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 Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 4:25 pm
The dawn was striking against the mountainside washing everything in faded flames. Lifting a paw out the lioness watched as it was immediately lit up by the ray of light that she had spotted. It was so amazing how that little ray of light could hold so much warmth there as it tickled her fur. The thought made Luti smiled faintly before pulling away again. Since she had arrived the lioness still found herself adjusting to the freedom of the Ela and the lack of siblings sleeping next to her along with the absence of her parents had left the lioness feeling lost. Even with this beautiful place as her new home Lutifiya found herself on edge, it was as if she was waiting for someone to come back and just snatch her away again. Away from this new found freedom and comfort. A part of her sometimes missed that life though as she didn’t have to pick so many things for herself. Wrinkling her nose Luti smacked lightly at a weed and watched as it swayed back and forth from the push, “Who knew decisions could be so complicated?”
Just like now. Eyes blinking the lioness turned around in a small circle. She had just meant to explore more of this new territory, but somehow in her distraction of the world awakening around her she had wandered off path. Tail swishing low behind her Luti sighed, “Just my luck already…” Still she wasn’t going to let that bring her down! She was her own lion now and could do as she pleased! Even getting lost was something that didn’t receive punishment for accidentally wandering off! Forcing optimism again the lioness took a steady step forward into the rising mists of the morning.
It was a wonderful feeling of determination that quickly turned to surprise as the ground beneath her gave way. With a short yelp of terror Luti found her body sliding down the ridge and towards the valley below. So much for that freedom!
By the break of dawn Hakizimana was awake with the picturesque sun as he moved out for the hunt. His wounds had begun to scab, and what remained of his bruises were a dull ache. The Sky ceremony had been his highlight for the festival, as far as he was concerned, as it was the most fun to participate in. Now, with it over, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself beyond chat with lions he was only going to have to part with in the coming days. This time last year he had been afraid and on edge. Even as friendly as he had been he remembered the way his paws shook just talking with people of his own clan. His clan! Ah, how weird the word had been, but now it was as if he had been here all along.
As he walked he felt the feather attached to his ear through his mane. It wasn’t as annoying as it had been at first, and rather a reminder of who he was, and what he now stood for. The scream hadn’t been something he was ready for, and without giving much pause he rushed after it, coming up to a halfway point down a known cliffside, in which he saw a lioness fall down not too far away from him. “Are you okay?” Hakizimana called out. He look about him, found a safer passage down, and then felt IT.
The rumble was something he’d only heard about from older clan members. But, he knew it to be true. With a quick look he saw the herd, some ways away, but fast approaching. They had to get out of there, and fast!
Head spinning the lioness had to force her body to roll out of the clump of rocks that she had ever so gracefully landed on. Everything felt like it was on fire though and she winced just to open her eyes where blood trickled down from the cut on her head. At least that old tree had snagged her mid-fall…even if it had toppled down with her. Ah, that was why her back legs were so heavy then. The tree limbs were still clawing towards her body pinning down the back of her legs. A weak chuckle escaped her. Out of all things to happen she just had to misjudge one step.
Welcome to life in the mountains.
It was funny how when the world was spinning around her that thoughts could become so cynical. Growling softly at the branches Luti reached out with her front legs to try dragging herself on the ground forward. If she could just loosen her legs enough! She wasn’t so worried about it and figured that eventually she could wiggle free so despite her light head and the spells of dizziness that threatened to take her under the lioness was pretty calm about her entrapment. Suddenly her ears twitched at a strange noise and Luti managed to tilt her head to the side. Another lion? Was she really that fortunate? A phantom of a rare smile threatened to flicker across her features when she finally felt it…the earth, the earth was rumbling? What was going on exactly? Eyes widening Luti frantically looked to the side before clawing more desperately at the dry ground.
His paws felt like they were flying on clouds. Hakizimana couldn’t make himself run down the slipping rocks any faster without injuring himself in the process, but the further he got the more the ground shook. He could see them now without having to be up so high, and that didn’t lift the tension from his body. The larger rogue was flying towards the fallen female, one he now recognized from his own clan.
By the time he reached the ground the antelope were fast approaching. He could smell the fear in their scents, and see it in the way that they slammed into one another in a last ditch effort to get away. Hakizimana reached the tree, and tried to free her legs with his legs by scratching at the branches. When that didn’t seem to be working, he pushed upon the old trunk with the weight of his body, falling to his paws as the thing gave a satisfying crunch. She was down, but they weren’t safe. He sidled closer to her, body low to the ground. “If you can run, I need you to move, but if you can’t get on my back.”
Her focus was so ingrained on the ground before her that Luti had nearly forgotten the lion who had called out to her. As soon as he landed next to her she let out a yelp of surprise, but feeling the tree being shoved gave her racing heart a break. Help! Someone was helping her! Oh gods…but could he move the tree? She inched her body forward and let out a shaky breath as the sound of freedom crunched behind her. Finally able to really get a decent look at the male she let out a soft, “Thank you…” Recognition made her frown. He looked so familiar. Was he from the clan that she had just been accepted into? Still his words made her thoughts focus again. This was not the time to be chit chatting!
Nodding at his commands Lutifiya attempted to stand and made one step forward before her whole body lunged forward from pain. Oh! Her back right leg it felt like it was on fire. As the rumbling grew louder and she finally turned to face the stampede heading towards them Luti’s heart lurched. She wouldn’t be able to run. Could he run with her on his back? Her indigo eyes widened in terror before she shook her head at him, “No…no you can’t. I can’t…you should just go. Save yourself, okay?” Years of putting someone else before her took place along with her instinctual kindness, “I don’t…I don’t…” She coughed before taking another dragging step forward, “I’ll try…you run.”
Okay, so his composure wasn’t holding up so well anymore. She was gorgeous. He couldn’t hide that anymore as he looked at her, but it did make him want to help her even more. Hakizimana looked over his shoulder, and inhaled sharply. He could see the whites of their eyes from this distance. No doubt they had seen the lions themselves which was why they had gone even crazier than before. This wasn’t looking good at all!
Watching her try to move was just as painful for him, and he tried to help her to stand with his body as a crutch. It wasn’t going to work, that much he knew. His azure eyes flashed, and he shook his head. “I’m not going to leave you, okay? We’re clan, you and me, so I’m not going to let you die here.” Without waiting for her to refute him, Hakizimana move to her left side, ducked his head underneath her left hide leg and weaseled his way under her before standing. The added weight was rough on him, but he was brute of a lion, one that was able to take off with the antelope at his heel without having to wait to gather his breath.
Oh they were really getting close. Luti felt her breath catch in her throat before she forced her legs to take another step forward. He couldn’t stay with her. It was better if he got out instead of both of them dying here! It was her fault anyway…she had been stupid enough to wander out like this. Her gaze faltered with unshed tears as he refused to leave her. “But-“ Gasping as he lifted her the lioness just clung on for dear life as they ran.
Please gods give him speed and strength. Tears fell from her eyes as they moved lost in the swarming dust storm behind them that the stampede had created. She was suddenly grateful for the weight she had lost after losing her pride, though she was filling back out again the lioness had once been ashamed of her ragged look and ribs which had been so close to showing from starvation during those weeks of travel. Those weeks she hadn’t cared if she lived or died and now here she was about to kill someone else. But he had refused to leave her, he was risking himself to let her live. The thought made her heart clench. How could he care for her? Even as part of his clan they were still strangers…Luti’s thoughts tumbled into each other as another wave of dizziness threatened to toss her from his shoulders.
Still she closed her eyes against the moving world and just burrowed her face in his golden mane.
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Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 4:38 pm
If he'd been just a little smaller, had trained a few days less with his half-siblings, had run a little less...They might not have made it. Hakizimana ran as hard as he could, breathing with a little snarling growl tossed in the mix. His legs felt like they were on fire. Instead of burning him, though, they kept him moving forward and carried him on.
"You better stay awake back there!" Hakizi called out, tossed his head back just for a second when he felt her body weight shift. Feeling her face buried into his mane, though, that was a good sign. She was willing to let him help her now, and he could only hope it meant she was trying to center herself instead of having passed out.
Desperately he searched the gorge for an opening, and found it in the form of a small slid in the side wall. Without caring if it was big enough of not, he ran full force into it, pressing his body in as close as he could before turning, wrapping his paws around her to keep her in.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 7:02 pm
Fire. It was like she was caught in a swirling vortex of flame. Lutifiya couldn’t stop the rumbling from reverberating in her ears nor could she blatantly ignore the raging warmth of pain that spread up her back right leg. Dots spun before her vision, but the lioness kept focusing on that golden mane and the voice that spoke to her. He was her anchor right now and both of their lives rest in his paws, “I- I am!” Her exclamation was like a soft whisper amongst the sound of the stampede….would they really make it?
Her heart was beating so quickly that she thought it was going to jump from her chest into the herd.
Then the next thing she knew they were flying. She felt her body resisting the crevice but once more he was there wrapping his paws around her, pulling her in closer to him. She was safe. Even though the storm of dust surrounded them she felt the wind brushing through the tunnel as the herd moved on and not through them. Still her leg hurt and the lioness let out a whimper of pain before trying to move to relax some pressure from it.
Her movement made the whole world stop around her and suddenly Luti couldn’t feel the stampede rushing about them as she blinked into a pair of teal eyes and realized that her movements had not only brought them much closer together, but had touched her nose against his. Oh…oh my.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:03 pm
He felt as if he couldn't breath. There was so much tension in his muscles that all he could concentrate on was the vibrations coursing through them. Even as he held onto her, all he could see was the stampede rushing by not inches away from them. It was the single most terrifyingly exhilarating thing he'd ever experienced.
The whimper of pain caused Hakizimana to look down at the lioness, and when she looked up at him, he felt his breath hitch. She was...she was a lot prettier than he had thought at the beginning, and now, oh now her nose was touching his. He couldn't move, let alone do anything. It wasn't even the crevice causing him to be paralyzed, but rather her close proximity and the touch.
"Uh..miss?" His voice was barely above a squeak.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:11 pm
The whole time the herd ran past them Luti’s body stayed frozen in shock. Maybe it was from the pain lacing up her leg or from the trauma of nearly being trampled on…but it also could be that she was finally staring down her savior. He was a handsome lion and she was fairly certain it wasn’t danger making her heart race in her chest anymore. He was just like…a dream from long ago. Flushing the lioness pulled back from him as much as possible, “Let’s – let’s move.”
It was quiet now.
Pushing him gently from the crevice Luti hobbled outside and shook her head to clear the dancing dots of light, “You…” Her voice was soft, but as she looked up in even more embarrassment the lioness found her voice rising steadily, “Save my life…but at the same time…are you crazy?!” Her lilac eyes gleamed with mixed emotions, “What if you had been killed doing that?!” Her tail lashed out firmly behind her, “I would have felt awful even in death knowing someone died because of me!” Pouting she looked away to hide her expression from him, “But…thank you I suppose.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:27 pm
"Oh, yes...It should be safe now." He coughed into his mane, and pressed himself out, watching for any changes in her walk. It wasn't perfect, but at least she was moving. Hakizimana pressed his ear against his shoulder and winced. His earring must have bit into his ear lobe while he'd been pressed against the rock and stretched the hole. Funny, he'd never noticed any pain...Then again he had been distracted.
He blinked, only one eye visible from his flop of a mane. Hakizimana gulped, and gave an awkward, albeit cheesy smile. "Then I would have died...?" He hedged, then shrugged. "You wouldn't know if I'd died if you yourself were dead, would you? Besides, what was I supposed to do, watch?" He snorted. "Hardly."
Walking around, he dipped his head so he could get a good look at her face and showed a true smile. "You're welcome. You're a lot cuter alive and well, so you can call me reckless, but I think I'm selfish for wanting to see more of you." Hakizimana winked. "Now, are you going to be able to walk back, or do you want some help?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:22 pm
Long years of training to watch pads for their needs and interests had never truly left Luti and so her reaction to his wince was immediate, “Are you alright?” She leaned in close despite her own pain to look at him, “Please, please don’t tell me I got you hurt somehow.” The fire was gone replaced by concern. Was his shoulder injured from her? She didn’t see any blood…maybe a stretched muscle?
She pulled back and huffed at him, “My spirit would have seen it then I would have been stuck as a ghost in the valley cause of my guilt!” Once more her flare for dramatic stories came into play and the lioness felt herself flushing, “Then no one could enjoy a morning walk there or anything without fear of my spirit. That or it would turn into a dark romantic tale of a lion who dashed in hoping to save his love where he died for her but she refused to leave his side and instead the two of them died here.” All the cubs with courage would try to sneak around there at night then to see the spirits trying to find each other…she sighed, a mix of sorrow and a daydream combined, before looking back to him.
“That is if someone really wanted to write a story about such things.” The flush, however, was not gone and only spread more once he called her cute. Her….cute….cuter alive?! Luti swallowed at the golden lion, “Stop…being silly!” She wanted to bolt away but the next step caused her to falter from the pain, “I- I’ve got this…” Trailing off her back leg tried to give out again and she winced, “Maybe….maybe I might need some help…” The last words were barely a whisper as she tried to keep her gaze away from him.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:34 pm
Hakizimana's face grew dark and he shifted away from her just the slightest. "Woah, yeah, I'm fine. Just pinched my earring a bit. That's what I get for trying to blend in." He chuckled nervously, rubbing his earring on his shoulder again before stopping fairly quickly. "It's just a little thing, nothing to be worried about. Not after all this." He swept his paw out.
After a moment of wide eyed staring he burst into laughter and his grin turned into a full fledged smile. "Stuck as a ghost...? Pfft. You would have been fine. A goddess, perhaps, but never a ghost." His heart thumped a little faster in his chest, puffing up a bit. "A dark romance, huh...? A little forward aren't ya?"
This one might have been more worth the rescue than he had originally thought. "Sillier than a lioness who shares such wild tales?" His smile was bright, wide and oh so impish. He moved easily to her side, and lowered himself once more. "Just hop on and take it easy. You can bluff your way through the pain once we find the others. For now, let me carry you."
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:25 pm
Oh, I slipped into that habit again. Biting her lip Luti nodded, “If you say so then.” She smiled a bit at his humor before taking a breath, “Silly.” Though she admired the look of the pride. The earring looked rather lovely on him…probably anything would look nice on such a handsome male. Realizing that she had been staring the lioness quickly pulled her gaze away to look shyly at the ground.
At the compliment her features flushed even brighter, “A goddess? Me!? Oh don’t do that!” She looked around wildly, “You’d upset any goddess who heard. I’m far from being that pretty.” Her tail flicked against the ground, “Plus some spirits are really lovely…some tales talk about ones that are the palest shades of blue and purple just dancing about in the moonlight. That would be a sight to see.” Her indigo eyes lit up at the images which ran through her mind before she blinked in surprise, “For-forward? No-no! I didn’t mean that!...I mean you’ve been very kind and are very handsome…but we barely know each other…it’s just that stories are usually better with romance. Plus time changes tales all the time as they get passed down…that’s all.” Oh she could melt something right now with her cheeks!
Luti huffed, “Yes, far sillier.” Even though she was trying to pout at him the lioness couldn’t help but to smile as she saw his. It was so beautiful and it warmed her heat to see it. Ever so carefully she climbed onto his back and allowed her hurt leg to go limp. Immediately she felt a rush of relief and made a small noise in her throat, “That’s so much better….thank you.”
As they prepared to head back the lioness was slightly grateful for her fall…after all would she have ever met such a handsome prince if not?
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:39 pm
Was it just him, or had she been staring? Hakizimana was grateful for the distraction of trying to move her, otherwise he might have started babbling like a fool again. Not that he had stopped, mind you. He snorted and rolled his eyes, "A goddess would only be so lucky as to see you. Let alone compare herself to your beauty." Most of the time his compliments were meant in a joking manner, something to pick up the hearts of down trodden females, but he seriously meant it and it was kind of distressing to him that he couldn't get her to see that! She was pretty, so why shouldn't she bask in it?
He just grinned and let her dig herself deeper into her little hole. It was pretty darn charming, the way she rambled on. At her panic he just laughed and shook his head. Oh, how easily the moment of romance was broken~ "Very handsome hmm?" Hakizimana lifted himself, situating her on his back while he did so. "Maybe you should get to know me a little better then, since you seem so taken by inspiration when you see me."
The cheeky male started walking back towards the central area of the pride, head high and teal eyes twinkling. "Take it easy and rest Goddess, we'll be back to your haven soon enough."
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 11:02 am
Luti's face burned and the lioness looked away from the male. What was he? Once maybe a long time ago she would have imagined a suitor coming up to her with such compliments to take her into his harem, but now such things were strange. Even stranger still was that he was seeing her as she was and not as the sultan's daughter. Not as a prize, but instead as herself?
"Oooh, Yes - I mean....I suppose so." She bit the inside of her cheek and looked away some more. This was so embarrassing! Luti really didn't know how to deal with this guy. He kept making her forget herself and then she would get off track....the lioness closed her eyes in protest as they moved along.
As they moved along and the familiar sights of the bird clan came into view Lutifiya attempted to slip back down on her paws, "Thank you..." She looked at her rescuer with a small smile, "I'm going to go get checked with a healer and rest now." After taking a step away she hesitated before pulling quickly back and licking his cheek, "Thank you again!"
Ever so shyly the lioness darted off with her new limp.
But in her heart burned a light.
A light that she could hopefully run into her rescuer again soon.
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