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 Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 3:44 pm
Ajali, Duma, Hiana.. Kifuno usually was in the tree, even when she and Ajali both decided to stay on the ground. It took the sleepy leopardess a moment to get a look around and realize that four very distinct figures were missing. Blinking, the leopardess got to her feet, stretching out a bit and then walked around the tree to check for them there. Since the argument, Matojo and Mezi had been avoiding her. Kafiri generally did, and she had stuck close by them before that anyway. Mleli had never noticed Aeglaeca sticking with them in particular, though.
No cubs behind the tree.
Mleli was starting to get a bit annoyed. What could they be doing this early in the morning? She took a quite look around for any fresh paw prints or trails of where they might have gone, but none were too obvious. Unless they'd split up, there should have been some indication. Lazily, she started off to take a look around for them.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:10 pm
Ajali was dreaming peacefully a dream she had quite frequently, one where she and the little leopard lions played in the waterfall and had a great time, so much so that even Mleli was cracking a grin. In this dream everything of course seemed too bright, and although she always remembered the happy part of this dream the disturbing ending was what she forgot. Duma, (one she took too the most because she wanted-no needed- to make the little hybrid more chipper and less disgruntled) had fallen into the water and had not resurfaced.
Abrubtly Ajali shook herself from her not quite as peaceful dream and had a hard time pulling her eyelids apart, but when she did she was quite aware that her family, at least part of it, was missing. Looking up she saw Duma and nodded, everything was okay there.
"Mleli, you around?" She whispered looking from the spot her sister had fallen asleep back to Duma's snoring form. It's too early for exploring, you lot, get back here! she thought.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:25 pm
Mleli was out looking around the area for quite some time, and found no sign of the cubs anywhere around. They hadn't been around since sometime the previous day, the leopardess had decided- though if that was from signs of them around the perimeter or because that was when she'd last seen them, even she wasn't entirely sure. She was starting to get more annoyed, but also more worried. With creatures like Tego around, she had reason to worry- though she didn't necessarily blame him for this. Getting closer to their home tree, though from the complete opposite side she'd left on, Mleli was within earshot to hear Ajali's whisper. Hear that someone was whispering, not distinguish who was talking or what they were saying.
It startled her, and she leapt from the brush a bit louder and clumsier than usual and intended. She saw immedaitely that Ajali was awake, and growlled quietly in her frustration. She'd hoped- no, thought - that it might be one of the four missing cubs.
"Ajali," she hissed in a whisper, "Have you see Aeglaeca, Matojo, Mezi or Kafiri since yesterday?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:43 pm
Ajali heard Mleli's stumbling and jumped to her feet imediately thinking that something could possibly be wrong, but then again hearing Mleli hissing usually means she's normal. But, at being asked if she'd seen four of the six she drew her breath in quickly.
"N-no.. I didn't hear them leave either," she answered slightly grogy, "I did not see them last night, maybe they're..." maybe they are what, Jali? Playing games in your waterfall?
"Ask Duma, maybe she knows?" Ajali offered trying to seem helpful.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:51 pm
Mleli stared directly at Ajali, waiting for her to say something about them coming home after she'd gone to sleep, that she'd heard them go off to play or something stupid earlier- but she was smart enough to know that was not the answer she was going to get. There was no major disturbance in the foliage around the, there were no distinct scent trails of where they could have gone recently..
She immediately looked away from Ajali when she said she hadn't seen them- not even the night before. They had to be around here somewhere- cubs didn't just disappear into thin air.
At Ajali's suggestion, Mleli turned back and looked at the two remaining cubs, the two who caused the least trouble (though Aeglaeca had not caused much before either) .. Perhaps they would be able to shed some light on the situation. She looked coldly back at Ajali.
"Ask her, then," she said.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:09 pm
Ajali looked to her sister worried, was this a joke? Of course not Mleli was not a joker..but where were the other four? The thought of them playing a mean joke seemed unlikely as well, they know not to play games if Mleli is not in good mood, and most of all not after the incident that none of them have really talked about.
Inhaling deeply Ajali moved towards Duma calling her name softly, "Hey, Big Baby, wake up, Duma-Duma." The pleasant all too sweet tone of Ajali's voice seemed eerie in the quiet morning.
Duma grummbled grogily and resisted the urge to make a snide comment about Auntie Ajali, in her head Duma constantly called her a Looney Bird, one that sung offtune. "What Auntie, it is too early," she whined drawling out the y in early like small children usually do. Her bright blue eyes finally opening to see Hiana sleeping and Mom and Ajali frowning..something was wrong and her fuzzy brain was just begining to connect the dots.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:30 pm
Mleli watched Ajali but quickly grew impatient with the slow rousing of her little clone, and when Duma whined she lost all patience and stepped over. She did not push Ajali out of the way, but instead stood over Duma, looking and speaking right to her so it would not be easy for the leopon to keep her attention else.
"Quit whining," she snapped, sounding just as annoyed as she looked and felt, "Where are your brothers and sister?"
The leopardess had not yet put a lot of thought into the situation, not yet starting to consider reasons they may have wandered. With enough thought, she would be able to figure it out on her own- since the incident with Matojo and Mezi, she had realized all the mistakes she had made when talking to them.
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:44 pm
Ajali was about to comfort Duma's whining when Mleli jumped in, "Yeah, where are they?"
(Smallest Ajali post ever!)
Duma froze for a moment and looked at the sleeping Hiana for help, willing mentally for Hiana to wake up, c'mon save me! But when no help came Duma gulped in dismay.
"I'm not sure, I didn't see them last night, or today...are they okay?" She looked fearful and prayed that she was able to pull it off, "Mommmmmy," she whined and glared into the face of her large clone.
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:44 pm
Mleli made no response, ignoring Ajali completely now because she knew for a fact Ajali would not hide her cubs from her, but she could suspect the other cubs of lying, keeping secrets, hiding something.. She chose not to reply immediately to Duma, and instead tried to stare her down.
She'd better not be hiding anything..
"Are you sure, Duma?" she asked seriously, sounding more angry than anything.
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:22 pm
Duma stared back at her mother and finally shook her head, "I have no idea where they are. Will we find them?" Her heart pounded knowing that if Mleli ever found out about her lie she would be in big trouble, possibly even so much trouble that the looney bird would not be able to help her. She recalled the others asking her to come along but she refused not wanting to leave mommy or auntie.
"Are they okay?" She let the whine slip back in, one that really only worked for babies.
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:40 pm
If nothing else, Duma had gotten her mother's stubbornness. If Mleli wasn't so upset and had known, she might have been proud that her daughter could stand her ground- especially since she was seeming particularly whiny this morning. Perhaps it was just because Mleli was on edge now.
"I'll find them," she hissed, turning off to go back out to look in through the jungle. Hide and seek was not a game that this leopardess cared much for, and she knew that her cubs knew better than that- and even if they different know that specifically, it wouldn't be hard for them to guess. Mleli only made it a couple steps, searching for clues of where they might be hiding when she remembered the remark Matojo had made earlier- they'd be out of her paws someday.
Were they actually gone?
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 7:39 pm
Ajali gasped heartbroken at seeing her sister and neice so distraught, of course they would find the other four, they would have too! If only Ajali knew that one of her favorites would lie right to her face. "Don't worry sweetheart, your mommy is just stubborn enough to find them." She spoke trying to soothe little Duma. Her wide brown eyes watched Mleli stalk towards the jungle and stop.
"Mleli, do you know something that we could do..? Somewhere they would go? We can look, maybe they're playing silly games, those nasty little cubs." She was nervous that these comments would make Mleli even more frustrated and may call for her anger, but at that moment it was okay.
Duma stood still watching her aunt and mother, what more could she do? She had lied to her mother's face and to her aunts, the only creatures in the world, besides the snoring slitherer, that she truely cared for. Instead of speaking up again, and afraid she wouldn't be able to go through with another lie she waited for some cue as to what to do.
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:33 pm
Mleli looked back at Ajali when asked if there was anything they could do, suggesting they were playing a silly game. It seemed possible, and yet almost impossible. Routinely, despite all tension between family members, everyone slept by the same tree- though sometimes those who could climb might not spend the night on the ground. Perhaps they were just testing their limits now, though she saw it doing them no good.
"They've not been around here since sometime yesterday," she said coldly, "I checked around here, but I will check farther off. Silly games indeed."
For now, Mleli did not want to think about what Matojo had said and the conversation surrounding it. For now she would look for them. "Ajali, you watch these two," she said calmly, not bothering to care about how bossy this was, "Make sure we don't lose any more of them until I find the others."
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:31 pm
Duma was about to protest and for a second almost opened her mouth and spilled the beans on her siblings but she caught her self and a small squeak slipped through. She looked guilty, and would with more pressure crack.
"Can I go back to sleep?" She whined, mommy didn't like when she whined and she was sure that Mleli would become exasperated and tell her off and to go to sleep.
"I'll watch these two, you just find them, okay?" Ajali said somewhat frieghtened for her four little freaks. "If you don't find them, we'll run a shift? You come back and watch when you feel tired and I'll search?" She asked wanting Mleli to continue to take control.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:14 pm
Mleli glanced back at Duma viciously, as if warning her to stop whining or she would stop her- and Mleli was just about on edge enough to do so, and had proven herself capable in her last argument with Matojo. She stopped, glaring suspiciously at Duma who looked almost too worried about what was going on.
"Duma, if you know something and don't tell me you'll be in more trouble than if you don't know anything," she hissed, turning back to make sure Duma could see how serious she was, "So either spill the beans or stop looking so pathetic."
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