|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:14 am
Another hunt, and another chance to find some stories. He never bothered asking to be one of the 'official' story gatherers, as he wouldn't want to be away from the pride for too long. The caves were enjoyable, and there were still some young ones (or young at heart) to scare with delicious stories of tragedies and murders.
He was hoping to find something, but in the end he only was able to catch dinner, and not a meal. Stupidly the lion wandered a bit too far outside of the lands, and dragging the carcass would take the better part of the rest of the day to return it. He had thought about abandoning it, but that wouldn't do. What a waste for the vultures to get a free meal and he not get anything in return. Instead, he took a break to catch his breathe and let his muscles relax.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:16 pm
Kizuka'nafsi had caught the alluring scent of the kill from some ways off. Her stomach was growling, and so she followed her nose only to find herself several hundred feet from the multi-brown colored lion and his kill. She tested the air hesitantly, hunger growing in her stomach from each whiff of the kill she breathed in. She couldn't tell from where she stood whether or not it would feed the both of them, but she damn hoped it did.
The white lioness kept herself close to the ground, waiting for the male to spot her. She was not sure if he was friendly, or combative, and did not wish to stroll closer in the off chance he'd give chase. The last thing she needed was to be taken down with children back in a den waiting for her, as well as a worried sister and mate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:41 pm
Mwovu wasn't blind. He had caught a slight movement of white, figuring that it was a large bird settling down for a rest. It sure was having a long rest, as some creatures would want to eat the scrawy thing as a snack. He glanced back over to the spot where he thought he had seen it, but there wasn't anything there. "Hmmm... that's odd." He tried to shrug it off, but it just didn't feel right.
He decided to test something. It might have been a vulture, or some weird hyena or something. He grabbed a bit of the carcass, a chunk ripped off with his teeth. He didn't want to carry the whole thing back anyway. He tossed it over in that general direction, sure that whatever it was had shifted a bit. And he waited, not looking at it, but letting his ears ready for any sound of movement towards that "offering".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:50 am
Auugghhhh, she was so hungry. When Mwovu ripped a chunk of meat from the carcass and flung it out into Kizuka's direction, she didn't even take them time to think before she went running to try to catch and eat it. Hunger caused stupid decisions within everyone, especially Kizuka as she found herself scarfing down the offering in plain sight of Mwovu.
Her stomach rumbled pleasantly as she ate the offering and felt a small sense of relief. Kizuka had come out to do some hunting herself, finding herself terribly out of practice from the weeks of teaching and breast feeding small cubs. Her stomach still sagged a bit from the pregnancy and her breasts were still swollen, obvious signs she was still breast feeding.
Hungry little bastards were what they were, though Kizuka felt terrible thinking that way. She was just so crabby from the lack of sleep. Her only consolation was they were now old enough to be shoved into the gaggle of pride cubs, so she would be able to have a breather now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:28 pm
Mwovu grinned wickedly. He felt so smug, knowing that there was something there, and being right. It was good being right. He shifted his position to watch the mostly-white lioness scarf down his little "offering", his maw hanging open in laughter. Well, at least it wasn't a vulture; they never liked to stick around long and converse. Maybe she would, with a little more charity given.
He ripped off another small bit, and awkwardly tossed it towards her, as it didn't fall as far as it had the first time. He watched her carefully, wondering if she had eaten well at all lately. He didn't know much about the toll of cubs, and what it could do to someone.
"Hungry?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:10 pm
Kizuka quickly went after the morsel that Mwovu had thrown to her. She felt a little embarrassed to be seen in such a way, pitifully taking scraps given to her, but she was starving, and those cubs were milking her dry of everything. Also it was her own fault for being so stubborn about insisting on hunting herself.
"Very..." She said quietly, finishing off the piece given to her and settling down before the unknown lion warily.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 1:04 pm
He continued to watch her, feeling amused. Mwovu never felt pity. At least, he hadn't come across a situation where he felt pity, and this wasn't it. Maybe if she was bleeding to death, but she was only hungry. Mwovu never weighed the severity of hunger, as he never went too hungry.
The look on his face was pretty guarded, watching her with eyes half open. He weighed the pros and cons of a thought in his mind, and decided to throw out the cons. He didn't want to carry this whole thing back anyway.
"You can eat no more than half," he warned, slipping just a bit away from his meal to let her eat more than the scraps he was tossing her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:02 pm
Kizuka looked slightly startled by his response. The only other lion that had been so nice to her that was not even within her pride was Spenta, and it had been so long since she'd seen him and been treated so nicely that she almost forgot generosity and kindness existed out in lands that were not her pride's.
"I...," She began, her voice quiet, a little ashamed of being given hand-outs, "Thank you..."
Kizuka fed quickly, only taking enough to satiate her hunger and give her some energy. She did not want to take so much from a kill she had not made. She moved away quickly to give the male some space. She had already imposed on him enough.
"I apologize..." Kizuka said, "I did not intend to become a burden upon a stranger, but I appreciate your kindness. I am Kizuka'nafsi, who are you? So I may make an offering to the gods to bless you for your kindness."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 6:33 pm
Mwovu watched a bit, but he thought it would be awkward for one to outright stare at someone eating. He glanced out along the horizon, wondering if there were more with her. He didn't see any other suspicious movement, just some lions moving here, some prey moving there. The normal activities of the rogue lands, where no one claimed a specific area.
Once she had finished, as she must have to be talking so much, he glanced back over there. "Eh," he grunted, wishing he could wave off her worries. "I didn't want to carry the whole thing back to my pride anyway, since I wandered off further than I should have." He was, however, amused that she wanted his name. For offerings? He wouldn't say that he didn't care for gods, since that might ruin any bit of conversation he could get from her. "I'm Mwovu, a pleasure, Kizuka'nafsi."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:21 pm
"You are from a pride as well?" Kizuka asked, even if it was redundant since he had so obviously said he was. She was simply glad to talk with someone, honestly. Everyone she had seen that day had done nothing but drive her off or attempt to attack her and it was dampening her hunting spirits. Aside from not actually being able to hunt successfully. "Which pride are you from, Mwovu?"
Kizuka relaxed some as the began to chat mildly. She always seemed to relax quicker around those who were talkative than those who stayed stone cold quiet. That was a learned behavior for her, especially given her new role in her pride. She had to learn quickly to get over her own insecurities with speaking as everyone began to rely more and more on her for advice and input.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:33 pm
Now, he wasn't used to any interest in what pride he was from. It was taken for granted that some lions seemed to think other prides were like their own, and he couldn't blame them. A lot of lions didn't know anything but their homeland, and maybe a bit about the rogue lands when hunger drove them further than normal. He felt a little proud, since he never really explained why he gathered stories. Most lions just seemed happy to talk about the dark parts of their past.
"The Mtango'bui," he explained. "A pride of story keepers. Though I am a hunter, being out away from the pride's borders gives me a chance to find what stories I can from those that I meet." He didn't think to explain the whole living in a cave thing, since that didn't always go over too well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:46 pm
Kizuka looked almost entranced by the thought of a pride of story-tellers. She had heard of them at some point from the scouts that ran about gathering information from the pride. She felt honored to meet one of them, she was also a little excited, her light gray eyes a bit brighter than normal with the mention of stories. She had completely forgotten of her hunger.
"That is fascinating, Mwovu. I have heard of that pride, from our scouts. I am so pleased to have met someone from such an interesting pride," She smiled softly, "What stories do you collect? Sad ones? Tragic ones? Happy ones? I have many stories from my pride. Stories of strife and heartache, happiness and new life. Conquest and the righting of wrongs. My pride is full of them. That is if you'd like to hear of any..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 1:11 pm
Mwovu grinned wickedly. This was always the best part of meeting someone. "I prefer the darker stories. Ones that do not have happy endings." Should he really go into depth? He decided that leaving it a little open would intrigue the lioness to pick something good. "There is always a lesson to be learned from them, and I teach those on the younger generations the warnings in these stories." He lied through his teeth, but it was a good one. He always glamorized the stories he got, and used them to scare the younger ones, but they needed it once in a while. Kept them on their toes.
"I would love to hear one, if you have one to share," he replied, so content he could almost purr. Excellent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:01 pm
Darker stories? Well, he did have a point. Darker stories generally held some sort of moral to them, but Kizuka did not know of any dark stories that held anything in which Mwovu could teach to the younger generations. Only ones that would cause them to feel sadness, or fear.
"Stories with no happy ending?" Kizuka asked rehtorically, thinking to herself. My life is a story with no happy ending. She tapped a paw to her muzzle quietly. She could tell him of her family, her devoted sister, praiseless father, and tragic death of her dutiful mother. Or perhaps....Perhaps herself. She sighed, "I'm afraid I have two stories you may find interesting, and I am at a loss of which to choose. So I shall let you decide."
Kizuka sat up on her back legs, letting her front ones free to gesture. It was also something she picked up in her time being the leader of her pride. It helped ease her nerves if she could show her feelings not only in words, but in movement.
"Both are of a lionesses," she began, "The first is a tale of two sisters whom tried to help save their mother, who in her own worry for her daughters, attempted to cross a raging flooded river to make sure they were safe. And the second is of a lioness, who fell in love with a man she had only just met, and whom she lost in the same few days, the jealous brother of the male who caused ruin wherever he walked, the yellow female who fell victim to the jealous brother's ruin, and the litter of cubs that resulted from the lioness's brief romance with the man she loved?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:28 pm
Mwovu was a little amused at her sigh. He let his tail flop behind him, feeling joyful that this hunting trip wouldn't only include bringing back part of a meal to share. He probably shouldn't show how content he felt, but he didn't care much. He only cared about the story, not the one that was telling it. Even if came from personal experience.
He had been a little intrigued about two stories, but the second one sounded too similar to one he had gotten a while ago. "Wait, wait, wait. I've already heard the second story." And that didn't happen very often. "You must be the girl that Spenta spoke of in his account of the tale."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
