Li Wei 10:31 pm
(10:31:32 PM): He dropped down to the ground in a flurry of dust and cloud. The swirling winds vanished from under his paws and hooves as earth replaced sky. The dust fell behind him as he raced along the ground. Not a blade of grass bent under his feet, not a petal fell loose from the stalk. He slowed at a graceful and easy pace, allowing the dust to settle behind him. His mane, a large flowing banner of gold soon fell over one shoulder and trailed along the ground. The trip left him tired but far from winded.
The godling lifted his head to scent the area. He'd decended miles from the nearest pride. Now awakened to his abilities and what would be his role in life, he had taken the last few days to survey the many cultures dotting the savannah. His first judgement would have to be a defining one, a wise one... he'd never know the prides fully until he set foot into their boarders, but from a distance he could begin to understand the gravity of his task.
Licking the roof of his mouth, he slowly made his way to the small watering hole that had marked the location of his landing. Shaking out his mane and sending an arch of moonlight shining through the scales along his back, he made his way down the bank towards the water.
Aminah 10:35 pm
(10:35:32 PM): Down by the waterside, a female was presently taking a drink and getting ready for an evening of exploring. She wasn't from any particular pride and she wasn't really particularly special looking, just a lone lioness out and about. Upon noting the godling's arrival, she bowed her head politely in a small greeting but maintained her drinking.
Aminah was still not entirely sure on the concept of "gods", and the only one she'd ever knowingly met wasn't much of an indication of how deities looked or acted, so she had no reason to suspect this strange but pretty new arrival was anything other than a rather splendid sort of hybrid wandering the lands. So she had no reason to be anything more or less than polite and friendly to the newly arrived godling.
"Hello. Pleasant evening, hm?"
Li Wei 10:41 pm
(10:41:11 PM): The female went unnoticed right at first. Still a youngster, the god's power of observation hadn't fully developed. He was thirsty, the water was his first priority, the first thought in his mind. He stepped lightly onto the water and walked out a few paces. Small 'cloud' shapes swirled up from the surface and curled about his feet as he lowered his head. The water along the bank never tasted as pure as the water from the center of the water.
The female's greeting had him rearing upwards. The focus in his small 'flight' spell snapped, sending him bowling into the water. "WRAARRK!!!" He clawed at the air, attempting to find a foot-hold. Landing in the water with a loud splash and a flurry of water the godling looked about frantically. The curtain of gold now hung like a damp rag over his face. Paniced, he reached his paws out and parted his hair in half to peer out.
"Who's there!?"
Aminah 10:44 pm
(10:44:20 PM): "Hey! Are you all right?" Aminah darted forward to help pull the younger male to land. She wasn't that fond of swimming but he'd probably drown given all that hair and scales and such to weigh him down. The thought that he was some sort of powerful being and was generally able to walk on water went over her head for a moment out of concern for the other's well being.
Carefully, she helped lift Li Wei out of the water and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Scared me for a second there." she told him, idly brushing his hair and fur out of his face and patting his back a little to make sure he wasn't choking on water. He'd been able to speak so probably not, but this was what her mother had always done whenever Aminah or her siblings had fallen in.
Li Wei 10:48 pm
(10:48:05 PM): At first, he expected claws and an angry roar. He tensed up and tried to hide his face behind one of his paws. When it was a gentle touch and a voice filled with concern, he relaxed a little and rolled his head to one side, trying to get a look at his would-be savior. Once on land, the female came around and brushed the mane free from his eyes. He flinched away from her touch as her paw passed by his horn, the most sensitive part of his body.
He offered her a soft, welcoming smile and brought his paws back down to the ground. "Thank you... sorry about that I'm not normally this clumsy. Really."
Aminah 10:50 pm
(10:50:04 PM): "It's okay." Aminah laughed, "I didn't realize I'd startle you so much when I said hello." she assured the little male once she'd gotten him suitably settled down.
"My name's Aminah, who might you be?" she inquired pleasantly, taking a seat by the young god and helping him wring his mass of hair out gently. Her's was a little long so she had a feeling how hard his would be to get dry.
Li Wei 10:55 pm
(10:55:01 PM): He chuckled and began squeezing out his mane as best he could manage. His entire demeanor was so unlike a lion, it startled most he encountered. He sat with his hind legs sprawled, his back upright, and his paws squeezing his damp mane in-between them. Most likened some his behavior to a monkey when other times he was more gazelle-like than anything.
"I didn't either!" He admitted through his laughter. "I suppose I should work on that. I have to focus a little to keep in the air."
He blew at his bangs, sending them flopping over to the other side of his face.
"Oh... it's Li Wei. Most just call me Li...er... OH!" He brought his paws over his face and curled down behind his forearm. He wasn't supposed to show anyone his imortal form! Squall was going to kill him. "I mean... I'm an illusion. An illusion! You'll wake up soon!"
Aminah 10:57 pm
(10:57:11 PM): She cocked her head to the side, looking at him funny before laughing a bit, "Not supposed to be out looking all fancy, hm?" she inquired, removing the paw from his face with her own and smiling. "Don't worry, I won't tell."
Li Wei 11:02 pm
(11:02:31 PM): He peeked around one of his paws. She sounded....well acted somewhat like 'heve. It was enough to coax him out of his defensive state and back to wringing out his mane. "Alright... yeah I....I can't travel very quickly as a mortal. So I have to take this form to move quickly. I'm supposed to be more alert too...in case I have to run."
He shook one of his paws out and sneered at the wet fur that had begun to mat around the protective scales near his toes. For a god, he was downright pitiful. Even for a mortal he was small. Most gods his age towered over even the largest of mortal adults, he barely stood shoulder to shoulder with mortals his own age.
Aminah 11:07 pm
(11:07:22 PM): Aminah carefully moved beside the little male and set to grooming him a bit. He reminded her of some of her brothers, needing to be mothered and taken care of or they'd end up in trouble. Already a calm creature, she felt quite content grooming the little godling and helping him to dry off, though whether it was from his natural domain or a general enjoyment of being motherly, she'd never really know for sure. Not that Aminah had any idea what this being was god of, if he was even a god at all.
"You're not very used to having to clean up like this are you?" she asked, helping him with the paw he was dealing with.
Li Wei 11:13 pm
(11:13:30 PM): He gave her a grateful smile as she began grooming at his fur. He set to work on one of his paws, licking free some of the moisture that would quickly become a tangle if he wasn't careful.
"Hm?" He turned to her once more as she spoke up again, his tongue still sticking out his his maw. After a moment he sat upright and cleared his throat. Right...that dignity thing.
"Oh yes... I've just traveled very far, that's all. 'Heve grooms me all the time, she made sure I was clean when I left. But... it's dusty between there and here." He chuckled, "Do you help passing strangers like this all the time? Where are you from?"
Aminah 11:15 pm
(11:15:43 PM): "Well I don't usually groom strangers, if that's what you mean." Aminah laughed, "You just seemed in need of a bit of care. I do try to help people I meet that need it though."
"I come from a wandering pride. They're very private and tend to move soon as too many other groups come into an area so I didn't get to meet much of anyone growing up." she explained.
"So, tell me about this 'Heve. Who's she? Your mother, your sister, your girlfriend, what?"
Li Wei 11:19 pm
(11:19:14 PM): He smiled softly and gave a short nod of approval. It was too bad... it would be very difficult to grant any kind of blessing on a traveling pride. He'd have to figure out something else in that case. It would be the first time he'd heard of a traveling pride. A pride that relocated was one thing, constant moving about made things...taxing.
"Well thank you, I did need a bit of help." He flicked his soppy tail, sending another arch of water up into the air. Stamping his paws down on the long golden sail he bit his lower lip and cleared his throat.
"S-sorry...", clearing his throat again he brightened a bit. "'Heve's...my adopted mom. She lives in my patron pride." He puffed his chest out a little bit and raised his horn. "She's very kind... she helped me a lot. You remind me of her. Only...she can't talk."
Aminah 11:21 pm
(11:21:48 PM): "Mm no problem." she assured the godling, "It was my pleasure. Reminded me of why I want to have cubs some day." the lioness laughed sadly at that, "Part of the reason I left my pride - I wanted to see the world and start a family. They weren't too cool with that idea."
"Ahhh, you have a pride you're with? What're they like?" Aminah inquired curiously, she always wanted to know about other groups. "Well I'm sure she can still show you she loves you, even if she can't."
Li Wei 11:25 pm
(11:25:15 PM): "You'll make a very strong mother." He assured her, "Starting a family is very important...but you might want to get your world seeing done first. Cubs need their mother."
He tapped his chin and slowly looked around. "The world's very big too... there's so many places you can go. I've seen lands covered in nothing but sand, a sea that only the gods can drink from, water flowing from rocks, and places built by the beings they call...man." He shuddered. "They're scary though. Keep away, they have sticks with metal claws and sticks that call the thunder."
He smiled a little more. "It's very far from here... it's called En Gedi- that's where they're from. We had to move, the man found them."
Aminah 11:27 pm
(11:27:29 PM): "Of course they do. I've been seeing a lot of the world and I've realized I'd much rather settle down with a family instead. I saw more than I'd realized back when I was with my pride."
"So you ARE a god then. Or you've been somewhere they go." Aminah commented, "I'd wondered but you didn't look anything like Rama so I wasn't sure. That explains things then." Another little laugh at her own silliness followed that before she become serious once more at the talk of man. "Oh I've seen those before. They're part of the reason we had to move once. It was scary I was still a cub then."
"Oh. That's sad. But the pride, what're they like when they're not moving?"
Li Wei 11:32 pm
(11:32:04 PM): He nodded and slowly settled his paws down to the ground between his hooves. "It's fun to travel, but it's nice to have someplace to call home, to return to. Friends and family."
He cleared his throat and ducked his head. Oops...he wasn't very good at keeping secrets. "I uh...I've met a few of the others. I don't really fit in well with them though. They're all so big and powerful." He rubbed one of his arms and looked to the side.
He nodded slowly... it seemed the man things were a bigger problem than he realized.
"Oh they're in a new home now, they won't move anymore. They're very family-oriented. Big families too! Kingu has... he's got..." he stopped and counted on his claws. "...eight? I think eight... and then sisters and brothers."
Aminah 11:35 pm
(11:35:22 PM): "That's okay." she assured him, tickling the little creature with her tail, "I'm sure it's hard to fit in with everyone, but I'm sure you'll make friends with some of them. I met one before - Rama - he was rather nice. It takes a bit of getting used to him, but he's nice enough?"
"Wow! They do have big families. Maybe I'll look there someday. I don't know, I half think I'll just find the right mate one day and go wherever he goes." she said with a nod and a shrug. Li Wei was cute, counting on his claws and talking like that. It really did make her want to have cubs some day.
Li Wei 11:42 pm
(11:42:09 PM): He stifled a snicker and shoved her tail away defensively. "Don't! I'm ticklish- I don't wanna look worse." It was a half-hearted request if anything. In the time he'd spent among the Chokwe, they had impressed dignity and tact- two things he still lacked almost completely.
"Oh... uh..." He looked to one side then the other. Rama... it wasn't ringing any bells. "I don't think I've met him... I've met Ez! He's my friend but...we....can't be around eachother too long. His tail's all bloody, all the time...it makes me pass out. Then I get sick." He made an -urp- sound in the back of his throat. Just the thought of blood...
"Then there's Maua...she's my...apparently she's my girlfriend." He corrected himself. "I got a bump on my head when I died last- it was bad.. I can't remember hardly anything, so she's probibly right."
He nodded again. "Yeah... I want a family too. One day. But I have a job to do first. If I don't do it I let a lot of people down... there's a lot of places that need help."
Aminah 11:44 pm
(11:44:13 PM): "Look worse than what?" the white lioness asked, tickling him again in a playful fashion. He really was such a cute little one.
"I've never heard of Ez, but he sounds a little scary." she commented, reaching out to pet Li's back lightly when he started making noises. "Well it's nice that you have a girlfriend. Even if that seems a little weird to me." Aminah commented. Just being told that you were someone's mate or boyfriend because you couldn't remember things seemed odd, but they were gods so maybe that was normal for them.
"What sort of job is it?"
Li Wei 11:49 pm
(11:49:06 PM): Li practically squealed with laughter, a sound something between a child's laugh and a zebra's whoop. He promptly clapped a paw over his mouth and slowly looekd over to her. If he was able to blush, he'd have gone beet red.
"...like that." He swallowed and slowly set his hands down. "...well he's not...some of us look scary because of our domain, but we're not... like Maua...she's crazy, but...she tries to be nice? Really hard too....she brought me a dead rabbit once for a pet. It was... well it made me sick but it was a nice thought." He shook his head, half hoping that he could shake the thought from his head.
"Oh... my job...well..." He twiddled his claws in front of him and slowly flicked his tail. "It's real hard... and dangerous. I keep dying because they get mad but... I gotta travel to the prides, all of them if I can. It's hard to find them sometimes and there's always prides that...disappear or pop up, like flowers I guess. Anyway, I have to go there in disguise and try to learn them a bit. If they uphold peace, if they keep the balance, and if their ruler's a good one, I bless them. If they're bad I gotta tell them how to get better then...run really fast. The last one caught me, but I got trapped in the earthquake. That's all I remember...and birds. Angry birds everywhere."
Aminah 11:51 pm
(11:51:21 PM): She laughed lightly and pat his head, "I think it's sweet." she assured him.
"Well, I'll have to meet them one day, if you say they're nice I'm sure they are." Aminah agreed with a nod.
"That sounds horrible." she seemed shocked by his story and instinctively pulled Li Wei in for some semblance of a hug, mostly out of nervousness for him. Poor baby, he was out tryign to make things better for people and they kept KILLING him?
Li Wei 11:57 pm
(11:57:45 PM): "Some of them." He cautioned. "There's others... you need to stay away from. I've not met any bad ones just yet...but I've heard terrible things....sometimes the gods wage war on the mortals.." He shuddered. "Just be careful..."
The sudden hug earned a yelp and a confused tip of his head. He hung his paws loosely in front of him and slowly looked up to the older lion. ".....thank you..." He offered shyly. What a weird gesture- maybe it was a cultural thing. He'd have to try it out on someone else. Later. Someone he knew wouldn't throddle him for it.
Aminah 11:58 pm
(11:58:47 PM): "I meant your friends." she said with a blink and a light shudder before letting him down.
Li Wei 12:03 am
(12:03:14 AM): "Oh!" He sat back and gave another chuckle, "Yes, they're definately safe. You'd like 'heve... and Mut's a little scary looking. He's huge too! But he's good. Courage- that's his domain, he's the one that picked Squall out to be my guardian...but he's really quiet. 'heve talks more and she's a mute!"
He rolled up to all fours and gave a slow sigh. "I... I gotta be going now. I can't stay in one place for too long. Hey! We can meet here again later on though, I want to hear about your family when you get one! And meet your cubs. I'll tell you how my job's going and if Maua's really my girlfriend."
Aminah 12:06 am
(12:06:06 AM): "Okay!" Aminah agreed, nodding and flicking her tail a bit. "I'll find a way to contact you when I have cubs so you can meet them. And you'll have to come back and let me meet your friends and family one day. Don't forget!" she tickled him a little with one last flick of her tail before backing up a bit so the godling could take off or run or whatever it was he did. "Good luck, Li Wei."
Li Wei 12:08 am
(12:08:22 AM): He licked his paw. Well the unexpected dunk had been enough drink for him, the grooming had helped a bit..even if it did taste muddy. There was a lot of traveling left to do.
He scratched at his shoulder, eventually loosening a scale from his shoulder. He slowly lifted it up and held it out for her. "Here. From me. I don't have feathers like the others...that one was coming off anyway."
He rose to all fours and gave another shake, sending his mane sailing out to one side. "How about...in three full moon's time? I can keep track, I'm really good at that."
Aminah 12:09 am
(12:09:52 AM): "Oh, thank you very much." she said, taking the scale and smiling at it. It was very pretty, after all, though she wasn't quite sure what to do with it.
"Sounds good! I'll be waiting!" She called to her new friend and watched as he flew away. Well that'd sure been interesting! Not that she'd be telling anyone about it - that'd probably cause a problem.
Li Wei 12:11 am
(12:11:18 AM): He offered another smile and a dip of his head in a more formal farewell. At least Feng's lessons in manners hadn't been lost on the thick-headed youth. He turned sharply, bolted outwards and in a few long strides jumped into the air. What would look like clouds collected around his hooves and feet once more as he ran through the air, eventually fading into the distance.
