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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 9:05 am
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And where did Gren fit into all this?
She had succeeded in her mission. She had aided the horde on their hunt, taken down the parasite 'deity' and brought the rarec home, just as Graos Oma had wished of her. The artifacts now rested with the Xakaav Oma, safe and mostly undamaged. Yet, it had been at a cost. They had lost their commander in the battle and no one had yet risen to take over his position. He had cubs he would never meet who were growing bigger every day...but--but that was not the sole matter weighting on her mind. Another had lost his life in the battle, too. A young hyena who had willingly sacrificed himself to see that she could get away safely.
She thought of him often.
Brocdkoca.
And as time passed and physical wounds healed she could not help but wonder whether it had been worth it. No secrets of the artifacts had been unlocked and she had still received no summons to return them to Graos Oma. She was in limbo and she hated it.
The light was fading from the sky before she truly realised how far she had wandered, her horde's settlement a slither of darkness against the horizon. Beneath the worn pads of her paws, the heat of the day's sun was starting to fade from the cracked stone and a chill ran the length of her spine.
She needed guidance. She needed a sign--something--anything to tell her that she was on the right path.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:19 am
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 Finally, finally Keir was out on his Viking. He had been antsy for the past few days leading up to the outing, and now that he was finally away from the Stormborn he felt as though he could do anything. They hadn't found much yet in their travels, but that was due to the fact that they had gone in a different direction that most Viking parties say is a lost cause. There's nothing out there but dry earth and death. There were more bountiful places to find treasure and glory. The captain that had agreed to take him out was positive there was something out here, though, so it was the way they went.
Keir didn't care much for treasure right now. All he wanted was the title that went with the outing. Once he was a Reaver he could come and go as he pleased, answering to no Freeborn any longer. The freedom that promised was the most alluring prize he could think of.
His paws paused as he sniffed the air, the wind blowing an unfamiliar scent to his nose. The party had spread out a bit so as to cover more ground, but it also left them a bit more vulnerable to attack. Keir had no fear of fighting, but it wasn't what he wanted. He'd rather avoid confrontation if he could. Still, the scent intrigued him, and he pressed on. What he found as the scent grew stronger was a rather bulky lioness, adorned with bones and certainty not the face of beauty. Still, there was an air about her that drew him in, bright eyes curious. He'd never met someone outside of his pride before.
"Well met, stranger," he said, halting his approach.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:21 pm
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He wasn't the sign she had been expecting and for a horrible moment she thought he might even be Firekin - though it seemed unlikely so many days away from the desert. Those cowards did seem fond of their sand and sun. She found it hard to imagine they would come so far out, especially one on his own. So, he was just a rogue, then. A strong looking rogue, though, to be sure, with strange twists in his mane.
Her head tilted very slightly at his greeting, her mind ticking over each word to decipher its meaning. This common tongue was a hard thing for her to grasp, though she certainly did her best. Brows furrowing low over extraordinarily bright eyes, she grumbled in response, chewing on her words before forming them.
"Hello."
A simple greeting, perhaps, but it would serve. "You...rogue?" Her voice was deep, guttural and clumsy but Gren seemed not to care or notice. |
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2015 3:15 pm
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The surprise on her face made Keir wonder if this was another pride's lands. It would be rather strange if it was as the land wasn't very hospitable here. Cracked, dry, not a sign of prey or water...but still. There were stranger places to make a home, he was sure. Just because he didn't know how to survive in a place like this didn't mean everyone was the same.
"Oh...camp?" he asked, tilting his head. They didn't really camp on these Vikings. Perhaps she meant their home. Her answer made him tilt his head the other way, wondering where he had heard that name before. Nergui...perhaps from a joining rogue or another Reaver that had gone out and run into them. Still, it wasn't ringing any danger bells in his head, so he let it pass.
"Ah...a warrior. I am, too," he said with a little nod. "Nergui. Close by? We're far from the Stormborn...ah...by the ocean? Sea? Big, salty water?" He knew there were lions that had never seen the ocean before but he was sure they had heard of it. It was called many things by many different lions, though, so the description of it was the last thing he could think of to make her understand.
"Been walking for...hm...five, six suns? Not close." He shook his head for emphasis. "Are we in your territory?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:46 am
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She had not ever set eye upon the sea and stories of her youth were of battle and the glory of a war-forged death. Her homeland was hard, packed earth and dark thorns, the water small and murky. She was staring at him, unblinking, whilst she imagined a large pool of murky water that tasted foul on the tongue. His homeland sounded...strange, if she were to be honest.
Still, what he spoke of was interesting. He came from a pride of warriors, too? Such lions seemed harder and harder to come by these days and this one, at least, seemed willing to talk.
"Much walk," she rumbled, shifting her gaze at last to a point somewhere beyond his left shoulder.
"No. Nergui not close. No yet. You walk on and you see them. They like you. They keep you." And they would, too. He was big, strong and young; just the sort of lion they were looking for. Not since they had bought in the big, stupid female dhlurr had they crossed paths with such a specimen.
"Why you leave home?" She asked then, "You seek?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 5:06 pm
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Keir raised his brows a bit at her comment. Keep him? He'd like to see them try. He looked like he was alone, but there were about seven other lions within earshot and about seven more beyond. If there was trouble, they'd be ready for it. Not that he felt completely threatened, and he realized there was a bit of a language barrier, but it was nice to know he had backup if need be.
"Ah...hard to explain," he said, not sure how to describe changing ranks from a Freeborn to a Reaver. He decided to go with the simple answer after a few moments of thinking. "Treasure. Tribute to our leader," he said, fixing his gaze on the female again. "Exploring. Seeing new things, new lions." He nodded to her as he spoke. She was certainly new, and this pride was intriguing.
"You?" he asked. "What is the Nergui like?" Warriors, he would assume, although it was a rather strange place for warriors to reside. In his mind, warriors should have the best, most plentiful lands to call their own. This was certainly a far cry from plentiful.
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 12:11 pm
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The strange language confirmed the female's accent and Keir tilted his head almost comically to the side at the harsh tones. Now that was very interesting...he knew there were other languages that were spoken in various prides, but he'd never heard one so strange. There were rogues that joined that sometimes spoke another language, but he could at least guess at what they meant. With her, it was like he was trying to understand flowing water or wind.
"Of course," he said with a respectful tone of voice. He didn't wish to pry, but the fact that there were secrets to be learned made him glance in the direction she had motioned. Not today, as he had to stick with his group, but perhaps when he returned to the Stormborn and took the title of Reaver he'd come back...just to look, of course.
Her words made him turn his attention back, focusing once more on the female. He smiled just a bit at the title she gave him, for although he was a part of a pride, for the past few days he certainly had been wandering around as a rogue would. "Keir," he said, lifting a paw to touch his chest, indicating it was his name. "Maybe I'll return. Not as a stranger," he added, his ears flicking a bit as he heard the Captain roar in the distance. They were changing directions, evidently. Nothing had been found in the allotted time. Well...that they had found, at least. He would keep this discovery a secret.
"I must go," he added, shifting a bit. "Thank you for talking with me."
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