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 Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 6:13 pm
 What....what happened?
Why...why did I run?
Those heavy thoughts were swirling around in the mind of the young lioness Zagaa'Tamanio. The female was panting rather heavily and her body was sagging like she had just spent the past few hours running. Her white tuff of hair was matted against her face by sweat and covered one of her yellow eyes.
Inhaling and exhaling as deeply as she could Zagaa'Tamanio continued to move forward in a random direction before forcing herself to stop. Her yellow eyes scanned the terrain of the endless desert with light hope in her eyes.
She was looking for an oasis. Not just any oasis, a specific one, the place where much blood had been shed, many cubs had been born, cubs with out a father, the place where she spent most of her life waiting fruitlessly, and the place where she had left her siblings behind. Snarling angrily she felt her legs give out from under her.
"Dammit..." Tama spat miserably as she struggled to get back up. All the nights with little sleep, little food and constant running was draining her of all her energy. She refused to stay down though, she didn't want to end up subjecting herself to any random passerbys.
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 3:33 pm
 Ilahle was pushing herself again, and enjoying the challenges presented by her desert home. She'd decided that whatever didn't kill her could only make her stronger...and that included the hot sun baking her black fur. Firekin were born for these lands and she'd overcome this little disadvantage. She'd made sure to drink enough at the waterhole before setting out and now it was time to stop exploring and find some shade to rest during the hottest part of the day.
After all Ilahle wanted to become stronger and know more of her home - not commit suicide!
Laying pantinghalf way up and under a rocky outcrop, Ilahle reckoned she'd gone further than ever before. Probably further than she was allowed to go from hom, truth be told. She'd never seen these particular sands before...nor that lionness.
She squinted. That was no Firekin travelling nearby - but the stupidhead looked half dead with exhaustion! Didn't it know anything? Maybe rogues really were stinky halfwits...
Ilahle hopped down and started to try intercept it's path.
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 6:55 pm
Zagaa'Tamanio's vision was blurry, she couldn't seem to focus on anything, not what was far from her, what was close, or what was under her. When she spotted the black and red figure in the distance she figured that it was just her imagination, that her mind was playing tricks on her. However since the figure did not go away she squinted trying to make the fuzziness go away.
It was another lion.
At least it was as far as she could tell. The adol really didn't want to put up with anyone at this point in time but she could tell that she wouldn't be able to get away easily so she kept walking, rather blindly, forward.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:47 am
"Excuse me, but you should stop and rest a while." Ilahle managed to set her pace to trot alongside the larger female quite easily, as it was only walking and the sand dunes slowed most creatures down. She studied it with a raised eyebrow. It really was a stupidhead if it didn't stop. Maybe she'd better explain further -
"Before the desert kills you. Not that it's anything to me but I don't like vultures and they'd like it if you died." Shudder. Vulters.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:14 pm
Suddenly Zagaa's legs gave out from under her and she collapsed right before the firekin's eyes. "Ugh." She mumbled bitterly as she struggled to stand once more. It was then that the other's words registered in her weary mind. "I have to...." She mumbled falling back down onto the sand panting. "...get...back..." The young lioness was babbling, unable to really focus on anything.
"They...they...need..." Zagaa was having a rather difficult time finishing her sentences in her weary state. She tried once more to rise only to crash back down, all the strength vanished from her legs
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:24 pm
Compassion welled suddenly within Ilahle, who hadn't expected to actually care if the stranger made it or not. But she did.Who was the white and green thing to her? No body. But she was a lioness too.
She turned and walked away, however, to try to find something that may aid the other female. She'd be back as soon as possible - unless the vulters came here first. Only for family or Kadogo'Moto would she brave those birds yet, she was still a scared cub really.
Ilahle was hoping to find a cactus with pears amoung it's thorns or some other water-filled thing she could carry. She was too small to drag the larger lion into the shade and there was no leafy branches for miles.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 3:14 pm
Zagaa'Tamanio could only watch as the black cub scurried off to do something. She wasn't angry, it didn't really bother her at all. It wasn't that she knew of what Ilahle's intentions were, it was because she thought she deserved to be left alone whatever her fate was.
Grunting she pushed down firmly down into the sands just trying to move a bit more and possibly find some decent shade or something. She managed two more steps before she fell once more. Cursing she knew all she could do was lay there waiting for either her strength to return, someone to help her, or for the vulture to get her.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 3:47 pm
Whatever else the non-Firekin was, it was lucky. Ilahle's small paws were adept at ripping of the fruit between the huge spikes of the cacti - still small enough to reach between the worst of it. After a few angry snarls when she did get pricked, Ilahle soon had a few of the things. One was split and leaking juice, so she lapped up some of the water rich, if bitter, cocktail. Waste not want not. Each fruit was half the size of her own small head...
"Eat this. There's water inside. I'll fetch you another." She'd been relieved to see not vultures yet and the lioness didn't seem too much worse when she got back. So she dumped a fruit next to it, batted it with a paw to make sure it was awake, told it to drink and went to get another.
The things she did sometimes...Ilahle had to wonder.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:34 pm
The lioness was surprised by the cub when she was thrust water in her face. Blinking a few times she graciously accepted the fruit and ate it up quickly. She had never been so thankful for water of any kind before. Taking a few thankful breaths she managed to sit up.
"Thank you."
She stated with a soft expression on her features as she bowed her head. "You didn't need to help me yet you did, so thank you, thank you so much." It felt weird to Tama, she had never been helped before, she had always been the one to take care of things, always so now..Now she wasn't sure what to do, or how to really act. All she knew was to say thank you.
"Why did you help me?" She inquired.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:57 pm
"I don't know." Thinking out it made the cub frown softly, unsure. She didn't understand the compassion that had compelled her to help if she could. Certaintly, it shouldn't have mattered to her...but...
"I couldn't just let you die."
Ilahle had scurried back and forth across the hot sands three, four times now and was once again munching on some of fruit, now Tama was supplied with the water-filled pears. Bitter though they were, the nearest water was quite some way away, and Ilahle knew topping up water was important out here.
"We should move when you can, to the shade." She advised after swallowing the last of her fruit, mindful of the hot sun on her fur.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:49 pm
The rather weak lioness smiled graciously up at Ilahle. She wasn't sure what to saw all she could do was except the help she was given. It felt weird having someone else care for her, even weirder that it was one who was younger than her. It also made her feel horrible for taking the help and making the other work to help her.
Zagaa took the water-filled pears thankfully savoring every single bite she took. The feeling of the water and food going into her mouth and down her throat was simply heavenly to the female who hadn't had anything to eat or drink for the past few days.
She felt her strength returning and was able to rise to her paws. "Lead the way, please."
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:18 am
"Come on then. Though I wouldn't stay long after you feel better. My pride's not always good to rogues."
She thought of the slave she knew one member kept purely to do his bidding, a practice that apparently used to be common and of the adults arguing if rogues were worth anything at all. Ilahle had always pictured them as...no so good and had joked about them with her dearest brother Spaki.
Still. The dark furred cub led the weak, older lion to the rocky outcrop and the valuable shade. At least here there was enough for them both. Ilahle'd make sure she was fine, rest a bit herself and go home. She had many questions to ask her parents - without giving away this encounter of course.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:52 pm
Tama merely nodded not saying anymore, figuring to save it for when she had something to say, something possibly important. The older female found herself wondering what pride the cub she was following came from. She hadn't heard much about any pride except the pridelands and even that was very little. She decided not to bother the other with any questions, she had already troubled the darker lion enough.
Once in the shadows Tama felt relieved and relaxed. Free of the hot rays of the sun she felt like she didn't have anything to worry about. "What's your name, if you don't mind telling me." Tama asked suddenly, wondering who this cub who had helped her so much was called.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 5:29 pm
The question woke Ilahle up, and snapped her out of her compassionate dithering. Names had meanings after all, they had power, and she was very proud of her name. Cinder from the ashes - very Firekin.
And Firekin don't help rogues. They drive them away. Did this make her a traitor? She'd most likely saved this lioness from a slow death from the heat, being picked at by those scary vultures. Sure she was a cub - she couldn't have fought - but she could have not given her water filled pears.
"Yes I mind. It's enough to know I'm a Firekin. Now, I've helped you and you should repay me. You can do this by getting out of our lands. Head towards where the sun sets, for about day and you'll be further enough away that one of our hunteress' don't beat you to a pulp. " She snarled and ran out of the shade, away from her and back home. Angry and worried she might now be a traitor.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:12 pm
Tama was confused by the cub's actions and she frowned. The rouge lioness couldn't understand the sudden and surprising change in the small female. Her brow furrowed and she looked slightly shocked. She didn't however have the chance to reply as Ilahle darted off.
She let out a sigh and shook her head letting her eyes close. She would let herself sleep for a short while to regain strength before leaving the lands. Hopefully she wouldn't be found.
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