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 Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:36 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:37 am
Bluefire Dragonz The sharp spikes withdrew a little, but refused to fade entirely, and her mask stayed stubornly in place. She kept her face averted, staring off into the distance as if the answers to all her questions lay there. Kiuma refused to acknowledge what he'd said, and instead seized on the second part as way to direct attention away from her private hurt.
"The journey is the life, Tanaka. It doesn't matter how long it takes, since the whole point is to be going, to be traveling and seeing and living. What else is there? My sisters are at home to make babies for mother, she doesn't need me to be there." Her ears, through still pressed back against her smooth skull, eased a little, and some of the tension left her active, adolescent body. Kiuma's gaze fell to her paws now, forgiving him a little for suggesting she might be avoiding her brother, appologetic for her outburst even though she'd die before she'd admit it. Amon Larethian He listened, quietly impressed by her words, but at the same time wondering about their source. Did she possess the wanderlust, the need of the free spirit to travel wherever the heart may lead? Or was there something else behind it, something that had driven her to wander?
"That is very true, life itself is a journey. To travel can be the greatest expression of life."
He stood and shook out his mane, fluffs on tawny a blur as it flew about his shoulders. The scars along the right half of his face flashed vissible for a moment, before being covered again as his mane settled back into place.
"Alright then, where is it you came from?" Bluefire Dragonz With a flick of her tail she indicated a southernly direction, in which the Kusini'Mwezi lands lay. "I was recently in the lands south of here... visiting the pride that lives there." HA! She'd hardly call what happened 'visiting', but he didn't need to know that. A sudden itch hand her curling around like a bright red question mark to gnaw at the claws marks on her shoulders, the wounds slowly fading as she healed. She wouldn't even scar from them, at least, not that would show through her fur. Turning back, she finally faced him, lifting her crimson head. "But if you mean where did I start from, then to the north of here, in a land of sun and savannah, green grass and water. My.... brother brought us down here, to start our journey." Kiuma clamped her lips shut on what else she could say, instead focusing on the directions he wanted to give. Amon Larethian He eyed her curiously, silent questions running through his mind, but he knew better than to ask. And he wordlessly hoped that she would afford him the same courtesy and not ask the questions she must be thinking as well.
He lifted a paw and thoughtfully scratched along his chest, as close to his chin as he could reach.
"Alright then, so you don't want to go back to the prides south or north? I would suggest heading either northeast or northwest then. I believe there are prides in both directions, though I'm not sure how friendly they are at this point." Bluefire Dragonz Her frown promised dire things if those questions made it past his white muzzle. As for the direction... well, she probably could have figured that out on her own. "The only problem with your directions, my friend, is that you don't take into account the fact that we may not be directly in the middle of the area between the two lands. If I go in either direction, I stand a good chance of shooting right past the prides I'm looking for, getting myself even more lost than I am now." She sniffed, tossing her fine head to study the sky, tail sweeping through the grass and dirt in a lazy curl.
Its seems they had both forgotten the earlier trouble, and for Kiuma at least, she felt a bit of kinship towards the strange, one-winged lion with his half-grown mane. He liked to travel as she did, and had the strangest ability to dodge her prickliness, letting her insults roll off his hide as water rolls off a duck. At least, for the most part. Ever since leaving her brother, her insulent, agressive attitude had mellowed. With nothing to protect save herself, nothing to hold her back, she didn't feel the need to be always on the defensive. The realization hit Kiuma rather hard, and her tail stilled. She had only herself to count on now, but she almost had only herself to care for. No slowing down when she wanted to race ahead, no need to hold back the strength in her paws... It was both liberating, and frightening. Just who was she, if she wasn't Uumikaji's twin?
Amon Larethian He sat for a moment, watching her and debating an answer. He had always gone forward, knowing the way in his head. He'd never thought of how to give directions to another.
"Yes, but if you follow the sun and the stars you should be able to find them."
He looked up at the sky and tried to picture how the night sky looked this time of year, and how to explain which stars to follow.
"If you're heading northwest, there is a group of stars that looks like a gazelle," he must have been hungry when he'd first noticed it, "if I remember right, it should point the way. If you reach the mountains you've gone too far." Bluefire Dragonz Kiuma frowned, staring at the sky as it if held the answers of the universe. "Follow the sun and stars? I think you might be a little soft in the head, along with being 'unique'. A gazelle? How do I know which group of stars looks like a gazelle...?" She shook her leonine head, tail twitching irritably. All these directions.... she might do better just to wander like she was. A little sigh swept past her muzzle, complete with a frown of annoyance. It was hot, and she was tired, and perhaps a bit hungry too. Now was certainly not the best time to be thinking so hard.
Turning from Tanaka, she padded to the relative shade of the tree he had been lounging under and flopped down on her stomach. With a small groan, Kiuma fell over onto her side, soft cheek pressed to the cool dirt. "I'll decide later where I want to go. Right now..." And expansive yawn pulled her fanged jaws wide, tongue curling almost invitingly. "I'm going to take a nap...." Her bright eyes slid shut, and only she knew the exact moment she fell asleep. Amon Larethian Tanaka blinked, a bit surprised by her response. She hadn't understood? But how else could he explain it?
"Well yeah...you can figure out what direction your heading by the position of the sun and the stars in the sky. The sun rose from that way this morning," He pointed to a spot almost due east, but a little to the left, "so northwest would be that way." He indicated the direction.
He sighed quietly and watched as she walked to the tree and laid down in the shade.
"Alright..."
Maybe it would give him some time to figure out how to explain what he meant, but he wasn't sure how to make it any clearer. He watched her a moment longer and then cirled the spot he stood on before he began to dig a shallow hole, searching for the cool earth underneath. When he was satisfied, he flopped down, his paws crossed in front of him, and laid his head down. Bluefire Dragonz Kiuma's side rose and fell with her deep, regular breaths. Even after all her time traveling, both with her brother and alone, she still slept like a young cub. Oblivious to her surroundings, she lay bonlessly across the grass, occasionally twitching her paws as she chaised antelopes in her dreams. A frown creased her brow and her long tail flicked irritably. Her dreams had changed, and were obviously not pleasing. For long moments she lay perfectly still, her body tense with anticipation, then the red lioness would give a whimper and relax completely, paws twitching again as she ran through the savanahs of her dreams.
It was a long time later, with the sun low in the west, before crimson eyes fluttered open. A deep breathe, then another, and she rolled up to her stomach, an expansive yawn stretching her mouth wide. A broad, pink tongue licked her muzzle before her eyes swept the area, taking stock. Amon Larethian Tanaka had been laying quietly with his head on his paws, lost in thought. He had been thinking about many things, about his past life, about mortal life, about how to come up with understandable directions, and unasked questions about the red lioness who had been sleeping nearby.
He may have drifted off a few times durning the day, but each time it had been bried, his mind working too hard to allow for much sleep.
His ears flicked, swiveling in the direction of the lioness, and alerting him that she had stirred. He lifted his head and turned to look at her.
"Oh, you're awake. Sleep well?" Bluefire Dragonz Kiuma's eyes flicked to where the white-gold lion rested, and she smiled crookedly.
"Like usual, really. Sleep is sleep. I only do it because I can't do with out it."
She rose and stretched, forelegs before her with her tail in the air, then up with her chest out, backlegs digging into the soil and back arched. Groaning happily, she shook out each leg seperately, nearly bouncing with renewed energy. That's when her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eat all day... in a loud, obnoxious sort of way. Ears back in embarrasment, the lanky adolescent chuckled.
"Seems like I need to go hunt up some food. Food is there in the category of sleeping, though catching that food can be the highlight of any day."
Kiuma turned with a lift of one paw, and paused. "I... don't suppose you're hungry too? I'm used to feeding two. Whatever I catch will be more than I can eat by myself." Amon Larethian Tanaka stayed where he was for a time, laying silenting on the earth as he watched Kiuma, captivated by the movements of the red lioness. His green eye tracing her movements as he had before. He wasn't sure why, but he found he couldn't not watch.
Finally he stood to four paws and stretched as well, starting at his forelegs and finishing at h is tail. He shook from his shoulders, shaking the dirt and grass from his mane, then scratched behind his ear.
His felt his own stomach rumble and he suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten for a few days, he just hadn't felt like it.
"Hmmm...seems I am a bit hungry, but it doesn't seem fair to make you do all the work."
He took a few steps toward her, a light smile across his muzzle. Bluefire Dragonz For a space of a heartbeat, the adolescent's eyes widened and glimmered with... something. A sharp intake of breath, and it was gone, her red form turning. Lifting a soft, blunt nose into the air, she sniffed deeply, then dropped that nose to the grass to scent there are well. Not many creatures were about in this place... probably scared off by the scent of two lions. Through the dusty smell of grass and warmed earth, there threaded just a hint of coolness, that lovely smell of life-giving water. All creatures needed it, and here in the savanah, prey and predator alike met at one place to slake their thirst.
"Alright, just don't get in my way. After all, its the lionesses' job to hunt." With a smirk and a flirt of her tail she was off, loping easily through the grass with long, ground eating strides. Amon Larethian Tanaka watched her movements, intrigued and curious to see how she hunted. He was sure she was quite skilled at it, her posture indicated that. At her words he snorted.
"I've never been one to believe in stereotypes." At least not most stereotypes.
He grinned and ran after her, settling into a steady easy gate once he caught up. Stay just behind her, around shoulder level, he let her take the lead. He was a decent hunter himself, but if she wanted to take the lead, he wasn't going to fight over it. Besides, for the first time in a long while, he was actually enjoying himself. Bluefire Dragonz Oh... this felt good. With a snarl of challenge, she lengthened her stride, stretching her body out low to the ground as she ran. Ears flat against her head to cut wind resistance, tail trailing behind her, Kiuma ran flat out across the packed ground. Muscles warmed and loosened as she moved, and with a lundge, she leaped a low rock set into the ground. It was a game now to see if he could keep up, pushing both him and herself.
When was the last time she'd run like this? Uumi couldn't run, his lungs wouldn't allow it, and she had rarely been apart from him. Only on hunts, when she left him behind, was she able to run like this. A thrill swept through her and she lept another low fold of ground, the waterhole coming fast into sight. Amon Larethian Tanaka's ear flicked, and he watched her from the corner of his eye. Oh, a race, so that's how she wanted to play. Alright then, he was game.
White paws stretched in a lengthed stride, his limbs moving to full extension, his tail straight out behind him, his mane ruffling as the wind rushed past him. With each step his spreed increased matching her acceleration almost perfectly until he too was running full out.
There was a bounce in his steps that had not been there before, heavy paws seeming much lighter. Bluefire Dragonz The red adolescent could have roared her joy to the sky, thrilled with the freedom one could only get by running. But she was a huntress at heart, and all manner of animals were waiting at the watering hole to get their turn to drink. It would be easy pickings today, but not if she sent them all fleeing with an ill-timed sound. Slowing, she bounded to a stop, light on her creamy paws. Still, she beamed, eyes shining brightly. That had been the most fun she'd had in a good long while, and having a partner that could match her made it even better.
Half-turning, Kiuma selected a healthy-sized zebra, just shy of being too large for her to pick off by herself. With a flick of her tufted tail, Kiuma signaled to catch Tanaka's attention, and dropped into a hunter's crouch, creeping around downwind of her intended target.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:38 am
Tanaka nearly bounded the last few steps before he slowed as she did, a small cloud of dust rising about his paws and then settling again as he came to a stop.
For a moment he looked toward the water, taking in the scene, watching the animals, instinctively searching for a suitable target. He turned to look at her and then follwed her gaze to the zebra.
Nodding quietly he crouched, nearly dissappearing into the grass, his white fur blending in surprisingly well. Silently he circled, making sure to stay downwind, taking care that he made no sound, allowed no scent to betray his location to their intended target.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 6:19 pm
With a tilt of her head and a flick of her eyes, Kiuma glanced back to track Tanaka's progress. Suprise froze her in her place for a moment before she continued on. He was gone, completely and utterly. That white/gold color of his sure did blend it well, lucky thing. Snorting in-elegantly, Kiuma dropped back into her hunting crouch and crept forward through the savanah grass. Her bright red color stuck out like a sore thumb against the duns and grees, forcing her stay lower than most would have crouched. It was a handicap she had learned to live with, one she rarely thought about till such times as these.
Crimson eyes slitted, piercing through the waving grass. She'd have to be quick if she wanted to get there before he did... Step by careful step, the adolescent lioness crept closer to the zebra she'd picked out. The wind blew into her face, carrying with it the heavy scent of the animals before her. Soft paws padded over the hard packed earth, silent as she could make them.
Closer... closer...
Finally, the lioness crouched, tail lashing in her excitement. Wait for it... The zebra turned its head, and Kiuma seized her chance. With a snarl and claws extened to the full, Kiuma launched herself at the zebra. Nails met flesh, and sharp fangs clamped down around a windpipe. Dust rose in a cloud as they scuffled. The lioness' claws dug into the zebra's neck as she held its throat closed, denying it life by breathing. Deadly hooves flashed and flailed, seeking to break her hold. If they managed to connect... bruises would be the least of her problems. Broken bones, a split skull, death... all was possible.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:12 pm
Tanaka's ears flicked, picking up every sound, his nose open to every scent. He moved steadily and silently toward their prey, an invissible predator on the hunt. He was aware of everything around him, every move Kiuma made, every move of the zebra, as well as those of the other creatures nearby.
He waited in a crouch, his body coiled like a spring, tail perfectly still, his eyes focused on his target. His ear flicked, swivling toward Kiuma, he heard her make her move, she had pounced.
He lifted one paw from the ground in a half step, waiting an instant for her to seize the targer and then lunged forward. Jaws open, teeth bared, talons extened, he pounced.
His talons sank deep into striped hide as he seized the zebra's hind end, his weight pulling it toward the ground despite it's attempts to buck free. Jaws spread wide he bite down, sinking his fangs into it's back, into its spinal column.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 7:55 am
Under their combined attack, the zebra tumbled to the ground with a soft squeal of defeat. A few thrashing, kicking struggles and it went limp, chocolate eyes glazing and going dull as the life left it. After a moment, Kiuma released her strangle hold on its throat and sat back on her haunches. Her tongue hung from her gaping mouth as she panted, blood decorating her ivory fangs and muzzle, disappearing into her bloodred coat. The adolescent lioness stared at the zebra, then at Tanaka, then back at the zebra, confusion obvious in her face.
That had been the easiest kill she'd ever made... Was this what it was always like when one hunted with a partner? She'd never hunted with another creature before... Practicing, she'd been by herself. Her first hunt, her initiation as a huntress, she'd done it herself to prove her worth. After that... well, Uumikaji couldn't very well hunt, sickly as he was. She'd done enough for the both of them. True, it had honed her skills to a razor's edge, left her body compact with muscle, and given all her movements that deadly hunter's grace.... but there was something about hunting in a pair that touched something primal in the lioness. This was right. This was how it was supposed to be.
The thought bothered her, and Kiuma averted her face as she settled back, tail curling around her paws. This was something she needed to think through, this new viewpoint. Though... thinking would have to wait as her hunger made itself painfully know, sinking claws into her stomach and twisting. Saliva pooled in her mouth and she swallowed, flicking her tongue out to lick up the sweet, metalic blood on her muzzle. Still, she waited to see what Tanaka would do. He was older than her, and manners dictated that he eat first, since they'd made the kill together.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:34 am
The lion's grip was powerful, holding fast despite the creature's stuggle, until it drew it's last breath and the white hunter felt the satisfying snap of it's spine in his jaws.
It was only when the prey was still that Tanaka released it, his talons retracting as he looked up at Kiuma, a slight smirk flashing across his blood-stained muzzle. He couldn't remember the last time he had hunted with another, especially one so skilled. As a lone wanderer, teamwork was often a foreign concept to him, he had prefered it that way. But this was different, it was exhilarating.
He watched her for a moment before lifting a paw in a gesture toward the fallen prey.
"We should eat quickly, before the scavengers come out."
While the thought of keeping the entire kill may have crossed his mind for a fleeting moment (instinct demaned every predator have that thought, Kiuma had probably thought it was well), this had been a joint kill and thus it would be a joint meal. And if Tanaka had anything to say about it, they would both have an equal share.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:53 am
A pause, then Kiuma turned back and fell voraciously on the kill. Tough hide tore under sharp fangs, blood spurting hot and sweet. For a time, the lioness was entirely focused on feeding, tearing off chunks of raw, bloodly meat to chew and swallow nearly whole. It was a messy buisness, and soon her creamy muzzle and chest were was red as her coat. She ripped and tore, gnawed and swallowed, her pace steady as her belly filled.
Finally, she slowed and settled back, licking her chops with a satisfied air. Her stomach buldged with the meat she'd consumed till she'd nearly burst. There was something uniquely satisfying about eating a kill you'd caught yourself. When she'd lived in the Pridelands, food had been easy to get with all the lionesses out to hunt. She'd never had to lift a paw to feed herself, till she decided to learn the skills to catch it herself.
Sighing, she set to cleaning the blood from her paws, and from there, her face. Careful licks removed the worst of it, the cream slowly returning. A deep sound, like rocks grinding together, came from the region of her throat and chest. A contented purr, from a happy feline.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:26 am
Tanaka lowered his head, nose taking in the scent of the fresh kill, his eye watching her for a moment before he too sank his fangs into the zebra's hide. He tore a large chunk from it's rump, barely chewing it before he swallowed then took another bite, repeating the process.
While his actions were focused on eating, the white lion's senses were alert. Even as his white fur was stained red with his meal, his ears swivled in every direction, searching for the sound of approaching scavengers or other predators who might try to profit from the lions' work.
He ate his fill, until his hunger was satisfied and his stomach could hold no more. When he was done he sat back on his haunches and began to lick his paws clean savoring the metallic taste of the blood that had stained them.
It was amazing what two hungry lions could do to a zebra and how quickly they could strip it's carcass. The grass was as stained as their fur and the smell of the fresh kill must have already begun to draw out the scavengers who would be lurking, waiting for their chance to seize what the lions left behind.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:42 am
The kill holding no more interest for her than any other pile of bones, Kiuma rose and padded the few yards to the edge of the watering hole. With a soft groan, she settled down on her stomach and bent her head to the water. Drops sparkled on her chin as she lapped up the coolness, the water clearing the blood from her mouth. Even as she crouched there, the sky had darkened still more, the sun dropping below the horizon in a blaze of color.
Now, indigo and violet reigned, and all around things lost their color to become a gray of many shades. Twilight was upon the lion pair, with night winging swift on its heels. Finally Kiuma rose to sit on her haunches, staring up at the sky as the first stars broke out, twinkling like little diamonds in the sky. Night was a good time. A time for rest and recovery. After the meal she'd just eaten, it was rather a handy thing that night had come. She'd not be able to travel far for a good many hours yet, nor would she be hungry again for quite a while.
A yawn stretched wide her fanged jaws, long tongue curling. Now... time to find a place to lay back and wait for sunrise, when she'd pick up her travels again. Soft, round ears fell, though, as she turned her sleek head, regarding Tanaka from the corner of one dark eye. What was she to do about him, hmm? It seemed natural to invite him along, just as she'd done with the hunt. Still, why should she? He was all but a stranger to her, met earlier this day. He'd even nearly hit her with a rock! But the fact remained that she was reluctant to part ways with the first creature she'd found bareable, after leaving her brother. That must be it. She was a tad lonely and insecure, wanting to cling to the first creature that presented itself. Yes, that must surely be why. It wasn't because of him at all, or the fetching black streaks from his deep green eyes...
Kiuma rose from the now-dark pool of water, her own lively red coat colorless with twilight. She padded back to the kill, then turned to head towards a strand of trees off to the side. That would be as good a place to rest as any. Away from the water and the kill, which most creatures would focus on. They'd be left to themselves, to rest and digest.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:10 pm
Green eyes focused in the rapidly falling dark, the lion stood and walked toward the water's edge. His ears flicked, listening carefully, his vission scanning the surface of the water as well as along the edge, searching for any activity.
When he was satisfied that there was no immediate thread from the crocodiles that inhabited nearly every body of water, he lowered his head to lap at the water. His thirst quenched, Tanaka stepped foward, submerging his front end in the cool liquid. For a moment he focused on the water, watching the ripples that spread out from his movement, the blood that washed from his fur and drifted away, and the reflection of the stars.
He closed his eyes and stood silently for what may have seem like an enternity, but was in fact only a moment. He sighed deeply, then turned, walking from the water, ignoring the drops that streamed though the fur of his chest.
He sat for a time, watching the red lioness as the colors of twilight played on his white coat until the night was black and the stars shone brilliantly. He dwelled on the thoughts in his mind before he finally stood, and deciding there would be time to think about tomorrow later, he followed Kiuma toward the trees to rest for the night.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:38 pm
The night passed quietly, for the most part. Beyond the darkness under the protection of the tree, scanvengers could be heard coming and going. By morning, there'd be nothing left of the carcass beyond some clean, splintered bones. The stars shown down, unimpressed with the activities of small, earth-bound folk. Kiuma sprawled next to the trunk of the great tree, her stomach distended with the great meal she had eaten. Dreams flickered through her mind as she floated in that place that was between waking and sleeping.
In her dream, she lifted her head and gazed at Tanaka with eyes suddenly clear. He was magnificent, both wings whole and unblemished, his coat lacking the scars he'd worn when she met him. His jaws opened on a great roar, and then the dream was gone and she floated in darkness once more. Her mother padded towards her on velvet paws through the darkness, the wooden beads of her necklace clicking softly was the only sound in the void. And, oh! How Sarabi shone! She seemed all lit from within, her skin and fur as thin and transparent as paper. Kiuma reached to touch her with one paw, and Sarabi shattered into a million slivers of glass. The light of her soul fled to join the stars in the sky, and the adolescent lioness found herself once more under the tree in the Southlands, Tanaka a dark looming shadow off to the side with his one ruined wing distorting his outline.
Kiuma yawned widely, eyes still hazey with sleep and glanced to the sky. Even as she watched, stars flickered and dimmed, the deep black fading to indigo, then a pale dove grey. Color leached up into the vast bowl of the sky as the sun rose, just barely peeking over the horizon. Muscles stiff, the lioness rose to stretch and pad to the water, crouching like last night to drink. Time to take up her journey again, but which way to go? North lay the Pridelands, South lay the Kusini'mwezi. So, Northeast, or Northwest? Water dripping from her muzle, Kiuma shifted to sit on her haunches, watching as the sun rose and painted the sky.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:14 pm
Tanaka fell in a silent dreamless sleep, a sleep that was neither peaceful nor tormented, it was just darkness. The large white lion laid on his side, his paws tucked, head resting on a tree root that served as a makeshift pillow. Everyone once in a while his tail would twitch for some unknown reason, curling like a great snake, then fall still again.
As the night faded into morning, Tanaka's senses began to awaken. Even before his consciousness stirred, his ears began to flick at each sound, his nose twitching at each scent, alerting his subconscious to his surroundings.
Gradually he stirred and a green eye opened to the growing light. The great lion's weight shifted as he rolled from his side to his back, then to his stomach, placing four paws on the ground. As he stood, a stretch overtook him, starting at his bowed front end and moving down his back to his hind end and finally his tail. Jaws opened wide in a jaw that barred teeth and tongue.
He paused a moment to scratch behind his ear while his nose took in Kiuma's scent and his eye followed her to the water hole. He thought to himself before he too made his way to the water's edge.
"Morning."
He lowered his head to lap at the water, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He silently wondered what she would do and where she would go.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:33 pm
"Good morning, Tanaka." She said softly, her tail twitching. Red eyes flicked to him once before they returned to the sunrise.
"I'll be continuing on today... Probably to the Northeast. I've never been that way before, and if I find myself in familiar surroundings, I'll just head a little more east. If I'm lucky, I'm not too far off, and I'll reach the land of the Umande'mfuni, the Mistweavers." A fit of shyness hit her then, and the adolescent dropped her ruby gaze to her paws, studying them avidly. Tail curling around those paws, she kept her voice light. "Do you have any plans? Or are you wondering with no set destination?"
The cry of waking birds was soft, but growing louder as the sky brightened. Once again Kiuma's coat took on its familiar red hue, as though she were bleeding color into her fur. Half of her was gilded by light as the sun broke free of the horizon. Facing it, the light spilled down her face, chest, and forelegs, casting the rest of her body in shadow.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:15 am
Tanaka's ears flicked, his gaze focused on the surface of the water and he remained silent as he contemplated her words. After a few last laps of water he lifted his head, rising to his full height, the morning sun shimmering across his form, making his mane almost sparkle.
"I wander wherever the next moment takes me, I have no other plans."
His tail flicked, capturing a glint of sunlight on his ring as twitching ears captured the sounds of the dawn. The land slowly came alive, as if it were a giant creature waking from a long sleep.
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