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 Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:36 pm
 It had been a while since Chachili had last seen Koin.
A dreadfully long time, at that. He'd gone, had his children, and she'd even met one of them.. Leini. She couldn't believe it. So much had happened since they had parted, since he had watched over her as she gave birth to Kukuru and Makuu, as he had defended her against a predator twice her size.
Sighing, she rested her head on the trunk of a nearby tree, and closed her eyes. There was a slight breeze running through the savannah today, and the sun wasn't too hot or too chilly. Perfect sleeping weather.
Exhausted, she rested her head. Mkimya and Pura were nearby, although she was so tired that she couldn't think about them anymore. She'd just sleep, out here in the open.
Who cares if she was attacked? At least she'd get some sleep...
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:59 pm
Koin looked back at the den to make sure everyone was sleeping. He smiled at his family of eight. True, two of his pups had gone missing. Leini and Kylosus, but he couldn't blame them for leaving.
Koin started away from the den of his sleeping family to a place he had been many times. A place where his old friend was.
He knew the place well. He had been to this area a few times during his travels. He missed this place, he just hoped his friend was there.
He glanced around lightly looking for a sign of the grey Klipspringer that his daughter told him to go see a while ago. He was just so busy watching over his family.
Koin put his nose to the air and caught the scent of Chachili. He walked towards the scent. She wasn't too far off.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:07 pm
At once, a Chachili noticed a scent on the wind. Something scuttled past her leg, and she woke with a start. Now wasn't the time to be sleeping!
Cautiously, she turned to look down to the ground, and stumbled back a little as she noticed a strange, grey rabbit-creature looking right up at her with it's green and blue eyes.
"Who are you?" she snapped, angered that she'd been startled by a mere bunny, "And seriously, can't you watch where you're going, rabbit?"
The grey creature looked up, and in reply gave Chachili a withered look.
"I'm Kibaraka, and hardly a rabbit. I'm a hare," he stated, "But this is no time to talk. A predator comes this way. I just thought that a sleeping beauty like you would want to know about it, rather than getting ripped to bits in an ambush."
Chachili scowled, but bit her lip. True, this hare had a point. Her muscles tensed. A predator was nearby... with it's horrible, sharp, flashy teeth that all the hunters had.
"Here it comes," the hare whispered, darting for cover behind the longer grasses, "Be ready, klipspringer."
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:24 pm
Koin neared Chachili and wondered if the klips noticed him yet. He treked on and spotted the grey preybeast.
Koin smiled lightly and resolved the short distance between them. He smelt a hare as he neared Chachili. He shook his head lightly. Hares were crazy creatures in his opinion.
"Hey there, Chachili," Koin said taking in her scent. It was familiar scent to him, and it belonged to someone he was glad that he met.
Mkimya knew her mother was probably away, so there was no chance of escaping this time. She huffed and looked around for her mother.
She wasn't in plain view, so Mkimya stood up from her laying position. She was only laying odwn because she was bored, but that was fine.
Mkimya 'pawed' the ground with a hoof and looked up again, searching for her mother without yet moving.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:37 pm
"Hey there, Chachili."
At first, she'd been dead frightened, and ready to bolt. Her ears pricked back, and her eyes widened as she heard soft footsteps coming towards her. The wind was in the wrong direction... she could hardly scent the creature, drawing nearer. Silently, she willed herself to run... but she found herself gaping stupidly, and frozen to the spot, like a bunny stuck in the headlights of a nearing car.
Then, she'd heard that voice. His voice. Koin's voice.
Letting all her fear drop from her, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She stumbled forward, released from fear's icy grip, and ran to Koin. Lovingly, she nudged Koin's cheek. It had been a while.
"Welcome back to the High Grass," she said, eyes softening at the sight of her old friend, "There is much to speak about."
Kibaraka, puzzled, peeked from behind the grass. This was weird. Why wasn't the wild-dog savagely mauling her?... he watched, more closely this time. He'd have to find out.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:59 pm
Koin chuckled. "Good to see you," He said to her. He licked her lightly on her head affectionatly.
"What's happened while I wasn't around?" he asked calmly. He was almost always calm.
Mkimya spotted a bit of grey and curiously blew at it. Why she blew at it she didn't know. The grey had a bit of pink on it and was fluffy. Almost like Kibaraka's tail.
Mkimya waited for a reaction and grinned.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:13 pm
Chachili paused.
"A lot of things," she nodded, and she looked to the ground. That's right. He knew about Kukuru and Makuu. He'd ask about them. But it was alright... after all, Mkimya and Pura weren't around. They'd never find out.
Chachili trusted Koin. She'd tell him everything.
She looked down, darkly, but couldn't stay sad for long. Blinking, she stared into Koin's eyes.
"But you go first."
......................
Kibaraka almost jumped out of his skin as he felt air fluff up his tail. Wheeling around, his fur stood up on end... and came down again as he realised who this creature was.
"Miss Mkimya!" he whispered, smiling and dipping his head with respect, "How strange to find you here," he suddenly pursed his lips, and placed a small forepaw on his friend's hoof, "But be careful! That wild dog is eyeing up that poor, foolish grey creature over there," he guestered to Chachili with his free paw, "She's on a one-way ticket to death, that one."
He stayed hidden in the grass, watching carefully.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:28 pm
"Well, not much has happened to me," Koin started. He didn't think it was much.
"I found a mate, but you already knew that one. She had nine pups... Leini told you that though, right?" He paused for a second.
"Leini ran off to find her brother, though, a few weeks ago, I think. She kept saying she would..."
Two of his children were missing, but Koin seemed to not care too much. He did care, but traveling was in their blood. He couldn't stop them from doing the same he was. Traveling anywhere and everywhere. It seemed wrong to him.
"I'm not a good father, am I?" he asked the Klipspringer.
. ..... . ..... . ..... .
Mkimya peered over Kibaraka. "Foolish grey creature?" she asked looking up. "Hey look! It's my Mommy. Did you meet her already?" she asked completly ignoring what Kibaraka said about her mom and death adn stuff.
"I don't think Mommy's in any danger," the young Klipspringer said. "The Dog-thing looks nice!"
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:48 pm
"No, Koin," Chachili said, pressing to his side to try and comfort him, "If anything, you're the better parent. You raised such gorgeous pups... Leini, for example. She's a wonderful little daughter. But..." she turned away, and her expression darkened, "I've done much worse."
She paused, and looked up at Koin gravely.
"My boys," she whispered, and looked down, averting her gaze.
In the grass, Kibaraka tensed.
"Whoah," he said, leaning forward, "Things seem to be getting tense over there. It's quite dramatic, don't you think. We just need popcorn, and we're set!"
He paused, and then looked to Mkimya.
"That's your mother?" he asked, shocked, "But then, why's she talking about herself being a bad parent as well? She raised you the right way, I don't know a better klipspringer than you, I have to say!"
He crouched into the grass, lower now, and whispered into Mkimya's ear.
"I dunno about that dog thing," he growled, "But things look like they're heating up over there."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:07 am
Koin gave the Klipspsringer a small lick on the head again. Only this time it was to comfort her. "What about your boys?" Koin asked calmy. He paused only for a second. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Mkimya looked to the hare. "I don't know... She said Kukuru was just a cousin. Unless she was lying, but Mommy wouldn't lie to me!" she said. "Mama wouldn't lie to me..."
Mkimya shook the doubt out of her head and looked back to the Dog-thing. "Mama does seem fond of him though. He can't be bad."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:24 am
Kibaraka took in Mkimya's words, and shook them off with a flick of his ear.
"I'm sure they're just... you know, being adults. Adult talk, family talk. That kind of thing. Often dark stuff, but nothing to worry about. Your mother would have told you about a brother, after all... so..."
But what Kibaraka heard next would silence him.
"I left them, Koin!" Chachili's voice shook with grief, "And I've been keeping this inside me the whole time. I needed to give them away, but it's not like I wanted to. Chiboa, a wild-dog just like you... he took them from me. No, I gave them to him to raise as dogs. Just because of the voices!"
She pressed her face deep into Koin's chest scruff, and started shaking.
"Something was after them. Something not of this world. I had to protect them. I had to give them to Chiboa, because he didn't have any strong connections with me. To keep them safe from being tracked down. Tracked down by a... monster. So I... I... I had to leave them. "
She quietened down, and her voice became soft.
"I am a horrible mother."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:51 pm
Koin placed a paw on his friend's back in a comforting way. "It's alright, Chachili. You didn't have a choice. It wasn't your fault," he said soothingly. He looked worried though.
. ..... . ..... . ..... .
Mkimya's eyes widdened in surprise. She took a step out of the grass. She was shocked to find out that her mother really did lie to her. She shook lightly.
The fawn turned to Kibaraka. "I guess... Nevermind. It was probably for a good reason... right?" she asked trying to convince herself that her mother lied to her for a good reason.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:13 pm
Kibaraka didn't know how to answer. Little did the hare know that one day, he too, may be a part of this. For now, he rested against Mkimya's leg, and patted one of her hooves sympathetically.
"A reason," he said, nodding, "For a reason. Though whether it is good or bad, I cannot say."
He wasn't really sure. He, for one, was glad that his own family problems were over.
......................
Chachili shook her head, and braced herself to be become stronger. Bottling back her emotions, she walked backwards from Koin, and sat down on her rump. Everything had been spilt out, and she was alright now. She'd told Koin. She was okay.
"I was thinking about getting you to look after them," she paused, and then gave him a weak smile, "But that would mean I would never get to see you again. And... they'd know. They'd know that you were a close friend, and seek you out for the boys. That's why I had to give them to Chiboa."
She nodded, brushing back tears.
"That's why."
At this, she brightened a little, and wiped her face with one hoof.
"Though, I've also given birth to two girls. Daughters, who mean everything to me. Actually, speaking of daughters, I met Leini a while back, as she might have told you. She's a gorgeous girl, Koin. A gorgeous girl. Congratulations on your pups."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:29 pm
Mkimya nodded to kibaraka and let herself lay down by the hare. She lay her head onto her hooves. "I guess that's fine..." she said. "If there's a good reason..."
. ..... . ..... . ..... .
"Ah, yes. She told me," Koin said. "She's left since then though. Don't know where she went."
Koin had a half grin on his face. "Seem's my pup's are starting to follow in the footsteps of their parents," he said. It was true. Both Koin and Lu traveled. Kylosus, his son, and Leini, his daughter, have both left thus far.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:00 pm
Chachili nodded, and at once felt slightly better. It was nice making conversation with her long lost friend again. Very nice, indeed.
"Leini left, huh?" she asked, "And one of your sons? I guess I can symphasize with you a little in that respect. Although, you can't really stop them from going... it's like keeping a little bird in a cage, when really they just want to fly away and explore the world," she shook her head, "I'm sure you and I will meet them sometime. After all, you and your mate are their parents. They'll see you again."
She nodded, and trotted back over to Koin, nipping his ear playfully. But, as she drew closer to the wild-dog, she noticed something. Movement in the grass... just where the hare had been. Through the grass, though, she saw glimpses of grey and purple fur... and then, those golden eyes.
"Mkimya!" she gasped.
Oh, no. How long had her daughter been hiding there? How much had she heard?
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