WC=1,141
The cheetah moved from his little cave to the shade of a tree. It was, by what he figured to be some random miracle that once again managed to find shade in the middle of the afternoon. He like to hide in the afternoon, his dark pelt made it so hard to travel the way the sun beamed down upon him. It was just a random tree, actually, and since there wasn't much water around he figured it was going to dry up at some point or another. Best take advantage of it while he could.
There was a smile on his maw, as the idea of finally stumbling across good luck left him feeling slightly elated. It was a good change from his younger years, playing around with his brother, he sure did miss him. Ubi heaved a contented sigh as he lay on his side, eyes closed and with only his ears flicking into motion every now and again. He was, as usual, listening for anyone passing by. He had to be on alert, even though he was relaxing, just in case the passerby was hostile in any way. One could never be too careful.
Tall grass - Bari hated tall grass. Not because there were various bugs in it that could catch onto her fur, or because there were burrows that she could possibly stumble across and get seriously injured. She hated it simply because it was tall...it was so uncomfortable! The eerie brushing of the pointy-ended leaves against her body, the strange crunching noise that it made as you went through it... she just didn't like it. And to top that off, it was incredibly hot (as usual) out in the open.
Bari muttered a few curses under her breath as she made her way across the rogue lands. Her eyes finally landed on a tree in a clearing not too far off, and with brows furrowed she spread ran towards the tree.
Ubi had almost drifted off to sleep when his ears caught the sound of a rather strong smell. He figured it for a predator. It was strange, actually, since right after he felt a presence like someone entering his space. With other animals interrupting him he would never be able to sleep.
It was possible that it was just mere coincidence, but he'd never been one to let such a coincidence go without asking at least one question. "Who goes?" the large cheetah asked, shifting into a sitting.
She froze where she stood when a voice suddenly came, and when Bari turned to face behind the tree where the voice had come from the brown male cheetah sitting down in the shade of the tree she'd seen just moments ago. She was surprised that she hadn't seen him when she ran up, shows how clueless she could be at times.
"Just a passerby, cheetah," came her answer. The female moved a little closer to the other feline. He was a bit bigger than she'd expected for another male, but she brushed the thought aside as she took a seat in the shade of the tree as well. She was several feet from the other, taking shelter in the shade of the trees branches while the cheetahs were by its base.
"They call me Bari, Who are you.”
"Ubunifu," he answered a moment after the other fellow's strange introduction. He said 'they' but...well, he just wouldn't ask. It didn't really matter, actually. "Ubi for short, nice to meet you."
By the sound of the other's voice Ubi figured that she was female, probably young adult. Feline. Not when he wasn't able to see, anyway, species was a non-issue to him despite being raised to believe that cheetahs were the best of the best.
After an awkward silence Ubi gave a sigh and smiled in Baris direction. "So what brings you to such a place Bari?"
Bari watched Ubi with a raised brow, curious as to why he wouldn't open his eyes. It seemed a bit rude despite she being polite with both her expression and her tone of voice. "Like I said, I'm just passing through. It's hot so I thought it'd be nice to take shelter in the shade for a little bit."
It was the honest truth. For the sake of continuing their little conversation, Bari returned the question. "What about you?"
At her question Ubi gave a sort of shrug. In all honesty he hadn't planned on stopping for as long as he did, but it was just so damned comfortable being the shade! He couldn't help himself... "I'm just relaxing, to be honest. I found this place a little while ago and just," and he paused and gave a chuckle. "I couldn't leave as soon as I would've liked."
Bari shifted a little uncomfortably. She'd pulled the guise but Ubi had been there even before her. Still, the cheetah hadn't mentioned anything until now, so maybe she hadn't seen a thing to begin with. Bari let the silence sit between them for a while as he thought of an answer.
"I thought it was just a passing breeze so I didn't really pay much attention to it."
Silence fell between them again, and at that point Ubi wasn't sure what to talk about next. Even as a cub he had a tough time with small talk, and though he'd gotten better since then it was still hard sometimes, the only one he ever got along with was his brother. Especially after he'd embarrassed himself somewhat, like just then.
"So...”
"I think it's about time I take my leave," she said suddenly, getting up on all fours and readying her for the long walk ahead. "It feels as though I've idled here for too long, I'm getting a little restless. I'm sure you're familiar with the feeling, being a wanderer yourself."
At that Bari turned to face the tall grass that surrounded the little clearing, the eerie feeling of the pointy ends brushing against her sending chills up and down her spine. She shuddered.
"Thank you for your company. I'll be taking my leave now...” and with that Bari started off again, heaving a sigh as she took her first step into the hated tall grass. She'd do something about her discomfort when she was a good distance away from this place.
Ubi was taken back when the other suddenly announced that she would be leaving already. He wouldn't stop him, of course, but it was just so sudden. Still, he only nodded as he listened to Bari's goodbye.
"Alright, then. Take care, Bari. And I appreciate your company as well."
And just like that the passerby was gone, and Ubi went back to lying down, eyes still closed as he listened to his surroundings yet again. Soon enough he fell asleep.
