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 Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:58 pm
 Sumai was sprawled on a tree branch that he had been sleeping in. His green eyes were closed, shielding them away from the brilliance of the sun. The birds were chirping loudly as per usual, and all life in the lands were up and going on about their days. In reality, it was a very nice day, however, the only sound that he heard was the sound of his own stomach growling at him. He needed to find food fast or he was certain that he would perish where he lay right in this tree.
Simple enough, right? Well, nothing was ever really that simple for Sumai. Finally, he slide off of his branch and climbed down the tree. Walking aimlessly, he searching for something easy that he could eat. An encounter with a particularly unhappy wild dog had left him less than at his best shall we say. Sighing at the thought, he continued on his search. He was hoping that he could find the remains of someone else' kill. It wasn't hard and he'd done it plenty of times before, so why not?
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:38 pm
 Kana was currently nearby and rather... busy. He hadn't eaten in a while but he’d managed to catch a nice full grown gazelle. Usually this meal would last for several days but the cheetah had chased the preybeast into an open grassland and unfortunately, it was very hard to hunt while being discreet. The outcome was obvious. Kana was exhausted as he lay panting next to his kill, too tired to carry it all the way to a hiding spot and even too tired to start eating it. The vultures were already circling above and Kana knew that it wouldn’t be long until a group of scavengers or thieves arrived to steal his prize.
Taking a deep breath, the cheetah threw himself at the gazelle and proceeded to eat as much as quickly as he could, stopping only to occasionally snarl at the bravest vultures who had already landed and were closing the distance between themselves and the gazelle.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:56 am
Sumai gradually slunk through the wooded area, still completely silent even with his minor cuts and scrapes. His stomach was rapidly letting him know that if he didn't find food soon, that he would be in even worse shape than he was now. So, Sumai pushed on through the trees searching and searching.
He'd found a hare, but once he had started to run after it, it quickly sprinted from him and dived into a small burrow that laid nearly invisible in the ground. Grumbling to himself, he gave up on the hare and moved on in hopes of finding a better opportunity. Eventually, Sumai hit the edge of the woods and saw the light beaming through the trees from the open field. Thinking that maybe it would be easier to find something to eat in the wide open space, the male slowly crept out of the safety of the forest onto the uncovered land.
Initially, he was anxious to be so exposed, but then his entire train of thought ended abruptly as he spotted the most wonderful sight that he had ever seen. There, a few meters away, a lone cheetah was attempting to wolf down all of the food from his kill and was surrounded by vultures. Sumai made a beeline towards the other. "Hey there, you look like you could use some help with that."
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:49 am
Kana lifted his head, a suspicious expression quickly disappearing when he saw the other cheetah. He looked down at his kill as if he were sizing it up before he gave Sumai a tired but friendly smile.
“Feel free to join me. I could use some help fighting them off before something more dangerous arrives.” With all those vultures hovering above his head, it wouldn’t be long until they had company and two cheetahs seemed far more intimidating than just one. “One of the pests already pecked my tail. I'm Kana, by the way.” Chuckling, he quickly returned to his meal as soon as he'd finished the brief introduction.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:24 pm
Sumai was really only trying his luck, so he was surprised when the other allowed him to share his kill. In his gratitude, he swiped away the scavengers the were nearby, and kept an eye out for the rest. Thrilled at his unbelievable fortune to have found someone who would be willing to share such a catch with him, he enthusiastically said,"Thanks a lot!", before beginning to tear the meat of the gazelle.
All the while he kept his attention partially on the surrounding area, making sure that the unwanted creatures stayed where they were. Even though Sumai was not in peak condition, he had a lot more energy than the cheetah beside him did at the moment. Pausing to look at the other male, he introduced himself, "Well, I'm glad I met you Kana, you're a lifesaver, I thought that I was going to starve today. I'm Sumai."
He went back to the feast before him and ate the hind part as fast a he could before standing to make sure that no one would bother them. His stomach full, Sumai made sure that Kana wasn't disturbed while he ate the rest.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:20 pm
Kana barely stopped eating as Sumai moved closer but he did smirk when the scavengers were forced to back off. When the brown cheetah spoke, Kana spared the other feline a quick glance and noted he was a bit on the thin side which was nothing unusual. He’d been there – as most rogues had. A few hungry days were part of the rogue lifestyle and those who couldn’t take it… well, they joined prides.
“My pleasure. It’s more than I can possibly eat.” He ate quickly but thankfully nothing larger than a serval seemed to be close enough to disturb their meal. It was a great relief to be able to eat in peace. “And better you than them.”
When Kana had eaten as much as it was physically possible, he sat down with a slightly languid look in his eyes. He looked at the remains of the kill and then back at the brown cheetah.
“This place will be swarming with hyenas and wild dogs in no time. Maybe we should leave.” Such a waste though, he thought to himself as he attempted to remove one of the gazelle’s forelegs so that he could take it with him and eat it for later. “Are you travelling alone? Do you want to take anything with you before the scavengers claim the leftovers?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:10 pm
Sumai felt much better and a little stronger since he'd eaten, but he didn't let himself relax just yet. He knew that Kana was right, and that they should get out of there soon before the more fearsome predators began to show up. Although he would have preferred to drag the carcass along with them, they needed to start moving.
"We should,' he said in response, looking around and listening to make sure that they still had time to make an exit before they were bombarded for Kana's kill. Turning to the other male, Sumai answered, "I've been traveling alone most of my life," pausing, he was briefly reminded of why that was before shaking his head and responding to food, "I will!' Reaching toward the remains of the gazelle, Sumai snapped off one particular thick rib that still had a good amount of meat attached to it.
He quickly jerked his head to the side indicating the direction that they should move in. It was the direction that his tree was, and it seemed like a relatively safe place. Making sure that Kana followed him, he set off into the trees and used his memory to weave through the forest and back to his temporary home. Setting down the rib at the base of the tree, he said to Kana, "We should be safe here for a while. Where are you headed? Are you from around here?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:41 pm
Kana nearly fell backwards as he managed to get one of the legs free. It had a decent amount of meat on it and it would definitely make a fine snack the next time he was feeling hungry. He followed the other cheetah without a word not even questioning why he was doing it. They had shared a meal so it just made sense to stick together for a bit. It was always nice to find a friendly feline to talk to, share experiences and cautionary tale. Considering the craziness of some of the prides out there, Ksana appreciated every warning he could get.
“No, just passing through. I’m guessing you’re not from around here.” Kana replied when his mouth was free, looking up at the tree branches with obvious interest. It seemed like a good place to rest. It didn’t take a leopard to climb it and the high ground would allow them a well-earned safety. Though, few creatures would attack two cheetahs just for the sake of it, especially on tree. "I won't be sticking around for long. Not much prey in the area. I was getting pretty hungry, honestly."
“I like sleeping in trees. I’m pretty good at climbing… it’s the going back down part that always gets me.” Kana chuckled, grabbing the gazelle’s leg as he waited for the brown cheetah to go first and claim the first branch. It seemed to be his tree, after all.
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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:53 am
"Nope, I'm not. I only stopped here to sleep, I'm going to keep moving," he said in response,"I was born in a place far from here. I've just been wandering on my on in these lands..." Yes, that was the story of his life in a nutshell. The last time that he lived with someone was when he was still with his family, and that had been a long time ago. Sometimes he condisered finding a place to stay permanently, but he couldn't stop just yet, he had something to do.
"Oh this tree is great to sleep in, the branches can support your weight pretty high up on the tree, high enough so that you'd be fairly safe." Sumai had learned the hard way that the ground was not the place to be when you were sleeping at night. There were all sorts of creatures that only emerged under the moon, some of which where more than happy to bring harm to an unsuspecting cheetah sleeping on the ground.
Grabbing a hold of the rib that he'd brought, Sumai expertly shimmied up the tree on the same branch that he'd slept in the previous night. You could find a good tree most places that you went, something that had undoubtedly kept the cheetah alive. When Kana had come up the tree as well, Sumai smiled at him and relaxed on the branch that he was on. He always met the most interesting people in his travels.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:33 am
“We’re the same then.” Kana said as he followed after the brown cheetah, his voice somewhat muffled as he climbed the tree with the half-eaten gazelle leg. Kana was not suspicious by nature and he felt completely at ease around Sumai even though he didn’t really know him that well. They were safe in a tree with their stomach full and no real rush to go anywhere – at least on his part.
“Perhaps… a little nap is in order.” A full belly always brought a certain amount of drowsiness, after all. And Kana promptly made himself comfortable on one of the branches, placing his next meal by his side, green eyes slowly narrowing into two thin slits. “Before we continue on our journeys.” He let out a rather exuberant yawn before finally closing his eyes and releasing his body to its much deserved rest. - FIN -
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