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 Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:59 am
 It was a lovely day - the sun was shining down on the barren savannah, harshly heating the landscape. But Kutakia wasn't silly enough to be out in the mid-day sun - oh no. The small oasis was cool and quiet, allowing the perfect conditions for an afternoon nap. After drinking his fill from the small watering hole, he'd retreated up into the canopy, finding a thick, sturdy tree branch to settle himself on, to ensure minimum disruption.
A pleasant dream involving water and a very pretty lady-leopard danced across and around Kuta's mind, a small purr of satisfaction unconsciously escaping the leopard's maw as he stretched out on the branch, happy in his sleep. But for how long?Chardon padded along the dry dirt on this fine day. The sun was out but it wasn't that hot. There was a nice little breeze that teased through his mane and around his body. It tickled a bit. With a chuckle, he skipped a few steps and turned around to watch the breeze continue past.
When he turned, he spotted the small oasis a fair distance away. Curious, he began to trot towards it. A fresh drink would never hurt. And who knew? Perhaps there was a new, friendly face over there thinking the exact same thing.Ugh, what was that? Kuta's nose wrinkled in distaste, mouth changing from a serene smile to an irritated frown as an ear flicked, one eye opening lazily as he peered downwards, awoken from his sweet dreams by the sound of crunching twigs and leaves. He wasn't the only one in the oasis, it seemed. And by the sounds of the crunches and snaps, he guessed he wasn't about to be joined by a small herd beast, either. Sounded like a big cat - and he didn't want to get into any fights. Perhaps he should stay up here, away from any arguments that might break out. A cautious leopard, was Kuta.
He guessed it was the water drawing the creature in. It had been lovely and cool, fresh and crystalline, when he'd gulped it down earlier, before his nap. In all honesty, he could see exactly why the creature was coming this way. But despite being a peaceful cat, Kuta couldn't help but wish it wouldn't stay long.Chardon didn't see the look on the leopard's face, because he could not see the leopard. The water came into sight and that was all that Chardon focused on.
"Mm," he mumbled to himself as he approached. "Nice clean water." This was much better than the pool he had found the day before. It looked like something had died in it, and it didn't smell so good, either. In fact, one angry crocodile was all it took to make Chardon change his mind about spending a bit of time by that water hole.
He gave a happy sigh as his tongue lapped up the liquid. The coolness ran down his throat and began to fill his belly.Ah, here we go. A lion - a big, male lion. Certainly not a good cat to get into a fight with, Kutakia decided. He watched as Chardon approached the watering hole, giving a content mumble and commenting on the water as he ducked his head to drink. Kuta sighed quietly, watching CHardon with little interest, tail flicking to the left in boredom. Well, he could either stay up here all day, or initiate a conversation with the lion. He didn't seem a particularly nasty creature - on the contrary, he seemed somewhat friendly.
Deciding to give it a go, Kuta remained reclined on his branch, allowing his tail to drop and hang beneath it as he trained his amber eyes on Chardon, finally speaking. "You woke me from my nap."
His ears flicked backwards at the sound of a sigh, and it was confirmed that someone was indeed there when a male voice told him that he had woke the stranger up from a nap. Oops. Chardon didn't think he walked that noisily, but some creatures were just light sleepers. He couldn't help it.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, licking his muzzle clean before turning to greet the stranger face-to-face. The problem was, no one was there when he turned around. Confused, he glanced around on the ground level, searching for the mysterious voice.Kutakia really couldn't help it - he laughed. More of a chuckle, really, but still a laugh, possibly even stretching into a giggle. A manly giggle, of course. Silly lions - they never thought of looking in the trees. As a leopard, it would be first nature to Kuta to have looked in the tree, since he knew it was possible to climb them. But he supposed for a lion, it might come as a surprise that the sleeker, more stealth cats could find a way up the great, monstrous plants.
"Try looking up." he suggested with a hint of amusement in his voice, the very tip of his tail twitching every now and again. By now he'd stood up on the branch, stretching his limbs out slowly. His maw stretched open in a large yawn, before snapping shut again, Kuta blinking as he turned down to look at Chardon. "I'm Kutakia - Kuta for short. How 'bout you?"A giggle...? From where--oh. There he was. Chardon finally looked up and around, spotting the brown leopard in the tree, reclining on a branch. That's what leopards did, after all. Reclined on a branch in a tree. It was a skill Chardon kind of envied, being able to climb a tree so gracefully. But at the same time, he liked being securely on the earth.
And now he stood on the branch! Geez.
"Chardon. Nice to meet you, Kuta.""Likewise, Chardon."
With three gracefully hops, he was down from the tree, down, firmly on the ground again. Ah, now he remembered why he liked the tree better. Chardon stoof a whole head taller than him, meaning Kuta had to strain his neck to look up at the lion's face. Damn, he should've stayed in the tree. Trying to hide the fact that the height difference made him a little embarrassed and uncomfortable, Kuta flashed a smile, approaching the watering hole himself and lowering his head to take a few, large gulps of the fresh water. He looked up again when he was finished, glancing over to Chardon.
"Where're you from, then?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:25 am
 Ha. Height was not a leopard's strongpoint. Which was another reason why Chardon liked being a lion so much. Their build was bigger, fatter (although most of it was muscle, if you asked Char), and all-in-all more handsome. In his humble opinion.
He returned the smile politely.
"From? Across the desert and past a jungle. I left my pride to explore and have an adventure of two. I like meeting new creatures, as well. What about you?" If you'd asked Kuta, he would've been adamant that leopards were more handsome. But that was all down to his personal opinion. He stood - well, he wasn't going to sit and be even shorter - and watched Chardon with interest as he told his story. Left a pride? Kuta frowned a little, unsure. He'd never really decided on prides - or whether he wanted to join one or not. He didn't want to be confined to one piece of land, but at the same time he rather liked the idea of a close, family-like unit.
"Souds interesting, certainly. I'm merely exploring - I came from a jungle quite far from here, searching for adventure, dreams...anything that catches my attention, really. New friends are always possibilities, of course."He shrugged about the pride talk. "I was born into it; that was all I ever knew. Was a prince, even." He puffed out his chest importantly and unconsciously. "It was a good family pride. Bunch of cubs running around." He chuckled.
"Oh, a jungle? For some reason I thought you were going to say that," Chardon joked. "Mm, adventure is always interesting."Kuta nodded - he understood. If you grew up surrounded and enveloped by a certain pride, being brought up to worship their Gods and abide by their rules and religion, it was perfectly understandable. He just wasn't sure of joining one as an outsider. That, and most prides seemed to be dominated by lions, and lions had the tendency to make Kutakia feel...insignificant. Especially a big group of them. Luckily, Chardon seemed to be quite friendly, and quite easy to get along with - Kuta didn't feel insignificant with him.
"And why's that?" Kuta asked, a cheeky grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye, "Because most leopards come form the jungles? Ah, t'is a wonderful place, though. Lush vegetation and plenty of water, with the odd burst of sun to warm your paws. What more could you ask for?"
Why had he left, then? Well, to explore. It could get dull after a while. "Of course adventure is interesting - all the twists and turns and unexpectedness makes it enthralling. Do you have any idea where you're heading, then?"It probably would be a good bit different for a leopard trying to find a good pride to join. When you said 'pride,' it meant a group of lions, not leopards. Though Chardon knew of some cheetah coalitions (his travels, after all, have given him so many interesting things to think about and pass on to others). Why not a group of leopards?
"Oh, I don't know," Chardon drawled. "Perhaps that could be a factor. Although I have heard wild stories about lions who climb trees as well. So you never know..." he trailed off. "I've only been in the jungle once. Beautiful place, bad experience." He chuckled. "Though I would not be against visiting again. You should give me the grand tour."
He shook his head at the question of exploring. "No, I'm not really sure. I'm just kind of wandering around, hoping I don't run into anyone twice (unless I want to run into them twice, then I'll go out of my way to remember where they are in the first place) and seeing completely new places. Do you know of any good places? I came from that way." He threw his head back over his shoulder to gesture his past direction.Kutakia watched Chardon with mild interest and eagerness, awaiting his next words. He was still getting over his surprise at how friendly the lion seemed to be - they seemed to be getting along rather well. A totally cool atmosphere. Kuta would've sat down and reclined backwards to relax, if it hadn't made him feel so small.
Lions climbing trees? Kuta managed to stop himself chuckling at the mental image formed in his mind, or Chardon trying to climb a tree. He could see the lion failing - he was too stocky and his muscles too bulky. His shape in general just wasn't fit for it, with the shorter body and longer legs. The notion of lions climbing trees seemed...silly. "It is indeed a beautiful place."
He gained the sense that Chardon didn't want to continue on about his bad experience, so Kuta avoided the question, instead watching Chardon carefully as he continued. A grand tour? A smile was the only reply Kuta gave, to indicate that he would be delighted to. Wandering...such a wonderful word. Kuta couldn't really ask Chardon to expand on the idea, since he wasn't sure he'd be able to either. At the question posed to him, Kutakia frowned once more, attempting to think. He glanced in the opposite direction to where Chardon had pointed, trying to recall any places he'd been to that had particularly wowed him.
"There was a beautiful beach just yonder, covered in shells. Seeing the crystalline blue sea was wonderful. The area actually belongs to a pride, but they're very placid, and happy for rogue's to pass through."Oh, like Chardon would be silly enough to be one of those lions who thought they could do anything, and try to climb a tree. No thank you. He'd much rather stay on the ground and be confident in his lion-hood. True story about tree-climbing lions, just not him in particular.
Mm, a grand tour wouldn't be so bad, now that he thought about it. Perhaps Kuta would know what tasted good and what didn't. Because if for some reason Chardon was left to his own devices (as he often was) and found himself in a jungle, who knew what berries would be edible or not? So yeah, he could probably use a tour around the jungle if it would be offered.
"A beach? I haven't seen a beach before. Do you happen to know the name of the pride? Just so I don't look the complete fool." He chuckled. It would be interesting to see the large blue sea. Maybe once he found a companion for traveling--if he ever did--he would suggest going to visit this seaside pride. Could be worth it.The name? Ah, what was it again?! It was just on the tip of his tongue, and he couldn't quite get it out. Kuta frowned, furrowing his forehead once more as he looked away from Chardon, glaring at the ground as the clogs of his mind turned, slowly booting his memory into gear. And then, all of a sudden, it clicked, and he glance dup with a grin.
"Bahari'Mtoto, I believe. They're a very friendly pride, so long as you're polite, respectful and the like." he spoke, amber eyes turning back to the small pool of water. He was surprised to see the sun in the pool, and as he raised his eyes to the sky realized that it was beginning to set behind the horizon, signalling the end of the say. It seemed as the two had been talking, dusk had crept upon them, and soon the light wouldn't be from the sun, but the stars and the moon.
"It's gotten late as we've spoken.""Ah, I will remember that, thank you." Indeed, he would. His mind's tongue said the name over and over in his mind. And Chardon was always polite and respectful and the like. How silly to think otherwise. He was royalty, after all. And royalty always showed respect where it was due. Or where it needed to be.
Chardon glanced at the pool as well, surprised at the sudden appearance of the sun's reflection in the water. Where had the time gone? Strange. Oh well. "It seems so," he agreed. "I best be getting off, then. Gotta find some shelter for the night. It was a pleasure meeting you, and talking with you, Kuta." His smile was true and friendly for his new leopard friend.Kuta bowed his head humbly, a large smile on his face as he raised it again. He was grateful for the company CHardon had provided him with, and the new friendship that had been formed. His smile faded a little at the mention of Chardon leaving, but he quickly nodded. Of course he had to leave - Chardon most likely wouldn't be happy with this small oasis as a shelter. Kuta himself was happy enough to just sleep up in the tree.
"Of course. And you too, Chardon. Perhaps we can meet again, sometime in the future?"
Even as he spoke, he moved towards the tree he'd previously been sitting in, clambering up to the same branch with little to no effort."Perhaps," Chardon repeated, watching Kuta climb gracefully up the very tree the lion had found him in earlier. "I would like that." For a moment he continued to watch, still almost-envious of the grace Kuta had. But then he chuckled and turned around to walk in the direction the leopard had suggested, opposite of the way he came.
Someday, he might run into the leopard again. Or look up and find him perched on the tree branch above.
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