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 Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:10 am
The large hybrid had been wandering around the lands, looking for something to hunt for him and his son. He wondered why his mother had always had a much easier time with these things, she seemed to bring home food almost instantly everyday! He wondered if it was because of his large, fluffy mane. That was it! It was always in the way, and made him hot after running. Stupid mane.
As the spotted male walked, he caught the scent of water in the air, and shortly after a small watering hole was in view. He could see a few prey beasts taking their fill, and he instantly flattened himself to the ground, hoping they wouldn't see him. Having a white coat wasn't exactly camouflage in the brown grasses of the savanna.
The three gazelles that were drinking were ever vigilant, as prey usually was. One of them had his head lifted while the other two drank. Jahazi began to slowly inch forward whenever the lookout was looking in a different direction, and soon he was only a few bounds away from them.
The leopon didn't think to check if he was downwind of the beasts, and suddenly a gust of wind came from behind him, and blew his scent right to his prey. The three critters instantly bounded off as fast as they could, and Jahazi leaped at them, with a weak attempt at catching one.
The big leopon cursed inwardly as he flopped heavily on to the ground by the waters edge, breathing hard.
"Stupid gazelles... Stupid mane." He muttered as he lay there.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:34 am
Amber eyes, somber from years of experience and hardship, watched the gazelle as they exploded into flight, graceful as ever with their heads held high and legs stretched out behind them as they bounded away to safety. They had highly developed senses to ensure their survival, and survive they had - today, at least.
"You've... gotta make sure they don't smell you." Djakovo couldn't quite help himself as he stepped toward the other - lion? - who had clearly missed seeing him in the midst of the hunt. He wasn't one to lecture strangers on hunting techniques, but the mistake the younger - leopard?? - had made suggested inexperience. It was a rookie mistake, but if the spotted cat had an explanation for it, Djakovo would gladly apologize for his undue intervention and continue on his way.
"They got noses for a reason, kid," he added, his voice its usual low mumble. It took some listening to hear him properly, but it wasn't as though it was difficult to get used to. "Just like you got claws for a reason."
But today, those gazelle noses had won out.
He paused to study his companion. He was smaller than a regular lion, built not exactly like a regular lion, and he had the oddest tail Djakovo had ever seen. He frowned curiously, tilting his head as he refrained from wondering aloud what exactly the other was. It wasn't polite, after all, and he could imagine the spotted - he settled on lion, for the sake of being decisive - becoming offended by such a question.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:25 pm
Jahazi had indeed not noticed the large brown lion in his eagerness of hunting - another mistake in his mind. He should have been aware of his surroundings, since he would never want to encroach on another creature's meal. Although he was sure lions and leopards and other creatures fought over food on a regular basis, Jahazi was much more content waiting for the next chance than getting in a brawl. Even if it meant not having a meal for a while.
"Oh, I am s-sorry." He spoke quietly as well, one of the many things thing the two would find they had in common. It wasn't hard for the leopon to understand his new acquaintance, since he was also soft spoken. He also possessed a stutter that was quite noticeable.
"I hope I d-didn't scare them away f-for y-you." He said as he straightened up to a sitting position. He was very muscular and very tall, almost as tall ash his companion. Being a hybrid meant he was indeed smaller than both of the two species he came from, but for a leopon, he was on the large side.
"Y-yes, I realize they c-can smell m-me. I was just... f-foolish, I s-suppose." He laughed and shrugged his broad shoulders. "I g-guess I need some m-more p-practice. I'm J-jahazi, by the w-way." He said as he bowed his head to the other male, his long mane swinging about as he did.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:57 am
"Oh," Djakovo shook his head reassuringly. It was one thing to teach a youngster how to hunt, but another thing entirely to make him feel guilty for no reason at all. "Don't worry, I wasn't hungry."
For a brief moment, his mind lingered on something that he couldn't quite place a paw on, and he studied the other lion carefully before returning his gaze to places less personal and more distant. He had been travelling long enough to realize that instinct rarely proved to be wrong, and that listening to it was not only smart, but necessary for survival.
"Patience is key," he said finally, after a moment's scrutiny of the land and the direction in which the gazelle had escaped. "Might seem like a waste of time, but it's faster than having to track down the herd again, or find something else to catch."
He inclined his head, returning Jahazi's gesture. "Djakovo," he offered while he committed the other's name to memory. Again, he felt a nagging pang at the back of his mind, and wondered once again what exactly it meant.
"If... you don't mind me asking," he ventured. "What are you?" He regretted the words, even before he had finished saying them. What are you? What kind of a question was that? "Hm, sorry," he mumbled hastily, shaking his head. It was an unexcusable laspe of good manners and judgement.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:38 am
Jahazi followed the others gaze in the direction of the herd, wondering if he should track them while their scent still lingered. He thought it was probably a good idea, and perhaps this male could teach him some tricks of the trade of hunting.
His golden eyes, so similar to those of his new companion, returned to the lion as he spoke again. Djakovo. The name felt familiar to the leopon, though he wasn't sure why. Perhaps he had heard of this lion before, though he certainly didn't seem the stuff of childhood tales.
"It's a p-pleasure to meet you." He said softly, and a bright smile crossed his face at Djakovo's question. "Oh, d-don't apologize, p-please." He said, his smile never leaving. Jahazi hadn't missed the others gaze lingering on his body, he was used to others not knowing what he was, since it seemed that most creatures he ran into had never seen a hybrid.
"I'm h-half leopard and half l-lion. My m-mother is a leopard, my f-father was a lion. Though I n-never knew him." He added the last bit with a slightly downward gaze, since he had always wanted to know his father. Yet again Jahazi felt a nagging sensation in the back of his mind, as if he should remember who this lion is. He pushed the thought aside, thinking it was just a case of mistaken identity, since he had obviously never known this male before.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:52 am
His eyes slid toward Jahazi, rested there a moment again. Hm.
"Interesting." He said slowly, as if he was attempting to puzzle out a particularly difficult riddle. "I never knew that-" Pause.
"Perfect mix, though, huh?" He meant the spots, and the mane. A little of both lion and leopard, and it seemed as though it would be nice. Everything in moderation, that was the key.
"You take after your father, then?" He resumed after a while. "You're pretty big, more like a lion than-" Hm.
Gaze went to the amber eyes again. Hm.
The mane, black. Hm.
The muzzle, black as well. Hm.
Tail, black.
Spots - A very, suspiciously, familiar shade of brown. HM.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:02 am
Jahazi eyed the other male for a moment, nodding at his comments. "I suppose, y-yes, a g-good mix of b-both..." He mumbled, slightly weirded out by the male's gaze now.
"I guess I d-do take after my father, though only in g-genes." He laughed a little at this, still unsure what to do. He kept wondering why this male looked so familiar, then it hit him.
His sister. She looked almost identical to this lion. Same color, some markings, same eyes. The same eyes he himself had.
Jahazi sat down with a heavy thump, staring at Djakovo with wide eyes. His mouth was slightly open as the pieces began to fall into place in his mind.
"Y-y-you're m-m-my.... F-f-f-f-father?!"
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:39 am
The lion cleared this throat and stared critically at the leopon. Damn, the youngster had beaten him to it. He frowned, and slowly shook his head. "No... no, I couldn't possibly be..." He muttered, drawing back to scrutinize the other carefully once again, as if his eyes had played tricks on him only moments before.
"No, no, no," he chuckled, as if coming to a conclusion. "You're wrong, Jahazi, I'm sure." Yet for all his intentions, he sounded for all the world as though he was trying to convince himself as much as the spotted leopon standing before him.
"Really, it can't be possible, I mean, I haven't been around here in... so long. It's just not possible." He repeated firmly, as if his tone alone would change the nature of things.
((D: Sorry for the late, late reply!))
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 4:25 pm
Jahazi looked at the older lion, eying him critically. He just stared at him for a while, but he couldn't shake the idea that this lion definitely was his father. Djakovo was practically identical to his sister. Jahazi shook his head, wondering how the pair could figure this out.
Then he realized. His mother! If this lion knew his mother, then it would prove their relationship. He was hesitant to ask the big lion, since he was slightly afraid of the answer. He wondered what he would do if the answer was yes. Would they hug and have a big gushy father son moment? For some reason he doubted it. More like things would just get more awkward than they already were.
"Um... D-do you know a l-leopard n-named Jiona..?" He asked softly, his amber eyes looking up at him meekly. His heart was racing and he felt a great number of emotions flooding his brain. His heard beat hard in his ears, so loud he briefly wondered if he would even be able to hear Djakovo's answer. His breath was held as he waited the softspoken lion's answer.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:55 am
Again, the dark lion cleared his throat, glancing sideways at the spotted leopon. It was, indeed, a coincidence that Jahazi looked so much like himself, and yet so unlike himself. These things happened every day, he reasoned, and there was no need to panic without sufficient evidence suggesting otherwise.
"Jiona?" His first instinct was to deny any knowledge of such a name, such a leopard, without so much as considering what the other had said. Of course he didn't!
Then he paused. No, reason would help them puzzle through this issue, and rash, thoughtless action would not. He rifled through his memory to place the name he already knew he recognized, and from the depths of so many repressed images, he found one of a dark pelted leopard - spotted, of course.
Ah, Jiona. Of course he remembered her. Not his proudest moment, but of course he remembered. "I do," he said finally, glancing back at Jahazi. Those spots. He should have guessed.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:21 am
As those words left the lions mouth, Jahazi blinked slowly. He did. He knew her. That meant... He really was this lions son. Jahazi sat down, unable to keep himself standing any longer. He didn't know what to say, though there was just one question nagging his tongue. But he felt it inappropriate to ask.
"I... Uh... You're... We... My m-mother... " He stammered, unable to form an actual question or sentence. His eyes went back up to the lion, his father, and he took a deep breath.
"Why did you leave us?" The words left his mouth so fast he had no time to stutter, and that surprised him almost more than the fact he had asked at all. "I d-don't mean to b-be rude... I j-just... Was w-wondering why..."
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