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 Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:34 pm
The pale leopardess stretched out as much as she could on the flat, warm, rock, happily trying to dry out her still damp pelt. The rainy season was in full swing, and the savanna was lush and wet....not to mention muddy, but today the gods had been kind and they had allowed the sun to come through the thunder clouds, and Sadara was taking full advantage of that fact.
It felt good to just be nearly all dry for the first time in days. She was sure she had mold growing somewhere on her, and her leg, which was almost fully healed, ached when it rained, even if it was muggy. No, no, the sun was a far better companion then the rain, although in a few months when the dry season hit she may say something different, but for now she was content to lay out on the rock and soak up its warmth. Away from the muddy ground, and the biting flies that were busy laying their eggs in it. Blah...
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 1:47 pm
The rain was not really the ideal traveling companion for Dauer. In fact, when it rained like it had been, she simply sought a dry spot and waited it out. It wasn't that she minded the wet. In safer situations, she savored the scent of damp earth and fresh growth. But out here in the roguelands, without her family... she swallowed a lump fiercely at the thought and padded determinedly on beneath the shining sun. No, rain was no good for traveling. The overwhelming scent of falling water obscured using her nose, the constant pattering of drops on earth and puddles and rocks obscured other sounds, and any rising mist from the soaked earth made it impossible for her to see even colors and shapes.
This sunny weather was much more condusive to moving and keeping herself safe. The warmth on her dark fur was welcome, though the slowly evaporating water felt odd against her skin. Occasionally she stopped to give herself a hard shake, trying to get the feeling of damp to leave her. After just such a shake, she caught the scent of another furred creature. She paused, nose in the air, nostrils flared. Yes, there was someone quite close. All the drying ground must have masked the scent until now. Whoever it was still was quite wet themselves, in fact.
She pivoted her head side to side slowly. It was a feline, which could mean trouble. She frowned faintly, tensing her muscles as she further identified where the scent was comingn from. Ah... there. She turned her filmed eyes in that direction, seeking a shape or color that did not belong. Some creatures could blend so well she never did see them until she was literally right beside them. This time however, there was an unusually bright spot in that direction, blindingly white beneath the rays of the sun. The wild dog stood still, keeping even her tail from moving, debating about whether she should try to move off, greet the other, or act as if she hadn't noticed the cat at all.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:16 pm
The pale leopardess swiveled her ears as she heard the soft sound of paws approaching. She sat up and scented the wind, canine. She hoped it was friendly canine. Sadara really just wanted to dry out, rest, and maybe finish up the pouch rats she'd caught this morning.
Scanning across the muddy ground, she found the canine in question. Female, and it seemed she was as wet as Sadara was. The leopardess wondered if she was as miserable. Biting her lip, she smiled, and called out,
" Hello! Nice day finally huh?"
Her tail waved back and forth, and she climbed down from her rock so she wasn't any higher then the other.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:45 pm
Her ears pricked at the voice, her muscles relaxing a little. Female leopard, then, and apparently friendly. That definitely was an advantage. In her pack, they normally would have curled one paw close to their chests and dipped a shoulder and nose in greeting a stranger, but these were difficult times, and her pack was no more. Pushing aside the sorrow that rose every time she thought on her old life, she smiled instead.
"Greetings. It is indeed." Her stance, though lacking the tension it previously had, still remained watchful as the large cat came down off her perch. Both leopards and lions were easily big enough to take her out, if they so chose. Cheetahs generally were too light and flighty to bother her, but she was cautious around the heavier cats such as this one. "Finally good enough for decent travel." By habit and wisdom, she never hid nor drew attention to her eyesight troubles, at least not with strangers. If they guessed, kudos to them. If they didn't, all the better for her. If it became necessary to share, she would. If she came to trust the stranger and it became relevant, she'd share. Otherwise, it usually seemed a moot point to Dauer. "Is there any good hunting about? I haven't had much luck due to the rains."
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 3:59 pm
Sadara waved her paw off to the north, " Most of the herds went that way with the rains, traveling is hard because of all the mud they churned up as they passed. I decided to stay , wait for it to dry some. All that is left is smaller game."
The pale leopardess inclined her head behind her, " I have some pouch rats, I just caught them this morning. There is plenty if you wanted to share." Sadara gave her a cat grin, " I promise I don't bite...well not much anyway."
She wasn't sure why she was being so friendly, maybe it was because she was weary of being alone, or maybe it was because she had been looked after by two complete strangers before hand. Whatever the reason, the canine in front of her seemed to need some rest, and some food.
" I'm Sadara by the way, its nice to meet you."
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 10:43 pm
She turned her head towards the north accurately, already being used to navigating via the sun's direction and angle. She turned back to the leopardess at the invitation. She seemed nice enough, enticing Dauer into taking a step in her direction. The feline's next words about biting made her ears swivel wildly, though. Was she teasing? Surely she must be.
The introduction that followed seemed to back that assumption up, so Dauer approached slowly, still clearly cautious. "Dauer," she replied in introduction. "I would want to impose on your meal," she added uncertainly. Food offered freely by a feline seemed... well, suspicious. It was a fight between her natural instinct to believe the best in individuals and the wariness that came with being a rogue with limited sight. "It is very kind of you to offer, though." Best not to insult the larger creature with the sharper claws.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:41 pm
The feline gave the canine another smile," Its no trouble at all really, and I could use the company." Solitary by nature, Sadara often preferred being alone, but today, and after being alone for several weeks, she was glad to have someone to talk to. Besides, Kyoko and Silhab had been kind to her when she needed it, it was time to pass the favor along.
" The rock curves a little back here, and offers some shade if you want it, if not you are welcome to join me up top and try to dry out some. Forefather's know I have to be growing mold somewhere on me!" She kept her voice light and full of good humor, hoping to ease the other's nerves.
" I'll go get the pouch rat, there are four of them, would you like two?" Pouch Rat Pic
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:07 pm
The invitation apparently was sincere, as odd as it seemed to her. Still cautious, senses alert for any slight indication that it was a trick, or that the leopardess had changed her mind, she approached the rock. Her nose quivered, identifying the scent of pouch rats, giving at least that much truth to the feline's words. She held her breath as she stepped slowly up onto the rock, tail held still except as balance, ears swiveling warily.
So much had changed. So much had gone wrong. It would make sense for this to be the point where she lost all that was left to her, from her perspective. Either her freedom or her life. Well, so be it. If life wanted to be so cruel as to take away her family and pack, her mate, and then her unborn pups, only to put her in a situation that would end her life, then more power to it. Resolutely she bounded up the last few steps to sit on the warm surface of the rock. She had to admit, it felt good up here. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun, though her ears remained alert.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 12:32 pm
Sadara pulled up the large rats, setting two in front of the canine, her tail whipping back and forth, mimicking what she'd seen other wild dogs do to show they were friendly.
" Feels nice, the sun. I mean, I don't mind the rain, but the SUN is so much better when you are wet to the bone. I swear I've not fully dried out in days."
The pale leopardess settled down on her belly, paw curling around one of the pouch rats, " They aren't going to bite, I made sure they were ready for eating." Sadara's tone was filled with a good natured humor.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:15 am
She opened her eyes and turned to watch the leopardess as she brought the limp bodies up and set two in front of her before moving a little away to start eating on her own. Dauer crouched in canine-fashion, not sprawling as the feline was, pinning the rat down with one paw and tearing into its softer belly first. After several swift but neat gulps, she offered her own comment. "I imagine the sun almost always feels good for you, since your coat is so light."
She gave a careful smile, licking her jaws clean. "My coat soaks in so much heat that during the hot months, it can be miserable during the day." She didn't mention that she still tended to travel by day anyway, because at night her limited sight was rendered entirely useless. Night was not at all a pleasant or safe time for her to travel. "Thank you for sharing, by the way," she said sincerely, though not entirely with her guard down. "It is generous of you." She set back into the meal, but her mind was now pondering on what she might be able to do in return. She preferred to return the favor with another, but she couldn't think what she could do for the much more capable leopard.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:01 am
" I am lucky I am as pale as I am, though I do need to find shade during the heat of the day. The skin under my pelt burns if I don't and that is right miserable. Imagain always having to scratch cause it itches like mad, but not being able to cause it hurts!"
Sadara smiled at the canine's words and swallowed the bit of rat she was eating, " It really isn't any trouble. You looked like you needed a helping paw, and well...a few weeks ago someone helped me just because. When I asked him how I could repay him, he said to just respond in kind to another."
She bent her muzzle to her meal, " You can do the same, I think he would approve. Such a strange lion, very kind, but very sad and death's scent clung to him..." her voice trailed off with her musing over the helpful male.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:31 pm
That was certainly a new perspective, and one that Dauer could appreciate. She preferred to learn the ways others thought, felt, or lived their lives, if it was different from hers. Somehow it felt like it helped her along in her own life, somehow. Her own life was such a mess, she couldn't have said how learning that pale coated creatures suffered under the sun as much if not more than dark coated ones would have helped her deal with things any better than she was. If nothing else, it was a distraction from her own private misery.
"I hadn't thought of that," she replied honestly. "That can't be very comfortable at all." Potentially she imagined it could kill you, in fact, under the right circumstances. But the leopardess' next words reminded her of what she had been thinking of previously. "You know, I was just wondering about that," the wild dog admitted, relaxing more as she became more accustomed to the leopard's ways and more trusting of them as well. "It didn't feel right to accept this gift without finding a way to return the favor. But if I were to do so to another, it makes sense that it would balance out." She glanced at the feline with more respect before crunching down the last of one of the rats.
"You sound at the very least intrigued by this lion," she hazarded, flatly ignoring the own lonely twinge of her own heart. She would not long after that murderer, not after what he'd done, and all the lives that had been lost! She hardened her heart while opening herself to this fellow female.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 7:17 pm
" Oh, not really. He was nice, but in a fatherly kind of way. He helped my friend and I, when mother died. It was...well it was just really kind of him. That, and I respect what he had to say. There is no reason why those of us without Prides or families should always be wary of each other, or always be afraid. Look at tonight, we both had a good meal, and good company."
She made the attempt to wag her tail again, showing the wild dog she was friendly, " Now, I am also willing to share my sleeping spot here on the lee side of these boulders. I don't intend to travel anymore today and get an early start in the morning. Time would pass much nicer with company...what do you say? Care to join me?"
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 9:22 pm
This time there was no hesitation in her reply. "Two are better than one, should any trouble arise," she stated simply, rising to her paws. "I am honored you have invited me. Thank you." Her body language relaxed more, and her movements became more fluid and less guarded. She chuckled at what she finally realized was the cat's attempt to wag her tail in canine fashion, and waved her own tail in slow but undeniably friendly response. "I think you are the first feline I've met that has tried to mimic our ways of communication," she commented with amusement. "It's possible that I know why now, though. It doesn't work so well." Her tongue lolled out in a canine laugh, her pale, cloudy eyes dancing with laughter.
"Please, let's settle in for the night." She took two steps, then paused. "If you don't mind, could you show me where you'd like me to sleep?" She paused again and hesitantly added, "It isn't always easy to find what others intend, and worse trying to see as darkness falls." It was a large concession of trust to speak of her disability, but she now considered Sadara a friend. Friends were worthy of sharing such not-quite-secrets with. Content to follow the leopardess, she trotted behind and sank down for one of the better nights sleep she'd had since... since everything had come crashing down. Friends were a blessing she sorely needed.
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 12:46 pm
Sadara gave a cat grin back at her, giving the tail wag another try, " They really are not good for wagging, our tails, but its fun to try!"
She stepped up beside the wild dog, " I will be happy to guide you. Its just a step down here." The leopardess helped her down between the boulders and up against the sun warmed side of one of the rocks. The warm would last most of the night and keep the wild dog comfortable.
Sadara laid down on her belly not to far from the canine, settling her head on her paws, this was turning out to be wonderful evening and she was glad she had chosen to say hello.
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