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 Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:27 am
"Are you ready?" She called back. She had decided to take a walk with her dark pelted son that day, leaving the sleeping Jua back in the den. They'd not be far so she knew it would be okay, though the elderly mother did still fret.
However, deep down she knew nothing could happen to them, not whilst they lived as Finar-si's hope. She purred contentedly, turning her head to glance at the rising sun. She had chosen early morning to begin their exploration for the one reason that it wouldn't be so hot. Firekin tended to doze during the hottest hours of the day, becoming most active in the morning and evening.
"Where would you like to do first, flameling?" She asked, cheerfully. If she had thought she'd ever be a proper mother she would have laughed. But here she was, the mother of thre--- two. She pushed thoughts of her slave son far away, afraid it would bring sadness to spoil this otherwise cheerful day.
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:48 am
Wakia was extremely excited but still had to stifle a yawn as he emerged from their den, he took a final glance back at his sister and bound up to his mother's hind legs nearly bumping into her.
"Ready!" He chimed excitedly trying to look everywhere at once, things that he had seen before still were exciting, exotic, and new because when you're little attention spans were zero, but this time, this time peering out he knew how to file things away in his inner cave, a place where he day dreamed and thought about the wonderful stories mother told.
"I want to see everything," he exclaimed his orange eyes sparkling excitedly, "where is your favorite place, mama, can you show me that? Is it close?" He was as the saying goes 'wide eyed and bushy tailed' this morning, with stifled yawns lurking beneath.
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:58 am
Ripuka nodded, rubbing the flat of her head against her son's back. Oh he was so full of life, so healthy and strong. She wished, in vain, that this innocence would stay with him. But being born a Firekin meant that innocence only meant death. For now, whilst he was young, however, she would try to keep him like this for as long as possible. She would shelter and watch over him for as long as he would allow.
"Then let's go." She purred. "My favourite place? I expect my favourite place is the same as most Firekin. The waterhole. It's the source of life and as long as it exists the Firekin will never die." She paused to glance out across the land. "Maybe you'll fin dyour own favourite place in time." He smiled. "Let's start at the water then." And she moved easily across the sand, flowing over it's surface as if she were a part of the desert.
"How does the sand feel? You'll get used to it soon enough." She laughed, remembering faintly the first time she had walked out on the sands. They had been hot and uncomfortable between her toes but she had soon grown to love it. "The climate here will drain your energy at first. The heat, the few hunting lands, the lack of water and the sand, but in time it will make you strong. You will learn to be a survivor."
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:58 pm
He looked completely delighted a sparkle of hope and enlightenment twinkling in his eyes. His mother was going to show him her favorite spot, the watering hole, now what is that? He thought inwardly, wateringhole, I guess we will see wont we? He had only eaten from his mother's breasts and this being his first time out he had never seen or heard of such a thing.
"The sand feels squishy, like I will slip and fall over," he giggled happily s he walked after her happily, "Like you said I have your blood within me, and I am a firekin, I wont ever get tired, I'm the best!" He exclaimed excitedly hoping that it was exactly what her mother wanted to hear, but he took what he said and stuffed it within himself hoping to remember it later, "Of course I will survive, you teaching me will make me strong."
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:59 am
And he was right. Those simple words made Ripuka happier than even the cub could understand. To here such pride, such innocent joy at finding out that you held such power within your young grasp. Her eyes sparkled with tears and inwardly she thought about her own parents, Paytah and Nui'lua. Would they be proud of her children? She knew deep down that they would be. For she had, after all, born into the world the true spirit of the Firekin.
She nuzzled the little tuft of fur between her son's ears, purring happily. "Give it time Wakia and the sand will grow to become a part of you. The sand protects us because only Firekin alone can walk on it with courage."
"You'll come across the outsiders at some point little Wakia. We call those who stay with us slaves. They walk with laughable clumsiness and some die from the heat. They are useless except for their amusement to us. For we who flourish under the sun watch in disgust as the outsiders wilt and die." She realised then that her son might not understand what death was.
"And death is the end of life Wakia. Death means no more living, mo more breathing. Death is not an option for a firekin. We live and we shine and burn. Death is a sleep that you never wake up from. Dark, dreamless and empty." She nuzzled him. "But do not worry about that. I will protect you and then one day you will be big enough to protect yourself."
She glanced up. The waterhole was coming into view and she purred happily. "There is the watering hole, Wakia. See how it shines?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:05 pm
He listened with vague cublike understanding, he knew some of the words and meanings she said but only took few of them to heart. Slaves were those that were not us, and they did something he did not...died, death? He knew little of this concept even if she tried her best to explain it, but was determined to ask. He stood still as she nuzzled him and stretched up to give her a small lick under the chin. His mother was everything, and her knowledge of everything made him want to come to understand.
He meant to open his mouth and ask of death and her protection but was so excited to find her favorite place. Leaving caution of the sands to the wind and with cub like bravery he started running enthusiastically slipping and sliding on the sands towards the place his mother pointed out.
"Bet, I'll beat you there!"
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:05 am
This was all she had ever really wanted. All she had ever really hoped for. A little family of her very own. The cubs were hers to shape and form alone, no mate to get in her way, though she had to admit she secretly wished Makaa was here with her.
But he would return someday and then his cubs would see what a wonderful lion he was.
She raised her fiery tail and trotted after her son, finding an incredible, heat-warming joy in the way he moved across the sand. Soon that would change. Soon he would flow with the sand rather than against it.
"Wakia!" She called, trotting at his heels. "See, you're already getting the idea." She slowed even further as the rim of the pool rose to meet them and gave a quick warning in case her enthusiastic son ran a little too far. "Careful now, don't fall." She was turning into her mother, she realised, remembering Nui'lua's own warnings.
She smiled. "You're stronger already Wakia. Soon you will be the strongest of all."
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 8:16 pm
Ripuka's words must have been the magic words to cause small firekin sons to fall down because instantly he tripped in the unfamiliar landscape and tumbled towards the water. He slip on the sand and stopped in a small mound inches from the water. Grumbling and quite embarrassed because his mother saw his fall.
"Oh, sory!" He mumbled through a mouthful of sand, "I won though, didn't I?" He giggled and looked up to where his mother was. He had scrapped his thigh badly against a rock and whimpered to his mother trying to still seem brave and big.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:19 am
She smiled at his childlike clumsiness, a trait that would be lost with age. It was endearing sweet and such faults only made a mother love her son more. She purred, nodded her great, square jaw and nudged at his warm side with her nose. "You did." She agreed, nosing carefully at the graze on his leg.
"But we must never forget, that whilst we learn to adapt living here, the desert is harsh. It will not go easy on us just because we are Firekin. It is forever testing us." She licked the mark to ease any pain that might be there, taking note not to make too much fuss. He wouldn't want that.
Then, when the wound was clean enough she nuzzled the side of her face against him and gave him a nudge to the water. "Here it is, flameling." She whispered. "The source of all life. Without this place, no one could live here, no matter how well we walk along the sand or learn the ways of our prey. So to the Firekin water is precious, a treasure." She licked the tuft of fur between his ears and then moved to drink.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:36 am
"I'll happily pass any test that the desert has for me, Mama," he murmured. Wincing as she cleaned his wound and proud he had won a race with a firekin adult, although how hard Ripuka tried to win was not a question to him, he of course won out of sheer skill. Arrogance at his age would be endearing, but as he aged it could become a problem.
At his mother's nudging and her words he stepped cautiously towards the water hole and watched as his mother drank. He leaned forward to take a sip himself and was shocked at the temperature of the water, he was used to his mother's milk which came to him a lot warmer than this.
"Water is the source of life for fire?" his small mind tried to wrap around the concept. But failed leaving him to watch his mother quizically.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:18 am
"I know you will Wakia, I can see the strength in you now. You will grow strong and so will your sister." She nuzzled the top of his head. "And our Goddess Finar-si will not be able to miss you amongst us, for your heart will beat true. Your heart along with the hearts of all those that are loyal will draw her back to the desert."
She lowered her voice a little. "Speak nothing of this, child, but something stirs among our own people, something corrupt. They see to leave behind traditions that have kept us alive for centuries. They wish to forget the stories that I have told you and Jua. Do not let them stray your heart from Finar-si, because if you do we are doomed. And..." She paused, somewhat ominously, "if one of these traitors approaches you, be sure to tell me or Kimeti. Weakness must be stamped from the pride and those who turn from the Goddess are surely weak." She hugged him close. "I'm sorry Wakia, you are young yet and probably not ready to hear of such things." She shook her head solemnly. "But I feel you deserve to know this because you are the future."
Then shaking her head as if ridding herself of an irritating fly, Ripuka returned to his original question. "Yes, this water feeds the fire. Not enough to extinguish it and not too little that the plants around it die. The water sustains our prey too, if it is neglected and dries up hunting would be near impossible in so harsh a climate as this."
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:06 pm
She made him beam with pride as always, knowing that he pleased her was the best sort of gift she could give him, even the knowledge she passed to him could not compete with his excitement at her acknowledgment of his strength. He shivered at the temperature of the water once more and stepped lightly over to her.
He leaned in to her hug and replied to her statements, the wheels in his mind could surely be seen turning as he grasped at the concepts she expressed. "I am not weak, no one could take me away from the traditions that you hold dear," he nodded jerkily to show his determination about this fact, "If anyone approaches me I will run to you of course, and I know you will deal with them!" He nodded again.
"Then we should hope the water never leaves?" He questioned her his orange eyes shifted to the water once more thinking about the things he was supposed to absorb. So much information for one day, and he knew there would be more. "Mama, why would others stray? Is it just weakness?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:26 am
Oh she was proud, so very proud. Her children were the best things that could have happened to her. They made her feel alive, young and useful. Her children were the finest to walk the sands! They were unwavering, beautiful Firekin with hearts as strong and untainted as the Firekin of old. The Firekin of Makadari’s reign.
Ripuka nodded warmly, purring as she hugged him close. “And soon, child, you will be big enough to take care of them yourself. You are growing so fast! You probably don’t notice it yourself, but it seems every day that greets us, you have grown just a little bit more.” She sighed deeply, warmly.
She nodded, slowly. “The water has not deserted us yet but that does not mean it won’t. But such things cannot be controlled by us, not even Finar-si. All we can hope is that the weather looks kindly upon us.” She curled her tail around him. “Do not be troubled, Wakia. If the worst does happen we will survive as we always have.”
She paused and thought a little before answering his question. She liked to be honest with her answers, give words that she believed in herself. So she did and she told Wakia something she had never told anyone before.
“I’m going to tell you something now Wakia, something that I have not breathed a word to anyone before. Not your father, not my parents nor any of my most trusted friends. I’m going to tell you because it is the only way I can answer your question in a way that puts everything into perspective.” She paused, it hurt to think of her past, of her own treachery. Sure, she had made up for it since then, but it was always in the back of her mind, haunting her.
“When I was a little older than yourself, I strayed from traditions myself.” She hesitated but continued, her voice firm. “I brought shame upon myself and my parents – though they never knew it.” She paused, wondering if she should speak of such things. Maybe Wakia would think less of her? But if her own information could help bring to light what certain members of the pride were doing now, maybe something could be done before it was too late. “And realising too late what I had done, I left the Pride I loved and wandered as a rogue. I lost my eye to one of those fools, picking a fight with me so that they could tell their water-bloated friends they had won a fight against a legendary Firekin. I hated it and I suffered, but my suffering would be my repentance. I lost my eye, gained many scars that now lie covered beneath my pelt. And then, one day as I wandered I heard about the peril of our Pride, heard that the Firekin were a dying breed. Many perished in the plague and the bloodlines had shrivelled till there was barely a handful left. It was then that I realised Finar-si had forgiven me. She had given me the message that I was needed and so I returned here to the lands.” Her face was serious. “And I never turned from Finar-si again. For she brought me from the rogues to the land that I love. She welcomed me home.”
She turned her gaze upon him, on his orange-rimmed eyes and smiled, faintly. “Wakia, there is a weakness in everyone, a weakness that every lion is born with. I think now, that Finar-si made us with this flaw to sort the strong from the weak. I was weak but I overcame that weakness and was therefore welcomed back into the heart of the desert, stronger than I was before. Kidondo, the betrayer, was born with a weakness just as I was. Yet where as I fought against it, he embraced it, his weakness was a lack of faith. He could not see Finar-si so he had no reason to believe in her. But, Wakia, we cannot see the wind, yet we see the sand whip violently in the air. We cannot see Finar-si, but we can see her spirit in every one of our brethren.” She shook her head grimly.
“But worse, Kidondo uses this flaw of his to manipulate other Firekin weaknesses.” Ripuka dug her claws into the sand. “But if I can be turned back to the light, then so can they. We must remain strong so that we can entice them back to Finar-si’s loving embrace. A fight will come, my son, to these very lands. I sense it in the sand beneath my paws. The throb of battle pulsing through the grain. I mean to fight these weak souls, I wish to gather them and bring them back to their senses.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:21 am
His eyes widened in disbeleif that Ripuka would leave the firekin and bring any sort of ill will on herself, the blind loyalty he felt to Ripuka would not allow him to see fault in her, and as she spoke of her faults for the first time Wakia questioned himself as a firekin, he had blind faith in her there for blind faith in her beliefs, but if she could stray, then so could he. What if the traitors made tempting offers? Would he sucomb? Surely not, because he feared the wrath of the desert and Finar-si. If he stayed in the ways he was taught, even as a young growing cub he knew he would never be disappointed.
"My faith in you is....I don't even kno a word for, a feeling inside of my that makes me know that as long as I trust and love you, I will be fine. You try and tell me stories of old, but this story, the story of a part of you is the greatest," his voice was filled with awe and recognition that by telling him she was giving him a great piece of information, but what use was it to him but to make him question more? He was speaking with a wisdom far beyong his years, and this moment would be a pivotal part of his life and wisdom to come.
"If you fight, will you be harmed?" His eyes turned away from her as he said this, he knew the answer..or at least thought he did but it was best to hear it from her.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:56 pm
She gave him a tender lick between the eyes and smiled fondly. Oh how much she loved her children. They were the greatest blessing that Finar-si could have given her. A proper family of her very own, cubs that were a part of her.
Her good eye shone with love for him. "Me too Wakia. My faith in you will never waver. You have a good head on your shoulders and a strong heart beating in your chest." She nuzzled the fur between his ears. "You'll have stories of your own to tell in time, stories that you can pass on to your most trusted children." She purred, though it died at the cub's question.
She couldn't lie to him. She could never lie to him, not when he was looking at her so and not when this was important.
She drew him close again, sighing. "I may be hurt child, I may. But remember this Wakia. Any injury gained defending Finar-si's honour is not something to fear or weep at. No, it is a sign of our faith, a sign that we fought and we survived. It is an honour for any Firekin to fight or die for their Goddess." She stood then and turned, eyes up to the sky.
"Come, let's get back to the den. Your sister may be wondering where we have gotten to, and there is always tomorrow for stories." She smiled, looking down at her dark-pelted son.
"You are strong Wakia, whatever happens to me or the pride in the future will only make you stronger. Never forget the ways that history has taught you. Use your head then use your claws. Fight and defend your beliefs with honour. One day I will not be here beside you. I cannot tell you when that day is, but when it does arrive do not let it weaken your spirit. I know you will make me proud." She drew in a deep breath and started back for the den, looking back to make sure he was okay.
Her son. He was her son and she was so very proud of him.
(( Aw I love Wakia <3 !! Danzi, Wakia's dad, is back in the lands at the moment. Would you be interested in a family RP at some point? ))
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