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 Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:28 pm
She was silent for a moment, eyes distant as she considered everything she'd been though. All the things she'd done... did she feel older?
Oh, so much older. Hopefully wiser, but she worried about that too.
"I... feel like I've lived so much, it's strange that I'm only an adult now." She grinned, but it was a little weak, and it didn't really reach her eyes. "Not like my strength is gone, but just that I've done a lot. I used to worry about not living enough..."
Ha. That certainly hadn't been a problem for her. Now she was tired. She wanted to go home! ... no, that wasn't quite it. First she wanted to find a home she -could- go to. A place to belong. She thought of her mother and her heart twisted. It would never be the same - could never be the same - if she went back.
"What about you?" Her smile grew stronger, her gaze shifting in the direction of the rock wall. "... do you still believe in magic that could fly us over that wall?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:30 pm
"Wow, really? I still feel like the bumbling fool I was when I first met you." He flexed his claws, his eyes watching just how strong they had grown, though. He really had physically grown, but would he ever mentally? He sure hoped so. Especially so his mother could be proud of him. That meant the world to him. Though Tara was soon catching up to his mother, in his eyes.
He smiled, nearly laughing with embarassment when Tara brought up their old memory, the whole reason that they had met back together. Magic. "Sometimes," he admitted. "Home is full of spirits, sometimes you really think that there is magic. Now, to fly?" He finally laughed. "I'm not so sure about that, unless a God decided to carry you over that stone wall."
Smiling, he peeked a glance over at Tara, wanting to look at her, eye to eye, if only for a moment.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 3:03 pm
"Bumbling fool?" She giggled, shaking her head lightly. "I wouldn't say that. Besides, I think you're cute just like you are." She blushed slightly, but kept her eyes on his. Well... it WAS true! She'd met so many gruff, worldly, cynical creatures. It was nice to have a friend who was so innocent and ready to believe in the good of the world!
His last comment made the black lioness laugh out loud. Funny, how she actually knew a god that might be willing to do that.
"Oh? ...spirits?" Tara wasn't really sure if she quite understood what he meant by that. She knew about gods, and that you HAD a spirit (or so they said...) but how could spirits just BE there? Didn't they need a body? Weren't you supposed to 'move on' or some such thing once you'd died?
... she couldn't help but be curious about his home. "Where do you live, Juu?" Her eyes met his and she grinned, one brow cocked curiously.
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 11:09 am
Juu flushed when Tara had said that she though he was cute. Well, he would still say that he felt like a fool, but that was because he knew nothing about the world, and having to leave home for something that did, back then, seemed so stupid, made him a little pouty, like a child. But now, now he did feel like he had matured in a way, as he looked at the world not in contempt for holding him back from returning home, but in a sort of appreciation for what it had taught him. He felt that he should return home and tell his mother what he had seen, heard, and learned. She would be proud of him. And then he could see his sibilings again!
It never crossed his mind that not all of them might return from their naming quest.
When their eyes had met, he returned her smile with one of his own. "Well, not very many seem to know about it. I come from the Jini-msemi pride, in the Swamplands east of what's known as the Southlands. Actually...pretty far from here. We believe in spirits that surround us, create the world we live in. They make the wind blow, the flowers bloom....things like that." He hoped that he didn't sound too weird, since some others didn't seem to take it too well, actually.
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Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:59 am
"Can't say I've ever heard of them either."
The swamplands, huh? She couldn't say the name was especially inviting, but if Juu came from there it must not be ALL bad. Beliefs didn't really affect her - after all, she'd never really developed her own. She hadn't believed in gods, but then she met two... that blew HER theory out the window.
How could she ever doubt that there were spirits too?
"I... don't really have any religion, but yours sounds nice." She smiled softly. "It's a nice thought, that spirits are always there and watching over you." Though she couldn't help but wonder if there were bad ones too. What if a bad one took interest in you? She shivered slightly.
"Is it far away from here?" She asked. "Your home, I mean?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 7:18 pm
Juu's eyes sparkled with the mild acceptance that Tara gave him about his home. Well, at least she seemed a bit curious about the idea of them instead of repulsed? It seemed that not many knew about the Jini-msemi, and so he would always get strange looks when he tried to explain a bit about them. And even though Tara didn't seem to dive right into the idea, it also felt a little good that she wasn't, either. She was thinking about herself more than anyone, and that he admired in her.
"Well, it's not that far. Just a bit past the other side of the Pridelands...if you've been there? They're kind of a large pride, but..." he flushed. Who didn't know about the Pridelands? "But yeah, we're just on the other side." He somehow remembered just where he was, even with all the exploring of the whole area, in a search to find his name.
His stomache fluttered. He was still nervous about returning home with his name. To see his sibilings, to see his mother.
....wait. Wait. Was she asking how far away it was because...? He shooed the thoughts away. Never assume things that you had no idea about, that was something he had learned recently.
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 7:17 pm
"Pridelands? I haven't ever been there, but I've heard of it." Sounded like a busy place, with so many lions everywhere... she wouldn't live there if someone offered her free food for a year! "Your pride... it isn't that big, is it?"
It wasn't that she was nervous, but rather... well, she just didn't want to live somewhere that crowded! But the swamplands sound like they might be a little more private. She hoped, anyways.
"Are you... are you heading back home soon?" She asked, not meeting Juu's eyes. She didn't have anywhere to go, anywhere to call home. What would she do after Juu left her from here? She couldn't go back to Hasa- ... to her mother, could she? But maybe... maybe...
Tara focused on everything BUT Juu, her ears folding back uncertainly, tail wrapped tightly around her too-slender form.
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 12:08 pm
Juu nodded. "Yeah, the Pridelands are pretty big...almost too big, really. They're much bigger then our pride. Actually...there's really just family there, at least there was when I left. And one other member not related by blood, but...it's small, snug, but there's enough room for each of us to get our own space."
He thought to himself about home, and the next question that Tara had for him didn't quite surprise him. "Well....I would like to," he admitted. "I've been away for a long time." He fiddled with a bit of his mane, just thinking about how quickly it seemed to grow in only after he left. Strange, to think about it that way.
He peered over at her, but was a bit concerned to see that she seemed so..tense. What was going through her mind? He...really didn't know. Did something he say bother her?
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:49 am
It was strange - Tara never had a problem speaking her mind before. In fact, she'd come to think of herself as rather blunt, and was proud of it too! So what was this sudden nervousness about? Why was she so afraid to just ask the question? It wasn't like she was asking to live with him forever or something... she just wanted a new home, a new place to find happiness.
The tip of her tail twitched rhythmically as she worked her way through her thoughts.
Maybe... maybe it was because she cared. If he said no...
This was stupid. Steeling herself, she raised her head and looked Juu in the eyes, but she couldn't keep the hope from showing on her face as she spoke.
"Do you... " Tara hesitated, the took a deep breath. Just say it already! "Do you think I could meet your pride?" ... that came out strangely. "Well, I mean, I don't have a home, and your home sounds really nice and if everyone is as sweet as you, then it must be a wonderful place! ..."
She stared at him, hope naked on her face.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 9:22 am
Juu's face was blank t first, as he tried to let his mind absorb what his ears had just heard. Tara...wanted to return home with him?
Waaait wait wait. Not really 'with' him, but she did want to see what his home was like. Well, that could be good! Hopefully it would go well, if she really wanted to see his homeland!
"Sure, that can be arranged," he said, as roughly as he could. Never being one too seirous, though, he soon broke out in a laugh. "Certainly, Tara, I'd love that!"
Erp, maybe that was a bit too forward. He flushed, letting his eyes wander back towards the water streaming just a short couple feet from their own paws. Well, it would certainly seem much different than here, hopefully she would like it. A lot.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:53 pm
Juu's rough tone set her back a pace. Her ears flattened and she frowned, uncertain how she should take such a response. She'd thought he liked her! She's hoped they could be friends...
"I mean, if you don't want to - I don't want to be a both--"
She blinked as he laughed. Wait... what? A slow grin spread across her face until it stretched from ear to ear. Insantly she relaxed, her own laughter joining Juu's.
"You big lummox!" She feigned a swipe at his face. "I thought my heart was gonna stop!"
... which, though a bit dramatic, was strangely true. Did it really mean so much to her? I guess it does...
"So, when do we leave?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:14 am
That...startled Juu. Not her misinterpretation of his (horrible) stern and gruff look, but that she wanted to leave already. It seemed...so fast to him.
N-not that he would complain! It just definately threw him a loop to jump through. Well, it would be really nice to return home, and in fact, he was ready to return home.
His olive-coloured eyes switched towards the treetops, peering through the branches to see what time of day it was. Well, it seemed that there was enough light to get a start, so maybe now!
"Well," he began, turning his eyes back down to Tarajia. "It seems there's enough light in the sky to get a head start, we could leave as soon as you are ready to?" He had no obligation to anyone for a farewell of sorts, but he wasn't completely sure about Tara. Here he'd give her the chance she might want before they would return to the Jini-msemi.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:38 pm
Right now. ... was she ready?
Tara hesitated for a moment, glancing around the forest as if she had missed something. She'd come here to see Juu, but her family was so close by... could she just leave without a word? She'd caused so much damage, been responsible for so many problems.
The lioness was silent for a long moment, her gaze locked in the direction of the hidden pridelands beyond the jungle. Then she turned and smiled at Juu.
"I'm ready when you are."
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:07 pm
Juu smiled. Well, it sounded like they were ready. Tara's silence made him worry, if only for a moment. He just hoped that she would not regret it, leaving so quickly. He had no real understanding still of how her family was, but that didn't matter to him, as long as Tara was happy.
"Alright. It'll probably take a few days to get there. I'm sure if we start out now we'll get there in no time."
He pulled himself up onto all four paws, giving Tara a nudge before he led the way towards home.
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