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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:11 am
Awendela's voice echoed through the valley. The sweet melody twisted in with the crisp wind, stirring up heartfelt emotion as well as excitement in the petite adolescent. Without Rhea at her side, Awen felt lost in the sea of faces, so she ventured now to the quiet border. Almost as soon as she arrived she began to sing, and now with her song complete, she felt vulnerable.
And lost. It was her first time to the border, and loath as she was to admit it, Awendela was lost.
With her ears flipped back, the confused lioness looked around, the adrenaline pumping through her veins from singing switching from pleasure to anxiety. "Hello?" She squeeked. "Momma? Papa?" Anyone?
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:55 am
For several days, Azria had been reflecting. There had been plenty to consider following his exit from the Iknimaya territory, and it had all gotten him thinking. Thinking about his life, his parents, his childhood... He was beginning to think that somewhere along the way, something had gone a little off course and that something had resulted in... him.
Azria as he was now was the lion that he had always been on course to become, even as a cub, but now he was starting to wonder... what if he had been put on a different track? Would he have been any different as an adult? Better adjusted, perhaps? He was under no illusions that he could change his ways now, but maybe, just maybe there had once been an alternative for him.
And he liked his life just fine, liked the way he dealt with other creatures and the way he so readily protected himself from harm. Others might have thought less of him for it, but that was just the way it was with Azria. He couldn't very well remember a time when brawling didn't come as second nature, or when life was any more refined than it was now and he doubted that refinement was the answer for him.
Although, apparently, it was for someone else.
His dark ears flipped forward at the sound of a meek, high-pitched squeak. Momma? He glanced carefully about him. It had been getting increasingly obvious that he was wandering a little close to pridal territory again, but he hadn't expected to see anybody so far out... and much less a young lioness such as the one he saw squeaking for help out in the open.
Well, well.
"Hey," he said, a little bluntly, lifting his muzzle in a quick jerk to signify his greeting. "I'm no papa of yours, but, uh. You don't look so good."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:37 am
Awendela stopped dead in her tracks. "Papa?" The word was out of her lips before she had even seen the Rogue, but as soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. He was so...so big! Not that they didn't have large males in the pride, but he was big in a I'm-not-so-nice way that instantly sent adrenaline racing through her veins. "Hello, mister." She squeaked, trying her best to do like everyone had taught her, and stand tall. Of course, it would have been better if her eyes weren't the size of moons, and she wasn't ten seconds away from pissing herself.
"Are you here to eat me? You're not from the pride, are you? That means your dangerous and I really can't fight, so if you're going to kill me, do it quick okay?" If it were possible, her shrill, run on sentence was enough to rival a God's, and when it was over, she dropped to the ground, covered her eyes with her paws and waited for death.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:07 pm
Even for a rogue, Azria was, indeed, a large lion. The Firekin blood he had inherited from his father manifested itself both in his size and, occasionally, his temper. That combined with his dark pelt and usually stiff expression made for a less-than-inviting first impression, which was... both good and bad. Given Azria's attitude toward other creatures and, really, life itself, holding others at bay with unspoken threats seemed to suit him just fine.
He hadn't meant to scare her, though. If anything, he had been trying to help, in his own way. Now that she had reacted, it seemed as though not saying anything would have done them both a favor, which only served to suggest that his usual state of aloofness toward the world was a good idea after all.
"Hey, who you calling 'mister'?" He demanded, forgetting how terrified she seemed. Well. He didn't know what lions she had been hanging around, but he was most definitely not old enough to be called such a word. His ears flattened, and he was pumping himself up to give her a verbal beating when he finally noticed how wide her eyes had gone.
Now, that just made him feel a little guilty. Unflattening his ears, Azria cleared his throat, resorting instead to frowning at her. "I don't eat easy prey," he intoned, shooting her a downward glance. Quivering on the floor waiting for death was no way for a lioness to react to danger, and even if he had been in the business of cannibalism, it wouldn't have been right to kill a pretty lioness huddled in such a state. "But you're right, you're not so safe out here with me, so why don't you just, uh... run on back home, hm? It's probably out that way."
((Omg, she is so cute.))
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:32 am
"S-sorry!" Awendela piped up. "Sorry mis-...sir!" She hadn't meant to offend him, and lately it seemed like all she could do was step on toes. If Rhea were here she would beat her for being so submissive! 'You're almost fully grown!', she would hear. 'So learn to act like it!' And it was true. Soon, she would be an adult in the eyes of her family and the spirits, but she just.... He was so very large, and scary, while she was so very afraid.
Awendela opened her large eyes, and slowly looked up at him. She was still uneasy around him, but if he wasn't going to eat her, then maybe he wasn't all that bad. "....but I don't know where home is." Cautiously, she rose up a little, just to make it easier for her to look at him. "I went...for a walk this morning, and now I'm lost. It was my first time out this far." Awen bit her bottom lip. "Wait...was there where you were going? My pride? Do you know the way?"
As nervous as she was just looking at him, she was able to pull off a puppy dog face.
((Haha. Azria's pretty adorable himself, in a much more masculine way.))
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 2:58 pm
Sir? He squashed the urge to make a face and the sudden flood of words perched at the tip of his tongue, ready to come out and scold her once again. She was already scared, he reminded himself, and scaring her more would only confirm the suspicions of those that already thought him a little dangerous and unfit for society. In any case, sir was slightly better than mister. It made him sound more like a drill sergeant than a rickety old man.
He waited as she gingerly picked herself up off the floor. Much as he thought sympathy would be helpful in this situation (he really wasn't the authority on comforting frightened young lionesses), he had never known a day in his life when he had felt that terrified by something. Fear had never really... factored into his considerations. When Azria was younger, he had thought it bravery, but now that he had seen a little more of the world, he was beginning to understand that it was just an alternate form of stupidity. It was that, and not courage, that drove him to all the trouble he had been through.
But that wasn't to say that he was going to change any time soon. So he wasn't the smartest lion around, but no mater what his intelligence, or maybe even lack thereof, got him into, he had the guts to fight through it both physically and mentally. And according to Azria's logic, there was no need to prevent trouble that could be shaken off when it came.
"Tchyea, that's more like it," he said with a critical nod once she sat fully erect. "That's what a lion's supposed to look like, hm?" She wasn't so shabby-looking, now that she was no longer cowered on the floor. And... okay, it was kind of adorable that she had to almost tip-toe to look at him, but... NO. He quashed whatever thought was preparing to come next.
"W-No, I'm not going to your pride," he said, annoyed that he was feeling flustered. Stupid lionesses. "I'm passing by, I don't know the way, so just... figure it out yourself." And he was all set to turn around in a huff and stalk away when... oh no, the cute face. It really wasn't fair that they could pull off things like that. Puppy dog faces never worked on big, dark lions like himself. He just ended up looking silly, but somehow, on a girl, it just... worked. It pissed him off.
"Well... fine. If your mate or your brothers or whatever won't come out and murder me for being inside the territory, I can... probably look for it with you. But that's it." He said firmly. After that, he was gone.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 5:43 pm
Awendela laid on the magic hard. Her eyes glistened, her lip trembled, and her stance was so down trodden that she found it hard not to cry for real. It was easier to do this sort of thing when one felt pretty desperate in the first place. He probably thought she was a little cub that needed someone to hold her paw, and at this point, she would gladly do so, even skip along behind him if he wanted. Anything to get her back home.
As soon as he caved in, Awendela smiled and bounced up, almost close enough to brush her nose against his. "Thank you so much, sir! I'll make it worth your while, I promise. You can have as much food as you like, and a place to sleep." Of course, she didn't think about what her parents would have to say, but who cared? She was going home! "Or if you'd rather go, thats fine too." Awen shuffled her paws, her high momentarily killed, but with a smile still on her face.
"I don't have a...." Her face flushed and she buried it in her paws, too embarrased to look up. "..mate." She squeaked. That was...it was just...oh gosh! Awendela slowly lifted her head, and shyly shook her head. "My brothers won't hurt you, either. Actually, I'm sure they'll be glad to meet you."
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:45 pm
Food and a place to sleep? Azria wasn't sure how friendly these lions were, but it would be a new experience entirely to meet creatures willing to share food and shelter. Somehow, he doubted it. The world didn't work that way, and he was all too aware of it. All creatures were selfish. It wasn't like Azria was trying to be a cynical a*****e (although unfortunately, that seemed to be his default mode), but experience told him to expect the worst, so he did.
"We'll see about that," he said, jerking his head back in surprise. He hadn't anticipated the... uh. Bouncing. She was about as bubbling a creature as he had ever met. "Aite, if we're going to do this, I need to lay ground rules." After all, he had no idea how far away her home was. Putting up with things for extended periods of time was not his forte. Patience did not become him. "First, I'm not your drill sergeant, and... probably not that much older than you are, so enough with the 'sirs'." He eyeballed her carefully. "And second, none of that jumping around. Just... No. I've killed for less than that." Well... not exactly, but he needed to drive his point home.
Then she turned slightly red and her voice became a squeak. He hadn't realized it was a big deal. "Oh. Well, you never know. I've had friends your age all saddled with cubs already. Different crowds, I guess." He pulled a dry smile. Very different crowds, by the looks of it, and if she was any indication of what her family would be like, he doubted that her brothers would be glad to meet him. "Yea... I don't think they will be," he said with a shrug, tossing his unruly mane out of his eyes.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:34 am
"Ground rules?" That cooled her jets. Awendela plopped down on the ground, her tail secured around her legs. She wasn't used to having someone so imposing lay things out for her, and as such, she was highly attentive. "I, um, have a question. If I'm not supposed to call you "sir" or "mister", what do I call you?" Then he had to say that. That scary part about killing. It was like her mind started to back track to all the things she had done while in his company, checking them all of the list of things to do in the future.
"Cubs at my age?" Awen squealed. "You can't be serious! That's just...that's just so..." She shook her head. There wasn't even a word to describe it in her book. "In my pride, cubs are a gift that are only given to a married couple that are of the proper age. Anything else is just..." She shivered. She couldn't imagine being a cub sitter at this stage in her life, let alone a mother!
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:35 am
That seemed to do it, Azria thought with mild satisfaction as the little lioness promptly dropped to the ground. On second thought, maybe he could have learned to put up with everything he had just basically banned, but she seemed like a nice kid and he didn't want to lose his cool with her and scare her all over again. She did seem willing enough to trust though, and that in itself was like a breath of fresh air. Though he had only made her acquaintance moments before, he could already tell her world was a kinder one than the one from which he had come. It didn't seem his right to ruin that kind of innocence for her.
"Oh, right," he said, a little surprised by the way she had snapped to attention at the mention of ground rules. It was more than he had expected or dared to hope for, but he wasn't complaining. "Azria, is my name." There were enough places where his wasn't such a welcome name, and he almost cringed back in anticipation of an outburst of some sort. The dark lion stopped himself, remembering that he had traveled far to escape the shadows of his past. He would never lose them if he didn't let himself understand that it was behind him. There was no use anticipating what wouldn't come.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by the look that had come over her face, and it suddenly struck him that perhaps killing was not a subject to be broached so cavalierly here, in a place that apparently bred pure and innocent lionesses like the one before him. "I mean, not that... not that I'm going to kill- uhm," he cleared his throat. "What's your name?" He decided to go a different route instead. Forget the killing. Maybe if he distracted her, she would forget what he had said.
Except right after that, he realized he had shocked her again, and for a moment, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. These were details that she didn't really need to know, surprises that need not have been divulged. "Well... yes, but, that's not something you really need to worry about," he said carefully, watching his words now. "I mean, cause of that... marriage... thing." He assumed that marriage ended with healthy cubs and happy parents, though Azria was unfamiliar with the concept. Maybe that was why this little lioness seemed so well-adjusted, if a little shy when it came to the world. "But, you know, sometimes lions get... urges. And out there, they don't always have rules like you do here."
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 12:00 pm
"Azria." The way she spoke his name was as if she were trying to committ it to memory. Chances were high that in her nomadic pridal lifestyle she wouldn't get he oppurtunity to see her savior ever again, and she didn't want to risk forgetting him. "My name is Awendela Kalisetsi, but everyone calls me Awen." She furrowed her brows, and looked a little down trodden. "Th-that is, if you wanted to know my name." Which she was sure he most certainly did not. "I'm really glad to have met you today, Azria." Now that, that she could be proud to say.
She started to walk, taking the initiative and keeping the party moving. Movement kept her nervous tendencies as a minimum and allowed oxygen to flow to her brain. "Do you not have marriages where you come from, Azria?" Awen questioned. "Because, that sounds really odd to me. Not that it is odd in a bad way, though! Just different."
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 12:44 pm
Awenda-what? Azria shot her a sidelong glance. "Well, that's a... mighty long name you got there," he managed to say, still trying to process it in its entirety. And she had said it so matter-of-factly, too. The young lion was beginning to understand that he might have stumbled upon a strange, but fascinating culture in Awen, one that would no doubt take some adjusting to. But as well-versed as Azria was in the art of adjusting, he had little intention of doing so just yet. Not here, anyway. Awen seemed to be everything he was not, and Azria had little doubt that her pride would be much the same way - too good for him, that was, and he was alright with that. He had realized long ago that there were places that he was simply not cut out for, and that was just the way the world worked.
"That makes one of us, huh," he said with a wry smile at her mention of being glad. Not many would have felt the same way and not many did. Most saw the dark, hungry stare in his eyes, heard the growling drawl in his voice, and thought they had met a young buck out to do no good in the world. Most of them were right, he supposed, but that was behind him now. He hadn't gone looking for trouble in a while and probably wouldn't again. But the world didn't know that.
He fell into step beside her, thinking of the odd possibilities that lay ahead of him until she spoke again. "Well, we don't have much of anything where I come from," he admitted after a moment's pause. "Not traditions and stuff, anyway. Maybe it is a bad thing." Maybe he would've been different, maybe he wouldn't have taken it upon himself to prove something to the world that could not be proved and needn't have been in the first place. Then again, maybe he wouldn't be here now, walking with this little lioness who was in so many ways just a breath of fresh air.
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:24 pm
"Not really! We all have names like that." She smiled proudly. "Except for my mother and father, but they came from the rogue lands like you." Awen was sure there was more to the story than that, but the little details didn't bother her. It just gave her family a little more variety than most, and explained some of their..."different" behaviors.
She felt like she'd stumbled upon something special when he started to open up to her. To her it felt like an improvement; something different other than his attempts, unintentional or not, to frighten her. "A bad thing?" Awen shook her head and looked thoughtful. "I wouldn't say that. Traditions help to give us knowledge for the future. The stories of our ancestors help to guide us in our everyday life, but without that I would imagine you would have to learn your own lessons. It must have been lonely, but I think you made it out just fine."
Her golden eyes crinkled with mirth as she looked at him. "At least, in my opinion." He was gruff, and scary, and kind of dark, but good. Underneath it all he was good, and that's what meant the most to her.
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 2:14 pm
"Oh. They did?" Somehow knowing that her parents had come from the "real" world came as a surprise to him. There seemed to be an odd implication of hope with that one almost inconsequential little detail, as if he could now be reassured that he might turn out alright as well. At least if he didn't, maybe his children would, and maybe their children after that, and maybe somehow, miraculously, they'd turn out like Awen.
"I mean, I thought you had to be born into a place like this." No doubt, most of them had been and her parents had just beat the odds somehow and wound up here. "I mean, it's such a... well, you're..." He might have been reaching for a compliment, but Azria had never been a scholar or a master of words. "Lucky," he finished after a moment's struggle, and it seemed to have been enough to make him realize that perhaps he had let his guard down a little too much, for a little too long. They were venturing into territory that implied a better acquaintance of each other than either of them had, new territory that his instincts, or perhaps his defense mechanisms, dictated he balk at.
And of course, after so many years of balking and running, that was all Azria really knew how to do. "Oh, but you don't know me," he told her, his voice dropping. "You don't know how I made out. You probably don't want to, either." A small voice whispered in his head that he shouldn't try so hard to push her or anyone else away, that it would be a shame to see the mirth dancing in her pretty eyes fade, but it felt too late now.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:36 pm
"Yep. My mother came from a pride with only females and I'm not really sure about my father." She gave her little shoulders a shrug. In all honesty, she hadn't asked them questions like she probably should have been. Their history was hers, after all, even if it wasn't Ela history.
"Most are, but during the ceremonies rogues are allowed to join. The entire pride gets together to celebrate marriages, births, and gives us a chance to meet each other! I can't wait until the next one." She practically bounced with excitement. "I was too young to remember the last one, but- oh, well, you didn't ask about that." Awen flushed and looked back down before meeting his gaze once more. The poor girl was as flighty as a bird.
She waited on baited breath for him to tell her what she was, and hadn't expected to hear "lucky". Awen thought about it for a minute, before nodding. "You're right. I am lucky. I got to meet you." And she meant it. He was gruff, that was sure, but different. For every minute she was on edge around him, she was already equally as intrigued.
"Why wouldn't I?" She questioned innocently. As determined as he was to push her away, she was just as determined to pull him closer. "Azria, what you've done in the past doesn't matter as long you did what you thought was right. There's honor in that."
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