A Strangeness

Indeed, it would be a considerably... curious scene, to say the least, for any form of stranger to walk in on; and perhaps even stranger to any who would consider themself a friend of those in it. Firstly, curled up and quietly asleep, a young female Cape Fox rests, seemingly oblivious to the world. Then, off to the other side... Kihsa lies, unconscious, her body slumped against a protruding rock and dried blood now having stained almost half her face. Finally, atop the rock, sits Matata - the only male in the area. His eyes are open, his ears settled forwards, and despite his appearance of being awake, there's no movement from the little red fox to suggest he's in any active state. He simply stares, quite blankly into some nondescript part of the horizon, his tail curled carefully over all his paws and the cut on his cheek having begun to scab over.

Of all the directions the wind my blow the rarest of them blows today, the southern wind. It's the dry one that kicks up the dust of the pridelands and tosses it carelessly into the air to make the sky and everything in the distance seem dull. It hasn't dulled a certain canine's perspective though, as Teshra jogs up from the pridelands. She's traveled this path many a time, always passing through. Indeed her pace seems to indicate she has the same intent today. Her rediculously large ears are perked high, listening to the wind for signs of anything interesting and her eyes are sharp, only holding onto one thing for a moment before moving to the next. The wandering of her eyes is echoed in her pawsteps as she seems to go right, and then left for no reason. Still she always corrects her path to pass north still.

And even as the same wind that blows over the approaching jackal sweeps the dust into the air about the perched form of Matata, he still doesn't move. It stings his eyes, causes them to prickle with unwanted tears, and finally only a blink he allows himself, just one... one that flushes out the wet and the dirt, and soaks swiftly into the fur beneath. His breaths are shallow, tightly controlled, that would give the impression of an almost trance-like state. What could possibly be going through his mind is impossible to tell; as is what could have happened for such a scene to lie in wait of the ever-nearing canine.

Teshra only searches for what is interesting, besides searching for a meal which is always on her 'to do' list. It doesn't take much to see a fox on a rock, especialy when your quick jogging bounces you up and down. Her tack shifts left again slightly, then right. Heading directly toward the unwavering fox now with no further distractions to her paws the jackal approaches quickly, closing the distance and watching the fox closely with a slight smirk on her maw.

Rooi has arrived.
Rooi's eyes widen. Dogs! Lots of dogs! It's been lions, lions, lions all day for this wolf. He sighs happily. "You guys are a sight for sore eyes!"

It's not clear, for a short while, whether Matata registers the approach of the jackal, who by now has come into plain view. His ears quiver slightly, but his gaze doesn't falter or flinch... though eventually, when she's only a few strides away, his line of sight shifts. It's a very subtle thing, and one watching him might not even notice. But now he looks directly at the female; not a fox, but a fellow canid all the same. He doesn't speak; just quietly observes, and no other movement shifts his form.

Teshra comes to a complete halt in silence. No words from the fox disturbs her. Even though she hears words from elsewhere, they don't register just because of how odd the fox is acting. "Uh..... hi." She says, as if perhaps he was for some reason blind and unable to see her. Her ears arch forward to detect any returned greeting.

Rooi plops down and begins grooming himself, feeling at home here although he's only just arrived.

The jackal speaks; and Matata certainly hears, for his ears then tilt themselves accordingly. Oddly, though, his gaze shifts for a moment, slipping towards the wolf who has stumbled in upon them. They regard the other male for a moment, almost with an air of coldness, and then he returns to his quiet scrutiny of the female. After another moment, the tip of his tongue pokes out, running along the edges of his jaws as though to moisten them; and then he speaks. His voice is tight, strained, but flat of all emotion. "'lo."

Rooi looks briefly at Matata, wondering if he's unwelcome. Dismissing the thought, he lays his head on his paws and sleeps.

Teshra's whiskers perk at the expression. Her tail wags lightly and she smiles unattractively. "Well, what're you doing on top of a rock. Kinda silly to be sitting up there where all the prey can see you. So, what's your name?" The talkative jackal spews off the words in an endless stream as if the only way to cut them off is to clamp her mouth shut, which she does after her last sentence. She just stands there now, awaiting patiently for an answer.

"My name?" Matata repeats the words in that eerily flat tone, now his whole attention fixated upon the jackal who addresses him. Perhaps one would expect him to begin acting aggressively after his episode the previous day; but no. Something strange has settled upon this fox while he's been guarding Kihsa's broken form during the night. "I have no need of a name. No need, either, to care for prey. No need..." his words are strange, yes, and perhaps even stranger in his own mind. Yet they are all that he can find to speak.

"Uh... yeah..." An air of discomfort comes over her, but it doesn't settle for long. Quickly she's got that smile back in it's place, as though she hasn't noticed any sort of pain in the other canine. "Well, that's okay I guess if you're not really hungry. I just always like to keep an eye open most of sometimes." Sitting down, she reaches up with a back paw and scratches at something that itches right behind her oversized ear. A mild look of peace and relief comes over her. "Well, I'm Teshra. It's nice to meet you, guy. Guy's a good name, don't you think? Can I call you Guy?"

Strange. This is strange. Matata feels surprised, at any rate; somewhere deep in the back of his mind, some hidden part of himself that is indeed still himself. His maw tweaks slightly, and eventually something like a very odd sort of smile curls up the corners. "As good a name as any..." he murmurs, his queer expression now laced with a hint of curiosity as he continues to examine the jackal who has just introduced herself. "Teshra. Do.. you intend on staying here, then?" There's nothing in his tone to suggest how he feels about this possibility - it is nothing more than a query drawn from observation.

Teshra considers the question, mid scratch. Her foot just kind of hangs in mid air, motionless as she comes to the consensus. "Uh, yeah I guess, sure. Thanks for asking, I appreciate that." She grins and finishes her scratch, mistaking his question for an invitation. With that she lowers her foot back to the ground, sits up, and smiles at him again. "You're nice for having no... uh... I like you."

It's as though there are some queer sort of invisible barriers set up around Matata, refusing to let any of the strange ideas that begin to chug through his mind be displayed in any outward fashion. All Teshra has to go by are his odd expressions, and the jerk of a nod he now offers. "You're... welcome..." he says, stiffly, after her voicing of appreciation, but then snaps his jaws shut as she begins to speak again. Her final words baffle him slightly, but that's not to say they don't appeal to him. The corners of his maw twist further, into a smile that could almost be taken as a grimace, due to the hollowness still settled in his eyes. "You may stay with us... as long as you wish, Teshra."

Teshra furrows her furry brow. "Us?" Thus far she's been so dense that she hadn't noticed others. Her head turns slowly to survey the surroundings, only to see canines scattered about. "Wow," is her only word as she makes a full circle. "Sorry, I thought you were by yourself. Is this a pack or something?" Her question is asked in a more subdued way than her previous statements. Her head turns to regard Matata once more.

Matata remains wholly silent all the while the jackal makes her quiet revalation about her recent company, his quirky expression fixed and his eyes still wide. The wind whips up again, scattering dust and a few stray leaves, rippling through the tall golden grasses that surround, but only when Teshra issues her question does Matata blink, and finally shift his weight slightly with a tiny shuffling of paws. "A pack...?" he repeats, in a manner that would suggest the thought had not previously occurred to him. "Yes. A pack. You could say we are... something of the sort. Kihsa, Susurika and I..." briefly, his gaze flickers towards the wolf. "His name I do not know. We must rest, for Kihsa to recover; then we will search for my sister. You may join us."

Teshra shrugs in one over-exagerated and quick motion. "I don't know. I don't think so. I'm good. Yeah." After her drawn out words she sits down again, right where she was positioned before. She sighs slightly, her ears loosing their forward momentum as she falls into a memory, her gaze glazing over much the way Matata's was.

To Matata, at least, the words Teshra speak now appear somewhat confusing, and as she slips into her glazed and seated state, he tilts his muzzle down slightly, eyes focusing upon her and a single crease running over his brow. He doesn't speak for a while, but then, that appears to be his 'way' at the moment. When he does speak, the word is almost hesitant, as though he doesn't know whether he expects her to respond or not. "Teshra?"

Teshra blinks out of her state, coming back into the real world with a glance about her as though she isn't quite sure where she is. "I'm fine, thanks. Uh, heh." She grins, her eyes shutting as she does so and her head tilting just enough to send one ear flopping over. Indeed she's a mess nofur could take seriously in that state, but quickly she rights herself. "No, I'm fine by myself - for now. Thanks." With her right forepaw she batts the earth idly.

He watches her, quite intently, head tilted ever so slightly to one side even as she speaks. He seems to sense something strange, but he certainly couldn't say what; no more than he could attempt to define the strangeness in his own mind. "Yes..." he murmurs, eventually, drawing his tail from his paws and allowing his hindquarters to slide back along the rock, at the same time lowering his front so that now he's settled upon it in a sphinx-like fashion. "Whatever suits you, I'm sure." And on these words, he gracefully lowers his head onto his oustretched forelegs, lids fluttering shut; but not to sleep, even if by all outward appearances he would seem so.

Teshra shrugs. As he doesn't move Teshra desides it's time to move on. Best not bother him anymore. Starting to trott again she heads north... there are still sights to see, and food to find...

"I somehow doubt
We'll ever be the same.
There's too much poison
And confusion on your face"

~ Goo Goo Dolls 'Hate This Place'

Matata is the (s)queeproperty of Ras.
Teshra is the (s)queeproperty of herself.
Rooi is the (s)queeproperty of himself.
Teh_Photos are from Fox Forest and Animal Pictures Archive .