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 Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:40 pm
Ailani was feeling better about going back, being back in his element the mountains. He cared more for the lands by leaving them, than he did before he set out on his quest. The hunting was different in the rogue areas, the prey didn't carry the sweetness of home, so he decided to return. The black and green male weaved his way through the secret passage that would take back.
His doubts hadn't completely subsided, but he understood his need to stay with the Aali'makabila. He couldn't wait to return to his duties, even if he was chastised for abandoning them before. To return to the forest and get away from so much of the open land. The lion inhaled the scent of home and picked up his pace.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:57 pm
 "It was that way!" a blue lioness said in an obviously annoyed tone. She and her male companion had been trying, and failing, to make their way back to the last pride they visited - the Aali'makabila - and so far, no luck. Of course, the last time they went they had a guide to help them find their way in, but this time Tai had told her that he remembered exactly how to get there. Stupidly, or at least she thought that way now since for whatever reason she thought it'd be a good idea earlier, she actually believed him.
"Hey, hey! Listen to me!" she called over to the large male heading in the opposite direction. Lin raced to catch up and, when she had, trotted alongside him. "Seriously. I don't get guys. What is it with you and directions, huh? Last time, on our way to the beach, you said you knew where you were going. And where did we end up? At the borders of a big jungle. Why? Why!?" and this time, she directed her question up at the sky. "Why did I listen to this idiot?" He'd done his best to drown out the lioness he'd been travelling with for quite some time now. She was so quiet before, which was part of the reason why in the earlier months they spent together he became rather taken by her. Recently, though, she'd been getting louder and louder and even harder to put up with. Of course, to him that still somewhat added to her charm, but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't annoying. Because...well, it was. Lucky for her he had a nearly limitless amount of patience, especially when it came to her, since he knew her better than anyone else (at least he thought he did), so he was just putting up with it. He'd find the pride, he knew. Eventually.
When she caught up and started walking beside him, he nudged her shoulder with his own, smiling slightly. "Shut up, would you?" he said, faking an amused laugh. "We're almost there, don't worry. Just trust me." He hoped they were, anyway.
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:04 pm
Ailani stopped, he was hearing voices, a female and male voice that he did not recognize. The pride was rather xenophobic, untrusting of rogues in their lands. The male's jaunt into the rogue lands had not changed that. He could hear them echoing in the 'secret' pass that lead to his home lands.
Walking he stopped a bit away from them, sizing them up, a dark blue, almost purple lioness and a lighter pelted male.
"Do the Aali'makabila know you're coming?" Ailani asked his voice firm, he wasn't all that scary, somewhat scrawny for his pride. But at least he could say he attempted to see who the rogues were. "We're not always too kind to strangers." His voice lightened at that, they seemed non-threatening, at least the male. The female was loud!
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:40 am
She was used to rather neutral responses from him, so when he finished talking Lin snorted a little, and more or less ignored what he had to stay. The last time she trusted him they ended up lost for about a day or two, attempting to cross that jungle before heading back out of it and taking the long way around. "Right, of course you do," she said, her words oozing with sarcasm. She was about to continue until someone else's voice, an unfamiliar one, interrupted her.
Turning her head in the voice's general direction, she caught sight of a black and green male. As soon as he said the words "Aali'makabila" she perked up and, smiling, shook her head. "Hey! You know the way there?" she asked, ignoring his actual question. "This genius over here went and got us lost." ----- Tai was getting himself ready for another lengthy speech from his female companion, but the silent prayers he'd been saying since a while earlier seemed to be answered by the sudden appearance of a third party. Good luck too, since judging by his words he was probably familiar with the passage back toward the pride. Before he could get a word in Lin jumped the gun and asked a question of her own. Sighing, Tai simply shrugged and nodded sheepishly.
"Not exactly," he said, shoving Lin's questions aside to politely answer the strange lion's. "They do know us though; we aren't a hostile party." He bowed his head slightly then, and proceeded to introduce himself. And her.
"I'm Tai'li, this Aelin. We wanted to ask about joining the pride actually, but since leaving we uh...couldn't find our way back."
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:22 pm
"Well of course I know the way there, I live there." he felt he looked like the Aali'makabila, most of the lions born there had thicker fur, and a specific build that made them recognizable to one another.
Not a hostile party, he thought about that as he approached them, they didn't seem to be hostile in the least. He debated as he walked showing them the way, they knew the pride existed, that was a step in the right direction, and they said they've been their before.
"My name is Ailani," he answered his voice sort of gruff, "I can show you the way, but if anyone asks you remembered your way back. Deal?" He trusted them, something that his jaunt through the roguelands changed in him, he trusted a stranger.
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:16 pm
She gave Tai a rather annoyed look as he went on to introduce her instead of letting her do it herself. It was a normal thing for him to do, actually, since she usually gets ahead of herself during these types of conversations and forgets the formalities. Of course, Tai never did. He made a living out of delivering messages and whatnot, so formalities had been a daily thing for him. Not for her though.
When Ailani offered to lead them back, Lin's annoyed look turned into a rather grateful smile. Directed at the black and green lion that had now taken the lead, of course, which she hoped would at least get under Tai's fur just a little. Just a little. "Thank you, Ailani," she said as she moved to walk just a few steps behind him. The blue lioness turned back for only a second and stuck her tongue out at her companion, then proceeded to ignore him.
"So what are you doing outside of the pride right now?" she asked, trying to make conversation. ----- He caught her irritated look, but was unfazed by it since he was fairly used to it by now. "Alright," he said, when the other male made his offer. "Deal." That was all he got out before Lin stepped up and started following after Ailani. He blinked a few times, wondering if she was doing this on purpose before following after them.
While Lin was busy chatting up the other male, Tai took the initiative to memorize the path they were taking. He imagined if his job involved leaving the pride's borders every now and again that it would come in handy. He was only half concentrating on this task though, since the other half of his concentration was on the conversation the Lin was starting with Ailani. He knew Lin better than almost everybody and she just wasn't the sort to randomly flirt with any lion she meets. It's not like he was too interested in her, mind you.. not really anyway. But he still worried.
So Tai kept his eyes on their surroundings, but his ears on the two lions ahead of him. He was just far back enough to seem as though he couldn't hear anything.
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 8:27 pm
What was he doing? That was a whopper of a question, he was trying to escape his very small world only to find out that he liked it better in the mountains anyway. He continued on the familiar path back to his cozy homelands, back to where life made sense and he actually knew what was going on.
"I wanted to check out the hunting in the rogue lands," he half-lied, "I've been hunting here my entire life and thought it would be different, or better out there in the open." He thought that summed it up better than getting into his own internal strife, he may trust them but they don't need to know everything.
"I like it better in the Aali'makabila lands, I may never leave again." A stupid grin was across his maw thinking about it, something rather uncharacteristic, Ailani was generally grouchy.
"You liked it enough here to come back?" He looked from the lion to the lioness. He was curious about them, were they mates? Friends? Why come back to the Aali'makabila?
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 9:49 pm
Lin got a sort of vibe that he wasn't telling the whole truth, but since they were barely acquaintances there was no real reason to push it. He was already helping them find their way back, after all. There was probably some sort of personal reason behind his leaving, so if he didn't want to share she wouldn't force him. The lioness only nodded, making an 'o' shape with her mouth as he explained. "I see," she said when he finished answering her question.
When he asked a question of his own Lin kind of zoned out. Or rather, she went into her own little world to think about how to reply. Why was she coming here with a lion she met randomly in the rogue lands? It's no like they were connected to each other in some way, like a home pride or something. No family ties, no common friends. No nothing, so what exactly was she doing here? Lin went silent for a while, really giving it a thought, and forgetting she had someone who was waiting on her answer. ----- Tai's ears flicked every now and again as he followed after Lin and Ailani. He was simply paying close attention to their conversation, not really taking part in it. Ailani didn't seem to mind, and neither did Lin. He wasn't making assumptions, mind you, simply... observing. He was always good at observing. Tai listened to the black-and-green male answer her question, nodding a little and not suspecting much else behind his words. Whether or not there was another reason he left the pride wasn't any of his business anyway. What was important was that he was helping them make their way back into the Aali, and Tai was grateful for that.
He'd been quiet most of the way, even after Ailani had asked his question. Tai figured that Lin would be able to answer it easily, so he didn't speak up. After more than a few minutes of silence though he turned his attention the blue lioness, a brow raised in slight confusion. With a sigh and a shake of his head, the large black lion figured it was time he spoke up and quickly caught up to the other two, taking a spot on the other side of Ailani.
"We," he started, "Rather, she, needs a bit of discipline and stability. As for me, my old pride was in a rather mountainous area, so I feel very comfortable here; it reminds me of home."
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