Solo RP
Dodonna & Coryth
It was the rainy season, and that meant lousy pickings for the living-stones that were her passion. It was useless to attempt excavation when the land around you was quickly turning to marsh. So Coryth was taking the downtime to rest and recuperate, and most importantly, take a long bath. You wouldn't believe how dirty a lion could get digging in the dirt all day, every day.
She'd found a particularly enticing spot where the water ran clear, and had settled in for a soak. She gnawed at her paws and coat to dig out the most troublesome burrs, and rubbed up against submerged plants for a thorough scrubbing. Ah, a whole day with nothing to do but relax.
Treading water steadily, Dodonna made his way downstream, a nervous expression on his jowls. He wasn't the best swimmer and he knew it, so the influx of water was making him a little anxious. Though there was plenty of places shallow enough to wade, he still had an irrational fear that the ground would drop out from under him any second.
He shook his head and growled at himself for such thoughts. That way lay weakness, and he wouldn't tolerate it in himself. Not at all! He would seek out deep water and teach himself swimming the hard way, if he had to! And any crocodile or other beastie that tried to mess with him would be choosing a bad time to do it.
Dousing herself happily, Coryth lazily watched some wildebeast wade by. She wasn't interested in even trying for a young or weak one; she'd eaten recently, and years of lone travel in harsh climes had left her with a small stomach and small appetite. She was truly in a good mood today, and felt that nothing would spoil it.
She was rather surprised by this, actually. Usually her only joy was in chasing the elusive bone-stones and the mystery they provided, but today she was quite mellow. She eyed the deeper water, too clear for danger to be lurking, and decided to go for a proper swim, for the sheer thrill of it. Pushing off, she paddled further out.
Dodonna struggled into the deep water, legs kicking furiously, head arched sharply to keep it above the surface. He was into the middle now, and the ground was far below him now. He held his breath in hopes that it might make him more buoyant, but such an effort was no match for the sheer amount of wet fur that threatened to drag him under.
After a few minutes of this, it finally happened. His head dipped below, and when he came back up he was spluttering and coughing. The shock was enough to throw off his awkward swimming, and soon he was completely under, thrashing wildly but unable to make any headway back towards the air.
Eyes closed against the bright sun, Coryth gently treaded water, and let its current soothe her. For a lion who had grown up in the desert, she had taken quite well to the water. Her legs were strong from all the digging she got up to, and she'd developed a deftness to her motion from her careful handling of fragile rocks, that allowed her to exert only the exact amount of effort needed.
But her slow swim was rudely interrupted when she bumped into something in the water. Crocodile! she thought in panic, and kicked out at it, backing away frantically. But as she looked down into the clear water, she was only more confused. What sort of crocodile was bold red?
Truly panicking now, Dodonna lunged for the surface desperately. Stupid, stupid! How could he have allowed himself to get into such a situation, of his own devising no less? But no, he wouldn't die this way. He couldn't, he still had so much to do! Kicking fiercely, taking no notice of the sensation of bumping into something, he finally managed to make some headway, and broke the surface.
Gasping, he blinked at the bright sunlight, and was startled to discover a lioness not inches away. The surprise made him lose his concentration, and back under he went. In his fear, he latched onto her with his forelimbs, threatening to pull her under as well.
Coryth was a little worried, but curiosity overcame her, and she watched the red blur moving below her, trying to figure out what it was. It hadn't bitten her, so it probably wasn't a predator. And it kept swirling around like it was agitated. Despite the clarity of the water, she still couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Then it came up for air, and she realized, it was a lion! Who looked awfully familiar, but she couldn't place him. Then he went under again, and suddenly she was grabbed firmly, and at risk for going under. Struggling, she tried to swim for both of them, putting all of her strength into it.
Clinging tightly to the female as firmly as any monkey had to its mother, Dodonna knew he was making a mistake. Surely he would drown the both of them, holding on in this way. His conscience hollered for him to let go, take his fate like a male and spare the woman an unnecessary death. He would have her murder on his soul forever.
But the part of his brain that he hated the most, the frightened part that kept him awake at night with fears of inadequacy, had taken completely control over him. He knew the right thing to do, and yet he still clung to her like she could keep the nightmares away.
She was having a hard time of it, carrying two bodies at once, but Coryth didn't have a choice. She never even considered trying to shrug off the male, she just set about paddling as fervently as she had ever tackled the excavation of a stone-bone. Her head was under the surface half of the time, but she just held her breath and kept on going.
A minute or so later, she felt firm ground underneath her, and tore at it with her claws, dragging them further into the shallows. Once she could stand up, she took heavy gulps of air, relieved. She caught sight of the wildebeast herd, watching the spectacle, and shot an annoyed glare at them.
Just as his breath was finally running out, and he faint the dizziness beginning to get to him, his hind legs bumped into the ground. It took a moment for the knowledge to get through his distracted head, but then instinct took over, and he let go of the lioness and reached out for the land underneath him. Soon he was standing up, gasping.
He shook himself, trying to erase the adrenaline from his system, trying to regain some self control and put away the part of his brain that was terrified. The danger was over, concentrate on the now. He glanced over at the female, and felt a strange deja vu. "You!" he wheezed.
Feeling much calmer now that she was no longer drowning, Coryth stretched her legs to work out the muscles, wincing at the sharp sting of the wounds his claws had given her. At least she had gotten very clean with all the exercise. But who knew that a bath could be so life threatening, without crocodiles involved? She'd take the security of the dry highlands anytime.
The male's voice reminded her of his presence, and she turned. She could swear she recognized him, but she couldn't remember from where. He seemed shocked to see her, so it probably wasn't from somewhere good. She'd been chased out of a lot of territories. She backed away from him, worriedly.
Dodonna stared at the female, confused. He certainly remembered those green markings. The last time he had seen her, it had been in a much drier place, back when he had been testing himself in the desert. She'd been the one who fed him that utter nonsense about rocks that were living and moving around.
He growled mentally at the memory. How dare she try to play him for a fool, spinning crazy stories as fact like he would lap them up. And he almost did, too. But he suppressed his anger. She had just saved his life, he had no right to be mad at her. Tamping down his emotions, he sighed. "Thank you for saving me," he managed to bite out.
His anger triggered her memory, and Coryth really felt she should back away faster. She did know him, he was that aggressive lion who chased her off in the desert, because he hadn't believed her explanation about bone-stones! She tensed, expecting him to lash out at her again.
But when he apologized, she relaxed. Oh good, he wasn't upset after all. "Don't worry about it," she laughed. "Glad I could help. Just what happened out there, anyway?" The answer occurred to her. "What, can you not swim? What were you doing in the deep water, then?"
Wading closer to the shallows, Dodonna snarled at her accusation. How dare she say he couldn't swim! Well, she was right, but still, how dare she? "You don't know anything!" he growled. "I was swimming just fine. I... just got a cramp, that's all." The lie was bitter in his mouth, but it tasted better than admitting weakness in front of the woman.
Spotting dry land, he made for it and hauled himself out, shaking the water out of his fur. It would probably be hours before he was dry again. And much longer before he looked at water again, he groused mentally. He took one last look at the female, but had no intention of sticking around for her company. "Good luck with your rock things," he grumbled, and stalked off.
Coryth watched him go with bemusement, not sure what to make of her midday adventure. She'd set out to have a leisurely soak to soothe tired nerves, and had instead wound up saving the life of a male who had once tried to attack her. Life was full of oddities, she mused.
Shrugging, she turned and headed off in the opposite direction, staying in the shallows as she wandered upstream. He hadn't wanted to stick around, but she didn't mind. She wasn't much for company either. The rocks were her friends, and they weren't to be found in this wet place. Perhaps it was time to return to the desert.
Dodonna & Coryth
It was the rainy season, and that meant lousy pickings for the living-stones that were her passion. It was useless to attempt excavation when the land around you was quickly turning to marsh. So Coryth was taking the downtime to rest and recuperate, and most importantly, take a long bath. You wouldn't believe how dirty a lion could get digging in the dirt all day, every day.
She'd found a particularly enticing spot where the water ran clear, and had settled in for a soak. She gnawed at her paws and coat to dig out the most troublesome burrs, and rubbed up against submerged plants for a thorough scrubbing. Ah, a whole day with nothing to do but relax.
Treading water steadily, Dodonna made his way downstream, a nervous expression on his jowls. He wasn't the best swimmer and he knew it, so the influx of water was making him a little anxious. Though there was plenty of places shallow enough to wade, he still had an irrational fear that the ground would drop out from under him any second.
He shook his head and growled at himself for such thoughts. That way lay weakness, and he wouldn't tolerate it in himself. Not at all! He would seek out deep water and teach himself swimming the hard way, if he had to! And any crocodile or other beastie that tried to mess with him would be choosing a bad time to do it.
Dousing herself happily, Coryth lazily watched some wildebeast wade by. She wasn't interested in even trying for a young or weak one; she'd eaten recently, and years of lone travel in harsh climes had left her with a small stomach and small appetite. She was truly in a good mood today, and felt that nothing would spoil it.
She was rather surprised by this, actually. Usually her only joy was in chasing the elusive bone-stones and the mystery they provided, but today she was quite mellow. She eyed the deeper water, too clear for danger to be lurking, and decided to go for a proper swim, for the sheer thrill of it. Pushing off, she paddled further out.
Dodonna struggled into the deep water, legs kicking furiously, head arched sharply to keep it above the surface. He was into the middle now, and the ground was far below him now. He held his breath in hopes that it might make him more buoyant, but such an effort was no match for the sheer amount of wet fur that threatened to drag him under.
After a few minutes of this, it finally happened. His head dipped below, and when he came back up he was spluttering and coughing. The shock was enough to throw off his awkward swimming, and soon he was completely under, thrashing wildly but unable to make any headway back towards the air.
Eyes closed against the bright sun, Coryth gently treaded water, and let its current soothe her. For a lion who had grown up in the desert, she had taken quite well to the water. Her legs were strong from all the digging she got up to, and she'd developed a deftness to her motion from her careful handling of fragile rocks, that allowed her to exert only the exact amount of effort needed.
But her slow swim was rudely interrupted when she bumped into something in the water. Crocodile! she thought in panic, and kicked out at it, backing away frantically. But as she looked down into the clear water, she was only more confused. What sort of crocodile was bold red?
Truly panicking now, Dodonna lunged for the surface desperately. Stupid, stupid! How could he have allowed himself to get into such a situation, of his own devising no less? But no, he wouldn't die this way. He couldn't, he still had so much to do! Kicking fiercely, taking no notice of the sensation of bumping into something, he finally managed to make some headway, and broke the surface.
Gasping, he blinked at the bright sunlight, and was startled to discover a lioness not inches away. The surprise made him lose his concentration, and back under he went. In his fear, he latched onto her with his forelimbs, threatening to pull her under as well.
Coryth was a little worried, but curiosity overcame her, and she watched the red blur moving below her, trying to figure out what it was. It hadn't bitten her, so it probably wasn't a predator. And it kept swirling around like it was agitated. Despite the clarity of the water, she still couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Then it came up for air, and she realized, it was a lion! Who looked awfully familiar, but she couldn't place him. Then he went under again, and suddenly she was grabbed firmly, and at risk for going under. Struggling, she tried to swim for both of them, putting all of her strength into it.
Clinging tightly to the female as firmly as any monkey had to its mother, Dodonna knew he was making a mistake. Surely he would drown the both of them, holding on in this way. His conscience hollered for him to let go, take his fate like a male and spare the woman an unnecessary death. He would have her murder on his soul forever.
But the part of his brain that he hated the most, the frightened part that kept him awake at night with fears of inadequacy, had taken completely control over him. He knew the right thing to do, and yet he still clung to her like she could keep the nightmares away.
She was having a hard time of it, carrying two bodies at once, but Coryth didn't have a choice. She never even considered trying to shrug off the male, she just set about paddling as fervently as she had ever tackled the excavation of a stone-bone. Her head was under the surface half of the time, but she just held her breath and kept on going.
A minute or so later, she felt firm ground underneath her, and tore at it with her claws, dragging them further into the shallows. Once she could stand up, she took heavy gulps of air, relieved. She caught sight of the wildebeast herd, watching the spectacle, and shot an annoyed glare at them.
Just as his breath was finally running out, and he faint the dizziness beginning to get to him, his hind legs bumped into the ground. It took a moment for the knowledge to get through his distracted head, but then instinct took over, and he let go of the lioness and reached out for the land underneath him. Soon he was standing up, gasping.
He shook himself, trying to erase the adrenaline from his system, trying to regain some self control and put away the part of his brain that was terrified. The danger was over, concentrate on the now. He glanced over at the female, and felt a strange deja vu. "You!" he wheezed.
Feeling much calmer now that she was no longer drowning, Coryth stretched her legs to work out the muscles, wincing at the sharp sting of the wounds his claws had given her. At least she had gotten very clean with all the exercise. But who knew that a bath could be so life threatening, without crocodiles involved? She'd take the security of the dry highlands anytime.
The male's voice reminded her of his presence, and she turned. She could swear she recognized him, but she couldn't remember from where. He seemed shocked to see her, so it probably wasn't from somewhere good. She'd been chased out of a lot of territories. She backed away from him, worriedly.
Dodonna stared at the female, confused. He certainly remembered those green markings. The last time he had seen her, it had been in a much drier place, back when he had been testing himself in the desert. She'd been the one who fed him that utter nonsense about rocks that were living and moving around.
He growled mentally at the memory. How dare she try to play him for a fool, spinning crazy stories as fact like he would lap them up. And he almost did, too. But he suppressed his anger. She had just saved his life, he had no right to be mad at her. Tamping down his emotions, he sighed. "Thank you for saving me," he managed to bite out.
His anger triggered her memory, and Coryth really felt she should back away faster. She did know him, he was that aggressive lion who chased her off in the desert, because he hadn't believed her explanation about bone-stones! She tensed, expecting him to lash out at her again.
But when he apologized, she relaxed. Oh good, he wasn't upset after all. "Don't worry about it," she laughed. "Glad I could help. Just what happened out there, anyway?" The answer occurred to her. "What, can you not swim? What were you doing in the deep water, then?"
Wading closer to the shallows, Dodonna snarled at her accusation. How dare she say he couldn't swim! Well, she was right, but still, how dare she? "You don't know anything!" he growled. "I was swimming just fine. I... just got a cramp, that's all." The lie was bitter in his mouth, but it tasted better than admitting weakness in front of the woman.
Spotting dry land, he made for it and hauled himself out, shaking the water out of his fur. It would probably be hours before he was dry again. And much longer before he looked at water again, he groused mentally. He took one last look at the female, but had no intention of sticking around for her company. "Good luck with your rock things," he grumbled, and stalked off.
Coryth watched him go with bemusement, not sure what to make of her midday adventure. She'd set out to have a leisurely soak to soothe tired nerves, and had instead wound up saving the life of a male who had once tried to attack her. Life was full of oddities, she mused.
Shrugging, she turned and headed off in the opposite direction, staying in the shallows as she wandered upstream. He hadn't wanted to stick around, but she didn't mind. She wasn't much for company either. The rocks were her friends, and they weren't to be found in this wet place. Perhaps it was time to return to the desert.
