Time for a Run

_{The day was warm and sunny, though a cool breeze swept across the land, making the day very pleasant. A yellow tyro padded around camp, feeling restless, he wanted to train, but his mentor was out with Ukku plus he was still being careful with his paw. Yes, it was much better than before but he really didn't want to re-injure it. Letting his eyes wander around, wondering if there was something he could do inside camp.
A semi-familiar pelt caught his eye and upon looking for a bit longer he realized it was Maono. He hadn't talked with the messenger since he was a cub, and he wondered how he was doing. Padding over, the shy tyro hesitated for a moment before speaking out in his low voice, "Hi..." He said feeling awkward initiating conversation.}

Maono had just been practising his gift earlier that day, testing out his new tree. Of course, it wasn't the same really considering he had been so used to the old tree back in the old lands, but for now this one had to suffice. It'll grow on me was all he thought whenever climbing up and down from the tree. As of recently however, Maono had been feeling down a little. Not so much when around Usi, his own Tyro, but the golden tom still felt it. Mwezi had disappeared not long before the Great Battle several moons back. He missed the chinchilla Sentry, her yellow eyes full of kindness and somewhat affection towards him as he had towards her. When she vanished, the Messenger felt a part of him slightly die; only then did he realise he had loved her.

But alas, he had to let go of the past and live life onwards, however it hurt to do it. He had been so deep in these thoughts as he entered the camp that he almost jumped out in surprise upon hearing a semi-recognisable voice. Turning around, Maono came face to face - literally - with a yellow Messenger Tyro. Only except he had met this Tyro as a cub. "It's been a while, Hofu" the runty tom smiled back, amber eyes brightening up as he was distracted from disheartened thoughts. "I heard you became Kauli's Tyro alongside your brother Ukuu; that''s great!" he added on, tail flicking at the tip back and forth.

<sub>The messenger tyro felt a little awkward as he waited for Maono to reply, and when the older tom turned around, he took a step back, not realizing how close he had been to the messenger. And being the socially awkward cheetah that he was, he definitely wasn't comfortable being very close to others, except maybe his family. Although he still felt awkward about talking with some cheetah he hadn't hung out with in a while, Hofu felt a little at ease when Maono replied. How long had it been since he had last talked with the older tom? At least six moons...sure he might have nodded a greeting once it twice but that was all...how time flew! And the last time they had spoken it had been in the old camp....how Hofu missed the island. Sure, he had only lived on it for a few moons, but it is where he had grown up and lived as a cub, there were good memories connected with it, and he felt a twinge of sadness as he realized he would never be able to go back to the island.

Due to his wandering thoughts, Hofu didn't reply right away and almost didn't hear Maono's other comment, but thankfully he had heard it, or else that would've made him even more awkward. After another moment of thinking, this time if what to say, Hofu spoke up. "Yeah, I uh guess it has been a while...Oh yeah, it's fun, training and all, though I haven't gotten much training since my paw got injured." He lifted his back foot for a second before placing it on the ground, intentionally putting more pressure on it to test it and see how it felt. It was definitely stronger and didn't hurt much at all, but it still felt a little weaker than before...Then the tall tyro realized he was only talking about himself, he quickly chipped in a quick, "How have you been?" before Maono could reply to his first response.</sub>

Maono was about to reply to the tall tom's first response, only to close his moth again at Hofu's question. He had been quite aware that the Tyro had been in the Healer's Den not long after they settled in the small patch of territory that was now the new Tyro's Land. Now he knew why he had been missing in action for some time. Yet, as he thought over the question, Maono thought over the past few moons of his life. For a moment a flicker of sadness entered his deep amber eyes, only to be pushed back and replaced with an inquisitive gleam. I hope he didn't see that he thought, not wanting to darken the mood between them. After all, he hadn't spoken to Hofu for six moons; the only times being when they briefly greeted each other and nods.

"Been alright I suppose; Usi's been keeping me busy. I'm beginning to dread the day she becomes a fully fledged adult" he replied, smiling at the end of his sentence. It was true; he loved Usi, his first Tyro. She always brought a smile on his face and he enjoyed training the small she-cat. Also, they were both similar in terms of size, something that didn't disturb the golden runty Messenger. At least he wasn't the only runt. "I see your paw is better, Hofu" he added in response to the first thing the Tyro had told him.

<sub>As Hofu waited fir Maono to reply, he saw a hint of sadness cross through the older tom's eyes. It took some effort not to freon at it, but he managed, and he didn't say anything either. After all, he wasn't the most confrontational cheetah...take that back, he wasn't confrontational at all...and since the messenger didn't mention anything about being sad, the yellow tyro just told himself that it had probably just been his imagination. That, or the messenger just had a quick thought that didn't apply to the conversation. Pushing aside any more musings on the matter, the tall cheetah chuckled a bit at Maono's mention of Usi. "Yeah, she can be a little excitable, but that's just from me observing...I haven't really talked to her much..." Hofu spoke but he didn't quite know what to say, because he really didn't know Usi all that well, which was odd since she was his 'sister'.

Before he could think about it much longer though, the small messenger spoke up again. At the mention of his paw, Hofu cast a glance at it, but only for a second before turning his attention back to the older cheetah. "Yeah, it's much better than before, I can actually run on it again!" There was genuine joy in the tom's voice and his paws seemed to have a mind if their own as they pawed the ground, itching for a good run.</sub>

Maono smiled at Hofu's gesture towards his paw, and somehow hinted the young tom's meaning to when he started pawing at the ground. "I guess we'll have to test it out; want to join me for a run? I've been meaning to take one soon" the runty golden Messenger asked, deep amber gaze lightening up as he thought of the joy running made him feel. Whenever he ran, Maono couldn't help but get a sense of freedom; a chance to forget everything around him for a moment and relax, relishing in the way the wind tugged at his fur and face as he ran. Oh how the tom longed to do that, but ever since the Great Battle, he hadn't had the chance. After all, his attention was completely drawn towards Usi and her training. Although some part of Maono didn't want her to become a fully fledged Messenger just yet; she was his Tyro, and he loved her even though she fell suddenly asleep.

Still, he couldn't help but not resist to ask this offer; he needed a running partner after all. He knew Nyeusi, but the tom was now a Tyro, let alone a Sunning Rock cat. Also, Mwezi suddenly disappeared, much to the tom's grief. He never had the chance to say he loved her...

<sub>Hofu's long tail twitched in eagerness and anticipation, though this time it wasn't self conscious. The tom really was itching for a run, but being the shy and quiet tom that he was, he didn't say anything aloud. That's why his face lit up when Maono asked if he wanted to go for a run. Casting a quick glance at his paw, he put a little more pressure on it, and it defiantly felt strong enough to go for a good run. "Would I ever!!!" The tall tyro said in reply to the older tom. Excitement shine on his face and his paws started working at the ground, much more furiously than before. "I've needed a good run, and I haven't gotten to really test my limits yet," a slight hint of disappointment lined the tom's voice, mainly due to the fact that he hadn't really gotten to train with his own mentor yet...but you could barley hear it because the excitement in his voice was pretty overpowering.

"Where should we run too? And do we need to count to three and then go, or just start running?" The tom spoke quickly, so much so that it was probably hard to understand what he was saying. It wasn't on purpose of course, Hofu was just so anxious to run and feel the wind in his fur that he could barely keep still!</sub>

Maono couldn't help but smile at the younger tom's sudden excitement when he mentioned running. Although he didn't manage to pick out the slight disappointment in Hofu's voice due to his overpowering, excited aura. Turning to look at the camp entrance, the golden tom began to think of a route to race long. Eventually, an idea struck the small Messenger's head and as he turned to look up at Hofu, Maono's deep gaze was bright and ready to reveal the idea. "We can start the race outside the camp entrance, and end it when we come to a stop at an acacia tree a few miles ahead" he announced, a clear image of the tree perfectly in his mind. After all, it was Maono's replacement for the tree he constantly used to see the horizon or practise his gift on from the old island home long before the journey through the tunnels.

Getting up and stretching his back legs, the runty Messenger started to make his way towards the camp entrance, tail indicating for the Tyro to follow him as he went outside and readied himself for the race.

<sub>Hofu forced himself to stop moving as Maono explained the route they would be taking, it sounded simple enough. Energy and excitement continued to build up in the young tom's body, he started twitching and kneading the ground again, trying to kept himself from bolting forward at this very moment. As the messenger got to his paws and started padding towards the entrance, Hofu quickly jumped forward, practically trotting to the entrance of the camp. With each step, there was a huge string in his step, you could see his anticipation in every part of his body.

Upon reaching the entrance, Hofu jumped from one foot to another. It was the only way he could manage to keep himself from running off right that second. He could already feel the wind in his fur and the exhilaration that came from running. Plus he felt a slightly competitive side come out, he wanted to see how well he could run against a full time messenger, would he be able to keep up? He sure hoped so, he wanted to be a good messenger for the tribe...Crouching down, the yellow tom's muscles tensened and his ears pricked forward, he was ready to run, now all that was left was to wait for Maono's signal.</sub>

As soon as the yellow Tyro had crouched down by his side did the golden runty Messenger crouched down also. As he positioned himself, Maono's deep amber gaze seemed to be transfixed on something in the distance; a blur of some kind. Of course, he knew that was his tree by now, the destination that marked the finishing of the race that was about to begin. The tom looked at Hofu and grinned in a playful manner as he twitched his notched ear, noting the taller young tom's excitement at this event. "On the count of three: one, two, three!" Maono counted down, and upon saying one, the Messenger sprinted up from his place using his strong back legs and started running at top speed, laughing all the way. Oh how he loved the way the wind blew into him, for it always refreshed him and made him extremely free from all the troubles that had came across his mind. Like traps for instance. Still, running in itself was incredibly rewarding, for it was something Maono had loved ever since he was an incredibly small, runty cub in the Nursery cycles ago with his Mother Kupanda.

As he ran Maono wondered if Hofu was close by him. The Tyro after all had longer legs than he, and could possibly run much faster than Maono too considering he was still young. Than again, Maono was still young, not even at his full prime yet to be exact.

<sub>The yellow tyro could feel his muscles tensing up even more as the older tom crouched down. Anticipation filled his whole being and he felt more energized than he had in a while. Well, maybe he had felt more energy when he was scared, but unlike then, this energy was good, it was filled by a desire to run, not away from something, but towards something. As Maono started counting down, Hofu felt his muscles tensing even more, he was ready...or he thought he was. As the messenger called three, the tyro seemed to freeze for a second, as if all the tension hindered him from running. In a second, however, his mind seemed to realize that it could run and in one large leap the tall tyro bolted forward. Due to his delayed start however, he was slightly behind his friend. Feeling a small light of competition flick inside, Hofu stretched out his legs and dug into the ground, propelling himself faster than he had in a long time.

The wind whipped through his fur and sent his hair flying back behind him, leaving nothing to cover his eyes. It was an amazing feeling and the tom reveled in it. Oh how he loved to run, and oh how he had missed it! The thrill of the run had overtaken him fir a moment, but as he focused on running again, he saw that he had just about made up the distance between him and Maono. He was just reaching the tom's tail, and with a huge grin he let out another burst of speed, which propelled him forward and now he was racing side by side with the older tom. He cast a glance over at the messenger and grinned, then he dug into the ground and picked up even more speed, placing him ahead of Maono. A joyous laughter escaped the tyro as he continued to run, pushing himself into an even faster pace. This was the life, oh how he had missed this! Oh how he had needed to run!</sub>

Shock washed over Maono as he realised that, for the first time, a cheetah had actually outran him. But instead of feeling envy, the smaller tom simply just laughed from the thrill and knowledge. Hofu had just shown his full potential at being one of the most fastest Messengers the Tribes would ever meet, and the younger tom's joy in the thrill of the race was even more encouraging for Maono. As they reached the finish line, Maono started to slow down so that he would not smack right into the tree in the near distance. Yet as he done so, the runty tom couldn't help but call out for Hofu, who was way ahead of him by now. "Hofu, you done it! You're winning!" came the loud cry, accompanied by another cry of gleeful laughter. Eventually the tom started to slow himself down even more as he reached near the finish point.

"I suggest you slow down otherwise you might crash into the tree" came the tom's next call, for Maono had began to worry a little now about the Tyro's speed.

<sub>Paws drummed ray thematically on the ground as Hofu continued to run, pouring on speed that he hadn't felt in so long. The wind flew in his face, cooling him off and making it feel almost like he was flying. He felt the freedom he had missed ever since he had hurt his leg, it felt so good. With the loud wind whipping in his ears, he on,y barely hear Maono's call out to him, I'm winning....hahah, I'm actually winning! The large tom had never won so etching before, or at least not that he could recall, he has possibly won a game of moss ball or two, but this was different. Someone had told him he won, and not only that, but Maono was older and more experienced than he was...and he had still managed to win! Hofu let out another joyful laugh, not paying much attention to where he was going, that is until the older messenger called out to him.

By that point he was only a few strides away from the tree. He quickly slid to a stop, using his legs as strong breaks, but even then he only just managed to stop before hitting the tree. Not only that, but as he put more pressure on his kegs, he felt his bad leg start hurting. Now at a complete stand still, the tom took a few steps back- so as not to hit his face on the tree, which he was very close to doing- and examined his paw. It didn't look bad, but as he put more pressure on it he felt a slight ache and twinge of pain come over it. No, it wasn't as bad as before, but he still mentally kicked himself. "I should have been more careful....stupid leg..." page muttered quietly, but tried not to dwell on it too much. At least it hadn't been re-injured, just strained a little, a day or two's rest and he could run again. He didn't know how he knew that, but he was pretty confident in it...maybe he had been spending too much time around Nge....the thought of the healer tyro made him slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't even around right now and he still felt awkward, what was up with that?</sub>

As Maono caught up with Hofu, the golden Messenger slowed down to a halt by his side, looking up at the tall Tyro. For a moment the golden tom could have swore he saw a slight look of pain appear on the younger tom. Curious, and somewhat concerned over this, the runty cheetah looked at the leg Hofu had trouble with the past few moons. "Are you alright?" he asked, frowning slightly as he looked at the way the paw seemed to not be on the ground at full pressure. After all, Maono didn't want to know that he had injured someone again, especially Hofu. The Tyro still needed to train more, and with the same injured paw again, he would only just be hindered back even more again! That was something the golden Messenger didn't want to have brought upon a Tyro, let alone any other cheetah whom didn't deserve it.

_{The tall tyro looked up as Maono padded up to him. He gave the messenger a smile, but it was pretty forced due to the fact that he was worried. The thought of his paw being re injured scared him, no, it wasn't hurting too bad, but after moons if dealing with it, any pain worried him. Ears pricked forward as the short tom spoke, Hofu sighed, he didn't want to worry his friend but at the same time he didn't really want to lie. "Umm, I'm ok, but my leg started hurting a little bit..." he said, lifting up his paw as he spoke, "It's not too bad, but I probably shouldn't run any more today..." The disappointment was evident in the tyro's voice, but that was understandable. After all, no messenger liked being kept from running.}

Hearing about this Maono frowned, feeling slightly guilty at knowing that he put the Tyro to his limit for the entire day. Knowing as much as Hofu himself, the thought of waiting for the new dawn of tomorrow to run again was irritating and somewhat torture to Messengers. Still, the Tyro did have a point with his paw, and not anything to add any more damage to it was a wise choice. Looking up at the already tall Tyro, the runty Messenger looked up the tree and grinned. Than, walking close to the tree, the tom started to climb up it's lower branches. After all, this was his tree; it always made him have the urge to climb it's low branches until midpoint and watch the distance with his own gift activated. Remembering he had company, the golden tom looked down from the first two branches, his deep gaze sparkling with playfulness.

"Can you still climb trees with that paw?" he asked, twitching back both ears in a curious gesture. Of course, if the answer was "no", the runty Messenger knew that he would have to climb back down again and abandon climbing for the night whilst Hofu was around. Not that he minded really.

_{Hofu stared at his paw for a few moments, annoyance and disappointment filling his thoughts. He really hated how fragile his paw still was. Yes, eventually it would be fine again, just as it had been before, but at the moment it was still a pain and in all honesty he wished he had never been so careless and tripped on that stupid rock. Though it's not as if I'm any more careful now... he thought, I should have been more careful when running... With a sigh the young tom lifted his gaze and was surprised to see Maono in the tree. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard the older tom climbing. As the messenger asked if he could still climb, the yellow tom looked at his paw skeptically, but then shrugged, climbing wasn't too hard... "Yeah I think so," he said, then carefully padded a little closer to the tree. Using his back legs he jumped high up onto the tree. As his front claws made contact with the bark he winced a little as a sharp pain shot through his leg, but he tried to ignore it. Pulling himself up onto a low branch he grinned, even though it had hurt a little he had made it into the tree....at least the paw couldn't stop him from climbing.}