[ORP] A Proper Ceremony [Attn: Cubs/Juvenilles: Closed]

[Ithambo hlabathi]

IC Information

The Boneland's have settled themselves into a temporary spot with a drying water source. Summer is still in full swing, and when the water source dries, they will have to move again.

The flea problem is still bothering quite a great number of the pride, but they have decided to gather anyway for a rather strange and altogether momentous occasion.

The Boneland lions are used to small cubs, their rambunctious natures kept in check by the whole pride. What they haven't experienced is babies of another type. However, the recent clutch is going to test the patience and traditions of quite a few members.

 

[Ithambo hlabathi]

All Your OOC Needs

This event will be mostly RP/choice driven, with some dice to help create unexpected outcomes.

No characters will die or become permanently injured (unless the player decides this on their own). However, please be prepared for your character to suffer minor inconveniences.

- - -

Guidelines and Info

• Boneland's members of all ages are welcome to participate
  
• The vultures, however, are explicitly for the cub/juvenille characters.
  
• Non-members: Since this is a private ceremony, Boneland's members are likely to be overprotective. Your character will probably be attacked on sight!
  
• A post in this ORP will count as a JRP!
  
• A post in this ORP will count as your requirements for the Traveling Ambassador rank.
  
• You may join in at any point! You can always assume your lion was there the whole time, or just showed up to join later.
  
• A free sketch will be given to one of the adult members who decide to join us (decided by raffle at the end).

- - -

The Event!

The point of the ORP is to match baby vultures with properly fitting cubs. During the course of the event, cubs and juveniles will have a chance to prove themselves to the small hatchlings.

Should they succeed, they will have a vulture companion for life and have a chance to be Cinga or Enda when they are adults.

One shall be given out ICly in the event and shall have a basic pre-determined personality, and the other will be given through a dice-roll at the end for those who posted.

Please thank Annchen and Jovi of Shadows for providing these chicks for use! There is a third chick in the litter who will be given out at a later date by Annchen and Jovi.  

[Ithambo hlabathi]

Quote:

Matifa couldn't imagine that the two vulture parents were very pleased with the growing cluster of lions around their litter. The ground-nesting carrion-beasts had done well to hold their cool so far, much to the deep brown lioness' surprise.

The sight of the puffy, bald-headed chicks were enough to cast away all sense of morality and tradition for a few sweet moments. It was time to be curious, and baby vultures were a curiosity indeed.

"It is hard to tell whether the babies or the adults are less attractive," a paler lioness purred out, her eyes squinting. The grey around her muzzle showed she was older, and probably set in her ways. Nahmba wasn't a violent sort, though, so Matifa wasn't worried when the lioness went snuffling.

"Nahmba," Matifa scolded, exasperated. The young female gave another look over the small chicks. It was clear: something needed to be done with them.

Unfortunately. . .

The Boneland's lions weren't exactly boasting their great celebrations. They had their superstitions, they had their own beliefs, and except for a few minor things, they coexisted. But they had very few communal celebrations -- feasts, burial rights, all those strange things were reserved for rumors of distant prides in distant places. Matifa, however, didn't think she was alone in thinking an event like this was special.

"Does anyone know how to put on a proper ceremony?"

 

[Tanakako]

Dania had been scratching for the past.. well, it had been a very long time for the cub. It had even taken over from playing a few times, much to her chagrin. Only Kania's louder protests and righteous anger could take her mind of her own itches and she spent a good portion of her day going through her twin's fur, just as Dania would do for her. Together they had managed to keep each other mostly free of the dreaded mites, but for the time being Kania was unusually alone. Oh, she knew exactly where her twin was, but they weren't joined at the hip and Kania had been curious when a group of adults started to gather around something on the ground.

Using her small size to her advantage she wove through the adult's legs and popped out next to the two chicks, blinking her large eyes in surprise. "Oh!" She murmured quietly, instantly wanting to approach the young birds but uncertain if they would understand her.. and not wanting to frighten them.  

[L1m3_gr33n_sh4rp13]

Ushari had bee curious at the news of vulture chicks and was with the group of adults who went off to inspect the little clutch. She'd seen many vultures before, but never a newly born one. She watched with interest as Matifa and Nahmba fussed over them a moment and began asking about celebrations or ceremonies. The olive lioness shrunk a bit and remained silent. She had no idea what sort of thing they should do in this case. She knew some of the lions in the pride had Vultures that traveled with them... Perhaps these chicks would find lion partners as well?

Her train of thought was derailed when a young cub made her way through the adults legs to get a look at what all the fuss was about. Her reaction brought a smile to Ushari's face as she observed the as she seemed to be deciding on the best way to approach the little vultures to get a better look, without spooking them.
 

[Hopefolly]

Hlengiwe was partial to routine over curiosity. With the pride on the move like this, a repetitive day-to-day schedule seemed like an extravagant request. Fortunately, she had always had a knack for working within the confines of what she'd been given. There were things she could not change (such as their inevitable mobility when the water source was no longer sufficient). To remedy any anxiety about them, she worked exceptionally hard to maintain those she could.

For example, Lengi groomed herself obsessively based on the position of the sun. As a reward for her hard work (and Lengi was nothing if not a hardworker), she had managed to keep most of the wretched parasites from devouring her flesh in her waking hours. Yes, they all jumped right back on as she slept, but Lengi diligently tended to their extermination none the less. She was discouraged by how her efforts yielded only temporary results, but she had never been the kind to show any negativity outright, and so to any who bothered to notice appeared nothing more or less than endlessly patient.

Had she not finished her self-assigned tasks, she'd have left the growing crowd to do so. Everything was mentally checked off her list, and Lengi could linger, guilt free, around the others to see what all the fuss was about.

Baby vultures were certainly ugly.

Lengi found herself beside Ushari. Lovely company, Ushari was, if you asked her. She was just about to inquire about the situation when she heard Matifa.

"Does anyone know how to put on a proper ceremony?"

Lengi shuffled back just a little, bending her legs just enough to look smaller. By all accounts, she was a good candidate to know such things. Her mother had brought to the pride as a juvenile nearing adolescence; with as much as they'd traveled, she had seen many celebrations across many prides. She wanted to answer the call of duty, yet to draw so much attention to it would be out of her comfort zone.

It turned out she could be curious after all: Lengi perked her ears up and looked around intently, wondering who the one bold enough to speak first would be.  

[ChexaRain]

Kania's mindset, of course, was much the same as her sisters'. The critters that kept her scratching most of the day were hell, and a good portion of her time was spent spitting hatred and angst towards them than actual itching or grooming them away.

She found herself weaving between the adult's legs and coming upon the hatchlings right alongside Dania, unintentionally in-sync with her twin like she usually was. Blinking at the mirrored image on her left side, she smiled enthusiastically and turned to the two puffy creatures that held everyone's attention.
Of course, being the obnoxious cub that Dania wasn't, Kania was vocal.

"Oh wow, they're so... tiny!"

A brief pause had saved the cub from saying something she would later regret, her mindset much like everyone else. They were pretty ugly.
The mention of a ceremony, however, and Kania lit up, sucking in a breath. The idea of a celebration was more entertaining than seeing the new balls of feathers, her head swimming with ideas only a cub with little knowledge of ceremonies could conjure up.  

[Excited Apathy]

Maru's attitude towards his flea infestation was generally one of severe irritation. It wasn't uncommon for him to turn and snap at the little buggers nearly as often as he scratched at them, as though a show of teeth might be more effective in chasing them off. At this point a distraction was welcome, and something new (even if there had been many new things to see during their exodus) was a fine distraction indeed. Ducking and weaving around the legs of the adults, he flashed a grin at his sisters before his attention was captured by the vulture chicks.

His eyes went wide. They were very tiny, much smaller than even a cub like him...and very odd-looking. Ears flicked at the mention of a ceremony, and he briefly wondered what one was, but for now he was focused on the unknown right in front of him.  

[Tanakako]

Looking over at her twin as Kania did the same, they shared a wide grin, though Dania winced slightly at her double's louder exclamation, knowing exactly what her sister had very nearly said. She didn't think they were really.. ugly.. though they certainly weren't pretty, they did seem awfully fluffy and kind of weird looking.. and weird meant interesting to most cubs of the twins age.

Looking back at her twin as she felt her sibling's excitement, she smiled softly and slipped between the legs of an adult to stand right at her sister's side. The mention of a ceremony was of course fascinating to the youngster and she looked form the adults to Kania expectantly.
 

[Andranis]

Like the other lionesses, Mhisani had come because she was curious. She peeked at the small birds, ears flicking. She'd never really seen baby vultures before... Plenty of adults, but never babies. They were... Fuzzier than their adult counterparts. The tan lioness eyed them, then the adult birds, frowning just a bit. After her long journey to get to this pride... She'd found she didn't particularly LIKE vultures... Though they proved useful. Where vultures gathered, there was something dead, which usually meant something to eat.... Even if it was a bit rotten.

She looked over to Hlengiwe, shrugging just a bit. "I haven't too much clue... Back in my old pride, I never really paid much attention beyond them sending adolescents with weird colorings away." There was something fascinating about watching them send a nameless green or blue lion out into the world. What would those lions make of themselves, she wondered?  

[Ithambo hlabathi]

"Well," Matifa began slowly. The brown lionesses ears were back and she was looking between the older females with confusion.

"Uhhh," was her brilliant idea.

Thankfully, elder that Nahmba was, she had seen many things. A small laugh bubbled up in the pale lion's throat and she moved from side to side. "We have to mark them for ceremony!" she quickly produced.

There was not another word, however, when the old lioness darted off towards the water hole. Matifa was about to dismiss it to strange behavior, but Nahmba had come back with muddy paws. It was definitely strange behavior.

"Nahmba!" Matifa's shriek was loud.

The old lioness was busy stamping her paw carefully over the heads of the baby vultures. Despite the size difference, the press of her foot was remarkably soft. "We have to make them understand they are going to live with the lions now!" was Nahmba's explanation.

Matifa stood there, mouth half agape. Then, she directed her attention to the children. "Uh. . . line up, I guess."

No sooner had a small cub stepped forwards than Nahmba was busy plastering a design on its head. It wasn't a simple paw mark, however, no. "What animal do you want?" Nahmba asked the cub. "Oh? Do you think you are strong like a rhino?"

"Maybe some of the adults should get some mud and help?" Matifa offered.

There were a lot of cubs to get through and some of them had some very weird requests.

[OOC note: Your cub/juve can request whatever African animal they'd like to best represent themselves!]  

[Uta]

Thulile was ever-so-itchy, and it was hard not to have to stop every few moments to work on a scratch. Still, her little world was far too busy to worry about the itching, even if it was awfully annoying. There was nothing to be done about it, alas, and right now there was something even more amazing than fleas. . . .

There were babies!

Not just any babies, but vulture chics. Thulile had wanted to get a good look at them, but by the time her stop-itch-go-stop-itch-go pace had allowed her to reach the front, Matifa told them to all line up. Pausing a moment, half springing up to get a better look at the vulture chicks from between some of the adults legs, the girl decided she'd better not dawdle. She didn't want to miss whatever was happening!

The question that had been asked was peculiar. What sort of animal did she want? Oh. . . oh what animal did she want! "I wanna be an antelope cause they're fast!" She quipped up happily, excitedly, before her eyes went large. "And I wanna be super fast, so we can hunt 'em!" Except. . Except sometimes the antelope weren't as fast as the lionesses, so did that mean sometimes she wouldn't be super-fast as a huntress? And technically cheetahs were fastest, but only sometimes. . . .

Oh, but she'd already said antelope. Maybe she should have waited to see what the other cubs said. What if that was the wrong answer?
 

[Annchen]

Xefo extended his wings slightly in warning as Nahmba marked his chicks. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the procedure, but he was fairly sure that the lioness didn't intend to harm them. It was still weird, however, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

Xatu stayed close to keep an eye on both Xefo and on his mother... She seemed to know what she was doing, but she might as well be making it up as she went. The crowd of cubs grew steadily and with the speed Nahmba was going they'd be here all day unless more adults helped.

"I'll get some more mud," he said. There were many cubs around and it would take some time to paint them all, "Don't n** anyone Xefo."

The grey vulture glared at his lion companion. If one of these tiny hellions tried anything funny there would be consequences. But maybe he'd give them the benefit of a hiss and beak clack before he nipped their ears. Maybe.

Xatu didn't like the look on Xefo's face and he hurried back with fresh mud on his paws. Right. He'd never really painted anything but it couldn't be that hard, or so he hoped.

"An antelope," he said, "Right. Antelope coming right up."

He started painting the design to the best of his ability, tongue sticking out from the concentration.  

[L1m3_gr33n_sh4rp13]

Ushari smiled as Hlengiwe wound up next to her as they all inspected the baby vultures. Most of the lionesses here were polite and kind, and Hlengiwe was one Ushari never felt all that uncomfortable around. Some of the other lionesses who had been born here seemed a little less friendly, and a little too gossipy, but this one had always seemed nice.

As the two lionesses Ushari had seen get here first began spreading mud on the vulture chicks and the lion cubs, Ushari smiled, she liked the idea of this ritual. "I'll get some mud too." She sprang off towards the watering hole and moved in till the water came up to her belly and dug her paws into the mud. The water on her limbs felt wonderful, the fleas had been near unbearable, but she was trying her best not to make a huge fuss of it. Almost everyone had them, so there was no point, in her head, to bemoan the situation.

The olive lioness then returned with mud covered paws and looked around for another youth who had their animal already picked out.
 

[Zosie]

Nguvu approached the small crowd of people, in order to make his way to see what all the fuss was about.

As the new Inselelo, as they had called him, he thought it his right to be protective, and if there was anything here that was going to be a threat to any members of the pride, he would deal with it himself. He was a rather over-protective character anyway, so he believed it suited his role.

The large male padded eagerly towards the females - and cubs, that were clustered around, something, and nodded to them gently. He had not yet felt wholly accepted by the pride - there were certainly a few that seemed wary of him, particularly those that had suggested he run before he had a chance to meet Gakere.

"Excuse m -" He faltered as his eyes fell upon the two vulture chicks. "Ah, I see." He let a small grin escape. All was well here, just a few members appreciating the wonder of new life.