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 Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:20 pm
Malaika:
Malaika walked back up towards the bush-surrounded tree where her family was camped, proud over a successful hunt, the paw-sized mouse hanging partially out of her mouth. Mother was dozing in the shade with Malai's older brother Zikwi draped over the sleeping cheetah. Inari was somewhere on her own, Uncle Mafunde and Aunt Kohana had a while back gone to hunt for their missing son and thus temporarily parted ways with Kweupe and cubs, and Han had gone hunting on his own as she had, to see who would come back fruitful. So far, Malai was first back. Once she was in the shade, the hybrid juvenile sat down and carefully dropped her kill, waiting for a witness before she would eat it.
Shaharazad:
Small paws shuffled from one side to the other, sending the rest of her body bouncing and shaking, set to the rythem of the young female's humming. Her narrowed, critical eyes calculated every step. It was easy to mistake Shaharazad for a vain individual. A good portion of her free time was spent standing in front of her reflection as she hummed and sung to herself. Dances, songs, and stories set to both that she made up herself. Most made little to no sense- not that she knew the difference.
She sighed and settled both feet to the ground. It wasn't good enough. Still too rough, still too clumsy. Flicking her thick tail, Shaharazad turned herself and loped back towards the den. Perhaps there'd be lunch waiting for her. Or a bath- either was just as welcome as the other.
Malaika:
Malai watched as her second-oldest sibling came running back towards them. Silver to Malai's red, Zad always was the most artistic of Malai's siblings. Sometimes it amused Malai to watch her dance, mostly because after learning from Aunt Kohana, she learned that dancing could be applied to fighting, and she hoped to use it one day. The blood-marked hybrid doubted her sister would want to learn to fight as much as she and Han did, but at the least, Malai could learn from her. She knew Zad made up her dances, and a dance that few knew was hard to defend against.
"Hey Zad!" she called, waving one paw, blue eyes bright.
Shaharazad:
"Afternoon." She smiled as she approached, bright and relaxed. The female never seemed bothered by anything. She had a looseness to her step, a reserve in her smile, and even a strange quiet in her laughter.
She glanced down to her sister's kill and chuckled slightly. "Well- that yours?"
Malaika:
"Indeed. It's small, but better than nothing. And mice are hard to catch. So many places to run to," Malai replied proudly. "I bet Han comes back with nothing. What have you been up to? Dancing again?" she asked again and tilted her head a bit to one side. Where Zad was soft and reserved, Malai had a cool and coercing, her voice already hinting at what would one day be a deep feminine purr. But for now it was loose and excited.
Shaharazad:
"Yes." She flicked her tail and rolled her shoulders back, "Everything moves different... I was trying to figure out how a gazelle moves. They bounce, leap, bound! It's kind of pretty..." She sighed a bit, "But I'm not getting it right...Mice too. They scurry- dart...kind of...pop." For lack of a better word. "So how did you catch it? I wanna hear."
Malaika:
Malai sat back and mused over that. "Well... that's not too hard..." she said, standing and attempting to mimic a mouse's movements. She crouched low and moved in a quick speed made of short movements of her legs rather than her normal long-legged lopes, and then quickly changed direction and then changed direction again with a hop-twist that was more cat-like than mouse, but she was young. "How was that?"
Shaharazad:
"It was good!" She padded her front paws together, a silent clap resulting. "They twitch their heads too. One side, then the other-" She immitated it a bit, flicking her ears around, snapping her head from side to side, "Watching....smelling."
Malaika:
Malai smiled and nodded her head. "You know, your dancing would be really cool fighting moves. Leaping and bounding and quick movements. You could be a good fighter one day," she praised her sister, grinning over the thought of fighting alongside her sister.
Shaharazad:
Zad's ears rolled back as a faint frown creased her brow. "I would never use my gift for brutality." She lifted a paw slightly, waving it to dismiss the notion, "You can do that if you'd like, but I'd rather use my dancing to tell stories the way they -should- be told."
Malaika:
Malai frowned and shrugged. "Oh well, then. Uncle Shaha told me when we were little that he was joining that troupe with those two cool cheetahs, to make a story-telling section. Maybe you could join up with them and help them tell story and sing and dance and whatnot. I really want to join their mercenary group." She really hoped Zad would stay with her, her and Han. She speculated that without them, life would be quite boring indeed.
Shaharazad:
"Well think of it this way-" She rolled her head to one side, "There are those that go and carve their way into the stories with their claws- and then there are those that -make- and tell those stories to keep them immortal." She smiled softly, "Two means to the same end. A pefect balance."
Malaika:
Malai smiled. Zad always knew how to poetically explain something and yet still make it understandable. And that's what Malai loved about her sister. "Indeed," she agreed and reached out to ruffle the fur on her sister's head a bit. "Thought up any good stories lately?"
Shaharazad:
"AUGH!" She reached up and began smoothing the fur back down on her head. Just -how- was she supposed to be presentable with her fur going everywhere!?
"Well I was trying to think of one for us. We're not...normal." She looked herself over. "I don't now what we're to be called. We need a name."
Malaika:
Malai waved a paw, laughing at Zad's reaction. "Pah, not normal. We're as normal as rain, just a bit more special," she said but then really considered it. "Well, Mom's a cheetah and Dad's a leopard... Cheetard sounds stupid... Leotah?" she suggested, tilting her head a bit.
Shaharazad:
"Something...more flowing." She laid herself down, settling herself against a small boulder. "....let's see...cheetahs are masters of speed, thin, agile, light....and leopards are powerful, muscular, and cunning."
Malaika:
"So we're fast and powerful, built and yet lean, quick and cunning. How would you describe that?" Malai asked, sitting down near the imaginative young female. She liked her idea, but anything Zad came up with was bound to be better in one form or another.
Shaharazad:
"Hm..." She laid her chin down on her paws and began humming softly. A common habbit when pondering. "...I'll have to think on it for a while. Never jump into anything you know? Stories names...." She glanced sideways to her sister, "Fights."
Malaika:
Malai snorted and nodded her head. "Of course. One should never go into a fight unprepared," she replied. She was a little disappointed that Zad was slow on coming up with a name for them, but she let it go. "So what else it new?"
Shaharazad:
"Not much." She sighed, "Unfortunately. I'm very eager to see the other troupe again. To hear what stories they have. There's not much for me to sing about here...and very little movements to watch. Just the same ol' gazelle, birds, and rodents. Sometimes bugs." She shivered a bit.
Malaika:
Malai made a face. Much as she hated to admit it, she hated bugs, too. "Yeah. Maybe some day we can go live with them. Or maybe even convince Mom to take us to live there," she speculated with a smile.
Shaharazad:
"...we should go ourselves!" She was back up onto her feet with one graceful sweep of her body. "An adventure for you, a craving for me!"
Malaika:
Malai blinked and tilted her head to one side again. "Right now?" Now THIS certainly wasn't like Zad at all. Spur of the moment decisions? Besides, she wanted to see if she could convince Han to come too. Plus they had to tell Mom, and she was napping.
Shaharazad:
"Yes. Least we waste any more time discussing the movement of mice and the name of our species." She sighed whistfully and glanced out towards the grasslands. "To learn...to see everything else. To have more for my songs, see more for my dance!...though...we may need to eat first."
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:38 pm
Malaika:
"And tell Mom. Geez, Zad, and here I thought you were the smart one," Malai snerked back, looking off for a minute. Nope, no Han, yet. "How about we leave tomorrow morning? More daylight to travel by, and we can have one last evening with Mom and maybe Han will want to come. Unless you wanted it to be just you and me?"
Shaharazad:
"There's nothing foolish about being curious!....well..." She tipped her head a bit, "...well yes I see your point." Disapointing as it was. She was so eager to get out... "Forgive me...perhaps we should have mother come along too. I've no idea what else is out there. Larger beasts that rise from the very earth, fangs of stone, eyes of the sun!" She chuckled a bit, "Or...just larger versions of us."
Malaika:
Malai giggled and shook her head. "Nah, I think it'll be fine, but still. Let's wait at least until tomorrow," she replied, patting Zad's shoulder.
Shaharazad:
"...tomorrow then." She nodded in agreement. "Until then....I need to find myself something to eat."
Malaika:
"Well, you're a witness to my hunt, so would you like this?" Malai asked, nodding to the mouse she had caught. And then yawned. "I think I might take a nap with Mom and Zikwi."
Shaharazad:
"No no... I must learn to...do this myself. Even if I do not fully enjoy the task." She flicked her tail. "Enjoy your kill."
Malaika:
Malai nodded and gobbled up her mouse. "Well, happy hunting," she said, nudged her sister before walking over to her mom and brother to lie down for a nice nap and dreaming of traveling with her sister.
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