Welcome to Gaia! ::

He hadn't realized how nervous he would be simply walking forward. It was... such a strange sensation, knowing that he was entering a new home. Gods, it was great. Huffing excitedly, he progressed slowly onward, strong paws quivering under the weight of his own anticipation.

Don't trip. Don't crash into her. Don't mess up. Did I eat this morning?

He urged himself in front of him, begging his clumsy nature to take a rain check just this once as he presented himself. "T-Tawa'di," he said softly, "my name is Vtla. I would very much like to stay in these lands. O-oh!" Awkwardly he bowed his head, looking around as though he had lost something. His gift. Crap, where was his-

No, it was okay. He had it.

Not being the most materialistic animal on the planet, all Vtla had to offer was a small bundle of fur scored after an over-zealous cleaning session took its toll. Pushing it forward, he smiled, large teeth gleaming in a way that seemed to suggest he'd never once used them to harm another creature. "It's an honor and a pleasure to be here before you," he said, sticking the landing.

Damu-Ilimruka really hadn’t had anything of note that had led her to the Ela’wadiyi. She’d just been wandering really… alone but sort of sticking with some fellow vagabonds who were familiar to her or friends and who she sometimes teamed up to hunt with. A few of them were here at the Tree Ceremony too, not by design but by coincidence it seemed (fate perhaps?). Anyway, wandering had been her lifestyle so long she’d never imagined she’d change it. She’d certainly not been seeking a home, even though her mother long ago had urged her to find a pride and a place to call her own. She’d pretty come across the pride not knowing she’d grow to admire it so or thinking she’d ever want to settle down.

But here she was, sitting here calmly, watching others both strangers and not join and with her own tail ring in her paw ready to burn. She’d miss the trinket a little for it was the only one she wore, but it felt right to give up something that meant something to her, in return for knowing where her destiny lay. So far everyone she’d known from before had been sorted into Mantis clan…she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about it. If she was sorted with them – or not with them – she wondered what that meant…still, no sense being too nervous. Today was a happy day.

Ever practical and never in a rush (well, when her heart wasn’t skipping a beat for some handsome male anyway) Ruka had waited to be one of the last to approach Tawa’di. Having watched so many others take their turn, she knew exactly want she needed to do and did so with a smile. Serene, happy, with only that hint of nerves.

“Tawa’di…it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Damu-Ilimruka.” She went to pass over the tail ring, pausing for a barely noticeable moment. It had been her mother’s before hers, and she though a jumble of thankyouIlovemissyouyouwereright in her mind to her mother before handing it over. The late lioness Thanda-Isidomu would have rejoiced for her daughter, she knew, and what was a trinket compared to knowing your destiny?

Muujiza approached the old lion cautiously, feeling a little bad that she had waited so long before taking her turn. There were very few left, and she worried that perhaps the old lion was wearing out. He had been at it for hours, and the moon was shining brightly down on them.

Glancing around, some of the lions had already left, while a fair amount still waited to watch. Greatful that they were offering him this respect, the red-brown lioness offered a bow to the old lion, placing a very tattered feather with her fur attached to it. She had found it when she was a child, and carried it unknowing how important it would become.

"I'm Muujiza," she said quietly. "I have come to find my forever home."

(...and then i forget to roll.)

Oh, a colour that he hadn't seen much of. There had been another silver lioness earlier, but she had been so attached to her mate that it was hard to really look at the silvery fur. Tawa'di always appreciated the natural colours of the Ela'wadiyi bloodline, but seeing something that was different, without being outside of their colour realm was pleasing.

Brushing her offering into the flames, the smoke only read him a bit of a past, long ago. A sister gone, a heritage tied with a goddess. Interesting. Generations ago, yes, but he wasn't able to see everything in every lion. She seemed quite interesting, as well.

"Tabi'nasi, you've come to a home. I sense that you need to tread carefully, but in doing so you will gain respect and allies you search for. Go to the Shadow Clan, your new home."

"Ah," Tawa'di breathed, nodding to the last lioness to approach him. She seemed quite sweet, if a bit different. Honestly, he had always liked ones that weren't so similar to everyone else. They always made things more enjoyable. And the fact that the last offering was a gathering of flowers humored him. He nodded, pleased, though hoping that he would still read a bit of her within the smoke that they would produce. If she had really thought about what flowers to bring, it should offer a bit into her spirit.

With pulling himself into the trance for the last time, he brushed the flowers into the flames, watching them disappear as the smoke rose about them. The last of the herbs brushed in, he inhaled the scent deeply before letting his eyes finish what his mind started. Where she should go, and perhaps a taste into her future; his Sight was slowly failing him, though.

"As far as I can see, Chitra," the old lion began, "your spirit guides you with joy. You belong within the Mantis Clan, and there you will meet many different kinds of lions, as well as offering something...unique to the clan as a whole as well. I wish you the best of luck in your future, and keep that smile on your face as well." He returned a smile to her as well.


And with the end of the Tree, the old lion brushed much dirt into the flames before retiring for the evening, exhaustion filling him after working for much of the day and night.