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 Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:39 pm
With a tiny snort, the small lioness hopped to the ground, the pelt on her back covering her eyes for a moment before she shook it back into its normal position.
The trip here had been.. long, fair enough. More than a day or two, definitely. Especially with their pauses and everything. Then again, its not like a trip to a place like here, from where they were, was fast. Its not that unlikely It'd taken a week, though it was much faster their way, flying rather than walking like anyone else would have to.
They, were Kimaji and Corellon. Kimaji your.. almost normal lioness, even though extremely small, and Corellon a god. It was thanks to this they'd even got here.
"We're very far now, huh? " She said lightly, looking back as if she almost expected to still see the mistweaver's forest; drying, but home. "Its so.. different! " The small lioness said loudly, looking around the area. The trees here were pretty different, though not by that much. They were just.. odd. They'd landed in a forest, though not a particularly dense one. Well, really, they'd landed more towards the edge, as it'd be hard for Corellon to get through the trees to land, so there were much less trees behind them than ahead.
"Is this where we were going? " She smiled back at the god, perking her ears. Kimaji was sort-of sleepy, though, as this time she'd insisted on staying up during the whole flight. One got rather bored and sleepy when you were just sitting down, doing nothing.
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:53 am
 Paws touched softly on the earth, great wings folding to rest against his back. To say that they had simply landed in a forest would have been untrue, for the landscape here was far more than just a forest It was rocky, harsh yet beautiful, nestled in the valley of a vast mountain range. The land was beautiful, clear, a magnificent land unlike any found in Africa. It was no wonder those who sought peace settled here.
His mane ruffled in the chilled air, it was far colder here than the arid lands they had come from, and despite the valley, they had settled at an elevation far higher than the plains of Africa.
Such was to be expected, for they were no longer in Africa. On feathered wings they had crossed the sea from Africa into Asia, traveling east to the western side of China, the base of the great Himalaya mountains. Here they would have to be cautious, for there were unfamiliar dangers here, dangerous no African creature would have dreamed of.
"We are. This land has a beauty of its own, and though it is different, it is no less spectacular."
A smile on his maw, the god of nature turned toward the forest, taking the uphill trek. At this elevation, the sun fell quickly, the night long and cold, they would have to make the most of the daylight they had left.
"We might even find a few bears here."
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:42 pm
"I saw when we were p there! " Kimaji said, content. She was already wide-awake now, seeing as her drowsiness had been more due to boredom rather than actually being tired. However, now a few feet away from Cor, she was starting to feel the coldness even more now, even though it'd already been pretty cold in flight. With a small frustrated huff, the small lioness hopped up to the gods side, if only to use him as a wind-shield. "Its cold here. " she mentioned quietly, rolling her shoulders to adjust the pelt on her back slightly, allowing its head to flop over her own, the muzzle of the wild dog resting atop her head.
However, the next thing Corellon mentioned made her perk her ears up, blinking. "Bears? They have bears here? " She said loudly, forgetting to walk for a moment then skipping to catch up with the god again. "Thats great! " She smiled, swishing her tail and looking up at the god. "Are they like yours? " Well, lions had different colors. Bears should too, right?
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:05 pm
"It is because of the higher altitude, but it is much colder up there."
He turned to indicate the peeks that rose far above, shadowing the forested valley, the highest points of the earth. The cold was not unfamiliar to the god of nature. As he was inclined to broad travels, his home the forest called earth, he had experienced most climates and weather the elements had to offer. However, even the divine felt the cold, and though he was comfortable with the current weather, he knew he'd be glad for the warmth of his pelt come nightfall.
"They are similar, yet different, I only hope they do not suffer the same fate."
The Tibetan bears, descended from a common ancestor, was closer to its African cousin than the god would have liked. For their relation reached beyond blood, into a common struggle for survival, against the poachers that threatened to send the few bears left down the same path as those they had already destroyed.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:24 pm
"I didnt know it got cold when you were high. Does that bg you guys when you fly? " The small lioness tilted her head, reminding herself to keep close to Corellon, if only because of said cold, ears laying back slightly as if to warm the back of her neck.
"Can't we do anything to help the bears? "
Kimaji asked suddenly. The same fate.. The small lioness glanced at the pelt on the god's back and shoulders, frowning slightly. She had been glad there were bears in other parts of the world, and that even though they were far, they were there. She'd already managed to grasp the concept that the world was huge by now, and was accepting that she couldn't see it all, though Cor was letting ehr see quite a bit. But.. to know that they weren't out there, her seeing them or not, was just terrible. If they vanished, it'd be horrible. If the bears here vanished, it'd be sad. she didn't want it to happen.
She wished she could help. But how much a difference would she make?
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:13 pm
"No more than it bothered you to fly. Of course, I think we might have a bit of an advantage."
He smiled, one paw raised to indicate the pelts they wore which certainly would have kept them warmer than other creatures of the sky. However as the elevation climbed there would come a point when even warm pelts would not protect them. At the top of the world, not even the birds dared to fly.
Paws paused in step, a soft sigh as green eyes took in the landscape around them. It was a beautiful land, magnificent, and though he was not unfamiliar with this land, it never lost it's breathtaking splendor. It was not just land and rock, it was alive, the earth breathed, embraced its children that roamed the furthest land, the highest peaks, the crisp air, and the deepest seas. And in the presence of such majesty, how could anyone seek to destroy it? He simply did not understand.
"I don't know, but I will do all I can." ...until my last dying breath.
But it was not poachers or the dead that had brought them here; it was the living and the beauty that still remained. A soft smile on his maw, the god turned again to the forest, inhaling the air as they stepped among the trees, ears twitching at each snapping twig, eyes alert for any sign.
"Step silently, and perhaps we will find them."
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:34 pm
"I like flying, " she said quietly, smiling. "When I was a cub, Momo took me flying-- did you ever meet Momo? " She changed the subject slightly, but not really intentionally. She just liked Momo, the goddess was her friend. And flying with love had been rather great, it'd been the first time she'd seen the world from so high up.
She stopped as he did, out of curiosity, and not wanting to go too far from the god. The pelt helped her feeling cold, but she still rather stay near something else that was warm until she was more used to the temperature. Cor's pause did provoke her to look around, really look around, and for a moment, Kimaji smiled, at nothing in particular. It was beautiful, it really was. However, now that she looked into the distance. "whats all the white stuff? "
It was odd. Why were the mountains her getting white? Kimaji looked at Cor in confusion, and made note to his next comment, be quiet. She wanted to see the bears! It'd be so nice! It was just sad that no one she knew at home would see a bear, unless Corellon somehow managed to carry someone.. not as small as she was.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:46 pm
"It is snow, at the highest peeks it never melts."
He stepped carefully, silently moving among the underbrush and trees, senses always alert, searching. With each step he was aware of all around him, of where he was, of Kimaji least she become lost in the unfamiliar land, or fall to harm from weather, animal, or hunter.
The hope was to find bears, to share the beauty of the mighty creature with the innocent youth, to pass on the memory of those that had fallen, and perhaps to assure himself that they still existed, that they had not been forgotten. However it was not only bears who inhabited this forest within the mountain valley. There were others who lurked nearby, both large and small, and like any other creature, dangerous if they felt threatened.
"Kimaji, stay close."
He had seen it from the corner of his eye, a flash of color, barely visible among the trees, the movement of shadow, the rustle of leaves. Not a bear, but a predator nonetheless, given away by the flicker of orange.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:13 pm
"Snow? " The lioness paused, tilting her head in confusion. She'd never heard that word before. "Whats snow? Is it cold? " Well, he said it was at the highest peaks. And he'd said high places were cold. And if snow was in high places, then surely it would be cold too, right? Wow, Kimaji was managing to think pretty logically. Usually she was a bit more simplistic, but at least she was paying attention, right?
But then Corellon seemed to change a bit, and Kimaji blinked. What was wrong? But she knew better than to not listen to Corellon again; with the poachers, she'd disobeyed him and gotten stuck in that trap, which hadn't been very comfortable. "O-ok. " She said quickly, scrambling closer to the god, making sure not to be far from him. Maybe he'd seen something like a poacher.. or something. Or a bear. Maybe bears were dangerous. "Whats wrong? "
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:02 pm
"It is frozen water, it falls from the skies like rain."
His posture had changed, the teacher giving way to the guardian, muscles tensed, his senses on highest alert. His larger form blocking Kimaji from the predator, he trod with caution. Though he himself had been attacked but a few times (for he never gave them reason to), the god of nature knew better than anyone the rules of nature, and that even predators may fall victim to the larger predator whether out of a dispute over territory, a mate, a threat, or even in the most desperate times, food. And while Corellon was larger than most mortal lions, so was the nearby predator.
The creature was nearby, flashes of orange swimming through the trees but a short distance ahead. Though the god could have easily overtaken the large cat, he did not wish to frighten it, for a frightened predator was twice as dangerous.
Pausing at a large tree, the god outstretched a paw, gently resting it against the ancient trunk. The instant of contact his eyes turned distant, vision racing through the branches to the canopy above, reaching to each tree as their branches touched. And he saw it, as the tree saw in its silent vigil. The great striped cat, a male from the looks of it, not quite out of adolescence. It seemed aware of their presence, however it did not seem to view them as a threat just yet, hopefully it would stay that way.
"It is a tiger. If we are careful we may be able to catch a true glimpse, but we must be wary not to frighten him."
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:21 pm
Rain, rain rain! The small lioness folded her ears back slightly. Why did so much have to do with this rain? "I've never seen rain. " she commented out loud, but didn't seem remotely annoyed about it. She'd never seen it, so there was nothing to be mad about. Instead, she payed more attention to what seemed to be upsetting Cor right now, or at least keeping him on edge. However, Corellon was currently blocking whatever it was, so Kimaji actually had to duck down to see if she could spot anything from between his legs.
She saw a bit of orange, but didn't seem to watch it carefully. It was simply to subtle for Kimaji to care about. As the god moved towards a tree, the lioness remained close as he'd told her to, but stopped a few feet further from the tree than he id, moreso in confusion than intentional. "What are you doing? " Kimaji had met a handfull of gods up till now, but she hadn't ever really seen any other 'power' besides their flight, at least as far as she could remember right now.
"Tiger? That orange stuff? " So. .the orange flash-things were an animal?
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:58 pm
"Looking through the eyes of the forest."
It was an invaluable gift, to see through the eyes of another, to look into the mind with the simple touch. Though not so far reaching as the eyes of an avatar, it was his greatest tool, keeping watch over his domain through the eyes of the forest.
"He's not far, stay close."
A glance at Kimaji to ensure she was still at his side, the god trod on, catching each glimpse of orange, pausing on occasion for a look through the trees. Though he wished for a full view of the large cat, and a quick chat on the state of the forest, he knew that they would soon reach the predator's limit, when he would no longer see the following as innocent, but as a threat. It was a line Corellon did not wish to cross.
Reaching the edge of a small clearing, the god paused in his steps. Green eyes focused ahead, they met the matching eyes of the forest cat, the large striped form shrouded in the shadows of tress opposite the lions as a firey spectre. The tiger too had paused, watching the pair, perhaps wondering why he was being followed.
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Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:02 am
"Eyes of the forest? "
Well, that was odd. It has eyes? For a moment, Kimaji glanced around in confusion, then stepped from one side to another, as if expecting to see anything watching her, but everything around remained unmoving. Everything, that is, except for Corellon. "ey-- wait! " Kimaji squeaked in surprise, and bounced a bit to catch up to the god, falling into pace beside him soon enough, though to her she had to move a bit faster than he did, the god having much larger strides.
Soon enough, she skidded to a halt as Corellon did, clumsily leaning backwards and falling on her rump, seeming confused at the sudden stop at first, then glancing at the cat who hid in the trees. That looked kind-of familiar, though it had funny colors. Maybe a 'tiger' was a sort of lion? A stripy lion. "Hi-- " she paused, letting her voice die out, then glancing to Cor, as if unsure if she should have greeted the creature at all. "Sorry, " She said quietly, scurrying backwards a bit, so as to stay way out of the way.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:37 am
It was an awkward moment, as lion stared at tiger, each sizing up the other, judging intentions. Corellon remained calm, yet alert, and though the tiger had displayed no threat, the god remained on guard in the event the situation changed. The silence seemed longer than it was, moments stretching an eternity before at last broken by the unfamiliar voice."Any particular reason you're following me?""I apologize for that.""I've never seen cats like you around here."The tiger's gaze had shifted from the god's eyes to take in his appearance, the mane, tufted tail, no Asian cat possessed those traits. But now that he looked closer, this cat looked even more different than he realized, and what he had thought was the shadow of the trees and stray branches, actually seemed to be a part of the white cat. The smaller cat did not seem to share the same traits, and yet there was still the tufted tail.
"We don't see cats like you where we're from either, so I suppose we're even.""A long way from home are you? Like I haven't heard that one before. Why are you following me?""We have only come to see the forest, and to destroy those who would harm it.""Hah! Yeah right, what can you do?""Perhaps more than you know."
The silence returned, again lion and tiger watched each other, this time evaluating each other's words, searching for truth, a look that might speak the other's thoughts. The tiger was skeptical, he saw no reason to believe the lion, though the god had given him no reason to doubt. Moments passed, the silence again broken by the tiger."Don't try to be a hero, heros only get themselves killed."Having said all he intended to say, the tiger made it clear he had had enough, turning from the lions back to the forest beyond. A moment more and he would vanish into the shadows with a final flick of his striped tail.
"Wait, have you seen a bear named Ran? I lost contact with her a short time ago, it's not like her."
The tiger paused, though he did not turn, tail twitching."I don't make a habit of associating with bears. Good luck, with whatever you're here for.""Thank you."
And then he was gone, swallowed by the shadow of the forest. Corellon knew better than to press the matter or to follow the tiger further, they had reached the creature's limit and could question him no further. Well, perhaps he should have known better than to pursue a the tiger, he hoped for a better reception with the bears, if they found one.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 4:27 am
The small lioness remained silent as the god and the tiger talked, an ear tilting backwards slightly as the striped cat didn't seem to believe what Corellon said. But then again, it might be hard to believe. Kimaji for not just examined the Tiger from afar. It was.. bigger than a lion, definately. And it was stripey, and his tail was.. odd. Well, something was odd. Leopards had tails like that, but leopards weren't so huge, and neither were cheetah.
When the tiger began to leave, Kimaji stood up, and paused as Corellon asked the large cat one more question. A bear named Ran? So Cor knew a bear! But she'd broken off contact..? What was wrong? but she didn't want to think in a pessimistic way, and instead focused on the tiger they'd just seen.
"Are tigers like big lions? But they have a different tail. "
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