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Post by crescendo on Aug 23, 2011 17:47:38 GMT -5
[OOC Note: This scene was never finished, but Shanira and Chaska's return to the Amaranth was still considered as having occurred ICly.]
With autumn slowly but surely pressing on and the promise of an eventual winter, Shanira has finally made up her mind. For all the good memories the forest and the den below the chestnut tree holds for her and Chaska, she knows herself well enough not to want to be alone there during the winter. Not to mention that Kachina is still gone and Shanira has had no luck in finding even the slightest trace of her daughter. She hasn't been ignorant to Chaska's moods and complaints either and while she tries her best, her best never seems to be enough and sometimes there is barely anything to summon up.
She left Amaranth with a group of friends, all of them hoping to find someplace new to call their own. Now she can't help but feel like things are coming full circle as she's been contemplating returning to the tribe in the mountains - a failure, in a way, and perhaps that is why it has taken her such a long time to make the decision. The journey she set out on has by now included more than she was ever expecting and perhaps she's weary. A family has come into existence and been dissolved, all in the space of almost two years. That was not what the young cougaress had in mind when she joined Tantallon and his brother.
The trek back towards the mountains has been spiced with worries on Shanira's parts, as well as caring for her remaining cub. Chaska's growing more and more independent, but to Shanira he is still a cub that needs her care, even if she lacks the skills to provide it. Her worries have been regarding how she and her son will be met upon their return, about how her request for help will be dealt with, about how she will have to be the bringer of bad tidings, the loss of Tantallon and the others... The fretting has been eating at her constantly and as a result, she looks less than orderly as she wanders into Amaranth lands, Chaska in tow.
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Post by Azoto on Aug 23, 2011 18:13:29 GMT -5
There were, of course, protests, plenty of them -- Even not bearing Kachina's gift of Sight, Chaska has felt what still seemed like his father's presence about that tree and the soon all but empty hole he and his mother had been in. He could still see the marks in the tree his father had made that they were supposed to reach together, learning to climb, father and son.
The night before they left, Chaska, searching some impending finality, had snuck out of the den, and labored for hours until he was able to reach that mark, rubbing his cheek against it, setting his faint tears to the bark, before leaving his own, smaller claw-marks in the bark next to those that Tantallon had made.
Quiet as he follows his mother now, the juvenile cougar lays his ears back, catching the first breath of the Amaranth lands, and casting his yellow gaze about the land before them, as he creeps up between Shanira's legs, and arches his back at her chest, seeking comfort from what is still his mommy even if he launches protests and complaints at every attempt of bath or motherly concern.
"Momma," he murmurs softly, as he stares ahead of them, his brow furrowed, his concern clear, "... They're Dad an' Unca Thrash's family, right..? They have to accept us, right?"
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Post by Pavane on Aug 23, 2011 18:54:15 GMT -5
Hither and yon, and where shall Wiraqu end up?
Today, the answer turns out to be the edges of Amaranth's land. The golden mountain-cat doesn't belong on this mountain, but certain recent events have made him curious. So here he is.
He makes little attempt at stealth. He's not hunting, after all; and few things care to argue with a full-grown cougar. Another male of his kind, perhaps; but Wiraqu has made no attempt to claim this territory, nor does he have any stake in protecting it. If a male from Amaranth shows up to make an issue of his presence, why, he'll simply turn and flee. No problem at all!
There was another male cougar of Amaranth he once met, at a place not too far from here. They didn't fight. So, all told, he's not too worried as he prowls along.
Now, curious - that, he most certainly is. So, when he catches the scent of mother cougar and her cub, he wanders closer. He keeps himself in view, and though he approaches, he takes care not to come too close. A mother defending her child can be quite fierce toward any perceived danger. Wiraqu, however, keeps his distance, striving to not appear as that threat.
In fact, he grins, and greets them. "Why, hello."
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Post by crescendo on Aug 23, 2011 19:19:59 GMT -5
Shanira does her best not to trip over Chaska as he appears underneath her, her head coming down so that she can press her nose against his forehead. "I hope they will," she says, being as honest as she feels she can be. Her ears move and twitch at sounds around them, her nose keeping as much watch as her eyes. When the male cougar enters her perception, she immediately turns defensive and pushes Chaska back, putting herself between the cub and the newcomer. She's not only defensive, but nervous as well and not very adept at hiding it.
It was a long time since she saw anyone from the tribe, but regardless she can't recall ever having met this particular cougar. She's never had to defend her cubs from much anything before, so her automatic treatment of Wiraqu as a threat is based on what she thinks is the right thing to do. "Hello," she still manages to greet him. "Are you with the Amaranth?" she then adds, not sure what else to ask. She is looking for the tribe, after all.
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Post by Azoto on Aug 24, 2011 15:02:34 GMT -5
Chaska is surprised at the sudden change in his mum's behaviour, having not seen the male just yet. It's not until after he's been pushed behind his mom and she's already stiff and defensive; and at that, peering around her, he stares at the large male, his ears twitching faintly.
He has not felt this undure of himself against another cat since the time he met his beloved Unca Thrash for the first time, and even then his daddy had been there. He tries to puff himself up now, having learned the difference in life since then -- strange cats are not to be met with fear or curiosity, but with caution. It was a strange cat who killed his father, and it could very well be the strange cat who causes his own end if he isn't careful. It's the same reason his mother has had him stay in their den while she goes out to find food.
Still, this fellow is not immediately violent; so there's some hope yet.
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Post by Pavane on Aug 24, 2011 17:16:44 GMT -5
While he's attempting to act nonthreatening, Wiraqu is not at all surprised to see himself treated as a threat. While he notices the female's nervous reaction, he neither turns away nor comes closer, simply remaining at a distance that's close enough to speak but clearly too far for a pounce to carry him to her or her cub.
At her question, Wiraqu tilts his head to the side. "Am I with the Amaranth?" He appears to actually be pondering that, as simple a question as it seems.
Then, he grins. "Maybe. But I'm not of them."
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Post by Therdde on Aug 29, 2011 3:44:40 GMT -5
Kein is starting to grow mellow in his old age. It's more likely Nyssa's effect on him, actually, than anything having to do specifically with aging. After all, while there are mornings when the male feels slightly stiff, his age is not yet causing any noticeable deterioration in his physical state. But while he has caught traces of unfamiliar scents on the wind, he does not rush to greet them and prevent them from wandering further into his territory as he might once have, even with the fact that one of his daughters has only recently given birth, meaning there are very young cubs around to protect. Kein is cautious, yes, but simply more leisurely about being cautious than he has been ever before as he approaches the set of unfamiliar voices.
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