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 Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:23 pm
It was a dark night and the moon was high, which was a good thing for one pridal lion who had wandered away from his home. He was tired of sitting around doing nothing, tried of just worrying about Kiwi and not doing anything.. Habu was fine for now, so he let that worry away from his mind. Even if he never found any sign of his dear sister, Riko figured.. one way or another, getting a look around might make him feel a little better. He was, however, wary of strangers. Which partially explained his decision to travel at night.
It was not exactly well thought out, though. Riko was pale enough that he stood out, but many rogues who wandered around could have kept hidden well enough.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:42 pm
Nerit was never happier than when this trip started, she was not treated badly as a slave, she was treated quite well, but she liked the simple freedom of walking alone at night, she preferred keeping to herself and mostly followed orders and kept quiet. She believed in the faith of her pride but sometimes it felt like a burden, particularly in her younger days when she had fallen in love with a handsome lion.
She let out a loud yawn and scanned the savanna, her eyes rested on a pale form and for a moment she thought she had found a ghost. In the moon light's glow he looked like a wandering spirit. She traced his steps her emerald eyes following him every step of the way. Her dark fur made it hard to pick her out in the dark, even if the moon was high.
"Hello?" She called, she found it better than startling the spirit or light colored lion. She did not like to be crept up on and assumed others did not either.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:59 pm
Riko winced when he heard someone call out to him, he'd been spotted. Already. He looked around in hopes of spotting whoever had called out to him, wondering perhaps if whoever it was might be of some help. It'd been quite some time since Kiwi disappeared, but you never knew! He was out farther than he had been in his entire life, if Kiwi was not closer to the Pridelands then she must have been farther.
When he finally spotted the dark lioness, he wandered closer. She was rather hard to see well from a distance.
"Hello," he called back and put on as friendly a smile as he could manage. Everyone knows when you need or want help, being nice works best.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:10 pm
She did not exactly beam, but was happy that the voice that floated back to her was friendly. Generally a creature of indifference, Nerit was intrigued by the pale spirit lion. However, her intrigue was squashed instantly when he stepped closer and turned out to be just another lion.
"A great night, the moon looks lovely, doesn't it?" she spoke her voice was a soothing one, not low but not high pitched either, perfect to lull little children to sleep, she was sad there were no young to take care of and occupy her time. She with held her name and would give it to him if asked. How would she describe herself to an outsider anyways? She was a slave, but not one that was enslaved unwillingly, she was Nerit..and that's that.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:17 pm
At the mention of the moon, Riko looked up and out at it. It was a rather nice night, and the sky seemed almost different from how it was at home. He imagined it had to be something subconscious reason that it appeared that way, but that didn't matter so much. He looked back to Nerit, getting a better look at her now. She was dark and rather pretty, in an almost exotic way. His family was almost obscenely bright in color, and while not all Pridelanders were.. most of who he saw were.
"It is a very nice night," he agreed, "I wonder, um- I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name- have you seen any pale blue lionesses around out here? My sister is lost, she has very distinct yellow and red markings on her face and legs.."
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:30 pm
She watched the arc of his neck as he looked up and examined his form further, he was younger than her by quite a few lunar cycles that was for sure but he talked with a bit of charm that out outweighed his age. "I'm Nerit, and no unfortunately I have not seen your sister, while we travel I can keep an eye out say that -I didn't catch your name? - was looking for her." Nerit frowned, she had no siblings, an only child, but she could not imagine losing one so close to her without knowing where they had gone.
She lost a lover, but that was for the greater good of the pride, loosing true blood now that seemed hard. She lifted her eyes to the great lion's wide eye and smiled a broad truly happy smile.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:36 pm
"Oh," he muttered in his disappointment, then he realized he hadn't introduced himself either and started, "Oh! I'm sorry, my name is Mafuriko. But my friends call me Riko." Well, his family did- he didn't really have too many friends. He felt a little silly asking for her name now that he realized he hadn't said his, perhaps he was a little too eager to get help. But maybe she would still run into Kiwi, if she traveled..
"We?" he asked curiously, "Are you traveling with someone?"
The curious (or maybe nosy) lion looked around for signs of another, but saw nothing too immediate.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:58 pm
"Pleasure to meet you, Mafuriko," she used the formal name he gave her. She was not sure how to answer this, she was not told to keep the traveling secret, but she was not sure how to explain Shira either.
"I am traveling with a companion, Shira is a great shaman in our pride, I am something of an escort as we travel to meet up with our king," she made herself seem rather important to skirt around the issue of slavery, she came to realize outsiders do no take kindly to those who keep slaves.
"If I see Kiwi, I promise I will say Mafuriko--Riko, told me he was searching for her," she bowed her head taking it as a direct order.
"Are you from a pride?" She inquired, perhaps he would like to travel along with them, although she was not sure with the lack of herb if they were taking in rogues, she would have to keep her ears open.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:09 pm
Riko listened to her describe the traveling situation she was in, and just as she meant he took it to mean she was rather important. The Pridelands was so large, he'd never really had much direct contact with the royal family or anyone too important. He mostly stuck to his own family, mainly meaning Kiwi until she had disappeared.
"Thank you, Nerit," he replied politely, glad to know that someone who was traveling- at least for now- might keep their eyes open for her. The more eyes he had, the better!
"I am from the a Pride not too far from here," he replied, nodding out in the direction the Pridelands was, "It's a very large pride, I don't know that we could all travel together so easily. Or is it only you and this.. shaman traveling?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:17 pm
She noted that there was a pride near here and if asked would relay the information to Shira willingly, it was best they knew who their neighbors would be if they settled around here. She looked back up at the sky her emerald eyes twinkling in the moon light.
"We are a very small pride wiped out by war, the entire pride is migrating to a better location," she revealed a little more information, unaware of it was solely for the pride, there was no harm in saying this, it was not like they were not a peaceful pride.
"I'm traveling with Shira for now, but we will meet up with a larger group. You are traveling all alone? not /too/ far from your home?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:27 pm
Riko looked truly struck by the idea of the pride having been wiped out by war, it was not something he could possibly imagine for his own pride where there were so many of them and they were a very, very peaceful pride. He hardly knew about the other prides that lived around them, though he knew some were not quite as friendly as his own.
"That's awful," he said genuinely, and then puffed up importantly- rather pleased with himself for being out and about on his own. To him, it marked his independence, his bravery and ability to take care of himself, "I am out by myself, I need no escort and no one particularly needs me for their own travels.."
He did not wish to admit this was his first time being this far away from home, so he didn't comment on that part of her question.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:40 pm
"I wish I did not need to be paired with another," she said and instantly felt guilty, she was lower class and the great lion determined her rank, it was not as if she was taken against her will, "I mean..it's easier to be paired, you always have someone from home I suppose, but being alone would be interesting."
"I don't think I would survive well on my own," she nodded in emphasis,"Do you have a mate, someone you are close to besides your sister?" people's relationships to one another intrigued her, she liked to see how creatures interacted, like Unyezi and his brother and their relationship.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:51 pm
Still not imagining Nerit might be a slave, Riko only seemed to imagine that the reason she must have someone with her did make her rather important. And if not, the pride would have put some faith in the buddy system- he might feel better about that himself if his pride went through a war and suddenly had to relocate to somewhere strange.
"I think traveling really far on your own might not be so great," he offered with a shrug, though he was big-headed enough to think he might be able to handle it himself. But maybe a girl shouldn't, he doubted Kiwi would be too fabulous- it was part of why he was so worried about her.
He shuddered at the question of a mate, his romantic opinion of females pretty low at the moment.
"I don't have a mate, no," he answered, not even imagining he might be able to flirt with this stranger- it was unlikely he'd ever really see her again, and she was rather pretty after all. Especially in the moonlight. "I stick mostly to my family, though they all seem to be off doing their own things now." Truthfully, without Kiwi, Riko didn't really have much.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:27 pm
Nerit was in the same boat, only she was forced to stay with people that she may not always want to be with. She had no family that she knew of to be around and she had few friends to speak with. If she wanted to she could try and associate with other slaves, maybe make friends with a few of them or other lower classes but she felt no need. Her loss of Unyezi was not fresh but it still hurt and she did not want to suffer losing another love interest because of the class system.
"A handsome young man like you without a mate? Unheard of! Do you have an undesirable class?" she did not know how to make that seem less rude, but she had an undesirable class, perhaps he did as well.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:35 pm
Riko puffed up importantly when she called him handsome, he might not be keen on romance but he always loved having his ego stroked. Why not? He was as wonderful as anyone could say- but he was lost when she suddenly asked if he had an undesirable class, answering at first without thinking.
"No!" he exclaimed, then looked confused, "Wait- what?"
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