[PRP] Quest for Rhythm Begins (Isithunzi / Kani'noe)

[Light Atago]

"Alright," Isithunzi said, pulling the little gourd to herself. "I usually start with my teeth, it makes it easier on your claws," she explained before digging her left fangs into the wood. She compressed it as hard as she could before stopping. Wood out of her mouth, she continued to explain. "So now this'll be easier to put a hole in with your claws..." She extended one and put it in the gap her teeth had made, gouging as much out as she could. Before long, there was a nice hole in the wood of the gourd. "Voila! One down-" she glanced at the amount of teeth she'd brought - "... Seven more to go!"

She pushed the gourd over to Kani for him to do the rest and continued a little bit of explanation. "This is really the hardest part of making one of these, it kinda hurts your paws, but the end result is worth it." Isi explained, finally sitting back with her tail flicking lightly behind her.  

[Kimaria]

He watched with wide eyes. So there were two processes, use a fang to start the hole and clean it off with a claw. That sounded easy enough but as he watched her he just hoped he didn't do anything wrong.

And then the gourd was being pushed towards him and he placed a paw on it, smiling slightly. "Okay, here goes nothing." And he lay himself down, holding the gourd tightly in his forepaws so it couldn't roll away whilst he tried to pierce it.

It was tricky at first and certainly not as easy as Isi had made it look, but after he'd completed three he found that there was a knack to it, a rhythm that you could fall into. And after a long while he finally had seven more holes imprinted in the gourd.

It was only when he stopped that he realised how much his jaw hurt from all the careful biting. He sat up, shook his head and gave a meek smile. "I think it's all done. You make it look much easier than it really is."  

[Light Atago]

Isithunzi watched the boy pierce holes into the gourd one by one with a smile. He seemed to be doing everything properly, though she was prepared to toss hints his way if he had been messing up. However, Kani eventually had finished this step in making a wonderful drum. Isithunzi confirmed when he had finished, though she couldn't help but chuckle at his comment. "After you've worked on as many drums as I have, you get very quick at it," she said. "That's the hardest part of it. I've lost many-a-claw to that process," She said with a slightly pained face at the memory. "When I was younger I tried to make a drum out of a particularly hard gourd, it had taken most of my claw right off, and I gave up after the third hole," She confided, knowing that the tale carried a valuable lesson with it.

"Anyway, back to business-" Isi said, looking back down at the gourd, then to the skin and claws. "You've gotta pull the skin over the opening here, and pin it in the holes with the teeth. It's generally best to pick a hole to start with, then pin in the one completely opposite to it, then pick another hole, then the one opposite to it." She said, pausing to make sure that any questions he had could be asked before she pushed the skin and claws towards him.  

[Kimaria]

He'd remember that. Hard gourds were no good for claws! He quite liked his claws where they were so he didn't want to risk damaging them. It gave him an exra boost to think that he had picked his drum well.

"I don't think I'd like to lose a claw." He replied. "That sounds painful." And he sheathed his claws as if to keep them away from harm.

And then he paused to listen to her next instruction. He'd never guessed that so much work came from making a drum. He supposed that it only made sense really. A drum was a special thing and it was a very important aspect of a lion's life in the pride. If it was so easy to accomplish than it wouldn't have any value.

Doing as he was told, he picked up the skin, afraid he would tear it. He was mildly suprised to find that the skin was thick and tough. He'd never touched anyone else's drum before so he had no idea how it felt. Feeling a little braver he spent a little while fastening the first hole. And then he span the drum and did the same to the other side. Remembering the look of Mawi Mai's drum he held the skin tight to get rid of wrinkles and fastened it from the other side. It took a couple of attempts before he thought he'd got it right.

Then with a sigh of relief he turned the drum slowly, pausing at each hole to fasten the skin to it. And as he did so the instrument came alive before him. He couldn't help but feel the thrill of excitement running through him.

And as he fumbled to secure the last hole he paused, wiped a paw across his face and beamed up at her hopefully. "You think it's okay, Isi?"  

[Light Atago]

Isithunzi watched so that she could intervene if he made a mistake, but Kani seemed to be doing wonderfully with his drum. Her tail flicked lightly behind her as she sat, proud of this upcoming generation- the newest blood for the pride. They were pretty intuitive as far as she knew, Isithunzi couldn't help but think to herself that there would be plenty of new catchy songs when the entire younger generation had come up with their rhythms. It was moments like this that always reminded her of the old days... They had been revived, not lost.

She nodded happily when she was turned to. "It looks very good, Kani'Noe. A very fine drum." She lowered her head so that she was at eye-level with it before raising her head up again. "Go ahead, give it a tap, it should make a very nice sound..." She said, waiting herself to hear his drum for the very first time.  

[Kimaria]

He felt pride and joy swell in his chest and for a long moment he stared at the drum, almost as if he were seeing a part of himself, a part of his soul.

He'd yet to find his inspiration and had worried about it the moment he had learned the ways of the pride as a tiny cub. But with this instrument he knew he'd find it. The drum was the key to his hopes and dreams. It'd make his family proud and give him the joy of music which he so desperately craved.

And obediently, he tapped the drum with the pads of a paw, listening to its warm, mellow note. It wasn't exceptionally loud, but it was calm and peaceful. He felt it the type of drum that could lull someone softly to sleep with lullabies.

He tapped it again, one...two...three...four, then looked up at Isi.

"Complete?" He whispered.  

[Light Atago]

Isithunzi perked her ear to hear the sound of it. It was much different from the style she used herself, a deep, more powerful sound. But it was equally pleasant. Different, but she liked it! It seemed to fit Kani, as far as she knew him. "It seems complete to me!" Isithunzi said happily. "All you have left to do now, Kani, is to go decorate it, if you want." She said with a wink. He should be able to do that on his own, though. "And then you find your rhythm!" she said happily

"Is there anything you need to know about that?" She asked. Isithunzi liked to make sure her pupils knew exactly what they needed to do when they headed out.  

[Kimaria]

Complete! Complete! This was the moment he had been waiting for, the moment his very life found purpose. This drum stood for everything he believed in and the happiness was almost unbearable.

"I'll paint it with my inspiration." He said decidedly. "Whatever that may be." And the timid boy seemed somewhat more confident.

And then Isi asked him if he understood all and he nodded, cautiously. "I think so..." He tried to think of what he had been told. "I go out of the lands by myself and try to find my rhythm. How I find it, I don't know. Will it just...happen by?"  

[Light Atago]

Isithunzi nodded sagely. "That's right. Your rhythm should be able to find you, in a sense. You'll be hit by inspiration, young one, and you'll know it when it hits you. It'll be a little like finding out something about yourself that you had not realized." That was what had happened to herself, anyway. Though, her quest had lasted until she was an adult, and her departure was under far different circumstances. She was so glad that the fresh blood of the pride didn't have to deal with a plague. "If you have anymore questions, Kani, seek me out and ask! I'd be glad to help. But unless you have any, I do believe we're finished! You've got your drum and you seem set to go find your rhythm," she said happily with a nod.  

[Kimaria]

This was it then.

She'd done all she could for him. Now it was up to him to take his future into his own paws. He had to step beyond the border alone and go in search of his inspiration. He felt a mix of emotions: excitement, fear, apprehension. But he knew he couldn't fail. He couldn't let his family down.

"Thank you." He replied, eyes glittering with all the emotion swirling in his heart. "I'll go and find my inspiration and then I can finally find my place here. My proper place." He gathered the drum against him and gave her a little bow of his head.

"Thank you Isithunzi. For everything." And hardly able to contain himself he gave her one last glance and with a smile, turned and made his way back across the lands. He'd stop off and say goodbye to his family and then he'd be off.

His journey was finally beginning.