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 Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 9:45 am
Bwana watched the leopardess warily as she shifted again, but when she moved to lay down he relaxed a bit. He glanced at the rabbit as she did, wondering if she was going to eat it or not, or if it had just been a demonstration to prove that she could, in fact, hunt out here. "Moyo," he repeated, liking that she had a shortened name. His name was a bit long as well, but thankfully his siblings and mother preferred to call him by a shorter version. "I'm Jua Bwana, but you can call me Bwana," he said, lifting his head a bit to show that they were on a level playing field. He liked it when adults spoke to him as if he were one as well. Being a cub was rather bothersome at times. He didn't know as much as he wanted to know, he wasn't big enough to survive on his own...ugh. He couldn't wait until he was older. "You said you're from a pride. Where is it?" he asked, curious to know more about the world around him. As of the past few weeks he had been exploring his surrounding areas, but really, all he knew was his cave, mother, siblings, and the immediate area.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:02 am
Brown ears swiveled forward as she listened to him speak. As he spoke his name, she furrowed her brow a moment, thinking about the name before repeating it. "Bwana." She shrugged and peered off behind him into the jungle she had come from. It was a name she'd never heard before, so at the very least he wasn't one of those leopard she had to kill on sight for leaving the pride, but then again, he didn't seem like he'd ever really been in the jungle to begin with, so that probably was never an issue.
"I'm from the Usafi-tufuku in the Jungle." She said as she nodded her head back in the direction of the jungle. "We live in some old ruins back in there. We only let leopards into our territory." Indeed Moyo herself had never seen anything but leopards in her jungle. Not even hybrids really, or if she had, she hadn't been able to tell they were.
Then again, Moyo was never one to really go to the borders just to meet people. She usually came out here to be alone. When she craved interaction she harassed the leopards of her group, or better yet, her family. This thought made her look at him with interest now. "Do you often wander off by yourself approaching strange new felines without your family? Don't you worry some mean lion or something is going to come and eat you?" She asked very seriously. Moyo was now coward herself, but she knew the risks of wandering around unfamiliar territory alone and being as smart as she was, her self-preservation instinct was strong. As a cub she never ventured too far away from the guards, or the ruins.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:25 am
Right...that would explain her hunting from the trees. Bwana glanced off to the jungle, a slightly curious expression on his face. He'd never been in the trees before, and his mother had warned him not to go. Besides other leopards, there were dangerous prey animals in there that could kill him with one swipe of a tusk or hoof. Interesting...he was now more curious to know that a whole pride of leopards lived in there. "Not really," he said, turning his attention back to Moyo. "Mother didn't let us leave for a long time because we were too little. Now she lets us roam around, as long as we stay within hearing distance of her." He had yet to hear her call for him, so he assumed he was fine. "My siblings don't really like to explore, and it's their loss. Once Mother doesn't want to take care of us anymore, they'll be left out in the savanna to fend for themselves. I'll at least know a bit about it," he said, rolling his blue eyes slightly. Really, his siblings were far too naive for his tastes. He could tell that as soon as they were old enough, they'd be out on their behinds to keep themselves alive. "I want to explore more, but I'm not stupid. I'm too small to do much now without being in danger. Once I grow up a bit I'll go further from home." The bigger he got, the stronger and faster he'd get. He'd be able to leave for a few days at a time, he figured, hunting for himself and exploring further and further. Maybe even a bit into the jungle to see what Moyo's pride was all about.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:39 am
How interesting, Moyo thought. So his mother must be somewhere close by. Well, at least he wasn't an idiot. No matter how brave a cub was, it was suicidal to go off completely on your own, it would be like begging a bigger predator to eat you, and while some lions were not unfriendly to leopards, there were those who Moyo knew probably disliked them as much as she disliked lions. Her gaze curiously scanned the surrounding grasses, wondering where exactly his little family was. She didn't hear anything, so they must at least be all occupied out of ear shot unless, perhaps, the mother decided to call out, or roar a warning.
"The jungle is actually pretty fun. There are more trees to climb than you can image and all these strong vines. I like to weave them together in the tree tops and make a little lounging spot while I wait for prey to wander by." She informed the cub. Perhaps when he was old enough to leave his family she might see him wander into the jungle. If he stayed cunning and smart, she might even considering helping him join, if he had the back bone to handle it that is.
The long mostly white tail flickered quietly behind her, swishing from side to side. "Maybe when you're older, if you want to visit I could show you around." She paused to snicker, "That is, if you aren't too scared to lurk in the tree tops and don't freak out when you meet some of the weird creatures that also reside in my trees." She seemed amused. This cub was unlike many others she had been forced to watch or baby sit in her home. This one had spunk, and she had to admire that.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:53 am
Bwana glanced at the trees as Moyo told him a bit about her home. Wow...vine beds? That sounded a lot more comfortable than the rocky cave floor they slept on. He shrugged slightly, feigning disinterest, although it was easy to tell from the bright, curious look in his eyes that he was very interested in learning more. "Maybe," he said, swishing his tail as he stood. "I wouldn't freak out or be scared. I'm not scared of you," he added, puffing up his chest a bit. He was sure with the displays of hunting and her large claws that most of his siblings would have fled. He was quiet for a while before tilting his head just a bit to peer at the older leopard from a different angle. "I'll remember that, though. Maybe when I'm older you'll see a bigger gourde walking through your jungle." He wasn't sure what a gourde was, but obviously she did. "So don't pounce on me. I won't hurt your home if you don't hurt me."
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 11:04 am
Her gaze lingered over on the border of her jungle as he acted tough, saying he wouldn't get scared, only a smirk that crossed her lips hinted she was actually listening. Out of the corner of her eyes she did notice how curious he seemed, but she knew he was too young and she did not want to have his mother chasing after her for taking the cub into the jungle now.
"Try to remember my name if you do come visit in the future. If one of the guards finds you and you don't have a reason to be there, they might try to kill you." She said seriously, no hint of a joke or chuckle in her tone. Not all the guards were so serious and territorial, but the Usafi were not too keen on having random rogues trepssing through the jungle and either scaring away, or eating all the prey they hunted.
I think I should be heading back now though. Oh, and you can have the rabbit, I ate before I came out here." She said with a smirk down at the cub. After taking in his appearance to remember him, she lifted a paw and patted his head, mussing his fur here and there. "Don't die before you come visit again. I want to show you how leopards should hunt eventually." She said with a laugh, knowing that she was a tree stalker and he was likely learning how to hunt more like a lion does. And with that, she rose to her paws and sauntered back into the jungle.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 11:16 am
Bwana nodded slightly. He could remember the name 'Moyo'. It wasn't too hard to remember, and if that failed, he could just tell the guards that she was the granddaughter of the queen and was mostly white with some brown. He doubted there were many other leopards like her.
He didn't snarl this time as she mussed up the tuft of fur on his head. Instead, he had to fight to hide a smile. As annoying as she had been, it had been nice to talk to a leopard who respected him and his intelligence. Not that he was as smart as her just yet, of course, but he hoped that some day he would be. His mother had a different kind of smarts that he wasn't terribly fond of - she was more of the type that would wheedle and lie to get what she wanted. Moyo seemed more like him, where she would simple take and not care.
"I won't die," he said with a scoff. "Don't get so old you can't climb trees anymore!" he called out after her to try to have the final say. He swished his tail in delight as he grabbed the rabbit and began dragging it back home. Maybe he could convince his mother he caught it for them...
FIN
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