Welcome to Gaia! ::

The day was young yet and the dark lion had taken to wandering just outside the pridelands, a sort of unofficial border patrol as he worked things out in his mind. Speaking to the priestess had been enlightening and the arrival of a youngster into his life another surprise, albeit an intriguing one. The dark cub was a curious one and someone he saw potential in, someone who would grow strong and capable - given the right direction, of course. Tossing his head, Barakillian lifted his head into the wind to test the breeze as he glanced over at the Volcano. It dominated the landscape here and served as a near-constant reminder of the ritual that was drawing near. He wondered what he would find there.

A sigh slipped the female's maw as she finally stopped padding; golden eyes squinted at the darkened landscape, but oddly enough, she could not find a hint of a clue to tell her just where... she was. Honestly, it was her own fault; Kalama had been so into her hunt that she'd entirely lost track of where she was going. In her defense, the herd she'd been relentlessly stalking over the course of two days had moved fast, and while it'd taken her a while to find the weakest beast to take down, the work had been worth it, for she was sattified, full, and would not need to hunt for a couple of days, what with the amount of meat she'd devored.

Now, the problem was... she had no idea how to get back to the Anansi caves. Another sigh ripped her maw open, disheartened with herself; what would her 'father' say? Surely the large spider-lion would click his tongue over his teeth and tell her a story, show her a moral to her situation. However, the God was not here with her today, and she'd been foolishly oblivious of the fact. Rather than move on, the lioness seated herself on the ground and looked about, trying in vain, to figure out where the herd had taken her to; there seemed to be a mountain... a volcano maybe, in the near distance, and the territory seemed... somewhat dark. Not that she was bothered by the fact; after all, she'd grown out of her fear of the 'darkness' after having been adopted by a lion with eight spider legs and lead to live her life within the network of underground tunnels that the Anansi pride consisted of. Regardless, if anything, the scenery told her she was nowhere near the Pridelands, and thus, no where near the Ansni territory, "Oh, bother," she murmured as she stood up and began to pad again.

And ear flicked as he picked up the scent of an intruder and arched a brow. Hm... turning in that direction, he padded quietly towards the lioness he'd detected and kept low, like a shadow among the plants. Dawn and dusk were his favourite times - where it was hard to pick him out from the shifting masses of darkness that clung to the landscape. A single female? He edged closer, paused for a moment and then rose to walk out before the wandering soul. "It's best you not wander any further, stranger." He warned, voice neutral but rich as he spoke. He'd changed a great deal since coming to the Aikanaro'hini, learned restraint and control where before he simply would have challenged this one and driven her off.

His sudden appearence caused the female's ears to flatten back against her skull almost instantly; she'd not been trained as a warrior, and despite the fact it was clear she was well fed and well kept, her frame and muscles made it seem as if she'd have the odds to lose, if a battle were to take place. While his frame was huge, Kalama's was smaller; much, much smaller. She'd been taught by her father and the anansi pride to use her size in her favour, but brute strength was something she lacked.

A step back was taken in an effort to put a small space between them; sometimes, a few centimeters were the diference between life and death, and being able to watch the male made her feel slightly better, "I mean no harm; I seem to have have foolishly lost my way. Would you know of the Anansi?" a pause, her eyes focused on him, and while it was true she was standing a few feet away, looking calm, her muscles were tense, no doubt expecting an attack at any given moment. After all... the anansi tribe was small, and most of her time had been spent alone, or with her father; the god tended to come and go as he pleased. All in all, she was a surviver, "Rather, would you know which way the Pridelands are?" priderock had always been an easier place for strangers to pinpoint.

Despite herself, the female felt herself oddly curious; how had this lion crept up on her? She'd not even noticed him, and that bothered her deeply; she was so used to atune to her surroundings. You had to, when you crept along the dark voids of the anansi tunnels where eyes were of no use.

He shook his head, "The only pride lands I know of are the Aikanaro'hini. And it is into their lands that you are traveling." Barakillian remained where he was, watching her as she watched him and lifted a brow. "We do not deal kindly with outsiders who intrude upon our lands, there is time yet to turn back but I would not suggest going forward - I am one of the more... even-tempered members." He smirked at that knowing he was far from a subtle, reasonable individual and that the majority of demons here were violent or insane, usually both.

Well then, if going forward was such a suicidal move (acording to the male), then surely the right choice was to move back and lurk the oposite direction, "Right," it was drawled out with a bit of a sigh; if anything, the female seemed tired, and slightly upset that she'd been going the wrong direction but she didn't... seem scared of him, or what lay beyond, "Right, fine then. I shan't intrude your adobe then. Bloody wish Anansi were here. My kingdom for a pair of wings, like those of a god," the last few words were murmured mostly to herself as she turned around, ready to leave the place, however, even as she turned, it was obvious she was going out of her way to keep him within her field of vision at all times.

She paused though, one of her red tipped paws haulting in mid air as she eyed Bara, her eyes narrowing, "Why are you even warning me? If your pride is as... blood thristy as you claim, why would you steer me away from it, rather than let me go into it's very heart so I may be dealt with? In fact... why aren't you attacking me? It's obvious you would overwhelm me."

He perked, having assumed Anansi to be a lion but... from her words he sounded like something more. "What would you know of gods?" That was something the lion was having trouble digging his claws into - he'd never met one, never seen the power of one and yet everyone expected him to take their word as law without really even seeing the god. Barakillian had never been very good at taking things in faith - if you could not see, smell, or touch it how was it truly there?

Drawn out of his thoughts by her question, he shrugged, "I don't believe in unneccesary death - which is what yours would be. Tests of strength, yes, but to kill without reason is a sign of fear and weakness." He nodded as he padded towards her, "I know you would not stand a chance against me were I to attack, but what would it gain me? We are outside the territory and you are not prey. Unless of course, you are offering....?" He grinned then, teeth flashing and posture turning threatening as is eyes narrowed. It lasted but a moment however and he shrugged.

The lioness remain where she stood, though she placed the paw she'd been keeping hovering back down on the floor, "All I know about Gods, I learned from Anansi. So I don't know 'Gods', in plural. I just know one. I was raised by him," she paused, a brow arching as she tilted her head; she was well aware most lions hadn't met any gods, but still, the concept of not having done so was alien to her, whom had been raised by one, "They have wings usually, and they fly. All gods have a domain, and they embody said domain. Anansi is the god of Trickery, and the keeper of tales," she was regarding him carefully; her instincts told her that he didn't believe, and in all honesty, she couldn't care less. Why should she?

Her ears flopped back against her head and she glared up at him; her size made the scowl almost comical. It was clear she was not a creature that would indulge in blood bath, at the very least, and looking intimidating was not her forte in the least. She'd learnt from Anansi to be agile, sleek, and to use her size and her looks to her advantage; the bigger the oponent, the harder they fell, "I... would not appreciate being turned into your owl personal sacrifice; besides, what would that make you? A vampire or a canibal?" still, there was no fear, perhaps a bit of morbid curiosity; then again, she HAD been raised by a lion that looked like a monster straight out of someone's nightmare.

"Raised hnn...?" He pursed his lips thoughtfully but let the subject drop. Here was someone with direct contact with a god, a useful source of information perhaps. Barakillian laughed and shook his head, "Hero to some. Warrior.... /demon/." He'd drawn closer to the other as he'd emphasized the word, attempting to look intimidating. It amused him that she held no fear and it earned a few points of respect. "Your strength would be added to my own in that case - no vampirism, no cannibalism, only the law of life; the strong survive while the weak perish."

"Demon?" her eyes looked him over, then raised again up to his face, "You don't look it..." she paused, hesitation to draw away again, or allow him to remain close to her; while she did tense somewhat though, the lioness did not pull away, "Demon would be a large siluette in the darkness, drawing ever closer, making horrible sounds... a lion with eight legs that all move on their own and eight eyes to boot. A creature like that, should be a demon."

Amusingly enough, the liones chose to snort, myrth ringing in the single sound, "M'sorry then. You wouldn't be getting much strength from me. I'm not particularly strong. I was raised by the god of Trickery, not the god of brute strength. And even if I was.... my body doesn't allow for it. I use others' strength against them," after a moment, she arched a brow, "And you are drawing uncomfortably close to me," almost as if she felt the need to state the obvious.

"Isn't that the trick of it though?" He grinned once more, "An obvious demon would be of little use would it not...? I know not of any demon lion that appears like that." Barakillian moved once more as he circled her then stopped with the rising sun behind him and casting him into silhouette, "It is foolish indeed to underestimate someone." The attempt at being demonic and frightening, however, wavered as she snorted. His ears flicked back and expression grew confused, "Strength does not manifest in only brute force. Cunning, tactics, strong will, survival. I do not measure strength solely in how forceful one is."

He arched a brow and tilted his head, "Oh...?" The lion drew nearer once more.

"That," she drawled softly, "Is such a bad, bad pun," she was well aware he was circling her, however, still she did not move; moving would put her at odds, for it was probable he was expecting it, not to mention that by circling around her, he had the advantage, "I know of someone that looks like that. He's not a demon though," after a moment, she tilted her head slightly to one side, watching him at all times, turning her head to keep him in her line of vision, "Maybe the moral is not to judge the lion by it's skin," did he look almost.... offended that she's belithed her 'strength'? What an interesting character he was indeed, almost bipolar, "I don't know, regardless, the idea of you absorbing me sounds a tad delusional. This coming from the girl that claims to have been raised by a spider," banter she could do, for after all, she'd been a shy child and had been forced to 'toughen' up when she'd gotten lost from her parents. The gods only knew what would have happened to her if Anansi hadn't appeared to take her in and....

... he was still drawing horribly, horribly close, "Are you enjoying this?" despite the awkwardness of the situation, she seemed amused. Then again, Kalama's sense of humour was slightly warped; her father's stories had a lot of dark, almost morbid humour to them, and she'd been raised on them, "You look like you're thinking about having me with wildebeast on the side."

He nodded in acknowledgment of the pun then frowned, "Do you not feel stronger after a kill? Not absorbing your prey's strength but consuming it, turning it into something of use for yourself. Spider or no, I do not think myself delusional." The male's tail flicked as he stopped, muzzle mere inches from hers, "Perhaps. Is my interest unwelcome?" Though the question may have been courteous, his tone made it obvious that regardless of the answer he would continue to do as he willed, "Do I make you uncomfortable?" Barakillian was clearly amused. This one showed no fear and bantered easily without backing down... she was different from the others he'd encountered. Not soft and sweet like so many; it made him wonder what made her tick.

That, she had to admit, at least made a little sense, "Well, in a way; but that is because we feed. Not because we absor the animals we feed on. If we not feed, we become weak... we need food to sustain our body, right?" it was mostly a rethorical question, but the concept intrigued her somewhat. Kalama watched him as he placed his muzzle mere inches from hers, and for a moment, looked as if she were thinking, then with a small movement, pressed her nose softly against his; the movement was not sensual in the least, but almost resembled the way a child might touch a large dog, wary, but curious, "Merely unexpected," she voiced as she drew away from him. As he spoke again, the female blinked, large golden eyes fixed on him.

For a long moment, it was obvious she was pondering his words over, "Yes," the answer was blunt, as if it were obvious. Regardless, she'd not left just yet, or even lifted a finger to stop him; there was curiosity mingling amongst her form, "But that's mostly because Anansi is the only male I've been around, for a long time. And he's never looked at me like that. It would've been odd, I guess. Since he raised me from cubhood," a shrug followed statement; it was a fluid movement; the pride she belonged to had long since been disbanded, and while she still lived in their lands... only the queen and another female remain. She'd not been in direct contact with a male since early adolescense, "Why would the big, bad demon be interested in the tiny little spider anyhow?"

At her question he nodded, it was simple enough to understand after all. Much of what the demons taught and believed resonated with him, why not with others? He blinked a drew away at the unexpected touch however, wrinkling his nose with a mildly confused frown upon his lips, "What am I looking at you like?" Barakillian tilted his head, perplexed by her comments, and then shrugged, "Why indeed... is it the same reason for which said spider has remained? You intrigue me and yet I have nothing to call you by. What do you answer to?" Slowly, he followed after her, ears perked and facing forward.

"Like I'm interesting," she shrugged, "When, in all honesty... all I have done is..." what had she done? Tell truth, she'd been about to leave, to retreat, "Well, I've never met a demon before," it was obvious she was not mocking him in the least by using said name; she'd been brought up to believe in gods, and thus... from gods to demons, there was only but a small jump. She'd always had a vivid imagination and admiting to such an exhistence was not bewildering, "Kalama, but you may call me Kala," she answered as he spoke, "What about you?"

Indeed, why WAS she even here? Why hadn't she left? It was hard to pinpoint exactly why, but... he hadn't hurt her, and he'd warned her of what lay ahead. He didn't seem so bad, and not hazardous to her health; at least not inmediately dangerous, for the time being.

"Kala?" He tried the name out and nodded his approval, "Fitting. I'm called Barakillian. You have done more then you think, though. Most run. Or at the very least cower when faced with myself... or the demons in general. Stand your ground, no fear." Bara circled once more, stopping beside her as he faced the opposite direction she was and looked back over his shoulder, "I admire that." He tail flicked from side to side, the easy confidence in his stance obvious, tone one of sureness as he spoke, "Do you linger because you find me as intriguing as I do you?"

Her mouth opened, and then snapped shut, almost as if she were pondering her words over, "Running is moronic; You give your adversary your back. Not only that, but you never, ever run from someone stronger than you. You walk. It gives them less of a sensation of fear, ad it gives you more pride. If you're going to go down, you can at least go down with pride," it made sense in her mind, but then again, she'd been well raised, and hadn't been coddled. She'd been loved, but taught what the world was. The fact she was not scared though, was strange indeed, "You... get used to the idea of demons, and notice that things aren't always what they seem, when you have a large, eight eyed lion, that more resembles a spider than a lion, sleeping right beside you. That aside, I was raised in the Anansi tunnels. Those tunnels are pitch black, no light. One learns," she watched as he circled her again, intrigued; he kept doing that however unless he was a very good trickster, he had no intention of harming her, so thus why? Brushing the thought aside, she tilted her head, "It's common sense. Most... lack it though."

Allowing herself to turn so that she could face him again, she seemed to ponder his words. Her eyes closed for a second, offering forth that small amount of trust before they reopened, "Yes," again, it was blunt honesty, "But then again... I'd never met a demon. There aren't many spiders left. Killed off by the plague you see... it's intriguing to find others that have a diferent lifestyle," she was sure others would have thought her to be insane for living in the darkness of the anansi tunnels, so whom was she to judge him in any way?

"A fine answer." He rumbled, a smile touching his muzzle as he listened, "Yes, most do. Which is both unfortunate and fortunate." Barakillian turned to face her properly as well, "You keep mentioning spiders... is this a pride? Or a god? Both?" He wondered what it would have been like, a life in darkness as she alluded to. Even more, he wondered what life with a pride was like; he'd been with the Aikanaro'hini only for a few months now, was just beginning to form ties where he'd never had them before. It was quite the lesson, to form relationships when he'd never thought he'd want them. "I am a recent initiate here. I wandered nearly all my life, bound to no one and nothing. It must be something to come from a base like yours."

"Funny that you ask; you claim your pride believes in demons. They are demons. I was raised in a pride that lives in the darkness of the tunnels, in caves. Many were blind, but letahl to those that strayed in the caves, like spiders. Their patron god is anansi... he... well, He's the god of trickery, as a I mentioned. But he looks like the cross of a spider and a lion. So in a way, while you are a demon, I am a spider."

She was well aware most others would stare at her were she to voice such things, but given the similarities between the situations, Kalama felt it was fine to explain, "The pride has died out now. Only the old queen remains, and another old lioness. But it used to be a blooming pride. The darkness offered them the refuge they needed and the tactical advantage of the terrain that was needed to overpower others. I wander around though... because as much as I love the place, it is fated to die. I have my life ahead of me though, and anansi... he comes and goes as he pleases," were she to need him, she was sure the god would somehow know.

"How can you tell?" she asked suddenly, "If you are a demon, or not," after a moment, she smiled, the first smile she'd offered him, "I don't remember my parents. Only a large spider god that took me in. Most would think me insane. But he taught me that even the smallest of spiders can be lethal. To use what I had in my favour. He taught me well."

"Interesting. Spiders and demons are not so different then." He mused, nodding slowly as she spoke, not once thinking her insane. Or at least not any more insane then those he called kin now. "Much like our sacred places, then. " He gestured towards the volcano, "I've been told that there is a labyrinth within that mountain, one that tests your body and soul. There is a ritual, a quest, everyone must undergo where they find themselves in that labyrinth - face their demon and learn your true name. I am slated to embark on that soon."

Turning his gaze back to her, he tossed his mane, "Nor do I remember mine. I do not think it terribly important, however, as that is the past and will not haunt me. I do not think you are insane for you speak many truths. As we've already said, common sense is a rare thing in this world." Barakillian chuckled as he swung around to face the volcano, "I agree. Your Anansi taught you well."

Her gaze steered to the volcano, "I could probably find my way in there; the anansi were mostly blind. The tale told that their eyes had been eatten by spiders, and in turn they had taught them how to live without them. I was merely adopted into the place, but they taught me how to move within a dark labyrinth. I wonder how.... your labyrinth would differ from the ones I've padded," she was intrigued, that much was obvious by the perking of her ears; how much diferent was a volcano from the intrincuate network of spiderweb tunnels that she'd roamed back home?

A pause followed as he continued to talk, "A name change?" ahh... she'd heard of prides that did that. That was fascinating. She was not a demon, as far as she was aware; he'd described a rather violent pride, and she wasn't particularly violent, merely efficient, "How are they?" she asked, "Your demon kin. How are they? To eachother, I mean," she knew the anansi to be reclusive, and they would attack intruders, however, they usualy claimed 'self defense', were these demons like that? Were they kind to eachother, even if they were violent with outsiders? "My pride was ... not known well by outsiders. My saving grace was that Anansi himself brought me there," a small smirk of a smile, a chuckle, "No one went against His decision."

"Likely. I doubt it differs much, but it gets hot the deep you go in - I know a few cubs that explored and described the center as a demon's eye. Did your caves and tunnels burn your feet, the further you walked?" He was curious now, wondering how Kalama might fare in the Labyrinth of the Aikanaro'hini. It sounded like it was meant to confuse and defeat any who entered.

"Yes. Each other?" He smirked, "Loyal unto death but intolerant of weaknesses. The weak die here. Only the strong survive, as it should be. And vicious to outsiders. As I said, it is unwise to travel any further." Barakillian lifted a brow, "You sound as though you were treated like a princess. Favored by the spider god. The Aikanaro'hini have gods, two. The God of Demons and the God of Nobility. A strange combination but there exists a balance between the two. Or so the priestess claims. I have not seen the gods."

"No. But then again, ours are not connected to a volcano. But there are lakes there, and small streams. They're very dark though... I'd guess yours wouldn't be as dark, if the volcano is alive? maybe a faint glow. I would like to see them."

She blinked up at him, tilting her head, "Well, that's what happens out anywhere... the weak will die... poor souls. May the gods help them. Sickness renders you unable to hunt, and you die. When you die, you become the grass. That's what our neighbouring pride believed; circle of life, they called it," a chuckle slipped her maw, "Well, I was his daughter, but they didn't seem to favour me above others. It kind of hard to take a child that talks to spiders and carries them, very seriously. I love stories, that's mostly what I did; I taught others of what I saw, and learnt through stories. As I said, common sense is lacking these days," now that was interesting; these lions had two gods, conflicting in nature, that was... strange, "Like day and night then, conflicting, but one can't be without the other. Makes sense to me," a sigh ripped her mouth as her tail curled and uncurled, "I wish I had seen the days when the Anansi pride really bloomed. Maybe some day it will bloom again."

"I do not know, I have not been inside. It is a sacred place, only the priests and priestesses go in - as well as the Kings. I will know soon enough though." He scoffed, an unconcerned 'heh' sound.

"Indeed." Barakillian nodded, "But was violence and independance expected from the very start I wonder? A cub was scorned for standing up for a sibling one too many times when that sibling was unable to defend himself. Weakness is weeded out immediately." He sounded proud of his kin and puffed his chest out, "A wandering storyteller as well?" The male chuckled and rolled his shoulders. "Perhaps you would tell some of them? An escort will ensure you are not attacked." He turned back towards the direction he'd come from and moved off a few paces then paused, as though waiting for her. "Have you anywhere else to go?"

"Bullying is not tolerated; children need to learn from playing. A cub that is too weak to play is sadly... destined to die," she looked sad as she spoke, "I was never very strong, but there are ways to survive, that don't need strength. Tactics, and brain... trickery; that's what the spider uses. That's why I liked anansi. I would have not survived without guidence... perhaps all what that weak cub needs, is a shove in the right direction."

A nod signalled she believed her words, but did not, at all, seem against what he was saying; after all, now that the pride was mostly dead, she'd been wandering about here and there, always returning, but mostly leading a rogue's life. Rogues had a harsh life, and despite that, her belly was full, and her pelt perfectly groomed. It showed that she could take care of herself, "I would love to; something tells me that your kin would appreciate the tale of how my pride came to be," she chuckled softly, "Some do not understand the morbid morals of some stories, but it won't shock you or your kin," her eyes turned to take in her surroundings, and her ears lowered, "I'm afraid I got a bit.... sidetracked during my latest hunt. I have no where to go right now. It would be apreciated. Besides, I'm kind of... interested in seeing them with my own eyes."

Barakillian merely nodded and set off at a fast-paced trot across the land. The sun had risen during their conversation and he stood out completely against the light-coloured grasses. He was very clearly a creature of twilight. "Come then."