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 Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:02 am
 Raruo was sitting under a large, old tree. It was thick and tall, though bent and balding, its branches sagging and its bark curling off in flints. It was a handsome, ancient part of these lands, and still served its duties by bearing what green leaves it could in the spring and provided shade in the summer, as well as shelter in the colder, wetter seasons. It was stalwart, unwavering, and it was comfortable.
The grass beneath him was bent, and not just because he was laying on it in that moment. He often sat here, watching over the lands around him, up on one of the hills that rolled across the pridal lands. He liked to do his reflecting here, when his duties weren't pressing or his attention wasn't needed elsewhere. Because he liked to keep himself occupied, of course, he did not come every day, or even every other day. Still, it was enough, and over a long enough period of time, to leave his impression in the earth.
He frowned. He was feeling a bit rambunctious, an urge he was becoming increasingly familiar with and not sure why. It was youthful and energetic, but aggravating to say the least. Particularly when he wanted to sit peacefully, watch the pride, and reflect. He stood, his legs itching, and tried to stretch the feeling out of his limbs.
It was no use. He needed to do something. He drew a deep breath, bouncing a bit on his paws, then growled and looked around.
The older lion needed a distraction.
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Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:38 am
Shinda was restless.
There was nothing in particular she could do, being off-duty, and she rather loathed it. Not being under Chuma; she knew exactly what to expect from the hot-headed veteran, it was when there was nothing to do, leaving her...well, bored. Being a Warrior when the pride was in peace made the job rather dreary. She supposed others of the Claw had the same sentiments as well.
And misery loved company. A smile curved upon her face as she spotted a familiar dark figure. The lioness did not bother to conceal herself from him to give him a surprise; her large figure, courtesy of her father, made it rather difficult to do so.
Instead, she simply approached him directly, a small smirk flickering on her face. "How have you been, Uncle Raruo?" He was, of course, not her true uncle; she had no inkling on whether Sakata or her mysterious mother had any siblings, and even if they had, they were probably deceased.
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Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:04 pm
Raruo's ears perked at a familiar voice. He turned his head and saw the young lioness approach. His eyes lighted a bit, but his face remained drawn in focus and his general expression of bitterness. He wasn't an angry lion, in the textbook definition of the word. He just seemed to have this constantly annoyed aura about him, and his natural expression was a deeper frown than most.
"Ah, Shinda," he said, nodding his head, his voice a deep baritone, "I've been listless, if I had to put a word to it," he said honestly, sighing. He growled a bit, as he always did, in appropriate or inappropriate situations, "you look like you're about that same."
He grinned, a bit of a disconcerting expression on him, and shook his. He knew she was studying under Chuma, and often heard a lot about the goings on with other members of his vocation.
"Is it bad to want something like a war or... some kind of violent happening? Not that I would ever wish something bad on this pride or any of its inhabitants," he sounded ever so slightly rueful, "but it would be interesting, at least."
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:38 am
The lioness dipped her head slightly, unfazed by the seemingly annoyed look on his face. Shinda was aware of how grumpy he usually liked to portray himself as, after all, she had known him since she was a cub. She merely grinned back at him, lifting her shoulders into a shrug. "It's not just us." She pointed out flatly, "Chuma seems to be on edge as well. And I'm sure the others are too." The Veteran had been spewing out more profanities than he used to, though one couldn't exactly blame him. The Claw, disregarding the hunters, had nothing much to do these days.
"At least you've seen war?" She chuckled darkly. "But I have just stepped into my rank."
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:20 pm
Raruo watched with distant affection as the younger lioness grinned at him, though he consciously made the effort to keep his face stoic, even annoyed. He nodded. Peace was a bit vexing for lions built as they were: they were meant for action, for battle, and there was little call for that when everyone was getting along.
He sighed.
"I suppose," he said, tilting his head to the side wistfully. He grinned at her crookedly, clearly about to tease her, "I'm still not sure you're cut out for war. I mean, milling about an idle pride in peace time is one thing, but who says you're training diligently enough to be useful anywhere else? Not that I question Chuma's methods. It's you I'm more worried about. Slacking off or something." He grinned devilishly, tilting his head in a challenging way.
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 5:42 am
The lioness merely blinked back casually, unperturbed by the look upon her face, one she had gotten used to. Oh, times had passed, she had grown, but he was still rather much the same, grouchy fellow.
She smiled, a glint in her eye as she spoke in reply. "Well, you've been slacking off as well, haven' you?" Idly, she wondered if he did think she should have turned away from the Claw, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Sometimes, her imagination liked to weave such possibilities in her mind, a habit Shinda was irritated by and strove to stamp out.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 1:17 pm
Raruo scoffed, shrugging his massive shoulders and shaking his head. His mane, which was showing a bit of his age, strands of duller colored hair betraying him no matter how hard he tried to pretend they didn't exist, ruffled with the movement.
"Slacking off?" He looked almost insulted, though in a kind of impassive way. He was not one for large shows of emotion. Rather, he preferred his constant scowl and grumpy looks. They seemed to work well enough. Grimacing, eyes flashing in annoyance, the older lion squinted at his long time friend.
"I've no more been slacking off as you have been doing impressive things," his eyes flashed. They always seemed to be smiling at her, no matter what jerk-ish thing he was saying at the time, "and since I haven't seen you doing anything particularly impressive, I guess that means I haven't been slacking off, huh? I'd like to see what Chuma's been able to get into that head of yours. Or at least what's managed to stick."
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:09 am
The young lioness snickered, an amused smile spreading on her face at his reaction. "I wish there was an opportunity for me to do something impressive." She merely replied, shrugging her shoulders. "But there's nothing to do except to patrol and maybe do some hunting." It was what her father had been doing after all.
"Well, what do you think managed to stick?" Shinda gave him a coy smile.
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:39 pm
Vexed, the older lion rolled his massive shoulders back and shook his head, thinning mane bristling. He flexed his paw against the earth thoughtfully, watching her with his challenging eyes and smiling thinly, contemplating.
"I have no idea," he said, shrugging, "my instinct tells me 'nothing at all', but I want to give Chuma more credit than that. So maybe you know how to swing a paw in a fight, and duck when something is coming at your head. But real tactics? I don't know, I don't think you're ready for a real fight."
He grinned.
"You still look like a cub to me."
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:35 am
She merely grinned. It was indeed pleasurable to spin the questions of others around for it to face at them; though the lioness didn't particularly like them doing it on herself. That was what her father had done when she had last saw him, and though she had been highly annoyed at it, it was nice to see the tables turned on someone else.
"You think, Uncle Raruo."
She paused at his next statement, then chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Why, are you still reminiscent of the old days that your eyes blur and take you back in time?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:37 pm
"Maybe I like the old days better. You weren't so annoying back then, when you didn't know so many words. Back then you weren't so determined to make full sentences, especially not ones that had sarcastic edges to them. Yeah, those were the good old days, to be sure. I can't help it if I think back on them so fondly."
He flicked his tail, grinning at her. It was a bit weird, to think so directly about how long he had known her. Watching cubs grow up only made him feel even older than he was. Particularly when they turned out so strong willed and mature as she seemed to be. Though, he'd never let her know he thought she was turning into a fine adult lion, and member of the pride.
It was too much fun poking fun at her.
"Alright, little Niece, how about we spar a bit? Just to see what you've been so diligently learning? I won't fight, I just want to see what kind of moves you have. The power of you pounce, and the like. Think you can show me, without embarrassing yourself or your master?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:27 am
"But I used to ask so many questions." She laughed, emitting a low sigh after the chuckle died down in her throat. "Then I stopped when no one told me the answers." Shinda said this is a low murmur, her face creased up slightly in thought.
"I would love that." The lioness raised her head, her orange eyes staring into his red ones defiantly. "I won't embarrass myself. Maybe I'm not yet a perfect warrior in Chuma's eyes, but I know I am certainly doing my best."
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:52 pm
Raruo arched an eyebrow at her, monitoring her reactions and taking note. He liked to know what comments pulled what strings, for future reference. He nodded slowly, dipping his head once before lifting it, his face once again totting an indifferent expression.
"That's good," he said honestly, his tone more subdued and less playful. Of course, it had never exactly sounded light hearted. It was just now it had a rumble to it, borne of his deep respect for his craft, and that of his peers. He nodded again, closing his eyes for a long moment before opening them and focusing on her intent, orange gaze, "being your best is all you can do, and it's everything we expect. I'm sure Chuma is the same. The thing is there is no stopping. No peek. You keep learning, and bettering your best. Always on the top of your game, but always striving forward."
He circled her slowly, looking her over now as an adversary. She was certainly growing much too quickly, no longer the cub he remembered. It seemed she was being trained well, and he was proud of her. He just wasn't going to tell her that.
"Attack me, then," he said, stopping in front of her and placing his paws wide apart, "show me what you've got."
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:22 am
She could feel his gaze on her, and she was slightly annoyed at herself for letting her guard down a little. As close as she might be to him, she wanted to be the one who was in charge, not being a pawn in someone's games.
Still, she nodded, listening to his words and silently agreeing with them. She would push herself to greater heights, to do the best she could and improve herself. Until she proved her worth.
Shinda raised an eyebrow as he told her to attack him. Ah, he was serious; she could see that by the look in his eyes. She silently dipped her head and circled him slowly, observing the dark lion from head to tail.
And then, suddenly she pounced, and she braced herself for a fight, the adrenaline already pumping through her veins.
Aah, now there was something exciting to do.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:31 pm
Raruo watched her. He wasn't going to fight her, per se. He was going to let her show him how strong she had become. This wasn't about his pride in himself, but in her. He wanted to know how far she had grown while he hadn't been watching, and this was the best way to do it: letting her give him her best. He was grinning, though he didn't notice, his excitement getting the better of his generally impassive expression and unimpressed air.
He was impressed, after all, and excited. But, again, those weren't things he was going to share.
When she pounced he felt a surge of thrill, his muscles coiling on instinct and his legs kicking into the earth at his feet. He raised up onto his back feet, big meaty paws out in front of him, almost catching her in her attack so he could get straight into a scuffle with her and see how she'd best him head on. Using his weight to his advantage, he threw his body into hers, swinging his paw at her face without using his claws. There was no need for blood in this match, unless she brought his out.
He would only be more intrigued if she managed that, though.
A sturdy opponent, long years of training and discipline guiding him, he kept his adrenaline in check and battled with her without letting himself feel like it was a fight he absolutely needed win. Yes, he was not going to make it easy, but he also was much more focused on giving her challenges to over come, rather than to defeat her. To his surprise, however, he found that he really wasn't holding back as much as he would have liked to admit. She was getting very strong, indeed.
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