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 Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:00 pm
It was another day in the swamp, with birds chirping, and the sun filtering through the trees, another day for adventures! Gogo, being the slinky little beast that he was, had managed to slip away from the caring eye of his mother to do a little exploring on his own. A lot of the time he found that playing with his siblings was the best way to go, but every so often he found it more interesting to be by himself, and make up his own little games and rules. Still, perhaps he'd run into another swamp lion he hadn't met with! That was always fun, too.
Today was just such a day, and currently, he'd managed to find a big fat bullfrog to poke at and become distracted with. As per usual, his feet and white coat were splotched with swamp mud (he couldn't keep the stuff off if he wanted to), and his little rear end was wiggling in the air as he danced around the massive amphibian. "C'mon, jump. I know you're one'a those things that can jump!" he growled, receiving only a low 'brrrr-app' in response. The poor frog hunkered down low at the cub's prodding, but seemed to refuse to leave its puddle, eyes closing tight.
"How are we gonna play leapfrog if you aren't gonna cooperate!" he complained to uncaring ears, sighing at the poor creature. It really was a whopper, one of the biggest he'd ever seen. It was a shame he wouldn't be able to take it back to Mimi.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:28 pm
 Theluji was by herself today. Not even Mommy could stay with her since it was Mommy's turn to go hunting for the pride. After all Mommy was a Huntress, just like Theluji would be whenever she had to go on her Naming Quest. She shuddered at the thought. She didn't want to leave and she didn't care about having an adult name. She cared about Mommy. She didn't want to leave Mommy alone, worrying about her cubs, or anything really. Nothing at all. Mommy didn't need that kind of stress.
But it was inevitable. At least according to Mommy and what Mommy said was always true.
So Theluji found herself in the swamp again, playing by herself, avoiding the odd boys she'd met. They still baffled her completely. Were any boys normal? Or did they go from weird to scary? And nothing in between. Well not ALL boys were THAT weird, but for some reason she met most of the weird ones. And that was weird. Did that mean she was weird herself?
The Azzure lizard wasn't even about to tempt her further into the swamp, to make her push past the limits of what she knew. Maybe the Azure Lizard was a message from Mama Asali? Maybe . . . .
Theluji forced herself to stop thinking about it. About the Naming Quest that was going to happen eventually. She couldn't stop it because Mommy couldn't stop it. She needed to get over it. And stop thinking about it until she was forced to face it.
When she finally focused in on her surrounding instead of her thoughts and worries, Theluji realized she wasn't alone in the swamp today. Not that any one could be alone in the Swamp. A complaining voice sounded to her left and Theluji quietly made her way to the voice, just in case it was a scary fluffy male and she needed to back away quickly. But then it could just be a weird boy. Or maybe a girl! For all her age, she'd yet to stumble across a girl playing by themselves in the swamps, but she knew they did. Just not when she was looking. Or playing. Or exploring. Or anything.
And it was a weird boy. Okay, that wasn't fair. Theluji scolded herself. She didn't know if he was weird just because he was a boy. She needed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if he was yelling at a poisonous toad and calling it a frog. Maybe she should, yes, she definitely should.
Theluji made sure to rustle the bushes around her as she stepped out into the clearing with the cub and the toad. Swishing her tail in nerves she bit her lip before rushing out with the hopes that she could run away as soon as she got it out, "That's not a frog, its a poisonous toad and it doesn't want to play leap frog, its waiting for you to snap at it so it can spit into your mouth and poison you. They weirder ceatures ---" Theluji was going to say boys but she stopped herself in time. She didn't want to be rude.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 1:45 am
Gogo almost fell over at the sound of Theluji's voice, having been so engrossed with his 'frog' that he'd failed to keep an eye on his surroundings. "Woah, wait... what!" he yowled, and flopped over, looking up in a hurry at the white lioness who'd emerged from the rustling brush. His eyebrows raised a little, and he blinked, stricken at once by her white fur (which reminded him of himself, and his mother), and by what she'd said. His eyes darted to the frog a couple of times before gluing back onto Theluji.
"It is?! But...how can you tell? It looks just like the frogs I take back to mama, and those don't hurt." he pointed out after thinking for a moment. He stopped poking though, for a moment. This one was simply too big to think about picking up in his mouth, and he was glad he hadn't tried. But was it true? He and his siblings played with the little frogs all the time, and this one looked a lot like those, just bigger. He sat still, and gave a little sigh. She looked older, so she probably knew, and if so, that meant she'd rescued him! No one had ever done that before...not that they'd had to.
"W-well...you probably know best. Mama's told us about frogs n' how some can be bad, but I guess I don't know exactly which are." he admitted, and shifted to stand up, and trot over closer to her. "My name's Gogo. Thanks for rescuing me. It wouldn't have been fun to get messed up by a frog." he said, and laughed. "What's weirder?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 7:44 am
Theluji snapped her mouth shut and squinted her eyes as she circumvented the toad. It looked like the squishable frogs scattered about the swamps, but that was its disguise. Theluji always thought these toads were evil spirits out for vengeance against the living and their pride because Mama Asali loved them so. When she was behind the toad that stayed stationary, she pounced, throwing in on its belly, making sure neither the little lion nor her own sensitive areas were in shot range of the vicious toad and squished it dead. It could rot in the swamp feeding the over creatures that Mama Asali loved so.
Which its guts and blood splattered on the swamp grounds, Theluji backed up a bit and used her claw to show the little lion, Gogo, the markings on the toad's legs. It was rare for any animal that wasn't poisonous to have magenta markings on its body, Admittedly, this toad's markings were smaller and harder to pick out, but Gogo was probably going to be a hunter when he grew up, so if he could find the markings that separated pray from non-pray at an early age, he'd be a great hunter. Instead of a decent one. "See these? Poisonous things, whether their animals or plants, tend to have some bright markings. Of course, some non-poisonous things have them too, but don't hunt snakes anymore because of the alliance the Queen made. But it's better to be careful with somethings."
Theluji sat back on her haunches and wiped the toad goo off on a nearby leaf as large as a boar's head. She didn't want the goo to seep in. Just in case she dipped her paws into the mud. Besides, it was mud. And mud was still very fun. "I'm Theluji. For now anyway. It's very nice to meet you, Gogo." Theluji purposely tried to ignore that last question. Embarrassment that she'd almost let a rude statement out in front of this young lion. After all, he was a boy too.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:12 pm
Gogo watched, and almost screamed as she stomped the toad. He ducked low as a bit of green goo soared over his head, and he could feel his heart rate soar, and his vision swirl a bit dizzily, perhaps from nausea. He knew the nature of their species, and that killing was a normal and regular thing, needed for survival...but this was the first time he'd ever seen anything more than a bug being killed, right in front of him.
He whimpered softly, his ears laying back. "Oh...I see." he stammered as he peered at the markings, brows furrowed. "Why did you have to...to kill it, though? It wasn't hurting anyone..." he said, his little mind working over the morals of the problem. Even the frogs he brought back to mother were not killed...he tended to let them go afterward, finding their taste and texture less than enjoyable. Frogs were tiny hunters, just like them. He'd not met many older cubs, really, Theluji was one of the first he'd run into outside his family.
"Theluji." he responded, smiling a little. "That's a pretty name." he offered, and then his ears laid back again. "For now? Are you...gonna go soon? On that thing that all the older kids do?" he asked, tail flicking. He couldn't imagine it yet, leaving the swamp, his mother, or siblings. It made him worry, but only when he couldn't find anything else to distract himself with. There were still so many things to learn before that happened, his mother had told him so.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:04 pm
Theluji offered a small smile as she pushed the dead toad into the swamp waters. Other creatures that were immune to the poisons of the toad could feast on them. "Because it wasn't safe to touch while it was still alive." She told him. She hadn't realized he was so young. Or so sensitive. But she didn't want to offend him by apologizing. Most of the other male lions wouldn't want to bring attention to it, so she acted like she didn't notice his whimper.
When talk came around to the Naming Quest, Theluji lost her smile. "Yeah. The Naming Quest. All of the others left already. I think I'm the last one of my age group." Theluji tilted her head to listen for Mommy, but then she remembered Mommy was out hunting. "Adventures are better experienced when we can enjoy them." Theluji gave a genuine small. That's what Dege would have said. She was sure of it. "And there will be different types of mud to see." Her smile grew as she thought about Dugi. "And then there will be a new name that I choose rather than the baby name." Theluji settled down. "And come home as an adult and a huntress like my mom.
"But you're too young to worry about it, Gogo. The Swamp is still as big as you want it to be and as small as you need it to be. Mama Asali sees to that."
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:16 pm
"So will you kill all of the ones that aren't safe?" he asked, watching as the body plopped into the water and sunk into the muck. "We could have easily walked away and we both would have been fine." he pointed out, his voice neither sad or accusing, merely observing the facts. He sighed a little, and turned to set his own feet in a nearby puddle.
The smile crept back onto his face as she talked about the quest, wiggling his toes as she did so. Her words were reassuring, he'd never quite thought of it that way, as a big adventure. "Mud! I wonder what it's like in other swamps." he thought about it. "I wonder what it'll be like outside the swamp..." he blinked. It was almost unfathomable, since he had never even been to the borders before.
"Yeah, that's what my momma says...but I still think about it sometimes. She says it's a long ways off." he sniffled a little, his whiskers twitching. "I'm glad I got to meet you before you left. Hey, wanna play for a while, Theluji?" he asked, and ducked into a bowed, playful position again, snickering. "I bet you're real good at games."
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:09 am
Theluji smiled. She liked that Gogo didn't automatically seem inclined to accept the necessity of certain behaviors. That he asked actions. Not only was it a good quaility to have when growing up, and maybe something that a scary lion, which he would grow into, should have in general. But still, . . . "True, Gogo,we could have left and been safe, but what if some other cub had come wandering here? It's part of the pride's territory and not so far from the big meeting areas and family dens. What if that cub had seen a normal frog instead of a dangerous toad and tried to eat it?"
Theluji got up and rubbed her side against Gogo's being careful not to knock him down since he was smaller than her. "Your momma sounds very smart and loving. And it is a long way off, you still have a lot of swamp exploring to do."
Theluji started packing mud together. She wanted to be ready if he ambushed her. It had happened before. She wondered what kind of games Gogo was talking about. She'd only really played prowling and mud-shaping and mud-fights. Most of the other times, she'd just explored on her own. Stumbling onto other cubs and juvies like her. "What did you have in mind."
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:27 pm
"I guess so. Mama always tells us not to eat frogs or snakes. I tried a frog once, they're pretty yucky." he made a face. Still, he used his mouth to carry them, and that'd be close enough to eating one, he supposed. He'd heard stories of the poisonous animals, and how they could kill cubs and gives older ones bad fevers, so he wanted to learn as much as he could. "I'll check next time for bright colors, all over. That'll be safer, right?"
He purred at the contact, and rubbed back. He felt his face heat a little, proud of the compliment. He did love his mother so. "She is! She teaches us all sorts'a stuff. You kinda remind me of her, cause she has white fur, too." he observed, smiling. It was sort of a weird thing to say, but he was too young to know any better, though he meant it in a good way.
He snickered, and reached up to swiftly press his paw into her side before darting away. It left a tiny little paw print, of course, and he laughed playfully, figuring he'd give her a surprise. Mud fights were fun, but he was full of energy and needed a good run around. "Let's play tag! I haven't done that in a while!" he cried, bouncing. Though she was probably bigger, and faster, he didn't mind. He liked a good challenge.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:06 pm
"Frogs are slimy and have many little bones that are hard to pick out." Theluji nodded in agreement. "Bright colors are a sign to be wary, not that the creature or thing is necessarily poisonous, okay, Gogo? After all, some of us lions are very bright too, but Mama Asali loves us and her swamp. But yes, it would be much safer until you know the difference. And I'm sure you'll quickly figure it out and learn with your mother teaching you everything she knows."
Theluji laughed, the tiny mud paw print starkly obvious against her fur. She crouched, getting ready to pounce on Gogo, but purposely landing to the side of him to get him running. "Better start running!" Theluji suggested as she turned to pounce at him again.
Obviously, boys her own age were weird, but Gogo seemed more like a normal cub. Like a little brother or cub she was sitting rather than one that made weird statements or did weird things.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:58 am
"Yeah, they are. They're best left uneaten...but it's still dangerous, cause I like to catch'em and show mama and the others." he said with a nod. Then he giggled softly. "But we don't eat lions." he said. Momma had told him that you don't judge all things by the way they look, but he supposed Theluji was right too. He suddenly found himself trying to picture a poisonous lion, and he snickered to himself.
"Yay, alright!!" he laughed out loud, and took off in an instant, splashing through a puddle as he darted away. "You'll never catch me, Theluji!" he called back, quickly turning right, going into a wide arc. With Theluji with him, he could really go wild. Usually if he went out alone, he paid very close attention to where and how far he went, because some parts of the swamps were unfamiliar and, admittedly, a bit scary. But with Theluji at his side, he was a bit more confident.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:50 am
Theluji chased after Gogo, directing and herding him away from the areas she knew to be too dark, dangerous, or far from the pride's dens. After all, Gogo probably wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. And Theluji was older, and the responsible one if anything happened. But playing with Gogo, Theluji knew how her own mommy must feel when she played with any of her cubs. Even while watching out for the dangers in the swamp, there was a carefree fun about planning with cubs, well young lions in general.
Yet another reason to go on the Naming Quest.
Theluji jumped to the side and slightly ahead of Gogo when he was running directly for a mud pit she knew was deeper than it seemed. And she didn't know if Gogo learned how to trudge through the mud or if he'd panic if he fell in. Better to avoid the area in general. "Ha! Almost got you that time, Gogo!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:11 pm
Gogo laughed and laughed as they chased about. Tag was tougher with just two, but he loved it that way, and when he got tagged he was happy to chase her down all the same, letting her keep them on the right track and away from danger. He tried to watch where he was going of course, but as a cub that ability was limited.
When she leapt in front of him, he lost his footing and tripped up. He gave a surprised yowl and practically bowled into her, cackling, panting, and falling over in a little white and mud-flecked heap. "Oh geez, Theluji, you're so fast! I surrender." he laughed again breathlessly, trying to find his feet again.
That's when he heard it, the succinct call of a mother lion in the distance. His mother. "Aw geez. I guess it's time I started heading back to the den..." He bounced over to rub up against his new friend. "Thanks a bunch for playing with me, Theluji. And thanks for rescuing me from the toad, too!" he said, laughing.
They would walk back closer to the pride's central area before parting ways, and Gogo smiled all the while. It made him sort of sad that Theluji would be leaving soon, but perhaps they would meet again someday in the future.
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