[AIM LOG] Oops... (Hanaa & Vtla)

[Whimsical Blue]

((Vtla owned by Cajanic))

Vtla sat in an open area of the pride, having been exploring a bit to see what else wasn't around. While he wasn't sure if it was entirely alright for him to be looking around where the other clans were located, he knew he wanted to get to know the others a bit better. Maybe see how the kids were raised in the other areas of the pride. Darn his desire to learn.

If he got in trouble, he would blame it on that.

Sitting there on a long, flat rock, the large male looked around the area, humming lightly to himself. At least the different clans didn't look too much different from one another. It was good to see. Though, so far, he hadn't found anyone to chat with.  

[Whimsical Blue]

A young female struggled acrossed the pride's lands with a gazelle in her mouth, alternately excitedly pleased with herself and dismayed. Pleased to have caught anything at all, and dismayed that she now had to carry this dirty carcass back to the pride. She needed to bring it back, to show them she wasn't useless, but carrying it by its broken neck meant it bumped against her chest and blood marred the soft cream of it.

Precisely every five steps, the lioness would stop and drop the kill to sit and clean herself, making sure she got every last bit of dirtiness of her fur before she could stand again and carry on. It meant she didn't move very fast, and soon there was a very frustrated and stressed air about her. Hanaa did not like getting dirty... and struggling with her kill was hard work. She was caught between two unpleasant things and the strain was starting to show on her face and in the lines of her body.  

[Whimsical Blue]

Vtla wasn't sure, but it sounded like someone was falling over... repeatedly. Blinking, the male raised his ears, listening to the odd plopping sound that came between short spans of time. It seemed to be getting steadily closer, though by no means swiftly. Curious enough to get to his feet, the large male started to follow the noise, until turning a bend revealed the source- a female dragging back a rather impressive kill. She didn't seem to be remotely enjoying herself, though. Was she a member of the pride? The tattoos suggested so, though he had not seen her before.

"Hello," he offered, keeping his distance, "are you alright there? It seems you're having trouble. If... there's something I can do. My name is Vtla, of the mantis clan."  

[Whimsical Blue]

The sound of another so close by was enough to startle Hanaa into dropping her kill. She squeaked and ducked down to inspect it, a horrified look on her face. "That was only four! Oh, oh... oh!" She fussed over it, distressed about having dropped it on four steps instead of five... and the fact that now one side was covered with dirt, rather than just the back end where she had been carefully placing it to prevent just this.

Finally, she settled back to sit and her eyes filled up with tears, her whole face crumpling as she ducked her head. She made an altogether pitiful sight, crying over her kill, and she seemed to have entirely forgotten that someone had joined her, thus causing her current distress. Soft sobs broke out as she struggled to stifle them, her shoulders shaking.  

[Whimsical Blue]

"huh?!" was the only thing that could come from the mouth of the suddenlt befuddled lion. Oh Gods, he broke her. He watched her cry, unable to say or do anything other than watch it all happen. It was all so unreal to him. Why was she crying? What did she mean by it only being four? He didn't understand. It was like there was more to the conversation between them and he had somehow missed it.

Was this his fault?

Regardless of blame, he moved closer to her, though only a couple steps just in case he did something else to make her all the more upset. "Ah! Please don't cry!" he yelped helplessly, "what's the matter? Did I scare you? I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! He sank against the ground, rolling onto his back defenselessly. It was the only thing he could think to do. He watched her from upside down, frowning.  

[Whimsical Blue]

Hanaa came to a hicupping stop when he spoke again, suddenly remembering that she'd dropped it because she'd been startled, and there was actually someone here with her. Of course, now she felt even worse... crying in front of a complete stranger... What he must think of her.

"I-I'm sorry... I just... I dropped it too soon. It has to be odd, not even, five not four steps. Its all wrong and now its all dirty and I can't pick it up! I can't stand dirt or bad luck..." She said, occassionally catching as sobs broke her words. Hanaa was at her witts end and the poor male got to be caught right in the middle of it.

"I'm sorry." She gulped. "I just... I can't... its so hard..."  

[Whimsical Blue]

On his back still, the male listened. It always helped calm him down when he was on his back, even though it left him open for attack. This female didn't seem ready to attack, however. She barely seemed capable of seeing through those tears of hers. Poor thing. As she finished up her choked words, the male fell onto his side, watching her still.

"I see.." he said faintly, though he didn't understand at all, "well... what if I take it where you want it to go? I promise I won't take it from you. We're both in the same pride, so it's right that we help each other, right? And anyway, I hear having a male help you carry a kill can be considered good luck." He got back to his feet, never taking his eyes off her. A good way to start a conversation with someone, he told himself, making her cry!

He needed to be knocked on the head for that one.  

[Whimsical Blue]

The soft choking sobs the lioness was giving slowly came to a stop and she seemed to calm a little, her dark eyes wide as she watch the male offer to help. She'd been here for a while now, and hardly made any friends. To have someone she didn't know offer her kindness, well... it was like sunshine and water to a flower.

Though there were still tears in her eyes, she smiled gently and nodded, shuffling a paw in the dirt. "I suppose, if you'd be so very kind to carry it, it might be okay... its not that dirt is bad, but I can't stand having it on me. I was having such trouble, trying to keep the blood off my fur, and then I had to go and drop it... it was just too much for me." She ducked her head as she shuffled her paw more. "I don't deserve such kindness. You really don't have to... I'm sure I could manage once I settle down."  

[Whimsical Blue]

"Ah, I understand. If my fur looked as pretty as yours, I wouldn't want dirt on it either," he assured her, "but luckily enough, my fur already looks like splotches of dirt, doesn't it? I don't mind getting a little messy to help you out. Don't think anything of it! We're all like a big family here, right? I'd be more than happy to take the body for you, you just lead me where you want it to go, okay?"

He moved over to the body on the ground, leaning over it and carefully picking it up in his mouth. It was easy enough for him to lift his head, looking at he female for directions, smiling dumbly with the creature hanging between his jaws.  

[Whimsical Blue]

Hanaa gave a cutely embarrassed look when he called her fur pretty, self-conciously grooming her chest fur when he bent to pick up the gazelle. It wasn't every day that a male complimented her, and she wasn't sure how to react to it... what did you say in return, anyway?

"Um... thank you." She said softly, squirming before she finally got her feet. She shifted her paws about in an awkward, restless motion, then set off, her attention mostly on her paws and partly on him.

Hanaa hardly knew what to think... were all males like this? Help a female in need just because... or did they want something in return? She had very little she could offer. She wasn't terribly good at hunting, or at much of anything really, not with her oddness. She could probably give him some of the kill he carried as thanks... "Um, I'm just heading back to the dens of the Earth Clan. I'm a huntress, so I'm bringing what I hunted back." She ducked her head as her ears splayed. "I'm not a very good huntress..."  

[Whimsical Blue]

Vtla couldn't really answer her as she spoke to him, what with the animal in his mouth, but he nodded when she told him where they were heading. She would have to the one to lead, though, as he had never been near the dens of the earth clan before. Actually, he wasn't sure he'd spoken to a lot of earth clan members in general. One, perhaps, and not that long ago. But this was a good deal different. As they walked, he counted his steps, wondering if there was something to it he didn't know. Was stopping on an odd step really better?

He walked with her closer to the dens, putting the kill down, on an odd step just to be safe, when they were a bit nearer to the destination. "I'm a hunter too," he replied lightly, "but for the mantis clan. I haven't met a lot of the other clan members before. It's nice to meet you. What's your name?" He wasn't sure she had said it between the crying him helping her out.  

[Whimsical Blue]

The cream lioness was happy to walk in quite for a time, occasionally offering little things about the area and directing him where to step when he would have tripped on something. The companionship was good and it did wonders for her. By the time they'd reached the dens, she was back to her old self, if perhaps a bit more relaxed that normal. His solid prescence helped, easing some of the loss she'd felt since she'd left her sister.

She gave him a look of profound gratitude when he put the kill down, even moving on odd numbers as she did. Not many would have been so considerate to her needs and she felt unworthy of so much kind attention.

"Vtla, was it? Thank you so very much for helping me." She said shyly. "My name is Hanaa. You've saved me a lot of work by helping me out and I can't say just how very grateful I am. I don't like relying on people any more, but I'd forgotten how much easier it can be..." She trailed off near the end, speaking more to herself than to him.  

[Whimsical Blue]

Vtla smiled. She remembered his name. That counted for something, didn't it? Although his name wasn't very normal, it seemed short enough to fall out of the memory of those he spoke to very quickly. Maybe because he wasn't that easily remembered in general. If he turned out to be a boring creature, well, he wouldn't be entirely surprised.

He sometimes found himself bored when he was alone- bored with himself.

"No trouble at all," the lion told her lightly, "it's nice to meet you Hanaa!" He listened, nodding along. "I know that sense. Until I came here, I wasn't much for letting other lions help me, either. I always worried I would be betrayed. But with these pride members, I don't know, it feels like I can finally depend on others. I hope you start to feel that way more too. It's a great feeling."  

[Whimsical Blue]

Hanaa gave her a soft smile as she shuffled a paw.

"Well, I used to depend on people a lot... on my sister, that is. She took care of me like a mother. She made sure I was fed and sheltered and I had to do very little of anything... I'm sure it was a lot of work, especially with my problem... I felt bad about it, so I finally left Pacha." Her face fell at the memory, old sadness clouding her eyes. "I didn't want to hold her down anymore, I wanted to independent... but its hard." She sighed, switching her tail. "I try not to let anyone help me anymore, but sometimes, its just too much."  

[Whimsical Blue]

"You shouldn't think like that," Vtla told her softly, "I mean, it's great that you want to be independent, and I'm sure your sister is very proud of you for making that kind of a decision. However... I don't think you need to cut out all help from your life! You can't do everything alone, no one can. Anyway, no depending on people can be a very lonely thing." He smiled, glad their lives had been different. He wouldn't have liked her to have had a life like his.

"Anyway, if you feel like things are becoming too much again, you can come to me if you want to. I'm pretty easy to find," he chuckled, looking himself over. Large and dark- he stuck out a bit. "We can be friends! Friends help each other and it's not a matter of dependence. It's just what friends do, you know?"