Welcome to Gaia! ::

The late morning light had danced across the savannah grasses, lightening up the cheetah's deep red eyes. It had been a long time coming, with still more time to pass, but Chapua had finally begun to heal from her wounds. Walking was easy now, even if she would tired a little quickly. Running was something that still eluded her, but she was sure that she would run fast again one day, just like her name sake.

It was quiet this morning, as Angamizi had taken advantage of the lovely morning to go hunting. Chapua was still embarassed by her lack of assistance in the meals, but she had done her best to keep herself cheerful and optomistic as a thank you to Ang. Rustling the grasses with her tail, she let herself play with the memories of her recovery. Anything before that time when Ang found here was blank, with pices of her memories before that growing stronger every day. She didn't let herself worry about it too much. She was alive and healthy today, growing stronger with the help of Ang, and she was ready to see where life would take her next.

At least, she'd be ready once Ang got back. It got a little boring lying here by herself, but she knew better than to dare wander off. Instead, she laid where she was, waiting patiently.


He was very proud of her, to say the least. She had recovered exceedingly well, much better than he ever thought she would have, and had gone through the entire process with the utmost dignity. He didn't mind, even now, spending time waiting on her when she needed it, although there were very few things that she couldn't do on her own anymore. Honestly, it made him feel extremely proud to know that he had helped her along so far, and some of the guilt that was eating at him inside was ebbing away - at least for now.

He had left earlier to go out and hunt, a meal for both of them now that it wasn't so impervious that she eat quickly. It meant he could take his time hunting down something large, enough to feed the both of them. This particular moment saw him dragging back an older, meaty antelope by the neck, tail lashing as he pulled it along. It hadn't been too hard, all things considered, for it was indeed an older female - she didn't have the agility to run away, but had put on enough meat for a good meal between them.

As the female that had been his constant companion finally came into sight, he put on as much of a smile as he could around the meat, and drew it the last little ways towards her before dropping it down. Taking a deep breath, his smile widened before he licked away the bit of of blood around his maw. "Morning, Chapua," came the calm voice as he plopped down, tail flickering.


A cheerful smile appeard on her own face as she noticed that it was Ang dragging back quite a meal. She jumped up to her paws, ignoring a bit of stiffness that had developed since she had laid for so long. Her ears swiveled forward as she heard the thump of the carcass onto the ground, hearing his voice soon after that.

"Good morning!" she exclaimed cheerfully. It was good to not be alone again, as well as have a good meal to eat. "I see you've caught quite the meal today." She wasn't sure if they were going to eat it all, but it would certainly fill up the both of them until they were stuffed, that was certain. She paused for a moment longer, not wanting to seem too hungry or too eager to eat. Indeed, she was more excited that he was back than a meal, but the dark cheetah couldn't deny that her stomache was a bit empty.

She lowered her ehad as she stepped forward to nose at it, looking for that just right spot to start. It was a habit of hers that she had had since she was a cub, and it always made eating more enjoyable. She found a good enough spot to start, and took her first bite. Chewing quickly, she swallowed it as she settled herself down on the ground to an easier level to eat. She peered over at Ang, making sure that he was eating too. oon, she'd be able to hunt and they could take turns. Definately one of Chapua's short-term goals. For now, a hungry belly was the priority.


"Well, I wanted to make sure that we had enough to eat between the two of us," he realized that while she didn't eat as much, even now that she was recovered mostly, he was still a full grown male cheetah and he was apt to eat quite a bit - especially when compared to her. He watched her as she moved forward, nosing the carcass in that same manner she did every single time. He had assumed by now that it was a habit of hers, though it was a little quirk that he didn't mind in the slightest. It was good to see that she had reverted back to doing something normal, something that he was sure was part of her before the.. 'accident' happened.

He had enjoyed spending time with her, that was easily said. It was nice to finally have a companion after so long. It gave him a sense of duty, taking care of her, though he knew that soon enough she would be more than capable of taking care of herself. He wasn't sure yet if it was safe, really, to stay with her any longer than it took for her to recover, though it was something he had been thinking about. Staying usually led to developing feelings, and he'd broken too many hearts so far..

As she glanced up at him, almost expectantly, he nodded his head and leaned to find a tender section. Ripping away at the flesh, he found the meat beneath, tearing away a section and downing it contentedly. "You want to take a walk after this?" he said between bites, eyes rolling over to her. He knew that she needed to walk, in order to work the muscles in her legs, if she was ever going to get back to using them properly.


Chapua couldn't help but giggle at him, stifling it quickly with another bite of her own. She didn't quite know why she laughed, but it had just seemed to escape her. She let her attention turn directly to the meal, letting a long pause grow between them as she thought about his offer over her meal. It did sound like a good idea, a way to stretch out her legs while still being close by to Ang.

Feeling much more content, she raised her head up, licking the bits of blood and meat that had developed around her jaws. Using this as a good excuse to hold back the talking, she looked over at him again, quickly gathering up her thoughts on the matter. "A walk would be good. Probably more just for my stamina than anything." Her tail flopped behind her, still. "Hopefully it'll get better so I can run again." She missed that, and the thrill of hunting.

Taking a couple more bites to finish off her hunger and top off her stomache, she took the time to groom herself while waiting for Ang. She assumed that they would just pick a direction and go, unless Ang said differently. An aimless walk might be nice, never knew what would happen or what could be said. She was looking forward to this. A bright smile appeared on her face as she finished up, a little excited now that she was thinking about the walk.

"Heeey! That tickles!" Chapua rolled around in laughter for a moment after Ang had come over to check on her. She knew that she was all right, but that didn't mean that she didn't startle him. She didn't expect to fall over like that! She let her limbs hang as she caught her breathe, her back still on the ground.

"Sorry. I didn't realize that I can't even walk straight now!" She rolled over onto her stomache, pushing herself back upwards with only a slight wobble. "I guess I'm not as graceful as I used to be." She'd have to remember that fact, since bouncing around like a cub used to be something she enjoyed. She'd have to find something else to amuse her.

"So, since I think we can get to know each other a little better..." she said with a smile, giving her body a bit of a shake to clean herself off. "Maybe we can chat a bit on this walk?" As long as she didn't run out of breathe, anyway.

She wasn't quite sure where to start, but felt that she needed to since she was the one that initiated the idea. "Umm....so I'm guessing you're alone? Since....you've been watching over me for quite a while." It always did make her curious, but she never knew just how to ask.


It was hard for him to clear the frown off of his face immediately, concern still clearly written in his eyes despite the fact that she was obviously acting as if she were perfectly alright. He spent a few moments examining her where she sat, eyeing her and poking a paw at this place or that (though he was careful to avoid all the tender places that were still healing). Once he was finally satisfied with what he saw, he simply nodded his head and took a few steps back. "Alright, I guess it looks like you didn't really hurt anything," he mumbled, though he still eyed her with a bit of a frown. "And you can walk perfectly fine, it's when you go about bouncing that your feet slip up." He wasn't mad at her, he had simply had the wits scared out of him. The concern he had for her was stuck somewhere between that for a child and that for.. something else. His mind was a strange place to be.

"Well, what is it that you want to know?" he'd asked, nodding at her in an attempt to get her to get up again so that they could continue on this walk. Although, after that recent little flop, he wasn't sure how much farther he was going to let her get before he made her turn back around and head for their temporary little 'home'. Her question, when it came, surprised him, however, and he paused for a moment to look away.

"Sort of.." he finally answered, soft and low, regret tainting his voice though he refused to meet her gaze or even turn his face back to look at her. "I have some cubs out there, somewhere," he left out the details of just how many, and he knew she'd assume he only had one litter, "but as far as it goes right now, I guess I'm alone, yeah."


She felt a little silly when he had checked up on her thoroughly, but she didn't complain. She would probably be in the same situation if she was the caretaker, and not the injured one. Once he seemed content, though, she let herself offer a warm smile. Walking it would be. She'd be careful to not do too much anymore, at least while she wasn't completely healed. Everything else would have to come slowly.

Her ears pricked forward as he began to talk, pleased that she was able to get a little out of him. She realized then that she knew little about him, regardless of how much time they had spent together. Her heart sweeled with a bit of sorrow, as well as mixed feelings. This news was something he hadn't expected to hear. She did, however, expect him to be with someone perhaps. If one such as him doted over her over just an injury, how would he act to someone he truly loved?

Catching onto his tone, she let her own head bob gently with understanding. It was only the surface, she could tell, but it was enough to have her understand some of his situation. "Things change," she replied quietly. "And feelings are certainly part of that catergory." It reminded her of her previous mate, and a twinge of bitterness stung at her chest. Some things were hard to get over.


He nodded solemnly at her response, though he knew that she would never even begin to understand how quickly his 'feelings' changed. No one could ever begin to understand what went through his mind. It saddened him to think about all the cubs he had left behind, all the things they would have to suffer through, all the time they would have to spend wondering where their father had gone. He wished he could be there for them, even for one of them, but he couldn't.

"Things do change," he said softly, his only reply, before he finally turned his gaze back to her. He had been careful not to bring up the attack to her, for he knew that was what had happened, and he wasn't sure if he would be dredging up bad memories. He supposed he should find out sooner or later, though.

"And you, you are.. alone too? I mean, I guess you were, otherwise.. this wouldn't have happened?" he hesitated over the words, trying to say them as kindly and gently as he possibly could.


Well, at least he agreed, even if her attempted empathy didn't seem to win him over. That was all right, she told herself. Things took time, and not everyone was always annoyingly happy as she was. Her tail curled for a moment before flopping back on the ground, trying to figure out just what he meant. She couldn't guess it, and let it drop.

"I'm certainly alone," she said bluntly. Realizing just how she said it was quite rude, she lowered her head and peered up at him apoligetically as they walked side by side. "I didn't mean it rudely like that, I'm sorry." A small sigh escaped her lungs, and she slowly lifted her head back up to a more level position to the ground.

"I had a mate once, but after....a small tragedy struck us, he deemed me useless and left." She let her eyes avoid him, though her ears was turned to face him, hopefully to pick up anything he might mutter under his breath. "So I decided to leave everything from that life and start new. That's...really all I remember. I can't remember much before or right after my accident." She knew that she had been attacked, but the idea that she had no idea what it was frightened her. It had been bad enough to force her mind to forget it all, so it was probably best to not remember it.

Chapua let her pace slow a bit so she wouldn't be quite so next to Ang's. She had mixed feelings on him, ones that she wasn't really sure about. She let them build within her mind as she thought about them, listening to his voice as he spoke. There was a hint of different emotions, ones that she knew why they were there, and others that confused her. Hmmm.

Noticing that she had started to slip back a little too far, as he would surely notice, she sped ahead just for a moment, peering over his shoulder to look back at him with a devilish grin. She needed to start taking her own advice and stop worrying so much. There was only so much she could do in the world, but what she could affect, she would make it joyous.

"I'm sure you're real idea was so you wouldn't have to carry me back," she teased, feeling a little brave. "Pity I didn't think about it earlier, then it would be a good excuse to." A very good excuse. Ah, there was always next time!


He had, in fact, noticed that she was beginning to fall back, but just as he turned around to look and see what was causing her to do so, she was at his side again. He wondered, for a moment, if perhaps she was more tired than she had let on to begin with. If she was pushing herself harder than she had to just for his sake, he wasn't going to easily forgive himself. Just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, though, she yet again interupted his trail of thoughts and action with her own silly little burst of speech.

"Well, can you blame me? Us cheetahs aren't really built to carry things around." He chuckled at her, his tail whipping behind him at the thought of having to carry her again. It surely would have been less awkward than last time and he wouldn't have had to be as careful, but that still didn't mean it would have been easy by any stretch of the imagination. "We're not big and bulky like those beasts of lions and all."

He simply chuckled at her, feeling his mood brightening already. It was this sort of conversation that made him truly enjoy her company. "I imagine it's not very fun to ride on my back either, I'm pretty bony."


"Perhaps not," she said quietly, distracted in her thoughts. She had begun to grow a little tired, but it was more of a nagging pain in her leg that bothered her more than feeling winded. She was doing her best to hide it, and so far she was being pretty successful. He didn't need to worry about her so much, though she certainly wasn't going to yell at him to change his ways. She just...felt so horrible when he rushed over to check on her. Like she didn't deserve it.

"Plus I'm sure I wouldn't be fun to drag," she said seriously, though obviously mocking the whole idea of her getting that tired. "I'd probably wiggle too much." She laughed for a moment at the thought of it. She'd probably wiggle so much she'd reinjure herself. "So perhaps it's best that I just take it easy like you say. I'm probably no fun when I'm in pain, anyway."


"You're really not so bad," he commented with a shrug, though he turned a teasing grin upon her. "You're a little stubborn, though." His grin split with a chuckle and he let his eyes shift back out to look at the horizon ahead of them. He really wanted the mood between them to lighten back up, go back to normal, so that they could return to their lighter moods.

"Besides, soon enough you won't be injured anymore and I won't have to worry about whether you're fun or not," he said with a shrug, his smile still in place.


"Hmph," she pouted, knowing what he had said was true. She was a little stubborn, but she always put her heart in the right spot. That made it at least a little okay, right? "I guess that you're right about that." It was good to admit a little of your faults, and if eh knew it, then there was no use going around it. He'd put up with her worst sides, though, so now he would get to see her best.

She continued to walk on in silence, noticing that some areas certainly seemed a little familiar. She was distracted from the conversation a bit, so she didn't take the time to think before she spoke. "Do you think you'll go once I'm all better?" she asked. It took her a few more steps before she realized just what she had asked. Her heart raced, but she did her best to keep her cool, acting like the possible answer wouldn't bother her at all.