|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 7:50 pm
AIM RP LOG
Jasisi, Mautionekana, Kachero  "God lives in the rain," the brown-pointed lioness whispered into the misty dusk light at the head of the cave. She wasn't old enough yet to be termed an adult, but seasons had lengthened her bones and hardened her muscles into a slender, toned mockery of one. And, thanks to her father's outsider blood, Jasisi was already the size of her mother.
It was because of this, and because of the mewling, fur-laden pile of kitten at the back of their den, that her parents now treated her as if she were a few moons older. Adult responsibilities, adult decisions, and adult expectations; Jasisi only wondered if she was really ready for it.
"It will be dark soon," The pink pelted Lion beside whispered so that he wouldn't wake the cubs. "I haven't seen him lurking, but you know him. He's a trickster."
"I think I know this," Jasisi replied with a confidence belied by the shudder that passed through her dead-pelted form. "They won't leave me at dark. They know better."
But did they? Her ears twitched backward, flattening against her skull in fear. They thought her an adult now, before she was ready, they might leave her alone in the dark.. in the night... with him. "Urzo won't come here. He knows better."
"I hope you're right, Sisi," Kayro cast her a worried look. Irritated, Jasisi opened her mouth to snap at him when a stirring from the back of the cave distracted her. Heart thudding, she turned towards the gloom filled cave. Was he there? With her siblings? Fear ran like ice through her veins, the ever insistant babble at the back of her head tumbling, roaring louder than the nearby Falls and she leaned forward to try and see. If he had her siblings she would have to face him...
A small shape toddled from the darkness, a shadow splotched with snowy white. It yawned, "Sisi?"
The cub, barely a few weeks old, sniffed and rubbed one paw against his nose, "Who ya talkin' to?"
Relief flooded through Jasisi and she slumped, "Kayro, he..." Was gone. The lioness blinked at the spot where her friend had been, but sighed instead of protesting. He never stayed. "He left. The others up yet?"Kachero heard a softened voice drifting from the entrance of the cave. Blinking awake from his nap, he perked his ears forward in an effort to listen. Always one for intrigue, he listened to every conversation he could find, just in case something unusual or mysterious popped up. So far, though his young life was not quite long enough to be considered that great a wait, he had not heard anything even remotely worth the effort he put in to eavesdropping. He watched as one of his siblings made their way toward the conversation.
Frowning, he padded after him, unable to shake the feeling that something worthy of some investigating had just been interrupted. Moving with a natural saunter, he coolly plodded, heavy on his stumpy paws, around his family at a distance, sitting in a shadow just so he could be cast in a rather phantom-like setting. Head bowed, he looked up with only his eyes, his head tilted curiously to one side as he spoke.
“What’s going on? I thought I heard you talking to someone, Sisi,” he asked. It wasn’t a nice, casual question so much as a prodding one, purposefully used to dig for information rather than alleviate confusion. He grinned harmlessly.
"None of your business who I talk to," She frowned at her brother, feeling more than a little childish and cross at being caught so wrapped in her fears. When she'd been younger it hadn't been so terrible a thing for her siblings to know of her weaknesses, but these were not her age-mates, and there was little in her that desired them to know of Urzo. Gone were the days when she would have delighted in striking fear into the hearts with her stories of him. Nor did it help that the babble was driving her into a maddening headache. "You two are supposed to be in bed."
"You're just mad cuz he didn't stay," Mauti pronounced with a smile not unlike their father's. He was a smart one, even though that intelligence was more often used for naught, and had caught on to the world quickly upon his arrival in it. "Cross because he won't stay and talk to us. Or maybe its cuz its da~ark."
The female's eyes narrowed and she reached a paw out to cuff her brother across his back, a rough gesture but relatively harmless. "Imp! You shouldn't back talk your elders, or you Chero!"
"you're not mom!" Mauti protested and danced sideways to slump against Kachero's side.
Kachero nodded at his brother’s assertion. He could easily believe that Mauti had found the root of Jasisi’s irritable mood. Of course, he did not sell himself to that one explanation, not wanting to cut himself off from a deeper story or more interesting motivation. If there was something to be found here, he decided, he was going to be the one to uncover it. His brother, as smart as he was, would be useful in that effort.
“I wasn’t talking back, Kachero pointed out blandly, “you weren’t talking to me when I spoke, remember? It’s not our fault you’re all mad and upset. We didn’t do anything, except wake up because you were talking too loud.”
He leaned instinctively toward his brother’s warmth, his white mop of a young mane falling in front of his eyes as he stared hard at Jasisi.
“I don’t know who you were talking to, though. I only heard your voice. How come he left so fast, that we didn’t even see him? Must not like us, huh?”
Mauti snickered, "I think she's crazy." He grabbed his brother's ear with his teeth and yanked on it. Smart or not, he lived to be annoying.
Jasisi thought all cubs were annoying. She snorted, a derogative noise, and rolled her eyes, "I told you its none of your business. Why are you so nosey anyway? Kayro just doesn't like other people. Leave him alone."Kachero tilted his head toward his brother, frowning because he had no choice in the motion. Pulling againts him, he tried to free his ear but only found himself causing more uncomfortable pain for the effort. Heaving a sigh, he shook his head and eyed Jasisi.
It was hard to look cool with another cub hanging off his head, but he tried his best. Puffing out his chest, he snorted a wry laugh.
“I think he’s on to something,” he said to her. He was a fan of stirring the pot, though he never caused trouble without a reason. His motive here was obvious: he wanted her to tell him who it was. Her insistence that it was none of his business only fueled this desire, “I don’t know anyone called Kayro, so how am I going to leave him alone? I’d have to bother him first. Is that who you were talking to? Who is that?”
"Ugh." She made a low, aggravated noise and stepped out onto the ledge just beyond the cave's entrance, immediately cooled by the rain dripping down through her fur. Sadly, her parents were no where to be spotted outside, nor any of her siblings that might have relieved her.
Mauti said something, but it was muffled by Kachero's ear and thus unintelligible. Jasisi looked back at the two and couldn't help a snicker. "You've an interesting taste in jewelry, kachero." Rather than answer his question, she dipped her head and fastened her mouth about the scruff of Mauti's neck. Even lifted from his feet he attempted to keep his hold of the smaller brother, but to no avail. "Awww, Sisi!" He groaned as he was carried away from Kachero and dumped upon the cave floor. "No fair!"
"Life isn't fair." She responded, dropping herself to lay beside him.
"Does that mean you'll tell us who Kayro is?"
"no."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:56 pm
Kachero winced as his brother inarticulately said something into his ear, the noises still loud enough to annoy him. He grinned at Jasisi’s comment, however, looking proud of her compliment with a subtle, restricted by the second body attached to his head, nod of his head. He was quickly dissuaded from this expression, however, as Mauti tried to haul him against gravity. Letting out a yelp, he retreated a bit and tilted his head low, rubbing his ear with his paw.
“Dirty move, Sisi,” he said, his voice coming from the back of his throat, “you just didn’t like being teamed up on. But now we both can talk!”
He bounded forward, trotting casually up to the other two with his natural, confidence sway. Sitting down beside Sisi, not risking getting too near the teeth of his annoying brother, he sniffed Jasisi’s rain dampened fur, “you don’t smell like anything but your stinky self, though. Why won’t you tell us who Kayro is? It’s not like it would hurt us. What if he came by and we didn’t know who he was and you weren’t here?”
"Kayro always finds me," She admitted grudgingly, in between rough laps at Mauti's fur. The darker cub took this washing gracefully, for he found he could roll upon his back and bat at his sister's face as she did her duty. Keeping clean was one of their mother's ticks, and they were old enough to have realized this. Plus he had to admit that the deep purple fall of fur over his sister's eye made for a wonderful swinging toy. She obviously disapproved of this and nipped his stomach.
"Ow! Hey, what'd I do to you?" Mauti frowned and gave her nose a slap.
"You don't have to anything at all. I'm your big sister, I can do what I want," She teased in return and nuzzled muzzle and teeth against his stomach, blowing air there. He laughed, unable to help it, and lashed out with paw and tail.
Laughing as well, the lioness sat up after a time of this, "You might as well give up, I'm not telling you about him and that is that."
“I know you don’t care, Mauti, but I do. I’m not like you: I don’t like being annoying for no reason and making everyone mad at me,” he snapped, sticking his tongue out childishly.
He frowned at Jasisi, pulling away from her and pouting. He was a con artist, to be sure, and was really letting himself get into this wounded role he had created. Of course, the ease of it was disconcerting. He wondered if he half believed the things he said, even as they flowed from his mouth without much thought behind them.
“I’m not nosey!” He said, offended, “I’m curious. I can’t help it. Besides, if you don’t want to tell us it makes me think something bad is happening, and then I get worried because I don’t want anything bad happening to you, even if you are a stupid sister.”
"I can take care of myself, cub," Jasisi replied, attempting to affect that adult air the grown-ups wanted to believe she had. She was still a child, in all honesty, no matter the size of her body. "I don't need a kid to look out for me. Kayro isn't a danger anyway."
"You're a nice one to talk, Chero!" Mauti snorted, obviously hurt, "You're just as annoying with your questions! 'sides, its obvious what's goin' on."
He grinned up at his sister as she gave him an accusing stare. "Sisi and Kayro sitting 'neath a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G~ First comes love th-mwerefff." He blinked comedically as Jasi's paw covered his mouth and pushed him back against the rock floor of the cave.
"Where did you even learn that!" The lioness scoffed, "You're just a kid!"
Kachero, unimpressed by her sudden attempt to be older, simply tilted his head at her.
“Shut up, Mauti!” he hissed, fur bristling. He did not find his questions annoying. They were important to an investigation, and he would not have his brother belittling his efforts to uncover the truth. Though, he could not help but laugh as the other male began his song and got a rise out of Jasisi. It was satisfying in two ways: she was ruffled, and he was shut up.
“I think he’s right!” he yelled a bit too triumphantly, his feigned sadness and concern suddenly vanishing, “is that what it is? You don’t want us to meet your booooyfriend? Are you hiding him from the everyone because you’re ashamed? Is he really ugly?”
"Oh what would you two know about it?" Jasisi frowned, taking her paw from Mauti's mouth. He grinned, though, knowing they'd won and tumbled from her paws to his feet once again. The cub danced away, and stuck his tongue out at her.
"I bet he is! He'd have to be! Sisi couldn't get anyone who wasn't, she's too mean and cranky."
The lioness glared at them. "You two are too young to talk like this. Who's been telling you all this, huh? Was Muhali here?"
"you just don't wanna admit we won!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:26 pm
“We did win!” Kachero bounded over to his brother, playfully tackling him. With most of his body on top of the other cub, not really paying attention to how he pinned Mauti down, Kachero looked back up at Jasisi with a huge grin on his face.
In truth, he wasn’t convinced that they had discovered all the facts. It seemed a bit odd to him, considering it was not something he thought worth lying about. So what if she had a boyfriend? The cubs were, as she said, too young to really care. Plus, he could not shake the feeling that there was some importance to only hearing her voice when he woke up.
“So are you going to make us leave whenever he shows up, or what? What if I sat at the cave entrance all day, every day? Would he still come by? I want to see how ugly he is. Or if you’re just making him up.”
"I'm not making him up!" She snapped, suddenly angry, and sat up. "And he's not ugly! He's beautiful. More beautiful than anything else around here."
Mauti snickered at her outburst, not minding at all that he'd been tackled, and nearly ignored her in favour of chewing on his brother's neck. The motion was stopped when he caught sight of her face.
Jasisi's eyes snapped open, surprised and no little amount shocked at what she'd just said. The lioness frowned, eyes darting from one side to the next, and then she got up and went outside the cave, sitting in the rain. Kachero frowned, having not expected her to react in quite that way. Pushing away from Mauti, swinging his tail as if to defend himself, he looked at his brother almost seriously, “stay here for a sec, kay? I don’t think she wants to talk to both of us any more.”
He grinned, then trotted after Jasisi, shrinking into himself against the rain. Though he was used to it already, being exposed to such weather enough, he was not particularly fond of the first sensation of cold water seeping through his fur and meeting his skin. Shuddering, he moved to plop himself comically down next to her, leaning against her and looking up innocently.
“You okay?” He couldn’t help but feel bad for a female in distress, even when it was family. Even more so in that case, considering he was then obligated on two counts to make the situation better, rather than just because she was a dame. Family was important, “I didn’t mean it. I’m sure he’s… beautiful” He tasted the word, finding it unfavorable to say in regards to another male. But since she had used it, he would too.
“And if you say you didn’t make him up, then you didn’t.”
"Hey!" Mauti protested at being shoved aside and left. He didn't follow, though, preferring instead to sulk exactly as his father would have done. The dark cub slunk to the side and plopped down with a pout.
Outside Jasisi snorted. She should be above letting a cub get to her, and she knew it... but she wasn't able to help herself. "i don't care what you say," And they both knew she lied. "Can't you just stop questioning everything for five minutes? Please? it gets old."The brown cub eyed the ground.
“I can’t help it, really. I like asking questions. But I like getting the answers more. I’m not going to learn anything if I don’t ask about it. It’s boring, in the cave, where I know how and why everything happens. I just like hearing about other stuff once in a while…”
He rubbed against her affectionately, still young enough to childishly hope an apology would make everything okay. Not a bad little thing, he was unsettled when he made someone he cared about angry, and he did not like the idea of her storming out of the cave being his fault. Of course, he could always blame it on Mauti.
Which he probably would.
“I won’t ask you about him any more, okay? I’m sorry.”
She huffed a bit, and gave a 'murr' deep in her throat. It was hard to stay mad at the child, however, and eventually she lifted a paw to drag him firmly to her side in something akin to a hug. "alright, alright you little bugger. Maybe mom'll let you out soon and you can get outta my fur, huh?"Happy to have smoothed that bump over a bit, he curled his claws against the ground, releasing the almost-fist only long enough to curl them again. Kneading in a slow rhythm, he swung his tail once as he considered her comment.
Leaving the cave would be more than fun for the inquisitive, slick young lion. He would be able to speak to people without having to feel bad if he made them upset, because he was not related to them and would probably never see them again. The very idea was thrilling: he could only imagine the stories he would unfold.
“That would be good for both of us!” He said, wiggling in her hug, “because your fur is all wet.” "Get used to that," Jasisi laughed softly, "That's all there is here. Wet and mist.... but that's okay. God is in the rain."END
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
