|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 5:47 pm
 The task was simple for most lions. Collect pieces of wood suitable for padawan beads. A task that, admittedly, annoyed Astrith just a bit. It seemed cruel to send a blind cat on a finding mission and she had been inches from informing everyone around her of such before she bit down on her tongue. Hard. Literally. Painfully.
Jedi did not complain. Discipline was key.
These is no passion. There is serenity.
Serenity.
A deep breath.
Sereeeenity.
A deeper breath.
But she had really wanted to scream.
Instead she stood up a little straighter and politely took the task. If they did not think she could complete it, they would not have sent her. The Jedi wouldn't set her up to fail. They valued her despite her lack of sight and she was not treated poorly.
Her annoyance eased a bit when she found out that Xo would be going along with her. Xo was fun at least, and she spent the most time with her fellow Ratel sister and the rivalry they had kept Astrith on her toes and alert. Maybe they could turn the mission into a game so it would not be so...well. Boring. It wasn't as if wood ran very fast when you were looking for it...
Repressing a sigh, she padded over to her sister's scent, pausing before wiggling her head away from their instructor.
"We should get going," she stated, trying very hard to sound serious. Jedi were serious. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go back to our studies,".
She repressed a smirk and waited until the sound of their instructors paws faded into the distance before she cracked into a grin.
"I bet I can find some first!" she whispered, letting her shoulders go slack and relax.
Was it a good bet? Not really. Xo had a huge advantage...But it would make the time pass...and maybe Astrith could get excited about collecting wood if there was some competition about it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:45 pm
Xolile was excited. No, excited wasn't an awesome enough word. Xolile was ecstatic. She had gotten her mission from the council members to further her on her journey to becoming a Padawan. The little necklace with its red bead around her neck jiggled slightly as she tried to contain her excitement during the instructional part, her whole body quivering with the desire to turn and run and find some perfect wood for her little beads. Man, these guys could talk forever! She glanced to her left where her sister stood and grinned, knowing full well that while her sister was blind, she could sense things a lot better than other lions could and would know she was smiling. Finally Astrith turned to her as the council members finished speaking to them. She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at her sister's feigned maturity, and once the older lions and felines were out of earshot, she let herself snicker. "Studies...ugh, you almost made me believe you," she teased, reaching out with a paw to push Astrith's shoulder playfully. She got up and flicked her pale tail, eyes already seeking out the best patch of wooded area to find some branches that had fallen in the last storm. Astrith's words, however, made her turn, the grin still on her face. "Oh you do, do you?" she purred, the lure of competition too great to ignore. "I bet I can find some first...and I bet I can do it faster than you!" Sure, she had an advantage, but Astrith was almost scarily good at things. Xo had no problems not giving her any head starts or handicaps when they wrestled or raced, and half the time the blind sister came out the victor. The other half Xo was on top. It was evenly matched through and through, which slightly annoyed the pale sister. If Astrith had her sight, did that mean she'd be a stronger lioness? Pah...that didn't matter. She couldn't see so they were even!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:29 pm
As the paw made contact with her shoulder, Astrith merely smirked, pleased with herself. She'd worked very hard on her studious little lion routine and she was proud of how it had come along. Of course, she really believed in the way of the Jedi at her core...But it was kind of stuffy sometimes. And boring. And meditation really was not her strong suit, either. Patience was not easy for the little lioness.
"You almost made me lose it grinning like that. Sabotage!" she playfully accused, stamping her paw on the ground in mock indignation.
When the challenge was met, however, her smile turned into a wicked grin and her tongue flicked out to lick her lips as she concentrated. She closed her eyes, too. Not that it did much, really, but it felt like it helped and it certainly didn't make a difference anyways.
"First and faster?" she called out in the direction of her sister's scent, "Isn't that a little...repetitive?" she teased, sticking her tongue out at her before leaving it out to help her concentrate. All she wanted to deal with now was the scent of wood and the trees around her. She had to follow it.
That was when a sudden feeling of deja vu washed over the tan little lion and her brows, which had been knit tight in concentration went slack, as did her jaw. Suddenly the world around her was lit up and bright. The trees swayed gently and she could almost smell the scent of wet dirt drying after the storm. She thought she could feel it between her toes even. And there was her sister, smirking with her soft white pelt and her orange yellow eyes, the sun playing with the rainbow markings that adorned her fur.
And then she was running. They were running. Searching.
And there Xolile was, standing triumphantly over a smattering of branches that had fallen from a tree, smirking and...
The clarity was gone.
A rush of images all too fast for Astrith to process whizzed by before everything went back to black.
She threw open her eyes, panting just a little bit. This was not the first time this had happened to her. In fact, it had been happening to her ever since she was a bitty little cub...And just like always, she knew it would come true...Unless.
"WE START NOW, BYE!" Astrith called out becoming a tan blur as she darted for the tree she had seen her sister under, knowing that the prize would be hers after all.
She didn't stop until she felt twigs crunching under her feet and she let out a victorious squeak of a roar.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 11:48 am
Xolile's confident grin faltered a bit as Astrith called her out on reptition and, after a moment, she gave a little 'pff'. "That just means I'll do it twice as fast!" she said with a cocky tone to her voice. She could see, after all...she had a huge advantage. Before she could even say that she'd give Astrith a head start - so generous! - her tan sister was up and running. "Hey!" she called out after her, completely caught off guard. She scrambled to catch up, paws kicking up dirt as they sought purchase. Finally her claws dug in and she was off like a shot, following her darker sister frantically. How had she known where to run? It looked like there was a pile of sticks at her feet and, from the sound of it, they were nice and strong. Even though the juvenile lion was heavy enough to break most twigs, the ones she stood on were sturdy and perfect for making their beads. "That's cheating," she informed her sister as she caught him, leaning down to sniff the wood. "Hey...these are really good," Xo added, trying not to sound too put-out. "How did you know where they were? You ran right over to them.'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:41 pm
Was it cheating?
...Well, what was it, really?
Astrith scowled, gnawing on her bottom lip for just a second before turning to face her sister, pulling the grin back on her face in an attempt to hide her inner confusion. The tan lioness did not like to show weakness, especially not around her sister. It was not because of a lack of trust, but more because her sister was always so tough. It made her feel like she had to be tough too...She could hear other Jedi whispering about her as she went by and it made her want to show them all up!
She would be just as good as them.
BETTER.
But was it cheating?
"They'll be great beads," she affirmed, not thinking to sniff them or try to see if they were dry. She had already seen them, known they were good. And yet...she lacked the air of superiority she usually had when she won something. It had never occurred to her to question these...day dreams of hers or even talk about them.
They were special...They made her special...And they were her little secret. Everyone pitied the poor blind cub but no one knew how special she was!
She was reluctant to discuss that.
"It's only cheating when I win, right?" she teased, snapping out of her awkward silence.
"What was that about twice as fast?" Astrith cracked her trademark lopsided grin and stuck her tongue out at her sister.
"It's okay Xo. How about another bet? I bet," she trailed off as she thought, sifting through the rush of images her brain was still processing, "I bet I can jump farther over the pile of sticks than you can!"
With that she grinned, daring her sister to take the rotten bet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 7:42 pm
Xo rolled her eyes just a bit as Astrith confirmed the wood would make the perfect beads. Of course they would, just because she'd found them. Hmph!
The second bet, though, made her perk up in delight. A jumping bet? She could with that with two paws tied behind her back. Ha! "You're on," she said with a little smirk, turning around and flicking her tail in Astrith's face playfully. She trotted away from their prize - they had found it so easily, they could have a little fun! - before turning and crouching.
"Tell me when to go," she said, rump wiggling in the air as she waited. She had this one in the bag!
The two sisters played the day away after having found the wood so easily. Once they had tired of their fun they picked up the sticks for their beads and headed home, Xo still trying to figure out how her sister had managed to find it so easily without the use of her eyes.
FIN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
