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 Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:35 am
 Rain was something that brought mixed feelings to Khuluma. Palahala told him it was there to help the herd animals, a blessing that was also a curse in it’s less than frequent nature. He remembered the God of Thunder, Raiden, and felt angry that he might see him again, though wondered if he should have apologized for his behavior before. He also thought of Abayomi, the goddess of festivals, and how she loved to dance in the rain. Today, he neither felt like dancing, or being out. The rain had happened upon him quickly, and he fought through the downpour until he saw a rising rock formation with an open mouth. He was given a gust that tossed his tail end up, and his hair stuck wildly to his face before he was tossed into the cave, where he used his claws to stay put. Panting, he pushed himself into the opening of the cave, feeling chill and uncomfortable. This was no sprinkle!
Inside, he shook off, before he caught his breath. His heart drummed, and he reached up to take his hair from one of the tail rings he used when flying to hold back his hair. If he didn’t, he would be blind and wind up crashing. As he pulled the ring, his wet hair dropped down, a soppy mess of golden curls that now decided to break their leash of uniformity to curl and stick out at all angles. Dripping, he put his tail ring back on his tail, and set about squeezing the water from his hair. Thinking about it, he felt he could like rain, if he could stay out of it.
The wind howled outside, but inside the cave, it was dry, at least for the time being.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:37 pm
 It wasn't that he hated the rain, of course not! It's just that the annoying droplets of sky water usually matted his fur, making it even harder to move about with his already heavy wings. Plus his mane tuft would get all into his eyes and he'd be lucky if he could last more than a few seconds without a white slop of hair smacking him in the face (no thanks to the wind). Still, in all its apparent dreadfulness, rain brought a calming effect as well - so long as you manage to stay out of it. With a quiet sigh the male tilted his head curiously as he watched a black speck make its way over to the sanctuary that he happened upon just before the start of the downpour.
It wasn't that he hated company either.. but there were just times he could do without it.
To his surprise the speck happened to be that of another god who, in spite of Tarik's initial thoughts, was in fact a male! One with long hair, no doubt, and significantly younger than he. A curious looking thing, but then again Tarik rarely encountered other deities. Perhaps there were several others who sported long hair like this one. A shrug followed his curious-turned-stoic expression as he cleared his throat to make himself known.
"Evening," he greeted. "Pleasant weather, no?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:18 pm
He hadn’t been expecting company here in such a remote cage, namely because he doubted that anyone without wings would be able to make it and the fact that the rain would make other creatures find shelter somewhere more accessible for them. Since the rain had been going for some time, he would have thought everyone had already went off to find a place for themselves. When he came here, he saw no one, but Khuluma wasn’t the best at picking out when a god was nearby. When he glanced inside, he was happy enough he didn’t see anything monstrous and threatening that he gave up investigating further. Instead, he had set upon griping his hair and pulling down, creating a large puddle where he started to get the water out of his hair. As he did, he started to puff, and without the rain assaulting him, he felt eh rush of cold air. He’d have to start cleaning himself soon else he could wind up freezing.
Apparently, Khuluma didn’t know what god he was occupying a cave with.
When he heard a greeting, he shot up to his feet and tensed, looking about wildly. Constant warnings about being wary of the world and the fact that gods could get hurt made the cub more aware by the day that he could very well be seen as a meal. A god, yes, but gnashing teeth weren’t things to discriminate. When his eyes settled on the god, he went though his mental checklist which consisted of one warning. Was this the dark god that Rokopelli warned him about? No? As the god glowed in the shadows, he was of a skyline blue, with white markings that lined his body and took over his hair. In the shadows of the cave, he was bright and to someone who loved company, welcomed. He was a god, and Khuluma’s interest was instantly turned on. He flashed a shimmering smile as he turned his body to address the other god. Again, not a cub, but another god that was older than he was.
“Pleasant for the rivers and grass, but I’d rather stay dry. ” he smiled, sitting down. Flying had made his wings tired, and he set to fixing his hair again. It might be distracting, but he didn’t want to look like a mess before the other god.
Introductions, he reminded himself. “My name is Khuluma. God of Rhetoric. It’s nice to meet another god. Who might you be?”
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 3:11 am
Tarik couldn't help but smirk at the cub's reply, though it lasted for only a second or two. It wasn't just any day when he came across someone younger than him who had that sort of way with words. Any other cub and he was sure the reply would've been something along the lines of either "not really" or "isn't it!?". Neither of which would've been able to bring about a smile from him. Already he was looking forwards to having some sort of a conversation with this young god.
Once the other had introduced himself Tarik gave an acknowledging nod, pausing for just a second to commit the name and domain to memory. "I'm Tarik, god of ice, and I'd say the feeling is mutual," he said at last, making a small gesture that welcomed the cub to more shelter further inside the cave. "No need to be shy, there's more room back here than you'd think." The adolescent scooted a bit more to his left to allow Khuluma more room, then proceeded with the conversation.
"So," he started. "How'd you manage to get stuck in such trying weather?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:35 am
Khuluma was still regarding the god, his eyes wide blue and curious. As he listened, he seemed to have to take another glance at the god overall in knowing he was the God of Ice, and after sweeping his eyes across his form, seemed to notice that this was a very appropriate look for the God. From his memories of the God Haven, blue and white had been the colors he associated with ice, snow, and loneliness.
At the invitation to come closer, the god cub picked up his behind and trotted closer, moving to the back of the cave where he found that the wind did not touch him and it seemed to be warm. It was also dry, and he hoped he would not make the other god wet. Coming closer, he could see Tarik’s details even in the darkness of the cave. Frost blue and powder white, with fading markings that looks foreign to him, unable to comprehend their meaning, but somehow feeling they were majestic. The older god wore silver, a contrast to Khuluma’s gold, and he let his eyes travel over the blue gems. He always had a fondness for treasures, especially jewelry. As a final note of interest, he looked up into Tarik’s eyes, which were bluish-white, like a morning sky when you woke up just before the sun came up. Open, expansive, and shimmering.
“Thank you.” He said, sitting himself down to be before the god, but not so close enough to make him wet should Khuluma continue to drip all about himself. “I was traveling when the storm came, and did not see any shelter. I didn’t want to fly down and be left in the open, but I wanted to land. I’m still not very good at flying, especially in a storm.” As if on queue, the lightening came and then the thunder, causing the cub to hitch up his shoulders in response. “I found the cave and went straight for it. I’m glad I did else I might still be in the storm.” Khuluma finished squeezing his hair and brought up a paw, wanting to get as dry as quickly as he could. “What brought you here? Are you traveling too?” He said, pausing between a lick to ask before going back to cleaning his paw. He was getting better at cleaning himself dry all on his own.
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Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 1:20 am
Tarik eyes the cub closely, regarding his every movement. He still had little trust in deities despite being one himself. And with good reason, what with all the memories from his past life. The male watched as the golden pelted cub cleaned himself off, nodding when appropriate and raising his brows when the other's words called for it. When Khuluma had finished he gave a final nod before speaking. "I see. Well, even if you got drenched for a little while, you should consider yourself lucky." He only smiled from then, thinking back on how it was that he stumbled upon their current shelter.
"Hm.. I suppose you could say that. I was visiting a mortal friend of mine," he replied to Khuluma's last question. "I try to visit her at least once every few days just to let her know that I haven't forgotten about her." The god's voice had a sort of softness to it when he spoke of Xina, though he wasn't aware of the change in his tone.
After he spoke Tarik realized that it was rather odd of a cub to be traveling on his own, god or not. Perhaps he was in search of something? Someone? Something? Perhaps a pride, or maybe his parents or family. Whatever it was, the cub probably had his reasons. Tarik knew that he wasn't the greatest at subtlety, but he tried to phrase his next question without sounding too...prying. "By the way, I don't suppose you have a destination to be traveling to?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:08 am
Tarik seemed like a sweet fellow, visiting a mortal. It showed he cared for someone, and it had to be someone important for a god to visit every so often just to make sure that they were not forgotten. It made Khuluma feel a tad guilty that he didn’t visit Palahala as often as he should, and came and went at his own leisure. He hoped his friend did not think he forgot about him when he was away. He thought of his friend often and would never like to instill the belief that he was taking him for granted. He had to remind himself that the next time he saw Palahala, which he would be sure to point this out to him and banish any such thoughts in case he had them.
Smiling, he shook his own head as to why he was traveling in a storm. Question of travel were something he encountered frequently, and one he had nothing to tell. “No. I have no specific destination. I like to find new places I haven’t been before and meet new people, but aside from that, it is whatever I encounter. I like to see what the mortal world has to offer, and I like to learn more.” He would have mentioned that he had a herd he could visit, but he found that more and more lions he met praised the excitement of hunting, which he didn’t care much for. He felt as if he would be jeopardizing the Prey God’s herd if he mentioned it outside of the sanctuary of his protection.
“It’s very nice you are visiting this mortal to check up on her. She must be very important to you. Has she been your friend for a very long time? ” He was curious about the relationship between gods and mortals. He met so few of them that he wondered how it all worked out. A god and a mortal seemed to be from different worlds.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:26 pm
"I'm the same," the adol replied to Khuluma's reason for traveling. "At least I was when I a little bit younger. These days I travel to places I'm familiar with, where I know I can get some time to myself and where no one else usually goes." He shrugged. "Though sometimes I still venture off into some unknown land, but that's usually a rare occasion." His tail swayed casually behind him, landing gently on the ground below when the cub asked about Xina.
"You could say that," he answered quietly. "She's one of the very few mortals I found I could get along with, but no. We haven't known each other for very long. At least not by my standards." He thought back for a moment before speaking again. "We met several cycles ago, if I remember correctly." Tarik recalled their first encounter with a slight shake of his head. "I found out then that she doesn't put much stock in gods and goddesses, but then that's probably why we get along so well." A chuckle. "I don't like it when mortals ask me questions about being a god, so her reaction at the time, while surprising, was pretty refreshing as well."
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 11:14 am
He curled in, listening as he collected his wings around him and preserved what little heat he had. He also started to lick his front paw, slowly working himself dry as he listened, eyes up as he watched the other one. When finished, he slipped his tongue back in and raised his head up. Proper poise was key after all, though eh couldn't will himself to stand straight or tall right now. He was a mess of soaked fur and shivers.
"I don't talk to many mortals. I met some herd animals, but they all know I'm a god. I ..haven't really been out and about to talk to any. I don't even know what I'd say. I worry I'll give myself away, and then I think, then what? Other gods say it's dangerous out there, especially for someone my age, and other gods say that it's beneath us." He looked up at the other god. He seemed much older, more experienced than he was. Everyone seemed that way, actually. "Was it easy for you to meet mortals? Do you like most of them? Is it really worthwhile in the end?" He was sure this god would know if he talked to many of them.
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 12:41 am
He gave the other's questions a bit of thought before answering. Somehow it felt as though his answer would be the basis for Khuluma's decision when it came to socializing with mortals, so he felt it deserved a little bit more thought that the normal, average question. "Mm," he started, not entirely sure how to answer exactly. "I guess it would depend on the situation and the type of mortal that you meet." He nodded at his reply, then decided to elaborate.
"I used to think mortals were beneath us as well, but I've met my share of pleasant mortals. Unpleasant ones as well, and still those who were neither here nor there, if you get my meaning." He paused, gauging the other's reaction to what he was saying. "Um.. it wasn't easy at first, but the more the meet the easier it gets. I like the nicer ones, and thinking back on it now I think it's pretty worthwhile. At least by my experience, and only because of Xina. When you start getting know other mortals you'll be able to make your own decision about them."
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Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 9:11 pm
It was sound advice, not ensuring a guarantee that his first or even most of his encounters with mortals would be plesant, but warning him and also giving him some hope. It was enough for Khuluma to become more and more convinced to give mortal encounters a try, even if other gods told him he might be wasting his time. It seems many different gods and goddesses had their own opinions, and he had to decide for himself which one was true in order to defend that side. If he didn’t know, how was he suppose to respond if someone asked him what he felt about it. Shrugging was not a good answer, and he never liked being speechless.
“I guess if it’s worth it, even a little bit, I’ll give it a try. I just hope I don’t make a mess of things. I’d hate to get in some sort of trouble. I’m just learning how to use my claws. He rose up his paws and gave a experimental flew, showing the other god just how new these new appendages were to him, and how new he probably was to hunting. Fighting was far from him at this point, which meant he had to really consider how to be safe and smart about what he did. Most had already asked why he didn’t have family to protect him, as someone his age usually would be under a older guardian’s care, but that was a mystery.
“Ohh. It sure it cold here. I don’t think I’m going to see many mortals here anyways. They’d freeze!” Khuluma shivered, trying to keep himself warm as he continued to try and dry himself off before he froze like a god-sicle.
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 5:09 am
Tarik was happy that Khuluma had come to a decision, as by his experience mortals weren't all that bad. At this point in his life he figured his visions didn't include the whole picture, since he doesn't remember a single happy memory of his past life mingling with mortals. However, as he grew in this life he began to see the brighter side of things. Just a little bit, but it certainly was progress.
"If worst comes to worst you could always fly away, since fighting might not be such a good idea if you're up against a lion my size.. or bigger." With that the adolescent stood and shook himself a bit, glancing outside the mouth of the little cave while he did. The rain seemed to let up already; there was even a rainbow in the distance. Sighing, Tarik turned to his young new acquaintance and nodded. "I actually like the cold" he said, replying to the golden-locked cub with a little smile.
"Seems the rain finally stopped, so I'll say goodbye for now. Good luck with your first meeting." The god nodded in the godling's general direction and, after stretching out his wings, flew out of the cave and glided downward toward the base of the mountain. He kind of felt like walking, actually.
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