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 Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 8:32 pm
 Mahari stretched slowly, yawning widely as she loosened muscles stiffened slightly from the night's sleep on a branch of her oak. The deep grey Kylan roused her fur and shook, the orange "ribbons" on her flank and tail seeming to move as she did so. Her quills rose and fell twice, rapidly, clacking together as her crimson eyes roamed over the area beneath her tree, ears and nose at work as well to detect anything amiss. Satisfied that her immediate vicinity was clear, she strolled at a leisurely pace along one of the massive branches attached to her home; the oak was so huge and old that its branches had spread well over an acre, and many of them had dipped so low to the ground that the grass brushed their undersides.
The tree was the heart of her territory: to the north, a formidable cliff and rocky hills; to the south, a small lake; to the east, deeper forest that she'd not yet dared explore; and to the west, a deep, fast-flowing stream that separated her from any neighbors she might have. Mahari was not overfond of neighbors. They were nosy and greedy. She was not overprotective of her territory, however. As long as a "visitor" was merely passing through, she was content to allow them to do so - provided that said visitor didn't cut a swath of destruction through the prey population.
The kylan sighed, trying to ignore the bitter complaining of her stomach as it tried to wrap itself around her spine. Time to go find breakfast...
Mahari decided that the stream would be her best shot at a good meal this morning. The fish were remarkably slow and stupid, but sometimes she encountered a "neighbor" and it was rarely pleasant, so she saved fishing for those occasions when the other options seemed to have run out. So, she made her way to her favorite eddy and sat down to wait for her breakfast to drift in.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 8:50 pm
A lump of wet matted orange fur, bright orange underneath the caked on mud and grit, rested next to the small eddy where the dark Kylan was fishing. It was a large male Kylan, unfortunate enough to have been caught in a mudslide during a storm and falling down off of the cliffs into the river. His upper body rested on the bank, horns and quills a bright green that blended into the grass. His back end still lay in the water, tail swaying in the moving current. A black mark on his right hind haunch looked like a scowling face with a bat-like mouth, but at the moment it was under so much dirt that it was hardly visible. He groaned softly as he hovered on the verge of unconsciousness and the wakeing world, green eyes fluttering then closing at the bright light.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 5:38 pm
Mahari nearly dropped her fish, stratled by the groan. The weakly flapping thing hung negligently in her jaws, as her crimson eyes searched for the source of the sound. Finally, waving orange under the water caught her eye, and her gaze followed it back to the body half-sprawled on the bank. She regarded the unholy mating of kylan and mud-monster for a moment before tossing her head and swallowing the fish whole, as a heron would. The dark female paced slowly toward the mucky visitor, cautious despite the other's condition; but eventually, she was satisfied that he was no threat and moved her head into his line of sight. "Hello there." She said, as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence. "How conscious are you? And how hurt are you? I'd rather not do any more damage, and getting you somewhere safe will be a great deal easier with your help."
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:14 pm
Lantirn opened his eyes wearily and tried to focus on the wavering image in front of him. "Eh? Ngh..." He grunted softly, eyes drifting shut for a moment before he opened them and tried to pull himself up out of the water, front legs shaking as he struggled to stand, "Mnn, wh-where..." He swayed and fell forward, deciding that it was more comfortable in the grass. His green eyes opened and he slowly focused on Mahari, "Where...am I?" He muttered softly, not having registered anything she had said. The muck in his ears didn't help either.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:40 pm
Mahari sighed, quills fluttering slightly. "You're at the edge of my territory, mud-monster." Ugh.. She was going to have to get wet, and very probably mucky. Ah, well... "Let's get you on dry land." She waded into the water beside him, and braced against the orange kylan. Deliberate steps moved his back half toward the shore, and her body kept the rest of him there. Once she judged that enough of him was out of the water, she rolled him over with a calculated shove that left him lying entirely on the grass with his back to the river. The dark kylan was out on the grass herself in a matter of moments and shook herself vigorously, water droplets flying everywhere. "So how did you manage to get yourself all mucked up and washed downstream?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:55 pm
Lantirn helped move himself as best as he could, but it wasn't much. Finally he lay on his side, panting slightly. He lay there for a moment, then looked up at Mahari, "Hmn...mudslide...the-rain...washed...away my nest." He had been sleeping during the storm, but hadn't realized that where he had bedded down was too close to the cliff. Before he had known what was happening, he had been fighting for his life in the mud and water. "Tired..." He muttered wearily.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 7:04 pm
Mahari was fairly certain that she knew which storm he was talking about. He must have gotten washed down from the cliff at the northern edge of her territory... She'd spent that night curled up in the dip at the center of her tree where all the branches met. She'd built a sort of dome out of the fallen branches and leaves, and it had been a surprisingly comfortable place to shelter. It might seem imprudent to sleep in a tree during a storm, but the trees around hers were much taller. She felt safe enough there.
"Don't fall asleep yet." Mahari told him firmly. "You fall asleep now, you might not wake up." She nudged him. "Up. Come on, I'll take you to my nest. It's safe and warm and not far off, but you have to get there first. You can lean on me."
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 7:14 pm
The orange male groaned grumpily. He wanted to sleep...he felt so tired. But he struggled to put his paws underneath of himself and pushed against the ground, slowly rising, water dripping down from his matted dirty fur. He yelped softly at the pressure on his hind leg and lifted it quickly, loosing his balance and falling sideways against Mahari. His tongue lolled for a moment as he caught his breath, the lifted his head, "Don't...know how far I can go." He said quietly. "My...name's Lantirn." He was disturbed that his limbs were quivering so much...was he really this weak?
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