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 Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:23 pm
Amisi eyed the small bed of flowers in front of her with a critical eye. It had taken months of careful planning and care to get it the way that she wanted it. The conditions on the edge of the jungle had helped the flowers to flourish and each blossom was in stunning condition. The colors worked well to compliment each other and the overall effect was in a word: beautiful.
Ami's expression bloomed into a large smile, lighting up her face, her eyes glittering with pleasure. The leotah had a great love of beauty and appreciated finding beauty in things that others might not see. She had dedicated her existence to the Goddess of Beauty when she was a cub, and had done her best to serve Indira faithfully as she had grown. Her mission was to spread the love of beautiful things and to help the other creatures of the Savannah to see beauty in everything.
With one last loving glance at the flowers, Ami turned away and made her way back to the shelter. Now that the flowers were growing well, there was no reason to continue tending it. They would grow in their own way and she could only hope that someone else would see the flowers and smile too. Moving swiftly, she arrived at the rock formation that formed a shelter she called home. At this sight though, she sighed softly. A part of her was still lonely and longed for her family. But, she had decided to forge her own path and she would continue. She only wished that she had someone to share her life with and a place that she could truly call home.
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:24 pm
A full day of travel behind her, she had no idea where she was, or even where she was going. Now that she was really on her way, she was having second thoughts about this little 'quest'. Sure, she'd been feeling a little lonely and at loose ends in the pride... She'd thought at the time that it was a splendid idea for her to get with cubs. She'd have her own little ones to care for as her mother did and it would show Kiuma that she was responsible and steady, a fitting heir for the pride. And traveling like this would teach her things she hadn't learned in the pride and give her the experience she felt she was lacking. There were so many good reasons for this, most especially the approving look on her mother's face when she had told her.
Still... being out here, alone and in a strange place, made those reasons rather pale.
Pacing ever Northward (to make sure she could find her way back), Hippolyta tried to put her worries out of her mind, her red eyes constantly scanning to try and find someone, anyone, she might be able to talk to. That was kind of the purpose of all this, wasn't it?
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 9:01 am
Amisi settled her form in a small nook in between the large stones. She purred in pleasure at the delightful heat radiating off of them. It made her feel safe and cozy. And drowsy. Feeling somewhat sleepy and content, Ami watched over the horizon with half-lidded eyes. The view was remarkable as the sun touched the tall grass, the breeze making dizzy patterns in the swaying reeds.
Only one things was out of place. A black form just on the horizon. It had not been there the day before, Ami was sure if that. However, it was too far away to be sure of what it was. She kept her bright gaze trained on it and was surprised to find that it was growing. Blinking her eyes a few time, Ami shook off her sleepiness and looked again. The black form was another creature coming in her direction. Unsure of what to do, Ami scooted out of her nook and stood, ready to flee if the creature made any move to attack. This was Ami's only home, but she did not want to have to fight for it. Fighting and bloodshed was so . . . ugly.
Ami watched warily as the black figure got closer. Once the other figure was clearly in sight, however, Ami lost her wariness. The other creature was a lioness. And she was beautiful. She didn't normally consider the color black to be the best color, but on this female, it was radiant and exotic. Perhaps it was the bright crimson eyes. Or the tastefully placed scars beneath those eyes. Maybe it was the bright flower tucked artfully behind one ear. Whatever it was, she was beautiful.
And Amisi was enchanted.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:53 pm
This great open area was just so... unsheltered. It had been pleasant, at first, to walk beneith the sun with no dappled leaf shadows to sheild her, but stand in the direct sun for long enough and, well... To say she was roasting in her dark fur wasn't far from the truth. So intent on her thoughts of discomfort and a wish for some place cooler, or even just a pond to wet her throat, the strange lavender creature before her went unnoticed till she was nearly ontop of her.
Hippolyta nearly stumbled when she came to an ubrupt halt, though she kept the movement from looking too ungraceful. Red eyes, wide and a little startled, blinked slowly before a bright smile graced her face, turning the scars down her cheeks to smooth crescents of pink. She felt them pull, but they had long since healed to new skin and she felt no pain from it, nor a threat to reopen as they once had.
"Oh, my! Hello." She laughed as she settled back, giving the other female a polite personal distance. "You'll have to excuse me, but I didn't see you there. Um... My name is Hippolyta and I'm afraid I'm rather new here. I'm traveling North. Do you, um, happen to know where there is some water around here? I'm so warm from the sun, a nice cool drink would be wonderful."
Well, she assumed the creature was a female, anyway... She looked feminine, but since she'd never before seen a hybrid, or a creature of this color, Hippy was hard put to really know what Amisi was. Hopefully, she would offer a name in return and it would give her some idea to gender, if not species. She was too well brought up to ask, or so she liked to think. She was wholey unaware of the avid regard, having never considered that she might have a lovely form or carry beauty in the lines of her face. Well, she had little enough to compare it to before now, didn't she? Assuming her mother was the most beautiful creature in the world, if she thought of it, she'd consider herself a poor imitation and not nearly so fine.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:17 pm
Amisi had watched, not sure of what to say, staring in confusion as the black lioness almost trampled on her. She managed to slink out of the way in time, but couldn't help but giggle at the other female's confusion. Her laugh was good-natured though. She listened raptly to the females voice and her attention caught on a name. Hippolyta. The name was different, rather foreign sounding, and as beautiful as the one who bore it.
Realizing that she was being rude, Ami managed to shake off her initial reaction, and returned Hippolyta's smile.
"Hello there! I'm Amisi. It's certainly nice to see someone else around here. I haven't seen another feline in quite awhile."
It took her a moment, but Amisi finally recognized the puzzled contemplation the other female was giving her, and she sighed softly. At least Hippolyta did not show the open animosity or disgust that some showed at the sight of a hybrid. Rather, the black lioness regarded her was confused, but kind curiosity. Taking pity, Ami sought to educate her.
"I'm a hybrid. My father was a cheetah, my mother a leopard," she stated evenly, hoping to explain her strange appearance.
"And yes, there is a nice watering hole a short ways from here. I can show you where it is, if you like. It's a little hard to find if you don't know where it is," she offered, hoping that she might at least spend some time learning about this other female. Amisi did long for company, even if it was not for long.
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Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:28 pm
Hippolyta's face cleared, settling into the lines of a smile as she laughed softly.
"Well, that would explain it then. I've never seen either of those before and I confess, I didn't know what to make of you at first. Its a pleasure to meet you Amisi and I'd be grateful if you'd do me the kindness of showing me to the water." She nodded her head in a friendly way, the issue of Amisi being a hybrid remarked on and promptly set aside. What did it really matter, after all? She was a female and she seemed friendly, and that was quite enough to put her in Hippolyta's good graces.
"You're the first person I've met since I left my pride's lands, you know, and I'm actually quite grateful that I found you, if nothing else. I was starting to despair of finding anyone at all in my wandering... I've been traveling for a few days now and not seen anyone at all." Awkward with strangers of any kind, the black lioness struggled to fill the silence with idle, polite chatter. Not so as to be overbearing, but enough to keep from having the silence turn uncomfortable... at least, that's what she told herself.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:29 pm
Ami nodded, listening as the other female spoke. She had a kind voice as well, which seemed all the more sweeter after months of hearing nothing but her own voice.
"Yes, I can quite understand that. You see, very few take up residence around here. Perhaps it is the conditions or maybe it is because it isn't very good hunting grounds, but I pretty much have the space to myself around here. It makes for safety, but also makes it quite a bit lonely. You definitely are a sight for sore eyes," she said with a chuckle.
Amisi turned towards the direction of the watering hole and set a brisk, but easy pace, hoping that Hippolyta would not mind. It really wasn't that far away and they would reach the spot in no time at all.
Hoping to help keep the uncomfortable silences to a minimum, Amisi helped in the conversation with some -hopefully- polite questions.
"May I ask what brings you so far out here? As I said, this isn't a frequented spot and I am a bit curious. You needn't answer if you don't want to."
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 4:09 pm
The black lioness broke into a trot till she caught up with the smaller female before falling to a sedate walk, pacing at her side. She winced at the question and lowered her ears and head, giving Amisi a side-long look.
"You're going to think me a fool..." She said softly, glancing away. "Its sort of this thing that my pride does, when we're old enough and want to... its because of the way we are."
Hippolyta sighed as she thought of the best way to say it, unsure of just how her new, tentatively-friend might think about it. "My pride is one for females only. We don't have any males and we don't let any in. So... there's no way for any of us to have cubs if we stay in the pride. When we're old enough, we go outside to find a male, then we come back to have the cubs we get." She glanced at the leotah, wondering what went on inside her head now. "I was... well, I was looking for a male for that. I... I want to be a better part of the pride and do my duty... but now I'm not so sure of what I'm doing." She sighed, lowering her head still further.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 9:58 pm
Ami listened attentively as Hippolyta explained her reasoning, occasionally nodding thoughtfully. Strangely enough, she wasn't shocked by the admittance that her pride did not accept males. Actually, the idea seemed both intriguing and, in her opinion, clever. She turned to Hippy to say as much.
"No males. Huh. Seems rather brilliant, if you ask me. No offense to males, considering I have brothers, but they tend to over-complicate things. Because of their seemingly overzealous need to be masculine and their sensitive pride, they tend to make things more difficult than they should be. All females? That actually sounds quite pleasant," said Ami with a grin.
She held the glance for a moment before looking away. Her grin stayed in place though, as she spied the watering hole.
"Ah, here we are!"
It was a quite pleasant little place and Ami stepped back to allow Hippolyta to take her fill of water. As she waited, she thought over the second part of Hippy's statement and her smile faded. Obviously the other female was confused and frankly, needed a friend. Well, hopefully, she at least wanted a friend; Amisi needed one.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 4:33 pm
Hippolyta perked up as the other seemed to actually like her pride, in the fundamental principle of it. She smiled as her ears swiveled forward again, her manner picking up just a little.
"I grew up with brothers, but they left when they were old enough to be on their own. I know something of what -they're- like, but I guess I don't know males outside very well... so I guess I can't say. This trip was kind of supposed to be about that, the learning, as well as getting the cubs. But... its not what I thought it would be."
She was distracted from that train of thought by the appearance of the water, breaking into a trot to the edge of it where she sank down into a grateful crouch, leaning in to lap up the cooling liquid. It soothed her thirst and cooled her dark body, both welcome in the heat. After a bit, a thought occurred to her and she sat up again, leaning back a little to clean her paws as she looked over at Amisi.
"Well, I did say what I was doing here... but what about you? You're all alone out here, and like you said, its not the best place... so why do you stay? What brought you here in the first place?" She suddenly felt embarrassed by all the questions she asked, focusing on her paws to cover it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:48 pm
Amisi was a little started by all of the questions, but she figured that it was only fair to answer. It wasn't as though the questions were all that personal anyway. Besides, she had not had the chance to speak with anyone like Hippolyta for quite awhile. She thought carefully about her answer, settling into a more comfortable position, her gaze off to the side before she spoke.
"Well, it's a little difficult to explain. I've always been a little bit of an outcast. I didn't really fit in well with my siblings. They wanted to play and explore, whereas I liked to sit around and daydream all of the time. When I was a little older, I found that I liked to explore too. I liked to look around me and find the beauty in everything. Not just flowers and trees and the sky, but in ripples in the water and also the beauty in other creatures. I dedicated my life to Indira, the Goddess of Beauty. I met her once when I was young. She told me to spend my life helping others to see the beauty in the world. That's what I've been trying to do."
She paused, lost in memory. She could recall that day as if it were only yesterday. After a moment, she shook her head and continued.
"As for why I'm out here? I'm not really sure. I wandered around for quite awhile, but I got caught in a terrible storm one day and ended up here. I just haven't left yet. I think, really, it's because I have no place to go. I'm not sure where my family is anymore and I don't really have any lasting friends," she said, a bit sadly. "But it isn't so bad. The place is pleasant and very quiet and peaceful. Just a little lonely once in awhile."
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:14 pm
Listening to Amisi, Hippolyta lightly cleaned her paws and face, scrubbing away the water and dirt of travel. She sighed softly as she nodded.
"I can see where being all alone out here could get lonely. I wouldn't be able to do it... I grew in a close-knit family, where everyone depended on everyone else to survive. I never really got a chance to be alone, cept when I was out patroling the border, and even then... I knew my sisters and my pride were at my back to support me. I know I wouldn't enjoy not having a home, even for the freedom it would give me, I would miss having my family." The idea had always been sort of a half-formed thought for Hippy, but to voice it made it crystalize inside of her. That was why she was going to become queen, and a good one. To take care of the family that mattered so much to her, and to make her harsh mother proud of her.
She chuckled softly as she gave Amisi a coy look from the side. "If you don't have some place to go, maybe you should come join my pride sometime. I bet you'd fit in well there." She joked, letting out a little giggle. "Its a lovely place too, with the rivers and waterfall, and the dens in the cliff face. The flowers bloom so nicely too." She shrugged as she smiled, softening the joke some. She didn't really expect her to just up and come back, but she kinda wished she had a chance to get to know the pretty hybrid better. She had to return home soon though, before they became anxious for her, and to share what she'd learned on her journey.
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