Post by Bhaskar on Oct 20, 2010 21:57:58 GMT -7
Cast:
Utkrosh (Golden Eagle)
Bhaskar & Lakshmi (Tiger, Golden Jackal)
------
Stepping Stones
The stream that winds its way south has a deep bed here, so that when it is smaller -- during the drier months -- its steep slopes are revealed. Then, the series of unevenly sized stones that cross it are not as necessary. However, when there is more water in the streambed, they might be quite helpful for some animals. The rocks are slippery, however, and covered with deep green moss, streamers of which billow downstream. To the west, the brush and rocks that edge the stream give way to a mixed stand of trees, while to the south the waterway broadens further and feeds, tumultuously, into a lake.
------
Utkrosh is a veteran of a war, and has seen many gruesome sights, but still her professionalism quivers at encountering a scene such as she had just observed. The possibility of survivors means time is critical, and all other priorities -- including protocol and manners -- waste precious moments. She does zig, zag, and fly low over trees in an effort to make her track toward where she had observed Bhaskar a bit obscured when she started her morning observations, but it is less than her usual misdirective thoroughness. She relies on her memory of the branches of the trees near the lake to guide her as she descends through the canopy, not bothering for a safer spiral-down over the lake. She screeches gives out a generic warning call in her final approach, not calling Bhaskar by name though he is her specific target, but one meant to generally call attention and to identify herself by those familiar with her voice. Something is very, very wrong.
Though Bhaskar had been near the lake when Utkrosh last saw him, he's since left the area and headed north. The sun's rays find him near the stream instead, either recently woken or, more likely, still awake from the previous evening. His pelt gleams under the steadily expanding light, fire against the gilded waters, as he dips a paw in. He's balanced precariously on the stepping stones, his eyes searching out movement, while Lakshmi reclines on the shore and drowses. It seems that they've decided to try fishing, relaxed and tranquil in the dawn, while in the forest life has been ripped away from several very unfortunate lions--the world is carrying on as usual out here, so far removed from last night's attack. Hearing the semi-distant cry of an eagle, Bhaskar jerks, his head coming up; then his other forepaw slips. With a startled snarl, he pitches forward and almost goes in. Lakshmi, opening an eye, peers at him for a moment and laughs. "Perhaps," she offers, "we should have gone for sambar instead?" And then she looks to the southern skies, back towards the lake. "That sounded familiar," she adds idly, before sending out a loud, sharp /pheal/. It's an innocuous noise, certainly not uncommon, but Utkrosh might recognize the kol-bahl's own voice in it.
Utkrosh recognizes and homes in on the kol-bahl's voice, having to bank nearly fully vertically to slip herself between narrowly-spaced treetrunks. The eagle fully and laboriously pulls herself forward with her wings to maintain her speed even while dodging under branches and around trunks. Soon, she rounds a large understory bush and is mutually within sight of Bhaskar and Lakshme. She spends no time on her ususal protocol, ducking just in time under a low branch to land right directly before Bhaskar. She gives only a slight nod to Lakshmi before speaking. "I have grave news, Do-Rhakhanaa. I have discovered three adult lion carcasses -- one male, two female -- at the crossroads in the forest, just above the gentle incline. I inspected closely, and the paw-prints of that black giant, Dushta, were unmistakable where their blood spilt. I also found a lot of smaller leonine pawprints, none could not be much bigger than juveniles, leading away from the massacre whilst Dushta's trail led in another direction, slightly irregular; he is probably mildly injured. The cub pawprints lead through jungle too thick for me to follow, but a wider search pattern revealed no sign they made it far out of that area. There were no adult lion pawprints with them, it appears the three carcasses I found were their only adult pride members to look after them. I cannot assure they are still alive, as I have been unable to find the cubs themselves, but ... if there is even a possibility ... it must be our charge to find them, and in such a scenario, time is precious. Even if Ran Garjana lets them be, orphaned cubs cannot survive long on their own."
As Utkrosh skims into view above them, she's treated to a rare and odd sight: Bhaskar, his ears folded back and his muzzle wrinkled in disgust, extricating most of his front torso from the stream as Lakshmi observes him through narrow eyes and politely stifles any more commentary. She receives a backdraft full of dust for her troubles when Utkrosh lands, anyway. The jackal sneezes, sitting up, and opens her mouth. Then she shuts it again, though Bhaskar himself manages a questioning grunt as his hind legs feel out the way back to shore. What a morning! Utkrosh brings him bad news as he's chest-deep in water and hungry! Hauling himself back onto dry land, Bhaskar shakes off one front paw, then the other, and then gives up and shakes his entire body instead. Hopefully Utkrosh won't mind a shower. He drops onto his haunches and begins to groom himself back into some semblance of dignity as the eagle talks, his ears flicking here and there to show that he's listening. He has a single question once she's done, and it's almost a non sequitur: "You only saw Dushta's pawprints? There are no other tiger pugmarks in the area?"
Utkrosh absorbs the showers of dust and water, doing her best to make do with flailing her wings a bit to dislodge the combination of dust and water making her muddy. She shakes her head. "None as fresh as Dushta's, certainly not near any of the sites near the bodies. Each was killed alone, away from the others, and the battles seemed to be one-at-a-time ... the lions must have been seperated, one at a time, killed individually. Probably under cover of darkness ... I performed a sweep not long before sunset yesterday, and those carcasses were not there when I did so, so this must have occurred last night."
By now the tiger has worked his way around to his left leg, and he presses his tongue gingerly and consideringly against the tough pad that cushions it. It's been scraped on the rocks; an annoyance, but nothing at all serious. "So," he says at length, after Utkrosh has replied and he's back on all fours, "Dushta's killed three lions on his own, has he? Clever boy. Or very stupid lions." Bhaskar glances south just as Lakshmi had, though he's focused on the horizon past the lake. "Either way." A sigh exits his nose, sharp and weighted, as he turns all of this new information over in his head. "If it happened last night he's probably back with his clan now; I don't suppose there's much chance of paying him a visit while he's injured and alone." Frustrating. Lakshmi could hunt down a gaggle of cubs without him if he was busy. She might even have better success getting them to trust her, since she's much less intimidating than he is. Well, no matter. It looks like they'll both be going.
Utkrosh bobs her head. "His time will come, Do-Rhakhanaa. I have already started seeking out and conferring with owls for night and dark understory surveillance, but most I have found, so far, are too young and inexperienced. I have found one, beneath the bend in the river, at times who could be of help ... but I have not seen her in several days. I actually wish to speak with her about the leopards I have seen about there ... I believe she may be a friend to them, and perhaps I could discuss the Ran Garjana with her, see if those elusive leopards might be convinced to join the alliance if she is, indeed, a friend to them."
There are those leopards again--probably the same ones that Gyarahabala had talked about. Their dealings are their own, but he can't resist a word of warning this time: "Elusive is putting it mildly. They'll be harder to track down than the varga if they don't want to be found." And they might not want to be. They might want simply to go into hiding and remain there until this whole situation has blown over. Then again, they might be eager to get involved. Bhaskar takes a step away, chuffing for Lakshmi to follow him, but pauses. His tail lashes once and stills again. "Utkrosh," he adds with sudden bemusement, half-turning to look back at her, "where am I going to bring these cubs once I've found them?"
Utkrosh screes, "I wish I had an answer. I do not know if the wolves or dholes near the mountain could accomodate them for the long term ... but, in the absence of any organized groups with parental experience in our present alliance, they are the closest I can think of. The plains are a long walk, but do offer protection against Ran Garjana -- there are no trees for Ran Garjana to slink under to hide from my gaze there, and it offers some protection. The leopards would be more ideal, given they are fellow felines ... but, as you said, they are elusive and xenophobic and we, as yet, have no contact with them. I shall step up my efforts to make contact with them, but I can offer no promise of success -- and even if I do make contact, that they would offer help." She thinks for a moment, then says, "If they are taken north, across the plain, they will probably need food before such a journey. I could scout out for prey near the northern edge of the jungle, in case you do find them," she offers.
"Something tells me that the dholes would not be thrilled to have lions in their midst," Bhaskar says ruefully. "Could they even keep several lion cubs fed?" Could the wolves, for that matter? He turns his baffled gaze upon Lakshmi, who shrugs helplessly and joins his side. "Let's not worry about it for now," she suggests. "When we find them, and if they still live--then we will figure out what to do with them. In the meantime, Utkrosh, locating prey while we search the younglings out would be quite helpful. Thank you."
Utkrosh answers, "It would be very difficult, but in the war against the Sakht Nakh, we had to make some rather ... unusual choices ... in finding foster parents for orphaned young. The Saahasi presently have no young pups. As you say, I quite agree, finding them is a first priority. When you find them, make your way north to the edge of the jungle. I will circle continuously around the nearest prey," she says. The sharp, deep eyes of the sky-hunter gaze pleadingly into the tiger's. "Do-Bhagavanaa's blessings on us all on this mission," she screes, hopping over to the stream to wash herself of the mud she earned in disrupting Bhaskar's water-time."
Utkrosh (Golden Eagle)
Bhaskar & Lakshmi (Tiger, Golden Jackal)
------
Stepping Stones
The stream that winds its way south has a deep bed here, so that when it is smaller -- during the drier months -- its steep slopes are revealed. Then, the series of unevenly sized stones that cross it are not as necessary. However, when there is more water in the streambed, they might be quite helpful for some animals. The rocks are slippery, however, and covered with deep green moss, streamers of which billow downstream. To the west, the brush and rocks that edge the stream give way to a mixed stand of trees, while to the south the waterway broadens further and feeds, tumultuously, into a lake.
------
Utkrosh is a veteran of a war, and has seen many gruesome sights, but still her professionalism quivers at encountering a scene such as she had just observed. The possibility of survivors means time is critical, and all other priorities -- including protocol and manners -- waste precious moments. She does zig, zag, and fly low over trees in an effort to make her track toward where she had observed Bhaskar a bit obscured when she started her morning observations, but it is less than her usual misdirective thoroughness. She relies on her memory of the branches of the trees near the lake to guide her as she descends through the canopy, not bothering for a safer spiral-down over the lake. She screeches gives out a generic warning call in her final approach, not calling Bhaskar by name though he is her specific target, but one meant to generally call attention and to identify herself by those familiar with her voice. Something is very, very wrong.
Though Bhaskar had been near the lake when Utkrosh last saw him, he's since left the area and headed north. The sun's rays find him near the stream instead, either recently woken or, more likely, still awake from the previous evening. His pelt gleams under the steadily expanding light, fire against the gilded waters, as he dips a paw in. He's balanced precariously on the stepping stones, his eyes searching out movement, while Lakshmi reclines on the shore and drowses. It seems that they've decided to try fishing, relaxed and tranquil in the dawn, while in the forest life has been ripped away from several very unfortunate lions--the world is carrying on as usual out here, so far removed from last night's attack. Hearing the semi-distant cry of an eagle, Bhaskar jerks, his head coming up; then his other forepaw slips. With a startled snarl, he pitches forward and almost goes in. Lakshmi, opening an eye, peers at him for a moment and laughs. "Perhaps," she offers, "we should have gone for sambar instead?" And then she looks to the southern skies, back towards the lake. "That sounded familiar," she adds idly, before sending out a loud, sharp /pheal/. It's an innocuous noise, certainly not uncommon, but Utkrosh might recognize the kol-bahl's own voice in it.
Utkrosh recognizes and homes in on the kol-bahl's voice, having to bank nearly fully vertically to slip herself between narrowly-spaced treetrunks. The eagle fully and laboriously pulls herself forward with her wings to maintain her speed even while dodging under branches and around trunks. Soon, she rounds a large understory bush and is mutually within sight of Bhaskar and Lakshme. She spends no time on her ususal protocol, ducking just in time under a low branch to land right directly before Bhaskar. She gives only a slight nod to Lakshmi before speaking. "I have grave news, Do-Rhakhanaa. I have discovered three adult lion carcasses -- one male, two female -- at the crossroads in the forest, just above the gentle incline. I inspected closely, and the paw-prints of that black giant, Dushta, were unmistakable where their blood spilt. I also found a lot of smaller leonine pawprints, none could not be much bigger than juveniles, leading away from the massacre whilst Dushta's trail led in another direction, slightly irregular; he is probably mildly injured. The cub pawprints lead through jungle too thick for me to follow, but a wider search pattern revealed no sign they made it far out of that area. There were no adult lion pawprints with them, it appears the three carcasses I found were their only adult pride members to look after them. I cannot assure they are still alive, as I have been unable to find the cubs themselves, but ... if there is even a possibility ... it must be our charge to find them, and in such a scenario, time is precious. Even if Ran Garjana lets them be, orphaned cubs cannot survive long on their own."
As Utkrosh skims into view above them, she's treated to a rare and odd sight: Bhaskar, his ears folded back and his muzzle wrinkled in disgust, extricating most of his front torso from the stream as Lakshmi observes him through narrow eyes and politely stifles any more commentary. She receives a backdraft full of dust for her troubles when Utkrosh lands, anyway. The jackal sneezes, sitting up, and opens her mouth. Then she shuts it again, though Bhaskar himself manages a questioning grunt as his hind legs feel out the way back to shore. What a morning! Utkrosh brings him bad news as he's chest-deep in water and hungry! Hauling himself back onto dry land, Bhaskar shakes off one front paw, then the other, and then gives up and shakes his entire body instead. Hopefully Utkrosh won't mind a shower. He drops onto his haunches and begins to groom himself back into some semblance of dignity as the eagle talks, his ears flicking here and there to show that he's listening. He has a single question once she's done, and it's almost a non sequitur: "You only saw Dushta's pawprints? There are no other tiger pugmarks in the area?"
Utkrosh absorbs the showers of dust and water, doing her best to make do with flailing her wings a bit to dislodge the combination of dust and water making her muddy. She shakes her head. "None as fresh as Dushta's, certainly not near any of the sites near the bodies. Each was killed alone, away from the others, and the battles seemed to be one-at-a-time ... the lions must have been seperated, one at a time, killed individually. Probably under cover of darkness ... I performed a sweep not long before sunset yesterday, and those carcasses were not there when I did so, so this must have occurred last night."
By now the tiger has worked his way around to his left leg, and he presses his tongue gingerly and consideringly against the tough pad that cushions it. It's been scraped on the rocks; an annoyance, but nothing at all serious. "So," he says at length, after Utkrosh has replied and he's back on all fours, "Dushta's killed three lions on his own, has he? Clever boy. Or very stupid lions." Bhaskar glances south just as Lakshmi had, though he's focused on the horizon past the lake. "Either way." A sigh exits his nose, sharp and weighted, as he turns all of this new information over in his head. "If it happened last night he's probably back with his clan now; I don't suppose there's much chance of paying him a visit while he's injured and alone." Frustrating. Lakshmi could hunt down a gaggle of cubs without him if he was busy. She might even have better success getting them to trust her, since she's much less intimidating than he is. Well, no matter. It looks like they'll both be going.
Utkrosh bobs her head. "His time will come, Do-Rhakhanaa. I have already started seeking out and conferring with owls for night and dark understory surveillance, but most I have found, so far, are too young and inexperienced. I have found one, beneath the bend in the river, at times who could be of help ... but I have not seen her in several days. I actually wish to speak with her about the leopards I have seen about there ... I believe she may be a friend to them, and perhaps I could discuss the Ran Garjana with her, see if those elusive leopards might be convinced to join the alliance if she is, indeed, a friend to them."
There are those leopards again--probably the same ones that Gyarahabala had talked about. Their dealings are their own, but he can't resist a word of warning this time: "Elusive is putting it mildly. They'll be harder to track down than the varga if they don't want to be found." And they might not want to be. They might want simply to go into hiding and remain there until this whole situation has blown over. Then again, they might be eager to get involved. Bhaskar takes a step away, chuffing for Lakshmi to follow him, but pauses. His tail lashes once and stills again. "Utkrosh," he adds with sudden bemusement, half-turning to look back at her, "where am I going to bring these cubs once I've found them?"
Utkrosh screes, "I wish I had an answer. I do not know if the wolves or dholes near the mountain could accomodate them for the long term ... but, in the absence of any organized groups with parental experience in our present alliance, they are the closest I can think of. The plains are a long walk, but do offer protection against Ran Garjana -- there are no trees for Ran Garjana to slink under to hide from my gaze there, and it offers some protection. The leopards would be more ideal, given they are fellow felines ... but, as you said, they are elusive and xenophobic and we, as yet, have no contact with them. I shall step up my efforts to make contact with them, but I can offer no promise of success -- and even if I do make contact, that they would offer help." She thinks for a moment, then says, "If they are taken north, across the plain, they will probably need food before such a journey. I could scout out for prey near the northern edge of the jungle, in case you do find them," she offers.
"Something tells me that the dholes would not be thrilled to have lions in their midst," Bhaskar says ruefully. "Could they even keep several lion cubs fed?" Could the wolves, for that matter? He turns his baffled gaze upon Lakshmi, who shrugs helplessly and joins his side. "Let's not worry about it for now," she suggests. "When we find them, and if they still live--then we will figure out what to do with them. In the meantime, Utkrosh, locating prey while we search the younglings out would be quite helpful. Thank you."
Utkrosh answers, "It would be very difficult, but in the war against the Sakht Nakh, we had to make some rather ... unusual choices ... in finding foster parents for orphaned young. The Saahasi presently have no young pups. As you say, I quite agree, finding them is a first priority. When you find them, make your way north to the edge of the jungle. I will circle continuously around the nearest prey," she says. The sharp, deep eyes of the sky-hunter gaze pleadingly into the tiger's. "Do-Bhagavanaa's blessings on us all on this mission," she screes, hopping over to the stream to wash herself of the mud she earned in disrupting Bhaskar's water-time."