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 Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:36 pm
 It had only been a day since the dark lioness lost her sight... or at least she thought it had been a day. It was hard to tell when everything was constantly black. She'd given up her search on finding her pride. For now she had a much more daunting goal: Getting herself a meal. Her stomach had to remind that she was starving once in a while with a pang and a growl. If she couldn't get adjusted well enough to find a meal, she would die. But feeding the vultures didn't sound like something she wanted to accomplish any time soon.
Vuxta was walking slowly, her head down as her nose and ears twitched actively. She couldn't organize these new smells and sounds. They were jumbled and confusing... at least the headache decided to take leave for the time being. The black lioness paused. Her ears swiveled this way and that. She'd heard a crunch of grass and gravel.. like the step of a hoof against the earth. She slowly turned toward the sound, aimless, yet eerily accurate.
She didn't have much of a plan, but she needed to take down whatever was in front of her. She would listen first... maybe if it got closer she could lunge and ... with a flicker of luck... land a claw or a fang on a vulnerable spot of the beast.
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Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 6:52 am
Mzaaliwaale'mwale liked hunting.
This was probably true of every lion to some degree, but for Mwale, it was one of the few ways she could think of to fully exert herself physically. She loved chasing down some poor beast, shredding the creature's neck beneath her claws. It was bloody, but it was also to be a sure kill. And given that she was particularly hungry today, a quick kill was what she was looking for.
She'd been stalking the creature for some time, amazed that it was so far from the herd. Probably lost, poor thing. Being lost was akin to death for wildebeasts. She stalked towards it, a low rumble in her throat. So close, so close... And then she saw it. A dark lioness, turning towards her beast. If it saw her, it'd bolt and Mwale would be out a hunt. She had to act now if she had any hopes to eat today. Pushing herself up, Mwale ran towards the wildebeast at full speed, teeth bared in a silent snarl as she closed in on it.
WHAM!
Her teeth went immediately for the beast's throat as soon as he was down. She clamped down on its throat, waiting out the beast's last, futile attempts at kicking her off, before she straightened up and looked at the dark lioness who had pushed her paw. She eyed her closely, quite sure she looked a mess with blood all over her face. She panted a little, adrenaline coursing through her, and swallowed after a minute to try and calm her jittery nerves.
"Hey." She greeted finally, sounding at a loss for words. What did one say to the lioness who could have either stolen or lost her kill without sounding mean?
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Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 5:48 pm
Vuxta was getting nervous now. If this was a buffalo she was hunting... If it had a calf. If it had an entire protective herd that she couldn't detect... She was walking into instant death. Her muscles tensed as the fear and terror gripped her. I should just turn around...
Vuxta heard another series of sounds. A faint crackle of grass, like the steps of a stealthy feline. A twitch of her nose confirmed her theory. Though she couldn't determine just what sort of feline it was... or the gender. But the thought was quickly swept away as a crash of flesh and muscle erupted right in front of her. Yet again, she was paralyzed with fear as roars and screams of terror befuddled her senses. It was a mass of chaos that she couldn't use her sight to make sense of. She clenched her jaw, head still dipped, ready to bolt if the struggle got too close.
It seemed like hours as the struggled continued. But to Vuxta's relief it slowly died. She noticed how shaky her breath was. Fatigue, adrenaline, and hunger had turned her into a shivering bag of potatoes. She held her ground, wondering if the feline would turn on her in an attempt to protect their meal. In an effort to prevent this, she curled into herse... making herself look less threatening... if that was even possible.
"Hello..." She replied, her head refusing to lift and look the stranger in the eyes. Because well - that wasn't exactly possible. Vuxta gulped nervously, unsure what to do next. She was still confused, and frightened. And a slicing pain behind her eyes let her know that Headache was ready to come back home...
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:41 am
Mwale watched the lioness closely, frowning at the lack of eye contact. "... Are you alright?" She asked after a minute, stepping towards the lioness on light feet. She had noticed the way Vuxta curled in on herself; clearly not a threat to her meal, but it was also concerning Mwale. She hadn't yet met a lion whom backed away when faced with a lioness fresh off a kill. She might have looked foreboding, but Mwale was not one to strike her fellow kind. She was hungry, but not desperate.
"It's alright," she said after a minute, tail twitching as her eyes flicked to and fro. They appeared to be the only ones around, but appearances were not everything. Mwale had learned that a hyena could be sulking around anywhere, and she would rip out the throats of one of those rats if they got near her food. Glancing back to the fallen wildebeast, she thought. It was more than enough for her. She'd rather share it with a fellow lioness than let the scavengers get it. "I'm not going to attack you." She looked at Vuxta, smiling lightly.
"My name is Mwale. What are you called?" Her tone was light and careful. She didn't want to scare off the lioness, already shaken, no doubt, but the brutality she had taken down the prey with. It was a necessary act, but she hadn't thought to the after effects on the poor girl.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:21 pm
This was a strange new experience. The voice of the other lioness was muffled, almost muted. Every other sound in the Savannah was painfully magnified. The song of the locust in the treetops rattled her ears, the trickling of blood from the carcass in front of them, even the gentle breeze that carried the sparse clouds across the sky...
Vuxta heard the grass crumble and gravel shift beneath Mwale's powerful paw before she could even register the reassurance in her voice. She cringed, withdrawing herself as if she was about to be swiped. It was only after the second advance that Vuxta began to feel she was in no danger. When she prepared her reply this time, she wanted to make sure she wasn't speaking to the ground. She let her head rise, dark hair parting to reveal her aimless gray eyes... Though she wasn't sure how high her head should go and it just felt awkward. What if she looked totally ridiculous with her snout pointing skyward?
With a gulp, the black lioness managed some courage and answered the question appointed to her. "My name is Vuxta..." She paused, wondering if she should describe her situation to a complete stranger. Should she really put all her trust in this lion like that? She doesn't even know what she looks like, or who she is... At this point, however, Vuxta felt she really didn't have a choice. "I can't find my way home... I'm lost." Vuxta wished she could read Mwale's reaction, but unfortunately... her face and expressions are hidden in the infinite blackness.
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 5:07 pm
Mwale watched the poor lioness, but something seemed off. It was as though she couldn't quite hear her first question. She strayed even closer, trying to shrink so as to be less threatening if that was the poor girl's problem. It seemed to have the desired effect, as far as Mwale knew, because slowly the lioness raised her dark head to look Mwale in the eye.
So to speak.
Mwale's own golden eyes fell immediately on the sightless, distant gray eyes. Though she had seen a few lions with gray eyes who could see perfectly fine, she attributed the gray eyes to the milky eyes her own aunt had gained after she had grown far too old to be on the Savannah taking care of two cubs. Blind, she thought. Her heart sunk for the lioness. Surviving was hard enough on one's own, but without the gift of sight? It might as well have been impossible without Mkodi's good graces to protect her.
"It's nice to meet you, Vuxta." Mwale said lightly, eying her with a small frown. "Are you a rogue lion, or... or do you have a pride?" She desperately hoped for the latter; she wanted to help this poor girl go home, but a rogue's harm was a damned sight harder to find than a big pride.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:11 pm
The stranger's response was surprisingly kind. Vuxta felt confident enough to start gradually straightening her posture, yet still feeling awkward with her head held high.
"I... belong to a small pride..." She just barely resisted stuttering, voice almost too quiet for even herself to hear. "I'm afraid... though... if I don't get something to eat soon..." She gulped. She knew the reality of it, but has never verbalized her concerns before now. Maybe she didn't have to. The dark lioness let her words taper off, hoping the other could fill in the blanks for her.
The trickling of blood caught her attention again. And then a new sound, one she recognized. A rumble of voices in the sky, a strong whoosh of giant wings, circling and cawing like the hungry flock of scavengers. It was hard to tell how close the vultures were, but Vuxta was confident they were there. After all, if she couldn't put as much trust in her hearing as she did in her sight, she might as well call it quits now. "And if you don't eat your prize soon... Our visitors certainly will."
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Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 2:37 pm
Mwale found herself quite grateful that Vuxta wasn't shrinking away from her anymore. It made her feel uncomfortable in her own skin to scare the vulnerable lioness like she had. She hadn't meant to, and if Vuxta could see, she certainly would have known that, but that was the point: She couldn't. Mwale hadn't encountered such a lioness, and found herself treading on proverbial eggshells to keep the lioness from thinking she meant her harm.
Her attention as Vuxta spoke went from the mention of a small pride to the poor lioness's hunger. "Oh! Oh, please." She gestured to the fallen beast before she could think better, and winced. "Help yourself. You need to eat to conserve your strength, and there is more than enough for the two of us." She promised, ears perking at the sound of those cawing vultures. She snarled a little, ears curling back as she glared up into the sky. "Those rats can wait their turn." She growled, tail flicking in agitation at the mere thought of losing a good meal to vultures.
"We must eat before they become ravenous, though; I've been stricken by one of those beasts before. It never feels good." She snorted quietly, and moved around to Vuxta's side, purposely kicking rock and dirt as she walked so Vuxta could hear her approach. "I'm right here," she said once she was beside her, nudging her gently with her nose. "The beast is in front of you; eat your fill, first." Mwale could hunt again with no difficulty, but she was concerned for Vuxta, who could not hunt for herself. They would have to find her pride soon, or at least find someone who could tend to the lioness.
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Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 6:38 pm
Vuxta eagerly shuffled forward, paws searching the earth for a scrap of something edible that she might take without angering the other.
At the lioness's words, she didn't get the opportunity to verbalize her gratitude. A twist of thankfulness and relief flickered across Vuxta's normally vacant face as she thrust forward and tore into the carcass. With the first strike of her jaws, she missed, landing in the dirt with a mouthful of rocks and bloody grime. Swiftly recovering, she found her target and let the fresh, warm blood quench her thirst and strengthen her legs as she pierced the hide. The fatigue and shakiness she was feeling instantly faded away... and that was only with the first bite.
Her alert disposition was dulled as she fed, but as her strength returned she managed to multitask. Her ears flicked backwards as Mwale came closer, but she didn't budge or wince. Not even at the nudge. She was much to focused on letting the flesh and blood of the dead beast spill into her gut.
It must have been a lot longer than she thought since she last at. She looked surprised when she removed her maw from the carcass, almost wishing she could see the results of her destruction. "Thank you." She said quietly, swiping her tongue across her lips. Vuxta found herself carefully shuffling away from the meal now, terrified that she might eat the whole thing, leaving nothing but bones for her provider. She insisted that Mwale take her fill before she thought of continuing her feast.
"What of you, kind Mwale?" Vuxta let her head dip as she addressed the stranger inquisitively. "Do you belong to a pride?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:22 pm
Mwale watched with a twist in her gut as Vuxta mistook her steps and first tasted gritty dirt and rocks before she found the fallen beast. She was infinitely grateful for the Gods to bless her enough that her eyesight was still one of her senses. She stepped back to allow Vuxta to eat without being crowded, something she herself hated. She sat back and simply watched the lioness gorge on the fresh kill, ears swivelling to pick up on every sound in case another scavenger tried to intrude on their dinner.
Her wavering attention returned to focus on Vuxta as she stepped back, and smiled a little. "You're welcome," she replied simply, nodding her head as though Vuxta could see it. A force of habit; she never realized how much she relied on her sight and the sight of others to indicate so many things. A simple nod, something which could mean so much, was rendered useless. She opened her mouth to request that Vuxta eat more; she herself had eaten only a few days prior. She could go a day or two without but the blind lioness... well, she would have a hard time hunting for herself.
Her inquiry of Mwale's home made her smile. "I do." She nodded. "The Arba'Sehemu. It is a few days' travel from here. My clan is the Fire Nation." Pride practically oozed from her words. Mwale was raised on the ways of the Fire Nation and being proud of where you hailed from was something else to be proud of.
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 10:16 pm
Vuxta enjoyed the cool breeze as it swept through her dark fur. The blessings of nature were so much easier to enjoy on a full stomach. Knowing she had a friendly, generous stranger by her side only magnified the bliss. The first time she's felt peace of mind since that night her sight... the world vanished. Vuxta embraced this sense of comfort, clinging on with her life. With the comfort came a seed of confidence. Small, but withholding an immeasurable amount of potential.
I can live without my sight. I can find my family again.
The thoughts could make her cry, but she restrained her tears. She didn't want to alarm her company, after all.
"Fire nation..." Vuxta repeated her words, a dark tone on her voice as she recalled a distant memory... or a dream... that involved a wildfire that outran all creatures and consumed her pride mates... turning her big pride into a small one. "Do you worship... fire? It does nothing but destroy." There was no accusation or loathe in her voice. Not towards Mwale or fire itself. Vuxta was innocently curious. Maybe foreign lions had found something sacred about fire, after all. However unimaginable that might be.
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 3:08 pm
"No," Mwale shook her head a little as she spoke, smiling easily. "We don't worship fire, though we do have the fire God Agni and the sun god Aruna. Our name comes from our..." She trailed off, and sighed, thinking. "The easiest way to explain our clan is to explain the others. There are four, you see." She smiled.
"The first being my own Fire Nation. There is also the Air Nomads, the Water Tribe, and the Earth Kingdom. You see, the clans are made up of the four elements individually, and all of us combined into one pride creates the balance within Arba'Sehemu." It was the simplest way to explain things, though it left out a fair bit. Technicalities in details and the like that Mwale didn't think Vuxta would understand as easily as she did. Mwale was raised on these facts, of course, and knew them like she knew how to breathe and how to hunt. It was instinct, now, second nature.
"In a way, I suppose we worship fire in the way we worship Agni, but not all Fire Nation members worship him. Some worship solely Agni, or solely Aruna. Others choose to worship our God of Summer, a nameless deity." Personally, Mwale felt a certain kinship with both Agni and Aruna, given her coloration of fire and her pattern of sun. She felt as though she was watched over by them, however little, and it made her feel protected and loyal.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:39 am
The dark lioness found it all a little difficult to absorb. She'd been sheltered all her life from any other cultures. Though she knew others existed, she always figured they were similar to her own in one way or another. In this case, her assumptions were dead wrong. Though it sounded rather fascinating, she would reject it every time if asked to abide by it. Her own strange culture was still drilled in her every movement, word, and thought.
Throughout her thought process, Vuxta's face remained vacant. Her ears and nose twitched with as she experienced a new scent or sound, but no other movement was detected. "Oh..." What more could she say? She found the following silence tense, making her fur and flesh prickle with anxiety.
"Thank you again for your kindness... and for sharing your kill." Vuxta's voice was quiet as she slowly, almost reluctantly, prepared for her departure. "It'll keep me energized as I return to my journey back home. I hope we see each other again." Vuxta cringed. "... I hope you see me again." She corrected herself with a chuckle, but it was true. She enjoyed this lioness's company. She wished she could stay with her, she longed to cling to her and feed off of her compassion and generosity. But that would turn her into a parasite. Vuxta hated parasites.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 12:11 pm
Mwale took notice of the tense silence, her tail twitching as the silence passed between them. Though she could only accept the good things of fire, it's warmth, the way it belonged in her life, she felt that Vuxta couldn't appreciate that for whatever reason. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Mwale was aware some lions feared and even hated the flame, but at the same time it was hard for her to accept. She perked a little as the blind lioness spoke, but her shoulders fell as she spoke. She nodded a little, thinking.
"I wish I could help you return home, but..." The few prides she had run into, she doubted Vuxta belonged to. The pride of demons, for one, she doubted Vuxta belonged there. She doubted anyone belonged there, honestly, but that was their own way. And though she wanted to care for Vuxta, she doubted the lioness would return to the Arba'Sehemu with her. "I'm sure I'll see you, again, though." She smirked a little. "Mkodi grant us that, at least." She liked Vuxta, despite their difference on fire. She would have taken care of her, gladly, if not for her outstanding mission. She would have to return home eventually, and she doubted Vuxta would agree to travel with her long, knowing where Mwale's end goal was.
"It's getting dark," she noted as she looked around. "... We could find shelter for the night." By 'we', she had meant herself, but it was an invitation nonetheless. She enjoyed Vuxta's company, and she had so little company in the rogue lands that she cherished what she could find.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 1:55 pm
It was getting dark? Vuxta wouldn't have known that until hours in the future when the air started getting frosty. A peculiar warmth washed over her as Mwale mentioned a shelter. Vuxta appreciated the thought of a warm den to retreat to... safe from the laughter of hyenas and other invisible beasts that constantly lurk all around her. After a moment of thought, Vuxta turned in the female's general direction (or what she believed might be her general direction) so she could hear her decision more clearly.
"I appreciate the offer, Mwale." Vuxta forced a smile and continued with a more melancholy tone. "But I need to find my pride while your generous kill still gives me energy to do so." She carefully felt the earth with her paw as she cautiously stepped further away. "Goodbye Mwale."
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