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 Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 4:51 pm
 The skies were a dismal gray as a continuous drizzle of rain fell. It wasn't much, but enough to make things generally 'blah'.
Domevlo had quietly wondered about the swamps earlier that morning, doing nothing in particular. It seemed like today would be a lazy day. By noon he had found a somewhat sheltered spot on a protruding log. The large elephant-ear-like leaves on the plant beside it was just tall enough, and reached out far enough, that most of the raindrops missed the large lion who layed there somewhere between peaceful observation and sleep.
It was the rumble of thunder that shook him out of his sleepy daze. Wind and rain were picking up. It was time to go home, Domevlo decided.
And so, he lept from his log to the muddy ground below, and headed back for the dens,...
along the way ----
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 5:31 pm
Magebari-gura had just finished placing the final touches on her grandmother's private spot, using the beautiful purple milkweed flowers that Odijo had shown her. The purple color made her smile and she couldn't help but keep one to tuck behind her ear for the day.
The lion in particular made her smile, too. They had fun together. Why, just the other day, they had had a short water fight (he had started it, she just finished it). Bari walked along the path she normally took, smiling at the memories. And then she thought, why not? So she went off the path, in the opposite direction of Odijo's den for some exploration.
The rumble of thunder made her glance up to the sky, and the wind suddenly picked up, which caused her flower to fall out of her hair. She frowned and started to hunt through the thick grasses for her purple flower.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 5:40 pm
Domevlo had not gone far, when in the puddle beforehim fell a little purple flower, carried and dumped by the wind. He stopped and looked at it for a moment, beforepicking it up to examine it.
As the wind picked up, it probably would have flown off again, if not for the dampness of the petals and his paw.
'Now where did this come from?' he wondered to himself. He didn't recall those flowers growing in this particular area.
Another rumble of thunder made him turn his golden eyes to the sky above. Through holes in the canopy above he could see dark clouds churning. It was sure to be a massive storm.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm
The wind picked up quickly, and soon the grasses were moving too quickly for Bari to find anything under them. She pouted, sad at losing the flower. She had saved that one for last, and had decided to keep it for herself, as a small little reminder of the happy memories she was always thinking about anyway. Oh well, that at least gave her an excuse to go back to visit him.
Another rumble frightened her; Bari curled her tail under her legs and looked around for a place nearby that could suit as a shelter before the hard rains came. From the sound of this storm, and from the looks of the angry clouds above, it was going to be one big storm.
Just as she was going to move forward towards a possible spot, lightning struck, and the light illuminated a figure in the distance. She couldn't really see very well, but it looked like a lion, so she trotted towards that direction. Perhaps they knew of a good shelter, and didn't mind sharing.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 6:45 pm
The lighteneing made Domevlo's heart jump. It had been storming the night he had awoken. There was lightening, too. He has awoken with no memories, just instinct, and he had been scared.
He was still scared of it, but not as morbidly as he had been. Truth be told, if not for the thunder and lightening, Domevlo wouldn't have been so ready to get back to the dens as he was. He was hardy enough to weather the wind and rain - in fact, it was almost nothing to him - but there were some things even he couldn't handle.
Domevlo caught some movement in his peripheral vision, as he stared at the spot where the lightening had been. It was enough to break him from his frozen state.
The last thing he had expected to see was another pride member. He met her half way, in an awkward limping walk as he tried to hold on to the little flower.
"Were you per chance looking for this?" he held it our to her, occasionally glancing behind him. He knew the old saying 'lightening never stirkes the same place twice' was complete buffalo crap, and wasn't about to let his guard down.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 7:29 pm
Lo and behold, he was holding her flower! With a happy sigh, she rushed forward to meet him, eyes on her prize. She gently took it out of his paw with her own, holding tightly onto it. She'd never expected to be so worried about a silly little flower, but right now, it was the best thing she had.
"Thank you so much, sir!" Bari thanked him, finally looking up and meeting the other lion's gaze with a smile. But it fell at the sight of his many scars and strange features. She didn't mean to stare, but...well, she couldn't help it.
The lioness didn't move from her spot as the wind shifted and the clouds rumbled above, not even when lightning flashed twice more. She was totally and utterly entranced by his appearance before she finally whispered something.
"I'm so sorry."
What she was apologizing for could have very well been the fact that she was staring, or perhaps for whatever he had gone through to get those angry markings on his pelt.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 8:24 pm
Well. It had been a while since he had recieved that reaction. He'd almost forgotten the pain and anger that acompanied it. He had turned his face away, rather, to watch the water droplets make the puddle at his feet ripple, distorting his reflection within it.
He twitched his ear, upon hearing the whispered apology.
"They usually are," was his flat response.
This must have been one of the newcomers of the pride that he had not yet gotten aquainted with. At least she didn't scream, or attack, or flee. Domevlo let silence linger for a moment longer. He had to collect himself.
He knew he had to set aside his pain and anger. This was his home - he couldn't act on his anger, and expect to stay. Time to get past those childish tantrums.
Thunder rumbled above, and the wind shrieked through the trees.
"It would be best to return home quickly. It is safest there,..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:38 pm
Bari shook her head in embarrassment and turned her eyes down to the ground as well, her blush thankfully hidden by the growing darkness around them.
"No, I meant to say...I mean," she stumbled, trying to figure out the right words to say. But then she figured that it was too late, and instead of trying to make up for what had happened, she lifted her head and tried to put a genuine smile on her face towards him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Magebari-gura, but you can call me Bari for short. And I'm afraid that my home is quite a ways from here. I walked towards you to see if you knew of a shelter close by, and if you minded sharing it until the storm quiets down?" Halfway through her response the thunder rolled and she had to yell above the noise in order to be heard.
Soon, it would be too late for them to find any shelter, and they would both simply have to curl up into a ball and hope that nothing seriously dangerous came their way.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:48 pm
"My name is Domevlo." The name meant 'don't take others for face value.
He gave a scruitinizing look at the darkly colored lioness.
"Are you not a part of the pride?"
To him, the dens weren't that far - with his long strides and surprising prowess and stealth, he could have easily gotten there before the worst of the storm caught him.
He let out a deep sigh, and shifted around - more concious of himself than he had been in a long time now.
"I know of no other shelter in the swamps aside from the dens. Not any that would help, anyway. A drizzle of rain was one thing, but whipping winds and a downpour was another.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:00 pm
Her smile did not waver. "Nice to meet you, Domevlo." Although it would probably have been a much nicer experience for the both of them had it not been storming all around them.
"I am part of the pride; always have been. But my family was separated from the main lands for a long time. We just now decided to return, and so here I am."
Hm, no place other than the dens...and they weren't very close, either. Bari looked around for any possible shelter. A rock cavern would be ideal, as it could offer a decent amount of shelter and (hopefully) be large enough for the both of them. Either that, or maybe even a little area between trees could work...
She squinted in the rain, stepping forward a bit when she spotted something that could possibly work. Her paw was promptly soaked in mud, but it was worth it. "What about that tree over there?" she hollered out, nodding her head towards a twisty, surface-breaking tree not too far away. The roots were large and entangled into each other, outside and above the surface of the ground. This created a little rounded place beneath the tree itself. Perfect for a quick shelter. They wouldn't be completely dry, or safe from the wind, but it would be better than standing out in the middle of the storm.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:12 pm
Domevlo looked at the place Bari indicated, sizing it up. He knew the lioness was trying to be friendly now, and he was trying to get past his hurt feelings, but one stubborn little bit of him wanted nothing to do with civillity.
Stubborn and childish.
"If it suits you, then so be it," He replied mildly, taking his first steps, since returning the flower, towards home.
He didn't get far, and was only just out of sight, when his mind drifted to other non-weather related dangers. It was getting dark, and crocodiles were known to be in this part of the swamp. He stopped, and looked back behind him.
After a moment, he let out a sigh. If something happened to the lioness, it would forever weigh heavy on his concience. He had to go back...
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:30 pm
Unexpectedly now alone, Bari stared after Domevlo for another moment before a sudden harsh wind almost knocked her down; she stumbled, regained her footing, and turned towards the tree she had spotted as a decent shelter. She hoped to not be bothered by anything else, but knew that it was most unlikely that others would be out and about. In this kind of weather, it would be a rare sight indeed.
Once she crawled through a small opening in between the branches, she shoved herself back into the far corner of the tree, where there were less holes and spaces in the roots for wind and rain to get through. In her mouth she delicately held the purple flower. Now she grasped it easily in one paw, though she looked around and finally spotted a deep enough hole in the trunk of the tree itself to have it rest. She would take it out and return home with it once the storm subsided enough to allow her out into the swamplands again.
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