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 Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:07 pm
Zitomoya was confused. This, in and of itself, was a very unusual state for the cheetah to be in. "What're they..." She tilted her head to the side, staring at a herd of zebras she had, a little while ago, been stalking in an attempt to take one down for the meal of the day. She had been distracted, however, not by the zebras in question but by the birds diving in and out of the herd as if they were striking something. She didn't dare get closer for fear of startling the herd into running, but damn it, she wanted to know what they were doing.
Huffing under her breath, she rose onto her paws, crouching low enough so that her stomach brushed the ground as she crawled closer, and tried to peer at the herd. A twig snapped under her paw, and the herd bolted. "Damn!" She hissed, straightening up and glowering at the ground. Clearly, it was the twig's fault for being in her way. And now she'd never know what the hell those birds were doing. She bolted after the herd, hoping to take down a weak one by some miraculous means. Instead, as she leapt at one, she got a mouthful of dirt.
She snarled after the zebras, but didn't give chase, glaring around irritably. Damn it all; now she'd have to travel farther for her group's meal. Huffing, she started trudging over to the watering hole that the herd had been using while she stalked them. A drink would calm her mind, surely.
Mito had been spending his time living a past life- he had been sleeping the day away by a nice watering hole. It felt like he had let months slip by without a lazy day, all thanks to a snake bite he had obtained when he was careless. 'Do more than sleep' had become a bit of a mantra for him from that moment on, once he had recovered.
But... it was nice to fall back on old habits every once in a while. It wasn't like there was a life police around to bust him for breaking his oath one time.
Sighing, he opened his eyes, the frantic flailing of hooves nearby alerting him to the possibility of company in the near future. Sitting up, the chubby lion let out a massive yawn, shaking his dark green mane about before slowly getting to his feet. Sure enough, a cheetah was on her way over. And she didn't look pleased.
"Did your prey get away from you?" he asked gently, offering a welcoming smile.
Zitomoya jerked when she heard the gentle question, and blinked at Mito. Where had he come from? She tilted her head, peering at him closely. With the way things had been going lately, she couldn't be certain he was even real. Then she clicked her tongue at herself, snorting. Of course he was real. She wasn't crazy. Just...
Going there.
"Yes." She muttered, glaring after the herd before looking back at him. "Twig snapped." She explained, slumping down next to the watering hole and eying him. "Did I wake you?" She didn't sound particularly apologetic, and really, she wasn't. She lowered her head to take a drink, then looked up, eying him. "Rogue?" As far as she knew, they weren't near any prides. She'd been trying to keep close track of where they were, and how far from the Bahari'moto they were getting.
Eventually she'd have to speak up and tell them they needed to travel South, but she wasn't ready to face that demon yet.
Listening quietly, Mito did nothing to offer comfort for the mistake. Animals messed up hunts all the time- it wasn't the end of the world. A 'Ah, gee, that sucks' from him wasn't going to make the irritation go away. If anything, it'd only make her more annoyed. So he let her explain and moved off the topic.
"Nah," he hummed, "the zebra did." Okay, so maybe, by extension, she had been the one to wake him up, but Mito was hardly the kind of animal to get upset about something like that. Actually, he wasn't the kind of animal who got upset about... anything. Ever.
"Yes," he said without missing a beat, deciding now was as good a time as any to properly introduce himself. Tipping his head, he gave her a slight bow, smiling the whole time. "My name's Mito and I live pretty close to hear. What's your name? I don't see many cheetahs in this direction."
Come to think of it, she was probably the first cheetah he had encountered in a long time. Oh well- all the more reason to be polite.
She nodded a little, smirking. Well, wasn't he clever? Sure, she was aware of the extention, but she didn't ask the zebras all nice and proper to run around like crazy animals, so really, it was their fault for waking him up. And even if she did want to blame herself, he hardly seemed upset by it. And so, neither was she.
"My name is Zitomoya." She smiled a little at him. "I wander with a group of..." Of what? Friends? Hardly. "Others." She couldn't really specify, because they weren't friends. They were necessities. Well... Vu and Sellion weren't. They'd just followed along. And Tamaa was... almost kind of a friend. Maybe. On a good day. She wrinkled her nose a little. "They're all kind of stupid." It made her feel better to think that.
"You stay here?" She frowned at him. "All the time?" The idea of settling in one spot forever hardly seemed fair; there was so much to see out there! How could anyone see it all staying in one spot? Maybe he was just a little loose in the head. Wouldn't be the first crazy she met on the savannah.
"You wander with a batch of idiots?" Mito said, just making sure he had gotten the information right. It seemed... strange, to put it mildly. He couldn't picture himself wandering around with creatures he didn't get on with- though, that was probably because he couldn't really think of anyone he didn't get on with.
There was this one female, but he wouldn't call her stupid. They had just gotten off on the wrong foot and it had been more his fault than anyone else's anyway.
"Why, no!" he laughed lightly, "not all the time. I mean, not anymore, anyway. There was a time when I would sit here and waste the days, but not anymore. I travel all over these lands, meeting new animals and making great friends. This is just... my home base. Where I come to recover from particularly trying trips, you know?" Maybe she didn't. She didn't seem to like the idea of sitting still.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:09 pm
"Yes." She nodded, laughing a little. "It sounds crazy, but... they are." She scratched her face, grinning a little fondly without being particularly aware of it. She did like her group, if she was going to be brutally honest with herself. She... cared for them. It felt nice, having someone who depended on her. Or multiple someones, in this case. Before the incident with Mir and his ilk, she'd been respected, but not exactly cared about. She was An Important Figure, but not a friend. Not family.
"Ohh." She understood the theory of it, but the idea made her cringe. Even having a homebase was... odd. Now that she spent days travelling, it was the only life she could possibly love. Yes, she loved her life. With all its oddities and all its troubles, it was hers, and she was damned grateful for the opportunity to care for herself.
"You've been all over the place, then?" She grinned a little. "Have you been far south?" Her voice lifted a little; a hopeful lilt. She hadn't any idea what waited for her there, but maybe she could get an insight.
"Nah, it doesn't sound crazy," Mito replied thoughtfully. Not now that he could see her expression when she thought of them. He had been wrong to assume she didn't get on with them. It seemed more like... a sibling calling another sibling stupid. Wasn't really meant to be a stabbing wound. He appreciated seeing the fondness in her eyes- the last creature he had spoken to hadn't exactly been the warmest.
The change was welcome.
"That's right," he replied, feeling no need to attempt defending his home any more. If she liked to keep moving, then so be it. He was happy with how he lived his life and glad to see that she seemed content in her own. Why was the need to get upset when two beings were both content in their own way of thinking?
"Why, yes," he said after a moment, "I have been down south. It's very beautiful down that way, don't you think? I may have to make another trip some day."
She nodded a little, thinking quietly before speaking. "I... don't really remember." She said honestly, looking at him. He was a perfect stranger; there was no harm in sharing with him. What were the odds of him meeting any of her group after this, anyway? ...Unless he followed her home, too. But that was unlikely, he seemed content where he was. The other two... well. The one hadn't seemed content at all to be in the Pridelands. The other... He was just a nutter. That was all. "It's been a while since I was down there. How far've you been?" She asked curiously.
She couldn't remember where to find Indinda's den, or if it even existed anymore, but she knew it was south. Far south, by the water somewhere. The idea of another lion maybe knowing where it was, maybe knowing Indinda himself... It was too good an opportunity to pass up. "When were you there, last?" The questions weren't meant to be intruding, but she was practically bubbling over with curiosity. These weren't things she could talk of easily to her comrades. In fact, she didn't want to talk to them at all about it.
She would. She just didn't have to like it. "I remember water, and rain. I was very young." She'd been just a little older then a cub when she ran, and she hadn't even remembered where she came from until recently. It was... distressing.
He nodded slowly. So she had been there once, but not long enough or not recently enough for her to remember. See? He was learning. And other animals called him an idiot just because he didn't let crude remarks get to him.
"I'm not really sure," Mito chuckled, "I travel, but I don't carry maps with me or anything like that. Half the time I don't know how far I've gone until someone in a pride tells me to turn my fat butt around and head on home again. I'm sorry, I suppose I'm not very helpful, am I? I've seen the sea... that's really all I can say."
Taking on a thoughtful expression, he thought back to his visit down south. "Can't be more than a couple of months ago now," he replied thoughtfully, "maybe a little less than that." If the questions were bothering him, he wasn't letting it show- he seemed very happy to try and answer anything she asked of him.
"I see, so you're trying to return there, then?" he asked lightly, not meaning to intrude but unable to hide his curiosity, "if you don't mind me asking, of course."
Zitomoya laughed a little, nodding a little. "It's okay." She said quietly, watching him. "You must've been close, then. I remember the sea." At least, she remembered a hell of a lot of water. She used to love the water... "I'm sure you're not the first lion who's gotten lost a time or two." She was a nosy cheetah, and made sure she stuck to the roguelands, but she wouldn't doubt the Hyena or the Pridelander to go wandering into claimed territory and get in trouble.
"Do you remember any cheetahs, down that way?" She got hopeful without meaning to. She was getting older, which meant Indinda was getting older, and let's face it; the male had years on her to begin with. He was probably dead.
"Eventually." She nodded a little, waving him off quietly. "I don't mind." She smiled a little, craning her head to peer at the shark tooth necklace she wore. "I'm looking for someone, but... I don't think I want to go there. Not yet." She was afraid of what she'd find there.
"Haha, no, nor will I be the last," Mito hummed. After all, he was a father now. One of those little cubs, while off growing up somewhere else, would have to have some Mito travel-sense inside of him. Or her, he supposed. No need to assume just the boys would be getting hopelessly lost.
"I'm afraid I didn't meet any cheetahs, no," He replied after giving it a good deal of thought. He wanted to make sure he didn't end up accidentally lying to her because he hadn't thought about it enough. But no matter how hard he tried to remember a cheetah, he couldn't bring the memories about. Can't work with something that just isn't there. "Sorry about that."
Nodding, Mito knew it was probably best not to pry. Knew, but couldn't stop himself. "I understand," he said softly, "I suppose there's no rush, right? You'll know in your heart when the time is right. Anyway, perhaps it's best I let you get back on your way- I'd hate to keep you in one spot for too long."
Zito didn't let the disappointment show; it was enough that she'd met someone who'd been down there. What were the odds of that? "Don't be." She smiled a little at him, bowing her head. "I had to ask." She smiled a little, getting up and stretching. "He'd've been an old cheetah by now, anyway. Probably wouldn't leave his den." If he was even there. Ah, Zito, always the pessimist.
"Right." She smiled a little. "On both accounts. My... group will worry if I'm not back soon." She snorted. "I don't know what they'd do without me." But she couldn't help the smirk there. "I hope I'll see you again, Mito. Perhaps after I find what I'm looking for, hm?" She smiled at him, and turned to go back the way she'd come. She could always hunt something down another day.
-Fin-
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