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 Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:22 pm
When the vulture's away, the cat's out to... play? Depends on your definition of 'play.' Today was pretty much the usual, making the 'rounds' through the jungle looking for dead things to drag home. Today, though, Kaveri decided to head home early. She had plenty of other things left to eat, anyhow.
As she nears her clearing, she catches a cry for help -- in fact, it sounded like it was actually coming from her clearing! Had some newcomer accidentally stumbled upon her humble shrine not knowing what to expect? Kaveri came closer, stepping through the shrubbery and into the bare spot of red-tainted earth.
What she saw, however, was not anything she expected and the sight confused her: A lion man, like what Zach had warned Sid about not long before. She froze, clutching her walking stick as she took a hesitant step forward.
"What are you doing here?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:32 pm
After a few more calls of help he was surprised to find that someone actually heard his plea. Rex strained his neck back to see the large, strange, bird-thing emerge from the forest. He wasn't sure if he'd ever met the.... person before, but he also felt he'd remember someone of such radical prescence. "Oh my Lord, I'm glad you've come..." Rex sighed sharply, wincing in the pain in his hand.
Being tied to a shrine in the jungle with a giant splinter stabbed into his hand wasn't exactly Rex's idea of fun; his temper was short and he nearly snapped back at the woman's remark, though he managed to suppress it. "I... I don't know, I just woke up here like this... Could you please help me a bit?" He begged throatily, finding it quite constraining to be pinned by the ropes. The pain made it hard to think, let alone formulate sentences. Thankfully Rex could stay strong for the most part...
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:05 pm
The vulture folded her neck, hobbling over to sit down on her mattress and gaze curiously at the lion-man. While she couldn't get over how odd this entire situation was, Kaveri couldn't help but to wonder if this was the dangerous lion man that Zach was talking about.
"How do I know you're not going to eat me if I let you go?" Kaveri asked, resting a hand on her knee. "I can guarantee you I taste like s**t if you tink I'm going to make for a good turkey."
With a scant few exceptions, Kaveri didn't feel inclined to easily trust any felines. A bird knows trouble when it sees it.
"Hmm... I can help you 'a bit,' like you asked." Her silver eyes wandered towards the large thorn in his paw. She got up and reached for it, squeezed her two fingers around, and gave a tug to the thick wooden splinter.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:20 pm
Rex fought hard to keep his face sincere and honest, though it was hard not to scowl when you're tied up, bald and bleeding. Especially when there's help sitting next to you, but they aren't willing to relieve you of your pain. "Please..." Rex begged with a quaver in his voice and his eyes slowly welling up.
"Do I look like I'm in any condition to eat you? I promise I won't, it's not like I tie myself up in the jungle just for kicks. And I'm no cannibal... Yeah we're both animals, but we were both also human at some point... Please cut the ropes, it's- it's unbearable." Forming those sentences through his searing discomfort across his whole body was harder than he'd expected, but Rex had to make a good case in order to persuade the stubborn and cautious bird-thing.
He was glad that she would at least pull the enormous splinter from his paw. Rex shut his eyes tight, tensed his muscles and groaned through the torture of getting it removed. But when it was finally free he sighed in relief and relaxed if only for a moment. "Thank you." Rex winced, happy the source of most his pain was gone.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:36 pm
"You're welcome." Kaveri picked up a bloodied bone-knife off the ground. It was true, the lion-man did look rather ragged -- and it was obvious that someone else put him there. Who could tie THEMSELVES up?
"I taste like s**t," she reminded as she walked over to him and slowly began cutting the ropes around his chest (manipulating a knife with two fingers is no easy task, after all). He looked like he was having trouble breathing, and Kaveri didn't want to be responsible for him if he wound up having any serious problems for it.
"So who did dis to you?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:48 pm
Rex's face became washed with happiness whe she picked up the knife to begin cutting the bonds. "Oh thank you so much, you're a savior." He dropped his head back limply onto the rock, partially so he wouldn't get nervous watching her fumble with the bloody knife around his body.
"I- I don't know who did this," so far, Rex hadn't had much time to think about it. Las thing he remembered he was laying in his bed to nap. How in the world could he get all the way out here. It was obviously someone who had the power to move him out here, and then keep him knocked out. Was he drugged? Smacked unconscious? That could explain the seering headache. "I don't remember a thing..."
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:04 pm
"First time anyone's called me dat," the vulture laughed dryly. She hummed as she continued meticulously working at the ropes, shifting the knife to her other hand once the first got tired.
"Musta pissed somebody off..." Kaveri murmured, working down towards Rex's waist. "I heard from a friend not too long ago dat dere was a lion-man wandering around who was dangerous. Might dat be you?" She asked, picking up a clump of sheared mane in her free hand.
"Not a bad haircut," she commented, rubbing the fur between her two fingers.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:31 pm
"Uh... I don't think that I'm very dangerous... But I'm the only lion around that I know of. Maybe your friend was speaking of someone else." Of course Zach came to his mind, but he was in enough agony already. He didn't want to think about someone like Zach at the moment, it would only make him feel worse. He tried to push the memory out of his mind and stay focussed on his relinquishment.
Once the ropes restricting his arms were cut, he picked up his hands and examined the wound on his palm tenderly. There was no way his hand would be in commision for a while.
Then the woman commented on his hair. He subconsciously reached his good hand up to rub it's fuzzy surface. "It reminds me of my old football days..." Rex chuckled, trying to think of happy things to take his mind off all of the ache. Highschool's competetive sports were all fun, Julie came to all his varsity games. Oh no, don't think about her right now. It seemed as if all he could think of would give him greif of some form or another. He loved Julie and could only think of her affectionately, but he was still battling her death. Rex began to question if he could ever accept it.
"Does it look all that bad?" He'd seen those hairless cats before. No fun.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:49 pm
"Possibly. I don't know all de cats around here." By now she figured that if the guy was going to jump her, he would have taken the opportunity long ago when she freed his arms.
"Your old mascot wouldn't have happened to have been a lion would it?" The vulture smirked. "I was never one for sports myself. Dere was dat one soccer game dat happened a while ago here... but dat's pretty much de extent of it."
Kaveri took a step back once she cut the remaining binds, still holding the knife and gazing upon the humiliating sight of a lion shorn. "Well... it's better dan what I look like, if dat's any consolation."
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:11 pm
Rex sat up and scutinized the wounds that had rubbed and bruised their way into his skin. They'd probably heal within a few days, but his hand was the most of his worries. Rex simply ignored the pain (something he'd gotten quite good at from pulled or sore muscles) and began to use his claw to widdle away at the thread of the ropes.
"Heh, naw, we weren't the lions." He huffed up in pride as he prepared to show his pride, "Grizzlies, baby!" Rex barked. He had to show his love for the school back home, even though he'd never even make it to the 10 year reunion.
"And yeah! I was in that soccer game, I was on Ambrose's team! We totally kicked butt." He smirked and continued to cut at the ropes, eventually cutting through his first one. Clawing wasn't as efficient at the sketchy knife, but it was good enough. "Now that I think about it... were you there?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:28 pm
This guy couldn't have possibly been the lion man Zach warned about. He just seemed too wholesome to be of any possible danger, although Kaveri was still cautious because she wasn't about to test how well the man kept his instincts in check.
"My mascot was de cougar," she grinned sheepishly, "but I dropped out." It was the system's fault, not hers.
"I don't even remember what team I was on, I had more fun after de game yelling at dat dickhead guy." Now it was Kaveri's turn to beam proudly! She still could throw a punch back then, even if it didn't land on its intended target.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:43 pm
Rex stopped his picking in thought, having the distinct memory of the long-necked bird-woman running angrily toward Thom in the fight at the end of the game. "You know what? I do remember you from that soccer game. Why was everyone so mad, anyways? I don't even remember." Rex racked his brain for any little hint he could think of, but ended up shifting his attention to the blood leaking from his hand... "Ugh, I need to get this cleaned up. Last thing I want is some jungle infection..."
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:10 pm
"I don't even remember what all happened," Kaveri grinned, "I just like roughing s**t up. Shame I can't frow a punch anymore wif my stupid hands. But after de game was fun!"
The vulture meaned over and gingerly touched his hand with a fingertip. "Dat looks really bad... I know de way back to de village," She offered him a hand to help him stand up. "Dey have first aid kits and stuff to help out wif dat."
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:28 pm
Rex's hand twitched with a split second of pain before he let her examine it further. Then he took her hand and came to his feet, subconsciously rubbing his head once again. Rex had gotten quite used to having all that hair up there, it was quite a drastic change to have it all gone. How long will it take to come back? Suddenly he felt like the "majectic"-ness of the lion had been taken away from him.
"Well in that case, ladies first!" Rex said while forcing a smile, he had to stay positive, it wasn't all that bad. He could only image how Zach felt back on his arrival at the island. Oh god no, don't think about that p***k.
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:41 pm
"I'll give you a tip should you wind back up here again," Kaveri said, straightening up and grabbing for her walking stick to get ready to lead him back. "Dere are painted rocks on de paf between here and de village, follow dem and you should be off in de right direction."
She motioned for Rex to follow her, then pointed to one of the round, brightly-painted stones on the ground at the clearing's edge.
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