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 Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:56 pm
Some times Zerrin missed the swamps dearly. He'd had no idea that his home lands were burnt and that his once pride had moved to higher ground. Instead, the golden lion continued on his name quest. He'd not yet fully given up on finding his name.
Out in no mans land had proven to be a challenge. Not all that he'd come across had been characters he wanted to associate with. There had been quite a few times where he'd been out muscled of a kill that he'd killed him self. But a single lion against a group of hyenas, wild dogs, lions, cheetah or what ever did not bode well. Zerrin was not a lion who would engage in a fight if he could help it, rather, he'd avoid them as best he could. So often the golden lion fled at the sign of any violence.
One such a day was this day. Zerrin had caught a small gazelle and was about to enjoy his fruitful bounty when a group of leopards showed up. Words were exchanged, all very civil because Zerrin was classy, and finally the leopards threatened the golden lion with violence. Zerrin walked off not wanting to get in to a tussle.
While to some it might have seemed like Zerrin was a peaceful lion, but in truth, he just didn't want to get his beautiful golden fur coat dirty. Zerrin was kind but he was no symbol of peace. At least the lion never thought of him self as such.
Now he laid out by a waterhole. His paw dipped in the pool allowing little minnows to n****e at his toes. Zerrin was hungry but not starving. He'd find food again but the taste of failure was still fresh with him.
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Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:56 pm
 The roguelands were a harsh place. Aladra had learnt that quite a while back, when she'd left her home pride to find her place in the world; gone was the security of numbers. Gone was the ease of hunting, and gone was the love she'd felt from her family members.
She'd had a hard time familiarizing herself with the harsh environment, for she'd not only been forced to learn to be swift on her feet, but she'd had to learn when to fight and when to give up a meal in favor of running away. Still, the time learning had been well spent, and Aladra rarely went hungry now a days.
Which was why the lioness found herself frowning when she saw a golden hued lion, cornered by a group of leopards. From the security of her perch, high up on some rocks, she stopped eating to watch the scene play out, shaking her head when the leopards finally forced the lion to turn tail and walk away, leaving his freshly caught meal to them.
She looked down at the meal in front of her, which she'd slowly been tearing into, and then, with precise movements, tore off a hind limb from the carcass. Skillfully, the lioness got up, and slowly made her way towards the waterhole in the distance, carrying the meat in her maw; the only interference she got, was that of a large carrion eating bird, which she shooed away with a mere glare and a growl.
Upon reaching the waterhole, she padded towards the lion, and then proceeded to drop part of her kill before him, "Jerks. All of them," she told him as she sat herself down, pushing the meat towards him, "M'afraid the roguelands kinna full of peeps like that. You new 'round here?" she motioned in the general direction he'd come from, "I ask 'cause you kinna didn't even fight for the meal... which struck me as odd. Leopards are all talk and no teeth; you would've beat them. Trust me."
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Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:17 pm
The sudden drop of meat by Zerrin had the golden lions head lift up to find one a lioness. Zerrins brow and made room for the lioness and the meat.
Was it that obvious he was a stranger to no mans land? Zerrin had to smile at that. Maybe that was why he was getting the brunt of no mans land when it came to food. Zerrin stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Actually yes." He confessed. The meat before him was not as interesting as what this lioness was saying to him. Or for that matter, the lioness her self. She was a beautiful shade of blue and purple in which Zerrin felt envy. "I was born and raised in a pride. Usually we went out to hunt in groups. No one dared bother us in numbers. I guess the lack of numbers kind of paints a target on my back." There was a pause, "I also kind of just don't like ... tussles. To dirty." There was a motion he did with his paw like he was flicking dirt off of it.
He continued to eye the lioness but not in a flirtatious way. Really, Zerrin just loved her coat. The shades were almost perfectly unified and appeasing rivaling his own golden color. He liked it.
"You seem to have some understanding of these lands. May I ask were you born to fend for your self?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:06 am
"Ah, no worries," Aladra told the male as she sat down to rest her paws, "You can have it. I've had my fill an' all, so yeah," she waved a paw almost as if to dismiss any fear Zerrin might have before looking away and towards the horizon, a small smile tugging at her maw, "Nah... it's not so much that you stand out as... well, uhm, your attitude and body language," she turned back to look at him and the smile changed into a cheeky grin and a wink, "That goes a long way out here. Most are all bark and no bite, yah see, and they know who to pick on. They can tell whose gonna walk away from a fight, and... you kinna fit the bill on tha' one. Though... I do see your point; your pelt must be hard to clean up, it being so light! Very pretty," another wink, and the cheeky grin stayed there, lightly teasing before she dropped it, shaking her head ruefully.
"I'm afraid we're kinna alike that way," she lifted a paw and pointed somewhere towards the distance, to the west of their position, "I was born in a pride that's a bit away from here. The territory was mostly jungle over there, and I had rank, family, everything I could have ever wished for," there was a slight sadness in the female's eyes as she turned towards him, "But... I guess that's not what I was lookin' for. So when I was almost to adulthood, I left my family and went out lookin' for... somethin', I dunno," she shook her head, "Took me a while to figure the law of the land an' all. S'kinda different when you're in a pride, yeah... but anyhow. I went back to my pride some time ago, and..." here she knit her brow, sadness, confusion and mild frustration visible, "They were gone. No one was there. The territory didn't smell like it was lived in, and I've no idea what's happened."
A blue hued paw lifted in the air, and she made a small motion with it, "Puff. Gone," the rueful smile was back when she turned towards the male, "Been roamin' ever since. Figured I'd find me a new home, but that's not happened yet," slowly, the tug of the smile grew again, till it reached cheeky levels again as she nudged him with a paw, "You keep lookin' at me! I'm not sure why. Is it my colors? I know they don't blend in much, but I assure you, I'm a decent huntress!" a pause followed, "By the by; my name's Aladra, and my manners, woosh, out the window, sorry for not introducing myself sooner."
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 12:08 pm
"Thank you so much for the advice and food. I guess being a brute was nothing I actually was ever good at." Though some of his siblings didn't mind rough and tumble. Rough housing had always been too dirty for Zerrin. Sure, he got involved any ways because other cubs would surprise pounce and attack for play, but rough housing had never been the lions ideal way to play. "I liked crafts and .... not getting dirty. I suppose I missed out on how to act tough. You make a face right?"
Zerrin made a face. Said face was a not a very good tough guy face. Slowly, his features returned to normal as the female began to tell her story.The story the lioness offered was a sad one. He couldn't imagine going back home to find that no one was there. Slowly, the lions ears lowered.
"I'm .. actually terrified that might happen. I just..." He paused. "I kind honestly am not sure I want to go back all together though. Not that this place is fantastic. Its not." Really, it was awful but Zerrin would go on a tangent rant if he elaborated more. "Going back means I found a new name. And I like mine just fine." Okay , maybe that was a bratty reason to not want to go back.
The compliment on his pelt got a very wide knowing smile. Zerrin was proud of his own coat but he would never boast about that fact. The compliment did wonders for the situation.
The lions face turned a little red with embarrassment when Aladra pointed out the fact he was staring and offered her name. He was being quite rude.
"My names Zerrin and uh. I didn't mean to stare. Your colors though. They are so appealing I couldn't help but focus on them. I didn't mean to stare though." He lowered his head in shame. While his head was lowered he might have taken a bite of meat. Could you blame him though? He was hungry.
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 2:20 pm
Oh gosh.
Oh no, he was cute! Terminally so!
Aladra had to hold herself rooted to the ground or risk embarrassing not only herself but him too, given she was very much tempted to step forth and clutch his face while squeaking. Instead, she blinked at him, a wide grin stretching upon her maw as Zerrin aimed for a snarl or a growl and... fell humorously short, "Oh, sweetie," she lifted her paws, almost as if wanting to reach out to him, but not quite wishing to touch him out of fear of embarrassing him horribly, "Oh honey, you're so cute! Stop that, holy heck, stop. Seriously," she planted her fore paws on the ground again, "Stop it, seriously, you're falling short of terrifying; don't do that to rogues, they'll like think you're flirting or something, oh my god."
She shook her head some and then grinned at him, "I think what you're trying to do is growl. Here, wait, lookit. Follow my lead," and despite the fact she was horribly amused, Aladra tried her best to push the notion aside, frown, and bear her teeth. All in all, it was a decent attempt; her ears flush against the head, the nape of her neck bristly, and lips pulled back to show her fangs. She even managed a growl and a semi roar before she simply couldn't hold it and she laughed, "You're sweet though. I hope you don't plan on staying 'round here all alone. I'd hate for you to change; people change out here all alone, trust me. I've seen it," and as she spoke, a small hint of barely contained sadness showed, though only for a moment.
Her ears fell back, and her features showed sympathy, empathy for Zerrin's situation, "You're looking for a new name? How come? What's wrong with the one you have?" her head tilted to one side, then turned to look over the horizon, "I left to find myself... and instead found myself alone. Why would you not wanna go home? Do you... have somewhere else to go to, maybe?" her train of thought crashed into the metaphorical mountain side as he mentioned her pelt, and the lioness turned her head to look down at her paws, "I uh....really? You think so?" if she could have blushed under her pelt, she would've; instead she grinned up at him playfully, "I always liked it too. I thought it looked like the colors of the sea... you know! The big water!" she chuckled slightly, "It's kinda a pity I don't hunt in the water; the colors make staying hidden hard, but alas! It is the burden of beauty!" she lifted her head primly, jokingly, her eyes closed for a few beats until she opened one of them and peeked at him, the grin returning, this time followed by a wink, "Pleased to meetcha, Zerrin of the lovely, pale coat. You are welcome to both stare and eat away, don't worry."
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:18 am
Dark Fire Angel Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you <3. I had a busy weekend. Flirting? His face looked flirtacious? Zerrin wasn't sure if that was a good sign or bad sign. He reckoned that it might be bad if he was to try the face on a group of no do good angry no man lands folks. Zerrin took a breath. He'd keep it in mind not to try that face on any rogues he'd pass by. Aladra was kind enough to give him an example of a proper face. Zerrin wasn't sure if he was supposed to be impressed or hide. Her expressions were well practiced and believable. Maybe it was envy he was supposed to feel. Zerrin tried a face of his own, this time only failing slightly less than the last. "Guess I need to practice than." He meekly smiled. Aladra had great advice and demonstrations but Zerrin hadn't yet been around enough to understand aggression. 'What's wrong with the one you have?' actually struck Zerrin. Yeah, what was wrong with his name? The golden lion liked it quite a lot. Simple, short and easy to remember. Not only that but the meaning meant he was made of gold. Zerrin quite liked his name. But traditions were traditions. "Traditions." Was the answer he gave but now he was second guessing said traditions. "... But I don't really know why." "I .. I don't know. I kind of like it out here in a weird way. It's going to sound strange but I feel like another purpose is out there for my self. Maybe its my name or something greater. Or it could be some bad gristle that has stuck in my gut giving me feelings and such. I'm honestly not all that sure. But I feel like I should stay out here a little longer and find out." He looked down at his paws for a moment before looking back up the female. His explanation sounded quite self centered now that it was out. But the feelings didn't change. Zerrin really believed he shouldn't go home. Not yet at least. "The big water you say? Well that is glorious. I think you can hunt fish. You could swipe them out of the water and they'd think the water grew fangs and claws. You'd be the envy of any water hunter out there with the ability to melt in to water." The more Zerrin spoke the more he also felt a little pinch of envy. Water hunting. "Ah... pleased to meet you as well miss Aladra. And thank you. I feel quite welcomed." He took another bite. Usually he was better mannered but the lion was hungered. "Is there any way I can repay your kindness?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 10:25 am
The lioness couldn't help but chuckle slightly, "Nahhh... wouldn't dream of telling you to practice. In a way, it's pretty good that you've never had to use such a face. And you shouldn't strive to change that..." granted, not changing that would leave him in terminal peril in these roguelands, but if he returned home, to a pride that would keep him safe, it wouldn't really matter. A pride would protect his innocence, really, "You're too sweet to be out here," she said, a tinge of sadness coloring her voice, "This place changes people."
An ear flicked towards him, a mildly perplexed expression coming over her features, "Traditions? Your pride makes their members change their names?" a pause followed, "Huh..." she pondered how she would feel in his situation and made a face, sticking her tongue out into the open air, as if she'd tasted something particularly foul, "I've heard of prides that do that kinda thing, but I don't think I could do it..." she shook her head, "Cause I'm used to being Aladra. I would no longer be Aladra if I changed my name. A part of me would be gone. I guess maybe it's like a coming of age thing... you're meant to lose your child name and take on an adult one or something," after all, she didn't want to offend him or otherwise talk ill of a pride she did not know.
As he spoke to her about having a greater purpose, her face lifted towards the sky, "I wish I had a greater purpose..." after a few beats, Aladra's face turned back towards Zerrin, "It's like the stuff of legends!" another chuckle escaped her, and as he greeted her, her frame lowered into a bit of a bow, a courtesy even, "Pleasure's all mine!" she let him know, "Hmm... in all honesty, just talking is enough payment. I don't get to talk to many peeps out here. some can be quite mean, as you probably already know," she paused, and then looked mildly uncertain for the first time in the conversation, "Well, there is one thing, but I'd understand if you say no," her gaze skittered away from him, returned, skittered away and repeated the process again until she gathered her courage about her, "Uhm, well, I don't know you, but I'm kinda lonely out here. What say we travel together? Just for a bit! Maybe until you find this greater purpose of yours, or something?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:11 pm
This place was a place that Zerrin could see as a place that could change a lion. The nature was wild and every one for them selves. Not the ideal living style Zerrin would wish on any one being. There was a reason long ago lions formed prides. Each and every lion had their own purpose and role rather than worry about the day to day. Zerrin stayed silent and listened to Aladra on her opinion of his prides traditions. Silently, the lion agreed. He was a Zerrin and he didn't want to be anyone else. On the bit about greater purpose was when Zerrin opened his maw. "Well if I do find it I'll be sure to help you find yours. But I have a feeling you'd be much better at finding a greater purpose than I." He chuckled but then fell silent again at her offer. Was she for real? Travel together? "R-Really? You want to ...? I mean... WHA-Why?! Uh - that is a yes I mean to say!" He was shocked. "The company would be more than welcomed..... I just... You want to?"
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