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 Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:53 am
Azzy had spent several days exploring the lands, although she did not delve too deep, since she did not belong to the pride. It was beautiful; she could understand why the pride had so many members.
Finally she had grown bolder and ventured away from the only lands she knew, aside from the Kusini. She wandered north, although she stayed well away from the desert. Though the lioness did not know of the Firekin specifically, she, like most lions, had heard talk of a fearsome pride that dwelled in the desert.
Azzy wanted to explore, not be killed.
The sun was setting. She had found that the further north she traveled, closer and closer to the desert, it had grown warmer. With the transition of day into night came cooler temperatures. Azzy was reclining on a great stone slab, stretched out, completely relaxed. With a big yawn, she rested her head on her forepaws. She wasn't particularly tired, but her surroundings were so peaceful that she couldn't help but relax as she watched.
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:30 pm
A soft sight slipped from the lips of a weary, but satisfied lioness as she paced through the grass. Belly full, she wanted nothing more than to go find her companion and settle in for the night.
Flicking her tongue, Kiuma licked her maw yet again, searching to be sure she got every last bit of blood from her fur. The first kill she'd made today had been with Baala's help, but it hadn't been enough for the both of them... so feigning she'd had enough, she'd left the greatest share fro the younger lioness. Once done and settled in, Kiuma had slipped off to make a smaller kill of her own, and feasted on that.
As she walked, she thought about this, and what it would mean for the pair of them in the future... it was important for both of them to eat as much as they needed. She could see the changes in her companion that signaled the cubs growing inside her, and though it was still wishful thinking, she imagined she could feel the lives growing in her own body. But... what would happen when the pair of them were too heavy with cubs to hunt? Could they count on Liza to feed them both?
Kiuma sighed again as she walked, too absorbed in her thoughts to pay too much attention to her surroundings.
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:42 pm
When Azhara caught the scent of another, she twisted to peer around to find the source. Her blue eyes fell upon the red lioness and the first thought that hit her was the striking resemblence the lioness bore towards her brother. The red fur, the off-white markings...
"Excuse me," she called out instinctively. Immediately she regretted it. First of all, she did not know whether this lioness was dangerous or not, and secondly, what were the odds of them being related anyway?
Still, the words had already been spoken.
"Are you... uh, from the Pridelands?"
It was the first thing that came to mind. Both her parents were Pridelanders so if this female was somehow related, she'd be a Pridelander too, right?
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:43 pm
The slowly falling sun filled the world with color, till Kiuma felt as though she was swimming through it like some crimson fish. It was... lovely, and she found that she wasn't afraid to admit that. She prided herself on being strong and independent, but there was no reason why she couldn't appreciate the beauty of things.
A voice pulled her from her contimplation as she walked, while the question posed made her perk to immediate attention. With a sense of suspicion, Kiuma regarded the stranger lioness laying not far away. Was it really that obvious that she was a Pridelander?
"Yes, I am." She called back as she came to a stop, paws neatly together and head raised proudly. "But who are you, and why do you ask?" Her tail flicked while she waited for her answer, her thoughts drifting to her companion, resting not far away.
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:33 pm
"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you, if you're busy," she said instinctively. "But you look a lot... I mean, a lot like my brother. My parents are from the Pridelands so I guess I was kind of wondering if we're related, or something. Of course, the second I said it, I realized it sounded kind of silly. But if you are from the Pridelands... well... do you know my parents? My dad is Mbali and my mother is Baridi'akali. Their parents are..."
She struggled to think. She had been fairly young when Mbali had explained the family tree to her. "Well, I don't really remember, honestly. Bakhti... and R... Rani? Rehani?" Azzy looked down at her paws, a little embarassed that she couldn't even remember her family's names. Having grown up in the Kusini, she didn't really know any of them that well, anyway.
"Those are the only two names I remember. Do you know any of them?"
She had no idea who the red lioness was, nor of the bloodline she came from.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:56 pm
Kiuma frowned as she listened, her frown growing with every word. Then... a name, and her expression cleared, even brightening as a smile broke out on her face. A soft laugh broke from her as she lost her rigid stance and padded closer to the pale lioness, her black-tipped tail flicking.
"Ah! I see now why you ask... Baridi'akali, that is one of my neices, though I didn't know her well. Rehani is my sister, actually. If Baridi is your mother then you would be my great-neice." Another laugh came from her as she tilted her head, studying this long-lost relation. "Small world, it seems..." She murmured with another chuckle.
"So... what brings you out here, hmm? Pridelanders aren't normally travelers, and from what I know, neither are the Kusini." A little something flickered over her face, but passed quickly as mention of the Kusini brought an image of her twin and she quickly squashed it.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:13 pm
The young adult's eyes widened with surprise as Kiuma spoke. If the resemblance hadn't been there, she might not have believed her. What a small world indeed!
"So you're my great aunt?" she asked, her voice filled with wonder. "I can't believe I'd meet a family member all the way out here. My name is Azhara, or just Azzy."
Suddenly, dozens of questions flooded into her mind. She wanted to know so much more and there were so many questions the red lioness might be able to answer for her. Azzy shook them off, at least for the time being. It seemed kind of rude to suddenly ask so much.
She lifted her head when asked. "Oh... I don't know, really." With a sheepish grin, she continued, "I like the Kusini, but I don't think I want to stay there. I've been there my whole life and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of things by staying there. After all, it's a big world with plenty of sights to see. Maybe I'll settle down someday, or maybe I'll travel till the day I die. I don't really want to make any plans, not until I've learned more."
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:24 pm
Kiuma chuckled as she nodded, understanding just how the younger female felt.
"I was the same way when I was younger, you know. I couldn't imagine never leaving the Pridelands... all I wanted from the time I could walk beyond my mother's sight was to leave and travel the world." An easier smile curved over her face, her whole manner changing now that she had found herself related to this stranger.
"Azhara... My name is Kiuma. If you're from the Kusini lands, you probably know my twin brother, Uumikaji. I... havn't seen him in a very long time." She shrugged at that, brushing off the ill feelings it brought her. "I think I might be one of the only ones in our family that has really traveled, or felt the need to. Until I met you, I hadn't known any of them to feel the same wanderlust I do. I don't blame you for not wanting to settle in one place just yet."
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:42 pm
She seemed to brighten when Kiuma said she had felt the same way. "I felt bad for a while, not wanting to 'abandon' my family, but then I finally decided that I need to do what's right for me. Did you feel the same way?"
At the name, she paused. "Uumikaji..." said said slowly, trying to think. She didn't know him well but recognized the name and could picture him, too. Azzy had never thought they were related, but now that she thought about it, he looked like Siyo, too. Of course, if he and Kiuma were twins, that would be why. "I've seen him around, but I don't know him too well." She didn't ask any questions about him, seeing how her smile had slowly disappeared at the mention of his name.
"I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. So..." she paused for a moment, thinking. "If you're busy, feel free to go, I don't want to waste your time. But if you have a bit, would you mind talking to me? I would love to know more about my heritage. Do you have a big family? My dad told me a bit about it but it seems like there's a lot more to learn. Do you still live in the Pridelands?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:06 pm
Kiuma shook her head as she smiled, the expression hard-edged. "I never felt much connection with my family... Only with my twin. It wasn't a hard decision for me." She shook her head as she passed over the mention of that twin, choosing not to comment on it.
"No, I'm not buisy... but I do have a companion waiting for me." Her smile came back as she tilted her head gently. "Why don't you come with me?" She said softly. "Just walk with me, my companion isn't far. We can talk while we travel."
It sounded good to her. She was interested in hearing more about this female relation of hers. "I want to hear more about you too. I've had so little connection with my family. But then, our family is very, very large. I have four siblings, myself, and each of us, it seems have had more than six cubs. My first litter had five little ones, but they're grown now, and on their own." She spoke easily as she stepped out, starting back on the trail she'd been following.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:35 pm
"Oh... I see." Truthfully, she could relate to this. She didn't know her brother very well and her mother had sort of disappeared. Mbali was the only one she felt close to, and even then, they weren't close.
Azhara smiled back at her great-aunt. "I'd love to, thanks!" She rose to her paws and shook herself off, the light dust on the rock having buried itself into her fur. Finally she stepped down onto the grass, towards Kiuma.
"About me?" She chuckled. "There really isn't much to tell about me. I have a brother named Siyo. We grew up in the Kusini. He might've left, I don't know." She hadn't seen him but she figured he could still be around, just not showing his face much. "We were never that close, really. I haven't seen my mother in some time, either. When I was younger my father took me to visit the Pridelands. That's pretty much my life story."
"Wow," she said, marvelling. It sounded like she came from a huge family. "Raising five cubs must've been exhausting."
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 12:56 am
Kiuma paced easily beside her neice, her tail swinging behind her. A small smile curled over her maw, and she glanced occasionally towards the other.
"Well, even if there isn't that much, that doesn't mean it isn't interesting, you know. I'm sure you'd have tons of things to talk about, once you got started." She chuckled. "Its a shame you weren't close to your family, but that's not a big deal. I wasn't close to my family either. Its more important that you know yourself, and what you want from life."
The comment on the six of her litter brought a soft laugh from her. "Well, its not that bad, if you're firm with them. But I didn't get to do as much raising as I would have liked... My daughter was cubnapped, and I went to find her. I had to leave my sons behind me to be raised by the pride." That thought brought a surge of regret, but she pushed it away. She'd gotten past that, or so she thought.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 4:24 pm
"Maybe that's true," she said with a chuckle, smiling in return.
"Oh, you weren't?" It was more of a statement than a question. "I regret it sometimes, but then I think about how I'm happy with how my life is. If things in my past had been different, then I guess my present would be different too, wouldn't it?"
Azzy frowned slightly at Kiuma's reply. "That's..." She didn't know how to continue. What do you say to a lioness whose daughter was cubnapped, which prevented her from spending time with her remaining cubs? What a terrible position to be in. "That's too bad," she finally said, although she was a bit embarassed at how silly and trivial it sounded.
"But you seem like you're pretty content," she added thoughtfully. "Maybe if things had worked out differently, you wouldn't be."
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:19 pm
Kiuma laughed bitterly as her ears fell back, her expression twisted a little.
"I wouldn't call this content... I've been through hell, Neice, and I'm not out of it yet. But things are better now that I have found Baala, my companion. The loss of our cub tore my mate and I apart, and I've been wandering since then. I don't even know what became of my daughter, or her father... But I'm better now. Baala fills the void I once had."
The mention of the dark lioness brought a more natural smile to her face, and relaxation to her body. Yes, Baala made her happy, gave her comfort and that longed-for sense of peace... even if their lives weren't quite as peaceful. Soon, hopefully, that would change.
"I don't opperate on maybes, my dear. There is no way to know what might have been, and nothing changes for dwelling on it. I wouldn't be me if the tragedy in my life hadn't happened, nor the joys and sorrows. I might hate the dark places, but without them, I wouldn't be the same person."
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:33 pm
"Hmm..."
She wasn't really sure how to respond. 'I'm sorry' seemed so simple, so ingenuine. Finally, she settled for shaking her head. "That's unfortunate that all of that happened to you," she said, "but that's what I meant - had it not, then you wouldn't be where you are today. Baala, you said? You would've never met Baala had you not had those bad experiences."
In a thoughtful voice, she continued, "I don't understand why so many creatures obsess over the past. I mean, it's the past, right? You can't go and change it. I think it's silly to worry about what has already happened, when everyone should really be worrying about what's going to happen... or, more importantly, what is happening."
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