Post by Ashen on May 8, 2009 0:32:57 GMT -5
Characters
Ashen, juve. male cougar
Naira, juve. female cougar
Location
Rolling Foothills
Time
Late Winter
And, as it turned out, Ashen couldn't go nearly as far as he was trying. Skel's voice had comforted him and driven him onward, but nonetheless, he eventually had to stop some time during the night, unable to swallow the pain that emanated constantly from his leg. The daylight finds Ashen half-curled in a small rut where snow had been clawed away, leaving still frozen, but slightly warmer ground for the boy to sleep on, and stay mostly hidden from the elements. He could have remained the way for some time, thoroughly worn out as he is. But the sun glances his face in just the wrong spot to push Ashen awake. Strange. He opens his eyes, vaguely aware that there is indeed light. He can't tell how intense, or where it's coming from, only that it is there.
Someone is /very/ far from home it seems. Naira is following after a scent that caught her atention, Ashen's that is. The girl can't figure out why the scent is this far from the boys home though. Its taken her some times to make it this far. She is making her way through the snow, heading towards where the scent is strongest and she blinks as she finally catches sight of him. She bounds over to where he is and tilts her head. "Ashen?"
It's right when Ashen has shambled a few steps, mewing softly, that he hears a voice he'd never have expected. The surprise alone is enough to make the boy fall back, sitting rather lopsidedly, with his weight on his right side. "Naira?" He answers, turning his head, but not able to pinpoint where she might be. "Are you lost, too?" What a silly question.
Naira blinks as she watches he friend and she shifts forward until she's basicly in front of him, she snuffles out slightly before lifting a forepaw and waves it at him as he talks to the side. "Hey.. What's wrong with you?" He doesn't have to move around much for her to tell something isn't right with him. "Me? Naw.. I came looking for you.. What you doing all the way out here??"
"Nothing. Can't see, an' my foot hurts." Ashen corrects the direction of his eyes, to something a little closer to where the other cub -should- be, judging by the sound of her movements. For the most part, he feels reluctant to talk about the events leading up to his being here, in the awful condition that he's in. But she wants to know, and in some ways, Ashen was hoping to be able to talk to somebody about everything. "Left... not going home, not ever again. Please don't tell." Not that he actually suspects she's going to run all the way to Amaranth and give away his position. She wouldn't, would she?
Naira blinks as she watches and listions to Ashen, her ears lower while she leans over to nose at him slightly. "I won't tell anyone.. But.. Who did this to you?" She questions with a soft worried tone as she takes in a slight breath. "You hungrey or anything?"
If Cael had even mentioned his own name, Ashen would probably not have remembered it. Rather, it's Cael's relation that remains in his mind, the one he hadn't learned until the very end of their confrontation. "Kein's son." He mumbles, not even considering if that would have any significance to Naira. He forgets that she did not grow up in Amaranth. "Wanted to say sorry for making him mad. For messing everything up." But by now, it's far too late. Ashen had, in their brief scuffle, injured Cael after all. There could not possibly be any forgiveness waiting for him in Amaranth. Her question is answered with a gradual nod. "Yes. Can't see. Can't hunt." Ashen frowns, reality continuing to set in on just how badly he's been handicapped.
Naira blinks andf rowns as she watches her friend, she shakes her head slightly. "The really loud one.. His stupid.." She grumbles out before she takes in a breath and shifts up to her paws. "Okeys.. You stay here an I'll go get you something, alright?" She questions before turning and leaves to find some food.
"You know him?" Ashen wonders, trying and failing to hide his surprise. It took him a long time just to learn the names of anybody outside his litter. Granted, much of that was because he doesn't retain things like names very well. "Will wait." As if he has anywhere to go. Ashen sits patiently, ears quirking at the sound of her pawsteps, until they are too far away to hear.
Naira blahs faintly and nods. "Yes I did meet him.. His a loudmouth stupidness." She mutters out faint before she moves off to find food for him. It takes her some time but soon she's back with well.. a mouse. No its not much food but still its something. She pauses near her friend and drops the mouse in front of him before plopping to her haunches. "I'm sorry.. its just a mouse.."
Ashen can't decide if he should frown or laugh at her description. He would agree, but it just feels wrong for him to entertain insults of Cael. Especially after he'd techincally just thrown Ashen from a mountain. But sitting alone now, his mind drifts to the previous night, and the things he'd done wrong. Which was, well, everything following his first step out of the den. Thankfully, he isn't left to brood for long. Naira's approach is picked up immediately, and it's accompanied by the smell of mouse blood. Once it's dropped before him, Ashen stares at the spot where he heard the tiny corpse fall, before hunching over to poke at it with his nose. "It's good." He tells her, hoping to be encouraging. Of course, he didn't expect her to catch anything grand. She's just a cub like him. "Thank you. Thank you a lot."
Naira smiles at this and nods while her tail sways about. "Well.. Good! An your welcome." It is true that she is a ub, and catching bugs and mice are about the extent of just what she can hunt, for now at least.
Ashen takes his time eating. The feeling of food in his stomach is less pleasant than he'd imagined it to be. It reminds him of when he was ingesting solid food for the first time. It felt so strangely heavy, and his gut was ready to expel it all back out. Just like right now. Confused, but not wanting to be rude, he doesn't stop until the mouse has been reduced to a few scraps of fur and bone.
Naira ears perk as she watches him curiously. "So.. Can I get you anything else Ashen?" Its not like she's a healer or anything. An she really isn't sure what to do to even start trying to help him feel better.
Ashen shakes his head. "No, I'm okay." He doesn't want to ask too much of her. It makes him feel so helpless. True, he /is/ helpless, but he doesn't like to remind himself of that fact.
(A little later...)
It's early in the evening still. Ashen hasn't moved much from where he'd finished eating the mouse that Naira caught before. Half-sitting, half-curled, the cub stares into space. His eyes are open, but not nearly as wide as they usually are. Sometimes, he thinks he can see a shape, but upon turning to focus on it, the image dashes away like smoke on the wind. He doesn't know whether to be hopeful or frustrated.
Naira has been sleeping rather close to Ashen, mostly so if he got up to leave she could be woken up and try to help him. She mumbles out now and then as she wiggles about in her sleep, forepaws batting out at the air before she rolls over against her side and dozes off once more.
Naira's movements distract Ashen. He looks at her, or rather, the ground near where she is. He imagines that he can see her; laying there, asleep. He stands, then falls back from the pain in his leg. He tries again, and is thwarted a second time. Five tries later, and Ashen is standing. He shuffles over, curious about what she's dreaming, and whether it would be alright to wake her.
Naira wiggles about a bit more until she feels something move around and she blinks while opening her eyes slightly, a few er escapes her a moment while she takes in a breath and yawns. Her ears perk and she blinks while peering at Ashen as she catches sight of her. "Hey.." She murmurs. "How you feeling?
Ashen doesn't realize Naira has awoke until she speaks. He immediately back up, feeling embarrassed. "Hey." He greets in turn. "Feeling better." It's not really true, not as far his health goes. His hind leg hurts, perhaps a little worse than before. His lack of sight is also driving him crazy. But her presence here has somehow, he doesn't know why, made it all not so bad. He's not sure how to tell her as much, either. "Hey, umm. Wanna ask you something..."
Naira stretches out, forepaws gripping at the ground while a yawn escapes her and she licks across her maw and she snuffles softly and blinks. "Okey.. What's you want to ask?" She questions curiously while her tail slowly sways.
"Before, you said you came looking for me." Ashen faces the rough proximity of the ground. "I... uh, I was wondering why you did." His ears lay back, and his brows tilt up questioningly.
Naira blinks while she shifts so she's sitting up and ohs. "Well.. Its cause I caught your scent moving away from your home.. An I wanted to make sure you was alright." She offers after a moment and half chews on her lip.
Ashen hesitates, before walking a little closer. "Your ma isn't going to get mad at you for being gone so long, is she?"
Naira ohs faintly at that and chews on her lip while she glances off. She didn't even think about that. "Well.. Most likely.."
Ashen sits down carefully. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me." He scuffs a paw at some snow, and looks a bit forlorn.
Naira shrugs at this. "Eh.. Its alright. I've gotten in trouble before." She is rather sure her mother won't eat her or anything like that. "Anyway.. Someone /needs/ to watch you." There is a pause. "Maybe.. You could come live with me and my ma and sister?" PERFECT idea..
Ashen swallows, looking even more embarrassed than before. "I already got somebody watching me." Although the idea of meeting Naira's family /does/ also appeal to him. His voice goes low, as he tells her, as if he doesn't believe it quite so himself. "I met a wolf. She was... was very kind to me." His expression brightens up after a moment. "I could visit, though."
Naira blinks and ohs softly at this while her ears lower and she nods a moment. "So.. a wolf is gona take care of you?" Well sure that sounds like a great idea. "I.. guess you don't need me around then huh?" She questions softly, almost sounding hurt. "Sure... You can vist whenever."
Ashen suddenly jumps up, perhaps a little too quickly. Biting his tongue to keep from crying out, he instead pads toward her. "But I do need you around, Naira!" He pauses, just a moment, before stepping closer to give the other cub a soft nuzzle. "I... You're... you're my friend." It's a simple word, but there's an abundance of feeling in the tone he places behind it. That she means more to him than the word can imply, but he doesn't know of a better way to say it.
Naira blinks as she watches him and shifts up onto her paws to nose back at him. "Hey.. Don't hurt yourself, just relax alright?" She questions with a worried tone as she knows he was in pain there. "Well.. I'm glad you need me." This said while she smiles a bit. "An.. Well your my friend too!" Her only friend at that.
And he does need her, more than either of them know. With Amaranth behind him, Naira is a comfort and familiarity that he desperately needs. "Alright." Ashen settles down again, although now he's a little reluctant to leave her side. "I'm glad." He smiles, in his askew sort of way. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't have 'ny friends at all."
Naira leans over and noses at the boy's cheek while she shifts up onto her paws and smiles while nodding. "Well.. I'm glad I could help you." She offers. "Do you want something to eat?"
Ashen purrs quietly at her touch. If he could, he would be flush. He does, though, almost forget to respond. "Ah, oh yeah! Um, I mean... yes please." He nods quickly and cheerfully. For the first time since his fight with Cael, Ashen feels happiness sprout in his heart. Even with all the things that went wrong, maybe this isn't so bad.
Naira grins and nods while she jumps up onto her paws and starts to move along to find something. "I'll be back soon, promise!" She states.. In fact it takes her a little while before she comes back carrying two mice back the tails. Well she needs to get something to you know! She pauses in front of him and drops the mice. "Here you go.. Just another mouse though." She'll get something bigger at some point.
Ashen once again waits patiently, staring in the direction her voice disappeared into. When she reappears, he's a little more eager to claim one of the rodents. Some of his appetite has returned. "Mice are fine." He laughs. "Bet you're gonna get a lot of practice, though." Strange although it may be, Ashen does prefer the taste of smaller prey, to the tough and darker meats of larger things. It doesn't take him long to finish the first mouse, before he's already tired again. With a tiny yawn, he flops softly to his right side. "Thank you Naira. For the mice... an' for being here."
Naira smiles and nods while she flops down, oh well she can find another mouse later she rather him eat them both and get better. "Sure.. Your welcome.. Go on and 'eat em. It'll help you get better if you keep eatting."
Ashen nods slowly. With the remainder of his energy, the cub picks apart the other mouse, taking his time. Although he still manages to be a messy eater, and there are still bits and pieces left strewn about. After he's done, Ashen yawns again, then settles his head into his paws, tail wrapping around his side in an attempt to keep warm.
Naira hops up to her paws and moves over to settle down next to him, to help with the keeping warm part an all. "Go on and sleep.. I'll find you something else alright." She noses at his shoulder, ears lowering as she watches him, clearly worried about the boy.
Ashen murmurs something in reply, but its meaning is lost to the fatigue of his tongue. He purrs at the added warmth, and both eyes fall shut. Before long, Ashen has slipped away into a peaceful, much needed sleep.
Ashen, juve. male cougar
Naira, juve. female cougar
Location
Rolling Foothills
Time
Late Winter
And, as it turned out, Ashen couldn't go nearly as far as he was trying. Skel's voice had comforted him and driven him onward, but nonetheless, he eventually had to stop some time during the night, unable to swallow the pain that emanated constantly from his leg. The daylight finds Ashen half-curled in a small rut where snow had been clawed away, leaving still frozen, but slightly warmer ground for the boy to sleep on, and stay mostly hidden from the elements. He could have remained the way for some time, thoroughly worn out as he is. But the sun glances his face in just the wrong spot to push Ashen awake. Strange. He opens his eyes, vaguely aware that there is indeed light. He can't tell how intense, or where it's coming from, only that it is there.
Someone is /very/ far from home it seems. Naira is following after a scent that caught her atention, Ashen's that is. The girl can't figure out why the scent is this far from the boys home though. Its taken her some times to make it this far. She is making her way through the snow, heading towards where the scent is strongest and she blinks as she finally catches sight of him. She bounds over to where he is and tilts her head. "Ashen?"
It's right when Ashen has shambled a few steps, mewing softly, that he hears a voice he'd never have expected. The surprise alone is enough to make the boy fall back, sitting rather lopsidedly, with his weight on his right side. "Naira?" He answers, turning his head, but not able to pinpoint where she might be. "Are you lost, too?" What a silly question.
Naira blinks as she watches he friend and she shifts forward until she's basicly in front of him, she snuffles out slightly before lifting a forepaw and waves it at him as he talks to the side. "Hey.. What's wrong with you?" He doesn't have to move around much for her to tell something isn't right with him. "Me? Naw.. I came looking for you.. What you doing all the way out here??"
"Nothing. Can't see, an' my foot hurts." Ashen corrects the direction of his eyes, to something a little closer to where the other cub -should- be, judging by the sound of her movements. For the most part, he feels reluctant to talk about the events leading up to his being here, in the awful condition that he's in. But she wants to know, and in some ways, Ashen was hoping to be able to talk to somebody about everything. "Left... not going home, not ever again. Please don't tell." Not that he actually suspects she's going to run all the way to Amaranth and give away his position. She wouldn't, would she?
Naira blinks as she watches and listions to Ashen, her ears lower while she leans over to nose at him slightly. "I won't tell anyone.. But.. Who did this to you?" She questions with a soft worried tone as she takes in a slight breath. "You hungrey or anything?"
If Cael had even mentioned his own name, Ashen would probably not have remembered it. Rather, it's Cael's relation that remains in his mind, the one he hadn't learned until the very end of their confrontation. "Kein's son." He mumbles, not even considering if that would have any significance to Naira. He forgets that she did not grow up in Amaranth. "Wanted to say sorry for making him mad. For messing everything up." But by now, it's far too late. Ashen had, in their brief scuffle, injured Cael after all. There could not possibly be any forgiveness waiting for him in Amaranth. Her question is answered with a gradual nod. "Yes. Can't see. Can't hunt." Ashen frowns, reality continuing to set in on just how badly he's been handicapped.
Naira blinks andf rowns as she watches her friend, she shakes her head slightly. "The really loud one.. His stupid.." She grumbles out before she takes in a breath and shifts up to her paws. "Okeys.. You stay here an I'll go get you something, alright?" She questions before turning and leaves to find some food.
"You know him?" Ashen wonders, trying and failing to hide his surprise. It took him a long time just to learn the names of anybody outside his litter. Granted, much of that was because he doesn't retain things like names very well. "Will wait." As if he has anywhere to go. Ashen sits patiently, ears quirking at the sound of her pawsteps, until they are too far away to hear.
Naira blahs faintly and nods. "Yes I did meet him.. His a loudmouth stupidness." She mutters out faint before she moves off to find food for him. It takes her some time but soon she's back with well.. a mouse. No its not much food but still its something. She pauses near her friend and drops the mouse in front of him before plopping to her haunches. "I'm sorry.. its just a mouse.."
Ashen can't decide if he should frown or laugh at her description. He would agree, but it just feels wrong for him to entertain insults of Cael. Especially after he'd techincally just thrown Ashen from a mountain. But sitting alone now, his mind drifts to the previous night, and the things he'd done wrong. Which was, well, everything following his first step out of the den. Thankfully, he isn't left to brood for long. Naira's approach is picked up immediately, and it's accompanied by the smell of mouse blood. Once it's dropped before him, Ashen stares at the spot where he heard the tiny corpse fall, before hunching over to poke at it with his nose. "It's good." He tells her, hoping to be encouraging. Of course, he didn't expect her to catch anything grand. She's just a cub like him. "Thank you. Thank you a lot."
Naira smiles at this and nods while her tail sways about. "Well.. Good! An your welcome." It is true that she is a ub, and catching bugs and mice are about the extent of just what she can hunt, for now at least.
Ashen takes his time eating. The feeling of food in his stomach is less pleasant than he'd imagined it to be. It reminds him of when he was ingesting solid food for the first time. It felt so strangely heavy, and his gut was ready to expel it all back out. Just like right now. Confused, but not wanting to be rude, he doesn't stop until the mouse has been reduced to a few scraps of fur and bone.
Naira ears perk as she watches him curiously. "So.. Can I get you anything else Ashen?" Its not like she's a healer or anything. An she really isn't sure what to do to even start trying to help him feel better.
Ashen shakes his head. "No, I'm okay." He doesn't want to ask too much of her. It makes him feel so helpless. True, he /is/ helpless, but he doesn't like to remind himself of that fact.
(A little later...)
It's early in the evening still. Ashen hasn't moved much from where he'd finished eating the mouse that Naira caught before. Half-sitting, half-curled, the cub stares into space. His eyes are open, but not nearly as wide as they usually are. Sometimes, he thinks he can see a shape, but upon turning to focus on it, the image dashes away like smoke on the wind. He doesn't know whether to be hopeful or frustrated.
Naira has been sleeping rather close to Ashen, mostly so if he got up to leave she could be woken up and try to help him. She mumbles out now and then as she wiggles about in her sleep, forepaws batting out at the air before she rolls over against her side and dozes off once more.
Naira's movements distract Ashen. He looks at her, or rather, the ground near where she is. He imagines that he can see her; laying there, asleep. He stands, then falls back from the pain in his leg. He tries again, and is thwarted a second time. Five tries later, and Ashen is standing. He shuffles over, curious about what she's dreaming, and whether it would be alright to wake her.
Naira wiggles about a bit more until she feels something move around and she blinks while opening her eyes slightly, a few er escapes her a moment while she takes in a breath and yawns. Her ears perk and she blinks while peering at Ashen as she catches sight of her. "Hey.." She murmurs. "How you feeling?
Ashen doesn't realize Naira has awoke until she speaks. He immediately back up, feeling embarrassed. "Hey." He greets in turn. "Feeling better." It's not really true, not as far his health goes. His hind leg hurts, perhaps a little worse than before. His lack of sight is also driving him crazy. But her presence here has somehow, he doesn't know why, made it all not so bad. He's not sure how to tell her as much, either. "Hey, umm. Wanna ask you something..."
Naira stretches out, forepaws gripping at the ground while a yawn escapes her and she licks across her maw and she snuffles softly and blinks. "Okey.. What's you want to ask?" She questions curiously while her tail slowly sways.
"Before, you said you came looking for me." Ashen faces the rough proximity of the ground. "I... uh, I was wondering why you did." His ears lay back, and his brows tilt up questioningly.
Naira blinks while she shifts so she's sitting up and ohs. "Well.. Its cause I caught your scent moving away from your home.. An I wanted to make sure you was alright." She offers after a moment and half chews on her lip.
Ashen hesitates, before walking a little closer. "Your ma isn't going to get mad at you for being gone so long, is she?"
Naira ohs faintly at that and chews on her lip while she glances off. She didn't even think about that. "Well.. Most likely.."
Ashen sits down carefully. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me." He scuffs a paw at some snow, and looks a bit forlorn.
Naira shrugs at this. "Eh.. Its alright. I've gotten in trouble before." She is rather sure her mother won't eat her or anything like that. "Anyway.. Someone /needs/ to watch you." There is a pause. "Maybe.. You could come live with me and my ma and sister?" PERFECT idea..
Ashen swallows, looking even more embarrassed than before. "I already got somebody watching me." Although the idea of meeting Naira's family /does/ also appeal to him. His voice goes low, as he tells her, as if he doesn't believe it quite so himself. "I met a wolf. She was... was very kind to me." His expression brightens up after a moment. "I could visit, though."
Naira blinks and ohs softly at this while her ears lower and she nods a moment. "So.. a wolf is gona take care of you?" Well sure that sounds like a great idea. "I.. guess you don't need me around then huh?" She questions softly, almost sounding hurt. "Sure... You can vist whenever."
Ashen suddenly jumps up, perhaps a little too quickly. Biting his tongue to keep from crying out, he instead pads toward her. "But I do need you around, Naira!" He pauses, just a moment, before stepping closer to give the other cub a soft nuzzle. "I... You're... you're my friend." It's a simple word, but there's an abundance of feeling in the tone he places behind it. That she means more to him than the word can imply, but he doesn't know of a better way to say it.
Naira blinks as she watches him and shifts up onto her paws to nose back at him. "Hey.. Don't hurt yourself, just relax alright?" She questions with a worried tone as she knows he was in pain there. "Well.. I'm glad you need me." This said while she smiles a bit. "An.. Well your my friend too!" Her only friend at that.
And he does need her, more than either of them know. With Amaranth behind him, Naira is a comfort and familiarity that he desperately needs. "Alright." Ashen settles down again, although now he's a little reluctant to leave her side. "I'm glad." He smiles, in his askew sort of way. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't have 'ny friends at all."
Naira leans over and noses at the boy's cheek while she shifts up onto her paws and smiles while nodding. "Well.. I'm glad I could help you." She offers. "Do you want something to eat?"
Ashen purrs quietly at her touch. If he could, he would be flush. He does, though, almost forget to respond. "Ah, oh yeah! Um, I mean... yes please." He nods quickly and cheerfully. For the first time since his fight with Cael, Ashen feels happiness sprout in his heart. Even with all the things that went wrong, maybe this isn't so bad.
Naira grins and nods while she jumps up onto her paws and starts to move along to find something. "I'll be back soon, promise!" She states.. In fact it takes her a little while before she comes back carrying two mice back the tails. Well she needs to get something to you know! She pauses in front of him and drops the mice. "Here you go.. Just another mouse though." She'll get something bigger at some point.
Ashen once again waits patiently, staring in the direction her voice disappeared into. When she reappears, he's a little more eager to claim one of the rodents. Some of his appetite has returned. "Mice are fine." He laughs. "Bet you're gonna get a lot of practice, though." Strange although it may be, Ashen does prefer the taste of smaller prey, to the tough and darker meats of larger things. It doesn't take him long to finish the first mouse, before he's already tired again. With a tiny yawn, he flops softly to his right side. "Thank you Naira. For the mice... an' for being here."
Naira smiles and nods while she flops down, oh well she can find another mouse later she rather him eat them both and get better. "Sure.. Your welcome.. Go on and 'eat em. It'll help you get better if you keep eatting."
Ashen nods slowly. With the remainder of his energy, the cub picks apart the other mouse, taking his time. Although he still manages to be a messy eater, and there are still bits and pieces left strewn about. After he's done, Ashen yawns again, then settles his head into his paws, tail wrapping around his side in an attempt to keep warm.
Naira hops up to her paws and moves over to settle down next to him, to help with the keeping warm part an all. "Go on and sleep.. I'll find you something else alright." She noses at his shoulder, ears lowering as she watches him, clearly worried about the boy.
Ashen murmurs something in reply, but its meaning is lost to the fatigue of his tongue. He purrs at the added warmth, and both eyes fall shut. Before long, Ashen has slipped away into a peaceful, much needed sleep.