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 Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:39 am
Zia sat with others of her clan and her family. She herself had lost no family or friends...That she knew of. She did, however, take the Ceremony as time to reflect on the family she'd left behind. Normally, she kept herself busy, hunting and painting the walls of she and Fyja's den with the story of their family in the Ela and painting rocks with other stories alongside her daughter Nayu, so she didn't usually reflect. But that was what the Moon Ceremony was for. Nayu sat calmly beside her mother, though her gaze wandered all over, taking in the sight of everyone else, fixing it in her mind. She wanted to paint the scene on her own den walls later.
Ulo had arrived with his family, and the moment the cloudhead spotted Nova...he darted over, rubbing against her with a purr. "Nova! How are you tonight? Would you sit with me?" Perhaps he was a LITTLE cheery...but that was in his nature. He was a sweetie with his head in the clouds.
Iya stayed in what could be termed the 'back' of the crowd, dozing. The most loss she'd known was when Tawa'di had died. That was it. And she knew nothing of her family outside the pride. If she even had it. Her parents didn't exactly TALK about their lives before the Ela. The pumpkin-y female sighed, ceasing her attempts to doze, tail swishing in annoyance and boredom. Maybe something EXCITING would happen. She hoped. She really did.
Hadar entered the area nervously, uncertain of how, exactly, things went in the ceremony. But...it sounded like something nice. Especially for those who came from outside the pride originally. Like him. Speaking of...he looked around for a familiar form, the one that had drawn him into the pride...and made his way over with the sweet-smelling flower he'd brought with him. "'Ello, Bowe."
Ionúin felt right at home in the Moon Ceremony. It reminded her a little of her birth pride. To her, it was a small sense of...HOME. And it made her feel a little more comfortable, combined with the fact she'd been shown to the clan her parents were in. She seemed more relaxed than she had during the Tree Ceremony.
Sira kept close to his mates, tail twitching behind him, uncertain as to what was going to happen to them all. The search party had returned, but what of the pilgrims who would return later? Would they be able to follow their trail? It worried the male. He sighed and found himself shoulder to shoulder with Mwezi. Really? Did the strange splotchy male have to pester him NOW? He'd been pestered by him a few times already in the journey. "What do you want, cub?" Mwezi frowned, practically pouting.
"Oh come on, Sira...Is that any way to address your fri-well hello." Sira sighed in relief. Oh good. Mwezi had been distracted by some female's tail. The one next to a large red female, if he guessed right.
Dini-a-mtoto was happy to trot along, following the pride. He was used to rogue life, even after living in a pride for some time, so the journey took no real toll on him...at least none that could be seen, if it was there. He found himself humming as he trotted, not noticing the large red female he ended up next to. Not far from him, Nin was draped on her father's back, tired and not moving much. Her back still hurt. Bédoier bore his daughter's weight with no issue, keeping close to his mate and their other cubs. They were all safe now. And wherever their Queen led them, he would follow. Hopefully, it was a place of peace where they would rest their paws.
Ficha was anxious. She'd reached that physical age where one was supposed to go on their Name Quest. But...she couldn't go. Not yet. Not with the tragedy of their lost home, and their need to relocate for the time being. The dark adolescent sighed, then caught the eye of one of the Guardians. She nodded to the large female, and Daima nodded back, staying near her grown cubs...her recently-returned daughter especially.
Ninau simply stayed close to his daughter, surly and not liking the need for relocation. He'd returned HOME. And now they needed to find a new one? He couldn't help but be a surly boy.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 5:47 am
 Listening to Skan's words, Dongo hung his head, ears folding back slightly. This time of year... He always missed his mother, his brothers and sisters he left behind, even his multitude of half-siblings he left behind. He missed, too, his cousins, first, second, and further, that he'd left back in the Pridelands and Matembezi. While he had a lot to look forward to, like his girls finding boys, and his boys finding girls, he still had to reflect on the past that made him who he was, and the resolve to... TRY to not be like his father in the matter of only having ONE mate. He felt he'd succeeded in that, as had his brother that had managed to find his way to the pride, too. Of course, only during the Sky Festival did he get to see said brother, but that didn't matter to Dongo. A glimpse was better than nothing! Beside him, Huong leaned on his shoulder. The dark lioness leaned on her mate, own ears back. She terribly missed, at times, her sisters back in the Antianeira. But at the same time, she didn't regret coming here. She had no idea what the pride was like now, after the males had attacked it, and she often did wonder. She'd have to convince Dongo to go with her to visit... Not that she imagined he'd want to get too close because of their stance on males, but she did want to show them that not all males were horrible creatures, worthy only for creating cubs. She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh and a hum. She had to look at how bright and good the future was - She had many children, all grown to beautiful adults... Even the three boys were beautiful! They'd make wonderful mates one day, carefully taught, she hoped, to be good and clean boys.==========================================  Elsewhere, Upendo walked with her pride mates, tired and a bit dirty from the journey. Like her cousin, she'd gotten back from her name quest just in time to escape the fire. The spot-limbed lioness listened to the cubs, before she moved sideways over to a group of them. "Cheer up, little ones, soon we'll be in a new home, and you'll get to sleep all day and all night, and not walk too far except to water!" That had to be the part Upendo missed most... The water. The huntress licked her lips, just imagining the cool liquid moving around her body as she swam.... They'd never had need for drinking water when she'd been a cub. She missed it. Behind Upendo, Pata'chasi groaned. "Soon isn't soon enough, Upendo!" She was worried, of course - Her children had gone off on their name quests, and only one had returned. Yes, it was a bit whiny of her, but she was, like the cubs, tired. Part of the journey had been spent looking for her children, in hopes that if they'd returned at the wrong moment, there was still hope. She hadn't seen the ones who hadn't yet returned BEFORE the fire. She was beginning to think she'd have to cut her losses with the litter, and be happy even one came home. She paused, looking at her unmarked forepaw. Her limbs had been numbed by the walking, so she hadn't really noticed any pain, though she knew the place a burned branch had whipped around and hit her, when the pressure holding it back had broken thanks to fire burning through it, should hurt. The wound left by the burned branch was better looking, but still rather gross. She swallowed, a dry action right now, before starting to walk again. Soon... They'd be in a new home soon...
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:27 am
"Everybody's getting tired," he commented once he was close enough to be heard without yelling, "We've been here days already, how have we not run into anyone?"
It was a long walk across the Ela'wadiyi lands from any direction and they were such a large group.. Vyoga wasn't necessarily the smartest lion but even he knew they should have found something before now.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:24 pm
Ficha wasn't the only anxious one. Acacia was visibly on edge, both eyes flickering everywhere even if only one worked. The swamps had been a haven, a place safe from her maniacal cousin and her Hatred-sired brood. Encountering other former Mizimu in her new home had been awkward at best, but as a whole her life had become better than anything since before the war with the Dhati. She'd even had her own god-sired litter, and had done their best to raise them respectful of the spirits--making sure they each knew a little of the Mizimu, so that they knew how well off they were here...and warning them of the treacherous Hate-spawned ones that roamed, somewhere out there.
That haven was gone now, and she could only hope the spirits led them to their new home safely. Until then, it was a spirits-sent delay in her litter encountering the rest of the world on their own--with the risks from their spiritborn kin that entailed. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little thankful for that.
-----
By her side, a dark adolescent's large frame prowled. Jaw set, there was little room to mistake that Afya was not pleased by recent events. With his mane beginning to grow in, he should have been searching for his name--instead, he was held here with his cub name until they found new lands. In addition to that, odd feelings for the past several hours warned him something would happen, and the suspense was beginning to weigh on him. Still, he remained silent. They would stop when they stopped, and the something would happen.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 4:14 pm
It was a little hard for Tsilihu to relate to this ceremony at present, considering recently her life had simply been full of happiness. She and her mate were together and now raising a beautiful family of their own. But coming here was the right thing to do, and soon enough she managed to find things to reflect on. Yes, they had lost Tawa'di, though that had been still some time ago. She thought of all the clan leaders, and of the wanidatsi, who was young but certainly good. She thought of her grandmother, Tsi'hilu, who was an inspiration to her... and her father. And she also thought of Kaleth's family, who she had never met, and probably never would.
Tsilihu was not bothered at ll by the crowd. She felt more connected to the Ela'wadiyi than ever now that she had a family, and as such reveled in this opportunity to share a moment with them.
Maraba Edi rather appreciated this different ceremony. After having gone through the Sky Ceremony – with shockingly good results! – this calmer one was welcome, though it was a wonder he was managing to stay awake considering what he'd been doing this very day. He relished in this time to think about all the places he had been, and of the days that were now behind him. He had not left behind a family, not in the proper sense, but he was leaving behind all he had ever really known of life.
Though he looked forward to his future here within the Ela'wadiyi, he also realized now that, yes, he would miss the open world. It would be ridiculous to deny such a thing, after all her had been through, all he might have still been through had he not made this decision. Maraba Edi did not regret coming to the Ela in the least, however he was able to accept that there was a dark side, tiny as it may be. He did not feel guilty, he would simply accept it.
Being a lion who had, at least for some time, lost his father, Tawa didn't have much trouble finding things to reflect upon. Or he wouldn't, had he not been feeling very much the same sort of unease as his brother was. He was a patient sort, and not quite an alarmist, so he waited until Skan was finished speaking before picking his way over. Tawa moved very gently through the crowd, managing to spare a smile as he passed his niece and nephew.
"Skan, father." he greeted them as he approached, in a soft voice, almost a whisper. Seeing Tawa'di again always made him blink, though it had been some time since his father had been in this body. It was just sort of strange, but not unpleasant. Tawa was not one to complain that he got to spend more time with his dad. "It isn't just me, is it?" He felt he didn't need to explain, as they both probably knew what he was talking about. Certainly he couldn't be the only one feeling a little odd. Skan certainly didn't look very at ease. Tawa had never had the strongest of visions, especially when awake, and they usually took shape of tiny images, like half remembered dreams or even just vague impressions. As such, it was really hard to pick any true sense out of them.
-
Mteremo was exhausted, just like the rest of them. Like any young swamp lion he had been on his pilgrimage and seen his fair share of land, sometimes with little sleep. But this journey had a sense of urgency unlike any other, not to mention emotional baggage. Their homelands were gone, burned down. What remained was not enough to sustain them...
And there were the cubs. He sighed and then smiled at the nearest child, ducking briefly to give an encouraging nudge. Poor little things must be exhausted and scared, but so were they. He could not carry them all, and so he worried it might be unfair if he picked up any of them if they could still walk. "Things will be fine soon." He said as he walked. "We'll work things out, and we can rest soon, I'm sure."
It was a little surprising that they had yet to run into any of their neighbors, but Mteremo was a simple hunter. He was trying his best to simply keep up with those who might need his help, and the cubs needed someone friedly around. He simply pushed his worried about the Ela'wadiyi away, certain the others had it covered, and tried to keep things together as best he could.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 4:55 pm
La'u Khara'i split from Chemankari when her Consort approached, veering just off-course enough to bump into him with light affection and jostle her sleeping companion just slightly. The snake stirred, but didn't wake. "I know they are," she acknowledged with a sigh, "But we can't stop yet. We need to keep going..."
She couldn't give a specific reason why, only that they needed to keep moving for a little longer. "That's been bothering me, too. I was sure we'd have run into them by now."
If only they knew just how close they were. A few more minutes of walking, and...
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:24 am
Quote: 
Bhumi, like many of young members of the pride, wasn't exactly sure what it meant to reflect on ancestors or any of that. He was also pretty tired, despite having slept most of the day. He was leaning against one of his siblings as he blinked away sleepiness, waiting for the elders to finish speaking.
Once all of the speaking was done however, Bhumi wasn't sure what to do. After a little yawn he pushed himself away from his family, moving carefully though the crowd in hopes of some sort of entertainment.Quote: 
Uhai had not fared well in the fire; her hind leg was burned badly from it and constantly hurt but she knew she had to keep going. For her children, who were fully grown but still a constant cause of worry for her, and for her pride as well. She was an older member, and that paired with her injury she was lagging far back in the line of lions.Quote: 
Leini moved beside her mate, uneasy. Her usual chattiness was staved off from the somber atmosphere of the pride. She tried to hold onto the belief that everything happened for a reason though, a good outlook to have even in the saddest of times. How could she not after having recently joined and finding her true name? She glanced to Ardhi, a sad smile on her maw.Quote:  The often silent lion had a somber air about him as he moved alongside his mate, light eyes darting from member to member. He was tired and weary, but none of this showed in his expression. That certainly wouldn't do when they had so many young ones with them, all doing their best to keep up with their parents. As he looked to his mate he nuzzled into her side, a silent reassurance.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:07 pm
 Mana had emerged from the crowd when she felt an unsettling shift to the wind. It was gentle and soft, but it made her nerves stand on end. Something was wrong, and Skan was completely right about that. She raised her head up, her nose catching the scents on the breeze. "Something is wrong," she said, approaching her mate and son.
"I sent Kokia to check it out, but I don't know what she can see in the night with only a limited amount of light from the moon. I hope she returns safely."
She knew that they would have to wait for her to return, as it wouldn't be wise to start sending off curious members to check out whatever this unknown force was. She eyed the two males near her nervously, hoping that this wasn't going to be something bad. "Patience," she breathed, mostly to herself.
Flittering in the dark sky was nerve-wreaking for the little bird, but Kokia served her 'Mother' Wind needlessly, and it was apparent that the goddess had felt the difference. Without a word, the nightengale darted off into the dark night, her little wings fighting against the breeze to go investigate what the shift of scents were coming from. Was this what old Tawa'di had talked about, the old Dark Fire pride. Could it be, coming to try and ruin the lives of these new Ela'wadiyi as well?
Zipping through the sky was normally a fun occasion, but the was deadly dangerous in the dark. One wrong move and the bird could run into something, snapping her neck. She did her best to see what she could with only the moon light helping her, and at one point she stopped to hover in the air. What was that? It seemed like....a giant moving mass, headed straight for those celebrating the Moon Ceremony! With a snap of her beak, she darted back to Mana, Tawa'di, and Skan.Mana's eyes lit up when she saw her avian friend return. "Kokia! What did you see?"The little bird landed on Mana's shoulder, avoiding the mane that the wind goddess had. "There is a huge wave of lions coming! I couldn't even number them, there were so many."Before the bird could finish speaking, Skan bolted towards where she had just come from, intent on intercepting whatever was happening before it reached the group. He could only think that it was the Dark Fire pride, somehow finding their new home. Whether he died at their paws or not, at long as he could buy his pride some time that was fine with him. Tawa'di soon followed after Skan, but quickly used his wings to beat his son. Tawa'di had an advantage of being a god, and he figured that would help him more than his son, younger-looking or not. "Skan!" he yelled down. "I'll intercept them first." He didn't even wait to see if Skan was nodding or not, as it was so dark. He darted forward, landing in a running stance before he saw the massive wave of lions (or what it looked like to him, as he was so used to being part of a smaller clan in a small-medium pride). Skidding to a halt, he flared his wings open and roared, sounding the fact that he could see them and warned them to stop. If needed, he could try to use his powers to keep his pride safe.
"Halt!" cried Tawa'di, Skan quickly approaching where the god was, his sides heaving as he tried to breathe.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 5:41 pm
And now they finally were to be greeted... In what manner Domevlo hadn't been sure before, but pessimism was something that had been quite literally beaten in to him in his time before coming to the swamp lands. The huge, scraggly, lion had kept towards the center of their migrating mass, but as they were greeted with a fierce roar he brought himself closer to the front, ever ready to protect if need be.
There was never any doubt about his loyalty and selflessness for the pride. Even now as his mind was filled with worry and brimming with memories of pain and heartache he stood ready to lay it all down. He did not know these lions, these Ela, but to him, there was no kindness beyond the swamps. His pessimism nearly made him give up hope, but then again...he had to have faith that their queen would not lead them in to the Ela territory to meet death, after narrowly escaping a far more fire-y one. He had to have faith that she knew what she was doing...and that there would be no need for his dark looming.
It was difficult for Domevlo. This whole ordeal was....difficult.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 7:30 pm
So here were the elusive inhabitants, at last.
If Khara was startled by the roar or intimidated by the appearance of a god, she gave no indication. The purple lioness did stop, but she did so in an unhurried manner, calmly regarding both the god and the lion who followed after him. She took a moment to study them both, as well she could in the darkness, before taking a few steps forward. She dipped her head, while the snake whose thick coils hung about her neck stirred at last, lifting his head and flicking his tongue in the strangers' directions.
"Peace, Ela'wadiyi," Khara said, her voice soft but strong. "We mean you no harm, and apologize for our trespass. I am La'u Khara'i, Queen of the Jini-misemi, and we seek only safe passage on our journey to the mountains. Fire has taken our home, and we would make a new one there, in the land that once belonged to the Sun and Moon."
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:22 am
The sudden sounds of unrest and running paws pulled Hanaa from her quiet contemplation and she looked up in confusion, her paw paused over her counting stones.
What was going on? Where were they running to?
Nerves ate at her courage as she hurriedly began to put her stone back in her pouch, counting them under her breath to make sure they were all there. It would be unthinkable to leave one behind... it would throw everything off and bad luck would come crashing down on her head. Get her stones to safety, then she could worry about herself alone.
Rounded ears remained perked throughout her work, twitching back and forth as she listened for any more sounds of excitement or for a hint of what was going on.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:15 am
The tension in the pride was making her anxious, drawing her claws out to dig into the dirt and bury themselves in little furrows as her pelt rippled in concern. Her molten gold eyes swung around those nearest her, trying to peg down the source of her irritation without even fully understanding that she was out of sorts at all. Her confusion was twisting her stomach into knots, and for some reason she realized she wished that Makovu was here. She had only spoken with him the once during the Sky festival, and now here beneath the Moon she was wishing he was here with her.
He would calm her nerves, relax her tensions and clear her head.
Something was happening. She looked up, eyes widening as she watched her pride's leader tear off into the darkness with their patron god at his heels – quickly passing with those magnificent wings of his. Her legs tensed, hauling herself up onto her feet to nearly stand on her toes in search of an explanation. There were raised voices, just out of hearing, and it made her hand stand on end. Was the pride under attack? Should they all be running towards or away from the threat? Her ears swiveled backwards to pin against her skull, unsure and attempting to pick up cues from the other lions around her.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:08 pm
Yinehi suddenly sprang to her feet when her father was, very quickly, on the move. She couldn't remember most of what she had been trying to overhear but the sudden alarm and movement caught her by surprise and she woke right back up. She glanced around, noticing that the sudden movement seemed to put everybody else on edge too. What was going on?
Now uncertain of this strange turn of events in the solemn ceremony, Yinehi abandoned her resolve to stay independent and scrambled over to where she knew her mother to be. She wouldn't admit it but she had been making sure she knew how to get back to her mother, just in case, the whole time she wandered on her own.
Vyoga-kwaa smiled at Khara, trying to look reassuring even if he didn't know what to make of all of this. The move was unsettling, he wasn't what would happen when they were found-- and then, suddenly, they were faced by a strange pair of lions. He came to a stop a few steps behind the queen, stumbling the whole way and clearly much worse at hiding his own anxiety than his mate. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter so much since he didn't have to make as good an impression.
Despite that, though, he straightened up and tried to look less awkward as Khara explained the situation.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:38 pm
Coming to a stop just behind her cousin, Upendo stared up at the lions. One had... Wings. She frowned, realizing this was a god. When Mimi had returned from her name quest, she'd spoken of them and how some had wings, but she'd never thought she would see it herself. "That's definitely not a god like Mama Asali.."
She then flicked an ear, listening to Khara, before nodding, though nothing was spoken from her. She deeply hoped that the Ela would allow them to pass, on their way to a new home. A home, hopefully, safe from fire as easy as the swamps had been taken by it.
Coming to a stop near many others, Pata shifted on her paws, lifting her injured limb up. She dropped her voice, talking to nobody in particular. "Maybe they'll let us stay a while... So we can rest..." They were all tired, she could gather that - Even amid her own complaining, she knew that everyone was tired, from the cubs up to the adults. A few days, and they'd be ready to go again, their tired paws rested and any wounds healed. Walking did nothing to keep back the strain from their travels. At her back paws, Pata felt a cub lean on her and looked to see Kenta, one of many. She shifted him further forward so she could give his ears a comforting groom.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:24 am
Cha'ari walked in warily, glancing around at the solemn lions gathered around. The burly white lion realized that it had been a full year since he joined the Ela'wadiyi - he had arrived as a new member during the Tree Ceremony. He supposed that's why many of them lacked the tattoos of the Ela - but they also carried a funny smell. The Swampies, he figured. He'd never formally met any of them, but he had heard about their hardships. It made sense for them to be here.
All this time, and he was still, for the most part, solitary. He'd met a few lions, that was a given, but there was no one he was close to just yet. That being said, he didn't know if he could handle being close to anyone again - last time he dropped the pregnant lioness and ran. Of course, that's why he was ashamed. And why he had come to this ceremony.
So far as he knew, they had starved out and died without his help... and he was eternally guilty for it. They wouldn't have been the first to die that he'd known, of course... his entire pride had been wiped out as a cub from a flood. I suppose that's what I'm actually supposed to be honoring here, he thought to himself with a sigh, as he settled down a little ways away from the others, Jamali right by his side. It had never been a big pride, and he knew that even as a cub - certainly nowhere near the size of the Ela. But he had still lost almost all of them. And those who did survive, like himself, went their own separate ways. And so he bowed his head, laying one of his orange flowers on the ground before himself, to honor them.
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