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 Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:29 pm
((I hope it's okay I set it in the Forest.))  It was a hot day. Well, hotter than most, and not a breath of wind either. The trees were hogging all of it. Looking up, she could see the tops of the trees swaying merrily, but Hai was left with nothing on the forest floor.
Panting in the still air, she questioned her choice to struggle through some of the toughest terrain she'd ever seen, just to see if there was better hunting on the other side of a forest.
Supposedly, this forest contained fierce spirits. Hai, reluctantly mimicking the walking dead, wasn't impressed. If any spirits happened upon her, they'd probably mistake her for one of their own anyway.
The lack of any and all vultures was very nice, though. And it wasn't likely she'd meet any other lions. At least, she didn't think she would. They'd have to pretty desperate, or foolish, to brave this tangle of foliage. Wryly, Hai wondered which of those descriptions fit her.
She tried to chuckle, but her dry throat wouldn't let her.
"Gah. Where's a watering hole when you need one?" she grumbled, climbing carefully over a fallen tree trunk.
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:29 pm
 It was one of the few days before his family was about to ship off. The young cub was rather bitter about the whole thing. He didn't want to leave, no if he did how could he help Kilelo? He couldn't, not unless she came out after him, seeking him which Kabili thought highly unlikely. This whole ordeal was pissing him off and he lashed out at a nearby tree with his claws extended.
He couldn't tell his parents about his protest to going to new lands, they wouldn't understand, they'd probably worry about him and try to change him and he couldn't have that. He didn't want to change, he liked the way he was now. The cunning little punk that he was.
Before he knew it he was deep in the forbidden forest, the haunted forest that all of the youth were warned not to enter. When he did take in his surrounding with his jade colored eyes and found that he was in the forest it didn't bother him, not at all. Perhaps he would get lost within the tangled vines and roots and wouldn't be found allowing him to stay behind.
No he couldn't do that, he couldn't put his parents through that. He let out a frustrated sigh.
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:35 am
Hai's ears twitched, picking up the sound of something clawing at bark. From atop the fallen tree, she stood alertly, ears swiveling, trying to determine where the noise had come from.
There came an expulsion of breath, and Hai leapt off in it's direction. She couldn't quite smell anything, the air was too still to bring her any tell-tale scents, but if there was prey in the forest, she might be able to slake her thirst, and ease the growing rumble in her stomach.
It was to her dissapointment that the only thing she found was a lion cub. Hai crashed to a halt, nearly on top of him, and panted, feeling cheated. Well, this was just great. She couldn't very well eat him, now could she? Doing so would probably bring every angry mother lion within a million kilometers out to take a piece of her hide.
She stared down at the white cub, and let out a disgusted growl, tail lashing behind her.
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:24 pm
Kabili jerked quickly when the lioness landed by his side. He moved quickly to avoid being landed on. That wouldn't be good if he was squished would it? No, he needed to speak with Kilelo so he couldn't have that happening. The cub eyed the other carefully, extremely wary of the stranger. It was different than the time he had met his friend, she was close to his age, this female was not.
Still in a bad mood he hissed "What do you want?" His eyes were narrowed into a glare. It was obvious that he didn't care that he was smaller and younger that the other. He was smart, tricky...cunning and could use it to his advantage if he needed it.
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:44 pm
Hai's ears flattened themselves to her skull as she frowned at the cub. Rude little thing. Raising a paw, claws sheathed, she cuffed him hard, knocking him onto his side.
"Your-" she started, but the dryness in her throat made her cough before she could continue. Her voice sound rough and disused to her ears, and the dry throat didn't help. "Your mane's a little small to be snarling at strange lionesses. When I was a cub, I knew better than to antagonize strangers that were older and stronger, than me."
She emphasized the latter as she walked over, and pressed a paw firmly, but not cruelly onto his neck.
"What I want is water. Show me courtesy by guiding me to the nearest lake, creek, watering hole, or whathaveyou, and I'll forget your attitude."
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:13 pm
Kabili hit the ground before he could even blink. His jaw was throbbing which could only mean one thing. She hit him. How dare she, she didn't even know him and was chastising him! She had no right to do that, no right at all! The white jester looking cub quickly scrambled to his paws, his fur bristling. He needed to come up with something witty to say in reply.
Quick! Quick! Must figure out something fast!
"How about you show some courtesy by apologizing first." Kabili replied darkly ready to sprint off into the forest, picking his way quickly but carefully through it and perhaps into one of his traps that he laid all over the place. The thought of getting this lioness to fall into his trap made him shiver with excitement. It was a mighty good thing that he knew his way around well enough. "Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:47 pm
"Yes, apparently better than your Mother has taught you." Hai responded, part of her feeling it was ludicrous to let the little brat get to her. The cub bristled before her, perhaps trying to look menacing, but, to her, he just looked young and vulnerable. The cuff hadn't been enough to knock some sense into him. Perhaps she could scare him?
"Well, if you aren't going to take me to water, I may as well just eat you. If your Mother was nearby, no doubt she'd be here by now, so you're probably alone." she commented solemnly, looking him over, and sighed. "Though you don't look like much of a mouthful, your blood will wet my throat easily enough."
Hai began to walk slowly towards the cub, fish-belly white eyes staring.
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 5:10 am
Kabili rolled his eyes at her words then at her threat. She didn't scare him. "Eat me if you want you'll have the whole pride on your tail for it though." He told her remaining calm but slightly worried she'd try to follow through with her threat. He took one step backwards his body tensing, ready to flee or to fight. "The king's my cousin and most of this pride is related to me, so try it and see what happens."
It wasn't that he was cocky, he wasn't in the least bit, not about this, only about his traps and getting away with them....His traps! He had set up one of those vine traps the other day in the forest! He would lead her there then.
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:08 am
Suddenly, Hai was simply too tired to deal with the cub anymore. She harrumphed, the sound grating in her throat, and flopped on the ground as if someone had cut off all connection between her brain and her muscles.
"Bratty cub." she grumbled to herself. The problem was this: the kid was right. Eat him, and she would have a whole pride coming after her for vengeance. Add that to just trying to survive on her own, and she'd have no end to her troubles.
She flicked an ear at a fly buzzing around, and looked sideways at the cub, tail thumping on the ground behind her. Well, she didn't like it, but she did need water.
"If I apologize, will you take me to water?" she asked finally.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 5:03 pm
It took all of his willpower to prevent from grinning widely at his obvious victory over the older lioness. He had to keep a straight face, it wouldn't do him any good if he gloated over his victory and incited the lioness once more. He didn't want to spoil this pleasing moment.
Then she asked him the question. He tilted his head pondering his decision. Would he give in and take her to water, or refuse and walk away? Both choices were appealing in their own way to the cub but he decided that he put the dead looking female through enough. He could at least take her to get some water, he wasn't that cruel to deprive someone of something the needed. He had learned that everyone needed some kind of help at some point. His friend Kilelo, who he still needed to find, was a prime example of this. The grey female was very thin, so thin that her rib cage was extremely visable and that alone worried him deeply.
Shaking his head he nodded. Slowly he replied. "If you apologize I will take you to water."
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:11 pm
Watching the cub carefully, Hai could tell he was pleased at his "victory", well, at least he was trying to be polite by attempting not gloat. It irked Hai to no end to apologize to the brat, but nevertheless, the sandy taste in her mouth prompted her to apologize.
"I'm... sorry I swatted you." she grated, finally, and wearily got to her feet. Her tail drooped limply to the ground, and even her fur felt heavy. She was tired, but was determined to follow the cub to the promised water.
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:40 pm
Kabili remained silent for a minute before he began walking, towards the exit of the forest. "I...forgive you," he responded in his quiet tone as he paused mid-step to glance back at her. "This way." It was rather odd, the way the white cub was acting, before he had been 'fresh' or smart with the older female and now he was being polite, almost gentlemanly, well as much as a cub can.
Although he had been excited over his victory he felt....incomplete, unhappy in some ways a feeling he rarely experience, but more so now that before. He had won that much was true but it didn't change the fact that this day probably wouldn't get much better. No, it didn't change the fact that they would be leaving, soon. A fact he hated so very much.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly but softly as he continued to pick his way through the trees
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:13 pm
The rather abrupt change in personality was, well, astounding. Getting up and following behind the cub, Hai had almost missed his apology. She increased her stride to catch up to him and gave him a quizzical look, wondering if her swat had just needed time to set in, or if this was something completely unrelated.
Part of her was still sore at losing to a cub, but the more mature part of her shushed that part, and decided to be amiable. Clearing her throat again, and completely unaware of the irony, asked "What's eating you?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:37 pm
Blinking he looked up from the ground he had been staring at so intently as he walked. "Huh?" he asked making it obvious that he had been spacing off. "Oh....a lot of different things.." he shrugged not really wanting to talk about it. He didn't need to shove his problems on to another. Kabili fell silent again as he moved out of the forest and into the sunlight, squinting because of the sudden brightness.
Giving his eyes a bit of time to adjust he looked at the zombie looking female. "I hope you won't mind having to go a bit farther, the rivers pretty close now."
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Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:37 pm
Hai raised an eyebrow at the cub's reply, but pressed him no further on the question. She maintained her pace at the side of the cub, and watched as the forest gradually gave way to bright, sunlit plains. A nice breeze stirred her fur, refreshing her, and she paused a moment to stretch.
"Sometimes forests can seem rather oppressive. All that greenery surrounding you." she remarked. "It can feel good to get out into the open. I'll go as long an I need to go to get to water, kid. Just lead the way."
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