Tarishi:
A splash rang out along the beach of a huge lake.
Tarishi had more than happily dove straight into the sun-kissed waters from where she had been flying overhead, coming up for air in a giggling fit. It had been so very long since she had gotten a real swim and the water was so refreshing compared to the deserts she'd been traveling over recently as she still tried to familiarize herself with the prides of the land.

Hermes:
Hermes, on the other claw, had other things in mind than a swim. He landed on the branch of a tree near the beach, his beak going to his feathers to preen himself in the shade while his goddess amused herself. She was just so happy, it made his heart glad to see her like this.
He had no idea that the mood of the day would shift dramatically once they realized just whose lands they had stumbled upon.

Ameer:
Ameer hated the lake, ever since his near drowning he tended to avoid it but for the very shallow parts. He was walking around the edge of the vast waters when he heard and saw distant splashing. His eyes narrowed and his curiosity piqued, but he wasn't about to go into the lake to find out who it was. Probably some silly female splashing about creating a ruckus. His own banu was back in the den being watched after and taught by his mothers. He still wasn't quite sure how to be a proper Pad, his father said it would come to him, but he found females...troublesome.

Tarishi:
Tari ran into shallower waters, shaking the water from her fur and wings. Unlike most gods, she didn't really use mortal forms unless she automatically changed or felt the need to be smaller. She was a big lioness, dwarfed only by other gods she had met, at least so far. She didn't notice the lion nearing her, her eyes were closed in her amusement, as she continued to shake.
"Hermie, you should come in too! The water's wonderful!" she cried happily.

Hermes:
Hermes only chuckled and turned his head to preen the feathers on his wing, tucking his head down.

Ameer:
Ameer's eyes widened as the distant figure got closer, wow that was sure a large male. He had to be the biggest Pad in the pr-wait...his eyes narrowed. What the?! Were those wings? He made to move a bit closer until he felt the water lapping at his toes and his neck was stretched to stare. It was a huge female swimming around in the lake, a huge winged female!

Tarishi:
Tari stopped her romping as her eyes finally landed on a young male standing at the water's edge. Her ears perked up and she grinned, flipping her wet mane from her eyes.
"Oh, hi there! Do you wanna join me? The water is absolutely divine!" Oh, that was a laugh, divine coming out of a goddess' mouth. But then, Tari wasn't the kind of goddess to really think about those kind of things. She just went with the flow and if something stupid came out of her mouth, then it was out and she just had to move on.

Hermes:
Hermes looked up when his goddess addressed someone else, his feathers ruffling when he saw the new male. He was smaller than Tari, but that didn't mean he wouldn't protect his goddess if the new male brought trouble. But for the moment, Hermes was going to wait, to keep his presence secret.

Ameer:
"No I do not want to join you! Get out of there! Come here!" Ameer scowled at the strange female and then took a step back. Oh...he had found an unclaimed strange female, that meant he was supposed to capture her. Except he didn't want another banu, bad enough he'd soon be sent away from his home, from his parents and pride on his quest to capture a banu. He already had a banu, wasn't one enough? Except of course he knew better, and his poor banu did try terribly hard to please him, if she had help or someone to talk to...he focused again on the strange female.

"What's that on your back?" He frowned still unable to quite believe the sight of wings on a lioness.

Tarishi:
Tari frowned and then shrugged, walking over to him until just a bit above her paws were in the water and she was a few paces from him.
"Hi, I'm Tari-" She was cut off by his question. Geez, he was a sour-puss. She looked over her shoulder and ruffled her wings.
"My wings? Most gods have them?

Ameer:
Ameer eyed the female distrustfully, Tari? Then he glared at her, what the heck was a God? "You're not a God your a Lioness!" He edged a bit away from the water and gave his paws a little shake annoyed. This odd female...she was too big...and odd looking. He was used to the normal petite females in the pride without wings on their backs. Maybe she had killed a big bird?

Tarishi:
Tari blinked for a moment.
"Um.... Okay, yeah, I'm a goddess. All gods are lions and all goddess are lionesses... Except I think Birds might be an actual bird, I'm having trouble remembering." She sighed a bit and followed him out of the water, her sport ruined. Hermie was still in the tree, looking rather off-put, but she wrote it off. He was overprotective.

"Look, my wings seem to be bothering you, so I'll just make them go away," she added, stretching both pairs of wings for a moment before shifting them away, leaving her looking like any other lioness, if you discounted the mane that seemed more appropriate on a male like this one and her unusual size. She wasn't abnormally large, the fire-walkers of the desert, she remembered them being huge, too, but she was certainly larger than Pridelanders and rogues.
She sat down and looked around at the landscape.

"I take it you live around here? Is this a pride or just more rogue-land?"

Ameer:
"Gods? Goddesses? You mean all Lions are Gods?" He was confused by her strange speech and what was a God anyway? He supposed a Goddess was like a lioness a female God. Except he knew little to nothing of Gods, except perhaps that a great Pad who had once rescued him from a lake was one...perhaps a God was just a great lion? The God had become a Pad and a good pad who had children of his own and dwelled in their pride. Had this great lioness come to their pride to live as well? Would she be a good banu for some ambitious Pad? Her size alone would stir many to want her, she looked fit and large enough to birth strong healthy cubs.

Ameer didn't care how large or strong or fit she looked though, in her eyes he saw a gleam. She was trouble, he could tell, her voice was sweet but he had heard pleasing females before. Trouble, they were all a whole lot of trouble! Then she did something and the bird wings were gone, his eyes narrowed as if trying to understand her trickery.

"I live here, I am Ameer of the Ukuucha'Wafalme Pride...and you..." He eyed her again uncertainly. He didn't want to try and capture her, she was at least twice his size...more if he were honest with himself. It was like a blow to his pride to think he couldn't take her into his keeping, his father would know how to handle this.

"You are...without a Pad." It was the best he could muster for now, he was still trying to understand her.

Tarishi:
"Nooooo, all gods are physically lions, but not all lions are... Okay, look, gods can do things mortals can't," Tari replied in a respectfully teaching voice. Most other mortals got this. She had paused so that she could jump into the air and fly about a bit a few feet off the ground. It always felt weird to fly without her wings showing, but she survived.
"We can fly," she explained, and set herself back on the ground. "And we live for many, many generations if we aren't killed by something and we can change our appearance if we want."

She took a moment to mark herself black as night with swirled rainbow markings on her face and back, much like Ameer's cousins, though she didn't know, and then back to her normal coat.
"And we have special powers for what we're in charge of. I'm Messengers, so I can fly really fast and send out a summons and make it so someone else can run really fast or far or remember better when they need to take a message from one place to another, and if I go into a pride that only likes coats of a certain color, I automatically change to be the right color." As she explained, her coat continued to shift from white to red to blue to striped to spotted to tan and then back to white.

"Oh so this IS a pride! Tell me about it? Is there any way I could help? Do you have prides you're allies with or members that go away for long periods of-" She stopped mid-sentence and tilted her head.
"What's a pad?"

Ameer:
It was fantastical and crazy and wild...but then she showed him, he couldn't deny what he saw with his own eyes. He blinked and just stared at her for a long time, a God or a Goddess wasn't just a great lion or lioness....they were really...special. He was at a loss for words for a long moment and then snapped his mouth shut. Had his banu's mother been a Goddess? Was that why his father had allowed her to leave? Was his banu a Goddess too? Would she sprout wings someday and try to fly away from him? Except she hardly seemed like a Goddess, she was sweet and gentle and enjoyed learning how to be the best banu possible...which was why he liked her. His banu wasn't trouble like most females, she was pleasant company.

Then he frowned, she didn't know what a Pad was? This Goddess who could run like the wind, fly in the sky, alter her coat to match any color in the world...she didn't know what a Pad was? What kind of topsy turvy thinking had led to such a wild female? She needed a Pad to rein her in and settle her down...but what kind of a Pad could hold a female who could look however she pleased, fly wit or without wings, and called herself a Goddess?

"A pad...is a male who keeps and protects his banu, provides for them, ensures their safety, and offers them the comforts and love of a family." His voice was a bit distant giving a quick familiar response even as he tried to puzzle out this unique female.

Tarishi:
Tari sat patiently as he explained, looking thoughtful. Banu... That was either family or females. But he said family, so was it-
And then it all clicked into place.
"You're polygamists! Lots of females to one male, right? Oh, this is one I haven't seen in a long time, at least, I don't think so... it's hard to remember," she replied, looking off as her mind worked through some of the stipulations of old prides and what she had seen in her new life. Trying to remember her past life and the rules from then was always a pain.
Nope, none that she recalled. It was actually sort of marvelous. Males protecting their females, large families, it sounded awesome, if you were into that kind of thing. Personally, she didn't think she'd be happy sharing a male.

"It sounds pretty cool, actually. I hope the females don't just sit around and look pretty though, er, or have and raise cubs. They do other things right?" At the very least they hunted, right? That was what a lioness was born to do. Even as a goddess who didn't have to eat mortal food, who didn't out of respect for life, she still knew how to hunt, still felt that drive. She put it to better use hunting for prides to inspect.

"Oh, but I'm not into that kind of thing, if that's what you were thinking. I hope you weren't thinking that. I have a job to do and I can't, like, be tied down to one place. Sure, other gods can, like ... Colors or the moon or something, but I'm all about traveling from one place to another, taking word from one individual to another, things like that. Even when I wanna stay, I really can't."

Ameer:
Ameer had never heard the term polygamists, so he wasn't quite sure if that was what they were. Still...lots of females to one male summed it up, except for those males unable to reproduce or handle their responsibilities.

"Well sort of yes, except not just any Pad can have a large harem, he has to be able to provide for any banu he takes into his keeping." He snorted at the idea of the banu just sitting around looking pretty. Oh sure some banu were prizes for their beauty, but everyone knew that the best families had a banu or a beybanu who was an excellent huntress or an exemplary mother.

"Banu do what's needed in their harem, they hunt as needed, care for each others cubs, act as sisters to one another, their very valuable. Which is why we have laws here, the land is ruled by the Pads and unclaimed females are not free to come or go as they please. A female must be claimed and taken into protection once she crosses into our territory...which you have done." Ameer eyed her frowning at the way she was trying to squirm out of being captured. He certainly didn't want her she was trouble he could tell. "Job? Traveling? You HAVE to stay, you crossed into our territory and you have no Pad to claim for your protection or well being."

Tarishi:
Tari suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
"Well, that's great and all for your pride, sounds like it's really well thought out but... I mean, I really can't. Besides, it would really suck being mated to a mortal. Like, I totally think mortals are great, an' all... But I'd have to see my mate die, and my cubs and their cubs and... Some gods can do it, but I just don't think I'd be able to. Would you?" She stood and took a step away from him, her wings returning to sight. She didn't think she really liked where this was going. Sure, he was young, she could easily overpower him on her own, and Hermes was right there, too. But she didn't want to have to hurt him and didn't want Hermes to get hurt protecting her.

Her eyes glanced at the tree where her faithful companion was watching her, her head shook ever so slightly when she saw him ready to fly. Mere seconds had been used to make the gestures and her attention was back on the male. Gone was the cheerfulness and she even sat up a little taller, emphasizing her size.

"Look, I wouldn't mind helping out, telling those I meet who might be interested about your pride, maybe send some more females your way, but I'm not going to stay here, and honestly, no mortal can force a god to do anything." At that moment, Hermes flew over and landed at her side. His beak clacked a bit, but a snort from Tari had him settling down.
"So we can try and work this out, or I can leave. I can talk to the ruler of your pride, see if you need or want messengers, or I'm gone. Your choice." It wasn't really fair to be putting that kind of pressure on him, she might keep an eye on the pride until she figured out who the ruler was and have a little talk with him if she thought he was reasonable, but she had to put her paw down before this got farther out of hand.

Ameer:
Ameer was a bit stunned at the idea of an immortal, could she really live past them all? Had she seen much of the past? Would she be lad when the future became the present? Was she liked the odd seers who sometimes spoke of things to come? He tried not to appear too in awe of her, she was still a female and she was flesh and blood before him...though she'd proven she could be more. He shook his head with a mild frown at her question, no he would hate to see his family, someday banu, someday cubs...all pass on before him.

Her wings returned and he frowned examining them closer trying to figure out if she could be immobilized. He glared a bit at her words, no mortal can force a god to do anything? Was that true? Was she really so strong? He growled low in his throat his young male ego bruised by her certain words. His claws dug small furrows into the ground and he eyed the bird by her side, was it immortal to?

Gone...or she would speak with the Sultan...with his father. If his father knew he had let a female get away it wouldn't be too terrible but if he knew that he'd upset a Goddess...would that be worse? He wanted to bring her in as a captive, to prove his strength over her, but it was laughable to think that he a young male with barely half a mane could take down a fullgrown Goddess. He swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to make his voice sound friendlier, less sulky.

"Come with me then...I'll take you to the sultan."

Tarishi:
Yeah, she wasn't going to trust him too much. She looked to Hermes.
"You'll be alright, babe?" She heard him ask and she nodded with a fond smile.
"I'll be alright. Go across the lake, I'll send a summon if I need you," she replied and gave him a little nuzzle before he nodded and took off, heading out across the waters. She then shook herself, her body beginning to glow for a bit and then the glow fell away like water droplets, leaving a gold bird not much larger than Ameer's head with long rainbow tail-feathers and a silver-colored metal band that matched her jewelry around one thin leg.

"Lead the way," she said, taking off into the air with a speed and ease that was unusual for the body she now had. Her change was a bit more fantastic than it really needed to be, but that's how she liked it. She was an extravagant type of lady, after all.
She circled above his head, out of reach, waiting for him to go on.

Ameer:
Ameer clenched his jaw tightly to keep it from dropping at the incredible transformation by the Goddess. Alright so she would be hard...almost impossible o capture, but there had to be some Pad out there capable. He wondered idly if ancient tales of his ancestors had ever told of such a Goddess being captured and made banu. Perhaps all Goddesses were Kajira by nature, stubborn, impossible to tie with love or force to a family. He eyed her a moment longer then snorted and turned heading towards the family den and hoping his father would be there and not on patrol.

Aali:
The day was hot, not uncommon and Aali had indeed come in off of patrol leaving some of the other Pads to scout the area while the banu of the pride formulated a hunt. If the prey was plentiful perhaps they could arrange for another feast and a chance for storytelling to send off the younger males with their hearts and minds focused on the great deeds of the Pads who came and went before them.

Tarishi:
Tari followed Ameer, flying above him until they came upon another lion. He looked a little bit like the young male, but older. Well, there were enough similarities for her to guess this was his father. Was he the ruler of the pride?
She alighted on a branch of a nearby tree and turned back to Ameer, tilting her head a bit to one side.

Ameer:
Ameer frowned and walked up to his father, he looked a bit distracted but then the weight of his gaze fell onto his son and heir and he smiled.

Aali:
"Ameer, it's a nice day out why aren't you with the other young pesar and banu?" Aali arched and stretched himself out on the large rock, the huge male dwarfed the stone however and seemed perched rather precariously.

Ameer:
Ameer frowned and eyed the bird before looking at his father again not wanting to sound foolish. "I...I was near the lake and I found someone...visiting...." He looked at Tari annoyed by her bird form, it made it harder for him to explain.

Tarishi:
Tari fluffed her feathers a bit and started shaking herself out again, like before when she changed. She hopped off the branch, landing on the ground in her natural form.
"Um... I probably should have been a little less outrageous... Good afternoon," she said, at first to herself, then to the older lion with a bow of her head, her eyes never leaving the ruler's. It wasn't that she wanted to be rude or anything, but she started to think that it was best to stay on her guard in this place.

Part of her almost wished she hadn't sent Hermes away, he was her best friend and when he was near her always made her feel better. But she didn't want him getting hurt if things went bad. She could turn invisible if she wanted, he couldn't. It was always a risk, coming to new prides.

Aali:
"Visiting?" Aali stood and leapt down from the rock then frowned and gave a long suffering sigh as he saw Tari change from bird to lioness. "You are a Goddess..." It was a statement, no hint of question, nor flattery was in his usually pleasant tone. Infact he looked a bit annoyed before he forced a smile and shook his head.

"Forgive me if I seem rude, but you are not the first Goddess to come to our lands, and your presence is rather disturbing for most of our males..." He sat down and tipped his head, not a bow but an acknowledgement. "You are welcome to rest here for a moment if you wish, but I request that you depart with all haste and refrain from entering our lands in the future. We have welcomed a God into our midsts, but Goddesses do not seem content to remain here nor are we content with their constant desire to leave." He frowned as he thought of...but no she was not his she was a Goddess of Sacrifice and she had sacrificed for them. Her own daughter was Ameer's banu and he had promised her the young female would be raised well and lovingly. Nor had Femininity remained for more then a few days before vanishing with ease. What was it that brought these females to tempt them and then whisk away with the winds?

Ameer:
Ameer just watched stunned, other Goddesses had come before? His father didn't seem surprised at all by the female and that shocked him. Had his father also been unable to capture a Goddess? It seemed so by the change in his mood, his father was always so content and easy to laugh and please. Now his expression was tight, he looked almost angry.

Tarishi:
"You're forgiven, and forgive me. I'm... not as old as I used to be, I've been traveling the lands trying to reacquaint myself with the prides and did not know I was coming onto your lands," Tari replied, sitting down and holding up a paw with her acceptance of his apology. She liked him, he was a sensible sort, knew you couldn't keep a goddess tied down. She briefly wondered what god it was that lived here, but wrote it off. She'd have to tell Rama about this place if she saw him again, he always liked having adoring females around him.

"I won't trouble you for long, and I won't return. I am Messengers and I requested Ameer take me to you in the chance that you might wish the aid of... one of my followers." She almost asked him if he wanted her aid. Something in the back of her mind said it might be easier to set up someone else here instead. Someone male. A preying bird, maybe an eagle if she could find one. And until she could, she could always disguise herself as a mute eagle. It was hard to tell the gender of birds, after all.

"They can carry information over long distances faster than it might normally travel, if you wish contact with another pride or if you frequently have members heading out into the roguelands for long periods of time. I am also in the habit of encouraging those who fit into the ways of a pride in the direction of where they might belong. I only wish to know if this is in the interests of the pride, and then I can be on my way."

Aali:
Aali had to consider carefully, the chance to receive and send messages to the young males who were on their quests in the roguelands was tempting. Yet the point of the quest was for them to find their own way, strength, independence, to prove they deserved the honor of Pad. If they were constantly able to contact them would the mothers grow frantic? Would the Pesar's truly learn to stand of their own four paws?

"I would be grateful if you were able to offer us your services in times of dire need, but we are a pride of tradition and here we have peace and few visitors...as is preferred. Not all in the world would understand our ways or how content we are, all of us." He said the last part firmly, he didn't need a Goddess running off and spreading any discontent about their dear Banu and Beybanu.

"We have little need of one who sends and receives messages, but if you would allow us some way to contact you, you will be in my mind." He might have told her that she would be in his heart as well, but that place he reserved for females who had become particularly important to him. Sacrifice was there always and when things were dire he often said a soft prayer in the hopes that wherever she was she would hear and know she was not forgotten by them.

Tarishi:
Tari smiled fondly. It was almost like the pride she had been raised in, one she spoke only to Hermes of. They, too, were very traditional and preferred that they remain sheltered. She bowed her head again and stood.
"I respect your decision and... I will be honest in saying that I don't think I've ever been summoned before, but..." She looked off in thought, frowning for a second.

"Think hard of me, that you need a Messenger, I might be able to feel it." Her frown broke into something of amused embarrassment. "In truth, I'm still rather young, even for a mortal, trying to get back into the swing of things."

She sighed.
"I used to have a whole flock of followers..." Tari was getting a little side-tracked and she shook it away. She'd have to build her legacy back up again. "I thank you for your hospitality and am sorry if I caused any trouble. You have a good thing going here I think, good fortunes to you and your pride, highness." And with that, she faded out of sight, thinking it be better to leave the lands in invisibility rather than get caught by someone else. The map in her mind marked the spot.