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 Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:49 am
Tawi's paws carried her slowly towards what she could only guess was a prides lands. The scent of so many lions in one spot was a pretty good indication of a pride up ahead. What pride that was, she didn't know, nor did she really care. She just wanted to travel in this direction, it wasn't her fault that a pride lay within her chosen route. Coming to a stop Tawi weighted her options, she could always walk around the pride, but that could take a while if the pride was a large one. Or she could walk though it's lands and reach her destination, whatever that was, much sooner.
With a slight shrug she decided to walk through the land. If they had a problem with it then so be it, Tawi was a bit reckless after all, especially after the- she stopped herself and gave her head a shake. Don't even think about that, she scolded herself and then set forward once more. Her eyes and ears stayed alert more out of habit than anything else, though she did no care if she was caught.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 4:58 pm
So, the dark pelted lion sat, resting in a shade as he watched the lands with gentle, violet eyes. He would never cease to be in awe at the beauty and tranquility that seemed to envelop the pridelands, making it - to Taqa - almost like an oasis in the desert compared to the outside world. And he knew, too, that he would be here for the rest of his life; and that knowledge, too, contented him
His ears perked as the scent of another lion reached him, welcoming the company the promised to arrive. In a moment, the figure of a tan lioness appeared, and he noticed at once that her pelt lacked the telltale tattoos of a pridal lion.
He hesitated, watching somewhat warily as the lioness neared. A rogue, in these lands. It was a rare thing, to be sure. He had often come to the borders of the pridelands to sit, to escape the others so he might have some time alone to think, to marvel at the lands themselves. But rarely did he ever get company, let alone someone from outside of the Ela.
He rose, and approached her.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 5:58 pm
Eyes swept across the land as she walked on. If she wasn't who she made herself appear to be she might admit that this land was quite beautiful. But that would allow the real Tawi to come through, so she gave her shoulders a shrug and kept on walking as if she didn't notice the beauty of the land. Movement caught her attention and she swiveled her head about slightly to get a better look.
A lion was walking towards her. His pelt was dark and she couldn't be certain but it looked like it was striped with green. No striped wasn't the right way to describe it but that was the best she could do at the moment. Perhaps he was coming to stop her from cutting through the pridelands. Would she stop if he told her to? Probably not, her mind was set on a course that was straight ahead and it would take a lot more than a single lion to deter her. Not the type to strike up a conversation with those whom she didn't know Tawi just kept right on walking. If he wanted to speak to her, well then he could say the first words.
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:08 am
She seemed determined to stalk right by him, regardless of what he might have been planning to do in approaching. The young lion smiled to himself, curious.
He had to admit that his experience with other lions was limited - largely to those within his family's clan, and a few others from the other clans - and certainly, he had never before met a lion or a lioness so determined to bull her way straight through unfamiliar lands.
"Excuse me," he said politely, catching up and falling in pace with her, toward wherever she planned to go - until they reached the next border, of course. Then he would stop, and she could continue on her merry - or perhaps not so merry - way.
"I hate to be a bother, but..." He glanced around, a twinkle of amusement dancing in his violet eyes as he did so. "Where are you headed, if I may?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:40 am
Her pace slowed ever so slightly as he started to walk beside her, not because she wished to hold a conversation with him or anything, just out of wondering exactly what he wanted. She almost let out a laugh as he spoke. Tawi highly doubted that he 'hated to be a bother.' Wasn't that was all creatures were to her, a bother. Well at least he hadn't tried to stop her...yet. So that was a good thing she supposed.
"Where am I headed?" She repeated the question with little enthusiasm in her voice as she glanced over at him. "In that direction." Motioning with he nose in the direction which she and him were walking. Now that he was closer she could see that the green on his wasn't stripes at all but more - well she couldn't think of a good word to describe them quite yet, but they looked interesting enough. Not that she cared of course, but if playing nice for a moment meant she got to keep moving forward then she would do so. "What's with the markings?" Tawi asked and motioned towards him.
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 1:00 am
He slowed his steps to match hers, watching her carefully, taking in the mask on her face that was so similar to those that appeared his family. She could almost have been one of the pride's lionesses, if she hadn't been so... He didn't even know what, only that there was something different about her.
Though perhaps, he reasoned, it was something that came from being a rogue, having to wander and hunt alone. He couldn't quite imagine the life, or the loneliness, that came with being a rogue, and to be honest, he dearly hoped it would remain that way.
"That way?" He echoed, following her gesture. "Are you going to stop once you get there, then? You can stay and keep me company for a while. Or I, you, if that sounds like a better plan." He glanced at her again, watching for a reaction. It was clear that she had not taken well to the conversation, but that could always change.
He glanced down at the markings that snaked across his pelt at her question, and stared back at her solemnly. "Don't... tell anyone," he began. "But I was cursed as a baby." And he stared at her unblinkingly, looking for all the world as if he was being completely serious.
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:15 pm
"Yes that way." She half snapped at him. Was he deaf? Did she not just say that that was the way she was traveling. "As for what I do once I get there, who knows. Perhaps continue on in the same direction, does it really matter?" Nothing mattered much to Tawi, not any more at least. She hadn't cared about anything since before the - she stopped her train of thought before it got to far down that path. It was the thought she hated the most, what had changed her in so many ways. The one that haunted her day and night.
His next words brought her to a sudden stop. Did it look like she wanted company? "Stay and keep you company? Now why would I want to do that?" It was a stupid idea, Tawi hated anyone close to her, or even suggesting such a thing, even if it was for only a short time.
When he told her that he was cursed as a baby she almost snorted out a laugh - almost. Whether he was telling the truth or not it didn't really matter. So what if he was cursed. Wasn't everyone cursed one way or another? "Cursed huh?" Tawi began to walk once more. "Sucks to be you." She raised her shoulders in a shrug. Well even if he was cursed it couldn't be all that bad, after all he was still alive and if the markings were his curse well then he got off easy.
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Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:33 am
His eyes widened in surprise, more at her words than her tone. Attitude was water under a bridge; he could attribute that to any number of reasons, but what she said, now... That was curious. "Well... Of course it matters," He began softly, tilting his head to one side to regard her with his violet eyes. She was a strange one, this lioness. "I mean, isn't life a little too short to waste away doing something that doesn't matter? If you can get from point A to point B, then, by all means, do it, but at least keep in mind that you're doing it just for the sake of being able to do it - that is, if for nothing else, to cherish the fact that you can..." He shrugged. Perhaps it wasn't his place to dictate his beliefs to her. He hardly knew her, after all.
He paused mid-step as she came to a halt, regarding her once more with curious eyes. Hm. It seemed as though he had upset her, though for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. "Because," he said finally. "If you stay, you might realize something you never realized before. You might discover the world, or find a new type of butterfly. There's any number of reasons, but mainly, just because you can? It's not like you were headed anywhere of great consequence anyway, right?" He added with a small smile.
Once more, he fell in step with her, and nodded his head as he walked. "Yup," he agreed, glancing down at the bright tattoos again. "See, when I was young, my parents named me Qaletaqa. It means 'guardian of the people' and, I don't know if they meant it literally but, the gods seemed to take it literally enough, and," he paused to glance up at the heavens for dramatic effect. "Now, that's what I do. I guess it's a good thing I don't take things as literally as they (he gestured up at the skies again) do, because I couldn't fight for my life, but, I... 'guard' them in a different way.
"Lookit, I keep secrets, right? Lions tell me things, and I remember. I don't tell anyone else, because... well, it's not really my place, but I remember and I keep their secrets safe with me. I haven't told a soul anything they weren't supposed to hear, believe me." He shrugged, modest as always as he contemplated the unofficial role he had taken on within his family. "So," he said, more as an afterthought than anything. "You can tell me, you know." Another pause. "Why you were headed that-a-way for no reason at all."
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Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:43 pm
Brow arched ever so slightly at his words. How could he think that there weren't times when things didn't matter? Isn't that why some lions lazed about, because it didn't matter? His words, the way he spoke made Tawi think he was some kind of philosopher. That's just the kind of lion she needed to run into, someone who would try to explain in great detail every little thing she was and wasn't doing right. "Do you always do things for a reason? Has there been no point in your life where you just did something without thinking of a consequence of a reason behind it." Great, now she was being analytical.
This idea of sticking around to find a new butterfly or discover the world made her shake her head. How could you discover the world if you stayed in one place? Surely not everything out there could find it's way to you. She shook her head again to rid herself of these thought. Tawi was a wanderer for a reason, to escape things, to avoid being stuck in one place for too long and to avoid thinking like this. "You can discover the world and see a new butterfly if you keep walking as well."
Looking at him as he fell back in step with her she wondered if him being a guard meant that he figured he was protecting others from her. Did she look that threatening? No, of course not. After a long bought of silence as they continued forward Tawi finally spoke about his guard duties and his offer to let her tell him thing. "So you're a guard and a keeper of secrets." She said idly not really having much to add to that part of the conversation. "Are others so trusting that they would tell their secrets to someone they just met?" She questioned him. The idea of a lion spilling their secrets to a complete stranger just seemed to foreign to her. Tawi would never in a million years tell certain things to a stranger, heck she usually wouldn't tell those things to those she had known for a long time either. With a sigh she looked at him again. "As for why I am traveling in this direction, it's simple. Because I have already been in that direction." She glanced over her shoulder at the way she had come from. Didn't make much sense to turn around and head back that way.
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Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 2:10 am
"There has," he nodded, thinking back to all the moments of his life when he had simply sat, on a whim, and watched the world pass him by for a while. "But just because I didn't pause to consider the consequences doesn't mean it didn't matter to me.
"Everything matters," he added. "But maybe you just don't know it yet."
He considered what she said next, all the while wondering why she seemed so eager to continue on her way, to wherever she was going. "You could be right," he nodded again. "You could do those things while you're walking, but how would know that you've found the world, or a new kind of butterfly, if you don't stop long enough to really see it?" That butterfly, he imagined, would simply flutter off at the sight of a moving lion, and if it did that, then it would look like any other butterfly, new or not.
She seemed to skeptical, though he couldn't honestly blame her. Life as a rogue was bound to make anyone more suspicious, more guarded, and had he had experience wandering the land, perhaps he might have been able to empathize, but he hadn't, so he couldn't and neither could he judge - even just a little bit. "More often than you would think," he said truthfully. "I guess it's different for you. Most other lions I've met are members of the pride, so we aren't as much strangers as you and I. I wouldn't know what you've been through in all your life, but it's just an offer. You don't have to tell me - I don't even know if you do have a secret but what experience I've had tells me that everybody has secrets. I'd almost be surprised if you didn't." Still, it wasn't his place to pry, and he would leave it at that. He didn't expect her to tell him anything, or even to admit that he was right in saying that she probably had something to keep to herself, but the offer still stood, if ever she had the urge to come back.
"I guess that makes sense, then," his eyes glanced back, following her gaze. "Go somewhere new. Like I said, though, you can always... take a break from all that walking, stop a while to take a good long look at what's around you. You never know - you might like what you see, huh?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:17 pm
"Maybe things are different for those in a pride, but not everything matters to a rogue." Tawi stated as she continued to walk along. Though she had to admit to herself at least, that some of the things he said did make sense and were quite true. Tawi just didn't like to think on these things because it reminded her so much of why she kept walking.
At his next words she came to a stop, not as sudden as the last time, she just slowed her pace until she came to a stand still. "Okay, so say I stop and look at this new butterfly or the world, then what?" It was an honest question, what does one do after they stopped to see things they would have missed while walking. Would they not just go back to walking?
"Of course I have secrets. Everyone does, even if they say they don't surely there must be something they wish to hide from others." If someone told Tawi they had no secrets she would call their bluff, everyone had secrets, some bigger than others. Her secrets were well guarded and were only known by herself and her family. Tawi glanced at the direction she had been walking in, then to where she had come from before looking back at Taqa.
As much as she hated to admit it, it did feel somewhat nice to talk to someone. She had been walking to avoid things for so long that she didn't often take time out of her day to stop and just have a chat. And yet, she also did not want to stay, staying meant getting close to someone and that could lead to - she gave her head a shake to stop that train of thought. "I will take a break from walking, see if what you say is true about seeing things. But it will be a short break." The shorter the better, then she could get away from him, away from the thoughts that she knew would catch up to her and away from this thing she hated the most - closeness.
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Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:09 am
Taqa shook his head, smiling again. "Trust me," he told her, though his tone implied his words to be merely a suggestion. "Everything matters." One day, he was certain, the brown lioness would look back on this day - this meeting in particular, perhaps - and realize that it had shifted the path of her life onto a new course, no matter how close to the original it seemed to be. It was a new beginning altogether; he could feel it, and he could only come away assured in the knowledge - or, rather, assumption - that he had most likely changed her life for the better.
"Then? Then, you keep walking. But do you understand? Life continues after this new, wonderous butterfly, seeming for all the world as though it's the very same, but it's not. It's changed completely now, and all because of one small butterfly. You won't be the same. You see?" He dearly hoped she did. "You don't get to step into the same river twice. If ever you stop, you won't be quite the same when you start again.
"If you take a break." He added in response to her decision, slowing his pace. "Look," he said again, paying no attention to the fact that she had only agreed to a short break. What was short, after all, in the grand scheme of things? "I'll tell you a secret, okay? If you'll tell me something when I'm done."
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Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:47 pm
Brow quirked at his words. Trust him? Trust a lion that she had only just met and was seemingly trying to stop her from doing what she did best - walking away from everything. Oh yeah, she would totally trust him...just about as far as she could throw him. And what was worse was his philosophical approach to everything he said, couldn't he just simply say something without some grander theme behind it all. Clearly not as he began to explain once more about this stupid butterfly idea.
Taking a deep breath that was meant to both calm her nerves and show her irritation towards standing here wasting time Tawi glanced around the area before letting her eyes rest back on the young male. "Do you honestly think some tiny little butterfly has that much of an effect on the lives of those who see it?" The idea was just well stupid to her, but then again if it didn't have anything to do with walking away from the past it didn't interest Tawi one bit.
Tail tapped at the ground impatiently. "Fine tell me your secret. And if I think you deserve it I will tell you something once you are done." Though Tawi didn't plan at all to tell this male anything, he was just wasting her time - she could have been half way across the prides lands by now, but no she was stuck talking to this lion like she cared to hear what he had to say.
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Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 2:37 am
((Sorry! Connection issues ;-; Gaia is being ridiculously slow when I do get on...))
She seemed skeptical. He could understand that, he supposed. He wasn't ignorant or naive enough to believe that the world beyond the borders of his pride's lands operated much the same as it did within them, and given that he had never stepped foot outside of the safety of the Ela'wadiyi, he refused to be at all surprised by the fact that things were, as he suspected, different. That he could be surprised by how different was another matter.
He shrugged and shook his head. "Honestly, no." He admitted, his bright eyes dancing jovially. "But pretending that it does is a small price to pay if teaches someone just to take the time to slow down and take a good look around. Everything wasn't made just so we could all pass them by in our hurry to get someplace; especially not someplace that doesn't matter. We weren't given our entire lives just so we could run away from them, hm?"
He stopped and sat. If he was aware of her impatience, he didn't show it - or refused to. "A deal's a deal," he agreed. "But I hope your standards aren't too high; I haven't had enough dealings with life to have a great deal of secrets. But here, I'll tell you something I haven't ever told anyone else. Not even my family." Although, perhaps, especially not his family, in this case.
"Sometimes, when the sun is really bright and there isn't a cloud in the sky, and I can see the grass stretching out forever in every direction... I almost want to pick a path and follow it out of the pridelands. Just to see what's out there."
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:24 am
((No worries))
So pretending that this stupid butterfly that one may or may not see is important was supposed to change ones outlook on life or something. It all seemed quite full of bunk to Tawi and the longer she stood here wasting her time talking to this young male the more irritated she got. Standing still seemed to allow those thoughts and memories she had been working so hard to avoid to come creeping back up on her.
When he told her his little secret she nearly burst out in laughter at how ridiculous it was. That was his secret? Didn't almost every lion have that thought at least once in their life whether they were in a pride or not. Eventually the need or desire to wander reached everyone. Some embraced it, like herself, and others ignored it. "Well why don't you just do that then?" She asked and then began to walk once more. Enough time of standing still, if he wanted to keep talking with her he would follow. If not then she would be left to her own thoughts and path once more.
Not looking to see if he was following or not she told him whatever random thing popped into her head first, claiming it as her secret. "And if you must know my secret." Tawi said then paused for a moment to think. "I really hate toads." Okay so that was a pretty stupid secret and it wasn't even true, but it was the first thing she could think of so it would have to do.
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