Zeal's entrance (closed and done)

[Trick]

The chilling wind brushed up against his fur but he ignored it. He had to keep moving, to continue his journey until he saw fit to end it. The tiger's partially frozen paws obeyed their orders to keep on walking, even though they felt like they weighed at least a ton. He had been walking for days on straight and he was completely exhausted but he kept on moving, as if he were searching for something just out of reach. If only he could get there, find somewhere to call home but that place eluded him constantly.

The few trees that were scattered around the valley were God sends. They stopped the wind in its tracks with the many branches they had. Zeal slowly walked behind one of the trees and curled up into a ball on the ground. He looked like an overgrown housecat but make no mistake, this was no friendly little cat at the moment, it was more of a cornered animal in the least. Tired, slightly hungry, and unable to continue on, Zeal was in an intolerable mood. He almost pitied who would be brave enough to stop him from getting some much needed rest. His eyes slowly slid shut, his tail curled inward against his body, and his head rested on the ground. It was time for sleep...or at least that was what he was hoping for.

[☼Åžrå☼]

The black panther slowly padded through the sparce brush, knowing that she stood out quite well against the green of the grasses. Wind whipped at her glossy fur but didn't penetrate it too much because of its thickness. Her deep golden eyes scanned the area for something to eat. Anything, be it animal or plant. Dark Flame looked down at the grass, but thought it too unappitizing and corse for her taste. The surrounding bushes were too rough as well. She lifted her head up towards the sky to let the scents rush through her nostrils, but smelled nothing. Nothing that is, but tiger. Her eyes seemed to let off a slight spark at the thought of a tiger, for a tiger had been her foster mother. Dark Flame crouched quickly down to the ground, the grasses parshly hid her black form, or at least made her less noticeable. She crept forward, one paw after another, letting her twitching black nose be her guide. Her pawsteps were silent, for the short furs between her pads helped her feel her way along the ground without stepping on a single twig or leaf. Not that anything would have been able to hear a crunch of leaf or twig in this howling wind. she thought to herself. The panther soon came up to a small shrub which she slowly peered over, allowing her sharp golden eyes to spot any sign of the tell tale orange and black stripes. Up ahead she spotted a solitary tree standing out from the rest of the shrubbery. Beneath it was the figure she had been searching for, the tiger she had been using her nose to find. On closer inspection she saw that the tiger was sleeping, and so decided not to disturb it, as she had learned her lesson numerous times from her foster mother never to disturb a sleeping feline, much less a tiger. Dark flame settled down against her bush, using it as a wind break, curled up, and sat to watch the tiger and await it's' awakening.

[Trick]

Throughout the years of being alone, Zeal had acquired something that had helped save his life countless times. To be able to know exactly when one was being watched. His mind registered and stored it but did not do much more for it was already doing something else. Zeal had already fallen asleep and he was dreaming that dream again. His whole body twitched, his legs kicked outward as if running on the ground but they only met air.

"Run Zeal, run and never look back. Just run!" His mother yelled at him to move but he was frozen. His eyes settled onto the four dark figures approaching them. His mother standing in front of him suddenly cut off his line of sight and she looked angry. "Don't make me carry you away, I said run!"

Zeal's eyes snapped back open as his mother's words echoed inside his head. It was almost as if she was right there beside him but he knew deep down she wasn't. He gave a loud sigh. He didn't know that he had slept a full hour, but he guessed it wasn't for that long. The signal then suddenly fired from the back of his to the front and to attention. Zeal looked up and around for whoever had their eyes on him. He raised his head up into the air but the wind was working against him, bringing his scent to whoever was watching him and not the other way around.

Zeal's blue eye's scanned the area for any movement but nothing even so much as twitched...at least not yet. He rose up on all fours and spotted what looked like a black object not too far away. He was still tired but he couldn't go back to sleep...especially not after that dream. He was in a foreign land and whatever was watching him might not be much of a threat, why not meet a local? Zeal cleared his throat, and his ears rose up. "Would you like to come out now and save me the trouble of guessing what you are?" Zeal asked, slightly curious as to who would pop out to meet him. His claws were ready to be used if such occasion arose, but he had a feeling nothing would want to get into a full fight with a tiger, so they remained slightly hidden in his paws for now.

[☼Åžrå☼]

The panther had fallen asleep as well, so when the tiger had given voice it surprised her. Her golden eyes snapped open and looked around quickly. When the howling wind reminded her where she was, and the voice of the tiger reminded her what she was doing out in this chilly place, her head turned quickly swiveled toward the tiger. Her eyes zoomed up on the tiger's face, letting her see it's blue eyes focused on her. Dark Flame stood slowly, allowing her muscles to stretch themselves. Her black tail twitched a bit as the wind once again whipped her fur around once she stood above her windbreak. The panther's golden orbs stared strait into the blue eyes of the tiger. She sized him up in case a fight would start, and saw that the tiger was by far larger then she. However, the bulk of the tiger would slow him down, giving her the advantage of speed and letting her, hopefully, run away unscathed. "Hello, I'm sorry for intruding in your space, but I wanted to meet you. I am Dark Flame, but you can call me Flame. I am a panther, otherwise known as a black jaguar." She watched the tiger closely, waiting to see how he would react to the fellow feline that had showed herself to him. She hoped he wouldn't attack, but his posture showed her that she should be safe.

[Trick]

Zeal's fur rose on edge once the figure stood up. It was another big cat like himself but one he had never come across before. Only other big cats that he knew even existed were Mountain lions and they could easily be taken down. He could tell this was a young one and by her looks and voice she was obviously female. He remained silent as he took her in, sizing her up as well. Her little sleek frame would make her a fast one but he knew she didn't have as much power in her hits as he did. He relaxed a little, her words putting him at ease. Not being in the mood to fight ether was also helpful.

"It is alright, the only thing you intruded on was my nightmare. My name is Zeal, it's nice to meet you Flame. May I ask as to why you wanted to meet me?" Zeal asked, slightly curious as too why she wanted to meet him, a newcomer to this place. Zeal stared right back into her golden eyes. Talking to another animal while looking into their eyes was a sign of respect, and Zeal always showed respect until the said animal does something to ruin it.

[☼Åžrå☼]

Flame lowered her eyes a bit as the memories all began to rush back to her. "Well, I know this is kinda dumb, but I was raised by a tiger. My family died and so did my foster mother, the tiger I was talking about." She sighed a little, but it couldn't easily be heard over the howling of the wind. "I just wanted to talk to another tiger again I guess." She raised her deep yellow eyes back up to the tiger. "I'm sorry, I don't want to bore you with my sob story." Flame began to turn and leave.

[Trick]

Zeal was actually speechless for a few moments, his story was almost the same as hers except for the fack he wasn't raised by anyone else. He bowed his head, blue eyes looking for something, anything to stare at but her. A tiger had raised her, at least she had a good species to be raised with, others wouldn't have even helped her. He finally found is voice again and slowly raised his head to look at her. "No, it's not dumb and you don't bore me. Your past is like mine in a way. I'm sorry for your lose as I lost my family when I was young as well, but I've been alone ever since. It is good you had a tiger to raise you, we defend our young with our lives until they venture out on their own. Where is this female anyway?" Zeal asked, knowing that it had to be a female that would take in a different species since males rarely ever did.

His fuzzy orange ears leaned forward even more to try and catch Flame's words. He was now sure Flame wasn't a threat, and in fact could make a good friend. Perhaps she knew where he had ended up? He'd have to ask that later on.

[☼Åžrå☼]

It felt as if a rock had been lodged in the back of her throat. Her ears flattened to the back of her head and her eyes squeezed shut. "She's... she's..." Flame's voice lowered to a whisper and a lull in the wind was the only way the tiger would have been able to hear her words. "...dead." Her head dropped toward the ground as the wave of emotion washed over her. The memory of the day her old adoptive mother hadn't come back from her hunt. Flame had looked for her mother for days, calling desperately for the tiger to answer, but to no avail. A smell had reached her nostrils and she followed it over to a large orange and black striped pile. It was the stiff carcass of her mother. She had wandered for days unseeing, not being able to eat, sleep... do anything at all. A small creature's calls had brought her out of her depression, and for a moment it seemed like the mere memorie would put her back in it. Flame shook herself quickly and as a wind ruffled her ebony fur. She looked around and saw a tiger standing before her, almost a mirror image of her old mother. Her eyes began to get a hopeful gleam in them until the smell of the tiger reached her nostrils again. Her ears drooped a little as she remembered that this was not her mother, but a male tiger she had only just met. Flame shook herself again, trying to knock herself out of her reviere. She looked toward the tiger again. "I'm sorry, just walking down memorie lane." Her voice lowered to a murmer. "Although it was more like nightmare lane."

[Trick]

He studied her body language and realized he had asked the wrong question. Even before she even said a word he knew something had happened. He let out a quiet sigh, it seemed these two had a little more in common. "No need to apologize, I understand that nightmare all too well. My parents were slaughtered by my own species right before my eyes when I was but two, and my nightmares never seem to go away for good. There is nothing worse then seeing your parents dead...except for the loneliness that comes afterward. Tell me, have you found someone else to fill the void or have you been alone ever since? I...I'm used to being alone but there's nothing like having the company of another." Zeal gave a nod to his words before looking past the panther. "Maybe you can tell me where I have arrived at?" Zeal asked as he studied the terrain before him.

Just exactly where had he wandered out to? A place filled with these black panthers and even tigers? It would be nice to be able to run into a few tigers that didn't chase him off their territory. He had been called rogue a few times and he hated that word. Of course he was somewhat a rogue tiger, but he didn't want to cause trouble or take someone's land. All he did was roam and roam, looking for something important enough to make him want to stay. Where ever that was, it eluded him very masterfully.

[☼Åžrå☼]

Flame cast her eyes around at her surroundings. "To tell you the truth, I really don't even know! Although I do know that there is at least one other tiger here, but I'm the only panther." She didn't mind much that she was the only one of her kind here, as she had never met a panther that actually was caring about her. "And no, I have never met anyone that was able to fill the space my foster mother has left. They were all too scared of me. To tell you the truth, you're the first feline to come my way!" Flame looked up at him with a gleam of hope showing in her eyes. Maybe she could be friends with this tiger. Maybe she wouldn't have to feel so alone in this wide world.

[Trick]

Zeal chuckled, what a place he had wandered out too. Not even its inhabitants knew what it was called. One more tiger?! So there was at least another of his species around, which was good but it wasn’t great. Hopefully he'd get the chance to meet it and maybe it would know what this new place was called. She was the only panther here? No wonder she didn't find something to fill in the void. He chuckled again, looking up with a smile. "Afraid of you? You're not scary...at least not me. Maybe to smaller animals, but you seem nice to me. If I'm the first feline to come your way...then there must not be many in this place. I was hoping there would be more big cats around, it would shake the feeling of being alone, but now there might not be anything to get rid of it."

His deep blue eyes looked down at the ground for a few moments, not sure on what to do next. He had never really expected to get rid of the feeling of being alone, but when this panther showed up he had began to ponder over how many other big cats there were...now his hopes were dashed for there were no others but one tiger. He looked up, his fuzzy orange ears went limp. She had a look in her eyes that he knew all too well. A smirk formed, which then slowly turned into a smile. "I have an idea, as you know I'm new to the area and I would love to have someone show me around. If this place gives me a good enough reason, I'll stay for good. The reason can be anything really, a great home, easy prey, water, another big cat to keep me company so I won't be completely alone anymore," he winked before continuing. "and of course a good swimming hole, every tiger needs a good place to swim and relax. Of course I could just settle for some company and a good place to live." Zeal smiled, a good friend right now was exactly what he needed.

"So, how about being my friend and showing me around?" Zeal asked, hoping she'd say yes. Knowing the terrain where one lives is very essential to surviving.

[☼Åžrå☼]

Her long fangs contrasted greatly with the black of her pelt as she smiled. "I'd be glad to!" The thought of water made Flame happy, for she loved the water, as did almost all other panthers. She flicked her tail a few times, trying to decide what to show the tiger first, and a cold wind made up her mind for her. "Lets get out of this barren place, maybe somewhere where the wind won't be so strong and cold." She turned her back to the tiger and began to walk back toward the direction she had come. Back toward the woods that, at the moment, she called home. After she had taken only a few strides she turned her head back over her shoulder and looked at the tiger. "Well, are you coming or not?" Flame then turned her head back toward her destination and began to trot forward, then lope, then break into an all out run.

[Trick]

His smile widened at her words. She agreed to show him around, that was good for he really didn't have a clue where to go first. The first thing he wanted to do was find a good place to call home so later on he could sleep. Sleep right now was the farthest thing on his mind, no matter how much his eyes complained. "Agreed." Zeal said and watched her walk off towards the trees. He took a step forward to follow her but stopped and looked back to where he had been sleeping. A part of his nightmare flashed over his eyes and he fought to shake it out of his head. It was Flame's words that snapped him back to the present.

"What? Oh...yes, coming." Zeal replied while giving one last glance at the tree before he bounded towards Dark Flame and then into an all out run to catch up to her. Every muscle he had kept him at his top speed, his legs barely making contact with the ground for more then a split second as they propelled him forward. He loved to run; it was good practice for chasing down prey, helped build his leg muscles, and not to mention it could be fun at times. His running in the chilly air helped wake him up further from his tired state.

He was slightly curious as to where this female was going to lead him first. "Where to first?" He called out over the roar of the wind. Zeal took up place behind to the right of Flame, following wherever she would lead him.

((Are we going to continue it here or in a different thread?))

[☼Åžrå☼]

The sound of approaching footfalls made Flame run faster. Her own footfalls began to match the beating of her heart. The ebony fur that coated her form was waving wildly as she ran with the wind on her back, the wind almost helping her run faster. Up ahead was a small hedge blocking her path. A determined look crossed her face as she began to run even faster yet, intent on leaping the bush. At the last moment before crashing headlong into the folige, her muscles bunched tight and then launched her through the air, just clearing the uppermost branches on the leafy wall. On the other side she landed with a small thud, on all fours as felines usually do, and waited for the tiger to jump across as well. This was the boundry of the Sky Valley to the Barren Hills. Only a few bounds away was the river that seperated the two lands.

((It's up to you))

[Trick]

Zeal saw the hedge and a glint formed in his eyes. Jumping was nothing new to this cat, in fact he regularly went tree top jumping, such a dangerous and fun thing to do. It helped with relieving stress...perhaps he could show Flame this but it was dangerous and he didn't want to see his new friend hurt, so he decided to without hold it for now. He easily cleared the hedge and landed like it was just a mere hop. He looked around to see that he was in front of a river. He was glad to be out of that windy terrain, but just where was he now?

"Where to next lead?" He asked as he eyed his surroundings even more. In the distance there were various patches of plants and trees, and then in random spots there wasn't a single thing alive. It was strange, but in his travels he'd seen things more stranger then this.

((Eh, lets stay here for now))