[Log] Story time~ || Kiamba & Tomoyo

[Tahja Estes]

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The warm sun was beating down upon the lean form of the off violet cheetah. On any other circumstance it might have been too direct for him to tolerate- but after a full belly and a good nap, Kiamba was willing to let the sun score down for the sake of lazying on his favored rock. He wouldn't complain- things were good here. After spending so much time lost, he was finally settling back into the man he'd once been; a bit older now, but still much the dreamer.

He stretched, finally succumbing to the heat, rocking his hips to the side and over to the left. Overhead- a bird shifted, waiting for him to leave the remainders of his kill.

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Tomoyo chirped a call, following the scent of her beloved as she roamed the lands that had become somewhat inactive as far as the coalition was concerned. Their daughters were, by now, both grown, leaving Tomoyo and Kiamba with much more free time than usual... In fact, Tomoyo had been rather directionless for the last few weeks since all the group's youth had grown. No one really needed to have stories told to them anymore, which left the storyteller...... well......... jobless.

She'd spent her time hunting for flowers some days, to replace the ones that wilted behind her ears. Other times she just didn't know what to do with herself though, and today was one of those days. She missed having little ones to look after, which for her was saying a lot. Tomoyo usually didn't regret anything, but when it came to distance within her family, there was always room for longing.

Her bracelets chimed with a delicate ring as the tiger-striped mother found her mate, only glancing at the kill in passing, opting to nudge her head against his in greeting instead of debating eating or not.

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Kiamba thrummed deep in his chest, and gently moved his head against the tiger striped female's face. "Well, hello." He pooled eagerly, thumping his tail once in greeting. The tinkling of her bracelets echoed sweetly in his ear, and he noted she'd changed the flowers behind her ears again. He leaned forward and gently plucked one out from her ear, and laid it gently in his paw.

"Pretty flowers again," He noted, before picking it up in his mouth and placing it back by her ear. For a moment, he frowned, and crossed his paws. She'd been a bit...addled lately, and he wondered if it had something to do with the girls leaving. Well- it had to be, he supposed. Carefully, he sucked in a breath, and stretched.

"Are you alright?"

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A purr reverberated softly in answer to his own rumble, and Tomoyo smiled softly, feeling at peace for the moment in his presence. Her eyes slid shut briefly as he retrieved the flower, ear twitching as the stem was pulled from behind it.

Her gaze was tranquil and curious as he gave his opinion, and returned it to it's place. Was she alright?

"Hmm, perfectly healthy..." She answered, missing the point of the question.

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He smiled and rested his head back down on his paws, but shifting his weight somewhat so his shoulders touched her slender ankles. "Mm." he commented. "That wasn't what I asked though. You seem..." Kiamba trailed off, and rose his own lean neck and shifted his ears as if to listen for the appropriate word. When none resounded, he made due with his own. "-troubled? I know the girl's have been gone for a few days now..."

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Tomoyo relaxed gradually further at the light contact, only seeming quizzical as he corrected her. Aa... so that's what he meant. Well... it was true, she did miss having the girls around, but...

"I miss when they were little. It used to be that I spent most of my time looking after them and making sure they didn't get into too much trouble, but now all the cubs in the coalation have grown. I'm not much of a storyteller anymore..." She smiled softly down and over at him, sapphire eyes not quite dejected, but lacking their usual luster.

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He nodded his head understandingly, and docked his ears as he settled himself again. It was true- the lands hadn't seen many new cubs as of recent. In fact; it had been a bit desolate. "You'll always be a storyteller." He reminded. "Surely you know one I haven't heard of yet?" He offered. Kiamba doubted he'd be much placation for her longing for a young audience- but he did love to hear her stories. She had a good mind for them.

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"Hmm..." She thought and replied, all at once, finally easing to lie down beside him, draping her tail over his and leaning their shoulders together as well. "Have I ever told you the story about how the mother of Sacrifice came to be?"

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As she lay down beside him, he shifted to offer her more accommodation and rested his head on the side of her paws. "No, I don't believe I've heard that one." He thrummed. "How did she come to be?"

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As she lay down beside him, he shifted to offer her more accommodation and rested his head on the side of her paws. "No, I don't believe I've heard that one." He thrummed. "How did she come to be?"

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Tomoyo smiled, grateful to have a mate that understood her so, though she wouldn't have minded if not. She would forever be grateful for whatever she had, be it little or great.

"It was a long, long time ago. And the story actually begins with a mortal, no one is sure if she was a leopard or cheetah, or lion, but she was alone. Her father had been a passing rogue, leaving her mother to raise she and her siblings alone. The mother was already old, perhaps having given birth to many litters before this last..."

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Kiamba listened intently- but he was never sure if his attention was kept simply because the story was so cleverly told, or if it was because he enjoyed hearing her voice. Either way, he listened, his ears pressed against his head in approval to consider any comments he'd make about it afterwards. But he'd not interrupt the story once it had started.

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"To each child a special name was given... the daughter known as Teuli'ukilia, meaning 'Final purpose', for the mother knew that she would have no more children after these. They were her reason for living, and for Teuli, so her mother also was to her. As the cubs grew, the bond between them remained strong, each wanting nothing more than to see the others happy and always provided for... but such things aren't meant to last forever. The day finally came when their mother grew too aged and fragile, and finally departed this world. Some believe she became one with the stars, while others believe that she simply returned to the Earth from which we're all born, but her children did not take it quite so well. It was a deep loss, and they all cried for many days and many nights, mourning their loss." She murmered, tone clear, but with a ring of sorrow. Still she continued, gaze out over the horizon at the blue skies ahead. "Eventually it came to pass that the siblings began to grow apart, Teuli was unable to cope with the broken state that her family had fallen into, and so she left, hoping that in doing so she'd find the peace and answers, maybe some sign from her mother that she wasn't truely gone..."

 

[Tahja Estes]

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Kiamba rose his head, listening quietly. Tales of tragedy carried a kind of solemn remorse to them that made it seem rude to listen to casually. His tail curled apologetically against hers, and he leaned to the side; listening. She was looking at the horizon now- and he followed her gaze as though he could see past it and into the story she was telling.

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She'd taken no offense, and though her tone was sad, it was only because Tomoyo often became so enraptured with her fables and legends. It gave them a genuine feel when presented to the audience, but more than that, she believed these tales to be truth.

Eyes easing shut, she brushed her tail against his reassuringly and continued.

"Teuli traveled for hours... days... weeks... months, always at night, however, when others slept, for she'd come to truely appreciate the comforting solace of the moon. She felt as though they were kindred spirits, because though she was surrounded by the constant company of others, she felt alone, and though the moon had the stars for companions, it still went through phases when it hid itself from the world as though saddened. What Teuli didn't realize, however, was that the moon guardian, Afa-kivuli, had been watching her for quite some time by now. He knew her plight, her history, her feelings and her longings... He longed to approach her, but had dared not because of the difference in their status. She was only mortal, after all, nothing could come of any meeting... But one night Teuli had come to rest in the grasslands, far from any prides or clans, craving solitude. Afa approached her, desiring the chance to finally speak with the mortal, no longer able to refrain.

"'Why do you sit here alone?' He asked her, and she replied that she no longer had a home... Afa-kivuli told her then of his feelings... how he'd been with her since she was a child, and that she wasn't as along as she'd thought, for just as she'd been there for him in the passing months, so had he been there for her all of her life, even though she didn't know it."

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Kiamba tilted his head considerately. He could sympathize with the love, that was for sure. But he wondered idly what it was that made the god suddenly so connected to this female. And with the somewhat ominous settings- he could only wonder if the story went downhill for the poor lioness after that. It didn't seem fair. "And then what happened?" He chimed steadily, his rounded ears shifting.

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"Well... he'd resolved to tell her on this whim, reasoning with himself that he would simply let it out of his system, and distance himself from her once again, for the question still remained, what could come of a love between mortal and god? Surely he'd outlive her a thousand times over... and surely she wouldn't so readily give herself to a male that she'd only just met regardless.

"Yet, as he told her that he could not provide for her always, for his reign only lasted during the hours his brother slept, she responded... 'Then I would wait for you, always.'. Afa-kivuli was so surprised by this that he could not respond with words, he could not deny her either, knowing now that she felt for him the way that he felt for her. She had fallen for him before ever setting eyes on his mortal form. She knew him to be compassionate, understanding, always there, even when she could not see him, evidence of his presence was always around her in the smallest ripples of light when the world was otherwise dark. He would never leave her, for the moon could never die. They were destined, she was certain..."

Her eyes remained closed, but Tomoyo lightly pressed her temple against Kiamba's as the story continued.

"The moon, even, however, has it's dark phases... Afa began to worry not long after, if Teuli would be true to her promise to wait for him, if she really meant that she'd be his always. So grief striken by her losses and blinded by her love, she did not notice the changes. He kept her hidden away in a cave in the mountains during the days, and hoarded her for himself during the nights, not even allowing her to roam or hunt for fear of loosing her. She was happy, though, if only in her mind. She never questioned his intentions...

"One day she came to her lord bearing news. She was pregnant with his cubs, they were to be parents! This was wonderful news to Teuli, who had long since meeting Afa craved children of her own to raise and nurture. Afa-kivuli was not quite so pleased however. Children... it meant that he would have to share his mate with them, for they'd need constant care and attention, and eventually she'd have to leave to teach them to hunt. What if they never returned? Turned her against him?"

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Kiamba rubbed his head against hers as he offered it, and puffed his whiskers forward. Ah- so that was how it went for the poor female. To him, the gods existed only in Tomoyo's stories- but sometimes he wondered if it was possible... and would they be like that? So estranged from mortal kind that they might even grow jealous of mortal children? Children alone changed things forever for him. What might they do to a god?

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"Teuli learned of his feelings, and pleaded with him to allow her to keep the cubs, she swore that she'd never leave his side, even agreeing to sacrifice what was left of her family to stay with him. It meant she'd never see her siblings again, and that once the cubs were old enough to take care of themselves she could never see them again either. It meant that much to her to raise her children, however, and he could not refuse.

"The day came then, when the cubs were born. With all his powers despite how much he wished it, he could not stop the miracle of life that had begun, and his fears were realized. Though Teuli did still love him as much as she had before the cubs, she could not deny motherly instincts. Afa couldn't stand the envy! In the dead of night, late one evening, he took one of the children... two males from the litter. Bringing the two children to Mkodi, he pleaded... 'Take these lives so that my mate might live eternal!', for he cared not what happened to the children. With her promise and immortal life she'd be at his side forever! Mkodi, the mother-goddess, however, did not approve of this. She did allow Afa-kivuli to believe that the promise had been made, and once he had gone she sent the children to be with a family that could give them love and care. Afa's punishment for his selfish act of betrayal...?"

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Tomoyo paused here, her expression growing softly somber again, with resolve to complete the story.

"When Teuli awoke and found two of her infants missing, oh how she grieved... she cried and mourned so that even the heavens wept for her loss. Her anguish could not be soothed. She had been betrayed by the one she loved, and lost two of her sons. Yet, she kept to her word. The rest of her litter, her one little girl still needed to be raised. The days passed, and when finally her only remaining offspring was old enough to leave home, Teuli'ukilia left the great circle... she died of a broken heart."

 

[Tahja Estes]

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Kiamba shifted his ear carefully, his face stilled. It disgusted him somewhat that the male would have offered two of his own children to pay for the divinity of his lover. To him, they had been only obstacles when they should have been treasures. Despite his disbelief, he was pleased to hear that Mkodi had protected the offspring. But what then of the mother? He shifted his head to the side, and rested it against Tomoyo's.

"An unfortunate story indeed. And what then?"

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"Afa-kivuli mourned... of course. For some time the night carried only the echos of his grief and remourse. It was a harsh lesson. He revisited the place where he'd first met the female again and again, always greeted by the whispering grasses, but never Teuli herself."

LAST 4 POSTS OF LOG LOST. crying ((Used with permission from Meep:

Tahja Estes (8:24:41 PM): If D: I couldn't find the rest of this log, but what I did have of part 1 was already lengthy, would it be fair to label the rest as lost and still use it? I'm only missing the last 2 exchanges/last 4 posts.
Meepfeather (8:25:40 PM): I'd be okay with that, lord knows I've lost pieces of RP.))