If Only Sleep Could Come (VALE)

[AMATYA SUDAKAR]

The earth was significantly cooler than in the daytime, it chilled her to the bone but it was welcome after a day of such extreme heat. In the rays of the sunlight it had been easy to feel weariness in the bones, to collapse in the shade and close your eyes despite the cautioning warning telling you otherwise. However there was something about the forest at night that just didn’t seem to allow her to sleep, and as such the large feline was condemned to insomnia. She had been attempting now for a while, as she’d been hunting the entire day before, and it seemed that the bringer of slumber would just not come. She sighed heavily in the night, her frame a perfect silhouette deep within the dense underbrush of trees. The moon’s rays couldn’t reach her here and instead of the normal golden that bathed her coat, she now seemed made entirely of ash. Her eyes were the only distinguishing feature in the nighttime, transforming all the dark into easily discernible shapes. The bright yellow-gray rose along with her body, the muscular legs stretching out and waking the tired bones. Here she was perfectly hidden, a deadly predator masked in shadows. This thought brought a slight grin to her maw, and her whiskers twitched from side to side as she thought of her longing to become something much more than just a loner cat. Her desire to believe in something, and have someone to care for. The large feline stopped in her tracks and growled, a deep sensation moving along her throat that indicated she had heard something rustling within the brush but rather Amatya was snarling toward herself. The thoughts were abrupt, something that came quickly and easily before she could catch them. It wasn’t like her to admit feeling such as those, even to herself.

“A loner cat is all you will be.” She stated to the nothingness around her. In after-thought it probably seemed silly to speak aloud but Amatya was alone, or at least she presumed. The bark of the trees around her shimmered with small rays of moon light, but none shone down upon her. She remained invisible behind the deep clouds of darkness. Her tail swayed behind her, slowly, delicately but her glowing eyes moved much more frantically left and right. She saw everything with crystal comprehension, and it allowed her gait to be quick and balanced. Close to her leaves quivered in the breeze, but the sound only caused her ears to prick. She’d much rather be asleep right now than wandering around the forests at night time, but the creeping and lingering thought of insomnia kept popping back into her head. It propelled her faster, in hopes of leaving it behind.

The scent of prey came soft and swift into her nose but it didn’t intrigue her, so instead she remained on course, travelling through the trees with efficient speed and grace. It was a while before the muscles in her legs began to ache and she slowed, kicking out her back appendages in hopes to free them from tension. It was a moment before she actually took the time to appraise her surroundings. She was in a clearing of trees now; the circle they made was almost impossibly perfect and it was comforting enough to Amatya that she strode to the middle and planted her rump down. The tassel moved with ease, slow movements as she evaluated her surroundings. The trees were just like the others, the only difference being they clustered together here like they were afraid to lose one another. Amatya smiled wondrously, her lips curving upward to reveal large fangs. It wasn’t an amazing discovery but she was proud of it none the less, that much was apparent from the smile upon her face and the look in her eyes. It took her no less than a moment to find a way up one of the trees and rest herself on the branch closest to the ground. From here she could see the entire clearing, the vantage point was great. The large leopard balanced her brawny body along the long limb of the bough and curled her tail. Her eyes could barely see through the thick foliage that surrounded the branches, and it took her a moment to find a spot in which her neck didn’t have to be craned to see. Once she found it Amatya purred in anticipation of a visitor. She could wait here for hours until someone came along, at which point the real fun of insomnia began, scaring the living shit out of others.

[VALE ROUX]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 494px; background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2njlm4l.png)] Vale adored the night. Even as a young cub, the leopardess had relished in the black blanket that washed over the land. She felt protected, confident in the darkness as it was a time when those who threatened her in the day usually fell into a deep sleep. Of course, there was always the nocturnal lions who were a constant pestilence but years of developing her knowledge of the big cats meant that avoiding them was as easy as taking a piss, mostly. She padded silently towards the forest, her eyes being the only give away. The bright golden pupils illuminated the pitch midnight, guiding her through. The leopardess listened to the sounds of the buzzing crickets, the grunt of a hippo far away and as she reached the edge of the looming forest, the rustling of small primates in the canopy high above. She closed her eyes, curling her tail right over her back. Vale felt at home in the thick forestry, it was an easy place for her to both rest and hunt. The female wasted no time in slipping silently into the undergrowth. Every one of her senses was acutely tuned to this dark world, she knew where every fallen branch lay ahead, where every bird fluttered through the trees. The forest spoke for itself too, anything out of the ordinary was instantly flagged up. The leopard crept forward, the gnaw of hunger grappled with her instinct to lift herself up into the canopy. Still, the enticing scent of prey lured her deeper into the silence. A slight rustle ahead, Vale could almost taste the small Dik Dik deer herd. Her perfect night vision enabled her to latch onto a particular victim, and seeing as this particular prey was relatively small, it wouldn't be difficult to kill one of the adults. If she could catch it that was. Using every stealth mechanism she possessed, Vale silently slipped forward until she was only metres away. She could see them now, about four or five females with one adult male. Him, let's go for him. A grin formed across her maw, as she bunched her powerful muscles and sprung forward. The buck Dik Dik had no time to scream, his neck was snapped and his throat constricted. The does dashed away into the night, remaining quiet to keep themselves out of more danger. And so she killed quickly and silently, dragging the buck away. Vale's bright eyes flickered from side to side, it would be wise to chose a suitable tree to spend the night in and eat without the worry of being disturbed. The female came across an unusual circular clearing, and glanced around. Although normally she would have instantly smelled the larger leopardess in the trees above her, unfortunately the fragrance of blood beneath her nose blocked out all else. Moving swiftly and quietly, the elusive spotted cat bounded up what seemed to be the largest tree and settled into a comfortable nook. Only as she hung the deer's body over the branch did she see that bright eyes staring at her from the adjacent tree. Vale's eyes widened and her body shriveled inwards, her shoulders hunching, claws retracting nervously. She knew it was a leopard, a girl. Now what? -----------------------

[VALE ROUX]

done!

[AMATYA SUDAKAR]

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Her lids were closed, gently, faintly taking in the appearance of small animals that scurried below. Night brought the scents of owls, and copious amounts of deer far off but the Leopard hadn’t noticed the scent of the other female on her nostrils either. When their eyes met she would have bristled had they been any closer together, but the wide berth allowed her to remain calm. Amatya noticed that the leopard opposite of her was smaller, not as muscled as she, but still she relished in the gorgeous eyes of the female. Amatya’s tail curled alongside her, as she gauged the reaction the female. She seemed surprised, but Amatya only grinned in response. The scent of blood was heavy on the air, and it dropped from the kill she’d made, pit-pattering the terrain below them. Amatya licked her lips, saliva building around her gums as she thought of the satisfying taste of flesh within her mouth. She swallowed however, and aimed her gaze along the body of the female leopard whose company she wasn’t expecting. There wasn’t much of a different between them, perhaps aside from the unique rosettes each cats possessed and the muscle she was clearly lacking. While Amatya held a golden hue, this large feline was more yellow than gold, and that was about the extent of the differences of the two. If another was to come and judge the situation, they could easily assume the two were siblings. That made her grin. The finely figured feline raised an eyebrow toward her guest, assessing her company with yellow-gray eyes that appeared stern. In her throat a purr sat, longing to burst free from her mouth and enter the air around her, but she refused lest her company get the wrong impression. Some strange desire always seemed to push her when it came to others, a desire to be intimidating, and assert her dominance. Yet it was completely unnecessary to constantly undermine all those she came in contact with and despite her desire to bristle all over and address the female in a harsh tone, Amatya played it cool. With her tail flicking up and down, she opened her mouth to speak, her relaxed formation on the branches allowing her voice to reflect the same. “Well, hello there.” Her vocals danced deeply around the area, strong yet soft, a perfect combination of patois that allowed her speech to be beautiful. Her eyes were dark in the growing shade of the trees, yet the grays remained high-lighted in the light that was available, a combination that allowed her eyes to be shimmering and sinister all at the same time. The metallic taste of blood was heavy on the air, but her craving had been pushed aside for now and instead she focused on the other feline within the tree. Amatya was curious as to her name, as to what exactly she was doing in the area, actually Amatya found herself incredibly curious about a whole of thing about the female. What was her past like? Was it anything like hers had been? Did she have a mate or any cubs? Amatya shook her head, attempting to free the thoughts from her mind but it didn’t work. They clang to her skull like leeches. Her sudden interest in another concerned her in a way, as her conscience metaphorically began to slip back into its rightful place. As she aged perhaps she was becoming soft, and this thought concerned her much more than the rest. The large feline had never given much consideration to growing older before, and now that she was reaching the cusp of five years, thing seemed to move drastically into perspective. Amatya blinked, her eyes distracted from the female on the trees across the distance from her. If she was to be killed tomorrow there would be no one to carry on Amatya’s traits, nor the beloved personality quirks of which she hoped to pass onto her children. Yet it occurred to her that not only did she have no family to speak of, she had no friends either. A solitary cat forced to live a introverted life. She sighed, exhaling a ball of forced breath. Her intimidation tactics had gotten her no where it seemed, and instead of portraying a similar demeanor to her previous exploits, Amatya curved herself to another approach. “What’s your name?” Amatya nodded toward her as she spoke, as if to emphasize the fact that she was speaking to the other leopard. It seemed an unnecessary gesture that came simply out of respect, though she didn’t have a whole lot of that in her body to begin with. Easily the leopard moved herself along the branch, positioning her body so that her limbs hung with ease, while her tail flicked left and right. It didn’t matter that she was awaiting a response, her eyes held the gaze of the other leopard female steadily, inside she was attempting to conjure something close to welcome and kindness, but she wasn’t sure if she got the expression right. Her whiskers twitched with the strange motions of her face, and then she gave up, allowing instead her eyes to do the talking, instead of her façade. hi there! there are 870 WORDS in this post, which is especially for VALE i would also like to say Vale is awesome and <3. i'm getting my inspiration from Hummingbird Heartbeat - Katy perry > . > I know.

[VALE ROUX]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 494px; background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2njlm4l.png)] Her throat seemed to narrow considerably, and her eyes flickered from side to side displaying clear anxiety. Perhaps now would be a decent time to leave, she glanced down at the carcass between her paws and instinctively her hackles raised. She stole a fleeting glance at the other leopardess once more, as if to deduce whether she was going to sneakily steal her catch. As her eyes adjusted to the filtered moonlight amongst the leaves, she studied her neighbor. The female's pelt was a couple of shades darker than her own, and her eyes were tinged with gray and yellow. She was indeed, very beautiful as all leopards were. Her build was far sturdier than her own, muscles rippled beneath her silky pelt and this sent shudders of apprehension down Vale's spine. No doubt, this girl would see she was stronger and use this to her advantage. Vale could see through the way her shoulders were still well muscled and her hindquarters did not dip inwards that she couldn't have been older than six years old. Other than that the pair of them were surprisingly similar in appearance, Vale wondered whether that was as far as it went. She had never had any friends, so the thought often crossed her mind whether she'd ever find anybody similar to her.. that liked her personality for what it was. It seemed unlikely that anyone really would like a shy, watchful little weirdo. The leopardess blinked and bent down to pick up her prey, it wasn't like the other cat would appreciate her presence. Vale knew from experience that her species preferred their space, they were solitary animals, and it was best to keep it that way. The way natured intended, Vale supposed. As she did so, the felines' voice drifted across to her rounded ears. V blinked and she snapped her head sharply towards her. The bloodied head of the dik dik smacked her face as it swung around with Vale, now she felt like a total douche. She swallowed some of the blood that trickled down her throat, resisting the urge to tear into the warm flesh. She was surprised by the reaction of the other cat, and set the deer down once more. V was never one to be rude, and so simply replied "Uh, hey. My name is Vale- Vale Roux, you?" She awkwardly flicked her eyes from side to side, as if completely uncomfortable with this. Not to mention the stabbing hunger pains in her stomach. Ok, that was it. She couldn't wait any longer, and quickly she ripped the front limb off the carcass. Powerful jaw muscles worked quickly, crunching through the bone and swallowing the surrounding muscle. It was gone in a matter of moments. Vale thought quickly of something to reply, what did normal people say during conversation..? Nothing came to mind. Vale wasn't exactly used to chatting, and so remained silent as ever. -----------------------

[AMATYA SUDAKAR]

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She regarded the world around her thoughtfully, appraising the cat, her kill, and the trees in which she laid. A faint breeze wandered into her nose, and touched the hair along her skull, tangling the tresses. Her eyes appeared calm, if the feline opposite of her could notice them at all. Amatya watched as she ate, noticing the blood that stained her maw and dripped from her whiskers. What a sight to behold. She done the deed herself more than a thousand times but she never took the time in which to see how a feline really chows down on her food. The muscles within her jaw worked overtime and they broke through the hardest parts of her kill. Amatya gazed at the large ivories that slid from her gums and tore apart the flesh with the easiness of a razor. Amatya was suddenly intrigued and now more than ever wanted to know her name. As if in answer the feline opposite of her raised the slender head in her direction and open her lips to speak. "Uh, hey. My name is Vale- Vale Roux, you?” The statement in itself seemed uncertain, but the tone that accompanied it was awkward at best. It didn’t bother her in anyway, it was just an observation she cared to make. Her eyes slid over the body of the feline, and Amataya curved her lips upward. “It’s nice to meet you Vale Roux. I am Amatya Sudakar.” Despite how many times Amatya had heard herself speak, each time the tones always seemed to be that much more velvet soft. Her grin raised in arrogance. She liked the sound of her own voice on the air. As the last echoes of her speech left, Amatya rose, the branch supporting her creaking beneath her weight. She was such a large creature, and yet she managed to be so eloquent, even along the branch that seemed as if it might break. Amatya rolled her shoulder as she slithered along the length of the branch, when near the trunk her rump shoved into the air. The feline leaped from the tree, landing with the grace of a show-jumping equine. Her eyes peered up at Vale, but she did not look directly at the other cat, instead she stretched out her front appendages, reaching a good length away from her and pulling at the ground with her jagged claws. When done she rolled out the stress in her shoulder and flicked her head back and forth, an exercise she did often when she had been laying down for too long. It was a ritual that all cats knew well. This time when she gazed up her eyes were directed at Vale, and not somewhere around her. Conversation wasn’t her forte, and it was almost impossible to think of something to say, especially while Vale was feasting and Amatya’s stomach had long been satisfied. In attempt to fill the air with something other than the silence, Amatya leaned back upon the golden haunches spotted with the dark rosettes of her kind. Her ears twitched in the breeze, flicking her and there to detect the various sounds around her. The thought of her back being exposed to the clearing behind her was unnerving at best, but she wasn’t being as cautious as she normally was. Somewhere inside she thought maybe she was just being lazy, but another thought occurred that perhaps she was just comfortable around Vale. That wasn’t something she was used to at all, and it struck her harder than she expected. Vale would clearly be in a position to warn her if, say, some creature was to attempt to sneak up behind her. Amatya would fully except the feline to warn her, and for that she instantly took a liking to her, even though Amatya had know true way of knowing for sure what Vale would do in a situation like that. She looked up at the feline in the tree with appreciation. “Do you hail from the area?” Maybe a strange question, as she had never heard of another other feline that hadn’t, but it was too late to take the question back from the air, and it hung there, suspended by the embarrassment she felt for saying the first thing that came to her mind. It perhaps wasn’t as stupid as she thought however it wasn’t like it was impossible to come from another area…right? Amatya groaned inside of her head and removed her gaze from the feline. Once she’d swallowed and gathered enough courage to speak again, Amatya attempted a different approach. “Erm… I mean I was born here but I haven’t been back to my birth lands for a while. Where you born in these lands?” She wasn’t sure if she was making herself clear. In reality she meant that the savannah was her home, but she had yet to return to the lands in which her dens were. Amatya would have shaken her head again if she wasn’t afraid of the impression it would give, instead she firmly shut her mouth to stop herself from making any less sense then she already was. hi there! there are 860 WORDS in this post, which is especially for VALE. i would also like to say This is kind of weird XD I am sorry. . i'm getting my inspiration from The Cataracs- All You

[VALE ROUX]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 494px; background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2njlm4l.png)] Something about the eyes of this leopard caught her off-guard. They were simply so intense, so full of wonder at who she was. She actually seemed to be interested in her which wasn't exactly what Vale was used too. No she was more used to being bypassed as a boring, meek little girl who was no use to anyone. She remembered her father's words like he had spoken them yesterday, ''You will never be anything to anybody" She had been about six months old, vulnerable to emotional and mental damage from what her parents said. She had tried not to ignore him, to tell herself that her father was just saying that to hurt her. Yet as she thought about it now, it seemed that she had indeed taken his cruelty to heart. Vale never really let anyone close, even if they were pleasant to her. She had done that with her brother, allowed herself to put all of her love and friendship in him. In the end it hadn't mattered, he had conformed to their dad's bullying in any case and turned on his sister. It still brought tears to her eyes to this day thinking about what Yves had done, and so she pushed the thought of her family away, locking it up in the deep recesses of her mind to be processed and mulled over at a more appropriate time. Perhaps this time would be different.. maybe this leopardess wasn't after anything but simple companionship with her kind. Vale couldn't help but hope so. Now that the skin had been torn on her deer kill, the blood failed to stop flowing. The red liquid seemed to have thinned and the usual clotting mechanism had been abandoned. V watched somewhat irritably as the precious supply dripped freely onto the ground, she knew that this would attract hungry scavengers straight to their position. She sighed, putting a paw over the open wound where the front limb of the deer once was. Instead of reducing the flow, the blood simply seeped through her claws and soaked her pads. The sensation was quite out of the ordinary and she wrinkled her lips in distaste, flicking the blood off of her large paw. Vale remembered suddenly she wasn't alone, and dragged her attention back to the leopard. She began to speak, “It’s nice to meet you Vale Roux. I am Amatya Sudakar.” Interesting name, enviably longer than her own. V was acutely aware that her calling was less than extravagant. In fact, between the whole two separate names there were only two syllables. How dull. Her ears twitched, unsure as of what to reply to this. Should she say something like 'nice' or 'great name'..? Her fur prickled as Amatya stood up, fearful thoughts of the large female stealing her kill or raking her thick claws over her muzzle plagued the smaller Vale. She scolded herself inwardly, forcing her heart rate to slow and her muscles to relax. Her long tail twitched uncertainly and her rounded tufty ears flicked forwards and back awkwardly. Her nerves however were immediately soothed when Amatya gracefully leapt from the thick trunk below, V's golden eyes followed her spotted pelt curiously. Confusion instantly clouded her pools, was she leaving? Was she fed up with her, or disgusted. Had she said something wrong or more relevantly hadn't she said enough? Her heart sank, and the dark lonely feeling that hailed her depression stealthily crept into her chest. It had happened again, her hopes were dashed and it seemed ever more unlikely that she would make a friend of some sort. She was just to unlikable she supposed, too boring, too awkward, freakish. Vale sank her ivory fangs deep into the carcass's belly, with a savage sadness. Only after she had succinctly ripped apart the remains did she notice that in fact Amatya hadn't left at all.. she was merely stretching. Ok, now Vale felt stupid, embarrassed even. The smaller fae hoped greatly that the other cat hadn't seen her sadness and disappointment. She swallowed and cuffed herself over the ear, despite herself she couldn't help but smile from the way her spirits rose instantly. V glanced downwards again, and decided that peering down was even more awkward, if that was possible. She grabbed the bloodied remains and followed suit, silently slipping like water from a glass, landing perfectly upon the soft earth. Despite her distinct lack of social skills, Vale decided that it wasn't definitely rude for her to stuff her face while her companion went hungry. She dropped the small body at the paws of the larger leopardess, ignoring the prickles of fear at being to close to another. The yellow and ebony feline immediately slid back several paces and settled down on her sleek haunches, wrapping her spotted tail around her paws. "You erm.. you can have that?" She smiled awkwardly as Amatya spoke, and then attempted to explain herself. Vale understood. "I was born in the area yes, near the old human structure.. I think they call it the Shed, to be exact." Her voice was extremely quiet, one would have crane their necks if they weren't close enough. It was gentle, pure like the sound of a mother comforting her child.

[AMATYA SUDAKAR]

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She was watching her, eyes unmoving but focusing on her all the while. Vale She repeated the name in her head, attempting to commit it to memory. She wasn’t however expecting the feline to raise herself, and leap from the tree with the kill in her mouth, more so she was highly surprised when Vale offered it to her. Although the offering seemed laden with question, Amatya smiled toward Vale none the less. Her black lips curved upward, but no teeth were visible, just a feline grin. “Well…Thank you very much.” Her surprise wasn’t disguised in her voice, it was very much prominent. Though she was feeling rather lazy right now, and perhaps a bite of the food would do well to quell the urge to lie back in her tree. Amatya normally would refuse such an offering, at all this would be considered scavenging…wouldn’t it? Maybe, if Amataya thought of it as a gift instead, she could eat it. Closing her eyes, she refreshed herself to Vale’s previous comment and smiled. Yes, this was a gift. With that thought she lowered her muzzle to the carcass and ripped a chunk from the insides, feeling the taste of metallic blood in her mouth. It was succulent, fresh as Vale had been in the shade and it tasted good in the back of her throat as she swallowed, savoring every flavor. It was pleasant, and Amatya though to thank her again when she was finished. As she feasted, Vale decided to answer her question and though her maw was buried inside of Vale’s kill, her ears prickled and listened intently. "I was born in the area yes, near the old human structure.. I think they call it the Shed, to be exact." Vale spoke quietly, in soft purring tones that were pleasant against Amatya’s ears. It occurred to her then that she was actually enjoying the company of another leopard. She smiled whilst coming up with flesh dangling from her mouth. She regarded Vale with kind eyes as she ate, and when she swallowed she parted her lips again, indicating she would speak. “Ah. I’ve been there. Ran into a caracal there once. Apparently I must have been frightening, because he ran the fuck away.” Amatya’s vocals were lazy, almost like she was bored, but really thinking of the Caracal made her angry, because that was also where she had gotten her fat arse stuck. She let the thought roll off her mind and buried her face in the meal again, eyeing Vale from her peripherals every now and again. Around them the wind picked up, twining the stray tresses around her cheeks and ears. The rosettes blended nicely with the gold of her coat in the dark, while in the daylight it would appear more abrupt, the black spots much more outstanding. She would have spoken more, but her stomach begged for more food and Amatya wasn’t about to let it go unsatisfied. She shoved her face into the meat, staining her whiskers and nose with blood, as her ears searched for the most delectable parts. Amid feasting she spied Vale, hoping their conversation wouldn’t end. She really did enjoy the feline’s company, which was strange as Amatya normally didn’t enjoy much of anyone’s presence. She cracked a bone in her powerful jaws, the crack resonating around them, but Amatya just continued to eat, listening intently in case Vale had anything else to say. hi there! there are 576 WORDS in this post, which is especially for VALE! i would also like to say Sorry it took so long hun<3. i'm getting my inspiration from Tv!