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 Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 5:25 pm
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The hours had ticked just past midday, but the sun only warmed Fetti's thin fur. The gods had blessed her this day as the sand felt hot against her pawpads, but the wind was cool, pleasantly rustling her whiskers and carrying the scents of all living beasts. Surely her own was trailing some distance down the path she had traveled.
Her limbs had begun to "itch" again, though it was more of a dull ache-- a longing that drove her to move across the plains in search of something unknown. Not food, not water, not shelter-- all those needs satisfied much earlier near the dawn.
Her ear flicked, glancing around at her surroundings, many of the animals within view were laying down. Basking in the warmth of the sun and napping off whatever adventures the morning had given them. Her slow gait continued, casually giving a small sniff as she took her next step. A small smile curled on her lips, the tip of her tail twitching in excitement. There was another nearby, she could smell him before she could see him. Fetti was curious to see if she would be met with apprehension and territorial aggression or welcomed into the males turf.
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Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 5:54 pm
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It was a surprisingly cool day, much to Hila's delight. Africa was incredibly hot most of the time, but when a breeze picked up like today, it made for an incredible bit of weather that was quite rare to find without storms blowing in. He tossed his head back to let his cowl slide off his head, no longer needing the shade. He closed his eyes and tilted his head up into the wind, letting the breeze card through his fur and make his eyes water just a bit, even though his lids were down.
A grin spread over his maw as he stood still, taking in the beauty of the day. His tail curled behind him as he strolled, bobbing back and forth with his gait. Hila had recently taken up residence in a pride for the time being and, while he enjoyed it, he had no intent to stay. He was too much of a free spirit, preferring the option to roam where he pleased, see new things, meet new friends, and run away from new enemies. Life in a pride got too predictable and boring, even thought lots of nice females usually hung around in them.
The breeze changed just a bit and his ear turned in the direction of a rather interesting scent. A female, and his species. Turning his golden gaze to the west, he spotted her walking in his direction. A predatory grin replaced his carefree one, and he lowered his head just a bit before heading in her direction. A new face, and it was pretty from what he could see.
"Good afternoon," he called out once he was within earshot. "What an absolutely gorgeous day this is, and it just got better."
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Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 6:47 pm
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When his words were returned with just as much enthusiasm, Hila knew he was in for a treat. Usually with females he found himself doing all the 'work', and they sat there bashfully and denied everything he said. Once in a while he'd find the female that adored being adored and would preen and ask for more. But it was very, very rare to find someone who would toss his lines back at him with a twist.
Hila chuckled quietly as he came to a stop, letting the female come closer to him rather than the other way around. He bowed his head graciously accepting the compliment, glancing up through half-lidded eyes. "A cheetah after my own heart. Tell me, dear, what is your name? I am called Hila,' he added, supplying his own for her. It would be rude to know hers and have her waiting in the dark. In some cases it was more polite for the gentlecat to go first, rather than the lady.
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Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:11 pm
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Exploring was the highlight of Fetti's life, but no land was worth seeing if it didn't have some new attractions to explore. She couldn't hide the smirk as he stood still, allowing her to draw close and get a curious sniff of the fabric wrapped around his neck. Fabric held quite a good deal of scent, and scent told a story. At least the beginning of one. She was a little surprised to catch the hint of some fellow felines, curiosity piqued as to why a fellow cheetah would be denning with a pride.
She sat back then, tail curling around her flank, finding one paw curling into the ground beneath her in spire of herself. A nervous tick ever cat carried from their first suckle, the curse of kneading when presented with something so pleasing. "Fetti." She chimed cooly, seeming quite pleased by his gentlemanly nature. As for her own proper cat etiquette she'd be sure to allow him to take note of her own scent, which held a rather bland story of her own. She'd been on her own, recently fed and had spent her night far from where they now stood.
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Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 11:19 am
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Hila let the female lean in to sniff him to get a better sense of who he was and where he'd been, and he noticed she too particular interest in his hood. Fabric was hard to come by, let alone something that was made to fit a specific creature, and he was quite proud of it even if it wasn't as fancy as some of the other things he'd seen others wearing. Still, it served his purpose and blended with his pelt nicely, not drawing too much attention to himself.
As she gave her name, Hila bobbed his head in gratitude. "Fetti. A charming name for a charming lady," he said with a little wink. He took a delicate, nearly not noticeable sniff of the air as the breeze blew her scent towards him, and he got a nice story of her past few days. She seemed to be a loner, a rouge, which he himself still identified as even though he had been living in a pride for the past few weeks.
"It's wonderful to meet you, my dear. What brings you to this area?" Perhaps there were other things to see that he had not yet had the chance to, having been waylaid by a midsummer dance and a pretty cheetah. Here was another, though, and perhaps now was his time to move on once again.
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Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:13 pm
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Such a rare thing to find, yet alone utilize in such a way. It matched him nicely, and though he had brought his hood down in light of the blessed day, she suspected there was a bit of functionality to that fashion. It was a little impressive, wasn't it? It suggested some form of unseen intelligence. Her fellow cheetah was quite the talker, too... She smiled to hear speak again, tipping her chin up in light of such sugar coated words. There was no harm in taking a compliment. Dismissive humility wasn't in her nature, though she didn't seem to grow prideful or boastful in light of it.
She gave a soft chuckle, rising to her paws once again and turning her back to the stranger. Her tail lightly brushed under his chin, before it was gone and she was walking away-- suggesting to follow. "I'm stricken with the desire to migrate, but unlike the birds I am clueless as to where my journey will lead me... I know what I wish to see, but I know not where it lies." She trailed off, pausing to glance over her shoulder with a small smile to see if she was followed. "I wouldn't object to a traveling companion. Unless you have something that tethers to this place?" If she was right about this male perhaps he was like her, eager to follow the beck and call of the wanderlust.
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Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:44 pm
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The male watched as Fetti stood and turned, and was quite amused to feel her tail tickle his chin before she sauntered off at a slow and inviting pace. He got to his feet as well and caught up with a few quick steps, falling in beside her so they could talk while walking. Their pace was certainly slow and languid, in no rush whatsoever, so he had no qualms with walking like this for a while if he intended to return to the pride.
"Ah, I know that well," he said with a little sigh, gazing out to the horizon. "The things you find in one place of the world might be wonderful, but if you haven't been everywhere, how can you tell that you've seen all there is to see?" Curious, he turned his gaze to her once more, a brow raised. "Oh? And what is it that you seek?"
The question in return made him scoff just a bit, waving a paw in dismissal. "Nothing tethers me to any place, my dear, only my feet to the ground. No, I've been staying with a pride not far from here for a bit, under the impression that it was a party, full of fun and games, but a rather horrible storm hit them just when I arrived and they're still in clean up mode. Very tragic, lives were lost and such, but picking up after a mess is not really my idea of fun. I've been with them long enough," he finished, offering her another grin.
"And now that there's someone to walk with, I certainly wouldn't mind parting ways with them. Very nice, the lot, but pride life has never been for me. Not a permanent thing, at least."
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Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:29 pm
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A slow and easy pace was more than welcome. She had learned long ago to pace herself for these journeys, and take advantage of the good hours when they came. Her tail bobbed with each step, and she kept her gaze forward. Always looking ahead, that motto had lent her well for some time now.
She smiled as her company put those feelings into such eloquent words. "Truer words are rarely spoken. The world teases us, it gives us hints of perfection, and changes with the seasons and the whims of the gods. Always left to wonder, is there something better than this...?"
"Ah, that much is easy... I hope to cross paths with one of the great herds. Giraffes or elephants, even the wildebeest or the zebra. I want to watch them move as one giant mind... I doubt I'd be able to hunt them myself, ah no that would be foolish to even try-- so I'm content just to watch for a while. Though perhaps, if I'm blessed with the energy to spare, I would like to run with them just once."
Her eyes returned to him, chuckling at that almost expected dismissal. Already they could tell a kindred soul, couldn't they? She, herself, would have said nothing less in response to such a suggestion. He gave a nod of sympathy to hear of the pride's misfortune. "A shame." she added softly. "I'm not sure how much entertainment I'll provide." She half-teased, chuckling a little. "I'm not exactly a festival, even if my spots are... I suppose that lends to my next question," her tone piqued in curiosity, "What would you like to see?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:40 am
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Ah...the herds. Hila nodded slightly, knowing exactly what she was talking about. He had seen some large herds in the past, but never any more than a hundred or so, and some grew to double that size or more. It was not something he ever wished to seek out, but if he saw it he certainly wouldn't turn his nose up at it.
"So far you're doing a fine job," he said in return, moving around a rock to walk a bit closer to Fetti. "What would I like to see..." He twitched his whiskers in thought, ears twisting this way and that as if showing the gears turning in his mind. "Ah...well, I'm not sure, to be honest. I've seen quite a bit, and there's more to see...great mountains and deep valleys, huge bodies of water that are salty to the taste and have great waves crashing on the shore all the time...there's too much to know by name, but I want to see it all."
He glanced at Fetti as he bumped his shoulder against hers, an amused look on his face. "Large herds included."
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 12:02 am
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[[ Sorry about the delay! Finals this week and a plane trip on wens! Speaking of which if you'd like to finish before I go we can guide this towards a TBC x:]]
Fetti took a moment to revel in the glory of the day and her cheeky new companion. Not only was he easy on the eyes and the ears, but having a hunting companion was a matter of life or death. Alone she would be lucky to keep herself fed in a stable location, on the move it was risky... but with someone else to help take down prey, perhaps even larger ones... She licked her lips swiftly at just the thought of a warm, juicy bite of that thick zebra flank... the last time she'd had that it had been her coming of age trial, a group hunt with her siblings and mother.
She stayed close as he came, giving a heavy sigh of nostalgia, letting her eyes fall shut as she recalled some of those places he described. An unspoken beauty... You had to see it, experience it to know it. Words were pretty but they couldn't amount to such places... the scents were the only things that held any value, and they faded by the time you were far enough to need to share it.
When her shoulder was bumped she couldn't help but grin, leaning in to bump him back. "Well then I promise, Hila, that we'll both see something new. I can't say what though," she chuckled, giving him a playful glance. "But once we see it I'm sure many grand, glorious words will just spill from our lips!" she giggled at her own over-dramatic presentation, making a playful hop over the next rock in her path. It was easy to step over, but far more fun to pop and prance.
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:43 pm
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The return bump made Hila's eyes gleam with delight and he ducked his head to let his cowl fall over his eyes. Now that they were moving he wanted to keep his head cool so he wouldn't get overheated too quickly. Even with the wind, he was cautious.
"I'll hold you to that promise, my dear," he said with a grin, curling his tail in delight. As she hopped over the rock he chuckled and did the same, landing lightly on the other side of a decently sized stick that had been dragged there by one creature or another. He wasn't sure how long he'd travel with Fetti, but he did know that the time he spent with her would be enjoyable.
"Hopefully our feet will lead us somewhere incredibly exciting and new," he added, turning his gaze back to the horizon. Who knew what lay just beyond where the sun set each night?
FIN
Cuddlycuttlefish We can totally do another one to follow up with this one if you want! I think this post wrapped it up - you're over the 1000 word requirement so you're good, I checked X3 Whenever you're free, if you want to start another one, they can have a little adventure that we can plot out through PM or in one of our plot threads if you'd like.
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