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 Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:10 pm
 Kilala was glad she'd managed to shed her undercoat. Mind, she was still rather fluffy in some areas, but she wasn't dying of 'OMGHEAT' anymore. Which was a boon, considering she'd decided she LIKED the desert she had come across. She hadn't found the pride that was supposed to be in the area yet, but...even if she remained very prideless, the area alone was worth it. It was sparse, yes, but it was BEAUTIFUL. It was rather like the mountains surrounding where she'd grown up...but instead of stone and snow, there was sand and sky. And the first time night had fallen...
Kilala had been hooked. It was like nothing she'd ever dreamed of. It was mystical and yet so REAL at the same time, the way the desert burst into life, and the way the moon shone on the sands. She'd fallen asleep to the sound of the desert singing with life...
And now she was awake once more, wandering and carefully searching for water. She was going to need it soon, if she was going to survive in such a harshly lovely place. Of course...the fact she wasn't very good at walking across the sands yet was NOT helping.
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:05 pm
 The days were beginning to settle now as she became acquainted with her new life in the pride. The dreams that had tormented her for most of her adolescence had quieted, become restful and reassuring rather than urgent and demanding. Her long voyage to find this promised land had been exhausting, beyond dangerous at times, but now that she had been accepted and had finally been able to answer her calling, she knew it had all been worth it. The blisters had healed on her paws, and the weight she lost had come back. No longer gaunt and looking like last week's kill, she was slim and beginning to develop the right muscles for sand walking, her coat gleamed and her spirit was rekindled.
Smiling softly to herself she paused and glanced back over the dunes, pleased that her prints were far less obvious than they used to be. She was still learning her way around, though she was fairly confident about the areas where the pride lived now, and found her way around fairly easily. The outskirts of the prideland were still a bit of an unknown for her, though she had gotten lost less often of late. She did keep an eye on known landmarks so she didn't wander off in completely the wrong direction.
Turning back to face the right way she pressed on, a lightness in her step and a song in her heart. It was getting hot out and she wanted to make it to the small oasis that was out this way before it became too uncomfortable, as she planned on sitting quietly by the water and resting while she opened herself to the gods. As a priestess, and one who had been trained by two prides now, she was a firm believer in being a vessel for any spirit that needed to speak to them.
Flicking her tail against one flank she happened to glance to the side, out towards the very edge of the pride's boundary, pausing in mid-step as something moved within the heat haze. Tipping her head, pale eyes squinting a little, she thought she saw the figure of a lioness.
A stranger out in this heat?
Suddenly concerned for the unknown lion, she turned toward the shimmering figure and moved into an easy lope, barely sinking into the sand as she glided along the top, moving towards the shape she had spotted.
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:42 pm
Kilala stopped to shake some sand out of her ear a moment, then continued on. Gah. The one biggest drawback to this place, other than the lack of water...Sand got into places you didn't even know you HAD until sand had gotten into them! She huffed, blowing the tuft of fur on her head from her eyes...and blinked. Eh? There was something in the distance...something that was, quite definitely, shaped like another lioness.
Kilala tilted her green head, then started towards the lioness, curious. Perhaps she'd found that pride she'd heard rumors about?
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:02 pm
It was a lioness, and one who she didn't recognise. That in itself was not a strange thing, she was still new herself and most certainly didn't recognise all the pride members yet, but this one was moving in a way that said she was not used to sand-living. So unless she was also new, then she wasn't of the pride.
Slowing down as she drew near, she dropped from a lope into a trot, then to a walk, coming to a halt a few yards away from the stranger. Breathing only a little heavily, mostly due tot he heat on her dark coat with its glistening wing mark, Mwana' dipped her head in greeting.
"Hello there."
The dark lioness's voice was soft, rather shy despite her bold move in coming over. Her blue tufted tail curled against her flank as she paused, seeming at a loss as to what to say. Paws shifting she blushed faintly, and hoped it wasn't visible. "Are you lost?" She asked in that same gentle voice. She was clearly not a scout or boarder guard of any kind.
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 6:42 pm
Kilala stopped not long after the other lioness did, a curious look in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Hello!" The other was very pretty. "I don't think I'm really lost...I've just been wandering for a couple of days." She looked around, before looking to the other female. "I found myself in the desert, and I've quite fallen in love with it. And I heard rumors there was a pride around here. I was hoping I might eventually run into it." She smiled sheepishly. "Even though I've been a rogue for some months, I miss pride life."
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:59 am
Dark ears pricked forwards as she offered another shy smile, sleek body relaxing as the stranger turned out to be friendly. Nodding softly she could certainly understand wandering this beautiful, if rather savage landscape. She still found herself awestruck when ever she gazed round at her new home.
Tilting her head she smiled softly. "Yes... the Tuait'tekem live here. I just joined myself.." Dipping her head shyly she paused, desperately trying to come up with the proper response. "Umm ... did you want to join?" She asked softly.
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:28 pm
Kilala perked, her smile growing. So she had stumbled across the rumored pride! Oh good! She thought a moment at the other female's words, ears flicking back and forth as she did so. "Well...I'd certainly like to learn about this place. If that's okay." She giggled. "After all...wouldn't be too bright of me to join sommat I know nothing about, right?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:12 pm
Blushing she dipped her head, then smiled shyly at the other lioness. "That's true.. well... there is a pool near here, with clean water and shade... did you want to go rest there and I can tell you a little about the pride? What little I know anyway..." She added with a shy, apologetic look.
She really hoped she could be of use to this stranger, she seemed nice and friendly and Mwana wanted to be useful to her new pride also.. and surely bringing a new pride member in and teaching them a few basics would be a good thing right?
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:26 pm
The mountain lioness nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." She grinned. "It would be nice to hear about the place from a set of fresh eyes. It took a pair of new eyes for me to see how much the pride I was born to didn't fit me." Kilala really did hope that the pride the other described would fit her. It would be nice to be among others again. "I'm Kilalanungu, by the way. But you can just call me Kilala."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 3:01 am
Smiling again, this time with a little less shyness, the star-studded lioness turned, looking back over her shoulder. "Its this way.." She pointed with one slim paw before pausing a moment. "Its nice to meet you Kilala.. I'm Mwana, Im a new priestess in the pride." Smiling she seemed to relax a little as she set off, assuming the other female would follow beside her.
"Well.. I guess you already know the pride is in the desert..." She began as she looked at her companion, the hesitation fading as she settled to her role for the day.
The two lionesses walked the few miles to the oasis where they settled down to talk about the pride that lived close by. The pride was mostly lions, some descended from the original temple lions that had been brought from egypt, but over the years wild lions had joined them, forming the basis for the pride as it was now. There were many familiars living among them, jackals, maned wolves, birds and snakes being the most common, though other species and even hybrids were permitted, just about. They touched on the ranks and levels within the pride, that of the most common, the Hunters, Guardians, Nannies and Artisans.. the basic way of life was held within these ranks and it was to these that the green lioness was likely to apply first. Then they discussed the scribes, who were the teachers, the healers, the historians and the astrologists, an important position within the pride. Then they came to the Priests, and it was this rank that Mwana could best describe, for she was a newly appointed priestess. She told Kilala of her average day, what she was expected to do, and the rituals that were both singular and group occasions.
Mwana also taught Kilala about the Pharaoh, who he was and how he ruled. They touched on the other noble ranks, that of the Queen, Consort, crown princes and princess, regular princes and princesses and other nobility. She offered the green lioness the basics of the pride's rules, and what their day to day lives were like living in Khenet, “the yellow land” that was their home. She told of the mountains, the tombs and the ruins, among which they often sought shelter from the hottest suns. She explained about the Wahdj Oases and the Chione River. She told the tales of Deshret, the Red Sands, and the wisdom of avoiding that place.
By the time Mwana finally went quiet, the sun was slowly on its way to the horizon and the first cooler breeze from the west was ruffling through their coats. Raising to her feet she smiled at her companion and offered to show her the pride's home. Together, the pair returned to the Tuait’tekem.
/1241
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