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 Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:05 pm
Tawa'di had found that as he aged, his Sight was not very reliable anymore. In fact, the strength of it had become so weak that he had to learn not to depend on it for anything, anymore. Perhaps it was because of his age. Who would want to forsee their own death, the sadness of his family? No one. Perhaps that was just the way things were.
With a shake of his head, he cleared his thoughts. He didn't feel the claws of death on his heels yet, and so he wouldn't think about it until he took his last breath. He had more things to worry about, anyway.
This early morning carried the scent of dampness, as dew danced across everything, the sun's morning light caught within the spheres of dew, Tawa'di was doing his morning walk. Keeping himself in shape had been an interesting feat, but he felt much better when he stuck to his routine. Plus, it always opened up the chance of seeing others, as the past moon's mornings had given him.
Einar wasn't entirely sure where he was. He wasn't ever, really, unless someone pointed it out to him. He did note, however, the vague scent of other lions...it wasn't quite as strong as some pride borders he'd come across, but then...he couldn't rule out the possibility that there was a small pride here. Finding that this wasn't enough of a motivator to turn him around he kept moving forward. Had the scents been stronger and more concentrated...he likely would have left. He didn't feel very social.
He moved along briskly, trying to keep his pace up in an attempt to settle vague feelings of restlessness. They never faded these days. Sometimes he wondered what he was doing...what the point was, living like this. He tried to let his blood flow and keep the thoughts from his head. He shouldn't think about it...he saw no solution in sight.
"Hmmm?" Tawa'di's ears perked upwards as he heard the slight sound of brush rustling. It wasn't very strong, so the source was either small, or far away. Not knowing exactly what it could be, the old lion investigated. What would be the harm? There was never any threat out in these lands, unless you wandered a little too close to the river and a crocodile found you.
His old paws never carrying him quickly, he was able to widely pinpoint the direction of the noise. Near the border, just slightly outside of it. The creature might wander onto the lands, though, and Tawa'di wanted to be there to intercept them before anything might come to pass. While he was of the laid back members, some of the younger generation, especially the males, were quite protective of their home. Especially if they had memories of the plague that nearly killed them all, and who it came from. Strangers.
Ah, finally. A form! Tawa'di walked too slow for his content, but he continued on. He needed to keep enough energy to make the long trek back home before the sun grew too heavy in the sky. "'Lo there, stranger," he called, trying to flag down the form that he could still only roughly see at best.
He saw the other lion before he heard him. It was definately a different sight...he had never seen a lion with a mane that was so prominant. It didn't necessarily make him easier to see, it was just that as he grew clearer it was the first thing he noticed. Einar decided, then, to wait when he saw this other lion. He did not retreat, but he did not continue forward either.
He nodded his head curtly when addressed, though in formal tones. He wasn't sure what to make of the elder lion before him or the scents that he carried. It was not quite typical of a normal pride. He replied slowly, as though he struggled to grasp the words or the thoughts that went with them, "Hello, sir."
Whew! Tawa'di finally got close enough to where he didn't feel like he needed to yell, but in turn he had lost a lot of breath. He took a moment to catch it all back, his eyes using these moments to scan the form of the stranger before him. Nothing odd, but nothing very...hm. Something familiar, perhaps, but only faintly.
Finally, he felt like he could breathe normally again. "Ah, yes. I wanted to catch you before you crossed the border," he said carefully, so as not to offend the male. Tawa'di wasn't overly large, as it ran in their bloodline, and he was also pretty dang old in comparison. Compared to anything, really. "While I am not as concerned with it as it might seem, some of the younger pride members might be a little more jumpy on a stranger." His tail flopped behind him, rustling some of the tall grasses.
"We're the Ela'wadiyi pride, if you were wondering." He supressed the urge to ask if the lion knew of them; very little did.
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:07 pm
So there was a pride here. Einar was vaguely surprised. It just...didn't smell the same. He certainly hadn't heard of them, either, not that he had heard of many prides, really. He tended to avoid them, since such huge groups of lions all in one place made him uneasy.
His thoughts rolled around in his head as the other lion caught his breath. When it seemed alright to ask, even though he wasn't a very talkative person, Einar said, "What kind of pride is it? No offense meant, sir, but...it doesn't seem like one by smell." He was a little puzzled.
Tawa'di couldn't help but crack a smile. "No offense taken," he started off, stifling his chuckling. It was always amusing what outsiders would comment; it kept his ideals of his home fresh, and greatful for it all. "There is a pride here, indeed, but it might take you a few marks of travel or up to a day to find anyone. We're a pride of nomads, holding onto our lands as we linger around them in family clans."
His tail swished behind him as he watched the male curiously. "A clan hasn't been directly through here in some time, but soon perhaps they will find themselves here," he offered with a shrug. "It makes keeping our borders secure a little interesting, but we haven't had problems yet."
"That's...different," he murmured, a little unsure of what to say about it. It still seemed a bit of a puzzel to him. Nomads? Clans? What was the point of living in a pride then, if they weren't all together...? Not that he had really taken to that idea anyway, of course. It was...intriguing, in a strange way. It was just such a foreign idea to him.
"Why, if you don't mind me asking, do you live that way? I don't quite...understand," he admitted and he felt rather unhappy doing so. He might not be very social, but he was fairly intellegent, certainly at least averagely so. It shoudldn't have been a hard thing to figure out.
"We've lived this way for so long, it seems odd to live as one large group to us," he said quietly. "The same to those that live alone their whole lives. You could consider it a mixing of the two. Or viewing it as a less overwhelming way of living. I know I would never be able to stand living with over 50 lions in one spot, no matter how much I adored them all," he said with a chuckle. "It would be much too overwhelming."
"We get together at certain times of the year, celebrating our pride and reconnection." He smiled softly. "It's certainly out of the ordinary, of what I've found out from others. Does it interest you at all?"
Though the whole thing baffled him, what this lion portrayed seemed...nice. Einar still didn't feel like reconnecting with others, not yet, but traveling alone, without anything to do, without feeling like he was needed for something...it left him feeliing just as empty as the loss of his twin did. He didn't like it, but he had never really been sure what to do about it. Living alone and hallow seemed better than smooshing into an overwelming environment. At least this way he could brood alone. But this strange pride, it seemed so...different. Almost inviting. It was a bit unnerving, in a way.
"I don't...suppose you're needing anyone of specific skills among your little groups," he commented carefully. He was afraid to say he was interested. He didn't want to be interested, necessarily unless...unless maybe he could finally feel like he was doing something with himself, without being forced head first into a social ocean.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:02 pm
The old lion took a moment to ponder the other's question. He had never really thought about what they needed, but then their needs were small compared to other prides. "Ahhh, I do have one idea, though." He swished his tail before continuing, wondering what his reaction would be.
"We have quite a few children, and some that have only just grown into their manes. That leaves us vulnerable on our borders, with them being too young to watch the land by themselves. It wouldn't be too hard, but perhaps it would fit you? At least, as a general way to settle into a pridal life." He smiled softly for a moment. "As some need more time to get used to having so many others around them."
Einar hesitated. He was being careful, more with his own feelings than with his response to the elder lion. The idea of "settling into pride life" was a bit unsettling for him, but he tried to focus on what the offer meant he'd be doing. He'd be patroling and protecting the borders...perhaps it really wasn't any different than wandering, in peaceful times, but it still had a purpose. It meant something, where his wandering meant nothing until, perhaps, his body passed away and left food for vultures.
Finally, he replied, holding back a nod he feared would express eagerness, "...well, since you need someone for the task, I suppose I may offer myself to it." A strange acceptance, but one none the less. Perhaps, in time, he'd be more willing to express the joy of planting roots again, so to speak.
Tawa'di grinned, pleased. He nodded energetically, pleased that he seemed to get somewhere. Without applying too much pressure, anyway. He knew he got a little overexcited at times.
"And hunt when you could, just to make sure that mouths were fed, but keeping an eye on everything would be great. I'm sure you'll see what's usual, and unusual for us if you just spend a little time within the Clan." He took a moment to draw in a breathe.
"You could start in my Clan, if you wish. It isn't too large, though the kids might get a little overwhelming at times. They're an excited bunch."
Einar nodded slowly in response to the comment of hunting. That was even better...he liked that, in doing that, he really could feel like he was doing useful. Yes, it seemed this was turning out well for him. Not much had in a long time.
"I'll go where ever I'm needed," he replied easily. What clan he went to mattered little to him (plus he didn't know the differences between them anyway), and though excitable children were not necessarily ideal, it did make a bit of sense to go there. After all, children meant more mouths to feed and more for him to do.
He paused for a moment and then added, gently, "Thank you."
Tawa'di nodded, though it was more like a bow than a nod. "And we thank you, for your strength will be added to ours. One that is fragile, and needs whatever is offered. I'm certain that you will be a great addition, no matter what you offer to everyone."
He smiled, his tail brushing the ground behind him as he nodded towards the lands. "Well, would you like to see it further?"
It felt stranged, to be thanked so...elaborately. Especially when Einar felt the other lion was doing him a favor, not the other way around. But he accepted it silently, unsure of what to say, and simply agreed to the last invitation. "Yes, I believe...I would like to." He took a few strides then, towards Tawa'di. His first strides towards being in a pride for the first time in so long...it was a big change and he hoped he was ready.
fin~
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