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 Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:22 am
Cho hadn't let her brother get out of the range of their voices ever since the night they'd accidentally ran away from home. Out of sight, yes, but she hadn't wanted to loose Siasa too. She missed her mother and their other siblings quite a bit but loosing Siasa was unthinkable. She just didn't work without him...someone had to be cautious after all, making sure they were safe, just like someone had to be bold.
Being bold was Cho's own speciality.
She for one had lost quite a lot of her 'cub fat' and while she wasn't starving she was quite often hungry. Too young to hunt proper game and too big to be satisfied by mice and other small critters. Luckily there were rather a lot of adult lions and other predators about. Though Siasa rightly called 'em dangers, Cho also saw them as meal tickets. If you could beat the vultures and various other scavengers to a left over kill, you could dine very well.
Which was why she was dawdling on the Ela'wadiyi border. It was a pride, prides have lions, lions hunt ...lions can leave scraps on their kills. Bingo! Cho could dash in, grab some food for her and Siasa and dash out. Now, she just had to let Siasa know what she was planning.
"Broooother?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:36 pm
Indeed, Siasa wasn't far from Cho at all. As if he'd ever wander off and leave her alone! He panicked when he couldn't smell his sister on the evening breeze, or see her padding along close to him. She was all he had left since they'd wandered off, and he wasn't about to let her get away from him. He needed her, and he was certain she needed him too.
Orange eyes rose up from the bone he was gnawing on (a bone that had long since lost any meat) and grinned at his sister. His heart faltered though - she was so skinny! If only he was bigger, if only he could hunt and bring her food. How would they survive out here on their own?
He was afraid, though he hid it well.
"What's up, Cho?" He inquired, eying her with slight suspicion. She was planning something dangerous, he just knew it!
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:47 pm
"Meat is back on the menu, Sia!"
She grinned at him and sat down, reaching out a paw to touch the bone, as if to say, throw that away! I'll find you better. And she meant to. She did worry about them, but mostly about her brother. She couldn't see how thin she was, but Cho was painfully aware when Siasa lost any weight. It was all her fault they were out here alone anyway. She was the one who'd been enchanted by the moonlight and wanted to run the way the moonbeams led them.
Mother'd surely looked after them another couple of weeks before she left - she'd been loosing interest in them all as soon as they'd stopped drinking milk but she wasn't a horrible lioness. Cho was sure she would have taught them to hunt better when they'd been a bit bigger. A couple of weeks was a lot for a lion cub.
"There's a pride that'a way and in a whole pride someone's bound to have hunted something recently. So I'm going to go check it out and see if theres any food I get dash away with." Cho summoned her confidence as she explained, and smiled. She was sure she could do it. "You wait here and keep a look out? Or you could go lay under that tree over there - that way I'll be able to find you easily when I get back with dinner."
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:17 pm
"... I'm not really sure that's a good idea, Cho."
But meat! His mouth was watering just thinking about it. He eyed the bone he'd been chewing on and pushed it aside. Siasa couldn't help but notice Cho's ribs standing out painfully from her dull coat, her hipbones sticking out at harsh angles from her small form. If she didn't get a good meal soon...
"What if the pride is mean? What if they catch us and..." He didn't really know what they would do, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be nice, whatever it was. What did lions do when they caught little thieves anyways?
Then again, how much worse could their situation get? Still Siasa dragged his heels, weighing the pros and cons in his mind, and always coming up with an answer that he didn't like. There was only one thing he was sure about - Cho wasn't going to go alone.
"If we go, I'm going with you." He stated bluntly.
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:25 pm
"No way." Cho said soon as he'd announced he intended to go along with her.
"I'm better at taking risks and it's my fault we're out here and besides - I'm four minutes older than you and I say you should stay here where it's safe." She half begged and half ordered him. Cho knew her nature was more suited to the task because nothing could quell her spirit and she was a tenacious little madam. When she was frightened, she rose to the challenge and didn't cower. If she had Siasa to come back to, she'd come back come hell or high water. She was not loosing him too and didn't want to lead him into danger.
"They're more likely to notice the two of us anyway." Well that was true enough anyway, she thought. Though actually her mother might have said Siasa was four minutes older. She couldn't really remember.
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Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:32 pm
When it came to his sister's safetly, there was no question what Siasa was going to do. He could be as stubborn as a mule if he had to be, just as long as Cho didn't put herself in more danger than she needed to be in. And right now, as far as Siasa was concerned, she was being completely unreasonable! Two heads were WAY better than one in almost any circumstance.
'Sides, he could be sneaky too!
"If I'm not going, YOU'RE not going!" Siasa growled, pinning his ears to show her that he meant it. He was pretty sure HE was the older one, anyways. Hadn't Mother always said that? But he wasn't sure enough to call her out on it... "Anyways, you need someone to keep an eye out. You always rush into things!"
It was true, after all. Even Cho couldn't deny that! "And it's not any safer here! Who knows what's out here? I could be eaten by a hyena or another lion or... or Wild Dogs!"
... the thought made him shiver a bit and glance around. Good, nothing in sight!
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:20 am
"There's nothing out here!" Cho liked to think they'd notice if hyenas or wild dogs were about, from the smell, because even if they didn't know one scent from another yet it'd be a clue to hide. "And we know there's lions over there."
She frowned at him, knowing that if he'd really decided to go with her she'd not be able to shake him. Siasa was stubborn about stuff sometimes. Besides even if she could get away, take the risk herself, she might loose him that way - and that was the one risk she wouldn't take. With a huff, she moved to nuzzle her (loyalstupidoverlycautiousbutawesome) brother and turned on her heel. And into the Ela lands she went, fast paced and all senses on the look out, knowing he'd come with her. It was kind of comforting but worrying too.
Here I am, leading Siasa into danger again...
At least they found a kill reasonably quickly. The starving cub recognised the scent of meat alright! She smiled over at her brother as they honed in on it and started to try to figure out if any other lions were about. It was a pretty beat up kill, maybe a day old, and she was sure they could run in a grab a few mouthfuls, tear off a little to run away with.
But during those few mouthfuls, Cho's nose was full of the smell of food, her eyes on tearing away the meat, and adult lions could move much more silently that a cub. It'd been a good plan but was flawed simply because the pair were really too small to stay focused on several things at once - and Cho for one was so hungry it took most of her attention.
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:46 am
Adi'sa emerged from the Stargrove, this time using it, rather naughtily actually, as an escape from the midday heat. Now it had subsided, he stepped out into the rest of the world, refreshed.
And hungry.
He looked about for Nili first. It appeared she'd chosen not to wait for him this time, so he wasn't about to afford her the same courtesy. Besides, they always managed to bump into each other back at his den. He strolled through the familiar lands, paws moving instinctively over every surface as if trodden a thousand times before. If he was silent it was instinctual from his life here.
There hadn't been much left of his other kill, no doubt picked apart by scavengers. Or Tailsin. And so he hammered on towards something else he'd killed a day previously.
He approached to the sounds of eating though. He walked right upto the feasting pair, getting a better look at them (he thought they were vultures or rats at first), and casting a beastly shadow over them.
Cubs?
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 1:45 pm
Nothing out here that THEY could see or smell! He thought, but kept the idea to himself. Who knew what could be lurking out there hidden downwind? Or maybe there were dangers that smelled like the grass, or like prey...
He pushed those thoughts firmly away.
Siasa beamed up at his sister and returned the nuzzle, happy that he'd won her over (with his amazing wit and charm). Even if she DID still seem unconvinced, at least she wasn't going to try and lose him! He trotted happily (if clumsily) behind his sister, eyes and ears ever-alert to any approaching danger. So focused was he that he didn't at first notice the smell of meat as it drifted on the air.
When it finally penetrated his fierce concentration, however...
"Food! Cho, there's food! You were right!" He whispered to her, barely remembering that there might be lions about in his excitement. He watched happily as she dove right in, and he followed suit. It was the first (and certainly would be the last) time he ever forgot to keep a close watch on his surroundings.
Meat was so good! So tasty and filling and juicy and --
A shadow fell over the two, and Siasa froze. Slowly he raised his head, eyes traveling up the tall form of an adult lion...
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" He shrieked, tail tucked as far between his legs as he could get it, ears pinned against his skull. It was all he could do to keep from sprinting off, but he couldn't leave Cho! He couldn't!
So he stood his ground, trembling, and wishing desperately that they hadn't come here.
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 2:09 pm
At the scared sound her brother made and the sudden shadow that fell over them, Cho span around, and gulped down the meat in her mouth. Instantly her fur bristled and she growled. Of course she was terrified too but with Siasa just standing there...her reaction was an aggressive stance. Protective. Had she actually be a full grown lioness it might have worked. But as a raggedy cub, obviously , it was rather pitiful.
"Sia - run!" Cho kept her eyes on the adult lion and padded over to her brother to push at his shoulder, encourage him to get moving. They both needed to go but especially Sia. See! She'd said he should have stayed on the nice empty savannah rather than follow her here. And she'd been right!
"I'm sorry but we were hungry and don't you dare hurt my brother."
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 1:35 am
Adi'sa's lack of experience with cubs was quite evident as he flinched at the poor male's little whimpering and fright. After that, he practically fell over himself trying to reassure the pair that they were going to be alright.
"No no no, wait. No need to run...I'm not going to hurt anyone," he pleaded. More than anything else, he wanted to fix this suddenly scary image that he'd developed.
Adi'sa was always a gentle sort. He softened his posture, sat down so as not to look like he was about to pounce them or anything. And so he looked at them. Really looked at them. No wonder they were hungry. And no wonder they were brave enough to venture into unknown pridal territory for food.
"Where are you from...are you alone out here?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:28 pm
"I'm not runnin' without you!" Siasa hissed back to Cho, trying to hide the trembling in his legs. That lion was so big! He was TOWERING over them! And his claws must be huge, his teeth sharp, and he must be REEALLY mad that they were eating his meal.
"Wehavetogo." Siasa whispered frantically to his sister, claws digging in and out of the hard-baked earth beneath his feet. "Wehavetogo. Gogogogogog --"
... wait. That lion wasn't... wasn't mad? Was it a trick? Siasa hesitated, eyes wide with a mixture of amazement and fear. But the lion looked like he was telling the truth, and now that he was kinda sitting down, he didn't look QUITE so scary.
"We're from that way." Siasa pointed vaguely with one paw. "And I'm not alone! I'm with my sister!" He puffed up, leaning against Cho.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:24 am
"We have each other...no one else now." Cho admitted, though she didnt add it was her fault it was so. Her guilt for being the one to get her and Siasa separated so quickly from their family, before the right time and only just weaned, was one she'd not yet lost. Perhaps it'd always be with her, and it right now it made her ears flatten further against her skull. No longer did the little female look aggressively protective but more sad and desperate to keep her brother.
"And I thought we came from that way." She pointed with a paw at an angle to Sia's gesture, but, who knew now which way was right? They were so very very lost.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:30 am
Adi'sa felt an all too familiar heavy feeling inside as he saw much of himself in these two youngsters. Except they at least had each other. When he found his way here as a youngster...he was truly alone. And in that little moment, he started to envy the cubs their strong bond and made him feel painfully aware of his own insecurities and loneliness. It showed.
He paused for a while, seemingly listening to the cubs and then musing over their story, 'cept his eyes were a bit glassy. He first looked to the sky then back to the poor raggedy cubs and their confusion of place. What they needed now was more guidance, not a foppish lion pining for a life he'd never have or hope to reclaim.
With a deep breath to clear his fuzzy head and a warm gesture of a smile, he nodded at the two.
"No matter where you came from, you'll be welcome here. I'm sure we can find somewhere safe for you to at least rest a while, and then if anyone comes looking for you...well..." he thought for a moment. "Well, they'll be welcome to stay too."
He stood, inclining his head, asking them to follow. It was time these two got some proper rest.
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