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 Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:31 pm
Some of his newest siblings seemed so tiny and fragile, yet it hadn't been so long ago that he had been brand new to the world. Strange how life could make such great changes and yet he didn't see it when it happened. Oh well. At least he was larger now, older, and much more experienced.
Trotting outside of the den, Rahim began to maneuver towards the lake. He was thirsty, and being the height of the dry season, dust seemed to cover the land. The water hole was getting smaller but according to his mothers the rainy season would fall upon them soon enough. It was just the way of things. . . or something like that. Still, to clean the dust out of his fur and to soak in the cool waters might be fun. . . besides, maybe he'd see Suha there too!
He rather hoped so. It had been a couple weeks since he'd had the opportunity to bump in to her again and he rather missed her company. He'd never admit that, of course, but deep down he knew he seemed to prefer her companionship over the rest of his siblings. As for the rest of his pride, well. . . until they proved themselves useful or not-boring he was just as content to sit back and just watch and study their behavior.
He really wasn't very good when it came to making 'friends'.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:42 pm
Suha was slowly slowly starting to master her paws. She finally didn't trip all over herself when she wasn't paying attention...only she thought she might be growing again. All that hard work for nothing.
But it was helpful now.
Happily she made her way down to the lake, eager to get a cool drink and dabble her toes a bit. It was a nice day, a bit warm, and the den felt crowded with everyone getting a bit bigger and all. She saw some of her friends had gotten huge. Zarha, who'd been her size only a little while ago, was much much bigger now. And Anwar had gotten a little bigger too.
But the person who she was really hoping to see was...
"Rahim!" she squeaked delightedly, bounding over to where the dark-furred male had been following a nearby path. "Oooh, wow, your mane is coming in!" she cooed, it was okay to be silly when no one else was around, right? "You're so big!"
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:39 pm
The young lion's ears pricked when he heard the sound of his name. It took but a moment, his red eyes going wide with surprise and then a warm sort of delight as he placed the voice. This wasn't one of his sisters or one of the stupid young banu of the pride - it was Suha, his very bestest friend! While he was older, and taller, the young lion couldn't stop the smile from transforming his features. He was a very serious young cub, he always had been, but there was something about Suha that made him much more personable.
"Suha!" He called out, excitement obvious as he watched her bound over. Her pleasure in seeing him pleased Rahim to no end - and why shouldn't she be excited to see him? He was the best, thank you very much. . . Her excitement was warranted.
The olive coated male beamed over at the pale banu, a bit of pride causing him to sit tall and puff out his chest. He'd groomed himself thoroughly that morning, and while he wasn't a terribly vain creature, the fact she noticed his thickening mane made him happy. "Yeah, I've had a bit of a growth spurt with some of my siblings. . ." Naturally he gave a small shake of his head, as if he could toss his mane over his shoulder. It wasn't that thick yet, but he could hope.
Flicking his tail lightly, his red eyes came to rest on his friend. "You're growing too," he added thoughtfully. She was still smaller than him, but not as small as when they had first met or gone out exploring. "How've you been?" He questioned, curious to know.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 11:30 am
Oh, her friend was so handsome. Suha giggled quietly to herself, her soft eyes bright with glee as Rahim spoke. He seemed just as happy to see her as she was to see him, and as always he didn't scold her for being excitable or chattering or...anything. He was special. After all, the little Banu had never had a bestest friend before.
"Yes, I think I am," she agreed when he mentioned that she was growing. It seemed like she was growing slowly though, but maybe it was just because most of the cubs she'd made friends with were older than she was. She still felt small, but she'd discovered herself to be bigger than all the new little cubs that were in the lands now. "I've been good," the Banu chattered, "I met a new Banu the other day, but I haven't met her Pad. She was happy even though she was new, it's so fun to meet people who understand our pride even when they weren't born in it. She liked the story I was practicing, and we went exploring a little...but not too far," she added. There was no way she wanted to go that close to the borders without her big brave bestest friend to help protect her!
"How've you been?" Suha asked eagerly, "I think I saw some new brothers and sisters of yours around."
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Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 6:29 pm
Rahim was glad now that he was reunited with his friend. She was one of the few whose company he truly delighted in . . .even more, he could be himself around her. He felt no desire to act differently or to tune out her conversations and only 'pretend' to listen. No, he genuinely liked knowing what she had to say and what she thought. . . . The only other he was so relaxed around was Ukoo, but she was his mother and no one could truly take her place. Though Suha certainly was close!
"It's nice that some outsiders are willing to follow the prides rules and understand their places within it," he agreed with a nod. "I've heard stories that some of them are pretty rebellious and have to be broken, one way or another," he added a bit more solemnly and with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sort of like a kajira . . ." Rahim didn't know any kajira personally but he wasn't sure he really wanted to meet them. They were rebellious and fiery in nature, and while such a personality sounded like fun for a little while Rahim knew he'd lose interest and patience quickly.
He much preferred his banu like Suha, his mother or some of his sisters. They were much more pleasant to get along with, and were even more fun to discover and get to know. "I'm sure your story was wonderful and . . . and I hope someday I'll get to hear one of your stories too," he added with a little grin. 'I always get to hear about everyone else getting a Suha story, but you've never told me one. Maybe someday though, right?" He added, not wanting her to feel pressured. Unfortunately though, he couldn't hide the fact that deep down he really was a little jealous. . . .
"I've been all right," Rahim spoke, his smile turning in to something of a grimace. "There have been a ton of new siblings. I . . . I can't even name them all," he admitted with a sigh, allowing his shoulders to sag some. As eldest it was his duty to know all of his siblings but . . . unfortunately . . . that was hard. Especially since some of the new brood looked the same! Stripes and brown and black everywhere! "But I'll get to know them all sooner or later, since I live with them. It'll be good practice for when I get older and have lots of cubs!" Being a father wasn't something he really desired at this point, but it was a very important part of the pride. The more banu a male had, the better they were and having children really wasn't much of an option. It was something that was expected without question or thought. . . . so while he had no real desire to even think of banu or cubs at his age, he knew he'd have it all someday.
Besides, if he were to be the best Pad ever, he couldn't accomplish that with a small family. Nope.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:45 pm
Soft blue eyes watched with almost adoring attention as Rahim spoke. Oh, she was so happy to see him again. Her very brave, very bestest friend in the whole pride, nay, the whole world. Though, admittedly, the pride was her whole world, and always would be. She wondered about the rest of it, really she did, but this was her home. It was where she belonged. With her daddy, and her mommies, and her brothers and sisters and cousins and...Rahim.
So long as they were here, why would she ever leave?
Suha shuffled her paws awkwardly as Rahim asked about a story. "W-well...see...the one she liked was one my daddy told...you probably already heard him tell it, and he tells it better anyways. My...my stories...they...they aren't so good..." she trailed off for a moment, remembering how crushingly disappointed she'd been when she found out how boring her tales were. "B-but! Once...once they're good enough, I promise I'll tell you as many as you want!" she added, brightening faintly. Just that he wanted to hear her stories made her ever so happy, even if she knew she was no good.
Giggling, she nodded when he said he had lots of brothers and sisters. "Big families are fun though! Even if it does get confusing. And a little crowded..." she added after a moment. "Oh, but I still want to have a big family someday," Suha continued, "I want to tell lots of stories to all the little cubs!" She giggled, her tail sweeping around her paws. What the cubs would look like, or how they'd come to be there, was still a little bit of a hazy area for her. But they would look like their mommy and daddy. So...light fur with silver and black bits, and maybe some dark green too...maybe...somehow...a little bit...like...Rahim...
...maybe.
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 1:35 pm
Rahim listened as his friend spoke of her woes and anxieties. His smile never wavered, though inside he felt a small frown forming. It wasn't fair that she thought she wasn't very good at her stories! This was Suha, after all, and there was no reason why shy wouldn't be good at telling stories! She was an awesome banu and an even more awesome friend, and that meant that she would have just as awesome stories.
A lack of confidence didn't suit her, oh no, and Rahim was going to do everything in his power to cheer her up. "Hmm," he pondered aloud, before reaching out to give himself a little stretch. His red eyes went thoughtful before he turned and grinned at his best friend. "You mean I have to wait to hear one? I'd really like to hear one sooner rather than later, because I think your stories are going to be great. Sure, you might get better as you grow, but how can you get better if you don't practice? You could practice on me, you know I wouldn't mind. Even if it wasn't the best story you feel you could do. . . I'm sure I'd enjoy it."
Still, Rahim also didn't want to become pushy. And Suha did seem very hesitant about sharing her stories. Truly she couldn't be that untalented. "Still . . I understand if you want to wait too. I just want you to know that I wouldn't mind hearing any of your stories, even if you felt they weren't very good. I don't even know any stories to tell even if I felt like I could," he added with a little grin. "But I know you're gonna be the best story-telling banu out there ever. Just wait and see."
He wasn't lying, why shouldn't she be the best? Her father was the Sultan, after all, so that meant she naturally would be the greatest story telling banu ever. Rahim believed in her. . . maybe someday she could believe in herself.
As the conversation turned to families, Rahim gave a little grin. It made him happy to hear that Suha would like to have a big family someday, which meant she'd have to have the very best Pad ever to provide for it. He didn't entirely understand where cubs came from, but he knew that it required a boy and a girl. But he did wonder who her Pad might be someday . . . and they sure had better give her the biggest family ever or he'd have to have words with them. Suha was his friend, so she'd have to be happy or else they'd face Rahim!
Hmmph.
"I'm gonna have a big family too, just like my Dad. And lots of banu. So I'll have lots of cubs that you can tell stories too! And then your cubs and my cubs can meet each other and maybe they'll be pretty good friends too, just like us." That made sense to Rahim. Tariq'ra'd was close to the Sultan, so maybe it was meant to be that Suha and he were supposed to be good friends.
It hadn't occurred to Rahim yet that he might want Suha for one of his banu. But such a thought wasn't too terribly far off. If a Pad was supposed to care for his banu, why couldn't Suha someday be his? They were friends, right? It could work . . .couldn't it?
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Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:37 pm
Suha ducked her head shyly when Rahim said he wanted to hear one of her stories. They weren't that good, honest. No one else wanted to hear them after all...well, that one pink banu had. But only because she'd been practicing retelling one of daddy's stories and the banu walked past and heard her. It still wasn't the same as someone wanting to hear one of her stories. But Rahim did, or he thought he did. She'd have told him one right then and there, but she didn't want him to be horribly disappointed by her either...
"But I'm sure you'd be good at stories if you wanted to be!" she protested when he said he didn't think he had any stories to tell. "You're good at anything!" Well, it seemed like it to her. He was brave and smart and nice and clever and strong and...lots of stuff. He was just very good at everything important. And she loved it when he decided to keep her company. But that was what best friends did, right? They spent time with each other, and found something wonderful about it. It was like being with family, only better because she got to pick who she wanted to be friends with. They didn't have to be nice to her because they shared a daddy who'd get mad if they didn't get along.
"Oooh, really?" Suha squealed when Rahim told her she could tell stories to his cubs. And their cubs would be friends. They would. Because cubs were like their mommies and daddies! And so if their mommies and daddies were friends, then of course the cubs would be friends too! That would be so much fun!
That she and Rahim could be the mommy and daddy and share the cubs hadn't quite occurred to her yet. But the idea of being friends forever had, and she was quite giddy with the excitement of it. They would grow up together, and play with cubs together, and watch each other get bigger and she'd see Rahim's mane finish coming in and he'd see her learn how to hunt properly and tell stories right and...and...and..! Suha giggling excitedly, her paws dancing on the ground as she wriggled. She could hardly wait now!
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:07 pm
Rahim felt his ears burn with a bit of embarrassment as Suha claimed he'd be good at anything. Thankfully his ears were dark and covered in fur, so no one could notice a moments self-consciousness. Suddenly flopping over in front of Suha, he rolled to his side, laughing a bit as he reached up to paw at her. "Well, I'll admit I am pretty good at a lot of things, but not so much stories. But do you know what would help me better? If you told me one, then I could learn from you!" He was stubborn he was, and he truly did want to hear something from Suha.
Tail flipping lazily on the ground, red eyes studied his pale friend before they lit with good humor. "I know. What if I tell you a story, so you can see how poor of a teller I am . . . and then you can tell me one. So long as you promise not to laugh, because I'm telling you, I don't have the imagination for stories!" That sounded fair to him. Suha seemed to enjoy hearing stories from her father, perhaps she'd enjoy hearing one from him!
Not that he'd be any good at it. He had pride, but he also knew he'd never told a story in his life! But it . . . it was almost like lying. It as just lying about something and someone else, possibly something make-believe. He didn't want to ever lie to Suha, she as his one exception outside of Ukoo, but . . .if it was just a pretend story, then he could.
"Besides, it'll be practice. If you're ever going to tell stories to my future cubs you'll want something to tell them. So think of me as your audience. . . and you'll be mine. . . That sounds all right, doesn't it?" Rahim honestly couldn't believe he was wasting time telling stories or spending so much time trying to hear something from Suha. But . . . she was his best-friend. This was important to him and he wasn't going to drop the subject so swiftly.
"We can keep it a secret if you want. I won't tell anyone your story, and you can't tell anyone that I told you mine." There. That made it even more mysterious. . . and meant none of his siblings could mock him if they heard how terrible his story turned out to be!
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:58 am
Suha couldn't help but giggle as Rahim rolled over and pawed at her. She reached out to bat lightly back at one paw, though only once because while she so loved to spend time with Rahim he was still a Pad, or would be, and she was a Banu. She didn't want to do something 'wrong'...even though she doubted Rahim would mind very much. "W-well..." she started shyly when he insisted that he wanted to hear a story from her. What could she say? What should she say? She didn't want him to hear how terrible she was at it.
But then he saved her, sort of, by offering to tell her one himself first. It wouldn't be so bad to let him see how much her stories could never compare to father's or anyone else's if his weren't quite perfect either. Even if it seemed so strange to think he wouldn't be. Besides, she loved stories!
"That does sound like a good idea," Suha agreed, liking the thought of having a secret with Rahim. It was so exciting, even though it was totally harmless. Not sharing the silly stories they told was hardly anything sinister or not allowed. It was just harmless fun was all. "Okay, I promise not to tell. Not anyone." There, she'd agreed. The young banu's tail flicked eagerly before it curled around her paws as she settled to sit with her ears pricked in eager attentiveness towards Rahim. It was a subconscious thing by now, she always settled to pay proper attention during one of her daddy's stories, her pale eyes focusing sharply on him as though she could soak everything in if she stared hard enough.
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Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:08 am
Crap. Now he had to think of a story, and Rahim really wasn't good when it came to being imaginative. Well, okay, that wasn't entirely true. . . he could often come up with a new way to act or respond to some of his siblings or even some of his father's banu! So mybe he just had to come up with a new way to act, but instead of it being him, it would be someone else.
Stories.
Ugh. . . these really weren't his strong point. But he'd make a fool of himself in front of his friend, especially because she promised to keep it a secret! And so long as Anwar or anyone else wouldn't find out, he'd be just fine. "Well OK . . . Just remember though, I'm . . . . I'm not really good at this." He offered a small smile, though it was a little uncomfortable because Rahim hated to look anything but perfect. He was supposed to be the best pad in the world . . . . admitting he couldn't tell stories very good wasn't an easy thing to do.
But it was Suha. . . and if he told a bad story, maybe she'd feel better about her own talent and he would get to hear one of hers! A fair trade off, if he did think so himself. Clearing his throat, the young striped cub rolled to his paws and began to pace, taking a moment to search his brain and come up with something . . . anything.
"Once upon a time, there was . . . there was a greedy Pad who . . . who always wanted the best. The best banu, the best meat, the biggest litters, the most perfect daughters, and . . . stuff. Anyway, one day, one of his banu brought him the biggest, thickest, and juiciest leg of zebra ever. He was very hungry, but wanted to show it off first. So . . . uh. . . . he walked around with the leg in his mouth, grinning gleefully as the other Pads yearned for the fresh meat. Well, as he walked home, he crossed over a thick log that rested over a deep pond. As he was walking, the Pad stopped and noticed that there was another Pad in the pond, one that carried a zebra leg just thick and juicy as his own. He growled deep in his throat as tried to warn the stranger away, upset that someone was trying to show him up. But the stranger didn't listen. This frustrated the Pad, who did't want second best. The leg of meat he held in his mouth was nothing . . . It wasn't as big as the one in the pond, and he wasn't going to let the stranger get it.
"Without thinking, over come by greed, the greedy Pad suddenly leaned down and snapped at the other lion, hoping to steal away his chunk of meat. There was a great splash which startled the lion, and he realized too late that what he was staring at wasn't another Pad, but his reflection. He'd forgotten the leg of meat was in his mouth as he went lunging for the other, and had lost his own prize to the pond below.
"Because of his foolishness and greed or something, because he hadn't been happy with the leg of meat he DID have, he wound up with nothing instead. His prized leg was now deep in the river, and he had to return home with nothing. The end."
It had been a story he had grown up with, one of his banu had told him. Glancing, almost shyly, over at Suha, he cleared his throat. "I was told I shouldn't ever become as greedy as that Pad . . . .but he was stupid, and I certainly wouldn't get confused about my reflection." He added defensively, not wanting Suha to think he was a fool. He didn't think she would think such a horrid thought, but unfortunately, he was still young and a touch insecure.
"Ok, so that was my story. . . now it's your turn! And it wasn't something I just made up. . . It was a story my Mom's had told me when I was younger. I just kind of repeated how they told it to me, so I don't know if that was right of me or not," he admitted with a shrug. Grinning a bit, he added, "If you want me to make one up on the spot it wouldn't be nearly as interesting."
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:42 pm
Suha settled, watching Rahim as her silvery ears pricked eagerly forward. She always loved hearing what he had to say, what he thought about things. And she loved hearing stories. To hear a story Rahim had to tell, it couldn't possibly be a bad story. As far as Suha was concerned, Rahim couldn't do anything wrong.
And it seemed to her that this judgment had been utterly correct. His story was strange in some ways, but it was certainly very interesting indeed. She listened and reacted mildly to different aspects of the tale, much as she did when sitting at her father's paws.
When he'd finished, she nodded. "It was a foolish character meant to illustrate a point," she agreed, "No one as clever as you would ever fall for something like that." As for his story being one his mothers had told him, well. It was still fair. "Most of the stories I can tell are ones my father has told me." Her own made-up stories were never very good.
"Like, uhm, I think you were there when he told the story about the selfish lion who was visited by the spirits and taught to be generous. Did you hear the one about Silverbird?" Perhaps she could tell him that one, if he hadn't heard it. It was a good story that her father had told, she'd liked it very much.
It would be much better than having to try to tell him one of her own silly dumb stories...
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 4:52 pm
Rahim himself was just glad to be done with the story. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy stories, secretly he did, and goodness knew he was able to make up lies at any given moment. But when it came to telling stories like that, tales, he wasn't that good. He didn't like to be the center of attention when it came to things he wasn't that good with, especially around Suha. Still, she hadn't laughed at him, and even understood the point of the whole story. "Yeah, that's right, you got it. And you are right - I wouldn't ever be so foolish. He was a dumb male, and way too selfish." And that was the truth! Hadn't Ukoo told him that to be the best of the best, he had to treat all of his banu sweetly like he did her?
Well, he remembered that, and would make sure to do well in his mothers eyes. His banu would be treated the very best, and all would be well. "You don't ever make up your own stuff?" He questioned, tilting his head as he studied his friend. "I bet your own stuff would be just as good as your Dads." He meant that sincerely, and even gave a firm nod to as truth to his feelings. Just as Suha seemed to think him incredible, he had to admit, he thought very highly of the pale furred cub. She was young and fun and very creative. She'd make someone a great banu someday and he hoped maybe, just maybe, he'd get someone just like her too.
"I haven't heard the one about Silverbird, but I did hear about the selfish lion. I don't think Pad's are supposed to be greedy, that's why we're getting all these stories about selfishness and stuff. But what's Silverbird about?" His ears twitched and he focused on his friend. It was her turn to tell a story, after all, and he was sure whatever she said would be great.
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