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 Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 2:30 pm
With the help of his brother, Kobe had settled into a small rocky den right at the edge of the water. From where he rest, he could observe the waves creep up the shore and roll back again. Maybe it'd get old with time, but for the moment, Kobe couldn't be more in love with the location and the crusty, salt build-up in his coat. Maji, on the other hand, was touring the roguelands with increasing frequency. Kobe suspected that it would not be long before his brother parted ways entirely and set out to find where it was that he felt he belonged.
On his own, Kobe simply watched his surroundings, eager to build relationships with his neighbors.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 2:38 pm
 Wazi wandered away from her parents' den, and was intent on playing at the beach currently. She loved being in the Bahari'moto but she liked to explore a bit more that usual. Perhaps she just needed to find what she wanted to do as an adult!
And so currently she was slowly pacing the beach, periodically looking at the waves or at the ground seeing if any seashells caught her eye. She had quite the collection at home and was wanting to expand it, either by size or by color, she wasn't too sure yet. She made sure to watch out for hermit crabs though. Most of the ones she encountered were small but some were big enough to take off one of her toes if she wasn't careful!
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 3:08 pm
The young and colorful lioness drew the attention of the cool-colored male as he watched from the opening of his den. The manner in which she narrowly avoided the pincers of hermit crabs as she collected shells seemed all-too familiar to the perpetually ocean-dwelling lion. He recalled playing similar games when he was younger. Though, either because he was a rambunctious boy or simply a difference in their personalities, his games seemed to result in much more toe pinching and less shell-collecting.
Giving his coat a quick shake before rising to his feet, he padded down the sandy beach and toward Wazi's general direction. Before getting too close and scaring what could be a new neighbor and friend, he introduced himself. "Hey!" His voice was friendly and a wide smile spread across his muzzle. "Anything I can help with?" Purple eyes ventured down to the sand in search of curious shells he might gift or share with the lioness. Scooping a black and white spotted and conical shell into his paw, he offered it up. "Recently moved in. Name's Kobe."
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 3:50 pm
Wazi wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings that much, so she was thankful that the lion had yelled out before coming up to her. Otherwise she would have had quite the surprise! She gave a small smile back to him, not quite sure on this new lion. It's not that she was shy, and everyone in the Bahari tended to be on the nicer side, but currently she didn't know this lion nor had she ever seen him so she could only give him a small smile in return.
However she smiled wider as she watched the male pick up the shell and offer it to her. It was quite a nice one! "Thank you, it looks great!" She replied, taking it from him and adding it to her collection. She turned her head to look back at him. "Hello, I'm Wazi'maji, though I go by Wazi mostly. My parents live nearby so I often go to the beach to collect shells and play and swim in the waves. How are you liking it here so far?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 4:24 pm
Sensing a little unease from the younger female, Kobe made a point to keep a little space between the two of them. He didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was.
When her name was finally given, he couldn't hold back a wide grin. "Wazi'maji?" He repeated. "That's crazy!" Given the affiliation the Bahari and Simba both had with the ocean, it wasn't entirely surprising. Still, it seemed like something of a sign. "That's my brother's name. Maji, I mean. I spent the last couple years travelling with him and I only just decided to settle down now. It's been... really great so far." There was a soft sadness in his voice at that last part. One might presume his brother didn't stay with. Or there was more to his story than he was letting on.
Shedding the dim mood which momentarily came over him, he went on, "I used to spend a lot of time with crabs, myself." He laughed. "You know to watch for your toes, right?" He'd seen the careful way she walked around them before. "Any sort of project with these shells?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 4:30 pm
Well, that was quite a surprise! Her name was quite close to someone else's. Of course that was probably bound to happen eventually with how themed names were in prides... or so she assumed. "Wow! Did you live near an ocean too?" She only asked because of what her name meant, his brother's name probably meant something about some water and where they lived. "Traveling? I've never traveled outside of the pride. I might do it someday but I like this place so much I wouldn't be able to stay gone for long!" He didn't seem too keen on discussing his brother so she thought her best option was to not ask about it.
She gave a small sly smile. "Yeah I know, but that doesn't mean it's not fun teasing them a bit. But I know when to stop, and I'd rather keep all of my toes anyway!" She looked at her shell collection, a frown appearing on her face. "Well... really it's just adding to my collection, but I may make a necklace out of some of them one day. Just trying to figure out what to do with them for right now. I was thinking of sorting them either by color or by size." She looked back at the male. "So what do you do here besides hang out?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 5:11 pm
"I did," Kobe answered the innocent question with a slow nod. He hadn't had the opportunity yet to speak of the Simbafutaji with any member of his current pride. It was probably best that his brother wasn't around for the conversation. Maji had a way of being insensitive when he didn't mean to. The younger brother simply had been too young for everything to effect him as much as it did Kobe.
"My brother and I were born in the Simbafutaji," He started. Maybe talking about it would help him find some kind of closure. "We were an ocean pride like the Bahari. Though... we've since disbanded. It's been years. Many of my family members and friends went their own ways." And the truth? He hadn't seen the majority of them since. With a little more of a smile, he went on, "We actually had a ceremony that everyone would undertake. The seeking. It would allow young adolescents the opportunity to set out on their own and find what it was that they were missing. For some it's a new skill. Others it was an item. For some, it was simply about the journey."
"I think a necklace would look great," He agreed. "I used to put together stuff like that. I think i'll be doing larger scale crafting over here. I'm one of the Bumani. The builders. What about you? Have you found yet what it is you'd like to do?""
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 5:48 pm
Wazi felt bad for Kobe. He surely missed his home pride. She certainly couldn't imagine hers disappearing anytime soon, or at least she didn't know what she would do if it did. "It sounds like the Simbafutaji was a good pride. I'm sorry that it's gone. But..." She looked up at him with a small smile. "You're here now right? It isn't the same but, you can still enjoy the ocean here right?" She wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't really met anyone else yet who had come into the pride because they had lost theirs like Kobe. She only hoped she wasn't hurting his feelings.
She turned her attention towards the shells again. "Maybe you can make it for me? I'm not so good at it, at least not yet. And I'm hoping to become a hunttress. That way I'll be providing for the pride and I'll get to explore a bit!" She knew that they had to get food some way!
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 5:56 pm
Kobe nodded his head in agreement. Whatever old feelings he had, he still felt happy to have found a place which reminded him so much of home. If his mother was anywhere out there, she would surely check the Bahari for members of their old pride.
"I can absolutely enjoy the ocean here. It's been really great to watch the water and feel the sand beneath my paws. I love it here. It's beautiful," He did seem to genuinely mean that.
At the request that he make the necklace, he looked somewhat startled at first. "Oh? You'd want me to do that?" He asked before smiling. "Yea. I could try my hand at something. Do you have other shells you want me to incorporate? Or maybe you could tell me a little about your favorite colors, animals or interests so I can make it really you?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 6:11 pm
Wazi nodded happily in agreement. "Yes I love it here! I can't imagine wanting to NOT live near the ocean!" She had heard about some lions who lived in prides surrounded by grasses, and while that might be nice, she would still feel a calling to the sea. Some others even lived in sandy areas! She liked the sand, but she liked it along with the ocean.
She brightened when he agreed to make her the necklace. "Of course I want you to. Would you? Thank you so much!" She replied, jumping a bit in excitement. She then started to ramble off some of what he had asked for, a bit of other that he hadn't. "Well I have some in my collection but I really love colorful shells, but also dome more brown/lightbrown colored shells to balance it out and starfish are interesting..."
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 6:18 pm
Kobe couldn't hold back a chuckle as the younger lioness went through idea after idea she had for the necklace. "Alright, alright... I'll see what I can do. Don't get your hopes too high in case it turns out poorly. I don't remember the last time I tried to make something so small." He didn't imagine it'd turn out that bad, but simultaneously didn't want to imply he'd create a work of art.
"You can show me a couple of your favorite shells and then i'll try my paw at necklace crafting."
Once the two had gathered a pawful of new shells and a dried sea star with all five legs intact, the older lion bid his farewell so he could try crafting something worthwhile. It might take a couple tries.
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