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 Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 9:42 pm
 Sata moved with slow deliberate steps as he left the den area. It was already dark and most cubs were either asleep or playing quietly and he tried to be a stealthy as possible. It was dark but it was risky move and there would certainly be consequences if he were to be caught trying to escape. Of course, if no one noticed his furtive departure the cub would have hours ahead of him before anyone was able to notice his absence and find him. Quite worth the risk in his opinion.
Success! The air had grown colder but he tried to shake off the sudden discomfort and move forward. He just needed to get to the denser foliage and then no one would be able to see him. No baby-sitter or nosy sibling or “helpful” adult would be able to stop him now!
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 11:58 am
Clermelli-Pie lounged on one of the many perches that overlooked the area just outside of hometree. She wasn't hunting, she wasn't sleeping, she wasn't eating, so she was left with a bit of free time while her cubs were asleep. Usually she would have curled up with them to sleep by now. The problem was, she was not tired, and did not wish to disturb them with her figitting. She sighs and looks down from the branch she is resting on. So many things she probably could or should be doing with this free time.
Instead, though, she was just sitting here going over things in her head and regretting them. Clerm probably would have missed the cub's exit if it had not been for giving her head a discontented toss. The toss of her head brought her gaze down on the cub for a moment and that was enough for her to catch a glance and look again. The huntress in her spotted what had seemed out of place and she crept forward. Was that a cub?
She was pretty sure it looked like a lion, a small one, which meant, cub. Clerm crept silently and followed the cub from above. When she got a better look at him she realized it was one of the royals' new cubs. She knew that such a cub was not old enough to be out here on his own. Clerm waited until the cub would suspect itself to be safe in the denser foliage.
Once he got in there, Clerm jumped down in front of him and put herself in his path. The huntress was a bit small for a Na'vi but she was still not a small lioness really. She sat down and tucked her tail around her paws, tilting her head to the side and looking at the cub. "I see you, brother. What are you doing out here?"
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 9:48 am
“Eeek!” The cub squealed and jumped with a suddenly ruffled coat as the lioness appeared in his path. While the initial reaction was quite exuberant, an interesting change then occurred in the little cub. Wide eyes became half-lidded and almost devoid of life, his coat sleeked neatly into place, his claws disappeared into his tiny paws and his body released the tension with one long sigh.
“I see you, sister.” He said in a tired tone, counting the times he had been caught trying to escape the hometree. And despite already having a respectful repertoire of excuses that might explain his little escape (none of which seemed to have worked before), he simply decided to go with the truth this time. “I heard a bird call and I wanted to see what bird it was.”
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:08 am
Clermelli-Pie blinked at the squeal. She knew she was silent, but she had not expected the cub to have quite THAT reaction. The ruffled fur was just amusing as could be, but she tried not to laugh at the poor dear. As shocking as his innitial reaction was, the sudden change in the cub was just as bad. The lioness knitted her brown in slight confusion. Something was wrong perhaps?
She watched the cub with interest as he started to speak. Clermelli-Pie would have given her own children the same dedicated attention as she was giving this one just now. She smiled softly at the explanation for the cub's escape from the babysitters. "Hmm, well, usually you are to stay with the babysitters, but if you really wish to see what bird made the call, I think a hunter like myself might be able to show you. But you have to promise that when we go out, you will stay close to me, and not wonder off."
She probably should not have even suggested such a thing, but to her, such curiosity about one's surroundings was to be encouraged. it was afterall the key to getting a cub to realize the beauty of the forest they lived in. "I will not take you far, so hopefully your bird is fairly close to Hometree." Clermelli-Pie picked up the cub and settled him on her back. "It will be easier for us to move quietly if you ride there. Do not worry about digging in claws to hold on. I am used to such things."
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 6:54 pm
Just as quickly as Sata had become subdued, the young cub seemed to regain a new life when the lioness offered to take him with her on a little excursion.
“We can go? Right now? Really?” he spoke quickly and excitedly, his front paws touching the ground in turns as if he could barely contain himself. “I promise. I promise. I really promise!”
He was grinning uncontrollably now as he held on lightly to the lioness’ back – despite her words, he wasn’t keen on hurting her especially after her kind offer. “It makes a sound like this: rut, rut, pweet, pweet, weet, weet.” He made several chirping attempts, none of which seemed to gain his complete approval judging by his strained expression. “It was very insistent.” He paused to listen but sadly the bird had quieted down – because of his embarrassing little squeal, most likely. ((I randomly picked this cool little bird as Sata's subject))
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 3:24 pm
Clermeilli-Pie grinned at the enthusiasm from the cub. She had a feeling he was going to be an interesting one to watch grow up. "Yes, we really can go now. Up you get little one." She looked back and licked the cub on the forehead. "That sounds like a few birds I know of, but if it was the same call I heard earlier, I think I know which it was." The lioness crept through the forest with easy, seeming to glide with as much silence as a spirit.
Her paws barely seemed to touch the ground as she went, even with the extra weight of the cub added to her. For so young, he was actually pretty good at imitating the bird calls. Maybe the cub would be a hunter one day? Who knew. He was young enough that he could still change drastically, or he might decide to put those same skills to use elsewhere, like being a warrior. It was something for her to think on, and keep her mind off of other things.
"We will have to be quiet to get close to them." Clermelli-Pie had to chuckle at herself. She really was a mother at heart these days, constantly wondering about the path not only her own cubs would take but others as well. She would never have expected that before she had her own cubs. The lioness crouched down as she got close to what appeared to be weaver birds. A whole bunch of the males were trying to build their little nests with females watching them go.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 10:13 pm
The cub held on tight, trying his best not to use his claws for support.
“Okay!” he breathed out the word in one long whisper, craning his neck to look at the blue lioness in the eyes. He was the very image of restrained excitement so very typical in a cub. He narrowed his eyes as the lioness’ body dropped to the ground and the little blue cub looked around, inquisitively. His eyes widened at once when he saw the strange constructions hanging from the trees and he couldn’t help but to slide down from the huntress’ body though he remained glued to her side.
“What are they doing?” he whispered. It would be difficult to say if he was more fascinated or confused.
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 11:16 am
Clermelli-Pie watched the birds for a moment and smiled. Yes, she thought these would be the ones that the cub had heard. She glanced at him when he slid from her back and grinned at the reaction from the cub. Oh it was priceless to see that look of wonder and amazement on his face. She was reminded very much of her own cubs. And he was even being good and keeping his promise to stay close.
She could not have asked for more of a blessing on this. Clerm wasn't sure that the other pride members would have quite approved of her taking one of the heirs out like this, but well, she loved teaching things about the forest. Even though she was a huntress, there was something about teaching cubs that she loved dearly. And this was one of the best teaching sessions, for it had to do with the forest she hunted in.
Her grin widened at the question. She kept her voice low. "They are building nests. The males build and see the duller colored birds sitting watching? Those are the females." Clerm did not care if this was not something that would be looked on kindly. The cub was happy and learning. That was worth every bit of lecture she might get from his parents, though somehow she thought the king and queen would understand.
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 12:39 pm
“So the males build the nests? Like when we build hammocks? Don’t the females ever help?” This was AMAZING! The lioness actually knew about the birds and not just where to find them. She knew what they were doing, understood their behavior and she could even tell the genders apart! Sata had to constantly remind himself to keep his voice low as he was visibly brimming with excitement.
“Do you know things about the other animals in the jungle, too?” the cub asked with wide-eyes, looking up at the lioness with an expression filled with awe.
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 7:24 pm
Clermelli-Pie crouched down a little flatter so she was more on the cub's level. The birds were pretty little things and she was happy to see the cub taking interest in them. She could relate to the cub on the excitement of learning about a new creature of the forest. She had come here not that long ago herself and had to learn about all these new creatures she had never seen before. They inspired awe and wonder and now she was sharing them with another.
Clerm listened to the cub's questions and tried to think how best to answer them. "Well, it is a little like when we build hammocks, but for them it is a proving of the worth of a male as I understand it. The females only seem to inspect their work and choose their male based on the nest he builds." The excitement of the cub was actually very well controlled if Clerm did say so herself. He had yet to scare the birds even in the slightest.
"Yes, I do know a bit about the other animals in the jungle. I am a huntress, so I needed to learn quite a bit about the animals. Some things I learned just to know, others I needed to know for hunting. There are many creatures here, but not all of them are as safe to encounter as our little brothers and sisters up there that weave." She had learned THAT lesson well, if she did say so herself. Pythons really were not her favorite creatures before, but it definitely served as a good lesson reenforcement on avoiding dangerous creatures.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 6:36 pm
“Ooooh, so it’s like a test?” the cub whispered, his eyes drifting towards the funny-looking constructions, watching the way the little birds built them with remarkable precision. He wasn’t sure what to think about the adult’s chosen task. Obviously, Sata was painfully aware that he wasn’t made for the hunting ranks, his interest and appreciation for all creatures non-lion bordering on the obsessive. But Sata had to eat – as did all the other lions – so he was slowly coming to accept how very inevitable it was to take the lives of the animals he so admired. Still, it felt odd to understand their… targets so well. And it also made sense, in a way, twisted as it may feel to the cub. “Do you think we can get closer?”
He paused, the huntress’ words sinking in. He looked a little surprised but definitely interested. “Are there really dangerous animals in the jungle?”
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:30 pm
"It is in a way. A test to prove that the male is worthy of being a mate to one of the females. And also to prove he will be a good father." Clermelli-Pie grinned at the cub's curiosity. "We may be able to get a little closer, but not too much. We do not wish to startle our little feathered friends." Her grin dropped for a bit and she sighed softly. "There are dangerous creatures in the forests we call our home." She moved them just a little closer to the birds and then stopped and perked her ears up to scan.
There was no sign of danger, but she could not be too careful with a cub along. "If you would like to return to Home Tree, I can tell you of such creatures." Her voice stayed soft so as not to scare the birds they were watching, and also to not alert anything lurking of their presence. There were things that would challenge her to get at a cub, not usually this close to Home Tree, but one could never be too careful.
She gave his cheek a lick to put some fur back in place. "Besides, if we do not get you home soon, I will have to explain where you got all this dirt from." She had a twinkle in her eyes as she teased the cub about being dirty. Truthfully he was no more so than she herself was from creeping along in the underbrush, but they really should get him back to the den and cleaned up before anyone noticed that he was gone.
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:54 pm
“It’s okay. Let’s not get close then.” The cub nodded at every tidbit of knowledge but didn’t seem very happy with the idea of startling the little birds. He looked up at the lioness with wide eyes, silently considering his options. Sata had already seen what we’d wanted and he really didn’t want to get the lioness into trouble – she’d been so nice, after all. He was also curious and wanted to know more about the dangerous creatures of the jungle so the decision wasn’t really that hard to make.
“Alright. Let’s go back.” He said with a smile and tried to jump into the lioness’ back only to come crashing down on the other side. Shaking his coat while looking mildly embarrassed, Sata made a second attempt and settled himself on the huntress’s back. He held on tightly. “Okay, ready.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:15 pm
Clermelli-Pie was happy that the cub was so easy to get along with. He seemed much like her own cubs were. He was smart enough to know there were good reasons for what was being asked of him. She would have to keep an eye on him as he grew and see if she could take him under paw some so he could learn a bit more about the jungle from supervised experience.
He seemed the sort to wonder off to check out things if he was left to himself. Best to direct such curiosity so it developed well, but with some common sense. Clerm waited for the cub to climb onto her back. The missed jump got little more than a glance from the lioness. She was not going to bring attention to it and make him more embarrassed.
When he got himself settled, Clerm looked back at the cub and gave his nose a lick. "Good, let us get you home, little one." She moves fluidly through the forest back to Home Tree and inside. She would let him just outside where the babysitters could see, that way he could sneak back in the way he had snuck out in the first place. When she got to where he should go on by himself, the huntress crouched to let the cub off her back. "In you go, little one."
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 8:26 pm
Sata made a funny face when he felt the nose lick but purred a little nonetheless. He was silent for the short trip back, watching everything around him in quiet contemplation. He hopped to the ground as they reached the Home Tree and lifted a paw to dust off the white feather hanging in front of his chest.
“Thank you.” He spoke quietly, looking up with a smile. It was not said as a formality but out of a truly honest wish to show his appreciation for the huntress’ gesture. He almost asked if she could take him out again the next day but decided it would be a little rude to request something like that so soon. The blue boy quickly realized it would be best to sneak back and join his siblings and pretend he’d been there the whole time before he got into some serious trouble – if he wasn’t already...
“I’m gonna find my brothers and sisters now.” He said, turning slowly, his tone gentle. He held the blue lioness’ gaze for a few moments before he started walking away. “Bye.” - FIN -
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