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 Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:09 pm
 Mizimu'Tungika had been Skuld's home as long as she remembered, but she didn't have many relatives or close friends in the pride anymore. Most were dead or gone. Her only living relative was her niece, and unfortunately they weren't all that close anymore. The little girl had changed since she was a cub, but Skuld hoped that she'd be able to reach her today. She desperately needed someone to talk to, and family... family was family.
That was why Skuld was skulking around, hoping to "accidentally" bump into little Skadi. She didn't for a moment believe that her niece would believe that it was a chance encounter, the girl wasn't stupid after all, but she hoped that she'd humour her and hear her out.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:10 pm
Skadi plodded along without any real plan. She had just woken up from a nice nap and had half an idea of going out for some light hunting, but she was in no hurry. She had just stopped for another glorious stretch, when her nose caught whiff of a very familiar scent. Ohhh, no. A small grimace of pain flashed across Skadi's dark countenance, and she let slip from her a brief "tsk" of annoyance. What did the old bone-tosser want with her this time? Making a snappy decision, Skadi decided not to wait around and find out. Instead, keeping her head low, she turned around and started plodding - a little faster than before - in the opposite direction from where the wind was coming. Unfortunately for her, however, there weren't a whole lot of things to hide behind in that direction.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:43 am
A noise made Skuld turn around just in time to see Skadi more or less flee in the opposite direction. So that was the way it was going to be? Skuld started moving, slowly at first but steadily picking up the pace to try to catch up.
"Oh, Skadi," she called, counting on some basic courtesy from her niece. She had to stay and greet her or look terribly rude, and Skuld knew that Skadi's mother had raised her better than that. "Fancy meeting you here."
She smiled as she trotted up next to the younger lioness, but from her laboured breathing it was clear that the pace was a bit quicker than she was used to.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:21 pm
Ah, crap. The moment she heard Skuld's voice, Skadi stopped and supressed a sigh. Oh well. She turned her head towards the older lioness and allowed her to catch up, carefully arranging a smile that would be polite, without necessarily inviting to more conversation.
She did feel a vague twitch of something remorse-like when she heard Skuld's strained breathing, but quenched it resolutely. She had herself to blame for pushing herself like that at her age. No one had asked her to run after Skadi.
"Skuld," she replied, giving the Scryer a brief nod and a temporary widening of the smile. "Hello."
Whatever this was, it had better not be about bones.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:58 am
Skuld was not sure how to start, or if she could even trust her niece with what she was about to say. It was possible that Skadi wouldn't take it well, and if she decided to talk to the wrong lion about it... She feared she might be in trouble.
"You look well," Skuld said, stalling with some small talk. "Still a follower?"
Perhaps not the smoothest way to get the younger lioness to open up. But it was a surprise to her that Skadi hadn't ended up in another task. She was born and raised in the pride after all, and her parents had always done their part for the Mizimu. Not that being a follower was wrong, but... It might be bias, but she always thought the girl had more potential than that.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 12:33 pm
Skadi's eyes narrowed, and her ears twitched into a backwards position for a moment. The issue was already a bit of a sore spot to the young lioness, but to hear it so bluntly put, and from Skuld no less, the innocent question provoked Skadi's mood into deeper annoyance.
"Yes," she almost hissed, her smile baring just a little bit too much fang. "Still just a follower. It seems the spirits have yet to deem me worthy of joining the Heart." By the subtle glare that she gave the older lioness, one could almost think that Skadi held Skuld personally responsible for that discrepancy. "And you?" she retorted, "Still a Scryer?"
Skuld wasn't one to talk. At her age, how far in the hierarchy had she advanced, really? Skadi realised that she was being a bit childish, and the remark didn't come out quite as hostilely as it could have, even if it did have a certain edge.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:43 pm
Skuld's face betrayed no emotion behind her bone mask, and the slight stiffening of her shoulders might just be the aches and pains of old age. But even if her body language hardly betrayed her feelings, she was far from pleased with the bad start. If Skadi was in a foul mood she might rush to the conclusion that her aunt wasn't completely out of her mind. Perhaps this was a bad idea?
"Yes I am," she said calmly, seeking Skadi's gaze with an almost pleading look in her eyes, "It suits me and it allows me to serve the pride doing what I do best. I might get the honour to be Sacrificed some day..."
She trailed off and looked intently at a point beyond the horizon, suddenly lost in thought. After a long silence when Skuld seemed lost to the world she continued, almost as if nothing had happened.
"Ah... yes," she stuttered, and her rant sounded hollow and seemed to lack the usual pathos, "It would be a great honour. Great. It's important to have a purpose in life."
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:49 am
It was a rant that Skadi had heard many, many times, and not only from her aunt. Usually, she felt it to be a little bit insulting. She was a follower, after all, she did know all that already. It wasn't like she was a new spirit, either, or a cub anymore...
This time, however, the rant lacked a certain... fervor. Skadi bit back the urge to ask the older lioness if she was really all right today. Sure, Skuld seemed to have lost some steam right in the middle of a lecture, but it wasn't really that unusual that the old Scryer spaced out from time to time. Skadi clearly remembered how difficult it could be to get her attention when she was tossing her bones, way back when...
And besides, it could very well be a trick to lure her into what would inevitably be a lengthy conversation about bones and the past and whatever else her aunt found it necessary to try to reacquaint her with.
"Yes, I know," she sighed, scrutinizing the old lioness with bright-orange eyes. "I'm not a cub anymore." Yeah, she definitely didn't like the turns this conversation were taking. It didn't feel right, somehow. Shaking her head a little as if to shake off an annoying fly, she raised her voice to a slightly more business-like level and added:
"Actually, I was just about to head out for a hunt... Was there anything in particular that you wanted to talk about, or did you just come by to check up on me?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:08 am
"Of course you're not," Skuld agreed amiably. No, Skadi was not a cub anymore, and she was certainly not as delighted to talk to her old Aunt as she had used to be. But then Skuld needed to talk to an adult, and not a cub, today. But perhaps it was a bad idea to even think about burdening her with this? Besides, her niece seemed eager to go hunting, and Skuld was beginning to lose her nerve...
"Dee-Dee," she said, unable to keep the concern from her voice, "Are you happy with your life here? I do care for you and your happiness, you know. I might just be an old fool, but you are very important to me."
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:55 am
Skadi's ears sleeked back against her skull, as if trying to rid themselves of the sound of her old, old nickname. By the greater spirits, she hadn't called herself "Dee-Dee" since she grew into her own paws!
But she couldn't growl at the old Scryer, couldn't really get angry even though she felt quite frustrated right now. There something about this whole conversation that made her feel really uncomfortable, and she had to physically pull back from her aunt a little.
Backing half a step away, she let out a small huff and frowned. "Why? What's all this, suddenly? I mean, it's true I'm still just a follower, but... that doesn't mean I'm unhappy." She fidgeted a little more, finding it difficult to meet Skuld's concerned gaze straight on. It was unsettling. "I mean... come on. Of course I'm happy with my life. Why are you asking me this, all of a sudden?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:21 pm
"That's good, good," Skuld mumbled, and the concern was replaced with an oddly vacant expression, "I want you to be happy Dee-Dee, it's very important that you tell me if you're not."
If she had noticed Skadi's dislike of her old nickname she didn't show any signs of it, and unfortunately she didn't show any signs to stop using it either. Skuld looked over her shoulder, suddenly missing the bone she had carried around almost all the time since the latest sacrifice. Over there in the thorny bush, no one would get it. Good.
"How has hunting been lately?" she asked, "You still talk to Senka, do you? I've been hearing that the hunting isn't as good as it usually is in some places. Perhaps I could help you find something?"
For being an old useless bone thrower she was rather good at keeping up to date with the rumours floating around. She doubted that Skadi would like her to tag along, and even if she did Skuld didn't have her good bones for finding prey with her today. But there was no harm in offering. She could always go get her tools.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 1:49 pm
This time Skadi let out a huff of exasperation and let her ears stay firmly planted backwards, emphasized by a marked frown. So it was going to be like that, was it? Well, the old lady could go and be cryptic and weird with someone else, because Skadi didn't feel like playing this anymore.
"It's not an issue, and not a problem" she stated bluntly. "I can find prey on my own, thank you." Having been as nice and polite as she could up until now, she finally couldn't help but add: "And would you stop calling me Dee-Dee? It makes me feel like you think I'm still a cub. No, I don't need help to find my own prey, but thanks for offering."
Her thanks was perhaps a little less than heartfelt, as her tone was quite final when she said it. However, having gotten that off her chest, Skadi could let her ears twist forward again and eased up on her frown a bit. "So, if there was nothing else you wanted to talk about, I'll be going now."
Only her proper upbringing kept her from turning her tail on her aunt right then and there, but she did take a step sideways and back, inclining her readiness to do so.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:08 am
"No, Skadi," Skuld said, and the tone of voice she used when she finally dropped the nickname almost sounded accusing, "It can wait. And if you don't need any help from your old aunt I'm certainly not going to burden you with my presence any longer."
Skuld turned, slowly, and started to walk back, years weighing down her steps. The lioness hobbled along as if she was half dead already, adding further to the guilt trip. Did she do this on purpose? Probably. Would Skadi see through what was mostly an act? Possibly. She would have to talk to Skadi later, when she wasn't in this impossible mood, and in the mean time it would do the cub some good to think about how she treated her elders.
"I'll send word to you at a better time," she said over her shoulder, "There's something we need to discuss."
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:10 am
Having achieved what she had hoped for, and even in the way that she knew it had to happen, Skadi still found herself exasperatingly shamed by the old lioness' bid for sympathy. Even as obviously exaggerated as it was.
But she forcefully bit back on the treacherous emotion, reminding herself that her silly old aunt had only herself to blame, for being so weird and cryptic and impossible to talk to today. Oh, and condescending as well! She clenched her jaws and held her head high as she watched Skuld drag her suddenly ancient body away.
"Fine," she replied through gritted teeth, and even the faint undertone of shame and apology that traitorously found its way into her voice made her angry enough to snap right back at Skuld: "Then come back when you feel capable of having a normal conversation!"
Angry and embarrassed both at Skuld's annoying behaviour and her own childish response to it, she didn't stop to wait for the Scryer to get another reply in. She turned away with a snort and trotted off at a pace that was almost, but not quite, running, feeling to her deep frustration that she had somehow lost to the crazy old lady - again.
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