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 Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 7:51 am
 The bright lioness was in a very good mood as she chased a small hare. It was just a tiny baby and it had talked to her – which was both adorable and somewhat awkward – so she just couldn’t bear to make a meal out of it, now. Not that something that small could ever be called a meal anyway. After promising not to eat the funny little thing, Fenja had been enticed to a game of chase so she followed the hare with bouncing steps, coat glimmering in the early rays of the morning sun. She thought she’d established some kind of trust with the baby hare so she was quite surprised when the little creature climbed a rock, squeaked and then promptly disappeared from view using the tall grasses as a cover.
Fenja tilted her head with a confused expression as she watched the blades move as the little hare ran off but decided not to chase it this time. She looked around for some kind of disturbance that could explain the sudden escape of her delicious new friend, her cautious nature quickly causing her pale coat to bristle.
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:12 am
 Blota was not the same lion he had been when he carelessly followed a female he thought he remembered and was promptly kidnapped by rebels against his pride. His mane had grown in, and he was leaner. He had never been a bulky lion, and fending for himself hadn't exactly fattened him up.
But it was not only an outward change. He felt different in his heart and mind. The spirits had showed him the folly of being too proud, and his dreams now were different than they had been when he was younger. Back then his highest hope was to be Sacrificed and to engage in heroic battle with hostile Spirits. Now... Now he just wanted to get home in one piece, and let back in. He'd be a good follower, he'd devote his life to make sure the Sacrifices had all they needed, if they just let him back in.
He was determined to find his way back, and he hoped he was going in the right direction. The uncertainness ruined his determination a little bit, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he might be striding in the wrong direction. As he stopped to look at the sun and check his bearings he was surprised to see a small hare pop up from behind a rock and then disappear just as quickly. Blota stared dumbly at the rock, trying to decide if it was worth straying that way for a possible meal or if he should just keep going in the direction he had been going.
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:38 am
Fenja’s eyes darted towards the orange shape and she couldn’t help but to smile a little. A rising sun on one side and what appeared to be a setting sun on the other. She had to admire the symmetry.
The lion appeared to be looking at the rock where the hare had been standing so Fenja took a few steps and then placed both her front paws on the cool rough surface, eyeing the orange male in silence. There were enough trees for her to climb in case the fiery lion proved to be trouble so she was fairly confident in revealing herself. Of course, Fenja’s coat being hardly what most would call discreet he was bound to notice the female’s presence without the simple gesture anyway. Unsure about the male’s intentions, the bright girl (even brighter now as the sunrise glimmered across her back) waited to see if Blota would move closer or just simply walk away.
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 1:44 pm
Fenja's sudden appearance was enough to make Blota's heart leap. At first glance she looked like a Sacrifice he had once known, and when he saw his mistake he let out a breath he didn't realise he had held in. It couldn't be her for a variety of reasons, and upon closer inspection she didn't look all that much like his childhood friend, or anyone he knew. When he realised he must be staring at her he quickly averted his eyes, hoping that she wouldn't take offense.
"You aren't from the Mizimu, are you?" he asked, knowing the answer would most likely be negative. Still, he couldn't bear not to ask. She could have been, and most of all - he wanted her to be. So he asked.
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:14 pm
The male reacted strongly to her appearance but Fenja couldn’t quite determine the meaning of his expression which made rather uneasy. She held his gaze and dropped her paws back to the ground, looking a little uncomfortable by the silent stare.
Wait, Mizimu? Mizumu, Mizimu… oh, Skuld’s pride! The lioness definitely knew that one so it was almost with pride that she replied to the orange male. Still, she wanted to be sure she was right in her assumptions before giving him the answer he truly wanted.
“Mizimu’Tun… Tun…you mean the Spirit pride?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:38 am
Prepared for disappointment, he was amazed to hear that the female seemed to know what he was talking about. She probably wasn't a pride member since she didn't say so right away, but meeting someone that might know about his home was fantastic in its own right.
"Mizimu'Tungika," he said breathlessly and took a few steps toward the bright female, "You know my pride? You know about the Spirits?"
Most of the lions he had met on his journey didn't know about the Mizimu at all, something that had made him feel much less important in the world. There were so many prides, it appeared, one stranger than the other.
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Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:53 am
“Tungica. Mizimu’Tungica.” Fenja repeated, as if trying to memorize the name, taking in the other’s reaction. My pride, he’d said. Well, no point in warning him about the war then. “I met a scryer at the borders a while ago. If what she said is true, the fighting should be over by now.” Well, of course Skuld could’ve just been overconfident in the abilities and numbers of the Mizimu warriors.
“She told me about the spirits.” She wasn’t smiling now as this was a subject she’d rather avoid. The orange male seemed young and far more interested in his pride than the pale lioness so Fenja didn’t really mind when he moved closer and sat down, very obviously admiring the bright orange and red coat of the male. “I’m Fenja, by the way.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:06 am
"She said that?" Blota asked, sounding more like an eager cub than an adult lion, "If a scryer said so it must be true. I thought it might be over but it's so good to hear you say it too."
He sat down, oblivious to Fenja's interest in his coat. His head was much to full of hopes and dreams and he didn't pay much attention to his surroundings.
"I'm Blota," he said, "I think the Spirits might have led me to you. I am... I was a Sacrifice in the Mizimu'Tungika."
Would he still be when he got back? Back when he was kidnapped he would rather have died than been forced to do anything else than being a Sacrifice. Now... He would do anything to just be let back in. If he had to start at the bottom as a follower, so be it. His own pride was what had landed him in this mess, and he was going to try to be much more humble from now on.
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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:24 pm
There were the spirits again. Fenja didn’t like to think the souls of the departed could influence the world she walked around every day. She could accept Gods and their – what was it called… ah! – domains but the idea that the dead could see and influence her actions was far from comforting in Fenja’s case. Considering she’d been the downfall of an entire pride, the pale lioness was pretty sure such spirits would rather curse than bless her.
“Excuse me, what?” Skuld had talked about offerings to the Gods… or Spirits, whatever. She hadn’t mentioned anything about sacrifices, had she? No, Fenja would’ve remembered that. “You were a sacrifice?”
She concentrated all her strengths on maintaining a calm appearance. Not a twitch, not a tail movement, only her incredible stillness could be considered suspicious. She didn’t like the sound of such a rank but she need to know exactly what a sacrifice was before passing any judgment. She owned that to Skuld at very least.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 1:34 am
In his excitement to meet someone familiar with his pride he had let his guard down, and Fenja's question put him on edge. If she knew about the Mizimu and the Spirits she had to know about sacrifices too, right? Still, he answered her question with some caution. In case she didn't know, or in case she was like the Dhati and didn't like the Sacrifice part.
"Um... Yes?" he said, "But I might not be when I get back. "It's not honourable to leave, even if it wasn't by choice, so I don't think I can just get back to the way it was. The right thing to do would have been to return as soon as possible, but I lost my way... after I fled from the fighting."
He looked at his paws after admitting his shortcomings. It was painful to say it out loud, but he couldn't go around pretending that he was of more importance than he really was. He didn't want to suffer the dishonourable green taint of a coward and a liar in his next life. And if he didn't get back his Spirit might be doomed to wander and never be reborn. No, let the Spirits and the elders of the pride decide his fate when he came back.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:12 am
Fenja relaxed visibly, blissfully unaware her vast ignorance in pride matters was leading to completely misunderstand Blota’s former role within the Mizimu.
The young fiery male couldn’t possibly have been condemned to have his life sacrificed for something like “the spirits” or he certainly wouldn’t have been so eager to return. Of course not, that would be ridiculous. Maybe he’d been forced to a life of seclusion so he could pray to those spirits which as far as Fenja was concerned was already too great of a sacrifice. He was probably forbidden to breed or, on the contrary, encouraged to do so. Sigh. Prides were weird. Oh well, to each his own, she guessed.
“Skuld just talked about the spirits, and colors, a bit about the warriors and… vultures.” She chuckled. “War is a horrible thing. So much pain and violence and blood…it’s not excuse for leaving your friends behind but I’m sure your youth will be taken into account if you go back quickly. And, well, perhaps this was something you were meant to do like a journey you had to complete to become stronger.” Fenja didn’t sound too sure about her own words but she tried to encourage the male as best as she could. She really wanted to get that depressed look from Blota’s face.
“Is it hard, the life of a sacrifice?” if it was indeed such a honorable position then perhaps that was a subject that would lighten him up.
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:40 am
Sometimes people simply say the right thing at the right time, and even if Fenja didn't believe her own words they touched something deep inside Blota. Without knowing it she had managed to say just what he needed to hear. He desperately wanted to believe that all this had a meaning, and that the Spirits were still guiding his steps. Kivuli must have tried to prepare him for this journey when she told him about all the things he needed to experience to make his Spirit stronger and more valuable for sacrifice. He had sulked about it then, but it all made sense now.
"Do you think so," he asked, eyes alight with feverish hope, "I met a young lioness on a quest to find her name. In her pride all young lions had to leave their land to undertake this journey. Perhaps the spirits needed to show me these things to help me grow up."
“Is it hard, the life of a sacrifice?”
"I wouldn't say it's hard," he said and smiled, "A Sacrifice will get almost anything they can wish for, and they are always well fed, cared for and protected by the rest of the pride. But they do have a big responsibility ahead of them, so it's important that their Spirits stay strong. Their Spirits need to mature through experience, and I think that's where I failed. But some day perhaps I can help another Sacrifice understand what I did not..."
He watched the horizon with a dreamy smile on his lips. In his heart he was already home, no - in his heart he had never left.
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:46 pm
“Hum, yes...?” The bright female said slowly inching away, feeling just a little uncomfortable with Blota’s sudden intensity. Poor thing, he really was homesick. She took the rest of his words with a pleased smile. “Sacrifice” was just another word for pampered lion that served the “Spirits” in some way. There had to be a catch though, there always was. Perhaps she could get it out of him if she spent just a little more time with him. The pale lioness rose to her paws and smiled.
“Well, I can take you there…well, almost there. I don’t want to get too close in case there’s still some fighting going on.” She didn’t think there was but Fenja was taking Skuld’s advice very seriously. “If you think you’re ready to return, of course.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:29 am
"That's probably a good thing," Blota agreed, "If there are still any rebels around still they might take you for a Sacrifice and try to harm you. With your coat and that nice jewellery you could be, and the Dhati did not treat Sacrifices kindly..."
He knew Sacrifices had been killed in the confusion when he left, but he didn't want to scare Fenja so he left it at that. At the time he had just focused on getting out, but later on he began to wonder if they had started killing off Sacrifices because the Mizimu Warriors were closing in on them. It was heartbreaking to know that those of his friends didn't get the honourable death of a Sacrifice and that their Spirits might be lost forever.
"I'm ready," he said, "Let's go."
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Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 1:51 pm
Sacrifices sounded pretty harmless and Fenja couldn’t bring herself to believe how anyone would wish to harm them. Maybe the Sacrifices were the pride’s protector, the warriors? That would make sense. Warriors sacrificed their entire lives to protect the pride, it would be normal to be waited upon so they could focus solely on honing their fighting skills. Maybe that was the big responsibility Blota had spoken of.
“Me? Does being a sacrifice depend on the color of one’s coat?” Well, that didn’t really make sense. they looked nothing alike! If Blota had been a sacrifice, Fenja would be something else entirely. Unless... “Or is it the brightness of the coat?”
Honestly, the idea of being confined to a territory was suffocating enough for the lioness. She couldn’t imagine living in a place where she’d be forced to follow a certain path solely based on the color she’d been born with. Such strange customs each pride had.
“What is the big responsibility Sacrifices have?“ the pale female asked lightly as she started walking. Fenja liked confirmations. She’d been far too uncomfortable with Skuld’s spirit talk to actually do the usual prodding. “If we keep going this way and don’t stop, we should be there soon.” She added with a smile.
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