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 Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:38 pm
Kunoki too had made it into the long grass, although not with quite as much speed as Kukuru achieved. She quickly lost sight of him, and began to worry...but then, she heard a whistle, and bounded towards it -quietly, for she was still frightened.
As she heard him cry her name, her heart skipped a beat in fear. Had the crocodile caught up with him? She hastened forward, reaching him just as he called out his desperate question. "Kukuru~!" she replied, springing forward to press her side comfortingly against his. "Kukuru, I'm here..but we really ought to go...I don't know where that crocodile went."
Oh, but she was relieved...she couldn't stop looking at him, so glad was she for the sight of him whole, and well, and...shaking her head, she told herself to stop. They needed to get going, and gawking at him wasn't the way to do that.
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:17 pm
At the sight of Kunoki, Kukuru let out a cry - and, before he knew it, he was running to her side, brushing against her, and desperately looking to see if she was hurt. But there was no time to loose - and, at once, jaws burst through the grass, like a figure escaped from a gruesome horror film, and Kukuru realised that they certainly were not safe.
"Kunoki, dodge!" he roared, as he leapt to one side... and dealt a carefully aimed kick at the crocodile's left eye. It connected, and the creature roared with pain, momentarily blinded.
Kukuru's spirit rose.
Bingo.
He'd managed a kick! And the crocodile was not happy - a kick to the eye could leave the beast blind for at least a day. However, though the croc was wounded, there was a chance it could strike the klipspringers on nothing more than impulse and anger... so now was certainly no time to play hero. The silver male turned and fled, and the crocodile let out a groan... it had lost his prey. With heavy breath, Kukuru watched as the monster turned and left... and heard the distant sound of a body hitting water.
It was over.
Kukuru found himself staring awkwardly at Kunoki... they'd almost died out there, in the worst way. But yet, he couldn't keep himself from chuckling... and then, shaking and still in shock, but unhurt... he started laughing.
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:53 pm
Kunoki leapt aside, closing her eyes...and only re-opening them in time to see Kukuru kick the beast in the eye. Then, she ran with him..in shock, still in shock...but at least for now, they were out of danger.
Unable to help herself, she let out a slightly-hysteric giggle as well, and found that she couldn't stop. Shaking with relief, she went to him, nuzzling a bit and searching him for injury. "You were amazing, back there.." she told him with a shy smile, her ears still flicking about for signs that the crocodile might come back. After all...the world was never a safe place for a klipspringer, and you had to be ready. "Are you alright, Kukuru?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 6:27 pm
"I'm... I'm..." he rolled onto his back, shaking, splitting his sides with laughter, "Ahheeeheeeheee! I'm... hee! Ah, I can't stop myself! This is hilarious!"
Then, he got up again, wiped a tear from his eye with a hoof, and grinned.
"I'm alright. Only thanks to you, Kunoki," his heart swelled with gratitude, and he didn't even go red when Kunoki brushed against him. Instead, he accepted the rub warmly, nuzzling her in return, "Are you alright, yourself? Gosh... it's just wonderful that we had such a close call... and lived to tell the tale! Don't we have a story to tell the family now-"
He stopped mid-sentence. What family did he have left to tell? His older brother Makuu, yes... but he'd left his wild-dog family already. His mother and his father were taking care of their birth pups, and Makuu and Kukuru had no idea of their biological roots. Kukuru sighed, and his shoulders sagged a little, but he looked back to Kunoki, and at once forgot all his worries and saw only her. A wonderful, new friend that made him feel like he was made of gold.
"Thankyou, Kunoki. You seriously saved me out there. I owe you everything," he set his eyes on her beautiful form. How rare it was to find a person as beautiful inside as they were out.
"So where..." he paused, "Where are you headed, Kunoki? Where do you live?"
The male shuffled uncomfortably.
"Will I see you again?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:52 pm
Kunoki smiled, nodding a bit. "I'm alright...although I don't have any family that I know of to tell the tale to." She paused, blinking, and realized that she'd never stopped to wonder if she had family. She'd never seen anybody who looked much like her...she'd hardly seen many klipspringers at all.
She worried a bit, as Kukuru's stance saddened, and as he sighed. He looks as though he carries the world.., she thought wistfully, aching to take the strain from his heart. As she moved to comfort him, however, he seemed to brighten. Perhaps it had been nothing..?
"I don't really live anywhere..." she told him, blinking. "Just kind of..sleep where I think it will be safest. As I said, I'm mostly alone." She hesitated, smiling shyly as he asked if he could see her again...and nodded. "I would like that, very much."
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:05 am
Kukuru's eyes brightened once more, and he nodded his head.
"You're more than welcome to come and visit my brother and... well, I mean, we're wanderers right now, but...you know, we live pretty close to here and..." he paused, "Kunoki, if you're alone, I mean, you can..."
He hesitated, and shuffled in discomfort. But still, he decided to go on and say it. No matter how shy he was, no matter how frightened he was, he'd say it.
"You're welcome to come with my brother and I. We're searching for a herd."
He lifted his gaze, his pale blue eyes gleaming with pride. He'd said it. There. He wagged his tail, in a fashion he'd learnt from his wild-dog father. And then, it dawned on him. Maybe Kunoki and he were in similar situations. He decided to explain.
"I'm like you, Kunoki," he breathed, his heart a little heavy, but his face gentle, smiling and soft, "I don't know my real family. I mean, I know my brother... he's really nice. But there's something missing from my family. And I'm looking for answers."
His eyes rested upon Kunoki.
"Maybe, we can learn about our families..." he paused, "Together. Then, we won't have to be alone."
He stopped speaking, and looked away, not sure on what her response would be. Kukuru had no idea about girls... to him, their minds were mysteries that were very difficult to solve.
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Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:45 am
Kunoki waited patiently while Kukuru stumbled for words, her eyes softening and an affectionate smile creeping onto her face as she watched him. He was so nervous...it was rather cute, actually. His awkwardness fairly made her want to nuzzle him until he smiled again...but, of course, that wouldn't be anywhere near appropriate.
"A herd..?" Kunoki heard herself echo, eyes widening a bit. She'd never considered seeking out a group to fall in with..but if they were all such sweethearts as Kukuru...she flicked her ears toward him, softly replying "I've never known any family, Kukuru. I would love to travel with you..whether you and your brother find a herd or not." She paused, wondering why her heart was racing so- like when they'd been chased, almost, but in a much nicer way.
"I must admit..I'm curious to find where I came from, although I don't think it's as important to me as it seems to be to you.." once more she hesitated, then in a lower voice went on: "But it would be nice not to be alone, for once. And moreso..it would be nice to be with you, Kukuru."
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Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:49 pm
As Kunoki said these words, Kukuru, for once, did not blush. Rather, he looked at her with soft, happy eyes, and breathed out in pure relief. She'd accepted. And that made him feel so... so...
So very glad to have been able to meet her.
Kukuru trotted alongside Kunoki, and gave her a soft pushed on her side with his horns. He turned to her, and at once dipped his head in respect. She was one of his family, now. At least, a travelling companion, of sorts. He'd introduce her to his brother... and, suddenly, he felt a little uneasy on what Makuu would think. But then again, it was a good feeling to have someone else travelling alongside him. Travelling with the two.
"Thankyou," was the only word he could manage, but his eyes told a much more complicated story. Of gratitude, and slight affection for his new friend.
"Then, shall we leave?" his head was held high, and his eyes shone brighter than they had. Kukuru knew that he'd come to the waterhole with nothing but misery on his shoulders - and he'd leave with something else.
Something special.
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