[PRP] Faces in the shadows [Pneuma x Ndizi Nyara]

[Dulcea]

The rumbling in Pneuma's stomach was growing louder with each passing hour. How many had it been since she had eaten those queer roots? Too many, she wagered, from how deep the aching went. They had sickened her, but they had stopped the pain for a short time. She had come upon ruins since then, some vain remnant of man or beast long since dispersed, but there was nothing to be found there. Still, she picked among the broken bits and baubles hoping to turn up something. Men often kept scraps of meat, salted or dried but meat all the same.

Had she known the land better she might have hunted, but all prey seemed to slip away before she made her approach. Their bodies would tense and bristle and before she put one paw in front of the other they were gone, disappeared in a cloud of dust. She could smell the fear, but it was tinged with something strange. One lioness alone, especially one as green as she, shouldn't have provoked such a consistent response. She would think that from sheer luck alone she might grab one, but she'd had no luck in more days that she could care to count. She could not go on this way much longer. But where else had she to go? Home was lost and far away, there was no one but her own sweet self to rely on. She thought briefly of her own den, its familiar sights and sounds. How foolish she had been to leave it behind in search of adventure. Adventure she had found, and it would be the last thing she knew.  

[Depawsit]

She hadn't been gone from home for long, and already she yearned to be back. The distant and foreign smells were beginning to drive her insane. She knew nothing of this place! Why had she been so foolish to come out here? Especially knowing what she did of her Mother's travels here ... She grumbled low words under her breath, most likely reprimanding herself for such a poor decision. She was better than this, these ridiculous decisions made on a whim ... which was exactly what this one had been.

A sigh began to from on the lioness' lips, but it was soon replaced with a look of intrigue. It seemed she'd come across something strange ... a settlement of some sort, though the original owners she did not know.

"What have we here?"

Izzy mumbled, taking a step across a pile of assorted debris ... some of the tools here seemed to speak human more than animal. But she wasn't much of an expert on the subject. Sticking her nose into a small nearly dead bush, she quickly pulled it out feeling a fierce sneeze coming on.

Squinting her eyes shut, she tried to hold the sneeze in. Though that ... only seemed to make the ordeal that much worse.

 

[Dulcea]

Pneuma's fur bristled at the sound. Where had it come from? The wind perhaps, but no it was not so natural as that. Her eyes darted around the ruins but rubble and overgrowth disrupted her line of sight. "Who haunts this unsettling place? I want no bloodshed, if this land belongs to some kin or another I will leave" she called out, trying to sound bold though she knew her strength would fail her should it come to blows. With any luck the sounds came from a new found friend. That thought made her crack a wry smile, luck had been so kind to her so far. With that in mind she backed herself with rock, hoping the barriers would limit any attacker's approach. Unless of course it was leopards, in which case she'd be set upon before she had time to even register their presence. No, she would not have heard a leopard.  

[Depawsit]

For a moment, the sneeze felt as though it were going to explode out of her, but then an unexpected noise caught her ears and she was thrown into a whole other world. Her whole body seized, and she froze in place. Her eyes glossed over and she felt almost completely numb. Strange visions began to zoom past her vision. Visions of a pale lioness ... she had very delicate markings across her shoulder. But something was wrong with her ... she was ill to say the least. The to be truthful she looked more like death. The visions were passing by her so quickly it was hard to focus, though from what she could gather the lioness had consumed something that had made her ill. Izzy could feel her own stomach began to churn in protest to the images rusihng through her mind. The feelings nearly brought the lioness to her knees ...

And then they were gone.

The voice from before was flowing back into her ears, and the world seemed to settle down once more. Shaking her head in frustration, she took a few deep breaths to level her voice. She knew if she didn't react to the voice soon, she would be in for some trouble ... regardless of it's holders claims.

"I-I do ... though i'm not exactly haunting it ... i'm quite alive." Taking another breath, she tried to catch her grip on reality again.

"I think.." She mumbled under her breath.

"This land belongs to no one I know - nor do I want the bloodshed either. I just stumbled across the area, and decided to explore. Much like I imagine you did?"

She finished calling out the words, all the while listening intently for the voice to return so that she could try to pinpoint its location.

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

Depawsit

Pneuma stepped toward the direction of the voice, leaving the safety of her rubble behind. Her pale eyes flashed as her eyes settled on the other lioness, her muscles tensing as a sense of dread washed over her and faded just as quickly as it had come. There was something unsettling about the other, and yet she found herself drawn closer.

"I know not why or how I came to be here," she admitted, feeling strangely defeated that she had seemingly lost so much control over her own life, "I walked, until the moon turned thrice over and disappeared from the sky, and this is where I ended. I don't come from anywhere, and I'm not going anywhere." That was true, to the best that she knew. To have a destination she would need to know about the world. She didn't, she barely knew about herself.  

[Depawsit]

Finally, the other lioness came into view and for a moment all Izzy could do was stare. She was quite pleasant to look at, her beautiful ash colored pelt, and those intricate markings? She was a stunning creature indeed. Finally she spoke up, and Izzy was drawn away from the striking markings across her pelt. And was drawn to her eyes, they also were a very interesting color.

"Well I suppose if that's the case, then you are free to stay. It isn't as though I have any control over your decisions. Though, if you do choose to leave, perhaps I could help you find your destination. I come from not far from here, maybe that could come in useful to you?"

Offering her services wasn't typically something she did, but there was something odd within her. It was a strange feeling, almost a tingling sensation. It had begun in her tail, and it was slowly flowing up her body. She didn't quite know why, but she felt as though that feeling were connected to this lioness.

Pulling her hind legs in from behind her, Izzy finally sat down. Slowly though, in order to show the other she meant no harm.

"In the meantime, come, sit a while. We can share stories of our travels. Since it seems as though neither of us know where out feet are leading us." Pausing for a moment, she patted the space of clearing aside from her.

"I'm Ndizi'Nyara by the way, Ndizi'Nyara of the Pridelands."

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

Depawsit

Pneuma seemed to consider the lioness's request for a moment, her shoulders twitching before she decided that there was no danger in it. Unless of course there were others waiting to descend on her. But there was something in the other's voice that told her she was safe, despite her unusual appearance. Pridelands, that sounded like a nice enough place, but if they all looked like this one she wasn't sure she'd want to find out.

"Pneuma, of nowhere I suppose," she answered, glancing up at the sky as she felt a shiver go through her. Where had that name come from? She knew it wasn't the name her mother had given her, no it had been whispered on the wind while she slept. And yet, it felt right. "My feet have carried me through long stretches of nowhere, with little populace and less food."  

[Depawsit]

Izzy watched with earnest as the female finally decided to take a seat. She had noticed the twitching, but as a respectable adult had decided not to bring it to the other's attention. It was her body, she was likely already aware of it. Izzy tried to offer her a smile, hoping it would calm her nerves, but nothing seemed to work. She was definitely out of sorts, but exactly why, was beyond her understanding.

The feeling that was steady rising inside her only got stronger as the female sat down. It was weird, and she couldn't control it, she shook her head a bit to try and clear it of the feeling.

"Pnuema ..." The words had hardly left her when the lioness stiffened and fell over onto her side. Her legs began to twitch and a yowl escaped her lips and echoed across the territory.

"P-Poison .... sickness ... fault .... yourself .... drink the poison .... past the lips ..."

The words continued, and with each one her twitches got worse.

It seemed the episode would go on forever.

"Drink the fates ..... pass the reality ... double the aggression.."

Dulcea

xD I tried to incorporate all of her known information into the ramblings. Did I miss something?

 

[Dulcea]

Depawsit

Sounds good to me~

Pneuma made a piercing noise herself when the lioness went down, barely aware of the words that were coming out of her mouth. She caught some of them, those that settled in her mind made her feel strangely numb. Poison? She almost recoiled at the word. Was this lioness dangerous? Had she been poisoned? She felt herself pulled closer, pressing a paw down against the lioness's side. What was there to do in a situation like this? She was no healer. Part of her wanted to run, but what the lioness was saying drew her in. "What aggression? What reality? It's just us here," she pleaded, trying to hold her steady against the ground.  

[Depawsit]

Finally the disaster seemed to subside, slowly her limbs stopped convulsing and her eyes began to focus once more. For a moment, all she did was lie there. Noticing the lioness with a paw to her chest, she thought she may have been attacked. But the female's yells soon explained it all.

She'd had a vision.

Well ...

Another one.

She'd only had two in her entire life, and still she never knew when to expect them.

Blinking her eyes she set a paw against the Pneuma's and patted her gently.
"You're right. It is just us. Step back, and take a breath. I have much to tell you. Some of it may be hard to comprehend, but know that according to my ability, these things are meant to happen.

Taking a breath, she tried to roll over off her back, but realized her body was still a little weak from the convulsions. Embarrassed, she looked over to the frantic lioness and offered her a soft smile.

"But first, would you mind rolling me onto my belly? Please and thank you kindly."

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

Depawsit

The pale lioness let her breath slip out in a soft whisper and then gathered her strength to prop the other up, setting her paws apart so that she would be able to stabilize herself. Afterward she paused to make sure the position would hold and then sat back down, shaking lightly. "So this, is normal for you?" she asked softly, her eyes still full of fear, "That must be horribly frightening."

She had heard stories of lions who could see things, past present and future, that others were not privy too. She'd thought it was simply myths though. If that was what this one meant well, she wasn't sure what to make of it.  

[Depawsit]

As Pneuma propped Izzy up on her own feet once again, she let out a sigh of relief and smiled at the female. She wanted her to know how thankful she was, but she also wanted the other to know that she was a good person. Despite the bad news Izzy was about to give her.

"I wouldn't say normal really ... It doesn't happen often. This is truly only the second time i've ever had it happen." Izzy nodded in approval before continuing. "But yes, it is quite horrifying. I remember the first time my brother had a vision ... the rest of us had nightmares for weeks. Until someone else had one, and my Mother began to better understand." Kneading her paws into the dirt, she heaved one final breath before looking Pneuma right in the eye.

"But enough about me.

I must ask you, are you OK? Are you feeling sad, or down about anything? Has someone threatened you in any way?"

The bombardment of questions was probably terrifying, but necessary for the female to better determine what exactly she had seen.

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

Depawsit

Threatened her? Pneuma thought hard at the question, but in all honesty no one came to mind. She'd been lost and alone for so long the idea that someone might harbor ill thoughts for her seemed almost preposterous. "No, I don't know anyone like that, or anyone really," she admitted, "I'd be happier if I had better luck I suppose, but I think I'm alright."

This was all too overwhelming, but the lioness couldn't know that, she was only trying to help it seemed. So the pale creature restrained herself from shaking, though she wondered what cruel magic generated these visions.  

[Depawsit]

Izzy inhaled a deep breath as Pneuma's words sank in. No threats, which meant her initial thoughts had been wrong. The lioness seemed to zone out for a bit, as she replayed the vision in her head. Even the slightest hint of what exactly she had seen would help. But she always came to the same conclusion. Pneuma definitely would not be happy about this.

"In my vision ... you were poisoned." Taking another breath, she gently patted the female's paw to remind her that she wasn't alone.

"At first I thought maybe someone had meant it as an act of vengeance, but the more I look back on the vision ..." Another long pause, could she really tell the lioness what she'd seen? She could be wrong ... RIGHT? Visions were wrong sometimes?! Well her's weren't, but that didn't mean others didn't have wrong visions!

Gulping down a deep knot of regret she finally spat out the words she'd been trying to avoid. "The more I realize that you were the one who did the poisoning.

You poisoned yourself Pneuma, or at least you will."

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

Depawsit

Pneuma was puzzled, her face knitting tight as she mulled over the lioness's words. She was going to poison herself? That didn't make any sense. She didn't have any desire to die, and she didn't know enough about plants to try and make any sort of healing poultices. Maybe it was from meat gone too sour. Her stomach growled, she wouldn't be too terribly picky at the moment after all.

"Why would I do something like that?" she questioned, even though it she knew more than likely the lioness had already told her all that she knew, "I mean, well, was I upset?