the fruit that ate itself [ZEN]

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[atrb=background,http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz129/sorrelpaw102/ChellPostingTable3Middle.jpg?t=1345236459] Clouds drifted overhead, their dark angry smiles promising rain. There had hardly been a clear day in almost two weeks. It was as if all the rain missed during the summer months was trying to crunch itself into the autumn season. The ground was having as many water problems as animals of Hexasol. The obscene amount of water tumbling from the heavens came too fast for the ground to soak up. As a result, even if the clouds had yet to burst with precipitation, the ground was covered with a small layer of water. You could hardly get anywhere without getting soggy paws. Autumn, as her mother called it, was usually Chell's favorite season. The changing colors on the trees was awe-inspiring, and although it was as cold as winter ever got in Egypt, she still enjoyed it. The tabby wasn't so sure this year. The rain was constant torment, chilling her deep in her bones and weighing her body down. Chell was determined not to come down with a cold, and tried to keep as warm as she could during the chilly, wet evenings. Her brown striped fur had grown out in preparation for the frozen months of winter, and water only weighed on it more heavily. Chell was not only determined to stay healthy, she was also determined to observe the effects of the rain had on the local flora of Hexasol. The tabby had already discovered the flourishing marshlands in a very soggy trek, but soon decided to visit Puzzlewood Forest. The forest was one of Chell's favorite places, every time she visited it seemed the tabby was exploring a new forest with new trees, plants, and animals (usually of the insect persuasion). It simply delighted her to have so many new things to research. Chell was getting closer to the edge of the forest, though she could not smell the scent of the forest, her observant nature caught sight of the changing territory, less open field and more trees, you could even catch the changing of the types of trees if one looked carefully enough. The tabby's paws were heavy with water, she had been careful to seek out the driest route to the forest, but there was simply to many puddles to skirt around. Even in the dry parts of land, which always happened to be higher up, water and mud squelched under Chell's light paw-steps. The tabby and orange feline thought back to the drought, the gathering. After her tiny speech, which didn't make as many ripples in the crowd as she had hoped, several others had spoken out, most notably Denim and a couple other large felines Chell didn't know. Brooke, leader of Tempest, had refused the peace treaty and soon after she left the entire gathering dispersed. Chell had lost sight of anyone worth talking to or gathering samples from, she was too small to see above the bodies of the animals who were quick to leave the area. Chell had been in a bad mood, the war was still going strong and she doubted Panja's pride-mates would appreciate his idea of peace. The tabby sighed. So many missed opportunities. The tabby decided not to dwell on this as the forest crept steadily closer. Chell trotted over a small incline and laid eyes on the edge of Puzzlewood. One must always be careful not to get lost in there, the forest had it's name for a reason. It would be Chell's first time entering the forest since her accident several months ago. It was easy enough getting lost while following your own scent, but now... the tabby paused. She was right at the edge of the forest now, a thick expanse of trees, shrubs, and other assorted plants. The thrill of adventure came to her then, set her blood to fire and danced around in a breathless flurry. Chell knew that if she charged blindly into the forest as she so wished, there would be little hope of finding her way out. The tabby's ears pricked as the roll of far off thunder sounded. The storm was closing in. Chell could see angry clouds moving swiftly nearer. Being the scientist she was, Chell knew that you wouldn't want to be in an open field when a storm hit. But then again, you wouldn't want to be in a forest either. Before she could even think about getting to better shelter, the tabby felt the cold grip of rain down her spine. Her green-yellow eyes shot to the sky, and sure enough, Chell had to blink away the water droplets which had fallen right into her eyes. Deciding quickly, Chell bolted into the forest without another thought. The storm was closing in now, the distant rolls of thunder becoming more powerful, and the flashes of lightning closer. Chell had a pretty good idea of how storms like this worked. Her mother had given her a lesson on it, and though her memories were beginning to fade, the tabby and orange feline still remembered it pretty well. Chell paused in a small space clear of trees as a thunderous boom sounded overhead. The rain was coming down harder, and the wind whistled around through the trees. Chell's main goal was to find shelter, she couldn't conduct any sort of research with the wind and lightning blowing all willy-nilly. The tabby lowered her head against the wind, and, flicking her tail, moved through the forest, searching for any kind of den, hole, or safety she could find. After several long minutes of searching, it occurred that animals may have been in the vicinity, hiding out from the storm. "Hey!" She meowed, loudly as she could muster, "Is there anybody out there? This is one hell of a storm..." Chell mumbled off the last bit of her cry, flicking droplets of water from her ears. The wind carried her voice away in a strong gust, and the tabby figured no one had heard. It was slightly more sheltered in the forest, but with the electricity coursing in the sky above and the wind howling through the trees, the feline did not feel at ease. Chell was patient, she could sit and observe the weather from a nice little fox den (minus the fox, of course) until the storm passed over. This was certainly not the way to stay illness free, in Chell's humble opinion. - - - OOC Words • 1070 (O.o) Muse • Eh... Comment • Aug, sorry I rambled so much. XD Song • Portal 2 Soundtrack

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[Zen]

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[atrb=background,http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa446/jadedog08/panja2-1.png] A fat deer carcass was dangling by the side of its neck from Panja’s mouth. Following his successful hunt, he started to make his way back through the dense forest maze, dragging the prey along and feeling rather proud of himself. He was aware most of the Iris Pride saw him as a weak old man, especially after he had all but handed the leadership over to his feisty and demanding son. But really, he was still in fairly good shape for his age. He was going on ten years old, but he could still hunt, he could still fight if he needed to, and though he had less energy nowadays, he was still perfectly healthy. He was older, but not weaker. If anyone doubted that, they could look at this massive stag that he easily carried with him in his jaws. Mentally, though...even he was beginning to doubt himself. After his crazed outburst at that gathering, word started to spread of his instability. Some said he was slipping further and further from the realms of reality every day. And they were probably right. But now that he was more or less an outcast among the Pride, he could do whatever he wanted and go wherever he pleased. He had killed this deer for himself, not for any of the other cats. It had been a long time since he had hunted just for pleasure, and he loved the freedom of not having any bellies to feed but his own. Smiling slightly through his mouthful, he meandered along the trails until thick raindrops began to splatter against his forehead. Thunder rattled the sky and shook the trees. His smile drooped into a frown as he realized he had no idea where the nearest shelter was. Then he heard a cry from somewhere nearby. A feline’s yowl. Was someone calling for help? In one deft move he hauled the deer over his shoulders and broke into a quick trot, weaving through the undergrowth until he located the source of the voice. “You alright?” he asked the little tabby, looking down at her with concern. It took him a few seconds to recognize her as one of the attendants from the meeting a few weeks ago. But he couldn’t forget her. She had delivered an impressive speech in favor of his peace treaty, which had sadly fallen on the Tempest Pack’s deaf ears. Those stubborn, idiotic dogs. There were so many reasons to give peace a chance, and they wouldn’t even bother to at least try. But Panja had given up all hope for a truce at this point, and he no longer really cared. The Iris Pride was completely out of his control now, so whatever those cats did, he figured Tempest only had themselves to blame for it. “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” he said, surprised. He recalled her mentioning humans a few times, which at the time had very much intrigued him. Already he was starting to burn with questions for her, but as the rain began to fall in faster spades, he realized he couldn’t really stop here to converse. “I’m sorry, I would love to speak with you more, but I think we should find some shelter first. Do you know of anything nearby? A cave, maybe?” He was panting now from the weight of the deer on his back and so he let the carcass slip to the ground. He hoped she would know; if she didn't, he wasn't looking forward to the search that would ensue. Another roll of thunder and a brief flash of lightning, and Panja looked up at the sky with dread.

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[offtomars]

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[atrb=background,http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz129/sorrelpaw102/ChellPostingTable3Middle.jpg?t=1345236459] A high pitched wail erupted from the trees, sending the orange and red leaves cascading off their branches in a rather violent manner. It was hard for Chell to see - the wind blew grits of dirt and vegetation into the feline's eyes, and the rain stung whenever she tried to glance skyward. Oh heavens, the tabby thought, what have I gotten myself into now? As if the though propelled her to move, Chell burst into a quick, meaningful motion. She barred her eyes against the wind and the rain, glance up into the trees for a paw-hold or low lying branch. It was too slippery for her to be climbing, and she'd have to be creative in order to obtain shelter. Chell moved from one tree to another, darting and trying to best to stay hidden from the great buffets of wind. Suddenly, something unusual caught the tabby's eye. It was very unusual, and the feline stopped dead in her tracks, squinting hard yellow green eyes against the storm. There was something white moving steadily toward her, much taller and bulkier and... horned. Chell squinted harder, no, that simply wasn't right! Time seemed to slow down in Chell's mind. A great white beast, a polar bear, came charging out of the greenery and darkness. The enormous creature had seeming grown horns, that of a great stag, and another pair of legs, that dangled uselessly at the bear's side. Chell's breathing hitched, her eyes blurred with her mind, as this terrifying creature advanced nearer. The tabby wanted to run, she really did. But awe and sheer terror rooted her paws deep into the wet soil, grounding her and leaving Chell immobile. Eyes stretched wide as saucers, Chell stared. The rain stung her eyes but, the scientist could not bring herself to look away. But time sped up again. It was not a monster who looked down at Chell now. It was Panja. The great white lion carried his latest kill, a deer of marvelous size, on his broad creamed furred shoulders. He was impossible not to recognize, there was a distinct lack of huge white lions in Hexasol. The tabby closed her eyes softly, pushing back her initial fear and instead felt gratitude. Somebody had heard her desperate call, carried by the wind to open ears. Panja most certainly was not a monster - nor a bear. Chell held a chuckle back, not wanting to seem rude or impolite. Incredible coincidence, it was, that the cat Chell had most wanted to exchange words with was here, of all places! The feline's heart raced with a pitter-patter of excitement. Unfortunately, it was dulled down by the heavy crash of thunder that boomed overhead. The great leader didn't seem to recognize her, and Chell couldn't blame him. As much as she wanted to be remembered, as a well known scientist and well respected figure, the tabby was antisocial. She didn't ever seek out the leaders of gangs or other affiliations, such as the prides or packs. She kept to herself and conducted her own experiments. "Yes, this storm is just brutal." The little cat meowed, arching her neck to look the cream lion in the eye. She studied him closely, taking note of the shining blue of his eyes. In those eyes suddenly was, recognition. He remembered her! Chell couldn't help but grin as another flash of lightning lit up the darkened sky. "Panja," Chell dipped her head in a small greeting. The tabby had her manners drilled into her skull since the day she was born, it was something that came naturally. "I'm surprised to see you here, too. I thought that-" A crack of thunder cut the soaking feline off, and her eyes shot to the sky. She nodded sadly when Panja spoke. "I was hoping you'd know. I've been looking since the storm started." Chell grimaced, looking skyward, and then back down again. As Panja slipped his carcass off his back, the tabby took a step back. She didn't want to be crushed by the deer's round belly. The tabby glanced about her, desperately trying to remember if she had seen any kind of cave or den in the earth last time she was here. She frowned, remember, remember! There's got to be something! Chell glanced up sadly, flicking moisture off her ears in a rapid movement. She felt that she knew, something. Muddled under countless piles of information, data, there was something that could help her out in this situation. It dawned on her then, the river! "Ah!" She piped up, tail lashing furiously. "Sometimes the water in rivers and creeks can hollow out a dry cavern under the roots of a tree. If the river isn't flooded, of course." The tabby paused, thoughtful. She doubted any of the rivers in Hexasol were of normal height. "However, I don't of any rivers in this area. Oh, what about rocks? Are there any large rock formations in these woods?" Her eyes were hard and calculating, rock formations could be the key to this increasingly damp problem. - - - OOC Words • 845 Muse • Good Comment • Sorry for lateness! ;_; Song • n/a

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