Post by avalikia on Feb 16, 2010 0:02:10 GMT -5
Characters:
Niabi - Female Elk
Ojalo - Male Elk
Aolani - Female Adolescent Swan
Setting:
Trickling River
----------------------------------------
It's getting very late; the sun is down and Aylen is already asleep. But Niabi just can't settle herself tonight. And it's no wonder why, given the number of things on her mind. Though the problems with the whitetails are still in the back of her mind, they've taken a back seat to worrying about Catori. And she's not immune to the effects of the rut either, Aylen or no Aylen, and that's enough to disturb her sanity a little regardless of anything else. Right now she stands on the bank, listening to the river in an almost meditative state. There's something so calming about the late hours, despite the increase of predator activity.
Normally he would be found wading in the river, but this time things were different. Coming in from the opposite side of things, the bull elk slowly treks in with a somewhat watchful eye of the area. Lately it seemed as if he had been looking for someone, or even something, but its was hard to tell with him, always reclusive and kept. Nearing the river, Ojalo stays a fair distance from it, up to the point where he spots one of the cows. Stopping he smiles some, "Still up I see." his tone soft as to not startle her.
It takes a few moments for Niabi to respond to Ojalo with more than an ear turned in his direction, and when she does she just turns to look at Ojalo, smiles, and says, "Yes." Obviously, she's in an unusual mood for her. There's something about the sound of the river and the coolness of the night air that is relaxing, and Niabi just hasn't had enough of that lately.
Ojalo smiles more in his approaching. "Don't mind if I join you, do you?" he wonders stepping up behind her, and stopping just a short distance away. If he wasn't welcome he'd find a different spot along the river, but if he was there was no way he'd turn it down.
Aolani is out stretching her wings again, and as she neared the river it would be hard to miss the melodic throbbing of air pouring over her broad pearly white wings as the sound can be heard from quite a distance. Looking down, she notices that she is nearing the river again, and also spots the two elk. The gaze of her little black eyes lingers on them for a long moment as she flies overhead, curious as she had seen plenty of deer, but never elk before. She finally decided to come down for a landing and tucked in her wings a bit, allowing herself to begin to fall in a controlled dive toward the riverbank.
Unwelcome is the last thing Ojalo is to Niabi, so her answer comes quickly. "No, of course I don't mind," she says as she turns to more fully face him. "Actually, I was just thinking about you," she admits and her smile gets a slightly embarrassed edge to it, though she leaves it at that. Might make one wonder exactly /what/ she was thinking about Ojalo. As if to purposefully change the subject, she adds, "It's really quite nice out tonight, isn't it?" Great, now she's talking about the weather. Aside from a turn of the ear in the direction of the arriving bird, she doesn't pay much attention to it. Such creatures are harmless and usually ignore her.
"Thinking about me.." Is the first thing to come out of the bulls mouth as he steps forward taking advantage of his welcome. "Well, I don't know what to say." he smirks just a tad adding a chuckle. Meeting up at the riverbank, he dips his head for a drink, ears flicking to the sound of the nealy bird. He looks up one momentarily before gazing down at the clear waters before him. When done with his drink, Ojalo looks back up to Niabi and her reference to the weather. "It does seem nice." Not that he noticed.
Aolani continues her dive till it seems like the ground is rushing up to meet her, then flares her wings to quickly slow down, and with a few well placed flaps of her wings she touches down gently in the grass. She takes a quick glance at the two elk as she notices them look at her, but then makes her way toward the river, going out for a swim. She first takes a drink, but then plunges her head down into the water to search for some food.
"It was all good, I assure you," Niabi says, though that causes the trace of embarrassment to deepen. Could have phrased that better. Mentally kicking herself, she uses watching the swan as an excuse to look away for a moment. Pretty things, those swans. She takes a moment to recollect her thoughts before turning back, "Actually, I was thinking about last year, mostly."
Ojalo chuckles once more, more to himself than anything as he hears Niabi's remark. Oh, he didn't mind what kind of thoughts ran through her head about him so long as he was being thought about. Shaking a bit, his neck fur ruffling, he reaches back with an antler to itch at his wounded side which only turns out to be a mistake. Wincing, he quickly sucks it up like nothing happened. "What about last year?" he was there, but not exactly part of things so isn't sure what she means.
Aolani comes back up with a beakful of river grass. She quickly swallows and takes a moment to breath before going under for more food. She repeats this for a bit till she feels full and finally swims to the edge of the river and climbs back up onto land. She once again watches the two elk for a moment, but then begins to give her feathers a quick preening.
Though she doesn't miss the wince, if Ojalo's going to pretend that it's nothing then she'll pretend right along with him. It's if he ever can't pretend that would make her really worried. "Hmm," she hesitates a little before answering, wanting to phrase this properly, "About what probably would have happened if I hadn't disappeared like that." This time she doesn't seem embarrassed, as she's really not a shy elk; she only doesn't like it when what she's saying comes out poorly.
What would have happened has she stayed that year.. that was a good question. He pondered on it for a moment before the light trickle of blood starts to annoy him. "I've always wondered that myself, you know." Which makes him wonders about this year; would she say or run off again.
Aolani finishes her grooming before long and once again looks up at the pair of elk. This time though, her gaze is locked upon them, and she slowly moves closer as she folds her wings into her back. She stays quiet as they talk, not wishing to interrupt, but when there is an opening, she voices a friendly greeting in a warm tone. "Hello." She wanted to ask what exactly they were, but decided that it would be rude to come right out with such a question right at the start.
"Hmm," Niabi says in agreement, "I was sure when I left last year that there wouldn't be a calf for me this year. Didn't expect to actually meet someone." She pauses to consider what she wants to say next, but her thoughts are interrupted by an unexpected greeting. The cow elk looks down at the swan in surprise, taking entirely too long to respond with her own, "Oh, uh, hello." Normally she welcomes friendly interaction with most any creature, but this time she's been caught unprepared.
Ojalo nods and doesn't say anything, unsure really. If she'd of stayed he could of always... He head shakes, letting his thoughts get the better of him. Hearing the greeting from the swan, the bull elk turns toward the bird in what seems less shock that Niabi. "Hello young avian." He says with a brisk nod.
Aolani nods as they both respond to her greeting with one of their own, though the shock of the cow comes as a little unexpected. She certainly didn't think she could catch an animal so much larger than herself by surprise like that even after it obviously already knew she was there. "Sorry if I startled you." She apologized with a nod. "My name is Aolani, just arrived fairly recently."
Goodness knows that Niabi is aware what her chances would have been like had she stayed. That's what she thought she gave up upon leaving. But now those thoughts are set aside as Aolani introduces herself. "No, I just wasn't expecting you to come over," she says with a smile, "Birds usually don't, but that's a shame. I am Niabi, lead cow of the Umber herd." She speeds through her title, which is an ample indication that she doesn't care too much about it.
Ojalo is just as quiet as ever.. "Ojalo." Why bother with such titles when an name is all thats needed.
Aolani nods as both elk introduce themselves to her, and looks to be a bit impressed that she is talking to the lead female of the herd, even if she didn't know still what it was a herd of. "Well, it's nice to meet you both. But um, I hope you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you? Are you just really big deer?"
The only reason Niabi bothers with her title is that it neatly explains her place in the world, though she thinks nothing about Ojalo not saying his. She laughs at the question Aolani asks, though not unkindly, "Big deer? Well, if you ask me, we're average sized deer. We're called elk. If you want a big deer, you'll have to track down a moose." Such the the perspective of an elk about their kindred. Her laugh eventually settles into a smile, though there's still humor in her eyes.
Ojalo seemed to have zoned out there for a moment, but did notice that the swan had taken departure back into the wilds. It had been along time since he'd seem one of her kind. Looking back to Niabi she smiles. "Well, that was interesting experience."
Niabi can't help but smile at Ojalo. She's been known to all sorts of unusual creatures, so answering a swan's quick question doesn't strike her as odd. "Must be a young one. All curiosity and no attention span," she chuckles, "But what were we talking about? Ah, yes, last year..." She pauses as she tries to remember what she was about to say, now that she's certain they won't be interrupted. "You seemed... a little too surprised when you met Aylen," she finally says, "Goodness knows if you'd told me last year that /that/ would happen, I'd have been pretty surprised myself. But it makes me have to ask: How /do/ you feel about me?" A rather bold question; even Niabi is a little nervous about asking it.
Ojalo has just about forgot what they were talking about before the appearing of the avian, least till its shot back into his back be Niabi's sudden recall. Listening to her, he nods ever slowly then swallows at the mention of Aylen. It did come to a surprise to him somewhat that she's return with a calf; not that it wouldn't of happened he just... "Its just.." he starts to say but is halted by a certain question. How did he feel about her.. was he even certain himself. Thinking for a moment the bull finds it in himself to speak from the heart. "I feel many things. When you came back with Aylen I thought my chances were as good as gone. But I knew better than that." He rambles for a moment. "What I mean to say is that, having you here makes me speechless. I don't know if thats because I like you, or because you have such a demanding presence." He stops there before moving onto something completely irrelevant.
The attention Niabi pays to the answer is equal to her boldness in asking the question. Her face remains passive, save for a slight smile and a hint of humor in her eyes near the end. "Well," she says quietly, "For my part, I have no regrets about what happened between me and Aylen's father. But at the same time, I don't expect I'll ever see him again. The two of you are similar, actually; he was better in some ways, but so are you. I think it evens out, actually." And considering that Aylen's father is... well, Aylen's father... She's guessing Ojalo can fill in that blank.
Ojalo picks up the hint of humor in her eyes and and can't help but laugh at himself. He knew it, he was being ridiculous, but its how he felt. Looking to the river, then the sky and then back to the cow when he hears her voice he listens. He was good at listen, and sometimes a tad to well. "You think it is those similarities that have kept you from pushing me away; that allow me a chance at whatever future lies ahead." He laughs at himself on the inside. Just give it up man, shes just not that into you; then again, if he only knew what was going through the cows head.
"No," Niabi says, her face shifting into a small frown. Hmm, she must not be explaining this very well. "It'd not that you remind me of someone else. It's that your both good bulls. You're both decent elk who deserve any cows you want." And if that's too subtle, "Including me." There, that should clear up any confusion that Ojalo may have about Niabi's opinion of things. So, yes, Niabi /is/ that into you.
Ojalo always was a little dense, especially when he wasn't thinking right. Its was the time of year. Girls go crazy and guys can't think straight; which makes him think, what if she's saying all this because it is. A silent sigh; he really just need to stop thinking. As Niabi explains herself better to him, the bull could just kick himself. "Oh." It musters after all that. The thing is though, he doesn't want just any cow...
If only Ojalo knew of the effects of already having a calf on a cow elk. Hormones may plague everyone this time of year, but with a calf to care for Niabi's aren't saying 'Yes!', they're saying a more muted '...maybe'. In other words, the time of year is merely helping and not pushing her to do or say anything. She half-smile's at Ojalo's one word reply, but she'll take that as him coming to an understanding. "Well," she says mildly, "Naturally, I'm quite curious about what you want." She's now taken her pursuit of this bull as far as she's willing to go without more than a hint of similar feelings on his side. She's not too sure what he meant by the possible 'demanding presence' that she may have, but she's guessing that he has a choice to make.
Ojalo now stood between a rock and a hard place. He had to choose between himself and his own feelings for someone he's practically being a moron in front of. He was quiet as his mind fought a battle of sides. Ultimately he knew what he wanted, just wasn't sure how to get it. Looking away from the cow, the bull stared at the river for a long time. "I want.." To be accepted as who you are.. to jump into the river and drown yourself; just say it. "I want to be with you." To him, saying those words were like making a commitment. He knew that by saying them, he'd have to follow through or fall victim to his own deceit. "I want to know, if you'll have me." This wasn't like taking on the role of lead bull, this was beyond that.
Niabi's response to that is not in words at first. Stepping in front of Ojalo, she rubs her head underneath his chin, then her neck along his before continuing past him with her entire length rubbing across his chest. Grinning mischievously since she knows full well that she's just gotten her scent all over him, she looks back and says, "Of course I'll have you... if you catch me." And suddenly she's up the bank and in the forest, running much too slowly and loudly to be actually trying to get away.
Ojalo looks at her when stepped in front of, his eyes just about locking with her, he wants to say more but doesn't. He is interrupted by her touch; such a wonderful touch. Just able to control himself, he head shakes trying to brush away the smirk across his face. "Catch you.." He then says to her antics, "It'll be a pleasure." Chasing after her, he starts in the very trail the cow left on.
Niabi - Female Elk
Ojalo - Male Elk
Aolani - Female Adolescent Swan
Setting:
Trickling River
----------------------------------------
It's getting very late; the sun is down and Aylen is already asleep. But Niabi just can't settle herself tonight. And it's no wonder why, given the number of things on her mind. Though the problems with the whitetails are still in the back of her mind, they've taken a back seat to worrying about Catori. And she's not immune to the effects of the rut either, Aylen or no Aylen, and that's enough to disturb her sanity a little regardless of anything else. Right now she stands on the bank, listening to the river in an almost meditative state. There's something so calming about the late hours, despite the increase of predator activity.
Normally he would be found wading in the river, but this time things were different. Coming in from the opposite side of things, the bull elk slowly treks in with a somewhat watchful eye of the area. Lately it seemed as if he had been looking for someone, or even something, but its was hard to tell with him, always reclusive and kept. Nearing the river, Ojalo stays a fair distance from it, up to the point where he spots one of the cows. Stopping he smiles some, "Still up I see." his tone soft as to not startle her.
It takes a few moments for Niabi to respond to Ojalo with more than an ear turned in his direction, and when she does she just turns to look at Ojalo, smiles, and says, "Yes." Obviously, she's in an unusual mood for her. There's something about the sound of the river and the coolness of the night air that is relaxing, and Niabi just hasn't had enough of that lately.
Ojalo smiles more in his approaching. "Don't mind if I join you, do you?" he wonders stepping up behind her, and stopping just a short distance away. If he wasn't welcome he'd find a different spot along the river, but if he was there was no way he'd turn it down.
Aolani is out stretching her wings again, and as she neared the river it would be hard to miss the melodic throbbing of air pouring over her broad pearly white wings as the sound can be heard from quite a distance. Looking down, she notices that she is nearing the river again, and also spots the two elk. The gaze of her little black eyes lingers on them for a long moment as she flies overhead, curious as she had seen plenty of deer, but never elk before. She finally decided to come down for a landing and tucked in her wings a bit, allowing herself to begin to fall in a controlled dive toward the riverbank.
Unwelcome is the last thing Ojalo is to Niabi, so her answer comes quickly. "No, of course I don't mind," she says as she turns to more fully face him. "Actually, I was just thinking about you," she admits and her smile gets a slightly embarrassed edge to it, though she leaves it at that. Might make one wonder exactly /what/ she was thinking about Ojalo. As if to purposefully change the subject, she adds, "It's really quite nice out tonight, isn't it?" Great, now she's talking about the weather. Aside from a turn of the ear in the direction of the arriving bird, she doesn't pay much attention to it. Such creatures are harmless and usually ignore her.
"Thinking about me.." Is the first thing to come out of the bulls mouth as he steps forward taking advantage of his welcome. "Well, I don't know what to say." he smirks just a tad adding a chuckle. Meeting up at the riverbank, he dips his head for a drink, ears flicking to the sound of the nealy bird. He looks up one momentarily before gazing down at the clear waters before him. When done with his drink, Ojalo looks back up to Niabi and her reference to the weather. "It does seem nice." Not that he noticed.
Aolani continues her dive till it seems like the ground is rushing up to meet her, then flares her wings to quickly slow down, and with a few well placed flaps of her wings she touches down gently in the grass. She takes a quick glance at the two elk as she notices them look at her, but then makes her way toward the river, going out for a swim. She first takes a drink, but then plunges her head down into the water to search for some food.
"It was all good, I assure you," Niabi says, though that causes the trace of embarrassment to deepen. Could have phrased that better. Mentally kicking herself, she uses watching the swan as an excuse to look away for a moment. Pretty things, those swans. She takes a moment to recollect her thoughts before turning back, "Actually, I was thinking about last year, mostly."
Ojalo chuckles once more, more to himself than anything as he hears Niabi's remark. Oh, he didn't mind what kind of thoughts ran through her head about him so long as he was being thought about. Shaking a bit, his neck fur ruffling, he reaches back with an antler to itch at his wounded side which only turns out to be a mistake. Wincing, he quickly sucks it up like nothing happened. "What about last year?" he was there, but not exactly part of things so isn't sure what she means.
Aolani comes back up with a beakful of river grass. She quickly swallows and takes a moment to breath before going under for more food. She repeats this for a bit till she feels full and finally swims to the edge of the river and climbs back up onto land. She once again watches the two elk for a moment, but then begins to give her feathers a quick preening.
Though she doesn't miss the wince, if Ojalo's going to pretend that it's nothing then she'll pretend right along with him. It's if he ever can't pretend that would make her really worried. "Hmm," she hesitates a little before answering, wanting to phrase this properly, "About what probably would have happened if I hadn't disappeared like that." This time she doesn't seem embarrassed, as she's really not a shy elk; she only doesn't like it when what she's saying comes out poorly.
What would have happened has she stayed that year.. that was a good question. He pondered on it for a moment before the light trickle of blood starts to annoy him. "I've always wondered that myself, you know." Which makes him wonders about this year; would she say or run off again.
Aolani finishes her grooming before long and once again looks up at the pair of elk. This time though, her gaze is locked upon them, and she slowly moves closer as she folds her wings into her back. She stays quiet as they talk, not wishing to interrupt, but when there is an opening, she voices a friendly greeting in a warm tone. "Hello." She wanted to ask what exactly they were, but decided that it would be rude to come right out with such a question right at the start.
"Hmm," Niabi says in agreement, "I was sure when I left last year that there wouldn't be a calf for me this year. Didn't expect to actually meet someone." She pauses to consider what she wants to say next, but her thoughts are interrupted by an unexpected greeting. The cow elk looks down at the swan in surprise, taking entirely too long to respond with her own, "Oh, uh, hello." Normally she welcomes friendly interaction with most any creature, but this time she's been caught unprepared.
Ojalo nods and doesn't say anything, unsure really. If she'd of stayed he could of always... He head shakes, letting his thoughts get the better of him. Hearing the greeting from the swan, the bull elk turns toward the bird in what seems less shock that Niabi. "Hello young avian." He says with a brisk nod.
Aolani nods as they both respond to her greeting with one of their own, though the shock of the cow comes as a little unexpected. She certainly didn't think she could catch an animal so much larger than herself by surprise like that even after it obviously already knew she was there. "Sorry if I startled you." She apologized with a nod. "My name is Aolani, just arrived fairly recently."
Goodness knows that Niabi is aware what her chances would have been like had she stayed. That's what she thought she gave up upon leaving. But now those thoughts are set aside as Aolani introduces herself. "No, I just wasn't expecting you to come over," she says with a smile, "Birds usually don't, but that's a shame. I am Niabi, lead cow of the Umber herd." She speeds through her title, which is an ample indication that she doesn't care too much about it.
Ojalo is just as quiet as ever.. "Ojalo." Why bother with such titles when an name is all thats needed.
Aolani nods as both elk introduce themselves to her, and looks to be a bit impressed that she is talking to the lead female of the herd, even if she didn't know still what it was a herd of. "Well, it's nice to meet you both. But um, I hope you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you? Are you just really big deer?"
The only reason Niabi bothers with her title is that it neatly explains her place in the world, though she thinks nothing about Ojalo not saying his. She laughs at the question Aolani asks, though not unkindly, "Big deer? Well, if you ask me, we're average sized deer. We're called elk. If you want a big deer, you'll have to track down a moose." Such the the perspective of an elk about their kindred. Her laugh eventually settles into a smile, though there's still humor in her eyes.
Ojalo seemed to have zoned out there for a moment, but did notice that the swan had taken departure back into the wilds. It had been along time since he'd seem one of her kind. Looking back to Niabi she smiles. "Well, that was interesting experience."
Niabi can't help but smile at Ojalo. She's been known to all sorts of unusual creatures, so answering a swan's quick question doesn't strike her as odd. "Must be a young one. All curiosity and no attention span," she chuckles, "But what were we talking about? Ah, yes, last year..." She pauses as she tries to remember what she was about to say, now that she's certain they won't be interrupted. "You seemed... a little too surprised when you met Aylen," she finally says, "Goodness knows if you'd told me last year that /that/ would happen, I'd have been pretty surprised myself. But it makes me have to ask: How /do/ you feel about me?" A rather bold question; even Niabi is a little nervous about asking it.
Ojalo has just about forgot what they were talking about before the appearing of the avian, least till its shot back into his back be Niabi's sudden recall. Listening to her, he nods ever slowly then swallows at the mention of Aylen. It did come to a surprise to him somewhat that she's return with a calf; not that it wouldn't of happened he just... "Its just.." he starts to say but is halted by a certain question. How did he feel about her.. was he even certain himself. Thinking for a moment the bull finds it in himself to speak from the heart. "I feel many things. When you came back with Aylen I thought my chances were as good as gone. But I knew better than that." He rambles for a moment. "What I mean to say is that, having you here makes me speechless. I don't know if thats because I like you, or because you have such a demanding presence." He stops there before moving onto something completely irrelevant.
The attention Niabi pays to the answer is equal to her boldness in asking the question. Her face remains passive, save for a slight smile and a hint of humor in her eyes near the end. "Well," she says quietly, "For my part, I have no regrets about what happened between me and Aylen's father. But at the same time, I don't expect I'll ever see him again. The two of you are similar, actually; he was better in some ways, but so are you. I think it evens out, actually." And considering that Aylen's father is... well, Aylen's father... She's guessing Ojalo can fill in that blank.
Ojalo picks up the hint of humor in her eyes and and can't help but laugh at himself. He knew it, he was being ridiculous, but its how he felt. Looking to the river, then the sky and then back to the cow when he hears her voice he listens. He was good at listen, and sometimes a tad to well. "You think it is those similarities that have kept you from pushing me away; that allow me a chance at whatever future lies ahead." He laughs at himself on the inside. Just give it up man, shes just not that into you; then again, if he only knew what was going through the cows head.
"No," Niabi says, her face shifting into a small frown. Hmm, she must not be explaining this very well. "It'd not that you remind me of someone else. It's that your both good bulls. You're both decent elk who deserve any cows you want." And if that's too subtle, "Including me." There, that should clear up any confusion that Ojalo may have about Niabi's opinion of things. So, yes, Niabi /is/ that into you.
Ojalo always was a little dense, especially when he wasn't thinking right. Its was the time of year. Girls go crazy and guys can't think straight; which makes him think, what if she's saying all this because it is. A silent sigh; he really just need to stop thinking. As Niabi explains herself better to him, the bull could just kick himself. "Oh." It musters after all that. The thing is though, he doesn't want just any cow...
If only Ojalo knew of the effects of already having a calf on a cow elk. Hormones may plague everyone this time of year, but with a calf to care for Niabi's aren't saying 'Yes!', they're saying a more muted '...maybe'. In other words, the time of year is merely helping and not pushing her to do or say anything. She half-smile's at Ojalo's one word reply, but she'll take that as him coming to an understanding. "Well," she says mildly, "Naturally, I'm quite curious about what you want." She's now taken her pursuit of this bull as far as she's willing to go without more than a hint of similar feelings on his side. She's not too sure what he meant by the possible 'demanding presence' that she may have, but she's guessing that he has a choice to make.
Ojalo now stood between a rock and a hard place. He had to choose between himself and his own feelings for someone he's practically being a moron in front of. He was quiet as his mind fought a battle of sides. Ultimately he knew what he wanted, just wasn't sure how to get it. Looking away from the cow, the bull stared at the river for a long time. "I want.." To be accepted as who you are.. to jump into the river and drown yourself; just say it. "I want to be with you." To him, saying those words were like making a commitment. He knew that by saying them, he'd have to follow through or fall victim to his own deceit. "I want to know, if you'll have me." This wasn't like taking on the role of lead bull, this was beyond that.
Niabi's response to that is not in words at first. Stepping in front of Ojalo, she rubs her head underneath his chin, then her neck along his before continuing past him with her entire length rubbing across his chest. Grinning mischievously since she knows full well that she's just gotten her scent all over him, she looks back and says, "Of course I'll have you... if you catch me." And suddenly she's up the bank and in the forest, running much too slowly and loudly to be actually trying to get away.
Ojalo looks at her when stepped in front of, his eyes just about locking with her, he wants to say more but doesn't. He is interrupted by her touch; such a wonderful touch. Just able to control himself, he head shakes trying to brush away the smirk across his face. "Catch you.." He then says to her antics, "It'll be a pleasure." Chasing after her, he starts in the very trail the cow left on.