gazing into the water [cicero]

[mohana]

the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. a she-cat padded forward, her eyes gazing around her as the forest started to entrap her and her entourage - cicero - as she lead them in the direction of the majestic waterfall. she had always thought of the area as the most romantic area in the tribe lands and since she couldn't roam the lands by herself, she loved taking males out with her and every now and again - when she had nothing else to entertain her - bring such a male out here with her and try to get some fun out of it.

she wasn't like most females in the tribe these days - she believes firmly in what the tribe stands for and believes that the females should be treated as the gods have dictated they should be. maybe not necessarily under the males, but they should be protected. they should have kits, raise those kits, and have that be that. she thought about having to fight and it made her cringe and stop in her walking. why should she get her fur mussed up when there was always a male that was willing to fight for her? why should she need to get her paws stained with blood when she sees enough blood when she has kits?

that is, if she ever had kits.

she was a little disappointed by how long it was taking her to find a tom - or to be chosen by a tom or the leader - to have kits with. all these she-cats that get chosen and they complain, claimed that they are not a prize to be won. of course they weren't - she was the only prize to be had. she was the only one that would love to lay with a tom one night, have his kits, then lay with another the next night. she would be glad to never had a moment's peace between litters. she wants to be a female as the gods dictate and she would! one way or another.

her eyes flashed and she took a deep breath. no need to think such unpleasant thoughts - it wasn't befitting for a female like her who was currently out and about with a tom. alone. she looked behind her for a moment to make sure cicero was still around and bounded forward until she saw the waterfall and she stopped, gazing it with her eyes sparking with excitement. "what a beautiful sight. wouldn't you agree, cicero?" she took a step forward, gazing at the water. she wondered slightly if it was blasphemous for her to be here when she could care less about a true love. astrophia was her goddess, not erosate. should she ever take a step near here?

well, she hadn't been killed yet for coming here.

[cicero]

Cicero stepped lightly next to the female, looking for all the world an interested companion on a...whatever this even was. A date? A pleasant walk between friends? A coy encounter that would eventually lead to a lovely night that he would probably regret in the morning? His eyes glazed over dreamily as he allowed his mind to sink into the gutter as Mohana steered him to wherever it was that they were going. The sound of rushing water effectively washed away his lewd thoughts, and his nose crinkled in distaste – there was nothing quite like the deafening sound of a waterfall to curve one's libido. His, anyways.

His whiskered quivered as they came upon it, the noise rising to a thunderous volume that made him want to bury his head in the ground. It was a good thing he wasn't in his shift form – with their sensitive hearing, such a racquet would be enough to make an owl go spitting mad. Mohana, on the other hand, seemed to disagree with his silent assessment; she bounded forward cheerfully towards the water, and he took that moment to admire her form, but it wasn't long until she was summoning him to her side. She turned to look at him and called something out, but with his ears still ringing from the falls, all he could catch was something about beautiful. Was she calling him beautiful? Well, yes, he was. Oh, but she was looking back at the waterfall again. The waterfall was beautiful. That's what she said. Of course.

Trying not to be irrationally jealous of nature, Cicero padded up to stand beside her as she gazed out over the water. “It is very lovely,” he responded with a courteous flick of his tail. He, of course, didn't really believe such a thing, but it never hurt to be friendly with someone like Mohana. Not to say that she was a bad sort of character, no, but, well, the Tribe wasn't that big, and word gets around. She liked males for the sake of being liked herself. She was the sort who needed to be wined and dined. A princess who wanted to be chased down after playing hard to get. He wouldn't get anywhere with her by being his usual self, and while that normally didn't bother him, well...he was a common shifter. A peon in a sea of the extraordinary. And, as they said, beggars couldn't be choosers. As the lowest of the low (besides maybe a prey shifter, and even they were respected for their sacrifices), he had to take what he could get. And if that took being a little nice, then it was a small price to pay to avoid winding up alone again.

He struck up conversation easily – he wasn't one to be socially awkward, after all, even in unfamiliar territory where one had to practically shout to make their voices heard. “You seem to like this place,” he observed, eyes shining. “You must come here frequently.”

[mohana]

the she-cat watched as the powerful waters fell down, imagining what it would be like to have power like that. the noise of it was deafening, but it was worth it. her ears flickered and she tried to imagine what it would be like around here in her shift form, but she avoided that. she usually only came here with males and she was a little ashamed of her other form. what with the thing's nose and ears that were both a little too big for the small body. it was just so...odd looking. she's rather have males see her in this form. in all her prime and glory.

“It is very lovely,” she heard him shout and she flicked her tail, beaming at him almost as if she thought that he meant her, even though she knew he was merely responding to her own words. she thought highly of herself. sh believed tat since she was one of the few females left that would actually put up with the crap that some toms dealt out she was worth even more than a rare shifter that wouldn't give a damn about ever having kits unless it was with their one true love. But there was something special about a new relationship that made her avoid anything more.

“You must come here frequently.”

"only with when i have company to help me enjoy the scenery." she gave the tom a wink and then flicked he tail over to a clump of trees that stood nearby where they would be protet from the crushing sound of the thundering waterfall. her eyes flickered to the water once more then bounded away, her tail flicked from side to side. she walked in a way that showed off her lithe form. to be honest she wasn't sure what to expect from this little walk with the tom (she had just asked him to be her guide in the territory so she could get breathe a little fresh air and so she could get away from the crowded camp). but that didn't mean that nothing could or would happen.

cicero was a common shifter - how often did he get unwanted attention? she wondered.

she looked back at the tom as she moved, her yellow-green eyes flashing with excitement as she looked him over. he wasn't a bad looking tom and in he right light, he was quite cute. of course, she knew there were still better looking toms, but not everyone can always get the best, can they? she had a thing for toms of a darker furred variety, but lighter wasn't necessarily bad. just...different. and she could use the chance to branch out. to treat herself to something a little different. to play around with a new toy that she might return later.

then again, she might surprise herself.

when they were far enough away that she believed the waterfall would only be faintly heard, she laid down and looked back at Cicero. "there is something beautiful about the place, i have to admit. just the ways the trees seem to glow with a hidden beauty."

[cicero]

“Only when I have company to help me enjoy the scenery.”

It was said with a playful wink, and the pale tom took a moment to wonder if Mohana was flirting with him – not that it would surprise him, of course, but it did certainly open doors to allow him to reciprocate. And then he wondered how often she had “company” to enjoy the scenery with, and felt exasperation color his mood. If only he could do better than this. Before his thoughts completely degenerated into the unfairness of the Tribe hierarchy, Mohana had turned, gesturing with her tail to a stand of nearby trees, close enough to be convenient but far enough away to mute the overwhelming roar of the falls. He gave her a genuinely grateful glance as she walked off, sliding in behind her to follow her to the trees.

Sometimes he could forget that there were she-cats, and then there were she-cats. Mohana was, obviously, one of the latter. When felines normally walked, there was no alluring sway to the hips, no charming waving of the tail or smoldering glance thrown over the shoulder. But Mohana knew exactly what she was doing, moving with an exaggerated grace the showed off her lithe build and attractive coat. And when she looked over her shoulder back at him, her eyes glowed with some manner of excitement as she gave him a once-over that made his blood stir with his own anticipation. Oh no, this one knew exactly what she was doing. And the sad thing was, he couldn't bring himself to care more or less. And he had to again question the reason why they had come here, to a favourite spot of hers where she apparently had brought other toms before.

He came upon the tiny wood just as she stretched herself out, and he stood over her, deep blue eyes raking her from head to tail as she turned her head to look at him once more.

"There is something beautiful about the place, I have to admit. Just the ways the trees seem to glow with a hidden beauty..."

She was correct in her observation of the area. At this distance, the waterfall was only a low murmur in the back of his mind, soothing and low like the far-off rumble of approaching thunder. Where the sun shone through the leaves created a dappled pattern of light, casting shadows on the pair of them that shivered with each breath of wind. And the trees themselves did have a faint ethereal look to them, standing tall and alone in the otherwise flat space, uppermost branches shifting and swaying to the wind. It was...surprisingly soothing. Against his better judgment, Cicero found himself lulled by the surroundings...A beautiful day, a beautiful place, a beautiful girl. What did it matter that she might be using him? At the end of the day, was he really that much better?

So he laid behind her, setting his body to curl around hers in a manner that wasn't protective or possessive, but just felt...comfortable. In this position, if he laid his head on his paws, he'd be speaking right into her ear. And so he did, his warm breath ghosting over the side of her face.

“This is certainly the most beautiful place I've ever seen. But,” he paused briefly for dramatic effect, only the sound of their breathing filling the space between words, “I don't think it's the most beautiful sight here.”

notes: somehow, I feel like they're moving too fast, they'll end up like one of those celebrity couples that marries after knowing each other for two weeks and then they'll get divorced like eleven days later...

[mohana]

the words, pause, and words again. "I don't think it's the most beautiful sight here.” it was like a song. where they sing a verse, then pause and allow the music of the natural world settle in and then they speak again when the concentration of the listener is at the fullest again. after all, if one were to talk without stopping...well, that'd get boring and lull one to sleep. you need a little anticipation and emphasis to make things stand out - to make them worthwhile. and smiling at cicero, she had to admit that he had mastered the art better than she would have expected. the way that he had laid down beside her in such a way that it made them comfortable with one another and there was no strain. and the way that his voice so artfully whispered right into her ears so she could feel his breath roll around her being, making the moment much more intimate than it would have been otherwise.

"now you're just being a flirt, cicero. words filled with meaningless honey." as if she wasn't being a flirt? she smiled sweetly at him, but didn't move away from the tom. there was no reason to. they both knew, at least to some degree, what one of the two of them might be expecting from the day and honestly...why should it go somewhere interesting? he might think that she was using him, and in a way she supposed she was, but why look it that way? why not look at it in the way that she was doing him a little favor? females don't mean much in the tribe other than mating and producing offspring. so why not look at it in the way that she was just doing...community service? giving him a little joy one day and even perhaps the next if he still wasn't bored of having her around and so what she enjoyed the service as she was going along with it? what was so wrong with liking your job - your duty? hell...something would need to be wrong with someone to think that wasn't good. this was the reason she was around, why anyone of them were around. was it truly wrong to embrace her destiny?

she wondered for a moment what it would have been lie to live in the early days when the tribe was nothing but a fledgling...when females would have listened to the orders of the gods without pause, without argument. it must have been a better place. in a way, females were more important this way. they may be looked at as objects by others, but they still needed to be valued. if all the females up and left...well, the tribe would have no future then. the thought made mohana smile and she shook her head, clearing it of such thoughts. she just wanted to rid the tribe of those unworthy of its greatness - the ones that didn't believe.

"so, cicero," she mewed, her voice soft. "if i hadn't bothered you to come out here with me today...what would you have been doing? surely something more interesting?" you might call this a tactic that she liked to use. if she attempted to draw the conversation away from her and he complied, talking less about her and more about himself, she would learn that him flirting to her wasn't his thing and that she would have to pick it up. if he steered it to keep flirting with her...well then. the game would be on.


ooc: lol! but at least the tribe doesn't care if you break up two weeks later or a day after. ;D and you said a cap at 600 words? well, apparently this is exactly 600 words. xD Perfecto. didn't even mean to do that...I didn't even think it had gone that high.

[cicero]

She turned her head to smile at him in response to his words, and the male found his own whiskers twitching in response, an almost-smile, but not quite. Her felicity wasn't something that stole his breath away or made his heart skip a beat, obviously, but it just felt nice. With him always in trouble for his mischief up to his ears, it was pleasant to just lay back and relax, a simple, sweet pleasure that he allowed himself to forget far too many times. He sighed deeply, all the remaining tension draining from his frame as he was lulled by the distant hum of the falls and the soft, feminine scent under his nose.

"Now you're just being a flirt, Cicero. Words filled with meaningless honey."

Now that brought out a smile, a real smile that went beyond the mere turning of a whisker. As he stared at the back of her head, he mulled over what to say, slowly taking in the inky black of the fur on her back, streaked here and there with white and gray. “A flirt am I, most certainly. But my words, dear one, are far from meaningless.” He could have tacked on a jibe about Mohana herself, and how she was known for saying what she knew others wanted to hear to get what she wanted for her own gain. But the mood was far too pleasant to spoil, and he didn't know what sort of paths would branch from him calling her out. It would, not doubt, not bring about any more gentle encounters such as this.

And the battle itself would be meaningless, anyways. They were both one and the same, her using males for her own pleasure and him doing the same with whatever female didn't stick her nose up at him. Meaningless words...they both employed them. They were none better than the other, each brought down to the same level of wickedness by their own devices, and here to stay. Quite a pair, indeed. A pair, anyways, that certainly deserved each other.

"If I hadn't bothered you to come out here with me today...what would you have been doing? Surely something more interesting?"

“It is never a bother to escort a lovely lady,” he said immediately, humor coloring his voice and giving it a degree of warmth. “As to what I would have been doing...” He paused, genuinely taking the time to ponder the question as his head tipped slowly to one side. He wasn't important enough to have an opinion that mattered, wasn't fast enough to be considered a good hunter, and wasn't strong enough to be much help with patrols. Honestly, he probably would have spent the day dicking around in some quiet, far-off corner of the forest, flying about in his shift form and shirking all responsibility. He chuckled. “I wouldn't have been doing anything important, that's for sure. As for something more interesting?” His eyes trailed lazily over her lithe form. “Certainly there isn't a more interesting thing to be found than yourself, Mohana.”

notes: GAME ON BITCHES. And wow, 600 on the dot |D this one cuts off at just above 500, so I'm not a complete loser, I guess

[mohana]

the she-cat purred at the tom's first set of words and watched as a smile grew on his face and she knew that this was more than a game for her - it was a game for the two of them. she had never talked to cicero really before this, he had been only what she had heard others say and she was starting to realize, the more this battle went on, that he was like her in many ways. perhaps she might even keep something casual going with the tom even when the day was done. there weren't many toms she chose to keep a connection with...but so too many of them would gain the misconception that they owned her. that could never happen. she was a free object amongst the tribe for just about anyone.

she was a free spirit and would like to do as she pleased.

looking at cicero carefully for a moment, she couldn't see him being the type that would want an exclusive relationship, but she supposed time would tell. if he did show signs of that...well, things would end abruptly between them.

but those thoughts where too ugly for something as beautiful and interesting as this little...meeting had turned out to be. she listened as he answered her question and, to her great joy, listened to how he turned the conversation back to flattering her - the prize to be had. she just smiled at his compliment, deciding to take it without trying to disown it. she an a reputation she was sure was following her and she knew that the tom had a little reputation himself amongst the tribe for being a trickster and perhaps that had been what had intrigued her about him in the first place. but whatever had drawn her to choose him for this little outing today, things were just about to get heated up. she would make sure about that.

she looked around them for a few moments, allowing the silence - other than the waterfall that sounded like a silent drum in the distance - engulf them. she heard a few birds singing and perhaps even a few rustles in the undergrowth as the little animals scurried around looking for food. there was beauty all around them and she took a moment to look as if she was appreciating it. then, she spoke and for a moment it seemed that she was, once again, changing the topic to move her from the spotlight. "i often wonder the reason the gods created the rule that females may not travel in the world outside the tribe alone - even in our own lands.

"did they really do it, i wonder, for our protection? do they think even our own lands are filled with so many dangers that we cannot be allowed the opportunity to face it alone or...," she trailed off, turning to look at the tom while at the same time moving slightly closer to the tom so their pelts brushed even more. "or is so that a female and male are forced to spend a little...quality time together?" she smiled warmly at the tom, her eyes warming up as well and sparking with interest as she looked him over - wondering how he'd take the bait.


ooc: you're never even close to being a loser. you're always a winner in my book. <3 we're just winners at a loosing game.