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 Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:09 pm
A vague, brown colored figure meandered amidst the mist and the bones laying low to the terrain of the graveyard. He was noisy with his steps, finding it difficult and rediculous to try and muffle the shifting sound his paws made against the earth, considering that the permanent limp kept him from keeping any such agile traits he had had as a child. Besides, no one was ever around now-a-days, so why hide? It seemed rather pointless, in all honesty. The only thing he'd seen lately were perhaps one or two hyenas (no doubt from Mafa's pack towards the center of the graveyard) and the occasional rodent.
With a loud, heavy sigh, Runai, the second prince of this particular territory, slowly climbed atop a rather large elephant skull-- one of the most common things to find in the graveyard.
"Same as always. So boring," He grumbled, beady black eyes peeking around at the surroundings. "Psh. Some pride." Rune added distastefully. Despite that he disliked his family and this pride, he continued to remain here. Perhaps because of Mafa, perhaps because had no where else to go. Either which way, he seemed glued to this wasteland. What a life.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:28 pm
Ow! Why does my head hurt so much?
Safiya blinked her large blue eyes slowly. What had happened? She shook her large head, trying to clear away the fog in her brain and the accompanying pain. It took her several minutes to remember that she was in the hollow remains of some large animal, a place she had come to think of as her home. Lying on the ground was a giant bone that had become dislodged somehow from the "roof."
What a doofus I am, she thought. Elephant bone: one, Safiya: zero. Knocked out in my own home. What kind of lion am I if a dead elephant can still take me down?
Her nose caught the scent of dust in the air. How long have I been out? She couldn't remember. She was still in a fog.
Slowly, she attempted to extricate herself from the cavernous innards of the ribcage. Looking around, she saw the familiarly barren sight of what had been her home since cubhood. It was depressing living amongst the bones, a real downer. But here was the only place where she semi-belonged, even though she only occasionally saw other lions in her "pride."
She sneezed suddenly, rubbed her nose with a paw, and took off at a meandering pace, trying to clear her head. Now, where was that watering hole?
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:42 am
As time continued to droll on, those eyes of his seemed to fall more and more, the eyelids covering those eerie black eyes slowly closing as his mind began to drift. Although most unfortunately, the sudden movement of a blindingly white figure caught his attention. Afterall.. who could miss such an ugly color? Psh. He'd investigate further, considering that he was the heir and needed to keep this area free of loiterers. Or perhaps he just needed something to entertain himself with.
"Hmn. Probably another.. stupid tourist from the pridelands," Rune commented under his breath, trying to follow the girl as quickly as possible, with as little noise as possible. He was careful to pick bare patches on the ground to place his paws, instantly cutting down the amount of sound that would have for sure given him away.
Despite his tail gating, the adult couldn't help but just.. want to call and scream at this female. Maybe scare her off..? Act particularly vicious, so that maybe she would leave and never come back? Yes.. Hmn. That sounded nice..
It was unfortunate that he hadn't seen her before here, otherwise Rune would have recognized for sure that she had belonged to this land ever since being a child. However, this wasn't the case.
The princes mind continued to wander, loosing any sort of consentration he had formally had. With a sudden step, a loud 'CRACK' was sounded - an immediate sign that he'd stepped on a brittle bone, and, beneath weight and pressure from a lion of his size, caused it to snap quickly in half.
"..Damn." He mumbled, eyes narrowing as he gave another glance to the female only a short distance away. He had to have been heard for sure.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:06 am
A loud crack startled Safiya out of her reverie. Turning around, she spotted a grown male lion trailing her. Something about him was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
Regardless, since he was a lion and not a hyena, that immediately made him a friend to Safi. While time had made her more mature, it had not eliminated her friendly, naive nature.
She had learnt (through many experiences) that lions generally become wary of other lions bounding up to them in good-natured excitement. Som, though it was her first instict to do just that, she thought better of it and approached him slowly, wearing a friendly face. "Hello there!" she said. "How are you? It sure is nice to have some company out here."
As she came nearer, something told her in the back of her mind that she had seen this lion before. Just..where?
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:09 pm
Rune grunted, shifting his weight while he remained in a firm halt. For the time being he merely watched, eyes surveying this girl while she cautiously stepped in his direction. She seemed far to.. happy. Abnormality, perhaps?
"..You look like a pridelander but wreak of the graveyard," He commented loudly, taking a quick whiff of air, after another few moments of staring. Technically speaking his accusation was true, considering that the vast majority of lions around these parts were darker colored, and not nearly as happy, so to speak. It was odd to see such personality traits lurking in the shadows of this wasteland.
"Sure hope you live here, otherwise I'll boot you out. I don't need any loiterers hanging around and looking for a good laugh or simple tours and entertainment from my home," He added quickly, taking an advancing step forward. Disregarding her further questioning, Runai continued to step forward, eyes narrowing to slits as he moved. If she were smart, she'd answer quickly before he managed to get too close.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:56 am
Ah, so this was one of those not-happy lions.
"I came here when I was a cub," she told him, her feelings a bit hurt. Did she smell like a graveyard? "I suppose they consider me part of the pride that lives here, but I've mostly been alone. I've only met a few of the others." It wasn't for lack of trying.
"How do I look like a Pridelander?" she asked, curious. She hadn't met many of those. "I think I blend in fairly well among the bones. Well, at least when my fur is all covered in dust like this," she added in a bit of disgust. She hated being dirty, but more often than not her white coat was coated with the gray dust of the graveyard.
Something about the male's demeanor made her wary. She didn't take a step back, but she did take a step to the side, keeping the male in front of her.
She was grown up now, she reminded herself - she didn't need to back up to anyone. Except maybe a hyena.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:19 am
Hmn. How unfortunate.. she didn't seem at all scared of his advancement. Perhaps it was the limp on his left forelimb that made his appearance a bit less terrifying? He couldn't help but growl mildly at this thought.
"Pridelanders have lighter coats and are always happy. You obviously fit the description," He accused with impatience, a brow quirking. But if she said she came here as a cub? Then unfortunately he could do little to boot her from this place now, considering that she'd obviously lived her for quite some time. He grunted for a second time at this thought. The idea of getting to throw someone out seemed appealing, and perhaps would prove more entertaining.
"Fine then. Nevermind. Go on and do.. whatever you were doing," He grumped with a visible frown and look of disgust. Again he began to move forward, sidestepping in order to get closer and closer to the girl. It was only a bit of fun, afterall, although he hoped his advances came across as threats.
"..hmn. Where'd that damn water get to," He questioned under his breath, finally taking his eyes from the adult as he passed, beginning to hobble off to the very same place (unknowingly, and perhaps unfortunately) that this girl was headed.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 2:14 pm
"Hey, wait! Where are you going? We only just met." Safiya didn't let him get too far away; she walked beside him as he went - she began to notice a bit of a limp in his step. "It's not every day I meet another of the pride. What's your name? How long have you been here?"
Safiya was going to try her hardest to make a friend today.
She tried to make a mental list of the names of the graveyard lions she had met. Her mind was fuzzy. She knew Ausha, he was hard to forget. There was one that started with an I...a female..Ishara? Maybe that was it. She remembered meeting a goddess once, a long time ago - but she didn't live here.
There were others, though..names she couldn't remember. She wondered where those lions were. Not that it really mattered, she was no one important to them. They probably didn't even remember her name, it had been so long since she'd seen them. She wished briefly that there was someone out there who was close to her, who remembered who she was and would be glad to see her again. Safiya's loneliness was beginning to make her crazy.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 3:26 pm
Rune gave a loud, heavy, sigh of frustration. "I'm leaving, what's it look like." He stated flatly. "And why the hell're you following me? Knock it off," He grumbled, eyes slowly shifting to send a side glance in the females direction. Who WAS this girl, anyway? He'd seen not hide nor hair of this particular lioness at any point, which made him instinctivly doubt that she actually lived here. Although she didn't quite seem the type to lie, so he let the thought slip while his mouth opened to snap a few more words in her face.
"Damn. Stop asking so many questions, and you're not following me for the rest of the evening to use me for entertaining yourself. You clear on that? Now get away from me," He commented roughly, clearly not in the mood for company.
He always tended to distance himself from anyone and everyone- perhaps a side effect of his anti-social personality, or maybe because everyone he had previously been close to had left or gotten hurt. Either which way, he wasn't in the mood to talk the night away with this, for lack of a better term, stranger.
Quickly his pace sped up, hoping the rise in speed would dissuade her from following, which also allowed him to disregard her questioning.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:51 pm
Safiya's feeling were hurt. A swell of indignation made her narrow her eyes and harrumph at the back of the other lion. She wasn't going to just leave him alone, though. At first she really did just want to get to know him. Now, though - while she did still want to make a friend - she would do it just because it made him mad.
She let the male gain a few yards on her as she sat in thought. She was thirsty, and really felt the need to take a bath. Lifting her nose in the air, she thought she could smell the hint of water. Conviently, her adversarial friend was heading in the same direction she intended to go. Standing up, she slowly plodded along behind him.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:40 pm
Despite his attempt to have the girl leave him alone simply by telling her to leave, this female continued to meander along behind. The tell tale shuffling of bones across the terrain assured Runai of this, unfortunately. However, he would ignore her until perhaps she went away.
"Stupid girl," He grumbled beneath his breath, sounding merely like a mumble perhaps to anyone nearby. Ah well. He'd stop by the water hole, wash up a bit, maybe catch a drink, and then leave. It seemed Safiya was headed in the same direction, so he couldn't help but put up with the tail gating for now.
It took only a few minutes to reach the large pool, most thankfully. Without a word the male waded into the liquid, allowing a refreshing sort of feeling wash over his figure and through his fur. Although, he couldn't help but take a mild glance backward at the female following. "..Y'can refer to me as "Prince"," He commented blankly, in a considerably monotone sort of voice. She wanted a name, she got one. Prince. Heir. Whatever. None of it seemed to make a difference these days. Whether she used the title or not would be her problem, and at the very least, Rune wouldn't feel as if he owed some sort of introduction to her.
The silence was awkward, although he didn't mind much. Rune had become accustomed to the silence, especially after living without much contact with his own kind for such an extended period of time.
"So. You still following me or were you actually intending to come here on your own," He asked, again in that same sort of blank tone.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:42 am
Well, he let her follow him - so he wasn't as mean as some beings she had met. So there was still hope.
Safiya watched as he waded into the murky water. She smiled to herself, took a couple steps back, then took a running, clumsy leap into the water. It felt good to rinse off the dirt of the graveyard. For a moment she lost herself in the pleasure of getting clean, rolling and splashing in the water. The stoic male's voice startled her. She stopped dunking her head in the water and looked up, dripping.
"Prince, huh?" She didn't mind his bored voice - he had spoken to her. "That's your name? What are you prince of?" She didn't seem to mind speaking to royalty. Who knows, it could just be his masculine pride telling everyone to call him something he wasn't. He certainly didn't act like a prince of anything.
"I was sorta doing both," she said. She wanted to say more, but at the same time, she didn't want to push it and scare him off. They were making some progress, Safi thought with an inward smile.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:13 pm
Silly Rune had assumed that Safiya would have stopped at the edge of the water, maybe take a drink, and then perhaps wander off. Unfortunately, however, she did perhaps just the opposite. He didn't hear much by means of warning before a mild splash was sent his direction - she had jumped into the water not far off from himself. Grumbling with displeasure, the adult took several side steps, abling him to avoid any further waves of water or mist. He wanted his paws and legs wet, that was it.
He watched her, however, and quickly took notice of the already murky water turning only dirtier after she'd rolled this way and that for a few moments. Safiya's fur turned out to be much lighter than he'd anticipated, although he said nothing on the subject. Rune was somewhat tempted to shove water back at the girl, although unfortunately the retaliation would hardly do much good considering that she happened to already be soaking wet. Besides, it'd probably only egg her on anyway.
...Hmph. More questions. He thought silently to himself, eyes narrowing. "Prince of here, thanks." Runai grunted. What else would he be the prince of? Psh. This one was a genius for sure. Ah well. At least giving her that much information would hopefully prevent him from revealing his actual name. Prince was merely an extra title, afterall, and not what he typically prefered to go by. Not that he was even proud of the title, either, but at least it would spare him from explaining any extra details. ..Hopefully.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:51 pm
"Prince of the watering hole? Wow, I'm so impressed." Safiya laughed good-naturedly. Figuring she couldn't get any cleaner in the dirty water, she stepped back onto dry land and shook herself off. She had noticed his look of distaste at her actions and the resulting splash that had apparently reached him.
Turning to her companion, she mocked a low bow and said, "I beg forgiveness for having splashed Your Highness. Please forgive me, O Prince of the Watering Hole." Safi giggled at her joke. She gave him a smile that meant she wasn't making fun of him, just trying to get him to lighten up. Hopefully he would see it that way, and not be offended.
"I'm only kidding. So, you're the son of one who calls himself King of the graveyard? Now I really am interested.
"My name is Safiya," she told him. "See? I told you my name. Now it's only fair that you tell me yours." She sat and and looked at him with an upturned eyebrow, waiting.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:21 pm
A loud sort of grumble/growl was immediately sounded. Even if he wasn't necessarily proud of the title chucked on his head, it didn't mean he'd allow anyone to poke fun at it.
"You know damn well what I mean," Rune snapped flatly, eyes flash of disgust as he spoke. It was clear that she had been kidding, but this male wasn't the type to love jokers, and if that's all Safiya was going to do then he'd leave.
"And if you actually live in the graveyard pride, then you'd be up to date on who exactly is King for the time being, despite his not deserving the title, no matter what Ausha's excuse." He grumbled lightly. What filthy parents he had. Since a young child he had disliked them, and even to this day he still did. His reasons were unknown to anyone but his closest brother and sister, and would continue to be unless anyone managed to pry the excuse from his mouth. Not likely.
"Pleasure," He added onto his comment quickly. "And life isn't always fair, so it's not fair to give your name and expect mine in return." He continued with a mild quirk of a brow.
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