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 Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 6:30 am
"Oh, don't be too hard on yourself, Ka." Not for the first time, Pisha reassured the bright lioness. His wings were folded at his side as he sat upon his bond's back, shifting comfortably to accommodate the rolling motion of Tilifika's stride as she made her way through the valley. "Nobody can blame you, you know. You were only a child when it happened."
The pink lioness sighed, shaking her head. "But that doesn't change the facts, Pisha," she said dryly. "It still feels... weird to be back. And feeling weird feels weird too... if that makes any sense at all," she trailed off, muttering. There was a sense of shame hidden behind those words, which Pisha could detect all too well, and which Tilifika herself loathed feeling. It made her feel... almost as though she wasn't quite good enough for this place, and that feeling of vulnerability irritated the brash young lioness, whose only goal in life appeared to be to excel.
"Because you don't really recognize anything?" The black vulture asked, cocking his head. This inner conflict that had seemed to consume his friend in the few days since they had been back interested him immensely. Pisha himself had no such doubts about his claim to the pride, and Tilifika's own feelings surprised him. He hadn't ever paused to consider the fact that the lioness might be feeling this way - most likely because it seemed to unlikely that she would. This was Tili they were talking about, after all.
"Well, yea," The lioness nodded. "I mean, I remember the general layout of the valley, but it feels like the specifics just fell away with the earthquake. I... didn't even really remember Umoja to begin with," she added, almost in a whisper. Her uncertainty almost pained Pisha. "I recognized him, and I knew that he was important, but it took me a bit to remember who he was."
"You know what, you just need to stop worrying. Just give it a bit more time. Things will fall into place, you'll see." He told her confidently.
"Yea, I sure hope so. I'll feel better when the memories start to come back."
And so the exchange continued as the pair wandered through the valley, seemingly headed nowhere in particular as Tilifika examined the land, attempting to find anything that would further connect her to this place she called home.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 7:12 am
The fat rabbit between his paws had been a live rabbit not a few moments ago. For once he had hunted, successfully, which was a challenge for him most of the time but now he was trying to remember if he had to share it or not. He had spent so much time alone, so much time feeding himself and sharing only with Fai he wasn't sure if he could, or in fact should take this to the rest of the pride and offer up his catch.
It was very confusing. As it was, he wasn't that hungry. Though he was young the beautifully marked, odd eyed male was very slim, for a lion any way. His time alone had taught him to live on less and his body had accommodated to suit his needs, so though he was in the prime of his life, he wasn't bulky as most males were, he was tall and slim almost gangly for a lion.
"Theres a lady coming!" Fai swooped down from above and landed in his mane, scooping up a thick strand of his duel coloured mane, she nibbles it nervously. Every time they met someone new, she nibbled his mane, it was a habbit that had formed on their long journey together.
"Fai I swear if I get a bald patch I'm going to be angry." He chuckles, it was a running joke between them that she would one day cause him to go bald with her fussing of his wavey mane. His gaze lifted as the pink lioness approached and his jaw dropped, he was surprised, no, shocked. She had survived the quake? He knew her. "Fai, Fai, I know her." He smiles a nervous smile, how much had she changed since he had left? How much had gone on since he had last seen her? Had she been saved from the quake? had she never left the lands? He had been far away when the earthquake had hit he knew so little.
"Tili." He breathed, using the old nickname he had dubbed her when they were so young. He had nearly been an adolescent when she had been born but he remembered vividly playing with the little bright pink cub, remembered smiling at her and telling her how sorry he was that he had to go. That he felt he had, had to go. Of course now, he had returned, he belonged here now with his bonded nesting in his silky mane. Still, perhaps she wouldn't remember him? He was never quite sure if he was easy to forget or not.
Umoja had remembered him, but the black and purple lion seemed to know everyone. That was the price of being the prince he supposed. Letting out a slow, even breath , he stands, then sits again, then stands nervously, deciding he should sit he finally mutters "Hi." feeling a little stupid, searching for a better thing to say he simply smiles awkwardly.
Fai clacks her beak and laugh quietly from his mane "Lor'dah at least introduce me if you know her!" She whistles, her voice quiet and whisper and edged with a little whistle of a lisp caused by her beak. She looks at the female lioness and bobs a bit. "I think he's forgotten how to speak." She shakes her head a bobs a bit from his mane "I'm Fai, and you probably know Lor'dah, since he seems to know you."
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 7:39 am
"Hey, look," Pisha leaned to brush his beak against his bond's neck. His pale eyes regarded the curiously patterned lion intensely, as if dredging up old memories. There was something about him that rang a bell in the vulture's head, even though he knew it must have been a memory from long ago. "Ka, look."
The bright lioness lifted her soft gaze from the passing scenery and directed it forward. "Hey," she answered, a trace of wonder lacing her voice as she spoke, and she, too, regarded the lanky lion with an intensity in her wide, baby blue eyes. Yea, there was...
Not for the first time, she felt a sense of helplessness that she couldn't help but hate welling up inside her. Because she knew there was something about him, something that stirred her mind and her heart, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was.
And then his bond spoke, and for a moment, she turned her gaze upon the bi-colored bird, still as if lost in a dream, and when Fai had finished, her gaze flitted back to the lion. "I do know you..." she said carefully. "I know you. Lor'dah... I..." She fought back the helplessness that was still threatening to engulf her. She wasn't going to drown in it. She wouldn't let herself, no.
Upon her back, Pisha surveyed the scene. "I'm Pisha, it's very nice to meet you. Excuse her," he said to both Lor'dah and Fai, coming to Tili's rescue.
"I, no, don't," She interrupted the bird, speaking with much more conviction, as if she had found her voice again. "Lor'dah, I do remember, I do!" And in a flash, they came. The memories. Tumbling about in gleeful play with the spotted lion, who had been both older and larger than herself, but that hadn't stopped her from having fun. Swatting at him with her little paws, even though he was almost twice her size; running desperately after him in games of tag, even though she had had no chance of catching up.
And there were other memories too, less joyful. Him telling her he had to leave, her wondering why, refusing to let him go, even though he had made up his mind already. That had broken her heart, having to lose him, because he had been her friend, and the thought of never seeing him again had weighed too heavily on a cub as young as she had been. She remembered that now.
"Oh, Lory, I thought I'd never see you again!" And she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes as those memories hit her, harder than she would ever have expected.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 7:59 am
He swallows, he remembered those memories too, he had said goodbye to all he knew, all he cherished because of his deep fear, the fear that he would never find his bonded. She had found him though and with her arrival he had known he belonged here. It had taken so long to get home and now he'd made Tili cry!
"Hey! hey don't cry!" He really didn't know what to do with a crying female, Fai had never cried on him, she'd been his support structure, his link to home. Still, he knew her, she knew him, it had hurt to leave his little friend behind, he liked to believe if things hadn't gone the way they had they would have been friends for a long time. Of course, he realized in the middle of this very thought, that they were still friends, she remembered him!
"Lory! Ha no one has called me that for ages." He smiles weakly standing to move over to her. He bounces on his paws for a moment, not really sure if he could, or should touch her to offer comfort, to offer a hug or an old grin. The old him was gone and it felt weird not feeling able to comfort his friend.
Fai sighs and nods at Pisha rolling her eyes a little "He's useless too." She clacks her beak in a laugh tugging a strand of his mane roughly. "don't just stand there," she whispers "you can't leave a girl crying!"
Lor'dah huffs a little, what was he supposed to do? Lifting a paw he puts it on her shoulder. "There now, Tili, stop crying?" he grins toothily, attempting to seem confident in what he was doing but feeling completely foolish. "You uhm, grew up." Yes, great ice breaker, he was useless at this, it had been too long since he had been around other lions and Fai never pushed him in to deep, meaningful conversations. "I said I'd come back if I found my Bonded and, well, she found me!" Yes that was certainly a better icebreaker than you grew up, he wished he could take that back.
Fai laughs a whistely squeaky laugh looking at Pisha and rolling her eyes. "Useless."
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:14 am
Pisha blinked. She was, uh... crying? What? She had never cried around him, so what was it about this lion she hadn't seen in forever and a day that made her cry? He almost didn't want to stop the jealousy and possessiveness that was beginning to sweep over him. Hmph, crying indeed.
But now was not the time for pettiness, he realized. The black vulture opened his wings to float disembark from Tili's shoulders. The tears were starting to make her slouch again, and he reckoned the last thing she needed at a time like this was to have his claws digging into her back trying to straighten her posture. And it wasn't like it was something he could, well... control. It wasn't his fault he was a stickler for appearances - it must have been his upbringing.
"Lions, huh?" He replied with a wry smile, shaking his head. Honestly, these cats confused him sometimes.
"I'm sorry," she sniffed between sobs. Damn it, now she was making everybody uncomfortable! That had been the last thing she had intended to do, but then, she hadn't exactly asked for the tears to come either.
"You grown too," she managed to answer while desperately attempting to quell the sobs. It wasn't working nearly as well as she would have liked. "You're even... bigger than I remember."
She swallowed once. "But how was I supposed to know that!" She burst out. "You were always convinced you'd never find her, and what if you were right? I thought you were always right!" And with that a fresh wave of tears engulfed her.
Damn it.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed again, burying her head against his shoulder. She really didn't mean to make a scene, but what could she do? Years of pent-up emotions had opened the floodgates, and try as she might, it was difficult to close them again. And now, it occurred to her, Pisha would forever be able to taunt her about the time she completely lost it and cried like a baby in front of Lory and Fai.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:35 am
The lanky male lion smiles lightly, he had remembered that conversation, it had broken his heart to see her break down then and now she was in a fit of tears again and he found himself wanting in the hugs and snuggles department to help comfort her. Of course, it seemed Tili was willing to help him out there as she flung herself against his slim shoulders and silky mane, his butt hitting the dusty floor as she did so. Of course, now he had no idea WHAT to do with his paws, did he put them on her shoulders, did he put them on the floor, did he just leave them dangling in the air?
Fai whispers in his ear "On the shoulders numb nuts!" She laughs raising her wings and taking to the sky before landing before Pisha. "He's been alone too long." She shakes her head, nodding tot he marked lion. "I need to purchase him some social skills." She sighs rolling her dark eyes.
Lor'dah smiles, a little chuckle leaving his chest as he rests his paws on her shoulders. He really was useless at this. "I know, but Fai came to me, she told me about the earthquake." He paused for a moment, he wasn't really sure how sore a subject that would be for her. Had she lost much in the rubble? Had she lost everything as he had?
"Hey I'm back now right? I won't be going again." He nods an affirmative burying her head in his duel coloured mane. "and you know, you grew up just like I said you would. A pretty girl, just like your ma!" He grins, he was trying so hard to dig up the past here, he really didn't know what to say to her to make her stop crying, it was so uncomfortable but he wanted to do something, which he felt was at least a step in the right direction.
He clears his throat, not really sure how long he should keep his paws on her shoulders for, was this too long? Had he over stepped his bounds yet? Should he let go or would she pull away? Fai had moved from his skull so he was once again socially inept as to what he should do now.
"Do you remember when we used to play and you used to hide, you were so easy to find but I always took ages to find you." He grins, it was an old memory, the little cub, pleased as punch hiding in the shrubbery and rockery, visible as a black cat in the snow, how he used to look for ages calling her name, pretending virtual blindness in their childhood game of hide and seek. It was a nice memory, one before his worries.
Fai looks up at Lor'dah and chuckles "I really can't imagine you playing hide and seek lanky bum." She gives an affectionate click of her beak at the tall slender male. It was strange hearing tales of his live before she had met him, he never much spoke of his past, yet here he was opening up to an old friend."
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:04 am
Pisha nodded. "And clearly, he's not the only one with issues," he said, watching Tili through nearly-transparent turquoise eyes. Only, Tili seemed to hide her emotions well. He had never before suspected that there might be so much pain buried inside her. And she was such a young soul that he wondered how much she could take.
But it was good, he supposed, this display of emotion, as sudden as it was. It was all part of the healing process, and meeting Lor'dah appeared to have become the first step.
She drew in as deep a breath as she could past the sobs, and, shaky as it was, felt some strength restored to her limbs. "You'd better not be," she said finally, looking up at him with watery eyes. "I don't think..." She shook her head. To be honest, she didn't think she could stand to lose him a second time, and she wished she had the courage to say so, but she had already caused a scene once. The last thing she needed was to cause another, and she was sure that if she was to finish her thought, she would break out in another wave of tears. And he could tell he was uncomfortable enough.
Oh, her ma. For a moment, she said nothing as she sat in his embrace, comforted by the mere closeness of another creature beside her; she had always been a touchy-feely kind of lion. But this was another question to be answered. In the days that she had returned, she had tried to put off finding out about her family for as long as possible. She had only just got back and found her home again, and if that was going to be destroyed again by the knowledge that... perhaps her family hadn't survived the earthquake then... she would like to keep that at bay for as long as possible.
"At least now, you won't have such an unfair advantage in tag," she said softly, drawing another breath before lifting her head off his shoulders. "Geez," she breathed with a shaky smile. "I made your fur all wet..."
But she nodded anyway as he recounted those old memories, the ones that still made her smile. "Yea," she managed a chuckle. "And I'd always thought... it was just because I was such a good hider. Turns out, you can't do much hiding with fur like mine."
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:24 am
All of this attempting to be cuddly stuff was tough on the wall eyed male but he liked it. It was nice to know that he was still known, still liked, even though really, did she know him any more? They had both been through so much. He had been alone for so long he didn;t know how to tell her it would be alright. Though in a moment of pure, unbridled clarity he looks at the birds and lowers his head, whispering in her ear "You don't think what?" He smiles, a weak, but old smile, he remembered those old days when he had listened to her little secrets. Quiet, childish secrets that rattled about on her lips, which he had kept some where bouncing about in his skull.
"Do you remember you used to come to me and tell me your secrets?" He chuckles, a look on his maw that spoke of times long past. I'll keep this one to. I promise" He crossed his paw across his heart a glimmer in his blue eye. It was strange, this remembering, thinking about those old times, how happy, how care free he had been, even before he had started having those, those thoughts of not having a bonded.
"I'll soon dry out Tili." He tilts his head looking down at his chest and releasing his paws from her shoulders. He thougth maybe now was the time to let her go, she seemed free of her sniffles now.
"I'm on my own now, you know, except for Fai." he nods at the blue bird and smiles a watery far away smile. "I had hoped.." He shakes his head and sighs "Well, you know.." He clears his throat, he didn't know quite how to mourn his family, they were gone and he was sad beyond words, beyond emotions he could convey. "At least you remember me though. It's good to have a friend who isn't a nagging bird." He chuckles pokeing Fai with a claw.
The pretty bird snaps her beak at Lor'dah "and you'll lose me too if you carry on you skinny lummox!" She laughs, she loved her lion and was glad that he seemed to have a friend, someone to perhaps teach him to open up to others. "I'm sure he will settle now that he is home. Hopefully." she laughs a quick HA! She hoped he would but if he actually would was worrying to her. She wanted him to be happy.
"You wouldn't leave me Fai, you love me too much." He rolls his eyes turning his attention back to Tili "She'd miss meal times!" he laughs and blinks "Oh! Do you want a rabbit? I caught it but I'm not really hungry. I'm usually useless when it comes to hunting, guess this was my lucky day." He looks at Tili with a meaningful glance, it was his lucky day, he had claimed a friend, someone he didn't know still existed, someone to share old memories with.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:13 pm
She did remember. Those days of unabashed storytelling and secret swapping that they had shared as children, when she had felt as though she could tell him absolutely anything. He had been like a big brother to her, watching out for her and keeping her secrets; maybe that was why it had hurt as much as it had when he had left.
But it felt different now somehow, inexplicable as it was. She wasn't the same quiet little cub that she had been before the earthquake, and much as she felt like her old self, she knew she wasn't. And he couldn't have remained unchanged either, she knew he hadn't.
And yet. That shining beacon of hope that he represented, of the past and of happier times, was too much for her to resist. And she did want to tell him, she did. In case he ever up and left again without ever knowing. "I don't think I could stand to watch you leave a second time, Lory," she drew another breath, holding back those stinging tears. She had cried enough today. "You don't... you have no idea how much I missed you."
She nodded. She did know, and she reckoned she was stuck in the same place as he was. She didn't want to find out about her ma, and her pa, and her siblings. Because if she did... then what? She wouldn't even know how to begin to cope with the finality of it all. And if they hadn't survived the quake, if they had left her all alone in the world? She would never have admitted it aloud, but she wasn't quite strong enough to face something like that.
"Well, you'll still have me," she offered, more than willing to be his family from now on, if that was what he needed. He had done so much for her in her childhood, and even now, in the short time that they had met again. It seemed only fair.
"Oh, I hope so," Pisha said genuinely, having shoved aside any feelings of jealousy. He could see what these two did for each other, and if Tili was happy, then he was glad, and whichever creature brought his bonded joy would have his blessing. "I think she'll do better, now that she's found somebody to remind her of her childhood, and of this place before... all this." Much better. And if would be good for her.
"Oh, are you sure?" She wouldn't have minded a rabbit at all, after all the crying she had done. She felt oddly drained, and some food would have helped to restore some strength into her limbs. "I'm glad it is." She added with a smile.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:35 pm
It made his heart tinkle a happy little melody at her words. "I'll tell you a secret too." He grins, an almost playful grin a smile of days long gone, he puts his nose at her ear "I don't want to say good bye again." He laughs, a little bashful laugh. It had been a long time since he had worn his emotions on his sleeve. Back in the days when he was young and carefree, he had worn those emotions out in the open, where they had needed to be, he had been young, frivolous, frightened, brave, caring, all the things he just couldn't seem to muster up any more, but he was trying. REALLY HARD! "I missed you too, it was hard to think that maybe you, maybe no one I knew would be here when I got back." He shakes his head, it had been almost frightening when he had been told by Umoja of the true damage the quake had caused to the now decimated pride.
He lifts a paw again and touches her cheek pushing past her eye, just in case a stray tear managed to escape. "I'd like that. I need a family again." he whispers, a genuine smile on his maw. He needed her and it seemed like she needed him. Needed to remember the past, of old games and childhood laughter.
"You know maybe, maybe together we can you know, find some of the old places. Do you remember that one rock that looked like an elephants butt?" It was strange remembering such small, perhaps insignificant things. He remembered the rock, he had made many jokes about the rock. It had been a place to race to to hide behind, even to sit on. "Elephant butt was good for sunbathing if I remember right." He chuckles a laugh which touched both of his odd coloured eyes, he realized, he had owned a very happy childhood and Tili had been a big part of it. Tili had fetched back all of these dormant memories and it felt good. Felt good to speak of nicer times. Good to just splurge his feelings out, or at least, let them out in small well managed waves.
Fai shakes her head and sighs, a little light happy sigh. "Don't think I have ever heard him laugh so much. It's nice to hear he had a happy childhood, it's been a long and hard time growing up out there alone. Plus he's probably the most useless hunter you will ever meet. That rabbit virtually walked down his throat" She snickers looking up at her bonded in a pleased manner. The land of happiness and easily caught bunnies, it seemed they were truly home.
"Hey, eat up okay, then we can go and find that rock." He nods an affirmative pushing the chubby rabbit towards her. Well at least the rabbit had come in useful and if Tili was hungry then it was all hers. It was the least he could so. She may have been that one playmate as a youngster who carved out a happy little trail in his memories, but now, well now she was family, his family, someone he could cling to to remember the old days and the old ways.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 12:13 am
And there it was. Just like old times, she trusted him completely, and she knew that when he said he didn't want to say good-bye again, he meant it. And she knew that they had changed. It didn't take a genius to notice the differences that had come to pass in their time away, but that was okay. They were both here now, and everything would be alright.
"Yea, I'll be your family, Lory," she reached out to embrace him in a big hug, the way she always had as a cub, by flinging her paws around his shoulders and nuzzling her head deep into his neck - now his mane - for that extra cuddle, both because it had just plain felt nice, and because he had been twice her size and that had been the only way she could have properly hugged him.
And more than anything, she wished they could be kids again, running about without a care in the world and - yes, finding the most bizarre landmarks. Like Elephant Butt. "Oh, how could I have forgotten?" She laughed at the memory of the rock, which had slipped her mind until Lor'dah had mentioned it. "Very good," she agreed. "Best seat in the house." Of course, they had both probably grown a little too much to be able to still fit on the rock comfortably. And there was always the question of whether or not it had survived the earthquake.
"Yea, we should find it again," she decided with a nod. "It could be our special little place." And if not Elephant Butt, then another place tied closely to their childhood, perhaps. They needed their own personal Spot, just like they had as children. Although, back then, they had had probably a dozen or so of those.
Pisha bobbed his head in agreement. "Yea. She's never been shy about her feelings but honestly, I don't think I've seen her this happy in a long while." Since before the earthquake, even, and the heavens knew that had been long enough ago. She deserved to be happy, Pisha knew, and now, she had finally gotten her chance. It was such a touching moment.
"Okay," she dug into the rabbit with a gusto that made Pisha beside her click his beak in annoyance. That girl never learned to have manners!
"But we have to make a pact, okay? Now that we're family." She added, lifting her head from the meal. "That... we're never gonna leave each other, that we'll always have each other's backs, and that we'll never think we're anything less than that - family." Just like when they were kids, only better this time, because they were more than just plain old friends. Anybody could be friends, but family, that was different.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 12:42 am
Resting his head on her shoulder he surrounds her in his mane for a moment. He felt for the first time in a very long time that he was at peace. He was home and though his biological family was gone, he had found a family he remembered, a family in the pride. Someone who was more than a friend, who needed him just as much as he needed her.
"I never thought about that." He laughs a little watching her quietly as she dug in to the rabbit. He was happy she was hungry. It was right for people to be hungry, he knew that, his stomach just didn't agree. He really wasn't sure if he would ever be used to having regular meals again.
"Lets, lets find some where new Tili? Some where we can talk and remember and just, just enjoy each others company." He smiles lopsidedly, he wasn't really sure if he had put that right. "Uhm..I mean..you know like a family den, a home, for me and you." his ears vanished in to his mane then, perhaps he was jumping the gun, maybe she already stayed with someone else. It was very odd for him to be so forward but having the bright pink female before him once again made him want to never let her go. He wanted to remember those happy times of finding weird things and discovering hiding places. Of being young and playful and carefree. "I mean, you know, if you want to. I'm all alone here, it's been a long time since I had a friend that didn't have feathers." He chuckles half heartedly, feeling nervous of his presumptions.
Fai lifts her head raising both eyebrows she shakes her head. "Lor'dah she probably already has somewhere to live that's more comfortable than any rock pile you could fish out." She looks at Pisha a slightly worried set to her features. Was her lion bonded jumping in feet first in to something he would find difficult? She wasn't sure how Tili would react, her claws scraped the ground in a concerned manner. This was the first time she had truly seen the lanky male lion be emotional, she didn't want him to be shot down while he was wearing his heart on his sleeves.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 6:34 am
She polished off the rabbit quickly enough. Pisha had always reminded her about her manners - he hadn't now, most likely because they had company - but she had never quite learned the lessons. Don't bolt down her food, try to be at least a little less messy, and don't let the hair fly all over the place, for god's sakes! But although he tended to repeat things rather like a broken record, most of it had the tendency of going in one ear and out the other in mere seconds.
The lioness looked up from the remains of the carcass with a light laugh at the exchange between lion and bird, one that rather reminded her of the arguments she and Pisha seemed to have on a daily basis. Of course, now that they were home and they spent a little less time in each other's company, the spats had lessened to an extent, but it wasn't very much at all.
"Fai's right, I do already have a den. But, it's just me and Pisha," she added hastily, lest her initial words disappointed Lory before he managed to hear the better news. "So, we can just all stay there from now on, right? A family den." She beamed at the prospect. This was going to be fun, and she was going to be the best family either of them had ever known - she wasn't settling for anything less.
Pisha hopped closer to Fai, as if to exchange state secrets with the other bird, lowering his voice so that Tili wouldn't hear what he was about to say. "Don't worry about them," he said reassuringly. He might not know Lor'dah, but he did know his Ka. "She's got the biggest heart I've ever seen in a lion. They'll be alright."
"And, look," she suggested. "Those days are over, alright? You can meet all of my friends - Chewy and Jah and Yamini, and Sikivu, even. And anyone else we become friends with here. It'll be good, promise. And even if not, there's still me - family. And I'm not going anywhere."
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 4:46 am
Watching her devour the rabbit, Lor'dah felt better, useful, that he had given something back to the pride he had left so long ago. It also made him feel exceptionally pleased that she had eaten so vigorously. His little hunting success hadn't gone to waste. "I'm glad you like rabbit." he chuckles a little, feeling that was a bit of an understatement having watched the female take to the meat almost like she had never eaten before. It was good to see someone with more than a birds appetite again.
"Really? Is there room? If there's no room we can find somewhere else." He lowers his head a little apologetically. He'd realized mid blab that she might be living with others, she might still have more family, she might even have a den full of cubs, or elders, or injured. For a moment he felt like a burden until she assured him that they could live in her den together. "I.." He smiles and nods a vigerous nod his duel coloured mane falling in his eyes which he had to quickly push away before he lost sight of his new 'family.
It was an odd feeling, being so attached to someone whom he was fairly sure could only remember him form those old, childish days, but it was also nice. If he could express the warm, all too fuzzy feeling that was battering around in his chest, he would have been pleased as punch but all he could muster was a silly looking smile and a vigorous nod.
"A family den, I haven't had one of those for so long." He sighs, a laughs a little laugh that caught in his throat. Yeah, yeah I hear you, so, so you have other friends? I remember some of those names. I'm glad more survived these times than just the two of us." It was an honest statement if one he knew he would probably find difficult to follow up on should he meet those old friend, cohorts, piers.
Fai looks at Pisha and clacks her beak. "I hope you're right." She sighs a little scratching her claws on the ground "I'm not quite sure how this will go but at least he's giving it a shot." She laughes a squawk and shakes her head. Clearly her lion had his mind set on this. Opening her wings she flaps up to Lor'dahs heavy maned head "You better ask Tili where home is Lory." She chuckles, taking to his nickname with out any sort of bother.
The beautifully marked lion nods and looks at the bright pink female, he could still see that youthful smile in her face and it reminded him so wonderfully of a past lost to him "Lead the way home Tili." He smiles a pleased, genuine smile "Show me our family den."
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 8:07 am
"Oh, I, uh..." The lioness smiled sheepishly. Truth be told, she liked food in general, and any sort of meat that happened to be in front of her was the best meat in the world - not very ladylike, as Pisha liked to remind her as well, and certainly not a fact to be divulged at will to every passing lion she happened to meet. Finally, she settled on a simple, "Yea."
"There's plenty of room," she said, wide-eyed and unwilling to let her friend find any sort of excuse to back out of the family den deal they had struck. He was all alone in the world except for her - as if she would ever let him stay on his own! She grinned. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Honest." And she was. Now that they were all back, safe and sound, she couldn't imagine how it could be any other way.
"Yea. Well, they're kind of like my family too, I mean, we've been traveling together for such a long time. But it's not official or anything, like our family. So they're more like friends, but all my best friends, or something like that." She hoped that everything would work out as smoothly as she had anticipated it would only moments before, that their little survivors' troupe would get along well with Lory, and that they could all make room for him in their lives. But, like she had said, everything would fall into place. It had to.
"I'm glad too," she admitted, staring out toward the horizon for a moment. "I hope there are more like us out there, trying to find their way home." She didn't mention the hope she held that none of them had given up. The thought saddened her beyond explanation. All she knew was that if she could make it home, anybody else out there could too. And it was only a matter of pushing through the worst and clinging on to that distant memory of home.
Pisha, too, opened his wings and flapped onto Tili's shoulders, settling into his customary spot on her back. In all honesty, he had gotten a little large to be riding about on the pink lioness' back, but they had both accustomed themselves to the slightly more tricky ride, learning to balance and to play off each others' weights.
"I would have to agree, Ka," The black vulture nodded. "Time to go home." With their entire family.
"Alright," she grinned again, happy to hear the word. Finally, it felt as if she was well and truly at home. "Let's go home."
It was the dawn of something new, something fabulous, and she couldn't wait for the new day.
/fin? 8D
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