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 Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 5:18 pm
The sun was getting to a low point in the sky, causing the shadows cast by the trees to lengthen, and giving everything that nice, late afternoon glow. It had been a quiet day there in her little territory, and Maori was taking the moment to rest on the branch of a tree, and to inspect the land as the shadows grew longer and longer. Soon the sky would be orange, and pink, maybe even red. There were a few clouds dotting the sky, so it would be a nice sunset, she though.
Behind the Maori, where the treeline grew thick and dense, and the jungle began, there was the everlasting thrum of life that went day in and day out, no matter what time it was. Birds called, insects chirped and buzzed. These sounds were comforting to the leopardess, who held a very small territory around the area in which she was resting. The forest was the place in which she usually hunted, and she hummed a soft tune to herself as she waited for the sun to go down, and for the air to grow cooler, so that she might hunt in the comfort and cover of darkness.
After a moment, she let out a soft sigh. It had been unseasonably quiet, lately, she thought to herself, for the past week at least. She'd seen hide nor hair of any other type of large beast, no lions or cheetahs, or even hyenas (though she was sort of thankful for that). Picking up her tune again, her tail flicked, and she scanned the grasslands before her, watching, and waiting.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 5:41 pm
 Aureo made his way through the jungle. had he been lost? Probably and he would probably find his way back eventually. His sense of direction wasn't too terrible, it was just he would often find something that caught his interest and investigate it. Occasionally it would involve a chase and he would get lost durring the chase. He had saw a little creature he hadn't seen before and chased it while in the forrest. The creature got away and Aureo found himself lost.
As he wandered around he thought he heard some kind of sound, like an echo. He followed it, wondering what it could be. Than he spotted a yellow spotted leopardess he could barely hear her hum, but he realized it must have come from her.
He went to the base of the tree and looked up at her. "You have a beautiful voice." he called up to her. He would have climbed, but from previous experience he had learned that he was far more graceful on the ground than on branches.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:25 pm
Maori had been so distracted that she had not even heard Aureo's approach, having written it off as some small creature down in the brush. But when he called out, she jumped, just a little, the fur along her back standing a little. She hadn't been expecting a visitor! Looking down, she was even more surprised to see that it was a male lion. It made her heart thud in an anxious sort of way, instinctively (since not all lions were of the kind to get along with smaller cats such as herself), but his words had been pleasant ones, and she gave him a warm, flattered smile. "Oh, you startled me a little bit...thank you!" her smile deepening.
"Look at you. I haven't seen a lion around here for some time, a week at least. Did you come from out of the jungle?" she asked, stretching, and standing carefully on her branch, and taking a moment or two to see how he responded. Kind though she was, lions were an unpredictable sort...she'd had some close calls, and now out of habit, she was careful. She couldn't help but admire the look of him though. Festive, bright...he almost looked like a walking sunset, and his black mane was like one of those long shadows.
"You weren't lost, I hope? The jungle can be a confusing place, especially if you have to travel on the ground." she mused, more to herself than anything. In some parts of the jungle, there was scarcely a place on the ground, in some areas, to set your paw down.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 9:51 am
“Your welcome,” he said as he grinned foolishly up at her. Carefully he climbed up on the closest branch and sat there, trying to keep his balance. He tried to think if he had seen any lions on his adventure so far. Unless he was to intoxicated he couldn't remember seeing any. “I did come out of the jungle. It's crazy wild in there. Full of adventure. I can't wait to try it again. Though I have to admit I did get lost.”
He looked back at the jungle. It was defiantly a fun place to travel, though he defiantly needed a break from it. Too much of a good thing would bore him. “I don't even know how long I've been there. Too long I think. It's nice to be out in the open. Someday, maybe when I'm more graceful, I'd love to travel it from tree to tree. I bet from up there the jungle has a completely different look to it.”
Carefully he climbed the next highest branch, wanting to be able to speak to her better. “How long have you been here? If I were the type to settle down this would be the kind of place I would do it at. Always near adventure, plenty to do. Seems like the perfect spot,” he said once he was situated on the branch.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 1:55 am
She couldn't help but laugh softly again at the smile that had spread across the lion's face. This was certainly the closest she'd been to one in a long while, and, finally giving into her need to be polite, she shifted to slide down to the next lowest branch. "Oh, do be careful! You wouldn't want to fall." she said, noting the ominous creak of the branch he had managed to get up onto. She was just a short ways above him now, smiling warmly.
"It can be quite interesting, yes! The plains do have their own craziness to them though. The jungle doesn't have hyenas, at least." she tilted her head, listening to him, and trying not to laugh again when he mentioned traveling through the trees, as a leopard might. She found the mental image adorable, though she bit her tongue so as not to appear rude. It wasn't that she didn't find him graceful...some lions were just too big for trees! Still, she said nothing, her little black-tipped ears perked as she got comfortable on the branch again.
"I was born in the jungle...but not near here, really. I've lived in this area for some time, and I like to help those coming through, if I they need it. There is a river that runs through the forest, not too far in, and sometimes others get lost. I guide them through, if they show me no ill will. she explained after a good moment of thought. It had not been something she'd always done, and usually, it was youngsters who needed the help, usually adolescents or young adults. Not everyone had set place in the world, and the least she could do was to make sure no one got lost in the dangerous tangles of the jungle.
"What about you? Have you been wandering long?" she asked, ever curious. Lions tended to travel in groups, didn't they? But not always. This one seemed to be alone, and she wondered if there were others about...she couldn't see, or smell them. "Oh! My name is Maori, by the way. What is yours?" she asked sweetly, tacking the question up with the other two before quieting again.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:57 am
"I'll try too." he said with a laugh. He went over to a slightly larger branch that was near by. That way he felt a bit more stable. He than glanced over at the plains. "Hyena's you say? I wonder if they'll do some practice fighting. I always like to get my exercise with other creatures." He looked carefully to see if he could see a hyena, but he had no luck. "I guess they wouldn't like the jungle too much. Not really their type of place they would like to hang around."
"That's really nice of you. I bet you have help a lot of different characters. Anyone interesting?" he asked curiously. "I've never stayed in the same place for too long. When I was younger I had to live with my family in their pride. I hated every moment of it. When I was old enough I finally ran away."
"For this little adventure I've been going for a while now. I'm making my way to the ocean right now. I've never been there so I thought it might be nice." he said thinking about an endless ocean. He had heard stories about the ocean and dreamed about going there since he was a cub.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:35 pm
Maori looked startled by the males words, her eyes widening a little. "You would play with hyenas? I've never met any hyena that was very pleasant to be around...in fact, they usually just try to steal my kills." she huffed. Hyenas were among the few animals she posessed an open distaste for. They were always bullying smaller cats, like herself, and she couldn't stand to lose her food to those wily, powerful jaws. There was little she could do though...food usually wasn't worth the risk of injury.
She bounced back into her bubbly self, banishing the thought of the hyenas from her mind. "Oh yes. Many characters indeed. Young lions, other leopards, I even showed a little group of wild dogs to the river once. I've met a few lions as well." she said, looking thoughtful as she pondered back on it. Maori blinked as he recalled where he was from, and tilted her head, looking just a tad concerned.
"Oh dear. That's a shame. Why did you hate it so much?" she inquired, head tilting. She had done the same thing, in a way, but it was usually a normal thing for leopards to leave their parents, once they were old enough to feed and look after themselves. Then, he said another thing that she'd never heard about. "The ocean? What is that?" she asked, genuinely unaware of what it was.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:21 pm
"You got to find the right hyena I guess." Aureo said with a deep laugh. He knew that hyena's had a bad wrap, but he never judged based on what other's said. To him everyone was a friend until they do something wrong against him. "If I ever run into a kind one again I'll be sure to bring him over and introduce you, to show you that some are nice."
"That would be the best part living here huh? Meeting all sorts of different creatures. I would love that," he could chat all day and find out all sorts of information about far away places. He would be worth staying a few days to see who all he could meet. He would have to consider staying for a little bit.
"I guess hate is a strong word for it," he said thinking back on it. "The pride was old. I don't know if it is still around. When I left it was near dead. It was a pride of warriors, who forced their young to think of only attacking and defending the pride. There was no fun or games, just serious training. I couldn't stand living in a place like that. I love to enjoy life. If you train to much it get's tiring, I think." He hardly ever talked about his life in the pride. It felt like a calm coming over him.
When she asked what the ocean was, his eyes went big. "You don't know what the ocean is?It's the greatest place in the world!" He said excitedly. "Image a field that looked like the sky, but was water. It's sorta like that but even bigger! I've never seen it before of course, I've just heard of it."
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:24 pm
Maori laughed a little, at the sound of his. He had such a deep voice, and it was pleasant to her ears, to simply hear the voice and laughter of someone else. He had a valid point, besides. "I suppose that's true. I wouldn't mind meeting one if it wasn't bent on attacking." she said, smiling sweetly. If she stumbled upon one that needed help, she supposed, she would not deny it aid, either.
She tilted her head as he told her about his old pride, and she looked surprised. "No playing around at all? How boring! I would have left myself, I think...that's a good way of looking at it. I love life as well. That doesn't make sense, anyway. Aren't lions strong enough as it is without needing to train?" she pondered aloud. "You certainly look strong enough." she said with a grin.
Her eyes widened a little as he described the ocean, ears perked. "Ooh. That's a lot of water! The biggest water I've seen is the pond upstream, in the jungle, but what you're describing sounds...unbelievable!" she finally said, trying to imagine it. "Why are you going there?" she finally asked, returning her attention to him.
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:12 am
"Why am I going there?" he repeated with unsurity. "Well at first I was going because I heard the fruit there was amazing, but I guess I am going mostly for the adventure of it. I heard there is a pride there that I might be interested in. It is one filled with adventures and such. I like to go where the adventure is." he confessed with a laugh.
"I still have a ways to go. I could always use a companion on my trip." He grinned at her. "Though you probably want to stay here and continue being the jungle's gardian. If you ever get bored though you are free to come travel with me."
And than he heard a crack. Than the branch snapped down and he hit the ground. "Aw great. Looks like the tree was tired of me sitting on it." he gave a laugh as he got up and wiped the dirt off himself. Us lions are probably not made for these trees anyways. Maybe with some practice, but even than." He shook his head at the tree with disproval.
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:03 am
"Fruit!? Lions eat fruit?" she said, her voice raising with surprise. Now here was an idea that had never crossed her mind! Now she was instantly curious...only little animals ate fruit, like the monkeys she sometimes hunted in the forest. "I've never tried that before...I'll have to sometime. Does it taste better than green things?" She pondered out loud, reaching up to tap her paw to her lower lip.
His offer pulled her from her thoughts, and her little rounded ears laid back a little at the prospect of it. "Oh dear...you are very right. That's such a big decision. Thank you for your offer though!" she smiled sweetly. "I extend the same offer to you, Aureo! You should stay here a while before your journey. The hunting is fair and the jungle is so interesting. You should see the river before you leave." she said, babbling just a little, until....
She cried out in surprise at the sound of the cracking branch. Immediately she had scaled down the trunk with all the speed and skill of a squirrel, and was at his side in a moment. "Oh no, Aureo, are you alright!?" she asked, helped to brush him off. Her hesitation about being so close to a big predator like a lion was all but forgotten, but he looked okay. "Nothing broken...any splinters?" she laughed hesitantly. "That is sort of true. Lots of the trees on the edge of the forest are really too small to support a big strong thing like you." she teased, her eyes still flicking over his form to make sure he hadn't been harmed.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:59 am
"I don't know if your average lion eats fruit," he said with a laugh. His own parents would never eat fruit. It wasn't normal. They only ate meat, meat helped you grow big and strong. Fruit was just weird for a lion to eat. "I've never had green things. I'll have to try some so I can answer your question." He said with a laugh. He loved trying new things, especially if it involved new food.
As he cleaned himself he thought about her offer. He wasn't in any hurry. It wouldn't hurt to stay here and venture around. "I'm fine. Nothing broken here. I'm built like a rock. My parents made sure of that." He laughed again. Being here was pretty fun and there was much more for him to see.
"I think I'll take you up on your offer." He decided once he was sure there was no dirt on him. "It would be interesting to take a break from traveling for once. I haven't stayed in one place for very long. Maybe I could take a break from that habit and stay here for a while."
He stretched his limbs, checking to make sure that none of his limbs were hurt. "Are you sure you want me to stay here? I wouldn't want to be an unwelcomed guest." He grinned. He probably wouldn't over stay his welcome. He couldn't imagine himself staying for too long.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:45 pm
"I've never even considered it, though I haven't eaten anything like grass or leaves since I was little. You never really forget the first time you taste a leaf." she laughed. Babies put all sorts of things in their mouths, and she'd been no exception.
She helped brush him off, admiring his brilliantly colored fur as she did so. "I'm glad! Even short falls can be dangerous, sometimes." she smiled warmly. "I like your colors. You're like a big sunset." she observed, before sitting down in the grass. The sunset was nearing, too, and the afternoon was growing late. She would retreat into the jungle soon, closer to the river and away from the band of hyenas that roved through occasionally.
"You will? Oh, wonderful! It would be nice to have someone to talk to, and hunt with, perhaps! I wouldn't mind at all, any guest here is a welcomed one. It's nice to have company." she reassured, smiling brightly. She would have a friend for a while! It pleased her greatly...but she wasn't sure, yet, if she wanted to leave her little home, when he left. She would have to give it a great deal of thought.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:48 pm
"Thank you," he said with a grin. His mother had said that his coat was a warning to others that he was trouble. He was glad that Maori thought differently. It was cute the way she thought of the colors of the sunset. "I like your spots. They bring out your coat." his grin growing bigger.
He looked up in the sky. It wouldn't be too long until it would be filled with stars. He would love to see what the stars looked like here. Everywhere he went the stars looked just a bit different. He imagined here they would be extraordinary, after all so far everything here was amazing.
"Before we sleep why don't you show me the river?" he asked. He was thirsty and would love to have a quick drink. "Than maybe we can admire the stars. How does that sound?"
He watched her curiously, hoping she would say yes.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:34 pm
She laughed, and felt her face flush a little at the compliment. It had certainly been a while since anyone had done that sort of thing, despite the way she was always helping other animals. "Well thank you, Aureo! I don't know what I'd do without them." she laughed jokingly. It was her spots, she supposed, that helped her blend in so well in the jungle.
"I'd love to! It's so pretty in the evening, and you can stay at my home if you'd like. The trees are much bigger, deeper in the forest, so I think you'd have an easier time climbing them." she explained, and rose to her feet, turning to begin to make her way through the brush before leading him onto a well-walked pathway that had been worn in by herself and many other creatures. "This way!"
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