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Post by Ken'ichi on Aug 29, 2011 21:44:22 GMT -5
OOC: Yup yup, I like the insults and name-calling they have, so why not use them? BIC: "Hmm-mm," Kamali hummed with a shake of his head. "I haven't seen them since the last time we've been together. I wouldn't know where to start looking for them either. They could've moved to another region by now." As they should, Ken'ichi hummed. However, the news also dealt a blow to the bear. So that means Nikiski's no longer here either too...What a waste of time this was..."I still say you guys are bee-brained," Ken'ichi commented, finding Koda's eagerness overly ridiculous. "Our numbers are even less than before, and now with that wolverine having a kit of his own..We don't have a chance." Kamali tilted his head. His brother had a point. "Maybe, but I'm not going to let them scare me off from my own home. And if we stick together, we'll be just fine." There you go again, Ken'ichi grumbled irritatedly from his brother's eternal optimism. "Fine fine, whatever. So what now? We follow the Spirits' advice to a star or mountain where we'll find a way to save our home?" It was tasteless sarcasm. But after his near-death experience and the effects from the fight, what else can the group do to 'fight' back? They don't have anything different from the last time, it's suicide all over again. Why am I here again?
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Post by EbonyPatriot on Sept 7, 2011 14:04:57 GMT -5
OOC: Ack I actually had this post since Friday, but I had put it off hoping to think of a better reply. Ken'ichi: Heh I’ve only read the first book (though I have two and three; I have to finish those three before I continue) and it was a while ago, but I thought it might be. ^^ Epesi I loved that line here: BIC: EbonyPatriot smiles at Koda’s enthusiasm; true, Kamali isn’t sure where the rest of the Pack is, but Kenai, Koda, Kamali and Ken’ichi are a start. Why, even the storm has started to move east. Shaking his fur, EbonyPatriot asks, “Kenai, Koda where were you two heading to when we found each other? Would some of the Pack be there?” “Heh I suppose,” laughs Minto; her ears lay back as she turns to Tyonek. “You be careful too.” “I will,” says Tyonek before turning to listen to Savik’s response. “Yeah…that’s better. I’ll be back as fast as I can.” With that Tyonek and Minto race off, the tendons in their legs snapping. Vetus yawns and stretches. “Well,” he says. “We’ve found Tyonek, at least.” “Yeah,” says Sollew, looking at the storm nervously. The cave lion flops to his side, eyes half-closed. “I could use a catnap, myself.” “Oh Daddy!” laughs Sollew, springing on her sire’s chest. “You’re so old!” “Ow! Sollew!” snaps Vetus. “Now my chest and paws hurt!” Sollew scrambles to Savik, ears back. “Sorry Daddy, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” “Well…be more careful, okay?” says Vetus, getting to his feet with a yawn. “I didn’t sleep well last night,” he adds, ears back as he remembers his nightmare about Aerugo. Sollew glances from the storm to the direction the Caribou had left. “I hope we don’t have to go in the storm.” --- Kapvik snarls far more aggressively than before. “You would have been wiser asking the Thunderbirds, Nita.” “Kenai does sound familiar though,” says Waahkuuhtaan. “Wasn’t that one of the ones we fought?” “Yes,” says Kapvik; though this too was given in a snarl, the growl at directed at Waahkuuhtaan. This Nita could not be trusted; she was a friend of the Pack and the two kits were vulnerable. Without Waahkuuhtaan, Kapvik was well have considered a fight; but with her, Kapvik must return to the safety of Tazer’s pack. Torn between wanting to grab Waahkuuhtaan and drag her to safety and needing to use his teeth if Nita attacks, Kapvik places himself between his sister and Nita. “Waahkuuhtaan, come. If you try anything, Nita…” So fiercely does he snarl that Waahkuuhtaan backs up. Seizing his chance, Kapvik settles for a lunge and snap at Nita then whirls around and shoves Waahkuuhtaan, knocking the startled kit into the bushes and earning a bite. With a screech at the bite and an apology from Waahkuuhtaan (for the kit had bitten in fear, not realizing it was Kapvik), Kapvik tries to shove the kit with his muzzle into a run, ears back and heart pounding. "We can't trust her, Waahkuuhtaan!" snarls Kapvik, for the kit has run back to Nita. "Don't you know that few Wolverines like Bears, Nita?" says Waahkuuhtaan as Kapvik tries to push her away. "We feel about them the way the you humans feel about raccoons: some like them, some are indifferent, but for a lot of them they're pests: they're fine minding their own business but they steal our food. In fact, my dad (well, he's Kapvik's dad too) is trying to kill them. That way we Wolverines can have large packs." Kapvik snarls and frustration and nervously faces Nita, teeth bared and hoping she can't hear his heart pound. The Wolverine doesn't dare turn his back on Nita to push Waahkuuhtaan to the Pack.
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Post by Epesi on Sept 8, 2011 0:30:45 GMT -5
OOC: Thanks, EP! ;D Glad you enjoyed it.
Still up on his hind legs in a fighting pose -- or what he figures to be a fighting pose, anyway -- Koda frowns a little at Ken'ichi's continued pessimism. Only a little, however.
Kenai chuckles at the sarcastic remark, though it's tinged with a bit of irony. Asking the spirits for help doesn't sound like a bad idea, honestly. But then, Sitka's already helping them. It makes him wonder...
"Hmm?" He turns to EbonyPatriot in surprise. "Oh, uh...we were going to Crowberry Ridge. I don't know if any of them go there."
"If they're berry lovers, you can bet they do!" Koda chimes in. "It's the best spot for berries. Any kind of berry you can think of, it's there!" Miraculously, he does not try to list every kind of berry he can think of.
---
"It's a start," Savik agrees, fairly pleased at their success. She sits down, facing the storm, and watches the skies for any hint of black and red. Meanwhile, she turns an ear to Vetus and Sollew, smirking a little at their antics.
"I doubt any of us will be sleeping well in the coming days," she remarks grimly. "Might as well rest while you can."
She looks briefly at Sollew before turning her eyes back to the storm. "We may not be able to avoid it, little one."
---
Nita takes another cautious step back from the wolverines when Kapvik snarls in answer to her question. She's not exactly surprised by this response; she didn't expect these two to know anything about Kenai, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.
However, it looks like she may be wrong on both counts. Surprise and a flicker of hope quickly give way to dread as Waahkuuhtaan recalls the name. Kenai's been fighting wolverines? Is he okay? After Kapvik's response, Nita is reluctant ask these two any more about him.
"I'm not going to try anything," she reiterates, holding her hands in front of her with palms outward.
Just as she's taking a third step back, Kapvik suddenly lunges at her. In a surge of panic, she tries to retreat faster, and then cries out as she loses her footing and falls backward again. Heart beating a mile a minute, she scrambles up to a sitting position and locks eyes on the wolverines again, feeling around for her spear. It must be nearby, but she doesn't dare take her eyes off the wolverines to look for it.
She pauses in her blind search as the little one approaches her again and starts speaking. Even amidst her fear, she's a little surprised that the kit is so well-spoken. She hadn't thought about the species' rivalry when she asked her question; it just didn't occur to her that it might be a problem. She'd feel embarrassed about her little faux pas if she weren't too scared for her life.
That last part catches her completely off guard, partly because she's never heard of anything like it -- wolverines in organized packs, trying to wipe out the competition? -- and partly because of the way the young kit talks about her father's plans of genocide with a chilling nonchalance. Part of her wants to protest, or to question their plan, but she knows it would be no use talking to a child about it, and she doesn't want to provoke Kapvik any further.
"Please," she says to Kapvik, not acknowledging Waahkuuhtaan's speech, "I told you, I don't want any trouble. I -- I don't think you do, either. I'm kind of on a deadline, too, so...I'll just be on my way, okay?" She offers a nervous smile, hoping he'll let it be that simple.
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Post by Ken'ichi on Sept 11, 2011 19:13:07 GMT -5
The talk about berries made Ken'ichi remember how hungry he was. His stomach churned as it begged for food, the sound of berries is sounding very good right about now.
"Actually, we might get lucky there," Kamali chimed in with a shrug. "Ever since that day I've rarely seen anyone else around these parts. I mean, if they've left this territory Crowberry Ridge sounds like a good a place as any to go next."
"And if it's such a 'great' place for bears, then it might be their next target," Ken'ichi added, narrowing his eyes a bit more to ignore his hunger. "If they want to get rid of us, sounds like a firm target for them."
"Aaah, you got a point," Kamali sighed. He looked at his brother and smiled. "I guess that means we just gotta grow stronger and get the Pack together again even sooner, eh?"
"Yeah, sure, just let me go get the Spirits and ask them to gift us their all-powerful magic for one battle."
Kamali frowned. "So pessimistic...You're almost unrecognizable now, bro."
Ken'ichi rolled his eyes. "I just grew up. Anyway, it's starting to sound like Crowberry Ridge is our next stop. Not like we got any other leads."
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Post by EbonyPatriot on Sept 15, 2011 14:14:18 GMT -5
Vetus sighs at Savik's statements and gives Sollow a comforting lick, watching the storm as well.
The two ears flick to the sound of tendons snapping as Tyonek returns; but this time, the silver caribou is accompanied by a reddish moose. Vetus warily steps in front of Sollew, teeth shwoing for the moose's ears are back.
"Hello again Savik, Sollew and Vetus," says Tyonek as the two stags slow as they approach, "Look who I ran into. This is Roanoke, Minto's friend and he was just talking to EbonyPatriot!
"What's more, you said who else was with them?"
"Kenai, Ken'ichi, Koda and last I heard they were going for Kamali," says Roanoke without much interest, muscles tensing in his forelegs as he warily watches these friends of Tyonek. "I was heading for some water plants in the lake when Tyonek and Minto were returning."
Vetus smiles happily and Sollew grins form ear to ear. "All right Koda!" says Sollew.
Tyonek turns to Roanoke. "You can take us there, right?"
Roanoke sighs. "Fine." With that Roanoke races into the storm, white legs churning.
Vetus growls at the Moose's rudeness and trots after him, Sollew and Tyonek at his side. ___
Kapvik's teeth remain bared as he slowly back up. Waahkuhtaan, bored now, contently trots with her brother. "Well, I guess we'll see you Nita. Watch out for Tazer's pack (that my Dad, you know)," she calls to Nita as the two Wolverines run off.
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Post by Epesi on Sept 15, 2011 17:14:30 GMT -5
Hearing two sets of hooves instead of one, Savik stands up again and watches the trees warily, but she relaxes as soon as she sees Tyonek, who looks perfectly at ease with the newcomer. Savik looks at the moose curiously as Tyonek introduces him; she had assumed the friend Minto referred to was another caribou.
She perks right up at the first good news she's heard in a while. "Excellent! So he's come around after all. I suppose I underestimated him."
She nearly thanks Roanoke, but his rudeness gives her second thoughts. She follows the group into the storm, bringing up the rear for security.
---
At first Kenai looks to EbonyPatriot to lead the way, but then he realizes that this time, that task falls to him.
"Okay, so...Crowberry Ridge it is," he says, stalling while he tries to regain his bearings; the detour they took to find Kamali has thrown him off track. "It's, uh..."
"This way," Koda says with a smirk, pointing the way with a paw. "Follow me, guys!"
"I knew that," Kenai mutters as Koda prances ahead.
---
"Okay," Nita replies uncertainly as the wolverines retreat. "Um...thanks?"
Once they're a safe distance away, she sighs with enormous relief, her heart still pounding. Shakily, she takes up her spear and resumes walking, a bit faster than before. That encounter just cost her several minutes of her three day window, and she's still no closer to finding Kenai. Now, on top of that, she has to worry about a pack of murderous wolverines, too. This is just perfect.
As she walks, she keeps an eye out for any other creatures she might be able to ask for directions, still kicking herself for blowing it with the Thunderbirds. Unfortunately, most creatures she sees -- squirrels, small birds, and the like -- flee at the sound of her approach, and she doesn't dare call out to them for fear of alerting any more dangerous animals.
"All this trouble over a stupid trinket," she mutters, and at the thought of it she reaches down and feels around for it in her bag, just to make sure it's still there. The way this day is going, she wouldn't be surprised to find the amulet gone; fortunately, it's still right where she left it.
"That'll be next, just watch..."
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Post by Ken'ichi on Sept 16, 2011 23:09:39 GMT -5
"Hahah, lead the way, you two." Kamali laughed as he followed the two of them.
Ken'ichi though stayed behind for a moment, practically giving the stink-eye right to their backs. It was unbelievable, watching them march to certain death with little care to anything else. And to think, he's related to one of them, the one with the cheerful outlook on life and happy-go-lucky attitude.
"So pessimistic...You're almost unrecognizable now, bro."
"So what, I'm being realistic here," he muttered to himself as he recalled Kamali's remark. He went on, talking to himself. "There's no way we can win this. Might as well cut our losses...But no, Kamali prefers to march like a good little soldier into battle and...Throw his life away...For all I know Nikiski could be dead by now too..."
No no no...He's not dead...He can't be... A painful pang struck his chest at the thought. He dug his claws into the ground as he suppressed a snarl. "Oh forget it, onward to the gaping jaws of the enemy," he declared under his breath as he marched after his brother. After coming this far he wasn't just about to be left behind.
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Post by EbonyPatriot on Sept 22, 2011 12:02:21 GMT -5
OOC: Huh that's odd, I had a reply but I must have forgotten to post it. Drat it was better than this post too... BIC: Sollew trots ahead to Roanoke's side, large ears tilted forward. "How are they?" she asked timidly, for the Moose is even larger than Tyonek. Roanoke keeps his ears titled back, nervously listening. Ronaoke isn't fond of letting these hunters run behind him; yet this is the fastest way to retrace his steps. As such, one ear flicks to Sollew. "Who are you talking about?" the Moose finally says after a few minutes of holding his tongue. "Kenai, Koda..." "They're fine," snaps Roanoke. "It took a while for EbonyPatriot to get Ken'ichi and Kenai to come find Kamali." --- EbonyPatriot lopes to Kamamli's side, trying not to growl at Ken'ichi and instead thinking of the walk. "I hope we get there soon." ---- Kapvik and Waakuhtaan race through the woods, Kapvik's stride faltering; that fight had tired the Wolverine. Kapvik snarls as he recpognizes Nebula; the young Wolverine relaxes only when he sees Sokuyôn'. "Hi Auntie Sokuyôn'!" shouts Waahkuhtaan, increasing her stride. "Kapvik, Tazer wnats you to help kill a Grizzly we've found," says Nebula in what she hopes is a comforting voice. "Oh come on!" cries Waahkutaan. "Tazer," says Sokuyôn' softly, "I think you should stay with Waakuhtaan..." "Sokuyôn'," snarls Kapvik, forgetting for a moment that he was a statelty half-grown verison fo Wolverine and acting like a kit. "Waahkuhtaan was talking to a friend of that Kenai!"
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Post by Epesi on Sept 22, 2011 17:58:40 GMT -5
OOC: Aw, I hate it when that happens. It's so frustrating to lose your work.When at first it seems like Roanoke is going to ignore Sollew, Savik begins to growl in frustration, and she considers repeating the question, with a little added persuasion if necessary; she's eager to hear how the rest of the Pack is doing, too. The sound dies in her throat when the moose finally does reply. It comes as no surprise to Savik that Kenai was reluctant to help; she doesn't think too highly of the tawny young bear after the first impression he made on her. What does surprise her is hearing Ken'ichi's name in the same sentence. It's troubling to hear that brave Ken'ichi, one of the Pack's toughest, may be having doubts. --- Kenai sighs heavily. "You and me both." "Don't worry, guys! We'll get there pretty soon," says Koda, looking back over his shoulder. "I'm almost completely sure that we'll probably be there by sundown." "Well, if you're sure," Kenai deadpans, rolling his eyes. --- Coming to a place where the trees open up onto a plain, Nita pauses before emerging from the cover of the trees. She can see a storm in the distance, looming over the treetops of another stretch of forest. Some distance away, out on the plain, she can see a herd of brown and white bodies -- caribou, probably. Biting her lip, she weighs her options. Should she try to ask the caribou, or keep searching on her own? If she approaches the herd, at best, they'll probably just run off; at worst, she might get charged, or cause a full-on stampede. Even if she does manage to get close enough to talk, they probably won't know anything. But so far, she's had no luck finding Kenai on her own. Shouldn't she at least try to get help? Making up her mind, she steps out from the trees and sets out across the wide plain. Along the way, she notices a set of tracks. Tracking's not her specialty, but her father has taught her a bit; she can make out three sets of paw prints, all feline. Lions? Sabertooth tigers? She's not sure how to tell the difference. One set of tracks is so tiny next to the others, it must belong to a very small cub. She doesn't know how to tell how old the tracks are, but she guesses they must be fairly recent. Their path runs parallel with hers for a while, but ultimately drifts off in a different direction, to her relief. She got lucky with the wolverines; she may not be so lucky again. OOC: I hope the description in Nita's part is all right; I'm not sure how far the herd has moved since meeting the cats. ^^;
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Post by Ken'ichi on Sept 25, 2011 21:27:14 GMT -5
"Sounds good to me," Kamali said with a grin upon the news of arriving by sundown. "Lately berries haven't been growing by the plentiful around home, so if this place is full of berries as you say I'm gonna stuff myself!"
"You've never outgrown your obscene love for berries, haven't you?" Ken'ichi commented with a raised brow, mildly amused that even after all these years Kamali still has a sweet tooth for the stuff.
Kamali grinned at his brother. "What can I say? They're a gift from the Spirits."
"Everything's a gift from the Spirits to you," Ken'ich snarks.
"Come on, don't tell me you aren't looking forward to some berry pickings too," Kamali said, trying to get Ken'ichi out of his bad mood for once.
"Yeah, I'll definitely be looking forward to constantly looking over my shoulders while eating berries."
With a sigh Kamali turns to the others for assistance. "Guys, help me out here."
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Post by EbonyPatriot on Sept 26, 2011 16:33:57 GMT -5
OOC: Heh that's okay Epesi. "What was wrong with Ken'ichi?" asks Sollew after hearing unhappy mood. "I don't know, I figured that the cub was just grumpy," says Roanoke. "Koda was all for it." The Moose snorts at the memory. "That cub has no respect for personal boundaries." --- EbonyPatriot gives a growl at Ken'ichi, mane starting to bristle; yet hesitant to speak as he tries to think of a nice way. "Ken'ichi," he finally says, managing to grin. "If you don't cheer up, we'll start singing!" --- Kemano hesitantly steps closer to Tuque and Kalone, ears turned towards to the two as Kalone talks to Tuque about siblings (for Kalone, though she was her parents' last fawn together, has many half-siblings). Kemano sighs. If only he had thought to talk about Kaslo's coming fawn! (A full sibling, too!) Minto cries in fear, for a hunter is approaching; her nose and ears seeking to see if this female hunter is accompanied by any more. Here's his chance! Kemano races the Tuque and Kalone, ears back. "I'll protect you, Kalone!" he shouts as he charges coming to a halt not five feet from the human and lowering his head to show his antlers. Kemano is happy when Kalone races to his side, lowering her antlers as well; less happy when Tuque spring to his side. Tuque's heart racing. If only Tyonek hadn't gone back!
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Post by Epesi on Sept 26, 2011 20:32:09 GMT -5
Savik can't help but smirk at that last remark; the image of Roanoke being subjected to Koda's undying enthusiasm gives her some satisfaction.
"I don't know Koda well, but that certainly sounds like him."
---
Koda is about to regale Kamali with all the many kinds of berries at Crowberry Ridge, pleased to find someone who seems to share his enthusiasm for the subject. To his frustration, however, Ken'ichi's latest comments turn the conversation away from berries. When Kamali asks for help, he's only too happy to oblige.
He takes a deep breath, ready to launch into a full-on berry sales pitch, when EbonyPatriot threatens to sing. Suddenly excited at the prospect of a singalong, Koda doesn't mind the second interruption at all.
"Great idea, EP!" he crows.
"Oh no," Kenai groans in mock-protest, amused again. "You'd better start smiling, Ken'ichi, I think they mean it."
---
As one of the herd comes charging toward her, Nita has a split second of conflict; her common sense shouts at her to run, but something else, sort of a gut feeling, tells her to stand her ground. It's crazy, but this whole journey is crazy, so she listens, closing her eyes and bracing herself for impact. She opens her eyes again when the sound of pounding hooves stops, and to her great surprise and relief, she hasn't been gored -- yet. The stag that charged her stands little more than a spear's length away, pointing a reasonably impressive array of tines at her. Funny how they look so much sharper when they're being pointed at you.
When two more caribou come to flank the first one, Nita stops gawking and throws up her hands, her spear in the right, gripped close to its head and pointed harmlessly skyward.
"Wait!" Not about to have a repeat of her fruitless encounter with the Thunderbirds, she cuts right to the chase this time. "Wait, please, it's okay. I promise I'm not here to hunt you. I just need to ask a question: have you, or any of your herd, seen a bear named Kenai? He's a friend of mine, and I need to find him quickly.
If you can help, I'd be very grateful," she quickly adds as an afterthought, smiling uneasily. "But if not, that's fine, I'll just be on my way."
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Post by Ken'ichi on Sept 26, 2011 21:53:26 GMT -5
"S-Singing?" Ken'ichi, unable to believe that they were serious. "N-Now wait just a minute, we're in the middle of discussing something here and you're-"
"Tell everybody on my way," Kamali began to sing, a broad goofy grin plastered on his face as he began to get a huge kick out of pulling his brother's leg. It only encouraged him more knowing that the whole group was backing him up.
"N-No, stop singing!" Ken'ichi rose his voice, trying to yell over his brother's singing voice.
"New friends and new places to see~!"
Ken'ichi's ears began to flatten against his skull in a vain attempt to drown out his brother's voice. "Cut it out! We don't need the rain back! Stop singing before I wring your neck!"
"With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way And there's no where else I'd rather be~!"
"Sing it with me!" Kamali declared, encouraging everyone present to sing along.
"I'd rather not!" Ken'ichi yelled, hoping against hope that this was all just a dream. A really bad dream.
OOC: Writing with these two together is so amusing ;D
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Post by EbonyPatriot on Oct 4, 2011 11:50:58 GMT -5
OOC: It's fun to read too, Ken'ichi. BIC: Vetus snarls softly at Roanoke's grumpiness. "Don't you like cubs? Or any young, for that matter?" "I have two fawns," snaps Roanoke, mane bristling. "I do like young, just not brats!" ----- EbonyPatriot isn't sure of words at first, but the song is catchy. It's "Small World After All" of the grizzlies. " Not the snow, not the rain can change my mind! The sun will come out, wait and see. And the feeling of the wind in your face can lift your heart!" EbonyPatriot sings, matching Kamali's voice in hamrony. --- Tuque's ears tilt forward as he he lifts his head. "Kenai...yes that's a friend of my Dad's." "Isn't Kenai one of Tanana's friends too?" says Kalone (for Tuque had told her how Tanana had had Kenai when the Pack arrived, seeking her help to save Nertuark). "Yeah, the same. My Dad's looking for them now, I can take them to you, if you would like." Now, during this conversation, Kemano has realized to his embarassment that this woman is no hunter and furthermore, Tuque gets to show off. How will Kalone think of him? Ears flattened, the stag's blood ran hot. "Must you always be right?!" he cries, pawing the ground and lunging at Tuque, antlers lowered. Tuque cries in suprise and springs back, lowering his head just in time to have his antlers meet Kemano's with a loud crack! The two stags shove, Tuque loosing his temper at the uncalled-for attack. Kalone strikes Kemano's thick-furred throat a glancing blow with her own antlers. "Knock it off, you two!" Kemano has leapt back, ears back as he tries to ctonrol his temper. "Why do always support that looser?" snaps Kemano, whirling to Kalone. "Why, that fool's not even going to have more than one mate and-" "I like that he's going to mate for life!" snaps Kalone. "Oh, Tuque, I'm sorry..." she says in embarassment. "That's okay," says Tuque happily. " What?!?" cries Kemano. "You...you mean? But..." Minto walks to Nita's side. "We can take you to where my mate has headed, but it would be better if we could stay with the herd. Can you track? My mate's tracks will be along with the tracks of a Moose stag, a Sabretooth, a cave lion and a lynx (they are all part of his group). The cats are together, so it might be better to look for their tracks."
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Post by Epesi on Oct 5, 2011 0:55:25 GMT -5
Ears flattened in annoyance at the two bickering grumps, Savik glances at Tyonek to see how he's faring; at times like this she envies his good humor.
"How old are they?" she asks Roanoke politely, hoping to steer the conversation in a less irritating direction. It's a bit of a gamble; she expects him to be perfectly insufferable about his own children, too, but she hopes that bragging about them will put him in a better mood.
---
"Hey, no fair," Koda laughs when Kamali starts the song. "I wasn't ready!"
Not one to be outdone, he joins in with extra enthusiasm (and volume) when Kamali calls for everyone to sing. Kenai, on the other hand, is laughing too hard at Ken'ichi's reaction to join in the song himself -- not that he really wants to. He's never been much of a singer.
Koda's not much better; his voice isn't that bad, but it's not that good either. It's certainly not in harmony with the other two. On top of that, nobody seems to be quite in agreement about which verse they're singing. If he didn't have Ken'ichi to laugh at right now, Kenai would probably be the one begging for it to stop.
"...And I'm lovin' every step I take! With the sun beating down..." This line in particular earns a snicker from Kenai.
"'Cause there's nothing like seeing each other again, no matter what the distance between," Koda sings on, raising his voice a bit in an attempt to highlight a line he finds particularly relevant right now.
"And the stories that we tell will make you SMILE..." On the last part, he leans toward Ken'ichi with a meaningful look and a demonstrative grin.
His complete lack of subtlety sets Kenai cracking up again.
---
Nita had fully expected to go away empty-handed again, but she's elated to be proven wrong. It seems so unbelieveable that the caribou actually know Kenai that she briefly wonders if there might be, through some amazing coincidence, another bear named Kenai in these woods; scarcely a second after this crosses her mind, Tanana's name removes all doubt.
"Oh, thank you, that would be--"
She cuts off with a gasp at Kemano's sudden attack, stepping back to stay well clear of the sparring match. After the initial shock wears off, she's rather amused at the contrast between this animal behavior and the civilized conversation it has interrupted. Come to think of it, she's seen young men in her own village behave in much the same way over girls. She stifles a laugh when Kalone manages to break the two up.
As she's so engrossed in the little drama playing out before her, Nita's mildly startled to find Minto beside her. She raises her eyebrows at the list of Tyonek's traveling companions, having some difficulty even picturing all of those animals in the same space, let alone traveling together and not eating each other. So Minto's mate knows a lion, a tiger, and a bear? She can't hide her surprise.
"Your mate has...interesting friends." Fearing her remark may have come across as impolite, she hastens to add, "He must be very brave," and then wonders if that was the wrong thing to say, too. For all she knows, it could be nothing special for a caribou to hang out with other species -- even the toothier ones.
Nita clears her throat.
"I saw those tracks on my way here. I can follow them on my own, no problem at all; you've helped me more than enough already. Thank you very, very much!" She smiles sincerely.
Then she stands there awkwardly for a moment, wondering what you do in this situation. Is there a custom? A handshake? Oh, right, no. A bow?
"Um...okay, so I'll get going. Thanks again." She turns to leave, still amazed at how easy that was.
She only hopes that her next meeting is as easy. She's not at all worried about Tyonek, as a friend of Kenai's, but two of his companions are among the most feared predators known to her people. And the moose -- well, they are known for their temper, after all.
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