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 Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:43 am
She looked at him slyly as he stated that the Firekin pride had some of the best hunters. "Yes, I am sure you do, but I lived on my own for awhile in the desert and you'd be surprised at what I can do." She didn't show any signs of being wary but she felt it. So, if she failed to prove she was a Firekin she would become a slave. That wasn't something she really wanted to think about.
She reached inside the carcass again pulling out more meat. By this time, more than just her maw was blood covered, but her entire head and her paws. It didn't bother her really, she would clean up when finished her meal, which wouldn't be too much longer now. Her hunger was practically appeased now. She turned back to Kiu as he spoke of her 'parents'. "My father knew your grandfather, until they split up. My mother left the Firekin pride and joined my father. I was born a year before my parents both died and since then I've been making my way to your pride."
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:56 am
Kiu nodded. This story seemed extremely plausible. So, his question had been answered. That is, except for the strange sense of familiarity that the arrival of this ‘Kinja’ had brought upon him. Kiu, tiring of his chewing, took one last mouthful of the meat, swallowed it, let out a contented sigh, and then proceeded to groom. He started with his face, wetting his right forepaw and using it to groom his whiskers and maw. That didn’t take long. Then, he proceeded to clean his paws thoroughly, more for show than out of necessity. After he had finished grooming his right paw, he moved on to his left, continuing to speak to the newest addition to the pride (sort of) while cleaning up.
“So, what made you decide to come here?” he asked. “The Pridelanders tell stories about how cruel and vicious we are. How did you hear about us? Did your parents tell you?” This was another curiosity that he had about the lioness. Why she had decided to come and join their pride. Well, part of it was obvious. She was one of the Blood, and wished to be with others of her superior rank. Why would she join a pride like the MISTWEAVERS when she could come back to the God’s chosen? It was all very foolish, now that he thought about it. However, the question still stood, and he did not think about retracting it. Besides, her answer might be interesting.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:08 am
Kimondo ripped her last piece of meat from the carcass, now quite full and content before answering the male lion. "My father spoke of this pride several times to me. He spoke about the proud firekin pride who were strong and unrelenting. Ever since I was young I loved to listen to his stories and after he and my mother died I decided to find the Firekin pride myself. I must say, I am not dissapointed with what I found." She stated as she looked right at Kiu. A smile played across her maw before she began her cleaning as well. She focused on her paws first, making sure they were clean before moving to her head. She didn't want to rub more blood on her face then there already was.
She noted how Kiu kept looking at her and after several minutes of cleaning she lowered her head between her paws and looked up at him innocently. "What do you find so intriguing about me that you keep stareing?" A small smiled graced her features before she rolled onto her back and stretched her limbs.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:24 am
Kiu, who had been wondering the exact same thing himself, came to his senses before answering her. “It’s just. . .” he paused, attempting to organize his thoughts so that he could give her a proper answer. He could say, ‘you’re beautiful’, but that would sound mushy, and would only be partially true, not to mention slightly forward and rude and completely unlike him. And so, he decided to tell her the other half of the reason that he was staring at her, in a rather relaxed way, of course. He couldn’t just blurt out- ‘you’re giving me the creeps because you remind me of something, but I can’t remember what.’ He would have to be calmer and subtler about it.
And so, Kiu answered. “Well, you seem to remind me of someone. . . Looking at you stirs up memories, but of what I can’t remember. I know that we have never met before. You have only just arrived at the Firekin pride. I know that I’ve never seen such a one as you before in all of my life. But. . . you do seem oddly familiar.” There, that would do it. Honest, kind of, and not completely foolish. He was rather proud of himself. And with that, he continued grooming, though he paid little attention to his own work. He was too busy watching Kinja clean her own paws and maw.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:31 am
Kimondo smiled again and rolled back onto her stomache. "I wonder who that someone is?" She felt a lump in her throatform. Was her remembering her when they first met? Could she have actually left such an impression on him... no... he must have met someone else before me and my appearance is just what is jogging old memories.
She layed her head between her paws again and thought for a few moments before presenting a question. "So, being the heir of the Firekin, have you or your father and mother, chosen your future queen?" She asked with as little emotion as she could. She didn't want her hint of hope to shine through if he said no. She had only come to realize that maybe another lioness has already touched him enough that they were mates already. she didn't want to think of the possibility since it would mean all her effort would be in vain and she would have to return to the pridelands, if she could manage it, broken hearted.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:46 am
Kiu laughed. “No, Kinja. Not yet. You see, though our pride is great, those of the purest blood are rather rare. Sumba and Waka. . . they will not do. Besides, Sumba already has a child of her own, Jifyo. Jifyo is not old enough for me, and Waka. . . frankly, she bothers me. She seems to enjoy insulting me, even though she doesn’t succeed, really. How would you like a queen that insulted you badly every other second? Neither my father nor I have found a suitable candidate as of yet. . . however, I will need to find a queen soon, since Makadari is getting old in years. . .” as he said this, Kiu began to think about other things. . . poisonous things. His plan to kill Makadari would need to be put into action soon enough.
“So, why do you ask?” Kiu prodded, hoping to take his mind off of killing his father. That would have to be plotted out later. . . he would worry about that later that evening. First, he would make sure to acquire the proper poison. Then, he would wait for the perfect opportunity. Patience and stealth were what was needed in this. Patience and stealth. He couldn’t act too soon, especially not with the arrival of this newcomer. He would bide his time and plot until the perfect moment came along. Then. . . he would be king at last. It was the least he could do for the Firekin, killing off the weak old king to make room for the strong new one.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:03 am
"Oh, just to see how much of a chance I have with you." Those words left her before she even realized what she was saying. Well, might as well go with the flow now. "Now I know what my odds are." She chuckled, hoping to make it seem as if she were only joking, but somehow, she felt as if she didn't suceed.
"so there aren't many lioness in the pride? It seems you needed me more than I thought." She winked grinned, she hoped that maybe he would forget her previous comments.
She lifted her head all the while feeling like a fool for what she was saying. Kiu would definitly turn from her after those comments. She looked at the mostly eaten carcass for a moment, remembering her feelings when she had first sunk her teeth into it. To her, it meant that she actually had a chance to pull of her disguise. Now, it felt like everything might come crashing down on her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:26 am
Kiu was rather startled by her comment. A little flattered, but. . . yep, mostly startled. Smiling a bit, the lion attempted to put on a relaxed, nonchalant attitude. “We’ll see how you fare in that arena later,” he said coolly, dismissing the subject. “Not really short of lionesses, just Blood lionesses. We have plenty to do the hunting. . . Sumba and Waka take care of it well enough with help from some of the slaves. However, yes, we ARE in need of those of the Blood. Unfortunately, they are rare. Those descended directly from the gods are dying out or are disappearing quicker than we would have hoped. And so, in a sense, yes, we do need you here. Ah yes, you’ll be staying either way. I’m very confident that it won’t be as a slave, though.”
He smirked. Either the lioness was a fool, or she was very daring. He decided to try and forget her comments and judge her a different way. However, this proved to be impossible. Her chances with him? Well, any lioness would want to be the proud queen of an heir to a mighty pride, especially if he was strong and good looking. Of course, Kiu was very vain. It was true. . . Though he was not nearly as bad as his brother, Mwali, he still had a streak of vanity in him. Yes, he thought. If he were a lioness, he would most likely fall in love with himself. And so, he forgave her her slipup.
((Dontcha love Kiu? xD!!!))
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:34 am
Kimondo nodded, though short wasn't to word for the amount of blood lionesses. There weren't many at all and if they ever attempted to try and take the pridelands they would most surely perish or be forced even futher away, no matter how strong each individual lion and lioness was, she was proof that pridelanders could be just as tough, if not tougher than the Firekin.
With a soft sigh she layed her head on her paws which were now cross in front of her to create a pillow of some sort. She yawned and closed her eyes momentarily before opening them again. She had done a lot the past few days and rest wasn't far off for her now. The night would bring wonderful cool tempratures and she would sleep peacefully, that she didn't doubt.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:41 am
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Kiu said with a sly grin. “You know, you ARE new. My father will most likely want to test you. . . “Waiting for her eyes to meet his, he continued in a slightly teasing, mocking tone. “Since you’ve just arrived here, Makadari will most likely place you on guard duty, especially if you look tired. He’ll do it just to test you.” He pitied the lioness slightly, and so he decided to give her a helpful tip. “When you go and see Makadari, you should look wide awake and well-rested. Since you don’t look tired, that’ll defeat the purpose of putting you on guard duty. He’ll let you sleep, work you hard the next day, and then put you on guard duty when he knows you’re tired. But, if you act wide awake tonight, he’ll decide to let you sleep. You’ll get a little rest, at least. . . “
Kiu had seen this same treatment performed on several other lions when they had arrived at the Firekin boundaries. Slaves that needed to be broken were always pushed to the outer limits. Well, Kinja wasn’t exactly a slave, but Makadari would most likely test her in a similar fashion. Now that he thought about it, he would most likely be even harder on her, since she was one of the Blood and would, in his mind, be able to withstand more because of the holy, goddess blood that ran through her veins.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:49 am
Kimondo sighed and lifted her head, but nodded all the same. "I'll do just that. Sleep at the moment would be wonderful." She emphasize her need for it a yawn ripped through her. "I didn't trust sleeping out in the desert alone, especially with so few places to actually rest. I just didn't feel right laying down out in the open. My luck, something or someone would have came by during my moment of weakness." She spoke as if she were a true Firekin. It surprised her slightly as well, but the surprise didn't last long. "Thank you for the advice." She smiled and stood up. Before Kiu could really realize what she was doing, her tongue brushed against his cheek in a feline kiss. She didn't back away from him but sat down in front of the lion.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:04 pm
She had kissed him.
This surprised the young Firekin heir almost as much as her arrival had! After all, Blood lionesses do not simply pop up every day and join your pride. The Blood lionesses that do not pop up every day and join your pride also do not kiss you for a small piece of advice on a regular basis. Obviously, this was a very rare occurrence, and obviously, this startled Kiu. However, it was not entirely unpleasant, and so he let it pass, dismissing it as a friendly gesture of thanks for his help and suggestions. And so, trying not to worry overly about the matter, he dismissed it from his mind. Or, tried to. It was not as easy as he had hoped it would be. And WHY was this lioness reminding him of someone, something, else?
Even if it was meant to show something more, what did he care? He would see how any relationships with this lioness went, romantic or simply friendwise. He would find out what he wanted to think of this stranger as in time. He, like her father, wished to test her before making any permanent decisions. As much as he tried to forget it, her words still rang in his ears, echoing over and over again in his head. ‘Oh, just seeing how much of a chance I have with you.’ The unafraid, cocky attitude with which those words had been spoken lead him to believe that she had meant to utter them, but she had seemed a trifle embarrassed afterwards. Yes, this lioness was indeed a very confusing creature. He would have to study her and learn more about her to be sure.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:25 pm
Kimondo smiled at him and walked past him. The tip of her tail brushed along hiw chest as she headed towards the entrance of the den. "Well, I better get myself prepared to see your father. I do hope to see you again soon." With a final farewell she padded out of the den leaving Kiu alone to ponder her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:38 pm
{{Ah young love... and murder plots... xD}}
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 4:53 pm
((EEEP! I forgot that I hadn't posted a reply to your last post Naita! Actually, I -did- type it up, but Gaia found it pertinent at the exact moment I pressed submit, to act up. The post died along with Gaia. I'll update this post in a few moment's with my post, just give me half a moment to relocate it or retype it. ^_^))
Dama sensed the fear radiating off her companion's body like the heat that seeped up from the ground beneath their paws. It was that fear that gave her need to move around and follow, the urgency she needed. She padded up to his front shoulder and remained their as they walked, grateful for the slowed pace he set for them. Although her limbs found renewed energy in the need to flee, she wouldn't be able to keep up at a faster pace.
Paw pads gripped into the sandy desert floor, gaining purchase in the slippery, ever moving land. She panted heavily, giving herself a greater need for water, but also expelling some of the heat pent up inside her smaller body. Boy, what she wouldn't do now for a dip in any oasis....something, anything to cool off. She closed her eyes, occasionally bumping into Kitwana as she continued to tread, her eyes sore from the dryness her body was experiencing. Kitwana was silent and so was she. She knew better than to impose upon whatever might be bothering him inside....
_________________
It wasn't long before she lifted her head, glancing at her companion. "K...Kit..wana? Is...that wh-what I think it is?" She chanced to raise her voice slightly so he would hear her. Off in the distance she caught sight of the first couple of flashes of lightning ahead of them. She wasn't sure she could remember what exactly it was, not sure of when the last storm she'd encountered was. She also smelled the electricity that hung in the air. Could it be that rain wasn't that far away? That they might yet see lifegiving rain falling upon them, and further renewing their energy and perhaps their hopes?
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