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 Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:30 pm
Running as fast as she could, Popo darted through the tall grass, avoiding each obstacle as she came upon it. No matter how far she would run each day, she never felt tired; in fact, she always felt like she was spilling over with energy. It had always been that way, even when she was with her brother. They were the best duo, running around and saving everyone who needed to be saved.
Well, not everyone actually wanted their help. And Popo found that she had been pushed away far more times since she'd been on her own than when she was with her brother. Maybe she was a little pushier, but she didn't really care.
Hopping up on a rock, she peered out at the area around her, pink eyes squinted in the sun. Just off a little ways, she could see a small herd of antelope. For her, that was too much to handle, for food purposes or otherwise. But she kept scanning, hoping to find someone to save today.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:24 pm
Laying on her side, Njozi had her eyes open like slits. It was odd for her to be awake at this time, when the sun seemed like it was at its highest point in the sky. But, she had somehow been awoken by something. It could have just been the wind pushing a blade of grass against her nose, or maybe there had been another animal passing by that had caused her to stir. Whatever the reason was, she was awake now, albeit barely so. But she wasn't confident that she'd be able to fall back asleep, and, after realizing that she had somehow fallen asleep right out in the open, thought it'd probably be best to find a new place to sleep until evening.
Rolling her head over, she let out a yawn, eyeing her surroundings for a moment. She wasn't really in immediate danger, so she didn't feel like rushing to find a new place to rest. She was still so exhausted, and she had little motivation to get up. Well, there was the fact that she hadn't gone back to her two companions this morning to sleep; they were probably worried sick about her. After all, she was the only reason they were out here at all.
Lifting her head slowly, she felt all of her energy seep away from her, and just flopped right back to where she started. They could wait a little, right?
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:05 pm
Taking in a sharp breath, Popo had just about given up for the day. At least, in this area. For the longest time, it didn’t seem like anything around was in need; in fact, there was hardly anything around, really. But, just as she was about to give up, her golden eyes spotted a blue figure off in the grass. She stared long and hard at it, so as to not go rushing off just willy-nilly. As she looked closer at it, it really seemed like it needed her help; it was one its side, and it didn’t seem like it could get up.
This was perfect!
Well, maybe not for them, but soon they’d have her help! Jumping from the rock she had been perched upon, her heart started racing, and her feet soon followed as she zoomed towards the blue figure in the grass, hoping that she could be of some assistance to them.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:07 pm
Stretching her paws out, Njozi had finally decided that she should probably get up and start to head on her way. She had laid around enough for now, and she really wasn’t all that comfortable being out in the open like this by herself. That, and she really missed Vayu and Mzuka. It was about time that they make a final decision on where to head now, and she really should be there for it. They had just been going wherever their paws took them so far, but she knew that they’d all want to find a new home soon.
Taking in a breath, she rolled over, coming to her paws. She slowly raised herself, gently shaking any dirt from her pelt. She was a little creaky, but it was to be expected after just sleeping out on the flat ground like that. Plus, she wasn’t used to taking on that much sun.
As she lifted her head, he blue eyes found themselves staring straight at a small black figure directly in front of her. She was taken aback, having not noticed it come towards her, but not entirely frightened, as it was just a ratel; something she knew she could out-run if needed.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:13 pm
Coming in close, Popo was a little surprised to see the blue figure start to move as she got closer to it. She stopped, just feet away from it, and watched it slowly come up to its own paws. She held her breath, a little unsure of what to do now.
“I…are you alright?” She bounced a little as she spoke, turning her head up to look at the cheetah that stood above her. She hadn’t anticipated something quite this…large, or something that, now that she looked at them, didn’t seem to need her help after all.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:14 pm
Looking like an antelope staring straight into the jaws of a lion, Njozi moved her tail back and forth behind her, trying to think about what exactly was going on. This little creature seemed…odd, to say the least, slinking around asking people whether they were alright or not. Maybe it was some form of creepy scavenging, since they were such a small little thing.
“I…I’m fine?” Tilting her head to the side a bit, maybe this ratel really was just concerned about her well-being. It would make a bit more sense, since there was little chance that something of its size could take on a cheetah like herself. But the concept of wanting to help out a random stranger was a bit baffling.
“I was just taking a nap out in the sun, but I have somewhere I need to be returning to, so I thought I’d head out.” Finally deciding on what to say, she looked away from the small black creature, feeling a little awkward in this situation.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:21 pm
Biting her bottom lip, Popo could feel her face heat up. Usually, she’d go to the aide of someone in need, and they’d welcome her assistance warmly. It was a pretty straight-forward process, but this was…nowhere close to that. First off, this cheetah didn’t even need her help apparently, which meat that Popo was just an intruding creep.
“Oh…I see.” Looking off a little awkwardly, Popo shuffled her paws back and forth. Aside from helping others, she wasn’t the most social ratel out there; in fact, most others were turned off by her boundless energy, and her constant child-like demeanor. So conversations were usually pretty short, if they happened at all.
“I just…saw you laying in the grass, and thought that there might be something wrong.” Trying to justify her coming all the way over here, she didn’t want this cheetah to think that she was completely crazy. “Better safe than sorry, I always say.” Puffing her chest out a little, she looked up at the female, a wide grin on her face.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:32 pm
Shifting her weight, Njozi felt little reason to stick around; this conversation was going absolutely nowhere, and she hadn’t really even wanted to talk to anyone in the first place.
“Well, um…thank you for your concern, I guess.” Giving the small female a smile, she didn’t seem like she meant any ill-will. She just misread the situation, and that was that. There really wasn’t anything more that the two had to say to each other.
“Your kindness will surely help someone, though, even though this just happened to be a different situation. I’m happy to see someone like you out here, though.” And that was the truth. Njozi, being a former High Priestess, had always tried to promote helping others and general good-will, and this was just fantastic.
But, her mood was slipping rather quickly, and she didn’t feel like keeping up this persona for too much longer; even the most good-willed of cheetahs needed a little break from it, especially when in the mindset that Njozi was in.
“But, I’m afraid I must be going; I have some friends waiting for me, you see, and I don’t wish to keep them.”
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:40 pm
Backing up a few steps, Popo knew that it was time to head their separate ways. Though the encounter itself had only lasted a few moments, it was still pretty nice to at least talk to someone. All this running around meant that she didn’t really interact with others all that much, and as anti-social as she could be, she still enjoyed the occasional contact.
“Well, thank you very much. I’ll keep on it, don’t you worry!” Letting out a small snort, Popo felt her energy renewed, and she was excited to head back out after this.
“And I don’t want to keep you at all, especially if there’s really no real reason for me to be here anyways.” Giggling a bit, it was a pretty honest statement. Popo didn’t really want to be here too much longer, either, if there was nothing to be done.
“Well then, I will say my goodbyes. Be safe on your journey back!” Bouncing up a little, she turned, she felt the muscles of her legs tense as she started to run on again.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:45 pm
Giving a nod to the small creature, Njozi turned as well as soon as her words were finished. It was kind of a pleasant little detour, and it forced Njozi to wake up a bit more before heading back to meet her companions. She was pretty nervous about what actually awaited her when she returned, but there was no way she could run from it now. The future was something she couldn’t run from – something that she really shouldn’t avoid. Although the pain from leaving her pride was still fairly fresh, it was probably best to do this now, or else risk tearing it open again once she decided to find a new home.
Paws moving slowly at first, she eventually started to run towards her destination.
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