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 Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:37 am
 The lands outside the Mizuka'nyevu were so...different! Ngoma couldn't help but be fascinated by EVERYTHING. How the trees looked, how the grass felt, how the sun seemed to shine a bit differently without the thick forest...Oh sure, her Uncle Dagda and Aunt Codail had TOLD them about the Outside. But...well, being out in it was a whole other story! The green-eyed lioness giggled and rolled over in the grass, happy she and her near-twin had found a tree to take shelter under as the sun grew high in the sky and rained down heat. It was MUCH cooler in the shade.
"What do you think we'll find out here, Shai? I know all the stories Mathair and Uncle Dagda and Da and Aunt Codail told us...but what do you think WE'LL find?" She'd always been far more outgoing and brave than her near-twin, but...well, even she was a bit nervous. They were without their parents and family, their older half-brother already departed from them on his own adventure. They were, truly, on their own, with only each other to rely on.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:53 am
 Lach-shairi had managed to stop having to convince herself to stay calm days ago. She'd always been TERRIFIED of the world outside the safe mists of her birthplace...and now she was in that world. Someone had to keep Ngoma from hurting herself! If she wasn't there, Ngoma tended to do the stupidest things. She opened one green eyes and looked to her near-twin, then yawned. She wasn't used to this heat. It was MUCH cooler in the forest they grew up in, cloaked in mist.
"I don't know." She really didn't. All she really knew is that their adventure would take them to a great expanse of sand called a 'desert'. "But you're not to do anything STUPID, got it?" Not on HER watch. Her ears went up, then back as she turned her head to an unfamiliar scent. They hadn't run into anyone MEAN in their journey yet...but Shairi wasn't about to be caught off-guard!
The LARGE black and dark red lion that approached them stopped just short of the shade. "Excuse me, Iníon...would you mind if I joined you two in the shade?" Shairi was cautious...but she wasn't mean. And with a coat that dark, the poor male must have been sweltering. She looked to Ngoma, showing she would allow it if Ngoma did.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:00 am
Ngoma giggled and shook her head. "Oh come ON, Shai! Some of the best things I do is stuff you consider stupid!" The pink-pawed lioness nudged her sister's shoulder with a paw...then blinked when the scent of another lion reached them. She rolled over onto her belly, tilting her head to one side as the dark lion approached them. Ooooo~ He had a nice voice! She smiled, and when Shairi looked to her, she nodded. "Sure! The more the merrier! Besides, it's gotta be awful hot for you right now, with that coat." She scootched a bit closer to her sister, to make room for him.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:05 am
Shai gave Ngoma a flat look. "That's because it IS stupid." The male raised a brow at their apparent 'argument', but ambled over with a grace odd for one his size, and sat down in the space made my Ngoma. He nodded in thanks to the two females, a slight smile grcing his muzzle.
"I don't know what you're bickering over...but thank you for sharing your shade with me. It was rather hot out there. My name is Baba Croix." Shairi blinked. Wow! He was polite! Like her Da or Uncle Dagda! She gave him a slight smile back.
"I'm Lach-shairi. Though just 'Shairi' is quite alright." It was the best way to avoid both she and her near-twin answering just based on the first part of their names. "And I apologize for the bickering. My sister just has this habit of doing stupid stunts."
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:28 am
Ngoma pouted a second, then smiled at the male next to her. "It's nice to meet you, Baba Croix! I'm Lach-ngoma, but Ngoma is the best name to call me." He was a polite lion, like her Da! It was awesome! "And despite what she thinks, they are not stupid stunts. I may have broken a bone or two during my adventures, but I've always healed right, and I find new and interesting things!"
Ngoma, forever the adventurer and curious feline.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:48 am
Shairi nudged her sister's shoulder. "Don't babble at him. It's not polite." Croix shook his head and chuckled.
"It's fine. It's nice to see someone so excited about life. But you really should be more careful, Iníon Ngoma." Shairi nodded in agreement.
"She was constantly worrying Mathair and Da back home. The poor Shamans were very familiar with her." It was the truth. For a while, it had been Talamh that looked after Ngoma...but then she left. That thought made her feel a bit sad for a moment, but she stuffed it aside. They had company!
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:53 am
"I was babbling?" Ngoma blinked, then frowned. She was not! She was just being friendly! At Shairi telling tales, the skin under her cheek fur flushed and she ducked her head. "I didn't mean to be a burden. I just can't stand not knowing, not seeing...I like finding new things!" She didn't mean to bother others with it...really she didn't.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:18 am
Croix shook his head. "As I said, I didn't mind." Whether or not she was babbling, she really seemed like a nice lioness. And there was an honest quality in her voice. "So...if you two are from elsewhere, is this love of finding new things why you're out in the rogue lands?" Shairi hesitated a moment before shaking her head.
"Her love of the unknown isn't why we're out here." She smiled sadly. "Our Aunt had a vision that showed us traveling elsewhere...and when she has visions, it's best not to ignore them. So...here we are."
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:21 am
Ngoma shared her near-twin's sad smile. "Yeah. We're bound for a place called a 'desert'. It's supposed to be full of sand. Mathair said she once took shelter in a pride in the desert...she thinks that might be where we need to be. So...she gave us directions to there. But it's a loooooong journey." It was nice that they'd found someone who was willing to listen and talk to them! He was so BIG though! Bigger than Uncle Dagda!
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:37 am
Croix felt a surge of protectiveness for them. The desert was indeed quite a ways off. Such a long journey on their own? The male shifted a bit. "Do you two have an escort? A relative or friend traveling with you?" Shairi shook her head.
"Our older half-brother was traveling with us for a time, but he went his own way. It's just the two of us now." Croix sighed and shook his head. That wouldn't do!
"Would you two like an escort? I would do nothing untoward to the two of you, and could help with hunting and keeping...unsavory sorts from you."
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:47 am
His offer caught Ngoma off guard. "You'd...do that for us?" Why would someone not family or from outside the Mizuka want to do that for them? Considering the stories she'd been told...even SHE was a little wary. "Why?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:03 pm
Shairi was VERY on guard now, green eyes narrowing. "Yes...why would you do that for us? We've known you less than a day." Croix nodded. He could understand their apprehension.
"Yes, I would do that. You two are new to the rogue lands, and there are many who have less-than-honorable intentions toward you. As to why I would be willing to escort you..." He smiled calmly. "Call me 'old-fashioned', but I rather believe your father or a brother should be traveling with you, to make sure you get to your destination safely. I was once a father myself...so I thought your own might appreciate his daughters getting there safely."
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:09 pm
Ngoma listened to him, trying to see if she could hear anything in his voice that would indicate him as other than honest. If there was underlying threat in his voice. There wasn't. The way he spoke reminded her a little of her Uncle Dagda. She looked to Shairi and nodded. She was okay with it. "If you're willing...the company would be appreciated a great deal. Thank you, Baba Croix." It really would be nice to have a third creature traveling with them. Especially one who apparently knew the rogue lands.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:14 pm
Shairi was still a bit leery, but she nodded in agreement as well. "A trial basis. You must understand we can't be sure of your intentions just yet." Croix chuckled and nodded.
"Of course. And you're welcome, Iníon Ngoma. I look forward to our journey together. And if you have any questions about the rogue lands...I do not mind answering to the best of my abilities." Shairi facepawed. Oooooh, he was going to regret that later, with Ngoma's curiosity.
"You shouldn't have said that, Baba Croix." Baba Croix raised a brow, then just shrugged and settled to nap, keeping an ear out for danger.
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