Post by Pallu on Sept 26, 2010 20:38:12 GMT -7
Sajala: female dhole pup
Sri: male dhole
Bhaskar: male tiger
Lakshmi: female golden jackal
--
Forest Crossroad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A thick, deep and vast forest of teak, mahogany, sal and eucalyptus trees and a myriad of shorter undergrowth-layer trees blocks even tall beasts from seeing far in any direction, and keeps the large beasts -- elephant, rhinoceros, guar and water buffalo -- from travelling freely off of their few well-trodden trails that converge here. One trail leads south to a gentle slope, another to the northeast where the tall trees and tangled foliage give way to mostly grass and low bush. Teaks provide most of the tall canopy overhead, while a number of smaller trees including mango, jamun, jackfruit and piar cluster along with tangling vines and thorny bushes densely on the floor, impassable for beasts larger than a sambar or smaller tiger. Herds of chital and smaller herbivores frequent this area specifically because they can go where large tigers cannot, but the canopy layer above replaces the threat of mighty tigers with that of nimble leopards. The stench of a stagnant pond sometimes drift through the generally still air from the east, where another well-trodden trail leads.
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[E] East to a pool [NE] Northeast to a cave
South to a slope [SE] Southeast to a temple
Up a tree
At some point every creature must rest, and most felines try to drowse through the late morning and afternoon, when the sun is at its zenith and the air is muggy and still. Bhaskar's sleeping schedule is a bit out of sync at the moment, however. As dawn breaks and the deep shadows underneath the canopy lighten by small degrees, the tiger is curled up in a small hollow just off of the forest path, his head on his paws and his eyes shut tight. Beside him, tucked away in the brush and half-concealed by her own tail, is Lakshmi. The jackal's ears are upright even in repose, and her nostrils flare often, so perhaps she's close to waking.
Although the thick foliage keeps a great deal of heat in, the early morning is still comparatively cool, and when he'd awakened, further north, Sri's short coat had been spiky with moisture. Now, still pausing here and again to shake one leg or the other like a cat, the dhole comes meandering south. The scent of tiger is increasingly strong, but to the dhole ,that just means be a little more cautious. He makes soft little trills and yips to himself, little morning noises, as he strolls along, his dark nose twitching.
Even at this hour, roughly half a million birds are already up and about and singing incessantly. A noisy dhole is only one more addition to the ambient sound. But his noises are different, and far closer, and that sets Bhaskar's ears cocking back. The tiger lets out a little rumble of protest, drawing in against himself and tucking a paw over his face. He knows what Sri's kind sound like and that they're no threat to him, and so he remains stubbornly where he is. Lakshmi, on the other hand, raises her head. Those large ears of hers turn, pinpointing the direction of Sri's calling, before she sends out a cry of her own: a short, sharp pheal that makes her companion mutter something indistinct.
The growl makes Sri's hackles rise, his tail going straight out behind him. But then a more familiar sound -- not his species, but certainly canine. He makes curious whistling sound from the back of his throat and prances forward a few steps, raising his nose to sniffsniffsniff -- the other dog had been a jackal, and that might mean tasty snacks. Of course -- it might also mean other things. Things relating to the tiger smell.
The whistle makes Bhaskar's lip twitch up, one fang glinting in the dim light, but he doesn't growl this time. He /could/ snarl and wary Sri into retreating, but that wouldn't do much good; an angry tiger might just set the birds into a real frenzy, and then he'd never get back to sleep. Lakshmi's on it, anyway. Since she's fully awake, loud noises aren't bothering her too much. The jackal rises to her feet, sliding her forebody to the ground to stretch, and then pokes her slender head out of their little hidey-hole. Her eyes scan the path, settling inevitably on Sri.
Somthing that the more mischievious of Sri's pups has always been good at...is sneaking. Around rocks, around trees...her favorite past time? Slinking up from behind and making dad make those funny noises that she loves. Sajala is trying to keep her pawfalls as soft as possible, slinking around a few feet behind her father. He is spooked at something though, and she uses his distraction to stalk closer...and closer...and closer. She's right behind now. "BOO!"
Hmmm. Sri's tail whisks back and forth, back and forth, as he considers. His ears prick and -- ahah! "Good morning!" sing-song, nose pointed upwards. But he only gets about halfway through it before a familiar voice pipes up behind him and makes him start, the fur along his back rising and his tail snapping up as he whirls in startlement. And -- "Badpup!" -also- singsong, and he pounces at Sajala, forelegs stiff.
Lakshmi surveys the dhole carefully, taking in both his physical condition and body language. There's no real caution in her gaze, only curiosity, and after a moment she takes a confident step forward, eeling out of the brush. Perhaps she would have returned Sri's greeting, had Sajala not chosen that opportunity to sneak up behind her father. Instead the jackal watches, her narrow jaws parting to release a yawn before she shakes herself, sending a few dead leaves away from her pelt. "One of yours?" she asks with some amusement. There's no movement behind her; Bhaskar can't be asleep at this point, but he's not moving.
"No! Sneakypup!" She argues as she is pinned over. She looks at the jackal upside down and her pupy face splits into an upside down grin. "Yeah, hes mine." She says conversationally, answering her father's question for him. Helpfully. She bats her paws at him, trying to get up. "I'm sneaky."
Sri 's ears twitch; he tries to make them stay pinned back so he looks genuinely aggressive -- it's not working very well. After a moment he glances over his shoulder at the jackal and snorts. "Regrettably. You think you could nip a few toes off, teach her a lesson?"
The jackal continues to observe the two of them in silence, although when Sri looks back at her she gives an indelicate snort of her own that might be an aborted laugh. "Perhaps I could," Lakshmi replies, her mouth quirking up, and takes another step forward. She doesn't come too close, instead hovering at an acceptable distance from father and daughter. She may not have a family of her own, being kol-bahl, but she won't get too near to somebody else's young offspring. "You should respect your father, pup," she informs Sajala from here. "You'll only have one in your lifetime."
"I does res..pe...ct him." She has to sound out the word. "When hes off tops me!" She bats her paws more, managing to finally wriggle free and stand up. As soon as she's upright she trots towards the jackal. She's going to show dad she's learned something, and she knows that he always sniffs new animals. So, she's going for a sniff. "Whats your name?" she asks brightly, approaching.
For all that he's friendly enough, Sri is cautious, his eyes flickering between Lakshmi and Sajala, his forepaws spread like he's bracing himself. "Oh," mournful, "she'll never respect me. She gets it from her mother. So is there a kill around, jackal? I smell tiger-- and I /see/ you, and--" Sajala starts forward, and Sri makes a low, warning sound at her, midway between a whine and a growl -- although he doesn't move forward to prevent her.
Sajala, in all likelihood, has no idea that she's made things tense with her approach. Lakshmi, on the other hand, is well aware of it. She doesn't fear retribution, and she has good reason for that, but she has no wish to create conflict where there shouldn't be any. Her eyes flick to Sri again, and while she returns the pup's sniffing with an inhalation of her own she then gestures for Sajala to return to her father. "There is no kill," she starts, "only--" And it's about then that Bhaskar, giving up on even resting his eyes, shoves his considerably larger head out onto the path. His eyes are squinted and one ear is pinned back. "Lakshmi," he starts, neatly and quite unintentionally introducing her, and then pauses to regard the dholes.
Yay, sniffing is fun. She doesn't know what she's supposed to gather from it, but its fun! And then...well she doesn't really know what to do. Its her first time seeing a tiger, and the only thing she /can/ do is just...stare. And then she remembers. Sajala has no fear! She puffs out her chest and takes a step towards the /gigantic/ cat and says, very simply. "GR! I'm scary, right?"
Sri lets out a startled snarl and lunges forward, not at Bhaskar, although it might look like that for a moment, but rather at Sajala, nudging her roughly aside and actually trying to /kick/ her behind him in his haste to be a meatshield. "Not now, Sajala." Stern voice! Not daddyvoice at /all/. Even kinda MEAN. O no! "Ahaha. I -- hello there." His smile towards the tiger is rather nervous and therefore toothy.
The tiger blinks, slowly, when Sajala diverts from Lakshmi and heads for him instead. Then Sri leaps between them and, startled, Bhaskar does jerk back a little out of reflex--a dhole might be a very poor match for something of his size, but he has no wish to start the day off with a protective father's teeth in his muzzle. Lakshmi, more tense now herself, retreats /towards/ the massive feline as he glances between Sri and his daughter. Then a small, still somewhat drowsy, grin twists his big muzzle. "She's terrifying," he deadpans, dropping back to his stomach still half off and half on the path. "I see you've met my kol-bahl already."
Sajala lets out a yelp as she is rolled nose over paws backwards. This is not accepted daddy behavoir...so something must be up. Suddenly afraid, she sticks behind Sri's heels, ears pinned back and tail tucked between her legs. "I - I like your stripes." Her voice is small and squeaky. "A-and yes we've talked to...Lak..Shmi." She remembered the name! "L-lovely day." She takes a tentative step out from behind her father, toward the tiger.
"Kol-bahl?" Sri is tense, watching the other two animals, his tail puffed out a little. It had been raised, but it lowers a little now. "Manners are lovely, but they've got their place, and running up to things that can eat you -- well." He huffs, anxious.
Sri's inquiry gets a low rumbling grunt out of the feline--it's not a hostile sound, but one of assent. Bhaskar rolls his head to indicate Lakshmi without actually straightening up again. Either he's trying to look relaxed and nonthreatening or he's feeling lazy. "Your father is right: it's dangerous," he agrees. "You should stay away from unfamiliar animals, even ones that don't eat meat. A sambar could trample you. You'd probably be half a mouthful for myself or a crocodile." First Lakshmi tells Sajala to respect Sri, and now Bhaskar is warning her away from strangers! At least he doesn't seem prepared to follow through on that last observation. "Mind his advice, young one." )
Well, that grumble isn't quite an answer, but Sri is prepated to accept that. "Listen to the tiger, Sajala." Chiding. "And Lakshmi." His glance at the jackal is less flatly anxious and a little more Sri -- friendly, that is. "We'll just be leaving," firm. And regardless of any whines or whimpers the ever-brave Sajala might or might not offer, her marches her off in the direction from which they'd come, his low scolding voice floating back behind them.
Sri: male dhole
Bhaskar: male tiger
Lakshmi: female golden jackal
--
Forest Crossroad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A thick, deep and vast forest of teak, mahogany, sal and eucalyptus trees and a myriad of shorter undergrowth-layer trees blocks even tall beasts from seeing far in any direction, and keeps the large beasts -- elephant, rhinoceros, guar and water buffalo -- from travelling freely off of their few well-trodden trails that converge here. One trail leads south to a gentle slope, another to the northeast where the tall trees and tangled foliage give way to mostly grass and low bush. Teaks provide most of the tall canopy overhead, while a number of smaller trees including mango, jamun, jackfruit and piar cluster along with tangling vines and thorny bushes densely on the floor, impassable for beasts larger than a sambar or smaller tiger. Herds of chital and smaller herbivores frequent this area specifically because they can go where large tigers cannot, but the canopy layer above replaces the threat of mighty tigers with that of nimble leopards. The stench of a stagnant pond sometimes drift through the generally still air from the east, where another well-trodden trail leads.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[E] East to a pool [NE] Northeast to a cave
Up a tree
At some point every creature must rest, and most felines try to drowse through the late morning and afternoon, when the sun is at its zenith and the air is muggy and still. Bhaskar's sleeping schedule is a bit out of sync at the moment, however. As dawn breaks and the deep shadows underneath the canopy lighten by small degrees, the tiger is curled up in a small hollow just off of the forest path, his head on his paws and his eyes shut tight. Beside him, tucked away in the brush and half-concealed by her own tail, is Lakshmi. The jackal's ears are upright even in repose, and her nostrils flare often, so perhaps she's close to waking.
Although the thick foliage keeps a great deal of heat in, the early morning is still comparatively cool, and when he'd awakened, further north, Sri's short coat had been spiky with moisture. Now, still pausing here and again to shake one leg or the other like a cat, the dhole comes meandering south. The scent of tiger is increasingly strong, but to the dhole ,that just means be a little more cautious. He makes soft little trills and yips to himself, little morning noises, as he strolls along, his dark nose twitching.
Even at this hour, roughly half a million birds are already up and about and singing incessantly. A noisy dhole is only one more addition to the ambient sound. But his noises are different, and far closer, and that sets Bhaskar's ears cocking back. The tiger lets out a little rumble of protest, drawing in against himself and tucking a paw over his face. He knows what Sri's kind sound like and that they're no threat to him, and so he remains stubbornly where he is. Lakshmi, on the other hand, raises her head. Those large ears of hers turn, pinpointing the direction of Sri's calling, before she sends out a cry of her own: a short, sharp pheal that makes her companion mutter something indistinct.
The growl makes Sri's hackles rise, his tail going straight out behind him. But then a more familiar sound -- not his species, but certainly canine. He makes curious whistling sound from the back of his throat and prances forward a few steps, raising his nose to sniffsniffsniff -- the other dog had been a jackal, and that might mean tasty snacks. Of course -- it might also mean other things. Things relating to the tiger smell.
The whistle makes Bhaskar's lip twitch up, one fang glinting in the dim light, but he doesn't growl this time. He /could/ snarl and wary Sri into retreating, but that wouldn't do much good; an angry tiger might just set the birds into a real frenzy, and then he'd never get back to sleep. Lakshmi's on it, anyway. Since she's fully awake, loud noises aren't bothering her too much. The jackal rises to her feet, sliding her forebody to the ground to stretch, and then pokes her slender head out of their little hidey-hole. Her eyes scan the path, settling inevitably on Sri.
Somthing that the more mischievious of Sri's pups has always been good at...is sneaking. Around rocks, around trees...her favorite past time? Slinking up from behind and making dad make those funny noises that she loves. Sajala is trying to keep her pawfalls as soft as possible, slinking around a few feet behind her father. He is spooked at something though, and she uses his distraction to stalk closer...and closer...and closer. She's right behind now. "BOO!"
Hmmm. Sri's tail whisks back and forth, back and forth, as he considers. His ears prick and -- ahah! "Good morning!" sing-song, nose pointed upwards. But he only gets about halfway through it before a familiar voice pipes up behind him and makes him start, the fur along his back rising and his tail snapping up as he whirls in startlement. And -- "Badpup!" -also- singsong, and he pounces at Sajala, forelegs stiff.
Lakshmi surveys the dhole carefully, taking in both his physical condition and body language. There's no real caution in her gaze, only curiosity, and after a moment she takes a confident step forward, eeling out of the brush. Perhaps she would have returned Sri's greeting, had Sajala not chosen that opportunity to sneak up behind her father. Instead the jackal watches, her narrow jaws parting to release a yawn before she shakes herself, sending a few dead leaves away from her pelt. "One of yours?" she asks with some amusement. There's no movement behind her; Bhaskar can't be asleep at this point, but he's not moving.
"No! Sneakypup!" She argues as she is pinned over. She looks at the jackal upside down and her pupy face splits into an upside down grin. "Yeah, hes mine." She says conversationally, answering her father's question for him. Helpfully. She bats her paws at him, trying to get up. "I'm sneaky."
Sri 's ears twitch; he tries to make them stay pinned back so he looks genuinely aggressive -- it's not working very well. After a moment he glances over his shoulder at the jackal and snorts. "Regrettably. You think you could nip a few toes off, teach her a lesson?"
The jackal continues to observe the two of them in silence, although when Sri looks back at her she gives an indelicate snort of her own that might be an aborted laugh. "Perhaps I could," Lakshmi replies, her mouth quirking up, and takes another step forward. She doesn't come too close, instead hovering at an acceptable distance from father and daughter. She may not have a family of her own, being kol-bahl, but she won't get too near to somebody else's young offspring. "You should respect your father, pup," she informs Sajala from here. "You'll only have one in your lifetime."
"I does res..pe...ct him." She has to sound out the word. "When hes off tops me!" She bats her paws more, managing to finally wriggle free and stand up. As soon as she's upright she trots towards the jackal. She's going to show dad she's learned something, and she knows that he always sniffs new animals. So, she's going for a sniff. "Whats your name?" she asks brightly, approaching.
For all that he's friendly enough, Sri is cautious, his eyes flickering between Lakshmi and Sajala, his forepaws spread like he's bracing himself. "Oh," mournful, "she'll never respect me. She gets it from her mother. So is there a kill around, jackal? I smell tiger-- and I /see/ you, and--" Sajala starts forward, and Sri makes a low, warning sound at her, midway between a whine and a growl -- although he doesn't move forward to prevent her.
Sajala, in all likelihood, has no idea that she's made things tense with her approach. Lakshmi, on the other hand, is well aware of it. She doesn't fear retribution, and she has good reason for that, but she has no wish to create conflict where there shouldn't be any. Her eyes flick to Sri again, and while she returns the pup's sniffing with an inhalation of her own she then gestures for Sajala to return to her father. "There is no kill," she starts, "only--" And it's about then that Bhaskar, giving up on even resting his eyes, shoves his considerably larger head out onto the path. His eyes are squinted and one ear is pinned back. "Lakshmi," he starts, neatly and quite unintentionally introducing her, and then pauses to regard the dholes.
Yay, sniffing is fun. She doesn't know what she's supposed to gather from it, but its fun! And then...well she doesn't really know what to do. Its her first time seeing a tiger, and the only thing she /can/ do is just...stare. And then she remembers. Sajala has no fear! She puffs out her chest and takes a step towards the /gigantic/ cat and says, very simply. "GR! I'm scary, right?"
Sri lets out a startled snarl and lunges forward, not at Bhaskar, although it might look like that for a moment, but rather at Sajala, nudging her roughly aside and actually trying to /kick/ her behind him in his haste to be a meatshield. "Not now, Sajala." Stern voice! Not daddyvoice at /all/. Even kinda MEAN. O no! "Ahaha. I -- hello there." His smile towards the tiger is rather nervous and therefore toothy.
The tiger blinks, slowly, when Sajala diverts from Lakshmi and heads for him instead. Then Sri leaps between them and, startled, Bhaskar does jerk back a little out of reflex--a dhole might be a very poor match for something of his size, but he has no wish to start the day off with a protective father's teeth in his muzzle. Lakshmi, more tense now herself, retreats /towards/ the massive feline as he glances between Sri and his daughter. Then a small, still somewhat drowsy, grin twists his big muzzle. "She's terrifying," he deadpans, dropping back to his stomach still half off and half on the path. "I see you've met my kol-bahl already."
Sajala lets out a yelp as she is rolled nose over paws backwards. This is not accepted daddy behavoir...so something must be up. Suddenly afraid, she sticks behind Sri's heels, ears pinned back and tail tucked between her legs. "I - I like your stripes." Her voice is small and squeaky. "A-and yes we've talked to...Lak..Shmi." She remembered the name! "L-lovely day." She takes a tentative step out from behind her father, toward the tiger.
"Kol-bahl?" Sri is tense, watching the other two animals, his tail puffed out a little. It had been raised, but it lowers a little now. "Manners are lovely, but they've got their place, and running up to things that can eat you -- well." He huffs, anxious.
Sri's inquiry gets a low rumbling grunt out of the feline--it's not a hostile sound, but one of assent. Bhaskar rolls his head to indicate Lakshmi without actually straightening up again. Either he's trying to look relaxed and nonthreatening or he's feeling lazy. "Your father is right: it's dangerous," he agrees. "You should stay away from unfamiliar animals, even ones that don't eat meat. A sambar could trample you. You'd probably be half a mouthful for myself or a crocodile." First Lakshmi tells Sajala to respect Sri, and now Bhaskar is warning her away from strangers! At least he doesn't seem prepared to follow through on that last observation. "Mind his advice, young one." )
Well, that grumble isn't quite an answer, but Sri is prepated to accept that. "Listen to the tiger, Sajala." Chiding. "And Lakshmi." His glance at the jackal is less flatly anxious and a little more Sri -- friendly, that is. "We'll just be leaving," firm. And regardless of any whines or whimpers the ever-brave Sajala might or might not offer, her marches her off in the direction from which they'd come, his low scolding voice floating back behind them.