Post by Therdde on Apr 27, 2008 14:43:59 GMT -5
Characters:
Kein – Male Cougar Cub
Mateka – Male Mouse (spoofed by Maulisho)
- Stone Formations -
Kasim left Kein alone when the young male insisted he wanted to take a nap. And, as usual after Kein has used that tactic to get out of an unpleasant conversation, he actually did remain lying down for a good while after Kasim walked off. Long enough that he managed to actually fall asleep, even though he had just woken up from a nap a few hours before. When he wakes up, it's getting late. He doesn't feel much better, but some of the embarrassment has faded, both from the fact that he was tricked and from his behavior after he found this out. There's still the unfamiliar ache, the result of his conviction that he has permanently lost a friend, but... With a sigh, he hops down from the stone he fell asleep on and begins wandering through the area. It doesn't take him long to realize that no one is here. Kasim must have taken his siblings for a walk or something, and Mom... Or maybe... Maybe they all moved again, while he was asleep. He flattens his ears against his head at that idea. He doesn't want to go searching for them, but if they have moved... He sighs again as he begins walking around the clearing, trying to find the most recent scent trail.
Don't look now, but here comes Mateka the Mouse! He's looking especially pleased with himself, though for what reason is anybody's guess. Walking along.. no.. /strutting/ along, the tiny creature doesn't appear to be looking for anything this time. In fact, what exactly he is doing also remains somewhat of a mystery. The only indication that he has something on his mind in the first place is his talking to himself. Even his voice sounds both pleased and proud, matching his demeanor perfectly.
Kein doesn't find the scent of any of his family members immediately, but... There /is/ one familiar scent, followed shortly by a familiar voice as Kein continues walking. No, not so much walking anymore. Creeping. He is surprised by how... Angry... The familiar creature being nearby makes him. He probably would have been happier if he had /never/ seen any mouse ever again, much less /this/ mouse. It is the same one, isn't it? Or do all mice smell and sound exactly like that? Kein does consider that, but only briefly, as he draws nearer. The third possibility that Kein never even stops to consider is that he's projecting Mateka's qualities onto a completely unknown mouse. The third possibility is a little too advanced for the young cub to realize, but it is the one most likely to crop up in the future.
And just like last time, Mateka is completely oblivious to the fact that he's now being stalked by a cougar cub. In fact, it /would/ be the same cougar cub that tried hunting him last time! Mateka just continues along his merry way, still talking to himself. There's not much time to waste for a mouse, especially one as important as Mateka!
The longer Kein follows the mouse, the more he is convinced it is the exact same one. He doesn't pounce like last time. Rather, he continues following. It hasn't been long yet, and he wants to know how close he can get before he is noticed. More than that, though, he is preoccupied by too many thoughts running trough his small head. His thoughts are no longer as simple as when he was tracking Mateka before, and they keep him from truly devoting his attention to the actual hunt, though all of his thoughts do focus on the particular animal he's hunting.
While Mateka might be more self-absorbed than the average creature, he's not so focused on himself that he doesn't eventually become aware of the predator stalking him. Oh /great/... not again! He's going to have to come up with another brilliant use of wit again; some particular means of intellectually convincing this cougar that he /really/ doesn't want to be hunting Mateka. Thinkthinkthink. And meanwhile, don't let the cougar know that he's been spotted!
Little does the mouse know, there is probably nothing that could convince Kein to back off this time around. This little mouse is the cause of all his trouble for the past week or so. His pace is faster than Mateka's, and it really doesn't take him long to be within just a few feet of Mateka. Only then does Kein clear his throat. If the mouse takes off, well, then... So be it. He aims to scare Mateka, though, not drive him off. He has done similar things to his siblings, sneaking up and trying to startle them, but... he's really not playing, now. His mindset is entirely different than simple cub games.
At the sound, Mateka does stop, though it's a much more casual turnaround than Kein was probably hoping for. Staring at him with those tiny, bright eyes, Mateka doesn't even wait for the cub to say anything, but pipes up in that shrill voice. "How would you feel if another cougar came and killed your father? Slaughtered him just like /that/?" Emphasis with a slashing motion of his mousepaw.
Kein is a little surprised by how calm the tiny animal is. It throws Kein enough off his guard that he actually listens to what Mateka has to say, and what the mouse /does/ say is enough to confuse him. Kein narrows his eyes, not realizing what the mouse is saying, and says, quite stupidly, "What?" His tone is a mix of anger and confusion. He doesn't realize that Mateka is insinuating that he has children somewhere waiting for him. Rather, he's thinking about Kasim, the closest thing he has to a father. What does Kasim have to do with any of this, and what could possibly kill him?
Kids these days. Mateka has plenty of experience dealing with ignorance, and even when it's being displayed by a non-mouse it still annoys him. "I /said/, how would you feel if you found out that your father had been ripped to pieces by another cougar? Or how do you think your mother would feel? Or your siblings?" It's not a hard question!
"Why... Why would anyone kill Kasim?" And does this mouse know him? The whole thing doesn't make sense to Kein, but it /does/ occur to Kein that maybe he shouldn't bother talking to Mateka. After all, it didn't end well last time. His confusion gets the better of him, though, locking him into this rather undesired conversation. His tone doesn't change much, though. There is still anger in it.
"Look. Kid. That's not the point. I didn't say anyone /does/ want to kill Kasim." The mouse waves his mousepaw in the air again for emphasis. "My /question/ was, how would that make you and your mom and your siblings feel?"
Kein continues staring at Mateka. There is a pause before he answers, during which time he thinks about how he and his family would feel if Kasim got killed. It depends on who killed him, and why, doesn't it? Sure, they'd be sad no matter what, but... They might be angry too. The longer Kein thinks about it, the less angry, the less impulsive, he gets... But he wants to be angry. Forcing a growl into his voice, he takes a step closer to Mateka. "No one's gonna kill Kasim... An' why do you care, anyway?"
Careful. The kid looks really angry at him. Probably found out that he'd been made a fool of last time they talked. "Why do I care? I don't, really, but I'm just trying to bring up something that /you/ might care about. I have a feeling that you'd get very upset if your father was killed. I have a feeling that your whole family would be very sad. True?" The mouse allows his voice to grow a little less shrill and almost compassionate. Interesting. Compassion, on the part of the prey animal talking to the predator? Clearly, Mateka has great confidence in his intellectual defensive skills.
Kein gives a short nod. Yes, they'd be sad. Very sad, like Mateka says. He hasn't even known Kasim very long, but he would be sad, he's sure... And Mom would probably be even more sad. He doesn't say anything else, though. Rather, he continues staring at Mateka, waiting for the mouse to get to the point.
Now his mousepaws go onto his hips again, and his voice grows rather upset. "And so what were you planning on doing to me, kid? Most cougars I know don't sneak up on someone unless they have a good reason for doing so!" Not like Mateka /has/ known a lot of cougars--or /any/ cougars for that matter!--but that's beside the point. Not like this kid needs to know that, anyway.
Did Kein intend to kill this mouse? He wasn't thinking that far ahead, but... Yes. Mice are nothing more than food. Mean, tricky, tasty food. If it were that simple, though, this would have been over already. A part of him, the part most influenced by his genetics, least influenced by his upbringing, wanted revenge. If Kasim, and not Azriel, were his real father, it's possible that part wouldn't exist. "I was gonna kill you." And because of the reason he was going to kill Mateka, Kein can't help but realize that it might be bad. Kasim's presence /has/ influenced him that way, but the desire is still there. "Because it's /not/ bad to kill mice." That might not be the exact reason for his intentions, but he needs some justification.
Even though it's what Mateka was fully expecting to hear, that doesn't lessen the chill that creeps down the mouse's spine. The cub /can/ very well kill him right here and right now, and there's not a lot Mateka can do about it. Except emerge victorious solely on the basis of his superior intellect. "You are absolutely right, kid. It's not bad to kill mice at all. However, I want you to consider something that probably hasn't occurred to you at all. You said that if your father was killed, you and your family would be devastated." Not the exact word used before, but the emotional impact needs to be emphasized. "Now think about how /my/ mate, and each one of /my/ young children are going to feel when they find out that their father has been brutally killed by a cougar, never to return home and love them anymore. Never to spend time with them anymore, and never to teach them about the important things in life, such as friendships."
Friendships. The most important thing that has been damaged by Mateka's earlier lie. Kein could deal with the fact that he embarrassed himself in front of his mother and the chieftain. It wasn't the first time, and it probably won't be the last. They're adults, and know so much more than he does, and embarrassing situations are bound to crop up. Furthermore, /because/ they're adults, they seem less likely to make him feel bad when he does something that, by adult standards, would be stupid. Embarrassing himself in front of his friends, though, and everything that has resulted from that... That's a different matter, and as such, mentioning friendships was probably not the best thing Mateka could have done. It renews Kein's anger just slightly. Not enough to make Kein end the conversation in the most effective way possible, by killing Mateka, but enough to remind him /why/ he wants to kill Mateka. "So you can lie to /them/, make /them/ believe they're doing something bad whenever you want?" He has never caught any of the adult cougars of the tribe in a lie. Lying is /bad/, and Kein was eager to do something to remove the influence of Chesmu when he thought Chesmu was bad, and Mateka does not have the advantage that Chesmu had before all of this happened.
"Lie to my family? I would never do such a thing!" The mouse looks aghast. "What in the world would give you such an idea? I love my family, and they love me in return! I would never lie to them!"
And there's the problem with speaking to anyone you've lied to. Kein has absolutely no reason why he should believe Mateka if he doesn't want to. He just can't decide whether he wants to. The moment he realized that what he planned to do was bad, he has almost been looking for a reason to let Mateka go, even without realizing that he was doing so. Even now, he doesn't truly realize that's the reason that he is still talking to the mouse. Even if he's not actively looking for a reason to let Mateka go, he's open to the idea, because he /doesn't/ have a good reason to kill this little mouse. He remains quiet for a while, just looking at Mateka.
Mateka goes quiet as well, looking up at the predator. He would give /anything/ to know if he's winning this round as well. What is the young cougar thinking? "If you did kill me, would you be able to sleep at night, knowing that there are young kids somewhere crying themselves to sleep because their father was taken away from them?" He seems to slump a little, a definite change from his earlier demeanor.
There is not an ounce of sympathy in Kein... But the anger is not as strong as it was when he began tracking Mateka, not by a long shot. Oh, he still hates this mouse, and he still /wants/ to hurt Mateka... But he's not going to. As he realizes this, he sits down, frowning. As the anger faded, that aching grew again, and now he's mostly afraid that /he's/ going to cry if this conversation continues much longer. He wants to ask how Mateka is going to sleep at night after ruining Kein's only friendship, but he can't do that, not if he wants to keep his composure, because he's no where near the actor that this little mouse is. His eyes remain on the mouse, but if everything else about the young cougar did not make it obvious that he is going to let Mateka go, what he says definitely should be. "Go away now... An' don't ever come back, either."
The cub looks deeply troubled, much to Mateka's delight. Keeping his own composure and serious expression, he nods solemnly and dips his head. "Farewell, then. You've made the right choice." He turns to scamper off, barely keeping a smile from rushing onto his tiny face. He WON!
Kein continues to stare after the tiny mouse even well after he can no longer see Mateka. He knew he made the right choice, even before Mateka told him. He doesn't /really/ care about Mateka's family, not in any way that matters, but... Killing for any reason besides survival is one of the baddest things an animal can do. He's not sure he has actually been told this, but he knows it, because only bad animals like the fox and lynx that Mom talked about want to kill someone for any other reason. And he did tell Mom that he was going to prove that he's /not/ bad. Now more than ever, since a few hours ago he did something really bad, it's important to remember that. And just /maybe/ Kasim is right. He /should/ apologize. When he finally stands up, he no longer wanders aimlessly through the clearing, trying to pick up the scent of one of his family. Rather, he heads southward, toward the pine grove, head low as he walks.
Kein – Male Cougar Cub
Mateka – Male Mouse (spoofed by Maulisho)
- Stone Formations -
Kasim left Kein alone when the young male insisted he wanted to take a nap. And, as usual after Kein has used that tactic to get out of an unpleasant conversation, he actually did remain lying down for a good while after Kasim walked off. Long enough that he managed to actually fall asleep, even though he had just woken up from a nap a few hours before. When he wakes up, it's getting late. He doesn't feel much better, but some of the embarrassment has faded, both from the fact that he was tricked and from his behavior after he found this out. There's still the unfamiliar ache, the result of his conviction that he has permanently lost a friend, but... With a sigh, he hops down from the stone he fell asleep on and begins wandering through the area. It doesn't take him long to realize that no one is here. Kasim must have taken his siblings for a walk or something, and Mom... Or maybe... Maybe they all moved again, while he was asleep. He flattens his ears against his head at that idea. He doesn't want to go searching for them, but if they have moved... He sighs again as he begins walking around the clearing, trying to find the most recent scent trail.
Don't look now, but here comes Mateka the Mouse! He's looking especially pleased with himself, though for what reason is anybody's guess. Walking along.. no.. /strutting/ along, the tiny creature doesn't appear to be looking for anything this time. In fact, what exactly he is doing also remains somewhat of a mystery. The only indication that he has something on his mind in the first place is his talking to himself. Even his voice sounds both pleased and proud, matching his demeanor perfectly.
Kein doesn't find the scent of any of his family members immediately, but... There /is/ one familiar scent, followed shortly by a familiar voice as Kein continues walking. No, not so much walking anymore. Creeping. He is surprised by how... Angry... The familiar creature being nearby makes him. He probably would have been happier if he had /never/ seen any mouse ever again, much less /this/ mouse. It is the same one, isn't it? Or do all mice smell and sound exactly like that? Kein does consider that, but only briefly, as he draws nearer. The third possibility that Kein never even stops to consider is that he's projecting Mateka's qualities onto a completely unknown mouse. The third possibility is a little too advanced for the young cub to realize, but it is the one most likely to crop up in the future.
And just like last time, Mateka is completely oblivious to the fact that he's now being stalked by a cougar cub. In fact, it /would/ be the same cougar cub that tried hunting him last time! Mateka just continues along his merry way, still talking to himself. There's not much time to waste for a mouse, especially one as important as Mateka!
The longer Kein follows the mouse, the more he is convinced it is the exact same one. He doesn't pounce like last time. Rather, he continues following. It hasn't been long yet, and he wants to know how close he can get before he is noticed. More than that, though, he is preoccupied by too many thoughts running trough his small head. His thoughts are no longer as simple as when he was tracking Mateka before, and they keep him from truly devoting his attention to the actual hunt, though all of his thoughts do focus on the particular animal he's hunting.
While Mateka might be more self-absorbed than the average creature, he's not so focused on himself that he doesn't eventually become aware of the predator stalking him. Oh /great/... not again! He's going to have to come up with another brilliant use of wit again; some particular means of intellectually convincing this cougar that he /really/ doesn't want to be hunting Mateka. Thinkthinkthink. And meanwhile, don't let the cougar know that he's been spotted!
Little does the mouse know, there is probably nothing that could convince Kein to back off this time around. This little mouse is the cause of all his trouble for the past week or so. His pace is faster than Mateka's, and it really doesn't take him long to be within just a few feet of Mateka. Only then does Kein clear his throat. If the mouse takes off, well, then... So be it. He aims to scare Mateka, though, not drive him off. He has done similar things to his siblings, sneaking up and trying to startle them, but... he's really not playing, now. His mindset is entirely different than simple cub games.
At the sound, Mateka does stop, though it's a much more casual turnaround than Kein was probably hoping for. Staring at him with those tiny, bright eyes, Mateka doesn't even wait for the cub to say anything, but pipes up in that shrill voice. "How would you feel if another cougar came and killed your father? Slaughtered him just like /that/?" Emphasis with a slashing motion of his mousepaw.
Kein is a little surprised by how calm the tiny animal is. It throws Kein enough off his guard that he actually listens to what Mateka has to say, and what the mouse /does/ say is enough to confuse him. Kein narrows his eyes, not realizing what the mouse is saying, and says, quite stupidly, "What?" His tone is a mix of anger and confusion. He doesn't realize that Mateka is insinuating that he has children somewhere waiting for him. Rather, he's thinking about Kasim, the closest thing he has to a father. What does Kasim have to do with any of this, and what could possibly kill him?
Kids these days. Mateka has plenty of experience dealing with ignorance, and even when it's being displayed by a non-mouse it still annoys him. "I /said/, how would you feel if you found out that your father had been ripped to pieces by another cougar? Or how do you think your mother would feel? Or your siblings?" It's not a hard question!
"Why... Why would anyone kill Kasim?" And does this mouse know him? The whole thing doesn't make sense to Kein, but it /does/ occur to Kein that maybe he shouldn't bother talking to Mateka. After all, it didn't end well last time. His confusion gets the better of him, though, locking him into this rather undesired conversation. His tone doesn't change much, though. There is still anger in it.
"Look. Kid. That's not the point. I didn't say anyone /does/ want to kill Kasim." The mouse waves his mousepaw in the air again for emphasis. "My /question/ was, how would that make you and your mom and your siblings feel?"
Kein continues staring at Mateka. There is a pause before he answers, during which time he thinks about how he and his family would feel if Kasim got killed. It depends on who killed him, and why, doesn't it? Sure, they'd be sad no matter what, but... They might be angry too. The longer Kein thinks about it, the less angry, the less impulsive, he gets... But he wants to be angry. Forcing a growl into his voice, he takes a step closer to Mateka. "No one's gonna kill Kasim... An' why do you care, anyway?"
Careful. The kid looks really angry at him. Probably found out that he'd been made a fool of last time they talked. "Why do I care? I don't, really, but I'm just trying to bring up something that /you/ might care about. I have a feeling that you'd get very upset if your father was killed. I have a feeling that your whole family would be very sad. True?" The mouse allows his voice to grow a little less shrill and almost compassionate. Interesting. Compassion, on the part of the prey animal talking to the predator? Clearly, Mateka has great confidence in his intellectual defensive skills.
Kein gives a short nod. Yes, they'd be sad. Very sad, like Mateka says. He hasn't even known Kasim very long, but he would be sad, he's sure... And Mom would probably be even more sad. He doesn't say anything else, though. Rather, he continues staring at Mateka, waiting for the mouse to get to the point.
Now his mousepaws go onto his hips again, and his voice grows rather upset. "And so what were you planning on doing to me, kid? Most cougars I know don't sneak up on someone unless they have a good reason for doing so!" Not like Mateka /has/ known a lot of cougars--or /any/ cougars for that matter!--but that's beside the point. Not like this kid needs to know that, anyway.
Did Kein intend to kill this mouse? He wasn't thinking that far ahead, but... Yes. Mice are nothing more than food. Mean, tricky, tasty food. If it were that simple, though, this would have been over already. A part of him, the part most influenced by his genetics, least influenced by his upbringing, wanted revenge. If Kasim, and not Azriel, were his real father, it's possible that part wouldn't exist. "I was gonna kill you." And because of the reason he was going to kill Mateka, Kein can't help but realize that it might be bad. Kasim's presence /has/ influenced him that way, but the desire is still there. "Because it's /not/ bad to kill mice." That might not be the exact reason for his intentions, but he needs some justification.
Even though it's what Mateka was fully expecting to hear, that doesn't lessen the chill that creeps down the mouse's spine. The cub /can/ very well kill him right here and right now, and there's not a lot Mateka can do about it. Except emerge victorious solely on the basis of his superior intellect. "You are absolutely right, kid. It's not bad to kill mice at all. However, I want you to consider something that probably hasn't occurred to you at all. You said that if your father was killed, you and your family would be devastated." Not the exact word used before, but the emotional impact needs to be emphasized. "Now think about how /my/ mate, and each one of /my/ young children are going to feel when they find out that their father has been brutally killed by a cougar, never to return home and love them anymore. Never to spend time with them anymore, and never to teach them about the important things in life, such as friendships."
Friendships. The most important thing that has been damaged by Mateka's earlier lie. Kein could deal with the fact that he embarrassed himself in front of his mother and the chieftain. It wasn't the first time, and it probably won't be the last. They're adults, and know so much more than he does, and embarrassing situations are bound to crop up. Furthermore, /because/ they're adults, they seem less likely to make him feel bad when he does something that, by adult standards, would be stupid. Embarrassing himself in front of his friends, though, and everything that has resulted from that... That's a different matter, and as such, mentioning friendships was probably not the best thing Mateka could have done. It renews Kein's anger just slightly. Not enough to make Kein end the conversation in the most effective way possible, by killing Mateka, but enough to remind him /why/ he wants to kill Mateka. "So you can lie to /them/, make /them/ believe they're doing something bad whenever you want?" He has never caught any of the adult cougars of the tribe in a lie. Lying is /bad/, and Kein was eager to do something to remove the influence of Chesmu when he thought Chesmu was bad, and Mateka does not have the advantage that Chesmu had before all of this happened.
"Lie to my family? I would never do such a thing!" The mouse looks aghast. "What in the world would give you such an idea? I love my family, and they love me in return! I would never lie to them!"
And there's the problem with speaking to anyone you've lied to. Kein has absolutely no reason why he should believe Mateka if he doesn't want to. He just can't decide whether he wants to. The moment he realized that what he planned to do was bad, he has almost been looking for a reason to let Mateka go, even without realizing that he was doing so. Even now, he doesn't truly realize that's the reason that he is still talking to the mouse. Even if he's not actively looking for a reason to let Mateka go, he's open to the idea, because he /doesn't/ have a good reason to kill this little mouse. He remains quiet for a while, just looking at Mateka.
Mateka goes quiet as well, looking up at the predator. He would give /anything/ to know if he's winning this round as well. What is the young cougar thinking? "If you did kill me, would you be able to sleep at night, knowing that there are young kids somewhere crying themselves to sleep because their father was taken away from them?" He seems to slump a little, a definite change from his earlier demeanor.
There is not an ounce of sympathy in Kein... But the anger is not as strong as it was when he began tracking Mateka, not by a long shot. Oh, he still hates this mouse, and he still /wants/ to hurt Mateka... But he's not going to. As he realizes this, he sits down, frowning. As the anger faded, that aching grew again, and now he's mostly afraid that /he's/ going to cry if this conversation continues much longer. He wants to ask how Mateka is going to sleep at night after ruining Kein's only friendship, but he can't do that, not if he wants to keep his composure, because he's no where near the actor that this little mouse is. His eyes remain on the mouse, but if everything else about the young cougar did not make it obvious that he is going to let Mateka go, what he says definitely should be. "Go away now... An' don't ever come back, either."
The cub looks deeply troubled, much to Mateka's delight. Keeping his own composure and serious expression, he nods solemnly and dips his head. "Farewell, then. You've made the right choice." He turns to scamper off, barely keeping a smile from rushing onto his tiny face. He WON!
Kein continues to stare after the tiny mouse even well after he can no longer see Mateka. He knew he made the right choice, even before Mateka told him. He doesn't /really/ care about Mateka's family, not in any way that matters, but... Killing for any reason besides survival is one of the baddest things an animal can do. He's not sure he has actually been told this, but he knows it, because only bad animals like the fox and lynx that Mom talked about want to kill someone for any other reason. And he did tell Mom that he was going to prove that he's /not/ bad. Now more than ever, since a few hours ago he did something really bad, it's important to remember that. And just /maybe/ Kasim is right. He /should/ apologize. When he finally stands up, he no longer wanders aimlessly through the clearing, trying to pick up the scent of one of his family. Rather, he heads southward, toward the pine grove, head low as he walks.