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 Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 4:17 am
Ushaufu - Meeting one morning...
Dark Fire Angel
Even as the sun finally emerged, lighting up the land, the small green figure moved not from it's perch upon a rock; idly spreading his large black wings, Ushaufu lifted his left front paw, unsheating his claws as he raised it to his maw, passing his tongue inbetween fingers, looking much absorbed in his doings.
Tell truth, had anyone stumbled across his form, they might've thought him to be a premonition of death, or perhaps some sort of spiritual warning of negative things to come, and though he wasn't any of such things, the young god would've never corrected any mortal to think thus way; after all, being the god of deception there was nothing he reeled in more than spiraling others deep into inner confussion. It was so... sattisfying to see others' face contort into confussion after all.
Upon finishing with his left paw, and though the pelt still look quite 'dead' to the eye, the god raised his right paw and began doing likewise, all the while appearing to be quite languid. However, nothing further from the truth; those of keen eyes would've noticed the fact that his unfurled wings seemed tense, almost as if awaiting a signal to plunge him up into the skies again... for even though they made a disgustingly horrible cracking sound whenever they moved, what with the bones that stuck out of it, they were perfectly capable of carrying his weight.
Things weren't always they seemed after all... and specially not around this particular cub. A smirk crossed his maw at thought, protuding teeth marring the expression into what may have looked like a sadistic smile... however, his tongue never stopped moving, passing between fingers and claws quite idly, ears twitching. It'd been a while since he'd stumbled across any lions, and Ush, quite frankly, was starting to wish for a bit of playtime.Kisoni
Mistweaver lands; the brown and white lioness paused on one of the slopes decending into the east side of the Misty lands, and she paused there for a long moment to take in the sight of her beloved old home. How long had it been since she'd last laid eyes on it? Unable to answer that question, she sighed to herself as a frown crossed her brow. Even though she couldn't remember the exact number of years past, she did have a pretty good memory of what it'd been like during non-drought years.
This wasn't it. The lionesses chest heaved in a soft sigh and her head turned back to look up the hills she'd just treked down. Her daughter and Triv'an would be coming soon--she'd gone ahead to scout out the area for them--and her heart fell that their daughter would see her parents' beloved homeland in such a state. If the Storm God wasn't really angry before, he certainly must be now. Perhaps he meant for the mistweavers to have been wiped out, and was annoyed that they were still attempting to regather themselves.
Such thoughts weren't going to help her right now, however, and Kizuka pressed herself forward on her journey. She needed to find tale of a herd or lone beast, or watch Kimaji go hungry; that simply wasn't going to happen. After making a mental note to discuss her musings with Triv'an later, Kizuka shoved the thoughts aside in favor of more pressing matters.
A sickening popping noise that was actually quite familiar to her ears cropped up from somewhere nearby and Kizuka stopped in her tracks. A half-dead antelope, perhaps? Her nostrils flared slightly as she sniffed the air about her, lifting her head just a touch into the air. There could be no mistaking the sound of broken, or fractured bones twisting against each other--after all, she heard it just about everytime she broke a creatures leg during a hunt--but the fact that she could smell no prey was rather unusal. The only thing her nose was picking up was..... lion.
It couldn't be, could it? A slight chill of fear ran down Kizuka's spine, and while she fought not to show it, for an instant doubt of what she'd heard filled her mind. Could the rumors have been wrong? Perhaps it was Firekin that still had control of the valley, and not Mistweavers at all!
The sound came again, and she turned in place, her paws crunching on loose gravel beneth them that threatened to send her tumbling off her precarious perch. Steady she remained, though, and her eyes searched the area behind her. A flash of green finally caught her eye, and she saw him, stretched, half hidden, between two rocks on a ledge a little ways above her.
Kizuka's eyes widened a touch. WAS that a lion?! It looked like a dead thing, somehow still moving as though it were in no pain where another obviously would be. The sight of something half decayed would normally not have bothered her one wit, but the sight of said thing moving... well that was another entirely.
Fears of her Gods' hate suddenly seemed realized and the liones backed away a step, this time teetering a little on the ledge. She caught herself after a scrabmble, and glanced back up at the thing to see if it had noticed her. Dark Fire Angel He heard, rather than scented the lion, for the wind was against him, however, he could somewhat feel he confussion, her disgust, and this merely elicited a clear chuckle from the lithe god as he finally turned his head to look at the lioness over his shoulders, "Such a reaction should only be given to a death god, my dear, and I'm afraid I must let you know I'm no such entity..." in his own warped way, Ushafu had allowed her to know what he was, even though he'd refrained from saying who he was. After all, in order to play with someone, it was essential to only give half truths... it was the way the game worked.
Unfurling his wings, the sound crackling over the otherwise silent land, the god descended from his perch, padding nearer and nearer to the lioness, red eyes gleaming in the still someone darkened surroundings, "My, my... don't you look like you've seen a ghost, my dear?" even despite his young age it was clear the cub knew his way with words. Furthermore, his entonation and the accent he wove words with seemed to point to him being more intelligent than many lions the old misty had no doubt come across; after all, Ush did pride himself for being intelligent. He'd never truly understood the need to fight, and felt much more comfortable with verbal sparring, or confussing others psicologically than any other way.
His body at any rate didn't look like it was built for fighting, that much was clear, but setting aside the fact his pelt had a deadish effect to it, his frame was lacking the muscles needed for fighting... not to mention he was after all, just a cub. He still had a long way to go, and even in the future, it was doubtful he'd grow up to a be quite as an intimidating figure as many other male gods.
It didn't seem to matter though, for he moved with an air of regalness that would've matched that of any king; his head held his, eyes narrowed down, "So, my dear... what is it you seek?" he'd finally sat down, a nice meter away from her, his gaze turning to gaze over Mistweaver territory, "I hope it's not water you seek... and I surely hope it's not death either. It'd be such a pity..." the male never bothered to elaborate further, still opting to look like a premonition of death or negativity at any rate; there was more fun within such shows.
"The fire thriumphed over the water, wouldn't you say so?" he'd never truly opened to any lion, having only seen others very briefly each time, and thus acted upon will, no doubt deeming Kizuka bellow his own status. However... Ush was smart, and would doubtlessly rectify his thinking if proved otherwise. In fact, he seemed to be leering her out the corner of an eye, watching her every movement for clear signals. Kisoni As the being moved closer, Kizuka began to tense up all over. While she wouldn't flee, not yet at any rate, she was going to be ready to do so. Closer and closer he came, all the while spouting out riddles in a haughty manner that rung on the lionesses nerves to no end.
Death, was it? That should have been more than obvious, now that she thought about it. It was either that or some unimaginable disease. It was just a cub, Kizuka told herself again as she looked him over, just a cub... and yet so much more. His denial of being a death god rung false in her ears, for what other creature such as a god could live with such wounds and show no pain? It was that, or he was the Storm God himself, come to test her.
Ushafu's last comment sparked a fire in her that had all but been lost under the horror of his appearance, and a barely audible growl made its way past Kizuka's lips. "Fire may survive on water for awhile, but in the end water will always extinguish it."
Having found her voice, the lioness took strength from that, enough to pull herself out of her shock and give him match for his words. "But that is beside the point, for water, of either sort, is rare here; that much is obvious. I am, however, seeking one type; have you seen them?" Dark Fire Angel Laughter rang through the air at her words; not mocking, but rather, truly amused, his features denoting that much, "Very good!" he called out to her, "You're not as dumb as those I've stumbled with, now are you?" his red gaze was once again upon her, something akeen pure unadulture glee shinning through; after all, it'd been so long since he'd truly held an honest to god intelligent conversation; those few he'd come to see had been idiots, and though Ush had reeled in laughing at their obvious lack of witts, that didn't mean he didn't wish to find someone more challenging.
"Very good..." he repeated softly, a nod acknowledging this, "Indeed, fire is in the end, always put out, however, look at it this way; it can take long enough for i to be extinguished... to cause mass destruction," he pointed looked over the lands that suffered from the lack of water, "Prey moves on, life moves on," an ear flickered towards her, his nose wrinkling somewhat as his wings opened again, the sound of the bones clashing and crackling sent across the air, "I have seen much, however, if you wish an obvious answer, utter an obvious question."
Even though Ushafu was known for sporting a mocking tone to his words, they seemed to lack it right now; perhaps a game, perhaps not... it wasn't truly obvious at the time being, specially since the cub god kept on regarding her keenly, as if trying to disect every single movement... every single word.
Are you worthy?
It was a silent question that rung through the air as he kept on watching her, a pause following as he finally spoke again, "Ushaufu," it was a sole word what he uttured, and were she to understand it's meaning, she'd be able to know much more about him and who he was. However, he never mentioned it was his given name, making the riddle somewhat more difficult. A select smirk spread across his maw, protuding teeth once more making it appear much more sadistic than it truly was. Kisoni Kizuka's eyes narrowed at the laughter, but not in a menacing way, she could tell it was genuine--such a noise from a the creature in front of her was not to be expected, however. 'Good' he called her, or 'very good' to be completely correct. She supposed that was a compliment in a way.
The lioness's ears twitched towards the valley beyond them while she listened carefully to his words about it. Her eyes were not about to leave him, however, not trusting him so close just yet. Despite a slight wince at the crackling of his wings, not once did her eyes leave him.
Shifting a little on the gravel beneath her, Kizuka carefully thought about her answer before she made it. To the word 'Ushaufu' she gave note, but the meaning for that would wait. There were easier riddles to answer first.
"The fire did cause a good deal of damage, but it is proven that where fire goes, what grows next will be stronger than before.... even though it may take years to rebuild," Kizuka answered carefully, her thoughts split between the young one behind her, and the past in front, "Water may grow scarce, but it won't be gone forever. The rain will one day fall again, and when it does water of both kinds will once more flourish in this valley. After all, no vibrant land will go without herds for long.
"If you have seen much, have you seen amy other Umande'mfuni in these lands recently; any others such as myself? If so, where have they gone?" Dark Fire Angel Again, his smile widened, the small lion giving a curt nod, almost as if he approved her actions... however exactly was that he'd approved was hard to tell; at any rate, she seemed to be doing that the cub was hoping for, "Alas," he started, allowing his tongue to flicker out of his maw in order to lick his chomps, "There was no real phisical fire here, yet the feeling is the same, is it not? Metaphorical, and yet so similar.... do you really think things can be rebuilt out of the ashes that were left behind?" it was by now obvious he wasn't quite refering to the lands, but something else alltogether.
Ushaufu knew the history of the lands he roamed after all, for as he never played with phisicall advantage, he always wished to play with intelectual one, "It's not the rain that should worry you... but perhaps the flood it may produce; too much water is harmfull, just like too much sun might be," eyes narrowed again as he finally tore his gaze away from her, looking up towards the sky and scarse couds, as if seeking an answer to a silent question he'd not uttered.
It was his job to confuse her after all, now wasn't it?
Once more, Ushafu's ear flickered towards her as he raised a paw up, pointing into the jungles with what seemed to be a blood marred claw, "There are others, alas, I know not if those are whom you seek..." another smirk marred his maw, however, this one darker than the previous one, clearly having a hidden meaning, "I've seen others, further out in the dessert, however..." and here his tone held the usual mocking edge, not quite aimed at her, but towards those he now spoke off, "In human ruins they live, in human ruins they seek power... I find them amusing, however, a smarter one like yourself should take heed and not pad near.... there is fire even within those not born from the kin..."
Illogical words which probably meant nothing to her, however, he still uttered the warning, having taking a distinct liking to her, even in such a brief encounter; It just wouldn't do to see such a spirit tamed so soon.... specially not when he'd only just begun to play, "The prey move on," he repeated, "Life moves on." Kisoni Some of his riddles truely weren't as puzzeling as he clearly thought they were--in this, the cub in front of her was still a cub. However, Kizuka was under no illusions that she was in better than the male. No, his very status, of which she was secretly assured, made him above her in her mind, no matter age. Because of that, she kept her manners about her and continued to take heed to each word he uttered, searching all possible meanings before deciding upon one.
Her eyes followed his to the jungle, then turned back towards the small range she'd just come over. The distance in her eyes made it seem almost as if she could see straight through it to the savanah beyond. "Those in the desert hold no concern in me, however I will heed your words. More of their kind I need not," She left it at that, continuing on with their other line of conversation.
In truth, she'd only been partially refering to the lands the entire time, having caught on quite early to his word play about the Mistweaver's situation, "With enough work and attention, yes, they can be rebuilt. So long as there are hearts and minds with the will to do it, it can be done, of that there is no doubt... the true question, is wether or not we should."
His earlier word came back to her then, and her eyes drifted once more back to him. They ran over his form, taking in all aspects of him before she made her guess, but not a too obvious one. "Kizuka." Dark Fire Angel "The heart is strong... even if the mind is weak," it was plainly clear by the entonation of his words that he was pleased with the out come; in fact, the cub suddenly bowed his head slightly in respect for her, a gestured he'd not offered others before, findding them unworthy of it. Still holding his head down, he smirked, placing a paw on his chest, "Deception," was all what he offered, having answered his own riddle, for Ushaufu means Deception, quite clearly indicating this was his given name and rank.
He wasn't quite sure what she seeked; refuge? Or perhaps a way to qwell the voices of a past long gone? After all, if she was inquiring about this lands, she might've been a former pride member... that much was obvious in the cub's eyes, "You might find that what you lef tbehind is not what thou shalt encounter.... water and fire have merged into that jungle, formed one pride; I find it amusing, however, the outcome I can not so much as phantom, do take a fling at trying to yourself though," another smirk as he stod up, padding around her suddenly, leaning in to sniff at her, allowing her to do likewise before he snorted, "Do you think a scar can heal so much as to forgive the past?" looking fully towards her, his claw pointed at the scar that ran down one of his eyes, "I claim otherwise."
True, the heart was strong enough to forgive, however, even the cub had wondered as to the situation these lands were in; it was exceedingly amusing to watch from a distance, specially for someone whom had nothing else better to do, and nothing else to ocupy his time in; whatever the outcome, Ushaufu was bound to get a kick out of it, and he'd remain around just to watch it and smirk from afar.
Confussion, delusion... deception.
It was quite alluring, and in a way beyond comprehension, he fed from it all, "Hopefully a pleasure," he said as he finally pulled away, giving his wings a light flap before he turned to glance behind the lioness; he'd scented others upon her pelt, and though the smell was recent, being a cub, he could not distinguish much else, "Lands fit for chaos; such a god might find it quite amusing.... I wonder if it dwells nearby." He knew the god of War dwelled nearby, or at least phantomed it due to a conversation he'd had with a certain 'seer' cub, not long ago... however, he didn't know whom else dwelled nearby.
It didn't keep him from wondering, and perhaps hoping. Not that he swayed towards chaos or destruction, whatever may come in the end, was none of his concern after all. Kisoni Deception then, instead of Death; similar and yet quite different, in the end. Kizuka smirked inwardly and gave him a bow in return. Hers went deeper than the one he'd given her, indicating the rank he held over her without seeming to think on it.
His next words caused her ears to perk and head to snap up. Water and fire merged? No! That could not be! Her insides reeled at the implication that a mistweaver would ever give themselves willingly to a firekin. Of course, it need not be willing.... A sick feeling awoke in the pit of her stomach as she thought of were her and Triv'an's journey would lead them and their daughter. Was such an environment safe for those such as themselves?
Though lost in thought, Kizuka still bent her head to his fur when he'd offered the chance. What she smelt there, she kept to herself for now, and his mention of a scar wiped the cobwebs from her mind. "It depends on the depth of the scar," She replied softly. This was Deception that she spoke to, Kizuka reminded herself, and not everything he said was to be trusted; all his words needed to be taken with a grain of salt.
"Very much a pleasure," She responded in a more normal tone of voice when he'd pulled away. A frown crossed her maw then and she shook her head, "I would no not, but i can hope."
"... and pray," Kizuka added as an after thought. "that one such as that would not be attracted to this land. Have we not seen more than our fair share? ... of course, life is not fair... nor is death, I'd imagine." Dark Fire Angel There was no questioning her expresion; he understood what she felt, for even though he'd never truly belonged anywhere, he knew that were he to chose a place, he'd not want it's history marred... it's innocence maimed. There was, after all, a long stretch between pure evil and a lie; there was good within the god cub, as there was darkness, for lies can be both told for good, or for evil, depending on the situation.
"I may be a good liar, however, if you doubt my words there is an easy way to find out the truth, for it lies within that jungle, waiting to be discovered," a small smirk came upon his maw, "There are times I lie, and there are times I say the truth... there are even tims I say half truths, and if you figure out which is which, and when is when, I shall surrender my crown to you," he accentuated the words with a bow, however his attitude was not mocking; quite the contrary, he seemed to be honstly and outright setting some sort of challenge upon her.
Perhaps a game, perhaps not... it was hard to tell, however, even though deception was his word, Ushaufu was not one to brake a promise made to one he'd deemed as worthy.
"Hope and praying only goes so far though... take heed," this said, the god closed his eyes, his black wings suddenly vanishing from sight, no longer there to be touched, scented or otherwise seen; in fact, he looked like any normal cub now, pushing aside the slightly protuding teeth and the slightly regal attitude. Alas, they were not tratis enough for other lions to be able to pin point him as a god anymore. Ears twitched as he raised his head, looking off to the distance, somewhere behind Kizuka, "Your kin awaits," a pause, followed by a smirk, playfull in a sense, "Would you like to play a game?"
The words were whispered as his red hued eyes narrowed, "Tell you what; I'll be it for a start..." he left it at that. Kisoni Deepest disgust and anger rolled into a hard knot within the lioness as her eyes strayed over to the jungle she once called home. Though she tried to keep up the thought that what he said might not be true, some small part of her believed it beyond any doubt and that part was screaming inside of her for attention. She would not give in, though; not yet.
Forcing her attention back to Ushaufu's green form she wondered at the disappearance of his wings but said nothing. Who was she to question what a God could or could not do? In truth, he now looked like nothing more than a normal cub; a strange-looking cub, but a cub none the less.
"Where hope and prayer do not reach, action shall close the gap," The lioness responded in a low tone of voice, "And action there well may be in plenty." Her eyes met his for the first time in that conversation, and she stared long into their depths before bowing her head slightly. Challenge accepted.
Turning from him to look back at the way she'd come, rising sun now turning her pelt a shining red-brown where it hit her, she searched for sign of friend or daughter. Beat Fu ((Popping Triv'an in <3)) She had been gone too long. At least for simple scouting. All that she had needed to do was check for dangers, hyena's or lions, and return. Kizuka may have been stubbourn and firey, but she always kept her word, at least to him.
Something must have happened. There was no need to worry yet, that's what he told himself, but their was no guarantee that she had not found some trouble. With that quick tounge of hers it was far from the furthest possibility.
Triv'an left had left their child in a hidden area, a rocky outcropping and some shrubs left it basicaly invisible to the naked eye. Double checking to make sure that he could not see her, he turned and ran off into the direction that his friend had gone, taking long strides, gaining ground. The sooner he found her, the better. He did not like leaving Kamaji alone either.
In a short time he began to scent and hear her in the distance, another nearby. He didn't smell blood, but he still got a vaguely unfomfortable feeling about all of this.
"Kizuka!" He called out, not quite in sight. A few moment's later he saw her though, aparently speaking to a green lion.
What had she gotten herself into?Quote: The cub's smirk grew further, almost sinister in appearance as his left ear twitched, gaze shifting to settle on a far distant dot, "Your kin awaits no more I see... I've stolen your time far enough," this said, his expression changed completely, imitating that of a normal cub to perfection, his eyes widening slightly, mouth turning agape in order to make his protruding teeth look far smaller than they really were; in fact, in mere seconds, Ushaufu had managed to look much like an innocent cub.
He went as far as to fluff out his pelt slight, sheathing his claws as he tilted his head, regarding the larger male in the distance. This done, he took in a small breath and released a soft mewl, ears perking once more as he blinked.
All in all, no one would've noticed he'd been talking such riddles before; the cub acted out his part with ease, sitting down in a sprawled manor, however, there was no doubt Kizuka would've found this sudden change amusing. Perhaps this was what the god had meant when he'd claimed he'd wanted to play a game... and that he was 'it'. He spoke not, but rather, remain seated by the older female, head tilting this way and that, the only thing odd about him... the spiked collar he wore around his neck, half hidden by his green pelt.
Games like this were, after all, what he lived for; with nothing else better to do, the god figured he'd get a closer look as to the situation the jungles were in... it was bound to be amusing, to say the least. Kisoni Kizuka made a soft noise when her searching found the image of Triv'an coming down the hillside towards t hem. She called back out to him, then turned to her newfound.... accquaintance... to find him lolling at her side like a typical cub. For a brief moment she just stared at him in surprise before her brain caught up.
A game was it truely? Then a game it would be.
The lioness turned face back towards her approaching companion and she waited for him to catch up before saying anything further. A frown crossed her maw when she noticed their missing daughter, "Triv'an.. Where is Kimaji?"
Another glance was gifted to the cub beside her, then she continued, "This is Ushu. I found him roaming around by himself, and thought we could take him with us into the jungle.. It wouldn't do to leave a cub out here alone."
While it wasn't truly a lie that she was giving Triv'an, telling him only a half-truth was already going against the grain. They'd survived this long by trusting each other completely... but when the time came, she'd tell him. For now, the God's secret was safe with her. Beat Fu He padded upto her easily, glancing down at the cub for only a moment before filling him away as unimportant for the time being.
"I was afraid you had come to trouble, so I left her somehwere safe. I am glad to see you are okay though," he said slowly, voice calm and low. Now that he knew she was alright he was once again soothed, back into his usual laid back attitude.
"Greetings Ushu. That sounds fine to me, it would not be right to leave him out here alone."
He saw no problem in what she said, in fact, he did not detect anything wrong. Some may say you can always tell when a close friend was hiding something, but Triv'an was simplistic in that he always assumed that she was truthful to him. Only time would tell if he would find out the small fib.
"I suggest we return to Kimaji. She is safe for now, but you never know when enemies might appear..." Dark Fire Angel An actual giggle bubbled up the cub's chest, a paw lifting to batt at the older male before he paused, brow furrowing, "I kinda got lost..." his head turned to look over his shoulder, regarding the land land that stretched out far behind him with evident fear in his eyes. He explained no further, but rather, turned back to look at both older lions, head tilting again, almost as if he were merely understanding half the conversation, ears twitching forth.
Though not directly evident, Kizuka might've managed to catch a slight glimmer within the god's eyes, easily denoting that he was managing exactly what he'd hoped for; to pass as unimportant.
Suddenly, his maw opened into a yawn, much like that of any tired cub before he closed it, once more gazing up at the older pair, "Kimaji?" a pause, perhaps a hint of worry within his eyes that could've been a part of the game... or perhaps truly honest, "Is she a cub?" another pause as his eyes diverted themselves towards the sands that lay behind, ears flattening somewhat. He turned to aim a pointed leer at the female before his gaze drifted up towards Triv'an, "I've heard there are mean lions around..."
The god left it at that, not willing to dish out too much information whilst around the male; after all, letting it be known he knew so much would topple down his already achieved goal. If he wished to tag along... he had to meld in and appear to be as normal as possible; it would simply not do, however, worry had marred his features for long enough to allow his disguise to slip.
Ushaufu had seen cub-nappers nearby, he'd seen a few cubs suffer the fate, and tell truth, as much as he was immersed into his own lithe game, he did not like the idea of being even if indirectly responsible for such a feat. After all, he'd conduct his games in his own way... no one should interfere, "I wanna play with her..." Kisoni A shiver of worry ran through the lioness. Hidden though she was, she could tell Ushu was being entirely serious in his warning. To Triv'an she gave a nod, and bent her head to nuzzle the cubs cheek and gently draw him up to his feet.
"I am certain she will like to play with you as well. Come." Without another word, the lioness began the climb back up the way they had come, away from the jungle of the Mistweavers. So many important things, but somehow she felt so little time. Ushaufu had warned her that this other lion tribe was much like the firekin, and the lioness knew as well as any other Mistweaver what that meant. Her daughter would not suffer as she did!
As they treked the way back, she turned her head to look at the grown male behind her, "Triv'an. When we reach Kimaji I have other things I need to speak to you about in private." It would do no good to focus on one thing since nothing had yet happened, and so she turned her head a little more to see if the 'cub' was following. The rest of the rp can be found here
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Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 12:12 am
Ushaufu - Later on at night...
Dark Fire Angel Narrowed red eyes stared out over theland as the small cub tilted his head, ears twitching back and forth; though he was still careful to play his new role of 'I am an innocent and very normal cub, love me please', the god still keept a look out of his own when left to his own doings. A yawn marred his features however, as time went on by, eyes closing briefly as he gave into it.
He was rather tired after all... he'd not slept and it was quite a late hour of night; the moon that shone over his green pelt almost seemingly whispering the fact there were still a few hours left till sunrise. Watch, watch, watch... glare, glare, glare...
In a sense, he was rather glad to be where he was, for it allowed an inside view on matters he'd only been able to inspect from the outside, however, the general situation was one that should not be taken lightly. He knew that well enough... had seen the doings of several neighbouring prides at any rate, and though he'd pointed and laughed at them, if merely silently, they were still liable to do a good ammount of damage if allowed.
There was no room for rest; he'd sleep later on in the day, when sure the adults were keeping an eye on the place. Specially the adult male.
... what was his name again?
An ear flickered irritably as the cub frowned, glaring at a distanct tree almost acusingly; he couldn't truly be blamed for not remembering names, however, it was enough to frustrate Ushaufu, his tail giving light thumps upon the smooth rock's surface, a near growl begining to rumble through his chest. Had said 'adult male' stumbled upon him at the moment, he'd have noticed the cub was more than he appeared.... after all, he'd let his disguise slip completely once having noted he was relatibly alone.
Blaaaah... he needed to sleep. His mind was allready starting to slip, almost dozing off on it's own. Kisoni The night, the dark; Kizuka welcomed them as a wonderful respite from the day before. Having moved her family more firmly into the "mistweaver lands" she felt a little safer, but still never safe enough. Everything she'd been learning in the past few hours still weighed heavily on her mind, enough so that she woke after only a couple of hours' disturbed sleep.
The warmth of bodies pressed against hers made her stay still for a while longer, quite content to reflext with the distinct purr of her beloved daughter at her side. Kimaji deserved so much better than this. That thought... that truth had kept her awake so many nights before. She knew it bothered Triv'an as well, and that was why they had undertaken the journey of coming back... only now to find that it might not have been the best of all decisions.
What had they done to deserve this, the old Mistweavers?
A soft sigh heaved through her chest, and carefully Kizuka began to free herself from the tangle of fur and limb that was her family. Once she saw them settled, the lioness slunk off into the night like her name implied. The other 'cub' wasn't around it seemed.. or was he?
The moonlight highlighted a greenish figure not to far away, and Kizuka's brow furrowed a little. Why so far away from them? Determined to get the answer, Kizuka made her way over to him as silent as a ghost, even over the dry and cracked ground beneath her feet.
His eyes were closed, she found when she got close enough to see, but his breathing pattern was too regular for true sleep. The lioness shook her head and laid herself down around him, allowing her stomach to conform to the line of his back as she did, and settled her chin upon his hind leg. "Are you so used to sleeping alone?" Dark Fire Angel The cub's eyes had drifted shut on his own, his head hanging as he sat on the rock, somewhere between the realm of the wake and sleep; thus was probably why he never noticed Kizuka as she approached, and thus was why she had the rare priviledge of watching the god give a startled jump as he felt her warm body around his.
Eyes snapping open, slightly widened, Ushaufu turned around, his frame having tensed quite visibly, "I wasn't sleeping," there was almost a distinct pout intervined with his words as he frowned at her, "I was... resting my eyes for a moment," needless to say, not the best of his comebacks, however, his mind was not into it, fogged by sleep and other thoughts. He'd no doubt later on blame slee for his actions, for he soon enough found himself nuzzling into the warmth she'd offered... however, nothing forthur from the truth.
Fact was, though we was a god, Ushaufu was still a cub, and like any other cub, he too longed for warmth which had rarely if ever been offered.
Being of an oportunist nature, the green pelted male was used to grabbing whatever chance offered up by life, and thus had soon enough leaned back his weight against her, allowing his heavy lidded gaze to watch over the land again, "Being used to it doesn't mean one enjoys it; alas, you were all asleep. I'm a restless creature," that and he'd honestly been worried, if only about his own well being, he told himself, "I can't sleep," it was amusing how sleep had hindered his thoughts down to such a level, his usual riddles non-exhistant as spoke, reducing the god to what could've been seen as normal, without a need to act in the least. Kisoni Kizuka rose a little, just enough to lean over and begin to groom his ears with her tongue. She was a mother, after all, and he was supposed to be acting like a cub. Besides, something about the way that he leaned into her set of some sort of sixth sense in her 'motherhood' insinct. "Of course you weren't," The lioness teased him at his initial denial.
Listening as he continued on, she let herself work her way down from his ears, carefully grooming the back of his neck and growing mane with her tongue and teeth. It was so strange doing this for someone other that Kimaji or Triv'an, but nice at the same time. Ushaufu had been such a help to them lately, after all.
Her mind drifted off for a moment, once more wandering back into the past. Brief memories of her own mother, outside by the waterfalls when the pride wasn't hunting. Naps in the sun with the other cubs, and being groomed while listening to the lionesses' gossip....
Kizuka shook her head free of cobwebs and went back to the task on hand. Thinking about those days did no one any good, not right now at least. "We're not so different, you and I," The lioness decided after a moment's thought. "I couldn't really sleep, either. I thought, perhaps, you could come rest your eyes with us, though. It can be safer in groups, after all." Dark Fire Angel Ears flickered this way and that as the female ran her tongue through his coat, soothing him further into the sleep that was allready fogging his mind; never once did it click in his mind that the actions might've been strange, for after all, he was thinking through instincts, and instincts were telling him that the grooming felt good. He didn't have a mother after all...
Or didn't remember her anyhow. Whatever the case, the feeling new and welcomed as he allowed himself to relax further back, wrinkling his nose into a snort as she reached a particularly sensitive spot between his ear and neck, forcing his aud to twitch again, "Uh-huh..." he offered quite elquently as his maw opened again into a yawn, large tongue curling up as he displayed his protuding fangs. He wasn't into the verbal sparring though; not now that sleeping was fogging his reactions.
Specially not now that her grooming was actually making him purr, much like the sun would've done so on a nice warm morning whilst he'd sun bathed out in the open.
As the lioness spoke, Ushaufu's mind gave a startled jump which was not mirrowed by his body, his pride demanding he talk right back at her and probe what she was saying wrong, however, he did not know her and his mind was dulled down to a point that all he could do was frown. Frown and purr before he tilted his head back to look at her, "I'm green," he stated elequently once more, nodding slightly; THAT probed they were not alike. Yup.
No doubt, after having a good night's sleep, he'd find himself mentally kicking himself for such words, however, at the time they seemed to be quite perfect indeed. His eyes however, drifted beyong her body to where the group lay, a voice at the back of his mind telling him.... nagging that it was not a good idea. That getting attatched was nowhere near intelligent, however, he truly couldn't have been blamed, he reasoned; he had to play his role out, and sleeping out away from the others would've been seen as odd.
No words were offered though, instead a yawn washing over his features again as herested his chin on her back. Kisoni Kizuka chuckled very softly at the Cubbin's attitude. So firey he was when awake, it was hard to imagine him lulled like this. Yet, here he was, docile against her side and purring like a kit. Perhaps, in all her wonderings of being in the presense of a God, he was still just a cub. No matter how old he could possibly be.
That somehow made her feel more secure in her dealings with him, and thus her grooming continued. "Green you are, but I don't mean the outside," She whispered to him, careful not to disturb him too much. Though Kizuka had planned to move him closer over to where the other two lay, moving him now would mean waking him, and she wasn't willing to risk that.
Some small part of her wondered if she was getting far too attatched Ushaufu. The thought startled her into a moment of stillness, filled with nothing but watching the green fur so close to her maw. Attatched? They'd only just met. The fact that she was now laying with him, grooming his fur had absolutely nothing to do with it. Nope, never; nadda.
How long could one live in denial? It would remain to be seen, of course, because who knew how long the God would stay with them, anyway. He had better things to do than follow them around, after all. Content with that thought, Kizuka leaned back in to continue her careful grooming of his pelt.
To match his purr, a hum began to build into the back of her throat. Slowly, growing as the length of time he could hold his eyes open shortened, Kizuka began to sing softly to him. The Lullaby itself was older than time itself, as far as she knew. Her mother had sung it to her, as had her mother's mother to Kizuka's mother, and so forth back into history.
In the present, the only person to have heard this song from her had been Kimaji, but that strange attatchment Kizuka felt towards this cub called it forth from her. "Thula, thula, thula, Mtwana; Thula, thula, thula, Mtwana; Ungakhali; Umama akekho; Umama uzobuya" Dark Fire Angel "Oh..." right, well of course she didn't mean on the outside, he thought to himself, mentally kicking himself for such a dumb claim, however... even his own kick was not forceful enough; that much was evident by the fact he didn't bother to further try to probe himself right. Did it really matter all that much? Ushaufu had come to the conclusion that... no, it didn't really matter that much. Not right now anyhow.
What were words but breathed thoughts, after all? He'd have time emough to probe himself right later on, tomorrow, after having had a nice sleep and taking the necesary time to rest his mind, "Right..." he offered as he allowed his eyes to close again, his head leaning into the grooming she was offering. Though the small thought at the back of his mind still continued to nag and bite at him, he soon enough found himself qwelling it, batting it away into oblivion.
Who cared?
He'd just have to get de-tatched later on. No problem.
Of course, taking into account his fogged mind, it was no wonder such lame thoughts were running through it; even intelligent beings could come to sound quite dumb when not fully rested, and fact was Ushaufu had not had a decent rest in two days, having travelled a long way to where Kizuka had found him that morning. He'd fully intended on entering Mistweaver territory to get a good look, even if from the sidelines, being amused by the thought of the merging pride, however.... this.... this was a further better idea.
Specially taking into acount he'd gained a free grooming and a nice warm spot to sleep in for the night. Very nice indeed...
As the grooming lowered down to his back, the cub slowly settled down into a curled up position against her, head resting on his paws and under her own neck, ears twitching at the sound of a song, words he'd never heard but he unknowingly memorises inside him mind. By now, he wasn't truly concious of what was dream and what was real for soon enough... he slipped into placid sleep, deep breath moving his frame as he purred slightly against her.
He'd no doubt later on wonder what the words meant, where he'd heard them... a dream? Whatever the cause, they'd ring inside his mind for a long time.
"Thula, thula, thula, Mtwana; Thula, thula, thula, Mtwana; Ungakhali; Umama akekho; Umama uzobuya" "Thula, thula, thula, Mtwana
Thula, thula, thula, Mtwana
Ungakhali
Umama akekho
Umama uzobuya"
"Be still, be still, be still, my child.
Be still, be still, be still, my child
Do not cry
Mother is absent
Mother shall come back."
The end
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 12:20 am
Ushaufu - Meet the Hawk
Dark Fire Angel
Laziness marred the cub's features as he lay on top of a random rock, the trees of mistweaver land looming over him, shadows playing over his green pelt, almost seemingly dancing with the little sunlight that managed to filter through the trees. Yawning slightly, teeth displayed, Ushaufu opened a red hued eye to look around, not truly seeing anyone around; the other cub was no doubt playing elewhere, probably with her father, and the mother... well, tell truth, Ush had felt the overwhelming need to get away from her.
The other night had awoken feelings that disturbed him beyond reason; the god had gone as far as tip toeing away whenever he'd caught scent of her for a whole two days. In fact, not only had he been avoiding her, but he'd been avoiding contact on the whole. Confussion, after all, was not something Ushaufu was used to; sure, he was used to producing it to others, but he was certainly not used to feeling it himself... it made him felt vulnerable, most due to the fact he couldn't quite pinpoint what he was confussed about.
He couldn't quite paw his paw on it, but there was some sort of feeling... a thought nagging and bitting at the back of his head. Distressing, no doubt, or at least... the cub thought so.
The words he thought he'd heard while dreaming haunting him, even though he'd not bothered to even try to translate them; after all, a dream was a dream, why even bother with it? It was not real. However, at the same time, for a being like him to push a dream aside, opting to look at it as 'not real' instead of facing it... was odd to say the least, taking into account Ushaufu lived off from illusions... things that weren't really there.
A sigh escaped him as he finally placed his left paw over his eyes, grumbling some something incoherently under his breath, tail flicking irritably; all in all, the small god did not look like he was all that well. His curiosity pulled him onward though, for he figured the strange feeling would die out much like a flame soon enough. There was no point bothering to worry... and the idea of playing his game was still too alluring to really ignore. Thus why he stayed... thus the real and only reason he'd decided to stay with the three mistweaver.
Really.
It had nothing to do with her, OR the strange warmth. Nope.
... Really.
"Gd DAMNIT mate! You look like a stampede's gone right over yah!" the words were squawked, marred by laughter from somewhere above, high up on the branches, and though Ushaufu grunted, the pelt around the back of his neck bristling, he didn't so much as move the paw that covered his eyes, "Awwww, come now, not gonna greet meh? SPECIALLY since I went through all that flying and looking and s**t just for you?" another grunt answered the raspy words, however, no other movement was elicited. In the end, the voice's owner swooped down from the cover of the branches, landing fearlessly on the cub's backside, snorting slightly.... or as best as he could through his beak, "My... you really DO look like a stampede's trampled all over yah..."
The hawk tilted his head, eyeing the form it stood on whilst blinking, red feather ruffled up as he opened his wings; his form was not as big as his friend's, however, the wingspan was still impresive, as were his claws and beak, "Varg... do you have to bother me right now? I'm busy..." extremely busy thinking, or rather, trying not to think, the god pondered to himself, grumping slightly, still not bothering to take the paw from over his eyes.
"No worries, I have time to spare till his royalness decides it's late enough to wake up from his cat nap!" there was sarcasm within the bird's word, still fearlessly hunched over the green form. In fact, taking into account Ushaufu did not move, Varg didn't either, staying there, "So tell me, what exactly is it that's eatting yah?" a pause, "Or rather, what is it yer running from?" thrilling softly, the hawk looked up from the cub, head tilting in many a direction, penetrating eyes regarding the forest around them; it'd seen better times, there was no doubt about that.Kisoni It had been a few days since their little group had entered the mistweaver lands, and despite it being a small valley they had yet to see hair nor hide of another of their kind. Kizuka growled to herself, a sound that quickly tapered of into a resounding sigh. They'd stopped for a day at a little cave near the evaporating river so that the 'cubs' could rest, and as soon as Kimaji'd laid down for a nap with her father, Kizuka had slunk off to think.
The other 'cub' had been avoiding them--no, her--and it was beginning to become more than obvious. Kizuka was frankly surprised that Triv'an had said nothing to her of it, but he still trusted her to tell him if things weren't as he thought. As much as she loved her friend, sometimes Triv'an could be far too trusting for his own good.
Kizuka's ears laid back flat against her head as darker thoughts occured to her. Had they done something to anger this god as well? That the Storm God was displeased with his Mistweavers she had no doubt, but what would the wrath of yet another God do to them? Perhaps her beloved people truly were done for.
Claws sunk into the dried river bed with a dull scraping noise. With a growl, Kizuka pulled herself to her feet and shook her head to abate the thoughts. No; she would never give up on the Mistweavers! Not until her body was stiff and cold in the dust would she give up. Unable to sit still any longer, the lioness turned away from the water and went to prowl for something more productive to do.
As much as she tried not to think on it, there was another reason for her to be so deeply bothered by Usaufu's disapearance. In the short time they'd been together she'd begun to care for the cub, God or not. That night on the rock she'd come to realize that despite their power over the mortals, Gods were not perfect or all powerful; they could need. No all powerful being should be capable of that.
Ushaufu's need had been there for all to see that night, though luckily for his pride, only one had been about to witness it. His need was stated in the press of his body against hers; in the purr that had rumbled through him.
Ushaufu needed love.
Slowly the tension was beginning to lag in the lionesses shoulders as she found something other than her years of hardship and hatred to focus on. In truth, her clipped jog began to turn into a lazy walk as her thoughts turned to the dead green pelt and glowing red eyes that had become so normal to her. "I wonder," She thought as her steps slowed to a halt and her head lifted to the hot yellow sky above, "has he had anyone in his life to love him?"
That question would go unanswered, however, as her ear twitched to the distinct sound of a voice hearby. Turning, Kizuka focused her senses on the noise and soon found it to becoming from a stand of trees not too far away. The thought that it was perhaps the lions they'd come looking for, Kizuka made her way hesitantly forward until the voices began to make sense.
"Varg... do you have to bother me right now? I'm busy..."
On the otherside of a few bushes that somehow still held enough dry, yellowing foliage to hide her Kizuka stopped. That was Ushaufu's voice! So the God hadn't abandoned them entirely... but whom was he talking to?
"No worries, I have time to spare till his royalness decides it's late enough to wake up from his cat nap!"
A strange accent to the voice, and a certain sort of clip followed each of his words. That clip.. she'd heard it somewhere before. Lifting her nose just a little to take a test of the local scents, Kizuka was lucky enough to catch what she believed to be the right smell on a stray breeze. Hawk? That would explain the beak clicking together as he spoke.
"So tell me, what exactly is it that's eatting yah? Or rather, what is it yer running from?" Dark Fire Angel Had Kizuka been able to pry within the cub's mind, she'd have no doubt found her answer within, for though Ushaufu could not understand himself, the feelings, emotions and thoughts running through him so new he did not recognise them as his own... someone like the adult female, quite prone to such thoughts, would've instantly recognised them. Alas, since she was unable to pry, the answers were held in the air, merely there for those able to truly disect Ushaufu's movements and actions.
Now, Varg had spent quite a while with the cub, since the day he'd given him his scar, a story neither of which had truly ever told another, and thus... the hawk would easily be able to pin point the source of the god's distress with time. After all, Varg was known for being quite the observer.
Love was something unknown for the cub, for after all, aside Varg, he hadn't truly known anyone to call a friend; unable to remember his parents, Ushaufu's memoery only went so far, and... as far as it reached, it'd only been him on his own. Needless to say this was no doubt one of the reasons for the cub's cynical nature and bitting sarcasm; he'd never truly been exposed to anyone patient enough to care... even Varg's way of 'caring' was not exactly the same, "Are you going to leave me alone?" of course, the hawk merely thrilled, the answer evident when he did not move, "Fine! At least stop sinking your CLAWS into my side, Varg!" it was then the cub finally lifted his head, glowering at the bird, whom clicked his beak, leaning in to poked the god's cheek with it.
"Awwww, come on!" a whine marred the hawk's raspy voice, mocking, "I wasn't sinking them, I was trying to tickle yah awake; now are yeh gonna listen to meh, or are yeh gonna just... lay there and angst your morning away?" thrilling softly, the bird leaned in again, however, paused just an inch away from the cub's maw, suddenly snapping his head to look around, large penetrating eyes looking around till they fell on a certain bush. Not bothering to say further, the bird opened his wings and flew up on a nearby branch, a squawk resounding acorss the jungle, "My what a pretty, pretty lady! 'Fufu, s'she yours? Yer scent's all over 'er!"
"Mine? What's mine?" no sooner had the bird flown off him that the god sat up, looking about till a scent finally reached him. Eyes widening, the small frame seemed to tense, almost as if he were seriously pondering the idea of suddenly running away, or perhaps climb a tree, anything to get out of the way.
Shiiiiiiit~~
The word was hissed mentally, however, never uttured as Ushaufu turned to glare up at the preening bird, his words dawning on him, "Shut up! She's not mine! I have no idea what in hell you're talking about; be more precise, Varg!" bristling slightly, his ears pinned back; if there was anyone that could get on the god's nerves, it was no doubt the laughing red hawk that had perched himself over them, "Stupid, stupid, stupid bird," the words were grumbled under his breath, almost as if he were trying to focuss on anything but the lioness that stood right there, "We're playing a game..."
"Yer playing a game allright!" a snort escaped the bird as he eyed the mistweaver, head turned at an odd angle which only avians seemed to be able to manage, however, he'd soon enough calmed down into seriousness, "Well, yeh wanted a report, didja not? I've heard rumours... however, nothing pressin'; I think yer safe to play the game; jungle's too bleeding thick to see inside it thu, if yeh wish to find whatever's happening in misty-land yeh'll have to move further and find the pride," a pause, "I hear rumours of childs being born from the kin of fire, bared by the kin of the storm. Yeh'll have to find ou for yerself thu," he left it at that, however, he wasn't really talking to the god, looking straight at Ki.
After all, the god seemed to be too busy to look everywhere but towards the lioness to really hear the hawk's words. Kisoni Being in the habit of not speaking without thinking was certainly helpful, however some mishaps were certain to happen as mistakes were only normal. "I most certainly am not his," The words flew from Kizuka's mouth before she could stop them.
Unable to take them back now, the Lioness decided it was perhaps better to pretend as if she'd meant to say it. A single leap put her over the bush and out into the open where they could both see her quite plainly. "I belong to no one," She continued in her own defense before seeing fit to focus on what the blood-red hawk was saying.
Kizuka's eyes narrowed a littl and her tail flicked irritably behind her. "But to the rumors you hear indicate wether its by choice or not?" It couldn't be the former... at least, Kizuka prayed not. Immediatly she paused, her nose wrinkling and face turning into an almost amused look of disgust.
How could she think that?! No, wishing rape on her own people was worse than willingly taking a Firekin's babe to term. Of course, she knew if it had been her she'd simply have slit her own throat rather than face the choice. A moment later she shook the thought off, though it refused to go that far. In the back of her mind a seed of self doubt had just been planted, and it wasn't likely to go away.
"Thank you," The lioness finally offered to the bird, her voice a little softer now that the anger of the situation had once more died to embers. With a short hop, Kizuka moved to sit once more by Ushuafu. She settled herself down around him before he could protest and moved in to give the side of his developing mane a defiant lick. "I'm afraid i didn't get your name." Dark Fire Angel "Oh! Right; a free spirit, aye? free like the wind, they say!" came the bird's chirp as he ruffled up his feathers, and though it was imposible for him to really smirk, mostly due to his beak, however, there was a distinctly clear spark in the hawk's eyes that seem to voice out some sort of internal smirking, "See, lady, I think we're not all that free; and yer talking to someone that brags about being able to fly up in the sky. We always belong to someone..." his eyes trailed down to the cub that was still far too busy grumbling about stupid red hawks to bother to look up, his ears having flattened back against the nape of his neck with force, his frame having hunched over.
Finally did the cub's ears flicker towards Ki, eyes narrowing till they were slits, "By choice of love, I hear," he'd never understood that word; love, or it's power. All he knew was that it made mortals do very... strange things they'd normally not do. Idly, he paused to wonder what the goddess with power over such a thing would be like before his mind skidded to a hault, "Strange strange thing, that is, is it not?" there was a mocking tone however, it was obviously not aimed at the lioness.
Varg, being quite the sly bird easily caught onto that, however, voiced nothing, instead swooping down to perch himself on the lady's back, "You see, m'dear, the saying goes as true; love is quite blind, from what I've seen and heard," a pause as his gaze shifted towards Ushaufu, "It's specially blind and generally slightly thickheaded, kinda unknowing, ain't it?" churring and thrilling softly, he glanced at her out the corner of an eyes, side ways, his profile regal even if his attitude was not. Opening his wings, the hawk once more moved away before the lioness hoped over on the rock, placing herself around the small god, and once more still, the same strange 'smirk' came alight within his eyes, "Aye, strange, strange thing it is, no one should hope to understand it.... specially not you, 'Fufu!"
"Stop calling me that!" no sooner had the words flown out of his maw that Kizuka settled in around him, taking him much like a mother would, grooming the slowly growing mane... and just like that, th god frozen, muscles tensing as eyes grew wide, no longer slits. There came the warm feeling again, and before he could help himself, his body betrayed him, his frame leaning into hers as a soft pur began to rumble at the back of his throat.
A game indeed, though the hawk as he watched, laughter ringing in his eyes, for though Ushaufu knew not what the hell it was he was feeling, his familliar knew plenty, "Right," a pause as he preened softly, "Varg, m'dear, the cublet here named me," there was nothing else said about it, though he did chuckle softly, the sound no doubt elicited by the expression Ushautu wore; something between half scared to death and half in lala land. No doubt confussed.
Confussion, delusion. Dear me, was Varg having the time of his life; in fact, the avian had decided he'd stick around the jungle for a while longer than he'd planned... leaving the god to his own right now would just not do; he wanted into the game too. Kisoni "By choice of love, I hear"
That sentance made her laugh like no other, though she kept the noise purely mental for Ushaufu's sake. "No one chooses love," She corrected the cub gently once she'd gotten him to relax at her side. Despite the fact that her tongue was now working its way down his back, the lioness had not missed the expression on the cub's face. No doubt her predition was right.
"Love is one of those things that just happens. All living creatures are capable of it, no matter how base or evil they may seem. Some may choose to live in denial of this fact, but the end there is and never shall be any escaping it. Love is."
That said, the lioness took a pause from her slow grooming of the thick green pelt pressed into her mottled one in order to look up once more to the hawk above them. There was laughter in his eyes, though the reason took a moment for her to comprehend. When it dawned on her, she frowned in obvious disapproval; Ushaufu's fear of the unknown was not a laughing matter.
Normally Kizuka's tongue would not have held, but this situation was far from normal in her book. Unwilling to damage the boy's pride any further, she kept the peace and chose instead to focus on the task and conversation at hand. "Thank you for the information, then, Varg, its quite helpful. I have, however, been looking into the jungle as much I dare for the past few days--thus far I have found nothing. When my daughter is rested enough to travel again, we'll press further, I'm sure."
Kizuka's tongue raked down the cub's back a few more times then finally lifted her head for good. A breeze, as blistering hot as all winds were these days, blew past them then, moving fur and feather alike and rustling the leaves of the plants around them. That seemed to push a point made back into Kizuka's thoughts, and her head lifted skyward to examine the clouds that no longer marked the sky above.
"True freedom is something no mortal can ever hope to attain. In truth, I admit that I am not as free as I should like to believe. No, my tethers lie behind me--two in a cave, and one in my past. Still.. those tethers do not hold me so close that can't fly just a little." Dark Fire Angel Laughter shone withing the avian's eyes, even at the lioness' glare, and once more, he idly wished there was a way he could turn his beak into a maw, if only briefly, just so he could smirk. Instead he chuckled, a raspy sound, "Don't get my wrong, lady, I can practically read yer mind; I'm not particularly amused over that, but something else all the different," a pause as his gaze lingered on the god cub, whom seemed to be too busy staring down at his claws, in a sort of half glare to truly say much in respect, "One day, I'll tell yah what I mean; today's not the day thu!" thrilling softly, his gaze was diverted, looking deeper into the jungles even though the foliage allowed little distance to be gained in this way, "Got other things to do today, we all do, don't we, 'Fufu?"
When it became clear the god was still much too drowned in his own lala land to even understand that Varg was talking to him, the avian opened his beak and squawked loudly, the sound ear splitting yet still, very effective for no soon had the sound skidded through the air that Ushaufu jumped to his feet, pelt bristling, "Okay! Okay! I'm Up! I'm up! Stop your squawking!" the words though harsh also held a pleading tone to them; just why a single squawk had such an effect on the small god... was something only Varg and the god himself knew of, however, there was no doubt the story would come out into the open at some point.
In fact...
"Say, 'Fufu, you might wanna check out the border too at some point, heaven-wise, it's easier, see if you can spot anything I missed..." a pause, "I went as far as the land of fire and back, but an extra swift look around never goes uncalled for," another chuckle as he fluffed out his plumage, preening, his beak diving between his red feathers for a few moments before he paused and looked up again, "Specially since you've got a nice lil niche here and all, don't want anyone to come and catch you by surprise, do yah? Shouldn't take you more than a few minutes anyhow," it was clear Varg was trying to tease the god over the edge, almost seemingly wishing him gone.
Needless to say, had Ushaufu been thinking clearly, he'd never have fallen for such talk, however, the urgent need to get away from Kizuka bubbled up inside him as much as the need to press right up and back against her. Finding the need to get away more pressing, he merely glared hotly at the bird, stuck his tongue out and spread his black hued wings, which had materialed within an instant, "Stay nearby, Varg, don't want you gone," this was all that was said before the cub flapped his wings and took off to the sky, through the trees and canopy; it was more than easily seen that the seemingly 'useless' and 'broken' wings were none of the sort and were perfectly able to carry the cub's full weight without a problem.
Once the green figure had vanished, the smile did so too from the bird's eyes, lids blinking softly over his penetrating eyes before he focused his gaze over Kizuka, "Wanna hear a story?" his tone of voice had changed, softened down to a point it was almost melodic instead of teasing, the bird opening his wings to come to settle himself upon the female's back, all the while careful where he placed his claws, I'm sure you have your plenty share, but really, allow me, since we have only but a while till the cublet returns." Kisoni Varg's avian shriek flattened Kizuka's ears agains her skull and caused an answering snarl from the female. It wasn't voluntary, of course, but the noise seemed to peirce straight through her skull. The female settled again a moment later, though, opning her eyes just in time to see the cub flying off.
Amazing how those wings worked; they didn't seem like they should be able to. Shaking her head a little, Kizuka took the moment to shift her position on the rock, stretching out with a rumbling yawn before flopping back down along the sun-heated stone.
"Wanna hear a story?" Varg asked then. A moment later she felt the faint p***k of his claws upon her back and looked up. His steely eyes sparked something strange at the back of her mind, but the lioness did not move at all. I'm sure you have your plenty share, but really, allow me, since we have only but a while till the cublet returns."
"A story?" Kizuka arched a single eyebrow with a tilt of her head. What on earth could this be about? Still, it sounded rather important the way the bird phrased it, and she decided to go along with it for now. "Sure." Dark Fire Angel "Right-o," came the single world, eyes raising towards the canopy as the bird slowly settled himself down into a more comfortable position, feathers fluffing out, almost as if to insulate his body even though there wasn't really a real need... after all, the warm sun that did manage to filter through the branches was enough to make for a heated environment, "It all starts with a bird," a pause, a clicking of his beak as he took the moment to shake his head, "It all started with one unhappy, extremely bitter bird, who though the world had something against him; then again, coming to your nest to find your mate slaughtered and your eggs crashed can do that to you, heh..."
The words were spoken softly, and never once did Varg turn his sharp gaze towards the lioness as he retold his story; never once did he bother to do much but look straight up ahead, almost seemingly lost in some sort of strange trance, "Needless to say the bird was driven near insanity; enough to simply stand there for what might've seemed like days, till a shadows befall him. No sooner had he turned around that he saw a lion... green pelt, strange black wings, and for some reason his mind made the association; death," a deep unamused chuckle rang through him before he picked up the story again, "Driven by anger, bitterness and perhaps delusion, the bird rose in the air and swooped down to attack what he thought was death personified, leaving a deep dark gush along the figure's right eye; the shriek of pain the cub released was enough to awaken the bird from the nightmare he'd plunged himself into. There were real tears running down the lion's face, he sat there, whimpering softly like any cub would have, calling for his mother..."
It was only at this point that the hawk finally turned his head, allowing Kizuka to start into one of his eyes; little was seen within the red orbs, however, there was no need, for all was clear within his voice. Silence prevailed for a whole minute before he dared talk again, "I stayed there, you know, I kept watched for a whole day; never once did he move... and no one answered his calls," narrowing his gaze, Varg turned open his wings, as if feeling trapped, "By the time he finally moved... he was still moving like a lost soul, searching for something he seemed unable to find; I followed, noticing the scar that had forced his eye shut," another pause, "I followed him for days, weeks... the scar never healed, and still it's not healed completely. I don't know why."
Even the bird's usual accent seemed to have changed at this point, smoother, as if a different being were the one speaking altogether, even if Varg had never truly 'changed' in any way, "I decided I'd stay with him that day; it was a good two weeks by the time I finally swooped down to talk to with him, been with the cublet since, never really left his side," once more he looked towards her, wishing he could manage a real smile, however, she'd have to content with the slight smile that danced in his eyes, "I know that cublet as if my own chick, don't bother to frown at me next time, lass, I know what I see when I look at him; god he may be, but he's also my chick, perhaps nature's way... of helping me. He can't fool me." Kisoni
Kizuka listened to this all with an open ear, her face never once giving off any sense of emotion. Her heart went out to him, as well as the little cub, more and more as Varg continued on with his story. She could tell by his voice that not even his wounds had yet to heal.
So the cut on the Cub's eye had come from this beings talons? No, as much as some would have, Kizuka didn't seem able to blame the hawk. Had she not tensed with fear as well, when the cub had first appeared to her? In truth, it could be said the hawk was braver than she, for he had attempted to fight it.
Still, the mental image of poor Ushaufu bleeding and hurt, calling for a mother that would never come filled her heart and body with sadness... and yes, anger. He had to have had a mother, once upon a time; where was she now? Had she abandoned him, or had something happened to her? ...... could something happen to a God?
It seemed her beliefs were being tried by the day anymore. In the past few days she had learned so much about the beings she had once deemed all powerful; while powerful still, in her mind, they were becoming vastly more tangible on the mortal plane... and all because of one little cub.
"Perhaps it wasn't my place to frown upon your behavior, Varg, but I will not make excuses or apologies for it," Kizuka said softly after another few moments consideration. "I have not known Ushaufu as long, no, but in the short time we've been together he has come to mean a great deal to me as well."
The lioness turned her head to meet his bloody gaze, and met it with all the stubbornness--and yes, understanding--she had within her, "He had no mother before.. but if he'll accept it, he has a place here with us as well... though I will not try and seperate the two of you, if that's what you're worried about. In fact, I am very glad you're willing to share your information on both situations with me, and thank you."Dark Fire Angel A chuckle rang through him, this time amused, "No problem, lass... if you're to know a trickster, ask for his past," a nod followed the statement as he thrilled softly, a mere sort of chirp following it, eyes scanning the canopy for signs of the small good, "There's nothin' wrong with sharin', all I know is that he sat there, he cried for a day, and no one answered that call.... nor beast nor god," a pause, his eyes still scanning the canopy, "I shan't lie; I'm not as young as I was when I stumbled upon Cublet... my eyes have seen much," at this they clouded slightly, the first real frown coming upon his features, cold and sharp, dangerous even, "I've seen lion abandon their young, kill their young... I've seen dreadful things happen, watched them not care, watched the sun rise even despite the blood shed as if nothing had happened."
After all, that was what life was, and how it went; nothing hindered the life of others, not even such dreadful action, "Do you know what I've found out to be true and similar within all those events? No god looks over them. Gods do exist, but mostly don't linger within the actions mortal do, usually sidestepping them; something to do with free will and allowing mortals to do as their heart pleases, whether it tends to darkness... or light," still he was glaring, not at her, not at anyone in particular, but up at the branches, "Because every creature's heart has darkness... and light within it; what that creature decides to embrace is it's sole choice. No one can intervene... it's life. It's the way it works, good and evil," the glare softened down into a smile, "Because if there were no evil, how would we be ale to tell good apart from anything else?" a wing was pointed slightly towards her in a gesture, then recoiled.
Chuckles meet her words, "He won't accept it though," it was blunt as and clear as ice, however, the smile never faded from the hawk's eyes, "It's one thing for him to understand he has me to rely on for things, but that cub does not understand what it means to care, to belong, and the day it comes crashing down in front of him... mark my words, it'll be the last day you see a hair from him, because he'll run from it... run away from that warmth he's seeked like a bat straight from hell."
There was no need for him to explain why, after all, in Varg's mind it was quite clear... just like others were scared of Ushafu, not truly understanding him, the cub would be doubtlessly scared of that what he did not understood, "I have no fear... it is my goal for him to find a day in which he'll not need me; I, unlike him... am not immortally to time, lass," a ruffling of the leaves above directed the hawk's gaze up, "He can not accept that what he does not understand... if you truly do care, you'll have to be patient and wait till he calls," perhaps he'd spent too much time with the lithe god, for even the bird's words were cryptic, his wings opening as he settled up on a branch just as the green form landed gracefully with a thud on the floor, black feathers scattering briefly before the god hid his wings with an illusion.
"I saw nothing strange, stupid bird!"
The bird smirked again, or at least.. his eyes flashed, "Aye!" he chirped happily, "I saw lots!" Kisoni
"As did I," The lioness whispered lowly with a slight rumble that could have been a chuckle. She reaced over the edge of the rock to scoop the cub up and lick his mane tuft. "I'm about to head out for hunting. If you're so inclined, the other two are still at the cave. Kimaji has missed her 'playmate'... or is our game not still on?"
Kizuka settled Ushaufu down on the rock, though not by her side as the bird's speech had alerted him to the growing problem. Was that why the cub had spent so much time away lately? If it was... well, Varg had a point. Forcing the issue would only cause Ushaufu to run away, and Kizuka certainly didn't want that. THough the boy was obviously able to take care of himself, that need in him wasn't going to go away.
But neither was she, the lioness decided then and there. Part of the reason that Ushaufu found the concept of care so hard to deal with was likely lack of it his life. Perhaps, just maybe, if she showed him more of it he would learn to accept it. Yes, he would run as Varg said, because the bird did know him well enough to predict him; but when he did, Kizuka would be there to follow. Perseverance worked wonders, after all.
Once she'd settled the cub on the rock, the brownand white splotched lioness found her feet again. A jawn ripped itself from her throat as she stretched out along the rock, claws extending and scraping just a little along the stone before she resheathed them. "I'll be back with dinner soon.. if you want any." Leaving that as open as she could, Kizuka nuzzled under Ushaufu's neck, gave Varg a nod and hopped down off the rock to dissapear under the canopy. Dark Fire Angel Even as he was swiftly gathered up from the ground, Ushaufu tensed, finding the contact oddly comforting, once more the same semi confused expression coming over his features, which soon enough melted into a mild glare as the lioness got up, "The game stands," he spoke softly, yet at the same time his words held a force backing them up and made it clear he had no intention of abandoning.
"Got'cha lass! I'll wait around... place seems to have too much to see to leave now!" this said however, the hawk spread his wings, flapping once, twice before tilting his head mid air, "Talkin' about gruv thu, I'll go get myself some too... been flying too long; there's bound to be somethin' 'round here," and with these last words, the red bird vanished through the canopy, either heading further into the drying jungle or out into the desert. Only the gods knew that, no pun intended.
Ushaufu merely glared after the departing bird before snorting softly, watching Kizuka's also departing figure. Good riddance! Was all that he could think of at the time. However he did take the time to narrow his eyes, a soft growl sounding around him, "And I intend to win..." he murmured, mostly to the vegetation around him, slinking off the rock and vanishing into the deep jungle, no doubt heading back into the cave; he had a game to play. The end
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Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 9:27 am
Kianga - The shadows talk
Naita The air was thick with the heady morning scents, another night having passed away, the darkness melting on the horizon as once more that golden ball of flame took it's daily course.
The sky burned with it, threads of red and orange slowly taking over from the residual inky blue-black of the previous hours, banishing the dawn's muted greys.
The land was awaking, prey creatures in their herds setting about the day's activities, the slow yet steady pace of searching for the sources of moisture hidden about the place.
And amongst the growing bustle the shadows shimmered, the air seemed to hold it's breath.
Kita'mauti, Goddess of the Shadow, wandered aimlessly, saddened and listless. Her only child, her darling boy had left her. It had been her choice, her encouragement, her command, and yet the sadness was unmatched. He was the reminder of a wound that sat heavy upon her heart, yet he was her whole heart, beloved as only a child can be.
Mtume, first and only child of the goddess, had been left in the lands she now traversed the outskirts of.
She had left him where she knew he would be safe, amongst a pride over which she could be called patron. She had watched their growth, their fall, their hardships. She had nursed each Akida as his dying breath came, and had given notice of the horrors in store before they came. Beloved almost as children to her were they, and yet as all mortals she feared them, feared their fear and horror as others feared death's cold grip.
They could only hate her, she who stole away their kings, and yet she could only love them, they who gave her name and form with their belief.
And so she had delivered to their care and guardianship her only child, safe in the knowledge Warithi, true in his ways, would raise him amongst their rank.
He may guess Mtume's parentage, but his heart would lead him to do right, she was sure. The promise existed of her help to each Akida, and from each Akida an unspoken promise of worship to her ways and silence was understood.
Yes, Warithi would raise her son well. But even knowledge and assurance cannot cure the pain of a mother's sorrow upon losing her child. Dark Fire Angel Light blue eyes travelled the territory, keen on catching any sort of movement... after all, when one travelled alone, one learnt to keep all their sense into whatever one might be doing; even if it was just taking a small stroll in the morning. Finding a place to drink after having managed to feast the night before was in order, and thus the lioness moved swiftly, a semi trot that lifted dust about as he paws hit the earth.
Even despite her keen attention, she missed the shifting of the shadows till a distinct feeling made her steps halt; far from being a coward, and rather far from being one to frown upon darkness (what with the fact it concealed her body whenever she went out to hunt), the lioness merely stood still, one paw lifted in the air. The soft breeze had stopped, the shadows playing on the land, almost as if the rising sun were casting illusions, the earth having held it's breath, and thus, so did Kianga.
Ears twitches slightly as the pink hued creature tilted her head, this way and that, only to peer over at a particular portion of land, eyes narrowing to try and get a better glimpse of what she thought she'd seen. Only a pause followed before she finally sat herself down; she'd never heard of a shadow that could harm, nor a darkness that could hurt... after all, they were her friends in many times of need; when she hid, when she hunted... she feared them not, and even though she was quite sure it was an illusion what she was seeing, or rather not quite seeing, the lioness blinked, "Who goes there?" there was an almost lingering sadness about this land right now; where was she again? she knew not of any prides around the place, thus why she'd chosen it. Was she mistaken? Naita A voice. The sound of another hung on the muted air, the scent of a stranger in lands so familiar, so used to the footsteps of it's patron goddess.
Kita'mauti froze as the sound reverberated about her mind, each tone, each tiny flicker of intonation meeting her attention. And yet no response was warranted, merely a flicker of fear in the goddess' pearlescent eyes.
Who was this who had found the lands of the Mteo'nyungu?
She had often thought the place too far from the world of strangers to meet the attention of any but those who had passed all their lives here, those who would die without seeing outside it's borders, or seeing a face not acquainted with them from birth. It was a thought she had enjoyed, a safety she had relished, for in that that does not change there was a knowledge that change brings trouble that cannot be helped, but must be seen through to an end.
Was such a time upon herself? Upon the heads of the lions she had watched from their infancy? Dark Fire Angel Still the lioness took the time to look around, various emotions flickering through her pale orbs, ears twitching for signals from the wind... the earth, the sky, anything really that could indicate to her exactly what it was that had made her pause. However, she did not move from her spot; a force she simply could not distinguish told her to stay put, to relax, to not fear... and to wait.
Wait for what though?
Kianga had never been the most patient of creatures; restless by nature, she was often forced to pace around the land without need.... perhaps the pull of being along, or the lingering fear within her mind that indicated it was dangerous to say in one place for too long. She'd only recently found these lands, which she'd thought were pleasantly free of prides... free of war, and doubtlessly free of the conflicts she seen upon travelling other lands. Never once had she really craved to form part of a family for with family came ties, and with ties came a permanent home.
The fear within her usually force her to move on, never willing to stay too long and risk the freedom, however, upon coming to these lands, she'd thought she'd found a place she could call 'home' for a while at least, cease the incessant travelling she'd put herself through. The place was new, and the feel to it suddenly sad, however, she soon enough let out a sigh, closing her eyes, "Mirage, are you not? I've seeked a place to stay, and yet the warning signals are already telling me to take heed and keep on traveling, my instincts are telling me to stay and wait. I can't wait for ever."
A long pause followed, her gaze torn from the shadows that seemed to play shapes up ahead only to raise to the sky, "What is it you want me to do?" was a signal too much to ask? Naita Again the stranger spoke, and her words rolled around the goddess' mind, their meanings savoured, weighed.
The physical examination of this new lion in these lands had not yet been made, and thus Kita'mauti allowed her pale eyes to roll over the strange pink lioness' figure.
She was in fine shape, a fit enough female, neither scarred from hardship nor free of the muscle structure to imply a huntress. She was, in all, a healthy lioness, and of such a colour that those pearl-coloured irises lingered a tad longer than they had meant.
The word 'leave' struck her mind. Yes, was it not best that all strangers leave? That no change come to this place? And yet, what change had not already begun? Had Kita'mauti not placed a stranger in the midst of those she tried now to protect, in the form of her son?
A conflict waged within her, until at last, a whisper, a single word escaped the shadows to surround her.
"Stay." Dark Fire Angel It was a single word, almost as if whispered by her surroundings, the lioness' eyes lowering from their heavenward position in order to regard the shadows more firmly. There were shapes curling within them, something hiding within, but Kianga still moved not from her spot, rather, relaxed further.
Fear, hesitation and sadness seemed to linger in the shadows, and the pink hued creature was doing her best to try and seep some of her own courage into them, the way her own mother had done so long ago, because courage did not reside in being bold, but rather, something else altogether, "Why?" her voice was soft in response, and it was clear by her tone she means not to ask anything along the lines of 'what do I gain', but rather, she seemed to want some sort of confirmation, something to grasp onto.
She knew not of the real troubling thoughts that lingered the goddess' mind; in fact, Kianga didn't even know she was talking to a goddess.... she'd actually later on deem the whole 'conversation' of sort as a dream, something she'd thought up... illusions, nothing else, yet that single word had her still rooted in place. Never once did she ask whom the figure was, for it was clear within her mind that such figures would reveal themselves if needed; in their lack of identity lied their mystery and power. Kinaga might've been hard headed, but she knew she was no one to question such things; she was, after all, in a sense also a dreamer. She believed in dreams and how they were meant to remain intangible. Naita This word provided Kita'mauti with some trouble.
Why indeed? Would the Mteo'nyungu welcome the stranger? Perhaps not. Would they wish her presence amongst them? Perhaps not.
But did they need others? Yes. Would a healthy huntress be a boon to their numbers? Yes.
The goddess knew that unwelcome as new faces amongst them would be to some in the ranks of her chosen pride, it was for their good that strangers would find them, must find them.
"To h-help," she spoke again, voice soft as ever, stutter a note of her fear of mortals, an ever-present fear for the goddess.
"Tell them th-the shadows sent y-you."
With this, she took flight, shadows of her shroud left to evaporate into the golden lights raking over the land, to flee as the shadows of the night did.
And the goddess of the shadow fled likewise, to indulge in her sadness alone. Dark Fire Angel
The words rung with a real tone to them; there was no mistaking she'd heard them this time, and though once more ther ears twitched, her sight keen on following the shadows, she remain where she sat. She knew not to follow after a fleeting dream all too well, and thus she closed her eyes, not really wishing to see it's departure.
The sun had long been high up in the sky by the time she finally moved, her frame lifting, her eyes finally opening, "To help..." a pause, "Right..." the words were murmured to her surroundings, and once again she set course, this time to the heart of a land she knew nothing about, following nothing more than her heart as a guide.
She knew she'd find 'them'. Sooner or later.The end
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:22 pm
Ushaufu - Confusion meets Deception
Quote: ((For Kissy, I 'bullied' him into rp ;O)) Long time had passed since he'd first arrived here; ages, probably, or at least it so seemed to him. Had it really been that long? Slowly, he raised a paw, flexing it so that long black claws became unsheathed, longer than he'd remembered them to be, his paws distinctly larger too. In fact, his body had grown up, that much was obvious.
Had it really been that long ago? Why was he still here?
Placing his paw back over the large rock he lay reclined over, the male watched the thick jungle about him; the plants were dry, and though there was still green about them, the dryness was affecting the leaves heavily, the lack of water the region suffered from apparent even to those not truly looking at it. If this kept on going, Ushafu was sure the place would die. Like any other, really, after all, why would this place be any different from others? Why should it live? What did he care? It was only a game, after all... this place, it's inhabitants, all of it a game.
Except he was confused.
He'd been confused for a very long time now. It'd almost become something familiar for him to feel, which was odd in it's own ways, for whom would think the god of deception to be confused? It simply wasn't the way things were meant to be, and yet, it was how it was turning out. Wasn't that ironic? Ushuafu was soon enough learning that he did not like irony, at least when it turned on him; it was plenty fun to watch when it turned on others though.
Snorting softly to himself, the god stood from his perch, moving languidly off the rock, claws digging into the dry ground till he reached the border of the jungle; they'd never strayed far from it. Something about security. Whatever. Personally, were he in danger, all he'd have had to do was reveal his wings, flap them and head sky high, alas... a face, or rather, three faces flashed through his mind's eyes, causing him to frown.
A slow, silent snarl began to marr his features as red hued eyes narrowed; What the bloody HELL did he CARE anyhow? He didn't, did he? He couldn't, could he? Almost as if feeling the need, the youth allowed his wings to finally be seen, large black appendages finally protruding from his shoulder blades, the feel of the feathers somewhat re-comforting against his unhealthy looking pelt; he wasn't a part of their world. He was something beyond it... his wings were a dark reminder of such notions, at least.
Maybe... just maybe... he should go.
"Let me live, let me be," the world were snarled at an innocent tree before the god dived back into the vegetation; he didn't want to go. He wanted to stay... that sense of finally belonging was haunting him in more ways than one, but it was enough to make him stay, even despite the huge turmoil and confusion he felt. It wasn't fair. But then again, since when had he ever stopped to think about what was fair and what wasn't? Wasn't this jungle slowly withering away due to lack of water? Wasn't it slowly becoming doomed? Hadn't it been the home of many for long times? Who was he to decide what was fair and what wasn't?
A god, his mind supplied eagerly, and that's when the youth finally stopped, tilting his head back to howl in pain; GOD DAMNIT! What did it all even mean?! Wasn't he supposed to be supreme ruler in this sector? And yet here we was, outrules by three mortals in his own riddle of a game; he really should go...Kisoni 
Could they really stay here? She knew she wanted to; these lands were their home by blood, god damnit, and she didn't want to leave! Not again... A sigh heaved her chest and Kizuka let herself fall to the ground in a graceful heap. A beetle crawled right by her nose as she layed there, pushing a little pile of dung and the lioness barely blinked. It was lazy of her to stay there, perhaps, but she had spent the past moons searching. It was only one tiny valley! It shouldn't be so hard to find them... or perhaps they really weren't here. Maybe the Mistweavers HADN'T rejoined after all.
The brown lioness's ears laid flat against her head. Or perhaps they had, and realized this land was lost. Either way, it didn't bode well for them; she had a kit to think about now, after all. No, she had two. Once more confussion crossed her brow as she let her mind drift to another topic, just as green. The older of the two 'kits' with them, possibly even older than her, had been a strange topic as of late. He was growing, and fast now, as all kits would at a certain age.. and along with that growth were coming mood swings.
Not to mention...
She still hadn't informed Triv'an of Ushaufu's true nature. Sure, she had promised to keep his Godhood a secret, but it bothered her not to tell Triv.. just as her growing love of the kit did. Generally it wouldn't have bothered her to accept another into their fold, but this was somehow different. A part of her acknowledged that Ush wasn't the family type, and yet.. there it was. How she wished that Varg came around more often, the bird was a definite help with dealing with the cubbin. He knew Ush better than anyone else, after all.
It was around then when irony decided he would strike them once more. A howl nearby got the lionesses attention, causing her to jump to her feet. Her ears perked forward and she paused a moment before some instinct in her told her whom it was. The dry ground sped beneath her feet then, over withered leaf and root, dry earth and rock until she saw a dead green quite set apart from the other hues around him.
When she did see him, however, it was apparant that he wasn't hurt at all. Confused, the lioness slowed her steps, finally approaching him at a sedate pace. Kizuka turned a slow circle around him, checking him on all sides before she put a paw to the back of his head, drawing him close to sniff his mane and lick him in greeting, "Ushaufu! What's wrong; I could hear you across the jungle!"
Dark Fire Angel Overwhelmed, the youth turned upon a nearby tree, hitting his head with strength against it, only to repeat the action; he managed to do it four times before the splitting pain forced him to take a step back, a snarl covering his maw as silent tear fell, no doubt from the pain.
Physical pain was easier to deal with, however, and for a few moments, it worked; the splitting pain he felt near his forehead was enough to erase those other further more confusing thoughts out of his mind, at least.... for a tiny bit of time. Though tears did slide down his cheeks, no sobs followed, or sniffles; silence had settled around him, a thin trail of blood now trailing over his right, scarred eye, his vision there blurred by the red and thus forcing him to shut it.
He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all; why was he still here? Why didn't he leave?
Another snarl was issued as he raised his right paw, whipping away all trade of the blood, the pain now a faint echo at the back of his mind, his growing mane covering the small injury he'd caused himself. It was then that she appeared, almost as if magically choosing the moment, or perhaps almost as if summoned by him. His eyes narrowed at the thought, however, he didn't move as she circled hims, head lowered, brows knitted and mouth set into what looked like a deep sulk, "I'm..." his answer was cut as the larger lioness pulled him to her, her tongue grooming the top of his head.
There it was again; it was once more starting to become hard to think clearly, the need to cling to her and just cry far more urgent, and yet he didn't; instead, he swallowed his needs and glared up at her, "I'm fine... I just... fell, that's all," looking off to the side, he flattened his ears against the top of his head, "Stupid plant tripped me... hit myself against a tree," he was a master of the arts, and yet... the excuse was lame, half hearted, as if Ushaufu hadn't really even gone through his usual need of pondering every single word he uttered.
Brows knitted even further then as her heat mingled with his, ears flattening deeper till they were basically lost against the mass of darker green hair that had slowly been growing, "I don't care anyhow..." the words were whispered, though she might have heard, specially with the fact he was pressed almost subconciously against her, "I don't..."
Except he did.
It was that single notion which suddenly made him shudder, trembling from head to toes, almost as if he'd just seen a ghost, or further more, something worse; ears had perked up at the same time, eyes opening wide as his claws dug into the ground.
He DID care, didn't he? That was precisely the problem; he cared, "I shouldn't care..." the words came out soft, a whisper, the fact he was by now terrified apparent. Kisoni "A plant?" She asked softly, not quite believing it when he said it. Ushaufu tripped by a plant? Well, stranger things had happened, but something still was bugging her about this. He seemed scared and skitish, even of her. He'd always seemed comfortable with it before.. well, to a point. The last time she'd seen Varg came back to tickle Kizuka's memory and she frowned.
The whispered words against her chest she couldn't quite make out,but it wasn't too long before he suddenly stilled beneath her and she heard at last. Her heart ached at how scared he looked; he truly had no family before them, then.. the poor thing. He'd gone so long abused and neglected, so long alone, that he had no idea how to react. Kizuka let her paw pet down his back gently as she gave him a moment to think.
In truth, it was a moment for him as much a moment for her. What could she say to that to help him with this? Was there anything she could do, really? Slowly, gently, she pushed his tuft of mane aside to lick at the slight wound there, cleaning it off as well as trying to comfort him. So odd, wasn't it? The thought of a mortal comforting a God in such a manner... and yet, here it was. She'd grown used to it these past months.
"Call me teacher, call me friend.." She said softly, finally. "I don't know if you here me there, where its darkest and no one cares... but I'll hear you. You don't have to care if you don't want to, Ush, but I will." She licked his cheek and hugged him softly, hooking her head over his shoulder to hold him close. "Maybe this started off as a game... but I can honestly say you've found a home, if you should ever want it, Ush. Its entirely up to you."
Kizuka pursed her lips where he couldn't see, awaiting his reaction. She could be making a huge mistake offering him this, and yet it needed to be done; especially now that he'd realized so much on his own. Her heart ached with the fear that he would be frightened even further.. but what was she supposed to tell him? That they hated him, that it was just a game, when it no longer was? No, She couldn't bring herself to lie to the cub like that. Her mouth wouldn't have even opened to utter such obsenities. It would been like raising a paw to Kimaji. Dark Fire Angel No no no NO NO!
His mind was in turmoil, his thoughts piling up, one over the other to the point he could no longer think, and instead, a white almost blinding panic settled around him. Cold sweat making him wince away from her touch as she tried to comfort him. This shouldn't be the way things were meant to work! Things were meant to not be this confusing! This scary. Of course, however... had he paused to truly think about it, he'd have noticed it was merely scary because it was something new.
He'd never seen... anything new, or felt anything new before. He was used to the familiarity he'd spent his time within; solitude, his mind and no one else intruding it. However now his mind had slowly been invaded by these lions, specially her.
It was a game. It had started off as a game, and it'd end as a game, with him as the winner! That was how it was supposed to be at least, and yet even within such a panicked state, Ushaufu knew he was not able to fool himself; she was right... it was no longer a game. The thought was oddly calming, and at the same time... eerily cold. It was enough to get the god to stop his squirming at least, now sitting with a bowed head, teeth gritted strongly so no sound would dare leave his mouth.
He had to go.
He really had to leave....
He couldn't stay here...
Not any more at least. Even despite Kizuka's words, he was well aware of the fact he had to leave; he couldn't stay there. He wasn't a part of this world, no matter that his senses told him he belonged; his sense were wrong. He didn't belong anywhere. Ushaufu was meant to be alone, just like this family was meant to stay together... just like this valley was drying up and just like birds needed their wings to fly, "I have to go..." the words were no longer whispered, but his voice lacked emotion, cold, marred by a slight intake of breath, "I can't stay..." this said, he escaped her grasp, turning towards the vegetation, stopping only scarcely away, his head turning to look over his shoulder, yet his gaze was downcast, "I'm sorry," and with that, the youth took to running as fast as he could towards the border of the jungle, with no though or need other than the overpowering notion that he HAD to leave.
He did care.
And yes, he was sorry, but not about caring, strangely enough; rather, about leaving. Was this really the best way? Deception was meant to remain alone, wasn't it? As he ran, one of his paws became stuck between some vines, the roots curled around it, and thus sending the yelping youth into a heap on the floor; how ironic; he'd tripped over a plant...
Ushaufu lay there however, heart pounding as he pulled and tugged at his caught paw; running away wasn't the solution, but then again, despite being a god, he was young... and the young were known for being foolish in their actions. Defeated, the god lay his head on the ground, placing his free paw over his face.
Kisoni
Kizuka looked up when he pulled away from her, her ears tipping forward to study his face. She had definatly upset him with that. A coldness drifted up her body slowly, shock pulling at her, and stopping her feet for a moment. As stereotypical as it might have been, it really did seem like slow motion as he ran away from her, into the darkness of the jungle. "Ush!" She called after him uselessly.
Still, the lioness found her feet frozen to the hard earth. Had she not told him it was his choice to stay, or go? And yet, her heart ached to follow him. To calm him. Desperatly her eyes turned skyward to search for Varg. The boy needed someone that he would listen to; maybe the hawk could do something!
Another pang of fear dashed across her body when she heard him cry out a second time. Her feet unfroze and she found herself going after him again. If anything had hurt him.... But no. There he was, laying on the ground with his paw stuck on a root. Kizuka stopped out of sight behind a bush, watching him through the roots. Should she help or... allow him to help himself?
A part of her told her to let him go, and yet Varg's story came back to her mind. 'I stayed there, you know, I kept watched for a whole day; never once did he move... and no one answered his calls... True, this situation was quite different.. and this time, he was not calling for anyone. For a long time she watched him, feeling horrible for it the entire length of her wait. He didn't seem to be able to get free and night was falling. Finally she was unable to help it.
Kizuka slid out of the shadows behind him, stopping to sit behind him and raised a paw to the vines that held him captive. Silently, she released his foot, letting her eyes slide up to watch his face now, waiting for him to run again. Just waiting. Dark Fire Angel He didn't run this time though, not even when he caught her scent, drifting through the air, indicating she was right there. He'd known she was there, even before she finally showed herself, however, he didn't move from his place. In fact, he didn't even move from his position, paw still placed over his face to hide it.
It wasn't that Ushaufu was scared to show weakness; far from it. The youth was far too intelligent to know that weakness was not was truly moved the world; it didn't matter if one was weak... not truly. One was allowed to cry; one was allowed to have emotions, even, however... it was still scary. The unknown always was, he'd decided as he lay there, however, running away was foolish and cowardly.
Ushaufu was no coward.
He'd never been a coward, he reminded himself; the scar he wore over his right eye was distinct proof of his thoughts, and as he finally raised his gaze to meet hers, there was a cold determination shinning within his red orbs as his brows knitted, "I'm not a coward..." the words were urgent as they slipped from his mouth, spoken softly, yet strong enough for her to hear, "I'm not a coward... and I don't hate you," his paw was finally free, and the youth twisted it this way and that before sitting up, shoulders hunched over, the mane that had been steadily growing over the past few weeks darkening his features till they were unreadable.
Tell truth, the small god was unsure of so many things; everything lately was... deeply confusing, however, he knew one thing was clear; he was not a coward, and thus, would not react like one. He'd not run away. He'd walk away calmly one day after he'd decide the game was over. Ushaufu was too stubborn to let go of it, or perhaps in a sense, too greedy; he'd never had any of this... he'd always been alone. All he could remember from his long past was walking under the blazing sun, not knowing where or why he was till he stumbled across Varg.
The youth knew whom he was now though, and as far as he was concerned... this place was home for the time being. He never voiced the thoughts out loud, however, he slowly stood and moved towards Kizuka, head still bowed so that his eyes were out of sight... and just as slowly, he leaned his forehead against her silently. His head remain against her larger side, his wings vanishing from sight once more as he allowed himself to rub his forehead ever so slightly against her.
It was a small opening, but... an opening non the less. Kisoni
"No," She agreed with his words as he offered them. "No, you're not a coward." Kizuka smiled ever so softly, glad now she'd followed him. As she watched, he came close to her, and let his head rest on her side. He allowed him to do such for a few moments before moving a paw to run through his mane, and pull him close for a quick hug.
With a single lick to his ear, she let the child go as she knew the touch upset him and stood. "Its getting dark. We should get back to the cave.." The lioness took a few steps away then, headed back towards the cave where she had left her daughter and Triv'an. She paused after those few steps, and looked back at him. "And no, I don't hate you either." in fact, her eyes radiated a softness that was far from hate, though she didn't give name to it just yet. He'd made a few strong leaps in one day, it would be mean of her to shove him off the cliff.The end
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:38 am
Ushaufu - The Art of Deception
Remove The small cub jumped from rock to rock. His blue eyes scanned the horizon before they landed on the forest, thats where he was going for now. Stretching his wings he started off towards the lands of the Mistweavers, Somewhere new to visit, somewhere to change colour, all good.
As each paw hit thr ground it changed colour from electric pink to baby blue, it changed constantly till the cub could be seen jumping about in circles watching the ground change colour beneath him. Eventually the youngster was rolling around the floor, laughing at what could seem nothing. He was a strange one, very strange. Dark Fire Angel Had Ushaufu known such a youngster was nearing, there was no doubt he'd have flattened his ears and slowly, slyly left, alas... the God of deception was far too entertained , sitting idly upon a rock near the Misty boarder to do so. In fact, he was far too occupied to notice anything about his immediate surroundings; an elephant could've passed over him and the god would have not noticed, being far too lost within thoughts to try and make sense of the world around him.
Languid red eyes were set upon a distinct point within the jungle, fixed, as if he could indeed see far through the vegetation, his gaze lost, expression unreadable, emotionless.
A large red Hawk sat by, perched upon a tall branch, piercing red eyes regarding the god whose wings seemed to twitch, this way and that from time to time, fanning to spread over his body as the sun ached more; Deception had always seemed proud of his strange pelt; it'd always been enough to confuse others... not all was what it seemed after all. His wings too were something he was proud of; the bones sticking out and the strange scruffy feathers making them look near useless.
It was soon enough however, that Varg, the hawk, finally looked away from the god and towards the horizon, a brow arching as he tilted his head; were his eyes deceiving him? Was that what he thought it was? My, my.... "Fufu, don't look now, but I think one of your kin is coming,"
"Huh?" the lion's response was almost lazy, as if he were still quite lost within his own Lala land, "Whassat?" finally, Ushaufu turned to gaze towards were Varg had been looking, eyes slowly coming out of their trance like state to stare.
Oh dear... oh s**t indeed, for standing up and slinking back into the jungle was not a good choice, he'd no doubt been seen by now. Remove He had been seen but only just, the youngster was so busy playing it had only been a brief look that had let him see the other. "HEY!" He shouted playfully and ran as fast as his small paws would take him towards the other.
His paws seemed to leave paint splodges behind him that fizzled not long after he left them. He didn't control his powers too well at the moment and things changed colour at his touch. He could also change things a different colour and back again but how long it stayed one colour, Kazi had never stuck around to find out.
He attempted to come to a hault not far from where the other God was but his paws failed him and he ended up in some sort of twisted mess at the rock the other was on.
He recovered quick enough but the rock was already a bright yellow colour and Kazi was happy to see that it looked alot better then the dull grey it had bee before. Dark Fire Angel A wince was performed masterfully by the young teen as his claws unsheathed; he was not in the mood to be social... not right now. But then again, when was Ushaufu ever in the mood to be social? "Oi! This is MY playground, mat-" he never managed to finish his words, for the younger god rushed towards him, skidded and.... landed awkwardly over the rock Deception had been laying upon, forcing him to get up and make room for the crashing pile of rainbow colors.
A brow arched sardonically as he regarded the other god, however, the gesture was swift before it melted into a frown, brows knitting together, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Varg, whom had been watching this all from the relatively safe spot, finally burst out laughing, his wings flapping at his sides as his thrilling chirps inundated the surroundings, "I dunno, Fufu, he looks kinda cute to me! I like 'im!" the giggles slowly died down, but the laughter still rang within the familliar's eyes, "Lookit 'im! Kinna reminds me of yah when yah were a lil cublet! And by lookin' at his wings, I'm asumin' he's your kyn."
A frown as Varg's immediate answer, however, it was brief before he turned to face the younger god, "Who are you?" the voice was softer now, after the bird's outburst however.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:35 pm
Tsi'hili Waya - My meal is your hope demon_pachabel (( For DFA )) A rush of adrenaline, a hunt, and now, it was fading quickly as the rogue stood over the dead prey, sniffing where his teeth had just left it's body, waiting for a moment to see if it would try to move again, before pressing a paw to it's neck to hold the beast down, before biting into it's neck firmly, and pulling his head back, to rip away a mass of it's neck-muscle (Pach is restraining from using the big-word for it. XD; ), chewing on it for a moment, before swallowing, then repeating, his eyes wandering towards a rather small flock of scavengers whom seemed to be keen on the idea of 'lurking' about waiting for him.
An idea that he himself was not so keen on, as he lashed out at the closest one, cracking the silence with his own voice, causing a few to scatter, though some still remained.
He'd just watch them, he decided, leering at them, before settling back down to enjoy his kill, ears flattening back into his mane as he listened to the quiet chatter of the more pestering creatures of the savannah as they waited on him impatiently.
He was going to sit there as long as possible, if -only- to tick them off the same way they were starting to tick -HIM- off. Dark Fire Angel
It was a matter of time, a race against it till death caught up to her; hope was long gone from her eyes, no spark within them; dead green seemed to stare up ahead towards where the birds flocked, only willpower having kept her alive this long, no doubt, for though weak on the outside, the cub had shown herself to be strong deep within, where it mattered... in her mind.
For though she had no hope she'd actually make it and live for long... she did have a twisted hope she'd be able to meet up with those of her keen again before dropping dead. All had since been in vain, the tattoos that had once been sported upon an immaculate white pelt now marred, the pelt almost grey here or there, her frame lacking the fat it should've had.
So intent was she on nearing the food, that she missed the male lion that lay up ahead, and by the time she did notice, having snapped her maw at a couple of birds on the way... it was much too late; he'd no doubt gotten a perfect full view of her, and thus Tsi did the best thing her fuzzy mind could think of; she gasped loudly and dropped herself to the floor, pressing herself firmly there, wincing away almost as if wishing the flocking birds would hide her white pelt from the stranger's gaze, a low pathetically ragged mewl escaping her throat just barely before she turned to look around desperately.
She'd seen what lions could do to cubs... she'd seen and heard many things during the night; needless to say, she was scared. Horribly so.
demon_pachabel A particularly loud squawk hinted to Yua that indeed, there was something else out there making mean faces at the scavengers that had herded about him, causing him to pause his feeding and look up, his olive colored eyes studying the mass of feathers that fluttered about hopeful that he was going to leave his kill this time.
But instead, he snapped at the bouncing creatures, again peircing the air with a roar to scatter them away. This seemed to work better to disperse them before a rather.... out of place splash of color caught his eye, causing him to pause, staring at the shivering cub curiously, frowning a bit, before sighing and lifting her roughly by the scruff of the neck, carrying her a few paces away from the scavenger's 'domain', before dropping her back down again, having no real 'tact' for being gentle, in front of the kill where he'd bitten off, figuring that it was the softed place on it's body to bite from, before moving elsewhere to again start chewing on the beast that he'd long before lost interest in, and now only lingered in order to keep the scavengers away from -his- hard work.
"Go ahead." he offered, flopping down onto his stomach to watch the child with a slight frown.
With a better look, she looked not too different from how -he- had not to long back. Hrm. Dark Fire Angel The roar that had worked wonders upon the birds seemed to cause the cub to flatten herself even further against the ground, her lanky frame shivering as large eyes stared at the older lion; there was no where to hide, and no where to run to... for he could've caught up to her within an instant, and thus she merely stayed put, her tail curling up against her frame.
Tell truth, Tsi could hardly remember last she'd been so scared, however, her mind vaguely recalled that time a couple of days ago when that large crocodile had almost gotten a mouthful of her as she had drifted close to the river for a drink.
A mere gasp was uttered as the lion drew nearer, her head snapping away as she flinched from his touch, eyes closing tight as she awaited a blow...
No blow came however, and soon enough she found herself being lifted in the air as the older male carried her over to his kill, flopping her down beside him. This was unexpected, and obviously new for the young female, for she blinked several times, looking both distressed and horribly confused; was it truly fine for her to take a bite? Really? The frown did not work well with his features, the cub decided, nor with his actions, however, she said nothing and instead turned her attention to the kill that lay before her, swiftly dipping her maw to where the male had previously been biting.
It was only after several minutes of wolfing down the meat before her that Tsi finally turned her previously white maw to the stranger, her brows dropping, sadness shown within her features as she opened her maw, no sound coming out. How did one say thank you? It'd been such a long time... and even then she'd had trouble saying things. After having said nothing for so long... words seemed to be something unattainable for the cub. Instead she merely continued to watch him, her tongue coming out momentarily to lick her maw free from blood. Who was he? demon_pachabel He watched with a slight grin as the small cub fed, nodding to himself, before heaving his heavy body back up to his paws, stepping again over the dead creature, and sitting so the unfortunate and rather confused lioness was between his legs, starting to lick at her fur in a sort of 'grooming' manner, attempting to fix the grayish hue to her coat, though internally he pondered if that was the natural color of her fur. It seemed plausible enough, but after a bit of work with it, he found that the shade of her fur -did- lighten up a specific degree, when groomed.
Looking up when she seemed suitably filled, he purred a bit. "Young ones should not wander out here all by themselves, Chacheazizi." Little dear. He used the term in the same way an affectionate old grandfather would towards a grandchild, or little lost child that was crying and trying to find their mommy...
and thus so, it had seemed to him, that he was perfectly fine with using it. Watching the returning scavengers with a bit of suspicion, he shook his head, and rose up again, nudging her side gently. "Come now, I guess it is best we move from here, they're getting prancy, and if we tease them too long, they'll decide we'd make a good meal...." he warned, herding Tsi towards a break in their numbers.
It was merely seconds after they had stepped away from the kill, Yua having obviously lost interest in it, that the other creatures lept upon the opportunity, leaving the pair to walk away in peace.
Yua looked down at the cub, sighing a bit. Why would one so little wander so lostly? Dark Fire Angel If getting fed was unexpected, the grooming was further more unexpected, and though the cub did not wince once the lion got up, she did recoil slightly away from his touch the first few times he bent over to groom her. There was no doubt this particular cub had not come to be within contact of another in quite the long time; that much was obvious not only by the first few winces, but by the way she instantly leaned into him once certain he had no intention of hurting her.
What's more, only a mere few minutes had gone by before Tsi'hilu began to purr; the sound was practically non existent, obviously unpracticed in quite the long stretch of time, yet it was there, and no doubt apparent to Yua... mostly due to the fact the young-ling was practically leaning against him as he worked away at her pelt. The grey was slowly giving away to a pure white, the color of the clouds, as her mother had long since described it,, her tattoos though still visibly smudged here and there, appearing more visibly from under the layer of dust, mud and grime she had been sporting.
Ears flattened back sadly as he spoke, her gaze which had raised to meet his, swiftly lowering to the ground, distressed by the words; she hadn't wandered away... they had left her behind. It wasn't their fault, Tsi'hilu knew that, but still, she had been left behind, not due to her wandering away... but due having been forgotten. The truth had always been there, but it still hurt to think about it, and thus the cub looked away, frowning softly at the earth beside her paws.
She had been forgotten, and now her family was long gone. The idea that they were dead had long since haunted her, and yet the hope of seeing them had kept her alive. It was a contradicting feeling within her heart, but Tsi had since grown used to it, for it'd been her only companion.
His next words seemed to snap the cub out of her daydream, or rather, nightmare, for she reacted swiftly yet silently, allowing him to herd her away from the kill. As they paced away from the birds, once more she raised saddened green eyes up at him, the hint of a word shinning within them, yet no sound slipping her maw as she opened it again.
Thank you... demon_pachabel He noticed the recoil he received from her words, frowning a bit, before nuzzling the cub's cheek a bit. "Ah, I'm sorry, Chacheazizi." he purred apologetically, fearing he may have offended the young one, but quicly recovered from the worry, hoping that she'd forgive him quickly.
Looking down at her, Yua looked at the expression he received from the cub, chuckling a bit, as he'd caught on that she probably wasn't, or couldn't, talk to him. It didn't bother him so much, as easily enough, the voices that echoed in his mind whispered odd things to him, not much of it made sense, but at least it -sounded- positive...
so he'd simply ignore what it said. Hmmm.. He watched her for a moment, before heaving a sigh. "It seems that you and I are of the same pride.." he announce, stepping lightly, but also making sure to keep his pace slowed in order to not move ahead of the cub. Hmm.. might as well;
"Yua'lopoka Mila. Yua is the better version if you prefer to keep things short." he added, looking down to her again, quirking a brow, before inquiring; "Is there something you'd prefer for me to call you besides 'Chacheazizi'?" Dark Fire Angel Now this was a dilemma for the poor cub; she obviously wanted to talk, and tell him what little she knew.. .specially her name, but it seemed impossible for her to produce any sounds, and thus as they walked along, her brows furrowed in concentration. Long back, she had never liked the whole 'putting your thoughts into words' thing, and thus had usually remain in silence. However, ever since having been forgotten, her words had simply remain within her mind, unable to express herself due to a lack of audience, the cub had lost all will to practice, and thus right now she was starting from zero again, or almost anyhow.
Silent wolf. It truly fit her as a name... everyone had always thought so. She'd always liked her name too, it described her fully.
She wanted him to know her name.
A pause in her step announced her concentration, a paw hovering mere inches over the ground as she frowned, then looked up at him, coughing slightly, almost as if willing her throat to clear. It was only after the third try that a single word emerged her maw, hoarse and gruff, but a word nonetheless, "Waya..." another pause as she settled both paws on the ground, looking the older male in the eye, "Tsi'hilu Waya..." the words hurt to be pronounced, for the cub dissolved into a fit of coughs, however, it was clear within the cubs eyes that she was proud of what little she'd managed to say, her tail thumping the ground once as she offered him the first smile she'd graced anyone with in a long time.
That's my name, that's my pride... it's whom I am. demon_pachabel Yua paused as she did, watching her actions keenly. What is she...? he pondered to himself, sitting back on his rump to watch as she struggled to speak, frowning a bit as she did. It was... sad to watch -anyone- struggle to do anything, but this seemed to make his heart ache more.
He ramined attentive throughout her struggles, however, nodding as she got the sounds out to make her name, and repeating them as she finished. "Waya......... Tsi'hilu Waya...." He considered the name, nodding approvingly, then looking down at Tsi. "It is a fine name, Tsi'hilu." he complimented, nodding, pausing a bit as a smile graced her face, before returning it with his own.
"Ah, and what a charming smile you have~"
He beamed a bit, rising up to his paws and licking her head adoringly, then nudging his head towards the way they'd been walking. "Well then, Tsi.... shall we go? In fact, I shall let YOU choose our destination~" he added, nodding firmly.
She was growning on him. Dark Fire Angel Again she smiled as he licked the top of her head, her eyes closing, the ghost of a purr resounding through her chest; it'd been so long since she'd been with someone she felt she could trust... another lion. Birds were not much for company, and most other animals were viewed as deeply frightening from Tsi's point of view.
Shy by nature, the petite lioness usually had avoided all contact in her young age; it'd made her skittish around other, and yet despite this, she'd already decided Yua was fine and could be trusted. Of course, this was merely due to the fact she'd craved company for so long; her crave for it had made her cling to the first one that had offered her some attention. Being forgotten had scarred her deeper than could be explained with mere words.
Where should they go? Was it truly her choice?
Wide green eyes rose up to regard the older male, confusion and perhaps a bit of hope mingling the clear depths as she tilted her head. The confusion lasted for mere seconds before she turned to look ahead and around, regarding the expansion of land that lay untamed. Tell truth, the only place she wanted to go to... was home. but there no longer was a place she could call by this name.
A long pause ensued as the young lioness flicked her tail, "Home..." she breathed hoarsely up at Yua, the word sounding raged, and not too feminine, almost as if she had been suffering from a really sore throat. Her paw raised up to point at the distance, her eyes looking up at him the question ringing within them.
Where is home? Is there really such a place? demon_pachabel Waiting patiently as his new companion debated on their destination, the brown lion sighed a bit, peering over his shoulder at the little 'spirit' that, in his mind, always seemed to lurk there, heaving a bit of a sigh at it's melancholy expression, before shaking his head, and looking back down at the cub, when he realized that again he had come under her watch, lifting his eyebrows ever so lightly, anticipating her answer for a moment......
but not that one.
He frowned a bit, sighing as he looked over her markings, and knowing EXACTLY what 'home' was. His own pride, the one he had left so .. well, not so long ago. Perhaps... just this once. With a bit of a smile, he nudged her side with his nose. "Well then, little one... I'm not sure where -your- home is... but I know a place that will serve just as well.... would you like to go there.... to my home?"
How long had it been since he had called something that? His home? It didn't matter.. if he couldn't refer to it as such, it was not his right to call it as such.
"Perhaps on the way there, you can help me find YOUR home.. alright?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:01 pm
Ushaufu & Uadilifu - Sibling rivalry
Kisoni 
Rising to her feet, Kizuka gave a long stretch with a yawn that showed off her well kept teeth, Her claws raked across the bare rock of the cliff she'd climbed up to in order to see out across the valley, giving up a generally spine-chilling sound that didn't at all seem to bother the lioness. Normally Kizuka wouldn't have come so far out, but watching over her daughter seemed more important than staying out amongst the grass. Now that Kimaji was learning to hunt for herself, and Ush, independent as he was, had taken over his own share of it, life was beginning to get easier. To a point, Kizuka no longer missed Triv'an.
She'd let him go without a word several months before. As usual her thoughts darkened a little when she thought of the male, Kimaji's father. He'd been with her since they were cubs, and a great deal of love was still there, but not too long after returning to their old homelands he'd decided to abandon her and their daughter to go off on his own. A part of her shouldn't have been surprised, since staying was against the nature of most grown lions anyway, and yet... and yet she knew how much that must have upset Kimaji, and how much it'd upset her. A small, still naive part of her had thought she and Triv'an would have always been together, in friendship if not in love.
A shake of her head cleared those thoughts away before she dropped once more back onto the dusty rock in a relaxed heap. There was no use in woolgathering over the past, after all, and the great cat rolled a little onto her back, lifting her shoulders easily so that she could groom her stomach. The drought was still going strong, a problem that should be her bigger concern.
A sniff of the air from this altitude told her with no uncertainty that rain wasn't going to be arriving at any time in the near future, and probably not in the distant future, either. She flicked an annoyed ear at the slight depression that tried to creep up on her then, sending it away as she would a buzzing fly. Apparantly her prayers to the Storm God alone weren't going to be enough. Perhaps now that she and hers had learned to survive in this dying oasis she could return her attentions once more to finding her long-lost tribe. They had to be here somewhere... and if not, perhaps she could try to reclaim it?
That thought, something that had never occured to her, sprung hope eternal in her heart. Kizuka really had no wish to be the head of a tribe, even if she was already acting as head of her small family, but to be reunited her Mistweavers she would give anything. Surely there had to be more survivors than just her and Triv'an! ... and Kimaji, she amended, for the sake of the full-blooded daughter they'd spawned together. Kizuka grinned mentally at the idea and turned once more to her grooming with a heart somehow lighter than before. Dark Fire Angel
He was here! He was heeeeere! He was HERE!
Uadilifu was in fact so happy, she had to place most of her concentration on landing with style, and not in a heap of feathers and pelt as she took ground from high above, coming through several trees; it wasn't nearly as hot within the cover of the trees, however, Dili had swiftly noticed the lack of water within the particular region. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought, for she'd always liked water... however, the idea of finding her kin, or rather, her brother, was far too thrilling and tempting to turn back for over a simple lack of water.
Amusingly enough, unlike other gods, usually wishing to hide their wings within an illusion when upon mortal grounds, Truth always decided otherwise. Her pink figure was within plain view of anyone. That is... if anyone had been around, for as far as the goddess could see, there was no one; her nose told her a different story, picking up the scents of not only her brother, but two other lioness at least, which initially surprised her, and then.. amused her deeply, for some odd reason.
Following the nearest scent, which just so happened to be that of the older lioness she'd smelled, the goddess padded on, fluffing out and spreading her wings here and there, where the drying foliage did no bother them; it was in this manner that she finally reached Kizuka, spread out over her rock, grooming herself. Again, unlike many a gods, Dili seemed unmoved by the sight and she walked forth, smiling as if she'd just seen an old friend, "And good morning to you!" came the happy chirp, "I've come to see Ushaufu, do you know if he's around?" a pause, never bothering to check out the poor Misty's reaction to her entrance or initial words as she pondered, "Hmmm... or perhaps he has not given out that name? Perhaps he goes as Deception? Or maybe he lied about that too?" a frown crept over the pink goddess' features as she thought and went on, "He's green, wears this odd collar and has a nasty attitude and temper when things don't go his way, quite childish, in fact if you think about it... have you seen him?"
Her words were laced with obvious hope, for she'd scented her brother's scent upon this lioness; her instincts told her she'd know where to find him, however, it never once occurred to her to tell poor Kizuka whom she was. There was... nothing to indicate she was Ushaufu's sister in the least, "I've missed him terribly, and he has a horrid habit of running away from me almost upon sight! Can you image? The nerve of him..." a sigh was exhaled at this point as Truth shock her head.
Now, had Ushaufu not been too busy grumping over the fact his lunch had gotten away because he'd been too distracted, he'd have probably noticed his sister's scent from a mile away, for it was her presence that most scared the male.
You see, Dili's sole presence had a strange effect upon the god of deception; he was utterly unable to lie when she was around. Not only that, but her sole figure seemed to make him blurt out the most embarrassing things one could imagine; needless to say he kept his distance by all means possible. Alas! It just so happened the male god not only did not notice, but he walked into the clearing where both lioness rested, looking down as he snarled, for his mind still could not wrap itself over the concept of losing a prey because he had been thinking or rather, daydreaming. How was it possible?!
He was, in fact, quite prepared to offer Kizuka (whose scent he'd followed to the very spot he stood at almost by instinct), a full rant about how prey should not bloody be allowed to get away when he was hunting... however, the sight of pink sitting nearby the by now familiar white and brown form of the mistweaver startled him into stopping.
Finally raising his head fully and focusing his sight, the male god did something Kizuka had probably never seen him do; he did a full double take, gasping as he took a step back, his eyes wide with fear. In his stumbling, he landed back pressed against a tree, one paw swiftly coming over his mouth as if to stop himself from talking and the other one coming to point quite comically at the smiling goddess. Nothing more than muffled snarls and growls could be heard from behind said paw, however... it was obvious Deception was not only startled, but scared; his tail had puffed out as he stared on at them.
"Oh, THERE you are! I've been looking for you!" the happy chirp was accentuated by a purr as the goddess closed her eyes, obviously pleased for some reason.
Meanwhile, Ushaufu's mind only had one thought; WHY HER? WHY HERE? WHY NOW?!
Kisoni Whoa is the poor mortal shoved upon poor Gods.. or rather, whoa is the poor mortal that has the Gods shove upon her. So concentrated was she on her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the rather obvious pink, purple and white Goddess making her way over to her before the girl was there and chatting rather amiably.
Kizuka's chocolate eyes snapped open, tongue still pressed against the half-bathed white fur of her underbelly when the Goddess seemed to pop right out of no where. The first thing that Kizuka noticed, odd to her own mind, was the mention of Ushaufu. Only when her mind had wrapped around that did she take in the fact that not only was this a Goddess, she was rather brightly coloured, with the most odd sort of bone protruding from her forehead.
Slowly the mortal lioness finished the lick along her stomach then drew her tongue back into her mouth as she recovered the feline look of hautiness that would give her back some of her scratched dignity. As her lips moved to shape a reply, the girl babbled over her own questions giving Kizuka no time to say anything.
A strange sick feeling was beginning to form in the pit of Kizuka's stomach, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. That someone had finally come looking for her strange charge should have thrilled her, for she'd long wondered about the boy's heritage. Indeed, this could be a family member or old friend, but perhaps it was the girls appearance that put her on edge. There was no denying the Goddesses beauty.
Perhaps unfortunatly, Kizuka's long association with Ushuafu had managed to make her less than completely humble towards the idea of meeting a God or Goddess. She'd just about formed a rather impudent reply to try and stop the girl's incessant chattering when her ears perked at a sound she could barely make out over the noise. Kizuka allowed her gaze to follow the way her ears had turned and she was somehow pleased to see the form of the green adolescent headed towards them. Somehow pleased, yes, and somehow fearful for what this might bring.
Whatever her feelings on the subject, she was still shocked by the somewhat violent--and rather out of character--reaction Ushuafu gave when he did see this new lioness in their midst. Kizuka turned and sat up fully on her rock, delibartly climbing to her feet as she waited a moment to see how it'd play out. A breeze brought with it the stink of fear from Ushuafu and a rather startling growl ran through her throat.
Usuafu afraid? That was more than unsusual. She'd seen the boy through dark and light, and not even when he'd nearly been gored by a wild boar had he showed the slightest bit of fear... Yet this lioness seemed to be able to do it. As these thoughts crossed her mind, Kizuka decended from her perch and rounded to get inbetween the two, facing this intruder. "Alright. Who are you, and what do you want here?" The growl slurring her words didn't make the meaning any less understandable, and if anything only emphasized it as the order it was. Her hackles rose slightly for all that the other lioness looked innocent enough; however she looked, Kizuka had already decided she didn't like this in the least.
Dark Fire Angel The god's eyes merely grew wider as Kizuka stepped between he and his sister for as much as he wanted to explain the situation (a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach practically demanding he do so), he was still very much afraid of what else he'd utter accidentally. Thus so, the growls and mumbles and yips continued, muffled by the paw he held firmly against his maw.
All he could do was stare and gap like a fish out of water behind said paw. Quite out of character for him.
Dili on the other hand had never been more amused in her entire life (and believe me, her life had been a long one), than the moment the mortal lioness stepped down from her rock and demanded to know whom she was. Her surprise at such an act, not to mention her growing amusement, were clearly visible through her sparkling eyes, "Why I'm surprised! Ushafu's never mentioned our close relationship?" she was, in fact, the goddess of truth; quite dept at noticing tiny things about others' feelings that even they might've not yet seen and as she looked at Kizuka only feeling rang true from her.
Was that Jealousy she saw? It couldn't be...
Deeply amused, and quite as used to mental games as her brother was, the lioness decided to play one of her own, never lieing, but instead giving the poor Misty partial truths. Rather, the goddess was offering her bits of truth, omitting most of it. That wasn't lieing, but it was still amusing as hell, she'd noticed, "We've always been so close, and yet he fails to mention even my name to she whom he's obviously lived for quite the long time, I'm appalled!" making a full act, she placed the back of her paw under her horn, "Oh, Ushaufu, and here I thought you loved me!"
Finally Deception was forced to lower his paw, "I do! But you scare the s**t out of merpppffffttt!!" once more, his paw found it's way over his mouth, his eyes going wide; he'd actually meant to say he hated her and that she was bloody obnoxious, yet the words simply could NOT come out, for it was a lie. At least half of it for he really did think her to be obnoxious.
The situation could not be more embarrassing.
Dili kept on her act, her attention mostly on Kizuka, fearing she'd have to take flight to evade an attack any minute however, far to amused to let go just yet. Gasping, she frowned at her brother, "If you love me why is it you're out here with this mortal? Shame on you! Shame!" tsking loudly, she watched for the answer she knew was going to come.
"That's because I really like her!" Wow, scratch that, the situation could get more embarrassing. That... was not what he'd meant to say, and thus his paw went to his mouth again, glaring hotly at his sister, yet obviously determined still to lie about it. He tried again, "She's quite fetching this morning, even you can't stand light tommmrrrppppfffftttt!!" he decided to shut up and turned around to hit his head forcefully against the tree he'd backed up against.
Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
Obviously and finally pleased, Audilifu dropped her act instantly and finally smiled at Kizuka, "That my brother finds you attractive in such ways is quite the compliment, you have my admiration..." her eyes closed, only to reopen, "I'm sorry about that, I have the small... slightly immature habit of teasing my brother a little bit when I find him, as our meetings are few, let me introduce myself; I am Audilifu, Goddess of Truth, and Ushafu's sister," a pause as she glanced at the god, whom had by now stopped hitting his head and had decided to sit there with his forehead pressed again it, looking very much embarrassed, "Whom is quite surprised to see him so grown and... attached to anyone. Last I saw of him he was still a cub."
"I hope you trip and fall," that was as far as he could get, for though he'd meant to say die, it was simply not true.
"Love you too, dear!" Kisoni The answer she got initially only caused the lionesses hackles to raise a little further, as much as she tried to deny the truth of that. Indeed, the cause of it was rather unknown to her. She tuned out the muffled, babbled growls and yips of her comrade, focusing instead on the creature that claimed to be his... beloved. She wouldn't use the word lover, since Ushuafu had been a cub when she'd met him and she doubted even Godling cubs were so odd as to take lovers in that childish state. (Not to mention that as the scorned word crossed her mind her own rage doubled again, much to her own uneasiness)
That was when the next large shock of the morning was bestowed upon her as the adolescent behind her admitted his fear, and love, of the Goddess in the same sentance. Kizuka's ears flew back against her skull before she could bid them to otherwise, and she had to spend the next moment forcing them back up again. The Goddess hadn't done anything so bad as to cause Kizuka to attack her, no matter how much the mortal wanted to, except for the slight tone in her voice and precise wording that was beginning to make Kizuka feel as if she were being played with.
That was it! Kizuka's eyes narrowed again as she listened to Dili's next words, her ears once more turning back. Yes, this Goddess sounded a lot like Ushuafu had when she'd met him--and still could if he gave half a mind to it. The Goddess was playing some sort of game. The question was who was she playing it with? Though there seemed to be something in the all too innocent words for Kizuka, most of this seemed to be directed more at the cowering male behind her... the male that was trying his best to act brave and aloof as he usually did, but was failing miserably. He'd even admitted truisms about himself that he would have denied--or decieved others of--normally.
All these thoughts were blown out the proverbial window, however, when the next shout from Ushuafu penetrated them like a rock through a window. Instantly her heart began to beat a little faster, a strange sort of releif penetrating the hard knot of anger and unidentifiable emotions that had begun to coil within her just a few moments before.
One of Kizuka's ears lifted a little, though it remained cocked backward to catch signal from the male. Her head turned a little more towards him in question, though she never took her eyes off the Goddess for an instant. Once more the wind was knocked out of her when his comment was followed by yet another admittance while his very scent belied that he hadn't wanted to make it known, "She's quite fetching this morning, even you can't stand light tommmrrrppppfffftttt!!"
Her heart had to have stopped in that instant, and at once her fur was flat and body untensed in pure, unadulterated shock. To another this might have seemed something small to get so worked up over--they didn't know Ushuafu as closely as she did. Her gaze snapped from the Goddess to the God behind her, blinking in silent wonder as she tried to figure out if that meant what she thought it meant.
No, surely not. There was too much of an age difference! .... wasn't there? She herself had said that Ushuafu had always acted a little too worldly to have been a cub, and had even pondered wether Gods and Goddesses aged like mortal lions would. After all, they were Immortal... right? Still, that that could have meant what she thought it meant, and his actions now could even be taken as further proof that he DID mean it, was almost unfathomable to her. The knot in her stomach dissagreed by dispursing to be replaced by something that rather reminded her of a capture insect trying to find its way out of her body.
Her ears didn't miss the sound of the Goddesses resumed conversation, however, and the one closest to her snapped its attention back towards the horned lioness. Slowly Kizuka's head followed as well, giving her body a light shake as she might have to rid herself of water, before she hastily sat in the dust and lifted a paw. Grooming the appendage helped her to focus enough to shape a reply when it seemed the siblings banter had finally passed.
"Well, I suppose all siblings are capable of that," She found herself saying presently with the knowledgable air of both a sister and mother. Kizuka's brown eyes lifted again to the Goddesses, showing in an instant that she wasn't so sure she trusted this 'Truth' at all, but was willing to try... for now.
"I am Kizuka," The mortal replied by way of introduction, "And now that you mention it, I suppose I could see how you two were siblings, though your scents barely register you as such... you are an incredible deal alike, for all your differences." That somehow contradictory sentance really did make more sense after you spent any amount of time with the God of Deception while Truth was away. Her powers, however, did well explain his sudden inability to act on his, as well as proving in a second whos powers were stronger.
"He has grown a great deal these last moons he has spent in our family. I met him as a cub when my daughter and I first crossed into these lands." She turned an eye back to Ushuafu to see if he had anything to add to this and was surprised by the reaction her body gave to the sight of him.
Those insects trapped inside bred a thousand fold, even as she allowed herself a second to truly think about how much he'd grown. Mentally growling at herself, she broke through such strange reveries, though it could be noted that if she were human and capable Kizuka would very well have a splash of deep scarlet painted across her cheeks. Dark Fire Angel The reactions she obtained to her words were quite interesting, and though she was keeping part of her attention on Ushaufu, by now, her almost fully on Kizuka; it was quite certain within the Goddess' mind that her brother was not going anywhere. For the time being anyhow.
That much was shown to be true as Deception finally slid his head away from the bark of the tree to look sourly at his sister, having completely missed Kizuka's glance at him; had he not, it's probable further amusing event would've happened, however, sadly, the god was too ashamed of his previously true word to pay too much attention to the details he was so used to noticing. Audilifu on the other hand had not missed the lioness' other gesture and the goddess was forced to stifle a giggle down, marring it with a little cough as she sat down, "Well then, now that we're all acquaintanced you could perhaps give me a little story to entertain me with, Ushafu? Or perhaps your friend would be more eloquent? I find it quite interesting to see you so grown..."
A blank glare was her only answer for a long while as Ushaufu obviously dared not open his mouth in fear he'd utter something else. Instead, he flicked an ear as he sat nearby the lioness, hooded his eyes and looked away, as if the flying bird he'd suddenly spotted on a far away tree were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen, "...."
"Oh come now!" the goddess lifted a paw to poke her brother, and so distracted had he been, that at the mere contact, he found himself jumping and nearly tripping over, catching himself barely on time, "I bet you've never told her what I mean when I say I'm surprised to see you grown, huh?" the same silent glare answered Truth, however, Ushaufu's eyes darkened ever so slightly, his mouth curving in a slightly sour way, "If you don't tell her, I think I might just have to do it myself, Ushaufu..." it was clear the goddess was no longer playing any games, but was in fact, frowning with concern, "You can't keep her in the dark..."
On the contrary, thought Ushaufu as he gazed his sister with a pointed look that voiced out just what he could and would do. So long Dili wasn't around, of course, "Tell her what you wish," this said he turned around and settled himself into a curled up ball, a meter couple of meters away from them, taking the change to groom his paws and pelt, which he'd made an utter mess of during the whole commotion; it might be interesting o note that his mind hadn't quite and fully wrapped around just what he'd said about Kizuka minutes earlier... and that upon reaching a conclusion, the god might've been quite startled, however, for the time being his mind was too much in a whirlwind to make much sense of anything.
In such states, Deception had learnt that it was best to sit, engage in some comforting activity, like eating or grooming and allow it all to pass, leaving his mind blank.
A sigh escaped Truth's maw at her brother's actions, however, patience and years of dealing with him before they'd thought it best to part had shown her he was not only not going to talk, but was simply not in a mood to do much at all. Not even run away from her, amusingly enough, "All right then, I shall, however, do remember you gave me consent to do so," a flick of the male lion's tail was all the answer she got from him before she turned to smile pleasantly at Kizuka, "Please do excuse us, sadly Ush ... can't work his best while I'm around. That's why we parted ways long time ago. As much as I love him, when I'm around, Deception is always overcome with the truth. That is no way for a god to work," a pause came to her words, her ears flicking to check on her brother before continuing, "It was not his fault, but see, for a lie to overcome the truth, it must grow... and he simply seemed unable to."
An irritate flicker of Ush's ear showed that he was paying more attention to what was going on behind him than he was letting known at fist. Snorting, he turned his head to look at the lioness, finally opening his maw to talk, "I've probably been a cub for a few mortal life times, if not more," this piece of information given out, he turned his attention back to his paw.
"Right, hence why I'm quite surprised he's grown so much within merely a few moons," her smile lingered even as she spoke, "It kind of supports an I idea I had long back... I thought that perhaps gods did not grow he same way, but rather, instead may grow as their minds mature; when a mind is ready to have a bigger body, the body responds..." at this she gave her brother a pointed look which made Ushaufu frown in confusion.
He did not understand that look, but perhaps... Kizuka had. Kisoni Through their debate, Kizuka kept her tongue to herself. A part of her wanted to stop Truth from speaking, the part that said that things she learned about Ushaufu should come from him alone. The other, louder, part said that it was wisest to get the truth of a situation when it was offered. In the end, despite the Goddess's calling, Kizuka decided to hear what Audilifu had to say and take it with a grain of salt. After all, when one lived with, and trusted, Deception, she had found, one learned to never take anything at face value.
Especially strange, somewhat annoying feelings in ones stomach, Kizuka added silently with a slightly annoyed flick of her tail. The lioness allowed her attention to turn back to the Goddess, though one ear remained cocked behind towards the surly green ball of fluff and irritation behind her.
Finally the minor debate ended and Audilifu began her somewhat simplified explanation of events. Kizuka couldn't help but wonder here if that was all there was to it, but kept the question to herself. Instead of interrupting, she lifted her paw once more to her brown furred muzzle to begin cleaning it off again.
As Audilifu finished, Kizuka looked up in time to catch the particular look Truth had shot in Deception's direction, and it didn't even take her a glance towards him to see that he hadn't responded at all. It was with a singular sort of amusement that Kizuka found herself smirking at the situation, and shook her head, "I must admit, I'd already thought much the same thing myself. When you admitted your... calling, lets say, to me it was quite obvious who--"
Checking herself, the lioness cast another glance towards Deception. Kicking herself for her slip of tact, for surely admitting that Truth's power was greater was not something to do in his presence. At least, not until he'd said as much himself. Backpeddling with a slight cough to cover her slip, she brought her attention once more to Dili, "Well, even when I'd first met him he wasn't like any other cub I'd known. Too well spoken, too careful. Had he not been fledged and looking as the living dead, I still would have marked him for something otherworldly. Even so, I'd assumed he had no family or had been cast out."
This part she didn't back down from, having already threatened the Goddess once Kizuka had no qualms in doing so again. There was love between them, yes, but she didn't forget the story Varg had told her. Even a Godling cub was still a cub, no matter how many years he'd spent as such. But... did she really want to think of Ushaufu as a cub?
Kizuka flicked her ear at the errant thought, unliking how it continued to crop up and poke at the fact that she'd never really thought of Ushaufu that way. She'd treated him as more of a friend than the adopted son he'd pretended to be in the presence of her own daughter and now departed best friend. In truth, she'd treated him no differently than she had Triv'an in these past few months they'd speant together as a family. Actually, she'd possibly treated him a little better, for Triv'an had never given her a fight about anything she'd wanted to do, where as this male challenged her. The thoughts were becoming more and more unsettling--as was the infuriating light in Dili's eyes that said she had full knowledge of what was going on.
Forcing herself back to the conversation at hand, Kizuka was thankful that her mind worked as fast as it did. All these thoughts had taken only seconds to form, leaving no strange, awkward pauses in the conversation, "So perhaps your power was suffocating his, as the truth often will a lie, thus causing him to remain stunted.. but that is not what you mean exactly, is it?" She phrased it as a question, but her smirk and eyes held that it was nothing of the sort. The answer she wouldn't say, however; she'd already allowed a slip that could hurt Ushaufu's ego today, and Dili had done more than her share of bruising it. Dark Fire Angel Though Ush's ears remain flattened back, his expression had not changed much. Trying to remain as nonchalant as possible, the god was now trying to sort the earlier minutes out in his brain, keeping an eye on both lioness as he did so. After all, what was said, was said, there was no use in crying over spilled milk, and not even wen Kizuka mentioned the obvious... that his power was smaller than that of his sister, the god was not hurt; it was, after all true. He'd grown up with that truth, and though he avoided her as much as possible, he knew the day would come where their powers would, instead of being overpowered one by the other... would instead cancel each other out comfortably.
That time had not yet come, and probably wouldn't for a very long time. He was wise enough to know that much; his sister had always been further advanced than he'd been, for some odd reason. Dili called it feminine instinct, Ushaufu called it luck. Be it whatever it may be, it didn't bother Deception all that much, "Whatever, I'm going to go get a bite to eat," he'd been planning on doing that anyhow, and now was a good a time as any other, it seemed, however, before departing he turned to look pointedly at his sister, "It was... good to see you, however, I'm kind of hoping you'll no longer be here by the time I get back," his eyes narrowed at the words, "This place is mine, you can't have. Go play elsewhere; there's a certain pride up north, in the dessert... you might find the place highly amusing, it resembles the Firekin in a way, yet such a kin would doubtlessly be quite enraged where they to see it... I also heard wind of the god of war amongst them, from a lithe seer. In turn you'll probably distract and keep them well away from this land, hopefully."
This said, the Adolescent turned and slowly padded into the vegetation; this region didn't need any more 'help' to lead it to it's destruction. Already the drought was doing enough. Giving a final almost epileptic look towards the ex-misty, the god vanished, his wings which had become exposed during the time he'd spent by his sister's side ... slowly vanishing as he walked away into the foliage.
A smile crept upon his sister's maw and she closed her eyes, releasing a purr that was meant for him to listen, "I shall be long gone by the time you return; do give your regards to Varg, it's been long since I saw him," her words no doubt reached him before he vanished, however, no sooner had she spoken that she turned back to Kizuka, "I shall be on my way very soon, I'm kind of interested in peering into this place my brother has pointed out... however, I'm not particularly sure I wish to interrupt within War's territory..." waving away her thoughts quite physically with a paw, the Dili smiled again, "At any rate, no, you see... what I meant was that... Ushaufu will no grow less he matures. I have nothing to do with it; he grows as he matures, something about this place and his time spent here has opened his eyes to things he'd probably not have thought over before."
As her parenthood was questioned, the goddess let out a sight, a frown coming over her features, "For the life of me... I can't recall our parents. I'm not quite sure what happened, something must've come to pass however, but all I know is that we were on our own. Deception and Truth. We parted ways since we could not remain together, yet my lineage remains quite the mystery within my mind for some odd reason..." once more waving the thought away, she turned her frown into a sad smile, "Before I leave, I must warn you... there will come a moment in time where Ushaufu will see the truth in you, and the truth within this land; there is nothing in this world he more afraid of than the truth, and ever since I've known him, he's used the same defensive technique against it," a pause was offered her eyes shinning at the Misty, almost as if willing her to take heed of her words, "He runs away from it. He runs away from Truth; I should know better than anyone, and when the time comes, knowing my brother like I do, whose probably lived in confusion and now, further more in denial, there'll come a time he'll live in truth, be scared by it, and he'll run away. Physically."
There was no more Audilifu could do than to warn the lioness, for being quite observant, she'd already seen what both god and mortal had failed to see within many moons, "However, you should not worry, he'll come back, mark my words, for there are things much stronger than fear, truth, denial, confusion or even deception; it all comes back to one single thing that remain never changing... love," this said, the goddess spread her wings quite elegantly and jumped up into the air, flapping them till she went over the trees till she vanished, heading, no doubt, towards the lands her brother had pointed her towards. Kisoni Kizuka narrowed her eyes at Ushaufu's retreating form when he dared tell his sister of that pride he'd warned her quite emphatically about. Send a female to them? Having been raised as religiously as she was, the thought of Gods and Goddesses as all powerful, untouchable creatures should have dispelled the thought that Truth might be hurt by them. However, the time spent with Ush had, as she'd reflected upon so much these past few months, changed so much about her life and beliefs. Gods were no longer quite so mysterious in her eyes, nor were they infalliable.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, she turned her head back to Truth only to slip into attention in the middle of her next sentance. The lioness tried to open her mouth and warn the Goddess about that barbaric pride, but the female spoke over her and what she said wiped all else from Kizuka's mind.
Love? Somehow that word was pointed, just as much as it rang bells of truth in her mind. Of course she loved Ushaufu, he was family now! That quietened the bells, but Kizuka could only grasp at what that might mean. She didn't shy from the dread she felt at the thought of Ush trying to run away again, however. She'd nearly panicked the first time the male had thought of doing it, no matter how well she'd hidden her fear, and it had only gotten worse for all that he'd spent months with them and no other incident had occured. At least, none that she'd noticed.
Kizuka hardly realized when the Goddess left, only the shadow she cast caught her attention and the lioness looked up from where her eyes had dropped to her paws just in time to see Truth clearing the treetops. Her frown deepened, and Kizuka did the only thing she could do. She sent up a silent prayer for the Goddesses safety, then stood and turned on her back paw.
Slipping into the cooler shade of the dying jungle, Kizuka allowed herself the few quiet moments to think. The last thing, the warning, that Truth had given Kizuka didn't deny. She'd had a first hand encounter (or two, or three) of Deception's one cowardly habit. While she admired her companion, even she couldn't extend him the grace to overlook this flaw, though she didn't blame him for it.
So, when the time came, that left Kizuka with a decision. A short growl from her own throat stopped her in her tracks. Why should she try and make decisions about things that had yet to pass? There was no telling when this would happen, and mulling about it now would only bog her mind down with more stress than she was already under. The lioness shook her head physically, the slightly longer fur on her forehead flopping about her ears as she did. The act shook away whatever nitpicky demons there were floating about and poking at sensitive matters, and the lioness planted herself in the dirt and forest debris to groom her paw. A few washes of her paw over the tuft between her ears got it straight and clean again, and the lioness huffed a soft sigh to dispell the last fingers of gloom she could feel brushing the edge of her reality.
That done, the comment Ushaufu had made about food flitted back to her with a predator's one minded way of things when their stomachs growled. Surely that must have been what his grumbling was about when he'd first come upon the mortal and Goddess earlier that afternoon, and Kizuka smiled. If he was having trouble before hand, he might need a helping paw now, and the lioness decided that a bit of hot blood and meat would do her some good as well. Turning her nose down to the ground, mouth hanging open as large cats were wont to do in order to take in the purest of scents, she caught the trace of her 'prey' and where he'd gone before she loped after. -- The end
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Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 2:44 pm
Ushaufu - I kid you not Dark Fire Angel
He really did not wish to leave right now, for some odd reason, however, he kept on repeating to himself, much like a mantra that it was because it was all so blooming hot and he did not wish to go out into the open sun. The half dried foliage was providing him quite a good place to lay within, mostly hidden from keen eyes, for his dead green pelt was a good camouflage color for the land he'd taken to reside within. Deep down, however, he knew it was not the sun what was keeping him in place, but rather, earlier actions and events, mostly spurred by his sister; he greatly disliked the way she usually knew all what was going on around her, and he greatly resented knowing that she was always right... for by now he'd had time enough to dissect earlier event. He did not like what he saw within his own words, nor the actions that had accompanied them.
Tell truth, Deception felt much like he was resting over quick sand, which was keenly waiting to drown him up; it was only a matter of time, and one false step which would send him to his metaphorical death, and yet... here he was, enduring it. And all because he cared.
Having come to terms with the feeling of caring for others had been quite difficult, however, he'd managed, satisfying himself by thinking he'd cared for the three misties like he cared for his sister; rather scratch that, two misties, for the adult male had left. Amusingly enough, Tri's departure had not saddened the god, but rather, had lightened a weight from his shoulders he'd never realised was there. He'd never bothered to look too much into it, rather frightened over the idea of what it could mean and thus he'd pushed it to the back of his mind. Truth was... he was not upset in the least, as horrible as that may have sounded; he felt like he no longer needed to compete against the adult male, however, for the life of him, he could not understand what that meant.
Even during the time Tri had been around, the cub had done his best, within his limitations, to provide all what he needed whilst not looking out of place. He was, after all, perfectly capable of looking out for himself. Years of living alone had taught him that... however, whilst living within this family group, not only had he looked out for himself, but he'd tried his best to look out for the other three, almost as if trying to prove his worth.
Who was he even trying to prove his worth to anyhow?
A sneer penetrated the silence at thought, and there's no doubting Ushaufu would've kept on pondering such thoughts had not a distinctive scent reached his nose; almost as if on instinct, the god roared, his voice having finally changed enough to permit this, signalling his position to the female before he turned back to stare at the landscape. He'd even taken the habit of looking heavenward, scanning the sky for clouds that he knew were not to come...
He hardly recognised himself anymore, and the strange thing was... he was unsure if this was a good thing, or a bad thing.Kisoni
The searing gaze of the heavy, hagriding heat that hung in the sky, ever haunting and harrassing the creatures beneath it with its presence, bore down as ever before upon the back of the lithe, brown splattered lioness as she padded her way through the brittle grass and dry, choking dust that littered the valley floor. Up ahead shadow gave a minor respite, though what shadow there was, was beginning to dry up as the water was, thanks to the trees drying and dying leaves no longer providing the thick canopy that should have been their right to wear. Still, Kizuka did not bother herself with this, forcing her mind to think of other things.. like the green male she was in search of.
The herds were growing thin, those that hadn't moved on, for not much could survive on dead grass and leaves that provided nothing but "filler food" for their aching stomachs. These creatures, while getting weaker, were filled now with something more dangerous than strength; desperation. No creature truly wanted to die, and so no creature ever simply laid down and let the lions take them. No, they would fight with everthing they had to keep their lives, and only fight harder for it now that they were coming even more aware of the mortality of their own lives. True, the lands in which they all lived were never safe or easy, but there was some solistice in the familiar death at a predators claws when compaired to an unseen, unscented and unexcapeable predator such as starvation.
Kizuka didn't want Kimaji facing the danger of these beasts. The thought of her daughter goared or trampled sent shivers of fear down the great huntresses spine, shaking off even the words that Truth had so plagued her mind with a few days before. Ushaufu, on the other hand...
While the lioness didn't want either one in danger of any sort, the male was older and stronger than the little half-grown cub they guarded together. Not only that, he was much more used to the hunt, and he and Kizuka had already taken out a few smaller predators together on the fly. She hoped he wouldn't mind her seeking him out for such a task this time.
As Kizuka reached the opposite side of the small stand of trees she'd been slinking through a familiar call greeted her. A light smile crossed her maw, as happy as a spring-struck adolescent, though she didn't seem to notice the change in herself as she usually would have, and turned her path further towards the prey she'd let scent her coming. Not even that strange sensation of fluttering insects in her stomach could break her thoughts from the hunt she was hoping to ask for.
In truth, Kizuka had forced herself not to think about it. It'd been a day or more--the days had long since begun to blur together--since Truth had come and gone so abruptly from their lives, and yet the lioness still wasn't prepared to deal with what only a small part of her was accepting as the truth. Not even the fact that the lion, in reality, was probably a few times her elder could get her over the lump that was their apparant age differences. (Nor, that small, sarcasticly humored part of her whispered, that you met him and treated him as you would have a cub. You thought to be his mother.)
She rounded the tree he was sprawled under, then, looking out towards the desert, and let herself plop down into the fragile grass between his prone form and the tree behind. For a moment, Kizuka ran her eyes out over the desert, then the sky, scanning ever in hope of fat, rain darkened clouds somewhere on the horizon. It was useless, of course, but that couldn't stop her hope.
"The herds are getting meaner," She said presently, picking up as if they had been in the middle of a conversation already. That same small voice at the back of her head noted how nice it was to have someone you were so comfortable with. "and there arn't any significantly weaker ones to pick off anymore... You haven't eaten yet have you." The last wasn't a really a question, but she phrased it as one anyway. Let him reply as he would, she didn't think he'd have any reason to be false with her about it--after all, what did he have to prove?Dark Fire Angel An ear flickered to listen to her, no true emotion passing through his features except a small wrinkling of his nose, a gesture he'd come to do whenever he'd been found out whilst doing something not exactly correct, "I gave my last scraps to the little one, her stomach was protesting," after all, he could always spread his wings, dive into the sky and hunt elsewhere, miles away, within the same day, Kizuka and her Kimaji did not have that privilege. Much to his mourning sometimes.
However, she was right; the herds were moving, and those few that remain were dangerous to attack. Not even a sky attack would catch them by surprise now, for they'd seen their fair share, "I wonder where that blasted pride's gone to... it's probably due to the fact we remain close to the border. I'd heard they remain within, though personally, one wonders why they cling to a place that's dieing..." red gaze narrowed, still looking over the desert that lay before them, the wind picking up here and there, making small clouds of sand drift in the distance, "They should move on, water is obviously not to come," though he was talking about the Mistweaver which they had yet to locate, in a sense, he was doubtlessly talking about himself too.
Why was it he did not move on? Why did he persist in staying in a place that was condemned? It would've not made sense to others, but it made sense within Ushaufu's mind; amusingly enough, he'd found something keen to happiness within the dried up lands, and he stubbornly refused to let go, to give up the metaphorical fight. He'd come to bond with the place and it hurt to think of abandoning it, even though there was nothing he could do to save or help it in the least. He had no powers within any realm that could help. Idly, he knew that when he did things, even when they were nasty or mean, he had a reason behind it even if it did not favour everyone, and thus he knew that the storm god, wherever it may have been must've had it's own reasons, "I wonder what His reasons are, a fresh kill for His thoughts."
He'd spoken out his thoughts, like he'd come accustomed to doing in Kizuka's presence; no longer did he guard his every movement around her, or the child, but rather, seemed relaxed, and quite happy, within his limit anyhow...
There were things he dreaded to say and things he dreaded to think about, though he'd already begun to phantom them, "There's nothing left here but us," his head finally turned away from the sands, placing itself over his paws, red gaze looking up to the ex-mystweaver, a brow arching, almost as if silently offering her too a penny for her thoughts, for they'd come to be quite an important part of his day by now. His thoughts hadn't strayed to his sister in all the while, for he knew that even within her innocent look, she was more than perfectly capable of taking care of herself; he'd been witness of one of those rare moments when she'd been angered into violence, and he knew fully well that he would've not taken her up in a fight. The thought had always travelled with him, quelling his worry for her into almost nothingness. Kisoni Kizuka nodded to his words, flashing a grateful smile at the sky that he'd taken it upon himself to feed Kimaji. Not that she thought he wouldn't, but it was still good to recognize what anyone did for you, despite their relationship. Taking things for granted, especially people and their positive actions, was never a wise thing to do.
Her ears flattened as he continued on, though, reading the lines between them to know that he was considering why anyone would cling to this place, not just the invisible pride. Kizuka rolled her shoulders, a lighter version of a shrug, and tilted her head a little to the side. Why DID anyone stay in this growing wasteland? Even as she asked herself the question, the answer proded at her like a cat teasing a mouse, and for about the same reason. "Its home," She said presently, her voice soft and distant as she followed the path of her thoughts. "Its just... home. Much like them, if they truly do exist--i'm beginning to wonder on that point--I once gave up this land, too. It wasn't easy by any reach of the mind."
Kizuka sighed, the movement rattling her thining body more than she cared to admit, and looked down at the barely tangible grass sticking up before her paws. Her ears flopped backward, but not in anger. "No matter how hard it becomes, no matter the danger and hurt and fear... its worse to think of giving up. To run away with your tail between your legs, though no one would blame you. And yet..."
A mocking wind blew into her ear, despite how flat she'd held them, and she growled at it. After a good shake of her head and swipe of her paw over ear to clear the uncomfortable feeling, Kizuka found herself chuckling softly. The lioness flopped down into the dirt, ignoring the soft cloud she startled into the air, and let her chin rest on Ushaufu's flank. One of her paws extended, toes playing along the fur of his tail in an idle gesture. Her claws even extended a little to run through the green mass, trusting her self control to keep from scratching or knicking him in the process.
For a moment she laid there in silence, letting her eyelids droop so that only the faintest glimmer of the deep brown within was visible. "I've long wondered what His reasons are as well," Her voice turned suddenly smooth and mystic, perhaps a kickback to her raising, as she answered his slip about the Storm God, "and perhaps its still foolish of me to pray still, now that I have a better knowledge of you and yours... I still do." Another shrug, this one easier and Kizuka shifted her maw for a moment to lick at the patch of green flank she had rested it against before she resettled it. "No matter what, I know His reasons must be good ones, and I am in no position to question them. I simply hope that he'll see fit to return to us one day... and if its not too much, bring a few pet rain clouds with him."
The last part was obviously a joke in the twitching of her lips and light lilt in her voice. She didn't laugh, for she wasn't so disposed, but trusted that Ushaufu knew her well enough. There was a small sort of comfort and relaxation in that trust that... really wasn't so small at all. "Perhaps they have it right, staying in the heartland. There were more lakes and rivers back there, if my memory serves correctly. If we look, we might find some better habitat... the herds move away from the inner core, however, so that might just be a spring of hope and nothing more." Dark Fire Angel Both ears flickered forth at that one word; home. It was a strange word, really, for he'd never called anyplace ... by that name before, and yet, as she spoke the word, the male couldn't help but lift his head from his paws, tilting his head ever so slightly to one. There was no doubt he was considering the word in his mind, nodding soon after approvingly at how it sounded in context; ironic, it was indeed home. Maybe it was that word which he'd been seeking for just a long time now... he'd preferred to think he was attached to the place, that he'd bonded with it, to some level, but there was no denying the underlying truth.
Even Deception wouldn't go as far as to deny himself that much.
"Oh, they are here, believe me, even though you can't see them," a strange sort of smirk came upon his maw, for he knew she'd never take anything he said for granted... it was strange, for he'd once loved the idea of lieing to everyone, others never trusting him, yet now that sense of power had changed somewhat. He didn't want to remain completely untrusted. Not here, "They're there. I did not lie about the firekin blood within the pride either."
He said no more, choosing to remain silent, for he knew Kizuka had been greatly appalled by that idea, "I wonder where they chose to hide themselves... and I wonder if they think it wise to welcome fire within the sea," at this random thought he'd voice, he opened his maw and yawned, for the heat that was passing through the branches was greatly hindering his movements, and probably that of any other creature; he'd long sent Varg away, amusingly enough, worried the avian was not getting enough to eat. Which had turned out to be true, the god had practically demanded his familiar stay within richer grounds, for worried about his health... Varg had a tendency to overlook himself in favour of others.
At her words, the god turned her gaze to her, something keen to sorrow flashing only momentarily through them, "Aye, but some times a retreat in time is best, in order to make a full charge later on," a pause, frowning slightly, almost as if indirectly addressing her, "Even if you fight, sometime a strategic retreats gives you all the more force to fight back once you've healed, I'd be care, clinging to this place... one needs to live to see a better day, for if one dies with the place... one might miss it's rebirth later on..." he'd not moved as she'd turned to lay down, flicking the end of his tail this way and that under her paw, seemingly not minding, for contact was something he'd by now grown accustomed to, "Oi, you mess it up, you're grooming it; I spent a good part of the morning on it, Kimaji was playing pounce on it."
From one topic of conversation, obviously serious, to an another, rather humorous one, almost as if to balance it out before she spoke of the Storm God, "Not all are like me, or even my sister; I've seen a god cublet, not too long ago, he had the ability to change the color of animals, plants, everything... I've seen gods summon snow storms, and gods look down upon the chaos they've created. I've seen others look down upon the life they've created or are responsible for... not all of us are the same," again the yawn overcame his features, his eyes closing briefly at the feel of her tongue upon her flank, "Some of us are closer to those like you, others remain never seen... usually it's those that have the more spectacular realms to rule, however, I'd not trade mine for any others."
He was, after born from Deception. He reeled in it, there was no denying that, "Sooner or later, even if the place dies, it might be reborn, it's all a matter of... luck," her later words were greeted with a light hum of approval which most likely meant he was willing, however, not at this precise moment. Eyes still closed, the god moved his head slightly so that his nose touched her side and remain there, obviously awake, for his ears were still quite keen on flicking this way and that, hoping for sounds to indicate prey nearby. Kisoni "A strategic retreat," Kizuka huffed the words, blowing his fur a little. The heat was tiring, yes, so she didn't begrudge him his yawns or the light dozing he was giving all appearances of. There was no doubt in her mind that he was listening, and she moved her head to groom the spot she'd just mussed as she recollected her thoughts.
To leave again, with yet another promise of returning? He was probably right, her practical side admitted. To stay here was likely her greatest folly, if not for herself, for her cub. The romantic side of her, the one only few knew she had, broke at the thought of leaving her homeland again. Even though she'd been a cub when the plague had run through and then the firekin had decended to maim the last of the survivors, she still regretted not staying to fight for what was left of her home. Regretted, and knew that she would have died or been kept in slavery if she had. It was foolish to regret.
Turning her attentions instead to his talk of the Gods, Kizuka filed away this bit of information into what she had deemed the "religious" side of her mind. Even after the trials it had been put through, this side still remained strong and large in the lioness, not something to be extenguished even by her close assosiation with the God before her. So odd that a creature as obsessed with things like loyalty and honesty and righteousness as Kizuka was would be falling for...
Kizuka's paused a mere moment in her treatment of his flank as the thoughts interupted ever internal system she had. Luckily the autopilot switched on before there was any indication of something wrong, and her slow, carefull grooming resumed its course. Things inside were still going a bit awkwardly.
Fallen for? she asked herself, then mentally winced at the sudden change of tenses. That couldn't be it, could it? She gave a slightly irritated growl and the paw that had been playing absently with his teasing tail suddenly slapped over it, claws digging into the ground on either side.
That simple loss of control snapped the thought from her head as soon as it had come, just as her head snapped upward in alarm. For a long moment Kizuka sat, staring at his flank and from the sides of her eyes, her own paw trapping the green length of tail. "I..." She coughed, dislodging her claws from the earth and picked her paw up. Tucking it under her, the lioness tried to recollect herself, "Sorry. I don't know what got into me." Dark Fire Angel "Strategic retreat, aye," his eyes were still closed, his breath moving the dry dirt beneath him as he merely enjoyed the moment's peace. It wasn't often that Ushaufu had time to enjoy such moments, for most of the day was spent moving around looking for food, if not water. The territory that lay behind both lions was indeed going through hardship, that much was plainly obvious, even from the distance, however, for the time being and till it was entirely necessary to leave, the god would linger.
If only but to make her happy.
Never once did the thought occur to him that perhaps he should not truly be looking out for the ex-misty's well being, but rather his own, for he'd long come to terms with the fact that he did indeed care. What was the point of fighting it? He had time and space enough within his mind to care for both lioness, and thus, he was not going to deny himself the pleasure of doing so.
His thoughts flew out the window the moment Kizuka's paw landed harshly upon his tail, his eyes swiftly opening to regard how it'd come to be trapped under the female's large paw, her claws sinking mercilessly into the dry earth beneath. Though his head did not lift, both his eyebrows did, almost as if confused by such an action. A pause hence forth followed till the male finally turned his gaze towards Kizuka, questioning her silently, no words escaping his maw; something was bothering her, however, he knew it was nothing he'd said, and he knew it was nothing to do with the hunt, for though it was a serious matter, he'd never seen such a violent reaction from the lioness before.
"Hmmm..." it wasn't a word, but merely a hum, almost as if a thought had suddenly crossed his mind which he did not want to share, however, he soon enough lifted himself partially from the ground, enough so that he could twist his body comfortably to face her. He was, after all, Deception, and he knew well the symptoms of when someone was not telling the truth... when someone was trying to deceive him; something was eating at Kizuka's mind, metaphorically speaking, there was no doubt of it.
His mind supplied him with an idea to test out; he'd often seen lions leering down others, by pressing their faces forth to those they wished to intimidate, and thus, in his own strange way of thinking, he though that perhaps if he did something similar, he could coax the thought out of the female. Thus was how he suddenly found himself pressing his nose firmly against Kizuka's own, one brow arched in question, the other lowered.
What he wasn't expecting, however, was how the simple, innocent motion would affect him and soon enough, his expression was replaced by confusion, then something keen to realisation, "Something tells me it's not the hunt what bothers you," he'd had trouble releasing those few words, the phrase having come out in a whisper, forcing the god to pull back and clear his throat, then look away, "You know, even if you leave, the place will remain, you can always come back. That's what you did before..."
His thoughts were not into the words however, for he'd just realised something... quite frightening indeed spurred by that one simple action, and his mind was working at double the rate, trying to make sense out of it all. If she were to ever find out, he thought, she'd truly be disgusted. Kisoni For a long moment, the cliche came true. The earth stood still as Kizuka felt the heat against her nose, the pant of breath mingling with hers, deep red eyes staring into hers. It got his attention, that much of his purpose was fullfilled. The insect came back in swarms, and Kizuka now knew the reason for them. Denial was hard when he was that close to her, but so was the knowledge that she was just a mere mortal.
For months she hadn't felt that way about herself around him. She was an equal, a friend, a companion.. but never a 'mere mortal.' Suddenly, that was true again just as it'd been in the beginning, for how could a God love a Mortal? Was that what she wanted?
It was, the lioness admitted to herself, no matter how wrong that was. She couldn't tell him that, though. Kizuka had lost one friend already, she wasn't going to loose him with this. It'd taken long enough to get him to accept her as a friend, after all. "It will," She whispered, forcing the words out around her turmoil of feelings, "you're right, it will. Perhaps I should, though I wonder if we'd even be able to make it across the desert..."
That wasn't what she wanted to say, or do but it did make some sort of far-distant logic to what little bit of her brain was functioning. This wasn't something Kizuka was used to, and she didn't like it in the least. She'd always known her mind, and never shied from personal truths. Why should she feel so sheepish now.
"... I should go find something to eat, its hard to think on an empty stomach," She heard herself say after a strange, awkward pause. Rising to her feet, the lioness looked at the male so close to her. Something overcame her then, and not by consious decision did she take the small step forward to nuzzle her head under his chin.
Though the lioness could have easily gone further than that, she didn't, and turned instead to head back inside the dying jungle. Quote: Strangely enough, where usually his mind had always helped him understand before, it was... not doing it's job at the moment; in fact, it was doing just the oposite. Instead of answering his silent questions, in regardto what had just happened it seemed to be supplying more and more querries. Soon enough, Ushaufu was forced to frown, shutting his mind 'off' per say, in hopes of become less confussed, or perhaps let the matter rest.
An ear flickered her way as his gaze remain away from her form; right now looking at her would be suicide after all. That aside, focussing on those words and such worries was much easier than facing his own sudden realisation however, and thus... the god did just that, "The Desert would be no such worry..." he'd god damn fly her and the cub across it, if need be (even though he himself knew such a task was imposible at best - it was still easier to think such thoughts), "If you came here once, it is posible to leave; all the other creatures are doing so... there is no reason we could not do likewise. In fact, we have the advantage of knowing which way to head," it was at thispoint that he made the fatal mistake; Ushaufu's head turned to face Kizuka.
It was then he knew.
It was then that the the silent questions that had been buzzing through his head were answered, and it was then he knew he'd not be forgiven; he'd done something aweful. He'd done something she'd probably hate him for if she knew and the knowledge made him gasp for air quite suddenly; the sound had marred the silence, uncharacteristic with him, however, he soon enough had other things to worry about.
Her voice was not what had worried him further, but rather the feel of her pelt against him as she stepped forward t nuzzle him; he was overcome, and little could he do to keep himself from returning the nuzzle, pressing his head against hers.Evil, his mind told him. Unforgiveable, it supplied further as he heard himself puring deeply within his chest. She'd hate you if she knew... she trusts you... stop it.
But... he could do no such thing.In fact, the only reason he stopped was because she'd pulled away, padding off to do,.. something or other. His mind had been too dazed to realise she'd even mentioned hunting, and thus Deception remain seated, watching the lioness leave till her form vanished into the dry foliage. He did not move for some times, remaining stock still and instead kept his gaze glued to the stop she'd vanished into till he felt his lips raise into a silent snarl, disgusted with himself, not for his own sake, but for hers.
How could anyone ever love a Lie? How could anyone ever learn to love Deception? It was not posible; not only that, but she'd no doubt be disgusted with him if she'd known his train of thoughts; she saw him as a friend, she'd accepted his company, but love was not something she'd willingly offer. Not for him. Why would she ever love him when she had so many others to chose from? Others that were not a lie... others that were bigger, stronger, attractive. Surely not him... and surely if he stayed he'd live to see the day she chose someone else, and that day a part of him would die. Now that he knew his own heart... now that he knew he could not have her, he had to leave. This time however, he'd not run, he'd walk away calmly, for it was not her fault... it was his own. For betraying that friendship she'd offered with his own selfish feelings. Never once did it ocurr to him to think she might, perhaps return his feelings. Such a thing was imposible; he was her friend, and nothing more.
Before he knew what he was doing, Ushaufu revealed his wings to the world, and with one flap, he lunged into the skies above, flying aimlessly, to nowhere in particular; rather he was merely flying away from that spot he'd been sitting in only mere moments ago; he was flying away from her, in a straight line and tell truth, the god did not car where that line took him... he'd fly on and on, till he'd no longer care. What he did not know... was thatsuch a task would prove to be imposible.
From the shadows the trees offered, a red hued hawk had watched the whole scene, his eyes filled with sorrow. -- The end
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:05 am
Audilifu - The crazy Truth Dark Fire Angel
This in mind, the goddess sat down upon the warm sand, her purple gaze scanning the sky for clouds, lingering on the horizon a mere moment before she let out a sigh and fluffed her wings out. Unlike many other gods, Ushaufu included, Dili had never liked to hide her truth appearance, not even from mortals, and thus was why her wings remain in plain sight; had anyone walked nearby, the strangely pink, winged form would've been quite hard to miss indeed.
"Now then," her voice was soft, as if she were talking to a child, even though no one was around, "Where ever could they be? Perhaps I got lost, what you think?" her words were in fact, direct at a small lizard whom just happened to have been passing by her side. The creature raised it's gaze momentarily at her, stuck out it's tongue to taste the air, and was on it's way once more, leaving Truth with a placid smile, staring after it, "That's what I thought," she said softly before her gaze continued to search the horizon. It wasn't long before the lioness was bored of standing still, and thus moved towards the oasis, far away, for perhaps there she'd find both some refreshment and something to occupy her time with; upon reaching the oasis, something else caught her attention, not far off, much more interesting than the water the place offered.
Ruins lay before her eyes, buildings crumbled to the ground, the sand lifting up around the ragged structures as the goddess sat down before them, languidly regarding them, her head cocking to one side as her tail thumped the sand bellow.
Now THIS was interesting. Even if she couldn't find this strange pride, at least her small trip hadn't been for nothing, "Tell me," she spoke to the stone, almost as if convinced it'd talk right back to her, her voice echoing deep within the structure, "What secrets do you hold?"Syrius Lionwing 
When at first he had glimpsed the creature approaching his oasis, he thought perhaps it was a mirrage, the desert could do things to the mind that no lion could truely understand. However, when she stepped on to the old cobbles, he took a deep, partially growl filled breath. Who was this? The scent was unfamiliar. Noone came to HIS oasis without permission.
The honey eyed tyrant stood slowly from his lounging possition showing off, or almost showing off, his dence mucle structure bulging beneath that ark black mane. He had taken two swift steps before he caught sight of the wings and he stopped. A godess? he raised his nose to the winds, yes, there was no other cerature that could smell of nothing and everything all at once. The scent of a god always confised him. He paused for a moment licking his pale lips as he once again started to walk, this time, in a slow, meaningful saunter, those golden eyes fixed squarely upon the strangely coloured femme. "Greetings lady" he whispered, his voice of a low, rasping timbre. "What brings you to my oasis?" He putemphesis on the word MY though that was how he always spoke when he was here, within his own proverbial four walls. The mans oasis belonged to him, he lived here, trained here and one day he had little doubt he would die here.
"I am nyekundu" His eyes roamed the body of the godess for a moment, though he respected the gods, perhaps even feared them, he couldn't help but admire the beauty before him. He licked his lips, yes a delightful sight. "I am lord and master of thois oasis madam, do you come with good intent or simply with malice?" he raised a brow curiosity flashing accross his eyes for a moment. He said no more then, simply deciding if he should fear or welcome this indevidual in to his home, he couldn't help but watch her, she was beautiful, he had a soft spot for beautiful females, damn libido.
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:02 am
Othieno - Entertain me! Dark Fire Angel
The thought echoed within the hyena several times, till a yawn interrupted him, forcing strong jaws to open and tongue to curl; the sun wasn't really helping either, for it was shinning up above with great force. In fact, it had forced Othieno to seek refuge under one of the random trees that littered the land.
There he'd been laying for what had seemed to him like hours, pink eyes scanning in the landscape in hopes of catching glimpse of something entertaining, alas, he'd had no luck yet. Letting out a sigh, the canine finally allowed himself to lay his back upon the ground, sprawled on the shade the tree offered, exposing his grey hued stomach upward. His gaze then lifted up to the branches of the tree, his front paws coming up stretched, idly thinking that if he placed them in such a way, and if he closed one eye, it almost looked as if he were walking over green and brown.
It was, in fact, quite fascinating for a few moments, however, the action soon enough lost it's charm and the hyena was once again bored out of his mind; he found himself wishing someone, anyone would appear. Hell, he'd have chatted up a storm with a random lizard, had it come near enough; anyone would do.Remove ~ Beckikins The male was blessed, he was still grey but a light shade, the sun didn't bother him as much as it may have done others. He was also bored, incredibly bored.
The male was knew to these lands, he had travelled after hearing of rumours of hyena packs that were useful, big and powerful, to some that was most appealing. He had travelled for a long time, many moons had passed since his travelling had started but he seemed to have found his destination and at last he could rest.
The tree's were scattered here unlike at home, his old home, this he found irritating and headed towards the nearest tree, the one that was holding another male at this persent time. A male didn't bother him, though he could be of some use maybe, he walked towards him or towards the tree as he held his head low and pretended not to have noticed the other male, stupid tatic but oh well. Dark Fire Angel Still laying in such an awkward position, Oth had begun to entertain himself by following he small rays of light that penetrated the tree he was still under, proceeding to snap at the air with his jaws every so often, almost as if he truly did think he could eat the light right up. He was in fact, in the middle of his little game by the time he noticed a scent nearby, and still within his laying pose, he turned his head back, pressing the back of it against the ground so that he could look at what was coming from behind.
Tongue lolling slightly to the side from the heat, the male's pink eyes soon enough spotted another hyena, his maw wrinkling almost in disgust for a second as he rolled over, adopting a pose that was slightly more graceful than his previous one, "Oi, mate!" he paused, scooting over as if to allow him space, "Yah know, yer gonna get cooked right up if yeh stay out in the blasted heat!" his over social nature had spurred him to talk, for after all, he was quite certain that even a hyena was better than nothing.
Now, you must understand, Oth had nothing against hyenas in general, however, his strange personality usually demanded he stay far away from his peers whom thought him both odd and a bit of a freak... he had no time for hyena hierarchy and spoke out his mind without any fear. It was just the way he'd been brought up. Remove ~ Beckikins The hyena speaking shocked him somewhat, "The heat doesn't bother me as much!" He used it as an invitation to walk over and sit down though. This was useful, a friendly hyena, he didn't know many sociable hyena's.
He let his light blue eyes scan the darker male before being satisfied with what he saw. "I take it you live around here?" He was a reasonably social guy, or at least when he wanted something anyway. Dark Fire Angel A brow arched as Oth regarded the other male; was it truthfully that shocking to see him talk? He would've thought that hyenas would be naturally social, what with the fact they were indeed pack animals... alas, he knew not how they behaved within a clan, having grown up outside one, having no physical contact with those of his species, "Here, there, everywhere," he spoke as he snorted, looking slightly amused, "Today I live here, and tomorrow, I shall probably live here too, but I'm not sure where I'll live within a few days," a chuckle marred his words at this point, eyes scanning the landscape again.
Tell truth, his peer was right; it wasn't that hot, and the heat did not affect him that much, however, it was still better down under the shade of a tree; he'd learnt that from his 'mother'. This time of day was for laying about, waiting for the sun to stop harassing them; he'd grown up with that notion, and his mind told him to follow it, however strange it might've seemed to anyone found staring.
"Since yer asking me if I'm from around here, I take it yer obviously not," smirking, his gaze fell upon the lighter male again, "And you look like yer out to get something; what's eattin' yah? It's a lovely day! If slightly hot, and the herds are about. It's quite nice to be alive," another chuckle passed through and he turned to scan the landscape once more. Remove ~ Beckikins He looked curiously at the other and nodded. He wasn't exactly interesting and didn't really do much either, he just sat there and did nothing.
"You are right I am not. I am looking for the hyena packs of these lands, I have heard great things about them." What he had heard and why he wasn't sure, he just remembered someone once saying something about the packs here and just asumed it was a good thing! Dark Fire Angel Well, so much for killing his boredome; it was clear this hyena wasn't going to entertain him much, huh? Again Othieno arched a brow, his head tilting to one side as he wrinkled his nose, almost as if devating something. After a few minutes he seemed to decide against whatever idea had popped up inside his mind and merely sniggered slightly, "Oh, really now! I've not seen these packs, but then again I've not been looking. I keep my distance anyhow."
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:29 pm
Othieno - The heat of the moment Kisoni Soft growls punctuated her heavy steps in the dry grass. Kizuka had taken up watch by the tree she'd last seen Ushuafu sitting under, but the male had yet to return. Deep in her heart she knew the truth; Ush was gone. A deeper growl forced the troublesome thought away, and Kizuka returned her attention to scanning the horizon as she paced restlessly. Even in the heat of the day she's worn out a track beneath the brittling limbs and dying leaves that was likely visible from the sky. A part of her wondered if Varg would be about, even as she knew she couldn't trust the bird to consider her right to know what was goin on.
Eventually the heat and exhaustion of her sore muscle and bone forced her back against the whisp of shade offered near the base of the tree. Her side heaved a little, focusing on the spot near the horizon that she'd guessed Ushuafu to have gone due to lingering scents. Her brooding chocolate eyes darkened further, and one ear twitched irritably to rid herself of a pesky fly.
Really, all Kizuka wanted was to know why he'd left. Ever since he'd been foiled in his first attempt to run away, Ushuafu had seemed happy here. He'd never said as much, but it had appeared to be written in the way he laughed with them, spoke with them, hunted with them and slept beside them. He'd never made a second attempt to leave them, and even when Truth had surprised the both of him it'd just seemed to offer further proof that he was happy.
Something Truth had said came ringing back into Kizuka's ears and she sighed. She wasn't so sure what to make of that, and the truth of the matter seemed that she herself had chased Ushaufu away. What had she been thinking, flirting with him like that?! A growl left her throat, feral as a wild cat's scream, and kizuka lifted her head and shoulders to begin bathing her arms and paws with such feurocity she was sure to scrape the fur from her skin.
The day was drawing to a close, but the heat was still impossible. Even so, Kizuka knew she should be hunting. Kimaji had taken down a stupid bird earlier, so she knew the cub was likely sated for now though a bird was no dinner. The lioness herself knew her body would be hungry, but the rest of her didn't wish to eat. That was no way to live, Kizuka's practicality knew this, yet she couldn't force herself up. In truth, she didn't really care right now.
Dark Fire Angel
Nothing amusing was ever to happen here, now was it? Thus so, why should he or Rah stay here?
A second breath however, told him a different story, for he'd suddenly picked up a scent he knew all too well. Frowning, the hyena pressed his nose to the ground, a canine gesture he was able to pull off with grace, even despite the odd structure of his neck and body; Lioness? Here?
Both grey ears seemed to perk as the male arched a brow, his muzzle opening to allow his tongue to loll slightly over his large teeth. Why would there be a lioness here? Hadn't the herds moved on? He'd not even seen one on his way here, and though both he and Rah had separated from each other briefly in hopes of finding some scraps, both lion and hyena had been quite sure upon departing that they'd find nothing.
Yet... here was this scent.
Shrugging slightly, a gesture he performed all-too-well, the hyena decided that what the hell, he had nothing else better to do, as food was simply something he was not going to find within this dieing land. Curiosity spurred his actions, and the canine trotted friskily through the foliage till warning growls forced him to slow his step; after remaining hidden for several moment, observing the chocolate colored female, he came to the conclusion that these growls had in fact, nothing to do with him, but rather with something that was quite obviously eating at her. A few more seconds passed, then, with the flick of his bushy black tail, the hyena stepped into the light, one brow arched, tongue still lolling comically, "Now, now, love, what's all this growling for? Could hear yeh a mile away! If yer lookin' tah hunt, yer not gonna surprise any prey like that, now are yeh?"
Amusingly enough (or perhaps disturbingly enough for Kizuka), the male seemed quite un-preocupied by the fact she was a lioness; in fact, he was treating her almost like a peer, as if he were quite used to lions. Even the way he moved seemed to hold a slightly more graceful air than that which hyenas usually carried themselves, "Come, come, yeh should not be sitting around... yeh should be moving on, now shouldn't you?" his words were meant to mean that she should be looking for new land, to feed herself, however.... taking in Kizuka's current situation, she could've taken the words in another way altogether. Othieno was no mind reader, though he had indeed noticed something was bothering her deeply, "And what exactly's eattin' yah, anyhow? It's obviously not the heat, 'cuz not even the heat can put someone in such a foul mood!" sitting down, he regarded her, looking somewhere between amused and concerned.-- The end
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 6:57 am
Kianga - So this is home... Naita With the sun easing into it's accustomed gait across the sky, the plains heating beneath it's warm touch, a lion settled too, into his daily ritual. New employment suiting his need, his purpose, the male traversed the lands of his new home, each step growing more familiar by the day, for it was still fairly new to the fledgling Shujaa.
A breath escaped it's rhythm, corrected quickly enough, as he traversed further into the outskirts, a noise startling him. A bird, setting into flight from a piece of scrub explained it away, and with an inward chuckle did he continue on his way.
"Employment makes you jumpy, old man," he chorused under his breath, laughter bubbling forth once more.
A cursory glance over the thin scrabbling of bush the bird had fled satisfied that there was no need for worry, and indeed, it was perhaps with more of a smile upon his lips that Kanuga set forward once more. Dark Fire Angel
Still unable to shake the feeling that she... she should trespass, the lioness moved onward; the shadows had talked to her. The idea was silly, and even within her own mind, she could not believe such a thing had really happened, yet at the same time, deep down, she knew she had no been hallucinating. The shadows HAD talked to her.
Go to Mteo, they'd said. Go to help, they'd asked of her.
Help? Help what? Help who? Surely the pride that resided within these lands needed no help, so why were these shadows claiming she go? Was she growing senile at such a young age? Dear me... it was a good thing her mother could not see her now, nor her the old lionesses she'd used to sun bathe with; they'd sure have gotten their kicks out of Kianga's lithe story, specially taking into account the pink lioness was usually one unmoved by suck mystical happenings, always treating them as illusions or otherwise.
Her thoughts halted however as the scent of a lion nearby caught her attention; true, she was within lands not her own. They belonged to someone else. Here, she was the trespasser. Instantly, she allowed her bulky body to hunch down slightly, her ears dropping and her tail twitching, gracing the floor in an attempt to make herself look as little and .... non-menacing as possible. Her maw opened partially to released a sound, letting her position be known as her ears whirled this way and that; it was just one male... if things went the wrong way, she still had a pretty good chance of both defending herself or escaping.
Either way, this was not her land, and thus an invitation was needed; Kianga knew her manners, even if she'd already decided she must be half crazy, both for listening to some talking shadows and for staying put when she should've probably slinked away from the male's presence. Males, were after all, unpredictable.Naita Again, a noise interrupted the solitude of Kanuga's ritual, and the temptation to laugh it off as before was high. He had not been taught such by his former clan, however, and prided himself on such.
With halting steps he pushed himself forward, the hint of pink peeping through the grasses the first sign he took of a real threat. Her scent had alluded him almost entirely, mingling with the unfamiliar scents still making themselves known to him, painting the canvas of the lands but slowly.
Only upon sighting her bright fur did the smell unwind itself from the myriad of perfumes in his mind, and tell the tale of a stranger crossing the lands now to be called his home.
Kanuga was a Shujaa, but a wary one, as yet unsure as to all the allowed inhabitants of the Mteo'nyungu lands, though one pressing their form so tightly to the ground held no visage of one at home in the place.
"Who are you?" he called out, at last, eyes trained upon that of the stanger he could make out, but paws traversing no further.
"Is this your home?" he followed, for it seemed best to test the waters. Warithi had told him of no other, outside the small pride over which he reigned, but who knew, perhaps that fellow had forgotten one, and caution was always best. Dark Fire Angel A pause followed, the pink head raising slightly above the grass, ears still flopped to the side as she diverted her gaze; it was common courtesy and respect to not look another feline in the eyes if it was a stranger, "Kianga," she answered the first question, and ear whirling towards him to show she was indeed paying attention to him, even if she was not exactly meeting his eyes, "This is not my home..."
Of course, such a claim might've been seen as an instant invitation for an attack, however, Kianga was sure to tone her voice in a way that left clear she meant no threat, but rather, was merely curious as to the land. After all, it'd do no good to just bellow something about shadows talking to her, now would it?
... Or perhaps it would do good.
At this point, the pink lioness was not so sure about what was best anymore, after all, she was following an invitation from a shadowed... form, and was here standing peacefully before a large male what could mean trouble. Kianga prided herself in her large body, strong enough and capable enough to make her a worthy rogue and yet, she was no fool; she knew a male's strength was unpredictable. She was asking for trouble, and yet idly hoped this male was not looking for it. Why was she DOING this again?!
"I..." another pause, her gaze lowering, "This must sound quite strange, however..." slowly, her eyes moved so they regarded the male, one brow arching, "Uhm; some strange shadows I encountered the other day told me to come. They talked, and seemed.... shy. They merely told me to come and say the shadows had sent me," her gaze hardened finally as she raised her head fully out of the grass, frowning directly at the male, almost as if daring him to call her crazy, or insane, "And I'm not crazy, for the record," her ears flattened back slightly at the notion for she'd voiced such words more for her own benefit than his.
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Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:04 am
Sverrah - Insane, are you? Inside You I Was Reborn “Now I’m lost...”
*Green eyes laced over with a yellow tint softly opened as a deep sigh passed the chest of a rouge lioness. She was standing alone, within an open felid; a dull look rested upon her face as she took the time to scan the area… as if looking for something... but it would seem that she came out empty every time. The lioness simply sighed again and pressed on. Her coat was a red-orange and a darker shade of mixed red-brown masked her along eyes and nose line, giving emphasis to her lean face. She had hints of a creamy color that softly intertwined along her red pelt, leaving behind small hints of her mother’s genes.
Pushing her dark brown mane out of her eyes she stalked onward, moving slowly. She seemed very content with being alone… and her movements showed no sighs of worry or desperation… no. She was happy being this way, being alone. Creamy paws graced the dull earth as she made her way to an old tree; its bark was wrinkled and the it’s all of it’s leafs had fallen onto the ground below; it was old and withered… and held no purpose. It wouldn’t shade the small plants below; it couldn’t protect those that came here for relief from the burning sun above… no; like her… this tree was useless.
With out a word the lioness sat herself down and rested her backside along the old tree. She found comfort within its embrace. Something inside of her was cold… apart of her was lost. Though she was fine with the way she was now… she knew that she wouldn’t be able to keep this beast in for too much longer. Soon she would rid herself of her bark and her ugly true nature would show. She had left her mate to be alone. He was not good at making her feel better… if anything he loved to add on her to fiery desires; he loved to play with her fiery lust. As much as she hated to be that way she found no escape from her body’s wants and needs.
She wanted to be as cool as ice… she wanted to be stable… but something inside of her wanted out and it would only be a matter of time before that happened. Tiah was her name; and she was the daughter of Taka and Maylea, the half sister to Danzi. She was the long lost bloodline to the shamed brother of Mufasa. She knew this fact and after her mother’s death she became bitter, cold… and lost. Tiah was left without any real connection to the world after that. Her father had died before she was born and all of her brothers and sister had died when her mother had given birth. She was the last born of her litter and the only that survived.
She felt sorrow every time she thought about this but she showed no emotion upon her dull face. Nothing seemed to spark her inner flame any more… maybe that was why she had been feeling so... out of it. Maybe that is why she feared snapping; she had held it in for so long... she didn’t know how to react to emotion anymore. As much at Tiah lived she didn’t… she never did anything for herself. Once her mother died she found company within the embrace of a male. They were both lost souls… bitter lost souls… so things seemed to work out with them.
But she couldn’t tell him how she felt; He was not the type to listen. As mush as she loved him she feared him. Tiah was pool of emotions and right now she was truly lost. She was searching for the place of her birth… in hopes of filling this hole that swelled within her beating heart. Maybe after she set all of her fears of the unknown to rest... Maybe then she would be happy… maybe.*[Right now Tiah is lost and looking for her home land; and long the way she is stopping to recap... she is very lost within her own thoughts, so I wanted to express this, sorry if it's hard to follow... xD!] Quote:
Boredom was once more driving his actions as he padded on, a black hued ear flicking this way and that, tongue coming out to wet his maw before he sat down; there was simply nothing to do, and no one to annoy... alas, perhaps he should turn back and get some rest up on his well hidden tree? Perhaps he should simply give up on the day all together. In fact, Rah was about to do just that when his nose warned him of a scent nearby; lion, it told him. Instantly a brow arched in silent question before the lean yellow frame stood up and padded directly towards the scent; usually, lions and leopards didn't bother each other, and Rah was more used to merely watching them, regarding them silently, for he knew of their great force... however, today the leopard found he was immensely bored. In fact, more so than usual.
Moving swiftly, Rah came upon a large dead tree, the lioness he'd been following softly reclining herself against the bark; something about her pose... something about the feel of her movements, instantly amused the leopard, and soon enough he found himself reliving the 'spark' he felt whenever he encountered anyone he deemed 'below him'. Sadly, truth was, within his eyes... everyone was below him, and thus, toying with 'everyone' was perfectly fine; no one had showed him otherwise, and no one had probed their worth within his eyes. Thus so, his motives had never changed.
The grin stretched upon his maw, giving a cheshire-ish feel to it as he chuckled, "My, my, and who do we have here? Don't you look lost in your own little world?" he'd approached her enough and with a great leap, he sunk his claws into the tree's bark, climbing with great agility till he'd posed himself above Tiah, one brow arched, the other lowered, his smirk still in place, "What brings such a lovely girl to such a somber place? It must be of significance for you to be seeking shelter under tree that can offer none of it.... is it a metaphor? Is it something that's bothering you? Or is it perhaps you identify yourself with this tree here? Useless? Lonely? Troubled?" at this point, the leopard lowered himself so that he was laying on the branch, his tail hanging from it, twitching this way and that above her.
His words seemed fluid enough, thoughtless, yet they'd been carefully selected as he'd neared her; having always been quite good at reading people, and the fact this female seemed to have no problem showing she was upset had helped him in his search of the 'right' thing to say. Right as in 'perfect enough to warrant a reaction', of course; otherwise it wouldn't be amusing, "What are you hiding from?" this question however seemed to be different the rest; it held no mocking edge to it, no teasing tone, the male's warm brown eyes staring down at her, filled with deep curiosity.Inside You I Was Reborn “Everything.”
*Tiah started softly. She let the words roll off of her pink tongue without any thought. At first she thought that the question came from within her own mind… but soon she found out that she was no longer alone. With a soft gaze the lioness eye upward and cocked her head to the side slowly. A male… leopard she assumed. She had never really spoken to a leopard before, so his appearance made her move to the side, as if she were trying to keep the space between them big enough to make her feel safe; even though she knew that he could easily attack her… if that is what he was looking to do.
But Tiah didn’t flitch and she didn’t act startled, no. She simply spoke again and sighed deeply.*
“I am here because I want to be here.”
*She added to his questions before. Though she didn’t know him she didn’t seem upset by his sudden appearance and line of questions. Her green eyes softly narrowed as she gazed back out at the golden covered lands before her.*
“Tell me stranger, what path you would take: One path is curved and dark- and the unknown will almost certainly kill you… and the other is pure and white, welcoming you with opened arms.”
*As she spoke her tone grew cold and without any real expression she gazed up at him with wide eyes. Tiah was very....weird to say the least; she had been this way for a while now, though she couldn’t really see it herself, her mate always seemed to point out how ‘out of her mind’ she was.* Quote: "Is that right, now?" the smirk had turned into a seemingly pleasent smile as the leopard lay his head on his paws, his tail cascading over the branch, twitching just barely out of her reach; it was almost as if he were trying to warrant a reaction from the lioness with such a small fleeting movement, "Everything, is it?" a chuckle rumbled through his chest as his gaze flicked off her form to look away, "Hide away your face from the world, so that no one shall ever see your fears, so that they may not see you cry; which brings us to determine you have something worthwhile to hide from, hmm?"
Slowly, making sure to keep his balance, Sverrah moved his form to take a better glance at her, keeping his gaze upon her frame, "Such a good answer; you're here because you wish to be here, however, I think this is not right. You are here not because you want to be here, but because you have nowhere else to go to; nowhere else to run to..." his smile once more turned into the smirk, his paw raising as he twirled a caw in the air, "Round and round we go, round and round we run, however is there any place within this earth where we can hide from our fears and from ourselves and our pain? There is in way to fool oneself, love..."
A chuckle rang through the male's form at her question, "My, my, the dark path would be my choice, but of course!" this said, he swiftly moved, jumping off his branch, landing a scarse meter away from her as he grinned almost manaicaly, "Tell me, little one; what fun is there in a path that's white and pure? If everything goes acording to plan... if nothing ever happens, where is the sense of living? Life is but a dark path; it's meant to be dark, twisted, curved, so that we can never seen what's up ahead. That's what makes life worth living... otherwise it'd be boring, would it not? We'd grow tired of living!" if her mind was twisted, or crazed, Rah's own twarped one was beyond repair then. He'd always been deemed as crazy, unpredictable by others, and he lived up to his name; spirral, twisted, it was entertain to him, "What's a death thread when you're entertained? Death comes to us all naturaly anything, love," a pause, "The name's Sverrah, or Rah," he grinned still, watching her through eyes that were hard to read.
Was he really crazy or just playing out his part? It was hard to tell, and truthfully, for him to know and her to find out, "Why do you run? Why not face that fear? I'm sure it'd be further more interesting than fleeing or hidding under this tree, wouldn't you think? I'm sure the sun agress," the grin turned into a smirk as he narrowed his eyes. Inside You I Was Reborn *With a coy grin the lioness kept herself still and listened to his words. The trickled past her ears as a soft chill ran down her arch. Thai was nothing along the lines of young, but she did enjoy hearing herself being called that. With a soft chuckle she eyed the male as he jumped down and landed not to far away from her.
He seemed very odd to her, though maybe this was because she did spend to much time alone; flicking her tail from side to side the lioness slowly pulled herself to her cream dipped paws and with a sly smile spoke out.*
“Young? My friend you’re too kind… I have not been called young in many years.”
*Truth be told Tiah was older them most other lionesses she came in contact with… even her mate was younger then she; She spent many years in this mind set, looking for a place to get away. Her green eyes, glazed in a soft green narrowed upon him as he spoke his name.*
“Rah, it’s a pleasure.. I am called; I go by Tiah… though I am sure you could think of another name to call me….”
*Tiah spoke with a soft nod before pulling her head up. Her eyes settled upon him softly as she looked him over, studding his movements. He was appealing to the eyes and ears, but she did feel a bit uneasy… something about his almost center judgment of her made her feel naked and vulnerable.*
“So it would seem the only path to sanity is to follow the path of a mad man...” Quote: It must've been amusing for the lioness to be called nicknames, alas, it was the way Rah worked; he would've been able to call an elephant 'little one', for after all, such term used upon such animal was 'amusing. It was all that mattered to him at the point; entertaining himself. It was what life was meant to be lived for, after all! Entertainment! And he fully believed such thoughts.
"Ah, but it is not age what matter, but the heart, and something tells me your heart is still young at what it's doing; otherwise, why would you have been here under this tree?" looking over his shoulder, he kept his smirk upon is maw, making him look quite insane, and yet his words held some sort of tamed logic to them, "Nor I have been called young either, tel truth, but that does not mean we're not young; if we place ourselves beside a god, we are young; if we place ourselves next to this earth, this land, we are but newly born, are we not? All that matters is perspective!" a chuckle rang through his body as he lifted his right paw to his maw, licking it here and there as he groomed it, unsheating his claws to pass his tongue between them, cleaning the spaces there.
Once sattisfied, the male lowered his paw and licked his maw, his brown gaze settling upon her form, "Tiah, that's nice; our names both end in with 'ah'," the mere fact seemed amusing to him, for some odd reason, "We must've been sibbling supon a diferent life, wouldn't you say?" it was hard to tell if the leopard was just indulging her, stringing her along or if he was plain serious; hard to read, Sverrah prided himself in the fact, "I don't know, perhaps I shall dub you 'little one' hence forth; it seems to sooth and please you," again the smirk covered his maw, an odd twinkling in his eyes signaling he was in fact, serious about his latest claim.
Upon her later words, the male seemed to pause, his head tilting to one side, and then to the other as his large tail twitched lightly on the floor, "Alas, I never claimed anything about the path being prone or directly related to sanity; in fact, I shall have you know I am quite insane myself, but then again, I don't think anyone to pad this earth is exactly 'sane' either," the chuckle that acompained the words was cold, perhaps bitter in some way, however, whatever edge it held vanished as soon as the sound died down, "Others commit murders, others go through great ordeals for something as fickle as love, and others claim they need no one; I on the other hand take only that what I need... I respect love, but fear it for the power it holds; I'd accept it were to come my way though, and I am well aware that I've needed others, and will always need others," a pause, his grin widening as his eyes narrowed down, his voice now lowered to a voice, "Whose the insane one thus, my dear?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:42 am
Varg - Battle Plans Kisoni Now she didn't just have Kimaji to worry about, there was a half dead lioness tucked into the situation. ... as if Kizuka herself weren't half-dead already.
The splotched lioness plopped down into the dust and wilted grass, barely wincing as her bone scraped the ground without the slightest amount of fat padding. Her stomach had given up complaining months ago, but it didn't stop the fact that she was more than a little aware of the state her body was in. Though she told herself a thousand times that it didn't matter as long as Kimaji was still healthy, Kizuka knew it did. She didn't want to die... and she didn't want her daughter to witness it. Kimaji wasn't ready to love on her own--no matter that the girl was nearly grown in body. Her continuing naivity would have been find in the Umandem'funi of old, but this waste land wasn't the place that Kizuka knew from her childhood.
Turning her head, Kizuka ran her tongue over her fur in an attempt to regain some hint of her former beauty. She doubted it worked, but it didn't hurt to try. Combing her paw over her mane-tuft, she gave a gentle sigh and let her tired eyes gaze over the land before her, but she didn't really see anything. She was so tired....
A few minutes later, Kizuka shook herself all over as she woke up. Had she passed out? How long had it been? For one frightening moment, Kizuka found that she wasn't sure of anything anymore. That passed quickly enough, and she let her head sink down into her paws as her tail and body wilted against the ground. Finally, after months, she was beginning to break--right when she couldn't afford it at all. What was worse, she hadn't a soul in the world to talk to about it. To bother Kimaji or Mo'onasai with it would be the lowest of the low--the former was too sweet, the latter had too many problems of her own.
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