Hiss was excited. She was loving her new pride. Everyone in it was very kind and welcoming and she had just been told about this magical cave that gave you a muse. Curious, she had asked a bit more, and apparently everyone in the pride - or most of those in the pride - had a muse. Something that only they could hear that spoke to them. She was very interested in finding out her muse, because if she had someone to talk to all the time, she'd never be lonely! She had been warned that the effects of the cave didn't last very long, a few days at most, so she'd have to make constant trips. Even still, she wanted to go and see just what her muse would be. The only problem was finding it.She walked along through the forest, trying to find someone to ask. Finally a moving shape ahead of her caught her eye, and she moved into a little trot to catch up. She spotted a blue mane and she picked up teh pace. "Sir!" she called out, "Excuse me, blue sir?"
Vodnitvar frowned as he heard someone call out to...him, most likely. He was the only 'blue sir' in the area. He had been walking from the beach back to his cave that he shared with Fireheart, even though she wouldn't be home until dusk. Turning around, he spotted a blue and purple lioness moving towards him rather quickly. Mildly concerned, he stopped and waited for her to reach him. She was smaller than the normal Kizi and he didn't recognize her, so she must have joined up recently.
"Yes?" he asked, his voice just a bit gruff. "Can I help you?"
Hiss paused before the lion, ears up and a smile on her face. "Hello! Yes, I'm Hiss, and I was wondering if you could tell me where to find the cave."
Vodnitvar frowned a bit more. The cave? That was rather vauge. "Well...Hiss," he said slowly. "I'm not sure which cave you're talking about. There are many caves in these lands. If you could be a bit more specific I would be glad to help you." As the Queen's mate he was spoken to quite a bit, even though it wasn't his favorite thing in the world. He was something of an ambassador to the pride when Fireheart wasn't available, so speaking with new members wasn't something new to him. "I'm Straw Dog, by the way," he added, giving his Gypsy name so as not to appear rude.
Hiss nodded, forgetting that they lived in caves. "Right, of course. I mean the one that gives you a muse. A few lionesses told me there was a cave, a little set apart from the pride, that if you go into it you can get a voice that will talk to you all the time." She waited expectantly for an answer, bobbing up and down on her toes, eyes bright and tail bobbing behind her.
As Vodnitvar listened, his eyes slowly narrowed. He knew which cave she meant now, but he honestly had no idea where exactly it was, nor did he want to know. That cave had been the end result of some very troubling times for the pride, times that still gave Fireheart nightmares and a nearly constant headache. The Dreamers were not welcome in her book or his, and the fact that this newest member wanted to become one was not something that made him happy.
"I know of which cave you're referring to, but I've never been there, nor do I intend to visit it," he said dryly, his displeasure clear in his voice. "And I suggest you stay far, far away from that cave if you know what's good for you, Hiss. I get the feeling you're new to this pride. There was a bit of a disturbance a few moons ago that has left a bad taste in the mouth of many regarding those who hear these voices. It's best not to get yourself wrapped up in it."
Hiss listened and continued to bounce on her paws, seemingly unaware of the scowl on Vodnitvar's face.She nodded as he spoke, eyes opening a bit wider. "Oh, so you don't know where it is. That's okay! I can ask someone else," she said with a grin. Vodnitvar stared at the female in honest surprise. Had she not heard what he had just said? His eyes narrowed once more as he surveyed the bouncing lioness before he gave a little snort.
"Fine, then. Do as you please. But I won't be the one to tell you where the cave is. You'll have to find someone else to do that for you. Good day." He turned after that, heading in the direction of his cave once more. Hiss watched him go, completely unaffected by the cold dismissal. She bounded off in the direction she'd been going in, trampling little sproutling trees along the way.
Vodnitvar turned to watch her go, a scowl still on his face. This wasn't good. The new members all were flocking to that cave to inhale the vapors that the goddess had left for them. He growled very softly as he turned his head back in the direction of his cave. Why hadn't she simply blessed those who had traveled to find her and be done with it? Now it was messing up the pride, tearing it even further apart...it didn't bode well for the future.
He shook his head and tried to let the thoughts slip from his mind. Once he reached his cave he flopped down in the entrance so that when Fireheart came home he would wake up. He wanted to talk to her about the growing population of Dreamers and if there was something they might be able to do to deter the newcomers from blindly becoming one without learning the history of the pride. It made sense to learn from past mistakes, after all. Repeating history was bound to happen, but he hoped that it would be in other ways than the return of the muses.
FIN
WD: 1026