[JRP] The New Generation (Yezekael & Saiorse)

[Tanakako]

It had been almost a week since she had arrived with her father and siblings to the pride, the first day of which had been spent sleeping after the long and arduous journey, but then the new few had seen the hyper youngster racing all over the pridelands, both shocked and excited at what she saw. Of course her father had explained what the pride was and why so many were ill, but it was a shock to see. Full grown adults as weak as cubs, even the youngsters seemed less energetic and subdued, though a few had let her join their play and she had loved it. So many new faces! The pride was buzzing for all that it held the touch of death, and she found herself fascinated by so many individuals all in one place.

Now she was exploring the outer area of the pride's main land, eager to seek out the trails her father had described to her where he did his work. So, nose to the ground, she was trotting along, completely oblivious to anything or anyone who might be close.  

[MoonRazor]

Illness and the smell of lingering death were all that Yezekael had ever really known, all that he had been conscious of. Having been born in the midst of it all, there was little else that he understood, and even less that his young mind could fathom. A world without sickness was not one that even Zeki, with his wild cub's imagination, could imagine.

But that seemed to be, for the most part, alright with him. That he would most likely fall ill was something that he had always known, a burden that he carried without much hesitation. It was simply the way things were for the young lion, an inevitable fact of life - his lot in life, and that was alright.

Because for Zeki, there were other things to focus on, and in the presence of suffering, it was all the more important to remember that there was still hope, that there was always still something that counted for good. In this life, in his life, it was the thought that life - the good life, before the diseased one - meant that much more because of its inherent brevity. There was something to be treasured here in anticipation of something less beautiful, and to do anything less would be a shame.

Though young, Zeki prided himself on being a creature of principle, and having decided that life was for living, he had taken it upon himself to do exactly that. He explored his home with a passion, running wherever he wanted, taking new and unfamiliar trails and following them to wherever they might lead him. Already he had gained a rather thorough understanding of the pride's lands, but there was an area further from the center that he had yet to wind up in. And that was alright - it would all come with time. But today, it seemed, was the day.

As trees passed, he began to realize that he had wandered further than his usual territory, and as that realization set in, he began to feel a sense of focus and concentration, as he tended to do whenever he found himself somewhere new. This was a safe place, but it was always better to be prudent.

Then he paused, and there, not too far ahead of him, was another cub. She seemed less aware of her surroundings, but she looked as though she was enjoying herself all the same, and... well, why not share the fun? So he trotted up, meaning to catch up to her.  

[Tanakako]

This new land was fascinating and so different to where she had been born, yet she felt a pull here, as if she had always been meant to come here. Her father was after all old-blood in this place, and could trace his bloodline all the way back to the original pride who settled here. She felt honored to come here. Of course she missed her mom terribly, but the both of them had always been honest with the cubs, and they had known from soon after birth (not that she remembered that far back) that they would leave their mom and travail to a distant land, to a pride that was their home. Now she was here she didn't regret it, certainly she didn't feel hurt about the whole thing,though she wished she could see her mother, visit her or something, she understood no one could leave here once they had passed the boarder.

Pulling her mind from her wandering thoughts she focused on her current task again.

She may have been focused on the trail, but having been born in the rogue lands and brought up with her mother who was a full-time resident of the wild plains, she instinctively kept at least part of her awareness on her immediate surroundings. Still, it was a belated reaction as the young female lifted her head, confused for a moment before glancing behind herself, a bright smile on her maw as she beamed at the stranger.

"Hello!"

Turning round fully she trotted up to the other cub, bright orange eyes vibrant with curiosity and friendliness. "You from the pride? I'm Saoirse." Grinning she tipped her head expectantly. Maybe he would play with her!
 

[MoonRazor]

Oh, good, he hadn't scared her. The burly cub grinned as she raised her head and turned around, glad that she wasn't startled and that she seemed as eager as he was to share the fun. He knew that there were days when there wasn't much to be happy about here, and some days, even he felt the strain of the pride's disease, pulling him down into a mild depression, and no matter how hard he tried, what little cheer he found felt forced and paper-thin. But that, of course, made the truly happy days that much better.

And today, it seemed, was one of those days, a day when he felt joy welling up from deep inside him. He beamed back at her with a vigorous nod. "Yup!" He said to reaffirm his nod. "My mama came here right before I was borned, cause, she didn't know she was going to have babies, but then she came and we so did we." He explained quickly. Most certainly, Saoirse need to have the low-down on how he had come into existence.

"My name's Yezekael," the cub added. "Like, YeZEkael, with more Z, so my mama calls me Zeki. You can too." He said, nodding sagely as he studied his new friend's pelt. "Hey, you looks like a butt'fly!" His eyes widened excitedly at this new discovery. "They're pretty like you."  

[Tanakako]

Giggling as he grinned back at her, the pale-coated female returned it just as broadly. His brief explanation of why he existed had her tilting her dark-masked head, wide eyes blinking in confusion for a moment before she smiled brightly. "Zeki! I like that name. I don't have a nickname... maybe you can think of one for me?"

Smiling she couldn't but blush at his sudden praise of her coat. She knew she and several of her siblings all had similar markings but she had never been called pretty before. Well, not by anyone other than her mama and papa Sliabh.. and really, they didn't count.

"Thank you." Giggling she plopped her butt on the path and beamed at him. She was tall for her age, taking her father's height, but it was all leg as she was fairly skinny from never siting still. Something her papa constantly chastised her for when it came to bedtimes.

"I'm glad your mama came here!" She chirped with a happy smile. "I think your pretty too! My papa brought us in from the outside... our mama is still out there and we wont ever see her again. But thats fine cos she said she will be watching over us and it is dess... des... fate we came here!" Beaming she jumped up and turned a tight circle in excitement. "Do you play tag?"
 

[MoonRazor]

The little cub's brow furrowed in concentration. "See-err-sha," he said carefully, lengthening each syllable as he considered her name. "Seer, I think. Or See-see." He giggled, apparently thoroughly amused by the repetition he had worked into her name. Well, Saoirse certainly didn't seem quite as nickname-able as his own, but all things considered, Zeki thought he had done a rather good job of breaking it all down, and now she had options, so who knew. Maybe she would like one.

He nodded his head at her thanks. "F'serious, you know?" He said, just to make sure she understood that he wasn't kidding. "It's real pretty, your wings." His eyes widened appreciatively, as if he hadn't quite gotten used to the fact that he was sitting next to a lion with such spectacular markings. And indeed, her coat was much flashier than anything he was used to. Most of his siblings looked rather like himself, and... well, Zeki had always thought he was a little bit plain. Not that he was complaining, of course. Just observing.

"I fink so too," Zeki told Saoirse as sagely as he could, though he didn't yet understand the concept of fate - or that dess-y thing she was talking about. He assumed they were the same. "An' I'm glad your papa brought you here too." He added with a grin. Well, it made sense, didn't it? If he hadn't brought her here, Zeki would never have met her and he was already convinced that that would have been a real shame.

"Course I play tag!" He chirped, his grin widening. "Why? You wanna play?"  

[Tanakako]

The young female giggled again, actually bushing under her vibrant markings. Something that was very rare for her, Zeki was the first one to make her blush, ever. "I like See-see!" Grinning she dropped her chest to the ground and stuck her butt in the air playfully. "I cana fly, papa says my wings ar-ent big 'nough yet. But I'm pretty fast!" Darting forwards she tapped him on the shoulder then shot off, dust flying from her scrambling paws as she called back laughing.

"You're it!"
 

[MoonRazor]

The cub beamed triumphantly at her approval. "Good, I likes it too." He declared, suitably proud of the occasion. There were many firsts for him here today - he had never nicknamed anybody before, and this certainly seemed to Zeki like an achievement worthy of raucous celebration. Considering the fact that they were both cubs, that didn't seem too difficult. There wasn't much that Zeki would claim to have any sort of proficiency at, but having a good time was most definitely one of them. To enjoy himself seemed to the young lion the main purpose of his very existence.

"Well, you gonna grow big enough one day to fly, then?" He asked, full of wonder at the idea that his new friend might someday soar above the clouds with the birds and the bees. What would it be like to see the world from high up, he wondered, to rise above the chaos that surrounded them? He suspected it might be peaceful, soundless almost, as if the cries of life on earth couldn't carry far enough to disturb the skies. "Cause if'n you do, maybe you can take me flying with you, and we can hug the sun." Like the clouds did sometimes when the sun was sad, only, Zeki and See-See wouldn't obscure the light like the clouds did. That he had always been, and always would be, a rather big boy and therefore not the most suitable passenger in the unlikely event of a flight didn't seem to occur to the young lion, whose thoughts had left reality behind for the sun and the clouds.

Her sudden tap snapped him out of his brief reverie, and he emitted a squeak of surprise that sounded rather like "Meep!" as he jolted back to reality and simultaneously scrambled to his paws. His size had always meant that he was less agile and less speedy than most cubs his age, though what he lacked in grace, he made up for in the will to bull his way through anything in order to get a tag across. "Well, I'm not so fast," he admitted as he loped after her in a steady, thumping run that could keep him moving all day, thinking how lucky See-See must be to have wings that lent her inordinate amounts of speed. "But I fink I can run a long time."  

[Tanakako]

Grinning widely, eyes alight wit the simple joy of living, Saoirse sped in a tight circle, letting him get almost close enough to touch before she straightened and darted off again, her warm laugh ringing behind her. "Yup! Papa says we can do anything if we put our ind to it! I'm gona fly with the clouds!" Dashing round a large tree the youngster giggled brightly, poking her head out to check where he was before racing off for another patch of cover, a course bush this time.

"Course we will! Its more fun to share with someone!" Distracted for a brief moment she wondered what hugging the sun would feel like. It would be warm, she guessed, like when she laid out in the full sun so it made her fur heat up and sweat trickle through her coat, tickling her. Jerking back to the present and realising he was right behind her she let out a squeak and flew from her cover, paws raising little puffs of dust as she fled across the wide expanse of ground, her excited if breathless laugh following behind.
 

[MoonRazor]

He spun in a tight circle in an attempt to follow her movement, and found himself slightly disoriented as he came to a stop. He had but a moment to catch sight of her running toward a bush before she had all but disappeared into its cover, and he scrambled to catch up, making a beeline for her new shelter.

"Course, anything's possible," Zeki agreed with a nod. Even hugging the sun. He had always wondered what it would be like to hug the sun, but had always imagined that it was too far away for him to reach. If he had had wings, perhaps he would have thought differently, but Saoirse's determination seemed to have opened a whole new world of possibilities.

"Oh!" He blinked as she suddenly rocketed out of her hiding spot, not two strides from where he was. Well, that had been a surprise indeed, and she seemed rather more light-footed than most of the cubs he had had the good fortune of playing with. But acting on a rare moment's quick reflexes and a gut feeling, he didn't slow his speed to change direction, but instead flung himself into the air, hoping to tackle her mid-stride.  

[Tanakako]

"Course it is!" She called out behind her, her laughter falling free as she tossed her head back with the sheer joy of the game, forgetting to keep her speed up in the process. With a sudden 'oof' she went sprawling as the heavier weight of Zeki on landed her back and sent the pair of them tumbling to the ground, ending up as a mass of flailing limbs and tails.

Gasping with breathless laughter she squirmed about under him until she managed to push her head up from under his warm fur, shaking it with a giggle as she tried to catch her breath. "Guess Im got!"
 

[MoonRazor]

As he hit the ground and began to roll, he began to realize that he had not quite thought things through. This was clearly not the best way to tag someone, and now, apart from worrying about getting back on his feet, he was beginning to think that maybe he would accidentally squash his new friend - sometimes it wasn't so good to be big - and that certainly wouldn't be pleasant.

But apparently, cubs were far more resistant to crushing than he had imagined, for See-see managed to squirm out from under his weight in no time. "Oh good," he said, wide-eyed. "You're not squashed." And he had been so worried for a while. It was wonderful news indeed to know that she had escaped their little ordeal without so much as a scratch.

"I guess it's my turn to run now," he added, and in the same breath, turned and bolted off. He hadn't quite figured on the very bush that Saoirse had hidden under being right in his way, and he tumbled into the dark undergrowth with a squeal.  

[Tanakako]

Craning her head back to peer up at Zeki, she couldn't help but giggle at his wide-eyed look. He looked so worried and really quite grown-up compared to her and the rest of her siblings when they played together that she felt a sudden urge to tickle him and break him out of his shell, but pinned as she was she couldn't reach! Grinning widely she shook her head.

"Nope! You can't squish me don't worry!" Her papa often played with them and he was far bigger than Zeki was, and she hadn't been squished yet, despite being frequently sat on! As soon as Zeki stood she scrambled to her paws and gave chase, surprised for a moment to see him go flailing into the bush she had just recently vacated. Yet with an excited cry of triumph she dived in after him, as suddenly the game of tag became a wrestling match.
 

[MoonRazor]

/fin!