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 Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:26 pm
Verdad was her normally giddy self as she bounded through the tall grass. Her recent explorations with her brother had brought her even closer to establishing the exterior of the pridelands. Of course their mother had spoiled the fun but wasn't that what mothers were for? Head swimming with new ideas, Ver kept running. Some would call it psychotic if they ever met her but even a fair few thought the energy would wear off after a few weeks of life. Here she was, tail still twitching when she was told to stay still, eyes darting at every movement.
This time there was no butterfly to aid in her fun. Only the fading light from the bright sun above which was the main component in the fire that always burned within her little mind.
Paws pounded against the ground and beetles scurried from her small paws. Only when a black one cross her path did she skid to a stop, They were always so shiny and glinted fiercely in the sun. She liked shiny things and especially ones that crunched even under her slight weight. Excitment bubled inside her as she thought of the great fun she would have with the little beetle.
"Bug!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:36 pm
Paws patting lightly in the dirt of his homeland, the blue cub with the star on his forehead wandered idly, thinking deep thoughts. Even so young, he was a large cub, body loosing some of the rolly-poly-ness that he'd once had. He was larger now too, his movements gaining more assurance, more control. And as his body came more under his control, so did his emotions and the way his body expressed them.
Matsailema, twin to Ahaiyuta, was colder than he'd ever been, calmer and less likely to break his control with bursts of emotion. A bright bit of color in the grass drew his attention and the prince trained emerald green eyes on it, brow furrowed. Those colors were familiar... could it be? Heh... it was.
Verdad.
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Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:46 pm
The orange cub laughed as she batted at the small black bug. It rolled under her paws until it's transparent wings spread and sent it flying. Her tail curled like a spring as she hurled herself in into the air, snapping her jaws just short of the beetle. When her paws hit the ground again she gave chase. The beetle flew past something undeniably blue.
Verdad stopped for a moment and gazed at the strange color in the grass. There were few things that were blue in her little world.
The sky.
Water.
And...her ears twitched as she crouched down low. She sniffed at the air in hopes that it would bring answers to the blue thing in the grass. There truely was only one thing it could be.
"Matsai!..." She jumed from her suspected hiding place towards him, a wide grin on her maw.
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Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 11:19 pm
Matsai started as the little orange figure lept forth, laying his black ears against his skull. "Verdad." He greeted her, settling back on his haunches. "You're looking... well." Eyes like grass flickered over her form, noting how much smaller she seemed to him... but then, he knew he'd gotten bigger, putting on the pounds and the muscle.
"Um... what are you up to?" This was one of the few cubs he actually cared to ask anything of. His brother was the second. His tail swept against his haunches, the muscles beneith those wings on his back shifting and rippling. He'd seen her launch herself into the air after what appeared to be... some kind of bug. What a cub thing to do, chaising bugs... His cousin Ushu was forever doing that, and it annoyed him. Strangely though... with Verdad, he didn't seem to mind so much. She was probably the closest thing to a 'friend' that he could claim right now.
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 7:39 am
Verdad jumped in front of him, half in happiness, half in trying to stop. She finally sat back with her tail still flicking like it normally would when she sat. This time was quite different. When she sat she barely reached the top of his chest. She pondered this fact for a moment before starring up at him. He had gotten bigger. She couldn't have been shrinking...could she?
"You look the same...except big."
She had never been around a growing cub and with Matsai being big already, she was quite astonished. "I was chasing a bug but then it had wings so I couldn't catch it. I'm not big enough..." Ver sighed and looked at the ground realizing that she was starring at his much larger paws. She looked around for a moment before leaning in.
"Are you part elephant?..." Her voice was barely a whisper as if she didn't want anyone to know the question.
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 4:03 pm
Matsai shifted a little from one white-tipped paw to the other, his eyes dropping to them for a moment. He was big... Bigger than before, and bigger than most cubs his age. Gift from both sides, it seemed, since both his father and his grandfather had been big.
Her question was so completely random, so out-there... that the blue cub actually rocked back, his ears snapping forward as he stared at Verdad. Elephant? What in the world had brought that to her mind? His eyes registered utter suprise as he answer unthinkingly. "Don't be silly, Verdad. I'm as much a lion as you are... and besides, you can't mix lions with elephants." His voice took on a condescending edge at the last part, his eyes narrowing at her. "My family is just big, you know. Besides, I'm growing, just like you. You'll get bigger too."
Oh, now there was a thought... a bigger Verdad? Geez, what was the world coming to?
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 8:02 pm
Verdad giggled at his reaction. He was one of her only friends so she would definately realize that he was much bigger. She watched him considered his paws. It was odd that he was so much bigger than her after such a short time but nearly everyone was bigger than her. Even her brother was bigger but she didn't like him any less. b
The cub smiled up at her friend and listened intently to Matsai speak. To her little mind, he was so wise even though most of hs words weren't. She hoped that one day she would be able to understand what he had said.
"I was just asking." The dumb grin on her face widened.
Maybe she would get big someday and not have to stare directly up to speak to him. Ver stapled the thought to her mind for later use. one day she would be big enough.
"You called me pretty so I still like you even if you're bigger..."
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 8:40 pm
The blue cub blushed... yes, blushed, as she mentioned that embarrassing slip of the tongue from before. He cleared his throat roughly, struggling to turn the conversation to anything else. He was still mortified that he'd done it... and she didn't seem likely to forget about it.
"What does getting bigger have to do with liking someone? Its not like I'm different anything... there's just more of me." He frowned, features slowly smoothing back into the emotionless mask he work. Thinking for a moment, he had a thought, his green eyes gaining a little light in their depths. "Though, it does mean that I can do some stuff I couldn't do before though."
Bouncing to his feet with new energy, he shot his claws and dug them into the dirt. "I'm a better hunter now, and because I'm bigger, I can get bigger prey too." It would have be a shameless boast on anyone but Matsai, the cub's coolness making it a simple statement of fact.
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 9:03 pm
Verdad chuckled, a blush rising to her already orange cheeks. Her giggles had subsided around someone for the first time since she remebered besides her mother. This wasn't anyone. This was Matsai. Her mind didn't feel as nervous nor did she. Giggling had been her security blanket but why need tp create a feeling of security around her friend?
"Everyone probably thinks you're part elephant." She didn't understand genetics but she knew that he could never be part elephant. Smiling wider, she brushed her head playfully against his leg. "I just wanna get bigger so I can get that bug. I wanna play wif it."
Paws dug in the dirt as she scanned the skies. Ver was already testing out her hunting skills. Killing wasn't an option though she didn't quite grasp death.
"I bet you could get that bug."
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 10:04 pm
A soft, horrified gasp sounded as Matsai shuddered, his eyes going unfocused and loosing their vibrant color. He could feel her fur brushing his with strangely intense precision. Each hair that moved against his own, the ripple of immature muscle beneith it... And then his world was lost to darkness.
In that darkness, images sprung to life, flooding his weak, untrained little mind with light and color an motion. Was that... Verdad? But she looked odd, somehow. Far different than now... And there was his brother, looking much as he did this morning at the den. It was confusing and disorienting, a fierce pain flaring up between his eyes where the star rested on his forehead.
No! Stop!
The little cub cried out soundlessly in his own mind, howling out his pain. The strange spell only released him when Verdad fell away, the touch broken. He sucked in a strangled breath as he stumbled back from her, horrified and full of pain.
"You idiot!" He cried out, half sobbing. His eyes were filled with tears, his fear and pain and misplaced rage bared to the small orange cub. He lashed out, unthinking, shoving his shoulder into hers to knock her down. She'd caused this pain... those visions!
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 10:17 pm
In her moment of hapiness, she didn't realize her companions torment. She didn't know that the gentle brush against him was causing her friend so much pain. The feeling of his fur against her head was wonderful and a soft chuckle came from her throat as she looked up.
"Matsai?..."
There was something wrong. Something was hurting him. "You okay? Matsai?..." She paced frantically in front of him not knowing whether to comfort him or run. The blue cub was starting to scare her. He had never acted this way before. They had touched on occasion...hadn't they?" Horror stricken eyes watched him for what seemed to be an eternity. "Did I hurt you?"
She let out a cry at being knocked down. Matsai had never done that before. She didn't like him this way. She hated yelling. "I'm sorry!" Had she done somthing wrong? Ver didn't know. All she could do was huddle, too afraid to run from him. Tears rolled down her muzzle and dripped off her nose to the ground. Those green eyes that had once sparkled were now filled with fear and pain.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry."
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 10:35 pm
"Don't you TOUCH ME!" He shouted, shaking all over in reaction. "Never... EVER... TOUCH ME!" Sobs rocked him, his own tears flowing. Only the sight of the girl cub's brought him back to himself, reminding him that he only face a little female, not some monster bent on hurting him.
Sucking in a shaking breath, he struggled desperately for the shattered remains of his composure, pulling them back around him in a ragged sort of cloak. Calmness was far from him at this point, but he could at least pretend at it. "Verdad... it hurts when you touch me..." He finally ground out, his voice rough and strained. "You must... never touch me. No one but Ahai and Mother & Father can touch me, do you understand? Even a little brush... a soft touch... hurts."
Realizing he was towering over her, his hackles raised, Matsai drew back and took a few steps away. He needed his space, fighting down the horror of what had happened to him, and how he'd reacted to it. Embarassed at his sudden outburst, and the whole stupid situation, the blue cub sat down and began to clean his paws and face, using it as something to further smooth ruffled feathers.
"I'm... sorry for knocking you down, Ver." He mumbled, refusing to look at her.
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 10:47 pm
Verdad felt sick to her stomach when he yelled. She had never ever been yelled at before, atleast with such anger that his had. The little orange cub curled in on herself not really knowing what she had done wrong.
"I won't ever touch you again!" Not touch him? Ever? Every once in awhile someone would give her a friendly brush on the shoulder. She just did it as a sign of affection but hurting him was worse than anything she knew. If being with him meant not touching him then she would have to resist. To know that she was the one that caused him so much ain. To know that it was her touch that had made him so upset had made her heart jump to her throat. "I didn't mean to. I didn't know..."
Her small body still shook with sobs. Verdad's mind was still rooted in the past, seeing what had happened over and over again. It hurt so much. Much too afraid to move, she curled up, laying her head on her paws. She had to forgive him even though she was so frightened of him. At that moment, being herself was the only thing she could do for them both.
"It's alright. You didn't mean it." A smile had fought against her tears when she finally gained the courage to look up at him.
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 10:59 pm
Nodding, the little prince shrugged, casting aside the bad feelings. Yeah... she hadn't ment to hurt him, she hadn't known what it did to him. At least she knew now, and he had her firm promise not to do it again.
Good... he could live with that, and move on. Hopefully Verdad didn't hate him too bad... She did really seem to think that he hadn't ment to knock her down like that. Even though he had. His eyes narrowed at that sobering thought. He had ment to hurt her... lashing out at the thing that had brought him pain, seeking to inflict it back.
Well, she didn't need to know that, did she?
"Can we just forget about it? I don't want to talk about it anymore." Placing down his now perfectly clean paw, the cub rose to his feet and shook hard, puffing out his deep blue fur till it stood on end. It also helped to throw off the lingering feelings. Seeking to draw her out of her terrified huddle, he let his lips curve in a not-so-convincing smile, nodding. "Hey, why don't we go for... a swim at the water hole? I'm hot, aren't you?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:14 pm
Green eyes blinked back tears, nodding. She really hadn't meant to do anything to him. He was her friend. Why would she want to hurt him?
She sighed lightly, bringing her ears forward. whatever had just happened wasn't going to happen again. She would make sure it didn't. Matsai was still her frined...no matter what. He may have been so frightening, malicious and cruel to her a moment ago but she still felt the same way about him. Did she? Did she actually feel the same way about him? Something about their relationship would be different butknowing that he still liked her enough to apologize was enough for the little cub.
"Forget..." Lifting herself to her paws, still shivering, the cub tried to smile again. "I haven't been swimming in along time." She supressed the urge, for the first time, to giggle. As long as she didn't touch him, she had no reason to be nervous around him...right? "You sure you wanna?"
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