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 Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:12 am
"Wake uuup! Wake up! You said we could go fishing today. "
The cub prodded at his mothers nose determinedly, tailcurled around his other three paws. "I wanna see fish. And swim too. " Usiku insisted. Not that he was avery hyper cub, always wanting to play. Moreso, he just wanted to learn. He didn't like having things he didn't know. For example; he'd never really sen a live fish, or gone far enough into the forest were the water was calm enough for him to swim in. (The waterfall water would drag something as tiny as him away, he'd only gotten in one while his mum was holding him)
He got off his haunches, and wandered over to Karama's left ear, tugging it untill she shoed him away with a paw, wich was probably almost half his size, Usiku being pretty young.
The leopardess snorted, covering her eyes with the paw she'd just used to shoo her cub away. Really, Usiku woke up fast. "I said we'dgo fishing if your dad wanted to go. " She mumbled. Karama wasn't one to oversleep, but it didn't mean she liked getting poked into wakeing either.
Nonetheless, she pulled herself up with a yawn, moving into a seated position. She shook her head, as if to scare sleep away, then looked down at her cub, looking up at her hopefully. She sighed, bending over to the white form of her mate, not sure if he was awake or not. Karama licked his shoulder briefly before Usiku pawed at her to get the attention back.
"Ask him. We'll go if he sais ok. "
The cub grinned triumphantly, flopping on his dads shoulder. "Can we go fishing? " He asked, stretching a paw to thwack at his ear in case Keone wasn't awake. "Pleease? "
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Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:44 am
 "Huh? What?"
The little leopard woke with a start, half sitting up, tail lashing behind him. Oh it was just the cub, relaxing, he slide back to his belly, a wary smile tugging on his maw. He still wasn't used to be woken up like that, nor was he quite convinced that the cub wasn't a monster.
Despite his inexperience, naivety, and reservations; Keone loved his son and had been a good father thus far, spending as much time with the cub as the tiny leopard wanted. He was remarkably well suited to fatherhood despite his lack of knowledge on the subject.
A broad yaw, and a stretch of his paws, the white leopard sat up, green eyes looking to his mate and then the small cub.
"Okay."
Fish, that sounded like a good breakfast.
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Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:05 pm
"Yes! " Usiku squeaked, riggling up onto his dads shoulders as he sat up, paws on the leopards head for support. "Is it far? " He asked, twiching his small tail then curling it around one paw, trying to keep his balance on Keone's shoulders while looking down.
"Do fish swim fast? "
Karama smilled, getting up and walking out of the small cave, taking a few paces then stretching, a wide yawn comming from her. The waterfall sprayed some tiny wate droplets at her, and she shook hrself, finding this a good way to wake up.
"We going or not? I'm gonna sleep again if you don't hurry. " She said over her shoulder, waiting for the two to get out.
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Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:26 pm
So many questions from one so small. Not that the white leopard could fault the curiosity that he possessed himself. With a soft smile, he stood to his paws, careful to keep the little one balanced on his back least he fall.
"It's not that far. and some fish do."
White paws carried him forward, following his mate from the den, smiling lightly at her as he licked her cheek.
"We're ready."
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Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:48 pm
She purred, licking Keone's nose before a dark thing jumped onto her head, blocking her vision. she snorte, and tipped her nose down so Usiku would slip off.
"O mighty head-leaper, get off my face. " She snorted, rolling her eyes and smiling.
"I just wanted to get down. " Usiku said, swishing his tail when he got to the ground and prancing ahead of his parents, content. "Wichway? " He asked, turning to look back at his dad.
"Oh yeah, 'n I met someone th' other day. " He said, having forgoten to mention Halili another time.
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Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:37 pm
His fur warmed by the daylight, the leopard's body extended in a glorious stretch, forelegs extended to full reach, paws flexing, back arched, his hind legs following in turn, his tail curled. His muscled awaked, white paws trotted to his mate's side, head lowered to nudge the small cub with the tip of his muzzle.
"It's this way."
He paused in mid-step as the cub spoke further, head titled curiously, his tail flicking a moment before stepping forward again.
"Who'd you meet?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:48 pm
The leopardess blinked as he cub spoke, but shrugged it off quickly. He met someone, might as well be another cub. Besides, he was here, relaxed and fine, wasn't he?
But still, she couldn't help from scold at herself on getting distracted and letting the cub sneak off so often; if she or Keone weren't around, what could happen if he met something bad?
Maybe a hyena, an older, meaner leopard, a cruel lion? Baboons could be dangerous too, she guessed. They had huge teeth, and did eat meat sometimes..
Her fur prickled a bit, then she shook he head, that wouldn't happen, of course not. Soon he'd learn how to climb. But.. baboons and leopards could too.. No, he would be safe. Besides, he'd probably yell and run back home, right? Karama snorted quietly to herself and moved alongside Keone, looking and her son. "You ran off again, didn't you? "
The cub ignored his mother, trotting along with his small legs. "Halili, or something like that. She was orange and stripey, and bigger than mom. " He said cooly, tail swishing behind him. "And she had a funny fur-cleaner on the tip of her tail. "
He pounced at a bug, landing with his paws in a cup over where he'd seet it, belly against the ground, hind legs streched backwards as if he hadn't managed to land well enough. He pulled his hind paws to a more comfortable position, and lifted his front ones, and the cricket jumped out.
Right on his nose. The cub blinked indignantly and turned around, trying his best to look at the bug, going almost crosseyed because of how close it was. "Whats this one called? "
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Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 5:53 pm
"Halili?"
The small leopard paused, his ears twitching, he knew that name. Orange and stripey? Oh, he remembered her, the nice lioness he'd met in the jungle and taught how to fish. He wondered how she was.
"I met her too, she was nice. I hope she's okay."
Paws falling back in pace, his shoulder brushed against Karama's affectionately as he thought about what their son had said.
"I think all lions have that on their tail."
He smiled at the dark leopardess, purring lightly, his gait brisk and happy. He had learned something and remembered it, wouldn't she be proud of him.
Pausing in his steps again, wow there was a lot of that with a cub, Keone wtached his son, his head tilted curiously. So many questions, though he really couldn't blame the young one, he too had many questions.
"That's a jumping bug."
Well okay, he still had a lot to learn. It wasn't that he had never seen such a bug before, he just didn't know it's name.
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Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:50 pm
Karama blinked as Keone recognized the lioness' name, now more curious towards the stranger her son had met. If both had seen her, she probably lived around here, so the leopardess should probably run acroess her sometime.
She chuckled slightly at the idea of the cub towards a lions tail, fur cleaner! That made sense, lion tails were sort of odd, made her thing of preybeast, why would they keep something like that? And the fur would snag everywhere! She much rather have this nice, round tipped tail.
"Cricket, "She said after Keone, partially to him, and partially to her dark furred son.
"She looked ok. " The cub said, snorting to blow the creature off his nose, then continuing towards the way his father had indicated, tail up and ears foreward, his small body still chubby due babyfat seeming to bounce a bit rather than walk, stubby little legs still not as gracefull as anothers.
"Cricket. "
He mused quietly on them, they were funny, of course, assuming there were more, wich there must be. "Whats the most colorfull bugs you ever saw? " He'd have to look for that. He wanted to know all this stuff, and be the smartest one around, and he could do anything he wanted then!
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 12:16 pm
"Cricket."
Keone repeated the word quietly, more to himself than anyone else. So that's what it was called, he'd have to remember that and then he could answer the question if it were ever asked again.
He nodded to himself, pleased with his newfound knowledge, proud of himself for remembering. But he paused, his head titled curiously at his son's next question. Colorful bugs? He'd never really thought about it.
"Well, I don't know, I guess--"
His thought was broken, green eyes focused on a hint of bright color a few feet away on the path, another part of jungle life that had captivated his attention far more than any bug could ever hope to. With a grin, he trotted toward the object, his maw closing gently around the delicate bloom, then carrying it back to his mate, a faint purr rumbling in his throat.
"--I always preferred flowers."
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 4:30 pm
"I think the morecolorfull bugs are butterflies. " The leopardess shrugged, tail swishing over the ground as she continued to walk alongside her mate, or with him untill he got distracted. She blinked, orange eyes following him untill his return, and smiled.
A flower, he got her those all the time, and it never really got old. It was sweet, and she loved staying with him, and receiving gifts from the male who'd done a very good job in softening up the leopardess. With a purr, she licked his cheek, then took the flower carefully so as to not damage it.
The cub blinked at his fathers distraction towards the flower, wcich to him, had always seeme dpretty boring. They didn't do much, they just sat there, right?
"Well, they're colorfull. " He shrugged his shoulders slightly, but it was hard if you were moving. He continued on, eyeing flowers more carefully if he passed by any, as if to make sure they didn't do just that. Though, most weren't colorfull, like the ones dad had found.
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:54 pm
A sheepish smile on his maw, the white leopard purred as he brushed against his mate, his cheek nuzzling against her own. Exactly why he liked giving her flowers so much he couldn't have said, he only knew that flowers were beautiful as Karama was beautiful and it seemed only right that they should be together.
With light steps, Keone walked with his family, the dark leopards that he could not have imagined his life without and their child, a child he still wasn't convinced was just a cub and not a monster. But for now his life was happy, carefree and innocent, what other way could life be?
Paw steps carried him along the path, ears flicking, a twitch of his nose as the path led them to their destination and the clear peaceful pool that had always been a favored swimming and fishing spot. It was here that he had brought Karama on the day they first met, a day that seemed so long ago; had there been anything before it?
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Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:32 am
As they got closer, the leopardess passed the flower to hold with her tail, starting an easy trot ahead of Keone to the cub, aware that there were snakes here, and that he wasn't. Lowering her head, karama nudged her son with her nose, making him stopand look up, swishing his tail.
Orange eyes looked around, searching for the long, pawless creatures.They found one, a rather lazy looking snake coiled on a branch at the far end of the pool. It didn't seem any bit interested in moving, though its yellow eyes were open, tongue slipping in and out of its mouth. She'd keep aneye on it, but for now, everything seemed safe enough.
She looked backat her mate, tail swishing with the flower. "Your turn, you fish better thqan me. "
The little cub followed his mothers gaze to the long creature on the branch, and he gasped quietly. That must be a snake. They were pretty ugly, weren't they? Scary eyes, too. He almost wanted to go over there and poke it with a tick, and see what it did, but he'd hear about snakes from his parents, and knew this wouldn't be a good idea.
So nstead, he urned his attention to the water, trotting over to it and peering. He'd of coruse, gone outand gotten water before, living right next to a waterfall, and paddled around a bit in the shallows. But this water was different, still, not full of waves made by thewaterfall. In a way, it was almost eerie, but it must be easier to swim here, without fear of being dragged away by a current.
"Are those shadows over there fish? " He pointed with a paw more towards the deeper part of the pont, where some shadows lazly movedaround under the surface, creating bubbles and riplles.
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Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:13 pm
With a soft smile he stepped forward, eyes focused on the crystalline water and the shimmering fish that swam beneath the surface. Fish had always been the white leopard's favorite meal and his stomach nearly growled in anticipation, tail flicking happily at the thought of not only sharing with his mate but with their cub as well.
But just as his paws touched the water's edge, Keone suddenly froze his mouth hanging open in silence, the words he had intended to speak lost. He had followed Karama's gaze, eyes falling on the creature across the water.
A snake! Of all the things he had encountered, nothing terrified the small leopard more than snakes, convinced that the scaled creatures wanted to eat him.
His tail dropping to lay still on the ground, ears falling, Keone retreated several steps from the water's surface. Suddenly he was no longer hungry, his love of fish forgotten for the moment. He didn't want to go in the water with that snake so close, he didn't want to be near the water at all.
"M...maybe we should come back later."
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:38 am
The leopardess had hoped he wouldn't notice. She sighed, moving over to headbutt her mate, while the cub that looked so much like her squeaked in suprize, looking up, learly unpleased by the idea of leaving.
"Its ok, keone. The snake is just sitting there. " She said calmly, sitting next to him. "I'll keep an eye on it, and if it gets off I'll tell you. " She smiled, but she was quite sure this might not convince him entirely.
"But.. "
The little cub frowned, prancing over to his dad. "Why? There's nothing wrong, is there? " He whined, but after a 'look' from his mother, he flopped onto his side and started messing with a leaf, letthe adults solve this, then.
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