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 Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:41 pm
Plenty of things were going on in Enzi's life. His sister had gone missing and search efforts had returned empty handed, his mother had found love in one of the lions that had gone on the search- a cousin of him and his siblings, inf act- and was expecting cubs. Enzi was feeling uncertain of himself and was searching for where exactly he fit into things and where his life was taking him. Kafara was there the whole way, offering comfort and friendship when his sister had gone and sharing in his mixed feelings when his mother took a mate and soon was pregnant. Enzi was very happy to have her around so much and found himself wanting to be around her more and more. It was just so much easier and happier when she was around.
He had gone out looking for her today, as happened everyday, in fact. They were out for their walk, starting near her den and going around the waterhole before circling back. If they decided to go back soon.
So far the walk had been quiet but Enzi was enjoying himself. Kafara was walking along at Enzi's side, happy to be out for their walk. She enjoyed herself, she always felt rather special when they were out together, and besides- she liked to keep an eye on him. She had considerable more perspective on their relationship than the blue boy did, perhaps, but she didn't say anything. She was happy how things were. For now, anyway. She was a little uncertain about real relationships, her parents made her a little anxious.
But that didn't have to bother her.
"So, what are we going to do today?" she asked, glancing around and wondering where they might deviate from the standard path in search of something a little more exciting to do.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:39 pm
Where had Kafara been lately? He wondered to himself. It seemed whenever Kutunza had a moment to himself his sister popped into his mind. Having been born into a broken family, the female was the only thing stable in his life. She was his rock and closest friend. At that thought, the male lifted his paws to cover his face, half-grown mane falling lightly over his eyes. "Hmm" he huffed aloud. Kafara hadn't been his rock lately as she had been in the past. She'd spent so much time away from the den, he almost felt as though he didn't even have a sister anymore. He wondered how he could possibly need someone so much when they didn't appear to feel the same way...
With another sigh, Kutunza made a full roll and lifted himself to his feet. "That's enough of that.." He muttered, glancing about the den. The hares were only spots now and his parents were nowhere near to be heard. Making his way outside the den, the awkward striped male decided a walk might be nice enough to take his mind off of things.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:47 pm
Enzi slowed down a little bit and took a moment to look around them, trying to figure out if there was anything unusual around them. It wasn't necessarily any fun going to places they had already been numerous times. Hmm, hmm!
"Where haven't we been?" he asked, still thinking about places he'd seen and places they had been, trying to pick out places they hadn't gone together, "I think we've been just about everywhere. Is there anywhere in particular you liked best?"
That was the obvious alternative. A trip around to a favorite place.
When Enzi started to look around, Kafara mimicked him. There were plenty of places they had been before, she wasn't entirely sure how many places there were left for them to find. She was perfectly content with the idea of exploring. They didn't really need a plan, after all.
"We don't have to stop and think about it, silly," she laughed at him, "Let's see what we can find. Maybe something at the waterhole will give us an idea."
She had no idea that her brother had gone off in search of her.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:26 pm
Kutunza sort of slunked as he padded along on his walk. His ears were folded back onto his head and his tail drooped heavily without any personality. He was a mess of a lion. It was only his clean healthy fur and full stomach that made it clear he was a pride member. As he made his way farther from the shadows of the den and into the sun, the male blinked and contemplating turning back. Ugh. It's always so hot this time of year, he thought. Pausing for a moment, he tried to gather himself enough to figure out a destination. If he had somewhere to go, perhaps that'd give him some kind of motivation. It took him only a moment stopped in the hot sun to decide on the watering hole.
About halfway to the large pool of water Kutunza swore he caught the site of a familiar beige lioness walking in the company of another lion. He laughed at himself for thinking it might be his sister. In a pride where the primary colors are gold and beige it would be a miracle to take a stroll and see no one of those shades. And plus, she was walking alongside someone else. And then the scent reached him. Kafara - and some male.
Breathing out heavily from his nostrils, Kutunza looked alarmed. Who was this guy? Kafara hadn't mentioned going out to meet anybody. Well, Kafara hadn't really said much at all to him lately. But that wasn't the point! Who was this guy!?
Stepping forward boldly, the male held himself high and cleared his throat, approaching the pair with enough confidence to make himself known.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:30 pm
"OK," he agreed, smiling, "If you say so."
So he turned back toward the waterhole, leading the way as the headed off in that direction once again. But his mind didn't stop going. He wanted to think of something fun and exciting, he was worried about being boring for his friend. As he walked, he listened to any chatter only semi-attentively. Just when he thought he might have an idea, he glanced around them again-- and caught sight of the brown lion behind them, just as he cleared his throat.
He blinked, looking confused, and glanced to Kafara before looking back at the male.
"We always find something fun to do," she assured him, knowing he wasn't quite certain enough of himself to just accept that she would enjoy walking with him even if they only walked and talked. She followed along beside him.
"How is your mom doing now?" she asked brightly, trying to steer the conversation, "Are you still worried? Cubs can be a lot of fun, my brother and I helped my niece a lot when her cubs were really little." She thought happily back to when Angavu's girls were all tiny, but now.. well, now they were getting even bigger than she was! Kafara was not a very big lioness. She looked to Enzi when he didn't answer, then followed his gaze to behind them just as Kutunza cleared his throat.
"Kutunza!" she exclaimed, surprised to see her brother. Her eyes went to Enzi but then back to Kutunza, offering him a small smile, "What are you doing out here?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:28 pm
Kutunza felt his body tense up as Enzi was the first to catch site of him. From what he could tell the blue male looked uncomfortable. Kutunza was not an aggressive or dominating male in the least, in fact he was usually incredibly submissive and quiet, but as Enzi looked almost helplessly towards his sister Kutunza felt victorious. A rush of testosterone forced him to take another step forward while narrowing his eyes. A deep rumbling growl began in his throat, but was silenced quickly the moment his sister called out to him.
"Kafara..." The dark male responded, a hint of frustration still visible in his voice. As he stepped towards his sister, the male lowered his ears and waved his tail about behind him. Leaning down, he offered an affectionate nuzzle and then looked back up towards Enzi. "I was just taking a stroll... I would ask you the same thing, but it looks as though you've had your reasons to keep far from the den." He spoke while he watched Enzi and something about what he said almost implied he thought Kafara would make irresponsible decisions like many of their family members. Kutunza returned his gaze to his sister, his eyes revealing the clear hurt he felt.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:45 pm
Kafara knew the look she was getting wasn't exactly good but she couldn't bring herself to rise against it. She smiled sheepishly, nuzzling him in return and watching him carefully as he glanced to Enzi and then questioned her. She made a face when she realized he wasn't looking back at her, taking a small, hesitant step backward. What Kutunza was implying wasn't anything new to her and Enzi but somehow it stung her more. The more confident, amicable lioness she managed to be with Enzi and his family was momentarily lost.
"This is Enzi," she introduced the blue lion when her brother looked to her again, offering a small, reassuring smile, "He's my friend."
Surprising even himself, Enzi felt a surge of defiance, of confidence when Kutunza made himself known. He managed to keep his eyes on Kutunza as he attempted to stare him down, trying not to look so dumbstruck or scared. He didn't have a reason to be scared, he had to struggle to keep his own displeasure about the tone Kutunza spoke in from showing. Still, he frowned. He couldn't help that.
"Hi," he murmured after Kafara introduced him.
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Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:29 pm
Despite his tone and what he had said, Kafara still returned the nuzzle and smiled when she introduced her "friend", Enzi. Kutunza felt ashamed of his brash behavior and kept his ears lowered, despite his overwhelming urge to stand tall and puff out his chest before this new male. Kafara was his closest family member and he felt a need to show Enzi, friend of not, that he could not step in and steal her away so easily. He somehow doubted his sister's honesty about her relationship with the blue colored male, but wasn't about to pry out details in front of the stranger. It just didn't sit right in his stomach that Kafara hadn't mentioned him before. He silently hoped to himself for the sake of Kafara and their mother that she wouldn't get herself in any situation that would hurt her. Though in the event Enzi was that type of male, Kutunza knew he'd have the courage to stand up.
Once Enzi had been introduced, Kutunza looked him over discretely and offered an acknowledging nod. "Pleasure," he said quietly. The darker male could tell that Enzi was uncomfortable, but when he frowned, Kutunza returned the expression. Looking away for a moment, Kutunza tried to regather himself and return his gaze to the pair. He wasn't as confident before, but he was doing his best to mask his displeasure with himself. "I didn't mean to interupt anything..." he trailed off as he spoke. It wasn't true, but it just seemed like the right thing to say at the time.
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Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:50 pm
Well, this was suitably awkward. She tried to hide her concern but it wasn't terribly easy for her. She knew the problems associated with having a friend of the opposite sex, it didn't help that even she was starting to think about it, and the way Kutunza was reacting was a large part of why Enzi had never been introduced. She also knew it wouldn't help anything to get quiet or grumpy about it.
"We- we were just going for a walk," she explained with an unconvincing shrug, "Would you like to join us?"
She didn't see any other way for this to proceed.
Enzi shuffled his paws uncomfortably but he remained standing tall and with his ears pointed forward. He understood what it was like having a sister, he had a whole bunch of them. He had a bunch more on the way, he expected. He would be suspicious of anybody with Anya but he wouldn't be so quiet and disapproving. Or so he let himself think. Since Kutunza wasn't really speaking to him, he stayed silent and looked back and forth between the siblings. Only when Kafara invited her brother along did he stop and stare at Kafara. He didn't necessarily like the idea but there was no way to argue with it- so he look back to Kutunza and offered a very awkward smile.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 9:45 am
The way Kafara hesitated when she spoke made Kutunza's ears fall back even tighter. He couldn't upset his sister. Not when she was the only one really there for him. He'd seen conversations between his mother and father and how distraught they always ended up. He wouldn't let that same thing happen between him and Kafara.
Watching the way the two lions before him seemed to struggle to make the air more comfortable Kutunza tried to loosen up. He imagined he wasn't really making a very good impression for Kafara's friend. When she struggled to ask him whether or not he'd care to join, the dark male offered a gentle smile in thanks. It was nice to think she might actually want him there, though glancing at Enzi's uncomfortable smile, he decided it would probably be best to let the pair be and get to know them on better circumstances.
He did, however, appreciate the gesture and made this known by swiping a paw in a playful manner towards his sister's shoulder. "No, I wouldn't want to intervene," He began, looking between the two. "You guys continue your walk and perhaps i'll see you two around the den sometime?" The last bit was hopeful and though it was addressed towards the pair, Kutunza eyed his sister before stepping back to give the awkward couple their space. Before turning to leave, however, Kutunza glanced down at the ground and then up to Enzi. As though it was difficult to say, he added, "If you've caught Kafara's attention you must be a good guy."
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:39 pm
Kafara felt extremely guilty watching her brother, knowing this shouldn't have been so difficult. Her family just seemed to have such bad luck with love, she knew it wouldn't be an easy introduction. Her ears were turned and flattened against her head, she glanced over to Enzi and took a hesitant step forward when Kutunza said would be leave. She couldn't bring herself to stop him, part of her had a similar idea. This could be fixed, she'd been caught but now she would have to introduce Enzi to her family, offer some explanation. Especially before Kutunza could go and tell the others.
"I'll talk to you later, Kutunza?" she offered lamely, taking another step back. Her expression was less sad but no less serious. But then, once Kutunza added that Enzi must be a good guy, she perked up, looking surprised. She sighed.
Awkward, awkward, awkward. But he couldn't let that make him back down, Kafara was always so much braver than he was and now that she wasn't, he had to step up to do what she did for him. Besides, it just felt right. He was relieved when Kutunza said he would let them finish their walk alone-- but the implication that they would see him again was unnerving. He had been aware of the fact he hadn't met Kafara's family yet, he couldn't not realize it when she knew his family, but he had been rather happy to avoid the additional attention and suspicion.
He was caught off guard by the added comment, it was unexpected. He as relieved but he didn't sigh until he realized he had been holding his breath. His own ears turned back and he looked to Kafara. He had her attention.. and her brother approved. Kind of.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:47 pm
Kutunza waited around long enough to watch the pair's responses to his last comment and smiled. He was glad he gathered the strength to admit that to Enzi, even if he was sad to see his sister go. The two were no longer cubs and were both expected to leave the den and start families of their own. Although Kutunza knew this, however, he never really thought that might mean he'd lose part of the connection he had with his sister. Perhaps he hadn't really lost her and she was just caught up in what so many called "puppy love"? He couldn't quite wrap his mind around just what love was supposed to feel like. His only good example was the relationship between his older sister, Shiri and her mate, Kei. But that was only one amongst the many of his immediate family.
As he offered a final dip of his head and turned to return to the den, Kutunza smiled. If Kafara had found what had been so rare in their family he should be proud. He should encourage and support her to show her she'd found something really special. And at that thought he'd decided he'd have to make it up to them.
And if Enzi was going to stick around, Kutunza wanted to get to know him better!
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:04 pm
Kafara watched Kutunza go with a rather sad expression but she wasn't about to abandon Enzi when she knew he was likely as rattled by the encounter as she was. When he was outside of earshot, she sighed and nudged at Enzi to get him moving again, this time in the opposite direction.
"Let's go," she said, offering a shaky smile, "It's OK, come on."
Enzi turned back and watched Kutunza go for longer than Kafara did, and even once he was gone he was still feeling tense. He nearly jumped when Kafara nudge him but he nodded, happily turning to follow after her. He didn't know how their walk would really go now but he imagined it would be very quiet and very awkward. But that wasn't going to stop Enzi, especially now that he had something to prove.
"Ok," he murmured and followed after Kafara.
Fin.
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