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 Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:36 pm
Another day, another chance at another vagabond who will enter his cove and take residence for the night and leaving without a word. It is to be expected. None, not one of those who visited his cove that stayed ever gave it a thought to get to know the male who welcomed them into his home. It had been a long time since his youngest half-brother, Ger, had visited him. It was when his nephew, Ezekiel, was only a mere cub. The massive lion could only think of how those two were doing. At this point, the little cub should have a mane...
A lion, massive, almost a behemoth by the standards of the largest sort of lions. His body toned heavy with muscle of a life time of hardships and 'distractions'; runs up and down the coast to see if any needed his aid, swims into the ocean for a refreshing moment, and the challenging hunt one would need to feed one self. Bright, teal eyes stood out upon his golden form, a luxurious brown mane framed his face. This lion, helped any who asked and even offered it when he wasn't.
Alone for so long in such a secluded area of the coast, Trig had his reasons to be so far away from groups and prides. Though it was extremely hard to hide with such a form, that wasn't the reason.
A secret.
A great, powerful yawn shook the cove. The cove, his home for much of his life. It was rather plain. It was like a small cave that declined. Stone floor and roof, three large pedestals touched the three walls; the one to the right being the smallest, the one to the left being the average, and the one opposite of the entrance is the tallest and the most difficult to climb. This was his home, it gave the perfect view of sundown.
"Time to start another day..."
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:23 pm
These strong paws were meant for trees and thick jungle foliage, not sand, not salt water and rocks. Yet this was where fate had ended them up going, this was where the hands of time had thrown them after the unthinkable had happened.
Sometimes feet were meant to roam, but always, always, those feet had a home. The ones that walked the earth now, down this gently rolling plane of sand, had no home of which to speak or even to think about returning to. Simply the roamed, roamed far and as wide as they possibly could away from the jungle. Away from the trees and the foliage, away from the peepers and creepers that inhabited their everyday lives since before then.
Akiva... the protector of the small in the jungle, had fallen a long road since then. She'd come across things she'd never seen before in her life, but none of them had affected her. The light that had once danced through her eyes was gone, the spark long since faded with the pain of a life unfulfilled.
The one thing she could have saved....
Sand flew up into the air as the leopardess fell to the ground, her body twisting in the sand for a moment before she caught her feet once again and peered back at the rock as if it weren't even there. The sorrow in her eyes kept her from acknowledging what had just taken place, even though it had clearly happened.
Slowly her feet began moving again and her head turned back to the long road before her once more, not watching where she was going through her dull and lifeless eyes.
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:51 pm
Walking past his cove for the fourth time that mourning, his body slightly tired from the morning jog, he was taking the time to catch his breath and prepare himself for the hunt that was sure to follow. Slight beads of sweat began to form above his forehead, dripping down his thick, brown mane. Unsightly, but he was fortunate that these parts rarely had anyone wandering around. Massive paws that matched such a massive body carried him easily across the sand, the wide space of his paws were perfect for keeping him from falling through. If his weight was anymore focused, he would have fallen through long before living out here.
As he turned the corner to the upper coast of the shoreline toward the Bahari pride, he noticed that there was something in the distance. It was a living being, that was for sure since it moved and it had colors that differed from the sand. Sort of. Almost instinctively, he curled himself a little as if cowering away, flicking his ears back.
"T-there's someone out here?... It must be a... vagabond," His low voice murmured. Slowly he made his way over to whoever it was. Hopefully, it decides to spend some time with him and at the same time, he wished it didn't spend too much that his reasons for hiding was discovered.
"Hello, there!" He called out. He wasn't going to move.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:26 pm
Brown ears lifted a bit and golden eyes turned to look at a larger form in the distance. By nature they should have snapped to focus and seen who it was that might pose a threat to her livelyhood. Yet Akiva could care even less than she once had.
A simple thought ran through her mind when the words ran out over the wind.
Should I go over there?
She was headed in that direction already, so she figured she might as well head that way still. Why deviate from a course once already set? Besides, maybe he could point her in the direction of the nearest desert to never return from.
Something drastic but she was willing to go that road.
"Hello." Akiva's voice barely rose over the wind, barely reached up to a normal pitch. It was a hollow response to his greeting, a hollow and nearly broken sounding voice that had absolutely no soul behind it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:58 pm
"What is someone such as yourself wandering these deserted parts?" The larger lion questioned as he sat in his usual position. His piercing eyes looked down at her soft toned body with quite some interest. Of all the vagabonds who came and went through this area, not many were leopards, and even less were females. This would be his first time meeting a female leopardess and not have her wandering off. Best to get her attention and keep it so that she does attempt to get to know him. Just once would he be purged of his loneliness out here even if it was temporary. Then again, he chose this path himself and suffers the end affects.
"My name is Trig, my cove is just around the corner if you need somewhere to spend the night. I was just going to go hunt up in the grasslands, I could get you something if you like. I would suggest not drinking from the ocean," he motions. "-it's not the most sanitary of things and it tastes absolutely horrible. There is a waterhole nearby that you can drink from."
The usual routine; greet the stranger, offer a place to stay, offer food and water... then have them leave the next morning never to see them again. It was unfortunate but it was how things were. With soft movements, he inched a little closer. Anyone could see that this lion was not one to be trifled with as his body was near the opposite of one would imagine from his personality. He was quite large, almost freakishly large. His fur rippled over his own ocean of muscles that formed from a life time of endurance and stamina. Though he bares no scares, he had been in his fair share of fights.
A soft purr emitted from his chest as he watched her closely, though it was rude, he brushed it off a bit before looking over her head in the direction she came. "Jungle dweller?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:55 pm
Soft golden eyes watched the male with no emotion, souless and unmoving. They were by no means unintelligent, quite the contrary. In a past life Akiva had been very wise, however she was young and she was broken. The male in front of her exuded a certain flavor of confidence that she wasn't used to scenting in the air.
It was odd but it wasn't unwelcoming. Just strained, as if he had done this sort of speech many times before to many creatures that had come before her. It was as if he were running a tree hotel like the squirrels and other tree rodents sometimes did, for a fee of a certain amount of nuts. Odd little things.
"I once was from the jungle, but no longer. My name was.... or rather... is, Akiva. What would you like in return for a few hours of hospitality large one?" Akiva spoke in a broken lilt that betrayed nothing of her inner deadness, though that was promminently displayed upon her saddened face. "It would be nice for a few moments of rest before I continue this endless walk."
Her eyes deviated to the ocean once, watching the waves with no type of intrest, wishing that she were somewhere else than here. Wishing beyond a dream that she were still wrapped in warmth and surrounded by the love she'd once had. A tear threatened to well up in her eye for a moment, but the lack of emotion within Akiva's very heart killed the water that wanted to come from her eye before it even came.
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Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:48 pm
"None, there is no payment to live within my cove. It is opened to anyone who needs shelter for however long you wish to stay. Rarely do those come by here have a place to stay. It is either at my cove, in the savanna, on the beach itself, or in the nearby pride of the Bahari'moto," He explained with a smile. He was immediately worried about her, but tried his best to keep the spirits up. "If you do wish to stay, you can stay as long as you want. There is water and I will hunt for you so you don't have to worry. If you would want to, you'll have all your time to think up what to do next if you wanted to."
He sighed.
"To be honest, no matter how many I've helped like this, no one stayed for more than a day or two. But I am happy to help anyone," He looked at her with tender eyes. "And it looks like you need someone to confide in. And if you don't dwell in the jungle anymore, this must be new to you. If you follow my paw prints, it'll lead you back to my cove."
Trig watched her with curiosity. She seemed so troubled, almost as if she was just a walking corpse. No heart. No emotion. Even the way she talked made him worry about her. This one was not like any of the others that came before her. Deep down, he innately wanted to take care of her by any means necessary. Maybe this one will stay longer than the others. What is it with leopards since that one came to the beach a fortnight ago? That one fell in love with a cheetah. Then he got himself hurt by ramming himself into a large Kudu while distracted by a leopardess. Now, there is this one.
"Akiva ... It's a beautiful name."
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:49 am
Following after him, Akiva had to think for a moment as to how to respond to his confession to her. Not many confided in her even when her other self was alive. It felt odd to have someone other than her long deceased love tell her something of consequence like that. Just hearing something like that come from this male's voice made Akiva's heart want to help him, though her hollow mind and the hole in her heart kept her from fulfilling the majority's command.
The hole was too large and always would be.
"I'll follow, however I couldn't tell you how long I'll be staying. I haven't found a place I've wanted to stay since mine was..." Her deadpan voice trailed off at this, her golden eyes looking down to the sand. "Akiva means... Protector. I don't see how I was given such a name though.."
The last part was said as a whisper as the leopardess allowed herself to walk up beside the rouge quietly, her paws barely leaving marks in the sand as she walked her tired body over it. Almost as if the sand was reflecting just how truely ghost-like she'd become as she'd walked through time in the footsteps of a stranger she'd never met before.
Someone was offering her a place to stay, was offering to help her through her harried and troubled times. It wasn't happening in her mind, or at least she had yet to convince herself of it, but Akiva found herself wondering in her tired mind if it was the best course. To let a rouge help her when she'd wanted to die for so long that she'd run her body ragged in the attempts, that she'd not eaten for days and not had a sip of water in longer than that.
Was it wise to trust someone that would save her only to let her heart suffer the losses longer?
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:59 am
"Say no more, you don't have to tell me anything about your past if you do not wish to. In fact, hardly any of those who shared my home spoke of themselves or even spoke more than a few words to me so it wouldn't be rude," The large lion walked beside her, slightly behind, and watched her carefully. When she did took a glance back at him, he would stop and curl up again before starting to walk again. It was bad for him, but such an ache can be unknotted with a good run or swim. "My name is Trig, what it means, I don't understand, but I would think your name would fit me. Now, if only I was a female." He laughed.
"Like I said, I do not mind you staying with me at my cove. Company for me is rare, so it would be nice to see a familiar face for more than a few days."
Trig lifted his to look about and continue his prepared instructions and guidelines when living here in the beach-side cove.
"I have a zebra, semi-fresh from this morning back at the cove. It is still edible and saved from scavengers, not many roam these parts so our kills will be safe. If you travel up to the grasslands just past my cove, you will find a fresh-water source, a water hole. You can bathe in it if that fits you. I would suggest not drinking from the ocean, it wouldn't be good for you."
Trig stopped for a moment and looked at the ocean, the sun glistening on its surface, the clouds marking the ocean with blotches of its shadows, and the waves crashing up onto the sands. It was still a breath-taking sight.
The male was trying his best to be accommodating to this female, he would do anything to make her feel welcomed and to lighten her, apparently, low spirits. Like the previous leopardess, he caught himself staring, snapping himself out of it by clearing this throat and continuing, "Shall we go on?"
The cove was just in sight at this point.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:21 pm
His words were gentle, as if he were afraid he would break her just by speaking to her. Little did all these males nowadays know that she was already broken, that after what had happened she'd shattered and not bothered to even attempt picking up the pieces.
There were entirely too many to try picking up even if she wanted to.
"I haven't... eaten... in days. I don't know if I could even lift the zebra down here to your cove, though sleep and a good meal sound good." Akiva admitted at last, her voice not changing even though she admitted what she'd done to herself over the past few days. That she'd admitted that she was trying to die.
Turning to follow his gaze once more out over the ocean, Akiva watched it move and let a sigh come from her soft colored muzzle. Was it trying to tell her something in the way it pounded the sand? Was it trying to get her to understand? Certainly not...
"Akiva is most commonly used for males. My mother had wanted all sons when I was born with my litter. She wasn't pleased but she loved me the same. As such she gave me a male's name and told me I would grow into the name because I had to prove I was as strong as my brothers. Stronger...."
Sure... she was stronger. They were dead and she was alive.
A ghost of a smile passed over her muzzle and she looked towards the cove they were pointed towards and began to move again, not answering his question about motion with words, rather motion itself. Most males understood that better than words.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:33 pm
"Don't you worry about that one, Akiva, I will be the one doing the hunting and "dragging". So you just relax and get some sleep, the zebra will still be around when you wake up," He nodded as he continued as his "casual" pace. He started to feel the sorrow leaving her voice, her body, it felt as if she had almost no soul in her body and yet she walked about. It almost scared him, but he could not deny anyone for such a little thing. Their business was not his own, it was their choices that got them where they were. If they chose to share it, he would not disagree. Then again, not many do talk to him aside from saying their names.
"That is ridiculous to be. Understandable that your mother said so, but it is also your life to control and direct as you wish. At least she did love you," The larger lion replied, walking along with larger tracks than that of the female beside him. He looked her over, noticing that she was on the thin side, but the lack of food was the cause of that. However, she was a little bigger than the leopardess he saw before. A little was an exaggeration actually, but she was an impressive size. "Well, who is to say that you are not stronger and smarter than your brother? Besides, never heard a male called Akiva before."
Little did he know what she had happened to her family and was probably coming off like a fool to her.
Trig watched with deep teal eyes as she simply continued to move on. With that cue, he pushed himself to follow her. As the escort and the host, he paced up to the entrance, sat himself down and waited for her to get closer to be able to hear his next and last, memorized/record-like speech.
"This is my cove. See, the sand just stops short, so you don't always have to be walking in it. Against the back wall are the three ... beds if you wanna call them that. They are a lot more comfortable than they look, trust me."
Then again, the one he used was worned down and became smoother. He looked at her for her response, curious how she was taking it.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:35 pm
It wasn't that she was ignoring him as she kept walking in silence. It was that he'd piqued a nerve. Her family was a tender subject for her still, though it had been a while since she'd heard anything about them. How would she? Most of thsoe that knew her family had died at the same time.
As she passed however, the leopardess glanced over at him and lifted a slow eyebrow.
"You don't have to talk so formally to someone like me. Pretty words are wasted on the listless. Though I do appreciate the help and the offers." Akiva told him slowly, her golden eyes tired and ready to simply close.
Too long had she been walking without a path to truely put her paws down on. Too long had the key to her heart been rusted and thrown away.
Maybe the surf would calm her mind with time.
Maybe a lot of things would change with time.
As it was, Akive walked down to beach and laid herself down in the sands, letting it warm her cool body as she felt the need to nap. If not for the fact that her head was up and her eyes open it would seem as though she were asleep, even her breathing was nice and evened out.
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:25 pm
Trig watched with a curious eye, watching her move about like a ghost in an endless trance, trapped upon this mortal plain, forbidden to cross over. It was almost saddening and made him even help her even more. In fact, the more she seemed sadden and distressed, he would just want to help her even more. If that was what she did not want, then she best shappen up. The large lion smiled when she spoke to him again about his proper speech.
"I know I do not have to talk so formally, but I could care less if you were the most rude and obnoxious thing alive, it is how I treat my guests. I try my best to offer whatever I can," he replied softly.
Just as he had finished explaining the cove, teal eyes watched the large pale form move from his side toward the shore. Trig did not move as she laid herself down before the wave. The sun was rather intense today and the sand was significantly warm than usual. Though still curious, he was tempted to join her, but it was best to offer a warning...
"Um, Akiva, I must warn you. Tonight... it will be rather high tide. If you wish to rest there, you're going to get very wet and you will have to sleep in wet fur."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:25 pm
Her ears swivveled back as Trig spoke, half listening and half willing herself to fall asleep so she would forget the pain of how this day felt. So she could lay back and ignore the fact that she was going to live for a while longer than she'd imagined.
"I'll be fine. When the waves touch my paws then I'll move. Don't worry about me Trig, I've handled myself this far, no matter how I appear to look to your eyes. I know how to survive, I just have chosen not to for my own reasons." Akiva said slowly, one of her golden eyes glancing back at him quietly. "If it gets too cold I can always use that fluffy mane of yours as a blanket against it."
A simple shrug pulled from her weak and promminant shoulders that stood out despite all the muscle that they held. They were boney and stood out with her spine. A wraith... a true wraith. It was obvious she was very starved, or at least she would think it was obvious.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:04 pm
A deep, vibrant red hue raced across his muzzle from one cheek to the other at her comment. Did she just say that? Ears flicked back as he watched with teal eyes. Her frail, weak body resting against the shore line. A few feet from the water's edge. Such strong eyes though faded with depression and sadness, he could still see her clearly. To give up on her life because of all the misfortunes she must have endured, he could not imagine giving up she was given and all she has sacrifice for to be in vain.
It was her decision, not his...
Looking down at his mane, he raised a paw to shift through it. It was soft. It was warm, it kept his heart warm. It was a great thing to sleep on when it did pillow out under him-yes, he has tried numerous of times to do so but found it difficult. Did she want to use it to keep herself warm? ...
"If... if you say so, Akiva. I shall be in the cove upon my pedastal, come join me when you feel that you need the company," he dipped his head politely. "Good night, Akiva." Turning, he slowly made his way back to his cove, tail down and finally able to walk normally without the fear of others discovering him. If Akiva stayed, he would have someone to talk to. Maybe she will keep him company, for certain, he will give her his.
I should make sure my mane is available tonight...
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