[SRP] Hunting Amusement (Morte x Astari)

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Astari grinned as he watched Morte trying to catch a meerkat. He was not sure what was funnier, the fact that she was trying to catch the thing, the fact that the thing was avoiding going into its tunnel, or the fact that she had not seemed to realize it was toying with her. The starry male chuckled to himself as he sat perched on a rock. It really was the most amusing thing, especially since Morte was only losing this because she was too tired to hunt decent.

"Are you ready to listen and get some rest yet?" Astari asked after she missed her mark pouncing at it yet again. She had to give in eventually. She really did. Even if she did not want to, the female cheetah was likely to collapse soon enough from her excursions. What Astari could not understand was why the meerkat had yet to get bored and go into its burrow with all its kin. It seemed just as crazy as the female cheetah chasing it was. Maybe the two should be friends? That was a really amusing thought.

Astari wondered how that would work out and took a few moments break from watching the futile chase to imagine it. He laughed loudly at it, and finally the meerkat looked over at Astari, as if just noticing him, and decided it was time to leave. Perhaps it figured the second feline would not be so much fun to bait. Then again, it could just have decided it was not fair odds. Astari went over to the silver, black, and white female cheetah as she collapsed to rest for a bit.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Morte had not slept in probably three days. She was not sure anymore she had lost count. All because she wanted to try to catch something to eat before she rested, and she was having a horrible bit of luck lately. Everything that she had tried to catch in the last few days, she had missed or tripped while hunting, and the creatures ran off. She usually was so graceful and sly, it made her angry that she could not complete a hunt successfully. She was going to drive herself until she got something!

Morte pounced at the meerkat again and again she missed. She suspected the thing was playing with her, but she would not admit it. Her pride and vanity would not allow her to admit that a meerkat was managing to toy with her, let alone live to laugh about it! And she held no doubt the thing was laughing at her. It kept grinning every time she missed. Stupid. Meerkats. Morte grumbled and pounced again. She would not lose. She could not lose. The blow to her pride would be too much.

She glared up at Astari for a moment. "NO! I will catch the damn thing!" Astari was an old friend she had crossed paths with again on one of her blotched hunting attempts. He started following her after that. She thought that was that morning, but again, her memory of time was getting a bit blurred by sleep deprivation. She did know however that it was nearly dark and she still had not caught the furry little creature that kept moving at the last minute. When it finally dashed into its home, she collapsed on the ground and looked over at Astari. "I blame you."  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Astari jumped down from his rock and went over to Morte. "Well, old friend, I think you proved you are too stubborn for your own good. Yes, blame me, my starry hide can take it." He chuckled and nuzzled Morte's cheek. She really needed to rest, and he was about ready to force the issue if she did not quit soon. He watched her tense and start to rise. Yup, time to force the issue. He stepped in front of her and just like that she was blocked from standing up again.

"Rest, Morte. I will get you something to eat, and you can either sleep now, or sleep after you eat it." Astari looked down at the female cheetah as if daring her to argue. The two of them knew each other too well for her to protest that look. Astari might not have a very prominent stubborn streak, but when it did show, his friends knew not to push the issue because they would not get anywhere. A sigh from the female cheetah brought a grin to Astari's muzzle, and he leaned down to lick her nose.

"Maybe the meerkat and you should be friends, Morte. He seemed to like playing with you, after all." He trotted away to go find something for her to eat before she smacked him. Astari did not have to go very far before he managed to get a hare to bring back to her. When Astari, returned he laid the dead hare down in front of Morte. "There, you are, beautiful. You can eat, and rest, and perhaps when you have had a good sleep, you will have more luck hunting for yourself, eh?"  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Morte laid on the ground and rolled onto her side to pant from chasing that meerkat. She watched Asteri jump down and sighed. His words were true enough. She was too stubborn for her own good, but she should have been able to catch that stupid meerkat! Same old Asteri, she blamed him for something and he gladly took that blame even though it was not his to take. Dang him anyway. He was always difficult in the worst possible way, by cooporating and agreeing.

"You cannot let anyone just be mad at you, can you? You starry oaf." The female cheetah watched him and has to smile. She could not stay mad at Asteri, and she certainly could not argue with him when he was being so stubborn. "Fine, I will rest, but you better not tell anybody about the meerkat... and i am NOT going to be friends with that thing!" She prickled up and glared after Asteri for a moment before smiling softly to herself. Okay, he had a point it would be amusing to let the little creature live now.

But for him to suggest it hurt her pride. Morte watched the hole where the meerkat had disappeared and huffed at it. To think a meerkat had giving her that much trouble and enjoyed every moment of it. She had to give the creature credit for brass. She looked up as Asteri returned and sat up only enough to eat the hare he brought before she started looking for a spot to sleep. It was quickly getting dark, so perhaps a bit of sleep was in order. She went over to an outcropping and slunk under it. "Laugh it up, Starboy."  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Asteri chuckled as Morte bolted down the hare quicker than it had taken for him to catch it. She definitely was hungry. He wondered how long she had been going without sleep or food. He did not have to wonder at why. The why was clear with Morte. It always had to do with pride with her. She was such a vain, proud creature most of the time that she would do silly things just to keep from admitting she was wrong or not good enough.

While he did not have to wonder at the motive, he did take the time to wonder at what had triggered it this time. Most likely something to do with hunting he would guess. She had seemed quite obsessed with catching the meerkat afterall. After the show he had gotten from watching the two, he was quite glad the meerkat had survived its ordeal with Morte, though. That meerkat had more than earned its life today.

Asteri followed Morte over to the outcropping and positioned himself to stand guard while she slept. If she was as tired as she seemed, he did not think she would be up to dealing with any trouble that might come along while she slept. She was likely to just wake up disoriented and put up no proper fight. "I will laugh it up, Morte. It is not often that I am able to care for you... you usually insist on it the other way around and it is a very nice change of things. Besides, even you find the meerkat amusing now that you think on it, I am sure."  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Morte grumbled under her breath to herself at Asteri's insistence on rubbing in the meerkat incident. His presence between her and whatever might come along while she slept was nice and quite comforting, but it still bothered her that her friend had seen her trying and failing to catch that meerkat. He would be making fun of her for a long time to come about that, she was sure. "Am I ever going to live that thing down?"

"I would like to think you will stop teasing me about that some day, am I wrong?" Morte wondered what she would do if Asteri started telling OTHERS about what happened. Maybe he would even tell her cubs one day? No, he could not be that cruel. Could he? She shuddered at the thought. She doubted her friend would do such a thing at least not without talking to her about it first, but she still wondered. She sighed and laid her head on her paws. "Let's keep this to ourselves for now."

"I know you do not often get to take care of me, starboy, but that is because I do not need it... thank you for the hare, though. I am sure that with time the meerkat will be much more amusing. For now, my pride says it is not." The female cheetah batted at Asteri's paw to make her point. It was a gentle swat, but it would get it through his head to drop the issue for the moment. That is what she hoped anyway.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Asteri lowered onto his belly to lay down so he could better talk to Morte until she fell asleep. She really was one of his best friends, but she rarely stuck around long before heading onward to who knew what. After the last time they had parted, he actually had not expected to see her again. They were both young and had headed in opposite directions. He grinned at her question and chuckled to himself.

"Perhaps one day you will live it down. It will take much teasing and good natured fun before I consider letting it go. Perhaps along the way you will learn that your pride is not worth all the fuss, hmm?" Asteri nuzzled Morte fondly and purred loudly. She was beautiful, intelligent, and a wonderful friend, but she needed to work on her vanity and pride. Today was only one of many occasions when she had run into problems because of the pride alone let alone her vanity.

"Might want to work on the vanity part too, beautiful. Not that you do not have good reason for it, but just the same, I do not want someone to hurt you because you are prettier than they, and know it." He smiled and closed his eyes about halfway in a most smug expression. Asteri shook out his mane to puff it up and fluff it out, managing to tickle Morte's nose with it in the process. He chuckled at causing her to sneeze. "Sorry."  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Morte could not hold back the smile that crept to her muzzle in response to the grin on Asteri's. He was such a dear cheetah most of the time. He might be teasing her a bit, but he meant well. She wondered what he had been up to while she was off searching for her way in the world. They had pretty much grown up together, helping each other along when nobody else was there for either of them. Leaving each other's company had been hard for both of them.

Morte looked at the male that she considered her friend and nearly her brother. She rolled her eyes at the comment about letting her live it down some day after much teasing. This definitely was the same old Asteri she had parted from even if he did speak of having females following him about now. The female cheetah returned the nuzzle just as fondly and shook her head at him. "My pride? Whatever do you mean, dear starboy?" She knew, but it was more amusing to play dumb.

Morte winced at the comment about her vanity. That struck close to home, but she really had no plans of changing it anytime soon. She was old enough to know it was a problem, but still young enough to not care, one would say. She sneezed when Asteri's mane fluffed and tickled her nose, then laughed as the male apologized for it. "No harm done... I am sure my nose will survive the abuse." She grinned wickedly and put a paw on Asteri's muzzle. "Silly starboy."  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Asteri brightened at the sight of the wicked grin and the sound of returned teasing. His friend definitely was feeling better just from having eaten. Now if she would just sleep some. He was glad she did not take offense at the assault of her nose by his mane. Not that he thought she would, but he was glad regardless. "I am glad I did no harm and that your nose will survive the abuse that my mane caused it, beautiful. I would be quite sad if it was not going to survive. What would you do without your nose?"

Asteri fained seriousness. "The thought of you not being able to smell anymore think of all the horrors that would cause? Not being able to sniff out one's next meal, let alone who was trying to sneak up on you! Perish the thought of such! I would hate for my fluff to cause that strife!" He grinned in return to her, chuckling as he laid his head on his paws. "I am a silly starboy, but I am your friend the silly starboy. And you missed me."

He purred loudly at her and licked the paw on his muzzle, which made her jerk it back in surprise. "Mmm, tasty paw. It is a little dusty though. You might want to wash that... or just let me." He laughed as she started grooming herself in paranoia, before she stopped and gave him a look. "Yes, I was joking, but I made you do it anyway." He gets a gentle shove on the forehead from Morte's paw and chuckles again. "Yes, yes, silly starboy, I know."  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Morte tried to hold back the giggle that built in her throat at the joke about going without her nose. She managed to simply grin for a little while, but by the end of his over dramatic rant, she burst out laughing and did not stop easily. Leave it to Asteri to play up such a little joke into something so funny! It was one of the many things she loved about her old friend. "Oh you are definitely my friend, starboy." She grinned and finally caught her breath.

"I have missed you while we were parted. Your sense of humor, your knack for bringing my head back out of the clouds when needed... which is odd considering how often YOURS is in the clouds, but you manage well enough." The female cheetah jerked back when Asteri licked her paw. She had not been expecting him to do that. That would teach her to leave her paw on his muzzle that was for sure. When he made the comment about her paw being tasty she chuckled, but the mention of dust had her grooming her paw before she even thought about it.

She paused in the grooming and narrowed her eyes at Asteri. He had certainly gotten her on that one. She would have to get him back for it eventually. Morte's paw went out and gave the male a gentle push on the forehead. He provided her next words for her so she let it go and simply laid her head on her own paws, answering his loud purring with the same of her own. They really were a pair some times. She did not get to think much more on it before she drifted off to sleep, though.