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 Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:22 pm
He had listened to the prayers of his pride, ironically, from within the heart of them. Nestled against the side of his adopted mother, feigning sleep, he would hear the whispers of those around him. There were some that sought simple things, or simple things in the eyes of the immortal, such as a mate, a successful hunt, a good rain, or a thicker mane. Those were things that would be left up to time and nature. Then there were other things, things that tugged at his heartstrings and left him wondering in the silence of the dusk hour. The loudest and most frequent of the prayers had been the king's silent plea for the others to return. There had been some, most from Kingu's line, that had slowly found their way into the lands but there were dozens more lost to the sandstorm.
The warrior chief... some of his offspring, his mate, and even a few young ones...
It saddened him to think that he had left any behind in the migration. But... he was so small. The smell of blood had been so potent that his mind had swirled with the sands that had divided the pride. Night after night, Li would crack an eye to watch the lone, solitary form of Rotem walk along the water's edge, his eyes reflecting the moonlight and his face as solemn as the night sky. His heart broke for his grief, and for the grief of those within the pride that had suffered such a loss...
Soon it became too much. He had to go find them, or at least try. With a silent farewell to his mother, the young god had loped from the pride's territory, shook off his mortal form, and took to the skies.
Clouds swirled around his paws and hooves as he bounded through the dusk sky, giving him the appearance of simply leaping from cloud to cloud. His golden mane flew behind him like a banner and the moonlight blazed off the scales of his back. He ran with everything he had, his eyes scanning the earth down below.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:52 pm
For starters, he was blind. So blind that not even shapes came in front of his eyes. No shadows, no nothing. Blind since birth, the lion had adapted, in some ways normal in other ways different. He obviously could hear and smell things better, but he also felt the difference in vibrations in the ground under his paws and could feel some sounds in his body. Not anything other-worldly, just loud speaking he could feel in his barrel chested rib-cage.
That itself was strange, because he was covered from head to toe in fur that looked like it would belong on a creature from the top of a very frigid mountain. And all that didn't help the lion when he was separated from the pride in their migration.
Oh where were they? Paki felt a little alone, even when he traveled to the Pridelands, the large lion had been with Bodaway and Khepri. The two Firekin guided him to the place. And then Mut... his Mut'salama. She was gone again! Paki had traveled to the En Gedi to be with her, and now she was once again gone.
Freezing in his tracks, the large lion stuck his mocha colored nose in the air and inhaled deeply. The sand had gotten his sense of smell muddled, now he was forced to rely on other senses. But in the storm the ability to hear had been taken from him as well, so Paki had been following his large feet towards his family. Or what felt like his family, the pride that had welcomed him, a blind male, as their scribe.
Truly, Paki had learned a lot from traveling the Savannah. But he was no hunter, though try he might. Occasionally he would get lucky, catch a rabbit or something, but for the most part he was hindered by his vision. If he could learn to use his other senses to hunt, that would be an achievement, but he had been working on that.
Using his tail as a lever, the huge lion trotted off again, north? He wasn't sure anymore, his body's rhythm had been completely thrown off with the storm and the stress. He would figure it out... eventually. But for now, he was so lost that it felt like Paki just wanted to give up. He only knew that it was dark when the heat from his back disappeared slowly. Night.... that was never safe to travel by.
If he didn't find a place to lay down and hide soon... Bad things lurked in the darkness sometimes. If he was up to his normal state of senses he might be able to protect himself, but Paki didn't know where he was. It felt like his nose was clogged and his ears were full of sand, he knew. The lion was a sitting duck for a threat.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:00 pm
As the rolling green an golden grasslands slowly dissolved into desert sand, barren ground, and cracked earth Li slowed his cross-sky gallop into a brisk trot. Most of the pride blended in quite well with the golden earth, their dusty pelts perfect for hiding within the environment. The desert had been their crossing and it had been a difficult one... many had been lost to them, many more had followed their paws to other lands. He wished them well but it saddened him regardless.
A shadow moved down below, cast by a sandy form walking slowly and cautiously forward. Li came to an abrupt stop, seemingly hovering on a whiff of cloud while the wind continued to carry his long mane and tail northwards. He narrowed his eyes.
It was one of them!
Altering his course, Li trotted downwards. His paws met the solid ground and his god form melted away into that of a small, thin, young male with a half-mane that covered his head and neck. It was the only similarity that he shared with his god form. His pelt was a humble tan, his mane a dusty gold, and all the shimmering scales, proud claws, and his powerful horn had vanished completely. The smell of sandalwood, however, remained.
"Paki!" The youth cried out. Paki might have recalled the small, strange cub that had been adopted by one of the resident lionesses. He went by the name Lehvi and had a strange habit of running off for weeks at a time.
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Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:15 pm
Chocolate colored toes kept walking, the bulk of a large body shifting in the darkness as a long mane flapped softly in the breeze. Paki's long fur made it a little awkward to see him walk at times. But steady he was and loyal he was.
Loyal to his pride and loyal to his Mut.... his Mut. He liked the sound of that.
A soft smile spread across the large lion's muzzle and he added a gentle roll to his swaying step. A roll that stopped when the blind lion's foot nearly sunk up to his elbows in the sand.
"Evil sand." His voice was deep when it came form his muzzle, shaking around him.
If it hadn't been for the way it spread around him, reflecting the environment, he might not have heard the sound in the distance.
Flicking up one of his chocolate ears that matched his toes and back stripe so, Paki turned his head and inhaled, trying to unplug his nose and his ears. Something had to give with all of this sand, something had to be coming his way and Paki had to see it!
Well not see it....
Sighing, he swung his bulk in that direction and got slapped in the face with a very familiar smell. Sandalwood, it was sandalwood. Only once before in his life had he smelled that, when he had joined the En Gedi and he'd met the calm but rapscallion cub Lehvi. Always leaving he was, maybe he'd gotten lost along the way as well, stumbled along until he'd found Paki himself.
"Lehvi?" Paki's voice rumbled out like thunder from his chest. His voice was deep but calm and serene as always. "How'd you get lost from your mother, cove?"
The large bush-like lion strode towards Lehvi with a smile on his face despite the gruff questions. Paki was no more gruff than a soft summer breeze was bitter. Rather he was worried, worried that a cub was lost on the sands like himself. Of course, he'd been on his own most of his life after leaving his pride originally, that made his concern that much greater. Paki didn't know where he was going, how was he supposed to lead a cub to the new pridelands as well as keeping him fed and healthy?
Paki was nearly beyond himself and he hadn't even reached the cub yet, or so his nose told him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:05 pm
Lehvi padded in closer, his eyes narrowed against the blasts of sand that tore up from the landscape and bit at his eyes and face. It was a cruel terrain and few could tolerate living out here. Even for a god it was a struggle to move about without a moderate degree of discomfort. For one as small as he was, stunted for a god and even small for a mortal, it was no walk in the grasslands.
He quickened his pace and ducked his head to nudge the older lion’s front limbs with the side of his skull. The young lion couldn’t stand having his forehead touched, bumped, nudged, or so much as breathed on. His adopted mother, Yakhoved, would often fuss over him when it was time for a bath. He didn’t let her lick his forehead, regardless of how dirty she deemed him to be. No one knew why but most assumed he had an injury from cub hood. It would explain his small stature and seemingly weak frame.
The question earned a small chuckle from him. “I…”, well he couldn’t lie. If anything he always gave evasive, open-ended answers. It was better than leaving the other lions in the dark. “I had to find something. I saw you on my way and…” He glanced back over his shoulder. “I know the way out of here. The rest of the pride has been worried sick! You should have seen Rotem, he nearly groomed a bald spot on his back to keep his mind occupied.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 11:05 pm
The pressure on his large front leg made Paki peer down at Lehvi with blind eyes, sucking in the deep scent of sandalwood as it traipsed through his nostrils. He was still so small and yet here he was in the hidden sands of this terrible place. Surely Rotem wouldn't have sent him out to find the lost members of the pride... hopefully Paki was the only one.
"You shouldn't be out here little one." The enormous lion put his nose in the center of Lehvi's back, trying to ascertain his exact position in front of him, mapping out his body and remembering it with the specific scent and exact placement. He would remember it later.
He wasn't a touching sort of lion, anyone other than his family and Mut hadn't really touched him. Khepri and Bodaway had laid on him in the cool of the night to keep all three of them warm. Plus he put off an immense amount of heat with the long fur he had, so the two Firekin with their short bristly fur made for sand had tried to leach off his body's heat. Many a morning he'd woken up with one of them tangled in his mane.
Heaving a deep sigh, Paki licked Lehvi's back right down his spine, not knowing fully that he was a god and only assuming he was a cub like any other. To him it was as if he'd found a wayward child he had to protect. Especially since he couldn't take him back to his mother harmed in any way, he didn't know her well but he was sure the lioness would make him regret letting harm come to her baby. As always the large and pale colored lion would do the best he could for the pride he loved.
"You know the way out then? Better get to it rascal. Your mother'll have all my fur if she finds out you were out here with me." Paki chuckled deeply, a smile spread over his muzzle and he lifted his head, looking once more at nothing.
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