|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:18 am
Gaddith:12:54 am
(12:54:26 AM): It had taken him a few days to scout out an ideal training ground, but it had been well worth it. Sinbad had insisted on pushing his siblings in their daily training. While he had been destined to leave the firekin, he hadn't been spared the harsh training and paw-breaking work. His line had been hopeful that some day they would reclaim the territory and restore their line to a position of honor. If Gaddith aided in that victory, he would have been permitted to stay with his huria littermate...unfortunately that day never came. It never would in his opinion. Royal blooded or not, they had fallen from the grace of their goddess.
The new pride was...different. It took a lot of adjusting to. He and his sister both had their work cut out for them. The traditions and rituals that had been ground into them from the day he was born would have to be re-thought. New traditions would have to replace a lifetime of learning... it was a difficult transition.
At least he had his training.
As a guardian, he was expected to be a fighter. It was the one thing he could cling to for a sense of familiarity. The location he'd found was little more than a collection of boulders situated along the far edge of the pride's territory. Smaller rocks sat atop larger ones, items he'd placed earlier.
Taking a long, deep breath, the lion charged forward. A rolling growl building in his throat as he lunged forward. A paw flew out, dealing a hammer blow to one of the rocks he'd laid out. A heavy one- the training was difficult and often times he'd end up limping out of the training grounds back home, but it trained his muscles and paws against the hammer blows exchanged in combat. The rock went flying, clammering against the boulders nearby.
Maa-nefe:1:07 am
(1:07:35 AM): It wasn't unusual to see a group of young lions out at the oasis. It was the equivalent of a swimming hole for the desert dwelling pride. Granted it was out of the way, the temple lake was right in the heart of their land, and because of the nearest oasis' seclusion they had to be cautious traversing the stretch, but it was far safer than the straight shot from the rogue lands to the heart of the pride if one bypassed the chain of water and shade. From there it was easy to navigate to and from the pride if one knew the desert, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that someone else was out there, but for Maa-nefer she generally didn't wander alone much.
Her friends were back at the oasis, dozing before the trip back. She'd slipped off while they were resting, and for her predator's sense of hearing she was able to pick up the commotion a ways off.
She peered up over the top of a small dune as she crested the sand, recognizing a dark coat amidst the pale grains. He was one of the members that had come from the neighboring desert pride, along with his sister, an orange and white female, if she wasn't mistaken. What were their names? Gaddith. It was easy to remember because it, like so many newcomers names in their home land, was... foreign to her. Her parents had been named "outside", but all of her litter mates had been named in the old ways. This male was different, if she weren't already a optimistic, outgoing female then she surely would have been driven by curiosity alone.
As it was, for now she just watched, fascinated, not wanting to interrupt.
Gaddith:1:21 am
(1:21:07 AM): He landed in the sand with a soft growl, tail snapping at his flanks. With another sharp movement, the lion reared upwards and threw a paw out for a second blow to his second target. It was much larger than the first and sent a rippling sharpness through his arm up to his shoulder.
The rock went flying once more, landing in the sand with a loud clatter. Paw throbbing, Gaddith landed in the sand once more, his silvery eyes squinting against the harsh sunlight. He hated working by day, Sinbad never wanted to hear a word of it. He'd missed his marks more than once at inopportune
times, slipped from the rocks, or hit the rock base rather than the targets.
After a few deep breaths, he lifted his paw and ran his tongue along the top of it. He'd have to soak it later on...
Maa-nefe:1:37 am
(1:37:20 AM): Whatever he was doing, training she'd guess, or some REALLY angry venting, it looked painful. She slowly eased up over the top of the dune fully, debating calling down to him for a moment before realizing it would be rude not to let him know she was there. She measured the volume of her voice as she finally spoke up.
"Is this your training spot?"
Gaddith:1:44 am
(1:44:50 AM): He grunted, jerking slightly as a voice called out over the relative silence. Sucking in a sharp breath, he turned over his shoulder, eyes wild. If anything could be said of his line, it was that it took very little to get their blood boiling. The look melted away within a few blinks of his eyes. Straightening and relaxing his posture, he turned and dipped his head. It seemed the 'polite' gesture.
"Yeah... good spot. Nice and quiet, good stone too..." He flexed his paw, inspecting the claws for a moment. Thankfully, he'd learned how to keep his claws sheathed during boulder training. He'd broken one too many in the past.
"What brings you to the boarders?"
Maa-nefe:2:15 am
(2:15:06 AM): When Gaddith relaxed Maa-nefer loosened up with a smile, moving to come down to a conversational distance.
"I'll take your word for it. I wouldn't really know, I'm not really very good at fighting." She slid down the sands with practiced ease, loping to a light stop a few moments later. "My friends and I were at the oasis and I heard you over here, so I wanted to come see what was going on. I hope I'm not intruding...? Gaddith, isn't it?"
Gaddith:2:24 am
(2:24:31 AM): The lion looked perplexed. Not good at fighting? He'd get used to hearing that one day. There were ...non combatant jobs back home, but it was reserved for the weak, the elderly, or the crippled. Here, combatant positions seemed reserved for a select few.
He stepped forward, his lips quirking into a lopsided smirk. "Yeah, I'm surprised you know it. I'm...new...so I don't really know anyone just yet. What's your name? Might as well start somewhere, right?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 12:06 am
Maa-nefe:2:07 pm
(2:07:32 PM): Overall they were a peaceful pride with no enemies. The vultures had been before her time, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind to learn how to fight, maybe a bit idealistic.
"My parents and great uncle are usually responsible for meeting the new members, so there's always something new to talk about when I see them." She reasoned with a grin. "I'm princess Maa-nefer."
Gaddith: 2:11 pm
(2:11:52 PM): "Ah a princess, forgive me then-" He dipped his head a little lower and curled one of his paws. It seemed formal enough. Back home, he paid his respects to the council though the formalities were a little...lax. His own Aunt took up one of the posts, his grandfather's pride and joy.
"Well... are you looking for a lesson in combat? You never know when it'll come in handy. It's a dangerous place."
Maa-nefe:2:18 pm
(2:18:08 PM): "Oh," She took an instinctive step back to make sure he had ample room, though she often felt the urge to wave off such formalities, but having been raised into her rank, unlike her mother, she was accustomed to it. Eventually when they met again there wouldn't be a need for such formalities unless in public.
"Thank you, but I doubt that I would be any good at it... and it's safe enough with the guardians on patrol." And even she had to admit, she was probably too much of a lover to be willing to learn how to hurt others. Hunting lessons were one thing, but she didn't think she could handle combat lessons too. "I guess that must sound pretty silly."
She wasn't dim, and realized how it must sound, a princess that had no interest in fighting, she might as well say she didn't want to get her paws dirty. Well, maybe getting dirty -wasn't- all that fun anymore, but she didn't object to it, or spend all her time preening.
(2:18:35 PM): *"I was just curious, I wanted to come say hello." She smiled, hoping she hadn't made a fool of herself.
Gaddith: 2:22 pm
(2:22:57 PM): "Ah just takes practice." He shrugged and took a step forward, reaching a paw out to touch the female's paw. She wasn't a fighter, that was for sure. Her wrists were delicate, her paws small. It was shocking...he'd never known a female with delicate paws. Even his mother had seen combat once or twice- and she was a historian.
"Not silly, it's just...different. My home pride was very...confrontational you could say."
He drew his paw back and chuckled. "Well I suppose that's out of the way. Perhaps in exchange for a few basics, you can teach me a few things so I don't feel so... fight outta water and all that."
Maa-nefe:2:31 pm
(2:31:00 PM): Usually there wasn't any "invading" of personal space unless it was amongst her family, particularly her towards her siblings or parents. It wasn't that she minded, particularly, but it was surprising sometimes when it happened. She always felt she and her siblings were held to an unspoken higher standard, setting examples, so they avoided giving false impressions when they could.
Really, though, it was just a touch of paws.
Curious eyes drifted down to their paws, seeing the size difference. He probably could really do quite a bit of damage with those paws, but she wasn't frightened in the least bit. She'd never had a reason to be afraid of new faces or strangers. Nothing had ever happened to her or her siblings. It was to be expected.
"The Firekin, right?"
Maa-nefer lifted her eyes back to his face again with a curious look in them. It was obvious that she was relaxed and enjoying the conversation by her body language.
"What would you like to learn?" Her tone hinted at her mirth this time even as she grinned back at him. It was kind of funny. She was a little thing compared to him, but there he was asking for her help, or for a trade as it were.
Gaddith: 2:53 pm
(2:53:06 PM): "Yes... a strong pride but not one for the faint of heart or body." Once in, there were positions where a cripple or a weaker individual could live quite happily, but unless one was born into the pride just gaining the privlage of becoming a member was a bloody afair. His father delighted in duels. There were some losses, yes, not that he'd ever admit to them. Gaddith was too young to engage in any duels, and he'd left before he saw combat.
"Well...for starters, what do you do? Like...royals and such. Just curious."
Maa-nefe:3:13 pm
(3:13:29 PM): "Well, really we do the same thing as everyone else, I guess, just that we had to take a lot of extra lessons as cubs. My older sister, Soa, usually helps the scribes with teaching. I decided I wanted to learn from the artisans how to be a singer, but I help show new members around and answer questions, helping the nannies with the cubs, studying from the priests and scribes... and I help my parents with whatever needs doing. It kind of just depends on what's going on from day to day."
Hopefully that answered it, there really was a great deal that they all did, there was seldom a dull moment if they didn't want it.
Gaddith: 3:16 pm
(3:16:43 PM): He couldn't help but laugh. Singing and dancing, showing the new individuals about and...priests? Scribes? Whatever were they? Noting his laughter must have sounded rude he waved a paw in the air.
"Sorry sorry, sounds like you don't have a lot of fun, highness. You should get out a bit. I'd go nuts if I had to live such a quiet life. No thrills, no boiling blood."
Maa-nefe:3:29 pm
(3:29:48 PM): If she minded the laughter she didn't show it, ears twitching a bit though, guessing that her friends would likely be looking for her any moment now. "That's not true, I have a lot of fun! I'm actually never bored. I get so much inspiration for new songs just talking to others. I'm even working on one for lord Anupu." Though she supposed if he was used to fighting that might sound dull and uneventful.
Gaddith: 3:31 pm
(3:31:22 PM): "Ooh you compose your own songs? Perhaps I might listen in on them one of these days. I'm afraid I'm...uncultured. At best." He cleared his throat and took a step back. "We don't often have time for such things. Mother was a historian but it's pretty much learning about one bloodbath then another. No songs or dance...not yet anyway."
Maa-nefe:4:00 pm
(4:00:11 PM): Now there was an idea! Her face lit up, perking up. "Well... in return for you teaching me some self defense why don't I help you learn about the pride's history and artistic traditions?"
Since he'd suggested it already she didn't think he'd mind, he had asked, or offered, after all. Maybe they -could- help each other a bit. "But I have to head back soon. The others will probably be looking for me..."
Gaddith: 4:41 pm
(4:41:51 PM): "Ooh yeah... if you don't mind a hard head and a rough paw messing up the... uh...." He waved a paw in the air. "....nice...ness of all that...stuff."
(4:42:40 PM): "Well... you should get back to 'em. We don't want them to get worried now." He glanced to his training rocks. Three more to go... heavens. He should have taken some more time to work on the trip over.
Maa-nefe:5:31 pm
(5:31:04 PM): It was Maa's turn to laugh. watching the gesture. "Well, it was nice talking to you, I'll see you around. Oh," An afterthought, smiling. "Good luck with your training." She added cheerfully, waiting for him to have a chance to reply.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
