Wyma was very inventive in finding ways to keep her play-by-play skills honed, even when she wasn't actively announcing a game. She had settled into her new home quite nicely, and had discovered her enjoyment of calling out the action as the game unfolded. She hadn't ever been terribly interested in playing the game... she lacked the agility and strength for it. That never bothered her though, since she was quite content helping others enjoy it by sharing her own enthusiasm for the game itself.
Today she'd found a new 'game' to be announcing. She had actually rather instigated the situation with the intent of practicing her skills. She had chosen a spot away from the majority of the people currently about doing their jobs, so that her loud voice wouldn't trouble anyone. One had to be loud if one wanted to announce! But that wasn't the key factor as to why she'd chosen this specific spot. Last fall she'd noticed that these two trees were home to two separate families of chipmunks. Today she had come bearing gifts for them... though she certainly wasn't going to just hand them over!
She'd brought several pawfuls of ripe fruit, the kinds of things that liked to grow abundantly when warm weather hit. Having subsided on nuts all winter, she figured the little critters would be more than happy to have a feast of something juicy and sweet like this. But she'd been clever, and had placed two piles of fruit directly in between the two trees. The ensuing squabble over who got what was what she was attempting to 'announce' to her non-existent audience.. or so she thought.
"Ooooh, foul on the play! Player six on team pine has blatterned player three's tail! And from his own team too!" She was standing well back, so as not to interrupt the interplay between the two 'teams'. "Ah, and here comes heroic player four from team oak, stealing the fruit-in-play! Fluffer for him! He dodges, he weaves, he's nearly made to the home upstawd!" She rose to her delicate paws and danced about excitedly. "I think he may make it! Closer, and closer yet! Ooooh, and smerkoffed by the big player nine from team pine!"
The truth of it was, she had gained an ausience of one. Haddi had been flying over when he heard the hyenas' high-pitched, excited voice. Curious as always, he'd circled back around on foot, and now approached the action from behind Wyma. He watched and listened silently for a while, though a wide grin was spreading across his face. A missy after his own heart! Granted, it looked more like a war than a game, but sometimes the two were very closely tied. But he had to admit, he wasn't entirely sure what exactly the aim was, nor could he always understand what she was saying about it. So he finally decided to ask.
"Smerkoffed?" he inquired softly, so as not to interrupt the 'game' in front of them. "Is that a special move?"
Wyma, being the feisty and cheerful girl that she was, glanced over her shoulder at the rather large and definitely winged lion, then looked back to the scene in front of her as if there was nothing that unusual about being approached by a winged lion. "It can be, especially if performed particularly well," she answered blithely. The truth of the matter was, Wyma had a habit of inventing her own words for things, especially in the heat of the moment. It wasn't that she didn't know the right words, she simply chose to replace them with her own. To her mind, her own words were as valid in the moment as anyone else's would have been.
"Wait a moment folks, there's something new brewing! Both teams are swiggering... they all want the ultimate prize!" She leaned forward, large ears waving enthusiastically. The chipmunks had spirited away most of the fruits, but left one very large one until last. It was big enough to require two or three of them to carry it at once, requiring more teamwork than the rest had. She was wiggling with anticipation about what would happen with this last part. "The plim shush has been picked up by two pine members and one oak! Oh my, what a tug-of-war! More team members are piling in... I've lost sight of it under all the bodies! It's an all-out gerd out there!" Her voice had risen to a screech, causing Haddi's ears to flatten faintly, but he watched almost as eagerly as she did.
"Closer to pine... now oak... now pine... oh, pine's getting a lead now!" Wyma danced in place, tail fanning madly behind her. "But wait folks, there's a flag on the play! Player two of team oak is already eating his share of the prize! Bad form, bad form!" She stomped her small paws, and Haddi obligingly booed. "I'll be jubbered! That illegal move has changed the game! The ball has split in two, and each team is scrambling for home! Who will get there first?" Haddi leaned forward, eyes jumping from one team to another, body still and wings poised in anticipation. "Team oak has farther to go, but team pine has a bigger piece! It's gonna be a race to the smindig!" Wyma bawled. "And team oak wins, by a whisker! What a game!" She cheered and finally gave in to doing several very swift spins in place, nose thrown in the air in celebration.
Haddi cheered as well and watched his new friend celebrate with amusement. "That was quite exciting! Do you do this often?"
"Every chance I get," she replied promptly, panting from the aftermath of excitement. "Though not usually with chipmunks," she amended truthfully.
"Do you mean you narrate for fox fights and turtle races too?" he asked her jovially, expecting to be told no. Her thoughtful look gave him pause though. Was she serious?!
"Well, I don't think fox fights would be good to announce. I don't like it when others get seriously hurt, and foxes can fight nasty." Her expression was quite serious. "Turtle races would not be very thrilling to announce, either. Kinda... slow and blurble, you know?" She shrugged. "It's best when it's a real game, a kikombe one." She mimed taking aim and kicking something and watching it soar. "My pride is very good at it. Sometimes I wish I could play, but really it's more fun to announce." She nodded and turned to head back towards the dens.
Mystified, Haddi followed. "A real game... your pride has a real game you. narrate?" He'd given up already trying to figure out her odd words. He was beginning to catch on that it simply was something she did. However, he had no idea that "kikombe" was not one of her words, but the real name of the game. "Would you tell me about it? Games are sort of my thing." He gave her a lopsided grin and flicked a wingtip.
She gave him an assessing look. "You'd make one crazy player. I'm not sure it'd be fair to put you in, because you'd be so much bigger than the others. But that wouldn't be up to me anyway. You'd have to ask a coach about that. I could introduce you, if you want to play." The fact that he was a god seemed to completely escape her. "Kikombe is a game we play with two teams, two goals, and one turtle shell." She again mimed playing, this time dribbling the imaginary shell between her paws. "You have to follow the rules or you can't play," she cautioned him sternly, quite as if she were his equal or better. "It might be better to come watch a game or two before you decide. C'mon, I'll show you where its best to sit!" With that, she shot off towards the playing field, large Haddi in tow.
