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 Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:45 pm
Ezuzu stood up and looked at Nadifa "Yea...that too" She meant what she said about the stuttering. "I know it ain't a cult. I'm just yanking your chain" She said then walked over to her. "Man you got some good form..body..for one who held in five cubs. Most let go...eck." She looked around and took in some of the air..trying to smell any other cheetahs around here but there were none. Where is her family?
She had to burn off some energy, food, before she got to walking or she would get sick all over again. Eating after a few days in large portions is kinda dangerous. So maybe she could get to know Nadifa.."Hey...you mind me asking how you and your hubby met. I met a lion...he is nice. I mean..I thought he would attack me but he didn't....ya know, I think he is a pretty awesome guy. Can he join the..coalition? Is it like an 'everyone is welcome' thing? What kind of religion do they follow?" She didn't know what religions there was. To her this cult sounded creepy..like they were all about breeding and making more cheetahs, but they couldn't be just it. She didn't know why she kept switching subjects...she just had so many questions and was now thinking out loud.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:59 pm
Nadifa looked down at herself, trying to understand what Ezuzu meant. After birth, she had been a little… chubby for a while, but she had gotten that under control with daily runs. Cheetahs couldn’t be fat; that would be detrimental to her own health and, more importantly, that of her cubs. And she simply couldn’t leave Kolo to look after them. He was a wonderful father and mate, but… well… he was too rash, at times. He needed someone to pick out the little details. “Th-thank you… in all f-fairness, they really were q-quite small when born,” she said helpfully. The cubs still seemed a little undersized to her, possibly because there had been so many at the birth.
“W-we just sort of met. He was out on a h-hunt and he st-startled me.” It was an amazingly easy thing to do, honestly, especially back then. Just breathing too suddenly could have frightened Nadifa back then. Kolo had helped her with many of her problems. “After t-talking for a while, we d-decided to travel together. And even-eventually…” she sort of shrugged and smiled. Her smile could have been called sheepish, except sheep don’t have sharp teeth. What she meant was one thing had just sort of led to another. “Oh! N-no… it’s j-just for cheetahs. It’s a… w-well, it’s s-so we can help each other. L-lions have their own prides for help. W-we don’t. And there is n-no one religion. We all s-sort of have our own b-beliefs.”
Since Ezuzu seemed about ready to meet Kolo, Nadifa stood up too and began trotting away, expecting the other cheetah would follow her.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:43 pm
Nadifa knew Kolo all too well, when she was gone, napping was the last thing on the gray cheetah's mind. Playing with the cubs was far too much fun, and too important to just pass up. It was only when they were too tired from playing that he relented and settled down. Under the shade of an umbrella tree, the male watched his surroundings getting itchy and agitated. Too long he was still and it was really getting on his nerves.
Loving the safety of the coalition, he found his problem with it, there was nothing to fight or to watch out for. Utterly frustrated, the young male finally stood up and walked a distance from his cubs so they wouldn't be hurt by his lashing tail. Close enough he could hear if they needed him, the slender male began grooming himself and kept on long after his now brightly immaculate coat needed. Soothed enough, he was able to keep himself occupied for a bit.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:43 am
Ezuzu kinda lagged behind, her stomach pouch had a mind of it's own and moved from side to side. Her mind started to wonder off to what this coalition was like...what the owner of this place was like. Her eyes kept on the ground as she trailed behind, almost ten feet behind Nadifa but she kept an eye on her also. "What's the leader of this place like?" She moved closer to Nadifa..guessing she didn't hear her the first time she repeated her question "What's the leader of the coalition like?....hey...are there other places like these?" She started to get that sick feeling and decided to let Nadifa talk before she threw up.
Ezuzu watched ahead as she heard from a distance slight sounds but all she heard was the odd sounds of her stomach protesting the fact she isn't resting. "How much farther do we have to go?" She said finally, in an out of breath way. "We can keep walking but I want to know how much farther" Her senses were all out of whack at this point.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:55 am
“The l-leader?” Nadifa repeated. It wasn’t an easy answer… the coalition wasn’t exactly organized the same way as a lion pride. Mostly, the leaders let every family group do as they wished. “A-aailyah is the leader f-for now. She’s v-very nice and she’s a S-seer. She can s-see the future and things like that. Her s-son will be leader w-once he’s old enough. I haven’t m-met him though.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that; she felt that the leader ought to be someone with experience, and a little cub being raised in safety wouldn’t have the experience necessary to keep the coalition safe from outsiders… still, she trusted Aailyah’s visions. If you couldn’t trust a Seer who could you trust? “And n-not much further…”
Her eyes scanned the area until she saw Kolo; the difference in her features was instantly recognizable. Her eyes positively lit up and she even ‘danced’ a little. That is to say, her paws lifted up off the ground before going back down. “Kolo!” she said happily, bursting into a run to rush over to her mate, greeting him happily with a head-butt. “K-kolo, I want you to meet someone. This is E-ez-…” she paused for a moment, trying to calm herself before starting again. “This is Ezuzu.” Hopefully, by the time she was done saying the name, the other cheetah had caught up. If she hadn’t, then Nadifa would be introducing Kolo to a patch of air.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:37 pm
About ready to go hunting, just to be able to do something, kill something, he was stopped by hearing a voice. Looking into the distance, he spotted his mate and had the time to cool his tornado like thoughts, though his ears stayed back until she was almost at his side. The head-butt got still tensed muscles but he was already calm enough to be affectionate in return, giving her a slightly rough lick, though a lot of that was the fact that cheetah tongues were a little rough on their own.
Counting already starting, he smiled happily at the brown cheetah when she got so many words without stuttering. Rewarding it with a nuzzle when she took the time to breathe and calm down. She had met a friend, which meant it had to be a cheetah she was losing her mind. Responding, still looking at his lovely mate, he says, "Welcome back, Nadifa. I'd love to meet your friend," Turning his attention to beside her, looking for this friend, Ezuzu.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:32 pm
Ezuzu lagged behind and finally made it beside Nadifa. "Hey...umm.." She thought for a moment then smiled "oh..Kolo!" He was a nice looking cheetah she had to admit but not in that way; most dads let themselves go but that was mainly lion dads. "I met Ms. Nadifa...a few hours ago I guess, lost track of time, and she has been telling me about you and your family! She is an awesome girl! Glad the stuttering problem has faded a bit" She didn't mean that in a mean way; to tell him the truth she didn't get much of a word the cheetah said when she first came up to her, it was like she had to stop, rewind, and play back everything Nadifa said slowly.
She smiled in a nervous way then looked around "Where are the little ones?" She turned to Kolo and asked. "I want to meet them! It will be a blast! I love cubs!" She wanted to play with them, she loved running around and playing and what kind of cats are no better to do that with then cubs.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:03 pm
Nadifa’s grin slowly faded as she realized that Ezuzu was not, as she thought, by her side and she really was addressing a blank patch of air. Oh dear… had she imagined all of that? Had she only imagined that she had made a friend? Oh God, what was wrong with her?! If she started to imagine things like that, could she ever allow herself near her family again?! Starting to worry again, her eyes briefly flickered from Kolo to the way she came, hoping to see a familiar black and white cheetah approach. And, luckily, Ezuzu arrived soon enough. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Nadifa smiled once more.
“W-when I’m nervous, I st-stutter more,” Nadifa explained with that familiar shy smile. And, of course, meeting someone was very nerve-wracking for her, especially when that individual woke up angry at her. As for the cubs… “The c-cubs should be resting right now,” she said thoughtfully, but not sure if this was the case. “Kolo has p-probably been playing with them all m-morning… are they s-sleeping right now?” she asked her mate. Normally, asking to see the cubs would be a killing offense, but, since Ezuzu was a cheetah, Nadifa trusted her.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:25 pm
Kolo was prepared to humor her, but even he was wondering if she was starting to really lose it. There was nothing there, though too nice, or rather smart, he didn't comment on it. That brain power kept on moving, for when he actually saw a cheetah, he didn't look surprised.
This Ezuzu was a real beauty; he looked at her over a moment, thinking that he had seldom seen cheetahs so lovely. Giving her a smile, the sleek male, did not forget who his mate was, and jumped at the chance to compliment her, "Her stuttering as lessen a lot, even now when she is nervous. Nadie is amazing, I agree completely." Glancing at his mate, he smiled again before going back to talking.
Looking back to where the cubs are, he didn't think they would be able to move. Nadifa was right; he had been playing with them. "I would have loved to let you meet them, Ezuzu. Unfortunately, we were playing and they are resting right now." He wore them out, and they nearly got him, but his mind wouldn't let him rest, whirling always. Moving on once more, he says, "It is a delight to meet you, Ezuzu, I do hope you are cocidering staying around for a bit, the coalition is really a nice place to be and actually safe for a chance, no greedy cats to steal your kill or threan you." He loved it, and at the same time didn't, it was the father in him that clung to the idea. After all, as a single male, he could delight in fighting anything that came close, loosing only meant losing the kill, now the cubs lives were at stake.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 6:10 pm
Ezuzu frowned "But...I want to play with them...dang. I will wait till they get up." She got up and lay against a rock. "Tell me more about this..cul..coalition..I want to know some things about it, like how did it get started..what does it take to become a member? Like..why are the cheetahs race..endangered? I met a lion and he is nice...I see nothing wrong with sticking with him...he doesn't look like one to hurt me." She hated that word so much but only when it came to eatable birds and stuff, they tasted the best. "I saw some cheetahs around...not many put a good few. I saw alot of lions and those dog looking things" She was talking about hyenas but they always looked like dogs to her. "Shoot...if it wasn't for Nadifa I might be dead...she woke me up when I fell asleep lake side."
Ezuzu wanted to go back to sleep but couldn't find it in herself too...she remembers when she could go to sleep right after a good meal...thats not even possible anymore.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 6:20 pm
“Oh, A-aailyah doesn’t have any requirements of members… w-well, except for b-being a cheetah, of c-course. Aailyah’s the l-leader, mostly. She’s a S-seer. She can see into the f-future sometimes. W-when she was y-younger, she had a t-terrible v-vision of the cheetahs g-going extinct…” it wasn’t easy for Nadifa to explain. Her tail twitched slightly as she tried to find the right words for it. “Y-you know how ch-cheetahs and other cats can m-mate, right? Well, it’s b-been happening a lot these d-days… too m-many cheetahs are t-taking lions for m-mates. H-hybrids are a unique thing, b-but many of them cannot breed. With s-so many cheetahs mating with l-lions…” Nadifa shrugged helplessly. “We’re going to become extinct.”
“A-and, of course, there are m-many other predators out there… l-lions have numbers. Leopards c-can climb trees. Cheetahs… w-we can run. But not f-for long. Half of my k-kills were stolen by other p-predators before I came here. When I was y-younger, my s-siblings were eaten by h-hyenas. I was l-lucky to survive…” it was true. Cheetahs had a higher mortality rate than other predators. A cheetah could not defend his or her kills because they did not have the strength or numbers to do so. It was terrifying for a young mother to consider her babies growing up in a world that was set against them. As for lions being nice… “A lion tr-tried to e-eat our c-cubs once…” she said softly.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:04 pm
He was content to allow Nadifa to speak for them, amused with the game of counting the stutters. Though clearly listening, he wrinkled his nose and ears swiveled back when the mention of cheetahs paring with lion. Who knew why, he would have never paired with a lioness; they are too fat and stocky for him. Only when Nadifa was done speaking, did he step in, "The kill stealing is one big reason, and another is the fact that lions go after our cubs. The huge bullies are as bad as hyenas in that they gang up on parents to get to the cubs." There was no greater crime then killing a cub.
Grumbling a little, he hated the idea that a lion would even approach his family, much less threaten them. If he ever came acrossed the black devil, he'd attack without even giving him a chance to even begin to lie.
Adding in, "The coalition also offers beyond safety, but the chance to be among our own. The transient members bring stories and our histories are shared, there is no better place to raise well rounded cheetah cubs, and to have a chance to fully rest without fear." Paradise, though too peaceful sometimes, though he was shamed to think it.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:45 pm
Ezuzu got the point now was why this little cult exist..but she didn't want to join it cause of the fact she might get kicked out. "I'm surprised you said that calmly. Days ago all I could do was watch as a lions cubs were killed by a hyena...but whats with this war? Why can't we just be...like get along or something. I had a hyena steal my kill once....almost killed him for it but it's okay...I don't really care...it's how they get food.
"Hey...can you guys tell me something about these lions or cats...that think they are demons? I ran into one one time...he wasn't the nicest of cats I have met. Whats up with them?" She wanted to know about these cats especially due to the fact that lion attacked her for now real reason.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:12 pm
Nadifa was more confused about why Ezuzu kept exaggerating. War? What war? There wasn’t any war going on, for crying out loud! It wasn’t like the cheetahs were about to go on a warpath against the lions. That would just be stupid. Cheetahs were, without a doubt, the fastest creatures in the world, but speed didn’t count for much against sheer strength. Besides, warmongering was a lion thing, not a cheetah thing. “W-war? There’s no w-war… we’re simply l-looking for safety,” Nadifa corrected Ezuzu gently, lest the cheetah get the view that this was some sort of hatemongering group of cheetahs. It wasn’t like they went on hunting parties for lions or anything.
Ezuzu’s next question made far more sense. Nadifa’s eyes turned worried and she glanced at Kolo for some moral support here; she was definitely going to need it soon. The cheetah coalition, in its early days, had attempted to settle in a slightly different territory… one that the demon lions had decided was theirs. A few cheetahs had died, but, thanks to Aailyah, the others survived and found safety here. “W-we don’t t-t-talk ab-about them…” she murmured quietly, once again drawing in the dirt with one claw. “The c-c-coalition tangled with them wuh-once… l-lives were l-l-lost… none of us w-wanted t-to stay around to f-find out more…”
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Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:13 pm
Kolo understood the comment and answered Ezuzu the moment after Nadie had spoken. "There is no war, its life on the savanna, with only so many prey beasts, you have to be tough to survive and eat. They are competition, and cheaters, here you can keep your kill. We aren't exactly speciest, just looking out for our own." He didn't see himself as a speciest, no; everyone else was just untrustworthy blood-thirsty killers. Surely every cheetah knew they were trouble. The bulky lions or slick leopards took the cheetah's for a fling or turned them into slaves, trouble every last one of them.
Just the mere mention of the demon pride created silent shows first, the hair rising and a snarl began. He was sure enough that he loved Nadie, and positive he loved his cubs, but it had taken all of them and Aailyah to force him to stand down. He had wanted to fight, to stay and beat back the lions. Fighting and avenging those that had been taken. "They are beasts; I have seen their own cubs covered by the claws of their parents or pride mates. Demon is an apt name, no one but their own can hope to survive their lands." Growling in the memory, he was still sore about not being able to stay and fight. It would do no good for his family or the coalition for him to go down in a battle, but oh he wanted to.
Thinking about was also doing nothing good for him. As his tail started to thrash, he was getting more aggitated.
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