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 Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:51 am
Pich has awoken early in the morning, before the sun had graced the sky, before his father and siblings could stir. He noticed instantly that his mother was gone, she vanished for a few days at a time at random intervals, but she had promised them she would always return. He felt no distress at her absence, he only hoped she would come back before he died of boredom.
For a while the cub had just sat there contemplating rousing his brothers and father for some fun. Finally he decided to let them sleep and to go out exploring on his own. Out into the wide open world he went, and with every step his mood lifted until he was running excitedly across the open plains. Was this what his mother loved so much about taking off and being alone and free? He skidded to an abrupt halt and looked around, his golden eyes wandered to the sky. The sun had risen, he didn't recognize the area...he was lost! The thought upset him for only a moment before he stood tall and looked around with false certainty, he could find his way home, he just needed a moment...
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:38 am
As the sun rose higher into the sky, the Ice Heart walked slowly across the dusty plains, his tail low, ears alert. Barafu'moyo had briefly left Shai's company for a time to repose, to consider her offer, her plans. She intrigued him, something no creature had ever done before, and that needed careful consideration. But even lost in thought, he couldn't miss the distinct brown and white ahead, a cub.
Something in it sparked familiarity, but that was absurd. He had never met this cub, in fact it looked rather young. It was a cheetah, like himself. White was an uncommon coloring among their kind, Barafu sporting the most he had ever seen on a creature, which only helped to solidify the belief that he had never met this cub before, nor had he probably met one of its parents.
If only he knew how dead wrong he was.
He slowly walked forward, looking pleasant, even wearing his trademark smirk on his maw, his eyes bright in their deep blood red depths.
"Are you lost?" he asked, his voice deep, calm, soothing. Surprisingly akin to his older brother's just as the bands on his legs were, though neither he nor Mafunde would ever know that.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:03 pm
Pich perked up at the sound of another and he tried to look even more confident, he puffed out his chest and shook his head. "Nope, I'm not lost...I'm.." He thought a moment before throwing his shoulders back.
"My mom is lost, so I came to find her, to help her get back home!" He smirked at his own brilliance, and the lie instantly became truth for him. Of course he was going to help his mother home, silly momma wandering off and getting herself lost.
He turned his attention away from the thought of his mother to examine the stranger. His all white coat was striking, but Pich wondered if the male resented keeping it clean, his own white paws became dusty easy enough. He noticed familiar bands on the legs and tail of the male, they reminded him of his father. Finally golden eyes met bloody red and the cub smirked "So are YOU lost?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:02 pm
"Of course not. I'm never lost," Barafu replied as coolly as creaturely possible. He paced around the cub, one eyebrow raised.
"Shouldn't your father be out looking for your mother, if she is lost?" he asked, his fluffed tail-tip flicking over the young cub's ruff. There was a sort of fierceness in the cub, and the beginnings of an arrogance he could understand. And that smirk was, for lack of a better word, adorable on one so young. The sadistic cheetah smiled as he saw a bit of himself in the cub.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:09 pm
"Well he wasn't worried, momma always find someway home. I'm not worried either, just bored." He huffed and looked at Barafu trying to stand a bit taller his golden eyes gleaming with curiosity.
His snowy ears perked forward and his tail flicked with his mothers grace, the young cub was taking in the scars on the male with awe. "I'm Pich, son of Kohana and Mafunde, and someday I'm gonna be the fastest, best, strongest Cheetah in the land!" He lowered his voice "Even faster then my mom...and shes like the wind."
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:19 pm
The name struck a chord in Barafu, a resounding, echoing pain that made the world darken in his eyes for a moment. No... it couldn't be....
"You said Mafunde? What does your father look like, little Pich? And do you have any aunts or uncles?" By the gods, if this whelp was his brother's son... so many possibilities flew through the ice-hearted cheetah's mind. He could maim the cub, even kill it to torture his brother. Yes, kill it, take it away from Mafunde-
Wait, take it away?
Barafu couldn't help his smile from growing. If this little Pich was his brother's son, his nephew, what better way to torture his brother and sister, than by taking the cub from them. And worse, raising it under his idles, his methods. He would create another like himself, whether his damned brother or sister liked it or not.
By the gods, how he hoped this cub was related to him.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:24 pm
"Yes Mafunde is my father, he's the bravest Cheetah around! I have an aunt too, and cousins! My mother doesn't remember her family, but thats okay daddy and aunt Kweupe make her feel happy at home." He smirked and nodded looking very impressed with himself and his insight into his family.
"What about you? What's your name?" He tried to curb his natural enthusiasm, make his voice smoother more cultured. He couldn't quite achieve his mothers soft dulcet tone, his voice still held the sweet breathlessness of innocence.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:30 pm
That tore it. There was no way there could be two cheetah siblings named in the same fashion as he and his siblings had been named. Well, he had always been different. Kweupe and Mafunde had been named for their eyes. Barafu had been given the name Wingu, meaning clouds, for his coat. Changing to the Ice Heart as a juvenile had been his own choice.
The smile grew on his maw as he sat and looked down at the cub.
"If your aunt and father have bands like mine, only red, and tan coats with golden spots, then it would seem that you and I are rather closely related, little Pich. My name is Barafu'moyo," he replied, his eyes narrowing slightly.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:35 pm
Well now! It seemed he wasn't lost at all, he had found a member of the family! His golden eyes gleamed with pride as he nodded. "Thats them alright! My brothers have bands like daddy, but I look more like momma." He tipped his head and examined Barafu closer.
"So how are we related? Are you were my white came from?" He lifted one of his snowy paws and clawed at the air with a growl. "I look fierce like you, yeah?" He looked at the older male hopefully.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:41 pm
Barafu grit his teeth a bit. Oh, he knew where the white in their coats came from, and the red, too.
"Your grandfather was white, like me, and the bands like your father," was all he said, but smiled a bit at the cub's enthusiasm.
"Oh yes, very fierce. You know, I bet you I could teach you so much more about being fierce and powerful than your father could." He could help but add the extra sentence. His silver tongue had already begun to dance.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:48 pm
Pich listened with rapt attention eager to soak up more information, he couldn't wait to tell his brothers! The next words however pushed all thoughts of his siblings from his mind, was this member of their family offering to help him? His golden eyes gleamed with excitement. "You could?"
He hesitated only a moment and tilted his head.
"I don't think daddy wants us to learn...but I want to! I want to be fierce, strong, brave, and fast!"
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:52 pm
Barafu smiled a devil's smile, seductive in his grin and eyes.
"Oh, yes. I very much could. And my female, she is strong, too. A half-cheetah, she is very strong, and can teach you just as well as I," he said, his voice almost hushed with seriousness. Oh, he was so close! Did he just call Shai his female? No bother, whether it was truth or not, it didn't matter. What mattered was how much his brother would suffer when he found his son missing.
"Will you come with me Pich? Will you come and learn to be big and fierce and strong and fast?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:55 pm
"A hybrid!" Like his cousin! He had boasted that he would be better then her, and now he had a chance to learn how. He leapt excitedly and grinned "I'll come, and I'll be the best student ever! I promise!" He was breathless in his excitement before he paused and glanced around.
"Should I go tell momma and daddy?" He looked at Barafu for instruction his chest still rising and falling in his eagerness.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 7:43 am
"No! I mean... No, Pich," Barafu snapped at first, but calmed quickly, reaching out a paw and drawing his young nephew close.
"If you tell them, they might not let you come. And I have to go back to my female soon, so I wouldn't be able to wait very long for them to change their minds," the cheetah continued, looking down at Pich with that smile of his and tilting his head. It might have been more delicious if he let the cub go back. Let him tell his father about meeting the "ghost". Mufunde would probably put it off as a cub's fancy, and let it be. And then Barafu would come and steal the cub away, showing his brother that he was still alive.
But no. He DIDN'T have the time. He didn't need to get back to Shai, but if Mafunde reacted suspiciously, he'd never have a good an opportunity as he did at that moment.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:37 am
"Oh..." The cub muttered uncertainly, he didn't want to leave his family without explaining himself and telling them he would be back. Still...this opportunity was too good to pass up, he had the exact chance he wanted. He reasoned with himself a moment, after all his mother often left without rhyme or reason and everyone knew she would always come back. He was just doing the same thing.
He grinned and nuzzled his uncle excitedly "Okay! Lets go! I can't wait to meet your female!" He wound himself around the older males legs and purred.
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