|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 10:38 pm
 |
|
|
 |
At the sound of another's voice, Jini startled, skittish at the approach but trying to calm his nerves. It was probably just a friendly rogue, he tried to reassure himself, turning around to face the stranger. The odd blue colouring and the big bushy hair was disorientating for a moment, and the wide smile revealed more than cheerfulness, it revealed a lot of big sharp teeth.
Jini shied backwards almost immediately. He knew his teacher would tell him to stand his ground but Jini wasn't with Rior right now, and right now, this male was a little bit daunting.
"I mean no trouble," he threw out to the male, hoping to be sparred a battle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 10:45 pm
|
|
|
|
Mez, who was used to being flinched at, held his ground as the lion turned and stepped away from him. He quickly ceased his grinning and lowered his ears, trying to put off a calming signal.
"Me either," he called out, still a little bit too far to speak at a normal tone. "Sorry, I know...big teeth," he said with a weak laugh, his large, fluffy tail swishing back and forth. As far as leopons went, Mez was pretty small, but his fluffy fur and spiked mane made him look bigger than he actually was.
"I'm Mez," he offered, tilting his head to the side. "I just wanted to come talk to you for a moment. Is that all right? I promise, I'm not here to pick a fight." Fighting was just about the worst thing Mez could do with another creature. He would if he had to, but for the most part he was a peace-loving fluffball that enjoyed talking and laughing rather than snarling and clawing.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 10:49 pm
|
|
|
|
He was endlessly relieved when the male dropped into a semi-submissive (or at least, less threatening) stance and appeared to be a lot nicer than Jini had originally given him credit for. He offered a small smile, trying not to show too much teeth because he really didn't want to give off the wrong idea to this male.
"I am very glad to hear that," he called back, cautiously approaching to a closer distance so they would not have to scream over to each other, at least. "I apologise for my assumption - I am a bit cautious of strangers in these lands." He really did hate fighting strangers.
"What is it you wanted to talk about?" He inquired, unable to deny that he was curious about why he had been approached. If the other male was lost, Jini would have been of no help. He, also, had no idea where he was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 10:59 pm
|
|
|
|
Mez let out a mental sight of relief as the lion relaxed as well. Phew! For a second there he thought he'd have to high-tail it to the pride and hope the lion got tired of chasing him. But no, he was moving forward enough to speak and seemed as though he were interested in what Mez had to say.
"Oh no, I completely understand," the blue leopon sympathized. "The rouge lands can be dangerous, especially when traveling alone." He had his looks to thank for being left alone on his travels. When he wanted to be alone, all he had to do was stare at whoever was trying to get close and they'd back off very, very quickly.
He nodded and sat as well, wanting to continue to foster the calm atmosphere they had going on. "I just wanted to tell you that you're rather close to the border of my pride. We're welcoming to weary travelers, but the lions that live there carry a dangerous disease that make the pride a bit unsuitable for any lions who wish to remain uninfected."
Of course, there was more to it than that, but it was generally the best to gloss over the details. Rouges got bored with his stories when he dragged them out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 11:19 pm
|
|
|
|
Jini was soothed by the comforting tone of the other male, and the logic in which he spoke. Ok, he hadn't shared blood with anyone, he wasn't going to catch anything. He was not going to die, all was well and he was safe.
"That's a very important job you have there," Jini mused, feeling much more calmer but a bit saddened by the news of the disease. "Is there nothing that cures it?" He asked, unable to resist poking a bit.
It might have been a sensitive topic but still, he was nosy, and well, when else was he going to have the opportunity to ask such questions?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 11:25 pm
|
|
|
|
"It is," Mez agreed with a little nod. The question made him flick his tail back and forth, though, unsure of how to answer. The lions in the pride saw it as a blessing, really, but he had told that to passing rouges before and they had passed him and the whole pride off as mad. Since then, he'd learned to twist the truth just a bit to keep the minds of those that didn't know how the pride felt at peace.
"There are herbal remedies that help with the illness, but there's no cure that's been found yet," Mez said with a little nod. "But many lions live to their full life expectancy with little more than a cough. The illness manifests in many different ways, and the majority of the pride really don't have life-threatening symptoms. Just...runny noses and difficulty breathing a bit through their whole lives."
There was truth in his statements...just not the whole truth. And that was fine, he reassured himself. The poor lion before him didn't need to worry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 11:41 pm
|
|
|
|
The thanks made Mez smile again, but he made sure to keep it at a non-threatening level. He bobbed his head in agreement: any outsider that accidentally stumbled upon the pride was in for a huge shock. While the illness didn't affect all the lions that badly, there were those that looked like walking skeletons they were so badly infected. It really was disturbing to the unaware eye, and the hacking, rattling coughs that plagued nearly every lion that had the disease were the stuff of nightmares.
Well. He assumed they were. To him they were a normal occurrence, part of life, and he had learned to tune it out.
"You're more than welcome. I do hope you continue your journey safely and soundly to wherever you're going," he said, lifting his head from the bow, the friendly smile still on his face. "I'm Mezlijin, by the way. It's been a pleasure to meet you."
Velveteen Angel I think one more from both of us could wrap this up =3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 11:48 pm
|
|
|
|
"Thank you," Jini repeated honestly, smiling at the male. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well. My name is..." Oh god, that moment always made him hesitate. What was his name? That was the entire point of his quest was to find out what his name was and in the end, nothing was really clear on that.
"Bahati." A name, at random, came to him and he offered tot he male. He was unlikely to ever see him again, so what did it matter? The name felt wrong though, and he knew it would never stick. Damn it, why was it so hard to choose a name.
"I wish you and your pride all the best," he said to the male, awkward but earnest in his wishes. He bowed his head to him, a gesture of good will, and he began to move away. He wasn't sure where he was going, to be honest, but he certainly knew where he was not going.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:34 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mez was almost home. He had been gone for about a moon and he was aching to see his mate and the little brood of cubs he had come to call his own. This part of his outing to the rouge lands was the most important, though. This was where any lions needed to be warned about the dangers of his home pride. He kept his eyes sharp and his ears alert for any noise or sight that might lead him to an unsuspecting lion.
