=--------------------------------------------------------------------------= ___ _ _ ___ ' | ` |__| |__` oooo | | | |__, .ooooo. o 88 ---------------------------------------------------- o8" `"o8 88 ooo oo888oo ooo ooo ooo oo ooo ooo ooo d8' " 88 8 ,8' `8. 8"8 8 8 o8' 8 8"8 8 d8 88 8 88 88 8 8 8 8o' 8 8 8 8 88 oooo 88 8 88 88 8 8 8 88o 8 8 8 8 88 di 88 ,o 8 `8. ,8' 8 8.8 8 `8. 8 8 8.8 `88. ,8i o88ooooo'o8o `"ooooo"' o8o o8o o8o `8o o8o o8oo o8 (c)"88oood' =--------------------------------------------------------------------------= The Lion King is copyright 1994 by the Walt Disney Company. This MUCK in no way constitutes a challenge to this copyright. =--------------------------------------------------------------------------= [ August 12, 2005 ] \ Kopje / Mountain Forest Trees crowd each other, the forest floor is dense with bush, and vines are everywhere. A shallow band of running water flows from the waterfall, becoming a deeper, faster-moving river to the east. It keeps this place lush and alive even in the driest of seasons, and provides a cool, humid breeze that blows gently through the vegetation. [S]outh to the Mystical Forest [W]est to the Kopje Forest Falls [E]ast to the Wilderness River [N]orth to the Forest Edge You can see... [IC ] Darwuzi Darrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrwuzi! Itikadi This Serval is true to form, long curves of neck and body atop stick-thin long legs. Despite her gracile build, Itikadi has a solidity to her stance, and a certain look of arrogance in her greenish-yellow eyes. Dark smudges trail from around her eyes up to the narrow space between her large ears. The near-black markings on her tawny pelt form long streaks on either side of her supple spine, blotching on her shoulders and legs, and more scattered spots on her flanks. The looser fur of her underside and throat is white, albeit a little greyed by dust and shadow. There's a faint stripe of white on the lower side of Itikadi's ringed tail as well. Short as it is, her tail moves quite sharply from side to side. Servals are among the smaller cats, but this one of them has attitude to belie her size. Darwuzi This simple creature, whose pelt is void from all colors, looks to be the average length of 7 feet, including tail. His black pelt is tussled in various directions, showing that he rarely cares to groom himself or that he's purposely keeping it fray so light doesn't reflect of his pelt easily. He stands at an easy 3 feet from ground to shoulder. Most muscles hidden under his loose skin to make himself appear bigger than normal. To anyone that glances at him, he appears to be just any other panther roaming the lands. If someone were to take a closer inspection, however, they would find clear distinctive marks that seperate this panther from another. Red eyes surround his black pupil instead of the common gold corona. His muzzle, though average in many physical ways, sports white whiskers that extend 7" or so. Intelligence can be seen in his eyes, and by the way he moves and looks, there's a soul to direct the intelligence correctly. The row of black dots along his whiskers signifies his name, though one must know it first. It's tricky to see such a marking, though. Itikadi had said that she wouldn't mind the Leopards moving near, and in truth she was looking forward to having Darwuzi's company again, as well as meeting his mate. Still, it would be disconcerting for a time, until she got used to their presence; since herself settling in these lands she had only the companionship of her own mate, and the mostly-ignored fact of the prey animals about. The birds chattered, of course, and at least one had offered her tales (cautiously, from a high perch) but that wasn't talk to much interest her. Those birds in the actual forest seemed more wary--perhaps they had already come to caution of the newly-settling felines--so Itikadi bent to drink from the edge of the river, shallow here, in something close to silence. It's taking him quite some time to adjust to his environment. Just because he's in a forest doesn't mean it's anything familiar to what he once had. And now, the male is out on a scouting hunt to find a source of water. It isn't that hard being he can hear the waterfall all the way from his den. Darwuzi approaches the bank and notices a very familiar serval at the water's edge. All servals look pretty much alike to him, but the closer he gets, the more he can identify the certain patterns of your spots and stripes. There's a polite nod given, whether you notice it or not, and he approaches to your side and begins to drink. Itikadi's ears turned at the sound of footfalls, and she glances up in time to catch Darwuzi's nod and giving him one of her own. She waits for him to drink--surprised and almost faintly envious of the careless way he crosses the stream here--before sitting back on her haunches, muzzle and throat flecked with the water. This posed, she asks, with politeness and certain warmth for her unlikely friend and now neighbour, "Settling in?" It pays to be larger than smaller felines. He has longer legs, more body mass, and he has the strength to fight any current there is. Now that he's at your side and fairly wet from the river, he's able to keep a conversation at reasonable tones. It's the reason he crossed over in the first place. "Yes." he replies. Normally he'd issue you a nuzzle, but you'd probably swat him for getting your pristine pelt damp or mangled. "Kikora's loving this place so far, and I am too. It's peaceful." he explains. "Yes, it is," Itikadi confirms, with a quick, slightly distanced smile of her own. She is clearly still proud of this place she found, the home she has made. "You left her sleeping?" she asks, looking into the green-tinted shadows of trees from which Darwuzi emerged. Well, no doubt they'll meet before too long, even if Itikadi has to work her way into the forest to bring it about. She gives those trees a slightly sour look, never having been much of a one for climbing. But she understands well enough why dark-pelted creatures would prefer to live in such a place. "She's passed out for the time being." he chuckles. "It's a long walk from Utatu to here, and she's still recovering." Darwuzi almost makes the same comment you do about leaving your mate sleeping, but decides against it. Once he's finished his drinking the panther starts to groom at his wet pelt to help it dry. "We found a nice den beneath a tree. I think it's going to be better than what we had last." he says. It seems you won't have to do any climbing at all. You'll just have to endure a bit of dirt in your pelt. Itikadi tips her head slightly to one side as she queries, "Found rather than dug it out?" There is a fractional narrowing to her eyes at the memory of a previous conversation about such things. Perhaps she is attempting to tease the Leopard about it? Tail flicking on the ground behind her, she shifts slightly, then shakes herself. Unlike Darwuzi, she didn't get damp enough to need to groom dry, but the motion gets rid of the small amount of water on her fur. Darwuzi finishes grooming what he can of his body, knowing he can't reach his back, but he never quite let his back get wet. He was above the water a good portion. "It was already there. It was a rabbit hole at first, I think, but we made it bigger. Big enough for a family." His tone sounds a little suggestive at the mention of family. Darwuzi looks over to you and grins a little, "So where do you live in these parts? I'll have to drop by like I usually used to." Itikadi looks at Darwuzi with some thought as she senses some hinting in his tone, but does not rise to the bait either on that point or what she thinks is a minor jab at her expressed disinterest in digging out a den. "North and west a bit," she says, with another of her half-hidden proud smiles. "The river's a good depth, and we're an easy walk from it." A pause, before she says, "you won't fit in, of course, but I wouldn't mind you visiting near." There's a toothy grin on his muzzle at your invitation, and he nods his head softly. He'll memorize the way, or at least make a few practice runs to your home. "How's Royathi doing?" he asks softly. Darwuzi relaxes down on his belly in a passive position while focusing on you. He makes a small beckoning motion to invite you closer. As far as you know, Darwuzi doesn't bite, and if anything, he wants to groom you. It's the way he is. Social grooming. "She's well," Itikadi answers, as she stands and then edges over the short distance to Darwuzi. She has become at ease with his closeness, for the most part, and it's a rare creature who could pass up the chance of friendly grooming. "We've settled in," she concludes, as she lies down next to Darwuzi, hindlegs curved with her paws all but hidden under the looser fur, but her long forelegs stretched out in front. Darwuzi shifts slowly so that his muzzle can come into play across your shoulders. His tongue extends and immediately begins to shift up and down your pelt in fluid strokes, putting the fur in order where you can't reach. The first lick is against the grain, while the second smooths it back out. He's not sure what to talk about next at this point, but he's busy enough grooming that talking won't be a major priority. He only wants to purr for now. After a time of this, Itikadi begins to purr as well, a softer accompanying sound than Darwuzi's low rumble, yet just as contented--if not more, as the Serval is the one getting the benefit of the grooming. Her fur is hardly unkempt, though navigating through the thickets around her den and then down to the forest did whorl some patches, but that tidiness is nothing like a reason to resist another's touch of tongue. He's come to realize that servals are much more meticulous about their pelts than panthers. Or maybe it's just a female thing. Darwuzi has come to find out that his pelt, if unkempt and in disarray, hides his body better in the shadows. There's no glare or gleam off his pelt in the light. His eyes, on the other hand, are unavoidable. "You need to meet my mate. I think you'd like her." he murmurs softly. Itikadi makes a small noise of agreement, before saying with more detail, "I will, soon, with the both of you so near. Not like treking to that place of yours before!" She finishes with a touch of flippancy, and a roll of her shoulders at the thought of the walk--not one she ever took, and likely not that lengthy, but it would have been on to unfamiliar ground, and, between exploring moods, she would rather stay in a known place. When the entire pelt across your back is cleaned, the male lifts his head and shuffles his paws aside so you can move yourself in the next position of your choice. You can trust the male, though you haven't really given him a chance to show that trust. At least, not when it comes to closer grooming. "She grew up with lions, believe it or not. But she's such a sweetheart." he grins. He might as well give you a bit of background while he can. Once given the space to move, Itikadi rolls onto her side, freshly-smoothed back towards Darwuzi. At his words, she cranes her neck to look up at him, incredulous. "Lions?" she echoes. "How'd that come about?" The mental image thus provided her is a strange one, the more so for imagining the contrast: how a near-black furred-cub must have looked among all that tawny. "I'm not quite sure, but she was raised by them." He doubts the lifestyle was favorable for her, being the lowest ranking female there was. Once your body is repositioned he starts to groom at your exposed side with the soft care that he'd show his own child. Now and then there's a puff of warm air expelled into your fur as he breathes in a staggered fashion. "I love her to pieces though." Itikadi huffs out a breath, sounding a little impatient. "Strange idea," she says. "Wouldn't she be hunting the same prey, in time? Though if they counted her family--" she pauses, trying to figure out the way of it. One shares with family, at least to an independent age, and Lions more than most. But if you going making family of who isn't, then. Giving up trying to make sense of it, Itikadi shifts slightly closer to Darwuzi, resolved to focus on his tidying of her fur, and put aside the strangeness of Lions. When his tongue meets your fur and begins to groom, the male goes silent in his usual concentrating fashion. Once he figures out a pattern to groom this section of fur, he feels more at liberty to talk. "So what's there to do around these parts? Anything special you've found so far?" he asks. Darwuzi doesn't expect there to be a town carnival or anything, but each land has their own special spots or new sights. "Besides the river?" Itikadi asks, and there is a tone ot her voice of mild affront. River and varied grassland, and the trees down in this area for those as like them--surely that's enough terrain to satisfied with? However, she has explored the valley to get a sense of it, and confirm the emptiness. This knowledge means she can say, truthfully if with little interest of her own, "There's cliffs and caverns. That's where the Lions were." Lions were? His ears perk and he looks around the area momentarily while pausing the grooming. He could see why lions would live here, but by the past-tense phrase, he knows they've moved on. You wouldn't settle here if there were any lions. Darwuzi goes back to his grooming and laps your cheek at one point, moving far enough past your shoulder and neck to do so. He trails back down to your side then reaches the curve of your flank. He's respectful enough to go where he isn't told to go. Itikadi half sits up during the pause, drawing her front paws in closer so that the angle raises her front half. The change in position doesn't bother Darwuzi, so far as she can tell, as he resumes the grooming without comment, but even the minor intermission, and then her own moving, has Itikadi out of the mood. She turns her head to show Darwuzi the edge of a smile, not wanting him to think he has offended her, but she has had enough for now, and moves a token few inches away, tail tucked neatly by her close-together paws. "Must have been years, there's no scent of them," she says, wanting to keep the conversation going. Darwuzi hardly looks offended or annoyed that you relocate away from him. It's a signal that you're done, and he sits upright onto his haunches once more, looking around in a casual fashion. "Lions don't exactly leave nice places like this, do they? Think they were wiped out?" he asks. You may detect a hint of hope in his voice. The less lions out there, the more food for them. Darwuzi lifts his paw and starts to groom it in a simple manner. Kikora enters from the Mystical Forest. Kikora Your gaze sends you to the form of an young adult Pantheress. She is of smaller build than what you might see normally of her gender and species, the last growth spurt from adolescent to adulthood never quite made it. Though with her small size, she's adjusted and has used it to her advantage. Long gone are the days of tripping and falling over her paws. She stands proud, and is slowly gaining maturity in her form. Being the shadow she is, she has fur of pure black, with only small scattered amber rosettes marking her otherwise. Out of anything you might notice about her, it's her eyes that have to stand out the most. They are a strange mismatched green and blue. Her left eye is the green, with the right being the blue. In her younger days, she would have admitted to be self conscious about her strange eyes... but now, she cherishes her uniqueness. "They just left," Itikadi says, not sounding particularly fascinated by the matter. While not particularly keen on Lions--strange and lumbering, to her mind--she isn't in any way threatened by them, either, and the difference between what a Lion hunts and what a Serval does is considerable. No threat to her foodsources from that tawny quarter. "Not having a king ready, maybe?" She sounds less than certain of this, but they do make a big thing of rulers. Darwuzi is sitting near the river bank near Itikadi. If you came from the forest, you'd have to cross into the river in order to meet them. The panther gives a soft chuckle and rolls his eyes skyward. "When do lions ever have a King that's honestly ready? More trouble than it's worth, in my opinion." the male murmurs. He lifts his other paw and begins to groom it bit by bit. Over the river and through the woods... Kikora wanders around, taking in all of the newness of this area. Maybe a little part has to do with following Darwuzi scent to here, but it's much more exploring. At the river her stops, grinning across to see Darwuzi chatting with the unfamiliar creature. "Aha, there you are." She chooses a path of rocks to cross, trying without much success to not get any more soaked than she has to. One of the male's lifted ears pans back as he hears a secondary voice, a much more familiar voice. Darwuzi turns his head and beams a toothy grin at his mate, watching her approach. Itikadi is abandoned for the moment, letting her continue her grooming so he can properly meet the other panther. Once you cross the river with only a few splashes, the male waits to bump his head affectionately to yours and give a soft lick to your muzzle. "Hey, glad you could make it." he says softly. He glances backwards to the serval not too far and grins, "That's Itikadi, I'll introduce you to her in a sec, though." Kikora runs her muzzle against Darwuzi cheek in greeting, pulling away to smile politely at the serval. "I told you I'd be here, just a little late. I didn't want to pass meeting your friend." Her eyes track back to Darwuzi when he whispers to her, and a slight blush crosses her cheeks. She makes sure to pull her muzzle back to his ear as she responds. Itikadi has been elaborately grooming her own shoulder while these greetings are going on; another' tongue is never quite as satisfactory when you have detailed ideas for your own spots. As well--possibly more to the point--she doesn't want to interrupt the pair immediately, and merely glances at them through part-closed eyes, waiting for a natural pause. When this occurs, she returns the female Leopard's earlier smile, and greets her with a wordless trill of welcome that carries better over the short distance than would speech. Stepping back with Kikora at his side, the panther sits down right in front of the serval with a smile. "Itikadi, this is Kikora, my mate. Kikora, this is Itikadi. She's the one who told me about these lands." he explains. His paw lifts to waggle between the two as introductions are made, then he gives the spot right beside him a pat, offering Kikora a place to lay down. There's a little grin in the corner of his muzzle while watching his mate, then focuses back on the smaller feline. Itikadi is, at the least, properly groomed for this meeting, and--leaving her shoulder smooth--remains seated, all height and angles except for the prim curve of her tail at her rump, the very tip flicking next to one of her hindpaws. Her mouth is a fraction opening, after her sound of greeting, and forms a polite smile as she awaits Kikora's response. The Serval looks her over in the mean time, getting a sense of the other female, and fitting in what she has heard of her from Darwuzi. Keeping Kikora at his side, the panther embraces his mate so that a bond can be clearly displayed between them. It's probably not necessary, but it's simply instinct on his part. His eyes keep focused on the serval before he smiles, looking to Kikora. She might need to lead the conversation here. He did most of the talking earlier. Kikora moves around to the spot next to Darwuzi, carefully resting herself on the ground. Normally when meeting someone, she'd rather take a more formal stance. It appears that she's comfortable in the presence of the serval. She bows her head slightly, her eyes lift up after a few seconds to focus on the smaller creature. "I'm pleased to meet you, Itikadi. You have my thanks. This is a beautiful land to live in." Itikadi dips her head slightly, momentarily hiding her warm smile. What impressions Darwuzi given her were positive, and now Kikora's words, just formal enough, win her over immediately. "I'm glad to meet you as well, Kikora, and to have you a neighbour here," she says, and then, with the merest touch of ceremony, "Welcome to the Kopje Valley." In truth the declaration is slightly wry--not as if she has an ancestral connection to these lands! Aha! So that's the name of the lands. Darwuzi beams a toothy smile to Itikadi and gives a bow, then looks to his prone mate. "Kopje Valley." he repeats. It's much more friendlier sounding than Utatu. "When do you think we could meet your mate?" the male asks, looking up to Itikadi with a smile. Kikora files the name in her memory, also smiling a little more heartily as she hears it. Perhaps finally, a real home for a good long while. Her head tilts around to take in the scenery again- such wonderful trees! She would have to find out just how far this forest stretched. Either it is a co-incidence, or Itikadi could read something in Kikora's expression and change of gaze. "You like the forest here?" she asks. Then, too, it's most of the way to being a rhetorical question, when she knows that the two dark Leopards have already found themselves a den somewhere in the trees. A little belatedly, she turns to Darwuzi to answer his question, "In the next day or few, I'm sure." "Great. I'd like to talk to her again." he says with a smile. Darwuzi looks down to Kikora to give her a nuzzle, then lays down in a similar relaxed fashion. He extends his forepaws around the panthress and starts to groom on her ears a little. "I love the forest." Kikora smiles as her look stops once again on Itikadi. An ear twitches at Darwuzi's groom, but she doesn't seem to mind in the least. "I was raised in grasslands, hardly a tree to be found. I didn't even realize what I was missing." She sounds a little wistful, almost as if she's thinking of a regret filled memory. Eyes snap back to the present and she merely chuckles. Itikadi is about to inquire about Darwuzi's story that Kikora was raised by Lions, but thinks better of it; it might be a touching subject, and she won't take the risk of being the one to raise such on a first meeting. She focuses on another part of what Kikora said instead, replying, "I was raised in the grass as well." That is completely the usual for Servals, of course. "But I'm not much of a one for forests, I admit." After licking his mate's face and head, the panther looks towards to Itikadi. "Forests have everything you could want. Jungles too." he says with a grin. For leopards, ambushing is possibly the best way of killing. Darwuzi gives a small nuzzle against Kikora's neck then closes his eyes softly, as if going to take a nap. "The trees have an unsettling affect on some creatures." Kikora nods, giving a nuzzle against Darwuzi's cheek. Might as well let him rest, it wouldn't be long before she would have to do the same. "The Lions I lived among were cave dwellers. My adoptive mothers would never dare to try to pull me down from a tree. Ether they refused to climb, or they respected that I was a leopard." It was too bad, but she never had thought to ask. So it isn't a touchy subject after all, for all that the idea leaves Itikadi rather uncomfortable. Somehow it links in, to her mind, with Darwuzi's casual question of whether she and her mate would set to raising cubs... With her own thoughts and barriers to understanding, Itikadi can only make a vague sound in reply to Kikora. She turns her head to glance behind her, towards the more comfortable areas of river, brush and grass. Enough time among the trees, she decides, even in good company. "I've my own den to return to," she says, with a polite nod directed to both the others, despite Darwuzi's apparent napping. "I'll see you about--neighbours." =--------------------------------------------------------------------------=