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 Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:59 am
Ameira did not have a particularly good feeling about the new Roho, although she wasn't frightened of her. She seemed different, much more deranged. Still, the offer of visiting the camp of her pride was too intriguing for the lioness to turn down. Roho had then remembered she had left a piece of meat out in the field, and so she had turned back, telling Ameira to go on without her. So she had.
The land wasn't exactly attractive. It was bland, barren even. She knew that some of the Southlands were very pretty, but most of the Tononeka land was certainly not. A lot of the ground was bare, dirt with some rocks and bones scattered around, and the tufts of grass that did grow were dry and yellow. Ameira guessed that she had met Roho on the border, where the grass was still fairly green and vegetation more plentiful.
She spotted an outcropping of rough, dull brown rocks, which she assumed hid the dens the pride used. Indeed, as she drew closer, she found that the air was heavy with the scent of lions, although there were only a few different scents. With her tail raised confidently, she padded closer, eyes sweeping around, taking in every detail.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 1:22 am
 A small waterfall of pebbles lightly showered down from one of the outcrops above, giving away the prescence of another lion. This one, however, was much more raggedy than the female, and though he was a young-adult, his eyes were weary and swollen. He was tired, scratched up and scabby, and not looking in the least eager to greet anyone, much less a strange visitor.
Grunting with what seemed like great effort, the lion shuffled down to meet her, eyeing her warily and fluffing up his mane in a weak attempt to intimidate.
"Bloody hell," he grunted, temper seemingly rising, "What a morning this has been. Fasa woke me up way too early, then that blooming gazelle escaped on me, and I ended up burning my tongue on water that's been sunned too long... and now... now this!"
Anyone would have mistaken him for an elderly man, if it had not been for his smooth face and arrogant swagger.
"What do you want? More importantly, who the heck are you? Seriously, you're tresspassing, woman... oh, damn, I'm not in the mood for this..."
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:33 pm
Ameira blinked at the scruffy male. "Oh? I could ask you the same thing. Who the hell are you? What do you want?"
She lifted her muzzle defiantly, staring him square in the eye. Although she did not know him, of course, he might've noticed something strangely familiar about her - the details of her face, the brightness in her eyes, the shape of her body. Of course, Ameira had no way of knowing that this ragged looking lion knew her sister on such an intimate level.
"I was sent here by Roho," she said coolly. "What about you? From what I know of her, she wouldn't associate with such trash." A smirk crept across her lips. She was not usually harsh with her words and merely saw the argument as a game, who could verbally best who.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:50 pm
Uovu stood sporting an air of similar defiance, though he did look a little indignant that a stranger, much less a girl stranger, had taken a stab at him.
"Uovu. Sentry. Tononeka," he offered bluntly, not bothering to offer any further explanation,"What do I want? Some peace and quiet, for one. Perhaps a good breakfast and a sleep-in would be nice."
He padded closer to her, and furrowed a brow, taking a deep breath to draw in the stranger's scent. If she were a Tononeka or strongly affiliated with Roho, wouldn't he know about her? He'd never seen the likes of this lady before, nor had he heard about her in passing conversation, and quite frankly he was beginning to regret that he now had.
"Another thing I want is to know who you are. Personally, I don't give a stuff," he shrugged, "But I'm not just going to let you walk on in here willy-nilly and waltz arou-"
"...sent here by Roho..."
Hang on. Was he hearing her right? Sent to the main camp by Roho herself?
'Dang it,' Uovu thought, rather unkindly, 'The ol' witch should be sleeping in her den, taking it easy. She must have gone walkabout again... at this rate, her wounds will never heal. But then, who listens to Uovu?,' he was bitter now, 'Who will take his advice?'
"What about you? From what I know of her, she wouldn't associate with such trash."
Uovu didn't like lionesses that spoke poisonous words. It was off-putting, and definitely angered him. True, Katavi herself was fierce, but this lioness was something else all together.
"Trash is right," he growled darkly, finding his mood worsening every time the female opened her smart mouth, "But it might interest you to know that such trash is actually one of Roho's right-hand men. Hey, why am I telling you this, anyway?" he screwed up his eyes in a tired scowl, as if he hadn't quite woken up from sleep, "If you're here for a reason then, especially on Roho's orders, then go about your business and be quick about it. I'd like to go back to sleep if you don't mind, I've been quite busy lately... so hurry it up, will you?"
He wasn't going to take his eyes off this one, no matter how tired he was. Even early in the morning after an uneasy sleep, he still remained dutiful to his lord. Uovu knew that he still had a job to do.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:15 pm
"Me? Oh, how kind of you to ask," she quipped back. "My name is Ameira and quite frankly, I'm closer and more important to Roho than you'll ever be." Did she know that for sure? Of course not. For all she knew, this riffraff was Roho's mate, although she shuddered to think of such a thing. But the lion seemed to like to talk big, and so Ameira decided to play his game.
"Well, I'm sure being Roho's right-hand man is all well and good," she said slyly, her mind racing as she spoke. "But I don't think anyone is quite as important as her own daughter, don't you think?" She was careful not to mention the word 'adopted', hoping to lead him into the false belief that she was of his leader's blood. "And surely she wouldn't be too pleased if she found out her daughter was treated so abrasively. Certainly you agree?"
She flicked her tail, grinning inwardly. "I don't have any specific business to go about, so I'm afraid I can't just hurry up. I've been invited by the queen herself to learn more about the pride and potentially join." Quick thinking brought about her exaggerating and her white lies. "Of course, if the sentry thinks that I am unfit, then I'll go tell Roho that you turned me away and that I'll be on my way now..."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:45 pm
"My name is Ameira and quite frankly, I'm closer and more important to Roho than you'll ever be."
"Perhaps," Uovu muttered, a sudden feeling of self-doubt eating away at his confidence. He felt as if he were a crumbling rock being eroded by Ameira's words - a set of oncoming waves, they were, clashing against him and stealing his strength with every harsh beating they gave him.
Not knowing this woman's identity was agonising in a sense that Uovu didn't know what to do. He had no clue where to turn, whether to leave her be, give her space or simply send her on her way. He found himself yearning to know who she was... until he heard the words 'Roho' and 'daughter' in the same sentence, and immediately wished for a large, pointed rock with sharp corners that he could bash his head against.
"Her... daughter?"
Uovu's tail drooped, and he stood for a moment in frozen shock, eyes wide and mouth agape. How could he not know that Roho had another daughter? And when had she... but how could she...? Uovu tried to think hard to answer the questions racing through his head, but nothing - no instant answers or solutions - could come to mind, and he found himself simply imagining some very strange situations as to how Ameira may have come about.
"But you're... older than the others," he spluttered. Slowly, he pulled himself together again, and a rising suspicion started working it's way up around and into his brain, until it reached and rolled off his tongue in some very malevolent words, "You could be lying, for all I know. Who's your father, then, Ameira? Some rogue, I presume?"
His eyes glinted with cold cynicism - he would not be fooled that easily, ha! He was Uovu, as sharp as clever as the next guy... but then, what if she was Roho's daughter? There was the chance of it being a possibility... and being rude and giving Ameira the cold shoulder would get him into strife with Roho for sure. The doubt piled up all over and again, and Uovu gave up.
"Daughter or not, you are not Roho," he found himself saying with another shrug, "It's shocking news, I'll admit, but fine. I'll allow you to poke your nose around camp, and I'll bear your little uppity act for now..." he bared his teeth, "But if you're a liar, I swear I'll have your neck, little missy."
He turned around suddenly, swinging his head aggressively away for a moment, then reverted his gaze upon her with angry eyes that could be read as, 'I'll play tour guide for now, but I still don't like you.'
"Would you like to see the dens first, or the meat pile, princess?" he asked, unenthusiastically. What a day.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:02 am
"Older than the others?" She assumed that he was referring to the cubs Roho had told her of. "Yes, well..."
She felt a sudden, unexpected jab of pity for the lion, who seemed utterly frazzled, confused, and desparate not to screw up. Having been through a similar stage herself, she decided to relent.
"I'm not Roho's daughter," Ameira said. "Well, I am, but I'm not. My parents were stupid, scruffy rogues who abandoned their two cubs as soon as they were born. My sister was taken in by some lioness and I was taken in my Roho. She nursed me until I was old enough to be on my own, and once I was old enough, I left. I had things of my own to do. I decided to come back to find what came of Roho, how she was doing, you know, all those things."
"I'm sure that you've figured out by now that, blood related or not, I was raised by Roho and so I'm not going to tolerate any crap. But as long as you don't annoy the hell out of me, then I'll leave you alone in return."
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 11:48 pm
"Gee, thanks," Uovu shot darkly, but he was glad that Ameira had shown some mercy, as he was honestly much too exhausted to play a battle of wits today, "Well, that's a real sob-story, ma'am, but you don't have to go on and on about it. I believe you, I believe you, you've made your point. Now, I'll ask you, lady, once more... where do you want me to take you?"
Perhaps he should've been more to the point. He let his voice fall to a dangerous whisper.
"What do you want me to do? Other than 'behave myself', be a bloody tour-guide and attend to your every whim?"
It was unlike Uovu to be so insensitive, but clearly he'd had enough on this occassion. He couldn't give a toss about Roho's past anymore... after all, it was enough looking after her in the present to care about her history. Still, perhaps he should watch himself. A sharp tongue could get him into trouble, and Ameira was no p***y-cat. If he pushed her too far, she'd bite back. Harder. Maybe drawing some blood if she could.
"What I meant to say before," he swiftly corrected himself, "Was to say that you won't have to tolerate any crap from me. Well, not much, anyway. I'll give it a go."
He shrugged. What more could he say?
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