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 Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:15 pm
 Today was turning out to be a normal, beautiful day. The sun was out but it wasn't too hot, and there weren't any puddles for him to have to avoid. The rains had long ago fled from this area. There was a delightful little breeze that followed him along as he took his daily walk around the small jungle.
Oh, but the trees! The sunlight hit the leaves so beautifully that they simply glowed. This was his favorite part of the day, because each time, he got to pick a new tree to rest in for the night, and each tree seemed better than the last. So as he walked around, Dole inspected the trees and began to narrow down his choices for the night.Unguzo did not find the day beautiful. He hardly noticed the sky, and, with his head hung and his eyes on the earth under his feet, he paid no mind to the trees he wandered by. He was not the kind of lion to take a moment to enjoy the life around him. Creature or plant, he had no mind space available to their consideration. All he could think about was his pride, his life, and his future accomplishments. Murring to himself, a mix between a purr and a growl, he day dreamed about the day his pride would be restored.
A scent on the breeze drew his attention up, and he lifted his head slowly, loathe to open his eyes and break the memories of his past glory. He had not been full grown by the time the pride died, but he still felt those had been his greatest days. And now he was wasting himself, just wandering around and not making any progress on the restoration. Grunting and opening his eyes, he fixed a keen gaze on something in the distance, a leopard, and growled as if it had some blame in what had happened in his memories, instead of just chasing them away.
He prowled closer, staying low to the growl, as if he were stalking prey.Dole, unfortunately, was so involved with his daily routine of picking a tree that he lacked the concentration to flick his ears back and listen for anyone else out there. One in particular who was currently sneaking up on him. Oh well, c'est la vie.
He had finally found a good tree, at least. The trunk looked sturdy, the leaves were soft and a healthy, bright green. The limbs were swung low to the ground, but not low enough to insult his skills in jumping. The leopard sat down in front of the tree with a grin, proud of finding the perfect tree, once again.
That was when he finally relaxed enough to listen and smell around him, and that was when he discovered the new scent. Eyes widening, he whipped his head around--although how he managed to do so gracefully, we'll never know--to stare into the face of an approaching lion, one who looked ready to eat him.Unguzo didn’t care that the leopard had spotted him. He was not looking for food or even a fight. Just entertainment. He was having a boring day, but he seemed to have found something fun to do. Growling, grinning, he charged and roared a mighty sound, his large body moving swiftly and his every muscle under his complete control. The well trained creature, reared on violence, was an expert at the hunt.
Yet this was not a hunt. Letting out a rumble of a laugh, he stopped short of the leopard and leaped to one side, vanishing behind the tree and darting out around the other side. He swatted at the leopard’s backside and bounded back the way he had come, running into the taller grasses and crouching. He didn’t know why he was so playful that morning, but it was certainly a pleasant experience. His mood was already lifting, though the grin on his muzzle was anything but friendly.
“Come on, leopard, provide me some sport!”It was a good thing he was a leopard. It was also a good thing that he only had to jump, use his powerful hind legs to push him into the air and off the ground, to get from the jungle floor up into a tree. And that is exactly what he did. His yowl of fright echoed in the trees as he launched into the air, grabbing onto a low branch and scrambling on to the topside of it as fast as he possibly could. The lion had stopped just in front of him, granted, but it had still scared the fleas off him.
Even that swat had been close! Dole made a face and wiggled higher onto the branch, tempted to jump up higher but not wanting to take his eyes off this new...encounter.
"Sport?" he retorted softly, scoffing at the lion. "I don't think I am anyone's mean of entertainment, sir. Go find fun somewhere else."Unguzo roared a laugh as the fast leopard escaped into the tree. Such reflexes! He felt youthful, with almost cub like energy and mirth, and he exploded from the grasses with a grin on his face. He padded up to the tree, his large, powerful body not used to such light steps. Craning his head back, he narrowed his eyes at the leopard and tilted his head.
“What’s the matter, leopard? You’re not well hidden in those branches, I’m afraid. No strength in your limbs but for jumping and climbing? That’s fine! It’s been a while since I’ve played in a tree. I, Unguzo of the Dhalimu, will simply fetch you down from your shelter! It’s no great task, though you have the advantage. You offer me a challenge which, in its turn, is the sport I seek!”
He leaped at the tree then, clinging to it with his might paws, digging his claws into the bark and heaving himself up. He was not the best at climbing trees, but he was certainly determined to do it. Slowed by the effort, he knew he could not catch the leopard while there were still branches to escape to. But perhaps they would run out of tree, and then he would see where the game turned.Oohhh, the lion came so close to him. This branch was lower than Dole had originally thought; he reflexively scooted higher up and as far away as the predator as possible. It was not an appealing thought to think that those grinning teeth could be wrapped around one of his limbs--probably his neck.
"I may not be well-hidden, this is true," Dole returned, speaking as loud as he ever had. Even then, it was a normal conversation volume for this lion, probably. Actually, make that a whisper for this lion. He talked pretty loudly anyway. "The challenge you are keen to conquer is to fetch my from my shelter? I promise you that it shall not happen."
Once the tree began to shake, Dole moved. He leapt up to a higher branch instantly, without thinking, and glanced down at the struggling lion. This was why lions could not climb trees: they were too bulky. It took a sleek, graceful figure to leap from tree branch to tree branch, which was why a leopard were the only climbing cats in the world. In Dole's opinion, that is. The best ones, they were. He jumped to another branch and paused to watch his opponent in this climbing game. As dangerous as it was, it was still intriguing as well to see how it could turn out.
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Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:22 pm
 Unguzo perked his ears forward and strained to catch Dole’s words over the sounds of his own movements. He grunted as he hauled himself up higher, not the most graceful of tree climbers. He had a little experience, having been trained in many skills, but he was in no way an expert with this particular one. Laughing at the exertion, he shook his head and yelled back at the quiet creature.
“We shall see, Bright Fur! I’ll catch you yet, I think, but who knows? I’m as confident in my skills as you may be yours. We’ll see who is the more determined.” He scrambled up another branch, taking a moment to look at the leopard’s position in the tree. He frowned. The other creature was leaner, and the branches would support him more readily than they did him.
He grinned and shifted tactics. Climbing as swiftly as he was able to a branch near the leopard’s, but lower, he slammed his bulk into the tree trunk in an order to shake the leopard from his perch. If Unguzo couldn’t follow him up, perhaps he could make the leopard come down.Determination wasn't even a part of this equation. Skill was. And obviously, this lion had no skill whatsoever in climbing a tree nearly as well as Dole did. It was something one didn't simply learn overnight. This was his entire life's practice that was currently keeping the leopard alive right now, and that skill was certainly worth mentioning and recognizing at the very least.
Bright fur? This Unguzo was oh-so-creative, wasn't he?
The shaking of the tree only made Dole dig his claws deeper into the tree branch. Those were for the first shakes, though. Soon they became stronger, harder, and more likely to throw him off balance. With another yowl, he instinctively leapt upwards, to another branch, and clung to it. His belly was on the branch itself and all four legs wrapped around it to anchor him in place. This, he found, was ridiculous and humiliating. But if it kept him alive...that was a different story.Unguzo watched the leopard with a grin. How gracefully he leapt, and only to land clumsily to the next branch! He looked devastated in his embarrassment, and that thrilled the suddenly child like Unguzo. The lion, though well advanced in his adulthood, laughed mirthfully and slammed his body into the trunk one more time, looking up to find the distance dulled his efforts.
Not to be outdone, he climbed one more branch, wary of the creaking of the limb. He stayed close to the trunk, where it was thickest, and resumed his efforts to shake the leopard from the tree. He laughed out loud, hooting and roaring his entertainment.
“You look precarious, Bright Fur! Losing that confidence, are you? A poor leap from one with poor skills? This is why talk is more dangerous than most realize! You cannot support your claims! Come on, drop from that branch and let me win this game! It’s just embarrassing for you now: to lose in a tree with one who is not made, as you are, for this activity. That’s got to sting!”Ugh. This, honestly, was starting to get a tad bit annoying. Dole could feel the grimace form on his face from glaring down at Unguzo. If anything, he was now regretting picking this particular tree for the night. And now his entire routine was off, as well. He would be having a hard time later when he tried to go to sleep, that was for sure.
Even more annoying--and grating on the nerves, as well as his confidence and pride--was the endless banter. He supposed it was meant to be sportslion-like, but it certainly didn't come off that way.
So he decided to oblige this strange lion. Dole quickly glanced around and spotted another tree, one with a thicker, sturdier trunk and spaced out branches. He rose from his clutching position, turned around, and gracefully jumped down from the branch, landing on all four feet. The only problem now was that it was a foot race to the tree he set his sights on--who knew if the lion could land as well as he could? He would soon find out, as he began to sprint towards his haven (hopefully).Unguzo leapt after the leopard with no hesitance, the moment he spotted the other creature’s muscles coiling. He fell to the ground like a stone, landing with a might thud and not losing a beat as he threw himself into a run. If he were a wild dog he might have let his tongue hang out of his mouth, to feel the wind rushing over his face as he rushed to beat the leopard to the tree: to be the victor of their sudden race.
Leopards were sleek and made for running, it seemed. His opponent was fast, but Unguzo was well trained and his feet were surprisingly light. He did not beat the leopard to the tree, but it was certainly looking like a close call. And besides, that had not been his goal. He ran directly behind Dole, feet flying, catching letting his pace fall so that he was just behind the tip of the leopard’s tail.
And then he caught the tuft of fur in his teeth, and dug his feet into the earth.This lion actually moved pretty fast. If Dole was a cheetah, he wouldn't be worried. but that's the thing. He wasn't a cheetah. Which could cause a problem, since this male was moving so fast.
He was just reaching the tree, about to leap up and grab onto the trunk and yank himself upwards as fast as he could, when he felt teeth clamp over the end of his tail. Ow.
"OAAAAAAAAAW!" He screamed--yes, screamed--and literally jumped into the air. And then he got pulled backwards rather roughly, since Unguzo's feet were digging into the earth so deeply. It pulled him back and he imitated a sling-shot in springing backwards and on top of the lion.Unguzo hadn’t been expecting the spring back action of his decision, and was knocked off his feet. He let out a laugh, despite himself, and hauled himself to his feet as soon as he got his senses back, escaping from under the leopard and letting him do what he wanted. Unguzo had no reason to attack the tree climbing creature, after all he was only playing with the thing. It was rough, mean play, but Unguzo was only in it for his own fun. He didn’t really care what the leopard was thinking.
“Good show!” He hooted childishly, tail flicking back and forth furiously in his excitement, “that was amazing fun! You’re fast, but it seems I’m faster! Or at least more clever. Which one is more important? Ha! You should have seen the look on your face! I thought you were going to pee on me. The game would have changed very quickly after that.”
The massive lion growled and his eyes flashed with the malice he was truly capable of. It faded in a moment, however, his expression lightening and a grin spreading over his face. Shaking his mane, he stamped his feet and tested his muscles, to be sure he hadn’t been hurt. Feeling perfectly fine, save some bruises from the collision, he shrugged and turned away.
“I’m done now. You may go.”As soon as Dole was released--his poor tail!--he scrambled away and up the tree as fast as he could, not really caring what the lion would do or about being graceful. He had no one to impress, really, and this was a flee for his LIFE. This was important. Not a time to worry about appearances.
His eyes narrowed and his ears pulled back close to his head at Unguzo's prideful comments. Faster than he? No, no. He just had the advantage of being on the ground. If they were up in the trees, like earlier, that would be a different story. And how disgusting to joke about one peeing on another! Not to mention the glint of true rage that flashed in the lion's eye after he had said that...
"Oh, I'm so glad," Dole snarled back. "So glad that you gave me permission to move on with my life, as if you had never met me."Unguzo grinned up at the leopard and shook his head, shrugging his hefty shoulders and not looking all too concerned about the tone the leopard had taken. He paced back and forth for a bit, bouncing on his paws. He was still energetic, but bored with his current plaything. It was up in a tree again, and he had no patience for climbing anymore. He wanted to bug the leopard more, but imagined the fun would end and there would be a death, or at the very least some blood.
He didn’t want to get in a fight. He would just have to go and find a new game.
“You’re welcome, then,” he laughed, flicking his tail, “I’m glad to have made you glad, ha! I hope we meet again, bright fur! I’ll have a good laugh with you again. Or maybe they will be different circumstances? Whatever the case, I wait for our paths to cross again.” He grinned, nodded, and then moved off into the rogue lands.Dole sulked and twitched his tail, claws digging more into the tree branch below him. The leopard watched the lion walk gaily away, off towards wherever. He didn't really care. What he cared about was the effect that stupid lion had had on him. What a cruel way of treating others: like a game. His poor tail!
He turned to look at it. The end hung limply, still active but obviously tender from the rough treatment. Never had he been 'handled' such a way. It was awful. He would not likely trust lions so generously next time.
Bright fur, indeed.
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