Moose: While his mother and most of the pride had been present for the great Whale feast, Atl had been noticeably absent. As a cub minder his excuse was his work, and that the cubs wouldn’t be safe near the ocean, which was true, to some degree. The green male spent most of his day lounging atop a large rock that protruded into the ocean, sighing with content each time the ocean spray tampered down on his warming fur.
Atl was an intellect unlike any other, but all of his endeavors bored him. Cub minding? Simple. Story telling? As if that required any talent. Star plotting, tide forecasting, negotiations? He hadn’t tried negotiations, but deciphering what it was another wanted in a way that would benefit himself wouldn’t be too difficult. And as his mother had noted more than once, even the search for a mate had turned out to bore him.
All of the prides females were lovely, yes, and so were the Kizi girls, but how far would physical beauty go? All the smart ones were unappealing, and the ones he found that he sort of liked weren’t worth his time to try.
Snorting, he stretched out on his stomach as another spray surrounded him, causing his curled mane to stick to his neck. Pointless. It’s all pointless.
nessiaing: Thuraya was wondering the rocky edge of the beaches, so far she was pretty sure she prefered the sandy side of the beach but she was determined to explore every part of her new home. It different a great deal from her original home, a forrest and a beach really could not differ more.
So far the blue lioness had only made a few aquaintances, mostly at the whale feast. She hoped that she would make more friends soon, the pride had a great family feel to it. She hoped soon some cubs would be assigned to her, currently she was a cub minder with no one to mind. Having grown up in a harem pride Thuraya was use to cubs constantly running around be them for herself, her sister banu, or even her father, she had always had someone to mind after, it was a strange feeling not.
Moose: Atl peered over his shoulder to see a familiar shade of blue wandering the craggy beach. He knew that pelt to be a joined rogue, no doubt one of the few that had joined his rank. Not that it mattered to him if more joined a workless rank. The last of the cubs had turned to young adults this past season, and he was ever so overjoyed not to be pranked while he napped anymore.
Rising only slightly, he turned his unusual eyes to peer at her. Their color was one that had been passed to him from his mother; yellow on the upper half and green on the bottom, a truly strange heterochromia. “I wouldn’t stay down there, if I were you. The tide is coming in soon.”
nessiaing: When Thuraya looked up at the lion she recognized the eyes right away, they were eyes she had talked to down at the whale feast. She smiled this must have been one of the sons Clea had talked about when they chatted at the whale feast.
She climbed up the rocks towards the males, "Thank you for the warning, I suppose I haven't gotten use to the changing tides just yet." Thuraya admited to the male.
She settled into a seated position next to him, "My name is Thuraya." she told him introducing herself. She hoped that he would be as friendly as his mother.
Moose: Of course she intended on coming up closer to him. Atl moved, albeit reluctantly, to give her space and to accommodate his own need for privacy. “Take a day to watch them and memorize the signs. It’s not as if you don’t have time, being a minder.” His voice was sharp and a little sarcastic, though internally he meant no offense; it was just as he was.
“…Am I supposed to give you my name now? Is that what you want?” Looking at her, he didn’t so much as crack a smile before sighing. “My name’s Atl. It is a pleasure to meet you.” His words were drawn out, like a cub dead pan telling another how happy he was at the insistence of his mother.
nessiaing: Thuraya frowned a little, the male certainly had his mother's interesting personality, no beating around the bush here. SHe shuffled a little uncomfotably perhaps comign and speaking the male had been a mistake.
"Well yes giving your name after someone has told you yours is usually seen as polite." she told him her face stern. In her old home she would never have spoken out against a male, it would not have been tolerated, but Thuraya was a stickler for manners and she didn't like it when others weren't respectful and polite.
"Atl, its a pleasure." she told him letting the indiscretion role of her back. "Its nice to meet another cub minder, though work has been light. Is it normal for the pride to have so few cubs in it." It was a concept that confused Thuraya.
Moose: “Going to scold me now, are you? You can try, it won’t make any damn difference.” Atl raised his brows, as if he was challenging her to try. Slowly he moved down until he was laying back against the stone, but with his head quirked to still see her. “You’re a mother, I can tell, but if you think that’s going to make me start saying all these nice things I don’t think around you’re wrong. You’re only deluding yourself.”
She was trying, though, so he had to give her a little credit. Sighing, he rubbed his back against the stone, feeling the cool ribs brush against his wet fur. “It didn’t used to be so when I was younger. When the tsunami hit a lot of our members went missing and more still left. I guess everyone’s too jumpy to have sex anymore.”
nessiaing: Thuraya was shocked by how brash the male could be, sure some of the males in her old home were known for the strong tongues, they were also frequently accompanied by a strong paw. Her father and pad hadn't been that sort though so Thuraya had rarely had to deal with it.
She decided not to let the males word bother her, he was right in the end it didn't really matter or make a difference. "You are right I am a mother, I guess I can't shed my skin and more than you can." she said a laugh in her voice.
"Its a sad history this pride has, perhaps it will change now though, with the Kizi so close and the whale onshore."
"I don't suppose you have a family of your own?" She asked curious about the male.
Moose: She was proving to be just as boring as the rest. Atl surmised that maybe he had been spoiled. His mother was a crass older female who didn’t take s**t from anyone so he expected all females to be the same. Females who couldn’t hold their own against his tongue…they might as well have been ghosts, for all he cared.
“No, you can’t. I’m guessing you are either a loose female with no morals or a female whose mate left for you to be here with no family yourself.” Atl dug deep, reaching his mental claws out to get to her. “They’re all fools to trust the Kizi like that. First they kidnap our cubs, and now we’re friends? That drama takes so much energy…” He yawned as if on cue.
Atl shook his head. “Beyond my parents and my brother, no, I don’t have a family. Never cared to try. I suppose you will, though. Settle in, find a nice guy, raise little Bahari cubs with tales of fish and far off lands.” He scoffed.
nessiaing: Thuraya frowned enough was enough, "Neither actually." she told him her voice firm, she wasn't telling him off but she also wasn't going to take his words laying down.
"My old home had harems, I shared a male with a few other females, had cubs, life was well life. I knew nothing different. My pride was overtaken by females who were unhappy, the males run out of the pride. I choose not to stand with the females nor was I going to leave with my mate, my cubs grown I left."
"I have lived more of a life then you could ever imagine having lived your whole life in this small little corner of the world, you have seen nothing, you've experience only a very small amount, and frankly you know absolutely nothing and would better off keeping your silly little mouth shut."
She kept her voice strong through the whole thing, this male knew very little in her opinion. His mother had been worldly he was simple minded. For such a big mouth she thought he would have a better understanding of how the world really worked.
Moose: Atl slowly raised up to a sitting position, and gave Thuraya a slow clap with his paws. For the first time since he’d been around her he smiled. “Congratulations, you’ve grown up. I didn’t think you would have it in you to tell me off like that. It was…exciting.” To say he had been surprised was a vast understatement. She was too meek and timid for his liking. This side of her, though, the passionate side was a welcome change.
“Though I would be careful about assuming one thing about another. I pushed you, but you’ve pushed me too. I was a juvenile when I watched my friends get swallowed up by the black waters of the tsunami and many never came home.” His words were harder now, without the edge of amusement he held earlier. When he stood completely Atl appeared to have the same stubborn backbone as his mother. “Have you seen a corpse when the victim has drowned? It’s a bloated thing with blue hide and cold, milky eyes. I’ve never been able to forget the sight, and it’s the reason why I’ve never left. I may be in a small little corner of the world, but I’ve known trauma.”
Atl clucked his tongue and moved past her, intent on leaving now. “Keep your silly little mouth open and speak your mind all you want. Just make sure the other party gives a damn before you spew it.”
nessiaing: Thuraya kept her head held up high. She didn't regret what she had said to the male, and for the most part she would stick by it. She certainly she wouldn't every admit to the male that she may have judged him too soon.
"Clearly there is a lot we could learn from each other." She said her voice still hard. She wasn't going to bow down to this male, or any other ever again.
She didn't wish him farewell before she turned and walked away. She guessed that they cross paths again soon, they certainly brought out the fire in each other, or at least he brought the fire out in her... something she actually kind of liked surprisingly enough.
