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 Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:20 pm
 She lay on her belly in the grass, a short distance from the den, quite still and as silent as could be. Her head was tilted in a way that suggested she was focused intently on something or someone and, if you were to circle so you could see her face, you would see her expression lined deep with concentration.
She wasn't watching anything, that much was clear. Her eyes held a sort of glazed, unfocused colour about them. However, her ears twitched and it was clear that what held her attention was a sound. The sound of a bird twittering up high in a nearby tree.
She loved the sound of its song. Loved how it sounded in her ears, loved how it seemed to make her heart sing in reply. Sometimes she wished she were a bird that she could fly and sing and travel the world upon the arms of the wind.
She sighed deeply, dreamily, and finally lifted her eyes to catch a glimpse of bright feathers amongst rustling green leaves. She knew it was up there somewhere, hidden away, secret and safe from her own kind who might treat it as some toy. But Laka would never do that. Laka wasn't the sort. She was gentle and loving and the thought of seeing the poor thing hurt and broken was enough to have her sobbing. But no amount of encouragement or peaceful talk had ever lured it down to see her.
It stayed in the tree and she stayed on the ground. They might as well have been worlds apart.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:47 pm
The sound of rustling in the trees did little to stir mystery or wonder in Laka's brother, Fala. Sitting not far from her, he shuddered and slunk to the side, his bright wide eyes darting around to search for any hidden enemies. Trees could be dangerous things! Just a few days ago, a seed pod had fallen from one of those bright leaves, and clonked him on the head. It had been a valuable lesson. Trees were full of danger!
And Laka was out there just snoozing away!
Nervously, Fala chased his tail, and wrung it between his paws. If he moved over to Laka, the thing in the tree might see him. But... what if it saw his sister first? Swallowing, he decided he absolutely could not live with that if it did. And, seeing as none of their other siblings were around- the small cub sucked up all the bravery he could muster, and tore through the small patch of grass.
He lept, and landed sharply down upon the little gray female, and started to roll. "Look out!" Fala gasped. "There's something in the tree! Back in the den, back in the den!"
Overreaction, maybe. But, he meant well.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:54 pm
Unaware of the pink-eyed terror watching her, fearful for her safety, the little grey one continued looking up into the tree. Wait! Was that it?! She lifted her head so she could better see the bird hiding away up there when suddenly the breath was being squished from her lungs and she was being rolled across the ground.
The feel of cool grass absorbed the shock and as she tried to spin to see who her attacker was, she heard Fala's voice calling out to her. Look out? Look out? What was there? Mother and Father had always warned them about the dangers of the world. But this wasn't the world. This was home. Close to the den. No dangers would come so close!
Spurred on by the sound of her brother's voice she gave a keen cry and scrabbled to her paws, flailing in a panic. Something was coming! Something was coming! Quick! Quick! Back to the den! With another cry she scrabbled onto her paws, finding them wobbly and clumsy as she tried desperately to reach that safe, dark place; the den where they had been born and raised.
If she could make it there then everything would be okay!
And in her panic she threw a glance over her shoulder, expecting sharp talons of an eagle stretched towards her, or the fierce snarling face of some outsider lion or bear.
But all was peaceful and the tree stood as innocently as it ever had. Confused, she skidded to a halt and turned to glance back, fully, wondering if she had missed something.
"Fala..." She began. "I don't see anything. What...what did you see?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:11 pm
Fala did not need to see the talons of the eagle, or the teeth of the roving lion to run as though he had. After toppling into Laka, he proceed to start to shove her in the direction of the earthen opening, his little feather jingling as it swung around and tried to keep up with his rapid movements. "Hurry, hurry!" he gaped, trying hard to keep his voice low.
But when Laka stopped midrun, Fala could only tumble roll to a stop, landing in a small bush nearby. He scrambled halfway out of it, slinking low so he could use it for over. "What do you mean?! Didn't you hear it? It's up in the tree!" He gasped.
His tiny claws sunk into the dirt, and he looked around. There was nothing but...he was sure of it. "Up there! Look, there!" He pointed, his teeth clenched. "It's watching us!"
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:19 pm
"Hear it?" She echoed softly, forgetting her panic of just a moment ago as she attempted to decipher her brother's words. She was confused. What exxactly had he heard that was so scary? The only thing she had heard from that tree was beautiful bird song and surely he couldn't mean that!
But if it wasn't bird song, what else was up there? Was something stalking her pretty little singing friend?
Her eyes widened at the thought and she made as if to go back, thinking of what she could to to help and warn the little talented creature of its dangerous situation! Then Fala continued, halting her paw mid-air and she followed the direction he pointed in--up, up, up, to the tree. Yes, the tree where her friend sat and sang on a daily basis.
"Watching us?" She squeaked, shuffling closer to her brown-pelted brother. "Are you...are you sure? I...I can't see anything, Fala. What does it look like?"
Movement! Was that the wind or was it the sneaky motion of a hiding predator? Her legs quivered with nervous anticipation. "It might hurt me friend, Fala. My friend who sings. Then who would I listen too?" She sniffed, suddenly extremely sad and worried. "Should we get Mother and Father Or maybe Eeva or Kohana?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:48 pm
"I--I don't know!" Fala gaped. Wasn't the threat of danger enough? The fact that she hadn't taken refuge made him all the more anxious. "I saw the leaves fall! It was really bright!" As if that was irrefutable proof of something malevolent. But, Fala wasn't entirely unmovable. After all, he didn't really want to believe there was something up there. "Friend?" He asked, his whiskers perking. Nervously, the chocolate colored cub slunk a bit further from the protective shrub, and eyed the offending tree.
Venturing out a bit further, he scooted over and behind his sister. "What kind of friend lives in a tree?" He asked sheepishly. "I think dangerous things come out of trees. Why would trees need leaves, otherwise? It's for hiding things." He remarked. Good plants like grass didn't need them.
Then, suddenly a bit worried again. "Why is your friend hiding? Did he see something?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:23 am
She turned her head to look at him as he ventured out to stand closer, feeling better knowing he was there at her side if things did take a turn for the worse. There was safety in numbers. That's why lions lived in prides! To protect them from all the bad things!
"Maybe its gone now?" She replied hopefully. She certainly didn't see anything bright in the tree. Then again she hadn't noticed any leaves dropping either. Was she really that unobservant?!
"My friend. He's a pretty little songbird." Laka answered. "With very pretty feathers, though I don't really see him very much at all. Once or twice is all." She paused and shrugged a little. "Trees are...dangerous? But...but they're so pretty!" She insisted. "Pretty things could never be bad, Fala." She shook her head indecisively. "He's hiding because he's shy, that's all. He always hides. I think he's afraid of lions."
She shifted and took a step forwards, suddenly wondering whether she should ask anyway. "Hey, Fala, you don't think it was my friend that you saw, do you? He has bright feathers and lives in the tree."
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:55 am
Fala scowled. A friend! Why didn't he know about this friend? "...I...uh..." he winced. In his mind he saw a bright creature lurking in the trees, with blood red eyes and talons and...! But, as the bright-eyed cub stared in the trees, his embarrassment grew. He... he... might have been wrong. "I... well! How was I supposed to know you had a bird friend?" Fala frowned.
Shyly, he slunk from where he was hiding. "Birds are dangerous though. With their sharp beaks! Why is he hiding?" The cub asked, twisting his tail.
Not still sure, he inched out a little further. He couldn't see the bird anymore from between the trees- but he could feel it. He could feel it...watching? But this time, the terror was not so strong as was a confusion. He'd never really cared to notice birds before, even though his own ear dangled the bright feather of one such creature.
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Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:22 pm
She nosed at him as he moved to join her and turned her eyes back to the tree, expectantly. "Sorry, Fala, I didn't think to tell anyone. I thought you all might think it was stupid or something..." She dipped her head and ears. "I mean...lions and birds...we're not really supposed to be friends, right?" Her eyes twinkled, hoping that somehow she was wrong about that.
She did not know yet that a bird had led her father to this homeland. This promised land.
"I think he's too small to be dangerous." She explained. "He's not like a big scary eagle that could lift us up. I think he's hiding because he's scared of me. Scared of lions. I tell him that I won't hurt him but I don't think he believes it." She sighed deeply and sat heavily, curling her tail around her. "Do you think I'm scary, Fala?"
She reached out and batted the feather hanging from his ear, thinking at the same time that the jewellery might be what was putting the bird off. Perhaps he saw the feather in her ear and thought it one of her victim's feathers rather than a shed feather found amidst the grasses?
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