Is this a game? (Open)

by **Leon** on August 9th, 2010, 3:59 am

12th day of Summer 510

The light plays playfully upon the shadows overhead dancing in the rhythmic tune of an ever changing sky. The stars masked by the blanket of blue, are left hidden by the promise of release. The soft gentle wind sends a message hidden by the leaves, fleeting from the branches as the world bends and sways in its own secret glory. The passing of a bird sends darkness floating down on the land below it, mimicking its every motion. Reminding those who saw how a world so alit with color still bares the mark of the shadows. The ever forgotten whisper leaves a cool touch as it travels unseen, undeterred by the things before it. Such a move to leave the world touched in awe. The scarlet rosary which is the sun burns brightly, leaving small droplets of sweat to gather upon the brows. Its warmth only broken by the occasional cloud that dared to cross its path.

We make choices every day, the paths we walk down to the lines we cross. What would be without the actions we’ve started, the moments we lived. Our promises, our dreams, and all those things we believe in. The foundations for our life built up around us in the things we hold close. Trust, love, and friendship, each defining us in a different ways. Taking risks and chances, learning how to live is the quest we all must endure each passing moment while our mortal hearts beat. The sun is a sign of the day, thus is the moon for the night. But there I no sign telling you how to live life, nothing to show you what to do or what’s expected. You take it one step at a time, learning how to live. Evil is not evil in the eyes of someone who believes it to be right. And goodness is not always done with the best intentions in mind. Life has its twists its turns, its roads to follow. Its all up to you to understand which path is yours.

Silence was the thing that held his body, his actions, and his breaths. In silence he found enclosure. He found strength. Strength enough to take one small step closer. One fearful step clouded in so many questions. Answers that were held up in another’s being. His bottom lip placed delicately in his teeth held the tension of the moment. Slow memories clinging to his hand in anticipation. The wind stirred once more blowing into his face filling more than one of his senses with the cool breeze. Sweat dripped from his body forming into pools around his eyes. Offering an extended blink he let free the damn that threatened to break free. The liquid poured upon his face aiding the winds ability to cool his heated face. He was undeterred from his task. Actions bent in the moment, his eyes never breaking from the target before him.

The heart beat quickens with excitement, fear, endurance, joy, or when it feels the need to let the body know its time to get something done quicker. His hands rested upon his hilt favoring the soft pattern and the security that was wrapped around the metal blade. His soft breaths disguised his intentions. Inch by inch he made quiet progress into the small thicket of underbrush. His heart beat racing threatened to give away his position. The pulsing of his brow told him how much stress he was under. His intentions rested upon a lowly creature, its grey body turned away from his. It’s ears tucked in, would lifted every other moment as if to scan for any unfamiliar noise. He was but feet from his prey, his sword coming unsheathed like a deadly whisper. Inches further lay his strike point and his first rabbit kill. His body quivered with excitement. His eyes focusing on the distance between him and his pray. His steady forward movements keeping to that of the winds unpredictable spurts. The helpless critter before him was unaware of its soon to be fate. Inches more only a few more steps held the distance he wanted. He watched as if in slow motion the creature’s movements. The twitch of its ears signaled him to come to an abrupt halt once more. His breath was smooth and almost none existent. He made one more pace forward misplacing his foot upon a small unseen twig. The snapping drew the creatures ears upwards in an instant. It scanned around startled by the sudden disturbance. Cursing at his misfortune he made a swipe at the creature. It ducked dodging the possible decapitating blow and began fleeing into the brushes. Disappointment littered his face, as he glanced back to the brush behind him where Tressa waited. He was so close and yet still failed, he was hopeful to show off his sneaking skills but always failed when it came down to the end results.

“I guess this ones yours, show me how its really done.”

The fact that she had told him he would probably mess up and it be left up to her was a strike at his psyche. He wanted so badly to prove her wrong, to actually do something note worthy and impressive. He half expected her to say I told you so and move alone with showing him how a predator took care of things. They had been traveling together a few days now and they bond between them had done nothing but grow. Occasionally they found games to occupy there time, this being one. The fact of the matter was, she seemed to always win, he wanted to say that she had cheated and tossed the twig there but he knew the truth it was well hidden below a fallen leaf. Sighing deeply he shook his head at her. Ever since leaving the confounds of that city they had been traveling with no sense of purpose. He was finding that she was more than a reason to spend the undirected time on. He had plans to go journeying afar but those discussions had only been around the campfires. But her tiger form was not much for talking company, he had hoped that she would someday sleep beside him in her Human form, but he had a feeling she still found a little sore spot in her heart for the whole incident that left the scabs that clung to his cheek.

by **Tressa** on August 9th, 2010, 7:35 pm

Tressa waited silently in the brush, her clothing had been shed and only a glimpse of white and yellow meshed between the shades of brown could be seen. Tension pulled at her muscles, her fur bristling excitedly with each passing moment. It took all she had not to bound from the brush and strike the meal that Leon toyed with. It was so close, just sitting there. She could have it in an instant, but instead she watched him in his attempt to make the kill. It was a game they had taken to playing often. Well at least it was a game to her, perhaps it was more of a training session on his part. She would wait as she did now, until the moment when his attempt failed and then as the prey fled its fate she would be sent to seal it.

It seemed as if this time she would only be an on looker. Everything was in his favor, the wind carried his scent to her, away from the creature and the location provided him with decent cover and ample footing. Surely he would make the kill. Her eyes locked on his movements, anticipating the result for each. Snap The simple crack of a twig amplified by surrounding silence met her ears. She knew the end result as well as Leon seemed to. As the creature started and he threw a desperate swing its way, and his blade met nothing but air, his turn was over and she was ready for hers. It was a forgivable mistake, his feet weren’t designed to carry him lightly as hers were and one can not see what lays beneath the debris.

“I guess this ones yours, show me how it’s really done.”

It was apparent by his tone the frustration he felt at his failure, but she could offer him no immediate consolence in the matter. Instinct took hold of her thoughts and her eyes flashed. Her prey in her sight as it fled for cover in the thick blanket of brush that lay before her. Her senses centered on its movement. The faint sounds of its feet hitting the earth mingled the sound of the disturbed thickets and her own racing heart. Her nose singling out its scent on the wind, pinpointing the direction it ran once her eyes could no longer follow it.

Driven by hunger and the chase her muscles tightened, each serving its own purpose and working together with the rest. She could feel the tension and strain and then the quick snap of release, like a compressed spring letting loose as she pounced from her own patch of brush and her front paws met the cool earth in a nearly silent way of gracefulness. Her back limbs followed and as they touched the ground her front were off the ground again, moving into run. The fluidity of her actions making every feat seamless. She was a large predator and density of the chosen hunting ground added many obstacles to her task. Her mind worked at the speed of light, pre-thinking each action. Where to dodge, where to leap, where to duck.

Each step earned her ground on the rabbit, quickly closing the gap between her and it. She was moving through the unforgiving thicket now and the conglomoration of barbed vines and thorned plants tore at her legs and torso leaving behind minor abrasions where they managed to penetrate the protective thickness of her fur. While the thicker branched plants that grew higher up slapped against her face as if to punish her for her pursuit. The stinging sensation that remained on her irritated skin was easily ignored in her current mindset and she continued on. The scent of it was almost overbearing now and saliva had begun to well in the folds of her cheeks, pooling before overflowing and running from the corners of her mouth, she was close.

A flash of grey and white alerted her to where it hid. Speed gave way to caution and she broke her run, coming to a stop. It was still spooked from its previous encounter with death and one faulty move on her part or even a simple shift in the wind could turn her advantage into the loss of a meal. She couldn’t follow it any further if it chose to run deeper into hiding. Slowly she lowered her body to the earth, tightening her muscles into a crouch. As much as she loved the ease of a quick kill shot, stealth was needed now.

She judged her direction of action carefully stalking slowly towards her target in the form of a deliberate crawl. It was an uncomfortable pursuit and soon the density of the plants left her unable to crawl through them any further. Forced to stand, Tressa made one last plan of attack. The rabbit now seated rather comfortably beside the base of a tree near a break in the debilitating thicket. It was still alert, but was at least faced away from her. Focused only on the grey and white backside of the creature Tressa gambled on luck. She no longer held the advantage and her success was left to depend on the rabbit’s choice of action. If it chose to run they would be left to seek food elsewhere. If it was secure in its place of hiding they would eat.

Determined not to be discouraged by the odds she bound forward as quietly as she could. Her speed lessened by the tangle of flora caused her footing to be clumsier than she preferred. It was a tiring pursuit, but adrenaline pushed her forward until she reached the brief clearing and could once again move freely. Wanting only to finish the hunt she burst forward failing to take note of the obvious. With a mind splitting thud a sharp pain tore through the side of her as her shoulder and ribs impacted brutally into the base of the aged tree and flesh and fur were grated against rough bark. The taste of the rabbit’s blood in her mouth offered only a momentary distraction from the attention demanding throbbing in her side.

The speed of the impact had not been great enough for serious injury, but she was far from prancing back happily with the kill. The muscles in her left foreleg strained against the pain and it threatened to buckle, making her tremble. She submitted to it, allowing her body to collapse to the earth heavily, landing in the leaves and sticks that littered the ground. She had made the kill and now the rabbit lay forgotten beside her. She raised her head and wrinkled her blood covered muzzle, opening her maw to let out a loud growling noise that she hoped Leon would hear. Turning her head to her injuries she began licking the place the tree had hit in a desperate attempt to ease the ache, smearing blood through her fur as she did. Her sides caved and expanded harshly as her lungs worked to bring her breathing back to normal. She was oblivious to the amount of blood the rabbit had left her fur soaked in, the shiny crimson turning the white of her mouth and front limbs to red.

by **Leon** on August 13th, 2010, 1:20 am

The air held tight to his body as he stood there awaiting her move. He could feel the tension mounting, the moment when she would break from her place of refuge and start up pursuit. The explosion from the brush was just the moment he was waiting for. The paws of a very elegant and powerful creature escaping the clutches of the shadows that bound them. The body following flawlessly through the air, pursued by a pair of sturdy legs. Landing with the softness of a whisper she took off with speed unsurpassed by most mortal creatures. Within a heart beat she was gone, the glint of her white the last visible trace of her. His ears told him of the path she was to take as she messed with the world around her.

He had to say it was most impressive how she held herself, being friends with a tiger was not something he had ever expected. Her raw power and stealth left him fearing the day she used it on him again. He was lost in thought trying to avoid his failed attempt at gathering the meal this day. Anger struck him as he looked down at the spot that had lead him to his failure. The twig snapped in half was left poking its end mockingly to him. The impression left by his foot was all too known by the sunken in leaf against an all too cool ground. Bring his foot down on the helpless twig he heard various snaps as the remaining pieces were brought to ruin under his weight. With a simple shift in weight he looked to where he had created hell with admiring eyes at the destruction he had ensured.

Giving a brief over look he went back over the scenario in his head. Everything but had been perfect, minus the small little flaw of a foot placement. Overall he was pretty proud of himself for the task he had done. Most had not the ability to do as much as he did to begin with. Forgetting about his mess up he turned back to the direction Tressa had vanished. Her cloths were laying helplessly upon the ground somewhere. At first despicable thoughts passed through his head involving never giving them back and having her walk around her naked form, but knowing her she would just stay in her current one and what fun would be. Shaking his head he shunned all other thoughts out of his adult mind. She was more than a lady, and he couldn’t lie that he had thoughts about her, but to stalk her clothing was a line he was far from able to cross.

The blade hung numbly in his hand, the focus point of all the weight directed to the ground as it rested beside his leg, point encased by dirt. Pushing the laziness aside he went to sheath it. Lifting it full tang, extending it fully in front of him, he gave a small twist of the hilt leaving the sharp end facing him. Aligning it with his sheath he went to stick it in almost stabbing himself for his act of not looking. Give a couple curses at his inability to do it he guided it with his watchful eyes back into its place of refuge until it was called upon again for a useless swing. Pausing for a moment he looked down and picked up her cloths and his gear. He assumed that she was already on her way back by now. He thought it would be good to meet her half way, picking up her trail where he had seen her leap into the brush.

Time passed by fairly slowly, more than it should have. Her paw tracks were quiet unique and quite easy to follow. She had taken no time to try to hide them and in that he found himself not having to scout that hard. He noted that her body had brushed up against a few branches along the way bending them, and snapping a few off. Even against the world around her she was proving herself superior as she made ground on the rabbit. He noticed the markings were both going in the same way, he assumed it was harder for her than she thought it would have been. Giving a chuckle he smiled at the thought of a rabbit giving her an issue. The patches of white fluff that clung to the barbs of thorns told him that she was being careless with her movements. She was going to get hurt if she kept it up. The further he journey the more fur he saw. He was starting to get a funny feeling in his stomach. A low growl alerted him and his heart and body raced in the direction of the sound. He found himself moving with a new found strength scaling low laying shrubs and brush. His pack’s weight didn’t seem to burden him that much as he made ground on the sound. He found himself calling her name in worry and distress. He didn’t know if she was hurt or what was going on, worry filled his actions. Frantic he called out to her again calling her name out up to the heavens. His voice was meet by another growl, she was close.

His eyes focused looking for tracks looking around, he had ran on pure instinct, letting the sound carry him taking for granted the path she had laid out for him. His head cleared as best as it could, pleading to himself that she was ok. Closing his eyes he let the woods around him fill his senses. One breath, Inhale and let the world calm. Exhale. Second Breath, find your peace. Exhale. Final breath, return to the world. Letting out a long steady breath he opened his eyes. Taking a calmer moment he noticed the small patch of fur that clung to tree bark. His eyes followed to a collapsed Tressa covered in blood.

He was unsure how much of it was hers. Letting the burden of his pack down he made the rest of the distance between them coming to her side with a worried look. The rabbit looked to be worse off then she was but the fact that she was noticeably hurt pained him. He wanted to ask her if she was ok, ask all those stupid questions people normally did, but somehow talking to the white form didn’t help anything. “Tressa, shake your head if your okay…please shake your head.” He let his hands touch her blood stained coat very genteelly trying to see if it sparked a reaction from her. He was completely unsure what to do in this moment beside comfort her. “I’m here for you, even if I’m completely useless.” His smile that filled his face was more geared to reassure him, rather than her.

by **Tressa** on August 13th, 2010, 1:22 am

“Tressa, shake your head if your okay…please shake your head.”

The sound of his voice tickled the sensitive hairs that coated her inner ears capturing her attention. Slowly she drew her head from where her muzzle had relentlessly been easing the pain in her shoulder turning it to look at him, the rabbit‘s blood still smeared across her maw. Leveling her gaze upon his face before locking on his eyes she could see he was lost as to what to do. As he brought his hands to her coat she watched him cautiously, baring her fangs in warning. She made no noise, only letting the light glint off of the white of her teeth revealed by her wrinkled muzzle while her body tensed. Her injuries were nothing more than superficial scrapes and sore muscles hidden below the blanket of fur, only a minute amount of the blood was hers, the rest having been smeared from her mouth by her actions. She trusted him but, trust could not outweigh the possibility of more pain. His touch was gentle though and the anxiety of her situation was slowly eased.

“I’m here for you, even if I’m completely useless.”

He wasn’t useless, just his presence was enough to help her. The gentleness of his touch was soothing and though she’d denied him the shaking of her head she couldn’t ignore the relaxed feeling that came over her. She purred happily, the only answer she would give him. Continuing to purr she turned to her side, burying her injury under the weight of her body. The steady humming sound of her thanks interrupted only momentarily. She lifted her large right paw towards him, playfully swiping at his legs with her claws retracted.

Her left shoulder throbbed in retort to bearing her body upon it, but she fought to hide it. He had seen her hurt and her pride was against showing further weakness. With one last swipe at him she had grown bored with her game and began to right herself. Turning back to her underside she focused on the task of standing. Her purring ceased and she tested her ability. Standing first with her hind legs she brought herself to a position comparable to that of crouching. Her front limbs still flat against the earth. Pushing herself up with her right foreleg she placed the majority of the burden of weight to her right side. As she straightened her left foreleg to meet the earth she winced slightly. It still trembled under the lessened burden, but at least she was on her feet.

Standing unsteadily she lowered her head to once again claim the kill within her jaws. The foolishness of her actions still tugged at the back of her mind, taunting her. She would be more careful next time, or send Leon to chase after it. She mouthed the rabbit careful not to mangle it as it hung limply from her jaws. She had a feeling he would find it much more appetizing if it was still intact.

Each step back to where they had decided to set camp was a challenge in itself. Her leg threatening to betray her each moment it was left alone to move her forward. She was well aware of her clumsy movement and slow progression but, she was determined to do it herself. She hadn’t realized until now how far the rabbit had taken her into the brush and the memory of the trying hunt was refreshed by each thorny patch of flora containing her fur.

Reaching the place she had originally hid while Leon took a try at the rabbit she gave in. Settling on her haunches she let the corpse fall to the earth. She was sure Leon wasn’t far behind her and took to cleaning the blood from her fur in a determined way. Like all cat species she a natural need to be clean . The rough sandpaper texture of her tongue made little work of removing the blood and her taste buds savored the bittersweet taste of the last remaining bit of the rabbit’s life source. Once her red stained fur had been returned to white she turned to face the direction he would appear from. She knew morphing was going to be less than enjoyable and decided to get it over with.

It was an agonizing few moments before she stood, a pale skinned and yellow eyed woman once again. Her eyes searched over her body noting the small scrapes and smirking down at the kill by her feet. “See what happened to the little bunny that ran away” She whispered softly to herself more than it.

by **Leon** on August 14th, 2010, 8:52 am

The glint of her fangs warned him how cautious he had to be. He noted with great relief he didn’t feel any major wounds, and that most likely all the blood that coated her fur was the rabbits. The easy way she tilted her head and began to purr left him with a big smile on his face. She was ok, that was all that mattered, he couldn’t believe how worked up he had gotten when he even thought that she was hurt. Her purring was a coaxing rhythm of vibrations that was nearly enough to lull him to sleep. He hadn’t realized how much energy he had used up when he ran with that bag. It took all his strength to stand back up.

He shook free the thoughts of her hurt out of his head just in time for her to roll over on her backside. She looked amusing the way she sprawled out extending her paws playfully. He watched with peaked interest as she extended a swipe to his leg intentionally. Was she playing with him? Another swipe told him that she was in fact doing just that. He thought about doing something in retort but nothing came to mind and like most of the things she did she got bored rather quickly and began to take the strained effort to rise. It was apparent from her delayed and slow movements that she was still in some sort of pain. He still wasn’t sure what she did to herself but the bark that was left damaged told him that it wasn’t much more than an error in judgment.

He shook his head humorously to her thinking about all the trouble this meal had caused them. He wasn’t at all surprised that she didn’t listen to him, normally doing what she wanted to making him love her all the more. “Stubborn girl should have just shaken your damn head…” His mind was filled with useless thoughts. Sometimes he just couldn’t help but stair at her, no matter what form she held she had a part of his heart in her clutches.

Speaking of clutches he smiled as she went back to retrieve her victory. Which was another thing that she would be able to hold over his head for the next couple hours. With the rabbit once again secured in the clutches of the very talented and careless Tressa, it was time to move on. He watched as she lifted the limp body forcefully with the jaws that she possessed. It seemed that she was being careful with it this time, as if not to do what she had done numerous times in the past… tearing it leaving organs, bones and other unmentionables dangling about. Yeah those days he was glad that she did the cooking… He started to follow her forgetting all about his pack for the briefest of moments. But eventually the lack of weight struck at his subconscious and be then began to think about what he was missing. With a shake of the head he remembered and nearly hit himself for trying to go on with out it.

Turning from her he went to retrieve the abandoned gear leaving her with the sounds of his words. “You go on I’ll catch up.” Making a few paces back to the scene of the crime he bent down grabbing his pack. His eyes rested once more on the clothing that he had brought with him. It was hers of course and he had every intention of returning it back to its owner. An evil smile returned to his lips as he thought about stashing it and making her search for it while he strolled in and caught a glimpse of his most cherished sight. But the thought of her pinning him down again was not something he wanted to live with. The claws had been playful this last swing, but he knew that in anger he was going to be left with bruises, or worse.

He took to putting the back on and gathering the discarded clothing. Turning back to his goal he began walking back step by painful step to where he would meet Tressa.

He wondered if she knew that he had her cloths. The thought of her searching for them had never really come across his mind beside for his personal gains. What if she went crazy looking for them, “naw she wouldn’t do that.” he mused to himself. To be honest he really didn’t care if she thought it strange that he taken them or not. In his head he knew what stories he could tell her. The easiest would of course be that he was only trying to be nice and deliver them to her.

The sight of her nude form had long passed his mind, he had seen it happen various times and the shocking effect was beginning to diminish, but the longing was still there. A small shift in the wind brought his head turning to the left. He noted with promising eyes that there was a tree that seemed to be bending down, and the earth below it looked to be altered some how. Curiosity took the place of common sense as be began to take a few choice steps forward into the unfamiliar terrain. His foot landing upon something hard, the careless step filled the air with the sound of snapping. He cursed the sound that had caused him so much grief from before. With an irritated glance he failed to see the cord that he was standing in the middle of. With the angry placement of his foot he decided to remind the useless branch how unimportant it was. It was a mistake that seconds later he wished he could take back. The snap of the branch was just the beginning. He noted with horrified eyes as the tree that had been bent before shot up returning to its proper position. The rustle of the leaves that covered the clearing shot up with great speed heading straight for him. It was too late to react by the time he saw the cord that he was now part of.

The tightening sensation around his ankle was just the first of many painful events that were about to take place. He struggle to resist the pull but found it won hands down. Despite his best efforts he was dragged down the path the wire had shown him, only moments before. The trees strength collecting his weight and holding it with all the power that the cord possessed. Hanging from his new place he watched as the cloths escaped his grasp by the pull and drifted slowly to the earth. The burden of his pack was a lot and it was sent falling down his shoulders where it crashed with a mild thud against the leaves and earth below. His luck did not improve as he reached for his blade only a moment to slow. The scimitar falling to the ground below landing with a dull sound ass its metal met nothing but dirt. He was regretting his decision to have it so loose, though in his mind he never saw himself hanging upside down needing the damn thing. He was ensnared by the trap that he had more than welcomely walked into. His soft voice was more than notably filled with the tone of annoyance as he cursed the position he was in.

“You have got to be kidding me…”

Gravity played its part as the blood began to rush to his head. His body was left dangling a few feet above the world swinging with the momentum of the capture. Here he was suspended in air cursing the very ignorance of his actions. Noting that if he would have just kept walking he would be at camp by now possibly looking a t very attractive Tressa. If he had his sword he could easily get out of the trap he was in, but that was not going to be the case this time. He refused to call for her help and let her laugh at him for a while. She already held the fact he was unable to kill the rabbit himself and now here he was hanging like a rabbit himself. Oh this was just turning out to be one hell of a day. For the better part of ten minutes he tried to undo the knot around his ankle. It was hurting so bad, he was for sure that it would end up with him losing it after a while. He tried with failed attempts to bring his body up to the ensnared ankle seeing if he could get a little of the tension removed, but this only ended in more pain and rubbing of his wound. The blood rushing to his head was getting at him now. As much as he hated it he gave a long and desperate cry to her…

“Tressa!”

Calling her name several more times he began to grow weak with dizziness his voice began to give way. His eyes were starting to roll over with darkness as the blood rush started to take a toll on his body. He was sure that she would be coming, she had to…He let out a little pleading cry to her one more time using up the remainder of his strength.

by **Tressa** on August 14th, 2010, 8:57 am

Thud The sound was caught by her sensitive ears and her head snapped towards the direction of the noise. It was a new noise, the intensity of the thud told her it had been dead weight hitting the ground from a decent height. She had no idea what to expect from the noise. Her eyes searched the terrain seeking the disturbance, she knew the wildlands were filled with other predators and monsters. The land seemed calm and undisturbed, but the hairs prickling on her neck told her other wise. Something wasn’t right. Her ears and nose searched for what her eyes had missed, but the wind was against her, carrying her scent like a siren to the unknown and all was silent. Where was Leon? A protective feeling came over her at the realization of his absence. A fear for his safety and a need to be beside him. It was followed by remembrance of the dull ache in her shoulder and the fact that she was in no condition for a fight. She cringed at the thought of morphing with the injury again, it had been nearly unbearable the first time.

“Tressa!”

The distress in his voice as it carried to her ears like a slap in the face sent her emotions whirling. He was hurt and he needed her. The thought of something injuring him sparked anger and vengeance inside her. She thought anxiously, desperately trying to figure out what to do. She needed to help, had to help. She had no idea how far he was from her and she couldn’t find his scent on the wind. She needed speed and her shoulder nearly denied her the ability to walk let alone run in the way she needed to. Frustrated by circumstance she dug her bare foot angrily into the ground needing to vent her anger somewhere. It would take longer but she would seek him out as she was. In the form she was beginning to find more and more useless. Like this nature equipped her with nothing, weak legs, useless nails, teeth too small to rip and tear.. Opposable thumbs were the only thing she found useful about it other than speech and the way she could control the gaze of Leon, leading his eyes wherever she liked with the simplest movement. Leon! He needed her!

After stowing the rabbit in a safe place she made her way back into the thickness of spiteful plants she made each step carefully. Cautiously avoiding the various specimens that she knew would tear through her bare flesh. ”Leon” She called his name pausing to judge her surroundings. She hoped he wasn’t far and listened carefully for any reply, any clue to where he was. His answer met her ears tugging again at her emotions. It was weaker than before, a weakness she had never heard in his tone. “Leon I’m coming” She called out loudly her voice portraying the worry and fear she felt. Turning towards the place of his voice it took only moments for her to survey the obstacles she’d have to pass through. Gritting her teeth in persistence she broke off into a run. The prickling of pain in her feet as she passed over wild plants and scattered twigs was lost on her, not phasing her as she stepped over fallen logs left to rot away and dodged under the lower hanging branches that bore the need to scratch at her flesh. Besides her task the only thing she was aware of was the need to protect her injury.

The sight of him came into view and she halted, her feet digging quickly into the loose earth. Finding relief against a nearby tree she pressed her fingertips into the rough bark as she leaned into it using it to brace her winded frame. She wasn’t accustomed to running long periods of time as a woman and her lungs rose and fell painfully beneath her ribs. Struggling to regain her breath she accessed the situation. Peering into the open area beneath the tree she could see his pack beneath him. It was obvious to her this had been the source of the sound of impact. The unmistakable glint of his scimitar upon the earth nearby it drew her eyes upward to where he hung from the small tree. The craftsmanship of the trap brought back an unwelcome memory and she hissed angrily. The rope was short and knotted skillfully, but it was of cheaper quality and wasn’t designed for heavy prey like Leon. Smirking at the thought of Leon as prey briefly she stepped forward from the tree and moved towards the site of the trap. Seeing her clothing on the ground below him lit a curiosity in her as to why he had them, but it could wait . Gazing up to him she frowned at the sight of his unconscious form. This was going to be harder than she thought.

“Leon!” She screamed up at him in an attempt to shake his gravity induced slumber. His lack of movement left her screaming more anxiously “Leon, Leon wake up!” Still his limpness didn’t stir. “Ugh” She mumbled. She was relieved to see him free of immediate danger and it calmed her, making thought easier. But she was now face with a new problem. She had to get him down. He wasn’t very high up only a good four feet above her head, but it was still a decent fall. She didn’t want to have to climb the tree but she was useless on the ground. Sighing heavily she relaxed as best she could knowing the discomfort that lay in store and willed herself to morph. A loud high pitched whimper escaped her throat as four large claw wielding paws sank into the dirt. Regaining her composure she faced the tree disdainfully sinking her fore claws into the young bark. It was a decent foothold at least. Pulling as much as her weight as she could with her right side she slowly ascended the tree using her rear claws to push the rest of her body away from the ground. Slowly she neared the branch which held the rope wincing and growling miserably as she did. Unable to bear the further strain subjected to her muscles her left foot let loose of the tree. The sudden loss of half of her support system left the rest of her fighting gravity. Her claws clung desperately to her remaining hold splintering the supple bark beneath them. She was left sliding down the trunk several feet leaving behind several deep gouges in the trees surface. Her body contorted awkwardly in an attempt to catch herself and she managed to hook her claws to it once more.

Still trembling from her near encounter with the ground Tressa struggled to pull herself onto the branch containing Leon. She succeeded allowing her body to half collapse onto it. Panting from her exertion of energy and lack of adrenaline she rested momentarily before crawling forward across the limb. Her claws were hooked to it’s sides, holding her safely against it adding a sense of security she needed. Centering her weight on the branch she balanced herself like she had done many times before. Clinging to it with her back legs she allowed her front half to edge off of the limb. Swiping at the tensed rope with outstretched claws she made quick work of it. Her claws connected with it just above his entrapped foot. With a satisfying twang the tension broke, sending the majority of the rope flying upwards as gravity claimed Leon. Tressa could only watch from above as he plummeted quickly downwards before meeting the ground with a thud that made her wince. He had barely missed landing on his pack and she waited impatiently for any signs of movement from him.

by **Leon** on August 16th, 2010, 3:30 am

Strength diminished he could no longer will his voice to produce words, his face wet with the strain and sweat was no longer an issue to him. His world began to darken as the light was replaced by the blackness of his subconscious. His body hung limply above the ground below. Mind flashed with images leading him to dream. In his mind he could hear her calling his name, more anxious with the passing of time and possibly lack of his response. In his head he danced playfully upon the grass. Barefoot he found himself gazing up at the sky in wonder wishing to be up where the rich white clouds where. Leaping upwards he found himself able to soar. His body lifting up and floating, it came natural to him the feeling of flight, almost like it was part of him. He began to mesh with the tangled white and found that he was amongst the chosen few beings up in the heavens at this moment. A few birds found there place among the winds taking flight with him.

The movement of the branch jerked on the cord causing his body to move around from its hanging position. Tightening and loosing as she made headway forwards, impacting him very little in his slumber. As she neared the end and her claws cut the cord he was send plummeting from his place of entrapment back to the place he belonged. In his head he could feel the sensation and his dream was shaken as he forcefully landed nearly on his head, luckily hitting his shoulder blade first. The blow brought him back to his senses, but not the way he wanted. He looked around confused to what had happened, it was like the event had never taken place in his mind until the sight of Tressa’s beastly form lay just above him in an all too familiar looking tree. The world was blurry, his focus unable to keep images whole for very long. He had to look closely to notice a cord hanging from the tree, and the remaining bits of it attached to his ankle. His body ached in retort to his trying to move. It was only now that he began to feel the painful blow that he had obtained from his embrace with gravity. His right shoulder blade fighting his will to budge from his place of resting.

“Owe….”

He found almost completely on instinct that his left arm went to where the wound was to check if there was any blood or protruding bones. Finding neither he began to roll over his aching and unwilling body over to take the weight off his new battle scar. It was a battle alright, the same one he seemed to always fight. It was always between him gravity and the earth. The results never changed either. Carrying the marks of the defeated his pride and body tore up, bruised and wishing he had more forgiving foes to face. With a few grunts and other questionable sounds he finished his movement gathering the strength to try to push his body up. His vision starting to return brought back the full color of the world around him. He was unsure how long he was out but that all didn’t matter now. Bringing his body up pushing past the pain he got back up to his feet. It never failed that somehow she was showing him up, somehow left helping his sorry ass. This marketed one of the many moments that she would probably have to save him. Staring up at her perch he shook his head, she really did a lot for him, unneeded stuff little things that most people took for granted. This one was not that little, and though it would probably be a nice topic for later he was grateful for her help.

He let his eyes drift to the clothing that he had grabbed earlier. He was more than sure that she noticed now that he had it. The smirk touched his lips at the questions he probably would be receiving later. But for now he was concerned about how she was to get down. He figured it probably took all her strength to get up the tree to begin with. Shifting his eyes and attention to the marks in the bark told him just how much she had in fact struggled to scale his assailant’s limbs and rescue him from its clutches. A tinge of guilt bit at his already hurt pride to think how badly she was hurting at this moment. She had struggled to walk away last time and he was sure this didn’t help her situation any. He thought that could offer some help by suggesting she transform for him and jump letting him catch her naked form. His mind was littered with the thoughts of males. Leon’s hardened skin wishing for the cool softness of her touch, if only for a moment. He found the more he tried to rid the thought out of his mind the more it crept up.

Bending down he fetched the clothing and his pack once more. The weight resting on the shoulder that had not broken his fall moments earlier. He found that it left his body in an awkward position for fetching his blade. Fighting the pack he surrendered to it letting it fall back to the ground where it seemed to be content. Outreaching a hand he picked up his blade undeterred from his other gear and moved on to looking back for any signs for what Tressa was thinking of doing.

“Thank you, I hope you’re not stuck up there because of me…”

by **Tressa** on August 18th, 2010, 4:24 am

A feeling of accomplishment came over her at the sight of him moving to his feet. He was obviously sore from the fall to freedom, but she had done what she could and he was free. Though, she had a bit of a problem herself now. The climb up had been tedious enough and she had never really enjoyed the act of climbing down. Her body lay upon the tree limb, unwilling to move and feigning rest. Her eyes appearing to be the only alert thing about her as she watched Leon down below. Her mind flowed with the thoughts of needing to get down, leaving her uninterested in the clothing he held in his grasp.

“Thank you, I hope you’re not stuck up there because of me…”

She dismissed his words and proceeded to figure out her situation. Getting on her feet atop the branch was a trial in itself. Like she had done upon the ground she stood with her back legs first. The limb shook moderately with each shift of her weight place upon it testing her courage trying her confidence. Her rear claws sought a grasp on the branch as she readied herself to stand slowly lifting her upper body with the strength of her right foreleg. The change in the dispersion of weight across the branch caused it to tremble and bend under her. It frightened her and she instinctively backed away from the spot she had stood. Being closer to the trunk of the tree and rested upon the thickest portion of the tree limb it no longer bowed under her weight. She was babying her left leg now, carrying it up and refusing to place weight upon it.

Unsure of what to do she looked down to Leon for help, frozen to the spot she stood. Was he going to help her? She could jump, but she doubted her bodies ability to catch her fall and she wasn’t open to the thought of landing badly. The growling of her stomach wasn’t helping any. Her thoughts fighting their way to the rabbit that lay stashed not far away. She let out a loud roar of frustration with her eyes locked on Leon as if to say ‘You do know this is your fault, right?’ It was really only partially his fault, he hadn’t injured her, but he had tried to make himself some trapper’s prey and that was enough for her to point blame.

Her impatient need to get down was growing with every passing second and the climb down was seeming less and less deterring. Turning her head to look behind her, Tressa examined her only path to the ground. She found humor and disgust in her fear, but still she couldn’t fully shake the feeling that kept her held to the spot. She hated feeling insecure and helpless, it drove her to trying to prove something to herself. Now was one of those times. Balancing herself the best she could Tressa turned on the branch. As her front shifted to face the tree she hooked her claws into the bark once more, holding herself steady until her back legs were settled once more. Using her remaining strength she fought to bring her back legs to the trunk of the tree. The weight on her claws made her grip questionable as she bear hugged the tree.

She stalled, clinging stationary to the tree and taking her time to muster the gumption to progress down. Gravity didn’t seem to be as patient, the downward pull that held all living things was against her now and she could feel her claws sliding slowly and uncomfortably through the bark as she slipped downwards. She couldn’t find the strength to dig her claws any deeper and instead allowed herself to slide while clinging desperately. The friction was begging to affect her pads, stripping away their toughened surface and the roughness sent pain into her feet.

Her speed of descent was gaining as the ground grew nearer, perhaps by gravity’s pull or maybe by her damaged claws lack of ability to endure further abuse. Just as she began to welcome the thought of letting go her back feet hit earth. Immediately she released the tree from her grasp, lifting her left paw to protect it from her weight. It took only moments for her to seek out the energy required to turn towards where Leon stood. Her body trembled from the turmoil it had ensued and her eyes focused on him. She couldn’t speak her mind but she had a mouthful to say.

by **Leon** on August 30th, 2010, 11:14 pm

The drumbeat of his heart pounded on the inside of his shoulder blade. The sensation sending the painful remembrance of the more than recent fall cascading though the depths of his mind. As if he had time to have forgotten it to begin with. Eagerly he stared at the defiant Tressa, who was so bent on doing things herself. He had noticed that she never rarely needed him for much. In her tiger form she was so self absorbed, but that was probably do to the fact that she was in fact awesome and really didn’t in fact need him. As cruel as it was he loved seeing how helpless she was not that she was a little more hurt. It made him feel as though his life had a little meaning. He shook free the thoughts of his head, it was just the bitterness of the rabbit that was getting to him. The fact that he was never good enough to do anything right, always getting caught up in some damn trap, some situation that he never fully understood, it just left him sore and more than just his shoulder.

The small growl that escaped her muzzle felt more like a curse to him. Shaking his head he let the words he wanted to say flow into his mind, not daring to let there coaxing tone pass over his tongue. It was nice of her to even take the time to get him down so he at least owed her the respect not to make fun of her lack of wanting help. But once again he knew that she was probably use to it, and that it was programmed in her nature to not need others so much. As for him he had always been use to being alone, but ever since her. He felt like he couldn’t even breath with out her say so in the matter. That’s women for you.

The weight of the pack was growing on him and it was apparent that she was still making up her mind how she was going to come down. He let the weight shift once more from his muscles to the solid earth. The larger pack landing upon the earth with an almost nonexistent sound. He let his body follow collecting itself right beside the gears. The dirt merging with his clothing as he numbly looked on. Watching with a mild interest he tried to find some bit of guilt at the pain she was going though. It was more than apparent that she was struggling with her climb down. She was positioned wrong and was apparently trying to figure out what the hell to do growing frustrated and possibly even more annoyed with him.

The branch bowed under her weight. A part of him wanted to see what they say about cats was in fact true. He watched with ready eyes waiting for the snap of the branch that never came. A smile played on his lips as she finally wizened up and turned around on the branch. This looked to be a lot easier than it probably really was. Placing his hands against his cheeks he continued to look upon her knowing that she was to soon start scaling down the tree. Boredom was filling his thoughts now as he waited what seemed to be forever for her to start backing down the tree. He was starting to think that she was scared of heights the way she constantly looked down weighing what she had to do and how far it was. After the wait has come to a close he took notice that her claws found there placement in the bark. The battle between them being shown by the marks she left behind, as gravity took its toll on her weak heavy body. It was a struggle that she was dealing with. He was sure that the injury that she had received earlier was paining her even more now as she fought back the force of falling. Something told him he was going to pay dearly when she got back down on ground.

Giving a shrug, he began rising his tired sore body up. Something told him that he didn’t want to be sitting when she came to greet him. Placing his right hand out he touched the ground that rested beneath his underside. Displacing the weight he tightened his muscles and used the strength his legs that had gathered to push his body back upright. Standing full height he dusted his now exposed side off just as her back paws hit the ground. The realization that she was once again on solid earth made her turn towards him. Something in the way her eyes held him told him that she was not very happy with the way things just happened.

“Have a good climb down did we.”

It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say but for some reason he felt the need to say something to end her glaring at him, which only seemed to get worse after his careless comment. Turning from her he picked up his gear and kept a firm grasp on her clothing. He didn’t want her transforming now; he would never hear the end of it. He was pretty sure that he wouldn’t hear the end of it already.