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 Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:23 am
 It was a cloudy day.
A regular, boring, cloudy day.
Tifu had been sleeping when he left, as she usual was early in the morning, and Nafasi had nuzzled the young lionesses head before he had gone on this hunt. She insisted, still, on calling him father. And he, still, insisted on NOT being her father. Adoptive or not. She was just a companion. One he fed...watched over...cared about...
Acted fatherly towards.
BUT HE WASN'T HER FATHER!
And he also, obviously, not a very good hunter today. So far he had seen plenty of food, but all of it had escaped him. So, on top of being bored out of his mind, the young adult was frustrated and tired. A whole day, wasted.
But he wouldn't come back till he had something to show for his travels, and with that thought in mind, Nafasi continued on.
---> <---
Up ahead, finally, the lion caught glimpse of a limping old wildebeest. She was skinny, and old, but worth the kill. He could see that she still had meat on her bones. Enough to feed two or so lions. Most definitely.
So, crouching forward, the lion stalked his prey.
He would get food! Finally!
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:47 pm
 Calabaza was lonely. And not only was she lonely, but she was hungry. And not only was she hungry and lonely... but she was lost.
Cala had been devastated when Chardon, her brother, her love, had run away with Amalahle, Cala practically spat out her name. Cala had chased after them, but lost their scent and sight and in the desert sand. And now she was lost. Lost in a strange place with no food. And she wasn't exactly the best hunter there was. As the ruler of her now abandoned pride, she was used to someone else bringing her food.
But hey, how hard could it be right? She thought to herself.
She tried to picture Chardon hunting, she would be able to see him from time to time, so she thought about what he did. She began searching and eventually found an old wildebeest, one of her favorite meals. He looked like he was hurt, a perfect first prey for her!
She walked up behind the wildebeest, not exactly as quietly as she could, and when she got a couple feet from it, it turned around and moved away surprisingly quickly for something that was hurt. She kept this up for a couple minutes, becoming increasingly frustrated.
"What am I doing wrong?!" she yelled out in anger, "Everything is going wrong!" and with that, she continued on with her efforts.
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:38 pm
There would be wildebeest for him, wildebeest for Tifu, and wildebeest for tomorrow as well! Surely!
He was talking as slowly as he could, as silent as a savannah mouse. The beast had yet to notice him, and his excitement grew. The injured could sometimes be the most alert. Obviously that was not the case this time.
He didn't register the louder pawsteps of another lion, nor the smell, and her fur blended well with the grasses; to the point where he didn't notice her.
Until it was to late.
Wildebeest for him, wildebeest for Tifu...wildebeest for --
"HEY!" he roared as the lioness sent his prey skittering off (quiet fast for an old creature like itself). He growled low in his throat, and unlike the female, did not give chase. At least, not at the wildebeest.
Nukta'Nafasi was not known for his anger, but he was prone to spurts of frustration. So with a roar he chased after the foolish lioness. She was going to chase that stupid beast farther and farther away!! If she would leave it be, it would stop and forget why he had run, and then she--no he could catch it! So he chased her, and with a (perhaps to rough) leap, pounced on the lioness.
He was attempting to pin her, and panted from his sprint, so his words sounded much harsher then they had meant to be, "You're doing it wrong!" The lion glared down at the other, and then stumbled off of her. Nafasi had finally registered he was pinning a female. And he was still edgy around them. Besides Tifu. So now he sat a good couple of feet away and glared, his mane messy and falling in his face. "Let it tire out, and then try again. Don't ever continue to chase when you can't catch it."
There was a silent 'duh' at the end of his sentence. And his purple eyes seemed to ask 'Don't you know that?'.
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:40 pm
Cala was chasing this stupid creature all over the plains, when all of a sudden, she was on the ground. Pinned by a very large, strange lion. Considering it had all happened so quickly, and she had no idea who this lion was... it was a bit of a shock for her, so she just stared back at the panting male.
She winced at his yelling... she didn't take getting yelled at very well. She curled into a ball and closed her eyes as the male got off of her. Although she opened her eyes again as he started to talk again. The words barely got through to her however, as she was still terrified about what had just happened.
Her gaze met his though when he ended his statement, and she could tell he was angry. "I........ I'm.... I'm sorry I let it get away... I've never hunted before..." she said quietly. "You can go ahead and take it though, it's pretty obvious I'm a failure." she said sitting up.
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:12 pm
Oh boy!
What did he do!? A little part of Nafasi dented under the pathetic ball of female lion that was now apologizing! He hadn't meant to frighten her. Just...stop her from doing something that would hinder both of them. He had expected a fight...most definitely. But to have her say sorry!? While curled into a ball?!
Tifu would have a fit.
"Err..." how did one go about fixing something like this. And wait--
Did she just say she never hunted!?
Nafasi eyed the young lioness, for she was most definitely far from old, and frowned visibly.
"Never hunted?" he asked incredulously, and then shook his head. "How is it you have never hunte--"
Wait. Now he sounded like he was being mean again. His tone was all off! He was not used to talking to anyone besides Tifu. Especially females. So he took a pause, concentrating on making his voice seem less harsh, and then continued, "If you have never hunted, you can't be a failure, just inexperienced," he paused, and then carefully smiled at her, "And don't say sorry. I hate sorrys, they are a waste of breath. Let's..." let's what? Nafasi looked up to the sky for a moment, waiting for his thoughts to collect.
...
"Here, let me show you how to hunt, because if there are going to be apologizes being doled out, it better come from me. I did tackle you to the ground...." he sounded severely awkward, and he knew it. Nafasi was rusty around females, and well. He was trying to keep his tone impersonal. The mere thought of being friendly to a grown lioness made him feel like he was in some way turning his back on Salaa, his deceased mate. But...
She had the eyes of a lioness who knew how to make you laugh and smile.
Tifu would like her...
He quickly banished the thought. If Tifu met her, Tifu would insist that he like her, and while Tifu would think
him having a new mate would be nice, Nafasi was scared of the thought.
Sort of.
He quickly asked Salaa for forgiveness for his open friendliness, and looked the lioness over.
"She is pretty," he mumbled, and then blinked from his memories. Oh ratels, did he just say that out loud?
"Err...let's go. I mean, if you want to learn how to hunt. Either way, I am going." He pushed himself off his haunches, now hoping that she would decide to not come along. She was causing him to second guess his loyalty to Salaa.
"Sorry, Salaa," he whispered, and then looked at the lioness. Why did he look back at her? He wasn't sure, but he did look back. And added, "By the way, I am Nukta'Nafasi. Nafasi for short."
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:56 pm
When the male started to talk, Cala shrunk down, waiting for him to yell again. But this time, it didn't come. In fact, when she looked at him, he looked almost confused, or at least frustrated, which was understandable as she had scared the prey away.
She was a bit interested now though, since it looked like he was trying to say something but couldn't quite find the words. When he started talking again, it was loud like before, but then he suddenly stopped, paused for a minute, and spoke again, a lot softer this time.
Which Cala very much appreciated.
Although she appreciated the fact that he was actually apologizing, and even forgiving her for scaring the prey away! This guy was something alright.
She sat back up again, and continued to stare at the male as he seemed to try and gather his thoughts as he stared at the sky. "Well alright then..." she said softly, "I'm sorry for saying sorry, I-I mean... ohhh...." she sighed with the contradiction she was making.
She got to her feet as he started to talk again, and blushed when he mentioned the part about tackling her to the ground. And, wait a second, did he just offer to teach her how to hunt?
"You would really teach me how to hunt?" she said excitedly, "Oh thank you thank you thank you! I didn't explain before, I was the leader of a pride sometime ago, and so I always had others hunting for me, so I never learned. But I'd very much like to!" she finished with a big smile on her face.
She walked closer to him and grinned with anticipation, she was going to learn how to hunt! And from a, what looked to her to be, experienced male! Who apparently thought she was pretty good looking.. which made her blush again.
"Well you aren't too bad yourself Nafasi," she said sweetly, but then quickly bounded away. "My name's Calabaza, but you can call me Cala!" she yelled from the distance she had hopped to, "So when are we going to get started?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:54 pm
Oh, wow. He had tackled a pride leader. The rogue cringed a little. Even if she was no longer a pride member, that was still most definitely not a good thing. He murmured prayers to the goddess who had led him to Tifu, praying she would keep him from getting his butt mauled later by some angry pride member.
And then he smiled, if only for a second.
Because, when she tossed a flirt his way, commenting on his looks, his whole body stiffened and his head snapped away from hers. He felt a torrent of emotions wash over him. But he shoved them away, reminding himself that he still had a hunt to do.
So, with a stiff even tone that just barely hinted at a friendly nature, he continued. "Well, Calabaza--"
But, wait. Where was she? He had turned to look backa t her, but she was gone. And he scrunched his brows. Perhaps he was loosing it, seeing things...and lio--
Then her voice broke his silent moment, and he jumped. A startled, almost cubish look swept over his face, and when he saw her smiling (obviously excited about the prospect of learning how to hunt), he smiled before he could stop himself. It was a full on Nafasi-brand grin. The kind that he gave Tifu when she was being especially 'twerpy', and he even laughed a little.
Of course, he quickly got himself in check and cleared his throat with an irritated growl. "Right, we should do it now. Before it gets to dark to see."
And, then as to not embarrass himself (or disrespect Salaa's memories in his heart), the lion kept his gaze off of Cala. Even if she was pretty, and kind of adorable in that cubbish, I have no idea what I am doing kind of way; Nafasi could not allow her to think she could, after their lesson, come back with him.
Of course, she probably would, mainly because he was worried she wouldn't survive two days on her own.
"Let's go."
And with that, the lion started off, his paws almost silent as they padded across the dry ground. Nafasi didn't look back to see if Cala was following (something told him she was), and as they went, he explained the basics. "When hunting, don't concentrate of your target till you are so close you can hear them breath. Instead, concetrate on your own breathing, focus on the lightness of your steps.
" You need to be silent, no louder then the wind in the grass. Prey is always alert. Always. So you need to sneak up on them. Like this," he slowed himself down, and calmed his breathing (since when had it become so sharp, and since when was her smell so intoxicating! He definitely had been away from the females to long if he was acting like a giddy cub around her!).
After a minute, it seemed as if the lion had stopped breathing all together. The only give away was the rise and fall of his sides as he inhaled and exhaled. Then he slowly moved, showing her how to carefully place her paws upon the ground so as to not make any sound.
After a bit of 'teaching', he paused and looked around. He could see their mark in the distance, and turned to Cala, trying to dodge her eyes, and asked, "Think you have the basics down now?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:52 pm
Cala smiled as she heard Nafasi laugh, but her smile faded as quickly as his did. He didn't seem to want to stay happy for very long... and Cala wondered why.
Cala was even more concerned when he let out a growl, and even more when she could hear the irritation in his voice. But she followed him as he started off.
She watched him as he walked, he made no noise when he walked, unlike Cala who could hear each plodding step she took. She nodded as he explained some of the basics of hunting, "Keep track of breathing, lightness of steps, sneak up on them," she repeated aloud.
She watched him demonstrate the slow breathing, and she got worried when she couldn't hear him breathing at all! "Nafasi?! You ok?" she said getting very close to his face. But she backed off when he started moving. She watched in amazement as he moved, he was so stealthy, so noiseless.
"You're amazing..." she said softly, completely astonished at his skill. She looked up when he asked her a question, but she noticed him avoiding eye contact. Her face curled into a grin, and she walked as silently as she could over to him.
"I think I've got the basics, what's next teacher?" she said with a smile, very close to his face once again.
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Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 5:33 pm
The first Cala got to close, he stiffened, but continued moving. Just ignore her. She was just being worried. Nothing else.
Her compliment was funny, seeing as how this was common for almost any other predator, but he took the comment all the same, and gently smiled, though he attempted not to look at her while doing so.
And then she did that thing again, that disappear and reappear thing. He looked to his left, and she wasn't there! But when Nafasi turned to the right?!
"OH!" he exclaimed, and stumbled back. She had been far to close, and his face was contorted in some sort of mixture between embarrassment, shock and anger. "G-good job," he managed after swallowing his shock, and smiled. "Lemme, uh...lemme think for a minute, okay?"
He was way to uptight, and she was way to friendly.
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Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:06 pm
Cala grinned, she had successfully snuck on up the guy that was teacher her how to sneak! She grinned again when he stumbled back.
"Ohhh, I'm sorry Mr. Expert," she said softly, advancing towards him more and more, "I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that. What else do you have to teach me?" she finished practically on top of Nafasi.
She looked at Nafasi with that same grin, and then she quickly stuck her tongue out and leaped a few feet back with a laugh.
"Oh come on Nafasi, what do we have to learn next?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:32 pm
Nafasi could not concentrate, mainly because this...lioness...wouldn't stop teasing him! His throat constricted, and he scooted away from her. Salaa give him strength! He closed his eyes, counted to five, and then opened them. In this time he took to calm his buzzy nerves, Cala had leaped away.
The lion glowered at her, and his shell, for the moment, snapped shut. She was not going to play games with him. He was Salaa's, just as Salaa had been his. She would not be replaced by some ex-princess lioness.
"Next," he stated coldly,"we will be learning the art of the the crouch, and the stalk." Nafasi turned his back then, and crouched down to the ground. He explained how to move with the same silence, but to add the job of keeping your belly close to the ground. He slinked forward a bit, and then looked back to see how Cala was doing.
At least she wasn't dense. She seemed to get this stuff rather easily.
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:52 pm
Cala was confused yet again, this Nafasi guy went through more mood swings than she did! But oh well, she sighed, he was a good teacher at least. And she wasn't giving up on him either, even though she was still fiercely loyal to Chardon, she couldn't help but like this guy.
"Well you don't have to be so rude about it," she said annoyed, as Nafasi explained how to stalk prey. She bent down and attempted to imitate Nafasi, but for some reason she couldn't keep her bank end down! "Stupid back legs..." she grumbled. But as she did it more she eventually got it, she was learning surprising quickly.
She stood back up and looked at Nafasi, "Hey," she began, "I want to thank you very much for helping me to learn how to do all this. But it sounds like I'm doing something wrong... I mean, you just keep acting colder and colder towards me, but I don't know what I'm doing! Please just tell me." she ended.
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 1:34 am
She had a point, Nafasi noted quickly, and to late. He could always apologize, but he didn't. He bit his tongue and watched her move. She did have difficulty at first, and it was....cute watching her struggle and correct herself till she got it just right.
A certain kind of...pride swelled in his heart when she got it, and her face seemed to brighten when she managed a stalk without fumbling. The lion was so immersed in watching her; the way her eyes glowed and the way she moved with the learning proficiency, that he barely noticed anything else.
The first thing he did notice was her eyes dimmed. Her face creased. She looked unhappy.
And for a spark of a moment, Nafasi found himself listing all the ways he could make her smile come back. But he shook away the thoughts, and looked duly abashed at her statement and plead. He was being a miserable old miser, and he was barely an adult!
The large lion winced, and his mane fell into his face (an annoying reoccurring happening). She was doing nothing wrong, and at the same time she was doing EVERYTHING wrong. She was, shockingly enough, worming her way into a spot Nafasi had attempted to lock up. She had that same endearing personality as Tifu, and it was addicting....annoying. And something he was notorious for falling for.
"Eerr."
He was not a lion of many words, nor a lion of few. He was good with speaking, in short bursts that sometimes could be quiet long. But he couldn't find any words when he looked into her eyes.
"Your eyes," he said, slowly, unsure. "I...Listen. I lost my mate, Salaa, and our cubs a while back. It...it...is hard. Frustrating. I don't...I don't want her replaced." He paused, confused as to if this was making sense, and then continued anyway, "You just came along, and...you...your eyes. Your persistant attitude. The way you talk. It makes me worry that..."
That you want something from me.
That I would give it to you.
That if I did?
That I would replace Salaa.
That in the end? You won't want anything more then what you were after, and you will leave me with a bigger hole in my heart then I have.
Nafasi was notorious for his cold attitude, and also for his big heart. He was falling just as fast for a lioness he just met as he had for Salaa. As he had for his...daughter, Tifu.
Nafasi just didn't want to be hurt.
Issue was, he couldn't just say all these things. So he tried to express it with his eyes. "I...it is difficult for me..."
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:52 am
Cala was taken aback. Here she was, flirting with this guy, and even now being rude and practically yelling at him, and she didn't even know his whole story... She felt terrible.
Her eyes? "What about my eyes?" she interrupted, but then quieted down again when he continued to talk.
She was almost crying when he finished his explanation, it was just so sad. And it seemed, to Cala at least, that she was doing something that he didn't want.
"I-I'm so sorry..." she said teary-eyed, "I didn't mean to act how I was, it just felt like the right thing to do. I'm sorry if I made you feel awkward or wrong, I didn't know your whole story. I'm sorry if I tried to be anything more than a student, even if I want to be..." she said blushing, "And I'm sorry about your cubs, your mate... I'm just sorry." she finished, bursting into not so quiet sobs.
She just felt so bad...
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