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 Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:29 am
She staggered and fell, her once pale body golden from being covered in sand, her breathing was harsh and the cold of evening caused tremors to wrack her body. She wanted water, she wanted food and she desperately craved shelter and perhaps a kind word from a familiar face.
She wished Master Baku would return to help her but knew in her heart she would not.
She tried to stand again, legs wobbling dangerously beneath her as she went, eyes focused on the horizon which wavered before her. Then with the last of her energy the juvenile let out a croaky roar - weak but audible as a call for help.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:51 am
Kimeti had been out doing a routine check of the lands to make sure there was nothing amiss nor any intruders on the land. It was not often that he came across anything more than a dung beetle or the occasional bird so when a pitiful cry of help reached his ears Kimeti turned swiftly in the direction it had originated from.
His large bulking form moved across the desert, traveling up and down over the swells and gullies of the sand. He had little trouble in the grainy surface having grown up walking over the shifting ground. His footing was sure as he clambered up another dune which crumbled under him.
Thankfully the creature whom had made the sound was not to far off and to say Kimeti was delighted to see a lioness of all things laying in the golden sand would be an understatement. Finally things were looking up. The pride had just recently aquired it's first new slave and now it appears a second would be coming. Only thing...was the lioness still alive?
Padding up to the female Kimeti nudged her with a paw before noticing the small movement of breathing. Wonderful! She was still alive! Kimeti just wasn't too keen on having to carry her, but if she didn't wake he would be forced to. She wasn't fully grown so carrying the juvenile would be an easy task for the King but why waste energy carrying a slave if he didn't have to.
Nudging her again with a paw, this time more roughly he spoke. "You, get up." His voice was none to kind but still held a hint of worry.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 1:51 pm
Her eyes cracked open a little as she felt the nudge against her and with another small cry she raised her head as the voice rang in her ears. A voice powerful and demanding which instantly gave her the impression that he was someone not to be messed with.
Was it Master Baku? She raised her head further, vision doubling as she coughed the sand from her lungs and tried to stand. She coughed again and almost fell but used the last of her strength to stand, waiting for her vision to return to normal.
Then finally she saw him. The great lion whose fur was as red as blood.
Her heart flipped as she gazed over his powerful form in silent awe and respect, for never had she seen a lion such as this. Even her own father hadn't been this imposing!
"Are you one of the lions of the desert?" She asked as she swayed on her feet. Little did she know what torment lay before her. Poor, naive, little Kib.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:06 am
Kimeti looked down at the awe filled juvenile with piercing yellow orbs. He wondered briefly whom she was born from and if she had a pride which she had originally come from, but that truly did not matter anymore. This little thing may look weak and unworkable but Kimeti would deal with that. Maybe he'd take her as his own personal slave? The pride now had one in general but why not have his own?
"Yes I am a lion of the desert." He responded with unwavering malicious glee in his voice. "It's not often we have...visitors to our desert." He circled her once, eyeing up her physical form and how much strength she may have in her. The desert was certainly a cruel environment so to see a collapsed youngling such as her was no unexpected, just a bit annoying. Thankfully she had found her paws. He was not keen on carrying her one bit.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:15 am
It was then that Kiburi realised what a stalked antelope must feel like, watching the lions circling it before they made their kill. An unfamiliar sensation started the knots in her stomach and she cowered a little, tail moving to curl between her legs as she gazed at him.
"I've heard a lot about your pride sir." She spoke in a timid voice, "they say you are the most powerful lions ever born." She remembered the words of Sukutu warning her of their strength and felt a shiver run the length of her spine.
Had she really been wise to come here when she'd known that?
Staring at this powerful lion made her feel insignificant, as if she could be stepped on and he would barely notice. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and willed the strength back into her legs.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:22 am
Kimeti smirked as her obvious fear as pride swelled in his chest at her words. It was certainly nice to know that the Firekin were still considered a powerful pride of lions. Witht he plague ravaging through the desert Kimeti had been sure that the othe rprides had noticed their small numbers. Well it was no matter now. The pride was beginning to flourish again.
"I believe you will do nicely in the pride." He mumbled more to himself then to the little lioness but it didn't go unheard. "Follow me." He spoke more sternly and with a stern eye before turning to lead his new slave back to the den.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:28 am
The little juvenile watched him with great interest, hoping that what she had said had not done anything to anger him. At watching his body language it seemed that he was quite content and she relaxed a little, though her body was still prepared for an assualt of some kind.
She needn't have worried though for it seemed he had other plans for her that didn't involve attacking.
Her ears rarely missed anything and the comment brought great interest to her. What could that mean? Did he deem her worthy of being in the pride? Strong enough to continue the Firekin name? Her heart leaped. Maybe crossing the desert and surviving was some sort of passage that one needed to do in order to join the pride.
Excitement gripped her and she nodded at his order, walking at his flank as he strode across the sand. They had to be close by!
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:05 am
Kimeti glanced back at the little pale form following him with a smirk before turning his attention to where they were going. To anyone who was a stranger to the land of sand the many rolling dunes could be disorienting, but to the Firekin each dune was a mark that showed them which direction to go. That was why the desert was so deadly to foreigners.
The two traveled on for a little while until the sand began to get more packed under their paws as they neared the outcropping that housed their den. Upon arriving Kimeti shoved the juvenile into his den before rounding on her. "Now, you will do as I say. I don't take dissobediance lightly and I doubt you'd want that pretty pelt of yours riddled with scars." He growled out. "You will be my personally slave. Now that will bring you perks as an underling to the pride but you better remember your place. You rank below any cubs that may be born here but will be the top ranking of any slaves."
Kimeti eyes the female as he explained the ranking system to her. Despite being a slave they would need some sort of hierarchy so no squables would happed. He didn't want to deal with petty fights.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:15 am
She followed him quietly, not knowing any of the marks or which way they should be heading but noticed that the sand was changing. It was amazing to think that lions could live out here in this barren land. She was dwarfed by the lion's large size, her pale form trotting obediently beside him.
It was only when she felt herself being shoved that the fear sparked within her again. She cowered instantly, belly flat against the ground, tail and paws tucked as close to her body as possible.
Her ears flattened, her eyes widened and she lay crouching and trembling as she listened to what he was saying, his voice penetrating her mind in a way that it could not be ignored.
This was it, Kiburi had finally come across a fact that she could not gloss over with cheerful imagination. She couldn't pretend that this was a mistake, not when it was so real. A small whimper escaped from her throat before she could hold it back and she nodded slowly.
"Yes...sir." Her voice trembled and her petite form seemed to shrink further, closing in on itself. A slave? She wasn't too sure what one of those was but she knew that she wouldn't like it and that it wouldn't be something to be proud of.
Kiburi was rogue lioness no longer.
She was a slave.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 6:34 pm
Kimeti eyed the trembling form. "I don't need you dieing on me already. You may rest here for the remainder of the day. Come nightfall you will leave the den and find some other place to sleep as you will not be welcomed in here again. Should you try to escape you will not live to reach the end of the desert." He growled out while lowering his head to her. "I know this desert far better then you ever could. It would not take long to hunt you down and I will do it personally."
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:44 am
She nodded silently and curled up tighter, muffling her sobs into the tuft of fur that tipped the end of her tail. She knew trying to escape would be pointless. The Firekin knew the way of the dunes when she did not and as she stood now she could never survive the harsh conditions of the desert.
"Yes sir..." She whispered again, eyes closing as she sought refuge in sleep.
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