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 Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:41 pm
 It was an typical jungle day, or so it seemed. Life teemed in the sea of green, birds and primates chattered, insects chirped in the humid air. Somewhere amid the foliage, water cut through the land, the precious life feeding the land as it traveled it's course tirelessly.
On a day unlike any other, a small leopard rested on a large rock, white pelt bathed in brilliant colors as the sun caught the spray from the waterfall beneath, forming small bursts of prismatic colors. He rested quietly, tail flicking peacefully, ears twitching at whatever sounds surrounded him. Under one paw rested a beautiful flower, a brilliant orange bloom meant for his mate.
He was waiting, waiting near the den for Karama and their cub to return. The dark leopardess had taken their young cub to hunt with her, though Keone did not understand why, the jungle contained all the food they needed. But the small male trusted her, and though it may have seemed they'd been gone longer than expected, he was certain that all was well and soon they would return. Maybe they would return today.
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:00 pm
(( Nopiccuforyouthistime xD ))
They. Ha! The poor male might be expecting too much. As only one of them was returning home, and worse for wear.
He might perhaps notice a rustle, an unusally heavy thump of paws, but there seemed to be a lag between them. And then an eaven heavier thump, as a dark shape half collapsed into the small clear before the waterfall, ears back, fur pretty badly ruffled up. Perhaps not the entren'ca he expected. Neither did she.
Oh, why couldn't it have just gone right? Why did that lionness have to show up? And now she had to explain it to Keone. As if spending two literally bloody, days looking for that son of hers witch she couldn't find. And her paw was so much worse.
The leopardess craned craned her neck, looking back at her mangled hind paw, the right one, and climbing trees was near impossible without any of them. And getting here itself had taken another day. She would have stayed a month to find her son. A year. But she couldn't. She couldn't just leave Keone waiting.
But she couldn't see him right now, as her mate was up at the top of the waterfall, she was down here, at the bottom, staring at the rock she usually laid on, the barely visible entrance to their den. How she wouldn't see that familiar face again; not of Keone's, but Usiku's. Sghe thumped her head against the ground, covering her eyes with her paws.
Oh, what would she do?
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:21 pm
The small leopard stirred, paws reaching before him in a long stretch, jaws parting in a yawn. Green eyes drifted lazily over the jungle green, an unobstructed view the advantage of his high perch. And he saw it, a hint of brown against the leaves below and immediately he knew Karama had returned.
He was on his paws, the bloom gathered gently in his jaws, happily bounded down the rocks that led to the base of the fall. They had returned, and for a moment Keone was too excited to realize the leopardess had returned alone, perhaps he simply couldn't see the cub yet.
But as he neared the dark leopardess something caused him to pause in his steps, something was wrong. Karama looked...sad, and was that...blood? But why? What had happened?
Hastening his steps, Keone raced to his mate's side, green eyes filled with worry and fear, tail and ears held low. Gingerly, unsure of her reaction or what may cub, he lowered his head, gently nudging against her cheek.
"K..karama?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:38 pm
An ear flicked, almost actually hitting the white male. He was here.. She didn't jump, she didn't do anything other than hold her breath and press her ears against her skull.
"Keone.. " She murmured finally, after a perhaps uncomfortable pause. She pulled her head away from her paws, wincing a bit as this affected her shoulders, wich were both injured, and looked up at his green eyes, seeming rather pathetic. Right now, the only similarity she had to the normally cool, calm and confident leopardess was her fur, wich was a bit different too.
"Lionness.. " She swallowed. And then she ended up blurting, because right now, as hard as she tried, she couldn't think of a way to say it. "Shecameoutofnowhere... triedtokillhimsoI... I.. ItriedtostopherbutIcouldn't.. andheranandthenIcouldn'tfindhim.. " She stopped, and then just burried her face in her paws again. Blood still eased its way out of the punctures in her shoulders, and more freely from he rpaw, who was even worse now, as she hadn't bothered cleaning them. And she hadn't eaten in four days. Was it five? She was just so weak..
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:17 pm
He took a startled step back, eyes widened in horror at the sight of blood flowing from still fresh wounds, ears flattened against his head. Karama was hurt, badly it looked like, but why? Why would someone hurt her?
Karama spoke so quickly, it was difficult for the small leopard to follow her story, eyes darting between the gashes on her shoulders, to her orange eyes, and back again as he tried to hear it all. A lion? A lion did this? But...lions were nice weren't they? He'd met one, Halili, and she was nice, he had taught her to fish. So why would a lion hurt Karama? He didn't understand.
And then he realized that someone was missing, that the cub wasn't just hiding or lagging behind his mother. No, he actually wasn't there, where was he? In a panic, the leopard circled, eyes frantically scanning the foliage, searching for any sign of of that dark pelt.
"Usiku...where is Usiku? Karama, where is he?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:28 pm
She swallowed. "I told you.. I couldn't find him. " She tried top curl up, to just be here in a pathetic little ball of fur like she was right now; but it hurt to much to even do this propery; he shoulders hurt too badly, her paw was mangled and unlikely to get better soon, and her whole body was sore from that terrible landing when the lionness pinned her.
"I looked for him.. I didn't eat, I.. I couldn't stop the bleeding.. " More like she didn't try. She'd been too consumed with finding her son.
"I just don't know what to do! "
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:04 pm
She couldn't find him? But how could that be? Hadn't Usiku been with her? Had the lion attacked him too? Was he hurt too? And why had a lion attacked them? A hyena he could have understood, they ate leopards, but lions were nice.
He tried to open his mouth, to say something, but all that came out was a pitiful whine. Paws paced through the fallen leaves, first one way, then the other, his gaze falling on every object, searching, unwilling to accept that his cub truly was gone. Maybe he had followed and Karama just hadn't seen him, or maybe...
Another whine, he paused, head lowered to press against the dark leopardess, licking the wound on her shoulder from pure instinct rather than a deliberate attempt to clean it. What was he to do? He wanted to help Karama, but he didn't know how; wanted to find their cub, but where would he look?
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:33 pm
She sighed, and closed her eyes. Something about Keone going crazy calmed her down, as if he was worrying enough for her. She placed her paws on the ground, and pushed her front side up as well as she could, then a it quicker forced herself up with the hind ones, as soon as the hurt paw hit the ground, however, she took it off, and staggered a bit.
With a small growl towards herself, as if to get estimulated, she liften one front paw and put it down again, pulling herself foreward with effort, feeling awkward whenever she couldn't use her hind paw.
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:15 pm
He stepped backward when she moved, his ears pinned back, tail curled against one hind paw, his posture low as a frightened kitten. His steps were timid as he followed after her, watching, uncertain of what to do. He wanted to help, she needed him, but what could he do? Every few steps he circled, eyes scanning the vegetation again, searching for a sign of their cub, maybe he had followed home on his own and Karama just hadn't seen him yet.
For a moment his eyes fell on the flower he had brought for Karama, the orange blossom lay ruined amidst the leaves, forgotten in the panic and horror. He would have to pick a new one later, but now, what was he to do now? Surely there was something he could do to help the leopardess, but what?
"Are...are you hungry?"
Maybe if he caught her a fish, maybe that would help. Then maybe Usiku would come back, and Keone would catch him a fish too, and they could all have fish together.
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2007 5:02 pm
((OhmygodKeone'stooadorable ;w; ))
The leopardess wheezed, landing heavly against the stone that was near the den, she didn't want to move ll the way too it. It seemed to far away..
Are you hungry?
Hungry?! How could he possibly think about food?! She almost felt angry at Keone. She furrowed her brows for a moment, staring at him, and then realising; it wasn't his fault. He was trying to help. She sighed, and rested her head on the ground, covering her eyes with her paws.
"Fine. " She muttered, almost grudgingly; guilty. She would be eating fish and her son would be lost somewhere.. Oh, what a wonderfull place.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:31 am
The little male faltered, ears dropping, his head ducked against her harsh stare. Had he done something wrong? He didn't understand. But then she seemed to soften, did that mean she wasn't angry?
With a soft whine, Keone pressed his head against his mate's shoulder, desperate to somehow help, to reassure her that he was there. But what--wait, fish. That's right, he would catch her a fish, that would make her feel better.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, as if to assure himself that she hadn't disappeared, the white leopard scurried to the nearby river, nearly stumbling over the rocks and falling into the water himself in his haste. But sure paws saved him, and his grip on the rocks assured, he waded into the swift current.
An excellent fisher even in the rabid currents, it was only a few minutes before he returned to where the dark leopardess waited, tentatively setting a large flopping fish at her paws. The gift presented, he scurried again to the water's edge, only to return with a large tropical leaf filled with cool river water. It wasn't much, but maybe it would help, maybe it would help Karama to get better, then maybe they could find Usiku.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:15 pm
She nuzzled him briefly, frowning when he moved away. She didn't quite want food as much as she just wanted company, or to run off and look for her missing cub. She watched him get into the water and back, then away again, only this time with a leaf with water.
She was more gratefull to that than to the whole fish; water seemed so much more appealing right now. She lapped at the water quetly, as odd as if was to taste a bit of leaf with it too. She looked at Keone, forcing a smile. "Thanks. "
The lopardess pulled the fish to herself, and swallowed before actually taking a bite. Oh.. here she was eating fish, and who knew what poor Usiku was doing!
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:51 pm
He settled near her side, watching in silence, tail flicking nervously, paws shuffling in the leafy earth. Had he heard her thoughts, he might have told her she was wrong if he could have found his voice. Keone was as devastated as his mate, desperately wishing for the return of his cub. But Karama needed help too, she had been badly injured and she hadn't eaten. And though his heart jumped at every rustle in the leaves, and his paws longed to rush through the jungle in search of the young cub, it was Karama that was here now, and she needed him.
"Do you...want anything else?"
His voice was quiet, uncertain. He wanted to do something, to help, but he didn't know how, never had he felt so lost or confused.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 1:43 pm
"No. " She muttered, nibbling on the fish a bit, then pushing it aside. Though her body told her to eat, she didn't really want to. Instead, she pulled her good hind paw close, and the other as much as she coul bend it, turning her neck to lick a shoulder nervously, kneading her claws into the ground.
It just felt.. odd, not to know where her son was, and yet she sort of did know where, as well. Away. Far away. And she couldn't find him. "If you could make the world smaller, I'd appreciate it. "She sighed, and pressed her face against his shoulder, ears back. It was her fault. She shouldn't have taken Usiku to the savanna; the jungle was where a leopard should be.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:02 pm
Keone blinked, confused at her statement. What did she mean by 'make the world smaller'? But as he opened his mouth to ask, the small leopard closed it again in silence suddenly thinking it a bad time to ask questions.
And so with a quiet sigh, the smaller leopard simply curled against his mate, his head coming to rest against Karama's. Keone's world had been turned upside down, and his naive mind could not understand why a lion would do such a thing. Lions were nice...weren't they? Then why?
Maybe...maybe Karama was wrong and Usiku was just hiding. Maybe he would come out at anytime and tell them it had all just been a game, that must be it...maybe. But Karama was never wrong...
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