|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:44 pm
 Añuli:
Añuli left her family's side earlier than normal, mostly because she wanted to get some time to herself before hunting practice, without her parents or brothers or sister. She rather liked this new land, the inhabitants were very nice that she had noticed so far. Well, maybe not Kohana so much, he actually kinda scared her. Well, not really scared her, but she definitely wasn't comfortable in his presence.
Thinking about the large male brought her mind to Nekoda and she smiled as she walked towards the borders of the Shadow Clan's land. He was different, but in a good way. Her mother reminded her a little bit of him, though she was definitely more subdued and less imaginative. Anni's mom just had a fun-loving, adventurous streak while the small male was very much in his own world.
But she rather liked him and his eccentricities. She liked stories and he seemed chock full of them. Pity she didn't know where the Wolf Clan was... oh, but she wasn't even sure if she was really allowed to go there. He had seemed a little worried about coming into the Shadow's lands and she wasn't quite sure on all the rules of the pride just yet.
 Nekoda Waya:
Fortunately for her, Nekoda had decided earlier that morning to go pay the boarders a visit for himself. He'd sat watching a few small birds dust themselves come morning. He couldn't for the life of him understand why... they were odd. They'd dip themselves into the dirt, dusting their feathers and chirping happily amongst one another.
After a while, he came to his own conclusion- they were putting on disguises! They weren't very good at it, of course, but perhaps they were trying to hide from something, or pass off as something else. It was then he had forged his own plan- he could disguise himself as another lion that fit better with the clan. Then he could visit them!
He'd found a small mud puddle just half a mile from the shadowclan's boarders. It was just after the rains, the worst of it had tapered off just three days ago, so there were plenty of them about. HIs own pelt wasn't horribly out of place among the brown-pelted shadow clan members, but his paws and mane were horribly bright and Kohana knew him all too well. So, with that in mind, he'd spent much of the morning rolling in the small mud puddle, smearing the thick, sticky stuff all over himself from mane to tail in an attempt to hide his more distinctive features. Pure genious.
Añuli:
Anni's mind was just beginning to wander as much as her paws when she saw a strange lion she had never seen before. Or, at least that's what she thought at first.
She paused in her steps, frowning at the male. For a moment, she thought he was all brown until she saw a bit of it flake off. Mud? She tilted her head as she recognized some of the tattoos peaking through and the color of the feather on his ear.
"Nekoda? Is that you?" she asked, blinking at him in confusion. Oh, if it really was him, she couldn't wait to here the story behind this. It wasn't hot enough to want to do that to cool off. In fact, the last time she had seen that was when the elephants and rhinos on the savannah had been too hot. She'd never seen another lion try it, when they got hot they just found shade and relaxed or napped. And she hated getting muddy because when it dried it got stuck in her fur and itched.
Nekoda Waya:
The lion cried out as a voice broke the silence. He rolled onto his side, slipped, fell, and scrambled to get himself up. Once he managed to sit upright, an awkward tangle of limbs, mud, and fur, the lion had managed to smear himself quite well down his right side. A thick clump of mud slowly slid from one of the dreadlocks down to the bridge of his nose.
"You can tell- Er..." he cleared his throat and threw his chest out. "Of course not. I don't know of this 'Nekoda'.">
Añuli:
"Mother says I'm too observant," Anni replied smiling a bit and tilting her head to one side. He made quite a sight with the mud clumped on his nose and one bit of his very green mane sticking out of the brown. And the flailing when she caught his was even more amusing.
"Oh, well, that's a shame. I was hoping we'd run into each other and he could tell me more stories," she did her best to slide a regretful sigh into her words, playing along with his charade. Was he really trying to fool her? It made her a little sad to think that he might want to avoid her or something.
Nekoda Waya:
"That or I'm not so good at this camoflauge thing." He commented witha lop-sided smile and a tip of his head. Another thick blob of mud slid from his cheek down to the ground. He reached a paw up and rubbed the back of it against the now very grubby fur of his shoulder.
"Oh well... uh..." He looked to the side. "Just don't tell anyone. I'm trying to infultrate the shadow clan so I can see everyone there. Kohana bit my tail the last time I came around! He's a jerk."
Añuli:
Anni giggled a bit and nodded, glad that he wasn't really trying to avoid her. Rather, he was trying to avoid Kohana.
"Is it really that bad for you to come around if you're with someone? I mean, if you were spending time with a Shadow Clan member, could he really yell at you for being on the lands?" She was rather confused over that. Did that mean she wasn't really allowed to spend time with Nekoda? Would she get in trouble for bringing him onto the clan's lands?
"Or does Kohana just not like you for some reason?" she added, tilting her head again. She could kinda imagine that the male could have something against Nekoda, he did seem like an acquired taste, but he wasn't that bad. At least, she didn't seem to think so. He was odd, but fun.
Nekoda Waya:
"Oh it's not that I'm from a different clan, I don't think." He shrugged his shoulders and lifted a paw to inspect the mud coating. He'd coated them especially. His front paws were quite unlike anyone in the shadow clan. Recently, Rehema had one of her cubs painted with a bright green paint so that wasn't much of a problem. Bright green fur, on the other hand, was an issue. "Kohana thinks I'm annoying. AND his sister sneaks off lots to see my brother."
He stood up and waved a paw, indicating himself. "Do you think it'll work?"
Añuli:
"You're not annoying, you're just... different," Anni replied and took a moment to give him a long look. She had been fooled at first, maybe Kohana would be, too. Her face turned contemplative, considering the mud covering.
"Well, I don't think he'd see anything from a distance. But he might catch the mud if he gets too close. But isn't that going to get irritating after a while?" she asked, pawing at him a bit, though she didn't touch him. She didn't want to mess up his covering nor did she want to get mud on her very white paws. She'd done a very good job avoiding the mud puddles on her way here, she didn't want to get dirty now.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 12:16 am
Nekoda Waya:
"Irritating? The mud? Nah." Koda shrugged his shoulders and ran a paw over his face, smearing the mud down over one of his cheeks. It was starting to harden in some places, cracking and flaking off around him.
"I'm a professional. This is one of my disguises. Sometimes I even put sticks in, or leaves. Depends on the cover. Cover is very important."
Añuli:
"Oh, I figured when it gets dry, it'll itch. I remember getting muddied on the way to these pridelands a couple of times and if I didn't wash it off and it dried..." Anni trailed off here shivering with a shudder. If clung to her fur and started to itch and was heavy. It wasn't a fun experience.
But if he said he wasn't bothered by it, she believed him. She just wouldn't want to try it herself!
"Wow, you really do put a lot of thought in it. Is it just to hide from Kohana, or do you use it other times?" Speaking of Kohana, she kind of wanted to know why his sister sneaking off to meet his brother was a bad thing. Then again, Kohana was pretty prickly and he only had a couple of sisters, only one his age. And it wasn't really her business.
She had four brothers, herself. Oh, goodness, how were they going to act if they found out she was spending so much time with a male, especially one as unique as Koda?
Nekoda Waya:
"No no no!" He stood himself up and turned around in a small circle, giving her a small display of the half-dried mud mask. "It's the best when it dries! It clumps, and stays put. It kinda...cracks sometimes too. And flakes. But it feels soooooo good when it washes off later. And-" He began pinching sections of his fur that still bore damp mud. After a few moments, he had a small cluster of muddy 'spines'. "Tah da!!! I'm prickly. Scary huh? It's okay, it's still me."
He plopped his backside down and threw his chest out. "I use it all the time! I'm practically invisible. My siblings never notice when I leave!" In reality, it was a small blessing when he did. The others endulged him if it meant he wasn't hanging around them, throwing mud and blabbering on about the dragons on the mountains or the monsters in the puddles.
"You should try it. I can share!"
Añuli:
Anni's eyebrows rose a bit as he spun around, assuring her that it was best when it dried. She was far from convinced, but he was too amusing not to smile at.
"It feels really good when it washes off after it's dried?" she asked, not aware of that. She had seen some other animals taking mudbaths, but it just looked horrid to her. Her smile grew when he made himself look prickly. It reminded her of a bush or a porcupine. It didn't really make him look scary, but if he did any more, she might not recognize him.
"I don't think mine notice when I leave either, but I have a lot of them and we're still getting used to this place." At least, she didn't think they noticed. Or Rehema's kids either. The youngest were about her age and either felt like close friends or even cousins already. Family. It was huge and she loved it.
Her eyes widened several sizes.
"Oh! No, thank you. I really don't like getting overly dirty." She held up a paw. "It's really hard to keep my fur clean, so I try my best to keep it that way."
Nekoda Waya:
"Really?" He stopped spiking his fur and leaned in close, his eyes roaming over her fur. "You must be a master too! No...what's better than a master?...a....a wizard! You're a WIZARD...ess of disguise. Yeah."
He dipped his head and bent one paw under his chest. "You must teach me! If I was a wizard I could walk right up to Kohana and....poke him. Yeah. That'd show him. I'd poke him right in the ribs."
Añuli:
Anni's ears flicked back in surprise, her eyebrows shooting up again.
"Oh, I don't think it has anything to do with them not seeing me..." How to explain...? She glanced around for an example, her eyes settling on a small flower. Something she could see, but hadn't noticed.
"Ah, there. Did you see that flower earlier?" she asked pointing to it. If he had, well, then it ruined her explanation. But if he hadn't, it was the perfect example of how something can just go by unnoticed if one was preoccupied.
Not that she felt ignored. Her parents were usually very doting, on all of them, well, at least Mother was. Father was more practical, he balanced Mother's randomness out fairly well. It was nice to slip under the radar every now and then to have some not-family time.
Nekoda Waya:
He tipped his head to one side and glanced down to the flower. He'd not noticed it, no, but he'd not been looking for flowers. He wanted mud. Flowers were too colorful, too flashy. "....well....I'd see it if I was looking for flowers right? But I wanted mud. Why would I look for a flower if I wanted mud?"
He looked over to her and frowned. "....should I add a flower?"
Añuli:
Anni smiled and laughed a bit.
"No, see, that's my point. When I... sneak away, it's when my family isn't looking for me. Like you weren't looking for the flower," she explained with a small nod.
"And I don't think you need flowers. I think you look fine as is, plus there aren't many flowers around anyways." She really had to wonder why he'd want to cover up his fur though. He had such a nice coat underneath all that mud.
Nekoda Waya:
"....so..... if they aren't looking for me...they won't see me?" He brought a paw up to rub at his chin. It made sense, if they weren't looking for him, they'd just let him go. It'd save him time when he wanted to visit....
"So....if you tell Kohana he's not looking for me, I can come visit! It's all so clear!"
Añuli:
"Well... They might see you, you're kinda hard to miss, but they might not pay you any mind if you don't give them a reason," Anni replied, frowning a little in thought, tilting her head to one side a bit.
"Did Eeva tell Kohana you're allow to come by? Maybe if you stuck by me or another clan member, he wouldn't chase you off so much?" she asked curiously.
Nekoda Waya:
"Oh she said that was fine. She likes me! Thinks I'm funny, or fun...one of the two. We have adventures all the time." He shrugged. "But she's a clan leader...to be. The elders gotta say it's okay but she's pretty much the shadow clan's leader, so her brother's all uptight about it."
He stood himself up and jerked his chin towards the shadow clan's boarder. "He said he'd throw me in a hole if he caught me."
Añuli:
"Well that's horrible! Especially if you're not bothering anyone," Anni exclaimed, her ears flicking back again, her frown turning from pensive to annoyed. She wasn't sure if she followed him exactly, if it was that Eeva didn't have complete authority over giving permission allowing Koda to come into the Shadow's lands, or if it was just that Kohana didn't like Koda hanging around his sister.
"I... I might have a talk with him. I mean, I'd like to see you more and... and well I just don't see any harm in you visiting. And if there is, I'd like to know so that I'm not breaking any rules I don't know about."
Nekoda Waya:
"Well Eeva's in charge, but Kohana protects her. He says I'm a bad fluence." He wrinkled his nose and brought a paw up for inspection. The mud was starting to dry, and he'd managed to collect a good ammount of dirt, leaves, and bits of dry grass as well. "He doesn't like Wingu either. He thinks that he can get Wingu to go away by keeping me away too."
He looked over to her. "....am I bad?"
Añuli:
Anni's look softened as he spoke, and more so when he asked her if he was bad.
"You're not bad. You're just different," she replied. One paw rose as to touch him, her first instinct to brush some of the mud off his cheek. Really, why anyone would want to cover themselves up like that she'd never know, but she wouldn't begrudge him that.
Instead, her paw moved and she patted his shoulder.
"And there's nothing wrong with that. I can see where Kohana would be annoyed, though. You two are pretty much complete opposites."
Nekoda Waya:
He forced a smile and shrugged his shoulders. Being different wasn't exactly the nicest thing someone could be. Different could be the individual that everyone looked up to- or the one everyone had to deal with.
"Heh, yeah. He's pretty much a boring stick in the mud. Coming from the stick in the mud." He stood himself up and sighed. "Maybe I should clean up."
Añuli:
Anni saw the look on his face and didn't believe it. Her paw stayed on his shoulder despite the mud and instead of patting it again, her paw rubbed a bit, getting mud on her fur and not carrying. It wasn't much and her paw was the easiest part to clean. And at the top of that, his feelings meant a lot more than her getting a little dirty.
"Different in a good way, Koda," she said, giving him a very sincere smile. She pulled her paw back with a bit of a blush and looked at the spot she'd uncovered for a moment. She glanced back up at him.
"I think you look better without the mud, but that's just me."
Nekoda Waya:
"... kinda." He shrugged. "My family's different. Wingu's like Kohana. He's serious. My mother's very important to the tribe. Everyone takes all that seriously. Too seriously. But not me, life's not about being serious, it's about fun, enjoying it." He glanced over to her paw.
"...heh. You're getting mud on you."
Añuli:
"That's a good outlook, I've learned it's not good to be serious all the time," Anni replied and followed his look to her paw. She smiled at it and gave him a little shrug. She had to wonder how he got to be so imaginative if his family was so serious.
"It's just a little bit of mud," she added, tapping his nose with said paw.
Nekoda Waya:
"Yup. Just a little mud." He brought his paw up and ran it down her nose, leaving a muddy streak down her nose." His grin widdened. Yeah, she'd not appreciate that, but it was only fair.
"Can I walk you home?"
Añuli:
Anni's nose wrinkled at the mud, but she didn't get mad at him or anything. She even giggled a bit and bent her head so that she could wipe the mud off on the back of her paw. She glanced back up when he asked if he could walk her home and her ears flicked back slightly, her cheeks coloring a bit.
"Um, sure, you can walk me home." There was a smile on her face as she stood and turned toward home, glancing back at him, waiting.
Nekoda Waya:
Koda popped up to his paws and trotted over to her side. Of course- there was Kohana to think of but with his disguise, he might just blend in to the plethora of brown-pelted lions that inhabited the Shadow clan.
"You should come visit my home one day! I can show you my caves! You'll like them."
Añuli:
"That sounds like fun. Maybe next time we meet can do that?" Anni asked, tilting her head as they walked. She kinda wanted to ask what they were like, but at the same time didn't want to spoil the surprise. He'd probably come up with some really interesting stories about the caves too, of she couldn't wait!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
