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 Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 9:51 am
 One of the greatest things about being young was the fact that you didn't even have any jobs to do! Which was why instead of doing busy adult-things, like hunting and fighting, Tala was plodding around in mud, trying to make amusing prints with her paws. She walked in circles and zigzagged about, unperturbed by how dirty she was getting herself, and seemingly inconsiderate of the fact that later her mother, or father, would have to clean her.
The mud was near the watering hole, and it seemed safe enough, because if she got herself stuck or in trouble she could probably just yell until someone came to save her. Tala hated being saved, but understood that it was occasionally necessary.
Oh, but she probably wouldn't need it! "Why don't you come play?" She asked loudly to a patch of grass a few feet away, and the snake hidden within it. The reptilian didn't seem to bother to reply, which made the red cub look rather silly, just talking to grass like that. Tala, of course, didn't know this, and continued to stare, hopeful for an answer.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:57 am
Matumaini watched from a different patch of grass as his sister made a mess of herself mucking about in the mud. He didn't do that much on account of his coat being white and there being a big production about bathing if he got muddy, but that didn't mean he didn't want to join in. It also didn't mean he didn't think Tala was being a little silly in talking to a patch of grass.
"Er...Tala? I'm over here. And you know why I'm not coming in. I'd get all muddy and then I'd have to get another bath."
"It's really not fair at all," he grumbled in a huff. "I could've been any other color, but no. I had to be white."
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:02 am
The red cub turned to look at her brother, confused. She supposed the question applied to him too, but she had actually forgotten he was nearby! Maybe Tezcacoatl had thought the same as her brother, and that's why he didn't reply. "Aww, but baths aren't too bad." She didn't mind receiving them, too much. Even if they could be a little time consuming.
"And it's worth it!" She affirmed, flopping a paw down in the mud for emphasis. She looked again at the seemingly empty patch of grass. "How about you?" Her brother's excuse was his fur color, but the snake was already brown, anyways. He had no excuse!
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:44 am
"Huh! You only say that because you don't have to get one two or three times a day," Matu replied grumpily.
He looked longingly at the mud. Maybe he could provoke her into throwing mud at him or something. Then he could play in the mud and the muddiness wouldn't be his fault. At least not initially. That would be a fair excuse, wouldn't it?
"You sound kind of dumb talking to the grass like that. It's not going to answer back, you know. Grass doesn't talk." He laughed, completely unaware that his sister was actually talking to her serpentine companion. He tended to forget about Tezcacoatl most of the time.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 12:14 pm
Hmph, Matu was being dramatic. She probably got just as many baths as he did. Well, okay, maybe his fur did make their parents more keen on frequent baths, but... it wasn't like he got too many more, did he?
Tala scowled. "I know grass doesn't talk. That would be dumb. I'm talking to Tezcacoatl." She didn't like her brother calling her dumb for no reason, wasn't it obvious? At the mention of his name, the snake himself finally decided to make an appearance, raising his head up above the grass. His forked tongue slipped out, and he regarded the white cub briefly before turning his head to the red one.
"Snakes don't play in mud, Tala." He finally explained, then settled back down in the grass. Let the siblings work things out.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 12:24 pm
"Uh huh," Matu said, rolling his eyes dramatically. Tala thought he was being dramatic? She hadn't seen anything yet.
Unfortunately, Tezcacoatl had to choose that moment to put in an appearance and ruin that potential argument. How was he ever going to get her to fling mud at him if the universe wouldn't go along with his plans?
"Oh, hi," he said to the brown snake. He couldn't easily pronounce Tezcacoatl's name, and so he tried to avoid saying it. Then he grinned when he realized the snake had given him another avenue of argument.
"Yeah, really, Tala. How dumb do you have to be not to know that?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 12:42 pm
Tala shrugged at the snake as he settled back down in the grass. His loss, silly snake. Not knowing how to have fun! She could probably get him to play if she insisted, but she didn't really want to. She had more... pressing matters.
"I'm not dumb." She said, strangely calm. Tala wasn't about to let herself get all upset because her brother called her dumb. "You are very rude, though." Because that seemed like a very grown up insult. No name-calling! She could be the bigger lion. So she promptly continued to enjoy herself in the mud, now trying to see how big a hill she could make. Let Matu be there, all... not fun. And trying to insult her.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:51 am
Matu ground his teeth at his sister's refusal to take offense. What was wrong with her? Wasn't she a proper lioness with pride and honor and all? He'd just called her dumb! If someone had called him dumb, he'd've bounced them all across the pride.
"Oh, yeah?" Matu demanded. "Well you're very...smelly!"
Actually, the mud didn't smell all that bad to Matu. It just smelled like very wet earth. But he had to say something. She'd just called him rude. There was no appropriate way to respond to that except with another insult, this one more cutting so that there wouldn't be further retorts. He was sure he'd win with smelly. Girls hated being called that, right?
"That's why he doesn't want to come near you," Matu added for extra effect, nodding toward the brown snake.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:25 pm
Tala's ears flattened at that, and she made a face, but wasn't really facing Matumaini. What was he trying to do? Why was he being so mean? He resolve was beginning to fail, and the red cub was very tempted to trot right over there and get even, because everyone knew girls were tougher than boys, and she could take him. She did not, however, want to get scolded by her parents, though.
But instead, she took a breath, and looked at the snake in the grass. "Tezcacoatl, is that true?" The snake was her friend, after all. and she had saved his life! Certainly he would side with her.
Honestly, the reptile hardly seemed interested in the discussion. He lazily lifted his head and glanced at the cubs. "Eh, no." He said, before resting his head again, simply enjoying the sun.
Triumphantly, Tala turned back to her brother. "You are rude and a liar!" Because it had kind of been a lie.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:38 am
Matu looked over to see what the snake had to say in response to Tala's question. He didn't think the snake would take his side, but it had been worth an attempt. Really, he couldn't believe Tala could resist fighting back when he called her smelly. Girls were so weird.
"Whatever," he said, trying not to be bothered by being called a liar. He had been lying, of course, but that didn't mean he liked to have that sort of thing pointed out to him.
Then a stroke of genius came to him and he realized that Tala had given him a reason to get into the mud. He now had to defend his honor and pride. Quickly he suppressed his grin and turned it into a snarl as he leaped from his patch of grass to the mud, barreling toward his red-coated sister.
"You take that back!"
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Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 9:52 am
Oh, wow! Tala hadn't exactly been expecting to get charged at by her brother, considering he was the one who had started with the provocation. Matumaini was very weird! Still, now that he was attacking her, she totally had the excuse to get back at him for all his silly insults, just moments ago!
"Never!" She cried, but remained put as he came at her, gathering mud on one paw. Once he was close enough she lunged forwards to meet him, an extra muddy paw extended to hit him in the face.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 12:10 pm
At the last moment Matu had turned his head so that his sister's muddy slap hit the side of his head instead of his face, but that also meant that it got into his ear. At the wet, slimy feeling going into his ear he exclaimed an articulate, "Mwargh!"
"You're gonna get in so much trouble!" he pointed out gleefully. So was he, particularly when she told their mum he'd started this and called her names, but he wouldn't be alone in getting in trouble at least. He'd make sure of that. It was no fun to be in trouble by himself.
He shook his head, still trying to dislodge the mud from his ear and afraid to rub at it, in case that just pushed it in further. What an icky feeling! The only recourse was retaliation, so he did his best to scoop up a pawful of mud and slap it toward Tala.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 1:23 pm
"So are you!" Tala retorted, rearing up on her hind paws to bad at her brother. She even thought she was doing very well at this, until his own mud-filled paw bumped against her chest. She lost her balance, and would have fallen backwards, but instead overcompensated and just fell forwards towards Matumaini.
It's not like Tala was worried about getting any dirtier! "Besides, you started it!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:49 am
Well, obviously Matu was in trouble. He'd known that from the moment his white fur touched the mud. But he had an excuse now. It was a bad excuse, but he would probably just be scolded for poor judgment. That wasn't so bad.
"Clumsy!" he announced, slipping and scrambling backward to avoid being landed on. His retreat wasn't all that graceful either, but at least he didn't slip or fall. He decided to count that as a victory.
He also decided not to dignify her perfectly accurate accusation that he'd started it with a response. Perhaps if he ignored that fact long enough, it would go away.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:59 am
Well, it wasn't like cubs had the best motor skills, and they were kind of mucking about in mud, so she was quite inpressed with herself for being able to fall on her feet. And mud was slippery! Tala still didn't appreciate being called clumsy, but at this point she was actually having fun, and chased after her brother to continue her vengeance!
It was probably somewhere in that little fight that some mud got flung the wrong way, and landed on Tezcacoatl, who had been essentially ignoring the two and enjoying the sunlight.
... He didn't like that very much. "Alright! Enough!" The snake hissed, raising his head high. "Out of there, both of you!"
Tala blinked, and glanced back at the snake. Eep, he was standing up even taller than they were! "Matu, run!" She laughed a bit as she said it, practically scrambling over her brother to the other side of the mud, away from the snake.
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