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 Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 1:03 pm
 The evening was warm for the middle of winter and the sun still shone brightly, glaring off the snow and forcing Nishati to shield her eyes as the cub searched for her father. While Nishati definitely wasn't fond of the winter time - the snow, the cold, the lack of plants - she enjoyed how happy it made her father, and the games they played in the soft white fluff.
Unfortunately for her, Nishati's father had a pelt as white as the snow itself, so finding him wasn't easy; however, she knew that he was somewhere near the foot of the mountain, and so that's where she was headed now. Her mother had given the young cub permission to find her father and play for a while - as long as she came back before dark. Even though the sun's glare was still strong, Nishati could tell that it wouldn't last for too much longer, so she tried to hurry as she pulled herself through the chest-high snow.
Scanning the area, she finally spotted her father's familiar bulk and smiled. She called out to him happily, but her words were drowned out by the loudest roar she had ever heard. As the roaring grew even louder, she glanced around frightfully for whatever feline was making the tremendous noise. Uncertainly, she glanced back at her father and her expression twisted into one of horror at what she saw. The mountain behind her father was falling! The entire side was rushing towards the earth so quickly - too quickly.
Nisha could only watch, petrified, as her father tried to flee. Rooted to the spot with terror, her eyes met with her father's for one final heartbeat before he was buried under more snow that she had ever seen. Suddenly, she was released from her shock, and she pelted toward the place her father had been, her paws carrying her smoothly over the snow's surface in her swiftness. Crying out to her father repeatedly, she began to dig, frantic and with no idea which direction she should pick. She just couldn't understand how this could have happened; mountains weren't supposed to fall! Tears began to well in her eyes, stinging as they hit the cold air and blinding the young leopard cub, but still she continued to shove pawfuls of snow out from under her.
It took no more than a few heartbeats for her paws to turn numb and her body to start trembling uncontrollably. Her face was contorted with rage and desperation, and ice was starting to form on her fur where it had been drenched by her crying. She thought she could hear someone calling out to her, but everything sounded muffled and hazy, as if she had been buried under the mountain with her father.
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:42 pm
The sound had been unmistakable. The muffled thunder, the faint shaking of both ground and trees. Kata had been out looking for her own mate, though is dark hide made it clear whether he was in the open snowfields or not. Thus, when the sound of the avalanche began, Kata was not too concerned for her own beloved one being caught in it. But he was not the only possible victim, not by a long shot.
Almost as soon as the roar died and the snow settled, there was a heart-breaking cry up the slope, and movement showed that someone was bounding across the unstable surface of the newly shifted snow. With alarm, she realized it was a cub! Species didn't matter, but that little life most certainly did. With a great deal of delicacy, the queen of the Vuli moved as quickly as she dared to the cub's side.
It was enough to wring tears from a frozen lake. The poor little thing was weeping, crying out, and digging at the now thick snow layer with her small paws. She was calling for a father that Kata was certain wouldn't return. "Oh little one," she said softly, her own tears freezing on her cheeks. Clearly the little thing was beside herself, unable to hear as Kata tried to call to her. Finally, out of desperation, certain the cub would freeze herself to death beside her buried father, the lioness scooped the cub up in her jaws, turning to bound for the nearest warm den. She had to get the babe defrosted immediately!
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:48 am
Nisha felt herself being lifted but by this point she had all but lost consciousness. She had lost all feeling and her body had been starting to slump. She didn't have the strength to do anything except continue to weep and shiver as she hung in ... whoever's jaws she was currently in. All thoughts were drowned in sorrow and anger; she didn't wonder nor care who was carrying her.
Nisha slowly realized that they had entered someone's den; the air was warmer and her body started to sting and tingle as she thawed. Even slower, it occurred to her that she was no longer swinging in the air, but laying in a bedraggled, soggy pile in a warm nest. A tongue started to rasp quickly along her body, rubbing her fur the wrong way in an attempt to warm her body. In a surge of anger, she thought, Just leave me! I want to be with my father!
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:52 am
Much to Kata's relief, the den was that of an old bachelor Demani. The elder lion tended to prefer to be left alone, but had always enjoyed quiet, mature company. He likely wouldn't be especially pleased if a rowdy cub had come romping in, but this was entirely different. Being old, his den was well protected from the cold, with several bends back into the cave. Kata wasted little time on explanation, but none was really needed. A frozen cub in her jaws was more than enough reason for the intrusion.
Kata had gathered a pile of scattered hides, hunkered down in it with the cub, and immediately began grooming the cub. At first the little thing wasn't even shivering, which worried the lioness to no end. Before long, though, she began to stir, her muscles picking up the natural motions to warm her tiny body. Relieved, Kata kept grooming her, breathing warm air down upon the small, cold body.
"There there, you are okay," she murmured. "You'll be alright, just snuggle close." She was oblivious to the resentment and anger within the chilled babe. No doubt those feelings would become clear later, but for now, Kata focused only on warming her and assuring that the cub would at least live through the experience. "Now little one... what is your name?" Hopefully the leopard cub would be able to speak soon, so that Kata could get a little more info. Was there a frantic mother somewhere? Was she a member of the pride or a visitor? Too much was unknown, other than the demise of the poor baby's father.
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Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 2:38 pm
My name? Why does she care? Nisha thought bitterly. Then it occurred to her that this lioness probably wanted to find her mother. Oh, Gods - Mother. Nisha's eyes briefly grew wide with shock, but she quickly shut them tight against the wetness that welled up inside them. Her mother was going to be crushed, and seeing her mother suffering as much as she was would only make things worse. The thought was too much to bear and her emotions finally burst. Her eyes snapped open and she glared at the strange lioness through her tears.
"Why did you save me? Why didn't you just leave me alone?" she snarled. "You should have just let me die! But you just had to be a hero!" Nisha tried to storm off, but her numb legs wouldn't support her. She had risen only about halfway before collapsing back into the makeshift nest.
This most recent failure - small as it was - reminded her of her inability to save her father, and her anger was immediately washed away by a flood of grief. With an agonized yowl, she buried her head in the fur of the lioness who only a moment ago was an 'enemy'. All of her resentment was forgotten, and the lioness became a huge comfort, offering warmth and affection that she suddenly realized she needed. She dragged herself closer and curled as tightly as she could against the lioness' chest, wishing she could just disappear.Talencia Sorry that took so long - Gaia decided it wasn't necessary to notify me that you had replied. XD;
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Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 2:00 pm
Kata watched the storm of emotional reaction wordlessly, letting the small one vent her rage, her fury at being unable to save one of the two most important people in her life as evident as the whiskers on her face. Kata might not have been blessed with cubs thus far in her life, but being Queen meant that she had been obliquely involved with the raising of, at the very least, every cub in her clan. She had seen the tiny bundles of fur be amazingly brave, exceedingly silly, predictably rebellious, loudly stubborn, and yes, even painfully distraught. Her heart wept for the struggle that first sent the cub surging away from her, then reduced her to a shiver ball of fluff, pressed so tightly against herself that she almost lost sight of the poor dear.
"There now," she said softly, her chest vibrating with a comforting purr. She still needed to know whose cub this was, who it was that the pride had lost, and who to inform of the shivering cub's state. For now, it was fine for the small leopard to find solace with the queen, but it could not last forever. After giving the cub a long while to cry and snuggle close, Kata nosed her gently. "Tell me your name, sweetheart," she murmured. She hated to disturb the cub, but she couldn't let her fall asleep here in this situation just yet. She wasn't fully warmed up yet, but also her mother needed to be informed, however painful the news might be. Kata only prayed that the mother was wise enough to rejoice in the cub being unharmed, even if the father was lost.
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Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 2:00 pm
Nisha sniffled and mumbled, "My name's Nishati." Her already quiet voice was muffled by Kata's fur. She wasn't sure the lioness could hear her - she could barely hear herself - but she took comfort in the words.
Her father's name had been Nishar; her own name was a play on his because of how similar they looked. Every time she heard her name, Nisha would be reminded of her father. But instead of being afraid or distressed, she found the idea soothing. He'll always be with me, no matter what.
After a while, she could feel the tension in Kata's body and even hear it in her purr. She must be struggling - wanting to let Nisha rest, but knowing that they needed to find her mother. To spare the lioness the guilt of forcing her to face her situation, she took a deep breath and pulled away so that she was supporting her own weight. Sitting up, she stared at her feet as she murmured, "I should probably go home now."
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:52 pm
The barely audible mumble did at least provide Kata with some help about the cub's identity. She winced inwardly, thinking of the leopard male they'd now lost to the cruel snows. It wasn't just a loss to shivering cub she comforted, but to the whole pride. "Alright Nishati," she said quietly, "If you are ready to go, we can." She had no illusions... the cub's mother was more able to comfort the babe than she herself. She was the distant and strange ruler, at least to the cub. She wasn't even entirely sure the baby knew she was one of the two queens, come to think of it. Ah well, it was simply fate that such a task had fallen to the queen herself.
The lioness rose and nodded her thanks to the old bachelor before nosing the leopard cub. "Would you like to be carried? Or I could give you a ride?" She glanced out the den entrance at the heavy layer of snow. She wouldn't blame the little one for not wanting to wade through the stuff after it had just swallowed her father. "That way you won't get so cold," she added, trying to divert the sorrowful little heart from the reason she herself had been thinking instead.
((Eep, my apologies for lateness!))
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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 6:55 am
Glancing outside, Nisha's eyes fell upon the blinding white blanket, disturbed by Kata's rushed paw prints. Darkness gripped her heart and her eyes starting to sting again; she forced down the tears and rose to her paws.
Though mostly defrosted, she was still quite wobbly and her knees rattled. "I would appreciate a ride," she said softly, a little embarrassed. Like most cubs, she liked to do things on her own; but she doubted she could make it all the way home, so taking a ride now would be better than being carried by her scruff later.
When the lioness bent down, she clambered clumsily up. She tried hard not to use her claws, but the toes on her front paws were still numb from trying to dig in the snow. She hoped she didn't hurt this stranger; she had been awfully nice to her. She settled herself just below Kata's shoulders - she had ridden on her father's back enough to know that it was hardest to hold on on top of legs - and reached out to grab her scruff gently in her teeth.
"I'm ready," she said, her voice muffled by Kata's fur. Even as she said it, she couldn't help but wonder - would she ever be ready to face life without her father?
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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 1:28 pm
Kata didn't wince at all as small claws scrabbled as she reached the spot between the lioness' shoulder blades. How her heart ached at how grown up the cub was acting in the face of such tragedy! She was no expert on cubs, but she was certain that this new phase of tightly accepting reality was not healthy, at least not if she kept it up all the time. Hopefully her mother would help to release some of that pent up grief. The queen fretted at these thoughts as Nishati got comfortable and gripped her scruff in her small mouth.
"Hang on tight," she admonished before standing up gingerly. She wasn't really used to carrying cubs this way, though she'd seen it done often enough. Still, her back was broader than any leopard's, so surely the cub would have no trouble. Stifling her own worries, she stepped out into the blinding daylight that wasn't much muted by the layer of clouds. Her paws trod solidly through the layer of snow as she began to thread her way through the dens. It was beginning to snow again, light and lacy flakes drifting down in innocent and guileless beauty. It was times like this when Kata felt the oppressiveness of winter, which troubled some of their pride members. She didn't often sense it, but on this somber occasion, it weighed much heavier on her than the fatherless cub on her back.
Without any further conversation or useless platitudes, the Vuli Queen carried her small burden back home, to a life forever changed by the cold and merciless snow.
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