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 Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:57 pm
Latasha was, horribly and without a single doubt, lost. It was not a pleasant feeling, to say the least, and there seemed to be nothing that could be done about it. That is to say, Latasha had done all the correct rituals. She had found the right plants to evoke memory. She had even tried the time-honored tradition of crying out, ‘WHY?! WHY ME?!’ and even that had failed.
She peered outside of her little shelter, watching the rain patter down mercilessly. It had been fairly dry for the past few weeks, but the rain was certainly making up for lost time now. The word ‘ground’ could no longer be honestly applied to the world in general. It was now mud, and even that was being generous. Latasha had to wonder if, perhaps, new lakes were forming out there. No, more like new oceans and seas, although the mostly-white lioness only had a dim idea of what those really were. She knew that they were really, really, really big bodies of water, and that seemed to suit the landscape.
Waterscape.
Whatever it was now. She retreated back into her shelter, which was really a rather generous word. In truth, it was an abandoned termite mound and still had the slight acidic stink of the bugs that once called it home. Still, it kept the water off of Latasha’s back, and that’s all she needed right now. And it was fairly roomy, which was a decent plus. Those termites… they sure were clever little bugs.
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:03 pm
 Fleance smushed his way across the moist and muddy African plains. His mane was plastered to his forehead, and ashes were caked on his paws, an ever increasing amount of layers with every step he took. His dull red eyes scanned the horizon anxiously for a place to find refuge, but the god's care for staying dry was not for his own sake. Instead, he was looking for a haven for his daughter, the little cub gently kept in his frowning mouth, the rhythmic rocking had lulled her to sleep, and he did his best to shelter her with his massive skull. It was hard when the father waded through the higher water, he had to stretch to keep her little feet dry, and occasionally her tail brushed the surface and caused a ripple to form. Thankfully, his little Kimo was a sound sleeper, something not inherited from him. As he walked on, it seemed that a peak crested the flat line of the earth, but as he came upon it, it wasn't as big as he first thought, but it would be large enough for the cub. Dripping wet, Fleance picked up his pace to the termite mound.
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:16 pm
The wet sound of rain smacking into puddles almost covered up the noise of another’s approach. As it was, Latasha continued her labor of cleaning herself up for a few moments before she realized that some of the splashes were too heavy to be mere raindrops. Curiosity trumped her desire to stay completely dry and the mostly white lioness poked her head out of her shelter.
It was a little difficult to make out the gray shape in the distance, especially with all the gray rain against the gray sky and the overall brown-grayness of the soaking plains. But… she squinted her orange eyes, seeing some vague shape in the distance. As she watched, it resolved itself into the shape of another lion, and one carrying a most precious burden.
The sight of the little sleeping cub flicked a switch labeled as Mothering. “Oh my… Um. Over here!” she called out, despite the fact that the other lion was already clearly walking in her direction. “There’s shelter enough for three in here. Oh, the poor little dear…” she vanished back inside the mound, squishing up so she could make room for the other lion and his cub.
The inside was surprisingly roomy for something that such little bugs made. Thankfully, the old tunnels had been knocked down, making more room than there would have been otherwise. And, like many things, quite a lot of the mound was actually underground. It would be a bit crowded, but Latasha felt able to deal with such things for the sake of a cub.
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:40 pm
The drumming drone of the rain was monotone to Fleance, but he was nonetheless surprised when he heard at a distance a voice call out, and for him! For a second he was worried he'd been called out for his divinity or his recognized wings, but just as quickly it occurred to him that he had not lifted his guise in some time. It wasn't quite different from his normal form, the same basic elements were the same, even looking to be an equitable age, but smaller and wingless. His ears perked up, but he didn't dare expose Kimo to the elements anymore than she already was, unable to answer for the very same reason, he picked up his pace, still careful to staunch the sway of his cub. A sigh of relief rushed from him, past Kimo's head and gently ruffled her fur while leaving her mane coated with a very fine layer of ash that quickly turned into a sort of mud or glaze on the baby. When he finally made it to the mound, he saw the mostly white lioness inside. He presumed she was normally as cleans as clouds, but this weather was creating an adverse effect on her coat.
He bobbed his head as a sort of 'thank you' while still incapacitated, and inched in slowly to the opening, chin raised as high as he could to not drag his daughter on the floor. He laid her to rest gently and as gingerly as he could manage, and the cub did not stir. He smiled fondly on Kimo, and then turning his attention t the lioness, he kept the same expression. His hindquarters were still exposed, but it was far more comfortable for him half-in than all out. To her, he whispered, "I'm Fleance, this is Kimo. Thank you."
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:49 pm
“It doesn’t usually rain like this,” Latasha said in an apologetic tone, as if she were somehow responsible for the rain. Actually, on some level, she believed she was responsible for it. Why, only a few weeks ago, in the dry dead heat of the desert, she had specially invoked the spirits of water, meaning to make it rain only a little. Now it seemed that it had been a very bad idea. She tried to budge up further, hoping that Fleance could fit, but, alas; it seemed that he was doomed to get his butt wet.
But at least the little cub was safe. Latasha’s naturally soft features turned even softer at the sight of the deeply-sleeping cub. “She’s beautiful. Is she your daughter? Oh! Uh… yes, I’m Latasha,” she said hurriedly, a little embarrassed that she had skipped that part of the introductions and gone right ahead to ‘coo over cubs’. Of course, she didn’t have any of her own, but maybe one day…
Well, that would just have to wait. She gave her muddy paw a few half-hearted licks before it became very clear that she would only succeed in disgusting herself. “Say… I don’t suppose you’ve seen a lioness like me anywhere? Well, almost like me. I mean, we’re sort of opposite colors. She has a dark pelt with light spots instead of what I have. And I assume she doesn’t have as much mud as me either.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:21 pm
Fleance cocked his head, wondering why she sounded sorry for the rain. With a half-grin, he shrugged. "It's nothing new, I'm used to it, but little Kimo's good in this much of it." The god had experienced hundreds of rainy seasons through all of his lives. He didn't quite remember all of them, but the feeling was the same. In that way, it didn't bother him all too much for his hind end to get wet, but he bent his back legs and his fluffy coat covered most of them, and with his tail wrapped around any exposed parts, he was nearly covered, or at least it was good enough.
Resting his chin on his paws, he looked over the cub's form, her breathing regular, she seemed at peace, and had unconsciously mimicked her father and curled into a little ball. He leaned over to lick her head and cleansed her of some silt while only leaving more. He then turned his attention to Latasha, and nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Latasha. And she is, and very young. She's also got two older brothers, Menteith, and Raziel, but they're with my brother, he recently had a litter too. Two girls and one boy." He smirked, at how the big, bad God of Rebellion had his little girls, and Fleance his sons. Though he wouldn't tell anyone, Kimo was his favorite.
Upon her inquiry, he blinked and thought hard, from this life and past. A 'hmm' buzzed in his chest, and he was forced to shake his head. "I'm sorry, but no I haven't." Watching her groom herself, he became mildly self-conscious and tried to do the same, but to an even worse end product. He made a face at the mud and ash caked onto his legs and gathered them under himself to hide them.
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:33 pm
“Poor little dear,” Latasha said again, although it was unclear if she was referring to Fleance or Kimo with her words. It could have easily been one or the other. Then again, her orange-eyed gaze was leveled on the sleeping cub, making it likely that most of her pity was reserved for the daughter. “My brother always used to be so afraid whenever it rained. I would make up games for us to pass the time while our parents hunted. And our siblings, of course, but they were less affected by it.” For the most part, anyway.
Huh. It seemed a little odd to Latasha that Fleance wouldn’t just leave his daughter with her brothers as well, but she let it slide. He had said they were older; there was no reason to assume he meant anything other than… oh… say a few years, perhaps. “Oh, that’s precious. I don’t have any cubs of my own yet, but maybe one day. My family has always produced big litters. I have four sisters, one brother, and four half-brothers. Hopefully I’ll have a big family too.”
But not before finding her sister. She was a little disappointed upon hearing that Fleance hadn’t seen her sister anywhere, but she had sort of expected it. “That’s too bad. I’m looking for my sister, you see. She wandered off one day when we were just out of cubhood and never came back. I’ll find her one day, and bring her home. Our mothers and father are very worried.” Noticing her companion’s rather… uhh… lackluster attempts at washing himself, Latasha barely suppressed a giggle. But, for Fleance’s sake, she tried to pretend that she had seen nothing at all.
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:13 pm
Fleance smiled, but looked mildly concerned when she called one of them 'poor'. He liked to think that he was making his daughter more than happy in her time here. Little Kimo seemed fearless and far more brave than her father. His gentle grin turned into a smirk at the thought, but it also worried him more often than not. He kept a close eye on this little one, and she deserved it, for sure.
Hearing about her family made the god grin. It sure was large. Chuckling, he thought about his own, "My generation seems pretty big, at least four of us, I had three cubs and my brother had three, too. My sister and her mate have never had cubs, though, I think he's a little too young for that, ha." Of course he was thinking then about Pele and Juuku, the latter who had just been reborn and was still a juvenile. He was in no rush for his sister to have cubs, but he knew when they did it'd be a natural disaster! Or maybe that was an exaggeration, but nonetheless he smiled at the grin.
But when Latasha told him about her sister, his face fell a little. It was brave of her to hold onto hope for so long, especially considering mortals were such a fragile breed, but he keep his morbid thoughts to himself and tried to push them out of his mind especially when it came to his children. Hearing her almost-giggle, he looked furtively in her direction.
Maybe it was the sound of her father's voice, or a large clap of thunder, but Kimo's eyelids fluttered while she still slept. Black revealed black, and Fleance quickly shot a look at Latasha, nervous she'd seen the primary giveaway about Kimo's nature and his own.
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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pm
“It sounds like you’ve got quite a family there yourself,” Latasha said, feeling more comfortable around the strange male. At least the topic was safe. Families were almost automatically safe, she felt. It certainly made her feel a little better and, with this storm going on outside, anything was a blessing. And little Kimo was simply darling, sleeping so soundly. Latasha could only hope that her own cubs would be so quiet… when she had cubs, of course. But she still had to find her sister first.
Speaking of such things… she certainly noticed how Fleance’s facial expression changed slightly to something that was less-than-hopeful. Latasha sighed and felt she had to explain her optimism. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re not the first lion I’ve asked. Lots of them look at me the same exact way, as if they want to remind me that my sister might not be alive anymore. But the thing is, you don’t know her. She’s… well… vibrant. I just think that I’d know if she died. I know it’s not very logical, but she’s my sister. We’re practically twins.” And that had to mean something. Surely it meant that she would somehow know, right?
It made sense to Latasha, with her rather romantic soul. She looked away from Fleance with a sigh, feeling pretty certain that he wouldn’t understand. Others rarely did. It was pure chance that she happened to be glancing at Kimo at that moment, right as the cub’s eyes flickered. Pure chance…
At first Latasha merely blinked and shook her head. “The lightning plays strange tricks,” she murmured out loud, more trying to convince herself than anyone else. But she could have sworn that the little cub’s eyes were dark and without pupils. Without anything, really… And the air smelled so funny down here, full of the scent of wet ashes. Probably just another trick of the lightning.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 11:05 pm
Still mildly uneasy, Fleance grinned. "Yeah, it's gotten pretty large. My brother's mate seems to have quite the lineage." Fleance didn't always share the same sentiments about the comfort of family. Especially when it came to his other brother. The one that had the nasty habit of always killing him and such. He watched her defend her sister. Sure, plenty of other lions had probably felt the same, but as a god, he felt he had a better grasp of longevity than anyone. He shrugged a little at her enthusiasm. Maybe his gut feeling was wrong. But that feeling in his belly turned to twisting as he saw her eyes look at Kimo's. He stared tensely at Latasha when she muttered, he relaxed a little. He couldn't have Kimo wake up without having their cover blown, and he didn't really want to stick around if that happened, he didn't think. So instead, he nodded. "I've seen it do strange things." Fleance reached over and stroked Kimo, as though he was checking that she was still asleep, not noticing the ashes caked to his legs or the strange scent that may waft around just like them. The infant squirmed and meweled and Fleance furrowed his brows. "I have to ask your forgiveness," he said apologetically. "I'd best be getting this little one home, but I hope we can resume this conversation again at some point." He picked up the cub in his maws, delicately, by the nape of her neck, and turned to set on their way. the end
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