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 Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:51 pm
Silent it was, for the next few moments. At the very edges of the jungle, beneath the shadowy ferns and lush plant life, the soft sounds of tearing flesh crept out. Light snarls accompanied them. Buried under a canopy of greenery, the only thing visible of the dark lioness was her glowing orange eyes. They flicked around nervously, watchful. It was a small prey, a tiny antelope, but Usiku'ilanga would be terribly reluctant to let it go. It was the first meal she'd had in days.
She buried her nose deep into the belly of the creature, biting off large pieces of succulent meat. Her orange-tufted tail flipped wildly behind her, her ears fully erect and swiveling like small satellites. A crack, the delicate crunch of a twig being smashed to bits. Narrowing her eyes, the young lioness rose to her paws quickly, snapping her head around in every direction. A snarl in her throat, she called out, "Who's there?"
No reply. Nothing but the croak of a distant treefrog. She inhaled deeply, but could find no scent of another mammal, save for the musky scents of ones long gone by. Shrugging, she made a faint 'hmph' sound and turned back to her prey, pressing a paw lightly to its belly.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:22 pm
The crickets struck up their song once more, when they'd got over their fright at her call. It was not long however until they fell silent again, as leaves rustled and a branch snapped underpaw. A noisy chase through the jungle started not to far away and ended swiftly with a snarl. Silence again, save for a few short phrases.
"May your speed be passed on to me, now your running is over, swift one. The heavens be your home now." A few more moments of hush - a respectful observation of a small antelope's passing - before the mirrored sounds of flesh being torn began. Muroki didn't mourn his prey. But all life was sacred to the golden lion so what did a small incantation hurt? It's speed would be welcome along with the food its meat provided and he did hope the afterlife wasn't too bad considering how many prey animals he'd sent there.
Antelope were scarce in this part of the jungle, but perhaps his meal had been hanging around for a reason. Maybe there was a herd somewhere near here, he hoped - not knowing that really it was more likely that it's mate was being eaten nearby. Beyond his own hunt he'd not really paid much attention to his surroundings...and now he was eating, he wasn't going to.
His sounds were added to the music of the jungle. Soft growls and the sound of a kill being devoured.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:21 pm
Romantic things, such as Romeo and Juliet lovers killed and devoured naught but a few feet from each other would be lost on Ilanga. The harsh female could've easily been accused of having cold reptilian blood, like that of the fire-breathing lizards on her sides, coursing through her veins. What the female did care about was being disturbed from her peaceful, starlit dinner.
Her black head snapped up, blood dripping from pointed white teeth as her lips drew back in a snarl. The crashing and rustling not far from her was no small tree frog or other jungle creature. It was something much larger. Her tail flicked irritatedly as she raised her nose towards the jungle, inhaling deeply. Blood. Fresh blood.
She looked to her half-eaten antelope. She wanted to stay and finish her small feast, but she also had the deep need to find out what had made all that noise. For the past few weeks, Ilanga had claimed this small stretch of territory as hers. Unreasonable, yes, as she didn't know the terrain or if she was invading any other creature's territory, but it was hers for the moment and anything near it could quite possibly be an enemy. Gazing longingly at the pathetic carcass, she whispered to the darkness, "Damn it..." Huffing, she turned and crawled back into the jungle.
It didn't take her much creeping to locate the source of such racket. Belly low to the ground, she remained concealed in the undergrowth. Her pelt was dark enough to hide her, but it was always her neon eyes that gave her away. She watched the shadowy figure for some time, the fur along her back slowly raising. A faint growl in her voice, she let words slither from seeming nothingness. "You should be more careful. You never know who may sneak up on you with your face buried in the belly of your prey."
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:55 am
He wasn't born for an area such as this one. Desert sands and floodplanes were what Muroki had called home for half his life and the rest has been spent wandering in open grassland. Here were trees and undergrowth blocking the view of the basic terrain let alone most of the wildlife. Here there were a thousand background noises that made up the 'silence', calls of insect and bird.Here the humid air was deceptively fragrant, heavy with the scent of plants and moisture - though that was currently masked with the coppery tang of blood.
Usually a friendly but wary sort of lion, who could blame him for his carelessness? He was like a cub who'd been plucked up and dropped into another world. It was all new to Muroki and wonder and inexperiance made him absent minded. He feasted without caution to who may be lurking in the shadows.
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:02 pm
Ilanga hadn't been born anywhere near the jungle, either. Come to think of it, Ilanga couldn't remember where she'd been born. For all her life, as far back as she could recall, she'd been alone and wandering. It was only recently that she'd found herself face to face with this massive jungle, and not one to be defeated, the young lioness had decided to conquer it - or at least a small section. She'd found no reason to leave yet, and so had remained, feasting on small mammals and the occasional lost larger grazing creature. But as soon as the next large herd of prey passed by on migration, Ilanga would pick up and follow, leaving nothing behind save the scent of her fur. And even that would fade.
But as opposed to Muroki, Ilanga had spent just enough time her to become accustomed to the dense undergrowth and the loud racket of jungle animals. Her ears naturally began to mute out the crickets and birdsong, relying more on her nose to guide her than her vision. It had led her to this stranger, and now she crouched, thoroughly confused. Yes, she'd spoken low, but was this feline so absorbed in filling his belly that he became completely oblivious to everything around him? Ilanga couldn't even comprehend that subject, but she was mildly miffed that she hadn't been heard.
Creeping forward on silent paws, she brushed through the thick ferns, making her way onto the edges of the small clearing where the lion feasted. Staring at him through narrowed orange eyes, she spoke, making sure to raise her voice somewhat this time. "So that's where the other one went," she said, in reference to the antelope. Pity. She'd hoped the male of the pair would've survived long enough to feed her own appetite another night.
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:55 pm
"Other one? I suppose he was one of a pair then. Unfortunate for his wife, or wives." Golden eyes looked up and sought the females, while Muroki smile a calm- albeit abit bloodstained - smile. He didn't seem disturbed that he'd be crept up on at all. In fact, he looked almost pleased, raising his head and letting his ears flick forward curiously.
Had he been able to know her thoughts, he'd have argued that he hadn't been utterly absorbed in just eating. If one had hunted your first meal, and had a time of it too in such an unfamilaur setting, it was nice to savour it and just...thinking on things. Dreams, memories, plans, goals.
Besides, this wasn't leopard territory. Only other lions or a group of hyenas posed any threat, so relaxing was just fine and dandy. Converstaion however would be welcome too. It'd been a long while since he'd seen Hisani and heard her gentle voice, and while he missed her greatly he wasn't going to pass up the chance to hear any voice. Getting to this jungle had been a long and lonely walk.
"Good evening."
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:38 pm
"But fortunate for us," she said, curling her tail around her back leg. Her lips, similarly bloody, did not lift in any sort of pleasant smile. Her black face remained somber as ever. It was very rare that any sort of emotion flickered in the lioness's eyes, but the smallest hint of confusion lingered in them now. Most lions she'd encountered had definitely not been pleased upon having her sneak up on them. This one was...different. Strange.
Strange enough that Ilanga actually sat her rump upon the thick, grassy forest floor. Normally the young female would've scoffed, warning him to stay a fair distance from her. That would've been followed by her slinking off into the jungle to curl up somewhere safe for the night. But not tonight. While Ilanga didn't tend to enjoy the company of others lions (or any other living, breathing creature for that matter), weeks spent on her own in silence had begun to wear upon her nerves. Perhaps a conversation, if not a pleasant one from her side, would do her some good. Her belly was full and she had yet to grow sleepy, so what were her options for entertainment?
Not even bothering to answer his greeting (she wasn't the most mannered of lionesses), she spoke again. Her ears twitched reluctantly, curiously. "Why are you here?" The words were still laced with the slightest hints of irritability - after all, Ilanga did selfishly consider this small section of forest her own for the new week or two. Best act like a queen when the opportunity arises.
((sorry. complete crap. my muse has taken a vacation. ;_; ))
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:45 pm
(Eh, no worries, I'm hardly writing well really. First time I'f RPed Muroki in months. >_<; )
"Why am I here?" He echoed the question, considering. He'd come here because Hisani had never come here to his knowledge and because it was as unlike the arid area he'd been in as you could get. Here there was life. Here everything was new. Here he could forget for a time. Maybe heal now everything was over. But he was hardly going to tell that to some random queen.
My mate vanished and I'm angsty and this seemed as good as anywhere to get lost. No, no, that just wouldn't do....
There had been no scent marks of any number of lions around and now she was nearer, he couldn't detect the scent of anything but her about her. All females were queens by defualt of course. That was just what female cats were and Muroki always treated them politely -so he needed to come up with some sort of answer.
"I'm here because I've never been to the jungle before. Is it your home?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:40 pm
Answers as such would earn no sympathy from Ilanga. She spat at love and emotion. Weaknesses. Love was only a devious plot of tortuous gods, a plot to set one up for destruction. It was rare to find even a vaguely happy couple in the black lioness's eyes. There was always some fracture, some crack that would lead to nothing but heartbreak.
"No, it's not my home. I'm only here until the next herd migrates through," she said shortly. No elaboration. But why was she here? I'm here because I can't stay in one place. I'm here because I can't remember anything. But no, that was a weakness, wasn't it? She'd never tell that little tidbit of information to anyone, no matter how close they became to her. Not that anyone was likely to ever accomplish such a difficult goal. Ilanga didn't have the niceties Muroki possessed - she treated every being the same, prey or fellow carnivore, king or lowly hunter.
But Ilanga wasn't satisfied with just one question. Flicking the tuft of her tail against the grass, she continued her stern questioning. "Who are you?" Not a polite request for a name, but simply a blunt question that required an equally blunt answer.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:10 pm
"A wandering rogue by the name of Malawa" He never gave his real name to strangers, instead giving them what could have been called his 'surname' - the name of his father. It was an old habit. As a cub he'd done nothing but lie, lie, lie...so such a little titbit of false information didn't even make him bat an eyelid wrong. besides, why would anyone suspect it was a false name, nor care?
"And what do they call you?"
(*Kicks her muse* Sorry for mini post)
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:44 pm
A false named wouldn't have bothered Ilanga at all. If one didn't wish to give away such information about themselves, then they should be entitled to do so. She had often used small lies to wiggle herself out of sticky situations, but she'd never shied from giving her name - it was the one thing she'd remembered from her youth. She extended her claws, pushing them into the soft ground a moment. She liked the way the damp earth felt. "Malawa," she repeated softly. She'd never heard such a name before.
Glancing up, she paused before speaking. A part of her didn't want to give her name, but it was necessary when asked a direct question. "Ilanga," she said. "Usiku'ilanga." She flicked an ear, her head tilting to the side in curiosity. it was odd for Ilanga to want to make conversation, but she was bored out of her mind. She'd been without any sort of contact with any other carnivore for so long, it was a wonder her voice hadn't dried up. "You said you've never been to the jungle before. How long have you been here?"
((sorry for the short post. my muse died too. ;_; ))
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:56 pm
Muroki sounded out the name in his head, turning it this way and that trying to unlock it's meaning. Alas, it was one he had never known. Usiku...that sounded almost like something he should know but he couldn't grasp it. But no matter. Names and their secret meanings didn't always tell you something about the creature who carried it.
Sometimes, after all, a cub named Zende for strength turned out to the weakest adult...though it was always interesting to find out what they meant and what in the cultures they came from. Most would find Malawa a stupid name, meaning Flowers, but in the desert pride he'd been born into it had been a blessing...a hope that his father would grow and be bountiful.
He paused to think all this, perhaps seeming to consider her question.
"Not long, half a day or so...Hopefully if I spend some time here my next hunt wth be easier, rather than loud enough to wake the dead ones" - or alert the locals to my presence.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:00 pm
Ilanga never looked for meaning in names. She knew that all names must have some secret meaning, a cultural origin. But was that truly a way to decide a being's personality? The meaning behind her own name really had no defining factor to her personality. 'Midnight Sun'. A burst of light in a world of darkness. For Ilanga, it should have been the other way around. Not once, for as far as she could remember, had she lit up the darkness for another being. As for what had caused her parents to choose such a name for her, Ilanga would never know. Her heritage was nothing but a blurry mystery that lingered at the tortured edges of her mind.
"There are no other carnivores around this area. They all live much deeper in the forest," she said, her head turning to the dense trees. Though scant traces of moonlight fell between their canopies, the rest of the jungle was still blanketed in a thick layer of darkness. A small smirk flicked across her features. "The dead ones, however, were never asleep to begin with. You do not have to worry with waking them - they're always awake." Her neon eyes turned back to him.
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 2:11 pm
"That depends on whose dead they are. Different prides have different places they go when they're lives cease." He mused aloud, before lowering his head in another bow quickly, almost as if to that lightly spangled darkness. A show of respect for the dead of all kinds, including those he himself had lost. Muroki smiled though. They were in a better place as they had believed, he thought.
"No other meat eaters out here? Could claim a stretch as territory then, until the herds move on. If you're the only other one here, the pickings will be good. I could move away a way, so not you crowd you." It was a plan.
(Cursed muse. Sorry it took so long. Again. >.<' )
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:24 pm
Ilanga's gaze followed the direction of the male's bow. Her eyes were calculating, shrewd. "Aye, perhaps. But there is a great deal of unrest in this jungle - in the air, in the earth. Not all is as pleasant as it seems," she mused, her dark head swiveling back to the tan lion. "I didn't feel it when I first arrived, but it begins to crawl underneath your skin soon enough." That was truly the only thing that bothered her about this stretch of the jungle. Something seemed...restless, unsettled here. But perhaps that was just her own wandering blood pushing thoughts into her head so as to keep her moving.
The black lioness shook her head. "Most others seem to dwell deeper in the forest. I haven't seen any, but I've found their scents. Very few smelled new, so there seems to be little activity in this stretch." It was true. The perfumes the lioness had found buried deep into the earth and tree skins were old and musty. It almost seemed as if this tiny section of land had been all but forgotten to the race of carnivores. But that simply made it easier for a scant few wandering souls to take root here for a few nights rest. "Choose wherever you like. You will not bother me. I plan to move on as soon as the next migration comes through. Until then, I foresee no problem with sharing the area - there is more than enough for two lions to share equally."
Walking past the larger male, she wove her path back towards she sheltering undergrowth. She paused a moment, turning her head over her shoulder to look at him. "It was nice meeting you," was her only farewell before her black body melted into the shadows once more.
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