Looking at my Reflection
Sahar meets Utomo
(AIM RP)
Kolina:
Rumors and stories had reached young ears. After all, how could a cub not be interested in the unknown and the magical? Especially when the magical is something that a young cub truly believes he can posses? That's how dreamers are made after all. Those who believe so strongly in something, whether it be magical or mysertious or mundane, those dreamers wish to find it and will do what they will until they do. Now, Sahar himself isn't a dreamer...not yet at least. No his dreams are far from anything large and worthy of him being dubbed with such a title. After all, for a cub to want to see his Uncle really isn't something that hard to occur. Well...usually. Sahar's Uncle was a special case apparently, but still, the growing cub wanted to meet him. Especially since so many say that Sahar resembles Utomo so strongly.
With the sun warming the young cubs pelt and the grasses licking at his paws, Sahar trudged along his journey to find his Uncle. Apparently he wasn't far according to mother, so what better time than now to meet him? There was only one small problem. Without ever having met this lion, Sahar wouldn't be able to actually recognize him. The only thing that could possibly guide him is his sense of smell, and if Utomo's scent didn't have anything similar to his mother's, the cub could run right into the elder lion without even knowing.
Mila:
Utomo had been lazily wandering the savannah for the last few days, always on the lookout for his brother and any available females. There was a lack of either, however; he could not find his sibling anywhere, nor any girls. This did not trouble him unduly. Through his visions, he knew he would be reunited with his sibling, and while the visions hadn't told him about any girls, he knew he could not be that unlucky for much longer. The male was a stunning, if somewhat lean specimen of his species, with a soft gray pelt, puffy white mane and tail, and enticing violet eyes.
He was moving through the thicker grasses, not watching near his paws, where little things like cubs might end up whacking into. After all, they were supposed to watch where they were going, right? Unfortunately, and unknowingly, the male was on a collision course with his little nephew.
Kolina:
A gentle breeze ruffled the cubs fur and carried with it the scent of many other creatures, none of whom were close enough to be dangerous though. No, the strongest scent that the cub picked up was that of the dry grass and dust that surrounded him. The young cub had no idea that such scents were hiding the imminent trouble in front of him.
Despite being careful where he stepped and allowing all his senses to guide him, Sahar was oblivious to the fact that his Uncle, the one had been looking for, was mere paw steps in front of him until it was far too late. Before the young cub could react to the close proximity of the lion's whose scent quickly dominated his sense, Sahar found himself tumbling head over heels as he half ran into and was half kicked by a much larger lion.
Landing, in a not so graceful position on his stomach with his limbs sprawled out around him, Sahar tried to get to his feet as quickly as possible. Looking in the direction from which he was kicked from, Sahar looked up to where he believed the lion's face would be. Glazed eyes stared unblinkingly as the poor cub tried to get himself righted after the unwanted tumble. "Who's there?" As much as Sahar pushed to be independent despite his handicap, running into a situation such as this with none of his family around to aid him was a bit frightening. After all, if things turned out bad, there was little he could do except run away in whatever direction his instincts told him to go and who knows where they may lead him.
Mila:
The large male hissed, jerking his paw back immediately. Out on the savannah, if you stumbled into something you were not certain of, you got away from it immediately; for all Utomo knew, it could be a black mamba, the deadliest of Africa's snakes. He had no particularly quarrel with any of them, and he didn't want one, either, for stepping into or onto it. His brain kicks in slightly behind his reflexes, though; the thing he bumped into had fur, not scales, and the large lion's eyes scan the grasses, mildly curious. Lunch, perhaps?
But the voice that comes out of the grass is most definitely Leonine, and Utomo, despite some males, is not one to eat his own kind. He snorts, rolling his eyes. "Watch where you're going, kid," he says, still looking for said fluffball. Ah - there it is, a gray cub, who had tumbled head over heels, clearly no match for the male's paw. He snorts, half-smirking in wry bemusement. "An' I could very well ask you the same question, puffball."
Kolina:
With the sound of the lion's voice, obviously male, Sahar took an unconcious step back and adjusted his gaze now that he had something to better direct him. The last thing poor Sahar wanted to do was anger the male. Obviously he was much bigger and the sound of his voice suggested that he wasn't that pleased to have Sahar bump into him. The last thing the grey cub wanted was to create any anger because it was clearly obvious that should this unknown male turn hostile, Sahar was the one who was going to pay. "I...I am sorry. You just surprised me." Despite his adjustment in his direction of sight, Sahar wasn't really looking at Utomo. The cub had to judge to the best of his ability how tall the lion was but had certainly undershot his gaze by a few inches.
"I am Sahar." He paused a moment, unsure whether to ask his question. Hesitation caused the cub to stop for a few moments before he gained enough confidence, or rashness, depending on how one looked upon it, to utter the words. "Um...you wouldn't happen to know a lion by the name of Utomo, would you?" He tilted his head to the side slighty, ear positioned forward so as to catch the tiniest of sounds that the stranger may make.
Mila:
The adult male lion actually takes a step back, mimicing Sahar, as he stares at the child. Good gods, it looks almost like him! With ... well, obvious differences; dark green eyes rather than violet. dark ears. Lighter face. No chest-marking. A flutter of panic wells up in his soul. This couldn't be ... isn't ... well, his, is it? But no, that was impossible, unless there are bits of his memory that he simply doesn't remember ... just no. Still, he can't help but feel very apprehensive, particularly when the kid knows his name. So surprised is he, he almost misses the name. Sahar?
"I am Utomo," he huffs, ears sliding back slightly, violet eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Look here, kid, who are you?" And why the hell do you look so much like me? It was unsettling, to think that such a child could grow up to become such a large adult ...
But there are some major differences. This cub looks so innocent, so polite; it was nothing like Utomo remembered of his own past. He had been a sulking, angry child, drippingly scornful at the few adults he had known. Hodari had certainly tried to stay away from him; thought he was just plain weird, the violet-eyed seer child. Then again, he hadn't been Hodari's son.
Kolina:
The sound of a paw hitting the grass caught Sahar's attention causing his ears to twitch and his muscles tense, but the step was certainly one made...backwards? What was going on? Certainly this bigger male wasn't fearful of him, Sahar? No, there must be something else wrong.
Then, the reply to his spoken question. At that moment a well of excited energy filled the cub and he nearly exerted that welled up energy in an excited leap for his Uncle. Instead he grinned ear to ear and approach Utomo with a cub-like bounce to his step. "Uncle Utomo!"
He paused his movements though when his Uncle's question was thrown to the wind. Did his uncle not know about he and his siblings? Well, it made sense really. This was the first time they were meeting and his Uncle didn't really keep in touch according to his mother. So, holding back his want to just start railing question at Utomo, Sahar tried his best to answer his Uncle's simple question. "Well, I am you Nephew." The grin he sported grew even wider. "My mother, Kilua, spoke of you."
Mila:
UNCLE Utomo? The male backpedals a few more pawsteps, flopping back onto his haunches and lifting one paw, as if he were not at all certain about the boy's sudden happy approach. His poor brain needs a few minutes to catch up. Gods, his brother or sister didn't have cubs?
He was sure Kilua was having a good time with a Utomo look-alike in her brood; their bond as siblings had never been strong. He had envied her for her position as 'favorite' of their mother's; in fact, she was the only cub their mother had liked. And she had been an arrogant b***h, besides. He was uncertain whether he should feel triumph that the cub looks so much like him, or disgust that she had children at all. "Oh," is what he weakly gives the child, still staring, and uncertain what his position should be on this issue. Something prompts him to suspiciously question, however: " ... and what did she say?"
Kolina:
The sound of more pawsteps and each one going further away from him before the obvious sound of something, or someone, obviously Utomo, sitting down. What was going on? Why was Utomo moving away? Was there something wrong? The sound of his Uncle's voice held the air of confusion and...fear? No, certainly not!
"Well...she talked about you and how the two of you never really got along, but what she really talks about, whenever you're brought up, is your weird ability. Well, she calls it weird but I don't think it is. Especially since..." He stopped and sat down, unseeing eyes just staring at Utomo. "Why did you move away from me? Did...did I do something wrong? Is there something around me?" At his last question, a hint of fear creeped into his voice as his ears swiveled to try and catch the sound of something that could be lurking in the grass around him.
Mila:
Utomo was not put on this earth to deal with children; he doesn't know how to react to Sahar. The most he's ever had to deal with children ... well, he's never had to deal with them. Children usually didn't go wandering away from their mothers, but Kilua had been raised with Ciyari, probably the worst parent ever; no wonder Kilua let her own children wander off. The kid was going to be eaten by a crocodile one of these days if it kept up the way it did. At that, a very mild sliver of pity crept in.
"No. Just surprised me, okay, kid? I ain't seen my sister - your mom - " the word couldn't help coming out with a sneer - " ... in ages, and now you show up and tell me you're her kid. If you didn't look so much like me, I wouldn't believe it myself." And weird ability? His eyes narrow once again. The family's thrown another seer? And one that looks like Utomo? That's disturbingly ... ironic, and unsettling. Might as well stop scaring the kid, though. It wasn't it's fault, and it'd probably have a hell of a life to deal with anyway. He puts his paw back down, ears slowly moving forward as he surveys Sahar through cool eyes. "Get over 'ere so I can take a decent look at you. Who's your dad?"
Kolina:
Sahar cocked his head to the side as he listened carefully for any sort of movement from his uncle. Twitching his ears ever so slightly in an attempt to pick up more sound, Sahar could hear faint crackling of dried grass from where his Uncle was but nothing that signaled any large movement. It was times like these that Sahar cursed the Gods for making him blind. He wished so much to see what his Uncle looked like and compare them both. Mother had commented on numerous occasions how much they both resembled one another in both looks and talent. If only he could see for himself...
The sound of Utomo's voice broke Sahar out of a rare self pity for himself. With ears forward the cub listened intently to try and get a mental image of what his uncle might look like. His abilities weren't all that strong, not yet, but at times he'd be able to get flashes of what the world looked liked. It was those moments that gave him hope that maybe some day he'd be able to see, if not through his own mind but through this strange ability of his.
At Utomo's prompting, Sahar gaged where his Uncle's voice was and took a few confident steps in Utomo's direction before stopping, not completely sure how close he was to Utomo. "Father's name is Kamal." He grinned as he looked up where he believed Utomo's face would be.
Mila:
There was something subtly wrong with the child's movements, Utomo noted as the boy stepped out into the light, out of the thicker grasses. Wait - good gods. The kid is blind. Where the hell was Kilua, anyway? A kid like this shouldn't be left to let roam on it's own. A very brief sort of pity flickers up in the male; unusual for him, who is so self-centered. But he's not a stone-heart, either, and the child's plight reminds him uncomfortably of his own past life, which he'd like to forget as best he can. Things always come back to you, though ... the thought flickers across his mind, and he scowls.
Kamal ... no, he didn't know any Kamal. He was surprised his sister had taken a mate, though ... well, a mate that she acknowledged. Getting pregnant by a no-name rogue he would have expected. But the boy actually sounds as if he knows this Kamal. Better than Utomo; he didn't even know his father's name.
"Huh," he remarks, still fairly weirded-out by the situation. "How many siblings you got?"
Kolina:
"I've got a brother and four sisters." He said with a smile. "They're all playing somewhere and Mum and Dad are probably sleeping." Sahar shifted his weight and sat back, 'looking' up at Utomo. "So why haven't you been around at all? I thought I'd have gotten to meet you sooner." He stared at Utomo with his filmed eyes for a moment before shrugging. "It doesn't matter I guess. -I- found -you-." He said playfully with a grin. "It was like a game of hide and seek!" He exclaimed with a laugh.
"So, mother tlaks about these abilities that you have. I have them too." He said proudly and stuck out his chest. "I just can't control them...not yet at least. I mean...I plan on controlling it one day...if it's controllable that is." He flattened his ears for a moment, unsure whether he just made sense or not before deciding to continue. "Is it controllable? Can you control your ability? Can you teach me? can you Uncle Utomo?"
Mila:
Sweet gods. He's an uncle six times over. Four nieces, and two nephews ... urgh. He wonders, idly, if any of them are like Kayin. Probably none of them are like him in personality; he's not sure if that would be a good or bad thing. So Sahar probably snuck off, then. He relaxes, although he cannot say why this makes him feel better. Surely he doesn't care about his sister or her brats. No, that couldn't possibly be it.
He snorts, faintly. "I'm a rogue, not some bloody pridal, kid. I live my own life." But at the mention of Sahar's unique 'abilities,' all other considerations go right out of his mind.He stiffens, ears falling back against his skull. The kid had them, too? But ... best to be sure. "What kind of 'abilities' would these be?" He querries, trying to keep the clear suspicion out of his voice.
