Ah...freedom. It was a lovely thing. Nothing to hold her down, the wind at her back, tousling her fur...Freedom was a heady thing for Eupe'baridi. And not something new anymore. And it was all one little orange juvenile's fault. Well...he wasn't so small anymore. He was an adult now...and still he let Eupe travel with him. Perhaps that was real freedom to her...someone to travel with, someone who cared about her for who she was not what she was. Aang had become just as much her son as Kisa had been her daughter...
The pale cheetah yawned and flopped back into the grasses, looking a little silly with her back legs stretched out and her front legs tucked to her chest. But she didn't care. For once...she was enjoying just watching the clouds float across the sunset sky.


Of course, all Isi had known his entire life was freedom. Never restricted by any prides... His only true restriction was how far his paws could carry him in a day. And this particular day had seen him traveling quite a bit, the wind ruffling his dusty gold fur and dirt clumping along his paws. He was almost tempted to find a lake and hop into it... That was until a rather stark white figure caught his eyes.

With a grin, the leopard (who believed himself to be a lion) quietly padded forward, his tail flicking behind him.


Eupe was quite happy and content...and then rustling behind her head caught her attention. Old habits died hard, and the cheetah rolled over onto her belly quickly, green eyes narrowed. Who was trying to sneak up on her and why...She stalked forward a bit, trying to catch the surpriser...only to find herself meeting a rather cheerful looking pair of golden eyes. "What the...who are you?"


Blast, foiled again! Isi merely grinned at the cheetah before him, sitting down and flicking his ears towards her. "Sorry... Sometimes I just want to surprise people! I'm Isimangaliso. Isi for short!"


Eupe blinked and raised a brow, sitting up. "Eupe'baridi...Eupe for short." This leopard was...interesting. "What brings you out this way, Isi?" He reminded her of Aang's eternal cheer when he was younger (not that his cheer had gone anywhere...he'd just gotten smarter).


"Nice to meet you Eupe!" Isi said happily, grinning and straightening up. The question made him tilt his head and hum slightly. "Nothing really. I just like traveling."


Ah...another traveler! She laughed lightly. "Well then, something we have in common!" Eupe seemed to perk up a bit, smile on her maw now...small, but still there. "My group and I are constantly traveling...though we have a direction now."


"Really? I've been traveling ever since my paws were steady enough to let me move on them!" Isi said, his grin widening. "My mom and dad were both rogues, so we were always on the move... Where are you headed, if you don't mind my asking?"


Ah...how lucky he was. "I grew up in a clan...I didn't start traveling until I was an adult...but I suppose I enjoy my freedom all that much more because of it." The cheetah pointed in the direction they'd been traveling. "To my charge's homelands. He's heard rumors they are safe again...and I suspect his homesickness finally overcame him. So...I'm going along to see this place where he was born, and to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."


"That's a shame! Traveling is so great. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't get to travel!" Isi said lightly. He absently looked in the direction Eupe had pointed and nodded. "So, what happened with his homelands?"


Eupe nodded. "I don't think I could ever be...sedentary again. There's just something...wonderful about having the wind through your fur as you leave behind the place you were in the day before..." She looked a little wistful, then shook her head. "War is what happened. One clan grew too greedy and power-hungry, and sought to dominate two of the other clans and wipe out the third." She hoped that was over. Otherwise...well, Aang would likely end up seeing the warrior side of her. No one would harm him. Not while she still breathed.


"That's horrible. I hope the war is over. War is never good," Isi said, his ears flattening against his head in sympathy.


Eupe shook her head. "War...is a disgusting thing. All too often, it is the young who suffer for it, for the mistakes of their elders." She snorted. "But it happens. And so...even if the war is over when we get there, I am going to stay with my charge and his clan, to ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated." Aang's people had forgotten that peace is not always given...it was won, more often than not.


"So what was his clan like? I have to admit, I'm curious!" Isi said lightly, leaning towards Eupe. He almost fell over then, and laughed when he flopped onto his belly in front of the cheetah.


Eupe scoot back a bit in surprise. But she laughed and started describing what Aang had told her. "They were a peaceful group...and travelers. They never settled for too long in one area of the lands. They were...the wind personified." Perhaps not the most eloquent of descriptions...but Kisa had been the storyteller, not her mother. "They were open and friendly...perhaps too much so. But...were it not for that, I think I would still be a very hard and close-minded cheetah."


"They sound... Really neat!" Isi said after a long moment, getting back to his feet and looking Eupe over. After a second, he nodded. "You look like you'd fit right in!"


Eupe blinked and smiled more. "I...suppose I would." She perked up a bit. "Aang seems to think well enough, so..." An idea struck her at that moment. "You know..." Her smile turned a bit sly. "We do need more experienced travelers to help revive the Air Nomads...mayhap you'd like to at least visit the lands for a bit?"


"I guess I could visit. It couldn't hurt, after all," Isi said after a long moment. And then he grinned and winked at Eupe. "It couldn't be too horrible with a pretty lady like yourself around, after all."


Eupe nodded. "At the least, you'll have seen a new place~" A few months ago, Eupe might have acted coy or shy at being called pretty...but now...well, it was a fact. And it was one she rather liked having pointed out. Especially by good looking males. "Thank you~ And I look forward to having such a handsome traveling companion."


"And I do like seeing new places!" Isi said, his grin widening as he kneaded the ground anxiously with his paws. He almost couldn't wait. the way she talked made it sound like this land was quite a ways away, and he looked forward to traveling that way. At the compliment, he couldn't help the slight flush that appeared under his fur. "Thanks. Not often I hear people calling me handsome."


Eupe chuckled softly. "Well...then you've not met enough sighted creatures." She stood and shook herself a bit. "Perhaps you'd like to meet the rest of the group? Though...there aren't many of us right now. Just...well, myself and my charge." They would get bigger though. It was hard not to, when Aang had such an open heart and a way of attracting others to him.


"That sounds really nice! I bet I'll like your friend, if he's anything like you," Isi replied, grinning and spinning around in a circle. He couldn't wait to meet Eupe's friend!