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 Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 10:59 pm
After so long of running, he had finally circled back near the lands of his old pride and had gone off in another direction. He had a vague idea of where he'd gone, short and simple stories lacking much detail from when he was younger.. it was intriguing but it was also unique terrain he hoped would be easier to wander comfortably without being seen. By anyone who did not know the lands well, at least. He tried not to overestimate Ghali's abilities.
Finally he stopped to take a break in a clear area, stretching out and laying down comfortably. He had been on his own too much, even he was tired of himself at this point. His thoughts had been gone over so many times in his head, the uninteresting conversations he had with smaller creatures not making for very good thought.. he was starting to think perhaps he could just confront Ghali or go home. Ghali might not have that much of an advantage and perhaps the drama of his return to his mother, his brothers, his nieces and nephews.. his cubs.. perhaps it would not be so bad. At least it would give him something to break up the tiresome nothing that had consumed his life.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:22 pm
She wasn't a strong believer in fate, or destiny, or anything like that. You picked your own path in life, and it took you where it would. There were chance meetings, and things of the nature, but nothing that set the rest of your life in stone. No, it was up to you where your paws took you. No matter what, you always had a choice in what you did.
Which was why, on this day, Sethunya was having doubts of herself. Why was she headed out this way? There was no real good reason for it- she wasn't hunting, or anything. No, she'd just gotten up, and decided this was the way to go. Padding along the soft ground, she sighed to herself lightly. Certainly there was good reason for her exploring today. But really, what was it? She hadn't gone out for the sake of exploring since she was a cub! To suddenly up and run with the idea? It was foolishness, at best. But then again, maybe a smattering of foolishness was all she needed?
Seth stepped lightly into the clearing, pausing when she caught sight of the lion laying there. For a moment, she tensed- at first light, he'd almost seemed red- but no. He was a soft, strange pink and yellow, strange and foreign to her. She certainly hadn't met him before, at any rate. Giving herself a moment to relax, Seth put on her kindest smile, stepping forward to make herself known.
"Hello there, stranger!" She spoke kindly, a curious sparkle in her eyes. "You don't seem like you're from around here- might I ask who you are and where you're from?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 2:53 pm
Riko, not expecting to have any company (especially friendly company), visibly jumped at the sound of a female voice nearly. His head turned sharply and he looked just about ready to get up and defend himself, rather like he'd seen a ghost, in fact.
Real smooth, he scolded himself mentally when he saw who it was because it was definitely not Ghali, but he still had some reason to be suspicious. He relaxed a bit, but he still got to his feet in case he had stumbled into the mysterious land he'd heard about and was going to be asked to leave. He might have been a jerk in many instances, but he was a pride lion and he respected prides. It was the only way he could feel any connection to them now, he really didn't like being a rogue.
"Hello," he responded, his voice rather easy thanks to her kind tone, "I am Mafuriko, from the Pridelands, once.."
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:29 pm
She found herself giggling at his startled state, pleased to have found entertainment in his company. Sitting a good ways away, as to not startle him any further, Seth simply observed to see how he'd react. Her smile was still cheery and pleasant, however, as she watched him. How fun! Flicking her tail lightly in response, she was laughing lightly once more.
"Yes, yes, you didn't seem like you were from around here! Nobody's that jumpy in their own home." Flicking her ears, Seth kept her eyes intently focused on him. She then silenced a moment, trying to get a good look over him now. Mafuriko... what a wonderful name! Grinning from ear to ear, Seth hopped up from her sitting position.
"It's a wonderful name! Mafuriko; I do so love it!" Calming herself slightly, she looked to him earnestly.
"I am Sethunya. Please, though, call me Seth!"
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:45 pm
Riko stared at the pink lioness when she laughed, noting how she smiled so cheerfully and sounded and looked very sincere. He couldn't be too careful, but if he was too suspicious he might get chased away for whole other reasons. It was a delicate situation he was in and he was never good with things like this. So he tried to play it cool. He smiled sheepishly when she commented on how nobody was that jumpy in their own home, he probably would be at this point.. but that was an unnecessary comment so he kept it to himself.
"Uh, thanks," he replied politely, though thrown off by the extremely nice reaction to his introduction, "It's nice to meet you Seth. I suppose this is your home, then?" He looked around casually.
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:20 pm
"Why yes, it is!" Seth hummed brightly, her cheery demeanor as consistent as ever. "It's a lovely place! I do so think you'll enjoy it, if you stay here a while. I know I do!" At this she took a moment to look around, effectively absorbed in her own little world. Humming a cheery little tune, Seth was utterly distracted for a moment, simply taking everything in once more. How wonderful home was~! Giggling to herself slightly, she finally returned her gaze to Riko.
"Oh! Yes, of course, you're still here! I'm so sorry, I... when everything makes you happy, it's fairly easy to get distracted." And really, what WAS there to make you unhappy in life? Everything had its own silver lining- sometimes, you just had to look a bit harder for it. Why, this was probably going to turn into something fantastic, too!
"So then, what brings you here, stranger?" She asked, tone suddenly settling to reflect the more 'serious' conversation. But the brightness never dropped, however; it simply calmed. "Traveling? Or might you have family in these lands? Either way, it's wonderful that you decided to get out and explore the world! I never have, but it sounds exciting."
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:38 pm
Potentially dangerous or not, Riko couldn't help but take a moment while she was humming cheerily and looking away to look her over. She didn't look like much of a threat, but more importantly, she was very attractive. And now she was looking back at him again, so he shook his head and looked away. Stupid. He was in enough trouble, and she was being unusually nice.
His head turned back to Seth so quickly the world threatened to spin out around him. When.. everything makes you happy? What? Riko never felt that way, hearing it from someone else was like hearing insane conspiracy theories. It wasn't possible in his world, it was.. just what?
"I'm just.. traveling," he said decisively, knowing he couldn't really tell the truth and be allowed to stay, "Just traveling. I heard stories about here when I was younger, but never thought much of it until now."
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:54 pm
"That's wonderful, though! Finally going out on cubhood legends- that sounds so thrilling!" Breathing deeply, as if it would help her take in the wonderful world she spoke of, Seth simply watched Riko with awe. How many incredible things had he seen, then? Oh, the stories he could tell! It took all of her mental willpower not to simply flop down right then and there, ready to hear all about the world he'd seen. But no, no! That would be improper and impolite. Instead, she resolved to have him stay- maybe, if he was comfortable enough around her, he'd open up freely? That would be wonderful!
"So, I can't really tell you what my home's like- seeing as you're here, and all! But if you wouldn't mind.." she nearly purred at this, unable to contain all of the excitement from her tone. Well, hopefully that wasn't TOO awkward for the boy!
"...Would you mind telling me what yours is like? Again, I haven't traveled much, and even just hearing about it would make me so happy!" A giggle, then.
"..If you wouldn't mind, anyway. I don't want to be a terrible bother to you, and I worry I've already overstayed my welcome."
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:15 pm
"Yeah, I guess," he reluctantly agreed with her enthusiasm, far too stunned to even try to match it. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be successful so it didn't truly matter. Riko watched Seth silently, calmly, waiting for her to actually say something he could easily respond to. Were he less nervous about his own situation, he might have been more conversation. Were he to behave as he used to, he would already be much more interesting. Or so he thought.
"It's no bother, I don't know how much I could tell you though, it was never terribly interesting," he spoke honestly this time, but left out the detail that he had not been there so much in recent times, he could still describe what it was before he left, "There are definitely a lot fewer trees and taller grass, not much to see as far as the landscape, I suppose. There's a great big rock in the middle, like a small, single mountain. It's where the royalty lives. Truthfully, though, it's not really my home anymore. I don't think I'll be going back."
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:10 pm
"A great rock?" She asked enthusiastically, moving forward and not acknowledging the earlier parts of his story. Oh, how wonderful! A rock- no, a mountain! (What was the difference between a rock and a mountain, anyway? She'd have to ask.) Where royalty lived! Giggling slightly to herself, Seth took a minute to envision this place- was it cold, she wondered idly? It just sounded so... beautiful!
Her smile, however, slightly faded as he explained that this place was no longer his home. Tilting her head to the side in confusion, Seth blinked. Twice. Three times now. Pouting her lower lip in thought, she remained this way for a moment, seeming to analyze Riko from head-to-toe. How absolutely strange! Furrowing her brow slightly, she let out a soft sigh.
"How come? Just tired of it, and wanting a change of pace, or is there some other reason?" She paused again at this, then flicked her ears and looked away in embarrassment.
"I... sorry, again! I get overly excited, as I bet you can see. I just... it all sounds so fantastic!"
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:44 pm
Riko looked at Seth, watching her reaction with great interest. It seemed a moment that would be hard to fake complete cluelessness to if she were in fact out to get him on behalf of Ghali. Or perhaps he just hoped so, because she was being very nice to him and it was rather nice not being so paranoid. Still, she was a female and a stranger. He was not about to tell her the whole story. But if he did not give the proper explanation, what did he have to say?
"I first left to find my missing sister," he said truthfully, deciding to work his way through some truth and working in some slight alterations, "I didn't find her until recently, she was living with another pride all this time. I suppose that's part of why I've been wandering around checking things out." Not entirely untrue, it left out a large chunk of his history but knowing Kiwi was in a pride, that other prides existed and were just as good.. except until he said it, he didn't really think about how much he missed having a home. And it showed on his face.
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