Welcome to Gaia! ::

She sat on the borders of the pridelands, the sun dancing happily accross her pale fur. Opening watery green eyes she gazed out accross the open savannah beyond the pridelands. She did not long to leave the borders, did not wish to even cross them. She liked to look out fromt he saftey of her home and just dream of the open plains beyond.

To leave was an unthinkable act and it sent a shiver running down her spine and she shuffled backwards away from the border, until she felt once again safe, at home, comfortable, able to dream of out there but safe in the knowlege that she would always be here.

Usiku'busu didn't have a perminant home and he liked it that way. He found no security in fixed locations, but that was simply because he had never stayed in one place as long as he could remember. He had been born and raised by a wanderer, so wandering seemed to be family trait. He took after his mother in that way, always wanting to see something new and exciting...i was a very different lifestyle.

He loped along, heading into the pridelands with open curiousity. He had been here before when he was younger. He wondered if it had changed at all? He doubte dit. The place seemed stuck in its ways...which wasn't a bad thing, by the way people talked about it. But he wanted to see for himself how things were going.

Watery green eyes watched as someone crossed the border in a none challant manner. He didn't seem afraid of anything, she couldn't help but smile. She appreciated those whom were braver than herself even if she didn't wish for that bravery to belong to her. "hello." She whispers, a gentle, weak smile raising on ehr lips. She felt a little cautious, addressing him thussly but, she did enjoy the odd tale of adventure and this rogue seemed tobe the travelling sort. His scent wafted to her of lands unknown to her, lands which rolled away int he distance and that her eyes would never really long to see.

It took her a few moments to realise it was a leopard she was addressing, not a lion,s he had thought young lion at first glance but noticing his lack of mane and tail tuft she beamed. She had never really met a leopard before, seen them at a distance yes and even heard of them but never spoken to one. What a sheltered life she lead.

Usiku's ears perked lazily and he lifted he gaze to look for the voice of the sudden greeting. When he spotted her his orange eyes seemed to flash and a smile was quick to grace his maw, lifting his whiskers.

"Hello there little lady," he chuckled, his voice warm and easy going. He slid over to draw closer, his pace smooth and fluid like water. The grace of a leopard, his mother might claim. And maybe it was true...he certainly hadn't met any clumsy leopards as of yet.

She smiled wisfully, a sort of watery smile to match her glassy eyed gaze, she bowed her head a touch in greeting and let a light friendly growl roll over her lips. "I don't think I have seen you around here before." She whispers, her voice gentle as a stream , she had always been this eay, her demeanor quite nervous, frail even.

Still interest sparkled in her soft green eyes, his scent growing stronger as he closed the gap between them. "Thoughy ou have the scent of a wanderer so I am not that surprised." she quips a gentle laugh echoeing from her cheast a sweet almost child like giggle.

Usiku laughed along with her, finding it easy eough. Though he sensed a fragile nature, she seemed to peaceful, which was nice. "I doubt you would have...I have been here once before, as a child, but not recently," he replied with a shake of his head. He had only met one when he had been here last time..a cub who had never met a leopard before and he had been forced to explain it to him. It had been very funny.

"You have a good nose," he teased brightly, his smile wide, "Yes, I'm a wanderer...never seem to stay in one place more than a day. Too much of the world to see...too much to do."

"Well the outside world smells so much different than home, and you sir smell of many places." she beams her foft eyes dancing for a moment "My name is radi, I'v lived heer for the bulk of my life." She sighs gently "I don't think I would enjoy life in any other place but here." She coos, her gaze drifting back out to the world beyond as she let out a sigh.

"I do like to hear of it though, woudl you find it too presumptious to tell me of one of your adventures sir? I would not keep you too long from your wanderings but i can offer you a place to sleep and some food as payment if you like. i do enjoy the tales of the world beyond my haven."

"Traveling isn't for everyone," he acknowledged simply. While he didn't really understand those who wished to stay rooted to the land, he respected their choice. After all, veryone was different. That was why the world was so amazing...there was so much variety. And he was glad of it.

He laughed, surprised at her offer. "Oh! Don't worry about any of that. I certainly don't need payment to chit-chat. I'd be more than happy to tell you whatever you like," he grinned at her, raising an eyebrow, "Any place in particular you wish to hear of?"

The lioness smiled, truthfully, there was only one place she wished to hear of, the far jungles. She had heard many tales of the place, it was green, far greener than their pridelands, a beautiful place where birds sang constantly and the rains drenched the soil on a regular basis.

"It would be my pleasure sir, i have always been taught to serve those whom will grant me a favour. Please, follow me I will lead you to my dena nd you can tell me a tale of the great green jungles. I have heard so many tales, "she sighs gently, "I think perhaps i would like to visit it but i am afraid of the journey to get there so tales will suffice."

Usiku rolled his shoulders in a shrug, "If you insist." He certainly wasn't going to fight her on hospitality. He was too easy going for that. Besides, if something sounded fun he'd go right along. It was just how he was.

"The jungles hmmm?" he mused, twitching his ears mildly. He had quite a few stories from those areas. He liked to visit there because of the trees...and anyone knows that leopards are climbers by nature. "There's a jungle not far form here you know," he told her informatively.

"Yes, I have heard." she smiles wistfully padding towards a large expance of rocks which held her den. "I still, I cannot leave here, i am too afraid to walk out of my home. i have been out once and it was a very bad experience for me I will not leave again." She whispers a visable shiver rolling down her spine and making the fur behind her neck stand up on end.

"it isn't far, and you are welcome to stay the night, the sun is already setting and my den is safe and secure." she whispers, smiling at the male. "I have some food left fromt he kill I made this morning as wellw hich you are welcome to have, it's only going to the birds any way." She laughs, this land was safe and wellpopulated with prey beasts, she had never worried about making a kill and she always let the vultures clean her kills feeling it was the generous thing to do for ones fellow creatures.

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that," he returned. He always found it sad finding someone who had had a bad experience with travel, mainly because he never had, really. Certainly there were storms an the like, inconvienences, but nothing incredibly dangerous or scarring. But maybe he was simply lucky. Life worked in strange ways.

"Haha, well in that case I might eat some later," he chuckled, flicking his tail as he followed her. His eyes twinkled a little, "But didn't you want to hear a story?"

Radi nodded gently as they drew up to the large rocky mass, she padded towards a fairly large sized crevice easily large enough to get a ful sized male lion through never mind the slight form that belonged to radi. "yes please, do come in i am excited to hear your tail"

She laughs gently laying down in the den, the half light of the evening flooding in throught he opening, her soft green eyes dancing, awaiting her story, the tale of the jungle of adventures she would never have and never erally wanted. She could dream of these places though,s he could always dream.

He followed her in. He passed a brief glance around at his surroundings and then settled himself down. Mentally he was shifting through his experiences, wondering which would be the best to tell. He decided to just wing it. If she didn't like the one he started with he could always pick another.

So the first he chose, and one of his prime jungle memories, was of a lioness he had met who climbed trees. They had met on one of his climbs and explored a jungle a bit before agreeing to a jumping contest. It wasn't as far flung a thing as you might have expected; she had done pretty well. Being a leopard he had won, but it had been close. He told Ravi all of this in great detail, smiling all the way.

She smiled dreamily as she listened to his words, her mind drifting off to the wonderful place he described and as he ended his tale her head drifted to ehr paws and she sighed happily. "That was a wondeerful tale." She coos, her breathing becoming even as she drifted off in to a gentle slumbre, her mind full of the tales of the jungle, the beauty and adventure it could provide.

A place she would never see.