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 Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:46 am
Miu:
Trying to get away from her brothers was like hunting. It was a lot of sneaking and lying in wait and running when the coast was clear. Sudi should have been a hunter, he was damned clever at tracking her down.
But when it all came down to it, she was more so and she had once more out-foxed her brother, managing to sneak away. And this was rather important, too. She had met a young male about her age not long ago and today was a sneak-off and meet him by the river for a stroll day.
The first time she had met him there, she hadn't been there long enough to really get to know him much. One of her brothers had gotten too close and she honestly didn't want any of them grumbling at the male she wanted to be her friend. It wasn't fair! She wanted to have friends, why did her brothers have to be so ridiculously over-protective?
She sighed as she got to the riverbank and looked around, not seeing Maa, not yet anyways.
Maa'sen:
Maa'sen had been having some issues trying to decide how he wanted to contribute to the pride. He knew he could probably manage most of the pride's positions but he wanted to choose a position where he could really help. He was an average hunter, an average crafter, not truly shining in any specific task. He was getting older, time to start thinking about what he would be doing besides hunts, long walks, naps, and playing around with family.
Today however his mind was tumbling with excitement even as he tried to stay calm looking. He was meeting up with a pretty girl and he felt nervous, he wasn't sure what to say. Oh he was normally fine around females, but this one, there was a light in her eyes full of independence and power. He wanted to spend more time with her learn more about her, but he could hardly just expect her to blurt out her innermost secrets to him.
He slunk around some tall reeds and lifted his head slowly hoping she would be there already. A slow grin fell across his muzzle as he spotted her and he debated pouncing.
Miu:
Miu listened as she sat there, waiting for Maa to show, listening to all around her. Mostly to be ready to hide if Sudi or Jumo started to approach. She really just wanted to be left alone. Well, not alone, alone, but rather not bothered by them. She wanted to spend time with the young male who thought she was really pretty, who was polite and had that adorable little stutter when he got embarrassed. At least, she thought it was when he was embarrassed. It could be when he was flustered, she hadn't been able to spend enough time with him to tell.
So when she heard a sound in the rushes, her first instinct was to hide. But wait, no, that couldn't be either of her brothers, they didn't sneak up on her. And she didn't really have any other friends, not even in her fellow huntresses.
So, rather than giving away that she knew the presence of whomever it was, she simply looked off, ears perked and tail lashing slowly behind her.
Maa'sen:
Maa knew that he wasn't very familiar with the pretty female, but he still felt his body lower, his hind legs tense. Muscles coiled and then he was up and through the air pouncing and landing on Miu's rump as he playfully swatted her tail. He chuckled a bit excited at having caught her unaware.
"Good morning Miu...I...I hope I didn't scare you?" He amended realizing he could have frightened her leaping out like that. After all she was a female out here alone and her brothers had seemed so over protective.
Miu:
Maa got a couple of swats at her tail before Miu turned around, a playful look on her face.
"You didn't frighten me at all, Maa'sen. I'm really very observant, though I'm sure my brothers would argue with me," she replied, pawing at him a couple of times before straightening into a more ladylike posture. She was a lady, after all, she needed to remember that she was all grown up, not a cub anymore. She should be more mature.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to get away, it's really hard to lose my brothers sometimes."
Maa'sen:
He relaxed realizing she had probably seen him after all, he was halfway into a playful crouch as she swatted at him until he saw her posture straighten. He quickly did the same his spine stiffening as he tried to remember his age. Mature, she was mature, he was supposed to be as well...he just enjoyed relaxing. The cusp of adulthood seemed like a perilous plunge a world of responsibilities he wasn't sure he was ready for.
He looked back at Miu, she would be worth it if he only stood a chance. He'd be the best hunter, he would cub sit, he'd wrestle a crocodile if he thought he could impress her. Except of course she was mature and responsible and her brothers had hawk eyes on her. He should content himself with having her as a friend and thank his lucky stars.
"It's alright I'm sure I understand why they act so protective, you are their sister after all."
Miu:
Miu made a ever-suffering face, rolling her eyes with a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders.
"Sudi justifies it by saying that I'm their only sister and the baby of the family, but I'm barely younger than any of them and I'm just as tough as they are," she replied, pulling a face. After a moment, though, she just sighed again and shook her head.
"I suppose I can understand it, but I want them to let me live my life, you know? I want to be able to come see you without having to sneak off. It would be so nice if I could walk with you and talk with you without having to worry about one of them running up and chasing you off..." Her ears flicked back at that. He was so sweet, from what she had seen and she wanted to spend more time with him and might even kind of like him and her brothers were ruining that.
Maa'sen:
He tried not to laugh at the face she made and managed to hold in his chuckle. Still he flashed her a grin and ducked his head. "If I had such a smart beautiful sister I probably wouldn't want her out of my sight either." He felt a bit nervous after giving the compliment but he couldn't exactly take the words back.
"You should talk to them...or...or I could talk to them." Oh sure he was going to just convince two overprotective males that their darling baby sister was safe with him? Well...she was safe with him unless of course her brothers had hoped to stave off admiration as well. "Well...we're here now...alone...I mean together...you and I." Oh boy there he went stumbling over his words, he paused to try and get his tongue back under control.
Miu:
Miu's eyes went wide and the light fur on her cheeks darkened several shades as she felt them heat up. Smart and beautiful? Oh, gracious, he was too kind. Honestly, she thought she was a little plain. She was at least a little stocky, after all, from all her training as a huntress and she thought that her mother, all lithe as she was, was much prettier than she was. Sudi's make-up helped, but she wasn't wearing any of it right now.
"Th-thank you, Maa'sen," she replied, her turn to stutter a bit as she looked down modestly.
But then he suggested talking to them.
"No!" she burst out, her head jerking up to stare at him with wide eyes. And then she caught up to her outburst and grinned and giggled for a bit.
"I'm sorry. I just don't think that's a good idea. There's no telling what they would do to a male that came to talk to them about me. I think they have this idea that no male is good enough to hang around their sister..." She gave him another shrug, then nodded. They were here, alone together (FINALLY) and he had promised her a walk.
"Shall we take a walk on the riverside, then?"
Maa'sen:
The compliment, she had liked it! Well at least he hadn't completely ruined the day, he had been worried about his ability to explain himself. It was probably her independence and confidence, except he could hardly spew that out, no what he needed was time with her. Time enough to learn why she was so self assured and what lay beyond her beauty and that heart stopping smile. After all pretty females were abundant enough, Miu's company set her apart.
Then she burst out and he felt his heart sink a bit, of course her brothers would be opposed to any male about. As for being good enough...well he probably wasn't, not yet, but he'd have to try to be better. Hunting practice...he had to practice practice practice.
"Right! A w-walk!" He stammered as he pulled his thoughts back to the present moment and leapt ahead before stumbling a bit as he tried to back up to walk beside her.
Miu:
Miu smiled as she fell into step beside him, thinking that when he stumbled it was a little endearing. He was trying to so hard and the stammer was still pretty sweet. She wanted to know more about him and yet she didn't even know where to begin.
"What about you, do you have any siblings?" She almost wanted to say brothers, since he had said 'If I had any sisters', at least... She thought he wasn't comparing her to his sisters and finding her more beautiful and smart than they were. If that was the case... Her cheeks warmed again at the very thought of it.
"I've never seen them trailing after you, so I'm going to guess that if you do, they're nothing like my brothers," she added with a bit of a laugh.
Maa'sen:
"Oh yes! I have sisters and brothers, but uh no not like yours." He laughed a bit and then shrugged. "I guess it's different when your not the only little girl of a family...we've all been allowed to explore. I guess our parents understand we'll be alright, I don't doubt they watched us when we were younger but...it's hard to notice when your busy thinking you're independent." He thought of his own sisters perhaps he should have been more protective of them but they didn't seem to need coddling. Then again neither did Miu but he couldn't exactly tell her brothers that either. Was he a bad brother for not keeping a closer eye on his siblings? Or would he be a bad brother if he smothered them?
"We're all training now...everyone busily starting to fill out in their ranks..." Except for him, he had free time because he still hadn't quite chosen his path. He loved to craft, but his skills and bodyframe made him quite the hunter. He couldn't deny his passion for the hunt as well the sand sliding out from beneath his paws, the rush of the moment, the leap, and the sense of accomplishment when he brought home something to share.
Miu:
"Oh, Mother and Father let me be me, it's my brothers who are too over-protective. Except for Zaph. He sometimes even helps me sneak away from Sudi and Jumo. He's the sweet-heart of the family," Miu replied with a shake of her head. Mother and Father sometimes had to go so far as to tell her older brothers to leave her alone. They understood that she needed her space, that she was independent and worked hard to be strong enough to take care of herself. Why couldn't her brothers see that?
She tilted her head to one side, considering something.
"It's odd, really. Zaph is the sweet one but he's a guardian, and Sudi is the tough one but he's an artisan. One would sort of think that the roles would be switched, you know?" She gave him a glance and a small smile, her mind moving to her brothers' stations in the pride to wondering what Maa's would be. He was still in training, placing her a little bit older than he was, but she didn't mind. He wasn't so much younger than she was that she couldn't enjoy his company or have a meaningful talk with him. Would he be a hunter or a guardian? He had the build for it. But he seemed too nice to be a guardian... But then all she had to do was look at her brother, you didn't always have to be tough and macho to be a guardian. She hadn't yet learned what his favorite things to do were, so she couldn't really attribute him to any of the more intellectual jobs in the pride.
So she finally decided to just come out and ask him.
"What are you training to be, Maa'sen?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 8:32 am
Maa'sen:
He nodded in understanding realizing her brothers really did love her a great deal to take such protective roles upon themselves. At least Miu wasn't smothered all around though, if he had to watch out for her whole family he'd never manage. Getting her brothers to accept his presence might be a bit simpler...he hoped.
Listening to her talk about her siblings positions in the pride reminded him again of his own uncertainties. Then she outright asked him and he stumbled uncertainly over his words trying to figure out how to sound competent instead of unsure.
"Well...I...I enjoy the works of the artisans. I'm actually rather deft at weaving reeds...but...well...I'm probably more suited for the hunt. Not that I couldn't manage as a guardian! I could...I'm quite strong." He tried to get his muscles to flex and almost tripped himself.
Miu:
Miu watched him as he spoke and the realization hit her that he wasn't sure. A smile moved over her face and she quickly leaned her head close to rub her cheek experimentally across his.
"I wasn't sure what I wanted to be, either," she replied as she quickly pulled back, a small bit of that heat coming back to her cheeks. She looked off with a smile, part of her wanting to see his reaction and the other terrified of it.
"I didn't want to be an artisan like Sufi, but I thought about trying to be a guardian, or even a nanny, since I think I like cubs. But... I found I couldn't find much else that made me as happy as working with the other hunters in bringing food back to the pride. So that's what I decided to do," she added, finally looking back at him with her grayish green eyes.
Maa'sen:
Maa leaned into her a bit his body angling to lightly brush against hers as they walked and a smile lighting his features at the brush of her cheek. This was nice, and Miu was...wonderful, reassuring.
"I think I could be happy doing almost anything, but what I want most is to do what will help the pride best. I might enjoy weaving, but as an artisan I don't think I'd be as useful as if I were a guardian or hunter...even a nanny." He thought of the younger cubs, the males he could teach and females he could watch over, but not hovering just watching and encouraging.
Miu:
"That's a really good way of thinking about it," Miu replied cheerfully. He was so dedicated to the pride, it made her proud to know someone like him. Even more so that he thought she was pretty and smart and that he wanted to spend time with her.
"I'm sure whatever you do will benefit the pride... If you became a hunter, we could hunt together." But for some reason, she thought it might be better than he be a guardian. Something about the idea of him being a warrior, protecting the pride from dangerous individuals just made her want to curl up and purr. Oh, she was being silly!
"But a guardian would be really good too." Did her thoughts come out in her words? She rather hoped they didn't, it was terribly embarrassing.
Maa'sen:
"Hunting together would be nice, but even if I didn't take it up as my duty to the pride I would still love to hunt with you sometime...just the two of us?" He looked at her nervously uncertain is he should be pressing. It was hard not to want to spend more time with Miu she had a way of putting him at ease, making him feel oddly protective, and eager to please her.
"I think you're right about that though, becoming a Guardian would probably be the best position for me. I need to spend more time doing some sparring though if I expect to be able to properly defend anything...I can't really rely on just brute strength." He chuckled and a bit and gave a stretch flexing his muscles and flicking his tail.
Miu:
"I don't see why we shouldn't go hunting together. I do like spending time with you... when I can that is." She rolled her eyes during her pause, reminding both herself and Maa over the issues with her brothers. It was annoying to say the least, but it had started tapering off a bit lately. She had to thank her brother's new mate for that one. She was a good distraction for Sudi.
She couldn't stop herself. When he said he'd rather be a guardian and practice sparring to learn how to properly defend the pride, her response started with a bit of a purr.
"I can't help but wonder if I'd be able to watch the sparring... If you didn't mind?" She did her best not to react negatively to her own slip, not draw any more attention to it.
Maa'sen:
He had to smile at her rolling eyes and gave her a small playful bump. "I'm sure you're brothers will soon realize that I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Though they were probably equally concerned about his intentions towards Miu, not that he'd made any intentions known. He probably ought to, but he was still uncertain, what if she viewed him as little more then a friend? What if she didn't want a mate, maybe she was tired of overbearing males in her life.
He glanced back at her and nodded softly. "Yes of course, I would like that..." A chance to show off a bit...just a little bit. Why did he want to show off though? Such a pretty female probably had lots of protective males tripping over themselves to prove how well they could protect her. No if he wanted to impress her he would have to find some unique way to manage it, dazzle her with his...his...charm? Ha! What charm? He didn't exactly have a stellar sense of humor, he wasn't some expert hunter, he wasn't even a master artisan, and he certainly wasn't a top notch veteran warrior, he was just...Maa. What an annoying thought, there had to be something he could do to show Miu he thought she was special, that he wanted to...to court her. He ought to pray to the Gods for some kindly intervention.
Miu:
"Ah, but now what if you liked me? Then you could steal me away and I'm sure no male is ever going to be good enough for their precious sister," Miu replied, lowering the tone of her voice a bit to sound like Sudi always did when he tried lecturing her about going off on her own. In the end she just huffed and shook her head. She hoped Sudi and Jumo found their other-halves soon. Well, Sudi had, but his lady hadn't quite occupied his life just yet. Maybe if they gave Miu some nieces and nephews, he would leave her alone and focus on his own daughters. But Jumo was still a bachelor. Still bothering her, though none of her brothers were as bad as Sudi was.
She did sigh and smile though. It was nice to know he wouldn't mind her coming to watch him practice. And to know someone who would be protective of her and yet not smothering. At least... she hoped.
"But you'd never hover over me or try to keep me from doing things in order to make sure nothing bad would happen to me, right?" she asked, giving him a sidelong glance. It was a rather important question, coming from her. The last thing she needed was another male trying to smother her.
Maa'sen:
"I do like you..." He murmured in confession before ducking his head and glancing down. Hard words to say without knowing if she felt the same or not. Still it wasn't as if he could snatch them back. He licked his lips and then looked back at her next question.
"I'm sure your brothers seem smothering but they only keep you under such a tight watch because they love you. That's not exactly my style though...I mean I would...I would love you but..." He stumbled over his words and realized how they sounded, his ears fell back a moment before he managed to cough out what he meant. "I-I mean if I were your mate...I...I wouldn't try to keep you from doing things. I like how independent you are Miu...I'd want to be by you're side, join you on whatever adventures you wanted...if you wanted me beside you...and of course even if you did manage to get into any troubles...I'd be there to help you get out of them...if you wanted me." He hastily added onto the end his eyes staying focused on her, he'd probably follow her across the desert without a drop of water if she wanted him to.
Miu:
Such a pity Miu was too busy pondering trying to set her other two brothers up with nice huntresses that she missed Maa's soft confession. But his other words gave her pause and made her skin feel hot under her fur as blood rushed to the surface. She almost rounded on him with wide eyes when he started skipping over his words, but then she realized he was speaking hypothetically and she blushed even harder, her tail lashing in a slightly aggitated manner.
"I know they love me, I love them too. But I can take care of myself sometimes," she replied with another heavy sigh. It made her brighten to know that he wouldn't try to keep her from anything, that he would even come along if she let him. If they were mates, at least. She had a feeling he'd do it even as they were friends, though. He was too nice.
"I guess the biggest problem I have with it is that I don't get to go off by myself often. When I'm hunting, I'm with other hunters. When I'm at home, I'm with my family. When I'm trying to get some time alone, Sudi's shadowing me. I don't get to meet other people without big brother around, let alone meet any males my age," she paused there, her ears flicking back as she pressed her shoulder to his though she kept walking.
"It's really a miracle that I got to meet you, let alone manage to have this time with you, just you. I like you, Maa. I'm afraid if one of them found out some unattached male was hanging around me, they'd make trouble for you. Gods forbid disuade you from wanting to see me anymore. I bet you all the gold in the oasis, Sudi would try just that." He wouldn't, not really. Give Maa a hard time, yes, definitely. But Miu didn't really know what he would do exactly, or how Maa would take it. She didn't want to lose having someone like Maa around just because her brother was a hard-headed idiot.
Maa'sen:
"I don't think anyone could chase me away from wanting to spend time with you Miu...unless if you wanted me to give you some time alone. Here I am monopolizing one of your precious few moments of solitude." He frowned a bit wondering if she wasn't just being nice, maybe she really did just want some time to herself. He knew how that felt the peace and quiet of walking alone, the sun warming you back, the soft press of sand between your paws, and no one around but the gentle desert wind whispering against your ears.
Except...with Miu, he felt that same calm, that tranquility when she spoke he relaxed, the brush of her fur was a much kinder caress then sand, and she was like a bit of sunshine that warmed him inside and out.
Miu:
"Monopolizing my... Are you kidding me? You have no idea how excited I was to get to... see... um..." Miu trailed off there, her face quickly turning away.
"I don't mind spending time with you, you're fun to talk with and you're not demanding and, well... To be honest you remind me a of my eldest brother, the guardian. But you talk more than he does and I'm glad for that. I like having someone to talk with, rather than argue or be lectured by," she added after a moment's pause, finally turning her gaze back to Maa. Yeah, he did remind her of Zaph. They were both the strangest guardians she could think of. She had seen others. Huge, solitary males with stern expressions, tough females with glares you could feel. But Zaph and Maa... Her brother was the sweetest creature she knew besides their mother. And she couldn't help but want to cuddle up with Maa and spend good parts of the day just talking with him.
She had no idea what it was that made him so easy to talk to. Maybe it was his unassuming nature, that he didn't ask anything of her, in fact it almost seemed like he thought he was being something of a burden on her time. It was sweet and she rubbed their shoulders together again.
Maa'sen:
"I'm glad for that, it'd be a pity to lose such pretty company." He chuckled and paused as they reached a small pool where tall reeds were shooting up. Ah the perfect spot to pause and take a little drink. He glanced at the reeds and then back at Miu.
"Thirsty?" He moved down closer to the waters edge to quench his own thirsty before moving to swipe down a few of the tall thin reeds. He settled down fiddling with them between his paws as his claws slid out slowly.
Miu:
Miu ducked her head, her mane falling into her face between them when he complimented her on her appearance for what seemed like the millionth time. She never really took herself to be a particularly attractive lady, but with the way Maa talked it was as if she was a bright flower on top of a sand dune. A lioness could certainly get used to that kind of flattery.
"I think a drink would be a good idea," she replied quietly and joined him at the pool. It was better than the river, safer in her opinion. Less chance of some scaley predator lurking in wait. She drank as he took the reeds and began to mess with them. She looked at him when she was finished, moving to his side to sit and then lie down, her fur just brushing against his in places.
"What's this?"
Maa'sen:
Maa had his eye on her for a moment before turning his gaze back the reeds as he moved them one overlapping the other in a careful pattern. He relaxed a bit as she moved down beside him and struggled to keep his tail from flicking over hers. His focus remained on the reeds as he wove them together and replied.
"It's a little something...a reminder for you of how glad I am we had such a nice walk..."
He chanced a quick glance up at her trying to judge if she would think the idea was silly, still he continued but picked up his pace eager to finish it now and give it to her before he had any misgivings about the appropriateness of such a gift.
Miu:
Miu smiled at how thoughtful he was being and tilted her head to rub against his closest front leg.
"I don't need a gift to remember how nice today was. I don't think I could ever forget," she replied sweetly, moving back against to judge his reaction as he had judged hers. But she was still curious of what it would be, of course. Maa was so thoughtful and talented in a lot of things. She was only good at hunting and tracking, it was what she had always been good at. She wasn't artistic like Maa or Sudi. She didn't even think she was terribly clever.
"But I'm sure I'll love it... whatever it is," she added with a bit of a giggle.
Maa'sen:
He chuckled and moved to slide the woven reeds over her paw twisting and tying them off to form a woven bracelet. He grinned and gave her paw a quick kiss before slowly moving to stand and stretch his claws and toes wriggling a bit to relax them after the complex weaving. He was eager to see if she liked it but nerves made him push on, and he gave a quick shake off.
"We should head back...wouldn't want your brothers to hunt me down." He chuckled softly and flicked his tail.
Miu:
Miu watched as he tied the bracelet onto her paw below the thick cuff all of her fellows wore once they had completed their training. It was so simple and yet she loved it. She only hoped it showed on her face when she looked up at him, smiling.
"Thank you Maa, I really like it," she replied, hoping she didn't blush when he kissed her paw.
He was standing before she could do or say anything else, suggesting that they head back before her brothers started to worry more. She sighed and stood, letting her shoulder rub against his again.
"I wish they'd leave me alone. I could spend more time with you if they did," she tried not to grumble too much about it.
Maa'sen:
He looked at her with a smile and moved a bit closer to her as they walked glad to feel her fur rub against him.
"I can still spend more time with you...your brothers can't really chase me off." He glanced at her trying to see if she would even want that. He didn't want to fight, but he wasn't about to be chased off from Miu's company, even by protective brothers.
"Care to go for a hunt tomorrow?" Casual tone, casual tone he tried to remind himself after all he would probably just annoy her if he started fawning over her.
Miu:
"I don't want them fighting with you about it..." Miu hated that Maa was essentially her dirty little secret. She liked him, he was a charming male and looking out to be a good friend. She didn't want to have to sneak off to see him or to hide him from her brothers. But she didn't want them coming down on him, either. She knew he could take care of himself, he wouldn't be thinking of training to be a guardian if he wasn't. But Sudi at least had a habit of acting before he thought when he was in a mood. It could easily come to blows...
"I would like to hunt with you tomorrow," she finally said after a few moments of thought, smiling and nodding to him as they walked.
Maa'sen:
He nodded pleased that he would get to spend more time with her then he paused and looked back at her again seriously.
"Miu...if...if you want me to speak to your brothers, I certainly could?"
Miu:
Miu looked off, trying to figure out what to say to him. She didn't want them to fight... But she didn't want to hide him. She sighed again and shook her head.
"I... I don't know... Give it a little time, please Maa?" Her look was pleading as she glanced at him, her ears flicked back slightly.
Maa'sen:
"Of course...I'll meet you tomorrow for the hunt then..." He knew that would be easier for her then having to make up some excuse for his being near. Sneaking about seemed wrong somehow, but for now if it made Miu more comfortable he wouldn't deny her the relaxation their time together afforded her.
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