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 Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 10:22 am
 Elphaba felt her fur tense and skin prickle as she stepped into the grounds designated as the Antianeira lands, and though she had denied being a antisocialist, she felt herself alienated in the presence of the passing lionesses that meandered with some given purpose about her. Her feelings on this decision moved inside of her in waves, with low doubt and reassuring courage that this was something that would be in her best interest. Elphaba had not been one for prides since her days when she was still an adolescent in her learning circle, and after her departure from the traditions of her pride, and become a lingering outskirter, slipping in and out of the pride unnoticed with her own agenda. With that gone, years pasting, her rouge days had grown in familiarity to the point that the prospect of a pride became more alluring. As much as she told herself it wasn’t necessary, not needed for someone like herself, she realized that something had to change. She’d reached a stalemate of indecision on her next action, and when the news of a all female pride was spoken to her by one of the scouts as she passed their boundaries, she felt the compulsion to pursue more strongly than she had thought.
As she followed the scout towards what was told to be Kiuma, the pride leader, she took in her surroundings. The place was bursting with nature’s warmth and in the heated air, the cool breeze from the overflowing river and thunderous waterfall danced in her ears and made the area rich with greenery. The water made her shiver, and she wondered if there were safer ways to travel around the different bodies of water.
Various lioness stood in a cluster by the edge of the river where a small pond provided them with drinking water, and a few rose their heads as she moved up to a Cliffside where various openings similar to a hive, were carved into it’s face. Ushered by the scout, she followed inside the cliff where it was cool and inviting. There, she was brought before a larger female who was adorn in bones and various black markings. As the scout came, she puffed up as if filled with pride to see her leader. She gave a curt bow of respect before she introduced the lioness as Kiuma, and that she found a visitor wishing for acceptance into the pride. She the scout turned to look at her, Elphaba stepped forward. Even though she wanted into the pride, it was not enough for her to be blinding accepting to some authority figure. She regarded the red lioness with calculating eyes, seizing the woman up and down. “My name is Elphaba.” She said, introducing herself.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 5:22 pm
(( going to use Hippy for the un-named scout, since I couldn't say that any of the other lioness would act the way the scout did and they all share scout duty anyway ))
Hippy turned to offer a little smile to the lioness before she slipped to her mother's side, settling to lay on the cool stone and watch the meeting unfold. She had a right to be there, as the heir, but had no wish to interfere with her mother's judgment. She'd already decided the lioness was not some spy or harmful person, and she knew that the fact she was here at all would speak that to her mother. Hippy might be softer than her mother, but she was strong in body and willing to kill or die for her home.
Kiuma had watched the pair of lionesses enter with slitted red eyes, glittering with intelligence and calculation. The newcomer was... stiff, and looked a tad nervous to be in the heart of the pride. The queen gave her points for being brave enough to come this far, though her heir had probably given her encouragement. Hippy was like that, wanting to put others at their ease and help them along. It was a trait Kiuma lacked, but she saw the merit in it, the way it made things easier for everyone.
"Greetings, Elphaba. May I be one of the first to welcome you to Antianeira and hope your time here is enjoyable." She said, her voice rough, but strong. "My name is Kiuma, the queen of this pride, and you've met my daughter, Hippolyta. Did you come merely to visit and see the sights, or do you have a... larger reason for coming? We are a sort of sanctuary, so no matter the reason, you are welcome to stay for a time."
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 9:37 pm
Elphaba met Kiuma’s gaze, knowing now was not the time for wandering eyes. Once again she felt the nagging pressures coming from past relations, and she couldn’t help be stern when facing the pride leader. While most lions would dip low and be submissive to a higher authority in the hopes of being under there protection, she saw that she would not lower her own opinions and morals for that of a larger mass. She lived a long time as a rouge, and had no qualms with turning back if she felt that this pride did not meet her expectation. She had been skeptical of a all female pride merely for the fact she wondered if they all would be against men. Elphaba did not hate men, but the allure of a all female pride called to her.
“I do not sight see, and I don’t foolishly enter a pride on a whim. Any lion who does that jeopardizes their life, and if I haven’t learned that at my age, then I should be ashamed. No. I’m here knowing this is a all female pride, and wishing to join, that is unless I find this pride against what I believe in. if you would allow me to, I’d like to stay here. I cannot pledge loyalty blindly to others I do not know, and I won’t lie to you to pretend I do. If it offends, I’ll leave, but I only come with a request and a desire. From what your daughter has told me, if there is a pride I can join, this one just might be the only one for me.” Elphaba did not bow after this, nor did she sit. She stood, on her feet, as if ready to turn if rejected, and also keeping her eyes on the leader. She did not know Kiuma, so she could not give judgments, but she would not turn over only on the bases that a pride made her a leader. She met too many people who abused their authority to know better.
"Will you allow me to join your pride? If at any point you disagree with my presence, I will leave, and in such time, I will respect your authority. " To this, she did allow herself a curt, nod. The polite one she grew up learning when talking to her headmistress long ago. It made her feel like a adolesent now from a life long ago, but it felt appropriate for the situation.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 4:20 pm
Kiuma watched this newcomer with solemn, intelligent red eyes, blinking slowly as she listened to the little speech she delivered. She was rather blunt, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing... Kiuma herself favored it, rather than the running around and hinting at things that she saw often in others. Still, it was a bit ubrupt. As if all you had to do was find the leader, state your intentions, and that was that.
The red queen let her gaze linger on after the other had finished, letting the silence lengthen a little before she finally spoke.
"You are welcome to stay, as I have said, but as for the joining... I hope you aren't under the mistaken belief that we accept any and all who appear on our doorstep. After all, who's to know on first meeting who will make a good addition and who will be a leech on the life force of the pride, gobbling up resources..." She rolled her shoulders in a feline shrug, her tail giving a thoughtful flick behind her. "Still... I'm not against more pride members, especially if they are strong enough to take care of themselves, and perhaps even contribute a little something extra. Here... will you walk with me a moment? Come down to the river for a drink and we'll talk a little more." She nodded as though she'd made some larger decision than just for a drink and turned, her form gliding down the bank as her paws crunched the pebbles under it.
"Tell me, Elphaba. Why is it this pride appeals to you so?"
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 4:56 pm
She had expected a direct reply, and was appeased to get one. However, when she expected a yes or a no, she got a warning. She would be accepted, but to not take it that they were desperate enough to take in another, yet valued those that came to their pride. If they did not pull their weight, meaning that if Elphaba was seen more of a hindrance than a valuable member, she was gone. This thought did not come to her as being worthless, as she had been a hard working member. However, she had been a hard working member when it came to her own means. The only time she worked as a group was during those adolescent days with her old friends back or when she worked for a group with aims of political rebellion, both of which had been a very long time ago.
Surprisingly, Kiuma had asked her to come with her, and Elphaba tensed, feeling ready for some direct attack without the presence of the group. Nodding, she walked past, glancing once at Hippy, the young female who had taken her here, and followed after the female’s mother. Outside, the river was loud and the sun fractured through a nearby tree. Moving down the cliffs, she watched with a wary eye to the water’s edge. Despite wanting to be here, she did not like the geography that favored water. Catching up, she made her way beside Kiuma. Despite being both adults, Kiuma had a brimming sense of power and a quite calm of patience. It was that unease in her potential that seemed to radiate the lioness that pushed against Elphaba, but also worked to gain her respect, as if it was commanded out of her unwillingly and without her knowing. As she walked beside her, she heard her question. Naturally a leader would want to know the reason why a stranger would want to arrive. Strangers could bring danger.
Elphaba cast her eyes out to the river, and despite her straightforward nature, she found it hard to be so direct when the answer was illusive to her. “I am not quite clear as to why I want to be here. Naturally, I am tired of being a rouge. It’s a hard life no one wants. I have done a lot in my time, and have given up a lot of things, and now that they are behind me, I am left with little direction aside from learning more. I have no desire to return to my home pride.” She paused a moment, loosing track on exactly how she would explain herself, before continuing as if stuck with the thought of what was vital. “I was told by someone that I would accomplish something great, though I do not know what that is. I personal hate to be manipulated or those who manipulate others. I do not see that here. I do not get that impression. I also hold no ill will towards men, as either gender can be corrupt or sweet, but those with the male species have often times grown up with the tradition of being entitled to power without justification. I have seen the worst of these powers being abused and have felt countless times the blunt of their force. I also have felt the blunt of a male I loved die because of what I had done, and also a close female friend that had betrayed me. This pride, from what I have heard, does not press religion, does not abuse their power due to gender since the majority is of one gender, and does not put any value on anything aside from the use of a lioness and what she is capable of. That is what I think, and that is what has appealed to me. I think that if I were to stay anywhere, this would be the place for me.”
Her eyes casted back out to Kiuma. “I do not wish to offend you, I am just cautious. I have seen a powerful leader send lions to their boneyards for his own means and stripped the power of those he had seen weaker than him. It has left me to learn that I cannot always trust a figurehead of a pride. I hold you with the same blank slate as I do every other member of this pride. I however hope that I can trust you as much as I can grow for you to trust me.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:11 pm
Kiuma walked in silence for a time, both listening Elphaba's explanation and watching where she put her paws. When they reached the edge of the water, she crouched down for a long, soothing drink as she thought about her answer. Only when she was done and rose to shake the water from her face did she answer, her voice thoughtful.
"I think... if you want a place where you will be judged on your merits before anything else, then this is indeed the place for you. I will ask no more of you than I do of myself, just as I do my own daughters and those unrelated to me. Your comings and goings aren't necessarily restricted, but it would be in the best interests of the pride as a whole that you not wander much by the borders. One of our strengths is our secluded nature. If we're hard to find, then we're less likely to be attacked..."
Kiuma shrugged as she turned her head to looked over the other red lioness, a slight smile on her face. "What role do you think would fit you best, Elphaba? A huntress, a guard... a nanny?" She was teasing with the last suggestions, but it was still a useful question.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:07 am
When nearing the water’s edge, Elphaba took particular care in setting her paws away from the running water and, finding a dry spot, lapped the water delicately but quickly, rising up when she met her needs. As Kiuma shook herself off, Elphaba stepped to the side to stand clear, lowering when the water sprinkled about them. She hoped her distaste for water would not affect Kiuma’s acceptance into the pride, considering their surroundings.
She was grateful for the fact that she could move freely, but took head of the warning to stay away from the borders. “I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the security and secretly of the pride when it has been one of the deciding factors of me being here.” She said, nodding that she fully understood. Despite being with Kiuma only a while, she was surprised by the seriousness of the woman’s words turning to that of milld teasing, and she wondered if this was the meaning she had in saying she would treat the members of her pride just as she would her own daughter. That phrasing made her wonder if she was seen as a young youth more than a aged equal. It was the teasing nature that made her ears pull back. “I could not see myself as a nanny. I’m not particular to children.” She said, which meant she couldn’t stand them. They made noise. They got in the way. They asked stupid questions and were something to devote time to. She had no motherly kindness that would be needed of her in that profession. She also didn’t think she wanted to hunt, still having a great deal of empathy for prey animals to the point of wishing she did not have to eat them.
“I would prefer to be a guard. I’d feel better used protecting a pride, where I knew I could keep my own.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:29 pm
A sort of half smile curled over Kiuma's face as she watched the female from the corner of her eyes, pretending instead to be looking out over the water and into the vegetation on the other side.
There was something about Elphaba that vaguely bothered her, she couldn't deny it. But, a vague feeling wasn't enough to bar entry or even to treat her any differently than she did any of her other pride members. The slight condensation she put into her voice and manner was more that of a leader sizing up and outsider, a leader with precious treasure to guard in the form of family and cubs. Nothing was more important than their safety and happiness, even a potential member.
Still, when the other chose the role of guard, it soothed the red queen a little, a slight loosening of the firm muscle that made up her body. True, it might not be the pride itself that Elphaba courted, but the safety and ideals of it. But that wasn't really a bad thing.
"Well, I don't see any reason, as of yet, to deny you entry to the pride. I think we'd all be better served to let you join us for a time, and see how things go. Without living around you for a while, I can't really say I know you or how you work." She shrugged gently as she turned now to fully face the newcommer. "Go and choose a cave for your den and mark it yours, or sleep in the large main den with those who wish to stay there. Each day, move about the den land and make sure things are secure. If anything seems out of place, deal with it or find someone who knows how. You may hunt when hungry or share the kills the huntresses bring back, but be sure that any time you're out of easy reach, that there is still at least one guard left near the dens." Kiuma lightly outlined her new duties, pulling what she knew from memory of what the pride would need most.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:20 pm
It was a relief to know she would be stable for a while. If she was denied here, she would leave without any agreement, but being a rouge had turned out to be not as fitting as she thought. True, the solitude was nice, but speaking to bees and birds was not helping her sanity any, and being at the whims of any passing, healthier rogue was a danger she did not have the power to push off at all hours of the day. As a guard, she could keep watch, be on her own to work independently for the whole, and still have the protection of a group. There was also the fact that she felt this was the only pride that had any beliefs she could work with. The main obstacle, keeping her mouth shut without surrendering her opinions was done when meeting the pride leader. She also did not feel any sense of overbearing control from the lioness aside from caution and a wariness to strangers. It was something that showed she was bright.
“I will do the duties to the best of my ability and will not place any fuss if I fail to met your expectations. I will go if I am told.” It wasn’t in the tone that she was thinking of slacking in her duties, but that she would respect any decision that was made. If she did not keep up, then the pride had a right to toss her out. She was the one asking here, and beggars could not make demands.
Nodding to her duties, she looked off to the dens, and back at the leading female. “Thank you for giving me a chance.” Nodding, but not bowing, she turned and made her way up the hill to find a den to call her own. This was going to be her pride now, for as long as she could make it last, and how long she would be tolerated.
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