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 Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:32 pm
 Nao skipped ahead of his friend, leaping over fallen logs and tumbling through foliage. He was larger now, growing stronger and faster as he matured. The two had decided on a hike through the forest, a trip to travel as close as they could to the mountains, until they tired or the day came to an end; whichever came first. It had been more Nao's idea; he was tired of the same sights around town, and had pestered Raumo into accompanying him elsewhere. They had turned in early the night before and rose just before the sun; better to head out just after dawn, so they would have ample time to exhaust themselves before it got dark.
Full of energy and excitement, Nao rushed ahead, leaving Raumo to go at his own pace. He didn't, however, leave his friend behind. He would sprint ahead, stop, wait for his friend to catch up, and then sprint forward again, continuing the cycle. They traveled for an hour, maybe two, and the forest thickened, growing darker and cooler. It shouldn't have been a surprise that they would eventually see another animal, but Nao was still startled and amazed when he stumbled upon the sight of two bear cubs playing in a clearing.
Nao stopped short at the sight, and watched, eyes wide at first, but he slowly grinned, large and bright. He crouched low, unsure if he wanted to be spotted or not yet, and watched the cubs until the sound of Raumo's footfalls interrupted his thoughts. Perking, he turned to his friend, who was still some feet away. "Raumo!" His whisper was loud, hardly a whisper at all. "Come look at what I've found!
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:25 pm
Raumo was content to let Nao run off and come back, letting the younger Maneki Neko exhaust himself as he contentedly journeyed through the forest near the mountain base. The sun occasionally peeked through the leaves and branches warming his fur; the scent of pines and life was strong; and he was altogether pleased with the day.
At least, he was until Nao's excitement reached him. A wrinkle formed on his forehead, a sign of his concern as he slinked up to his friend's location and peered past the lighter male to see a pair of young animals, playing a game together in a clearing.
His ears immediately pinned back. He wasn't familiar with the species; but he knew that young animals of any species were best left undisturbed, and given their size and heavy builds, he was very sure he didn't want to rile up the fully grown parents.
"Nao," he whispered. "Perhaps we should... Leave. Now. Circle around them. Far around them. Right now. Let's go."
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:57 am
Nao turned his head to gaze at Raumo as he approached, and regarded his friend curiously. Although Raumo's tone was hushed, there was a definite edge of concern and urgency to it; one Nao didn't understand. The cubs were playing with one another, so clearly they were friendly. Besides, Nao loved games! He wanted to join the one the cubs were playing.
"You worry too much Raumo." Nao whispered back with a smile. He took a slow step forward, keeping low. "C'mon, lets introduce ourselves!"
Nao only got another two steps forward before a deafening roar shook the ground. Nao froze, fur on end, as a much larger version of the cubs broke through the foliage across the way and stormed into the clearing. Evidently, mama bear had caught a whiff of the intruders and wasn't pleased. The bear glanced around, set her sights on Nao, and roared again, ready to charge.
"Nevermind....RUN!" Nao shouted, turned tail, and darted.
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:12 am
Raumo had dropped to the ground as Nao stopped forwards towards the young; the scent in the air, the build of the animals, and his understanding of the protective instincts of parents made him very unhappy about staying here.
But before he could say anything else to Nao, his fears were confirmed as a parent of the youngsters crashed through the foliage, enraged and noisy. He hadn't even waited for his friend's yell- his muscles had been tense and his instincts had been screaming at him to flee from the second the scent of the adult had reached him. He put all his muscle behind his movement as he turned and hurled himself away from the clearing; dashing between the trees, trying to avoid the branches, so easy to avoid or ignore before but now snagging his fur and catching his face.
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:55 am
Nao was right behind Raumo, and the bear right behind Nao. What was once a tranquil forest became a deadly snare trap. Plants and trees looked twisted and gnarled, the sun disappeared behind a cloud, casting the area into darkness, and every sound was a threat. Perhaps it was all in Nao's mind, but it was startling all the same. Even with his heart racing and muscles aching, he forced himself forward, forced himself to run faster and further.
Nao hoped running far enough would persuade the bear to give up, but the protective mother was persistent in either killing the intruders, or teaching them a good lesson in parenthood. Nao wasn't sure he could run much more though; he was growing weary, and slowing; the bear was getting closer and Nao was getting desperate. Suddenly, an idea came to mind; getting off the ground. He wasn't sure if bears could climb or not, but he knew he could.
Without giving it another thought, he veered off abruptly and launched himself at the nearest tree. Sinking his claws into the bark, he scrambled up the trunk and perched himself on the thickest branch. Peering down, he shouted over to Raumo. "TREE!" It wasn't detailed, but he hoped his friend would get the idea.
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:02 pm
Raumo didn't even look around as Nao yelled to him; he had more energy left than his younger companion, having been taking it slower earlier, but the idea of getting out of the line of rage behind him held definite appeal. Not looking at where his friend ended up he hurled himself upwards at the nearest tree; claws sinking in and muscles heaving to pull him up to the lowest branch.
From there he pulled himself up onto a higher- and sturdier branch- and clung there, looking down to view if he was high enough to stay clear of the enraged mother below. Deciding she might reach him if she stood on her back legs and swiped, he quickly pulled himself up another and sunk his claws in to steady himself, shaking and panting; before looking over to Nao to see how his friend was faring.
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:37 pm
Despite their predicament, Nao released a sigh of relief. Miraculously, Raumo had heard and understood him, or at least, he had had the same idea, and was successful in his jump and climb. Panting heavily, Nao glanced away from his friend and down to the pacing bear, who seemed unsure of what to do next, now that she was dealing with two intruders in two different trees. Silently, Nao waited for the bear to decide.
Finally, she decided it wasn't worth her trouble and her time was better spent returning to her children. Snorting and growling, she turned and stomped away. Only once she was out of sight did Nao start to laugh.
The relief! There was a moment he was almost convinced they were going to get mauled. Thankfully, things had worked out in their favor, and now that they were safe, his horror turned to joy. It had actually been kind of fun, but only because they were alive and unharmed. "Oh man...what a rush! You ok over there?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 2:54 pm
Once the bear lost interest and wandered off, Raumo turned to lick at his shoulder; more to soothe his nerves and calm himself with a gesture of normality than out of any need to organise his ruffled fur. He looked with astonishment back to his friend when he spoke, though.
"A rush?" He groaned; too drained to be angry at his friend's disregard for his advice or for the danger they had been in.
"You. Are insane. My idea of a good time does not, and will never, involve a giant muscle-beast with giant claws and teeth attempting to take my head off."
He turned to give his other shoulder a couple of licks, the trembling in his muscles finally starting to cease; before turning back to Nao again. "Why didn't you listen to me?! It's never smart to mess around with young, of any species!"
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:02 pm
Nao smiled and rolled his eyes. Ah Raumo; he loved his friend, but the guy just couldn't look at the positives. They were alive, no harm done! But he knew Raumo was probably just still shaken; they could laugh about this together later.
Gripping the branch, he turned to face the trunk and slid his front paws down, stretching as far as he could. When he couldn't lengthen his torso anymore, he paused, readying himself, and jumped, landing on the ground on all fours with a soft oomph. Safely on the ground, Nao walked around his tree and approached the one Raumo was still seated in, grooming himself nervously. Calmly, Nao sat back and looked up at Nao, still smiling.
"In my defense, they were too cute not to try. And they were playing! I just wanted to join their game. Their mother didn't have to be so...vicious." He shuddered briefly, remembering the malicious intent of the beast mother. He paused, thinking back to the conversation they had started that day at the pond, and how it connected to this incident. Again, he was curious and eager to bring up the topic. "Why...do you think she was so quick to attack us?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 1:15 pm
Raumo shook himself; feeling much calmer now. His amber eyes gazed down at his friend.
"I just told you- it's not smart to mess around with the young of any species." He stood and delicately stepped back down to the lower branch; then another, before leaning forwards. Convinced the ground was clear he leaned forwards; letting gravity take over in a controlled fall to the ground.
Once on the ground, he stretched out, tensing and then relaxing his muscles; before standing up and looking around; tufted ears pricked for any unusual sounds. None reached his ears.
"Parents are very protective, Nao. Anything unknown is a potential threat to their young- even humans can react violently if they feel their young is threatened. Out here, in the wild, it's only going to be worse, more dangerous- less controlled." He shook himself again, partly to conceal a shiver, and partly to help rearrange his fur.
"I think that's quite enough excitement for today." Now that the adrenaline was starting to leave his body, tiredness was starting to set in, and Raumo wanted to leave the forest before they even contemplated resting. He glanced to the sky, then to the shadows on the forest floor, to get his bearings on the way home; before turning in that direction, ready to head off.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:40 pm
Nao frowned. He could assume, especially after their most recent encounter, that parents were protective over their young. But wouldn't anyone be protective over someone they cared for? What made parents different? That's what he wanted to know, what he wanted to understand. He cared for Raumo, but he couldn't foam at the mouth and threaten to maul anyone who looked at his friend. So why would a mother? Overprotective much?
He wanted to ask Raumo some more on the subject, but his friend had already turned to walk away, and he doubted Raumo would be able to explain in a way that satisfied Nao's curiosity. "Hey...wait up!" He shouted instead, and ran to catch up with his friend. Falling into step beside Raumo, they walked in silence for a moment before Nao turned his head to look at Raumo. Despite his previous decision not to ask any more, he felt compelled to.
"So...does that mean you'd be that protective over your young?" He grinned, chuckling a little. "You'd make a pretty awesome bear. Ferocious!"
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 10:03 pm
"A bear, hm."
Raumo had heard of bears, of course; but he had never seen a picture. He'd heard descriptions, heard humans mention them with trepidation- although since the odds of one coming near town were so remote as to be considered borderline impossible, rarely with real fear. Perhaps if they had witnessed what he had, that would be different- although a bear wandering out of it's territory would probably be less violent, he mused.
After a couple of moments of dwelling, he chuckled as he recalled Nao's words. "I doubt I would make a very good bear. For one thing, my teeth and claws are lacking somewhat by comparison. Plus, I'm not nearly so tall!" He shook his head, smiling, at the idea.
"Plus, what is there to threaten Maneki Neko young? Kittens are more spirit than form- and the town is safe and predictable anyway. Even if there was a potential danger, I doubt it could phase through walls or disappear into a figurine. Like you used to," he teased.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 10:27 pm
Nao chuckled softly and smiled wistfully at the mention of his younger self. "Ahh...the good ol' days." Randomly walking through walls, selectively returning to his figurine stage...Everything was so...controlled now. There was no surprise or fun in being able to predicatively control oneself. But perhaps it was for the best.
"I suppose you have a point. Still, it would be an amusing thing to see." He grinned at the mental image of Raumo as a ferocious beast. Standing on his hind legs, stomping through town with foam dripping from his mouth between sharp, clenched fangs.
Going back to the life of a kitten remark..."Speaking of the good ol' days...Wouldn't it be fun? To have a kitten around, I mean." He glanced away, gazing ahead thoughtfully. "It'd be so cute and playful! Think of the games we could play...of the things you could teach it." He smiled. "Though, we might want to keep it away from the forest....But we could take it to the park! We always have fun at the park."
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 10:37 pm
Raumo turned to stare at his friend for a few seconds; mouth slightly agape. Then something seemed to click and he promptly shut his mouth, turned his head to watch where he was going, and nodded to himself.
"I see. That's where this is going." He chuckled softly to himself and shook his head. "Can't say I saw that coming. Well... Yes, I suppose it could be fun. A challenge, mind you. But also a responsibility- finding a family for them to live with, unless we befriend a kitten settled in somewhere. And I suspect the humans may view it as more 'their' kitten- they can be... curiously possessive."
He frowned, thinking hard. He wasn't sure if Nao was just speaking hypothetically; or if he had met a kitten somewhere; or if he was thinking of his own. And if the latter, well- Raumo didn't want to jump to conclusions on that point, either. He glanced over at his friend, then back to the path ahead, hoping Nao would clear that up.
If he was referring to Raumo, however... He liked kittens, there was no doubt about that. But as he had said, it was a responsibility. And, well... He'd considered the idea, but more as a general possibility in the future, not as a now thing; and not with Nao. He was too used to thinking of him as a youngster; but he'd grown into a strong adult, with more than enough spirit energy to create young, and a good enough heart to try to look after them. It required... consideration.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 10:55 pm
Nao smiled sheepishly and shrugged. He was glad Raumo had caught on without him having to explicitly explain the reasoning behind all of his questions. He thought it could be a lot of fun to have a kitten or two to look after and play with, preferably one of their own, but he wasn't sure how Raumo would feel about it, and he had been rather apprehensive about asking outright. They had never discussed something this serious before, and he wasn't sure how his friend would handle the topic.
But to his surprise, Raumo didn't seem to completely oppose the idea. He knew it might be a little...weird, considering Nao had been a mere child during the majority of the time Raumo knew him. But he was an adult now, just like Raumo, and his friend would have to start seeing him as such at some point, sooner rather than later.
"We don't have to decide today...It's just...something I've been thinking about. Something we should talk more about, if you're even remotely interested."
He wouldn't be opposed to adopting a kitten and taking him or her under their wing, but he thought it would be more personal and interesting to visit Inari and create one of their own. It would be so cute to watch a little him and a little Raumo run around; red and brown kittens! Which got him wondering what they truly would look like...Who's markings would they take on? Which color would prove more dominant? It was fascinating to consider. He decided to share the thought with Raumo.
"If...we decided to make one of our own...Who do you think they would look like more?"
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