|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:57 pm
Kiuma prowled a border only she could see, her head low and her motions powerful. With her father's large Pridelander size and a body packed with muscle from a life of traveling, the new queen was a formidable lioness to look upon. Not that she felt all that formidable right now... With a litter of small cubs beind in the den with only her new mate and a companion for protection, she was rightly worried for their protection.
Could she do this? Could she really? Sure, she'd traveled, learned, expirienced the world... but was she smart enough, strong enough, determined enough to start a pride of her own and make it work? It was going to be hard... she knew that, probably beter than anyone.
Sighing softly, Kiuma continued pacing out the boundary of her pride that she'd decided on, burning it into her mind and instincts. It was small... but then, they didn't need much room at the moment. And small was easier to defend... easier to keep hidden and secluded.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:40 am
Lamigisa had a horrible way of watching her paws, not her surroundings. This was always a bad thing. She drifted further and further from known areas, though she never really knew an area as home. Everything was much to distant and she was gone without realizing she left.
'Watch out.' it was a voice in her head. The still unfamiliar voice she had spend her adolescence and her early adulthood searching for. It wasn't possible that something so bold as to speak in her mind would warn her, laugh at her. It was an uncomfortable thought that kept her alert. That much was good, but what could it want this time?
Lami's eyes narrowed as she spotted the danger. A flaming red lioness, slightly larger than herself but obviously stronger. Lamigisa slowed, surprised she hadn't hurt herself yet, and stared alertly. What was this other lioness doing?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:42 pm
The sound of movement closeby drew the new queen up short as she froze in her tracks, her ears swiveling forward and her head slowly rising. A hunter's instincts were on high alert now, searching for the source of the sound.
Was it prey, that she could bring back to feed her pride? An enemy to be dealt with? Claws flexed from her creamy paws at the thought, digging into the earth nervously. Or... was it a female rogue? Someone she could trust... if not to join the pride and increase their strength, then for news of the outside world.
No matter what it was, she was ready for anything, every sense tuned. If her pride were to fail, it would not be for lack of trying or inattentiveness. She felt the need to call out and confirm the owner of the sounds, but if it were prey it would only scare them away, and if it was an enemy, she'd give away the advantage of suprise she had.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:01 am
Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought. She still had an aura of confidence around her. Her paws had no freshly made cuts, she hadn't fallen, she hadn't embarrassed herself. This was good. If needed, Lamigisa may be able to frighten away the other lioness.
Yet, Something was different about this other female. She looked so in tuned to her surroundings. It was an advantage to know what was around her and as Lamigisa looked around she knew nothing. Nothing at all. This was the worst part of traveling with your noes to your paws, watching them carefully. You never knew where you were when you got there.
"Hello?" She called meekly, giving up the hope of fleeing or fighting. It wouldn't end well either way. Her eyes shifted, waiting patiently for a reply. Hopefully speaking wouldn't be a bad thing around this noticeably frightening female.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:24 pm
Soft red ears flicked forward attentively at the sound of a greeting called out from the brush, eyes searching the covering foliage until they found a pale form. Squinting, she tried to get a better look at the intruder, her head moving side to side. She was relieved that the voice was female, her body relaxing visibly, loosing the hard-edged tension.
"Hello!" Kiuma called back, her voice warm. "If you aren't looking for trouble, you can come out of there. I certainly won't harm you. My name is Kiuma." Now that the threat, as she saw it, was past, the red female felt more curiosity than anything. Who was this strange lioness? What was she doing here? What were her intentions, did she intend to stay or leave?
With so little connection to the outside world since settling her family here, Kiuma found herself strangely starved for new faces and new minds, any news of other places. A wanderer at heart, founding a pride had never been a dream of hers. Traveling the world had been, but life happened, as it always does.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:42 am
Lamigisa Peeked out, exposing herself to the new lioness. She certainly seemed friendly towards her, most defiantly a plus in this harsh world of predator and prey.
As her paws inched out into the open, her mind was screaming at her to stop being stupid and watch out for herself. A stupid thing. Something that insisted on yelling at her. Something she'd never met or heard of. Maybe she was just a little bit...well, Crazy.
"Lamigisa." She said in a small voice, not wanting to irritate the new lioness. Something about the way she carried herself, the scars on her pelt. It was all, more or less, horrifying.
Lami stared at Kiuma. A pretty name, no doubt. "I'm not trouble. No trouble at all." She smiled genuinely before toppling over herself and falling onto her back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:55 pm
Kiuma's pose eased as the female came from the shelter of the brush, her white pelt almost shining in the sunlight. Red eyes narrowed, nodding as she took in the name.
"Its a pleasure to meet you, Lamigisa." She said softly, even going so far as to smile with a bit of warmth. "I want to welcome you to my pride's lands. We're called the Antianeira. Can I ask...? What brings you to this place? We don't get many visitors here, really, but its nice to see new lionesses."
Was it just her imagination, or was there something a little off about this newcommer? Though, moments later, that strange feeling was confirmed when the new lioness just... fell over. No warning, no reason that she could see. Kiuma let out a soft sound of suprise as she jumped and all but rushed to her side, bending over her as the bone necklace around her throat rattling with the movements.
"What's wrong? Lamigisa? Are you okay?" She called softly, tentatively reaching to touch a paw between her shoulderblaces.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:51 pm
"I followed my paws, They aren't very good mind you." She mumbled with a mouthful of dirt, choking lightly on it. After all these years, it seemed, she would never get quite used to her paws. Either they were much to big, or she was much to small.
Her bright eyes looked up to see Kiuma standing over her. Something motherly and sweet. It shocked Lamigisa. Her first opinion was wrong, like usual.
"I'm fine. It's normal." She laughed to herself. Hurting and tripping. It was 'normal'. Proving only that she were abnormal. Strange. "I don't think I can go a day without tripped at least twenty times."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:27 pm
The red lioness blinked down at the one laying on the ground, her ears perked in curiosity. The black paint on her face and forearms was stark black against her fur, giving her an exotic appearance she'd never had before. They were recent additions, really. Seeing the pale lioness looking at her, she wondered what she must look like to the stranger. Well, it didn't really matter, in the end.
"Are you sure you're okay? Its not everyday that a lioness collapses before me, so you'll have to forgive me for being worried." A little smile curled over her face as she stepped back, giving the other female room to stand again, if she wished to.
"I'm sure its not as bad as you make it out." The queen chuckled softly, her tail flicking gently behind her as she took a position a short distance away. "You said you just wandered here, right? Well, you are welcome to look around some, even stay for a while if you like. I just ask that you don't go spreading it around where my pride's den is." That thought drew Kiuma around and she frowned at Lamigisa. "I would not want a lot of strangers finding my pride..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:31 pm
Lamigisa nodded. There were no scratches that needed attending, er... none that looked that harmful to her wellbeing. As long as that was the case she could protest that she were fine, up and down, all day long. She must have been getting better at making an entrance. It was hard for her to peacefully, calmly, gracefully enter a scene with some bit of pride. There was nothing for her to grasp onto. To hold tightly to her soul as it clung to her spine.
The past is a funny thing. It holds on to you. It's there no matter how much you want it to leave you alone. You try and forget it, and little things remind you and it makes everything that much worse. Who would have guessed that seeing someone staring down at her could set free a little breath of the past. A breeze of pain far more lethal than her daily falling escapades.
Lami winced slightly and stood. A mask of calm mellowness covering the pain on her face. It was much easier to think things never happened as a voice whispered in her ear. Hissing at her for covering it up. Quiet the 'tragic heroine' in it's own opinion.
She laughed, almost a hollow sound no matter how much she meant the chuckle. "I don't remember how I got here, Kiuma. I don't think I'll remember no matter how hard I tried." She stared down at her paws. This place was somewhere she wished to remember it's location. Why couldn't she ever remember what she wanted? Only what she didn't want to think about. Ever.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:39 pm
Kiuma rolled her shoulders as she settled back on her haunches, her necklace settling heavily around her neck. The bones were old now... a relic from her childhood and promise of greatness that had been ruthlessly shattered. They had marked the start of something that had never come to be, though they had faithfully witnessed all of it as they hung around her neck. Betrayal, loss, new places and faces, love, the birth of her children and more loss. The red queen could never begin to guess at what lurked in the pale lioness's past, but her own wasn't all that rosey either.
"These lands are a sanctuary for females. Males are forbidden to enter and its easier and safer for all if the pride stays as hidden as possible." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain this to Lamigisa, but it just seemed natural. An idea came to her and she lifted her head, turning to look off into the depths of the tree-green darkness and back again. "Are you thirsty, perhaps? There is a river nearby, I could show you to it." Her patroling was done, really, so there was no reason she couldn't take a little break.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:05 pm
"Sanctuary?" The words sounded nice in her ears, weaving tightly into her brain, not wishing to be released. It was seeping into her mind. The concept of staying? It could be sweet. Sweeter than anything the had tasted. Than anything she might ever hear, see, smell... Anything. Ever.
"Mmm..." It sounded so nice. Lamigisa thought of giving up right then and there and asking to stay close to this female. To this...Sanctuary. Her eyes closed, deep in thought, trying to hold of deciding just quite yet. If needed she could watch for the first time in ages. Tracing her steps to where ever she went and hoping to make it back. She did, after all, need to find the right place for her to stay.
Lamigisa nodded, "Water sounds fantastic." She hadn't noticed how parched she had been.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:31 pm
The red queen was unaware of the way that simple word affected the female, nodding as it came from her lips.
"Yes. Sanctuary..." It didn't have nearly the same effect on Kiuma, but she couldn't deny to herself that the word had a little sentimental value to her too. After everything Kiuma had been through, all the pain and suffering in her past, this place lacked all of it. Instead there was hope, warmth, pride... her daughters and friends were here and there had been nothing so far to challenge that.
For once, Kiuma felt like she belonged, like the ground her paws trod was hers, held by her own strength and intelligence. There was peace here for the weary traveler, a calm for her restless paws. Nothing to remind her of her past, the pain or the mistakes she'd made. How odd it was, to think words like 'sanctuary' and 'home' when she looked over the lands of her pride. -Her- pride... not her parents' or her sister's. That in itself was something that uplifted Kiuma.
Shaking her head, the red lioness pulled herself from her thoughts and smiled, rising from where she sat. "This way, then. Its just a small walk this way." Her black-tipped tail swung lazily behind her as she led the way to the water, silent for the most part if Lamigisa had nothing to say. When the water appeared through the brush before them, she paced to the edge and crouched low, bending her head to lap at the cool water.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:57 pm
Lamigisa liked this place. It was sweet, simple. It smelled pleasant and there was a certain something to it that left her with an etched feeling that she belonged her and needed to stay. Yet, still, she was unable to make herself feel like she belonged. It seemed to good to be true. A dream that would simply slip away from here, never to be had again. That must have been it, she was dreaming. The voiced in her head were slowly subsiding as she took her steps and followed the lovely red lioness. Just... To good to be true.
There was a nagging feeling in her stomach, like there was something more for her, something better planned out for her. She had yet to meet anyone that could have changed her life, made a path for her clearer and more easily found. There was nothing. Yet the feeling remained, telling her to turn around at once. Something that must have been true. There were no male voices trying to convince her otherwise. There was a feeling, stronger than anything she had ever felt. It was so odd. Impossible, maybe.
"How did you find this place?" Lamigisa looked around at the lovely green trees and the wonderful bright colors all around her. It was beautiful, breathtaking even. An amazing find. Something that she would have loved to discover on her own. her eyes longed to wake up to this in the morning. a desperate feeling. "... but I can't..." She whispered to herself so quietly that she could barely hear herself, hoping that Kiuma didn't catch her speaking to herself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:06 pm
Kiuma raised her head finally from the water, drops falling from her chin to ripple the surface. For a moment, her own eyes looked over this land she had come to love, as new and wild as it was. It was so different from where she'd grown up... from the sedate and peaceful Pridelands. With the sun coming from behind the pair, they had a lovely view of the trees and hills bathed in red, orange, and green.
Turning her head, the red lioness looked over the stranger she had brought to the river. She couldn't help but size her up a potential pride material, weighing her against their needs and her temperament. Kiuma herself stood out against the landscape like a splash of blood, but her pride matched her. It was Lamigisa that stood out most here... yellow and white to Antianeira's black and red. Color was never a requirement, Kiuma told herself, but it was something she noticed. What was more important was usefulness... though some would argue strength and intelligence. They were the pillars the cubs were raised on, but... she would never turn away a female in need, even if she were lame and demented.
A soft breath drew into Kiuma's lungs and was released to the air, a cream-tipped paw guesturing at the water. "Have your fill. I don't know what the water is like outside my lands." Her ears perked at the question from the pale lioness and she thought a moment before shrugging. "Truly, I was distraught and I wasn't watching where I was going. Heavy with cubs that would come any day, I stumbled into these lands rather by accident, following this same river. There are caves and a waterfall further up." She said as she waved a paw again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
