Post by Therdde on Dec 23, 2009 10:39:55 GMT -5
Characters:
Kein - Male Jaguar
Qaletaqa - Adolescent Male Jaguar
It is only getting hotter. It seems that with each passing minute, it is just a little hotter than the day before. Or maybe that's Kein's own snarkiness, making his surroundings seem worse than they really are. At least the trees provide lots of shade. Currently, Kein is lying on one of the heavier branches in a tree well away from the stream that is the only reason he has not been bothered for not venturing far enough away from his natal territory yet. He's really a lazy sort... But it's /hot/, and a lot of hard work to carry his form from point A to point B. If it seems to cool down at all tonight, he might travel a bit further out. He has no intention of doing so while light still filters through the branches and leaves above him, though.
The resting jaguar isn't the only one with family problems on his mind. Qaletaqa's jaw hangs open as he huffs his way through the humidity, brushing quickly amongst the undergrowth. He is attempting to slink, but he is moving at a fair pace, which greatly negates his efforts. The small jaguar is young, very young to have already left his mother - whether it was because of his father, his mother, or his attempts to outrun his rather...confusing and inconvenient emotions is anyone's guess. He stops for a moment to catch his breath, and sniffs the air. His blood chills. He can smell a stream, the water of which he would welcome, but far more worryingly the scent of another male.
Oh no. Today is not Qale's lucky day. Perhaps in a couple years, when Kein is more confident in whatever territory he has chosen, he might be a little more laid back. As it is, when his ears happen to catch the sound of a large animal moving... Well, not /quite/ towards him, but close, the older male's head snaps up. There is some fear not well hidden in his expression. He cannot smell Qale from where he is, and he can't see the other feline, yet. No. It is very likely to be Azriel. The fear mixes with anger as Kein thinks about it. His mother's mate couldn't even give him the benefit of a couple weeks to get used to being on his own before chasing him even further away. If Azriel weren't so much larger than Kein... But then, even with Azriel being larger than he is, Kein is not in the mood to run. He's in the mood to fight against his father's influence. It's the very mood that led to him being thrown out of his father's territory.
Qaletaqa paces a few steps forward, then a few back, then stops. He can't go back, but the knowledge that he is walking into another jaguar's area doesn't fill him with glee either. Another few agitated steps forward, another few back. The young jaguar frowns, then lowers his head makes a right turn. His thirst can wait. He doesn't know how far this territory stretches - best to keep a low profile and try to move through it as quickly as possible. If he's lucky, the other jaguar won't know he's here at all, or perhaps if he makes it clear he's really just passing through, he'll be left alone. If he's lucky.
Finally, after several moments of what seems like the fellow feline walking in a very small circle--searching for him?--Qale is within sight of Kein. The first thing that strikes him is the shade of the other male's fur. It is not quite the same as Azriel's. Then, there's the other feline's size. Not only is he smaller than the male who controls the territory just on the other side of the stream... But he's smaller than Kein, too. Well, /this/ won't do. He might have continued to hide from Azriel, as, whether he is in the mood for a fight or not, he is not fond of the idea of losing, and fighting Azriel is almost always a loss for Kein. /This/ feline, though... With a growl, the fully-grown jaguar slips out of the tree.
If jaguars could wibble, that would be the sound Qaletaqa would make when Kein makes his appearance. As it is, the smaller jaguar cringes back, his ears flattening. He doesn't even put on a show, born of either resentment or confidence or even fear - young Qale's terror is abundantly clear. He is small. Kein is big. He is far from home. Kein belongs here. There is nothing in this situation in his favour. Yet, if not for the situation, the older jaguar might hold some sort of appeal to Qaletaqa. Bah. Hormones of youth. "I-I'm leaving!" Qale gasps as quickly as he can, once he has regathered his wits. "I'm leaving, I s-swear!"
"Leaving? You should never have come." Kein approaches Qaletaqa deliberately, with a mind toward (entirely unnecessary) intimidation, his expression now a conservative mix of wariness and aggression. Even small claws can draw blood, and he approaches Qale directly, to avoid presenting much of a target. For all Kein is full of resentment of his own, his father taught him well. Kein has bled enough times in the past. He doesn't want to add significantly to that number, so he keeps those many lessons in mind.
"I-I-I-I didn't notice, I was going..." Nervously running his tongue about his muzzle, Qale hops backward. His eyes dart from Kein and then about them swiftly, seeking a direction to run in. Running is about all he can do against another male. His still-adolescent body is clumsy - he lacks the skill and experience, as well as control, of a beast like Kein. Qale's brow knits. "I-It was a mistake!"
"It /was/ a mistake. One you'll be lucky to recover from." Would Kein honestly hurt, or kill, someone who was attempting only to escape? It would be against everything his mother taught him, though his father was never so discerning in who he would kill. "Beg. Beg that I might have mercy, and let you leave in one piece." At least Kein's cruelty is not solely, or even primarily, physical. Not really. What would it benefit him, to physically attack this male? He can get that physical aggression out while he is hunting, and the verbal attack is almost as effective as physical attacks in doing all it is meant to do.
Begging isn't something that Qale is new to. Pride doesn't benefit a corpse. Lowering his head and averting his eyes from Kein, Qaletaqa somehow manages to cringe even closer to the ground. His tail lashes about agitatedly. It's all he can do to keep a whine out of his voice as he answers the request without hesitation. "P-please! Mercy, I m-meant nothing by...by my intrusion here!" He isn't certain this will work, either - most other males see him off pretty quickly, but this one is still talking.
Qaletaqa continues to give him no reason to physically attack. The younger male is obviously no threat to Kein's dominance here. It's satisfying to the young adult, having another male humble himself before him. It's... Well, comforting, that he has "defended" "his" land against an outsider. That's as far as it really need go, right? He did good, for his first conflict with another male of his own species, besides his father. "Very well. Get out, now. Before I change my mind." He doesn't look away for Qale, yet, rather expecting to hear gratitude from the smaller male.
Lifting his head, Qaletaqa looks clearly surprised that the begging actually worked. Without any sign of chasing, either - not yet, anyway. He is not so surprised that he gives his good fortune a third thought, however. No sooner is he given permission to leave than does he turn to slink away, back the way he came. He will not break into a run until he is out of sight, preferring to reinforce the fact that he really wants very much not to annoy Kein any more than he already has.
It is, perhaps, not as much gratitude as Kein wanted. Is it worth the energy that would be required to chase Qaletaqa down, though? No. Not today, anyway. Should he ever catch Qale in "his" territory again... Well, then it would be a different story. For now, though, Kein simply watches as Qaletaqa slinks away, feeling entirely too pleased with himself as he does so.
Kein - Male Jaguar
Qaletaqa - Adolescent Male Jaguar
It is only getting hotter. It seems that with each passing minute, it is just a little hotter than the day before. Or maybe that's Kein's own snarkiness, making his surroundings seem worse than they really are. At least the trees provide lots of shade. Currently, Kein is lying on one of the heavier branches in a tree well away from the stream that is the only reason he has not been bothered for not venturing far enough away from his natal territory yet. He's really a lazy sort... But it's /hot/, and a lot of hard work to carry his form from point A to point B. If it seems to cool down at all tonight, he might travel a bit further out. He has no intention of doing so while light still filters through the branches and leaves above him, though.
The resting jaguar isn't the only one with family problems on his mind. Qaletaqa's jaw hangs open as he huffs his way through the humidity, brushing quickly amongst the undergrowth. He is attempting to slink, but he is moving at a fair pace, which greatly negates his efforts. The small jaguar is young, very young to have already left his mother - whether it was because of his father, his mother, or his attempts to outrun his rather...confusing and inconvenient emotions is anyone's guess. He stops for a moment to catch his breath, and sniffs the air. His blood chills. He can smell a stream, the water of which he would welcome, but far more worryingly the scent of another male.
Oh no. Today is not Qale's lucky day. Perhaps in a couple years, when Kein is more confident in whatever territory he has chosen, he might be a little more laid back. As it is, when his ears happen to catch the sound of a large animal moving... Well, not /quite/ towards him, but close, the older male's head snaps up. There is some fear not well hidden in his expression. He cannot smell Qale from where he is, and he can't see the other feline, yet. No. It is very likely to be Azriel. The fear mixes with anger as Kein thinks about it. His mother's mate couldn't even give him the benefit of a couple weeks to get used to being on his own before chasing him even further away. If Azriel weren't so much larger than Kein... But then, even with Azriel being larger than he is, Kein is not in the mood to run. He's in the mood to fight against his father's influence. It's the very mood that led to him being thrown out of his father's territory.
Qaletaqa paces a few steps forward, then a few back, then stops. He can't go back, but the knowledge that he is walking into another jaguar's area doesn't fill him with glee either. Another few agitated steps forward, another few back. The young jaguar frowns, then lowers his head makes a right turn. His thirst can wait. He doesn't know how far this territory stretches - best to keep a low profile and try to move through it as quickly as possible. If he's lucky, the other jaguar won't know he's here at all, or perhaps if he makes it clear he's really just passing through, he'll be left alone. If he's lucky.
Finally, after several moments of what seems like the fellow feline walking in a very small circle--searching for him?--Qale is within sight of Kein. The first thing that strikes him is the shade of the other male's fur. It is not quite the same as Azriel's. Then, there's the other feline's size. Not only is he smaller than the male who controls the territory just on the other side of the stream... But he's smaller than Kein, too. Well, /this/ won't do. He might have continued to hide from Azriel, as, whether he is in the mood for a fight or not, he is not fond of the idea of losing, and fighting Azriel is almost always a loss for Kein. /This/ feline, though... With a growl, the fully-grown jaguar slips out of the tree.
If jaguars could wibble, that would be the sound Qaletaqa would make when Kein makes his appearance. As it is, the smaller jaguar cringes back, his ears flattening. He doesn't even put on a show, born of either resentment or confidence or even fear - young Qale's terror is abundantly clear. He is small. Kein is big. He is far from home. Kein belongs here. There is nothing in this situation in his favour. Yet, if not for the situation, the older jaguar might hold some sort of appeal to Qaletaqa. Bah. Hormones of youth. "I-I'm leaving!" Qale gasps as quickly as he can, once he has regathered his wits. "I'm leaving, I s-swear!"
"Leaving? You should never have come." Kein approaches Qaletaqa deliberately, with a mind toward (entirely unnecessary) intimidation, his expression now a conservative mix of wariness and aggression. Even small claws can draw blood, and he approaches Qale directly, to avoid presenting much of a target. For all Kein is full of resentment of his own, his father taught him well. Kein has bled enough times in the past. He doesn't want to add significantly to that number, so he keeps those many lessons in mind.
"I-I-I-I didn't notice, I was going..." Nervously running his tongue about his muzzle, Qale hops backward. His eyes dart from Kein and then about them swiftly, seeking a direction to run in. Running is about all he can do against another male. His still-adolescent body is clumsy - he lacks the skill and experience, as well as control, of a beast like Kein. Qale's brow knits. "I-It was a mistake!"
"It /was/ a mistake. One you'll be lucky to recover from." Would Kein honestly hurt, or kill, someone who was attempting only to escape? It would be against everything his mother taught him, though his father was never so discerning in who he would kill. "Beg. Beg that I might have mercy, and let you leave in one piece." At least Kein's cruelty is not solely, or even primarily, physical. Not really. What would it benefit him, to physically attack this male? He can get that physical aggression out while he is hunting, and the verbal attack is almost as effective as physical attacks in doing all it is meant to do.
Begging isn't something that Qale is new to. Pride doesn't benefit a corpse. Lowering his head and averting his eyes from Kein, Qaletaqa somehow manages to cringe even closer to the ground. His tail lashes about agitatedly. It's all he can do to keep a whine out of his voice as he answers the request without hesitation. "P-please! Mercy, I m-meant nothing by...by my intrusion here!" He isn't certain this will work, either - most other males see him off pretty quickly, but this one is still talking.
Qaletaqa continues to give him no reason to physically attack. The younger male is obviously no threat to Kein's dominance here. It's satisfying to the young adult, having another male humble himself before him. It's... Well, comforting, that he has "defended" "his" land against an outsider. That's as far as it really need go, right? He did good, for his first conflict with another male of his own species, besides his father. "Very well. Get out, now. Before I change my mind." He doesn't look away for Qale, yet, rather expecting to hear gratitude from the smaller male.
Lifting his head, Qaletaqa looks clearly surprised that the begging actually worked. Without any sign of chasing, either - not yet, anyway. He is not so surprised that he gives his good fortune a third thought, however. No sooner is he given permission to leave than does he turn to slink away, back the way he came. He will not break into a run until he is out of sight, preferring to reinforce the fact that he really wants very much not to annoy Kein any more than he already has.
It is, perhaps, not as much gratitude as Kein wanted. Is it worth the energy that would be required to chase Qaletaqa down, though? No. Not today, anyway. Should he ever catch Qale in "his" territory again... Well, then it would be a different story. For now, though, Kein simply watches as Qaletaqa slinks away, feeling entirely too pleased with himself as he does so.