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 Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 6:03 pm
It was a dim and gray day in the Jungle, and that didn't give much advantage to a very colorful cub that was looking for a place to hide for a little while. Mother's mood seemed as dark as the day, and the second youngest leopon knew better than to stick around and annoy her, even with Aunt Ajali around. It hadn't taken Kafiri long to figure out why she always seemed to bother mother most, and it made her uncomfortable with how she looked. Altogether, hiding did seem like the very best idea.
Luckily, the Jungle was just full of places to hide out, even if it meant getting dirty and right into dark spots. That mattered least to Kafiri as she jogged to the best hiding place she could find without getting too far away or being too close to home. Some thick brush was what she chose, crawling underneath all the branches and settling herself in for a little quiet time to herself.
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 7:12 pm
Attempting not to dwell, however, the young male threw his focus into trying to find flowers once again. Instead, he found paw prints. Little paw prints. Her paw prints. Speak of the devil. With an overly dramatic sigh, he followed the prints towards a brush, where they abruptly ended. Being half leopard himself, he knew how solitary the species could be, and how valuable being alone was. Instead of intruding on his sister's hiding spot, he wagged his tail lightly and called out to her, a hint of purr on his voice. "Kafiri? You in there?"
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 7:22 pm
Kafiri heard Mezi coming shortly before he spoke out to her, though he blended in better into the surroundings in the dim light and it was hard to watch where exactly he was. Silver eyes stayed on the source of the stepping sounds, and she inwardly winced when it halted just outside of her hiding spot. She didn't hide well enough, obviously.
"Mezi?" she squeaked when the voice confirmed who had found her. Not the worst, she supposed, but she still wasn't too eager to come out. She'd just gotten there afterall, "What do you want?"
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 7:34 pm
It was true that Mezi blended with dim lighting. In the twilight, he melted away with the sky. Of course, they lived in a jungle. To truely disappear, one would have to be green or brown, like Mom or Aunt Ajali. Some day, though, if he could ever get up a darn tree, he'd blend in with the evening sky. No one would envy his coat, though. A bitter thought for such a youngster, but to Mezi, acceptance was important. He knew deep down he'd never actually get it, since he wasn't even a full leopard, but a nice coat would surely help along the process.
Mezi was a bit miffed that his sister wasn't over joyed to hear his voice. Sure, the family wasn't the definition of tight knit, but you would think she'd be a bit more accepting of her own brother's presence. "I was...uhm..." He stopped. Kafiri could more than likely pick up on her own sibling's lie, but he honestly didn't want to say he was looking for flowers. He could almost hear a scoff as if it had already been said. "I was just tracking something. And then I saw your prints so I decided to come find you instead of fighting off a giant bongo." He tried to remain casual, not having mastered the art of lying quite yet in his young life.
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 7:44 pm
Kafiri quivered, sensing the disatisfaction from her brother. She didn't want to cause any trouble, and it seemed she'd done just that by trying to keep more to herself like she'd planned. With a quiet sigh, the little leopon inched forward to the edge of the bush to where she could see her brother more clearly. However, she refused to come all the way out.
"Tracking?" she murmured, tilting her head a bit- and then her eyes widened at his mention of taking on a giant bongo. Kafiri, at first, did not see why she should question what he told her- but the more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that he would, or even could.
"Where did it go?" she questioned, glancing to the side.
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 7:53 pm
Pleased that his sister at least crawled partially out, the youngster plopped his rump in the mesh of leaves and dirt, getting a little comfortable. He wrapped his tail around the front of his paws and shook alittle to wear a small dent in the ground. Satisfied with his seating arrangements, he looked back at Kafiri, only to notice her paws. They were prettier than his. He stared at the right one for a few moments before ripping his gaze away, aware of how sensitive the little girl was. He wasn't neccisarily a gentle creature when it came to other's feelings, but he was careful with family. They weren't terribley close to their mother, but the possibility that the siblings might grow thicker as time grew by was enough to keep him at least polite.
"It.. uh.." Crud. Where would a bongo had gone off to? He quickly racked his brain for what little he knew of the large herbivores. They were... big. And striped. That was all he could pull from thin air. Having never actually seen one, it was rough to get a guesstimate of where they might fit. "It went... to it's cave." He hadn't any idea if bongoes lived in caves, and if there were even any caves near by, but it made some sort of sense that something so large would live in something equally as large, didn't it?
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 8:32 pm
Kafiri saw Mezi stare at her paws, and it made her somewhat anxious. She didn't know how he felt about it, though she automatically assumed that her mother's sentiments carried over to the rest of her family and nervously she pulled her paws back and tucked them beneath her. His continued story distracted her from her paws, though.
For as much as Mezi knew about Bongos, Kafiri knew even less. She noticed the hesitation, but who was she to try to call him on the cave remark? For all she knew, he was right.
"Oh, so- you'd rather come talk to me than chase that?" she asked, almost sounding hopeful. It'd be nice to be wanted, though fighting off a bongo was rather dangerous and not really much to be compared to.
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 3:08 pm
Being the selfish cub that he was, Mezi wasn't exactly willing to make the occasion all about his sister. Instead of doing the warm and fuzzy thing, he went along with an option that would inflate his own ego instead of his sister's. "Well... I wasn't very hungry, anyway." He trailed off, ooked away from the spot where her paws once were and off to the side of them, in hopes of finding a flower or two. It was possible that Kafiri knew where a patch might be, but he wasn't willing to risk asking. What would she think if she knew he liked the little petaled plants so much? It seemed like such a girly thing and all, but man were they pretty. When he had his own territory staked out, he'd surround his 'home' tree with petals and such for certain. It might even attract a leopardess into his territory, though he wouldn't want her to stay. As far as he knew, mating was something that hppened and then... you split up. That was it. He hadn't seen any family that stuck together as of yet.
"Soo... What're you doing under there, anyway?" He figured he knew answer, but he asked anyway. Mom must've been ratting on her again. She did seem to get a more than fair share of that leopardess's anger. Not like any of the cubs were put on a pedistal; they were all rather degraded by dear old mom. Still, the most elabortely coated one of the bunch had deffinatley recieved more than the others. He almost felt bad for her.
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 6:43 pm
Lucky for Kafiri, Mezi's admission that he just wasn't hungry didn't change her feeling that he'd still take the time to seek her out even when she's hiding. She had no idea that her little brother liked flowers, and if she did she would never dare to make fun of him for it- not much, anyway. When he suddenly asked what she was doing under the bush, her grey eyes fell to the dirt beneath her.
"W-well, mother's not in a good mood," she answered quietly, only willing to admit it to another she knew experienced the same thing. Kafiri might not be entirely comfortable around her family, but she was very loyal to them, "I came to be alone for a while. But- it's ok that you're here, Mezi."
No, she wouldn't tell him to leave her alone. He wasn't too bad anyway.
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 7:13 pm
Despite his giant ego, Mezi was never sure of himself. He was secretly a bit worried his older sister would send him after that 'bongo' he had been 'tracking'. It seemed that insecurity was a family trait; they just all reacted to it differently. While Kafiri grew withdrawn and hid, Mezi self-inflated and tried to seem important. Over-joyed that he could stay, but hardly showing any emotion on his features, the youngster flopped his upper end down into the dirt and leaves rather ungracefully. The comfort level with family allowed him to not put on the leopard facade - he didn't have to look like he walked on airs every waking moment while with his litter mates. They were half and halfs, too, after all. If anyone understood his plight in this world, it would be them.
"Is mother ever in a good mood?" He flicked his tail with a slight hint of annoyance. He was used to her temper, sure, but that didn't mean he liked it much. He couldn't even understand why she was like that, which made things even worse for him. Usually, when she wasn't being a happy camper, he just skipped off to collect flowers. "Hey.. Is this where you come every time she gets mad?"
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 7:27 pm
"I don't think so," Kafiri said sadly, wondering what it would be like if mother was in a good mood. She'd seen her smile before, but it never seemed like she was really cheerful. It was really hard to imagine for the young leopon, "I wish she would lighten up a little sometimes, though." It'd be easier for everybody if she didn't get so grumpy all the time, Aunt Ajali managed to be cheerful- why couldn't mother?
She glanced around the bush when Mezi asked if this was her hiding spot, and shrugged.
"I've come here before," she answered, "But it's not really where I come every time.. I could probably find something better for every time if I tried, or.. if you helped me." Kafiri meant it almost as a request, it wouldn't be bad if Mezi knew where she went- and she believed he'd know some good spots.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 2:49 pm
Mezi wasn't particularly fond of their mother's personality, but, in all honestly, he'd be creeped out if she was bright and cheery. Though they were a rather young litter, they had lived with Mleli long enough for him to get into the rhythm of her anger. If she suddenly turned into, well, Aunt Ajali... It just wouldn't be natural. "Dunno, sis. Might be a bit scary if she ever lightens up." He chuckled a little, but kept it to a minimum. He was aware that Kafiri was more sensitive than he, and so he wasn't sure how the joke would sit with her. Sure, a subdued Mleli would be good for everyone, but he doubted it would ever happen. So, why not get a few laughs out of it?
He took a sweeping gaze around him and turned up his nose a little. If he were to hide from his dear ol' mom's fits, he wouldn't choose this place. He hadn't actually picked a particular spot that he liked the most quite yet, not liking the idea of getting attatched to something in his mother's territory. After all, someday they'd be firmly nudged out to find their own place. If he was attatched to a certain tree, it might get rough. For the mean time, he wandered. Then again, he never felt the need to hide from his mom. She wasn't quite as bad on him as she was on Kafiri, so he could understand why she might want a safe haven. "Well, we could look around a bit, I guess..."
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 3:20 pm
Kafiri frowned when Mezi said it'd be scary if their mother lightened up, for she knew that he was at least partially right. If mother suddenly started being cheerful and happy-go-lucky, Kafiri for one would definetely suspect that something was up. She finally nodded, "I guess, we're stuck with her anyway so.. it doesn't matter." The little leopon trailed off, looking around a bit as Mezi considered what she'd said about finding a better place to hide out when she wanted to.
When he agreed to go look around for a better hiding spot, Kafiri smiled despite the reluctance in his voice. Carefully, she inched her way out from underneath the bush. Her white fur was a bit dusty from the ground, but she didn't pay it much attention.
"Ok."
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 6:48 pm
The problem now was that Mezi hadn't the foggiest where to find his sister a hiding place. Location was everything, so he had heard. He knew exactly what he'd like in a hiding place: a nice tree with some lower branches, surrounded by exotic flower patches. Kafiri, however, might not go for something like that. From the looks of it, she seemed to like to be under the ground, as opposed to above it. He was also unaware of any opinion she might have of flowers. Perhaps she had a favorite plant? This was too much to try to come up with on his own.
Stretching a bit before pushing into a stand, the little male took another sweeping glance around him. "Do you want something on the ground... or like a tree?" He winced a little at her soiled coat; such a pretty thing shouldn't be left dirty. Looking good was definatley important for him, but then again, it wasn't his coat. If only. Fighting off a sigh, he forced his gaze from the feather like markings on her back to her face. "Aaaannd, do you wanna be near anything or does it not matter?" Maybe she wanted a river front, or maybe something a bit more green.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:26 pm
Kafiri noticed Mezi's eyes on the dirt on her belly and legs, and followed his eyes briefly to the feathers on her back. She didn't know exactly how he felt about her fur, but she guessed somehow that it was not exactly positive- mother didn't like it, after all. Kafiri was more self-conscious than she was vain, and that prompted her to shake the dust from her fur. She inhaled slowly as Mezi started to ask her abotu what kind of place she'd like to find.
"On the ground, I think," she answered, looking at her paws, "I can't really climb, it's too hard.. but I don't really care what it's near. Maybe flowers.."
The flower request was not for the same reason Mezi might have, if she wanted to hide in this place she knew she'd have a better chance around other colors. She had enough color to her that she'd blend in better among other colors, and stand out in the dim and dull. She didn't realize how this detail might effect her brother's enthusiasm to help her out.
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