Post by Kanti on Nov 5, 2010 8:07:56 GMT -7
Sunlit Jungle
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The ever-present sal trees are here broken up by large palms, and the minimal canopy provided by the palms allows sunlight into the understory. Mango, jamun, sandalwood, jackfruit, cassia, and piar, and a lot of thick, lush, ferns, reeds, and grasses take advantage of the light and help make the ground level a challenging tangle for larger creatures, though a bountiful and delicious challenge for the herbivores of all sizes. The constant rumble of a waterfall to the northeast is accentuated by the rhythmic crash of ocean waves onto a sandy beach to the south where the palms are more prevalent and the canopy disintegrates before stopping altogether. A wide river cuts through the jungle to the east, leading from the waterfall in the northeast and to a vast overgrown delta to the southeast. With so much water around, even falling from the sky on a regular basis, the air here is constantly damp, though enough of the ocean breeze finds its way here to keep the air from becoming stifling.
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[E] East to a river [N] North where it gets dark
[NE] Northeast to a waterfall [NW] Northwest to some paths
South to a beach [SE] Southeast to a delta
Up a tree
[IC] Kanti (F. Gray Wolf)
[IC] Raasabha (M. Tiger)
[IIC] Utkrosh (F. Golden Eagle)
Utkrosh swoops down through the canopy high above, carefully arcing to avoid striking branches as she seeks, finds and takes a perch on a branch below the understory's canopy, but high enough to put her out of reach for even a particularly agile tiger's leap. The golden eagle takes several long, cautious moments for her sharp eyes to adjust to the high-contrast darkness and bright sunlight to see who or what may be about.
Scratch scratch scratch. Gnaw gnaw gnaw. Lick lick lick. Such are the unusual and random noises that have originated from the same spot for the past hour now, with increments of pause occurring just long enough to allow the jungle to resume it's natural silence, just before another round of it breaks out. For anyone unaccustomed to such odd and nerve gyrating sounds, it might seem than some strange creature is attempting to remove the hide off of another animal. As for Raasabha, he'd know it was just Kanti chewing her fleas. Though with her scrawny body craned around at an awkward angle and her nose gnashed up against her flank, first glimpse might indeed raise a brow from anyone. Teeth click together rapidly as the runty she-wolf chases a whole family of them through the mats of her fur, grunting and snorting and snuffling and seemingly set on murderous revenge. Though just like that, a flit of shadow across the sun patch she has settled herself in abruptly brings the canine up for air, her haggard form stiffening as her ears arch high atop her head, slobbery nose with bits of fur stuck to it twitching as she scents at the wind. With a fraction of a turn to her head, Kanti cast a side glance up toward the branches looming behind her with a tilt, not even quite a full glance. In fact, it is deceptively clever, giving the appearance that the she-wolf is not looking at all, but rather, has her attention focused somewhere across from her.
The rest was needed, or so it would seem, for the tiger hasn't made a sound since he climbed up into the tree from the night before. Though the large tiger just wanted to think, to plan, and figure a way to best introduce himself to the locals here. Hopefully they are far enough away from the rumors to avoid unwanted attention. The sounds of wolf's gnawing is little more than white noise to Raasabha, for he's heard it for most of his life. But it's the sudden movement of a shadow that catches the predators eye that breaks his caculating mind. Company. Not that it is unwanted but it is sooner than the feline anticipated. For now he lets Kanti do what she does best and lets her be focal point while he stays in the cover of the canopy. The massive tiger swivels his ears forward in keen alertness as the rest of him keeps still, his eyes on the wolf as he suspects Kanti already has her target. Good girl...
Utkrosh tilts her own head at the unfamiliar sight. Utkrosh, more than most beings, is accustomed to the never-before-encountered, and she tries to interpret what she sees in a gaunt shewolf assailing her own pelt -- likely infested with fleas, though in the heavy sunlight-and-shade contrast, Utkrosh' eyes are not quite able to confirm that particular detail. It is certainly not the eagle's first glimpse of a canid paired with a tiger as this shewolf seems to be with the tiger in the tree above her -- but the only time she has seen a grey wolf paired so closely with a tiger has been Gyarahabala and his close friend Bhata. She burns her eagle stare at the tiger as she studies his stripes ... not one she has previously encountered. Given the unfamiliarity with either the wolf or the tiger, the she-eagle silently mulls over possibilities in the geographic context: here, below the cliff, odds are a tiger is Ran Garjana, or at least friendly with them. In the days of Sakht Nakh, one paired so tightly with a canid would be quickly dismissed, as the supremacist Sakht Nakh would not readily tolerate such; given the rather peculiarities among Ran Garjana, however, associating this tiger with Sakht Nakh must be the safe presumption, until incontrovertible evidence demonstrates otherwise. She returns her gaze to the canid, to double-check her identification of ... it ... as a she-wolf, not a jackal, given its reduced size, but there's no mistaking the bone structure -- quite visible through the she-wolf's bite-and-scratch-ragged pelt. After several long moments of the eagle's penetrating stare, her screechy voice finally greets, "Unusual finds in unusual times."
Disinterest. It is convincingly feigned with a well practiced skill, the little wolf shrugging off her moment of alarm to tip her head and scratch behind her right ear. She can feel spying eyes though, penetrating and scrutinizing, but the scrawny canine seems indifferent to what judgments her observer might be passing upon her. Not even the slightest of glances are spared in the direction of her Lord, the she-wolf knowing in a uncanny way that the tiger is already aware of the situation. In fact, Kanti continues to enjoy her scratching in the manner of a creature who wholly believes itself to be alone. The only suspect indication that the mangy animal was ever aware of the eagle perched in the branches above her is when Utkrosh's voice calls out in greeting, requiring the female to abandon her flea infestation to straiten and pivot her head upwards in nothing short of bored interest. Yellow eyes reflect dully even as the sunlight strikes across her face, the she-wolf just looking upon the bird with a gaze that is quite unassuming. But just as it might seem the filthy wolf is as dim in the brain as she is in appearance, her maw cracks open to allow a toothy grin to splay across her flews, "And what is time but a promise of change?"
The burly tiger remains still as he moves his eyes to look upon the golden eagle above him. It would seem appropiate that the bird would have decided to land in an adjacent tree and spot him, for if it were any other tree in the area he would have been invisible. But now there is the bird so he wears his mask of indifferance and lids his amber eyes and goes back to what seems this tiger does best, nothing. His ears relax atop his head but Raasabha still listens well. The eagle's greeting to Kanti is heard and so is Kanti rebuttal. For now, the tiger lets Kanti do the work of breaking the ice. His presence usually puts creatures at an unease if he tries to do the talking first.
Utkrosh responds to the shewolf, "No disrespect, but you would appear to have a need for the sort of change time alone cannot promise. I thought I knew each wolf in these parts, but either you -- and any wolves who are kindred to you -- are impressively dedicated and adept at evading my patrols, or you are recently arrived. If it is the latter, I wonder if you are aware of the ... sovereignty ... of this portion of the jungle?" She looks between wolf and tiger, but the tiger seems rather disinterested in speaking -- but the eagle is not so foolish as to believe he was disinterested in listening.
Shanipriya has arrived.
Shanipriya has been wandering a bit during his usual foraging for food on this day, and now the colorful young peacock finds himself fairly far from his home around and above the crossroads. By now he has had a good share of seeds and fruits, and as he continues on near the edge of the sunlit jungle, a mouse comes scurrying past him, and he quickly strikes out with one of his feet to pin the tiny mammal to the ground before biting down with his beak to kill the mouse swiftly. He finally eats it in two bites, and continues on his way. Before long though, he gets to where the canopy thins out and feels as the sun strikes his back, lighting up his bright, shiny sapphire feathers, making him almost seem to glow. Up ahead however, he spots a wolf, and stops suddenly, obviously quite wary of the large canine, though he'd likely be more worried if he realized what more lay hidden in the trees above.
Disrespect? The proffered apology of sorts is regarded with a trace of amusement from the she-wolf, with her private mirth glimpsed in the lines that tighten at the corner of her almond-shaped eyes. She would have to have self-respect first to even feel disrespected. It is, of course, a matter of little consequence and quickly the scrap of a wolf turns her attention down the path for which this conversation is leading, chortling a surprisingly melodic note in face of the eagle's calculated summary. "With each fresh step, are not we all recently arrived?" Well, maybe except for her fleas. They never go anywhere new. Though the matter of sovereignty does seem to pique the lupine's interest and Kanti is hard pressed not to cast a glance automatically in Raasabha's direction. She manages to resist the urge, though a ear does turn out towards him, then back to the large bird. Whether or not the stifled motion was done so out of curious excitement, guarded caution, or simply just coincidental reflex remains to be learned. "Is it something I should be concerned with?" she questions the golden eagle, letting the words slip off her tongue with a casual coolness unexpected of a creature that looks so..frazzled. For the mean time, Shanipriya actually manages to go unnoticed by the she-wolf, but it can be assured his luck will not hold out.
Raasabha continues to silently listen as Kanti and the eagle talk to each other. Though the bird's choice of words about the place they happen to be resting does spark a momentary grin across the tiger's broad boxy muzzle. The rumors he had heard were true after all. But now Raasabha still needs to learn to whose territory this belongs to. His sharp obsidian claws silently scratch along the limb he rests on as he calms himself to think clearly rather than get caught up in anticipation.
Foliage, as yet, blocks line-of-sight between the eagle and the peacock. "If your life, and that of your friend, is of value to one or the both of you, then ... yes, I would say, it would concern you. These lands are in the grasp of a tiger clan," she says, glancing back to the tiger for any hint of a reaction. With her exceedingly keen vision, the flick of an ear or the slightest alteration in his breathing would suffice to catch her notice. The tiger's face is the wrong way for her to spot the grin directly, but she does spot the tension of his facial muscles on his cheek beneath an ear. After alloting a proper number of moments to gauging any reaction, she returns her conversational attention to the spokeswolf. "A rather unseemly bunch. Depending on which of the clan you encounter, you may be slain outright -- and that's with the most pleasant and merciful of them. At least two among them favor devouring anything they view as weaker than themselves -- be it wolf, lion, young or merely a rival tiger. They do not have fixed borders, as yet, but this portion of the jungle beneath the cliff, and some margin above the cliff are their killing grounds. My name is Utkrosh, and they know it well -- for regardless of weather, I patrol the skies over them and grant them no rest from my gaze."
Shanipriya finds that he seems to have gone completely unnoticed at this point, and also hears that there is some sort of conversation going on about the evil tiger clan, The Ran Garjana, and this grabs onto his curiosity, and causes him to to stay around for now and pretend that he is just continuing to look for food, though he's actually full at the moment. As he moves slowly and keeps an eye on the wolf, and tries to place the voice he hears from above. At first, his view is blocked by the foliage of some palms, but soon line of sight becomes clear of obstructions and he lays his brown eyes on the large bird of prey up on a high branch. Was this eagle already part of the group that had decided to stand up against the ruthless tiger clan? The same one he had been strongly considering joining himself.
Just by Utkrosh's demeanor and the gravity of her tone, Kanti cannot escape the impression that perhaps she should feel more solicitude in this matter than what she does. And were the she-wolf any other wolf, perhaps she would feel a fair amount of fear and concern. But circumstance would not have it that way and in fact, she doesn't feel anything except the need to scratch at her ear again- a sensation that isn't allowed to linger long before receiving prompt and vigorous attention. Scritch-scritch-scratch. Each forward strike of her hind leg causes a cloud of dust particles to float up into the sunbeam surrounding her, bits of shed fur drifting along with it. The blissful, narrow eyed expression on the she-wolf's face would suggest she is lost from the conversation even as the eagle continues to speak about morbid things as devouring and painful death, but as suddenly and randomly as it started, she straitens back up just in time to fix her yellow eyes back upon the perched bird, only to have her lips curl with a wry smirk, "Well if you are here, then they must get some rest, yes?" she points out in offhanded observation. Though not wishing to offend the proud eagle, for eagles are always proud and this one might be useful, Kanti does dip her head in recognition of her honorable intentions to fight against the oppression of evil. Teehee. "Though to what purpose does one eagle devote so much time spying on hungry tigers?" It is at this time that the she-wolf catches a flicker of bright blue from the corner of her eye, Shanipriya making the mistake of venturing to close for his own good. Abruptly her head snaps in the direction of the peafowl and her ears ride forward to crest the top of her skull, a trickle of drool suddenly bubbling out the front of her muzzle to dangle off a lip, "A friend of yours?" she practically purrs to the eagle without bothering a glance to her now, and while still sitting, her front paws flex against the earth anxiously and she begins a somewhat amusing, creeping shuffle forward. Of course, the peafowl might not be so amused. In fact, he should probably be in the business of making fast friends with the eagle.
Having heard enough to get an understanding of where they and who the eagle is, Raasabha rises slowly from his branch and gives his back an arching stretch. The large cat turns himself around and looks down the trunk of the tree. A flick of his ear is gives as he contemplates how to get down and after a brief moment the burly tiger sinks his razor claws into the bark of the tree and slides down a short distance before propelling himself off the tree and landing on the ground with sound of a dull thud. Sharp amber eyes shoot over to the crawling wolf as she begins to stalk and play with her intended meal. "Kanti..." Raasabha rumbles with a deep voice as he gives the shewolf an inflection of tone that it would be in her best intrest if she stops what she's doing. The mass of tiger then slowly walks out from under the tree into the nice warm sun and raises his head to look towards the eagle. "Thank you for the warning. And yes, we have just arrived the night before. Please do forgive Kanti's behavior. She's a bit...Odd." Raasabha then casts a glace back over his shoulder to double check on the peacock before returning his gaze upon the golden eagle "Pleased to meet you Utkrosh, my name is Raasabha...But as Kanti asked. Why do patrol them and who for? I'm afraid we know nothing of this area."
Utkrosh cranes her neck to peer around some leaves for a view of the peafowl. She notes his fine details and features. "I believe I have seen him before, in the plains near the Anekanta herd ... but I am not acquainted with him and do not know his name." To her earlier questions the tiger asks as well, she says, "I generally try to keep myself safe, which means -- usually -- staying above the canopy, as a dead spy is not particularly useful. The Ran Garjana know this, and tend to limit themselves to areas where the canopy is too thick for me to peer beneath without flying under it, which exposes myself to risk and takes much time, as horizons are far broader when I am at altitude. I have quite a diverse group of allies ... whose specific identities I prefer to protect, for now, but do include other tigers, a wolf pack, a dhole clan and a herd of mixed herbivores ... who seek to end to the menace of Ran Garjana. Many have lost beloved family, kindred, friends and allies already to the large black tiger, Dushta, who leads the clan and his second-in-command whom keeps his name a secret and at least six others in the clan we are aware of ... and while eye-for-an-eye vengeance, exacting personal revenge can be a powerful motive, I learned hard lessons on the benefits of justice and a strategic campaign over revenge and futile attacks against a powerful enemy, and the value of staying my talons, sharp as they are, to cooperate and coordinate with allies instead of trying to wage my own personal vengeance for grievances I have. My talons are sharp, and I could do a fair amount of damage -- but I can do far more by keeping myself out of the fray, and letting my allies know where Ran Garjana is, whether I have seen new Ran Garjana or potential new ally, and to keep abreast of all happenings."
Shanipriya suddenly freezes and looks up at the wolf as he is now apparently spotted, and now also sees the tiger coming out of the tree and moving into better view. His tail feathers twitch a bit, the movement running out to the tip of his elaborate, if not fully grown train as he looks upon the trio of predators with his small brown eyes. "Hello! I hope I am not interrupting a private meeting... I am Shanipriya, looking to ally against the Ran Garjana myself, and have overheard just enough of the conversation to hear that you were talking about them."
By Kanti's standards the sky hunters's comments of 'not acquainted' and 'do not know his name' swiftly translates into 'dinner'. Which is some happy news for the starved looking creature! Murderous glee! Hooray! She breathes it in with a sharp audible inhale, as if already trying to suck the pretty bird's feathers off from afar. A flash of pink emerges from her elongated muzzle as the mangy lupine swipes her tongue along the length of her dark lips with a slurp, gathering the string of dangling drool from the end just before the sinew beneath her patchy fur visibly coils and Kanti prepares to launch herself forward in what would have probably been a show worth watching- which all things considered, most likely would have been a comedy rather than a tragedy. However, it remains unseen, for the instant that Raasabha's voice rumbles out with -that- particular inflection, Kanti just..deflates. Shoulders visibly slump and the little wolf flops down in a pitiful fit of dejectedness. Well pooo...Her meagre gaze does stay transfixed upon the peacock for a while longer, soft wistful whimpers uttered quietly as she noses roughly at the ground between her forepaws, shoveling up dirt and debris and chewing on a small twig until it crunches into slobbery pieces in her mouth. Bleh. Sooo hungry. She stares for a moment longer until the voices of her Lordship and the garrulous eagle penetrate her concentration, ebbing her blood-lust off and allowing her to discard her malicious intentions, though not without one more chop licking glance to the colorful birdie. Laaaater. Her ears do twitch in a perk as the peafowl offers up his name. Hrm. Shanipriya. Sounds spicy! Rising up with a huff, Kanti proceeds to ignore her talking dinner and skulks back towards Raasabha with her tail hanging limply between her hocks, seeking another kind of comfort food as the scrawny scrap of a wolf moves up to nuzzle up along side the massive tiger, the simple contact bringing life to her tail in the form of a starting wag, meek and submissive and begging his tolerance.
The tiger nods silently as the eagle answers his question to a degree. Names and groups will have to come later but he now knows the rough estament of the size of the tiger he's heard rumors about. As for the numbers of the animals that are against them Raasabha has a little idea. "Quite understandable, Utkrosh." he says in regards to the bird keeping her allies names to herself. The burly tiger then casts a glance back to Kanti as she walks back in her defeated manner. Now wasn't the time for play and Kanti always likes to play with her food. Though Raasabha doesn't mind, actually he usually encourages it, but that is in private and not in front of guests; espically since he's the stranger. Though when the haggerd wolf comes up to give him a nuzzle Raasabha swings his tail to slide up underneath the wolfess' chin and push her head away from his body. "Just you sit still and behave yourself." The tone is parental like and much softer than usual but it is the norm for when making a impression. Hopefully a good one, espically with the eyes and ears of the allies. The hulky tiger then turns his large head to look back at the peacock and offers him a reassuring smile. "Not at all, come, join us..."
Utkrosh notes the interaction and decides to probe with a question of her own, "I take it you've raised this wolf from a young age?" Turning back to the shewolf, she asks, "Would you like a fish? The river is running rich with them, as it often does following heavy rain as we recently had, and I would be happy to catch one for you."
Shanipriya catches, more fully now, the way that the wolf is looking at him, and he really does not like what Kanti's body language is telling him. Being young and fit, he hopes that he has much more of a life to live than to become the meal of a wolf today, though even he would agree that Kanti could use a good meal, and almost felt sorry for the malnourished wolf. Before the tiger can give the words to stop Kanti in her tracks, Shani is already on the move, running a bit as he spreads his wings and then flaps them hard, fluttering up to a low branch of the nearest tree that wasn't the same one the eagle was perched on and the tiger had just come out of. When Raasa speaks and stops Kanti in her tracks, he turns to the tiger and nods his head a bit. "Well, thank you." He says in a tone that shows his uncertainty in why the tiger had done it, but none the less thankful that he did. At the eventual response, inviting him to join them, he nervously looks down from his perch at Kanti for a moment, then finally swallows his fears and jumps back down to the ground and approaches the unlikely pair of wolf and tiger, and by extension, the eagle as well. He then nods to Raasa again respectfully. "Thank you." He still keeps his distance a little though, not crazy enough to walk right up next to a tiger he has never seen before, let alone one with a wolf at it's side, even if he was polite and welcoming.
Pain, agony, and despair! Immediate hurt is what is glimpsed across the canine's face the moment that Raasabha's thick tail conks up against the side of her face, easily thwarting her affection and pushing her head away. Whiiiine. For a second, Kanti stands there blinking her yellow eyes, looking quite uncertain on what to do with herself, which eventually just leads to the she-wolf numbly and quite unceremoniously flopping back upon her haunches. Whimper. The accompaniment of words directed to her just further her misery, sending her ears back into her ragged head fur as her gaze adverts down toward her paws like a scolded puppy. She even ignores the fleas that visibly scurry from her forehead down through her short muzzle fur on their way into the density of her cheek ruffs. Though when Raasabha calls to dinner to join them, Kanti can't help but look toward the fowl, meeting Shanipriya's beady eyes with a wistful invitation that would indeed give the peacock good reason to be hesitant. However, it seems the tiger has a good hold on the she-wolf's proverbial leash and she remains in place. His presence doesn't do anything for the drooling though, strings of it dangling from each corner of her mouth as if she'd swallowed a shoe and the laces were hanging out. And it is only when Utkrosh makes mention of fish that Kanti renews her interest in the eagle, peeling her eyes away from the fancy feast to set them upon the larger bird, at which point she replies without so much as a wanton glint in her eye, "Thank you, but I am not hungry." She will eat when her Lord allows it.
Raasabha nods to the eagle's question "That I have..." That's all the information he's willing to offer for now. The chisled tiger then casts his amber eyes back upon the wolf as she protest and whines and gives her the subtlest of sneers so much so that barely his lip moves. His large head then turning back up to the eagle and offers her a smile "If you would be so kind. A fish will do her good, and far better than to eat our guest." His muzzle parts with a half smile and gives a soft nod to the peacock "Just you becareful. I usually don't talk to a potential meal but your intentions are well met." Raasabha then looks back up to Utkrosh "And if I could trouble you for a second fish, I would greatly appreciate it." The massive tiger then looks back at Kanti "Now cheer up. You have food coming."
Utkrosh bobs her head and turns around on the branch to face the east, toward the river. With one fell swoop, she drifts until she finds a straight path between the branches to the river, careful to flap her broad, powerful wings only where space allows. She arcs sharply to the left upon reaching the river, and disappears behind treetrunks as she flies upstream over its surface. Scarcely half a minute passes before her form returns, arcing back under the understory's canopy on a return path, a rather sizable fish clutched in her talons. She swoops over the branch she had previously perched on and pivots her talons down, then opening their grasp to let loose the fish she had just caught, causing it to drop and slide into the tiger while she continues on, flapping her wings hard to conserve her momentum by flying up through an opening in the canopy rather than arcing in a half-circle to go back under the canopy. Free of the tree branches and trunks above the upper canopy, she arcs back toward the river once moor, disappearing over the canopy. A minute or so later, she re-appears at the point she had first disappeared upon catching the first fish, with a second fish larger than the first in her talons. She again flies under and between the trunks and branches of the understory to drop the second fish, this one dropping and sliding with its momentum into the wolf. She flies up again, over the canopy, and a few minutes later returns a third time with a third fish in her talons, this one delicately clutched in a single talon-foot, using her wings for braking and balance to land smoothly on her original branch with the final fish still clutched for herself. She pins it under her talon-foot to the branch, biting down quickly to its head.
Shanipriya shudders a bit at the way Kanti looks at him, as he gazes into her eyes and thinks to himself that the wolf is quite likely imagining her fangs around his thin blue neck. He then turns his attention toward Raasa and looks happy to hear the tiger request a pair of fish, since he knew it would cut the hunger of the two predators, and hopefully get Kanti to stop drooling at him. He then nods his head at the tiger's cautionary statement. "Yes, I will be careful, though I thank you for inviting me as your guest. I am honored to be able to speak with a tiger such as you on such... friendly terms." He then jumps a bit and spreads his wings as the first fish is dropped out of the sky and lands between him and Raasa, but quickly recovers from being startled and relaxes, soon starting to preen his feathers while the others eat.
Subtle it may be, but the sneer is not lost on the despondent female, for Kanti does not need to see the twitch of the tiger's lips, she can feel his irritation with her, for such is the strength of her bondage to him. And as intended, it has an effect on her, a wave of humility flushing her cheeks crimson beneath her tattered fur and the little wolf cowers down a fraction more, tail coming to life to stir the soil behind her with a sheepish wag. My apologies, Master. Insult to injury is added as Raasabha accepts the eagle's offer of fish, which gets Shanipriya a brief glance that clearly states 'next time'. But her eyes are back to her Master and eagerly meet his regards as the large tiger turns to speak to her, his words provoking a brightening of her gloomy face and a softly spoken, almost whispered "Thank you Master." With mild interest, Kanti takes to watching the eagle as she soars away, then takes greater interest in the fish she returns with, tail thumping wildly now as she shifts her weight to-and-fro on her front paws, packing the loose soil into a small little flat spot. Between watching the sky with anticipation and eyeballing the fish laying at Raasabha's paws, the drool returns to dangle freely. Lucky for the peacock, this time he isn't the reason behind it. But, he still smells wonderful and yes, she would still love to chew on his skinny little neck! Noooommm! On Utkrosh's second return, the fish doesn't even really get to hit the ground before Kanti is on it, laying next to Raasbha and chewing away happily as it squishes and oozes fish guts and blood out the corners of her mouth, round unblinking eyes bulging with every chomp. Happy puppy! Wag-wag-wag.
Settling himslef back onto his haunches, Raasabha raises his head to watch the golden eagle fly gracefully away. A small grin of satisfaction is spreading across his stout muzzle. This was working out quite well for the pair. Though for Raasabha, that's quite normal and it's a major factor to his high confidence in himself. The tiger's head slowly moves along with the flight of Utkrosh, watching with intrest and amusement. Raasabha's spherical ears perk themselves up when the raptor suddenly takes a dive and dissapears behind the trees only to come up a moment later with a fish. The large tiger then lifts a paw as the fish is tossed towards him and catches it underneath his massive paw. A quick nod of thanks is given to the golden eagle before Raasabha lowers head and bites the head of the fish and begins to eat it at a slower pace than his companion. Though the sight of his puppy eating does get a dark chuckle out of the tiger before Utkrosh returns with the third and final fish. The imposing tiger then takes another bite of fish and swallows it before lifting his amber orbs back to the peacock "So Shanipriya, was it? What can you do to help contribute to the fight?"
Utkrosh snaps easily through scale and bone, working her way from head to tail on her own fish. She keeps her wings slightly untucked, so she can stretch one one way or another to help maintain her balance as she feasts while perched on the branch. She feeds quietly while the others converse, gazing at the peacock.
Gory and grim could be the words to describe the eventual death of the fish, for despite Kanti's incessant chewing and the production of fish innards that dribble from her mouth, the poor fish spends it's final moments gasping for breath and quivering in random intervals before a final, rather sicking crunch severs the head from it's mangled body. Gulping down this, Kanti takes a second to glance up to Raasabha with a smack of her fish-slimed lips and a wag of her tail, yellow eyes squinted down in merriment. This is going well! Sweeping her tongue across her messy muzzle, the wretched little creature returns her attention to the dirt flecked fish head staring up at her with it's woeful expression and upon snatching it up, she tosses it into the air above her head only to catch it in mid descent. Look! She does tricks too! It doesn't last though and she's quickly back to chomping and smacking away, until with a swallow that brings back a surprising amount of noiseless peace, the wolf turns her meagre gaze to the peacock in consideration of his question, a sly wolfish smirk slithering across her muzzle, "I have an idea..." She doesn't finish, the implications are in her stare. Yeeek.
No sooner does the wolf give her wolfish smirk that the enormous tiger reaches back with his massive paw and quickly shoves the wolfess face down to bring her nose into the fish slimed dirt. While keeping his weight up on his paw the tiger gives the peacock a playful smirk "Don't mind her now. She is going to have a firm talking too. But that sounds good to me, Shani..." The tiger looks back down to the wolf and lowers his head to that of her pinned melon and gives a sharp growl "Behave." Then the tiger slides his paw off of the wolf and flashes another smile to the peacock. "In fact you can report to me about anything you see. It's always good to have extra eyes and ears."
Utkrosh screes, "Eyes and ears are always helpful ... but even if you had my training, you'd be more likely to come to harm. Ran Garjana seem to be hanging out mostly under the cliff, you could stay above the cliff, near the edge, and keep an eye on them ... and if trouble came up behind you, you could safely dive off the cliff. I am concerned that Ran Garjana may eventually find an ally in the sky ... I saw a black eagle awhile ago. I did not get close, but he would be the sort of eye-in-the-sky I expect would appeal to Dushta, a potentially very dangerous foe -- even to me." She catches the spectacle of the shewolf in the corner of her eye playing with the fishhead. A question has been simmering deep in the eagle's mind about the shewolf's origin, if should could possibly be related to the wolves and pups that have gone missing over the years in the jungle, especially back in the days of the Sakht Nakh ... but the more she observes the tiger-raised wolf, the more the eagle fears the shewolf would have a hard time fitting into a formal pack. Still ... while she must exercise her own judgment in many situations, if there is a possibility she could have some relation to the Saahasi, or one of the smaller packs that had roamed the lower jungle before Sakht Nakh smited them and drove the Saahasi from the upper jungle to the mountain.
Shanipriya blinks a bit, looking up at Kanti with a worried expression showing clearly. "Thanks, but I'd rather not end up your dinner just yet..." He replies dryly, nodding to Raasa, and then to Utkrosh. "Alright then, I will do that, and yes, I will need to be careful I am sure, being much easier to spot than you, Utkrosh, not to mention, my kind are not exactly the best at flying in the world of birds, a male like me with a train of showy feathers even less so, but I will do my best to avoid coming to harm, and hope that the earth mother keeps me safe in these trying times." He says with a somewhat grim tone before going back to preening his feathers.
Kanti is to busy grinning away at the peacock with that deviate glare to take notice of the suspicious removal of Raasabha's powerful paw from the jungle floor, at least not until that split second just before she gets to become better acquainted with the bugs living in it. Umph! Splat! A whine is uttered out into the damp soil as yellow eyes roll upwards to look shamefully upon the tiger's disapproving expression, but other than this, Kanti doesn't fight against the weight of the tiger's paw settled heavily atop her head. The sound of his growl sends a small shiver through the female, her ears splaying outward at the sides of her head as she heeds his request, head bobbling beneath his paw in a physical show of comprehension. She'll be good! Promise! As the paw slides away, the caress of abuse rouses another kind of shiver from the female, leaving to her regain her composure as she does the wise thing and excludes herself from the conversation. Utkrosh's silent curiosity in her is missed this time, or is not enough to gain a return of consideration from the scrawny wolf, save for the vaguest of glances that has more to do with the eagle's words than any suspected comparison the sky hunter might be making. There does exist a irrefutable similarity between Kanti's facial features and those of Saahasi blood, but surely such is just coincidence.
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The ever-present sal trees are here broken up by large palms, and the minimal canopy provided by the palms allows sunlight into the understory. Mango, jamun, sandalwood, jackfruit, cassia, and piar, and a lot of thick, lush, ferns, reeds, and grasses take advantage of the light and help make the ground level a challenging tangle for larger creatures, though a bountiful and delicious challenge for the herbivores of all sizes. The constant rumble of a waterfall to the northeast is accentuated by the rhythmic crash of ocean waves onto a sandy beach to the south where the palms are more prevalent and the canopy disintegrates before stopping altogether. A wide river cuts through the jungle to the east, leading from the waterfall in the northeast and to a vast overgrown delta to the southeast. With so much water around, even falling from the sky on a regular basis, the air here is constantly damp, though enough of the ocean breeze finds its way here to keep the air from becoming stifling.
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[E] East to a river [N] North where it gets dark
[NE] Northeast to a waterfall [NW] Northwest to some paths
Up a tree
[IC] Kanti (F. Gray Wolf)
[IC] Raasabha (M. Tiger)
[IIC] Utkrosh (F. Golden Eagle)
Utkrosh swoops down through the canopy high above, carefully arcing to avoid striking branches as she seeks, finds and takes a perch on a branch below the understory's canopy, but high enough to put her out of reach for even a particularly agile tiger's leap. The golden eagle takes several long, cautious moments for her sharp eyes to adjust to the high-contrast darkness and bright sunlight to see who or what may be about.
Scratch scratch scratch. Gnaw gnaw gnaw. Lick lick lick. Such are the unusual and random noises that have originated from the same spot for the past hour now, with increments of pause occurring just long enough to allow the jungle to resume it's natural silence, just before another round of it breaks out. For anyone unaccustomed to such odd and nerve gyrating sounds, it might seem than some strange creature is attempting to remove the hide off of another animal. As for Raasabha, he'd know it was just Kanti chewing her fleas. Though with her scrawny body craned around at an awkward angle and her nose gnashed up against her flank, first glimpse might indeed raise a brow from anyone. Teeth click together rapidly as the runty she-wolf chases a whole family of them through the mats of her fur, grunting and snorting and snuffling and seemingly set on murderous revenge. Though just like that, a flit of shadow across the sun patch she has settled herself in abruptly brings the canine up for air, her haggard form stiffening as her ears arch high atop her head, slobbery nose with bits of fur stuck to it twitching as she scents at the wind. With a fraction of a turn to her head, Kanti cast a side glance up toward the branches looming behind her with a tilt, not even quite a full glance. In fact, it is deceptively clever, giving the appearance that the she-wolf is not looking at all, but rather, has her attention focused somewhere across from her.
The rest was needed, or so it would seem, for the tiger hasn't made a sound since he climbed up into the tree from the night before. Though the large tiger just wanted to think, to plan, and figure a way to best introduce himself to the locals here. Hopefully they are far enough away from the rumors to avoid unwanted attention. The sounds of wolf's gnawing is little more than white noise to Raasabha, for he's heard it for most of his life. But it's the sudden movement of a shadow that catches the predators eye that breaks his caculating mind. Company. Not that it is unwanted but it is sooner than the feline anticipated. For now he lets Kanti do what she does best and lets her be focal point while he stays in the cover of the canopy. The massive tiger swivels his ears forward in keen alertness as the rest of him keeps still, his eyes on the wolf as he suspects Kanti already has her target. Good girl...
Utkrosh tilts her own head at the unfamiliar sight. Utkrosh, more than most beings, is accustomed to the never-before-encountered, and she tries to interpret what she sees in a gaunt shewolf assailing her own pelt -- likely infested with fleas, though in the heavy sunlight-and-shade contrast, Utkrosh' eyes are not quite able to confirm that particular detail. It is certainly not the eagle's first glimpse of a canid paired with a tiger as this shewolf seems to be with the tiger in the tree above her -- but the only time she has seen a grey wolf paired so closely with a tiger has been Gyarahabala and his close friend Bhata. She burns her eagle stare at the tiger as she studies his stripes ... not one she has previously encountered. Given the unfamiliarity with either the wolf or the tiger, the she-eagle silently mulls over possibilities in the geographic context: here, below the cliff, odds are a tiger is Ran Garjana, or at least friendly with them. In the days of Sakht Nakh, one paired so tightly with a canid would be quickly dismissed, as the supremacist Sakht Nakh would not readily tolerate such; given the rather peculiarities among Ran Garjana, however, associating this tiger with Sakht Nakh must be the safe presumption, until incontrovertible evidence demonstrates otherwise. She returns her gaze to the canid, to double-check her identification of ... it ... as a she-wolf, not a jackal, given its reduced size, but there's no mistaking the bone structure -- quite visible through the she-wolf's bite-and-scratch-ragged pelt. After several long moments of the eagle's penetrating stare, her screechy voice finally greets, "Unusual finds in unusual times."
Disinterest. It is convincingly feigned with a well practiced skill, the little wolf shrugging off her moment of alarm to tip her head and scratch behind her right ear. She can feel spying eyes though, penetrating and scrutinizing, but the scrawny canine seems indifferent to what judgments her observer might be passing upon her. Not even the slightest of glances are spared in the direction of her Lord, the she-wolf knowing in a uncanny way that the tiger is already aware of the situation. In fact, Kanti continues to enjoy her scratching in the manner of a creature who wholly believes itself to be alone. The only suspect indication that the mangy animal was ever aware of the eagle perched in the branches above her is when Utkrosh's voice calls out in greeting, requiring the female to abandon her flea infestation to straiten and pivot her head upwards in nothing short of bored interest. Yellow eyes reflect dully even as the sunlight strikes across her face, the she-wolf just looking upon the bird with a gaze that is quite unassuming. But just as it might seem the filthy wolf is as dim in the brain as she is in appearance, her maw cracks open to allow a toothy grin to splay across her flews, "And what is time but a promise of change?"
The burly tiger remains still as he moves his eyes to look upon the golden eagle above him. It would seem appropiate that the bird would have decided to land in an adjacent tree and spot him, for if it were any other tree in the area he would have been invisible. But now there is the bird so he wears his mask of indifferance and lids his amber eyes and goes back to what seems this tiger does best, nothing. His ears relax atop his head but Raasabha still listens well. The eagle's greeting to Kanti is heard and so is Kanti rebuttal. For now, the tiger lets Kanti do the work of breaking the ice. His presence usually puts creatures at an unease if he tries to do the talking first.
Utkrosh responds to the shewolf, "No disrespect, but you would appear to have a need for the sort of change time alone cannot promise. I thought I knew each wolf in these parts, but either you -- and any wolves who are kindred to you -- are impressively dedicated and adept at evading my patrols, or you are recently arrived. If it is the latter, I wonder if you are aware of the ... sovereignty ... of this portion of the jungle?" She looks between wolf and tiger, but the tiger seems rather disinterested in speaking -- but the eagle is not so foolish as to believe he was disinterested in listening.
Shanipriya has arrived.
Shanipriya has been wandering a bit during his usual foraging for food on this day, and now the colorful young peacock finds himself fairly far from his home around and above the crossroads. By now he has had a good share of seeds and fruits, and as he continues on near the edge of the sunlit jungle, a mouse comes scurrying past him, and he quickly strikes out with one of his feet to pin the tiny mammal to the ground before biting down with his beak to kill the mouse swiftly. He finally eats it in two bites, and continues on his way. Before long though, he gets to where the canopy thins out and feels as the sun strikes his back, lighting up his bright, shiny sapphire feathers, making him almost seem to glow. Up ahead however, he spots a wolf, and stops suddenly, obviously quite wary of the large canine, though he'd likely be more worried if he realized what more lay hidden in the trees above.
Disrespect? The proffered apology of sorts is regarded with a trace of amusement from the she-wolf, with her private mirth glimpsed in the lines that tighten at the corner of her almond-shaped eyes. She would have to have self-respect first to even feel disrespected. It is, of course, a matter of little consequence and quickly the scrap of a wolf turns her attention down the path for which this conversation is leading, chortling a surprisingly melodic note in face of the eagle's calculated summary. "With each fresh step, are not we all recently arrived?" Well, maybe except for her fleas. They never go anywhere new. Though the matter of sovereignty does seem to pique the lupine's interest and Kanti is hard pressed not to cast a glance automatically in Raasabha's direction. She manages to resist the urge, though a ear does turn out towards him, then back to the large bird. Whether or not the stifled motion was done so out of curious excitement, guarded caution, or simply just coincidental reflex remains to be learned. "Is it something I should be concerned with?" she questions the golden eagle, letting the words slip off her tongue with a casual coolness unexpected of a creature that looks so..frazzled. For the mean time, Shanipriya actually manages to go unnoticed by the she-wolf, but it can be assured his luck will not hold out.
Raasabha continues to silently listen as Kanti and the eagle talk to each other. Though the bird's choice of words about the place they happen to be resting does spark a momentary grin across the tiger's broad boxy muzzle. The rumors he had heard were true after all. But now Raasabha still needs to learn to whose territory this belongs to. His sharp obsidian claws silently scratch along the limb he rests on as he calms himself to think clearly rather than get caught up in anticipation.
Foliage, as yet, blocks line-of-sight between the eagle and the peacock. "If your life, and that of your friend, is of value to one or the both of you, then ... yes, I would say, it would concern you. These lands are in the grasp of a tiger clan," she says, glancing back to the tiger for any hint of a reaction. With her exceedingly keen vision, the flick of an ear or the slightest alteration in his breathing would suffice to catch her notice. The tiger's face is the wrong way for her to spot the grin directly, but she does spot the tension of his facial muscles on his cheek beneath an ear. After alloting a proper number of moments to gauging any reaction, she returns her conversational attention to the spokeswolf. "A rather unseemly bunch. Depending on which of the clan you encounter, you may be slain outright -- and that's with the most pleasant and merciful of them. At least two among them favor devouring anything they view as weaker than themselves -- be it wolf, lion, young or merely a rival tiger. They do not have fixed borders, as yet, but this portion of the jungle beneath the cliff, and some margin above the cliff are their killing grounds. My name is Utkrosh, and they know it well -- for regardless of weather, I patrol the skies over them and grant them no rest from my gaze."
Shanipriya finds that he seems to have gone completely unnoticed at this point, and also hears that there is some sort of conversation going on about the evil tiger clan, The Ran Garjana, and this grabs onto his curiosity, and causes him to to stay around for now and pretend that he is just continuing to look for food, though he's actually full at the moment. As he moves slowly and keeps an eye on the wolf, and tries to place the voice he hears from above. At first, his view is blocked by the foliage of some palms, but soon line of sight becomes clear of obstructions and he lays his brown eyes on the large bird of prey up on a high branch. Was this eagle already part of the group that had decided to stand up against the ruthless tiger clan? The same one he had been strongly considering joining himself.
Just by Utkrosh's demeanor and the gravity of her tone, Kanti cannot escape the impression that perhaps she should feel more solicitude in this matter than what she does. And were the she-wolf any other wolf, perhaps she would feel a fair amount of fear and concern. But circumstance would not have it that way and in fact, she doesn't feel anything except the need to scratch at her ear again- a sensation that isn't allowed to linger long before receiving prompt and vigorous attention. Scritch-scritch-scratch. Each forward strike of her hind leg causes a cloud of dust particles to float up into the sunbeam surrounding her, bits of shed fur drifting along with it. The blissful, narrow eyed expression on the she-wolf's face would suggest she is lost from the conversation even as the eagle continues to speak about morbid things as devouring and painful death, but as suddenly and randomly as it started, she straitens back up just in time to fix her yellow eyes back upon the perched bird, only to have her lips curl with a wry smirk, "Well if you are here, then they must get some rest, yes?" she points out in offhanded observation. Though not wishing to offend the proud eagle, for eagles are always proud and this one might be useful, Kanti does dip her head in recognition of her honorable intentions to fight against the oppression of evil. Teehee. "Though to what purpose does one eagle devote so much time spying on hungry tigers?" It is at this time that the she-wolf catches a flicker of bright blue from the corner of her eye, Shanipriya making the mistake of venturing to close for his own good. Abruptly her head snaps in the direction of the peafowl and her ears ride forward to crest the top of her skull, a trickle of drool suddenly bubbling out the front of her muzzle to dangle off a lip, "A friend of yours?" she practically purrs to the eagle without bothering a glance to her now, and while still sitting, her front paws flex against the earth anxiously and she begins a somewhat amusing, creeping shuffle forward. Of course, the peafowl might not be so amused. In fact, he should probably be in the business of making fast friends with the eagle.
Having heard enough to get an understanding of where they and who the eagle is, Raasabha rises slowly from his branch and gives his back an arching stretch. The large cat turns himself around and looks down the trunk of the tree. A flick of his ear is gives as he contemplates how to get down and after a brief moment the burly tiger sinks his razor claws into the bark of the tree and slides down a short distance before propelling himself off the tree and landing on the ground with sound of a dull thud. Sharp amber eyes shoot over to the crawling wolf as she begins to stalk and play with her intended meal. "Kanti..." Raasabha rumbles with a deep voice as he gives the shewolf an inflection of tone that it would be in her best intrest if she stops what she's doing. The mass of tiger then slowly walks out from under the tree into the nice warm sun and raises his head to look towards the eagle. "Thank you for the warning. And yes, we have just arrived the night before. Please do forgive Kanti's behavior. She's a bit...Odd." Raasabha then casts a glace back over his shoulder to double check on the peacock before returning his gaze upon the golden eagle "Pleased to meet you Utkrosh, my name is Raasabha...But as Kanti asked. Why do patrol them and who for? I'm afraid we know nothing of this area."
Utkrosh cranes her neck to peer around some leaves for a view of the peafowl. She notes his fine details and features. "I believe I have seen him before, in the plains near the Anekanta herd ... but I am not acquainted with him and do not know his name." To her earlier questions the tiger asks as well, she says, "I generally try to keep myself safe, which means -- usually -- staying above the canopy, as a dead spy is not particularly useful. The Ran Garjana know this, and tend to limit themselves to areas where the canopy is too thick for me to peer beneath without flying under it, which exposes myself to risk and takes much time, as horizons are far broader when I am at altitude. I have quite a diverse group of allies ... whose specific identities I prefer to protect, for now, but do include other tigers, a wolf pack, a dhole clan and a herd of mixed herbivores ... who seek to end to the menace of Ran Garjana. Many have lost beloved family, kindred, friends and allies already to the large black tiger, Dushta, who leads the clan and his second-in-command whom keeps his name a secret and at least six others in the clan we are aware of ... and while eye-for-an-eye vengeance, exacting personal revenge can be a powerful motive, I learned hard lessons on the benefits of justice and a strategic campaign over revenge and futile attacks against a powerful enemy, and the value of staying my talons, sharp as they are, to cooperate and coordinate with allies instead of trying to wage my own personal vengeance for grievances I have. My talons are sharp, and I could do a fair amount of damage -- but I can do far more by keeping myself out of the fray, and letting my allies know where Ran Garjana is, whether I have seen new Ran Garjana or potential new ally, and to keep abreast of all happenings."
Shanipriya suddenly freezes and looks up at the wolf as he is now apparently spotted, and now also sees the tiger coming out of the tree and moving into better view. His tail feathers twitch a bit, the movement running out to the tip of his elaborate, if not fully grown train as he looks upon the trio of predators with his small brown eyes. "Hello! I hope I am not interrupting a private meeting... I am Shanipriya, looking to ally against the Ran Garjana myself, and have overheard just enough of the conversation to hear that you were talking about them."
By Kanti's standards the sky hunters's comments of 'not acquainted' and 'do not know his name' swiftly translates into 'dinner'. Which is some happy news for the starved looking creature! Murderous glee! Hooray! She breathes it in with a sharp audible inhale, as if already trying to suck the pretty bird's feathers off from afar. A flash of pink emerges from her elongated muzzle as the mangy lupine swipes her tongue along the length of her dark lips with a slurp, gathering the string of dangling drool from the end just before the sinew beneath her patchy fur visibly coils and Kanti prepares to launch herself forward in what would have probably been a show worth watching- which all things considered, most likely would have been a comedy rather than a tragedy. However, it remains unseen, for the instant that Raasabha's voice rumbles out with -that- particular inflection, Kanti just..deflates. Shoulders visibly slump and the little wolf flops down in a pitiful fit of dejectedness. Well pooo...Her meagre gaze does stay transfixed upon the peacock for a while longer, soft wistful whimpers uttered quietly as she noses roughly at the ground between her forepaws, shoveling up dirt and debris and chewing on a small twig until it crunches into slobbery pieces in her mouth. Bleh. Sooo hungry. She stares for a moment longer until the voices of her Lordship and the garrulous eagle penetrate her concentration, ebbing her blood-lust off and allowing her to discard her malicious intentions, though not without one more chop licking glance to the colorful birdie. Laaaater. Her ears do twitch in a perk as the peafowl offers up his name. Hrm. Shanipriya. Sounds spicy! Rising up with a huff, Kanti proceeds to ignore her talking dinner and skulks back towards Raasabha with her tail hanging limply between her hocks, seeking another kind of comfort food as the scrawny scrap of a wolf moves up to nuzzle up along side the massive tiger, the simple contact bringing life to her tail in the form of a starting wag, meek and submissive and begging his tolerance.
The tiger nods silently as the eagle answers his question to a degree. Names and groups will have to come later but he now knows the rough estament of the size of the tiger he's heard rumors about. As for the numbers of the animals that are against them Raasabha has a little idea. "Quite understandable, Utkrosh." he says in regards to the bird keeping her allies names to herself. The burly tiger then casts a glance back to Kanti as she walks back in her defeated manner. Now wasn't the time for play and Kanti always likes to play with her food. Though Raasabha doesn't mind, actually he usually encourages it, but that is in private and not in front of guests; espically since he's the stranger. Though when the haggerd wolf comes up to give him a nuzzle Raasabha swings his tail to slide up underneath the wolfess' chin and push her head away from his body. "Just you sit still and behave yourself." The tone is parental like and much softer than usual but it is the norm for when making a impression. Hopefully a good one, espically with the eyes and ears of the allies. The hulky tiger then turns his large head to look back at the peacock and offers him a reassuring smile. "Not at all, come, join us..."
Utkrosh notes the interaction and decides to probe with a question of her own, "I take it you've raised this wolf from a young age?" Turning back to the shewolf, she asks, "Would you like a fish? The river is running rich with them, as it often does following heavy rain as we recently had, and I would be happy to catch one for you."
Shanipriya catches, more fully now, the way that the wolf is looking at him, and he really does not like what Kanti's body language is telling him. Being young and fit, he hopes that he has much more of a life to live than to become the meal of a wolf today, though even he would agree that Kanti could use a good meal, and almost felt sorry for the malnourished wolf. Before the tiger can give the words to stop Kanti in her tracks, Shani is already on the move, running a bit as he spreads his wings and then flaps them hard, fluttering up to a low branch of the nearest tree that wasn't the same one the eagle was perched on and the tiger had just come out of. When Raasa speaks and stops Kanti in her tracks, he turns to the tiger and nods his head a bit. "Well, thank you." He says in a tone that shows his uncertainty in why the tiger had done it, but none the less thankful that he did. At the eventual response, inviting him to join them, he nervously looks down from his perch at Kanti for a moment, then finally swallows his fears and jumps back down to the ground and approaches the unlikely pair of wolf and tiger, and by extension, the eagle as well. He then nods to Raasa again respectfully. "Thank you." He still keeps his distance a little though, not crazy enough to walk right up next to a tiger he has never seen before, let alone one with a wolf at it's side, even if he was polite and welcoming.
Pain, agony, and despair! Immediate hurt is what is glimpsed across the canine's face the moment that Raasabha's thick tail conks up against the side of her face, easily thwarting her affection and pushing her head away. Whiiiine. For a second, Kanti stands there blinking her yellow eyes, looking quite uncertain on what to do with herself, which eventually just leads to the she-wolf numbly and quite unceremoniously flopping back upon her haunches. Whimper. The accompaniment of words directed to her just further her misery, sending her ears back into her ragged head fur as her gaze adverts down toward her paws like a scolded puppy. She even ignores the fleas that visibly scurry from her forehead down through her short muzzle fur on their way into the density of her cheek ruffs. Though when Raasabha calls to dinner to join them, Kanti can't help but look toward the fowl, meeting Shanipriya's beady eyes with a wistful invitation that would indeed give the peacock good reason to be hesitant. However, it seems the tiger has a good hold on the she-wolf's proverbial leash and she remains in place. His presence doesn't do anything for the drooling though, strings of it dangling from each corner of her mouth as if she'd swallowed a shoe and the laces were hanging out. And it is only when Utkrosh makes mention of fish that Kanti renews her interest in the eagle, peeling her eyes away from the fancy feast to set them upon the larger bird, at which point she replies without so much as a wanton glint in her eye, "Thank you, but I am not hungry." She will eat when her Lord allows it.
Raasabha nods to the eagle's question "That I have..." That's all the information he's willing to offer for now. The chisled tiger then casts his amber eyes back upon the wolf as she protest and whines and gives her the subtlest of sneers so much so that barely his lip moves. His large head then turning back up to the eagle and offers her a smile "If you would be so kind. A fish will do her good, and far better than to eat our guest." His muzzle parts with a half smile and gives a soft nod to the peacock "Just you becareful. I usually don't talk to a potential meal but your intentions are well met." Raasabha then looks back up to Utkrosh "And if I could trouble you for a second fish, I would greatly appreciate it." The massive tiger then looks back at Kanti "Now cheer up. You have food coming."
Utkrosh bobs her head and turns around on the branch to face the east, toward the river. With one fell swoop, she drifts until she finds a straight path between the branches to the river, careful to flap her broad, powerful wings only where space allows. She arcs sharply to the left upon reaching the river, and disappears behind treetrunks as she flies upstream over its surface. Scarcely half a minute passes before her form returns, arcing back under the understory's canopy on a return path, a rather sizable fish clutched in her talons. She swoops over the branch she had previously perched on and pivots her talons down, then opening their grasp to let loose the fish she had just caught, causing it to drop and slide into the tiger while she continues on, flapping her wings hard to conserve her momentum by flying up through an opening in the canopy rather than arcing in a half-circle to go back under the canopy. Free of the tree branches and trunks above the upper canopy, she arcs back toward the river once moor, disappearing over the canopy. A minute or so later, she re-appears at the point she had first disappeared upon catching the first fish, with a second fish larger than the first in her talons. She again flies under and between the trunks and branches of the understory to drop the second fish, this one dropping and sliding with its momentum into the wolf. She flies up again, over the canopy, and a few minutes later returns a third time with a third fish in her talons, this one delicately clutched in a single talon-foot, using her wings for braking and balance to land smoothly on her original branch with the final fish still clutched for herself. She pins it under her talon-foot to the branch, biting down quickly to its head.
Shanipriya shudders a bit at the way Kanti looks at him, as he gazes into her eyes and thinks to himself that the wolf is quite likely imagining her fangs around his thin blue neck. He then turns his attention toward Raasa and looks happy to hear the tiger request a pair of fish, since he knew it would cut the hunger of the two predators, and hopefully get Kanti to stop drooling at him. He then nods his head at the tiger's cautionary statement. "Yes, I will be careful, though I thank you for inviting me as your guest. I am honored to be able to speak with a tiger such as you on such... friendly terms." He then jumps a bit and spreads his wings as the first fish is dropped out of the sky and lands between him and Raasa, but quickly recovers from being startled and relaxes, soon starting to preen his feathers while the others eat.
Subtle it may be, but the sneer is not lost on the despondent female, for Kanti does not need to see the twitch of the tiger's lips, she can feel his irritation with her, for such is the strength of her bondage to him. And as intended, it has an effect on her, a wave of humility flushing her cheeks crimson beneath her tattered fur and the little wolf cowers down a fraction more, tail coming to life to stir the soil behind her with a sheepish wag. My apologies, Master. Insult to injury is added as Raasabha accepts the eagle's offer of fish, which gets Shanipriya a brief glance that clearly states 'next time'. But her eyes are back to her Master and eagerly meet his regards as the large tiger turns to speak to her, his words provoking a brightening of her gloomy face and a softly spoken, almost whispered "Thank you Master." With mild interest, Kanti takes to watching the eagle as she soars away, then takes greater interest in the fish she returns with, tail thumping wildly now as she shifts her weight to-and-fro on her front paws, packing the loose soil into a small little flat spot. Between watching the sky with anticipation and eyeballing the fish laying at Raasabha's paws, the drool returns to dangle freely. Lucky for the peacock, this time he isn't the reason behind it. But, he still smells wonderful and yes, she would still love to chew on his skinny little neck! Noooommm! On Utkrosh's second return, the fish doesn't even really get to hit the ground before Kanti is on it, laying next to Raasbha and chewing away happily as it squishes and oozes fish guts and blood out the corners of her mouth, round unblinking eyes bulging with every chomp. Happy puppy! Wag-wag-wag.
Settling himslef back onto his haunches, Raasabha raises his head to watch the golden eagle fly gracefully away. A small grin of satisfaction is spreading across his stout muzzle. This was working out quite well for the pair. Though for Raasabha, that's quite normal and it's a major factor to his high confidence in himself. The tiger's head slowly moves along with the flight of Utkrosh, watching with intrest and amusement. Raasabha's spherical ears perk themselves up when the raptor suddenly takes a dive and dissapears behind the trees only to come up a moment later with a fish. The large tiger then lifts a paw as the fish is tossed towards him and catches it underneath his massive paw. A quick nod of thanks is given to the golden eagle before Raasabha lowers head and bites the head of the fish and begins to eat it at a slower pace than his companion. Though the sight of his puppy eating does get a dark chuckle out of the tiger before Utkrosh returns with the third and final fish. The imposing tiger then takes another bite of fish and swallows it before lifting his amber orbs back to the peacock "So Shanipriya, was it? What can you do to help contribute to the fight?"
Utkrosh snaps easily through scale and bone, working her way from head to tail on her own fish. She keeps her wings slightly untucked, so she can stretch one one way or another to help maintain her balance as she feasts while perched on the branch. She feeds quietly while the others converse, gazing at the peacock.
Gory and grim could be the words to describe the eventual death of the fish, for despite Kanti's incessant chewing and the production of fish innards that dribble from her mouth, the poor fish spends it's final moments gasping for breath and quivering in random intervals before a final, rather sicking crunch severs the head from it's mangled body. Gulping down this, Kanti takes a second to glance up to Raasabha with a smack of her fish-slimed lips and a wag of her tail, yellow eyes squinted down in merriment. This is going well! Sweeping her tongue across her messy muzzle, the wretched little creature returns her attention to the dirt flecked fish head staring up at her with it's woeful expression and upon snatching it up, she tosses it into the air above her head only to catch it in mid descent. Look! She does tricks too! It doesn't last though and she's quickly back to chomping and smacking away, until with a swallow that brings back a surprising amount of noiseless peace, the wolf turns her meagre gaze to the peacock in consideration of his question, a sly wolfish smirk slithering across her muzzle, "I have an idea..." She doesn't finish, the implications are in her stare. Yeeek.
No sooner does the wolf give her wolfish smirk that the enormous tiger reaches back with his massive paw and quickly shoves the wolfess face down to bring her nose into the fish slimed dirt. While keeping his weight up on his paw the tiger gives the peacock a playful smirk "Don't mind her now. She is going to have a firm talking too. But that sounds good to me, Shani..." The tiger looks back down to the wolf and lowers his head to that of her pinned melon and gives a sharp growl "Behave." Then the tiger slides his paw off of the wolf and flashes another smile to the peacock. "In fact you can report to me about anything you see. It's always good to have extra eyes and ears."
Utkrosh screes, "Eyes and ears are always helpful ... but even if you had my training, you'd be more likely to come to harm. Ran Garjana seem to be hanging out mostly under the cliff, you could stay above the cliff, near the edge, and keep an eye on them ... and if trouble came up behind you, you could safely dive off the cliff. I am concerned that Ran Garjana may eventually find an ally in the sky ... I saw a black eagle awhile ago. I did not get close, but he would be the sort of eye-in-the-sky I expect would appeal to Dushta, a potentially very dangerous foe -- even to me." She catches the spectacle of the shewolf in the corner of her eye playing with the fishhead. A question has been simmering deep in the eagle's mind about the shewolf's origin, if should could possibly be related to the wolves and pups that have gone missing over the years in the jungle, especially back in the days of the Sakht Nakh ... but the more she observes the tiger-raised wolf, the more the eagle fears the shewolf would have a hard time fitting into a formal pack. Still ... while she must exercise her own judgment in many situations, if there is a possibility she could have some relation to the Saahasi, or one of the smaller packs that had roamed the lower jungle before Sakht Nakh smited them and drove the Saahasi from the upper jungle to the mountain.
Shanipriya blinks a bit, looking up at Kanti with a worried expression showing clearly. "Thanks, but I'd rather not end up your dinner just yet..." He replies dryly, nodding to Raasa, and then to Utkrosh. "Alright then, I will do that, and yes, I will need to be careful I am sure, being much easier to spot than you, Utkrosh, not to mention, my kind are not exactly the best at flying in the world of birds, a male like me with a train of showy feathers even less so, but I will do my best to avoid coming to harm, and hope that the earth mother keeps me safe in these trying times." He says with a somewhat grim tone before going back to preening his feathers.
Kanti is to busy grinning away at the peacock with that deviate glare to take notice of the suspicious removal of Raasabha's powerful paw from the jungle floor, at least not until that split second just before she gets to become better acquainted with the bugs living in it. Umph! Splat! A whine is uttered out into the damp soil as yellow eyes roll upwards to look shamefully upon the tiger's disapproving expression, but other than this, Kanti doesn't fight against the weight of the tiger's paw settled heavily atop her head. The sound of his growl sends a small shiver through the female, her ears splaying outward at the sides of her head as she heeds his request, head bobbling beneath his paw in a physical show of comprehension. She'll be good! Promise! As the paw slides away, the caress of abuse rouses another kind of shiver from the female, leaving to her regain her composure as she does the wise thing and excludes herself from the conversation. Utkrosh's silent curiosity in her is missed this time, or is not enough to gain a return of consideration from the scrawny wolf, save for the vaguest of glances that has more to do with the eagle's words than any suspected comparison the sky hunter might be making. There does exist a irrefutable similarity between Kanti's facial features and those of Saahasi blood, but surely such is just coincidence.