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 Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:15 pm
[ This is a self RP. xD ] Tsuki was alone on this night, gazing right up at the stars above her and sighing to herself as she did. Aaah, the sky... how wonderful it was. Maybe someday, she'd share moments like these with someone.
Someone special.
She lowered her head, and drew a deep breath, feeling her sides heave up and down as she did. Gosh, it was so strange out here... as a cub, she'd been with Zor and Mum most of the time. How different it was out here, all by herself. Tsuki could hardly believe that her days of being a mere pup were practically over. She had turned into a strong, independant adult, and so she resolved to act like one.
Turning her mind over to the subject of the stars, Tsuki found that her eyes distinctively softened as she cast her gaze towards her guiding light, the moon. It was always there for her, glimmering up there at night.
Astrology was a beautiful thing.
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:21 pm
Chachili, on the other hand, was making use of this night in a different way. Unlike Tsuki, she showed no appreciation for the stars, and only saw them as pretty lights that had been stuck up in the sky for show.
Trotting forward, she sniffled. It was a chilly night - and the cold wind made her shiver each time it kissed her cheeks and legs. Growing colder, she increased her speed. Oh, sheesh, where was she?
She could see well in the dark, that was true, but when it came to directions, the klipspringer was stunned. Chachili cursed under her breath, and kicked at a rock.
She'd hired someone for a job, and was supposed to meet them tonight, in this relatively unknown territory. Not only that, but she'd managed to get lost on the way... and her family would be wondering where she was.
"Darn it," she grumbled, "How'm I supposed to get home from here? Pura and Mkimya will be waiting..."
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:28 pm
The klipspringer's steps were loud enough to shake Tsuki from her concentration, and the lean maned wolf took it upon herself to stand up and check out the source of the noise. You couldn't be too careful - more than once she'd been charged by a rhino, and chased off by a territorial big cat.
She tensed as the shuffling grew closer, not knowing whether it were friend or foe coming over the hilltop. Gently, she lifted her head and leaned over the edge of the hill... and locked eyes with a... a....
... hoofed mammal, of all things.
Grinning to herself, she looked to Chachili, sizing her up for a meal. It was quite fortunate for the preybeast that Tsuki had already eaten about an hour ago, and so she set herself back down. She'd talked to one of these creatures before, and resolved to talk again.
"Who should you be?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:37 pm
"Me?"
Chachili had only just stopped herself from jumping out of her skin. The unexpected voice of Tsuki had been a surprise, there was no doubt about that.
'And now,' the preybeast thought warily, flicking an ear distrustfully, 'It's only a matter of time before this predator strikes. It's toying with me, asking me questions... but I know that it wants more than a conversation. It wants me.'
The maned wolf seemed to sense the animal's anxiousness, and attempted to calm Chachili by stepping backwards a few paces. Its shoulders sagged, and Chachili noticed that it seemed a little disheartened... maybe offended by how afraid she, herself, was acting. Quickly, the klipspringer sought more courage - and found it, deep within herself.
"I'm Chachili," she said simply, and her eyes hardened, "And yourself?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:46 pm
Tsuki cast Chachili an amused glance, and gave a slight chuckle as she did. It seemed like the klipspringer didn't know who she was - which was understandable, really. They'd never met in person, but they had contacted eachother before.
After all, maybe Chachili had been expecting a preybeast to turn up and greet her. A maned wolf was, surely, a surprise. After all, predators didn't often lend out their services to preybeasts.
"Tsuki," she grinned from ear to ear as she said this, flashing pearly white teeth, "The astrologer and fortune teller you sent for. I hear you wanted to hire me, Chachili? I sent out word of my services by Avian... and you would happen to be my first customer."
Her eyes gleamed.
"And I don't eat my customers, Miss Chachili."
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:05 pm
"You're... you're Tsuki?"
The klipspringer's fur went up, and she glowered at the wolf for a minute. Ever since she'd heard word of Tsuki's services by the mouth of avian, she'd set out to meet her... and booked a meeting with the woman, using bird messengers to communicate with her.
She had always thought of Tsuki as a highly intelligent klipspringer, like herself, or at least a wild-dog... one of the two. But a wolf, of all things?
The maned wolf seemed to chuckle.
"I'm as surprised as you, Miss Chachili," she grinned, "Who would've thought my first customer would be a klipspringer?"
Chachili's eyes narrowed at this, and she pulled back with a grunt.
"True. I never would have thought that you would be a predator, Tsuki," she drew a deep breath, "However, that doesn't mean that I... I don't have use of your services. I need to hire you, no matter what you are."
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:19 pm
"Oh?" Tsuki raised an eyebrow, "Then what, pray tell, seems to be the problem?"
This Chachili was like another creature she'd met, really, although the other beast had been pure white, and had a lovely pair of horns perched upon his head. Chachili, on the other hand, did not, but yet Tsuki could not shake off the fact that they were undoubtedly similar.
She shook the thought from her head.
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:26 pm
Chachili paused, and struggled with her words for a minute.
"I need the help of an astrologer, like yourself," she said, and cast her eyes to the floor, a little embarassed at the strange request she was asking of the predator, "Mapping stars, predicting events and telling fortunes. We need a kind of creature like that in our ranks, for a herd. And, I would..."
She struggled to speak the last few words.
"... I would also like a reading now, if that's possible," she said, gently, "To get a feeling of what the future brings. To predict the future. I want to know what will happen to me, Tsuki."
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:39 pm
The maned wolf's brow creased into a slight frown.
"As much as I regret it, I am not a seer, Chachili," her words were spoken in a much more delicate tone, now, and her gaze had lost it's humour, turning serious, "I cannot tell you what is to come, exactly. Nor can I predict happenings. You see, I use the stars to tell me of the word. I have no special powers of my own, yet I hold the knowledge to use the stars themselves, to be able to read them. I am no gifted wolf, Chachili."
She lifted herself up, and proceded to sit next to Chachili, brushing the creature's side.
"But if you'd like," she said, "I can read the creases in your hooves. I can read the patterns of the night sky. In doing so, I can draw an answer from that. But remember, patterns are ever-changing, Chachili. They do not follow one straight path, and can twist into something else at any moment. They can also be misread."
Tsuki sighed, and her eyes lit up once more.
"Are you sure you wish to use my services?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:01 pm
Chachili nodded.
"Yes," she muttered, "I'd... still like that. To protect my children, of all things. They're straying, lately, and I'm particually concerned about Mkimya. She's a wild one, that one, but she's my daughter."
Her eyes glistened with wet fear.
"I... I don't know what to do. I'm not sure what the Future holds. I want to do something, make something that will hold my kind together. And then, ultimately, something that will hold my family together."
Pfff. Here she was, spilling out her guts all over Tsuki's doorstep. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself for telling a stranger all of this, even if she was a customer.
"So, I'd... like a reading. Please."
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:12 pm
"Ah," the maned wolf grinned, "But, you don't need a reading for that. All you need is some confidence, Chachili."
She chose her next words carefully, reciting them in her head as they rolled off her tongue. She wasn't sure what the klispringer's reaction to her next speech would be like, but she was an honest wolf... and honest wolves did not always hold their tongue for the sake of politeness, but instead spoke their minds.
"Sounds like you just need to stand straighter. Look at that posture of yours, for example. Slouching, that's right. Your pursed lips look as sour as a lion's bottom," Tsuki broke into a sly smile, "Listen, you don't need me for this. I know it helps for someone to lend an ear, but I'm not that person. If anything, a reading will cost you meat... and that's something I'm not sure you can give me. Unless you offer up your children, that is, which is something I know for sure you will not think to do... after all, you're trying to protect them."
She bit her lip, and thought for a moment.
"However, I'm more than willing to read your fortune, or to cast a horoscope. But these things cost. And it's really not a fortune you need, but confidence."
Flicking her tail in satisfaction, she let out a great sigh, and smiled. Of course, some of the things she said would be debatable, but these were her own words of advice. Sure, this Chachili was a customer in need, but she couldn't pay the price.
So the next best thing from a reading was advice, and that was free.
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:19 pm
"You're right."
Chachili had spoken. Those words of hers were sweet to Tsuki's ears, and at once the maned wolf gave a full smile.
"I'm glad that you understand."
"I don't. Not entirely," Chachili admitted, "But I know what you mean. I've lost confidence over the years. I'm getting older, and getting more stressed. I suppose I just... I just have to slow down. Take a breath. Be stronger."
Since her first boys had gone, she'd only been a shadow of herself. And that had cost her a lot of things.
"Alright, Tsuki," she rose, and turned her tail, stepping away, "I'm convinced. Although, I'd still like to keep your services in mind for another time," she grinned, "Age is turning me into a superstitious old fool. The stars may tell me many things. And a good listener is worth a thousand horoscopes."
And with that, the two parted.
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