[Flashback] Slobbery Kisses (Cypress)

[Nustril]

Timestamp: 2nd of Fall, 509 A.V.

The dappled shadows on the forest floor rippled with the movement of the wind. Nustril's paws were placed over his eyes. This was a surprisingly awkward position for the cat. Perhaps he should have done the counting portion while in human form, but then he would have been starving when it was time to go seeking. Thirty-seven Mizahar, thirty-eight Mizahar, thirty-nine Mizahar...

A snatch of laughter could be heard in the distance. His ears swiveled to catch it. The whiskers on his face quivered in anticipation. Only another few Mizahars and he would be able to uncover his eyes to give chase. Some would say that this was not the place to be playing games. Nustril would normally have agreed, but his exhuberant mistress brought out the cub in him. Forty-one Mizahar, forty-two Mizahar, forty-three Mizahar...

Two branches snapped, further in the distance now. He could hear the faint rustle of someone pushing through the brush. So she was not yet done hiding. This may be easier than he thought. With only two legs she would find it difficult to run from him if she was not going to hide. Oh no! He'd lost count. Where was he? Oh well, no one would ever know if he just picked a number. Ninety-four Mizahar, ninety-five Mizahar, ninety-six Mizahar...

Alright, so he skipped more than just a few numbers. But as he thought one-hundred Mizahar and uncovered his eyes he did not feel even a little guilty. It was her fault for letting him do the seeking while a tiger. Tigers can't talk, how did she expect him to keep a solid count if he couldn't say it aloud. A roar announced that he had begun the hunt, ahead of schedule.

[Cypress]

The sound of the signal roar caught her by surprise and she stood up, eyes wide and mouth agape, a breath away from shouting 'CHEATER' , for all to hear. But if her position hadn't already been compromised , that would certainly accomplish the deed.

....no good feline, she thought to herself as a precurser to a wide smile.

She slipped quietly down the bank of a small brook, stepping into the water. A small wince crooked her lips, but it would be worth the extra work she would cause in her capture. She ducked low and walked up the brook toward a small overhand of land. When she reached her destination, a small cave carved into the dirt by years and years of the water's erosion, she curled as small as she could make her body and climbed onto the shallow ledge. The roots from a tree above ground hid the cave from casual sight and the sound of the water tripping over stones and downed trees had masked her approach.

Having spent a good deal of Nustril's countdown running around the woods would have put her scent everywhere, but the last trek through the water would, in her hopes, leave him without a destination.

Now it was time to wait him out, she brushed the hair from her eyes and grinned like a child with a great secret.

[Nustril]

Nustril had indeed cheated. The mistake that Cypress made was to think that his cheating had been to skip a few numbers. He had stood next to her when he covered his eyes and began to count silently. Her tracks began right next to him, and he would be happy to follow them right to her. Much time was saved that could have been wasted searching for where she had been when he'd covered his eyes.

The earth was soggy from a recent rain. It had not rained hard enough for all the world to turn to mud, but it had left the soft forest floor susceptible to the impact of Cypress' feet. An imprint of her familiar tread could be seen only a few steps away. Nustril edged toward it and sniffed it lightly. She always smelled so lovely in the fall. Perhaps it was all the time.

She had pushed her way through the grass and bushes as they thickened. Numerous green blades clung to the sticky dirt and gave mute testament to her passing. Two leaves had been torn from a bush as her pack had caught it, breaking one of the tiny branches. She would need to learn to be more careful if she wished to avoid the tiger!

[Cypress]

She loved this game, though at times, she did think she lacked the patience to play it. The hardest time for her was not the in the hiding, it was most certainly in the waiting to be found. But wait she did, quite patiently at first, peering through the tangle of dripping roots, the living veil that hid her from sight. She drew in a breath of the pungent, earthy smell and smiled to herself. If anything could mask her presence, it would be the fragrant air, that, combined with the water and Nustril did not stand a chance. She puffed up a little at her own ingenuity and grinned, quietly drumming her fingers on the inside of her calf.

It was definitely the waiting the usually tripped her up. But this time would be different, she would wait him out. She peeked through the roots again..waiting.

In her head she retraced the path she'd taken, circling trees, zigzaging over fallen logs, and even going so far as to sit upon a welcoming rock. She almost giggled in her accomplishment, surely this time in spite of his cheating, the tiger would be at a loss.

[Nustril]

A single strand of ivy was out of place. Its feelers had been detached from the soil as it caught the hem of Cy's pants and was dragged several feet. Had she replaced it he might have lost her. Luckily she had not replaced it. Leaning his nose close to the leaves he sniffed them and purred. The sand papery surface of his tongue emerged to wet his nose, and he continued on.

Over most of the ground he crossed her footprints were enough to follow her. The plants that she disturbed aided him in those areas where the trees had sheltered the soil from the heaviest of the rain. Eventually he found himself at the edge of a stream. Her tracks lead directly into the stream and he paused, speculative. It was a good time to take a drink, and collect his thoughts.

Clever girl...

[Cypress]

The drumming of her fingers became more and more insistent..what was he doing? She dare not look from her hiding place in case he was nearby, though no sound had betrayed his movement yet. Of course, to his advantage, he had those giant fluffy paws to baffle any sound that one without them might have made. Her mouth quirked into a crooked line and she leaned forward ever so slightly. This vantage would only offer her a view if he were standing in directly front of her tiny cave.

Nothing.

Blast it all, where is he? As her inner voice did its wonderings she pulled her fingers into the palms of her hands and leaned back into place. She would ride her stubborn streak a little further and resist the growing urge to move aside one or two of the roots. Drumdrumdrumdrumdrum

[Nustril]

Perhaps he could have tracked her further. Such information simply will never be known. It is entirely possible that he could have searched through the crystal clear water for any rocks that had been disturbed. They had become mossy, and where her feet had scraped telltale signs would be left behind. Truth be told the tiger simply did not want to expend the effort. There was more than one way to skin a cat, he thought ironically.

Twitching his fluffy tail the black tiger crouched next to the stream. Giving the appearance of laziness he allowed his head and ears to droop as he slurped from the water. Large drizzles of water slopped out of each side of his mouth as his tongue pulled it from the moving stream. All the while he kept his eyes alert. She would not have gone far, she did not have the time. She was here, and he knew her impatience well.

She would show herself. He just had to annoy her enough first.

[Cypress]

The wait had grown to the point of frustration and her drumming threatened to wear a hole in her leathers. What could he be doing? Surely he would have shown some sign of proximity by now. In actual time it had been no longer that it would take her to wash her hair, but in Cypress time, it was near interminable.

Once more, she leaned forward, dipping a little lower this time to allow for a wider scope of viewing. Still nothing. She sat back, her back flat against the damp wall of the cave. She wrinkled her nose at the smell, that had only moments ago delighted her. A long expulsion of breath feathered the strands of hair that hung over her forehead. She began picking absently at the seam of her leathers, finding a small imperfection to concentrate on, that for the moment would occupy her attention.

[Nustril]

Nustril waited for her to make the first move. She probably heard the splash as he flopped his meaty body onto the rocks of the stream and stretched luxuriously. A yawn followed, and then a growl which became something of a happy whine as he stretched. Though he appeared to be lost in his own little world of boredom his eyes searched the banks of the water. She would poke her head out eventually.

And then he would have her.

[Cypress]

The disturbance of the water make her ears perk and her body tense, coiling up for the excitement of the continued hunt. When she heard the noises that followed, those all too familiar noises, she crossed her arms and blew out a quick puff of breath that ruffled her hair.

She refused to play the cat to his mouse if he was just lazily waiting for her to emerge. The wheels were turning as she worked to find a way to spur him to some action... any action. Lazy cat.

Very carefully, she withdrew her daggers, slipping one free from the other, she palmed it while with her other hand she very quietly reached forward to make a small part in the roots. She took a moment to make sure she had not tipped him off, her eyes scanning the other side of the brook. After her safety was confirmed by his continued yawning an mewing from up stream she took careful aim and holding the tip of the blade between thumb and forefinger released her dagger. It flew silently through the air, landing with a quick snap as the blade embedded in the trunk of a tree. Her mouth fell open at the luck of her shot and she gently released her hold on the roots before slinking back into her place.

More waiting. She had to stop herself from giggling outright.