Jelani
Newbie
There are never enough I Love Yous.
Posts: 29
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Post by Jelani on Nov 11, 2007 12:31:42 GMT -5
[ Ah! I'm so very sorry it's taken me so long! This week has been extremely busy - as I had a couple of college interview things to wait on and a few last minute projects. Ehehe. XD Fun stuff, but, oh man, I've been swamped. Glad most of it's settled down now. ]
Jelani had roughly shook the water from his coat after a few moments, the slick nature of it having caused him a bit of discomfort. His calm eyes had seemed to watch the fluid motion of the small river; his head had been turned, cautiously keeping an eye to insure the other were near. He had made a statement. As an honest individual (so he fancied himself), he had no intention of allowing himself to lose the other over his own quickening pace.
Eventually, Jelani had slowed to a soft canter. He had smiled crookedly at Rohan's statement. On the verge of giving a small laugh, he had tossed his head in the direction he had been walking. "If you are a poor fisherman, it would be wise to do so if you are to aid in catching my meal. It is a time consuming process, but scarcely difficult once you understand the concept of pat---"
His ramble had been cut short. The crackling of a limb had echoed throughout the air. Before Jelani had even been aware of what was happening, he had heard the swift warning the stranger had given - and he had nearly fallen backwards as the branch had collapsed against the floor. There was no denying it: he was a lucky one. The branch had barely missed him, and, while it had startled him, he was scarcely in shock. In a way, he had casually dismissed it after regaining his composure. His concern had been redirected; his eyes had drifted upward to the trees as if to find the source ... There he found it.
"You ought to gather greater balance if you are going to climb trees, or else you're going to hurt yourself or someone on the ground. Have you no sense?"
Perhaps he had thought too soon on the idea of being lucky. The condescending howl the girl had given had riled him somewhat. Though he himself spoke with such a tone, he was oblivious to the fact, and thus fell prey to condemning the action. "You've no 'spying skills' - either of you - if you can't even keep from knocking branches down from far up there."
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Post by Jamala on Nov 19, 2007 19:43:20 GMT -5
Jamala gave a swift look at the white tiger, inviting her to follow her. With a few swift bounds she gracefully landed on the forest floor, beside the other clouded leopard and lion mix. "My name is Jamala." she said bluntly. She gave a cheeky look to the other clouded leopard. "And my balance is just fine thankyou! I do believe it wasn't I who knocked that branch on to your head, but my tiger friend up there." she smirked.
She bounded around the clouded leopard and dark lion a few times before stopping. Her short legs made her seem not so comfortable on the ground. "And my spying skills are great." she smiled. "I could follow you for miles in the tree tops and you would never know." she poked her tongue out. "So, where are you heading? Can I tag along? And maybe my tiger friend too?" Jamala was just happy to find another of her own kind. Ever since leaving her mother she had not found another clouded leopard. And she didn't even give a second thought about the danger the large lion mix could be to her.
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Morwen
Newbie
My friends call me Rennie
Posts: 26
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Post by Morwen on Nov 19, 2007 20:24:36 GMT -5
Seeing the gesture from Jamala, Ren jumped down from the tree and smiled at the other two cats. "I guess the jig is up, huh?" she said. After Jamala had announced her name Ren proceeded to do so: "I'm Reniko, my friends call me Rennie... well they would, but i don't have any friends." she continued with amusement.
"And my balance is just fine thank you! I do believe it wasn't I who knocked that branch on to your head, but my tiger friend up there. And my spying skills are great." Jamala smiled. "I could follow you for miles in the tree tops and you would never know."
"I can be clumsy in trees, but not as much as most cats, I'm actually rather good at spying also. Rohan here didn't notice me at all." Reniko stated with a nudge to the lion cat's shoulder.
"So, where are you heading? Can I tag along? And maybe my tiger friend too?"
Ren went along with the clouded leopard's talk; she did want to follow them, "Where are you going, Jelani? That is your name is it not?" She sat down so they were in a circle of four cats.
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Post by Rohan on Nov 20, 2007 0:45:46 GMT -5
Rohan's face slowly changed to a look of displeasure. Too many felines, too soon. One day he had been alone and the next he was surrounded. But something about being around other felines bought him a weird feeling. Was it happiness? If it was, he wasn't about to show it.
He looked to Jelani and wondered what he would say about the rude interruption to their conversion. He wondered if Jelani was leading him anywhere in particular. The male clouded leopard certainly knew more about the area than he did.
Quietly he listened as the spies introduced themselves. They seemed a tad... immature. Spying was for cubs. He kept his mouth shut. He was not going to reveal his name. It took him long enough to give Jelani his trust, if that is what you could call it.
"I can be clumsy in trees, but not as much as most cats, I'm actually rather good at spying also. Rohan here didn't notice me at all."
Rohan grunted his annoyance as the tiger nudged him in the shoulder. He pulled his head away with a frown on his face as the tiger commented about how he failed to notice them. "I don't like the company of such immature felines." he said all of a sudden as they tried to tag along. "I'll let Jelani decide."
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Jelani
Newbie
There are never enough I Love Yous.
Posts: 29
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Post by Jelani on Nov 20, 2007 20:34:51 GMT -5
"One knocks the branch and two are caught." Jelani's face had become long with discomfort and vexation. He was less angry about the branch than one may have imagined, but something weighed upon his mind. His fur had riled, the strands prickling up along his neck as he stiffened.
I could follow you for miles in the tree tops and you would never know.
His heart had pattered wildly against his chest. Though he was not ample to admit that he had grown negligent of his surroundings, he was quick to condemn the idea of being followed. Spying was a fool's game of hostility. It was certainly not anything he kindly, passively, could take.
"I would dare you to perform such a feat, but I shall not promote crafty trickery. That is a game of no valued purpose." His voice had lowered distinctly, as if he had imagined something unfriendly within the context of spies and sneaking about. His eyes had narrowed, and his whiskers had twitched, before he had turned his head away to glance at the slow river. Then he had eased. The hairs had fallen back to their normal place and he had heaved a sigh. Casually, his tail had brushed the ground before he had taken a motion of continuing on his way.
Their inquiries had stopped him. His paws had dug into the wet dirt. His head had turned sharply to gawk at the other clouded leopard and the tiger of snowy-hue. Observant and analytical, he had seemed to scan them with wariness. He did not appear trusting in the least. Rather, he had taken on a new feel to his step at the sound of his name and the seemingly sarcastic use of its syllables. Without a word, he had circled himself around to face them. His feet had moved with a heavy slowness before his head had been raised, a high look of disdain and fragile anguish within his eyes. "Jelani is what I am called, correct!" He had breathed. His ears had flickered wildly atop his head.
"As for where we are venturing? Would not you already know?" Jelani had continued. It had taken him a moment to settle down. His shoulders had hunched and his figure had gradually lost whatever pride it had exhibited - as if something within the words had haunted him. That is your name, is it not?. His mouth had opened wide for a moment before he had once more rolled himself to turn away, his feet shifting to wade against the shallow edge of the river's bank. Heaving a large sigh, he had began to grow calm. Occasionally he had given a glance back at the group, though he had not walked far. From Rohan to Ren to Jamala, his eyes had taken on a fleeting expression before he had smiled faintly to himself. They were certainly a motley crew.
"The fishing line on the swift river. Where the fish conjugate frequently when swimming. The water can be quick, deep in some areas, but there is no finer place to dine." A linger glance had been given to Rohan before Jelani had returned to the two girls. They were nothing more than mere children within his eyes, and they were wild at that. As if dwelling over the effects of permitting their accompaniment, Jelani had seemed unenthusiastic about responding. Yet, the response was bound to leave him at one point or another. The faint smile had abandoned his face and it had once more become long with the contemplation.
"I have no quarrel with companionship." He had whispered mildly before beginning the trek once more. "Mind you," He had paused once more before shaking his head to himself. "I expect your assistance if you are to follow. A meal does not catch itself; more paws equate more fish, and I expect a contribution if you are to enlist in this activity for whatever reason you have."
With those words spoken, he had eyed the branch that had nearly hit him before muttering a 'thank you' to an unspecified individual. The walk had resumed, his head only giving the motion for the group to follow his lead.
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Post by Jamala on Nov 22, 2007 22:27:25 GMT -5
"I would dare you to perform such a feat, but I shall not promote crafty trickery. That is a game of no valued purpose."
Jamala was a bit taken aback by his reply. Did this guy not know the meaning of fun? She had imagined ALL clouded leopards were just like her. This was part of her naivety. "So you are against promoting fun?" she teased the clouded leopard.
"As for where we are venturing? Would not you already know?"
"Well I only just bumped into Ren, moments after she knocked that branch down. Pity she missed." Jamala laughed. She enjoyed her own jokes, and she was often the only one that laughed at them. Not everyone shared her humor. "But it doesn't matter where you are going. I'll come, and I'll make sure I'm not a burden!" she said with a proud grin, slightly puffing up her chest. Her attempts at having a 'serious' conversation were weak, almost laughable.
"The water can be quick, deep in some areas, but there is no finer place to dine."
Jamala shuddered for a moment, hoping that no one saw her. She carefully eyed the water with a disgusted look. She then turned her attention back to the tree tops and a content smile appeared on her face. No way was she touching that liquid. Her home was in the trees. With her short legs she would definitely drown. But she wasn't going to admit this to the rest of the group and she decided to keep her mouth shut about her fear of water.
"Mind you...I expect your assistance if you are to follow. A meal does not catch itself; more paws equate more fish, and I expect a contribution if you are to enlist in this activity for whatever reason you have."
Once again, Jamala kept her mouth shut about the whole fishing/water matter. She just watched as Jelani stalked off, saying thankyou to an unknown source. Jamala almost burst out laughing, thinking that he was talking to himself. She looked to Ren and rolled her eyes with a cheeky smirk as if to say "He is soo loco!"
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Morwen
Newbie
My friends call me Rennie
Posts: 26
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Post by Morwen on Nov 23, 2007 13:27:21 GMT -5
As Jelani left the group, Ren looked at the cat who had assumed the role of her friend. Jamala rolled her eyes and smirked. Reniko almost couldn't keep a chuckle back. She decided to regain her composure and follow the male clouded leopard to the water. Chances were she had been to this particular watering hole in her past.
"I'm not much of a fisher; my paws are too big for the little ones, but i can catch a deer for you. It is a tiger's specialty to hunt in the water like a crocodile." Ren said to Jelani, trying to sound helpful to his cause, but sounding more narcissistic really.
Ren loved the water, but then again she was at home in most every area. Jamala looked a bit taken aback by the mention of water and Ren was not sure if she was supposed to notice. She looked back at the other two cats and smiled warmly at the clouded leopard female as if to say: 'Don't worry, I'll save you if you fall in.'
Rohan looked unamused at their antics, so Ren decided to leave him alone. He didn't seem like he wanted to fraternize with her kind. Well if he wanted fish he would have to deal with her and her smaller friend.
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Post by Rohan on Nov 26, 2007 20:06:22 GMT -5
Rohan shrugged slightly and calmly followed Jelani. He walked side by side with Jelani as the girls followed behind. Rohan casually looked over his shoulder once or twice as they were walking, to see what they were talking about. Not that he cared.. much.
"I'm a good hunter at night, due to my dark coat." Rohan added to their conversation about hunting. He noticed that Jamala had become quiet when they talked about fishing. He didn't think much of it, and was just glad that the chatter box had become quiet for a mere second. As Rohan followed Jelani along the river shore he looked into the water. The weather was not warm but he did actually feel like a dip. Strange. He thought. He had never really liked water before now. "I think you have awoken a strong liking for water inside of me, Jelani." Rohan said simply. He noticed the river was not yet deep enough for a swim. He could see little schools of fish swimming along. But they were young, hardly bigger than a claw.
"Out of all the elements I believe water to be the friendliest." Rohan hated fire with a passion as it is what killed his parents. His moods often changed with the weather. Or was it the other way around? He found that the water had a calming effect on him. Rohan was finally opening up once again. His true nature was finally beginning to show through. Something about Jelani had made him feel at ease to give him his trust. Maybe they were not so different after all.
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Jelani
Newbie
There are never enough I Love Yous.
Posts: 29
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Post by Jelani on Nov 26, 2007 22:27:23 GMT -5
Jamala's comments had left Jelani stiff. His head had narrowed; his face had hardened over the resounding noises. As he walked with his small limp in rhythm, he had not glanced back. The twisted glimmer of his blue eye had shrieked with dissatisfaction, though he had been too fixated to retort quickly. His mind had turned sluggishly to the tone, and it had eventually moved to entertain him in only the way it could for him.
His somber figure had eased once more. He had found the faint smile, and he had clung to it with relative ease. Contentment came easy for him. All it took was a step forward. A thought would tip the scale's balance in his favor; it simply took memory and fascination. " Haven't you ever heard of the bird and the tiger?"
Jelani had taken to an even quicker pace, his limp dispersing with the bounding motion of his stubby legs.
It is a tiger's specialty to hunt in the water like a crocodile.
A choking laugh had erupted momentarily as he began shaking his head. His brisk pace had stabilized; his head had returned to its height, and his eyes had become calm slits. "Snapping at something is no way to catch it; you'll only make it scatter. " Paw after paw, he had kept at the path until he had seethed, slowing only to heed to the demands of his own ails.
"I shall take the words of both of you. However you like, whatever your specialty."
With such things noted, he had given the girls an awkward look before once again shaking his head. No explanation for the gesture had been offered. He had simply shifted his eyes to Rohan. His smile, though bemused, was as kindly as one could expect from a scholarly feline. Refocusing on the path ahead, Jelani had given a light, throaty noise accompanied by a nod. "Water is a remarkable thing with many moods." He had contemplated something before allowing a quick shiver to rush down his spine and rattle his body. "This place is filled with it. Streams. Rivers. The rain comes at its own whims." His nose had crinkled at the thought of the rain, as if there were a rooted discomfort in the concept. "You will find plenty. Sometimes friendly; sometimes more violent than imaginable, though that may not be a complication in your case."
Jelani had to note. Rohan was much larger than he was, and what waters he knew of throughout the jungle would likely prove themselves to be nothing serious.
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Post by Jamala on Dec 1, 2007 3:44:07 GMT -5
"Water is a remarkable thing with many moods."
"Water is disgusting!" Jamal pouted with a screwed up face. She was notably not near the water at all, for fear of falling in and drowning. She walked at a slow pace, finding it hard to keep up with her stubby legs. She mumbled in annoyance to herself. She was much more agile jumping through trees for some reason. Branches were unpredictable, always twisting and turning. Ground was boring. Solid and flat. Jamala looked up to the tree tops. She had spent most of her life up there in the canopy. "Er, I'm gonna follow you guys from the canopy for as long as I can." she said quietly, eying off the water with cation. With a couple of bounds she quickly climbed up the nearest tree trunk, as quick as a squirrel.
As she followed them from above, quickly jumping from branch to another, she noticed Jelani's limp. She snickered to herself. "Did you trip on a rock Jenali?" she teased from above. "What's with the limp eh?" Jamal was very much like an annoying child. Or an annoying younger sister.
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Morwen
Newbie
My friends call me Rennie
Posts: 26
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Post by Morwen on Dec 2, 2007 2:37:22 GMT -5
Ren watched Jamala's display; she couldn't help but giggle a little. The soft movement of water like this had never hurt anyone. Ren understood the clouded leopard's paranoia though; with her short legs it would be difficult to swim for very long. Ren said nothing, and she entered the water with the other two cats.
"I love the water so..." she mumbled to no one in particular. She had spent many hours playing in the water with her mother; she missed those times of kitten-hood. She wondered to herself what her three companions were like as cubs. Suddenly Jamala made another comment:
"Did you trip on a rock Jelani? What's with the limp eh?"
Ren had noticed it too; was it a result of the mud slide? Or an injury of ancient origins? She decided not to say anything about it; most cats preferred not to show weakness and if she wanted to stay on good terms with Jelani, she wouldn't mention something that could anger him. Instead she approached Rohan, "Hey," she addressed him kindly, "I'm sorry if I seemed rude back there. I was only in it for a bit of fun; i was going to reveal myself to you eventually, I just figured I'd learn about you first." She explained with a smile.
She walked along in the cool water; feeling its flow between her toes and flexing her claws in the soft silt below. "You seem somewhat depressed... I don't mean to pry, but..." Ren figured it would probably be better if she didn't finish that sentence. She didn't want to hit a bad topic for a cat she had just met and failed to get on the good side of. He didn't seem to like her and her antics very much. She thought for a second and realized something: Since when did she care about what others thought of her?
She took a deep breath and accepted it; maybe she was finally lonely enough to make friends.
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Post by Rohan on Dec 5, 2007 7:16:20 GMT -5
"You will find plenty. Sometimes friendly; sometimes more violent than imaginable, though that may not be a complication in your case."
"No I guess not. Water has never seemed like a threat to me. More like a soothing comfort." Rohan replied to Jelani as he told of the different sides of water. Rohan also noted that Ren also seemed to like the water. That was good. It was just the strange female clouded leopard that had a problem with it. Rohan looked up and frowned at Jamala in confusion as she followed them from the tree tops. His frown of confusion turned to a frown of anger when she made a remark about Jelani's limp. They all had their quirks but that was no excuse to be rude. "I believe that is his own business." Rohan growled. His attention was quickly grabbed again by Ren. He hadn't taken any notice of her since she had playfully nudged him before.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I seemed rude back there. I was only in it for a bit of fun; i was going to reveal myself to you eventually, I just figured I'd learn about you first."
"Errr that's ok. I guess." Rohan said awkwardly. He did find comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only larger feline here. It made him feel more in place. He looked down to the ground when she continued prying into his past. Rohan sighed. He wasn't sure if he'd already mentioned it to Jelani or not. But he figured he may as well get it out in the open, so that he wouldn't have to repeat it again. "I have reasons." he paused for a moment, hesitating before deciding to continue with his life story. "My parents died in a forest fire, and I wasn't there to protect them. Normally I'd never leave their side, but just once I was sleeping and I awoke to find the forest alight, and my parents dead." He looked at Ren awkwardly, and gave a quick glance to the others. "And don't judge me! My parents meant the world to me." he snapped defensively, and then looked back to the ground with a huff. His walk had become more determined and quicker paced than before.
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Jelani
Newbie
There are never enough I Love Yous.
Posts: 29
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Post by Jelani on Dec 6, 2007 18:47:11 GMT -5
Jelani had given the other clouded leopard a perplexed look. Her was disdain for water was intriguing. He could not remember ever having met someone so hostile towards the element. It was a life-bearing, healing source. They drank from it. They bathed within it. They gathered food from it. Water was a giving substance. While it could sweep them away, it was scarcely a threat.
"Water gives you life. Without it, you'd die of thirst, would you not?" He had huffed suddenly, his face still lined with that curiosity over the matter. "Wither away like a deteriorating tree. You would be a prune within a few days."
His head had turned to the forward path; his bound had grown and faded with bursts of small energy until the stinging words had caught up to him. The small defense; the declaration a handicap he had scarcely grown to disregard.
What's with the limp eh?
I believe that is his own business..
"Aye! My own business it is!" Jelani's good-natured curiosity had turned to an unusual ill-will. Swiftly, he had cut across a set of trees, breathing heavily as the fishing area had come into view. Still he talked. His fever and zeal, his hatred boisterous.
His face had become wretched as he stopped in the water. His ears had flattened. A mortified look had crossed his face; his eyes had grown wide with the grief. In an audible, almost heightened, mad voice, he had shouted: "You're a loud one; I'll ask you not mock it again. If you must know: a beastly brute. My leg was caught by one of those m-m-maned-monsters! A long enough time ago. A terrible story, and certainly one not unfamiliar to these regions. The Terror of Mtanga came... A monster so terrifying, you would have begged for mercy even in death. I was young. I was foolish, and it cost me more than my leg, I'll say. I'll say I would have been a father ... But small cats make for no match against a heavy thing. He took my leg while his henchmen stole my family! Satisfy your curiosity, loud one?"
Fire. The reasoning. He hated those monstrosities he called the maned-ones. He could remember it all vividly - and he knew he always would, until justice was served in some manner. Choking lightly, he had fallen loosely into the water. His muzzle had touched the surface, burying itself in it for a brief time.
Then he had cleared his throat. He had turned his back to the group entirely, only listening to the continuation of talk. Rohan's story. The irony of it. They were more alike than Jelani would have thought. Death. What a tragedy it was. He could see the trouble now - why he walked with such a dim light of life and his head down.
Slowly, he had seemed to regain himself. He had calmed down. His ears had occasionally flickered. His body had occasionally shifted in the water as his eyes watched the fish leap from time to time.
And don't judge me! My parents meant the world to me.
"We have ... Fishing to do."
His final words before he had swam outward, intent on diluting such depressing subjects. He was far from the mood of wishing for nostalgia.
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Anisi
Newbie
Cheshi and Keesha
Posts: 91
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Post by Anisi on Dec 11, 2007 0:29:20 GMT -5
((Morwen and Jelani, just continue without Rohan and Jamala for a while. I'll be back in a few days to catch up.))
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Morwen
Newbie
My friends call me Rennie
Posts: 26
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Post by Morwen on Dec 11, 2007 15:14:45 GMT -5
Ren was sorry to hear about Jelani's situation. She had never experienced anything scarier than her own species. Her mother, large and strong, had been able to protect her. Poor Jelani... Ren wondered what it was like to be as small as a clouded leopard. She decided not to say anything about his story and she approached the fishing area.
"I've never really fished before; not well anyway." Ren said to Jelani, "Can you teach me?" She asked not just to learn how to fish, but to make Jelani feel important. She felt bad for him; he had to relive his past just now all for the sake of Jamala's curiosity. Ren gave Jelani a warm grin.
((Sorry for the short post))
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