Okavango

[Genie]

Maji stood tall and showed the way as he had been asked to do.. yet he wondered how exactly he could stand tall when he was short.

[blaqknoise]

"Maybe we could just casually talk about... what ever. It might calm her down a bit. So... anything you wanna talk about?"

"I have nothing. I've already asked you about your history, and I can't think of anything more I could ask."

Basilisk looked over to the white lioness and then back at Sera. He didn't know what else they could do while they waited for Meri to calm down, so he just sat there hoping that Sera could think of something.

[dakota]

Jabari moved slowly so the cub wouldn't fall off as he didn't have all the fur that Karensha had on her that Maji snuggled into and gripped.

Over to his left he could see the snake devouring some food, seemed like she had breakfast all taken care of. Before he could help himself, his mouth had opened and out came the remark that he had been thinking.

" I hope when you finish digesting that thing and it passes through properly, you'll be be downwind from us, that things looks nasty with what you are doing to it."

Clamping his mouth shut, the cheetah for some reason started to walk faster towards where the cave was, wanting to see what had happened and what this fight was about with karensha again, looked like he'd be getting no peace with all these females together with different temperaments, but Basilisk.. from what he'd seen, he thought him and the snow leopard were getting along fine.

Stopping outside the cave entrance, Jabari tilted his head, his ears upright listening..all was quiet. Giving a small sigh he moved into the dark and cool cave, pausing when he saw Sera and the lion sitting there staring at the white lioness, but she in turn had her back to them and was hunched over facing the wall, by the looks..trying to block them and everything else out.

" I know Meri has an amazing colour to her body, but think it might get a it boring staying there and staring at her back view.... Anyone want to fill me in on what's been happening?"

[Kirsui]

Kabechet saw movement from the corner of her eye, and twisted her body slightly so that she could see what was coming at her. When she saw the cheetah, she relaxed slightly and continued swallowing the smaller snake.

" I hope when you finish digesting that thing and it passes through properly, you'll be be downwind from us, that things looks nasty with what you are doing to it."

The cobra released a small hiss at Jabari's words, but since her mouth was full of snake, she couldn't really reply. When she finally finished swallowing, the cheetah was already gone.

---

" I know Meri has an amazing colour to her body, but think it might get a it boring staying there and staring at her back view.... Anyone want to fill me in on what's been happening?"

Sera turned to look at Jabari and narrowed her eyes slightly. She glanced at Basilisk before she answered.

"Karensha is what is happening", she said with slight annoyance.
"We got Meri to talk, then she comes in and scares her. Now she's back at the state when she joined us."

[dakota]

"Karensha is what is happening. We got Meri to talk, then she comes in and scares her. Now she's back at the state when she joined us."

" Did Karensha say why she was speaking to Meri like that ? did you stop and think maybe she was worried about all your safety and needed information so she could be assured that nothing or no one else could come here that might hurt any of you.?"

Pausing, Jabari looked first at Sera and then Basilisk, keeping his eyes on the male.

" You were with her, when instead of letting 'danger' come to us all, she took action and went to find out what it was and then she dealt with it.... you don't think she might have been doing the same thing here, but she just wasn't delicate' enough with Meri in her haste ?"

The cheetah switched from looking at Basilisk back to the cheelion.

"And you Sera... what is it about Karensha that really bothers you ? From what little she has told me about herself I don't think she knows much about dithering around, but has been taught to get straight to the matter."

Jabari stopped talking , reached back and lowered Maji to the ground, placing him between the two and stepped closer to where Meri still had her back turned to them all. Keeping a gap between himself and the lioness, he was now level with her. Keeping his voice calm and low he tried to get her attention.

"Meri... it's Jabari... you need to come away fom the wall and calm down a little. I don't know what she said or did, but she wasn't trying to hurt you, in fact I would say she's out there now somewhere trying to protect you. It's just that karensha doesn't have a strong point on politeness sometimes.. that's all."

Straightening up Jabari looked over at the cub who was staring back at him and Meri, and bent down to the lioness again.

" The cub is worried about you, he doesn't know what to do. Karensha made me bring him back to be with you, while she went off scouting around.....Meri ?"

[Genie]

Maji tilted his head on side watching Jabari whisper to Meri, not quite sure what was being talked about. He waited a bit and then walked between them both and stood there looking at Meri in the eyes, waiting and watching what she was gonna do.

[blaqknoise]

"I know Meri has an amazing colour to her body, but think it might get a it boring staying there and staring at her back view.... Anyone want to fill me in on what's been happening?"

"Karensha is what is happening. We got Meri to talk, then she comes in and scares her. Now she's back at the state when she joined us."

Basilisk stayed silent. Sera had already pretty much answered the question and was right to the point.

"Did Karensha say why she was speaking to Meri like that ? did you stop and think maybe she was worried about all your safety and needed information so she could be assured that nothing or no one else could come here that might hurt any of you?"

Basilisk couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Did Jabari think they were stupid? Of course they knew she was worried about the safety of everyone, but she was trying to get information in the wrong manner.

"You were with her, when instead of letting 'danger' come to us all, she took action and went to find out what it was and then she dealt with it.... you don't think she might have been doing the same thing here, but she just wasn't delicate' enough with Meri in her haste ?"

"You insult my intelligence, Jabari." Basilisk said sternly, "You think that I didn't know why she talked to Meri in the way that she did? You are quite wrong if you do. It's just that the way she tried to get the information from Meri was the wrong way to do it. Let me give you a small analogy: When you hunt, you must be stealthy. When you are in a one on one fight, you have to be aggressive. Basically I am saying that just because a certain strategy works for one situation doesn't mean it'll work for all of them."

[dakota]

Jabari, still hadn't got Meri to answer him and turned to Basilisk as he talked.

You insult my intelligence, Jabari, You think that I didn't know why she talked to Meri in the way that she did? You are quite wrong if you do. It's just that the way she tried to get the information from Meri was the wrong way to do it. Let me give you a small analogy: When you hunt, you must be stealthy. When you are in a one on one fight, you have to be aggressive. Basically I am saying that just because a certain strategy works for one situation doesn't mean it'll work for all of them."

Jaabri just about rolled his eyes back at him, but kept his composure. His eyes darted to Sera who was standing quietly beside the male, he was surprised she hadn't added more to the conversation, looking from her his eyes connected back with Basilisk.

"I'm not insulting your intelligence, maybe you need to learn with females to peel back the layers and look deeper, especially with Karensha. From what I've learned by listening to her and watching,is she doesn't know how to interact properly where emotions are concerned, she only does what she's been trained for, maybe you would be wise to learn more about her, you can tell by the way she cares for the cub, it's a new learning experience for the leopard.

Jabari saw the expressions cross the males face.
"I'm not excusing her , if she has hurt Meri, I'm just stating a fact.. Sefu is out with her now, maybe he'll keep his ears and mind open and learn things for himself."

[blaqknoise]

"I'm not insulting your intelligence, maybe you need to learn with females to peel back the layers and look deeper, especially with Karensha. From what I've learned by listening to her and watching,is she doesn't know how to interact properly where emotions are concerned, she only does what she's been trained for, maybe you would be wise to learn more about her, you can tell by the way she cares for the cub, it's a new learning experience for the leopard. I'm not excusing her , if she has hurt Meri, I'm just stating a fact.. Sefu is out with her now, maybe he'll keep his ears and mind open and learn things for himself."

Basilisk let out a sigh. Jabari didn't know as much as he thought he did, and it would take some explaining to get him to see that Basilisk and Sera weren't in the wrong. It was obvious he was taking Karensha's side in this.

"You think I don't know that?" Basilisk asked the cheetah, "I'm not blind Jabari. I can see how she is treating the cub, and I know she has many different sides. As you said before, I went out with her to help her with the "problem" and I know a lot more about her than you think because of that. That's why I stopped her and told her what I did before she left with Sefu. She needs to know that you can't interact with everybody the same way, and that with Meri there is a specific way to get information from her. I know about her past, and I learned as much about it as she is willing to tell. Just because she was raised in a particular way doesn't mean you should just say "Oh, that's just how she does things because that's how she was raised." Like I said, she needs to know that her way isn't going to work all the time, and this thing with Meri is an excellent example of that."

[dakota]

"And as I said.. I'm not excusing Karensha's behaviour towards Meri... yes she does have to learn some diplomacy, but I'm also not blaming it all on her."

Jabari looked past Basilisk and the cheelion and stared out the cave entrance wondering what had happened to his peaceful exsistance. Were they all destined to be together for some reason or were they just passing through each others lives.

Looking back the cheetah sighed a little.
"Everyone want to stay here or you want to see what the male and Karensha are upto... This probably will take a while for Meri to calm down."

Sidling in closer to the lioness, Jabari took a chance and bought up a paw and gently stroked the small female down her spine a few times, letting her get used to his touch and then using both paws he took hold of her body and drew her back from the wall, whispering calming words, hoping she realised he wasn't out to hurt her at all.

[Kirsui]

Meri hadn't reacted much to what was going on. She had been vaguely aware that Jabari had spoken to her, but she had been determined to pull herself away from it all. At one point she had caught the cub staring at her, but she had just turned her head away and hidden her face from the cub.

The discussion went on, and for a while she relaxed slightly and felt relieved that they had left her alone.

However, when she felt someone touch her, she tensed again. She was being tugged away from the wall and from the safety of her solitude. She didn't like how she was forced away from how she wanted to be right now, and so she struggled against the hold and whimpered in distress.

---

Sera had remained quiet during Jabari and Basilisk's discussion. She thought Jabari was being slightly stubborn, but if this was how the cheetah wanted to behave, then fine.

"Everyone want to stay here or you want to see what the male and Karensha are upto... This probably will take a while for Meri to calm down.

Sera's eyes narrowed when the cheetah moved closer to Meri. Noticing the lioness' distress, she sighed in frustration.

"She doesn't seem to like your touch, Jabari" she said rather angrily.
"How about you too leave her alone for a moment? Otherwise she'll never calm down enough to talk to us again."

[epppe]

Sefu just watched as Karensha was inspecting the dead cub and the area around the corpse. Most of the stuff she was doing just seemed like it was extra work to him, but was probably for the best that she did it. He then noticed that the leopard was staring at him which made him wonder what she was thinking.

"So what do you think Sefu ? any idea of why he was out here alone and why he's looking like he does ?"

"I wouldn't know for sure," Sefu replied as he looked back down to the cab, "I'm a bit more curious of whether or not your cub is related to this one and if the lioness had anything to do with it."

Looking back up at Karensha, he just shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I'm not much use when it comes to investigating things."

[dakota]

"She doesn't seem to like your touch, Jabari ,How about you too leave her alone for a moment? Otherwise she'll never calm down enough to talk to us again."

Jabari pulled his paws away quickly from the lioness as she started to struggle, followed by a whimper and stepped back, his gaze going to Sera and Basilisk.
Hanging his head and dropping his gaze away from them, the cheetah walked past and headed out of the cave, leaving behind the cub he was meant to be lookng after for Karensha and headed back to the waterhole.

Not really noticing what was in his pathway, he pulled himself up short as he nearly ran into Kabechet. Eyeing her carefully, he couldn't help let slip what he was thinking.

"Looks like I'm not wanted here any more.... think we can both be outcasts together?"

Not really wanting an answer, Jabari kept walking till the front of his paws felt the water lapping at them, walked a short way then lowered himself to the ground, staring out into nowhere.

[blaqknoise]

"How about you too leave her alone for a moment? Otherwise she'll never calm down enough to talk to us again."

After Sera spoke Jabari stepped back, hung his head and walked out. Basilisk rolled his eyes and thought it was pathetic that it was so easy to upset the cheetah. They hadn't even said anything to upset him, other than Sera telling him to leave Meri alone, but there was a good reason for why she said it.

Basilisk noticed that Jabari had left the cub with them as he sulked away. It probably wasn't the greatest move on the cheetahs part, as the cub didn't like Basilisk very much.

"You should probably take care of the cub," he told Sera, "he isn't too fond of me."

[dakota]

"I wouldn't know for sure, I'm a bit more curious of whether or not your cub is related to this one and if the lioness had anything to do with it."

Karensha listened to Sefu's reply when she asked him what his opinion was to do with the mauled cub... interesting she thought that he included Meri into the equation of things.

"I guess I'm not much use when it comes to investigating things."

Giving the male a small smile, she knew she had to explain what she was doing, as to anyone watching her would think she was strange.

" I'm sure you would do fine if you had to Sefu. As for me, well there are things that I've been trained or made if you like, to do by my father.
His son, my brother died when he was little, so I was groomed to take his place, shall we say, and learning to track by different methods was beaten into me regularly... I therefore learnt quickly to pay attention and absorb, so it might seem... strange with what I do, but most times it brings me the results I'm looking for."

Watching his face for a moment longer, Karensha then glanced away looking out onto the many lakes and islands surrounding them, her head tilting up when a flock of birds rose suddenly into the air.

"I want to take a look around a bit further at things... you want to come along or you ready to go back and have your granny nap ?"

Grinning Karensha stood staring at Sefu once more.

[Kirsui]

"You should probably take care of the cub, he isn't too fond of me."

Sera glanced at Basilisk with a faint smile.
"You'll keep Karensha off my back then", she said.
"Otherwise she'll skin me alive for touching Maji."

The cheelion was uncertain how to proceed with the cub. For all she knew, Maji had been afraid of her since the first time they had met. A direct approach might scare him.

She smiled then when an idea hit her. She wasn't all too far away from Maji, and so she sat down. She kept an eye on Maji as she began to flick her tail not too far away from the cub's face, clearly trying to make the cub interested of the twitching tuft of black fur.

---

Kabechet blinked her eyes when she sensed someone approaching. To her surprise it was Jabari, who had a less than pleased expression on his scarred face.

"Looks like I'm not wanted here any more.... think we can both be outcasts together?"

His words surprised her and so she didn't reply right away. Instead she watched him walked away and settled down.

The snake glanced around, and when she saw nothing interesting, she approached Jabari, not even trying to be silent about her moves so that Jabari would hear her coming. She curled up not too far from Jabari, watching him in silence.

"There wass another ssnake", she said finally, not commenting on Jabari's previous words.

"It wass hunting. I thought it better to ssee it dead."

[dakota]

Jabari lay there thinking about Meri, he thought she had begun to trust him, it was he that looked after her when they first came across her, and now it was all thrown out the door, and she was turning to Basilisk, all she could do was shake off his touch while she trembled.

His ears twitched a little as he heard the snake come closer to him, wondering what she wanted.
"There wass another ssnake, It wass hunting. I thought it better to ssee it dead."

Jabari bought up his head and returned her look
" Well that was good of you kabechet, a convenient breakfast at the same time."
Turning away, about to ignore her, the cheetah took a second look, a good one that encompassed her from top to the end of her tail.

"Kabachet.. what do you really hope to find here ?"

[Kirsui]

" Well that was good of you kabechet, a convenient breakfast at the same time."

The snake chuckled slightly and watched with mild curiosity as the cheetah began to turn away from her when he suddenly stopped and took a better look at her. She waited patiently and let him examine her, wondering what it was that the cheetah saw.

"Kabachet.. what do you really hope to find here ?"

She was slightly surprised by his question, but firmly kept her face blank. She flicked her tongue out as she thought, then she finally gave a slight, shrugging motion with her body.

"Curiossity iss an interessting thing, iss it not?" she said.

"It iss the reasson why I am here now, why I sstill remain even though it iss clear that none of you really want me here."

She chuckled, shaking her head.

"I am never welcome anywhere though, sso thiss little group'ss behaviour doess not bother me. For now I do intend to keep watch over thingss, I am rather ssure none of you want other.. ah... more aggressssive ssnakes here."

[epppe]

"I want to take a look around a bit further at things... you want to come along or you ready to go back and have your granny nap ?"

Sefu just let out a small laugh when he heard the term "Granny Nap". He's never heard a nap be called that before so he just couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess I'll just follow you some more. Should be more interesting then taking a granny nap."

Sefu then looked over at Karensha to see that she was staring at him yet again. It always made him uncomfortable when someone is staring at him.

"You should probably lead the way then since I don't know what you are looking out for." He said so she would quit staring at him.

[dakota]

"I guess I'll just follow you some more. Should be more interesting than taking a granny nap"

Karensha grinned some more at his reply, seemed like she was going to have some company after all. For some reason she kept staring at him, her eyes glancing over his body and then back up, resting once again on his hook shaped scar. When she saw him move a little she dropped her gaze, embarrassed that he caught her staring.

"You should probably lead the way then since I don't know what you are looking out for..

Lowering her eyelashes quickly, Karensha just nodded, not wanting to see if he was annoyed , it seemed this was about the third or fourth time she had been caught staring at him, she'd better watch herself or he might start avoiding her.,with Basilisk he never seemed too concerned with how she reacted or what she said, he always had a come back. She was just beginning to enjoy his quirky comments and now he had withdrawn.

Moving away from where the remains of the cub lay, Karensha moved back down towards where she thought the birds had been resting before something startled them, making them move on.
Pushing through the undergrowth, Karensha's head came up and she sniffed at the air, smiling as the morning breeze shuffled through her fur tuft. Trying to sneak a look back at the lion coming behind her, she foolishly didn't lift her front paw high enough and it caught between two branches throwing her to the ground landing on her front.

Never before had she been caught out in this position, here she was lying face down trying to untangle her paws and there was silence behind her.