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 Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 4:38 pm
Soft cream-tipped paws passed silently through the tall wispy grasses of the savannah, the lioness’ pale slender body low and lean against the ground. Her light colored coat made it slightly difficult to blend in at times, she was pale enough to stand out rather starkly against some terrains, but she never did all that badly when it came to hunting. Sometimes the prey got away, but that was just part of what happened. Win some, lose some. She never starved, so she wasn’t concerned at the moment. Golden eyes bright with anticipation, Keena let her body relax down to lay with her pale belly in the dirt, watching the rather large herd contentedly for the moment.
She was hungry, yes, but not starving and in no terrible rush. She could well afford to take the time to be patient and cautious and make sure she had a successful hunt. Some of her younger attempts…they were cringe-worthy. Mother Nature was a harsh teacher. But she’d learned well enough, and was fairly successful now. Her gaze drifting towards the herd on occasion, the lioness took the moment to appreciate the rather lovely day. Warm and sunny, a soft breeze ruffling her fur and keeping her from growing too warm.
Today, as most any other day, life was a lovely thing. She could hear the soft songs of birds, feel the lush greenness of the grass below her paws and the cool mellow of the dirt where her toes dug in playfully. The only thing that would make it any more perfect would be if she had someone to talk to...not that Keena was complaining or anything. She did fine on her own. But company was nice. Very nice.
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 8:17 pm
Bored and tired, the young god started to descend down, looking down on a herd that was grazing below. Having grown up in the God of Prey’s herd, he was use to grazing animals, and he felt no desire to eat them. Never once had he tried to hunt, and he never tasted blood. Without parents, no one gave him any, and without anyone to play hunt with, he lacked the training. Adding on the fact that he grew up around klipspringers, he was also sympathetic. For this reason, he felt safe around them, but as he landed down among them, they perked their attention up to look at him. While they could see he was not a normal creature, they could see he still looked like a predator, and they started to slowly move away, not sure to trust such a bizarre creature but at the same time keeping their eye on him incase he made a move to hunt anyone one of them down.
This caused him to frown, watching his company go away very slowly and moving not too far away to graze again. Frowning, he flicked his tail. Not a hunter, he did not smell the other mortal, but he did have a odd sense in him, a vague, indescribable feeling that he couldn’t decide what it was. If he knew any better, this was the sign a mortal was around, but he only shook himself and felt calm in the fact he was alone, meaning he could be completely open with having his wings out. “Well…so much for company.” Moving to the place where the herd had left, he went to a puddle and started to drink.
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 11:02 pm
Soft golden eyes rested vaguely on the herd some distance away, watching them with little real intent to pursue. She was still uncertain regarding how hungry she might be. They were too big for her to eat alone, and she did hate to risk wasting anything. If she was going to make a kill, then she would make the most of it. But she had time, plenty of time, to think and wait and see. Perhaps she might go elsewhere, find some pool or river or lake and fish instead. She was getting better at it after all, and practice only helped.
Speaking of practice…
Smiling softly to herself, the lioness reached out and snagged one of the flowers that bloomed intermediately throughout the area she’d wandered into that morning. She’d told Dysi she’d be better at these the next time they met and, while improving, it was still distinctly obvious that she’d a long ways to go before she’d manage anything like he could.
Slowly she began to relax, her wavering desire to hunt fading almost entirely as she very carefully cut stems and twined flowers together. Her paws were uncoordinated, her efforts clumsy still at best. But improving. Slowly, surely improving. The last loops she’d made had held together for a little more than an hour, and looked a good bit less battered and abused than the first one she’d made. That one had been falling to pieces before Dysi even touched it…
Remotely satisfied with her work of flowers, Keena’s eyes drifted idly back to where the herd had been, only to see that it had moved. Not the started panicked distance a sudden flight would have taken them, just a wary shift. Interesting. Glancing about for the cause, her gaze landed on what looked to be a young lion not too far off from where the herd had been situated.
When did he get there?
Puzzled, and intrigued, Keena scooped up her battered bruised little flower crown, not wishing to leave it now that she’d made it, and padded over to the stranger. A boy, it must be, from the look of his mane. But, so strange, how did a youngling of his age, he didn’t look to be that old, get so much mane? And what was that on his back? It looked like wings, but she could see no bird’s head attached to them. Actually, they matched his fur quite well, which struck as another odd thing… very strange and utterly unfamiliar to the wandering lioness. But…still…
“…Hello,” she called once she was closer, but still distanced enough to keep from startling him. Still, there wasn’t much she could do about the staring. It looked like those white and golden wings were actually part of him, but…how could that be?
Well…just because the young lion looked odd didn’t mean she ought to treat him any differently. Unless he asked it of course. “I was wondering…do you like flowers?” Keena asked, holding out the crown. It looked almost as though it wanted to wilt, but wasn’t quite ready to give up just yet.
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 10:09 pm
Licking his lips, the younger lion was checking out his reflecting in the water, admiring himself and reaching back to unbraid his hair to let it fall around him. He usually kept it up when traveling, but always loved when he could let it roll down. While it was very odd for someone his age to have a full mane, his went beyond that to tumble down his shoulders. It was something to admire, and Khuluma often got lost with preening himself and combing it. At the moment, he was dipping his paw into the water and then combing it with his claws, the only use he ever used his claws for as of yet, and smiling at how shimmering and beautiful he looked. The sun was out and doing wondering to accent the vibrant golds and oranges on his body, and he opened one wind to admire it alongside his body as if it was just a pleasant accessory than a part of him.
While he was being vain, he didn’t notice the female until she spoke, and he jolted, quickly standing and going on all fours to look about. It wasn’t hard to spot her. While she had taken the precautions to think beforehand and trying not to startle him, Khuluma was more frightened by her presence and the fact she was seeing him without being hidden as a mortal as he was often told he should.
This left him in a predicament as his mind raced with trying to figure out what he should do. What should he do?! He rarely spoke to mortals, and he never knew what he was expected to do or say. Something god-like, he was sure, and helpful! This didn’t help him all that much, and he wished he had had someone tell him how to go about this. Did he fly or just talk? Well, he did like talking.
Having had his mouth gapping open for a while as he thought, he shut it and found his voice. She was a mortal, a lioness, and had offered her flower crown to him. It was the sickly thing that caught his attention and reminded him of Narcissus, a leopon and one of the few other mortals he met that had taught him how to make a flower crown. He also found out the leopon was a mortal son to Lim, God of Pleasure. It brought back a warm memory, and he felt better about this female. Anyone who made flower crowns couldn’t be THAT bad, could they?
“I do like flower crowns, but from the looks of it, flower crowns do not like you.” He gestured to her dying flowers. What did she think of him? Didn’t she notice how different he was? “….Are you alone?” He wondered if he should be expecting to see more of them. THEN what would he do?!
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:53 am
Keena startled herself at the way the young lion...were those wings really a part of his body? Was he part bird? But that wasn't possible, surely not. But then...how? Still, he was a young, or at least somewhat smaller, person, and his being surprised made her jump slightly. And she instantly looked apologetic.
The lioness hated the idea of ever startling, hurting, or just upsetting someone. She would never let herself be a bother, though occasionally her desire to help made her slightly oblivious to irritation it might cause. She always stopped when asked to though, and never caused any sort of deliberate harm. So to find that she'd possibly upset the beautiful white and golden feline...bird... She didn't mean to at all.
She'd been about to apologize when his panicked look faded and he started to speak. Her body relaxed out of the tensed anxiety that had filled it when she'd been afraid she'd done something wrong, and she looked sheepishly down at the slightly bettered and wilting crown.
"No, they don't seem to yet. But I'm getting better," she assured him, not sure what to do with the crown now. If he didn't like it, maybe she shouldn't try to give it to him? "And yes, or I was before I came to say hello," she explained, shifting her weight slightly, wondering if it was rude to ask about the wings. Maybe it might be a touchy subject...?
"My name is Keena." Introducing herself was polite, it was good manners. It was not an awkward and potentially rude question, though she could hardly keep herself from staring at the beautiful feathers. She was curious...wings didn't seem like they grew on lions. Or leopards, or cheetahs, or hares, or...well. Anything but birds and bugs.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:20 pm
Khuluma was observant to visual queues, and he noticed her eyes staring at his wings. While it was too late to shift into a mortal disguise, he felt self-conscious that he was revealing a major secret about himself. A secret that could put him in danger and bring about unwanted attention. Pretending you were a mortal meant no one treated you any different or though you were much of a foreigner, but a god was something else entirely. He already met a storyteller who told him that mortals came up with stories, but weren’t really sure about gods at all. To be living proof made him aware that appearing before a mortal would probably be a big deal for them.
As of yet, this mortal, this lioness, had said nothing about his wings, but her eyes said she noticed. More than noticed, she wasn’t pulling her attention away from them, and he shook them a bit to free a few kinks in them, before looking at them. They were pretty, he knew, but he wondered if she thought he was….ugly or strange? Did she hate them or admire them? He hoped the later, but he had no idea how mortals felt about gods in regards to how they looked, and that mattered a lot to him.
“I’m sure you’ll get better. I just learned how to make crowns from a mor—uh, a lion-leopard. I should be punished for what I create.” He admitted sheeplishly, noting that his crowns and hers were pretty much the same. While he did many gestures, he wasn’t so good with his hands for intricate work such as tieing together stems.
“Keena, it is nice to meet you. I’m Khuluma, go – uh…….” He paused, looking at his wings and then back at her, once again noticing her attention to his flying appendages. “..well.” Was he suppose to introduce himself as a god? What was the procedure he was suppose to go about. Did she already know?
He’d test her out first. Slowly, he opened one wing. “What do you think about them?”
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:40 pm
From a 'mor-'? What did that mean? From a mor...mor...more experienced person? That might work, but why would he correct himself so fast? To avoid hurting her feels? Aw, how sweet of him. But she wouldn't have minded. She knew she lacked experience.
"A lion-leopard?" she repeated curiously. She'd not yet had the opprotunity to meet someone who was what was often termed a 'hybrid'. She was curious...but knew better than to think they'd be any different from anyone else. People were people after all.
She smiled when he introduced himself, laying the dead thing impersonating a crown of flowers on the ground. Keena had been about to say it was nice to meet him too when he paused to look at his wings. He seemed anxious, was he ashamed of them? Nervous? Did people give him a hard time sometimes because they didn't understand?
"What do I think of them?" she repeated, her head tipped thoughtfully to one side. "They're quite beautiful but...but I don't quite understand how you came to posses them," she confessed, hoping his feelings weren't to be hurt by her lack of knowledge. "I've only seen wings like those on a bird, never a feline, or dog, or hare or...anything else. Except some bugs, sometimes. And bats."
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:57 am
She honestly had no idea what he was, and he was left gapping, amazed that his wings were not a dead giveaway. All this time he had been afraid of mortals, and they had no idea about gods even if one was fully exposed right in front of them. Was he really this foreign, this bizarre, and this new that mortals couldn’t even start to guess what he was? What a sad state to think that gods weren’t as well known, but considering how many mortals he had flown over and how many immortals he had met, he felt there was a very large gap in their population.
Maybe mortals were kinder because they didn’t know, and easily tricked because they didn’t know they were up against. It was probably why a few gods had so much fun abusing their powers with them, and why many others liked being around them. Even as young as he was, he felt more informed than the much older lioness. At least when it came to his own side of the world – a world of immortals.
His eyes went to her confused gaze and then at the wilting flower crown at her feet. She seemed harmless and clueless, and the effect made her nonthreatening to him. It was this that made him lick his lips and look back up at her. For someone who didn't know him or what he was, she didn't show fear or hatred. Instead, she had only complimented him, something that made him smile. “Keena, what do you know about gods?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:33 pm
She watched him, curious and still a bit puzzled, as he seemed to be searching for a reply. She certainly hoped she hadn't upset him! But he didn't seem upset, just thoughtful really. So instead of saying anything, the lioness just watched and waited quietly for him to gather his thoughts. She had plenty of time, there was nowhere she needed to be, nothing urgent she needed to do. Patience had always come easily to Keena.
And then he asked her. What did she know about gods? It was an interesting response to her...oh. Really? That was...but...wow.
"Well..." she started slowly, thinking carefully, "Everyone seems to hold a different opinion of them. My mother used to say the gods willed things when she was unhappy...or I think it was my mother..." her ears laid back for a moment, uncertainly consuming her. Mother had forgotten her when she was small enough that remembering was hard...but she thought her mother had said something like that. She hoped it was her mother. "And I met a stranger who thinks all things have a spirit, and are thus cared for by gods. And someone else who thinks gods don't care when bad things happen to good people, that they're fickle and cruel and like to watch us like ants scurrying around a crushed anthill."
She paused considering the smallish lion with the beautiful golden wings, her tufted tail flicking briefly against her paws as she finally came to her decision. "But you don't seem like that to me. I know I only just met you...but you kind of seem like everyone else, just a bit. I hope that doesn't bother you," she added meekly, "I'm sorry I didn't realize right away, I've never met a god before and...well...I suppose I figured if you were real then you'd be far too busy for us."
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Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 6:46 pm
He didn’t know if he should find it insulting that he was compared to a mortal. It meant he was normal, but was he abnormal by god standards? Was he unimpressive or was he good at meshing well with others? These were all things to think about later, as he was finding himself ashamed more by the fact that she thought he would be busy. Honestly, he probably should be busy figuring out what his domain required of him, but he hardly knew what to do with himself and he didn’t seem to have any powers that he could see. There was no guidance or teacher for these things, and he was left giving a embarrassed smile with lowered ears.
“I guess I should be busy, but I have to first grow up before I can work. I’m still too young since I don’t think I have all my powers yet.” Or any, but he wasn’t about to reveal that much. “I’m glad I’m not that intimidating, though I didn’t think I’d be considered normal in regards to another mortal. I guess that’s a good thing. I’m not sure. You seem nice, and from my first judgment, that is only a compliment to be compared to you, a mortal. As for what other of your kind have said, all gods and goddesses are different. Some are very nice and caring to mortals, and a few others don’t care for being around you all that much, but that shouldn’t be held against us all. We wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for all of you. You should be very proud of your own power. I don’t think I’d be alive without mortals, which is why I’m told I should help out as much as I can. You’re one of the few mortals I have ever met. ” He felt that she should be honored by this, and he also was glad she was complimenting him once in a while.
“If you see anyone with wings, it’s usually a good sign that they’re a god or goddess, but some of us don’t have wings. I’ve met a lot of my kind and they’re all different, both with how they look and personality.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 1:43 pm
At his embarrassed smile and sheepish reply that he probably should be busy Keena felt a twinge of guilt. That wasn't what she'd meant at all! She was trying to think of a way to explain, he seemed to be so eloquent even though he looked so young. But gods were probably older than they looked, so just because he looked little didn't mean anything. He might be hundreds of years older than she was!
And then it was her turn to be mildly embarrassed, scuffling her paws in the dirt. She was certain that very few mortals ever got to meet a god. What was so special about her?
"Well, I...thank you," she managed finally, "I...I never meant anything bad when I said I thought you'd be too busy. I'm so very glad you'd make time for someone like me. I always wondered what you were like...and if you were really real," Keena admitted shyly, before the thought hit her. "You...you don't need me to help you with anything, do you?" she asked with some concern. What if this little god had been looking for someone for something, and all he'd found was her? A smallish young lioness with no real skills and nothing to offer him but a wilted crown of flowers.
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Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 10:51 am
While he didn’t know exactly what work he had to do in this world, he didn’t know what a mortal could do to help. Showing himself, even if it was just a accident and not preplanned, still gave the lioness the impression that he was summoned and was in need of her specific help. While he didn’t want to point out that this was all just a weird meeting and he had not thought of any real use for her, he didn’t want to make her feel as if she was not useful. She was a mortal, and seeing as he didn’t really know much about mortals, maybe he could help her feel important and needed while gaining some vital information.
Seeing no way this could turn out badly, he decided to pursue this avenue. “Well, I’m a young god yet to serve mortals, and my best way to help become a busy god is to know who I’m helping. Right? I have plenty of questions about mortals, and seeing as this is your first time meeting a god, I’m more than happy to return the favor in asking your questions. How about that? An even exchange of information where I get to become a better, more understanding god, and you can actually get the facts about gods that you could freely pass around. I’d like to point out that if you talk about me, that you don’t forget to mention my hair and magnificent coat.” He gave her a clever smile before sitting up a bit straighter.
“Well then, if you aren’t opposed, let me start. How is it best to introduce yourselves to others? Can I just walk up to anyone and introduce myself? I worry because, well, I am a bit small and….I don’t really know how to fight. I’d rather not get in any sort of fights. ” He held up a paw with his small claws in a very useless display of his abilities as a fighter. It didn’t help that he was raised by a pacifist.
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:25 am
Keena listened with interest at his explanation. Truly, it didn't fit in with the negative views she'd heard about gods, nor did it exactly fit in with her own explanation. If they were too busy, or perhaps too self-absorbed, to find time to care about mortals, then why would this young god be seeking to better understand them? They must have been wrong, though not completely. Khuluma had mentioned that all gods were different. Perhaps some did not care, though it would be unfair to judge them all based on the actions of a few.
She nodded at his suggestion, still wondering what could possibly be special about her. Well, she was safe to approach at least, and she'd learned not everyone was quite so easy-going. She'd had a little trouble learning it, took a few lessons before it really sank in. But still.
"I'd be happy to answer your questions," she beamed, trying to think of the best sort of way to do this. She didn't want to give him poor information! "Well...I would say...that if you want to meet someone you don't know you should make sure they're not doing something important first if you can. Like...if they're hunting, don't interrupt. People get upset when that happens." For obvious reasons. Such as...their dinner escaping.
"But I find that introducing yourself is a good way to make friends, so long as you try to...er...respect their boundaries," she decided, frowning faintly. "So...don't get too close right away, some people like a lot of personal space and find it upsetting if you get to close. And if they tell you to go away, you should," Keena added, "People who are listened to don't usually attack you right away,". Usually. Sometimes it was...strange. But what could she do about it? Sometimes people were just upset.
"Oh, and I've met a few people who don't like gods," she warned hesitantly, "So...so it might be best if...well, I don't suppose you could hide those pretty things..." Keena sighed, looking at the white and gold wings that seemed so very soft. They made for a poor reason to seek to harm someone but...well. She'd met a lion who enjoyed killing and eating others of their kind. There were seriously confused people in this world.
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:37 am
It seemed simple enough, though he wondered how much distance he should give before making his introductions and seeing if it was okay enough to approach someone. So far, mortals didn’t seem all that different to gods, though he had to remind himself that they all ate. He guessed that he might have to nibble here and there to avoid detection, or pretend to hunt. How would they take it when he had no experience? He guessed he’d meet that problem if and when he got there. For now, he needed the basics.
As for his wings, he frowned, but knew he’d have to do this anyways. He didn’t like making himself look smaller and getting rid of his wings, but he didn’t want to get attacked by anyone either. Turning, he looked at his wings and then slowly shimmered until they were gone, along with a small difference in size. Khuluma had seen a few younger mortals that were no way as large as he was, and he tried to get the right size for his age down. He still looked a bit big for his age.
“I can do that. I usually do try and hide it, but I didn’t think anyone was around. I guess I’ll hide them more often whenever I land.” He just liked grooming his wings and they made a great blanket. It always felt weird not to see them or to feel them moving around him, blocking the wind or the sun. “All of us gods can look like mortals or else that what I hear. I know a few who even live in prides and really like living with mortals. It’s why I’m trying to learn. I’m thinking that I might go to a pride and see what it’s all about. I would like to meet more mortals and prides seem to have a lot of them. Do you live in a pride?” he asked, wondering if what pride she was from was a nice one. He was sure whoever had her in a pride had to be a pleasant pride as he certainly didn’t want to go to a dangerous pride.
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 3:05 pm
Keena gasped in astonishment as the beautiful soft-feathered wings vanished just like that! She stared, swearing he'd been larger just a second before, though maybe it was her imagination, maybe the wings made him look bigger. Maybe...
"Oh my...wow...that...how did...oh, right," she shook her head. He was a god, of course he could do things like that. Honestly, she was acting like such a fool today! Wait...did he just say... "All the gods can look like mortals?" Keena squeaked. "So...so I might have met one before and just...never known? But...that's so..." the lioness shut up hastiliy, though she was still worried. What if she'd insulted a god by mistake? Not that she had any tendency to insult people, though she knew she'd annoyed one or two by mistake. She didn't mean to though! Swallowing, ordering herself to just relax, though she was certainly still excited about meeting a god for real, for sure, Keena turned her attention to his next question.
"A pride? No, I'm not from a pride," Keena sighed, then smiled faintly. "I like to travel and meet new people, most prides live in just one place. But there are ever so many with all kinds of beliefs. Uhm...there's one...I think it was in the swamps way back...uh...that way. East? I met someone near by who said he was on a quest to find his real name so he could be considered an adult in his pride. And...hm. Sorry, mostly I just meet other travelers, rogues I guess. I met a wild dog once, he lived in a pack, which is kind of like a pride only it's wild dogs instead of lions. He was nice though, they live...uh... in a foresty place. In...in that direction...if it...helps at all..." She was pretty useless really, if he wanted to know about prides. She'd hardly met anyone from a pride, since prides usually seemed to like to keep to themselves.
"I could go with you if you'd like, and help you to introduce yourself to a pride if you want. I wouldn't mind helping," Keena offered, "I'm pretty okay at talking to people, and I'm a good huntress and all, so...maybe I could help..."
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