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 Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:00 pm
 Kiazi carefully examined a plant, eyes dancing. It had been a while since he'd seen them, but somehow.. His potato garden he'd planted at the previous Sky Festival had grown. The brown lion's face was all alight with a grin, as he carefully examined each of the leaves and fruits. "You should never eat these, you know... They're very toxic." He looked at Uziwa, eyes dancing. "But I bet there's some use for them to heal with!" And there it was, the method to his apparent madness. Kiazi wanted to find a way to use the plants to help others, not just.... Kill them. Uziwa made a face. "Oh, Kiazi... Why would you grow something that's POISONOUS?" She ushered her mate away from the plants, keeping a wary eye on them. Now that she knew why he grew them everywhere... That was rather alarming. She'd have to start going around after the clan left an area and destroy the things. What if an elephant ate them? Granted, whatever lions might eat well for a while.. Until the toxins in the elephant killed them, too. And so on... When they were a distance away, she closed her eyes. "Is there some safer plant you could maybe grow...?"Kiazi thought about it for a moment, then grinned. "I could grow roses!""What's a rose?""It's a type of flower. The petals are mostly soothing." He then made a face. "But the thorns are very painful."
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:04 pm
 Tsi-Tsi had decided that he liked the Festival. It meant he got to see a lot of lions from all the different clans! It was very exciting. So when he saw the two adult lions standing around, arguing while standing over some plants, he decided to go investigate. After all, no one should be arguing during the Festival! "Don't be mad at each other!" the cub chided his elders. "It's Festival and that's happy!"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:27 pm
The male lion stopped, blinking in surprise, before he looked around, then down. There was a cub, almost uniformly a pale cream color. "Oh!" He offered a smile. "I do assure you, we're rather happy!" He let out a chuckle. "My mate's just frustrated, because I insist on planting potatoes everywhere we go." It was odd, yes, but it was Kiazi's way. "Just do me a favor... Um... Don't eat them." He pointed over to the plants, which waved merrily in a light breeze. "You may find yourself possessing a severe case of 'dead' if you do... And I really don't want to have someone doing that."
Uziwa couldn't help but chuckle. Oh, what a charming little cub! "As Kiazi said... We're not mad at each other. My mate's just a giant cub in adult fur." It was her turn to, for once, get a sour look. "Oh, don't look at me like THAT..." She gave him a friendly nudge with her shoulder, then looked to the cub. "So, which clan are you in?" She motioned to where some lions gathered in the distance. "We're in the Shadow Clan, ourselves." She smiled happily. "A very large and robust clan, I must admit. And I bet you're from one of the other two large clans, right?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:34 pm
Tsi-Tsi looked at the big male in confusion. He didn't really understand everything the older lion had said. But some things managed to penetrate into his young mind. "Why would you plant things you can't eat?" the boy asked at last.
The lioness at least was asking easy questions and the cub grinned as he answered her. "Oh! I'm from Bird Clan. My name's Tsi-Tsi Kanati, what about you?" It was fun to meet lions from so many different clans! He thought he remembered the other lioness he'd met before being from Shadow Clan, but that had been because she'd been lost. The Festival was totally different though. It was a good thing, and no one was lost!
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:49 pm
"As I've pointed out, this is my mate, Kiazi..." She pointed to the brown lump of lion. "And I'm Uziwa'muundi. You know..." She tucked her legs under herself, laying down. "I bet you're having a lot of fun right now for the festival... Not that that wasn't obvious already..." She grinned at the cub. "And the Bird Clan... From what I understand, that's one of the two largest clans in the pride!" She looked at Kiazi. "Were you paying attention enough to other lions to know what Clan is next for largest...?" Or had he been too busy planting his potatoes to notice what others were saying?
Kiazi thought for a moment, then smiled. "I think the Shadow Clan comes in third!" He then noticed somebody investigating his plants, turning away for a moment. "Ah, please don't eat those, they're not safe to nibble on!" He went over to intercept the lion for a moment, explaining to them just why the plants weren't good for nibbling. A serious case of 'death' was good to scare them away. He'd have to find a way to make sure nobody touched them... He looked around, soon finding the skeletal remains of a prey beast. He dragged the skull and two leg bones over, making a rather indicative sign with the bones that this was a death plant. He then returned to his mate's side... And got a flat look from her. "What...?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:56 pm
"It's very nice to meet both of you," Tsi-Tsi replied, remember the manners that had been drilled into him. It was very exciting for him to meet these adults and to have them talk to him as if he was just as smart as they were! Parents were nice and all, but they were still his parents and treated him and his siblings as such.
"Oh, that's easy!" the cub jumped in when Kiazi failed to answer. "It's Wolf Clan!" It was just one of those things Skan liked his children to know and Tsi-Tsi was proud to be able to remember it.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 8:26 pm
"Aw, I was gonna... Okay, I don't even know what the question was..." He ducked a swat from Uziwa. "Hey! I had to stop someone from making a dire mistake! I don't want anybody to get hurt by my plants!" He let out a huff, taking a seat next to his mate. "So what WAS the question?" He glanced over his shoulder, noting that lions were now taking the bones into account when approaching his plants. The point was made... They weren't safe to nibble. His gaze returned to Uziwa, waiting for her to answer his question with her question.
Uziwa gave Kiazi a slight shove. "You big potato brain... I was asking about the largest clans, but your attention was on your potato plants." She glanced back at the bones. Ah... "Though this was apparently a GOOD diversion of attention..." She wanted lions dead from ingestion of those things about as much as Kiazi did... Which was not at all. She couldn't imagine it'd be pretty... And she had to get her mind on something ELSE! "So, Tsi-Tsi... You looking forward to being able to join the games next year?" He'd be old enough then. "You'll be all big and strong with a fuller mane!' She ruffled Kiazi's mane. "Like Potato Brain!" Mirth glimmered in her eyes, a sign that the nickname was born out of affection, not malice. Kiazi didn't appear to mind, either, smiling and laughing at the nickname.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 8:37 pm
"I can't wait!" Tsi-Tsi told Uziwa. "It looks like so much fun, but I won't be big enough to play for a long long looooooong time," he added disappointedly.
"What about you two? Will you be playing in any part of the Festival?" the cub asked. He knew "playing" wasn't actually the right word, but he couldn't think of what it was. He was sure it was way too long though, and playing worked just as well.
"I still don't see why you'd plant things that people shouldn't eat," he added his two cents to the Great Potato Debate.
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 9:41 pm
The lioness chuckled. "Oh, we're not joining any games... I'm not much for them, myself, and Kiazi's not much of a fighter..." She stretched out a bit. "Plus we've already done our wedding..." The smile that spread on her face was a pleased one. Kiazi may have been a potato brain, but he was HER potato brain, and she'd have it no other way. As annoying as his habits were with the spuds... She loved him dearly.
Kiazi blinked at the question about his plants. "Oh, I'm hoping to one day find a healing property from the potato plant! Right now it's only good as a toxin..." He let out a wistful sigh, looking over to the dangerous plants. "Some day..." He licked his lips as they began to dry, then turned back to the cub, eyes dancing with mirth. "So... You planning on pursuing a girl from another clan? This may be the ONLY chance you have for a very long time to meet one outside your clan..."
"Kiazi!" Uziwa gave her mate a gently shove. "I don't think that's a question he'll be wanting to answer! Not NOW, anyway. He's only a cub, they mostly do that.... Cooties thing." Girls and boys didn't mingle unless they were brothers, sisters, and cousins. Beyond that, the opposite gender was off limits.
The male could only grin, offering a shrug. "Aw, just a little cub-crush question, that's all!"
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 9:46 pm
Tsi-Tsi did not understand all that was passing between the two grownups, but that was okay by him. He could still look at whomever was talking and at least try to understand what they were saying.
He didn't entirely get what Kiazi meant by pursuing a girl. He wasn't even sure what the word "pursue" meant! But he knew what girls were and of course he knew the other Clans.
"I found a lioness from another clan not too long ago!" he told the pair proudly. "She was lost, but Dad set her straight."
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:49 pm
Uziwa covered her mouth with a paw, eyebrows up. "Oh my, the poor dear! I'm glad your dad helped her find her way home!" That was something to remember - Always keep close to your clan, or they'd leave you behind. Nothing was scarier than being lost and alone. For a moment, Uziwa thought of being a cub, lost and alone, before her family found her again. Granted, they were only on the other side of some bushes, but it had been pretty terrifying.
"I was lost once..." When Uziwa gave him a funny look, Kiazi waved his paw at her. "Yes, I got lost! I admit it! But this was before my potato obsession really took root." Oh, bad pun... "I was just a little juvenile, and these monsters came out of nowhere, attacking my family. We went multiple directions, and I spent two full days looking for my family. I finally found them, of course - And I was so hungry by then!"
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:53 pm
"That's what he does," Tsi-Tsi told the lioness proudly. His dad was obviously the bestest dad in the whole entire pride! So it was even more awesome that Skan was HIS dad.
And then the big lion was talking again. The cub still didn't know all of what he was saying, but he understood monsters and family! This was a scary story!
"But you found them again, right?" the boy asked anxiously.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:02 pm
"Of course I did! And we were all very happy to see each other again!" He smiled, rising and stretching. "Family is VERY important, always remember that!"
Some lions were looking at Kiazi's plants again.. And talking... And POINTING... At THEM... Uziwa frowned. "I think we should go... Before someone accuses us of doing weird things." She smiled at the cub. "it was a nice chat we had with you, Tsi-Tsi! I hope we see each other again later!" Preferably not around Kiazi's plants.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:05 pm
"Yay!" the cub replied eagerly upon hearing the story did indeed have a happy ending. That was always good. He liked it when stories ended well. When they didn't, he became a very sad cub indeed.
"Oh, it was nice to meet you too!" Tsi-Tsi told the pair. "I should probably go, I bet Mom's looking for me," he added sheepishly before ducking off. She'd said something about a ceremony for cubs...
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