Relaxing in the shade of a tree, Mahatma carefully used some rocks to try and work a story out. Since first meeting Dimbwi, he'd been trying to put the pieces of idea together. What was a good storyteller without a story, after all? He just hoped that all the cubs liked it, that it would inspire them. Positioning a rock amid some leaves that were serving as the sea, he carefully moved another to what served as the beach.
Shaking water drops from her coat, Dimbwi walked up the sand toward Mahatma. When she saw him toying with the rocks and leaves, she couldn't help but smile. He was working on that story again... He'd been at it for a full phase of the moon, trying to get it right. It amused her. Laying down near him, she smiled at the male. "'Ow is your story coming along?"
The male blinked, looking up, before he smiled. "Oh, it's comin' along wonderfully! I think I've got it all figured out! I just hope the cubs like it..." Action, adventure, and something of a lesson to be had from it. What more did a story need, besides a captive audience? "I think tha only thing I need to figure out is...Which god to play the part of the protective father?" He held up a particularly large rock, with leaves and a couple feathers glued on with tree sap. "I was thinkin' Bahari'nswi..."
The lioness leaned over, examining the rock. "That is very good! And you made that yourself?" She was impressed, to say the least. "What do you 'ave of the story so far? I want to 'ear it!" She gently shook his shoulder with a paw. "Tell me, Ma'atma, please?" She hoped it was good, it already sounded good! If it involved a protective father god, it HAD to be good!
He let out a laugh, amused at her enthusiasm. "Alrigh', but promise not to laugh at it!" Assured that she wouldn't, he held up the rock that was decorated with leaves and feathers. "This is one of tha sea gods... And this..." He picked up the rock from the leaf-sea. "Is his daughter. They live in their kingdom in tha sea, surrounded by fish and otha' sea life..." He put the rocks down, smiling at them.
Dimbwi examined them, smiling. "Aww, 'ow sweet! What about these over 'ere?" The story was already sounding fascinating, holding her attention. She'd have to try her paw at telling a tale... Then again, she wasn't a Pomithi, she was a Pombuka. Her skill wasn't in telling stories, but in making sure the cubs didn't drown or get eaten. Or fall off a cliff... Come to think of it, her own cubhood wasn't nearly as safe, how had SHE survived it?
"These..." He carefully picked one up, smudged with a bit of a red berry. "Are tha lions of the pride by tha sea. They aren't this pride, but anotha' pride that worships tha gods of tha sea." He examined the rock he'd picked up, different from the other red-marked rocks in the bit of yellow petal stuck on it. "And this one is tha prince of tha pride, heir to tha throne..."
Letting out a surprised sound, Dimbwi leaned over to examine the 'pride' of rocks. "And you made all these yourself...! That is amazing!" She then noticed another 'pride' of rocks, pointing with a paw. "What are these ones? They are not the same, er... Pride... Are they lions, or 'yenas? Or something else?" The story was already getting fascinating. How was it going to end?
His gaze turned to the other rocks, decorated with little white flower petals. "Ah, these ones are anotha' pride of lions. They want tha land of tha first pride, but won't worship the sea gods." He picked up the merlion rock, delicately holding it with his claws. "One day, a seer passing by tha prides tells of a lioness from the sea, destined to wed to a prince of tha shores. Both prides believe it to be their own heirs, and tha heirs have different reactions to this prophesy..."
Her ears pricked, eyes dancing. A prophesy about the daughter of the sea god... This was getting good! "And then what happens...?" Did the prophet have any further role in the story? What did the god have to say about it? Gods tended to be wary of seers. The only one she'd met that didn't care either way had been the Goddess of the Cursed. Her eyes flicked to Mahatma, eyes filled with wonder.
"Well... Tha seer went into tha sea after that, swallowed by tha waves... And it turned out, she was a sea witch! She worked her magic, and the princess washed ashore, a mere mortal compared to her fatha." He picked up the rock with the yellow petal on it. "And then tha prince of tha sea-worshipin' pride found her, amazed at her beauty, for he'd never seen a lioness like her before. Unlike his counterpart in tha otha pride, he had not cared about being bound to some prophesy, wanting to live his own life. Of course his father wasn't happy that he'd brought home a stray rogue, but with her markings of tha sea, decorated in fish, he couldn't say no to her, so she was allowed into the pride. And from tha sea, the deity of tha waters watched, sad to see his daughter turned mortal." To properly show this, he turned the rock decorated to be the god away, turning it down as if it mourned.
Dimbwi let out a gasp, a paw covering her mouth. "Oh, no! The poor girl! She must be so devastated, to be away from 'er family!" She wanted to cuddle the rock, to comfort the lioness. Okay, this was why she didn't tell stories for the cubs... She wanted to just hug the ones in the stories. "So what 'appened after that...?"
Mahatma was about to continue, when part of a fish suddenly plopped in the middle of his scene. "What tha...?" He looked up, then let out a yell, scrambling away as a group of gulls suddenly descended on the spot, fighting over the fish. Well, that was the end of THOSE rocks... he'd have to find new ones. He let out a sigh, ears back, as he watched the chaos. When the birds left, he went over to look at it. There were some that he could save... Others he'd have to redo. "Well that was a bit of a disappointment..."
Peeking at the rocks and torn leaves, Dimbwi let out a puff of a sigh, then smiled at Mahatma. "You can tell me more later, I think those need to be fixed more." She rubbed her forehead on his shoulder, then padded off. "I will see you later at the dens, Ma'atma."
Shaking his head, the male gathered what rocks he could up, then paused to examine the remnants of fish bones. Suddenly the idea shifted, and he smiled as he considered what that fish skeleton could do for him. Yes, it was worth it to have that happen... The story was evolving.
