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 Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:07 pm
The time between Dawn and Daybreak was his favorite time to travel. The things that prowled the night went to sleep and the things that roamed the daylight had yet to wake. It was a moment in time at which all of the land seemed to sleep.
Yes, it was the perfect time for Akua to roam unhindered across the land. Of course it was a little harder to see for him at that time but who needed that when he just had to pause a moment and listen, smell the air and listen to the vibrations of the earth beneath the pads of his paws to understand what was going on? The solitary lion moved at a leisurely pace across the Savannah, stopping every now and then to lift his head and be still.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 4:31 pm
Ili'ella watched the sky, waiting for the sun to rise fully as she walked. She hadn't stopped the night before, not bothering to pause to sleep. She was happy walking, it always made her happy. Her paws were getting sore, the plants and rocks on the ground starting to sting them as she moved.
Pausing finally, she sighed heavily and flopped down onto the ground. Licking at the pads of her paws, she tried to soothe their pain. It worked after a little while and she settled on the ground, watching the horizon with interest.
It was a magic time, she decided, the time before daybreak. The whole world stood still and it was like the earth took a single breath, readying itself for the new day.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:02 pm
He had been just about to continue forward again when a sound caused the lion to pause, ears swivvling forward. He looked back and forth along the limited amount of landscape he could see in an attempt to locate the source visually. He took a few paces forward, finding the scent of a female on the wind.
He followed it and the small sounds of her shifting her weight a small distance further before he finally was able to make out a smudge of vibrant color despite the dim quality of both his vision and the sky. He sat down, tail flicking behind him. "Hello?" He called out to her, hoping he wouldn't startle her and hoping even more that she wasn't the ornery type. He'd crossed paths with a lion or two that would rather use teeth and claws than talk before.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:12 pm
She hadn't hurt him approached until he spoke. Perking up and glancing around, trying to find the source of the sound, she locked eyes onto him. Her own widened slightly, but a friendly expression appeared on her face. A male, she noted, and a friendly one at that. If he hadn't been friendly, she doubted he would have greeted her in the first place.
What dull colours he had though! They were a dusty shade of brown, but his markings were pleasant at least. Poor thing. Not a speck of brightness on him, even his eyes were dull.
Shifting, and pondering getting to her feet, but decided against it. "Hello!" She replied brightly, her voice gentle. "What are you doing awake at this hour? I thought I was the only one foolish enough to have been awake at a time like this."
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:51 pm
He gave a laugh and a shake of his head. "This is my favorite time of day. Maybe night." He glanced towards the East where he knew the sun would be rising. "I was thinking to myself a bit earlier. How the entire world seems to be asleep at this time of day. It's peaceful. I like to travel at this time of day, nothing awake to bother me."
He lowered himself down comfortably, laying where he was still a few paces away from the female. It was nice being able to have a conversation with someone else after being so solitary for so long.
"Now... what are you doing awake?" He narrowed his eyes in a squint, forcing the fuzzy edges of the female to solidify just a little bit.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:24 pm
Ili'ella gave a kind smile at him as he spoke. Mildly surprised to find someone who also liked the time. "I like that," Ili'ella told him. "The idea, I mean. It does seem like the whole world is asleep. Except us, of course." She laughed quietly, trying not to disturb the silence around them by talking or laughing too loudly.
Tilting her head to the side as he laid down, she eyed him slightly suspiciously but when he did nothing else, she brightened up.
"I'm awake, because I haven't slept yet," she said simply, smiling lightly. "I was walking all night, I only stopped to watch the sun rise." As if to show she had been awake all night, she yawned lightly, trying to hide it.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:34 pm
"I'm sure there are others but to be honest I'd like to imagine it's just us." He settled down even further, half rolling onto his side in a show of relaxed comfort. He already found himself he was getting along with her pretty well. "My name is Akua." He added very softly.
He turned his face towards the East and the direction of the sun again. The sky was beginning to lighten into shades of violet and blushing pink that he couldn't quite make out. He didn't usually watch the sunrise but he certainly liked to feel it as the warmth washed over the land and him.
"You've got me beat though. I haven't exactly been walking all night. Just most of the morning." Which reminded him breakfast would be a good idea if he could manage to catch it later.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:22 pm
"It's a nice thought," she said, smiling and tilting her head. She watched him settle with mild surprise but she was pleased. He was relaxed in her presence. "A pleasure to meet you, Akua," she responded merrily. "I am Ili'ella."
Staring at the beautiful colours which were erupting in the sky as the sun rose. Ili'ella loved to watch the sun rise, and she tried to watch it when she could. The horizon was always an interesting play of light and the merging of colours to make lovely shades.
She laughed softly. "It's not a competition, Akua. We walk when we walk and we walk when we can." She stretched out, her joints aching from her traveling.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:08 pm
The big male gave a little nod, ears flicking back and forth as he listened to the sounds of the daylight creatures waking. The special time of day was passed, but a new one was beginning and that was just as good. "Wise words. Your own or inspired by someone else?"
He flicked his tail over his hip, waiting for the sun to finally breach the dark line of the horizon and begin it's climb upward.
"And a pleasure to meet you as well, Ili'ella."
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Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 4:54 am
The sun was rising fast, shedding light on the world around them, she was a little disappointed to see the world coming into light but the world was beautiful when it was alight with sunshine. It would be a good day for walking, she decided, staring at the light clouds which covered patches of the sky. Not direct heat, at least.
Glancing at her companion for the time, she smiled slightly. "My mother, actually. She was a wonderful lioness." She sounded saddened momentarily, but tried to brush it off. "She was a wandering, like me. Somehow, her wanderlust was passed down to me."
That was an understatement. She had grown up in a troupe, a group of traveling lions that encompassed her family, including her siblings and her father. When they cubs had grown tired and the family still walked, Ili'ella and her siblings would be carried by the adults, riding on their backs. She missed it, at least a little.
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Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 6:32 am
A small smile made his features soften a little bit. It made him think a little bit of his mother - a soft voice and the patience of a saint. He'd been quite a deal more rowdy as a cub than he was now. "What kind of lands have you been to? What have you seen? If I might ask... I don't travel as much or as far as you seem."
Akua felt a momentary twinge of sadness. He'd left his small family when he'd come of age only to have his sight begin to fade. Just as he was about to have been able to explore the world over, or so he'd felt. Dreams lost and ambitions passed he told himself and let the matter lie for now. The morning was too pleasant to dwell on that.
"I've managed to make it a good distance to the West where a river flows, and of course around here and a little to the north."
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Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 10:34 pm
She sighed a little as the world began to heat up slightly. The night was usually pleasantly cool, but when the sun began to rise, it heated up abruptly.
She glanced towards him, her eyes taking in his softened features.
"I've seen the ocean and out into the desert. I've seen the forests too, but my favourite place was the mountains." Her eyes lit up, staring into the distance as she remembered walking so far. "When you get high enough, it's like you can see everywhere."
She glanced at him, curious. "Why don't you travel far? Do you not enjoy it?" She couldn't imagine staying in one place, or traveling in the same circuit.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:50 am
"It's like you can see everywhere."
He heaved a sigh, the sounds of life getting louder all around them as dawn broke out over the Savannah. The amazingly bright disk of the sun had finally cracked over the horizon and light began to seep into the world.
He was feeling miserable for himself at a time like this, he knew it but he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy deep in his chest. "I've heard stories of the ocean when I was a cub..." He flicked an ear before turning his head to look over towards Ili'ella. His eyes were a dull gray, not quite as lifeless as the eyes of the completely blind but close. "Mmh... I don't see very well these days. It makes traveling difficult. Wasn't always like this, though. I used to be able to see forever it seemed like."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:41 pm
Ili'ella shifted lightly as dawn broke, a little tired but the sun was rejuvenating and a pleasant change from the darkness of the night. Soon it would be time to walk again and away from her new friend. The thought made her sad but the spirits were pleased with her, she knew, because she had made a friend.
Glancing at him when he sighed, she peered at him. He looked...sad? She hadn't meant that to happen! "You should see the ocean," she suggested, remembering fondly her days by the sea. It was a beautiful sight but her happiness faded as he spoke. She hadn't noticed his eyes, but now she did it was almost scary. Had he been able to see her at all?
"Oh. Oh! I'm so sorry to hear that. How do you hunt, or travel at all?" She didn't sound pitying, she just sounded shocked. She hadn't ever thought of someone not being able to see the beauty that was the world around them, no matter how dull it seemed at times.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:45 pm
He lifted a paw and gave it a little dismissive wave. He was used to others being so surprised that he was still able to manage on his own even with his... disadvantages. "Don't be sorry. I used to be able to see clearly so I remember how to do things from then." He got to his feet, tail swaying lightly as he gave a small flex of his paws, claws digging into the dirt at his feet lightly. "When you lose one thing you gain in others. I've learned to feel and to listen sharply. I even find I can smell a little better than most."
He gave a little bit of a gruging snort when she asked how he traveled. "I go slowly but I get around."
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