Welcome to Gaia! ::

The lithe serval stalked across the branch in the early morning, his dappled coat melting into the shadows of the cascading leaves. His pink tongue peeked through his puckered lips. Green eyes focused on a singular goal, the mother bird seated upon her nest in a deep sleep, perched at the end of the branch on which he crept. Closer, closer, closer… freeze! The bird snorted and shook herself, blinking at the serval. He was called Chache, and he owned many titles.

Chache the Swift Pawed, Chache the Hawk Slayer, Chache the Bane of Cobras, and today, Chache the Great Bird Catcher. His deeds were scattered and meaningless to the larger beasts of the savanna: the lions, the leopards, the cheetahs and the canines.

This bird did not know Chache by his titles. She was a bird and he was a cat. What else was there to know?

The bird flew away shouting something Chache could not make out. He chuckled to himself and walked up to the nest for a sniff of the eggs. They were small and speckled, the perfect size to carry off in his mouth. He sat down in front of the nest and pawed them, tilting his head as he tried to plan out the best way to fit all four eggs in his mouth at once without choking or breaking any. He felt a little sorry for the poor mother bird, although she was his enemy. Perhaps he would leave one behind to spare her little heart.

Of course, Chache could not help but notice the interestingly colored lion in the shade below. The poor creature must have stood out like a bright red wild flower in the desert with those colors. Chache tensed slightly. Perhaps the young lion was hungry. That would explain his pained look, though Chache quickly realized that he wasn’t on the lion’s menu. This cub was merely curious. Well, always better to make friends than enemies, as he always said. He smiled at the cub. “Why hello down there! Nice morning, isn’t it?”

“Looking for my breakfast. I just found it. Would you like to try one?” Chache’s tail flicked as the young lion stood against the trunk. He didn’t like getting so close to larger predators. Though he noticed that some larger predators had befriended creatures such as himself the Law of the Wilderness stated that, under most circumstances, the big eat the small. One should be cautious when making such a friend.

Just then Chache heard the voice of the mother bird squawking like she had gone mad. He curled his tail around his body protectively and gasped. By the Gods, she was riding toward them on the back of an elderly water buffalo with horns the size of tree trunks! The water buffalo must have lost some sight in his elder years, for the mother bird squawked and tugged on his ear just in time to prevent him from trampling the young lion. “No, no you old fool! In the tree!” the bird squawked.

The water buffalo snorted and shook his great horns. He huffed in a gravelly, ponderous voice, “Cats and lions – they’re all the same. I have my own young to protect, regardless.” He pawed the ground with his hoof, ready to charge the young lion.

A water buffalo that size would surely kill the young lion! Thinking quickly Chache snapped off a small branch in his mouth and threw it at the water buffalo’s head. The stick spun through the air, smacking the water buffalo in the eye; he stumbled back, mooing furiously and shaking his horns. Chache stood over the bird’s nest, tail straight, teeth flashing. Drawing the air deep from his lungs, he shouted in the harshest tone he could manage, “Leave the cub alone, you old bull! I’ve got the eggs, and if you don’t back off from that cub I’ll smash them all this instant! Come and get me!”

At this point the mother bird started pecking crazily at the water buffalo’s back and squawking in the old water buffalo’s ears. The water buffalo rattled his massive, boney shoulders and snorted at the young lion, but the bird’s insistence finally won out and he turned his attention toward the cat hunched in the branches.

“Yes, here I am! I’m right above your silly head! Oh, but can you get me down?” Chache taunted. He shot a brief glance toward the lion, wide eyes telling him to flee while he still had time, then grabbed the nest in his teeth and darted higher into the branches, calling at the water buffalo from the back of his throat, “I’m up here! I’m up here! You’ll never catch me!”

The water buffalo pawed the dirt, tail whipping at the breeze, and prepared to ram the tree where Chache hid while the mother bird went even crazier with parental outrage.

Chache dug his claws into the branch as the tree shook from its trunk to the tip of every leaf. In the confusion he heard only the frantic squawking of the mother bird screaming at the water buffalo to be careful and not damage her eggs. Just get that cat! The attack seemed to last for hours. Chache only hoped that the young lion escaped unscathed. Even though they were traditionally enemies, for a hungry lion might kill a serval without a second thought, the cub was young, innocent, and a bystander. There was no reason for him to get hurt.

The water buffalo howled in pain as Ashiki’s claws dug into his eyes. His leathery skin was impenetrable, but his eyes were old and weak already and he could not afford to lose his sight entirely. That would mean the death of him. The old male bucked and bellowed until he was free of the nuisance of the cub. He turned around, shaking his bulk.

When the bird flew back to taunt him further the old buffalo bellowed in her face and shook his horns at her. “You never said they would fight back! I’m too old for this…” He lowered his horns at Ashiki in warning before backing away. “You’ve made your point, young lion, but stay away from my herd.”

Chache watched from high in the branches as the buffalo lumbered away. The mother bird clearly had connections. While the mother bird was confused, Chache sat the nest on a branch, grabbed a single egg in his teeth and bounded down from the tree. He darted over to where Ashiki was, pausing long enough to nod for him to follow, then jogged off through the grass toward safer ground. When his mouth wasn’t full, he’d have to thank the cub for his bravery and learn his name.

Chache trotted to a halt and looked back. His green eyes widened and his ears flattened back disgustedly. Well, Chache thought, at least I definitely won’t have to share.

He set the egg on the ground and gingerly placed his paw on top of it protectively. He could not talk with the egg in his mouth, nor could he eat it given the circumstances. Fortunately the wind was blowing away from Chache, tough he supposed the young lion must have been having a harder time, since the wind blew the stench of his vomit back into the young lion’s face. His tail twitched with agitation. Despite his discomfort, it would be best to be encouraging.

The young lion stood about ten feet away. When the young lion finished vomiting, he cleared his throat and called, “Ahem. Jolly good show back there! I thank you very much for your assistance, however, I must apologize for unintentionally provoking the brute in the first place. Of course, I had no idea that that bird was connected.”

Chache scoffed to himself. Blasted birds, always making friends with the big horned herbivores. And who did Chache have for protection save four sets of tiny black claws? He continued, “That was very brave of you! May I know your name?”

“I was trying to lead the beast away from you,” Chache explained with a flick of his ear. He had done a lot more than hide in some tree! He lowered his voice, trying to be as kind as possible. “Of course, that branch would have broken after he rammed it a couple of times, and I’m much slower than a water buffalo on foot. I may have managed to escape on my own eventually, but then again, I may not have.”

He bowed his head and smiled. “My name is Chache, the Great Bird Catcher. It’s good to meet your acquaintance. Bucker up, young lion, it’s all over now. You came out in one piece. I know quite well that being brave isn’t always easy… or fun. Sometimes all you need to be brave is to stop thinking and follow your heart.”

“I was more worried about you. Even though you are a lion, you hadn’t done anything to harm that buffalo. I consider it my duty to help those I see in need. It would have been wrong of me to allow you to be harmed while I escaped without a scratch.” That was all there was to it. If Chache ran away, it would have been the same thing as standing idly by while the water buffalo gored the innocent cub. Fear never entered the equation; it was simply his duty.