It had been a few days since Isi had joined up with Eupe's group, or maybe he should call it Aang's. It didn't really matter to him. After hearing about the Arba'Sehemu from the rather enthusiastic male cheetah, Isi had decided he would settle down in the pride... Once they reached the lands, of course. Aang had even deemed the leopard trustworthy enough to become one of the first new Air Sages... Of course, Isi still had a lot to learn about the Air Nomads.
He couldn't help but grin as he trotted towards a nearby heard of antelope, Eupe at his side. He'd offered to help the cheetah with her duties for the day, namely hunting. It did promise to be a rather good day for the two of them.
Eupe had known Aang would like leopard. Isi was friendly enough, and Aang did well with friendly. And once Isi and Aang had talked for a while (Eupe had decided to catch up on some sleep at one point during it), the group suddenly had the first new Air Sage. Which suited Eupe just fine. When he'd offered to help her hunt today...
Well, she'd accepted. It was always nice to hunt with others, especially friends. And it kept her skills in groups sharp, since Aang didn't hunt. Eupe understood WHY now...but someone had to make sure they stayed healthy. With the antelope in sight now, Eupe dropped into a crouch. "So...how do you think we should go about this?"
Isi gave a low hum at the question, glancing at Eupe for a moment. He considered just how the hunt would work best before grinning. He had the perfect idea...
"I'll draw their attention, and you can go after one of the stragglers," Isi said lightly, glancing at Eupe.
That sounded like a plan. A good plan. Eupe nodded, not needing words to show she agreed to the plan. She was best suited for getting at a single straggler. Isi...he was best suited for the actual muscle work of separating that stagger from the rest. She slunk a bit off, making sure to stay low and slow.
Isi slunk off into the grasses as soon as the plan was confirmed. He was careful to stick to the dried areas - the places he blended into perfectly... And as soon as Eupe was into position, he roared and charged. The herd scattered as he chased after them, crossing through to cut off a small group from the rest.
Eupe waited...and waited...and then Isi created the distraction. She grinned, and started after one of the group he'd cut off...a younger male, trying to run rather than fight. He didn't see her coming until she was too close to run from. The chase was short, and Eupe made sure the killing bow was quick. She stood over her kill, glaring at the carrion birds that had already started to gather. This was HER kill for HER family.
And as soon as he smelled the blood of a fresh kill, he trotted over to Eupe. He paused on his way there, and roared again, this time to scatter the circling carrion birds.
Eupe smiled at Isi. "A successful hunt! Thank you a great deal, Isi." She bat playfully at him. "I think I could get used to hunting with you...much easier when there's two creatures who complement each others' strengths."
"Indeed it is... Should I help you drag this back?" Isi said lightly, glancing at Eupe with a small smile. He'd always thought he'd only ever be attracted to lionesses, but it seemed like this particular cheetah had proved him wrong.
Eupe nodded. "Help would be wonderful, Isi!" Dragging the carcass back was the hard part for Eupe. Very much the hard part. "I'm...well, as you know, I'm not the strongest." The situation was almost familiar...but Eupe knew this male wouldn't disappear on her.
"I think I might even be able to handle this one by myself!" Isi teased, grinning and grabbing the scruff of the beast in his jaws. He glanced over his shoulder once before beginning to drag the carcass in the direction of their 'camp' for the night.
Eupe tried to protest, then sighed and shook her head. Boys. She trotted after him quickly, making sure to warn him of dips and rocks and the odd bush. If she wasn't doing any dragging...she'd make sure the dragger didn't get hurt! "You are such a strange male, Isi. But...I suppose that's part of what I like about you."
Isi would have quipped something back at Eupe, but as it was his jaws were rather occupied with a fresh kill... So the most he could do was send the cheetah a playful glare and grin around a mouth of meat. Almost as if to say, 'Hey, I could be stranger!'
Eupe only laughed brightly. "I know, I know." She chirred. "You could be some mystery murderer. But you aren't...so all is well." She danced over and nudged his shoulder. "Thank you again, Isi."
And the instant he felt that nudge, all was right with the world. He could only grin and eagerly dance forward. There was no doubt in his mind now... He was in love!
