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 Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:45 am
"Understandable, not to worry." Ekevu replied, smiling softly back at Janja. The attempt was applauded, and noted; it gave her depth into her sister's personality more. It was Ekevu's process of logic. You asked questions, and no matter what answer you got to, you learned along the way.
Pressing on through the jungle, Ekevu pretended to completely lose interest in Janja for some time, only to clear her throat later.
"I'll tell you what I'll see of you, though." She said, trying to sound harsh and bitter in tone. If she could seem as if she was lecturing, the next part would make Janja realize that she was only trying to drill a point in.
"I see you as a brave, charming lioness, with power and bravery in her stride. Very friendly and accepting, easy to relate to, and destined for great things."
Ekevu turned and smiled at Janja.
"Do you think I'm right?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:50 am
"How would answer those questions if I were to ask them of you?" Janja shot back at her sister with a small grin, she quickly returned to a brighter disposition and wondered about her own sister. She could easily see there was a lot to Ekevu, and as well as she spoke and as nicely as she acted, there had to be more specifics that she was just missing.
She was pondering how well she knew her youngest sister when the familiar voice suddenly articulated her view. Janja had to stop walking and look at Ekevu as she explained all the wonderful things she apparently saw in her eldest sister. The only problem was the strange tone she spoke in.
"I'm flattered, for one," she said, quite surprised, "But you're tone is kind of harsh for what you say. I don't think you'd say something you didn't mean, unless it was purposefully ironic. You're smart, I wouldn't question your observation abilities."
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 3:08 pm
"A diplomatic answer in the fullest," Ekevu purred happily, pleased with her sister's ability to keep up. Though testing her was harsh, yes, it needed to be done before Ekevu let herself be befriended. More than friend, Ekevu knew she needed allies... others that would push her to her potential. Janja just might be that exactly; company, wit, and a brain that put itself to use.
"And very well spoken, Janja." Continuing along the road they'd decided, she shot a glance back to her sister, adding more to their conversation.
"Have you seen beyond the jungle, sister?" She asked, wondering how far her sister had traveled. Had Janja seen the desert before? It was worth a shot to ask, anyway.
"There lies a vast and endless plain of sands, hot to the touch, and waterless. I want to know what lies beyond that." Ekevu seriously said, closing her eyes as she remembered it.
"And all over, too! There has to be more to our world than this jungle! I know it!" Turning to Janja, Ekevu grinned widely, a twinkle in her eye.
"Maybe mother and father already know, but the two of us are adventurers! Explorers! We're the ones that need to be pioneers of the new fronteer!" Pausing, Ekevu laughed.
"I know you want to see the world, too. That's why, when we're old enough, I want you to join me. We'll see the world together! What do you think?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:06 pm
Janja gave her sister a funny look, though she kept a small smile on her face. Ekevu was a bit of an oddball, in a different way than Jedi was, and her reaction to the reply to the strange compliments was a perfect example of her oddness. In Janja's view, at least.
"I've not been out of the jungle," she answered humbly, looking a bit surprised at the daring of her sister to have gone out beyond the trees. She was intrigued by it's description, and how very different it sounded from the jungle. The world she knew was so humid and full of life and water, it was hard to imagine somewhere without those things.
The rest of Ekevu's speech caused the elder girl to stop and stare carefully at her sister, "I'm not surprised you were able to get far enough away for the scenery to change so dramatically, mum and dad aren't very strict about what we do, but you should be careful." It was the big sister in her that was speaking, and she was demonstrating a clear way of thinking their father did not seem to possess, "I want to see it all, too. We should ask mum and dad about it."
She seemingly ignored the idea of going off to see the world together. She may have a good head on her shoulders, but she didn't want to think about the far future yet. To Janja, youth was still eternal, and no amount of intelligence would make her see adolescence as fast approaching.
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:25 pm
"One day, I'll take you, sister. The desert, in it's own way, is just as beautiful as the jungle." Ekevu said, beaming with pride as she slowed, looking around. Her face scrunched slightly as she sniffed around, trying to get an idea of any scents in the area. No signs of their parents were in the area, meaning that they had gotten pretty far from home.. sighing, Ekevu looked about the jungle, now slightly denser from where they had been moments ago.
"Janja, how long have we been walking for? I'm not seeing anything I recognize anymore.." Ekevu mumbled, hoping her sister had a slight grasp on their bearings. Ears twitching, she sat upright, muscles tensing suddenly.
"Don't move, sister. I think I hear something.."
Plodding through the thick undergrowth of the jungle, happily humming as he went on his merry way, Uche was blisfully unaware of the two lionesses up ahead, more focused on finding leafy greens to eat. Popping through a shrub, he stumbled upon the two cubs that he'd never seen in the area before. Well, Uche thought, watching both as he backed away slightly, this could turn into a bit of a mess.
"Terribly sorry for the intrusion, but I think I'll just be on my way again.." Uche laughed nervously, waiting for a good moment to break away. Two lion cubs could be trouble if he didn't handle them right..
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:45 pm
The words rang through her ears as Ekevu declared that she would take her to the desert. Now the smile finally did leave her face, Janja was not fond of the belittled feeling her sister was forcing upon her, no matter the intention. She didn't get a chance to say anything before Ekevu pointed out they weren't anywhere recognizable.
"What happened to fearlessly wandering far away from home?" she said in a snide tone, but a strange sound and scent hit her almost as soon as she spoke. She walked closer to Ekevu despite feeling somewhat resentful; she was still Ekevu's older sister, after all. When the sound turned cheery, Janja dropped her guard and raised an eyebrow in the direction it seemed to be coming from. What emerged from the brush startled her.
It looked like food, only smaller!
"No, wait!" Janja cried excitedly, taking a couple steps closer. How quickly she cheered up.
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Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:48 pm
Blisfully unaware of her sister's feelings of anger until she spoke again, Ekevu cocked her head slightly at her sister's words, but turned back quickly when the small creature spoke. Unaware of what it was saying, Ekevu was too focused on trying to figure out how she'd upset her sister. Was it something she'd said? She turned to ask Janja about it, only to realize she'd stepped ahead of her, taking more interest in the creature than her. Maybe it would be best to let her relax a bit before she spoke again.
"Ah!" Stumbling over the lower branches at her approach, Uche fell to a sitting position among the thick of the bush, looking up with a very nervous smile. Well, she didn't seem interested in eating him... yet. Maybe if he handled this very cooly, he could avoid a scuffle with the lionesses altogether.
"I'm sorry, miss, is there a problem?" He asked, trying to seem as cheerful and unintimidated as possible. This was, of course, very difficult, for a very small, and very afraid, prey beast.
"I was just hunting for some tender leaves.."
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:54 pm
Janja, unlike her sister, let the annoyance slip from her mind and focussed on the new, strange creature that had appeared before them with a small smile on her face. It was better to ignore her sisters words anyway!
The small black cub took a step closer to the Klipspringer, wondering at his anxiety. He looked like small food, and he must know it or he wouldn't be stumbling away!
"There's no problem," she replied in curious voice, with a touch of genuine cheerfulness to it, "Why were you hunting leaves? Do you eat them?" Janja had never really thought about what food ate, nor had she had any experience with herbivores. Now she thought about it, though, and it made sense. The Klip didn't look like he was well equipped to eat the same thing as them!
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:15 pm
"You seem like you would," Ekevu added, not wanting to feel left out of the interaction. Besides, they'd done just what they wanted to, and found something new! It was exciting! Trying to smile in a non-intimidating way, she followed her sister's lead and stepped forward, making sure to keep a few steps behind her. Let her feel more in charge of this, since she had seen the small creature first.
"What are you, though?"
"Ah, yes, I do! Very tasty, and very good for you!" He said enthusiastically, remembering the last juicy leaves he'd had. Mhm, those were good. If only he could remember where that bush had been. She seemed innocent and friendly enough, anyway; or maybe that was him being naive.
"You girls wouldn't happen to be a good judge of leaf, would you?" He asked with a nervous laugh, stopping when the blue cub asked of his species.
"M..Me? I'm a, ah, Klipspringer!" Uche said, trying to keep some confidence in his voice.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:26 pm
Janja looked back at Ekevu when she jumped into the conversation, almost having forgotten she was there! At least her anger was completely forgotten, and she looked back to Uche to hear his answer to their questions.
"Really? We don't eat leaves, and I'm sure mum and dad would have fed us them if they were good for us," Janja commented, though she didn't sound too confident in the last comment, "I doubt I could tell what's the tastiest of leaves, I wouldn't be any help."
She looked him up and down when he said what he was. She was taking it in, trying to get a good idea of what a Klipspringer looked like. "What's your name, Klipspringer?" Janja asked, taking another step closer and then sitting down comfortably.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:45 pm
"I wouldn't be, either.." Ekevu said, wondering how exactly one told if leaves tasted good. From her curious experience, they were all DISGUSTING! Maybe they were good for smaller creatures, though. A lion definitely couldn't live off of leaves, but maybe these Klipsringers could! She'd have to meet more, and learn more.
..Then again, learning this one's name might help slightly. Following her sister's step, she also sat down, curious to know what the little one called himself.
"Ah, no worry, then! I suppose I'll be on my own in this search, then." He chuckled lightly, relaxing ever so slightly as the conversation went on. These two obviously weren't bad lions; they were just little girls! Ones that could kill him, yes, but they weren't bad. There was a feeling to both of them. ..Maybe he could seek protection in the two?
"I am Uche!" He said proudly, lifting his head and grinning as he stated his name. It may have been short, but that was good! You remembered it more easily! And, he really did like the name.
"What about you two, though?
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:53 pm
Janja glanced back again to her sister when she sat down with her, offering a small smile before looking back at Uche. How lucky they were to find someone interesting to talk to!
"I'm sorry, but I don't eat leaves or I'd try to help," she apologized with a giggle at Uche, "It's nice to meet you Uche-the-Klipspringer! My name is Janja." She too had a simple, easy-to-remember name. She looked back to Ekevu for an introduction, even though she knew her sister. Janja would not appreciate her sister introducing her, so she did the courtesy of allowing Ekevu to introduce herself.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:05 pm
"I am Ekevu." She said brightly, managing to puff up proudly as she said her own name. She herself wasn't important, but oh, this meeting was! It was the start of scientific discovery! And, of course, due credit went to her sister; Janja's need for exploration had driven her to this part of the jungle, after all!
..But strangely, the little Klipspringer did not seem to be at home here.
"..Do you live in the jungle at all, Uche? Or are you here exploring?" She asked, curious to know.
"Janja and Ekevu, what pretty names!" He said brightly, finally managing to return a genuine smile. If only all predators were this friendly, he'd certainly be better off. That was certainly an idea, though.. friendly predators. Maybe, if he stuck with these two, he'd never have to worry about being eaten again!
Shaken from his thoughts at Ekevu's question, Uche shook his head.
"Ah, no, actually! I wandered here by accident, and.. I just haven't had the means to leave, really. Too many mean beasties in the desert for a little Klip like me to survive." He admited, slightly adding a pang of sadness to his voice. Closing his eyes, Uche sighed.
"But oh, I long to return home one day."
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:23 pm
Janja looked back at Uche, her ears flickering back to Ekevu at the intelligent question she brought fourth. It was so obvious, when one thought about it! Why wouldn't he be able to tell a good bit of food from a bad, if he lived here and knew the plants around here? Clearly he must be, at the very least, in a different part of the jungle than usual.
As any girl might be, she was pleased to hear that Uche liked her name and she held her head high. The confident pose didn't last when he admitted he was accidentally in the Jungle, and continued on.
"If you don't live in the Jungle, and you don't live in the desert," she said slowly, thinking through a careful question, "Where do you live?" Janja was very much intrigued! What was beyond the Jungle, and beyond the sand?
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 3:34 pm
Such a wonderful question her sister had asked! Quite pleased that her sister could use her wit in conversation, and not just when talking to her, Ekevu smiled, then turned to listen to the Klipspringer's response. He knew what lay beyond the sands! Did that mean there was more to the world, as well? Bubbling with excitement, she nodded in agreement.
"Yes, do tell!"
Pleased by the girls' enthusiasm, Uche smiled proudly, clearing his throat to begin his tale.
"Ah, open plains as far as the eye can see, with soft grasses and warm days. The royal family oversees rule from Pride Rock; a monster of a mountain that oversees the entire savanah! All sorts of creatures live there in peace, not confined by trees and darkness. And oh, when the sun sets over the horizon," He said with a romantic sigh, closing his eyes as he fondly remembered,
"It's one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen. Oh, how I long for the Pridelands.." Uche murmured, looking back to the girls with bright yellow eyes.
"If you're ever, EVER given the chance to go, take it!"
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