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 Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 5:53 am
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It was early afternoon, and Hila had just woken up from a nap. Making her way quietly outside so as to not wake her siblings, she gave her head a sleepy shake, the tuft of fur on her head shifting with the motion. She was still young enough as to be a little clumsy, but that wasn't about to stop her from exploring a bit.
With one last, small yawn, she picked a direction and headed off, not getting very far before, eyes widening slightly, she was distracted by a rather sizable lizard (at least, to a cub). Creeping closer to where it was sunning itself, she didn't realize how indiscreet her approach was until it darted into a crevice between rocks, the paw that she extended to try to bat at it far too slow.
Coming closer, she pressed her small face against the edge of the space, squinting slightly to see where it had gone. "Well, you're no fun," she muttered with a small scowl of disappointment.
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:13 am
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Hila jerked in surprise, smacking her brow against the rock she'd been pressing it up against with a small snarl of pain. She turned to face the unfamiliar voice, lip still lifted slightly. Seeing that the owner of the voice was huge, and had wings, she froze, blinking slowly.
Then, realizing what he'd asked, pride stiffened her spine, and she gave a small shake of her head - she really didn't want to admit she had failed to catch the lizard she had been trying to stalk a moment before to this impressive looking lion.
"I thought I saw a lizard in there, and was trying to see it better," she said after a small hesitation. It wasn't a complete lie...
Tilting her head, she looked at him with open curiosity. "You have wings...what is flying like?" She asked, the words tumbling out, impatient with curiosity, even as she shifted a little closer, looking as though she might reach out to touch one curiously with a small, dark paw. Hadn't she overheard adults saying that gods had wings?
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:55 am
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"Is that so."
Tanaka chuckled. You're not fooling anyone you know, you little fuzzball, do you really think he couldn't tell you were lying? Cubs were terrible liars, but sure, he'd play along.
"You'll never find it that way, you'd have better luck circling behind."
Though it was probably long gone by now.
He sat on his haunches, watching the small cub. Even if the cub did not know, he had already figured out who her parents were, those markings were unmistakable. A smirk, what fiery little balls of fluff had he created? How glorious.
"Flying is power, and freedom. Perhaps one day I'll show you."
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 2:14 am
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She nodded, the movement jerky and so, so obvious. "Yes...I was just checking that that was what it actually was." At his next sentence, though, she listened, looking attentive. That made sense...
"I'll try that next time." She said - finally, a truthful statement. Then she made a face at his offer. Her expression flicked between wistfulness and irritation. Flying sounded...amazing. But she doubted she'd ever get to experience what it was like...well, maybe if she tried jumping off a really high place...
Shaking her head again, deciding that was a train of thought for another time, she crept a little closer, since he didn't seem annoyed by her questions. "How high can you go? Can you go higher than the clouds?" She asked, even as she boldly patted at the tips of his massive feathered wings with a tiny paw, careful to keep her claws sheathed.
"Do you live near here? Or did you just fly here from somewhere far away?" Dark blue eyes practically glimmered with curiosity. "And why can't you show me today?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 6:01 pm
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Yeah, still not buying it, kid. Learn to lie better then try again. No, no, better not teach the child to lie, not yet, at least wait until she's older to teach her how to lie properly.
There was a flash of a frown, a twitch of his wings as he folded them back away from the cub's touch. No touchinlg! He did not like his wings touched! Tanaka had never been especially warm to any physical touch (well, excepting....intimate situations, and his own children when then were small), but his wings he was especially grumpy about, always had been, even for tiny fluffy adorable cubs. And older lion would have earned an angry growl. Cubs however, he was far more tolerant with, he would never harm a cub, especially when that cub was his.
"Yes, I suppose you could say I do live here, but that doesn't mean I don't still fly away."
A grin, his head lowered to be more on her level.
"Because you are too small, and you haven't asked nicely."
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 12:44 am
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She blinked, lowering her paw when he pulled his wings up, well beyond her reach. Well...that was disappointing. She studiously ignored his frown, giving him a small one of her own.
Her eyes narrowed slightly - something about his words made her feel like he might just be poking fun at her. "Well, that is what wings are for," she retorted, sensitive to the perceived slight.
The words had barely left her, when he lowered his head closer to hers, making her widen her eyes in surprise. At his words, she hesitated, torn between bristling at being called too small, and swallowing her pride in hopes of getting to fly. Ugh. She hated when adults did that!
"Pleaaaaase?" She finally said, the drawn out word accompanied by a smile that was more toothy than charming.
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 1:49 pm
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"No."
Tanaka grumbled silently to himself, eyes narrowed as he gazed at the cub. Don't give me that look! Nope, nu-uh, not gonna work, kiddo. No, not the begging voice! Arrgg, you annoyingly adorable little fuzzball!
He was so going to regret putting the thought of flying in her head wasn't he....yep, already regretting it. Huff! Why did cubs have to be so damned adorable? Terrible at lying, but oh so skilled at the pleading.
"....fine. But if you fall I'm not going to catch you."
Grumblegrumblehuff! No, he would not let her fall, yes he would catch her if she did, no he was not going to tell her that.
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 1:35 pm
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She continued to blink at him, at his negative response, as if willing him to change his mind. When, a moment later, he relented (she didn't care if he would catch her or not, because flying. Her grin melted into a massive, genuine smile (a rare expression on the snarky cub's face), as she practically wriggled in excitement, her obvious excitement practically radiating off of her.
Today hadn't started well, she thought, thinking on her still sore forehead courtesy of her failed hunt...but it was rapidly becoming the best one of her (admittedly short) life.
"I won't fall!" She insisted, not wanting him to change his mind at the last second. And, belatedly remembering her manners, she bounced excitedly from forepaw to another even as she got out a rather rushed, slightly breathles "Andthankyou!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 2:52 pm
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Tanaka huffed, beaten by an adorable fuzzball. This was going to come back to bite him in the a**, he just knew it. He was never going to hear the end of it was he. From this day on she was constantly going to bug him and use that fluffy adorable face to get whatever she damn wanted.
He flopped down, still grumbling to himself, making sure he was low enough for her to reach. She'd have to climb onto his back if she wanted to fly, because he was not going to carry her by the scruff, that was just asking to drop her.
"Get on then, and you better hold on tight."
Just a short quick flight, not too high, that'd keep her happy, right? (ahahahaha, Tanaka, you poor naive fool). At least it wasn't raining.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:45 pm
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"You better."
Tanaka snorted, waiting (not so) patiently for her to climb onto his back. His head turned, glancing toward her from the corner of his eye. She was on? She had a good grip? Well, she better, because we're doing this now.
And suddenly he was on his paws, wings unfurled. A few steps forward, he was walking, then jogging, quickly gaining speed until he was at a run. A powerful beat of his wings, a coiled muscles propelled them skyward in a powerful leap. And then they were airborne, Another beat of his wings took them higher (but not too high), then wings spread to full reach to glide.
Hopefully she wouldn't notice they weren't so far off the ground....
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Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 8:56 pm
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Clinging tightly to his mane, there was a moment of concern as she jostled slightly during his gathering of speed, but she was able to right herself just in time to revel in the rush of air hitting her face as they took flight. She gave a small laugh of delight, wide-eyed with wonder as she watched the ground grow smaller beneath them. It was so different from anything she'd experienced before that even if she did notice that they weren't that high, she wouldn't have cared.
Throwing her head back, she gave a sharp yell of exultation, her small mane whipping around her face before she went back to looking below with an expression of near-awe. The same landscape that was familiar, and home, looked completely different from up above.
"This is the best day ever!" She yelled, talking to herself as much as she spoke to the god below her.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:25 pm
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Tanaka winced, his ears flattening against his head to block out the sound of excited child. Ow, loud, why do you have to be so loud. But the annoyance felt was minor at least for now. He supposed he liked this little cub, he would teach her to grow into a strong warrior.
Another powerful beat of his wings to regain some height and extend his glide. There was a balance, he knew. Fly too long and the cub would grow tired, lose her grip, and fall, but fly too long....and he would never hear the end of the whining. He banked several times during the flight, turning, gliding over rocks and small trees before finally circling back to where they had started. A light landing, his paws touched the ground again as he came to a stop.
"Ride's up, kid."
He sat on his haunches, waiting for her to climb or slide off, either way it was time to get off. Flight was over, and no whining or begging was going to change that. Another time and she'd most certainly get her way and another flight, higher, further, perhaps even a hunting trip. But for now, the adventure was enough.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:00 pm
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Hila tumbled off of his back, landing in a gleeful, dark little heap before scrambling to her feet, grinning hugely. She gave one of his forlegs a small, quick headbutt (the closest she'd get to a hug) before darting back a couple of steps, where she shifted from paw to paw, still on a high from the experience.
"That was amazing!" She said, aware that manners dictated she say something....and meant she might one day be able to convince him to take her again. "Thanks!"
"I'll bet you fly a lot, huh?" She asked, unlikely to believe that he didn't spend the majority of his days reveling in what, to her, had been something incredible.
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