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 Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:40 pm
"Follow me then." She turned and rolled her eyes so they wouldn't see. She wasn't sure what it was about this couple but she liked them and even though they clearly had things to sort out she knew the pride could do with a couple like them.
She led them down to the beach, which took a little longer then normal but walking isn't easy when one is heavily pregnant! As they reached the shoreline Kwaruza collapsed in the sand and looked at the two strangers.
"Right all you have to do is walk until you hear me shout and then stay there till I call you again. If either of you have any trouble my son is near and I shall call him to help, he is an amazing swimmer." She smiled proudly and then looked to the sea.
"The tide seems calm so you shouldn't have any problems. Any questions?" She turned back to the couple and couldn't help but wonder who they really were. Well she could track them down some other time when she wasn't heavily pregnant and have a chat to see who they were and where they came from.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:06 pm
We. Aminifu's eyes lit up as his past emphasized the word. His disbelief in the future he had once desired lightened, but it still seemed implausible that the beautiful Makuu would risk getting her fur soaked by the salty sea. But why would she be lying now, when she had been so blunt before?
With an anxious heart, Aminifu forced himself to let go of all the questioning towards Makuu and followed Kwaruza to the beach, the whole time trying to keep his eyes from straying onto Makuu. He cleared his mind, concentrating on the task at hand, and the calming sensation the sounds of the beach had to give. He made sure to walk slower than usual, and didn't want to rush the tiring pride member.
When Kwaruza stopped, he listened well to her words and promptly nodded. Ah, so this wasn't Kwaruza's first time expecting -- she must be a happy seasoned mother, and that thought brought a smile to Aminifu's usual hard face. He would indeed be in good company in this pride.
"I will do my best," Aminifu replied, not finding anything he specifically wished to ask.
And with those words, he started down to the shoreline until he hit the edge where the splashing waves were reaching, and stopped. He turned back very tentatively, catching Makuu's form. He supposed he should wait and see what was to happen. Was she really going to do this?
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:18 pm
She could feel herself involuntarily swallow as the older lioness mentioned her son being able to rescue them, if need be. So this Rites business was more dangerous than it appeared to be at first.
Oh dear.
The instructions weren't difficult to comprehend, though, despite the unsaid dangers Makuu now knew lay within the task. Walk out, stand there, start swimming in the water.
She'd kept her eye on Aminifu, who was clearly avoiding her and her gaze, it seemed. Her mind raced with questions, hopes, fears, but she forced them all away as she followed the brown male down to the shoreline.
Pausing, she stared down at the water, the waves gently rolling in and crashing against the sand. Makuu wasn't opposed to getting wet... but she'd never been faced with a situation that involved her getting completely wet, either.
One quick glance at the pensive Aminifu sent her heart racing again. No, she wasn't going to back down; she was here to stay with Aminifu, and if it meant going in the water, then in the water she would go!
Taking a deep breath, she turned her focus towards the water ahead of her. With furrowed brows, the young lioness ignored her instinct to slowly move into the water, and instead barged ahead, making her way out into the ocean, one splash after another.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:33 am
Kwaruza watched them go though she was continually wondering where they both had come from and their history. There was a strange tension in the air between them both and so maybe after they had settled she would find out. She was too curious not to wonder.
She happily rolled in the sand smiling at herself. It was much more comfortable to lay on her side then on her rather large stomach. She maneuvered herself so that she could see the pair easy enough and watched. She wondered whether they would talk while out there, if they did Kwaruza wouldn't be able to hear them which annoyed her a little. She really wanted to know more about the pair.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:09 am
Eyes widened as he saw Makuu race forth into the water, leaving him behind! So, she was that eager to join in? While Aminifu still had his uncertainties, he could no longer help but give a small, albeit concealed smile. He watched her bright blue form ripple itself upon the ocean's own liquid blue, making a mess of the water while she had been at it, and surged through himself, his natural warrior strength and physique allowing him to catch up in no time.
He wavered in the waves slightly, and soon felt like if he had went any further, his paws would start lifting from the sandy bottom. He kept close enough to Makuu so there would be enough time to perhaps rescue her--and learn how in the process--but not that close. He could see that Makuu had a harder time than himself; her body gave in more to the swaying waves, though she seemed like she could be at home amongst the matching blues, cyans, and greens of the sea.
An eye allowed itself to wander sharply over to the shoreline, where he spotted Kwaruza shifting to the side. He was paying attention now, awaiting an alert for the next task or order. He kept quiet, hoping the silence in the sea would not turn out so awkward between his initiation partner, but it had probably already done so. He let a sigh out unknowingly, and felt his mane swish slowly from side to side through the water; once this was over, he'd surely look like a beast with his hair clinging to him on the land.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:29 pm
The wet sensation enveloping her was quite uncomfortable to the prissy lioness, but Makuu slowly adjusted herself to the water as she walked further and further into it. Her pretty blue pelt was now soaking, but she knew better than to complain. The LAST thing she wanted was for Aminifu to see how nervous this was making her.... no, she was going to do this, and she was going to do it for him. They were going to get into a new pride, they were going to start a new life together.
She hoped, at least!
It wasn't terribly long until the water grew so high, Makuu had difficulty keeping both her feet planted on the ground, and her head about the waterline. Taking a deep breath, she gently lifted her paws from the ground, and began pushing against the water, paddling herself.
As much as she wanted, she couldn't look behind at Aminifu. No, she was going to show him that she was devoted, that she really meant this.
Keep that spirit up, she reminded herself, you've got to show him that you've changed!
"If you need help," she panted, bobbing up and down in the water as she attempted to put up a good front, "Just let me know!"
Hopefully it wouldn't be too much longer before this challenge was over with, else she might have more problems than relationship ones!
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:33 pm
Kwaruza watched the pair move out in to the water and smiled as they did so. She shouted out stop when she was sure the pair were in the right place. She then settled herself down again and allowed them to worry or whatever it was that the lions did out there. She did wonder sometimes whether some were worried or scared or like she had been, really confident.
She closed her eyes for a little while and inhaled the sweet scents of the sea. Oh how beautiful it was. She smiled somewhat and then opened her eyes once more. After all she did have to watch these lions!
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:41 pm
When no panicked eyes turned towards him, Aminifu wouldn't admit it, but felt a little... proud of how well Makuu was faring. Well, she probably had a strong body to match her administration of that strong disapproval towards him earlier.
Despite his thoughts, he felt true mirth rise as Makuu's suggestion was heard through the waves, though he didn't care to register his amusement on his face. He saw the way his female companion seemed to struggle in the water, and prevented himself from offering any aid, unsure of where that would get him - and whether it was even allowed to complete this initiation.
Before Aminifu could begin to think of any response he would have liked to give Makuu, his ears perked at the sound of Kwaruza's command and he stopped as much movement in the water as he could have; the waves didn't help, and whenever they shifted him too much towards a stray direction, he attempted to place himself back at the correct spot. It was a little harder than he imagined, though it seemed like a silly way of being tested at first. His massive size was doing him well in regards to floating, anyways.
"I cannot bring myself to fully believe you are doing this," he finally muttered after his silence on what half of the ordeal the two had gone through already, "But you are..."
He still couldn't look at Makuu, simply keeping a keen eye on the white Kwaruza onshore. He resolved to remain silent for the most part as well, feeling the need to go through one thing at a time - the first priority being the present trial.
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:47 am
She heard the order and attempted to stop where she floated, her legs paddling hard against the water beneath her in attempts to keep her body afloat and her head atop the waterline.
Makuu wasn't out of shape by any means, but after having chased after Aminifu for such a lengthy time on top of this swimming business, she was growing tired, and her muscles screamed in pain.
The lioness panted, but continued the struggle to keep herself trading water, doing her best to remain in the same spot that she'd been told to stop in, despite the push of the waves to move her in other directions. She heard him, just barely above the sound of the waves, and she could feel her cheeks begin to betray her as they flushed.
"I can be different, I p-promise," she tried to answer back, the ocean attempting to fill her mouth every time she opened it to speak. "Just give me the chance!"
She coughed, sputtering the saltwater she had ingested. The saltwater was everywhere, her eyes, her nose, her mouth. She could feel her teal eyes begin to weep from the burn of the salt, her throat on fire from the water that had slipped in.
Oh when would this every be over!?
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:32 am
Kwaruza watched, the female seemed to be struggling a little and though she wasn't sure that the male had completed it, for the safety of them she decided it was best to call them both back. Her eyes didn't leave the female as she walked down towards the shore, allowing the water to lap at her legs.
"You can come back!" She shouted out at them, still intently watching the female. Maybe she was tired? She just seemed to be having some issues out there and Kwaruza wasn't about to risk it. They had passed, it was fine. They were now pride members and so she could leave them be and they could sort out the issues that seemed to cling to them.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:15 am
Kwaruza's voice in the distance, though far and muffled, offered a comforting interruption to the silence Aminifu had imposed while swaying around in the sea next to Makuu. He was puzzled at why the white female had to get up from her rest and look towards the two so intently--was there something nearby that the two should have been concerned about? He quickly glanced left and right, but was left with the routine calming waves of the sea that presented nothing new--at least, for the moment.
It was done? Aminifu paused momentarily, opening his mouth to face the obviously exasperated Makuu, but then immediately closed it, feeling anxious. The two had completed the test together. Though it seemed simple enough, every aspect of that fact made it very confusing for the brown lion, and he found himself yet again at a loss of words, or shying away at the opportunity to express the concern he still held for Makuu. It was hard to admit it, but his heart grew fonder upon acknowledging the two successfully joined the ranks of the Bahari'mtoto, though he still wished to conceal it.
Slowly, Aminifu made his way back towards the shore, keeping Makuu in his sight--just in case--and attempted to thwart all thoughts of his situation away. He had many things to reflect on, and even more to deal with now, after he gets on the beach to thank Kwaruza for her help.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:36 pm
She felt a moment of triumph as she heard the lioness call them from the beach. It was time to come back at last, and Makuu had conquered the challenge!
Attempting to spit out last bit of saltwater that had invaded her mouth, the peacock lioness kicked and pushed against the water with her legs, finally breathing a sigh of relief as her paws finally touched the murky sand below. Her legs were weak. She was tired and out of breath.
But oh was she happy!
Makuu knew better than to turn and look at Aminifu, but she did anyhow, casting him a shy smile before finally trudging herself onto the warm sand before Kwaruza. She had managed to complete the task, and she'd done it for Aminifu. Surely he would start to see now that she'd changed, right? She could be a better lioness, she would prove herself to him, in this new pride, in their new lives.
"Thank you," she panted, having the decency to recall her manners, despite her weariness. "I appreciate you giving us the opportunity to join your pride, Kwaruza."
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:38 am
Kwaruza smiled as she realized the female seemed to be okay, maybe Kwaruza was just being hormonal? It was more then possible. She as sure being pregnant made her see things that weren't there.
"Its my pleasure to welcome you both as members of the Bahari'mtoto though just one thing before I let you both go... What are you good at? We will need to rank you so that you have your jobs to do, whether you wish to hunt, look after cubs, guard.. Everyone must do their bit." She spoke softly and looked from one to the other wondering what they could do. She would like to get to know them a bit more but it could wait, they needed to settle.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:56 pm
Receiving the coy look, Aminifu stopped from shaking the excess moisture from his body and followed her willingly to Kwaruza. His mane still dripped with the stray droplets that clung onto him from the sea, and he instinctively shook it out just a little more, trying to not get either of the two lionesses sprayed.
He was still rather stunned acknowledging the fact that Makuu completed the trial on her own, but he was beginning to worry with himself that he should have helped her; what kind of a lion was he, now, to turn away from his morals over a heartbreak?
"Yes, thank you," Aminifu chimed in after Makuu's own gracious claim, adding a nod, "We will keep the peace, and hope to contribute much."
We? Was he already considering Makuu as part of his own company, now? Not that he didn't want it, but wasn't she the one to reject him from associations with herself? How can something be taken back so easily? He sniffled at the thought, though keeping the straight and firm composure he should have in front of the kind white female.
"I was a warrior where I came from," Aminifu answered thoughtfully; however, it didn't sound like the seaside pride have much use for those.
"I have an able body, a sharpened paw, and will answer to any calls of emergency if the pride needs," he continued truthfully, as it was really the only thing he learned to do in life since a cub, "And I can protect the pride well from possible threats, as I do have some patrolling experience."
He hoped that was enough as an answer to Kwaruza; it was as much as he could offer for the moment, for he had no knowledge of what exact ranks members of this pride filled.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:01 pm
Jobs?
Makuu frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. She'd never had to worry about holding much of a position in their former pride, not when the majority of others would do things for her.
"I... I can craft, a bit?" She responded meekly, growing more ashamed by the second over not having much knowledge of anything. "I used to make ornaments for the lionesses in my former home..."
She paused, thinking over her options more thoroughly. She wasn't used to hunting... she was pretty pitiful at hunting... she'd never had cubs of her own...
"I also used to babysit for the other lionesses!" the blue lioness added, trying to make up for her lack of skills. "When they would go out, I would tend to their children, and my own mother taught me some basic learning in the arts of wound caring?"
Man, how she wished she'd listened more to her mother back then!
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