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 Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:08 pm
Roleplay, Main Thread || Chuakari, juvenile || Hunting Lessons
Roleplay transcribed from Main thread.
Summary: Chuakari meets another lioness, Lefika, one that she finds a little scary but still friendly enough to stick around with. Once the conversation turns from dismal topics to lighter ones, and Lefika gives Kari hunting tips. Kari isn't able to calm down enough to be successful, but promises to practice. Lefika goes and catches a young gazelle to share, and then they part ways after Kari assures Lefika she can find her way back home.
Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly the truth.
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The sun beats down hard on the savannah, but a light breeze still rustles the tall grasses. Amongst the grasses and underneath the branches of a stunted tree, a lioness naps. She is wiry, but not starved. She is dirty and beaten, but despite this appears quite peaceful as she sleeps. She even smiles a little, just barely, at the corners of her lips. She's dreaming happily in the back of her mind.
The breeze picks up a little and she stirs, though her eyes do not open. She stretches out her spotted paws and yawns in such a way that some nearby, unwary antelope scatter and flee. The napping lioness is completely oblivious to them. She merely rolls over, exposing another side to the sun, and goes queitly back to sleep.
Chuakari is out watching the antelope in the day peacefully when she hears a sound that startles away the creatures. She'd been watching them thinking about how nice it'd be if she could go talk to them without ruining her appetite for them, or other prey beasts. It's lucky that she hears someone else is near by. She smiles brightly and gets to her feet.
"Oooh," she murmurs to herself, then skips off towards the source of the sound. Maybe it'll be another cheetah! As long as it's friendly, she doesn't really care what it is. She stops when she spies the lioness sleeping under the tree, but only for a second, and then she continues toward her.
"Wow," she says quietly, looking over the sleeping lioness and wondering if she should wake her up. She looks dirty but happy- maybe she shouldn't wake her up. That might not make her happy, instead she can wait for her to wake up on her own!
The lioness lays quietly for a few more moments with Chuakari watching her before finally, still unmoving, lips barely shifting, she mutters, "I know you're there, you know."
She yawns once more and winks a single silvery eye open. The eye scans over the young cheetah and the lioness' expression is blank, unreadable. With barely an effort, she rolls over onto her belly and picks up her head, both eyes now open but her right one hidden under the mess of matted fur atop her head. She smiles a little at Kari. "I'm a light sleeper," she declares. "I make it a point to be a light sleeper." She pauses a moment, then a frown wipes across her face. "Ugh, I'm a mess," she says under her breath and rakes at her snarled fur with her claws.
Once she's gotten herself straightened out a little bit, she turns back to Kari with another good humored smile and inquires, "There somethin' I can help you with, hon?"
Kari starts when the lioness addresses her, laughing awkwardly at what she says. She should have known she couldn't go unnoticed! No, this lioness looks too smart to let someone come or go without her noticing- judging by her state, she does look experienced.
"Oh! I didn't want to wake you up," she says quickly as an apology. The cheetah watches as the lioness combs herself off a bit, wondering what creatures would think of her if she didn't groom herself. She blinks a couple times, pushing the thoughts from her mind- it doesn't matter.
"I just wanted to come meet you!" she puffs up, emphasizing that she specifically wanted to meet this lion, "My name is Chuakari, what's your name?"
"Didn't want to wake me, eh?" the lioness parroted back, and she pondered this. "Hmm... clever girl. Clever. Never bright to disturb a sleeping lion." Then she added, with grave seriousness, "Me, I'm already disturbed, so it's okay." She gave Kari a dark, low, menacing stare for a few minutes...
...and then burst out in hysterical laughter. "AAAAHAHAHAHHA! No. No. I'm just foolin'. No worries. No worries." Her laughter trailed off into a train of gasps and giggles, and she wiped her brow, seeming fully satiated with mirth now.
As for Kari's introduction, she greeted this with quite visible amusement. She looked the cheetah up and down with a great, wide smirk. "Meet me? Well met me you have, hon. I believe my name to be Lefika, myself, but I've had little use for names as of late so I may no longer have a name, as it is."
Kari tilts her head at the lioness when she says it's never a good idea to disturb a sleeping lion, but is pleased to be called clever. Whatever proud expression she wears disppears when Lefika's gaze turns dark and menacing, and she steps back. She doesn't look any more comfortable when she starts to laugh, but does force herself to laugh as well, relaxing when the lioness seemed calmer.
"Lefika? That's a nice name," she comments brightly, "Why don't you have a use for names? What would you be called without a name?"
Lefika stands slowly as Kari speaks. It's not a lazy sort of slowness, nor a tired slowness, nor a painful one. It's a deliberate slowness, the kind where you just know one could jump to their feet, but doesn't care enough to. It's almost as though she savors the process of standing up.
The lioness doesn't thank the cheetah for her compliment, nor react in any way. She does, however, smile a little at her questions, and responds somewhat boredly, "Dear child, I hadn't a use for a name because there wasn't a soul to call me by it. Haven't needed one since I left my pack and struck out on my own..."
She glanced up at the bright daytime sky and grinned at it in salutations. Still beaming, she turned her head to Kari and said, "Let's go for a walk, shall we?" She was already shifting her legs like she was ready and raring to go.
Kari takes a step back to make sure Lefika has as much room as she could possibly want as she gets to her feet, wondering vaguely at the slow movement. She's pleased to see that the lioness is smiling, though. That makes things easier, if you're in a(n apparent) good mood!
"Really? How long ago was that?" she asks, "You don't look old enough to forget your name."
Her violet eyes follow Lefika's to the sun, and then they move back to the lioness. She nods eagerly at the suggestion of going for a walk, and leaps ahead a couple of steps to show her willingness.
Lefika nods shortly at Kari's eagerness, still amused, and begins to stroll leisurely across the open grasslands. Her tail swishes as she moves, and she speaks as she walks, giggling a little at the young cheetah's misconceptions.
"Oh, you've got it all wrong, hon," Lefika replied, "I wasn't forgetting. I don't forget. It's just the name started festering with disuse, rotting... like a bad piece of meat. I was thinking of throwing it out entirely soon, but you've refreshed it. And when did I leave my pride?" She turned up her head, still ambling along, and scrutinized the sky. She seemed to be trying to calculate back through the movements of the sun and moon in her mind. Ultimately, she just shook her head and dropped it. "No, it's no good. Those days are long gone now, rotten away like my name almost was. No use in counting them."
She seemed quite ready to let the subject drop, and sighed happily to herself for reasons seemingly unknown.
The little cheetah stays a couple of steps ahead of Lefika, though she lets the lioness choose the path by only moving a couple steps and waiting to see which direction she goes. But she stops seeming so cheerful when Lefika corrects her, laughing at her, frowning.
She didn't mean to get it wrong, that's just how it sounded to her! Of course, she has no intention of saying so to the lioness. Atleast she found it funny, and Kari can handle being laughed at as long as she remembers it makes Lefika happy. Or, it seems so.
"Ooh," she murmurs, "Ok."
She doesn't say anything else on the subject, the tone of voice enough to indicate it's ready to be changed. Instead, she searches her mind for something else to talk about.
"Did you hear the antelope you scared away?" she asks, smiling again, "I was watching them, and you made a sound and they went away." Her tone suggests that she means this as a very good thing.
Lefika moves forward at a steady pace, oblivious to having distressed Kari. She doesn't see her frown. She doesn't even look at her when adressed. "Did I?" she asked, indifferent and clearly being rhetorical. Then she made a little noise in the back of her throat, something like 'hm', and said nothing more of the antelope. She could care less about the antelope... unless she was hungry. Then she might have been disappointed that she scared away some tasty antelope.
She walked in silence for a few moments, just enjoying the sights, sounds, feels, and smells of the open Pridelands. She thought conversation uncessary and felt it would mar the otherwise peaceful climate of the day. After a while, though, she found herself growing bored, and finally inquired conversationally, "You got parents around here, hon? Family, maybe?" She didn't really care, she just thought it was something to ask about.
Kari looks disappointed when she doesn't get much of an answer, frowning and falling into step beside Lefika instead of ahead of her. She does catch on that the lioness doesn't really want to talk, and finds it easy to follow suit thanks to her own disappointment. The cheetah isn't fond of the silence, getting bored quickly despite knowing that Lefika is happier this way.
"Not parents," she says hurriedly when she is finally spoken too, mildly encouraged by being questioned, "I live with a group of cheetahs around here, though! I haven't always, but I asked if I could stay."
She opens her mouth as if she say something else, but quickly realizes asking the question back would be pointless, and perhaps make the lioness annoyed. She'd already said she'd left her pride.
Lefika listened patiently to Kari's words about her clan. She nodded a little, thoughtfully when the brief speech was concluded. Then, seemingly anticipating that Kari would have wished to ask the question back, Lefika replied to the unasked question, "My parents are dead." She said this with the quiet indifference of one whose parents have been dead a long time, so long that they have grown numb to the thought.
"That's one of the reasons I left," she elaborated. "That, and I was bored. I get restless staying in place for too long, and with no more family to tie me down well... it didn't make much difference if I stayed or went. So I went." She smiled a little, stoicly, at this. "I believe it's the best decision I have ever made in my life."
Kari frowns when Lefika announces that her parents are dead, and despite the indifference in her voice she can't help but feel bad about it, and think of her own parents. But whining about that wouldn't do any good.
"I-" she pauses, "I think it's good that you left, then. If you like to wander, and think it's the best decision then that's all that matters! You know what's best for you." She says nothing of her own preferences, instead focussing on the lioness.
When Kari speaks of Lefika, Lefika smiles to herself a deep and broad smile of self-satisfaction. "Oh yes," she says richly. "I do know what's best for me..." And she sighs again in that well pleased way. Confidence drips off her like blood off a fresh kill.
As they move on, her ears begin to twitch and she grows fidgety. Every few meters, she'll pause to scratch an itch or groom herself a little, and after a while she starts to look much cleaner than before, and much more well put together. Eventually though, she drops to her haunches, grunts, and declares, "Hmph, I've had enough of this walking." And she promptly slumps down and lays on the spot, not caring enough to go find some place more sheltered. She glances around, blank-faced, and utters a brief question to her cheetah companion, "This place is pretty dull, isn't it?"
Chuakari grins when Lefika smiles and replies confidently, pleased to have finally said something right. It boosts her own confidence. She watches Lefika as she occasionally pauses to groom, and stops when she does.
"You look much cleaner now than before," she beams, "It's better! Not that you weren't pretty before.."
That's a difficult compliment to try to give, maybe it would have been better not to comment. She shakes her head.
"It's fun here if you run into others," she says quickly, nodding, "Lots are really nice, and play games and stuff.."
Lefika gave Kari a sideways glance, smirked, and shook her head. The poor kid was so busy trying to make an impression. The girl needed to learn that impressions meant nothing to Lefika. Lefika didn't like anyone. She didn't hate anyone, either... but she didn't like anyone. She was simply indifferent. "Calm yourself, child," Lefika said. "No need to make so many ammendments. I hear what you're saying." She gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She wasn't too sure about it... she'd never had to give a reassuring smile before.
Then Kari told her about games and fun and meeting others, and Lefika shrugged. "Hmph. I'm not big on games, myself. I might play one or two, if it strikes my fancy, or if I need the excersize. Mostly I just like to watch though. Watch things." She grinned a little. "Like those antelope you were talking about earlier." And here she pointed a claw over Kari's shoulder and past her, towards the distance, where the herd of antelope which had fled earlier had now settled down and were once again grazing.
Kari watches Lefika carefully, pleased to see a smirk at the least- it's better than a frown, or having no expression. However, she looks a bit puzzled at the lioness' instructions to calm down- she doesn't know what ammendments are, but she can guess. At least Lefika can understand what she was saying. The out-of-practice smile is well received, for the cheetah takes it as a good sign and smiles back.
"Games are only fun if who you play with likes them too," she says with a nod, "Not everyone likes them, but sometimes they play anyway. Watching things?"
There's a pause when Lefika points out to where the antelope had resettled, and she turns to look. She gasps, and then laughs.
"You're a good watcher!" she exclaims, "I didn't know they went there."
When Kari smiles back Lefika is relieved, though her face doesn't show it. So her smile came out right after all. Good. The young one seems pleased at any rate, and that was the aim. Lefika may be entirely indifferent to others, but she isn't completely without empathy either. She's not cruel.
Kari's excitement is an amusement to Lefika. She laughs a little, lightly and easily. "I'm well practiced," Lefika responds as Kari tells her what a good watcher she is. The antelope are currently tiny dots on on the horizon, shifting gradually, but Lefika could spot them just as well as if they were right in front of her. Getting an idea, Lefika leans in towards the young cheetah conspiratorially and whispers, "Care to go in for a closer look?" She doesn't wait for a reply. She drops to the ground, crouching low, and slowly prowls through the thick grass. Her sneaking is so precise that she barely stirs the grass as she moves.
The cheetah smiles brightly and listens carefully to Lefika's reply. Her violet eyes turn back out to the tiny antelope in the distance. They're so small, and moving only a tiny bit! It really is something that the lioness noticed them, Kari knows she wouldn't have seen them if they weren't pointed out. That just means she'll have to practice, just like Lefika!
She looks over curiously to the lioness when she leans in, whispers, then stalks off. Chuakari hesitates only briefly, part of her knowing she doesn't sneak so well herself but the other part of her wanting to go along. In her best attempt at prowling, she ducks low and moves behind Lefika- but her tail sways behind her, swishing against the grass, and her paws move the grass out of the way instead of moving through it.
When Lefika goes into hunt mode, her concentration is unbreakable. The outside world ceases to exists. All there is is the predator and her prey, and as such she never loses sight of it, not for a second. It's instinct. It's so automatic to her now, at this stage in her life, that she almost completely forgets about Chuakari behind her. A thought nags at the back of her mind, though, like a mosquito in her ear, and she can't just ignore it and she can't just swat it away, so she has to pay it attention. It is then, about halfway across the open and towards their target, that she decides that it's probably a good time to check on the adolescent cheetah whom she'd taken as her company.
She turns her head very, very slowly and very carefully, nary moving a single stalk of grass. When she does spy the struggling young cheetah, Lefika smiles in pity. The spot-marked lioness waits patiently for Kari to catch up. Once Kari is close to her side, Lefika plants a big paw square in her path, hoping it's enough to stop her. "You're too excited," Lefika whispers. "And you're trying too hard. There's an art to stalking, really." She paused here and one of those wide, crazed grins overtook her face. "Would you like for me to teach you?" she asked. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to feign an interest in the younger one's own interest.
The small cheetah does her best to follow closely after Lefika, but finds that she falls behind easily. This only causes her to try to leap forward some, making more noise than is good for a creatureon the hunt. Her confidence isn't helped when she looks up again and sees that Lefika has stopped and waited for her, worry showing on her face instantly. At least the lioness is smiling still, otherwise Kari may have felt worse. She comes to a stop when a paw is put in her way.
"An art?" Kari repeats in a hushed voice, "You're real good at it! I'd like it if you taught me."
She smiles, pleased to have found something that the lioness is much, much better at than her. Chuakari doesn't even realize that this lesson is an important one for her, that since her colors prevent most camoflague, being silent and sneaky are her best bets at becoming a successful huntress.
Lefika is still smiling, high on the thrill of the hunt. Wandering may be her chief passion, but hunting is tied for the lead. She nods, and even her nod is so measured as to disturb nearly none of her surroundings. She gets in close and begins to instruct Kari, very interactively. "First of all," she whispers, nudging Kari's tail, "you need to keep your tail and ears still, as still as you can. An entire day's hunt can be destroyed by a single flick of the tail." She waits for this to settle in before continuing.
Lefika reaches out her paws, slowly, and moves her paws along Kari's sides--not touching her, simply guiding her. "Now, think of moving through the grass as moving through the air or wind. You need to keep streamlined. That means that you need to keep your legs as close to your body as possible. Be like the swallow, diving through the sky." Lefika was very conscious that she was starting to get a little zen with her instructions, but she wasn't about to let herself appear self conscious. She plunged on with the lesson.
"The third thing to remember," Lefika continued, "Is that speed is not a factor. In fact, the slower you go, the more invisible you become to your target or prey." Then she looked Kari straight in the eye as she concluded to emphasize the seriousness of this final point. "Most importantly of all," she hissed. "Do not move the grass. Concern yourself only with your movements and the movements of your prey, and the grass will simply move itself around you, will slip off your coat like water."
She backed off a bit now, gave Kari another moment to think, then nodded once, firmly. "Right. Good. Ready for your first lesson?" Lefika turned very slowly in the grass and pointed herself in the other direction. "Now, I'm going to go back to where we came from," Lefika explained, "and you are going to try to sneak up on me. Got it?" She did not even leave room for Kari to respond before creeping back through the grass, which seemed to open up in front of her and close neatly behind her.
Kari watches Lefika curiously and intently, eager to learn and eager to please. If she can prove the lioness is a good teacher, all the better, but hunting is something she can use even if they part ways. Since this is something that is almost a certainty, the cheetah makes sure she listens obediantly to everything she's told. She turns to watch Lefika, and her tail sways away from the lioness when it's nudged but immediately returns and is held still as best the juvenile can manage
"Ok," she murmurs back, watching her tail as it quivers, not realizing right away that her ears are moving as well. Her purple eyes turn to Lefika's paw at her side, and then beyond it to the grass that she speaks of. She repeats all of the instructions she's given in her mind, trying to imagine being a swallow flying through the grass. Birds do seem to be able to move sneakily through the grass.
Speed is not a factor.
The words stick, surprising her a bit. She knows being slow is advantageous to hunting, but to her if you go too slow they may wander off, or you may get bored. Kari is, after all, a young cheetah. Not to mention cheetahs are meant to be speedy, and this is something she's been told. Maybe it's just better for after you've snuck up on something. The thoughts roll through her mind quickly, and she nods to indicate that she understands.
"Ok," she agrees to a first lesson, but the words barely escape her lips before the lioness has gone off almost unnoticably. Chuakari hesitates, hoping that she can just assume correctly that Lefika went in that direction only. She'll just have to be extra careful! She breathes in carefully, though not without noise, before starting.
'Don't move your tail,' she thinks, turning to look at her tail, 'Don't move your ears, legs close.'
She crouches close to the ground, her tail quivering behind her but not as bad as before but her ears remain unchecked. Without another moment's hesitation, she starts to move through the grass, trying to think like a small bird and trying to ignore the fact that grass is in her way. She moves even slower than necessary at first, trying to get everything to be still and smooth. Thinking she's moving much too slow, Kari picks up the pace and impatiently moves forward. Her tail continues to quiver, though not so bad, and the grass doesn't seem nearly as imposing to her. Overall, her improvement is minor, mostly due to her impatience and anxiety.
Lefika sits, patiently, with her back turned to the fields of tall grass, licking her lips and watching the birds. When she's done teaching, she thinks, she ought to make herself a kill. It's been a while since she's had a really good meal. She figures she'll probably share with the kid, too. Couldn't hurt to be polite and no sense letting her starve. She was a good kid... a little over-eager, but good. If Lefika was the type to like anybody, she might've taken a shine to little Kari. It was not, however, in Lefika's nature to "like".
She smirked a little when she heard rustling behind her. Poor kid. Well, time for the point of the lesson anyway. She let Kari get almost close enough to see her, then turned, coiled up her legs behind her, and pounced. She landed hard in front of Kari, throwing up dirt and insects. "Good try," Lefika assured her, "But you're still too excited. It's just your first try, though. You'll get it." She reached up a paw and ruffled Kari's hair and hoped the gesture was taken the right way. "Maybe it'd be better to practice the chase part first." She pointed to a bright yellow butterfly flickering across the tips of the grass stalks. "I want you to see if you can catch that butterfly. Meanwhile... I'm going to go get us some dinner." And with that, she dissolved into the grass to hunt.
Kari is not unaware of the quivering in her tail and the noise she is making, but she's startled nonetheless when Lefika suddenly appears infront of her. With a yelp she stops and squeezes her eyes shut against the dirt, and the surprising creature that seems to leap at her face.
"Oh!" she squeaks, opening an eye and standing tall once again. Her first reaction to Lefika's words is to be pleased, she'd tried, and been praised. If the lioness wasn't so encouraging, she may have taken it much worse.
"Ok," Kari murmurs, her eyes moving to the butterfly, "Ok! I'll catch it, you just wait and see." She beams and crouches low to the ground once again while Lefika goes off into the grass.
Lefika moves almost silently as she weaves through the grass. The only sound she makes is the sound of her breath, carefully measured, flowing in and out. It takes her a bit to really get her focus back; at first her mind keeps wandering back to Kari and all the little tips she ought to give her to improve her hunting skills. Eventually, though, the only thing on Lefika's mind is her own hunt. She smells the gazzelles on the air and she salivates; she only just realizes how hungry she is.
The gazzeles drift into sight and Lefika pauses to assess her targets. She's no fool. She can't even begin to believe that she could take down a healthy adult gazelle all by herself, no way. There don't appear to be any injured ones either. Perhaps, though, she could pick off one of the little ones. Yes. Across the way she spies a young gazelle that should have enough meat to feed both herself and young Kari. She grins and backs off a little, back into the grass, then rounds the herd to get closer to her target. She sees the gazzelle'ss ears perking and watches them sniff the air. They're alerted and they're onto her, so she'll have to act fast. As soon as she feels close enough that she might make a good sprint, Lefika bends down low, and then lunges forth from the brush. Gazzelle go scattering every which way, leaping and weaving, like leaves on the wind. The little one, though, her target, expends all it's energy on trying to turn around, as Lefika had come at it from the front. Lefika knocks the gazzelle child off it's feet with a swipe of her paw, then breaks it's neck with a mighty blow of her jaws.
It's a good kill indeed, possibly one of the best she'd made in a while. Feeling quite proud of herself, Lefika thinks nothing of the long way back to Kari, dragging her kill by it's leg behind her. As soon as she can see Kari, though, she drops the kill at her feet and hollers, "Kari! C'mere!" She doesn't say why. It would be downright foolish to advertise her kill to the entirety of the Pridelands. Someone would be coming trying to swipe it or fight her for it, and Lefika truly was not in the mood.
While Lefika is on the hunt, Kari stays behind and attempts to 'hunt' the butterfly. The insect is a rather easy target, for it doesn't really flutter away unless it's swatted at, or so desires. With little attention paid to her movement and quiet sounds, the cheetah is at some advantage in the catching of said bug. Her violet eyes follow it as it flutters above the grass, and she slowly starts to stalk after it. She follows the butterfly in circles for several minutes before daring to pounce, and she misses it.
By the time the gazelles scatter, Kari is several yards away from her point of origin, still bent on catching the butterfly and getting more and more upset that she hasn't caught it. Several of the panicked creatures stomp by Kari without much consquence to the feline, though they pose a threat to her hunt. As a last attempt, and a way to steer clear of the gazelles, she pounces at the butterfly- this time hitting it with her paws.
"Oh!" she gasps, landing on the ground with a thud. The butterfly, though hit, still manages to flutter away in a panic from beneath the paws before they hit the ground. Her ears flicker at the sound of Lefika calling out to her.
"Ok, just a second," Kari calls back, standing up tall once again to try to see if the butterfly is still around anywhere. She frowns when it's nowhere to be seen, and then goes to where Lefika's voice had come from.
"I almost had it, but it didn't stay beneath my paws," she explains as she comes through the grass, and then her eyes widen at the sight of the kill before her, "Wow!"
Lefika shakes her head a little at Kari's initial dejectedness. "You're still too excited, hon," she says patiently. "It'll come to you, eventually. Maybe you have to be a little older to get it." Then she sees the awe on the child's face at her kill, and she grins again, toothily. Lefika had never been ashamed to show her pride; it just came naturally to her. She didn't see why anyone should have to disguise how pleased they were with themselves, it was such a positive thing. She spread her paws out with grandeur and exclaimed, "Bon appetite, child! This feast is ours." She then paused a moment, licked her lips, and said, "I'm taking the rear flank. You can have the foreflank."
With that, she dug in. She ate quickly and messily, throwing her head at the carcass and tearing flesh from the plump hindquarters in long, thick strips. She barely chewed and she swallowed in big mouthfuls. Blood splashed everywhere and dotted her face, making them match her spotted paws. She worked so quickly she had to hold the carcass down with her paws to keep it from flopping all over the place. She didn't care how she looked when she ate; dammit, she was hungry.
She pauses a moment in the carange, perhaps to breathe, and she takes a second of thought. "Perhaps," she says slowly, "I should be leaving the hunting lessons to your foster family." Oh well. She shrugs indifferently and sets back to work ravaging the gazzelle and feasting merrily. This is the kind of kill that should be celebrated.
Kari sighs loudly when Lefika tells her that she's still too excited, sincerely hoping that the lioness is right. She wants to be a good huntress, and the older she gets the bigger and faster she'll get, so there's no way that Lefika can be wrong! She smiles once again, then gapes for a second when told they'll be sharing the creature.
"Thank you!" she beams, "You're so nice."
She moves to the portion indicated for her, but doesn't dig in right away- instead she watches Lefika with wide eyes. She'd never dare to eat like that herself, but it's obvious that the lioness is very hungry and doesn't care as much about how it looked. Nevertheless, Kari turns to the meal before her and eats at a slower pace, doing her best to stay neat.
"Hm?" she looks back up when she's spoken, smiling at once, "But you're a real good teacher."
Besides, she hasn't seen too many of the other cheetahs yet, and she needs to learn sometime!
Lefika, having eaten so fast, quickly found herself sated and sat back with a satisfied sigh, content to watch Kari eat and let her own food settle. She licked the blood and juice off her lips. "No need to thank me, child," Lefika declared. "It would be rude of me to eat in front of you and not share." Normally Lefika wouldn't care so much if she was being rude or not, but in all honesty she really did like the child and didn't want her to starve. She smiled proudly when Kari complimented her. "Well, you know, I try."
Then she gasped, quite suddenly, and looked about. None of their surroundings were at all familiar from whence they had came. She bit her lip, now, fretful. She would hate to be the one responsible for leading the young cheetah astray and into danger. She looked down to Kari as she ate and inquired, "Kari... do you think you would be able to find your way home from here?" Lefika's legs itched. The wanderlust was coming back... but she couldn't just leave the girl behind to fend for herself. She needed to ensure she would be safe.
Kari continues to take her time eating, though a little more warily now that Lefika is finished and watching her. She pauses and, licking her lips, looks to Lefika with a smile.
"It's a lot of hard work to catch something like this, though," she glances back to the food, "Or it would be for me."
She's smiling at Lefika once again when there's a gasp, and she widens her eyes and takes a good look around. None of the surroundings look familiar to her, not like where she'd started at least. Of course, she'd much rather put the lioness at ease and worry about finding her way back herself later, so she nods confidently.
"I can find my way back," she says, in a similar confident tone.
Lefika sighs a little, trying to pretend that she's not relieved and, indeed, never was nervous in the first place. This is, of course, not true, but Lefika hates for her cool and detatched demeanor to break on her. She smiles at Kari a little. "It is hard work, child. You'll get it someday, though. You'll have to... it's a survival skill."
She stands now and stretches her legs. She can feel them tingling. She's not used to taking so much leisure time. She gives a half-smile to the young cheetah who had been her company for the day and gave her a gracious nod of the head. "Well, if you can find your way, then I must take my leave of you." Even as she speaks she begins to drift away, slowly. "I am like the water in that if I stay still too long I grow stagnant." She seemed more at ease with herself when she was moving, and she relaxed as she walked, working herself into a sort-of slink. "Perhaps we'll see each other again," she called behind her. "Perhaps we won't. Either way, have a good life, Chuakari, and remember... be still, be slow, and above all be patient. Goodday." She then licked her lips, stuck her nose into the wind, and went with it. She became a part of the landscape and a part of the land as she departed.
"I'll keep trying," Kari says with a firm nod, meaning it whole heartedly. It's nice to have someone have confidence in you, though the latter comment isn't as encouraging- but it still suggests she is capable of surviving. The cheetah watches the lioness get to her feet and stretch, realizing now that Lefika intends to leave. Startled, she gets to her feet as if to follow after her.
"Alright," she murmurs, trying to imagine Lefika as water. Then, listening to the reminders, she calls out after the lioness, "I won't forget! Thank you for everything, Lefika!"
Her eyes stay on the grass that Lefika dissolves into even long after the lioness is out of view, and then she sighs. She turns back to the gazelle before her to take a couple more bites before trying to find her way back home herself.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:34 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Chuakari, juvenile || A Successful Hunt
Summary: Chuakari has a rather successful day hunting and manages to catch herself a plump bird. When she takes it to her usual watering hole, she leaves it out of her sight and it's snatched up by a theiving wild dog. Stunned that someone would do such a thing, Kari doesn't think and tries to go after him only to get snarled at. Rightly scared, she backs off and let's him have the kill- but this inadvertantly guilt trips the dog into returning the prey.
Being concerned about how upset she made the wild dog, Kari suggests that they share. The wild dog comes back and takes a wing, then trots off.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:37 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Kijibwa, adult || A Blast from the Past
Summary: While wandering around at night, some time before he and Siku leave the Pridelands, Kijibwa stumbles upon a familer face- Amoret, the lioness that rescused him from the desert.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:01 am
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Kijibwa, adult || The Grand Entrance
Summary: Siku and Kijibwa finally make it to the edge of the desert, and the first hint is a green horizon. They pick up the pace, and race through the last leg of their trip to the first tree. Siku promptly crashes into one, and after coming out of her daze (and 'seeing' a young Kijibwa doing the same) she claims to be fine and they continue along in the jungle in hopes of finding water. It's not long before they hear the familiar sound, and find a stream.
Instead of staying by the stream to get cleaned up and rest, Kijibwa recognizes the area and takes Siku upstream to where there is a waterfall. Siku gets scared, and they take a little while to decide to go up to it. Once there, Siku pushes Kiji into the water, and then he pulls her in too. After a great laugh, they settle in to get cleaned up and rested.
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Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:43 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Chuakari, juvenile || Lost & Found
Summary: After realizing that she is lost, Chuakari tries to find her way back to the coalition lands. As luck would have it, though, she is on the borders and comes across a cheetah from the border patrol, Davu'Adem. He sees through her attempts at hiding her state, and she tries to get him to show her the way back without actually admitting the obvious.
INPROGRESS.
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Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 12:11 pm
Roleplay, AIM || Mleli, Adolescent || Friendly Conversation
Roleplay transcribed from AIM.
Summary: Mleli is napping in her tree when another leopard, Kujack, stops in the shade beneath her. They chat about the jungle, the lands outside it, a cub stalking Jack and how much neither of them really would care for children of their own. After that they just relax.
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The jungle is bright, even with the trees hanging thick far above the ground. Though it is midday, relaxing just over halfway up a tree is a young white and brown leopard. She dozes lightly but peacefully, enjoying the calm jungle around her. The days have been quiet since her last encounter with another creature, and she's rather enjoyed it.
*Slowly moving along the jungle floor, Kujack cocked his head to the side and frowned. He had just found himself out of reach from that no good lion cub Ger, and suddenly felt alone. He didn't care who needed that silly cubbie anyway?-Mumbling to himself the green eyes big cat stopped his movement and sat down. His white fore paws laced along one another as he sat- this was something he picked up from his mother. He sat under a large tree, keeping cool in the shade.*
In the tree, Mleli's ears twitch at the slight sound made by the approaching leopard. The slow movements are quiet enough that in her sleepy state she doesn't assume there is any threat, thus there is no need to wake up. With a yawn, she stretches out and repositions herself more comfortably to simply doze back off, unaware that the sounds have stopped beneath her tree.
*Cocking his head upward the male eyed up, frowning still. Oh this was perfect, two cubs, a nasty fall down a hill and now a female sleeping above-.. Wait, a female? Moving to stand the male quickly puffed out his chest and licked his paws, as if trying to get himself in tip top shape for the lovely lass. With a sly grin he called up to her.*
"You alive up there?"
Mleli's eyes blink open when she hears the call from directly beneath her. She rolls her eyes, not eager to have to talk to a lion, or some other creature, who's never seen a leopard and will end up thinking her crazy again. When she looks down to see what's on the ground she is pleasantly surprised to see that it is not a lion, but another leopard. The leopardess stays where she is in the tree, but grins slightly.
"Yes," she calls back, "I don't look that bad, do I?"
*Jack's ears slightly pushed forward as he stood still; his eyes fixing upon her and the tree. He had not seen another female leopard in such a long time; this was really a rare moment for him. With a slightly grin he lifted a paw to the tree and held himself as he spoke.*
"That's good- and no, you don't look bad, not from what I can see."
*Okay, so Kujack may have been a jerk to everyone else, but when it came to females he showed a bit of respect. Slowly he laced his eyes along what little he could see of her, as if trying to see what it was she was doing up there.*
Mleli's smile widens at the male's reply, always pleased to receive a compliment. She extends her claws, and gets to her feet to start climbing back down the tree. It'd be rude to stay at such a distance when conversing, especially if you're talking to a leopard. Once she's close enough to jump comfortably, she leaps down from the tree to be at the same level as Kujack.
"That was a good answer," she says, "What's your name?"
*Moving back the male allows the female room to stand, before replying to her question.*
"My name is Kujack."
*He said with a sly grin; his envy hued orbs lacing along her form. His tail moved to his side as he sat himself down, his paws lacing slowly.*
"And might I ask of your name?"
Mleli nods a thank-you when he moves, taking a small step back to assure they have their space but can still talk comfortably.
"Kujack," she repeats, her steely eyes looking to the grin, and noticing his eyes wandering. With a grin, she introduces herself, "My name is Mleli. What brings you to just below my home?" The leopardess takes a seat, curling her tail about her feet. Her back is straight and her head is high, she is clearly a proud creature.
*Jack's body was just as high as the female's before him. Due to growing up with only a female influence in his life he had become rather femme himself, in certain areas. Though he was very much a male, his grooming habbits were neat, alogn with his walk and sit. He eyed her down softly as he spoke, his paws gracing the ground below them softly.*
"Well, I was coming back here to rest after being out in the god forsaken main lands."
*His tone showed that what he had been doing annoyed him so.*
"Your tress has good shade, so here I rested."
*He nodded slyly and added with a puffed chest.*
"And why is such a lovely female like yourself sleeping her day away alone?"
Mleli makes note of the way the leopard bears himself, slightly amused but quite pleased. If you have to meet anyone, it seems like this leopard is not a bad one to meet. It could be a lot worse, she supposes. Her eyes lift a bit at the mention of being outside of the jungle, the tone he uses quite close to how she'd guess she would feel about making such ventures.
"The trees here are quite nice, that's why I chose this one in particular for myself," her eyes wander up it, then back to Jack, "I rarely seem to find myself around other creatures, so I spend my days as I see fit." She shrugs.
"All alone?"
*A brow was cocked, Kujack was being very nice- to everyone that knew him he hated just about everything that moved. It wasn't that he hated just one thing, no- he hated everyone the same, but right now he was on good terms with himself and found fit to enjoy the company of this lovely female. Jack had put up with a lot in the past week, right now was his time.*
"You did a good job, this tress is lovely."
*He nodded. Ooohh, complementing now was he? Jack really must have missed being around another female of his kind.*
"Yes, all alone," she confirms with a small smile, enjoying the attention and compliments she's getting. Leopards seem more agreeable, or so she is inclined to believe. Friendly conversation can be welcome after long periods alone, she decides, but she knows she would have ignored almost anyone else.
"I think so," Mleli agrees, "Why don't you live around here if you like it so? The way you spoke about the other lands really doesn't make it sound like you enjoyed them."
"Why live in one place if you are free to live anywhere?"
*Kujack questions her, his green orbs fixing upon soft brown and white fur. She looked soft. Oh what a sly devil he was- he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.*
"No mate? Family, cubs?"
*His tone changed slightly, being a bit more playful. His lean form sat still as he eyed her down, though trying not to be rude he would look away from time to time.*
Mleli doesn't reply to his question right away, trying to decide if there is a good way to answer that. She'd always just stayed in the trees because she likes it, does she really need another reason? She gives a shrug, "I just like it here, I've never really wanted to leave." She snorts a laugh as she notices that he is still looking her up and down.
"No one," she replies, almost laughing at the idea of having a mate or cubs. Both of them, really, would require contact with others. She's had so little of that, the idea is rather amusing, "I don't suppose you have those, the way you stare wouldn't suggest so." Her tail swishes away from from infront of her paws, her own tone has it's own playful qualities but less evident- she is out of practice making joking or playful conversation. Her last attempt at that left a young lion thinking her crazy and contagious, though that situation had worked to her advantage.
"Mm."
*His eyes narrowed as she spoke. Was she playing with him? A sly grin passed his maw once more, before Jack moved himself up; his body arching forward slightly. Regaining stance the male slowly moved himself around her; his eyes never really leaving her for too long.*
"I have a cub that follows me around, but I have not a mate or blood-offspring."
*He chuckles to himself, turning to face her. His white tail slowly batted against her side as he passed her, sitting again, cocking a smile.*
Mleli watches him move, then glances down to the tail tapping at her side as he goes by. A cub that follows you around doesn't sound too appealing, maybe it would if it didn't sound like he didn't choose for this cub to follow him around. She shakes her head, laughing briefly, "A cub, not your own, that follows you around, but isn't following you here? What happened?"
"Eww. That cubbie- I just ran-took off."
*He nodded a few times. Ger, that cub had put jack through hell, messing up his fur, crying all over him and hitting his chest until Jack felt sore. What a stupid little jerk! Kujack's face winkled at the thought of the cub, though deep down he did enjoy messing with him.*
"He is a lion cub, I believe. I don't care very much, though."
*Jack added, really hating caring about anyone but himself.*
Mleli laughs at Jack's reaction to question, clearly the experiences with this cub following him around were less than pleasant. She is surprised to hear that it's a lion cub that's the cause of this strange expression, but quickly decides that she shouldn't be surprised. Lions are odd creatures, why should a cub be any different, or anything but bothersome?
"That sounds like a pain," she comments, "Do you suppose he's smart enough or stubborn enough to find you?"
"Gods, no, He is slow in the head I think."
*The male nods again, smirking. He lets himself relax slightly, rather enjoying having her around.*
'What about you? have any weird contact with lions?"
She laughs again, shaking her head, "I should have guessed. I did meet a lion recently, maybe a bit older than a cub."
Mleli smirks as well, deciding slow is probably a good description of the lion she met as well, "He didn't know what I was. He had the nerve to suggest that I'm crazy, but in the end that helped me get rid of him." She nods, wrinkling her nose at the idea of being crazy. If he hadn't asked such a foolish question, or reacted so badly after he startled her, she might have thought more kindly of him.
"Gah, I HATE when they do that- they say we are the ones that our out of our minds, when really they are just too stupid to see anything in front of them."
*Kujack felt himself become bitter. He hated when others made him feel silly. Ruffling his chest the male leaned over, to sit beside her. His white paws dragged along the jungle floor, pushing him to her slowly. He sat still, before taking in a deep sigh. Lions… piff.*
"Sorry for that."
Mleli raises an eyebrow at Kujack at his sudden reaction, but her smirk becomes more smug, even after he apologizes for the outburst. Good to see someone shares an opinion similar to her own!
"Heh," she manages to keep a laugh short, "Don't apologize! Honesty needs no apology." She puffs up proudly, nodding at him.
"Heh."
*Jack chuckles, eyeing over at her once again. Thinking about her statement before he let's a few sly words pass him.*
"I can not help it if my eyes explore- just find some peace knowing it's only my eyes."
*Winking at her, in a playful manner the male sat up and licked his left paw; his white fur rubbing against her form as he moved to the side.*
"What's so safe about your eyes?" she asks, nudging him as she's rubbed against. Having little experience in the situation, she isn't sure what to say or do so she settles for keeping the conversation going, even if just by asking questions about what he says. Mleli watches him with a smirk, her tail swishing past his feet and curling around her own once again.
"My eyes can't be close to you,"
*He laughs as she nudges him. For a while Jack felt good about himself. This was nice, he felt- nice. Oddly he had no anger in him at this point, he enjoying this time he spent with Mleli.*
"Mleli, do you ever think about what it would be like, to have a family, you know- the works. A mate, some fat cubs, maybe a nice little home or something?"
Mleli shakes her head at his reply, evidentally amused by it.
"Close is bad, is it?" she purrs, then considers his question, "I have a lot of time to think, usually. It's crossed my mind before, but it never seems like a good idea." Her tone is honest, but she gives him an analytical look. She wouldn't have guessed she'd have such a friendly meeting with someone, either. Though a little awkward trying to be social, it's not so bad.
"When this cub started to follow me, he called me his 'father'."
*Kujack explained, his tone changing from that of a playful one, to a more settled tone.*
"I don't know why, but it made me think. I hate thinking, it hurts."
*He laughed to himself; yawning. A family, would jack ever be able to have a family? What a silly thought indeed. Eyeing over at her once more the male smiled.*
"Silly thinking or wishful thoughts, I dare not ask."
Mleli makes a face when he says the cub called him 'father.' A lion with a leopard father, or believing he has a leopard father- it's all very strange to her. She resumes a smile when he comments on thinking and how much it hurts, though, and then cannot help but laugh quietly.
"Well, I can assure you you probably are not his father," she jokes, then continues in a more serious tone, "But he's made you think about that kind of thing? You won't know if you're being silly or wishful unless you think more, I'm afraid." Her tone becomes more joking by the end of her comments, unable to help but find it a little entertaining. She doesn't even want to think about how she'd react if something tried to call her mother, about any possible maternal instincts.
*Kujack was being so out of it- why was he messing up these good few minutes he had with this lovely female? Twisting his head to the side he rolled his head along her neck like and purred slightly. His green eyes narrowed and within seconds he was resting himself down, at her paws almost. He could live like this, he thought, relaxing with out a care in the world.*
"Heh, Kids. I never want em."
*He added, nodding his head along the ground. He was an odd big cat, that he was.*
Mleli, still in a good mood, purrs quietly in response before stretching her front legs and then settling onto the ground comfortably. Despite the conversation about things that would change this happy lifestyle dramatically, she isn't the least bit concerned with it at the moment. She gives a nod, glancing up at Jack.
"I'm with you there," she agrees with him.
*With a sly grin the lanky male rolled himself into a ball like form beside her and purred to himself. He wasn't at all worried about anything that was going on around him, in fact this whole conversation with a complete stranger made him feel better. He eyed over to her once more before speaking.*
"Mleli, thank you."
*With that the lazy big cat nuzzled himself into a light rest, relaxing with his new female friend.*
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Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:36 pm
Roleplay, AIM || Mleli, Adolescent || Lost Lioness
Roleplay transcribed from AIM.
Summary: While on her way to hunt, Mleli hears a lioness named Siku trying to find her way through the jungle. She is pleased to find that Siku knows that she is a leopard, and finds out it is because of a story she was told as a cub. Mleli gets Siku to tell her the story, and doesn't mind when the lioness stammers her way through the story. Finding the story to her liking, she stays in a decent mood and points Siku in the right direction to find her way to the waterfall.
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After meeting Kujack, Mleli has found herself in a pleasant mood despite all odds. It was nice to see another leopard, especially one that shared her opinions on many things. She'd awoken this morning to find that she has no food laying about, and has decided to go hunting. She is, however, a nice walk away from where she usual hunts so she is taking her time as she goes. When one lives alone, worrying only about one's self, one has all the time in the world to spend if not starving. While the leopardess walks leisurely, she is careful not to make herself too obvious in case something particularly tasty happens to appear along the way.
Being tasty was not a subject the little lioness took pride in. Of course, she had no idea if one would find her tasty or not, but it was best to assume she wouldn't be, and thus, prevent herself from being eaten. All of the creatures she'd met so far had been nice, of course, but Siku did realize that not all creatures were as friendly and caring as the others. Cautiously treading through the jungle, unaware that another was present in the area, she was more focused on learning her way around without Kijibwa than hiding at the moment, which might've proven to be a grave mistake. Still, it was something she didn't realize at the moment.
"So if I turn left at this tree.." she mumbled aloud, glancing around to establish her current location. Cocking her head to the side a bit, she hesitated.
"...I'll be just as lost as I am now."
The sound of careful steps reaches Mleli's ears before any other sign of something being about. Her ears turn, and she crouches low to the ground, another measure taken in hopes of finding something tasty. After staying still for several seconds, Mleli edges in the direction the steps are coming from until she hears words. Lost. She could almost laugh, whatever it is (and it doesn't sound much like prey) it's lost. The leopardess stands back up more naturally, not so concerned with hunting the lost creature as she is with figuring out what it is. She steps in the right direction, though not as stealthily.
Tensing at the sound of another creature, Siku frantically looked around, ears flattening as she tensed in preperation to pounce whatever was around. She lost footing at the sight of an unknown creature, not being a lion, nor cheetah, nor wolf. In fact, this new creature is something Siku hadn't seen before, but yet it seemed oddly familiar. Relaxing entirely, her memory fell back to Colche's tale of the leopards, and she assumed this must be one of those creatures. Backing away some, in case she wasn't friendly, Siku spoke softly.
"H..hello there. I.. assume you are a leopard?" She asked curiously, wondering if she had made the right guess.
Mleli makes no extra effort to conceal herself once it's obvious the creature has noticed her, it isn't long at all before she gets a good, clear view of the lost soul herself. A lioness, she thinks with an inward laugh, should have known. The leopardess wears a neutral smile, one that borders friendly and unfriendly. Despite whatever she thinks of lions, she is pleased to hear that this one at least has heard of leopards.
"I am," she confirms Siku's guess, "I'm surprised to meet a lion who knows."
"I.. I heard a story about leopards, as a cub.." she said timidly, seeing the leopard fully emerge. Sitting in her position, as to attempt at not seeming scared, she managed a soft smile, tail swishing back and forth in nervousness. The leopard didn't seem all too happy to meet her, to say the least, and it was a bit of an uneasing concept.
"M..may I ask what your name is?" Siku asked quietly, wanting to seem friendly and open.
"I..if you don't want to tell me, I understand.. but.. mine is Siku."
Mleli stays on her feet even when Siku takes a seat, watching the lioness carefully. She smiles a bit more genuinely, deciding that Siku is being adequately timid but friendly, and the leopard is in a decent mood after all. Her tail sways calmly behind her, forgetting all pretense of hunting for the moment.
"My name is Mleli," she holds her head high and proud, "Tell me, Siku, was this story about leopards a good one?"
"O..of course!" Siku said, though genuinely unsure if the leopard would decide if the story was good or not. Managing to hold a smile, she worriedly thinks to the fact the leopard may not think the story was all that flattering. Shifting uneasily, she decided to just continue the conversation anyway, and improvise on the story should the need arise.
"I..it's nice to meet you, though, Mleli."
Mleli nods, but ignores the friendly comment from Siku and instead focusses on the story with seemingly genuine interest. Would this story have come from another lion? What opinion do they have of leopards, if so? She tilts her head ever so slightly, and then takes a seat opposite Siku, curling her tail around her feet.
"I'd love to hear this story, if you don't mind," she says, though the 'if you don't mind' doesn't sound like she'll be happy if Siku does mind. Not angry, but perhaps disappointed.
"O..of course!" Siku said in suprise, realizing she was going to have to improvise in the story. Gulping, she thought for a minute, trying to piece together a believable story. Ears drooping, Siku looked to her paws nervously, her mind whirling with thoughts a mile a minute.
"I.. I'm not so good with telling stories, though, if you don't mind my saying so in advance.. I sort of fu..fumble over words, and whatnot.." She said, desperately attempting to stall for time.
Mleli watches her expectantly, though not so impatiently. She watches Siku's reaction carefully, wondering if she was telling the truth about the story, or about the story being good. If she was told a story, she should be able to tell it, especially if it was good things about leopards. She gives what she guesses would be an understanding nod, though the leopardess is out of practice with friendly gestures.
"That's fine," she says.
"M..many ages ago," Siku started, sitting up and looking to the lioness once more, "before the great mountains were formed, and lion prides divided, Leopard hunted alongside Lion, free to roam and do as he pleased." She said quietly, working on the story as she went. So far, so good..
"O.. one day, however, lion became jealous of leopard's hunting talents, and.. and pleaded to the gods to work magics to prevent him from hunting. A.. and so, hearing lion's plea, the lion gods c..created the jungles to separate lion and leopard, and make prey harded t.. to hunt for leopard. Leopard, hurt by lion's b..betrayl, remained in the jungle, b..but because he was such a skilled hunter.... w..wasn't affected by the sudden change in scenery. A..and so, as time passed, lion and leopard grew distant in relations.. a..and leopards lived in the jungle, growing more skilled in hunting as time passed on." Finishing the story, Siku drew a deep breath, shifting nervously as she looked back to Mleli.
"A..and that is why Leopard lives in the jungle."
Mleli's ears perk forward when Siku finally starts the story, keen on making her own judgement of how flattering the story is. She snorts when the story starts with leopard and lion hunting side by side, as if they were friends. It's evident something much change, otherwise there'd be nothing valid about the story. Her entire outlook on the tale brightens at the mention of the lion's jealousy, and her nose rises just a bit more.
"A fine story," she declares when Siku finishes, "Though a bit odd for a lion to tell it like that, I don't suppose you heard it from another lion?" A fine story indeed, seeming to backup most of her opinions about lions in itself. She attributes the nervous way of telling the story to the fumbling speech Siku warned her of before.
"I..I was told it b..by a cheetah.." Siku said quietly, managing the truth on this comment atleast. Feeling somewhat guilty, she tried to shake off the nervous feeling, hoping to make decent conversation with the leopard.
"W..who I met.. on the way to the jungle." She said, tail curling itself about her legs.
"A..and I can always appreciate a good story.." Siku added, deciding to make the tale seem more legitamite.
"A.. a good storyteller must always be able to tell a tale that captivates the listener."
"A cheetah," she repeats, not sounding too sure on that, though an impartial third party is more believable than coming from a lion. Mleli nods slowly to show she accepts the answer, deciding it is also a good one. Why bother questioning the stammering in a 'true' story if everything said is in your own favor? Despite her anxiety, Siku is doing rather well. She smirks at the mention of the way to the jungle, nodding.
"I suppose that's why you've found yourself lost, is it?" she asks, "New?"
"Y..yes, I am..." Siku said quietly, looking to her paws and sighing quietly. Apparently Mleli had overheard her guiding herself around. Looking up nervously, she managed a weak smile.
"I.. I was actually trying to find my way back to the waterfall.. where the lion I cam with is.." She said quietly, knowing that part was the truth, and blushing slightly.
"I.. I wanted to be able to find my way.. around.. on my own.."
The lion she came with? More lions, fantastic. At least, by the sounds of it, it isn't a lot of lions, just one. Hopefully equally unimposing as this one is. Mleli's steel blue eyes move from Siku to the trees behind her, where she knows one waterfall to be at the least. She stands up once more and stretches out.
"Well, you're headed in the wrong direction," she says, "Unless your friend is by one of the littler, less interesting ones." Who knows, maybe lions would be amazed by the smaller waterfalls. More like streams that change in altitude, is what they are, but she can only guess what a stranger may think.
"R..really?" She asked quietly, looking around the jungle. Sighing, she looked back to the leopardess in disapointment. It was in her own actions, at the fact that she'd once again managed to get lost. Looking up to Mleli, standing from her sitting position, her head drooped slightly in disappointment.
"W..would you mind.. telling me the way, Mleli?" She asked quietly, looking about the area once more.
"I..it would be a wonderful help."
Mleli nods, glancing back at Siku, feeling sorry for her at the disappointed look on her face. She smiles, still in a good mood thanks to the general idea in the story Siku told, deciding there'd be no harm in telling her the right way to go. As an added bonus, it would even lead her away from the leopard's own tree-home.
"If you go that way," she nods to a direction a little to the side, but back in the direction Siku'd come from, "You'll come to water, walk against the water and you should find it's source. It's a useful way of learning where everything is around here." Mleli nods a farewell, and then turns to continue her hunting trip without worrying about how clear her directions are. If you can't follow simple directions, you deserve to be lost. Besides, she's getting hungry.
"Thank you very much, Mleli." Siku said quietly, bowing her said in respect as she had seen the wolf do. Looking up with a smile, she turned and headed off in the other direction as she had been told, hoping to get back to the waterfall soon. Smiling, she turned back once more.
"A..and I hope you liked the story!" She called, before taking off in a run. This would be a story worth telling Colche and Yazid, just as she had promised they would one day.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:31 pm
Roleplay, AIM || Kijibwa, Adult || Midnight
Roleplay transcribed from AIM.
Summary: One night, while sleeping by the waterfall, Siku wakes up with a head full of confusing feelings. She questions her reflection, which reminds her of her mother, only to start worrying about how much she remembers of her mother. Kijibwa wakes up and attempts to comfort her, and ends up thinking about his own mother, who he has absolutely no recollection of. The conversation takes a quick turn in another direction and the two end up admitting that they can't imagine separating from each other, and to everything that implies heart
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After days of doing nothing, which seemed to be frequent for Siku as of late, only a good nights sleep managed to be even more relaxing to the young lioness. There was just a pleasent feeling of drifting off to rest, and waking up to the peaceful stillness of morning.
..Unless, of course, you woke up in the dead of night, cuddled up against the friend that took you to the jungle as a cub. Then, sleep wasn't the most comforting thought. Pulling away from Kijibwa frantically, while still trying to avoid wake him up, Siku hurriedly headed for the edge of the pool nearby, dazily looking into her own reflection. For some reason, looking into the water had a wonderful ability to clear her head. Smiling softly, she lay by the edge, skimming her tail across the water's surface, looking to the moon that had reflected in the pool. What on Earth was this weird feeling she was having..?
Kijibwa's blue eyes crack open sleepily from a deep, peaceful sleep. To sleep so comfortably in the surroundings, he's managed to tune out the sound of the falling water behind them, but it costs him most other sounds as well- he is at ease in the jungle, so it doesn't bother him. No sound of Siku getting up reaches his ears, but the loss of the warmth beside him did. His tail sways calmly behind him, the only indication that he is awake for several seconds. With a couple of blinks, his eyes open and he glances to where Siku had been, finding her relocated entirely.
"Hmm?" he murmurs, and lifts his head. Kiji turns and spies the lioness by the pool, smiling to himself.
Unaware that Kijibwa was awake, Siku remained in her spot by the waterfall, still watching the moon longingly. Sighing softly, her gaze fell to the pool once more, her half-asleep state causing her to see an illusion of her mother in her reflection. Staring in disbelief for a moment or so, she managed to crack a very faint smile, leaning in closer from her lying position.
"Mother.." she started quietly, pulling her tail from the water as to not disturb the image. Shifting to lie on her paws, Siku paused a minute in movement as if to think, before returning to her coversation with her reflection.
"..Are these the same feelings you had, when you met him?" the question managed to finally escape her mind, being one that had troubled Siku for some time as of late, as she closed her eyes and murmured softly.
"...My father, I mean."
He only watches Siku for a moment before getting to his feet as quietly as possible, unable to help but stretch out his legs. Kiji watches Siku as he starts walking towards her, hoping not to disturb her unecessarily, catching the words she says from the word 'feelings' on. He raises an eyebrow, catching what she's talking about when she mentions her father. Only a couple steps away from her now, he stops and clears his throat.
"Are you ok, Siku?" he asks.
Snapping from her daze immidiately at the sound of Kijibwa's voice, the fur on the back of Siku's neck raised on end, as she nervously turned around to find him watching over her. Apparently, she hadn't been able to sneak away un-noticed. The dull glaze over her eyes faded, as she looked back into Kijibwa's with a confused, yet thoughtful, expression on her face. Sighing, Siku nodded, turning back to the water once more.
"Y..yes, Kiji, I am. I just needed to have a moment of thought, was all.." she said quietly, now only staring into her own relfection, instead of her mother's, which had been there moments before. A dull pain felt like it was building inside of her, oddly, as her gaze remained afixed on the water.
"...It's sad, actually.." She murmured quietly, tone heavy with worry that had built inside of her.
"..I don't remember her name. Only her face, and the way she sounded." Turning back to Kijibwa, it was now apparent that tears had built up in her eyes.
"..Is that what it feels like to you, every day?"
Kijibwa stays still when Siku reacts to his voice, not surprised that he startled her in the least. He tilts his head at the confused-thoughtful look he's given, though, wondering what the look is for. The sigh concerns him, though, for it really doesn't sound like she's happy at all. He lets himself forget the words he'd overheard for now, and walks over to her, taking a seat just behind her. His blue eyes stay fixed on her.
"W-who?" he asks, startled to see her with tears in her eyes and a pained expression on her face. It hurt him to see her in such a mood, but he doesn't know what to say when he isn't clear on the subject. He settles for frowning and looking concerned.
Pawing uneasily at the ground beneath her, Siku tried to fight back the tears, desperately not wanting to cry in front of Kijibwa. Looking away, so that he wouldn't be able to see her face, she felt the tears suddenly pouring down her face, unable to hold them back any longer.
"M..my mother.." Her tone was very faint, but still on an audible level, as she once more tried to keep herself under control. She didn't break down like this.. ever!
"..I can't remember her name. Only parts of her face and her voice.."
Kijibwa twitches anxiously while he watches Siku, well aware that she is about to start crying and wishing there was some way to make it stop. What happened so suddenly? Why is she so sad all of a sudden, it hadn't been like that only hours before when they'd gone to sleep! He lifts his head, as if it would help him see better, when she turns away.
Her mother. That's who she was talking to, that's who she was asking about. His thoughts wander away all at once, trying to see what he can recall about his own mother, but nothing comes to him. No memories of her, only waking in the desert alone one day and being found by Amoret. His thoughts move on to when he and Siku had first left the Pridelands, asking her if she wanted to go see her family first.. maybe he should have forced her to, not asked her to. All the thoughts spin through his head in seconds and with a sigh he settles down where he is and rests his head gently on Siku's shoulder, though he is sure to support the weight of it himself.
"Siku," he says quietly, "I- I don't kn-"
He pauses, "It's alright, you haven't forgotten and that's what's important.."
"B..but.. I feel like.. I've just deserted her memory entirely.." Siku said softly, the tears still rolling down her cheeks, but slowing somewhat at Kijibwa's attempts to cheer her up somewhat. Looking to the ground, she murmured something under her breath, shifting a glance over to Kijibwa. Since his head was resting upon her shoulder, she could only see a small bit of him, but it was enough to know that he was there.
"Do you think, Kiji, when I visit her again.. she'll still care about me at all..?" The question was very light in tone, and almost asked as if she knew the answer already, which one could assume she thought was 'no'. Ears drooping a bit, Siku closed her eyes, holding on to the mental picture.
"..Or if she even remembers me..?"
Kiji frowns at Siku's words, wondering if he should feel the same way about his own mother. If anything, 'deserted her memory entirely' is most accurate to his own situation, but he'd never stayed with his mother, though he isn't sure how that happened exactly. His head lifts from Siku's shoulders quite suddenly when she asks if her mother still cares about her, or remembers her.
"Of course she'll remember you, of course she cares," he replies, feeling a weight on his own heart when he speaks, "She's your mother."
"..I hope so." Was her reply, worry-filled as she turned back to Kiji, her crying finally stopped, though her blue eyes still clouded slightly. Standing up, she turned to sit so that she was looking at Kijibwa completely, her expression caught somewhere between sadness and relief. Looking to the ground nervously, Siku cleared her throat a bit, her tail twitching uneasily.
"Uhm.. I'm sorry I woke you up, and made you worry, Kiji.." Siku said quietly, her nervous habit of pawing at the ground surfacing once more.
"Because.. t..that's the last thing I want.." She murmured, obviously struggling with the words.
"You to worry, I mean. I.. I really do love the jungle, a..and being here with you.. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. Likely, I.. I never would have left the Pridelands, and I would've stayed a recluse all my life.. if you hadn't shown me otherwise.." Siku said, before looking up at the end, and pausing.
"..Thank you."
"We aren't staying here forever," Kiji reminds hers after she's turned about to face him, "We'll be back in the Pridelands soon enough, and I'm positive she'll be delighted to see you." He smiles at her, reaching out a paw and putting it on one of hers, stopping her from pawing at the ground nervously as she tends to.
"It's ok," he says back, "I'm glad you came with me, I've never really stayed with anyone very long. It's nice, I don't think I could be alone anymore."
No, not for long. He's really enjoyed having Siku with him. Not that he means to imply Siku can never leave should she chose to, it never crosses his mind that, despite talking of leaving the jungle, that separating is a possibility. Perhaps if it weren't the middle of the night..
Suddenly forced to stop pawing at the ground, a nervous panic shot through Siku's mind, her fur bristling up a bit as she looked up to Kijibwa. Hearing his words, she suddenly felt moronic for throwing her problems onto him, seeing how much he actually enjoyed her company. That, and she was slowly changing for the better. Nothing bad really had come of this trip, as she had made it to sound earlier. Drawing a deep breath, trying to calm herself, Siku's words sped out of her mouth quicker than she could think to stop them.
"I don't think I could leave you!" Staring cluelessly at Kijibwa, dazed that she had actually said that, Siku felt her face flash hot with the sudden rush of blood, immidiately looking to the ground nervously, cursing her inability to hold her tongue. This definately wasn't turning out to be her night, to say the least. That wasn't the way it was supposed to sound! That didn't mean what you think it does!
..But in truth, she did. And Siku had meant it from the bottom of her heart.
Kijibwa doesn't seem to mind that her fur bristles when he stops her paw, though he does notice the panic that goes through her. Her expression is enough to say how she's feeling, to repeat really what she's already said too. With a pleased smile, Kiji's tail swishes along the ground contently. His expression flashes to stunned when she speaks suddenly, and the look sticks for a moment while he absorbs the words.
Naive as he may be, he recalls what he'd overheard her saying before he interrupted and examines her expression carefully. He finally smiles, nodding to show he feels the same.
"Me too," he says.
Still looking at the ground, Siku's eyes widened at Kijibwa's words, and she opened her mouth to give a response, only to find herself at a loss of words. Ears drooping, she sat unresponsively, tail stopping dead limp, as she suddenly had no idea how to respond. This was what she had hoped, secretly, would happen in the end; Kijibwa would return these odd feelings she had been having. But now, now that it was happening? How was she supposed to respond..?
Looking up, she managed a very faint smile, forcing a laugh before looking away.
"I.. I have no idea.. what happens now.." she admitted, cheeks still burning in embarassment, though it was slowly fleeting now.
Kiji keeps the bright smile on his face while watching the expression change on Siku. Though actions speak louder than words, he doesn't mind the unresponsive attitude. He doesn't entirely know what to do himself, and he's older and less passive or shy than the golden lioness before him, he can't expect bold things now.
"Me neither," he declares finally, hoping to dispell the embarassment, or atleast share it. The paw that rests on her's twitches a bit, and he leans in and nuzzles her gently, nudging her nose back to look at him instead of away.
Suddenly being turned back to face Kijibwa, Siku looked at him happily, a smile taking to her face at the warmth of the moment. Her eyes seemed to brighten a bit from when she had been crying, as the young lioness looked down to her paws, realizing that Kiji's were still pressed upon her own. Laughing a bit, she glanced back up to Kiji again.
"..You don't have to keep your paws on mine, Kiji." She said, seeming to relax more and more as time from the moment went on.
"I'm not going to knead at the ground anymore, and I'm certainly not going anywhere."
Kiji's own smile brightens when he sees that she looks much happier, and his eyes follow hers to their paws. With his head still tilted downward, he glances to Siku when she laughs. Laughing is a good sign, and it's wonderful to hear it- and now not just because of the less-than-cheerful conversation they'd had before this. He nods and moves his paw from hers, looking back down to watch them.
"Well," he murmurs after a couple seconds, looking back up at Siku, "Are we staying up all night, or are you ready to go back to sleep?" His tone is playful, but he means what he says as well. Nighttime is a good time for sleep, and he obviously isn't able to sleep without her beside him so easily.
"..Actually, sleeping sounds wonderful right about no-" Siku started, only to be interrupted by a yawn midsentence. Blinking a bit to shake off the sudden daze, she grinned, standing and heading for their resting spot, turning back halfway.
"You see, Kiji? I can barely finish a sentence after all that, let alone stay awake longer than a few moments." Returning to her walk, Siku reached her usual spot, circling a few times, before lying down. Shifting to make herself more comfortable, atleast until Kiji arrived, she called back.
"So are you coming now, Kiji? Or did you just want to say that to make me feel guilty?"
Kiji gets a good chuckle out of the yawn interrupting Siku's sentence. He watches her walk off, nodding in response to her question. As she starts to settle in, he gets to his feet and turns around, stretching and yawning himself again. When he straightens back up again, he grins at Siku when she questions him.
"Oh, I'm just taking my time now," he replies, walking over. He makes a point of stretching his legs out beneath him and shifting some dirt when he gets to her side before settling in beside her, just a little bit closer seeming than before. With a smile, he looks back at her with a quiet laugh, "Alright, better? Good night.."
"Good night.." She murmured, closing her eyes and leaning against him, now that Kijibwa was laying closer to her. Adjusting slightly, Siku's smile was still holding strong, obviously quite happy with the results of the night's talk, even if they were unintentional. Sometimes, the best things came when you didn't expect them, right?
As she fell asleep, Siku could still feel Kijibwa's steady breathing from where she lay, somewhat relaxed by the steady feeling to fall back upon. And, for the first time in the lioness' life, she managed a very soft, low purr.
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Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:55 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Chuakari, juvenile || No Place Like Home
Summary: Now that she's found her way back to the Coalition lands, Kari is determined to stay there at least until the meeting she heard about. While taking a little stroll, she happens upon another coalition member, one who is her age- unlike everyone else she's met.
IN PROGRESS
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Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:56 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Kijibwa, Adult || Rediscovering the Jungle
Summary: Kijibwa set out to see the jungle some for himself, in high spirits after his conversation with Siku. It didn't take him long to run into another creature, a feisty Klipspringer who threatened him, should he decide to attack her. He got her to trust him enough to have a conversation, which really only made him feel guilty about eating meat to survive.
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Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:13 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Mleli, Adolescent || In the Jungle
Summary: After a hunt, Mleli ran into another leopard on her way back to her den. He had blood on his paws and was awkward and nervous seeming, but they chat briefly before parting ways.
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:59 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Mtima'safi, adult || In Search of Life
Summary: Mtima'safi makes an appearance in the mortal world, though she uses the power of illusion to hide her wings to fit in better. She is drawn to the general area of the Pridelands for it's livliness, and on it's borders she meets Kizamaji. They discuss royalty and the ability to cause change, and then he invites her back to the Pridelands. She eagerly accepts, hopeful on seeing many friendly lions. They stop in at his den, where Mtima meets Kiza's mother, and then they head off to see Pride Rock.
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:07 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Mtima'safi, adult || Touring Pride Rock
Summary: Kizamaji shows Mtima'safi the way to Pride Rock, where they meet up with Mufasa. After greetings and introductions, Kiza asks if Mtima may join the pride. Mufasa doesn't have a problem with it, if she agrees to follow the rules. The goddess agrees to do so, and then the two head back off to finish their tour.
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:09 pm
Roleplay, Guild Thread || Mtima'safi, adult || Gods, seers and mortals
Summary: Mtima does some exploring of her own in the Pridelands and meets a young lion named Fedha'kialio, who is a seer. They discuss how the Pridelands seems a popular spot for gods and seers, which leads to a discussion about beauty. After some questions, Mtima decides to leave Fedha wondering about gods and homelands in the sky. As she leaves, she unknowingly loses one feather.
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