Toruk:
Toruk was out on one of his field explorations again. The scenery around him was so very different to his homeland, and yet, this was far from his first trip past the boundary of the navi's home and it certainly didn't surprise him. Dry grasses rolled under the invisible hand of the stifling breeze, the caress hot against his dark fur. Pausing in mid-stride he lifted his head, gazing not up at the blazing sun, but out across the savannah. Nothing as far as the eye could see, just clumps of prickly thorn bushes and Acacia trees spread about the horizon, offering precious shade. A few of the horridly poisonous Baobab trees broke the tableau and he had no intention of going anywhere near one, he had made that mistake as a cub and still sported the dribbling, melted scar that was the result of getting its sap on his foreleg.
Tossing his head to get his mane out of his eyes, he set off again, following an invisible path, simply walking the land in order to catalog any changes since his last out-of pride patrol.
N'gombe sat under the Acacia tree, panting as she caught her breath, the Thomson's gazelle between her paws still twitching faintly. It had given her a hard run, and she'd almost lost it in the scrub, but somehow had managed a lucky swipe to its hind end. An ungraceful way of landing one's meal...but at least now her belly would be full, providing she could keep a hold of it. The last kill she had made, she'd lost to a pack of disgusting hyenas.
Trying to still her racing heart, she shook her head. Mother and Father had never told her about all this. She thought they had figured they'd have time to teach their only cub the ins and outs of living alone on the savanna. N'gombe was coming to understand that she had been very sheltered and her parents untimely death had been unfortunate for her...and it just might prove to be deadly.
As he walked he squinted into the glare of the sun, almost certain he had seen something... Yes! There, under the tree... Curious and with nothing else offering him any information about this area, he shifted direction a little and made his way towards the shadow he had spotted.
It was a good while before he finally arrived at the spot he had noticed, and just as he had hoped, there was a cat, not ten yards from him, curled up in the shadow of one of the many umbrella trees local to the area. Drawing to a halt he watched her for a moment, realizing she had made a kill not long ago.
"Greetings, I mean no harm." He called out, his voice naturally low and rich. Best to prevent an unneeded fight, he didn't want her meal or any new scars, just information.. and he had long ago learned that outsiders found his appearance threatening, possibly due to his decorations.
N'gombe had seen the lion approach and had sat up, her pale eyes watching him carefully, though not hostile. Her mother had always told her a stranger was only a stranger till that first hello, and she tried to live by that, though she sometimes wondered at it these days. However, this male seemed to be friendly.
Giving him a warm smile, N'gombe greeted him the way her mother had taught her, " Bonjour, please, come in out of the sun and sit." Her voice was sweet and kind, with some odd accent to it that made it sound almost exotic.
Innocent, doe like eyes looked at him from under long lashes, making her seem far more delicate then just her light built lended to as she regarded him and his feathered mane, and beaded neck and paws. " You are not from here are you Mousier?"
Ahh, a well-taught young lady. Such a rare thing he had discovered, at least outside of his pride. Most rogues were hardened by life, by necessity.. a shame, but needed for survival. Dipping his head gratefully at her offer, he walked closer, stepping out of the sun with no little relief."Thank you miss." He replied, curling his tail as he settled back on his haunches at a respectable distance, but close enough for ease of conversation.
"You are right, I am from a pride to the south, the Iknimaya." Pausing he smiled gently at her, hoping he was at least not looking too threatening, as he was bog for a male and his adornments could be seen as forbidding if one didn't understand their symbolism. "Yourself?"
N'gombe's eyes widened when she realized how tall and broad he was, and how oddly patterned. Though she found his jewlery very beautiful, and she longed to reach out and touch the strange beads that hung from his neck. She'd never seen anything like them, and they captivated her attention for a few moments before she realized he was speaking to her.
Blushing, she dipped her head, " I am from here Mousier, born and raised. Though I am only passing through this territory. It is not a place for a lone female to make a home, to dangerous I have found."
Realizing she'd not offered him some of her meal, her blush deepened, turning the pale fur of her cheeks a lovely rose color, " Pardonnez mes façons, forgive me...I did not offer you a meal. Please, eat. There is plenty for us both."
Realizing she was staring at his necklace, the large lion stood and padded closer before settling again, stretching out on his belly to make himself less threatening. "If you want to touch, do so. They are moonstones, and represent the spirit of Eywa, our Mother Goddess. White is a pure colour for us, its very holy."
Listening to her words he nodded faintly, filing away the information though it was no surprise. "Many rogues roam here." He agreed solemnly. A fact that was rife throughout the prideless areas. It seemed females, especially the younger ones, had a hard time if they didn't have the safety and support of a pride.
Tilting his head at her offer he chuckled gently. "Thank you miss, though I ate not long ago." Smiling he dipped his head in gratitude, not wanting to deprive her of a full meal, she was slender enough as it was without missing out on food.
N'gombe tilted her head to the side, "Moonstones? I've never heard of them before." Smiling at him she padded over to get a closer look, seeming to throw caution to the wind by getting in reach of his paws. The cheetah was indeed very young, or very naive, or a mixture of both.
Pure delight spread across her white muzzle, making her pale eyes sparkle, in fact they were about the same hue and shade as the moonstones around his neck, as she peered down at the finely wrought jewelery. " I have never seen anything so beautiful Mousier. You're Pride must be a wonderful place."
She touched one with a delicate paw, her absolute delight with the pale stones easily seen. It was an innocent, and pure emotion, as if she had a part of the atokirinaseeds within her.
Lifting his head so she could see more clearly, he stayed still for her, letting her take her time in her examinations. Smiling warmly in a rather fatherly way, for the young cheetahess reminded him very much of the youngsters back home.
Chuckling at ehr comment he nodded slightly. "It is, a wonderful, peaceful place. We look after each other and honor all life. Mother Eywa guides us." Watching her for a moment he smiled, then lifted his own paw and carefully slipped one of the smaller stones from its vine binding, letting it drop into his paw before holding it out to her. "A gift."
He might have bet her eyes could not get any wider, but they did, her thick, dark lashes making them stand out as she mouthed a silent 'O'. She bit her lip, and cradled the stone carefully, looking at it in pure wonderment before returning her gaze to the exotic and kind stranger.
" Merci Mousier, you are to kind..I..I do not know what to say, save thank you." N'gombe touched her free paw to his, " Please Mousier, tell me about this Eywa and the Pride you come from. It sounds like it is paradise, so different then this place of sand and heat." Her tone held cub-like awe, and she settled herself at his paws to listen to all he had to say, just like the youngsters did back at Home Tree.
Smiling at her expression he felt his heart warm a little, just as it did when the cubs back home looked so joyful and innocent. This was why he was who he was.. why he did what he did, spilt the blood of strangers and bore the pain of many wounds and many lives. It was all to protect this innocence, this fragile honesty.
Chuckling softly at the rapt fascination in her words he settled down, stretching his hind limbs out to one side, and fell into the familiar and comforting sense of peace as he began to explain about the forest of his homeland, the pride and their ways, weaving for her the stories of Eywa and old tales of his own youth, before the bloody massacre of his family and friends, when the world had been far more innocent and full of new and exciting experiences.
N'gombe curled up, her attention solely on the stranger and his deep voice, spinning the stories of his homeland. She listened enraptured by the images he created for her, amazed that such things could exist. She thought she would enjoy seeing the 'fan dragons' and the plants that lit up like the stars at night.
As the day wore into evening, the young cheetah listened, staring at the gift of the moonstone with an awed since of wonder, and vowing someday she would see the sights he spoke of for herself. After all she was still young, and there was still time. She didn't belong to anyone or anything, her time was her own and she would see these Nav'i with her own eyes.
