|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:54 pm
It didn't take Ithemba long to decide who would make who.
"I'll make you and you can make me, Moa." she said, feeling more open with herself than she had in a long time. She was beginning to feel completely comfortable in the other cub's presence. Large paws fumbling in the clay, Ithemba began to form a small shape as well. Her claws extended to help with carving certain features. The blob of clay slowly began to resemble something.
When Omoa brought over a mouth full of sticks, Ithemba smirked, showing a bit of character she never really showed. "Sticks?" she asked, staring. She'd never thought of using sticks in her 'works'...It was strange. But nonetheless, an interesting notion. Ithemba waved Omoa over to come closer and took one of the sticks. "What'sh yer idea, Moa?" she asked her friend, a stick hanging out of her mouth.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:46 pm
Well. Maybe using her claws would have been an easier tool than to take a stick and draw a goofy smile on her Ithemba-sculpture. She dropped hers on the ground and sat in front of her clump again.
"I thought we could use them to draw faces and stuff, but I guess our claws work a lot better for that. Good idea."
She smiled again an bit her tongue as she carefully took the point of her claw and helped shape more defining features, such as a mouth, eyes, and nose. Ithie was sitting, tail off to the side, smiling at her. Or, at least, that's what the carving showed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:11 pm
Ithemba grinned at her friends smart way of thinking. Using sticks was a good idea. And maybe it would work out better for Omoa using sticks than her own claws? But Ithemba didn't think to ask. It was unimportant. What was important was for them to have a last playtime before Omoa left...
Ithemba pressed her paws against the side of the clay to better form her waist. Her claws scratched lightly to resemble the markings on Omoa's fur. So far, it was turning out nicely. In fact, she was almost finished. Making little figures was what she did best, and she had a lot of experience.
She glanced over at Omoa to see how she was doing...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:17 pm
...and Omoa wasn't doing nearly as well as her friend.
In fact, she was surprised someone could call the lump of clay before her a 'figure.' It was so misshapen. But she bit her lip and kept going, smoothing down the edges and using her claw--and occasionally the pointy end of the stick--to help carve out stuff. And all. Yeah.
She couldn't help but peek over to see Ithie's work, and frowned at herself. She was so much better! Then again, this was her favorite tree. Ithie probably came here all the time and carved a bunch of different things. Omoa thought about that as her stick made the different designs of Ithemba's fur. She rounded out the base so it didn't look as busy.
She was almost done. Just a few more finishing touches and she hoped it looked at least decent compared to her best friend's.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:46 pm
A smile tugged at Ithemba's lips. She felt a surge of pride towards Omoa's work. It was as though she were teaching something to someone else for the first time and she was pretty happy about that. "Good job, Moa." Ithemba said reassuringly, nodding her head. She could see that Omoa was almost done and began finishing her own figure up.
Her claw traced delicately a kind but adventurous smile onto the clay Omoa's face. She added a few last slices on the tail fur for better texture, and then she was done. She stepped back to view the finished product and smile lazily. It was pretty good. But it'd take a long time to dry...
"...I want you to have this, Moa." Ithemba said after a moment of thinking. "It'll be mushy and I don't know how you'd carry it...But even if you leave it here and come back for it later, it'll be yours, okay?" She looked to her friend with expectancy; it was time. There was only a single, orange, bright line of light where the sun was, then. It was almost completely gone. There was no way she could stay out any longer. She needed to go back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:20 am
Grinning at the compliment at her figure, Omoa tilted her head to one side and see if it looked any better from that angle. It didn't. Not really, anyway. Maybe if she added more lines here...and another circle there...
Her claw and stick-wielding paw carefully rounded out and carved more lines, adding to the dimension of her best friend's image. She was just about finished when Ithie spoke, and Omoa couldn't help but blink again and look over at her friend. Keep it? Really? How was she going to put it in her treasure tree; it would get squished or fall over or break or...something. She couldn't let that happen. But she couldn't have nothing tangible to remind her that Ithie was still here, waiting for her to come back and visit.
"What if we leave them here, side by side, just like we always do? We move them to a safer spot so no one will break them, and they'll always be here."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:07 pm
"Yeah!" Ithemba agreed, a bit more enthusiastically than she had originally intended to sound. She stifled herself quickly in embarrassment. "Y-yeah," she said in a more subdued voice. "That's a wonderful idea, Moa." she said, nodding happily. She couldn't hold her smile back anymore and beamed.
But her smiling face didn't last long before it was replaced by a sad one. She could hear voices behind her...Her family. She knew they were becoming agitated that she wasn't there yet. They were probably wondering where she was. And she hated it when her mother worried. She always wanted to make her mother happy.
"Moa..." Ithemba started quietly. "I...I have to go now." she stared at the two clay figurines they had made; standing side-by-side with goofy smiles on their faces, right next to Ithemba's favorite tree. She wished her and Omoa could be like those statues; always close to each other. Tears begin to fill Ithemba's eyes, but she blinked them away. She turned her gaze to Omoa. "Be careful on your journey with your new daddy." She stepped forward and gave Omoa a clumsy nuzzle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:19 pm
Omoa beamed as Ithemba agreed with her idea. It worked! They moved the figures carefully over to one side, hidden, but in a place they would always know. That way no one would ever want to knock them down and they could visit whenever they wanted.
And remember each other.
Omoa didn't hear the voices, but her ears pricked up and then back down when her best friend said that she had to go. Yeah...the other cub probably had to leave, too. Jethro would be worried if she didn't return soon. It was already getting pretty late, and really dark. She would have to hurry so she could actually see where she was going.
"O-okay," she said finally. She gave Ithie a reassuring smile and calmly nuzzled her back. "I"ll see you soon. Be good! I'll come visit when I grow up a little bit. Maybe I'll be as big as you are!" She gave a giggle and winked at her friend. There was no way she'd ever be as big as Ithie.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:42 pm
"Um, um, um..." Ithemba kept shuffling her paws and pausing in her speech. Did she really have to go? Was it really time? Would they really visit each other and see each other again? Or would their friendship, just like the clay figures, get old and cracked and eventually turn to dust? She chewed her lower lip and turned her head to look behind her. She didn't want to meet Omoa's eyes while thinking such pessimistic thoughts. But being a pessimist was in her nature, though she hated those ideals.
"I will see you again, Moa." she said in a definite tone, looking back to Omoa. "We will meet again." She stood still for a moment, staring at her friend in the dark light of the evening. Crickets began their nightly songs and Ithemba knew she couldn't wait any longer. "See you--" she choked. "See you soon!" She smiled one last time, then turned and bounded away. She knew she couldn't look back. She wanted the last image of her face to be a smiling one, not a sad one.
But they'd meet again soon...Because they were friends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:08 pm
Omoa was going to call something out to Ithemba as her friend quickly smiled and choked out a goodbye, but she bit her lip and held it back. She didn't want to make the parting any more painful than it already was. She had never thought that she would feel such friendship and loyalty and caring for one person and one person alone.
Ithemba was her first, true friend, and Omoa would never forget that. Never. As long as she had that rock, and as long as their statues remained standing here, next to the favorite tree, and as long as Omoa thought about her every day and wished she was with the cub playing on the beach, Omoa would never forget Ithemba.
Yeah, she thought to herself, smiling and turning around to head back on home. Her pawprints on the soft ground kept time with the rhythm of the crickets' chirps. Yeah. We'll see each other soon enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![[Eskimo]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/ea/2c/53920899312cea_flip.png?t=1541710050_6.00_00)
Reply
