Post by Therdde on Jul 31, 2010 8:19:35 GMT -5
Characters:
Kein - Male Cougar
Nyssa - Female Cougar
- Snowy Highlands -
It's late. The moon is high in the sky, and Kein, tired and restless, is prowling a section of his territory's highlands. He awoke some time ago with a start, and the nightmares that were the cause of his waking are bothering him still. He stops only as a breeze that carries cooler air down from the higher parts of the mountain brushes through his fur. As he stands there, he breaths deeply, opening his mouth to taste what the breeze carries with it.
The moon is, beautiful, crisp and cool. The young female wintered in Amaranth's land, keeping mostly to herself as she crisscrossed the mountain looking for something she wasn't quite sure of. It wasn't a fretful or urgent search, and so she simply wandered, her paws keeping her away from many of the inhabitants of the territory. She knew that she was welcomed, at least by the chieftain, but did not feel it necessary to cause a stir. The pale cougaress felt like a ghost, though a benevolent spirit if there ever was one. From the south, the wind brings the night breeze, cool and with a hint of something edgy. Curious, the female stands and curls her ears forward, her whiskers quivering in the bright light and her eyes slowly roving across the mountainside. She wanders forward a few paces, still searching. "Who's there?" she whispers to the night.
There is solid rock beneath his paws, and the chieftain's claws scratch slowly across it as he stands stock still for a moment. Whatever tastes and smells the breeze brings him, they do not cause him alarm, so he begins to continue on his way, enjoying the cooler weather up here. Before much longer, though, he spots the moonlight reflecting off of something that is neither rock nor snow. His pace slows, but he does not stop walking, like he did moments ago.
Nyssa, too, keeps walking, her paws pressing gently into the earth, toes splaying and claws tips just touching the ground, her eyes bright though not alarmed; the air doesn't feel hostile to her, simply... ill-at-ease. As she moves across the mountain, she looks up toward the peak, catching a silhouette against the moonlight that causes her to stop mid-stride. She turns to the creature, parts her lips, and then smiles. The scent is one she recognizes. "Chieftain," she purrs gently, weaving her tail in the short grass at her hindpaws.
As Kein draws nearer the figure, he recognizes who it is, and for the time being, he manages to brush some of his concerns aside. "Nyssa. It is good to see you well." After he speaks, he stops walking. He does not sit, though. Although his tone is polite, and although he likes Nyssa, as much as he is capable of liking, he does not intend to stay terribly long. He never does.
"Kein," she echos back, mirroring his stance a moment longer before her paws begin walking toward him, closing the gap. Even though the night is quiet and they do not need to shout, she does not want to keep that distance between them. Her face softens a moment and then, "And you, are you well?" His tone is gentle but quick and his tension is easy to feel; is he always this way, she finds herself wondering, tilting her head as she awaits his response.
Kein slowly nods his head. Well? That's largely a matter of definition, isn't it? "I'd forgotten what it was like to have cubs around." It's just an excuse, and a sorry one at that. He has scarcely seen any of his grandcubs, even the ones that live in Amaranth, and even then only when they are sleeping.
A smile very slowly blooms across Nyssa's muzzle, like a night flower under the moonlight, then a soft little laugh. "A difficult task, I am sure." She looks at him a moment with that soft smile and then settles to her haunches, curling her tail around her. "I wish I could offer you counsel, but I wouldn't know what to say." Another short pause and the wind tugs at her. She is silent to her guide and about them, but she is only silent about Kein's distress for so long. "Anything I can do for you, chieftain?"
"Mmmm?" What is there that can be done? Kein's problems are his own, and he doubts there is anything that can be done to fix them, much less by anyone else. With a thin smile, the chieftain says, "Thank you, Nyssa, but no." Kein takes a deep breath, then sits down, despite his original intention to not stay. "You know, my entire life I've spent either trying to get away from here, or else trying to get back." It's not a particularly pleasant observation. It's disturbingly truthful, though.
The female straightens just a little as Kein settles himself, her ears gently tipping forward as he begins to speak. The Chieftain never did share much with her the summer she arrived, but what she gleaned from him then was a creature plagued by trouble. Nyssa breathes a soft sigh and nods ever so slightly, watching Kein's face as the bright moonlight bathes them both. "Your duty calls you here, yet your body calls you away, is that it, Chieftain? Or is it something even simpler than that?" Something in front of his face that he cannot see yet?
"You make it sound simpler than it is." But, yes. That's more or less it, right? Even from a very young age, the only reason Kein has ever wanted to be in Amaranth is because he felt an obligation to someone else who would not leave. Now, that obligation is slowly crumbling. "I've spent most of my life here, and I think... that when my mate leaves, the memories I'll have left will all be things I'd sooner forget. But I'm not sure what I'll do, anymore. Where I'd go, once it's all over." There. All of the things he has never told anyone. All of the concerns that have been gnawing at him. He's not sure why he feels comfortable enough to be talking to Nyssa about them, but the words come with surprising ease.
Nyssa watches a slight transformation take place across Kein's face, but she does not share that change with him. He must feel it himself, afterall. Her own face seems to crumble a little at the idea that the Chieftain's mate, the Matron, would leave her spiritual territory. It would break her own clan's heart, to their Mother leave so... but... it is not for her to judge here. "Memories never leave you, Chieftain," she offers, "Those never change. Your life, though, is yours to lead, not to be bound by events of the past." There is a long pause from her as she considers something, her brow furrowing a bit. "Would we ever get anywhere otherwise?"
Kein's smile takes on a decidedly sad cast as he says, "That, too, you make sound simpler than it is." How often has he been told he shouldn't let past events, and how he remembers them, determine his actions? And how often has he actually succeeded at that? "I can't begrudge my mate's desire to leave. Can't, even if she acts on it. When she acts on it. Not when I want to do the same." Soon? No. It'd be tomorrow, if he thought he could, but all of the past experiences he's had have built up that sense of obligation to be here, no matter how it pains him.
There is very little from the female for quite a while, her only movement seeming to be her chest with her breathing and a subtle dance of her tail tip. Then, "Kein," she purrs very gently, just above a whisper, "Are you happy here?" Another long pause, "The land seems to haunt you so very much. The past, things that you cannot forget. I won't ask you to tell me what they are, Kein," her voice soothes, "but one of these days you will see that you need to take care of yourself to take care of those around you." Then Nyssa smiles.
"For... for a little while, I was." Kein isn't even sure that much is true. Maybe, back when he was a cub, but he's not sure he could ever be described as /happy/. Not as an adult. Focusing on Nyssa, he says, "You know that I've already made up my mind, don't you?" Or he's had it made up for him. The fact that he cannot even sleep in Amaranth anymore, not easily, does not bode well for his continued presence here. "I'm not going to leave tonight. Or tomorrow. Or even maybe this season or next. But I think, before the snow descends too far on the mountain..." He'd be rather surprised if Nayeli lasted that long. Or he could be wrong about her. Regardless, it is time for him to leave Amaranth to those not weighed down by far too much history within so very few years.
Again, the female manages a very soft chuckle and gives him the slightest nod. Kein's mind was probably made up years ago, but something else had been in his way. Nyssa considers his words with a tip of her head, then pushes to her paws in a simple fluid motion. One step closes the short distance between them and she purrs, "Lets go." Bright greens eyes trail off to the dark horizon, her nose lifts. "That way." Any way.
Kein looks at Nyssa for a moment in silence before he stands. He had not intended to spend the rest of his night with someone else... but he doesn't decline. Rather, he begins to walk, slowly, in the direction she indicated. Why not? He is clearly at ease around her, perhaps more than he is at ease by himself, and it's not as though he was likely to find any more rest tonight, anyway.
"The mountain is beautiful," Nyssa offers, giving on last glance to the peak, "but let us see how your paws feel when you are no longer standing on it." That said, she follows Kein in the direction of life's desire, silent, for there's not much else to say, though she would welcome Kein's voice this night. Nyssa has no agenda, and never has, though her ears are trained both to Kein's movement and the motion of the air, as always.
Kein - Male Cougar
Nyssa - Female Cougar
- Snowy Highlands -
It's late. The moon is high in the sky, and Kein, tired and restless, is prowling a section of his territory's highlands. He awoke some time ago with a start, and the nightmares that were the cause of his waking are bothering him still. He stops only as a breeze that carries cooler air down from the higher parts of the mountain brushes through his fur. As he stands there, he breaths deeply, opening his mouth to taste what the breeze carries with it.
The moon is, beautiful, crisp and cool. The young female wintered in Amaranth's land, keeping mostly to herself as she crisscrossed the mountain looking for something she wasn't quite sure of. It wasn't a fretful or urgent search, and so she simply wandered, her paws keeping her away from many of the inhabitants of the territory. She knew that she was welcomed, at least by the chieftain, but did not feel it necessary to cause a stir. The pale cougaress felt like a ghost, though a benevolent spirit if there ever was one. From the south, the wind brings the night breeze, cool and with a hint of something edgy. Curious, the female stands and curls her ears forward, her whiskers quivering in the bright light and her eyes slowly roving across the mountainside. She wanders forward a few paces, still searching. "Who's there?" she whispers to the night.
There is solid rock beneath his paws, and the chieftain's claws scratch slowly across it as he stands stock still for a moment. Whatever tastes and smells the breeze brings him, they do not cause him alarm, so he begins to continue on his way, enjoying the cooler weather up here. Before much longer, though, he spots the moonlight reflecting off of something that is neither rock nor snow. His pace slows, but he does not stop walking, like he did moments ago.
Nyssa, too, keeps walking, her paws pressing gently into the earth, toes splaying and claws tips just touching the ground, her eyes bright though not alarmed; the air doesn't feel hostile to her, simply... ill-at-ease. As she moves across the mountain, she looks up toward the peak, catching a silhouette against the moonlight that causes her to stop mid-stride. She turns to the creature, parts her lips, and then smiles. The scent is one she recognizes. "Chieftain," she purrs gently, weaving her tail in the short grass at her hindpaws.
As Kein draws nearer the figure, he recognizes who it is, and for the time being, he manages to brush some of his concerns aside. "Nyssa. It is good to see you well." After he speaks, he stops walking. He does not sit, though. Although his tone is polite, and although he likes Nyssa, as much as he is capable of liking, he does not intend to stay terribly long. He never does.
"Kein," she echos back, mirroring his stance a moment longer before her paws begin walking toward him, closing the gap. Even though the night is quiet and they do not need to shout, she does not want to keep that distance between them. Her face softens a moment and then, "And you, are you well?" His tone is gentle but quick and his tension is easy to feel; is he always this way, she finds herself wondering, tilting her head as she awaits his response.
Kein slowly nods his head. Well? That's largely a matter of definition, isn't it? "I'd forgotten what it was like to have cubs around." It's just an excuse, and a sorry one at that. He has scarcely seen any of his grandcubs, even the ones that live in Amaranth, and even then only when they are sleeping.
A smile very slowly blooms across Nyssa's muzzle, like a night flower under the moonlight, then a soft little laugh. "A difficult task, I am sure." She looks at him a moment with that soft smile and then settles to her haunches, curling her tail around her. "I wish I could offer you counsel, but I wouldn't know what to say." Another short pause and the wind tugs at her. She is silent to her guide and about them, but she is only silent about Kein's distress for so long. "Anything I can do for you, chieftain?"
"Mmmm?" What is there that can be done? Kein's problems are his own, and he doubts there is anything that can be done to fix them, much less by anyone else. With a thin smile, the chieftain says, "Thank you, Nyssa, but no." Kein takes a deep breath, then sits down, despite his original intention to not stay. "You know, my entire life I've spent either trying to get away from here, or else trying to get back." It's not a particularly pleasant observation. It's disturbingly truthful, though.
The female straightens just a little as Kein settles himself, her ears gently tipping forward as he begins to speak. The Chieftain never did share much with her the summer she arrived, but what she gleaned from him then was a creature plagued by trouble. Nyssa breathes a soft sigh and nods ever so slightly, watching Kein's face as the bright moonlight bathes them both. "Your duty calls you here, yet your body calls you away, is that it, Chieftain? Or is it something even simpler than that?" Something in front of his face that he cannot see yet?
"You make it sound simpler than it is." But, yes. That's more or less it, right? Even from a very young age, the only reason Kein has ever wanted to be in Amaranth is because he felt an obligation to someone else who would not leave. Now, that obligation is slowly crumbling. "I've spent most of my life here, and I think... that when my mate leaves, the memories I'll have left will all be things I'd sooner forget. But I'm not sure what I'll do, anymore. Where I'd go, once it's all over." There. All of the things he has never told anyone. All of the concerns that have been gnawing at him. He's not sure why he feels comfortable enough to be talking to Nyssa about them, but the words come with surprising ease.
Nyssa watches a slight transformation take place across Kein's face, but she does not share that change with him. He must feel it himself, afterall. Her own face seems to crumble a little at the idea that the Chieftain's mate, the Matron, would leave her spiritual territory. It would break her own clan's heart, to their Mother leave so... but... it is not for her to judge here. "Memories never leave you, Chieftain," she offers, "Those never change. Your life, though, is yours to lead, not to be bound by events of the past." There is a long pause from her as she considers something, her brow furrowing a bit. "Would we ever get anywhere otherwise?"
Kein's smile takes on a decidedly sad cast as he says, "That, too, you make sound simpler than it is." How often has he been told he shouldn't let past events, and how he remembers them, determine his actions? And how often has he actually succeeded at that? "I can't begrudge my mate's desire to leave. Can't, even if she acts on it. When she acts on it. Not when I want to do the same." Soon? No. It'd be tomorrow, if he thought he could, but all of the past experiences he's had have built up that sense of obligation to be here, no matter how it pains him.
There is very little from the female for quite a while, her only movement seeming to be her chest with her breathing and a subtle dance of her tail tip. Then, "Kein," she purrs very gently, just above a whisper, "Are you happy here?" Another long pause, "The land seems to haunt you so very much. The past, things that you cannot forget. I won't ask you to tell me what they are, Kein," her voice soothes, "but one of these days you will see that you need to take care of yourself to take care of those around you." Then Nyssa smiles.
"For... for a little while, I was." Kein isn't even sure that much is true. Maybe, back when he was a cub, but he's not sure he could ever be described as /happy/. Not as an adult. Focusing on Nyssa, he says, "You know that I've already made up my mind, don't you?" Or he's had it made up for him. The fact that he cannot even sleep in Amaranth anymore, not easily, does not bode well for his continued presence here. "I'm not going to leave tonight. Or tomorrow. Or even maybe this season or next. But I think, before the snow descends too far on the mountain..." He'd be rather surprised if Nayeli lasted that long. Or he could be wrong about her. Regardless, it is time for him to leave Amaranth to those not weighed down by far too much history within so very few years.
Again, the female manages a very soft chuckle and gives him the slightest nod. Kein's mind was probably made up years ago, but something else had been in his way. Nyssa considers his words with a tip of her head, then pushes to her paws in a simple fluid motion. One step closes the short distance between them and she purrs, "Lets go." Bright greens eyes trail off to the dark horizon, her nose lifts. "That way." Any way.
Kein looks at Nyssa for a moment in silence before he stands. He had not intended to spend the rest of his night with someone else... but he doesn't decline. Rather, he begins to walk, slowly, in the direction she indicated. Why not? He is clearly at ease around her, perhaps more than he is at ease by himself, and it's not as though he was likely to find any more rest tonight, anyway.
"The mountain is beautiful," Nyssa offers, giving on last glance to the peak, "but let us see how your paws feel when you are no longer standing on it." That said, she follows Kein in the direction of life's desire, silent, for there's not much else to say, though she would welcome Kein's voice this night. Nyssa has no agenda, and never has, though her ears are trained both to Kein's movement and the motion of the air, as always.