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 Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:28 pm
After the conflicting messages that came from meeting Feo and Sungura running into Shiri once again, Memetuka was hesitant to go out but not entirely reluctant. Feo had reminded her how nice (and important) it was to be more social, but the idea of confronting Shiri still worried her. Today, though, she tried to put it from her mind as she went for a walk. She was not far from her den, which was not far from Priderock. She had her purple eyes open for anyone she might talk to, though anyone she passed looked busy enough.
It only took a while to make her wonder if she should go back to the den and convince Cheshi to come for a walk with her. She'd have company then, and goodness knew the poor hare could use it! Considering the idea momentarily, she turned her head back in the direction of home.
Hmm.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:37 am
Shiri's mind was so filled with guilt, dread and pain that early the next morning, she excused herself from his presense and ventured back to her home. She never left him for a full days time and would return to sleep beside him during night. Sleeping alone in the pridelands with friends who were busy enough with their own families was not something to keep Shiri's mind clear.
As she approached priderock, Shiri began to smile. The large rock seemed so beautiful in her eyes. It symbolised so much. And while she was looking it over, she noticed a familiar golden lioness padding along. With a tilt of her head, Shiri became curious. Was that the lioness she met on her first day with the pridelands?
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:45 am
Memetuka had stopped walking after a couple very slow steps onward, seriously considering heading back to get Cheshi to come with her. The poor hare, she should have thought of it before she left. Feeling guilty, Meme turned back to where she'd been walking to get one last glance and decide for certain she would go back- but that wasn't what happened. In the time she'd been looking away, another figure had come a good deal closer. So close, in fact, there was no denying who it was.
She'd finally run into Shiri again.
Could she keep her cool this time? She'd barely managed it before! The older lioness had to fight the urge to run at that very second, but if she didn't run, she had no idea what to do otherwise..
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:56 am
When "Angavu" turned back towards Shiri, the younger lioness offered a kind smile. That was exactly what Shiri needed at that very moment. She had not found Chu'mana, or Chunuka, but at least Angavu was a familiar face. Perhaps she might amend whatever strange tensions there were between them during their first meeting. As she took a few steps forward, however, Shiri could tell something was not right. Like before, Angavu looked nervous.
Shiri stopped where she was and tried to think over their last visit. Had Shiri offended the older lioness? All Shiri could remember was how helpful Angavu had been with her. Surely she hadn't done anything wrong?
Unsure of what to do, Shiri simply smiled and took a few steps back to ensure she wasn't intruding on anything. But because of the awkward silence and locked stare, Shiri had to say something. "I'm sorry, An-Angavu, is it?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:01 pm
It was impossible not to see how uncomfortable Meme made Shiri, but it looked still like Meme had her secret safely kept from the girl- for Shiri still smiled, however awkwardly, and came to talk to her. If Shiri had run off, Meme then might have felt worse. Except that now she had to fight her own urge to avoid the lioness, but this was inevitable this was going to happen sooner or later.
Whether or not she kept up her alter ego, though, was uncertain.
"Wha-" Meme almost had forgotten the name she'd given Shiri before, but as soon as she almost questioned it she realized that was it, "Yes, a-and you're Shiri. You did talk to the queen then?"
The lioness offered a meek smile. Another subject was good, but Meme couldn't help but wonder if Kami had let on anything about how similar they looked, if they'd noticed any similarities between themselves.. they were cousins, after all.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:16 pm
Shiri was wondering if it would be best to simply leave the lioness alone when Angavu responded and brought up Kami. The conversation with the queen had gone wonderfully. Shiri had quickly been accepted and told simple traditions and views of the pridelands. Shiri did not know everything just yet, but was eager to learn. Although Angavu feared the queen giving Shiri some information, Shiri was left in the dark.
When she had joined the pridelands, she met Chunuka, a golden male pridelander with a large heart. He complemented Shiri and made her feel welcome and one with the pride. He remarked that her fur color was the typical fur of the pride and that she seemed as though she belonged there. This remark caused Shiri to think of her past and the fact that she was born outside the pridelands. Could her mother have left her there and returned to the pride? Or was she just a passing lioness?
Chunuka had told Shiri that perhaps she might find her parents through smell and that the connection would be clear, even without literally going up and smelling strangers. With Angavu, Shiri smelled nothing. Her memories were fading and she had nothing to go off of.
Continuing the conversation, Shiri spoke, "Yes! I took your advice and found the Queen. I was surprised, but things went much smoother than I thought. I am now a pridelands huntress.." Shiri took a short bow, clearly proud of how far she'd come.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:27 pm
Meme couldn't help, despite her fear, but beaming proudly at her daughter, her little girl all grown up, when she said she was a Pridelands huntress. To Memetuka, it was almost as if things were how they should be, at least in that respect. Her smile was almost sad, though. She stood by what she'd told Sungura, Shiri belonged her and the pride in her daughter's green eyes were proof of it.
"Kamilika is a kind lioness," she murmured, recalling how easily she had been accepted herself, "I told you there was no reason to worry about talking with her."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:48 pm
Shiri nodded. Kamilika was so much different than Shiri had expected. The pridelands had turned out to be everything she dreamed of. She only hoped that there would be a time in which Kei would see what she saw within her new home. "I love it here.. such a beautiful land with kind faces..." Shiri trailed off, glancing towards pride rock once again.
When she looked towards the rock this time, Shiri caught site of many of the beautiful golden lion's meandering across. They seemed to range from a variety of shades, but all shared similar markings and even characteristics. It was then that it hit Shiri how much she had in common with them. Her stripes were strange, but every shade of yellow on her form was shared with those around her.
Returning her gaze to Angavu, Shiri looked somewhat surprised. Could this truly been the home of her mother? Pale green eyes widened as she looked Angavu over once again. Could she have been closer to finding the truth than she believed?
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:54 pm
"Yes," Meme agreed, glancing off in the same direction as Shiri. This was truly the best place in Africa, in this golden lioness's opinion. It was her home, she'd been foolish for ever leaving it- or, more foolish for letting her guilt and shame stop her from coming back sooner. This is where she was happiest, and despite being very nearly faced with her mistakes of the past her life and mood had improved since coming back. Her home, her family. She didn't notice Shiri look back at her right away, but by the time her purple eyes turned back to Shiri, the young lioness had her green eyes wide and staring directly at her.
The meek smile faded from Meme's face, and a sudden anxiety replaced it. She stepped back, though shakily, as she worried what the look was for and again used a great deal of her will power to stay where she was.
"S-some- something wrong?" she stammered, though her voice faded out before she really finished her question.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:08 pm
Shiri had looked over Angavu multiple times in the time that it took the older lioness to finally look back. Angavu's feature's were sinking into Shiri's mind. Their fur was nearly identical. They shared the same markings on their eyes, maws, stomachs and toes. Surely Shiri has seen those same markings on a variety of other pridelanders, but not this close and accurate to the markings that decorated Shiri's body.
Shiri was tense. She was unable to move and her fur began to stand on end. She felt a shiver go through her and her wide eyes began to go dry from the long stare. Angavu simply questioned her and said nothing. Could this lioness be what Shiri longed to find? Or was her mind playing tricks on her? Surely the pridelands had many other similar lions that she could bump into. Perhaps it was merely a coincidence?
It was then that the entire situation was thrown into Shiri's face. During their first meeting Angavu seemed almost scared. During their second, she shared many of those same qualities. What was she so afraid of?
In response to Angavu's movement, Shiri took a few steps back, her eyes slowly beginning to water. Could she be wrong?
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:15 pm
Meme's eyes fell to the grass as Shiri tensed and her fur prickled. There was little doubt in the old lion's mind that she'd finally figured it out, or at least she'd finally noticed how very, very similar they looked. Shiri was a perfect mix of herself and Abedari, there would be no denying either parent when found- just as Memetuka had no way of denying that Shiri was her daughter from that first time they met.
And now there was no denying it.
Her purple eyes remained defiantly dry, and Memetuka kept her eyes on the ground as she searched for her voice, searched for the right thing to say.
"He didn't tell you about me?" she asked finally, her head still low but her eyes glancing up. It was the first thing that came to her mind, for she was still under the impression that Abedari had remained with Shiri, at least until she could fend for herself. How else could she be so healthy? She was thin, certainly, but rogues did not tend to eat as much and as often as a pride lion.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:10 pm
When Angavu's question came about Shiri's father, the lioness was absolutely still. Her assumption had been correct. Standing before her was her own mother; the only family that Shiri had.
Memories suddenly filled Shiri's mind and she took a few additional steps back as though she wasn't sure what to do. She was so overwhelmed. As a cub, she had been left with two scents, but growing up even her faintest memories of her parents had been gone. She was left alone, without names, or anything to go by. She had grown up bitter, hurt, thrown aside and cold. She blamed her parent's absense for how she was and was never able to keep friends, or find a place to belong. Many times in Shiri's live, she was close to starvation and nearly died if it were not for the meeting of helpful lions and other animals during her travels.
Angavu's question replayed in Shiri's mind again, breaking her from the horrid memories of her past. "He?" She almost stuttered. "Who? Was someone supposed to tell me of you?" Shiri's emotions were tangled and her inability to focus on one had her frozen in place. The lioness was torn between a sudden urge to nuzzle her long lost mother and scream and rave about how Angavu could simply continue on her life without her.
Did her mother intentionally leave her? Was Shiri lost? By the look on Angavu's form, Shiri did not assume the lioness ever looked for her.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:20 pm
The overwhelming pain and confusion in Shiri was as plain as anything on her face, and that most of all hurt Meme, making her stomach turn and her heart ache. Even with the thought that Abedari had stuck around, she knew how horrible it would be to grow up without your mother, knowing she had abandoned you, left because she couldn't face what she had done. Her ears lowered and pressed against her head, and when Shiri asked who Meme was talking about they would have gone lower if they could. Who else could she be referring to?
"Y-your father, he didn't..? He didn't.." she trailed off there as she realization that he must have run off as well hit her like a ton of bricks. Her legs wobbled as she tried to take another step back. This was much worse than she thought, and she hadn't expected much.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:34 pm
As Shiri found out that the lioness before her was her mother and she began to piece together the situation, she completely forgot about her father. Where had he been in the situation? Why had they both left her?
"I w-was alone...." was all that could struggle from Shiri's mouth. Replacing her look of sadness was a look of confusion. Just what explanation could justify abandoning your single cub alone. Shiri's body shook with frustration. Did she have any siblings?
This moment, one she searched her entire life for, was nothing as she expected. There were so many questions Shiri wished to ask her mother. So much she wanted to catch up on.
Staying where she was and also lowering her ears, in response to her mother, Shiri whispered, "...why did you leave?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:51 pm
When Shiri managed to say that she was alone, Meme realized she would have to sit down if she did not want to collapse- so she did, albeit it was a shaky trip to a seated position and she didn't feel any more comfortable. She couldn't seem to find the strength to lift her head up again, either, and instead just looked up at Shiri from where she was. Abedari had abandoned their daughter, he had left her- surely he'd know that was as good as killing her! Despite all odds, here she was..
"There is no good excuse," she murmured finally, and with that said her voice found a bit more strength as she explained the situation, "I was young, too young and naive when I left here.. I got pregnant, and I panicked- I didn't- I just couldn't do it. He wasn't supposed to leave you too.."
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