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 Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:07 pm
There weren't any snakes there.
That's the only thing that crossed the young lioness' mind as she sat on the arid sand and frowned beneath the skull that always seemed to cover her features. How was she expected to get poison if there weren't any snakes there, "Hmmm..." after a moment further of glaring, an ear flickered, her brown hued gaze shifting towards the distance.
"Bazi!"
The voice came from the distance, the horizon and the young female narrowed her eyes in the setting sun; oh she knew whom was calling for her, but it was always just slightly... amusing to think it was someone else.
"Jambazi! You answer this moment, young lady!" the voice was insistant and soon enough, the form of an older lioness sketched itself in the blurry horizon.
"Here, aunt Sukari; I thought I saw a snake."
A sigh escaped Sukari as she approached; it wasn't usual that Bazi strayed from her side, and when the young cub did, it always made the dark brown general rather paranoid, "Don't stay so far when we're on patrol, young lady!" she frowned down at the cub as she reached her side, eyes narrowing. The cub in question tilted her head and offered the older lioness an eeriely soft smile under the skull.
"Sorry, Aunt Sukari... it just moved away quickly. It wasn't a snake though. It was just... a shadow."
Above them, perched on one of the massive stone structures that littered the Outlands desert, a rather large shadow indeed watched the strange skull-hooded child below. It was actually rather strange to see his father's mark some place other than in the water's reflection. Not that anything the God did surprised him anymore.
The figures down below wouldn't likely see him, he'd made certain of that. Not only was he hidden in a crevice near the top of the structure, his face and mane were dusted and thus blended into the rock as if they were nothing more than a reflection of light upon its surface. The wind was blowing into his face as well, keeping his scent from them.
All in all, the lion wasn't totally certain why he didn't want to be seen--he'd noticed the pride here a few days before, but there was something... odd about them. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but certain members, such as this cub, seemed to display touchings of his father. Beyond that, his dreams were unsettling.
A rather heavy gust of wind knocked into him and sent an errant termite straight into his face. The male pawed at it before he thought about it--and knew in an instant that if either looked up his cover had been blown entirely.
Needless to say the child had not noticed the 'spectre' watching them from above. She was, after all, still a child and had yet, much to learn. The older lioness, however, stiffened slightly just moments later, her eyes narrowing somewhat, though she made no move other than dip her head to grab the cub by the scruff of her neck, "Don't do that ever again," it was growled between the mouthful of pelt and skin she'd picked up.
Sukari hadn't seen anything; in fact, she hadn't even smelled anything. The older lioness had no idea anyone was even there, however, a sixth sense had struck her; it told her to walk away, haughtily, but briskly, almost as if she could sense someone there. It could be called paranoia... it could be called something else. Whatever it's name, the large female snorted and seemed about to leave with the cub, however, again she paused, her paws twitching. The male's cover had indeed been blown.
Setting Bazi down, Sukari lifted her head, looking towards the rocks, yet not at any particular place in question, "Show yourself," it was stated calmly and Bazi herself only gazed up languidly.
A section of the rocks might seem to shimmer for a second before it sharpened to show what it really was. No, there was no true illusion there, only a remarkable skill at hiding him--though it might have seemed like magic to one who wasn't used to how such things could be done. The male's eyes opened beyond the slights they'd been, now two sun-lit rubies shining off the surface of the rock.
Godlumthakathi'Onyekachukwu stared down at female and --her?--cub, one dark brow raised though they weren't liable to see it. "If the lady insists, I suppose I must." He waited to see her reaction--most screamed.
Though Sukari was far from impressed and merely narrowed her eyes, Bazi's reaction was quite different; the cub took a step forward confidently till the older lioness stepped on her tail to retain her, "Stay," she told the cub, her eyes never straying from the figure, whom had revealed itself to be a lion.
Bazi frowned slightly up at Sukari, but instantly turned back to the large male up on the rocks, her expression nostalgic, unreadable, "Dark?" it was called softly, a tilt of her head showing her confusion. Yes? No? She couldn't remember... she'd been so young, yet this form over them resembled the Dark so...
"Hardly," came Sukari's voice; she had no idea what Bazi was really talking about, but ignored it for the time being, "I don't insist; I demand," there was no scream, merely a frown and a soft growl at the fact she'd not noticed him there. Bazi was showing fascination, and not screaming or running for the hills like many-a-cub would've done.
So this one had met his father. Intriguing. The son of Darkness wished his wings were true, but indeed they were not. He slowly eased himself off of his ledge and dropped down lightly to the sand below. One female wasn't enough for him to worry over--if push came to shove he could always run away... or attack the cub. God didn't want it to come to that, but people were often forced into situations they didn't much care for.
"Perhaps," He replied to the girl in question. A white grin spread across his face and he winked at her. "Though he doesn't reveal himself to disbelievers."
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:12 am
The cub in question was still watching him intently from under the skull she wore; her usualy languid eyes were wide open, curiosity having seeped into their depths. Bazi never showed childish curiosity... and yet, there she was, watching the large black male like he'd come straight out of her dream, "Dark?" she called again, but as God moved, the wings edged upon his pelt became visible. They were.... markings.
No, not the Dark.
Instantly, the cub looked downhearted. Almost as if she'd suddenly been denied access to the cookie jar, and looked down at the floor, "No," she said without looking up at him, "Not him."
Sukari was, at this point, extremely confused, though she kept constant vigil on the male; she wasn't dumb. He was huge, and though she was a formidable opponent on normal circumstances, the sheer bulk of this male would be overpowering. Certainly thrilling on other circumstances, but she'd noticed the swift glance he's shifted towards Bazi. The general had already decided that if the large male made one strange move towards them, she'd grab Bazi and run; hardly a graceful move, to escape.... but she could not risk the younger female's life. Had she been on her own, perhaps... but not now, "Nonsense," she rasped from her place on the ground, wrinkling her nose in a sneer at the male.
"Nonsense?" He chuckled, a low voice not unlike his father's.. it was obvious where the girl had at least gotten her idea. His eyes were for the cub, though, not the female that was "protecting" her. Lowering his head, the skull-marked lion regarded Bazi with blood red eyes. "The child is smart, you would do well to listen to her.. even if she wasn't giving the warnings she should have been."
To the child he continued, "Not Dark... but close enough, I'd wager, for Dark isn't much these days. You would do well to find yourself a more active liege."
An ear flicked under her skull, and Bazi lifted her gaze to meet that of the male, her head tilting just so before she paused and sneezed rather randomly. A child at heart still,s he flopped herself into a sitting position, regarding the scene that had manged to display itself before her, "Active leige?" she seemed confused by the words, and she paused just momentarily to look up at Sukari, whom still loomed over her, as if asking for permission to pursue the subject.
When the larger lioness just snorted, her eyes still trained on the male, Bazi took that as an okay to go on, "What does that mean?" she asked, her eyes blinking, tail curled about her form. The disappointment had lasted a good 2 seconds before it'd been replaced by curiosity again; he wasn't Dark, but he seemed to know what she spoke of, "What does leige mean?"
Sukari, for her part, was having a hard time keeping her mouth shut and was, instead, occupying her time with glaring daggers at the male in question, "Warnings? Is there a warning she, or you should be giving me?" a sneer followed the words.
God's eyes flicked up towards the girl's protector. He was larger than her, but had the idea that she could still take a good chunk out of him--even if she couldn't hope to defeat him. At the moment he'd really rather not have that happen, and was far more interested in the cub his father had marked so obviously. A spike of jealousy went through his body but it dampened easily enough. After all, it wasn't the cub's fault. "Leige means the one who rules you; the one you listen to above all others, whose path you will always travel." He smirked, "I know perfectly well where you got that skull, just as I was given mine.... though by quite different means, I think." By his mind, that answered both females quite well.
"Oh?" still the cub seemed interested enough by the words, and her small ears twitched, not once, but twice, her body perking up even as she listened, "He doesn't rule me; he saved me," it was said innocently, and in a way, rather honestly, bluntly even, as if she held no shame, and no doubt of what she spoke of. Despite this, she nodded, as if she understood, at least somewhat, and she closed her eyes and smiled; it was odd to see the cub smile, and few, even in her pride, had ever seen her do so. It made her look innocent, even despite the skull and accessories she wore, and only accentuated the fact she was young, "That makes us..." she paused then, the smile faltering as she pondered this, then seemed to reach a conclusion, "Something. It makes us something."
Unlike the cub, Sukari wasn't all that pleased; her question hadn't been answered to her likings, and she wasn't enjoying the cryptics she was being handed, however, Bazi's smile had kept in place. It was odd to see the child smile; she was usually languid, almost devoid emotion, and thus, enough to keep her in place. She contented herself with glowering thunderously at the male, "Indeed?" she drawled out, "Seeing as how you're so close to our lands, would you care to introduce yourself?" the words though polite, were spoken with a stab of sarcasm, just barely not an insult.
"Something indeed," God chuckled. He liked this cub, she was an interesting 'sister'. The male sat himself down, then, though he was far from languid and thus still able to present a danger to both of them.. if he so chose. Which, at the moment, he did not. He offered Sukari the slightest of smiles, "I'm God."
"Yes," it wasn' chirped, but rather, actually, once again, smiled up at him before the cub turned to look up at Sukari. The general looked less than pleased still though for some reason, Bazi didn't look uncomfortable in the slightest. Not even when the male offered his name did she flinch; her ear twitched towards him, but she kept her gaze trained on the older female, awaiting the reaction.
When the reaction did came, Bazi would later admit, it was amusing, however, for the time being, the cub merely gazed politely. The general had paused, blinked, and looked utterly confused by that one, single word. As if that were the last word she'd ever truly expected to hear at that precise moment, "Ha?" confusion melted away into annoyance, and she narrowed her eyes, "No, really."
"God." He replied. As much as he hated his name the majority of the time... he had to admit it was amusing as nothing else. It was only the fact that he was practiced at this that let him keep a straight face when he faced her
Bazi tried to look politely.... neutral, but at that moment, had to turn away from the general, her attention turned upon a random rock to her side. Thankfully, the skull hid her smile mostly from view, but the amusement in her eyes was clear as she raised a paw and licked it. Schooling her features back into languidness, she returned her attention to the scene.
Again the general looked horribly confused, however, this time, it lasted but a moment before she snorted, as if she were laughing at something that wasn't really all that funny at all, "Right, fine then, God. The chit's Jambazi'ekundu," she placed her paw over Bazi's skull, then narrowed her eyes, "I'm Sukari. Welcome to the Outlands," she'd never been a particularly religious lioness, and had never seen anything to confirm the idea of supernatural beings; the notion allowed her to brush away the name as a tasteless joke, though she seemed to be going along with it, for the time being.
He had the nerve to laugh in her face and did so, though he kept it to a nearly polite, deep throated chuckle. The ruby eyes set in his dark features danced with mirth at her confusion. "A pleasure, Mistress Sukari... and Sister Jambazi'ekundu." To the cub he bowed slightly. In a way, it was what they were--though he was a child of the Dark and she a mere acolyte. Still, perhaps she could help him find his wayward father, she had seen him since he had, obviously. "'Outlands' is it? Yes, I thought I'd heard a whisper of this place."
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:36 am
The chuckles were meet with a sneer, and a haughty 'hmph', that resounded within the older General's throat as she lifted her head just an inch higher. It was true she was of mistweaver lineage, even though she herself ignored it, but it was clear she'd taken after the rogue side of her lineage; though her facial features were mistweavers, her bulk and shoulders seemed to indicate the half breed within her. Sukari was large, and she'd take out more than one male in a fight before. Alas, this male was larger than what she'd ever seen before. It kept her seated to the side; there was a time and place for everything, and right now was not the time or place. Maybe later, she thought to herself. Revenge had always been a dish best served cold. At the thought, her tail lashed behind her, showing the tension coiled within.
"Welcome," it was said softly, hints of the mild personality that lay within the cub if rubbed the right way. Unlike God, she was content to be politely silent; she'd been rightly breed and rightly trained to respect her elders, and her family. Problem was, she felt bonded to the large male... even though not to the extents she felt bonded to Sukari, or Sarafina, it was enough to keep her pleasant, and happy.
"Whispers?" Sukari dropped the haughty pose to regard the large male, a brow arching, "Elaborate?"
He merely smiled. There was little she could do to get that information out of him if he didn't choose to give it, and they both knew that. And right now... he felt like playing a game. "Whispers. When a person speaks softly, generally to another, though without mumbling. Sometimes they can be rather hard to hear, but if you listen closely you can usually make them out."
Indeed, it was clear she knew, hence the question and not the demand, "Well, aren't you the playful fellow," it was said without hint of mirth, drawled coolly, as if she thought him to be a nuisance, an idiot, and a moron, "It seems the only thing you've going for you is your bulk after all," and this said, Sukari dipped her head and grabbed the cub by the scruff of her neck. Though Bazi's litter had grown, Bazi herself remain rather small, as Sukari thought she'd remain all her life, "Do as you wish; do not trouble us, and we shall not trouble you," the words were murmured through the pelt of the cub she'd lifted, and thus, she turned fractionally to pad away from him and towards the termite hills.
The general walked slowly though, both refraining from giving him her back, and without haste, as if not quite sure if he wished to follow, or stay. At least, it was an invitation, and not an open insult, since she'd refrained from giving him her back; she knew he could attack, yes, but at the same time, she knew that it was probably not in his agenda to do so; it'd make trouble for him if a pride went after him for murder, for though she herself could not overpower him alone, she knew the pride could, rather easily.
Godlumthakathi shook his head, trying not to laugh further. The female seemed so confused--and he was quite good at reading others--yet stuck in her own haughtiness. "If that is how you see it, Miss." When she did leave, though, he let himself laugh and climbed back up to his rock. It was sunny up there and he wanted a nap; he would find his new 'sister' later and speak with her when he could spirit her away from the pride for a short time.
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