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 Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 9:24 pm
It wasn't as easy as he has been expecting to go straight.
Even after months of recuperation, Ishekhesi wasn't used to the new him. His voice was softer; his still powerful limbs didn't seem as coordinated as they once had, and the name Ishekhesi was no longer enough to make lions tremble.
He had finally found a place to settle down; it was nice enough, and he wasn't expected to be confrontation or loud. They just needed his strength. Which left him more time to contemplate the new him.
It also left more time for him to interact nonviolently with others. A brand new experience. But he would try.
So he said, Hello to the wild dog that was sitting near him.
Pretty good start, he thought.
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Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 1:12 pm
It was one of those strange times where Sutala dared wander away from her shrine. Usually she came down to seek out Pumzi, but having failed to find the lioness she was searching for, Sutala nervously seated herself near a small mound of stones that rested nearby. Part of her hoped that nobody would come close, and part of her wished someone would. It was nice to have a friend, she'd come to realize, and though she preferred the company of the Souls she was fond of, she'd really had a nice conversation with Pumzi. Maybe there were others like that pretty lioness.
She couldn't stop herself from jumping at the voice that was soft and quiet. Even though it wasn't loud, it was still astoundingly hard for Sutala to react differently. "Hello," she whispered nervously, gaze skidding from him back to the ground at her feet. She hadn't even seen him before he'd spoken.
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Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 10:23 pm
Ishekhesi looked at the wild dog carefully. He was still getting to learn everyone's names - everything was a bit of a jumble right now. He was pretty sure this wild dog was a Keeper of something. He couldn't think of what. He kind of wished there were more rocks ready to be moved- he liked doing that. It made him feel useful. And nice.
The key to being a nice guy was to act like a nice guy. Even if this wild dog was some kind of saint (most of the pride seemed that way to him; they were all so . . . holy), she wouldn't cast him out or make him feel like a jerk if he didn't act like a jerk. So he would continue the conversation. A nice civil, conversation.
It was probably for the best that he practiced on a wild dog before he tried to talk to a feline female anyway. They made him really nervous.
" I'm one of the new Shifters. You're a Keeper, right?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:02 am
"Y-yes." She quelled the urge to just clam up and make a run for it. She wouldn't make any friends doing that. Did she really want friends, though? Bad enough to force herself to interact with others? She wasn't completely sure. He was a comfortable enough distance away from her, so that was good. If he made a move to come closer, she'd have to just run. That would be too much for her to handle. "Souls."
She supposed she should ask him some polite question, but really nothing came to mind. Sutala was no good at this and she knew it. She shot him a sideways glance, offering a nervous smile that didn't completely reach her eyes. Hopefully that would be good enough for him. What should she ask him? Her brow furrowed slightly while she came up with something.
"Do you like shifting?" A whispered question. She wondered if he even heard her. Why couldn't this be easier?
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:38 pm
"Yes. I like to be useful. And it's kind of fun to see how far you can pull the rocks by yourself. And to be the first to see the carvers' work and make a new home for the gods."
This wild dog was awfully quiet. He wondered briefly if she had a throat injury, like he did, but quickly dismissed the idea. There was no scaring on her tha he could see, and her fur didn't grow in strange patterns, the way his own did under his mane. It had to be that she was just quiet.
Ishekhesi smiled back; smiling was something he was good at, and over his recovery he had even managed to make it a "happy" smile, not a "I am going to try and kill you now" smile. Plus, it was his turn to ask a question. That's how civil conversations went.
"I guess Souls must be an interesting assignment. Do you enjoy your Keeping duties?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:51 am
For some reason Sutala felt calmed by his soft voice. It was much like her own which was interesting to the little wild dog. She appreciated how he spoke of his duties to the pride, how he enjoyed moving the rocks. Sutala relaxed a bit more. He was harmless, and it was silly of her to worry about being bullied by one of her very own pridemembers. This was a home that they shared together.
"I... I love my duties." She didn't go into how MUCH she loved her duties, how dedicated she was to both the shrine and the souls it honored. Her voice was still that eerie whisper, though she did raise her eyes to meet his own. "Ahhh, how long have you.. have you been in the pride?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:10 pm
"Not very long. Some days now. I helped with the last shrine to be put up."
Ishekhesi was also gradually relaxing. This talking to females thing wasn't really any harder then talking to a male. You just had to keep thinking of polite questions and untroubling responses. And everyone there was there for the same reason - to serve.
"Most of the other wild dogs around have been Hunters. Why did you become a Keeper?
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:27 pm
"It called to me," Sutala mumbled. That was all she would say on the topic. She didn't want everyone in the pride thinking she was strange. Her reason was good enough and she hoped that the lion would not pry any further.
It was then that she realized that she didn't know the name of the lion who had been so polite to her. It would be nice of her to ask, she admitted to herself. All she had to do was work up the courage. It wasn't like he'd simply turn and walk away. After all, they'd been having a nice enough conversation up until now, and likely would continue to have a nice conversation after she asked his name. Besides, it was her turn, wasn't it?
She merely lifted a paw to her chest, gesturing to herself. "Sutala." Her voice trembled, but she couldn't make those words come out. Instead, she looked at him beseechingly, those silver eyes begging that he understand what she wanted.
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:41 pm
"Sutala?"
It took him a minute to realize she wasn't repeating a holy word or chanting, and hadn't been staring past him but was actually looking at him. She was just telling him her name. Obviously she was at least as shy as he was- and probably as uncomfortable around strangers.
After another minute, he realized that he hadn't actually introduced himself.
"I'm Ishekhesi. My mom named me for my shoulders."
He turned to show the wild dog the pattern that decorated him.
"It must be nice to be called to something. Everyone here seems so sure that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. It's nice that everyone has a purpose."
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:53 pm
"Ishekhesi," she whispered, half to herself and half to him. It was an interesting name and she liked the way it rolled off her tongue. She was thankful he'd understood what she'd wanted. For a moment she wasn't sure that he would figure it out, and then she'd feel extra embarrassed. Sutala glanced at his shoulders, nodding her head idly.
She took a moment to think about what her own name meant. Sutala wasn't quite sure she would ever share. Her own mother hadn't been the most loving and tender wild dog. She had always been so angry and almost hateful towards Sutala and her siblings. It had been a blessing to get away from her.
"No meaning," she lied softly, not wanting to get into the meaning of her name. It wasn't pretty, telling others that her name meant 'retaliation and jealousy' or that her mother had spoken it as if it were a curse. There was no reason for her to ever tell anyone what her name meant.
"It's nice to belong."
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:35 pm
"You seem sad." Ishekhesi said, surprising himself with his own observation. It wasn't just that she spoke quietly; he now spoke quietly too, and he was just as often happy or tired or angry as sad. It was the way she kept looking around, and talked just as much to herself as to him.
Realizing that he had just made a potentially too-personal observation, Ishekhesi tried to backpedal.
"I'm not trying to butt in or anything, I mean, I don't want to upset you. I'm sorry I opened my mouth. I wouldn't like it if people butted in to my business; please, ignore me."
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Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 12:52 pm
"I... I'm not sad," she stuttered, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable with the conversation. This was the reason she stayed at her shrine, away from others. She hated the endless questions and the oftentimes bold and personal questions that arose.
Frowning slightly, she peered at him with those silvery eyes. "I.. I should go back to my shrine." The words where a mere whisper, and she didn't offer any reason for him to feel bad about mentioning that she seemed sad. "The v-visitors tend to l-leave it a mess." More stuttering. She hated that.
"It was n-nice to meet y-you," she mumbled, dipping her head as she slowly backed away from the lion.
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Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 9:54 pm
Ishekhesi knew he would ruin the conversation.
He shouted his loudest as she was walking away, "I'm sorry!"
He was disgusted with himself. Count on him to ruin a conversation that had just started by butting in. No wonder he had lived such a miserable life.
He watched the wild dog back away, and decided he would try to make it up for her, but he didn't know how to. But he didn't want one of his pridemates permanently upset with him. He would have to ask for advice. And not make stupid observatons anymore.
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