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 Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:12 pm
It was like the whole area was completely abandoned.
But little did she know that just over that ridge in the near distance, there was a huge and diverse pride known as the pridelands, and many, many lions and other creatures lived there.
The lioness trotted along with her tail hung low, ears folded over, and an all-over blank expression on her face. The last time she had met someone had..well, been interesting to say the least, and she'd like to meet him again, but...that was undetermined.
Perhaps she would, perhaps not. She couldn't predict the future. So she kept walking along, getting closer and closer to that hill.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 10:48 am
Unknown to the wandering female, there was indeed another soul just beyond the ridge. His strikingly blue coat stuck out among the tall green grass, and he wandered along by himself as well. He, too, was thinking of another. That kind female he had met not too long prior. He wondered what she was up to, where she had gone, if she had left for good. He sighed softly. She had been one of the few friends he had made in his lifetime.
Kialio looked up at the sky. It was unusual for the male to be out and about during the daylight hours, but the sun had been so bright that day that he couldn't sleep, no matter how far back in his den he had gone. He had decided that the sun was telling him to come out and play in the light for once, and he actually felt rather good about being out in the open like this. The warmth of the sun felt wonderful against his fur, and the cool breeze blew through his mane and he smiled contentedly.
As the large male climbed the ridge, he caught the scent of something on the breeze. His ears perked up and he lifted his head as he scanned the area. Down below he spotted the shape of a lioness and he blinked, realizing it definitely was not the one he had met before, but yet another. He smiled and watched her as she walked for a few moments, before slowly making his way down towards her. He didn't want to frighten her, so he called out before he came too close, "Hello there." His deep yet kind voice carried on the wind and he gave her his patented half-smile.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 8:02 pm
Zuri had been almost to the top of the ridge (or, rather, to the middle of the hill), when a voice called out to her. She stopped and looked up, seeing the bright blue fur of a male walking slowly towards her with a friendly half-smile on his face. She smiled back and walked forward as well.
"Hello!" she greeted in return. The lioness had never seen a coat such as his before; even hers was so much a darker shade that she could do well to sit in a grassy spot and never be noticed. But for this lion, it was not so.
"Do you ever catch anything with your coat being so bright?"
The question popped out of her mouth before she could think about it first, but she didn't apologize. Her smile just grew wider. Curiosity was never a thing to apologize for, she felt, and besides. He must have already gotten a lot of questions about his blue fur before she ever came along.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 8:38 pm
Lio chuckled at the question as he met her halfway down the hill. "Oh, why yes actually. Usually I hunt at night, it's much easier to mask in the dark." He answered, not offended by her question. He actually found it refreshing, since most chose to just stare at him and ignore the fact completely.
"My name is Kialio, by the way." He said as he came to a stop, then bowed his head low to her. "But most call me Lio. A pleasure to meet you." He broguht his head back up and admired her own patterned coat, which he found very interesting. "You have an interesting coat color yourself." He said, bringing his eyes back to her. "Very lovely."
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 8:56 am
"Ohhh, that makes sense. That's a smart thing to do." It actually did, too; what a smart lion he was to hunt at night instead of the day, even though most animals were out sleeping in hidey-holes by that time. Well, whatever he liked to do, Zuri supposed.
"Oh, I'm Vizuri'maana. Zuri for short, since that's a mouthful," she giggled. "It's nice to meet you as well. And thank you! I don't know what in the world turned me this color, but I like it as well." She beamed at the compliment. Indeed, she had been told many things of her interesting pelt: the mask looked like crabs from the sea, as did her shoulder and hind leg markings. And the light blue at her neck was a star, while the socks on her back legs looked like the waves of the ocean.
And though Zuri had never been to the big waters before, she knew that they were probably true, if they could spot the similarities between her and it.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 9:02 am
Lio smiled his half-smile at her, liking her instantly. She had a good sense of humor, which he found very appealing in anyone. "Well thank you, I thought so too." He said with a chuckle, referring to how she told him he was smart. "And I do like your colors very much, they are truly unique. Not like me, all one solid color." He chuckled again, as he sat down before her.
He wondered where she had come from ,and he ventured the question to her. "So where are you from, Miss Zuri?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 9:08 am
"Well, I wouldn't say you weren't unique. How often do you see a big blue lion walking around, hm? In the yellow, green, and brown grasses? You stand out handsomely. I haven't seen one before, so that makes you unique, Mister Lio," she returned with a silly grin, sincere in her compliment and reasoning. Zuri wasn't one to make things up; rather, she said it how it was, and meant well even though it might come out being just the opposite.
"I'm just from the savannah, wandering around as I please. It's fun! I don't really have a pride to call home, which is fine by me. Are you from a pride?"
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 9:47 am
Lio would have blushed if lions had the capability. Instead he put his head down, shifting his weight bashfully. "Oh, well thank you.." He said softly. He had never gotten such a compliment before, aside from his mother. But moms don't count.
"Oh, you're a rogue then?" He said with a smile, trying to push his embarrassment out of his mind. "It does sound like fun, I must admit. I've never had the wander lust myself, though. I prefer being in one place. The stars change through the seasons, that's enough excitement for me." He smiled his patented half-smile. "And yes, I'm from the Pride Lands. I do believe it's one of the biggest prides around, although I don't really care much for such status markers." He shrugged a little. "So, you've never been in a pride, ever?" He asked, wondering about a life alone in the wild. Although he was a solitary lion, he understood the benefits of a large group. This way you don't fight for food, and there's no threat of any predator, even if lions don't have many in the first place.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:00 am
She smiled easily at him.
"I suppose I would be a rogue then, yes," Zuri returned, tilting her head to one side to think about that. "Although I have always been curious about a pride, and what it would be like. I haven't really ever been in a big group, though I bet I would like it." As fun as wandering around all by herself was, she missed the constant company a pride could give you. Meeting random lions was fun, but she wanted...stability, if that made any sense.
"Oh, I've heard of the Pride Lands! I've heard how beautiful they are; what is it like, living in such a big pride?" she asked curiously.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:19 am
Lio shrugged a little. The truth was, he barely knew anyone outside his family in the pride. "Well, it's alright, I suppose. I don't really have many friends." He smiled a bit guiltily. "I usually keep to myself, most of the time. I like to stargaze, and everyone else is asleep at that time." He tilted his head the other way.
"I could show you around a little, if you'd like." He said with a smile, standing up. He was a large animal, a real gentle giant. He had a spot in mind to show her, since the sun had begun to go down on yet another day. "I have a very lovely spot that I like to sit to watch the sunset, if you'd like to see it." He smiled softly.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:23 am
Oh wow. He really was a big lion. And Zuri wasn't that big to begin with (although considered an average size, she was a good bit smaller than that). But it fit him, his size. A truly gentle giant was what she saw him as, as she smiled up at him now.
"I'd love to see it. Is it a good place to see stars, then?" She had picked up on his like of stargazing (he had said so, plus the moon pendant could only mean something like that). Plus the sun was going down, slowly, so it would be night soon. Which meant a perfect time for stargazing, also something that Zuri liked to do when she was alone. Not often, and she certainly wasn't as knowledgeable as this lion was when it came to the shiny spots above. But she looked forward to learning something new about them anyway.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:30 am
Lio smiled happily at her response. He nodded at her question as he started to lead her to the tall rocks he frequented. "Oh it is, it's my favorite stargazing spot." He nodded happily, like a child with a new friend to show his most favorite toy.
The rock outcropping wasn't far from where the two had been, just over the ridge. He glanced behind to make sure she was following, and he gave her a smile as he did.
When they reached the rock he led the way up a rather natural staircase, a few rocks that led up to the large, flat stone. He sat down, making sure to move as far to the side as possible, to give her a comfortable amount of space. It easily fit two lions. The view was perfect, sinc eit faced the way the sun was setting. The sky had just begun to change colors, making brilliant pinks and blues and purples in the heavens. Lio gazed out at it, but his eyes were continuously drawn to his new companion. He found her more lovely than even the sunset, though he wouldn't speak this thought.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:39 am
"Ohhh," she whispered, following him obediently up the staircase and to sit beside him on the rock outcrop. It was a beautiful sight. "I can't even imagine just coming up here for stargazing. It's a lovely spot to watch a sunset and a sunrise." She loved the dark colors spinning out into the horizon, following the sun as it went down beyond the farthest spot they could see.
Zuri glanced back over at him and caught him looking at her; she giggled and smiled back at him. "Do you come out here every night to look at the stars?"
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:47 am
Lio smiled back at her, a little embarrassed that he got caught. "Oh yes, almost every night." He said with a nod. "I spend most of my time here, this is where I found my necklace stone, actually." He said, looking over into a small trench.
"It was right in there, and at night a beam of moonlight hits it. That's how I noticed it." He smiled again, looking back over to her. "It really is a special area for me, it's where I spent all my time, and made up all my stories for the star patterns." Again he would have blushed if he could, since he rarely told anyone of his stories. He had studied the stars ever since cubhood, and he had many stories for the patterns. He knew them well, and they were his only true friends.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:53 am
She peered down into the spot that he had mentioned, the little hole that he had found his moon stone in. "Oh, I see. It's like the moon told you where it was, then? By lighting it up like that? I wish I had seen it; I bet it was such an amazing feeling finding such a special thing in a special place."
Zuri looked up at the stars coming out now, as the sun continued to sink in the West. "You named and made up stories for the stars? What kind of stories? How many did you make up?" she asked, intrigued. She had never heard of a lion making up stories about the stars, only knowing that they were there for some reason. She hadn't thought that they were there for something bigger, or a lion could make her believe such a thing.
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