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 Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 3:17 pm
Atlas was settling into his new title of guard quite nicely. It revived him to now have a purpose in life. And he was sure it helped Thoth, as well. He had felt that perhaps his dad was not pleased with him for bumbling along for so long before committing to a real job, which Atlas honestly found understandable but upsetting. He hadn't waited so long because he wanted to live the lazy life so much as he was confused about who he was and where he stood in the world. He was sure he wasn't the only one in his litter of three who had that issue.
Today, though, he had a follower. At first, he'd pretended not to notice the cub. Maybe it would just... go home. But then, he realized that not only was this cub NOT going home but just who the cub was. And how young he was. Tiring of their game of cat and mouse, Atlas finally stopped, turned around and sighed. "You can come out now, I know you're there." They were really getting far away from the little thing's parents, this game had to stop soon.
Vunozi had spotted Atlas back closer to his siblings. He'd suddenly decided he was bored with cub games and that he wanted to stalk something. Rodents weren't cutting it tonight. (That was what he usually hunted.) A giant, fluffy guard, though... that looked promising. Also, incredibly easy to follow. The cub was honestly a little disappointed with just HOW easy it had been to follow Atlas the whole way out here. Though it had required a little tricky maneuvering to always stay out of sight.
Or at least, he thought he had stayed out of sight. "How long have you known I've been here!" He moaned as he said it, staring up at the sky for all he was worth. "I thought I was being so quiet." He huffed and looked down at his toes. He'd have to practice on some more rodents.
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Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:38 pm
Almost from the day she had gained a working consciousness of the world, Živa had understood, instinctively, the way it worked. There was death--this, she gathered from the kills her mother brought home, the fresh carcasses that smelled so strongly of blood--and with it, inevitable pain. And there was life, sustained only by that death and fleeting by all measures.
The end was nigh. It was, for every single one of them, and each precious moment was another one gone, another mark in their small, ephemeral lives; another step toward oblivion.
That Živa understood. And accepted simply as an unchangeable, untameable aspect of the life she had been given to life. That she had confronted her mortality at so young an age was... strange, perhaps, but the young lioness liked to think that it had shaped her for the better. Because now, now life was about living. It was about enjoying the brief time she got to spend here with the world, about finding herself some stories to tell, some laughs to share.
It was all there in the playbook. All she had to do was follow it.
So the cub lived like there was no tomorrow. Danced like nobody was watching. Intruded on pridelands like the boundaries didn't exist.
Or... well, technically she wasn't in the pridelands yet. But she was close enough to it. Eh.
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Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:07 am
Atlas had no concept of time. Even though he was an adult and past his days of childhood bliss, he had never taken a real grasp on the cycles of the moon and the turning of the earth pushing him closer towards the end. He understood the cycles, sure. He was a good member of his pride, and just like any member he had an appreciation for the waxing and waning of the giant white body in the sky, but the idea that it moved him closer to old age didn't click for him. That could've been why he'd taken his time choosing his life's purpose. Aside from his unease about who he was and what he was to do, he might've had no concept that he was on a deadline.
This lack of awareness was his weakness as a guard because he hadn't realized quite how long he had been folowed by Vunozi until he rolled his eyes and caught a glimpse of the moon's position. "I should get you back before your parents get to wondering where you've gone, kiddo." He turned his head over his shoulder, looking out at the expanse of uncharted territory that separated the Mwezi'Johari from other prides. It was a quiet, still night. A good one for patrolling. And yet, here he was babysitting. He shook his head, his mane ruffling, and looked back at the cub.
Vunozi also had little concept of the passage of time, but that was mostly credited to his age and lack of life experiences. It wasn't so much that he was sheltered - it was simply that he was a young lion in a pride that kept good care of its members. He, too, followed the adult's gaze out into the unknown outside world. Except, unlike Atlas, he spotted something besides a peaceful moonlit night. He spotted what, from a distance and to his untrained eyes, looked like a small moon moving across the dark earth. Why Atlas had missed it, the cub was unsure. Perhaps he was preoccupied with something.
His brown body went to full alert stalking mode again. "Atlas, look." He stared out into the darkness at the seemingly glowing figure. He thought whatever it was, it was beautiful in the moon and starlight. After a few moments of staring, he was able to decide that it was a young lion, gender unknown. What it was doing out tonight was beyond him to guess, but it didn't seem so weird. He'd gone wandering, too, hadn't he? "Helloooo!" He called out to it before Atlas could get a hold of and silence him.
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Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:27 pm
In hindsight, it must have been a bit of a strange sight, the little flash of blue prancing about without much concern as to where she was currently prancing. And at this time of night, too. But she had... kindly taken leave of her sleeping family to go exploring this wonderful new place, and the moon was out and glowing away and the stars twinkling merrily behind it. She'd had plenty of company, if that was what worried them.
She had come across the softly conversing voices in her exploration, and had crept a little closer in an attempt to discern what it wast they had been saying. She hadn't, of course, but she had come close enough to see the brilliant flashes of blue in their fur--rather like her own, though perhaps less blue than she was. That had been intriguing.
It wasn't like she had been trying to stay under cover, but it was still cause for pause when a little voice voice yelled out what appeared to be... a greeting. Ziva hesitated, tilted her head. Him, that little pride cub, calling to her, out in the rest of the world? But he didn't even know her! Of course, she wasn't quite ready to put a label on all pride dwellers, but she had recently come to the conclusion that most of them were much less ready to live their lives than she. Fewer risks.
But here, perhaps, she was about to be proven wrong. She didn't know.
Hopping out of her mid-step freeze, the little blue lioness made her way closer, a little more cautious now. The little boy had a big, grown lion with him, and she never knew how that one would react. "Helloooo!" She replied, gleefully and in similar fashion. The promise of a new friend was clearly more inviting than any threats that might have been lurking.
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Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 7:43 pm
Atlas looked out at whatever it was Vunozi was staring at. He spotted the moon-like cub prancing their way and his eyebrows shot up in full alert. He would've jumped had he been a skittish lion. Why hadn't he noticed that? It was so blatantly THERE, and gosh, was she from this pride? She didn't look all too familiar, but he as new at this post. Perhaps there was a litter he wasn't familiar with yet, that wouldn't be too far-fetched. He was seriously doubting his decision to be a guard now. But look at her, look at that blue. So many of the pride members had that or a similar blue. Was she from here? He couldn't tell. It was unnerving him that he couldn't tell.
And then Vunozi called to the other youngster and Atlas just about popped him on the side of the head. Way to make the situation worse. He sighed and addressed it as best as his inexperience could. It was obvious he was nervous, even to Vunozi. "What are you doing out here all alone, little one?"
It was becoming obvious to Vunozi that Atlas was losing grip with the situation and was becoming a giant ball of anxious fur. He seriously needed to get a grip. The cub cast the guard a sideways glance of doubt and then rolled his eyes dramatically. He took several steps forward so that he was ahead of Atlas, and then thought better of being so close to the adult and took a couple extra leaps. He was going to meet this moon-cub, because unlike Atlas, he was completely aware that she was not of their pride. Being a cub, he at least knew of all of the other cubs around his age. And this beautiful moon-cub, he had never seen her before.
He was so pleased that she was coming closer and even called back that he couldn't contain it. He pranced his front feet a little and swished his tail, casting a glance back at Atlas before looking dead ahead again. "Where are you from?" He was just as excited about her looking like his pride's beloved moon as he was that she was an outsider. He knew they existed, of course, as a few had recently joined. But he'd never met anyone wasn't either becoming a member or already a member. This was an entirely new experience for him.
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Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:59 pm
She came close enough to hear, but danced just out of range, for the sake of being cautious. Living it up was just fine, but there was a thin line between enjoying herself and being foolish, and Ziva hoped she never crossed into the latter. She prided herself on having a level head, and relied largely on that expectation to keep herself safe. If ever anyone questioned her on her decisions, she would at least have that to use as an excuse.
It wasn't so much that she was worried about the lions. They seemed harmless enough, and no doubt, if they had been out to capture her and sell her into slavery, they would have done so already. And wouldn't have brought a little cub to help out. There were some things that she understood instinctively, like the life and death, and this seemed to be one of them.
It was more the fact that the adult, much larger than she and the other cub combined, seemed so very... nervous. Her baby blue eyes went from his face, down to his massive paws, and imagined the damage that they could do, if only he was careless with them. Best to stay a little further--until he calmed down, of course.
She shrugged and grinned, a charming little grin, as the cub overtook his elder. "Just having fun," she said. "And enjoying the scenery. It's nice here, y'know." Ziva added, clearly pointing out the obvious, but hey. Fish didn't know they were in water until they were pulled out of it, and a friendly reminder never hurt anybody.
"I'm from..." She hesitated, wondering how she was supposed to answer that question. "Out there." She said finally. It was as good an answer as she could come up with, and it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where she was from without a pride to use as a landmark. "What're you guys?" She inquired, meaning their own pride. "What's your name? What's his name?" She added the last part, almost as an afterthought, casting a careful glance over at the older lion. It wasn't like she had a problem with him, but he was just so... nervous. He made her a little nervous.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:54 am
Atlas was clearly losing what power he had in the situation. Then again, she was just a youngster. Perhaps a bit older than Vunozi, but not by much. An inkling of ease as melting at the back of his mind. This cub... she meant no threat to him. And she wasn't of their pride, so he had not missed a litter somewhere. It was funny, though. That blue coat could've fit right in with several of the families here. Including Vunozi's, he mused, eyeing the boy's ears.
But what was a rogue young lady doing near a pride border in the middle of the night, and alone? Where was her mother, her father? Or whoever took care of her, for that matter. Was she alone in this world? Or had she snuck off earlier in the twilight for some adventure? Really, Atlas had no way to tell. He'd never been one to sneak off and he'd never been one to go hunting down adventure. He played, just like any other cub, but he wasn't the go get 'em type. He was about to ask where her parents were, but Vunozi was already taking charge again.
Vunozi nodded appreciatively. "Thank you." He had always assumed that his home was a nice place and that it was beautiful. Of course, he often saw it in the eerie glow of the moon and the stars, and less of the harsh yellow sunlight that washed a landscape out. He did not know, though, what places outside his home's territory lines looked like. Sometimes he imagined them as fairytale like lands, some dark and twisted and spooky, and others peaceful and serene. This girl, she must've seen some of these places. What was it like, being from out there, he wondered. The idea of that kind of freedom was highly romanticized by the cub. He imagined her going on a great many adventures and perhaps fighting some unseen, evil foe.
"My name's Vunozi. That's Atlas." He tilted his head backward and to the left side where Atlas stood staring at them, clearly unsure of how to handle the situation. "We're... lions? From Mwezi'Johari." He raised his eyebrow at her, unsure what she meant by what they were. To him, it was painfully obvious she was a lion. "You're beautiful. Like a moonbeam." He breathed it out with zero inhibition, admiring her glowing coat. Cubs, especially happy ones, tend to not have issues with speaking their minds. Most especially if they've been raised in a secure and safe environment where there's time and energy that can be devoted to such things, like he had.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:16 am
Seen some things, the little lioness had indeed, and no doubt there would be more to come. Much more. She had no intention of growing up and learning to fear anything just yet, and this life she had was going to take her as far as it possibly could. Whatever the consequences were, they could be dealt with when the time came; there was no sense in climbing over obstacles where there were none, after all.
"I'm Ziva," she piped up, adding her own name to the introductions while she committed theirs to memory. "Must be nice, though, living in a pride? Having friends that..." Well, just having friends, period, really. The little blue lioness wasn't the shy kind, and she could get pretty friendly with anybody in a quick second, but creatures that stayed put long enough to form tight bonds with her were few and far between. "That stick around." She finished. Although Ziva herself wasn't exactly complaining. She had what seemed, some days, like a ton of siblings, and she had never found herself short of playmates.
Then something else caught her attention. Her delicate gaze shifted from the cub, to Atlas, who she was trying her best not to seem like she was ignoring, and back to Vunozi. "Hey, is he your dad?" She asked with interest. That this was perhaps a question of the somewhat more personal kind, the kind that didn't quite get asked mere moments after meeting, didn't seem to cross Ziva's mind as she continued to shift her studious gaze from one to the other, interested.
Her own father was not the most present of figures, and while the cub didn't blame him for anything--or, indeed, have any strongly formed opinions about his form of parenting--it intrigued her to think that fathers... well, hung out with their cubs. This must be an interesting way of life.
"Oh," Her blue eyes widened for a second to accompany the wide grin that split her face, and she accepted Vunozi's compliments readily. "Thank you!" It wasn't often that somebody said something quite so flattering to her, after all. "Do I really?" It was praise indeed, for Ziva had long considered the moon one of the most beautiful sights in what little of the wide world she had seen, and she had little doubt that it would remain so for her, no matter how much more she saw.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:13 am
The pair of cubs were chattering away friendly enough, and no more rogue lions were following this little one. It had been a concern somewhere to the side of his mind, that perhaps the parental figure of this child might be somewhere behind her, looking for her. It was seeming, and smelling like, though, that she was alone. Alone and fine, sure, but alone. He had to wonder, how could a mother in her right mind allow her children to just explore like that out in the big bad world? Even in the safe confines of the pride, cubs didn't usually go wandering too far without an adult. Vunozi was only so far out because Atlas had allowed himself to be trailed.
Rogues must have interesting parenting styles, he mused. Then again, perhaps other prides also had interesting parenting styles. Atlas wasn't sure. He had been raised in the Mwezi'Johari by his surrogate father, but had been happy if not thrilled with his childhood. He couldn't imagine any other way to grow up. The fact that this Ziva could move so freely in potential harm's way was foreign and questionable. He himself could be a threat to her, yet here she was chattering happily. Although, there was an air of caution. And perhaps a hint of maturity that was beyond the youngster's age.
Then again, Atlas was not a parent, and didn't even seem to have the inherit paternal quality aside from the obvious - defend the cubs. "Will your mother not be worrying about you, Ziva?"
The pull of adventure on a young male's mind had blocked out the good of living in a pride. The number of playmates and friends he had always there to be sought out... he wouldn't have thought of that at all had it not been mentioned. It hadn't occurred to him that outside a pride, things might be different in that sense. It seemed to him that everyone outside the pride might all know each other and meet up whenever they wanted to wherever they wanted to. "Oh. Yes, I guess it's nice. Don't you have a lot of friends?" He cocked his head. There were plenty of things he didn't understand yet, and one of the big things he didn't get was the benefits of pridal life.
He followed Ziva's gaze to Atlas, whom he had to admit, looked so very similar to himself. If Ziva had seen his parents, it would be apparent who he was from. His markings and even his very being were such a perfect product and blending of his mother and father, he was unmistakably theirs. "Oh no." He laughed a little at the idea. He was familiar with Atlas, sure. And they looked incredibly like each other. But really, that was where it stopped. "My dad... he's white and blue. My mother is brown, almost like Atlas but different, still."
There was a lot more to the story of Unyezi aside from him being white a blue, but Vunozi didn't find he wanted to spill out the saga to just anyone. The strange and roundabout love story of how his parents came together and how he himself came to be was something of a personal thing to Vunozi. It was meaning more and more to him every day. Their love and their sacrifices for what that had showed him what he hoped to have one day, what COULD be had. That something like that was possible, no matter the odds. It was a good, uplifting story to share, but maybe not on a first meeting with a stranger. No matter how beautiful she was.
Vunozi didn't often hand out compliments like that. The moon was something he and his pride took pretty seriously. Plenty of members had it's likeness somehow on the or incorporated into their accessories. Even Vunozi had a crescent on his forehead, and bore the moonlight color in several markings. Ziva, however, simply shone. Even her unmoonly red dorsal stripe was beautifully in contrast with her bright blue. "Yeah, really." He beamed at her. It was strange to him that she didn't know how beautiful she was, but perhaps she never really got a good look at herself in a watering hole? Who knew. Either way, he had never seen anyone so beautiful before.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:58 am
Well. Atlas seemed to have the parenting thing down to Ziva. Young as she was, she had yet to understand the emotional depths of being a parent, and the concept she held in mind revolved largely around making sure that cubs were out of harm's way, and around little else.
"I don't think so," she mused. "She might if she knew I was out, but I was super stealth." Being ninja was always the way to go, and while Ziva had never gotten herself into trouble for sneaking off before, she didn't intend to have to deal with the consequences any time soon. As long as her little escapades remained unnoticed, she would be free to do as she liked. She quite treasured her freedom and ability to make choices relatively unhindered.
"There are a lot of us," she added, by way of explanation. "Lots of cubs for my mom to look after, so... it's not as noticeable when one of us goes missing." Or so she hoped, anyway. For all she knew, her entire family was clued in to what she had been doing. But if they were, at least they hadn't done anything about it.
Still, she quite admired Atlas for his concern. It was one thing to care about the cubs in the pride, but to worry about a random little lioness just passing by said something. The cub grinned broadly again. "It's okay, though. I stay out of trouble." She had to, she supposed, or she would have found herself in quite a mess a long time ago.
Her attention shifted back to Vunozi, and she shook her head. "Not that many, outside of my siblings anyway. I mean, there're still plenty of lions to play with cause of them, but not really anyone else." It was a shame. Many of those passing acquaintances could have blossomed into wonderful friendships.
"Oh, okay," she giggled. "I thought you guys were kind of too different." Although to be fair, she and her mother weren't exactly carbon copies of each other either. As it was, though, she still carried the mistaken notion that parents tended to be reflected in their children. Even if it wasn't true. It wasn't something she could consciously change, she didn't suppose.
"Well, you're pretty too." She decided, unwilling to be the only one being complimented. It was such a flattering notion that she couldn't help but want to return it. "Like the forest." Or the bottom of the forest anyway. She'd never seen one, but from what she had heard about it, the forest was a rather magical place. "But, you're blue too!" She added, addressing both of them moreso than just Vunozi. "And, oh, you have a moon on you." A crescent moon! How wonderful. And the blue on his face made his eyes look so bright, and- she could have gone on forever noticing the things about the other cub that made him look absolutely awesome.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 9:52 am
The guard still seemed concerned. He twisted his jaw a little, as if chewing the inside of his mouth, thinking. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of a youngster wandering around unprotected, even if she seemed to have confidence in herself and even if her mother seemed to not mind the wandering. It was still dangerous out there. It was dangerous anywhere, for that matter. Why, just in his pride recently, there'd been a deadly episode. If it could happen in the Mwezi'Johari, it could happen anywhere. A shiver rippled under his fluffy, brown coat. The things that could happen out in the wide world to someone caught unawares and alone.
He made a mental note to keep an eye out for the brilliantly blue young lioness when he was patroling from now on. She might not come back by again, but it was worth it. For all he knew, she lived far away and was only in the area for a short time. Either way, he'd watch after her from afar to the best of his abilities, when he could.
"I see." He wasn't going to discredit her mother, nor was he going to express his concerns. He didn't want to frighten her, insult her family's ways or perhaps offend her pride. Instead, he kept it simple. "Well, at least you have fun." He smirked but it was a little half hearted, now that his mind had the weight of safety on it.
Vunozi, with his young mind, was unawares as to the concerns of his older and larger companion and as to the dangers his new potential friend was putting herself in regularly. Not only was he unaware of the benifits of being raised in a pride, he was also unaware of the potential problems that arose from a life of a rogue. To him, at that time, it seemed like a free life of adventure and games and exploring and making new friends and fighting the bad guys, whatever they were.
Furthermore, it didn't even seem like a lonely life. It seemed to him, at the time, that being able to move around so much meant always having someone to play with, and that was the opposite of lonely, right? Right! And not to mention, always having a new place to visit and explore. What more could you want out of life? He was forgetting, of course, love and family and relationships that are deeper than a chance meeting and a playdate. Those were things that deep down, Vunozi knew were coming for him some day, things that he knew he could look forward to, but at that moment they were out of mind. The excitement of adventure had carried him off.
"I have siblings." He smiled, liking that they had something in common. "I have a bunch of brothers. And then a few older siblings, too. They're adults." He didn't know them as well as he knew his brothers, but he of course did know them well enough. They were his siblings, after all.
His mind was instantly distracted from adventures and siblings and the like by her compliment. Vunozi had never really considered himself interesting looking. He didn't find himself ugly, but he didn't find himself good looking, either. He was sort of plain. Though, he did bear the marks that showed his half royal bloodline, the marks that the older, original members of the pride had. Like his tail's arrow marks and his forehead's crescent moon. "Thank you! I've never been in a forest. Have you? I think I might like to some day." But he imagined it must look nice in there, for her to be using it with a compliment. "I wonder what they're like! Yeah." He touched his crescent with his paw thoughtfully. "My dad has one, too. I like it, but I can only see it in the watering hole." He liked that mark. Wherever he went, the moon went with him, even if the giant body was slipping away beneath the horizon.
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Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:44 am
She bobbed her head. Atlas didn't seem altogether convinced, but that was okay. Ziva imagined that she would be around for a while, and she would have plenty of chances to show the lion just what she meant when she said she kept herself safe.
Of course, she wasn't naive enough to think that there were no potential threats out in the wide world for a lion her age.She understood how these things worked, how dangerous life itself was, but she was willing to take the chances. And, she had been lucky, that was for sure.
"I do!" She agreed brightly, eager to prove that her choice of lifestyle wasn't so bad after all. She didn't know what it was like, living in a pride, but she did at least know that what she did had it's perks, and it wasn't really as lonely as it could have been.
Some days, though, she did wish she had more friends. It was one thing to have fun with her siblings, and another entirely to know other cubs her age that she could chase across the lands and learn to fight with through play. The little lioness perked up at at a sudden thought. "Hey, you guys could be my friends!" She chirped, addressing both Vunozi and Atlas because she quite liked the impression she had gotten of the two, and she had never been one to intentionally exclude somebody from a group. That just wasn't how she rolled.
"Well, I've never been to the forest," she admitted with a small shrug. "But I've heard about it. I heard it's beautiful there. There're birds, and baboons and stuff." She added proudly, glad to have the knowledge and a means to explain her choice of compliment. It wouldn't have been very good at all if she had said something that didn't make sense!
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:45 pm
This little thing, she didn't seem too naive about the dangers, Atlas thought. At least there was that. If she was aware of everything that could happen, she could be prepared. Well, as prepared as a young female who walked around alone at night could be. Of course, he reminded himself, she had a family. She had already mentioned a mother and siblings, perhaps a father, he couldn't remember. So she wasn't alone all of the time. At least not yet.
Oh yes, he'd have to keep an eye out for her if she was staying in the area. He didn't like the idea of something happening to her on his watch, even if she wasn't a part of the pride. He wasn't parental but he had a softness for children, especially one who acted so big and so tough and so... adult. His face was grim but he nodded, if only to himself, having made the absolute decision on the matter. Maybe he'd mention her to his father later...
Vunozi was happy to hear, though he already suspected, that Ziva had fun. How couldn't she? She had so much to see and do! He couldn't fully imagine it, but he could try. What he couldn't imagine was her day to day life, inbetween adventures. In his mind, she was adventuring nonstop. Even though she had mentioned her siblings and he had even compared them as similar in that respect, he couldn't picture this beautiful and exciting lioness spending down time at home with the fam. It wasn't part of what he was seeing her to be.
Oh, they could be friends. Vunozi was very happy to hear that. He would have probably considered her a friend secretly, even if she hadn't officially dubbed them in a friendship. But the officialness of it meant that perhaps they could see each other again sometime! Could he sneak off from his siblings and playmates and... hardest of all... his parents? Obviously he'd have to do that to meet her. This being the first time they'd ever met, and he had snuck after Atlas. He was already coming up with ways to do this again. Had she ever been around these parts before? Could she get back here again? He knew how to get to this exact spot since he was raised in the area, but he wasn't sure about her.
"We can be friends!" He nodded vigorously. "And we could see eachother again." He quickly shot up a glance to Atlas. "Riiiiight?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:55 am
She was glad that her suggestion was met with enthusiasm. Or at the very least, in Atlas' case, without objection. She had never had an adult friend before, and that in and of itself was exciting enough. But now, it seemed, she would have a regular playmate of her own size and age, someone with whom she could share the grand adventures of the world who didn't already know them. She could spin stories, tell tales--all within the realm of possibility, of course, and based almost exclusively on her own experiences--to someone who could share in her love of adventure.
It was altogether new for her, having tangible friendships that she wouldn't have to worry or wonder about, ones that she knew would be there whenever she needed them. It was a strange feeling indeed, and it was a welcome change to have the promise of such constancy where there was none in her life.
She had moved closer by now, and took advantage of the opportunity to scoot in next to Vunozi, smiling that darling little smile of hers as she beamed up at Atlas. "Riight?" She chimed in, eager to make her newfound friendships work.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:09 am
With two youngsters staring at him expectantly, Atlas hardly had time to weigh the options here. Quite frankly, a young pridal cub shouldn't be hanging around the borders like this. Atlas had already done a wrong in allowing Vunozi to follow him so far, so he figured. The kid shouldn't be so far out, so far from the safety of the group. Then again, Atlas WAS with him, right? He WAS a guard, and quite large for that matter, capable of protecting his temporary ward in the event of danger. And, now with the addition of Ziva, protecting her, as well.
Was he even supposed to be making promises to a rogue cub? Oh, this was much to complicated. His brain gave up the topic, pushing it off completely. Perhaps sometime later he would think about it. Maybe he'd talk to someone, hash out what he was doing here. Or maybe not. "Oh, what the hey." He threw back a front paw towards the sky, giving up. "Sure, why not. How often are you here, Ziva?" This time, he was questioning her as to figure when he'd have to escort Vunozi around. One thing he knew for certain - it was not possible for the boy to be this far out ALONE until he was older.
"YES!" Vunozi jumped back on his hind legs, balances on his haunches for a moment. His eyes sparkled with the light of the moon and the stars, and most likely the excitement he was brimming with. His young mind didn't bother with the details. He didn't care if he was going to be dragging Atlas around. He didn't care if he should or shouldn't be this far out. In fact, it wasn't even that he didn't care so much as it didn't even occur to him. He was completely oblivious to any complications at this stage. He only knew and cared that he had made a new friend in the young moon-shine lioness, and that he would be able to see her again. Atlas had already been seen plenty of times by him, so he didn't even have an excitement for wandering around with him much, either.
Vunozi was at the opposite end of the spectrum from his new friend. For him, stability was the norm. What he didn't have was the excitement that he was sure Ziva would bring. She had already brought just a little of it in tonight's meeting. He could only imagine the possibilities of future escapades. And he was just that more excited that Ziva, for whatever reasons she had, was just as happy to be a part of the future as well.
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