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 Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:42 pm
Walking on soft sand was not as easy as walking on the more compact sand where the densites were located at the heart of the pride's lands. Fia wasn't really enjoying this at all, nor the sand covering her fur from the spray of her run. Even still, she was a young female - only recently an adult - and she managed it with less difficulty than some might.
She was glad, however, when they reached the destination and gladder still when it seemed the bird had left them. "Good riddance." She called after it, hoping that she'd never have the misfortune to bump into that creature again. At least she came to realise how lucky she was with Itzcoatl. Despite the snake's superstitious rantings, he was more often quiet than not. Not like she'd tell him that she'd realised she was lucky. No, didn't want to go boosting the scaly serpent's ego.
She started as An headed towards the cleft in the rock, bounding up after her in an attempt to catch up before she could dissapear into the shadows. They didn't know what was up there!
"An--!"
She was cut off by An's cry and in the next moment, drew up behind her. "An, don't just go wandering into dark places. We don't know what's--." Again she was cut off, but not by the little blonde this time. No. Her cousin was right. The smell was strong and it wasn't exactly pleasant. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. Something had obviously dragged a kill in there, maybe hoping it would keep for longer as it was in the shade. But here in the desert, only the deep rocky dens truly provided a cool, airy place to sleep. The rocks here provided shade, but not enough to keep the heat away entirely.
"Well, that bird was right. There's definately something dead in there." She coughed, shaking her head in attempt to circulate the air about her nostrils. "Now, be careful." She warned the little one. "We don't know what's in there. Whatever it is, we'll have to drag it out. We'll be able to tell by the wounds whether it was a lion who got at it."
And, drawing in a deep breath so that she might hold it for as long as possible, she moved into shadow.
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:59 pm
An crinkled her nose and nodded. "Don't worry. I'm super careful." Not that the cub had anything to base this on. This was her first adventure! But she puffed out her chest and did her best to keep the sour smell out of her nose. One thing was for certain: she wasn't afraid. About to puke, maybe. But not afraid.
As the two moved into the darkness, An cracked a small smile and laughed softly to herself. "I guess I'm not gonna be hungry anymore..."
As the two moved into the shade, it was quite clear that some sort of struggle had happened in the rocks. Claw marks, large footprints, and dragging marks were written all over the sand. Along with some strange objects... jars, pots. Smashed. They were full of a sticky substance, that An poked curiously.
"Look." She said, lifting it out of the cracked containers. "Monster goo!"
She rubbed her paw on the sand, but as they rounded the corner of the cliffs, the smell began to get more foul. Dark brown blotches of blood had dried to the sand, and small tufts of yellow fur glistened in small clumps. It was as though someone had been fighting. Or dragged!
An followed the footprints. They were bigger then the ones at the dried watering hole. Big and round, bigger then even An's head! They made thick marks into the sand- but as they approached a shadow towards the side of the canyon, it became clear that whatever it was hadn't made these tracks.
Stepping over some dried blood, An finally caught sight of what remained of the poor creature. She gasped in surprise- but not so much out of fear, but an instinctual withdrawl from death. Firekin might have been as tough as nails, but they weren't fools. "...the scene of the crime!" An uttered again.
Sure enough, tucked away against the rock's edge was the broken body of a cheetah. An had never seen one before, but she could tell by its small size it wasn't a firekin. It had big feet- although they seemed to be torn up by the desert heat. "Wow!" An peeped. "What a strange looking lion!"
She rather boldly moved forward, looking at the fly ridden form. "I wonder why the black beast didn't eat it..." She stretched her paw forward, and slightly nudged the lifeless body.
Immediately causing a small rat to run out from under it. An shrieked and jumped backwards, dodging behind Fia's leg. But almost immediately, she started to laugh nervously. "...uh, oops."
Trying to salvage some self respect, she toddled back out from under Fia. "What do you think did this? No claw marks or anything!"
But as the two mused about the crime, a sound echoed from the other side of the ridge. It was a low, groaning wail, followed by the sound of something hard hitting the rocks up ahead. An's fur stood on end, and she took a few careful steps backwards.
"Uh...hello?" She bristled. "Monster?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 5:12 pm
Fia's heart was pounding. It was pounding so hard she thought she could hear it echoing from the sides of the rocks all around them. So loud that maybe little An could hear it and know that her 'sidekick' was afraid.
The Firekin knew she shouldn't be afraid. She was a fully-grown Firekin female, after all, with some decent skill at fighting. And yet, she could feel the prickle of nervousness in the fur at her hackles and she wished - more than anything - that she could back out of here. It wasn't so much the signs of the fight that scared her. She had seen bloodshed before and had helped in the odd hunt here and there. No, what scared her was the lack of space, the cramped, claustrophobic feel to this rocky crevice they found themselves in. Not much chance to dodge an attack or escape with great haste. And hear she was, with a child at her side! She should send An out right now. Right this instant! But what then? What if whoever had attacked the dead thing here came back and found a cub at the entrance of its hideaway?
"Ugh..."
She clamped her mouth shut to cut off the groan, not wanting to give her nervousness away.
"An!" She hissed. "Don't touch that stuff!" She waved a paw madly at the blonde girl, the whites of her eyes showing.
And then the girl was off again and, indeed, the smell grew steadily worse. Fia, who had obviously not been able to hold her breath for this long - tried to smother a cough and ended up spluttering noisily. She wished she could clamp her nostrils shut!
"An, don't touch that either!" She continued again in a hissing voice, her eyes floating over the carcass of the dead...thing. The rat scurried past and Fia was almost glad of its presence. Maybe now the girl would learn not to go touching everything before thinking it might be dangerous.
"I don't think it's a lion..." But what it was, Fia wasn't too sure. It certainly had been a feline of some sort but none that should live in a desert, of that she was sure. "Maybe it came from the jungle..." She whispered to herself, shuddering at that. The jungle that fringed the desert had always been a dark and ominous place to the Firekin. "I don't know what happened to it, but it seems pretty dead. Maybe sickness...?"
The sound droned out any other musings and Fia's fur bristled until it stood on end. What was that? Could it really be a...a MONSTER?! No. Nonononono. Fia didn't believe in monsters! But then...
"An! Shh!" She reached forwards to try and grab the girl before she got any ideas, or at least try to press a paw over her muzzle to keep her quiet. "We don't want to let it know we're here!" Visions of them being killed here fluttered through her mind. Maybe no one would find them, their bodies left forgotten. How sad that would be! No one to draw up the final moments of her life on the recording slabs!
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 5:21 pm
"But Fi-AH!" She gasped, before Fia grasped her up into her paws and covered her mouth with her paw. That was no way to treat her leader! The nerve! But, truthfully, An was puffed up like a dandelion. She couldn't hear Fia's heart, but she could sure hear hers. It soared through her ears like a drum. But she wasn't about to give up just yet!
"Mfmmmfmmfmmf?!" An grumbled against Fia's paw, trying to wriggle out of her arms. The monster was right ahead! They had to stop it! It was a monster! And they were monster hunters!
....Right?
But the noise continued, just outside the cliff. The sound of loud, cloppy thumps against the sand, and a kind of strange jingle jangle. Another low groan- loud! Like some kind of roar! An couldn't imagine what sort of foul monster made such a noise. The kind with two heads?
But in the midst of fear and wanting to take action, another voice slowly echoed up from the caverns. "....hello? Someone there?"
An's ears perked up, and she glanced up at her cousin's face. Monster was a talker too?! Well. She supposed if birds could talk, so could monsters...
"For gods sakes, if someone's there, help me!" The voice, distinctly masculine, grumbled in the distance. Followed by another low grunt, and there sound of feet upon the rocks just up ahead.
An wriggled again. Surely they would help! She looked back at Fia. Wouldn't they?
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 5:29 pm
Fia thought her heart would burst. So hard and fast was it pounding that she was surprised she hadn't collapsed already. Luckily she had managed to grab the little female before she had dashed off, but now what? They were both together but that probably meant they would have to face the danger together.
Kaanga was going to kill her if this monster didn't!!
The noise continued and after a moment, Fia realised this would probably end in a fight. She gently set down the cub and moved to stand over her, bracing her paws against the firm ground. "I may have to fi--"
Whaaaat? Someone else was there? Someone who could...talk?
She blinked, startled, meeting her cousin's gaze with an expression that probably mirrored An's quite well.
"Help?" Fia repeated softly, almost dazed. Her legs felt all weird, almost wobbly. It felt like the blood had just rushed from her head. She felt giddy. She met her cousin's gaze again, knowing what she was thinking. An wanted to help. Would they? Well...so long as they wouldn't have to fight then she guessed helping would be okay.
"Alright, An." She replied, her voice strained. "Let's help. But...be careful, for the desert's sake! We don't know who it is." Swallowing back the lump of fear in her throat she moved in the direction of the voice, her steps slow and cautious.
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 5:45 pm
An nodded. "Right! Birds can talk, so can monsters!"
Although, she wasn't sure if that's what Fia wanted to hear! But for what it was worth, An kept close to Fia this time. She might have been ready to slay monsters, but she wasn't exactly sure how one went about doing that! The voice in the distance had given her new confidence, however. If they could rescue whomever this was then they'd surely be heroes!
But as they approached the mouth of the cave...the sight before them was so strange, that An's jaw dropped and she cocked her head to the side in confusion.
In front of them was an odd sight indeed. Past the rocks was open desert, and standing upon it, a huge towering camel. It was famished and weak looking- ribs poking through beasts matted fur. It was frothing at the mouth with a kind of foamy drool, and the poor creature was all but buckling under the weight of small packs and broken satchels which had been tied to it.
...and dragged behind it was a cheetah. Its foot was snared into one of the packs, and by the way it hung, was surely broken. A black cheetah, darker then night, but covered in sand and dirt. His eyes were blood red- and if An took the time to count, she would have noticed he had thirteen spots.
An eerie sign indeed!
"Oh, lovely. Lions." The cheetah muttered. And it wasn't just the cheetah that was concerned with the lions- the camel, taking one wiff of them, groaned and started to trot off, dragging the cat behind him by his left foot. "Oh, nice. You stupid animal. Yes, lets keep walking in the desert! This was a brilliant idea of yours!"
The camel didn't respond. But for what it was worth, its weary state made it unable to run all that fast.
An blinked, and started off after them. "Woah, woah! You're the monster?"
"Monster?!" The cheetah gasped, as though she had been accusing him. In fact, for a split second, he almost seemed as though he thought she had discovered something... but, the expression changed soon enough. "Ladies! Please, do I look like a monster? This, idiot thing- oh! Would you stop walking already, owch-" He groaned as his head hit a rock.
"What a weird thing..." An mused. "How'd you get tied to that food thing?"
"Funny you should ask!" The cheetah laughed nervously, a strange glint in his red eyes. "How about I tell you all about it once you untie me."
An frowned and looked at Fia. "Dosen't have a mane. Thats weird. He's a girl man thing."
"A- a what? Has the desert driven everyone mad here? Look, my foot is broken here, and you saw what became of my friend! Give me a break here!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 6:00 pm
Glad that An was actually listening to her this time, she moved towards the sound of the voice. When the rocks gave way to open desert she was forced to squint her eyes against the sudden brightness. And then, slowly, moment after moment, the whole picture came into focus. The picture, however, was so bizarre that for a moment Fia believed she was imagining things. Perhaps the fear had driven her mad! Maybe this was all a figment of her imagination! Yet more weird creatures stood before her. Creatures that she had never seen nor smelt the likes of before. She supposed that, in a way, they could be considered monsters. For lion, they were not!
By instinct she scented the air, finding the smell of prey around the creature with things tied all about its body. Her belly even grumbled at scenting it: weak, vulnerable, easy prey. It was skinny, yes, but it probably had enough meat to feed maybe two lions. Food did not come easy in these parts and one had to take where one could.
It was only when the black cat spoke up that she took in the whole bizarre picture again. The cat looked much like the dead one they had left behind in the shadows. Yet this one was black and it's red eyes were somewhat disconcerting. If Itzcoatl had been here, he'd have been spitting with fright and terror at the ominous markings upon this one. To Fia, however, superstition had always been considered nonsense.
Struggling to truly comprehend what had happened here, she took a small step forward. The prey beast moved, dragging the poor creature behind it and, though the sight was rather comical, Fia was much too stunned to truly comprehend it.
She stared, her mismatched eyes filled with absoloute disbelief. The day was turning out to be rather eventful after all!
"He has a little mane." Fia answered, seeming not to have heard a word the black cat was saying. "But he's not built right for a lion. Look at his skinny legs. He looks so thin that the wind could blow him off his paws! I'm surprised he's still alive..."
She blinked. What was wrong with everyone thinking them crazy, today? Was this thing here not the mad one?
"Alright, alright. Sop your damned complaining and I'll set you free." With a grumbling huff she moved towards the cheetah, eyeing the prey beast warily. Then, hoping it wouldn't try to kick at her or anything like that, she fixed her teeth around the strange vine-type thing that bound him and began to bite her way through.
"Almosshht theeah." A moment later and the rope gave way. Shaking her head and wrinkling her nose in distaste, she turned to face the skinny feline.
"So. What exactly are you? You certainly aren't a lion and you're definately not built for the desert."
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 6:16 pm
The cheetah gave a low groan as he listened to the females chat about his masculinity. Oh! Lions! They were fools if he ever saw one. He only wished he was in a better situation-! The camel continued to pull him, and he winced in pain as his foot continued to be wrenched by the dragging beast. "Whenever you all are ready, of course. Its not like I'm dying or anything."
"So strange..." An mused to herself. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disapointed that her monster turned out to be some sort of food and...some sort of strange man woman cat. But she supposed it was fine enough. "Guess we should help him. Kinda sad."
She was glad that Fia seemed to agree. And so was the cheetah, who watched nervously as the lioness started to chew on his bindings. "Ow, ow, owch!" He grunted. "Watch it, watch it...!" He gasped, watching the camel nervously. All it needed was a good spook to start that camel moving again! His bright eyes narrowed rather vindictivly as it was finally cut free.
The camel wheezed in relief as the weight was relinquished. It half stumbled in the sand, and then continued to run, whining and groaning down the side of a dune. An watched as it left, and regretfully wondered if it would have tasted any good.
The cheetah half collapsed on the sand, and took in a slow, shuddering breath. Ah, goddess. Good to know that was over. He winced and started to at least lift his head, looking at the slightly blurry forms of the two lionesses before him. Well. Out of one fire, and into another...
An ran up towards the cheetah, and poked him curiously. "Yeah!" She said, agreeing with Fia. "What are you anyways!"
The cheetah coughed bitterly, and eyed the two. His eyes were cold, and it sent An a few steps back. "Really? Not built for the desert?" He coughed. "Never would have guessed!"
"He's not very funny." An remarked flatly.
The cheetah sighed. "Well, ladies. I'm a cheetah. And no, we don't live in deserts. But as you saw, I wasn't exactly sight seeing."
"Why was that food thing dragging you?" An asked, her bright eyes blinking.
The cheetah flinched. "I uh... well. Its a long story, and I'm a bit dying here. You could at least help me into the shade. Do you know what it is like to be black in this place?" He spat out a small spot of blood, and bristled. "Brilliant."
The blonde cub slowly circled the cheetah, looking at his dusty form. "Uh...well, I guess."
"Good." The cheetah sighed, rolling one of his red eyes toward Fia. Again, the cold stare. This was trouble, Versailles thought to himself. How was he going to ditch these two? He had enough problems other then dealing with a bunch of idiot lionesses. But this foot... well, this would be tricky indeed! "You can carry me, if you will." He remarked.
An scrunched her nose, and shrugged. "Uh, I'm kinda small."
His eyes rolled open again. "....I was talking to your friend here."
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 6:30 pm
Fia turned to watch the prey beast leave, saddened too by its departure. She doubted she'd see one for a long time, if ever again! It probably wouldn'y get all that far either...although it did move swiftly across the dunes. Maybe it would be alright after all...
She shrugged. Who knew?
She turned back to see the cheetah half collapsed on the sand and grimaced. He was a sarcastic little git, that was for sure. Didn't he have any manners? The least he could do was thank them for finding him in the first place. They didn't have to come when he called. They could have just turned away. In fact, if she'd been by herself she probably would have done. Did that mean she was irresponsible? Leading An into a situation she would have avoided only to save face? It probably did...
Fia agreed with An.
"No. He's not. In fact, he's starting to get on my nerves."
She listened as the blonde and the black conversed, her ears twitching back and forth as she contemplated. But they weren't talking for long before the 'cheetah' was making yet more demands. Help me. Free me. Help me to the shade. Oh yes, because they were here to do his bidding. They were Firekin. Not slaves!!
"Will you quit your complaining. You're not the only one with a dark pelt!" Though it was true...Fia's pelt was not as dark as his. Even still, she'd had about enough of it. Her patience was wearing thin. "An, I wouldn't get too close if I were you. You don't know where he's been. He might have fleas or something." A grin fluttered briefly across her face.
And then...
"WHAT?! You want me to carry you?! You can't be serious!" Fia bristled. "You lazy little stick-cat. You've got three good paws, haven't you? Walk to the shade yourself!" She exhaled noisily and turned her back, fuming. She could not believe this guy! Didn't he know who they were? They were Firekin! Born warriors! The most feared lions in all the lands! And here he was, spewing orders like he was some frail king!!
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 6:46 pm
Oh, he could see they were going to give him a migraine.
"Ew!" An gasped, jumping back. "Fleas? Cheetahs have flees? OH GOD I SEE THEM."
"What- I don't, those are my spots! Whats wrong with you people? Where's your stretch of kindness? A little inter-species love here? I nearly died. My friend did die! Forgive me if I'm a little...traumatized."
Well. That was a lie. But he tried to look very convincing when he said it. Apparently too well- An's eyes suddenly got big and watery. Versailles regretted bringing up his "friend."
"Oh no..." She wibbled. "Was he your friend? I'm so sorry!"
"Yes...well." [He had it coming.] "I'll miss him. He was a dear friend." Actually, Versailles had deliberately gotten him snared in the rocks when the camel passed by them. No hard feelings, but he had doubted the camel was going to make it much further dragging two cheetahs behind him. These things happened.
An looked up at Fia, her eyes as big as saucers. "That was his friend!"
Versailles nodded sagely. "You're right, I have three paws. And I'm so sorry to be in such a state. But you see, I really don't have the strength. I've been dragged halfway across this rotten desert by that insane creature, and I don't think my body can move another inch. I hate to ask, I really do... but I would so appreciate it!"
His red eyes glinted. He'd once been told he had hypnotic eyes. He tried very hard to see if that was true. "Just to that side wall there. Really, that's all I ask. Such a strong lioness would hardly have a problem lifting me! Trust me, my bones are like sticks."
After all, he was going to need his strength if he wanted to make a clean getaway.
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:31 pm
Fia didn't like this cat - what had he said he was? A cheetah? - and nor did she want to help him. She wasn't even sure that he was that bothered about losing his friend, since he seemed to be a lot more interested in himself and his own state of affairs.
If left to make her decision alone she would have turned and left. He wasn't a lion. He was a weaker, inferior species and did not even belong in these sands. Death would take away the pain of his paw and the 'sadness' over the loss of his friend. And yet...could she abandon him like that in front of An? Wasn't she supposed to be showing her to be kind and look out for others? That was what Father and Mother would have her do, she was sure. They didn't believe in the word 'inferior'. Yet...
The inner battle was clear to see in her mismatched eyes, but her indecision paled under that big-eyed stare An was giving her.
No. She couldn't just up and leave him. It would be a bad example to set and she wasn't about to be the one to spoil such an innocent and gentle soul such as her cousin's.
"Argh, FINE!!" She threw up her head and tail in exasperation. "I'll do it." She moved over to his side and leant down a little so he could set his weight against her shoulders. He was right. She was strong and carrying a willowy little thing like him wouldn't be much of a problem. Even still, it grated on her nerves and she was just glad that no one else was here to witness such a shameful event!
"You're just lucky the little one is here, else I would have left you to bake." She growled quietly under her breath, just loud enough for the cheetah to hear her.
"Come on then, let's get this over and done with so we can leave you to it."
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:46 am
Versailles smiled coolly. Yes, he certainly had lucked out that this female had such a small, impressionable young cub on one arm. Not only that, but she seemed to have the same affliction so many had- a conscience. So unfortunate! Even here, in this desolate land, they troubled themselves with others. But, perhaps lions were predisposed to it. They did live together after all. How sad!
"Oh, thank you. To think I'd find such saints all the way out here! Right over there by the shade. That'll do me fine until nightfall." He adjusted himself so the black lioness could easily lift her. But no matter what Versailles might have said in false niceties, the moan that escaped his mouth as Fia lifted him up was as real as they came. "Uugh-" He gasped as his body ached. Oh, he'd botched this one for sure! Fia might have been afflicted with a conscience, but his leg was broke to hell. And only one was outright deadly.
"Woow," An breathed as Fia lifted the cheetah. He didn't look heavy at all. In fact, she'd never seen a creature so thin before in her life! Even she had more fat on her then this one did! "Fia, his belly goes up to his hips! You must be starving!"
Versailles chuckled bitterly, attempting to focus most of his remaining energy on keeping on the lioness's shoulder. "Uggh- no, not thin. Cheetahs always look like this. I happen to look quite fine for one my age!"
"'Cept for the dying." An reminded.
"Well, yes. Except for the dying thing." Her muttered.
It was a strange and awkward process moving over to the shade. And unfortunately more painful then he had imagined. But, he knew the sun would have damaged him far worse then a little strain in the long run. She was quite a strong thing! Female lions were so masculine! How unfortunate. "My, you have the shoulders of a bull." He purred. "How fortunate for me!"
An flicked her ears, wondering to herself if that had been rude or not as she followed behind him. She was all but bouncing- but kept her mouth mostly quiet until they were finally in the shade. The dark cheetah seemed relieved to finally have a cool place to rest- and An had a hard time keeping her curiosities much further. "Okay! So, now you'll tell us how you got in this mess, right?"
Versailles took in a slow breath, and rolled a red eye in the rather bothersome cub's direction. "...well." He started. "I would surely tell you but... I'm so hungry."
"Hey! But you said-"
He shut his eyes. "I'm sorry. I simply haven't eaten in days. Cheetahs have to eat you know. I gave all my food to that poor fellow you saw back there! Although, a lot of good it did him."
Once again, An's eyes went wide like saucers. "Oh no....!" She wibbled.
"Yes, its terrible. I don't know what I'll do." He covered his head with one of his paws. After a moment to get over his 'grief', he looked over to Fia. "If you could get me some food, I'd be happy to..."
"I can do it!" An suddenly said, despite the fact that he had clearly been addressing Fia.
"I...uh," Versailles started. "Was talking to your, friend here-"
"Nah, don't worry! I got this." She said, looking over to her cousin and suddenly trotting off by the rocks. Leaving behind a slightly dumbstruck Versailles.
"...." He glanced at Fia and smiled. "Well, isn't she precocious. That camel though-"
"Here, here!" An returned from behind some rocks, a bit dusty with sand. Copying the dirt pouncing she had seen Hakkari do earlier, she emerged with a mouth full of a rather large, and still very much alive, lizard. "Look! Like the bird!"
"....Uh." Versailles gaped as the cub dropped the lizard in front of him. It started to run- but she hopped upon it, and deftly bit the head off before dropping it back in front of the cheetah's feet. "Cheetahs...don't really eat...things... like that."
"Nah uh. You didn't say anything about what kind of food it had to be!" She retorted. "Any food is better then no foods!"
With that, he unfortunately had to agree. "Well this is...fantastic..." He muttered.
An gleamed. "Now, I think we are owed a story!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:44 am
Saints? Yeah, right…
If he knew what Fia was thinking right then, that probably wouldn’t be the word of choice. Even still, she did as he directed, surprised at just how light he was. She thought it must be a terrible thing to be born a cheetah, no muscle, no strength, just flimsy little limbs that were so easily broken. What a sad body to be born into.
“Oh, do stop your complaining, we’re almost there.”
She listened to An with a slight smile on her face. Clearly the little one knew better how to get on the cheetah’s nerves and she didn’t even mean to do it! Perhaps the girl wasn’t so bad after all…
Her ears twitched back as the cheetah gave his ‘compliment’ and she growled a little in response. “You need to work on your compliments, cheetah.” She wondered how the cheetah would react if he saw how she compared to other Firekin – the Firekin who had trained to be warriors from their infancy. Now they were specimens of strength; pure muscle, swift reflexes. Wonders to behold. She was nothing but a mere historian, simply average in strength as far as Firekin were concerned. She wondered, then, that if someone else had been with An on this adventure, whether they would have helped or whether they would have just walked away. She had wanted to, and maybe she would have if she had been alone. But, there was also a good chance she would have helped him anyway. It had not been in her parent’s teachings to not help on in need and since this one was not an intruding lion and could be no harm to the pride, it seemed only the right thing to do.
If they had come across a rogue lion then that would have been another thing entirely.
She paused in the shade and lowered her body to help the cheetah settle there and rest his injured foot out of the damning rays of the sun. It was a particularly hot afternoon, not a cloud to be seen in that brilliant, azure sky. Most Firekin would be relaxing in the shade, too, keeping themselves cool by doing as little as possible. Only a few guards would have to brave the temperatures – though they would be switched regularly so that they didn’t have to suffer too long in the desperate heat.
Taking a few steps back, her tail curling, she let An take over the conversation. And, as she listened, she found herself not liking where this conversation was going. Help me. Free me. Carry me….feed me. The hackles on her shoulders rose with irritation. She’d had enough of him now. She didn’t even want to hear his stupid story. She just wanted to go home and take An with her. Wasn’t it almost dinnertime? Yes. It was dinnertime.
“An, we can’t—“
She caught a glance of those wibbling eyes and felt her resolve wane.
She cleared her throat, about to explain to both An and the cheetah that hunting, though never an easy feat, was an incredible task in the dessert. One usually had to hunt in a huge hunting party and travel far and wide, only to drag the food back to the den site under the blazing sun. It was perhaps the most difficult job of all those in the Firekin, requiring strength, stamina and great perseverance.
And then, An was off and Fia watched her go, too surprised to even call after her. But she wasn’t gone for long, swiftly returned with a lizard clenched in her jaws. She laughed at her comparison to the bird and praised her on her catch. “Well done, An. That’s good work.” She laughed even harder at the look on the cheetah’s face. What was that look? Horror? Well that would serve the lazy, sarcastic little git right.
“If you’re really as starving as you say, you’ll eat whatever is available.” Fia replied, drawing up close the the cub and patting her on the head with a paw. “Really, you should be more grateful. The little one made the effort to catch it for you. She could have just said no. Most would have, you know.”
And with that she quieted. Might as well hear the story now that they had come this far.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:47 am
His nose crinkled. My! Wasn't she preachy? Yes, although they had a conscience, these lions of the desert were certainly a more... abrupt variety, if anything. If only that foul thing has run to the north instead of the south. He would have surely been rescued sooner, and the poor saps probably would have made him king with the sympathy he could milk out of them. Eying the dead lizard before him, he frowned and decided it was best not to push his luck.
"Well." He said, clearing his throat. "I suppose asking for water would be far too much a luxury. And, believe me. I am quite aware how most would behave. Perhaps a bit more then it might seem."
He rested his head on his paws, his eerie red eyes appearing as small slits. "So, forgive me for taking advantage of what I must. Perhaps you lions can do well with broken legs and limbs and bones! Ah, but for a cheetah, our feet is everything. Anything I can take will suffice to me." He thrummed. "When you have a broken foot and have been dragged halfway across the desert, perhaps even I shall be a bit more considerate."
Hardly, he'd probably have laughed at the irony. But, it would have been lovely!
"Well, that's why I want to know." An explained, still fluffed up from Fia's praise. "So it never happens to me. Seems like an embarrassing thing to do."
Versailles frowned, his fur ruffling. "Some stories are hard to explain."
An grinned. "I'm really good at listening. My mom is a storyteller! And Fia studies history. I think we can handle a story!"
The black cheetah shook his head, and rested it down against the sand. Oh dear, now this was going to stretch his creativity quite a bit! What sort of story did the young cub want to hear? He could sense she was a bold sort. Clever for a cub, but maybe cheetah cubs were simply born foolish. But she seemed a sucker for a sad story. So he decided to start with the lie.
"My friend and I were on a job." Well, so far that was true! "A brother of ours- not a real brother, mind you, but a brother all the same, had been captured by the ape creatures."
In truth, he had entered the village walking beside one. A tall, slick woman with braided hair and the darkest eyes that ever were. She walked amongst the ape creatures and spoke their words: but he knew her for what she was. Goddess. And a terrible one. The same goddess his mother had offered him to as a sacrifice. No matter what shape she took: his master. It had been easy enough to enter the village- they feared her. A shaman. A witch. She brought the sickness...
"We believed he was in danger. That we would rescue him, and return to our hunting grounds. So we snuck into their camp; these apes, they live in groups like lions. Feeble things. They have no claws, so they make false ones out of stones and bone. Dangerous though, if underestimated, but I suppose that is true of most things. But, a cheetah is a cheetah. We innately believe our own kind will bind to us, no matter the issue. Even I made that mistake..."
They had entered the ape village to recover something or another. Versailles did not concern himself much with the Lady's doings. He simply followed, and assumed there would eventually be a grain of wisdom in it somewhere. Not always, but, such as it is. Another cheetah had come with them- a thrall named Chet. Versailles had known well enough without being told what would be happening to it, and simply applauded himself on being too valuable for the Lady to expend. Poor fool probably thought they respected him! The apes were aghast. Trained cheetahs were not uniquely uncommon, but the Lady commanded them as though they were charmed and sacred. For their worship of her, she would share such powers. And as an act of friendship, offered Cet and his lovely pelt as a gift to the chief.
"We entered through the back, farthest away from their dogs and their food creatures. The food creatures could be scared into silence, but the dogs are as foolish as they come. But when we came to where we were certain our brother was imprisoned, we found him free! Walking about the camp, wearing a jeweled collar. Here we had come to save him, and he had made himself a little life as the ape creature's pet. And worse- when he saw us, he howled and alerted the guards. Howled like a dog."
Chet had been less then willing to part with his fur, but by the time he figured it out it was pretty much too late. The men beat him down and tied his apparently lifeless body to the backs of one of their merchant creatures. They would sell the Lady's gift! [A curse, they whispered.] Such things did not sit well with her. Did they think they could simply deny a gift? They had come upon them again at nightfall, and this time, they were not so obliging.
"We were captured by the creatures. They beat my friend here unconscious. Never woke up again, I suppose- but he was still alive for quite some while. But they were afraid of me. Even my mother was. Bad omens, they believed. A black cheetah with eyes like blood and thireen spots. Ooh! How wary such creatures are. They feared killing me would bring about some terrible blight, or what not. So they tied me to the back of their beast and began to ride off. Although, I can't say to where."
And that part was true, for the most part. He had gone for vengence as was requested- not realizing that the Lady had all but vanished into the shadows. He was only a cheetah after all. If she had wanted something more capable of maiming, she should have taken a lion for a servant! They were afraid of him, and like Chet, decided to pass him off to the next village, their enemies.
And the rest of the story played out mostly as truth. "Those beasts can walk for miles without food. Eventually I couldn't walk anymore, and it simply dragged me. It was for quite some while. And then one night, the ape things grew sickly. Something they'd eaten, no doubt. Or maybe a little sense of divine justice. Before the night was done, all of the apes were dead. But I was still tied to their dumb animal. When I tried to escape, it got frightened and began to run. Before I knew it- it was dragging me halfway across the desert!"
The only difference had been the Lady had been there. She strolled into the camp when the sickness had taken them, and began to poke about their satchels for relics, or other such things that amused her. And she'd found his predicament quite hysterical. 'Look at him, all tied up. Some things can't be won with a sharp tongue.' And she'd patted him on the head and allowed the deranged animal to drag him out. 'Don't worry.' She had called. 'I'm sure we'll meet again.'
Versailles frowned. Judging by her temper, he doubted she had gotten what she'd wanted. "And, that's the story."
An pressed her paws together, practically exploding with questions. "Wow! Did you ever find out why your friend sold you out?"
He shifted. "One rarely does, I suppose. Maybe he didn't like being our brother."
"Has to be a reason." An mused to herself. "To do something like that without saying. Will you go back for revenge?"
"Revenge is... not quite on my mind." Well, for one, it was hard taking revenge on a fictional character. "Understandably, I'd rather not go through this again."
"But, I have one question." An responded, musing to herself.
"And what is that?"
"You said your friend never woke up again. But earlier you said you gave him some food!" She responded. It was not so much accusatory as it was suddenly her figuring out a puzzle.
The black cheetah chuckled lowly and flattened one of his ears. "Ah, perhaps a little bit of heatstroke...Or, perhaps, none of it is true. Who ever really knows if what someone says to you is the truth?"
An skewed her face. "So that was a lie?!"
"Not so much as a lie, as a more agreeable interpretation."
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:42 am
“Yes. Asking for water would be a luxury and your answer would be no. We’ve helped you far more than you deserve already, cheetah.” Fia growled, growing impatient again. She never hid her emotions, choosing to word them openly despite the fact that tey could anger or upset. She had decided, quite quickly, that she didn’t like this cheetah. He seemed almost to be laughing at them for their spending time to help and listen to him. Heat stroke or not, she fancied that he wasn’t the nicest character one could meet – especially if he had been in good health.
She sneered a little at his next words and glanced at her cousin. “Don’t worry, An, nothing could drag a Firekin across the desert. Even a little one such as you. Your family would be there to help you in moments. That’s why lions are superior. We learnt to work as a team. There is strength in numbers.” It was clear she was very proud of her heritage and her species as a whole.
She shifted herself so she sat more comfortably in the sand and canted her head, both ears tilted lazily towards the blak cat. As far as a story was concerned, she wasn’t expecting much. She was curious, however, as to how he had been tied up to the camel. Knots weren’t natural things and there was no way her paws – or anyone’s paws for that matter – could handle such a feat. Neither had Fia heard of humans, for none had ever cross through the pride’s territory before.
And then Versailles began his story and she listened, quite avidly, as he spoke.
The ape creatures that he spoke with interested her greatly. She could not quite picture them, which was a little frustrating, because to draw an image, one first had to be able to picture it. Apes that used stones and bones as claws and lived in prides – like lions. What odd creatures! And seemingly dangerous, for they took slaves as the Firekin once had. She knew instantly that the cheetahs going into another’s territory was a bad idea. Intruders in the Motoujamii were not treated as honoured guests, that was for sure.
And as the story continued, Fia felt a strange sense of horror come over her. It was a simple thing and yet something so unnatural that she could not understand how it could happen at all. It sounded like these ape creatures had the ability to tame! How could one have such power over another? To take it’s wild, free soul and turn it into a thoughtless creature living only to take orders. Even the slaves in the Firekin pride had rebelled and refused to give in – or the ones she had heard of, anyway. She would bow to no creature, whether strong or not. She would rather die. And yet, they had enchanted this cheetah and made him think that lving a life of obeying orders of another was worth living for. A terrible existence!
“A bad omen?” Fia whispered, without meaning to. She’d have to remember those traits and ask Itzcoatl about them later. He would know much about such things and she wished, suddenly, that she paid more attention to him. She didn’t necessarily believe in such superstitious nonsense, but perhaps it would come in handy to have some knowledge. It seemed the beliefs went further than desert cobras, in any case.
She listened to the rest of his story, or half-listened. His words had given her a lot to think about and though it wasn’t really going to benefit her from knowing more, she found her curiosity had peaked a little. This cheetah was a pain but he certainly did have some surprises in his past – if he was telling the truth, of course. And then An was questioning him and she listened to the exchanges between them.
“Truth or lie, it doesn’t really matter. A story is a story and as with all things, can be exaggerated and changed overtime. Don’t think too much of it, An. Many Firekin stories are based on nothing more than legend. But tell me, cheetah, those ape creatures, they weren’t fiction, were they?” She couldn’t imagine him making up something like that. “I cannot picture them but they sound like a great foe, perhaps to all if they can take the wild out of a creature’s heart. Or, of course, that could have been a lie, too.”
Her tail flicked in thought. Yes, she really couldn’t trust anything he was saying. Best not to think on it anymore. What was the point on dwelling something that might not be true? In any case, she doubted any ape creatures could ever thrive and prosper in the desert.
“So where will you go now, cheetah? I hope you will not needlessly throw your life away after we went to all this trouble of saving it.” She wrinkled her nose. “Even still, I can’t foresee you staying out of trouble. It seems to follow in your shadow. But not-” She added hastily, “-because of your markings. I don’t believe in superstition. I think, deep down, you like a bit of trouble.”
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