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 Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:14 pm
 Nuala trotted around the base of the tree, the flowers clenched between her teeth making a pretty splash of color against her pink fur. She loved the way flowers looked, and they way they smelled, and they way they looked on her when she wove them into head wreaths. Really, she just loved flowers!
Tam was gone for the day again, which had made he pout for all of about two minutes before she remember that there were still some flowers blooming in the little meadow under the forest trees by where the stream fed the river on the very edge of the tree line. She'd skipped over there and gathered a mouthful and now was taking them to her favorite sunning spot on this side of the forest's edge to weave them into a crown.
Singing to the birds in her lovely voice, her paws went to work to create another lovely head piece.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:23 pm
 It was hot.
Growling low under her breath, the leopardess panted in a hopeless attempt to beat the midday heat that pounded down on her pale back. Crouching under a bush that was far too small to provide adequate protection from the sun, she gazed around with slitted eyes, seeking a larger haven to sleep away the scorching noon hours. She knew there was a pride close by, the scent of too many cats in one area made her muscles tense and her nose wrinkle in disgust. But she needed shade and if that meant putting up with the stink for a few hours, then she would have to bare it until she could move on.
Sometimes she missed her old mountain home. Shame it had blown itself to pieces....
Scenting water she lifted her head and spotted an area near a riverbank that was shaded by full grown trees. Perfect. Crawling out from under the bush, she made a beeline to the trees, not realizing someone was already there as she loped across the sunbaked earth and dived into the shadowed piece of heaven.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:42 pm
Nuala saw the pale streak of fur high tail it for the shade, and stopped her song midnote, her green eyes blinking. She'd not seen a leopard ever move that fast before. She'd seen a cheetah move that fast, and even a wild dog once when a nasty ole' hyena was chasing it, but never a leopard. She wondered if something was chasing it?
Hanging her front paws off her rock she looked down at her 'guest' and called out in her best friendly voice, " 'ello down there! You ok? Are you being chased? If you are you can hide up here. I don't mind...and then we can throw rocks at whoever is chasing you!"
Oh now that sounded fun! Nuala hoped it was a hyena chasing her...cause she could tell it was female now, cause they had the best laugh when they were upset!
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:52 pm
Relief washed over her as she made it to the relative cool of the shadows. relative was a term she used lightly, for she missed the snows of her mountain home, but that was long gone and a memory best left forgotten.
Panting harshly she flopped down unceremoniously on her side, flanks heaving as she gasped for breath and mentally cursed the heat several times over. The sudden voice from above startled her, but not enough to get her to move, for it did not sound threatening, was female and a leopard like herself. It was rare that Merah did not go on defense in the company of others, but this time she was too hot and the stranger wasn't enough of a threat for her to bother moving, yet anyway.
Peering up in confusion she blinked against the threatening glare behind the leaves and squinted at the .. very pink.. stranger. "Chased?" Reluctantly rolling onto her belly she tilted her head. "No... I wasn't." Puzzled more than anything Merah regarded the other female.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:04 pm
"Aww nuts, I was hoping it was a hyena. They are the best to tease with rocks." Nuala smiled at the other leopardess and jumped down from the rock. Being sure to give her plenty of room.
"Welcome to the Groundling forest, I'm Nuala." The pink feline have her a very elegant curtsy, " Please make yourslef at home here and consider yourself my guest since Tam is away right now. Is there anything I can get you? I think I still have some left over Springbok, if not I am very good at catching fish. I do LOVE fishing!"
Nuala had just found this out in a recent science experiment and was rather proud of the fact.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:10 pm
One pale eyebrow rose at the strange female's exclamation, pale eyes becoming puzzled. The pink leopard had to be a little... damaged, to want to play with Hyenas, disgusting creatures that they were. But... she seemed harmless enough to Merah, if a little.. childish.
"Thank you..." I think.. She added mentally, glancing round at the shadowed area and then at the river. She wondered who this 'Tam' was but since she didn't smell another close by, she didn't worry about it for the time being.
"Fish would be a nice change.. it has been a while since I caught any." She was a little hungry, but something in the way the pink female said it made Merah want to.. humor her, like she had with her last litter when one of the cubs discovered a new hunting trick he wanted to show off to his mom. Puzzled by the rare maternal feelings she pulled herself to her paws and looked up at the pink one.
"My name is Merah."
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:47 pm
Nuala clapped her paws together, clearly pleased with Merah's choice in food, " Oh wonderful! You won't be disappointed, the perch in this stream are really, really good." She stood up, her tail dancing around her in clear excitement.
" You just wait her and relax and I'll be back before you know it." With a happy grin Nuala dashed off, going upstream just a little way and diving into the water with all the enthusiasm of a otter, making a loud splash and no doubt scaring away whatever fish may have been there.
Undaunted however, the pale pink female, dove under the water and headed toward her favorite hunting...er fishing ground.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:55 pm
Merah coul only look more puzzled as the other female jumped up, pleased as punch to be able to go fishing. Which made Merah wonder why she didn't just go anyway, with or without her own influence. Shrugging mentally, and more than happy to accept such cheerfully offered hospitality, she settled down in the blissful shade of the massive trees and relaxed, enjoying the cool of the shadows and the sweet-scented breeze off the river.
She did wonder just how the pink girl was going to fish while making so much noise, but then, she assumed the one called Nuala wouldn't have offered if she couldn't deliver the meal promised. She had to have some kind of method so Merah quit worrying about the female's strangeness.
Once while she was waiting, Merah stood and padded down to the river to slack her thirst, but otherwise she didn't leave the safety and cool of the tree shaded area.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:15 pm
Merah did not have to wait overly long before Nuala returned with two fat perch in her mouth, which she presented with a flourish to her 'guest'.
" I hope two are enough. I didn't know how hungry you might be." She pushed them toward the white spotted female with a happy smile. " If you want more I can always go in for more."
The pink female sat down and began to groom the extra water out of her fur, trying to get it to lay down flat, " Please excuse my grooming, if I don't do this now it will go all frizzy and I HATE looking frizzy. Tam hates it to and then he will groom me and its like being groomed by...by an elephant...but um...don't tell him I said that." The last was a consperitual whisper.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:28 pm
Sitting up, Merah was duly impressed with her host's fishing skills. "Thank you Nuala. Two are plenty. Would you share with me?" She found the unusual emotion in her chest odd and more than a little perplexing, but it made her want to be nice with this pink female, despite her strange ways, and even made her feel a little protective over her.
Catching one of the fish up in her mouth she settled back down, pinning it in place with one paw before looking back at the pink leopard. "Grooming is necessary, don't mind me." Pausing she gave the other female a long, considering look before turning to her fish. She wanted to know who this 'Tam' was, but she wasn't so rude as to outright ask. Instead, she ate the fish with the right amount of appreciative noises.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:35 pm
Nuala stopped mid-groom and blinked, " Really? You want me to join you?" She was so surprised she didn't realize she had her tail between her paws, and her tongue halfway out of her mouth.
It was so novel, the other leopard that had stopped for a day had only eaten with her because Nuala had been eating at the time, and the time before that, the big ole blue and white lion had eaten really with her and Tam and the others...and it was always her asking if they wanted to eat...this had to be the first time EVER someone asked her if she wanted to eat with them.
She blushed and tugged at her tail, suddenly feeling a little self conscience," Um...I..I would very much like to eat with you if that's ok Merah."
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:40 pm
She couldn't help it, the pink leopardess looked so innocent and lost at that moment that she felt an upwelling of emotion that caught her by surprise. It was so rare that she liked anyone other than her own cubs, and sometimes even they didn't manage to inspire such a feeling within her breast.
Smiling gently she nodded and nudged the other fish a little to encourage Nuala to join her. "Of course. It is always more pleasurable to eat in company than it is alone... come on." The grey leopard's voice was gentled, warm and encouraging, like she would when talking to a youngster.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:49 pm
Nuala smiled and it was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, her green eyes dancing with good humor and simple happiness as she took the offered fish and settled down beside the other female.
" Thank you Merah...OH! Wait!!" She jumped up and scrambled up on top of the rock she'd been on, only the very pale tip of her tail able to be seen, before she turned back around, something clutched in her mouth.
Slipping back down she set it at Merah's paws, a slightly embarrassed look on her muzzle, " Its not done, I was working on it when you came...but..its still pretty. I can loop the ends together...if you wanted to wear it. I should have finished it first..but I wanted to thank you...and well..." She blushed more and looked at her paws.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:53 pm
Merah started to smile back before the younger's sudden leap made her raise an eyebrow again, pale eyes puzzled as she watched the female's tail tip twitch over the side of the rock.
Once Nuala returned, Merah blinked at the offered... thing. It had been a bunch of flowers, that much she could tell, but what she was supposed to do with it she wasn't sure. Still, she gave Nuala a warm smile and carefully picked the gift up and set it beside herself.
"Thank you Nuala, it is a beautiful gift. I would love to wear it." Reaching over she gently rested her paw over the pink leopardess's, expression unusually gentled. "It is beautiful."
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:59 pm
The pink leopardess beamed again and leaned down to nuzzle the paw on hers before settling down to the fish, " I'll fix it once we are done eating, that way you can wear it over your ears."
She smiled again, then attacked her fish with enthusiasm, but very good manners, after all, Tam Linn had been the one to raise her, and he was very insistent on good manners and breeding.
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