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 Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:38 am
((It's okay. I should go too. I have been pondering here should I go to the store to grab some food here.))
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 2:12 pm
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:56 pm
TormentedAngie Ama Galu'nadi was indeed in less than impressive condition, that was true, however the appearance of an unknown lioness behind his mother brought the defensive side of the adult lion to life. Charging towards his mother, Ama quickly, yet carefully pushed his mother away from the younger female. He didn't know any better, that they knew each other. All he had seen was the silent snarl on the face of the younger, and her following close behind his mother. Seemed as good of a need to defend as any. "Who are you?" His voice was ragged, his breathing just as staggered from the effort he made, but he did his best to sound like a formidable foe.
Crouching low, Binti narrowed her eyes further, her youthful muscles already moving to propel her forward--she may not always like the elder lioness, but there was no way in hell she'd let some unknown male put the other in jeopardy.
His expression shifting seamlessly into a snarl, Shujaa clung tight to Binti's ankles, completely in agreement--hell, the old lioness was the only reasonable one of the pair, and if something happened to her...well, Binti was cranky enough as is...
Roaring herself, Us'kali finally caught her balance, and, with the utmost dignity, leapt between what could soon become warring factions. "Enough--you're behaving like children, all of you!" she snarled, feeling a tad guilty for scolding them so, but, at the same time, seeing no other way to defuse the situation without bloodshed.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 8:31 pm
Caught offguard by his mother's disapproval, Ama stumbled back, twisting his front shoulder in the process. As he tried to catch himself, the shoulder muscle wrenched, the bone grating against the socket in a rather nerve crunching sound. Although he wasn't hurt bad, the adult lion sat hard on his rump and kept from putting weight upon his right front leg.
Grumbling to himself silently over having been chastized like a child and acting as he did, Ama bit back the pain that shot up into his back and down his leg, and bowed his head. "I am sorry for acting as I did. My rudeness is unforgiveable." It was obvious he was showing his mother the utmost respect, especially since she deserved it, if not for being the adu'ladi, then for simply being his mother. As he raised his head, the adult male gingerly set his paw upon the ground, loathe to apply weight to it just yet. It hung uselessly at his side as he glanced from Us'kali to Binti, then back again, trying to understand what was going on.
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 4:51 pm
Binti was a bit slower to calm her rage--what the hell was on Us'kali's mind...hadn't she just been shoved aside by this...male?! Baring her teeth again, she growled. "What is it to you, old one?" she hissed, her glittering teal eyes still fixed unflinchingly on the large male, although she noted with no small amount of sympathy that it appeared that he'd gone and injured himself.
Ignoring Binti's tantrum, Us'kali turned to Ama, concern writ upon her face--she'd heard the crunching noise, and it sent a frisson of genuine fear shimmering down her spine. "Are you alright, my son?" she asked, nuzzling at the injured body part carefully, like a doctor prodding at an injury to see how serious it was.
Binti stiffened. her....son? Great. Just great. she thought to herself. Just what I need, some pompous a** of a male showing up. she grimaced, although her tense, warlike posture eased only slightly. Maybe it's time for me to be alone again... Strangely, the musing did not yield its usual comfort--she'd grown used to first Essi's presence...and now Us'kali's and Shujaa's--even Mwindaji (('kali's familiar...birdeh! XD)) wasn't so bad, if taken in small doses.
Pressing up against her flank, Shujaa said nothing, although his posture stated clearly that no matter what happened, he'd follow Binti, regardless of which path she chose. Sometimes I wonder about this one... he thought to himself with a rueful grin.
Wrinkling her nose again, Binti sat back on her haunches, calmly licking at her paws as if nothing had happened--there'd be time enough later to move on, if it came to that.
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:55 pm
Catching the tone of young one''s voice, Ama raised his lips into a snarl, though soundless in his actions. How dare she speak like that to the adu''ladi! But his irritation quickly disappeared as the streaking pain shot down his leg once more, as ''kali gently nudged his paw. "I''m alright mother. Just need to watch that first step... it''s a doosy." Chuckling to himself, Ama shook his head and gingerly pressed his paw down to the sand, testing the tolerance to bear weight upon the injured limb. It seemed to hold, but as soon as he stood on all four legs again, the wounded leg gave out on him and he had to quickly catch himself again. "Well.... I''ll be alright eventually anyway..." His next words were but a mumble, not necessarily meant for anyone to hear. "I think..."
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 7:55 pm
Unable to hide a grimace, Binti continued to ignore Ama. Stupid lion... she thought with a mental snarl. "Oh, I'll be allright...I think the tone was mocking, even if only in her mind. Her eyes gleamed with irritation, although she still hadn't directed a word at the lion before her--she'd be damned if she'd introduce herself first.
Almost rolling her eyes, Us'kali had to hide a small grin of genuine amusement at Binti and Ama's behavior--unlike her son, she took no offense at Binti's prickly, seeming disregard for authority--she'd long since realized that the younger lioness used her rudeness as a barrier, and so didn't let it phase her. As for Ama's injury...well, it hadn't felt serious--in fact, Us'kali was fairly certain it'd be good as new in a few days, if still tender. "What brings you here, my son?" she asked gently, sinking to her haunches next to him, looking as though the temptation was there to groom him as a lioness would usually only do to a cub...however, she refrained, knowing that he wasn't likely to appreciate that particular gesture. "This is Binti'Sokota, who I've been accompanying since I first found my way here." she continued, nodding her head in Binti's direction. "And that," she began, ignoring the glare Binti shot her way. "is Shujaa, who scarcely leaves her side." she finished, winking at the jackal, whose expression mirrored her vague amusement.
Realizing that nothing was going to be done immediately, Shujaa yawned and lay down at Binti's side, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in an expression of amused carelessness. He inclined his head slightly, but otherwise didn't respond to Us'kali's wink, opting to ignore all three of the lions around him, his eyes, scanning their surroundings instead--he knew that he wasn't in any danger from the three near him, but those outside of that group...well, that was always up for debate.
Gnawing on her paws with determined aggression, Binti chose not to incline her head, or otherwise acknowledge that she'd been introduced, still waiting to hear if the pompous jerk had a name, or if she was just going to have to catch his attention with "hey stupid", or some such similar phrase. It was almost enough to make her smile, although the grin reached no further than her teal eyes.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:49 pm
Bowing his head in Binti's direction, he showed respect for the snippy lioness, whether she deserved it or not. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Binti. Anyone who is a companion of our adu'ladi can't be half bad." Chuckling to himself, the adult male turned his attention towards his mother again. "The rest.... there is no word on them.... I fear we're all that's left..." Peering over his shoulder, he finally noticed his own travelling companion had disappeared. "Ina'li was here... with me. He found me -but has disappeared again." Confused, the lion glanced around them. "A sickness rages across the land. Dead lions lay strewn across the sands, even Star Grove...." Softly his voice hushed. "I did not recognise any of them, but only the Gods know who of us is left..."
It was hard for him to report such a thing. After having been driven out of their homeland by the Darkfire tribe, and so few having survived that ordeal. Now to break it to his mother than there might be even less of them, was heartbreaking. Bowing his head low in shame, the great lion continued. "Kala... I know not of. Even Uhi and Ada have disappeared." He pointedly failed to mention Aya, as he secretly hoped that traitorous lion had succumbed to the desert.
"What do you wish of me to do, my adu'ladi? You have but to request it and it shall be done..." Forgotten were the travelling companions of his mother. All that he was speaking to now was his tribal leader, asking for her guidance and wisdom, and the direction in which he must go.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 8:15 am
Bowing her head, Us'kali let the grief run through her unchecked for a few moments, before straightening determinedly--when Ama had shown up looking as he had...she had suspected no less--after all, had there been any portion of the pride worth protecting, Ama would not have been wandering aimlessly. "I...see." she said quietly, nudging at her son once again--this time, in a vague attempt at offering comfort. She looked as though her world had been torn asunder--to have to survive such loss twice in one's life...well, it was enough to make her wonder what was worth living for.
Binti froze, an overwhelming sense of...sympathy flooding through her for Us'kali's loss. It was an unfamiliar sensation, this one. Awkwardly, she padded over to stand at Us'kali's other side, bumping her nose up against the side of the elder lioness' neck in an unspoken urge to comfort. Then, almost embarrassed, she promptly separated herself and plonked down a few paces away.
Shujaa had to hide his surprised expression--It seemed the lioness really had grown up to match her adult form...at least, MAYBE she had.
Us'kali also had to hide a shocked expression--the last thing she'd have expected from the determinedly aloof young lioness was a showing of sympathy. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. "I...do not know what advice to offer you, my son--Frankly, I...begin to wonder what one can do, other than continue on making the best of everything that one can..." at this, she turned to Binti, as if asking her opinion. "Is that not so?" she ended on a question.
Stiffening, Binti looked at the tattooed lioness as if half-afraid she were being mocked. When she saw nothing but somber, genuine question in the elder's expression, she nodded, once. "Unfortunately, in the case of death, that is usually the case..." she murmured.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 11:56 am
Ama nuzzled his mother in return, unsure of what to say further. He noticed, however, Binti's actions, which further confused him. What was this young one's agenda? But he shook it off quickly as his mother spoke. "I do not give up hope that Kala, or one of the young ones are still around. There's always a chance that they could have survived and are wandering, just the same as we are. We can't give up hope.... We just can't. Look at us. We're both alive, so why can't the others have survived as well?" Pausing in his speech, Ama glanced at Binti and Shujaa. "We are of the Ela'wadiyi Pride, and we do not give up that easily."
Now who he was trying to empower was anyone's guess. Probably trying to bolster his own confidence more than anything, but he was at least trying to give his mother hope for the future. Without hope, what was there to live for?
Nuzzling Us'kali, the adult male purred in comfort to her. No, they couldn't give up hope. Kala and the others, minus Aya, were alive, they just needed to be found. And until a body showed up to prove otherwise, he wouldn't believe they were lost forever. And neither could Us'kali.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:43 pm
Sighing, Us'kali bowed her head, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. "Ama...I'm old. And much as I would love to see my loved once again...I do not know that I could safely make the journey to search for them...or that I could handle finding out that my worst fears were justfied." her voice broke, prompting a sympathetic snarl from Binti.
At that moment, Binti wanted nothing more than to do serious bodily harm to the lion who was causing 'kali such emotional agony--whether it was his fault directly or not didn't matter...and that scared her. Since when did she feel the need to fight others' battles? Crap, this was why she was better off by herself--who the heck wanted their own happiness and peace of mind to rely on that of others? Laying her ears flat against her skull, she inclined her head slightly. "I'll leave you two alone." she said briskly, stalking off through the tall grasses, muttering about irritating males, and how she didn't need ANYONE.
Shaking his head ruefully, Shujaa lay down near Us'kali and Ama, resting his head on his paws--something about the younger lioness' behavior told him it'd be best to let her go on her own, and that she'd be back.
Us'kali hardly even noticed Binti's departure, so focused was she on her son, and her own emotional turmoil--for the first time that she could remember, she didn't know what to do, and she felt as though she were being ripped apart by her own indecision.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:59 pm
And some ways off in those tall grasses, a handsome black male lay resting on his back, not sleeping but simply giving his dusty paws a well-deserved break. Of course, what Al-Hattal would have liked even more was a well-deserved bath for the entirety of his dusty self. But he took what he could get, since he didn't know how much farther he'd have to wander to get to some nice, refreshing waterhole.
Besides, it wasn't like there was anyone around to SEE him all dust-ified. Not that it hurt his good looks or anything, just made him look a little more rugged. Mm, yeah...rugged good looks, baby.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:05 pm
((*gigglesnorts* gawd, but I like him already. xd .))
An irritated expression on her face, Binti was suitably distracted by her own rampaging thoughts that she didn't take note of Al-Hattal's presence..until she was almost on top of him. Snarling without thought, she crouched down and flashed her pearly whites. "What the hell are you doing, laying in the way?" she hissed, too annoyed at herself for her temporary moment of what might be -gasp- emotional ties to another of her kind to waste time being polite.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:16 pm
((*chortles* Oh, just you wait.. xd ; ))
Good sweet gods, but if a lioness was going to practically on top of him, couldn't she act a little more pleased to be that way? Really, what lioness wouldn't be? Well, perhaps she simply didn't yet have an eye for what a fine specimen he was. If that was the case, he'd just have to give her a more flattering view.
So with smooth, unhurried movements, Al-Ha rolled himself over and onto his feet to stand casually in front of the firey--ooh, firey! he could have shivered with appreciation--lioness. "If I had known laying in the way would put me in the path of such a charming creature, I would have...well, perhaps I would have stood beside the way in eager wait, rather than lay in your way like some great oaf. You have my apologies."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:21 pm
What the... Binti blinked. That certainly hadn't been the reaction she'd been expecting. Had she been human, she probably would have blushed--but oho! She wasn't quite so fast to put aside her irritation. "Hmmph. What're you doing in these parts, anyway? I haven't seen you around." she said, her teal eyes still narrowed, and her stance still flagrantly aggressive, although she was no longer snarling outright.
"And flattery will get you nowhere, by the way." she sneered, having reached the decision that perhaps she was losing her touch--it used to be that she could prompt an angry response from anyone (Essi being the sole exception) within a half-dozen sentences.
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