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 Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:33 pm
Kucha'angaza was bored as hell. The blind white leopard simply sat beneath a tree, lonely and lost. Again.
Kucha had been blind from birth, and eventually abandoned by his mother. He had made few friends, and tried to live a life of solitude, ashamed of his weakness.
Now, he had recently returned from an unsuccessful hunt, and gotten lost as he chased his prey. He had no food and no idea of where he was, and now had nothing to do.
Kucha hated being blind.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:03 pm
Six. Her mind fluttered at the thought. SIX. There were just so many of them. Too many to leave with their father and too many to take more than one. It was one of the few times she could leave her baby with it's uncle. A calm day. Matawi's mind set was slowly returning from an angry soul back to her sweet and gentle nature.
Her black paws were taking her where they pleased. Not like it mattered to her. She didn't need to hunt (She saw that as Shaha's job) and her lion brother and his girlfriend had babysitting duties. Matawi found comfort thinking that her baby, her favorite out of all her litter would be raised in a family of many breeds of cats, never knowing of the father that Matawi hated so very much.
Her crimson eyes scanned around her. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she had forgotten where she was going or how to get back. Then She saw something. Bright, pure white. And being the inquisitive leopardess she was, decided to investigate.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:22 pm
Kucha suddenly caught an unfamiliar scent on the wind, and he stiffened, sightless eyes glancing around. It was obviously another leopard, he could tell that easily. But there was something calming about her scent; Kucha could smell the warmth of cubs and family radiating from her pelt. A scent he hadn't any memory of, and yet an understanding from his troubled history.
What business did such a cat as this have here? he wondered. If this leopard had the smell of others on her, why was she here all alone? At least, Kucha couldn't smell any others in the vicinity.
He rose to greet this strange guest, but he had no idea where exactly she was, nor whether she would be aggressive. Why not give modesty a chance?
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:23 pm
Matawi's pace quickened. It had been so long since seeing another leopard. Why in the hell they all stayed in the dank, disgusting jungle was beyond her. Her tired shoulders moved up and down like clockwork and her gleaming claws dug into the ground expectantly with every step. The hot sun was beating down on her, attracted to her dark coat. It was somewhat relaxing, having the warmth on her again.
Matawi stopped short. There was something off about the other leopard. He just stood there and waited for her. There was a blank expression in his eyes that leaked onto his face. He seemed so alone... So distant. Was there something wrong with him? Was he not right in the mind?
She stopped, looking at him deeply before gasping. "Ermmm. H-helloo.?" She stuttered out, her crimson eyes stopped blinking. The leopard before her was blind, and she was taken by surprise.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 5:41 pm
Kucha's ears twitched at the sound of the other leopard's voice. She sounded so wary, so nervous. Why do others always greet me like this? he thought bitterly. I'm gazing blankly because I'm blind, not because I'm planning to kill you.
"Salutations!" he replied cheerily nonetheless, a hint of a smile touching his white face. But that changed quickly into a sarcastic grimace; he continued, "Is there any reason why you seem so surprised to find me here? Sure, meeting a fellows in the rouge lands is rare, but that's no reason for fright."
Kucha'angaza wasn't particularly good at making friends. The few creatures who didn't shun him usually just ignored him. He had recently befriended a lionness, who seemed open with him, but she had wanted to continue onto the jungle. Kucha had once lived there, long ago, but his sightless wanderings led him astray. Now he roamed the rouge lands, trying in vain to find another who might look past his disabilities and into his true character.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:21 pm
Matawi just stared. She had never come across anyone with a physical ailment such as blindness. It was so new to her. Her life would be nothing without the bright sunshine, without seeing the look on her baby's face every day. It was a rude awakening to her. One that she would probably carry the rest of her life.
She slowly inched forward. Staring only at the eyes that couldn't see her. His voice shocked her. Almost like his blindness meant he also couldn't speak. He seemed so bright and cheery. Then in a flash he changed. The male looked more bitter and unwelcoming.
"I am... Just not used to seeing leopards out of the jungle." It was a half truth. "The only thing I have seen close to leopards are my children." Again. It was a half. She knew they were 'freak' children. And thanked the Gods that her baby was growing up in a family or all different breeds. "Why are you out here all by yourself?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:51 pm
Kucha sighed and plopped down. "I'm lost, as usual," he said bitterly. "I was hunting, then couldn't find my way back - after I lost the creature." There had been few places in his life that he actually knew well enough to know where he was. One was the jungle, a place he had no desire to return to, and another had been near a patch of trees that hung together in a loose circles. Kucha liked circles; they didn't start or stop anywhere, they just continued on and on in a regular way that was always the same. Thus, easy for a blind leopard to "see."
"I already knew you had children," he said, changing the subject. "I smelled them all over you before you even came near me," Kucha boasted, puffing his chest out a bit. Then he became intent again. "What's it like having a family?" He was eager and curious, never having experienced even his own family before.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:54 pm
Matawi's heart went out to him an she looked at him like he could have been one of her children. For the most part she just wanted to take him in so he wouldn't get lost anymore. Matawi Welcomed the new subject for the first few seconds before turning some what sour.
She smiled with a pucker of her lips and tried to sound as pleasant as she could. "My Babies..." She had to think hard to remember all of them. "I don't even know five of my babies names." She said bluntly. "I left them with that wretched Cheetah that they have to call 'father'." Her mind traveled to the other part of her 'family'.
Her whole aura changed around her as she started to talk about what she had called 'Family.' "Other than Ayane, the only baby I kept, There's Shaha. My older brother. He's my guardian and Ayane's adopted father. Then there's Shaha's Girlfriend. But she's still far from being family." Matawi stopped herself as she realized she was rambling on and on about something this Leopard had never known.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 2:09 pm
Kucha was shocked by the leopardess's response. She seemed so bitter, like her family was a pestilence that she would do better without. All Kucha had ever wanted was a family, and here Matawi was, seething with negative feelings about them.
But not to even know the names of her young - that's what really struck Kucha. From what he could remember, his mother never gave him a name. None of the other cubs had his disability, and she obviously favored them. Favored them enough, in fact, that she didn't seem to really care - or even notice - that Kucha had been lost.
That's why he gave himself his own name, "Darkness Finds Light," to signify his true dream. If he could ever possibly see even a shimmer of light in his world of darkness, his life would be complete.
Even Matawi was disconnected, he realised. While she did have cubs, and a trace of a family, she didn't seem to know them extremely well. Except for the three.
"Ayane is a beautiful name for your child," he complemented her, trying to avoid the negative part of the conversation. "How old is she?" he inquired.
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 7:38 am
There was no way for her to justify the reason for leaving her cubs. She just told herself that she wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility and that she didn't want to fully erase Tama and the babies from her life. Maybe that was why she kept the one cub that looked most like him.
"She is still very young in my eyes. Still in cubhood. But everyday that I see here she seems to be slipping further and further into being a juvenile." Matawi sighed. Through all and all she had began to love having a bumbling cub around her.
Matawi's thoughts drifted back to her other five cubs, wondering if Tama had ever told them about her. She hardly remembered thier faces. And thier names were unknown. After all, she was gone before any of them could receive their names and left before they could open their eyes. Matawi wasn't proud of what had transpired. But... It had needed to be done.
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:29 pm
"Every little cub has to grow up some time," the leopard chuckled. Then he realised what was missing from the picture. "But where is she now?" Kucha was able to smell the cub's scent on Matawi, but the odor wasn't quite strong enough to say the cub herself was there.
It didn't really come as too much of a surprise to him, though. The leopardess was probably out hunting when she ran into him, and naturally wouldn't take the cub with her.
Or would she? Kucha had never been taught how to hunt by his mother - or anyone at all. He had to teach himself, and his empty belly proved just how good a blind hunter made.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:41 pm
Matawi knew this was true; slowly she beginning to find that maybe giving up all of the cubs had been much to hard. It was more or less just becoming an empty void. Sucking up all the love in her life. Images of the cubs that she had birthed floated across her mind. Black, Brown, Cream. With Many colors and abstract shapes. All of the images just put more stress on her.
"I'm Sure that her Auntie Kiji and Shaha are watching over her." At least, she hoped they were doing something a bit more productive. There was no way that he pride and joy would become a lazy bump on a log.
Now that she thought about it. Matawi had never put any pressure on Ayane to call Shaha anything. Ranging from "Uncle" "Brother" "Dad" "Shaha" or anything her creative mind came up with; but when it came to Kiji, Matawi insisted that 'Auntie' was a needed title. Her thoughts still drifted further, what would Ayane think of Kucha if he came back with her?
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:35 pm
"One should hope so," Kucha said, chuckling. He knew from personal experience how bad it was if a cub got lost. Of course, his mother probably didn't care anyway. She had hated him, her only "imperfect" cub.
"I guess I haven't told you yet," he began, referring to his own thoughts. "But I never had anyone to watch over me." His tone changed and his already opaque eyes glazed with memories. "I wandered off when no one was watching, as a little one. But I know Mother never tried to find me." The fur on his neck bristled a bit as he remembered how much she had disliked him. "I was little more than a nusiance. I was blind, my pelt stood out too much, and I was simply not good enough for her," he spat, tail thrashing.
Kucha forced himself to sit down and get calm. Matawi didn't need to hear the troubles that could arise from lonely little cubs. "I'm sorry," he sighed. "But at least I can prove that lost cubs don't turn out too bad - um, not that you need to worry about that!" Kucha struggled for the right words. "I'm sure Ayane's well-looked after."
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:32 pm
Matawi's over sized heart was going out to the poor fella. All alone in the world, without sight to help him find his way and place. "Why don't you come home with me?" She asked, almost pleading. "I'm sure Shaha can help you get a nice meal at the very least." Her motherly instincts were kicking in, even around a full grown Male Leopard.
"I'm sure she didn't think you were a nuisance. She must have been busy looking after other cubs?" Matawi grabbed at anything that would make to poor male feel better but felt as if she were falling deeper and deeper into a hole she couldn't get out of.
"She could always use another set of eyes so please just come with me, er... Uhm... What was your name again?" To be honest Matawi couldn't remember hearing it or not, but something told her it had been a 'not'.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:48 pm
"Oh!" Kucha had completely forgotten about his manners earlier. Bad Kucha, he scolded himself mentally. The leopard always tried to be polite. "My name's Kucha'angaza. You can call me Kucha, of course."
He smiled slyly. "But somehow I doubt another set of my eyes could help you." Kucha laughed at his own wit. However, this leopardess seemed very friendly, he couldn't pass up a free meal - his belly mumbled in agreement - but more than anything, the lonely leopard was curious about her family. He wanted to know what it was like, even if it was as dysfunctional as hers.
"By the way, what's your name?" he asked, retaining his manners this time.
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