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 Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:17 pm
 The small brown lion sniggered as a mushy part of earth squelched between his toes. He didn't know what sort of lands he was wandering into at the moment, but the moist atmosphere was a refreshing break from the dry savannas he had wandered through on earlier travels. This place seemed to abound with life and vitality. Sure, maybe it was a little eerie at times when the sun was blocked out by the thick trees, and their roots winding and tangling through the ground like arms and hands reaching for a passerby. Or sure, maybe it did have that same strange feeling when the thick air peeled off the floor in the mornings as a thick and humid mist that was cut only by cries of birds and the stirrings of other animals.
Even for such a skittish male as Kamau, he didn't seem to mind it as much as he would have thought. He'd not really seen a soul since coming to this forest, that is, apart from the small game he'd been so lucky as to catch for his daily dining. Maybe, just maybe, he'd hang around a little longer if things were this good the rest of the time. He tossed his fluffy mane and smiled, as some light found its way through the boughs and warmed his back. http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p150/SoAstuff2/Certs Swamp/certinijaadol.jpg
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:31 pm
Fur that was once as clean as snow shifted through the murky forest, camouflaged perfectly with her mud covered pelt. Only golden eyes reflected the sun now, narrowed and tinted with delight as the owner stalked the land. Ah, it smelled and felt and was fabulous! These lands, her home, could never be replaced by any other sight. And to think, she was only trekking the rim of the deep Swamplands.
Lifting her ears, the lioness halted stiffly and listened. There was something else....someone else, slinking through the wet landscape. And they weren't too far. With her nostrils too wet and dirty to be of use, she figured the only way to discover this other was to actually see them. And so she moved, quiet and smoothly as she was well adapted to this unstable ground. For once, her appearance didn't matter to her. The mind filled instead with a sense of dominant instinct. This was her terrain, and be her hellish looking or heavenly, she had no doubts that either way she'd defend this land. The idea made her smirk confidently.
It was not long before she noticed a form, pale yet dusty hued, moving just some distance to her left. Hmm.
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Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:58 pm
Through the thick trees, a sound snaked to Kamau's ears, and he stopped dead in his tracks, resembling all too closely a deer startled and ready to take flight. His head turned, and soundlessly, he inhaled great chestfulls of air, trying to find the scent of what had made him halt. The lion's peridot eyes scanned the lands without seeing, and a shudder ripped through his skin.
It wasn't so much that he'd heard something nearby. It was a sinking feeling he had deep in his gut. A feeling of being watched, and hunted. It was something a lion should not be familiar with in the least, but he'd learned it well in his wanderings. It wasn't something a predator should ever know, and he kept the sensation out of his mind when stalking his own prey.
Nervously, he took a few steps back, and swiveled, turning and scowling into the thick brush. His foot caught in an exposed root and he stumbled, but he did not fall. Kamau's heart pounded in his ears and his chest as the thrumming of wings overhead only amplified his unease.
"Show yourself!"
He snarled and ordered it to be so, though he knew he was in no position to make demands.
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Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:56 pm
Haha! This was all too humorous! Just look at how skiddish that male was! The lioness gave a muddy snirk as she observed the other while hiding still. It was only when he stumbled that she revealed her position with a sharp giggle. Then she stepped out from the cover, her amused grin still plastered on her pale face. "Eeeeasy there, little man. Just who do you think you're making that tone at? Hm?"
After all, he was the outsider in this scenario.
Putting on her serious face, that was honestly quite harsh when she wanted it to be, the lioness stared down the other. "Explain yourself. Just what are you doing in these lands."
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 3:55 pm
He flinched at the sick giggle, Kamau's expression was that of another snarl, but without the sound. 'Little man'. It was so degrading. Besides, he was bigger than this mud monster. The bristling fur on his shoulders and throughout his mane gave further the impression of a larger lion. He was less than aware she was a member of the pride that inhabited the swamp, and just oblivious that one even existed.
Her face was cold and pointed, but he still felt the upper hand, despite his still shaken nerves. "Why wouldn't I be in these lands?" He glared back at her, and his tail lashed out in frustration. He sneered and took to looking down his nose at her. "Maybe just maybe I'll make them my home."
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:00 pm
Tail flickered side to side in bold energy as the lioness made a safe distance between herself and the other. Hn, someone was touchy about light words now weren't they? In a teasing response, Inija bristled her own dark tail tuft, though it did little for intimidation.
"Use you nose silly one. Can't you smell the heritage thriving in these lands?" And she inhaled herself, the air filling her lungs before she let it out in a content sigh. How could he be so blind to it? But his vocal sneer distracted her own muses over the matter as she gazed back at him with a quirked brow. "Oh, you think you have what it takes?" The lioness grinned for a moment, before pouncing forward with a false hiss. Though it was all in play, as her pounce was only in her front legs and they sank harmlessly in the mud before her. She was only hoping for another skittish jump honestly.
"Alas, that is not my decision to make. You must appease to the spirits before all others if you wish to be welcome here. Little man."
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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 4:15 pm
"I smell mud." He narrowed his eyes at her, and his expression tried to play it off as bored. But as he inhaled as deeply and as quietly as he could manage, she was right. The scent of lions was everywhere. However, he was also right, it was deeply embedded in the deep swamps, the comings and goings impossible to date.
And now, she challenged him! True, he wasn't the biggest lion around, having once met a god, he was utterly dwarfed, even in it's adolescence, and the red lionesses of the deserts had once taken him to the brink of death. But he was still likely to end up taller than his acquaintance when she reached adulthood, if only by a few inches. Kamau stood up straighter to reach higher, and his mane bristled. "Pfft. I know I do!" His muscles tensed, one hind leg bearing more weight as if he intended to spring towards her. Her own moved provoked one of his own as a reflex, but it too had a short reach, and now in his landing a few feet before her, he looked as though he bowed. The lion's jade-green eyes stared up at her through his thick mane, and he pulled back his upper lip.
"And just how do I please these ghosts?" He wasn't really sure that he was committed on his threat of making this his home, but he happened to be the curious type.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:03 pm
"How sharp you are." The lioness swung her tail lazily to match her tone of sarcasm. Of course mud was a dominant scent here, anyone could tell you that. Casually, Inija dismissed the male's sour glare as she walked to the side almost distractedly. Newbs, no wonder they only got so far in the swamplands. So clueless.
Ears flickered back as the girl bothered to glance back at the other. What was he blabbering about now? His tone and temper made the lioness smirk to herself for the simple entertainment. That is until he 'pounced' forward while her side was wide open and defenseless. Startled and thinking the rogue serious, Inija bristled and hissed as she edged away quickly from the motion. How dare he!?! Why she outta....
His lowered stance seemed almost submissive, if not for that fierce show of fangs. It was the only reason that Inija kept her own back bristled in agitation. But to call the spirits 'ghosts' as well? She'd be damned to let him continue being so ignorant. Marching forward, the lioness showed no fear of going nose to nose at the adult lion. "First off, you respect the natives. Secondly, you speak of the spirits only in praise and gratitude. Not stingy curiosity or pride. You got that?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 3:00 pm
It was a tense showdown between the two lions, though doubtfully either of them intended it to be that way. He straightened and cleared his throat, his eyes crossing to look at her when she drew close. "Fine." It was hard to respond when he scarcely had the room to move his jaw without bumping into her. "Sure, I got it." As much as Kama wanted to pull back, he wouldn't be the first to buckle. No way, no how. Ever so slightly he drew back his upper lip to flash a canine, a silent and not terribly offensive way of asking her to be the one to step back.
Again, he also cleared his throat in her face and continued. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me about either of them?" He wondered if that was reverent enough of an address.
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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:33 pm
.........
"Heh, fix your eyes silly." The lithe lioness gave a crooked grin before pulling away, that bossy gleam still in her eyes though. A buckle or not, the girl managed to pull it off with a confident grin as she stepped across the mud, subconsciously in the direction of home. But only in small steps while chatting with the outsider.
"Well, since you asked nicely.....," Ears pinned back against her scalp though as she peered around. Almost as if looking for a spy that might hear in on a very important secret. Finding the area to be calm and clear, Mohana glanced back at the other. "The vijini are very....bemused by you thus far. They're the spirits that guard these lands, and take very good care of us Swampies. Only a few lucky outsiders are allowed to hear their guiding words. But to do that, you must pass your trials. Well, if you care to."
Flicking her tail, the lioness tilted her head coyly while regarding the male before her. Was he just another careless wanderer, or a potential balance needed to this pride? If only she was wise enough to decide for herself, but she was still young and learning. Scoffing, Mohana made a simple reply. "Your name, silly boy."
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:04 pm
Kamau blinked his green eyes hard, relieved to have them focus on something further away. He watched her step lightly away through the thick mud, and pursed his mouth. She was very sure of herself, and that was alright, he supposed. Her body language interacting with the land was nearly as interesting as the one between the two of them.
Upon hearing that the spirits found him entertaining, he tossed his head. Was that supposed to be a compliment? The stranger found it odd that instead of lions guarding the lands, they employed ghosts to keep them out. It probably wasn't as effective, but he could be wrong. That was yet to be seen. He stood up a little straighter and spoke carefully, "I think I might." He wasn't trying to offend her, and it was possible she would take it as tiptoeing around the vijini.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at her. "...Kamau. Yours?"
As for the dark brown cub lurking far behind where she'd been left, well, they could discuss her later.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 5:44 pm
"That's a start, if anything." Though it was hard for the pride native to imagine anyone having doubts or hesitation about the vijini. What silly rogues there were! Tossing her speckled tail about her ankles, the lithe lioness moved forward with mud soaked paws, her eyes judging the distance from her home clan. At this point, she only flicked one ear back in acknowledgment of Kamau's name. "Ah. You may call me Inija for now."
She felt the odd need to guard her pride name with fondness, and often used her discarded name in situations like this. It came in handy, at some times. "But for now, I've been away from my home for too long. And I'm as eager as the vijini to meet my kin. Are you going to follow or waste further time in your roguelands?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:19 am
Kamau nodded. Inija. Fair enough. The concept of a new name was something he'd yet to learn, but undoubtedly would in time, and his daughter, Seyo, would find her second name too. He turned to follow her, the white of his own feet long since lost in the mud. The father threw a glance over his shoulder and took a deep breath in. He'd return for her as soon as he knew it was safe to, and with any luck, not all of the pride members or the spirits had Inija's feisty personality.
"I'll let you and the vijini show me the way." He bobbed his head and motioned for her to lead.
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:10 am
Inija grinned with a sudden and childish thought as she turned to the other. So he decided to follow? Oh what games she could play with this! "Ooooh, is that so? Can I bring you back as my own personal servant then?" What a fabulous status that would be, even if it was all a joke! To return home with her own sidekick in submission, it was nearly laughable. And she let it show too, chuckling aloud so Kamau would see that she wasn't serious.
"Fine then." Her face suddenly returned to a placid seriousness. "If you can keep up with my pace and maneuver through the roots and mud, then you may join in the fun of this pride. Ready?" And without further warning, she darted forward into the swamps.
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