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 Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:53 pm
Acid yellow eyes blinked as his muzzle was swiped at by the other cat. Boiling hot rage swept up through him, spilling into his veins till they burned, lighting his eyes with a deadly gleam. It was with great effort that he clamped down on all that boiling anger, forced it down his throat till it choked him. Muscles slithered under ebony hide, tensing and rolling with the suppressed violence that filled him. Swallowing the snarl that tried to slip from his throat, he took a deep, careful breath in through his teeth, fangs bared but clamped shut, jaw locked tight in an effort to control the raging fury.
Slowly, by tiny increments, the desperate need to taste blood faded, the hellish power slowly slipping back into the shadowed depths of the leopard's body until the killing edge receded, though it remained closer to the surface than Mèo would have preferred.
By the time his senses had slowed down and settled into a more normal rhythm, the healer had stopped speaking and was nosing his paw, and Mèo hadn't heard a word the pale cat had said. Glancing to the side, he snarled silently at Siyah, who wore a highly amused smirk, though wisely said nothing in return.
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:13 pm
Lihau sighed, the leopard had been lucky again, the gash didn't seem to have severed anything he might need to keep hunting. Believe it or not the healer did understand how vital it was for a cat without a Pride to remain mobile. He was witnessing it first hand with some of his own people who could no longer hunt and had to scavenge like the hyena and vulture. If he cleaned it and packed it with some hiss-seed and hawk-bite it shouldn't fester.
When I am done here, I need to try and catch a few hares and take them to Sadara. I don't know when the last time her mother ate...
His thought was cut off by the barely controlled rage he felt flow off the male he was tending and he looked up startled. The look in the black leopard's eyes brought fear, sharp and strong, into his own. He swallowed, and dropped his head submissively, his voice a low tremble, " I..I am sorry...I...didn't...." Lihau clamped his mouth shut, knowing his tendency to babble often got him into more trouble.
The pale healer kept his ears back, and resisted the urge to run, running only made it worse he had learned in the past few weeks since the loss of his Pride. " I'll leave the herbs here, you can have your brother clean and pack the wound." He whispered, moving back on his belly, not daring to look up.
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:27 pm
Turning back as he felt the pale leopard cringe away, he resisted the urge to snap at him and took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "Don't... its my fault." Pausing he shot a nasty glare at Siyah who had rolled onto his back and was happily waving his paws in the air with a wide, contented smirk on his face as he itched his spine in the dry earth. Though Mèo knew the smirk was aimed at him, not the success of itching a ticklish spot.
Wrinkling his muzzle, he turned back to the healer. "I'd much rather you did it..." For obvious reasons.. he thought with another look at Siyah. "I will offer one request in return as payment." Stretching out the limb again, pale eyes settled on Lihau. After a moment he added. "I promise we don't mean you harm." Tone a little exasperated. Why did everyone instantly try and run when one of the brothers showed his temper? Did thy think the two hunters had absolutely no control or something?
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:48 pm
Slightly reassured by Meo's words, Lihau looked up into those stunning eyes. He was caught by how the last of the rage made them glitter like amber. The healer wondered what it would be like to have those jeweled depths soft with affection, if they would hold that rich color. Realizing where that thought was taking him he quickly looked away, his ears warming with a blush as he fumbled with his pouch.
"No..no need to, I..I offered to help." Although he could guess these two would probably be far more successful at hunting than he would, he wasn't sure he should ask them to hunt for cats they didn't know.
The young healer managed to get the bag from around his neck and nosed it open, searching for the leaf wrapped herbs he needed. Once found he pulled it out and set it to the side, bringing his attention back to his patient. Lihau bit his lip as he looked at the outstretched limb. He had to clean it, and that meant taking tongue to pelt. Trying to hide his sudden fit of nerves, he slipped his paws back under Meo's leg.
Ok..I can do this, its just a cleaning. I've done it a hundred times. Its nothing he's not going to eat me, he said so, and he's male, just like me. So there is no reason to feel like this...right?He fought the urge to throw up again, and gathered his courage.
Lihau dipped his head and began the process of worrying at the wound, tongue and teeth used to clean away dried blood and dirt, and pull away ragged skin and torn muscle. In a matter of breaths he forgot about his nerves as he did battle with his 'enemy', determined to make sure that the gash did not go bad.
Growling at a particularly stubborn bit, he brought his far paw up from under Meo's and held down the black leopards limb as his rough tongue worked it free.
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:58 pm
Catching the odd look Lihau gave him, Mèo arched one dark brow, wondering why the younger cat had looked at him like that. Shrugging mentally he dismissed it, the healer was kind of strange and very jumpy... the poor guy probably hadn't been a rogue for very long. If he had then..well, Mèo could only assume the god of fortune was looking after the blue cat, for he certainly gave off enough prey-like vibes to pique even the calmed predator's interest.
Then the younger cat began to attack his wound and it took all of Mèo's self control to not growl, though the sound bubbled up in his chest, trying to squeeze out of his throat, forcing Mèo to swallow it down painfully. Clamping his jaw shut as the healer's teeth sent pain shooting through his leg, he settled to glaring daggers over the blue cat's head and into the trees in the distance.
Teeth grit against the random jolts of pain, the black leopard sat silently, expression stony as he ignored the cheetah's amused expression. Siyah had rolled back onto his belly and was watching the pair with a wide grin, clearly taking pleasure in his brother's discomfort. Though the pair of them were inseparable, there was still a healthy rivalry between them and today, Siyah had the upper hand. Forcing Mèo to be dependent on him for a few days would provide very useful leverage for future endeavors. To say nothing of making perfect ammunition for tormenting the leopard verbally.
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:24 pm
Lihau's pale eyes lifted to meet Meo's, his voice low as he reached over with his paw to bring the leaf-wrap closer to them, " Its ok to growl. I know it hurts, but you'd rather it be clean than get any rot." The young leopard tilted his head to regard the cheetah, something about the other black cat not sitting well with him. Shrugging it off, Lihau returned his attention back to the task at hand.
Skilled claws flipped open the leaf, and the healer bent his head to take the herb packs in his mouth. Chewing them, to mush and mix them, he tried to keep the bitter expression off his face. The hiss-seed was like munching on something that came out the back end of a wort hog and the hawk-bite was not much better.
When Lihau was sure that they well mixed, he laid them on a small piece of honeycomb that was left in the leaf packet. Using it as a mat, he ground the herbs into it with his paw, making a sticky paste out of the whole lot.
With a surprising about of gentleness, the young healer began to smear the concocation over the wound on Meo's leg, his voice soft as he worked, " You'll smell like a walking honey pot for a few hours, but then it will harden some. This should keep it from getting rot, but I need to look at it again in a few days, to make sure."
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:19 pm
Snorting the dark leopard simply looked back at the healer. "Its safer for you if I keep full control." The flat, monotone voice was matter of fact and frighteningly casual. But Mèo knew that slipping his control enough to release some of the pressure by growling would weaken his hold on his innate violence, and he had given his word the youth would not be harmed, so he would not risk it.
Instead, the dark-coated leopard remained silent, gaze unfocused as the healer worked with his leaves and berries. Glancing down when the healer started to coat his leg, Mèo couldn't help but lower his head and sniff at the mix, startled by the odd mix of honey and... something far less pleasant. Drawing his head back and holding in a sneeze that made his eyes water, he let the younger cat work.
Blinking suddenly he looked down at the blue healer, brows lifting. "A few days?" He had not intended to stay in the area, he and Siyah were wanderers, they never stayed more than a few hours unless they had made a big kill or had taken on some kind of contract with a pride or travailing cats who usually required protection. The prides most often wished for assassins, and the brothers excelled in both jobs.
Looking over at Siyah the pair shared a silent conversation. Eventually, Mèo turned back to the young healer and gave a faint shrug. "Its necessary?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:47 pm
Lihau shrugged back, turning to shove the leaf pack back into his bag, "That depends if you want to run the risk of losing your leg or not." Slipping it back over his neck, he rose to his feet, " I could meet you somewhere if you wanted, but it can't be more then a days walk from here."
The young healer looked at his mud and honey covered paw and let out a puff of breath, he'd have to stop at the stream, and then try to scare up some hares, or maybe a grass rat if he could find one big enough. Suddenly, he was very tired, and that haunted, pain filled look came back into pale eyes as he looked back over at Meo.
" I have a couple of cats I am looking after, and...well...for now I can't travel further then that, or I can show you what to look for and you and your brother can move on. Your choice."
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:14 pm
By the time Lihau turned back to the dark leopard, he had risen and padded back over to his brother, the two standing shoulder-to-shoulder, watching the young healer. Siyah stuck his head down low and sniffed the bandage around his brother's leg, then promptly sneezed loudly. "God that smells." Grinning he gave Lihau an approving nod, then yelped as Mèo swiped him behind the head.
Rolling his eyes, the black-furred leopard proceeded to ignore his younger sibling and focused his attention on the healer. "How far away are your patients? And where... We will meet you near them, so you wont have to leave for long." Two sets of pale eyes regarded the younger cat, awaiting his decision. Either the healer would tell them where to meet him, or he wouldn't. Either way, the darkling pair would be leaving, after all they had to catch a meal for Lihau as payment for hi services. As no matter what the youth said or claimed, the brothers always gave dues where it was deserved.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:37 pm
Lihau tilted his head to the side, looking like some kind of bedraggled mud covered bird for a moment as he considered where best to met them. He wasn't sure he trusted them near Sadara and her mother, but he couldn't leave the pair for to long.
Lihau took a breath and rubbed his sticky paw over his nose, feeling exhausted, but knowing he still had to hunt some kind of meal for Sadara and her mother, neither of who were doing well. Lihau 'thought' Sadara might pull through, but she would always have a bad limp, but her mother...no her mother would be returning the circle of life soon.
" About a mile from from here, there is a turn in the river and the Acacia trees make a semi-ring around some abandoned termite mounds. Meet me there at the end of the second day, about sunset. I'll look at the leg then."
Looking back over at the the two black cats, honey making his nose fur stick out, and tears threatening to fall, the young healer looked his very young years, and shouldering a burden far to heavy for him, he waited for their answer, " If that is ok, and there is nothing else...I should go."
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 9:21 am
The two dark shapes listened silently, nothing showing in their faces that they even noticed how drained the young leopard was. Siyah glanced at Mèo, who nodded faintly. "We will be there."
Without saying anything else, the pair turned to the side and simply melted away into the grasses around them.
When Lihau finally returned from hunting later that evening, he discovered the freshly killed carcass of a buffalo laid out just in front of the sick leopard's den. In the dust around it, were two sets of paw prints, one leopard and one cheetah.
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 9:34 am
Lihau blinked, looking around, then a small smile came to him, tears brightening the pale blue of his eyes. " Thank you..." he whispered, sure that the brothers were long gone, but feeling he needed to say it anyway.
Turning to the shallow abandoned wild dog den, Lihau called down into it, "SADARA! There's food! We can eat for a couple of days."
A lite, musical voice answered him, though it was slightly strained with pain, " Really Lihau? Did you catch that many hares?"
"No..no..some..." he hesitated and then chuckled a little, " friends brought a water buffalo. I didn't even catch on hare today."
"Oh..." Sadara had crawled almost to the front of the den, only her shadow being seen, " are they joining us for dinner?"
Lihau shook his head as he twisted off a portion of meat and placed it inside the den, " No, they are probably long gone by now. Here, take that to your mother, while I get the rest inside."
Not arguing, the leopardess moved away, as the healer looked back over the savana at the setting sun, wishing the two brothers a safe journey, and hoping he might see them again.
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