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 Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:27 am
Hima was only a cub and so much had happened. Losing both of her parents and one of her siblings mysteriously during a time of famine. The young one didn't know to question the choppy nonsense of her older brother's explanation. But Jambazi never steered her wrong and she wasn't about to start questioning him now. Their broken family joined the wandering ragtag group of rogues lead by the very handsome Tungiza.
And having recently entered the Pridelands, Jambazi filtered the information down to his sisters that this pride would be their new home. Such a new prospect to be a part of a pride! Having gone from a family of rouges, to a wandering troop and now joining an established pride!
That was what might have lulled Hima into a false sense of security. She figured being in the pridelands made her... her sister, her family, untouchable.
The sun was high in the sky, the peek of the afternoon. Keeping low to the ground, the female surveyed her surroundings for her hidden sister. The pair were playing of game of hide and go seek, and currently Hima was seeking out Chamba. Just like her namesake, Chamba's coloration resembled tree bark. And it was difficult to spot her against the browns of the savanna currently in the peek of dry season. Padding around slowly, the little make-believe hunter prowled for her 'prey'.
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 11:21 am
 Chamba was curled close to the ground, hidden in a small brown bush that covered her perfectly. Threw the leaves she could see her sister looking for her. She hoped it wouldn't take Hima too long to find her. As much as she loved playing games with her sister she preferred to be with her sister not hide from her. She couldn't help but worry for her sisters safety as they played. Being in the pride made her feel a little safer, however because of past events she had become a bit paranoid.
She also worried about her brother, constantly wondering if he was doing fine. He had to protect and take care of them. Did he even have time to take care of himself, Chamba wondered as she waited. He had lost his parents too but he was strong about it, not like her. Chamba wished more than anything that she could be brave like her brother. That was it! She would bring him back something from the outskirts of the pride and show him how brave she really was! Of course she would bring Hima with her. It wouldn't be fair just to leave her sister her, as she went on a same daring adventure.
Her tail and toes wiggled with anticipation, as she watch her sister try and find her. It became hard for her not to just jump out of the bush and surprise her sister, but she decided to wait. It wouldn't be a fun game if she just jumped out of her hiding spot. So she curled up even more and watch her sister try and find her.
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 12:40 pm
Black nostrils flared as she inhaled deeply. The familiar scent of her sister splayed around the grasses the two were rolling around in not too long earlier.
With Chamba's scent everywhere, it was difficult to single in on the source. So the cub was awarded a sight of her frustrated sister stalking around in circles. The longer she was taking, visibly making her more flustered and annoyed with her lack of skill and precision. Hima's tail swatted around behind her irritably.
Her gaze panned through the grasses infront of her for the sixth time... and Hima's expression wrinkled as she bent her torso forward to get a better look at the dual grey orbs that matched her own. "Aha!" Hima announced with a proud purr, barreling forward in her sister's direction, having locked eyes with the hidden cub. "I'm gonna getcha!" The female roared in a mock threat, hurling herself towards her smaller sister. Hima adored her little sister, or rather her 'little shadow'. Knowing Chamba looked up to her, Hima took the role of the older sister seriously.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:50 am
About time, Chamba thought impatiently. When she saw her sister coming toward her, she quickly darted out of the bushes and ran away from her. As much as she wanted the little game to end, she didn't want to make it easy on his sister and just give up. She dashed away from the pride, going toward the outskirts. How perfect, when Hima caught her she could mention that she wanted to find a little trinket for Jambazi to show him how brave she was.
"Hurry up sister!" she called out to Hima over her shoulder. As she noticed the surronds getting a bit unfamiliar she started slowing down, realizing that she shouldn't venture too far from the pride lands. Who knew what could be out there. After she found something for Jambazi she would grab it and go back to the safety of the pride. She would make sure that her and Hima wouldn't spend any unneeded time this far away from the pride.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:32 am
Hima was mildly shocked that Chamba turned tail and ran in another direction, 'I guess the game is still going...' she thought to herself. Trying to catch up with her little sister, Hima's stomach twisted the further and further they ventured from the pride. They were pretty close to the borderlands already. It was strange to see the rougelands as a threat. The place where she had grown up and lived in since birth. Hima was too far back from Chamba to ask why she was headed this far out. She supposed her sibling might have been homesick?
Muscles strained, Hima did eventually catch up to the cub rifling around through the shrubs. Furrowing her muzzle, Hima tilted her head to the side to peer at Chamba questioningly. "What are you doing?" She asked, watching at her sister nosed through the brush for...something. Chamba was rather focused on searching around over here, but Hima didn't bombard her with questions, figuring she could ask her sister once she wasn't so... busy. Hima plopped herself down beside her sister, focused on the queerly acting cub, that nosed around at the ground.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:45 pm
Chamba came to a stop when Hima caught up. She looked around in hopes of seeing something she could bring back to Jambazi. After looking around she looked at her sister, "I want to get big brother a present," she explained as she looked around again. "I want to show him that I can be brave like him and you." Though she had to wonder if it was really brave to wander further away from the pride or just stupid.
"Do you see anything that big brother might like?" she asked as she looked in a bush. As she looked she made sure to keep an eye out for danger. If she saw anything that looked harmful she would make sure that they were out of there in an instant. She shook her head, sometimes she wished that she was less pessimistic.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:56 pm
Hima followed Chamba's gaze, turning her head this way and that to scope out whatever it was the girl was looking for. The sun was high overhead, meaning there were no cast shadows. Everything was illuminated. And with the current dry season, there wasn't awfully much to look at in the grass patches.
At the other's explanation, Hima nodded her head in understanding. Grateful to make sense of just what was going on. "Ohhhh..." Hima's voice was gentle, folding her plush ears back against her skull. "...Chamba, you don't have to prove anything to us." Furrowing her eyebrows, the feline smiled reassuringly at her sister. "You are strong, we come from the same mother." She teased, to make light of the situation. It was hard to explain, but it hurt to know that Chamba felt the NEED to prove herself. As if Hima and Jamazi needed trinkets to feel she was worthy. "Whatever you could find out here wouldn't show your strength because...." Hima's voice trailed off, trying to figure the right words, "..because you ARE strong."
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:05 pm
Chamba felt the tips of her ears warm up, something that often happened when she got embarrassed. She was glad to hear her sister saying such encouraging words, though she still wished she was just a bit braver. Once she was older maybe she would have a chance to prove herself. "Thank you Hima," she said with a sing song voice. She was already starting to feel better about herself. "If you want we can finish our game. I sort of ruined it with my little adventure," she said with a chuckle.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:30 pm
Her brow knotted as the corners of her lips curled into a deep set frown. These new developments were worrisome. Understandably bothering the older sister. What did she and Jamazi do to make Chamba feel this way? Her features only softened when the girl realized she was frowning so hard. Shaking her head, Hima kept it bobbed down to avoid eye contact between them. This was one awkward situation and she didn't want to prolong it.
When her sister spoke, Hima perked up sharply, "Hmm? Oh, it's nothing." Lifting from her seated position, the youth brushed against Chamba in a comforting and familiar fashion she shared only with her sister. Half way between and hug and a rub. "Yeah, lets get out of here..." Hima rejoined, "How about we make it a game, hmm?" The cub pounced forward and lowered her torso to the ground, playfully swaying her rear side to side, in the 'pounce' position. "First one back to brother wins!" Flicking the length of her tail, the tuft smacked at Chamba's nose gently. "Unless you don't think you are upppp to it~?" Her voice surfaced in a purr. It would do the girls some good to head back to the pride. With just how hot it was in the savannah, it was no wonder the horizon seemed wavy with the heat. Despite their camouflaged coloration, the two lion cubs were pronounced by just how loudly they were speaking.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:01 pm
Chamba nodded her head in agreement. Hima always knew how to make her feel better. She laughed when Hima hit her on the nose. "I am up for it and I will beat you!" She said gleefully. It would be good to go back to the pride and see big brother, she thought. Maybe another time she could bring him back a present, not to prove anything, but as a kind gestor. She would figure out a perfect gift and give it to him later. "See you when you get to big brother!"
Chamba jumped up and landed, immediately dashing toward the pride. She kicked up some dirt up when she landed, but she didn't stop. Winning didn't really matter to her, trying did though and she would do her best.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:10 pm
It was a beautiful day near the beautiful Pridelands.
Mafuu was sticking to the shadows as she scouted, eyes and ears open to anything useful. The disgusting scent of lions was almost overwhelming, and it was taking all of the hyena's concentration to prevent herself from gagging. But she was there for her pack--for hyenas. For their sake, she would endure. Everything she and the other scouts could gather about the pride's defense and weaknesses would aid her--...them in their quest to rid the lands of lions.
Scouting was easy if you knew how. Stay out of sight, sound, and smell, and gather whatever information you can. But Mafuu's jaw itched for lion jugular. Every inhale reminded her of Kosi's mangled corpse--of her hatred--of revenge--of bile rising...
If Zimwi was right and Mafuu was going to get a chance to spill the blood of lions, she did not want to wait for things to happen on their own. The sooner there was bloodshed, the better. The sooner there was chaos, the better. The sooner the lands were filled with mountains of dead lions...
A sound met Mafuu's ears. It was a tiny sound--like muffled chimes. There were more than one. Keeping close to the brush to stay out of sight, the female moved quickly until she came close to the sounds. She peered through shadow and found two lion cubs playing stupidly with each other. Rage filtered her gaze. But then it faded. The cubs were far from safety...
Mafuu smiled darkly.
It was perfect.
She watched them, heart pounding as she anticipated the right moment. Her eyes darted hungrily back and forth from one to the other, deciding which would be easier to nab. The two seemed completely and utterly distracted, consumed by their insignificant cub conversation. Suddenly by some almost supernatural stroke of luck, the brown one took off running. The one with black on its fur was closer to where Mafuu was hiding.
That was the one.
Seizing the moment, Mafuu sprang from her hiding spot and snatched the cub with her teeth. She flipped it to get a better grip around its middle with her mouth, turning on a dime as she did so.
She ran, holding tight to her cub-napped prize. Eyes and paws set for the direction of her pack, Mafuu ran without stopping.
The war had begun.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:37 am
This just showed the difference between a fine tuned huntress and one still novice in the area. The two cubs were blissfully unaware of their audience.
Chamba took off, the spray of dust and pebbles momentarily blinding her sister who instinctively turned her head from the oncoming debris. A single paw lifting to brush her face of the dirt momentarily before she intended to give chase after her smaller sibling who got the advantage by unintentionally showering her with the the pebbles.
She noticed the sudden shadow which loomed over her before anything else.
Naturally she shrieked in surprise. But that surprise turned to horror when she realized this foreign body hovering over her wasn't even of her species! The cub flattened to the ground beneath the hyena, staring up at her aggressor with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. She went to speak, but the words remained trapped in her throat. In one fluid movement the little one was snatched up and roughly trapped between the strong jaws of the hyena. "Chamba! Cham-ba!" Hima's voice quivered in both her fright and the vibrations of the sprinting dog. "Heeellllp." The girl didn't know what else to say. She was genuinely frightened and not thinking straight. What could she honestly expect her sister to do to stop this? Not even the both of them could take on an adult. But it didn't stop Hima from wailing for aid. Having stopped kicking her feet when she noticed the adverse effect of causing the hyena's teeth to form grooves in her flesh. The sting was debilitating.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 11:23 am
Chamba was laughing as she ran, feeling carefree. Than she heard her sister's cry. She stopped where she was and turned around to see what happened to her sister. A hyena was standing there, holding her sister. Chamba wanted nothing more than to run up and save her sister, but there was something stopping her. Her feet felt heavy and wouldn't budge. Her own fear was immobilizing her. She watched as the Hyena took her sister, tears running down her face.
"Hima! Hima!" She called after, taking a couple steps forward, weakly. There had to be something she could do to save her sister. She watched the hyena go out of sight. Her heart was beating even faster. She would have to tell an adult. That would be the best thing for her sister. They could hunt down the hyena and make sure Hima was returned to them. She took a quick glance back, before bolting toward the pride, running faster than she had ever ran before.
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