Post by Therdde on Jun 27, 2009 19:47:52 GMT -5
Characters:
Ama - Female Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Wooded Terrain -
As the sun drifts below the western horizon, Ama finds herself stirring from a troubled sleep. She had been resting close to a small bush, its green leaves tickling her back whenever the breeze blew. But her gray-green eyes are open again, and she lifts her head. She looks distant and tired - a look that has haunted her more lately. Her paw is healing from its sprain; she can put a minimal amount of weight on it when she walks now. But she has taken to remaining still for the most part. One forepaw is pulled close to her body - tucked against her pale breast - while the other is extended, as bending it is painful. Her eyes are turned west where, where in her memory she knows the old stones rest. As is her greatest concern in recent months (and even more in the past weeks), she wonders what will become of her sons. It seems more and more they cannot be left to their own devices... at least. Not Cheveyo...
Kein thought he was going to have to wait until his cubs were actually born for him to find the motivation he really needed. He thought he was going to need to see Ama well and thriving before he could ask her what he wants to ask her. So why is he here? He knows. All too well, he knows, and it upsets him, but there is no hesitation in his gait as he approaches Ama, carrying a hare in his mouth. It still feels devious, deliberately attempting to build up rapport just so, one day soon, she might be more inclined to agree to something she might not have otherwise. But he does not hesitate to do it.
She hears him long before she sees him. In her silence, and the relative silence around her, it isn't hard for her to pick up on the sound of a confident gait. Someone moving in her direction. She suspects she knows who it is long before she turns her head. And, sure enough, as Ama turns her eyes to seek the form, she finds herself looking directly at Kein. She begins to rise, pulling her three good paws under her - the injured one isn't quite that strong yet - then turns to offer a small smile. She's a little surprised to see the hare in his mouth. What is he doing, bringing it out here? That much must show on her face, but she merely dips her head. "Good evening, Chieftain," her usual greeting? She'll be recovered - physically at least - soon enough. But she's become ever-more distant in other ways, as her mind is preoccupied too much with what /could/ be. She worries too much anymore...
Kein does not attempt to speak for as long as he is carrying the hare. Only when he is close to her does he stop walking to drop the dead creature on the ground, after which he immediately takes several steps back. It's obvious that the hare is meant for her, though he does not speak about it, directly. Rather, once he is standing a few feet away from her, he says, "Please, sit. Rest." She does not need to stand for him, not while she is injured. Truly, no single aspect of his behavior is so unusual. Perhaps it is just some manifested guilt for the fact that she got injured in the course of doing something he all but asked her to do? Truthfully, he feels no guilt at all, but if that is what she wants to think, he does not figure it would hurt his cause.
She has never once imagined he felt any guilt at all - even less now that she knows it's true: Cheveyo does intend to harm Amaranth. If ever she did think Kein might feel guilty... she doesn't anymore. In fact, Ama sees it in quite another way: this is her fault. And if anyone feels guilty, if there's anyone who /should/ feel guilty, it'd be her. She sits. She eats. But she doesn't utter another word in the meantime. As she did the last time he brought her a meal, she finishes it off quickly enough, and without question. It is a kind gesture, and she will take it for what it's worth. And, when she is done, she sit upright again, licking her chops thoughtfully. "Thank you," she nods her head. It is /very/ kind, for him to bring her anything at all. Isn't his mate pregnant? Due to have cubs soon? Shouldn't he be bringing her food, rather than the feeding the injured fool? She looks like she wants to say something. But she changes her mind.
Kein would starve before he ever allowed his mate or his children to go hungry. Luckily, as his children are growing up, they are hunting more of their own food. Even with Nayeli unable to hunt, currently, he has not been forced to go hungry, himself. If that is what it took to be able to build up this relationship with Ama, though, he would do it, because providing for his cubs means much more than just making sure Nayeli is fed. He sits as she eats, and when she thanks him, he responds, "You're welcome, Ama. How are you feeling?" He doesn't do this whole social thing well. He would much prefer to be sleeping or patrolling, right now. He is capable of being polite, though. Of asking the most basic of those social questions.
How was she feeling? Honestly? Like she's been dragged through hell and back. And this couldn't possibly be the worst of it. But she just smiles - though it doesn't reach her eyes, and answers simply, "I am healing," then her smile fades, her face becoming serious. Physically, she is healing. But the longer she remains here in Amaranth, alone, thinking, the more restless she feels. If that doesn't drive her mad, then it's hard telling what could. "I will be well enough to travel again soon, I imagine," she doesn't mean to imply she is leaving; she's making a point. "...but I am deeply troubled."
Does she know what he is going to ask? How could she? "I cannot claim to know how you are feeling." Even what Cael did was nothing like this, not really. Sort of, but... Cael is only a child. Cheveyo is not. "I can listen, though, if you want to talk." After all, that might just save Kein the need to ask her what Cheveyo said to her later... And though he is not great at giving advice, Ama has always seemed to appreciate just being able to speak with him in the past.
And this once, she is very much willing to speak to the chieftain. She does not know what he means to ask her. But she senses something must be done. But what? And how? She lowers her head, hiding her face. She raised them to the best of her ability. Where did she go so wrong? Perhaps she knows. "When I confronted Cheveyo, he claimed Amaranth was filled with traitors. Because he says Amaranth 'murdered' Chesmu," she puts it simply, lifting her eyes to Kein at last, but she must squint to prevent herself from looking too distraught. "He hates Amaranth. He hates Amaranth /so much/. And I was completely blind to the depth of his feelings," and for that reason, she is angry with herself - she, of all cougars, should have realized this! She is his mother! "He believes Chesmu was innocent, with every fiber of his being. That is why he is acting against Amaranth. When I tried to explain what happened, he claimed-" her voice breaks, she trembles momentarily with emotion. "He claimed I lied. That Chesmu never went mad. That I had been with Amaranth too long," she laughs hollowly. "...and if he will not listen to me, he will listen to no one." There's a depth of meaning in those words that may be foreboding. And her face is uncharacteristically hard for a moment before it breaks and she looks at her forepaws again.
Kein keeps surprisingly calm as Ama speaks. Considering that when he first spoke to Ama about Cheveyo, he could hardly say the name without growling, his even breathing and collected gaze are perhaps surprising. He ought to be seething at the thought that anyone would dare to defend Chesmu. She she first arrived, Kein would not have been able to handle it had she defended Chesmu, in any way. He does not appear angry, though. Rather, he is resolved. "You must not blame yourself, Ama. I know that's difficult... But consider how hard it was for you to handle-" There is an abrupt pause right before he could speak the name of the one cougar he despises more than any other. He takes a breath, then continues speaking. "-for you to handle your mate's death." His /execution/. Not murder. "They were only children. Of course they were susceptible to... Well, regardless, you should not blame yourself."
"But it was /my/ responsibility to make clear to them what had happened to their father. It was my own feelings that prevented me from doing anything to explain to them /why/ their father was sentenced-" as she speaks, her volume increases, the emotion rises, but she silences herself, allowing it to fall. "This could all have been prevented, you see," there's a coolness to her voice. "With a few words; with a little guidance from the puma who was suppose to be their mother." She lifts her eyes, then sighs, as if to release the tension she could feel inside. It does not dissipate, as she hoped it would. "And now I am left to make right my mistake," she says, sadly perhaps, but as if with resolve. "I do not know how long Cheveyo will wait. I do not know if Hahnee is in this with his brother..." Her lips are pulled in a tight frown, and her brow is furrowed. "And each passing day, I grow more afraid of what may come to pass."
Maybe Kein should wait longer... But, really, he simply can't. He meant to speak to Nayeli about this before speaking to Ama about it, and he truly meant to allow Ama to finish healing... But it is now or never, and he knows this. If he absolves Ama now, there is no way he could ask this of her in the future. "That is why you must return to him, Ama. Why you must make him think that, after having time to process it, you believe everything he told you." Kein waits for a reaction before he continues. Now, he does feel guilt, because he is not /asking/. At least, he does not seem to be asking. How dare he play on her emotions and doubts like this? There is much about this he will have to atone for, when his time comes, but if it keeps his family safe, he doesn't care.
There's a long, uncomfortable silence after Kein speaks, in which Ama's expression is completely void. Her tail curls and uncurls at her side. Return? Believe him? "Do you believe that will stop him?" Because Ama doesn't. Or does he simply mean to send her away? She is not a cruel cougaress, so she does not speak the last thought aloud. "Tell me. Tell me what you are thinking." She cannot see how it will help... perhaps it will. But she doubts it. She questions him out of great caution. He suggesting she return to them. Hahnee treated her almost indifferently, and she left Cheveyo claiming she was a liar, claiming she had effectively been with Amaranth for too long. Would they believe her if she told them she had changed her mind? Hahnee would see right through her, surely, and Cheveyo... she closes her eyes, and bows her head. Just what is Kein suggesting she do?
Yes. What is he thinking? Does Kein even know that? "I am not suggesting that you should... Well, you /shouldn't/ try to convince him to do something he does not already intend to do. If he never acts on this on his own... Then I will leave him be. But if he acts on it, I will need someone there who can send warning. Someone he will trust, will allow to know what he is doing. Someone like his mother." Truly, Kein is placing a lot of trust in Ama. Trust that he cannot afford to have betrayed. It will probably cause him many sleepless nights, but if it gives them even just the slightest bit of added safety, it will be worth it.
So. He wants Ama to be his messenger. His warning. The little bird that tells him... She lifts her head, gray-green eyes perhaps a little clearer. There is nothing for her to be preoccupied with for the moment. But there's a grim sort of line set in her mouth, as if she thinks this could never end well. And, while she may /not/ be a hero, it as if she were the hero, knowing she is heading out on a quest that everything hinges on. It's clear to her, for at least a moment. But her voice sounds weathered and weary when she finally whispers, "I will do it." She hesitates a moment later. It gives her some purpose, even if she is reluctant to do it. When her paw is better, then... she will move out.
She couldn't say no. Kein played his game all too well, and now, even if everything from here on out goes according to plan, they will all have to pay for it. Ama may soon have to live with the knowledge that she sent out information that resulted in her son's death, and he will have to live with having put her in that position. "You do not have to leave immediately. Rest. Eat. Build up your strength. I will keep us safe until you are ready." And she must be ready. This will not be easy for her, he knows, and if she fails... It will not be good for any of them.
Ama - Female Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Wooded Terrain -
As the sun drifts below the western horizon, Ama finds herself stirring from a troubled sleep. She had been resting close to a small bush, its green leaves tickling her back whenever the breeze blew. But her gray-green eyes are open again, and she lifts her head. She looks distant and tired - a look that has haunted her more lately. Her paw is healing from its sprain; she can put a minimal amount of weight on it when she walks now. But she has taken to remaining still for the most part. One forepaw is pulled close to her body - tucked against her pale breast - while the other is extended, as bending it is painful. Her eyes are turned west where, where in her memory she knows the old stones rest. As is her greatest concern in recent months (and even more in the past weeks), she wonders what will become of her sons. It seems more and more they cannot be left to their own devices... at least. Not Cheveyo...
Kein thought he was going to have to wait until his cubs were actually born for him to find the motivation he really needed. He thought he was going to need to see Ama well and thriving before he could ask her what he wants to ask her. So why is he here? He knows. All too well, he knows, and it upsets him, but there is no hesitation in his gait as he approaches Ama, carrying a hare in his mouth. It still feels devious, deliberately attempting to build up rapport just so, one day soon, she might be more inclined to agree to something she might not have otherwise. But he does not hesitate to do it.
She hears him long before she sees him. In her silence, and the relative silence around her, it isn't hard for her to pick up on the sound of a confident gait. Someone moving in her direction. She suspects she knows who it is long before she turns her head. And, sure enough, as Ama turns her eyes to seek the form, she finds herself looking directly at Kein. She begins to rise, pulling her three good paws under her - the injured one isn't quite that strong yet - then turns to offer a small smile. She's a little surprised to see the hare in his mouth. What is he doing, bringing it out here? That much must show on her face, but she merely dips her head. "Good evening, Chieftain," her usual greeting? She'll be recovered - physically at least - soon enough. But she's become ever-more distant in other ways, as her mind is preoccupied too much with what /could/ be. She worries too much anymore...
Kein does not attempt to speak for as long as he is carrying the hare. Only when he is close to her does he stop walking to drop the dead creature on the ground, after which he immediately takes several steps back. It's obvious that the hare is meant for her, though he does not speak about it, directly. Rather, once he is standing a few feet away from her, he says, "Please, sit. Rest." She does not need to stand for him, not while she is injured. Truly, no single aspect of his behavior is so unusual. Perhaps it is just some manifested guilt for the fact that she got injured in the course of doing something he all but asked her to do? Truthfully, he feels no guilt at all, but if that is what she wants to think, he does not figure it would hurt his cause.
She has never once imagined he felt any guilt at all - even less now that she knows it's true: Cheveyo does intend to harm Amaranth. If ever she did think Kein might feel guilty... she doesn't anymore. In fact, Ama sees it in quite another way: this is her fault. And if anyone feels guilty, if there's anyone who /should/ feel guilty, it'd be her. She sits. She eats. But she doesn't utter another word in the meantime. As she did the last time he brought her a meal, she finishes it off quickly enough, and without question. It is a kind gesture, and she will take it for what it's worth. And, when she is done, she sit upright again, licking her chops thoughtfully. "Thank you," she nods her head. It is /very/ kind, for him to bring her anything at all. Isn't his mate pregnant? Due to have cubs soon? Shouldn't he be bringing her food, rather than the feeding the injured fool? She looks like she wants to say something. But she changes her mind.
Kein would starve before he ever allowed his mate or his children to go hungry. Luckily, as his children are growing up, they are hunting more of their own food. Even with Nayeli unable to hunt, currently, he has not been forced to go hungry, himself. If that is what it took to be able to build up this relationship with Ama, though, he would do it, because providing for his cubs means much more than just making sure Nayeli is fed. He sits as she eats, and when she thanks him, he responds, "You're welcome, Ama. How are you feeling?" He doesn't do this whole social thing well. He would much prefer to be sleeping or patrolling, right now. He is capable of being polite, though. Of asking the most basic of those social questions.
How was she feeling? Honestly? Like she's been dragged through hell and back. And this couldn't possibly be the worst of it. But she just smiles - though it doesn't reach her eyes, and answers simply, "I am healing," then her smile fades, her face becoming serious. Physically, she is healing. But the longer she remains here in Amaranth, alone, thinking, the more restless she feels. If that doesn't drive her mad, then it's hard telling what could. "I will be well enough to travel again soon, I imagine," she doesn't mean to imply she is leaving; she's making a point. "...but I am deeply troubled."
Does she know what he is going to ask? How could she? "I cannot claim to know how you are feeling." Even what Cael did was nothing like this, not really. Sort of, but... Cael is only a child. Cheveyo is not. "I can listen, though, if you want to talk." After all, that might just save Kein the need to ask her what Cheveyo said to her later... And though he is not great at giving advice, Ama has always seemed to appreciate just being able to speak with him in the past.
And this once, she is very much willing to speak to the chieftain. She does not know what he means to ask her. But she senses something must be done. But what? And how? She lowers her head, hiding her face. She raised them to the best of her ability. Where did she go so wrong? Perhaps she knows. "When I confronted Cheveyo, he claimed Amaranth was filled with traitors. Because he says Amaranth 'murdered' Chesmu," she puts it simply, lifting her eyes to Kein at last, but she must squint to prevent herself from looking too distraught. "He hates Amaranth. He hates Amaranth /so much/. And I was completely blind to the depth of his feelings," and for that reason, she is angry with herself - she, of all cougars, should have realized this! She is his mother! "He believes Chesmu was innocent, with every fiber of his being. That is why he is acting against Amaranth. When I tried to explain what happened, he claimed-" her voice breaks, she trembles momentarily with emotion. "He claimed I lied. That Chesmu never went mad. That I had been with Amaranth too long," she laughs hollowly. "...and if he will not listen to me, he will listen to no one." There's a depth of meaning in those words that may be foreboding. And her face is uncharacteristically hard for a moment before it breaks and she looks at her forepaws again.
Kein keeps surprisingly calm as Ama speaks. Considering that when he first spoke to Ama about Cheveyo, he could hardly say the name without growling, his even breathing and collected gaze are perhaps surprising. He ought to be seething at the thought that anyone would dare to defend Chesmu. She she first arrived, Kein would not have been able to handle it had she defended Chesmu, in any way. He does not appear angry, though. Rather, he is resolved. "You must not blame yourself, Ama. I know that's difficult... But consider how hard it was for you to handle-" There is an abrupt pause right before he could speak the name of the one cougar he despises more than any other. He takes a breath, then continues speaking. "-for you to handle your mate's death." His /execution/. Not murder. "They were only children. Of course they were susceptible to... Well, regardless, you should not blame yourself."
"But it was /my/ responsibility to make clear to them what had happened to their father. It was my own feelings that prevented me from doing anything to explain to them /why/ their father was sentenced-" as she speaks, her volume increases, the emotion rises, but she silences herself, allowing it to fall. "This could all have been prevented, you see," there's a coolness to her voice. "With a few words; with a little guidance from the puma who was suppose to be their mother." She lifts her eyes, then sighs, as if to release the tension she could feel inside. It does not dissipate, as she hoped it would. "And now I am left to make right my mistake," she says, sadly perhaps, but as if with resolve. "I do not know how long Cheveyo will wait. I do not know if Hahnee is in this with his brother..." Her lips are pulled in a tight frown, and her brow is furrowed. "And each passing day, I grow more afraid of what may come to pass."
Maybe Kein should wait longer... But, really, he simply can't. He meant to speak to Nayeli about this before speaking to Ama about it, and he truly meant to allow Ama to finish healing... But it is now or never, and he knows this. If he absolves Ama now, there is no way he could ask this of her in the future. "That is why you must return to him, Ama. Why you must make him think that, after having time to process it, you believe everything he told you." Kein waits for a reaction before he continues. Now, he does feel guilt, because he is not /asking/. At least, he does not seem to be asking. How dare he play on her emotions and doubts like this? There is much about this he will have to atone for, when his time comes, but if it keeps his family safe, he doesn't care.
There's a long, uncomfortable silence after Kein speaks, in which Ama's expression is completely void. Her tail curls and uncurls at her side. Return? Believe him? "Do you believe that will stop him?" Because Ama doesn't. Or does he simply mean to send her away? She is not a cruel cougaress, so she does not speak the last thought aloud. "Tell me. Tell me what you are thinking." She cannot see how it will help... perhaps it will. But she doubts it. She questions him out of great caution. He suggesting she return to them. Hahnee treated her almost indifferently, and she left Cheveyo claiming she was a liar, claiming she had effectively been with Amaranth for too long. Would they believe her if she told them she had changed her mind? Hahnee would see right through her, surely, and Cheveyo... she closes her eyes, and bows her head. Just what is Kein suggesting she do?
Yes. What is he thinking? Does Kein even know that? "I am not suggesting that you should... Well, you /shouldn't/ try to convince him to do something he does not already intend to do. If he never acts on this on his own... Then I will leave him be. But if he acts on it, I will need someone there who can send warning. Someone he will trust, will allow to know what he is doing. Someone like his mother." Truly, Kein is placing a lot of trust in Ama. Trust that he cannot afford to have betrayed. It will probably cause him many sleepless nights, but if it gives them even just the slightest bit of added safety, it will be worth it.
So. He wants Ama to be his messenger. His warning. The little bird that tells him... She lifts her head, gray-green eyes perhaps a little clearer. There is nothing for her to be preoccupied with for the moment. But there's a grim sort of line set in her mouth, as if she thinks this could never end well. And, while she may /not/ be a hero, it as if she were the hero, knowing she is heading out on a quest that everything hinges on. It's clear to her, for at least a moment. But her voice sounds weathered and weary when she finally whispers, "I will do it." She hesitates a moment later. It gives her some purpose, even if she is reluctant to do it. When her paw is better, then... she will move out.
She couldn't say no. Kein played his game all too well, and now, even if everything from here on out goes according to plan, they will all have to pay for it. Ama may soon have to live with the knowledge that she sent out information that resulted in her son's death, and he will have to live with having put her in that position. "You do not have to leave immediately. Rest. Eat. Build up your strength. I will keep us safe until you are ready." And she must be ready. This will not be easy for her, he knows, and if she fails... It will not be good for any of them.