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 Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:45 am
Jude was walking along to the sound of his humming. The leopard boy was restless; he had been taking long walks by himself a lot recently. He felt like he was stagnant, floating aimlessly like a leaf in a pond. He was getting older, bigger, stronger - he could catch small game now. But that no longer brought him the pleasure it used to.
Jude had taken to humming to calm his spirit instead; something about the way he made his voice move up and down was soothing. Sometimes he would even try matching words to the tune he had made up. This mental game kept his mind occupied, distracted himself so he wouldn't have to worry about where his next meal was coming from or if he was going to have to provide food for the younger kids in his rag-tag group of friends.
But he only ever sang when he was sure he was alone.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:55 am
 Oh no. The words couldn't even come to Mkia as she realized that she was alone. The usually playful, happy-go-lucky trickster was, quite suddenly, in a state of panic. She had known her parents were going out hunting... so she had gone to get a quick drink, and when she returned home, her siblings had been missing. They had been asleep when she'd left, where had they gone!?
Her autophobia was setting in... the worst she had ever experienced it. She backed into a tree, tears welling up in her eyes as she began to hyperventalate, "Oh no... oh no.... oh no... Oh No.... OH NO! SOMEONE HELP ME!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, burring her face in her paws as she tried to think. Nothing was coming to her. She was alone. She was alone. She was alone. What if no one came back for her? What if some predator came and ate her when her parents were away? What if they forgot about her? What if they couldn't find her? They wouldn't leave her... would they?
"MOMMY! DADDY! HELP ME!" She screamed again, shaking so hard that she could barely breathe, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 12:01 pm
Jude's humming was halted in a moment as he poked his head above the grass. His heart was pumping, his adrenaline spiked by the terrified cries of a girl nearby. The leopard boy could see her - maybe it was her - under a tree. Before going to her aid, however, Jude checked out the scene to make sure there were no predators that were frightening the girl. Hey, he didn't want to get in the same situation the girl was in, now did he?
Once he deduced that there was no apparent danger, Jude quickly covered the space between himself and the girl. Another leopard. He hadn't seen a girl leopard since leaving his family. He looked at her curiously, seeing no obvious wounds that would cause her to scream so.
A bit annoyed that maybe he stumbled onto someone who was "crying wolf," Jude asked with just a bit of harshness, "What's wrong, huh? I heard you screaming all the way over there. Are you hurt?"
Jude may be calling himself tough nowadays - he was a manly man, a guy who only looked out for himself and his closest friends. But he still hasn't hesitated to come to the girl's aid; that little fact was conveniently overlooked in his mind.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:10 am
Mkia nearly jumped into the branches above her when she heard another voice when she had thought she was alone. Though it was another leopard, and she could see him... it didn't do a whole lot to calm her nerves. She was still rooted to the spot, completely terrified. Caught in the act, that was a large part of the problem. No one knew she was afraid to be alone. No one was supposed to know. That, and when she was alone, the affects tended to last... for a little while after she was found.
"P-p-please..." She whispered, trying to stop from crying, "I'm scared... I don't know... I'm lost, I don't know where my family went!" Panic set in again, "I'm all... I'm all... I'm all alone!" But she wasn't entirely alone now. And even if this leopard turned out to be as mean as he sounded, it was better than being completely alone. At least she wouldn't be as scared that way.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm just... I'm just so scared..." Mkia whispered, wrapping his paws around her head.
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Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:42 am
Ah, another orphan, abandoned or other separated from her family. Jude was well accustomed to orphans; he lived with a band of them after all, being a voluntary orphan himself. He figured he'd seen this all before and knew how to handle a situation like this.
"Now calm down...what is your name? Don't worry, you're not lost. Your family is probably around here somewhere. When was the last time you saw them?" He was brisk, business-like - not necessarily mean, but not very friendly either.
Still, hearing himself, he knew he wasn't doing much good. Jude approached her said in a much more patient tone, "Don't be afraid. You're not alone anymore. Now, where do you think your family went?"
Maybe, if they were gone for good, this leopard could come live with him and his friends. That would be kinda nice. Then he wouldn't be the only leopard in the group anymore.
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:22 pm
Mkia managed to calm herself after he started talking to her enough. Really, that was all she needed after a while. Someone else. As long as she had someone else with her... everything would be alright. She wouldn't be abandoned, as long as there was someone. Though he wasn't exactly a nice leopard thus far... but he was starting to put more effort into it. That was nice... she supposed...
"I-I..." Mkia took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, "Mkia... I'm Mkia. I... my parents went out hunting... so I thought that I could stay here with my brother and sister... but I can't find them. And my parents haven't come back... and I just... I get really scared when I'm alone... I'm sorry for yelling."
They would come back, right? She was sure they would. Now that she had someone else with her, thinking more rationally was perfectly possible. Before, it would have much more difficult... but now... perhaps they would come back. Right? ... Right?
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:01 pm
Jude saw the unsure fear in Mkia's eyes and sighed. He hoped her parents hadn't left her; the girl didn't seem like she could handle being an orphan. "I'm sure they'll be back, Mkia. Try not to worry."
His eyes avoided hers for a few moments as he tried to decide what to do. Obviously he couldn't leave her alone now. Either she'd follow him, or start yelling again.
"I'll wait with you until one of them comes back." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he almost winced at the sound of his voice. Now his afternoon was shot. Well, what were they going to do now?
Jude was grudgingly patient with the girl, sympathizing with her situation but yet also selfish of his own time. Since striking out own his own, he had become used to doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Still, there was some kind of small pleasure out of helping someone in need... but he definitely wasn't going to let himself feel that generous. "Is this where they left you? We should probably stay here so they know where to find you."
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:52 pm
As soon as Jude said he would stay with her, Mkia's face broke out in relief and a huge smile, though she was still recovering a little from the fear, "R-Really!? Thanks so much for staying with me!" He was certainly acting much nicer now... though he did seem a little unhappy... but he had said he would stay! She wouldn't be alone... and maybe he was a stranger, but better a stranger than no one.
"Yeah... they told me to wait here..." She nodded, before looking back at him, "I don't mean to trouble you... I just... I get scared..." She sighed a little, rubbing her face absently. Had she been capable of it, she would have told him she would probably be alright on her own... but she doubted he could so much as hide behind a tree without scaring her, so she decided it was better not to offer the option. She wouldn't be able to keep up her end of the bargine.
"What's your name?" There now. Safe, friendly, cub-esk question. She was starting to calm down... or at least she hoped so.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:38 am
Jude's eyes grew wide for just a second as Mkia's excited relief surprised him. Sighing, he had to admit that at least it was a nice thing for him to do. Maybe it was good karma.
The leopard boy was too young and selfish to really care terribly for a stranger he just met, but she was of his own species, and he felt like he had some sort of loyalty to her. He couldn't understand her fear of being alone, because he had been alone so much in his own life that it seemed natural.
He'd stay until she wasn't scared, that was all - he didn't really owe her anyway. But beyond simply being in her presence, Jude had no idea what to do. He was glad when she spoke first. "My name's Jude," he said, as if that was enough.
Okay. Now what? Should he say something, or let her talk? From his limited experience with females, he surmised that they were the more talkative gender. So he waited for her to volley the conversation back to him.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 3:54 pm
"Jude?" Mkia said curiously, "Wow... that's a nice name... I think." She said gathering herself again as she tried to supress the fear that had reared its ugly head when her family had gone missing. It was so stupid! She really needed to pull it together.
"What um... What are you doing out here all alone?" Mkia asked, seeming more sweet now than she had when she had been shreaking with fear. She certainly felt better now that there was someone else... And another leopard too! Though he did seem little more quiet than her own brother... so he was more like her quiet sister... or maybe more stoic, like her father? Who knew? She would just have to find out! ...as long as he was willing to put up with her... because then she would be alone again...
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 1:54 pm
Jude made a face at the words "I think," but chose not to say anything about it. He didn't know whether to be insulted, annoyed, or what. He sighed and sat down near her, making himself commit to his promise to stay.
"I'm not really alone. I have a group of friends that I travel around with; I'll go back to them in a few hours. But sometimes I'd rather be alone, you know? You can hear yourself think, without all the noise from others around you. I like to take walks by myself to clear my head. You know what I mean?" He looked over at her, then realized she probably didn't share that sentiment with him. Hence why he was still here.
Perhaps it'd be better to change the subject. Jude said the next thing that came to his mind. "Not very nice of your family to forget and leave you alone somewhere, seeing as you hate being alone so much."
Maybe that was kind of mean, to take a shot at her family like that. But Jude didn't know how he felt about families; he was resentful towards people that had good ones. But he wouldn't ever admit that.
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 3:10 pm
"I wish..." Mkia said quietly when he talked about taking walks alone. Sometimes she did wish that she could be alone and not be so afraid... then she could clear her head sometimes, and have some quiet time. Even though she loved her family, it was really like he said. Sometimes it did feel, really, like she needed to take some time to herself, no matter how much she loved them.
"They don't know... because it's stupid." Mkia said, directing annoyances at herself rather than him, "I shouldn't be such a scardey cat. It's stupid." She sighed, shaking her head. She didn't really blame him for saying it was mean of them... but if they had known about her fear, they probably wouldn't have left her. "I should be braver. I'm not scared of anything else."
This much was true. Even things that made her parents nervous, Mkia could charge in without a second of fear. As long as there was someone with her. Which only added to her annoyance at the whole thing... but it didn't help much with making her less afraid.
"I bet you're not afraid of anything. That's how I want to be." She said decidedly, "I want to stop being afraid of being alone." How that would happen, she had no idea.
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 8:40 pm
Despite his initial annoyance with the girl, Jude could feel himself softening. He wasn't a naturally mean spirit, after all. And anyway, who cared if he was nice to Mkia? None of his buddies would ever find out, so he was fine. He could still be tough to them.
He turned curious eyes on her as she spoke of her own fears, but let her talk uninterrupted. Mkia's attitude didn't seem to be that of a wuss. The way she spoke made Jude respect her a little more. "You don't really seem like a scaredy-cat to me," he said quietly, not really wanting to interrupt her. Jude wouldn't have said that about her five minutes ago, but now she was different.
He believed her when she said she wasn't scared of anything else. And in that way, she was nearly braver than he was. Nearly. Jude was afraid of plenty of things - he would just rather die than have those fears exposed to the ridicule of his companions. So it was mostly show on his part.
It startled Jude when Mkia turned the conversation back on him. "Oh, um. No, I'm not. Nothing can scare me," he said, making an effort to be casual.
Uncomfortable talking about his own bravery, Jude turned the conversation back to her. His voice was hesitant and a little distant, like he didn't really want to seem as interested in her words as he actually was. "That must be tough. Not being able to control your fear like that, I mean. And not having your family able to help you."
His family had never helped him, but he thought it would be nice to have one that did.
((oh my goodness, I am so sorry for the wait. ._.'))
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:48 pm
((Lol, don't worry about it ^_^))
"As long as I can't even hide my fear... I'm a scardey-cat." Mkia said, sounding a little bitter about that, "You heard me, screaming like an idiot..." She smiled at him, "Sorry I'm complaining so much, you've already been so nice to me."
She tilted her head, "Yeah, you don't seem like the scared type. I wish I could be that..." She didn't seem to notice that he wasn't being entirely truthful. She could be a little... dense at times, in that reguard. She did have a tendancy to take things at face value.
"My family though..." She trailed off, "I don't want them to think I'm not strong enough to be on my own... I mean, I know that they'd be okay with it, and they'd try to help... but they never worry about me. I don't want them to worry about me. Like I said, I should be stronger. Sometimes, you have to be able to do things on your own." Her face fell slightly, "Of course... I can't seem to do a whole lot of that anyway."
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:19 pm
Jude blinked in surprise when she called him nice. He never thought of himself as a nice guy and wasn't sure he liked it. Nice guys typically got beat up in his family. But he couldn't try to be mean now, now that he knew how nice Mkia was.
He took in her praise with a head held high. "You're still little," he said, as though their age difference was significant. "I was a scaredy-cat when I was little too, but when you get bigger it's easier to be brave and tough." He wanted to give her some hope for the future.
As Jude listened to her speak about her family, he was aware of just how different their backgrounds were. Her family would have supported her if she told them about her problem, he was sure. Jude admired Mkia for her independence, but was jealous of the safety net she had in her family.
Uncomfortable as he was giving advice - after all, what gave him the right to tell others the right thing to do? He was as confused about life right now as anyone - he didn't know what else to say but something helpful. "I bet you can do a lot of things on your own. But if this isn't something you can handle by yourself, don't you think your parents would want to help you? Otherwise maybe you'll just be scared for no reason."
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