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 Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:44 pm
Dinaledi yawned as he woke from unconsciousness. Gazing up at the sky, and looking at the position of the moon in the sky, he could tell that it wasn't close to daybreak yet. As he looked around he noticed the remaining members in the group were sound asleep. Annoyed that was the only one awake, he stood up and began pacing around trying to suppress his boredom. It seemed the whole pride was nervous these days while they continued to look for the herb they relied on. Quickly irritated, Dinaledi began to walk away from the are where they slept as if he would somehow magically stumble upon the herb at this hour.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:57 pm
Khathelela never slept for long. She was more of a power napper, the kind that takes short intervals to rest up and then moves on with life. Her position in the pride practically demanded such a light sleeper. It'd always been a source of amusement to her, as if she was born to do what she did. Of course, she was born to do SOMETHING important, considering the moon's position when she and her brother were birthed. That, and her bloodline almost required she do something to keep up the family image. At least, that's how she looked at it. She wasn't one to sit around and do nothing because of her genes. In fact, it motived her to go above and beyond, holding poise and perfect manners no matter the situation, and choosing a job that was vital to the growth of the Mwezi'Johari.
So, when she stirred and slowly gained conciousness, she wasn't at all displeased. She yawned and stretched just like any cat would and slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Surrounding her were the sleeping bodies of her traveling party: her brother, his mate and a gaurd. In her drowzy state, it took a moment for her to realize someone as missing from the little group. Dinaledi wasn't curled up with them. She cocked a brow and gave the area a good look around. Where could that boy have gotten off to? It took her a moment, but after that she spotted him trudging around. After another good yawn, the lioness moved to her feet with that gentle grace she always had, despite her audience being asleep. She padded as softly as possible over in the direction of the dark blue male before whispering. "What are you doing awake?" Her tone was more joking than serious.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:16 pm
Dinaledi jumped when he heard someone whispering at him. However he was only frightened for a moment, until he realized that it was only Kathelela, and her serene nature put him at ease. "Oh, Khathelela," Dinalededi nodded and greeted her. "Well, I guess I just couldn't sleep. You know? I've just had a big mix of excitement and anxiety about the future of the pride. I know I don't technically hold a position in the pride yet, but I just don't want us to fade. I want everything to go back to the way it was." He gave something between a sigh and a growl and began walking further away. He had probably said too much, and he didn't want to keep her awake if she didn't have to be. Even though he was a member of the high class like Lela, he always felt somewhat overshadowed by how they were royalty. Even more so by the fact that his own mother spent more time with her and Unyezi, than her own son at times.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:05 pm
Lela nodded quietly, but didn't say anything. She wasn't really good with emotions. Yet another marker that pushed her to her position in the pride. You don't need to be emotional to work with sleeping rogues. In fact, being somewhat reserved can even help. After all, it's not exactly happy to see a rogue panic when they awake on the new moon. For a loyal pride member, of course, it's not that bad, but it can still take a toll. Lela distanced herself from most emotion, however. She wasn't so much as cold as she was reserved. Besides, it'd be bad for the family name if she broke down all the time, right?
The tan lioness trailed after the darker male quietly, as to not disturb the peace of the night. She lovedthe night, especially when few were awake. It was so soothing, so relaxing. Since she didn't get out any stress by talking about stuff that bothered her, just sitting in the quiet had become her outlet. It worked pretty well with most things, really. "I know." She brought her voice to just above a whisper. "We won't fade. The pride..." She hesitated, thinking about how many lives had been lost. It was difficult to call their small population a real 'pride' at times. "The pride won't fade. We're just in a new moon." She managed to smile softly, findingthe analogy to the moon somewhat soothing. At least, it was for her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:26 pm
The analogy was calming in the idea that the pride would begin to grow again like the moon, eventually into the prosperity of a 'full moon'. "Khathelela, I don't mean to be rude or pessimistic, but if we're in a new moon then we will eventually enter into a full moon stage, but once the moon is full it begins its decrease again." In shame, Dinaledi lowered his head. "I really don't mean to be pessimistic, but I don't know if I could handle another new moon." He really shouldn't be mentioning these things, since he was fully for the rebuilding of the thriving pride he knew as a cub. If only he could be as calm and sure as she was during these trying times.
He sighed and kicked his legs around, and then looked back up at her. "So, what were you doing?" With all this talk of the future of the pride, Dinaledi figured he could try to lighten it up a bit. It was probably best to just not think about things for a while anyways.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:51 pm
Lela took a moment to consider what had been said. She needed to be optimisitic so that he could be pessimistic. And she needed to offer up some sort of something that might get his spirits raised so that the pride wouldn't lose what made it tick. If everyone decided it was too hard of a job, or things were too bad... the traditions and way that had lasted generations would just disappear into nothing. Lela was so steadfast in the traditions, she couldn't even begin to think of what life might be like without them. They were what she clung to at her very core. They were what made her what she was.
"All prides have rough times, Dinaledi. You just have to believe you'll reach a full moon soon enough and it'll happen." She moved up to stand next to him and gave him a gentle nudge. It was as reassuring as she could get without losing her posture. Even with a male she'd been raised with, she kept up her complicated act. She quickly switched gears and took on the lighter, more casual conversation. The harsher one was straining her ability to lock up her feelings anyway. It was way better to talk about something innocent. "I never sleep for long. What about you?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:29 pm
Everything just seemed to blur together recently. But when Lela nudged him, the simple contact brought him back to reality. The mere touch of someone else gave him the biggest sense of hope for the future. All of this solemnity seemed to change everything. Couldn't they just be each other, like it should be?
Dinaledi looked up and replied to Lela, "Well, I guess I really don't either. If I fall asleep with something on my mind, I'm bound to wake up sooner than normal. I guess it's just something I do. I can't really sleep long without waking up, because it's a habit I formed during the war. I wouldn't be keeping guard or anything, but I'd be waking up every now and then just to see if everything was okay." He stopped his talking for a moment to realize the conversation had faded back to the war. Lela having lost her parents must also know what he was going through, but she was so hard to read. "But, I'm sure these days I'm just excited about getting closer and closer to finding the herb." He half-smiled back at Lela, and looked into her light blue eyes that shined through the night like the moon itself.
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:37 pm
The loss of her parents was something Lela tried to not think about ever. She had really looked up to her parents growing up, and even as the war was raging. Now that they were both gone, she only had her brothers left. She did look up to Unyezi, really, since he was now in a more difficult position than she'd ever be in, even in her most wildest nightmares. But, even though she could look up to him, he wasn't her father. He was her brother, and as far as family ties went, her equal. When it came to rank, sure, he was way ahead of her, but he wasn't just a king to her.
When the conversation wrapped back around to the negatives, Lela sighed lightly. She couldn't think of what else to say to smooth over the situation. It seemed like everything these days revolved around the bads instead of the goods. The goods were far more difficult to find, sure, but they existed. The lioness remained quiet for a moment and looked up at the moon. "Yes, the herb is close." She nodded solemnly. She wasn't sure if it was just hope or if she actually knew, but either way it was the way she felt. "The pride will be on its way to that full moon soon, Dinaledi. Don't worry." She looked back towards him and smiled.
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:48 pm
Dinaledi looked up and saw Lela's smile, and couldn't help but to smile back. Whether it was the maturity she now assumed that the war was over, or it was just the moonlight shining down on her she definitely looked much different than Dinaledi had ever seen before. Her tan fur looked beautiful against the dark night, and her light blues were like a beacon leading anyone to safety. He had never really seen her this way, or felt this way about her before. What was the strange feeling forming in his gut? It didn't matter. Lela was beautiful. Slightly embarrassed at his own thoughts, Dinaledi knew that he was way too young to ever be noticed by someone as prominent in the pride as Lela. "I don't know what's going on, but I feel different, like something is changing in the pride. Maybe we should head back and see if they have found the herb?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 3:02 pm
Of course something was changing in the pride. The war had robbed them of many of their members, and now they had to move from the lands they fought so hard for. It was like a cruel joke, really. They had lost so many for a cause which was hopeless in the end. To think about it like that though, it was a wonder the rest of the pride still moved on. It was the love of tradition and eachother that kept everyone moving. So they had to stay positive. The fact that her childhood friend was so negative did actually take a stab at Lela, despite how closely she gaurded herself to any real emotion.
"See if who has found the herb? My brother?" She couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "He's most certainly asleep." She looked over her shoulder in the general direction of where the others were sleeping. "All prides change. Just believe that change can be good." Not that Lela was a lover of change or anything, but sometimes it wasn't too bad. After all, finding a home with the herb was good, right? She would've prefered that the herb had never died out, but she had no control over that.
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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:09 pm
Dinaledi chuckled at Lela's sarcasm. "Lela! You know how worried Yezi is over this, I doubt he's sleeping. Anyways, I'm tired myself. I was up all day searching for that herb, and I think we made some serious progress today." He smiled and looked out into Lela's beautiful light blue eyes that pierced the darkness like the moon itself. He then turned his head and looked over towards the area where everyone was sleeping. "I think I'm going to rest now. Good night." He hesitated and waited for Lela, he didn't want to just walk away without her having the chance to say goodbye.
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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:36 pm
Lela honestly worried about her brother sometimes. The stress of being a monarch, as well as the responsibility to find his entire pride a new home had to be unhealthy. Then again, Lela was sure he was perfectly capable. It was an interesting situation, for sure. Scared, yet positive. "You're probably right." She laughed a little and looked at her paws.
As far as going back to sleep went, Lela wasn't quite ready yet. She could probably stay up for a little while longer before she was even ready for a nap. "Well, alright. I'm gunna stay here for a while. Have a good sleep." She smiled at Dinaledi. Hopefully, she had said something to smooth over any wrinkles that she could. Lela often took it upon herself to be as motivational as possible for her fellow pride members, despite her position only being the nurse priest. She felt like she was a lot more, though. With so few members, everyone played their own big part.
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