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 Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:20 am
The jungle was starting to acquire its morning mistiness as Fireheart pressed through a few bushes. She would glance behind her on occasion to make sure she wasn't moving too quickly for her companion before continuing on. The pond was only about a ten minute walk from the beach, but for Vodnitvar it probably felt like the whole stretch of the rouge lands. "Almost there," she reassured him as she continued to push through the brush. Finally they appeared at a small clearing and she heaved a sigh of relief. No one was at the pond yet. It was a favorite spot of the cubs in the pride, since they weren't allowed to swim in the ocean for fear of the tides pulling them from shore. The pond looked like a sheet of glass since there was no wind to create little waves, and no creatures stirred around it. Fireheart glanced back at Vodnitvar with a hopeful look. Would this suffice for what he wanted to teach her?
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 5:32 pm
Traveling through the jungle was Vodnitvar's own little piece of hell, not only was it terrible to traverse but he had grown so accustomed to cold air that the mugginess was driving him mad. As Fireheart looked behind and assured him of their soon to be arrival, he could do little more than nod in acceptance. He couldn't wait to get there for many reasons, but at the moment the first thing he wanted to do was dip his mane into the water and lie down!
As the two stepped into the clearing, Voddy let out an impressive grunt and took a few steps forward, forgetting the other's presence for a moment. He padded around the muddy bank, feeling its consistency and silently approving.
"This will do." He managed before the heat became a little too much. "Excuse me a moment will you?" He smiled slightly, and jumped into the water with a childish, limpy run. Allowing the water to coat his mane and fur with its cool temperature.
"Sorry - h-hot out here." He chuckled as he pulled himself back up onto the land, allowing his body to simply air dry.
"OK! So the best way to start is to know what you already know. So, spill the beans."
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 5:46 pm
Fireheart watched as Vodnitvar moved forward to the edge of the pond and stamped around in the mud. That would do? She tilted her head slightly, obviously a bit confused. Do for what? She was sure she'd find out in good time, but for now she had to wait as the blue lion jumped into the pond. Her ears flicked as they got a bit wet from the splash, and a curious smile crossed her face.
"Hot? This is nice," she said with a shake of her head. "You really must be used to cold weather if you think this is hot...I didn't know there were places it could grow so cold, but I suppose living here my whole life would keep me from knowing these things."
She sat down on the bank as he returned to the shore, dripping wet and looking for all the world like a drowned rat. She tried very hard not to laugh - this was an ex-general, after all - but a little snicker escaped her. He looked too funny to help it! As Vodnitvar settled down to business, however, she quickly straightened up and lost the laughter. Oh dear...what DID she know about cameo?
"Well...I know that you should try to stay low to the ground. Use what is available to hide in...bushes, tall grass, thick trees...always remain down wind of whoever you're watching so they can't catch your scent. Be as quiet and still as possible and keep your breathing even. And...that's about it." Her ears fell a bit as she summed up her knowledge in such a short time. All of that was very basic, it seemed to sure. Surely there was something else she could learn from the fountain of knowledge before her.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 5:59 pm
Her giggle was nearly contagious, as he stood there knowing just how ridiculous he looked. But that wasn't the issue at hand, and though it was probably hilarious it would have to wait. surely Fireheart would describe it to him at a later date, if he so chose.
Listening with open ears, he took note of the things she did know. Granted they were technical aspects, but it was a much better start than he had expected of her. "You lead me on to believe you know nothing. Though you seem to have a basic grasp of the common knowledge, which is never a bad thing." A little uncomfortable sitting still the male began to pace, wondering where to start. Should he really just throw her in head first? That's how he had learned - but then, he hadn't really had a choice at them time. Though he would tell anyone who asked, that he had found it to be a very successful technique.
"Ok so common knowledge is good, but you lack technique. I guess that's where I come in." Digging quickly into the mud at his feet, he raised his paw now covered in mud and wiped it across the female's face.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:32 pm
Fireheart remained at attention and watched Vodnitvar as he moved around. She was sure she was going to impart the wisdom of ages upon her and...well, to say the least she was having a very hard time staying still from all this excitement. She was going to blend in so well with her surroundings that her siblings wouldn't be able to see her in their cave. She was going to end up training the rest of the warriors in the pride and maybe she could even become lead hunter like she wanted! Or maybe even the pa-
Her thoughts were stopped as cold, slimy mud was smeared onto her face. She sat frozen, in shock, staring at the older lion with a stunned expression on her face. Had he...had he just wiped...mud on her? Mud?! "Wha-....what was that for?" she asked, her voice high pitched and caught between surprise and embarrassment. Her whole face was about the same shade as the marking around her eyes, and it was oozing down her neck and oh gross...
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:50 pm
Now it was his turn to laugh, and she couldn't do a thing about it! Or at least, he assumed she wouldn't, which made it all the funnier! Snickering wildly behind his muddy paw, he watched her reaction without trying to restrain himself in the least. "I'm prepping you, what does it look like?" He managed, through chuckles. "Now be still i've only just started!" His voice wasn't incredibly stern, but it got the point across.
Rearing up his paw again with another handful of mud, he snickered as he pasted it across her face. This time allowing the mud to evenly spread across her face. "This is just a starter area, to sort of prove that i'm not crazy." More patting across her face, making sure the mud was perfectly set. "You just gotta trust me." As he finished up, he stood with a giant grin in his face at the sight. He figured she wouldn't like the tactic much - but better to jump right in than to dance around the subject. Besides, he was still giving her a bit of a break, he was only applying it to her face. She would do the rest in time, but she needed to have the idea first.
"There! Now you're covered in sticky. gooey, brown mud. What's your next instinct? Really listen to yourself, what does your body think you should next." Sitting back on his rear legs, he still held his grin, completely prepared for whatever answer she might offer him. She'd surprised him quite a bit already, he saw no reason why she wouldn't continue to.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:10 pm
Fireheart couldn't move. She was frozen to the spot, helpless to defend herself as the large lion caked even more mud onto her face. A few drops fell onto her paws, making her shudder a bit at the sensation. Even with her layer of fur to protect her, she could still feel the cold, gooey, gross texture invading her senses.
"I don't...this is ridiculous!" she exclaimed as she stood, trying to resist the urge to shake her head to free herself of the mud. If he had put it on her he must have had a good reason to do so. Think, Fireheart...what could it possibly be used for?
"My body things I should wash it off," she muttered as she looked down at her paws. The normally reddish color was completely covered in mud. She could barely tell where her paw stopped and the mud...began...
She looked up at Vodnitvar, suddenly realizing what he was doing. "Roll in it," she said, changing her mind. "If you look like your surroundings, you'll blend in much better!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:00 pm
She would catch on, he had faith in her. Sitting patiently with bated breath Vodnitvar tried not to let his tongue get the best of him. She had to learn this for herself, and with the smarts she had, it wasn't going to take long.
Obviously when her first instinct was to wash it away he was disheartened. At that exact moment it took everything he had not to shout out the answer. Biting his tongue harshly he continued to wait, the only thing holding him together was her brains. She had proven herself to him, now he had to prove to himself that he could do this.
As the seconds ticked by his sense of pride diminished, but then a glorious thing happened. Her eyes lit up and she spoke those simple words, "Yes, very good!" He piped up, rewarding her with a pat on the paw. "Now do it!" He eyed her skeptically, curious to see if he would have another funny scene before him.
"Here, come on, we'll do it together." Slowly but surely the male rolled off of his hind legs and onto his back. Allowing himself to roll whole heartedly in the mud, his whole body getting a generous coating of mud.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:31 am
Fireheart couldn't believe how simple this was! Of course...using your surroundings to your advantage could be taken up a notch. Not just trying to blend in with things that matched your fur, but making your fur match what you were surrounded by. It was brilliant!
She moved to the muddy patch beside Vodnitvar and, without hesitation, plopped down onto her side. She rolled around and over, making sure to coat as much as she could. She sat up after a few moments and began using her paws to cover what she had missed. Soon, her markings and reddish coat were nothing but brown. Good thing that pond was right there to rinse off once she was done.
"Like this?" she asked, looking over at the other lion for confirmation. She glanced around as she waited for a reply, thinking of all the other things she could use to hide herself. Dirt, for starters, and sand...ashes if a fire was present, that could really help paint shadows on her pelt if complete coverage wasn't needed...
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:11 pm
With his fur fully coated, Vodnitvar rolled over off of his back with a bit of a smile. Reliving his old days was a bit painful, but it made him feel young again in other ways. It was a bittersweet win, but he'd take it. Focusing his attention on Fireheart once more he looked her over for any empty spaces. But she seemed to have done a good job of that on her own.
"Just like that!" He nodded in agreement with himself, as he got up to his feet once more. "Now its time to try something a little more ... complicated." The small grin on his wide only grew wider at this point, he knew the next exercise would likely drive her crazy. He knew for a fact it had driven him crazy to learn it as a cub.
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