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 Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 2:10 pm
Hakuna stood in the desert, practicing the most challenging dance he knew for the pride. It wasn't an easy one, for sure- there were a lot of complicated moves in traditional Dawnwalker style that weren't entirely natural to him. After all, he had grown up developing his own style- that was the Nchi way of doing things. There was no right and wrong until you had gotten older, and by then restrictions were still really lax- dances were meant to have different takes on them.
This was a traditional historical dance, though, and Haku just had to get it right, spot on. He got to his least favorite part and gave it a shot, stopping himself by the end of the move and muttering to himself, "that wasn't it!" with a small head shake. He knew precisely what he was doing wrong, but he had yet to figure out how to make his muscles fix it. "It's not the steps, it's the style- the style's a bit off." He pondered whether he should stay out here or not- the heat of the day was coming, and he figured he could take a break in the shade of the temple and then go back to practice later that night.
Yeah, sounded like a plan. Hakuna started padding back to the temple. He had forgotten, for the most part, all of the visions regarding this place. They had seeped into the background as they became reality... Unlike some with the gift, he saw things and let them come as they would without watching out for them. Haku had heard tell of some seers in the roguelands obsessing over visions. Not so with him, though!
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Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:51 pm
Zurina's golden eyes scanned the area around her as she stepped forward cautiously. She had been traveling the desert for quite some time looking for the very temple that stood before her. This is it, her muse whispered to her faintly, this is where you belong. She sucked in a breath glancing down at the shifting sands beneath her paws.
Since she had met the seer lion the voice of the sands had grown so much weaker and it worried her. She had noticed that it's call had grown fainter with each passing day since she had left the lands she was raised in. "Why so quiet?" she murmured frowning.
When she failed to receive an answer she heaved a sigh and took a few steps forward. She paused uncertain if she truly wanted to continue forward. She was worried that this was not the temple that she wanted, that it was not the pride she had been seeking.
Then, then she saw him and her face lit up. It was the same male from before! He told you that you would meet him here, the sand whispered in a teasing tone, go say hello. A grin broke out across her lips as she hurried forward. "Hey, don't I know you?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:26 am
Haku flicked an ear backwards before turning his head. He had heard that voice somewhere, pretty recently. When he turned he confirmed who it was. "Hey Zurina!" He called and hurried up towards the temple, a smile on his face. He should've known he would bump into her again here. Or... At least, he should have remembered and expected he would see her again. Another vision faded into the past as it came to be.
"Good to see you again! Welcome to the Tuait'Tekem lands," He said as he got closer and slowed to a stop in the sand. The lion had become accustomed to it under his feet- he was certain that grass would feel too pointy now, if he ever tried to go back to it. Haku beamed ear to ear, glad that he got to meet up with her again. "How have you been?" He asked, eager to hear if she'd been having it easy.
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 11:31 pm
The mostly white lioness was please to find that he remembered her, especially since much time had passed since their first meeting. "Same Haku," she chirped stepping closer to him. "I told you I'd see you again!" she giggled ignoring the fact that it was actually the other way around. He had been the one who told her that they would see each other again, in this exact place. To her it didn't matter who said it, just that it had been said.
Zurina had spent most of her life living with sand under her paws, it came with living near the ocean. Oh how she missed it dreadfully. It is better for you to be away. She pouted slightly and shook her head. She wasn't happy with her muse lately, it never responded to her when she spoke to it but was always seeming to be pushing her in the direction it wanted regardless of what she wanted.
Still, she felt comfortable here even though she hadn't been in the area long. Maybe it was right, it usually was. "I've been okay, had one heck of a time finding this place," she laughed. "I got so confused a couple of times, I actually think I didn't know what was left or what was right. What was up or what was down!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 5:40 am
"It can be a real pain sometimes!" Hakuna said heartily. "When I was on my way here, all of the savannah looked the same. You'd look into the distance and say to yourself 'well, at least that up there where I'm headed has some landmarks.' But when you get there, it's the same as where you came from!" He had run into this problem on his way here, too. Though, it was easier with two travelers than with one, and Haku had used his abilities a few times. Not that it helped much, really.... Now that he thought about it, it hadn't helped at all- it was just the same vision of their destination, which didn't help at all with determining a way to get there.
"Well, it's a good thing you made it here, do you want to have a look around?" Haku asked, willing to give her a tour. "Or do you need some water? It's hot out here, so you should always be sure to have some in you," he said with a nod and a slightly more concerned expression. He'd heard stories of visitors to these lands underestimating them and collapsing. Hakuna certainly didn't want this for his friend. Water first, then tour? (The water hole was part of the tour, in his mind.)
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 9:23 am
"Haha!" she found herself laughing brightly as she agreed with him. 'I know right?" she shook her head. It was so easy to get confused and lost and end up going in a circle even when you were sure you were going the right way. He had his visions to guide her and she had gotten some assistance from her muse, who had been oddly quiet since the two lions had really started talking. She shrugged her concerns away, maybe it was mad at her. It didn't matter, not now anyway.
"Of course I do!" she chirped smiling brightly at him. "You promised you'd be my tour guide when I got here, remember?" she told him sticking his tongue out. "Show me around! I think I'm okay water-wise, I got some a few hours ago before I arrived"
She was so excited!
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 9:06 pm
"Alright then, that's just what I'll do!" He said with a smile. It was nice to have someone here who wasn't a blood relative, but was his friend. His mind was already on different things, though... Where to take her? He could take her to the mountains, or the oasis... Or the river- it was pretty green there, even in this sea of sand. He could go get her acquainted with the inside of the temple or...
He had the perfect idea. "Well, when we get back, I can show you around the temple. In the meanwhile, what do you say to checking out the ruins? They're really cool," he said, eyes lit up and a boyish grin across his muzzle. "I'm sure you'll like it there," he said with a nod. He had been there just a few times, but he really liked it there. When he got time off and had the time before sunset to meander out there, he enjoyed it. "They're different from anything you've ever seen in your life, believe me, wanna go there?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 4:39 pm
Zurina found herself smiling as she looked over at him, drinking in his appearance. She was thankful to already know someone in the pride, to already have a friend in a place she was sure she would have none. It wasn't that the female was anti-social, she actually was quite social, but it was still the whole awkward "how do I meet people" feeling that had her scared.
Haku made it easier already, even when she first met him it had been easy, something that surprised her. She supposed her socially-awkward tendencies were a result of her affection for the ocean and the days where she would forgo company for the feel of the waves lapping against her.
Here, things would be different. There was no ocean for her to flee to whenever she wanted. It would be good for her. She grinned at him when he talked about the ruins and nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yeah! I like seeing new things and learning about stuff," her voice softened, as did her smile. "I bet the ruins hold a lot of history for the pride yeah?
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:06 pm
Hakuna had enjoyed their first visit, and he sure enjoyed having her around now! Most of the lions in the pride who he knew were busy with work, typically. Or, alternatively, his coworkers were his closest friends beyond his twin. But he only hung out with a few other artisans beyond work, and found himself working on dances to fill the time alone. He had a feeling that this would no longer be the case- he would want to hang out with Zurina and have a few laughs in his free time. Especially now that... well, now that he knew most of the dances but the one he was practicing just a few moments ago. He didn't know for sure if Zurina would consider him a close friend yet, but to him, she was the closest friend he had. Ever, if he thought about it. Only Mat was closer, but he was family.
"Yeah, it's pretty different," he said, heading that way. "It's even different from the temple, in a way. There's tons of ruins, little dens where the creatures who built the temple probably hung out. You've never seen anything like them," he said, trying to compare them mentally to a lion's den. It... wasn't easy, and there wasn't much comparison. "They're square, these dens. Square everywhere you look- if I made a den, it'd kinda be round, you know?" he asked with a brow quirk, hoping she would like them.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:24 pm
Truth be told Hakuna was Zurina's first friend, besides her siblings whom she was never really close to in the beginning. Her best friend had always been her muse, which had been quite normal in her home pride. Now though, it seemed like her muse no longer wanted to be her friend because it was awfully quiet the last few days. Or maybe it just had a lot on it's mind, it was no matter. At least now she had someone to distract her from those semi-depressing thoughts!
"Really?" she piped up, ears perking up at his voice. "Square?" she echoed her face scrunching up in confusion. Now that sounded quite peculiar. She had never imagined a square den before. She pressed her lips together as she trotted behind him. "My den would most certainly be round too if I ever made one, I wonder what kind of weird creatures created square ones."
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:33 pm
"Yup, square as square can be. They have a square floor, square walls, and a square ceiling. There are even square holes in the squares to let in light. Definitely weird," he said as they continued on. "But there really aren't many that are complete like that. They're mostly broken down, you'll see soon enough, we're almost there. They aren't far from the temple, so you'll be able to see them soon," he said with a nod. The sand was warm between his toes, a feeling he would never get used to. However, he was glad for that- he rather enjoyed the feeling.
They crested a dune to see the ruins. A handful of rooftops among fields of walls littered the place. He would have to take Zurina to one of the few that were mostly in-tact so she could see what they were supposed to look like. He looked over to catch the look on her face at the initial reaction.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:29 pm
Zurina had a harder time understanding what he was explaining to her. A square room, completely square, with square holes to let in light. "I wonder why they need the holes," she mused, lips pressed together in thought. "Wouldn't the light mess with their sleep?" She wondered aloud trying to picture the place in her mind.
Her brows knitted together in concentration and she found herself laughing at the silly picture in her mind. "I don't know why they wouldn't just go outside," she shrugged deciding it was best to just see the place for herself.
Whatever had created these weird dens that her friend spoke of had to be mighty talented. If only because she found it hard to make a round den, she could only imagine how much harder a square one was.
Then, then they came into view as they past over the last sand dune and rested on top of it. The sight nearly took her breath away and she was just left there standing in awe. They weren't at all what she pictured, not on the outside at least. They were completely different.
"Wow..." she murmured breathlessly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:44 pm
"I'm not sure, they don't make much sense, really. I'd just as soon spend the nights outside rather than try to build such an intricate den." Of course, he... he hadn't ever built a permanent den in his life. In the Nchi lands, there were caverns used for dens, those came pre-made. It was similar here- there were rooms in the temple that everyone made into their den. The only place he'd had made his own shelter was on his way here, and he didn't really do much. The weather had been fair and the trip wasn't too bad.
Yup- that had been his face. Just at seeing the temple in real life had astounded him, but the field of ruins before them was something completely on its own. "It's beautiful, in it's own different way," he said with a smile, glad that she liked it so much. The walls to the ruins were like rocks jutting out of a sea of sand. "It's easy to get lost here if you don't know your way around, so don't wander too far?" he said, certain that she had little intention of meandering without him. Especially since he was open to meandering. "Let's head down, is there anything in specific that you can see that you'd want to see up close?" Hakuna asked, trying to be the very best host and tour guide he could be.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:51 pm
Zurina nodded her head in agreement. Really whomever decided these were a good idea was silly. They were really, really cool(and she really thought so) but she could only imagine how long it must have taken the creators and how wasted that time was. Especially since it seemed like no one was using them now and they were just something to be looked at. Talk about a shame.
Without waiting for him she scampered down to the base of the ruins extremely excited to do some exploring. She turned her head back towards him as he spoke, a big'ol grin on her lips. "It's definitely different!" she agreed with an enthusiastic nod. "Haha, is my tour-guide afraid I'm going to run away from him?" she teased sticking her tongue out.
She had no intention of straying too far, she had barely met up with Hakuna. She certainly didn't plan on parting from him so soon! "If you don't want me to disappear from sight you better come and get me!" she challenged adrenaline filling her.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:08 pm
Haku loosened up a little- he had been a bit worried that this place wouldn't impress her, but it had. With that worry out of the way, he ran down the hill after her laughing. "You're on!" The sand gave way under his feet and sped up his descent into the ruins. "And I'm not so sure you could get away from me if you wanted," he said confidently. "I just might be faster than you." And then an idea struck, a brilliantly perfect idea.
"Oooh, but I've got it," he said excitedly. "I'll show you around here today, and we'll have a couple more visits back, then we should totally have a race from one end to the other to see who can find the best shortcuts through the ruins!" he said. It wouldn't be just a battle of speed, but of wit and exploration as well.
"Well, until then, I'll take you through the pathways that are around here to get you to one of the ones that are still all-together. And on the way there, we'll walk through a lot of them like... that one there," he said pointing to a particular structure that seemed half-way buried.
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