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 Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:01 am
That was quite the shopping list...
Zima and Havase could do nothing more than attempt to memorise the list that the little cub was providing them with. She was certainly chattering at breakneck speed, but between them, both Lion and Gazelle seemed to have managed to gather everything they needed. At least they thought they had managed to recall precisely what the little cub had said. Some of them were easy, others they would have to let her down gently on as they both knew that such things didn't exist in the forest.
"I imagine most of that would be doable," Havase said at last as he began to walk away, moving deeper into the forest so that she might immediately be smacked by several very large leaves. There was plenty of undergrowth for her to play in and claim for her bags, but how she aimed to fit it all in, was a subject of much interest to both adults.
"The vines, the leaves and the branches we can find without problem," he continued as he ducked underneath a low lying branch.
"But we don't have any twinkly rocks," Zima smiled apologetically. "Not here anyway, they're usually near the ice and snow," she pointed out. "Or around water," she mused thoughtfully. She'd never really seen seen them in her usual haunts, it was as if they needed those conditions to survive. "And we can't take you t the land of the fairies," she lowered her head to Yukio's height. "I can show you where the door is, but you aren't allowed in, it's fairies only," she whispered.
"Indeed," Havase gave a gusty sigh. "Not even I'm allowed in, they're very protective of their home," he murmured.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:05 am
Yukio was quick to bound after the large male. Giggling cheerfully along the way as she made a game of it to duck and tumble under the large leaves before they smacked her right onto her arse. With a sharp gasp Yukio finally came to a halting stop. The most perfect idea on how to solve the baggage conundrum coming to her. She turned tail back, heading over to one of the larger leaves she had dodged just moments before. Lifting herself up onto her hind legs, she used her claws to scratch away at the steam of the leaf attacking it without mercy. It wasn't the easiest task even with her using all of the might stored in her tiny body. It might have been perfect for her plans but the dang thing was almost as big as her body!
"That's good! Even if I can get just those I'm sure I can make do." She called out as she still worked to break the leaf off from it's home. When it finally broke under her weight a tell-tall 'Oof!' could be heard as a sign of her success.
Standing over her prize proudly she turned her attention to Zima who had stuck closer to her side than Havase had. "Oh! Hmm, I'll have to find something to improvise for that then. I'm sure me and daddy can find something that'll do." Perhaps she could sacrifice some of her little shells and smash them into pieces? Most did have the tenancy to sparkle and shine when placed juuust right in the sun. As much as she hated to lose them they would be going to a good cause. Popping her lips she gave a loose shrug, pushing back that thought process to the back of her mind. That would just have to be something she'd have to improvise with when crafting the replacement wings. For now she needed to focus on crossing off the rest of the necessary materials from her list!
Her ears perked as she lifted her head back up to address the gazelle face-to-face. With a tiny gasp she nodded. Oh dur! Of course they'd be protective of their home. "I understand, I'm sure there are other Hyenas who'd love to steal more fairy wings! Or perhaps they're the same ones....one giant anti-fairy...pride? Group? Um....collective?" What did Hyenas call themselves when they were in groups. She was pretty sure it wasn't a pride as her daddy had told her once something differently.
Shaking her head softly Yukio brought herself back once again to the task at hand. Craning her neck down she bit onto the steam of her leaf dragging it along with her as she walked backward to follow Havase, she made sure to keep an eye peeled to make sure she was still on the right track.
Occasionally on their little walk she would stop as something useful caught her eye. That's where her answer on how exactly she was planning on getting this all back came to fruition; she placed any items that were too large to fit in her packs onto the leaf before carrying on dragging it. It might be slow going and look utterly ridiculous but she could argue the results speak for themselves!
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 2:15 am
"That leaf isn't going to survive that excursion," Zima murmured under her breath to Havase as she watched Yukio pause to collect a variety of items. The more weight the little cub placed on the leaf, the harder it would drag against the ground until it was shredded. She would certainly applaud the young cub for her ingenuity but in the grand scheme of things, he issue with durability hadn't quite been addressed.
"I am aware," Havase replied with a wry smile, continuing to peer over his shoulder expectantly for the cub. It wasn't every day that the pair had to babysit, in fact they generally didn't as none of the collective had offspring that required round the clock care. Suffice it to say that Gideon's children had long found their own lives to lead, and everyone happened to know what their own Justicar's children were up to.
...Well, they knew of one of them anyway.
"We'll pick up a new one for her on the way back," he added and continued to walk once he was certain the little cub was following behind him.
Zima soon fell back in to step with the cub, occasionally nudging the leaf along with her own nose. No doubt Havase would do more than gather Yukio a new leaf, he would probably teach her how to construct a parcel that could be strapped to her. It would save her some of the trouble and make sure she could look ahead!
"It's not always hyenas," Zima explained with a chuckle. "A lot of the living want that special magic, so they like to chase us. It's why we have to keep out of sight," she winked. "Have to keep us secret to keep us safe!"
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:15 am
The fact that her little solution was quickly proving to be a failure was disappointing to say the least. She had failed to take into account that no longer was she dealing with the soft, smooth sands of the Bahari but instead the bumpy and rough uncertainty that was the forest floor.
Darn, well you can't learn if you don't make mistakes! It would be something to keep in mind next time she was on another grand gathering adventure like this.
Another flaw with her whole leaf idea on this terrain that she hadn't taken into account was the sheer amount of effort it was taking out of her to keep dragging it along, each new item only adding to the weight and strain to the poor cub. Even with Zima's help it was still a uphill struggle to move even a few inches.
Finally the poor cub just couldn't handle the load anymore when the leaf had gotten it's self beached onto a rather large rock hidden under the foliage. No matter how hard she pulled the damn thing just wasn't budging.
Letting out a disappointment sigh she plunked down onto her rump, peering at the leaf to decide what was the most important items that she could fit inside her bag and what would just have to be left behind. "So you guys are hunted by everyone?" Pausing she glanced up to Zima, owlishly staring at her. "That must be tiring to always be on the run like that. I can see why you gotta hide yourselves away, I would hide away too if I were in your situation!"
Popping her lips she did have one lingering question stuck in the back of her mind. "If it's dangerous to let anyone know 'bout you guys. How come you're trusting me? I mean you guys don't have to, I could be secretly a big bad fairy hunter in disguise!" She, of course wasn't, frankly Yukio didn't understand how obvious to anyone she met that she didn't have the capabilities to harm a bug - let alone a group of sentient magical beings! "Ohohoh! Can you see into people's hearts or something!? Like if they're good or bad, they're past deeds and intentions? Or do you just...know? Like a sixth sense thingie?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:07 am
"We just know," Havase replied before Zima had the opportunity to answer the cub's question. He'd already been in the process of closing the gap between himself and the pair when he noticed the cub's clumsy attempts to carry her belongings had come to a halt. It was without further explanation that he began to sever large leaves one at a time, and eventually worked the fronds into a strange weave that left a rather large pouch.
"The intentions of others are often very easy to read," he added as he scooped up more of her belongings into the pouch. It was quick work for a lion his size, and had all but rendered the cub's attempts to prioritise what she wanted to keep a bit of a pointless exercise. It was only when he had finished placing all the items into it that he lifted it to test the weight and pursed his lips.
"One might even say, that while there are those who would do all they can to chase us, they will never find us, the impure lack the ability to do so," he chuckled and slide several branches into the fronds, eventually building a wooden 'raft' beneath it to take the abuse of the ground beneath. Unsurprisingly, Zima looked impressed by her companion's talent in that particular moment, apparently she hadn't known he could do such a thing.
A little while later and he had snipped several vines and without asking the cub for her permission, he had strapped her into a 'harness' and set her up to drag along her pouch as though she had taken up employment as a husky.
"So you may tell who you like," he finished with a smile and began to walk once more...
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:47 am
Yukio's upper body swiveled around as she turned her attention back towards the large male she'd be shadowing rather than his fairy assistant. Dropping the pile of leaves she was currently setting aside into her lap the little one watched him in awe as he easily cut fronds she previously was almost toppled by with a single swipe.
Jeeeeeez being so big sure did come with it's perks!
Letting out a squeak she scrambled to get herself out of the line of fire has he scooped up all the tiny piles she had made when prioritizing. Bolting past him she took up her own little sanctuary from his work under Zima. "So, it's like a magic barrier? Where it just keeps the um..impure as you said lost and confused. That's really a neat magic trick!"
Yukio couldn't help but let out another yelp as she was manhandled out from her so called 'safe spot'. Frozen into place she let him work his magic wrapping countless vines around her to make a harness. Once he was done she shot Zima a confused look to silently ask what the heck just happened!?
When she got little to no response from the gazelle she accepted the fact that she was going to be no help in this little situation Yukio found herself in at all. GG on the backup there, Zima.
Lifting her butt in the air she gave a little test wiggle. Well, it felt weird to be strapped in like this, but it wasn't much different from being fully strapped into her backpacks. It just had a lot more weight to it behind her! Letting out a giggle she pranced around in a circle to give her new sled a pull.
Give her a few years and in time the first lion Iditarod race would be underway!
She started to bound after the lion into the thicket once again when a frenzied cry rang from behind them. Stopping in her tracks she craned her head around her shoulder, waiting to see if it was who she thought it was or perhaps if it was one of the dastardly fairy hunters hot on their trail. The former being the most probable case, the latter being what she honestly wanted to happen.
Her name being cried out certainly answered that question rather quickly.
Giving a disappointed sigh Yukio looked towards her new found companions. "That's my daddy." Stating the obvious was clearly a specialty of the cub's. "He must have woken up and be worried. I gotta go before he tears up your forest looking for me." With a small pout she darted between Havase and Zima, giving them quick nuzzles on the legs as her way of saying good bye. "Thank you so much for showing me around, for teaching me 'bout the forest, andand making me this..this..thingy! I had so much fun!"
She finished off her grand send off with a salute to both of them. "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a rock in my eye I promise not to tell anyone bad about the secret of the faries!" She was apparently electing to ignore his earlier permission to tell anyone she wished. Instead she treated it like a closely guarded secret she was entrusted to guard with her life.
"Buh-bye!" With one final wave Yukio zoomed off by herself to rejoin her father. Not realizing that the pair of 'forest spirits' were watching over her the entire way back.
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A few days later before the father/daughter duo left the forest to head out once more to the low grasslands, the white cub left her father's side once more with her handy-dandy sled attached firmly to her backside. This time her mission was not to explore, but to deliver a very special package she had been working on since the encounter with the two.
Finally making it back to the grove where she first encountered the two she was a touched disappointed -but honestly not all that surprised - to find that they seemed to be hiding somewhere else. Still she figured they must patrol the forest enough that they'd find the package in a short time. It did stick out like a sore thumb amongst the foliage after all!
What exactly was inside the parting gift you might ask? Well, there was a couple of goodies bound tightly away in a leaf package to keep them safe from the outside elements. Let's unveil what's behind leaf door number one!
The main attraction and the things she was honestly most proud of being two sets of fairy wings made out of the minerals she had gathered on her journey. The first set of wings were small, dainty, but beautiful in it's own right. It was made primarily of the different shades of leaves the cub had gathered up. In the center she had added a personal feminine touch to it with a flower crafted from the smaller leaves that would have been otherwise useless in the grand design.
The other one was much larger, clearly intent for Havase. She had run herself out of leaves rather quickly out of the first pair of wings she'd constructed. So, Yukio decided to take some more...artistic license with the second set. It was made primarily out of the twigs and sticks she'd found along the way. They were then covered with some moss she had easily been able to scratch off the rocks around her father and her's campsite. It created a lovely contrast from the reddish hue of the wood compared to the green moss weaved inside. To hide all the vines holding the grand set of wings together she constructed a mix of white moss, tiny flowers, and mushrooms into a grand floral arrangement that was glued onto the center.
The last little items in the box might have been a bit less grand and outlandish as the wings, but they held a much deeper meaning to the little cub. They were two bracelets, one for Zima and one for Havase weaved from the steams of flowers. They were friendship bracelets, and of course she held the matching sets of both bracelets in her grand collection she always wore on both of her front legs.
They would serve as a great memento and reminded of the time she met The Great Forest Guardian and a real fairy.
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