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 Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:18 pm
 Dhoru's heart pumped and he couldn't help smiling with his excitement. Currently, he was rushing towards the pride's main camp, his paws pounding the earth in his urgency to get back. It had taken him nearly a moon - a whole moon! - to find the perfect pieces, but finally he had. Everything was ready, and if all went well, he would be able to enact his plans tonight.
Ever since meeting Nema, his life had seemed infinitely better. It didn't take long for him to realize that no one else would do - that it had to be her. Since then, he had been searching for items of value that would allow him to create the item in his mind, and finally he had all the pieces; a piece of plain leather that he'd found on the beach, bleached to almost white from the sun and sea salt. Two metal links that he'd salvaged from an old, busted bracelet snagged on a branch in the jungle. A pawful of tiny stones in almost every color that glittered as bright as the stars when the sun struck them.
Today, he had finally found the last piece, the one part that would make the entire item - a tiny, lifeless starfish. The starfish was already starting to harden, and would soon no longer be malleable. He had to hurry and find a crafter, who would also have to hurry in order to attach the starfish to the scrap of leather.
With any luck, the tail ring would be complete in time for Dhoru to give it to Nema after their date tonight. His first date, and the biggest night of his life. The rush of adrenaline that flowed through his body at the thought gave Dhoru an extra boost, and he sped across the beach and into the main camp, calling out for any nearby crafters.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:44 pm
Chavri was still adjusting to life without her muse – a long time after the fact. She only occasionally heard full formed words, but the breezy whispers that harassed her were affecting her life in ways she would not have imagined when she was a cub. Knowing that she should not hear these voices made her feel guilty and angry: why had they stuck around when the insanity on the pride had lifted? She felt broken, but she found she both enjoyed and adored flowers nevertheless. She was surrounded by them now, having discovered some time ago that drowning herself in flora stifled the whispers to a degree. She was in the process of weaving them together into an elaborate flower crown, sprawled out in the sand when a brown hued lion came pouring onto the beach. Her eyes widened as she peered over a large blossom, face kept low against the ground as she contemplated answering. When no one else did, she flicked her tail and lifted her head, " What can I help you with?" She nosed her flower creation to judge its finish while she waited for his response, her lavender eyes darting up at him while she waited for his response.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:55 pm
Relief flooded through Dhoru when a crafter - he believed he had heard her called "Chavri" - popped her head up from a bed of flowers to his right. So relieved, in fact, he didn't even stop to contemplate how odd she looked rolling around in flowers. Wide smile still firmly glued to his lips, he padded forward until he was close enough to speak to Chavri without being overheard by anyone else. He wanted this special gift to be as secret as possible.
Leaning down, Dhoru put his muzzle a whisker's length from the crafter's ear and muttered, "I need a gift made, and quickly. I cannot express how important this gift is or how imperative it is that it remains a secret. My den is not far from here; if I hurry and collect the other items, can I bring them to your den to be fashioned?"
Pulling back so that the two were face-to-face, Dhoru looked into Chavri's eyes with hopeful pleading. If he couldn't find a crafter willing to take on this project, he didn't know how many more moons it would take to find another starfish this... utterly perfect. He didn't want to pressure the crafter, but he really needed her to say yes.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:09 pm
She was not really sure what he was on about when he started towards her and continued walking rather than stopping at the distance she expected. She was unsure what to do so froze; she recognized the lion from her pride so was unconcerned with being physically harmed, but she was not sure why he was coming so close to begin with so she simply held still and hoped she would not quickly regret opening her mouth at all. Her shoulders tensed and her pelt twitched over her muscles as she lifted her head. One of her ears pinned back as the one he whispered into quivered under the strain of not swiveling away from the sensation of his voice humming across the little ears. She listened, her eyes dropping to the flowers around her paws as a smile tugged at her lips. A secret, then; she did enjoy presents, even if she were making them for someone else to give and receive. Her dark head dipped as she nodded, eyes dancing as she looked up at him. " I think I can handle that well enough. I'm going to guess you need it finished as soon as possible?" She murmured, keeping her own voice low, " How soon might soon be?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:26 pm
The joy that Dhoru felt when he saw the expression on Chavri's face was only outmatched by the joy that he felt when she spoke. At her words, he glanced upward at the sun, squinting as he studied its position. Quickly judging that the day was only about a quarter finished - at least a few more hours until noon - so he definitely had time. He just wasn't sure how long Chavri would need.
"Well, at least one part needs to be completed as soon as possible," he responded, still keeping his voice low. "It would be optimal if the entire piece could be finished by noon or at least soon after, but I must admit that I'm not very familiar with the way crafting works. I'm unsure how long you'd need, especially considering the piece mustn't look like it was rushed."
Soon after saying the words, Dhoru flattened his ears, realizing that the final statement could have been taken offensively. He didn't mean to imply that Chavri's work was shoddy - only that any crafter could make a poor-quality item if they weren't given enough time. He hoped that Chavri would understand his meaning, and not be hurt by his words.
His paws itched to race back to his den and collect the other materials, but he forced himself to remain patient as he waited for her response.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:41 pm
Her chin lifted to follow his gaze, lashes lowering gently against the harsh rays as she admired the color of the sky and the soft sounds that swept over and under her ears so softly, yet just distracting enough that she almost did not hear him start speaking again. She was only aware of her breathing and the formless words drifting on an absent wind. She became aware of his speaking with a snap and her eyes darted back to him as she took in his low voice and his excited expression. Her lips turned up again in a smile as she nodded, glancing up at the sun, " I think I might be able to do that, if you tell me what it is I am making." She took in his pinned ears and rethought his last statement, realizing a bit belatedly that he thought she might take offense. She did not, oblivious to the under currents and multiple meanings behind words. Her head dropped to immerse her nose in the flowers, and the whispers died as she purred absently, " No, it will not look rushed. I should be able to create a commendable piece in time." Her gaze returned to her flowers as she added, a bit absently, " Go, get these other items."
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:58 pm
"Oh, thank you," Dhoru breathed. "The piece is simple, in essence - a tail cuff. I have a starfish and a pawful of multicolored stones which need to be attached to a piece of leather, which I also have. Obviously, a clasp needs to be attached to make the piece functional. I have one of those as well."
His excitement was mounting, and he was no longer trying to contain himself, shifting from paw to paw and almost bouncing while doing so. Confident that he had not offended the crafter, he was about to rush off to obtain the items when he turned back.
"Shall I meet you back here? Or do we need to go back to your den for supplies?" He didn't want to return here just to find that she had returned to her den, especially since he didn't know where her den was. Time was of the essence here; any mistakes, and the starfish might become too hard to work with. It needed to be attached to the leather and allowed to harden while in the correct, curved position on a tail - Chavri's tail was almost the same size, and would be a good area to mold the starfish.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:43 pm
His gratitude brightened her spirits a bit and she raised her head from the flowers to smile, equally gracious and patient with his description of the desired item. Today was a bad day for the voices of her dead – or dying – muse but there was no bad day for craftsmanship. She was already eager to get to work. " Simple," she murmured with a brief dip of her head, lifting a paw out of the flowers to sift it through their petals. Tilting her head at him, she smiled broad enough it might have given her dimples if her skin worked that way beneath the fur. "It will be lovely, and secret." Though she did not watch him rush off, she flicked an ear towards him as he turned back. Her face had dropped to look at the flowers, the toes and claws of her paws working to weave the blossoms into a crown. Before answering him, she paused and shifted to pull a rudimentary slouched leather bag from her opposite side to set it down before her. It was the first thing she had every made for herself, and it was worn with use, but inside lay any tools and extra bits of material she might need. Looking up at him only then, she beamed and shrugged, " Here will be fine. It will be easier for you to find me again."
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 5:29 pm
Dhoru nodded briefly and spun back around to race to his den. He ran so swiftly that his paws seemed not to touch the ground, barely stirring the sand as he sprinted through the camp.
Upon reaching his den, he didn't even need to search for the items in mind; he had carefully wrapped each piece in individual scraps of leather and laid them out neatly on a natural rock ledge at the back, which he had then hidden from view by jamming several branches of a broad-leafed plant into the cracks in the wall above the ledge.
Dhoru hastily - but carefully - used his front paw to shove the plants to the side and gingerly bundled the pieces into his jaws. He padded across and further into his den to paw open his trusty and well-used "satchel". It may have only been a large, roughly square piece of buffalo hide, but it had served him well ever since he had found it on his second outing as a Thief.
He gently placed the small packages in the center of the "bag" and gathered the four corners in his mouth, lifting it from the floor and rushing from the den. Holding the bag as carefully as he could and ensuring that it didn't bang against his legs as he moved, he padded as swiftly as he could back to Chavri. As he reached her, he placed the bag at her paws and glanced back at her, smiling broadly.
"Here they are. Again, thank you so much. When can you get started?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:23 pm
She waited patiently in his absence, listening to the ebb and flow of the whispers as if they came in on the waves of the tide. Her body was relaxed into the sand, resting her head on her paws and letting her eyes close. She was eager to put her paws to a project, particularly one with such an eminent deadline. By the time he had returned, she had since righted herself and continued on with her crown of blossoms. Finishing with a bit of a flourish, she had placed the circlet haphazardly over her ears, pleased with the effect and the apparently appeased murmurs that at last fell silent in its place. As he mounted the rise and then ambled towards her, she smiled broadly in welcome before letting her eyes trail towards the bag in his teeth. Her head tilted to one side so that the crown dangled a bit precariously but managed to stay put. Using a claw to open the satchel enough to peer in at the contents, she settled herself into a seated position. With the whisperings having died down, she was more focused and eager to begin. Her eyes lit with excited anticipation, " Oh, I can start now if you'd like. You can stop by in a few hours, I should be done."
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:02 pm
"A few hours? That's fantastic! I'll be back soon, then." Dhoru replied gratefully. Dipping his head to the lioness, he turned and padded off. If he was going to ask Nema to be his lifemate, he should probably try to make himself look presentable.
Picking up speed, he trotted down the beach to the water's edge. Studying his reflection in the shifting waves, he dunked one paw into the ocean and tried to flatten the worst of stray tufts of mane. For several moments, he struggled vainly to force the runaway hairs to lay flat, before giving up with a snort that was half amusement and half frustration.
"You know, you are a lion. In my opinion, the wilder you look, the better."
Dhoru turned to regard Hasi, opening his mouth to utter a clever retort about how her opinion didn't matter; however, he caught himself when he found that he agreed. He was too late to keep the thought from surfacing in his mind, and Hasi's smug smile confirmed that she knew. Muttering a begrudging thank you, he turned and stalked off. Unfortunately, Hasi followed him anyways, not saying anything but oozing smugness from every strand of fur on her body.
Ignoring her as best he could, Dhoru focused on the exciting events that he had planned for the day. Regaining his bright and cheery mood, he veered off toward the jungle as his belly rumbled loudly.
-------
It hadn't taken long for Dhoru to find himself a snack - a large bird, feeding on a carcass that smelled old enough to have died before he ws born - and after finishing up his meal and burying the bones so as not to attract scavengers, he had once again set off to hunt. It took him longer to find prey the second time around, probably due to his first victim's loud alarm call, but by the time he had made the second kill it was time to return to Chavri. Perfect!
Lifting his second kill - a slightly larger than average hare that he had surprised while it was rooting around at the base of a tree - in his jaws, he headed back to the flower patch where Chavri waited. The hare was intended to be a gift for Chavri, a way of thanking her for her services.
As he approached the crafter, he remarked, "Here, I've brought you something to eat. I thought you might be hungry after all of your hard work.", his voice muffled by the hare. Laying it down, he asked hopefully, "Have you finished?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:13 am
Rennekae I'm a failure. Life killed me for a bit there. Chavri went about her business, reassured by the flower crown on her head in the male's absence. The whispers were quiet as she bent to her work, fashioning the provided materials into a tail clasp worthy of the lion's wishes with relative ease. Her paws and claws and teeth worked in perfect unison honed by a hundred projects or more created before this, and she was rather in her element throughout. She worked well alone, and worked better when she was provided with at least a sketchy idea of what was expected. Some pride members tended to give her items and expect her to do as she would with them, but that led to anxiety and distress on her behalf. What if she created something they did not like? What if they hated their item and felt themselves too polite to say so? She could not bear the idea that someone would be dissatisfied – or worse, would dislike her for it. She was pleased the artifact when it was done, and set it aside so that the starfish could set and the clasp would be completely ready – able to be carried without losing its shape and setting incorrectly. With her paws digging into the sand to enjoy the warmth of the sun beating down on her fur, Chavri chuffed in content and kept an eye on the creation just to be certain no investigating beetle or particularly strong breeze would set it asunder. After a few minutes, she had returned to her work to finish fastening the parts of the piece that did not require quite so much attentive care and attention to positioning. She was so focused on her work that she did not initially notice the male making his way across the beach towards her again. After a moment, and a few muffled words from him, her pale eyes darted up to him before looking back at the clasp in her paws. She looked it over for a few careful breaths, then nodded and pushed it forward in the sand towards him, " Yes, I believe it is finished." There the trepidation started as her pulse raced and she glanced up at him, trying to gauge his reaction through the twitch of his facial features.
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Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:02 am
Dhoru's heart had already been beating fast as he approached Chavri; at her words, it nearly leapt out his throat! As Chavri pushed the tail cuff toward him, he bent down to inspect it.
As requested, Chavri had done an amazing job in hiding the clasp between both ends of the leather, so the tail cuff looked like one continuous piece; the stones were arranged in a fantastically accurate imitation of the stars - seemingly random, but actually deliberate; and the star fish. The star fish was simply perfect.
Dhoru wanted to thank Chavri, but he couldn't seem to grasp any of the thoughts flying through his head. He was absolutely stunned by the tail cuff, and couldn't focus on anything other than how much Nema was going to love it. Tearing his eyes from it, he blinked gratefully at Chavri and shoved the hare closer. It was the only thing he could think to do to show his appreciation. tuesdayscat I'm so sorry I took so long! I kept getting sick for about a month there - stomach bug, to the flu, to pneumonia - so I was totally out of the running on Gaia. Did you want to do a last post to wrap this up? We've definitely got the required amount of posts. c:
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