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 Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 10:54 am
 The sun rose steadily in the sky as blue-eyed lion stepped away from the tree in whose roots he’d nestled during the night. His brother had left earlier while Vaako was still asleep - to hunt, most likely though Riddiq often left just to be alone for a while – and the young lion slowly considered his options. He could try to follow his brother and risk interfering with his typical self-imposed solitude, he could go in the opposite direction and continue their quest or he could just stay still and wait for Riddiq to return – which would make him feel impatient and useless and as such, the last option was immediately dismissed.
The lion yawned loudly as he stretched before standing tall to take a good look around his surroundings. It was a day just like any other. Another day to walk around in awe of the vastness of the rogue lands, knowing that no matter how hard they looked the two brothers might never find their missing sister. Vaako dropped his nose to the ground, noticing the hints and scents that betrayed the path Riddiq had taken and slowly proceeded to walk in the opposite direction.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:27 pm
 This early in the morning the sun was still low enough that it did not provide all too much heat. While it was warm, the heat was still at a level that could be enjoyed. The earth beneath her feet was still cool from the long night.
Spotting the stranger in the distance brought her to a stop. It was difficult to tell from this distance if he would be aggressive, or passive. She didn't care to fight if she could avoid it and the possibility of taking the long way around and avoiding him completely did cross her mind. Avoiding him meant that she would loose the chance to speak with him and learn about this strange land she'd so recently arrived in.
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 7:58 am
Vaako, too, quickly noticed that he was no longer alone as he spotted the lioness in the distance. Despite the strong female he had for a mother, a part of him still couldn’t quite acknowledge the lioness as a potential threat. He was larger than most girls, after all, and sparring with Riddiq and struggling in the rogue lands had developed his body to a point where Vaako felt perfectly capable of handling any trouble on his own.
After one brief hesitation, the blue-eyed lion changed course and headed straight for the lioness. He tried to control his body language in order to appear relaxed and serene because the last thing he wanted was to have her bolt. It was a long shot – it always was – but perhaps this lioness had heard or seen something regarding his missing sister, Jakyra.
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:00 am
Malaika lowered her head and licked her chops as she watched the stranger approach. He wasn't sneaking, wasn't moving like he was planning an attack. Maybe he was safe after all. Cautiously, she relaxed her body and moved forward to greet him. It was really incredible how often strangers were friendly when there was no food to fight over.
Once she figured he was close enough to hear her she called out, "Hello there, stranger!" and slowed to a casual walk. She was close enough to get a good look at him now. He seemed healthy, no signs of the nicks, cuts, or bruises that normally gave away a warrior. Surely fortune was on her side today.
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:26 am
“Hello.” Vaako replied as they bridged the distance between them. He was instantly drawn to her eyes, a pale shade of yellow so very different from the intense golden he was used to. She was rather pretty, he thought to himself. It wasn’t something Vaako usually noticed unless it was bluntly pointed out to him but there was something quite intriguing about her markings and she seemed friendly enough to stop for a quick chat.
Without even noticing, the blue-eyed lion stood a little straighter. It was a good thing he hadn’t seriously sparred with his brother in a couple of weeks or his appearance would’ve been quite different. “Are you from around here?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:58 am
She stood with her side to him, cautious, but otherwise as non-threatening as she could muster.
"No," she replied. "I've been leading a nomadic life for some time now. The moon has waxed and waned many times since I began my travels, I suspect home is very far away indeed. If it's not intrusive of me, what of yourself? It is rare to see a male traveling alone. Or is this your territory I'm trespassing on?"
She doubted that this was a territory he frequented, otherwise he would be familiar enough with the locals to know a stranger to these lands when he saw one.
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:11 am
Ah, she was a travelling rogue as well. She’d probably been to many different places but it was still unlikely she’d ever come across Jakyra. Vaako had slowly come to realize just how big the rogue lands truly were.
“We’re just passing through. My brother and I have no territory to call our own... we’re looking for someone.” He turned his head towards the last place where he’d seen Riddiq before facing the stranger again. “A lioness, our sister. She was taken from us a cub. Dark brown with blue eyes like mine and a marking on her forehead. Have you seen anyone like that?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:31 am
The moment he mentioned that he was looking for someone her ears flicked forward and her expression softened.
"Oh, my dear traveler. I have not met any lioness with such markings, but my heart grieves for you. My only brother used too wander from home frequently. This last time..." her eyes drifted away from the darker lion. "He would always return, yet he hasn't. I fear we've lost him. The pain of searching for a lost sibling is all too real." She looked back toward him, her whole body relaxing now, "If I did find this sister of yours, and she did wish to return to you, what would I call her and is there any place I could return her to where she would be safe?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:55 pm
The changes in her posture and tone didn’t go unnoticed and it wasn’t long until Vaako understood what it was that had triggered that particular reaction. He knew that what had happened to Jakyra was a relatively common occurrence in the rogue lands and that many more had been taken or gotten lost in the rogue lands. Still, that didn’t necessarily bring comfort to the blue-eyed lion whose sister had been snatched from right under his nose.
“That… is a good question.” One that he’d never considered before. Vaako leaned back to sit. “I never really thought about it. We just keep moving forward with little hope of finding her.” They didn’t have a place to call home either. Their mother had moved them frequently and Jakyra probably wouldn’t be able to remember - much less find – some of those locations. He didn’t even consider the possibility that his sister wouldn’t want to find them. She'd want to find riddiq at the very least. “I don’t think we have a place to return to.” His family had dispersed and Vaako knew nothing of his mother and remaining sisters. It was something he’d long accepted but it still wasn’t easy to say it out loud.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 1:12 pm
Malaika was nothing short of sympathetic, "When my brother did wander if one of us went searching for him the other always stayed home to wait. More often then not he would return home before the one who'd gone searching. He was a grown lion though, strong in body if not so much in mind. Perhaps then is there at least a message I could relay to her? If we ever did meet?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 2:02 pm
“Mmm… if you do see her...” which was highly unlikely in his opinion “…you can say her brothers are heading for the swamp area to the North of this location. We will remain there for a little while and then we’ll keep heading North… probably.” It was a long shot for sure but perhaps he shouldn’t underestimate the power of Fate – or Luck. It did no harm to tell the yellow-eyed lioness where he was going. “So that’s where I’ll be… if you need to find me.” Wait, what was he talking about? Why would she need to find him? “So, hum… goodbye.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:01 pm
She nodded, "Should it be required I shall escort her to the swamps as as far north as I can. I wish all three of you the best... and..." she hesitated a moment. "I am certain I will see you again. Good bye!"
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:10 pm
Vaako nodded and turned away in silence, quickly falling into a quick pace as he made his way back to the last place where he’d seen Riddiq. After a while he stopped and turned his head for a brief moment to look at the small shape of the lioness in the distance. Only now that she was so far away did he remember that he hadn’t even asked her name. Worse, he hadn’t even asked about her brother even though the yellow-eyed lioness had showed someone concerned over his missing sister – who she obviously had never met. The blue-eyed lion sighed and kept walking, seriously considering the idea that he might be a lot more self-centered than he’d thought.
[FIN!]
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