“This is a terrible idea.” Sundai reminded Kohi with an unimpressed sigh. He grinned at his sister’s antics and sat perched on a cliff to amuse himself as she completed her destined to fail task. Some days Sundai seriously questioned her sanity.
“I’ll be fine.” Kohi rolled her eyes to her brother’s displeasure. She had spent all morning coming up with her brilliant plan and Sundai’s lack of sunshine and rainbows wasn’t going to block out her parade. To understand the situation it would important to mention the facts. And the facts were in themselves simple to understand. Firstly, Sundai and his idiotic, yet beloved sister were deep into the jungle, so deep in fact that they had no idea where they were. Sundai had vouched to her that mayhap they retrace the steps they came, try and find a new route out of the jungle they had lost themselves in. It seemed perfectly logical and considerably less lazy then he was prone to be on Sundai’s behalf.
But no, as one would soon discover, Kohi had her own agenda. This agenda did not certainly contain listening to her brother’s advice.
She had decided that instead of retracing their steps, finding their bearings and make do with what they had that they were to go on their own route. This was in her effort to avoid any bloodletter territory. Despite Sundai’s comforting and reassurance, and even the run in Kohi had ordained with Mzuka that bloodletters still roamed, and they would remember her despite her low ranking. With remembering her Kohi had set it in her mind that that was the end. Done. All of her efforts to survive were over if but a single bloodletter member happened to see the escaped captive running around the jungle like she owned it.
“You were just a slave sister; I don’t think you need to worry so much.” Sundai gave a feeble attempt to placid Kohi’s new plan of escaping the jungle they circled. “I doubt anyone remembers you at all.” He chimed from the rock that he sat upon, way up and away from the gorge his sister romped around over.
“And if they do remember? That would be horrible! You couldn’t even protect me, not that you would, coward!” Kohi hissed in a semi-joking matter to her sibling. And Kohi had a point, Sundai was a weakling. He was made for being a brainier leopard. More so than a muscle man who could fend off all danger. He was not brave, strong or fearless. He was careful, precise and a trickster who spent his days tracking down insects as entertainment. He was not going to risk his skin and flesh to be a hero for one of his sisters that he had already spent weeks planning a way to aid her escape.
“What happened to “oh, I like it here?” and “oh, it’s not that bad!”?” Sundai did a horrible job at mimicking the way his sister spoke. She again gave him an eye roll for his sarcasm.
“That was before the cult went up in flames.” She explained to him. “One lady made sure I wouldn’t die for the cult sacrifice or whatever and who knows if she’s even alive after the fire?” She actually didn’t mind that lady so much. She might have been cold and cruel, only taking interest in Kohi because of her lightbringer heritage. Deep down however Kohi somehow believed she was more than what she seemed. That maybe out of the good of her heart she freed Kohi from her doomed fate to die.
“Besides, none of that matters now anyways.” Kohi was one to live in the present; she didn’t want to dwell on the past despite her overcoming fear of it. To be recaptured was her death sentence, and she was not going to have it.
The leopardess, with her glistening coat that resembled the stars, she had spent the greater portion of the previous night making a contraption to help lift her into the trees faster. Mind you Kohi didn’t mind climbing, but she had an adventurous side and being stuck as a slave she wasn’t able to exactly do adventurous things. Now was her shot to change that cursed fate of hers.
A vine that she had spent hours looking for was dangling over a branch high in the tree and now attached to a small rock that she would use to push a bigger rock over. Sundai refused to help, so Kohi had invented this catapult like thing in order to get up the trees and be her own lookout. She refused to climb up the tree for more than just her desire for adventure you know, she also was in fear that a bloodletter would catch her.
“Stand back and watch me fly brother!” She made a stupid face to the white leopard as he leaned forward more over the cliff to watch as Kohi let her trap loose. Would he be impressed? Kohi yanked her vine and pleased looked to watch the action.
At first however, nothing had happened, and the collection of rocks that Kohi had moved into a pile did not budge. Even though she had positioned it just that this one rock being removed would cause them to tumble. She sighed out in defeat.
“Maybe it’s broken.” Sundai offered his condolences. Suddenly however his ears moved over to the pile as one rock fell off and onto the flat stone’s raised part Kohi stood opposite too. He went to stand, thinking it only a single stone but his ears twitched when yet another rock bounced off as well. “Wait.”
Suddenly he was blown aback in astonishment as Kohi’s catapult actually began to work, the collect of rocks falling onto the surface she had intended. Again she braced herself for flight, but did not anticipate exactly what all those rocks would do. More started falling them she had expected, and Kohi was forced to run away in order to not be crushed.
Seconds too late however, for her trap to send her flying. “W-WOAH!!” She screamed to the air.
Sundai stood and watched in horror. “KOHI!!” He screeched to his sister. To his surprise he actually lept from his safe spot to the ground to look for her. Dust swirled about and Sundai struggled to not cough. “Kohi!” He called. “Where are you?!”
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