|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 9:35 am
It was hot. The noon sun beat mercilessly down on Matala's black back as she trotted through the tall, parched grasses in search of some shade to escape from the heat of the day. Come to think of it, some water would be wonderful too. Water and shade...
The lioness' faded sky blue eyes scanned the horizon and spotted a small clump of scraggly trees not far away. They weren't the shadiest trees around, but they were certainly better than nothing. Destination in sight, Matala picked up her pace a bit and heaved a sigh of relief as she finally hit the small patch of shade. Without pausing to look around further, she flipped down in the dirt, splayed out so that the cool patch of earth could help lower her body temperature.
"Thank goodness." she muttered to herself, wishing, not for the first time, that she didn't have black fur. It seemed to pull in the heat of the sun like a magnet.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 10:42 am
Gliri looked at her brother out of the corner of her eyes. Things had been uncomfortable between them for the last day or so since they'd had it out about Gliri's mysterious good mood. Muscardini looked the same as he always did, but she could tell he was as uncomfortable as she was.
"This is stupid," Muscardini said, breaking the silence which had persisted between them for several hours. "We're both adults, and there's no reason for us to fight just because you've made a new friend."
He thought phrasing it that way might please his sister, who had raised a number of those points two days ago when he confronted her about it. He still felt hurt and betrayed, but feelings were irrational and uncontrollable. He could, however, control how he appeared, which would hopefully mean Gliri would be less unhappy.
"I really would like you to meet him sometime. He's a good person," Gliri said. She hoped that offering to make introductions would make things better, though she was still reluctant to have her brother meet Shazidi.
"I'm sure he is. You - " Muscar trailed off as he saw Gliri stiffen with her nostrils flared. He took a few tentative sniffs and thought he smelled another lioness. His skittish sister would be on edge after smelling that.
"Should we take another way?" Gliri asked softly. If she strained her eyes she could just make out a dark figure beneath the trees ahead.
"It'll be fine. I'm here, remember. I won't let anything happen to you," Muscar assured his sister. The pair continued on their path, which brought them within ten meters of the black lioness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 9:14 am
Matala's ear twitched as she heard voices in the distance, making her crack an eye to look around. Her nose picked up the scent of other lions, two of them. Laying on the ground as she was, she couldn't see them over the tall, dry grasses, but she heard them pause some feet away from her. Had they seen her? Probably, she wasn't exactly hiding after all.
Would they approach? Did she want them to approach? The black female rolled the idea around in her mind, and decided that she definitely wouldn't mind if they did. It had been a few days in these strange lands since she had last spoken to one of her own kind. It was lonely, traveling on her own.
Making up her mind, Matala sat up and the stretched, yawning expansively before shaking some of the dirt off of her black fur, and then stood. She could see the pair now, getting closer, though not really aiming for her. It was a male and female pair. Mates? No, they looked far to similar, more like brother and sister, though she could be wrong. She walked forward, careful not to seem agressive, but a light spring in her step as she did so.
"Ho' there!" she called to them, smiling in a friendly fashion, hoping that perhaps this pair would be willing to talk to her, if only for a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 10:07 am
Gliri drew closer to Muscardini instinctively, the awkwardness from their argument discarded for the time being in the face of the unknown and potentially dangerous lioness. Not that she looked as though she meant them harm, but looks could be deceiving and Gliri did not wish to be deceived. It would be disastrous if something happened. What if they had to leave? She wouldn't have the chance even to tell Shazidi. She'd probably never see him again. The very thought made her chest feel tight with unhappiness.
Muscar, meanwhile, smiled and deftly maneuvered himself between his sister and the other lioness. His smile was a friendly one, but in truth it was one of pleasure because Gliri had instinctively looked to him for protection. He was still needed, and that was a good feeling for him. It practically made him swell with pride. This other lion his sister had met hadn't completely replaced him in her affections, obviously, as she still looked to him for defense.
"Hello," Muscar called back to the lioness, aware that Gliri was watching her across his back and wondering what she made of her. The other lioness seemed friendly to him and he decided with just a hint of spite that he would stay and converse with her. It would make Gliri uncomfortable and maybe if he seemed pleased enough to see this lioness Gliri would experience some of the same concerns he felt about this lion friend of hers.
Gliri nudged her brother, hoping to dissuade him from continuing this conversation, but he ignored her. It occurred to her that this was his way of punishing her. She didn't like it, but she supposed she deserved it. She turned her eyes to look at the dark lioness, watching her closely for signs of aggression or anything. It was best to be prepared.
"I'm Muscardini. Muscar, if you prefer. Behind me is my sister, Gliri."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 10:29 am
Matala came to a stop before the pair, her white ears perked up attentively as pale blue eyes observed the pair. Judging by their body language, they were wary. The male seemed more inclined to talk to her though, which made her happy. Her's was a heart that needed others around, she had discovered on this little trip of hers outside of her home jungle.
"I'm Matala, of the Iknimaya pride." she said in her light, musical voice "It is nice to meet you both. It's been some days since I ran into someone to talk to. No one since I left home, actually." she mused. She looked at the pair, debating on what to ask next. She hadn't spoken to many outsiders in her lifetime, as most of the time they were chased away by her own pride. There were the chosen few who were accepted though.
Finally, she decided on "Where are you headed on this hot day?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 10:48 am
Gliri's blue eyes widened at the thought that a wanderer from a pride had reached their lands. She had not realized they were so close to any pride's borders. Prides, she had found, were not particularly friendly about rogues living on the outskirts of their lands. She had vivid memories of being chased away by hunters and guards on two separate occasions. On the other paw, there were even more rogues who were unfriendly about strangers on their territory because survival was so much more difficult for them. Gliri could understand that better than she could the prides' resentment of rogues.
"The Iknimaya?" Muscar repeated, his mind following a similar track to his sister's. "I've not heard of that pride. Is it nearby?"
A part of him hoped that Matala would say her pride was nearby, because that would mean that he and Gliri would have to move on, as was their policy in dealing with prides, and he could make it seem as though it had nothing to do with his desire to get her away from Shazidi. He knew his dislike of the lion, whom he'd still yet to meet, was irrational, but feelings weren't.
Gliri, on the other paw, was hoping just the opposite, that Matala's pride would be far away, and from her relatively safe location behind her brother she said, her words overlapping her brother's in an effort to maybe distract the strange lioness from answering any questions about her pride, "It's good to meet a traveler, Matala. We don't often see new people in this area."
Muscar looked at Gliri with an unreadable expression which made her shrivel just a little inside. Maybe it had not been such a good idea to bring up new people. Not with the whole affair of Shazidi so fresh in his mind. It was too late to take the words back, however.
As if they had planned it, both siblings answered Matala's question eagerly and in unison, seizing on the new topic readily rather than get into any sort of disagreement in front of this stranger.
"Home," they chorused. With a hint of a grin, Muscar continued, "Would you like to come with us? We have some spare meat in our den which we would be happy to share for news of the greater world. We have been living here for a long time."
Gliri swallowed, uncomfortable at the idea of bringing a strange lioness home with them and made a little nervous by Muscar's mention of how long they'd stayed in this place. They generally didn't stay in one place for so long, and it had been at her insistence that they'd done so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 11:02 am
"No, my pride and my home are several days travel to the south of here." Matala explained "I am but a wandering artist, hoping to find some inspiration for my songs and dances." the female said with a sort of dreamy smile. She had felt that a change of pace was needed, new fodder for her imagination that her home jungle was unable to give her at the moment. So here she was, out in the middle of nowhere, but luckily, plenty inspired now.
Matala didn't notice the look that Muscar gave Gliri when she spoke up, but smiled and said "I haven't seen anyone at all. Its nice to talk to someone beside myself." She said with a light laugh before blinking at the way both sibs jumped to answer her last question. The smile returned when she was invited back to their den.
"Well...if I wouldn't be inconveniencing you...I am rather hungry..." It had been several days since her last meal, and that had been rather small and stringy. She wasn't much of a hunter, especially not on her own.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 7:15 pm
Matala's answer, although she had not wanted to hear it at first, reassured Gliri, whose posture relaxed somewhat. Several days south was far enough away that there would be no cause for the pride to take issue with their residence. She hadn't been overly concerned, since she assumed Shazidi would have mentioned if there was an unfriendly pride around, but she also didn't recall the topic coming up, and if it had she would have remembered it. She tended to relive their conversations and go over every nuance and gesture and intonation.
"You sing?" Muscar asked, his smile spreading. He really could get some of his own back with Matala. Gliri sang and told stories, too. Maybe he could make her worry just a little that he could replace her with Matala. "And dance? You and Gliri would have lots in common."
Gliri gave Muscar a horrified look, but at the same time she was curious about this artist. She'd never really attempted dancing as anything more than an expression of joy, but the way Matala said it, she made it sound as though it was an actual profession. She had no idea that was an acceptable occupation within a pride. Singing she could almost understand being a valued skill, as it passed on history.
"It would be no inconvenience. It won't be good for too much longer, and we won't be able to finish it in time with just the two of us," Muscardini assured Matala.
"That's true," Gliri acknowledged softly. "And I wouldn't mind hearing a song if you wouldn't mind singing for us."
"Not that we mean to charge you," Muscar added. "But we have been perhaps too much in each other's company lately, and you are a welcome chance of pace."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 1:43 pm
"Singing and dancing is my life." Matala said cheerfully, always happy to talk about her favorite things "I am an artisan in my pride, song and dance are very important to us."
The black female turned her pale eyes to Gliri "You do? How wonderful to find a fellow artists soul in this empty savannah." she said happily "I would be happy to sing for you both, whether it is in return for food or not." she said with a graceful sort of half-bow.
"Lead and I shall follow." Matala said dramatically in the middle of her bow, smiling playfully as she returned to a more upright position.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 2:09 pm
"An artisan," Muscar repeated. "I can't believe a pride which values its arts would allow its artisans to wander. Though you have said that you travel in search of inspiration and possibly new source material, so I suppose that explains it."
In response to Matala, Gliri only nodded. She was not good with strangers and preferred to remain silent in their presence and allow Muscar to do most of the talking. Her brother always told her that this was foolishness on her part, as she was the more gifted speaker of the two of them and less likely to inadvertently give offense, but Gliri simply couldn't relax enough in the presence of strangers to be anything other than stiffly formal, which made no friends. Muscar may have been less of a wordsmith, but he was undeniably better with people, and so she let him speak for them.
The siblings led, as requested, but at such a pace that Matala was encouraged to walk beside them. Well. Beside Muscardini. Gliri stayed safely on her brother's other side. Matala's dramatic bow had amused the lioness, but she was a wary creature by nature. It was amazing to her she had managed to make even one friend other than her brother, and more than a little disappointing that her brother was not pleased that she'd done so and the emotional progress it implied.
"Well, here we are," Muscar said when the trio reached the den. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you like. As long as you don't snore."
Gliri slipped into the den, smiling to herself at her brother's little joke, and settled herself for the night. It would probably be close quarters with Matala joining them, but she supposed she'd be okay with that. As long as Matala wasn't secretly a murderess or anything. With uncharacteristic resignation she supposed it wouldn't matter much if she was, and it would certainly make life interesting.
Muscar, ignorant of his sister's fatalism, followed her into the den and likewise settled in. He'd had a long day and he was more tired than he would have liked to admit. He hoped the evening would not prove so interesting that he couldn't sleep, because he sorely needed it.
Fin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
