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 Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:12 pm
Sitting atop a distant, sloping hill overlooking the landscape below dotted with lions and lionesses wearing various states of ink decoration--depending on age and the length of time spent in the pride--Caelyndei couldn't see the separation of the Clans. Only the unity of everyone, which in essence made them the Ela'wadiyi. After having come so far and lived so long on her own, even now, it was sometimes difficult to believe that she'd become a part of them. Knowing acceptance for the first time.
With a small smile, the painted nanny reflected on the events that had passed in the recent hours gone by. None of the cubs in her care had been mortally wounded, misplaced or caused a major disaster on their daily adventure. A decidedly successful day in Caely's eyes. Considering the same could not be said of previous endeavors. Watching each of the cubs return to their doting parents until she was left empty pawed it had certainly seemed a perfect end.
Well.. almost perfect.
A sigh dragged the smile from her muzzle. After a long day the only thing Cae wanted was to relax against the cushion of Waikiki's body. So the thought of chasing down a wounded hare to put the poor creature out of its misery was less than appetizing. Who would have thought two of those little fuzzballs would have managed to coordinate themselves enough to catch something as quick as that? It was only a shame they hadn't been able to hold on to the writhing beast.
It was only the thought of the hare's suffering that kept Cae from beaming with pride. Picking herself up to hurry and find her quarry before it escaped too far beyond the edge of the Ela's territory.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 4:25 am
Eremerus had always been given a significant amount of freedom despite his age. It was a testament to how liberal his father could be, in fact, one might have said that on occasions, Piscor was a little too liberal. With a level head on his shoulders, Eremerus had always been regarded as the 'smart' one of the litter and as a consequence he was allowed to wander far more frequently and far further. Rarely without his companion, a Klipspringer by the name of 'Xermanthemum', it wasn't unusual to see him so far away from home that it could take a number of days to return. It had been a scandal to other rogues when they had first been introduced to the wandering cub, but after they had been informed he was self sufficient, they had soon grown used to his sense of adventure and need to explore.
The adventure he was on this afternoon saw him place an incredible amount of distance between himself and his family. This was the furthest out he'd ever explored and he was just short of incredulous at how dramatically the landscape changed. It was impressive to say the least, certainly something to be admired, but it also cried out to be investigated. Unaware that these lands were held by a pride, he puttered through the borders with the intention of nosing about for signs of unusual life, plantforms and other things of note. He paid no heed to the tracks of animals he recognised and elected to disregard their scents as well. Afterall, as a rogue he was accustomed to sharing the region with multiple individuals and prides were still a foreign concept to him.
...Not that he wouldn't find the idea of a pride to be fascinating, he just hadn't been exposed to one yet.
Alas, as it stood, the cub was able to wander without any real interruptions for quite some time. In fact, he was about to hazard a guess that this place was almost completely devoid of life until the unfortunate hare stumbled across his path. It would have been accurate to assume that both he and the hare were startled - he in the sense that he hadn't expected it to appear (especially in its current state) and it in the sense that another cub was just what it needed, the sarcasm was a given. Unsurprisingly, the pair stared at each other for a considerable time, unmoving and otherwise lacking in conversation...
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:05 am
Locating the wounded hare's trail didn't take long. The scent of blood left a distinct path even in the tall grass and coupled with the pungent aroma of fear-induced pheromones Caelyndei found herself in hot pursuit of her game. Weaving along along in completely inexplicable figures created by the half-stunned hare. With an ashen grey nose nearly rubbing the dirt and jade eyes zeroed in on the ribbon of garnet which painted the ground the lioness failed to notice the scene she was about to walk into.
Or rather... did walk into.
Smacking muzzle first into a wall of fur, Caely reeled backwards rather suddenly. Neck craning backwards with surprise to find that her nose was assaulted by the aggressive scent. Not unexpectedly given she'd shoved her face right into the frozen beast. Ah.. there you are!
Reaching a paw to capture the swift, little long-foot before it could escape a second time soft padding placed a significant amount of pressure upon her captive's neck. Forcing it into near perfect stillness, save the rapid breaths that were sucked into small lungs desperately.
It was only then that Caely noticed the youth adjacent to her, blinking several times in disbelief. Strange it was.. to see a young one of any sort without a parent--or guardian to say the least--nearby. As a nanny, the young lioness couldn't help but feel a sense of concern for the leopard child. Offering him a gentle greeting in hopes that she wouldn't accidentally startle him, if she hadn't seen to that already. H-hello there.. I see you found my hare for me. I guess.. I guess that means it's yours now, huh?
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 12:52 pm
Eremerus had a sneaking suspicion that he was never going to get completely over that. It wasn't that he was a vegetarian, that was an impossibility, but he had always had a preference for fish thanks to the manner in which his father had raised him. For some reason, fish seemed to die a much more dignified death and he would even go so far as to say it wasn't nearly as traumatising to watch - they didn't scream and they didn't weeze. Truth be told, the only upsetting thing about a fish was the way it struggled for a period before ceasing to move at all...
He wrinkled his nose in distaste.
Fortunately he was an individual who recovered quickly and rather than stare at the hare beanth the lioness' paw, he raised his gaze to meet her's and very slowly shook his head. He hadn't been hungry to begin with and he certainly hadn't hurt the hare, so it wasn't really his. He knew both manners and place to a certain degree, more importantly, he had always held a firm sense of honesty. He hadn't caught it, he'd just crossed paths with it... big difference!
"It's not mine," he replied and shook his head, hazarding a smile as he gazed at the older lioness. She seemed pleasant enough, her face was a kind one and he concluded she wasn't likely to eat him anytime soon. "I just crossed its path, if you were hunting it then it's yours," he pointed out. Seemingly satisfied with this, he flicked his tail to the left and regarded the female with much more curiosity.
"Are you the only lion here? This land seems really quite compared to home," he mused.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:14 pm
There was a reason Caely had been elected to the position of nanny by her peers. Something about being an empathetic soul and freely giving of herself. At least that's what the elders had said. It was unlikely such esteemed compliments did little more than float into one ear and out the other for a self conscious lioness like her.
However, whether unconsciously or not, Caely seemed to sense the cub's discomfort. Glancing down at the hare beneath her paw to quickly silence its motions by placing ample pressure on the back of the creature's fragile neck. Thankfully, the unpleasantly twig-like snap of vertebrae was deadened by the soft earth and the dense cushion of pink pads. Murmuring a quiet thanks to the Earth for the abundant bounty it provided, the limp body was politely tucked aside allowing the intrigued lioness to focus her attention on the strange cub.
There was something about him, she couldn't quite place a paw on, but he was different. Any one of her charges would have eagerly accepted such an offer without hesitation, but this one declined. It was almost.. as if he were more mature than those she was accustomed to dealing with. Hmm.
Well, I.. Caely thought to herself. It was a long story, one she wasn't sure whether or not she should bother explaining, so for now, the subject was put to the side. It's a little more complicated then that, but if you're certain you won't have it I'll see that it doesn't go to waste.
Only lion? His comment were amusing and caught her slightly off guard. Casting a backwards glance over her shoulder to examine the grounds behind her. Generally the Ela'wadiyi was a balanced and peaceful place or at least it had proved as much in all the time she had spent here thus far. A humorous note lilting in her voice as she spoke, No.. not by a long shot, thank heavens! Most of us stay pretty close to the center of the Ela'wadiyi though. Nobody really has any reason to leave these lands. We're all quite happy it seems.. so I don't think many travel the borders much. Why.. what's your home like?
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:16 am
Wait so there were more lions here? Were they shy, did they look like weird trees or more interestingly, did they live underground? All of these thoughts ran through his head as Caely mentioned she was not the only one in the area. More interestingly, she'd even given the other lions a name which was a concept he had never heard of before. Well, he'd heard of individual names, he had one after all, but to give a group the same name seemed a little lazy!
His musings soon transformed his expression into a puzzled one and he couldn't help but examine the lioness with something bordering on fascination. It was intriguing how bizarre things became when you left the 'safety' of the roguelands. What was so familiar and natural to him, seemed utterly bizarre when faced with these regions. However, there was one slight issue that he couldn't quite put his paw on... No sooner had the query crept into his mind than he had allowed a little frown to crease his brow.
"If all the lions are called 'Ela'wadiyi', then how do you tell which is which?" he enquired curiously. "Do you use numbers or something?" he continued and then shook his head, his lips pursing into a small line. He tilted his head to the side at this point and regarding Caely for quite some time before speaking again. "What would your number be? Or do they use something else...like colours, feathers or rocks?" he enquired. Alas, 'mature' as he might have been in regards to the cubs she was used to, he was still filled with questions. In fact, he probably had enough to rival any normal cub, his just may have been more...specific.
"But my home..." he paused briefly in his musings and rolled his shoulders in a loose shrug. "Busy, there's animals everywhere from lions to waterbuck, you don't really go long without seein' someone," he explained and then motioned to the lands they were in now. It was clear that he found it substantially different than what he was used to.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:46 pm
Watching the young one absorb what information he could seem to gather from the conversation thus far Caelyndei was caught rather off guard by the little leopards confusion. Somehow, she felt she should have expected it though. Surprise catching her breath, Oh.. oh no! That's not..
Shaking her head gingerly, the lioness' surprise quickly folded into amusement, bubbling humorously. That's not quite what I mean. All the lions and lionesses also have their own names here. My name is Caelyndei.
She said almost as a way to explain and also prove that they actually weren't all called by the name of their pride. A gesture of her head nodded to the land behind her. But this land is our home, our pride, and it is called Ela'wadiyi. Those who live on these lands all live by the guidelines created by the leaders of this pride and those of us who live here really like it the way it is so we protect our land from being taken over or changed by outsiders. Does that.. does that make sense?
Caely could only hope so, not being entirely certain she could explain it differently, though if he was still confused she would certainly give it a try. Time would tell whether she had made a sufficient enough attempt to clarify. Smiling gingerly as the leopard youth described, what certainly sounded like, the chaotic world of the rogue lands. With all that hustling and bustling, she could only imagine what it must have seemed like to one so little. Sounds like an exciting life though! Very different from this peaceful place, I bet.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 6:39 am
So a pride were a group of individuals all of which had similar mindsets and aspirations. In the case of these Ela'wadiyi, they were peaceful individuals who had selected this particular location as their home. Eremerus could only discern that a pride was very much like a hyena pack - perhaps not as brutal, but determined to protect their turf at all costs from invading or dangerous influences. It made sense in some respects and Eremerus quickly concluded that her explanation was viable...although admittedly, he was rather relieved to discover that they all had individual names!
"I see, so the Ela'wadiyi is like a family name rather than an actual name," he murmured slowly, documenting the various pieces of information for future use. It would probably come in handy if he was able to recall these bits and pieces at a later date. He could use the information and apply it to nearly all prides with the exception of a few - actually, it would probably be quite interesting to document the rules, traditions and rituals of other prides whenever he had the opportunity to explore them.
...It was always a thought.
"My name's Eremerus," he said finally, realising his manners or lack of them! After all, he hadn't introduced himself, all he'd done was wince when she'd killed the hare and then chitter at her. A facepaw worthy behavioural trait in the view of his father, but a perfectly normal thing when it came to Eremerus in a general sense! "But yes, it does make sense...that's far less complicated than a number system as well," he added with an impish grin.
"But my home is fairly exciting I suppose," he mused before tilting his head to one side. "Although I have to say that peaceful places are a rarity as well, I kind of want to know how they get that way. Is it just the way the places are guarded, how the creatures think...or something else?" he mused.
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 1:01 am
W-well.. yea, I guess you could think of it that way. Caely nodded gingerly. There was more to the Ela'wadiyi than that considering each family also possessed its own identifying name, but she wasn't looking to try and make the poor cub's head explode.
That aside, it would be far more difficult to explain the family names within her pride, considering she didn't have one of her own. Being a rogue, she didn't quite understand that aspect of Ela life quite yet. Would she forever be without a family name? Separated from her fellow clan members and those who had been born knowing all the ways of these peaceful lands? Shaking away the worrisome idea a kind smile was restored to her muzzle. Eremerus..?
Now that was a mouthful and a rather strange name at that, though Cae supposed it was no more unusual than her own. It too often got repeated as others she met for the first time tried to adjust to the peculiar taste of it. It sounds like a good name, though big for someone so small. Not to worry though..
She purred tenderly. I'm sure you'll grow into it.
Pleased with herself when the leopard youth assured his understanding the dainty lioness' smile brightened all the more. Perhaps being a nanny for the little ones of her pride wasn't such a poor choice in occupation after all! Tittering light heartedly with a small bob of her head. I agree. I'm not very good with numbers so I'm rather glad myself.
Poking fun at her own flaws, Cae stood and stretched. She wasn't accustomed to sitting still for so long. Most cubs didn't seem to have the attention span of this one. A brow arching in curiosity at the rather profound question. I guess.. it just takes one to have a dream of something better.. and then to find others who are like minded enough to help make it.. you know, real..
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:05 am
Even Eremerus's father would confirm that he was far from normal and the 'profound' enquiries were often born from an eccentric and 'strange' train of thought. Piscor had often struggled to understand him on occasions, but rather than chastise him for it he simply accepted it. Truth be told, as the more studious of the three children his father possessed, Piscor held more confidence in Eremerus's abilities regardless of how peculiar his son might be in. At the very least Eremerus possessed the ability to fish with a reasonable level of competence and that was quite the step up from his two siblings!
Fortunately for Caely, Eremerus was still a cub at heart and while his curiosity might have occasionally led to rather complex questions for his age, that didn't necessarily mean that his attention span was just as good. He'd been held by his curiosity for the time being but eventually something was bound to catch his attention and cause him to deviate from the topic at hand... Granted it was unlikely to be food or the desire to play with a dustbunny but Caely could relax in the sense that she wouldn't have to discuss the specifics of the lion psyche.
...Perhaps if they bumped into one another when he was much older, she might be subject to that!
"I suppose that makes sense," he said with a rather slow nod, absorbing the information as he always did for future use. She had a valid point even if it was a vague one, and perhaps in time he would have the opportunity to ponder over it in greater detail. However, for that to happen he would require some peace, quiet and very little distraction - in short, he'd need to plant his backside in a tree and zone out for a while. "But if that's the case then does that mean that they only have limited tolerance for other creatures who are not like minded, even if they mean no harm?" he continued and tilted his head to the side.
"If that's the case they should probably post a warning, like uh... I dunno, a skull marker or something?" he added and then promptly furrowed his brow. "Honestly, I would sooner not get killed, my dad would get super mad," he finished, a brief reminder that he was still a child despite his fanciful wanderings.
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