born to be... distracted? [open!]

[LURCH.]

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The cub couldn't help wondering now that he was so far from his den that not even a trace of his well-meaning mother's path remained that he should have considered his route more thoroughly and perhaps paid more attention to where his paws were carrying him before he set off. Funnily enough he hadn't considered retracing HIS steps rather he carried on in the hope that eventually he would circle and somehow manage to find his own way back. Life wasn't so fair for the young cub... Soon he found himself deep into the forest, just the place his mother had warned him about.

Here the birds were loud even in the morning, it was hot and humid, little or no morning sunlight fought its way through the thick trees to highlight the maze of vines and tree roots that threatened to trip the clumsy cub if he didn't focus most of his attention on his footing. The young cub eventually found himself growing bored of the endless green and browns but luckily the familiar scent of water - suddenly willing his tired legs to carry him quicker and much less carefully towards the scent and eventually the sound of trickling water. He felt the cold rush before he could see it, stumbling head first into the shallow river he let out a call of alarm before his webbed paws found his bearing. "Oh, the water be closer than I was thinkin'" he sheepishly remarked once he was safe. After a quick glance to make sure he had no spectators he took a few deep laps of water.

With a deep breath he searched the surrounding areas for shade eventually settling under a particularly large tree leaf where he could try escape the humidity which his thick pelt was not quite suited for. His mind wondered to his mother back in the pride-lands, and his 'friends' who were probably missing their faithful target practice - he knew he would see them again, just no rush and that was fine.


[[ crappy first post i know! it might get better XD just trying to get everything sorted ]]

[A.lice]

I'd be a liar if I said I loved your company,
I'd be a liar if I told you I've never been afraid.
I am Thee liar and yet you have stayed.

Alice's soft growl penetrated the silent that was held outside of the tropical rainforest. Her eyes were narrowed in on the bluish green butterfly that danced right before her face. Hunkering down and bunching up her muscles, she suddenly sprang forward and lunged at the butterfly. It gracefully moved away from the swiping paw and began flying into the forest. Snarling, Alice raced after it. She was determined to kill that tempting butterfly and with no mother to worry about, Alice could go as far as she placed. That thought wondered in her mind for a moment. No mother...Alice's mother had disappeared one day to get food for the both of them and never came back. Not being one for emotional distress calls, Alice began hunting for herself and getting what she could basically raising herself. This would be her third week of living on her own and she could honestly say she was loving it. She didn't have to worry about her mother looking over her shoulder ever three seconds or calling her when she got to far out of sight. No, Alice had complete and utter control on her life and she planned to do whatever she wanted to do with it. With the thought of that, Alice got a burst of energy and suddenly sprinted at the butterfly. It fell under the weight of her rather large paws and fluttered to death. Alice had a triumphant smile on her face as she lifted her paw and then trotted on a distance.

The heat of the day was beginning to get to Alice and she decided that a drink of water could probably be best. Her nose flared wide for a moment in search of water. Smells of dirt, dead leaves, and rotting trees were the strongest, but the faint pure smell made Alice smile and then pick up her pace. A half foot tail flickered behind her with a small twitch to the right and then to the left. Her paws were picking up pace and gaining ground to the water. With each breath, the smell of water was getting stronger and stronger. Muscles rippled underneath her rather colorful pelt and along her whiter face. A pink triangle nose was in double action to smell in everything around her. The musky smell of another tiger was brought in, but she ignored it. The tempting of water was much too grand for her to care about another big cat. Then in a large leap, Alice found herself sailing into the water head first. She closed her eye lips, sealing the amber orb inside. She also stopped her breathing to keep any water from coming in. In a big splash, she decided into the pool of water. It engulfed her and she sank down for a moment before she unfurled her paws and began pushing herself to the top. Her head broke the surface of the water and she pulled in a quick breath. A smile was on her face as she padded around the cool substance. [/center][/size][/blockquote][/color]

[LURCH.]

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How long had it been since he was simply allowed to be? At six months old he was not expected to leave the comfort of his mother for at least another six or seven months but already she had been showing fatigue with raising the young cub and encouraged him to wonder further and further without supervision - not once had he wondered whether she was getting rid of him because he was a dimwitted little kitty. He stretched out and nuzzled his nose into the earth, sampling the sweet dampness the spring had brought with it and reveling in the little shade that was rare for the travelling cub. Ignoring the noises that stirred his senses he closed his eyes and drowned out the bustling life-force that was the rainforest.

His peace was not to last. No sooner had his eyes close they shot open and he lifted his head at an allarming speed, dizzying himself in the process. Through the haze he could make out a blur of orange and black disappearing with a loud splash beneath the clear water. He stared dumbfounded until his mind was ready to process that he had company and that she might be in trouble. He got to his paws and peered curiously in the direction from which she came noting that whatever was chasing her had probably lost interest so he hurried along to the water's edge and looked over, just in time to see her emerging unscathed in a fury of wet tiger fur. He growled unsure, the Sumatran tiger weren't exactly known for their size and judging from the size of this cub he or she was definitely the bigger of his cousins - a Siberian Tiger. Flattening his ears she shied away shuffling his front paws unsure.

You don' get to see lots'o Tigers 'round here. Don' act like you're not curious. The voice at the back of his mind purred reassuringly yet it wasn't making him feel anymore comforted. "Hey there. Y'all shouldn' swim in there. Snakes an' big fish..." He sniffed at the air, catching only the littlest scent but enough to convince him that she was indeed female. He flinched. not in awkwardness but in sheer terror. The boys back home warned him many times that females would eat weak males alive or worse! They would lick them and give them diseases.

[A.lice]

I'd be a liar if I said I loved your company,
I'd be a liar if I told you I've never been afraid.
I am Thee liar and yet you have stayed.

Alice's head shut up at the sound of a male voice. Great, so she did indeed have company and now she would have to deal with another tiger. One who was probably older and thought they could over power her. Growling lowly, she padded to the waters edged, on the other side of the male tiger, and climbed to the top of the bank. It didn't take long for her large paws and sharp black nails to pull her to the to. The sound of dirt and rocks falling in the water were the only thing she was really thinking about. Once she did reach the top of the bank, Alice whipped around to face her intruder. She almost fell to the ground laughing as she saw that this male was much, much smaller than she and probably a bit younger as well. Instead of falling to the ground as she wanted to do, Alice only giggled. " Your so...Small!" She exclaimed. " Of course they would eat you!." Now, she crackled with laughter a bit louder than before. The water that dripped off her began to get annoying and so she shook her entire body and sent the water droplets flying. Being still damp, of course. " Watch out, boy. I'm coming over there." It was all the warning he got.

Turning, she sprinted a few strides and then felt she had enough room. It was then she started running straight at the bank, aiming to jump across it. Her muscle was now shimmering as her whole body seemed to work and move like a machine, racing to its destination. As she felt herself reaching the end of her run and nearing the bank, Alice hunched her muscles and then sprang forward. She was in the air few a few seconds before she started falling. For a moment, Alice wasn't sure she if she was going to make it to the other side of the bank, but as she fell to the ground she used her backs paws and legs to rise over the bank and her front ones pulled her over the little edge. A smile on her face as she took a step forward and then turned to look at the male. " I'm Alice. What's your name?" When Alice got older, she would have not have the curiosity she had now, but since she was younger it ran through her like her own blood. She wanted to know everything about everything, including the male tiger's name.[/center][/blockquote][/size][/color]

[LURCH.]

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The look of sheer horror on his face as she approached was unmistakable. Every muscle in his body pulsed with tension as he remained rooted to the spot while she approached with the elegance he would expect of a lithe leopard. As she neared he became all too aware that she was at least a shoulder above him, probably a bit older too as the white spots behind her ears were already becoming one with her coat (Something he would never have the pleasure of, on top of being the smallest of the Tigers Sumatran Tigers never lost the 'cub spots') and though her fur seemed to be thick and shedding water quite easily it still retained its soft downy texture. He frowned, annoyed that he was comparing himself to another, a tigeress even which was a bajillion times worse.

"I'm not small! You're jus' big." He mumbled weakly in response, his tail flicking stiffly behind him. Stupid, ugly females always so rude! His mother always warned him that females were a fair, humble gender to balance out the male's boisterous and impulsive nature - they had to be now that there were prides but that wasn't always the case. She told him of days when tigers were solitary majestic beasts (And something about free lovin'? Whatever that meant...) who lived better off alone due to their strong individuality and mystery. Oh how he envied those guys... they would never have to small talk females ever.

Through his inner monologue he managed to at least hear when she offered his name and asked his in turn. He wondered whether to ignore her and turn tail but no majestic beast would turn and run from a girl regardless of her size - he would have to face up to her like a king. "H-how ya' doin' Alice. I'm Lurch." He replied, trying to save his voice from cracking as it so often did right now but his temperamental voice broke at his name to which he looked away in embarrassment. Just when he thought it had stopped he got another burst of unwanted testosterone - perhaps the same thing that was gluing him to this spot. Come to think of it, he wasn't overwhelmed with the sickly scent that girls carried that usually made him sick - she actually smelled like sweet honey, earth and something similar to his mother. Unbeknownst to him he was staring at her with a goofy expression... well, goofier than usual.


"Pretty... name."

[Mufasa]

I'd be a liar if I said I loved your company,
I'd be a liar if I told you I've never been afraid.
I am Thee liar and yet you have stayed.

The reaction Alice was getting from Lurch was making her day. A smile broke out into her face as the look of horror crossed his face. She wondered if it was from the fact that she was bigger or if he just didn't like girls. Most boys thought girls were gross, but all the males that were older, the ones Alice had met, were rather confident and large. Deep voices with odd personality's. Some had told Alice that she would be their mate when they were older and others cast her off since she was so young. Either way, she didn't care. The only thing she wanted to do was play with the others or explore something new. Getting herself into trouble was a daily thing when she was at the pride lands. The soundless air around them made Alice feel almost uncomfortable for a moment before she shrugged it off and went thinking about other things. Like how this this cub was smaller and...Well she didn't really have a world to place him. His words suddenly brought her back to reality. " I am rather big for my age, but.." Her voice trailed as she shrugged once again. " I kind of like that. It gives me an advantage over almost everyone my age, anyway. I hope to be as big as the adult tigers some day!/" When she said this, her voice got full of pride at the thought of being as big and powerful as an adult tiger.

Alice always looked up to the most powerful tigeress of their Pride. She was lethal and the most skilled hunter. However, she was a bitch to everyone else around her and she always took the King's attention from the other females. Alice had come to look up and yet resent the female. One day, she had even made a remark straight to the tigeress's face which got her a day in the den with her mother telling her all she did wrong. " I'm doing great, actually. What about yourself?" Alice ignored the highness of his voice as spoke. When she played with the other males, their voices were much the same. It was nothing new to her and something she didn't find any different. " You don't need to be embarrassed. It happens often to other males of our young age. " Alice shrugged before smiling and turning away from the male and taking a few strides away from him. Her orbs were glued to the sky above them and the trees. " Thanks." Alice said it absent minded before turning her devious look back at him. " Lets try and climb trees...I bet we could, if we helped each other." The tempting the trees gave was too much for Alice and she wanted to go up one perhaps even try to catch a bird. A much bigger prey than the butterfly she had attempted to maul before.[/blockquote][/center][/color][/size]

[LURCH.]

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He was grateful that she had snapped him out of his trance - weird, he was never usually like this around Zuri or Panda. Hmph, maybe it was always like this with strange new cubs but either way he still wasn't as confident as to touch her. Still, it wasn't like she was being mean anymore so that kinda made them friends... sorta. "I'm allright I guess." He spoke in a low drawl, like his mother who was from further south even though he himself had never been - some things must be genetic - and apparently this is what would draw in the 'mates' when he got older. A mate must be a good thing or his mother wouldn't have gone on about it so much. Straightening himself out defensively he eyed her with suspicion as he couldn't quite figure out whether she was saying this to make him feel better (Which it did.) or she was just pointing something out. No matter, the subject was soon changed to something he did nto quite expect.

"You wanna climb them?" He asked staring in awe up at the trees around them. Maybe to the adults they weren't too big but they were almost the size of mountains compared to the two even if they stood on each others back. Swimming, no problem but climbing was better left to the leopards... yet his stubborn pride wouldn't allow him to act cowardly in front of anybody. He felt his heart beat rapidly at the thought of the task ahead but puffed out his chest and accepted the challenge. "Uh... Okay then. Which one you wanna climb?" He asked happy that his voice sounded more confident than he felt. A strange sense of adventure had Lurch in it's grasp and together with Alice he was fairly confident that nothing bad would happen.

Probably.

[Mufasa]

I am ready for the road less traveled
Suiting up for my crowning battle
This test is my own cross to bare.

" Yes, I wanna climb them!" Her voice was an icy snap as she continued to glare up at them. Her beautiful orbs of amber had hardened into determination and her mother's nagging words came seeping back into her head. Honey, those aren't for you to climb. Those cats are different from our own. Her mother was a very strong believer in pure bloodlines. Only Siberian tiger had been put into Alice and the fact that she lacked the ability to climb a tree made her only want to do it even more just to show she could. Just to show everyone that 'tree climbing' was for them if they wanted it to be. A wicked smile crossed over her features as she thought of ways to climb it and get to the top. Countless ideas wondered in and out of her mind before she decided on one. Actually, a few in case the first few didn't work. Alice wasn't even worried about getting hurt. Pain rarely registered in her mind as bad. An abusive outsider had scared Alice forever, but that is a story of its own.

Smiling back at Lurch, she suddenly unsheathed her claws and then took a few paces back from the tree before her. " First, let me see if I can just run and claw my way up." And with that said she took a full, dead sprint at the tree and just when the time seemed right to jump, she launched herself into the air. The rough bark made her paws sting as she attempted to sink her sharp claws in. Instead, she found herself sliding back down to the earth, her nails digging in the entire way. A snarl of protest rumbled with her before and pushed herself away from the tree and then landed on the ground once more. " Well clearly that isn't going to work. Hmm..." Her voice trailed for a moment as she thought up another one of her 'brilliant' ideas. As if lightening had struck her, Alice lit up. Her devious look turned to Lurch. " Since your smaller, maybe I could throw up a smaller tree and then you could help me up and then we could tree jump!" Her grand idea had brought a smile to her face along with pure excitement that went through her bodice. Clearly, Alice had no limits and she wasn't afraid of nearly anything.

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