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 Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 11:55 am
Tanana answered the question on his behalf and he cast his gaze towards Ariza with a brief shake of his head. "No, I just found her, that's all," he explained and pursed his lips. He had met difficult lions before but none of them had counted like she did, in many respects she seemed desperate for anonymity and yet there was a stubbornness that drove her to keep moving. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely certain of how to react in the given circumstances...he needed her to drink, but he wasn't the most forceful of individuals either.
"No," he said at last, having finally made a decision in regards to the issue. If he needed to be firm then he could certainly do that, and where there was a will, there was always a way. The lioness was obviously uncomfortable with his existence, but if she didn't accept his assistance she would cease to exist herself. Rock and a hard place, he'd met stubbornness before, he knew he could handle that at the very least.
"Not while you're unable to stand," he continued and motioned to the water. "When you don't look like you're at deaths door then I'll leave, but right now..." he trailed off and released a sigh. His lips pursed into a grim line and he took another few steps back, taking a seat and coiling his tail around all four legs - for all intents and purposes he would have resembled a Bastet statue...if either of them had known what that was.
"Right now you need to drink, and when you've had your share of that you need to eat. I can get you both of those things and when you're safe, I'll leave you," he didn't so much offer as state. This was how things were going to be, for Tanana there would be no arguments. "Until that time I'll stay right here. I swear on my mother's life that I won't move," he added and motioned to Ariza with his chin.
"She's the witness, k?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 2:36 pm
Ariza would be less apprehensive the next time she encountered a predator the size of Solomon. They would have substantially less hardships as a collective whole if every lion considered it their personal responsibility to edify their downtrodden neighbors through true generosity and kindness as this one had. The gift of his time was the most selfless of all, and oh goodness, how inspiring it was!
Mto would voice many complaints when she returned late, but none the less, Ariza would see this through to the end.
"Yes, dear," she agreed, "I'm the witness. We'll stay."
Tanana's continued efforts to get a look at this appointed witness had fruitless results. Whether or not she could see them, she could hear them loud and clear. What they were saying did not ring true to her ears. They would leave, and probably soon.
When they did not, Tanana felt she might be sick. It was terrifying to be trapped like this. Almost as frightening as being free.
"What is she like?" she asked softly. "Your mother?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 5:56 am
Solomon had begun to suspect that Tanana would sooner see herself dead rather than take his offering. He was almost certain of this, to the point that he was contemplating the best way in which to 'trick' her into assuming he had left. Should she feel she was alone, she might have the courage to creep out and take what she sorely needed. He was accustom to taking 'baby' steps in certain situations, but these mostly revolved around construction and the creation of new outposts... not the life of another being.
Nevertheless, he gave a start when she spoke to him, his ears twitching as he cast his gaze towards her. He hadn't anticipated she would speak directly to him, nor had he anticipated she would ask about his mother. Truth be told very few ever did and he didn't really bring the subject up himself either. It wasn't that he didn't love his mother, he would have died for his family, but the phrase he had used was a generally accepted sworn oath... Very few would have asked for clarification of the lioness involved.
"Mine?" he croaked and then shook his head, she could only mean his.
"I love her very much, then again quite a few individuals do," he said at last and released a soft sigh through parted lips. "She hasn't been of this worl -land," he corrected himself quickly and then continued, "for very long, but in the time she has been here she has made it her duty to bring joy to those around her."
He paused, contemplating how best to approach the subject of his mother. She was a deity of course, the deity who oversaw the Harvest, but it was unlikely that anyone would believe him if he said that.
"She loves a good party, games, colour..." he motioned with his paw to his own coat with a small smile. "If she had it her way no one would want for anything, but she's learning that this isn't always possible, so she does her best to help where she can," he gazed upwards and snorted softly, though it was more of a chuckle than anything. "Whether it be bringing a rare herb from a distant land, or simply inspiring confidence that the preybeasts will come home..."
"Reassuring the hungry that they'll have food, the thirsty that they'll have water," he turned his gaze back to the log and pursed his lips. "I wouldn't say that she isn't without some faults, she's certainly made some ridiculous mistakes, but she would never hurt anyone if she could avoid it."
He fell silent again and bit the side of his lip, chewing on it uncertainly.
"But all you really need to know is that she raised me to never leave someone to die," his expression hardened ever so slightly and he gazed at Tanana. "Life is too precious to throw to the wayside, it is the one thing Mkodi graces us with so that we can have our own adventures and see the beauty that she crafts... and I don't just mean this as a mere mortal, because even gods can die," he explained softly.
"She taught me never to turn a blind eye to suffering. Where you have strength, share it. Where you have courage, show it." he lifted his paw to brush at his mane in an attempt to distract himself, elected that moment to cease in his description of his mother. He knew what would happen if he continued, he'd jump up onto the soap box and speak passionately about his family, his mother's very definite view on the world, and his father's views on how this should be achieved.
...He'd put everyone to sleep!
"Does that answer your question?" he said at last, lifting a brow as he flicked his gaze back to the hidden lioness. "Apologies, I tend to ramble sometimes," he added.
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 11:02 am
Tanana's mind suffered as her body did under the effects of dehydration, insomnia, and grief. He said so much, and no, she did not hear all of it as well she should. Somewhere along talk of color and herbs, she rested her head on the ground, from then on watching him speak more acutely than she listened.
Tanana did not have a mother; she had a lioness that had carried her in her belly and told her of freedom just to be cruel.
And Tanana did not have a father; she had a lion that had mounted her not-mother under orders and looked upon his offspring as those of someone else.
She did not hope for parental bonds she had no experience with, only to rekindle what she did know. Her parents were never her family, but her siblings were, and nothing mattered more than family. It was therapeutic to hear someone speak so highly of their own.
At first.
Tanana did catch one important thing he'd said: Because even Gods can die.
She receded as far back as she could, so that not even her eyes were visible anymore to the heartless outside world.
The rest of his words were wasted breath, and for a time, the discussion lulled.
Ariza ruffled her feathers. "I thought it was a nice speech, dear, though long-winded I'd say. Still, very well-spoken. Such peculiar lionesses out here! Maybe you ought to drag her out if she insists on being stubborn. Sometimes you just can't reason with the young ones."
"How do you know they can die?" Tanana asked, almost overlapping Ariza's tangent. "Have they wronged you?"
They've wronged me. Tanana's words did not say it, but her frightened voice did.
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 11:13 am
He knew he'd spoken too much, and somewhere along the lines Tanana had zoned out. Ariza had humoured him and then stated the obvious, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same. Regardless, what little she had picked up had caused considerable pain to her and he couldn't work out which bits she had listened to - had she misheard something, or had he said something in a manner that would have caused such a reaction? She wasn't angry or offended, but she seemed to be scared.
"I always was good at chattering constantly," he confessed sheepishly to Ariza, his lips twisting into a lopsided smile as he regarded the bird. He wasn't entirely sure why she had elected to stay, curiosity often grew bored after such an extended period of time, but it was rather nice to have some sort of company.
However after a while of consideration Tanana did seem to find her voice again, timid and frightened, it crept out from the depths of the shadows she had now wriggled into. He started once more, having assumed she would have lapsed into a permanent silence and turned his attention back to the lioness...or where the lioness's petite and vulnerable form should have been.
"They bleed," he replied with a simple shrug. "I have nothing against the gods, but they are not invulnerable," he stated, a deep breath of warmed air escaping from his lips in a partial sigh. "My mother told me as much," he finished, and with that he turned his attention back to Ariza.
It was a long shot but he had come to the conclusion that if he pretended to ignore the lioness then she might do herself a favour and take a much needed drink.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 5:33 pm
Ariza expected as much. The best way to get a youngster to yield was to ignore them! Again this lion proved himself to be of more intelligent character than he looked. Delighted by this, she dared to glide a branch lower.
She and Mto had been together so long, they had only hoary jokes and stories, things they'd said a dozen times and then some. This was a new acquaintance and that meant everything was fresh to his ears. If they needed to keep busy while the lioness decided to stop being so difficult, well, she was plenty happy to oblige!
Ariza's stories were rich with detail. A wide-eyed cub being reared by reclusive parents may have found them fascinating, but to most others, they were spoken like a true grandmother you always tried to avoid lest you find yourself held captive for hours.
"--and then I told her," Ariza carried on, "Mto, you simply must avoid going that way! One hyena is no danger, certainly, but this was a pack! And do you know what she said? She said to me, 'Oh, Ariza, don't be so paranoid! They're far too stupid to keep up with me.'"
There was no way of telling how long she had been chattering about the annoying incident with the hyenas days ago before Tanana slipped out into the open and fumbled to the surrogate bucket.
Ariza gasped in horror. "My goodness!"
A runt! It was a runt! And an ugly, scarred, malnourished one at that!
Anyone who said you could not make a horse drink after leading it to water had probably not let it dehydrate beforehand. Tanana was driven out of her hiding place by thirst alone. She could have hidden there until she died if the temptation had not been waiting just outside. There was only so much willpower she had to spare.
Tanana gulped down the water fast enough to choke on it. Startled, she stumbled back, and in the process knocked the log over and all the water onto the ground.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:18 am
Solomon had never had a grandparent and was very quickly cast away into a far off land as Ariza recounted her tales. He lost count of how many she told and his grasp on time seemed to have been misplaced as well. This wasn't to say he wouldn't be aware of hostile individuals nearby, but when it came to Tanana, he was thoroughly distracted. He hadn't seen her come out of her hiding place, nor had he seen her drink, it was only when the lioness choked and the bird gave a surprised gasp that his ears perked and he spun round.
What he found didn't really surprise him, he'd already known she was extremely small, but it was only when she was stood up that he realised how malnourished she was. What he thought was going to be a short stop may have suddenly turned in to an extended stay. He wasn't one for breaking his promises and it was just as well he had made a vague one - he'd promised he'd remain until she was safe on her own again and that was going to take a while.
"Ah," he observed, his eyes directed not at Tanana but at the toppled 'bucket'. "Well, I think I'm going to need to get more water," he mused softly, lips parting in a soft sigh. However, the prospect of lugging that bucket back constantly wasn't appealing - it wasn't that he couldn't do, it was just that it didn't make a great deal of sense to keep bringing her water when he could just bring her to the source instead.
"How far do you think you can walk?" he finally turned his attention to Tanana, his head tilting to the side. He was one of the more docile lions in the world, but he sincerely doubted she would realise this. Whatever had caused her to be so uncomfortable around strangers was unfortunate and it was a shame he couldn't help her address that, but he could at the very least do this for her. "If it isn't very far you can jump on me and I'll carry you," he offered and motioned to Ariza.
"I think it's probably better if we took you somewhere where you can drink as much as you want, rather than leaving you exposed out here. That way you can relax a little, sound good?"
He didn't expect an answer, so he continued speaking.
"Then once we've done that I can find you something to eat," he flicked his gaze to Ariza. "I'm not sure what you eat but the offer is open to you as well if you would like to place your order," he said with a wry smile.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:24 am
Tanana hit the ground and stared somewhat spitefully at the now wet dirt between her paws. She looked like she was waiting for something, but they could only hazard a guess as to what.
Ariza was not sure she wanted to after getting a look at those scars on her face. The lioness did not turn and flee back to the safety of her logs, but with the way every strand of fur stood up, it looked to her as though she might at any second. What a debacle that would be!
Keeping true to her number one rule, always keep out of reach, was as easily said as done when you were a bird in her prime! Ariza may have talked like a grandmother, but she soared well as any youngster, and dared them to defy her on the matter.
Above Solomon, she flew in tiny circles.
"I'm not sure what you eat but the offer is open to you as well if you would like to place your order."
"Thank you, dear, but I try to stay on a strict diet," Ariza said. "It keeps the feathers pristine and the males giving you the eyes. Not that you'd know anything about that."
Tanana had yet to say a word. Ariza took it as a victory for the lion trying to help her she did not run away. Small blessings where you could find them, dearies.
"I can walk," Tanana murmured at last, but said nothing else and did not look up.
Small blessings indeed.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:25 pm
"The feathers or the males giving me 'eyes'?" Solomon replied good naturedly, his eyebrow lifting as Ariza took off and circled over head. She was certainly a strange one in comparison to the birds he knew, but his lack of exposure to many cultures, species and their circumstances did allow him to appreciate that this could be the norm out here. Nevertheless, he opted not to push his luck wit the avian who had, so far, provided him with respite and company throughout this entire ordeal... suffice to say that had she not been here, this encounter may have been decidedly more painful.
Turning his attention back to Tanana, he padded towards her and then came to a halt. Keeping a respectable distance, he then lifted a paw and pointed in the direction he had come from. He could recall where he had found the water before, now all he needed her to do was go in that direction. It was only when she was safe that he would depart and test his luck (in daylight) for prey. It would be obvious to most predators that his exceptionally bright coat did not favour him in this territory...especially not in the day time.
"It's this way, keep walking straight," he instructed and set his paw back down again. He then took a seat, his lips pursing into a line as he waited for the lioness to move. He hadn't meant to be intimidating, bossy or overbearing, but he was starting to suspect that this was the only way he would get a response from the petite lioness.
He kept the fact that he would be following behind her to himself - she didn't need to know this, and in the unlikely event that she would ask he would simply point out that he may need to catch her if she stumbled. That being said, he would've bet everything he had that she wouldn't open her mouth, she genuinely didn't seem like the type...
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:20 pm
Solomon would have come out on the winning end of that gamble.
Ariza acknowledged his joke with a shake of her head and an expression somehow both amused and perturbed. Her shadow went around and around the pair all the way to their destination. She hadn't expected the lioness to make it all by her lonesome, and was impressed when she defied the odds. They hadn't made bad time at all once they got moving!
To Tanana, their speedy trip was nothing to celebrate. Every step felt like being cursed to walk forever. Her bones hurt. And her chest. She didn't voice her thoughts, but had plenty of them; mostly, the same unspoken and thus unanswered questions.
When they reached the water, she drank until she coughed again; meanwhile, Ariza returned to the same branch she'd been heckling Solomon from earlier. The bird kept a close eye on things, her interest more invested in this now than ever. The makings of a great story was unfolding before her eyes. One of tragedy? Love? Adventure? She could only wonder.
Tanana caught her breath and with renewed energy looked to her savior, almost as if she was confirming he was still present. Instead of the appropriate "thank you", she gave him nothing, and turned back to her reflection. It was not a pretty sight. She'd become such a mess since Tiruan had left...
Overwhelmed by the thought, Tanana closed her eyes and bowed her head, but the shake of her shoulders told all.
"Don't cry, dear!" Ariza said frantically. "You'll cry out all the water!"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:49 pm
Oh gods, tears. Solomon was not good with tears, he'd never been entirely sure of how to handle them. Even when he hadn't done anything he always had that overwhelming sense of guilt that indicated that he was the cause of it. In a manner of speaking he was like any ordinary male, he was suitably impressive in certain situations, but put him in the company of a weeping individual and he fell to pieces...it didn't even matter what gender they were.
"Ah..." Solomon's lips parted uncertainly at Tanana's crestfallen appearance. The quivering shoulders and bowed head made her current activities unmistakable, and this was only reinforced by Ariza's observations. Aware of Tanana's current state he was then presented with a question, how was he supposed to respond to this? Did he simply offer a shoulder to cry on, offering a sounding board, or was it more appropriate to pretend he hadn't even seen it?
Observation and time in the lioness's company had indicated that she would most likely go for his throat if he tried to over a paw. Admittedly she may not attack him outright, but the sentiment would be there. He cast another glance towards Ariza briefly, twisted his lips into an uncomfortable smile and backed away.
He knew exactly what he was going to do.
"Food," he murmured gruffly and took a few steps back. "I need to find food," he reiterated and with that, turned on his heels and bolted in the opposite direction.
Call him a coward, but in this situation he felt it was warranted!
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:14 pm
For the love of --
Males! They were just like the youth, all the same no matter what species they were. Add a little emotion into the situation and they didn't know how to conduct themselves anymore! Ariza gave Solomon a judgmental look, but did not reprimand him aside from that as he bounded off in his search of prey. In all fairness, the lioness did need some fresh meat in her belly as much as food for the soul.
Ariza could see a rock far enough away from striking range abutting where the water met the shore. She would bend her rules part way until the bigger predator returned and take a seat there, so as to better speak to the weeping lioness.
"There, there, dear. Don't cry now. What's your name?"
The lioness did not utter a word.
"You look like a Kanoni," Ariza decided. "Can't you tell me anything?"
She could, but she didn't.
Tanana sat quietly by the water almost the entire time Solomon was away. Ariza struck the right cord when she asked "Is there someone you're missing, dear Kanoni?"
"My sisters," Tanana replied quickly. "And my--my brother."
And Tiruan, but she did not say this. It felt like a sin to so selfishly pine for her absent guardian when her own kin had not been found. They could be enslaved elsewhere, dead, or worse. Tanana didn't know what could be worse, but she didn't doubt there was something.
"Perhaps the big lug could help you find them," Ariza suggested, just as Solomon was returning. She nearly forgot to fly back to her branch.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:37 pm
He was triumphant. Positively beaming from ear to ear as he padded back towards Tanana and Ariza. He hadn't managed to haul in anything massive, with his coat he simply couldn't manage it in daylight hours, but he had managed to capture a number of rather fat hares. It was testament to his skill (or he would argue as much), that he was able to lay traps and capture such fleet-footed creatures. Ah, but he had been careful of which hares he had captured and this became apparent as he dropped his offering in front of Tanana.
...They were all adults, matured well into their prime and the majority seemed have been male. It was the manner in which he had been taught to hunt as a child, take what you need and nothing more. If a female was pregnant or suckling, you spared her so as not to affect the newer generations. He wouldn't have been surprised if many predators considered this a waste of time, but with Harvest for a mother, one did develop an appreciation for the herds and their cycles.
"Dinner is served," he interrupted as politely as one could in the circumstances and motioned to the hares. "If it's not enough I can always track down more, but I figured I uh...wouldn't overwhelm you," he remarked and with that, he padded away from the lioness again. He even went so far as to move away from Ariza, aware that she was suitably wary around him as well. By know he'd worked out why though and he didn't blame her, he could swallow her whole if he felt like it.
"Just let me know if you need anything," he finished and with that, turned his back, took a seat and then unceremoniously flopped onto his side with a muffled thump. His eyes glazed over and he stared somewhat blankly at the trickling water source in front of him.
Man, this Samaritan stuff was hard work!
Not that he didn't want to devalue the selfless acts of others before him, but it was definitely one of the more awkward things he'd ever experienced.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:52 pm
Poor Solomon. The behavior the lioness exhibited only got stranger. She did not eat with the desperation she drank, though anyone fortunate enough to have functioning sight could tell she wanted to. For all the times she had looked tired and despondent throughout the encounter, this was the first she appeared so intensely thoughtful. Her expression could have been taken from her and placed on the face of a lion trying to figure out if a bridge was sturdy enough to cross.
The hares were moved around in an order that ranged from biggest to smallest. Tanana took the smallest, carried it to the trunk of a tree, and set it there. She returned, grabbed the one in the very middle, and dropped it in the shallow part of the water. Finally, she snatched the largest by the neck. This one she took to Solomon.
She nudged his side with her nose and dropped the carcass by his front paws. This seemed, from an observer's point of view, to be done as an act of duty; carried out in the same manner he had carefully selected which hares to kill.
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:07 am
His movements were slow and laboured as though he had found a comfortable spot and saw no desire to move. He hadn't expected Tanana to disturb him, and when she did, it caused considerable delays on his part to react. When he had pulled himself up to the point that he was still lying down, but could see her offering, he couldn't help but lift both brows in confusion. This garbled expression became even worse as he took note of how she had separated the food.
He wasn't hungry, he had eaten enough to survive for days without another hunt, why on earth had she given one to him? More puzzling, why had she set one in the water in an act that could only be described as wasteful to one who didn't comprehend her rituals... His brow furrowed into a mild frown at her behaviour and it was only after he had finished his internal debate regarding how best to approach the situation, that he rose to his paws and took both his hare and the one in the water back to her.
He then set them down and nudged them back towards Tanana, shaking his head slowly.
"I ate enough yesterday to keep me satisfied for a few days, I don't need any more," he explained. He then lifted his paw and pointed at the lioness, though he took care not to poke her directly. "If you're going to keep walking around for days on end in a landscape like that, you're going to need to eat everything," he continued and set his paw down again. In those moments he had a rare opportunity to observe the cuts and scars across her face, he could only imagine how she'd gotten them, but he dared not ask.
"You're a lion and last time I checked, we needed way more than one hare to survive," he hazarded a sheepish smile and cleared his throat. "Small lioness or not," he added. Suffice to say that he knew that if he were genuinely hungry three hares wouldn't have been enough, but that was why he tended to hunt for larger prey.
"Please eat them, that's all I ask."
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