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 Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:26 am
 He'd graduated from his little cave to the shade of a tree. It was, he figured, by some random miracle that he (once again) managed to find shade in the middle of the afternoon. It was just a random tree, actually, and since there wasn't much water around he figured it was gonna dry up at some point or another. Best take advantage of it while he could.
There was a smile on his maw, as the idea of finally stumbling across good luck left him feeling slightly elated. It was a good change from his younger years, after all, and it felt pretty nice. Garai heaved a contented sigh as he lay on his side, eyes closed and with only his ears flicking into motion every now and again. He was, as usual, listening for anyone passing by. He had to be on alert, even though he was relaxing, just in case the passerby was hostile in any way. One could never be too careful.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:34 am
 Tall grass - he hated tall grass. Not because there were various bugs in it that could catch onto his fur, or because there were burrows that he could possibly stumble across and get seriously injured. He hated it simply because it was tall...it was so uncomfortable! The eerie brushing of the pointy-ended leaves against his body, the strange crunching noise that it made as you went through it.. he just didn't like it. And to top that off, it was incredibly hot (as usual) out in the open.
Tarik muttered a few curses under his breath as he made his way across, resisting every urge to freeze a large patch of the stuff just so he'd feel a bit more comfortable. He was in his usual disguise, a larger-than-normal, white-pelted adolescent lion with pale blue eyes.
His eyes finally landed on a tree in a clearing not too far off, and with brows furrowed he spread his wings and lifted himself out of the tall grass and flew over to said tree. The deity landed gracefully, folded his wings, and re-assumed his guise.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:38 am
Rai had almost drifted off to sleep when his ears caught the sound of a rather strong gust of wind above him. He figured it for a large bird just passing by from above, however when the gust stopped abruptly he furrowed his brows and lifted his head so he could hear a bit better. It was strange, actually, since right after the gusts had stopped he heard the sound of someone walking nearby.
It was possible that it was just mere coincidence, but he'd never been one to let such a coincidence go without asking at least one question. "Who goes?" the large cheetah asked, shifting into a sitting position as he looked around despite his eyes being closed.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:42 am
He froze where he stood when a voice suddenly came, and when Tarik turned to face in the direction the voice had come from he spotted a male cheetah sitting down in the shade of the tree he'd seen just moments ago. He was surprised that he hadn't seen him, but didn't let it show through in his voice as he answered the question.
"Just a passerby, cheetah," came his answer. The adolescent moved a little closer to the other feline, this having been the first time he'd seen a full grown cheetah. They were a bit bigger than he'd expected for a swift creature, but he brushed the thought aside as he took a seat in the shade of the tree as well. He was several feet from the other, taking shelter in the shade of the trees branches while the cheetah was by its base.
"They call me Tarik, and you are?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:48 am
"Garai," he answered a moment after the other fellow's strange introduction. He said 'they' but...well, he just wouldn't ask. It didn't really matter, actually. "Rai for short, nice to meet you."
By the sound of the other's voice Rai figured that he was male, probably adolescent or older because of the way he spoke. Feline or not he really couldn't tell, but that didn't really matter to him either. Not when he wasn't able to see, anyway, species was a non-issue to him despite being raised to believe that cheetahs were the best of the best.
After an awkward silence Rai gave a sigh and smiled in Tarik's direction. "So what brings you to such a place Tarik?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:00 pm
"Likewise.."
Tarik watched Rai with a raised brow, curious as to why he wouldn't open his eyes. It seemed a bit rude despite his being polite with both his expression and his tone of voice. It was only fair that the deity return the favor. "Like I said, I'm just passing through. It's hot so I thought it'd be nice to take shelter in the shade for a little bit."
It was the honest truth, though he left the part about him flying towards the clearing out of the picture. There wasn't any need to bring that up unless he asked anyway. So, for the sake of continuing their little conversation, Tarik returned the question. "What about you?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:15 pm
At his question Rai gave a sort of shrug. In all honesty he hadn't planned on stopping for as long as he did, but it was just so damned comfortable being the shade! He couldn't help himself.. "I'm just relaxing, to be honest. I found this place a little while ago and just," and he paused and gave a chuckle. "I couldn't leave as soon as I would've liked."
It was just at that moment that his mind went back to what he'd heard moments before he'd met Tarik. The gust of wind and the sudden sound of pawsteps. He figured it'd be alright to ask, actually, though deep down he wasn't really expecting an honest answer about such a thing..
"Earlier, before you got here, did you happen to hear or see something that caused a strong gust of wind to pass by above this tree?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:20 pm
Tarik shifted a little uncomfortably where he sat when Rai asked what he did. He'd pulled the guise on once he landed, of course, but Rai had been there even before he flew over so for all he knew he could've been seen. Still, the cheetah hadn't mentioned anything until now, so maybe he hadn't seen a thing to begin with. Tarik let the silence sit between them for a while as he thought of an answer.
"No.." he said at last, not sure whether it was a good idea to lie or not, but figuring it was better than telling the cheetah that he was one of the immortals. "I thought it was just a passing breeze so I didn't really pay much attention to it."
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:22 pm
"I see.."
Deciding that it best to let go of such an assumption, Rai rid himself of the questioning look on his face and smiled again. "I suppose it isn't anything to worry about then, maybe I was just dreaming." And just like that he dropped the subject.
Silence fell between them yet again, and at that point Rai wasn't sure what to talk about next. Even as a cub he had a tough time with small talk, and though he'd gotten better since then it was still hard sometimes. Especially after he'd embarrassed himself somewhat, like just then.
"So.."
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:28 pm
"I think it's about time I take my leave," he said suddenly, getting up on all fours and readying himself for the long walk ahead. "It feels as though I've idled here for too long, I'm getting a little restless. I'm sure you're familiar with the feeling, being a wanderer yourself."
At that Tarik turned to face the tall grass that surrounded the little clearing, the eerie feeling of the pointy ends brushing against him sending chills up and down his spine. He shuddered a bit at the idea of having to actually traverse the damned tall grass, but he couldn't afford the cheetah to be any more suspicious. Even though he seemed to have dropped the subject so readily, the deity didn't think it was a good idea....even if he'd be uncomfortable for a few hours.
"Thank you for your company, cheetah. I'll be taking my leave now.." and with that Tarik started off again, heaving a sigh as he took his first step into the hated tall grass. He'd do something about his discomfort when he was a good distance away from this place..
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:36 pm
Rai was taken back when the other suddenly announced that he would be leaving already. He wouldn't stop him, of course, but it was just so sudden. Still, he only nodded as he listened to Tarik's goodbye.
"Alright, then. Take care, Tarik. And I appreciate your company as well."
And just like that the passerby was gone, and Garai went back to lying down, eyes still closed as he listened to his surroundings yet again. Soon enough he fell asleep, and his final thoughts before slipping into his subconscious were of that strange gust and the sudden sound of approaching pawsteps.
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