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 Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:11 pm
Ajali's mocha pelt blended into the muck of a near by stream that fed off of the closest waterfall, the same waterfall infact that seems to frequent the tales of Ajali, Mleli and lionesses they are not quite aquainted with. She liked the feeling of the muck squishing between her toes it felt so good in the humid area to be in the cool muck. This moment felt exactly like the day she met Mleli again for the first time, only Ajali did not have a belly hanging low beneath the water.
She hummed a silly song and thought of the missing four, and of her sister, and yes even of the obnoxious snake that seemed to talk too much. Her hums were like a soft lullabye being sung in the early morning air. She trampled forward in the muck and quite her humming, "Interesting," she chuckled seeing a flower that resembled the same purple as her friend from a nearly evening meeting a few days prior.
"Looney bird, Interesting," she murmured again trying to recall his actual name. Samio, interesting..she thought.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:26 pm
It had been a couple weeks since four of her cubs had gone missing, and Mleli's mood had not yet changed from the fury she'd felt when she first woke up that morning. At least, outwardly she did not act anything but furious and suspicious. The remaining two cubs were threatened about if they decided to try anything as stupid as the other four, but Mleli was confident that they were not so foolish or even independent enough.
It was for these reasons only that Mleli allowed them to be left alone in the Jungle, and even then it had taken her a couple days to allow. As had happened before, Mleli was tiring of being so angry all the time. It'd been a long time since she'd been so angry, instead since having the cubs she'd been more bitter, a bit mean.. but not always angry. It only gave her a headache to be so helplessly upset with what happened.
She just happened to wander towards the stream when she heard a familiar murmuring amongst the gentle flow of water. It wasn't something she could understand, but she recognized the sound of the voice. Ajali was here- and Mleli turned around to just avoid her altogether. However, with a stumble and a splash, she knocked a rock into the water, following it closely with her own paw as if to catch it. It was a dead giveaway that she was there.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:25 pm
"Interesting?" She shouted excitedly after hearing the rock tumble into the water, cutting her murmuring short. She turned her head looking like an exotic parot that bobbed and swiveled around searching for prey, "Interesting?" She called out again somewhat hoping he would be there, but another part of her didn't want to see something that showed a moment of her weakness, she enjoyed herself..but she was a bit crazy in doing so.
She waded to the side of the mucky water pulling herself, weeds, and mud out with her as she stepped onto the bank, "Is someone there?" She inquired chipperly. Her coffee creamer eyes searching for what might have caused the sound.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:33 pm
The strange word that Ajali called out confused Mleli, and she froze in her mid-step. Her escape plan was no longer going to work- for her sister's yelling out seemingly random words was enough to make her stop and wonder if Ajali had finally really lost her mind. The leopardess turned around, and glanced off in the direction Ajali's voice came from- she was almost relieved to hear something sensible come from her sister.
"It's just me, Ajali," Mleli called out coldly, and finally moved again- but this time towards her sister, "Is something wrong?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:47 pm
Ajali let out a sigh of relief and continued towards her sister's voice, "Everything's just find, just day dreaming I guess," about interesting...and silly birds. She shivered she'd mentally broken a few times before, especially the first time she was out on her own away from Mleli and the other Orphans.
"Are you alright?" she smiled catching sight of her sister's face as she advanced towards her, "Everything the same?" meaning still got the two, but she could not come out and say that. She was going to ask if the leopardess had found the four but it would be ridiculous to do so, Mleli would have come to her quicker and brought it up earlier.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:54 pm
"Ah, day dreams," she repeated with a slightly roll of her eyes, "Interesting day dreams, are they?" Mleli might not want to be angry forever, but it was starting to look like she would be eternally grumpy- especially with more than half of her cubs just up and running away, as she no longer doubted. By her figuring, it had something to do with the argument she'd had with Mezi and Matojo, and thus had something to do with him. The mere thought of it made Mleli even grumpier.
"I'm just fine," she snapped grouchily, wondering why Ajali would bother with such a silly question- though she knew her sister always did. Ajali was too thoughtful..
"Nothing new to report," Mleli said with a sour shrug, looking down to the stream instead of looking at her sister now, "Duma and Hiana are seeming much and much better cubs by the day." Now she shot an angry glare at the water.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:03 pm
Ajali winced at Mleli's use of the word interesting, she never understood her sister's bitterness, Ajali would constantly have to look for the good things in life and it seemed she'd never truly be unhappy.
"Very good day dreams, yes," she murmured back o her, "And they're fantastic children because they have a very..." she paused, "Nice mother who love and cares for them." She avoided looking at her sister as well, but only because she didn't want her sister to see the hurt in her eyes at Mleli's comments about her supposed day dreaming.
"They might come back you know," Ajali spoke without thinking, something that she so oftened did, "Maybe..." She murmured allowing her words to trail off into a mumble and then die all together.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:20 pm
Mleli continued to glare towards the water as Ajali spoke, not holding back a snort of laughter at the "nice mother" comment. Mleli was not a caring mother, she was not an affectionate mother- but when it came down to keep them safe and alive, she was dedicated. Aside from the one incident with Matojo, she'd never once physically harmed them. No, she was not a completely horrible mother, but somewhere deep down she did allot herself some of the blame- for truly she was not glaring at the water, but her own reflection that was in it.
Of course, the rest of the blame she saved for Limbuko. They were his fault, after all. And whatever worthless god had put the idea that they might be demi-gods into their mind got some of the blame too.
The leopardess was much too distracted by her own woes to really take notice of Ajali's pained look. She also refused to acknowledge the idea that the cubs might come back- because Ajali did not sound very convinced and thus was not very convincing. Oh, Mleli looked forward to the day those brats came crawlling back.. despite all reason, she always imagined having some sort of power over them simply for being their mother. This was, of course, false. Soon they would be as big as or bigger than her, and they already have minds of their own.
Now wanting to move away from the subject, she glanced back up at Ajali with her best apathetic expression. "What are you doing out here day dreaming? I noticed you've been rather distant lately," she commented, raising an eyebrow. Now the focus was off her poor mothering skills and onto Ajali's odd behavior.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:44 pm
The mocha leopardess took notice of the skipping of a snide comment about her being a nice mother. Ajali thought her sister was not a great mother by any means, but she was a good care giver. Ajali had not been there when Mleli phsyically harmed one of them, but she supported Mleli's decisions as a parent and was even quite jealous of her sister for having children.
"I'm allowed to wander away from time to time," she grunted back at her sister in an uncharacteristic tone, "for your information I was looking for your brats, and on the way ran into someone, then I came here. Sometimes...sometimes." her mind was sort of stuck on repeat and she could not explain much more, she missed the fly by the hairs on your behind feeling of when she mentally broke away from being chipper Auntie Looney bird.
"Sometimes.." she said again in a more exasperated tone.
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:52 am
Mleli did her very best to keep a straight, uncaring face as Ajali snapped at her uncharacteristically. The first thing to get a rise from her was calling her cubs brats- something she subconsciously felt that only she could rightly call them, and even Ajali was no exception to it. She might otherwise have brushed off the strange comments, but of course there was always the fact that suddenly it looked like Mleli found herself no only stuck with the two whiniest of her children but also a loon.
"Oh yet, because you've wandered away for days at least once a week since you came to live with me," Mleli snapped back at Ajali sarcastically. She knew very well that missing cubs were a good reason to wander, but that didn't matter to her right now, "Sometimes what? Or are you too sick worrying about my brats to even finish another sentence?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:05 pm
"Take your agression out on someone else, Mleli," she grunted, "You are the reason they left!" She shot at her sister feeling that her own absents was nothing to take any real note of, she was gone she came back end of story.
"There are two of your, brats, left shouldn't you be watching them? I am worried about them, they are the most precious things on earth, no matter how mouthy, whiny, or snotty they are! SOMETIMES you do not see how good you have it! You had six beautiful babies, no they were not what you expected, but they were yours. I'd give anything to have that." Her breath hitched in her throat and tears ebbed at the sides of her eyes.
She instantly regretted her out burst but that was the way she felt, Mleli did have a great thing going for her if the grouchy old leopardess took the time to look..but now..well, she understood they both were on short fuses because of the missing four.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:19 pm
Ajali was honest, but rarely was she this brutally honest. She didn't say anything Mleli didn't already know, but they were all things that Mleli did not care to hear aloud- especially from her crazy sister. Her immediate reaction was a fierce snarl, and it was only by chance that she held back long enough to hear everything that Ajali had to say. The snarl dulled to a growl, and just as Ajali has spoke before she thought, Mleli acted before she thought it through. In one quick, angry motion, she leaped at her sister with every intention of knocking her down. Ajali may have suggested taking her aggression elsewhere, but to Mleli that was merely provocation for something worse than snappy words.
With a small splash, they hit the ground, Mleli just barely managing to hold her dominant position when they did. She had no words now, just angry growls.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:27 pm
Ajali's eyes widdened in shock at the growl that was coming from her sister but was even more in awe that she actually struck her. Glaring up at her sister she opened her mouth to respond but closed it quicky, what was there to say? Ajali had not been wrong in telling what she felt, but possibly on her delivery.
Wriggling in the soft earth the mocha colored sister tried to knock off her sister's footing so that she could escape Mleli's grasps.
"Look," she said as she rocked back and forth digging with her legs, " I'm sorry, we're sisters and..we should you know.."
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:36 pm
Mleli's glare was steady, and though her growl faded her teeth remained clenched together. She wanted to do something, hurt her, make her feel as bad as she did- Ajali felt it, felt the pain of the cubs leaving, but not to the same extent their mother would. They left not only because Mleli refused to talk about Limbuko, though that had to have been a major factor, but because she was never terribly kind.
She wobbled as Ajali tried to wriggle free, but she had been given just enough time to steady herself so she wasn't so easy to toss off. Mleli was the more aggressive of the two of them, and she always had been- she was better at this than Ajali, especially since Ajali generally refused to fight back.
Refusing to accept an apology, or listen to how they should reconcile or get along, Mleli gave a frustrated snort and stepped off of her sister with a very pointed glare. With that, she turned her back and simply walked away.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:45 pm
Ajali was expecting her sister to lash out at her, or even to yell in her face, but she didn't. She could see the anger in her sister's face and in her body language. In fear Ajali lay there waiting for what was next, paralyzed she quite her wriggling, and then Mleli stood and actually left.
"Mleli..." she muttered but did not say much louder in appehension that her sister would turn around and try again. Ajali noted that her sister was not heading towards the tree she seemed to be going in the other direction, and feeling quite righteous Ajali decided she'd take care of the two.
Waiting as long as possible the leopardess finally sat, then stood, heading towards the tree that the four..wait five, if them called home.
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