Post by Mythri on Jul 18, 2009 17:04:56 GMT -5
Cast:
Cael, adolescent male cougar
Mythri, adolescent female cougar
Scene:
The south side of Amaranth is quiet and less visited. It is also Cael's favorite. The young male has spent many hours here exploring the rock faces, small caves and caverns, roaming up and down the southern face not only sharpening his footing on the slopes memorizing the rock falls, but spending long hours in thought. It was here that he could have been found the night Malak went after him, and the night Nayeli cut under his jaw. But there are no bad memories for the cougar here; just the mountain. As the warmth of summer time creeps up, the once sharp, lung biting air begins to swirl with hot updrafts, but for the most part the mountain is still much cooler than the valley's below. Cael is here now, away from his family, his mind falling away as the feeling of his heavy pads drumming against the familiar stones intensifies. He leaps from face to face, stretching his body as far as he can reach, landing with a practiced fall only to spring up and away again before the rocks beneath him move. His breathing is light, easy as he moves from stone to stone in a set pattern he could likely do in his sleep.
How long was she watching the boy? It's quite possible that he'll never know. A few minutes? A few hours? And who knows how long she'd remain, watching, if she didn't decide, quite deliberately, to make her presence known? It's nothing obvious. It's entirely possible that the boy missed the sound of a small rock skittering away from her paw at a seemingly random trajectory. All these things considered, Mythri goes back to her silent observation of the male adolescent, as still and quiet as the statuesque boulders themselves. The early-morning sunlight feels good on her shoulderfur, slowly warming away the night's chill. For once, her tail is completely motionless, and even her ears barely move, as all her attention is focused completely on the boy's bold display of agility and coordiation. Does she think it impressive for an adolescent, especially one not meticulously trained as she? Or does she think him weak? Given the distance between them, it'd be next to impossible to read any subtle hints or clues on her otherwise-neutral expression. Silent.. still.. statue.
His mind is not on Mythri. It is not on Kein, or Nayeli, or the rest of his family. It's not even on the mountain itself. His mind is focused on the movement of his body, and while others might see this as a waste of precious hunting energy, Cael knows that it not only moves his muscles as it frees his mind. Troubles, worries, trials, nightmares; they dissapear here. Revan would be disapointed in him, surely, but Cael doesn't remember Uncle Wreeva, and what others think have little effect on his choices, nowadays. The male spans a small gap in the rocks easily, and his paws slow as he bounds to the top of a smooth formation, slowly being warmed by the rising sun. His ears slick bac and he lifts his head, neck fur soaking in the new day's rays, before he twitches his whiskers and bright blue eyes stare out across the northern forest, alive. Cael breaths deeply, tail tapping the rockface behind him, and a smirk rests across his muzzle. Why? Ask.
And why would she ask? She's content to merely observe and mentally record the boy's actions, both moody and theatrical. Mythri can spend time later on trying to guess at whatever thoughts are going through his mind right now. The question now is whether or not he heard her announcement of being here. Maybe he's just ignoring her. Her dark eyes slowly blink as she thinks over this possibility. In either case, as long as he's continuing his acrobatics, she'll continue to sit here and watch. At least.. for a bit longer. There are other, no doubt more important things she could be doing than just observing something she could easily do herself. Which, of course, begs the question of why she's watching in the first place. Rhetorical?
One of Cael's ears flicks to the side as the echoing sound of a small rock clatters across the mountain side. At first, it's hard to pinpoint it with all the sounds bouncing here and there, but slowly he turns his head and follows those invisible sounds up the rocks, catching sight of the cougaress. He could have sworn that his heart stopped for just a second, but a deliberate blink pulls him back to the present. Had she thrown a stone like that, that night of cat and mouse? Predator and prey, who is who? Cael picks up his forepaw, then sets it down, trying to figure out what to do, or to say. Mythri had not been too amicable their first meeting, and while he'd like to greet her to the mountain... He doesn't even know her /name/! He should really ask Kein if he managed to get it, or not. But he's here, now, and he did come here with a purpose. The male lifts his head, inclining a greeting, and a very low, barely audible chuff travels the distance between them. Blue eyes sweep down the cliffside at another distant noise, a chorus of brays and bellows; a herd of mountain goats, their ranks rich with young, are traveling through. The male grins, flicks his tail, and slinks from his perch and disappears from Mythri's line of sight.
The male has shown every sign of uncertainty, and even now, his greeting seems to imply a desire for more. But it's her own personality that seem to be rebuffing him, and Mythri is quite interested to see what happens from here. What has made the other adolescent's display of attempted prowess all the better is the fact that he didn't even know she was there. Or at least... she's /pretty/ sure that he didn't. His reaction seemed genuinely surprised, and her approach was carefully masked. She'll have to make sure to observe him some more in the future. Such as... now! Granted, that grin implies that he knows that she'll no doubt follow, but even compromised viewing is still good for something. Tail gently swaying behind her, Mythri begins to head in the direction of the herd, and though her objective is to watch the other adolescent, she's thinking of other, more subtle goals as well.
He hadn't known she was there, and even though he finds himself wondering if she will follow... Well, he can't think about that now. He has his own goal, afterall. An empty stomach urges him on, and as he decends the cliffs that he just worked to climb his mouth waters; for his potential meal, of course. Cael takes a wide diagonal down, slowly winding down the trails he carved for himself, trying to coral the small herd against the very rocks that they climb. His paws are itching for the kill, but the boy has learned a great deal of patience up here; he's not perfect at it, by any means, but... he learned, and that's something, at least. His ears pin back on his skull, eyes narrowed to thin slits as he selects a young billy, brazenly climbing higher and further than his parents, than his herdmates. The cougar steps over a small boulder, pauses, and eases down until his stomach is just brushing the dirt. The wind shifts direction, and Cael springs. One, two, three bounds across the ridge, spurred by a chorus of surprised and angered bleating. And then there is blood on his tongue, and the billy is caught in his jaws. It's such a blur, a rush. He loves it. His jaw clenches around his bounty, eyes following the remaining heard as they run, before he turns and begins his accent and a search for something else.
Mythri, however, is not where Cael left her. In fact, she's not even easily spotted. And in the midst of the bleating and scrambling of hooves, it's quite possible that anyone listening to the turmoil and chaos might miss the sound of a faint thud. Nothing louder than any of the hooves clattering on the rock or any of the creatures fleeing the scene. And just as suddenly, Mythri pads around the edge of a particularly large boulder, and sure enough, she's carrying her own catch. Noticeably larger than what Cael was able to bring down, but there's no pride or satisfaction in the female's expression. Just nonchalance, as if this is a normal occurrence. Hopefully the boy will do what she thinks he's going to do--return to where they were just a short while ago. And if he doesn't? Well... it'll be a solitary meal. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing, anyway. Mythri is quite used to those.
Now he's a little tired, having gone up, down, and now back up this time with some extra weight. But, it was worth it. And Mythri is not where he last saw her, but somehow he's not surprised. What surprises him just a bit is when he spots her coming back with her own larger kill, but surprise melts away into a light grin, and a greeting chuff. They'll both dine well, but whether or not they dine together remains up to the female... as most things have been up to her since they've met. Cael smiles gently and flits his ears at attention on top of his head, "How do you like Amaranth?" he asks, genuinely interested. He leaves the obvious question of her name alone. He doesn't want to be rude, afterall. And, at least, he didn't push her off the mountain and ask questions later, right?
As the male drops his own kill to ask her a question, Mythri, for the moment, ignores it and continues walking forward, paws treading a little heavier than normal with the extra weight she's carrying. Finally close enough to him, she gives a slight toss of her head and releases her grip, letting the freshkill land in a bleeding heap next to his own kill. "You're a growing boy, so I figured you might need a bigger meal." One could almost imagine the ghost of a smile behind those words, but there's barely a flicker of amusement as she steps forward the last few feet, leaning down to grab at the male's kill. Assuming he'll let her, of course; she's not at all going to be surprised if he's protective of his catch. Even with her proposed trade.
Cael watches with a bemused look crossing his face, but in an instant it is gone as she reaches for his kill. A low, warning noise rumbles from his chest, not quite reaching growl status, but the stern look on his face easily conveys his feelings. Or, does it? His clawed paw presses down on his kill's neck, expelling a thick perfume of blood in the air, and the cougar gently lowers his head to be at eye level with her. This close, he watches the play of light in her eyes, something strange, before Cael's head moves once to the left, once to the right; no. "You should not kill what you don't intend to eat for yourself." Rule number one, of course. Kein taught him that.
So he /is/ protective! Mythri slowly pulls backward, not looking disappointed or frustrated in the slightest. It might even be quite possible that she never intended to eat Cael's kill in the first place. Might have been just a test. It's just impossible to tell, as even the deep gaze into her eyes doesn't reveal much. Her serious mask, as it were, is quite adept at hiding inner thought and emotion. A 'warrior face', as her father described it. One of the most important skills she could ever learn, as it's so much more than just a serious expression. It's a frame of mind. Complete self-control. By no means is she an expert in such an area, as there are most definitely glimpses into her mind visible to anyone watching, but such figurative windows into her soul are becoming not quite so common as she's grown out of being a juvenile. "Amaranth has surprised me in more than one way," is her answer to both his earlier question and his quasi-hostile advice. With a sudden smile, Mythri turns and bounds off, almost playfully. To hunt? To leave? To find a new place of observation? Only she knows.
Cael is quite serious in his advice, and Mythri's quick brush off of that, more than his earlier greeting, has him... slightly angered, but also confused. That stern look fizzles out as she turns and bounds off rather suddenly, strangely, leaving him with two kills. He hadn't planned on eating quite that much, and his confusion sighs into resignation. Now his question is if she'll be upset at him or not for eating what she left. The cougar lets out a deep sigh and closes his eyes for a moment until the fading sounds of her paws have all but vanished. He'll have to talk to Kein. Cael bends and begins to tear into his own, small catch, considering bringing the rest to his mother.
Cael, adolescent male cougar
Mythri, adolescent female cougar
Scene:
The south side of Amaranth is quiet and less visited. It is also Cael's favorite. The young male has spent many hours here exploring the rock faces, small caves and caverns, roaming up and down the southern face not only sharpening his footing on the slopes memorizing the rock falls, but spending long hours in thought. It was here that he could have been found the night Malak went after him, and the night Nayeli cut under his jaw. But there are no bad memories for the cougar here; just the mountain. As the warmth of summer time creeps up, the once sharp, lung biting air begins to swirl with hot updrafts, but for the most part the mountain is still much cooler than the valley's below. Cael is here now, away from his family, his mind falling away as the feeling of his heavy pads drumming against the familiar stones intensifies. He leaps from face to face, stretching his body as far as he can reach, landing with a practiced fall only to spring up and away again before the rocks beneath him move. His breathing is light, easy as he moves from stone to stone in a set pattern he could likely do in his sleep.
How long was she watching the boy? It's quite possible that he'll never know. A few minutes? A few hours? And who knows how long she'd remain, watching, if she didn't decide, quite deliberately, to make her presence known? It's nothing obvious. It's entirely possible that the boy missed the sound of a small rock skittering away from her paw at a seemingly random trajectory. All these things considered, Mythri goes back to her silent observation of the male adolescent, as still and quiet as the statuesque boulders themselves. The early-morning sunlight feels good on her shoulderfur, slowly warming away the night's chill. For once, her tail is completely motionless, and even her ears barely move, as all her attention is focused completely on the boy's bold display of agility and coordiation. Does she think it impressive for an adolescent, especially one not meticulously trained as she? Or does she think him weak? Given the distance between them, it'd be next to impossible to read any subtle hints or clues on her otherwise-neutral expression. Silent.. still.. statue.
His mind is not on Mythri. It is not on Kein, or Nayeli, or the rest of his family. It's not even on the mountain itself. His mind is focused on the movement of his body, and while others might see this as a waste of precious hunting energy, Cael knows that it not only moves his muscles as it frees his mind. Troubles, worries, trials, nightmares; they dissapear here. Revan would be disapointed in him, surely, but Cael doesn't remember Uncle Wreeva, and what others think have little effect on his choices, nowadays. The male spans a small gap in the rocks easily, and his paws slow as he bounds to the top of a smooth formation, slowly being warmed by the rising sun. His ears slick bac and he lifts his head, neck fur soaking in the new day's rays, before he twitches his whiskers and bright blue eyes stare out across the northern forest, alive. Cael breaths deeply, tail tapping the rockface behind him, and a smirk rests across his muzzle. Why? Ask.
And why would she ask? She's content to merely observe and mentally record the boy's actions, both moody and theatrical. Mythri can spend time later on trying to guess at whatever thoughts are going through his mind right now. The question now is whether or not he heard her announcement of being here. Maybe he's just ignoring her. Her dark eyes slowly blink as she thinks over this possibility. In either case, as long as he's continuing his acrobatics, she'll continue to sit here and watch. At least.. for a bit longer. There are other, no doubt more important things she could be doing than just observing something she could easily do herself. Which, of course, begs the question of why she's watching in the first place. Rhetorical?
One of Cael's ears flicks to the side as the echoing sound of a small rock clatters across the mountain side. At first, it's hard to pinpoint it with all the sounds bouncing here and there, but slowly he turns his head and follows those invisible sounds up the rocks, catching sight of the cougaress. He could have sworn that his heart stopped for just a second, but a deliberate blink pulls him back to the present. Had she thrown a stone like that, that night of cat and mouse? Predator and prey, who is who? Cael picks up his forepaw, then sets it down, trying to figure out what to do, or to say. Mythri had not been too amicable their first meeting, and while he'd like to greet her to the mountain... He doesn't even know her /name/! He should really ask Kein if he managed to get it, or not. But he's here, now, and he did come here with a purpose. The male lifts his head, inclining a greeting, and a very low, barely audible chuff travels the distance between them. Blue eyes sweep down the cliffside at another distant noise, a chorus of brays and bellows; a herd of mountain goats, their ranks rich with young, are traveling through. The male grins, flicks his tail, and slinks from his perch and disappears from Mythri's line of sight.
The male has shown every sign of uncertainty, and even now, his greeting seems to imply a desire for more. But it's her own personality that seem to be rebuffing him, and Mythri is quite interested to see what happens from here. What has made the other adolescent's display of attempted prowess all the better is the fact that he didn't even know she was there. Or at least... she's /pretty/ sure that he didn't. His reaction seemed genuinely surprised, and her approach was carefully masked. She'll have to make sure to observe him some more in the future. Such as... now! Granted, that grin implies that he knows that she'll no doubt follow, but even compromised viewing is still good for something. Tail gently swaying behind her, Mythri begins to head in the direction of the herd, and though her objective is to watch the other adolescent, she's thinking of other, more subtle goals as well.
He hadn't known she was there, and even though he finds himself wondering if she will follow... Well, he can't think about that now. He has his own goal, afterall. An empty stomach urges him on, and as he decends the cliffs that he just worked to climb his mouth waters; for his potential meal, of course. Cael takes a wide diagonal down, slowly winding down the trails he carved for himself, trying to coral the small herd against the very rocks that they climb. His paws are itching for the kill, but the boy has learned a great deal of patience up here; he's not perfect at it, by any means, but... he learned, and that's something, at least. His ears pin back on his skull, eyes narrowed to thin slits as he selects a young billy, brazenly climbing higher and further than his parents, than his herdmates. The cougar steps over a small boulder, pauses, and eases down until his stomach is just brushing the dirt. The wind shifts direction, and Cael springs. One, two, three bounds across the ridge, spurred by a chorus of surprised and angered bleating. And then there is blood on his tongue, and the billy is caught in his jaws. It's such a blur, a rush. He loves it. His jaw clenches around his bounty, eyes following the remaining heard as they run, before he turns and begins his accent and a search for something else.
Mythri, however, is not where Cael left her. In fact, she's not even easily spotted. And in the midst of the bleating and scrambling of hooves, it's quite possible that anyone listening to the turmoil and chaos might miss the sound of a faint thud. Nothing louder than any of the hooves clattering on the rock or any of the creatures fleeing the scene. And just as suddenly, Mythri pads around the edge of a particularly large boulder, and sure enough, she's carrying her own catch. Noticeably larger than what Cael was able to bring down, but there's no pride or satisfaction in the female's expression. Just nonchalance, as if this is a normal occurrence. Hopefully the boy will do what she thinks he's going to do--return to where they were just a short while ago. And if he doesn't? Well... it'll be a solitary meal. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing, anyway. Mythri is quite used to those.
Now he's a little tired, having gone up, down, and now back up this time with some extra weight. But, it was worth it. And Mythri is not where he last saw her, but somehow he's not surprised. What surprises him just a bit is when he spots her coming back with her own larger kill, but surprise melts away into a light grin, and a greeting chuff. They'll both dine well, but whether or not they dine together remains up to the female... as most things have been up to her since they've met. Cael smiles gently and flits his ears at attention on top of his head, "How do you like Amaranth?" he asks, genuinely interested. He leaves the obvious question of her name alone. He doesn't want to be rude, afterall. And, at least, he didn't push her off the mountain and ask questions later, right?
As the male drops his own kill to ask her a question, Mythri, for the moment, ignores it and continues walking forward, paws treading a little heavier than normal with the extra weight she's carrying. Finally close enough to him, she gives a slight toss of her head and releases her grip, letting the freshkill land in a bleeding heap next to his own kill. "You're a growing boy, so I figured you might need a bigger meal." One could almost imagine the ghost of a smile behind those words, but there's barely a flicker of amusement as she steps forward the last few feet, leaning down to grab at the male's kill. Assuming he'll let her, of course; she's not at all going to be surprised if he's protective of his catch. Even with her proposed trade.
Cael watches with a bemused look crossing his face, but in an instant it is gone as she reaches for his kill. A low, warning noise rumbles from his chest, not quite reaching growl status, but the stern look on his face easily conveys his feelings. Or, does it? His clawed paw presses down on his kill's neck, expelling a thick perfume of blood in the air, and the cougar gently lowers his head to be at eye level with her. This close, he watches the play of light in her eyes, something strange, before Cael's head moves once to the left, once to the right; no. "You should not kill what you don't intend to eat for yourself." Rule number one, of course. Kein taught him that.
So he /is/ protective! Mythri slowly pulls backward, not looking disappointed or frustrated in the slightest. It might even be quite possible that she never intended to eat Cael's kill in the first place. Might have been just a test. It's just impossible to tell, as even the deep gaze into her eyes doesn't reveal much. Her serious mask, as it were, is quite adept at hiding inner thought and emotion. A 'warrior face', as her father described it. One of the most important skills she could ever learn, as it's so much more than just a serious expression. It's a frame of mind. Complete self-control. By no means is she an expert in such an area, as there are most definitely glimpses into her mind visible to anyone watching, but such figurative windows into her soul are becoming not quite so common as she's grown out of being a juvenile. "Amaranth has surprised me in more than one way," is her answer to both his earlier question and his quasi-hostile advice. With a sudden smile, Mythri turns and bounds off, almost playfully. To hunt? To leave? To find a new place of observation? Only she knows.
Cael is quite serious in his advice, and Mythri's quick brush off of that, more than his earlier greeting, has him... slightly angered, but also confused. That stern look fizzles out as she turns and bounds off rather suddenly, strangely, leaving him with two kills. He hadn't planned on eating quite that much, and his confusion sighs into resignation. Now his question is if she'll be upset at him or not for eating what she left. The cougar lets out a deep sigh and closes his eyes for a moment until the fading sounds of her paws have all but vanished. He'll have to talk to Kein. Cael bends and begins to tear into his own, small catch, considering bringing the rest to his mother.