|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 4:57 pm
Ikhti frowned to himself as he paced through the tall grasses of the savannah, his body crouched and his golden eyes sweeping over the land around him. He wasn't sure why he was still at this after so long, except that his vision forced him to pursue this past a point that any other lion would have long given up.
Still, as persistent as he was, he wasn't exactly beyond showing his irritation when he wasn't in the presence of others. After a while of his fruitless search, a growl of irritation resounded and he paused where he was standing beneath an old gnarled tree. Why his vision had sent him here he could not fathom, but he had been sure it was something of great importance. Of course the most important things were the most vague when they came to him.
"Mother will be most displeased at this waste of time," he breathed out, taking a moment to sit beneath the tree. The old branches of the savannah tree provided very little shelter from the sun, but it seemed vaguely familiar to him and as good a place as any to pause before he returned home. He'd wait here for a few more moments but he was going to leave if nothing presented itself soon - his patience with this wild goose chase was wearing thin.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 5:23 pm
It was almost like his growl was echoed in the grass nearby. If Ikhti looked around, he would see a gray form crouched low to the ground. Age had made her her hair look wiry and matted, and her ribs were jutting out from her skin.
She stayed low, watching him with angry eyes. Was this a Pridelander? The idea made her nostrils flare, and she leapt up at the idea.
"You! Who are you, what are you doing here?" she snarled. She paced in front of the tree, her eyes never leaving his form. "Are you from the Pridelands? Have you wandered to pick off the last scraps of flesh from my dead kin? Or are you with the hyenas?!"
Her teeth were bared, her tongue practically lolling out with thirst and hunger.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 6:26 pm
Foolish. It was foolish to have let his guard down just because he was so irritated. He didn't hear the old girl until she moved in the grass, and by then she was already coming at him. His head whipped in that direction as the rustle announced her presence, his face contorting into a grimace at the sight. She was old and.. not so well off it seemed.
"One question at a time," he said, pushing himself into a more proper sitting position. His posture was rigid but he didn't stand - if he did she might take it as a threat. Likewise, his demeanor seemed to have turned stoic at the drop of a dime. Diplomatic, per usual.
"I don't belong to any pride, especially not the Pridelands, I have no idea who your kin are, and I don't know a single hyena." He spoke with a matter-of-fact tone, staring at her patiently where she was standing. Could it be that this was what his vision had sent him for? It was hard to believe and yet.. there was not a single thing else for miles as far as he could see.
"When was the last time you ate something?" he asked, completely ignoring her grating nature. If he was meant to find her, well, he might as well feed her and bring her home. Mother would want to meet her and she'd have to at least be presentable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 6:43 pm
"That's none of your business!" Masika snapped at the younger lion. "What does food have to do with anything? This is about pride-- this is about-- personal pride!"
Her stomach let out a low, gurgling rumble.
"... It doesn't have to do with that! ... I can... why are you asking?!"
Masika paced back and forth in front of the other lion. "You're in my world now. I'm lucky to... I pick and choose what I eat. Don't think you could survive out here, kid. So you'd better scat, get it?" Masika turned like she was going to leave before calling over her shoulder, "You're lucky you aren't a Pridelander! ... I would've eaten you for supper."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:05 pm
He sighed dramatically as she snapped at him and only just managed to ignore the urge to roll his eyes. Why did she have to be so difficult? Oh, that's right, because she was old and senile.
"It's my business because I was sent here to find you, alright?" He pushed himself slowly to his feet, showing his form to her for the first time since she'd appeared. He was a big lion, a very big lion. His god blood made him larger than average, by far.
Her snap about eating him for supper almost made him smirk, but he schooled the notion at the last second. He'd have liked to see her try. "Would you just quit being stubborn and come with me? I really don't feel like playing this game right now, not after I spent the last three hours looking for you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:16 pm
To be honest, she would've preferred him if he were a giant antelope. At this point, Masika thought that another lion, no matter how big, was useless at this point. She wasn't so fargone as to become a cannibal.
Well, if he thought that she was stubborn, she might as well play the part more.
"Listen, kid. No one's been looking for me since my pride died," she snorted. "And even then I wasn't high on their list of favorite lionesses. Why would someone who wasn't even born during its heyday be looking for an heiress whose lowly title was disputed and finally taken away?"
She spat, though she was so thirsty that it was more a gust of air than saliva.
"It was for a dying pride by then, anyway. If we didn't die of old age and incest, then the hyenas would've gotten us. Now, after that history lesson I'm afraid I must get going. I can't go with you, kid. ... I'm hunting for Kiyoga."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:27 pm
He narrowed his eyes a fraction at her rambling, most of it simply going in one ear and out the other, though a couple key words stuck - heiress, extinct. As far as he was concerned, that was all that was important out of her babble.
"I'm not concerned with your pride. In fact, I'm not even sure why I'm supposed to be bringing you back with me. I was sent here to find you and so I did. Are you really questioning the will of the gods?" His face had turned a little stern by this point and his words were very reminiscent of his mother.
"Whoever this Kiyoga is, we can find him later, but I would like you to come with me please. Mother will be very sore that I've wasted so much time already." His words were very military like, his stance was very rigid. Everything about him was business. Her spitting and and hissing was of no concern to him, really.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:38 pm
'Gods'.
That word got to her.
"I'm not stupid enough to disobey the gods. If I was, I would've died a hell of a long time ago. You don't look like a god, though. ... You're big, though, I'll give you that."
She was still walking away, but the large lion could hear her sigh.
"Listen, I'm going to go with you. But you'd better feed Kiyoga, all right? He's the only kid I trust. So wait here, it won't be a second."
She laughed, and it sounded more like a wild dog's bark.. an old dog's bark.
"I wouldn't want to keep the gods waiting!"
She didn't walk very far, though, when a smaller mass of gray bounded up to her. Did she have a cub?
"Kiyoga!" Masika growled. "What did I tell you about following me?!"
"I'm sorry, Masika, but I heard shouting!" The voice that replied was definately not a lion's, and it became hushed as the two gray figures in the grass whispered-- obviously about the lion underneath the gnarled tree.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:23 pm
At least she had respect for the gods it seemed, if nothing else. That boded well for her future, especially around her mother, because if there was one thing that Shisi disliked above all else it was disrespect for the gods.
"Good, I'm glad you're finally seeing it my way," he said with a small sigh of relief. He was tired of standing out here and waiting for her to make up her damned mind. "Yeah, yea, Kiyoga," he shrugged his shoulders. He'd feed whatever it was that she wanted to drag along - as long as it meant she was going to be coming.
He still kept a close eye on her as she wandered away however, and it was only as the little gray thing came bounding out that he narrowed his eyes. What in the world was that? She couldn't be this skinny and still hunting for both herself and a cub. He gave whoever it was with her peace for a few moments before he started to become irritated with how long it was taking. Then, with a small huff of irritation, he pushed himself forward and started towards the pair. "I haven't got all day, you know," he called out to her, then paused as he drew close enough to see what was with her. A ratel? Really? She had to be crazy, but whatever she wanted, he guessed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:45 pm
"Don't look at him like that!" said Masika, "This thing's lived with me for longer than you've been livin'. Show him a little respect!"
The ratel didn't need respect. 'Kiyoga' was staring up at Ikhtiyari with eyes so wide they could roll out if the ratel shook his head.
"How do you do?" he finally stammered out in a voice so meek that it could hardly be heard over the rustling grass.
Masika was pacing around behind him before giving his rump a nudge forward with her head. "Come on, Kiyoga. We're going with him. He says that he's going to feed you."
Kiyoga craned his head back to look at his friend (or mother, it was impossible to tell). He whined before asking: "What about you?"
"I've survived through worse stuff, kiddo," Masika shook her mane before looking up at the large lion. "Well, come on. Lead on, or whatever. If you're in such a rush, then go! Go!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:59 pm
He could have laughed at the vast differences in their personalities. The pushy older lioness and the polite respectful little ratel. An amusing pairing if he had ever seen one, but at least the ratel's nature would assure that his mother wouldn't mind it.
"There will be enough meat to feed you both," he said with a little shake of his head, his tail whipping behind him as he listened to the exchange. In truth, there was always spare meat waiting for the trainees. They had enough members to have a few dedicated to hunting each day, that was certainly true.
Still, as the lioness began to usher him forward, he had to fight back the urge to growl at her. Destined to find her or not, her attitude was not going to win her brownie points with his mother. With a small frown in her direction, he turned and began to walk back the way he had originally come from, his eyes settled on the distance. Someone in his family would know he was coming before he ever arrived - it was inevitable. They would see her, the ratel, and probably his intentions. Mother would be waiting, as well as the food he wanted.
"What is your name?" There was a pause before he added, "both of you." He didn't bother to look behind him as he walked, he simply expected them to follow. After all, he held the promise of a meal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:09 am
Masika walked behind him, watching as he went in a direction that she had never been. She didn't really care that he was walking ahead of them, she preferred it. This kid was weird, and she wasn't sure if she liked him yet.
Then again, she didn't really like anyone but Kiyoga.
"I'm Kiyoga!" the ratel piped up. "And my is Masika. Thank you for going to all this trouble for finding her, today."
"Don't thank him so readily," Masika grumbled. "We still don't know what he wants with me-- or you, either. Ratel might be delicious, after all. Not all lions are as generous as I am."
"But Masika!" the ratel whined. "He said that he came from the gods!"
Masika let out another snort, before muttering under her breath: "I'm sure a lot of lions say that..."
And yet, she was following him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:55 pm
Any other lion might have wanted her to walk ahead of him - any other lion that was incapable of seeing the future. He was pretty confident in his abilities and was almost completely sure that there was no way they would lead him into danger without at least a little heads up on the way.
Then again, they hadn't exactly been too clear about all of this from the beginning.
"Nice to meet you both," he said with a small nod of his head, tossing a glance back over his shoulder at them, "I'm Ikhtiyari. And you're welcome." He put emphasis on the word, narrowing his eyes a little at the older lioness. He would have told her that Ratels were in fact not very tasty if he didn't think it would alarm Kiyoga more than make him feel at ease.
"I carry out the will of the gods," he restated simply, turning his head back ahead of them. This was going to be a long walk, this much he could already be certain of. "I'm here because my visions told me to be here, and that I can only assume is the will of the gods. What they want with you is yet to be seen. I just know you are supposed to come with me." Another lost, wandering soul collected under his mother's guidance.
"You're not the first one we've drawn into our troupe in such a way." He was talking, but all the while he was propelling them forward, onward towards home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
