An RP by NekoLen and Tachigami

Damon Caruso had taken plenty of expeditions out into the unknown. In his almost twenty-six years he had followed his grandfather and father into the utter vastness of deserts, the humid rain-soaked soils of rainforests and jungles, the quiet-yet-lively existence of extensive forests and silent mountain ranges. Many a discovery had been credited to Damon or his father and grandfather, who had both passed about a decade ago. Now Damon was in charge of his own expedition teams, and he had risen to the level of notoriety that the ones before him had. Now he was leading a team of thirty into the deep jungle that bordered Egypia’s deserts. The jungle had yet to be named, called a simple blank slate that was meant to be explored and detailed into the world map. Damon and his team had entered the jungle several days ago and had found a clear patch of land free of trees, near the edge of a cliff across from a massive line of waterfalls. It was a good place to set up, which they did by erecting large tents and temporary workstations that wouldn’t leave anything behind when they left.

He was in his tent, a solo thing nearer to the cliffs than the others were. Damon wore light clothes---off-white and beige, protective pants and a sleeveless shirt, heavy boots that kept insects from worming their way up. His brown-black hair was tied back and out of his eyes, mostly, since a little curled into his deeply blue-teal eyes. They were dark and watchful, absorbing light to see even in relative darkness but keep direct sunlight from being too painful. He was naturally prepared for life as an explorer, a photographer, leading scientists and mapmakers into what others fear for its obscurity. He put a brown backpack on his shoulder and stepped around the others. It was about time to actually go into the trees and explore a bit. And he was prepared, he just had to let everyone know he was leaving for a few hours---possibly more.

The smell of strange, but familiar, animals had brought him to this small clearing. He watched them set up small huts and light a fire outside, putting weird black objects fill with water on top of the flames. His big green eyes watched in interest as one of the strange creatures left his pack, making his way through the thick jungle and pausing every now and then to look at trees or small animals that scampered from his heavy footfalls.

He followed this strange creature, his ears alert for any sounds that would give away danger. He watched as the creature stopped to take a few leaves of a small bush. He tilted his head, wondering what it was doing. Hadn't it seen a bush before? There were plenty of them around the jungle, the place that he called home. He climbed a low tree, its branches stretched out just above the creature's head. He wondered if he could eat it, a creature that big would keep him full for days. He had always had problems hunting anything big as a deer, so he decided against it. As the creature moved under him, he sneezed, lost his balance and landed right on top of the creatures head. They fell to the forest floor, he lay on top of the warm and sweaty body. His eyes met the creature's and he turn tail and fled back into the bushes.

Damon left the camp without anyone else, though a party was better used in generally unknown areas. Soon the vehicles that had transported them were out of sight, and Damon was gradually marking his way along with small red strips of cloth tied to low branches or bushes. Many had such beautiful markings, like spiderwebs on the leaves. Damon would pause again and again, study the bushes and clip a few leaves to pocket for the botanist to study. Nearby he scooped a spoonful of dirt into small bags and place them in his backpack. Some of the flowers were odd mixes of various recognizable ones, sometimes growing on vines or in the undergrowth, thriving in darkness.

He stepped lightly, but apparently not lightly enough, as something found him. First its sneeze startled him, and he looked up in time to half-catch, half-break the fall of someone. It knocked the breath out of him, even moreso when it kicked off to scuttle into hiding. Flipping over, Damon followed its direction and found it quickly, hiding among some bushes growing just underneath a decaying log. It was a human, obviously. A dirty human, wild in the eyes. "Hey..." His word was soft, to not startle the creature. It wasn't completely impossible to find a lost civilization or displaced person having grown up in the middle of nowhere, but to be one to find the person or people was a dream few could actually live. "Hey, it's okay..." Damon crouched, pulling his backpack off and unzipping it. He'd packed some food to come along with him in case he stayed out past lunch or supper, and among his collection was a bag of dried meat. He pulled it out, offering a piece to the smallish creature in the shadow. "You hungry?" He asked quietly. "It's okay... come on out..." He set the item down on a flat rock and sat back, averting his eyes to look anywhere but at the young human.

Expecting the creature to growl and chase him, he froze in place when he picked up strange, soothing noises. Almost as if it was trying to say something to him. Cautiously, he turned around and watched as it pulled out some strange meat from within one of its pouches. His ears picked up the soothing noises and he carefully moved forward, his tail fur bristled out, as if he had been shocked with electricity.

The sticks and leaves underfoot scratched at his hardened, bare skin as he stepped out from under the bushes and made his way towards the meat, his ears focussed on the creature as well as his eyes. If it tried to attack, he would run and climb the nearest tree. He seemed more agile than this creature, as well as much more quick.

Stopping near where the creature had placed the food, he quickly swiped it and ran back into the bushes, sniffing the strange, dried meat and eating it quickly. He hadn't tasted anything this good before, being so used to raw rabbit or mouse meat. He watched the creature, wondering what he would do next.

Damon turned his gaze down to the little human as it appeared from beneath the bushes, stifling a gasp as he caught sight of ears... like that of a cat... and a tail? And on his hands, slightly curved claw-like nails. Damon didn't move as the creature grabbed the offering and ran back to its hiding place, as agile as a cat. Damon bit his lip, keeping himself at ease. He was used to finding oddities, and indeed even living ones. This was an oddity that couldn't be considered an animal, nor a human. Neither, really, or perhaps... something in between?

He pulled another strip of dried venison out of its package and this time held it out without setting it down. "Can you understand me?" He asked quietly, not expecting an answer. No, this... creature... was wild, he'd probably never learned any language beyond that he taught himself. "Come here." Damon waved gently, coaxing the little creature forward. Would he understand? Damon lowered himself easily, becoming unthreatening at his smaller stance. Perhaps it would calm the thing.

He watched the creature squat low, holding out another piece of the tasty meat. He moved out of his hiding spot slowly, edging along slowly. His muscles were strung tightly, to prepare for running if anything happened. His heart was pounding fast and loudly, and his tail was still bristled. He cocked his head, listening to the soothing noises the creature was making. He had a feeling he could understand what was being said.

He reached out and took the meat, retreating but not hiding in the bushes. He sat back and nibbled on it, keeping his large green eyes on the creature that had fed him.

He had to be a cat. Or some strange, previously-unnatural form of mixture. If that were the case he might behave as cats did, communicate as cats did. Damon pulled a pair of glasses out of his pocket---they helped him read small text or see minute details in some maps, and they were worn often enough that they had his scent all over them. He pushed them forward, and made sure to meet the creature's eyes. He blinked slowly, calmly, communicating that he didn't want to harm the creature. It had to be returned, though, the motion of his eyes, and if it was he knew he had at least some of the creature's trust.

For now, though, he had a bag of meat to gain the relatively small creature's trust as well. He showed it, keeping it close to him though, so it couldn't simply snatch it and run. No, he had to keep this creature close. It didn't seem to belong here...

His eyes widened when he saw the large bag of meat. How had this creature killed and prepared so much of it? It must be very strong... He sat back, staring hard at it and wondering what it wanted from him. Its body language seemed to be communicating calmness and no threat to him. Perhaps he could trust it?

He wondered now why it held out something shiny from within its pouch, as if offering it to him. He reached out and took it, looking at it and sniffing it. It seemed to be made of a strange hard material and shone in the sunlight. He peered down at the middle, translucent part. It seemed to magnify the ground below.

Damon smiled as the creature studied the glasses. It was... cute, really. The toddler-like innocence as the thing's wide emerald eyes studied everything, especially things he had never seen before. Damon moved slowly, slightly, so he could face him a little easier, edge just a little closer and put out his hand. Not over his head, or it'd startle him and undo everything that had been achieved so far. Damon just had to befriend this creature. Had to figure out what it was, specifically, its origins, if there were more. And if so, perhaps put a protection order on this jungle and not allow anyone near with the intent to harm, capture, or kill these things.

He flinched when he saw the creature moving closer, but didn't run. The smell of these things had the same scent as the creature. It was one of perseverance, peace and calm, not the scent of a killer. The way the creature looked at him made him realise that it seemed to think he was weak or innocent. He bristled his tail and readied his claws, in case it though he wouldn't fight back.

As the hand was outstretched, he carefully leaned forward and smelt it lightly. He sneezed again, causing him to jump slightly and move further into the bushes.

Damon twitched when the creature sneezed---he hadn't expected it, but it squeezed his heart a little at how utterly adorable it was. He couldn't help but laugh, even as the creature scuttled backward, and he turned over a little to lie on his side with one arm out, picking up his glasses and slipping them back into his bag. Damon's other hand reached into the smaller bag again, pulling out one more strip of meat and lying it close to him. If he could just touch the creature's head... If it were a cat, maybe it enjoyed a scratch behind the ears, a pet, a new experience, even if it might be a bit frightening. And the prospect of food to one that hadn't eaten in a while tended to coax even the most timid creatures out of hiding. Damon had always had a way with animals, even the most wild---often a lion or hippo would approach peacefully to him while others would send the creatures into attack mode.

He watched the creature take the object back, wondering why it had given it to him in the first place. He made a small meowing sound, showing the creature his annoyance at having his gift stolen. He stood up, his tail still puffed up as he tried to look as intimidating as possible. He hissed at the creature, getting his claws ready to swipe at it. He calmed instantly when more meat was offered. He sat back down and took it quickly, eating it just as fast. He mewed again, moving closer and sniffing the air near the pouch full with the deer meat. Why wasn't the creature letting him have all of it?

Damon hugged the pouch to himself. No, he couldn't let the creature have it all just yet. A good amount, maybe, but not too much. He didn't know how this particular food would react with him. He desperately wanted to get him back to the camp---perhaps to be evaluated, cut that wild-man hair a little, which did well to hide the cat ears that twitched and moved with each sound nearby. He folded its top to block the scent and carefully pocketed it. "No more." He shook his head, sitting relatively straight, but not above the thing. Damon had learned to ignore hisses or growls, because if something really wanted to harm him it would. Continuous growling would be a continued warning, and silence would indicate an attack very soon after.

He moved back, to his backpack, and slipped it onto his back. He wouldn't dare force this creature to follow---if it didn't want to, it didn't have to, despite it being an amazing discovery. Damon put a bit of distance between them and stood slowly, turning his back. Cats responded when someone didn't look at them---they felt it to be a sign of respect, and hoped it counted in this creature too.

He frowned slightly, retreating back into the bushes and curling up slightly as he watched the creature walk away. His stomach growled at him as he remembered the taste of the delicious deer meat. Perhaps the creatures back where that one was staying had more...? It was risky, but he really wanted to find out about them. He slowly stood, stretching and following the creature's scent trail back to its home.

He didn't reveal himself yet. It was too risky with so many of them around. They could easily over power him and kill him. He had seen the wolves in the mountains do this to prey as large as elk. He shivered when he remembered his homeland and blinked, watching the creature from before join the group. He curled up and waited for the night, watching them eat and then go inside the huts they had made for themselves.

Once he was sure they were asleep, he crept silently towards were they had just eaten, sniffing about for scraps.

Damon kept a lantern burning at his desk---a wooden thing that just folded up to take up a small amount of room, but was very necessary. His was work on the area, as he was kept awake by the sound of the waterfall's roar not a hundred yards away from their camp. He was working on descriptions of plants and the birds he saw since leaving that strange, cat-like creature behind. He had come back to camp and mentioned seeing something, thus starting a miniature war between everyone, even the botanists and biologists. Eventually he gave in and described his encounter, which set them quiet with fascinated conversation. They had all dealt with strange, interesting new discoveries, large and small, and this was no different. His pencil sketched a leaf he had under a magnifying glass, until something shifted outside. He expected animals to wander into camp, especially at night, but he couldn't help but wonder...

Pulling off the glove that controlled the pencil better than his bare hand could, Damon sighed as he fought through the heavy humidity and stepped to the flaps that he'd closed and bound for evening. Pulling it open carefully, he spied the same creature---yes, it was back! He breathed carefully to keep his heart calm, and knelt on the ground, pulling the flap open more until it hung on its own. It was so close, nosing about the area a fire had been before it was put out. No one else was awake, it seemed---or they just hadn't heard the disruption. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, keeping close to the ground as he moved just outside the tent to not startle the creature.

He froze by the metal pots near the fire, his ears focussed on a small noise coming from one of the tents. He turned his head, his large green eyes picking up the tiny amount of moonlight and reflecting it back, so he could see the dark scene as clear as day. The creature from before was sitting near one of the huts, watching him carefully. He tilted his head, wondering if he was about to get into trouble. Moving himself so that he faced the creature, he sniffed about the fireplace, not finding much scraps of food.

He knew how to hunt and had eaten the previous day. The smell of cooked meat tantalised him, making him long to taste what the creatures had been eating.

Damon bit his lip, watching the creature move about the dark fire pit, nosing the pots that had been left for morning cleanup, searching around as if he were dying of hunger. He looked around inside his tent, pulling his backpack back to him and pulling out teh pouch of meat again. He kept it packed in case of a spontaneous jog into the unknown, and made a note to pack more of the meat in the morning. For now he opened the pouch and slid forward very slowly, tossing a piece toward the creature. He made a quiet noise, getting its attention again. "Come on, little guy... It's okay, come here... Please don't run off, I know you can't understand me, but please don't run away..."

He flinched as the creature threw something at him, but relaxed when he saw that it was some of the delicious dried meat. He crawled over and sniffed it before wolfing it down quickly. He sniffed about the ground seeing if he had missed any. He glanced up at the creature, who was so close to him again. He could smell the meat on him and sat, looking at him in expectation. He sniffed the air around the creature and sneezed again.

Damon couldn't help but laugh quietly. Such innocence in this strange creature, he couldn't help but smile as he set another piece on the ground, coaxing it closer. He had gathered a few cats in his life, all stray, that had eventually come to trust and befriend him in some way after he had fed them and gained their respect. Damon hoped this was similar to it. He carefully shook the pouch again, showing it to the creature but keeping it close to him. Next time he would only be allowed to take it from his hand. Then perhaps he'd be able to pet the creature a little. he looked around to the other tents. Hopefully none would have to take a bathroom break suddenly, or have restless feet and want to go for a walk.

He pounced on the piece offered to him, eating it quickly and lingering close to the creature. It seemed to have more in its pouch, as it shook the bag and wafted some of the smell towards him. He started to purr, licking his lips and watching the creature, ready for it to give him more.

A small noise in the trees drew his attention, his head snapping around quickly as his ears began to try and pinpoint the sound. It seemed to only be an animal moving through the bushes, but he wanted to catch it desperately. But he stayed, curious to see what the creature wanted. He turned his attention back to it, mewing softly, asking for more please.

Damon smiled, opening the pouch again and pulling a longer piece out. This time he held it, and offered it without stretching. It was as if he were simply handing a pen to a friend. Even from a slight distance he could hear the purring the creature emitted. Yes, he was a cat, in a way. His actions showed such tendencies, his ears and tail, his nails in a claw-like shape, the rumble that emitted in a way that seemed to be content or curious, or a combination of both. "Come take it." He muttered. "I won't hurt you." He looked around to what the little creature found interesting in the bushes nearby. Something Damon couldn't hear over the sound of the falls nearby that made the clifftops so humid, even in the cool of night.

He lowered his head, his ears and tail drooping slightly. The creature held out a large piece of meat, but was still holding onto it. It wanted him to take it from its hands. He wasn't sure if he was ready to get so close to the creature. He mewed again, pawing the ground, uncertain as to what action he should do next. Sighing softly, he reached forwards and grabbed the meat from the creature, sniffing it and then eating it quickly. He had moved very close now, almost touching distance. He glared at the creature, daring it to come any closer.

((Argh, little tiny itty bitty posts!))

Damon put his hands down, lowering his head to meet the creature's gaze. Then he lowered himself a little more, to the ground, and put out the rest of the scraps in front of him. He set the pouch beside what was left of it. "So, come on, you can have it." Damon nodded to it, pushing a bit toward the creature. "What are you, anyway...?" It couldn't answer, or so far as Damon knew, but he felt talking would get the thing used to his voice, and keep him around.

He watched as the creature scattered the rest of the meat around it, as if willing him to come closer. He sniffed the air again, his ears flicking about, making sure there were no dangers nearby. The creature didn't seem dangerous, as it was being kind to him by feeding him all of its meat. He still didn't feel relaxed or trusting, but perhaps he should come closer to see what happened.

He crept even closer, squatting close to the creature and eating the scraps of meat scattered over the ground. He sniffed about and noticed the pouch. Crawling over to it, he put his face in it, sniffing around it and searching for more. When he couldn't find more, he glanced up at the creature. It seemed to be just like him, except it was missing its ears and a tail. He wondered if it had cut them off. He shuddered at the thought. He moved closer, resting his front paws on the creature's lap and reached up with his head, sniffing the creature's face.

Damon couldn't help but laugh quietly as the creature moved about and stuck its head in the empty bag, just like any curious cat would do, then study him and shake as if in pain. Damon's worry showed evident on his expression at once, until the little creature moved forward and put his curled hands on the explorer's legs to lift itself up. It was a tiny breakthrough, to have it feel comfortable enough to get within touching distance, and Damon closed his eyes a bit to let him sniff, get a sense of who---or what---Damon was.

Very carefully, he lifted his hand, keeping it close to him and managed to touch the creature's arm, then the hair that hung down in a wild mess from his head. Just below the ear he scratched a little, lightly, hoping desperately that the move wouldn't be considered dangerous. It was light enough, yes, and hoped it might even be enjoyed. The lions of Rafik's wide-open plains and deserts even enjoyed someone scratching their ears and backs, rolled over to show their stomachs and even accept a pat there. At least from Damon, anyway---anyone that accompanied him were too afraid to near them.