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 Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 3:11 pm
The barren boughs of her homeland trees did nothing to elevate Kizuka's mood. Ushaufu had been gone for days... again, and the questions "their" cub continued to ask only pushed her own mood even blacker. He wouldn't have run again; it was a mantra that kept circling about in her skull, attempting to drown the growing knot of anger, fear and depression that was building in her chest where her heart had once been.
Perhaps her mate's tendency towards emo had worn off on her a little, but unlike he, the female of the pair was attempting not to give into this blackness. Instead, she paced through the rotting jungle she called home, unknowingly towards the place where the pride slept and where her family should be taking residence fairly soon. Though Ushaufu had returned, they hadn't yet approached the pride, preferring to do so when Kizuka's health had begun to return. And yet, as the emotions warred in her mind, her footsteps began to carry her down paths that were torn between familiarity and stangeness.
The oddity surrounding them was likely do to the lack of foliage present. Where in her childhood the ferns and flowers towered over her as if they were another species of tree ... they now fell to dust beneath her paws as she crunched over their half-hearted remains. Occassionally she would hesitate, for though the path was marked in her mind it no longer was in reality now that all the plants where dead or dying. Amble on, she would, however, and eventually the sound of a waterfall... perhaps not as strong as it should have been, reached her ears.
The forest was greener here, turning a sickly yellow, and fading up to full green as she walked. More foliage came about and she wondered that she had spent so many months on these lands without coming here... but knew why she had not. A part of her feared it.
She hadn't forgotten the thought that there might be fire undrowned within the heart-land; the thought that had indeed sparked a fire in the pit of her stomach, threatening to consume her with its rage. But time dulled all swords, and Kizuka had had little else if not time. Yet there was caution still in her bones as she wondered if the rumors had been true. Thusly, the lioness paused before coming into sight of any lions that might be at the caves that morning. From the path she slipped into the shadows of greenry as she had long since learned to do, moving like a ghost of ages past come home to haunt her grave. Thats a sick way of looking at it, she laughed, mentally, as she skulked through the bushes.
A backpath, normally guarded in her day, an errant nudge whispered, stood in the sun as clear as the sky above them. This route hadn't seemed to change at all and for a terrifying moment, the sky blackened and stars dotted the skys...
Roars echoed in her ears, some angry, others terrified, and still more full of pain. Those last seemed to cry the loudest, for they were her family; everything she had ever known and the painful crys wouldn't stop. Tears pricked at her eyes as she gazed down from the top of the path, huddled there with her sister and the other pridal cubs as they witnessed the slaughter of the last defenders.
The diseased bodies of the plague hadn't even been hauled away yet.
Kizuka blinked her eyes and shook her head, squeezing them shut against the memories of their holocaust. It was over, life moved on.. and she was home.
Home. It was a word that had long held abstract, rather than literal meaning for her, and to have a face to once more associate with it brought back that spark of joy to her heart that she'd been missing. The lioness, lean with the signs of starvation, opened her eyes once more and slipped up the back path with the energy of a healthy teenager, never seeming to skip a step though her limbs must have been weak and limp. Up the side of the cliff and into a cave that smelled like lions though nothing so recent that there would be anyone there...
And she'd gotten in without ever being noticed. Kizuka wasn't sure whether to take this as a good sign or a bad, but she took it none the less and slipped into the gave that she remembered so distinctly from her past. Immediatly her ruff stood on end as she came in sight of newer doodles among the old--the style obviously different and 'paint' more fresh than anything should have been. At first it almost made her gag that another had touched the walls like this, until good sense returned to say that their pridal members had a right to do so... so long as they weren't editting anything out. As much as she did not know Masika, she had a feeling the lioness would not have stood for such.
Down the wall Kizuka went, eyes taking in faces that lingered as corspes in her nightmares, and some faces that sent pangs of regret and heartach into her already turmoiled mind. Finally, two faces near the end arose that sent her heart to skip a beat. These two, too, she remembered more in death though she'd tried to forget those last moments, and yet seeing their image cast in paste brought a smile to her maw. She should have brought Kimaji with her.
Beneath the pair, both painted in fur as she was, sat a host of cubs in portrait. Kizuka smiled at herself, in a sad sort of way, and pretended not to see the male cub so close to hers that ended the line of the family before them. He'd chosen his lot... as they had all chosen what paths they should walk. .... and she wondered if Kimaji would ever be added to this wall.
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:42 pm
He had been sleeping later and later into the daylit hours, much to his frusteration. As a cub he'd find himself rousing to the first calls of the birds just stirring with the sun not too terribly far from the 'room' that he'd made into his home. The room where he had first come into waking. No memory of either of his parents, no memory of anyone but just about everything. Kela had often mused on just why that was, both shrugged it off after a short debate on the matter. Maji thought it best to let such things remain unanswered. He'd pass it off as what the storm kind had intended and press on away from the topic.
These days the birds had stopped singing simply because there were very few to sing. Many of the herds had moved along, even Baba and Biton had left leaving only Gure and a handful of other gazelle that remained close to the boarder, grazing on the grass in the open and retreating into the skeleton forest at night to hide away from the rogues that likely prowled the grass of the wildlands. There were elephants that remained as well. A small herd of females and their young. Ever since Maji could remember that herd had been around the lake. They fancied themselves protectors of the water and believed that it would be their lord rather than the Storm King that would bring the waters back to the land. What little ater ran over the sides of the mistweaver caves was hardly as a drizzle anymore, the caves had become warmer, dryer. Even the moss that had provided soft lounging spots for the locals had begun to dry and flake off.
The silver maned lion yawned shortly, sitting himself up to turn and look into the shrinking pool of collected water beside him. Back in the day it had been a sacred pool fed by a slow but constant dripping from the celling. Now it was starting to evaporate.
Maji hardly approved of the face looking back at him. Once he'd been so strong and proud with a flowing silky mane and proud shining fur. He looked almost savage, his mane-while well-groomed- was now almost as dry looking as the yellowing grass of the jungle. His eyes had a wild hunger in them, no better than the barbarian rogues. His face was thinner, as was his body. His ribs were starting to show through his now dulled pelt. There was still the shadow of his father in his appearence, closer now to the old king's last days. Maji wasn't a young lion but he was hardly an elder. He often mused on the idea of attempting to court another lady but the scars Ciyari had left in his mind and on his heart still protested quite savagely form time to time.
He picked himself up and ran his tounge over his fur as best he could, smoothing it back down to keep what little of dignity he still had about himself. He paused partway down his front leg, both ears rotating forward as a new scent caught his attention.
A low rumble of a growl sounded as he started himself forward, pressing his ears back against the shaggy mane hanging around his head and shoulders. "Who goes there?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 10:20 pm
The lioness fought off the flinch that threatened her skeletal frame. After the weeks of lessons she'd been giving her daughter how could she have missed the lion laying in the back of the cave? Perhaps it was the fact his fur blended with the bleakness of dry rock--rock that SHOULD have been stained green from the lichen that usually grew there, her memory screamed--and the dullness of smell, perhaps induced by emotionally blocked senses, had tricked her into thinking herself alone. That he'd been sleeping when she'd slipped inside hadn't hurt, either, or that the wind had then been at her side. Now, however, she felt the draft that had turned, pressing further into the cave and towards the lion snarling at her.
He was a frail seeming thing, but she knew better than to judge him by that appearance. Just as she was now stronger than she'd ever been before--when pushed into fighting--he would be too, just as the prey beasts had grown more avid in their defenses with the growing hunger they all suffered. It was amusing, how that worked, but the harder one was physically pushed the tougher one became... until they broke, as so many prey had done under her own jaws.
She did not know him. That thought came out of the blue, as she sized him up. He looked something like Masika, but there was a wrongness to the scent that she couldn't place. Beyond that, even though he was of the age and his bonestructure marked him one of their lands, she did not remember this cub. Having been one of the elder cubs about at that time, a part of her found that unusual, but there were many things that time might have tampered with and prejudice settled heavily upon. He bore the features of her pride, as readily as she did, and with that she tempered the paranoia long brought about by the hard road her life had lead her on.
All of this took but moments to pass through her thoughts, and Kizuka resisted the impulse to balk with a headstrong manner that had won her so many battles before. Her ears pressed back flat at the snarl and her limbs went taunt, but she did not return his hostility in voice or expression.
Rather, the splotched lioness turned her wisdom tempered eyes, temper lit within them like half-dead embers, towards him in a calm gesture she did not feel. "Be still, brother, I am no threat to you," Kizuka took pride that her voice did not shake with fear or rage; for while she thought she could put up a fight if need be, there was no doubt in her mind that a single lioness would be little match against a male... or that causing a riot would surely bring others to the lion's aid. While Masika knew her, she did not know that the Princess would take so kindly to Kizuka's lack of announcement on her part. Perhaps she was foolish in letting her memory lead her so.
"I am called Kizuka," Normally loathe to relenquish her name so easily to a stranger, it was, in this case, only right that she do so as this surely must be the guard... though whatever he was doing sleeping about mid-day was unknown to her. "I came to pay my respects, if you will; nothing more. What might you go by?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:45 pm
Maji took a moment to size her up as well. His nose was wrinkled up in a growl though such an expression hardly seemed to fit him. Behind the hunger and the apparent outrage at another newcomer's arrival there was still a sense of gentleness to him. He had large, powerful shoulders and forelimbs from his life of climbing up and down the cliffs as part of his daily routene, but his frame was more lean, his frame almost simular to a lioness' save for his shoulders. The growls almost seemed forced, as did the dangerous display of aggression...
The lioness had color simular to a few of the lions on the walls, there hadn't been many with brown on their pelts so it was something that easily came to his mind as he took a long moment to look her over. A traveler, her body betrayed that well enough. Much like Masika, she woudln't be an easy one to take down if it had to come to that. Masika was likely larger, a brute of a lioness if he'd ever seen one.
"..Brother?", He questioned, looking and sounding rather confused at the comment, "Leave us be... can't you see this pride is suffering? We've nothing to offer your or any family you wish to bring here." He relaxed his posture a bit though remained on guard. His remarks were nothing short of out of habbit. So many outsiders had come wishing to live here, asking permission sometimes but more often times just making themselves at home. "My name is Maji..." He added hesitantly.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:02 pm
"I know that as well as you do... maji," the female replied carefully. She kept her eyes on him for a moment before seeming to shift her attention back to the wall. In reality her entire body prickled with anticipation. In her peripheral vision she watched him, analyzing his body movements. He wasn't going to move her from this place--not without a fight. Yes, she had snuck into the pride's territory but in her mind she had every right to be there. The fact that she didn't remember him also struck her as funny. Then again, while she'd been an older cub she had still been a cub--she wasn't likely to remember everything perfectly. ... The name didn't even strike a bell.
"I and my family have been living here the past few moons-spans." The statement was just that, really, a statement without any sense of asking permission about it. A part of her thought it might be wise to mention Masika, but the larger part--that was still reeling in anger at her mate and annoyed at being treated like a trespasser on her own pride's land, whether or not they considered her a part of that land--decided that offering such an explanation would put her on the defensive hand, which was not where she wanted to be at all. "This land is yet a hard one to live on, but it is still feasible. I am of the mind that the Storm King would rather us strive in hardship to prove our loyalty to his way--why else send this test for us when the pride has seen so much damage already?"
Kizuka left a pause there, as if waiting for a reply though she doubted there would be one. A half-smile cracked upon her lips, almost smug in that particularly feline sort of way, as she turned her head slightly back towards him. "And I say brother as your structure in itself marks you as one of our people. I would also assume that as you are in this cave at all you have some acceptance from our Princess... Nay, our Queen as her mother and father, bless them, have long since passed."
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 9:35 am
Maji snorted a bit at her response, feeling slightly insulted by the manner in which she carried herself. He didn't want to fight, and truely he wished he could be as welcoming as he had been as a youth, taking in whoever needed a place...though he scolded himself a bit for such actions now. Perhaps opening the lands like that had been exactally what had upsetted the god- taking unbelievers into a place, sharing gifts that were meant for those that served him.
But this lioness...she knew of the Storm King. None others had when they'd come into the land. The tension and aggression seemed to melt away at that realinization, leaving only a curious and almost dumbfounded look. "...the Storm King?" He tipped his head a bit, eyeing her carefully but now he was curious, "You know of him? You know of our people's god?"
Our people... he cleared his throat a bit though a bit of a frown started on his face again, deepened by her last statement, "...our father." He corrected her. "As her mother and my father have long since passed...yes I have her acceptance though I will like to put on the record that I have been here since the moment I first came to awareness of this world." He glanced up again, observing her reaction carefully. If she was truely of the pride then perhaps she'd know him, know more of the puzzle that would complete the blank spots in his mind.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:19 am
"King Nyunya had no son." She frowned, unable to help it. In truth, she could recall no other cub ever presented to the tribe, save Masika, that had come from Nyunya's loins. Just as she did not know this cub. Of course, as she had reminded herself earlier, she had been a cub at the time and her memory was ever liable to being spotty... despite that she had a rather good memory in general. The lioness shook her head and corrected herself, "At least none that was ever presented to the pride in my memory. Masika was the only Princess--and the heir, obviously--i had ever heard of. Granted, I was a young myself."
His relaxation had caused her mood to ebb a little, though her guard did not. Being so haughty wasn't normal with her, though she couldn't help sounding a little condescending at times; especially when angry. Kizuka gave a slight snort at him, surprised he couldn't see what was right in front of his face. She raised a brow at him, giving him a few moments to put it together, but in the end decided that perhaps being blunt was the better way to go.
"And of course I know the Storm King. I've lived my life serving Him as best I can, just as I've taught my daughter to do the same, just as I followed His path back here. Waking on this land isn't all that counts, in the end, for through I woke many times in other lands my heart remained here." The female jerked her chin towards the wall in a pointing sort of gesture towards the mark of a litter so similar to her own markings. "I was a Mistweaver and I'll die a Mistweaver."
It was a statement, not a question, for despite his claiming Nyunya as a father, Kizuka wasn't going to treat him in any special form. In truth, she knew it her right to remain a Mistweaver, for that was all she had ever been. They could drive her and her daughter from this land--indeed, if Masika told her to leave, she would--but she would always be a Mistweaver. It was loyalty to this entity that had kept her going all this time; a true devotion bordering on the side of the fanatical that made her the creature she was.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:58 am
Maji took a slow look over to the wall she'd gestured to. He knew it very well, as a youth he'd grown up on the silent stories painted along the wall. It was just about all he'd known of the pride. Nothing of his father or his mother... in fact the lioness had every right to be suspicious. Dispite his striking resemblence to both Masikia and their late father there was no record of him. The historian had passed away shortly before he was born, even then lords knew if his birth had been something that boded well to the king- he was of another mother. He only came into knowlege of his lineage recently when another older mistweaver by the name of Enki had informed him of the resembelence- and smell -that tied him to the storm king. There were clues in the paintings but nothing solid.
After a long, silent moment, Maji turned back to her. The hostility completely gone from his expression and posture. He looked a bit confused, maybe offended, but for the most part he seemed calm as his name suggested. "Very well... the walls have never lied to me and you seem sincere. I do apologize for my reaction. Please understand that these have been testing times for all in the lands. Many who would spit on the Storm King's name have come through these lands and have exhausted our resources. I'm only trying to protect the family I have established here..." Though many of them he'd not seen in a long time- gone out for hunts and never returned.
He winced a bit and turned to return to the room beside the stream, "As far as my lineage goes I cannot prove for certain for yourself or myself what I've said. All I know is what I can gather from the minds of those that remember the old pride." He reached a paw up to touch a painting that he himself had made as a cub- a very sloppy rendition of himself though there were no other lions around him in that one- at the time he thought himself to be the last living lion. "It could be true, it could be false. I've no way to prove either way. All I know is since birth I have watched these lands and those that came to seek shelter within it...it has changed much since I was young."
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:34 am
"That we can agree upon," Kizuka replied so softly it might have seemed to come from another lion. For a moment he'd distracted her, as her gaze once more rested on the wall, and there seemed to be a shadow still remaining of the lioness she had once been. Life, in general, hadn't been easy for this one and that fact seemed to have been etched into the bones anyone could see beginning to show along her entire body. Kizuka's honeyed eyes eventually pulled away from the pictorials of the fallen and moved back to her reluctant companion.
Though she finally allowed the tension in her shoulders to die, her fur didn't quite settle and there seemed to still be an impatience riding her shoulders. This had nothing to do with him, nor did the anger still digging its claws into her mind, and yet it laced every word and action she gave that day. The two more and more seemed unconnected as her words themselves were not of a person angry with the one before her.
"As I said, I was young myself. Its quite possible I was never told, or that I've simply forgotten." Kizuka gave the lightest of shrugs and shook her head slightly. "The Storm King knows I do not mean to challenge anyone's birthing." She didn't believe he was the kings son, but there was enough doubt in her mind that she didn't care to argue the point. After all, whatever would be done about it was Masika's decision and none of Kizuka's business. Furthermore, it wasn't as if the male had made any assumptions to the throne.
"And yes, I understand the test." She repeated herself from earlier. "I have heard many a rumor of.. interesting things going on in this land since lions have begun returning to it." Kizuka paused, unsure how to phrase this. She had asked Masika, certainly, but the Princess had had little idea as to the truth of it. This one stated that he had many years on this land, and in that and his scent and his physique he was Mistweaver, in the least, and in that Kizuka respected him. Or would, at least, unless he proved himself undeserving of that respect. In all this he was a brother of hers--a brother in arms, that is. "It was even said that a Firekin heathen had been made welcome here..."
The name of fire was spoken with such a sincere hate that none could have dared to deny it. Indeed, at the very memory of the rumor she bristled further and she surprised herself with a growl.
A wince showed itself on her face a moment later as an errant poke of conscious alerted her to how she may be seen like this. The lioness shook herself over and turned her tongue to smoothing the fur of her forelegs and chest in an obvious move to calm herself down. She wasn't making a good impression.
".... My apologies as well, Maji. I came to this cave in a rather foul mood, though that is no excuse." She offered softly a moment later.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:13 am
Maji nodded a bit, walking himself back over to the small pond. He was quiet for a time, simply looking down into the waters. It had been so long... so many things had happened here, how could he explain himself to those of the old blood? He had never thought of it before, as a cub he didn't think he'd ever have to. Growing up he thought himself to be the only lion in existance, he'd never seen another one like himself. As he grew the more he found that wasn't true, there were others. There were many, many others. He'd not named himself the leader of the lands, they had. Those that first came into the land when he was still growing his mane, those that needed a place to live. Now those that had died off, left the land, or had left in fear of another curse.
"Many came...and many left." He explained quietly, "Some had memories that I had only prayed for. Little by little I realized that there were others out there. There were some that were just as troubled by plegue and war as this pride was. Back then, I welcomed them all. We had a small pride, a family." He glanced over shortly, "I was just a youth then... I taught them the ways of the storm king... but in time more started to come."
He turned and walked himself away from the pond, "One of the lionesses I had taken into these lands turned on us. Conspired with a tyrant lion who sought to bring a second holocaust upon us and take our lands as his personal grounds." There was a bitterness in his voice that could not go ignored. He'd trusted her... "Another lioness came into these lands claiming that she was the rightful queen, and believing her I had gone into her service...she left with an unknown number of my offspring."
He walked himself back over to her, "If you are truely a member of this pride... please forgive my blind trust in those that have betrayed us...and those that the traitors eventually invited in....firekin and rogue alike."
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:41 am
It was true, then. Kizuka found her ears thrown back at the admission, though whether it was in hate or disgust was uncertain. Even the lioness herself wasn't sure, finding both mixed like poison in her veins--it burned. The lioness closed her eyes, now that she was certain he wasn't going to attack her, and attempted to deal with herself before she further dragged this conversation down to slaughter.
It wasn't easy, but the fact that he seemed to regret having done it helped along the calm that slowly sank into her muscles. Self control, the song she'd sang since she first took flight from this place. Self control. Every muscle, one by one, relaxed visibly on the lioness for the leaness of her form. The last to rise were her ears, rising up into a normally pert position as her honeyed eyes opened again and she turned to the lion who had thought he was the last.
That he had thought as much wasn't surprising. Had she not seen several other cubs to the edge of this land, and yes, survived with one other herself, she might have thought the same. The truth was, as he had just said, was that there were far more of them left alive than anyone had realized. To her, this was a good thing. Her people still lived and it made her heart sing a stronger tune, less bitter than it had been for so long.
Kizuka took a breath and shook her head, "Trust isn't something one should have to apologize for--even when it has been betrayed. It only serves to apologize if you haven't learned from that betrayal." The lioness didn't voice whether he had or not, for she didn't know no matter how it looked on the surface. "Now that Masika has returned to her rightful place, perhaps the Storm King will once again reign over this land. I trust she will be a good leader for us all... should I and mine be allowed to stay."
Now she allowed that worry to come forth, for indeed there was still the chance they would push them out, and having too much confidence that they would not... well that could hurt their case. Once more she looked back to her ancestor's wall and gave the softest sigh. "I should get back; I am lucky enough to have my cub with me still... and she will be wanting her lessons."
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 12:40 am
Maji kept a safe distance as her ears flipped back, his own were resting easily at a comfortable position dispite the slight concern on his face. He wasn't overly fond of her words towards Maskika's right to the throne. True, she had been born into it, but she hadn't been here. It was hardly her fault but it wasn't something he was so willing to let go of either. He'd accepted responsability for the place and those in it at a very young age.
"...Actually." He spoke up a bit, "She and I have yet to discuss the matter of who should rule here." There was a bit of a depth to his voice now, kind of warning her against questioning him for the moment, "You see there is very little to disprove that we are in some way related. Those around me confirmed it though recently they've made themselves scarce... For now we'll have to trust that the Storm King has something in mind."
He nodded his head back towards the pond a bit, "Are you thirsty at all?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:41 am
One of Kizuka's eyebrows raised. As of yet she hadn't really seen that he thought himself some sort of ruler here, and that he did made her... well she choked down the laughter as she realized it wasn't a joke. So what if he had woken up here and fashioned himself a prince? That didn't disrupt the birth title, or the fact that his own admitted failings and Masika's better association with the world around her made her a better choice for ruler. Beyond that, the Princess had specifically told Kizuka that she would be assuming the throne in a matter of days, it had already been decided.
She didn't miss the warning, however, and though the look on her face must have said it all the lioness simply rose to her feet and went to take a few small laps at the pool. Like most creatures, she'd learned to conserve as much water as possible, only taking a small amount when it was absolutely necessary... which was likely the main contributor to the gravel that was now her voice. "Thank you," She replied casually. Her mind then skipped back to its previous topic as an errant thought caught her attention.
Though most people would generally assume no relation where it couldn't be proven--at least in a royal family--they were seeming to go against common sense and assuming one. Therefore... depending on who was in the tribe and their memories or creations thereof, it was very possible that this Maji could somehow win the throne. If he did... well, here she was rubbing him in all the wrong ways.
The thought didn't last long when Kizuka raised her eyes from the water to study the lion before her. She didn't know him, true, but her loyalty already laid with Masika. Indeed, it had since the day the lioness was born, by virtue of the female's birthright. This male could say he had some right to the throne as often as he wanted and she would never believe it. The worst part was that he seemed to think that just because he was HERE while others were THERE, he was somehow better than the rest of them. She had suffered every day of her childhood because they couldn't stay. ... and yet he had some strange luck to wake up here and was suddenly the son of the king, and better than any other.
Perhaps she was overreacting--over interpreting--but she didn't like it. Nor would she turn her head from her loyalties just to suite her own needs. "It was good to meet you." Kizuka gave him a nod, just a slight one, as to an equal, before turning for the mouth of the cave. That wasn't a lie; not really. While she didn't agree with his assumptions, he did seem to be of a level head on other matters. How they got along in the future would remain to be seen.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:30 am
Maji watched the lioness' movements carefully....she'd grown short with him, tighter in her movements and in her speech. He shook his head a bit, caring very little how she interpreted it. It was hardly easy for anyone to digest... this had been all he had known. The lands outside were something he didn't dare imagine. Not with such characters emerging from them. From the oddities that were the Anansi to the savage demons that were the firekin. Rogues of all sorts- barbaric and desperate, pathetic, and over-ambitious. He shuddered to think of what a life outside would be like...but then again it seemed like all those that had lived with him had gone. Laana and hers, Enki and his, Ramses even... Kisulisuli remained and lords knew where Kela had gone...
The silver lion watched the pool quietly, not bothering to honor her responses with a response of his own. He seemed lost in whatever he saw in the pool, his face locked in conflict... what was the right thing to do? Did Maskika even know how to write? To read? Did she know the history and stories on the wall? How to create herbs or start flame to give offerings? He didn't know, he hardly knew the lioness that was supposidly his sister. To leave the pride was unthinkable. He'd be no better than those that came freely into the land in the first place- but to remain and struggle to keep the position he'd earned within the land... or to surrender it to a stranger.
He glanced up shortly, moving only his eyes, as the lioness took her leave. Once more leaving him to his thoughts. Too much had happened, too much changed, and far too much lost. Test or not, so far there seemed very little gain in all of this.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:04 am
Kizuka left the cave feeling no better than when she'd entered. It was sad that things had gone that way, as she'd been confident seeing the faces of her people would have lightened her mood. Of course, she hadn't thought to be encountered with a pretender to the throne. Kizuka shook her head. It wasn't any of her business, so long as he didn't deny Masika's right, and she would leave her nose out of it.
Somehow the air seemed a little cooler than it had even in the cave. She decided it was something about the tension that had been there. Maji was.. a strange lion; her mind couldn't help but focus again on the memory of him. He would be one to watch, certainly. Why couldn't she shake him out of her mind? Kizuka frowned; she had other things to focus on. For now, she had a grown-bodied cub to feed and a sick lioness to care for. Duty took place of worries and the phantom lioness slipped back into the skeleton of the jungle as easily as a fish would have water.
.... And she needed to maim her mate.
((Annnd the end? X3))
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