Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kinyamkela follwed silently as Maji talked, large paws padding over the glowing floors and reflections. As the young male talked, she began to catch familiarities in his speech, and as he stopped by the pool and shrugged, she turned distant golden eyes towards him. Standing at the water's edge she dipped a white paw in the water, watching the ripples scatter reflections across the ceiling.

"...That is a story of great import," she said finally. "My pride... we have a similar tale. Had a similar tale." She took a deep breath. "We were once a mighty family that held great lands across the mountains. This side of the mountains. But there were two brothers, both noble and generous, princes of the pride. Either could have become king. They both desired to lead our people; but they could not rule in jointnames. So the mated brother, Moyo, with his family stayed in our ancestral home, whilst the other childless brother Jaha took a following to expand the lands of the children of the Storm God." She paused, smiling a little. "There is no other stories of the other prides, of earth and of fire - just us. Daughters of the Moon, Sons of the Storm. Anyway. Jaha lead us across the mountains with his faithful childhood friend, the steward Mngojezi, and five lionesses. But the freezing storms howled at his presumptuousness, and by the time they reached a verdant valley, high in the mountains, Jaha was but a shadow of the proud leader of before. He became ill, with Mngojezi taking charge of the pride. This gentle male would not call himself king - he was only Steward in place of his ill ruler.
Jaha died without issue. And for many generations the Tufani-wana lived in the valley. I was born there... many of my brothers and sisters had duller, dark grey or muddy brown coats. But my big brother...he was like me. We were the ones who liked to learn of the writings in the hollow Tree, that the old Steward was glad to pass on." She took a deep breath.

"Kisulisuli will be the Steward, I am sure he will. It was he who urged me to travel over the mountains, to see if the legends always spoken of were true... and perhaps they are. Secret caves and writing that is the same as our own... Maji, perhaps we are distant cousins! This place... is so serene, like the dwelling of the Moon. And the markings upon our coats mark us out as her children. As... Mistweavers." She said the title carefully, her face lit up.

Even though she had fished for herself that morning, the big cub was touched by Maji's politeness. "Thankyou," she said demurely before taking a cautious bite. Herbs were what? It made it taste strange,but not bad, she guessed.
"So...you really have no idea how you are here? Poor Maji... I've been more one for the solitary life, but I can't imagine it without a family. It must have been very lonely." Soft sympathy, not pity, coloured her tone. "You are a most singular lion, Maji. I've never met one before like you." She shook her head a little before continuing. "You don't mind me being here? Because, well, the thing is... I've been wandering for a few seasons now. I'd love to stay and study this area, this ancestral home, a bit longer... but I would like your permission." Shethought a second. "And I guess that of the other two, the queen and her squire. How confusing! Are they Mistweavers also? And why are there only two?"

(--time warp yo!--)

Another slow sunrise brought the gems within Maji's cave to life once again. What few holes had been created in the roof by the "ancients" (as Maji called them) had been placed just so that when the sun made a pass accross the sky- the light would catch in the gems waiting along the floors and walls, lighting up selected parts of the wall's markings. A clock and a calender of sorts. Maji had yet to figure out the science aligned with all that- the significants of the placing and why time was something to be kept but if it was important enough for the ancients to have taken interest in it, then it was important enough. Maji had placed gems of his own to catch the morning light that bounced off of one of the many other gems- directing it so every morning it would glare into the pond that he slept by, sending it into a blaze of golden light and rousing him from his sleep. The cub's eyes slowly opened and a groan passed from his throat in response to the light. Morning always came too early- even on days when the clouds covered the sun and time was lost shortly... he felt waking up was the only real chore to life anymore. In sleep there were dreams... dreams of others and life. Here the only thing to console him anymore was the quiet howling of an occassional wind creeping through the catacombs of his maze-like den.

All dead..., He reminded himself, All of them... Only the fish and rodents remain anymore.

Slowly Maji forced his paws under him and stood himself up. He wans't as well fed as he had been in previous months- the fish supply was still large but he had grown afraid of leaving his den anymore. In the past weeks something had swept over the land- killing all that its invisable fingers could ensnare. All the deer and zebra that were his friends... he had walked upon their motionless bodies laying strewn accross the landscape. The chattering monkeys and birds had died into only the cawing of carron birds and scavangers. Even the wind seemed to have silenced itself. The rains had fallen harder than ever, sweeping away the fish dam he had worked so long on away along with the bodies of all that he had known. The waterfall hiding the main enterence to his hidden cave had grown more furious than ever- it was too dangerous to exit via that path anymore. If Maji ever did grow hungry enough to stray from his cave he had to wind down the seemingly endless paths and mazes. Even then the river had swollen and it took nearly as long to walk along the narrow ledges from the cave to the land. It was rare that the sun broke free of the grey anymore.

The rain god is cross....I must have sinned against them, failed my ancestors in some way and they leave me alone again in punishment., He was terribly loanly... looking into his reflection was all he had left to keep his sanity. Another face- even if it was his own. Something told him that he might just have to leave- but he was afraid to... what if there was something worse out there? What if he was the only living lion left? What if he got lost and could never see his home again? "Father... mother... whoever you are... I'm scared..."

The soft glow of daylight woke the young lioness from a dreamy slumber, her body curled into a well remembered position that allowed her comfort in the small area where three branches had split off from a thick offshoot of the main trunk. Layla's body rose slowly into a standing postion, clawing idly at a well worn spot in the bark as she stretched out her back. Peering down the branch at what would appear to be a slumbering Montsho, the jet black juvenile smiled ever so slightly and began a brisk, yet graceful and well-balanced, stroll along a branch that led toward the river.

Her claws allowing her safety as she approached the breach between where she could walk no further without snapping the branch and where another safe branch ended. She took to a flat out run along the narrowing branch and leapt smoothly onto the thicker end of the branch on the next tree. She smiled with self pride, having broken several branches, and nearly a bone or two, in her previous attempts.

The distance between her and the river closed and soon she was slinking up the overhanging branch just nearly above the river. She took no notice of Maji, though she'd paid attention to Montsho's near constant lessons, had learned to track and capture prey, she was quite lazy on this morning and simply wanted to layout and sun a bit. She feel unceremoniously upon her side on a safe portion of the branch, allowing a front paw to dangle below her body.

Layla's eyes shot open and she instinctively rolled to her feet, which in many other situations would have been an excellant idea, upon a branch was not one such situation however. Her limbs flailed as she tipped over the branch, one paw clinging to the top of the bark while the other swung to get a hold on the side. Her backlegs rose with some difficulty to her aid and allowed her to edge back on top of the branch with her front paws.

At the moment her body looked like a towel hung sloppily over a rack, she was atop the branch...just a bit perpindicular to it. She looked slowly over toward the sound that had unsettled her with narrowed eyes before her mind was hit with recognition. She blinked once and her deep purple eyes instantly brightened at the sight ofthe other lion. She didn't believe that too many others had survived in the area exceot herself and Montsho and company was much apprieciated.

"Would you mind helping me...I...seem to have lost some balance," she smiled a bit, though she looked slightly embarassed now, her eyes not entirely meeting his.

Layla straightened herself, curling her tail neatly around her hind legs and sitting gracefully upon the knob of a branch where a twig split away from it. Her smile brightened a bit as she felt her dignity had been fully recovered.

"You've seen no other's either?" her eyes darkened and her gaze lowered, she'd worried about the death toll, but she had only assumed that it had only affected a small area. When she looked up again her eyes were quite serious and her features serene.

((Mind if I join in? heart ))

Jendayi didn't like being in unfamiliar territory. She stretched her lean body as she woke from a deep nap. She pulled herself up and sat quietly on a branch. Her throat stung and she ran her tongue around thritsy lips. Below her was the reason for her interruption: two younger lions were talking noisily together. She purred deeply and wondered what they would do if they found her here. After listening to the male a few moemnts she jumped from her perch, landing between the two lions. "Hello there Maji, may you please be so kind to tell me where I am?" She flicked her black tail around a few times and looked at the young lion with interest. "And who is this queen you speak of?"