|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:06 am
The white lioness rested by herself, gazing out at the grasslands from atop a warm rock. She had eaten a bit - not quite enough to really fill up the stomach, but food seemed to be getting scarce, so it seemed like a good idea to conserve what they had as much as possible. Yuusa would do whatever she could for her clan, and since she had been ready to give her life for their benefit since she was very young, it was really a small thing to forsake a little food.
After eating, she had groomed herself carefully and thoroughly, the act in itself just as soothing and fulfilling as ever a bloated belly. As she rested there in the sun in this meditative state of mind, her blue eyes gazing out across the grasslands, focused on some point far beyond the horizon, her mind slipped into a familiar old rut. Regrets, worries, sadness... echoes of times past that never really left her, but only came out to play when she was resting alone like this.
She knew that she would do best to go and find some company to help her expel this unconstructive mood, but the rock was warm and the breeze was pleasant. She could put up with the whispers of the past for a little while.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:52 am
It was only a matter of time, really. All Sacrifices heard whispers about the dissenters sooner or later. Both stories told to scare young ones straight, and stories told with a wistful air to them. And now, when Sacrifices seemed to disappear more often... Some stories told that enemies of the Mizimu removed their defences against the sprits while others claimed that the Sacrifices left on their own accord, to live in a Sacrifice-pride of their own. Either way, hearing such rumours made Blota very upset, and today he was determined to find someone reliable to help him make some sense out of all this.
The white Sacrifice was easy to pick out, even from a distance, and Blota padded over to her. He couldn't help but fidget a little as he approached. She was a respectable Sacrifice, and older than he was.
"Excuse me," he said, and cringed a little at the high pitch of his own voice, "May I have a word with you Yuusa?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:17 am
Yuusa was startled out of her reverie by the adolescent's slightly squeaky voice, and looked down at him for a little while in bewilderment as her mind came rushing back from the distant horizon. As soon as her senses were all directed towards his bright orange form in the high grass, however, she recognised him.
"Blota," she said, giving the promising young sacrifice a warm smile. "Of course you can. Come up here to me, would you? There's room enough for both of us."
She scooted a little to the side, leaving him plenty of space so that he wouldn't have to feel too awkward about cuddling up too close to her. She was very pleased to have a distraction come to her right when she needed it. The spirits must have been watching her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:30 am
"Thank you," he mumbled as he climbed the rock, settling awkwardly next to the female. "Quite the view from up here."
He wasn't sure how to start, and he wasn't sure she'd take his concerns seriously. Someone might just try to mess with him, telling these stories to make him look stupid when he asked about it. But if he didn't ask he would never know... Blota groomed himself briefly while he worked up the nerve to ask.
"I..." he started, and then had to pause, "Uh... Er... People have been telling me things. And I don't know if they're true... I thought you might know. It's about the missing Sacrifices."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:53 am
She hummed, aknowledging his comment about the view, and let her gaze sweep out across the expanse once more as she waited for the nervous young lion to work up the nerve to tell her what was on his mind.
A small smile played at her muzzle, but it stiffened and faded when Blota finally begun to talk. She turned her attention fully on him, watching him very closely for a little while after he had finished speaking.
If the spirits had sent him to her this day, then could there be a deeper meaning behind their choice? She realised that she must have quite a serious look on her face, and tried to soften it a little by attentively raising her brow and pointing her ears toward him.
Of course he had heard. Eventually, it seemed all sacrifices did. But then what would he do? All she could see was a nervous, half-grown adolescent boy, seeking answers, and it worried her in ways she could hardly describe, let alone show if she really wanted to hear what he had to say. She thought she knew him, didn't think that he would be the kind to doubt or betray... but then again, the sins of her past all stemmed from believeing the same thing about someone else.
"Go on," she said, in a low, gentle voice, and gave him an encouraging nod. "You are talking about the dissenters, yes? Those that they say are trailing the Mizimu?" Her voice grew even softer. "And if were to tell you that it was true... what would you think?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:19 am
A look of horror flashed across Blota's face as Yuusa confirmed one of the rumours he had heard. His ears folded back against his head and he couldn't help but bare his teeth a little. Dissenders? But... but... Why? And why would they stick close to the Mizimu if they wanted out so badly?
"I would think," he said, and anger flashed in his eyes, "That they were completely out of their mind. Or that they were misled by evil lions or evil Spirits trying to harm us. It's a disgrace for Sacrifices to leave the pride! Why would some disgraced cowardly Sacrifices band together? They should try to right their wrongs instead, or they'll have to suffer in their next life!"
He looked at her for confirmation of the facts he had believed to be true for his entire life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:56 am
The relief that flooded through Yuusa as she heard the young lion's heartfelt indignation shone through her eyes as she smiled at him, but the nod that she gave him was somewhat sad.
"Yes," she sighed, "They are mislead. I'm not sure if they are listening to evil spirits, or just not listening to the spirits at all, but apparently, they think that they are in the right."
She gave Blota a close scrutiny, pondering what she should say to him, what might be good for him to hear. Finally, she decided to entrust him with one of her own personal theories, and leaned in a little closer, making sure to keep eye contact.
"If you ask me," she murmured, "I think most of them are just too afraid to dare to believe. Fear can let the doubt into a heart, and a doubting heart opens up to fear. One strengthens the other in a vicious circle, and-" she heaved a small sigh, "-enough fear can make people do unthinkable things."
She studied his face, curious to know if he had been able to understand what she was trying to say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:21 pm
Blota listened to Yuusa without saying a word, but disbelief showed clearly in his face. He had a hard time grasping that some lions could willingly turn their backs to the spirits. It was difficult enough to accept that some lions weren't as aware of the will of the spirits as the Mizimu was. To know their will, but to disobey... It was enough to make his head hurt.
He nodded as the white lioness started to talk about fear, and what it could do to a heart, but it was evident that he struggled to understand her. Blota didn't quite understand how, but he was determined not to become like the cowards and deserters who fled the Mizimu.
"I will never let fear take me," he said, and his eyes glowed with determination. He had a strong spirit, and fear was just another enemy he had to learn how to fight.
The adolescent was slowly warming up to the older Sacrifice, and as he relaxed he dared to touch on another subject that he had thought about for a very long time.
"I met a lioness," he started hesitantly, "And she said she didn't know about the spirits..."
He trailed off, leaving the end of the sentence hanging with an unspoken question he couldn't quite put words to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 3:08 pm
Yuusa nodded at Blota's bold statement and gave him an encouraging smile. "Fear is the most potent adversary you can face. You may need all the strength your spirit has, to battle it. But with a strong conviction like that, I'm sure you will do fine."
She considered his next words more carefully, pondering what it might be that made him bring this particular subject up. Resettling herself slighty into a more comfortable position, she studied the younger sacrifice's expression as she replied:
"Yes... most lions outside of the Mizimu'Tungika have no or very little knowledge of the spirits. They live half-blind in a world that is completely at the mercy of powers they can't understand." She heaved a little sigh and glanced towards the distant horizon. "Really quite pitiful, if you think about it." Then her attention returned to Blota, and she tilted her head to the side in a gesture of curiousness. "So this lioness, what did she say to you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 4:29 am
"I... I played with her near the borders for several nights," he said, watching the rock between his forelegs as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen, "And I told her about the Spirits and about our pride, and..."
He couldn't repress a sigh. It was hard to talk about this, even if it had happened just a few moons back in time. He just hadn't thought much about it since it happened, but when he did he found that it still bothered him. He had started to forget what she looked like, but he still remembered the look of pure disgust on her face.
"She seemed interested," he said, and his own voice sounded strange in his ears, like the mewing of a cub, "And I thought she would join us. At least until I told her about what I did, and about the honour of being a Sacrifice."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:31 am
Yuusa merely nodded, not really surprised and quite able to imagine how an uninitiated might have reacted to that information.
"She didn't understand, did she?" There was no harshness, nothing derisive in her voice, merely softness and the sort of acceptance that comes in a sigh. But she could tell that there was more to the story than this, even though that rejection alone must have been quite enough to upset the sensibilities of one as true to the spirits as Blota.
"And then what happened? Did you try to make her see our way?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:54 pm
He just shook his head sadly. There was nothing more to say abut it. At first he had thought she was jealous, but now he wasn't sure anymore. Was it fear? Perhaps it had to be. She had been so determined to save him. That was the phrase she had used. But it was the young lioness and her Spirit that had needed to be saved, and she didn't even realise.
"It must be horrible to be afraid of dying," he said hoarsely. "Ah... She brought bigger friends. Wanted me to leave with her. But I didn't."
What would have happened if he hadn't asked a Haruspex what to do? Would they have forced him to come? He shuddered at the mere thought of being abducted by evil spiritless lions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:51 pm
With another sigh, Yuusa moved closer to the young lion. In a gesture that she hoped would be reassuring, she leaned her flank lightly against his and gave him another warm smile.
"You did the right thing, Blota. But you shouldn't be upset with her. Being afraid of dying, after all, is the most natural thing of all. If the gazelle didn't fear dying, we would not have to hunt them. And if we didn't fear dying, we would all die dishonorably. It is at the heart of every living thing to fear death - because if we didn't, none of us would live very long. But it is precisely because it is such a natural thing that it can be hard to set it aside. It is only because we, you and I, know in our hearts that death is just the journey into the spirit realm, and because we know what to expect when we get there, that we can be strong enough to live out our time honorably, without needing the fear of death to keep us from wasting our lives needlessly."
She nudged him, giving him a somewhat sly but mostly playful smirk. "After all, aren't you afraid of dying a coward's death? Or a death that could stain your next incarnation? It's not so different."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:11 pm
Blota furrowed his brow, trying to understand. No, of course he wouldn't want to die like a coward, but that was different, right?
"No," he said and nudged her back. "I don't want my spirit to be tainted. Not like the lions that escorted her when they came to steal me away. I hope they didn't make it to the Spirit realm since I wouldn't want to meet them again. I guess our Warriors would kill them in a way that made sure they wouldn't... But I never asked about her or what happened after they brought me back to safety."
He didn't like thinking back to that night, but now when he had finally told someone about it he couldn't seem to stop. He had been both hurt and confused after the quick confrontation and hadn't really had time to react. And then he had just avoided thinking about it since it hurt to think that someone had told that sweet lioness lies about the Mizimu.
"They didn't let me leave the minders for several days," he said, sounding a bit offended, "As if they thought I needed minding still, or thought I'd make a run for it. Why would I? I wasn't interested in running, I just wanted to see her."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 4:46 am
"Well," Yuusa mused. "I'm sure they were just worried about you. Guarding you extra jealously because they came so close to having you taken away... like a cub guarding a bone that his siblings tried to steal from him: So closely that he forgets to gnaw it."
She smiled at him again. "I find it very hard to believe that anyone could suspect you of wanting to 'make a run for it'."
She skirted the subject of the girl for a moment, buying a little time to ponder it. If she had been there when the warriors fell upon the kidnappers... well, the stealing of a Sacrifice was a very serious crime, and the warriors were unlikely to give quarter in such a situation. But she wondered if knowing that would really put the young lion's heart at ease: He seemed to have cared quite a bit about the girl.
"I'm sure she did, though. Make a run for it, that is," Yuusa cautiously offered. "And if she did, it is unlikely that she will be back again." She paused for another brief moment, then gently added: "We can't save every wayward spirit, I'm afraid."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
