[M:0]
Post by Leisie Mane on Aug 13, 2010 1:37:38 GMT -5
The sharp screech of a distant creature caught by a predator echoed across the jungle, and Leisie's head shot up. She was crouched in the thick undergrowth, balancing on the balls of her bare feet on the spongy carpet. She brushed her hair behind her ears, straining to hear past the myrid whirring and buzzing of the insects that crawled near her feet. There was a long, low howl, that rose above the sounds the littler jungle creatures made, and Leisie recognized it as an animal that knew its fate. She frowned and stood up, folding her muddy arms across her chest.
"Huh. Poor deer now can't be food for me" She said aloud to herself. "Buggies will do!" Her frown quickly turned into an excited smile that threatened to break her jaw. She dropped back down to her knees and lifted one end of a rotting log. Three green bugs about the size of her fist scuttled about on six stubby legs each, thrown into panic by the sudden disappearance of their cozy home.
"Yummy yummy!" She said excitedly. She reached out for one of them, and the bug curled up into a tight ball revealing two flashy eyespots.
"You not tricky me! You are yummy yummy, not nasty sick-bug" She frowned again, remembering when she ate the bug that had made her ill enough that she had feared for her life. It looked very similar to this bug, but had real eyes where this one had imitations. The ruse probably worked on the bug's usual predators, but didn't fool Leisie.
She stuffed the bug into her mouth, and picked up the other two, letting the log drop back down. She hummed as she chewed, unafraid of making noise in the daytime. It was at night that she had to worry about the animals that could eat her. In the daytime, all she had to worry about was the plants, who's appetite for meat was unique only to the Wild Lands. But Leisie had lived here for five years now, as the notches on her spear counted, and she knew how to avoid them. She had the scars that told of her many trial and errors, but now she had methods. She knew which plants could eat her, and how to avoid them.
The warm, tropical sun filtered down through the trees, and Leisie was suddenly struck by the urge to bask in it's warming rays. She popped the second bug in her mouth and stuck the third into a small pouch on her hip as she looked about her in search of a climbing tree. There was a sturdy one to her left, with a thick, twisted trunk that thrust high into the canopy, and she hoped, above the other trees. She ran over to it and stopped at its base, placing her hand on the stringy bark. She looked up at the branches, and satisfied that this tree would do, she scampered up it.
The tree did indeed break the canopy, and it rose towering above the other trees. Leise climbed all the way up to the the crown, and lifted her face to the sun. She closed her eyes and took deep breath, savoring the warmth like a fine meal. She sat down on the branch, letting her skinny legs dangle over the side, swinging in the air.
The sea was close by, maybe an hour's walk from where she was now. She didn't like to be too far from it, and the tree she made her home out of was as close as it could get to the beach. She thought of the tree now, and looked over at it's direction. She couldn't tell which one it was, but picked out one that looked nice and decided that was probably it.
"Yep," She sighed contently, "Home"
"Huh. Poor deer now can't be food for me" She said aloud to herself. "Buggies will do!" Her frown quickly turned into an excited smile that threatened to break her jaw. She dropped back down to her knees and lifted one end of a rotting log. Three green bugs about the size of her fist scuttled about on six stubby legs each, thrown into panic by the sudden disappearance of their cozy home.
"Yummy yummy!" She said excitedly. She reached out for one of them, and the bug curled up into a tight ball revealing two flashy eyespots.
"You not tricky me! You are yummy yummy, not nasty sick-bug" She frowned again, remembering when she ate the bug that had made her ill enough that she had feared for her life. It looked very similar to this bug, but had real eyes where this one had imitations. The ruse probably worked on the bug's usual predators, but didn't fool Leisie.
She stuffed the bug into her mouth, and picked up the other two, letting the log drop back down. She hummed as she chewed, unafraid of making noise in the daytime. It was at night that she had to worry about the animals that could eat her. In the daytime, all she had to worry about was the plants, who's appetite for meat was unique only to the Wild Lands. But Leisie had lived here for five years now, as the notches on her spear counted, and she knew how to avoid them. She had the scars that told of her many trial and errors, but now she had methods. She knew which plants could eat her, and how to avoid them.
The warm, tropical sun filtered down through the trees, and Leisie was suddenly struck by the urge to bask in it's warming rays. She popped the second bug in her mouth and stuck the third into a small pouch on her hip as she looked about her in search of a climbing tree. There was a sturdy one to her left, with a thick, twisted trunk that thrust high into the canopy, and she hoped, above the other trees. She ran over to it and stopped at its base, placing her hand on the stringy bark. She looked up at the branches, and satisfied that this tree would do, she scampered up it.
The tree did indeed break the canopy, and it rose towering above the other trees. Leise climbed all the way up to the the crown, and lifted her face to the sun. She closed her eyes and took deep breath, savoring the warmth like a fine meal. She sat down on the branch, letting her skinny legs dangle over the side, swinging in the air.
The sea was close by, maybe an hour's walk from where she was now. She didn't like to be too far from it, and the tree she made her home out of was as close as it could get to the beach. She thought of the tree now, and looked over at it's direction. She couldn't tell which one it was, but picked out one that looked nice and decided that was probably it.
"Yep," She sighed contently, "Home"