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 Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:49 am
It had been so long since he had left these lands, he had nearly forgotten what they looked like. Well he had forgotten, or more, they didn't look like this when he was last here. He had left before the quake had devastated the lands, before the world had crumbled in on it's inhabitants, before it was broken. He had left the home he loved because of pride, he was ashamed to be the only one of his family to not be bonded, that shame had driven him out and away, frightened to return until the earthquake had hit.
It was a mere tremor under his paws and he had thought nothing of it until Fai had arrived. The deep blue bird had landed upon his spine one day and whispered in his ear of a disaster in a far off place, in a land where the birds and lions lived as one. It was a strange, frightening, wonderful day, at last he had found his bonded, it had been fate that had brought them together, but it had also been a frightening day. What had happened in the lands of his ancestors? What had become of his family. Without a moments thought he had turned and started back towards his home, feeling finally, like he belonged.
It had been a hard long journey and he had gotten lost several times, Fai had steered him in the right direction but he sometimes had to take a long way round, where her wings flew her high above any overly dangerous terrain he was stuck on the ground. Still he had traveled on but his condition had suffered for all the walking, though his coat was at least healthy-ish looking his body had become slender, making him look overly tall due to a sunken belly. It was hard being a lone rogue in these inhospitable lands.
The slate blue hawk lands on his shoulders nibbling one of his ears "We're there" She whispers, her voice edged with a whistle "Look, look! We are finally there!" She clicks her beak taking a strand of his two colour mane in her beak, a habit she had picked up when she felt nervous. She knew of these lands of course but she had never lived here, it had been sheer coincidence that she had heard of the devastation here. Lor'dah told her all the time that it was the fates, fate that she had joined him. She knew in her heart that she belonged here but it was so strange, knowing that they belonged together. The way the world worked made her feel very, very small.
Taking a deep breath the handsome slender lion topped the ridge and padded down in to the basin of the pride. He felt so overwhelmed, everything had changed, everything. Standing completely still, a light wind whipping his mane, he smiles "We're home at last Fai."
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 6:09 am
Umoja had just finished welcoming in the returning members. It had been interesting, to say the least. There were renewed hopes of other families returning, friends, old flames, anything. Even though time had separated the pride from the pain, the hope couldn't never be completely snuffed out.
As Sikivu's troupe had settled into the Aka'mleli lifestyle (and back to being in a pride rather than a tight-knit group), Umoja decided to do a little scouting. He was restless whenever he did, as he had been scouting the land with Mapatano when the earthquake struck. Still, he felt that it was important, as their guard and scout levels were much lower than pre-earthquake status.
"Heads up," Mfalme warned, swooping down to offer the alert to his bonded before swooping back up into the air. Even if there was someone nearby, that didn't mean that they would lower their guard.
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 10:00 am
"In coming" Fai whispers down her companions ear, her eagle sharp eyes looking up to the sky. "I think you have a welcoming committee." She whistles opening her steely blue wings and taking to the sky. She hovers quietly for a few moments tilting a wing and a nod to the other bird before swooping back to Lor'dahs shoulders "lion and a bird." the little bird clicks her beak once again clinging to her bonded by his mane.
The slender lion smiles and roars a little friendly roar taking to his paws he beelines towards Umoja. "I was starting to worry we had come home to an empty pride." He sighs a relieved sigh flickering his duel coloured tail tuft.
Lor'dah pauses, and sits slowly, waiting for the other to approach, he had become naturally cautious due to being alone for an extended amount of time and he could see the other lion was guarded, but this was home surely he had finally returned to the place he had belonged and not to some strange land.
"Uhm. Hello, I am Lor'dah and this is my companion Fai, I have journeyed far to return home." He smiles weakly, his ears vanishing in his bi-coloured mane his odd eyes examining the stranger. It had been so long, would anyone remember him?
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 6:42 pm
Umoja walked at his normal pace, but as Mfalme didn't seem alarmed that there might be more with him, he continued on. He knew he wasn't one with much weakness on the strength side of things, and as a confident male continued to approach the lion that was starting to look quite familiar.
"Oh!" Now he recognized him. "Hey, Lor'dah." Umoja was pretty good at remembering faces with names, but that was about it. Anything else was hazy, but he had felt himself too important to remember everything about everyone.
He felt different about that now.
"Welcome back! It's been a while. Remember me, Umoja?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 9:36 pm
The slim lions jaw dropped, ever so slightly, the crown prince? What the heck was the crown prince doing on the border? "It would be hard to forget you my lord." He smiles bowing his head slightly. "It has been a long time since I have been home, but I hardly ever forget a face." He tilts his head towards his little companion "calm down Fai you're going to give me a bald patch." He chuckles a little turning his gaze back on the black and purple lion his gaze curious his lips slightly pursed. "This is Fai, she told me of the quake here, it seemed I needed to travel far to find my bonded but we have come home now, at last." He smiles nudging the small hawk with his nose.
"I have been traveling for a long time to get home, tell me, what has happened? Is my family okay?" His tail flickers nervously, he had heard some word from his bonded about the devastation of the pride due to the quake, but he knew very little of the true state of the pride, just that he was coming home.
Fai clicks her beak and releases the tuft of his mane she had been fiddling in her beak "I'm sorry Lor'dah" She whispers looking at the black and purple lion curiously, he must have been very important for Lor'dah to call him lord "It's nice to meet you sir." She whispers a whistle rattling over her beak as she spoke, her natural way of speaking, she was quiet and observant and she wondered why someone important was greeting them, but she kept her beak shut hopping up to Lor'dah's head and nestling in his mane. At least they had finally found their way to the Aka'mleli, finally they would be able to rest.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:27 am
"It's been a very long time," he agreed. Lor'dah had left long before the earthquake, and it had been some time since the earth shook. He paused, as no one ever wanted to talk about the amount of deaths they had had to deal with. He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, Lor'dah. The earthquake didn't leave one family untouched. For yours, you're the one left." Umoja had closed his eyes while speaking, but he opened them to glance at Lor'dah. He knew it would be hard to take.
"The lands have been quiet for some time, and we all hope that the earth will stay quiet for a very long time."
Mfalme came back, landing on Umoja's back. It was always hard to not cut his bonded's back, but the scattering of scars proved that was impossible. He had a very good idea of what they were talking about, and so kept his beak shut. Though he was bonded to the leader, he knew when to stay quiet and when to interrupt.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:49 pm
Gone? They were all gone? It was hard to find the emotion to put the leaders words in to order. How could he be the only one left? his parents, his siblings, lost to this earth moving shudder. A flurry of emotion ran across his face, anger, hatred, sadness and finally a sort of stoic acceptance.
Swallowing hard the slender males ears vanish in his silky mane. "I can never tell them I found her at last." He smiled a weak, regretful smile. He had left his family at their protests, left them to wonder what he was doing out in the rogue lands and now, at last he had returned, bonded in tow and he would never get to tell them that he belonged here? It was a weight on his heart.
Taking a deep breath he nods, his face becoming a blank canvas, he wanted to mourn his losses in peace, but for now he had other things to say, other things to ask. "I may not look it but I am strong in body, though I am a fairly awful hunter I am afraid." He laughs a single 'ha', as if his physique didn't show how bad he was at hunting for himself. "If you need me, I can help to patrol, to guard." He puffs out his chest, trying to find some other thing to concentrate on that wasn't his sadness, anything, work seemed like the ideal way to go.
Fai looks at the other lion, to the bird then back to Lor'dah, nibbling his mane sadly, she knew when they were alone he would allow himself time to be angry, to grieve those lost. He was so afraid to show those emotions to anyone. How she wished she had found him sooner. 'What ifs' weren't going to bring his family back she knew but at least she could offer him comfort while he found his paws and recovered from the shock of having no family to come home to.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 6:11 am
Umoja only offered a sad nod in the beginning. "We've done our best to learn what we can from the earthquake," he mentioned. He didn't want to include all the information about the outsiders and how they had tried to...well, perhaps not take over, but they had had an agenda against the pride, and the earthquake had given them the opportunity. "Hopefully if one strikes again, we can avoid its consequences and the sorrow that follows."
He paused, nodding to the spotted lion. "A guard is always welcome, as their numbers were thinned. Take a few days to regain your footing in our lands. Then I would recommend seeing Ngao, as she is out Captain now. She will know who to stick you with before you go out on solo patrols. The mountains are not as familiar to us as they once were, even now." It would take a while before they would memorize the mountains as they once had.
Mfalme nodded. "Fly with your bonded, gain a confidence and comfort within our beautiful valley. Fai will learn the land from her point of view, as you must yours closer to the earth. Practice makes perfect, as well as a perfect team." They seemed to have a connection that all bonded pairs did, but theirs seemed softer than those that had warring personalities. That was good, and would hopefully make the settling in process smoother.
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:42 pm
The lanky lion nods, he could feel a heaviness in his heart but he truly didn't know how to express what he wanted to say so he put his mind on other things. "Thank you Umoja, it's been a long journey, for all of us it would seem." He sighs looking at even this little part of the valley, he could see that things had changed, still he could see the resemblance to the old lands they were just hidden well beneath new landscape.
"I will do that. Ngao, I wonder if she will remember me to." He smiles a slightly on edge quirky smile, Ngeo, she wondered what had happened to the old captain of the guard. perhaps the best one to ask such questions of was Ngao herself. "I will settle in and seek her out." He nods slightly looking over Umoja once again. "Much has happened, perhaps another time? You seem to be busy."
Fai clicks her beak and nibbles her partners mane for a few moments, she had flown a circle over the lands as they had arrived and certainly the lay of these lands was rocky, of course, she hadn't seen the lands before "I'll look after him." She whistles her eyes set on her partner. She certainly wouldn't let anything happen to her lion, she would be his scout with her sharp eyes. Of course, she hadn't though he would offer to be a guard, but it was a good thing, good that he had decided on something to do now he was home. She knew he needed time to grieve, she just wasn't really sure how or when he would do it.
Lor'dah smiles and bows a little nod to the prince. "Thank you for meeting me my lord, I hope I see many other faces I recognize." He smiles a genuine smile, he did hope there were others he would know, others he would recognize old friends he could reunite with. He hoped not everyone had gone the way of his family.
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:16 am
Umoja nodded. "Anytime. I'm always here if you need me." It had been hard since their structure was gone, and Umoja had to take a much more personal role in making sure everything was organized. He was grateful for Ngao holding her own, as it gave him less to worry about. Soon, they would be able to fix the structure and become as they once were.
Soon.
"I will see you later, take care of yourself." The black lion nodded to Lor'dah. He had other things himself that would need attending, but he felt that everything was interruptible if it meant welcoming one of their own back into their ranks. Mfalme would chase him off to wherever he needed to be, and Umoja would keep on going. The pride was stable now, if small, and there were less worries on his shoulders.
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:32 am
"Perhaps when I am more settled I can seek you out and ask some further questions." It was sort of a question, but also a request and a good bye for now all in one sentence. he knew he should go and rest, see some of the lands, maybe find his families old den. he needed to at least say a few words over where he assumed his family were now buried. He needed time alone to greive and find his place in the pride again.
"Thank you, again, I am glad to be home." He turns for one moment, bowing his head low before trotting off in to the valley, he had much to do, much to see, much to find in this broken land scape that had changed so very much since he had been gone.
Fai clacks her beak and takes to the sky "This way Lor'dah" She calls leading him in to the valley being his eyes in the sky to help him pass in to the midst of the pride without getting lost down unfamiliar paths. At last they were home and soon enough they would both know every inch of the place but until then, she would help him find his way both geographically and mentally.
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