|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:57 pm
(Please note: This takes place outside of the central lands, but still inside of the UW borders, in the jungle surrounding the canyon walls.) It had been a long time since Juu had stepped through these lands, through the jungle. His stomache twisted with each step, letting the leaves and grasses crunch underneath his mighty paws. He had grown in the time that had passed. The trees saw him not as a bumbling adolescent trying to find his way, but an adult, his large white mane gracing his shoulders. He wasn't the full adult that he could be, but Juu might never be anything when he was not in his home lands. While he liked what he met and saw, there just wasn't anything like him. He did have one more stop before he finished his quest.
And it was here. Tarajia.
Would she be here? Half of him assumed that she would forget their promise, or that he had not come at the right time and disappointed her. Each step was harder as he reached where the waterfall was, his heart wanting to see, but his eyes refusing to look. Instead, they stared at his dark brown paws with each step he took. He was almost there, and he felt like he was going to throw up.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:15 pm
She'd done a lot of thinking on the way here; each pawprint towards the wall was heavy with memory. At first she'd been drawn here in anger, her desire to find Ohahira burning strong. Hasana would know where her daughter was... if Hahi wasn't there WITH her. Tara had planned out the meeting, the sharp words she'd use as weapons coming easily to her tongue. But as the weeks passed the anger and bitterness faded...
... and was replaced with a strange melancholy.
So much had happened since the last time she'd set foot in these lands. She'd grown up both physically and mentally, and seen so many things. Her mind drifted back, and an image of Ohahira rose to the surface - a young, grinning Hahi. What had gone wrong? Everything had seemed so cut and dried at first; leave, and find a place to be loved for who she was. Not who she wasn't, or could have been. She was the one who was wronged... right? She just wanted to break clean and start fresh.
Instead she'd come to realize the ties of family were far stronger than she'd ever though; she'd left an invisible trail of destruction behind her. Hasana, Nyu, Hahi... even Rune. For so long Tara'd though it was them, but maybe it was her. She'd done so much harm, and it was irrevocable and unforgivable. All she seemed to do well was run away.
The thought saddened her.
No wall of bitterness rose up in defense this time - she wondered wryly if she'd just used it all up. No shield left to brandish defiantly at the world. The lioness paused, eyes seeking out the soaring rock wall that marked the Unity Walker lands. She'd skulked in this jungle for a few days now, searching for the courage to meet with Hasa - ... with her mother. So far, it eluded her.
Today was no different than any of the other days; still fear and shame ripped at her heart when she pictured the zebra-stripped lioness. But this day she had a different destination, and the thought of it brought her hope, though faint it was. The boy she'd met here so long ago... maybe he'd remembered their promise. He'd seemed so nice, and he was the only one who wasn't associated with painful memories. Strange, how her paws felt like stone, how her stomach flittered inside her as she took the final steps towards the old meeting spot. There wasn't any magic in the world, she would tell him. Not unless you could make your own.
Her eyes scoured the jungle undergrowth, ears straining for the sound of approaching paws.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:26 pm
Juu's paws slowly stopped. Why? It forced his head to rise, for his dark olive eyes to look up, look at what was around him. Aaah, he thought. I'm here. His stomache still fluttering with mixed emotions, he scanned the area to see...not much. The jungle still looked exactly the same as he had remembered it, just a little bit smaller. Well, maybe a litter thicker as well; plants never seemed to stop growing.
He sat himself down with a huff. Well, she wasn't here. A piece of him pushed on, telling him that maybe he was just early! Stop being so down, your mother wouldn't like that about you! He swatted away the feeling. Well, he would at least wait for a while. A while meaning days, or even weeks if he had to. Juu was a little too good on his word, he would admit himself.
Just as soon as he had sat down, though, he decided to pull himself and get a drink. Why not? There was water right at his paws, he might as well. The lion gave a groan as he crouched down, feeling the soreness of miles walked. He dipped his maw in the water, letting it soak before he began to drink. It tasted so clean, so pure, enough that it washed away a lot of the negative feelings that clouded his heart.
She would come, is what it said.
He at least needed to say hello to her once more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:39 pm
Silence met her, and her ears flattened in dismay. He wasn't here...
The lioness was surprised to find her throat tightening with grief; she hadn't realized how much this meeting meant to her, and it irritated her. What was she thinking? They were children when they'd made that promise - and a child's word was as fickle as the wind.
You should have expected it, idiot. She heaved a thick sigh and shook her head angrily. This was stupid! The world wasn't what you wanted, or what you expected - it was what it was; hard, unforgiving, and uncaring. You made your own way and couldn't depend on anyone else.
Her ears flickered forwards, the sound of running water reaching her.
A drink before she left, then. She thought of her mother and her heart shivered. No courage there - only cowardice. She would run again, she knew. She could feel the fear spreading down her spine, fueling her muscles with a need to flee...
Her muzzle dipped to the cool water at her feet and she drank deeply. A noise reached her from downstream and she glanced up, ready to rebuff any greeting and get out before she was trapped --!
"... Juu?!"
Or at least, that's what she meant to say. What came out was little more than a half-strangled cry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 10:19 pm
Juu's brown ears flicked, picking up the light sound of his name. Huh? The male slowly lifted his head up, a bit unconcerned and still lost in his thoughts, water dripping from his lower jaw. His dazed look was violently shaken away when his eyes came across her.
"Tara!" he cried, his body tense, unwilling to move. While his eyes saw, this time his heart did not accpet it so quickly. Was it really her? It was hard to believe that this was the same Tara in his memory. She...she had grown! He knew that she would have to grow, but...but...
Slowly his body began to unlock itself, his joints before his paws. He rubbed at his chin a bit, trying to wipe off the last bits of dripping water that was, in the least, quite embarassing. He didn't quite know what to stay, shifting around as that boyish shyness peeked back through his adult form. Well, at least he would be able to say hello again.
"Uhh....umm...H-h..."
If he could even get the words out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:51 am
Juu looked so surprised, standing there with the water dripping off his chin! Tara couldn't help it; she giggled. She didn't know if she'd missed him, but she was sure glad he was here. Same soft brown coat, same white tail tuft and ... mane?
They'd both grown so much since the last time!
"Hello to you too." She grinned cheekily and trotted up to him. Her previous disappointment and anger all but disappeared, lost in a wave of sheer relief. She plopped down next to him, her eyes bright with joy. She had so much to share...
Fear sparked. Hopefully he would understand. Tara looked away for a moment and swallowed hard.
"So... how're you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 10:11 am
Juu's cheeks flushed again when Tara sat right next to him. His mind was getting a little jumbled; so she really was here! And, wow, she uhh....really had grown. Juu hid the urge to smack himself before really tuning in to Tara's words.
How was he? He....really didn't know. He gave off a small goofy laugh before replying to Tara, feeling energized from the light in her eyes.
"Well, uhhh. I was still looking for my name for a really long time, nothing really special. My paws have carried me further then I ever thought imaginable, though." He glanced down at his dark paws, rolling them over to look at the rough padding, flexing them before settling them back down again. "I must admit, I've seen much, and heard much, but I still don't feel much different." He stared out at the water in front of them for a moment before turning to Tara, curious.
"What...about you?"
He asked quietly, as he could tell that something wasn't quite right with her, but he hadn't the faintest idea as to why.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:10 pm
There was so much that she could say, but all the words seemed to gather in her throat and clog it. For a moment she struggled to free them, but they were uncooperative; in the end she settled on a simple answer.
"I'm better, now that I'm here."
And she was surprised to feel how true those words were. It meant so much to her, that he would remember her after all this time. HER. Not the person she'd tried to be for so long, but the person she really was. And that he would come back to see her again...! Even if he was just fulfilling a promise.
"I'm glad you remembered, Juu." She laughed outloud then, happiness rippling through her like like a current. "It... really means a lot to me."
Rune wouldn't have done this for her, THAT'S for sure. He would have laughed at her, called her an idiot, and probably gone off hunting or something. Now she knew there were good lions out there, beyond her family. Ones that actually cared...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:59 pm
"Of course I remembered," he started, not really thinking. Just...speaking. "It meant a lot to me when we made that promise. Just think, me not knowing anyone or anything, and making a promise to meet again? Of course I would."
He still felt pretty exposed in the bareness of these lands, the cover of the swamplands something that he took for granted for way too long. Oh, this dry heat wasn't that easy to get used to, either. He missed the muggy feeling of the damn air on his coat. The jungle was sort of like it, but just not quite home.
He still hadn't made too many friend, either, so Tara meant a lot to him. And, well....yeah. "I'm glad that you feel better, though," he said through his smile. "That's always good."
He stared at her for a little longer; wow, she really had grown. Ugh, he shouldn't stare though! Embarassment flushed into his cheeks again. "Y-you seem...prettier now, too, Tara."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:23 pm
Tara's heart fluttered, her eyes widening as she took in Juu's words. No one... had ever really told her something like that. Pretty? Her mother was pretty, and her sisters were, but... her? Juu looked so sincere...
She couldn't help it. She felt her face grow warm as she blushed under her fur. It was like she was little again, but even when she was a cub she was bursting with confidence. Now she felt unsure, nervous even.
"Um... t-thanks." She smiled shyly, eyes flickering to the swift-moving stream next to them. What did you say to that? Maybe... uh... "Your mane is very big now!"
... erm. Not quite what she'd been aiming for. Second try:
"And, um, I... I really like it!" She added quickly, certain that her face was steaming. She giggled then, at the awkwardness of it all. Strangely though, she felt no desire to leave. Quite the opposite, in fact.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:55 pm
"Wha?" Juu couldn't help but give out a nervous laugh. Big? Well, it was. "Thanks, I think. It's so white, though, it's almost embarassing." He stared at his paws below him, shifting the bits of sands into the little stream, watching them poof up in little clouds before disappearing in the water. Hmm.
Juu's eyes flickered towards Tara's face, trying to not make eye contact with her. It just...seemed like a little too much in this awkward moment if it did catch. But it was also a bit too hard to look away from her, too.
"Tara, you seem...thin. Are you sure you're better?" He didn't know what 'better' was, since you had to be something else to be better later. He would try to poke at it once more before dropping the matter. He really didn't want to seem pushy, and it might be the wrong moment but...he was worried. Worry wart.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:01 pm
"Why is white embarassing?" Personally, she thought it looked wonderful. But it probably got dirty really easily... not that she minded, of course. She was almost always dirty!
... speaking of which. Tara eyed her dull coat with a disdainful expression, then glanced back to Juu, wry grin on her face. She couldn't believe he was saying she looked pretty. She was in horrid condition - fur all dirty and streaked with sweat, her tail-tuft matted around the burrs that had become entangled in it.
"I... traveled a lot, made some bad choices. And I thought about a lot, too. But now I'm here, and I'm sure things will be good." Tara smiled softly and shifted position, hiding the awful scars that traced across her stomach and side. He would just worry more, and there was time enough to tell that story later, if he really wanted to hear it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 7:51 pm
Juu laughed, "'Cause it's what old lions have. I'm not old, am I?" He mocked a horrified look on his face before laughing at himself, knowing just how silly and stupid he was, but he was right! He wasn't that old, and yet he already have this huge mane of white hair. Well, maybe as long as the rest of him looked youthful and strong, he'd be alright and avoid some serious teasing.
Juu's curiousity nearly reached it's limit when Tara had mentioned some bad choices. Bad? She seemed so bright, intelligent, so how could she make bad choices? He knew that it was not his place to ask her, though, and so he wouldn't bring it up. If she ever felt like talking about it, well, then he would deal with it then. For now, he would just have to swallow his curiosity and keep it in. That was part of being an adult as well, ugh. So complicated!
"Well, I'm glad that you think things will be good. Honestly, I'm still feeling a bit goofy that you just happened to show up right after me." He glanced back down at the water, feeling stupid for bringing it up again, but he really didn't know what else to talk about. He wanted to tell her that he had finished his quest, but he was sure that only his mother was supposed to hear his name first. And so that would have to wait. But...hmmm... He poked around in his mind, just debating with himself for a moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:18 pm
"Oh... I guess so..." Honestly, Tara hadn't really seen it that way. After all, didn't Banji have a white mane? Of course, he might be old too, who knew? Not her.
"But you look young and strong! So no one will think that. Besides..." Tara grinned and winked. "Looking older isn't ALL bad. Maybe you'll get the respect you deserve!"
It was true - others tended to treat you like a cub if you didn't look like you were about to die. She shook her head clear of the irritating thoughts and turned her attention back to Juu. "Actually, I was here for a few days. Today I couldn't bear the thought of wandering around alone, so I thought maybe you'd be here." In honesty, she had been afraid of finding her family, of finding out what had happened since she'd left.
Beyond what Nyu had told her, of course.
She sat silently, content for the first time in a while. Overhead sunlight slanted through the jungle leaves, creating spots of light and shadow on the ground around them. So pretty! Too bad she could never live here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:12 pm
Juu's ear flicked as he listened to Tarajia. Well, obviously there were some parts that never changed. He smiled at her as he thought about it, still talking about how young the two of them were. It was too true! He still felt so young, like he didn't deserve the mane that had grown in. But sometimes nature just did what it wanted to do, and he got his mane before he was ready to be called a true lion.
He shook his head as he thought about his full mane, letting it fluff out as it rested back on his shoulders. So white, what a pain it would be to take care of once he got home! Home. Oh, how he did wish to go back, but now he was a little torn, with Tarajia here....did any of his sibilings make it back? He hoped that they were all okay, wherever they were.
"Tara...do you really feel older?" He was curious, because he felt like he hadn't grown at all, but there was something about Tara that made her seem more...mature. He was a little too deep in thought to really realize just how pretty the jungle was around the two of them. Men.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
