Trappers (Open)

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“Don’t touch that, Almond!”

Seraphi lunged forward, catching her glider companion by the tail and dragging it back, away from the bowl-shaped plant that had caught her attention. She couldn’t blame the little one. The scent of the fruit that grew in the center of the plant was almost intoxicating. Her father had warned her about this particular plant, though, and she had seen some of its victims. The last thing she wanted was for Almond to suffer their fate. Unfortunately, the plant was rather common.

“Hmmm…” Seraphi poked at the edge of the plant. Maybe she should turn it over so it couldn’t hurt anyone. If she did that, though, the plant would starve and die. She wasn’t opposed to eating other creatures for food, but her pack killed their prey quickly. Starvation could take forever and caused so much suffering. Still, there must be some moral justification for allowing a plant that starves its victims to keep on doing just that. She just couldn’t figure it out.

With a sigh, she deposited her companion on her shoulders and continued on. She only made it a few steps when a rustling noise nearby caught her attention. She stopped and looked around, wondering what was nearby. It sounded big. At least as big as her, maybe more so.

“Who’s there?” she called. Hopefully, it was another intelligent creature and not a predator.

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Kota had spotted the stranger without it noticing him, and for that, he was grateful. It crossed right in front of him as he was waiting within a small stand of brush to pounce upon a nearby rat, or try to at least. The leg that a lesser native had bitten some time before was healed, and scarred, but it still ached and he wasn't back to moving at full speed. As soon as his prey heard the footfalls though, it took off, disappearing into the piles of golden and red leaves like it never existed. Kota hadn't given chase though, he heard the steps too. Then came the voice, feminine he thought, but it referred to someone else, Almond, and they didn't reply. He figured out why when the creature walked by, and he spotted a small, orange-brown shape nestled between its shoulder blades. What either of them were, he wasn't sure, but he decided to stalk them just like he had the rat to learn more about them.

However, the blue-grey feline hadn't accounted for this creature being intelligent, and the difference in 'hunting' something with conscious thought and those without. So, as his wounded leg drug across the leaves with each step, they whispered and rustled, giving away his position. No sooner did he stop than his new 'prey' did, and her instant question let him know that he was discovered. So, with a sigh, he slowly slipped around the tree that he had taken cover behind, and came into view of the stranger. Despite his failure, being in the open also gave him a good view of her, and he got to learn quite a bit.

For one, she looked similar to him, in some ways, or so he thought. And yet, she also looked different. Some features of her were more canine shaped, like Morse. And her pelt, well it seemed an odd mix of earthen hues and ink, and he bet she could hide within this forest as good as Lukasse could. He, on the other paw, stood out rather plainly with his dim coat amongst all the warm hues of the forest. Curious, and wary, Kota inclined his head before saying,"It was me. Kota." His greeting was blunt and plain, but he wasn't sure what else to say. Much like when he had met Morse, he had no idea how to judge this stranger or address it. So, just to be polite, he introduced himself first and waited to see how the other would take his sudden intrusion.

((OOC: Just as reference, I imagine this being after him and Lukasse and Dragonfly have moved here. I hope that's okay.))

[Meesh]

"Seraphi" The voice came ringing from somewhere deeper in the forest, as a small and lithe creature came bounding out. Like his sister, Shadow was an odd mix of neither-species, with the lithe sleekness of his father and the head and tail of his mother. His fur was a dark shadowy black, with even darker streaks and stripes rendering him near invisible at night, but uncomfortably warm during sunny days like these. He didn't seem to notice the feline at first, bounding straight Seraphi until he came to a graceful stop. "Mom wants to know if we can go on border patrol later today, with it being pod-hatching season and all. She says we should direct wandering new-hatched towards the den, in case they're lost or need help of any sort." The slight tinge of annoyance in the mixed's tone was showing slightly. Over the past year, he had grown a bit less than patient with his mother's overly-worried nature, her need to somehow mother over and take care of every single living being that set foot within their territory.

Perhaps it was a bit of teenage angst, but nevertheless, Shadow was a perfect gentleman as his ears swiveled towards Kota, and the mixed turned towards the stranger in some surprise before dipping his head. "Apologies, sir, I didn't noticed you a moment ago." The irritation in Shadow's voice was gone, replaced with a formal tone. "My name is Shadow. I hope I didn't interrupt-...?"

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After she called out, a feline the color of storm clouds stepped out from around a tree. She could feel her companion shifting around between her shoulders, trying to make herself invisible, and she wagged her tail to try and reassure the glider. She couldn’t blame Almond for being scared. While the rest of her pack were always careful not to hunt her screeching glider, the species as a whole was still fair game and this new feline wouldn’t know that Almond herself was off the menu. Not unless he figured out that she was special, already.

The feline inched forward cautiously, and Seraphi tilted her head to the side. It was weird to be treated with caution. She was the least threatening thing in the world! But then, she did look pretty strange. The feline wouldn’t know that she was harmless yet, would he? She purred to try and put him at ease, but that was as far as she got before a familiar voice called her name. With an apologetic look, she turned to her half-brother to see what he wanted. Well, what Silva wanted, apparently. Shadow seemed a bit annoyed at the chore they’d been given, and she smiled sympathetically. Of course he’d be annoyed. He liked to wander about. Truth be told, so did she, but until fairly recently her health had been too poor for long journeys so she was accustomed to wandering about the territory for long stretches of time instead.

Shadow then noticed the feline and introduced himself. She giggled as he finished and shook her head. “Actually, we’ve only just spotted each other, I think.” She turned back to the feline and smiled. “I’m Seraphi, but you probably already knew that already. It’s nice to meet you, Kota.”

((Works for me. XD))

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The surprise on the female's face was something that Kota expected, but not her sudden relaxation. True, he wasn't bristling with aggression, but he had expected some kind of weariness from her. He was a stranger, just like she was to him, wasn't she worried about not knowing what he would do? Before the blue-grey feline could work out an answer for himself, a voice echoed off the thick trunks of the surrounding trees, trailing over the two creatures squaring off before finally fading. Accompanying the voice was the sudden appearance of another strangely shaped life form, seemingly half feline and half canine, or neither, he couldn't figure that out either. This one was obviously a male though, since its tones were deep as it began talking to its peer, whom was apparently the 'Zerafi' it had been looking for. With a cock of his head, he listened as the newcomer irritably explained how someone else, 'Mom', wanted the two of them to go border patrolling for newly hatched creatures. Most of it made little sense to Kota, but he had to impression that these two were part of some group, and they were helping those that just came out of their pods.

'I wonder where they were when I was born, or do they live here in the forest, and wait for newborns to come to them before swooping down on them?'' The feline silently wondered, before his presence was finally noticed by the second, and still unnamed, stranger. The other male took care of that quickly, and politely, enough though, introducing himself as Shadow and apologizing for intruding. Kota wanted to assure him that he had not intruded, but he couldn't help thinking about how the creature's name it it so well. Its pelt seemed made of shadows, and every twist of the male's body sent it rippling and shifting like its namesake. Seraphi spoke up though, sending his head and large, fan-like ears twisting back in her direction to listen. She reintroduced herself, making the pronunciation of her name easier to understand. It reminded him of Lukasse's name, since it was long and complicated, but unique nonetheless.

"It's nice to meet you too, and you as well," Kota spoke evenly, despite the fact that his heart was starting to speed up. He wasn't sure whether it was nervousness, since he just realized he was outnumbered, or anticipation for what they might say. Either way, he found himself speaking again before he decided to, and heard himself ask the first question on his mind. "So you two live here? It's your home?"

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Kota looked confused as Shadow spoke to her. She couldn’t blame him. So far as she knew, only her mother, her mother’s former mate, her father, and her father’s mate had ever produced children. That meant that pretty much everyone outside of the pack came directly from the trees, with no knowledge of parents or siblings. It was too bad – having a family was wonderful. At the very least, a group was a necessity. She had no idea how creatures survived on their own, though she’d met a few loners.

Kota responded to her, and she smiled at him. He then asked if this was their home, and she nodded. “We have a den not far from here. Our parents – Nerah, Antares, and Silva – have been here since near the beginning of time. At least, that’s what they tell us.” As far as she knew, that was true. From what she’d been told, the world was pretty much empty when her parents were young, and they along with a friend that had since disappeared had wandered the world until they found a suitable home for themselves, and the pack had been there ever since. She didn’t think they’d lie about such a thing, so she was sure they also saw it as truth.

But, of course, her new friend would know nothing of that. That left her puzzled over what was appropriate to explain and what would just be useless information to him. She thought for a moment, and ultimately decided to just answer any of his questions as they came…and maybe explain about the order he’d overheard.

“We’re part of a group called StarPack,” she said after a moment. “It’s something our parents started with a friend a long time ago. We mostly take care of each other, but we also try to help any newborns we come across.”

@beastofnoor

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As Kota waited for an answer from either of his two new acquaintances, he took a slow, hesitant step backward. When he had started following Seraphi, it been like a game, but now the odds were against him and he wasn't sure he wanted to play anymore. So far, Shadow and his sister seemed kind, but his instincts urged that things could change at any moment. He was in their territory, after all, and without permission. Having never had a true "home" of his own, he didn't understand the mind set of owning land, but obviously there were some creatures that did. So, to make sure he didn't seem aggressive, he lowered his head to chest height, wrapped his half-tail around his left haunch, and then sat down. His large ears stayed pricked atop his blocky cranium, silently telling Seraphi and Shadow that he was interested in what they had to say, but not forceful about it. This was an amazing learning experience for him, he just had to figure out the complexities of interaction with others to succeed at gaining any knowledge.

Seraphi's smiled eased most of Kota's worries, since it seemed to be a universal gesture of happiness. Was she happy to meet him, he wondered silently, or because her brother was here with her now? Having no way of knowing without asking, the blue-grey feline kept the question to himself, and instead focused on the varicolored female as she spoke up. Her first sentence was easy to understand, even if he hadn't actually had a "den" either. It sounded a lot like bed or nest to him though, so he assumed they were the same thing. The rest of what she said was rather confusing though, and a little hard to believe. He had no idea what "parents" were and the names that were spouted off were foreign to his ears. He nodded along nonetheless, before finally going still as Seraphi said her and Shadow's parents had been in the world since the beginning of time.

Kota, unaware of what he was doing since his mind was reeling with new information, stared blankly at the multi-colored female for a few moments. When he did finally notice himself staring, he jerked into action, looking up, down, and then finally glancing back at Seraphi. Unfortunately, she wasn't done yet, and she went on to spill even more information on his overloaded brain. He caught bits and pieces of it, such a group named StarPack, their parents made it with a friend, and that they only helped newborns when they came across them. Kota grasped at the last words, since he had wondered as yet later, before beginning to nod. Everything he learned slowly slid into place, causing his electric blue pools to light up with fascination. After another few moments of silence, the feline finally looked up at Seraphi and answered in slow, even tones, as if he still wasn't sure what he was saying but it was coming out anyways.

"Well, that all sounds rather exciting. I didn't know that creatures banded together to form groups and take over land, or that they even could. My friends will want to hear about this."

Kota's gaze had slipped away from Seraphi by the end of his words, and was focused on the leaves overhead. Just thinking about this group nearby, and Lukasse and Dragonfly nearby, made him a bit anxious. However, Seraphi had said that they helped newborns, so perhaps if one of her group found his friends then they would be helped too. If anything, he would return later and inform the two reptiles of all he had learned, Before it came to that though, he wanted to learn as much as he could about this group, and these two creatures. It hadn't left his thoughts that they looked similar, and different, to him. He wasn't sure if it was their pelts, which were much more colorful than any he had seen on a feline or canine. Granted, he hadn't seen many of either species, no more than a pawful in fact, but he was still certain this pair was unique.

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Kota seemed to shrink, lowering his head and sitting down, compacting himself. It was an odd thing to experience, and her head tilted to the side as she watched him. That was similar to how she posed when she knew she was in trouble. Did he think he was in trouble, then? He wasn’t. How could she get him to relax?

Prattling on like she had been probably wasn’t helping.

Kota’s blank stare hadn’t escaped her notice. She’d been saying too much at once, she figured. So much about her normal life was strange to most creatures. She’d probably confused him. She’d need to figure out ways of explaining things without simply dumping off a bunch of information at once. That was hard, though. There were no comparisons she could use to help her. At least, none that she was aware of.

Eventually, he looked at her and answered. He sounded…dazed? Was that the world she was looking for? She gave him an apologetic smile. “We don’t have to. I’ve met a few creatures who were on their own and just wandering around, and they seemed happy enough with that. Our parents felt like they should have a home, though, so they found a good place with plenty of food and water and shelter when the weather gets bad. It is nice, but it’s fun to just go out and explore, too.” She blinked at the mention of his friends. So he had a group, then? If so, he understood more than he knew or was letting on.

Kota gazed up at the leaves and she followed his gaze, wondering what he saw. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but she was probably more used to the place than she feline. She let her gaze wonder, part of her hoping to find the friends he mentioned nearby. “I take it you and your friends are wanderers right now? I’m sure you’ll all be welcomed if you need a place to stay.”