|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 12:17 am
She'd never been in such a beautiful place. Oh, it was certainly a bit colder than she was used to...but the foothills at the base of the mountains were gorgeous. Filled with life and greenery...
In fact, she was stalking a rather juicy looking rabbit now. Her had to be extra careful, since her golden coat stood out, rather than blended in, like it did with the savanna grasses. She followed it through the green grasses, intent on making it her dinner.
After a bit, she saw her opportunity...and pounced. The rabbit squeaked its last breath and Moto'nyota felt satisfied. It was small...but it was dinner. And dinner was good.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 12:36 am
Ziarre felt that with each passing day, the isolated mountain pride was beginning to feel more and more like home. It was colder than she was used to, and it felt a bit strange not to wander, but the tawny lioness was more than happy to give up her wandering ways for a place where she might truly belong. She'd been only too happy to begin proving herself by patrolling the pass that was the one entry into the pride's lands, keeping a wary eye and ear out for newcomers and intruders. Occasionally however, she did have to eat between the days when the mwindaji brought food, which was why she was just on this side of the border. At the dying scream of a hare, her ears laid back slightly as she started pacing forward in a decidedly more predatory fashion than a moment before. "You come near to trespassing, you know." Her tone was cool, a simple statement. If the stranger showed intent to enter the lands, or proved to be trouble, she'd deal with her then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 12:17 am
Moto's ears caught the voice of another and she turned, eyes wide. She'd come close to trespassing? She placed the dead rabbit rabbit on the ground and bowed towards the cream and brown lioness. "Forgive me, I did not know there was a pride nearby. This is the first time I've ventured this close to the mountains." It was true. Though the thought of a pride in the mountains was a little strange to Moto. She'd heard tales of the unforgiving rock faces and the cold snows. Snow itself was a rather foreign concept to Moto'nyota. Frozen rain?
She motioned to the rabbit. "If you'd like, I can take my dinner elsewhere." She was willing to leave if she was so close to trespassing...but she was not about to give up her dinner yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 12:26 am
"The true home lies further north...but we must stay nearby for now." Ziarre shook her head slightly. She wasn't about to let a complete stranger know exactly why they were so far from 'home'...Aali'makabila's numbers were few yet, and the cubs not yet old enough to travel. "No, there's no need...it was a warning, that is all. You're fine for now, but if you came closer to us I would be obligated to...encourage you to turn back. You're a bit far from any pridal lands...what drives you here?" She ignored the rabbit, more or less. She didn't really need to hunt...she could last until the mwindaji made the next kill.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 12:32 am
Moto was relieved. She hadn't tread on any toes. A smile returned to her face. "I'm a wandering healer. No home or pride ties me. And...I suppose I was a little curious of this area. I've heard stories of the flora and fauna in this hills before the mountains, but I'd never seen them myself. It's much...greener, than the savanna below." She sat down, now that she knew she was in no danger. "I intend to go no deeper than here. I'm not one to barge into pridal lands uninvited if I can avoid it. Even if that land is only temporary."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 12:51 am
"The leader says that this is...halfway, between the nearest pride and our true home. I haven't seen it yet, but I look forward to it." Ziarre stretched, claws digging into the soil a bit before she straightened. "A healer, eh? I suppose you could say I'm a fighter...a warrior, if you will. The leader calls me an ushujaa. So I guess you can see why I had to warn you not to go further...but what is your purpose here? Surely curiosity is not the only answer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 1:01 am
"Ah...I wish you safe travels back to your true home then." She chuckled. "And I can see why you had to warn me. You are a good warrior than...Many I have met who call themselves warriors think with their claws first. My father taught me that a true warrior used claws last." She knew many disagreed with what she'd learned...but it had held true to her heart.
She shook her head. "I'm afraid that is all. I wander about, sating my curiosity and healing those I come across who need it. It keeps me from encountering someone I would much rather never see again."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 1:14 am
Ziarre shrugged. "Sometimes a quick response is called for, but other times you could just as easily be attacking a potential recruit as an enemy. It...depends, really." At the other lioness' last words, she tensed. "Speaking of...is this someone I should know about?" If this stranger knew of a potential threat, it would be good to find out, and to let Zaliwa know. "Tell me...please."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 1:23 am
Moto looked a bit nervous...she hadn't talked about her sister in a long time, but knew that this other lioness deserved to know about Hakuna. The other had a pride to protect.
"She's a rather large lioness, larger than me by a bit. Her coloring is much the same as mine, though more angular, and the red and deep yellow are reversed. Our eyes are the same color, but..." She shivered. "Filled with something...sinister, I suppose. And she's got a scar from a rather nasty bite on her left back leg." Moto had given her sister that scar...and she was proud of it. Hakuna had left her alone for a week after that. "She calls herself Hakuna'jina, and she's convinced she's a demon." She sighed. "She may have had cubs too...though I did not stick around long enough to find out if the little one I ran into was truly hers or not."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 10:15 am
"So in other words, a batshit crazy b***h?" Ziarre raised a brow, suppressing a laugh out of respect for the other lioness' fear. While this belief in being a 'demon' sounded rediculous to her, the fear scent coming from the stranger was real enough to convince her that this 'demonic' lioness could be a threat. She filed the description away in her mind, fully intending to report it to Zaliwa. "Does she have any particular preferences in how to strike? Killing, slave-taking, cub-napping?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 5:01 pm
Moto couldn't help but chuckle. Now that she thought about it...her sister was scarily smart, but she was a crazy b***h. At the question of Hakuna's style of striking...she shivered. "She's likely to take a slave or a cub. She...she likes 'playing' with creatures, both mentally and physically. She thinks of others as toys or useful things." She swallowed her fear. Hakuna wasn't near...she was safe. "But when she's in a fight...she doesn't hold back. She's sneaky, vicious, and never makes the same mistake twice. Even growing up with her, I never could tell where she was going to strike next."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:45 pm
"I see..." Ziarre frowned, mentally tallying the list. Crazy, yes, but this Hakuna'jina was, from her own sister's account, a potentially deadly opponent. And a cub-napper as well, which was something to worry about with the pride's numbers still being built up. Hopefully, it wouldn't be long before Fira's brood were large enough they could defend themselves in case of a cub-napper...and in the meantime? Well, Ziarre would just keep doing her job as a ushujaa for the pride and make sure nobody got to them. "I should let my king--my mtwala--know...but thank you for the information." With a slight nod, Ziarre'ari padded back in the rough direction of the pride's temporary home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:08 am
Moto nodded to the other lioness. "You're welcome. Better to be safe than sorry." She watched Ziarre walk off, then turned to her dinner. She would eat quickly, then rest. She had a long journey back to the savanna tomorrow. And to tread deeper into the lands of a pride...temporary home or not, Moto would respect their boundaries.
After eating, she took refuge in one of the sturdy trees and fell into a rather uneasy sleep. Dragging up memories of Hakuna would make sleep hard for a while, but as long as Moto knew she was far from her, she was fine. She was safe.
[FIN]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
