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 Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:21 pm
"Silly! The water isn't happy - it just is." She looked at him sternly. "It's beyond feeling like us. Besides, we drink it!" The cub stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Would you like to be dranked?"
But she was thirsty so she plodded over and lapped half-heartedly at the rushing stream. The liquid was cool and refreshing. She paused, gathering her thoughts, then turned to Juu and began to explain her way of thinking.
"See, the water is moving so fast! It has a purpose and a destination." She nodded to herself, watching the churning of the creek along it's preset path. "It -knows- where it's going. So maybe..." This was the hard part to put into words. Tara scrinched her face in thought.
"So maybe if you follow it, it can help you find your purpose too!"
The cub trotted happily down the bank, following the current. Her feet stuck in the mud and sand, making a faint suction sound when she pulled them free. "An even if it doesn't know where you need to go, other lions come to it all the time! You'll met so many people!"
Her voice was slightly wistful as she spoke the last. It would be nice to just... wander away. Go far from home and everyone she knew and start over. Juu didn't know how lucky he was.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:46 pm
Juu did his best to hide another look of confusion, and a bit of disgust. He was taught about spirits, spirits that were everywhere. So why couldn't the creek have it's own spirit, like trees? He didn't want to argue over it, though, and shrugged it off.
"Well, I need the water to live. Especially pure water like this," he started cautiously, hoping that she wouldn't jump on his words again. "We're lucky that there's so much of it here." He gave a knowing nod, since where he came from, the good drinking water was a little harder to find.
He was amused with how she stomped in the mud, getting bits of it everywhere. He knew of a way to step though mud and sticky ground smoothly, and as such it was second nature to him. He followed Tarajia, wondering if she was going to take him elsewhere, peeking at her curiously.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:09 pm
"Yesyes!" Tara nodded without looking back at Juu. "Water is great! When we were traveling, I was -always- thirsty." She pounced extra hard on a puddle of muddly water and sent splatters flying everywhere. Momma would have a fit when her daughter came back brown!
... well, maybe she just wouldn't come home. Tara sniffed and stuck her nose up in the air, tail raised. She didn't hafta if she didn't want to! Then they'd see how much they really loved her, even if she wasn't a boy.
Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea...
Now she was further down the creek than she'd dared go before. The jungle was thick and dark around them, and fewer sparkling slits of light fell on the tumbling creek. Which was actually becoming bigger, now that she noticed! Darkness filled the area, almost as though there was some massive shadow being cast by a huge --
"Oh!"
Tara crained her neck back, staring up a huge rock wall. The creek/river dissapeared at the base, gurgling through the rocky earth like a knife through butter. Unless she was a fish (which she undoubtably was not) Tara didn't think she'd be able to follow it. How mysterious!
"Wooooow...." Eyes large, she gawked at the sheer clifface and wondered why she'd never noticed it before.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:14 pm
Juu shrunk back when she paraded in the puddles. He may be used to muddy earth, since his home was the swamplands, but he still didn't want to get needlessly dirty.
Juu was also confused on her sudden strutting, but he did his best to not think much of it. Being a cub was certainly different out here then where he was, he assumed to himself.
Even though they continued, following the bubbling creek near them, he wasn't quite sure if Tarajia knew where she was taking them. And his suspicions were confirmed when she let out a bright 'oh!' No one would do that if they had been around here, before. As long as it wasn't trouble...
And he took a stumble back as he noticed just what stopped Tarajia. It was a huge wall of rock. Solid rock. He mimiced Tara, craning his head and neck up to try and see just how high it went. "Woah..." he stated, a bit in awe of what was in front of them. Well, so much for contiuing to follow the water.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:33 pm
Juu's own expression of amazement snapped her out of her daze. She trotted forwards and leaned over the river, staring intently at the hole where it dissapeared beneath the rock. It bubbled, it rushed, and then suddenly - BAM - it was gone.
Like magic.
Tara was thrilled. Maybe it really DID lead to a magic world! Sure, it was blocked off by a rock wall that was a bazillion feet high, but that couldn't stop someone who was determined to bypass it! After all, only the strongest and best lions could get into paradise, right?
A magic world certainly wasn't for everyone. But she suspected that, in a magic world, Juu would be able to find his name. She opened her mouth to state this very fact, stood there for a moment looking foolish, then closed it again. When she spoke, she was careful not to mention magic.
"... where do you think the water goes?"
Best to beat around the bush first, find out how much he knew or guessed before butting in with her theory. She didn't really feel like being laughed at anyways. She'd be tactful. Tara smiled and waited politely for his answer.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:45 am
Juu's mind certainly wasn't full of wonders and magical things like Tara, but he was quite befuddled as to where the water went. Instead of answering her right off, he inched closer to the small hole, nearly dipping his nose into the water. Just where did it go? He really didn't have a clue. And he didn't want to give her a wrong answer....but he didn't want to say that he didn't know, either.
His eyes couldn't see what was past the water, though, and so it was impossible for him to figure it out. He withdrew from the wall in defeat.
"I'm....not sure," he started, glancing back over to Tara with his olive eyes. "It has to go somewhere, though....water just doesn't poof."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:51 pm
This was it. She couldn't hold it back any longer or she would explode! She had to share the Secret of the Water with Juu. Twitchy and prancing with excitement, she followed him up to the edge and stuck her nose into the water too.
When he didn't know, she beamed. "I know! IknowIknowIknow!"
She waited a moment, building the suspense. After a suitable amount of time to be impressed with her deductive skills, she leaned forwards and whispered conspiratorily into Juu's ear.
"It's magic!"
Eyes wide and sparkling, Tara waited expectantly for his amazed reaction.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:55 am
Juu was a little nervous when she bounced with excitement, though he was sure that she must know something. And it was very obvious, too, when she rushed out with a flurry of 'I know!''s that nearly overwhelmed the normally shy lion. He blinked at her, his olive eyes a little wide with surprise, and curiosity.
"What?" He started, though she soon rushed up to his ear and whispered the two simple words to Juu. Magic?
He stood there, letting the foreign word sink into his system. Magic? Was that like, the spirits? It sounded like some fancy thing, something hard to explain, and that's why she used the term 'magic'. So, that's what it must be.
Juu's jaw opened a bit, his head nodding without him realizing at first. "Oohhh..." was all that came out of his mouth, as he tore his gaze from Tarajia to peek back at the water, a little more shyly now. Amazing! The gulliable lion looked back at Tarajia, giving her a little verbal pat for figuring it out, his eyes still a little wide. "You're so smart, Tara."
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 1:33 pm
Tara grinned and flicked her tail, her face warming with a faint blush. She'd never been called smart before! Of course, she knew she was, but it was nice to have some recognition once in a while.
"Thanks." She muttered shyly. "I just wish we could go where it's going!"
She peered forwards at the water, wondering what would happen if she jumped into it too. Would she drown? Or would the magic protect her? Maybe she wasn't perfect enough yet to make it into the magic world, but once she was... a doorway would be there!
Yes, that must be it. It was a little sad, but she would be strong.
"It must be so wonderful in that world..." She stared in awe at the wall, dreaming of sprouting wings and flying over it.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:26 pm
Juu wasn't paying much attention to her, but was a little more intrigued on what was just on the other side of the wall. Did that wall just go up forever? Was there no way in? Maybe it was this magic stuff Tarajia was talking about, and maybe they had to learn this magic stuff to get...in....!!!
"Hey hey~!" he shouted, bouncing a bit closer to Tarajia. He was getting a bit of his own cubness back, his own playfulness that was normally silent when he was growing up. "Do you think, if we learn this magic stuff you talk of, that we could get in there?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:05 pm
Tara's eyes grew wider and she gazed at Juu with undisguised admiration. She hadn't thought about that! Just when she thought they'd hit a dead end, a new possibity became apparent!
"Wooow." She gasped. "What a GREAT idea!"
Catching his excitement she pranced and swatted absently at the water as it gushed and dissapeared. Her gaze returned to Juu and her teeth flashed white against her dark pelt.
"I hope I'm as big and smart as you when I'm your age!"
Wouldn't that be amazing? She couldn't wait to grow up. But... a frown marred her black face as she found a new problem in their plans.
"How would we learn the magic?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:24 pm
Juu's excitement soon died when Tarajia asked him a blunt, but very simple question. How?
His tail drooped, along with his head, thinking about the simple question. How would they learn magic?
"Well, we could always ask others..." he started. But didn't she live here? He didn't want to take her away from her home. "But that could be dangerous, too..."
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:40 pm
She nodded solemly. It would be hard, she knew, but -someone- had to learn it. Someone had to discover the mysteries behind the Secret of the Water and the Unclimbable Cliff.
And those someones would have to be her and Juu. She nodded again, more to herself than anyone else. It was true, she couldn't travel far now - her family needed her. She couldn't imagine Hahi on her own!
"I have an idea." She padded closer to him and sat down, drawing designs in the dirt with her claws. "I can't leave, and you can't stay. But..." A smile grew on her face, replacing the serious expression that had been there. "We can vow to meet again!"
A secret meeting about a secret magic water... hole! And a secret cliff with a secret magic land behind it! She shivered with the conspiracy of it all. How exciting!
"We each have to ask as many others as we can, and find out how to learn magic! Then, after two summers, we can meet back here and finally figure out the secrets!"
Genius. Pure genius. Tara grinned.
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:54 pm
Juu watches her draw markings into the dirt, wondering just what she was drawing. He soon understood, though, when Tara perked up with an offer. And offer that the two of them would have to remember.
"Meet, here...in two summers?" The two of them would be much older by then. And perhaps they would both have the knowledge needed to figure out this magic mystery!
He gave her a deep nod, agreeing with the proposition. "Okay. I'll see you here in two summers, hopefully with my name and magic skills." His tail swished, determined now. He had no idea how he would do it, but he would.
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Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:32 am
"A pact, then. Two summers from now, we'll meet and share our knowledge."
A smile split her muzzle and she lept to her feet. "Alright! See you soon!" Shyly, Tara nuzzled Juu and sprinted back down the creek, pouncing her way through the mud puddle.
Someday soon she would meet someone who could teach her magic. Then she and Juu could find the magic world! It would be wonderful. Laughing, she made her way back to her family and her responsibilities.
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