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 Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:49 pm
Where was she? Where were they? What had happened?
She had no idea. She wished she knew. She could only assume.
If someone had asked Tanana about her feelings she wouldn't have been able to tell them. The question would've had her on guard, of course, but in the event it hadn't she still wouldn't have had an answer. She didn't know. Like everything else, she didn't know.
There was a hurricane of emotions tossing about. Heart ache had never been such a literal term to her. Part of her was so glad to be free, to experience what her mother had taunted her about when she was young. Younger. She was still young. She felt young. All she knew from experience was enslavement, yet freedom was not something she was hesitant about like some may suspect. There were times she had woken up , still drowsy, and waited for her master--no, her former master--to strike then bark orders. There were times, in the middle of the night, she woke up cold and couldn't figure out why. Her mind didn't register her siblings weren't all huddled around her at first.
Part of her held a feeling her siblings hadn't all managed to escape in the chaos that had suddenly swept over them. The rebellion rumors were spread far beyond the borders of her former pride, yet in the pride itself, she and her siblings had remained in the dark about it until suddenly it had happened. It was overwhelming, unbelievable, and there was no way to explain it to anyone. Not even to herself.
Her size was a hinderance, but lions were crafty creatures and it was nothing pure skill couldn't help. That's what she had, pure skill. It was either grow or die where she'd come from, and since she wasn't dead, she'd grown. Not physically, in that sense she was still nothing more than a runt. But, she knew the exact points to take down any hooved creature twice as large or sometimes even larger than herself. Not every time was a success. In fact, most of the time, they weren't. What mattered was in the end you had something, and in the end, she did.
Tanana lay almost flat against the ground, eyeing the zebra in front of her, waiting. The one in the back had a slight limp. So slight, most wouldn't have noticed, but she did. It would run slower than the others. The trick was to separate it first.
Her tactics were unusually to many and unfamiliar to all. Instead of making any move toward the prey beasts, she rose a bit and roared with the same force her mother would. The zebra scattered with a chorus of loud cries.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:38 pm
The hunt was not going so well within the borders. Perhaps it was because the pride had so many adults now. By that same notion, there were fewer and fewer cubs born now. It seemed like everyone was growing up, and no longer needed the hunters to provide food for them. They wanted the experience of hunting their own food, for one reason or another. Tiruan still thought that the males should have spent their time watching the borders rather than hunting – it was definitely lioness work – but the Kusini were a peaceful pride. He was sure that nobody had any interest attack them, but that didn't stop him from patrolling the borders every now and then. His patrols, he told himself, were to make sure nobody got in who wasn't supposed to be in. They definitely were not to look for Ainra. Yeah... definitely not.
His hunt this morning had taken him outside the borders with the hopes of clearing his still-absent "daughter" from his mind. Prey would be better out here, not to mention not so used to being hunted by lions. Anything that wandered into the Kusini lands seemed to either be an easy kill due to its stupidity, or a very challenging one because it was too smart for its own good. Today it looked like it would be zebra. There was a herd nearby, he could see it now. His eyes narrowed and he began to creep forward, close to the ground.
Like Tanana, he too crouched down, eyes fixed on the zebra. Before he could make his move, however, someone roared and the zebra fled. What the hell? Tiruan was up in an instant, using the momentum to spring after the zebra he wanted. Where had it gone? It was right there! He was sure it had been there! With a growl he looked around him, trying to figure out which zebra he wanted from the group that was milling around him, frightened. Where was his zebra?
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:08 pm
If there was one thing Tanana had been abused for more than anything it was her lack of focus. Some would see it that way. To others it was that she was too focused. It wasn't anything she'd been able to fix, because it wasn't a repairable flaw. It was part of her personality to focus on the task before her until it was complete, and nothing else. Many of her scars were because she couldn't change it. She'd tried. It was just hard to change something that, no matter how many times were scolded for in the most brutal of ways for doing, you didn't realize you were doing until it was too late.
She didn't see the other lion enough. Her eyes likely caught sight of him, yes. Her mind still didn't register the presence. It was the zebra she wanted. That one who was, just barely, limping like she'd predicted.
It took clever and dangerous maneuvering but she darted around the creatures, spooking them further and increasing their speed. If there was one up side to being so small it was that you had little weight to carry around. If there was one up side to having been a slave, one she may never actually acknowledge, it was that it made you tough. The lioness was nothing but that when she sprang forward onto the back of her prey. Claws outstretched and dug into the flesh.
The zebra wailed and screeched wildly, bucking then bucking some more. The lioness remained unmoved more than an inch. An act of life or death desperation had the black and white being rolling on the ground. Tanana would feel it more later than no, no doubt, but for now she held strong. Patience really was a virtue, and it took that along with determination and a high threshold for pain to eventually take it down by the throat.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:26 pm
Suddenly, from between two zebra, Tiruan caught sight of something definitely not a zebra. It was black, but more of a black and tan colour than the never-ending sea of stripes around him. For a moment, the lion didn't realize what he was looking at. It was surprising small, but agile. Was it one of the mysterious leopard creatures his mother had told him about? Or perhaps it was a large cheetah? When she came into view again, he realized (to his surprise) that it was a lioness. A small one, but a lioness none the less. She must have been the one who startled the prey.
A zebra who bumped him reminded him of his current predicament, and the lion began hastily scanning the herd for the one that he wanted. By the time he had found the one he wanted, the lioness was already on it. Darn. With a grumble, Tiruan turned his attention to the rest of the herd, snapping at the heels of a nearby zebra. It balked, and lashed out, and the lion was glad that he was a fast ducker. However it looked like he was going to get anything out of that one, which left going back to the limping zebra. Would the lioness care?
A careful glance in her direction confirmed that she had caught it. It was rolling though, and Tiruan didn't think twice before leaping in to help hold the creature down. He didn't want the lioness to get hurt trying to take the zebra down all by her lonesome. She may be focused but that didn't make her immune to pain.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:35 pm
No, not a immune to pain, and less immune to fear. Much less in it's purest of forms. That kind of trembling terror that took over all other senses until it was all you could feel. In the face of it a mind usually logical would function on instinct only. That's exactly what happened.
Tanana released the zebra and dashed back. Not in that order. In between the first and second part her paw had gotten stuck under the beast. With her muscles no longer tense and her claws withdrawn, the impact of being crushed was far more harmful. Her ears lay flat, completely, and so did she. The zebra still scurrying away nearly trampled her yet still she remained in place. Her posture, her pose all together, the most submissive it could be.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:10 pm
Tiruan was very surprised to say the least.
He had never, ever had a female run away from him! Okay, that was a lie. He'd had them run away from him because he was being stupid, but never because he was coming to help them! What had he done? Had he come on to strong? Had he been too aggressive? The lion released the zebra with a startled noise, leaping back in response to the lioness's own move. His first thought was that she was going to attack him for touching her kill, but instead she seemed to be... submitting to him?
Tiruan blinked several times before his attention returned to the zebra. It was getting away, but not fast enough for it to be a problem. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!" His ears flattened against his head. "I was just grabbing it so it didn't do too much damage. Feel free to uh... go back to what you were doing. Before." Real smooth Tiruan. But he was trying.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:17 pm
If it was possible, Tanana sank even lower. At that point she wished she could've gone lower, dug a hole and vanished, but she knew better than that. Memories of Uzulu striking her for a scenario that's similarity had prompted the reaction were still vivid and real in her mind. They were like scars, her memories. One never completely left, but some faded, where as others remained as visible as the day they'd been created.
Speaking of which, her bruises, cuts, both current and aged, were more visible now than ever. Countless on her body, at least four on her face. Even on her ears, still pinned as if tied back. She said nothing and, if Tiruan was observant enough, may have taken note she hadn't breathed since her cowering began either.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:51 pm
She hadn't moved since he spoke. Tiruan wasn't sure what to do. The zebra was getting away, but that hardly seemed important anymore. It wouldn't last very long in the wild anyways. Save them the trouble of having to kill it. This lioness on the other hand, was standing so still that he wasn't sure she was alive anymore. "Are you stuck?" Tiruan asked softly, almost afraid to touch her. Had he said something wrong? Had he offended her in some strange rogue lioness culture? Hastily he wracked his brain, trying to remember anything his mother had said to him about rogue lioness customs. Alas, nothing came up, and he was stuck simply talking to her. Alas indeed.
"Look um... I'm not going to hurt you," he said carefully, and took a step towards him. "Did I offend you or anything? I don’t know much about rogue lions and their customs and... stuff, but I didn't mean it if I said something nasty!" Was she waiting to pounce on him? Tiruan wasn't sure he would know what to look for in her body language anymore. She was just too weird.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:13 pm
There was a duration for even the deepest uncertainty, and Tanana had reached hers. Slowly, very slowly, her ears lifted into a normal position. They were rebels in this motion. The rest of her body stayed low for a short time after. Finally, she pushed herself up, appearing cautious in this, to sit.
Light eyes watched him still unblinking, detecting each and every motion and analyzing it with the skills of someone who had been raised with their life on the line every day, all day. She just listened. Then he said it.
Rogue...
Tanana knew the word. She held a biased Firekin viewpoint of them; her mother, too. Ohahira had been a rogue before she'd been enslaved. Ohahira who had beaten them as harshly as Uzulu, often for even less. That was not how mothers were supposed to be. It wasn't how the other slave's mothers were. She'd seen some Firekin parents behave that way, but they were Firekin. That was the difference.
Rogues were cruel, unclean. Those who belonged no where and cared for nothing because they had nothing. She had nothing. Her sisters, her brother. Gone. All of them.
Tanana had for now forgotten her company and her shoulders shook from the tears.
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:41 am
Her ears were lifting. Tiruan took that as a good sign. He remained absolutely still until she sat down, and then carefully sat down as well. No use scaring the poor lioness, especially not after how she had behaved. The lion had never, ever met any lioness as fearful and down right odd as this one. Usually they were bossy or flirty or so outgoing they made Tiruan trip over his tongue like a cub. But this one was so strange, cowering like this after she had attacked the zebra with such single-minded ferocity. Was he really that scary?
And then… she started crying. Tiruan's ears disappeared in his mane as he froze. What had he said? First she was cowering and now she was crying! Oh how he wished Ainra was here! Ainra would have known what to do! What to say! He glanced around helplessly, trying to think of anything that could have made her cry so. Was it the zebra? Did she really, really want it? Was she… was she with cubs and needed the food for them to survive?! With nervous lick of his lips he said, "Don't cry! Don't cry! I'll catch the zebra! It's okay!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:06 pm
Oh, right. Another lion was here. His voice reminded her when the one in her mind forgot to. It was surprising. She'd have never pulled something like this back in the firekin lands. Come to think of it... had she even ever cried before? If she had, never in front of someone. Times really were changing. Not in the shining light of the 'for better' sun either.
She perked up some. Don't look so upset, Tanana, she thought as she offered a half smile. He still made her nervous, all strangers did, but he wasn't the first she'd met out here. Besides, there was little anyone could do that hadn't already been done enough times to numb her to it.
"Ah, no, it's okay. Please forgive me, Sir. I was thinking of some family I've lost."
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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:38 pm
Was that a smile? It was! It was a little one but it was a smile nonetheless. Tiruan's relief was palpable. Crying felines were just not his strong point, especially when they were crying females. Females were bizarre at best, but once they started crying it was all over. Besides, dealing with tears was definitely the job of a lioness, and thus he had not been instructed on the proper manner to go about getting rid of them. He might have had a good heart, but comfort did not come second nature to him like it did to the lionesses. It was all the fault of that darn Y chromosome.
"You don't have to apologize. It's alright," said Tiruan, attempting a smile of his own. Pretty please don't start crying again I don't know what to do, said Tiruan's eyes. "And I'm not really a Sir. I'm Tiruan, from the Kusini pride. And you've lost family?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that, but the question was out there before he could catch himself. Oh well.
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:49 am
Unfortunately, Tanana spoke only one language, and it wasn't that of the eyes. She as well have in this situation, since she wouldn't be shedding a tear again regardless. Her sorrow was unfathomable by most, but so was her strength, and to push her worries on a stranger she felt was in bad tact.
Had he resembled a Firekin she'd have hesitated more. They could have sent their guards out to recapture slaves, for all she knew. Tanana knew of their bias, however. He wasn't big enough and not the right colors. So she reasoned it was safe.
When she did hesitate, it was only to keep her silent promise not to start sobbing again. This hadn't been as difficult as she'd expected. "Yes, they... We were enslaved, but we were freed recently. I'm looking for them. Have you seen anyone who looks like me?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 5:35 pm
It was definitely lucky that Tiruan didn't resemble a Firekin, otherwise he would have never been able to calm her down. It would have been easier on the lion if he at least had some idea about Tanana's fear of the pride, however Tiruan had very little knowledge about the prides outside the Kusini. After his parents had fled the pride due to the plague, they hadn't joined another one. Instead, Tiruan had been born as a rogue, and then returned to the Kusini at the request of his mother. Thus, his knowledge of any pride besides the one his parents revered so was non-existent, and he hadn't the slightest clue about Firekin or slaves or anything that Tanana had suffered. It made conversation very difficult.
Tiruan did his best to look attentive and calm (for lack of a better expression), listening quietly as she explained her situation. "I'm afraid no one that looks like you has passed by the borders of the pride." The only reason he was there was because he was pining for his daughter, but don't tell anybody we told you that. "But if they're out there somewhere I can help you find them? Are you sure that they were freed?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:07 pm
Tanana didn't miss a beat, "Yes." Had she thought about it, she'd have started crying again. There'd have been no resisting it. She wasn't going to think about it, though, not now or ever. More than her refusing to cry, more than anything else, she refused to consider the possiblity they weren't all free like her. Because she was scared, really scared. Because she didn't want to go back...
The offer was surprising and she obviously wasn't certain how to react to it. "I... wouldn't want to inconvience you." If all else fails, go for generic.
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