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 Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 7:38 pm
 With a flutter of wings Vana Huine dropped to the earth. His paws crunched softly in the freshly fallen snow. Giving a slight shiver he looked about. There was something he had seen up here but he didn't know what it was. Then again, he had never been so far up in the mountains either. Looking about Vana sighed, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Hopefully there were no lions around... How he disliked running into one with a nasty temper....
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 9:30 pm
 Ariia shivered excessively as she wandered around in the snow, she sunk in up to her stomach and had to bound like an antelope to get around because she was still so small.
Only an hour or so ago her mother had heard a noise and left her huddled in a small cave on the mountainside before heading out into the blizzard. A short while after she lost sight of her mother she heard the alarming sounds of fighting and she shrank back, cowering in the darkness, she prayed that her mother was alright, that she was wrong about the sounds of the fighting but she knew in her heart that she wasn't.
After a time Ariia couldn't take the suspense anymore, she had to know what happened, why hadn't her mother returned like she said she would? That's when she saw it, a scene her young mind would never forget, first she saw the blood spattered snow, then the obvious signs of struggle, clumps of fur and blood mixed on the ground, and a trail of blood lead a few more feet to the body of her mother. Ariia shook pitifully and couldn't contain the terrified "Mama!" that escaped her as she bolted forward and looked down at her mother. "Mama, open your eye mama! please! C'mon... wake up!" It took her awhile to realize that her mother wasn't going to wake up, she was just like the gazelle that she used to bring to Ariia, dead.
The young white cub had stayed by her mothers side for awhile, crying pitifully and wondering why it had happened, why had her mother been attacked? Were the gods playing some sort of cruel joke? Making such an innocent cub an orphan only a few months after she was born? After she had cried herself into oblivion she rose to her paws and wandered away into the snow, too shocked and traumatized to pay attention to her surroundings.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:00 am
The smell of blood creeped it's way to Vana's nose. Immediately he was more alert. He crouched a little, which seemed unnescessary because as he traveled further up the snow was getting deeper. It was in the distance he saw the shine of something metallicy as well as the lump of some lifeless form.
Hurry to the area, staying aleart to whatever had caused this sad scene, Vana peered around. A mother cheetah. How sad... Then it occured to him, what if he had just missed this? Could he have helped this cheetah? What if there were little ones about? They would surely die in this cold without someone to bring them food.
Examining the scene closer, Vana noticed a small pair of tracks that had come up close to the lifeless form then hurried off in another direction. Just as Vana turned to follow the tracks, snowflakes began to fall. If he was going to find this cub, he better find it fast. His bigger size made it easier to pad through the snow but the drop in temperature was getting to him. It took him a moment to notice that it wasn't a big lump of snow bouncing around, it was a cheetah cub trying to wade through the deep snow.
With a powerful trust of his wings he took to the air and landed a several yards in front of it, he wanted to make sure they saw him and knew he was a cheetah. "Young one! Please! Come with me!" He cried, knowing it would probably be useless, but he spread his wing out towards her anyways.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:50 am
Ariia was now shivering so much that she could barely stay on her paws and again the snow began to fall. Just what she needed, how would she ever get to somewhere safe if she couldn't see where she was going? The wind began again too, which made some of the snow that had already settled on the ground kick back up into the air as well. Perfect, a blizzard, how wonderful.
As Ariia made her way towards the larger cave she and her mother had used as a den before she saw something dark moving off to the side and when she turned her head and tried to focus she could see nothing. Turning back to her direction of travel Ariia suddenly stopped, nearly faceplanting in the process, there, in front of her was a male cheetah. Her mother had always taught her to be wary of any other creatures and she knew no better. Hunching up into a ball she hissed, as menacingly as she could, though she knew she didn't stand a chance of intimidating him. "Come... with you? Why?" she questioned, unsure of herself but something inside her was telling her that she would be safe with him, her mind however, was screaming at her to run.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:25 pm
Well at least she hadn't run. He would had chuckled in any other situation at her hissing, but now was not the time. He crouched also, hoping that it would make him look less intimidating.
"You mother told me to help you." He said just loud enough for her to hear. He wasn't exactly telling the truth, and he sure hoped that this was the cub that belonged to the dead mother. "She said you would be cold and that I needed to take you somewhere warm." He tried to make his features look as nice and as convincing as possible. If there was any chance of survival for this cub, it would be with him. And he was set on that. He was even thinking that if she would refuse him he would scoop her up and take her down the mountain... but that was only the extreme case.
Looking back to the cub he nodded. "I promise I'll keep you safe."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:49 pm
Ariia stared at the male, debating on whether to believe him or not. Her mother had asked him to help her? Then he had been there when she was killed? Right? Or maybe he was a friend of hers from before and she had asked him a long time ago to make sure she was alright? "You knew my mama?" she asked. Still not moving any closer to, nor any farther away from him.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 3:35 pm
He nodded, he didn't want to have to explain. "Please, we must hurry before it gets colder. My name is Vana Huine, I'll be your protecter ok?" He said, hoping he was speaking clearly enough for her to understand.
A shiver racked his body. If he was this cold he couldn't image how bad she was. He stole a glance to the side, the blizzard was picking up... he'd have to get her out of here soon if they were both to make it out alive.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 3:51 pm
Ariia finally decided that she had only two options, refuse his help and freeze to death or, accept his help and... have a 50/50 chance of survival depending on if he was being honest or not about his intentions. After a little while of debating she spoke "M-my n-n-name is A-Ariia." she said, while her teeth chattered and she shivered uncontrollably.
Very slowly, and with as much grace as she could manage the little cheetah cub made her way towards Vana.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:51 pm
With a sigh of relief that came out in a big cloud in front of him, Vana scooped up the cub with his tail and helped her onto his back. With a great effort against the winds he was able to bring them into the air. He knew it was going to be colder for her in the air but they needed to leave as soon as possible.
It was nerely twenty minutes before they were out of the worst of the storm. "Ariia... Ariia... stay with me..." He would continue to say, just trying to keep her awake and alive. As soon as he was clear of the worst of the storm he flew quicker, getting to a lower elevation. As they continued their decent the temperature began to rise. Slowly, but surely.
It took Vana at least another forty minutes to be on the otherside of the trees at the base of the mountain. "Ariia. Look, can you see the sun?" He asked as he touched the ground, laying down so that he could gently nudge her off of his back. Readjusting himself so he was beside her he curled a wing around her, feeling that she was still very cold. "The sun is rising Ariia..." He cooed softly.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 7:02 pm
Ariia climbed onto his back carefully, and huddled down into his fur as he took off into the air. The higher they got the colder she became and soon she was drifting in and out of conciousness. She was struggling to stay alive and fight off the darkness that wanted to consume her, she had to live, her mother would want that, only that, and hearing Vana's voice gave her the strength to hang on.
As they emerged from the worst of the storm and the temperature began to rise she looked around, she had never been off of the mountain before and she was unsure of her surroundings. As Vana helped her off of his back she looked up in the direction he was pointing. "W-will the s-sun m-make it warmer n-now?" she asked as she watched the pink and orange glow wash across the sky and the golden light illuminate the lands before her. She was still very cold and as Vana put his wing around her she scooted closer to his side, seeking his body heat to warm herself.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 7:20 pm
Vana felt her squirm closer and he felt his heart speed up, there was no way he could have left this child on the snow. How small and weak she was. He'd pride himself in protecting her and giving her the best life cpapable of a stranded cub.
He nodded and lifted his wing to look at her more clearly. "Yes, it will make us warm." He said softly, watching as the wonder light her face. She was so innocent... so innocently beautiful in such a small body.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 7:43 pm
Ariia smiled up at the male that had rescued her from the harsh, unforgiving storm upon the mountain, her eyes twinkling with trust. "You said you knew mama, does that mean you're a relative?" she asked, her natural childish curiousity perking back up as she got warmer and moved back away from the edge that she had almost gone over before in the storm.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 7:49 pm
Vana stiffened a little, he had half hoped Ariia wouldn't ask him that, but how was he to avoid it? "Yes and no. I'm not a relative, I knew her only for a short time." He said truthfully. "I know her best wishes would be to keep you safe." He added in a deep tone. Looking to the little figure he searched her face for some kind of emotion... how he disliked seeing her face crinkle up with sadness.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:03 pm
Ariia nodded, looking down at the ground as she processed what Vana said. "Oh." was all she said at first and then after a few more minutes she looked back up at him. A confused expression plasted on her face "Why did mama die? We heard a noise and she went out in the storm but she never came back... she was supposed to come back... she promised." the small cub spoke softly, her words barely audible to the cheetah sitting next to her.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:16 pm
His heart was breaking... he knew it when she spoke of such sadness. She obviously had no idea something had shread her mother to bits... the very idea made Vana boil with anger. "That's a story for another time. Right now you just go to sleep and let the sun warm you. I'll wake you when we need to move." He added softly, letting his tail curl about her, his wing tucking her close.
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