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 Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:39 pm
It was the night before they planned to begin their journey for the sea, and Kari was taking a little time to herself to look around. The small pink cheetah was not having doubts about leaving, she knew she wanted to be with Hasidi always and if they'd be better off going, then that's what she intended to do! What kept her wandering around while she could was the fact she'd grown up there, and spent her entire life there even if she had been born elsewhere.
She paused in her walk and took a seat, looking up at the starry sky. She'd gotten to say goodbye to Sawia, but there were some others she'd not get to say goodbye to, those that she'd not seen in a long time. She sighed, thinking about them.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:59 pm
"Kari?" The call was soft, but plain. Uri, hidden nearby, had no trouble identifying the pink coat of his young friend. Well, once young. Now grown up. He had to remember she wasn't a cub anymore. Wouldn't do to talk down to another adult.
He slunk out of the deeper shadows and started towards her. A friendly stance and smile. It had been a while. Uri had become a recluse, practically. Chuakari he hadn't seen in a while, but he'd known her/of her since she'd arrived here, after all.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:13 pm
Always feeling safe in the coalition lands, Kari started when she heard another voice only because she was surprised to find she was not alone. The voice was so familiar..
She stood up again and looked in the direction the voice had come from. It was hard for her to tell who it was from a distance, but as soon as he was close enough to gasped and bit back a delighted squeak.
"Uri!" she called.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:33 pm
It was so troublesome to be had to see at night if it was company you sought. If it was a meal of course, dark fur was a blessing, so long as you hunted under the moon.
"By the gods how you've grown! You look more grown up and lovelier everytime I see you my dear. How have you been?" It had been a long time since they last spoke. Uri blurted out more than he'd said to anyone for months straight away, he was that pleased to see her.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:03 pm
Kari grinned brightly and skipped closer to her old friend. She held her head high when he commented on how she'd grown, noticing he looked a bit different but not quite as big as she remembered him. She knew that had to be because she'd grown as well. Sawia was the only one that seemed to keep up with her.
"I haven't seen you in so long," she squeaked. She'd met him just before she joined the coalition, and now she was seeing him just before she left. How ironic. "Where have you been? I've been all right.."
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:15 pm
"I've been here all along, sweetling. I just...I don't know. You fitted in well with the coalition, where as solitude seems to have been my only option." Uri shrugged.
Oh it was odd. He didn't have to look down at her anymore and they weren't playing at counting or...Uri was struck that he regretted keeping his distance for so long. He'd missed her growing up, and he'd really adored the young, pinky cub who'd counted to ten using pawprint he made in the mud.
"I did keep an eye on you, but you always seemed happy whenever I spotted you, so..." So he just left her and remained a hermit.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:31 pm
Kari frowned a bit at the fitting in comment. She quite disagreed with him on who fit in where, she was sure he belonged there. "I'm not so sure about that," she replied airily, "I'm leaving the coalition now, but I have been happy and always will be happy.." She trailed off at the idea of always being happy, quite sure she would be so long as she was not alone.
"You should have come and said hi," she commented, smiling once again.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:38 pm
"Oh? Why're you off then, dear?" Uri avoided the fact that yes, he probably should have gone and said hi. Maybe she hdn't fitted in well? Uri hadn't exactly got close to teh other cheetahs and a far away scene can be misunderstood.
"I'm glad you're happy. Else i'd worry someone was bothering you. Or is there a merry reason for this parting of ways?" He smiled back at her.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:45 pm
"I'm afraid that even if I fit in well, m- my mate," she paused her, almost blushing as she admitted to someone yet again that she was in love. It hardly seemed real to her, even now, "He doesn't fit in so well. Laio didn't seem happy when she found him here, so we're leaving so everyone can be more comfortable. We're going to see the ocean!"
Kari's explanation of where they were going was a bit more cheerful than the explanation of why exactly they thought it was best to leave. Her feelings were quite mixed on the idea, but she'd said her goodbye and was sure she and Hasidi would be happy.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:50 pm
"You found a mate? Oh congradulations, Kari. That's wonderful." Uri had once upon a time been a flirt, who'd scoff at the idea of love. But he seemed to have mellowed with age.
"Less wonderful is that he doesn't get on here. But I hope you have a good journey to the sea. It's a beautiful thing...the ocean. I loved it when I lived by it, when I was a youngster."
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:55 pm
Kari beamed proudly when congratulated, pleased to have some praise over the whole situation. If Uri was ok with it, then all was well in the world- Uri's opinion was more important to her than Laio'.
"I should have expected it, Laio explained how the lands were for cheetahs to be kept safe from and free of most other species," she nodded matter-of-factly, not admitting outright that she had chanced that her then-friend would be an exception. She knew he'd be no harm.
"You lived by the ocean?" she gasped, "What's it like?" The cheetah had only heard one version, and that was from Hasidi, who'd heard it from another. Hearing it from someone who'd seen it might be a bit different.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:15 pm
"I was born on the beach - a sandy one littered with rocks and shells. The sea is vast, salty water. It goes on as far as you can see. It laps against the shore, in and out with the tide. it's always moving and changing. Sometimes it's gentle, and everything is calm and soothing. Sometimes it's angry and flings water. I don't think it's alive but it may as well be. ....basically, think of a waterhold filled with tears, that's so huge you cannot see the ends."
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:23 pm
Kari listened intently to Uri's description of the sea, but found herself unable to imagine a beach, sand, shells or even so much water. She stared with wide violet eyes as Uri tried to make it something easy to visualize.
"Wow," she murmured.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:25 pm
"It was my home, until the humans brought me upriver on a boat. If it's still like it was, I'm sure you'll like it there, Kari." He nodded. He could easily picture Kari there. Uri blocked any thoughts of his family being at the beach, placing her - and a shadowy idea of her mate - there instead.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:33 pm
Kari started at the mention of humans taking him upriver, not quite sure what that meant but sure it wasn't anything really good. She decided not to ask, and nodded slowly.
"I hope so, it sounds really pretty," she smiled.
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