Post by malak on Dec 27, 2008 12:41:21 GMT -5
Wooded Terrain
================================================================================
Heading away from the lake means moving into the woods where trees stand in varying stages of growth. The older trees are taller and reach to the sky while the smaller and younger trees struggle upwards towards that same light. Along the ground are bits of broken tree limbs and different types of shrubs and other vegetation staking their claim on whatever sunlight they can find and keep. Leaves rustle and grasses wave in the breezes that occasionally come through this area, though most of the surrounding air is fairly mild compared to some areas. However, when winter or a large storm hits, this wooded area offers protection to all creatures who can make their way to safety. The flow of melted snow from the south continues down the gentle slope towards the north, emptying into the nearby lake.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[Into] a Den [North] to the Lake
[South] to the Highlands [Southwest] to the Grove
[West] to the Stone Formations
================================================================================
[IC] Aylin
[IC] Malak
Finding a suitable home for Aylin and her unborn cubs has been easier said than done. They are simply too close to an established teritory, and while he has no concern about crossing that border, he would not leave Aylin and the cubs in another male's territory. Not without first killing that male, anyway. Finally, though, he found something that will work, that is even nearly ideal, and returned to where he left the female... Only to not find her gone and the scent of another male cougar in the area. It is with some concern that Aylin has followed the female's scent.
She watched her brother head south, thoughtful and quiet, before she turned back to the north a short ways to take shelter in the deep brush. Now, lounging against a fallen tree trunk, Aylin has drifted off into a half-sleep, eyes cast vaugely west though on closer examination it doesn't look like she's concentrating on anything. Her breathing is a little heavy, a little fast, but she's certainly not in labor. Not yet. Her stomach is somewhat satiated from the hate and gangly fox her brother had so easily caught and she gobbled up greatfully. She's not too worried about food for a while. Aylin licks her whiskers, tasting the last vestiges of blood on them before she relaxes a little further, ears slicking back and posture drooping. Malak's approach is unnoticed, as is much of her surroundings at the moment.
How close Malak gets without being noticed is proof that the female needs a better shelter, and a companion, in these days. Malak really does not cosider this weakness on Aylin's part. If so, he would probably leave her to fend for herself, no matter who fathered her cubs. No, she has proven her strength in this time just as she always has, just by following them up the mountain while she was pregnant. She does need to be protected, though, for the sake of the cubs that will share his lineage, will be able to call the once-revered Vector their grandfather. Stopping a short way's away from her, Malak speaks up. "We should move so that you can rest properly, Aylin."
It's his voice that slowly stirs her from her almost drug-like state, first registered by a forward flick of her ears. Her brief outing with her brother was tiring, though he did all the work, her revenous appetite devoured what he caught for her and gave it all to her cubs. It's been terribly draining, and Aylin just doesn't know what to expect or what to do about it, anymore. She's a lot less than herself recently, tired and dragging, and she wonders if it was even the cubs that she was after? No.. well.. who knows. A little dazed, she lifts purple-blue eyes the male's way, her breath sighs from her chest, and she slowly rises. She doesn't really want to move. She doesn't want Azriel to come and find her with Malak nearby.. or vice versa. A particularly painful jolt down her side causes her to grunt and tighten her jaw, and as she lazily moves forward toward Malak and passes by him, she leans heavily against the male.
Were Aylin his, and were she not pregnant, he would have brought up the topic of the strange male much sooner. As it is, though, his priority is to take care of his brother's cubs, and their vessel. He does not even mention it now. Instead, he walks with her, his pace slow to accomodate her. Perhaps after he gets her settled down, they can talk about it. "It will not be too long."
The female just leans against his shoulder as they walk, letting Malak pick the direction, letting her eyes just drift back into that distant, uninterested stare. Her mind, for a while, is elsewhere, deep in the recesses of her thoughts and dreams, wondering and waiting, watching and observing, doing all the things that the unconscious does all at once. Eventually, she lifts her head and holds it higher on her shoulders, squares her body and though she remains in contact with the male's body, leans less and less upon him as they walk. Dragging herself out of that torpor, waddling north, she whispers into Malak's ear, breath dancing between her teeth, "Why do you care?" she wonders, a mixture of wonder, apprehension, fear, and a hint of agression behind the question. She trusts Malak, yet does not.. just like her brother.
Malak keeps his gaze ahead of them, and, when he answers, his voice is louder than hers, though not by much. "You are carrying my brother's cubs. I would see them born well and given every opportunity to live up to their heritage." Right now, that means protection. Of course, should they fail... Well, then he and Aylin may once again be put at odds, since Malak would protest, strongly, to allowing any embarrassment to their bloodline to live, but if that never happens, or if it does happen and she doesn't object, then he figures they can get along at least as well as he can be expected to get along with a mouthy female.
Mouthy?! Mouthy?!?! Hmm. "You wish well the cubs, but wish ill their mother," she offers, finally pushing herself off Malak fully and walking under her own power, leaning on no one. Well, maybe he doesn't wish her ill, but he certainly doesn't like her. "You and your brother confuse me," Aylin whispers, tail curling and uncurling behind her in its own little question mark. "Your thoughts and your actions, your passions and your desires. None of them make sense... Sometimes it seems like it makes little or no sense to you both, the ones who are supposed to understand themselves." The female stops then and shakes her head, inwardly grimacing at the idea that she even spoke like that. It's true, though. They confuse her greatly. She shakes her head, slicking her ears back, "Nevermind. I don't understand myself right now. My mind is torn between myself and my children." Pause. "They are so very demanding," she offers at last, a faint smile curling her muzzle, one ment for herself.
If anything doesn't make sense, it is the female's rambling. Malak continues walking, but as she continues on, he turns his gaze to her, at least briefly. "Who has said that I wish you ill?" Revan would know better. The statement couldn't have come from him. So it is either her own misconception, or it is an idea that strange male planted in her head. Either way, he does intend to clear it up. He may not like her, but he is willing to admit that she has potential, if for no other reason that that Revan saw fit to impregnate her. If he didn't, if he truly wished her ill or thought her undeserving, he would be far less concerned for the well-being of the cubs.
"No one has said such," she replies back, quietly, voice just above the breath of the wind, "though you act as such. You wish well of the cubs, to that end I must be protected until such they can be well on their own. It is that, that sheild you hold around yourself, protecting yourself from whatever it is you hate of me." Aylin shrugs, keeping her eyes from meeting Malak's figure at all, trained north, to.. wherever their destination leads with her slow, shambling walk. "You confuse me, Malak," she continues, quiet, thoughtful. "You care for your brother, his children, your cause. I don't know what I did, or said, to make you feel the need to keep me at the edge of that great dream you carry." She shakes her head and looks east. "I may never." With narrowed eyes, Aylin sighs and continues walking, drawing inward again to feel that life inside her stir, anxious. She wonders telling Malak of herself, her life, her reasons, her motives.. but then.. she wonders.. what would it lead to? Weakness? Perhaps.
If Malak continues speaking, it could very well upset her. Again, he is reluctant to do so. So, after a pause, he says, "This conversation is best left for another time, Aylin. Know only that I would never deny anyone who desires to help in out noble cause the right to do so. Not outright." The issue is discipline, the ability to follow the orders of the strongest member of the group, regardless of outside circumstances. She hasn't proven herself, yet, but should she do so... His attitude toward her /could/ change. After speaking, he finally spots the shelter formed by recently fallen trees that, during the time when the ice was falling, were caught against larger, older trees, forming a large V-shape that will allow Aylin to rest with her back protected by the trees, preventing anyone from sneaking up on her from behind.
Briefly, her eyes flit to one side, to view Malak through an untrustworthy mask before they slide forward, the stand of fallen trees coming into sight. Aylin continues forward, silent, investigating the makeshift den, scenting only brief traces of Malak and nothing else. It smells of earth and sap, broken trees and moss. Again she glances at Malak, tips her tail in his direction in a silent thank you, before easing herself on her haunches and rolling her backlegs to the side to give room to her belly. She grunts, and surveys their journey from the south. Azriel should find her easily here, though he will do so when Malak is not around. She refuses to mention her brother, knowing well his connection to Malak's mate, and instead gives this: "You have seen the lake?"
"Not yet." What is the point? "Has there been any change?" A full three, perfectly civil questions between the two of them? Well, it's a start to a time when Malak might not view her as an irritant. And though he hasn't forgotten the strange male, it /is/ possible that Aylin just didn't notice him about, that her movement was not inspired by him, so he doesn't pull away from the natural course of their conversation to bring it up.
Certainly, she will not jepordize her brother, though a fight between Azriel and Malak could prove highly entertaining.. but only if Azriel comes out victorious and unmaimed. This thought flits by her as she catches her breath, attention drifting north, ears cupping at the faint lapping of water. "I don't know," she returns, not having been back to the lake since yesterday's swimming adventure extravaganza. She assumes not, since Azriel found it in the same condition as she. If Malak only knew her connection to Azriel.. what would he then do? Aylin finds herself wondering this as her eyes land on the male yet again, staying put for some time, flashing deep purple and a violent blue before her stomach lurches and she has to settle herself, laying down.
Malak watches Aylin as she settles down. If he knew her thought process, if he knew all of the ways that they are now connected to one another... Well, luckily, he doesn't, and so, finally, he says, "Get some rest. I will stand guard." This close to an unknown cougar's territory, and with one of them having already gotten very close to her? He will not be leaving, except for to hunt, until after she gives birth and can handle herself, should she be confronted by a hostile male.
"There is..." she begins earnestly, though she faulters mid-sentence and shakes her head, "no need..." Aylin finishes, knowing full well that Malak will not listen to her. Were she not so near to giving birth to her cubs, she would confront the male head on and challenge his existence, his reasons, his purpose. As she is now, it would be suicide. She doesn't have the strength, anyway, for the life growing inside her seems to sap it all away as soon as it is charged to go. Hopefully, Azriel will not be a fool. Doubtful, but she can hope all the same. He won't come near while Malak is so close. Hopefully.
"Perhaps, but I'd rather not take that chance." Malak has taken plenty of risks, and even done plenty of foolish things, in his time, but most of the risks he takes are well-calculated ones, especially since leaving his father's territory. Finally, the male turns to devote his attention to the open area to the north, to watch for danger. Should Aylin fall asleep and he grow tired, he may refocus his efforts in a loose patrol of the immediate area, or else go on a hunting trip, but otherwise he will be here.
================================================================================
Heading away from the lake means moving into the woods where trees stand in varying stages of growth. The older trees are taller and reach to the sky while the smaller and younger trees struggle upwards towards that same light. Along the ground are bits of broken tree limbs and different types of shrubs and other vegetation staking their claim on whatever sunlight they can find and keep. Leaves rustle and grasses wave in the breezes that occasionally come through this area, though most of the surrounding air is fairly mild compared to some areas. However, when winter or a large storm hits, this wooded area offers protection to all creatures who can make their way to safety. The flow of melted snow from the south continues down the gentle slope towards the north, emptying into the nearby lake.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[Into] a Den [North] to the Lake
[South] to the Highlands [Southwest] to the Grove
[West] to the Stone Formations
================================================================================
[IC] Aylin
[IC] Malak
Finding a suitable home for Aylin and her unborn cubs has been easier said than done. They are simply too close to an established teritory, and while he has no concern about crossing that border, he would not leave Aylin and the cubs in another male's territory. Not without first killing that male, anyway. Finally, though, he found something that will work, that is even nearly ideal, and returned to where he left the female... Only to not find her gone and the scent of another male cougar in the area. It is with some concern that Aylin has followed the female's scent.
She watched her brother head south, thoughtful and quiet, before she turned back to the north a short ways to take shelter in the deep brush. Now, lounging against a fallen tree trunk, Aylin has drifted off into a half-sleep, eyes cast vaugely west though on closer examination it doesn't look like she's concentrating on anything. Her breathing is a little heavy, a little fast, but she's certainly not in labor. Not yet. Her stomach is somewhat satiated from the hate and gangly fox her brother had so easily caught and she gobbled up greatfully. She's not too worried about food for a while. Aylin licks her whiskers, tasting the last vestiges of blood on them before she relaxes a little further, ears slicking back and posture drooping. Malak's approach is unnoticed, as is much of her surroundings at the moment.
How close Malak gets without being noticed is proof that the female needs a better shelter, and a companion, in these days. Malak really does not cosider this weakness on Aylin's part. If so, he would probably leave her to fend for herself, no matter who fathered her cubs. No, she has proven her strength in this time just as she always has, just by following them up the mountain while she was pregnant. She does need to be protected, though, for the sake of the cubs that will share his lineage, will be able to call the once-revered Vector their grandfather. Stopping a short way's away from her, Malak speaks up. "We should move so that you can rest properly, Aylin."
It's his voice that slowly stirs her from her almost drug-like state, first registered by a forward flick of her ears. Her brief outing with her brother was tiring, though he did all the work, her revenous appetite devoured what he caught for her and gave it all to her cubs. It's been terribly draining, and Aylin just doesn't know what to expect or what to do about it, anymore. She's a lot less than herself recently, tired and dragging, and she wonders if it was even the cubs that she was after? No.. well.. who knows. A little dazed, she lifts purple-blue eyes the male's way, her breath sighs from her chest, and she slowly rises. She doesn't really want to move. She doesn't want Azriel to come and find her with Malak nearby.. or vice versa. A particularly painful jolt down her side causes her to grunt and tighten her jaw, and as she lazily moves forward toward Malak and passes by him, she leans heavily against the male.
Were Aylin his, and were she not pregnant, he would have brought up the topic of the strange male much sooner. As it is, though, his priority is to take care of his brother's cubs, and their vessel. He does not even mention it now. Instead, he walks with her, his pace slow to accomodate her. Perhaps after he gets her settled down, they can talk about it. "It will not be too long."
The female just leans against his shoulder as they walk, letting Malak pick the direction, letting her eyes just drift back into that distant, uninterested stare. Her mind, for a while, is elsewhere, deep in the recesses of her thoughts and dreams, wondering and waiting, watching and observing, doing all the things that the unconscious does all at once. Eventually, she lifts her head and holds it higher on her shoulders, squares her body and though she remains in contact with the male's body, leans less and less upon him as they walk. Dragging herself out of that torpor, waddling north, she whispers into Malak's ear, breath dancing between her teeth, "Why do you care?" she wonders, a mixture of wonder, apprehension, fear, and a hint of agression behind the question. She trusts Malak, yet does not.. just like her brother.
Malak keeps his gaze ahead of them, and, when he answers, his voice is louder than hers, though not by much. "You are carrying my brother's cubs. I would see them born well and given every opportunity to live up to their heritage." Right now, that means protection. Of course, should they fail... Well, then he and Aylin may once again be put at odds, since Malak would protest, strongly, to allowing any embarrassment to their bloodline to live, but if that never happens, or if it does happen and she doesn't object, then he figures they can get along at least as well as he can be expected to get along with a mouthy female.
Mouthy?! Mouthy?!?! Hmm. "You wish well the cubs, but wish ill their mother," she offers, finally pushing herself off Malak fully and walking under her own power, leaning on no one. Well, maybe he doesn't wish her ill, but he certainly doesn't like her. "You and your brother confuse me," Aylin whispers, tail curling and uncurling behind her in its own little question mark. "Your thoughts and your actions, your passions and your desires. None of them make sense... Sometimes it seems like it makes little or no sense to you both, the ones who are supposed to understand themselves." The female stops then and shakes her head, inwardly grimacing at the idea that she even spoke like that. It's true, though. They confuse her greatly. She shakes her head, slicking her ears back, "Nevermind. I don't understand myself right now. My mind is torn between myself and my children." Pause. "They are so very demanding," she offers at last, a faint smile curling her muzzle, one ment for herself.
If anything doesn't make sense, it is the female's rambling. Malak continues walking, but as she continues on, he turns his gaze to her, at least briefly. "Who has said that I wish you ill?" Revan would know better. The statement couldn't have come from him. So it is either her own misconception, or it is an idea that strange male planted in her head. Either way, he does intend to clear it up. He may not like her, but he is willing to admit that she has potential, if for no other reason that that Revan saw fit to impregnate her. If he didn't, if he truly wished her ill or thought her undeserving, he would be far less concerned for the well-being of the cubs.
"No one has said such," she replies back, quietly, voice just above the breath of the wind, "though you act as such. You wish well of the cubs, to that end I must be protected until such they can be well on their own. It is that, that sheild you hold around yourself, protecting yourself from whatever it is you hate of me." Aylin shrugs, keeping her eyes from meeting Malak's figure at all, trained north, to.. wherever their destination leads with her slow, shambling walk. "You confuse me, Malak," she continues, quiet, thoughtful. "You care for your brother, his children, your cause. I don't know what I did, or said, to make you feel the need to keep me at the edge of that great dream you carry." She shakes her head and looks east. "I may never." With narrowed eyes, Aylin sighs and continues walking, drawing inward again to feel that life inside her stir, anxious. She wonders telling Malak of herself, her life, her reasons, her motives.. but then.. she wonders.. what would it lead to? Weakness? Perhaps.
If Malak continues speaking, it could very well upset her. Again, he is reluctant to do so. So, after a pause, he says, "This conversation is best left for another time, Aylin. Know only that I would never deny anyone who desires to help in out noble cause the right to do so. Not outright." The issue is discipline, the ability to follow the orders of the strongest member of the group, regardless of outside circumstances. She hasn't proven herself, yet, but should she do so... His attitude toward her /could/ change. After speaking, he finally spots the shelter formed by recently fallen trees that, during the time when the ice was falling, were caught against larger, older trees, forming a large V-shape that will allow Aylin to rest with her back protected by the trees, preventing anyone from sneaking up on her from behind.
Briefly, her eyes flit to one side, to view Malak through an untrustworthy mask before they slide forward, the stand of fallen trees coming into sight. Aylin continues forward, silent, investigating the makeshift den, scenting only brief traces of Malak and nothing else. It smells of earth and sap, broken trees and moss. Again she glances at Malak, tips her tail in his direction in a silent thank you, before easing herself on her haunches and rolling her backlegs to the side to give room to her belly. She grunts, and surveys their journey from the south. Azriel should find her easily here, though he will do so when Malak is not around. She refuses to mention her brother, knowing well his connection to Malak's mate, and instead gives this: "You have seen the lake?"
"Not yet." What is the point? "Has there been any change?" A full three, perfectly civil questions between the two of them? Well, it's a start to a time when Malak might not view her as an irritant. And though he hasn't forgotten the strange male, it /is/ possible that Aylin just didn't notice him about, that her movement was not inspired by him, so he doesn't pull away from the natural course of their conversation to bring it up.
Certainly, she will not jepordize her brother, though a fight between Azriel and Malak could prove highly entertaining.. but only if Azriel comes out victorious and unmaimed. This thought flits by her as she catches her breath, attention drifting north, ears cupping at the faint lapping of water. "I don't know," she returns, not having been back to the lake since yesterday's swimming adventure extravaganza. She assumes not, since Azriel found it in the same condition as she. If Malak only knew her connection to Azriel.. what would he then do? Aylin finds herself wondering this as her eyes land on the male yet again, staying put for some time, flashing deep purple and a violent blue before her stomach lurches and she has to settle herself, laying down.
Malak watches Aylin as she settles down. If he knew her thought process, if he knew all of the ways that they are now connected to one another... Well, luckily, he doesn't, and so, finally, he says, "Get some rest. I will stand guard." This close to an unknown cougar's territory, and with one of them having already gotten very close to her? He will not be leaving, except for to hunt, until after she gives birth and can handle herself, should she be confronted by a hostile male.
"There is..." she begins earnestly, though she faulters mid-sentence and shakes her head, "no need..." Aylin finishes, knowing full well that Malak will not listen to her. Were she not so near to giving birth to her cubs, she would confront the male head on and challenge his existence, his reasons, his purpose. As she is now, it would be suicide. She doesn't have the strength, anyway, for the life growing inside her seems to sap it all away as soon as it is charged to go. Hopefully, Azriel will not be a fool. Doubtful, but she can hope all the same. He won't come near while Malak is so close. Hopefully.
"Perhaps, but I'd rather not take that chance." Malak has taken plenty of risks, and even done plenty of foolish things, in his time, but most of the risks he takes are well-calculated ones, especially since leaving his father's territory. Finally, the male turns to devote his attention to the open area to the north, to watch for danger. Should Aylin fall asleep and he grow tired, he may refocus his efforts in a loose patrol of the immediate area, or else go on a hunting trip, but otherwise he will be here.