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 Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:14 pm
It was a beautiful day, she thought. After weeks of solitude, searching for her adult name, she finally found it. She was no longer Mimea. She was Tota'kubiti.
The lioness was eager to get home, but she had traveled for so long that she had lost her sense of direction. Tota'kubiti knew that she was heading the right way, but she did not know how long it would be before she arrived. Her heart ached for her friends and family, but she was in a wonderful mood. At last, she was heading home.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:19 pm
Coming home from a long day's failed hunt, the humiliated Jethro sauntered slowly over the grounds. It always stabbed at his pride when he couldn't catch something. Damn the slippery beasts. If he had just dug his claws in a little deeper...
The large male's thoughts were interrupted when he saw a lioness moving over the rogue lands. Smiling, he decided to see what brought her to that neck of the woods.
"Hey there," he offered at a distance, not wanting to draw too close just yet, "can I help you with something?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:31 pm
"Hello!" she called back, her voice bright. "No, I'm just passing through. I hope I'm not intruding!" Her tone suggested that she didn't particularly care if she was or not, being that she was in such a good mood.
"My name is Tota'kubiti." He hadn't asked, but she had never introduced herself as a proper adult before, and so she didn't need to be invited first. "You are?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:38 pm
Jethro couldn't help but laugh. She didn't exactly seem sincere in her statement, but she had said it so brightly he couldn't be upset with it. "Nope," he replied, "not intruding at all! If you are, I am just as much, I suppose."
Bowing his head when introductions came, he offered her a toothy grin. "Jethro. Tota'ku... can I call you Tota?" he sheepishly asked after the pronunciation of her name failed to transfer from her lips to his mind.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:45 pm
A nickname! Her name was long enough now that she could have a nickname! It was all so new and novel to her that she couldn't help but give a silly smile. "Tota is fine! Nice to meet you, Jethro. Do you live around here?" She glanced around, swishing her tail.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:48 pm
"More or less," Jethro said, "I'm an explorer by nature, so I kind of live where ever my adventure stops for the day." And it was a life he most definitely adored. Only settling down would change that in him. Something he wasn't yet ready to do.
"What about you, Tota?" he asked, "do you live nearby?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:03 pm
Tota smiled at this. "I'm just the opposite. I'm a homebody - traveling isn't for me! Give me a warm den with friends and family and I'll stay there for the rest of my life. In fact, I'm heading home now. I'm not sure how far I am, but I should be home in a few days."
The thought obviously pleased her. "I've been away for a few weeks to complete a pride tradition. It'll be good to get back."
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:07 pm
"Admittedly, I wouldn't mind settling down some day- having cubs with a certain special lady," he said with a somewhat dreamy expression, clearly thinking about someone in particular, "but right now, I'm happy to continue seeing what the dawn brings each day and how far I can go before angry sentinels run me out of a pride."
Listening, he nodded. "A tradition huh? That sounds cool. I don't belong to a pride right now. If you don't mind me asking, what did you have to do for this tradition? I don't mean to hold you from your journey, though. We can walk and talk if you'd like."
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:24 pm
Tota smiled at his expression. "Well, I certainly hope it works out for you," she said happily. "What you do sounds nice, even if it isn't for me."
She nodded, her smile splitting even wider. "You find your name," she said simply. "In my pride, cubs are given a baby name at birth... a nickname, sort of. When they mature, they're sent out to learn their adult name from the spirits. My name used to be Mimea. Tota'kubiti came to me in a dream, but it wasn't a normal dream. It... well, it's hard to explain, really."
Tota started walking again, but her pace was slow and easy.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:31 pm
"Yeah, I guess it's not for everyone," Jethro replied, "it can be lonely at times. And a little bit dangerous. I think you have the right idea in settling down in a place you really like. I just need to find that place I want to be first."
And he knew he would find it soon.
As Tota explained her situation, Jethro couldn't help but find it all extremely interesting. For all his adventures, never once had he embarked on a journey with any real importance behind it. All his wanderings had been purely for fun. What would it be like to do something like that? Something really important?
"That sounds really... well, strange. But in a good way! I'm glad you found your name, even if it is difficult for me to say," he laughed, "did you see the spirit in your dream?" He walked beside her, happy to walk at least until the boarder of the rogue lands.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:42 pm
"The loneliness is what got to me," she admitted. "I wanted to have my entire pride with me. There aren't a whole lot of lions living in the swamp, not like a pride like the Pridelands, but that just makes us closer. I've missed them the whole time."
As she spoke, she subconciously quickened her stride. She was happy talking to Jethro, but also becoming more and more eager to get home.
"I didn't really see anything in the dream," she said. "It was dark, and then suddenly there was a flash of color, but it wasn't just one color... it was dozens of the most beautiful colors you've ever seen, all rolled into one. A voice spoke to me. It said 'Mimea', and I waited, knowing - somehow - that I wasn't supposed to talk. Moments later, a sort of hazy lion appeared, kind of like a ghost. He smiled at me, said 'Tota'kubiti', and then I woke up."
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:49 pm
"Oh, so do you live in the swamp? I've never been there, myself. Or the Pridelands, actually. There seem to be so many lions there and I don't know if they'd be happy or angry to see someone wander into their territory. Then again, I worry about that with every new place I go to. That's nice. Missing someone."
It did sound great, even if it was a form of misery. It wasn't something he often got to experience.
"Wow," he gasped, "that's pretty cool. I've never had a dream like that. You seem to have an adventurous life! The one thing I worry about when I settle down is getting bored with things."
He didn't mind moving faster. No doubt she wanted to get back- he would too if the pride was as close as it seemed to be.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:56 pm
"I do," she said happily. "I wandered into the Pridelands when I first started my quest. I only met one lion, but he was nice enough. He didn't chase me out or anything, and we had a nice conversation." Along with some quality time spent together, she added silently.
"It was very strange, but I've had similar dreams my entire life. Sometimes, they seem to predict things. It's weird. Maybe I'm just imagining it, you know, 'remembering' dreams I didn't actually have. Who knows?"
Tota grinned at Jethro. "Well then, you'll just have to find someplace interesting enough to keep your interest... or someone," she added with a sly smile, remembering his wistful look.
It was not long before the pair reached the border of the swamp. Tota lifted her muzzle and took in a deep breath, savoring the earthy smells she had so craved on her quest.
"I'm home," she said to Jethro, obviously elated. "Thank you for your company, and I hope you find what you're looking for!"
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