Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tulia had finally escaped the ever-watchful eyes of her sister. Sebae meant well, and Tulia knew this, but at times even best intentions were rather stifling at best. Tulia was thankful that her sister had been given more responsibilities by their pride leader, Esti; it meant that more time was spent helping create the guidelines the pride would live by.

Since the move into what was now the prides new territory, Tulia had been spending time finding her way around. It was hard for a near-blind girl to do, but that was part of the fun. Yesterday she'd followed the base of the mountain for quite a ways before turning around and finding her way back.

Today Tulia had decided she'd follow one of the many snow-melt streams to see where it went. Tulia loved her little adventures dearly, and as she walked she hummed to herself, splashing the water as she walked. In the distance a louder noise compared to the gentle tinkle of the stream; the subtle roar of a river. Excited, Tulia picked up her pace; to look at her, one wouldn't even know that she was blind.

Tulia heard the splashing that seemed utterly out of sync with the rhythmic sound of the river, so she knew she wasn't completely alone. If it was prey, she didn't care. If it was foe, she'd be a bit of a bind, but if it was friend, well... that was just fantastic. Tulia loved making new friends.

"Hello!" Her voice was bright and clear, her face turned in the direction of the splashing. Tulia's nose twitched as she caught scent of another lion although it was quite diluted and not very strong. Was the lion in the water? Tulia mused to herself, the thought bringing a smile to her face as she waited for an answer.

Tulia bit back a chuckle at the nervous uncertainty in Mwana's voice. It would be rather rude to laugh directly in someone's face that you've just met. Besides, Tulia quite liked Mwana's voice. For a moment Tulia felt a bit wistful as she often did when she met a stranger; her lack of sight was the cause. Tulia would love to be able to look a new friend in the eye, to see real emotion on someone's face. Ah, well. She was lucky in other ways.

"Mwana! That's a lovely name. I'm Tulia. My pride lives down this stream a bit," she continued, gesturing at the crystalline water she stood in. "I don't have a nickname. You're lucky! Sometimes my sister calls me Tutu but... I don't like it much. I think she does it just to get on my nerves!" She paused, grinning from ear to ear. It was obvious her sight was gone; she never made eye contact with Mwana, and her eyes had that slightly unfocused look. "She's older than I am, so she tends to get a little bossy. I have to remind her that she's not my mother sometimes!"

Out of breath now, Tulia chuckled. "Sorry. I like to talk."

"Ohh, no, your name is lovely! What's it mean? Mine doesn't mean anything special, I'm afraid. Neither does my sisters. They're just names." She grinned towards Mwana's voice, giving pause before starting in again.

"Our pride is called the Ongozana'Ke! It's a lovely pride, we've got a few males that hang around but the pride is mostly composed of females. We're like a big happy family full of sisters! We make our home at the base of the mountain," Tulia gestured with a nod of her head.

"I'm younger than my sister, but our mother died when we were young so she thinks she has to take care of me." The affection she had for her sister was obvious in her voice. "We're actually twins, well, except for our colors. I think our eyes are different colors, too."

Tulia took a breath before her yammering continued, "I'm blind," she said matter-of-factly. "Not completely. I can see shadows, but not much. It gets worse as the days go by. Soon enough I'll be completely blind!" Her voice was chipper and she had no self-pity, that was obvious. "So Sebae, that's my sister, thinks she has to watch me wherever I go. Lemme tell ya," she leaned forward, "It gets kind of annoying."

"Lady of the moon," Tulia murmured to herself. How pretty it was! "Oh, you sound lovely! My sister looks identical to me, but instead of silver, she's brownish gold. I remember that much. I've forgotten the color of her eyes, though. I should ask her. That sort of thing is important to me," Tulia explained. "It always has been, but I'm not sure why. Eyes are the windows to the soul, or so I've heard," she finished sheepishly.

"Oh, Sebae is a wonderful sister. She's done so much for me, and I just keep barreling right in to trouble. Sebae's had to fish me out of a few dodgy situations. I know why she's so bossy, she's terrified of losing me," Tulia grumbled, "I always have to tell her that I'm blind, not stupid, but.. I love her." Tulia chuckled.

"Our pride is fantastic. Sebae is my only blood relative as far as I know, but oh our pride is just a band of sisters. We're always there for one another, and it works out nicely. Oh, I don't know," Tulia laughed, "I can't wait to start a family of my own."

"I wish I could tell you what color your eyes are, Mwana! But I bet it wouldn't make a lick of difference. I can tell just by talking to you that you are a good-hearted lioness. I'm a pretty good judge of character," Tulia boasted. "Or so I like to think. I believe in giving everyone a chance, you know? Sebae is so wary of everyone. Why, I bet if she happened upon the two of us having a friendly conversation she'd be furious at me for talking to a stranger!" Tulia couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled forth.

"There is a very, very thin line between bravery and stupidity, Mwana. I've walked the line many times, and as I've mentioned it's gotten me into some sticky situations! But you can't learn if you don't make mistakes, you know?" Tulia shrugged, "It's why mistakes don't bother me. I make them willingly."

"Someone like you?" Tulia tilted her head to the side. "How can I help but be nice to such a gentle lioness?" She laughed and shook her head, grinning in Mwana's direction. "I'm just lucky you weren't some huge angry male, hmm? That would've been the end of ol' Tulia!" She couldn't help but joke with Mwana. Tulia felt a bond with the other lioness, and it always made her happy to make a new friend.

"A leader? Ahh, well. I think I'm a little too reckless for such authority. I'm happy being who I am, you know? I guess being blind makes me feel like I have to prove myself in other ways." She shrugged; it was hard to explain, and she'd never really opened herself up like this to anyone else but her sister. "I firmly believe that you only live once, and so you'd better enjoy the life you have before it's over, you know?" Tulia bit her lower lip. The conversation had taken a turn for the serious, and she wasn't quite sure how to proceed... so she just kept talking, "You know, Mwana. If you don't have a place to stay, you're welcome to join my pride. And if you're not ready to settle down, you're always welcome. I'm happy I have your friendship."