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 Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 4:24 pm
 The herd of gazelle grazed peacefully in the afternoon sun, unaware that they were being watched by a young male lion. For the most part Wahadi survived on small game: rabbits, meerkats, sometimes lizards, if he was desperate. His ribs were beginning to show. He even scavenged, though he hated the taste of carrion. It wasn’t like he had any choice. If he turned his nose up at every carcass he stumbled upon he wouldn’t have enough energy to hunt live game. After weeks of practice he was ready to hunt real game. Hell, he was more than ready. He was determined.
Wahadi crawled through the tall grass, practically dragging his belly along the ground. Hunting in the savannah was much different from hunting in the swamps. The grass here was dryer and lighter in color. His dark tan pelt and blue mane stood out all too well, forcing him to rely on his small size to stay hidden.
Suddenly one of the gazelle lifted its head. Its ears stood erect, wide eyes scanning the savannah. Wahadi hunkered down and held his breath. The gazelle tensed its shoulder muscles. Some of the other gazelles took notice.
No, no, no, no – “s**t!”
He exploded from the grass, but the herd was already taking off. Wahadi noticed an older male lagging behind. He switched targets. The old buck looked over his shoulder as Wahadi rushed it from behind. Wahadi could see his reflection in the old buck’s eyes. Almost on top of him now!
THWACK!
 The last thing Wahadi saw was the bottom of the old buck’s hoof moments before it collided with his skull. Wahadi’s head snapped back as his body plowed into the dirt. The herd’s hoof beats grew softer as everything faded to black.Lhach's ears perked as she headed out to check the west border of the 'campsite' she and her family were making for the next couple of days. Odd...something had spooked a herd. They were running away from her direction, so that was good...which meant she could check it out! The dark lioness made her way over quickly and frowned when she didn't see anyone around. Had the spooker followed the herd?
No. The strong scent of SOMEONE still there said otherwise. She looked around, following her nose and her eyes...and then blinked as she came across the source of the scent. A male lion, mane not fully grown. And knocked out. Well...this wasn't good! Wouldn't do to just leave him here, since he was still breathing. She carefully grabbed the scruff of his neck in her mouth and proceeded to drag him closer to the 'campsite', towards a scrubby savanna tree.
Once there, she sat to wait for him to wake up...to make sure he was okay. 'Do unto others' and all that jazz. SHE certainly wouldn't want to wake up all alone after being conked out. Hopefully he wasn't hurt...
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 6:48 pm
Wahadi did not feel the teeth tugging on the skin of his neck nor the grass brushing against his side as Lhach dragged him to safety. There was a large red mark on his forehead where the gazelle kicked him. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be bleeding. His breathing was strong.
He lay unconscious for well over a half-hour. Finally, he started to show signs of consciousness. First his legs twitched. A few minutes later he started to groan softly. His nostrils flared. Someone was near, though his impressions of her were dim and limited to smell. Slowly, painfully he opened one eye, but his vision was blurry. The only thing he could make out was a large black creature sitting close by. He groaned and tried to lift his head, wincing as his skull filled with pain.
Lhach perked and grinned as he came to. Good! Perhaps he would be okay! Despite definitely having gotten hit pretty hard. Poor guy...He didn't look like he was made for hard hitting. He even looked a little smaller than most boys in the rogue lands she'd met.
"Hey...you doin' okay now? Looks like somethin' hit you in the head pretty hard. No blood...but there was a nice red mark." Maybe he was the one who had spooked the herd? He did look like he hadn't eaten right in a while...Maybe he wasn't good at hunting? Mommy had said there were prides where girls did all the hunting, and males just sat back.
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 7:21 pm
He heard her words more or less clearly, though he needed to think a few seconds before he could respond. It was as if there was a thunderstorm happening inside his head. He could hardly hear himself think. “What? W-who hit me?”
There had to have been a fight. After all he fought with other cubs all the time back in the swamps, except that he usually won. Even though he was smaller than other cubs his age he had the upper-hand when it came to experience. Well, he wasn’t going to let that son of a b***h knock him on his a** and get away! He tried to stand up but his legs slipped out from under him and he plopped back on his stomach like a new born cub, which would have left him deeply embarrassed if he could think clearly.
Lhach moved to offer him a support, should he try getting up again. She could easily support another's weight...her mother had trained her well. "I think you got caught by the herd of whatever that was spooked earlier." A pity she hadn't been there sooner...maybe she would have been more help in the present.
"There wasn't any other major, new scents around where I found you, other than me, you, and the herd. Everything else was kinda...old-ish."
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 7:56 pm
“I don’t remember anything about a… a herd.” His voice was soft and his words ran together a little. Since he tried standing up the pounding in his head had worsened. Wahadi grit his teeth. He felt like he had been kicked in the head by a zebra. If the black female was right, that might have been exactly what happened. Maybe he should stay down for a little while to rest his head. Once the dizziness wore off and his head cleared he would try again.
He rested his head on his paws – his limbs felt a little sluggish – and turned his head to look at her. Even when he squinted he could barely make out any features of her face. Eventually his vision started to clear up. She looked kind of cute. He smiled weakly. “My name’s Wahadi. What’s yours?”
Lhach worried a bit, remembering her mother would occasionally get like that after a really bad fight. She loved her mother but...well, Lith'elen didn't always have the soundest judgement of how injured she was. Made Lhach glad her mother cared so much about her and her sibs and father. "Maybe you just got caught up in it. They sometimes spook for the stupidest reasons. Paranoid."
She watched him, making sure not to make any quick movements. Or move much at all. She smiled when he asked for her name though. "M'name's Lhach! It's nice to meet you, Wahadi."
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 8:48 pm
Wahadi’s smile grew a little. Lately his mood had been improving each time he met a new face. Being so far away from home for the first time had a strange affect on him, making him more appreciative of the little things. “I’m kind of glad I got hit on the head, now that I’ve met you. Where are you from?”
Talking to Lhach probably wouldn’t make his head better any faster. His head was foggy, the pain made concentrating even more difficult, but he enjoyed listening to her talk even though it sometimes took a few seconds for him to understand what she meant. Maybe talking to her would pass the time a little faster. As long as she was here, he felt no need to try and stand.
Lhach chuckled. She'd never been one for girlish sounds, like giggles. "That's quite a compliment, since your head is probably pounding." She moved to lay down, so he wouldn't have to look up. Couldn't have made anything easier on him. "I'm...not actually from anywhere. Mommy and Daddy were born to prides...but me and my sibs were born in the rogue lands." She grinned. "We've seen all sorts of places, ever since we were big enough to keep up with our parents."
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 9:11 pm
“I’m from Jini-msemi. H-have you heard of it?” It took him a few seconds to realize that was a stupid question. His pride had to be miles away by now. That thought sobered him a little. He also remembered his older brother, Tana, who had gone off on his name quest a few weeks before Wahadi left on his own. He hoped he was alright.
“We’re a swamp pride… I’m out here because of my name quest. I have to find my true name before I can return to my pride. Everyone my age needs to do this.”
Lhach tilted her head a bit. The Jini-msemi? She hadn't heard of them before. But whoever they were...the way Wahadi spoke about them, they sounded intriguing! She chuckled again. "That sounds kinda like a good idea. Figure out who ya are, and see the world before you settle down. Mommy said she never knew who she really was until she met Daddy and left her birth-pride with him." Of course...she didn't really know ANYTHING about either pride her parents were born into. Not even the names. But she knew her mother's had something to do with why her mother was the way she was...
"Have you found yours yet? Or are you still looking?"
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 9:41 pm
Wahadi looked a little sad when she mentioned her parents. It was good that she knew them. Still, her mention of them made him long for his own mother and father, especially his aunt and foster mother Kabu, who he missed the most.
“Not yet. Right now I’m just trying to survive. I was a pretty good hunter back home, but out here everything is so different.” A practical lion would have asked for advice. The last lion he ran into had been extremely nice. He knew she would have given him pointers if he asked, but Wahadi preferred to work things out on his own. So far his strategy had been moderately successful. Though it was true he lost a lot of weight over the past few weeks, he caught enough food to keep himself going. If it hadn’t been for that kick to the head he could be eating gazelle right now.
Lhach nodded. "Once your head stops hurting, I could show you a couple of tricks, if you'd like. I'm pretty good at hunting open lands. Not so good in jungles or forests though. Never got the hang of that..." She chuckled sheepishly. "Guess it's cause of my size. I'm...well, I kinda noticed I'm bigger 'n most girls I've met." Not that she entirely minded. Meant it was easier for her to keep up with the boys and wrestle. Meant she could protect her future family well, like her own mother did.
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 10:19 pm
“I guess you are a little bigger than most. I hadn’t noticed.” Partly because everyone looked big to him but mostly because of the concussion. Fortunately, his vision was starting to clear up by now. It was also getting easier to concentrate, so his replies came more readily, although his head still felt like it was under a big rock. He tried lifting his head, grimaced in pain and put it down again with a sigh. “Thank you for everything. I hope I can find a way to repay you for your kindness.”
She chuckled. "Yeah...apparently, my whole family is kinda big. My twin's even bigger than me." She rolled her eyes. "He's such a bully at times. I love him...but argh." She knew her brother really wasn't bad...just...well, she'd noticed her family wasn't exactly 'normal', all thing considered. Not that she'd ever trade them for the world. Loved 'em too much. She blinked at the bit about 'repayment'. She laughed.
"Pfft! No worries. I just figured I'd want someone to help me if I got knocked in the head while alone." Her laugh faded to a chuckle. "Speaking of alone..." She gave him a questioning look. "Why don't you travel with me 'n' my family for a little? Wouldn't hurt to be around others for a bit."
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 10:32 pm
Was it acceptable to travel with someone else while on his name quest? He assumed he was separated from his sisters for a reason. On the other hand, had he learned anything about himself from his time alone, other than self-reliance? Maybe it would be good for him to live with a different family for a little while.
“That would be nice. Hell, maybe I could teach you a few things, too. I’m much better at hunting in the forest than I am on the savannah.” He smirked. “Plus I bet I could teach your brother a lesson about respecting women. I may not look like much, but I spent my childhood fighting in the swamps. I could even take my older brother Tana in a fight. He’s on his name quest, too. I was hoping I’d run into him out here but so far…”
Lhach liked this guy. He was pretty smart, and fiesty. "He kinda treats everyone the same...they gotta earn his respect, boy or girl. Mommy and Daddy are like that too. And...I guess I kinda am too. I judge people on who they are, not their gender." Her grin had softened into a smile. "I wouldn't mind learning how to hunt better in a forest. And maybe..." The grin returned, fiesty this time. "Maybe we could scrap, once your head's all better? I'm a pretty good fighter, myself! Not as good as Mommy but...not really sure I wanna be." Her mother's fighting smile sometimes scared her.
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 11:06 pm
“I’m the same way.” He smiled back at her. “Oh, I’d like that a lot. I haven’t had a good scrap in a long time.”
The more they talked the more certain he became that he was making the right decision by traveling with Lhach’s family. He didn’t know how long it would last but for now he didn’t care. He hoped he could learn something about fighting from Lhach and her family, too. The ability to defend himself and his loved ones from danger was extremely important to him, perhaps even the most important thing in the world.
Lhach nodded. "It's a deal than!" She got up and moved beside him, to provide him with someone to lean against if he needed it. "The camp's not far from here. And we're staying a couple of days, so there's plenty of time for your head to get all better." And get him a fuller belly. She was certain her mother would probably want to fuss over him and his lack of a full belly. Her mother was pretty adamant about eating well...Lhach wasn't certain why. "I think my parents'll like you...you're fiesty like us."
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 11:09 pm
“Just wait until my head is better. I’ll show you just how feisty I can be.” He closed his eyes tightly as he started to stand. Though his legs were still a little shaky he managed to support himself; it was mostly a matter of will power shutting out the pain in his skull. He leaned against Lhach, mostly for balance because he felt strong enough to walk and there was nothing she could do for the pain except give him some physical contact. He was weak, but her strength encouraged him to pull through and mask his discomfort.
"Sounds like a plan, Wahadi." And she started towards her family, careful not to move too fast or take too large steps. He could berate her for 'babying' him when his head was better. She'd happily take it. It wasn't often she ran across someone like him...of course, Lhach was rather certain she HADN'T ever run across someone like Wahadi...someone just a bit like her and her family. She liked this. She liked this very much.
((Fin~))
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