|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:37 pm
 The sun had barely touched the edges of the earth as it rose, throwing glints of bright light into the swamp to break up the heavy shadows. Even here on the border of the swampland territory only a few of the strands of light made it to the ground. A tiny beam fell onto a tree near Myq and caught her attention, appearing as if all of a sudden as the sun lined up properly. Fascinated, she wandered over and awkwardly tried to climb the tree roots to reach it to investigate further. She watched with rapt attention as it shimmered with the movement of leaves.
"Hello," she called softly, and waited to see if she'd get a reply. "Are you a jini?" She'd been told about the spirits that filled every edge of the world, but she wasn't entirely sure what they were supposed to look like. Whether it was one or not, the light didn't answer, and after a moment disappeared as the sun changed position. "Come back, I didn't mean to scare you!" Myq called, pawing at the bark of the tree.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:56 pm
 Val was moving quietly through the shifting shadows at the border of a pride. The goddess didn't know what the pride was called or even if they welcomed strangers but she did know that they were located in a swamp and for Val it was a place filled with interesting plants and herbs.
Since she was not sure of her welcome Val had used a bit of the illusion that all god had and turned invisible and to prevent issues with sound she floated a few inches above the water and plant life. The green goddess so absorbed in looking at the wealth of plants around her that she jumped when she heard someone call out. Ever curious Val went in search of the voice and quickly found it in the form of a steal blue cub perched on tree roots. The cub was so cute as she, the cub, seemed to paw at the shifting lights Val couldn't help but chuckle softly, remembering fondly her own cubs when they were that age, forgetting that she was not visible to mortals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:01 pm
Disappointed to have lost the light, Myq turned to search for others when she heard a strange noise and stopped to listen. It almost sounded like mother, like a female lion laughing, but something was different. She couldn't quite figure it out in her tiny little head. Worried about the strangers mother had warned her against meeting on the border, she shuffled nervously, peering about her, but she saw no one. Just many dancing lights.
"Hullo?" she called, and inched closer to the water where she thought she'd heard the sound come from. Was she hearing vijini? Maybe the light was hiding somewhere and laughing that she hadn't caught it. Pouting, she sat down on the edge of the water to rub her nose in a defensive gesture. "I wasn't gonna eatcha!" she hollered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:49 pm
"Hello little one" Val said when it became obvious that the cub could hear her. The pouting little female was just so cute that Val couldn't help but laugh softly again and answering, "I know that and you dont have to holler I am right here after all." The goddess was a bit confused, why would the cub believe that she thought that she was going to eat her?
She sat down in the air over the water her tail tip just brushing the swamp and watched the cub. It took her a moment of thought before she realized what she should have realized all along, that she was invisible to mortals. "Oh dear. Now I know the problem. Well just give me a moment and all will be... well revealed."
Worried that she would scare the cub Val slowly dropped her illusion so the green goddess slowly faded into view with a sheepish smile on her face. "Sorry about that I forgot about the whole 'unable to see me' thing."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:00 pm
Myq fell over backwards in shock at the sudden voice, and scrambled in a circle, desperately trying to figure which tree to hide behind. How do you flee from a disembodied voice when you don't know where it's coming from, she thought. It could be hiding behind any of the trees she might pick! Mewling, she curled up in a ball of indecision and glanced around the scenery for any movement, ready to bolt in the opposite direction.
No mater what she might've been thinking the voice might be, she wasn't expecting for a green lioness to just slowly appear in front of her, smiling gently for all the world like she'd always been standing there. Standing... on top of the water, rather. Her tiny mind truly boggled, Myq's jaw hung loose for a long moment while her brain tried to start working again. Finally she hesitantly raised a paw to point at the stranger. "Jini?" she asked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:30 pm
Val was quite chastened about her actions when she saw how traumatized the poor cub was. Being distracted was no excuse to have scared the cub so much that the little female was curled up in a ball. "I really am quite sorry about that."
Jini? Who was Jini? And why did the cub think she was Jini? With a confused look Val gently corrected the shocked and, as far as Val knew, still scared cub. "No I'm not Jini I'm Valetudo'Sero. I don't know this Jini lion you mean. Is there anything I can help you with though?" Val had hoped that by offering to help the little cub would at least feel less frightened in her presence. Having someone afraid of her was not a normal occurrence for her and normally those that were had it coming.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:50 pm
Myq blinked at the lengthy name the goddess gave her. Why was it that adults always had such complicated names? Was it that the bigger you got, the more sounds you needed? Now that she she was watching the lioness she was beginning to calm down, and carefully got to her feet to get a better view. She tried circling for a moment, but nearly pitched head over feet into the water when she forgot that the water wouldn't act like ground for her little paws.
Not a Jini, then, but what sort of lion just came out of the air and stood on water? Mama would never her if she told this story. Myq glared suspiciously. Or maybe this was a Jini spirit afterall and it was just trying to trick her! They were supposed to be mischievous and mysterious, afterall. She studied the green female skeptically. "You've got feathers on your back," she said accusingly. "Lions aren't supposed to have feathers on their backs."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 9:23 pm
Val sat still as the cub did her best to circle her to get a better view. She only had to smother her laughter once when the cub almost fell into the water. "Feathers?" Val craned her head around until she saw her wings. "Oh yeah. Their my wings." Val had forgotten about them since most mortals wrote them off as some odd decoration or there were even a few who knew they were wings. Then again Val didn't run into mortals who were this cubs age very often, her own cubs none withstanding.
"Your right lions don't normally have wings on their backs but gods do. And those that make items out of feathers and place them on their backs." Val felt sort of obligated to add that second part about items.
"So, um, why are you out here alone and who is Jini?" Val still hadn't realized that Jini was a thing and not another lion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:58 pm
Myq gaped at the question, not having heard it the first time. It baffled her that anyone wouldn't know what the vijini were. It was such an basic part of her pride's culture that she took their existence for granted as much as the existence of the trees around her. Sometimes she thought she'd spotted one, as little lights floating about the swamp. Other times she thought she'd hear whispers when she was half asleep.
"The vijini are the spirits of life all around us," she said, parroting her teachers. "The watch over us and in-flu-ence all things." She wandered over to the water's edge as she spoke, and hesitantly tapped the water underneath the goddess. The ripples passed under her paws unaffected. "How are you doing that?" she asked, and tried pressing the surface again, but her paw went right through as normal. She shook off the water droplets with a flick.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:54 pm
"So Jini is a shortening of the name vijini. That makes sense, much like my name. Most call me Val since Valetudo'Sero is such a long name." Val watched the cub then added, "And its good to believe in things such as spirits after all every living thing affects others some way." While Val might not believe in vijini she did understand the concept that this pride was trying to instill in there young, after all who better to understand how the world was connected then a god.
"Doing what dear? Oh you mean staying on the water? Hum..." Val had to think a moment. She had never really thought of it just that she could. Of all the powers all gods had she figured it would have to be one of two; flight or teleportion. Since teleportion was more of a instantaneous thing she figured it was more of a flight thing. "I think its just a thing we gods can do sorta like flying except staying still." Val got to her paws and walked onto solid ground and sat down. "So why is a young cub like you out on the edges of the swamp?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:52 pm
Myq bent down to peer underneath the goddess' feet, where the slightest of separation could be seen between her feet and the surface of the water. "Birds can fly and sit on water, but they usually touch the water to sit on it," she mused outloud. She was almost disappointed when the goddess left the water for the ground. Now she just looked like a green lioness with wings, rather than some mystical aberration.
She ducked her head and scuffed at the dirt when the goddess asked why she was there, thinking she was being reprimanded. Mother didn't like her wandering near the borders, in case she met foreigners. "I was just lookin' for vijini," she mumbled. "I saw some lights, so I chased them, and they led me out here. You're not gonna tell my mama, are you?" She put on her best innocent pleading expression, with big eyes and trembling lip, hoping to get herself out of trouble by looking cute.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:09 pm
Val was torn. One one side she really should give the young cub a good scolding after all wandering after lights was not a good practice but on the other side learning about the world around you was a good thing. Taking the middle ground she frowned down at the cub. "Following lights is not something one should do generally nor is it a good idea for cubs to wander so far away from the protection of another. But," She paused then let up on her frown so instead she was just gazing down at the cub. "learning about the world around you is something you should do as well." Val took a quick glance around and spotted a familiar green plant. Pointing to it she continued, "Take for instance this small plant. If you knew about herbs and plants you would know what it can be used for, how it can be used, and what one should not do with it."
"So no I won't tell your mama but you must promise me that you will at least tell others where you are going and when you expect to be back so if something happens they know where to look." She finished her little 'speech' and waited silently for the cub to respond.
(did she ever give her name? not sure is all)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:25 am
Myq puzzled over the two-sided answer from the goddess. Was it a sort of riddle? One shouldn't wander, except that one should explore, and you had to wander for that. She huffed a breath in irritation. It was one of those adult meanings, wasn't it? What was she going on about with the plant, now? What should be done with a plant? That didn't make any sense. She didn't do anything with plants. Except, the healers used plants. "Ohhhhh," she crooned in enlightenment, and made a mental note to ask the healers what that plant was for, later.
Definitely being scolded for real now, Myq bobbed her head obediently. At least she wasn't getting told on! "I promise, I'm sorry." Her childhood instincts were telling her to run off while the timing was good, in case the green goddess changed her mind. "I should probably go home now. Was nice t'meet you."
(No, I don't think she ever gave it.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:54 pm
Val wasn't sure how much the young cub understood and would remember. She wasn't even sure if the cub's promise was something she was going to stick to. It might be one of those things that the cub says just so Val believed she would do as she said, her own son said such things granted she stopped believing in those promises a long time ago. That boy still wont listen when I tell him not to jump in the hotsprings, she mentally muttered to herself. She loved her son Mat but she had no illusions about the silly male.
"It was nice to meet you to young one. Go on home now and remember what I said." Val got up to leave. She really did need to continue on her way. "Good luck on finding a Jini." She smiled before stepping out onto the water to continue her search for herbs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
