Post by Therdde on Apr 16, 2008 23:33:03 GMT -5
Note: This is a backdated scene to prepare for the next scene caused by the mouse incident. It takes place, probably, right between "This is MY cub." and "Unlikely Friends".
Characters:
Kein - Male Cougar Cub
Nayeli - Female Cougar Cub
- Pine Grove -
It has been a couple weeks since Kein was taken by that wolf and their family moved. He talked with his mother a while ago, and she said it wouldn't be too long until he could visit Nayeli again. It has been about a week since then, and Kein has been bored all day. Finally, he asked Kasim and Mom if one of them could take him to visit Nayeli and her family. He didn't expect high results, even though he has learned that they moved much closer to Nayeli's family. Because he expected to be told no, he was very surprised when his mom said it was okay and Kasim said he would take him there. Now, he is in the pine grove, sniffing around for Nayeli or one of her siblings, with Kasim not far behind him.
It isn't too terribly difficult to spot Nayeli--she's curled up along with her siblings in an afternoon nap. Well, /almost/ all of her siblings. Daddy took Yuma away on yet another trip, leaving Nayeli with the now-familiar feeling of slight resentment that always accompanies Daddy's large amount of attention devoted to the firstborn. So, after a half-hearted romp with her two sisters, Nayeli flopped down and fell asleep before too long. Not the most restful sleep she's ever had... not a nightmare either, but she stirs every once in a while and looks a bit uneasy.
It figures that Kein would visit while Nayeli and her siblings, or at least two or her three siblings, are sleeping. He frowns once he comes within sight of them. He's not, after all, supposed to bother sleeping cubs. He looks back to Kasim, once, trying to decide if he'll get in trouble for waking them up. Maybe if he only tries to wake Nayeli up a little bit, and leaves her alone after that, if she wants to sleep. Creeping forward quietly, he stops beside her and noses at her head, trying to stir her without waking the others or making anyone cranky.
Interesting. Nayeli jerks awake so suddenly it's almost as if she was expecting something unusual to happen. She was not in any sort of deep sleep, for sure. Blinking in surprise as she realizes that the boycub standing there is Kein, not Yuma, she rolls into a sitting position and tries to make sense of what's going on. That's definitely Kein, not Yuma, and that's... definitely not Chesmu heading off into the distance. /Another/ stranger? Did he come with Kein, or did he just happen to be passing through the area? "Hi..." she says softly. "Umm, why are you here?" Chesmu had told her that they wouldn't be seeing each other for a while now, at least until they were a bit older. Maybe he's changed his mind? That would be great!
Kein is glad Nayeli woke up so easily. As she speaks, he takes a step back, so he's not right on top of her. He doesn't notice Kasim wandering off, though, more focused on the friend he hasn't seen in what seems like FOREVER. His voice is as quiet as hers when he speaks, because he doesn't want to be blamed for waking her siblings. With a bright smile, he says, "My mom said I could visit you. It's probably just for a little bit, but..." At least he got to visit, right? Hopefully Kasim will get distracted, and they can play for a little while before he has to go back home.
As Kein doesn't mention the departing adult cougar, Nayeli dismisses it from her mind. Maybe something to bring to Daddy's attention later on, but it's apparently nothing important for the present moment. "I think I like your mom... she seems scary and nice all at the same time." There's this wonderful thing called 'tact' which hopefully will be learned over time. Nayeli seems to brighten up. "I'm glad you could come--what do you want to do?" Read: what amazing things have you learned how to do since the last time you were here?
Kein likes his mom too, though he has never seen her as scary, despite the times she has scared him. He knows she would never hurt him, at least. With a smile, he says, "Let's go find someplace to play, where we aren't gonna wake up your sisters, 'kay?" They won't have to go far, just somewhere where they won't be tripping over Chandani or Misae. He hasn't really learned anything so impressive as tracking that he could teach her, but there are always things he could tell her. Oh! He could teach her what wolves are. And lynxes and foxes, too.
Nayeli can't help but smile. There is no hint of hesitation or reluctance in Kein--not any question of whether or not they should get permission or notify an adult. And while there is a slight feeling of uneasiness at just wandering off, the young girl reminds herself that if Kein's mother said it was okay, then it should be okay with her mother too. Not to mention the fact that she's not really wandering off or anything! Just... changing locations. A little. Yeah. "Let's go, then!" Her whisper is definitely excited. If her sisters wake up, well... it happens. They'll fall back asleep again.
Kein has no intention of taking Nayeli too far away from her family. He doesn't want to get /her/ into trouble either, and he has learned how much easier it is to just ask permission. But anywhere that's within shouting distance is fair game, as far as the young male is concerned. Besides, they're doing it to be nice, so they don't wake up the other sleeping cubs, which is the same thing as being good, right? Curious, as he walks just a short distance off through the cackling pine needles, he asks, "Where's your brother?" Mom did say Nayeli has a brother, didn't she?
"Who cares?" The words are out before she realizes what exactly she's saying, and Nayeli immediately looks both shocked and embarrassed. "I'm... sorry," she finally murmurs, staring at the ground. "Yuma's out with Daddy right now on another one of their trips." Any former resentment that might have been in her voice has now definitely been replaced by meek quietness. She drops back a foot or so behind the male, knowing she probably just ruined any chance she had of him wanting to be her friend.
Kein flattens his ears against his head slightly and blinks at the young female's tone. He's surprised by it, and he's young enough that he doesn't understand the cause of it. If either of his siblings have ever felt such resentment towards him, he has never been witness to it, and he has never felt that way to his siblings, Mom, or Kasim. He can, however, tell that /something/ isn't right, and it probably has to do with her brother, or possibly her dad. Maybe she got in trouble and she wasn't allowed to go along, and that's why she's upset. It would certainly upset Kein. In his own light-hearted attempt to diffuse the situation, he stops walking when she drops back and turns to face her, smiling as he does. "I'm glad you didn't go with them. I already thought I was gonna have to just go back home, when I saw you sleepin'." He doesn't turn around to continue on his way. They're probably just far away enough from the other two cubs that they won't risk waking Nayeli's siblings, now.
The girl's ears flatten slightly as well, but it's with a smile of gratitude. "Thanks," she says, trying to inject some warmth back into her voice. Err.. what if he asks what she's thankful for? She really doesn't want to explain how she thought he might not want to be her friend anymore... adding embarrassment on top of embarrassment. Time for a quick topic change. "So.. umm... " Yeah. That worked well.
If Kein were to think about it, he might ask what for. Thanks is one of those polite, obligatory phrases, though. Please. Thank you. You're welcome. Nice to see you. Good day. The young cub hasn't really attached much significance to the phrases yet. They're just what animals say to fill up time, to be polite, and there is only one proper response to thanks or thank you, so he says it. "You're welcome." He might not be terribly sincere when he uses any of those phrases, but at least he's obviously going to allow the topic to be changed. He even proposes the start of another topic. "Y'know, me and my family live a lot closer now. It only took me a little bit to get here, this time." Kein, bearer of good news.
Closer? Nayeli looks delighted. "Hey, maybe you can come over more!" At least it /seems/ like a possibility. There's never any way to tell whether Daddy will approve such an idea, but never hurts to ask, right? "What's /your/ brother like?" she asks suddenly, struck with curiosity. Kein hasn't really said much about him and she wonders if he's at all like Yuma. /Her/ brother. If only he was like Kein...
Kein doesn't answer immediately, as he apparently has to think about it. He enjoys playing with his brother, and his sister, but he doesn't spend a whole lot of time actually talking to Pelutho, partly because Pel doesn't seem to talk much. "He's kinda quiet, but he usually likes to play. He's okay, I guess." The only reason Kein was more enthusiastic when he described Nayeli to his mother was because Nayeli is New. Kein spends time with Pelutho practically every day, though. What is there to get excited about?
The girl nods, trying to picture what Yuma would be like as 'kinda quiet' -- would Chesmu not show him as much attention then? Nayeli idly wonders how much attention Kein's mother shows him, seeing that he /is/ a firstborn as well. With a slight giggle, she poses an interesting question--at least, /she/ thinks it's interesting. "Can you imagine what it would be like being quiet and /not/ wanting to play at all? That would be so /boring/!" Is such a thing even possible? Maybe it's an inherent quality of all cougar cubs: whether quiet or not, they at least like to PLAY!
Kein can certainly agree with Nayeli on that point. He could probably do without talking or playing. If he had to choose, he would prefer playing. But to go without them both? That would be horrible. "I'm really glad I'm not like that. All you'd do is sleep all day if you didn't want to play or talk, and sleeping is boring." He casts a quick glance in the direction of Nayeli's sleeping sisters with a grin, then looks back to Nayeli. "Did you show any of them what I taught you about tracking?"
Nayeli shakes her head, looking slightly bashful. "I.. no.. I kinda wanted to keep it a secret. You know... like /our/ secret." So maybe it's a little selfish, but Nayeli doesn't let it bother her /that/ much. Surely her sisters have their own secrets; she certainly knows that /Yuma/ does! All that time spent off with Chesmu, and all the things that they surely do that he won't tell her about!
Kein grins at what she says. Like many young cubs, he is not above using whatever advantage he might have, even if it's an unfair advantage, in games. Responding to her, he says, "That's cool. It can be our secret." They'll learn it eventually, and, in the meantime, if one of them asks the same question Nayeli did, he'll avoid answering. Because a good friend wouldn't share a secret, right?
Her smile definitely gets bigger now that she has Kein's approval and confirmation of her idea. But anyway, on to the new and fun and exciting things! "What else did you learn?" she asks in an eager tone. How to fly like a bird? How to change colors? How to talk in a deep voice like Daddy? How to turn into a girl? How to grow smaller instead of the usual growing bigger? Surely Kein has something /really/ interesting to tell her about!
On the way over here, Kein had been trying to decide what he might say to his only friend who isn't a family member. It has to be something suitably impressive, and the only really impressive thing, the only thing that can even begin to compare to learning how to follow trails, that happened was that event with the wolf. Sitting where he is, he says, "I little bit ago, I ran into this huge monster called a wolf. It was almost as big as my mom, and his fur and mouth and tail and ears were all really weird." How he continues will depend on how interested Nayeli seems.
Her expression probably wouldn't be best described as 'interested' -- more like 'awestruck'. Her eyes are wide and her mouth opens as if to say "Wow..." but no sound actually comes out. Kein actually met a real /monster/? Actually 'ran into' it, as he put it? "What happened? Was it scary?" There's definitely interest there, though somewhat masked by the more obvious combination of amazement and fright. Imagine that--a real monster!
There were points when it, well, wasn't so much scary, but definitely concerning. Kein still has not yet learned the concept of mortality, not in any real sense, and until he does, not much will be scary. Still, when he thought his family might be hurt, he was worried. It's the only reason he wound up so far away from home. It only takes him a moment to decide how he wants to tell the story, after which he begins speaking. "I was just walkin' around my home and this big grey thing came up behind me. It tried to bite me, so I scratched him, and he backed up. He was too stupid to go away, though, so I led him on a /long/ chase to get him away from my family. After forever of running, your dad and Kasim came, and they helped me beat him up." Nevermind that, by that point in the chase, Kein was in the wolf's mouth and well on his way to becoming lunch, and Chesmu and Kasim didn't so much help. Rather, they did pretty much everything. Still, it was as a direct result of this that his mother stressed that words can have multiple meanings, and he doesn't exactly /lie/.
As she listens, there's no mistaking the look of awe on her face. Kein not only fought back against a huge monster, but had the brilliant idea of leading it away from his family and then helped Daddy and .. who? Kasim? Who's that? Either way, they defeated this monster! That's amazing! "He didn't even get to bite you? How big was its teeth? How many eyes did it have? Did it talk to you?" Questions, questions!
In a sense, the wolf /kind of/ bit him, but only in that the wolf carried Kein in his mouth. He didn't draw blood and it didn't hurt much, though it was kind of rough. That part can stay out of his story, though, as far as he's concerned. "It only had two eyes, like us, but it's mouth was really long, like it got stretched out or somethin'. His teeth weren't real big either, but he had about a million of them!" Okay, so maybe it was only forty some odd, not /too/ many more than cougars. "He talked a bunch, too. Talktalktalk. For a while I thought he was tryin' to talk me to death from boredom."
Nayeli stares at Kein in wide-eyed fascination. "The monster /talked/ to you? What did it say? Was it really mean sounding?" The very idea! What does a 'stretched-out' mouth look like, anyway? Nayeli is quite impressed that Kein's still alive, muchless having /beaten/ the monster!
"He kept threatening me and trying to get me to be scared. But when the chief and Kasim came, all he could do was whine and beg, tryin' to get outta trouble." Kein switches indiscriminately between refering to the wolf and it and as he. He knows not all wolves are bad. Mom wouldn't be friends with a bad wolf, which means there has to be at least one good one. Still, the one he encountered definitely wasn't good. Maybe not /really/ bad, since he did eventually learn his lesson and agree to help, but not /good/ either.
"He kept /trying/ to get you to be scared? You mean you weren't scared at all?" Her voice is almost to the point of incredulous. How could you /not/ be scared if a monster talked to you like that?! "So what happened to him? Did Daddy eat him up?" That would sound like the kind of thing Daddy would do--protect them all by eating all kinds of monsters!
Why be scared when you're confident that everything will be okay? In addition to the fact that he didn't perceive the encounter as horribly frightening, something about admitting being afraid is distasteful, even at his young age. Compromising, Kein says, "I was a /little bit/ worried, sometimes, but he wasn't as scary as he was /trying/ to be. Your dad didn't eat him, though. He just made him agree to do whatever he said." And, after that, all of the talking got to be too boring for Kein to follow, after the whole ordeal.
Wow. Nayeli hadn't really come to the point until now but she decides for sure that she wishes she could be like Kein in certain areas: bravery for one. "I think you might be even braver than Daddy when you get as big as him!" Surely /Kein/ would eat a monster instead of just talking to it! That sounds like a boring way of protecting his family, no?
Kein smiles brightly at what Nayeli says. Time will certainly tell, and the chieftain is pretty brave, from what Kein has witnessed. It makes him happy to get some admiration over the incident, anyway, after how everyone else reacted. So what if he had to change a few small details to get it? "Y'know, you're, like, the best friend /ever/, Nayeli." She may be his only true friend to this point, the only cougar his own age he knows who sin't family, but given that the majority of others he has spoken to, family or otherwise, sometimes seem to prefer focusing on the bad things he does, the praise for the same things, or at least one of the same things, is greatly welcome.
"Me?" Nayeli looks immensely delighted to be called such an honorable thing. "But... I'm not very brave or anything.. I probably would have been eaten if the monster had found me." But as long as it's long gone, she doesn't feel scared at all. /Especially/ not around Kein! "Oh--who's Kasim? You mentioned him but I don't know who that is." It doesn't surprise her that Kein knows all these strangers; whereas if /Chandani/ told her that she had met some stranger new creature and already knew its name... /that/ might surprise her a good deal. Chandani's not nearly as courageous as Kein, obviously.
Nayeli doesn't know who Kasim is? Oh yeah! The last time they saw each other, she asked him who his dad was, and he said he didn't have one. That's still true, but at least now, he almost has one. Kein glances in the direction he last saw Kasim, then looks back to Nayeli before speaking. "Kasim is kinda like my dad." Kein still doesn't know how that all works, and he's still not sure whether he should call Kasim "Dad," since he's only almost Dad. Hopefully all of that will be cleared up, in time.
Nayeli blinkblinks. "/Kinda/ like your dad?" she repeats, giggling. "What kind of a cougar is /that/? Don't you hafta have a dad to almost be like one?" Her tone turns curious. Even if Kein really doesn't have a dad... why doesn't he? Daddy seemed to imply that everybody has a dad... so why not Kein? It doesn't make sense.
Kein gives a slight shrug. He hasn't thought much about this in the past couple weeks, since they moved to the stone formations. After a brief moment, he offers his only working theory as to why Kasim is only almost his dad. "I think he has to be around for longer before he is really my dad. I never saw him 'til just a little bit ago." It kind of makes sense, at least a little bit.
"Oh, okay." That does make sense, and of course Kein would be able to figure something like that out. Nayeli is convinced now. Kasim will be Kein's dad soon; all he has to do is stick around longer! "How can we get him to stay around? Do think think it's safe to talk to him?" Hey, how's she supposed to know if he's scary like Kein's mom? Maybe that's why Kein wants him as a dad--he's a lot like his mom. Or was it his mom that wanted him as Kein's dad? Or.. wait. Who figures all this out, anyway? It's too complicated!
Kein hasn't thought about that either. He likes Kasim and wants Kasim to stick around, but he's not really worried about it. There isn't any hesitation before he explaines why he's not concerned, either. "Mom already said he can stay, and Kasim said he wants to stay, so I don't think we have to do anything. Just wait, 'sall. It's safe to talk to him, though, definitely. He's /really/ nice."
That's good news. Nayeli wonders if he's even nicer than Daddy. Maybe he'll pay more attention to Kein than Daddy does to her. The thought isn't very comforting, though she supposes she /should/ be happy for Kein. Well, and for his siblings too, though she primarily only thinks about Kein. "Do you know where he is now?" Almost the mention of wanting to meet him, but she's not quite sure she's brave enough for that just yet. Big strangers--even cougars--still give her a little concern, especially with the snatches of conversation of strangers like "Az-ree-uhl" and "Vel-ehh-far" and "La-vuh" before Daddy and Mommy realized that she was listening and quickly changed the subject to something else. Apparently new strangers can be dangerous!
Kein lifts his shoulders in another shrug before saying, "I don't know. He's the one who brought me here. He'll be back, but I don't know when." Hopefully it won't be /too/ much longer before he can come on his own, that way it will be up to him when he goes back home. Apparently, though, Nayeli doesn't have much choice in whether she meets Kasim, unles she goes and hides somewhere before he gets back.
The girl nods slowly, mulling over this information. She thinks she can remember what the other cougar with Kein from earlier looked like, but she's not sure if she'd recognize him again. She'll just have to make sure to stay close to Kein and let him do the talking (i.e. protecting) if someone does show up. "So.. what do you wanna do now?" If they're done talking about Kasim, then it's on to something else! No need to be bored, is there?
"Have you ever climbed any of these trees?" They're so close together, jumping from one to the other wouldn't be hard. Judging from the needles on the ground, they probably aren't too sharp, and many of the branches look like they could easily support a cougar cub. Kein hasn't climbed a tree since they moved to the stone formations, and climbing the stones just isn't the same. They can play up there, and it even has the benefit of enabling them to drag Kasim into playing by ambushing him, if they're still up there when he returns.
"/Climb/ a tree? We can't climb trees, silly!" Even Nayeli knows that! That's for squirrels and other food-creatures to do. Still, it probably would be fun to do if it /was/ possible. Jumping from one branch to another.. Kein can make the impossible sound plausible, wow. Surely he didn't talk to a squirrel and ask about it, did he?
Kein was scarcely talking when he climbed his first tree, and he seems somewhat surprised at Nayeli's response. Her home is surrounded by all these trees, and she has never climbed one of them?! With a playful grin, he asks, "What you wanna bet I can do it?" A small part of the fun in 'climbing' the stones came from the fact that it allowed him to surprise Pelutho. Now he can surprise Nayeli in a similar way, by doing something that's supposed to be impossible.
He looks so confident. Nayeli's almost half-way tempted to believe that he really can climb one... but he can't, right? That's impossible! But wait a second, what did Kein mean? "Bet? What's that?" An odd word she's never heard used before, especially in relation to climbing trees or doing other impossible feats.
How to explain the concept of betting... Hmmm. After a brief silence, he says, "Well, if you really think I can't, then you offer something, and if I can, then I get it, but if I can't, I hafta give you something." Truthfully, though, Kein doesn't want anything from Nayeli save the admiration she already gives him, so with a smile, he adds, "I was just kidding, though. I'm not gonna make you bet. I /am/ gonna climb a tree, though." That said, he begins walking to the trunk of the nearest one.
"But... what would I give you?" It's not like she owns anything, at least nothing tangible that she could give away. Her tail? Her ears? Not likely. Maybe some fur? But what would Kein do with her fur? This whole 'bet' thing doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well; Kein's not really focusing on it anyway. He's... walking to a tree. If it wasn't for the fact that Nayeli already knows Kein has done amazing things--like fight off a monster!--she would most likely be laughing at his bravado... except that she knows that if anyone can climb a tree, it's Kein.
There is some hint of showmanship about Kein. He's not actually /trying/ to show off, but knowing that this is very possibly despite what Nayeli insists, he can't help but don that attitude slightly. He doesn't make a /huge/ production of it. He climbs the tree as efficiently as he can, and he stops on the lowest branch capable of supporting his weight, but he is grinning when, a couple minutes after he walked towards the tree, he looks back down at Nayeli.
He did it! He really did it! Nayeli's so impressed and amazed that she doesn't say anything at first, simply content to stand there staring back up at Kein with an amazed smile on her face. No /way/ did he just /climb/ a /tree/! But.. he did! He's standing up there on a branch! Should she even bother asking him how he accomplished such an amazing feat? Would he even tell her? The thought crosses her mind that maybe she shouldn't ask or do anything that might make him feel like she's bugging him. But... asking how to climb a tree wouldn't be that, would it?
Kein, at least, doesn't do much bragging, beyond saying, "Told ya I could!" Almost immediately, he adds, "You can too, I bet. It's not that hard. Just dig your claws into the tree, and then pretend like you're just walking." He asked if she ever climbed these trees because he wanted to play /with/ her. That won't be much fun if she stays on the ground, though he supposes he /could/ knock stuff down and she could try to catch it. The could be a game. Still, he'd prefer she join him.
Nayeli blinkblinks, trying to imagine such a bizarre concept. Clawing a tree and pretending to walk on it? But... it goes up! How can you walk up? Maybe it's like flying? The young girl pads over to the tree and pokes at it gingerly with a claw, then slashes at it enthusiastically, ripping off pieces of bark. "Like this?" But how does the walking part play into it?
Kein shakes his head, hopping down almost-gracefully from the branch. "It's kinda different than just scratching it. You gotta use your claws to hold you up. Like this." He walks to the tree, right next to her, then raises on his hindlegs to place his forelegs on the tree, after which he digs his claws as deep as he can into the bark.
Female claws bury themselves into the tree next to the male claws, as Nayeli does her best to imitate her friend's demonstration. "You try to get your claws stuck, then?" She's not sure how that would help, but it seems to be what Kein's doing.
Kein nods eagerly. "Yeah, kinda. Then you just pull yourself up." He lifts his hindlegs from the ground and plants them on the tree, digging those claws in, before carefully removing his right forepaw to place it a little higher on the tree. He moves slowly, trying to teach her by example rather than just explaining it.
He makes it look so easy! Nayeli tries to pull herself up, but it's a strange and almost terrifying sense of vertigo. "I.. I can't do this!" She doesn't dare lift herself off the ground! She'll fall! She just can't do this! "Kein! Why.. why isn't it working?" She slumps a little on her hind legs, still leaving her foreclaws embedded in the trunk of the tree.
Kein drops to the ground again, much less gracefully this time. He tries to hide a frown, because he doesn't want her to think he's upset with her. In reality, he's upset with his inability to teach anything. He remembers that it took her /forever/ to understand tracking, with how he explained it. This should have been easier to teach. "Maybe I can get my mom to teach you. She taught me. I'm just not good at teaching, I guess."
Nayeli looks stricken. "Kein, no! It's all my fault... I'm just not smart and don't learn very fast and probably couldn't do it anyways and..." She's stumbling all over her words in an attempt to keep Kein from getting upset. "Please don't get mad?" That would be the worst possible thing that could happen right now, in Nayeli's opinion.
"Why would I get mad?" He seems genuinely puzzled by this, and most of what she says, despite how upset he is with what he's convinced is /his/ shortcoming. He continues to try to hide that, somewhat more successfully, now, given his confusion. "You are so smart. Watch, one day I'll come with my mom and she'll teach you easily. I promise." Hopefully. And Kein will be watching Mom closely, trying to learn what she does to make things so easy to learn. He might be upset, but he has no intention of giving up trying to learn how to teach others how to do things.
Whoa. /Nayeli/ is 'so smart'? Not at all! Kein doesn't seem to understand that teachers are supposed to get mad when you can't do what they're saying! At least, that's what... nevermind. Kein is /Kein/, and not /him/, so Nayeli won't make any comparisons there. "Your mom must know a whole ton of stuff!" Nayeli can't hide the note of admiration in her voice. "She's smart /and/ scary!" What a mom! If Kein is smart like his mom, why isn't Pelutho scary like his mom?
Kein would agree that his mother knows a lot. Almost everything. Of course, he figures that pretty much all adults know almost everything, though. With a smile, Kein says, "She's the smartest animal ever. You'll see, the next time you meet her." Whether here or at his home. If she was impressed by him getting to a low branch on a tree, just wait until she sees him on top of some of the really big stones! "Maybe your mom or dad will let you come see where I live, next." There aren't any trees nearby, but he's sure his mom would take them for a short trip to help teach Nayeli.
Nayeli wouldn't doubt that Kein's mom is not only the smartest cougar ever but probably the scariest! At least it seems like a not-mean scary. Not a /friendly/ scary, but not quite the kind of scary that Nayeli is terrified of. That means it's not really a true scary, though... doesn't it? Maybe it's more of a scary if she were to make her mad. Yeah. That must be it. It's scary waiting to happen. "I dunno if they'll let me come visit... Daddy doesn't really let me do a whole lot. Nothing like what he lets Yuma do, anyway." Her demeanor turns glum--almost dejected--but she turns away so as not to let Kein see. "Maybe one day a long time from now..."
Kein doesn't bother trying to hide his frown this time. Shortly after he returned to the stone formations, he was prepared to wait a long time until he saw Nayeli again, as long as his position within his immediate family was secure. Now that he has seen her again, though, he doesn't want to have to wait a long time until the next time he gets to play with her. "But... My mom said her and your dad were planning things, to have all of us play together... Or maybe your mom would bring you to come visit... I don't want it to be a long time from now." He can't get /everything/ he wants, sure, but... Every time he sees Nayeli, he winds up being told, in some way, that it will be a long time before he can again. How are they supposed to be friends if they never see each other?
Nayeli turns around to face Kein again, but this time with a genuine smile. "I don't want it to be a long time either. I like doing stuff with you, y'know. I mean... it's fun playing around with Misae and Chandani and all that, but... it's different playing with a friend." She stops for a moment, looking somewhat perplexed. "I don't know why, but... it is." Her ears lay back slightly. "I'll try to see if Mommy can bring me over sometime soon, but I don't think Daddy will like that."
What Nayeli says doesn't fit what Kein knows about the chieftain. Chesmu doesn't hate him. At least, kein doesn't /think/ he does. Why wouldn't he like it if Nayeli wanted to visit? "I like playing with you more than Pel and Ruut'h, too. I'll... Well, I'll ask my mom if she can talk to the chief." He knows they're planning something, but maybe if he asks, they'll do it sooner rather than later. It's an idea, anyway.
"Why do you like playing with me more than Pel and Ruut'h?" She's curious and interested at the same time. From what she's heard, Pel is pretty quiet so he probably is boring to play with, but what about Ruut'h? She's another girl, and older than Nayeli. Is she quiet too? Hmm.
For the third time today, Kein gives a shrug. "I dunno. You're just funner. Besides, I could play with then anytime I wanted." He can't do that with Nayeli, though. Only when their parents allow themselves near one another, which makes those few times just that much more fun, since they're rare.
Funner? Her? She can't even track or climb trees! How is that funner? Maybe he's just trying to make her feel better. Either way, she's grateful. "Thanks," she says softly. "I hope your mom can talk to Daddy soon.. I want to come over and visit and not have to wait a long time first!"
Not yet, she can't. But in addition to the fact that playing with her is rare, he gets to /try/ to teach her some things. Everything about his freidnship with her is new and exciting. "I'll ask her soon as I can, okay?" Should he tell her what his home is like? If not for the fact that he was /so/ tired and concerned his first time amongst the formations, he might have been more wowed by them immediately. She should be amazed by them, but he probably won't be there to see if she is. Still, he probably shouldn't spoil them by telling her about it.
"Okay!" She's back to her normal cheerful self. "When will you be going back, anyway? Did your mom say you could stay here as long as you wanted?" Now /that/ would be pretty awesome! Oh, for the day when she'll be able to travel around the Amaranth lands whenever she wants, and not have to wait for Daddy to give permission!
Kein shakes his head at her question. "Not as long as I want. I get to stay here 'til Kasim comes back, though, 'cause I can't go anywhere alone anymore." He just doesn't know how long it will be until Kasim returns, or even where Kasim went. On the other hand... If Nayeli is with him, he's not alone if he goes walking somewhere, right?
The girl nods in acknowledgment. Speaking of Kasim, where /did/ he go? To speak with Daddy, maybe? It might be a while before he can find him, hmm. "How long will Kasim take to come back? Is he going to try and find Daddy?" Maybe to talk to him about being Kein's dad for real, if he can stay close enough and long enough. Hmm. Nayeli mulls over this possibility.
Kein tries to remember if Kasim talked about going anywhere while they were on their way here. He can't really remember, but then, he wasn't exactly being attantive on the way here. "I dunno. Maybe. D'you think you know where your dad went?" It didn't take Kein long to latch onto the idea that travelling with Nayeli is good enough to be considered not travelling alone, even though she's no more an adult than he is. Since they can't climb trees, maybe trying to find Kasim or Chesmu will provide some entertainment.
Sudden tears spring to Nayeli's eyes, and she swats angrily at a pine cone. "I don't /know/! He always just leaves with Yuma and never lets me go!" Sniffling, the girlcub wipes a paw at her eyes, trying to get rid of the embarrassing tears. She does /not/ want to be seen crying in front of /Kein/ of all cougars! Angry with herself for getting upset so easily, she bats again at the pine cone, sending the poor object skittering away.
Earlier, Kein assumed that Nayeli didn't get to go because she was in trouble or something. Now... Kein frowns. He didn't mean to make her sad or angry or whatever she is. He's not familiar with favoritism, either. Sure, he and his siblings get treated differently, but only because they act differently. Uncertain, he says, "I'm sorry." It's almost an automatic response to her tone, nothing more. "Y'know... I bet I could find out where they went... If you wanted to go..." Anything to make her feel better, because that's what friends are supposed to do, right?
"I guess so.." is the girl's response, though sounding quite a bit less than enthusiastic. Maybe they could find Kasim, but why bother trying to track down Daddy and Yuma? She'd probably only get scolded for trying to do whatever it is that they're doing without her. No... not a good idea. But suddenly, she perks up. Brilliant! "What if we tried going back to /your/ home? We could even race Kasim there!"
That's... not a horrible idea. They could almost definitely beat Kasim, and he /does/ want her to visit. But... "I thought you were gonna ask your mom or the chief first... I don't wanna get you into trouble." Kein doesn't sound horribly reluctant. Almost immediately, he adds, "Is your mom nearby? Maybe you could ask her real quick."
Yep! Wait right here! Nayeli gives a happy nod and dashes off without actually saying anything. It's not more than just a few minutes later that she comes back, looking even more excited. "Yesyesshesaidyes!" Her rushed and breathless affirmative is yelled even before she's close. Nearly bouncing, she smiles widely. "Let's go!" Oh, wait. "I mean... are you ready to go?" That's better. More polite and all those other words that Mommy says are so important for young ladies. Yeah.
Today is apparently the day for parents to say yes. After waiting, a little impatiently, for Nayeli to return, he hops slightly when he hears her hurried response. Now, maybe Nayeli can meet Pel and Ruut'h and mom without all of the trouble of the last time. He has already begun turning to head back northward, towards home, when she asks him if he's ready. "Yeah. Let's hurry, so we can beat Kasim." When he begins walking, his pace is slightly faster than normal, though he's not exactly running.
All it takes is the first motion from Kein for Nayeli to immediately leap into motion, bounding off toward... wait! /She/ isn't leading here, obviously! Looking a bit sheepish, she slows to a walk, waiting for Kein to catch up. "I'm sure we can beat him, right? You're good with tracking so you should be able to find the way back easy!"
Kein grins at Nayeli's enthusiasm. That's one more reason why she's more fun than Pelutho. Pel never wants to go anywhere. He nods at what she says and answer, "And we got a head start, and it isn't very far." It might not even take much tracking. Unlike getting from the cave to the pine grove, getting from the stones to the pine grove seemed to be a lot easier, mostly straight. He does, however, do a little bit of sniffing around, to make sure he's on the correct straight path.
Waiting until Kein isn't watching, Nayeli throws a quick (and somewhat guilty) look back over her shoulder just to make sure that Daddy isn't storming after them. Mommy /sort/ of said yes... she really did! It was /close/ enough to yes, anyway! "Wait a minute... are you /sure/ we're going the right way?" She doesn't want to sound like she doubts Kein's leadership and direction, but... she's /pretty/ sure that this goes in a different direction from where Kein came from last time!
Kein only looks back to Nayeli when she speaks up. He stops walking, sniffing around with his head lowered a bit, before looking back at her. "I'm pretty sure. Why?" He's really not sure why she would have asked, unless she doesn't smell what he does. He did, after all, tell her that they moved. Granted, he never said where they moved to, but...
"I just thought that... well... your home was in.. not /that/ direction." She's pretty sure she's wrong, though. Of course Kein would know where to go... he's Kein, after all! He can climb trees and scare away big monsters. What's the simple matter of finding his way home? And once again, there's the warm feeling of knowing that despite her obvious ineptness in something like climbing trees or tracking, he's /still/ willing to be her friend and take her places where even Daddy hasn't bothered to show her.
It wasn't? But, wait... She hasn't been to the stone formations before, has she? If she has, then he shouldn't have been worried about spoiling the surprise of seeing them for her... "When did you go to my home?" He doesn't realize how they've gotten confused, and he's kind of curious. Why didn't she say hi to him if she was there? Maybe she didn't see him. Maybe it was one of the times when he fell asleep on top of the rocks. Which also means maybe he shouldn't sleep up there anymore.
Now she's /really/ baffled. "I haven't ever been to your home! That's why I'm so excited to see it!" Why would Kein think that she's been there before? She thought she had made it pretty evident that Daddy had kept her close to home; exploring around really hadn't been an option.
But... If she'd never been there... How could she think it's in a different direction at all? Kein turns to stare at Nayeli, confused. Usually, he can find some explanation that makes sense, but now... "Then... If you've never been there... You don't know where it is. Why do you think this is the wrong way?" There has to be a reason, right? If there was no reason at all... Then /why/ would she think it?
She's really done something stupid now. Looking completely abashed and even timid, Nayeli glances toward the southeast. "Be..because you left in that direction last time..." But surely that didn't lead to his home, right? They took a roundabout way to explore during the trip? Nayeli's ears flatten as the girl feels /slightly/ embarrassed. Okay! So she doesn't have Kein's sense of direction and tracking and all that! It was just a simple question to make sure they were going the right way, is all...
Last time? Last time was a long time ago, but... No, he didn't take this way last time, because... "Last time we went to the cave. Remember I said we don't live there anymore?" Kein can very seldom let anything drop if he doesn't understand it. Now he just figures she forgot. He has forgotten plenty of things during his short life, often conveniently, when he didn't /want/ to remember them. If that's all this is, then... Hey, problem solved. He didn't intend to embarrass her, and as the confusion fades, he can tell she's a little embarrassed. With a smile, he says, "C'mon. If we just go straight, we'll get to my new home. We can race each other just like we're racing Kasim." It will get them there faster, and be fun, besides.
Little embarrassment turns to greater embarrassment. She /did/ forget. She forgot something /that/ simple, and looked really stupid! To cover her shame, she simply nods in agreement with Kein's idea, and dashes off. Hopefully in the sudden commotion of racing Kein won't notice the tear working its way down her muzzlefur, or the sniffle of emotions barely being kept in check. Why must she be so weak? Maybe Daddy does have good reasons for not wanting her to do anything important like Yuma does with him.
If Kein knew what Neyeli was thinking, he'd be quick to reassure her. The last thing he wants is to do anything to embarrass her, because having a friend means as much to him as it does to her. Especially a friend who is more outgoing, more willing to have fun, than his own siblings. His attention is on the race, though. He is not mature enough to throw a race and not yet old enough that there is a significant different between himself and Nayeli, which means he actually has to work to catch up, once she darts off.
Embarrassment turns to anger at herself. She /must/ be stronger! Or in this case faster! Throwing every bit of energy and motivation she possesses into running, Nayeli finds the challenge something she /can/ handle! She doesn't dare look behind to see how close Kein is--she's focused entirely on winning this race for the single and sole purpose of demonstrating that she's not a weak friend! However, it slowly dawns on her that she doesn't know where the race /ends/. What does Kein's home look like? Where is it? He said straight... but how far?
- Stone Formations -
Kein might not be mature enough to deliberately lose, and he might be a hair larger, but he doesn't have the motivation fueled by anger than Nayeli has. Wow! He hadn't realized how fast the female cub is! With him attempting to keep up with the pace she sets--overcoming her may well be impossible--it doesn't take long for the large stones to become visible in the near distance, as soon as the trees begin to thin out as they leave the grove.
But she's running out of energy, as long distance /anything/ has never been a part of the girl's life before, except for in dreams. Now she slows down, panting, and doing her best to will herself onward... faster! Must win! Must keep going! But... she can't! Lungs are screaming for air and muscles are aching from a previously unknown kind of stress. Nayeli is so focused on continuing forward that she doesn't even take the time to admire the scenery coming into view--towering rock columns are not something she sees on a regular basis. But suddenly she stumbles and collapses into a tumbling heap on the ground. coming to rest in a tangled bundle of oversized paws and ruffled fur. That's it. She loses.
Kein passes Nayeli easily when she stumbles. The last time he fell while running was against that wolf, and that was a while ago. He's a little more used to running long distances than she is. He stops very shortly after passing her, though, and turns to trot back, breathing heavily. He appears amused, and of course, pleased that he may as well have won,. even if he didn't technically get close enough to home to have won yet, but he has no mind to make fun of her falling. Running is not an easy thing. The only thing he says, as he comes closer, is, "Are you okay?"
'Are you okay'? ...! Not 'I win!' or 'You just aren't good enough!' or 'Told you I'd beat you!' or ... Two wide eyes peer up from the bundle of fur at Kein, bewildered. Is he trying to /help/ her? Rolling out into a more recognizable girlcub form, stretched along the ground, Nayeli stares at the other cougar cub. "Why didn't you keep on going so you could win?" Maybe Kein isn't quite the amazing winner that Nayeli thought he was... because he would have kept going and won, right?
Not the response that Kein expected. The male cub blinks and says, "I wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt. If you really want, though, I can go win right now..." But why bother when that outcome is inevitable? Kein's tone suggests he's just joking. He doesn't intend to just leave Nayeli behind before making sure she's all right.
Nayeli blinkblinks, still somewhat taken aback. It's not something she can put a claw on... but something about Kein coming back instead of continuing on just doesn't seem right. No.. it's not that it doesn't seem /right/.. it just doesn't seem... /expected/. Yeah. Expected. Nayeli had expected him to keep going.. to /win/! But.. he said he wanted to make sure she hadn't been hurt. That just seemed to contradict what she thought of.. Kein being so brave and smart and all that.
There's a big difference between being brave, smart, and a winner and being just plain mean. He has no problem with taking advantage of certain circumstances, but there's also no point in winning if there isn't a lick on competition. Kein keeps his eyes on Nayeli as she blinks, not sure what to make of her confusion and silence. Taking one more step closer to her, he asks, "/Are/ you okay?"
"I'm... fine." Nayeli seems to cower down a little. "Maybe you should go ahead and win." Ears flatten a little as she looks down at her paws. "Go ahead... you need to win."
Kein frowns slightly at Nayeli's cowering. What did he do wrong? He takes a step back away from her, confused. He can go win, sure, but... "You aren't gonna go home, are you? You're still gonna come visit my home once you get up, right?" If not, he should at least escort her back, after he 'wins'. She'll be in trouble if he leaves her alone, he knows it. And he'll probably be in trouble too, since this is all undoubtedly his fault.
Nayeli shakes her head vigorously at the first question, and then nods vigorously at the second. "Of course I'm going to come see your home... but you need to win first." Sniffle. No, not another sniffle! "Please?" She looks almost frantic. "You have to win!" Why does he have to be so stubborn! Just.. go! Run! /Win/! It isn't that difficult to understand, is it?
Kein is still confused, but he does turn around to continue to the stone formations. She thinks he has to still be racing, so his pace is slightly faster than normal, but his confusion and worry prevents his heart from being in it. He doesn't see how it's still racing if she's just going to stay there, but she seems adamant about him finishing, so...
The girl doesn't understand what it is about the idea of Kein not winning or not doing something amazing that bothers her so much. Maybe it's the fact that she expects so much of him now, the fact that because she's used to him amazing her with something new or impressing her by some feat... that if he does less than that he is no longer the Kein that she knows? Such thoughts are too confusing and... could it be... /scary/? She doesn't like the idea of Kein being anything different than who she knows him to be. And so as Kein takes off again, Nayeli gets to her paws and begins trotting after him, feeling slightly better. There's still the weird feeling of tangled emotions and feelings that she can't identify or classify, but at least things are starting to go in a more comfortable direction. Did she honestly think she would beat Kein? Not at all. But the thought of Kein /intentionally/ not winning... that was just too much.
Kein doesn't turn around again until he reaches the nearest of the stone formations. When he does, he's relieved to see Nayeli not far behind him. Finally, she gets to visit when he's /not/ in trouble. He smiles at her, though he does look to see if she's limping or anything, anything that could explain why she was so upset moments ago. Or maybe she was just embarrassed, and wanted Kein to go away so she could deal with her embarrassment by herself for a little bit?
There's no limp or other sign of injury--in fact, it's really impossible to tell that Nayeli had even fallen down in the first place... except for maybe her fur being slightly ruffled. But interestingly enough, as Nayeli catches up to her friend, there's no mention at all of the race or of Kein winning. Instead, the girl's gaze moves from Kein to the amazing stone formations in the area, eyes widening as she takes in the visual wonder. "/This/ is where you live now? It's beautiful!" Those rocks are /huge/!
At least him 'winning' appears to have made everything all right again. With a smile, he nods. "Yep. I'm gonna go tell Mom that I'm back. You can look around or come with me." Kein begins walking through the area, looking for his mother or one of his siblings. With how rarely he gets to leave in the first place, he always makes sure to let Mom know as soon as he gets back, so maybe she won't worry as much and he'll get to leave more often.
Characters:
Kein - Male Cougar Cub
Nayeli - Female Cougar Cub
- Pine Grove -
It has been a couple weeks since Kein was taken by that wolf and their family moved. He talked with his mother a while ago, and she said it wouldn't be too long until he could visit Nayeli again. It has been about a week since then, and Kein has been bored all day. Finally, he asked Kasim and Mom if one of them could take him to visit Nayeli and her family. He didn't expect high results, even though he has learned that they moved much closer to Nayeli's family. Because he expected to be told no, he was very surprised when his mom said it was okay and Kasim said he would take him there. Now, he is in the pine grove, sniffing around for Nayeli or one of her siblings, with Kasim not far behind him.
It isn't too terribly difficult to spot Nayeli--she's curled up along with her siblings in an afternoon nap. Well, /almost/ all of her siblings. Daddy took Yuma away on yet another trip, leaving Nayeli with the now-familiar feeling of slight resentment that always accompanies Daddy's large amount of attention devoted to the firstborn. So, after a half-hearted romp with her two sisters, Nayeli flopped down and fell asleep before too long. Not the most restful sleep she's ever had... not a nightmare either, but she stirs every once in a while and looks a bit uneasy.
It figures that Kein would visit while Nayeli and her siblings, or at least two or her three siblings, are sleeping. He frowns once he comes within sight of them. He's not, after all, supposed to bother sleeping cubs. He looks back to Kasim, once, trying to decide if he'll get in trouble for waking them up. Maybe if he only tries to wake Nayeli up a little bit, and leaves her alone after that, if she wants to sleep. Creeping forward quietly, he stops beside her and noses at her head, trying to stir her without waking the others or making anyone cranky.
Interesting. Nayeli jerks awake so suddenly it's almost as if she was expecting something unusual to happen. She was not in any sort of deep sleep, for sure. Blinking in surprise as she realizes that the boycub standing there is Kein, not Yuma, she rolls into a sitting position and tries to make sense of what's going on. That's definitely Kein, not Yuma, and that's... definitely not Chesmu heading off into the distance. /Another/ stranger? Did he come with Kein, or did he just happen to be passing through the area? "Hi..." she says softly. "Umm, why are you here?" Chesmu had told her that they wouldn't be seeing each other for a while now, at least until they were a bit older. Maybe he's changed his mind? That would be great!
Kein is glad Nayeli woke up so easily. As she speaks, he takes a step back, so he's not right on top of her. He doesn't notice Kasim wandering off, though, more focused on the friend he hasn't seen in what seems like FOREVER. His voice is as quiet as hers when he speaks, because he doesn't want to be blamed for waking her siblings. With a bright smile, he says, "My mom said I could visit you. It's probably just for a little bit, but..." At least he got to visit, right? Hopefully Kasim will get distracted, and they can play for a little while before he has to go back home.
As Kein doesn't mention the departing adult cougar, Nayeli dismisses it from her mind. Maybe something to bring to Daddy's attention later on, but it's apparently nothing important for the present moment. "I think I like your mom... she seems scary and nice all at the same time." There's this wonderful thing called 'tact' which hopefully will be learned over time. Nayeli seems to brighten up. "I'm glad you could come--what do you want to do?" Read: what amazing things have you learned how to do since the last time you were here?
Kein likes his mom too, though he has never seen her as scary, despite the times she has scared him. He knows she would never hurt him, at least. With a smile, he says, "Let's go find someplace to play, where we aren't gonna wake up your sisters, 'kay?" They won't have to go far, just somewhere where they won't be tripping over Chandani or Misae. He hasn't really learned anything so impressive as tracking that he could teach her, but there are always things he could tell her. Oh! He could teach her what wolves are. And lynxes and foxes, too.
Nayeli can't help but smile. There is no hint of hesitation or reluctance in Kein--not any question of whether or not they should get permission or notify an adult. And while there is a slight feeling of uneasiness at just wandering off, the young girl reminds herself that if Kein's mother said it was okay, then it should be okay with her mother too. Not to mention the fact that she's not really wandering off or anything! Just... changing locations. A little. Yeah. "Let's go, then!" Her whisper is definitely excited. If her sisters wake up, well... it happens. They'll fall back asleep again.
Kein has no intention of taking Nayeli too far away from her family. He doesn't want to get /her/ into trouble either, and he has learned how much easier it is to just ask permission. But anywhere that's within shouting distance is fair game, as far as the young male is concerned. Besides, they're doing it to be nice, so they don't wake up the other sleeping cubs, which is the same thing as being good, right? Curious, as he walks just a short distance off through the cackling pine needles, he asks, "Where's your brother?" Mom did say Nayeli has a brother, didn't she?
"Who cares?" The words are out before she realizes what exactly she's saying, and Nayeli immediately looks both shocked and embarrassed. "I'm... sorry," she finally murmurs, staring at the ground. "Yuma's out with Daddy right now on another one of their trips." Any former resentment that might have been in her voice has now definitely been replaced by meek quietness. She drops back a foot or so behind the male, knowing she probably just ruined any chance she had of him wanting to be her friend.
Kein flattens his ears against his head slightly and blinks at the young female's tone. He's surprised by it, and he's young enough that he doesn't understand the cause of it. If either of his siblings have ever felt such resentment towards him, he has never been witness to it, and he has never felt that way to his siblings, Mom, or Kasim. He can, however, tell that /something/ isn't right, and it probably has to do with her brother, or possibly her dad. Maybe she got in trouble and she wasn't allowed to go along, and that's why she's upset. It would certainly upset Kein. In his own light-hearted attempt to diffuse the situation, he stops walking when she drops back and turns to face her, smiling as he does. "I'm glad you didn't go with them. I already thought I was gonna have to just go back home, when I saw you sleepin'." He doesn't turn around to continue on his way. They're probably just far away enough from the other two cubs that they won't risk waking Nayeli's siblings, now.
The girl's ears flatten slightly as well, but it's with a smile of gratitude. "Thanks," she says, trying to inject some warmth back into her voice. Err.. what if he asks what she's thankful for? She really doesn't want to explain how she thought he might not want to be her friend anymore... adding embarrassment on top of embarrassment. Time for a quick topic change. "So.. umm... " Yeah. That worked well.
If Kein were to think about it, he might ask what for. Thanks is one of those polite, obligatory phrases, though. Please. Thank you. You're welcome. Nice to see you. Good day. The young cub hasn't really attached much significance to the phrases yet. They're just what animals say to fill up time, to be polite, and there is only one proper response to thanks or thank you, so he says it. "You're welcome." He might not be terribly sincere when he uses any of those phrases, but at least he's obviously going to allow the topic to be changed. He even proposes the start of another topic. "Y'know, me and my family live a lot closer now. It only took me a little bit to get here, this time." Kein, bearer of good news.
Closer? Nayeli looks delighted. "Hey, maybe you can come over more!" At least it /seems/ like a possibility. There's never any way to tell whether Daddy will approve such an idea, but never hurts to ask, right? "What's /your/ brother like?" she asks suddenly, struck with curiosity. Kein hasn't really said much about him and she wonders if he's at all like Yuma. /Her/ brother. If only he was like Kein...
Kein doesn't answer immediately, as he apparently has to think about it. He enjoys playing with his brother, and his sister, but he doesn't spend a whole lot of time actually talking to Pelutho, partly because Pel doesn't seem to talk much. "He's kinda quiet, but he usually likes to play. He's okay, I guess." The only reason Kein was more enthusiastic when he described Nayeli to his mother was because Nayeli is New. Kein spends time with Pelutho practically every day, though. What is there to get excited about?
The girl nods, trying to picture what Yuma would be like as 'kinda quiet' -- would Chesmu not show him as much attention then? Nayeli idly wonders how much attention Kein's mother shows him, seeing that he /is/ a firstborn as well. With a slight giggle, she poses an interesting question--at least, /she/ thinks it's interesting. "Can you imagine what it would be like being quiet and /not/ wanting to play at all? That would be so /boring/!" Is such a thing even possible? Maybe it's an inherent quality of all cougar cubs: whether quiet or not, they at least like to PLAY!
Kein can certainly agree with Nayeli on that point. He could probably do without talking or playing. If he had to choose, he would prefer playing. But to go without them both? That would be horrible. "I'm really glad I'm not like that. All you'd do is sleep all day if you didn't want to play or talk, and sleeping is boring." He casts a quick glance in the direction of Nayeli's sleeping sisters with a grin, then looks back to Nayeli. "Did you show any of them what I taught you about tracking?"
Nayeli shakes her head, looking slightly bashful. "I.. no.. I kinda wanted to keep it a secret. You know... like /our/ secret." So maybe it's a little selfish, but Nayeli doesn't let it bother her /that/ much. Surely her sisters have their own secrets; she certainly knows that /Yuma/ does! All that time spent off with Chesmu, and all the things that they surely do that he won't tell her about!
Kein grins at what she says. Like many young cubs, he is not above using whatever advantage he might have, even if it's an unfair advantage, in games. Responding to her, he says, "That's cool. It can be our secret." They'll learn it eventually, and, in the meantime, if one of them asks the same question Nayeli did, he'll avoid answering. Because a good friend wouldn't share a secret, right?
Her smile definitely gets bigger now that she has Kein's approval and confirmation of her idea. But anyway, on to the new and fun and exciting things! "What else did you learn?" she asks in an eager tone. How to fly like a bird? How to change colors? How to talk in a deep voice like Daddy? How to turn into a girl? How to grow smaller instead of the usual growing bigger? Surely Kein has something /really/ interesting to tell her about!
On the way over here, Kein had been trying to decide what he might say to his only friend who isn't a family member. It has to be something suitably impressive, and the only really impressive thing, the only thing that can even begin to compare to learning how to follow trails, that happened was that event with the wolf. Sitting where he is, he says, "I little bit ago, I ran into this huge monster called a wolf. It was almost as big as my mom, and his fur and mouth and tail and ears were all really weird." How he continues will depend on how interested Nayeli seems.
Her expression probably wouldn't be best described as 'interested' -- more like 'awestruck'. Her eyes are wide and her mouth opens as if to say "Wow..." but no sound actually comes out. Kein actually met a real /monster/? Actually 'ran into' it, as he put it? "What happened? Was it scary?" There's definitely interest there, though somewhat masked by the more obvious combination of amazement and fright. Imagine that--a real monster!
There were points when it, well, wasn't so much scary, but definitely concerning. Kein still has not yet learned the concept of mortality, not in any real sense, and until he does, not much will be scary. Still, when he thought his family might be hurt, he was worried. It's the only reason he wound up so far away from home. It only takes him a moment to decide how he wants to tell the story, after which he begins speaking. "I was just walkin' around my home and this big grey thing came up behind me. It tried to bite me, so I scratched him, and he backed up. He was too stupid to go away, though, so I led him on a /long/ chase to get him away from my family. After forever of running, your dad and Kasim came, and they helped me beat him up." Nevermind that, by that point in the chase, Kein was in the wolf's mouth and well on his way to becoming lunch, and Chesmu and Kasim didn't so much help. Rather, they did pretty much everything. Still, it was as a direct result of this that his mother stressed that words can have multiple meanings, and he doesn't exactly /lie/.
As she listens, there's no mistaking the look of awe on her face. Kein not only fought back against a huge monster, but had the brilliant idea of leading it away from his family and then helped Daddy and .. who? Kasim? Who's that? Either way, they defeated this monster! That's amazing! "He didn't even get to bite you? How big was its teeth? How many eyes did it have? Did it talk to you?" Questions, questions!
In a sense, the wolf /kind of/ bit him, but only in that the wolf carried Kein in his mouth. He didn't draw blood and it didn't hurt much, though it was kind of rough. That part can stay out of his story, though, as far as he's concerned. "It only had two eyes, like us, but it's mouth was really long, like it got stretched out or somethin'. His teeth weren't real big either, but he had about a million of them!" Okay, so maybe it was only forty some odd, not /too/ many more than cougars. "He talked a bunch, too. Talktalktalk. For a while I thought he was tryin' to talk me to death from boredom."
Nayeli stares at Kein in wide-eyed fascination. "The monster /talked/ to you? What did it say? Was it really mean sounding?" The very idea! What does a 'stretched-out' mouth look like, anyway? Nayeli is quite impressed that Kein's still alive, muchless having /beaten/ the monster!
"He kept threatening me and trying to get me to be scared. But when the chief and Kasim came, all he could do was whine and beg, tryin' to get outta trouble." Kein switches indiscriminately between refering to the wolf and it and as he. He knows not all wolves are bad. Mom wouldn't be friends with a bad wolf, which means there has to be at least one good one. Still, the one he encountered definitely wasn't good. Maybe not /really/ bad, since he did eventually learn his lesson and agree to help, but not /good/ either.
"He kept /trying/ to get you to be scared? You mean you weren't scared at all?" Her voice is almost to the point of incredulous. How could you /not/ be scared if a monster talked to you like that?! "So what happened to him? Did Daddy eat him up?" That would sound like the kind of thing Daddy would do--protect them all by eating all kinds of monsters!
Why be scared when you're confident that everything will be okay? In addition to the fact that he didn't perceive the encounter as horribly frightening, something about admitting being afraid is distasteful, even at his young age. Compromising, Kein says, "I was a /little bit/ worried, sometimes, but he wasn't as scary as he was /trying/ to be. Your dad didn't eat him, though. He just made him agree to do whatever he said." And, after that, all of the talking got to be too boring for Kein to follow, after the whole ordeal.
Wow. Nayeli hadn't really come to the point until now but she decides for sure that she wishes she could be like Kein in certain areas: bravery for one. "I think you might be even braver than Daddy when you get as big as him!" Surely /Kein/ would eat a monster instead of just talking to it! That sounds like a boring way of protecting his family, no?
Kein smiles brightly at what Nayeli says. Time will certainly tell, and the chieftain is pretty brave, from what Kein has witnessed. It makes him happy to get some admiration over the incident, anyway, after how everyone else reacted. So what if he had to change a few small details to get it? "Y'know, you're, like, the best friend /ever/, Nayeli." She may be his only true friend to this point, the only cougar his own age he knows who sin't family, but given that the majority of others he has spoken to, family or otherwise, sometimes seem to prefer focusing on the bad things he does, the praise for the same things, or at least one of the same things, is greatly welcome.
"Me?" Nayeli looks immensely delighted to be called such an honorable thing. "But... I'm not very brave or anything.. I probably would have been eaten if the monster had found me." But as long as it's long gone, she doesn't feel scared at all. /Especially/ not around Kein! "Oh--who's Kasim? You mentioned him but I don't know who that is." It doesn't surprise her that Kein knows all these strangers; whereas if /Chandani/ told her that she had met some stranger new creature and already knew its name... /that/ might surprise her a good deal. Chandani's not nearly as courageous as Kein, obviously.
Nayeli doesn't know who Kasim is? Oh yeah! The last time they saw each other, she asked him who his dad was, and he said he didn't have one. That's still true, but at least now, he almost has one. Kein glances in the direction he last saw Kasim, then looks back to Nayeli before speaking. "Kasim is kinda like my dad." Kein still doesn't know how that all works, and he's still not sure whether he should call Kasim "Dad," since he's only almost Dad. Hopefully all of that will be cleared up, in time.
Nayeli blinkblinks. "/Kinda/ like your dad?" she repeats, giggling. "What kind of a cougar is /that/? Don't you hafta have a dad to almost be like one?" Her tone turns curious. Even if Kein really doesn't have a dad... why doesn't he? Daddy seemed to imply that everybody has a dad... so why not Kein? It doesn't make sense.
Kein gives a slight shrug. He hasn't thought much about this in the past couple weeks, since they moved to the stone formations. After a brief moment, he offers his only working theory as to why Kasim is only almost his dad. "I think he has to be around for longer before he is really my dad. I never saw him 'til just a little bit ago." It kind of makes sense, at least a little bit.
"Oh, okay." That does make sense, and of course Kein would be able to figure something like that out. Nayeli is convinced now. Kasim will be Kein's dad soon; all he has to do is stick around longer! "How can we get him to stay around? Do think think it's safe to talk to him?" Hey, how's she supposed to know if he's scary like Kein's mom? Maybe that's why Kein wants him as a dad--he's a lot like his mom. Or was it his mom that wanted him as Kein's dad? Or.. wait. Who figures all this out, anyway? It's too complicated!
Kein hasn't thought about that either. He likes Kasim and wants Kasim to stick around, but he's not really worried about it. There isn't any hesitation before he explaines why he's not concerned, either. "Mom already said he can stay, and Kasim said he wants to stay, so I don't think we have to do anything. Just wait, 'sall. It's safe to talk to him, though, definitely. He's /really/ nice."
That's good news. Nayeli wonders if he's even nicer than Daddy. Maybe he'll pay more attention to Kein than Daddy does to her. The thought isn't very comforting, though she supposes she /should/ be happy for Kein. Well, and for his siblings too, though she primarily only thinks about Kein. "Do you know where he is now?" Almost the mention of wanting to meet him, but she's not quite sure she's brave enough for that just yet. Big strangers--even cougars--still give her a little concern, especially with the snatches of conversation of strangers like "Az-ree-uhl" and "Vel-ehh-far" and "La-vuh" before Daddy and Mommy realized that she was listening and quickly changed the subject to something else. Apparently new strangers can be dangerous!
Kein lifts his shoulders in another shrug before saying, "I don't know. He's the one who brought me here. He'll be back, but I don't know when." Hopefully it won't be /too/ much longer before he can come on his own, that way it will be up to him when he goes back home. Apparently, though, Nayeli doesn't have much choice in whether she meets Kasim, unles she goes and hides somewhere before he gets back.
The girl nods slowly, mulling over this information. She thinks she can remember what the other cougar with Kein from earlier looked like, but she's not sure if she'd recognize him again. She'll just have to make sure to stay close to Kein and let him do the talking (i.e. protecting) if someone does show up. "So.. what do you wanna do now?" If they're done talking about Kasim, then it's on to something else! No need to be bored, is there?
"Have you ever climbed any of these trees?" They're so close together, jumping from one to the other wouldn't be hard. Judging from the needles on the ground, they probably aren't too sharp, and many of the branches look like they could easily support a cougar cub. Kein hasn't climbed a tree since they moved to the stone formations, and climbing the stones just isn't the same. They can play up there, and it even has the benefit of enabling them to drag Kasim into playing by ambushing him, if they're still up there when he returns.
"/Climb/ a tree? We can't climb trees, silly!" Even Nayeli knows that! That's for squirrels and other food-creatures to do. Still, it probably would be fun to do if it /was/ possible. Jumping from one branch to another.. Kein can make the impossible sound plausible, wow. Surely he didn't talk to a squirrel and ask about it, did he?
Kein was scarcely talking when he climbed his first tree, and he seems somewhat surprised at Nayeli's response. Her home is surrounded by all these trees, and she has never climbed one of them?! With a playful grin, he asks, "What you wanna bet I can do it?" A small part of the fun in 'climbing' the stones came from the fact that it allowed him to surprise Pelutho. Now he can surprise Nayeli in a similar way, by doing something that's supposed to be impossible.
He looks so confident. Nayeli's almost half-way tempted to believe that he really can climb one... but he can't, right? That's impossible! But wait a second, what did Kein mean? "Bet? What's that?" An odd word she's never heard used before, especially in relation to climbing trees or doing other impossible feats.
How to explain the concept of betting... Hmmm. After a brief silence, he says, "Well, if you really think I can't, then you offer something, and if I can, then I get it, but if I can't, I hafta give you something." Truthfully, though, Kein doesn't want anything from Nayeli save the admiration she already gives him, so with a smile, he adds, "I was just kidding, though. I'm not gonna make you bet. I /am/ gonna climb a tree, though." That said, he begins walking to the trunk of the nearest one.
"But... what would I give you?" It's not like she owns anything, at least nothing tangible that she could give away. Her tail? Her ears? Not likely. Maybe some fur? But what would Kein do with her fur? This whole 'bet' thing doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well; Kein's not really focusing on it anyway. He's... walking to a tree. If it wasn't for the fact that Nayeli already knows Kein has done amazing things--like fight off a monster!--she would most likely be laughing at his bravado... except that she knows that if anyone can climb a tree, it's Kein.
There is some hint of showmanship about Kein. He's not actually /trying/ to show off, but knowing that this is very possibly despite what Nayeli insists, he can't help but don that attitude slightly. He doesn't make a /huge/ production of it. He climbs the tree as efficiently as he can, and he stops on the lowest branch capable of supporting his weight, but he is grinning when, a couple minutes after he walked towards the tree, he looks back down at Nayeli.
He did it! He really did it! Nayeli's so impressed and amazed that she doesn't say anything at first, simply content to stand there staring back up at Kein with an amazed smile on her face. No /way/ did he just /climb/ a /tree/! But.. he did! He's standing up there on a branch! Should she even bother asking him how he accomplished such an amazing feat? Would he even tell her? The thought crosses her mind that maybe she shouldn't ask or do anything that might make him feel like she's bugging him. But... asking how to climb a tree wouldn't be that, would it?
Kein, at least, doesn't do much bragging, beyond saying, "Told ya I could!" Almost immediately, he adds, "You can too, I bet. It's not that hard. Just dig your claws into the tree, and then pretend like you're just walking." He asked if she ever climbed these trees because he wanted to play /with/ her. That won't be much fun if she stays on the ground, though he supposes he /could/ knock stuff down and she could try to catch it. The could be a game. Still, he'd prefer she join him.
Nayeli blinkblinks, trying to imagine such a bizarre concept. Clawing a tree and pretending to walk on it? But... it goes up! How can you walk up? Maybe it's like flying? The young girl pads over to the tree and pokes at it gingerly with a claw, then slashes at it enthusiastically, ripping off pieces of bark. "Like this?" But how does the walking part play into it?
Kein shakes his head, hopping down almost-gracefully from the branch. "It's kinda different than just scratching it. You gotta use your claws to hold you up. Like this." He walks to the tree, right next to her, then raises on his hindlegs to place his forelegs on the tree, after which he digs his claws as deep as he can into the bark.
Female claws bury themselves into the tree next to the male claws, as Nayeli does her best to imitate her friend's demonstration. "You try to get your claws stuck, then?" She's not sure how that would help, but it seems to be what Kein's doing.
Kein nods eagerly. "Yeah, kinda. Then you just pull yourself up." He lifts his hindlegs from the ground and plants them on the tree, digging those claws in, before carefully removing his right forepaw to place it a little higher on the tree. He moves slowly, trying to teach her by example rather than just explaining it.
He makes it look so easy! Nayeli tries to pull herself up, but it's a strange and almost terrifying sense of vertigo. "I.. I can't do this!" She doesn't dare lift herself off the ground! She'll fall! She just can't do this! "Kein! Why.. why isn't it working?" She slumps a little on her hind legs, still leaving her foreclaws embedded in the trunk of the tree.
Kein drops to the ground again, much less gracefully this time. He tries to hide a frown, because he doesn't want her to think he's upset with her. In reality, he's upset with his inability to teach anything. He remembers that it took her /forever/ to understand tracking, with how he explained it. This should have been easier to teach. "Maybe I can get my mom to teach you. She taught me. I'm just not good at teaching, I guess."
Nayeli looks stricken. "Kein, no! It's all my fault... I'm just not smart and don't learn very fast and probably couldn't do it anyways and..." She's stumbling all over her words in an attempt to keep Kein from getting upset. "Please don't get mad?" That would be the worst possible thing that could happen right now, in Nayeli's opinion.
"Why would I get mad?" He seems genuinely puzzled by this, and most of what she says, despite how upset he is with what he's convinced is /his/ shortcoming. He continues to try to hide that, somewhat more successfully, now, given his confusion. "You are so smart. Watch, one day I'll come with my mom and she'll teach you easily. I promise." Hopefully. And Kein will be watching Mom closely, trying to learn what she does to make things so easy to learn. He might be upset, but he has no intention of giving up trying to learn how to teach others how to do things.
Whoa. /Nayeli/ is 'so smart'? Not at all! Kein doesn't seem to understand that teachers are supposed to get mad when you can't do what they're saying! At least, that's what... nevermind. Kein is /Kein/, and not /him/, so Nayeli won't make any comparisons there. "Your mom must know a whole ton of stuff!" Nayeli can't hide the note of admiration in her voice. "She's smart /and/ scary!" What a mom! If Kein is smart like his mom, why isn't Pelutho scary like his mom?
Kein would agree that his mother knows a lot. Almost everything. Of course, he figures that pretty much all adults know almost everything, though. With a smile, Kein says, "She's the smartest animal ever. You'll see, the next time you meet her." Whether here or at his home. If she was impressed by him getting to a low branch on a tree, just wait until she sees him on top of some of the really big stones! "Maybe your mom or dad will let you come see where I live, next." There aren't any trees nearby, but he's sure his mom would take them for a short trip to help teach Nayeli.
Nayeli wouldn't doubt that Kein's mom is not only the smartest cougar ever but probably the scariest! At least it seems like a not-mean scary. Not a /friendly/ scary, but not quite the kind of scary that Nayeli is terrified of. That means it's not really a true scary, though... doesn't it? Maybe it's more of a scary if she were to make her mad. Yeah. That must be it. It's scary waiting to happen. "I dunno if they'll let me come visit... Daddy doesn't really let me do a whole lot. Nothing like what he lets Yuma do, anyway." Her demeanor turns glum--almost dejected--but she turns away so as not to let Kein see. "Maybe one day a long time from now..."
Kein doesn't bother trying to hide his frown this time. Shortly after he returned to the stone formations, he was prepared to wait a long time until he saw Nayeli again, as long as his position within his immediate family was secure. Now that he has seen her again, though, he doesn't want to have to wait a long time until the next time he gets to play with her. "But... My mom said her and your dad were planning things, to have all of us play together... Or maybe your mom would bring you to come visit... I don't want it to be a long time from now." He can't get /everything/ he wants, sure, but... Every time he sees Nayeli, he winds up being told, in some way, that it will be a long time before he can again. How are they supposed to be friends if they never see each other?
Nayeli turns around to face Kein again, but this time with a genuine smile. "I don't want it to be a long time either. I like doing stuff with you, y'know. I mean... it's fun playing around with Misae and Chandani and all that, but... it's different playing with a friend." She stops for a moment, looking somewhat perplexed. "I don't know why, but... it is." Her ears lay back slightly. "I'll try to see if Mommy can bring me over sometime soon, but I don't think Daddy will like that."
What Nayeli says doesn't fit what Kein knows about the chieftain. Chesmu doesn't hate him. At least, kein doesn't /think/ he does. Why wouldn't he like it if Nayeli wanted to visit? "I like playing with you more than Pel and Ruut'h, too. I'll... Well, I'll ask my mom if she can talk to the chief." He knows they're planning something, but maybe if he asks, they'll do it sooner rather than later. It's an idea, anyway.
"Why do you like playing with me more than Pel and Ruut'h?" She's curious and interested at the same time. From what she's heard, Pel is pretty quiet so he probably is boring to play with, but what about Ruut'h? She's another girl, and older than Nayeli. Is she quiet too? Hmm.
For the third time today, Kein gives a shrug. "I dunno. You're just funner. Besides, I could play with then anytime I wanted." He can't do that with Nayeli, though. Only when their parents allow themselves near one another, which makes those few times just that much more fun, since they're rare.
Funner? Her? She can't even track or climb trees! How is that funner? Maybe he's just trying to make her feel better. Either way, she's grateful. "Thanks," she says softly. "I hope your mom can talk to Daddy soon.. I want to come over and visit and not have to wait a long time first!"
Not yet, she can't. But in addition to the fact that playing with her is rare, he gets to /try/ to teach her some things. Everything about his freidnship with her is new and exciting. "I'll ask her soon as I can, okay?" Should he tell her what his home is like? If not for the fact that he was /so/ tired and concerned his first time amongst the formations, he might have been more wowed by them immediately. She should be amazed by them, but he probably won't be there to see if she is. Still, he probably shouldn't spoil them by telling her about it.
"Okay!" She's back to her normal cheerful self. "When will you be going back, anyway? Did your mom say you could stay here as long as you wanted?" Now /that/ would be pretty awesome! Oh, for the day when she'll be able to travel around the Amaranth lands whenever she wants, and not have to wait for Daddy to give permission!
Kein shakes his head at her question. "Not as long as I want. I get to stay here 'til Kasim comes back, though, 'cause I can't go anywhere alone anymore." He just doesn't know how long it will be until Kasim returns, or even where Kasim went. On the other hand... If Nayeli is with him, he's not alone if he goes walking somewhere, right?
The girl nods in acknowledgment. Speaking of Kasim, where /did/ he go? To speak with Daddy, maybe? It might be a while before he can find him, hmm. "How long will Kasim take to come back? Is he going to try and find Daddy?" Maybe to talk to him about being Kein's dad for real, if he can stay close enough and long enough. Hmm. Nayeli mulls over this possibility.
Kein tries to remember if Kasim talked about going anywhere while they were on their way here. He can't really remember, but then, he wasn't exactly being attantive on the way here. "I dunno. Maybe. D'you think you know where your dad went?" It didn't take Kein long to latch onto the idea that travelling with Nayeli is good enough to be considered not travelling alone, even though she's no more an adult than he is. Since they can't climb trees, maybe trying to find Kasim or Chesmu will provide some entertainment.
Sudden tears spring to Nayeli's eyes, and she swats angrily at a pine cone. "I don't /know/! He always just leaves with Yuma and never lets me go!" Sniffling, the girlcub wipes a paw at her eyes, trying to get rid of the embarrassing tears. She does /not/ want to be seen crying in front of /Kein/ of all cougars! Angry with herself for getting upset so easily, she bats again at the pine cone, sending the poor object skittering away.
Earlier, Kein assumed that Nayeli didn't get to go because she was in trouble or something. Now... Kein frowns. He didn't mean to make her sad or angry or whatever she is. He's not familiar with favoritism, either. Sure, he and his siblings get treated differently, but only because they act differently. Uncertain, he says, "I'm sorry." It's almost an automatic response to her tone, nothing more. "Y'know... I bet I could find out where they went... If you wanted to go..." Anything to make her feel better, because that's what friends are supposed to do, right?
"I guess so.." is the girl's response, though sounding quite a bit less than enthusiastic. Maybe they could find Kasim, but why bother trying to track down Daddy and Yuma? She'd probably only get scolded for trying to do whatever it is that they're doing without her. No... not a good idea. But suddenly, she perks up. Brilliant! "What if we tried going back to /your/ home? We could even race Kasim there!"
That's... not a horrible idea. They could almost definitely beat Kasim, and he /does/ want her to visit. But... "I thought you were gonna ask your mom or the chief first... I don't wanna get you into trouble." Kein doesn't sound horribly reluctant. Almost immediately, he adds, "Is your mom nearby? Maybe you could ask her real quick."
Yep! Wait right here! Nayeli gives a happy nod and dashes off without actually saying anything. It's not more than just a few minutes later that she comes back, looking even more excited. "Yesyesshesaidyes!" Her rushed and breathless affirmative is yelled even before she's close. Nearly bouncing, she smiles widely. "Let's go!" Oh, wait. "I mean... are you ready to go?" That's better. More polite and all those other words that Mommy says are so important for young ladies. Yeah.
Today is apparently the day for parents to say yes. After waiting, a little impatiently, for Nayeli to return, he hops slightly when he hears her hurried response. Now, maybe Nayeli can meet Pel and Ruut'h and mom without all of the trouble of the last time. He has already begun turning to head back northward, towards home, when she asks him if he's ready. "Yeah. Let's hurry, so we can beat Kasim." When he begins walking, his pace is slightly faster than normal, though he's not exactly running.
All it takes is the first motion from Kein for Nayeli to immediately leap into motion, bounding off toward... wait! /She/ isn't leading here, obviously! Looking a bit sheepish, she slows to a walk, waiting for Kein to catch up. "I'm sure we can beat him, right? You're good with tracking so you should be able to find the way back easy!"
Kein grins at Nayeli's enthusiasm. That's one more reason why she's more fun than Pelutho. Pel never wants to go anywhere. He nods at what she says and answer, "And we got a head start, and it isn't very far." It might not even take much tracking. Unlike getting from the cave to the pine grove, getting from the stones to the pine grove seemed to be a lot easier, mostly straight. He does, however, do a little bit of sniffing around, to make sure he's on the correct straight path.
Waiting until Kein isn't watching, Nayeli throws a quick (and somewhat guilty) look back over her shoulder just to make sure that Daddy isn't storming after them. Mommy /sort/ of said yes... she really did! It was /close/ enough to yes, anyway! "Wait a minute... are you /sure/ we're going the right way?" She doesn't want to sound like she doubts Kein's leadership and direction, but... she's /pretty/ sure that this goes in a different direction from where Kein came from last time!
Kein only looks back to Nayeli when she speaks up. He stops walking, sniffing around with his head lowered a bit, before looking back at her. "I'm pretty sure. Why?" He's really not sure why she would have asked, unless she doesn't smell what he does. He did, after all, tell her that they moved. Granted, he never said where they moved to, but...
"I just thought that... well... your home was in.. not /that/ direction." She's pretty sure she's wrong, though. Of course Kein would know where to go... he's Kein, after all! He can climb trees and scare away big monsters. What's the simple matter of finding his way home? And once again, there's the warm feeling of knowing that despite her obvious ineptness in something like climbing trees or tracking, he's /still/ willing to be her friend and take her places where even Daddy hasn't bothered to show her.
It wasn't? But, wait... She hasn't been to the stone formations before, has she? If she has, then he shouldn't have been worried about spoiling the surprise of seeing them for her... "When did you go to my home?" He doesn't realize how they've gotten confused, and he's kind of curious. Why didn't she say hi to him if she was there? Maybe she didn't see him. Maybe it was one of the times when he fell asleep on top of the rocks. Which also means maybe he shouldn't sleep up there anymore.
Now she's /really/ baffled. "I haven't ever been to your home! That's why I'm so excited to see it!" Why would Kein think that she's been there before? She thought she had made it pretty evident that Daddy had kept her close to home; exploring around really hadn't been an option.
But... If she'd never been there... How could she think it's in a different direction at all? Kein turns to stare at Nayeli, confused. Usually, he can find some explanation that makes sense, but now... "Then... If you've never been there... You don't know where it is. Why do you think this is the wrong way?" There has to be a reason, right? If there was no reason at all... Then /why/ would she think it?
She's really done something stupid now. Looking completely abashed and even timid, Nayeli glances toward the southeast. "Be..because you left in that direction last time..." But surely that didn't lead to his home, right? They took a roundabout way to explore during the trip? Nayeli's ears flatten as the girl feels /slightly/ embarrassed. Okay! So she doesn't have Kein's sense of direction and tracking and all that! It was just a simple question to make sure they were going the right way, is all...
Last time? Last time was a long time ago, but... No, he didn't take this way last time, because... "Last time we went to the cave. Remember I said we don't live there anymore?" Kein can very seldom let anything drop if he doesn't understand it. Now he just figures she forgot. He has forgotten plenty of things during his short life, often conveniently, when he didn't /want/ to remember them. If that's all this is, then... Hey, problem solved. He didn't intend to embarrass her, and as the confusion fades, he can tell she's a little embarrassed. With a smile, he says, "C'mon. If we just go straight, we'll get to my new home. We can race each other just like we're racing Kasim." It will get them there faster, and be fun, besides.
Little embarrassment turns to greater embarrassment. She /did/ forget. She forgot something /that/ simple, and looked really stupid! To cover her shame, she simply nods in agreement with Kein's idea, and dashes off. Hopefully in the sudden commotion of racing Kein won't notice the tear working its way down her muzzlefur, or the sniffle of emotions barely being kept in check. Why must she be so weak? Maybe Daddy does have good reasons for not wanting her to do anything important like Yuma does with him.
If Kein knew what Neyeli was thinking, he'd be quick to reassure her. The last thing he wants is to do anything to embarrass her, because having a friend means as much to him as it does to her. Especially a friend who is more outgoing, more willing to have fun, than his own siblings. His attention is on the race, though. He is not mature enough to throw a race and not yet old enough that there is a significant different between himself and Nayeli, which means he actually has to work to catch up, once she darts off.
Embarrassment turns to anger at herself. She /must/ be stronger! Or in this case faster! Throwing every bit of energy and motivation she possesses into running, Nayeli finds the challenge something she /can/ handle! She doesn't dare look behind to see how close Kein is--she's focused entirely on winning this race for the single and sole purpose of demonstrating that she's not a weak friend! However, it slowly dawns on her that she doesn't know where the race /ends/. What does Kein's home look like? Where is it? He said straight... but how far?
- Stone Formations -
Kein might not be mature enough to deliberately lose, and he might be a hair larger, but he doesn't have the motivation fueled by anger than Nayeli has. Wow! He hadn't realized how fast the female cub is! With him attempting to keep up with the pace she sets--overcoming her may well be impossible--it doesn't take long for the large stones to become visible in the near distance, as soon as the trees begin to thin out as they leave the grove.
But she's running out of energy, as long distance /anything/ has never been a part of the girl's life before, except for in dreams. Now she slows down, panting, and doing her best to will herself onward... faster! Must win! Must keep going! But... she can't! Lungs are screaming for air and muscles are aching from a previously unknown kind of stress. Nayeli is so focused on continuing forward that she doesn't even take the time to admire the scenery coming into view--towering rock columns are not something she sees on a regular basis. But suddenly she stumbles and collapses into a tumbling heap on the ground. coming to rest in a tangled bundle of oversized paws and ruffled fur. That's it. She loses.
Kein passes Nayeli easily when she stumbles. The last time he fell while running was against that wolf, and that was a while ago. He's a little more used to running long distances than she is. He stops very shortly after passing her, though, and turns to trot back, breathing heavily. He appears amused, and of course, pleased that he may as well have won,. even if he didn't technically get close enough to home to have won yet, but he has no mind to make fun of her falling. Running is not an easy thing. The only thing he says, as he comes closer, is, "Are you okay?"
'Are you okay'? ...! Not 'I win!' or 'You just aren't good enough!' or 'Told you I'd beat you!' or ... Two wide eyes peer up from the bundle of fur at Kein, bewildered. Is he trying to /help/ her? Rolling out into a more recognizable girlcub form, stretched along the ground, Nayeli stares at the other cougar cub. "Why didn't you keep on going so you could win?" Maybe Kein isn't quite the amazing winner that Nayeli thought he was... because he would have kept going and won, right?
Not the response that Kein expected. The male cub blinks and says, "I wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt. If you really want, though, I can go win right now..." But why bother when that outcome is inevitable? Kein's tone suggests he's just joking. He doesn't intend to just leave Nayeli behind before making sure she's all right.
Nayeli blinkblinks, still somewhat taken aback. It's not something she can put a claw on... but something about Kein coming back instead of continuing on just doesn't seem right. No.. it's not that it doesn't seem /right/.. it just doesn't seem... /expected/. Yeah. Expected. Nayeli had expected him to keep going.. to /win/! But.. he said he wanted to make sure she hadn't been hurt. That just seemed to contradict what she thought of.. Kein being so brave and smart and all that.
There's a big difference between being brave, smart, and a winner and being just plain mean. He has no problem with taking advantage of certain circumstances, but there's also no point in winning if there isn't a lick on competition. Kein keeps his eyes on Nayeli as she blinks, not sure what to make of her confusion and silence. Taking one more step closer to her, he asks, "/Are/ you okay?"
"I'm... fine." Nayeli seems to cower down a little. "Maybe you should go ahead and win." Ears flatten a little as she looks down at her paws. "Go ahead... you need to win."
Kein frowns slightly at Nayeli's cowering. What did he do wrong? He takes a step back away from her, confused. He can go win, sure, but... "You aren't gonna go home, are you? You're still gonna come visit my home once you get up, right?" If not, he should at least escort her back, after he 'wins'. She'll be in trouble if he leaves her alone, he knows it. And he'll probably be in trouble too, since this is all undoubtedly his fault.
Nayeli shakes her head vigorously at the first question, and then nods vigorously at the second. "Of course I'm going to come see your home... but you need to win first." Sniffle. No, not another sniffle! "Please?" She looks almost frantic. "You have to win!" Why does he have to be so stubborn! Just.. go! Run! /Win/! It isn't that difficult to understand, is it?
Kein is still confused, but he does turn around to continue to the stone formations. She thinks he has to still be racing, so his pace is slightly faster than normal, but his confusion and worry prevents his heart from being in it. He doesn't see how it's still racing if she's just going to stay there, but she seems adamant about him finishing, so...
The girl doesn't understand what it is about the idea of Kein not winning or not doing something amazing that bothers her so much. Maybe it's the fact that she expects so much of him now, the fact that because she's used to him amazing her with something new or impressing her by some feat... that if he does less than that he is no longer the Kein that she knows? Such thoughts are too confusing and... could it be... /scary/? She doesn't like the idea of Kein being anything different than who she knows him to be. And so as Kein takes off again, Nayeli gets to her paws and begins trotting after him, feeling slightly better. There's still the weird feeling of tangled emotions and feelings that she can't identify or classify, but at least things are starting to go in a more comfortable direction. Did she honestly think she would beat Kein? Not at all. But the thought of Kein /intentionally/ not winning... that was just too much.
Kein doesn't turn around again until he reaches the nearest of the stone formations. When he does, he's relieved to see Nayeli not far behind him. Finally, she gets to visit when he's /not/ in trouble. He smiles at her, though he does look to see if she's limping or anything, anything that could explain why she was so upset moments ago. Or maybe she was just embarrassed, and wanted Kein to go away so she could deal with her embarrassment by herself for a little bit?
There's no limp or other sign of injury--in fact, it's really impossible to tell that Nayeli had even fallen down in the first place... except for maybe her fur being slightly ruffled. But interestingly enough, as Nayeli catches up to her friend, there's no mention at all of the race or of Kein winning. Instead, the girl's gaze moves from Kein to the amazing stone formations in the area, eyes widening as she takes in the visual wonder. "/This/ is where you live now? It's beautiful!" Those rocks are /huge/!
At least him 'winning' appears to have made everything all right again. With a smile, he nods. "Yep. I'm gonna go tell Mom that I'm back. You can look around or come with me." Kein begins walking through the area, looking for his mother or one of his siblings. With how rarely he gets to leave in the first place, he always makes sure to let Mom know as soon as he gets back, so maybe she won't worry as much and he'll get to leave more often.