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 Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:01 pm
 Well, the day had come. As much as she had tried to put it off, the day when her precious foster child Penda'ji would become an adult in the eyes of her pride had arrived. He was growing up, and soon enough he would no longer need her. Neoni'liga couldn't help but despair.
She hadn't slept very well the night before, and so she had come to the beach very early in the morning in an effort to try and soothe herself. It was almost as if the sea knew she was hurting, as it gently lapped at her paws. Of course she would support Penda'ji with all her heart, even if it was breaking.
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:12 pm
 Finally, the day had come! After all the training and observation, the day had finally come for Penda'ji to prove to his foster mother Neoni'liga and the rest of the pride that he was an adult. He was growing up, and he really couldn't be happier.
When he woke up, he did a huge stretch followed by a massive yawn. He then shook out each individual leg and blinked his eyes open. "Good morning!" He said with a happy smile, not yet realising that Neoni'liga wasn't in the den. When he did realise, he tilted his head, wondering where she had gone. Maybe she had gone to the sea ahead of him? Curious, he quickly got to his feet and jogged outside, eager to get things started.
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:20 pm
Neoni'liga's ears twitched as she heard Penda'ji's friendly morning greeting. She smiled softly, turning her head to look over her shoulder. "I'm just over here sweetie." She wasn't too far from the den she shared with her foster son, so it shouldn't take him too long to find her. With a gentle sigh, she turned back to the sea.
It was very calm today, which was somewhat of a relief. The last thing she wanted was for Penda'ji's Ba'Ushufo to be any harder than it needed to be. Of course, she knew that he could handle whatever the sea through at him. Being the one who raised him though, there was nothing she could do to stop herself from worrying.
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:25 pm
When Penda'ji heard his foster mother's voice, his smile returned. He started jogging in the direction that the voice had come from, and it wasn't long before his aqua-blue eyes caught sight of the brightly coloured Neoni'liga. "Good morning!" He repeated, before picking up the pace in order to join her at her side.
When he reached Neoni'liga, he nuzzled her lovingly before he too began to stare out over the sea. "I'm so excited!" He beamed full of enthuasiam, just like his foster mother usually was. Failure wasn't even an option for him, so all he could think of was how great it was going to be when he emerged as an adult.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:35 am
Neoni'liga smiled warmly. "I know you're excited Penda'ji, but this isn't something to be taken lightly. You must concentrate, and become one with the sea." She was sure that he would do well. She had always believed that his bubble markings were a sign that he had been blessed by the sea, and so she was sure that the sea would welcome him with open arms.
"I'll be right here if you need me OK? If you get into any trouble, just call for me" She turned to him, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you!" Saying that, she nuzzled him, before stepping back and allowing him to go on.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:44 am
Penda'ji listened carefully and then nodded. "I understand, and I know I'm ready! I'm sure the sea will help me." The pink adolescent had been mentally preparing himself for this day for a long time. Although he wasn't without caution, he was just so sure that he could do this.
When he saw Neoni'liga getting emotional, he smiled sheepishly. "I'll be fine, I promise! If I do need you though, I'll call for you. OK?" With these words of reassurance, he then stepped forward towards the sea. His time had come.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:39 am
Neoni'liga had no choice but to just sit and watch as Penda'ji got himself ready. It was quite hard for her to watch, as she loved him more than anything else in the World. She had never feared the sea though, and so it confused her as to why she worried so much about something going wrong. She just had to keep telling herself that her adopted son was ready, and that it would all be over quickly.
"I love you Penda'ji!"
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:45 am
Once he was ready, he started to slowly make his way out to sea. The water greeted him quickly, with it washing up against his legs. He didn't stop though, as he continued to make his way out as far as he could go. He was careful to make sure that his paws could still feel the sand below them, and his eyes were focused straight ahead.
Once he was so far out that only his head and back were showing, he stopped. All four paws were firmly on the sandy bottom at that point, and so he just had to wait for the tide to wash over him and lift him up. Then he would be done.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:47 am
The red eyes of Neoni'liga never left Penda'ji for even one second. At one point she even forgot to blink, she was so intently focused on him, watching for any sign that something was wrong. He seemed absolutely fine though, and the sea had greeted him well, just like she knew it would. At this point all that was left was for the sea to bring him back to her, as an adult.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:54 am
As he waited for the tide to wash over him, Penda'ji felt something brush against one of his legs. Neoni'liga had told him about the strange creatures that lived in the sea, but he had never seen one for himself. It was this curiousity that caused him to look down into the water. What he saw caused his eyes to widen.
It was a rather large creature, with no legs or ears. It was very slender, and had strange pointed appendages. It didn't have fur, and its skin was very rough. It was a nurse shark, but of course, Penda'ji had no way of knowing that...or at least, he thought he didn't. "A...shark?" A strange feeling of familiarity came over the pink lion. Although he had never seen this creature in his entire life, he someone felt as if he knew what it was. He also felt as if he had some sort of connection to it, but for the life of him he couldn't understand why.
Once the shark had finished examining him, it quickly departed. Penda'ji blinked, not quite understanding what had just happened. It was at that point that he spotted a large wave coming his way. His muscles tightened as he prepared himself. This was going to be the wave that proved his adulthood!
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:57 am
Because she was staring at him so intently, it didn't take long for Neoni'liga to spotted that Penda'ji was looking down into the water rather than straight ahead of him. She didn't know why he had lost focus, but it certainly worried her. She got up from where she was sat and moved closer to the sea. It was then that she spotted the wave. Thankfully Penda'ji focus had returned at that point, and so she just prayed to the Gods that he held his ground and that everything would be OK.
"You can do it son!"
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:03 am
The wave hit Penda'ji with some force, but he could handle it. He remained strong, allowing the sea to wash over him. It was a nice experience, and it made him feel alive. He stayed there for as long as he felt that he had to. Next, he allowed his paws to leave the sand, so that the sea could carry him back to shore.
He had done it! He had completed the Ba'Ushufo, his Rites of Passage. He would now be considered an adult in the eyes of the Pride, and could go about helping the Pride like all the other adults. When he reached the shore once more, he ran to Neoni'liga and nuzzled her, as he was sure that she wouldn't mind getting a little wet. "I did it!"
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:07 am
Neoni'liga held her breath the whole time that Penda'ji was submerged, and whilst he held his ground. Only when she saw that he was coming back did she breathe a massive sigh of relief. He had done it! She ran to join him and returned his nuzzle happily. "Of course you did!" She gushed. "My precious Penda'ji, all grown up!"
After a while of sun-bathing so that Penda'ji could dry off, Neoni'liga motioned for them to return to the den. "We'll tell everyone all about it very soon!" She said with a smile. "For now, you should rest." With that, the blue lioness started making her way to the den, so much more happier than she was when she started the day.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:10 am
It made him happy to see Neoni'liga so happy. "I'm glad I could make you proud." He said with a smile. He wanted to tell her about the strange experience he had had with the shark, but that could wait. All that mattered now was celebrating.
Later, when Neoni'liga motioned for them to return to the Den, he nodded softly. "Yeah, I am kind of tired." He replied, before moving to join her. Penda'ji couldn't wait to tell the others that his Rites were complete, but that was something else that could wait as well.
(( Finished! ))
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