Something Exotic

[Tinmad]

<The birds quieted in the trees above, peering down with mingled alarm and curiosity in absolutely silence. Squirrels bounded for the upper boughs, hiding amongst the leaves and not even daring to chatter. Even the insects seemed to know that they should keep away. There was something strange in the forest today, something large, formidable, and distinctively alien. Never before had such a creature walked the land, and any creature who had lived in the forest for any length of time knew it.
Its pelt was a brilliant orange hue, marked with dark bands of black, all fading to a pale, creamy-white hue below. Its paws left tracks in the moist earth so massive that even the largest predators around could fit their entire track within just the palmar pad-print. It moved with the fluid, rolling, muscular grace that all powerful predators tended to have. Wild, feral eyes surveyed the surroundings calmly and coldly, looking for the next victim...
Or so it might have looked to a prey animal. In actuality, Tinmad was frightened, confused, and alone. The tiger had gone from being a well-loved housepet, to a forgotten and feared prisoner in a back yard, and now to an abandoned, lonely, displaced creature, an anomaly in a strange land. No matter how unnatural, living in a home with a family and other pets was the only thing she'd ever experienced, the only thing that felt right to her. The crippling lonliness, the uncertainty of where her next meal would come from, and the lack of security offered by the strange, open area. Indeed, for such a "fearless predator," Tinmad was distinctively frightened, confused, and alone.>

[Aphten]

How strange it was that two lithe and strip-ed carnivores were walking through the same section of bewildering wilderness, yearning for the lost company of humans and other animals.

Aphten the brindled greyhound--on second thought quite admittedly different than the dangerously nearby tiger--found herself doubling back through the same stretch of territory she'd wandered through days before. Ever since she had been so coldly dumped in this forsaken land, the timid canine had spent her days not searching for food, but dodging the scents of the hidden creatures who dwelled here. There was fear and strangeness dwelling somewhere, and the hours were spent fearing that she would find it, or it would find her. After several days of this, with little food or rest, she was finding than she was steadily losing alertness and strength.

And so, even with all of her careful scouting, she failed to detect the giant feline slinking nearby. Large predators had the tendency to be less visible and smellable than one would expect. It wasn't until Aphten sluggishly stumbled into the same clearing--setting of alarm cries from the already startled birds--did she spot the tiger.

The cold terror that poured through her body was every bit as terrible and shocking as she had imagined it to be, but the horrid fascination was unplanned. She found herself rooted to the spot after giving one alarmed woof, staring dead into the eyes of a giant beast. The weakness in her limbs seemed to snake up her bones and begin to strangle her, the dizziness from before making the ground appear to buckle underneath her. Her surroundings suddenly felt as unearthly as the foreign monster before her, and she couldn't bring herself to move one muscle, even in the face of her fear.

[Tinmad]

<Tinmad had paused in her tracks, hearing the distinct sound of paws on the forest floor. It wasn't the gait of a wild animal; wild animals tended to swing their legs together, making one pace out of two. This animal walked different. Four steps, not in line. A domesticated gait. A dog's gait. Immediately interested - nay, hopeful - the tigress sniffed the air, tentative. She didn't want to have her theory shattered, because it meant the only chance she had of possible companionship would be shattered. The forest was terrified of her, but so far as she was concerned, dogs shouldn't be. After all, she'd lived with them all her life.
It was a dog. The tigress was instantly pleased, whiskers perking fowards and head raised alertly. There was a rustling in the brush, and Tinmad waited, poised to await the arrival of the animal. And then it appeared... and my, what a strange looking dog. She had to sniff the air twice to confirm it, even. It had a practically skeletal appearence, legs long bony. Its muzzle looked like it had been stretched out, like some giant yanked upon its face as a pup. That paired with the short brindled pelt and small, curled ears made this creature a far different image of a dog than the german shepherd and laborador retriever she'd been raised with.
Then, after confirming that the creature was a dog, she became a little more observant. For example, in addition to being clearly canine, it was a terrified canine. This was puzzling. Tinmad paused, turning to look over her shoulder once. Hmm. Nothing there. She cast another glance skywards. Nothing but some spooked birds and a whole mess of leaves. She had to admit, she liked having some trees overhead, instead of just being in a cage. At any rate, back to the dog. The only thing around that could possibly be scary was... Oh.>
"I don't eat... dogs."
<She finally said quietly, after a long pause, then averted her gaze slightly. It was a threat amongst felines to make direct eye contact, and she assumed it carried over on to dogs. Perhaps she'd be less intimidating if she didn't stare. However, she didn't realize that it would be appropriate to crouch down; this typically preceeded a threat in felines, a precoursor to a lunge or other offensive move. So, she maintained a fairly tall and confident stance, probably not the best for a fearful dog>

[Aphten]

Aphten's first thought when seeing the cat look over its shoulder was, 'Oh, god, are there more?' since she figured looking back for its companions would be the only reason for it. But no other tigers or similarly terrible creatures came bounding out of the forest, and she continued to survive longer than she'd thought she would.

Then, after a curious look to the sky, the tiger spoke. It took the greyhound a moment to double-check but, yes, it did indeed speak. To her. If she had noticed that she had taken an involuntary step backwards, realizing she could move again, she would have turned tail and ran. But she didn't, and so she stood still-transfixed by the monster before her. It was a good thing that the cat both averted its eyes and did not crouch down, because though a dog might consider lowering one's body to be a sign of submission among its own kind, seeing a larger predator crouch down would be something to worry about.
In her fear and confusion, Apthen stammered out one rather embarrassingly clumsy word.

"...Wha..w-what?"

[Tinmad]

<A deep frown was making its way across Tinmad's refined and predatory features. Her rounded ears lowered slightly, drawing back in uncertainty. For reasons white wholly unknown to her very guarded life and under-developed logic, this dog - an animal that so far as she knew should be comfortable with tigers - seemed completely and utterly terrified of her. Granted, the dog's allready-gaunt frame, large soulful eyes, and look of being rather completely lost in the world did not help, but the fear was still obvious. The tigress could hear the dog's blood pounding through its body, smell the change in chemistry that comes with a release of adrenaline. The fact that it hadn't run would have been admirable were it no so very troubling.
Then the timid creature finally spoke, though it was nothing very impressive. The dog seemed to be in some state of confusion or disbelief, stammering out a one-word answer that, in Tinmad's mind, was a scrutiny of her honesty. This was a little bothersome; her tail lashed slowly at her hocks. Why would the dog have trouble believing her? Hadn't she been raised around tigers? Didn't she at least know of dogs who had? Perhaps the brindled dog was a simpleton, having trouble understanding simple statements like her own. That being the tigress's ultimate verdict, she opted to repeat her words, slower this time.>
"I said... I - don't - eat - dogs."
<She then paused, waiting for a response and hoping the dog got the message this time. If not, she was going to make tiresome company quickly>

[Aphten]

When the tiger began to look rather annoyed, Aphten has to struggle not to outright panic. The thought of running was gone now, but only for the simple fact that if the tiger hadn't attacked now it surely would if the dog went to bolt away. And though Aphten was a very fast animal, the fact that she hadn't been much of a winner at the track had put doubts of her own skill in her mind. And the cat was huge! Surely such a giant would have no problem catching even the fastest of dogs, in Aphten's mind anyway.

The greyhound was having trouble coming up with things to say to the big cat. Somehow, conversation just didn't seem the thing to do when your life was seriously in danger. Taking one tentative step backwards, Aphten again struggled to put into words the doubt she was feeling. She had the distinct feeling that the tiger was trying to trick her...or something.

"W-what do you eat, then? ...Horses?"

That had to be it! It normally ate larger creatures, but was still dangerous and maybe only toyed with dogs.

[Tinmad]

<Tinmad was starting to wonder if the dog was stupid, or if it was trying to make her look stupid. Obviously, big cats ate meat given to them by humans. Sure, she could probably catch meat, but if she did, she sure wouldn't be catching any dogs to get it. She'd probably catch... well, she supposed those skinny hoofed things that sometimes ran through the back yard to eat out of the garden would do. She didn't know what those were per say, but they smelled like they might be edible. And, whenever they were in the yard, the dogs started barking and chasing them, and the humans started yelling. This suggested they were a potential prey animal as well, simply ones that could hop over the fence before the dogs could get out the door to capture them. She supposed out here, she could eat those, as she was rather faster than a dog and there was no cage holding her back.
But horses? She didn't recognize the word. Perhaps the hoofed things were horses? Horses had in "h" in it, just like hooves. Yes, the dog must have been speaking of them. Instead of sounding stupid asking what horses were, she could just give him a reply, since horses logically must have been the hoofed things. Then, it would be clear to the dog that she didn't eat dogs, but rather only ate things that dogs also surely considered prey. She'd have to find some soon, actually, considering that she was starting to become rather hungry with all this thought of food.>
"Yes horses, when there isn't meat around that is. Have you seen any horses here? I have been rather hungry today."

[Aphten]

Aphten felt her stomach turn and then drop suddenly. Her head followed the perceived motion, ducking in horror with her little rosebud ears plastered backwards along her neck. One more tentative step backwards as she stumbled to conjure up a response.

"Uh...hungry? Y-yeah. I've seen some horses around. Big fat ones. D-don't run too fast."

Throwing her last bit of hope into the ridiculous ruse, she did her best to straighten up and seem confident in her answer. Being as frightened as she was however, it didn't turn out so hot. But, also being as timid as she was, it might have been played off as just part of her skittish personality.

"I-I woulda gone after them myself, but they're too big...you know. I'm more of a r-rabbit hunter myself."

She attempted a smile then, a weak thing with too many teeth. A little awkward, but she was trying her best. In her mind, her life was depending on it.

[Rashmi]

:It so happened that Tinmad wasn’t the only large predator ‘prowling’ the woods. Rashmi, the lioness, regarded the world from awe-struck eyes, weaving between trees, sniffing at moss, snapping at bugs and tracking the flight of birds. She was completely uninterested in chasing any of the animals around her, all too fascinated by their diversity, always moving on, even when her stomach grumbled at her that her last meal had been a small one, too long ago, and that some of the things she was seeing looked very meaty. All her stomach’s urgings gained was more fierce snaps at any insects dim enough to get so close to the tawny beast.
:It had been about half a day since she had been released, and still the lion had not wearied of observing the world- she was, however, becoming increasingly anxious that no-one had stopped to talk to her. Everything ran. The rabbits, the birds, the squirrels, and the one deer- she understood why they ran. They looked like prey, moved like prey, made a neglected little instinct in the back of her name labeled ‘Predator’ blink bleary eyes and stretch and yawn. Many animals she saw, however, did not look like prey- a very confused grey wolf, for one, a blur in the trees that she couldn’t identify, what might have been a bear that swiftly lumbered away.
:It was all very depressing, really. The bear of the menagerie had mentioned that all animals fled before his footsteps, but Rashmi had thought ‘all animals’ had meant the mean ones, the prey, the cowards. It seemed that everything was fleeing from not only her footsteps, but her scent and the sight of her, too. The female sighed, becoming increasingly depressed. At which point, a scent tickled her nose that was quite familiar- that of another big cat, a tiger. This one smelt different from the one she had lived beside at the zoo, but the familiar musky scent made the lioness grin happily. She barely noticed the dog-scent, the tiger-scent far more important and far stronger.
:The lioness bounded forward a few steps, and then slowed, not wishing to startle or offend, poking her head into the clearing with a wide, toothy grin plastered across her face. Her first thought was that the tiger looked very, very odd, and very, very frightened. Golden eyes traveled up. She felt vaguely embarrassed- obviously, there were two creatures in the clearing, one a tigress, the other a small wolf-like predator of some sort, granted a very odd, bony one. Rashmi observed the dog cowering, the tigress looking a bit annoyed. Could the tigress be hunting the thin little wolf? That made no sense. The bear had said that wolves occasionally ate bear cubs, or even killed black bears, could actually be quite formidable. Rashmi couldn’t imagine such a fierce creature cowering from a big cat. Anyways, the tigress didn’t look particularly aggressive, or hungry, just a bit exasperated.
“’Lo there?” The female asked, ears cocked, whiskers forward in an inquisitive manner. She took another rolling step towards the dog, hoping she didn’t startle it too badly- she was, after all, approaching from behind, something that simple etiquette generally forbid. Well, she couldn't help it, now.:

[Tinmad]

<Tinmad was starting to get the impression that the dog was being dishonest with her, though considering the fact that she just lied about her purported horse hunting habits, it was very much the pot calling the kettle black. It was probably the comment about the fat, slow horses; it sounded just like what it was: an excuse to get her to leave. Thus, her mood soured somewhat, ears flicking back momentarily. If the dog did not want her company, it should just say so. Unless it was...
Oh.
She then realized why the dog was behaving so queerly. It was terrified; she recognized it now, the fastness of its pounding heart, its wide and exploring eyes. She hadn't seen fear in dogs before, being raised alongside them, but she had seen that look in the eyes of men. Even her liberators, with all of their great love of animals, had quickened in pulse and gasped upon seeing her great, fierce face. Immediately her anger towards the dog dissolved, and she now felt only a hint of sadness. She didn't understand why everything was terrified of her, but it was frustrating.
Perhaps, however, not everything found her intimidating. Soon, heavy footfalls were audible through the forest, and as Tinmad raised her muzzle skywards and tested the breeze, she was dissapointed to find that the winds were not in her favor. She would have to wait and see whatever was coming first hand. Hopefully, whatever it was wasn't agressive.
When those feral, feline orbs appeared through the trees, the tigress tensed. Tigers were not, by nature, a friendly species when it came to others of their kind, and allthough Tinmad was unusually sociable for a tigress, the sight of other felines always filled her with a nervous mix of agression and fear. Granted, she'd experienced little other than housecats where she'd come from, but regardless of the species, they made her uncomfortable.
This was certainly no housecat. The massive golden beast was of a species wholly unknown to her, in fact, with a very foreign smell. It was female, that much she could tell, but it had no stripes or other discernable markings. It seemed friendly enough, not hissing or bristling, and its eyes seemed calm. Indeed, a peaceful, inquisitive greeting soon confirmed for her that the lioness's intentions were benign. Tinmad offered her own cautious greeting in reply, one ear cocked back and her tail twitching lightly at her hocks>
"Greetings there..."

[Aphten]

When a second voice snuck up on her from behind, the greyhound nearly jumped out of her own skin. Whining sharply, Aphten scrunched up her back and wheeled around on those impossibly thin legs like a spider. Saucer-like eyes stared transfixed on this new giant, a majestic golden one with a wide-grinning maw. Caught nearly directly between the meeting of the two cats, Aphten found herself doubly terrified as well as frozen. Standing stock-still in an odd sort of hunched stance, her only sign of life were the dark eyes that darted from one feline to the other, and her ribs which swiftly quaked with each frightened breath.

She was most certainly willing herself to become invisible, or at least unnoticed as a meal. Trying her best to straighten up after a tense moment, she tried to calm down and stand there as a statue might: unobtrusive, observant, and lifeless. If the two predators conversed with each other and lost interest in her, then all the better. Sneaking away was a little out of the question at the moment, being that she was stuck right between them, but she would wait and hopefully live long enough to see an opening for escape.

[Rashmi]

:Rashmi recoiled in uncertainty, muscles tensed as she readied to flee. The tigress’ original aggression surprised and offended her- here she was, being pleasant and friendly, and the other feline’s first reaction was to become hostile. The lioness’ tail twitched in agitation and anxiety during the short wait between her arrival and the other cat’s words. The striped cat did eventually return her greeting, however, and that was pleasant enough. Quite a bit more formal than her own hail, though Rashmi decided to take that as shyness rather than any unpleasantness. Her smile returned, but was now unsure.
“Uh-“ how did one even respond to something like ‘greetings there’? “Right. Didn’t mean to intrude. I just arrived a day or so ago and was looking for a friendly face. Name’s Rashmi.” Ears fell back, and the fae shuffled uncomfortably in place, feeling too much like a kitten caught in some nasty act, perhaps having been heckling an elder, only to be found out (or have said elder chew her face off). This unpleasant feeling was swept away as Rashmi’s eyes fell on the greyhound, however- why be glum when acquaintances were to be made? Surely this quivering little creature would prove to be less unreceptive than the other cat - if nothing else, it would be too terrified to be belligerent. Curt, maybe, but not belligerent. Thus, the lioness smiled broadly at the small light-brindle dog.
“Oh, I don’t mean to be rude to you- hello, little canine.” She said it slowly and clearly, as if expecting the dog to be dumb or deaf- with her only experience with canines being a pack of senile and in-bred wolves at her original menagerie home, it was no wonder. Half the time, shouting with minute-long pauses between syllables wouldn’t get the point across with them.:

[Aphten]

Her immediate reaction at being addressed by the new giant creature was a blinding "I've been spotted!" scream in her mind, which she couldn't help but feel entirely foolish for. Of course it had seen her. She was standing right in between the two of them.

But, again, the uncomfortably-foreign friendliness caught her off guard and set her whole being on edge. Forcing her vocal chords to work against their will, she cleared her throat and fought to answer. Perhaps, if she played along with them long enough, she would somehow be able to escape. Outright running, or otherwise appearing rude, was certainly not the answer right now.

"Uh...Aphten. My n-name is Aphten."

She might not have answered as uncomprehending as slow as the canines the lioness was used to, but she certainly seemed at least partially socially awkward. It was probably the whole being-terrified-out-of-her-mind thing, but still.

- Meet Aphten -