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 Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:33 pm
 Unguzo was having a strange morning. His hunt had gone well, and his morning training session with Hyun had been less troublesome than usual. He seemed to be in a good enough mood that her rebellious attitudes were not overly annoying to him. Only mildly irritated, then, he moved from his small claim of land to explore the wilds of the rogue lands. He moved calmly, without purpose or direction, sniffing the air.
Nothing seemed out of place or particularly strange, but he knew he was up at a strange hour. Moving at a leisurely pace, he made his way to a collection of boulders, oddly placed in a stretch of short brown grass. It was unclear how they got there, but the formation was sturdy and ageless. He bounced up onto it, climbing to the top of the highest rock and sitting down to look around. He liked this position: high up, towering over everything. Powerful.
Yawning, he relaxed in his seated position, his head drooping against his proud chest as he dozed in the comfort of the rising sun.
The young wild dog had begun her lonesome journey some time ago, when she was not much older than a pup newly weaned to meat from her mother's milk. It had begun by accident - of course, as she would never have left her loving family and supportive pack by choice - but continued by choice as she sought out the remains of her home with a steadfast determination. As the time had passed, however, she had begun to despair that she would have to move on and join a new pack, if she ever even came across one.
The sun was starting to rise, but Tunz had been up for sometime now. Hunger had awaken her earlier than usual, before the sun even, so she had taken to breaking her fast early that morning and then starting off long before she was accostumed to. Her teal eyes were content, all the same, with a full belly to essentially warm her bones as she began to trek across the savannah once more. Her tail swung light as a leaf behind her, waving from one side to another in an obvious show of her confident and satisfied demeanor.
She saw the lion atop the rocky throne from a distance, and was intrigued. Truthfully, she had only met one lion thus far in her travels but Jua'randa had made her comfortable enough with the species that she didn't balk in fear at the sight of another. Instead, she slowed her pace and approached with some level of caution before calling a greeting so as not to startle him by being too close, "You can probably see the whole world from up there, yeah?"
Unguzo sniffed and snorted, opening one eye and peering down at the voice. He had heard something approaching, but it hadn’t registered as a threat. A foolish mistake for someone raised on pure violence and battles, but it seemed he had not come to any harm for it. Sniffing, he opened his other eye and blinked to clear away the settled darkness. Sighing, he crouched down and examined the wild dog curiously.
Truthfully, he had little experience with the species. His pride had been comprised of mostly lions, and any other species was kept separate from where he was being raised. By the time he was an adult, the pride had died and he had been living in his little land. Isolated, unvisited save by the wandering lion or hyena. It was not the place for wild dogs, he supposed, though he could not fathom what kind of terrain they preferred to dwell in. At least they were more aesthetically pleasing than the hyena.
But only slightly.
“I can see rather far,” he said, despite himself and to his own surprise, “but not the whole world. Not yet. But maybe one day I might. What are you? Some kind of kin to the hyena? I’ve not seen your like before.”
If Tunz knew that this lion was thinking of his past pride, she might have foolishly felt some kinship with him. It would have been founded on the barest of threads, but she would have felt comforted by that connection all the same. It seemed that mostly she ran into wanderers that were content to wander, not many others she ran across were searching for something more. Tumai had been, but Tunz hadn't been around to see her for a number of days and regardless, the wild dog had been a rare occurance anyway, as stated.
Turning her head to one side, she studied him from her place below and stopped a few feet away, not entirely sure if it was safe to come any closer. He seemed different from Jua'randa; not as kind, though she couldn't exactly tell for sure. It was a feeling, an instinct maybe, but that would be enough for her. Perhaps it was in his aura, or some other clever phrase she thought she might've heard at some point or another. Still, he seemed to be a bit more... proper, as well. Or guarded. Strange.
She did chuckle softly at his response, bemused, until his inquiry cut such laughter short. She inclined her head in the opposite direction from before, then shook it gently, "Kin to a hyena? No. I'm a wild dog. I guess we're both canines, but not much else is alike between us, as far as I know."
The large, brawny lion stretched, standing atop the rock rather than sitting now that he was engaged in a conversation. He clicked his tongue behind his teeth, wondering vaguely why he might be so interested in a creature he had no need to know. It could not help him in his quest, after all. If there had been none of them in his old pride, there would be no need for them in his new one. Unless, of course, she proved that they had some good use. He would have to investigate further. Nothing held a place in his mind unless it earned it.
Leaping down from the rock, he landed an impressive distance away from her, turning around and standing behind her. He was a large, well muscled lion, his green eyes deep and fathomless, glistening with a dangerous intelligence that was not the same as other creatures of his kind. He was proud of this fact. Holding himself tall, as ever, he cleared his throat.
“A Wild Dog, hm? And what are you skills? I know of the scavenger hyena, the fast cheetah, the tree climbing leopard. The powerful lion. But what does a Wild Dog have to offer this vast, barren land? Clearly you survive well. You don’t look like you’re starving.”
Tunz wasn't exactly sure whether or not she cared for this lion at all. Jua'randa had been much more easy going, and she was starting to wonder if she had been spoiled in meeting him first. She wasn't even entirely sure what it was about this new lion that was setting off all the warning signals, but she wasn't completely sure of his intentions and that definitely didn't make her feel any better. All the same, she was typically a laid-back individual and so was not yet tense in his presence. Yet.
She did brace herself when he suddenly stood and then leapt off the rock, landing behind her as opposed to away in the opposite direction as she would have expected. Standing as well, she turned herself to face him as her tail gave an anxious but friendly wag behind her. A single brow arched when he cleared his throat, completely and utterly befuddled by this strange creature. Pebble had never mentioned that any of them would be so... strange. All the same, she didn't much care for that look in his eye either.
"My skills?" How odd. What was on this cat's mind? "We're whatever we need to be, I guess. I hunt, and... protect, when I have things or individuals to protect." That was Tunz' livelihood, what she enjoyed doing best, though she hadn't had the opportunity for sometime now.
He watched her tail, his expression impassive. His moved in an echo of it, though for a feline it did not display any sort of trust or entertainment. He just moved it because hers had moved. Sitting down heavily, he blinked with a heavy lethargy and yawned. It wasn’t that he was bored or disinterested. He was not a morning lion, was all. Digging his claws into the earth, he nodded as she spoke.
“Protect. That’s a good talent. Though, we lions can do our own protecting. My pride was a powerful one, and they never allowed the young to be hurt. Many others looked to us for protection, and we provided it, for their safety and small tokens of gratitude. You have a large nose. Are you good at smelling things out?” He moved closer to her, heaving his frame up and a few feet forward, only to sit again.
“You seem nervous. I mean you no harm, unless you warrant my anger. I’m in a good mood this morning, and you intrigue me.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:34 pm
She was unduly encouraged by the movement of his own tail. Because Tunz knew so little about his species in general, or even cats at all, she preceived even that slight movement as it would have been preceived had it come from one of her own kind. He wasn't posturing, so she could assume that he meant it as a friendly gesture and that made her relax imperceptibly.
Her brows arched curiously at his speech cadence and word choice. In some ways, she felt as if she were being evaluated, but maybe he felt the same since he was so new to her as well. Still, she had never had her existance questioned. They hadn't even exchanged names! Remembering her manners, she replied, "Wild dogs protect their packs and families, too - and their young. I don't remember us ever protecting others, though." His observation made her giggle and she shrugged, "I am, I suppose." She sat when he moved closer, quickly as if she were a child expecting admonishment for remaining standing.
His reassurance did little more than what his unintended tailwag had, but she still relaxed visibly, "I'm nervous because you're only the second lion that I have met. Ever. I'm Kiasi'mtunza, by the way, but you can call me Tunz."
“Second lion? There are so many, that’s a surprise. But perhaps you come from a place of Wild Dogs. I admit, I am probably too sheltered from your kind than I should be.”
He tilted his head at her, now sitting close. It was a strange little intimacy between them, being so close and with both of them sitting. Like a casual conversation might be, though he had never had one of those before. He was feeling out of place, and out of sorts. Yet he wasn’t angry, and he didn’t want to hurt her or chase her way as he usually did to strangers he had no use for. At least he was learning from her.
“That’s a noble way to live, I suppose. Our children were raised by the pride, and were protected to keep them alive. I’m not entirely sure it was a familial obligation, but for the betterment of the whole,” he looked pensive for a moment, then nodded at her introduction, “I am Unguzo. Though, I have no shortening of it. We were raised to be respectful and remember the full names of our compatriots. Those who shortened were those who earned no honor.”
Her smile broadened as his statement and she nodded, "You would think I would have met more. Pebble, a traveling friend of mine, told me much about lions before he left but... we never met one."
Mentioning Pebble made her sad and suddenly anxious to continue traveling. She wanted to find a family again, even if it weren't her own, and that made her feet itch in a way that she thought might be similiar to what Jua'randa had described as the 'wanderlust'. Or maybe she was misguided, perhaps it was infact the wanderlust that she was feeling and she was simply being stubborn in her beliefs that she would not end up a traveler for the rest of her life.
His words utterly confused her. Not because they didn't make sense, but because she wasn't entirely sure whether or not she should be insulted. She shortened her names, so did that mean she earned no honor? She frowned a bit, though appeared no less kind, "It's a pleasure Unguzo. I'm afraid I left my pack too young to know whether or not it was out of familial obligation or otherwise. As a pup, not too much existed outside of my large family."
“A traveling friend? What an odd name. And you travel, then? Does your kind not have units, like prides? Even hyena travel together, the vermin. Yours seems to be a more refined species, though,” he shrugged his massive shoulders. His eyes flickered though his face remained as blank as ever and he adjusted his position so that he wasn’t sitting quite as tall. He wanted to be higher than her, but he was almost allowing himself to relax.
He realized his question was a silly one, as she had mentioned packs and family a couple of times now, and did so again. He frowned, trying not to look embarrassed. He hated being foolish, and he blamed those around him for it. Growling, he shook his head indignantly, to chase his own admonishing thoughts from his mind, and drew a deep, steadying breath. So long as she didn’t make a comment on it…
“I was an adult when my pride was lost, but it is still a long time now. I seek the return of its glory, but it is as trying task,” he sighed, almost wistfully, “I did not have family, my parents lost in the faces of the pride. That was our way.” He did not know, of course, that he was not a blood member of the Dhalimu, and that he was stolen from another pride. It was a happy ignorance, because that information would have destroyed his goals to revive the pride now.
"We have packs, as the one I was born in, but I lost them when I was a pup. I wandered away and never found my way back." She frowned pensively, "I'm looking for them still, actually. And it was an odd name." That made her laugh, as if she had never really thought about it. She had come to accept her friends name.
She brushed aside the fact that his question had been silly, because Tunz honestly wasn't the type to draw attention to such things anyway. She hadn't even noticed, to be entirely truthful. She had simply considered that he might have thought packs were not typical of her kind, since he didn't know much about them. She tilted her head, "I actually think it might be unusual for my kind to travel alone, but I couldn't say for sure. I've only met Pebble and Tumai, another wild dog. Both of whom were travelers, but Mpinzani, my pack, was large so I think it is more normal for us to be in groups."
Having never actually analyzed her own kind before, Tunz couldn't really say for sure. She listened with rapt attention to his recollection, respectful in that she always tried to take in what others said. The idea that he would not know his parents was foreign, "I didn't know my parents as well as I would have liked, considering their attention was split between me and my thirteen brothers and sisters, but I knew them."
“Wandered away? That would have been unacceptable. The Watchers on duty at the time would have been severely punished for losing their ward. That’s unfortunate.” He did not seem to show much pity, however. The past was the past, and there was nothing either of them could do now. Without action, there was no result. Words were often meaningless, particularly ones of condolence. Besides, she seemed to have grown up just fine.
“I wonder if I should meet some of your packs, then. If I hear of the Mpinzani, I will seek their companionship. A pride is strongest with allies.” He flicked his tail, still irritated with himself. “Such large families must breed strong groups. It might be beneficial to ally myself with a group of wild dogs.”
He sighed and stood, his patience finally wearing thin. He eyed the wild dog and nodded his head, grateful in a very distant way to have spoken to her, even for this brief time. He did not want his temper to flare, however, and new it would be a good idea for him to part ways now, while his mood was still up. “It was… good, I suppose, to meet you, Kiasi’mtunza. Perhaps… one day, you will find what you seek.”
He seemed to almost mean it, as close to a ‘nice’ comment as he had ever come. With that he nodded again and moved off, tail swishing behind him as he had seen her do.
Of all the things that Tunz might have expected one to respond with once given such information, that was most definitely not at the top of her list. Her brows arched, though not rudely, as he spoke and her ears swivelled towards him as she listened to his plans of allying himself with groups of her kind. If he could find the Mpinzani before she did, she would be glad to see him - in a strange way - upon her return home, though she doubted she would see it again... ah, those pessimisstic thoughts again.
Before Tunz could come up with an adequate reply, however, the lion had stood and was one his way. Her teal eyes watched him move, unsure what had cut the conversation off at such a strange point but deciding it wouldn't be a good idea to pursue the issue. Instead she merely smiled, nodded her head and replied, "Thank you, Unguzo. It was a pleasure to meet you, too." She wasn't sure what else to say, to be honest.
With a broad smile and a soft, bemused laugh, she shook her head and stood as well to continue on in the direction she had been traveling to begin with - this time with one more strange encounter to add to her experience in life.
END
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