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 Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 6:07 pm
Fiara had followed Lee all the way in, and the other lioness had kindly pointed out where the Queen's resting area could be found, Fi thanked her and turned to meet Kiuma alone. She hoped this went well, she didn't know what was expected of her, but she'd do anything, to be allowed to stay.
The night had come on and settled over the land during the journey in, so Fiara wasn't sure if she should just wait, perhaps. She didn't want to disturb the queen's rest, if she had to she'd sit and wait the whole night. She tried not to fidget in her indecision, but she still felt nervous, though it wasn't as overwhelming as it could have been, there was a smile on her face. Fiara lowered her head and breathed in the feminine scents all around, she knew she could get used to this.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 4:08 pm
The black lioness turned and perked up at the new lioness, turning to say something to the red one before she turned and trotted off into the underbrush, though not without a few curious glances. The red one turned, her head lifted high, and paced towards the stranger, pride and self-assurance in every motion.
What Kiuma saw as her daughter, Hippolyta, set off for her border patrol, was a lone lioness, gray in color, waiting for someone or something. The fact that she was new was enough to drew the red queen and she moved towards her, wanting to know what brought this lioness here, as well as who had guided her this far. Not that it was hard to find the pride... they had no special landscape to guard against the outside, but it was odd to get this far without being intercepted by the vigilant scouts.
"Greetings, Sister." She said, opting for something polite, since this lioness didn't look very intimidating, and must have had some help getting this far. "Can I ask what brings you here, where so few outsiders come?"
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 5:36 am
Sitting with head lowered and eyes close, her tail twitching just a little bit from nerves, Fiara waited for fate to smile at her. When she heard speaking voices she raised it again and blinked her pale eyes at the pair, she respectfully lowered it again after a swift scrutiny of the pair and being spotted by the younger. Now her tail quivered, she would have shifted and sat on it, if it would not have been so obvious and strange a move to make, so instead she just waited for the majestic monarch to address her.
"Queen Kiuma?" Fiara asked sure and unsure in the same moment, she gave a weak smile and then bowing her head very low responded and gave her request in the same breath, rushing to get it out, "I wish to join your pride, that is; please take me in, I'll do anything to be accepted. I've searched for weeks, since I heard of the Amazons, and to finally be here, before you-" she felt her breathing quicken and finished lamely not wanting to ramble. "please let me stay."
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 12:26 pm
Kiuma blinked at being addressed by her title, though that was the only outward sign that she was surprised. She chastised herself, though, thinking she shouldn't have been. The female was escorted here, she'd have been told who the queen was, the one she'd need to get permission from to stay.
The way the new lioness all but begged did a lot to soften the red queen's mood towards her. The passion in her voice was something she looked for in new members, usually testing them to be sure they wanted to be part of the pride and would be loyal to them. To see it already in this lioness... well, permission seemed a mere formality in face of that.
"Well, Sister, perhaps the next thing between us might be your name, hmm? It would hardly do for me not to know the name of every female in my pride." She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile, with a hint of prompting in it.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 4:23 am
Fiara was expecting to be tested or worse, knowing first hand what a royal leader of a pride would do if they so wished it. She tried to push the creeping thoughts of her abandoned home from her mind, -this- pride would not be like the one she had left, no king, no males at all, she reminded herself, keeping her head lowered out of habit.
"Oh, yes Ma'am, sorry, I- I'm Fiara- just Fiara." She clamped her jaw to keep from rambling further, awaiting questions, or something, not expecting such kindness so easily given, though of course Lee had said she was a good queen, when Fiara had asked if she was kind to allay her steadily growing worries. She lifted her eyes just a little and caught the smile on the monarch's mouth she gasped softly, slowly processing what had been said.
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:21 pm
"Come and walk with me, Fiara." The queen said as she turned, her tail swinging behind her as her paws crunched on the pebbles.
"Who was it that brought you here, if I might ask? I'd like to know how much of the pride they told you about, so I can fill in the rest for you. Do you have any questions in particular?"
Kiuma slanted a side-ways glance at the gray female as she walked down the bank of the Sister river, her head hung between her shoulders as she paced easily. Fiara was just one of many that seem to be flocking to the pride these days, which made her feel rather proud, as a mother feels proud of cubs growing strong and healthy. With their beautiful, bountiful territory and strong members, the future looked rosy for all of them, a glowing paradise for female kind that she saw in her mind.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:44 pm
"Yes," she answered, speaking automatically, as she jumped to follow Kiuma, treading lightly on travel worn paws. "Her name was Lee," Fiara smiled, her voice soft thinking of the lioness of few words. "I met her at the tree line after weeks of traveling alone and she guided me in, and told me some things, I had heard rumors. Lee confirmed for me; no males allowed within the pride, even male cubs are sent away after they are weaned. It's like a dream come true, this pride." Her voice was heavy with emotion and exhaustion it was all settling on her now, all the time and travel, and her worry and want, at last she was here and allowed to stay, she had not stopped to think on what would be her life and plans after this point but she didn't mind a bit of inaction, if she would be allowed it.
"I suppose, any questions," Fiara began, "That is, what is it that you request of me, that you require of me. Whatever it is I will do it. I wish to be useful and needed. What can I do, what should I do?" Fi felt a thread of worry enter her mind, what if she deemed just as useless as she had been before, what if she couldn't prove herself strong and useful to her new pride? Worry lined her features.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:45 am
Kiuma smiled, hoping to calm the other female and soothe her nerves.
"I don't have anything in particular that I wish you to do, but tell me... what kind of a role would you feel best suited for in the pride? We have guards to watch the dens, nannies to watch the cubs, scouts to watch the borders, hunters to feed us, midwives to help the births, storytellers to keep us amused and help us learn and remember our history... And if you feel you could benefit the pride in another role, you have only to suggest it, really." She rolled her shoulders as she paced along, her tail swaying with each step. "You should have a job though, to hold up your part. It takes all of us to keep the pride strong."
The red lioness keep their path along the edges of the river to the waterfall, then back along the edges of the dens, staying close to not tax the obviously tired lioness. She'd let her go soon, to rest and start to meet the rest of the pride. First thing first though, to settle her in.
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:24 am
No matter how kind Kiuma was, Fiara would still have her fears, her worries. Her self-worth was in tatters, having fled from her father's pride of dominate males and seen-but-not-heard females. Her life previous until now that she had been born into, raised with and it had crushed her spirit. Everything that she had tired to do had been deemed, not good enough, not fast enough, not strong enough. At her coming of age she had been called useless and was granted the lowest rank, something between a slave and a plaything, with no hope of being anything more than that until she died.
Fiara listened to Kiuma speak, with her head lowered, and her ears against her head, "Umm, umm, scout?" She suggested swiftly as to not have the monarch wait for an answer, a note of uncertintiy hung on her word, she had chosen it because she assumed that Lee was also a scout and Fiara felt a kind of connection to the other lioness, or maybe she wanted a chance to be closer to her, or get to know her better, it wasn't fully consious, this decision. Fiara did believe that she should do something within and for the pride as Kiuma said, she wanted to be useful.
"O-or anything, so long as I'm useful, I know I need to be strong." She added, not knowing if making her own decisions was the best option or not. As they went she looked around a little, but she also tried to keep her attention on the queen. Fiara's build was small and she was thin, she was fast and light on her feet, but there was no lightness to her stride now, but she was managing a smile of sorts, the queen did seem, very kind.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:54 pm
Kind was rarely a word that others used to describe Kiuma, but then, few got to know her well. Only for her children and her pride did she let down her prickly guard and soften her rough nature. She'd matured over her long life, learning from her pains.
"Scout sounds good. We have a small enough pride that there is more than enough work for everyone to do." She said with a smile, pausing as they passed in front of the main den cave. She turned to watch the lioness pad up beside her before nodding at the entrance.
"You can sleep wherever you want. In the main den here, or in any of the caves up the cliff face. Whatever suits you. Take your turn scouting, hunt for yourself if you can, and bring back what you don't eat to feed the cubs and the ones who can't hunt. I'll be leaving you here so you can settle in a little, get to know whoever is about. I'm sure you'll do well." She said, gruff at the end. Kiuma was never completely sure about new females, but larger numbers was a good thing, wasn't it?
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:36 am
"Thank you," Fi kept her head low, but her expression showed her gratitude. "I can hunt, I'll do so. Anything else that is needed of me also." To Fiara this was kindness, more than she had been shown, "If it's alright for me to ask-" The question had come to her mind, but now she felt foolish asking, what if it was personal, or painful, but she had always spoken before thinking, she finished her question with a bit of embarrassment clinging to her voice, "What, that is, why did you- This place, this pride, you formed here. If I can ask, why?"
(sorry it's taken me so long to reply ;; )
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 11:10 am
The red queen paused for a moment as she considered the tentative question, glancing back and over the dens of her pride as she thought about it. A frown creased her face, but then cleared and she nodded briskly.
"I once wanted to travel the world, my eyes full of dreams and lust for adventure... but life got in the way, and betrayal. One litter of cubs was born and very nearly abandoned as I did what I had to do. But it all came to nothing, in the end, and I'd lost everything I'd cared about. I thought I had a last chance, but that too fell through and I was left pregnant, again, jaded and without hope for myself. But... there was hope for my cubs, for my daughters." Kiuma's eyes flashed with old memories, pain and anger and need. Finally she spoke again, and there was a new note of strength in her voice.
"It was for them that I made this place, and for others like myself. Males aren't to be trusted, Fiara, not even the ones born from your own body. They're weak and stupid, no matter how they act or look. This place is sanctuary for us, a place of protection. I would save as many as I could from suffering what I did." She rolled her shoulders to loosen them of the tightness they'd suddenly acquired, reminding herself that even if she couldn't have happiness, at least she had made something here that would last and give others a chance.
"It was always for my daughters, really. They're the only thing that remained constant in my life, and I would protect them with every drop of blood in my veins."
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