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 Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:48 pm
 "Vashti?!" Vuxta was getting nervous. First it was just her maternal concern kicking into high gear, but then it got worse. It expanded and consumed her until it was all she could think about. Where was her daughter? It had been at least an hour since she scampered off to play. Vuxta cursed her inability to see. It was possible that Vashti was just a few paw steps away, and she would never know it. Black toes clawed into the dirt beneath her paws as she tried to tame her anxiety. It wasn't working.
Vuxta shut her broken eyes, and in an instant she saw her daughter's precious face. That was definitely not the face of a happy, playful cub. Vuxta snapped from her vision and called out to the sky. She knew Aotpo was there, no one could mistake that smell of death. "Aotpo!" She called, a tone of vicious urgency in her voice that caused the bird to fall from her perch. "Go find Vashti! NOW!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:00 pm
"Mama!" the young cub cried. She had scampered off to play for the day but was somehow separated. She thought she knew which direction to go, but things started to look funny and wrong. This wasn't the way home at all.... was it? "Mama....." she sobbed louder and louder, drawing attention from all manner of creatures she just knew were watching her. "Oh mama... I'm so scared..." she whimpered and crawled into a tiny bush where she shivered and shuddered. Curling tight into a ball, tiny tears flowed down her tiny muzzle as her eyes watched through the cracks and leaves for any sign of her mom, dad, brother or sister.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:37 pm
The dark lioness got to her paws, a deep rumbling growl erupting from her throat as she started to pace back and forth. The sound of flapping wings was satisfying, but it wasn't enough - and she certainly couldn't just sit there. Vuxta blindly paced from the rock to the trunk of a tree, her tail flickered furiously as her ears focused on her surroundings. "Vashti!" She called, but it was futile. Aotpo would have better luck with her eyes in the sky.
The vulture grumbled to herself as she soared above the savannah. Her fiery eyes scanned the foliage beneath for any sign of a dark cub with a tuft of white mane. Why was it her job to find the lost babies? Oh right, because Vuxta was blind. How useless.
Aotpo hung lower to the ground so she could put her sense of smell to use as well - it was much better than her sight after all. The vulture let out a screech, hoping for a response but not expecting much. The cub was probably sleeping or something. Vuxta really needed to take it easy.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:21 pm
The cub's tiny ears flickered to and fro as her little sides heaved with every breath she took. She attempted to sleep, but the strange gurgling grumbles in the foliage across the way was not helping her feel any more at ease. Sniffling, she curled herself tighter into a ball, her tiny front toes gripping her back hind quarters as she fluttered her eyes open and closed a few times. Just when she was on the brink of passing out completely, a loud screech filled her ears. But not just any screech, a familiar screech. "Huh....?" she blinked open, timidly sticking her nose out of the bush to gaze at the sky, scanning for the source of the noise.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:28 pm
Aotpo spotted some movement below, and decided it might be worth investigating. She slowed her pace and let gravity slowly carry her earthbound. Soon enough the ungraceful landed with a loud crash near the hunkered black cub. The vulture caught the infant's scent, but she couldn't see her - the cub's dark coat blended easily with the shadows.
"Vashti." She said with a snarl on her voice, looking left and right for the lost feline. She heard the grumble of an unidentified beast, and sent a glare in its direction. That's not her, so where could she be? The lumbering vulture took an awkward step forward; the bird was built for flying, not walking on the earth. "Vashti, where are you?" Her crackling voice sounded again as she peered into the bush. "It's time to come home."
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:36 pm
This bird was not her mama, and in fact she scared her, but the ruddy creature was the companion of her mother, so she gingerly let out a squeak so the bird wouldn't trample right on top of her. "Here, Aotpo. I want mamaaaaaaa." she said and began sobbing loudly for all to hear. It was amazing her squeals hadn't already brought some huge beast down upon her and turning her into a meal. 'Wheres mama, I want mama, I want to go hooommmeee!" she wailed again, this time bursting out of the bush and tackling the bird with paws wide open as she clinged to any part of its feathers she could latch on to. "Is mom here somewhere?!" she sobbed loudly and stared up at the creature with big round wet eyes.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:41 pm
"Shush, child!" Aotpo snarled as the black cub began to whine loudly. "Yes, your mother is near, but sobbing will do you no good at all. So keep your loud mouth shut, do you understand?" The vulture gave the cub a warning glare, but it apparently went unnoticed as Vashti tackled her with open paws. Aotpo squawked, opening her wings to bat the cub away. "Stop that!" Her strict tone had grown, and the glare had deepened.
The cub was too heavy to carry, but at least she was safe and sound. "Follow me, Vashti, your mother is this way." Aotpo began her awkward lumbering walk back towards the adult lioness. Her head bobbed and her tail swayed as she looked over her wings to see if the cub was following. "Hurry up now, you don't want to be some beasts' dinner, do you?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:46 pm
"N-n-n-noono-..." Vashti squeaked again as she scurried to stay behind the vulture. With every step she cast her head in all directions to see if they were being followed. Any kind of noise sent shivers down her spine and she nearly clambered on top of the bird in panic as a rather large beetle flew at her face. "Are we alm-m-m-most there yet?" she gulped as she slinked low to the ground, her belly furr dragging against the ground...which was unusual for the princess who always wanted to be clean, prim and proper. This was definitely very non girly.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:50 pm
Aotpo waddled along, towering over the cub as she cowered to the ground. At least she wasn't clinging to her, anymore... this was tolerable, at least. "Yes, Vuxta is just up here... Quit your shivering, you will be just fine."
"Vashti?" Vuxta had heard the whimper of a cub. At first she thought it was just the wind, but no- there was no mistaking it. "Vashti!" Yes, it was her daughter, waddling on up behind that stench of death that was Aotpo. Vuxta longed to cling to her daughter, but she couldn't aim a hug if her life depended on it. Instead, she stood, her ears erect as she listened to the little paw steps of her frightened daughter. "Vashti, I was so worried!" Vuxta wouldn't be satisfied until she felt her daughter's warm fur in her arms again.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:52 pm
As soon as she heard the sound of her mother, she broke all out at a full run towards her mother, tears flying from her face like rain drops, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might just pound right out of her chest. "MAMA!" she screamed and cried and cried some more as she flailed forward and latched on to her mother's leg. "MAMA I was so scared, I got lost I don't know where I was, maammaaaaa." she finally broke down, exhausted and weak from all her crying. All she wanted to do was bury her head into her mothers warm fur, soak up her scent, and sleep for days.....oh and have a bath. Princesses can't go to sleep dirty and smelling like death.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:57 pm
Vuxta scooped up her precious daughter in a single giant paw and licked at her fur furiously. She was thankful nothing serious had happened to her, she didn't know what she would do with herself if it had! "You're alright now, darling, shhh..." Vuxta cooed and took Vashti by the scruff of her neck and began carrying her towards their den. "Let's go home, dear... everything will be alright."
Aotpo rolled her eyes and launched herself into the air to return to her perch. Not even a thank you? Typical. The vulture settled for the night, fluffing her feathers and closing her eyes. She knew cubs weren't a good idea in the first place. They were such a nuisance... disturbing her sleep like that.
FIN
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