? Right.

Ardhira'i wiggled along the ground towards the bug, unaware of the watchful cheetah nearby. If she knew, she'd likely have been thrilled that someone had seriously thought she was actually a bush. The bug was fluttering nearby and Ardhira'i narrowed her gaze. She was so close! What to do now? Hmmm. Her eyes lit up, and she opened her jaw. She wiggled that last bit closer, pleased when the bug didn't move away. She snapped her jaws shut around the bug, wincing at the feeling of it fluttering around trying desperately to get out. She had no desire to eat it, but if she got it back home, she could study it more closely. She grinned, pleased. She bounced back to her feet, more leaves falling away.

Mani was starting to drift off now, from the heat and her tummy still doing it's digestive job. She had watched as the bush seemingly wiggled over to some bugg on the ground. Or atleast.. it look like one. Oh no, wait. Yeah, that was a bug. One of those big beetle things, from the looks of it. Maybe. Then again that might've been the tiredness creeping up on her. That would be a good enough explanation as it seemed that the shrubbery had somehow seemed to swallow the bug. Mani's ears twitched slightly, hearing some sort of frantic buzzing from the insect. Poor thing sounded trapped. Probably one of those freaky huge spider webs that it was trapped in. Hopefully it would be freed before the insect would meet it's fate. A loud yawn escaped from Mani and slowly succumbed to sleep. What an interesting day this had been. This'll make a nice story, her mind mused.

Ardhira'i bounced on the pads of her paws, pleased that her excursion had not been a complete waste of her time. She might have failed in pretending to be a bush - her failed hunting trip was proof of that - but she had found a new bug to examine. It wasn't the most exciting thing she had ever found, but at least she wouldn't be returning to her father with empty paws. Now she just had to move quickly before the bug tried to fly down her throat or something equally gross. Ardhira'i began to scuttle away, completely unaware of the odd sight of the patchy bush bounding down the savannah, a wide grin showing between the leaves gathered at her face.