|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:16 am
 He wasn't quite sure how long it had taken him to trek through that damned maze, or even when his brain had started kicking into gear. It had taken him awhile, that was for certain, and though he wasn't starved thanks to a food stash he'd stumbled upon before entering, the lion certainly wasn't very happy with the amount of time it took him to get out of there. Heck, he was lucky the blasted thing had an ending at all! It was a rare occassion when the striped male felt so riled over anything, but the labyrinth had tested the bounds of his patience. And what about now? He could see the end of the maze-like structure, but hardly dared to believe it. What had started out with a dead, barren wasteland most certainly couldn't end in something like this. No more than a few paw steps away was the begining of sparse grasses, and beyond that a lush field of green carpeting the surrounding area. How on earth could he trust his eyes to be seeing what he thought they were showing him? He couldn't. And yet as much as he distrusted this haven the large male couldn't help but shake his mane at the thought of staying in the labyrnith much longer. Darned thing probably would have been the death of him if he hadn't gotten out when he did. Jutting his bottom jaw out in a show of his mood, Don stalked through the exit and stepped into the field of green.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 11:50 pm
 Ragdoll had been watching him; for a while now really. The Hoggles had picked him up before he'd even gotten himself onto the path that lead to the dead river bed. They'd told her he was a big boy. She was happy to see they hadn't told her wrong. And he had made it through the pride's sort of test. That was good...
She smiled to herself as she hid in the over grown grass covering the hole to the entrance of the dens. She would wait for him to turn around; look at something else. Maybe even go hunt one of the prey beasts in the field. She always liked doing that. IT was her favorite part of the pride; of her status in the pride. It sort of made her feel what their own goblin god must feel when he's sneaking up on others.
She smiled to herself. As she wiggled her shoulders and clawed at the dirt underneath her paws she couldn't help but be excited. All the rest of the pride were underground in the dens. They'd been informed a new comer was in the lands; and once close enough they would all be brought back into the dens to wait for the new comer to be properly greeted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:44 am
If this were a trick of his eyes there was no way he'd be feeling the sensation of grass under his paws right now, and that's exactly the sort of thing that would have disproved this thing's even existance. However, he did feel the grass, smelled it, scratched at it, anything short of actually eating it. It was real alright, which meant he really had gotten himself out of the maze and there really was a sort of haven at the end of it. Of all the things that could have been on this end of the labyrnith, this was probably the most surprising of all, especially since he half expected to see some sort of group just waiting to ambush him around the first corner. That had not made for a comfortable journey through the last bits of the maze, that was for certain.
Now that he was out in the open though, Don'Zaraasir was almost relieved at the sight of a small herd of what he would only refer to as food. It didn't matter they animals were, just so long as the hooved creatures could fill his belly- a rumbly one at that. An experianced hunter, Don immediately dropped to a crouch, his attention now fully on a single individual of the herd as he crept forward. Normally his coat gave him an advantage out in the rogue lands with the tall, dried grasses, as he nearly seemed to blend in without much fuss. It wasn't in regards to hunting that got this thought to stop him out right, but something else that still clung to the back of his mind like and buzzed around like all bad ideas did. In one fluid motion the male had pivoted in his crouched position, now facing the exit of the labyrinth once more, body tense as if he expected something still to ambush him. Why else would there be a haven like this at the end of such a horrible place? To say the least, the male was suspecious.
For a moment his gaze drifted across the field, noting nothing other than the prey beasts he had started hunting. But whose to say that wasn't the plan? Lure him into hunting after who knows how long without food, and strike when his back was turned. It seemed sensible to the large lion, a plan even he would think to implement if the tables were turned. Now of course he wasn't sure just who he thought would be waiting in the wings to attack him, but surely that had to be the plan. Right? Right? The situation just felt so... odd. Too good to be true, right down to the core. With a flick of his tail, Don lowered himself onto his belly, and finally followed onto his side with a dull thunk, still facing the exit of the labyrinth. If this little act of fatigue didn't draw his attackers out, then nothing would. It was the only sure fire way to know if he was truely alone right now, or if he was about to be ambushed. Either way, he'd deal with it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 6:56 pm
Rags knew what he was doing. She could see it easily. Trying to trick her like that. As if he wasn't aware there was someone waiting for him. Well... at least he was somewhat intelligent. Most of those that found their way to the kingdom beyond the labyrinth went straight for a prey beast as soon as they saw them.
She jumped through the grass and trotted out towards him smiling widely; in a sort of disarming manner. Fit and in shape once more now that the cubs had been born. She raised her head proudly though not in a royal fashion; she was not royalty after all....
"Hello stranger~" She called to him. Coming to a stop a good distance away. Holding herself upright and her neck straight as she looked him over waiting for him to react. "That must have been a hard travel to the center of the labyrinth. Why don't you go and get yourself a prey beast? No one would stop you. You must be hungry with the little food that you've had so far." She called to him. Motioning her head towards the herd of prey.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:25 am
Some quick rustles of grass caught his attention, but the voice he heard and the face he looked up to wasn't exactly the war party he had expected to meet. Well... that was somewhat surprising, to say the least. The large lion blinked once and flicked an idle, straining to catch any other stray sounds that might alert him to lurking comrades of this seemingly pleasant lion. None presented themselves. That was a reassuring in a way, and troublesome in another, but at least there wasn't an ambush to deal with.
Therefore, Don lifted his heavy head from the ground and craned it in the direction of the one who had greeted him, even assurring him it was alright to grab a quick bite to eat. He would have thought this a trap, but her demeanor was indeed disarming to the paranoid male. He couldn't help the lopsided smile that came to his maw, a pleasant expression if nothing more, as he rolled over to his belly and pushed onto all fours. Slowly, so as not to seem as though he were hostile- at the moment. If the situation proved to be otherwise, he'd be ready for it.
"Perhaps I shall, but my stomach can wait a little while longer.," he assured her, keeping the respectful distance between them, though taking small, slow steps forward so they didn't have to call out so loud to hear one another. "First I would like to know where I am, such a place as this after transversing the terrain of the 'labyrinth' as you say, seems unfathomable to me." And it really did. Had he not just traveled through a barren forest no more than a day ago? Perhaps he had stumbled upon some holy land, or this was a mirage created by his mind's eye, either way it was hard to swallow as truth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:07 pm
((HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY 8D ... I totally had this open to respond to it ON your birthday... but we both see how that turned out XD))
Rags smiled a half sort of smile at him; ease and comfort clear in the way she presented herself to him. She wasn't worried that he was bigger than her; becuase she knew when he got a better look at her markings; she'd unnerve him a bit.
"This place?" She replied sweeping her head around to look at it in a found manner. It had taken her so long to get back here; and now that she was... no matter what the circumstance; she was awed by it. "This is the field with in the labyrinth. Only Goblins live here. No lions; no leopards; no wild dogs; no cheeta's~ Just the goblins and their prey." She told him motioning towards the prey beasts in the distance.
Most people didn't know about Goblins; and that was alright with her; that's how the pride would have preferred it. They were the things that gave a parents warnings a real kick to it. They were vague and unnerving; hiding around the edge of the world ready to snatch someone up; or play a prank. And the worse you looked the better you were.
"You should feel a bit honored; you made it through becuase we wanted you to." She lifted up her back legs and made her way to him with a lazy sort of ease their old king; a sort of movement she saw as an art form. She circled him; wide enough to not make him feel threatened before moving a bit closer to him to eye him up and down. "didn't you feel~ that as soon as you found that dried out river bed; you were being watched? Didn't you find it strange there was food and water at the entrance of this place?" She tilted her head and smirked at him; showing all of her teeth on the portion of her face furthest away from him.
"We've been watching you~" She contemplated using his name for a moment but decided against it. "We Goblins are everywhere~ and I must say. I appreciate the way you feel it's every lion for himself. That's our philosophy as well. And I'd like to extend the offer of becoming a pride member."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:12 pm
((x3 Thanks! I wasn't online much that day, so no problem.))
"Goblins?" His brow raised just slightly, hardly expecting to hear a 'ghost-story'. Now there was a term he hadn't heard since cubhood- goblins. His mother use to tell him and his siblings stories about creatures who came in the night to steal misbehaving cubs from their parents. And to be honest, Don had thought them silly stories back then, and had completely pushed them out of mind as he grew. It sounded ridiculous to bring them up once again now that he was an adult, but the large lion did feel his hackles rise just slightly. Everything in this place just seemed so... odd. As if something wasn't quite right, and that included this mysterious lioness. Her style of walk was not lost on him, nor was her comforting presence. Like everything else in this place, he hardly believed any bit of it.
Don had stopped his own approach to allow her to circle him, and though his features were relaxed he trained his ears to her and her movements. "Let's suppose I did feel as if I was being watched. Whose to say I wouldn't have turned hostile at that point, what then?" he replied in a guarded fashion, eyeing the female as she stepped into his sights once more. Sure, he hadn't, but it was a possibility. If what she was saying was true, how would they expect to fend off such an attack? There was always the possibility someone could make it through that labyrinth just as he had, and Don wasn't exactly the brightest of the bunch, so that upped the likelihood in his considerations of the situation. Call it a morbid fascination, maybe even curiousity- he wanted to know what would have happened if he had proven to be a danger to these 'goblins'.
It wasn't just this place that had something odd with it he realized, but its inhabitants as well weren't exactly what you would call normal. Her hide certainly seemed strange, almost as unfathomable as this little haven. Still, the lion could do nothing but believe what was right before his eyes, and right now they were telling him that this strange things really did exist. There wasn't much else he was expecting to surprise him, but the lioness had done just that once more by throwing a bit of personal information his way. How would she possibly know that? And... what? Oddly, he wasn't as shocked to hear the offer as he would have expected, in fact, he felt more at ease because of it.
His tail flicked out behind him, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated the situation. He had been a rogue and on his own for quite some time, and had done well enough by himself. "So, a pride where everyone is expected to take care of themselves. None of that 'all for one, one for all' garbage?" he mused aloud, obviously pleased by the sound of it. "What's the catch?" because obviously, in his mind, there had to be one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:47 am
"If you had turned hostile~ we would have just LEFT you in the labyrinth on your own. We've got enough booby traps set up to have caught you eventually. Trust me; we're a well protected pride. We make it our business to not be caught unless we want to be." Rags told him firmly. And it was true; when this pride had been founded it had been made the mission of the pride to find the perfect little hidey hole; and here it was. They'd lost a few of their best to the natural traps of the labyrinth; that's how they'd known how valuable this place really was.
She shrugged not really thinking that it mattered; they'd mourned the loss and it's not like they'd died in vain; at least they now knew where the really dangerous holes were.
"But that's not the point~ The fact of the matter is you didn't turn hostile. And we didn't have to dispose of you." She smiled at him genuinely now. "It would have been a shame too; you seem to me to be quite a capable male." He was rather large after all; and they needed big males.
"Catch?" she asked; her smile turning into more of a smirk; impressed with him really. "No catch~ and no; we don't believe in that garbage. If someone can't take care of themselves then they'd better be near death for us to take care of them as well. And once the person seems healthy enough; they can go back to pulling their own weight. Of course pregnancies are an exception..." She added on as an after thought.
"The only 'catch' i can think of is that we don't really exist~ so talking of the pride to an outsider is prohibited unless the king himself tells you too. That and you'd be expected to take on a job... I say you'd be a perfect match for what we like to call a Ludo. You're big and muscular. We need more males like you among our ranks.".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:23 am
At her explanation the male craned his head around to look back at the labyrinth. It had been unsettling before, while he walked its path, but now it was even more so knowing that it was potential even more lethal than he had intially thought it to be. As he had thought before, that blasted thing could have very well been the death of him. His lips twitched at the thought, though neither in a small nor a scowl, he wasn't quite sure just how that made him feel. Enough of that though, he had been allowed to make it through, and that's really all that mattered to the tawny male.
Don turned back to the lioness just in time to catch her smiling at him, and merely huffed out the very first syllable of a laugh before it died in his throat. "Well, that's something to be thankful for", he replied. If any signs of tension had showed in his demeanor before, they were gone now. Zip, zilch, notta. Truth was, very little ever bothered the striped male, and now knowing what he did about the labyrinth and that no ambush was waiting in the wings, he was quite the content fellow. Not exactly happy, but certainly not depressed, sarcastic, or hot-headed about the situation.
It was his turn to be impressed now, especially hearing there was a whole pride that lived just how he strived to lead his own life. If this wasn't a 'perfect match', than he'd never know the meaning of the phrase. "Now this is something I can get along with, especially if everyone else is expected to take of themselves- for the most part. He really couldn't complain about having to help the sickly or the pregnent, and he certainly wasn't going to start. They were exceptions he could deal with, and he would do what he could to help... though he imagined it would still be annoying. "It's a good thing I'm needed then, I would have hated to not make it to this place in one piece. Ludo. Interesting term, what exactly is a Ludo?" If one had to be big and muscular he assumed it had something to do with fighting, but he could be wrong. That's certainly happened before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 12:08 am
"You're the guard. The first defense. Depending on the schedule and the position you're assigned to for the day or night; you will be assigned to a Hoggle. A hoggle are the tricksters of the pride; they go out and decide if someone is fit for our pride or not. When a rogue lander finds their way into our lands; even our outer borders in that dead forest; they find them. And you and the other Ludo's are there to make sure nothing happens to them. They're brains after all; not brawns."
She told him in a sort of snobbish way; or maybe in a sort of jock like way. She knew she had more power behind her strikes than she did behind her strategy after all. If she hadn't been so good at sewing; she herself would have been a Ludo.
"If you prove useful as a Ludo; and if you decide you'd like to. We would take you off of the normal ranks of Ludo; and then have you as more of a trainer. Or a lion for war."
She chuckled at his comment of liking to be needed. "It does tend to help out when you make your way through here." She continued chuckling.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 12:35 am
Well now, this seemed to be right up his alley. Don wasn't too sure how he felt about needing to watch the backs of these 'hoggles', but the muscular lion had to realize it would no longer just be him, it was him and a whole mess of others. He wasn't quite sure what their numbers were, but he couldn't expect to get away with just keeping to himself. He supposed this new, and appealing life, would have to come at a cost, and if that meant getting the remote chance of beating the ever-living-tar out of would-be trouble-maker's he could certainly make due with that. "Heh, certainly can't expect the brainy types to watch out for themselves then? Fine by me." The male gave a small snort, but his tone had leveled off as his parnoia about being ambushed left him- an almost relaxed look taking over his demeanor.
It had taken a day in the labyrinth to rile him up as much as it did, when usually Don was far more apathetic and unbothered by most anything. That's not to say he was a push-over by any means, as many rogues had found a nice face full of claw answered to their bothersome ways if they pushed too far. And though he was listening to what the lioness told him about advancing in rank, Don merely gave a curt nod in response- having no immediate thoughts or likeness to the idea.
Then it occured to him, that there were no other lions- or animals beside the prey beasts- in sight. He took the time to glance in either direction before stepping closer and rolled his shoulders as he returned his gaze to the oddly pelted lioness. It probably would have been polite to ask for a name, but to be honest he really didn't think it was all too importent at the moment. "So, I'm curious to know what I just stepped into-", he paused to yawn, exposing his long fangs and blinking hard, "Where exactly are the other goblins?" he asked, choosing to use the amusing term. Perhaps as a sign of acceptance, maybe showing a bit of bemusement, he wasn't quite sure. This place had baffled him at the very sight of it, he didn't doubt the group had more surprises. Heck, she could tell him they lived in hallowed out trees and made delicious snack foods out of savana rodents- it honestly wouldn't give him that much of a shock at this point.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 5:57 pm
"Why Don~" Rags replied lazilly throwing out his name now that she's seen he's taken an interest in their pride. "They're underneath your very feet~" She told him teasingly. Moving a paw through the grass. "They're underground; at this very moment; awaiting you to join them." She smiled a big toothy grin that could have been taken as a sort of threatening tone; though her voice said it clearly wasn't.
"Won't you come and join them?" She laughed lifting her body up fully now and trotting away from him; before bursting into a full run; making her way towards what seemed like solid rock covered with overgrown grass. She ran head long into it before pushing off with her back legs and soaring towards it; arms outstretched before she vanished into the overgrowth as if into thin air.
She landed with a thud in the opening of their prides den. Waiting for him to follow after her. If he did that is. The rest of the pride members seemed to come out of the woodwork now. All standing behind her. most of them were females this generation around. They'd hoped to change that. Which was why they'd gone out and started searching for males. She herself was disappointed to learn that her litter had bore two females and only one male. But this wasn't the time to think of that. For now; she had a new member to welcome into the family.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:59 pm
Then again... maybe there were more surprises that he wasn't prepared for. He had definately gotten more than he had bargained for! After all, he didn't remember telling her his name. A strange looked crossed his face, consisting of his nose cringling just slightly, and his brow lowering a fraction, easily missed if someone wasn't paying attention. How would she have known? Before he could even begin to question her little story about them being underground she took off. Now Don wasn't a very easily swayed fellow, more wary than he was guillable, but he had been ready to believe this place and all its oddities so far. Why not chase after her?
The large lion was no where near as quick to start off as the lioness, first lurching forward with a half-hearted grunt and slowly gaining speed through momentum. At the very end of it he could see the lioness dive towards a clump of grass, and all but disappear. With all that had gone on today, he half expected her to be some sort of fathom his mind had dreampt up, after all that did explain how she knew his name. Actually, it explained alot. He was probably unconcious somewhere in that damned labyrinth, and it didn't matter what he did in this dream state. So why not? Why not dive headlong into a clump of grass and bash his head into the stone? If he was lucky, it would wake him up.
The only immediate sound coming from the male was the constant thud of his paws as they hit the ground, a slow, rocking lope as his pace. It wasn't Don's speed that made him deadly, but the momentum he built up behind every stride. With one deep breath, the male gathered his muscles and dove right into the place he had seen his fathom go, and was immensely surprised to find himself not bashing his head into hte stone. When he hit the ground Don pulled to an immediate halt, eyes adjusting to the area. "This... was unexpected", was all he murmured. And for Don, that was quite enough to express his feelings. He was alive after all, and it seemed this wasn't some strange dream. How odd.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 1:03 am
((ok so I think if you feel that it can as well; we can end this rp with your post? That will give us 15 posts and I think we can end it in a sort of satisfactory way? and if you wanted we could always do another rp with him being shown around the pride?))
Ragdoll chuckled and small ripple of laughter went through the pride behind her as he spoke. That was certainly a new reaction. She turned her head to the pride members gathered behind her and gave them all a look and a nod her head and they went back to business as usual; a few of them heading out past them and into the grassy lands again.
She turned her head giving Don her full attention again. "I have to hand it to you~ You've got to be the first to ever follow me through the grass like that so quickly and with so much force. I was almost afraid you were going to come barreling into me there." she chuckled again and shook her head before getting up and meeting him half way; still standing. "I am Stouffepuppe. But; if you don't want your eyes ripped out and fed to you. Call me Ragdoll. Or Rags for obvious reasons." She smiled and motioned to her pelt that looked as though she was made up of different animals even if it was all her.
"Welcome to our family Don. We're happy to have you here."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 2:24 am
((I agree, we can end this one here. And I'd love to have another rp with Rags, that sounds like a good idea. ^^))
Don stared at the faces, and for the first time truly believed that this was no dream. It was real alright, and he had possibly just made the best decision of his life. That is, if this pride was everything he had been told it was. The laughter was mostly unnoticed by the male, for he paid it no mind. He wasn't one to get haught over such things, and found it down right childish to be the least bit embarrased about anything you had no regrets over. "I'm surprised I didn't," he told her openly, "Usually it takes awhile for me to stop." Whether that was his way of joking or not, anyone overhearing the comment would be hard-pressed to distinguish between the two.
Still, Don cast his gaze around him, watching in silence as the pride dispersed and went their seperate ways. This really was happening he had tell himself, and could only imagine what other surprises they might have in store. Why, she could tell him they all-... he wasn't about to jynx himself again. That last one was a doozy. His attention refocused on the lioness and a single syllable bark of a laugh escaped his maw, serving to rid himself of his tension. "Well, Rags it is then." Finally, a place he could really call home and still be who he wanted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
