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 Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 2:58 pm
The sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky. There was enough light left to bath the lower part of the horizon in bloody red, but the pinnacle of the horizons was already a deep velvet purple. Everything was calm and quiet in the Kusini lands, the crickets just beginning to twang on their fiddles. It seemed everyone had retreated to more secluded spots, except for one large male lion meandering his way along the bank of the river. He had a generally grumpy posture about him, and the way his brows were lowered over his eyes only made him seem all the more intimidated. But of course, the most startling part about him was his size. It was easy to tell where his lineage came from.
However, Damu'jicho was not just out for an evening stroll. He had purpose this night. He had just left the company of his nephew, of which he was very grateful for. Not that he dislike the pale lion, but being around others often times took a toll on Damu. Yet he was thankful, this time, for running into him. He had helped him find the perfect present for his sister, which now hung in a small reed bag from his jaws. It wasn't complete yet, but he hadn't seen his twin, Haba, in a day or two and wanted to see her at least once before he made his journey into the forest to complete his present.
Spying a sizable rock, he tucked the small bag underneath it. He wanted to taunt Haba with the idea of a present, but he didn't want her to actually see any part of it. A small, fond smile on his muzzle, his large paws continued their path along the riverbank. He tilted his head back, letting out a throaty call to his sister, its sound echoing for quite some distance around him. He couldn't wait to see her again.
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Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:05 pm
Haba, for once, wasn't her normal cheerful self. She had her family, she had her twin but what else did she have? She once heard that everyone was born for a reason, for a purpose. Every single life ahd a task to complete. She hadn't yet discovered hers and it was beginning to get her down. She didn't want to just be a pretty face who sulked around the Kusini lands demanding attention from everyone. But she also wasn't as brave as little Jini. That female was set out to assassin Firekin lions.
No, Hababuu wasn't an adventurer, she didn't feel safe outside the lands. In fact every time she stepped close to the border a fear struck a chord in her heart and she was seen dashing back to safety.
She wasn't sure where this fear had come from. Maybe it was a reluctance to see how big the world really was. Maybe it was those stories she had been told about monsters and bad rogues. Maybe it was because she had seen Kiburi die because of other pride members.
Kiburi...she had been a petite lioness with a huge heart. Hababuu admired the lioness for her adventurous spirit. But...she couldn't do it. She liked to have a roof over her head, a den around her. She liked to feel safe and secure. And Hababuu felt the most safe with her brother around. He was big and strong and kindly, even if he was a grouch and she loved him dearly. Lately, though, they didn't seem to spend so much time together and her confidence had slipped with his absence. She no longer had faith in herself and even that vanity had died a little. What made her so pretty? Nothing...she was brown, dull brown. Boring.
So, Hababuu lay on her favourite rock by the river, pondering on her purpose, her reason for living. Little did she know that her purpose was approaching. For what better reason was there, to live to protect your twin? Maybe she wouldn't have been sulking like this if she knew what would happen to him in the not too distant future.
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:12 am
Damu never liked to think about the world outside the Kusini lands. The world beyond meant passing through that forest, and recently, even going near its dark trees made his head hurt and the whispers begin. That was something he'd been meaning to tell Haba. The headaches were worse now, much worse than they'd been as a cub. He didn't sleep for the strange dreams that plagued his mind, and also for the voices that poked and prodded him as he tried desperately to fall into the realm of dreams. No, Damu was content in these golden lands with the few family members he could actually stand. He had no desire to leave. If only he knew that that very night, he would be forced from these lands by something much stronger than his own will: the will of the others that lived within his mind.
His large form sauntered slowly along the riverbanks, unaware of the fateful disaster that was soon approaching, a storm brewing on the horizon. All he knew was that he wished to see his sister before making his attempt to go into the forest to complete her present. He continued his rumbling, purring calls, the sound rough and grating in his throat. He felt a certain relief that no one answered him this time - it meant no one would appear to annoy him, as Njozi had done only moment before.
But never mind annoyances. A familiar form appeared in the distance, stretched out over a large boulder. A genuine smile stretched the corners of his muzzle, and he upped his pace to a fast trot, his calls growing slightly louder. "Haba!" he said excitedly, as his muscular form bounded towards her.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:11 am
Her name? She turned her head to glance over a shoulder and saw him. He was larger than she remembered, with thick, powerful muscles. Any other female might have decided to flee at this point but Haba, who knew him well, only purred. Her brother! She stood, uncurled her tail to wave it high and leaned on the edge of her rock.
"Da-moo!" She called, her voice slipping into a more childish tone. He was her saviour from her awful thoughts. She watched as he increased his speed and found herself being caught up in the reunion. She crouched and leapt, pushing off of the rock to spring forwards, then she ran to meet him, as fast as she could. For a moment she didn't think she would be able to stop in time!
But she didn't care.
In that moment in time everything seemed okay. It didn't matter how bad things got because he always managed to brighten her day and the best thing was, they would never be parted. Why be so glum when she had something thousands of lions didn't have.
A twin. A friend.
Realising that if she didn't slow she'd probably crash, she dug claws into the dirt to slow herself. "Da-moo!"
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:22 am
Damu felt immensely special to have something like a twin, another being that he believed shared his own soul. He would never understand why his brother Azima hated his own twin so much. There was a bond that was unbreakable between two siblings that shared almost the exact same DNA, something that went beyond the realms of normal siblings.
This was especially true for the large mocha lion. The voices in his head stilled when around her, and he didn't feel quite so angry with the world. He even laughed and smiled around her. He chuckled lightly as she crooned his name, bringing back fond memories of cubhood. Yet unlike her, he didn't slow his pace down.
He lowered his rump slightly, letting his body skid against the soft earth of the riverbank. Sitting up just slightly, he wrapped his massive forelegs around his sister as soon as she was in reach. Damu knew his own strength, however, and so made sure that he was very careful with his smaller sibling. He would absolutely die if he ever hurt her.
Laughing, he flopped down on his back, attempting to drag her down with him, reaching up to tug lightly on her ear as he'd always done as a cub. "Where've you been? I've been looking for you everywhere."
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:19 am
Oh how she missed her cubhood! With adulthood came new responsibilities, new worries. She didn't have to worry about who she would become as a cub. She just was and that was all that mattered. She had been meaning to talk to mother about it, but mother hadn't been around much lately.
She purred as she leaned against his chest, enjoying his lion-hug. Damu! What would she have done without him? She gave a small 'squee' sound and let herself fall with him, trying to bite at his own ears.
"Just around." She replied. "Thinking and stuff." She didn't feel very literate at the moment. She sighed deeply and let her eyes fall on her brother's face, that face which was so similar to her own yet also very unique. "We're almost grown up Damu. Have you thought about your future? What you plan to do with it?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:25 am
A deep rumbling purr started in his own chest, much louder than that of his sister's. He nibbled her ear a bit more before pulling his head back and planting a rough, wet kiss on her cheek. He adored his twin more than anything, and that was blatantly obvious to anyone who observed their behavior around each other.
The gleeful expression on his face slipped just slightly as the sigh escaped Haba. Immediately, his brows drew together in concern. He pushed himself into a sitting position, nudging his sister with his nose. He didn't like to see any trace of unhappiness on Haba's face.
Yet...her question made him pause. They were almost grown up. But his future? Damu didn't like to think about such things. Thinking about himself made his thoughts wander into the darkest regions of his mind, and those places scared him. Shaking his head, he spoke slowly. "No...I haven't really...thought about any of that. I guess I've just always believed I'd be here for the rest of my life." If only that statement could be true.
He hesitated before speaking again, casting his deep mocha eyes to the ground. "Haba...I've been...meaning to talk to you about something, actually." He took a deep breath, steeling himself for his confession. "I've been...having headaches recently. Bad ones. I can't sleep because I only have nightmares that are just...too real. There are small periods of time that I can't remember anything that's happened - I just end up a long distance from wherever I had been before with no recollection of how I got there." He shuffled his large paws in the soft silt. "And...and...I keep hearing whispers. Whispers that come from no where and everywhere at the same time."
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:46 pm
She smiled inwardly at his concern. She was so lucky to have a brother like him. With Damu around no one word hurt her, ever. It was wonderful to feel so safe and secure. Then at his response to her question a smile broke out on her face. He was going to stay too? Oh that was perfect. Haba had never been too keen on leaving the pride, though she would have if she was following Damu.
"That's--" She saw him hesitating and clamped her mouth shut, looking up into his large face. It looked gentle now, but sad too. Something was wrong. Her heart clenched and she shifted closer. "Damu?"
And then he began to speak and her eyes welled with tears. Most of the time Haba had her emotions in check. She was a lady after all. Yet now...now listening to her brother and his pain. It almost broke her heart. How could she not have known? She leaned forward, burying her face in his chest fur to douse her tears.
"Oh Damu. I'm so sorry." Her shoulders trembled slightly. "Please Damu, is there anything I can do?" She was terrified now. What if he had some sort of incurable disease. He couldn't leave her! She would die if Damu left. "Have you spoken to daddy about it?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 8:52 am
Damu felt the sharp prickle of tears behind his own eyes as Haba buried herself against his chest. He lowered his head, wrapping his neck around hers. There was a certain amount of relief that came with finally telling someone what had been bothering him for so long.
At her trembling, Damu steeled his own nerves, pulling his twin closer to him. He hadn't known this would upset her so much, and a small part of him regretted telling her in the first place. But he had had to tell someone eventually, before all these things drove him over the edge.
"Don't apologize, Haba," he said softly, resting his head on top of hers. "I don't know if there's anything anyone can do. It's been...going on since I was a cub. But it was tolerable then. Now it's just getting worse and worse." He sighed deeply, pushing himself to his paws. He walked slowly to the river, looking down to gaze at his own blurry reflection in the gentle flow of the waters. What was wrong with him.
"I haven't spoken to anyone about it except you. I can't tell anyone else." He wouldn't even consider going to his father for a confessional. Not only was Azima always in the way, but he'd never felt close to the older red lion. "I think mother knows, though. She...doesn't look at me the same way anymore..."
His brows lowered as he gazed at his reflection. He pulled back a large, heavy paw and slammed it down right in the middle of his own face, a throaty growl in his voice. Speaking to no one in particular, he yelled, "What the hell is wrong with me?!" Tears streaming down his face, he collapsed onto his belly on the riverbank.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 9:24 am
"Oh...Oh Damu." She sniffed and wiped furiously at her eyes with a paw. Why did she have to cry? She had to be strong for her brother now! She had to protect him! She sighed deeply and dropped her ears low. "What are we going to do?" She whispered.
She thought of mother and father and her heart clenched. She had never been very close to father, though she adored him with all her heart and Damu was right...mother seemed almost a stranger now. It was one of Hababuu's goals to get to know her parents better, she loved them more than anything but...she seemed to have missed out on a lot with them. It was her fault of course, she'd always been swooning around, playing in the water or off with her twin. She'd neglected her other siblings too, regretfully.
"Mother still loves you Damu, father does too. But you're right, they might not understand." But then, who could they go to for help? She started at his yell, but didn't cower. She had no reason to fear him. "Damu." Her bottom lip trembled. "We have to help it go away." But her fears were growing. What if Damu was sick, terribly ill? Who could they go to to find a cure? She didn't know. Panic had her heart racing and her breath rasping.
"Is there somewhere we can go? To...to find out what it is?" She lay next to him, pressing herself to him. "Please don't cry Damu, I'll be here to help you. I'll keep that horrible voice away." But how? How could she help him?
For the first time in her life, Hababuu felt completely helpless.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:00 am
His face buried between his paws, Damu's voice was muffled. "I don't know what we're going to do. I don't know if there is anything we can do." He rubbed violently at his own earth-toned eyes. This was no time to be crying over something that most likely couldn't be fixed. They were just going to have to figure out how exactly to hide it from everyone.
But could he hide it entirely? Njozi seemed to be popping up quite often around him, and his mother kept giving him concerned looks every time she came near. Yet, his parents did have a new litter of cubs. They would be occupied with them. His older siblings didn't matter as much, as he'd never spent much time around them in the first place. He loathed Azima, and tolerated his other sisters. Yet, he had no desire to grow closer with his family.
He leaned his large frame against hers, his voice still ragged from the outburst of frustrated sobbing. "I know they both still love me, but there's no way they can understand. Mother will just keep looking at me sympathetically, and father will just ignore it." He laughed, though it was completely joyless. "I don't know what to do Haba. I've never heard of anything like this before, and I'm too afraid it would frighten the rest of the pride if they found out. It certainly isn't normal to hear voices." And he hated to admit it, but he was terrified to leave their pridelands. The world was huge beyond their borders, and he wasn't ready to face that yet.
The large mocha lion leaned over, nuzzling his sister. It made his heart swell to see her concern for him, her love for him. He knew that as long as she was with him, perhaps a small portion of his sickness could be stilled. A small, sad smile came over his muzzle. "Enough talk of this. There's nothing to do about it right now. It can wait." He nudged her with his nose. "I do have a surprise for you, though," he said, forcing his voice to sound happy.
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:10 am
She was comforted by their closeness but nothing could stop that fear now. Damu couldn't leave. She wouldn't let him. She'd stop and drag him back from the gates of heaven if she had to. She would not let him go. She nuzzled her face close to his shoulder, smiling softly as his growing mane tickled her nose.
"I'll always be here. I'll protect you Damu." And she meant it. She might have been smaller and weaker than he was, but her heart was good and strong. She would follow him wherever he went and she would sacrifice herself for him if need be.
"Our parents are certainly odd." She smiled. "But I think that's nice." Her tail curled. "They make such a cute couple." Then she brightened and she turned to look into his eyes.
Their eyes. If they had both been born girls, their fur may have been exactly the same but their eyes would not. Damu had a much stronger, darker glint to his eyes. There was power in there which her own eyes lacked. Whoever said that the eyes were windows into the soul was right, or so Haba liked to think.
"A susprise?" She squeaked. "For me?" She purred and rolled onto her back, patting his nose with a forepaw. "What is it?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 5:57 pm
Somehow, Damu knew that what she said was true. She was much smaller than him, but there was more of a bond there than most twins ever dreamed of. He would lay down his life for Haba in a heartbeat, and do it gladly as well. He snorted at what she said about their parents, yet a small smile did creep over his muzzle. "If you count arguing constantly and beating each other up as cute."
If his eyes did show the depths of his soul, Damu never wanted to look at his reflection ever again. There was something in there that scared him to death, something beyond just normal strength. There was an edge to his stare, an edge that sometimes broke out in his voice or actions. Those moments frightened him - he didn't know, at those moments, whether he could stop whatever he was doing and would simply plummet over the edge. He didn't want to know what he'd see himself, and he certainly had no desire to know what others saw in his earthy eyes.
He nipped at her paw, a genuine smile finally coming to his face. He loved making his sister happy - it was what he lived for, really. "Can't tell you yet. It isn't finished," he said, poking his tongue out at her. "But I can tell you that you'll like it and that it's very pretty." He flicked his tail, plunking it down across his twin's belly, tickling her with the tip.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:20 am
She pouted, widening her eyes and dropping her ears. "Oh Damoo." She put on a mock sulky voice. "But that's sooo mean." She reached to bat at his face again. "I'm going to be thinking about it all the time now!" And she would. Somethign pretty? Maybe a feather or a stone or a shell, just like the gift she had given him. Or maybe it was something else, something rare and unusual. She sighed dreamily and let her mind wander over something that was far more cheerful than her previous thoughts.
"I can't wait to see what it is." She smiled eventually, dropping the pout and giggling as his tail tickled her stomach. She rolled onto her side, flapping her tail happily against the ground.
"I've decided on something." She replied, looking up at him. "Something that gives my life a purpose. Other lionesses have mates or cubs or a pride to keep. But I don't have any of those things." She wasn't bothered either, not anymore. "So I'll make you my purpose in life because I have something far more special than a mate or a cub. I have a twin." She smiled. "I'll make you a promise today Damu'jicho." She stood then and looked into his eyes, those eyes that were different from hers.
"I promise that if ever you're in trouble, if ever you are lonely or afraid, no matter where you are, I'll find you. I'll be by your side." She breathed. "Other siblings might fade away with time, but that can't happen with us, Damu. I won't let it. From now on, I'll protect you with the best of my abilities." She nodded.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 11:50 am
He chuckled lightly, bumping his nose into the paw that reached for his face. "That's the point. I only hope it lives up to your expectations." He let his tail come to rest against her side.
As Haba stood, he tilted back his head to look up at her. His heart swelled as she spoke, and his normally hard eyes softened quite a bit. He spoke quietly in return, "You've always been my life's purpose, Haba, and I swear to you that I'll never leave you." He stood then, as well, his mammoth size almost dwarfing his smaller sister. "If anything ever hurt you or happened to you, I would die. I can't exist without you, and I promise that you'll never be alone or scared for the rest of your life." He believed it, too. Damu felt that twins shared the same soul, and that if one ceased to exist, or if they were separated for too long, the other would only be able to live a half life, an empty life. "I'll always protect you, Haba," he purred, leaning his head down to rest his forehead against hers. Who could ask for better protection than a devoted, very large brother?
Smiling, he broke the sweet, solemn moment. "Now, I want you to stay right here. I have to finish up your present, but it shouldn't take me too long. I'll be right back," he said, planting a quick, rough kiss on her forehead. The young male turned, then, back towards the direction he came.
Yet, he paused as he was half-hidden by tall reeds and looked back over his shoulder. There was almost a sad undertone to his smile and his voice as he spoke. "I love you Haba," he called back softly. And with that, he trotted off down the riverbank.
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