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 Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 1:16 pm
 Mashaka lay sprawled atop a termite mound, gangly legs stuck out in odd directions, taking in the noontime sun. His eyelids were heavy and drooping, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open. Honestly, he shouldn't be lazing about right now. He ought to be out hunting, getting food to retain his energy and strength. Unfortunately, it took energy to get energy, and Mashaka just didn't have any right now. He was exhausted, and the heat and humidity weren't doing him a lick of good. He might've passed right out by now if he hadn't passed a watering hole on his way here.
At least this point gave him a good vantage point from which to survey the area, though he wasn't up to doing much looking around right now. Honestly, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of any living thing in days, and he was beginning to think that maybe the herds had already migrated away for the dry season.
He wondered if perhaps he ought to just lay there, waste away, and die. He didn't have the energy to do much else, and it wasn't like anyone would miss him. At this he snorted, smirked, and made the effort to roll over on his mound to get comfortable again.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 1:40 pm
Weusinafsi had left the inner area of the pridelands to wander around, to see if she could find anyone else that would want to join her small band of travelers, her 'minions' so to speak. The green feline had grown bored and frustrated with the princess of the lands and had decided that she wanted to wander around the outside of the lands. She would however have to return to Rengo before it got too late because she had told him that she would take care of him as he travel with her.
Shaking her head Nafsi quickened her pace toward what she thought to be the exit of the lands. Sure enough the leopardess came to the ends of the vast expanse of trees. It was then that she continued to move away from the pridelands and out into the open terrain.
That was when she saw what appeared to be a creature of some sort. Whatever it was had made her curious and she advanced toward it. "This should be fun."
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 2:05 pm
Mashaka heard the sound of soft, padded footfalls approaching. Perhaps he was encroaching on someone's territory. Normally, now would be the time the cheetah would flee with his tail between his legs, but he didn't have the energy or the heart. If the creature took issue, let them kill him. He didn't really care anymore.
He groaned and rolled over, forcing his bleary wine-colored eyes open. That's when he spotted the approaching leopardess. He gasped a little, then half-smiled. He hadn't been expecting a lovely lady in this vast sea of nothingness. Exhausted as he was, Shaka's instinct was to turn on the charm. He stretched and forced himself to lift his head for the lady, then grinned. "Forgive me, miss," he said. "I wasn't expecting anyone to come by. You startled me." He tried to supress the trembling he felt building up in his legs and his shoulders, merely from the effort of holding himself up. Now was perhaps the most rediculous of times to be thinking of it, but he thought he'd awfully like to play a little 'game' with this pretty lady later if he could find the energy. Even on the verge of starvation, Mashaka had a one-track mind.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 2:19 pm
A smirk crossed the features of the female as the male lifted his head and spoke. His manners impressed her, even more so when she could tell that he was exhausted from the look of him. "You have no reason to ask for forgivenes, it should be me who should apologize, I am sorry if I disturbed you in anyway." The leopardess then took a few more steps before sinking down into a sitting postion. "Praytell, what is your name? My name is Weusinafsi but you are free to call me Nafsi if you wish."
The female found it was best to start out with a proper introduction and it was only fair of her to tell him her name before he gave her his.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 11:56 am
Mashaka's eyes were bleary, and his head swam. He tried hard to keep his focus on the girl. He needed her to think he had his stuff together, both for his pride and for his chances with her. He couldn't stand the idea of being seen as weak, especially not by some potential... pardon the pun... 'tail'. He smiled simply at her. "Well... let's just say we're even, then," he said, and gave her a little wink. He thought briefly of pulling himself up into a sit, but he didn't think he could manage. Besides, right now he was about eye-level with her, laying upon his termite mound. So instead, he merely nodded his head and said. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Nafsi. I'm named Mashaka, but you may call me what you like," he said with a grin.
Then, his hunger and dizziness got the best of him. His vision went black eyes flickered upward, and his head dropped like a stone. Just before he blacked out, he managed to choke out only one word: "Crap." Then he went under, and went toppling off his termite mound gracelessly, missing his new company by inches.
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:50 pm
Nafsi smiled at the male's polietness and then replied, "The pleasure is all mine, to meet one with such impressive manners is something that brings a smile to my maw." The female was smiling at him brightly, revealing two rows of glistening white sharp teeth.
However the cheetah didn't have a chance to really hear her words, at least she didn't think so because he passed out just as she finished speaking. "Mashaka? Mashaka are you alright?! Can you hear me?"Nafsi cried obviously concerned for the male's well being.
She reached a paw out to him and touched his forehead lightly. She looked around her trying to find something that she could bring to him help him. The female wasn't entirely sure if she should bring him water or food. Nafsi decided that she would go for whatever was closer, yet she didn't want to leave him.
The leopard bit down on her lower lip and then moved closer to his side before getting as much of him on her back as she possibly could and making her way slowly toward the pridelands and their plethora of food, water and shelter.
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 8:53 pm
Mashaka heard, distantly, some vague speaking-type sounds as he went under, but they didn't register. He smiled to himself as he hit the ground. 'So here it is,' he thought. 'I'm finally gonna die. About time.' He gladly surrendered himself to the darkness, grateful to finally be given the chance to give up.
When he finally came to, he felt the sensation of movement. Odd. He shouldn't be moving. Perhaps this was the feeling of drifting down to the underworld? No. Not quite. He sensed light against his eyelids and let them flicker open. He squinted against it at first, but then his eyes adjusted to it. He moaned and looked around. No, this wasn't the underworld. He wasn't dead after all. Not only was he not dead, but he was being carried about like a child by some girl. He groaned a bit more loudly now, disappointed and angry, and ran a paw down his face. "Damn it!" he snarled. The charming, polite gentleman of earlier was gone. Now the true Mashaka shone out; bitter, crass, and selfish.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 2:29 pm
Weusinafsi could hear Mashaka's angry groans and snarls. She however did not stop moving, she still thought it best to get him some where were food and water were plenty. Even if it pissed the cheetah off. Once this female's mind was made up it was hard to sway it otherwise.
The leopard said nothing as she grew closer to the trees that lined the outskirts of the pridelands. "Please calm down, I understand that you are probably unhappy about this situation but you need to get into the lands before us so that you can eat and drink something decent." Nafsi told him suddenly and out of the blue as they were almost there.
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 11:58 am
Mashaka drooped, melencholy, over Nafsi's back, limbs swinging limply. He scowled deeply as the leopardess saw fit to, as he saw it, lecture him. His muscles tensed, and he snapped at her, "I'm no child, and I don't need any lectures from you, lady!" He went on through gritted teeth. "I don't need your pity, and I don't need your help. I can help myself just fine."
Unfortunately, as though to nullify this last point entirely, the tensing of his muscles with anger made him lose his delicate balance on Nafsi's back, at which point he went toppling off, landing hard like a rock on the ground. "OW! Go'dammit!" he hollered. He thrashed about, trying to get himself up into a sitting position, but once he had, all his fussing and the effort of getting up had exhausted his poor malnourished body so that he collapsed again as soon as he was up.
He sighed. Yes, the universe was probably having a good laugh at his expense right now. He could just hear it. He buried his face in his paws and wondered if he could smother his wounded ego this way.
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:23 am
The leopard let out a sigh when the cheetah went toppling off of her back. Nafsi merely stopped, turned and shook her head. "I am not doing this out of pity, besides as far as I see you -do- need my help. You can barely stand." A small break in her words before she continued "At least let me get you into the shade and some food so that you don't become food for the next scavenger that happens by." Nafsi's tone was stern and she was definitely stubborn and no matter what Mashaka might say to her, her word was final.
"The sooner you let me continue on, the sooner you will be free of me. Then you won't have to worry about having anyone see you on the back of some girl. Understand?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:20 pm
Mashaka scowled. Normally he'd make more of an effort to prove himself, but he didn't have the energy now... he was so malnourished. He really had no choice but to give in. "Fine, whatever," he sighed. "Go ahead and help me, if that's how you get your kicks, lady." He struggled to curl himself up tight, feeling rediculously vulnerable just for letting her help him. Her. A girl. This was doing nothing for his pride. He wrinkled up his nose and mockingly mouthed her words with a roll of his eyes as she scolded him.
But something was bothering him, on a deep personal level. He dropped his mockery briefly to look up at her with bewildered eyes and asked her, "Why are you doing this, though? Helping me, I mean?" It was something Mashaka just couldn't conceive. As far back as he could remember, even into his cubhood, nobody had ever really bothered to help him. He'd always been on his own.
Why now?
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:40 am
A light smile crossed her maw at her victory over the cheetah. Nafsi then helped him on to her back once more. She ignored his somewhat rude comments and continued onward towards the shade of the trees. Her long tail flicked every now and then but for the most part she kept herself still, besides her walking and all, to prevent him from falling off again.
"Why? Because I chose to." The leopard replied simply her pink eyes staring straight before her. "Besides, despite your cruel attitude towards me not to long ago I like you. That's why. I'm doing what I am because I want to." The female almost shrugged before stopping herself. "Why does it matter?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 6:45 pm
Mashaka glanced away and buried his face in his paws. She really didn't have to lord this over him like she was. "Don't smirk at me," he muttered, although his voice was losing any real commanding quality it had. He was weak and beaten and his ego was in roughly the same state. He gave up on fighting for now... it just wasn't worth it. He lay limply on her back, barely hanging on, putting in only enough effort to keep from falling off again and humiliating himself once more.
As they entered the shade, though, he found it to be a welcome change from the blisteringly hot sun, and he couldn't help but sigh a bit. Nafsi's answers made no sense to him whatsoever. He'd never known anyone to help someone out 'just because', and he didn't believe for a second that this lady would have any fondness for a miserable thing like him. There was always a price, always something you have to do in return... and he wanted to know what he was going to have to be indebted to her for after this, but considering her testy mood it seemed unwise to ask her at the moment. So he merely shrugged and told her, "Doesn't really matter... I was just curious." He felt his muscles ready to give out again, and added hastily, "But if you don't feed me soon, I'm prob'ly gonna die, and then your good samaritan act will all be for nothing."
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:37 pm
"I will do as I please." Nafsi snapped glancing at him rather darkly for a minute when he told her what not to do. She then turned her attention to what was before her so that she didn't stumble. It wasn't long until they reached the shade of the trees that littered the pridelands.
Once there she carefully let him slide off her back. Then she faced him, studying his fragile body rather carefully when he spoke. She arched a brow rather briefly before turning and trotting towards the denser part of the woods that they now sought shade under. "It won't take me to long, sleep if you need to though." She told him, glancing back once and only once before she slipped into the darker shadows to hunt.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 9:12 pm
Mashaka snorted and rolled his eyes once again, but said nothing. Well, this lady sure had some attitude. Not that Mashaka could talk, really... and he didn't, but only because he was starving to death. She didn't intimidate him, though. Not even with those dark looks. Normally, Mashaka was a total wuss when faced with real aggression, but right now he didn't care... he was too weak and too tired, and if she wanted to rip his throat out then so be it. He figured that might actually be preferable to having to be waited on by a girl.
As careful as she tried to be with him, Mashaka fell off her back utterly gracelessly, a tangled pile of limbs. He struggled to sort himself out as she looked him over. The way she was eyeing him was making him rather uncomfortable, and if he weren't already such a deep maroon she'd probably see him blushing. Thus, he was quite relieved when she stalked off to hunt. "Yeah right," he cracked, "You probably just want me to sleep so you... can... finish... me... off..." He trailed off into a yawn, and in moments his worn out body had fallen fast into sleep.
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