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 Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 10:55 am
The sun was up, and so then could she be. The lioness' eyes had been open for much of the night, though she'd stayed still as slumber beneath the tree she'd taken to staying under since they'd returned to the pride. The only den she would sleep in was the one she had died in, and she could only return to it when her usefulness here had ended. Until then, the dead would serve the living, strengthening the pride that had been her home all her life.
Smoothly, Yamini rose to her paws, her ears swiveled alertly and her hollow eyes focused. She was a huntress. It was her job now, her task, the reason why her body still moved in spite of being without a spirit, without a soul, without life. Her skills remained, and while they were needed so too would she remain.
But the day they faded, the day the need was gone, that was the day she could lay down with her kite and slip into that endless sleep. Perhaps that was why sleep came so seldom to her now, why in the dark of the night she lay still and quiet, watching and waiting for the dawn to come that she might go about doing what she was supposed to do. If she got up in the night, others worried and wondered why she wasn't resting. She couldn't make them understand that there was little sense in fretting over the dead. So she pretended to sleep while the world rested, and rose with the sun to begin another day.
The lioness' steps were light and easy, her motions betraying none of the hollow emptiness as she moved away from the dens towards where prey was more likely to run. It was what she always did, the routine rarely changing. She was a ghost among the living, no one needed to take notice of her now.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:59 pm
  ( Dire Dawa/Zay) "It's too early to be making friends. " A voice grumbled. By themselves, they would look like a grayscale picture, but a red kite and a smaller, pale yellow bird fluttered around them. Mapatano didn't know exactly why he was letting this go on, because it didn't matter that he actually liked Ethiopia. He wouldn't be friendly to anyone for her sake. Unless it were... her boyfriend, or something. Then he'd at least be civil. But he doubted she had any boyfriend. That would be awkward.
"Stop complaining, Mapa! " And of course Hisa was in on such a thing. Ad he pointedly glared at his bonded as she flew closer to land on his back. "You know this won't work, " He continued his arguing, and Ethi frowned back at him, then shrugged. "Either way, it's good to get you out! " Silly Ethi. Such a cheerful, silly girl. "You're treating me like I'm an old man. " He glowered. Sure, Mapa was climbing up there on the age ladder, but he wasn't that old just yet!
"Well, relatively... " The black lion scowled. He didn't like how daring Ethiopia's bonded was getting now. But, fortunately for him, Ethi took care of this herself, and whacked the bird with her tail. "Be nice, Zay. " And quickly after that command, the gray lioness' ears perked up. "Hey, I see someone over there! " Mapa's attention was caught, and he looked up, just as Ethi scurried a bt further along and called out a greeting. "Hey! Good morning!"
He felt like he recognized that lioness from before the earthquake, but it had been long enough since he'd seen her that even Mapa had forgotten her name. Well, he must never even have talked to her that much anyways.
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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:20 am
Yamini's ears flicked briefly at the voice, but it took her a few moments more to realize that it had been directed at her. She didn't exactly go out of her way to avoid people, the lioness was fairly certain that would only attract attention. But she still wasn't sure why people kept approaching her. It wasn't like she was alive or anything...
"Morning," she replied, her empty orange gaze drifting over the young grey lioness to the larger black lion that was her companion...then caught on the pale red bird that was perched on his back. A kite. She hadn't seen a kite bonded so closely since... Her eyes shifted away from the bird she'd not intended to stare at. "I'm afraid I've been away for a time, I don't recall your names..." She didn't think she'd met the gray lioness, she didn't look much older than Tifa and Jahina and Chewa so this one would've been a youngling perhaps when the quake had come? The black one looked a bit familiar, but then again, most of the pride did. She'd grown up here after all.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:29 pm
Ethi calmed down a bit, since the lioness didn't seem as happy and hyper as she was feeling today, but still let her paws carry her closer so they could have a proper conversation. Once she slowed down, Zay happily perched on her shoulders. Mapa followed a bit more slowly, but he decided he might as well put on his 'I'm not thrilled but I guess I don't immediately hate you' face. Because, honestly, Mapa liked just about everyone in the pride. Because he loved the pride that much! It's just.. he wasn't friendly.
"I'm Ethiopia, and this is Zay. I joined the pride after the earthquake. " She added, to explain why she might not know her. She paused, glancing back at Mapa so he could introduce himself.
Mapatano eyed Ethiopia, frowning, before looking at the female with a more neutral face. "I'm Mapatano. " Hisa frowned at his lack of manners (and forgetting to introduce her as Ethi had introduced Zay didn't help), and squeezed his fur slightly and she introduced herself. "I'm Hisa. Nice to meet you!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 7:05 pm
Yamini didn't move as she was approached, just stood quietly. She was growing accustomed to being quiet now. Always the responsible one, she'd learned to be strong and skilled only to die like this... But that was alright. She was still skilled. She was still useful. She just...didn't understand why people kept approaching her to talk with her. Was it a habit to speak with the dead? Or did they just...not know?
"Then I suppose we've not met before," she returned mildly, keeping her eyes carefully from the bird on the lioness' back, and even more carefully from...the kite... "Hello Mapatano...and...Zay and Hisa." They didn't have to know that it was hard to speak to the birds. Her chest felt hollow, moreso than usual, with the missing weight of her bonded.
"I was just going hunting," she added, wondering if she would be allowed to provide her service to the pride, or if they wished her to stay and speak with them. Mapatano didn't seem particularly enthusiastic...
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