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 Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:13 am
The sun was located just midway in the sky. Although the land was brightly colored with the fireball’s rays hitting the land, the color would never have mattered to the male. To him, everything was still black as night, just as he remembered it when he was little. The only difference here was no stars ever shined in this night. No stars shined in this night ever.
Time was a void to the male. How long he had been traveling he hadn’t a clue. After departing with his klipspringer friend, he just wandered until his legs could no longer wander anymore.
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:32 am
The old lion was routinely doing his walks along the side of the border he was nearby. Though he never expected much, as there was never anything going on, he still let his feet guide him to his work.
He was thankful that he had done just that today, as his green eyes caught sight of a stranger. "My, who is that?" he said to himself. He continued on his slow pace, merely switching his path to intercept the white and brown male that he saw.
As he grew closer, he slowed. It was best to keep a comfortable distrance between strangers, as they were unpredictable in terms of personal space.
"Hello," he said softly. "You are within the Ela'wadiyi borders. May I assit you with anything?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:39 pm
The male stopped, hearing the rustling and then words following by another. At those words, Kip's ears flickered. In all his travelings, he had not wandered past borders (or if he had, no one had ever said anything to him). He was rather taken aback at the sudden speech from the other. "Ela...wadiyi?" He probably had heard of the name before, but to where escaped his mind. The male stood still, not moving from his spot, but also not showing any hostility towards the other. He was one that knew if he was in another's land, you were to be submissive, especially if you did not know the land's customs.
"I am sorry to approach on these pridal lands," he spoke softly, his opaque eyes watching nothing, "my paws lead me, and it seems they have stopped here.
"I mean no harm," at this, he bowed his head slightly. "I have lost my guide, and am looking to find a place to stay."
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:46 pm
Tawa'di observed the body language of the stanger, as it was something he hadn't come across in one. It seemed that there was something...wrong. Not in an incorrect manner, but different.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, he lowered his head in a nod. "All is well. I am merely letting you know where you are, as not too many seem to know of us." It seemed that they were still safe from their old homelands for now.
Still curious, as if wanting to figure out a riddle, he took a coupel more steps forward before settling down in a sit. He couldn't stand forever, even if he might be contuing on his way soon.
"Ah, a lost guide, is it?" he said after the other had explained his situation. "Quite common currently, but I doubt anything is in error. It seems that the elements have guided another soul to our lands."
Calculating his next statement, he tossed around the fact that the stranger had been discreet in his description of what he was looking for. He didn't merely state for the night; perhaps it meant something more.
Ears flicking forward within the mass of his greying mane, Tawa'di spoke. "Perhaps I will guide you to a spring, and we can talk further?" There was a small offshoot of the river that split their lands; surely after a bit of water they could exchange more words. He saw no harm in offering the stranger some water and a story or two. Once he gathered a judge of character would he decide what to do.
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:14 pm
Others losing their guides was quite common nowadays? Were there more lions like him that too needed someone to help them on their ways? Or perhaps it just meant something entirely different. When the male spoke of it probably not being in error, Kipofu couldn’t help but nod; his words remained silent.
When the other male shuffled, the ex-pridelander listened to his movements carefully, tilting his head ever so slightly. When the sound of a small plop hit the ground, he too had decided it was okay to sit for now.
At the mention of being guided to a spring, his eyes would brighten if they could. He hadn’t a drink in what seemed like miles, “I would like that,” he flashed the male a smile. He could let his paws carry him further. Standing (even though he just had sat), he listened for the other to start moving, he would follow behind him.
“My name is Kipofu…Kipofu’Bakhti.” It was best to introduce himself before they continued to travel, Kip thought.
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:59 pm
Groaning slightly, Tawa'di pulled himself up onto all of his paws. It took a moment longer than the younger lion near him, but he soon had gathered himself up and was slowly leading Kipofu to where the water resided. It wasn't much, but it was enough to offer the lions a drink.
As he made his way towards the water, Tawa'di offered another welcome. "My name is Tawa'di Kanati," he said. "Tawa'di works just fine, though." A few feet later, Tawa'di picked up his voice again. "Ah, no need to worry about anything odd being in the water around here. While the river herself has quite a handful of crocodiles, there's nothing near so frightening in the more shallow and smaller streams."
"Ah, there we are." He could faintly hear the water as it lapped against the edges of it's path. "And it seems to be quite empty today. Perfect for an exchange of stories, hm?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:31 pm
Something…frightening in the water? The white male stalled, what could be in the water other than fish? “Good to know,” he murmured quietly, noting to himself to make sure he sniffed out any water source more carefully now. He didn’t want to chance anything snagging him in the water now that he knew that….crocodiles…lived in there.
Water was something unusual. Sometimes there was a scent to it, like when many animals had used it as a drinking place, or one to bathe in. This one, seeing as a scent was barely noticeable, allowed him to see that not many used it, or had been there recently. He looked around, the eyes spotting more black. Empty….it was always empty to him regardless.
The male marked with chocolate markings nodded at Tawa’di’s question. “It seems nowadays I have many stories to tell. I am glad today there is someone to listen.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:42 pm
Tawa'di chuckled. "I apologize. I have an habit of teasing. An old lion such as I should have learned to stop by now, but there's times when I just can't help myself."
He bent down to take a quick drink, feeling much more refreshed. It was amazing what a small amount of water could do for you.
"All right, then. Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask the first question. Just a small one. Where is it that you are from?" It would give the old lion a grounding as to what to do with this stranger. He was alone, and obviously shouldn't be. There was something odd, but the old lion hadn't quite figured it out yet.
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:05 pm
Kip pawed towards the ground, feeling the dirt moisten under his paws. It was here he heard the slight movement in the water, guiding his maw for a drink. After a few small laps, he lifted his head, sitting on the ground. His tail snaked around, the tail tuft dipping itself in the water.
“By all means,” he was on another’s lands, so it was only customary that a lion apart of this pride be the one to ask questions first. At the question, the sightless male nodded.
“I come from the prosperous land called known as the Pridelands. It is where you can go anywhere, and be welcomed by any and all felines there.” He smiled. The male liked his old pride, but the memories of his past haunted him enough to leave them. That was when he met his klipspringer guide. “My father is Mahiri and my mother was Bakhti.” His tone changed slightly at the name of his mother.
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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:57 pm
"Hmmm," the lion grunted. He had indeed heard of these lands, though it wasn't anything in depth. "The few stories that have reached my aged ears have all been well about that land. I'm certain it wouldn't be too much of an extent to assume that you have the same heart as your lands."
Before he really let the question form in his mind, it had been dismissed. With the tone he had used to offer his mother's name, it was a hint that it might be why he had left. Time healed, but not always.
His tail twitched as him mind worked. "Well...I know this may seem forward, but you seem not quite ready to wander more, if that's what you desire. I'd be happy to extend my home and family as a place of rest for you if you'd accept."
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Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:10 am
To rest sounded good. His paws were tired from the long wandering away from the Pridelands, into the southlands, and past the forests of the Kusini lands. For being a feline void of sight, he had moved a lot within the last few moons and the idea of rest was just not an option. At least, it had become less of an option when his klipspringer guide was no longer able to aid him in his travels.
But the fact of the matter was this. Kipofu knew he probably would never return home. Now that Lonny was gone, his mother too, the pridelands just held so many memories that the male lion marked with chocolate splashes just didn’t want to remember at the moment. In time, he knew that it would be best to reconcile with the past, but this was the present, and the future was later.
”I would like that…” he paused, his opaque once teal eyes shifting to Tawa’di as he answered, “I would like that very much.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:35 pm
The old lion nodded, but he thought he might have an idea as to what was nagging him about Kipofu. He would find out with time, though. Tawa'di was not one to pry.
Tawa'di chuckled. "Well, welcome aboard. As long as you don't mind eight sets of paws swarming around you once you meet my family. They mean well, but as my clan is just my family and me, they will be quite thrilled to have another body to climb all over."
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:19 pm
At the mention of Tawa’di’s family, Kipofu blinked slowly. Eight? Hey, that sounded like his own family in which the litter he was born into had seven other cubs. Kip knew his family was large, but he always thought it was just his family that large. Now he knew another was like it, and therefore must be more somewhere out there.
”I don’t mind,” the blind male assured, “I think I would enjoy it.” He smiled, before giving asking a question.
“You mentioned your clan…Are there more than one in these lands?” The male tilted his head, his eyes no longer focused on the older male, but rather past him.
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:35 pm
Tawa'di let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad. They're quite a bunch, and will be very excited to ask you a million questions about the world outside of our pride." He chuckled.
"There are four other clans. We are Bird, while the others are Earth, Shadow, Sky, and Wolf. Each clan roams together over the lands. At certain times, we will gather together to meet old friends, make new ones, and perhaps see the young ones start new families. Our lifestyle is much different from what else is out there, as far as I've come to understand, but we cherish it deeply."
Tawa'di watched Kipofu, finally starting to have a hunch about what was different. Noting it, he let it pass. It was nothing to be concerned with, after all.
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Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:24 pm
Kipofu would be excited to answer any questions Tawa’di’s family had regarding the ‘outside’ world. Being a traveler prior to this meeting, he had been through many prides, many terrains and many different climates. All though he wouldn’t be able to explain the exact ‘details’ of the lands he had been, he could describe a feeling so the others could imagine, and let their minds create it just like his own had.
“It would be…a new challenge to explore,” Kipofu said in regards to the ways of the lands, “but if I can overcome this one, I can overcome anything,” he added quite quietly at the end.
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