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 Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 2:12 pm
He'd asked the Minders about the cub Masoka had told him about, and had been directed where he could find her. His thoughts distracted him a little, but not enough for him to forget his purpose. When she came into sight, he set aside his thoughts of mates and the necessity of them. Without much preamble, he merely shuffled straight up to her.
"Hi. I'm Kejeli'zito," he introduced himself immediately, using his full name in a subconcious bid for impressing her. "Are you Urd?" Though his face remained generally still and without much expression, his ears swivelled and angled, indicating his inquiry and interest in her. He had no idea his direct and blunt manner might put off a more friendly and gentle cub, and probably wouldn't have much cared if he'd realized it. He was as he was, and that was that.
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Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 12:43 am
 Urd wasn't expecting anyone to just approach her and talk to her out of the blue. Her friends might, of course, but not someone she didn't know. Without really thinking she put a more comfortable distance between them by taking a step back as he addressed her. She didn't notice the family resemblance between this cub and her friend Azize right away, but that was something that might have put her a bit more at ease.
"Yes," she said in a small voice, "I'm Urd."
She wanted to say something in return, but he had already offered his name so she shifted her weight from paw to paw, unsure what to do or say. Kejeli'zito. She repeated his name in her head to commit it to memory. Urd might not be the most social cub in the bunch, but she had been taught that manners mattered and tried to remember the names of her peers and other lions in the pride. She had picked up from the behaviour of adults among her that spiritless followers were less important to know, and figured out on her own that half-spirited ones were probably less important than lions too. However, she knew one important spiritless member of the pride. Dumanla. He was even a scout.
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Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 5:30 pm
His eyes ran along her markings and got tangled amongst them as they traced a path down her back. He wondered if there was anything to be read in such a marking... something about the life they marked. For several moments he let his eyes linger on her rippling stripes as if mezmerized.
With an effort he pulled his gaze back to her face. For a moment he blinked, at a loss for what else to say. Focus! He needed to focus! He sat down, twining his tailtip between his paws, hunching slightly. His posture might have been considered sullen or cringing, but he wasn't feeling that way at all. Now how best to go about this? It seemed best to do what he could to make friends with this she-cub, if possible.
It only just then occurred to him that she was not a lion. He slanted his ears in startled dismay. This... this he was not expecting. His eyes narrowed somewhat as he re-examined her, still in silence that he did not realize was uncomfortable. Was this a problem? Could he still befriend her and learn more from her mother? Well... for her mother to be a Scryer meant she at least was a lion, right? Uncertain with this shift in plan, he cleared his throat.
"Um...hi," he said lamely. This wasn't working! Augh, what had made him think he could just randomly walk up and have any sort of normal conversation?! He hung his head, still watching her. "I... uh... think we know some of the same cubs," he added, hopeful it would help. Conversation wasn't exactly his strong point.
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Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:41 am
This was getting more and more confusing to Urd. The other cub didn't say anything for a long while and the way he looked at her made her fur stand on end. Why did he stare at her like that and why did he suddenly look upset? She was trying to decide between bolting and rudely asking him what he wanted when Kejeli'zito spoke again, rescuing her from making the decision. It wasn't much, but 'Hi' did at least give her something to work with.
"Hullo," she said, still unable to shake the weird feeling, "Oh? We do?"
She realised she wasn't helping much, but she had no idea what this was all about and she was no good at small talk even on her best days. However, she didn't have it in her to just ask what he wanted. It had to be something, because this cub didn't seem like someone who would approach her for no reason.
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:34 pm
He fidgeted casting his eyes about as if for answers. This wasn't as easy as he had imagined. In his mind, he would have strode up, introduced himself grandly, and stated his business. Instead, this was turning out very uncomfortable. He scowled at his own failings and weaknesses. If this was so important to him, he had to grow up and act adult!
As such, he tried to stand straighter, lifted his chin, and spoke in a tone that probably came out as horribly condesending and snooty. "Why yes. My brother, for one," he announced, completely forgetting to say which one, "and Masoka as well." His expression was haughty, but not because he felt himself better. Rather, he was trying to cover his trepidation and bolster his self-confidence. "They have told me that your mother is a Scryer?" He became so tensed as he came to the heart of the matter that he practically quivered. What if she said no to introducing them?!
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:26 am
"Azize?" she asked. It would have been easier if Kejeli'zito would have just told her the name of his brother, but given his colouring and the few cubs that would actually call themselves her friend she was able to figure it out. This was still weird, but Urd focused on the dark cubs questions to at least have something to hold on to.
"Yes, Skuld is my mother," she said, and then realised a name might not mean much to Kejeli, "She's a Scryer."
She didn't know what to feel about the fact that other cubs talked about her mom and she wondered where this might lead. She decided that if he started to tease her she was going to cuff him and leave. Whatever his game was, she wasn't going to stand up to any bullying today.
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:11 am
Ah! Now he had a name! He practically leaped up in glee. That much nearer his goal! But perhaps it might do to ask this little female for more information before approaching a full grown Scryer. In fact, the very idea made him quiver with not just excitement, but trepidatoin as well. He scooted closer to Urd, eyes bright and his ears pricked forward alertly.
"Oh good," he exclaimed. He debated momentarily explaining himself to this other cub. HIs natural privateness at first stirred him to stay aloof, but his need for information and, perhaps, some subtle need for companionship, swayed his choice. "You see, I want to be an Augar," he explained. "And since your mother is a Scryer, I thought maybe she'd talk to me about her job and what it is like." For once, he dour expressoin was replaced with a look of life and youth. His intensity glowed in a light behind his face, instead of shuttering his soul to the world.
"What do you know about what she does?" he asked. He was curious if she had knowledge he could use, and was exerting effort to stem his pessimism that she was just a silly girl and wouldn't care what her mother did. He took a moment to examine her coat to see what her own choice would be in the pride. Ah, it was likely she was a Sacrifice from the get-go. Mentally he nodded approval. Such bright colors would surely bring the favor of the spirits when it came her turn.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:22 pm
Good? Good?! What kind of answer was that? But after a small pause she actually got an explanation. Urd was still not sure it was wise to let her guard down, but at least this made a bit more sense. Kejeli looked different when he talked about being an Augur, and she could see he was passionate about it. He still asked weird questions, but as long as it was questions she could answer she couldn't see any harm in doing so.
"Well," she started. Being in the spotlight was far from her favourite thing, but at least she wasn't being gawked at or used as a teaching aid, "She's got these bones. We're not supposed to touch the bones."
How to explain this? It was almost something that had to be experienced. When Urd was younger she had been very curious about the bones of different shapes and sizes her mother owned. They were taught early that these were not playthings like the well-gnawed bones that could be found around the minder dens, and Urd had accepted. Then she had caught mom "playing" with the bones one day, and was surprised by the lecture she got after trying to join in. But that was an embarrassing cub thing she had done, and Urd didn't feel like sharing all the details. Instead she shared what she had learned that day, and also later on when she had asked more.
"These bones tell her things," she said, but that wasn't quite right so she tried again, "The spirits tell her things I mean, and they talk through the bones."
She watched the other cubs with her head slightly lowered, almost hiding behind her bangs. Urd wasn't sure if this was what he wanted to know so she tried to gauge her reaction before sharing more.
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:16 am
He nodded soberly, eyes still very bright. Yes, yes! He understood! He nearly wiggled in place in excitement and eagerness. He actually inched closer to her, getting closer than he normally was willing to get to anyone except his brother. "Yes, I see!" In fact... could it be? Was he actually smiling?! If he was, he was unaware of such a 'weakness'. He couldhn't have said why he saw it as a weakness to smile, but he did. It was frivilous, pointless, and made you look like an idiot, or so he would have told someone in a sullen tone. Poor thing, he hadn't had the most rewarding experience with interpersonal relationships. The adults hadn't often been kind or loving towards him. He'd simply assumed that was how it was meant to be, never realizing his parentage was the true problem.
"Do you know how she got the bones?" he asked, leaning forward further, coming nearly nose to nose with her, caught up in his enthusiasm. "Are they lion bones?" Though this was a rather disgusting idea for an average lion, most especially a young one, Kejeli only appeared more fascinated by the idea. "What does she do with them?" His questions tumbled one over another, and it was clear more questions welled behind his eyes, swirling about nearly ready to burst forth as well.
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:52 am
Her answer must have pleased him, because he was smiling for the first time since he approached her. Urd offered a tentative smile of her own. This "game" they were playing was alien to her, and she sometimes wondered if there was rules or if he made things up as he went along. Kejeli might not have approached her to play, but it was easier for Urd to adapt to the situation when she regarded it all as an unfamiliar game.
"Um..." she said and backed up a few steps, "Some of them are from lions, yes."
The dark cub asked too many questions at once, but at least they were questions she could answer. She had asked some of the same questions, but much of it was things she had learned from her mother anyway, or guessed without asking.
"She gets some from her hunter friends," she said, apparently not grossed out by the fact that Skuld had lion bones in her arsenal, " and some come from Sacrifices. Not the bones that are broken for the tasty inside during the feast of course. But sometimes she can get intact ones and we can't eat the insides of those..."
Urd liked the fatty delicious marrow as much as any other cub, but in a den where some bones were sacred the rare treat got even rarer. Mom did bring bones for eating occasionally, and sometimes the spiritless Dumanla showed up with a treat too. He was nice.
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:40 pm
His expression softened into thoughtfulness. Bones. From hunters and Sacrifices. He knew he couldn't get any bones from the Sacrifices, and in fact, uncracked bones were unlikely to come into his possession at all. Was this all that there was to it? His gaze sharpened on her again, and he moved a single step closer, not having noticed her smooth movement away from him.
"Does she use anything else?" he asked intensely, claws flexing unheeded into the dirt. He wasn't at all the physical sort, as showed in his gaunt frame. No thick slabs of muscle on this boy, not by a long shot. He was thin, wiry, and clearly slunk around most of the time instead of padding or leaping. Still, his slight body had a twisted sort of look to it... it wasn't lack of nutrition, nor was it genetics. It was pretty much purely him. The body reflecting the soul, perhaps. "Maybe pebbles? The stars? Mud puddles?" Any normal cub would have sniggered at saying mud puddles, or suggesting they might be used by a member of the Heart, but Kejeli was dead serious. One could see an infininte amount of information if one only looked!
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:16 am
Urd had foolishly sat down and was now leaning back slightly as Kejeli moved even closer. It was getting uncomfortable to meet his gaze and her eyes seemed to look for a way to escape. She was definitely not comfortable with this game anymore, but the questions kept coming.
"Um..." she said, not sure how to answer anymore, "I dunno, she just likes bones. But the spirits are in everything, right?"
This was starting to feel like getting questioned by the minders when you hadn't really done your homework. No, she was definitely done with this. However, it would be difficult to get up from her sitting position without touching him or looking really weird. Urd swallowed and decided to attack the problem head on. Literally. In a motion that was way more friendly and familiar than she really felt she rose and gave him a gentle head butt as she did before moving away. She was touching him in a way she would have touched her brother or aunt, and it was a bit weird so she hurried with the little speech she had thought up.
"I'm not sure, okay," she said over her shoulder, "It’s better if you ask Skuld, I can take you there now if you want."
And with that she walked away, not daring to see if he would follow. She felt weird and embarrassed but she wasn't sure why or what had really happened here.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:50 am
He was so intent on her answer that he didn't see her movement coming. So it was that her sudden movement froze him in place, so that her gentle headbump connected with a solid touch. He stood there, completely stunned. His eyes were wide, pupils enlarged, and not a muscle moved. She'd... touched him. Just casul-as-you-please touched him! In fact, he was so shocked that he simply sat there, not immediately registering what she'd said, even as she began walking away.
Noone touched him. Even his siblings hardly ever touched him, and not often in anything that could be percieved as affection. The simple gesture floored him. She'd touched him. Willingly. Without needing to be fooled into it. Not that he generally wanted to be touched. But this... this felt different. He blinked owlishly several times before his brain caught up with what she'd said.
"Hey!" he called suddenly, surging to his paws awkwardly. "Hey wait!" He bounded after her, knowing he definitely wanted to talk to her mother, but also finding himself curious about her now too. "Wait for me!" He scampered up to slow beside her, cast her a shy, baffled look, and promptly shut up. Communication of a more personal nature was not at all his forte.
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 2:04 pm
He was coming after all. Good? Bad? She wasn't sure yet. It might have been easier and less awkward if he hadn't. But since she had said she'd take him to see her mom she supposed she had to keep her words. Better get going then. Because the sooner they got there the better, she hoped. Oh, mom better not be in a weird mood today. Urd didn't think she could handle more awkwardness right now.
"Keep up," she said and increased her pace, too embarrassed to even think about casual conversation on the way. It wasn't very far, but the way home felt longer than it had ever done before.-fin-
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