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 Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:18 am
She had been waiting for this moment for a long time - for the day she would go on her naming quest and find her father.
It was perhaps not the smartest idea to leave the Swampies while they were migrating. She'd never know where their new home was if she did so! But...she'd been waiting so long. She wanted this. And surely her father's pride would welcome her with open arms?
Her heart pitter-pattered as she neared the border with a jaunty, but slowing step.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:25 am
Rishima was not a lazy guard, per say. It was just that patrolling the borders was old hat by now, only interrupted by his children who would sometimes accompany him. Which that was good, they were learning, and he could teach them stories and raise them right. No one had questioned him when he'd brought them home. They fit in nicely with starry pelts and plenty of his own features.
This evening however, he was alone, and the wind carried a strange scent...
His golden eyes then caught on the distance a certain blue. He let out a rumbling roar - not loud and ferocious, but a complacent greeting. It wasn't too often he met rogues coming to these borders, as he was on the more mountainous side that was deemed more dangerous.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:32 am
Stela stopped in her tracks as she heard the roar and searched for its source. In the dusky light Rishima's white coat was easy to spot, and she approached slowly, matching his roar with her own.
"My name is Stela. I come from the Jini-msemi. I come seeking my father, Mvushi. Might I be permitted to see him?" Stela asked, wanting to appear confident and composed, but in her eyes there was nervousness. She was obviously still quite young, and being before Rishima who appeared so put-together, composed, and regal... Well, her attempts to appear equally so faltered. As with most youth, she was taken by immediate physical attraction.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:41 am
Rishima stood and let her come to him, looking down on the smaller young lioness with his judging gaze, eyes half-lidded and face unreadable. Only the wind ruffled his fine mane.
This lioness was small. Young. Lithe. Long-limbed. Dainty. Her colors and marking were familiar. He could have guessed her paternity by that alone.
"Your father Mvushi is a slave within these lands. You may see him, but I can not guarantee how long you may be permitted to stay without becoming one of us. Then once you do, you may not leave."
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:45 am
His delivery was matter of fact and cold. She could feel him assessing her, but she tried to not appear bothered. Instead, she tried to appear strong and sure.
The knowledge that she may not leave after joining the pride was a bit daunting, but she had come with the idea of joining anyway, so she'd accept that. She had to.
"I can accept this. The Jini-msemi's lands have recently burned, and they are migrating to a new home. I might very well chose to make this my home. My father is a slave, you say? What does that mean for me if I do make this my home?"
She was curious. She wasn't sure how or what rank meant here in the Mwezi... With her curiosity came a more youthful and vulnerable look to her. She took a seat, looking up at the stony lion. She wanted him to like her, if only because of her youthful forming crush. She had a lot of crushes in her lifetime, so it didn't really mean anything. She was a fan-girl by nature, and his regal, distant, anti-hero, thing he had going on was a big appeal.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:53 am
"It means nothing," Rishima replied, "nothing other than you have low-class genes. But the great lion might find more favor for you than he did your father. Or even myself. He is fickle that way..." he trailed off, lamenting his own middle-class rank, when his parents were high class... Hmph!
"If you choose to join there is a ceremony you must partake in to determine your class. You will be put to sleep, and when you awaken, if the Great Lion looks fully upon you, then you are of the highest class. If the Great Lion does not look upon you at all, then you are a slave like your father."
It was as simple as that.
He had always wished the great lion had looked more fondly upon him. Not that he was lazy and wanted an easy life. No, that would probably drive him crazy. But he simply...longed for more recognition and higher rank simply for title alone. It has always meant something great to him. It was something that bothered him all the time, and had made him distant, resentful, and well.... He always tried to at least act higher than he was. As if the great Lion would realize he made a big mistake, and elevate him somehow to his rightful place.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:00 am
Stella got a displeased expression at the accusation of her having 'low class genes.' That however turned to interest as he went on about the Great Lion.
"So I could be a high class gal and not know it," she mused. But she could just as easily be a slave like her father...
It was a risk she'd have to take. It scared her. what did being a slave in-tale?
"Who are you anyway? You never told me your name. And who is this Great Lion?"
This lion....he seemed so detached, but proud - as if his pride set him apart from everyone. As if he was better than them. But he'd already professed to not being high rank, and seemed to be perhaps a bit bitter about it... He had that... tortured soul thing going for him. She felt a pang of sympathy. He obviously felt like he deserved better...whatever his rank was...
She would have been surprised to hear Middle Class. How could one not be satisfied with that? Well...maybe being average simply wasn't enough for him. But she'd been taught to appreciate what one had, and make the best of that situation. You shouldn't long for what you can never have. it only makes your whole life miserable.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:10 am
"The Great Lion is the god that watches over us all. Most simply know him as the moon," Rishima then turned and with a swish of his tail beckoned her to follow him in to the pride lands. She had come here to meet her father, after all.
There was silence, then...
"My name is Rishima."
Stela's curiosity betrayed her youth. He couldn't say he wasn't used to it though. His children were curious ones. They had taught him patience, but if he wasn't careful he might start to see her more as another child.
"If you are a lioness of high class, or seek the Great Lion's favor, act like it."
His advice was harsh, but that was simply Rishima's way. It was what he taught his children.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:19 am
Stella followed him, then when he barked his advice, she straightened up and held her head high, and instead of following him, moved up beside him. Like a fangirl who falls for the villain and attempts to seek his favor so that he might fall for her..
Classic teenage behavior. She was so young and had a lot of learning to do. She wasn't good at hiding it, no matter how well she spoke or tried to 'fake it.' She was an impressionable young lioness, still able to be molded by those around her. If Rishima picked up on this it could very well be to his benefit, and her...doom? It depended on if her crush turned to true devotion.
Not that she was cognitively thinking about ANY of this. She was just eager to meet her father. And maybe become part of the pride.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:28 am
Rishima was pleased with what he saw, although he made no indication of it. Though he found himself hoping the Great Lion did find favor with her, as he no doubt would with his children.
He didn't know quite yet enough about Stela to pick up on her youthful crush - such things were beyond him - but he was well aware of how impressionable youth could be. If he were more sinister of mind, and desperate of intimacy and physical pleasure he might have thought of taking her under his wing and grooming her to be his mate, his wife. Goodness knows his children wanted a mother figure...
But such things were never at the forefront of his mind. But once in a blue moon an opportunity comes....
Would he answer it? What would come of her little crush? Neither was a Seer... Only the Great Lion knew what would come...
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