|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:06 pm
 Carles gently prodded a flower with his paw. The colors on the petals slightly interested him. White with brown spots that started small at the base and got bigger toward the edge. Now if it had been pink maybe he would have taken it with him. He strolled forward leisurely. His whole purpose today had been to get out and find some inspiration from nature.
The crafter had felt his craft lagging of late. There was simply nothing behind his designs. Which was why the cheetah had wandered far from his normal areas. He was looking for something new, inovated, and eye catching. Out on the outskirts of the pride seemed like an idea place for inspiration. Not much was out there, and it wasn't continuously interupted by pride members. Carles gave a sigh and twitched his tail.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:30 pm
 Nyofu wasn't sure where she was. This was a common occurrence for the undersized cheetah, as while Kelele was a good companion and something of a surrogate parent for her, he had no sense of direction and couldn't tell her where prides began or ended.
She hoped she hadn't wandered too far into the lands of some unwelcoming pride, but she couldn't be sure until - if - she ran into someone else. And she deathly hoped that it wouldn't be a lion that she met, because she didn't want to die. True, she knew that they didn't all want to eat her, but she was still afraid of them on instinct.
The small brown female crept along, her ears twitching every which way as she listened for... well, anyone and anything. Kelele had wandered off to hunt for himself, and so she was on her own for the moment. Maybe there would be someone around here who was safe, who could give her directions and keep her from going too far in one direction or another.
And - was that white spot in the distance someone? It wasn't a lion, was it? Nervous now, the female cheetah dropped low to the ground and crept closer, one shaky step after another. Hopefully if she could get closer without being seen, she would be able to tell if this was a scary lion or something safer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:08 pm
Carles brushed against some leaves. Their edges would make a nice pattern to frame something. Simple and pretty too. The grass that tickled his toes didn't hold his attention for long. It was just ordinary grass. He looked up and twitched his pink ears. Had something moved out there? Not expecting anyone to be out here, the cheetah watched intently for several minutes. There he thought he spotted something brown moving. Out of pure curiosity he headed toward it.
He didn't think it was one of the females on her quest for her gift. They didn't travel out this far did they? If they weren't a member of the pride, then it had to be a rogue. He hadn't met any rogues yet. it would be interesting and a chance to meet someone new. "Hullo? Is anyone out there?" Getting nearer, he slowed and peered around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:19 pm
Nyofu yowled and jerked upright - she had been spotted! Just as she was about to turn and run, however, she stepped in a hole, tripped, and went crashing to the ground with another frightened screech. Oh this was not good, not good, not good! Sprawling out with her limbs splayed in different directions, the small female tried to regather her limbs and reorient herself - only to find that the paw that had slipped into the hole was now painful to the touch. She could put weight on it and it wasn't badly injured, but it looked like she wouldn't be running out of there right away.
In other words, she was trapped, with this white and pink stranger approaching her - and - and... oh, wait, he wasn't a lion. He was another cheetah! This was good, right? Nyofu certainly hoped so, and she hoped that he would at least let her limp off of his lands with a little of her (thoroughly shredded already) dignity.
"Ah, hello," she squeaked. "I'm afraid I'm a little... lost. Where is this?"
There. That should work. He wouldn't attack her for asking a question, would he?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 7:20 am
The male cheetah was surprised when a brown blob got up and attempted to race off, only to fall back to the ground. Concerned he headed over faster than he had been. Carles hoped whoever it was wasn't sick to cause the fall or hadn't been hurt by it. As he got nearer, he got a good look at the female cheetah. Well well well. He noted the suttle browns; not quite as good as his nearly all white pelt, but still very natural.
"Hi there. You're not hurt are you? That looked like quite an abrupt fall." Carles slowed down and stopped a polite distance away. She seemed surprised by his appearance. His eyes took in the delicate swirls the darker brown made on her body. They really were nice, and he admired the stripes on her tail. "My names Carles. You're just at the edge of the Intaba'umbikezeli pride. We're the mountain seerers. Are you looking for someone inparticular?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 10:50 am
Nyofu was still rather shaken, so it took her a moment to process that the strange cheetah wasn't being hostile, or even very scary at all. Cautiously, she took a seat, taking weight off of her sore paw, and peered at the male, her eyes wide.
"No... I'm okay," she said, glancing around and half expecting there to be a bunch of others behind him, here to run her off or attack her or - well, prides were scary things right didn't that mean that they were going to hurt her? She thought so, but... maybe there were some who wouldn't?
"I'm Nyofu. And no; I'm just kind of lost. I never meant to bother a pride." She hoped she was handling this okay, she really wasn't sure she was saying any of the right things. But... this "Carles" seemed nice enough, at least. So far.
Maybe it would be okay...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 3:57 pm
Carles wasn't any kind of healer, but he knew that blood was bad. Without appearing to stare, he checked but couldn't see any obvious blood. That was good. He did notice how she held her paw delicately. If it really bothered her, he hoped she would say something. Otherwise he wouldn't comment on it.
"I see. Nice to meet you Nyofu." He gave a laugh and tossed his head. "You didn't bother us. I'm the only one who knows your even here at the moment. Can't bother what doesn't know about you." Carles was amused. "We all get lost at some point. You'd be welcome to come and rest. One of our healers could check you over." It was a tact offer for her paw. She didn't seem like the one to stick around some place.
Trying to make her feel more comfortable, the white cheetah sat down himself. His elegant tail curled slightly around his haunches. Other than his family he couldn't remember meeting another cheetah. "So how long and how did you get lost?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 4:22 pm
"Well, I didn't know if I was," Nyofu said, ducking her head sheepishly. "I've run into prides before who are, um, very obvious about not wanting anyone getting lost near them." Hopefully he wouldn't ask too much about that - Nyofu didn't like thinking about those incidents.
"It's nice to meet you too," she said after a long pause, trying to be sure that he really meant it. she hadn't been around anyone other than Kelele for very long periods, so sometimes it was hard for her to figure out what she was supposed to say in some situations.
"I've been traveling all my life; and, um, Kelele - he's a serval, he kept me from starving after my mother died," she clarified, lifting her head to look into the other cheetah's eyes. "He's not very good with directions, and neither am I, so we end of up lost all the time."
She wasn't sure about going to see any healers - what if going into the heart of this pride would just lead to more harm? Her paw was just a little sore, it would be better in no time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 4:48 pm
"It's alright, you know now." He tried to look reassuring, but wasn't sure he was succeeding. "That's too bad. I can assure you, we are not like that." Carles tilted his head. To his untrained ears, she sounded so unsure. He scrambled for a way to reassure her. "I don't have to tell anyone if you'd like. I mean if that helps." Mentally he kicked himself. "You don't really look dangerous to me. So you could rest here and I can check on you." Did that sound as stupid as he thought it did?
Carles gave a smile, happy that she didn't decide she didn't want to meet him. It was too late for not meeting anyhow. He looked around when she mentioned the serval. "Oh is he here now? I'm sorry to hear for your loss." The male wondered how it was to be traveling ones whole life. Not easy by the sound of it. He had lived here his whole life in comfortable ease. Now he felt slightly guilty about it.
"Perhaps I can help get you going in the right direction when your ready to leave. There's no rush though." Carles frowned slightly as he tried to come up with a way to help using his crafting. Given enough time, the cheetah was sure he could devise something. "You must run into a lot of adventures, getting lost all the time. Would you mind telling me some of your tales?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:08 pm
"I'll stay out here and try not to bother anyone," Nyofu sad, nodding. She... wasn't quite ready to leave just yet, but she knew she would sooner or later. This Carles was nice enough, and she hadn't had anyone to talk to at length, but for Kelele, for a rather long time now.
"Kelele's around here somewhere - he went to hunt for a snack, I think," she added, lifting her sore paw and inspecting it carefully. She would probably be able to run on it within a few hours, if she had to. It would hurt, though, so as long as she felt safe enough she would stay right here - or at least in this general area.
"Well, I don't have a particular direction, but if I decide on one that would be very helpful... and I've had a few, I suppose." She paused to wrinkle her nose, then continued, "But they were more scary than interesting. And it's... kind of lonely out there... I don't see anyone but Kelele for a long time, then I'll run into someone and I won't know if they're nice or dangerous, and it's very confusing."
She wasn't sure why she was being so forward right now; perhaps it was because he was another cheetah, perhaps it was because he had been nice so far, or maybe it was because Kelele wasn't here to caution her...
Or maybe, and most likely, she was just lonely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:26 pm
"Alright, I guess. If that's what you want to do. I'd offer my den if you decide to change your mind." He decided to let it drop instead of pressuring her. The last thing he wanted was to send her off prematurely. Again he looked around for the absent serval and gave a sniff. No sign that he could tell.
"Are you hungry? I'm sure I could get something for you." Carles had to wonder why exactly he was being so helpful and nice. He wasn't a mean cheetah, but this was a complete stranger. He had no idea if she actually intended harm to his pride. His ears twitched at that thought. No, no she didn't seem like that type. She could be fooling you, a voice niggled the back of his mind.
Carles coughed politely. He had to be sure. "I don't mean to sound suspicious, but you aren't helping an invasion or anything are you?" The cheetah looked embarrassed that he had asked.
"I might be able to design you an object that will help you be sure you're going in a straight line, instead of circles." It could be utterly frustrating trying to go somewhere and never getting there. Carles wondered how it could be more scary than interesting. Pushing that thought aside, he refocused. "It's nice to have company. Especially when its nice company."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:46 pm
Nyofu blinked. An... inva-what? "A... what? What's an in... invay-shun?" she asked, blinking. "Is that something bad? It definitely doesn't sound good...
She looked around, wondering if this 'invayshun' was supposed to be somewhere in her vicinity. If it was, she couldn't see it - but she did see a purple blob moving through the grass downwind of herself and Carles, and she lifted her injured paw to point in that direction. "Oh, look! There's Kelele... I think he found something," she said, and indeed the serval had, because his tail could be made out waving a little behind him - something he always did when he was pleased.
"Oh, um, will that be a problem? I won't eat from your lands, but we didn't know we were near a pride so Kelele went off, and - um - um, if it's a problem I'll make him give you what he catches so you can take it back with you!"
And... an object? To help her not get lost? What did that mean? "An... object? Like a rock or something?" It was nice to have company, especially after being alone for so long... ducking her head sheepishly, Nyofu smiled, thankful that her sudden blush couldn't be seen through her brown fur.
"You're very nice company."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:02 pm
Carles grinned and relaxed. "Nevermind. I thought you might have been leading a force in to take over our pride. Definitely not good." Distracted by her pointing paw he turned to look. There was indeed something moving out there. Curiously he pricked his ears toward it.
"No, not at all Nyofu. Being just at the edge, there's practically nobody out here." He made a face. "I'm not really out here to hunt. Well at least not for food. I'm an artisan you see. I came out here looking for inspiration for my stuff." His tone suggested he might have found a very good inspiration indeed.
"Hmmmm well I was thinking something a little more complex than just a rock." He laughed. Even he couldn't figure out how to make just a rock into a directional thing. "Maybe sticks, vine, and a rock. I don't know yet for sure. When I get something definite I'll show you." Carles ducked his head in embarrassment when she said he was good company. "Um..... you are too."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:24 pm
"Lead? The only one I lead around is Kelele, and he leads me more often than I do him," Nyofu said, tilting her had in confusion. She smiled, though, when she heard that it wasn't going to be a problem with hunting. She wouldn't want to take food from other cheetah's mouths! The idea that there could be lions in these lands never occurred to her.
"Inspiration? Oh, for making things?" she asked - maybe she was starting to understand this after all! Carles... made things. What, exactly, she didn't understand yet, but apparently he put things together and it became other things.
"Really? Um... thank you," she said, avoiding the other cheetah's eyes bashfully. "I don't know how long I'll be around here, but it should be a few days, at least - I'll try to keep just outside of your borders." She paused for a moment, before adding, "Um, if I run into you again maybe we could talk some more?"
That wasn't rude to ask, was it? She felt very much that she wanted to see him again... maybe he would feel the same?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:39 pm
Carles kept a sigh to himself. "Eh don't worry about it Nyofu. It was silly of me. You do? He does? Why?" It kind of baffled him that she would follow someone else around. Well of course, he had helped raised her right? He knew he would feel obligated to follow his parents.
He purred as she caught on to his craft. "Yes. Beautiful things out of nature." He gestured with a paw to some leaves. "Out of the stuff I find. I really like natural patterns." Carles shifted his paws slightly. "Like the marks on you. I like them a lot."
Coughing to cover his embarrassment, the cheetah stood up. It sounded like she wanted to be left alone now. "I hope you're around for awhile and I get the chance to talk with you again soon." He was surprised that he was looking forward to another meeting with her. "Have a good night Nyofu." Quietly the young cheetah slipped away into the foliage. His white coat making him stand out for quite away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
