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 Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:11 pm
The Graveyard was an unpleasant place.
As Chachili bounded towards it, she found herself wanting to turn back. Many kinds of bones, flesh and skeletal objects lay around, rotting in the dust, and Chachili soon smelt a rather repugnant stench.
This place wasn't safe. It wasn't somewhere a small klipspringer like herself should be.
Shuddering, Chachili decided to shut out the thoughts of doubt and horror that was creeping up, somewhere in the shadowy areas of her mind. All that the klipspringer wanted to think about was the slave.
She wanted to talk with Kelello.
Chachili slowed a little, deciding to become a little more cautious as she neared the lands. Everything was dead. That's what it seemed like to Chachili, anyway.
She wondered if that 'Chiboa' rascal had run off.
The coward.
"Who was I to think that coward would actually do something remotely brave?" she grumbled.
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Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:48 pm
"That coward is under your thick skull, Chachili", Chiboa growled.
He lowered his head and twisted his bushy tail from side to side. He could not help but let his fur brush up from the tip of his tail to the back of his neck. This place was creepy. The moonlight glimmered on the scattered bones in the graveyard, only enhancing the scariness of the red, musky sky glooming above.
"Kele-", he began calling, but stopped. He could not give the pup away, as little as he actually cared. This was adventure. Still ... it was all a shame.
Kelello's pelt glistened in the distance as she trotted quickly back to camp.
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Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:59 pm
Chachili's fur stood on it's end. The klipspringer, clearly surprised by Chiboa's sudden appearance, gave a loud yelp. The yelp echoed around some parts of the Graveyard. Chachili hoped that no hyenas were around to hear it.
"Y...you!" she hissed, jumping backwards in shock, looking around, "Who would've thought you'd have come. Scared half the life out of me, you did. Sheesh, next time don't sneak up on me like that!"
She then ducked behind a heap of bones, quivering a little, fearing being seen. Luckily, it seemed like there was nobody about. A trick? Chachili hoped it wasn't. Cautiously, she peeked out from behind the bones.
"Chiboa," she hissed again, "Get out of the open. We can sneak up on Kelello by using these... dead, white shiny skeleton things as cover."
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:10 am
"You've probably given us away!", Chiboa growled under his breath. He trotted casually behind the heap of bones after Chachili.
"How will Kelello find us if she doesn't see us?", he sneered, cracking his neck with a quick twist.
"I see you", came Kelello's scruffy, young voice. "And would you stop bickering?", she whined, hesitantly glancing over her shoulder to make sure no hyenas were about.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:18 am
"Fool!" Chachili snapped, "Hurry up and get down here! If anything's going to give us away, it's your whinging mouth!"
Chachili had a fiery temper. If she hadn't of been so frightened, the grey klipspringer would have tried to give the cocky wild-dog a sharp kick on the behind. Still, she'd rather live to see another day. If she kicked Chiboa, he'd most likely cry out and they'd be discovered.
Still, the urge to kick the dog was there.
Chachili wondered how much satisfaction she'd gain if she did score a blow to Chiboa's bottom. She didn't have time to wonder, really, as Kelello's voice sliced through her thoughts like a knife through butter.
"BLOOMING HELL!" the klipspringer shouted, as the pup randomly popped up from behind the bones. Realising her mistake, Chachili dropped to the floor. She certainly was being loud today.
If anyone was going to give them away, it was her.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:45 am
Kelello gave a nervous laugh, and looked desperately at Chiboa, whom, in turn, reached a paw out and clasped it over Chachili's mouth.
"Would you be quiet?", he growled.
"What do you guys want?", Kelello asked, narrowing her eyes at Chachili for having kicked her. The young wild dog twitched slightly as wind rippled through the graveyard and rustled her fur.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:58 am
Chachili wriggled from Chiboa's grasp.
"You don't need to suffocate me, you know!" she whispered, then turned to see Kelello's fierce golden eyes staring straight through her, "Ah, it's you."
She paused, then looked a little embarrassed. Chachili had expected a daring mission, a break into the hyena's main headquarters and an action-packed escape. But here Kelello was, standing in front of the two 'rescuers', with a perplexed expression upon her face.
Chachili almost blushed.
"W...well, uuuuh..." she started, then looked at Chiboa, "Chiboa and I just came to see... how you were going... after you were kicked and all. We... eeerr... thought we could have a picnic, or something."
Chachili sure was desperate for ideas.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:06 am
"A picnic?", Kelello responded, her golden orbs widen in awe.
"What's a ... picnic?", he asked, tilting her head.
Chiboa fell over with laughter, grasping his sides with outstretched paws and rolling over the floor. He choked on his words as he snickered, "A picnic! Oh, what a beautiful day for a stroll in the park!"
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:14 am
Chachili growled.
"It's not that amusing," she snapped, but felt a little brighter. Things were starting to look up, after all, and Kelello wasn't looking quite so... scornful as she had a few minutes ago.
She paused, looking to Kelello, wondering what to say next.
"Yeah... a picnic..." she said, "Though, you know why you're not sure what a picnic is? It's because you've never been on one before. So... so..."
Chachili looked desperatley to Chiboa, hoping he could stop his idiotic laughter and help Chachili finish her sentence.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:18 am
"So!", Chiboa sputtered, jumping to his paws and cracking up all at once. "Let's go have a picnic in a bright, summer's day and let all our troubles just--", Chiboa coughed on his words, falling over to the floor again and rolling from side to side, kicking his paws in the air with laughter.
Kelello had a vacant expression on her face as she stared at him, then turned her questioning eyes to Chachili. "What's so funny?", she asked with a small wag of her tail.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:27 am
"He's a fool, that's all," Chachili grunted, her eyes blazing with anger. Couldn't that Chiboa take anything seriously? Seriously!
Now was the time. Chachili couldn't hold back any longer.
Her mind told her not to do it. It was risky. Someone could hear them, kill them. Kelello could get into trouble, or worse, run off again. Chachili would never get to deliver her beautiful, heroic speech to Chachili, nor would she be able to make a dramatic attempt to rescue Kelello from the hyena's cruel grasp.
It was a stupid thing to do. It was a stupid, stupid, stupid, brainless thing to do. But she couldn't hold back any longer.
Chachili gave Chiboa a well-aimed kick.
"You don't know how GOOD that felt," she hissed, afterwards, then turned to Kelello, "I need to talk to you."
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:36 am
Chiboa received the blow over his forehead, and fell back from the weight. He gave a sharp yelp and rolled on the floor, rubbing his bruised forehead. Jumping dizily to his paws, the male growled and lunged towards Chachili, aiming his head for a good head-butt in her foreleg. He stopped and pulled back, shaking the feeling and thought away. Someone had to be mature. Instead, the male huffed at Chachili and growled, giving a warning.
"If I weren't a thief instead of a hunter-", he said, narrowing his eyes and trailing off.
Kelello giggled and peered up at Chachili. The serious tone in her voice surprised the pup.
"Yes?", she said, tilting her head in question. There seemed to be a lot she didn't know.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 4:44 am
Chachili chose to ignore Chiboa. She'd had enough of the 'brute' for one day, and he'd been just asking for that kick. So she'd eventually done them both a favour... lashed out. As a result, she felt much, much better, and Chiboa had ceased laughing.
With a gleam in her eye, Chachili turned to Kelello. Oh, how she wished she could talk to Kelello, tell her that she could be free, that she didn't have to stay here. How she wished that she could spurt forth some heroic words, and tell her about the past experiences of slaves in Chachili's very own old herd.
But whatever Chachili tried to say, she knew it would come out stupid. That was the last thing she needed, especially in front of Chiboa, and the thing was... she hardly knew these two dogs.
Courage seeping away, Chachili did as best as she could.
"If you... decide to run away, someday," Chachili murmed bashfully, blushing a deep scarlet, "Or if you're thrown out to the outside world... you won't be alone. You can always find me, somewhere. I mean, I don't mind looking after you."
As soon as she said it, she wanted to take it back. She would regret saying that, she knew it. But at least she'd said something. There was an awkward silence, and Chachili laughed.
"Well, we're out of here, then! That's all I wanted to say... ahahaha, funny isn't it? I mean, I'm a prey animal, and I said... ahahaha!" she forced laughter. It sure was embarrassing.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:22 pm
Kelello smiled and wagged her tail a few times. She did not understand what the klipspringer was trying to say, but she knew it must be difficult. She nodded as if she understood, until finally it dawned on the small, golden pelted wild dog pup what was troubling the deer.
"Why would I want to run away?", she asked gently, dipping her head. The words, 'outside world' confused her. "Run where?"
Chiboa snickered half-heartedly, glancing at Chachili with desperate, I-told-you-so eyes.
Stretching out a forepaw, which landed on Kelello, he said, "So am I", although avoided eye contact and pretended to scratch something behind his ear.
The words, 'looking after' were words Kelello could understand. She grinned slightly, staring up into the eyes of Chachili. These were motherly words, which made the pup feel warm. They reminded her of someone ... so long ago. But she was only a blurr, lost among a sea of blurrs that weaved into Kelello's past.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:03 am
'Wh... "why would I want to run away"?! Does that dog really have to ask?'
Chachili was confused. She had always thought that slaves were treated badly, just used by their cruel, hateful masters. Was Kelello really... okay?
"You're sure you're alright?" Chachili looked up, shooting Chiboa an unamused, dirty look, "Because, you know, you can always count on finding me out there. I mean, you wouldn't want to depend on him! Who knows what he'd do to you!"
Chachili was now gesturing a hoof towards Chiboa, grinning slightly, but pretending that she was genuinely angry. But she wasn't.
She felt calm. Happy. Kelello and Chiboa would never become family to Chachili, no. But... it felt good to be around the two wild dogs. There was something nice about being with them.
Something that made Chachili want to laugh.
But Chachili knew this feeling wouldn't last forever. Their meeting was about to draw to a close. There was nothing more she could say nor do for Kelello right now.
They were going to split up, go their seperate ways.
And Chachili would feel lonely all over again.
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