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 Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:13 am
Her belly had begun to swell and made it difficult to lay comfortable upon the grass. So slowly the young female shifted to lay upon her side, turning her head to gaze upon her swollen middle.
Though Kiburi had always been naive about many things she somehow knew that no amount of ignorance could hide the fact that she was pregnant.
The tiniest smile curved her maw and her slate-blue eyes sparkled with a secret joy. Children. Her children. No. Hers and Zenoni's children. This would be her gift to him, the lion she loved. The life within her would carry on even after she was gone. They would be living reminders so that she could never be forgotten.
Because whilst Kiburi knew she was pregnant she also knew something else. Something she could no longer deny.
She was dying.
A single tear traced the curve of her cheek as the lioness lay beneath the sun. When she had been younger being alone like this would have bored her. Now she only found safety in being by herself. Because alone no one could hurt her.
Though the realisation that lives dwelled within her made her feel a little less lonely.
"I wonder if you'll have your father's eyes?" She questioned her unborn cubs quietly, falling silent as if they would reply.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:33 am
Life, flooding. She liked that feeling, and it was everywhere. For an immortal- she was uniquely connected with the reality of mortality. Peculiar, perhaps she had thought as a younger essence. But now with so many ancient spirts about and the earth itself shifting under their weight, she had come to find that all gods served mortals, no matter how much their powers placed them above them. Even to their destruction- they served mortal kind. Sometimes they did not realize what side of the coin they were on.
Amédia shifted lazily. She had drifted from her mortal self and her lover, but just for a while. She made rounds, even if she could usually do her work without much personal contact. Occasionally though...there were feelings that were too great to ignore. Pain, sorrow- she couldn’t help herself but to become curious with them. They were wonderful.
She felt herself finally reforming far away- and in the distance, a female lioness laying stretched on the ground. She was deeply pregnant, and at once Amédia felt a deep thrust of compassion. Her ears flattened and she carefully strolled forwards, changing her shape to be a bit more unusual. She did not take Ameh’s shape [As, explaining to Phib how she could be in two places at once would have been hard, considering], but a simple white lioness. She kept one of her pearl strings around her throat, and it dragged lazily beside her.
“Hello there,” She said softly, approaching with a gentle smile on her face. “Are you alright, love?”
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:12 am
If it were not for the kindness of the words and the tone in which they were spoken, Kiburi probably would have tried to make a run for it. As it was, the voice reminded her a little of her mother and as she raisde her head she thought for a moment it was.
Her mother's ghost returning to comfort her.
However, this little idea drifted away as quickly as it had come and the young female gave a small smile. Alone or with Zenoni her stutter faded but in the company of others - no matter how harmless - she always regained it.
"I-I'm okay. Just t-talking to the cublings." She smiled and tried to push herself into a less vulnerable position - only to find it near impossible. "Are y-you...are you a ghost?" It seemed that no matter what Kiburi had been through she still had that innocence inside. She would always be inquisitve and creative no matter what happened. "Your fur is so wh-white and pr-pretty!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:50 am
Amédia smiled. “No ghost,” Her voice gently assured. “Perhaps something of another sort, but not a ghost.” Now that she was in close contact with the other lioness, she traced her strange eyes slowly over her from. She could feel the cubs pulsing inside of her. A large litter- six or seven for sure, but some were weakened by their mother’s condition. A lioness in her state should never have carried to term a litter of that size- or at all. But sometimes life did miracles of it’s own accord. But how much did her love for her unborn cubs go? She was dying now, coupled largely because of them.
“They are beautiful cubs,” The white lioness smiled. “You will be very proud of such a litter. But– they tire you. Surely a female should not be pregnant in the condition you’re in-“ Amédia continued, a tad hesitant. She was always careful when speaking with others. She liked to hear how they responded to her questions. That was how she determined her actions.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:43 pm
Kiburi listened to her questions with a strange calmness, as if she realised that death was simply another journey in it's own. To her, death would return her to the warmth of her mother's side. Her mother was not gone, she was simply in another world awaiting the day when her children and mate would return to her so they could live an eternity together.
Seen in this way, who could possibly be scared of death? Though perhaps closer to the time the young lioness would break down.
"Oh, t-that's a shame, I would h-have liked to have sp-poken with a ghost. Though I suppose t-that they probably don't e-exist..." She smiled softly. "But who knows. T-there are many st-strange creatures in this world. I m-met a God once you know. A G-god who led me across the l-lands to the desert. He said I c-could learn to be strong there...but I su-suppose not all Gods know e-everything. He was so small then...I wonder if h-he's grown." She spoke as if she was talking to herself then seemed to snap from her trance. Smiling softly as if she was unaware of what she had been saying.
"I h-hope I g-get to see him again someday...somed-day soon." It would need to be soon or not at all, but why would Baku show up here after all this time?
Her tail thwapped gently against the ground and again she turned to peer at her rounded stomach. "I d-do feel ti-tired. Almost like I've ag-aged a hundred y-years, but I think that i-in the end this was f-for the best. My m-mate is n-not here and I haven't the st-strength to f-find him. The c-cubs can find h-him in my pl-place."
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Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 9:05 am
“Sometimes, gods do not know everything,” Amédia remarked softly with a nod of her head. “Not so different from mortal life. They never change, no matter how many times they are reborn. But mortals are always changing, always learning, always unpredictable. They know little of governing such enigmatic creatures.”
This female though- she made her sorrowful. She still wished to see the god who had lead her into this situation, like as an old friend. Amédia saw a bit of herself in such a sentiment, and she was moved with compassion towards the dying woman. She did not say anything to dissuade her from such wishes, but nodded her head knowingly.
“We have full lives, even if they end short.” She spoke lightly. “The spirit ages when it knows it must. Your children will have to be very strong to continue on.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:29 am
"I'm s-sure they will be." Kiburi smiled softly, "they will n-not be alone even after I am g-gone." Her heart went out to the rest of her family, all those siblings she had never even met, those distant aunts and uncles. "My fam-family is very big, s-so big I hardly kn-know any of them. I'm s-sure they will t-take care of the li-little ones in my absence."
She turned her head up to the white lion then and her eyes glimmered with happiness. "And when I'm go-gone, I get to see m-mummy again. U-up in the stars." She was a pridelander deep down and always would be. She believed in the spirits and the ancestors and she believed that not only kings got to shine in the sky.
Her mother, Bakhti, would have her own star too and she herself would have one next to it.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:50 am
Amédia frowned, deeply touched by her statement. Had it been up solely to her- she would have done what she could to restore the female to a decent and liveable state of health. But protocal demanded she not- if a person accepted death, then they would be fine in the afterlife. There was no shame in that. Sometimes she did more harm then good when she didn’t respect such things that fate had determined.
“They will be strong,” She spoke, but even now she questioned if the female and her cubs would make it to the birth. “You don’t seem afraid. I’m a healer of sorts, I hope my questions haven’t troubled you... I would like to see if I can do something to help. I’m afraid I cannot cure you... but I could ensure you live long enough to see your cubs and know them.”
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Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:42 am
Kiburi's ears perked up and she turned her face slowly to face the striking white femme. There was something about her that screamed magical and she was not overly surprised by her words.
"Healing? With m-magic?" She smiled, seeming somewhat cheered up by such a prospect. "I wouldn't s-say no to s-such a g-gift if you c-could do it." She didn't seem to dare to hope.
"I'm K-Kiburi by the way. I d-didn't say before."
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Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:01 pm
Amédia smiled softly. “Magic, no. Everything I do is natural. But to you, it may seem so. But don’t be afraid, Kiburi.” It was a nice name. She had never heard one like it before. It reminded her of flowers. Gently, Mbweha reached behind her ear with a careful paw, and pulled one of her flowers out from behind her ear. Gently, she rose it to her mouth and plucked a petal from it.
“Eat this,” She explained. “It will taste bitter, I’m afraid. But you should start feeling a bit better almost instantly.”
Did the flower heal? Sometimes, she supposed. Other times, it just hid what she did on her own- feeling the body, and slowly telling it to make repairs. It was a careful process that drained her. She was present in all healing- but to directly effect something was at times, taxing.
“Let me know how you feel,” She said again, concentrating.
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Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:40 am
Kiburi's eyes seemed to glow with wonder at Ameh's words. Everything about this white lioness seemed wonderful and amazing. She felt as if any moment smething new and astonishing could happen.
She was suddenly so glad that they had met.
She watched the female pluck a flower out from behind her ear. It was a beautiful flower to say the least, so fresh and perfect that it made Kiburi sad to think of eating it.
"O-okay." And despite her stutter she did not hesitate.
The flower did indeed taste bitter, but not as bad as she had first thought. It was strange to eat something that wasn't tough to chew. Then slowly she raised her eyes to the female and something seemed to change about her.
"I do f-feel better." She replied, and she did. "I can breathe eas-easier." As if to prove it she drew in a great breath and released it, smiling widely. "Y-you have good flowers Miss!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 5:12 pm
Amédia made a soft laughing sound, although it was twinged with a bit of regret. She always regretted the inevitability of death among mortals. But at the same time... they had life. Though this female might be dying, she had experienced things Amédia never would. Not even through Améh, would she be able to have said she lived like this. Not like Phib, not like any mortal. They loved and sacrificed. She loved- and she sacrificed, but no matter what she did she knew that at the end of the day, Amédia would remain. She always would be. But a mortal- a mortal did kindness without knowledge, they gave their lives without care for themselves. It was profoundly moving. Even if Kiburi died- she was giving life to her cubs, and she was creating for them an example which would propel, and maybe haunt them, through life. And she would move on.
For a goddess- there was only one reality. Always, certainty.
“I am glad,” She nodded her head. “It might not taste well, but it is a good flower. It will help, I am sure. Strong cubs.” She repeated again, like a mantra. “I am very good at guessing, you know. Would you like me to guess how many there are?”
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:59 am
She stretched out her body, eyes squeezing closed as she tried to ease herself into a state of relaxation. Movement had begun inside her and she could almost imagine the little cubs wriggling around, playing and laughing.
Were they playing games?
Kiburi nodded eagerly at Ameh's words and her pale ears twitched forth slowly. "Flower will definately he-help."
Her eyes brightened as the white female spoke of guessing numbers and she gave a quick nod, eagerly. "Oh, that w-would be very nice! I hope there's lots! I'd es-especially love a girl. A daughter wo-would be nice."
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