Open Calico (Kalina)

[Kyo]

{11th Summer, 513 AV}

The coyote was running. He was always running. He ran so much and so far sometimes that his paws hurt and bled and he had to limp. Or his tongue fell panting out and he had to lap, lap, lap water up from a clear stream. Or he simply fell to the ground and had to curl up to go to sleep. He ran so far, sometimes, that it made him feel very small. And then he laid his ears back and bared his teeth and tongue, like he shouldn't have to go so far to find what he was looking for. He didn't know why he would get that way. That something that he searched for would be worth running for until he died.

But he couldn't help feeling frustrated, impatient. And this running was one of those bad running times. His paws weren't hurting, not his legs, either, or his nose from snorting in great gasps of air. But he had been running and running, and this was a strange land. Because it never seemed to change.

The coyote ran past a tree that he had run past already. He remembered because it was not a normal tree. He was in a great field with short grass like it had been blown down by a wind. There were no mountains in the distance. No landmarks of any kind. All except this tree. A tree that he could swear was just looking at him. A tree that moved by itself. He'd seen it. There was no breeze to ruffle his fur and still the branches were swaying. The trunk groaned as if it wanted to fall. A wooden, painful noise, like it had been hurt somehow. The sound made his ears ache with pity and remorse. When he went running by he stopped at the base to howl his sadness up to the sky. And then he ran past, tail tucked low.

Running, running. Everything the same. Yellowed grass, bright and golden and sparkling with dew in the pale morning light, though he could not see the sun which seemed to be gone from the sky. Sometimes he would bob his head down and lick off the droplets for his parched tongue. Always running. Always searching. Running so far it seemed he was always in the same place.

And then he came across the tree again. Its branches trembling. Crying out its strange, keening noise into the air, a mournful creaking. The coyote stopped again, panting. He sniffed at the tree. It seemed strong enough. Why did it cry? Because it was alone? Kyo jumped up and pressed his paws to the grey bark of the great tree. Its distress bothered him like the whimpering distress of pups. Didn't it know it needn't be sad? Maybe it wished it could run like Kyo could run. Maybe if it could run it would be able to find what it was looking for. Like how someday Kyo would find what he was looking for.

Don't be sad, he whined out, and in this strange golden, glittering field with its strange tree, his thoughts came differently. He felt as if he had spoken aloud. If he had, it didn't matter. The tree continued to moan and shiver and gently wave its branches.

OOCOkay, so poor Kyo is always running. Even in his dreams. XD
The timestamp can change. I just noticed that we're supposed to have one.

[Kalina]

Something was running, and that something was running fast. Kalina was centred in a vast expanse of green and yellow land, a sight or place the Kelvic had never seen before. it was like the big water she had been dragged onto once, but it was land, so that made it all okay. In the endless fields that lay before her, though, nothing marred or obstructed her vision incomparable vision, and everything was unmoving, save the swaying of the long grass. And, above the top of the yellowing grass, she could see a dark shadow racing through it, against the wind. Kalina gave chase. She didn't know how she had ended up here, or where she was, much less where he was going. She didn't even know why he was running. And 'why' was the biggest question of all, the one she always had to know the answer to. That made it all the more fun; she insatiably curious creature needed to know why. In her human form, however, there was no conceivable way that she could keep up with the four legged creature moving at a much, much faster pace than she. Within a moment, she had made the decision to shift and, soon after, had made the change. Still running, most of her clothes fall to the ground and slip off behind her, but not all of them do. Her front legs get tangled up in the rolls of unnecessary clothing around her, and she loses her footing. Kalina whines as she tumbles forward, becoming lost in the long grassy stems. It was a high pitched, horrendous sound, but it was one more in anticipation of getting hurt. To her surprise, she wasn't hurt in the slightest. Wasting valuable time in trying to free herself from the restriction of the material, she claws and bites her way out, until the previously beautiful, pure white dress was nothing more than shreds. Rolling back over onto her front, she forces herself up quickly and starts the chase for a second time. The other creature was now some way in front of her and she would have to work extra hard to try to keep up with the pursuit. Soon, though, the other four legged creature seems to stop by a tree, and Kalina's mind reels... Didn't I already pass that tree? She wonders in confusion, didn't he already stop by it too? Kalina's own pace slows, What, what, what? The ocelot kitten's pace slows as she watches, trying to piece together the last few chimes in her mind. To her surprise, she could remember little of the previous moments. Despite this, the approach is no more cautious than before her revelation, and she finally reaches where the other creature was standing, by the tree they had both already passed. Kalina glances behind herself. Nope... she couldn't see another tree anywhere behind her, all that was there was continued fields of grass, which seemed to never end. Turning back, she has no hesitation in climbing the tree. Out of all the things Kalina could do with her time, climbing was definitely one of the best, but she didn't have much of an opportunity to do it in the Kelvic Research Institute, or in her new home with her owner, Marcus. Which once again poses the question, Where am I? Her claws dig into the bark that surrounds the tree as she heaves herself up, following her first mighty leap. She reaches the first branch that looks like it could take her weight and she shimmies along it. Once settled, she sets a paw over the other and, resting her head on her arms, stares down at the creature, finally getting a good look. The tip of her tail flicks in excitement - it looked like her! Four legs, two ears, two eyes, a nose and a tail! But it was different... What is it?

[Kyo]

There was a shadow. A great bird, the coyote thought. Then the scent hit him and he dropped his paws back to the ground, giving a yip up at the creature scaling the tree. A great cat.

The coyote had never seen a cat like that one. He remembered the mountain-cats, animals his dogs would never let him run by. Too dangerous for his poking nose. But this cat was a spot-cat with a female scent. Not a mountain-cat. And his dogs had gone. They were not in this place to nip him away from danger. He lolled out his tongue and showed the spot-cat his teeth, giving a doggy grin. His ears were perked towards her. His tail wagging.

Then the tree gave a mighty scream, waving its branches, and the coyote tucked his tail and backed away, whimpering in response.

The tree was angry.

The spot-cat's claws had dug deep scratches into the tree's bark, and the wounds bled clear blood, thick and oozing like mud. Now the tree fought back, aggressive, screaming out its wooden cry. It shivered and shuddered from root to the tallest branch, shaking so hard that even the coyote was stumbled from his paws, as if the ground was shaking with it. The branch the spot-cat was on gave a hard swing and the feline was tossed into the air. Kyo watched her soar and fall, landing with a pwoof of dust on the grassy ground.

Then the earth stopped shaking and the coyote was able to get back to his paws. The tree went to its wooden weeping again. It stopped swinging its branches around and went back the the usual gentle, windless sway. Every once and a while, though, a tremor would run over it, like it had not forgotten.

But wait. Something had changed in this changeless place. The tree had changed. The tree was bigger now. The top was reaching higher, Kyo was certain it was. The branches longer. Older. Reaching further into the sky.

This was interesting!

The coyote bounded at its trunk, touching his paws to it like he had before. The tree did nothing. The coyote raced around its base, running in circles, tongue panting out, eyes looking at the branches to see if they would notice and start to swing. The tree did nothing.

Finally, the canine turned curiously to look at the spot-cat. The girl did not seem hurt from her fall. He looked at her strange cat eyes, like moss, and then at her cat claws, wagging his tail hard.

Wow, do that again! he barked out, bouncing around light on his paws, excited, ears perked towards her. Climb up there again! See what the tree does! See if you can get to the top!

Kyo thought that was a good plan. Maybe if she climbed to the top the spot-cat would be able to see what it was that the tree wanted. But if she climbed up-- then would she fall out again? Would the branches grow even taller? Would the world shake? He wanted to know!

He could climb, too! The coyote was gone; now he was his other form. He bumbled around, stretching his legs and arms, getting a feel for this form which was strange to him. The coyote did not spend much of his days as this one. Two legs were not as good for running as four. The eyes were not as good at searching. The nose was worse for scenting. The ears not as good at catching the little sounds.

But the arms! Those were good for climbing!

Until Kyo realized he did not how to climb at all. He ran at the tree and leapt, trying to wrap his arms around the wide trunk... and only ended up bouncing off onto his rear with a yelp. Now lying on the ground, this other form rolled over onto its furless belly. Kyo gave the spot-cat a begging, pup-eyes look. How do you climb? he panted out, scrambling into a sitting position, head cocked to the side.

[Kalina]

She was flying. Kali, a cat, was flying. In the air. Like a bird. From the coyote's perspective, it might have looked like she was falling, and in a way, she supposed she was. But to her, she knew the difference between losing her balance ad falling, and being propelled away from a tree and flying. To the coyote, again, he saw that the tree was angry, to Kali, she saw that the tree was thing to help her. But then, even when everything pointed against it, Kalina still had to see the best in everyone, and everything. After what feels like a lifetime, and little effort on her part, she ends up on the ground, which sort of caves in a little to support her poor landing. She was quickly back up, tail flicking as her wide green eyes regard the tree with a cool calculating gaze, wondering how to climb it and let it know she didn't want to fly just yet. Her thoughts were distracted, however, by the reappearance of the coyote, who speaks to her. What was weird about it, however, was that he was speaking straight into her mind. Te Kelvic had an active imagination, though, and takes it straight into her stride, answering in kind. What does it look like I'm trying to do?! She asks incredulously. She turns back to the tree to continue her assessment of it, but is once again distracted by the other creature present. This time, it was because of his movements. The her amazement, the dog vanishes. Leaving, directly where the dog used to be, a human. The human was male, and considerably older than her. But he was human, who was a dog. He was like her! Elation builds up inside of the little ocelot Kelvic, for some reason unknown to her: it wasn't like she did not know she wasn't the only one of her kind, nor that she had never seen one.to the contrary, her upbringing in the Kelvic Research Institute meant that she was vary wary of what she was, even if she had only recently been given a name for it. But here, her was another that she could play with, and not a human who would go off to do human-y things, and not an adult who was so boring that he didn't know how to play properly. Kalina stares... he looks like an adult, but he acted completely different. And she liked different, as long as he would play with her, they would get along fine. And it seemed that they had already started playing, especially as he requests something of her. Without skipping a beat, the feline bounds forward a few steps and leaps upwards, detracting her claws in preparation for meeting the wide trunk of the tree. Once she does, she wastes no time in scrambling upwards, jumping onto the first branch, then the second, and landing on the third. Here she stops and glances down in time to watch the ground cave in slightly as the man-dog-thing attempts to follow her up, and falls back down to the ground again. Internally, she laughs at him. Have to use nails to climb, silly! She calls down, Not by hugging the tree! In all honestly, climbing had come naturally to Kalina - she had no idea how she did it... She just did.

[Kyo]

OOCApologies for any rustiness/terribleness.

Have to use nails to climb, silly! Not by hugging the tree!

The cat was already in the tree, and Kyo saw the tree quivering once more. This time it didn't throw her... not yet, and he thought it was waiting for something, how he himself had learned to wait, howling at the night sky in the dark times.

Perhaps it was waiting for him to climb, too. But how? Spot-cat made it seem very simple to climb, but she was a cat. Like how that mountain-cat went racing up the tree the day he and his dogs chased it, hissing and spitting from up high. Cats just knew how to climb.

Kyo was different. A coyote. Or a human, in this form. Not a cat. Not a climber. The spot-cat girl said to use his nails to climb. But looking at his thin-fingered hands, there were no good, strong, long nails to use. Not like the cat's nails. He considered going back to his other form, but coyote claws were not cat claws, either. The coyote-form was not made for climbing. Running, yes. Swimming, yes. Howling at the sky and yipping and barking, and hunting and sniffing and searching, and playing. All of those, yes. But not for climbing.

Maybe cat nails are made for climbing, but not coyote! he called back up to her. And human nails are hardly nails at all, not even for fighting and scratching! Of course not for climbing! That's what the stretching-gripping arms and legs are for!

But how to stretch-grip-climb the tree? Kyo could see it tremble in its quiet rage, its branches beginning to twitch like the tip of an angry tail. He could feel it thunder through the ground as it began to shake more and more, as if impatient that he was taking so much time.

He stood, rubbing his fingers together and curling his human toes. He had to go fast, get up the tree before it had another eruption. But still he did not know how.

At once the clear tree-blood caught his eye, shining against the rough brown bark like wet morning dew against the leaves and grass in a forest. That showed the scratch marks of the spot-cat, where she had climbed before. Most trees would not have been so greatly injured by such a small creature as the spot-cat. But Kyo did not think this tree was like most trees. As it was, it had been cut deep into its wood, the gashes gaping wide enough to fit his human fingers and toes.

Oh! Kyo yipped. I see! And he approached the tree once more.

Instead of trying to wrap himself around it, this time Kyo coiled his arms and legs in front of him, picturing how squirrels climbed so fast and light. His fingers dug into the flesh of the tree where the bark had been scored away by the cat's hasty, cutting claws. Kyo used the marks as places to put his hands and toes, and he gritted his teeth into a snarl of effort to hold himself in place as he slowly drew himself up, not having used his hands and feet for something new like this before.

Only the tree didn't like it.

Soon as his fingers jammed themselves deep into the tree's first wound, Kyo felt the thing shudder. It violently writhed and squirmed. Its branches thrashed above, trying to force the cat out again, and for Kyo... he felt the wood of the tree try to close down, pinching around his fingers. He yelped out in pain and moved, scrambling up to the next handhold. His toes were nipped below, like the tree wanted to chomp them right off. Faster! He had to go faster!

One more grip up and he flailed out a hand. The rumbling motion of the tree almost made him miss and fall, but he felt his palm smack into the hard, creaking wood of one of the lowest branches. He threw out his other hand and kicked his feet against the trunk, jumping higher. His belly slammed into the low branch with an oof. His arms wildly grabbed to keep him from falling, his legs swinging and struggling in the air below.

The branch he was on whipped back and forth, and Kyo clung as best he could. All the branches were flailing, and he could hear the awful wooden scream of the tree as he held even tighter. He really did wish that he had good nails, now, for gripping! The branch wrenched up and down, and Kyo almost tumbled free.

And then, as Kyo's arms strained and slipped, the tree slowed, quieted, and finally stilled. It went back to its sorrowful wailing and gently swaying. But something had changed in the long moments of the tree's anger. The world around seemed brighter to the young man's sharp eyes. Damp white mist flowed through the air all around, dazzled golden yellow around the edges like the sun-struck lining of a cloud. And the air, too, was different. It was thinner and colder and wetter, like what Kyo remembered from his visit to the high, snowy mountains.

Oh wow, that was hard! Kyo panted out, dragging himself further into the tree. He looked to see if the spot-cat had dug in her claws and made it through the tree's temper, too. Climbing is so hard! I don't know how you cats can stand to do it! He leaned carefully to the side to peer down the length of the trunk, and then looked again, surprised.

Oh wow! he barked out again, this time in wonderment. A feeling grew in his chest like the spreading petals of a flower, that feeling he got whenever he scented something new and exciting. Look! We're so high up! The tree has grown very big and tall!

The ground lay hundreds of feet below, golden and distant, the tall grass rippling far away like the wind-caressed surface of a huge lake. Kyo turned and looked around, wiggling happily. We must be in the sky!