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 Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:06 pm
Still, Udadalvsvli didn't want to disobey his family either, so he listened even if he had to complain now and again. If any damsels got hurt cause he wasn't on watch. . . . well. . .they'd feel really bad about it! Of course, his mother and father assured him that such a thing wasn't going to happen (they were in a very peaceful pride, after all) but . . . . well. . . . Udadalvsvli still worried.
Thankfully, it was afternoon and night time was still a long time away. Trotting through some less familiar parts of the pride, further away from the Bird Clan than he'd roamed previously, Udadalvsvli wondered what he might do today.
He should be training, of course, getting better at running and of course finding others to wrestle so he might be strong. But his siblings weren't up for exploring or wrestling, and though Iyunge was fun to play with she was too busy today. So, the little spotted cub was on his own.
He hoped he might find someone who needed help like Iyunge had! She had been the first one he'd ever saved, and unfortunately, the last. Ants and grasshoppers didn't count much according to his brothers, so the little cub was forced to find other heroics to accomplish. Birds flew away, and most lions could take care of themselves at this point. It seemed like every time he tried to help and do right others didn't need him. . . .
It was discouraging, but Uda wasn't about to give in. Ears pricked, he listened in hopes of hearing someone cry out for need or help. Unfortunately, all he heard was bird song and the buzz of various insects. "Looks like a quiet day," he muttered to his shadow, "But good guys always are ready!" And Udadalvsvli was for sure going to be one of those good guys.
He couldn't let his guard down, nope, just in case. . . . Who knew, a bad guy could be right around the corner? Grinning lightly, he dropped low in to the grasses, spotting some heavy foliage around a dead tree. Bad guys could be right there, hiding and scheming. . . but he'd stop them oh yes! Puffing up, he roared as loud as he could (which unfortunately ws NOT very intimidating at all) and pounced. . .
The dead tree didn't look very phased, though some of the loose foliage did move as he batted it away with his paws. "Take that!" Immersed in his imagination, the little cub forgot about his vow to be 'on guard' . . . In fact, he was rather oblivious to everything at this moment, too involved in 'defeating' the evil, scheming tree.
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Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:15 am
Still, it was a large adjustment, being back. He still didn't feel like he fit in well, and a huge part of that was because well, he was alive again. And he was a lot younger than everyone remembered him as. Well, younger looking. He still had all his memories, all his experiences. He just had that youthful stubbornness, and that made him wander out alone for a while, wondering where Mana had gone off too, since she had left the pride soon after he himself had died.
The crunching of dry brush under his paws certainly exposed that someone was nearby, but as there was always someone not too far away (except when one got closer to the border), Tawa'di didn't think much of it when he could hear a little noise not too far off. He glanced around, noticed one that he didn't quite recognize. A young one, at that. Hmm....he plopped his little legs over to go investigate, wings folded against his side. His little silent bird companion swaying on his back, holding on tight as Tawa'di made his way over.
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:14 am
Completely and utterly immersed in his game, the young one continued his assault on the nearby foliage. As far as he could tell, he was being very fearsome indeed and no bad guy would ever want to challenge someone like that! They would see his claw marks and stay far away, they would hear his growls and dare not come near.
Unfortunately, his imagination was a little over active and often ran away with Udadal firmly in tow. The reality of the situation was that he was still quite young, still inexperienced with the ways of the world and still about as fearsome as a snail with a bad disposition.
Rolling on his back, claws dug firmly in to the dead trees trunk, Udadalvsvli growled softly as he snapped at some nearby foliage. With his twisting, writhing and squirming, his bright blue eyes suddenly caught sight of movement. Still rather tangled, he paused and lifted his head, catching sight of someone new approaching.
"Hello!" He called out, wanting to roll to his paws but struggling to get his claws out of the trees bark. It was quite a predicament really, but he wasn't too worried, provided the stranger was nice. "I've never seen you around!" He added thoughtfully, wanting to get a good look of this new cub but unable since his arm was in the way and quite firmly stuck to the tree. Stupid claws. This tree really was a villian!
The little bit of Tawa'di he did see was of brown with more brown and black markings. Something seemed off about him, but Udadalvsvli was too preoccupied with getting out of his 'battle' to notice the bird or the wings.
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:04 pm
The little bird chirped as Tawa'di raised his eyebrows. Really? But...there was a slight twinge of 'wow!' that jolted through his brain like a shockwave. He had to catch himself, really not used to the idea that while there was quite a large piece of himself that was old, there was also a lot of it that was young, and sometimes his body functioned without him really realizing it.
Steadying himself, he made his way over, curious as to how the kid had gotten himself all tangled up in this mess. Quite a mess, actually.
"Ah, you alright there?" he asked, peering around, making sure there wasn't some hidden snake or anything that the boy was playing with. There had to be some sort of reason he was wrestling with that dead tree. "Do you need some help?"
He took a moment to really study the juvenile, as his mane was starting to peek out from his neck. He didn't really recognzie the coat patterns; had things change a lot? Or was his mind just a little fuzzy? With all the new members that had joined shortly before his death, it was hard for him to keep everything straight.
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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 8:19 am
Udadalvsvli continued to struggle to remove his claws. It wasn't easy, as this villanous tree was not very nice, but he could feel his claws beginning to loosen. Still, it was awfully difficult to remember his paws when he was also trying to study the newcomer. Udadal certainly had never seen him before, and . . .wait. . . was that a bird!?
"Woah! You have a bird! Is it really yours or is it just following you because it can? Or is it. . . OH WOW! Is it your side kick!?" In his excitement, the splotched cub flailed a little bit and thankfully ripped his claws out of the tree. It almost hurt, but not enough for him to notice.
Rolling to his paws, Udadalvsvli gave himself a quick shake. Lying on his back had been rather uncomfortable, same with getting tangled up and his nails stretched. Oh well. At least he had freed himself and vanquished the evil tree. For now. Flicking his tail, the bright blue eyed cub beamed at Tawa'di. "Thanks for offerin' to help but . . I think I go it. Just don't go near that tree. It's an evil villian, so it might try to get your claws tangled up too." The cub gave a little weak growl at the tree so as to put it in his place before smiling back at Tawa'di.
"I'm Udadalvsvli of the Bird Clan! Who're you?" Tilting his head at the cub, he stared at his wings trying very hard to figure out what made him so different. He had tattoos, just like him, and he was naturally coloured. . . he had a cool bird side kick and . . . yet. . .. there was something important he was missing. His brain was so enthused at meeting someone new he just hadn't put together the wings and the rest of the pride's lack there of!
"You've a lot more tattoos than me. . . you must be a great adventurer! Are you a hero too?" His voice was wistful, hopeful. How cool would it be to have other heros roaming around? Then the whole pride would be even safer and they could have meetings and protect all the damsels! Whiel he was thinking these things, he continued to keep looking at Tawa'di's wings. His brain would eventually catch up to his mouth and excitement, it was just taking a little bit. Leave it to Mr. Great Hero to miss the most obvious difference between the pair of them.
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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 6:42 pm
Tawa'di's bird companion, Mochni, chirped at being mentioned. He loved attention, though he didn't actively seek it. Moreso, he liked being the little surprise beyond what Tawa'di's story was. He preened his wing for a moment, relishing in the spotlight, even if it was something as a "sidekick." He could live with that.
"I get good food," Mochni mentioned, "Always good to follow the food."
Tawa'di snorted, but he smiled too. "My name is Tawa'di," he replied with a bob. The bird clan...he had too many memories attached to his old clan, one that was close to disappearing. Now it was flourishing, and Tawa'di couldn't be happier. In his situation now, he felt it smart to not align himself with a clan, though he knew the older lions who remembered him from his pervious life would probably still attach him to that clan.
"Bird Clan, hm? Lots of memories," he mumbled, unable to help himself. Drawn into his mind, the mentioning of his tattoos brought him back to the present. Oh, he did have more tattoos, didn't he? "Ah, well, I guess you could say I've been on quite an adventure," he said, wiggling a bit while thinking about it. A good way to look at it, actually.
"Though, I don't know if I'd call myself a hero."
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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:22 pm
"Well that's very smart of you then," the cub agreed with the birds statement. Food was always a very good thing and if he could follow Tawa'di as a companion that go free meals . . .well. . . . more power to him!
Udadalvsvli smiled up at Mochni, studying the strangely marked bird. It amazed him how the little cub and the little bird seemed to match; though the bird didn't have tattoos a little imagination could turn his darker brown stripes in to something akin to tattoos! Besides which, his brown was almost the exact same shade as Tawa'di's! How cool would it be to have a twin. . . They matched so nicely and they both had wings and were the same shade of - - - -
Woah woah woah. Hold it. Wings? WINGS! Blue eyes widened slightly as he leaned forward just a touch, eyes directly on the new cubs shoulders. "WOAH! I . . . I don't know if you know this but you've got wings! Are they real? Can you fly? SO COOL!"
So amazed by this new prospect, Udadalvsvli laughed and gave a shake of his head. His siblings would never believe him! "I'd say you'd have to have been on an adventure to get those! I . . . I sure dun' have any and no one else here does either . . . at least I don't think they do." He couldn't guarantee no one else did as he hadn't met everyone in the pride. If Tawa'di had wings and was a pride member he'd never met, than who was to say others weren't lurking about. He didn't now many ohers outside the Bird Clan but he never remember his parents speaking about such a winged-cub. "My sister's never gonna believe me," he added with a sigh. His little ears pricked at the mention of 'fond memories' within the Bird clan. "So you are from the same clan as me then!? THATS SO NEAT! We can be best friends, oh yes."
Ears pricking, Udadal's imagination was already on cloud nine as he continued to listen and digest his new buddies words. "Ever rescue a damsel in distress? Cause. . .cause I did, but that's because if I wanna be great like the great legends in the pride and make sure the pride stays safe and great so I . . .I just gotta be a good hero." Smiling brightly at Tawa'di's uncertainty of being called a hero he added, "Have you ever saved a damsel in distress? Cause if you have, that makes you a hero. Or. . . .ever defend those weaker or sicker or . . .or keep strangers from being mean and villanous? That'd make you a hero too. If you got wings, than you had to have done something right!"
Udadalvsvli knew of other gods, certainly. But for some reason he never expected them to have wings and he never expected then to look like cubs. He was in for a great surprise.
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:17 pm
Ahhh. Tawa'di sighed, though it wasn't anything negative. It was more of a 'I should do this' sort of sigh. "Where do I start?" he chuckled, and settled himself down in a comfortable position, Mochni making himself right at home on top of Tawa'di's head. He grumped for a moment, ignoring it as best he could. Mochni could never sit still, he'd move soon enough.
"Well, I think the best way to explain it all, is that I used to be a loooot older than you," he said carefully. How would Udadal take it? He wouldn't know 'til he explained everything. "I was here before...well, a lot of members, including your parents I'd wager."
He settled again, waiting to see his reaction, but knowing he needed to say everything at once. "I was old, and died. Little did I know, there was a god among our ranks, and when I died he gave me his immortality." He held his breathe for a moment, only now finally getting used to this supernatural idea. Tawa'di had always known the wind goddess, but to have something like that happen to you personally was mind-blowing.
"So I woke up with wings! And little again. I ended up coming back here, 'cause this always will be my home."
His tail twitched, and he smiled. "So, I dunno, you might be able to call me a hero at some point, though more of the helpful one, and not the damsel-saving kind."
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Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 2:01 pm
Udadalvsvli listened to his new winged friend, going quietly as the story began to unfold. His brows knit slightly and the cogs of his mind began to churn as Tawa'di explained his situation. Thankfully though, cubs have a much more optimistic view than older and more skeptical adults.
Could Tawa'di just be making it up? Was it a big lie and story? Well, maybe so but it was one awesome story if it was just that! Still, how many lions had he met with wings? They certainly looked real enough and firmly attached. If he gave them a big pull would they yank off or would it just hurt? For a long moment, the spotted cub said nothing, allowing the news to marinate within his mind.
"So . . . So you died and came back to life but . . . as a little-god, is that it? So does this mean you're older than my parents? And. . . and if so does this mean we can't be friends?" It wasn't that he wasn't friendly or nice to adults, it was just that adults did . .well. . .grown up things. And most the time didn't want his heroics getting in their way
If Tawa'di was an old grumpy lioness just in little winged-form well, Udadalvsvli wasn't sure how to take that. He desperately wanted more friends (and Tawa'di was pretty awesome with his bird and his wings) but if he was just an adult maybe that meant they couldn't be friends then? At least until he grew up. . . .
His tail thumped thoughtfully before he shrugged and beamed over at Tawa'di. "But I don't care if you're just a little-old-guy! You sound like you've had lots of adventures and . . .and even died! WOW! I haven't died yet, obviously, but I dunno anyone else who has either." Blue eyes bright with good humor, the little cub got to his paws and trotted around Tawa'di once, giving him a good look over.
"You can still be helpful and a hero, you know. Have you ever helped a girl before?" He asked, dead serious suddenly. "Because if you ever helped a girl, that's a damsel you know. . . and helping her probably saved her from distress." So it was settled. "That means you're a hero." And that was that, thankyouverymuch.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:39 pm
Tawa'di blinked. Wait, what? He knew he was old, and young, but he never had someone ask him about it like that. This kid was pretty blunt, and as Tawa'di wasn't as used to that...at least in a "kid" sense, it was a little amazing.
"I'm little and not," he said, wondering how he'd describe it. "Like...you remember stuff from your dreams, right? I remember a lot of stuff from being an old lion, some of it when I was younger (yet still mortal), but the further it goes back, the hazier it is. Like old dreams, they're kinda hard to remember."
Did that make sense? He hoped it did.
He was still sort of thinking about it, wondering if he explained it well. It was all very confusing to him as well, and he was probably just getting the two of them both too confused to even care anymore. Oh well.
"I don't know if I'd call myself a hero..." he said slowly, as Tawa'di was never one for the 'spotlight' or being 'heroic'. He just wanted to be helpful. "I guess if you wanna consider me one, though, ok!" he grinned, giving up on that idea of being modest, at least at this point. He didn't really think he'd helped a girl specifically before, but then again, he couldn't quite remember everything.
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Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 6:00 pm
Udadalsvli couldn't believe the awesomeness of his new friend. Not only did he have wings, and a really cool bird, but he . . . he was old and young at the same time! The blue eyed cub was absolutely delighted by this new discovery, and he could only hope they'd grow up to be super-awesome-bestest-best-friends-ever.
Because how many other friends of his had wings?
And if he was old and not old at the same time, maybe his parents would let him roam farther or . . . or . . . or at least do more grown up things since Tawa'di was old. In a not old sense. Then again, what if his parents didn't believe him? Older lions had a funny way of having no imagination. . . . they might think he was just being silly or over imaginative. Well, thankfully his parents weren't here so right now it didn't matter.
"You are the coolest lion ever, I hope you know," he finally quipped with a good natured laugh. Giving his growing mane a little shake he added, "It makes sense what you say. I believe you, even if the grown ups won't. Maybe . . Maybe someday you can tell me what you remember about being old since I . . . .I certainly am not old at all."
As for the hero bit, well, Udadalsvli wasn't going to shrug off his title now that he claimed it. "Oh, you're a hero all right. You did good things and are someday gonna do more good things, right? I mean. . . if I can rescue a girl from a mud pit, I'm sure you did much more heroic and nice things when you were older. So you can be a hero too! We'll be heroes together, yep," and that was that.
If Tawa'di wasn't expecting on making friends he was now stuck with one. And unfortunately for him, Udadal wasn't the sort who would easily forget. He couldn't let an old-young hero out of his life as soon as he'd entered it, of course not! But then something occurred to him. Settling down, he sat in front of Tawa'di and canted his head to the side. "So . . . so do you have a family or . . .? Do you just live alone? I mean. . .I have a mom and dad and siblings but . . . . I've also never died, or have wings, or have old dreams." His face took on one of concern, wanting to know that his new friend was all right.
They might be heroes. . . but even heroes had to have moms and dads.
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Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 2:59 pm
Tawa'di was still a bit overwhelmed with the whole hero thing. He knew he wasn't one, but in this cub's eyes, he really was one. Tawa'di had only tried to be super helpful and stuff when...well, in his past life. He remembered almost all of it, but sometimes it felt a little overwhelming to talk about. At least Udadal wasn't pressing too much for tons of details. What he thought was the good stuff was what Tawa'di didn't mind talking about. Being helpful was just in his bones! Even if they were new....
"I sort of had family from when I was old," he tried to explain, thinking that this was the best way for it to work. "Sometimes I go see them, but it's a little weird. So I wander around, just like how I ran into you!" It was odd, being a sort-of father to your sort-of kids that were older than you. With sort-of grandchildren that were around the same age as you were now. No, it wasn't odd, it was really really weird.
Still, it was like having a second chance on life. And while he wouldn't change anything he did in his previous one, he felt like he had so much more time to spend with his family now, he wouldn't let it feel too weird.
"I guess you could say little adventures, but I don't really go outside of the borders." He could, but why? This was his home, no matter what.
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Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:28 pm
Tawa'di was making his head hurt. But in a good way, no doubt! Everything he started to learn from him was getting more and more epic and confusing all at once. . The old-lion dreams, the wings, the dying, and now suddenly having a family that was . . not entirely his own.
It was but it wasn't.
If he was old and it was his older parts family, but now he was young, how did that work? For a moment blue eyes went dreamy as he tried to imagine growing old, having children, and then coming back just as old but little again. Still with children who were both older and younger.
It . . . it was awfully confusing. Thankfully though, Udadalsvli wasn't going to focus on it. It really didn't matter. "Family's family, no matter how old or young or old-young they get," he chimed with a grin. "My parents say blood doesn't mean anything when it comes to family. . .so if blood doesn't matter, I don't think age does either! I'm just glad you're not alone, cause that might not be fun. Thankfully everyone's very nice here, so you wouldn't have to be all alone for long," he added, as if Tawa'di didn't know.
Udadalsvli loved his pride with every ounce of his being. He loved his family, was ever so proud to be of the Bird Clan, but adored Elawadiyi entirely. He heard stories of other prides, heard stories of his parents life without the Ela, and somehow he felt even more lucky. "My parents didn't live here before. . . but they do now. Weren't we lucky to be born here? I know I sure am. I don't go outside the borders either, I don't even get close to them yet but . . . But i will when I'm older. Maybe. Just a little. Just to make sure eveyrone inside the borders gets to be safe and any enemies are kept out." He didn't really think the Ela had any enemies, but one could never be so sure.
Just like that vine that had ensnared him. . . .if that vine had been a mean ol' lion that wasn't nice and was made of badness and had the blood of evilness, the whole pride could have been in jeopardy. Thankfully, Udadal had stopped it.
Everyone could sleep safer tonight.
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:56 pm
"You're totally right!" Tawa'di agreed, bobbing his head up and down. He completely agreed. He was sure that his kids still viewed him as a parent, even if he was a lot younger. His memories were still there, which meant all of the advice he could ever give them was lingering. And he guessed that they knew that, and perhaps why they didn't bother him too much. Tawa'di was a very supportive lion, but seeing his kids with kids was...weird.
Also, seeing how large the Bird clan exploded after he died. Cubs, everywhere. At least he didn't have to worry about it anymore.
"It is special," he said, noting that perhaps the story of how they came into these lands. Maybe this was why he was here, to remind them that while they were happy here, they should never forget how they were driven completely out of their original homelands. Skan Kanati needed that prod.
"I'm sure you'll like the borders. Maybe you'll find a stranger or two making their way around them, and talk to them. Not everyone out there is bad, and you'll probably judge them well." Experience would, and Tawa'di had a feeling that Udadal would be a great hunter/hero/whatever he wanted to be in the future.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:41 pm
Udadalvsvli was quite glad he had run in to this new friend. Part of him wanted to meet Iyunge, and he wished his friend were here. She'd probably find his wings and his bird amazing. . . but then, Tawa'di was generally quite an amazing lion. His siblings would be jealous. Maybe that's what made this moment even more special, because as far as Udadalvsvli understood, most lions didn't have wings or children that were older than them.
"The borders will be fun, or at least a lot interesting than being at home! I'm still kind of small though, and Mom doesn't like me going away too far for too long," he added with a resigned sigh. "Mom's," he snorted softly though his grin was genuinely sweet. He loved his mother, he really did, but sometimes he felt trapped.
"It must be nice to have wings and be an adult cub, because then you're not trapped down. You could just fly away and they couldn't follow, you could do whatever you wanted without anyone saying no." Really, that had to be the greatest life in the world. Unfortunately, Udadalsvli was too small and couldn't truly appreciate his life as a cub. Only when he was older and struck with responsibility would he yearn for just a few days back when he was smaller.
The grass was always greener on the other side of the fence. But that was something he'd have to learn on his own, with time. No amount of lecturing would have the concept sink in, to enjoy his life now . . . . Oh no. He wanted to be big, he wanted to be the best warrior ever and make sure everyone in the pride was safe.
And any good guys visiting would be safe too. . . and all the bad guys out there would stay far away. They'd hear of his name, someday, somehow, some when. . . And those imaginary bad guys out there would never dare come near.
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