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 Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 7:39 pm
 Black toed paws padded lightly on the rough ground casting a glance behind her shoulder to see if her children had followed her or stayed behind as she instructed them to. The reason was not because she was afraid of having them around Ahali, he was her emperor, and the children had already met him, but the terrain was rocky, rough and she wasn't sure if she wanted them around while she tested just how rough it was.
Her white ears flickered as she shook herself letting a yawn roll off her tongue and out her maw. The travel to Tianxia had been long and they hadn't stopped longer than they needed to. Perhaps this was what Zagaa'tamanio got for traveling straight from the ocean, that had been where she had last stopped after all. Golden-yellow eyes surveying the highlands she sunk down to her haunches waiting.
The large firekin male would arrive soon, at least that was what she hoped, she had been sure to make herself known, had she not both her and her cubs might have been attacked. "Ahali?" She called calmly in case he was in the vicinity but had not seen her. Now all she needed to do was wait.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 7:48 pm
 Fortunately enough, he's heard her. The highlands were rocky, and Tama found herself soon after one of the passes in. However, since it wasn't so high just yet, there was quite a lot of plant-life, and even a large lion like Ahali could vanish in them; his dark pelt didn't exactly make it harder either.
"Hello, Tama. " He slipped out of the ferns, not seeming to hesitate in getting closer, his mane relaxed on his neck. "So you've showed up! Nice to know, " Ahali himself had been here kind of on-and-off. It was a pride, after all, and so far, it didn't have that many members. off the top of his head, he, Afu, Trigger nad.. Mwana, really. And whomever the lesser two might have roped in.
"How was your trip? "
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 8:04 pm
Had it not been for Ahali's reply she might have attacked him, but the minute she heard his voice she relaxed body no longer as tense as it once had been. A smile spread on her lips and she dipped her head in greeting. "Hello Ahali, of course I would show up, had I not told you I would?" She inquired her tone pleasant and light. It was nice to see a familiar face that she was not related to. Lately all she had been seeing had been relatives, it was nice to pull away from her family now that all her broken ties were fixed.
"Long." She replied with a soft laugh as a result of her one-word answer. Flicking her tail behind her she tilted her head. "How are Afu and the others doing?" She asked politely just before she glanced over her shoulder again having the feeling that someone had disobeyed her and was watching them. "How many of us have gathered so far?" More questions spilled from her lips, she couldn't help it having just arrived her interests were of course peeked.
The more she knew the more knowledge she had, which she could then use to her advantage, whether that was getting to know others or simply learning more in general.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 8:12 pm
"Yes, but I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't. Its far. " He smirked, stretching slighlty and sitting for a moment. Soon he'd have to show Tama her bit of territory, where she'd practically be a queen, and he wanted to relax a bit first.
"Well enough. We're getting used to hunting the game here. " Goats were hard to get used to, and for now they were much better than the newcomers at the sprint in the treacherous lands. "That I know of, me, Afu, Trigger and his mae. Their cubs have probably been born at this point, too. " time spent with Afu had seemingly had an affect on him. Albeit large and muscular, with the typical brute aspects, Ahali had become better at "chatting", his sharp tongue having once been reserved for mockery.
"How are Alaula, Majivu, Safikunja and Sharabu? They must have grown, if their good enough to make the trip. "
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:04 pm
Tama nodded, she couldn't argue with him, it had been far. "I always hold myself to my word. Even if it's difficult to keep." She responded with a light shrug. Ever since the first time she had broken a promise, not held her word, she was more determined to do so now. She had felt bad enough the first time. "You can always rely on me to keep my word." She stated with a swish of her tail.
With her eyes trained on the large ex-firekin she listened intently to his words nodding every now and then. "Oh yes, game is different here isn't it? I hope the children will adapt well...I suppose they'll have to won't they?" She asked jokingly laughing lightly. "Trigger and his mate have had children, how nice perhaps my own will love to get to know them." She commented rather thoughtfully glad that Majivu and the others would not be the only youngsters. "I've come across a cheetah that seemed interested in joining my house." She noted wondering if her emperor would be interested.
A smile curled upon her features when she heard his words. She was pleased to learn that he remembered their names. "Aye they have. They're growing so quickly I wonder if I'm spending enough time with them during their childhood." She peeked behind her again. "Actually I think one of them is listening in on our conversation right now."
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:22 pm
He smiled. "Thats good to know. " It was always good to know that kind of thing. "The game is smart. Their goats and apes, and they all know how to get around. " He shrugged slightly, perking an ear at the comment towards a cheetah. "Oh? Thats good. " He said, blinking.
"You know, you don't have to run it by me. Who gets in your house is your business now. " It wasn't like cub-hood, where a kid had to ask its parents everything, after all. "If you think it works, I'll trust your decision. " Unless trouble comes up, but that happens anywhere.
He quirked a brow at her comment, and smirked. "Oh, really? " He chuckled. "Well, would he, or she, like to come with their mother check out their new home? " Keeping these kids happy was smart-- and there was some sort of friendliness towards their mother, or else she wouldn't have gained her rank in the first place.
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:42 pm
Tama nodded relatively please by his response. Her attention was fully focused on his description of the game in the highlands. "I can imagine, anything or anyone growing in this territory is bound to be smart, if they weren't they wouldn't survive." The rough terrain would have to be enough to encourage the creatures that inhabited it to adapt or perish.
Tama nodded not really surprised by his reply, she had expected as much. "I thank you for your trust." She smiled at Ahali before looking back one more time. "Come on out Majivu, I know you're there." She called and out stumbled the ashen colored cub. "Ahali I believe you remember Majivu?" She inquired looking up sideways and the male.
"Do you want to join us?" She asked her cub chuckling with his all too enthusiastic response.Majivu grinned sheepishly at the pair a necklace tangling from his neck, the necklace that contained the fur from his unknown father, the one Tama always wore. "Hi..." He mumbled casting his glance to the ground beneath them. He pressed his body to the legs of his mother before finally looking up.
"I'd like to join ya if you don't mind..." He muttered his attention focused on the older male. He was glad he wasn't in trouble for disobeying his mother, at least not yet.
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:58 pm
"Thats the idea. " He smiled. Not only was it downright.. exciting, to live in a place like this, but it also discouraged dangerous trespassers; it was hard to live in, not many idiots would just wander in and stay for long, expecting to be fine. It took smarts to stay there, and even more to survive. Which was why, so far, they'd been going for hunters, strong lions or anything, really, that could survive. Once the pride settled, then even weaker could be safer, if the stronger were around to help out and teach.
"I do, " It was a good thing only one cub came, however. While he knew all their names, Ahali hadn't spent much time with them, and was likely to mix up names if they all came prancing around him. "Sure you can. You're going to live here, so I see nothing wrong with it. " There would only be an issue if all her cubs showed up at once, all jumpy and spazzy. Ahali wasn't a kid-person, and the terrain could be dangerous.
"I'll walk you around your borders now. Step where I step, there are places with loser rocks. You eventually learn how to look out for them. " He had. In fact, the lion could just about sprint across the lands at this rate. Tama he trusted was no fool either, but the juvenile.. well, kids had a tendacy to be clumsy. Which was why he diracted that more towards him. "Come, " without much more hanging around, Ahalibegan to trot into thefoilage. This was already in her "domain", in fact. They were at the southern edge of the territory, after all.
He began towards the eastern borders. "The southern part of the territory is flatter than most of the rest, from what we've seen. " he commented lightly. "Me and Afu didn't go in too deep, " This was a rather large patch of land, after all, and they had other stuff to worry about. "So I'll take you around the borders. Its up to you where you make your den, or anything else. "
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 4:09 pm
Tama nodded to show she understood before turning to her son. "Follow our steps exactly, I don't want you getting hurt like last time understand?" Her tone was stern yet gentle at the same time, the only way she knew how to be when she was worried. At time she wondered if she was stern enough. She didn't want him to fall like he had at the stone pillars, that would be a disaster and much much worse than the time before. "Understand?" She repeated urgency lining her voice.
Majivu nodded as he listened carefully to the instructions of the large male, he would be living in the same pride after all and knew that it was best to do as the Emperor said. To fail to do so would cause problems not only for him but for his mother and family and he wouldn't risk that. Never. "I understand Mother." He replied nodding his head resulting in a few strands of his budding white mane falling into his eyes. Hesitantly he blew up before shaking his head.
She could tell from the look in his eyes that he meant it. Releasing a sigh of relief she looked back to Ahali. Her golden yellow eyes surveying the surrounding area as he spoke. "Understandable, the farther one goes in the harsher the terrain." She replied before adding. "It seems like the territory you have chosen, that I have seen, reaches far regardless." She commented soon falling silent again. "As long as we know the borders I believe that we will have no problem finding where to settle."
Majivu bounced enthusiastically before recalling the words of his elders. Inhaling deeply he forced himself to relax. "It looks fun to explore." He piped up before sinking his head down unsure if his comment was alright to make.
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 7:06 pm
Ahali kept ahead, striding confidently. He'd walked the path he was going to take a few times before, so he was familiar with there he should step. "It is, but when you explore there are places where you should test your steps. " Testing steps was good in this land. There were a lot more solid places than loose, but you couldn't be too careful if the grounds were high enough.
The southern lands consisted of more "flat" places than the rest, though it was still the highlands, and because of this the wind blew strong against them, and moments like this Ahali was glad his fur wasn't short, it could be rather uncomfortable. It wasn't good when his mane went in his face, though.
"The goats, " He stopped for a moment, perking his ears to look up at a higher ridge, where about eight goats were staring at him, ears perked. They were too far for him to catch, and the ledges they sustained themselves on were a little tricky for him as well. "See what I mean, when they know their rocks. " He smirked. "I catch them more when we wait for them to go down get a drink. " Even then, they didn't go down as often as one might think.
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 7:52 pm
Wide-eyed Majivu nodded, "I'll be sure to make sure that where ever I'm gonna step when exploring." He stated proudly puffing out his chest before falling silent at the word goats. Instantly his gaze followed the other male towards the goats. Then his jaw dropped, there were so different from the other preybeast he had seen and they were so high up, comfortably high up on the ridges that is seemed like no big deal. "How cool!" He gasped the child in him clearly showing at that point.
With the strong wind came a slight shiver from Tama, she wasn't used to the wind. She was used to the heat but she supposed that she would adapt just as she had done in the past. When Ahali stopped she was confused before his words reached her ears and she came to a halt as well turning her head. "They seem to be smart, using those ledges to keep them above predators." She stated interested in the habits of her new prey. She would have to study them once she settled. "Do they come down often?"
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:06 pm
"Occasionally, " He said, smiling at the goats for a moment. "There aren't as much plants up there either, so you can sometimes find them going down. Their fawns are clumsy too. Even they slip a hoof sometimes. " He gave a fake charge in their direction; the goats didn't need much more to dash off from ledge to ledge, soon vanishing around the ridge.
"Fast, see. " he'd done that little demonstration, if only for Tama to get used to what she would be up against out here. "There are monkeys too, at least. And rodents anywhere. " At least they didn't depend on goats.
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:14 pm
Majivu was no longer playing any attention to the adults and the conversation going on between them. His focus was entirely on the hoofed creatures that were watching them, until Ahali charged. Then they were gone in the blink of the eye, well not really but it felt that way to the young male. He gasped and stumbled backward surprised. Blinking repetitively he blushed with embarassment stumbling back onto his paws stepping forward craning his neck in hopes of seeing the goats again.
His mother pretended not to notice his surprise, to save him from feeling too embarrassed instead she focused on the other in her company eyes flickering between him and the ledges. "Fast indeed, that will take some adapting." She replied thinking about what would be the best way to catch one next time she went hunting. Already she was forcing herself to adapt to her surrounding. Failure to do so could and probably would mean death. "Monkeys? I trust they use the leverage of the trees to help them escape?" She inquired using what knowledge she knew.
"At least rodents are too hard to catch." She stated a light laugh slipping from her maw as she finally glanced at Majivu who had seemed to recover. "Should we continue?" She questioned glancing at the male sideways.
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:23 pm
He nodded, looking to the trees. "Yes, but even they come down now and again. Sometimes a tree is simply too far to leap too, and the fallen fruits are a nice treat. " Not to mention, you can't usually drink while all the way up there. "Yes. Pace yourselves, though, if you wish to return to your kids before its.. too late. " It'd be rather impossible to reach them before night fall, most likely, but they could get back while the moon wasn't too high in the sky.
---
Sure enough, the moon wasn't so high when they arrived back where Ahali had encountered Tama, and pausing, Ahali looked at the white and green female. "You should wait until sunrise to journey inside. Night isn't that great a time even for us. " Considering lions had a good night-vision. Tama also had three more cubs,though, and sometimes a hole would look just like a darker rock.
"I will return to my cave now, though. " He nodded."It trust you can take matters into your own paws now, "
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:49 pm
Both Tama and Majivu had fallen silent for most of the rest of the journey around the outside skirts of the southern lands. Every now and then one would ask a question but for the most part they were focused on knowing where the territory began and where it ended. When they came full circle Tama continued to trace the map that was developing in her mind. Ahali's words brought her attention to him. "Of course." She responded with a light nod before looking to Majivu. "Fetch your siblings." She instructed.
A frown settled upon the ashen colored cub when he was told to leave. He hated being the errand boy, but he knew at this moment it was best to do what his mother said. Besides his siblings were probably wondering where he had run off to. "Yes momma..." He replied turning and beginning to trot away. Glancing over his shoulder he smiled at the large red male. "It was nice seeing you again Emperor Ahali." He stated with a quick bow of his head before he went off running.
"As you wish." Tama replied her eyes trained on her son, when he was out of view she looked back at Ahali. "I do believe I can." She responded flicking her tail with a nod of her head. "It'll take some getting used to but these lands will flourish." Confidence lined her voice and an almost proud smile graced her lips.
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