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 Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:00 pm
Soft growls punctuated her heavy steps in the dry grass. Kizuka had taken up watch by the tree she'd last seen Ushuafu sitting under, but the male had yet to return. Deep in her heart she knew the truth; Ush was gone. A deeper growl forced the troublesome thought away, and Kizuka returned her attention to scanning the horizon as she paced restlessly. Even in the heat of the day she's worn out a track beneath the brittling limbs and dying leaves that was likely visible from the sky. A part of her wondered if Varg would be about, even as she knew she couldn't trust the bird to consider her right to know what was goin on.
Eventually the heat and exhaustion of her sore muscle and bone forced her back against the whisp of shade offered near the base of the tree. Her side heaved a little, focusing on the spot near the horizon that she'd guessed Ushuafu to have gone due to lingering scents. Her brooding chocolate eyes darkened further, and one ear twitched irritably to rid herself of a pesky fly.
Really, all Kizuka wanted was to know why he'd left. Ever since he'd been foiled in his first attempt to run away, Ushuafu had seemed happy here. He'd never said as much, but it had appeared to be written in the way he laughed with them, spoke with them, hunted with them and slept beside them. He'd never made a second attempt to leave them, and even when Truth had surprised the both of him it'd just seemed to offer further proof that he was happy.
Something Truth had said came ringing back into Kizuka's ears and she sighed. She wasn't so sure what to make of that, and the truth of the matter seemed that she herself had chased Ushaufu away. What had she been thinking, flirting with him like that?! A growl left her throat, feral as a wild cat's scream, and kizuka lifted her head and shoulders to begin bathing her arms and paws with such feurocity she was sure to scrape the fur from her skin.
The day was drawing to a close, but the heat was still impossible. Even so, Kizuka knew she should be hunting. Kimaji had taken down a stupid bird earlier, so she knew the cub was likely sated for now though a bird was no dinner. The lioness herself knew her body would be hungry, but the rest of her didn't wish to eat. That was no way to live, Kizuka's practicality knew this, yet she couldn't force herself up. In truth, she didn't really care right now.
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:25 pm
Nothing amusing was ever to happen here, now was it? Thus so, why should he or Rah stay here?
A second breath however, told him a different story, for he'd suddenly picked up a scent he knew all too well. Frowning, the hyena pressed his nose to the ground, a canine gesture he was able to pull off with grace, even despite the odd structure of his neck and body; Lioness? Here?
Both grey ears seemed to perk as the male arched a brow, his muzzle opening to allow his tongue to loll slightly over his large teeth. Why would there be a lioness here? Hadn't the herds moved on? He'd not even seen one on his way here, and though both he and Rah had separated from each other briefly in hopes of finding some scraps, both lion and hyena had been quite sure upon departing that they'd find nothing.
Yet... here was this scent.
Shrugging slightly, a gesture he performed all-too-well, the hyena decided that what the hell, he had nothing else better to do, as food was simply something he was not going to find within this dieing land. Curiosity spurred his actions, and the canine trotted friskily through the foliage till warning growls forced him to slow his step; after remaining hidden for several moment, observing the chocolate colored female, he came to the conclusion that these growls had in fact, nothing to do with him, but rather with something that was quite obviously eating at her. A few more seconds passed, then, with the flick of his bushy black tail, the hyena stepped into the light, one brow arched, tongue still lolling comically, "Now, now, love, what's all this growling for? Could hear yeh a mile away! If yer lookin' tah hunt, yer not gonna surprise any prey like that, now are yeh?"
Amusingly enough (or perhaps disturbingly enough for Kizuka), the male seemed quite un-preocupied by the fact she was a lioness; in fact, he was treating her almost like a peer, as if he were quite used to lions. Even the way he moved seemed to hold a slightly more graceful air than that which hyenas usually carried themselves, "Come, come, yeh should not be sitting around... yeh should be moving on, now shouldn't you?" his words were meant to mean that she should be looking for new land, to feed herself, however.... taking in Kizuka's current situation, she could've taken the words in another way altogether. Othieno was no mind reader, though he had indeed noticed something was bothering her deeply, "And what exactly's eattin' yah, anyhow? It's obviously not the heat, 'cuz not even the heat can put someone in such a foul mood!" sitting down, he regarded her, looking somewhere between amused and concerned.
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:27 pm
Kizuka had heard him approach, despite her own mood. Unsure who it was, but certain it wasn't prey as no matter how dangerous they may have become they weren't stupid enough to go running into trouble. She'd given the hyena's approach only the attention of a single ear, however, and was thus still surprised when a hyena, of all things, stepped out of the jungle and addressed her. In that moment of shock, Kizuka came face to face with the fact that she was getting rather annoyed with being shocked all the time. Deciding not to be anymore wasn't as easily done as it might have seemed, however the lioness tried her best to let it run off of her in a graceful feline shrug that ripped down her spine and dropped off into the dust at her tail.
Her chocolate eyes turned back to watch the dark canine as he emerged, his words a little too familiar for one of his kind. It was easy enough to see that something was different about this male, as was the fact that he was alone. That, in the least, she was grateful for and faced him with a good deal more ease.
The words he said flattened her ears back to her skull. Kizuka gave one more lick to her broad, dangerous paw before she allowed it to settle back into the dust. "You must not live about here or in the desert, for the heat is quite well known to drive a creature mad. In your luck, you've not stumbled across such a being. You have, however, come close to what could be a quite huntry lioness. That's dangerous in these parts."
Despite her words, Kizuka didn't shift a muscle towards him, though her tail did curl and slap against the ground in a fairly adjitated manner. After waiting a few moments to allow her warning to sink in, the female continued, "I won't hurt you." Following that statement, wether it was in answered to an unasked question or rather a thought that she needed to clarify for herself, Kizuka turned her attention back to one of her long forelegs.
It seemed she was done speaking when the lioness's voice sounded again, "I haven't seen or scented any Hyena's in this part, and I've lived here for quite some time. What are you doing in these parts?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:01 pm
Despite the lioness movements, Othieno seemed rather un-preocupied, "Oh, come now, love, don't give me that bullshit; no lion in it's right or even insane mind would attack a hyena when alone. Yeh may have the claws, but I have the jaws," he snapped the air almost teasingly before licking his maw, "All it'd take is one crunch for the bones of a leg to snap and break... a lion that can't walk is a lion that can't hunt!" amusingly enough, whilst his words were uttered, the male remain quite cheerful indeed, accentuating words with a clever tone, denoting he was thinking deeply about what he was saying, "A lion whom can't hunt, can't feed it's young..." he had after all, noticed the lingering scent of a younger one upon her pelt.
This was no ordinary hyena; in fact, the train of thought he was carrying seemed almost feline in grace and elegance, "Even a mad creature is a creature willing to survive and not risk itself further, however, likewise, I shan't harm you. I didn't come here for that, now did I?" he seemed to be answering an unspoken question at this point, "As far as I recall, it was yeh who start the whole aggresive thing, now didn't yah? So don't try lookin' at me like that; it was yer own fault."
A long pause followed, pale red eyes watching the female's every movement, tongue still lolling slightly due to the heat that managed to pass through the canopy. There must've been something keenly familiar for Kizuka within those eyes, almost feline in nature, while still remaining sloppily so; somewhere between a lion and a hyena, for though Othieno's body was that of a canine, his mind was mostly that of a lion, "Aye, I'm not from 'round here, love. In fact, I'm not from anywhere at all; today I'm here, tomorrow I'll be there, and who knows where I'll be tomorrow. I move with the wind, where it takes me, for now anyhow," a chuckle followed, awkward in nature, "No wonder yeh haven't seen any hyenas 'round, love; I don't travel with 'em; I travel... with something else," another pause, where his eyes lingered upon her form, then narrowed, almost teasing her to try and figure out just with whom it was he travelled.
Rah's scent was upon the hyena's pelt, but he doubted that was hint enough to give it away, and thus, another chuckle escaped his muzzle, "I travel with a lion, love, and before you get all ruffled up, I'll let yah know you have none to worry about; we're just passing through, Rah and I... we mean you or your cub no harm. Whom would ever harm such a lovely looking creature is beyond me!" his words were so fluid it was obvious he was not mocking her; in fact, it seemed almost as if he were flirting very lightly with her, however, his tone soon enough changed, "However, again, there's no need to bullshit with me; I may not have the looks, love, but I have THE sense of smell, and if this nose does not fail me," raising a paw, he placed the black mitt over it, "Which it never does, yer not all that worried about food, are yah? That kind of irascibility can only mean one thing," his features stretched into a smile, however, his long teeth made it appear more of smirk than anything, "Tis love, ain't it?"
He left it at that, looking off into the distance between the trees, his tail having engaged a light swish over the jungle floor, sweeping up dust every so often.
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:50 pm
A lecture was not something the lioness was in the mood for. He was right about not caring to tangle with a hyena, however. Normally she would have argued most of the points he made. This time, the female simply continued to bath herself as he rattled on. Most of her attention was still focused on the horizon, and eventually she looked back up athim at the mention of his companion.
Kizuka lifted an ear to him once more. That scent she'd gotten from him had been rather familiar in a general sort of way, and she'd wondered a little to its orgin. Something that normally would have been impossible seeming to the lioness she simply brushed off this time. Her nerves were far too shot to really care, so long as Kimaji was safe. The girl was really too young for the thought of a male lion around her to bother her mother. "Traveling with lions and thinking like them too, I see." She said nothing else on that matter, content to let it lie.
Instead, her attention focused on his last sly little statement and her ears laid flat again. She considered walking off then, but the opportunity to talk to someone her own age was too rare to pass up, "Was it really so obvious?"
The female frowned at how whiney that sounded, and she bristled a little more at herself. "A .... family member of ours seems to have gone missing."
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Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:30 am
"Traveling with A lion, rather, however, my mind is my own, not that of a lion, love, don't tmistake me for what I'm not," a smirk had come upon his muzzle at that point, his ears flicking away random flies as the female finally gave in; had she not openly and verbaly admited defeat with the soft spoken words she uttered so suddenly, her body language would have told him for her, "Rigth... family member," a pause followed as a brow raised, "Yah know, I might be a canine, love, and I might be social to the point of feeling sad if one of my family members were to walk away, however, what I practically feel radiating from you is not that sort of feel; it's a longing that can only mean one thing."
He left his mussings in the air; there was no further need for him to go on, after all... it was plenty noticeable what he was implying, "Alas! That means you're taken... bummer," a nort at this point as he lifted his back leg and scratched himself lazily behind his right ear; he was a flirt, true, but he'd never try anything on someone that was so obviously caught up with her own feelings, let alone someone that obviously had no interest in him whatsoever. It was a pity though, for she as beautiful, and she had fire within her gaze; she belonged to someone else though, that much was clear, and as strange as Othieno was, he carried himself within his own rules... the strongest of which stated he must never pick someone that had already been chosen by another.
suddenly his gaze raised above the liones, towards the tree tops, at which point he arched a brow, "If I didnaw know any better, I'd think that bird is listening quite intently to all what we say," slowly, he gestured towards a high up branch, were a blood colored hawk was perched calmly. It's eyes narrowed into a frown as it looked sharply at the hyena, but otherwise looked away quite swiftly, twitering before it thrilled softly.
Varg had indeed been listening, for after all, there was no way he could find Ushaufu right now; his bet bet was to stay here, hope he'd come back. There was no way he was going to set out to find Truth either; she scared him, in all honesty, and... he'd never truthfully understood Ushaufu's older brother either, thus so, his only choice was Kizuka, "Mind your own bussiness, doggy," his beak snapped and clacked in the air... for once, the hawk was irritated, unhappy and at a loss of what to do. He had foreseen this ould come, but he had no means of chnging anything; the sensation left him feeling worthless, thus was why he'd not approached Kizuka, and had taken it upon himself to silently watching her for a sign, or perhaps just honestly worried about her well being.
At the hawk's irritated snap, the hyena raised a brow again, "My, my, aren't we all a bubbly social lot! Don't you all come welcoming me at once!" snorting, he finally stood up, looking off towards the distance, "Well, love, it seems I truly am at odds here, now aren't I? Perhaps I should leave; let you drown in your obvious misery like yah seem so intent on doing," at the claim, the bird above fluffed himself up, obviously annoyed, but otherwise did not say anything else as Othieno stood up and took his leave, pausing by the foliage for a mere moment to look over his shoulder, "Yah want a piece of advice, love? Go after 'im. Go find 'im if you care all that much." this said, he jumped through the leaves and vanished, no doubt to find his companion; they had better get a move on before the sorrow got to THEM too.
GEEZ.
Varg remain fluffed, annoyed, even as the hyena left the scene, his piercing gaze once more focussed on the distant horizon Kizuka had been watching so intently mere moments ago, silence ruling over the place. Tell truth, he was waiting for the lioness to speak up...
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:07 pm
Kizuka rolled her eyes at the most of that. His flirting was queer and left her feeling more than a little creeped out. He wasn't even her species! His attitude was eating at her already raw nerves as well, a fact she wasn't inclined to be too gracious about. It wasn't until he menchioned a bird that she bothered to pay him much mind at all. At that, her head shot up and she turned to where he looked.
Varg. She stared at the bird in wonder, and perhaps with a little bit of accusation in her eyes. It wasn't that she blamed the bird for Ush's dissapearance, oh no. That was Ush alone, and she knew him well enough to know that. However, the bird could have said something to her, could have HELPED... and he could have followed Ush to make sure he was okay.
So intent was she on the avien fiend that she didn't notice when the Hyena left. Kizuka DID, however, hear one of his comments. "Go after 'im if you care all that much." Should she? Should she leave this place; her home? And what of Kimaji.... Kizuka wavered in indecision.
It was then that she realized that Varg was still there. He hadn't acknowledged her, though he seemed to be waiting for something. That tick of annoyance in her head grew, and the lioness growled warningly. Rather than physically springing, she snapped instead, "And you, sitting there like that. I'd have half a mind to rip your useless head off were you in range! You could have said something! I know we're not exactly friends, you and I, but we care for him the same! Get off to your son," she spat this last word, the definition of "master" dripping from it as if she'd used that instead, "he'll need you." With that the lioness was on her feet and back in the jungle before another second could pass. The term 'livid' fell flat here.
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