|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:21 am
Sutala had waited until the most recent visitors to her little shrine had left, and now she was tidying up the shrine and the area around it. She was happy today after a most pleasant visit with a warm and endearing soul, one that had drifted away but left Sutala feeling oddly happy and at ease. Still nervous, still jittery, that would never change, but Sutala had enjoyed that visit very much and hoped that the soul would stop by again so that they could speak once more. She had to wonder if it had been Pumzi's soul. If her friend's soul had drifted by, would Sutala be able to tell? She hoped so. It would be so wonderful to be able to guide her friend's soul back to her.
She hummed a bit to herself as she pawed away little pieces of rubble and rock from the ground in front of the shrine she looked after, her defenses down for a moment. No ear listening for approaching strangers as she had a habit of doing. Perhaps Pumzi would stop by for a nice visit. That would truly end Sutala's day on a pleasant note.
Done cleaning, Sutala sat before the shrine and quietly meditated. Today the world felt right, and she sincerely hoped that nothing would come along to ruin that feeling.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:40 am
Ataro was wandering...again. Thought this time he had wandered a good bit further then he normally did and after hearing some rumors from the local wildlife had decided to check out this 'shrine'. He wasn't sure he believed in anything about it - but it was still something new - and Ataro did love to see new things.
Unfortunately the rumors hadn't said anything about its keeper and as he came into the area he couldn't help but be a bit irritated to find a female Wild dog already there. Great..just what he needed. He eyed her up and down for a few moments and had to admit even to his own jaded mind that she wasn't half bad looking. Kind of wispy maybe but not ugly. He couldn't help it he was a male after all, and for some reason Ataro decided he'd had enough of the females he ran across taking advantage of him (or what he perceived as taking advantage). Not this time. This time would be different and with that thought placed starkly in his mind he placed a warm look on his maw and cleared his throat to gain her attention.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:47 am
Sutala cringed when she heard the throat-clearing. She should've been paying more attention, she supposed, but she'd been so caught up in her meditation and the like that she hadn't kept an ear tuned for any strange footsteps that might've happened by. Squeezing her eyes shut she took a deep breath, bracing herself before turning around with apprehension in her eyes and nervousness turning her body rigid.
She hadn't been expecting to see a visitor to the shrine without a Guide and a Guard. They must've been busy doing other things, she supposed. That made her even more nervous, impossibly enough. At least he was a distance off, and had a rather pleasant expression on his face. 'I can do this,' she ranted in her mind, repeating it over and over again until she almost believed it.
"Welcome," she whispered painfully, the sour look on her face assuring him that he was anything but welcome.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 11:07 am
Oh well..wan't she a snarky little thing Ataro thought to himself as she uttered what was clearly a lie, right to his face. How typically female. He'd intended to make things uncomfortable to some degree but now..now some bitter part of his heart wanted to hurt her somehow. Really truly hurt her, and not in the violent sort of way - folks just forgot about that after awhile. But in some other way, like..like his father was hurt...and then of course it came to him. A genius idea..his sister would freak but she didn't ever have to know now did she?
Careful though - he'd have to go oh so carefully at the beginning and pushing all the bitter feelings aside he..he wagged his tail (how sickening) and kept his happy expression though he modified it with tinge of uncertainty just to let her know that he'd heard the tone of her welcome 'I..I'm sorry, did I interrupt you? Is something wrong?" He questioned in a manner he figured any self respect 'nice guy' would.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 11:22 am
Sutala rose to her feet and stepped to the side of the shrine. He wouldn't be here if he didn't want to meditate or gift something to the Souls that she shrine honored. She felt a little bad that she couldn't have sounded more welcoming. A bit of regret swept across her face, though she did take a few more nervous steps away from the shrine just in case he wanted to come closer.
"I-I was just meditating. I am the K-keeper of this shrine." Stuttering? Really? That was new, and Sutala hated it. She hated that her nervousness and distaste for company was so apparent in the way she held herself. "Nothing wrong." She shook her head, yearning for him to just go away but being far too meek and polite to ask him to. After all, the pride welcomed strangers. It wasn't his fault that she was so... well... weird.
"Shrine of Souls," she mumbled, shifting from foot to foot nervously.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 5:18 pm
Ataro watched with a seemingly calm expression as he nervously shifted her tone, he didn't miss that touch of regret on her face either - good she ought to be feel sorry, imagine greeting simple visitors in such a way, never mind that he hadn't expected to be a visitor to more then the shrine in the first place and he was far to hopped up on the preceived injustice of his life and misplaced anger towards her to think rationally enough to forgive and forget so easily.
No Ataro was fairly set on his current mission, that of if not ruining her life at least making he next little while less then happy. Which of course she wouldn't know until he left....thats right until he left her to wallow in misery like his father had after mother left. He was sure he could pull it off..he was a handsome dog and he could play the part of gentleman if he wanted to.
which of course meant he had to have an in - right, the shrine, the thing he'd come to see in the first place, if she was the shrine keeper then it stood to reason that she believed in it as more then just a pretty object. If he showed interest in that then..well maybe that could be his in.
he blinked his eyes slightly letting his gaze waver towards the shrine for a few moments letting a sorrowful look sweep across his face "Is it true that sometimes the soul come here to visit?" He asked, making sure to put a bit of hope in his voice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:57 am
For a moment Sutala froze. She had only told Pumzi about the souls visiting the shrine, and only after Pumzi had shown interest in the shrine itself and the souls it honored. Sutala loved talking about the souls, loved describing their pretty glows and colors. For some reason talking about them made her feel infinitely more comfortable. Her ear gave a quick twitch as she peered at him with interest. Perhaps he shared the same interest in souls that she did? Could she make another friend? Part of her hoped she could. He looked so sad.
She edged a little bit closer to him. Had he lost his soul like Pumzi? "They visit often. I...I see them." It still sounded strange to her own ears when she spoke those words aloud, but he'd sounded so hopeful when he'd asked, she couldn't help but feel obligated to share that little bit of information. "Are you searching for a soul in particular?" she questioned. Some did come here to pray for the souls of lost loved ones, so it was a natural question for Sutala to ask.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 5:34 am
Ah yes..that little stab in the dark had paid off it seemed - Ataro had not really heard anything about souls visiting the shrine but it had made sense I mean it was the Shrine of Souls...why on earth would they call it that if they didn't believe that souls went there? And if anyone believed then it would for sure be the so called shrine keeper,which she had already admitted to being.
Of course he hadn't expected her to admit that she saw them - that was a touch..odd, but you could never really tell with overly religious types. i mean there were the zealots his family had once lived near how believed that the color purple was something special. Wing nuts th whole lot of them - and this female didn't seem to be anything different, if anything else it made him even more determined to see his new found goal through.
Of course that meant he had to continue on with this charade he'd gone and started and so despite his inward disdain for her claim she made sure to put a touch of hope and awe into his voice "You..you can see them? Are the happy? Do they hurt till if the hurt in life?" God these questions were so completely lame but they seemed like the type of questions someone looking for closure would ask at a shrine for the dead. Of course now she had gone and asked just who he was looking for and though the thought of saying this caused a bitter taste in his mouth he couldn't think of anyone better to say. "My..my mother, she was quite sick..." Sick in the head anyways, cursed wench..but this gray female didn't need to know that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 8:38 am
Perhaps this was going to be a meeting like she'd had with sweet Pumzi. The lioness was Sutala's very best friend, and it pleased Sutala that this male was so interested in the souls that Sutala cherished. "Most are happy, she whispered, looking with adoration at her shrine. "Some are sad. I have yet to meet a bad soul, one who lived their life with the intent to do bad to others. I do not know where they go."
When he spoke of his mother, Sutala's heart wrenched. Her own mother had been the most unkind being on the savanna at least in Sutala's mind. She was convinced that her mother's soul had gone to the place where the terrible ones went. She tilted her head to the side and even went so far as to lift a paw to gently rest against his shoulder. "I am sure she is at peace now," she mumbled, hoping to put his mind at ease. Perhaps that would even make him smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:07 am
Yep it looked like he'd been right - the snarly women seemed to adore this shrine - she probably loved it more then anything else. Ataro bet she'd had some sort of family somewhere and she'd abandoned them to take care of this dumb..well whatever it was 'shrine' thing and that just made him want to sully the place. Sully the place and sully her. That was the plan anyways.
But he had to string her along a bit more for that to happen - he wanted her to really, actually like him, perhaps they would spend the day talking..let it move into the night where they were less likely to be disturbed by anyone else coming along and then he'd do the deed, punish her for her snippy comments and feminine ways and hopefully break her faith. It would be great and he was sure she deserved it. Somehow.
Wasn't it funny how she'd been so condescending and surly when he'd first shown up - and now she was pretending to care? Like she actually had a decent heart or something, it was laughable really and Ataro would have said so if she wasn't so wrapped up in playing some poor dead beat mopey son so she'd stick around until the time was right, and he must be doing a pretty good job because she actually had the confidence to touch him! Females were just so amazingly gullible and fickle. He hung his head slightlym lifting it up to give her a thankful smile when she offered her 'comforting' touch. "I, I do hope so" He told her in an earnest voice 'She suffered so very much while alive, I would hate to think she would continue to do so in death"..though he would love to know she was in fact dead he mentally added to himself. "Will you tell me more about your shrine and the souls? I would very much like to hear about it" He continued...at least until you trust me a bit more and I can be sure we're really alone, and the thought made him smile again - which he was sure she would just assume came from her comfort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:57 am
She was doing so well, Sutala thought to herself confidently. She'd even been able to touch his shoulder in an attempt to try and make him feel at least a little better about losing someone he obviously must've cared so much about. Perhaps he would want to stay here in the pride and find his own duties to take care of. It would be nice to have another in the pride she could talk to.
"I will tell you," she made the soft promise, "but first why don't we eat. It should soon be time for supper, and after that we can return here to talk more." She offered him a shy smile, growing more and more comfortable with him. He was so nice and timid and she felt like they had something in common with one another. It was nice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 2:00 pm
Oh my, he really must be making somewhat of an impression on her - she was asking off to dinner, no doubt so that she could show him off to whomever her friends were - like some sort of conquest and then of course once she'd done that she'd ditch him and run off with someone else.
Or at least that's what she would have done - if he wasn't intending to run off on her first of course. Foolish she-dog, she didn't know what ws about to hit her, she didn't have a clue! He'd leave her hurt and upset, the same way his mother had left his father and then maybe she'd learn her lesson and mend her ways. Not that he really cared - he didn't intend to come back and see if she did or not, but he'd know he'd at least tried to teach her a lesson and that would have to be enough. For now.
He allowed himself to perk up a bit more at her offer "Oh well..if your sure it won't be an imposition.." He told her with a bit of hesitation in his voice, couldn't let her think she had him to easily now, though he did stand up and added in a slightly embarrassed tone "I am quite hungry.." Surely she'd tell him it was fine and lead him off to eat now and everything would fall wonderfully into place. For him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:14 pm
There was never a doubt in Sutala's mind that he would want to stay in the pride and they would grow to be dear friends. He reminded her so much of Pumzi in some ways and that made her so happy. Meekly she rose to her feet and nodded her head in a quick dip, a ghostly smile flitting with the corners of her lips. "Come," she whispered, swaying her head to the side in order to indicate that he should follow.
They would talk during dinner and then return to the shrine once they'd filled their bellies. Sutala was feeling wonderful, having found a new friend, and perhaps he would want to learn more about the shrines and how the pride worked. Perhaps she could even introduce him to Pumzi and the three would grow to be fast friends.
Never in her darkest dreams would she realize that she'd fallen into a deceitfully devious trap. Never did she even think that he'd be gone by morning's light, taking with him his sad smile and perfect words.
Never did she realize she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
