[JRP] Walking By Faith, Not Sight [Haamoni x Li]

[ShinosBee]

He was close. He could feel it in his oversized paws.

how many days had Haamoni been walking? It was hard to say. Since he'd first felt the tugging in the pit of his stomach, like some invisible being's claw had hooked there and was drawing him along towards something important. It wasn't usual for the leopon to notice things of importance. It frankly wasn't usual for him to notice much at all. Most days his head swam with cluttered, jumbled visions of things that had happened, were yet to happen, were happening somewhere else. It left him dazed, unsure of which reality he was really present in, and disoriented. It was a miracle he could snap out of it now and again enough to keep himself fed, but this was by far the clearest his head had been in...ever.

(Con't below, gaia's freaking over post character limits. >_>)  

[ShinosBee]

Still the presence of all those realities was pressing in on his mind, but they were subdued, repressed. He could focus on following the pull of his gut. Maybe, he wondered to himself, maybe this is just another vision. Winding down someone else's path. Between my mind and theirs, no clear division. But I think it's near the end, at last.

He'd been wading through tall open grass for some time, and in the distance he could hear the hushed murmur of many voices. Some pack or pride or gathering. Maybe just over the next gentle rise... The leaning sensation inside that had led him along dropped off him like a discarded cloak as he crossed some invisible line, and with its absence came a rushing of sight and sound as his head was assaulted once more by the multitudes of realities that were and were not inside his head. On practiced instinct he braced himself, hunkering low and riding out the blinding visions until they slackened enough that he could resume his march. Apparently this was where he needed to be. Probably something to do with the group over the hill. He'd never been fond of large groups - they didn't seem fond of him. Either because of what he was or what he did he never bothered to know, but the feeling HAD led him here.

"Hello?"

thalion

My next posts will be shorter I guess? I don't know why it was messing up as once post - I only had 48900 characters even with the gradient codes, not 50000. I think. That's what my counter says. Eh.

 

[Thalion]

One of the newer Taiho, a female by the name of Rhonwen had received a vision of a new Taiho. Lost, confused, scrambled in the mind, but full of purpose. Kaze-ki was far too busy educating his new ruler and training his Sherei to receive the newcomer. Poor Kori-Ki had an entire army in training to keep an eye on and Mizu-Ren. Oh what had she been thinking? The lion was out of her mind...

Maybe she saw something that the others didn't. Or... perhaps she sensed something. The scarred lion was a military minded individual and had apparently been born into nobility. Perhaps he could be reformed. He hoped... oh gods, he hoped. He couldn't stand to be fodder for his madness again.

He lifted his head, brushing through the soft grass of the border. A bright white and rainbow figure was making his way towards him, looking restless but full of purpose. This must have been him. Smiling, the small god cloaked himself in the form of a common mortal. Of course...he was tiny. His mane fell over his back and shoulders rather than surrounding his neck like a proper mane. He was odd... but not totally out of place.

Haamony would begin to feel a strange sense of clarity the closer he came. There was a strong smell of sandalwood, calming and potent. The swirling madness in his mind would settle, resting, and falling completely into a gentle lull.

"Hello~", Li called out calmly, lifting his eyes over the grass line. "You seem lost. Perhaps I might be of some help?"

ShinosBee

Li's in his mortal form XD But his powers would still kind of touch Haa! :3

 

[ShinosBee]

His head was spinning but that was okay. No one had come immediately when he'd called out, but that was okay too. In another 'place', ten other 'places' someone had turned to notice him, or given him food, or groomed his fur or feathers. Not being noticed didn't hurt when you were simultaneously living through so many people. The leopon continued his staggering dance into the pride's lands regardless. And he didn't notice at first when his visions began to swim about less. When ten became nine became eight.

Only when he blinked and realized he'd nearly run into someone did it distantly dawn on him that for once the rushing roar of multiple lives was nothing more than a quite whisper in the back of his mind. That he'd nearly plowed over a rather small, if nice smelling lion. "A-ah...uhm," It was rare, so rare for him to be so dumbstruck. The world was almost painfully quiet and focused and clear. He blinked a few times. Nope, still perfectly in focus. "I...I think I was supposed to come here. Where...where is 'here'?" He looked up over the mortal-form's back at the wide grassy plains and the distant river. This was very, very odd...but also somehow very peaceful. It was like finally getting a full breath of air after struggling to keep your head above water. For years.

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

Li only smiled more. The poor creature seemed as if he was just catching his breath. His eyes were still swimming, trying to focus on something. Li stepped a little closer, allowing some of the veil on his powers to fall away further. The peaceful feeling would seep deep into the stranger's mind and body. He would feel as if there wasn't a threat in the world, not here or now anyway.

"Perhaps you are right." He glanced over his shoulder. "Well you entered the kingdom of Kaze. As a whole, these lands belong to the Tengoku no Kurēdoru pride." He glanced back. "Pride being a loose term for it. All sorts are welcome here. Might I ask...why you feel drawn here?"

He didn't doubt the seer's vision, but there were always telltale signs of a seer. They saw things in their mind, sometimes chaotic and sometimes terribly organized. The ones he had encountered and spoken with explained that sometimes the visions came on their own, rolling over them like waves over the sands of the sea. At times they could be provoked, like tossing a stone into a still pond. Kaze-Ki had said that he could direct his with some focus, and those visions helped guide him. However, this seer seemed terribly scattered compared to those already within the lands.

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

Haamoni did feel very relaxed. At ease. Normally he felt carefree, but only because with his heads so far in the clouds he couldn't recognize which threats were only in his mind and which were real. This sense of peace though, it was stronger, bone-deep, and without any swimming visions he could finally tell it was true. It was a breath of fresh air, and his vague expression morphed into one of utterly besotted fondness, and he charged the smaller lion. He didn't know why or how, but this little fellow seemed to make him just feel so very nice. He would love to rub all along him if the other didn't dart away. Hopefully Li would sense that there was utterly no malice or madness in his lunge to bump his cheek to his. Unless the urge to coil himself around the un-god and snuggle him for a while counted as malice.

"I don't know any of those words. I followed a feeling here, something in my head and my belly. Normally, you know, I see everywhere and every time, but when the feeling in my belly came I started seeing here. Well, it was still every time and lots of wheres, I think once or twice I was a bird? But they were all coming here, or near here, or talking to someone who was talking about here." He babbled as he attempted to further indulge his need to express affection. "I was still everyone, but everyone was thinking about here, so I thought about here too, and I came."
 

[ShinosBee]

Haamoni's visions had never been very clear or stable. From the moment he woke until he collapsed at the end of the day in the dirt, he was being constantly assailed by visions, sights, sounds, usually overlapping, from almost every corner of Africa. Perhaps once or twice before they had thinned down to two or three at a time, but he couldn't remember the last time his head was entirely his own. And with no family to help him or pride to guide him, he had no training to even begin to focus them.

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

Li stood still but he seemed a little tense as the other feline showed a strange, raw affection. Never had he met a mortal that was so downright friendly to a stranger they had just met. Perhaps the relief of having some peace of mind was so overwhelming that he had no other course to act. The tiny 'mortal' only smiled awkwardly and reached a paw out to still the other.

"A seer then?" He asked gently. "It seems your gifts have made you a little disoriented, confused... perhaps there is a place for you here where you can find rest and learn how to control your abilities."

He turned and jerked his chin towards a distant lake, massive in size, with a large volcanic cone rising out of it. "See there? That's the holy Mt.Hou. Inside is the kingdom of Kasai. It's home to those with your talents." He turned to the hybrid and smiled. "If you wish to live in a place such as that."

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

Haamoni let himself be stilled, though the continuing swishing and wriggling of his tail made it clear how, if let go, he'd still be very happy to snuggle and show his thanks to the tiny god. He beamed at the word 'seer' - he knew that word! "A seer, yeah. I heard that before. I see and hear, past and future and more...I think so, at least." That was how it'd been explained to him in the past. Of course, this was one of the first moments of clarity he'd had since his visions began, and the other 99% of the time he'd been not even really aware of what was happening. For the moment he understood.

"Confused? Not really. I know I'm me. Usually I'm a lot of 'me' at once, but right now I'm just one me." It made perfect sense to him. A settled mind was lovely and quiet for a change, but once the god left this side he'd be wondering how anyone got along without being seven or eight people at once. The quiet and control really was nice, but later he'd notice how cut off he felt that way.

"Mount Hou? More like me?" Oh, he'd like that very much. He'd never been around others like himself (aside from in his mind) and had been shunned before for being different. Being similar, accepted... "What do I have to do?"

thalion

 

[Thalion]

It must be hard to be a seer. The abilities seemed to take their extremes as much as they took their moderates in terms of ability. He'd met some that seemed able to almost direct their second sight. There were others where the visions washed over them like a wave over a stone in the ocean, tossing their mind about and leaving them disoriented for a time. This one seemed more of the later, perhaps a little more than cracked as a result. He was harmless though, and quite friendly.

Li smiled, though the expression held some quiet pity. He must have been so lonely out there...

"You have only to follow me. Once we get to the lake, there will be another to carry you over." He flicked his tail. "Would you like that? Are you up for a little more walking?"

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

Haamoni for his part had always been content to be tossed about on the sea of visions that 'washed over him'...but then again, he'd never remembered life being any different. He'd never known any better, so he had nothing to compare to. Even now, he was more bemused and slightly off-put than would be normal for his level of delight. It was new, and strange to be 'clear' for once, but time would tell if it would be something he missed or not.

And he was beyond oblivious to the hidden pity in the god's eyes. He was simply happy to have a new friend, and possibly a place to belong. He'd never done that before, belonging. But it sounded nice, and full of others that were like him. "I could do that, yes I think I could! I mean, if it's not too far, I'm pretty sure I would." He was bright from tail to tip - literal tip of the horn tied to his noggin.

"Did I mention my name's Haamoni?" He probably had. But he felt like it was important. It was reaffirming to say it, especially because nine out of ten times he wasn't entirely sure of it himself.

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

The god smiled as he pressed on. His legs were a little longer than seemed right for a god his size, so the lush grass did little to slow him down. Strangely enough, he barely breezed through, leaving only a whisper of a trail in his wake. He didn't much like walking on the ground, there was a quiet fear of stepping on something or stumbling. He'd grown far used to walking just above the grassline. Of course, he couldn't keep up his appearance floating about. Until he was back in the company of his protector, it wasn't safe to reveal who he was.

"Haamoni?" He nodded, "It's a pleasure. You can call me Lehvi for now." He nodded ahead of them. "And it's not much further."

ShinosBee

I think we can end with your post. :3