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 Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 6:38 pm
Mteuli chuckled at her comments. Well, she sure was strong minded, wasn't she? He shook his head, tossling his red mane slightly, "Of course, of course." He moved with unusual grace for his size and bulk. That was mainly because he was reared in the jungle, were agility and care of where your paws were placed matter more then anything. He loped toward the river, eyeing it's flow. If he read the signs right, there would be something very interesting downstream a little.
"Follow me, my lady," he told her warmly, his tone sincere. He began to follow the river, his paws moving expertly along the bank without a hitch.
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:21 pm
Lefika moved swimmingly after her companion, graceful in her own slinking, self-confident way. Her shoulders and hips rolled like the ripples in the river beside them. She purposely matched her strides to Mteuli's so that they would remain side by side. Every once in a while a step would slip, but Lefika was new to these lands; she didn't have the terrain memorized like Mteuli seemed to have. She tried her best to respect his personal space even when she stumbled.
She was feeling uncharacteristically conversational, Mteuli having gotten her warmed up. Besides, she wanted to know who she was dealing with, so she asked the token question that she used to explore the person she was with. "Tell me... what's your story, love?" she inquired. She may be apathetic, but she still never ceased to be interested by people's stories. Everyone loves a good story, right?
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:01 pm
Mteuli smiled warmly, noticing how she was far more willing to talk then she had been before. He was glad. In all honesty he had been close to leaving her be. While he liked company, he didn't wish to impose. He had been raised to be a gentleman of sorts and it simply was polite to stick around if she didn't want him to.
"My story?" He mused smoothly, "There isn't much of one really. I was reared in a jungle much like this one in a different area, part of an old pride. My twin brother and I were trained for our duties as priests of the pride. During adolecence I began to wander from my home to see the other lands and meet people. I return from time to time, since I can't bear to be away too long. My pride remains my home-it is where my heart is as they say." He tilted his head, looking over at her with curious green eyes, "What about you, sweet?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:43 pm
Lefika nodded thoughtfully as she spoke. She appreciated the company of a fellow wanderer like herself... even if he was one of those loyalist types. Lefika's heart was rooted in no one land. She sighed and muttered, "I was born to a pride far east of here. It was small, and it had no name. My parents were hunters there, and I was their only cub. They survived the plague and eventually died of old age. I'd been unhappy there for some time, felt tied down, was always watching the horizon and the sky. Once my parents died there was nothing keeping me there. I set off due west and haven't looked back since." She shook her head. "But that's in the past, it doesn't matter now." She held her head up high, as though to show off her resolve. Lefika had no regrets, and she did not know the meaning of nostalgia. All that concerned Lefika was the here and now.
With a sideways glance, however, she shortly added, "And don't call me 'sweet', hon. My name is Lefika, and I am nobody's sweet." The words were harsh but the tone was not. Just another fact, as far as Lefika was concerned, even if her wording seemed forceful.
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:15 am
Mteuli nodded in understanding, unphased by her tone or matter-of-fact way of speaking. He was used to all sorts of people, from shy and soft to prickly and tempermental. He wasn't going to let someone get under his skin now. "Yes...a wandering soul bound to one place, I see," He commented, thinking on what she said of her past, "I am glad you are on the road, then, since it seems to be what you longed for."
At her correction he simply grinned warmly, "Ah, pardon me. It is simply my speach pattern I'm afraid. No offense meant, my dear," He told her smoothly. It was just the way he talked...though he wasn't about to compare it to her use of the word "hun". That would be rather tactless, would it not? Though if she was the logical type and still fond his comments unnerving he might have to put it that way to set her mind at ease.
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:51 am
At the sounds of Mteuli's understanding, Lefika smiled a rare, true smile. She appreciated his compassion for her point of view and way of life. She had met few who could truly comprehend what it was that drove her from her homeland. "Thank you," she said softly, and simply assumed that he would know what she meant by it.
She nodded once at his appology, but said nothing to it. She didn't feel there was any response she truly had to make. As far as she was concerned, the issue was resolved. She did, however, look to him and inquire with curious eyes, "So, do you have a name, then?" She hoped he wouldn't try to get catty with her and simply respond with a 'yes'. It wasn't that she would find it particularly annoying, just that she would see it coming from a mile away, thusly eliminating any humor she ought to see in it. After another stumble that almost made her twist an ankle, she dropped her head and decided to physically watch her step at least for a while.
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:13 pm
Mteuli did and didn't push the conversation about her past further. She had answered his questions and she didn't seem the talkative type. That was perfectly alright with him. He could easily fill in the gaps with his own words, not that there was a huge need to. But he was ever so good at drawing out a conversation longer then need held it.
"Ah, forgive me," He murmured quickly but silkily, "I am called Mteuli. It is very nice to meet you Lefika."
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:36 pm
Lefika was also greatly appreciative that her sociable companion decided not to push the subject. The lioness wasn't very talkative, this was true... but she had a genuine dislike for discussing her past. There was something about her past that left somewhat of a bitter taste in her mouth, though she couldn't quite place a paw on why. She decided quite pointedly not to think about it. Instead, she just bowed her head in response to his somewhat belated introduction. "A pleasure, Mteuli," she said. Although, she wasn't entirely certain whether or not it truly was a pleasure yet... she just wanted to be polite.
She grew weary of watching her paws and decided to turn up her head again. The timing was impeccable. She tread through some leafy brush, and almost in an instant she staggered back and roared. Out from the bush came a hiss, and a stripe of black, red, and yellow darted from the brush and into the jungle. Lefika sat back and immediately began lapping at her wounded paw, nursing the venom out, assuming that any venom had gotten in. "And that," she snarled to her companion, "is why I hate the jungle."
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:47 pm
Mteuli had noted the snake's hiding place, but hadn't really thought much of it. As he was used to the jungle, he was quick to know when other creatures were near and he tred along through the bushes and trees without any mishap. So watching her trip and get bitten was quite the shock to him. He knew she wasn't used to the jungle, but it never occured to him she might be so clumsy as to let herself disterb the snake.
He frowned softly, looking concern, "I'm sorry...I thought you knew he was there...I should have told you." He let his gaze wander carefully over her wound, "Are you alright? I don't believe the snake was poisonous...though it's cousin with similar markings is."
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:18 pm
Scowling, Lefika padded up to the river and dipped her paw into the running water, rinsing out the wound to prevent infection. She wasn't prone to getting this irritated, she was usually more laid back than a rug. However, she wasn't used to being so far out of her element. She wasn't used to having to tiptoe around things, wasn't used to the scenery and plantlife. In the grasslands she could sense a hidden snake with ease. There was something about the jungle that made it so much harder for her to keep her wits about her. She was dreadfully embarassed though she didn't want to admit it. Her pride was probably more wounded than her paw was.
She laid down by the water as she rinsed her paw and she shook her head. "No no... I should have known it was there. I think it's just because I'm tired, my senses are off." She heard him assure her that the snake wasn't poisonous, and she sighed. "I'm fine," she said dismissively while she waved her paw back and forth in the water, leaving a wavering little trail of red that quickly dispersed. "Thought that was the poisonous one... must've gotten them backwards."
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:26 pm
"Perhaps you should rest instead," Mteuli suggested gently. He didn't accuse her of carelessness nor question her attention to their surroundings. He knew she probably had a wounded pride right now. She seemed the type who hated to seem incompitent. He didn't blame her and he wouldn't press the matter. "After all, I did depribe you of your rest," He told her smoothly. He also thought it'd be good for her to rest her paw, though he didn't mention it verbally.
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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:27 pm
Lefika glanced up at her companion and smirked. Well, that was a challenge if she'd ever heard one, even if it wasn't intended to be. Lefika had never been one to lay down in the face of adversity. She was a tough girl. She was all for the struggle. "I'm fine," she assured him. "I can keep going. Lead the way." She withdrew her paw from the water and gave it a shake to dry it off, then set it firmly down on the ground. It stung a little still, but it was no big deal. Sometimes you just have to work through the pain. She rose up onto all fours and held her head high. This jungle wasn't about to get the best of her, no way.
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Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:33 am
Mteuli was tempted to shake his head, but he resisted. She was a proud lioness, this he already knew. While he thought it foolish to keep going with her paw like that and the fact that she had had no sleep as of yet, he wasn't going to tell her so. Tact remained a subconcious thing he upheld and arguing with this one would be folly in itself.
"Alright," he agreed steadily. "We're almost there." He went to move smoothly down the bank again. The current of the water was picking up and becoming rather fast. But he made no move to cross, so it didn't seem to matter much.
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Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:19 am
Lefika trotted along with Mteuli, moving with a little more confidence now despite her slight limp. The attack had actually woken her up quite a bit, and her senses had grown sharper. Thank you, adrenaline. It did, however, take her a little while to catch up with Mteuli's pace and begin to move alongside him again. She watched the water a bit, finding its rushing movements conversely peaceful and relaxing. Eventually though she returned her attentions to her traveling companion. As she leapt and tiptoed over bushes and logs, she inquired, "So you say your pride resides in these jungles... do you have family here as well?" She attempted to catch his eyes with her pale slate gaze, trying to read his expression. "Feel free not to tell me, if you so wish," she added. She didn't wish to push or pry any information out of him that he did not wish to divulge, but knowing about a person's family can often tell you a lot about the person themself. This Lefika knew.
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Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:32 am
Mteuli smiled, not minding the questions in the slightest. On the contrary, he liked that she was trying to move the conversation along on her own. While he was very good at keeping talk running smoothly, it was much better when his company showed interest of their own. "Not these jungles...but some similar to this," Mteuli replied smoothly, his words a correction but his tone hardly made them seem as such. "As far as family goes...I only have one family member of blood, my twin brother. Though many of my friends in our ranks feel like family as well." It was true enough, for he loved spending time with the sons of Matifu and with his friends, many of them new members of the pride.
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