Traveling in the Light of the Moon

[Haptic~]

Jaali was having more fun that he had in a long time. He certainly hadn't rough housed with his father like this! The leopard's blue green eyes shimmered as he crouched, watching Dayten run back and forth. She took him by surprise when she nipped at his ear, but she darted away too fast for him to be anything but flabberghasted! Watching her run, he grinned, pouncing and missing, and letting our another playful snarl before he chased after her. "I'm so getting you back for that1" He definently was wrong about this canine, she was great! The snow leopard found her incredibly intruiging, from her large ears to her fluffy tail; he had never seen anything like Dayten before, and he liked her! Canine or not, she was the best time that he'd had in his life.

Maybe she was the best friend as well? The leopard teetering on the line of adulthood mused, wondering if he really had gone and made a new best friend. He'd be forever seen as strange for making friends with a dog so quickly, but Jaali didn't care. Pouncing again, the leopard was careful to keep his paws retracted when he came close to his new playmate. In a normal game, he figured the winner was the one who pinned the other; but he didn't want to risk hurting the smaller canine. Maybe he'd let her win if that was the way she played; adding rules would spoil the fun!

[shhdawn]

Dayten loved this. How could she had missed out on this her whole life? She loved jumping so quickly away from Jaali. He could definitely not move as fast as her. And she found it hilarious when he fell down trying to jump on her. She quickly sped up and hid in the brush. She set her eyes on her target. She moved slowly through the grass. You wouldn't be able to see her, only if it weren't for her amazing colors. xD She quickly bounded off the ground straight for Jaali's back. She leapt with not effort at all and landed on his back. She tugged at his scruff and fell off, still clinging to his scruff. She looked up into his eyes and couldn't help but look innocent and smile. She looked funny, laying on the ground clinging to a snow leopards scruff. But she had no doubt now, that he was a friend. And she really liked it!

[Haptic~]

The leopard paused for a moment, searching the brush where Dayten had disappeared to. She wasn't too hard to find, but once he did so she jumped out and onto his back. Jaali smiled, romping a bit with her clinging to the scruff of his neck before she got back off; looking him in the eyes. She was having fun too, he could see it! There wasn't a hint of the earlier fear there anymore. "How dare you surprise me like that?" and the big cat grinned, purring and licking the canine's nose before jumping away and nuzzling the canine's ear before running away. "Remember to look before you leap!" Dayten would catch him easily, he knew that; but it seemed like his turn to run after all!

[shhdawn]

Dayten couldn't help but laugh. She thought it was just hysterical watching him try to run. She fell to the ground laughing. Her legs kicking at the air. Then she jumped to her feet. She'd play his little game, she could easily catch up with him. So she sprinted, nipped his ear and ran infront of him. Her legs kicking back dirt and hitting her butt as she ran. She couldn't help but think of when he had licked her nose. She scrunched her nose her eyes gleaming. What fun she was having. She loved running. She could forget about everything around her when she ran. She could never stop, it felt so great to run. but then she realized she needed to make sure Jaali was still behind her. She had left him off in the distance. She quickly turned around and sprinted back to surprise attack him , and she fell to the floor as she leapt to his back and missed. She rolled around in the dirt, yipping and giggling. She loved this. It was one of the best things that had happened to her. making a friend. And she didn't care that he was feline. He was perfect.

[Haptic~]

Jaali was running as fast as he could while having a good time; but with his occasional laughter and constant urge to look back, his speed wasn't anywhere near as fast as he wanted. Still, he kept his feet going, legs rising and falling in a powerful run. That wasn't anything compared to the way Dayten ran though, and the leopard soon found himself caught, nipped and being outrun! Jeez, she was like a bullet! Jaali snickered, and refusing to be left behin the snow leopard upped the anti, charging as fast as he could.

Still, it wasn't long before Dayten was out of view. Jaali snorted, slinking into the tall grass and prowling, waiting for her return. When he heard foosteps, he slunk out to scare the canine, but ended up being pounced at instead. "Hey! I was supposed to pounce first!" He said, pretending to be offended as he barely dodged the canine's leap. Jaali ran a circle around the rolling female and growled before blinking down at her, their noses close to touching. "Why do you do that?" He asked curiously, he had never met someone that rolled for fun, but Dayten seemed to enjoy it. Feeling playful and curious, Jaali jumped, pretending to pounce the canine while she was rolling but hopping over her and giving a good roll himself. He looked rather silly, and his elastic like figure rolled his upper body before his lower came around with the rest of him; but he did it! "I don't feel anything but dizzy!"

He hopped up and stumbled a bit, but darted back into the grass toward the more wooded part of this place. The smell that he had deemed as canine grew stronger, but he didn't care. That was normal around here, right?

[shhdawn]

Dayten looked curiously at him. "Oh...my bad!" She didn't mean to offend him, but thhen she realized he was joking. "Oh? Roll on the ground?" She still was lying on the ground looking up at him. "i'm not exactley sure, it's fun!" but before she could say 'try it!' He leapt to the ground trying to run. She sat up, and cocked her head and her eyebrown almost went to her ears. "What are you doing?" She giggled.."let me show you. Haha" She couldn't help but laugh. He looked rather pathetic rolling on the ground. "You just kinda fall.." She got up jogged a little nearer the grass and fell down. "And then you just kinda dig your back into the ground." And she demenstrated the 'roll on the ground'. She wondered if she looked as pathetic as him. She smiled thinking of what she had looked like. She probably had patches of dirt all over her. But you probably couldn't tell by her colors.
She sprang up off the ground. And shook herself off. Her big ears flapping against her head. Then she froze..it was near night...she couldn't be out in the night. it was too dangerous, wolves roaming around.. She quickly looked at her paw, a large scar was across the front. She shivered remembering that terrible night. She had encountered a rogue wolf. He was cream colored, with golden eyes. Apparently he couldn't control himself. He had lost it, when she had just arrivevd to get a drink. And he went crazy on her.. She qucikly sat down, and licked her paw. It stung thinking about it. She got up, and started walking away. No, she couldn't be out in the night again...not after that.

[Haptic~]

Jaali watched as the canine giggled at him, and he rolled onto his stomach and grinned up at her. He realized that she was laughing at him, and although his pride was hurt, he couldn't help but laugh as well. He probably had never looked sillier! But as she showed him how to properly roll, Jaali couldn't help but stick rolling in general in the silly selection of actions not to do around those he didn't know. Dayten though, she seemed to understand.

Realizing that he wasn't being followed, Jaali popped back out of the tall grass and tilted his head, confuseda s to why Dayten had stopped playing. "Dayten?" He said, his voice a low growl, curious but quiet; comforting if need be. The canine seemed to be down about something. "Hey, where... are you going?" He realized that he didn't want her to go, and his spirits dropped a bit. why did she want to leave in the first place?

"What's wrong?" He purred, walking beside her.

[shhdawn]

Dayten looked at Jaali...It's complicated.. She liked Jaali a lot, but she didn't feel like explaining her whole life story to him. She sat down. I can't be out here..in the night. I'm only here because of you.. Then she just collapsed into him. Whining, and tears crept out of her small unnatural eyes. She dug her head into his chest...it mightve been weird if she though about it. But she was too busy bawling. Her paw stung like crazy and she didn't know what to do to make it stop. She sniffled and just laid on him. She couldn't really move. She just had to have some comfort at her breakdown moment. She couldn't help it...she hadn't had the best past...but she couldn't change it. Sometimes she just needed to breakdown and let it out.

[Haptic~]

Jaali nodded, he wouldn't make her explain. The snow leopard just didn't want his new friend to be upset. When she said she was only here because of him, he felt good; but couldn't smile with Dayten near tears like this. He gasped when she started to cry, but only curled himself around her best he could and let her sniffle into his chest. Purring, the leopard licked the wild dog's head, comforting her the best that he could. Growing up with his dad, he wasn't quite up to par with dealing with consoling others, but he would learn; especially for Dayten's sake.

"Hey there, it's alright. I don't know what happened, but you seem fine now." He said quietly, giving the canine a light nuzzle. "And if there's something out there that makes you nervous or scared? I promise that I'll be right there with you... if you, want I mean." He was a feline afterall, promising forever to a canine wasn't a good idea... but he wouldn't let anything hurt her, especially while she was alone.

[shhdawn]

Dayten felt better, having Jaali comfort her. She snifflfed and looked up into his big eyes. I do want you here, if you don't mind? She really liked Jaali and never wanted him to leave. She had never had a friend before. And he would always be there for her. She had never had that since her mother. She had loved her mother. And her mother had loved her. And she felt that motherly love for Jaali. She knew it was strange, having such a strong feeling for a leopard. But she couldn't help it. He was so much like a brother to her. She let him nuzzle and lick her head. She found it even more comforting when he did that. Laying his soft tongue on her head, she couldn't help but smile. Thank you..so much.

[Haptic~]

"Of course I don't mind. I would ask you to stick around if I did." It was true, cats were quite the fickle creatures. That's why it was so strange that he and Dayten were such good friends. But they were, and now that she was a part of his not-quite-adult life, he would protect her with it. Jaali had never had someone to protect before really, growing up an only child and living with a rogue leopard of a father. It felt good, being close to someone; and Jaali would never take the feeling for granted. "It's not a problem." He purred back, curling his tail around them both. This was part of what friends did for each other, right? Comforted one another when they were down? With their cuddle being the human equivalent of a hug, the snow leopard was slowly getting the warm fuzzies, never being this close to a cat or dog before.

[shhdawn]

Dayten looked at Jaali, she couldn't help but smile. She had a warm thing in her stomach, and it felt as if it'd burst any seconds filling the air with flying exotically colored insects. She looked up, the moon shown bright, and the glittering sky made her happy. She settled herself further into Jaali's chest.

]You know....I've never had a friend before..and it's really something. She closed her eyes. Thinking of how much her mother would have loved it if she was with Jaali all the time. Her mother had always wanted her to have friends, and have a fantastic life. It was hard..being a wild dog, and 'mommy's favorite'. And now...she actually had one, worth while. Her mother would be proud of her. She smiled, happy as a happy ending.

Dayten loved Jaali, with all her heart. She couldn't help it. He was so amazing to her. And he'd always be there with her no matter what happened. If she ran into trouble, they'd be together. Stuck as if they were glued together. If something ever happened to him, she'd never forgive herself. And if something happened to her, she just wanted Jaali to know she loved him, no matter what. And she always would.

She couldn't help but stare at the stars. They were so bright, lighting up her evening with Jaali. If a random animal walked by, they would think it was a funny site seeing a dog and a cat curled up together. But to her, it was like a dream come true. She had a friend. Someone she could love. Someone she'd always have with her. Someone to be with her through her tough times, her great times, her exciting times...to be with her, forever and always...