|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:02 am
It had taken many long weeks, but at long last the pride seemed to trust Lewenharto enough to allow him to begin his trade. Just deciding that had been a small nightmare. Leo, as he was coming to be called to those he might consider to be friends, did not well entertain the thought of being just one thing. He loved the arts, the songs, and the dance of the mummers and found them to be fascinating. They were the breath of life to the pride's culture and kept the stories of their old lives alive through their songs and dances. But... that was but one aspect of the pride. There was an art to the gypsies and thieves as well. A clever name to identify one's self outside of the pride defended the borders almost as well as the patrons themselves. The art of deception, illusion, and speechcraft was fascinating but Leo considered himself an honest male and couldn't perform the tasks given to him in good faith. The fortune tellers were fascinating but the art didn't settle well with him. No one could forsee the future in its entirety. There were seers, of course, and he would give his left paw to figure out how even one of them worked but alas, that would take well over a lifetime. Perhaps there were some mysteries that he would forever be tempted by but never able to touch on.
Finally, there was the field of alchemy. It was both an art and a pursuit of knowledge and many assured him that any advancements in the rank would only benefit others. That, at least, he could do. Of course, his paws weren't bound to work only in his field. His den, littered with what he considered to be artwork, was proof enough of that. Still- there was a lot to be said of the field of alchemy. What herbs cured what hurt? Which ones would drive a lion mad? What berries made what colors...that sort of thing.
He'd spent his 'captive' time poking and prodding at every found object he could get his paws on and now that he was free to do so, and his resources within the pride were beginning to bore him, his paws carried him to the edge of the pride's territory. Surely the thinning wood lined with dwarfed, windswept trees held something new.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:45 am
She had known all along that she wasn't technically meant to be out here. The guards and their female leader would be appalled by the behaviour, but little did she know that over the course of the last week things at home had changed spectacularly. Neith was no longer in control and her position had been usurped by her father...ah, if only Zephyranthes had been aware that with that shift in power, the borders had become ever so slightly more open!
Still, she remained unaware of this and as a result she was acutely aware of the niggling guilt in her stomach.
Nevertheless, guilt aside she couldn't help but be entertained by what she had found so far. On the borders there had been a lot of exotic plants and she'd even met other lions. Heck, over the course of the last few days she had even had her paws read by one of the males in the jungle - he'd given her a very vague reading but it had been cool all the same. Oh and the dancing! She'd seen so much in such a short time, it had been wonderful and quite the culture shock.
A tiny part of her wished she could bring that love, enjoyment and relaxation back to the Bahari'mtoto, but as it currently stood they were all too stiff and wary. Something needed to break, something needed to shift and change... Alas, such things could only occur when a momentous event beset the pride and if things were to change for the better then it was going to have to be a good one. It was a shame she didn't have the power to do that as her home could certainly use a bit of joy.
With a sigh she picked her way across the outcropping and along the border, still a little way from home she was making progress towards returning... the only difference was that she had to slip in unseen.
Quite the challenge for someone who was bright pink.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:18 am
He had been inspecting a cluster of fungus growing along the side of a dwarfed tree when a splash of bright colors disrupted the natural tones of the world around him. He lifted his head and took a slow, leery step back. The colors belonged to a young adult female. Not one he recognized either. She had a distinct curl to her fur and a slightly different bone structure than the lions he'd lived with over the past few weeks. She must not be from around here...
That left a few options- she was a passing rogue, she was lost, or she was an invader. Upon closer inspection he saw little hostility in her posture or expression. Rather, she looked curious and inquisitive.
Encouraged by that small observation, Leo cleared his throat and stepped out from the brush he'd been hidden behind. "Pardon, miss?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:28 am
"Stranger danger!" she yelped rather loudly, her shoulders stiffening at his address-al before she spun round to regard the lion. She hadn't realised anyone was watching, frankly she hadn't realised anyone had seen her but she tended to forget that her vibrant fur tended to stand out quite a bit in a crowd. It was for this reason that she couldn't help but smile sheepishly towards the lion in question when her initial surprise had settled and she discovered he wasn't in the slightest bit angry with her.
...If anything he seemed curious.
"Oh, nevermind," she mused and shook her head. "Not stranger danger," she amended, sucking in a breath as she turned round properly to face the lion. It was best that she didn't get a cramp in her neck, she'd have a hard enough time explaining where she'd been hiding for the last few days, let alone that!
"Hello!" she announced and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would have been this far out..." she confessed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:18 pm
The initial statement was terribly unexpected and drew away three paces out of Leo's paws almost on impulse. His eyes went wide and his body froze up as the poor female rounded about, tossed her neck back at an awkward angle, and stared at him with a wide pair of eyes. He stared right back and forced a smile to his maw accompanied with a slight tip of his head. My but she was an odd one.
"Stranger yes." He answered with a light laugh. "But dangerous no. I mean you no harm-" He raised a paw, velveted and harmless for the moment. He'd not even hackled up.
The apology was met with another light laugh and a wave of his paw. "Oh it's quite alright. I suppose I'd scream if someone came up on me." Actually that had happened before and he wasn't entirely proud of the reaction he'd given. But that little incident was between himself and the Magpie that had captured him. "I'm just gathering some herbs. I hope I'm not intruding on anything."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:23 pm
She shook her head, "These aren't my lands," she replied softly and motioned towards each of the herbs in the undergrowth. The entire place was foreign to her and while the plants were fascinating she couldn't take any with her. If she risked taking anything she would get in trouble and she was already going to be in enough trouble as it was! Best not to bring 'foreign bodies' back home without the clearance of the top dogs in the pride, even she knew that.
"My home is on the beach, a little further away," she motioned with her paw and a nod of her head towards what would have led to the exit of the forest. Beyond there would be a small walk and then she would find herself on familiar soil (or sand) again - ah, but in a way she missed it, the sand was much more gentle on her paws!
"So I think it's safe to say that all the herbs are yours huh? But if you could leave a few behind that'd be great, I'd quite like some some day..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:32 pm
Another beach-dweller? He'd not seen her around the pride's territory. Certainly he would have remembered her... then again he'd not exactly gone out of his way to meet each and every pride member. Her scent wasn't like the others either. Somehow, it was more salty, perhaps she lived much closer to the beach or simply interacted with the sea more than those of his newfound pride. More curious... was it possible that there was yet another pride living along the shoreline?
"Do you live with others? A pride?" He wasn't entirely willing to reveal that he, too, came from a pride. It had been stressed over and over that he was to keep his mouth shut regarding the pride as much as possible. They even had to take false names! It was intriguing but at the same time terribly dishonest.
"Oh come now, I can't take all of them! Just a leaf here and a root there. I try to leave as little of a mark on the flora as I can manage."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:17 am
The Bahari'mtoto were not sworn to secrecy but it was true that they rarely came up in conversation. Her pride had lived in relative isolation for decades due to the ruling 'elite' and their decision to protect the pride in this manner. Admittedly they had a new leader now but she was still unaware of how he might approach the subject. With this in mind, was it safe to mention the pride or should she hold her tongue? Truthfully they never scared off visitors so word could get round in other ways, she really saw no harm in it!
"Yes," she said at last, a warm smile climbing on to her lips as she thought of her pride. "The Bahari'mtoto, we live right on the shoreline nearby," she continued and motioned with her paw again. "We... We aren't as numerous as we once were but we're peaceful, so you don't need to worry about us invading your borders in a hostile manner," she added reassuringly.
It was then that she paused and regarded the flora again with just a hint of frustration, she wanted to take them, but she knew she couldn't.
"I wish I could take them," she murmured and then released a sigh, "But honestly I'm not meant to be out here so if I came back with these then they would know...and they'd be a little mad," she confessed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:33 am
"Ah, so we do have some neighbors. Very interesting. It's a shame that this is the first that I've heard of it." He glanced back the way she'd emerged from and brought a paw up to rub at his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps the higher ups knew of their seaside neighbor. It would certainly benefit both prides to at least know of one another so they could respect the boundaries that they shared and watched their consumption of the prey in between them. Sometimes it only took a few rumbling bellies to provoke a conflict...
"We... are peaceful enough." He mused truthfully. "I hear tell that we were more so once, but among the many things I hear, that peace came at the price of the sanity of much of the pride. Now I'm just getting my paws wet here. I've not learned as much as I should about traditions and history." He chuckled. "And many suspect I'm quite mad myself."
He made a face as the lioness refused the offer to gather some of the plant life. "Ah I see... well your secret is safe with me."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:52 am
"You do indeed!" Zephyr confirmed with another of her smiles and flashed the lion a grin. "Most of our lions prefer to avoid conflict and simply enjoy the finer things in life," she explained. She didn't want to paint her pride as a weak one, they certainly had some very strong individuals in it, but at the same time she didn't want them to be perceived as a threat either. They were gentle and considerate, they always welcomed guests into their lands and all in all they would never wish harm on anyone.
"Besides we have more things to worry about than harming our neighbours," she released a sigh and glanced down briefly at her paws. "My pride were struck by the tsunami, it wiped many of us out and now we have to focus on rebuilding," she explained softly. Shaking her head, she recalled some of the turmoil that had occurred as a direct result of this rebuilding. For a time she had been uncertain if they would ever have a proper leader!
"We're more interested in learning how to shore up our defences against future waves, and we have the injured to care for. You know?" she pursed her lips and released a sigh, it was then that she rolled her shoulders in a loose shrug. "But our rules are very strict at the moment regarding external travel so I... very much appreciate that you won't tell anyone I'm here."
"But I shouldn't keep you and I probably shouldn't delay any longer!" she coughed and waved her paw somewhat dramatically. "Perhaps when the borders are more open and our King is more comfortable with letting us wander unprotected then we will see each other again? I would very much love the opportunity to see more of the plant life here."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
