Post by Therdde on Apr 14, 2010 3:19:53 GMT -5
Characters:
Kaya - Female Cougar
Aurora - Female Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
Shanira - Adolescent Female Cougar
- Pine Grove -
Kaya cannot say why she chose this place as a safe place to rest for a bit. Perhaps something settling about the trees in the area have brought the injured cougar some peace of mind, and time to wonder what could have happened to Scuddle after she fled... and a good way to tell her father her other bit of news.
Aurora has settled back into her life in the Amaranth quite nicely since her return in the fall, and since winter set in she's been quite appreciative of the help of her Brothers and Sisters in finding enough food to keep the tribe satiated...even if some of the slender young female's recently noticeable tummy pudge is due to more than just a full belly. Aurora is out for a light walk around Amaranth lands on one of the few snowless days of late, though the thick forest of trees keeps her long-missed sister hidden from view and unnoticed until the faint scent of blood is caught against the heavy scent of pines. Aurora's pace quickens, unsure if it's an injured predator or an abandoned kill, but curious nonetheless.
Even venturing this far north is something of a trial some days, but even had today been the host of one of the many winter storms that have hit the mountain, Kein would have pushed on at least this far, with the return of his eldest child and her chosen resting spot. With how far he has traveled, to get here from his mate's chosen resting spot, his pace is very slow, as he conserved some of his energy. It also allows him to be more observant of what is around him, but, as of yet, he has not noticed Aurora or Kaya.
Kaya hasn't noticed her father or sister yet. She is just relaxing, trying to stay warm. This winter sure does seem to be harsh. Punishing anyone caught out in it. Yet she has chosen this place. Not a cave. Not even the birthing cavern, which would have seemed appropriate.
Aurora trots out into the clearing in which she finds another cougaress resting, the undersized girl sniffing at the air some more to discover that this other female is none other than her long-lost sibling. "Kaya? I haven't seen you in moons..." Coming closer, then, Aurora realizes the blood smell is coming from her sister, and she looks to the other with concern. "Do you need help?"
Kein knows approximately where he left Kaya. Still, he would have to search much more, were it not for the quiet voice that reaches his ears, causing him to alter his path slightly. He still doesn't walk terribly fast, though. Rather, he holds back, giving the cougaresses ahead a little time to speak before he barges in.
Kaya perks her ears and looks up from her rest. And she smiles and, indeed, looks rather happy to see someone from her own litter appear. She has had a long journey, it's good to see family. "Aurora. No, I supposed you wouldn't have. She looks at her wounds. "Well, just some time to heal, I suppose."
Aurora glances over Kaya's form, taking note of the scratches scattered over her pelt, before returning her sister's gaze. "What happened?" Her concerned tone and expression lingers, the young female worried not only for her sister but for her family and tribe as a whole.
As he draws closer, Kein is able to tell who the voices belong to. Equal parts curious about the answer to the question posed and uncertain that he even really wants to know it, he lets out a chuff before he is in sight of the two females. Perhaps if the balance were tipped in either direction, he may eavesdrop for a moment or else just go on his way and come back later. As it is, he will leave it to his injured daughter's judgment, whether she does not mind him hearing. Moments later, he is actually within sight of them.
Kaya had concluded some time ago that her family and tribe need to know, because of how it all happened it worries her. "Well... I was out with Scuddle... when a large cougar attacked us. HE seemed to recognize me... I don't know how, because I had never seen him before in my life. Next thing I know Scuddle told me to run... and well... I did..." She motions to Aurora and whispers to her.
Aurora ohs quietly at Kaya's answer, considering the story in a brief moment of quietness and her own response before she catches her father's figure in her periphery. "Daddy!" she greets immediately with a smile, before glancing back towards her sister. "Kaya was attacked by a cougar..." She isn't aware if the chieftain is already aware of his eldest daughter's condition, or even his younger daughter's own, for that matter...Aurora has certainly confided to her mother about her own little secret, but she doesn't know if it's been mentioned to her father yet.
Not much is secret between the chieftain and matron of Amaranth, but Kein has said nothing to Aurora about it, and doesn't intend to until Aurora is more public about her condition. When she "reveals" the news about her sister, though, Kein responds only with a sedate nod of his head before walking forward to nuzzle first his younger daughter, then, gently, his older one. "How are you holding up, Kaya?" Kein has yet to spend any time today hunting, but he certainly intends to see to it that his oldest daughter is one of the first who has a meal, of those who aren't easily capable of hunting for themselves.
Kaya returns her father's nuzzle. She hopes her little sister can keep her secret until she can find a good way to tell them hers. Might be easier with her mother first. For now, she smiles and says, "It seems the winter does not want to be a forgotten one." Kaya notes. "I don't think I've ever felt it this cold." Then there's Kaya's hatred of snow, something she never really grew out of.
Kein is not truly a great judge of what winters may be like on the mountain. This is only his third, and for all he knows, this is regular. Still, he can agree with Kaya. "You just rest. Your mother and I will make sure you are taken care of, all right?" He told Kaya that before, but there were many distractions, that day, and she was tired and hurting, besides.
Kaya nods to her father. "I really appreciate it. I was also thinking you could... maybe... send mom my way?" She asks plaintiffly.
The snow drove Shanira from the mountains and immediate surroundings and down to lower ground, but the search for food has led her back to these parts. Pushing through the snow, she occasionally bats at low-hanging branches and causes snow to drop on her head. The adolescent cougaress could probably be a little less obvious in her ways, considering she's an outsider to the tribe she knows is somewhere around here, but she seems to have momentarily given cautiousness a miss. Therefor, it is with a surprised look on her face that she suddenly lays eyes on three stranger cougars, pausing in mid-step as she emerges from the trees. "Oh," she exclaims, slightly wary. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
Aurora merely listens to the conversation between her father and older sister, eyes flicking from feline to feline without a word, before the sound of an unfamiliar female draws her attention away. First an ear swivels, then the rest of her head turns as her gaze switches to the younger cougaress who's just arrived nearby. "Hello..." she offers in a polite greeting before letting the chieftain address the other female.
Interrupt is the best way to put it, as Kein had been just about to assure Kaya that he'll make sure Nayeli visits her when he hears the unknown female, arriving at possibly the worst time. Kein, with a mind to protect his injured daughter, makes a very deliberate move to place himself between Kaya and the newcomer, and when he greets her, it is with his tail lashing about behind him, quite beyond his conscious control. With a show of teeth, he says, "Hello. Welcome-" not that his tone could be at all mistaken for welcoming "-to Amaranth." It seems a little too coincidental, Kaya arriving injured just the day before a stranger arrives, but Kein does attempt to reserve his judgment long enough to see if Kaya holds any recognition for the stranger, if she might be associated with the male who attacked her.
Kaya blinks at her father, then ahems. "Daddy. It's a female." Aren't females supposed to be welcome? Yet her father shows a defensive stance, wary tone. Worries poor Kaya a bit.
She might be young, but Shanira's not stupid. She stays where she is, her tail held low - only a headshake to rid her face of snow. She's slightly unsure of how to proceed, confronted with the passive aggressiveness of the male cougar. "Thank you," she says, even though his tone isn't very welcoming at all. "I really didn't mean to barge in so uninvited," she assures them all. "I can go back where I came from, if you'd rather... if you'd rather have that." She even takes half a step backwards, not at all sure of her position.
"I am aware that she is female, Kaya." If she weren't, her greeting from Kein would have been far less cordial than it already was. Still, as his daughter clearly does not recognize this female, least of all from the area around where she was attacked, Kein does not advance on her as she backs up. "You need not leave, but you will have to forgive me. I am rather protective of my children." Even against females that they could easily protect themselves from... were one of them not injured. It's also rather obvious he's not apologizing for being so protective, but his tail does still, at least a bit, and he does not show his teeth quite so much. "This, as I've said, is Amaranth, and I am the chieftain here. Kein." Ah. There. Finally, he remembers some modicum of politeness, introducing himself by name.
Aurora glances over at her father with eyes widened in surprise as well, not having expected him to react in such a manner towards a younger female, though her tensed frame relaxes when his brief flare of aggression subsides. Her gaze slowly returns to the stranger again, studying the other cougaress as the Amaranth chieftain speaks, before offering her own name in a friendly voice, and with a smile on her maw: "I'm one of his daughters, Aurora."
Kaya peeks from behind her father. "And I am Kaya." Kaya says. Not that she doesn't appreciate her father's protectiveness, but she thought this was more to be a bit of a safe haven for cougars as timid as this. Perhaps it is her own injured state prompting Kein to be so protective.
Almost expecting to be sent away, Shanira visibly relaxes when Kein introduces himself. As the females follow suit, she offers a smile. "I'm Shanira," she says, taking a few steps forward and coming properly away from the trees, but still keeping a polite distance. Her green eyes wander over the surroundings, curiosity in her gaze. "Amaranth," she repeats with a nod, "yes, I've heard the name. I haven't been around here too much, but I guess it was a matter of time before I would happen upon some tribe members." She still seems wary of how she's received, looking from one cougar to the other.
Kein has his own opinions on who is a worthy member of Amaranth, but he mostly keeps these to himself, and, having decided that Shanira is not an immediate threat, he keeps his slightly more relaxed demeanor. "You'll want to meet my mate, sometime. She is a much mroe experiences welcoming party than I am. But until you do, rest assured, you are safe here." After speaking, Kein sits. Despite what he says, he does no feel particularly comfortable with the idea of leaving his hurt daughter with a complete stranger of any age.
Aurora falls quiet once more as the others converse, having no further input in regards to the new cougaress just yet. After a moment, she rises onto all fours from her casually seated position, turning to each of the others in turn as she excuses herself: "I think I'll go look for mother now...if I find her, I'll send her this way." That said, Aurora slips off into the thicket of trees, heading back southeast towards where she last saw the matron.
Kaya smiles happily as her sister moves off to find their mother, then regards the newcomer curiously. "You'll have to forgive my father. He's the chieftain, so he has to protect the tribe." She looks over at Kein and purrs, "I love you, daddy."
Shanira nods, front paws trampling in place for steadier footing. "I'm not in a position to forgive," she says kindly, "I am the one who's walking straight into your territory! I should have been more careful with where I'm going." Her eyes move back to Kein, her tail moving slowly from side to side. "I tend to spend my time on lower ground, but the need for food kept me moving."
"Of course, we can not promise you food. I don't think anyone could, in this winter. However, so long as you to not hunt more than your fill, you may hunt here." Seldom is there extra meat to go around in Amaranth, and Kaya has already arrived to place a bit of a strain on that. Still, Kein was responsible for his own hunting from a very early age, and he did fine. If the female has survived any time on her own, she ought to have little trouble.
"Oh no," Shanira says with a shake of her head, "I won't burden you with my presence. I'm a small eater," she says with a smile, even if the undertone of her voice tells on the same strain that most animals seem to feel these days, regarding food. "Come Spring, I won't bother you at all."
"You're not the first to have said such a thing, only to change her mind." Kein stretches his head to nuzzle at his daughter once more, after which he says, "Speaking of food... I imagine my daughter is in need of a meal, now. Perhaps you could accompany me, Shanira, and perhaps by the time we return, my mate will have arrived."
Kaya smiles. "That would be nice. Maybe then you can get to know her and see if she would make a good Sister." Kaya smiles warmly.
Shanira's ears perk at Kein's words and the slight change in the youngster's body tells on her curiosity. She might not know Kein, but the fact that she's invited to spend some time in the company of another is a happy turn of events, now that the snow lies so thick. She dips her head in agreement. "I'd love to," she says, a tad too excited it seems, for she then gives a sheepish grin. "I mean, of course I will."
Kein is seldom keen for company, but it does solve the problems of him being unwilling to leave his daughter alone with a stranger, along with the fact that he must get her some food. With Shanira's agreeing, Kein stands and assures his daughter, "I will not be gone long. Get some rest, all right, Kaya?" And, with that, he begins walking away, his pace slow enough to allow the young cougaress to be able to keep up with him.
Kaya - Female Cougar
Aurora - Female Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
Shanira - Adolescent Female Cougar
- Pine Grove -
Kaya cannot say why she chose this place as a safe place to rest for a bit. Perhaps something settling about the trees in the area have brought the injured cougar some peace of mind, and time to wonder what could have happened to Scuddle after she fled... and a good way to tell her father her other bit of news.
Aurora has settled back into her life in the Amaranth quite nicely since her return in the fall, and since winter set in she's been quite appreciative of the help of her Brothers and Sisters in finding enough food to keep the tribe satiated...even if some of the slender young female's recently noticeable tummy pudge is due to more than just a full belly. Aurora is out for a light walk around Amaranth lands on one of the few snowless days of late, though the thick forest of trees keeps her long-missed sister hidden from view and unnoticed until the faint scent of blood is caught against the heavy scent of pines. Aurora's pace quickens, unsure if it's an injured predator or an abandoned kill, but curious nonetheless.
Even venturing this far north is something of a trial some days, but even had today been the host of one of the many winter storms that have hit the mountain, Kein would have pushed on at least this far, with the return of his eldest child and her chosen resting spot. With how far he has traveled, to get here from his mate's chosen resting spot, his pace is very slow, as he conserved some of his energy. It also allows him to be more observant of what is around him, but, as of yet, he has not noticed Aurora or Kaya.
Kaya hasn't noticed her father or sister yet. She is just relaxing, trying to stay warm. This winter sure does seem to be harsh. Punishing anyone caught out in it. Yet she has chosen this place. Not a cave. Not even the birthing cavern, which would have seemed appropriate.
Aurora trots out into the clearing in which she finds another cougaress resting, the undersized girl sniffing at the air some more to discover that this other female is none other than her long-lost sibling. "Kaya? I haven't seen you in moons..." Coming closer, then, Aurora realizes the blood smell is coming from her sister, and she looks to the other with concern. "Do you need help?"
Kein knows approximately where he left Kaya. Still, he would have to search much more, were it not for the quiet voice that reaches his ears, causing him to alter his path slightly. He still doesn't walk terribly fast, though. Rather, he holds back, giving the cougaresses ahead a little time to speak before he barges in.
Kaya perks her ears and looks up from her rest. And she smiles and, indeed, looks rather happy to see someone from her own litter appear. She has had a long journey, it's good to see family. "Aurora. No, I supposed you wouldn't have. She looks at her wounds. "Well, just some time to heal, I suppose."
Aurora glances over Kaya's form, taking note of the scratches scattered over her pelt, before returning her sister's gaze. "What happened?" Her concerned tone and expression lingers, the young female worried not only for her sister but for her family and tribe as a whole.
As he draws closer, Kein is able to tell who the voices belong to. Equal parts curious about the answer to the question posed and uncertain that he even really wants to know it, he lets out a chuff before he is in sight of the two females. Perhaps if the balance were tipped in either direction, he may eavesdrop for a moment or else just go on his way and come back later. As it is, he will leave it to his injured daughter's judgment, whether she does not mind him hearing. Moments later, he is actually within sight of them.
Kaya had concluded some time ago that her family and tribe need to know, because of how it all happened it worries her. "Well... I was out with Scuddle... when a large cougar attacked us. HE seemed to recognize me... I don't know how, because I had never seen him before in my life. Next thing I know Scuddle told me to run... and well... I did..." She motions to Aurora and whispers to her.
Aurora ohs quietly at Kaya's answer, considering the story in a brief moment of quietness and her own response before she catches her father's figure in her periphery. "Daddy!" she greets immediately with a smile, before glancing back towards her sister. "Kaya was attacked by a cougar..." She isn't aware if the chieftain is already aware of his eldest daughter's condition, or even his younger daughter's own, for that matter...Aurora has certainly confided to her mother about her own little secret, but she doesn't know if it's been mentioned to her father yet.
Not much is secret between the chieftain and matron of Amaranth, but Kein has said nothing to Aurora about it, and doesn't intend to until Aurora is more public about her condition. When she "reveals" the news about her sister, though, Kein responds only with a sedate nod of his head before walking forward to nuzzle first his younger daughter, then, gently, his older one. "How are you holding up, Kaya?" Kein has yet to spend any time today hunting, but he certainly intends to see to it that his oldest daughter is one of the first who has a meal, of those who aren't easily capable of hunting for themselves.
Kaya returns her father's nuzzle. She hopes her little sister can keep her secret until she can find a good way to tell them hers. Might be easier with her mother first. For now, she smiles and says, "It seems the winter does not want to be a forgotten one." Kaya notes. "I don't think I've ever felt it this cold." Then there's Kaya's hatred of snow, something she never really grew out of.
Kein is not truly a great judge of what winters may be like on the mountain. This is only his third, and for all he knows, this is regular. Still, he can agree with Kaya. "You just rest. Your mother and I will make sure you are taken care of, all right?" He told Kaya that before, but there were many distractions, that day, and she was tired and hurting, besides.
Kaya nods to her father. "I really appreciate it. I was also thinking you could... maybe... send mom my way?" She asks plaintiffly.
The snow drove Shanira from the mountains and immediate surroundings and down to lower ground, but the search for food has led her back to these parts. Pushing through the snow, she occasionally bats at low-hanging branches and causes snow to drop on her head. The adolescent cougaress could probably be a little less obvious in her ways, considering she's an outsider to the tribe she knows is somewhere around here, but she seems to have momentarily given cautiousness a miss. Therefor, it is with a surprised look on her face that she suddenly lays eyes on three stranger cougars, pausing in mid-step as she emerges from the trees. "Oh," she exclaims, slightly wary. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
Aurora merely listens to the conversation between her father and older sister, eyes flicking from feline to feline without a word, before the sound of an unfamiliar female draws her attention away. First an ear swivels, then the rest of her head turns as her gaze switches to the younger cougaress who's just arrived nearby. "Hello..." she offers in a polite greeting before letting the chieftain address the other female.
Interrupt is the best way to put it, as Kein had been just about to assure Kaya that he'll make sure Nayeli visits her when he hears the unknown female, arriving at possibly the worst time. Kein, with a mind to protect his injured daughter, makes a very deliberate move to place himself between Kaya and the newcomer, and when he greets her, it is with his tail lashing about behind him, quite beyond his conscious control. With a show of teeth, he says, "Hello. Welcome-" not that his tone could be at all mistaken for welcoming "-to Amaranth." It seems a little too coincidental, Kaya arriving injured just the day before a stranger arrives, but Kein does attempt to reserve his judgment long enough to see if Kaya holds any recognition for the stranger, if she might be associated with the male who attacked her.
Kaya blinks at her father, then ahems. "Daddy. It's a female." Aren't females supposed to be welcome? Yet her father shows a defensive stance, wary tone. Worries poor Kaya a bit.
She might be young, but Shanira's not stupid. She stays where she is, her tail held low - only a headshake to rid her face of snow. She's slightly unsure of how to proceed, confronted with the passive aggressiveness of the male cougar. "Thank you," she says, even though his tone isn't very welcoming at all. "I really didn't mean to barge in so uninvited," she assures them all. "I can go back where I came from, if you'd rather... if you'd rather have that." She even takes half a step backwards, not at all sure of her position.
"I am aware that she is female, Kaya." If she weren't, her greeting from Kein would have been far less cordial than it already was. Still, as his daughter clearly does not recognize this female, least of all from the area around where she was attacked, Kein does not advance on her as she backs up. "You need not leave, but you will have to forgive me. I am rather protective of my children." Even against females that they could easily protect themselves from... were one of them not injured. It's also rather obvious he's not apologizing for being so protective, but his tail does still, at least a bit, and he does not show his teeth quite so much. "This, as I've said, is Amaranth, and I am the chieftain here. Kein." Ah. There. Finally, he remembers some modicum of politeness, introducing himself by name.
Aurora glances over at her father with eyes widened in surprise as well, not having expected him to react in such a manner towards a younger female, though her tensed frame relaxes when his brief flare of aggression subsides. Her gaze slowly returns to the stranger again, studying the other cougaress as the Amaranth chieftain speaks, before offering her own name in a friendly voice, and with a smile on her maw: "I'm one of his daughters, Aurora."
Kaya peeks from behind her father. "And I am Kaya." Kaya says. Not that she doesn't appreciate her father's protectiveness, but she thought this was more to be a bit of a safe haven for cougars as timid as this. Perhaps it is her own injured state prompting Kein to be so protective.
Almost expecting to be sent away, Shanira visibly relaxes when Kein introduces himself. As the females follow suit, she offers a smile. "I'm Shanira," she says, taking a few steps forward and coming properly away from the trees, but still keeping a polite distance. Her green eyes wander over the surroundings, curiosity in her gaze. "Amaranth," she repeats with a nod, "yes, I've heard the name. I haven't been around here too much, but I guess it was a matter of time before I would happen upon some tribe members." She still seems wary of how she's received, looking from one cougar to the other.
Kein has his own opinions on who is a worthy member of Amaranth, but he mostly keeps these to himself, and, having decided that Shanira is not an immediate threat, he keeps his slightly more relaxed demeanor. "You'll want to meet my mate, sometime. She is a much mroe experiences welcoming party than I am. But until you do, rest assured, you are safe here." After speaking, Kein sits. Despite what he says, he does no feel particularly comfortable with the idea of leaving his hurt daughter with a complete stranger of any age.
Aurora falls quiet once more as the others converse, having no further input in regards to the new cougaress just yet. After a moment, she rises onto all fours from her casually seated position, turning to each of the others in turn as she excuses herself: "I think I'll go look for mother now...if I find her, I'll send her this way." That said, Aurora slips off into the thicket of trees, heading back southeast towards where she last saw the matron.
Kaya smiles happily as her sister moves off to find their mother, then regards the newcomer curiously. "You'll have to forgive my father. He's the chieftain, so he has to protect the tribe." She looks over at Kein and purrs, "I love you, daddy."
Shanira nods, front paws trampling in place for steadier footing. "I'm not in a position to forgive," she says kindly, "I am the one who's walking straight into your territory! I should have been more careful with where I'm going." Her eyes move back to Kein, her tail moving slowly from side to side. "I tend to spend my time on lower ground, but the need for food kept me moving."
"Of course, we can not promise you food. I don't think anyone could, in this winter. However, so long as you to not hunt more than your fill, you may hunt here." Seldom is there extra meat to go around in Amaranth, and Kaya has already arrived to place a bit of a strain on that. Still, Kein was responsible for his own hunting from a very early age, and he did fine. If the female has survived any time on her own, she ought to have little trouble.
"Oh no," Shanira says with a shake of her head, "I won't burden you with my presence. I'm a small eater," she says with a smile, even if the undertone of her voice tells on the same strain that most animals seem to feel these days, regarding food. "Come Spring, I won't bother you at all."
"You're not the first to have said such a thing, only to change her mind." Kein stretches his head to nuzzle at his daughter once more, after which he says, "Speaking of food... I imagine my daughter is in need of a meal, now. Perhaps you could accompany me, Shanira, and perhaps by the time we return, my mate will have arrived."
Kaya smiles. "That would be nice. Maybe then you can get to know her and see if she would make a good Sister." Kaya smiles warmly.
Shanira's ears perk at Kein's words and the slight change in the youngster's body tells on her curiosity. She might not know Kein, but the fact that she's invited to spend some time in the company of another is a happy turn of events, now that the snow lies so thick. She dips her head in agreement. "I'd love to," she says, a tad too excited it seems, for she then gives a sheepish grin. "I mean, of course I will."
Kein is seldom keen for company, but it does solve the problems of him being unwilling to leave his daughter alone with a stranger, along with the fact that he must get her some food. With Shanira's agreeing, Kein stands and assures his daughter, "I will not be gone long. Get some rest, all right, Kaya?" And, with that, he begins walking away, his pace slow enough to allow the young cougaress to be able to keep up with him.