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 Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:20 pm
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The search for her childhood friend, the blue lizard Mr. Azure, brought Morska'Zelena further into the swamps than she'd been since she'd first left on her Naming Quest. The pong in her chest that she felt didn't go away on her journeys into the dark humidness of the swamps. The swamp wasn't taking it away, whatever it was, and the longer it took to find anything on the little lizard the more she doubted he lived. After all, Mr. Azure was only a small lizard. You couldn't expect him or any other lizard to live as long a life as a lion.
What concerned Morska'Zelena was the pang was becoming worse. It was getting bigger and she still couldn't explain it. Not that she had told any of her friends, siblings or pridemates. She could explain it to herself, how was she going to explain it to others? The pang was growing bigger. It was a loneliness.
A loneliness Morska'Zelena couldn't understand.
She hunted with friends and fellow hunters. She visited her siblings, her mother, her childhood friends. Morska'Zelena was surrounded.
That only made the pang hurt more.
She missed the friends she'd made on her quest, and rarely did a day go by that she didn't think about Erlendr. But Morska'Zelena knew that her friends could take care of themselves. Shabnam had taken care of her by teaching her to be alert, observant and more hunting skills than Morska'Zelena had had when she left the swamps. And Morska'Zelena had accepted that Erlendr was a love unrequited, that he had never felt anything more for her than compassion and tenderness for her youth. That he didn't want her to suffer or become a thrall to another.
So what was the pang, if not any of the obvious? The only thing Morska'Zelena could think of was Mr. Azure. And so, through the thickening swamp, the crowding trees and vines, she picked her way through the muddy waters carefully, hunting a blue ghost, dreading the point in the day when she would have to turn back to the pride lands and rejoin them like the pang didn't exist. Like she was hurting from something she couldn't understand or explain.
Sometimes, times like now, Morska'Zelena wished she could stay out here and not worry about the pretending. Then she would think about her mother and her friends and siblings and she couldn't help but smile. A good smile too. And the pang, though still as strong, would become a kind of background for the moment.
She just wished she could figure this out.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:11 am
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 The depature of his once mate was hard. Kutisha loved her with his whole heart. He had since they were both adolescents in the rogue lands while he was on his pilgrimage to find his true name. A name which he lives with now because she helped him find it. It had come like a kick to the stomach and he'd been miserable for days. He'd putting no effort into hunting, eating only because the one brother that lived with him needed him to live. Otherwise, the dark blue male wouldn't have been able to keep going. It was thanks to Einar that he was even living right now. The blind boy needed extra care. He couldn't hunt for himself. At least, that's what Kutisha said.
Einar was far more independent than what his brother gave him, but Kutisha had to do something to keep himself from falling so far into despair. His cubs were scattered through out the pride here and there, only sometimes coming to see him. The sudden disappearance of their mother alarmed them, and they used to visit him frequently to see how he was doing, but as weeks turned to months, they had their own lives to get to, their own families.
Even now, Einar, only came home to sleep. Then the blind boy was off running about the pride, doing who knows what. He thought he'd follow one day, but he had to build his strength back up, first. He'd gotten very thin. His coat was a lot less shiny than it used to be. His mother wouldn't be happy to see him at all. Even his adopted father said something about it.
His daughter, Lilija checked up on him most frequently out of the rare visits he got, and she'd done so just yesterday, so he wasn't due for another visitor for some time. Heaving a sigh, he shell of a lion got to his paws and headed out of his den to greet the day.
His paws took him to the muddy, murky waters of the pride and through thick vines and fallen trees. At least he still knew this. He was looking for easy things to eat that had wandered into the pride. Genets, waterbucks, anything at this point. He was finally feeling hungry, but there was so little energy in his search, he failed to notice a lioness nearby as he decided he was going to take a rest on a fallen log. He was winded and panting a little, muddy and wet. He just looked miserable.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:11 am
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Morska'Zelena was not exactly great at hiding. Even when her pale pelt was covered in mud, some part of it always stayed on the white side. Or her bright eyes shown through. She had learned, especially outside of the swamps, her most successful hunting times was when the first light of dawn blinded the world. Or at high noon, if she was out on the white sand dunes of the rogue lands. She was too pale and bright at the same time to be good at hunting at night or at hiding. When the dark blue lion didn't see her, she stood perfectly still and watched him. It was a rather rare luxury. A luxury she could indulge in since he had fumbled into the around, scaring any possibility of finding her blue friend away.
He stopped and took a rest on one of the fallen logs in the area, Morska'Zelena narrowed her eyes. He had been obviously hunting, but had stopped to soon. It was either pure laziness or lack of energy. Then she caught the sounds of his panting breaths. When he wasn't moving around, though it hadn't been much movement before his rest either, Morska'Zelena could see his ribs. See them and count them. The lion hadn't eaten in too long.
Morska'Zelena slipped away as quiet as she could, remembering passing a notable herd of springbok not to far from her and the lion's area. That was an older springbok that needed culling. It was slowing down the herd. And it would be easier to hunt than some of the other preybeasts in the area. At least by herself.
Coming upon the herd, Morska'Zelena wished she could have taken to the trees, but she was too heavy. But at least this far deep into the swamplands, the trees were a good cover for the hunter. She stalked closer to the herd, closer than they normally would have allowed, but the swamps and its constant sounds had confused and exhausted the herds' safety measures. Perfect. Morska'Zelena was all but on top of the prey she had chosen before she pounced on it, bringing it down and scattering the other herd members.
Dead, she dragged the meal back to where she had left the lion. Hopefully, the meal wouldn't go to waste now. After all, she had no idea on how to deal with a starving lion. Or a starving anything really. Morska'Zelena dropped the meat not too far from where she had been hiding. Now how to invite the lion to eat, without pricking his pride? Well, here's to trying.
"Hello there. Care to join me?"
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