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 Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 6:22 pm
Moyo had grown. She wasn't the innocent, paranoid lioness she was when she had left home. She didn't cry at every little thing like she used to. She had long ago accepted that Kiwi was proud of his scars; she didn't spend her nights crying herself to sleep and blaming herself for the painful memories and injuries her mate had taken in place of her.
"You're so grown up," she commented, pulling away and taking a good look at him. His mane had finally grown in, resembling their father even more. Spare items glimmered and shone in the spare light given; she wondered what they were, these shiny things on his legs and tail and buried in his mane somewhere.
She had also grown into her motherly role much more than she once was. She became more practical, less likely to worry over the small things.
But this was her brother. Her only blind brother, the one that had traveled miles and miles in search for her. No matter how much time had passed, nor how much the distance increased between them, nothing could possibly shake the bond they held.
So the two tears that trickled down her cheeks were for the past Moyou that would have welcomed him in a more suitable manner.
"Let's just sit here for a moment and see if we can't wait this rain out a bit more. Then I'll take you back home and show you our den. Where it's dry and warm," she added with a chuckle.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 6:36 pm
Despite how weary and worn he was Paki still managed to chuckle at the mention of his growing up. He didn't feel very grown truthfully. He didn't feel much of anything other than a young and naive cub.
Of course he wasn't, he knew that very well. He'd gotten in fights and he'd felt the first ticklings of love in the pit of his white belly. That in itself was something he thought would never happen to him. Paki certainly wasn't the lion he'd been two years ago when he'd left his family in search of the only one he thought understood him.
It was true that she understood him well, but he knew after so long on his own that the family he had left behind understood him more than he'd originally thought as well. Maybe just as much just in a different way.
"Growing UP is apparently something I excell at. Or so I'm told." Paki said at last, his voice rumbling from deep in his chest as he laid down on the ground and turned his head towards the opening, feeling the wind brush against his cheeks and nose. "Okay. I like the dry parts of the world."
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:18 pm
Moyo chuckled again. "Nah, you look pretty grown up to me. Maybe not in the way you think, but it shows to me. I'm very proud of you."
In only a few seconds the thunderstorm had softened to a light drizzle. It was safe to say that this was probably their only chance to make the quick jog back to Moyo's home and not get completely drenched again. Maybe this was the eye of the storm, maybe it was completely over. They didn't know, but she's sure as hell rather be back in her den either way.
"I think it's safe to go out, now. It's only drizzle. Want to hold onto my tail?" The offer didn't mean to be demeaning in any way. Just one of those siblings things she thought he'd like. If not, then he could follow like he usually did. With his ears.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:59 pm
Light colored eyes couldn't see her tail, but Paki knew that it was there very close to his head. Moyo had done things like that when he was a cub, though he'd always denied them because he thought he was able to find his own way around, wanted to do it without the aid of something as useful as a guiding tail.
He'd been stubborn, seemed the gene ran in the family lineage or something, he was used to it by now really.
Rather than what he would have done when he was a cub, Paki decided to take her up on the offer, not saying a word, instead wrapping his teeth around her tail in a silk-soft manner so he wouldn't hurt her when she began walking. It was a little degrading, but at the same time it was slippery and if she fell at least it would give him something to catch her with... even if it would be painful.
That was just words to soothe his ego though. He knew why he was grabbing her tail. It was because it had been too long since he'd done anything like this before. It was because he trusted his older sister.
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Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:44 pm
Slowly and steadily, Moyo led them up a small slope and onto higher ground in the drizzling rain. The water collected below them, pooling and flowing downhill as they headed the opposite way, towards her home.
She swung her tail gently or not even at all as they walked. She was glad that Paki had accepted the peace offering. The lioness wasn't sure what she would have done if he had declined.
After a few moments of walking she called back to him, "Almost there." Almost reassuringly to herself, in fact, that he wanted to come see her home. They had both grown up so much in the last few years that she thought about how to act around him. Something she'd never have to do before.
And it scared her.
As they exited the small tree-populated area and found themselves in the savannah itself, she increased her pace to a quick trot, eager to return home. She didn't know where her family was; probably out exploring or something or another. She hoped they didn't catch a cold out in the rain, but what can you do with grown boys and a girl who did nothing but spend all her free time anywhere but at home.
She sighed to herself, pushing those worries away for the moment.
She had her brother to concentrate on. The reminder echoed in her head as she spotted the den coming up.
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 7:37 pm
Back out in the rain once more, Paki let his eyes close against the onslaught. It was odd how he could feel his eyes, that he knew they were there, yet he could see nothing from them. It was as if one of the gods were telling him to appreciate them even if he could never see with them. It was odd, but he did appreciate the fact that he had eyes, he'd been told what color they were before, been asked why he kept them open when he couldn't see from them.
In the end he just shrugged all the questions off, let them remained unanswered. Paki wasn't sure about hsi eyes, why he kept them open when he didn't have to or why he turned his head to look at those around him even though he couldn't see them. It was just a habit, probably an attempt to show those who weren't sure of his blindness that he was in fact listening to what they were saying.
A jingle from his tail as he moved it reminded him of the items that covered his body. He never knew what they looked like, would never know what they looked like. But the size and feel of them had intreigued him, so he'd found a way to wear them. On his front right leg there was a tiny round thing that made a tinkling noise when it was dry and not matted in his thick fur. It was his favorite thing of all, though it made it hard to hunt.
Lifting his chocolate dabbed ears at Moyo's words, Paki didn't bother responding, already knowing that they were out of the forest or jungle that they'd been in. Trees had a certain smell that the savannah lacked, he knew they'd gone out of them while he'd been lost in his thoughts. That was fine to.
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Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 1:24 pm
She expertly led Paki around the smooth bend at one of the corners and into the dry, warm den she called home with great fondness. Kiwi, her mate, had actually discovered the place, but she took pride in making it a "home" instead of a mere den. Her patience at rubbing in shelving and creating separate "rooms" for all of her family members had paid off in her children's thanks of having their own special space to go to whenever they wanted.
She had decorated the walls, placing pretty rocks and shells wherever she could. Often on her hunts, Moyo would return with many pawfuls of fresh grasses from the savannah, as new beds for her family. And she painted on the walls. Sometimes with mud. Other times, when she could, she'd mash up dfferent colors of berries and spread them across the ceiling and walls and all over the den.
To brighten things up, make it seem more inviting.
She glanced back at him when she heard the jingle on his tail, but smiled at distantly seeing the brightly colored object swaying back to forth. It was so like him to pick up something like that, even if he didn't know what it looked like or what color it was. Just knowing that it made a sound would make him happy.
She wondered if she had anything that was like that, that she could give him to wear. Or, at least, have an interesting texture that he could always feel and explore if he wished.
Moyo gently pulled her tail away from her brother and shook herself dry in a corner.
"Well, this is home. There are fresh grasses laid down all over, if you'd like to pick a bed. No one will mind," she invited.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 3:04 pm
Anything but the warmth of the room and the closeness of it was lost on Paki as he walked in. A lion who couldn't see could never appreciate the things that littered the walls or the way the den was dug out over time with effort and skill and a lot of hard work. If he was told he would appreciate it, but not to the extent that one who could see it would. It was a major failing of his, but one he managed to fake enough to have pass sometimes.
The large lion sat where she'd left him, dripping water down in large puddles caused by the rivers that ran from his thick, abundant fur. His eyes might not have been able to see anything but he could smell things in here that made him comfortable and uneasy at the same time. Paki's nose could smell Kiwi again, it had been years, and the scents of other lions that seemed to smell distinct yet at the same time seemed merely a mesh of Moyo and Kiwi's scents. Their children of course, as if Moyo wouldn't have any by now. It had been two years after all.
Lifting his head, he smelled the remnants of berries and mud, of grass and of the sea. His nose was strong enough even to pick up the smell of worn rock in places, the difference in types of rock was obvious to him at least. One was stronger while the other was more worn, had soaked up the scents of other things over the long years while the newer hadn't yet.
"I'd hate to drip mud and water all over someone's clean bed. I haven't slept on a bed in years, I'll be fine." At this thought Paki chuckled. He hadn't slept on a bed when he'd been a cub either really, he'd slept in a heap of limbs with his siblings and parents. If he was really tired or stiff from playing he might try to climb up on one of his parents, more often his father than his mother.
Slowly he laid himself down on the floor of the den at the mouth of it, half afraid to come any further into this place that was so clearly not where he belonged. It was a sanctuary to Moyo's family and her family alone and Paki was her brother, sure, but not a member of her immediate family any longer. She had her own family now, as one day his b rothers and sisters would too, though Paki wasn't sure about himself. All things had to change and family changed over the years too, though at the same time it didn't always. It was just who you made part of your family and who you allowed yourself to get close to.
He realized now how lucky his sister was and it made him smile. Moyo had a good strong family and a nice mate. Sure, he was happy to have seen her again but Moyo probably didn't want him here anymore than Kiwi would be happy to have known he'd come.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:22 pm
"No, it's fine," Moyo insisted with a chuckle. "But if you'd like to sleep there, you're welcome to it. I know that we didn't have clean beds when we were little, either," she added, unknowingly speaking of the exact thing he had just thought about. "Mom and Dad just cuddled with us all night long. Kept us warm. But I found out how to make beds a long time ago, and particular seasons make the sweet grass really soft.
"I think I prefer no beds too," she added again as a quiet, almost-whispered afterthought to herself.
The lioness laid herself down on the opposite side of the mouth of the den, without a bed as well. She wouldn't put herself higher than her guest. Especially when that guest was her little brother.
"So," she began, almost awkwardly. It had been so long since they had seen each other; she should have visited home more often. That was a fairly large regret in Moyo's mind. She winced, letting herself show the emotion she usually kept hidden. "Tell me about your travel. What have you been up to lately?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:53 pm
Emotion was a fine thing, Paki showed a great deal of it himself without knowing that it had any effect on others, he'd never seen the reactions at least and wouldn't know. Yet for all that it was a fine thing, the large lion could never tell and would never know the emotions that others showed, even if they made a show of attempting to keep others from noticing. He just came accross as callous at those times but what could he really do to rectify that problem?
"You must take very good care of Kiwi and your children then." Paki said slowly, his ears sharper than the ears of many others he met. Of course he'd heard, that was how he was.
Slowly the large lion stretched out his body and relaxed on the ground, it was a first in a long time of walking. His bones creaked a bit and he felt the uncomfortable jab of his skin pulling tight over his boney spine. He didn't wince in an attempt to keep his sister from noticing the discomfort he was in, yet he wished he could go to sleep and forget the pain. A yawn pulled from his white muzzle and he shook the rest of the water off of his body.
Simple motions as these kept him from needing to respond to her question right away. Kept him from telling her how his life had been for so long.
"This is quite a distance from our old pride, at least so I've been seeing or have felt." Paki started, his blind eyes staring down at his paws without truly seeing them at all. "It felt like forever since I last was at home, probably has been forever since I was last at home. But at least while I was out there learning all this I got to meet some interesting creatures, not just lions, not all of them mean. I met a leopard named Kei once, she was one of the few that don't frighten me, even with my size now. I found out some lions out there can't be trusted though, I have the scar to prove it as well."
At this he let a rougish smile spread over his muzzle, though it was sadder than he meant it to be as his thoughts settled on the deep gouge on his belly.
"But at least I've met a girl since I came here.. you'd probably like her actually."
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:35 am
Moyo bowed her head in modesty. She tried the hardest that she possibly could to care for her family. It was her hope, when she was little, that she could even become half of the lioness that Tana was.
"You remember how good Mother was to us. I'm only trying to be like her to my own family," she explained with a chuckle. Indeed, she knew that he remembered as well as any of her other siblings how Tana could be with cubs. She would dote upon them, be a loving and caring mother to them and to anyone else who needed it. Theirs was a truly special mother, to be sure.
She watched as he finally relaxed a little bit. They had been apart for so long that she wasn't quite sure what he had to do in order to become comfortable. Apparently, stretching out was a necessity. She was glad Kiwi had insisted upon a large den (and the fact that they had had four cubs also helped to make the decision).
"I figured home was a long way away. It took a while to get here, at least. And I knew--wait, scar?" Moyo's eyes narrowed and eyed her little brother, searching for this 'scar' that he claimed to have gotten from one untrustworthy creature. She couldn't see it from this angle, and the fact that it was rather dark inside her den didn't really help.
Her mind was eased a little at the mention of a female.
"Oh, you met a girl? Who is she?" Moyo was very interested in this. She knew Paki was a handsome lion. Not all girls would be able to pass by her brother and not give him a second glance as they walk by. The only problem was his blindness, but apparently this girl didn't mind. Or she knew how to handle it. "I'd like to meet her, that's for sure." She gave a teasing smile and a knowing look to her brother. She knew he could hear it in her tone of voice.
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