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 Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:10 pm
He'd never traveled this close to a pride before, and had never even really given prides much thought, but he'd heard so much about the Pridelands in his travels that he could help but chance a closer look. His amber eyes were bright as he looked over the grasslands, trying to get a good view of the Pride Rock as he traveled on the outskirts of the territory. It was difficult, seeing that he was so far out from the centerpoint of activity in the pride, but he thought he could see it out in the distance. It wasn't much of a view, he decided, but he was worried about traveling any closer. Being male and having no immediate intention of joining the pride, he was unsure about how his presence would be taken. He had been turned away viciously before when he had gotten too close to a pride, he had no idea whether or not this would be different.
Shaking out his mahogany mane, the lion gave a great yawn as his slow steps came to an easing halt. His teeth glinting in the low sun, he made a soft, sleepy noise before letting his eyes trail over the sunset. It had been some time since he'd taken a nap, but the wandering was still in his paws. He was not ready to sleep, and definitely not so close to such a large pride. Speaking of it's size, he was quite shocked he hadn't run into one of it's members just yet. He supposed they might not come so far out, but he thought he might've run into at least a wandering cub or a patrol lion. Frowning, he cast another glance at the distant rock before he began walking again, tracing the outline of the territory, roughly.
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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:14 pm
Well, technically speaking, Akiiki was the son. And that's where his curse-slash-powers came into the game. But still--there was no way.
Today, Auri was seeking out a place of her own. She wasn't planning on moving out of the family den just yet, of course, but the stories Moyo had told her of a secret waterfall with a hidden cave behind the water had always intriged the single daughter. What would it be like to have her own little secret cave? Of course, it would have to be a mini den, because there were little or no waterfalls at all in the Pridelands. But still.
A secret place to call her own?
What girl wouldn't want that?
So she wandered around--having gone a good distance away from the usual surroundings--in search of a place to call her own. She spotted a few other lions, but for the most part, she was alone, and she didn't mind as much. She didn't need anyone, especially not a mate.
Oh no, never a mate, she told herself, rolling her eyes with a small smile. Who was she kidding.
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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:25 pm
Jua no longer got so overly excited to see another lion. Certainly, he enjoyed the company of others and would feel his heart quicken occasionally with anticipation of the conversation to come. He was certainly not actively searching for a mate, but who was to say that one might come along? He simply strolled along in life, and rolled with it's punches. He had yet to meet someone he was immediately interested in, but Jua was so nice to everybody that it wasn't too much of a shock.
That said, the male's ears perked as he heard the familiar sound of a body moving through the grass. It was smaller than him, but not by much. He appropriately guessed it to be female before he caught sight of her, eyes lighting with interest as he stopped midstep. "Hullo!" It was a cheery greeting, but spoken in a way that might dispel any fear at it's suddenness.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:29 pm
So far, no luck at all. Her brows furrowed in a frown and her muzzle moved into a slight pout at her lack of good fortune. Normally, she could find many different things out in the lands, from strange two-legger waste to the simple beauties nature creates. She was just about to turn back home and call it a day when she heard a noise.
Auri's ears swiveled to the right at the crunch of dry grass, soon followed by a cheery, careful call. Her eyes alighted upon a male lion walking slowly towards her, though she had a feeling he'd stop a good, reasonable distance away.
"Hello," she replied in kind, tail twitching. "What brings you this far out of the Pridelands?" The question was a normal, protocal-based one, and she hoped she sounded as collected as a patrol lion would be, never mind the fact that she was the extreme opposite of a sentry.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:01 pm
The male studied her for a moment, eyes creased with an ever present half-smile as he considered the situation. Her question made it obvious that she was from the Pride, but she was alone and didn't seem as if she would charge him. Nevertheless, he left a respectable distance before promptly allowing his hind legs to fold. Sitting at ease, the lion appeared to be relaxed and his expression certainly completed the image. His bright eyes took in her form briefly, appreciating the mildly burnt orange and her vivid eyes, but his glance was appropriate and his gaze soon returned to her.
Settling on one side slightly, he shook out his mane with a smile, "Curiousity is what brings me so close to the Pridelands. Normally I'm not one to get so close to such a large pride." Looking towards the speck on the horizon that was pride rock, he shrugged, "But it seemed foolish to go through life without one glance of the Rock." Letting his gaze dart back towards her, he inquired, "What brings you out this far? On patrol?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:31 pm
As his glance took in her form, so did hers take in his. Her eyes went to his spotted legs, which made her inwardly smile for she had never seen such markings before, and continued to his deep eyes. She copied him again in sitting down easily, slowly at first, before plopping into the comfortable position.
"You are not from here? That is why I did not recognize you. Not that I know every lion or animal in the pride but I try to make it a point to remember faces, if not names," she replied in a rambling manner. Auri's head tilted slightly at his reason for coming so close to the Pridelands. "What are you curious about?" Maybe I could help, she continued in her mind, always ready to assist where she could. Her ears flicked again at his question and she smiled sheepishly.
"No, I'm not on sentry duty. I was...exploring. My family lives so far out in the middle of nowhere that it's hard to find entertainment for yourself. So I wandered." She shrugged.
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:19 am
He noted the glance over absently, though his lips did quirk in a half-smile of amusement that she did the same. In the back of his mind, it made him feel less bad for doing it himself. Then again, it was natural to look over whoever it was you're speaking with. Who knew?
"I'm not from anywhere, really." He smiled, leaning on more heavily on one side as he looked at her. "I had heard of the infamous Pride Rock, and figured it was worth a glance. Not too keen on going too far in, would hate to find myself battling my way back out." It was paranoia more then not. He'd heard plenty about the kindness of Pridelanders, but he had no patience to test such matters by drowning himself in them. This was alright, he preferred one on one confrontations.
"Exploring? Find anything interesting?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:13 am
"Infamous?" Auri's eyebrow rose unexpectedly. She couldn't help it: she had never heard of the great Pride Rock being called 'infamous' before. And perhaps that was a result of being so sheltered as she had been. Though she had never truly met the royal family, or the lions and animals associated with them, all the stories she had been told by wanderers and her parents were all in good faith of the royals. Nothing bad had ever been said about them.
But she made a face at his polite inquiry.
"No. All these rocks are too small, the clusters are to narrow, and it's just plain...empty," she said finally, frowning at the, indeed, small clusters of rocks all around. "My mother told me that when she was younger, she had a secret place behind a small waterfall where she stored all her private treasures. But that was in a different pride, and I don't have the experience to go into what jungle we have to find my own waterfall. So I've been looking for spaces among rocks, but so far, I've had no luck."
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:10 am
Chuckling at her expression when she echoed the adjective, he shrugged, "Infamous amongst lions nearest here, certainly. Most know of it, few have seen it that I've encountered." His tail flicked over the dirt, amber eyes trailing to the horizon for the briefest of moments before they returned to the female before him expectantly.
Sure enough, a new face was made and he grinned broadly. He enjoyed her faces. It was entertaining to see which came next, her expressions were vivid. His own gaze looked to the small clusters of rock that surrounded them - slight and unassuming rubble that certainly held no hidden treasures. Listening to her explanation and worries, he nodded slowly before glancing back up at her.
"I'm sure you'll go one day. And you'll find your own waterfall or hidden alcove." He dipped his head, "In the worst case, you'll have to take your mate with you." There was a slight grin, noticing after the fact that he'd intentionally inquired after her status. The answer didn't matter, truly, he'd talk to her all the same, but suppose curiousity got the better of him.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 6:03 pm
"I suppose I'm a bit sheltered in that area, then," she returned sheepishly. "All I know are the good things about the pointy rock." She flexed her toes and shifted her weight on the sandy ground, evening out her body to a more comfortable sitting position.
But she couldn't help but smile at his quiet laugh. What a nice sound, that chuckle. It reminded her of her father's, but not as light-hearted. This was a deeper chuckle, and it flowed well into the air and on the breeze. Kiwi had nothing to worry about most of the time, but this male...this--wait, what was his name?
"I hope so. I'm a bit tired of all my brothers digging through my things," she replied with a small grin. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot--I'm Auri, it's nice to meet you." Her smile widened as the slip of manners was pointed out. Silly cub, her mother would say. Manners always come first.
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:51 pm
"My mother saw it once, before she died. She is who I heard of it from, but I've only been close enough to take a look just lately." His smile did not change, though his eyes flashed with some sort of emotion. Not exactly sadness, but longing, perhaps. He missed his mother, but she was surely in a better place now, wherever that might be. Tilting his head to the female before him, he inquired, "What sort of good things?"
He had quite forgotten about names. Jua was usually on to introducing himself first and foremost, but he had gotten carried away this time. He glanced at her pretty green eyes as she unintentionally skirted his subtle inquiry about a mate with talk of her brothers, but as she introduced herself, he focused on her face as a whole once again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Auri. I'm Jua'Randa, but you can call me Jua. Bit shorter."
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:02 pm
Jua'Randa. It was a good name, a strong name, and Jua was significantly shorter, so that was nice. At lease she wouldn't have to say his whole, given name every time she talked with him. That was a potential mouthful, to say the least.
"I'm sorry about your mother," she offered, frowing. The gleam of sunlight had revealed a split-second's show of emotion in Jua, but she didn't push it.
"Jua; it is nice to meet you." Her smile brightened in return, happy at finally knowing the lion's name. She wasn't one to come out-right and simply blurt out the introductions, but that moment seemed like a good a time as any, so she slipped it in.
"Good things like...how the Pridelands is very welcoming to one and all who wish to visit or to join the pride itself, or even just live on the land itself. Also, it's a kind of icon. You say 'Pride Rock' to someone, and they instantly know what you're talking about; the image is in their mind." She shrugged. "It's simply the kind of thing I've grown up with. I'd be hard pressed to think differently, but I'm open to other thoughts and opinions."
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:03 am
Auri was pleasant and short, rolling off the tongue like silk. It reminded him of twilight and whispers, though her coat was definitely reminiscent of daytime - mornings with bright skies and white clouds, the sun just peeking over the horizon. His head tilted to one side, wondering when he became a poet, though he didn't voice these thoughts aloud.
At the mention of his mother, his ears flicked away invisible flies before he shook his head, "It was long enough ago that I've moved on, but thanks."
He looked at her again, then, taking in her bright smile and nodding his agreement, though he said nothing. What she said next was much more interesting and worth the response, "It is an impressive sight, even from so far away." The idea that the pride would be welcoming to outsiders was a hard thing to grasp, but then again Jua had only been raised believing such things, he had never really experienced a true attack. Flicking his tail, he grinned, "I suppose one day you'll have to show me your Pride."
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:54 pm
She nodded, not mentioning the topic again--she wasn't too blind not to see how he twitched uncomfortably at the reminder.
"Yes, it is," she agreed, "which is why I think it's so iconic. It can be seen from such a great distance; why not have it be such a welcoming sight?" But Auri froze at his next comment, idea/request thing. Show him the Pride? She hardly knew a dozen members' names, let alone the Pride itself.
"We'll see," she finally said. "I'm open to showing you around; don't get me wrong. But I'm afraid I don't know as much about the Pride as I should, or what I boast about." A light blush sprinkled across her cheeks, but she ignored it, smiling goofily at Jua. Hopefully, she wouldn't embarass herself so much next time. If there was a next time, that is.
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 2:36 pm
The best way that Jua had found to deal with loss was to forget that it had ever happened. Out of sight, out of mind - so long as he didn't remember his mother, she simply never existed. Certainly morbid and possibly unhealthy, but it worked and kept him from spending long, solitary days in a deep depression.
Nodding, he smiled, "I suppose a 'Pride Termite Mound' wouldn't be as impressive nor welcoming." Shrugging at the poor joke, he gave an embarrassed grin and chuckle. That had been quite ridiculous.
"You'll know more than I do?" He offered, but worried that he sounded desperate for another meeting - to make a friend for longer than a day - he didn't press it further. "Who knows if we'll get the opportunity either way. I'm sure if we meet again, we'll have plenty of stories to fill the time instead."
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