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 Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:03 pm
Kucha'angaza sniffed the air, breathing deeply. The scents of the savannah flowed through him, tinged with the aroma of zebra. It had been a long time since Kucha had eaten a zebra, and food, for this blind rouge, was difficult to come by. If only I could catch one; just this once! he despaired to himself. I can't remember the last time I ate...
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:12 pm
Nuhusi lay among the grasses, for come dawn she had been unable to find a tree in which to sleep. While it was not uheard of for the leopardess to be awake during the day, she prefered her system of waking at night and sleeping when the sun was up. It just made so much more sense to her. It was easier to live at night, prowling with her dark coat then in the light where she stood out like a sore thumb. The sound of hooves made her stirr a little and she lifted her head, slipping orange eyes open to peer out as Zebra trotted past her spot. Mm...that noise certainly wasn't good for sleep.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:25 pm
Kucha continued to wander towards the scent, his whiskers brushing the tall grass. He was in a hunting crouch, slowly creeping forward. His sensitive ears picked up every hoofstep of the zebras ahead, and he was careful not to make a sound himself. The smell grew stronger as he neared, tainted with sickness. Weakness? he thought, excitement surging through his body at the thought of this advantage. He stopped, trying to pinpoint the stench. This aroma, coupled with the beat of slow, dragging hoofsteps, provided the information he needed to find the zebra. Kucha'angaza doubled back a little ways, then crept as silently as he could to the other side of the herd, where the ill zebra grazed.
But he couldn't see exactly where the zebra was, and became frustrated in all attempts to get any closer. In his frustration, he accidentally ran into a small bush, crunching and cracking it. At the sound, all of the zebra perked up and ran off, leaving Kucha fuming in their wake.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:39 pm
Nuhusi was about to settle back down and try to sleep anyway when the sound of the hooves increased to a sort of panic. She slid quickly to her feet, moving like water as she watched the Zebra begin to stampeed away from a white form in the distance. She bent down and began to sleep out of their path of travel, no worry filling her being. She had no doubt she could escape the beasts if she wished. As she finally became safe in a new location she could see who had caused the mess better. It seemed to be a leopard...a white one at that. Poor dear. No wonder the Zebra fled. He was cursed.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:48 pm
Kucha hung his head low with dissapointment, his stomach rumbling uncomforably. His tail dragged as he retraced his steps, following his own scent to a large acadia tree. While his white fur reflected the sunlight, it was not the heat that bothered him. He climbed into the tall tree, settling on a fat branch. "I'm never going to catch a good meal, am I?" he sighed. All he could catch these days were birds and mice, nothing suitable to line the stomach of a grown leopard. He groaned loudly as another rumble ailed his belly.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:56 pm
Nuhusi loped over to the tree, trailing off after the strange leopard. She couldn't help but be curious. Cursed individuals tended to be interesting. And his hunting skills sure were lacking, to make a herd run so. She circled around the base of the tree, curling her tail around it's round shape. She peered up at him, eyes glittering in amusement, "No, I don't believe you'll catch anything like that dear. You'll just make them run away." Her voice was silky and smooth, almost a purr.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:15 pm
Kucha's ears swiveled downwards at the sound of the voice. Suddenly cautious, he stiffened and asked, "Who are you?... What are you?" He was unable to see the animal below him, but it sounded feminine, almost enticing. He didn't bother looking down; how would it help a blind leopard? But his tail twitched nervously, dangling below him. "You smell like a cat.... Like a leopard...," he answered himself. "What is your name?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:48 pm
"What am I?" Nuhusi drawled, her tone filled with mock dismay, "I'm insulted! Though I do believe your nose is correct." She twined herself around the trunk, never taking her sharp eyes from the leopard above her. But his gaze never met hers. Mm...curious. "I am a leopard," she purred in reply, "I am called Nuhusi. What about yourself?" She waited expectantly for an answer.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:01 pm
Kucha sighed and slid down the treetrunk, his claws scoring small tears in the bark. About halfway down, he leapt off, using his tail to instinctively land on his feet. "I am Kucha'angaza," he answered, calmer now. "But you may call me Kucha." He strained his ears, trying to hear her breathing. If he could hear her breathing, he could pinpoint her mouth, thusly her face. As if it mattered, but he was sure Nuhusi would prefer to talk directly to him; other cats seemed to find it awkward not to look at each other. But of course, he could never look directly at her; his blindness made it difficult to find specific features.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:07 pm
Nuhusi, however, was a very elegent creature. While her breathing wasn't impossible to pinpoint, she was far from the type to pant. Her purring, however, refused to cease and continued with its coy nature. That he could be sure to notice and it was her intention for it to be so. "So I shall, Kucha," she murmured smoothly with a smile. Now she would never use his full name, less she call evil spirits down upon him. No, it was never good to assume one's true name. Only the spirits knew such things. "It is a pleasure," she said with a dip of her maw, though somehow she sensed that was a little pointless.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:18 pm
Kucha's head swiveled towards her voice. He could do his best to look her in the eye now. But it was still embarrasing, his misty grey eyes staring into nothingness. "Indeed, it is my pleasure," he repeated with a curt nod. "But I want to see your face," he continued after a brief pause, twitching his tail. "Do you mind?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:25 pm
See her face? What ever did this poor dear mean? He honestly didn't think he had to ask permission to look, did he? A chuckle rippled through her throat lightly as she settled back on her haunches, leaning her cheek against the warm bark of the tree. "Of course I don't," she murmured simply. Honestly, there was very little that she did mind when it delt with social situations. It was just the spiritual realm in which she was sensative. And this wasn't really related to that, as it?
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:30 pm
Kucha ducked his tail between his legs and looked away, ashamed. They never understand, do they? he lamented. Looking back at her shyly, he explained, "I'm blind, Nuhusi."
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:38 pm
"Are you really?" Nuhusi questioned with interest. Mm...that explained a lot. It also made him far more safe then she had thought before. The spirits had already taken out their revenge on him, poor dear. No other ill would be brought to him, at least not for his coat. "How ever shall you see me then, mm? Unless you have a different way to do so?" Though she spoke casually, as if the matter was of little seriousness, it was not in a disrespectful way. Many would have acted strange around him for his blindness. She wasn't going to change because of it. Such things were lies and rather lacking in purpose after all.
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:50 pm
Kucha couldn't help but release an amused purr. "I have nerves you know!" he smiled, her acceptance freeing him from his shame. He walked towards her voice, and sat directly in front of her. "I'm going to put my paws on your face," he explained. "And I didn't want to offend you. I see with my senses, touch being the best for this situation." He paused, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. "The other cats don't like it when I try to 'see' them, and I didn't want to scare you away."
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