FIDDLES AND DRUMS [meeting]

[Wanderer]

It had been a day since the meeting with the Nilda Chief, Guant, and Eden has spent most of the remaining day and night in thought. When the sun rose above the horizon on the next day, Eden dropped from her favorite tree and noticed that everyone was already either at work on duty. But since she knew the patrols would be towards the edge of the territory, she lifted her head high and roared loudly, causing the earth to tremble slightly and birds of all species took flight in fear. The message, although contained no words, was clear: come. She sat herself on top of one of the tall fallen tree’s to gain height, so that each member would be allowed to see her.

When they arrived and when everything was calm, she looked to her pride, her family. “My pride!” She called out proudly. “My family, I have called you here for an important matter. Just yesterday, we were approached by none other than the Chief of the Nilda pack, Gaunt. And he brought a message, a message that could not be ignored. The Nida pack wants to make an alliance with us. I could have given my answer then, but I would rather speak to you before making such an importance. One by one,” she emphasized clearly, “I want your thoughts on this matter. Gaunt, although is out enemy by nature, made important thoughts on many things. First off, intruders. Both our pride and his pack have been invaded by the humans who also call reside within this dome. Their numbers, and ours, are stretched thin by our limited numbers. They also have a constant supply of water. I will give my opinion first, and it is this: I believe this alliance will benefit us more than we could ever know. You may now start with your own opinions.”

Ooc; please, all Analoya members post to this! It does not have to be a full out reply, it could simply be your character’s thought alone on the alliance idea.

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[Dziva]

Dziva had never been a morning creature. Hell, she'd never been a daytime creature. Preferring the cover and silence of darkness, the black cat did a lot of her duties at night and often in secrecy. It was simply her way of doing things. Lounging quite lackadaisically upon the thick bough of a tree, the silky black felid had only just moments before drifted off into a peaceful slumber when the forest shook with the reverberations of a distant roar. Not the least bit startled, though very much unamused, her oversized ears gave a lazy twitch of acknowledgement to the sound before she slowly raised her head and turned in its direction. What is dis? She pondered for a moment as she blinked away the weariness from her bright green eyes and rose to her paws with something akin to a displeased growl escaping her. Leaping to the ground with all the grace and agility a feline should have, she landed almost soundlessly upon the cold hard winter kissed grass and darted off in way of the call.

There were already a few Analoya in attendance when she arrived and plenty more came pouring in as the slithering shadow that was Dziva came into view. Her head bobbed in a respectful nod to their leader before the African cat quickly darted toward the first comfortable spot she could find, setting her rump down within a bowl-like indentation upon the overgrown root of a large tree. Coiling that long sleek tail of hers about her hindquarters and forepaws, Dziva settled in for what she could only hope was going to be a nice quick meeting. After all, she had some sleeping to get to! Before long the entire pride had crowded in and the Teller began to speak, her words filling the air. An alliance with deh dogs? Dziva weighed the pros and cons in her head a moment, both curious and wary of such a momentous endeavor. The most valuable asset the Nilda pack had was the lake, though the surrounding lands they held had its value as well. Adding their numbers to that of the Analoya was the greatest benefit, though that would come with the tension of old grudges. Dziva had been fortunate enough to have never made any enemies in the Nilda pack, though she imagined she couldn't say the same for everyone. Plus, it was only natural for cats not to play nice with dogs, but even she had learned to look past such things. Or maybe she just regarded herself as above such trivial feuds.

"Watevah downsides dere are, so much more are dere benefeets. More food, more watah, more land. More eyes on our enemies. More claws and fangs at our backs." She finally parted maw and voiced her opinion once there was a moment's pause to do so, not wanting to speak over anyone else. "Do we not have a comman enemy in deh shiftahs? Deh humans? With our united force we can keep dem from trespassing in our lands for good." She did her best not to let her heavy African accent mar the message she was trying to convey. It was time to look past their so called nature to be enemies, they were better than that now. While they were doing fine by themselves, they could be so much more together. With nothing more to add for the moment, Dziva concluded with a firm nod, glancing in way of the others as more voices rose up to speak.


OOC • I may have overdid it just a smidge XD

[mi]

The jaglion was generally a rather indolent creature. He didn't like doing things, particularly when they ended in humiliation or embarrassment. Like... hunting. Or... trying to track. Or... scouting, even. He couldn't even scout. As a result, Mi was sprawled across one of the thicker redwoods, his head on his paws and his hind legs hanging unceremoniously over the edge.

When Wanderer roared, he started out of his doze, claws sinking into the wood. He hadn't gotten all of "cat-language" down yet, particularly the social skills, but he got the gist of this command. It took him several minutes to get his claws dislodged from the bark of the tree, and once he did, he slunk to the ground and trotted in the general direction of the roar. Luckily, it wasn't far, and he wasn't the first or last member there. He stood slightly back, listening to her speech--and promptly being distracted by a nearby bird. The crow was observing from the lowermost branch of a tree, and Mi's eyes trained on the creature. His head cocked to the side, and he wondered if it was one of those, those... um. Lawaii. That was it!

His tail flicked and he inched closer, but upon seeing him, the crow took flight. Mi was left to listen to the remainder of the speech, turning his wide eyes to Wanderer, the rather strange looking cat. Someone had told him that she was... spliced? Something like that. Shortly after their leader's speech, a small black cat gave her opinion, and Mi struggled to find suitable words. Nilda? Analoya? Ah. "Sounds good?" It as spoken more like a question, and one ear flicked forward while the other twitched back. He shook his head and sprawled out on the snow-covered ground.

[Tai]

He flashed a paw out, sending some of the dried leaves flying into the air. Tai had wandered off to find something to entertain himself yet again. The other felines of the pride were scattered about, probably snoozing away the calm morning hours. Not this cat though. No, he couldn’t take just lazing around when there were so many things to be discovered and played with in this new enclosure of his. Today, he had found himself a nice pile of dry, dead leaves to play in. It had been a surprise they had been untouched by the previous night’s snow.

He leapt up onto his back paws, swiping at the fluttering leaves that floated back down to the ground. He captured one of the leaves with his claws, which caused him to roll onto his back. His hind paws came up to rake at the leaf now captured between his forepaws. His teeth came down to gnaw on the bland-tasking dead plant, pretending all the while that he was killing this foe he had caught. He proceeded to “kill” his captive for a good half minute before he decided that the leaf was thoroughly dead and let it rest with its equally dead relatives spread out around him. He lounged on his side for a moment, catching his breath before rolling around on the crunchy leaf litter, moving his head to and fro so the dead plant life could scratch him in all the right places.

A sudden sound reverberated the forest around him, sending birds and other animals alike scattering. The earth beneath him rumbled, and leaves came pouring out of the slowly dying trees. Tai stopped his rolling about as he heard the noise, coming to rest on his side while his cranium lazily looked in the general direction of the sound. ‘Who was that?’ he wondered, leaves floating down and blanketing his cinnamon-furred body. Had he not been accustomed to the earthquakes of his old home, he might have jumped at the tremor.

He waited a moment more, mind churning over the thought of who could have made such a noise and what for. He had often heard the bigger cats making that strange noise that would occasionally echo throughout the zoo, “roaring,” as Claire had once told him, but this one was different from what he was used to. It wasn’t a tiger, or a lion, that was for sure. Another second went by before he rose to his paws, the leaves cascading off of his fur as he moved towards the owner of the roar. Something in it seemed to call to him, though he wasn’t sure why. He quietly navigated his way through the forest’s undergrowth, noticing that, whoever it had been, was in the vicinity of the pride’s—another term he had learned—base camp. Other felines made a beeline to the summoner as well, he noted, as he saw the others come pouring in from wherever they had been.

He cautiously followed after the Analoya members, they seemed to know where they were going and all. The end of their trek led to them gathering before a large, fallen tree. It only took a glance for Tai to realize who had called them all there. ‘Leader-lady!’ he recognized cheerfully, his memory failing to recall the term the felines used for their…positions within the group. Now was no time to stand about though, as he noticed the other felines finding a place to sit themselves.

The Asian golden cat hurriedly looked around for a place to seat himself—it seemed the meeting would start soon. His amber eyes settled on two individuals, one small and darkly furred, the other larger and with tawny coloring. His brain went through the process of trying to figure out with which would be the better choice to sit by. He paused for but a moment before making his decision to go with the smaller of the two. She was around his size, give or take a few inches or so. The decision had been made on the fact that he had yet to decide how he felt about the larger felines of this group. The ones back at the zoo had always been so unfriendly…

He settled down a comfortable distance from the other cat, not wanting to intrude on personal space. Once it seemed everyone had arrived, Wanderer spoke up, explaining why she had called them there. Tai was silent at the news. He was new to the pride, so he was still learning the culture, rules, and group’s enemies. He had never quite understood why they were on unfriendly terms with this dog pack and the human groups. He liked both, grew up with both. But, here, these felines seemed to be at war with both—or, at least, possibly only the latter now. The long-legged she-cat spoke up, offering her opinion in a strange accented string of words. It was strange to his ears, but he was able to understand her at least. The next to go was the large tawny male he had seen earlier, his reply coming out as more of a question than a general form of agreement.

Personally, Tai didn’t see a downside to joining forces, but then again, he didn’t know the Nilda pack as well as some of the other members might have. Though normally quite talkative, Tai was surprisingly quiet for a change. He had nothing to say to refute what the dark-furred one had pointed out, but his experience with the topic at hand was severely lacking. His thick tail flicked about behind him as he mulled over his thoughts. He felt like he needed to say something. Wanderer did want everyone’s opinion after all. “I agree with long-legs,” he piped up, “It would be one less enemy we’d have to worry about.”

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Word Count: 978
OOC: Sorry for how long this is <___< Also, sorry if it kinda sucks? I wrote it between classes today.

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[Deleted]

There was no denying a summons when the Teller demanded one’s presence.

Even as her paws pressed soundlessly into the earth underpaw, it was impossible to miss the resounding roar that echoed through the forest. Everywhere around, tiny heartbeats thundered to life as prey scampered and scurried in harried disarray to hide in the closest burrows. Luckily she had not been here to hunt; otherwise she would have been decidedly ticked off at having lost a meal. Not that she could actually see anything well enough to catch it, but it was the thought that counted. No, right now she was simply on patrol, alone again as she was wont to be. Solidarity suited her just fine, especially nowadays, which was exactly why the idea of having to attend such a large gathering of cats in one place left a bitter taste in her mouth. Alas, there was nothing else to do but heed the call. Flicking her tail in annoyance, the jaglion inhaled deeply, tasting the rich scent of the wildlife around her as she wandered back down the familiar trails that led straight back to camp.

If she stumbled a bit as she prowled back home, she didn’t allow it to slow her down. After living in this region for most of her life, the topography of the land had been etched permanently into her mind. It had to be, in order for her to get around at all. Blinking her near useless eyes, Lani couldn’t help but wonder what had their Teller so insistent. It was rare that the warriors got called back from their patrols so early, especially since they had only set out a short time ago; at least, that’s what she figured from the shift in the colors around her. Time was a sort of vague phenomena to the jaglion, but she could tell the difference between day and night when she had to.

By the time she entered camp, quite a few others had already arrived. Their body heat and the constant palpitations of their hearts let her know where everyone was as she wandered into the ring to find a place to rest her lanky body. Occasionally her fur would brush that of another feline, but almost immediately after the contact was made, she’d flinch away and keep going. Eventually she found a nice spot that didn’t feel too warm, settling the bulk of her body down as her tail curled into her side. Her ears twitched as Wanderer began to speak, her head tilting towards the source of the noise as she listened. An alliance with the Nilda? Now that was something that piqued the warrior’s interest.

Lani had never been very fond of the dogs, if she were to be honest. They stank something fierce, if her sensitive nose had anything to say about it. It was clear that felines and canines were never meant to be friends. However, there were others that she detested more than the Nilda, and frankly this alliance could be beneficial in the long run. With increased protection from the humans in addition to a steady supply of water, their pride would have the chance to thrive out here. Having lived with the Analoya since cubhood, she knew that there were worse things than an alliance with the Nilda, especially if it was set against those mongrels who called themselves shifters. However, if the Nilda went back on this agreement, she would be the first in line to tear out some throats. Easy to say that she didn’t take betrayal very well.

Quietly biding her time, she waited until the others had said their piece before bringing her own thoughts to the table. ”There is no reason for us to trust the Nilda. There is no way for us to determine whether or not they will stay true to this proposed alliance. We must trust upon the words of dogs and hope that we have not placed our trust in false allies. However, the idea of this treaty is a beneficial one and that must be taken into account. If the Nilda could aid in keeping the humans out of our land, then what have we to lose by combining our forces? Though we are strong, the warriors can only keep outsiders at bay for so long. Reinforcement would surely benefit our ranks,” she paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts before continuing on, ”I say we agree to this alliance. However, we must keep our guard up. Should the Nilda go back on their word, it would be folly to leave our guard down and let them destroy us from within.”

[Nyah]

Nyah had been lazing in the wintery morning sun underneath a tree just outside the camp, grooming herself and preparing to go hunting when she heard a roar echoing through the camp. She hadn't been here very long, but the tone of command in the roar was unmistakable, she was not foolish enough to ignore it. Standing up with a yawn, she stretched and trotted towards the camp, curious as to why the entire pride was being called. Surely it was important.

As she arrived she gazed around at the other members of the pride, interested. She had not seen so many feline retro's, or felines of any sort for that matter. Back on the plains every cat that wasn't her mother or her brothers was an enemy, they stole her kills and would have cheerfully eaten her when she was smaller.

She listened to the leader of the pride, a snow leopard that stood high above them all, everything about her demanding respect. Nyah was envious, she dearly hoped that one day she would have that much presence. The Nilda, the dogs that stood on their borders, wished an alliance it seemed. She listened as other members of the pride gave their opinions, weighing up their options.

She hadn't had many encounters with humans, and they had so far been rather mixed. The shifter that had first talked to her, told her the word for what she was, he had been nice. The searchers that had caught her and the keepers that had caged her, not so much. Despite her mixed feelings she knew they were a threat to her pride; there was only so much prey available in these forests, and too often the shifters did no respect their borders. She had had even less experience with the dogs. She had spotted a small pack of wild dogs in the distance once, back on the plains, and had sometimes run into small bat-eared foxes. Neither was competition for her, the pack stuck to their own territory, and the foxes ate far smaller prey than she did. Dogs were not a natural enemy for a cheetah, and so she viewed them much as she did the humans; if they did not harm her, she would not harm them.

An alliance made sense, with two groups they could defend their borders more easily, they would have access to the lake, which would be full even in a drought, when the rivers could run dry. She was curious about them too, their hunting methods, their way of thinking, and she would not turn down an opportunity to learn more. Waiting for a lull in the discussion she stepped forwards, holding her head high and making herself heard, trying to speak as properly as she could.

"The dogs may be an enemy to some of you, but they are not to me. My enemies are lions, leopards, other cats, creatures that make up our pride. On the plains leopard steals my kill, lion will eat my cubs. It doesn't matter though, I am proud to be in this pride; in here, natural enmity means nothing, because this place is not natural," she stressed, hoping that the other members of the pride were not offended by her point, " Nilda offer us increased safety, more water. Ally with them and we lose an enemy, we devote more to watching the other borders, we feed ourselves, we keep our cubs safe. They gain the same of course, why shouldn't they? I say give the dogs a chance. If they are true, if they don't betray us, then their is no reason not to be allies."

[darrik]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 676px; background-image:url(http://i46.tinypic.com/4q5ih.png)] ooc - why did i write so much this is not what i wanted - 1012 The call didn't come as much of a surprise to him, but he was still curious enough to follow the order to go see how exactly everyone took the news. Darrik liked to keep an ear to the ground over much that happened in the pride - despite his low ranking overall. He was a cat, sue him, and anyway how could he form a valid opinion if he didn't already know before the rest of them did? It also made him feel mostly superior in a way he rarely got these days and that was worth any sort of trouble he found himself in while eavesdropping. This time, however, he could firmly claim he was completely innocent of overhearing anything. He was, also, completely confident in the reason why they were all being summoned so politely to camp. He stretched his lean body as he turned away from his patrol duties, leaving one last scent marker to make sure he could find his place again before bounding through the trees at an unhurried pace. He was a smart cat - smart in a lot of way but plenty idiotic in others - and he wasn't one to sugar coat anything even in his own mind. Analoya was small and as vulnerable as an open wound. They had many cats, though not nearly enough to defend and with their territory feeling ever smaller when it came to food and yet still too large to guard properly, he wouldn't be surprised that an announcement would have to be made. Not one to give up, oh no Wanderer would never allow that no matter how bad it got, but an alliance would suit them well. With who was the question, but again, Darrik didn't figure there was much of a gene pool to mix their Pride with. Never the sticking prey animals that harassed the border so much. That oversize, underbred, pseudo-intelligent food source would turn into more work than benefit. Maybe the birds, he mused, leaping over a log and slowing as he entered camp. His breath came in quiet chuffs in the cool air as he trotted through the circle of gathering cats. His whiskers quivered as he looked for Athena, but not spotting her immediately, he picked his spot right at the middle in direct site of Wanderer. He had no problem speaking his mind and he wanted to be seen quickly for him to do so. He remained silent, eyes taking everything in, flicking back to Wanderer to test her mood before she spoke what she had called them for. He let his mind drift as they waited for more cats to come in. The rumble and soft hisses were normal, and he pushed them out. The dogs, mayhaps? None of the Rings and none of the anthros, for certain. Dogs or birds? Both came with a set of problems and a set of benefits, but the birds didn't really instill any sort of familiarity with him. Dogs at least had fur and four legs. When his leader spoke, he pricked his ears and faced forward, intent to catch what others probably wouldn't hear. He felt a thrill to have guessed the meaning behind the meeting, and that the dogs were indeed their choice of ally. He did blink in surprise at hearing that everyone would get a say. How unusual, even for Wanderer. It would take all night if someone started to squabble. He wrinkled his nose but didn't interrupt. When she was finished, he set his mind to mulling over the information as a few eager ones spoke first. Dviza first, who offered a sound if one dimensional view of it. From that point of view it seemed like a great idea. A few newer cats offered short replies, seeming willing to go with whatever Wanderer was good with. They didn't offer much fodder for his brain, and he brushed them aside to listen to someone who offered a much longer response. Lani was it? He had yet to meet everyone officially, but she had a sound mind and he felt a flare of pleasure at her words. Yes, those were valid points and more in the way of information to build off of. The next was another new one, who offered - in the middle of some strange logic - a nugget of information he liked. No this wasn't natural, and a good point. Though really, if this cat hadn't run into problems with hyenas and wild dogs she hadn't been on the plains very long. Darrik knew enough about those creatures from zoos and books. As she finished he waited a moment, then stood to his own feet to gain notice. His long ears flicked before he responded. "We need water, we need defense, we need support. We cannot debate that fact, though I do offer it to someone to try," he started, giving a brief grin to those around him. "I agree with Dziva - there is much to gain from this. But as Lani suggested, there is also much to lose if it goes wrong. We weaken a part of our system to strengthen the rest. The dogs are our best bet, and them coming to us suggest they are in even dire a state than we. I have not met this Gaunt, but my run ins with his pack have no been overall pleasant. They are only dogs, after all." He rolled his shoulders in a feline shrug. "Despite the potential failures, we need this to stay strong and I am for an alliance. I do, however, have questions. You said we are to gain access to their water sources - what do they gain from our territory? Must we share our land as well as our warriors? Not just in times of need but in all instances? I do not wish to sound rude, however I do want to clarify how far this alliance goes. I do not feel I completely understand the nuances of the treaty should it come to pass."

[athenaa]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 520px; height: 461px; background-image:url(http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae183/sigathkerr/Tables/athenatable.png)] OOC | Muaaahhh haha? -__-;; Just .. had to get it DONE. >P - 344 ------------------ Athena had been mostly in the area of where Wanderer called too have this meeting, her eyes peeling open from the closed state they had happened to be in. Her pupils expanded and then dialated in the filtered sun as she lounged on the area of outcroppings in the edges of the center meetng area. She moved to stand, stretching languidly as she slinked her way down to the ground with practiced ease; making her way over to where everyone gathered. She had settled for a spot off to the side, away from the main cluster of them all as she watched, ears swiveling and moving with each spoken voice after Wanderer stated the reason for them being there. She gave no outward appearance of her opinion, though her tail flicked back and forth in a neutral sway before she spotted Darrik moving about the mass. She got up, weaving through and around a small cluster before she came up beside him as he began speaking, sitting down as her ears curved towards his voice. Having listening to them all she was still a bit hesitant to speak out amoungst the Pride, as she never liked to draw any type of attention to her .. well ... ever. "This is true ... what exactly do we offer them? Our numbers are roughly the same, and they have water to give us? Do they know something we do not? Do they only ask us because others did not seem to want them as their own allies? I understand the potential of having the dogs as extra security for the humans ... and yet we can offer our big cats for any security problem with the hooved or winged ones." She paused, her tail curling around her paws as she tilted her head back slightly, looking above heads, her eyes grazing to catch her leaders as well. "I would hope that any decision we come to, we do not do lightly, but with confidence that it is the best choice for us."

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,false][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true][bg=360328] Korr perched high in a tree, poised, watching the blackbird; stalking her prey. Muscles tensing, her lips lifted and jaws began to part - - then the roar burst through the woods. The bird let out a frenzied sqwak! and took to the wing. The margay let out a frustrated growl, the rush of the hunt was gone and the summons had been sent. Hunting was over for now and she had to return to the great tree. Her extra sensitive hearing ached from the loud bellow, but the understanding of it was prescise. She weaved around the branches and began her journey back to the clearing without ever touching the ground. To traverse by the trees was a much more difficult task in this strange woods, her home had been a wild jungle- rich in branches and growth that had allowed the cat to spend very little time on the earth. These trees were sparse and weak compared to the ones she had known over a year ago, but Korr had learned the paths of her current home, trails through the trees very alike to those on the ground. She felt a queer curiosity toward the reasoning for the gathering. Hunting was happy, water was fair, the pride was healthy; what reason could a meeting possibly have? Korr much rather return and sleep, she had little interest in the waking day anyways and had planned to return for such a cat nap after she had killed that pesky bird, whose calls had woken her in the first place. But she would be complacent to her leaders will, after all the speaker of the Gods' wishes must have good reasons for calling her people. Maybe the man had imposed once again their land? Korr had reached the clearing and lazily crawled down the tree head first, happy to show off. She stopped at the base, searching for a moment for the location of the gathering and finding it at the base of the tree she quickly joined the rest of the pride, sitting near the back since was one of the last to join. She listened as Wanderer spoke. Fury slowly rising up in her. Alliance? With the dirty mutts? She felt the fur on her back raise and a growl rise to her tongue, unspoken but at the tip of her tongue. No, no- that would not do at all. Her tail flicked with irritation as Wanderer finished. Sure, there would certainly be benefits to such an alliance, but putting so much trust in the filthy dogs was completely unthinkable. Korr decided to keep her mouth shut as she listened to her pride members speak, thinking over each statement. She found some too simplistic, they seemed to forget the ones they desired to alliance with. Others made strong points; Leilani voiced her own concerns fairly well and Darrik gave a fair summary of the situation and asked the same question she had: What did each truly offer other? Nothing, they have nothing for us, her mind snarled back at her inner questioning. Korr neatly gathered her thoughts as her large 'cousin' finished her speech and then spoke out in her raspy voice, I, too, fear putting such trust in those mangy canines distaste rang pure in her voice, I wonder the exact advantages of it to us, we have fared reasonably well on our own. What if the Nilda only wish to drag us into their problems? I fear betrayal, for how can we judge the honesty of Gaunt's words? Her tail twitched as she tried to express her thoughts respectfully and well. I do see benefits in such an agreement; strength against the man is always welcome for I too fear coming times may be chaotic. But, too, I fear of being used by the Nilda. Without more proof of their intent, I give my opinion against this alliance - - with all respect, Teller. Korr dipped her head low, ears tucking back - giving her submission to any choice made by the Analoya's leader. Lifting her head she waited to hear what would follow in the discussions, she felts vehemently against the entire deal. How could the Gods’ approve of this? ---------------------------------------------------------------- TAG, analoya WORDS, 709 MUSIC, featherstone - the paper kites OTHER, meep. sorry if I missed anything. c:

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[Deleted]

Jude didn’t particularly like dogs, but he agreed with what Wandered had to say. He trusted his leader’s insight, and perhaps respected her a bit more for her willingness to bring this issue to the Tribe’s forum. He listened to his tribemates talk, considering each of their opinions. They all had valid points, and for a few seconds he remained quiet. Jude was a laid back sort of guy; he didn’t like getting involved in too much, and he typically backed the decisions of his tribe. However, he supposed that he should voice his opinion. It was always better to speak up than remain silent, after all.

”I hate to play devil’s advocate and be that guy, but I think we all need to think about this before we jump into it. What reason do the Nilda have to turn to us of all the other groups? We’re their natural enemies; you’d think they’d ally themselves with the birds or the beasts,” he said simply. ”Also, wouldn’t this alliance make the Lawaii and the Bellator suspicious? It’s not exactly nice to know that two of your neighbors are teaming up together. Who knows what sort of tensions we’ll stir up with those groups. Perhaps they’ll form an alliance against us,” he said. Jude honestly didn’t know if they would do such a thing, not knowing the characters of either of their leaders, but he felt it was a good point to bring up.

”Overall, I think this alliance is a good idea, but we do need to consider the downsides. We don’t want to wake up with their teeth at our throats,” he said. No, that definitely wouldn’t go well. With that, the clouded leopard shrunk back, allowing whoever else wished to voice their opinion to do so. He honestly agreed with the idea, and he supposed the Nilda leaders were honorable enough. Jude had never really had any scary encounters with canines, but he’d always felt naturally tense around them. It was typically cat and dog stuff, he supposed.

His eyes focused back up at Wandered, wondering what their Teller was going to say. He’d follow her no matter what, for she’d proven herself to be a responsible leader, but he wondered what she would ultimately decide. Hopefully this meeting would come up with the best result; Jude didn’t feel like dealing with any sort of retromorph violence, when things were so much better if everybody worked together.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 518px; height: 734px; background-image:url(http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae183/sigathkerr/lorenatable_zps4f0924d2.png)] Words: 738 Tagged: Analoya Pride Notes: Not bad for my first post with her I suppose. :3 Came out longer than I was expecting. x3 The young warrior had been sitting not too far from the entrance to the camp, her bright gold orbs unblinking and focused on the distance. Her feline ears were as alert as ever, swiveling from one side to another to survey the surrounding area. Large tiger paws planted firmly upon the icy ground beneath her. With other warriors out on a patrol already, Lorena found herself uneasy without being on duty. She had decided to take it upon herself to keep a watch at the entrance, just in case someone was somehow cunning enough to slink past their initial protection and make their way to the entrance of the camp. She would let no harm come to anyone within her home’s borders, especially not within the camp. No cubs, denmothers, shamans, nor especially their Teller would ever suffer an end at an enemy’s attack within their own quarters without having first torn their way through this rather formidable tigress. Of this, she would always make sure. Rena was losing herself in the forest, hearing it’s sounds and taking in its smells just as the ground beneath her began to vibrate slightly and the air around her filled with the sound of a big cat’s roar. Her left ear, or what was left of it, twitched as her mind registered the message it carried. Come. The tigress let out a short huff of air as she stood up, the muscles that she miraculously kept visibly shifting and moving beneath her thick fur in the areas of her haunches and shoulder blades as she moved. She closed her eyes for a brief second and inhaled one last time, just to make sure that the bitter winter winds did not bring news of an unwanted intruder or any other…surprises, before she retreated into the camp to hear her leader’s words. Once satisfied that they would be safe for a time, she turned and swiftly padded into the camp, large, intelligent eyes gleaming with interest as she spotted the Teller atop a fallen tree, no doubt to have a better view of her pride. Being one of, if not THE, biggest cats within the pride she sat down more towards the back of the gathering crowd, just to ensure that everyone who arrived would not only hear Wanderer, but also be able to see her. It took only a few minutes after she sat for the pride to gather and for their leader to speak. Rena was rather interested in why the pack would indeed choose them to make an alliance with, but at the same time it would make sense when it came to strength. After all, how much damage could a bird do? How hard is it for a Bellator to maneuver their weight quickly and efficiently in battle? She knew they had their own effective ways of fighting, but when it came to brute strength, when it came to resources they could use…to a more useful alliance? She found that she would rather have more fangs and claws behind her than a heavy-set hooved creature or a bird that would surely spend more time observing from above than attacking as much as she would. After listening to a few of what her fellow felines thought about the matter, she spoke up from the back, making sure her voice would be easily heard above the murmurs amongst the crowd. “I find it would be foolish of us not to accept. Sure, let us keep our guard up, let us not forget we have had our disagreeances with the canines before…but are we really willing to let such an opportunity for more protection, more land, more water slip by us for fear of betrayal from within?” She paused for a second as a few of the cats’ gazes fell upon her before continuing, “I say we agree to it. Should the worst befall us from this, then it would be a hard lesson well-learned that we will without a doubt rise from. For now though, anything to gain the upper hand on those filthy humans.” She finished, rather pleased with her own thoughts. The white tip of her tail flicked a few times, eager to hear what Wanderer’s final thoughts of the matter would be. From what she had heard, the majority of the pride seemed to agree to the alliance, if only without letting their guard down because of it.

[Deleted]

Kajetan was slow to answer the call of his leader. His delay was not only borne of his position (he was on the edge of Analoya land) but also out of a little bit of irritation. He wasn't some farm cur, after all, waiting for her beck and call. Wanderer's roar had resounded through the territory, and he knew the meaning behind it. Come. That did not mean he wanted to. She may have taken him in and, perhaps, saved his life... but his pride was still sore from their last encounter, and from needing her help of all things.

As a result, Kajetan was one of the last Analoya to mull into the meeting. He eventually picked up pace, realizing that they might be discussing something important. It was still strange to feel the distinct difference in his own size; the change in his gait allowed him to lope farther faster, something that he appreciated, even if he felt somewhat violated to have his natural form altered by the Menagerie scientists. Regardless, he now he understood his placement in the world. He was an Analoya, a retromorph. There were shapeshifters in the dome, as well, humans that became animals. There were several other groups, something that had been explained to him. The winged ones, Lawaii. The hoofed ones, Bellator. The dogs and wolves, belonging to Nilda. He had been deeply interested in these other groups, primarily due to their close proximity, and he was beginning to harbor some resentment towards the animals that pushed them against the wall of the dome. Analoya territory was despairing small in comparison to his home land.

It came into the meeting behind a large tiger. He marveled at the fact that he was actually larger, not that size was particularly relevant. He sat to the back of the gathering, raising his eyes to assess Wanderer and listen to her all at once. The snow leopard was a species he was unfamiliar with, but they shared the same spots, it seemed. She was... frustratingly secure in her power, something that Kajetan grudgingly respected. And he still owed her. Her words, this time around, made sense. An alliance with the wolves. Kajetan listened quietly to what others had to say.

His father had always said he was a tactical thinker, but there had never been a war for him to fight. Amon's words came back to Jet unbidden, as the leopard reclined on his haunches, tail curling indolently around his paws. His previous pride had been fond of war stories, of alliances and battles, always with an optimistic ending. After the nearby tiger finished stating her opinion, Kajetan spoke up. "We shouldn't trust them, but we shouldn't distrust them without a good reason not to. Gaunt has presented a good point. We may need this alliance. After all, we're the minority. If it came down to one of the Rings wanting to overtake our territory, it would not be difficult. Or even for one of the other group of retromorphs. Bellator is naturally full of prey animals, but what I've heard of their leader is the opposite. He is not a pacifist. What I have heard of the distant Lawaii leader is even worse. And who is to say that they wouldn't find it beneficial to join together? I feel as though we underestimate our immediate neighbors." K

ajetan paused, his pale eyes slit partially closed. His gaze was on Wanderer, not defiant... but considering. She had managed to ease a sliver of respect from him. It obviously wasn't a dictatorship she was running. He liked that. "This act would be mutually beneficial. The Menagerie does not stay peaceful forever, and despite all our size and strength, both the Rings and the other groups are clever enough to be a threat to us. Gaunt is a powerful individual, and his pack is powerful. Our combined numbers would make us less of a target for any form of attack, from raids to territorial disputes. The fact we would have access to a dependable body of water is also a very, very good thing. Our river is not always strong, and it runs through Bellator territory as well as our own. I agree with Wanderer. This would be a wise decision, as long as it is treated with caution."

Kajetan stilled and quieted. He had said what he needed to say.

[Skamandar.]

His paw-steps were heavy, plodding slowly, unsurely through the forest. His legs shook and quavered, vision blurring as the world spun in desperate circles all around him. His breathing coming in sharp, heavy pants that burned his lungs as he struggled for air around the cub dangling from his mouth. Skamandar lurched forward through the forest, trying to remember which way the camp was, trying to find his way back. He had to make it home, had to bring the little cub to safety. But he couldn't see straight, and his paws felt like they were weighed with lead. Each step felt like it took ten minutes; his body was screaming, lancing pain and cramps as each muscle clenched and spasmed. The cub's cries had fallen quiet long ago, and it dangled limply in his jowls. You will live, Xochi, he thought, willing it to be so. Willing that the young jaglion cub hadn't succumbed to the poison coursing through their veins.

It was too late now to do anything but hope, and pray, and find his way back to the Camp. And suddenly, as if a sign from the gods themselves, he heard a roar splitting the air, beckoning him home. He followed the trembling notes as best he could, pushing through the blinding pain. He felt his strength ebbing, felt the darkness creeping up on him as his vision blurred and blackened. His heart shuddered in his chest, poisoning singing in his veins, grinding him to a slow halt. He took a last shuddering step, pushing through the tunnel of undergrowth protecting the Camp. His haunches slowly slid from under him, body succumbing to the agony, dark brown hide laced with sweat. Blearied eyes saw the vague shapes of his pride-members, he heard the dull rumble of speech. He dragged himself forward on his front legs, all strength bereft from his hind, the cub Xochiquetzal still dangling from his greying jaws. He could feel everything fading, his grip sliding. He placed the cub on the ground, its body limp and still, eyes open and staring.

"River," Skamandar choked out, froth and drool oozing from the corner of his maw as his last ounce of strength left him and he crumpled to the ground, massive body writhing and contorting as his muscles fought off the throes of death. "...the river."

ooc: dun dun DUUUN!

[Wanderer]

Pride swelled in Eden’s chest as they began to appear, some from the tops of trees and other slowly sulking from their patrols. And surprisingly, one by one, each of the felines began to give their opinions on the potential alliance. A part of Wanda was uncertain whether any of her people will remotely agree. But, once again, everything turned out in a way she never expected to. Dizva was the first to speak, and her thoughts were direct and blunt: she went straight to the point, and agreed. One after another, Mi, Tai, Lani, and the rest began to speak their minds. But when Darrik’s turn came around, Eden’s muzzle twitched in a grin: she knew he would have questions concerning the alliance. “You speak well, Darrik,” she told him, honoring that he would put out his concerns. But as she thought of his words, she noticed that two of the pride were missing: Skamander and Xochi. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of the child missing such an important meeting, and even Skamander.

“Like most of you may feel, I am wary of why Gaunt would approach us with such an intention, but I have come to the conclusion as to why: do any of you know who the leader of the Bellator are?” She looked around to each and every one of her people and flicked her tail. “It seems, to me, that there is a new leader of the Bellator every time a season comes around within the dome. Their unstable, unreliable. And the Lawaii? There are many rumors as to who she is and what she does, and none are to be smiled upon. Gaunt seems to be our only option when we break it down; they are constant, they are stable.” She let her people ponder for a moment on her words before she allowed the others to voice their opinions. All systems were going, with most of the pride agreeing with the alliance (with few concerns) until Korr spoke up.

Eden had expected at least someone to be against the alliance, so it wasn’t an exact surprise when Korr announced that she were against it. “Do not worry, Korr, I asked for everyone’s thoughts. Thank you for being honest,” Eden bowed her head to the smaller cat, giving her a slight smile before continuing on. “But you speak the truth, Korr. Things are becoming chaotic, within the dome. Many times I witness aggressive disputes between the rings, and I fear it may come to war. We may soon find ourselves with our backs to the walls, even literally because of the dome, and we need all the help we can get. Once we finish here, Korr, I would like to see you alone, with Jet.” Jude spoke up next and she sniffed quietly. “I hope what I mentioned earlier will help ease your thoughts, Jude. The Bellator and Lawaii are unreliable. Even though I have my thoughts as to some uses the Lawaii would have, such as spies and whatnots, I still believe it safe if we avoid them at all costs.” She cleared her throat, wishing she could take a drink to quench her thirst; she had never spoken this much in her entire life. “Now,” she continued. “Back to what we would be sharing, I have deemed it necessary, that if we were to accept the alliance, Gaunt and his pack will not be allowed within camp grounds. They will be restricted to only the forest and the river, where most of our borders lie. I will assume Gaunt will take this same path; neither of us wants to risk our young.” And finally, Jet spoke his thoughts to the pride. He had become quite the warrior, and learned quickly.

As she spoke, she found herself being proud of him. After all, she had taken him in personally. She straightened her shoulders, her chest puffed out slightly as she grinned on the inside. Her eyes met his the entire time he spoke, and they never wavered. All of her attention was on him. “One thing I would like to add on to that, is us being the minority. Not only do the shifters out number us, they have better things than we do. Regardless of our stretch, our fangs and claws, we would be wiped out within days with the equipment they have. And if they somehow find a way to cut off the river? We would be defenseless. I do believe that everyone has spoken their minds and—“ Her words were cut off as a massive form of dark brown fur tumbled into the circle of cats, with a small white figure in his mouth. Slowly, Skamander lowered the still Xochi to the ground, and Eden’s heart stopped in her chest. She stood and faltered for a moment, stumbling slightly as she made her way towards the seemingly lifeless cub. Skamander was on the ground when she was at his side, and froth was oozing from his mouth. River, the river, he kept repeating over and over. Fear welled inside Eden’s chest as she looked to her people. “The river,” she whispered. She didn’t know what to do. “Ska? Ska, answer me. What happened?” When the old lion didn’t answer, her ears fell flat against her skull in fear and anger. “Korr, Dizva,” she snapped suddenly, her eyes narrowed angrily. Her tailed flicked back and forth, the hair on her neck and should thick as it stood. “Go to the river. Search for anything you can find. And if you find someone, bring them here either by persuasion or force. Loni, go with them.” Once she had given the orders, she looked back to the two sick ones. “Xochi,” she whined, nuzzling the little white and spotted cub. Wanda had no knowledge of herbs and healing; that was Skamanders job.

Fighting the tears that well in her eyes, she looked to the rest of the pride. Suddenly, the plan came to life in her mind. Eden perked up. “Nyah! You are fast; go to the Nilda. Ask for Gaunt and some of his healers. Tell them I sent you. Go now!” She looked back towards the bodies. “Jet, will you help me take them to the borders? I will carry Xochi. I need you to carry Skamander.” She looked to Athena and the rest. It was then did she realize how small in numbers her people were. “Darrik and Jude, patrol the area around camp. Athena, you may choose to patrol if you wish, but keep the young safe. Tai and Mi, do not cause trouble. Darrik, when Dziva and Korr return, come for me.”

[/blockquote]

[athenaa]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 520px; height: 461px; background-image:url(http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae183/sigathkerr/Tables/athenatable.png)] OOC | Poor Athena. First she can't have babays ... now the kids she 'adopts' are dieing ... what even ... u__u ------------------ Athena listened with curiosity, knowing full well that the Pride leaned towards the alliance even though there were some wary among them. Her whiskers trembled and curled as she fought back a yawn, having not fully woken up from her haze as she shook out her body a bit before turning her attention back to their leader once more. It was odd hearing their leader go on about everything, answering all questions, and taking time to explain herself. Like herself most of the time, their leader was a feline of few and needed words; not extra needless space filler. Her tail un-curled from around her feet just then as she looked to the side and up to Darrik for a moment before the lumbering form of Ska and a small form hung limp in his mouth. "Dear godess, Darrik .. that's Xochi..." she breathed hoarsely when she realized who it was. A tremor went through her as he came forward, herself going up on her hind legs, her front paws pulled up as he set the cub down. He spoke but she didn't hear his words as had started forward, going past others to stop just shy of them as Wanderer came upon the cub first. Her whiskers curled forward, a pained look on her face as her ears turned and pinned back. She trembled as her eyes were fixed upon him. The little troublemaker had wandered off before and she had had an idea of where he went. Also, she always had been busy lately with new cubs, but Xochi usually stayed around camp. Oh goodness this was her fault wasn't it? He had wandered off and she hadn't been there to stop him from trotting off to get himself into trouble. She shifted on her feet, itching to move forward and gently run her tongue over his fur like she usually did to wake him. He would open his eyes and be alright .. right? When Wanderer said her name though, being so close and it being a urgent command, her head swiveled to look at her leader. She nodded her head, her tail low and practically curled around her as it quivered in anxiety. She took one last look at Xochi before she stepped up to him and pushed her head against his neck and back, licking the fur gently before she murmured something softly against his fur. A soft rumbling purr left her when she was near him but left as she turned and started back in the direction of the dens where there were a few cubs that needed protecting.

[darrik]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; height: 676px; background-image:url(http://i46.tinypic.com/4q5ih.png)] ooc - i made words - 918 Athena's appearance at his side near the start of his speech was a pleasant surprise and he scooted closer as they fell silent for the next cat to speak up. Surprisingly it was the feline at his side and he gave her his encouraging attention with bright eyes and pricked ears. She didn't usually speak up too much in this sort of setting but her words were important and echoed his own sentiments. He nodded lightly along with her as she fell quiet and another cat voice an opinion. This cat was not at all thoughtful to the alliance - not giving its benefits a thought. The negatives were there, harsh and cold, but even Darrik could admit the many positives such an alliance could bring. He craned his neck to get a good look at the cat speaking, finding it to be one who looked very much like Athena in species. A Korr then. He didn't know her well, but she was a hard feline to get along with and Darrik would rather not poke at those so willing to legitimately bite for no reason. He reserved more intense judgement since he'd never actually spoken personally with her one on one. She raised good points on the negatives and he wasn't at all surprised when she became the first to be strictly opposed to the joining. Another cat, male this time, spoke up. He claimed to be devil's advocate and Darrik held his tongue. There were many here who had already talked about the cons - it was no game on who got there first. He didn't know that ones name so he brushed it aside, nor did he know the name of the tiger that spoke next. He turned his body to at least give the same respect he had to the others and so he could hear better. She wasn't hard to spot, being so large even compared to the few lions that doted the gathered Pride. She spoke confidently and offered a well spoken argument. He approved of her spoken words for the most part, though the filthy humans sentence he would have rather done without. He did, however, realize not everyone found the human skin as fascinating as him. He flicked his long ears as another cat edged along behind the last speaker, an even larger feline who took his chance to talk. His words were many and he gained a sliver of admiration from Darrik for it. Well chosen and nicely put. He nodded slightly to himself, thinking to keep an eye on that one. As the male finished speaking Darrik looked to Wanderer to say something in response. Most everyone had shared now and he was curious to know what she had decided based on their opinions. He was sure she would go with the alliance but he held it to himself as she spoke up. He nodded his head in gracious acknowledgement to her praise and listened intently as she responded to most everyone's concerns. Her words finally started coming to a close and he waited for the final decision to be named. It would be hard, adjusting, but he would do it. He had already joined a god fearing society in order to survive it wasn't like he couldn't adapt. But her words were cut off and the ripple that moved through the pride sent him turned and shoving Athena behind him and away as he faced the late comers. Skamander and one of the cubs, but not coming to join in the discussion. No, something was terribly wrong with both of them and the still form of the white cub sent a chill through his body. Skamander was looking almost as bad and when he collapsed Darrik could only think of how in the world the lion had managed to walk a single step. Voiced rose and then silence descended as shock overrode everything. He turned to Athena, his first thought that the cub had to be one of hers and her soft noise confirmed it. Her words made his stomach curl up sickeningly. He knew how much she cared for the young of the Pride. Anger unfurled quick in his heart at how she couldn't even enjoy her job without this bloody dome taking something away from her. He followed her, sticking close to her side as she moved forward even as Wanderer started rattling off orders. His own name finally came up and he blinked at his leader a moment before turning back to Athena. She had already moved off a he scurried after her, sending Jude a look that said hold-on-a-moment. He knew Hale was safe - asleep in the den like a child - and Athena would at least be kept busy with the cubs. He still, however, needed to make sure she would not drive herself crazy while he was gone. He knew she could take care of herself but it made his fur feel wrong to think he wasn't there to take care of her. "Athena, this is not your fault. It never was and it never will be. Take care of the other cubs, keep busy. I'll be back. I'll bring news as soon as possible," he meowed, fast and serious, so quiet it was almost like breathing. He rubbed her side with his as he passed to join Jude a moment before sprinting in the trees to start the patrol around camp. It was going to be a long night.