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 Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:31 pm
Mtima'safi was out in the afternoon once again, relaxing in the shade of the same tree she'd been found under by Kizamaji not too long ago now. She wasn't sleeping, but she wasn't entirely conscious to her surroundings as she continued to think about when and how to tell Kiza that she was a goddess. The lioness had grown tired of the illusion and was laying there beneath the tree with her wings visible and folded neatly on her back.
It'd be easier if he just showed up, but it wouldn't be better.
Distracted by her thoughts, she was oblivious to any activity around her for the moment.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:49 pm
 Umilele felt grateful that Pride Rock was now in sight. The lioness had given her good directions, and for that, she was thankful as well. Her fluffy tail swayed behind her and her large ears perked, taking in the quiet afternoon. It was rare that the maned wolf was out during the day, as she had adopted a noctural sleeping pattern, but since she was searching for her friend, she decided to travel whenever she could.
And then her bright blue eyes fell upon the winged form, resting beneath a tree.
Blinking in surprise, she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. A lion? With wings? It seemed ridiculous! The only lions with wings were the gods and goddesses... wait...
No way! she thought. The female had always valued the existance of deities as a grand fairy tale, nothing more, nothing less. But there she was, a winged lion - no, a goddess, she corrected herself - right before her eyes.
"Hello?" she asked softly.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:54 pm
Right in the middle of thinking about how much easier it would be just being found out now, Mtima'safi heard a soft 'hello'. She was startled out of her thoughts and immediately her head lifted and turned towards the maned wolf. It wasn't anyone she knew, but she smiled at the creature none the less- she was good.
"Hello there," she greeted her in a friendly voice, "Who are you?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:46 pm
The female's eyes were still wide, though she tried to hide at least a little of her surprise.
"Y...you're a goddess," she said softly before mentally cursing herself for being so stupid. You're a goddess... no kidding! Gulping, she tried to retain at least some shred of dignity. "I, I mean... I've just never met a goddess before... or a god..."
Frowning, she sat down, offering a sheepish smile. "Er, my name is Umilele," she said finally.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:53 pm
The goddess watched the maned wolf with amusement, it was not hard to see the surprise in her. She might have hidden some of it, but her words said a lot for what she was experiencing. It was nice to be greeted in such a manner sometimes, Mtima decided vainly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Umilele," she said politely when the wolf finally introduced herself, "My name is Mtima'safi, and I am a goddess, as you said. The goddess of souls."
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:07 pm
Her tail wrapped around her haunches and she dipped her head in greeting as Mtima introduced herself. "Nice to meet you too," she said, her voice a bit more stable. "Sorry for acting so childish! I guess I always assumed that gods and goddesses didn't really exist... tales for pups, you know?" Still smiling with embarassment, she added, "I guess I was wrong! Goddess of souls, you say? So... you each reign over something different?"
She tilted her head, a silver tuft of mane falling into her right eye. The wolf's blue eyes were burning with intense curiosity, suddenly wishing to know more.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:15 pm
"No worries, I'm sure many question the stories they hear of the gods," Mtima smiled reassuringly, "But it's good there are those who believe, it's key in the survival of gods." She looked the wolf over carefully, taking note of the colors and symbols of and on her fur. She was an interesting one, it seemed.
"Yes, each god has his or her own domain," she answered brightly, "Though some of them are closely related. For example the god of spirits rules over the spirits in nature, though it may sound like it's my domain."
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:21 pm
The young wolf nodding, taking in the information. "I see," she said thoughtfully. "So, there are both gods and goddesses..." Lele was thinking out loud, really, rather than posing any more questions.
She fell silent for a few moments, still absorbing what she had just learned. "So..." she began, trying to form more questions. There were so many things running through her mind, but when she tried to put them into words, they sounded silly, or just plain didn't make sense.
"Where do you all live?" She settled on the simple question, tilting her head again. "I mean, I've gone my whole life without ever seeing a god, so do you all have some... special place that you stay, or something?"
If maned wolves could blush, she would have. The normally intelligent wolf couldn't seem to put together coherent sentences, still stunned by this revelation. How childish she sounded! Shaking it off, she slid to her stomach, her bright eyes watching the goddess of souls.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:29 pm
The goddess watched the maned wolf work out the facts for herself, nodding unnecessarily to show she was correct in all that she said. Her head tilted when Umilele started a question, however, wondering what it would be. Mtima was quite pleased with her interest in the gods, it was nicer than Fedha'kialio's, though she couldn't exactly say why. Umilele was much friendlier, that was probably it, she decided.
"Gods live where they like," she replied with a shrug, "Though there is a land where we all may stay, though it's really up to the god. I myself am a part of the pride here, though they don't know that I'm a goddess. I wouldn't be able to tell you where to find any other god for certain, either." Mtima'safi seemed not to mind Umilele's enthusiasm and inability to speak perfectly.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:46 pm
Once again, she regained her cool and nodded slightly. "I see," she said softly. "There's a place for the gods, but you don't necessarily have to stay there."
She blinked. "They don't know you're a goddess?..." For a moment this seemed ridiculous. Who could miss the huge, feathered wings protruding from the lioness's back? Then she remembered the stories she had been told as a pup. "You're casting an illusion over yourself?"
She was surprised that the information suddenly came back to her, but she was pleased nonetheless. "I'm looking for a friend of mine who might've come to join this pride," she said, deciding to explain why a maned wolf was so close to a pride of lions. "I'm not sure if he's here, but I decided to come look anyway. Since you say you live here, could you keep an eye out for him? He's large, larger than the average lion, with white fur and bright green eyes. His mane is striped with different colours of brown. His name is Kiwi... er, Janikiwiti." She figured it'd be best to tell the goddess his full name.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:54 pm
Mtima'safi nodded to confirm the information she'd given that Umilele repeated. There was a mountain where the gods came from, but they didn't necessarily stay there all the time. She wouldn't be surprised to find out many were wandering about here.
The goddess watched the maned wolf with a grin, waiting to see if she'd figure out how they don't know that she's a goddess and looking pleased when she did.
"That's right, I don't know how they'd feel about having a goddess in the pride," she explained brightly, "My joining was actually quite spur-of-the-moment while I was disguised. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone from the pride that I'm a goddess, though I don't think it'd come up in conversation should you see someone." Mtima gave Umilele a smile that suggested she trusted that she wouldn't go and tell everyone that she's hiding something.
"Oh?" she lifted her head up when a friend in the pride was mentioned, and listened carefully to his description, "I've not seen any such lion yet, but I will keep an eye out on your behalf. I'm more than happy to try to help, you know. Is there anything I should tell him if I do meet him?"
It was much easier to be helpful in these things when you had a name and description. She was reminded of Tanu's quest for someone in the area.
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Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:04 am
The youthful wolf's eyes lit up and she nodded. "Oh, I won't tell anyone, I promise," she vowed. The tip of her tail flicked and beat against the ground a few times.
When the goddess asked for a message, Lele thought for a few moments. "If you see him, tell him that Lele is looking for him, and that she's not very happy." There was a mischevious look in the wolf's blue eyes and suddenly she grinned, deciding to explain the message to her new friend.
"See, he and I have been friends for quite a while now. When we met, we were both lone wanderers, and we became friends almost instantly. Then, several weeks ago, he fell in love with a lioness named Moyo." Smiling, she continued, "I was happy for him, of course. If anyone deserves to find their other half, it's Kiwi. The thing is, though, is that he just sort of... disappeared one morning." Blinking, she frowned. "He isn't the type to just abandon me for no reason, so I suspect that came to the Pridelands with Moyo. He was born here, but he mother took him away when he was young, and he's always wanted to come back.
So, I decided to come look for him. I have a suspicion that he wanted to say goodbye, but I was asleep, and he didn't want to wake me up." She chuckled softly. "That's both his biggest quality and his biggest flaw - he cares too much about the wellbeing of others."
Suddenly she looked at her paws. "I guess I'm fairly good at rambling," she said with a small smile. "I just thought it'd be polite to explain my... er, predicament. Really, though, I appreciate you looking out for him."
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Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:12 am
Mtima laughed at the message for Kiwi, and nodded, "I'll remember that." It wouldn't be a hard message to remember, that was sure. She was pleased when the wolf continued on and explained the message.
"That's quite the story," she winked when Lele finished it, "I appreciate you telling me about it, it never hurts to be detailed when someone is offering you some help. By the sound of it, you're probably right about him wanting to say goodbye. I can't imagine someone abandoning you." The goddess gave her a fond smile and nod.
"I'll make a point of checking around for him on your behalf," she added, wondering if anyone she's seen lately had met the 'missing' lion.
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Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:29 am
Lele smiled appreciatively, nodding. "Thanks! He's not hard to miss, that's for sure." Her ear flicked to the side and she suddenly realized that she was having a casual conversation with a goddess! That'd be some story to tell Kiwi, that was for sure. She was pleased that she had decided to go look for her friend - even if she didn't find him in the Pridelands, she had formed two new friendships on the way, and that was nothing to look down upon.
"I guess I should probably go, and let you get a bit of peace," she joked, her eyes sparkling. "I ought to get back to looking anyway." The wolf rose to her paws, stretching her forelegs slightly.
"Thanks for putting up with all my questions," she said brightly. "Hopefully, we'll meet again one day."
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Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:35 am
"Well, if you must," Mtima replied to Umilele's joking about leaving her to her peace with a wink, "I wish you luck in your search, I hope you are successful. I'm certain I will find out one way or another, this Kiwi shouldn't be hard to miss thanks to your description."
She watched the wolf get up and stretch her legs, "It was no trouble at all, I hope to see you again in the future, Umilele." The goddess yawned and stretched out her neck, more awake now that she'd been talking to Lele. Perhaps she wouldn't doze back off but instead find something else to do.
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