`once more into the fray ( kasim )

[VALE ROUX]

"What the .." No way, no way had she just stumbled across this .. this thing! Vale had never seen such a thing as this before, this net, this web. It was huge, she craned her neck back but the sun glared down at her with all it's mighty force. Blinking away the light spots, the slender young leopard drew her gaze back to the barrier. It stood there, in the middle of nowhere as thought it had just appeared one day. It looked so strange, so unnatural and it sent a series of shivers down the spotted feline's back. She shouldn't be out this far, it felt wrong. Vale knew this was the very edge, she'd never gone this far before but everything seemed to stop here. She glanced beyond, the bush seemed to appear the same but the smells were different.. everything about it was different, something told her to be wary and to stay away.

Vale swallowed, hard. She glanced from side to side and noticed immediately that there was no wildlife here, no monkeys swinging in the trees, no chattering of the birds, no prey and certainly no predators. At the moment anyway. Her curiosity for new things had won the battle over her fear, but now her wariness was crawling back up her spine and her mind swam with uncertainty. Vale's long tail lashed with anxiety and her ears flattened against her chiseled skull. No, this was wrong. This wasn't a part of the landscape, someone or something had put this here.. a border. It was to either to keep them all out, or keep them all in.

She'd had enough, turning back Vale Roux swung into a vigorous athletic trot and thudded back up the path. Her ears flicked with every sound, her incredible sense of smell warning her of all activity. The youngster felt sudden pangs of hunger, she hadn't eaten in a day or two and her last catch had only been a small gazelle calf. Vale however was used to this hardship, her parents had been somewhat.. reluctant in their duty as her teachers. The small leopardess had learnt the hard way, but it had made her a better hunter she supposed. Lowering her muzzle, Vale slipped through the scrub, keeping low to the ground. She felt uncomfortable on the ground, vulnerable but she couldn't spend her whole life in a tree.

She stopped as she emerged from the bushes of scrub, panting slightly in the evening warmth. The sun was beginning to set, casting a beautiful red light over the park. Vale Roux couldn't help but stop and enjoy the glorious view.

[KASIM MANDELA]

Kasim could hardly stand his new predicament of being responsible for himself at all times. At only a year, and just fresh off the family bandwagon, the leopard youngster often found himself chasing the white tip of his tail when he knew he should be stalking the stupid gazelle of the grasslands. He was small, but he felt like he was smart enough to approach closer then most cats and his weight would just have to do.

The misty colored feline padded close to the ground today, his mouth open and panting as he traveled. Kasim had been extremely productive today, covering a lot of ground and even stumbling upon a rather fresh rather small catch that he managed to scavenge from before its true owner came back to fetch it. With his stomach no longer gnawing at itself, the little thing had a chance for some learning experience. He gladly took the chance for fun and set off on his adventure.

Every fifty yards, Kasim paused and held his heavy breath to listen. Occasionally he'd hear the footprints of a smaller animal, or a bird, or even a stray beast that, thankfully, had no power to harm him. But now, as he traveled further and further into his adventure, he seldom heard anything with each pause. That is until he heard something he really didn't want to hear.

The padding of another feline, accompanied by the same heavy panting he was holding back, was coming towards him head on. At first, Kasim plastered himself to the ground, continuing to hold his breath while digging his claws into the dirt nervously. But as the paws drew closer, Kasim found himself drawing two lungs full of air and propelling himself off of the ground. Hault! He growled, mustering any and all brutal force he had into his voice. Immediately he regretted giving away his position, but he remained standing, claws prepared and poker face on. This was proving to be quite the adventure.

ooc: sorry it took so long. I'm working 9 hour shifts every day this week and I'm just blah xDDDD

[VALE ROUX]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 494px; background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2njlm4l.png)] Exotic eyes gazed at the glorious sunset, Vale lifted her muzzle to the small fluttering breeze. For five simple, beautiful seconds there was nothing but the quiet birdsong above her and the sound of her peaceful breathing. It was time like these however that made her feel.. that pain. That cruel aching pain, emanating from the gaping chasm of emptiness in her heart. It left her feeling like a dying leaf in the fall, as though she were worth nothing. Depression was certainly something Vale had considered. She thought about it now and then, about how her life could have been different. She knew her mother had suffered terribly from it, post-natal. It had caused the rift between them, it had separated her from the whole family. It had driven them all insane with worry, but in the end their concern was not enough. Vale knew her mother was dead, and though Paura had never loved her, the young leopardess missed the old girl. She sighed, allowing the oxygen to rush from her mouth. Instantly, the elusive cat knew something was up. Her spine tingled and her claws retracted in and out, casting shapes into the golden sand. Vale swung her head from right to left, hackles raised and she even allowed her body to crouch lower. What if she was ambushed? Glancing fearfully around, the beauty slunk forward towards a tall Acacia tree when she heard a rough voice behind her. It was a growl, although something about it was entirely convincing, it was a sign of hostility all the same. The slim female froze, every muscle in her body screaming at her to run; fast. Yet she didn't want to risk further injury. Slowly and silently, Vale swallowed and gently turned her head to shoot a stare at her 'attacker'. The sight of a young, small yearling surprised and instinctively her body relaxed. She exhaled, and blinked. At least, he wasn't a threat. Vale swung her body around to face him before backing up a few steps. She instantly recognised the anxiety that he had tried to shield from her, and she was pleased she wasn't the only one. A flicker of rare annoyance fluttered through her chest, he had interrupted her with his big words, or word should she say and yet he was nothing but a cub. She sat down, keeping her ears pricked for danger and simply stared at him. This was all a game to him wasn't it, just one big party for him to throw his weight around. Well, news flash sonny; life is anything but fun and easy! She could easily imagine him being snapped up by a hungry lion, not to mention becoming trampled by elephants because of his naive nature. Part of her longed to slip away into the tall grass and catch her dinner but a new feeling rippled throughout Vale's mind. She felt somewhat protective over this stranger, he was young and alone. Like she had been all those years ago, what she would have given for someone to teach her the ropes, to lean on, to be guided. The gorgeous leopardess however wasn't willing to give up her safety and time for a rough yearling who seemed to know nothing of manners. Her brow furrowed, and her tail twitched from side to side. The usual tongue-tie overwhelmed her once more, social situations had never been her strong point. Vale grappled for words and flattened her ears uncomfortably. "Evenin" Her gentle lyrics were like soft irish rain, melodic like song of a black bird and warm like the morning sun. -----------------------