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 Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:22 pm
Xx'ami-da let himself slide through leaves. He loved the way they brushed against his fur. It was slightly soothing.
He slid into a small-ish clearing with a clear pool of water. It obviously rained more in the jungle.
He peering into the water and stared at his reflection. Something he hadn't done in a while, though he lived by a lake. He had grown a lot, and reached adulthood since...
But that didn't matter, he splashed at the water near his reflection and looked up to the leafy canopy.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:38 pm
Esther prowled the ground restlessly, and it seemed, aimlessly as well. Her pale form moved across the land, quite conspicuous against the bright background. Her paws were leading her toward the jungle. She did not quite know why, as it was a place she'd been only a few times before. Something in her yearned for it.
Ridiculous, really. There is much better hunting out on the plains, she muttered to herself. She'd never been one for dreaming or fancy thoughts. Esther had been forced to grow up very quickly as a pup, and the sensibilities pounded into her skull seemed to overpower any wishful thinking.
She made her way into the jungle through a tick canopy of trees and underbrush. A myriad of sounds rang through the trees, but what assaulted her most were the scents. A million, foreign scents caught her nose, and she allowed herself to enjoy the experience. One scent in particular caught her attention, and she followed it to a small clearing with a pool of water. Realizing her thirst, she pranced over, but was caught up short when she noticed another figure sitting at the water's edge. This was the scent that had caught her attention.
A male.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:51 pm
The Dark blue hyena slide down to a laying position letting his light blue paws touch the water.
Xx'ami's ears flucked at the sound of another creature pushing through the trees. He tensed slightly, but moons of 'training' taught him not to move.
The blue ears swiveled to the direction of the noises original location and he slowly turned his head.
The female stood out against the ggreen of the jungle. He tilted his head. "I didn't know there where other hyenas in the jungle..." he mumbled to himself.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:09 pm
Another hyena. In the jungle, of all places . . .
Esther shook off the thought, and pulled herself together.
And he's a handsome male too . . . NO! None of that, now Esther. Just get some water, and ignore Him.
Placing a lofty expression on her face, she trotted over to the water's edge, a good distance away from where He sat. Leaning her muzzle down, she took a few dainty sips, and tried her best not to feel self-conscious. With all of her self-training, she still felt awkward around males. After all, she hadn't had much exposure to males while growing up. Once again she pushed that thought out of her mind. The past was the last thing she needed to think about right now.
Finished drinking, Esther was now at a loss of what to do. She glanced quickly over to where He sat, and wondered what he was thinking. Feeling rude, she tried to think of something, anything to say. Something witty, clever, and scathing.
What came out was, "Er- well, um- hello."
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:18 pm
"Hello," Xx'ami-da said with a light smile. "And you are?" He questioned softly. He was... shy? Sure, his leader was a female, but that was the Leader. He shook his head.
X blew part of his fiery mane out of his eyes, slightly annoyed at it, though he was glad it wasn't filled with dust.
A slight frown came to his face. The female's scent was not of the jungle. She wasn't from around here, probably. Not like he'd been there for long himself, but he still smelt of the jungle.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:29 pm
Esther was instantly distracted by his voice and the sight of his crimson fur moving in the jungle breeze . . .
She quickly snapped herself out of that one, bringing herself sharply back to attention. She didn't understand the change in her own personality. Around other females, she was fine, confident, clever, and strong. But this was a male. Maybe that was it . . .
"I'm Esther," she said after a pause. She stayed silent a moment before quickly adding, "I don't live in the jungle. I don't really live anywhere. I'm a bit of a wanderer, I guess . . ." she trailed off, lamely. With a toss of her head, she flipped her own fur out of her eyes, which were incidentally the same color as the bright foliage that was all around them.
"Well, now you know my name. What is yours?" she asked, quietly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:48 pm
Xx'ami-da gave a small chuckle. "Forgive me, I'm Xx'ami-da..." he said. His eyes glanced back to his reflection and frowned at it, but he ignored it to star at a see through blue rock that held around his neck.
"A wanderer, you say?" he asked lightly. Was he really the only hyena in the jungle? It didn't matter...
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:12 pm
He seemed . . . distracted to Esther. Well, that was fine with her. The less notice she got, the better. Or was it?
"Xx'ami-da . . ." she said lightly, trying to pronounce the name for herself. "That's a very nice name you have. Very original, individual," she added, quietly. She did have to wonder at his reaction to her statement regarding herself as a wanderer.
Maybe he looks down on those who don't have homes, she thought bitterly to herself. She'd long grown used to that reaction, yet it still stung every time. She glanced over at his colorful frame. She frowned slightly, puzzled by one of his expressions. He seemed to frown at his own reflection. An odd reaction, certainly. It was rather odd to find a hyena that lived in the jungle, yet she could smell it on him. This was where he lived. An interesting choice of habitat.
"Yes, a wanderer. I travel here and there, because . . . I don't really have a home," she admitted, her muzzle held high, her eyes flashing defiant.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:22 pm
Xx'ami gave a smile towards her. "Thanks," Xx'ami said. "I made it up myself..." His name. It's not like his mother could give him one... he thought bitterly.
He tilted his head and studied her a bit. He was questioning everything lately. Studying things... it was habit after all.
"Traveling's always fun though, ne?" He questioned. "Always new things to see. Nothing ever stayed the same..."
"I'm a wanderer myself," he said. "Though, I do have a friend with me... she's alseep though..." he spoke, refering top his wild dog friend, Jibanza.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:37 pm
Wow. He named himself? That's . . . wonderful, thought Esther to herself. Her own name was not her real name, but one that she had given herself. This Xx'ami-da was an intriguing character. And he was a traveler too. It was always nice to meet another wanderer, such as herself.
But . . . friend? Oh.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you two."
Of course, Esther would assume the worst. She hadn't realized that Xx'ami had a mate. She'd hoped . . . no. Esther was a loner, plain and simple. It wasn't the life she'd chosen, or loved, but it was her path.
She fished for something to say, and settled on, "Yes, traveling is wonderful. I do enjoy it so." Her gaze dropped to the water, and she studied her plain and travel-worn reflection indifferently.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:55 pm
"I'm sure it's fine. She's probably exploring the jungle herself at the moment." He said, calmly. Xx'ami did after all. He did leave her sleeping though...
He didn't ponder on that for long. Shaking his head he looked back at her.
He tilted his head at the female hyena. She looked a little down now. Upset over something, but what?
He pulled himself up to a sitting position and slid slightly closer to her, but they were still a bit away from each other. "Hey, what's wrong," he questioned her lightly, cocking his head to the side lightly.
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 11:06 am
Esther wasn't expecting the blunt yet kindly phrased question, but there it was. He'd asked her what was wrong. If a hyena could blush, she had no doubt that her muzzle would match his fur. Fortunately, her training held, and she met his gaze calmly, even when he sidled over closer to where she sat.
Now she was stuck. Part of her wanted to answer his question truthfully, but the other part did not want to deal with the embarrassment of admitting that she found him to be . . . . well, attractive. Choosing her words with care, she said, "Oh, it's just that I don't often meet another hyena, especially another wandering one. The idea of a companion- a traveling companion that is, is sometimes quiet appealing." The last part was an admittance, but she thought she'd phrased it well.
All I said, basically, is that I can sometimes feel a bit lonely. Perfectly normal feeling, she tried to convince to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she took the took the opportunity to get a closer look at Xx'ami. A small sigh escaped her. She wouldn't have minded traveling with this one.
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:31 pm
"Ah..." Xx'ami-da was almost speechless.
Almost.
"Traveling can sometimes be lonely..." Xx'ami shrugged indifferently. "You haven't found someone to travel with you?" He questioned.
Xx'ami-da was quite naive... No one said it to his face, but he was.
No wonder he was mateless.
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:53 pm
Esther glanced sharply over at Xx'ami. Was he really that naive? For all that she could tell, he was. Part of her was relieved, part of her, a little disappointed. As always, she shrugged it off and answered his question.
"No, I haven't. It is not often that I run into another hyena. Those that I meet are usually part of a clan or already have traveling companions. It is no matter." That was a lie, but she didn't want to admit that. Attempting a change of subject, she asked, "What is your companion like?" She assumed that she was a strong female hyena, and Xx'ami's mate. Esther didn't want to be a challenge, so she knew that she would need to be away before this other female showed up.
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Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:59 pm
Xx'ami was really that naive, he was. He didn't grow up with anyone. He just didn't know. Ah well.
The blue and red hyena gave a slight nod. He figured he'd be the only Hyena here. He expected dogs and cats, but not hyenas, so he figured it was possible that the gemale didn't run into a lot of others.
He gave a nod at her explination, and smiled. "You could join a traveling clan. Mine was," he grinned.
"My Companion..." He thought for a short moment before replying. "She's so... different? From anyone I've ever met," He commented. "She's a younger than I am, so I've been watching out for her, I guess. It's my job to protect her," He told Esther.
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