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 Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:06 pm
Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be, she pondered. After all, she'd never really asked any of the older lions of her home pride how they had found their names. Maybe it was the sort of thing that was supposed to take forever. Maybe it was supposed to test a lion's patience. Patience she had plenty of, that was for certain. Energy, however, she was quickly running out of. And, above all, she was getting oh so lonely. It'd been such a long time since she'd seen her siblings. How she missed them, it hurt her to think about it for too long. It didn't help any that she could hardly feel the spirits around her anymore. This quest was most certainly putting a strain on poor Shemshi.
After a little while, her pace slowed to a near stop, and then finally it did. She stood still for a moment, staring around the dry, open savannah. She took one more step and stopped again. No, she thought, time to rest. No more walking for now. With that final thought, she flopped onto the ground in a light cloud of dust and sneezed.
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:05 pm
The goddess was flying, once again on the hunt for Shemshi. She kept her eyes open for the familiar shade of yellow, one that matched her own, one that matched her son. Every time she saw yellow flowers, she did a double take. All the golden creatures around got the same reaction. She was too eager, and trying hard to control her patience.
When she flew by a pale yellow spot on the ground, she did a double take. And then another. It looked about the right shade, it looked about the right size- and she had to check out what she wasn't sure was just a flower. She swooped down and landed nearby, hesitantly heading in the direction she saw the yellow creature.
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:29 pm
Surrounded by savannah grass and absorbed in her own thoughts, Shemmie didn't hear the goddess touch ground. Her deep red eyes were fixed on a little blue savanah flower inbetween her splayed front legs. "Little flower," she cooed softly to the plant, "little flower... Don't you just look lovely." She smiled at it, but her smile wasn't as warm as it should've been. There was an obvious sadness about the way she spoke to the plant. She used to do things like this much more often when she was little. As she had aged, her habit had dwindled some, but she still found herself chattering away at plants from time to time.
This little blue flower, however, made her sad. It was small and weak looking, and all alone in a sea of tan grass. There weren't any other flowers nearby it. After close inspection, Shemmie could see how weak the poor plant was. It must be parched, she thought. What a shame that she couldn't help the dear thing have a drink. "I understand how that is, little flower. I don't like how dry it is here." She looked up at her surroundings, surveying the lack of water, and that was when she spotted a very familiar shade of yellow moving above the grass. The creature itself wasn't familiar, but that yellow... where did she know that yellow? Oh! Of course! It was her very own yellow, that's what it was! And the yellow of her sister. Shemmie looked back down at the flower, and then up again at the slow moving mass of familiar-yellow. How interesting. Having never learned to not talk to strangers, the lioness perked up significantly. "Oh, hello! What a nice color you are!" She chuckled quietly at her own joke.
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:51 pm
She couldn't hear the words that Shemshi spoke distinctly, but she could tell that she was talking and could sense the disappointment in her tone. The goddess did not know what to make of that, but from what she understood about how long all of the kids had been gone and the task they had.. it was likely she was getting down about the whole thing. Mtima only hoped she wouldn't make things any worse. Assuming it was Shemshi, after all.
When Shemshi turned to her and perked up, she was relieved to at least be well received- and she got a good look at the eyes. Mtima'safi immediately knew two things. This had to be Shemshi, those eyes were unmistakable. So like Kilango's, and one of Wahabu's.. and the shape, her face, her build in general.. it was unmistakably familiar. And, of course, it gave her the clearest view she could hope for at the distance of the creature's soul. Shemshi was certainly a remarkable lioness to come across, Mtima felt a rush of excitement.
"And what a lovely color you are," she returned brightly, stepping closer more eagerly- though giving the lioness her space so as not to frighten her off, "I don't suppose you are Shemshi?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:05 pm
The eager, pleased attitude of the other yellow lioness elevated Shemmie's mood to its normal state. She looked back down at the flower for a second, hesitating, but then looked back up brightly and pushed off the ground into a sitting position. "Thank you!" She beamed, pleased that somebody appreciated her coat color. She was very proud of the way she looked, proud of her simplicity, her shoulder spots and her strikingly red eyes. It was nice to be given a compliment every once in a while.
She was honestly taken aback a little at the mention of her name. She'd had little chats with critters here and there on her travels so far, but she had stopped telling them her name early on in her quest. It seemed to her that if she was to find a new one, she should start getting used to the idea that Shemshi was no longer hers to be called. So, not only had she not come across anybody in a LONG time who knew the name, but she had also not even heard it said for a while. "Oh, well yes. I mean, sort of. I do suppose I am." She traced a circle in the dusty ground with her paw, but quickly stopped after one loop. She didn't like the dry sand working its way between her toes. "I was Shemshi, you see. Or I still am, rather. But not for long." Hopefully, she added mentally. Then, it occured to her that it was very odd that some random familiar-yellow lioness knew her birth name. Familiar-yellow goddess, rather, but still. "I don't mean to pry, but how do you know that name?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:12 pm
Mtima could see the hesitation in Shemshi's answer, but recognized almost immediately that the right answer was yes- she was who the goddess was looking for- but at the same time, she was looking for another name so it might be a hard question to answer. And she smiled when a good question was returned to her.
"I've been sent to find you," she said mysteriously, but laughing and not letting the odd reply linger too long, "I was talking to your brother, Pepo. He was very concerned about you! And I was very concerned about finding you." She paused, wondering how quickly to divulge the valuable information she held. It was almost impossible to contain- but would Shemshi need convincing as Pepo had? She did not have the element of surprise for her immortality to lend her more meaning now, she had not hidden it from mortal view.
"You recognized my fur," she commented, holding up a paw to demonstrate, "We match quite nicely if I do say so myself! I am your grandmother." A good place to start, hopefully! No need to bash the poor girl's mother yet, to explain the deceit.
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Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:18 am
At the mention of her dear brother's name, Shemmie couldn't contain herself. She jumped up on all fours and laughed excitedly. "Oh, Pepo! I haven't seen him since I left home! I hope he's doing well." She took a few bouncey steps towards the goddess, her eyes bright. In the back of her mind, the question as to why a goddess would have talked to her brother was burning to be answered. And, on top of it, why had this goddess come to her? She was too happy to hear news of family, however, to bother with it just yet. If she had known the answers had to do with the same topic, she would've been far more interested in getting them.
The young lioness nodded, shooting a glance down at her own paw to compare the familiar-yellows again. She stared at the goddess for a few seconds, blinked a couple of times, trying to process the information. Her grandmother? How could they have never met before? And how did her grandmother know about her, but she didn't know about her grandmother until right now? "My... grandmother? Oh, wow." She shook her head lightly, but then smiled, looking up at the other female's eyes. "But how did you know about me? If I didn't know who you were..." She was confused, but still quite happy. She had a grandma! And she was just as yellow as Shemmie was herself! That was when she recognized the purple decorating her grandmother's coat. Oh, wow, she thought.
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:57 pm
That was.. easier than expected! Of course, she had not explained the full story and that was what really made it hard to believe. She felt sorry for all of them, but she was making things right. She was trying, anyway.
"Pepo was the one who sent me to find you," she reiterated and smiled sadly as she prepared to launch into a full explanation- not showing quite the same enthusiasm as Shemshi. "I found out about you through your mother, but she is not how you are related to me. I'm your father's mother. My son Wahabu is your father."
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:56 am
At first, Shemshi had simply assumed that this grandma of hers was her mom's mom. Her father, or at least the lion she had believed to be her father until now, had dropped out of her life soon after her mother had. Whenever she really thought about family ties (which she didn't think of often outside of her siblings, anyway), she usually thought about her mom. It was hardly ever that anything like that came across her mind, though. That was part of the reason she had been so excited to meet her grandma. It was like magic, almost. So, now that this mysterious grandma was claiming Shemshi's father as her own, the young yellow lioness was completely amazed.
What was more, her grandma didn't name Gharadi as her son. "Wahabu." Shemshi stared hard at the other female, deep in concetration. No, that name was definitely not a nickname for her dad. Perhaps, she thought, this was all some big misunderstanding. This goddess had known so much. She'd known Pepo's name, she'd TALKED to Pepo, she even knew her name. It was hard to imagine such a mistake. Still, though, Shemmie'd never heard of any Wahabu before. "I think, maybe, you have the wrong Shemshi..." She trailed off quietly, attempting to mask her disappointment.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 12:06 pm
Mtima smiled sadly at Shemshi when she paused and finally decided that the goddess must be mistaken. She shook her head, considering what would be the best way to convince her that she knew what she was talking about. This would be a long explanation.
"No, I've got it right," she assured the child, taking a breath before attempting to describe Shemshi's whole family, "You have sisters Moyo, Noki, Kichea and Siyara. Your brother Pepo is white, and has the same purple as I do. Your mother is Amadet, she has the same mark on her back leg that I have on my shoulder. I do believe the lion who was said to be your father was Gharadi, if I remember what Pepo said."
She sighed when she finished, her sad smile overtaken by a frown.
"Your mother deceived you, as she deceived my son."
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 3:39 pm
Rather ungracefully, Shemshi fell back a step and landed with a thump, her tail somewhat uncomfortabley curled underneath her and her legs splayed in an unnatural sitting position. Her expression was a mix between disbelief and awe, with a hint of joy still flickering in the back of those deep red eyes. So, her father wasn't really her father. For a moment, she remained silent, chewing over this new piece of information. Her entire life, every memory and every thought she'd ever had, was shifting in her mind. Opinions were realigning. Priorities were rearranging. It was like her entire life hadn't been real up until this point. None of it had any meaning. Yet, at the same time, as she looked back at what had led her to this field, it seemed like everything had been preparing her for this. It was as if the spirits had intended for this moment to happen, as if they had meant for her to suddenly find meaning here with her grandma.
Her forgiving nature smoothed over the difficulties of this situation, at least somewhat. Her 'father', Gharadi, had a huge shadow lifted off him in her mind. She'd always thought he must've had some good reason for moving on to a new family. It had stung, certainly, especially after her mother's departure. Now, however, she saw the situation more clearly. It was unfair to expect a lion who wasn't even the father to raise six cubs on his own. Of course, he could've done a better job with getting the troop settled, but it was in the past, and she wasn't one to dwell. Really, the hardest thing to swallow in this whole situation was that she had been lied to. Shemmie had always tried to justify her mother's leaving and had never thought of it as true abandonment, but this... Lying was low on her list. It was like a hard slap in the face to think that her mother, the lioness she had looked up to as a youngster and had thought of for so long, had lied to her from the get go.
On the bright side, she had a family she had never known existed. Swirling inside her with the sting of that slap was a bubbling excitement. She had so many questions. First, though, the lie had to be dealt with. "I -" She faltered. After a moment, she swallowed hard and gave it another try. "My mother... Is she... Is she alright?" Shemshi managed to look up at the goddess, a little afraid of the answer. "Why did she do this?" Her voice was even softer than before with the second question managed to come out.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 6:51 pm
Mtima's urge to mother the poor dear had to be suppressed. She couldn't scare her off, she had to give her her space. An overwhelmed lioness did not need anything more to make it worse. She let it sink in and waited for the inevitable questions, standing still and silent- but keeping her mien sincere. She couldn't waver, she couldn't let her story become less credible. She was curious about what went through Shemshi's mind and her face conveyed various small changes in emotion.
The first question she asked, though, was unexpected. How could she answer it truthfully? Amadet was alive, but she was being held against her will in a pride where she was low ranked, where she would have to work hard to better herself. And that was because of Mtima that Amadet was trapped there. She opted to answer the questions in reverse order.
"Your mother was from a pride that I was the patron of, with my brothers," she said carefully, "There were certain markings, certain traits that the pride valued. Her sister, her only littermate, got every single on of the markings and your mother didn't get a single one. She blamed us, wanted to get revenge. She was looking for me when she found my son. She saw an opportunity to right the wrongs that had been done to her. Her pride was gone, she had nothing to prove, nothing to do except get revenge upon me. She did what she thought not only made her equal to her sister, but better- she bore cubs directly in the lineage of one of the pride's deities, directly in my lineage."
She paused carefully here, letting it sink in- she had not even explained it this fully to Pepo. There was something about Shemshi, her shock, her quiet reaction, her almost fearful questioning..
"Your mother is alive, but she is not coming back," Mtima continued finally, saying it very carefully. She didn't wish to poison her granddaughter's view of her paternal family with specifics about what the goddess had done, didn't want to explain how Amadet had left only to taunt the goddess about it and ended up so desperate that she dared to challenge the deity physically. She had to take a moment to consider how she would explain further without revealing too much, so she stopped there.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:21 pm
Shemshi sensed a sort of history lesson coming on after asking those questions. She'd always loved stories, though. Not as much as little spirit-plants, maybe, but she sure had liked to listen to people tell her things they really knew about. This was very different, of course, in that it wasn't her grandma telling her about something she particularly liked. It was more of a need than a want. However, the yellow female found herself falling into old habits, straightening out her posture into a more comfortable listening position. She stared at the goddess expectantly.
The idea that mere markings could be so important to someone amazed her. She couldn't help but take a sweeping glance at her side, where her only slightly darker yellow shoulder spots stood out to be her only marking. She was a very plain lioness, that was for certain, but it had never once bothered her. It hadn't even occurred to her that it could ever bother anybody. Of course, the biggest thing about this history lesson wasn't the fact that her mom was so vain she'd take revenge over it. It was the fact that she, Shemshi herself, was the revenge. A wave of pricklies, the BAD kind of pricklies, rippled over her body. She felt uncomfortabley warm suddenly, and most of all, she felt dirty. That was the best way she could think to describe it. "So... Me and my siblings..." She shuddered, but continued on as best she could. "We're revenge?" Her usually sweet-as-honey voice was losing its sweetness. Instead, it was laced with disgust and getting hoarse.
She was trying so hard not to think badly of her mother. Deep down, she knew, she loved her. She was somewhat numb when she thought about her mom being alive, and about her not coming back. She was getting the impression that the last time she saw her mom when she was just a little thing would be the last time ever. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. On the one paw, they were talking about her mom, and despite what Amadet did, she was still her mom. On the other paw, though... The lioness shuddered again. That creeping dirty feeling was prickling over her skin.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:43 pm
Mtima nodded slowly and sadly as Shemshi verbalized the point of the story. She wasn't sure if she wished to add how much her mother had appeared to care for her, how she would have come back if she could.. Amadet had realized the flaw in her logic, but she had continued to argue. She tried to get back in time, as the goddess saw it, only to make sure they would not believe what Mtima'safi told them. She had physically tried to stop the goddess when faced with no other option.. but never had she shown remorse, never had she admitted she was wrong and asked for the opportunity to make things right. She fought every step of the way, and she was suffering her punishment.
"I'm sorry," she decided on finally, trailing off after that- uncertain how to proceed immediately to an invitation to meet her father.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:00 pm
The lioness nodded her understanding slowly. She stared at her little yellow toes, trying not to cry. There was just so much to swallow in all of this, she was having great difficulty keeping it all in. Her eyes shined over with tears that threatened to streak down into her fur. She fought off another shudder in reaction to the hot prickles. An almost obbsessive need to give herself a thorough grooming came over her, as if that might help get rid of this dirty feeling she had. Carefully, she leaned her nose down low enough that she could just barely lick her paw. She stopped just after one little lick, though, and pulled back up. No, that wasn't going to help.
It was difficult for her to look back at the goddess at first. She felt a little bad for her, really. After all, it must be a bummer to be the bearer of bad news, especially when first meeting your granddaughter. She was sure the poor thing must feel a bit awkward about all of this. Blinking slowly, letting only a few small tears create a wet ring around her eyes, the lioness managed to pull herself up into a standing position. She stared at her grandma for a few seconds, as if rethinking what she was going to do. Then, in a couple of weak steps, she closed the distance between them and buried her head in her grandma's chest. When her face was safely hidden, she couldn't help but cry. It wasn't hard sobbing, though. Just light tears about everything that had ever happened. The abandonment of her mother, which she had forgiven so quickly; the near abandonment of the lion she thought was her father, which she had of course, forgiven; the fact that it had all been a lie, which she was still even willing to forgive; and then, on top of it, her disgust with this revenge plot.
After a few quiet moments, she managed to mumble, "It's alright. Thanks."
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