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 Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:57 am
 Chachili wandered through a patch of long grass, hoping to come across some of the greener, fresher variety of blades that she loved so much. She had been searching for the perfect, grassy treat the whole morning, yet she had not yet found the patch of grass she wanted to eat.
Chachili was a fussy young Klipspringer, and it was surprising that she survived in the African savannah at all. There wasn't much time to be fussy in a world where food was scarce, and young Klipspringers were picked off quickly and cleanly by larger predators.
Predators like lions, wolves and...
"Wild dogs... Hyenas," Chachili whispered to herself. She could smell their scent riding the wind. The scent was more distant than not, but Chachili wasn't sure if she really wanted to take the risk of being attacked. She turned, ready to spring away from the dangerous territory nearby.
That's when she scented it.
Turning back around, Chachili looked back. She had caught a whiff of something special... a small patch of grass, just metres away from where she now stood. It was surrounded by dangerous scents, of predators, but it was perfect.
Green. Fresh. Lush. Giving off a perfect, herby flavour in the wind. Chachili hesitated. This could lead to her death. But, ah, what the heck. She'd just chomp it up quickly and head back home.
Nobody would see her, right?
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:08 am
 Kelello peered out at the Klipspringer feasting on small, dried savannah grasses. Her heart began to lurch, as if her whole body was beating along with it. Never had the young wild dog pup hunted. It had always been hyenas who had hunted for her, and even then, she would only be allowed to knaw the leftover bones that the hyenas had discarded from their kill.
Wouldn't Mafa be pleased if Kelello returned with a Klipspringer feast! Or, better yet, the young slave could steal herself the large animal, and feast on the tender meat on her own. Her maw broke into a large, toothy grin as she kneaded vigerously into the soft soil beneath her paws. The young pup was naive; unaware that the Klipspringer was more than ten times her height.
Kelello breathed in, taking in the scent of prey wafting in the wind, so close she could nearly touch it. With a delighted, cat-like purr, she bounded clumsily out of the tall savannah grasses and latched onto the large animal's ankle, digging her sharp, puppy teeth into the flesh, although unable to break it. "Grrrr!!", she yipped, tugging at the ankle as if it were a toy bone.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:26 am
Chachili winced in surprise as the wild dog pup's fangs sank into her hind leg. Reacting quickly, she swung her leg back with a sharp kick, trying desperately to hit whatever had gripped her squarely on the nose. In her panic, the grey Klipspringer wasn't exactly sure if the kick had connected, but she lashed out her legs once more, trying her hardest to come free.
"Yeow!" Chachili cried, sweating a little, "Leggorroffme!"
She turned her head sharply, noticing a small, vibrantly patterned wild dog chewing on her ankle. Suddenly, all the panic Chachili had previously felt drained away. She could overpower this dog. It was only a little thing, much smaller than she was, and it seemed that this pup wasn't in the least as daunting as Chachili had imagined all wild dogs to be.
"Get off my foot, you calf," Chachili growled, feeling compelled to aim for a kick to the pup's face, "I'll kick you, I will. And the next time I do, I won't miss."
Chachili scowled at the dog, hoping that she wasn't as stubborn as other animals she had come across in the past. Hopefully, the dog would just let go.
Hopefully.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:13 pm
Kelello's green eyes shot open in awe as she was bucked off of the creature's leg. "Hey!", she growled, as the small wild dog plummeted into a dry patch of grass. She jumped clumsily to paws, though was off balance, and found her legs giving in once again. "What was that for?", she growled, wiping dust off her nose with a forepaw. "Prey", she growled, exposing a set of small, shiny puppy teeth, and narrowed her eyes.
"What is going on?", a creature snarled. Its shadow lurched towards the pup and the Klipspringer, its teeth shining in the light of the setting sun.
"It's this mean prey thing!", Kelello whined, jumping to her paws and clumsily making her way towards the older wild dog. "It kicked me", she said with narrowed eyes shot towards Chachili.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:18 pm
Chachili snorted. What a day!
"It's your own fault, pup," she growled, dragging her front hoof along the ground, threatening to charge, "I've got another one there for you, if you're not careful. I'm not just a free, walking meal for you to chew upon. Pick a fight you know you'll win, rather than one that you certainly won't."
Disgruntled, the Klipspringer bent down to gnaw upon some of the grass, but foolishly took her eyes off the wild dog. She was being way too careless, for she didn't notice the adult wild dog scent wafting around her.
She was too interested in the grass to care.
And she was rather annoyed about having been referred to as 'Prey'.
What a day, indeed!
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:26 pm
Chiboa rolled his eyes at the sight of the disgruntled Klipspringer. He didn't know why Kelello had to whine to him about it.
"Don't 'ye have some hyena claws to polish?", he said with a chuckle.
Kelello wrinkled her nose at him, although cast a weary glance to her side. The thought of the hyenas finding her here sent shivers down the pup's sprine. She twisted her head to the side and flicked her tail in the direction of Chachili.
"Look. It bit me!", she growled, thrusting forward a 'hurt' paw. Chiboa looked up to inspect it, but Kelello pulled it away before he could realize nothing was there.
He curled up his lip in a snarl. Couldn't this whiny pup just find some parents or something to bug, instead of him?
Chiboa sauntered forward and pressed his nose up against Chachili's. "Did you bite it?", he asked with a raised eyebrow. He listened with a snicker as it huffed beside him. He hoped he wouldn't scare the large creature and get bucked. Kelello was not worth that. He didn't kill his own meat anyway, he stole it.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:33 pm
Chachili snapped back to reality quickly, as Chiboa's scent hit her smack-bang in the face. She felt the warmth of his breath on her muzzle, his gleaming eyes locking into hers. It sounded like something from a romance novel, of all things, but it certainly wasn't. To Chachili, it was pure horror.
"Ah...you, you, you... brute!" Chachili jumped, shocked, stepping backwards, "Whatchu' doing, sneaking up on me like that? You almost gave me a heart attack, jerk!"
She could hear the younger dog's whines now, clearly, but did not let herself be distracted. This older dog was capable of bringing her down. She shuddered, but tried not to show how intimidated she was.
"I did not bite it," she growled, flicking her head irritably, "I kicked it. It was a well-deserved kick, too. The little bugger grabbed me."
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:40 pm
Chiboa's lip curled. "Brute? Jerk?", he growled, narrowing his icy blue eyes into the Klipspringer's. "Have you any mind?", he snarled, his claws kneading into the soil beneath him. Of course, he thought with a small chuckle, I am a brute. His maw curled into a grin, and he let his shaggy, grey fur lay flat. "Alright, what's the gig?", he asked with gleaming, narrowed eyes. Why should prey be so cocky?
Kelello tugged at a clump of loose, flea-biten fur. "Tell her I'm a girl!", she growled, wrinkling her nose. "I'm not a him, you know. Prey", she mocked. "Would you shad'dup for a measely moment, gal?", Chiboa growled, flashing his fangs at her, then turning his icy, cold focus back to Chachili.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:25 pm
The little grey Klipspringer stumbled backwards a little, but did not run. Nor did she shake with fear like any other 'Prey' animal would have done.
Instead, the deer glared straight back at the wild dog, eyes burning.
"You heard me right," she hissed back, feeling confidence swell in her chest, "You're a brute. Placing your face up so close like that to a lady. Well, I'm not just a lady. I'm a warrior. Having killed and eaten three of your kind before, I'm not afraid to lash out again. Maybe I'll raise the wild dog death toll to 'four'. Is that what you want?"
She paused, letting it all sink in. Her words were harsh. She should get the dog too angry… after all, he looked as if he could skin her, flesh and bone. The Klipspringer shuddered, and was about to speak when the high-pitched wails of the younger dog broke through her concentration.
That brat… she was getting on Chachili’s nerves. Big time.
“Shut up,” she growled, “You’re dreadfully annoying, you know. For one that calls me, ‘Prey’, you’re not much of a predator. I’m ‘prey’, huh? Then why haven’t you caught me yet, mighty ‘predator’?”
Chachili was worried. What if she were talking herself up in a situation where she should be lying low? The little dog wasn’t a problem… it was the larger one she was worried about.
“Instead of referring to me as ‘prey’,” she spat, “Call me by my name, ‘Chachili’. Remember it. And, when you two start acting civil,” she flicked her ears as a fly whizzed past, “…you may be able to tell me your own names.”
It was Chachili’s habit. She needed to know the names of those she met, even if she wanted nothing to do with them.
Strange, that.
“I was just bending down to eat this grass, y’see,” Chachili snapped at Chiboa, “When that little runt came at me from behind. The coward couldn’t even fend off a kick. If you try anything, dog,” she grumbled, “You’re going to cop a kick, too.”
The conversation seemed to be going nowhere. There was just uncertainty, bitterness and a touch of malice.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:28 pm
Chiboa lashed his tail from side to side and let his bushy fur prickle from his neck to the tip of his tail. Taking in this 'Chachili's' anger, he himself could not help but let his canines slide from his maw. This Klipspringer was crazy. Never had the male encountered such stupid prey; so willing to cross the border and beyond. If he was the killing type, he would have been knawing on her leg by now, just as Kelello had.
He kicked back his head and let a grin creep across his face. He'd play along. "A warrior?", he paused, lifting a brow. "Eaten three of my kind, ne?", he gasped sarcastically.
The Klipspinger's words shot through Kelello like fire. Shut up? That wasn't okay. Not from prey. She was being mocked! The fire in the young pup's eyes blew away like wind. "I-it's ... well, it was my first time hunting", Kelello said with a small whimper, her feelings truly shot through. "The hyenas don't let me do anything. No one will", she said coldly, twisting around and padding angrily away.
Chiboa's dusty blue eyes met with Chachili's. "My dubbing's Chiboa, and that there is Kelello", he leaned in, his eyes sparkling with relief that he did not live Kelello's life, "and she is a slave", he said with a hint of sympathy in his whispered voice.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:33 pm
"A... slave?"
Chachili wasn't sure what else she could say. What else was there to say? A slave... that was a simply dreadful thing to be, and Chachili knew that well. Her father had kept some enemy deer in her old herd, long ago, and had treated them badly.
Was Kelello under the same sort of treatment as the enemy deer in Father's old herd?
"A slave to whom?" the Klipspringer asked, her eyes softening a little, "She is free, is she not? She's walking without supervision... why can't she just run?"
Looking up, Chachili noticed Chiboa's eyes. The pastel blue pupils locked into her own cobalt ones, and, like a splinter was being driven through her heart, Chachili instantly swung her back and looked away. She had lost.
Sympathy was a weakness.
The deer could not help but feel sad for Kelello... she was now much less willing to fight the dogs. She had also brushed away the urge to snap back at the cocky, seemingly headstrong Chiboa.
"Why can't she just run?" she grumbled to Chiboa, "Not that I care about her, or anything. But..." she paused, "... I imagine a slave's life would hardly be worth living."
What could she do for the wild dog? She wouldn't understand.
She was nothing but walking meat.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:43 pm
Chiboa's fur lay flat and he calmed his twisting tail and kneading claws. Atleast this stupid thing had a bit of sympathy. Not that he cared about her or Kelello, but he too was a wild dog, and had to share compassion ... whether he wished to care or not.
"Aiy", he said, staring emotionlessly into the deep pooled eyes of the deer. "Of the hyenas", he said, shifting his weight from paw to paw. "She is here, only because the lass craves something more. But if, and when, those b*****d hyenas notice she's been missing, she receives harsh beatings", the rogue said under his breath, as if each word were tainted. "Not that she's told me, the gal", he corrected, raising his voice higher, "It's just something I assume. If 'ye take a good look at 'er", he muttered, glancing over his shoulder.
"I've often wondered the same thing. I suppose she just doesn't know that there's anything or anyone out there", the young wild dog said, his voice trailing off.
He glanced back at Chachili, and with a sudden jolt his sympathy flew away. There was prey, standing right at his paws! And he was talking with it. Dispicable. Chiboa narrowed his eyes and turned his attention elsewhere.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:43 am
Chachili looked.
She could see the striped, beautiful little wild dog cub running off. The deer looked harder, closer this time, and saw something she hadn't expected...
Bruises?
The klipspringer blinked. Was she imagining them? They were hard to see, against Kelello's vibrant pelt, but there were a few small, painful looking blue and black smudges upon her.
"That... 'Kelello'..." Chachili growled, looking to Chiboa with flashing eyes, "She should just... run! She'll meet others, won't she? Anything's got to be better than living a life like that. Hyena scum are the worst."
She couldn't understand why the dog found it so hard to run. She could escape, take flight, and run off somewhere. Start a new life. It just seemed so easy to Chachili.
But then, she was a fawn once. Why hadn't she run?
'I had no strength,' she thought, bitterly, 'So why should I expect Kelello to?'
Grunting, she stepped forward, turning to look at Chiboa.
"I don't know about you," she growled, "But I'm all set on looking after that pup. Even disrespectful youngsters deserve to be treated nicely. Are you coming, or staying behind with your tail tucked in between your legs?"
She made a jump in the air, then started trotting slowly towards the area with the nasty 'Hyena Scent'. She wanted to help Kelello.
How?
... that was a good question. One that Chachili could not quite answer.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:49 am
Chiboa nodded. He knew what the Klipspringer was feeling ... and at some point, he'd have thought about making such an effort to help the pup. But it had vanished with Kelello's own hopes.
"Are you mad? ", Chiboa said coldly with a curled lip, trotting steadily behind Chachili. "Hyenas will eat you. In fact, they'll eat me! 'tis a whole pack!", he growled, jumping in front of the deer to block her path.
"Look", he said said with steady eyes, trying to understand what Chachili was feeling. "She can't fend for herself. She knows nothing of other wild dogs. She knows nothing of beyond this graveyard! There is nothing anyone can do. This is the best place for her now", he said coldly, pausing to scratch a nest of fleas behind his ear. Why care about the darned pup, anywho? He thought silently. After all, she did try to eat the Klipspringer, he thought with amusement.
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