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 Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:52 pm
He was using one of his favorite resting spots: a large rock formation next to small watering hole. There were a smattering of trees that helped to provide shade on days that were particularly warm. Because of the relatively small size of the pond, it was not visited very often, so Rishi usually didn't have to worry about any dangerous strangers. Unfortunately, this also meant that he didn't meet many friendly strangers either.
Moving over to the water's edge, Rishi gazed soberly at his reflection and sighed. He was in an oddly pensive mood, and the sight of his lonely reflection caused the longing in his heart to increase. He'd never wanted the life of a wanderer, but he had taken to it quite easily. He had no home and no family but that was only because he hadn't found them yet. Rishi was convinced that he would one day find his destiny and his purpose, or rather, that it would find him. It was the reason he spent so much time sleeping, for in his dreams, he could imagine what his life would be like when the time came.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:40 pm
However, making the journey across the lands left her thirsty and the water sources were still a touch meager. It meant that she had to take careful note of which ones were where, no matter how small, for future reference. In this leg of her early-night journey, she happened to know of a rather small watering hole, though one that was seldom used and would suit her purposes. What she was unprepared for, though, was the site of the mossy green lion awaiting her at the edge of the water.
Pausing a short distance away, withing talking range but far enough that she could bolt should she need, her indigo eyes narrowed on the male. He was certainly not of her small pride, that was for sure, which meant he was a rogue. There had not been any rogues in their lands for a long, long time. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked, rather bluntly, her brow arched and her stance firm as she planted her feet on the ground. She was a little larger than the average mistweaver, a family trait of her father's family she had always assumed, but that didn't mean she was too intimidating - especially for nothing more than an adolescent female.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:48 pm
It was not very often that Rishi got flustered. He was not the type to get emotional or to lose his temper. However, he was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he did not hear or smell the female approach. He did not even notice her sitting near him until she spoke. Glancing up, surprised, he took in the sight of the female lioness. She was unlike any other lion he had seen, though he was almost positive that she was a lion. For her to look so different, she had to be from one of the more reclusive prides that were known to inhabit this area.
He blinked a few times, attempting to recollect what she had said. After a moment, he remembered and replied blandly, "Yes, I guess I am enjoying myself. This is a nice spot to sit and think, thought it isn't very often that I see anyone else here." The response was natural and it wasn't until he said it that he thought it might sound rude. So he smiled kindly at her and shrugged, hoping that might excuse the obvious confusion on his part.
Rishi took a second to look over the female. She had interesting coloring and markings, though they were different from those had had seen before. The green color of her fur was close to that of his own, but her hide also had brown, white, and a lovely shade of blue that he'd never run across before. She was very pleasing to look at.
Rishi realized that he was staring. Not wanting to be completey rude, he asked, "What brings you out here?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:52 pm
She quirked a brow at him as he answered her question, sitting promptly where she had been standing without invitation. As far as she was concerned, these were her lands and she had more rights than he did. "Have you ever considered that there's not usually anyone here because the land belongs to a pride?" Her head tilted at him, eyes watching him. Sure, this was the outer edge, for sure, and there was seldom anyone out here because it was showing very little sign of life yet - but it still belonged to the pride. Even when it was back to life, it probably would be a blurry border, like most pridal borders are, but she didn't have to tell him that.
The fact that he had been staring was quite obvious. She wasn't sure what it was, really. Perhaps it was the fact that they simply looked different - the subtle differences between them were easy enough for her to see but at least she had the decency to keep her eyes in her skull. Maybe he was just being a male, though, which wouldn't have surprise her either. In fact, deep down, the thought almost made her want to smirk in pride - that would have been something to gloat about if she knew anyone worth gloating to.
"I'm out here to look at the land, see how much life has grown back," she tilted her head up proudly as she said it. How her words were stated, it seemed quite like she had been told to do so, perhaps by the Queen, or another well-ranked member of the pride. In all seriousness, she had just come to look for herself, but as a mistress of lies, she certainly wasn't going to clear up any implications her words might have. "Our lands haven't been very healthy for a long time and the fact that there's even this small little waterhole here is astounding," she glanced at it momentarily, then back up to him with a slight frown. "The fact that rogues are coming in to try and live off of them again means that the Queen should probably be more cautious about the borders, too." The way she said it was hinting towards distaste, perhaps not quite at him, but certainly at the fact that everything was just so.. open.
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:14 pm
Rishi quirked an eyebrow, surprised by the female's response. As far as he had known, this land did not belong to any specific pride. Of course, the borders were always disputable, as there was rarely any geographical indication of a border, unless there was a handy river or stream. So, there was a possibility that he was trespassing on a pride's land. However, the area did not seem frequented by anyone. Other than this particular female, he had seen no other members of her pride.
He thought for a moment before replying, "Ah, I guess that I had not considered that. However, it wouldn't seem as though I am bothering anyone by being here. Pride lands or rogue lands, either way, the area does not seem to be frequented much, so my presence here really shouldn't be a problem."
Rishi was surprised again at his own response. It was unlike him to be bothered by anyone. He was usually so unshakable. However, something about the way this one female spoke to him made him annoyed. How strange. Shaking it off, Rishi stretched and stepped away from the pond, taking up a spot of his own.
"I suppose I should ask. Is my being here a problem? I could find some other place to stay for awhile, though I am rather fond of this one. But if it is a problem, I can leave."
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:50 pm
On top of this being the very border of the land, their pride was also dwindling in number. The lands hadn't been able to support many in the last few years, so her mother had said, though with the rains returned Zuri didn't doubt that their numbers would soon grow. After all, her own parents had already produced their next litter - large and healthy, all of them. Even if they were the only cubs in the land, it was a good sign.
"Well, you should be more careful traipsing into pridelands like this. How do you know that we aren't violent, or bloodthirsty?" She ventured, narrowing her eyes and baring her teeth in a way that dared him to guess if she was either. Unfortunately for him, she had inherited an honest gift for deception. She simply chuckled, deep and amused, however, and let the motions fade away as she watched him. "Don't just assume that just because you don't see anyone that you're welcome where you are - it's always good to know if there's a pride, and if so, just who they are." He had no idea what her pride was, who they were, what they did. They could have been cannibalistic for all her knew. The lies she could have spun at that moment mounted in her mind, stretched before her, but she found her natural urge to twist words satiated for now. She didn't particularly feel like deceiving this one - at least not yet.
"I don't think you being here is particularly a problem, no," she said, sweeping her eyes over the small body of water at his side, then back to him. "But if you're planning on staying here for any length of time, you might want to let the rest of the pride know. I'm sure such a small amount of water is inconsequential in the long run, but they might think otherwise." Her tail swished, slowly back and forth. "We've been without rains for many, many moons - many here hold water more dear than food." It could have been a grand tale, a great lie, but for once, the most grand thing she was speaking was actually the truth. It didn't stop her lips from curling into a sly smirk, however. That simply seemed to be her favorite expression.
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:43 pm
Rishi regarded the female with a nonchalant expression; however, his curiosity was piqued. He found her attitude rather strange, and he wasn't sure how to react. She wasn't attacking him or yelling at him. It seemed that she was both threatening and not threatening at the same time. Puzzling. He didn't believe her words about bloodthirsty or exceptionally violent. If they were, she would have attacked him on the spot. Also, though he knew extremely little about the lioness's pride, the few things he did know did not include them being particularly ferocious to outsiders.
However, he did believer her about the water. Indeed, the lands showed signs of suffering from a lack of water. Perhaps it would be better if he moved on. If he traveled for a few days, he could make it to any number of other places to stay; but Rishi didn't want to leave. He couldn't tell exactly why he didn't want to, but was simply content with his decision.
After a moment, he shrugged and asked, "You mentioned that I should inform the rest of the pride if I wished to stay here. May I ask how I should do that? I wouldn't want to break any traditions or particular rules that your pride has about outsiders." In this, he was completely honest and sincere. He knew what consequences could come from insulting a pride and as he was curious about this particular one, he did not want to ruin his chances.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 3:45 pm
As he seemed to be taking a moment to mull a few things over, she sat down calmly and brought a paw to her maw to be groomed. She hadn't really thought he'd believe that they were bloodthirsty or violent, but it was always a good thing to keep in mind, in her opinion. She knew for a fact that there were some prides that were like that, and even the thought of it put a sour taste in her mouth. He might have been a little surprised to find that they actually could be quite violent when it came down to it, but it was really only in special cases. Then, and only then, they might be inclined to attack first and ask questions later.
"Hmm?" she asked rather casually as his voice broke out once more, seemingly done with his consideration of whatever thought had crossed his mind. She did smile, however lightly it was, and put her paw back down to give him her full attention though. "Well, if you wish to stay, you'll need to talk to the queen or a council member. They can be a little hard to find sometimes, especially if you're not familiar with the lands, but I don't think it'll be too much trouble." She tilted her head at him for a moment, as if she were judging him right there on the spot. "If you want, I can point you in the right direction?"
She pushed herself back to her feet as she finished speaking, her tail twitching lightly behind her. She was waiting for his answer, though she didn't honestly know why she was being so cooperative today. Perhaps she was just not in the mood for her usual little games.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 5:27 pm
Rishi gazed at Zuri curiously and gave her a genuine smile. He was a little surprised that she was offering to help him. At first, it had seemed that she was more likely to tell him to get lost and Rishi couldn't help but wonder why she had changed her mind. Perhaps it was his willingness to cooperate with the traditions of the pride, or the fact that he had not attacked. Either way, he was grateful that she had decided to help him.
"Thank you. I would be very grateful if you could point me in the right direction."
It would have been rather awkward for Rishi to simply go blundering into the lands, wandering around and attempting to find someone to talk to. That was a good way to offend someone and get attacked.
He wasn't sure what it was about this particular land and pride that piqued his curiosity, but it had caught his attention. He wanted to know more about the lands, the pride, and more about Zuri. However, he wasn't simply going to say that to her. Hopefully, a chance would arise where he would be able to speak with her again.
Rishi took a quick moment to shake out his coat and smooth out his fur, before he waited patiently for Zuri to show him the way to go.
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 9:44 am
A slight smirk quirked the corner of her maw, one brow raising as she considered him. She hoped dearly that she was making the right decision in this, that the queen would take kindly to rogues seeking shelter in this area again once more. She supposed it was either take him to see her and the council or have him wander about on his own, however. Were their numbers even large enough to keep them out on their own? This was not her area of knowledge, not by a long shot, so she'd simply do what she thought was best. If there were consequences to pay later, so be it. She still thought this was the better option.
"This way then," she said with a little twitch of her tail, giving him a last once-over with her eyes before turning her back to him and stalking off in the direction she had come. Back to the heart of the pride, to the caves. He didn't seem to be a danger, but still, showing a rogue to the center of the pride could be dangerous any way one looked at it. At least she knew her father and others were there to protect them - what was one lion against many, no matter how small their numbers in comparison to other prides? They could take one, she was sure of that. Besides, something about this Rishi fellow just didn't seem to be a threat to her. Perhaps it was all the lying she did, all the untruths she told, but she felt like she could really see the truth when she was faced with it.
Unlike her, he didn't really seem to be a liar.
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