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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:09 am
 Faith. Ruul'dolph had lost his faith in the God of Prey.
The old Klipspringer had been traveling for a long while now. At least, it seemed long to him, due to his old age and being alongside two younger ones of his kind with such energetic attitudes. He had let the two, Taga and Mint'e, tag along with him, teaching them how to survive and toughening them up for the 'wilds', all the while moving forward. All his life, he had been in search of the place he had heard of so much as a fawn, the 'herbivore's paradise', and had made it his goal to get there before he passed on. The very thought of a place like that existing was like a dream to the aged Klippy.
"Doesn't seem like I'm gettin' us very far, though." He said to himself out loud with a soft sigh as he walked through the Savannah that night, the area being more rocky and less grassy than the usual stretches. Ruul'dolph had left the two boys near a patch of a few slim African trees to take a well deserved rest that night, all of them weary and tuckered out from their travels that day. But the old man shook away the tired feelings, staying up that night and looking around the place.
Oh, he desperately wanted to find that paradise! He didn't want to let his two boys down, though, telling them to follow him to some make believe land that didn't even exist. Ruul' was so.. unsure. A bit of faith in this fairytale was lost over the years, but he wouldn't give up just yet.
But he seemed to be getting no where, perhaps leading him and the two younger Klipspringers on a wild goose chase all this time. It just tore him apart on the inside, not knowing whether or not what he was doing was right.
"Have I... failed?" Ruul'dolph asked in a quieter tone, his ears flicking back against his head as he came to a halt in his tracks. He just stood there on all fours, casting his gaze to the ground for a moment, then looking up at the darkened sky. "Maybe this mission 'o mine is pointless."
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:32 am
Perhaps luckily for Ruul'dolf, Palahala and his companion were out and about on a recruitment mission. With Gobo back in the herd it was a good time to leave and tell more of their paradise, of the world they had created safe from predators.
Palahala, always felt skittish when outside of his own borders, though truthfully this was just because of who he was, the embodiment of prey itself he worried he would be eaten. This worry had ebbed a little as he grew older, now able to protect singular herds for a time when he was out and about, but his true home, that place where he belonged was with his herd.
His rounded ears twitched as he heard the approach of hooves. he remained still and quiet, scentless, as if he was an antelope fawn hiding in the grasses. "Please, don't be frightened." He whispered, his voice a calm muurr, his whole being conveyed the feeling of calm, it was a part of who he was, he belonged with the herd beasts.Zebadie woke at Palahalas voice, she was on her hooves before a further word could be said. Golden eyes fixed upon the red nosed klipspringer, she calmed quickly stretching out her slender limbs. She was large for a klipspringer, nearly eight and a half inches at her whither's, making her at least a semi impressive creature, with her heavily contrasting body and clear cut confidence.
"Hello there, you're out late." She spoke in quite a loud tone of voice though it was quiet enough not to break the night time silence, her ears twitched as she looked around to check for anyone else or any thing else approaching them, before she rested her honey glazed eyes upon the old male.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 11:36 pm
At the sound of the voice, Ruul'dolph felt a sort of calmness overcoming him. It was both unexpected and odd, with his constant nervousness from having to not watch out for just himself, but two others. But this new feeling was.. nice. Letting out a soft sigh, he gave a look around, trying to see who had spoken. Turning his attention to the sun baked grass, the Klipspringer searched, eventually spotting two dark, spiraled horns in the light colored brush. Taking a few steps forward, without the usual cautiousness, he spoke with a small smile, "Come now, why would I be 'fraid of m' own kin-.."
But his voice trailed off as he saw who it actually was, not a Klipspringer like himself but a lion who appeared to be a juvenile. His old heart gave a startled beat at the sight, his chocolate eyes widening slightly as he stopped moving towards Palahala. The urge to run away and flee was gone, but Ruul' was confused as to why. 'All o' this weird stuff. Have I stumbled upon a... a God?' He asked himself in his head, looking at the horned feline.
It sure did look like it. No normal lion could be found with such wings, and those familiar hooves! But what was his domain? What did he rule over?... That question would be for later.
"Greetings, young sir." He said with a slight bob of his head to the feline, watching as another of his kind appeared beside the supposed predator. Ruul'dolph gave an inquisitive tilt of his head at the striped female, admiring her for a moment. She looked more.. what was the word... impressive? He'd go with that, seeing her impressive size and the confidence she spoke with. "And t' you too, miss. I'm jus' out in search of somethin' tonight. What about y' two?"
He suddenly gave a flick of his ears, flashing a small smile at the two. "Almost forgot m' manners. I'm Ruul'dolph."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:14 pm
Palahala smiled, he had seen that look often enough, he had even been met with consternation from some, after all he had all the features of a predator but he held tightly to the other half of his being, he was a herd beast, a member of the prey family. he smelled and acted and moved like a creature of his domain.
His small alert ears flickered about in the spiralling way of the antelope as he listened, but none seemed to be out, at least at the moment, on this clear night. "And a greeting to you sir." he whispers nodding his head a little, though he remained seated, standing was an ordeal and he felt a little foolish raising when he didn't really need to, at least not yet. "I am Palahala, the god of prey." he lifted his head at this statement, he was proud of what he was, of who he was. "And this lady beside me is Zebadie, she is the head of my herd, we are outside of my domain spreading the good word."
Zebadie gave a chuckle as Palahala spoke, she remembered when he was younger and much too frightened to speak up and say what his domain was. His confidence was better now though and she loved how proud he was of his domain. The zebra striped klipspringer tilted her head in a gentle nod and smiled. "Tis a pleasure Ruul'dolf, do you travel alone r are there others near by? We weren't sure if there was a herd in the area or not though Palahala can usually zone in on them pretty well." She chuckled and looked fondly at the young god, she classed herself as his protector as well as the head of his herd and knowing if there was a herd of klipspringers near by would be a useful titbit.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:48 pm
"I am Palahala, the god -"
Ah, so he was a God! Giving a nod of his head, he then heard the next part. This juvenile Palahala was the God... of Prey? The old Klipspringer's heart nearly gave out, his eyes giving a blink in surprise. This was certainly... unexpected, but a meeting certainly welcomed by Ruul'dolph. Why, this was the very same deity he had been in search of all his life! This was...
Words couldn't describe how wonderful the older Klipspringer felt, as if a dark, shrouding smoke had been cleared out from around him.
He couldn't help but brace himself from the overflowing feelings he felt inside, sitting down on his rump onto the flat, stone and dirt ground with a slight smile. "I honestly can't believe I've happened upon th' two of y' tonight, young sir. The God of Prey... Why, I thought y' only existed in tales." Ruul'dolph confessed with a wag of his stumped tail, looking at the feline at first, then moving his gaze over to the newly introduced Zebadie. "'S a pleasure as well, Zebadie." Having to take a moment to think about the question, he gave a shake of his head. "I have two youngsters travelin' along with me, but right now, they're restin' up a ways away by a patch of trees." He then gave a curious and inquisitive look at Zebadie, looking over at Palahala for a moment before looking back at both of them. "You're looking 'round for others like us?"
Suddenly, his curiosity got the best of him, Ruul'dolph holding in a breath inwardly as he questioned Palahala and Zebadie. "Do y' perhaps live with a herd, you two?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:06 am
Palahala gave a gentle chuckle, although he knew many were appreciative of who he was, it was certainly strange t see one so dumbfounded by his presence. He supposed in a way there must have been a god of prey before him but he didn't like to think or dwell on that, he was here now. "Oh yes, I have a herd in a far valley protected from the predator, we are out recruiting, spreading the word and mostly just letting people know that we exsist. It's a haven for our kind, free of predation."
he turned to zebadie and nosed her side gently "Zebadie and her mate Gobo are the leaders of my herd, they protect it's inhabitants when I'm not there, though no predator can pass in to my valley." He puffed out his small chest as he said this. "It is safe for all whom are prey."
Zebadie chuckled lightly and smiled at the older male flickering her own small stubby tail "I know, it's a lot to take in." She smiles holding herself proudly, she was always glad when Palahala announced her the way he did. It made a great pleased feeling flow through her body. "I'v left the fawns with their father, not that they need to be watched." She laughed and shook her head "No predator can pass in to our lands, it is the only safe place in the whole world, where no prey beast has to run or fear for their lives, it is the valley of paradise."
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:21 am
"No predators at all.." Ruul' said softly to himself after the young God had spoken, just the very thought of knowing that a safe haven existed for their kind giving him a feeling of relief. "That's quite th' feat, protectin' a whole herd." At the sight of the horned feline puffing out his chest, the old Klippy flashed a smile. "Good to know there's a couple o' youngsters out there."
"A valley of paradise. Why, I thought I'd never actually hear about it 'n my day." A soft laugh escaped from Ruul'dolph's maw. This little bump-in with the lion and fellow Klipspringer was doing him some good! In fact, his faith was a bit restored. So, old Ruul' had been right all along! All those tales and fables he had heard as a fawn were true. He wasn't wrong.. He could go back to Mint'e and Taga and tell them about his new found discovery. 'This... this 's wonderful!'
"As a child, I'd always heard rumors 'bout a valley free of predators an' everything, but never found out much beyond rumors. But this! This 's great." Nodding his head slightly, the Klipspringer then looked at the two with curiosity growing. "What's it like there, if y' don't mind me askin'?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:50 pm
The young god looked to the skies a sort of fleeting, dreamy look passing over those soft doe like eyes. "To the west of my valley is a great wall of stone and sleet where many of your kind play in the nooks and crannies of the world never falling to those whom predate upon them, to the east the fields roll out long and sweeping, full always of the greenest grasses, to the south stand our orchards filled with fruits for our celebrations and to the north is the gate way where only those whom are prey can enter, it is a land of peace and prosperity, from the klipspringer to the zebra, the waterbuck and even the hare roam free in my lands free and safe from those whom would kill and feast.
His gaze lowered once again, his young chocolate eyed gaze resting upon the old klipspringer. "It is the garden of paradise."
Zebadie chuckled and nosed at the young god. "You always make it sound so poetic Palahala." She grins standing proudly thinking of the lands in which she lived "It is true though, there is no more beautiful land than the mbuga-za'peponi."
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