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 Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:26 pm
 Giza'Vermaak was on her own that day... her family was sleeping, away from the daylight as always... but she was busy. She had things to do. She had things to kill... and she had certainly been finding a few as of late. Though aside from her first few small kills, she had stayed mostly below raidar to her parents and siblings. She knew they respected killing, as it was they were on the run for exactly that. But she didn't. Oh, anyone could tap their paw and ho-hum over how to take a life... but why do something like that when one could be so much more creative?
Really. Who could be so crass? There were so many more interesting ways to do things...
Today, her new victim was a small feild mouse. She had little luck with them in the past... they usually died during her 'artistic sketching' which was a bit of a shame... She had come so close to making a masterpiece with them.
This one had already stopped screaming... Bummer. She had killed it again. She had been certain to be more careful... but she had once again gone too far. Perhaps she was going about it wrong. Perhaps she really needed to start smaller... or perhaps she just needed to practice one something bigger...
...But what out there was bigger than a feild mouse, or perhaps a rabbit or bird, that was still smaller than she was? She couldn't help but sigh again, setting her head on a nearby tree, "Oh man... this just isn't working well. I need a new plan..." A new plan... like what? Maybe she needed a bigger group... But that was no good. How was she supposed to hide that from her family?
Her art was being difficult.
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:14 am
 Doto had grown tired of the company his siblings provided him. He had vaguely been holding out a hope that one of them, at least, might prove of some interest to him. None, as it turned out, were compatible with his nature, and his parents were taking precautions to make sure he did not have fun with them because of it. His father, particularly, was apt at stopping his investigations and experiments, and his method was strikingly vulgar and deprecating: his father would sit on him to keep him from troubling the rest of the family.
Seizing a quiet moment in the den, he slipped away from his parents watchful gazes and made out on his own, padding slowly and patiently over the dry grass as his sharp, fathomless red eyes sought entertainment. He felt dry, like a sponge, searching desperately for the unknown liquid that might restore some vitality to him. His mind seemed numb, idle, just waiting for a chance to explore and expand, to practice and articulate the theories he had been silently forming behind the mask of aloof patience he presented.
Moving with a fluid, shadowy grace over the plains, the black cub spotted a familiarly colored creature not too far off. Soon enough he caught scent of it, his eyes focusing and recognizing it as a female lion cub. Having never met anyone outside his family before, he paused for a moment. Inwardly he debated bothering with company, knowing that if they were anything like the cubs in his family he would only be irritated by her. Yet she was in his path, and he was not of the mind to deviate in order to avoid her. He continued, then, toward her, his eyes on her as he drew close.
She looked as though she were irritated with something. There was a dead mouse near her, the blood and markings on it telling Doto it had not been killed out of necessity or to practice basic hunting skills. He snarled at it, disgusted and indignant, his tail whipping through the air tightly. Looking up at the female, he did not bother with niceties or even a proper introduction.
“Did you make that mess?”
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Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 10:08 pm
Giza looked up, suprised to hear another voice that wasn't from a family member. A cub like her. Not a merc then. Good. She would have hated to cause a fuss and wake her father... though watching the big, very powerful lion rip someone so small to shreds would have amused her. But nope, just a small male cub like her. Like her brother... but without the eyes that would have prevented him from walking out during the day. She tilted her head and looked him up and down. Rude. Annoying. Nothing she wasn't used to from her siblings... but at least she knew they were worthy of acting that way. Still, he was critiquing her art. That was something, wasn't it?
"It's awful!" She moaned, slapping her forehead, flicking about blood as she stood over the mouse. A little on the dramatic side, sure, but she was an artist! And artist who had failed miserably, but hey, she was just starting out, "I can't believe how this turned out! No good! Useless!" She sighed, tilting her head back, "It is a mess! It's terrible! And not to mention it's dead, and now not even worth eating!" She glanced him up and down, "... though I wouldn't talk about messes if I were you..." But his eyes.
What fascinating eyes he had. Red. Red eyes. How very mind-blowing. Though... plain, she would say, for the rest of him... But then, one had to be her father to impress Giza. It took a lot. Meanwhile it did not take a lot to make her fascinated by eyes. But he most certainly had the ability to be a critique, since he hadn't held back. Which was lovely. She wanted someone to be honest with her... but then, she supposed that it might not be to his tastes for art. If he even knew what art was.
...or if she knew what art was. Which was something else altogether.
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Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:59 pm
Doto sneered, blinking slowly as he watched her react to his comments. He was already getting the feeling that she was a strange one, like him, in her own ways. Though, he was not one for art or blood. A neat, devious creature, he was much more fond of the chase and the plan than the end results. Nothing had to be pretty once he was done, as it had nothing to do with him what people thought after he was finished with them.
Or at least that's how he wanted it to be when he was older, and capable of doing all the things he imagined.
"Did you just insult me?" he asked, his tail swishing. He looked amused, a shadow of a smirk on his face as he arched an eyebrow at her. He listlessly dug his claws into the earth, flexing and unflexing his paws in a dull, instinctive response to conversation, "you're the one ripping up field mice. And not very well, I might add. But I see you're already aware of your own failings as far as that's concerned."
He sniffed, taking a moment to learn her scent, filtering out the blood of the dead creature, in order to know her a bit better. Huffing, as if getting a bit too much, he frowned, "what were you trying to do?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:31 pm
"Oh, it was just the artist in me offended, I'm afraid..." Giza bemoaned, before she grinned at him, "Perhaps your coat is a little boring... but you have excellent eyes, I must say! Charming, really." She said with a decisive nod.
He hadn't run away... perhaps he was a little like her? Not exactly, of course -for she considered herself unique in every way- but perhaps he was someone else who appreciated a little... deviation from the norm. Someone else who saw the way the world worked a little bit differently from everyone else.
She glanced at her failed art project and sighed, knocking it back and forth, "I am attempting to create art. Though it seems I am one doomed to failure for now... but I would say I'm learning. This one lived much longer than the last project... I find death very... unsatisfying, you see... unless you plan on eating your kill, but even then, the taste seems so dull in comparison... Never mind." She said, waving off that train of thought, "The point of the project is to..." She tilted her paw back and forth, "Leave a mark on something... a knowledge, that it has been hurt and destroyed beyond... all recodnition..." She was trying very hard to remember all the big words she had heard the older members of her family use. It made her sound so much smarter, especially when she figured out what the words meant, "It's almost like a memory that one will get every time one is seen... knowing that they have been destroyed. Walking art projects of mine. So when other creatures see what I have done, they'll know I was the one who did it... I seek fame and recodnition." She nodded, glad she was remembering all this. If she had been human, she probably would have written it all down and memorized it.
"The aim is not to kill, of course, because the dead only rot and dissapeare... the aim is to maim and mangle." She finished off, quite pleased, "I am young, and yet I have found my reason to be!" She glanced at him, "What do you think? Or do you have your own art of sorts...? Something you wish to be known for? Are you like me?" She had to know. She simply had to know.
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Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:34 pm
Doto was not impressed. He watched the cub impassively, one eyebrow slightly raised, his red eyes swimming with shadows. Running his tongue over his fangs, he shook his head once she finally stopped talking, admonishing her has he had seen his father do to his siblings. The moment that recognition came to him, however, was when he stopped doing it. He did not want to be his father's son, as so many of his brothers seemed to dream of.
"That sounds like a profound waste of time and patience," Doto said offhandedly, his voice shrugging in as equally potent a manner as his shoulders, "there's nothing pretty about tearing flesh. Torture, sure, is an interesting idea. It's fun, and there are so many facets, but come on. Practicing and failing in something that's supposed to be improvised and glorious? That's a shame. If you can't think on your feet and make something perfect in the moment, on the spur of a thought, you're wasting your time."
He spoke without inflection, blinking slowly and looking rather bored. Even so, he found her fascinating. He had never met a cub like this, and though they differed so greatly in their approaches, he realized there was a common ground between them. Neither was satisfied in the common life: the way all the other lions seemed content to live. Hunting to feed, playing nice with others. Being fake. She, like him, seemed to want to push through those social conventions, and explore the darker, bloodier, crueler side of the world.
"That's not to say there's fault in planning. I actually find the thought and the theory of something... like this... as entertaining as the act. But I don't think it should be repeated. I think each effort should be new, adapted to the creature at hand. You know? Like, if I'm hunting a mouse I'm not going to treat it the same as when I'm hunting another lion or something. Each plan should be its own work of art, to use your term, each one a memory worth storing, because you can have pride in the execution and perfection."
Sniffing, he summed up with a simple statement, just in case she had tuned him out for most of his monologue, "practice is weak. Natural talent, the ability to improvise and still be perfect, is strength. But, if that's what you like to do, I'm not going to tell you not to. I mean, it's better than playing hide and seek and casual conversation, any day."
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:13 pm
Giza listened to him carefully, after all, a critique was a critique... and this lion certainly had a lot to say. And he was like her... of that she was certain. He had said what she had always believed. Better than playing hide and seek. Better than sucking up to her parents and trying to get a paw over her siblings... There was more out there. There was a bloodier and nastier world, where social conventions fell away and destruction reigned...
Of course, clearly he didn't appreciate art... "Well, torture is tricky," She moaned, "You go too far, and then they die... and I don't want them dead. I just want them..." Her eyes narrowed, cold, not matching the smile on her face, "Maimed... destroyed... I want them to know I've taken something that can't be replaced... The dead don't do that." But still she smiled, "But different approaches... that isn't such a bad idea. There have to be different ways of going about this... not just one method."
Useful, very useful... How very fascinating this little endevor had become! She was beginning to worry that there was no one else like her... for her family, while certainly dark and dangerous, had never been enough. They all liked death. She wanted more than that. And she wanted the glory that came with being... feared.
"Clearly... I need to discover all the different ways that one can harm someone, and then improvise from what I have learned... Natural talent can only take you so far." She pointed out, for she did take her father's advice. Natural talent would only go so far, one had to be able to push past that, "But to be able to improvise... to be able to know and think -of the top of my head- all the different ways of doing harm..." She shivered with delight, "That would be so very... excellent."
She grinned at him, "I think I am quite pleased that I have met someone who understands... But clearly, I still have to shape the theory a little... But I believe we have something in common, you and I... because who wants a world with smiles and happiness when there's no fun in that? No excitement... no thrill. We know there's more than that, and we aren't afraid to try and get it."
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 2:49 pm
Doto shrugged his round shoulders. He was a large cub, taking after his father once more in that regard. He nodded as she spoke, finding her zeal, at least, to be interesting. The topic was beginning to wear on him, as he did not agree to the idea of torture and pain being an art form, but he found himself willing to stay and listen. That was new for him, considering he usually got up and walked away whenever his siblings came at him with some inane conversation.
"When we're bigger," he said offhandedly, almost non-sequitur to the conversation, "we might make an interesting duo. Don't you think? I mean, if we combined our theories, and refined our practices, like each of us is used to doing. Not changing, so much, as adapting. I think we're both on to something, don't you? Like we've got these ideas in our heads, and by meeting we might have some chance to bring them to life."
His tail flicked whimsically as he stared at her thoughtfully. He was a pensive, observant cub, whose mind was constantly working, turning out ideas and fantasies, day dreams and theories without end, each one flowing seamlessly from the other as he designed his behavior around the information he gathered.
He grinned back at her, snapping back into the actual conversation now that his musings had ended, "I think we should go hunt something. I've never been able to get anything bigger than a rabbit, but with the two of us and a good plan, we might catch something fun. If you really want to practice, since I can understand why your methods need it, even if I don't agree, then you'll have something bigger to play with."
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:39 pm
Giza couldn't help but grin at the other cub's suggestion. Now this was more like it! She was so sick of having to deal with lions... even her own siblings who were competative about gaining their father's approval... which of course she wanted, but she wanted more than that. There was more out there than just her father... and her father's eyes.
A partnership though? Hum... that was something to consider indeed. When they were bigger... when they could get their hands on some... other large creatures... with their theories, their plans... They could be feared in every corner of Africa. Far greater than her father's own fame had ever been... chased down by mercs everywhere they went. Fantastic.
The future... when their fantasies might be realized... When all their dreams became the very real twisted nightmares of others. To have all that... it would be so... so very much, "Now... wouldn't that be interesting... To be onto something that big... What we could do... what they could fear..." Bigger... badder than anything, "We would be... amazing."
Then she looked back at him, smirking a little, "But... I can't help but wonder what your plans are. I've told you mine... you haven't told me yours yet. And now that I'm all interested..."
She got up, her eyes scanning around, "You'll just have to tell me while we look for something... bigger. You've seen my plans, I want to know about yours." She mused, clearly interested now, "We both need to play with something bigger and more... fun. Show me how you play the real game."
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:19 pm
"Wouldn't it, though? Renown is so hard to come by. There are lions I've heard of, stories from other lands, of cruel things. But if I mention them to others, a lot of the time, they don't know who I mean. I want to be a name that people will know, and I can tell you want to, too. If that be through fear, then so be it. I just know I see creatures differently than the rest of my family, than most of the lions in this land. You're the first animal I've met that even comes close."
He shifted, moving to set off on their hunt as he found himself confessing his inner workings to her. Though he lived with his impulses every day, it was difficult for him to find words for them, "I want to see where the verge of insanity is. I've heard my mother and father use that phrase, that I'm driving them to it. But that's in passing, and not enough. I need to know where that line is, and how to get there. Everyone is different, and I see how their fears, insecurities and all of that plays in to reaching that line. I can play with them with words and small actions, but with my parents, my father, watching me so closely I can't truly experiment with limits of the mind."
He frowned, the intelligent young cub at a loss for words. He had never tried to articulate any of this before, and to do so now, to a near stranger was strange and disconcerting. Which only added to the difficulties he was already facing in speaking. He walked silently for a moment, intense eyes scanning the area. He spoke as he watched a speck on the horizon, "torture would definitely play in to it. Pain affects everyone, but there are so many other ways to break a spirit. To crush someone entirely and leave them shattered, to live in your shadow and never forget who you were. Don't you think? Look over there, is that something?"
He motioned to the spot he was watching, reacting now that it was drawing nearer to them and growing in size. He could not tell what sort of animal it was, but it seemed to be on its own. That was a good sign, at least, for their purposes.
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:47 pm
"You want to know their dreams so you can crush them." Giza said with a large smile, "You want to strike fear into the hearts of others through your deeds and actions... oh, and so do I... Perhaps not the same way... but glory, my friend... and when you think about it, the most feared creatures are the ones who are known throughout the land. You and I... we could be that. We could be greater than our entire families combined..."
Then she listened to what he said, knowing he hadn't thought of how to express his feelings out loud, like she had. "The verge of insanity... different, perhaps, than doing it through pain... but insanity... That is so much more interesting. There are those who have called my father insane... and it seems like a worthwhile thing to be."
"Shatter someone entirely... more than physical pain could ever do... but I have to admit, I'm more interested in the body than the mind..." She grinned, "But you know what they say, opposites... attract, I think, or something like that. You can keep the mind... It's not what I want. Because you can learn more about someone in seven minutes of pure pain then... you know everything."
Then she followed his eyes, trying to see what he saw, "Hum...? Something... fun..."
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:36 pm
Doto watched the horizon. It look like a gazelle was wandering toward them. It was much larger than the two cubs, but it was not an adult and looked to be lost and alone. Doto grinned, baring his teeth, savoring the way the timid creature sent furtive glances this way and that, fear oozing from its every pore.
"That definitely looks fun," he said, prowling forward slowly. He kept low to the ground, his black fur not lending itself too readily to camouflage against the yellow savanna. Still, his size played to his favor as the tall grass shadowed him. He made sure to keep his knew acquaintance close. He noticed in that moment that he did not know her name, and could not remember if they had been introduced.
"Do you know," he said quietly, steadily closing the distance between them and the lost, pitiful creature his red eyes were glued to, "anything about hunting proper food? I've only had one or two lessons, I'm sad to admit." He turned his eyes to the scene around them, his mind already turning over several ideas that might help them fell the beast despite not being large or powerful.
"I think we should go for it anyway. It's perfect."
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Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 10:20 am
Giza grinned as she spotted it, staying close to the ground and seeming to meld into the long grass around them, "My daddy is on the run because he killed some lions..." She said, her voice clearly quite pleased by that particular fact, "And there are lots who want to kill him back... so I have to learn everything, and train, so I'm ready in case they find us... I know all about sneaking."
She did, and her parents knew she was exceptional at it... But she had never killed anything bigger than a bird before. And even that bird had been a bit of... well, an accident. But she knew how to kill something this big in THEORY.
"Okay... let's do it." She decided, nodding to the other cub, before she glanced at her new friend, "By the way... My name is Giza'Vermaak... but you can call me Giza." Then she slipped into the long-grass, very nearly dissapearing entirely from sight.
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Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:13 pm
"Reputation without consequence," Doto said, mostly to himself, "that's something different. Sitting in plain sight, and no one daring to do anything about it. We'll be that. That's what I want, too."
There was a lot, he realized, that he wanted. It was lucky to have found someone to finally be able to talk about it with. There was no telling how long he might have gone on not putting it all into words, missing some of the finer details of his goals to the jumble of thoughts in his head, if their paths had not crossed.
Doto looked at her when she introduced herself, nodding and following after her closely, mirroring her movements as he witnessed them, doing his best to follow her lead. He caught up to her, coming to a stop when they were within striking range of the bewildered creature. It was definitely not an adult, but it was large enough to be compelling.
He would introduce himself after they were done, not wanting to say anything more than was absolutely necessary for the hunt at that moment. Keeping his voice below a whisper, he indicated that she should go behind it while he moved to the front. If they could get into a flanking position, catch it from both sides, they would have a better chance of bringing it down.
His mind unfolded a plan to attack the legs, bring it down, and have Giza go for something like its neck or haunches: something to disable it rather than kill it right away. He knew, after all, that she would want to play with it.
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Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 4:20 pm
Giza moved up beside him, knowing that they would have to be very quiet, or it was sure to hear them, "Thoughts and feelings...? We can probably get it down if we get it's legs... weith both of us, one at the front, one at the back... I think we can do it." The creature might have heard her, because it lifted it's head... but she wasn't entirely sure.
It didn't run... that was good. Because Giza most certainly didn't want to kill it. She wouldn't be able to eat the entire thing on her own, or with her new companion. They would just leave it to stink and rot... and where was the fun in that?
Oh no, she had every intention of sending the beast home to it's parents... what was left of it anyway, when she was done. It was likely that it wouldn't live long injured... but perhaps she could start an early legacy, before she moved onto... bigger and better things. And perhaps her new friend would join her.
She liked nothing more than the thought of living in the future she dreamed of, with no consequences... it would be perfect. Fear and glory... what could be better than that? Nothing... Nothing could defeat that feeling.
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