You got a little something there...
She tilted her head. Something where? Had he forgotten she couldn't see
anything. Rast scowled for a moment.
Here, let me just...
The young leopard jumped at the contact. Her only warning was the feeling of his breath on her whiskers before his nose touched hers. The action felt... intimate. It made her ears burn as a flurry of emotions ripped through her. No less than a day ago she had been mauled and blinded, and now here she was sharing an intimate moment with the perfect stranger. It was all so confusing, part of her wanted to jerk backwards. The other part of her wanted to be swallowed whole by the feeling of safety he provided. She hard;y had time for either reaction because it seemed as soon as it started, it had ended. Ocelot had pulled away, and with it the feelings that had filled her mind.
Rast sat for a moment, staring at the blackness ahead of her. No, staring at the blackness that still contained Ocelot. A quick, and breathy laugh had escaped the male cat after the brief encounter. Did he feel what she was feeling? Confusion? Frustration?
Warmth?
"Did you get it?" She blurted suddenly,
"What I had on my face, I mean." Confusion had caused her to fail at finding an appropriate response. Her chest tightened, what if her discomfort chased him away?
I am a fool... Rast could only hope that her reaction would not be read as disgust. In fact, she was the opposite of disgusted. She was enthralled.
@ocelot
The tension between them was almost palpable. Was he mad?
Oh, I hope he isn't mad... The wall of silence was almost too much to bear. Luckily, it was Ocelots voice that broke it down. Even though his low voice rumbled with uncertainty, she was relieved to hear no anger. She would take awkward conversation from him over any type of anger.
"I just... I wasn't... So much has happened-" Rast struggled in vain to find an explanation for herself. How was one to explain such complex emotions in words alone? Luckily, he had spoken up, cutting her off. She took no offense to this, once again she felt relief. Perhaps this was a moment to put behind them.
But I won't forget that feeling...
"You know, I really like that idea." A short laugh slipped from her. Rast could only picture the two of them bumbling around like lost bugs in a wind storm. At any other time this would probably upset her, but the wounds were still so fresh they almost didn't seem real. A small voice in he back of her mind kept telling her that this darkness was temporary. She would see Orion again, she would see the waters of Fornax, she would
see. But never again would those dreams come true.
"I think that would be fun... in a way!" Once again she offered a smile, this one cast towards the ground.
"I think... I think I am too weak to play a game like that right now. I hurt too much." Rast murmured softly.
"But when I don't hurt, we can do that!"
@ocelot
His laugh made her smile even more. He called her a silly goose.
What is a goose? She thought. If it was silly it must be a strange looking thing! Her own lighthearted laugh joined his. It was bitter sweet, she would never know what a goose looked like. Well... maybe she would with Ocelot as her eyes. There was hope for her yet. And that hope burned like a small flame in her chest. It mustn't go out.
"I wish I could see you too." The laughter in her voice had gone now. It was replaced with a deep sadness. It was the kind that crept on to a creature at night, so cold that it seemed never to leave the bones. Just as she would never see a goose, she would never see him. At least, not who he truly was. There was an image, but it was a blur.
Rasts sightless gaze had been cast down after she had spoken. It was the feeling of Ocelots breath on her fur that made her turn her face upward ever so slightly. His words poured from his mouth and washed over her like a warm breeze. It was almost hypnotizing to have one so close, speaking such soft words.
The snow leopard inhaled deeply, trying hard to picture the cat in front of her.
Blue eyes... Eyes the color of the bluest water opened in her minds eye.
A white muzzle... A smile appeared below the eyes.
Spots and stripes, smooth fur... A clearer image formed. Was it really him? She would never know. But the face she saw in her minds eye matched the low voice of the cat ahead of her.
"I... I can see you." She whispered, her voice was shaking. A scent and a voice and a touch was all she had, but to her it seemed to all come together to make some sort of sense.
"Ocelot, the ocelot" She laughed shakily, but it was still a laugh of joy.
"I can see you."
@ocelot
Rast was purring as Ocelot praised her. It felt good. But the subject had soon changed. The snow leopard straightened up as Ocelot took on a serious tone.
What is he going to ask? Was it going to be about what happened earlier? She had hoped not. She still couldn't figure out how to put how she felt into words.
"Oh... Ocelot I don't want you to get hurt trying to make up for what happened." His voice had turned bitter with the venom of hate. Rast could tell he wanted to avenge her. But she did not want him to get hurt.
"But... I will tell you what happened to me. You have been nothing but kind to me, so I can do this."
The cub took a deep breath, preparing to retell a story that was still so fresh in her mind.
"It was a creature. I don't know what it is called, but it's body did not raise more than an inch off of the ground. It was covered in scales and has awful teeth. I-I was trespassing. I-I-I was just trying to go home to see Orion. I th-thought I could take him on..." Her voice had started off with confidence, but as she continued the images of the fight started to become all too vivid. The snow leopards body shook with fear and her voice wavered.
"I just wanted to go home..."
@ocelot
As Ocelot leaned against her, the shivering in her body ebbed and her heartbeat slowed. The vivid visions of the gruesome fight began to fade. Once she was able to catch her breath, she mustered a reply.
"I don't want to speak his name. It is cursed to me. He lives in tunnel N with a group of others who are just as cruel."
The idea of a whole group of gembounds that were so ruthless made her want to curl up into a ball. Bringing back the memories had worn her out, moving had worn her out. She slowly lowered to a crouch before relaxing enough to lie down again. Rast tried to be careful enough as to not disturb Ocelot too much. She had to keep her movements small anyways, movements that were too big left her feeling lost again.
@ocelot