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 Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 6:31 pm
 It wasn't often Hila stuck around with another feline for this long. Granted, it had only been a few days since he had met Fetti, but she 'just so happened' to be heading in the same direction as he was, so why not travel together? That and she was a wonderful conversationalist, which thrilled him to no end. It was always nice to talk circles around pretty females, but when one could bounce his banter back at him, it held his interest. They were on a mini mission of sorts, to find one of the large herds. Hila was sure they'd happen upon one sooner rather than later, as he'd seen them in this area during his travels. Of course there were signs here and there that they were getting close, but so far they had nothing. There was a small hill in the distance that proved hopeful for hiding a huge herd of zebra, and that's where their paws were heading. "So were you born into the rouge lands, Fetti?" he asked after a bit of a pause in their previous conversation. "Or have you simply grown tired of pride life?" He had been born a rouge and, after trying his paw at a few different prides, decided the life of a wanderer was the one for him. Staying in place for too long got boring.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:07 pm
 The goddess had certainly smiled upon Fetti these days, having met a wonderful traveling companion meant both entertainment and a full belly. She enjoyed the challenge Hila presented her, both in banter and in pace, with swift feet and swift tongues between them. Surely they would be arriving upon a welcomed sight soon, many hoof-prints littered the ground, fresh enough to be undisturbed by water or winds. Their travel was light and relaxed, conversation flowing as merited, and comfortable silence when they paused. "I was born into the rogue lands, I've not yet encountered any prides myself... But it's hard to imagine staying in one place for too long... But perhaps my mind will change when I grow older and my bones begin to ache too much." she chuckled a little, as right now the thought of old age seemed distant and foreign. "But for now they ache if I stay still too long."
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 8:46 pm
Hila gave a little hum as he sidestepped some rather fresh zebra dung, wrinkling his nose as a few flies buzzed in front of his face. Yes, they were definitely drawing close to the herd now. The flies tended to follow them to stay close to the freshest droppings as they could find. As Fetti continued he nodded slightly, glancing at her with a small grin. "Maybe," he agreed. "I've tried out a few prides here and there but...not my thing." He flicked his tail as he glanced ahead again, golden eyes settling on the top of the ridge. "I think, my dear, we may be in luck. If you listen closely you can hear a faint sort of...crunching sound. Hundreds of hooves moving slowly while they graze. I can't imagine we'll be disappointed when we reach the top of the hill." He paused and looked to the brown cheetah once more, a grin forming on his face under his cowl. "Want to race?" They hadn't much way to go, after all. A quick spring to the top and they'd see their prize, they probably wouldn't even reach top speed.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:07 pm
Fetti gave a soft chuckle as she caught Hila dodging a bit of the herd's "evidence", though it was cut short as she abruptly had to side step a very similar pile. If it wasn't for the smell she would have likely stepped directly in it! Very carefully watching the grass under her paws now, her ears perked as she held her breath to listen, a smile creeping its way back onto her lips. Her heart-rate was picking up with excitement. The joy was more about accomplishing a goal rather than seeing the herd itself. Doing what you set your mind to, it could make any feline feel invincible. At the word 'race' that keenly forward ear flicked to the side, her gaze following with a wry grin. She tucked her head down, ears back, as she gave a little wiggle of her rear and an eager twitch of her tail. "3, 2..." an obvious yes "1-- go!" She tore forward, kicking up a bit of well-grazed grass in her flight.
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 6:31 pm
The look on Fetti's face gave Hila his answer. He tossed his head back to free himself of his cowl, not needing that flopping in his face as he ran. He could deal with it flopping around his neck. He had hunted countless times in it now and it had never gotten in his way. Crouching just a bit, as if he were waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting herbivore, he waited for the countdown. Once Fetti said go he launched himself forward, quickly picking up speed. The distance wasn't too far, though, and in a matter of seconds he reached the crest of the hill, neck and neck with Fetti. He slowed to a trot as he laughed, his heart pounding in his chest. "Next time we'll have to race further," he said with a grin, flicking his tail over hers in a friendly gesture. "But for now, my dear, feast your eyes." He motioned with a paw before them. Down the small hill was a vast, shallow valley where the grass was green and well-fed by a river that ran through the center. On both sides of the shallow river were more zebras than any hunter could have wished for. The whole area seemed to be black and white, a confusing but beautiful sight to behold. The zebra herd was huge, and none of them even glanced in their direction, even though they were upwind. There were far too many of them to even attempt an attack. Still, they were not here to gorge their stomachs, but rather Fetti's eyes. This was her dream, after all.
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 6:46 pm
The rush of adrenaline and the force of the wind on her face was intoxicating as always. Having someone to pace yourself against made it all the sweeter, widening her gait and reaching further and harder. Neither knew who won in the end, but that was all the better. Evenly matched meant they were adequate competition for one another. Slowly she looked across the plains, tongue out and panting hard, in spite of that she was left grinning. "I'll race you any day..." She agreed simply, ears forward and eyes dilated as she gazed across the mass of moving stripes, nearly blending into one another and moving as one giant mass. The tip of her tail curled to return the friendly gesture. Heaving a deep sigh of contentment she plopped her butt to the ground, which her body soon followed, laying out in the cool grass as she took in the magnificent sight. "Its perfect, Hila."
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 6:30 pm
The blue cheetah watched Fetti with an amused eye. While the herd was a sight to behold, her expressions were far more interesting to him. The way her eyes lit up and her smile seemed to split her face in two was far more rare a sight to him, and he wanted to remember it forever. "I'm glad it's what you were hoping for," he said as the wind changed, bringing the scent of the zebra to them now. Hila turned to watch them graze, his ears twitching back and forth as an odd sound began to reach them. Towards the back of the shallow valley a little cloud of dust was beginning to rise. Very odd... Glancing up at the sky, he squinted against the sun. "Do you hear that? It sounds like thunder....and yet not a cloud in the sky." He had heard of heat lightning before, and where lightning came thunder followed, but he hadn't seen a flash of light. And the thunder wasn't dying away, but simply growing louder, and that dust cloud was getting bigger. The zebras closest to them lifted their heads in interest as well, looking back to the cloud as well. It was obscuring the huge herd and made it impossible to see about half of the zebras. What was going on?
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 12:49 pm
Fetti wasn't oblivious to the attention on her, and she rather enjoyed it. Her happiness was valued, and what more could a cheetah ask for? The scents that came across the breeze made her stomach ache, but there were-- as both cheetahs had already noticed-- far too many striped beasts to begin to fathom a hunt. Her final moment of bliss came too soon, lifting her nose to sample the delightful smells of the herd, her ears gave a twitch. It almost sounded like a low rumble, a pesky sort of sound that came from a pebble or two shaking. She gave a slight huff as she glanced around them, briefly disgruntled to have her serene moment so rudely interrupted by... well, she wasn't quite sure. Fetti's gaze followed Hila's up into the sky, then slowly out towards the plains where the dust was appearing. A sandstorm? A little flex of her eternally extended claws gave light to the news that the ground wasn't ready to kick up dust at the bat of an eye. The rumble slowly grew into a growl, and a few startled whinnies of the zebra caught her attention. They blurred into one as they unsettled, stepping back and forth until their stripes blended and any feline couldn't tell where one began and the other ended. That was when it clicked, and Fetti's ears promptly flattened against her head, scrambling to get up and out of her relaxed position."They're spooked, its a stampede." she barely managed to gasp out, heart already racing in anticipation of the speed they were going to have to get. Sure they were fast, but she couldn't tell which way that giant mass of stripes and hooves was directing itself towards. "Our race came a little early!" she half-joked, though there was still a hint of panic in her tone as she waited to break into a run once Hila had as well. It was likely their running would startle the zebra closest to them an prompt the herd, and thus the herds already running, to follow whatever direction they went until they could find a save place to duck away. The simple minded and panicked Zebra would surely wonder what on the great plains could have possible startled two predators, whatever it was it much be worth running from-- little did they realize it was now they that were the object of fear.
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:05 pm
Just as the thought that they were in danger went through Hila's head, Fetti spoke up. He blinked in surprise and quickly got to his feet. While stampedes weren't unusual, he'd only been in the path of one once before, and it had been of much smaller creatures and a much smaller herd of them. Yes, they had had horns, but this was an uncountable number of zebra heading their way. They were outflanked greatly, and had no choice but to run in the same direction as the herd was moving: if they tried to go diagonal or straight to the side, they'd be swallowed up and killed for sure. "I believe it did. Got the blood pumping, though!" Hila said as he turned tail, just as the first zebras reached the foot of the small hill they were on. While he and Fetti had the advantage of speed, the zebra were far superior in stamina, and they'd surely catch up. "Right, my dear," he said as they began to run. "I think it best we put as much distance between them and us as possible, and when we start to grow weary, start to make a diagonal move if they haven't changed course."
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 6:34 pm
It was a relief that the two cheetah were on the same paw on this, the last thing either of them needed was to see hesitation in the other and risk lagging behind. There was no time to stop, but both felines were quick on their feet-- both figuratively and literally. Still there was room for a breathy laugh as they joked about the impeding doom coming up on their tails. Blood pumping indeed! "I'm inclined to agree, my friend!" she called, trying to speak over the loud roar at their heels. Though they were quickly making some leeway in this 'race' against the zebra, the heat it created was profound. Already she was panting slightly to try and grace her body with a few more moments of speed, until her muscles began to ache. With a few glances to either side as her pace started to slow, desperate for a rock or some sort of cove to duck into. They weren't able to get up a tree like their leopard and lion brethren, so they had to make due with what was on the ground. Luckily there was a rock face not too far away, a few boulders buried in the ground long enough to have grass growing around them. One was particularly high, high enough to be above the zebras head and in turn the most promising vantage point of safety. Fetti veered towards it, trying to increase her speed for one last final burst, heart hammering so hard she thought it might burst from her chest. "Here--" she managed to gasp out, merely praying that Hila would follow her up. ((Weh sorry for the delay! @v@))
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:26 pm
Hila's golden eyes darted this way and that, looking for an escape. His muscles were burning and his breath was coming in quickly: his stamina was running out. Not that he had much to begin with...the Achilles heel of his kind. Incredible agility and speed, but only for a short time. Thankfully, a word from Fetti turned his attention to the large rock formation just out of their path. He risked a glance behind him to find the zebra were still a safe distance away, far enough that they could make it to the rock if they kept up their blistering pace. He could feel his legs growing sluggish, though, so a nod was given to let her know he'd heard her. They veered off slightly in the direction of the rocks, speed slowly diminishing, the space between them and their doom shrinking. "Almost," he panted, falling a bit behind Fetti as they ran. They reached the rocks with the zebras hot on their heels, and without much thought he tucked his head down to push Fetti's rump along up the rocks, getting her high and out of the way. He scrambled up after her, hoping her paws and dulled claws wouldn't slip. There was a bit of grass and dirt, but beneath it hard, ungiving rock. His own paws scrabbled for purchase, and he felt the breeze of the first few zebras pass by as his tail bobbed down in the danger zone. With one final heave he pulled himself up, and none too soon. A zebra that couldn't see where it was going bounced off the rock where his tail had been just moments before. It would have surely broken a few bones. "Phew!" he said as he reached the top of the rock, looking at the sea of dust and black and white around them. He laughed weakly before flopping down, exhausted. "Now...this is how...you see...a herd...gotta get right...right in the thick...of things..."
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Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:04 pm
The world was almost fuzzy as she scrambled up on top of the rocks, quickly gaining tunnel vision while her tongue was lolling out to the side. No sooner had she gotten to the top that she flopped down onto her side, resting her head against the sun-warmed surface... Warmth was the last thing she wanted to feel right now, and the sun beating down on them felt merciless. She panted deeply, desperate to cool her body and catch her breath. Lazily she rose her head when she was spoken to, glancing out over the sea of black and white, the low rumble nearly deafening and the ground shaking lightly under the force of their hooves. Such power and speed, such danger had either of them been under those feet. She laughed softly, laying her head back down to lazily try and turn it enough to keep watching. "Who... said... hah-- adventure... was safe... right?" she chuckled again.
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Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:34 pm
Hila continued to pant, his chest heaving as he watched the zebra run by. It seemed to be a never-ending sea of them. The front of the herd was now out of sight, disappearing into the dust cloud that it kicked up, and the end was nowhere to be seen. They'd probably be on the rock for a few minutes at the very least. "Right," he said with a weak laugh. "Which is why...I tend to stay away...from adventure..." His idea of a fun time was flirting and the thrill of the chase, and he didn't mind running from an irate lover from time to time. But this? This was out of range of excitement. Seeing the herd had been lovely and spending time with Fetti was certainly a treat, but this part he could have done without. "Good...thing this rock was here," he said, patting the rock weakly as the zebra continued to thunder by. "We'd be some vulture's dinner otherwise."
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Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:43 pm
Fetti couldn't help but chuckle at the notion. Perhaps it was true for her too, though she enjoyed the sights, and even the view of the stampede now that they were safely out of it, she wasn't too fond of the chest bursting run they'd had to do. The dust was clouding the air and making her eyes sting, and each breath now felt prone to prompt a cough. Despite that she couldn't help but bring a teasing smile to her lips, rolling onto her back and tucking her paws in close-- staring at Hila in an upside down cub-like display of playfulness. "What, you don't want to jump onto one of their backs and see how long til they buck you off?" -- it was probably the last thing she wanted to do, so her daunting smirk assumed it was also the last thing he wanted to do. SilverLutz ((Edit: oh god short post ))
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Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:32 pm
Despite the dust and thundering hooves around them, Hila couldn't help but find Fetti's pose absolutely adorable. "Not particularly, no," he admitted with a chuckle. "You don't look eager to hop on, either. I'd rather try to eat a zebra than ride one," he added, watching the beasts fly by. He settled down before Fetti, his face hovering over hers with an interested look fixed in place. "No...there are other things I'd like to try to ride," he purred, his voice silky despite the grit and dust in the air. "Although I do hope I wouldn't be bucked off." He quirked a brow, a smug smirk on his face as one paw bopped Fetti on the nose. Cuddlycuttlefish It's all good! Also Hila what you doin' there's a stampede this is not romantic you stop that you silly cheetah.
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