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 Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:33 pm
AIM LOG: demonstrationevil & _ p a o cx A gray leopard was familiarizing himself with his new home. While very different from his old one, somehow it still had a...home-y feel to it. A strange way of wrapping his mind around actually finding a new pride - one that accepted both lions and leopards. It was, however, the perfect place for him. It would help push his past very far behind him, though he'd never forget it. With that in mind Itimu stopped mid-step and yawned. He glanced around, and with a shake of his head kept on walking.
He hadn't caught sight of another pride member for some time now, which didn't really bother him much. He was used to being alone, after all, so it wasn't too big a deal. After a bit more walking he settled on a branch of a particularly large tree nearby the shore of the lake, weaving his way up and getting comfortable very quickly. It was an ideal place to sit and think, the view of the distant island acting as food for thought. "It certainly is an interesting belief system.." he murmured before stifling a yawn. "One I think I could settle into well enough. I'd say it's a good fit.." A lonely thought, one reminding of his losses, but at the same time a comforting one. It was a strange feeling, but still nice. His thoughts continued to wander from one thing to the next, oblivious to all but the altar on shore and the island beyond it.Atia was having a brisk morning walk. It was good to stretch out her old tendons and let her bones get a good work-out. As much as she hated the pride's healer, she was willing to put up with her medical opinion if it would keep her alive. The girl wasn't malicious, like Atia, who would have poisoned her if she had been in the position to do so. Alas, she was not... and Nyao wasn't quite stupid enough to let the elder poison her. And oh how she wished it were otherwise. It wouldn't be the first time she had taken such an action.
She was slightly distracted when she spotted a grey leopard up ahead. There were so many new members in the pride, it was hard to keep track. How they flocked to them... but she was happy for it at the same time. None of them knew who she was. Or how she acted, which was a lovely change of pace. So many of the older members were cautious about her... but knew better than to warn the newcommers about her. She was an excellent test of loyalty. And if you couldn't pass Atia... Caesar knew it was time to dismiss, or kill that person. The grey leopard... he was a handsom thing, what was his name? She couldn't remember for the life of her. She would simply have to ask then.Amidst his musings the leopard did catch sight of an oncoming leopardess, almost smiling at the sight of another like himself. He would've paid her more attention too, however he decided against disturbing a member he wasn't familiar with. If the other wanted a conversation, she'd have to start it. Otherwise he wouldn't get in her way. Tail hanging down beneath him, he went lax again and closed his eyes.
"Hm.. well I'll have to study the pride's origins much further before I come to any conclusion about their beliefs. Speaking of which, I'll have to get started on that altar at some point later on. Best use some of my free time thinking of something nice to do for it." Itimu opened his eyes at that, a curious expression on his face. "I think I could use some help." With a deep sigh his eyes went back to the leopardess, deciding whether he should wave her over or not..Atia approached, not caring one way or the other if he would wave her over or not. "Hello... I don't believe we've had the chance to meet. I am Atia, the Pride's Elder." She offered in a friendly way. Always good to be friendly. It put everyone at their ease. She wass excellent with her masks which so thinly hid who she really was. But she had no intention of seeming unpleasent. She had to have trust, after all, if she was to be a functional elder. And she was rarely outwardly nasty.
Her worst qualities were always viewed behind the scenes. "What can I call you sir? Since you've become a member of our pride, and I haven't had a chance to speak with you yet." And she did like to know everyone. Know who she could trust, or could destroy, and how. She had always been good that way. And now she wanted to know about this leopard... creatures always trusted their own kind more than others. Epescially an old woman.She approached before he could make a decision, so quickly pulling on a pleasant-enough smile he replied, "It's a pleasure, Atia," he said with a nod. "I am Rahim Itimu'Zahir, but I mostly just go by Itimu." His name was ridiculously long, and even in his old pride most got too lazy to say the whole thing. His birth name had been Itimu, so over time he shortened it to just that. "I've been spending some time getting to know a few of the members, both new and old, but I haven't gotten around to meeting everyone just yet."
The male made his way down off the branch so Atia didn't have to look up at him during their conversation, and he offered the other another smile. "Ah, the view of the altar and the island are nice from that branch," he said, starting to explain why he'd been lazing in the tree. "It's something I thought I'd appreciate more in the quiet."
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:35 pm
Atia tilted her head thoughtfully. A long name indeed. She would stick to Itimu. Much easier to remember, and the last thing she needed was her memory to fail her. Though she doubte it. Her body wasn't what it used to be, but her wits were still as sharp as ever. "Yes... I know the old members quite well, I'm doing my best to keep up with my duties and know everyone. As an elder, I do have to know you all to give advice." She told him, all sweetness and light.
"Are you interested in the alter?" She asked him, tilting her head. Was he an architetic of some kind? Or an artisan? It was so hard to tell these days. She couldn't tell the warriors from the philosophers now that she was older. She had been sharper when she was young. But she had every intention of maintaining herself for the time being.
"I hope to familiarize myself with all the pride members before I become a full citizen." It'd be quite an endeavor, but he was determined to at least dent the current population before his time as a slave passed. Then with a nod he moved his gaze to the altar, a smile on his maw. "Yes, it's an interesting sight to me," he said as he looked back at her. "We had something like it in my old pride, but this one has it's own unique beauty. I've always appreciated things of this sort."
The leopard exhaled deeply, the sight of the altar once again bringing his mind back to thoughts of how the belief system of the Binadamu had been established. "I was just thinking about it, actually. Since I'm a new member of the pride I'm curious about our beliefs. While I'm willing to embrace it, I am wondering how it came about. Would you care to enlighten me?"
Atia lisened, curious despite everything else going on in her mind. The better you knew someone, the more you could use them later. If he was willing to talk and tell secrets, then she was willing to listen, and use them against him if she ever had to. "That is good to know. For now you are a slave, but since you're a leopard, like me, I look forward to you having a place with me here in the pride." She told him, with very little honesty, but she certainly made it look that way. Race solidarity including that of the future pride. It worked better than anyone would give it credit for.
"I would love to enlighten you about our pridal beliefs, especially since you'll need to be farmiliar with them." She said sweetly, though she would have to be careful on this one. Expaining what a people believed in was something very different than explaining how to hunt or catch a fish. Something more important, in some respects. Something she could care less about, despite the fact that she honored the Gods and the cultral history of the Binadamu, of course. But she wasn't so spiritally connected... in the end she was a survivor who wanted to insure that where she had lived her life survived to. But she wouldn't have died without it. Miserable, but not dead.
The leopardess seemed pleasant enough, but, having always been cautious with those he wasn't familiar with, Itimu knew better than to be overly trusting. Something seemed a bit off, but he couldn't quite put his paw on what it was. Still, when she offered her help he nodded with a smile. "Thank you," he said, glancing back at the altar, and then the distant island. "Judging by just those two icons over there, though, I'm going to safely assume that there'll be a lot to know."
He looked back at Atia, sighing. "So I think I'll take it a little bit at a time." Itimu wasn't so much a religious type as he was curious about the history of such things. He'd always ask about such things, and being in a new pride didn't change that part of him. "I will learn it all though, that much I'm confident about." The leopard took a seat, tail wrapping around his legs as he watched Atia, waiting for her to start.v
Atia nodded her head, appreciating the challenge of him not offering hist trust to her right away. While she was no one to scowl at an easy target, things were more fun when other creatures were less willing to tell her their life's story with very little prompting. And she did need to enjoy her old age, gave her more to live for. Not much, but she had a lot of things she could work on. Her children for instance... but that was something she would have to concern her with later. The grey leopad was her current project, and one had to start working the angles as soon as one could.
"Ah, yes, of course." She told him politely, "There is much to learn... our Gods and customs are very different from others, as you no doubt know from your experience as a slave now..." She had never been a slave. She had been born there... torn from her parents and brought up inside the Caesar's royal family, sure, but never a slave. Her parents hadn't been loyal to the Caesar or their pride. Gotten exactly what they deserved... exactly what she would have done to them now. "I will help you however I can, of course."
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:49 pm
As soon she started talking Itimu went silent, soaking in what she said. What little she'd started out with, anyway. Still, he nodded at her words, true as they were. Being a slave gave a sort of inkling as to what he'd be expecting once he was a citizen. "Well I'll take all the help I can get," he said, smiling again. "Mm, I've heard there are many gods that we recognize and worship. So far I've learned of Jupiter and Minerva, but not much else of the others."
He thought back to his first few days as a slave in the pride. It was what he'd heard first, in fact, which was what perked his interest about the pride's beliefs in the first place. "It may be a bit too soon, but I've already chosen Minerva as my patron goddess." He lifted his paw and waved it a bit, muttering a few things under his breath as he thought back to the day he decided. "Ah, of course I'm still going to study all the others gods and goddesses we recognize.."
"Of course, of course." Atia agreed, inclining her head, "Minerva and Jupiter are important, as all the Gods are. When I was young, I worshipped Bahcus, the Gods of... shall we say, less restraint than the others? But when you are young, restraining yourself is hardly on your mind. Chaos seems more.. attractive. I now worship, as my patron, Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of childbirth. She's a very respectful and honest woman... who knows how to handle her mate." She explained, grinning as she talked.
"There are many others. Apollo, the God of Light and our Civilization. Diana, his twin sister, the goddess of the moon and the hunt. Posiedon, god of water and travel. Pluto, the God of the Underworld... our executions regularly pray to him. I was an executioner... one of the few who did not take him as my patron, as odd as that may seem." She laughed a little, "One so connected with death should have worshipped him... but Minerva is a good choice. She is the goddess of wisdom and knowledge in war. A strong woman." She mentioned, though she personally had little in common with the Goddess, as far as she could tell. Minerva was too full of... good intentions.
Itimu nodded as the leopardess replied, taking in what she told him concerning several of the other gods. Though there was a myriad of other gods he could have chosen to worship, the choice he made was more or less a natural one, however. His old clan, after all, was a clan well versed in the art of war. "I see," he said once she had finished, relieved that she didn't berate him for choosing as soon as he had. He'd only been with the pride for a few days, after all. "It would seem as though I have a long way to go before I can become a citizen."
The male glanced at the sun, noting it's position before turning his attention back to Atia. "You mentioned you were an elder of the pride earlier, did you not?" he asked, wanting to press on past the gods and onto the pride's different positions. He really did have a long way to go. "What does an elder do, exactly?"
Atia grinned, so glad he'd asked, "An elder acts as an advisor of sorts. We highly respect our elders here, or so I was told when I was younger. It is an elder's duty to use their years of knowledge and experience in order to best be able to direct the pride in a productive matter. We're politicians, advisors... well, I am the only Elder now anyway. We had a male, when I was younger... but now I am the oldest one here."
Something she was proud of. Everyone who knew her darkest sides were long dead, since she had killed them to get where she was now. That was the best way to get things done. Make sure that everyone who would possibly stand in her way, or would ever hurt the pride, was long dead. How else was one supposed to get things done? That was how she had been taught... and how she would act until the day she died. Which would be a long way off if she had her way.
And she usually did.
Again, he nodded. "I see, well it seems I've found the right leopardess for my first lesson about the pride's background," he replied with a light chuckle. "Or rather, you happened to find me." With that the male stood and bowed his head slightly, now knowing that he ought to give a bit more respect than he'd shown throughout the whole conversation.
"With that, I think I will take my leave. I'd hate to take up too much of your time. Thank you for your help," he said, the smallest of smiles on his maw. "And I look forward to our next meeting, Atia. Perhaps by then I'll already be a citizen." So the leopard turned to make his leave, a great deal on his mind. He really did have a lot more to learn, but he was glad to have gathered so much from such a brief conversation. It probably helped that he'd spoken with the pride's elder though.
"I certainly hope so." Atia smiled back, her lip curling when she watched him leave. How nice that she had someone else who trusted her now... just what she had hoped for. So many newcommers to the pride meant she had to put up a nice front. It would make them much easier to manipulate to her will later on, provided that they were needed. In case someone was disloyal to Caesar and needed to be... dealt with. Exactly what she wanted. "It was an absolute pleasure to meet you dear. I hope to see you around." And she hoped he would. He seemed like the kind of person she could wrap around her claws... not a traitor type. Good. No one wanted that... well, only sometimes. Just so Atia could prove her loyalty. And that was always entertaining.
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