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 Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 1:29 pm
 Chinara'fola closed her eyes tightly as the morning sun rose slowly, basking everything in a golden glow. How long had it been since Ezeoha left, and Nunda had gone off, hoping to find a cure for her mysterious illness?
The lioness frowned, thinking back to their childhood days. They had been so innocent, or at least they had appeared innocent on the surface. Perhaps even then Ezeoha had been tricking her. And how had she managed to raise a son, even after her mate left her? Nunda had been so innocent and young, and even as Chinara began to lose strength, he'd remained strong, hunting for both of them. He'd become understanding and careful, sometimes not even eating his share of the meal so that she'd gain a little bit of health, at the expense of his own.
She opened her once-emerald-green eyes, peering out of the empty, quiet den that had once echoed with laughter. "I'm a fool," she said quietly. "A miserable, stupid, dying fool. And that's all I'll ever be." Struggling to sit up, Chinara watched as a herd of gazelle, not far from where the den was, grazed in the morning silence. She was no match for them; they could easily outrun her, or even injure her if they were brave enough. Another day without a meal, she thought, and flopped back down.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:11 am
Zuri'bluu squinted his eyes as he pawed his way out of his tiny indent in the dirt, dug next to a moderately sized boulder. The morning sun was shining strong and bright, and it was difficult to resist. He shook his mane, causing all the random dust particles to disperse, and peered out across the land.
"What a long nap..." he trailed off, speaking even though no one was there to hear him, save for the passingby small bird, maybe. There were gazelles, of course, but they were all too faraway to hear the innocent murmur.
He sat himself up, plopping his bum onto the ground and holding himself up by the forearms. He stared at his paws for a while. Their blue colored seemed almost faded when they were bathed in the misty dirt. His bright eyes very much stood out against the tan-hued mass of fur.
And soon, his stomach grew hungry. Boredom tended to do that to him. His bold, blue eyes peered out to the herd of gazelle. His mind deciding, he stretched his arms, lengthened his back, and rolled his neck. He considered that the herd seemed approachable. He was fairly confident he could catch a meal.
He walked around in a far radius of the herd, as slowly, quietly, and stealthily as he could. His flickering tail came to a standstill as he lowered his body closer to the ground. His coat, now camouflaged a brown-ish dirt colour, was at the moment not the hindrance that is normally was.
Staying in the cover of the few shadows, he readied himself for the sprint to the pounce.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:58 pm
China carefully watched the herd, eyes glinting with lust for the sweet flesh of a young gazelle. How long had it been since she'd last eaten? 2 days, now?
She had to eat. As much as she said it to herself, Chinara didn't want to die. Struggling to stand up, the lioness pushed herself up, her back legs nearly giving out. With short labored breaths, the female also cautiously approached the herd, lowering herself close to the ground. Her eyes hungrily scanned the herd, looking for an easy target. Suddenly her ears pricked up; she heard noises that weren't from the herd. Was she alone? No, she suddenly caught the scent of another lion. What if Nunda had come back? What if it was Ezeoha? Oh gods, she wouldn't know what to do if he came back. The lioness felt her head ache at the thought of that, and she felt her vision begin to blur a little.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:33 pm
A ripple of strength danced through the engaged muscles of the tan-blue lion. He took off into the herd, causing quite the ruckus.
...He thought that, somewhere along the way, he had caught the scent of...
Havoc was wrought, and the commotion between the herd -- although expected -- was rather fierce. Clashes of hooves stormed against the ground with four furry lion paws in the midst. There was scarcely enough time to turn one's head, before a gazelle sprinted across eyesight.
...another lion? But there was no time to look around now, no, not in...
His eyes were locked upon a singular target. It seemed a bit smaller than the others. Zuri'bluu charged at it, through all the clamor and the din, hoping to latch onto his prey.
...mid-leap. All he could smell now was the gazelle...
Clenched between his teeth was what seemed to be that slightly tiny -- but nonetheless juicy -- gazelle. As the dust cleared, the gazelle now far, far in the distant distance, he watched his prey squirm a few times before falling into its eternal death.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:02 am
It was now or never. Chinara began to sprint as well, her body straining to catch up with a baby gazelle who was just out of her reach. Now, while her body was stretched out, one could really see just how emaciated she was; her ribs were quite visible, her waist had shrunk considerably, and her face looked worn out and hollow.
But in the end, it was too much for her. "H-hey!" she called out at the gazelle, who simply ran faster to re-join the herd. Chinara fell over onto her side, shaking from the lack of breath and energy. This was it. She was going to die, no question. China felt her eyes struggle to keep themselves open. She tried to focus on the male who she saw carrying his prize. Something.. something about him reminded her of...
As the dust lifted and she saw the male's true identity, the lioness' eyes shot wide open. Zuri!? Wh... was it really him after all these years?! "Z-... zuri..." she tried to call out, but her voice only came to the male's ears as a murmur. Oh, if only she had the strength to sit up, she could get a better look at him!
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:38 am
"Ahahaha," he laughed out. I needed that, he told himself. Life has been so boring lately. The gazelle was still clutched in his mouth. Saliva was dripping and mingling with the prey's blood.
Standing there, meal in his mouth, all Zuri could really smell was a nose-full of fresh, juicy gazelle. And yet, there was still that tiny, lingering scent of lion.
He thought he heard a low hush. Almost like a cry. And as he peered across the land to find a suitable spot to devour his food, his eyes met the figure of a weak, thin, and considerably frail lioness. She was laying on her side. Had she participated in the attack as well?
Whether out of sheer curiosity, lion nature, or the fact that there was a female lioness in the midst (probably the last one), he started walking over to her.
And the closer he got, the more memories begun to cross his mind.
And finally, ...That's... China...
"China!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 6:39 pm
After thinking all hope was lost and her life was over, China watched in unspeakable silence as her oldest, dearest friend came to her in her time of need. He was like her angel of mercy, but brought her a new beginning instead of an ending.
"Z.. zuri..." she said quietly, struggling to stay awake. The female tried to sit up, but it was no use; she simply flopped back onto the ground, looking even more ragged than the unsuccessful hunt had left her. "I... you...... it's been a.. long.. time.." China uttered through short, husky breaths.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:06 pm
As Zuri approached his old companion, excitement fluttered through his heart. But at the same time, the closer he got, the more worry engulfed his being as well. She looked so very weak; not even strong enough to hold herself up. And it pained him to see her this way, especially as the first time after such a long absence.
"Here, have some of this." He dropped his prey from his mouth and nudged it with his nose towards the lioness. "You look tired," he said slowly. After a short pause, during which he studied China with his bold blue eyes, he added softly, "Although pretty as ever."
There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to ask. But he also wanted to see her alright and fed. So he stood quietly in patience and caring.
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 6:39 am
At the sight of Zuri's offer, China pushed herself up hurriedly, trying to bite at the gazelle's stomach, where the meat was most nutritious and plentiful. However, her jaw felt like silly putty on the tough skin, so she settled for the place where Zuri had clamped down on the gazelle's neck.
After a few mouthfuls of sinew and flesh, the female licked her maw a few times, before looking up at Zuri. Her eyes were filled with tears now; she wanted to tell him so much, all that had happened in her life while they had been apart. Instead, she simply went back for more meat, tearing at the skin so that more flesh was revealed. His 'pretty as ever' comment stuck in her mind, which made her smile inwardly. Memories began to fade back, such as the time the two first met as cubs. Oh, that was a miracle to have met Zuri.
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:55 am
It was hard for him to deny her beauty, even when she was in such a state as this. Whether it was because of Zuri's attraction towards females, or more likely because of the bond the two shared from forming childhood memories together, she was still very pretty in his eyes.
He allowed some time to pass, while China worked on the gazelle, before slowly selecting the words to use. He came up with, "Has everything been all right?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:51 pm
At Zuri's question, China looked down at the gazelle for a moment, before wiping the tears from her eyes with a dirty paw, and simply replying, "No."
She wanted to explain to him what had happened, but not out in the open. She struggled once more to push herself up , this time with half the success-- she fell onto Zuri's shoulder, only leaning against him for a moment as she regained her strength to walk once more. In that moment, the lioness couldn't help but blush lightly as she felt the need to nuzzle into him wash over her. Ignoring that, the female looked up at him sheepishly. "S-sorry.." she said quietly, before beginning to take a few shaky steps towards her den.
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:33 pm
The tan-dusted blue lion's brow furrowed at the lioness's reply. Such a dear girl shouldn't be forced into such the state that she seemed to be in at the moment.
And when she fell onto his shoulder, it being a bit tired from the gazelle chase while his arm pulsed slowly, he raised himself up as to support her. He was a bit surprised at her apology, and nodded quickly as to say, "It's no problem at all!" Then he followed her steps and soon walked alongside her, and rather close, in the case that she might need his shoulder again.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:27 am
After a few stumbles, China finally arrived at the cave, flopping into the mouth of it tiredly. She shifted around to get into a comfortable position, before she beckoned Zuri'bluu in.
A few moments of silence passed before the lioness looked up at the male's eyes. "You remember Ezeoha, don't you?" she asked quietly. "He and I.. we..... he was the only one who could comfort me when I... I found out that my family..." Her voice faded, tears welling up in her eyes again, before she buried her face in his mane, crying.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:48 pm
The lion nodded slowly, his bold blue eyes staring into hers. "I am remembered you telling me about this Ezeoha before." It was when they were much younger. This Ezeoha had been flinging compliments at her left and right during that time, if he recalled correct. Hmm. Almost sounded familiar, for some reason.
He was listening closely. Something troubling had definitely happened. It involved her family? And then Ezeoha? He welcomed her by resting his chin upon her head, and said quietly, "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. But if you need time, that's okay too."
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Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:41 am
She paused for a bit. China had longed to tell someone what had happened, and yet... she felt a bit uncomfortable. After all, it'd been years since she last saw Zuri.
So, quietly and somberly, the lioness told Zuri what had happened after he left. She felt a bit pained about her family's death, but she told him about that. Then China explained to him how Ezeoha was there to comfort her, yet one could clearly hear the soft growls in her voice as she talked about them becoming mates.
Her face grew softer and a bit more lit up as she reminisced about Nunda'kilinda, their intelligent son. "He was always off playing with animals, studying them.." she chuckled, shaking her head a bit. "Even when Ezzy told him to focus on... different things.." She frowned again, and finally wrapped up the tale with Ezeoha's mysterious departure and Nunda's vow to find a cure for her sickness.
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