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 Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:22 pm
 Usufii was retracing the pathways of his memories- they weren't very vast, in these areas. Honestly, there were only a couple of places he remembered, so it was more like… exploring new lands. Which was both exciting and dull- he had grown a little tired of exploring in the roguelands, and he wasn't actively exploring so much as wandering and lazily making mental notes at things that were mildly interesting. If he ever felt the need, he'd do more serious exploring, but as he had no plans on leaving any time soon, he wasn't under the impression that he was especially pressed for time. The bright lion was surprised at how the others here seemed to take things for granted… Having been raised in the Outlands was apparently a very very different childhood. Parents here chided their cubs for poor behavior, where you'd be lucky to get away with a cuff to the head back in the Outlands. There were no termites, the grass seemed much greener, and… well, it seemed just a bit cooler than the Outlands, though that could just be his imagination. He'd been removed from the place since he was a teenager, unable to live under their strict rule any longer. Had they been caught on the way out, he might have gained some scars, but his brother and he had managed to sneak past the boundaries and free themselves. Life here was more or less like the roguelands, only you didn't have to travel nearly as far as you did out there to find anyone. It wasn't like it was packed, but it was… more dense, for sure.
Jobs here were easier, too. There was no worrying about where you'd stay next, or whether there was water nearby, since these things never seemed to move. It allowed Usu to move his mind onto other things, but as of right now, there… wasn't much else to turn his mind to. He was too lazy today, and so he wandered aimlessly through the pride's lands.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:38 pm
 It was one of his first ventures out into the lands without his mother or siblings, and one would think that an adolescent would by now have fully realized their independence. But this great grandson of Mufasa's had not yet learned to be okay with departing their mother. Things had gotten better for his dependence when their father, Rei, finally returned home after being gone since their birth... But his soft spot for his mother was something more than that, which left the teen looking around timidly and confused.
What was one supposed to do out here alone?
His siblings had urged him to go out more on an "adventure" or to be "free", but he would really have much rather stayed home in their den, listening to Mzuza's stories. But even now, their mother started to tell him, "Bamidele," not calling him by his nickname, "You should go out and make friends sometime."
He looked backwards at the large Pride Rock, where his home was near, and sighed wistfully. He supposed he would have to pretend to spend at least some time out here, and then come back as soon as he thought enough time passed. Yes, that would be the best course of action.
So he found a nice rock to lay on, watching the birds and flies float by the air. If anything, this was a little calming...
It wasn't long before he spotted the bright yellow form saunter through the grasses to his side. Bamidele felt curious - the expression on the lion's face wasn't particularly serious, and so it seemed like he had nothing to do.
"O-oh hey!" Bamidele called out, hopping off from his rock perch, "Uhh..."
He wasn't sure how to start this off, especially when the other lion looked considerably much older than him.
"I'm Bamidele," he voiced hesitantly - perhaps that was good enough.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:55 pm
Usu let out a slight sigh before he heard a voice nearby. He turned his ear before turning his head to the source- a teen lion. He was actually kind of glad to be "bothered" by him... He associated that age with the way he himself was at the time. Itching for something to do without worrying about anyone's approval. Then, he didn't ever fully get out of that stage, did he? Regardless-
"Hey!" he said, a little brightly, waiting to see what the other lion had to say. It wasn't normal for anyone to just up and introduce themselves, but he was grateful that he had. If he'd had something to do, (or even an idea of something to do,) he would have been a bit dismissive, but Usufii was rather receptive instead. "I'm Usufii, what're'ya up to?" he asked. He was still new enough to the Pridelands that he couldn't truly tell who was from the Royal's line or who was simply the normal colors for the pride... He himself being the current queen's nephew didn't help him identify anyone at all. He knew that, to his mother a long time ago, your lineage had mattered somewhat... But she'd gotten past that a while ago.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:26 pm
A smile lighted on Bamidele's face when the yellow lion took so well to his introduction. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all.
As for Usufii's question, however, he didn't really know how to answer that. Maybe Usufii had an answer? He struggled over whether he wanted to ask the older lion or not - if he told Usufii he wasn't certain, then he'd be laughed at for sure - this was the conclusion he made after all the years and experience in dealing with his siblings.
"What am I up to? Well..." he didn't want to sound too overconfident with his answer, especially with the war still going on, "Mom told me to go out."
Oops! He wasn't supposed to bring up his mom! He shook his head and tried to "correct" himself, then, scrambling for ideas.
"...To go out to see if any hyenas were going to intrude! Yeah, I mean, have you seen some of the lions come back with so many bruises? I'd hate to get beaten like that. Especially by hyenas!" he gave a look of disgust as he emphasized that last word.
"But uh, I think I'm done watching. It's safe," he said, also offering a feigned sigh of relief, "How about you?.. Hey, you're new around here, huh? I don't remember seeing you around."
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:42 pm
"I have seen that," he said pensively. A lot had been going on recently on the borders with hyenas… That was potentially something to do. If he ever got superbly bored, the lion was sure that he could take on a few of them. He'd have to be careful, if he ever did decide to get involved out there- a single hyena might be relatively weak, but they know that too, and are quick to gather numbers… He gave his head a slight shake to pull his mind from the subject. He would deal with it if he had to, but probably only if he had to…
"That's good," he said, though he questioned in the back of his head whether or not they'd make it this far in. Though, it was probably still a good idea to keep an ear peeled. There were plenty of cubs around here that would easily make a good hyena-munchy. If one were to sneak in, it could cause problems.
"I know what you mean, though. Nobody would want to get beaten by one of them," he said with a little emphasis on the last word in his sentence, mimicking Bamidele subconsciously. "I'm not up to much," he responded, emerald eyes turning from the horizon (where he had glanced at his thoughts on the hyenas) back to the lion before him. "Actually, I'm kind of bored," he said sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm kind of new… I was born here, but my family and I left when I was a cub. It's as if I'm completely new, though, there are only a couple of places I remember very well," he admitted. He didn't want to mention where they left to, if he could avoid it. Oftentimes, mentioning that he was an ex-Outlander brought about annoying stares and whispers, sometimes accompanied by questions. They had gotten old fast, so he avoided talking about it where he could, but you couldn't always avoid it. His mother still chastised him for his avoidance of the subject. Unlike him, she was proud of her actions. He supposed he should be the same, considering he rejected that pride in his youth...
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 10:08 pm
Bamidele's thoughts drifted from hyenas to Usufii's newcoming too quickly, forgetting briefly that the Pridelands was even in the middle of a war. It was someone new to the lands! Not that Bamidele knew everyone in it on a personal level, but he had already gotten familiar to most lions when they had to stick within the main dens of Pride Rock at the outbreak of war. It also did help that he was related to a lot of members. This was the perfect opportunity to see what this newcomer was all about, and what he could learn from Usufii.
"Your family left when you were a cub? Why is that?" he asked, disbelieving - why would anyone want to leave the lushness of these lands?
"I guess it doesn't matter now, though, since you're back. Don't worry, I can show you the best watering holes!" he said right after his question, chest puffing a bit with enthusiasm and pride, "We can go right now, actually."
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 10:30 pm
"Uh, yeah, it's," he waffled, about to say that it was complicated, before Bamidele continued (much to his relief.) Happy to drop and bury the topic, Usu chimed in, "Yup! It's a good thing! Glad to be back." He was pretty sure that was true. His brother and himself had stuck by each other through their times in the roguelands, and had then made the decision to return here to have some fun... A base of operations, of sorts. The lion felt that they had made the right decision.
Usu remained completely confident away from the borders- he doubted any hyenas that could make it this far into pridal lands would have much support. The prospect of running into one didn't even truly cross his mind. "Sure, lead the way. Oh hey, you mind if I shorten your name? Bami or something?" he offered, ready to follow the younger lion. He would make some mental notes of how to get there... "So what makes one water hole better than another one?" he asked. From his experience out in the roguelands... A water hole was a water hole- they were often overpopulated by loud creatures. Of course, it had been different everywhere else- the only place where it had been insane was in the roguelands, now that he thought about it.
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:36 pm
As soon as Usufii agreed to join him, Bamidele sprung forth, listening to the other lion's concerns as he set a relatively quick and excited pace to where the two would head. Bamidele had never been really close to any one specific brother - not like the bond between Musabari and Zikamil, at least. Having someone to potentially act as an older, more wise and understanding brother was a really appealing feeling.
"Yeah, that's one of the nicknames my family has for me," he replied, "Bami or Bam. Hey, how about you? Usu or Fii? Sufi?"
He laughed lightheartedly, amused by the difference in Usufii's name combinations. He then pondered over Usufii's question; had the older lion not seen more than one watering hole? Or any in the Pridelands? Of course there were important differences between each one! He'd never wander into the ones mainly claimed by the older elephants and hippos, for example - they just were too smelly and boring. One of the better watering holes had most of the birds that flew around the area, which were fun to chase! Better yet, there were lots of trees in that one, giving ample shade for relaxation.
"Well, you'll see," he said slyly, continuing their journey, "By the way, if you were born in the Pridelands, is your family here, too? Did they all come back? Maybe I know some of them."
Despite the fact that he forgot about his curiosity to Usufii's departure from the Pridelands and where he went to before the he came back, Bamidele was still curious to learn more about his new companion.
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 6:10 pm
"It's Usu, though, I've never heard Sufi myself," he said thoughtfully, wondering why nobody had tried it before. He mentally shrugged it off, continuing along with Bami. Talk turned to his family... Well, he supposed that could easily be divulged. "My mother's name is Noyana- she has a fair amount of relatives. Even a twin brother! Uncle Chane. My father's name is Matishou, and the queen is one of my aunts- his sisters." he said, deciding not to go into his family from the roguelands. Both sides of my family are really big, but honestly, I don't know anyone but my parents." While he had been here as a cub, he didn't really make any friends. Nor did he really get to know his connections- he may as well have not been here at all, save for his mental map.
"Most of my family came back with me, except my siblings from the other litter," he said, though he wasn't close to them at all. He wasn't even sure he could come up with their names! He had claimed his independence by then.
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