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 Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:23 am
 Neoni'liga smiled widely as she looked out across the sea. She had been so happy lately, and the reason for that happiness was currently stood right beside her. Still smiling, she looked to him, her red eyes shining brightly. It was Penda'ji, the cub she had found some time ago on the beach. He was more precious to her than any shell she had ever found, and she treasured him like he was her own.
He was a juvenile now, and she had witness such a change in him from when they had first met. He was more confident now, and no where near as shy. She felt it would soon be time to introduce him to the leader of the Pride, as she wished for him to stay in the Bahari'mtoto lands with her forever.
"Hey Penda'ji, what do you say we go and find more shells today?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:28 am
 Penda'ji was completely lost in thought as he stared out across the sea. He too was very happy here, but for different reasons. Of course he was happy to have found Neoni'liga, but he was also happy to have found the sea itself. He felt such a bond with it, and he had no idea why.
When Neoni'liga spoke, he turned to her a smiled. "Sure!" He immediatly sprang forward, his pale pink paws eager to carry him all the way down the beach if they could.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:17 am
Neoni'liga laughed and got to her feet. Being very young at heart, she was just as eager to find shells as her foster son was. "Come on then!" She motioned for Penda'ji to walk just ahead of her, so that she could keep an eye on him at all times. Although she didn't want to coddle him too much, it was hard for her not to be protective of him. After the rough start he had had in life, she wanted more than anything for him to always feel safe.
As they made their way slowly down the beach, it wasn't long before a few shells caught Neoni'liga's eyes. She was so good at this by now, it almost didn't seem as fun anymore. Almost. "Yay! Here's one!" She bounded over to the first one that had caught her eye, and immediatly turned to check that Penda'ji was following.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:20 am
Penda'ji happily ran ahead of his foster mum, but was careful not to go too far. Although he had gained a lot of confidence as he had grown, he was still rather cautious, and he most likely always would be.
When Neoni'liga called out that she had found one, Penda'ji still had his eyes firmly fixed on the sand. He ended up spotting the one that Neoni had seen, but only after she had headed over to it. He was still young, so he still had much to learn about finding shells. "Coming!" Penda'ji quickly went after Neoni'liga, and stopped when he was stood over the shell she had found. "Aww, it's only small."
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 6:17 am
Neoni'liga chuckled and shook her head. "Just because it's small, doesn't mean that it's not good. Look!" The lioness quickly brushed off the shell and then held it up to the sun. The shell had such a pretty gleam to it, that she knew had been there all along. "See how pretty it is?" She smiled and nuzzled Penda'ji. "This just goes to show that you can't judge things at first glance."
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 6:32 am
Penda'ji looked slightly skeptical as Neoni'liga went about cleaning off the shell and then holding it up to face the sun. He quickly changed his mind though as he saw how beautiful the shell was once it was gleaming. "How did you know?!" The pink juvenile had saw nothing special about the small shell, but his foster mum had. He wanted to know how.
"Will you teach me? I want to learn how to find the most special shells!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:24 am
Neoni'liga laughed and nuzzled her foster son again. "I'll try to teach you...but now that I think about it, there isn't really much to it." As she spoke, she carefully untied the seaweed necklace that was around her neck and then laid it out on the sand. Next, using one of her claws, she carefully poked a small hole into her newest shell and then threaded it on to her necklace.
She smiled as she looked down at the necklace. She had such fond memories of finding the shells that were on it, and then watching her mother make the necklace. Still smiling, she looked back at Penda'ji. "To me, all shells are special, so there's really no trick involved when finding special shells."
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:28 am
Penda'ji tilted his head as he listened to his foster mother. He didn't quite understand what she meant at first, but by the time she had finished talking, he understood perfectly. "Ooooh."
He flopped down just infront of where she was lay, so he could get a better look at her necklace. He had never seen her take it off before, so this was the perfect oppertunity to get a good look. "I like the big shiny pink one the best!" He said with a grin. "You must've been extra proud when you found that one!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:33 am
The blurple lioness nodded excitedly as she thought back to when she found the biggest shell. "Yes, I was really proud of myself when I found that one! I remember being just as happy after finding all the others too though." Staying where she was lay, she returned the necklace to around her neck and then carefully tied it in a knot at the back.
Smiling, she gave Penda'ji a playful nudge. "Come on, we'll find a few more and then we'll head back to the den. I think after today we'll have all we need to make you your very own necklace!" Saying that, she got to her feet and waited for Penda'ji to join her.
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:39 am
Penda'ji loved hearing stories from when Neoni'liga was a cub. As a cub he had been totally different, but as a juvenile he had let go of a lot of his grief and had learned that it's better to smile than to frown.
When his foster mother stood up, Penda'ji did the same. He was excited about getting his very own necklace, but was being rather fussy about what he wanted on it. He quite liked pebbles, so so far they had collected two pairs of pebbles that looked the same, so that his necklace would be symetrical. They had also managed to mind a pair of matching shells that were sand-coloured. Today, he just wanted to find two or four more shells, or maybe one big one to use as the centrepiece for the whole thing. "Lets go!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:46 am
Neoni'liga smiled and nodded before slowly walking to the side, being careful not to let Penda'ji out of her sight. When she moved closer to the sea, she spotted some seaweed drifting in and out on the waves. "Ooh, that's perfect! Penda'ji, stay right there OK? I'll be back in a sec!" With that, Neoni'liga bounded into the sea and started half-walking, half-swimming towards the seaweed.
It didn't take long for her to reach it, and with a nice long strand of it gripped gently in her mouth, she quickly made her way back to shore. When she got out of the water, she put the seaweed down and gave herself a good shake before turning to Penda'ji. "This type of seaweed is really strong, so it'll make for a good necklace!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:50 am
Penda'ji had just started walking off in another direction when Neoni'liga called out to him. "Ok!" He did what she said and stayed where he was, but couldn't help moving just that little bit closer to the sea so he could get a better look. "Wooow." Neoni'liga was a very powerful swimmer, so it wasn't long before she had retrieved the seaweed and was back on shore.
When she got out of the water, he ran to her, only to get showered in sea water and she shook off. He laughed and danced around in it, before turning his attention to the seaweed. "That's great, thanks so much!" He nuzzled into her chest, even though she was still soaking wet.
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:56 am
Neoni'liga purred deeply as she was nuzzled. "You're very welcome!" Now that she was soaking wet, all she wanted to do was return to the dens so she could dry off in the sun. "How about we head back now? I'll start making your necklace as soon as we get back!" After saying that, she moved to tie the new piece of seaweed around Penda'ji's neck. "Ahh, it's just the right length!" She smiled, looking forward to making her foster son his own special necklace.
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:00 am
Penda'ji stood still as the seaweed was tied loosely around his neck. It seemed too loose in his opinion, but he guessed he would grow into it. "Ok, lets head back." Saying that, he trotted ahead of Neoni'liga, as he was also eager for her to start making his necklace.
As we walked with his eyes not fixed on anything in particular, they suddenly caught sight of something. "What's that?" Penda'ji made his way over to it, his eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what it was. "How weird." It was a starfish, which looked as if it had been dried up in the sun a long time ago. Although he wasn't sure what it was, it soon dawned on him what he could use it for. "This will be perfect for my necklace!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:13 am
The adult lioness blinked with curiousity as she moved towards Penda'ji to see what he was looking at. When she reached him, her eyes widened with surprise. "A starfish!" She quickly picked it up to examine it. It was no longer living, as it had clearly been washed too far away from the sea. Regardless, this was still seen as good luck.
She playfully licked Penda'ji's small mane. "You are a very lucky juvenile indeed. Starfish are a symbol of good luck. It's your reward for being loyal to the sea." At Penda'ji suggestion to put it on his necklace, she nodded excitedly. "That's an excellent idea! Come on, the sooner we get home, the sooner I can make your necklace!"
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