Post by Unzumi on Dec 7, 2006 15:24:06 GMT -5
OOC: So, Onya' and I created Mercutio and Ahi on K&V and have been working on their relationship in coming together. Since we're having such a hard time getting together online right now, (and K&V isn't really doing it for either of us), we haven't been able to finish the RP. So, I'm posting what we've got done now so that we will be able to finish it and to cement these characters into our minds. For now, until they develop a little, the RP is semi-private, but I'm hoping that these two "brothers" will have a chance to wander around the world of Sunrise.
Everything was fine. Then everything had gone wrong. The growing and still young leopard cub had been forced to flee from his den, while his mother defended his escape from a viscious troupe of baboons. He had gone back, and found blood and death. Ahi knew now that he had nothing but himself, his little knowledge in the world, but knew that he must flee as far from the primates as possible. He is here now, huddled against a thick tree tunk on a low hanging bough, curled up against the world and the lonliness that now surrounds him. The boy is quiet, subdued, his green eyes scanning the ground below, his ears keeping watch for any stray and unwelcome sounds.
Stray and unwelcome sounds? There are sounds, at least, certainly irritated sounds, coming from a stray young lion. Mercutio is finding himself rather put out as he makes his way through the trees, his mood only adding to the inherent clumsiness he seems to have. His paws catch here and there, a few branches scratch at his sides, tug at the barely-growing locks of what will one day be a mane. Does he try to avoid such things? No, of course not; he barrels through, bringing it upon himself, but still complaining regardless. "Stupid...branches...trees...rocks..." he mutters under his breath. Eventually he's tangled up in a hanging dead limb. Growling, he begins biting at twigs, twisting and turning, lashing out with his paws...until something gives behind him and he falls, landing upon his back, and staring straight up into the trees. And at something sitting in the trees?
At the first hint of noise, Ahi freezes, as if he could anymore, and his eyes haltingly stray down to meet the approaching and clumsy lion. He watches in silence, but the cub, one of his own age, too, causes a grin to curl his muzzle into a silent laughter. Such clumsy creatures, lions; his mother taught him about those larger cats.. his mother. The thought causes little Ahi to faulter in his smile, losing his attention on the other cub until an audible thud jerks his attention straight under him and into the eyes of the other. Tense, the leopard boy manages to rise to all fours, trending out a little on the branch and peering intensly down at the stranger.
"...What are you looking at?" he asks, snorting from where he lies. Mercutio doesn't move initially, but continues to stare upward. If the little fall had gone unnoticed, Mercutio might have gone on, perhaps a bit more careful in his steps. But, but now it's potentially an issue of pride, and therefore, he tries to make it appear as if this was his exact intention.
"A novice in the forest," comes Ahi's quiet, almost matter-of-fact reply, knowing full well that the lion cub tripped but also not particularly caring whether or not his pride had been injured. He's fallen from trees, sure, so why shouldn't a lion fall from the ground? The end of his thick tail dances momentarily, his head tilting ever so slightly as he continues to examine the stranger, eventually expanding on his intital statement, "Where do you come from? I've never seen you before." Of course, he's new to this section of forest himself, but he might as well act like he owns the place.
Mercutio ears settle back for a moment at being called a 'novice', sure it must be an insult of some sort. But the tree-cat's manner is not belittling - so would it be an insult? Curious - but wary - the young lion continues to lay where he's at for a moment, eyeing Ahi speculatively. "Uh...I don't know," he answers truthfully, deciding to roll over onto his stomach, extricating himself from the broken branches and twigs. He sits back on his haunches, turning to stare up at the leopard. "Came from back there," he nods his head in a southernly direction, "A long ways off though. Pretty far, I think."
The leopard takes a moment to lift his eyes from the ground below and peer over his shoulder where the lion indicated, but for him that information means little since he has no knowledge of this place himself. With a nod, Ahi returns his attention to the stranger, his head tilting ever so slightly in thought. Didn't these cats live in large families, not in solitude as he? The boy takes a few short paces on his low bough, considering returning to the earth but figuring it better to determine the other's intentions first, "Are you alone?"
"You're a...a...well, my mom called your kind just 'spotted cats' but I heard another lioness call your kind something else, once," Mercutio states, brows furrowing as he tries to remember the 'right' word. He's never seen a leopard this close before. Or close at all. The dusky boy moves to the trunk of the tree, placing both front paws on the tree and craning his head to better catch the scent of the leopard. "Yea, I'm alone," he answers easily enough, not concerned with where such information will get him. What's a single leopard - one not even older than he - going to do? "So what?"
"Spotted cat" was never the greatest of names, but it's descriptive at least. Ahi's mouth twitches, almost laughing, "Leopard," he churrs back as he places his forepaws at the edge of his branch, steadying himself as he leans forwards and bounds to the ground. While not silent, he doesn't land with a terribly loud thud, and now on the ground he takes a more careful look at the lion. Right now, he's not too much bigger or really any different at all, but his mother had warned him about these cats and their.. prides. "Nothing, really, I.. just wanted to know. I've never seen your kind before, but you're always in groups, not alone."
"Leopard, right," Mercutio repeats, settling the word in his memory. He watches as the other leaps down from the tree and pushes himself away from the trunk to settle on all fours again. The lion studies the leopard where both stand now, large ears cupped forward in intense curiousity - same size, same build, both cats of some sort. The rosettes Mercutio bore are very faint upon his coat, but still partially visible all the same. No, they're not that different at all. Not so strange. "I got kicked out of my group," he answers with a shrug, taking a step closer, lowering his head just so. "Rafaa decided I was getting too old to be in the pride. Did that happen to you?" he questions, not aware that leopards don't live the same, though the only one or two he's ever seen were indeed solitary.
Ahi swivels his ears round to the front, curious and intruiged, finding himself wondering why his mother had warned him about these supposed dangerous and viscious killers. Eventually, he eases himself back on his haunches and flares his nose, taking in the other cub's scent. Ahi's brow wrinkles slightly, his mouth opening to answer, but he stops. His large ears droop to either side, a fleeting glimpse over his shoulder into the darkness of the forest around them before he shakes his head, "No, we.. live alone. My mother.. my mother.. was.. killed." He shrugs, as if apologizing to the cub, but unsure why.
In the brief silence, Mercutio takes another step closer, unable to resist the urge to investigate further. But the slight change in manner, the apprehension on the leopard's part, causes him to pause. An explaination comes shortly after however, and it's grave information indeed. "Not by lions, was it?" he asks softly, losing his earlier eager demeanor. He may not know much about other species, beyond what's food and what's not, but Merc is certainly aware of what a pride is capable of.
"No, no.. you're the first one I've ever seen," Ahi replies, almost in earnest, his eyes widening a little as he makes sure that the stranger knows that his family didn't do it. Not that they wouldn't, but they didn't. Again, his eyes trail off into the forest and he knows that somewhere in the distance, his den lies empty. "It was baboons. They're nasty. Stay away from them. My mother.. gave me enough time to run." That said, he shrugs, tearing his eyes from his sore and recent past to return to the present. He curls his tail around his forepaws, taking a moment to settle his mind.
The mood that reigns is somber, but how could it not be with such things; Mercutio can make light of his situation simply because that's life. Things wouldn't be the same if he suffered the same twist of fate as Ahi. Eventually, he follows suit, sitting in the manner of lazy lions everywhere out of habit. Not sure what to say, or what to follow with, Mercutio hunches his shoulders, glancing about. His own lonely path has been fraught with just that; loneliness and, on occasion, aggression. Not to mention the hunger that comes from not having a pride to provide for him. Ahi's the first friendly face he's seen, even among other lions. "So...are you going to keep living here?" he eventually asks, assuming this place is Ahi's home.
He can feel the air around them settle, and it takes some time before Ahi can subdue the agony of his life shattering ordeal enough to bring him back into the real world. He closes his eyes for a time, then flutters them open at Mercutio's query, prusing his muzzle in thought, "I.. don't think so," he replies with a shake of his head. Ahi wrinkles his nose some, dish-like ears flicking every so often, before he churls out a question of his own, "What about you? You.. don't have anywhere to go either, do you?"
He opens his mouth, about to reply, before apparently his mind begins working. Eventually the jaw shuts and he shakes his head slowly, a small, crooked smile hinting at the corner of his muzzle. "No, I guess I don't really have anywhere. I thought I might figure it out along the way, but that's not working." Mercutio huffs heavily, blowing upward through his whiskers. "The lions around here aren't any more friendly than the ones back home. They don't want me around, anyway," he admits. "But that's alright. Don't want to be around them," he adds, grinning impudently. "I'm Mercutio, by the way. Y'can call me Merc, if you want."
While Mercutio is in no better position than he, Ahi can't help but give a quiet chuckle, his tail unfurling from around his paws to sway in the air behind him like a metronome. His ears perk curiously as the lion mentions the others of his species nearby, and the boy makes a mental note to avoid those lions; seems like that pride was the one his mother had warned him about. "Merc', then," the leopard answers with a bob of his head, "I'm Ahi.. it seems like we're one in the same."
Mercutio considers the last statement thoughtfully for a moment, before nodding slowly, "Yea, I suppose we are." For a short period, the young lion sits quietly, stormy eyes taking in the sight of the equal-aged leopard before him in consideration. "Well, Ahi. Maybe...maybe we could hang out for awhile, or something..." he ventures with only a hint of hesitation. He's been unwelcomed everywhere else - this change is more than warmly received and he's loathe to part company too soon. "...Maybe help each other hunt, or something, until we can do it on our own." And just because it needs to be added: "...Or something."
It would be like looking into a mirror, although their older generation counterparts might heartily disagree, but Ahi's ears slowly turn forwards, suprised and curious at the lion boy's suggestions. Surprise turns to a kind of contentment, and the leopard cubs smiles warmly and nods, "Yeah, I think.. I think that would be good, Merc'." Ahi's reply is genuinely joyous, and the cub stands with a little laughter slipping by him, "I know things about the forest, and you must know things about.. well, other things.. or something," pausing, he chuckles quietly at their choices of words, "Well, you know what I mean, right?"
Relief fairly floods Mercutio's features at the prospect of having company for at least a time. The time spent alone was hard, especially on one so used to a social life. "Yea, I don't a thing about the forest, as you probably guessed," he states, mentioning his less-than-graceful entrance. "But out in the open is no big deal."
A light-hearted grin slides across Ahi's face, but he shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders as if Mercutio's entrance wasn't too ungraceful, "Aw, I can have you tree climbing in no time." Of course, he's unaware of the size and weight difference between the adults, but for now it doesn't really matter. The boy takes a moment to smooth out some ruffled fur in his tail, and looks to the lion and falls into a pondering silence. Then, "So.. what now, though?"
"...Climb? As in, up in the trees?" Mercutio asks, glancing to the branches above. Eyes searching about the tangle above, he continues, "Do you guys really sleep up there?" Like other lion cubs, Mercutio did play on fallen trunks and limbs, perhaps even venturing to clamber up a short distance before figuring out the ground was a bit too far away. Finally dropping his gaze to the leopard's again, he lifts a brow, "Do you hunt in trees too?"
"Oh yeah, all the time," the leopard replies in a quiet earnest, rising and padding silently towards the tree he had recently been hiding in and peering up its trunk. He pauses a moment, is limbs tensing, before springing himself into the air to grip the sides of the great tree. His claws scrape at the bark, but he's used to that sound, and he scrambles up to a lower branch and trots his way out on it with confidance. "You wouldn't believe how comfortable it is to sleep in the branches. And hunting, yeah, hunting in trees is hard but you can do it. I'm pretty good at squirrels, myself," Ahi beams, although he doesn't mention that he chases the critters more than actually catching them. Yet.
Mercutio can't help but snort in good-natured disbelief, "You gotta be kidding me." He watches the other sprint up the tree and display his ease in the bows. "There's no -way- a branch can be more comfortable than the ground." He glances about, scowling at the mess of roots and dead branches, "Well...not this ground anyway." The lion moves to the base of the tree, but doesn't make an effort to climb. Instead, he inspects the trunk.
Ahi hops rather delicately through a series of small twigs to a slightly higher branch, though he's still relatively close to the ground for fear of excluding Merc' from the joys of climbing. He stretches out his tiny body and curls around a forked limb, resting his cheek against the bark and letting one fore leg and one back leg dangle lazily over one side, "How can you say that this isn't comfortable? I could always fall asleep like this," he grins, letting his tail fall down and then curl ever so slightly at its tip. And you thought lions were lazy? Ha.
Indeed. Grinning, Mercutio admits - silently - that it does look potentially comfortable. "Alright, so," he begins, standing on his hind legs and gripping the trunk of the tree with his paws, claws unsheathed. "How..." he shoves off the ground, gripping the trunk with his front limbs, digging the claws of his hind paws into the trunk and making minor progress, "...do you..." Merc grunts, shifting his body and wriggling upward, pulling and pushing his way up the trunk. He pauses a moment, perhaps his point of undoing, teeth clenched against the effort, before slowly sliding down again.
He does have the advantage of lighter weight and more practice, but Ahi doesn't see why the lion couldn't do the same. He laughs softly and almost oozes out of his position before he hops back down to his lowest branch, "Practice, really," says the boy with a smile, "You've got to feel it, you know? The bark has ridges, you see?" Ahi's voice, though it remains low and quiet, does begin to grow in earnest as he lightly thumps his way back down onto solid ground and trots over to Mercutio. "Those ridges, like that, that go longways on the trunk... You grip them, and you've got a better chance, you see?"
Mercutio looks a little sheepish, but manages to cover it up, "Well, actually, I was going to ask, once I got up, how you /sleep/ on a branch without falling off, but guess I better start with basics, huh?" He peers closer at the trunk, setting his claws in the ridges that are pointed out. "So just grip and go?" he asks dubiously, looking to the leopard again, half grinning.
The boy's ears perk, and almost instantly they fall in a kind of embaressed way but Ahi manages a light laughter afterwards, "Oh, well, I thought you meant.. Well, heh." His black lips pruse for a minute, but he peers at Mercutio's claws as he settles them into position, flaring his nose and taking in the wonderful scent that is tree bark. "Mm-hmm, just like that, and you really dig your paws in as far as you can. You have to be fast though, because you'll just slide back down if you hang there without going somewhere." He smiles and waits, urging the lion to give it another go.
"Dig m'claws in, go fast, right," Mercutio murmurs to himself, setting in a course of action. "Okay," he begins, giving Ahi another look, "Here goes." With that, he grips the trunk again, tenses his hindquarters, and leaps upward again. Juggling the concentration of grip-and-fast isn't the easiest thing to begin with, but through a mix of just that, he scrambles ungracefully up the trunk, managing to get a clawed paw around the top of the lower limb. There he slows, but the grip on that limb remains and he uses it to pulling himself onto it, kicking out at the trunk for the final push. Haphazardly, he crouches on the limb, hanging on to it with both paws, chest heaving. "That," he admits, "Is hard."
Ahi watches with an eagerness behind his eyes, although he can't help but hold onto a slight grin as he watches Mercutio scramble into the lower portion of the tree. He's been doing it for long enough that he doesn't even notice where he puts his paws or which muscles he uses. The leopard follows suit, though with much more ease, and hoiks himself to a parallel, nearby branch and eases himself back on his hindquarters. "It becomes just like the ground after a while. If you keep doing it, it won't seem so hard, but that was good for a first go." He smiles warmly and would go about showing Merc' how to get comfy on a limb, but he deems it proper to wait until his companion has caught his breath. Which.. might be a little while.
Everything was fine. Then everything had gone wrong. The growing and still young leopard cub had been forced to flee from his den, while his mother defended his escape from a viscious troupe of baboons. He had gone back, and found blood and death. Ahi knew now that he had nothing but himself, his little knowledge in the world, but knew that he must flee as far from the primates as possible. He is here now, huddled against a thick tree tunk on a low hanging bough, curled up against the world and the lonliness that now surrounds him. The boy is quiet, subdued, his green eyes scanning the ground below, his ears keeping watch for any stray and unwelcome sounds.
Stray and unwelcome sounds? There are sounds, at least, certainly irritated sounds, coming from a stray young lion. Mercutio is finding himself rather put out as he makes his way through the trees, his mood only adding to the inherent clumsiness he seems to have. His paws catch here and there, a few branches scratch at his sides, tug at the barely-growing locks of what will one day be a mane. Does he try to avoid such things? No, of course not; he barrels through, bringing it upon himself, but still complaining regardless. "Stupid...branches...trees...rocks..." he mutters under his breath. Eventually he's tangled up in a hanging dead limb. Growling, he begins biting at twigs, twisting and turning, lashing out with his paws...until something gives behind him and he falls, landing upon his back, and staring straight up into the trees. And at something sitting in the trees?
At the first hint of noise, Ahi freezes, as if he could anymore, and his eyes haltingly stray down to meet the approaching and clumsy lion. He watches in silence, but the cub, one of his own age, too, causes a grin to curl his muzzle into a silent laughter. Such clumsy creatures, lions; his mother taught him about those larger cats.. his mother. The thought causes little Ahi to faulter in his smile, losing his attention on the other cub until an audible thud jerks his attention straight under him and into the eyes of the other. Tense, the leopard boy manages to rise to all fours, trending out a little on the branch and peering intensly down at the stranger.
"...What are you looking at?" he asks, snorting from where he lies. Mercutio doesn't move initially, but continues to stare upward. If the little fall had gone unnoticed, Mercutio might have gone on, perhaps a bit more careful in his steps. But, but now it's potentially an issue of pride, and therefore, he tries to make it appear as if this was his exact intention.
"A novice in the forest," comes Ahi's quiet, almost matter-of-fact reply, knowing full well that the lion cub tripped but also not particularly caring whether or not his pride had been injured. He's fallen from trees, sure, so why shouldn't a lion fall from the ground? The end of his thick tail dances momentarily, his head tilting ever so slightly as he continues to examine the stranger, eventually expanding on his intital statement, "Where do you come from? I've never seen you before." Of course, he's new to this section of forest himself, but he might as well act like he owns the place.
Mercutio ears settle back for a moment at being called a 'novice', sure it must be an insult of some sort. But the tree-cat's manner is not belittling - so would it be an insult? Curious - but wary - the young lion continues to lay where he's at for a moment, eyeing Ahi speculatively. "Uh...I don't know," he answers truthfully, deciding to roll over onto his stomach, extricating himself from the broken branches and twigs. He sits back on his haunches, turning to stare up at the leopard. "Came from back there," he nods his head in a southernly direction, "A long ways off though. Pretty far, I think."
The leopard takes a moment to lift his eyes from the ground below and peer over his shoulder where the lion indicated, but for him that information means little since he has no knowledge of this place himself. With a nod, Ahi returns his attention to the stranger, his head tilting ever so slightly in thought. Didn't these cats live in large families, not in solitude as he? The boy takes a few short paces on his low bough, considering returning to the earth but figuring it better to determine the other's intentions first, "Are you alone?"
"You're a...a...well, my mom called your kind just 'spotted cats' but I heard another lioness call your kind something else, once," Mercutio states, brows furrowing as he tries to remember the 'right' word. He's never seen a leopard this close before. Or close at all. The dusky boy moves to the trunk of the tree, placing both front paws on the tree and craning his head to better catch the scent of the leopard. "Yea, I'm alone," he answers easily enough, not concerned with where such information will get him. What's a single leopard - one not even older than he - going to do? "So what?"
"Spotted cat" was never the greatest of names, but it's descriptive at least. Ahi's mouth twitches, almost laughing, "Leopard," he churrs back as he places his forepaws at the edge of his branch, steadying himself as he leans forwards and bounds to the ground. While not silent, he doesn't land with a terribly loud thud, and now on the ground he takes a more careful look at the lion. Right now, he's not too much bigger or really any different at all, but his mother had warned him about these cats and their.. prides. "Nothing, really, I.. just wanted to know. I've never seen your kind before, but you're always in groups, not alone."
"Leopard, right," Mercutio repeats, settling the word in his memory. He watches as the other leaps down from the tree and pushes himself away from the trunk to settle on all fours again. The lion studies the leopard where both stand now, large ears cupped forward in intense curiousity - same size, same build, both cats of some sort. The rosettes Mercutio bore are very faint upon his coat, but still partially visible all the same. No, they're not that different at all. Not so strange. "I got kicked out of my group," he answers with a shrug, taking a step closer, lowering his head just so. "Rafaa decided I was getting too old to be in the pride. Did that happen to you?" he questions, not aware that leopards don't live the same, though the only one or two he's ever seen were indeed solitary.
Ahi swivels his ears round to the front, curious and intruiged, finding himself wondering why his mother had warned him about these supposed dangerous and viscious killers. Eventually, he eases himself back on his haunches and flares his nose, taking in the other cub's scent. Ahi's brow wrinkles slightly, his mouth opening to answer, but he stops. His large ears droop to either side, a fleeting glimpse over his shoulder into the darkness of the forest around them before he shakes his head, "No, we.. live alone. My mother.. my mother.. was.. killed." He shrugs, as if apologizing to the cub, but unsure why.
In the brief silence, Mercutio takes another step closer, unable to resist the urge to investigate further. But the slight change in manner, the apprehension on the leopard's part, causes him to pause. An explaination comes shortly after however, and it's grave information indeed. "Not by lions, was it?" he asks softly, losing his earlier eager demeanor. He may not know much about other species, beyond what's food and what's not, but Merc is certainly aware of what a pride is capable of.
"No, no.. you're the first one I've ever seen," Ahi replies, almost in earnest, his eyes widening a little as he makes sure that the stranger knows that his family didn't do it. Not that they wouldn't, but they didn't. Again, his eyes trail off into the forest and he knows that somewhere in the distance, his den lies empty. "It was baboons. They're nasty. Stay away from them. My mother.. gave me enough time to run." That said, he shrugs, tearing his eyes from his sore and recent past to return to the present. He curls his tail around his forepaws, taking a moment to settle his mind.
The mood that reigns is somber, but how could it not be with such things; Mercutio can make light of his situation simply because that's life. Things wouldn't be the same if he suffered the same twist of fate as Ahi. Eventually, he follows suit, sitting in the manner of lazy lions everywhere out of habit. Not sure what to say, or what to follow with, Mercutio hunches his shoulders, glancing about. His own lonely path has been fraught with just that; loneliness and, on occasion, aggression. Not to mention the hunger that comes from not having a pride to provide for him. Ahi's the first friendly face he's seen, even among other lions. "So...are you going to keep living here?" he eventually asks, assuming this place is Ahi's home.
He can feel the air around them settle, and it takes some time before Ahi can subdue the agony of his life shattering ordeal enough to bring him back into the real world. He closes his eyes for a time, then flutters them open at Mercutio's query, prusing his muzzle in thought, "I.. don't think so," he replies with a shake of his head. Ahi wrinkles his nose some, dish-like ears flicking every so often, before he churls out a question of his own, "What about you? You.. don't have anywhere to go either, do you?"
He opens his mouth, about to reply, before apparently his mind begins working. Eventually the jaw shuts and he shakes his head slowly, a small, crooked smile hinting at the corner of his muzzle. "No, I guess I don't really have anywhere. I thought I might figure it out along the way, but that's not working." Mercutio huffs heavily, blowing upward through his whiskers. "The lions around here aren't any more friendly than the ones back home. They don't want me around, anyway," he admits. "But that's alright. Don't want to be around them," he adds, grinning impudently. "I'm Mercutio, by the way. Y'can call me Merc, if you want."
While Mercutio is in no better position than he, Ahi can't help but give a quiet chuckle, his tail unfurling from around his paws to sway in the air behind him like a metronome. His ears perk curiously as the lion mentions the others of his species nearby, and the boy makes a mental note to avoid those lions; seems like that pride was the one his mother had warned him about. "Merc', then," the leopard answers with a bob of his head, "I'm Ahi.. it seems like we're one in the same."
Mercutio considers the last statement thoughtfully for a moment, before nodding slowly, "Yea, I suppose we are." For a short period, the young lion sits quietly, stormy eyes taking in the sight of the equal-aged leopard before him in consideration. "Well, Ahi. Maybe...maybe we could hang out for awhile, or something..." he ventures with only a hint of hesitation. He's been unwelcomed everywhere else - this change is more than warmly received and he's loathe to part company too soon. "...Maybe help each other hunt, or something, until we can do it on our own." And just because it needs to be added: "...Or something."
It would be like looking into a mirror, although their older generation counterparts might heartily disagree, but Ahi's ears slowly turn forwards, suprised and curious at the lion boy's suggestions. Surprise turns to a kind of contentment, and the leopard cubs smiles warmly and nods, "Yeah, I think.. I think that would be good, Merc'." Ahi's reply is genuinely joyous, and the cub stands with a little laughter slipping by him, "I know things about the forest, and you must know things about.. well, other things.. or something," pausing, he chuckles quietly at their choices of words, "Well, you know what I mean, right?"
Relief fairly floods Mercutio's features at the prospect of having company for at least a time. The time spent alone was hard, especially on one so used to a social life. "Yea, I don't a thing about the forest, as you probably guessed," he states, mentioning his less-than-graceful entrance. "But out in the open is no big deal."
A light-hearted grin slides across Ahi's face, but he shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders as if Mercutio's entrance wasn't too ungraceful, "Aw, I can have you tree climbing in no time." Of course, he's unaware of the size and weight difference between the adults, but for now it doesn't really matter. The boy takes a moment to smooth out some ruffled fur in his tail, and looks to the lion and falls into a pondering silence. Then, "So.. what now, though?"
"...Climb? As in, up in the trees?" Mercutio asks, glancing to the branches above. Eyes searching about the tangle above, he continues, "Do you guys really sleep up there?" Like other lion cubs, Mercutio did play on fallen trunks and limbs, perhaps even venturing to clamber up a short distance before figuring out the ground was a bit too far away. Finally dropping his gaze to the leopard's again, he lifts a brow, "Do you hunt in trees too?"
"Oh yeah, all the time," the leopard replies in a quiet earnest, rising and padding silently towards the tree he had recently been hiding in and peering up its trunk. He pauses a moment, is limbs tensing, before springing himself into the air to grip the sides of the great tree. His claws scrape at the bark, but he's used to that sound, and he scrambles up to a lower branch and trots his way out on it with confidance. "You wouldn't believe how comfortable it is to sleep in the branches. And hunting, yeah, hunting in trees is hard but you can do it. I'm pretty good at squirrels, myself," Ahi beams, although he doesn't mention that he chases the critters more than actually catching them. Yet.
Mercutio can't help but snort in good-natured disbelief, "You gotta be kidding me." He watches the other sprint up the tree and display his ease in the bows. "There's no -way- a branch can be more comfortable than the ground." He glances about, scowling at the mess of roots and dead branches, "Well...not this ground anyway." The lion moves to the base of the tree, but doesn't make an effort to climb. Instead, he inspects the trunk.
Ahi hops rather delicately through a series of small twigs to a slightly higher branch, though he's still relatively close to the ground for fear of excluding Merc' from the joys of climbing. He stretches out his tiny body and curls around a forked limb, resting his cheek against the bark and letting one fore leg and one back leg dangle lazily over one side, "How can you say that this isn't comfortable? I could always fall asleep like this," he grins, letting his tail fall down and then curl ever so slightly at its tip. And you thought lions were lazy? Ha.
Indeed. Grinning, Mercutio admits - silently - that it does look potentially comfortable. "Alright, so," he begins, standing on his hind legs and gripping the trunk of the tree with his paws, claws unsheathed. "How..." he shoves off the ground, gripping the trunk with his front limbs, digging the claws of his hind paws into the trunk and making minor progress, "...do you..." Merc grunts, shifting his body and wriggling upward, pulling and pushing his way up the trunk. He pauses a moment, perhaps his point of undoing, teeth clenched against the effort, before slowly sliding down again.
He does have the advantage of lighter weight and more practice, but Ahi doesn't see why the lion couldn't do the same. He laughs softly and almost oozes out of his position before he hops back down to his lowest branch, "Practice, really," says the boy with a smile, "You've got to feel it, you know? The bark has ridges, you see?" Ahi's voice, though it remains low and quiet, does begin to grow in earnest as he lightly thumps his way back down onto solid ground and trots over to Mercutio. "Those ridges, like that, that go longways on the trunk... You grip them, and you've got a better chance, you see?"
Mercutio looks a little sheepish, but manages to cover it up, "Well, actually, I was going to ask, once I got up, how you /sleep/ on a branch without falling off, but guess I better start with basics, huh?" He peers closer at the trunk, setting his claws in the ridges that are pointed out. "So just grip and go?" he asks dubiously, looking to the leopard again, half grinning.
The boy's ears perk, and almost instantly they fall in a kind of embaressed way but Ahi manages a light laughter afterwards, "Oh, well, I thought you meant.. Well, heh." His black lips pruse for a minute, but he peers at Mercutio's claws as he settles them into position, flaring his nose and taking in the wonderful scent that is tree bark. "Mm-hmm, just like that, and you really dig your paws in as far as you can. You have to be fast though, because you'll just slide back down if you hang there without going somewhere." He smiles and waits, urging the lion to give it another go.
"Dig m'claws in, go fast, right," Mercutio murmurs to himself, setting in a course of action. "Okay," he begins, giving Ahi another look, "Here goes." With that, he grips the trunk again, tenses his hindquarters, and leaps upward again. Juggling the concentration of grip-and-fast isn't the easiest thing to begin with, but through a mix of just that, he scrambles ungracefully up the trunk, managing to get a clawed paw around the top of the lower limb. There he slows, but the grip on that limb remains and he uses it to pulling himself onto it, kicking out at the trunk for the final push. Haphazardly, he crouches on the limb, hanging on to it with both paws, chest heaving. "That," he admits, "Is hard."
Ahi watches with an eagerness behind his eyes, although he can't help but hold onto a slight grin as he watches Mercutio scramble into the lower portion of the tree. He's been doing it for long enough that he doesn't even notice where he puts his paws or which muscles he uses. The leopard follows suit, though with much more ease, and hoiks himself to a parallel, nearby branch and eases himself back on his hindquarters. "It becomes just like the ground after a while. If you keep doing it, it won't seem so hard, but that was good for a first go." He smiles warmly and would go about showing Merc' how to get comfy on a limb, but he deems it proper to wait until his companion has caught his breath. Which.. might be a little while.
