Post by Therdde on Nov 7, 2008 19:53:07 GMT -5
Characters:
Kein - Male Adolescent Cougar
Nikke - Female Juvenile Bobcat
Coi - Female Marten
Dayspring - Female Adolescent Marten
- Wooded Terrain -
Kein's hunting trip went well. He encountered a young deer, not yet a year old, away from her mother. The chase was short, and he made quick work of securing his meal. He has already eaten some, but he knows Nayeli is probably hungry too, so after eating just enough to take the edge off of his hunger, he picked it up, and he is naw making his way back to the stone formations, dragging the young deer in his mouth.
Playing again outside, Nikke romps around in the fresh snow jumping and kicking it everywhere. She laughs and giggles, the snow's bite obviously isn't having much of an effect on her anymore, or at least not right now. She's getting bigger, but her blissfully ignorant youth prevents her from really noticing it. As instructed by her adoptive mother, she remains close to the tree that they call home.
The sounds reach Kein's awareness before anything else does. Someone laughing and playing. Someone who sounds young. It is a sound kein has not heard in a very long time, and it hits him surprisingly hard, because it reminds him of the cubs his mother should have had, that she never will have. Tears spring to Kein's eyes, though they do not fall, and he alters his path to approach the sound the giggling.
Nikke remains unaware of anybody else around, except perhaps Coi returning from a hunt or a walk in the trees. The juvenile bobcat dives into the snow and makes a poor attempt to bury herself. She squeals as she cold snow touches at her fur from all sides, and she hops out laughing. Nikke tries to get the snow off of her by shaking, but it sticks somewhat.
When he sets eyes on the cub, Kein drops the deer. She looks kind of like a cougar, but she smells /much/ different, and Kein is kind of surprised at the sight of her. She's not of Amaranth, so what is she doing here. That isn't what Kein says, though. Rather, he says, quietly, "Hello." After speaking, he takes a cautious step forward, looking around for the young feline's mother.
At the sound of the voice from behind the cub, Nikke suddenly jumps in surprise, managing to get most of the remainder of snow off of her. She quickly turns around and lowers her ears to her head and her body to the ground. That doesn't particularly matter. Her fur doesn't exactly blend in with the white snow. She looks ahead, and spots a cougar. Unfortunately, Nikke doesn't immediately recognise it. As far as she knows, it's a giant version of Coi or Vahn. She doesn't say anything, wondering if the giant would continue walking past her, or if it was trying to get her attention.
Coi is currently napping within her den. The sounds from down on the ground have not yet woken her, but they are getting there. Of course, if she had any idea what was going on, she would be much faster about trying to get Nikke to safety, but she is, so far, blissfully unaware.
Kein watches the young feline as she jumps. He hadn't meant to startle her, but he can't smell any other strange felines around here, and he is concerned. As such, he asks what is on his mind. "What are you doing out here?" He doesn't walk closer to the small feline, and his voice is far from threatening. If anything, it is sympathetic.
Dayspring comes into view from the south. She freezes at the sight of the felines and hunkers down, her bottle-brush tail bristling. Maybe if she's very quiet, they won't see her...
Nikke has to give the straight-forward answer. Coi taught Nikke not to lie. A bobcat like Nikke takes that very seriously. "... Playing." Her voice is timid and shy, but at least confident enough to give an answer back to a very large *something* with a *dead* something next to it. She slowly raises her upper half, changing to a sitting position so she doesn't appear frightened, but she quite obviously is.
Kein's mother has just died, and his suspicion that this cub is out here without her mother... He doesn't bring it up, though. He doesn't want to upset her. Rather, he asks, after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "Are you hungry?" She's a feline. She's out here alone. In /his/ territory. Does that not make his responsible for her? Dayspring, so far, goes unnoticed.
Dayspring continues to watch warily.
Nikke tilts her head. Maybe this large cougar was just somebody she knew, but didn't recognise. Why else would he offer the girl food? Maybe he was simply asking if she were hungry or not. Either way, the kitten answers. "...Yeah." Nikke is always hungry, it seems. This aside, she doesn't get up from her position, an instinctual act of not wanting to appear imposing to the puma.
Sleep finally releases it's hold on Coi, and she stretches out, just in time to hear Nikke say something. Is Vahn here? Coi has gotten lax since the cougars left the area, and she assumes that Vahn is the only one Nikke would be talking to, so she allows herself to finish stretching before getting up to go meet them.
Of course she is. A cub Nikke's size couldn't possibly hunt for herself. He can only hope she's eating meat. He takes a step back, towards the deer, and places a paw on it before lowering his head to bite through its upper leg. After doing so, he picks up the leg and begins walking toward Nikke, intending to give it to her. Maybe while she is eating, he can look around for the cub's mother a little more...
Dayspring gulps, her eyes widening at the cougar's display of strength. She certainly wouldn't make more than a mouthful for him. She glances behind her, wondering if she could make it to the shelter of a tree before being noticed...
Nikke takes a cautiously slow step back as the cougar approaches her with the meat in his mouth. It did look delicious to the bobcat. She sits back down and looks at the snow while he comes to her. Eye contact is obviously avoided as she keeps her head and ears down, though Nikke is very thankful for any food that would be given to her.
Coi finally leaves her den, high up in the tree, and look around for the young bobcat. She first spots Dayspring, and spotting another marten is surprising to the adult female... But shortly after spotting Dayspring, the sound of a large animal moving catches her ears, and she looks to find a cougar walking toward her adopted daughter. Her heart leaps to her thoat, and she can't speak immediately, but she silently urges the bobcat to run.
The the bobcat backs up, Kein slows down. After a couple more steps, he drops the leg to the ground, then nudges it forward with his nose, then backs up. She's small. She's not of Amaranth, though she is on Amaranth land. No wonder she's worried, so, while he's backing up, he says, quietly, "It's okay."
Dayspring is startled to see another (albeit larger) marten. She decides to wait and see what happens.
Nikke is very distracted with the food and the cougar, she doesn't notice Coi several branches above her. When Kein says it's okay, Nikke believes him and she takes the slow steps toward the deer's leg. She lowers her body, sniffing at the food with her stubby nose. Nikke takes the first bite into the leg, watching Kein as she does so. Eventually, the flavor overcomes her, and a grateful, little smile morphs it's way on to her face.
Her delay enables Coi to see an amazing sight. The cougar... gave Nikke food? Why would it do that? She has had plenty of cougars /steal/ food, but not give it. She doesn't trust it, and after a little while, she begins creeping slowly down the tree. She has never voluntarily gone to ground level when a cougar is about, but if it saves Nikke...
Kein gives the bobcat a small smile... The first time he has smiled since he found his mother dead. After she begins eating, Kein looks around... And that's when he first spots Dayspring. He stops looking around, instead gazing at her for a moment. He has never seen a marten before, and she looks even odder than the small feline.
Dayspring starts visibly as the cougar looks her direction. She turns tail and skitters to the nearest tree.
Nikke continues eating contently. She keeps an eye on Kein, just in case he decieded he wanted the rest of the leg. She does smile, quite pleased at the timely meal. Remembering her manners Coi has been teaching her. She sits up and looks at the cougar's paws. "...Thank you." Even in the face of intimidation and fear, Nikke feels comfortable enough to be polite to Kein. The temptation of food gets to her again and the kitten returns to her food.
The marten he sees is definitely not this cub's mother, and as she runs up a tree, Kein is definitely of a mind to just let her go. He has a great deal of meat at his disposal. He wouldn't chase her. And then Nikke speaks. He looks back to the cub, and says, "You're very welcome."
Any further down, and Coi will be in the cougar's sight. So, after a moment spent gathering up her courage, she actually leaps off of the tree, trying to land between Nikke and the cougar. Once she is on the ground, she stares at the cougar and says, to Nikke, "Get up the tree. Now." If Nikke retreats quickly, she can do the same, and though cougars can climb... They can't travel up in the trees as easily as Coi can.
Nikke is spooked when Coi lands on the ground, but she immediately recognises her as her adoptive mother. Coi sounds quite stern, Nikke does exactly as she's told. She's a bit upset that her meal is over, but she spits out the food in her mouth on the snow and makes a quick sprint to the tree Coi desended from without a word. Quick is a relative term. Though very young, the bobcat is surprisingly very agile and able to climb the tree quite well. Nikke doesn't stop to look back; one branch to the next, to the next, to the next, finally at the den's branch, at which she does finally halt climbing and looks back down the tree.
Dayspring sighs in relief as she gains a safe height, but gasps in horror as the other marten jumps to the ground. What...?
Kein is as surprised as anyone else when a small animal jumps between him and the cub. And when she speaks, and the cub obeys, he is just plain confused. "Hey... I'm not going to hurt her, or you." He is no stranger to adoptive parents, though his is at least the same species as him... But if this marten can take care of that cub... "At least... Take the food up to her, okay?"
Coi doesn't take her eyes off of the nearly full-grown cougar. She just backs up, and when she passes by the leg, she pauses. If she picks it up, she'll be slower... But she would be the first to admit that it is hard to hunt for both herself and the quickly growing cub. Though reluctant, she slowly lowers her head to grab the leg in her mouth, then continues backing up towards the tree.
Dayspring scrambles a bit higher in the tree and settles down to rest.
Kein allows the marten to escape. Probably just as well. Nayeli is almost definitely awake by now, and he should probably get back to her, so after watching the cub and her... mother?... retreat, he returns to the deer, to continue taking it west of here.
Kein - Male Adolescent Cougar
Nikke - Female Juvenile Bobcat
Coi - Female Marten
Dayspring - Female Adolescent Marten
- Wooded Terrain -
Kein's hunting trip went well. He encountered a young deer, not yet a year old, away from her mother. The chase was short, and he made quick work of securing his meal. He has already eaten some, but he knows Nayeli is probably hungry too, so after eating just enough to take the edge off of his hunger, he picked it up, and he is naw making his way back to the stone formations, dragging the young deer in his mouth.
Playing again outside, Nikke romps around in the fresh snow jumping and kicking it everywhere. She laughs and giggles, the snow's bite obviously isn't having much of an effect on her anymore, or at least not right now. She's getting bigger, but her blissfully ignorant youth prevents her from really noticing it. As instructed by her adoptive mother, she remains close to the tree that they call home.
The sounds reach Kein's awareness before anything else does. Someone laughing and playing. Someone who sounds young. It is a sound kein has not heard in a very long time, and it hits him surprisingly hard, because it reminds him of the cubs his mother should have had, that she never will have. Tears spring to Kein's eyes, though they do not fall, and he alters his path to approach the sound the giggling.
Nikke remains unaware of anybody else around, except perhaps Coi returning from a hunt or a walk in the trees. The juvenile bobcat dives into the snow and makes a poor attempt to bury herself. She squeals as she cold snow touches at her fur from all sides, and she hops out laughing. Nikke tries to get the snow off of her by shaking, but it sticks somewhat.
When he sets eyes on the cub, Kein drops the deer. She looks kind of like a cougar, but she smells /much/ different, and Kein is kind of surprised at the sight of her. She's not of Amaranth, so what is she doing here. That isn't what Kein says, though. Rather, he says, quietly, "Hello." After speaking, he takes a cautious step forward, looking around for the young feline's mother.
At the sound of the voice from behind the cub, Nikke suddenly jumps in surprise, managing to get most of the remainder of snow off of her. She quickly turns around and lowers her ears to her head and her body to the ground. That doesn't particularly matter. Her fur doesn't exactly blend in with the white snow. She looks ahead, and spots a cougar. Unfortunately, Nikke doesn't immediately recognise it. As far as she knows, it's a giant version of Coi or Vahn. She doesn't say anything, wondering if the giant would continue walking past her, or if it was trying to get her attention.
Coi is currently napping within her den. The sounds from down on the ground have not yet woken her, but they are getting there. Of course, if she had any idea what was going on, she would be much faster about trying to get Nikke to safety, but she is, so far, blissfully unaware.
Kein watches the young feline as she jumps. He hadn't meant to startle her, but he can't smell any other strange felines around here, and he is concerned. As such, he asks what is on his mind. "What are you doing out here?" He doesn't walk closer to the small feline, and his voice is far from threatening. If anything, it is sympathetic.
Dayspring comes into view from the south. She freezes at the sight of the felines and hunkers down, her bottle-brush tail bristling. Maybe if she's very quiet, they won't see her...
Nikke has to give the straight-forward answer. Coi taught Nikke not to lie. A bobcat like Nikke takes that very seriously. "... Playing." Her voice is timid and shy, but at least confident enough to give an answer back to a very large *something* with a *dead* something next to it. She slowly raises her upper half, changing to a sitting position so she doesn't appear frightened, but she quite obviously is.
Kein's mother has just died, and his suspicion that this cub is out here without her mother... He doesn't bring it up, though. He doesn't want to upset her. Rather, he asks, after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "Are you hungry?" She's a feline. She's out here alone. In /his/ territory. Does that not make his responsible for her? Dayspring, so far, goes unnoticed.
Dayspring continues to watch warily.
Nikke tilts her head. Maybe this large cougar was just somebody she knew, but didn't recognise. Why else would he offer the girl food? Maybe he was simply asking if she were hungry or not. Either way, the kitten answers. "...Yeah." Nikke is always hungry, it seems. This aside, she doesn't get up from her position, an instinctual act of not wanting to appear imposing to the puma.
Sleep finally releases it's hold on Coi, and she stretches out, just in time to hear Nikke say something. Is Vahn here? Coi has gotten lax since the cougars left the area, and she assumes that Vahn is the only one Nikke would be talking to, so she allows herself to finish stretching before getting up to go meet them.
Of course she is. A cub Nikke's size couldn't possibly hunt for herself. He can only hope she's eating meat. He takes a step back, towards the deer, and places a paw on it before lowering his head to bite through its upper leg. After doing so, he picks up the leg and begins walking toward Nikke, intending to give it to her. Maybe while she is eating, he can look around for the cub's mother a little more...
Dayspring gulps, her eyes widening at the cougar's display of strength. She certainly wouldn't make more than a mouthful for him. She glances behind her, wondering if she could make it to the shelter of a tree before being noticed...
Nikke takes a cautiously slow step back as the cougar approaches her with the meat in his mouth. It did look delicious to the bobcat. She sits back down and looks at the snow while he comes to her. Eye contact is obviously avoided as she keeps her head and ears down, though Nikke is very thankful for any food that would be given to her.
Coi finally leaves her den, high up in the tree, and look around for the young bobcat. She first spots Dayspring, and spotting another marten is surprising to the adult female... But shortly after spotting Dayspring, the sound of a large animal moving catches her ears, and she looks to find a cougar walking toward her adopted daughter. Her heart leaps to her thoat, and she can't speak immediately, but she silently urges the bobcat to run.
The the bobcat backs up, Kein slows down. After a couple more steps, he drops the leg to the ground, then nudges it forward with his nose, then backs up. She's small. She's not of Amaranth, though she is on Amaranth land. No wonder she's worried, so, while he's backing up, he says, quietly, "It's okay."
Dayspring is startled to see another (albeit larger) marten. She decides to wait and see what happens.
Nikke is very distracted with the food and the cougar, she doesn't notice Coi several branches above her. When Kein says it's okay, Nikke believes him and she takes the slow steps toward the deer's leg. She lowers her body, sniffing at the food with her stubby nose. Nikke takes the first bite into the leg, watching Kein as she does so. Eventually, the flavor overcomes her, and a grateful, little smile morphs it's way on to her face.
Her delay enables Coi to see an amazing sight. The cougar... gave Nikke food? Why would it do that? She has had plenty of cougars /steal/ food, but not give it. She doesn't trust it, and after a little while, she begins creeping slowly down the tree. She has never voluntarily gone to ground level when a cougar is about, but if it saves Nikke...
Kein gives the bobcat a small smile... The first time he has smiled since he found his mother dead. After she begins eating, Kein looks around... And that's when he first spots Dayspring. He stops looking around, instead gazing at her for a moment. He has never seen a marten before, and she looks even odder than the small feline.
Dayspring starts visibly as the cougar looks her direction. She turns tail and skitters to the nearest tree.
Nikke continues eating contently. She keeps an eye on Kein, just in case he decieded he wanted the rest of the leg. She does smile, quite pleased at the timely meal. Remembering her manners Coi has been teaching her. She sits up and looks at the cougar's paws. "...Thank you." Even in the face of intimidation and fear, Nikke feels comfortable enough to be polite to Kein. The temptation of food gets to her again and the kitten returns to her food.
The marten he sees is definitely not this cub's mother, and as she runs up a tree, Kein is definitely of a mind to just let her go. He has a great deal of meat at his disposal. He wouldn't chase her. And then Nikke speaks. He looks back to the cub, and says, "You're very welcome."
Any further down, and Coi will be in the cougar's sight. So, after a moment spent gathering up her courage, she actually leaps off of the tree, trying to land between Nikke and the cougar. Once she is on the ground, she stares at the cougar and says, to Nikke, "Get up the tree. Now." If Nikke retreats quickly, she can do the same, and though cougars can climb... They can't travel up in the trees as easily as Coi can.
Nikke is spooked when Coi lands on the ground, but she immediately recognises her as her adoptive mother. Coi sounds quite stern, Nikke does exactly as she's told. She's a bit upset that her meal is over, but she spits out the food in her mouth on the snow and makes a quick sprint to the tree Coi desended from without a word. Quick is a relative term. Though very young, the bobcat is surprisingly very agile and able to climb the tree quite well. Nikke doesn't stop to look back; one branch to the next, to the next, to the next, finally at the den's branch, at which she does finally halt climbing and looks back down the tree.
Dayspring sighs in relief as she gains a safe height, but gasps in horror as the other marten jumps to the ground. What...?
Kein is as surprised as anyone else when a small animal jumps between him and the cub. And when she speaks, and the cub obeys, he is just plain confused. "Hey... I'm not going to hurt her, or you." He is no stranger to adoptive parents, though his is at least the same species as him... But if this marten can take care of that cub... "At least... Take the food up to her, okay?"
Coi doesn't take her eyes off of the nearly full-grown cougar. She just backs up, and when she passes by the leg, she pauses. If she picks it up, she'll be slower... But she would be the first to admit that it is hard to hunt for both herself and the quickly growing cub. Though reluctant, she slowly lowers her head to grab the leg in her mouth, then continues backing up towards the tree.
Dayspring scrambles a bit higher in the tree and settles down to rest.
Kein allows the marten to escape. Probably just as well. Nayeli is almost definitely awake by now, and he should probably get back to her, so after watching the cub and her... mother?... retreat, he returns to the deer, to continue taking it west of here.