Post by Chibiabos on Jan 14, 2010 1:42:17 GMT -5
Wildflower Drop
___
Perhaps a result of one of the nearby eroded pools providing water through some minute cracks in the rock, the area here is flourishing with plant life - a myriad of flowers, in a rainbow of colors, wash over the area in a stark contrast to the bleak rock surrounding it. What gives the area its name is that the wildflowers also flush down the side of the mountain, which is too steep for most creatures to even attempt to climb down.
___
Characters:
Scorch, cougress, visitor and hopeful pledgeling to Amaranth
Sweet-Rain, elder cougress, Shamaness of Amaranth
___
Now that she has met the Chieftan, Scorch feels less uncertain about exploring the Amaranth's territory. She has gotten the idea, though, that the tribe doesn't immediately share everything with everyone, and if she does find another Tribe member, they may well not know that Scorch has been provisionally welcomed. With that in mind, she is a bit worried and pensive, and she winds up somewhat slinking along. She happens upon the dramatic vista of the steep, precipitous drop, a danger in stark contrast to the sweet-smelling wildflowers. She cannot help but gaze many long minutes at the stunning view.
A hot summer day finally winds down to a hot summer night. Traveling away from the well, Sweet Rain decides to travel to the the wildflower drop and rest on the top of the cliff for the evening. Oddly enough, the elder finds another in her spot. However, she is not familiar with this other cougaress. She gets within speaking distance to her and sits down, quietly. Observing her for only a few moments, the large female finally takes a deep breath in, and an auditory exhale follows. "It's unbelievable, isn't it." Her voice is quiet, as she doesn't want this possible unwelcomed visitor to be scared off the face.
Scorch cannot help but be startled, her gaze of the dramatic vista having gradually robbed her of her alert senses. She nearly tumbles down a decline toward the preciptous edge, but fortunately manages to recover, reacting to the elder cougress with uncertain steps away. "Aye ..." she finally manages to fumble. "Its ... gorgeous. I can well see why Paoro chose these grounds from which to carve out the tribe," she comments. She politely bows in submission. "I am Scorch," she says, "a vagrant who happened upon Amaranth by seemingly random chance, and hope to prove worthy to join."
"Hm." That's a healthy bit of information as an introduction. Sweet Rain smiles, honestly impressed by it. "My name is Sweet Rain. It's very nice to meet you, Scorch." She remains seated, not in any rush to do anything. She doesn't sense any hostility or danger from the actions of Scorch. "Have you met Kein or Nayeli?" It's indirect and passive, but the elder needs to know if she's on this land without anyone else from the Tribe aware. Granted, she did seem willing and eager to join the Tribe as a Sister, which is welcomed. Either case, she speaks calmly and without the inflection of accusation.
Scorch bows her head. "I met Kein a short while ago, and he said it would be okay if I explored more of the territory. I also met Kasim several days ago -- he was the first I met, Maul as she was leaving the territory, and Shade who was with Kein when I met him. I am ... eminently honored ... to make your acquaintence," she says. Polite vocabulary is hard for her to come by, as she's been a homeless nomad for so long, but ... she feels so excited about having found an actual real life tribe, that she puts every effort into putting her best paw forward.
"Oh... Good." Sweet Rain tilts her head and closes her eyes. It seems this girl has already to have met many of the Sisters already. Intentionally, she leaves out the fact that she is the shamaness of the Tribe. "It's very nice to meet a polite, young adult like yourself, I'm sure you will make a sensational Sister of the Tribe." Slowly, and seemingly with some pain, Sweet rises to her paws and comes closer to the visitor. Sitting down again, she looks over the drop; it never has lost any of its magic when she stares into it. "Tell me, where are you from, Scorch?"
Scorch sighs a bit. "Nowhere spectacular ... a small canyon with my mother, and two of her sisters for neighbor, surrounded by wolf packs. We were ... very boxed in ... my mother bickered with her sisters a lot. There just wasn't enough prey in the canyon for all of us, really ... but we made due. I felt so confined, I knew there just wasn't room around there for me to just become a neighbor to my relatives ... so I just started wandering, hoping to find a big empty spot ... but there were always wolves or other cougars, and so I just kept moving on ... after awhile, I ... started to lose hope ... that I could ever find a place to settle and have a family." She looks a bit sadly at the elder. "I guess that's kinda pathetic."
Sweet-Rain focuses on listening to what pieces of the story Scorch wishes to share. However as she dismisses her story as 'pathetic', the massive puma quickly turns her head. "No... No, no. That is /not/ pathetic. Everyone has a story, each one as important as the next." She makes it a point to take her time saying that, exaggurating the sentance. "I learned that coming here. I came from very far away. I didn't... like my situation. So I left. Really, I didn't even know what I was looking for until I found Amaranth, here." And when she came here those years ago, she was introverted, quiet, and even called eerily silent. "I learned how important it was to be happy... and this was long after I *had* lost hope." Sweet Rain is more serious and a bit more grim than she likes to be, but she actually can relate to Scorch in the sense that she left her home in search of something better.
Scorch purrs almost like a cub at Sweet-Rain's pleasantness. "I don't have anything glorious I've done. I've ... survived. Chased by wolves, charged by bears, driven out by cougresses with established territories. I had never heard of anything beyond rumor regarding cougar tribes before I found the Amaranth border markings. I still ... can't help but think, now and then ... maybe its just me dreaming, maybe this place isn't real, maybe I've become so lost in loneliness that I can't tell dream from reality," she chucklepurrs. She sniffs a bit. "When I saw Maul yesterday, and Shade today ... I felt ... a bit jealous, really ... of their mothers. Its reminded me how much I wish to mother cubs of my own, before I am too old to. Not just some random mating, while I'm still a vagrant, on the run ... I've barely managed to get out of situations with my own hide intact, I shudder to think what would happen if I had cubs to worry about doing that."
This is a more touchy subject for the mate-less Elder. "You know... I thought the exact same thing." She won't go into details of what she went through, but perhaps later that story will come out. Still watching the flower drop, she shrugs. "I understand where you're coming from." And hopefully she understands the elder. A long silence follows Sweet Rain's sigh; the sun sets and an evening wind picks up, bringing with it the scent of rain. She looks over to Scorch with a warm smile; she clearly has taken a liking to her. "Welcome."
Scorch bows respectfully. "Who are ..." she starts, then shakes her head. "You wouldn't happen to be the tribal shamaness the Chieftan mentioned, would you?" she asks. She's not even sure how she would even guess to know that, other than the elder cougress' sweet, wise ways.
"Oh! Yes, I am." Sweet Rain laughs politely, bowing. "I can't believe I forgot that in my introduction." Lowers her body and lies down, it seems to be a bit painful for her, a grunt even escapes her mouth. With a long yawn she rests her head on her paws. "I think I'll just spend the night here. You're more than welcome to, as well." She closes her eyes and readjusts her head. "Either way, I hope you find whatever makes you happiest.... Good night."
___
Perhaps a result of one of the nearby eroded pools providing water through some minute cracks in the rock, the area here is flourishing with plant life - a myriad of flowers, in a rainbow of colors, wash over the area in a stark contrast to the bleak rock surrounding it. What gives the area its name is that the wildflowers also flush down the side of the mountain, which is too steep for most creatures to even attempt to climb down.
___
Characters:
Scorch, cougress, visitor and hopeful pledgeling to Amaranth
Sweet-Rain, elder cougress, Shamaness of Amaranth
___
Now that she has met the Chieftan, Scorch feels less uncertain about exploring the Amaranth's territory. She has gotten the idea, though, that the tribe doesn't immediately share everything with everyone, and if she does find another Tribe member, they may well not know that Scorch has been provisionally welcomed. With that in mind, she is a bit worried and pensive, and she winds up somewhat slinking along. She happens upon the dramatic vista of the steep, precipitous drop, a danger in stark contrast to the sweet-smelling wildflowers. She cannot help but gaze many long minutes at the stunning view.
A hot summer day finally winds down to a hot summer night. Traveling away from the well, Sweet Rain decides to travel to the the wildflower drop and rest on the top of the cliff for the evening. Oddly enough, the elder finds another in her spot. However, she is not familiar with this other cougaress. She gets within speaking distance to her and sits down, quietly. Observing her for only a few moments, the large female finally takes a deep breath in, and an auditory exhale follows. "It's unbelievable, isn't it." Her voice is quiet, as she doesn't want this possible unwelcomed visitor to be scared off the face.
Scorch cannot help but be startled, her gaze of the dramatic vista having gradually robbed her of her alert senses. She nearly tumbles down a decline toward the preciptous edge, but fortunately manages to recover, reacting to the elder cougress with uncertain steps away. "Aye ..." she finally manages to fumble. "Its ... gorgeous. I can well see why Paoro chose these grounds from which to carve out the tribe," she comments. She politely bows in submission. "I am Scorch," she says, "a vagrant who happened upon Amaranth by seemingly random chance, and hope to prove worthy to join."
"Hm." That's a healthy bit of information as an introduction. Sweet Rain smiles, honestly impressed by it. "My name is Sweet Rain. It's very nice to meet you, Scorch." She remains seated, not in any rush to do anything. She doesn't sense any hostility or danger from the actions of Scorch. "Have you met Kein or Nayeli?" It's indirect and passive, but the elder needs to know if she's on this land without anyone else from the Tribe aware. Granted, she did seem willing and eager to join the Tribe as a Sister, which is welcomed. Either case, she speaks calmly and without the inflection of accusation.
Scorch bows her head. "I met Kein a short while ago, and he said it would be okay if I explored more of the territory. I also met Kasim several days ago -- he was the first I met, Maul as she was leaving the territory, and Shade who was with Kein when I met him. I am ... eminently honored ... to make your acquaintence," she says. Polite vocabulary is hard for her to come by, as she's been a homeless nomad for so long, but ... she feels so excited about having found an actual real life tribe, that she puts every effort into putting her best paw forward.
"Oh... Good." Sweet Rain tilts her head and closes her eyes. It seems this girl has already to have met many of the Sisters already. Intentionally, she leaves out the fact that she is the shamaness of the Tribe. "It's very nice to meet a polite, young adult like yourself, I'm sure you will make a sensational Sister of the Tribe." Slowly, and seemingly with some pain, Sweet rises to her paws and comes closer to the visitor. Sitting down again, she looks over the drop; it never has lost any of its magic when she stares into it. "Tell me, where are you from, Scorch?"
Scorch sighs a bit. "Nowhere spectacular ... a small canyon with my mother, and two of her sisters for neighbor, surrounded by wolf packs. We were ... very boxed in ... my mother bickered with her sisters a lot. There just wasn't enough prey in the canyon for all of us, really ... but we made due. I felt so confined, I knew there just wasn't room around there for me to just become a neighbor to my relatives ... so I just started wandering, hoping to find a big empty spot ... but there were always wolves or other cougars, and so I just kept moving on ... after awhile, I ... started to lose hope ... that I could ever find a place to settle and have a family." She looks a bit sadly at the elder. "I guess that's kinda pathetic."
Sweet-Rain focuses on listening to what pieces of the story Scorch wishes to share. However as she dismisses her story as 'pathetic', the massive puma quickly turns her head. "No... No, no. That is /not/ pathetic. Everyone has a story, each one as important as the next." She makes it a point to take her time saying that, exaggurating the sentance. "I learned that coming here. I came from very far away. I didn't... like my situation. So I left. Really, I didn't even know what I was looking for until I found Amaranth, here." And when she came here those years ago, she was introverted, quiet, and even called eerily silent. "I learned how important it was to be happy... and this was long after I *had* lost hope." Sweet Rain is more serious and a bit more grim than she likes to be, but she actually can relate to Scorch in the sense that she left her home in search of something better.
Scorch purrs almost like a cub at Sweet-Rain's pleasantness. "I don't have anything glorious I've done. I've ... survived. Chased by wolves, charged by bears, driven out by cougresses with established territories. I had never heard of anything beyond rumor regarding cougar tribes before I found the Amaranth border markings. I still ... can't help but think, now and then ... maybe its just me dreaming, maybe this place isn't real, maybe I've become so lost in loneliness that I can't tell dream from reality," she chucklepurrs. She sniffs a bit. "When I saw Maul yesterday, and Shade today ... I felt ... a bit jealous, really ... of their mothers. Its reminded me how much I wish to mother cubs of my own, before I am too old to. Not just some random mating, while I'm still a vagrant, on the run ... I've barely managed to get out of situations with my own hide intact, I shudder to think what would happen if I had cubs to worry about doing that."
This is a more touchy subject for the mate-less Elder. "You know... I thought the exact same thing." She won't go into details of what she went through, but perhaps later that story will come out. Still watching the flower drop, she shrugs. "I understand where you're coming from." And hopefully she understands the elder. A long silence follows Sweet Rain's sigh; the sun sets and an evening wind picks up, bringing with it the scent of rain. She looks over to Scorch with a warm smile; she clearly has taken a liking to her. "Welcome."
Scorch bows respectfully. "Who are ..." she starts, then shakes her head. "You wouldn't happen to be the tribal shamaness the Chieftan mentioned, would you?" she asks. She's not even sure how she would even guess to know that, other than the elder cougress' sweet, wise ways.
"Oh! Yes, I am." Sweet Rain laughs politely, bowing. "I can't believe I forgot that in my introduction." Lowers her body and lies down, it seems to be a bit painful for her, a grunt even escapes her mouth. With a long yawn she rests her head on her paws. "I think I'll just spend the night here. You're more than welcome to, as well." She closes her eyes and readjusts her head. "Either way, I hope you find whatever makes you happiest.... Good night."