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 Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:59 pm
She had heard from others of a valley where she might be able to find the peace she was looking for at last. Until they had come this close to the jungle no one had heard of the waterfalls wrapped in foliage. But now .... now someone had. A little bird had told her that there were plenty of waterfalls in the home of one of the older prides in the area. So it was to this place she was heading with her mate.
If only she could find the waterfalls in her dreams she knew she could find peace. She could stop dragging her mate all over the savanna and they could finally settle down. It was more than she could ever ask for. Somewhere safe and relatively calm where she could spend her days wit him.
She had heard that the pride in the mist had issues of their own but perhaps she'd be lucky enough to not see any of that. Hopefully.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 6:34 pm
He found himself following closer to her now as they wandered closer to the trees, fighting back the desire to take the lead ahead of her only because he could not see the pictures in his mate's mind; did not know just what she was looking for. He longed to, of course, thriving on the tales she told him of the lands concealed by the mist of the falls, dreaming of days where he could let his guard down... A time when his mate could find contentment and, together, they could simply -be-.
He knew better than to mistrust her judgment but he couldn't keep his fur from bristling slightly as they continued. From what she had told him recently they would come across a pride of lions soon, assuming they still had claim to these parts. He had to be on his guard now... More for her sake than his own.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 6:57 pm
Having spent the late morning basking in the delicate mist of one of the many waterfalls that made the mistweaver lands so distinct, Makadara was decidedly damp as he made his way down a rocky path, broad paws seeming to find the next safe step easily, almost without thought.
Finally hitting relatively level ground, he came around a largeish boulder, almost coming face-to-face with the lioness.
Blinking in surprise, he stopped, lashing his tail to and fro--the only sign of the agitation he felt at not having noticed her presence before this. Cautiously, he sniffed at the air--was she alone, or was she with a pride? And more importantly still, why was she in their pridal lands?
"This is pridal territory," he observed, both expression and tone reserved, poised to react as he waited to see her response.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:04 pm
She came to a sudden stop as a dark male came around the rocks she'd been walking near. She hadn't expected to see someone in such a manner. She'd been making noise right? She had tried to.
"I'm sorry ... i am looking for the pride that resides in this area." She smiled softly at the other. He seemed agitated and she hoped if she could keep herself friend it would calm him. "Would you be one of the residents?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:10 pm
He just managed to keep himself from growling at the sudden appearance of another male, standing just behind his mate with his body poised, every muscle tense and ready to spring if the dark male made a move towards Umande that he didn't like. He knew, of course, that such a stance would get him nowhere... Would get them nowhere.
He straightened out almost lazily, stepping up beside his mate instead with a courteous bow of his head. "We were told that there was a pride near by... It is that pride we've been searching for. My mate," he put the possession out there, making it clear that she was with him and he with her, "dreams. We've been following them..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:10 pm
Refusing to take a step back, although he was now outnumbered, Makadara took a quick read of their body language, and, with a small nod, and a raised eyebrow at the male to indicate he'd gotten the point, he relaxed marginally. He had no interest in the lioness, in that respect, so it cost him nothing to attempt to make that clear, now.
"If it's the Umande'mfuni you're searching for, then you've found it...or at least, a part of it." He said nothing else, pulling out the silence, calmly letting it sit between them. His mane was starting to frizz as it dried, standing up in all directions, and giving him a more youthful appearance than he might otherwise have projected.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:32 pm
"I believe that is what i was told the pride was called." she nodded carefully. "My dreams have been pointing me toward a land covered in lush jungle and water falls ... i was told i could find that here"
She had been told that she and her mate would be welcomed so long as they posed no threat to the pride. Hopefully that would be the case and she could find what her dreams had been showing her.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:39 pm
As the other male relaxed so did he, tail ticking behind him more to mark the time than for any other reason. "Mm... And what part of the Umande'mfuni might we have found in finding you?" His brow lofted slightly, head tilting to the side as he continued to watch the other male, wondering whether they'd be as welcomed as his mate had said they would be.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:41 pm
Makadara looked from one to the other, expression somewhat guarded. "With the return of the rains, the lands are slowly returning to what they once were, yes." he'd hardly recognized the land of mists when he'd first returned, but the terrain was slowly becoming more akin to what he'd heard in stories as a very young cub.
Turning back to the male, he flashed a quick, if somewhat abrupt, grin.
"I'm Makadara, and as to what 'part' of the umande'mfuni..." he trailed off, letting silence fill the air for a moment before continuing. "I'm one of those who sit on our council, and offer my advice to the queen when requested."
"What business do you have with us?" he asked, already suspecting, given the lioness' words.
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:57 am
"I was hoping we could eventually make our home here." The dreams had been so vivid. This was the place she was looking for to call home. She just had to be allowed to stay. "I understand it is a lot ask, we being strangers, but we mean your home no harm"
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 9:44 am
"Hmm." A council and a queen. He took that knowledge and stored it in his mind, putting pieces in line as they came together with the little things he knew. "I am Makini'maji, and my currently single-minded mate is Umande'jalji... She's generally the one who makes the first introductions but this quest has come to mean very much to her."
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:02 pm
Sitting back on his haunches, Makadara simply stared back at the pair.
"That may be," he began, clearly thinking before he spoke. "and is all good and well, but what do you bring to the pride?" They were no charity case--given the hardships they were only just beginning to emerge from, they couldn't afford to be.
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Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:57 am
".... i would take it then that the ability to see is not one uncommon amongst your kind." Usually that was enough to catch people off guard. But here ... he seemed to completely ignore it. She had never thought she was truely unique or special in that way but it had never been brushed off before.
"We bring life. New blood .... a new thread to the pattern of your pride's fate. I can watch cubs, baby sit them, while parents are away. My mate is strong. He can help protect the pride from whatever might threaten it." She really had nothing truly valuable to offer them. She just knew, with everything she had, that she was suppose to be here. She had never been pointed in a direction that she was not suppose to go in.
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:26 am
He wasn't entirely sure about protecting a pride of strangers but he would do it if Umande asked him to; he would do it to protect her. "We bring strength, wisdom and heart; a strong sense of right and wrong and a desire to be at peace instead of wandering for the rest of our days. Umande will argue, but I'm not as young as I used to be." A smirk curved his lips as he glanced at his mate, knowing well enough that he was no more than a year older than she was and he certainly wouldn't call her old.
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Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:22 am
Makadara shrugged. "I have yet to meet another pride member with the ability to see...at least, in that way," he began, the words probably somewhat cryptic, given his lack of surprise. It wasn't that he found such abilities commonplace, but it wasn't the first time he'd seen, or heard, of such things either.
"But I spent a great deal of my life wandering, and saw much while I did so." He left it at that, feeling no need to divulge any more about his own life, before his return to the pride of his birth.
Considering them both a moment longer, Makadara finally nodded, although he was less certain of how the male would fit into the pride. The lioness seemed wholehearted, whereas he seemed to be somewhat more reluctant, along more to please her than because he really wished to be a member, himself.
Finally, he inclined his head. "Welcome to the umande'mfuni." he kept his tone serious, although he flashed them both a small smile. Without taking lightly the responsibilities of accepting new members, the pride needed to grow, and to become strong--something that, having listened to the way the lioness spoke, he felt that they could contribute to--the male was clearly devoted to his mate, and perhaps in time, would grow to feel a similar attachment to the pride as a whole.
"I can show you to where we all gather, as the path can be rather tricky," he offered, after allowing silence to lapse for a moment. Somehow, in spite of his rapidly-frizzing mane, he managed to look composed.
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