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 Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:29 pm
 
He slid into the water with the eagerness of a duck, though he quickly was bogged down by wet fur. He ducked under the surace and bobbed about a moment. No fish in the pool, of course, but no matter. He broke throgh the surface and hauled his weighty frame back to shore, water pouring off him in thich rivulets. His mane had gone limp and was hanging in his face, much to his amusement. He turned back long enough to drink his fill of the water before moving off a few yards. A quick roll in the grass got him partly dry, and he settled atop a nearby rock for a nice lounging sun bath.
As he sat he began to recite a story to himself, occasionally stopping with a frown, muttering 'no, that's not right' and going back to revise things. This might be his last chance to perfect things before he got where he was going, and being in top form was very important.Feeling much better than he had been in days, almost normal, Mito progressed slowly over the rogue lands, his eyes planted firmly ahead of him almost as though he was heading towards some kind of destination. He wasn't, in all reality. The male was just walking to the sake of walking, no real path in mind and no real goal to obtain at the end of his journey. Ever since he had been striken ill from a snake bite he had become more prone to wandering. Maybe it was something inate. Something that had always been inside him, merely seeking the right moment to burst free.
For he had not always been so happy to walk for more than one hour throughout the full course of one day.
Maybe, and more likely, he was just getting over the fact that he had nearly died, which prompted him to take things a little less casually. Before he had been so... so blah about life and everything it had to offer. That needed to change. Sunconsciously, maybe. Whatever the case, he tried not to let it ride on his mind too long. There were plenty of other things to think about. Like why that lion sitting not far from him was talking to himself.
Blinking, Mito moved towards the misty-looking creature, tilting his head to one side. "Are you alright?" he asked lightly, not to be rude. He just didn't think someone muttering to no one was a good sign. Maybe he was perplexed about something.Bombei started a little when he heard someone suddenly talking to him at rather close proximity. He bolted to sitting, water flying in all directions, and his soggy mane flopped lamely into his eyes. He shook his vision clear and offered a reassuring smile to the other. "Quite fine, actually, now that my heart's settled from that start you gave me." He twisted around so he could recline at ease and still not be completely ignoring his surprise guest.
He watched the fellow for a while, tail swishing curiously. What had prompted the fellow to stop and inquire about him now? He was wet, certainly, but that was no cause for alarm. Any lion who'd bathed was wet, it wasn't an oddity...Maybe he'd been curious about the story? He had been having trouble with that part after all...maybe the male thought his most recent attempt was so absurd that Bombei simply must be in some way off. Well he could rectify that easily enough.
He chuckled, "I'm sorry if my story wasn't to your tastes. I'm working on it, you see. It's easier to craft without an audience, but it's harder to gauge the reaction...given your outburst though, I'd take it my most recent attempt was not to your liking?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:15 pm
Mito gave a faint laugh, suddenly on the receiving end of a mild shower. He hadn't had any plan of bathing today, so it was quite a surprise to be wet. But it wasn't anything to get upset about; the droplets were small and hardly hung on his poofy mane, leaving him feeling no more soggy than when he had started. "I'm sorry!" he laughed, "I hadn't meant to startle you! I suppose I could have greeted you a bit less... out of the blue than that."
Watching him as he was being watched, Mito wasn't quite sure what to do, sitting and letting his frame sink slightly in the sandy earth. He knew there would be a butt imprint where he had been once he was due to move on.
"Story?" Mito frowned thoughtfully, "to be completely honest, I didn't hear your story. I was just wondering what was on your mind. You had a perplexed look about you and you were, well, muttering to yourself. I guess I just thought something was wrong. An incorrect assumption, it seems. Ah well, I'm glad. And I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. So... you're a story teller?" Now that sounded like the kind of occcupation the lazy green male could get in on.
Bombei nodded emphatically. "I am at that. A wandering lay about, some would say, but it's harder than you'd think. If audiences don't like your tales they'll boo you right off." He chuckled. It'd been ages now since that had happened to him (what could he say? He'd long known how to please a crowd) but when he was younger it had been quite the common thing. He leaned back a bit, settling into a comfortable sort of slouch. Talking about his job was nearly telling a story in and of itself, and he was prepared to make the best he could of the thing to the fellow.
"For starters I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Bombei." He dipped his head a moment, and scowled when again the top of his mane drooped into his eyes. Well no matter. He ignored it this time. He could see decently enough, so there was no issue, aside from it tickling his nose a bit. "I've been doing this storytelling thing for years now, so there's a fair chance we've met, though perhaps not." He nodded at Mito, a gesture for him to give his name if he wanted, or ask anything.
"So you find a batch of willing listeners and just tell them a story? That must be a nice way to pass the time," he chuckled, trying to picture himself doing it. It certainly seemed nice, really, but he imagined that he wouldn't be very good at it. He would probably mutter or say the wrong thing. Forget half the story or tell a tale inappropriate for his audience.
"It's nice to meet you, Bombei," replied the male, "my name is Mito. I don't know if I remember anyone telling my any stories aside from my father," he mused, "which you're not. Not that you needed me to tell you that. In any case, tell me more. I must say I'm quite intrigued! How did you know you wanted to be a story teller?" The greem male had about a million other questions for the other animal, but he decided not to unload them all at once. He knew there would be plenty of time to ask about things, assuming this male was going to be sticking around for a little while.
He looked like he needed to drip-dry anyway.
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:26 pm
Bombei nodded again. "Well that's how it goes sometimes. Other times I end up wandering and planning stories for so long I forget to eat, and then I stumble onto a kill a pride's made or into their lands. A good night of stories can be a good trade for shelter and food. A chance to do something different for the pride is always welcome...and it's fascinating to see how different cultures react to the same story."
It was clear that these social interactions were of equal interest as stories to the blue male, and he swished his tail thoughtfully. Different cultures liked different stories because they valued different aspects of society. They also worshiped different gods...keeping his tales to fit all the needs was a constant challenge, as some patron gods and goddesses were not as...benign as others. And some weren't as violent.
"A pleasure Mito, and no, I think it's safe to say I am no one's father, though I have sired a good few stories in my day. As for how I knew...well to start I was curious. I wanted to know why things were how they were, and my parents decided to sate me by telling me old folktales. They were fascinating, and they made me think. Sadly for old mom and pa, that made me even MORE curious. For things they didn't know how to answer...well I made it up." He shrugged haplessly. Becoming a teller wasn't something he'd chosen, he'd just done it. Been born to it.
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