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 Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:40 pm
Lightning was visible from the deep recesses of the cave, arcing across the rolling, rumbling sky, casting eerie shadows over tree and hill, and creating a general feeling of unrest in all those caught under its range. In the low bushes and shrubs, small birds and mammals lay cowering, eyes wide in fear of the unnatural booming from the heavens.
Within the cave, tucked far in the back in a small pile of water dripped off his own body, a lone lion lay. Tucked away from the storm, the sound of the thunder reached him though none of the light of the fires in the sky did. His sandy tongue licked his nose, which was oozing blood from a shallow cut. Nothing serious, but for the time all he could smell was said blood, and that along with the total darkness of the cave left him limited to his sense of sound, and that was assaulted every few moments by a clap of thunder or rush of wind.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:02 pm
Amalahle's legs were pounding hard against the ground, slipping now again on the wet grass beneath her paws. She was searching for a way out of the storm; some shelter. She was tired, weak and cold and all she wanted to do was sleep. Was that so much to ask for? But noooo, she was stuck out in the pouring, stinging, pounding rain. It drenched her from head to toe. Her fur had soaked in the water completely and she was utterly drenched. Each step felt heavier than the last just from the sheer weight the water was adding.
Why was everything bad happening to her?
Damn karma.
...Not that she believed in Karma...
Lightning flashed across the sky and lit up Ama's surroundings for a brief moment. She caught a small glimpse of a cave just ahead. Finally, a place to stay for the night. Sighing, Ama changed direction.
Once she reached the mouth of the cave, she didn't think twice or even stop to sniff if anyone or anything was in there. She simply walked right in. She walked until the cold spray of rain couldn't each her, and then she lied down. She groaned and stretched her tired feet, sighing once more. But she stopped short.
She smelled blood.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:36 pm
Fully reliant on his ears, the sound of another entering drew Hak's attention instantly. He ceased his licking, dropping into silence, but unfortunately causing the blood to flow again, filling the cave with its irony stink.
Who was there? If he asked, he'd give himself away...But then, they'd come in out of the storm. In the darkness and the damp, they would likely rather get along and keep the shelter than risk being driven out by whomever was deeper in the cave. He certainly had the advantage of territory.
"Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing in the sudden silence between blasts of weather. "Who's th-" He was cut of this time, but the loudest clap yet, and his fur stood on end in dislike for the roaring noises.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:55 pm
The loud crack of thunder made Ama's ears fold back and her heart speed up, but she tried to look unfazed. After all, there was someone else in the cave; A male, she decided, from what little she had heard of his voice.
The smell of his blood suffocated all other smells in the cave and Ama couldn't figure out what species he was. Well, did it matter? Perhaps not...But her mind itched to know. She couldn't just flat-out ask. It would be such an odd question. Ama glowered at her train of thought and decided to just shove it all behind her.
"Hello," she greeted back solemnly. The storm had put her in a bad mood, but her head told her to be civil to this male since she had to share a cave with him until the storm passed. But ugh, all males reminded her of Chardon.
"Sorry to...Intrude." she said awkwardly, not used to apologies.
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:37 pm
Hak folded one paw over the other. He sat up straight, regardless of being nearly invisible in the dark. As much as people remarked that his markings seemed to glow, they were of no use here, it was still pitch black all around. But then, as hidden as he was, so was his new...companion. She sounded female though.
"Oh, not at all. I'm sorry this place is such a mess." He half-joked, and then was glad when a roar of thunder drowned the whole bit out. "It's no trouble," he reiterated once the winds had calmed again.
"...Some storm, isn't it?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:31 am
Ama's hair bristled at the rumbling of the thunder. Even after experiencing many storms in her life, the vibrating roar of thunder still got under her skin at times. She was, though she'd never admit it, slightly grateful to have someone else with her during the storm.
"Yes..." she agreed hesitantly. This guy was trying hard to "break the ice". It really wasn't working.
Attempting once more to smell what sort of animal this male was, Ama gave up trying to guess. All she could smell was moldy cave and blood. She rolled her eyes and flopped onto her side, a bit relieved that she could do what she pleased in the cover of darkness, not having to worry about her appearance in front of someone.
"Do you live here?" Amalahle asked quietly, taking a crack at breaking the ice herself.
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:28 pm
Hak caught her questions between the rumbling of the storm and he shook his head, not that she could see the motion. "No, I'm only here for now." The storm had caught him unprepared, it had been dumb luck that he'd been first to find the cave.
He sneezed, a bit of the blood tickling his nose. "Augh, I'm sorry." He licked at the blood again, though it didn't help to think the stink in the air out anymore.
He thought about trying to get a better look at his companion, and just then a streak of lightning obliged him. He caught the faintest glance of a tufted tail, and nothing more. A feline, at least, he decided.
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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:56 am
The adolescent's nose flinched irritably at the now even-stronger scent of blood filling the damp cave. The only time the smell of blood was ever good was when it belonged to a prey beast. Even though Ama wasn't sure of the exact species this male was, she was very, very sure he wasn't a prey beast. The smell of his blood was not pleasing at all. What had he done to hurt himself, anyway? Gotten into a fight? Fell down something? Injured himself by accident?
Not that she cared...
At the sudden flash of lighting, Ama winced her ears back and narrowed her eyes. Lightning was such a bright nuisance.
"There isn't any need to apologize for your own blood." Amalahle said after a while, sounding tired. She rested her chin on her paws and gazed out the entrance of the cave. "It's not like you're forcing yourself to bleed." Despite the low, uncaring tone she had taken on, there was a hint of humor in her words.
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:14 am
Hak chuckled, a low, almost strained sound. "Technically I am though..." Heartbeats and whatnot. But saying that right out would be boorish of him, he was certain. And just because you could see or smell your company didn't mean you could be rude to it.
Maybe a bit of calm, regular conversation would make the storm pass faster. Given the time it'd been when the mess started, it would be the dead of night in an hour or two, and he knew that the loss of travel time was well enough to make him rather unhappy.
More thunder. Ugh. At least the cave was dry. "So what brings you to the area? The wildebeest are migrating nearby, I've heard. It seems the area is popular of late." Not that he was a permanent resident. "Though it's a bit much for me. The crowds and all."
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:37 am
Amalahle smirked, amused at his point, but she wiped the look off in an instant, not wanting it to be seen. When she remembered they were in the darkness of a cave, unable to see each other, she allowed the humored expression back on her face.
"I'm not after the food." Ama stated bluntly, tail flicking behind her. She gazed out at a fresh bolt of lightning, the hair rising on her back slightly. She cleared her throat softly, debating how much to tell the stranger. The lioness never usually opened up to others about her inner-most thoughts, but if he was a stranger, what could it hurt? It'd make for conversation...
"I'm looking for someone." she said after a moment. And she left it at that for right then. "And what about you?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:59 am
Though he wascertain it would have been rude in a regular chat, where you could see your opponent, Hak allowed himself to lay his chin down on his paws. In a way talking like this was a relief. He could let his eyes wander and ignore the regular rules of body language in a conversation that had bound him to propriety since childhood.
"Looking for someone? Irony...I'm looking for several someones." The truth, he decided, would do today. "I'm looking for my home, but it seems my pride thought it would be funny to pick up and move while I was away." Nevermind that he'd been sold into slavery by those same 'friends' so that they could take over. From his tone you'd never guess, and that's how he liked it.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:18 pm
"Is that so?" Amalahle replied, glancing in the direction of the voice with a wry smile. Well, small world. Maybe there were others out there more like her than she thought? This male seemed to be rather similar to herself, in some small ways. Then again, he could've been a male lion...And Ama was not happy with male lions at the moment. But the joy of that conversation was that she had no idea who or what he was. It was a relaxing change. It made Ama wonder why it really mattered what species someone was when you met that someone?
The adolescent yawned, suddenly very tired. She wanted to sleep, but not in the present company. What to do...
As that thought left her mind, there was a curious sound of trickling water. Ama's ears flicked upwards, eyes searching futilely in the darkness. Then she felt coldness touch her paw. Jerking her arm away, the lioness stood and backed up a few steps. One flash of lightning revealed what was happening.
The cave was beginning to flood.
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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:06 pm
Due to how the floor of the cave was tilted, the incoming water had not yet touched Hak'Zhakuu. His nose had finally begun to stop bleeding, and he resisted the urge to rub at it. He'd run through a thorny bush on his way out of the storm. "Indeed. I would say they couldn't have gone far, but I'm afraid I lost track of time while I was away. I'm sure you know how that can be."
He let the talk drop at her yawn. Maybe sleep would be best to pass the time. Of course, her jerking motion, backlit by the flash of light, startled him. "What is i-" and then he felt it. A swift, cold trickle, pooling at his feet at an alarming rate. the storm was still raging, but better to run through ran than be trapped and drown in a cave.
He bolted for the exit, using his size to push Amalahle out before him (if only to help clear his way.) He called something out to her, but a bolt of lightning dashed a tree mere feet away, and in a fright he took flight, words swallowed by the storm as he headed for the hills.
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 3:42 pm
The water soaked into Ama's paws easily. It climbed up her ankle fur like she was a sponge. The water level rose quickly, a nice puddle forming around the lioness, already an inch deep. Ama wasted no time getting out of the cave. As she made her way toward the exit however, something of substantial size shoved her out into the open.
The adolescent stumbled as she fought to keep her balance, feet splashing noisily in deep puddles. She gasped at the shock of icy-cold rain suddenly drenching her body. A bolt of lightning landed closer to her than she'd ever experienced and startled a cry out of her. It was a very rare kind of downpour for that area of Africa, but Ama decided she would rather be soaked out in the open than drown in that cave. Which reminded her...
Whipping her head around, Amalahle squinted in the darkness to find the male who had shared her company in the cave. But he was gone. The mystery of what he was remained, for the scent her rubbed off on her as he pushed her out was instantly washed off by the rain. And so Ama was left in a whir of confusion, standing in a puddle, struggling to recall what had happened in those last few moments of cave-talking. Had he said something...? Well, what did it matter...
Blinking water out of her eyes in a futile attempt to see, the young lioness turned and trotted off into the pitch black storm in search of another shelter. Perhaps this time, an empty one.
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