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 Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:11 pm
She smiled and blushed she he held her paw. She thought to herself that it felt awful nice. It was nice to feel these sorts of little dotes of affection. She was slightly realizing that deep down. She didn't really feel a need for romance. She didn't really feel the need for anyone to want to be her mate. No. She just wanted someone to be there. Someone who would just touch her paw sometimes. A close companion with no strings attached. Of course, she wasn't sure if anyone would ever be willing to give her this really. She didn't have enough experience with dating or suitors coming to see her. She felt amiss if anyone would want that. Did other males just want to find girls to bear their children? She knew the birds and bees basics after all. All girls knew about that. Deeper down, she contemplated that maybe one day; she might want to have some children. Still, she thought that she wasn't ready for that either; at least, she wasn't in the present. Maybe one day.
Her mind had been trailing off and obsessing over these things as she lay down just as he had instructed her before he left. She continuously fidgeted however. She didn't like laying on the snow. She desperately wanted someplace dry. She even more wished it could be warm. She didn't like the winter because of how cold it was. She despised finding the underside of her fur so frequently wet from sitting on snow. She hated when any sweat or tears would freeze on her whiskers. The winter was definitely not her favorite time of year.
Alas, she found that the food was settling far better than her mind was. The longer yuki was gone; she found that she was missing him just being there. Was it so possible to become accustomed to the sound of someone's voice so fast? Probably for her it was. Karis really found his company to be just the right thing she needed. She felt so amazed to have happened on him like this. She murmured to herself, "Oh. I hope... I hope so much that this year will bring friends and companionship. May my days of solitude really be over. Maybe... this Chiyuki will be my dearest friend. He sure seems to know lots about how to survive in the cold." She lidded her gem like blue eyes as her tail continued to twitch and flicker.
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:14 pm
After climbing a tree to a low-hanging steady branch, he frowned as he continued scanning the area. Strange? Well, whatever his odd feeling was, he needed to get back to Karis. She was probably feeling lonely without him by now, and this weather was nasty to stay in one place for too long. With that final thought, he leaped across branches until he spotted the purple-pink female, and dropped down in front of her, landing lightly on his paws. "Don't you feel cold lying down in the snow like that, Karis?" he smiled gently, flicking his tail as he sat back on his haunches. "Well, let us be on our way. When night falls, it gets far colder, and we need to be someplace warm and safe by early evening." Yuki searched his mind as he tried to remember if there were any small caves and such along this mountain that were nearby, but the closest one, he realized, was still a ways away. What are you doing, Chiyuki, to leave a lady in the cold like this!? he scolded himself mentally.
"I know a place close by, but it's still rather far from her, so we must move... if we stay here, dear Karis, we shall be frozen icicles!" Well, that wasn't true, because they could probably keep each other warm but it wasn't really ideal. That odd feeling of his had continued to bother him, and he worried that they were in danger of a much bigger predator than themselves. Bears lived along these mountains and they were predators of Ulaya... but because he could pass as a snow leopard he was relatively safe. Karis, on the other paw... his golden eye gave his female companion a once over and he smiled to himself. Karis would be an ideal meal for bears, and he refused to allow her to be in any danger aside from the romantic kind... if they ran into other males, as it were. "I hope you weren't waiting too long, m'dear," he started up a random conversation, "I don't intend to abandon a lovely critter as yourself to these ugly wilds."
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:24 pm
She lifted her head a little. She felt the ground tremble as he landed by her. She rolled over, back and forth, a few times. Then, she sprung up on her feet. She shook herself, and then she fluffled her tail a few times. She licked a paw to groom her face to look her best. Her eyes looked to him. "Yes. The ground is much colder than I care to stay with very long. I agree. I guess I should have left earlier in the day, but then.. I might have missed running into you. I'm really glad you're here."
She smiled and skipped on heading in their direction eastwards. She was full of energy and ready to defeat this journey. She then flung her head up and half turned back to look at him. "Let's beat it, so we don't turn into those icicles. It isn't anything I would aspire to be. Warm gooey Karis's are by far much better than frozen icicle karis's." She giggled aloud to herself. After walking for a moment, she picked up her stride. As she moved faster, she picked up into a steady jog. She was being sure to make haste. If htere was one thing she didn't want, it was the cold. His phrase of someplace warm and safe was like an oasis in her mind.
Before the end, she'd be glad he was still accompanying her. Moreover, she was almost constantly thinking to herself how glad she was he was there. She kept thinking to herself how she hoped he wouldn't leave at some random point while she slept.
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:47 pm
"We should be there soon," he said as he kept pace with her at her side. With this pace, they'd be there well before sunset. If they got there that is... "Karis, do you feel anything...strange?" For a while now he swore they were being watched, or even followed... if it were a bear, he'd be able to hear it and get them away... however, the biggest danger were the wolves. Wolves were harder to escape from and harder to fight, and much harder to kill. Yuki had only once run across one once, and the wolf had had a dead Ulaya in its maw. He shuddered. He hoped they didn't run into--
"KARIS!" he shoved her out of the way as something came flying towards them both. He rolled to his side, checking the female as he hissed at the unseen danger. It had disappeared as quickly as it had come, but he wasn't sure what attacked them. "I'm sorry, m'dear, but we apparently will have to wait a bit to get to that cave!" He knew something had been wrong. He was just glad he'd returned to the female's side before anything had gone wrong. Unfortunately, he didn't have his sisters with him; otherwise, they'd have formed a perfect protection for Karis.
...It wasn't like him to doubt his abilities, but he wasn't goofing around this time, either. Though he was rather charismatic, there was a time and place that required he dropped his mask. "Karis, can you climb?" he spoke calmly, but his eyes were darting too and fro, frantically trying to identify the dark blur that had nearly killed them. "If you can climb, dear, please do so quickly and calmly..." He growled softly, using his hearing now to detect the danger.
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:54 pm
Karis had just been trotting along happy as a lark. Then, when he swept her out of the way. Her heart jumped up into her throat. She felt scared, but she was trying hard not to show it. She looked around, but she didnt' see or smell anything. Still, she trusted Chiyuki's sense. He was a hunter, so maybe he was especially good at sensing these things.
She then moved around and pressed herself against a tree. When he asked her to climb, she recalled all her fail attempts to do so. She gave a brief "heh" before she gave a big jump and started to climb; but the trees were frozen and a tad slippery. She was having a hard time getting a good hold. This was probably in large part due to her lack of hunting training. She would have to take up lessons with a trainer of some sort. She obviously needed to learn how to do afew things a little better. Still, that was later. This was now.
She then gave a soft "mew" because she really wanted to stay right by Chiyuki's side. She could get the feeling he wanted to put her somewhere safe. Still, she didn't want to just sit there feeling all scared and lonesome by herself. She took a deep breath followed by a hard swallow. Her eyes grew nervous as she looked up at Chiyuki. In a somber suggestion, she told him this, "Chiyuki. I want to help you. I know I might not be ready for a fight yet. I just... I don't wanna hide. I wanna help."
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:05 pm
His ear twitched, and he backed up until he could talk quietly but still loud enough for Karis to hear him. "Sweetling, if you're going to help, I hope you know how to use your teeth and claws, because I am certainly--" He dropped off as he rolled to the side, the being that had attacked them before crashed into the tree Yuki had stood in front of. It howled, and Chiyuki felt dread. They were facing a wolf. A great wolf, at that. Why was it alone? Wolves normally traveled in packs unless... Oh no, they had run across a loner. Loners were more dangerous than packs, because at least with packs one could avoid detection. Loners were more persistent...
Chiyuki frantically looked over to where Karis had been, praying she had somehow hidden herself or something until he could find her and figure out a plan. If she wanted to help, he had to think of something--fast. Think!! What would you do if Tabithia and Roweniya were here...? He darted around the wolf and stole himself into some evergreen bushes, scanning the area. Where was Karis? Had she avoided the attack from the wolf? Said creature was sniffing the snow, trying to trace their scents. Yuki felt even more dread. What if Karis had already been killed and the wolf was merely trying to find him? Then he shook his head. Karis was a naive female, but she wasn't stupid. And she'd wanted to help him. That had to count for something... Where are you, Karis?!
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:15 pm
Initially, Karis had froze at the sight, smell and sound of the wolf. She suddenly had a pang of panic. Her eyes had darted around in a frenzy before instinctively going to hide. She had found a nearby rabbit hole. She had pushed herself into it. It was like someone putting a sock over their foot that was just a tad too small. Still, it visually hid her rather well. She hadn't experience with fighting to know how to cover her scent at all though.
Then, once she was in her hidey hole, she remembered Chiyuki. Oh snaps! She paniced and wondered if she should crawl back out. She also realized she had crawled into this hidey hole the completely wrong way. With her face towards the inside of the crawl space, she realized the air was short. It grew too warm from her own breath. Her tail twitched involuntarily as she started to panic. Oh noes.. She tried to back up a little, but her hips were stuck.
She had felt a few brushes of snow. Then, she could feel feet trampling the ground above her. Were they fighting? She hoped Chiyuki would be able to find her, but she hoped hte wolf wouldn't. Oi.. what to do.. Karis felt like maybe she should have climbed the tree after all.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:31 pm
The wolf had wandered a little farther away from where he had hidden himself, and Chiyuki took that time to scan for Karis. She certainly hid herself well; he couldn't find her purple fur anywhere. She was the kind who stood out in this stark weather, after all--what was that? He managed to suppress a chuckle when he saw that the poor thing had somehow gotten herself stuck in a rabbit hole. Glancing at the wolf as he carefully made his way over to the female, he pawed her back paw gently. "Karis," he said, barely above a whisper, "push yourself out slowly. I'll help you."
The wolf was slowly wandering toward them again, and Yuki worried--he hoped Karis didn't panic too much--after all, he needed to get her out and they had to figure out what to do. "Wiggle yourself slightly," he said, barely above a whisper, praying he didn't attract attention. Wolves were notorious for their sense of hearing, so he mustn't make too much noise. He used his claws to lightly grab hold of Karis's fur as he pulled, careful not to tug too hard. Out of the corner of his eye, the wolf was getting closer, its nose still to the ground. He mentally curse when he realized he had led the wolf right to them--hopefully, before it got to them, he could get Karis out of her hidey-hole.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:40 pm
Karis wiggled her back a little here and a little there. She tried to push herself by pressing her forepaws into the ground. Bit by bit she slid backwards. She felt surprised and comforted when Chiyuki's handling on her backside. What a relief she felt to know he hadn't got hurt. She started to hope that it was over, but she could hear that distant growling. It wasn't over. No. That would have been too great.
When she was finally free, she saw the wolf was almost upon them. She wasn't sure what to do, so she then humbled herself. She looked up at Chiyuki. Not for the last time again, she felt immensely grateful he was there. If this kept up, she might start to feel like she owed him her life.
She then turned around and hunkered down on the ground. She coiled herself and with all her might she took a huge leap. She pounced off of Chiyuki's back, kicked the tree bark pushing herself up, and she flew up high enough to let her paws catch a branch just above and to her right.
She hung and wiggled. Her hind feet kept swinging and kicking as she hauled her body up there. After what felt like way too long, she held herself there. Deeply, she wanted to feel proud of herself, but that would come later. She then looked around for half broken branches. She'd figure out a way to help him without being in the face of hte wolf.
Karis knew it. She just wasn't brave enough to fight; and if Chiyuki hadn't been there; she would have just ran for her life. She gave a whisper. "Pst... go get em buddy.... I'll get your back."
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:57 pm
He was startled when Karis bounded off his back, but he realized it was to help her grab hold of a branch in a place the wolf couldn't reach. Seeing that she was relatively safe now, he winked at her with a confidence he didn't quite feel. "You're a brave one, m'lady," he said, chuckling as he gave her a silly looking bow.
"And I shall do my best to "get 'em" as you say!" With a responding growl as the wolf finally came upon him, he leaped and managed to land on the wolf's back, and then he found himself holding on for dear life as the wolf starting running in circles trying to get a bite on his behind. He had no idea what Karis was planning, but he hoped she got started on her plan soon, because he couldn't hold on for much longer.
I am a hunter, not prey! I will not allow this creature to harm Karis... and I am not afraid! For he was a god, and gods do not fear mortals. Chiyuki gripped onto his fantasy with all his might, trying to calm his rising panic.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:03 pm
Karis had been frantically searching branches till she found just what she wanted. It was a branch about to fall off. She broke it off the tree and quickly pressed it on her paw. Yes. It was rather pokey. Excellent, she thought. Her face grew fierce. Poor Chiyuki. Her hero who saves her day was caught on a whirl. Karis really wanted to help, but there wasn't a lot she could do.
Then, she took that big branch, and swinging down on side of the branch she was hoisted on; she thrust the stick. It thumped on the wolf's head, giving it splinters. She heard the wolf howl with anger, and then she had to quickly hop up higher to another branch to hide on. She watched as the wolf was trying to get rid of Chiyuki to get its revenge on Karis.
She tried to stand up and look as brave as she could. "You shut up you smelly wolf! I'll poke you right in the eye with this stick... I will... Just make me do it!!!" She felt proud of herself. Though she might have looked rather silly; she felt dead serious. She was really about to poke that wolve's eyes out. Poising, she rolled the stick in her paw and twirled it to prepare it with it's pointiest edge out.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:20 pm
The distraction was all Yuki needed to dig his claws into the wolf's back as painfully as he could. The wolf howled in anger in pain, after having been smashed on the head and now dealing with sharp claws digging into its back. Ignoring Karis again, seeing as she wasn't the "easy" prey with another one on its back was easier to reach, the wolf leaped backwards, intending to crush Yuki against a tree. Instead, Yuki managed to jump off and caught himself on a tree as he climbed up swiftly.
Jumping across branches until he reached Karis's side, he panted as he took a chance to breathe. "You are... quite... a lady," he gasped, laughing in a relieved way. Chiyuki wrapped his tail around Karis again in both a move for comfort and protection as he wondered how they could escape. It was doubtful they could kill the loner, but if they could somehow distract it. "I'm out of ideas," he said aloud, watching the wolf that was trying staring back up at them.
"Wolves are sly creatures, and even I have no idea how we can distract him long enough for us to escape..." He sounded so pathetic, but it was reality, and it was truth. He had been thinking on his paws, adrenaline-rushed because his goal at the time had been to protect Karis. She was under his protection, seeing as he chose to travel with her, and he intended to keep her safe and alive and well... and fed, too. She wasn't much of a hunter, but since he was with her, he ought to teach her how to hunt and survive in this freezing winter. " Any ideas, sweetling?" he asked, keeping his eyes on their predator friend below.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:29 pm
This whole being in danger thing was really wearing on Karis quickly. She wasn't used to being in danger, and she was not liking it much at all. Her face kept furrowing as she hissed at the wolf. When Chiyuki met up with her, she had a moment where she felt overcome with the gladness of him being there. She felt so increasingly wanting him right there. She felt like she just needed to hug him.
She hopped and clung tight to him. Her paws embracing him, and her head pressing onto his chest. "I'm glad you're ok at least. If you get hurt, it'll be all my fault." Her last word was said with a lot of weight. However, in her move to hug on him; the stick she had been holding was at random flung into the air.
The stick fell quickly in a moment when the wind subsided. It fell quickly and hard, piercing the wolf's shoulder. The wolf was for a moment distracted as he was whacking the stick against the tree to get it off. The branch broke in half to not feel too heavy, but the wolf couldn't get all of it out. This made the wolf the angriest of all. His clawing on the tree bark made the whole tree rattle.
Karis lost hold of Chiyuki for a moment only to regrasp him even tighter. "I don't like this. We gotta get out of here."
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:45 pm
Chiyuki began purring to sooth Karis who clung to him, his tail wrapping around her more tightly as the tree shook from the force of the wolf shaking it. As he purred, he suddenly spotted an opening he hadn't noticed before. If they could just get to that bit of an opening a few trees away, they were free. Evening had already fallen, so he could see his breath even more so now. "Karis," he spoke in an urgent voice, "we need to move. I found an opening. If we can just get there, we'll be safe."
He couldn't believe their good luck. That opening also led straight to the hidden cave he had been taking Karis to originally, anyway. It was perfect! The wolf was probably in serious pain, but it was probably all right because it had only been able to break off a part of the branch Karis had dropped. Their luck must have really kicked up since the wind had blown at that moment just to drop it right into the wolf's shoulder. He stopped purring as he carefully moved Karis away from his body. "I can carry you, but we'll have to be careful. We're out of reach of the wolf, but once we hit that opening, we'll be within reach. At that point, we have to run," he explained, already calculating the leaps he'd have to make as they cross the trees.
Whoever was giving them this amount of luck, he hoped they continued to give it to them. This next challenge would be truly life-or-death, and he knew Karis was feeling unsettled and frightened. "Remember how you bravely jumped up here, dear? Remember that courage. You're going to need it," he soothed her. He needed her to be calm and less prone to panic. For Chiyuki, he was still running on adrenaline so he was able to push fear and panic aside. It helped that Karis was there, to keep him calm. He'd probably have had panicked if he were by himself, and simply run away or climbed to wait the wolf out. Loners were persistent, but they knew when to give up if they realized they couldn't get their prey. Chiyuki was hoping for exactly that.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:52 pm
She thought about her "courage". Pretty much she hadn't been overthinking at the moment she pounced off of him onto the tree. She just acted on impulse. She thought then that she would just try to be smart and less stupid. Obviously, Chiyuki knew what he was doing, and she would just have to trust him. She swung around and jumped on his back to let him carry her in an easier way.
Then, she rubbed her chin on his shoulder. "When it's time to run, count '3,2,1, now' and then release my ankle. Then, when i hear you say now; i'll jump off. That should put us ready to both hit the ground running. You'll have to be good with your timing though."
She felt growing anxiety. What if he couldn't get the timing right? What if he'd wait a second too long? She wasn't worried while he carried her, but once they were in the opening. Where anything could happen? The suspense was almost more than she could stand.
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