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 Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:34 pm
She awoke to the sound of a scream ringing in the night.
An wasn't a lioness prone to unusual dreams. Even in her half sleep she writhed, claws flexing as her mind struggled to wake up and process fractured information. Someone talking? Or was that the dream? By the time she was wide awake and blinking, the sound of the scream continued to ring in her ears. A silent, clutching direness like a horrible truth in the night.
The golden lioness rose to her feet, blades of grass sticking to her side. She had slept outside, as her stay in the territory was only temporary. The wind was gusting, making the night seem oddly deafening. Not storming, but clearly threatening. It smelled of cold air and wet grass. And something else that even An wasn't entirely familiar, or comfortable with.
Her pale eyes squinted. Now that she was awake and aware, the need to be in motion was almost unbearable. Something was going on, and she intended to be there. Ignoring the pins and needles in her toes, she took a few long strides forward. The wind was picking up, making it almost impossible to tell what direction, if any, the sound had come from.
But it had been a scream, hadn't it? Her ears shifted. It was possible it had just been the wind, mixing in with her own dreams?
In the distance, a flock of small birds was suddenly startled into the air. With a location in mind, An took off into the night.
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 3:51 am
  “Curious.”
“What is?”
“That we should meet again after all this time. World is big. No. Perhaps not so big. Our meeting is odd; yes. Coincidence…unable to determine. Even so, I think I will stick by you for now. You are like the swamp one. Sticking with you could be interesting. Curious to see how things play out.”
“Things? What things? Do you know something I don’t?”
The white female with the brand of red markings across her back gave a small shrug. “No. Just contemplating. Theorising. The swamp one found herself. Have you?”
“I already know who I am.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. I’m Jemadari, remember. Pridelanders don’t have ‘name quests’.”
“You know your name. Yes. I know mine. Doesn’t mean I know who I am.”
“You’re…mad.”
The female smiled. “I’d prefer Juba.”
The lioness stood, shook her pelt and turned her head out across the landscape. Despite the incessant wind and the threat of rain, there was just enough moonlight to see by. Not too far away, a number of small birds took to the air, the sounds of their wings muffled by the night.
“Interesting.”
“What now?” Jemadari groaned. Did the lioness never shut up? He wanted to sleep!
“We’re not alone.”
“So?”
Juba rolled her eyes. “Swamp one would have investigated with me. Just saying.”
“Her name is Endesha.”
“What difference does it make if you know who I’m taking about, Pridelander?” She was clearly jesting with him, but a tired Jemadari was in no mood to be teased. He was a newcomer to these unclaimed lands, and though he had yearned for adventure since his childhood, he’d not realised how tiring it was. Without the security of a pride or a group of females hunting for you…life was certainly a lot tougher. However, he’d already reasoned that if Juba could do it, then so could he. It was just going to take time.
“Look. Let’s just sleep. Whoever it is will be long gone by morning.”
But Juba wasn’t listening. She was already moving across the grass towards the stranger; her stark white pelt clearly visible despite the darkness. Her insatiable curiosity would eventually lead to her downfall. Probably.
((I’ll have to check with Ecavi, but I was sure that Jema had grown to adult! Can’t seem to find his image though, so possibly I haven’t uploaded it yet, so we’ll just say he’s ‘almost’ an adult during this RP.))
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:54 pm
Dez'i wasn't asleep on this night. His mind was too busy along with his paws for him to settle down and close his eyes, he wasn't ready for sleep he wanted anything but sleep. He stretched his paws up and kicked off with his back feet, hoisting himself up on a branch of a large tree. He carefully weaved and pulled himself on higher up branches, going as high as he could go while the branch could still hold him. He settled carefully balancing himself on his haunches using his tail to keep himself from falling.
Trees was something that he enjoyed from time to time. One reason was because he couldn't hear anything beyond 5 feet of him. While other lions could hear birds chirping away in the distance or another calling out to him he couldn't. But sitting in the branches of a tree gave him the comfort of being able to be aware of his surroundings. He could see the small shapes of others moving through grass, or a bird flapping it's wings above him. While others could keep track of these things by listening carefully to their surroundings he didn't. When he was up in a tree he could be the warrior that he wanted to be, fully aware of everything.
And there was something for this warrior to be aware of too. As he shifted himself moving so he could see the other side of the tree, something caught his eye. An interesting thing to see during the night. He could see a lighter, tanish, colored figure running through the grasses. He knew that he had seen tan color lions in his life but he had never seen that tan colored lion in his life, and by the way she was dashing through the night it was suspicious. There was no prey that she was chasing. His "hero" complex was kicking in. He was curious of who this figure was and where they were going. He wanted to know if there was harm caused or if there was harm about to be caused. The main thing he knew was that there was something going on and he was going to find out, unaware of the sounds that were being made before the figure's dash.
He stood up quickly gaining his balance once more and then climbing out of the safety of the tree and into the grasses, he took a moment to adjust to the feeling of dirt under his paws once again before taking of himself into the night, keeping his nose in the air. He was curious of where this figure was going, unaware of the other two not that far off.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:46 am
The grass was wet underneath her feet, a sensation she wasn't used to. As she moved it felt like the ground was working against her. Long lashes grasping at her heels, wind buffeting them back before they had a chance to really trip her up. But enough to keep her from moving as quickly as she'd like. By the time she arrived at where the birds flew up from, they were already long in flight. The golden lioness stood in her spot, watching the empty sky like her investigation had vanished with them.
There had been no further sounds; at least none that could be considered screams. The night had returned to being empty and cold.
At least until she attracted some attention. Some sort of trap? Her ears flicked forward. Whoever they were, they were far too loud to be making some sort of sneak attempt. Unless they were simply brazen enough to try and jump her. But then- why the scream? It seemed rather complicated luring her here when they could have easily found her sleeping. Maybe someone else had heard the cry.
Whether they were would-be-assailants or investigators themselves, she simply started chatting. If they'd attack, they'd attack regardless and she might as well throw them off pace. "You three- hey!" An said, moving forward. Her face was friendly, if not a bit strained. "Are you making all the noise out here? Someone was screaming, and it wasn't some sort of little creature."
Another gust of wind. An pushed against it, looking off into the distance. Some ten yards down from the four, a second frenzy of birds shot up into the sky.
The blonde started moving, letting the other three to their would-be-plans. "Whatever it was moved over there," she explained. As she did, she turned around and walked backwards for a few moments. "Well, come on. If you came to investigate the sound you might as well follow and if you came to jump me you're the worst band of brutes I've ever seen. Should have got me when I was sleeping."
And with that, she moved on to the next spot.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:20 am
"While sleeping?" Juba called. "But where would be the fun in that? No reactions. No fear. No nothing. Terribly boring." The white female hurried her step, clearly not bothered by the fact that there had been someone else sneaking around out there.
"Lead the way!"
She paused only to ensure that Jemadari was coming, too. If he decided to sleep when something exciting was going on then he wasn't much of an adventurer and maybe she ought to attach herself to someone else, instead. Maybe this new cat? Well, nothing to worry about. Jemadari was on his way; albeit slowly. Wasn't he excited about this new turn of events? The possibility of facing danger?
"Someone out hunting, perhaps? Fighting? Killing? Maybe walking into a trap set down by some crafty lion? Only one way to find out." Her murmurings were lost by another whip of wind buffeting against her face and she gritted her teeth against it. The night was being rather unwelcoming...
With a small sniff, she quickened her pace to move up to the sandy lioness' side. "How're you in a fight?"
Behind them, Jemadari began to hasten his pace a little, not really wanting to be left behind. However, unlike Juba, the approach of another stranger did bother him. He slowed to watch the other white lion join them and called out over the wind.
"You with the other female?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:50 am
There were moments where Dez'i didn't mind his hearing at all, however then there were moments like this where he hated it more then anything else. He wasn't exactly sure of the lioness's first words, but he moved a little closer getting the idea of what she said next. "Screaming?" He questioned, mostly to himself, he had a feeling the lioness wasn't up to much harm herself. He was glad that she wasn't the one starting trouble. However now it was interesting, there was some one out here screaming. He flicked his tail around before processing the fact that there were others around here. So he wasn't the only interested in what was going on.
He was about to answer the lioness before the birds up in the air caught his attention. There was something interesting going on that was for sure. He moved forward some before processing that there were another two here. He couldn't hear them at first, or the lioness saying that there was more then him in the company. "Even if it's a trap, I don't think it's for us." He commented, shaking his head at the idea. He looked a head before he started to trot a little behind the two lionesses. He wanted to keep up, defiantly because he didn't want to miss anything said. His ear's flicked around and he turned toward the other male. "I'm sorry, what was that?" He commented back, "I can't hear well, come closer." He said simply, he didn't want to slow down he wanted to be able to hear everyone. He couldn't hear the sounds around them, hopefully the others would be his ears for a little.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:12 am
"Well enough if they try," An remarked casually. Asking a firekin if she could fight was a bit of an insult, but she reminded herself that this wasn't the Motoujamii anymore. And she didn't exactly look the part. Better to her advantage, she supposed. They'd certainly need it as the four approached the scene ahead.
"I don't think it's a trap," An said. She didn't know that for sure however, so she slowed her pace as they approached the tangle of grasses where the birds had scattered from. "Feels more like someone is running from us. Like they heard us coming and moved from where they were hiding."
Which was no less dangerous of a situation. After all, a creature hiding in the reeds and moving away from them was clearly not looking to have company. She leaned down and moved slowly around the brush, as though she were about to pounce. With a quick glance at her companions, she started to move forward-
When there was a sudden rustle of grass. Whoever it was moved quickly, and before she could get a grasp of how fast, another flock of sleeping birds was disturbed further down the field. "Something is running!" An remarked with some surprise and a bit of redundancy. She pushed into the brush that the creature had left- and was immediately struck by the scent of blood in the air.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:40 pm
"Hmm...running, you say? Do we look so fierce? Why run? Unless injured or guilty. Hm, no, if injured, couldn't run that fast. So guilty, then. Guilty! That would be interesting. But of what? Murder? Stealing? There could be a nasty cub-thief about. Do you condone violence or--oh!"
Falling slightly behind, Juba finally closed her mouth and mimicked the younger female, hunkering down to try and stay out of sight. A moment later and the sound of grass was met with a bolt of excitement. At last! Something adventurous and exciting! She couldn't remember the last time she'd been involved in something like this. Mostly she did a lot of walking and a lot of...well, talking - whether with others or alone.
With a wild gleam in her eyes, the white female charged after An, clearly preparing herself for a fierce fight. For whilst she would never openly start or invoke a violent reaction in anyone, she was more than happy to throw herself into a brawl if need be. After all, her mother had been a warrioress and Juba had learned a lot from her before taking off on her lonesome.
She'd have to thank her someday.
Meanwhile, Jemadari had drawn up alongside the white male and was attempting to repeat his question. "I said, are you with--Uh oh...looks like trouble." He'd spoken loudly so that his new companion could here. "Let's go!" And finally the sleepy lion was infused with energy, barrelling through the grasses to catch up with the two females.
Likewise, the scent of blood ran straight up his nostrils. The surprise of it had his hackles rising and he faltered a little. "Hey, wait, wait! We need a plan. This could be dangerous."
Yeah...because they were really going to listen to him.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:08 pm
Dez'i looked at the male before turning forward quickly. There was some one running, he could see the movements. He was starting to wonder if maybe they were scaring whoever it was. But there had to be something that started this chase to being with. "It could be any of those." He noted harmlessly before adding, "We could be scaring them though." But with that he crept close to the ground trying to keep up with the other two, he didn't want to fall behind but he did hear something the younger lion mentioned.
He had a point there. Coming up with a plan could be a very good idea. He was taught that having a plan was a good thing. He was hoping that he could bring that up to the other too. He moved quickly but kept the male's words in his head before he finally decided to also bring it to the female's attention. "I know we have to move quick, but maybe it would be good to have a plan?" He offered, he didn't want to be pushy but he wanted to give them the idea that he also felt it might be a good idea. Hew didn't know what it was they were after, he badly wanted to go after it but he didn't want to get to it and not know what to do when they did. He was always taught plans were good and this could be one of those moments where that came in handy. But yet at the same time he just wanted to swoop in and find out exactly what was going on. It appeared that was the way that it was going to go down.
But either way it was extremely exciting.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:57 am
An didn't have much of a concept for danger. But as the blood scent floated across her nose and into her lungs, she imagined that the thrumming feeling of urgency was about as close as she could get to it. It made her blood feel like fire, and being at a standstill was almost unbearable. The other male was right though- there was no sense blindly chasing after something without a plan.
So she swallowed down the urge to simply bolt and charge down the field before the creature slipped away. The wind was still rocking against them, carrying with it now the coppery scent. It was likely the same wind that had kept her from noticing it clearly before. "I don't know..." An confessed. She might have been trained, but she couldn't fathom what made a creature do what it did. "Could be anything. Something doesn't want us to know though, and that bothers me."
She leaned her weight forward, clearly thinking about running off into the brush again. "If we can corner it, then at least we can catch whatever it is and see what the noise is about. Two of us can run ahead and the other two can flush it out."
"Who's the fastest? We'll need the other two to get ahead faster than the other thing can." She said. "I can run, but I can probably flush better. I'm not used to high grass."
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 3:39 pm
Jemadari gave a short sigh of relief, pausing next to the two females and casting a look down across the grasses. "I say that's a good plan."
Juba gave a short shrug. "Good a plan as any if we need a plan. Perhaps better than chasing and wasting energy. Could be nothing. Could be a rabbit. Wouldn't want to look foolish." Then to Jema, she said: "Hm, about time you caught up. All talk and no action, are you?"
Jemadari huffed, drawing his head up a little higher. He might have been young but he certainly wasn't going to be treated as such. After all, hadn't Juba chosen to follow him and not the other way around? That had to count for something! "I'll put my name forward for running." He stretched each leg in turn as if that might prove how fast he was. "I've had practise where I'm from." He tilted his head towards Juba. "And since I already know this one, I can vouch for her swift paws. She's been dragging me around this savannah easily enough up till now.
Juba beamed, tail swishing eagerly. "Good plan. Let's go with that. Are we all ready?" She drew up closer and tested the air again with her snout. "Somewhere up there, close to the shadow of that rock, I think. We'll run. Drive it to that point. Going will be tough and we can overtake. That will give you the chance to drive it out. Agreed? Yes? Then let's go."
Jemadari rolled his eyes. "Well someone's a little eager. Hang on a moment. What about you? You have a preference?" He tilted his head towards Dez'i expectantly.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:16 pm
Dez'i slowed his gallop, coming to a standstill at least for a moment, he panted through his mouth for a few seconds before calming down and breathing deep breaths out of his nose. He looked over at the grasses. "It defiantly doesn't want us, really anyone for that matter." He looked around carefully, he was trying to carefully figure out where the thing had gone. He could see it, but then the scent hit his nose. He looked up quickly trying to figure out where the scent was coming from.
He looked at the other three and then nodded decisively, he listened to the lioness carefully and then nodded once again. "I think that sounds great." He grinned once again before looking around as the others started to choose what they wanted to do. He was about to go with the plan before the other male mentioned him. He looked up a little surprised, he was glad that the other male was remembering him. It was really nice to know. He flicked his hair out of his eyes once again before nodding at the male. "that really sounds fine. I know the grasses pretty well, however I can help flush them out easily too." He nodded once again, it was pretty true, he could figure out either, and if they were cornered he could fight. that had been something that he wanted to do really badly. He was a warrior in his heart, body and soul. He could take on anything.
"I think it sounds great." He turned toward An nodding once again. "Do you want to lead?" He asked curiously, wanting to make sure to get that sorted too before they started to dash back into the grasses once again. He knew they had to move quickly but yet he also knew that it was better to be planned as best as possible.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:03 pm
The plan was taking formation, and An quickly struggled to map it all out. There was still the possibility that the other creature could escape them. If that happened... well, the adventure was going to end rather premature. Her pale eyes focused in on the target ahead. If you could call it that. Assaults on patches of high grass wasn't exactly what she was trained for. "Alright," she said quietly. "You two run as fast as you can, try to loop around it. We'll make a lot of noise rushing up to it."
She took a glance behind her shoulder to make eye contact with her unlikely comrades. "Hopefully that will be enough to distract it from you two." With that, she sunk a bit low into the grass, and nodded her head for the grey male to follow.
Making noise wasn't much of a problem for the pair. An's feet constantly seemed to tangle in the grass. What she couldn't slip from was sharply uprooted so to not lose pace with Dez'i. When they were a good half way down the field, the blonde lioness broke formation with a leap and started to run. Hopefully whatever was in the bushes paid attention to them.
And it did. There was a sudden flurry of motion up ahead, and a strangled yelp. By the time An and Dez'i arrived at the spot, whatever it was had escaped- and was barreling towards Jemadari and Juba.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:37 am
Jemadari and Juba set out together and for a while, the young gold male could match her stride. However, even he had to admit a grudging respect for her speed and stamina. She was lithe and strong and clearly a knowledgeable rogue and survivor. A few moments later and she began to pull ahead, clearly focussed on the task at hand and homing in on the target.
Their loop was well executed and, at the sound of more motion ahead, Jemadari realised that An and Dez'i had made their move. Feeling a new burst of adrenaline, he used it to fuel himself, closing the gap between him and the white female again, curling his lips up to show off his rather good set of teeth.
Ahead, Juba gave a thunderous snarl and, taking a moment to alter her course a little, set her hind legs firmly in the dirt and pounced.
Panting, Jemadari hurried to catch up.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:52 pm
Dez'i waited for the other female to take off and when she did he moved excitedly behind her, his feet moving quickly. He could feel his muscles burning but he loved every minute of it. He was beginning to feel more and more exciting as they picked up their pace and began to push their way toward the taller grasses. He loved the feeling of pushing toward the grasses. It was something that he had done often, he would occasionally brake out into sprints. Running was something that Ceyx would get him to do often when they were practicing.
He kept his head high moving quickly keeping up with the other lioness a grin was wide on his lips as he moved. He looked at her as she began to sprint away he took the cue quickly and moved at the same speed making sure to find what ever it was. He was extremely surprised by the yelp and wanted to chance what ever it was even more. he slowed as he saw it take off, wanting to slow down to keep an eye out and look out for something, anything what ever it was. He paused slowing down before moving in the direction that An was in, nodding at her wanting to make sure to keep up with the lioness.
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