Savannah's Spotted Runner

Born in the darkness of a mother's den and brought into the light of the golden African savanna, Azi would have lived the life like any other cheetah running along the plains, chasing gazelle and impala. The days flew quickly under his fleet paws, up until the one day when everything suddenly screeched to a halt. While lazing away in the cooler shade amidst sweltering heat, the cheetah family watched the humans that came exploring through the brush. They were different from the others of their kind, wearing pale clothing that matched their pale faces. Mother coughed her warnings, but they moved away and didn't provoke her any more than scaring the prey that fed the kits. As Seline rose towards the sky the whitefaces created a bright, dancing fireflower in a small patch of dirt. Around this flower, the whitefaces slept, and Mother called to her kits. All slept. Then... the air was quickly filled with the smoke and the crackling roars of an angry firey monster. Blind and encircled in smoke, the family rushed towards the safety of the den. In the confusion and hazy flames, Azi became separated and was left behind. His rough cries softly floated through the air, but all around were the offspring of the fire, and the flame's children gorged themselves on the parched grass. In his terror, Azi felt himself grow upwards, rising above the fire. Still he was afraid, but instinct screamed at him and he leaped through the flames, singeing his fur while he ran. He ran far and fast, upright like the men he had watched with his mother. He ran until he could run no longer, and fell at the feet of a blackfaced woman, the medicine woman of a local bushmen village. His head lifted in a pathetic mew, and then dropped into blackness.

Again, the days flew on bird wings, and Azi found himself exploring the world of the twolegs. He ranged outside the village in the medicine woman's den, posing as her wild pet that would return every so often. The blackfaced woman taught him of how he was Swara, and told him the Caliah and stories of their people. All this he drank like precious water, feeling the languages of men roll from his thick, short tongue. He in turn, taught her of the world of felines that not even she in her wise years could have learned because of her birth form and childhood. Once again the dry seasons arrived, another day brought change. The sun was high, and the medicine woman told Azi to become a man. He did, and she took Azi to the edge of the village. There, various tribesmen and women gathered and stared at the trio of whitefaces that came, dressed in their pale garbs. Azi was the only one not curious to see them, but they gave him to no distinct reason to swipe his claws at their throats. The memories of his past locked away into a part of his mind he dared not tread, he gave the three newcomers a cold look inspired by something inside his mind every now and then as they passed by. Instead of returning the favor, they gave him their smiles, their language, and their views on how the world should be. Though he was not one of them, he tolerated them only for his inward curiosity and yearning for knowledge. They saw the yearning in his eyes, as much as he tried to hide it by watching from a distance. He was still young and bright eyed in the ways of the world, and one whitefaced woman came to him, offering him a chance to learn even more. The choice was hard. His native soil called to him, pleading with his heart to return and meld again with the grasslands. On the other side of the silver coin, just the fact that there was more to explore tugged at his natural curiosity. In the end, he decided there would be a time for him to return to his homelands.

6 months passed before Azi returned to his lands, weary of the man's shape. He returned to his village, only to find that his kuasha was ill. At her bedside he lurked, until one night she felt the need to run. The two of them slipped into the dark grasses with no words to the people of the village, finally stopping when she would run no more. There, she told him of the second world where spirits slept, where the wolves could run as well. At first he did not believe, but as she took in her final breaths, she passed on the Yava to his ears. Under Seline's full, gracing light he swore to her, in the cheetah's ways, that he would never speak of the secrets he'd been told until he found another like himself, worthy of the knowledge. The tug of curiosity came once more as he left her. A second world, where spirits slept? He knew of the Jamak, but was still inexperienced in the ways of spirits. Regret for leaving his mentor behind and not concentrating more on her teachings than the Europeans came to his heart, but the feeling lasted only seconds. He made a second promise under the full moon, but this one to himself. He would find the second world, the world of the spirits, and travel in it someday.

Azi spent many months travelling, trying to find the land of the spirits that he sought. He could find none, though, and eventually grew weary of the search. Settling down to rest his paws for a while and think, he remembered the Europeans. Knowing they came into the land of the Simba often on their own explorations, he took to them and thought perhaps to query them for their knowledge. None whom he asked seemed to know. Still, as more and more came in search of knowledge, Azi became wary. Many tried following him into the grasslands, intent on learning his secrets with no qualms of trying to kill him in the process. His watery eyes towards the Europeans cleared, and in time it became a game to him, where he would be the cat, leading the prey into the wilderness, testing their worthiness. If they were fit, they would be returned. If they were not, they would die. He took it upon himself to filter the questers, a few at a time. Eventually the Simba nearby began to suspect as they found various carcasses, tainted with the Cahlash's madness, withering away under hot rays. Someone was hunting on their claimed grounds. Eventually, Azi was spotted and a chase ensued. The chase ended peaceably though, a rarity for the two cat kinds. Azi was but one, and staked no visible claim to the Simba lands. They let him go, though not without watchers. The Striders of the land also watched from their side of the grasslands, and between them Azi strode with a wary confidence. He was content in his private quests, and the two tribes were content as long as he made no threats. To return their good favor, he brought messages to both sides, scouted dangers, and kept communications. Acting as messenger and guide, he formed a few thin strings of alliance towards the natives of the soil. All is good under Seline's faces, but there is still the tug from the past to fulfill his quest for the spirit world and prove himself worthy. Even, if it meant digging his claws in mud holes.

Kuasha - His mentor, *Twists-Through-Bushes*, a rank 3 homid Daylight Swara who was medicine woman for a bushmen village in the wilderness a few kilometers from where Azi changed. She died of consumption.

Quirks - A small peeve of his are Europeans and their utter misunderstanding of the bushmen. He doesn't like how the Europeans pity them and their 'uncivilized' ways, running around with just loincloths, using spears instead of guns, things like that. They play in a big part of his history though, as he was taught by a missionary woman from France. His treatment of women is with a bit of charm and respect if they do not annoy him, brought on by the feelings of motherliness he received from both his mentor and the missionary woman. He does grow a bit more closemouthed in the female company, filtering his words so he doesn't appear too uncouth. He prefers to travel in his breed form when he can, but of course he can't do so in the presence of company or customers. Few things he enjoys doing is watching the sunrise and sunsets on the savanna, sometimes in homid because the sheer amount of color he sees awes him.

Human Interaction - Azi poses as a native guide to the savanna lands, offering his 'skill' of the wild to those who wish to traverse the wilderness but want to do so with someone more experienced. He is usually seen in eateries or bars in a quiet corner, but not one that would make him appear to be a shady criminal or something more suspicious. When he was young, his kuasha (mentor) had him go with some Europeans and study them. Upon returning, he learned some fairly decent English, and is fluent French and Swahili. He can read and write pretty decently for a non-native speaker of the European languages. When holding a conversation, Azi commonly lets the other talk while he listens and observes. He is more in tune with body language and small signs, sometimes playing up on those signs if he wants to elicit a reaction. Should he actually like someone he is dealing with, he will open up a little and tell them helpful things, or just generally be more congenial.

Shifter Interaction - Since his appearance near the Simba's territories, he has come to recognize and respect their boundaries. On his savanna tours, he properly warns his customers of certain territories they should not cross (if he likes them). His caution towards other shifters is only natural. Strangely enough, none of his expeditions so far have included a European Garou whom he found out to be Garou, but he is pretty sure some that get off those boats have the changing Gift. For the native shifters, he tries to keep a balance between him and them. Striders are treated cautiously and respectfully if they return the favor. The Simba even moreso. Generally, he is not xenophobic. Some would even say he is rather gregarious, but like his Pryio, his nature can by shifting in between the extremes.

Quests - His kuasha told him of the Umbra, and he knows of it, but he cannot step sideways yet. He does not know that secret, and one of his quests is to find out how. When he does, he will explore the spirit world as well. The other quest of his, though not as highly prioritized, is finding his littermates. This, however, is a very distant thought that only comes up when Azi is deeply thinking of things.

[Main] | [Application] | [Descriptions] | [Logs] | [Links]