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 Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:47 pm
Enki shrugs...a graceful move like a fog bank turning in a brease... "Its no fur of my nose....Ive been alone for a long time...I am happy I found you again though...I have a bad tendancy to misplace family." He offers a wan smile at his poor joke as his mind flits breifly after memories of his mother...wondering if she is alive after all this time. "Your the spitting image of your father...he would have been happy to know that I think...he was a lion...of most excelent charicter...or at least he was to the best of my memories...small wonder the gods led him to a second wife...it would have been a shame had he not lived on in you."
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:14 am
"Lived on in me?", he seemed awed by that phrase, slowly turning his head to look back down at his reflection. Perhaps... that would explain why he knew what he knew, but not at all why he had forgotten what he had. So much to think over, especially why it was that he didn't remember any of this.. "What was he like? My father... I never met him or anyone from my family, really... Even if I have I'm not sure if they are or not. I was born towards the end of the pride... the last recordings date just a few months before I can... assume my birth date was."
He turned to look over to Enki, smiling a bit. It was a comfort to know that he did have blood relitives still alive- a sign of hope. Perhaps the others weren't dead at all- perhaps his mother had lived on and she'd simply lost track of him, it must have happened more than he thought. Maybe he had another cousin or two, an aunt for sure if Ramses' mother was still living.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:56 am
Enki sits down and curls his tail around his feet..his eyes becomeing distant as he sinks into memory. "What was your father like? Well....I can only tell you as a cub sees the world...My mother...always said how just he was...how wise...and how handsome. Though she was always qick to tell Father...how handsome she found his fur...it was almost black... I remember...Mother said...that The King...your Father...was..."Gentle like the morning rain and just as needed"...He pauses...thinking for a moment of his own family...wondering...if his mother was still alive anywhere. "You must be so much like him...for the others to swear to you..."
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:22 pm
Maji smiled a bit, then shrugged slightly, "I just helped them... they were like me- lost, alone, and without anyone. I've lived here since I can remember and I've been content, I thought that perhaps... if they needed a home, needed others to be around, and I could provide that then it was something that I should do. I don't know if they all get a long, I remember a pretty nasty fight between a young leopard and a lioness... they made up in the end but the poor leopard was so... wounded afterwards." He couldn't help but wonder if the grey leopard was alright- he'd done his best to patch the injuries, dress the cuts, and clean out anything that had gotten dirt in it, but when he came to change the dressings both the lioness and leopard were gone.
Shaking out his mane a bit to rouse himself from his thoughts he turned back to the den, "Oh dear, that reminds me... I was supposed to be gathering the newcomers to present to her highness...Do forgive me, Enki- but can you accompany me to seek out Ramses? I'm not sure where the others have gone..."
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 4:45 pm
"I would be most honored to do so" He glances up with a smile. "Ramses? Is he another mist weaver? Or a refuge in these beautiful lands?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:53 pm
Maji smiled a bit, giving a casual shrug, "I cannot be too sure. I found the young cub on the boarders between these lands and the wildlands. He had been either abandoned or lost from his mother... either way I simply could not allow a cub so small to be on his own. He's grown now, and a strong one. Managed to push me into the water just outside the waterfall much to my embarassment...", he rolled his eyes at the meomory.
"Come now." He stepped down from the ledge onto the grass, allowing himself a moment to stretch his back out by extending his front legs and arching his back ones outwards. "Might as well round the lot of everyone up, it will be time to sleep anyway- might as well introduce you to everyone."
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Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:27 am
The white lioness dipped her head, sniffing a little and wondering whether she had got herself into a good thing or a bad thing. "Gure... this is the Queen. Maji's friend Ciyari. I guess you should ask her about what's going on..."
Picking her head up again she let the breeze pass her nose lightly, and her golden eyes glimmered in the growing moonlight. She knew of no game up in the mountains, but she remembered a place on the edge of the lands where she had been exploring that might be far enough from any 'friends'. It was back down to the west though, and past the waterfall.
Breaking into a soft trot, the adolescent smiled, animation coming back into her face as she somehow brought back the idea that these lions behind her were now friends, rather than high ranking beasts. They would run, and they would hunt. She must be careful though; if they ran into Maji, would he take their plan as an insult? Surely he realised that this number of lions could not survive on fish alone, even if the river was full... she would talk with him. Never hide it - Kinyamkela was honest like that, fond of speaking the truth, even if she could be a little blunt about it. But come! Now it was time to travel down into the jungle...
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Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:25 pm
-A new voice caught his ears and Hodari found himself instantly alert. His eyes had shifted to find the gazelle. At first, he thought of pouncing and downing the creature. He was hungry and this creature had approched them so suddenly.. But the other's words caused him to stand back and ignore such a thought.-"Yes.. True.. They may have a horrid attention span.. But they have the ability to fly.. That gives them speed." -The male gave a toothy grin. Slowly he began to pad after Kinyamkela. He did not go far, wishing to wait on Ciyari. As he waited he told himself to say something else to the gazelle.- "Talk to Ciyari about an opening. Certainly she can find something for you. If not.. Well then.. I advise you keep from my sight."
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:08 pm
After several rough nudges Layla's large purple eyes snapped open and searched for but a moment for who'd awoken her at such an early hour. Before her stood a far weaker Montsho than the one she'd learned so much from as a cub, time had recently robbed her of much of her strength. Her muzzle had become grayed and her sleek black body was losing structure causing her to hunch slightly. Although her body was whithering she remained incredibly proud and stubborn occassionally refusing food she hadn't participated in killing.
Layla had noticed all of this, watching over her mentor with concerned eyes and following her on her daily walks. She suddenly had far more intrigue into the rare but worthwhile stories she'd heard for so long, knowing that perhaps they would be some of the last.
"Going for a walk...it would be wise to come long," Montsho's voice was soft and seemed as calm and controled as ever.
It was well before sunrise and the leopard Layla looked upon seemed far weaker on this particular morning. With some concern the growing lioness rose and followed Montsho's jump from their familiar nook silently. Many moments went by in silence as they trekked toward the border to the Pridelands. Both Layla and Montsho took in their surroundings. Montsho would often loose herself staring off into the trees and Layla would find herself staring uneasily at her guardian. They entered a large clearing that they'd hunted in once and Montsho layed herself out near the edge of the trees, tired after a relatively short walk. She stared out at the trees once more, observing the movement of wildlife and the wind. Layla sat beside her trying to stare out at whatever her mentor seemed intranced by in the trees.
"I have only ever had the oppurtunity once to see an elephant...passing through the Pridelands as I often did before I stumbled upon you...they're beautiful...but what I appreciate about them most is their instinctual journey to where their ancestors died before them..." Montsho fell into silence for a few moments, knowing that Layla would easily catch onto to the rest of this story.
Layla remained silent but narrowed her eyes with the thought of a worry that had plagued her for some time. She continued to stare determined at the trees, many emotions filling the back of her mind and being pushed back by her concentration.
"Much of my family died here...or near here...and so, it would seem that the last walk we take should be to here......there is much that is unknown to me about why and how I came about finding you...I do not know much about the lands your mother lived in...nor do I know the fate of your siblings...but I feel if under such strange circumstances you should have lived...perhaps the gods were with them as well...family is important...and though it's something I've never truely had much experience with...you are family enough...and to have been alone would have been unfortunate...I would never wish you...loneliness...so I shall hope that you'll travel outside these lands and find family as well...something to keep you company...while I'm gone..." Montsho smiled sadly for a moment, looking up briefly at the growing lioness. There was much she longed to say about how much she saw of herself in this lion and how proud she was of how she'd grown, but it'd all been made clear through silent interactions for so long now...words seemed unnecessary for such thoughts.
Layla could not bring herself to cry, but instead layed herself near Montsho, placing her head near the leopard's paws where her mentors head rested. Montsho yawned deeply and smiled once more at the nearly grown lioness she couldn't help remembering as a tiny cub. She faded slowly into a deep sleep while Layla stayed wide awake, her eyes filled with tears and her mind filled with the unwillingness to leave even hours later, knowing that no matter how long she stayed her mentor would never be waking. Eventually she closed her large purple eyes and forced sleep upon herself.
((Didn't want it to be too long as it really doesn't apply to anything going on.))
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 8:17 am
Gure tossed his head up in response to the young lion's indriect threat, giving a rather cocky smirk to further establish his confidence in himself. He'd never actually ran from a lion, a leopard once or twice and occassionally a traveling wild dog or two but he'd always managed to keep himself in the center of the heard or, in most cases, find Maji to hide behind. Lions, he thought, were all like his young friend in the way they hunted. He was able to outrun Maji in long distances and whenever they'd play he'd escape from the lion's playful paws- havng little thought to the claws that all big cats had.
"Not that you're a flattering sight to look at in the first place." He snapped back.
A large wildebeast watched from a distance as the elderly leopard and young lioness made their way out to the boarder lands. He was there often, asked by Maji to keep on lookout for traveling rogues that might be out to cause trouble. Biton, a young and rowdy zebra, was normally with them but he had decided to join up with a heard of his own kind for a trip to the water hole. Biton, taking his post seriously, had remanied behind, perfectally content to nibble at the golden grass.
Baba turned his head slolwy to watch the conversation, minding the distance he kept himself at and to remain silent as the two spoke. A good deal of time passed after the leopard laid herself down, he could smell that there was no breath in the poor creature. The lioness was firmilar- a friend of Maji, ah yes.
He turned himself and began her way, lowering his head to show that he was of no threat. The lioness would hear him coming, a heavy pounding of his hooves and the rusteling of dry grass against his long but powerful legs. "They are never truely gone." He said softly, hoping to be of some comfort at least, "Her face..." He lifted his head a bit, "Shows that she found peace."
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:22 pm
As the noise reached Layla her eyes snapped open and her ears swiveled, looking for the source of the sound. Finding the wildebeast she rose immediately, body tense as she surveyed him...he seemed harmless enough but she felt so stupid for drifting off to sleep, Montsho would have chastised her for such lack of observation of her surroundings...His comments calmed her though and she looked back toward the leopard, her body far less tense now. She allowed a moment of silence to pass, looking at the peaceful expression on her mentors features.
"I have seen you with Maji...it seems he keeps company as kind as himself. Thank you," her voice was very low and seemed slightly empty, but she meant the words. She lowered herself to sit near Montsho and alternated between looking at her mentor and watching the wildebeast.
"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with your name though, mine is Layla," she was rarely this social and most definantly not with something on an ordinary day, when she was far more hungry and had someone to help hunt, would be looked upon as prey. Now however she felt far lonlier and any companionship was better than none at all.
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:15 pm
-Grunt. A loud snort was given suddenly. Such harsh words to recieve from a prey beast. But Hodari did not expect to be a flattering sight. In truth, he had not bothered much with physcial appearence in the longest of time. His pelt was often left dirty for days, although it was rather clean at this time compared to several other occasions. Ivory teeth were flashed in a toothy grin. He would not allow himself to grow angry. He would not.. Temper control was something he wanted to work on now that he had returned. He wasn't willing to upset Ciyari again because of it and so he was going to work on it.- "You have a quick tounge." -The words were chirped. Stumbling after them was a bit of laughter.- "I am curious. What is your name?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:30 pm
Baba grunted, smiling softly and bowing his head just slightly at the complement towards his kindness. He never thought of himself as any kinder or crueler than anyone else honestly. He had watched his own mother die when he was a calf, he understood the lioness' pain. A strong wildebeast cow she had been, but even the strongest of creatures became weak if a leg was of no more use to them. For a creature such as they, a broken leg boded death to them, and no matter how much the herd would grieve, that member would have to be left behind, fallen mercy to the perditors and scavangers of the land. Baba really had no spite towards the preditors, none of his herd had. Preditors needed to live, they neeed to eat to live and kill to eat- simple as that. Preditors had been killed at the hooves and horns of the beasts and equally as many beasts had been killed at the paws and fangs of the hunters.
"I can walk with you if you would like." He said softly, lowering his nose down to nuzzle it gently into the lioness' side, "You should get a drink. It always helps."
Gure smirked, lifting his head up with an arrogant snort. This lion had spirit- he must give him that much. He wasn't a fool and knew that if the lion so chose, the gazelle would likely be reduced to a corpse in a matter of minutes. He wasn't the fastest runner or the best fighter of his herd. His new life here had made him a bit lazy and perhaps too confident in his abilities. Maji had distorted his view of prediotors, stripping him of the fearful respect of the great cats and rather, saw them as something that could be reasoned with.
"My name? Why it's Gure. You must be Hodari.. yes, I remember- Maji described you well enough. I helped him prepare for the prayers for your return. Looks like that voo-do nonsense does work." He turned his head to the side a bit, "Wonder if he can make my antlers longer..."
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:17 pm
The sudden intrustion into Layla's space caused her to tense, she had only ever come into contact with one or two other creatures in her whole life. Contact had always come across as a much preserved action that was rarely shared, in this moment however she rethought. Her body quickly relaxed as to not worry the wildebeast, perhaps he'd come from a place where this was normal. At the offer her features pulled up into a slight and short-lived smile, rising in a very slow controled fashion.
"That seems like a very...nice idea," her voice held no more emotion than before, yet within she was grateful for some time to consider where she'd go and what she'd do now. She honestly had no idea where she'd go and the sudden lack of purpose in her life worried and startled her.
"I doubt you know anymore than I on lions and how they live...but Montsho...she spoke once or twice of groups of lions, working together...do you know anything of these...prides I beleive they are called," she felt simply foolish asking, considering she was a lion herself this seemed like knowledge that should be common to her. She'd naturally never lived with anyone beyond Montsho who knew little of other lions as well though.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 3:49 pm
He had watched her go... let her go. Standing there quietly as her form vanished... forever... forever with the cubs he'd never know, the family he'd never know... what would she call them? How many daughters would he have? Sons? What color would their eyes be? Their fur? What would they grow up 'knowing' about their father? Would their father be dead? Orw ould he be a terrible ruffian that had driven their beloved mother away? Or worst of all... would they grow to believe another was their father. Her new love...
Maji's eyes closed slowly, forcing the building tears from them. His thickly maned chest heaved sharply, containing he cries of torment, the many questions and curses he wanted to shout after her, the curses he had for himself, for the gods. Slowly his head lowered, his shoulders bobbing with his silent sobs. His claws dug at the dry ground under him, tearing the shrivled grass from the soil, cracking and snapping its roots, detatching it from its feeble life. "What more...", he growled, slowly lifting his eyes to the star-dotted sky, tears rolling from his pain-filled eyes, "What more can you take from me? Curse the lot of you!" he lifted his head, his nose wrinkled up and his teeth bared up to the sky, "You forsake me! You spare me but with no knowlage of a family I had... then take the one I could have had away from me! Am I to forever be alone, forever have this emptyness?" He took a deep breath, glaring at the sky as if he expected it to cringe back away from him. Silent... always silent. No comfort ever came from the gods, no signs, no nothing... not even a whisper of a curse. "What crime am I guilty of to be punished so...."
He slowly lowered his head and eyes to watch the boarder lands. "...forever...", he turned away from the freelands, lowering his head as he walked, pressing his chin to his mane, "...then forever I shall never love again..."
He made his way past the black lioness and Baba who reconized his friend right off, lifting his head with a grunt, but decided to remain silent and let the lion go about his way. Maji didn't so much as lift an eye to take notice of them, he pressed on, moving quietly back into his home- and in a sense, his prision. He could go after her, he could follow her and make her explain herself. He could kill her for what she'd done... but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. She didn't love him... she was afraid of him, and wanted nothing more to do with him. To leave would be abandoning all he had built in her name.
"Gods.... what do I do...", he kept walking, his eyes lifting up to the waterfalls where the 'pride' was likely waiting for the queen... his 'cousin', his 'sister', those that he'd grown with, grown under the name of a knight defending a false queen... how would they take such news?
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