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 Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 10:48 pm
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Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 10:49 pm
White fur stood out among the grasses, though the small size of the cub the fur was attached to help to hide that fact somewhat. Tama'sindikiza had been wandering the borders of this grassy land for a couple of days now, curious as to what lay inside. His mother had just barely weaned him before bringing him to this place, and telling him of the grand lions that lived there. The white lioness had looked guilty beyond belief, and Tama's heart had broken at her sad face. She had told him what he wanted and needed could be found with the lions within...
And run off. She left him enough food for a couple of days...in fact, he'd just finished the last of the rabbits she'd caught for him. But though he was alone...Tama trusted his mother. She had always seemed to KNOW...and he would stay in these lands, if only until she returned.
Hodari was older now and more curious than ever. If the hares would accompany him, he was allowed to venture out past the pridelands, so long as a guard or someone was nearby to ensure that nothing happened. With a brave smile, the cub began to pad off from their den, eager to learn what awaited him today!
As he passed by the other dens and began through the tall grasses, he called out to one of his closest friends, Kutulia. "Hey, Tuli! What do you think we'll find today?" The cub didn't stop to talk, but continued moving forward, as though he didn't want to lose time. A promise all the cubs held with their mother was that they would return before the skies grew dark. Everything was more difficult during the night and the cubs were still adjusting to learning their lands.
Following close behind, Kutulia also smiled, though somewhat reluctantly. She had returned to the pridelands after a long journey in which she explored on her own. She watched the many prides and enjoyed meeting other species, but came across one that stuck with her. She was hunted by a lion that called himself a demon and she had new scars as souveniers. Having not left the pridelands since she returned, Kutulia thought it would be best to start off small before trying anything like what she had.
Tama stopped, sitting down to just...look. He did that sometimes, to better ensure he didn't fall into some hole or go the wrong way. Of course...He wasn't worried about direction, as long as he didn't stray from the lands. He had a feeling what his mother saw for him would arrive today...soon. After all, she would have made sure he had more food if it would take longer, right? He sighed and stood again, shaking dirt from his white rump.
Maybe if he moved closer in...Tama took up a quick pace towards the inside of the lands, soft smile on his muzzle. Just in case whatever it was didn't come to him, he would find it. He would make his mother proud, and fufill what she saw for him, what she named him for.
Hodari passed the border slowly and stopped to look around. He wanted to go head first into the new territories, but knew it was best to stop and look over the situation. He watched as the guards paced the borders and smiled. Even with the drama of the pridelands going on, Hodari felt protected. Shiri had kept him from most of the information, but he knew something wasn't quite right.
With a bright smile, he caught site of something white not too far off. Looking towards Kutulia, he grinned, "Lets go see what it is!"
Kutulia would have been more than happy to examine the curious white object, but since the attack she knew better. "Hodari, we're in the roguelands, we don't know what that could be..." Hoping forward to get a better look, she quickly added, "Stay here. I'll see if I can call it over." Hoping closer towards the cub, Kutulia paused nervously. "H-hello! We're from the pridelands, who are you?"
Tama's ears twitched at the sound of something close, the grasses moving. His blue eyes flitted over towards the source of the sound, and then heard the voice before he saw the hare. He blinked and smiled. "I'm Tama'sindikiza. So...you live over there?" He pointed a paw to the lands he'd been headed towards, tail lazily flicking back and forth, despite his excitement. Maybe this is what his mother had him waiting for! Oh he hoped so...He'd started to get a little lonely. He was not a cub who liked being alone...
Kutulia felt her heart begin to race when the small cub moved about in the grasses. She awaited an attack, replaying the horrible unfortunate event that occured not too long away. Small wounds were still healing on her chest. When the cub finally smiled, Kutulia felt suddenly reassured. Certainly her encounter was a rare one. Never before had she met a lion so angry. She knew that lions ate her kind, but it was not a quick attack, but rather a very tormenting experience.
Shaking the thoughts from her mind, the hare waved a paw and nodded, "It is nice to meet you! I am Kutulia. We do live in those lands over there. May I ask what you're doing waiting at the borders? Was someone coming for you?"
Hodari slowly crept up behind Kutulia, not quite sure why she was so cautious. They had went out on many occassions and it wasn't usually such an issue. When the cub spoke, Hodari's ears perked up. "Hello, Tama'sindikiza! I'm Hodari! This is my friend Kutulia!"
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Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 10:53 pm
Yes! This certainly had to be what his mother had him waiting for! Or...at least part of it. Tama bounced a bit, letting some of his excitement escape him. "Tama is just fine. And it's nice ta meet ya, Hodari and Kutulia!" At Kutulia's question, he nodded. "My mother knows all sorts of things, and she knew if I waited here, what I needed would come." He nodded, almost sagely...but his cubbishness prevented that image. "I think you're what I needed! Or...part of it. Mother's knowings were always BIG 'uns."
Hodari was glad that the cub offered a nickname. Tama's name was quite a mouthful and difficult to say. Hodari was just about ready to suggest some sort of game when the cub began speaking about his mother knew that something would come for him. With his brow suddenly lifted, Hodari asked curiously, "Wait... your mom knew we were going to come here? Where is your mom anyways? Mom says it's not very safe to stay in the roguelands by yourself.. Are you lost maybe?" Hodari was a bundle of questions when it came to anything new. He didn't mean to be overwhelming, but wanted to learn so much.
Like Hodari, Kutulia was very curious about what the cub meant by what he said. Hodari asked most of the questions that Kutulia was thinking, but the hare thought she would also offer a bit more, "Perhaps we could help you find your mother? I am sure she is worried about you."
Tama shook his head. "Mother will come back for me when it's time. She said so. But now..." He just kept a soft smile. "I'm where I belong. She told me lots about the lions in those lands, how they're strong and brave and wise...And beau-ti-ful." Even a cub as mature seeming as Tama had trouble with large words. "And...she left me safe. Mother would never leave me if she didn't think I was safe. She even left me food!" He seemed to beam with pride at his wonderful mother.
Hodari was so confused with the situation before him. He still struggled to fight back the urge to ask the cub to play when obviously there were more important matters to attend to. "She left you here? But wh-" Hodari was quieted by a quick glare for Kutulia. It wasn't Hodari's place to be so nosey about the personal life of someone else and the cub quickly realised this. Folding his ears back, he tried to ask a question that might not come off so rude. "But if you leave this spot, how will she know where to find you? Aren't you worried about getting lost?"
After hearing the cub speak, Kutulia thought she understood the situation. This cub's mother sounded like many of the deadbeat parents the hare was learning about. It seemed it was a popular trend to become pregnant and abandon cubs at the borders of other prides, hoping that they might find a home. In fact, Shiri had faced a similar fate as a cub. Lucky for Shiri, however, things did end up working out well.
Tama shook his head. "I got lost a lot when I was really little...but Mother always found me. I'm not worried." He smiled softly again. "But...Enough of that." His smile turned to a grin, seeming to sense the other cub's want to play. He batted Hodari with a paw, then took off running towards the beautiful lands his mother had told him about. "Tag! You're it!" He laughed, glad he wasn't alone anymore, even if only for a little.
Hodari, still confused about the situation was surprised when a paw came towards him. Realising that the other cub wanted to play, Hodari's eyes became big and he released a small cub-growl to announce that he was coming after Tama. As he ran behind the white colored cub, his tail swayed about behind him. It was funny how comfortable this cub was with the new pride and how much faith he had in what he didn't know. This was all so new to Hodari, but the cub found it exciting. "Alright! I'm coming to get you!" He called out.
Speeding up, Hodari finally caught up to the white cub. He couldn't quite reach him, but his tail was almost close enough to grab. Opening his muzzle, he tried to grab ahold of the white tail with his mouth.
Kutulia, still not sure about the situation thought it might be best to keep a close eye on the cubs and then bring them both to Shiri and try and explain what had happened. Tama seemed fine with what his mother had told him, but the hare had little faith that his mother would come back. How long had she been gone?
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 12:22 am
Tama laughed as he ran, dodging this way and that. But the older cub eventually gained on him and caught his tail, causing him to stop and turn to the other cub. "Ya got me! Now...Imma get you!" He let the other gain a headstart before taking off after him, jumping a bit at times to get a better view in the grasses. After all, the higher you went, the thinner it was! And well...he was still small.
Hodari laughed when he finally caught up to Tama. For a cub younger than himself, he was pretty quick! Once he got ahold of the cub, he turned on his heels to continue into the pridelands. Once they were within the pridelands, there were many more obstacles for the cubs to dodge as they played. Sleeping lions were scattered throughout, as well as conversing adults and other playing cubs. The pridelands was certainly a very populated pride.
Still following close behind, Kutulia had to run quick to keep up with the overexcited cubs. "Hodari! Tama! Maybe we should go find Shiri and talk to her first? Then you guys can play all you want?" The hare wasn't sure if the cubs would listen, but thought it would be worth it to try.
Tama learned he had to get good a dodging quickly. There were lots of lions here...certainly more than he'd ever seen before! Well...before, he'd only seen his mother. And now Hodari. He tried to keep up, but soon tripped over a sleeping lion. His eyes widened as the lion grumbled and Tama ran off, certain the grumbling couldn't be good. Tama stopped once more at Kutulia's voice. Shiri? Who was this Shiri? Tama's curiosity demanded to know. "Shiri? Who's tha'?"
Having been the one running from Tama, Hodari glanced back to see how far Tama was behind. While not looking ahead, the dark cub stumbled into a large adult in conversation. Receiving a reprimanding look, the cub's tail quickly hurried between his legs and his ears folded back. He always felt incredibly guilty when he got into trouble. Looking out for Tama, he couldn't help but let out a light laugh when he saw the other cub tripped over someone else.
Kutulia's eyes went wide when the cubs began tumbling into the sleeping adults. The hare waved her paws and tried to apologise to any of the lions the two might have disturbed. When Tama questioned what she had said, she quickly hopped over towards the two boys and made sure they were not in danger of bothering anybody else, "Shiri is Hodari's mother and I think it'd be best if we talked to her about your situation, Tama. We don't know when your mother is coming back for you so you'll need a place to stay while you wait. Don't you think?"
Tama nodded slowly, going over the hare's words while she said them. "Okay..." He looked to Hodari. "Is it okay if I meet your mother?" He was curious what other mothers were like. Did they know everything, like his? Were they bigger, or smaller, or just the same? Tama was as curious as a cub could get. And meeting Hodari's mother was probably a very good thing!
While Hodari didn't really understand Tama's situation, he nodded quickly. He had met Shuman's mother so he couldn't really think it'd be a big deal if one of his new friends met his own mother. Nodding in response to Tama's question, the dark colored cub began to follow after Kutulia. Glancing back towards his new friend, Hodari beamed, "I think you'll like my mom! She's very nice!" By the way Hodari spoke so fondly, it was clear his relationship with his mother was positive.
With a smile, Kutulia hopped forward in the direction of the den. During the entire walk, the hare thought diligently of a way in which she could try and explain Tama's story. After awhile, the den could be seen in the distance, "It won't be long now," The hare smiled.
Soon Shiri would have quite a surprise on her paws!
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