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 Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:15 pm
He had been out for most of the day, and his coat sparkled with a damp residue. he had clearly been for a swim. Slipping in to his chambers the pale lion smiled to noone but himself.
The king of the mtamani hadset his newest general up in his own quarters wheer he could keep a close watch on her. he stepped quietly on tot he fur covered floor. Nyekundus home was one of the few buildings within the oasis that was nearlly in tact. Two large rooms and several passages leading to places few had travelled down. The main chamber was probably once used as some sort of eating area but now it was simply a wide open space with a cobbled floor. the place was closed in, with very few holes wheer light could peer through though it dd in places making small shafts of light which lit up the room quite nicely. Upon the floor were hundreds of furs. creatures the pale male had killed and skinned as his own trophies. Those whom padded through this place walked upon a carpet of furs. At the far end of the room, a huge pile of furs lay, this was clearly wheer the lions in the royal service slept. it reeked of Nyekundu, his closest generals, slaves and his daughter Afritti'dogo. it was slowly taking on the new, extra scent of Koka.
Having let the dark princess sleep off her long travel to the oasis nyekundu slipped up the furs beside her and lay watching her calmly. He guessed she wasn't sleeping especially with him present but he would let her fake a wake up and look a him in a no doubt nonchallant manner. He could read this girllike a book. They were so alike. So very alike.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:03 am
As Nyek has suspected, Koka was not asleep. The young princess was a light sleeper by nature and any odd stirrings would easily wake her up so Nyek's soft trodding of the furs and his scent alone was enough to wake the slumbering beauty. She laid absolutely still as she listened to him move across the 'den' before lowering his larger form next to her own. To say it was suncomfortable to have someone watching you while you 'slept' would be an understatement so, not wishing to go through that torturing agony Koka slowly went through the act of waking.
She shifted her head as if attempting to find a better position to sleep in but was unsuccessful. Slowly one violet eyes peeked out from black lashes to gaze upon the King. With a yawn she lifted her head and looked at Nyek with little emotion upon her face.
When they had first arrived at the 'den' it had been dark so Koka had been unable to get a good look at the odd structure that Nyek called home but in the daylight she got a full view of what was around her. Koka could certainly say she had not seen anything like it before. It was so odd in both sight and smell even though the placed reeked of Nyek. I had tha tlingering smell of...well something she wasn't sure. Then again, Koka experienced little scents in the desert. All one could really take in is the smell of sand, dust, the pridal members and the occasional wisp of water on a breeze that had fluttered over the oasis. This place somewhat awed the cub. Shehad to admit though, the floor of furs was much more comfortable than the packed sands of the Firekin dens. She'd have to remember that when she moves back into the pride as queen. Only the best for her afterall.
Finally pulling her eyes away from the sun spotted den Koka turned her full attention back to Nyek. "You know, it's not nice to awake a princess from her slumber." She proceeded to stretch out her tiny body. Lunding back onto her back legs to stretch out the front and vice versa for the back. Once content she turned to face her new King before sitting down upon the plush flooring. SHe looked at him intently. It was obvious he had something to tell her so she waited patiently as the tip of her tail flicked back and forth with little care.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:46 am
Inwardly Nyekundu chuckled. The big male rolled his shoulders and turned his gaze towards one of the few holes where time had worn away the building work. He stretched and yawned, acting just as none challant as she was. He could read ehr like a book, if anything he could almost feel a kindred spirit here. She was like him, full of ambition, filled with the fears that the world was against her wants, her needs.
Of course, he casucally watched her 'waken' he had expected ehr to go through this little show, she no doubt always would any time he came in upon her. Fearlessness, yet alert to the dangers around her, after all, he wasn't exactly some harmless mouse, he was a killer, a beast, this room portrayed that. Not all of the beasts in this room were those to be hunted, they were big cats, little cats, jackals, genets, hares, anything he could get his claws on and skin. He was ruthless. there was no point to mercy in his line of buisness.
Of course when she spoke, he chuckled and nodded his head. "I thought you might like to see my oasis today" He replied, stretching his claws. "It's well in to the afternoon, there is only a few hours of day light remaining and I wished to show you my kingdom." He smirked rolling his thickly mucled shoulders once again his golden eyes danciing in the dim, spotlight like light of his royal quarters. Nyekundu was no fool, he knew to treat ehr like a princess, but p***y footing around ehr would only be his downfall, she was a strong female he could not handle her with kit gloves. "I'm sure a short walk would be a welcome change to the stuffy air in here, I thought perhaps you would appreciate a bath to cool your fur and rid it of the deserts sands. then i will show you my world, and the training grounds for your future troops." He had to drop that bit in. Though at the moment Koka was too young to run a battalion, training her within the trainign grounds and giving her the primise of future slaves he knew would fuel her ambition. "You understand of course that at the moment that I will provide you with a single slave to do your bidding. slaves are foolish and unfortunately they do not know power when they see it" He looked the small form of Koka over, one day she would be powerful. "as you age I will provide you more slaves until you have your own battalion, in the mean time you will be upon my council and will hold a single slave of your own picking. I probably have, the perfect one picked out though" He chuckled, the firekin cub he had kidnapped lay with the slaves int heir packed quarters on hard floors. Koka would no doubt enjoy being in charge of such a beast, she after all longed to rule the firekins lands, why not start with one weak hearted firekin and work her way up. The idea was wonderful to him, heassumed she would find it equally delightful.
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:46 am
A tour of the Kingdom by the King himself. Well that would certainly show her standing within the pride and a bath to boot was something she wouldn't pass up. Though bathing in water would certainly be new. Back in the desert the water was precious and wasn't wasted on baths.
Rising to four paws she smirked her usual smirk before nodding. "Alright then. A tour would be a nice. Besides, it's best I know my new home like the back of my paw and get use to walking on this odd terrain." In truth, the touch of grass and other soft material under her paws had been somewhat unerving to the female. She had only ever placed paws upon the course, hot sands of the desert so something cool and soft was quite strange to her. Though, she much enjoyed the texture of the furs. They were the only things that hadn't completely unnerved her. Then again, she had touched the hides and furs of her prey so that may have contributed to her somewhat relaxed nature around the skins.
Slave? Did he say slave? Now that was something she was use to having. "A slave is something I can handle. After all we have several back in the desert. They were all, as you said, foolish and weak. To think they allow themselves to get into such a state. I'd kill myself before being taken as a slave." She shook her head. "I am eager to see which slave you have chosen for me. I'll need a bit of fun while I am here afterall."
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 9:13 am
The big male chuckled and raised to his paws, he knew exactly what to do now, "Ladies first" He smirked allowing her to climb from the furs before he followed. Though he had to lead the way from his sanctuary he did not walk ahead of the dark female, he kept his pace slow to her every paw step. He was treating her like royalty, like an ally rather than a slave. He knew the way to her heart was by doing this. Nyekundu was no fool when it came to making allies.
Padding over the carpet of furs the black maned male led her through a series of hall ways. Nyekundus main chambers were deep within a quite complex building. Ocasionally they would get the blast of the sun upont heir pelts where time and tide had wiped away a roof. But mostly they were boxed in from all angles. It wasn't that long before they came to the large arch way which led in to a huge cobbled area. Grass poured between the stones, they showed alot of wear and tear. This place had clearly been well sued in it's time but now, it was unkempt, the lions den.
As they walked through the yard Nyekundu looked to his new general and smiled "This oasis once belonged to man, it is mine now though, I hope you'll learn to like it." He paused and looked at the long crumbled wall, once upon a time this courtyard had been completely fenced in, however what ever had destroyed the humans had taken the wall with it.
Once through the court yard, buildings rose either side of them, some crumbling, many just ruins of their former selves. Rocks blocked their path but the king simply navigated aorund them always allowing Koka to pad through any gap first.
The scent of water hit their noses before they could see it and the salmon tinted king led them to the main communal area. Many lions lounged about here, possibly even the whole pride. In the center of this area was a large glistening pool. It was clearly fed naturally from some where underground but it was built of stone. The water was clear and used both for drinking and bathing. Fish resided in the cool deapths and provided extra nourishment to those whom could capture the slipepry creatures. Leading Koka to a slight incline nyekundu tilted his head, stone steps lead in to the water. "Most sit on the steps to cool them selves down when they get too hot." He paused and waited looking to Koka to see if she would step in. He knew she was a desert lion, would she even appreciate a good cool soak? Well he had no doubt she would adapt, the water here was paradise.
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 9:33 am
Koka appreciated Nyek's understanding of her position. He did not treat her like some lowling creature, but like the royalty she was and Koka took all her oppertunities to strut her status without complaints. As much as the scenery was different Koka wasn't much for wallowing in the beauty of it. In fact, there was only one thing that could truly catch the females interest when it came to beauty, besides herself that was, and that was the night sky. She wondered if she'd be able to view it like she had within the desert? That little thought would be solved later though for her mind had to stay focused on the navigation that Nyek was doing. She wanted to create a mental path within her head so as not to show herself inept of moving around the pride lands.
At sight of the main water reserve Koka was surprised at the amount of lions but what really caught her attention was the sheer size of the water hold. It was easily triple the size of the deserts oasis and to see lions lounging by it and swimming in the waters was quite a sight. She looked to Nyek at his words and frowned. "Too hot? I find this area to be a bit onthe cool side. How could they possibly be hot?" She looked from Nyek to the other lions before gazing down at the water. She lowered herself and drank the cool liquid first. After takin gher fill did she contemplate entering the substance.
Raising a paw she slowly dipped it into the water followed by another and slowly she awkwardly made her way in. Once up to her neck she stopped and looked down at her body which was distorted by the water. Turning her body she glanced up at Nyek before dunking her head under water. Unfortunatly fo rher she hadn't counted on the fact of being unable to breath under the surface and she returned to the top sputtering. She gasped as she climbed her way quickly to the shorline where she sat looking much like a drowned rat. It was times like these that one is reminded that she is still very much a cub and had many things yet to learn about the world, but now, from that littl experience she learned something new. Her coat had also emerged from the experience a more vibrant black. The sand had done much to dull the color but now it was the color of the blackest of black. She looked very much like a walking shadow with vibrant red wings etched upon her back.
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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 8:49 am
The pale male followed her in to the shallows padding further in though as he was taller. Laying upon one of the steps the water swished around his back and made his dark mane float upon it's surface.
Nyekundu watched her like a hawk, watched ehr learn and listened to her words. She was smart, unlike a slave whomewillingly followed like a sheep to the slaughter,s he watched her footing trod her path carefully. For one so young, she was very clever. Licking his lips he watched her duck her head under, he refrained from laughing though his face stern calm, he knew not to embaress her.
Following the little princess from the sparkling waters the salmon tinted male shook his body out before standing still to drip dry for a moment. Golden eyes rested upon Koka and for a moment he contemplated if she would appreciate or allow him to groom her shadow like coat. He doubted it though he did lean down to touch her cheek with his nose and whisper to her "If you are ready I will show you the training grounds" he whispered a phrase clearly for her ears only even though they were surrounded by the pride. For a long moment he kept his head bowed awaiting her reply.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:48 am
Eyes looked up at Nyek with accusation. He was the one who edged her into the water and in her opinion it was his fault that she had been unable to breath. At the mention of the training grounds though Koka rose from her sitting position and promptly shook herself dry, uncaring should the water droplets hit the larger male. Lifting a paw, she licked it free of the water before doing the same to the other. Once content with herself, she stretched and looked at Nyek. "Alright, lead the way."
Now, Koka was even more aware of the things going on around her, especially after her encounter with the water. She didn't want to look like a fool twice in one day. Spluttering like an idiot was bad enough. So now she walked besides Nyek, all senses on high alert. God help any soul who happened to try to take advantage of the young princess. She wasn't beyond sinking her claws and teeth into them.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:00 am
The salmon tinted male smiled. For a long moment he watched the little princess as she sorted out her fur. He remained unabbashed as she sprinkled him with the water from her fur, acting as if nothing had happened was the best way around, he thought, she would get over the water incident. You live you learn.
Nodding once the big male lifted his head and padded away towards the edge of the built up area of the oasis. Beyond the old buildings and the old cobbles there was grass lands, green lush grass lands unlike the pride lands though these lands spoke of constant water they were lush, healthy lands. The black maned lord paused for a moment and looked back at his newest general in training and smirked. Turning his gaze back to the greenery he stepped in to the lush grass without a moments hesitation, she would follow even if she found it unsusual, he kenw she would follow.
In the distance trees rose, at the other side of the oasis there seemed to be growing a mass of healthy looking trees Nyekundu headed for these, his tail swaying low. "The training groudns are beyond those trees." He states quietly, though he seemed for a moment intent upon saying a few other things "My oasis holds alot of creatures, " he tilts his head towards a small herd of antilope in the distance of the green lands "animals do not migrate from here but we have to be prudent, destroying our food source completely would be foolish. an army marches on it's stomach" He chuckles lightly at the pun continuing on, He would fully expect when she grew older that koka would come out here to hunt, perhaps she would even direct the hunting party. A future queen should know how to train and run a hunt. He would discuss that later though, for now, simply explaining the way of the land was important.
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 2:31 pm
Koka, still damp from her water endevour, followed Nyek as he led her away from the man made oasis to a field full of...well...that green stuff. What had Nyek called it? Grass? Well whatever it was called, Koka was not a fan of the feel of the vegetation. It wasn't soft like Nyek's fur floor, nor harsh and grainy like the sands. It had it's own unique texture which she couldn't really explain. All that she knew was that it was much cooler to the touch than the desert ground and even her hardened calloused pads could feel it.
With just a moments hesitation Koka followed Nyek onto the field, stepping high as if trying to step over and around the blades og greenery but eventually giving up and just plowing through it. Her attention had been drawn away from the grass at this point thoguh as her eyes looked to the towering plants that looked to have a very rough texture to them. The desert certainly didn't have these things and she had only cauht sight of one once of twice on the way to the oasis. She'd have to inspect one of those towering plants some time just to see what they were composed of. A good rake with her claws should be able to shred it right? At least that's how the plants in the desert were like.
At the sound of Nyek's voice, Koka turned her attention to her King. So, they're called trees. Intersting things those trees are. "You have much more food than the desert. I rarely caught a glimpse of anything edible there. Hunting here must be easier even if you must keep tabs on how much is taken."
Koka's mind was drawn back to the trees and the training grounds that were supposidly beyond them. "When shall I get to see these training grounds you speak of? It looks as if those...trees go on for miles."
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Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:08 am
Nyekundu chuckled lightly. "It's oddly deceptive" He smirked continuing on his golden eyed gaze watching the antilope stir and shift away. They knew he wasn't out hunting, they moved much faster when he was. Considering the dark maned lord was a male, he had done his fair share of hunting in his life. Though he sometimes did it for pleasure, he never hunted his own lands for the simple pleasure of blood lust. He knew how to maintain his prides lands and he would keep to his laws.
The trees finally reared before them, the grass becoming shorter as he continued on through what seemed like a dence forest. It wasn't though, barely a stones throw through the trees they came to a huge clearing. In the center, five stones rose as if they were growing from the ground. These stones were clearly created by men. "welcome to the training grounds" he whispers, his golden orbs lifting to gaze at the large strangely marked stones. At the top of each of these monolyths was a precious stone. Nyekundu didn't know what the stoneds had been used for but he beleived they were here for him, this area was his training grounds. "When you can jump to the top of the highest plynth Koka, you will be a true general, strong enough to lead your own battalion." he looked at her and smirked taking a short run and a leap he caught the top of the standing stopne before him and clambered to the top standing atop the stone plynth, bathed in sunlight. "you will train your troups not on the ground, you will train them to run as swift as the cheetah accross these plynths, they will become strong and agile or die in the process. do you understand koka? his gaze shifted down to the small black figure on the ground. She would make it up here he guessed by the time she was adolecent, he would start filtering troups to her to train then. She would train them hard, he smirked, she would make a great general one day.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:41 pm
Koka looked in awe as they passed through the treeline and to the training grounds. Each stone pillar was different in size, but each one was posing a challenge to the young lioness. Violet eyes landed upon the tallest of the structures at Nyek's words. She focused on the stone structure intently, only moving her gaze from it to Nyek as he leapt and clambered to it's peak.
Now Koka wasn't about to think she could possibly make it to the top of the pillar that even Nyek had to pull himself up onto. No, instead she changed her sight onto the shorter ones. As a mere cub, Koka would not be able to reach the peak of any of these, not yet, but that didn't deter her from tyring. With a good running start Koka leapt at one of the pillars. Her caws collided with the stone and attempted to dig into the material only for her to slide and forcing her to leap away from it. Aggrivated that she couldn't do it she paced in front of the sone pillar and glared at it. One, day she'd conquar this pillar, the others and the tallest.
Turning her gaze back to Nyek who was still perched upon the top of the tallest structures she yelled up to him. "I will do it, Nyek. I will reach that pillar with ease one day!" Her face and voice were etched with determination as she looked up at the King.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:44 am
Nyekundu smirked and leapt towards ehr from the peak of the pillar with ease, landing with a silent thud. for somone with so much body weight he landed with surprising ease. he had clearly done this many times. "Yes Koka, I know you will" his voice was determined, without a hint of threat in it. she was a creature to watch as she pushed herself to her own physical limits, to surpass her own budy to defeat her obsticles. he had chosen well.
Leaning down he nudged the youngsters shoulder with an almost gentle fatherly care. "Push yourself to your limits Koka, but do not hurt yourself, you are no use to anyone if you are disabled do you understand?" his fangs flashed then. It was a simple enough idea he placed in to her head. Train hard, but becareful, those who were lame, well, there was little point in them living.
He knew she would understand. He could almost see his reflection by looking upon Koka, she was young, ambitious, not unlike himself when he was a cub. He almost, hoped, yes hoped, she would stay with his pride, though he knew she had her own conquests, he could understand conquests.
"Come, I beleive food is in order, the females will have been out to hunt by now and I am ready to fill my belly" he smirked, turning his bck to the pilars, they were hIS pillars, he always beleived they were put there for him, nothing would ever change that.
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:35 pm
Koka looked at Nyek. It made sense. No reason to hurt herself, but without pain there was no advancement. She'd just have to learn what her happy meidum was.
At the mention of food the little princess grinned a toohy grin, her stomach growling for nutrition. "Wonderful!" She said as she walked beside Nyek. "I was beginning to wonder when we'd eat." With that she followed the salmon hued male to their awaiting meal.
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