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 Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:07 pm
 The blue adolescent was standing on the edge of the deep forest. He looked down at the white feather around his neck before glancing over his shoulder and watching a few passing pride members. He bowed his head to some and offered a polite “I See you” to others. Before, when he was younger and considerably smaller, Sata wouldn’t have hesitated to run off on his own whether by cautiously sneaking off when no one was watching or by convincing someone to take him on a little adventure. Fortunately, his urges had been tempered considerably and the young blue lion was putting an effort into understanding his fellow pride members just as well as he did his little brothers and sisters in the forest.
Still, today his mind on the deepest parts of the forest again. The young lion’s eye had caught a beautiful little bird a few days before and he was hoping the little creature would become his companion as he’d seen happen before with other lions. He knew the bird’s favorite spots, he could imitate its calls perfectly and they’d actually exchanged a few words during their last encounter. Honestly, this was the closest thing to courtship that Sata had ever experienced which was a ridiculous thought of course but one that wasn’t too far from the truth.
One paw rose in the air: he was ready to go.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:24 am
 Mtoto treaded lightly through the dense underbrush as she made her way to the edge of the forest thicket. She hadn't been able to sneak away in a while and she was worried beyond words that her friends would be upset with her for disappearing. She was even more frazzled by the thought that it hadn't rained any these past few days; what if they didn't get enough water?!
She had to shake off the idea and get to them. Mother and Father were preoccupied and her brothers and sisters were away doing their own thing. This was probably her best chance to check on them. Of course she'd have to tell a fib later, and she wasn't very fond of that idea but she couldn't help but think that her parents would take better to 'I was playing with my friends.' Rather than 'I was playing with plants.'
Stuck in her own thoughts, Mtoto had little to no time to realize what she had accidentally done. It had happened so fast she hardly had time to react! With a rough thud, the lioness bumped into the rear of the lion in front of her. She stumbled backwards, immediately jumping from stealth mode to apology mode.
Bowing her head deep to the ground, without looking to see her victim, the lioness quickly began begging for their forgiveness.
"I-i'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going! Please don't turn me in, it was an accident!"
Through her entire rambling apology, she was grumbling to herself. She would never get to be a priestess at this rate. She had to pay closer attention!
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:59 pm
Sata’s head lowered as it looked back again, almost touching the ground as the adolescent’s blue eyes sought the tiny thing that had bumped into him. A cub. White with markings Sata didn’t recognize and vivid red eyes. There were a lot of red eyes in the pride lately, weren’t there?
“Turn you in? Why would I turn you in?” he said with a chuckle thinking of all the times he’d failed and succeeded in escaping the densely-populated areas. He grinned. “Sneaking off, are we?”
He looked amused, which obviously he was. This little girl reminded him so much of himself, after all. And as he’d grown, the young lion had to admit he had become increasingly fond of cubs, especially the really young ones. Just like the forest creatures Sata liked so much cubs were often more instinctive, with a body language that was easy to read and simple desires that were just as easy to understand. As they grew, they learned how to keep things hidden, how to avoid displaying their emotions quite so obviously and to favor other things in place of their deepest wishes… and Sata would slowly lose interest in them, a fault he'd been trying to overcome as of late.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 11:45 am
The little cub's head seemed to have a dull throb to it, nothing to painful but something that just irked at you until it finally dulled out of existence. She decided it might be for the best to stop bowing, that might alleviate a bit of the pain.
Looking up she noted the amused look on her apparently unharmed victim, and she allowed herself a quick silent sigh of relief. It was only as he spoke up that it slowly dawned on her that she had indeed incriminated herself.
"What?! No, I would never do something like that, i'm a good cub! I only meant that ..."
Mtoto's voice trailed off as her mind raced for something to come up with to explain her blurt out, AH-HAH she had it "I only meant, not to turn me in for bumping into you! I'm always getting into clumsy situations and, I just don't want my parent's to know I got into another one!"
She mentally patted herself on the back. Good show, Mtoto, very vague but believable. She had purposely avoided mentioning her parent's names, and knowing full well she looked different from them, she could only hope he wouldn't find her out.
It took her a moment to pull herself out of her silent congratulatory pat on the back, but once she did; she was able to fully view who she had been speaking with. He looked familiar, somehow... but being so young her memory wasn't all that great, and knowing herself well enough she had accepted that it may never be. Although she couldn't out her paw on it, she was awe struck by his stripes. She'd always been a big fan of them, and his were no different.
Not wanting to offend the older lion with her odd stare, Mtoto smiled her goofy little grin and proudly declared herself to the male.
"I'm Mtoto'wa'Dunia, and i'm very sorry for bumping into you! My Daddy tells me it's because I always have my head in the clouds, but I don't see how that's possible - since I can't even SEE the clouds!
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:49 pm
“No worries, little Sister!” The adolescent said quickly as if trying to stop the string of words suddenly coming out of the cub’s mouth. He grinned mischievously. “I guess that means I was a bad cub… I used to sneak off all the time when I couldn’t convince someone to take me to the forest.” He chuckled lightly, turning his body so he wouldn’t have to crane his neck just to look at the little girl. He could tell she’d been eying his back for some reason and he looked over his shoulder to see if he’d somehow managed to get himself dirty or if a giant insect had landed there.
“That’s quite a mouthful though I’m not one to talk, really. I’m Saagar’Tarang. I have many nicknames but you can just call me Sata.” He looked at the red-eyed cub again, still looking fairly amused. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before, I can’t recognize those pretty markings of yours. I was going to offer but I guess you don’t need an escort to the forest. You’re a good cub and all…” his tone was playful almost challenging as if he was trying to convince the little girl to join him. He gave Mtoto a wink. “But I’ll be going now. I need to go see my friends.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:13 pm
Mtoto couldn't help but giggle at the older lion's words. She wanted to jump up and correct him; of course he wasn't a bad cub! But she had always been taught that you should respect your elders, even if they weren't that much older than you - and so she let him finish. As she stood there giggling away, she noticed him turn his neck, but she took no notice that it could be connected to her rather odd stare.
Introducing himself made the Mtoto that much more intrigued by Sata, he was older, pretty, and extremely polite for someone talking to a clumsy cub. She was much more used to being lightly scolded for her lack of attention, but instead he was engaging in a conversation with her.
Naturally his next comment had taken her to a place she had attempted to avoid. Parents. Mtoto gulped harshly and her voice became a little more tense as she spoke, Sata definitely seemed to be a good lion, but would he rat her out?
"Oh, well I don't really look like my parents that much.. at least in color! I look a lot like Mommy and Daddy in other ways though. See; my Mommy is Rukopa-eupe and my Daddy is Kaym'itan."
For a moment she wondered whether he would know them, but after a slight bit more listening, the thought quickly left her mind. "Forest? Oh I love the forest! Can I go with you, I promise i'll be a good cub, a really REALLY good cub!" By now she was absolutely prancing in place, filled to the brim with anticipation. She loved venturing into the forest, but she was mostly alone when she did so; the thought of going with Sata seemed to make him that much more intriguing.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:46 pm
“Oh, I know those names!” Sata said with some surprise. Even this particularly distracted adolescent wouldn’t forget the name of a lioness he considered to be one of the prettiest females in the pride. Though perhaps he’d keep that detail to himself as it might not be entirely proper to compliment the beauty of a cub he was talking to. “I remember your parents’ marriage ceremony. Dear, dear… has it been that long? They sure are quick…”
He looked down at the little cub more amused than ever. Time passed so quickly. What had once been a happy couple being joined in front of the pride was now a family with new blood flourishing in the heart of the forest. Sata smiled at this little member of the next Iknimaya generation. She didn’t really look that much like her parents – then again, Sata didn’t either - but the white coat had definitely been passed on from her mother. The markings were especially interesting and the adolescent wondered from which side of the family they’d come. It was rather interesting…
“As if I’d pass on the opportunity to sneak a fellow adventurer into the forest. Of course, I’ll take you. You can ride on my back if you want.” he chuckled, lowering his body for the cub to climb more easily. Cubs, as interesting as they undoubtedly were, walked just a little too slowly as far as Sata was concerned. It was interesting to see how the roles were reversing with time: he’d once been the one climbing on huntress’ back during a little bird-watching adventure and now he was the one offering his back to a little one. “We need to be quick so no one knows you’re missing. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go? I know a place with the most amazing little birds you’ll ever find.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:47 pm
Mtoto did little more than smile as Sata reminisced about her parent's union. She hadn't been there, but she had always pictured it as a very beautiful event; especially the way her Mother described it. Sata's second comment made no sense to the young cub, and she tried to look smarter than she was for her age as she listened.
But as with most things in Mtoto's life it didn't last long. Immediately upon agreeing to take the younger lioness with him on his journey, Sata was likely to want to take back his words. She was up and alert once more, all traces of a mature, smart cub gone from her system instead replaced with a twinkle in her eye that could only be determined as adventure.
As Sata lowered himself, Mtoto took a step closer, but paused midway through her clumsiness resurfacing, the last thing she wanted to do was something easily avoidable to someone so kind! Nodding her head as Sata mentioned being quick, she gently took steps to climb atop his back, she was gentle, and once atop smiled to herself for accomplishing her goal.
"I was actually going to go see my friends, but birds sound really fun too! Do you think if we have time, maybe I could introduce you to my friends?"
The cub's words were lower and more sincere than her usual tone of voice, and she really hoped that opening her mouth hadn't been a mistake. Maybe since he seemed to like the forest - he wouldn't be so put off by her fascination?
She could only hope, and with a quiet smile, Mtoto went on alert, prepared to warn Sata if she spotted any dangers to the plant life along the way. As well as secretly hoping Sata was a safe and cautious adventurer.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:11 am
Sata thought she was very gentle but he supposed he expected it from a female (and a little one at that). He wasn’t fully grown yet so, while she certainly felt light at first, he could tell her weight wouldn’t exactly be the easiest thing to bear in the long run. One more reason to keep the walk short.
“Oh? You have friends in the forest, too?” the adolescent asked, craning his neck to look back at the little cub who was growing more interesting with each word she said. “Do you want me to take you to them? I’d love to meet them.” He walked through the foliage carefully though not excessively so. Sata respected all forms of life and the living forest in general but his main focus would always be in the animals that inhabited it.
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Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:20 pm
Mtoto was quickly pulled out her attentive watch when Sata mentioned wanting to meet her friends. No one, not even her siblings had ever asked if they could meet them! This was definitely big, but at the same time bad. what if Sata wasn't as comfortable with the plants as he was with the birds he had mentioned? She contemplated this for a moment, allowing her mind to drift far away from her self appointed duty of plant safety.
"Well.. they're really shy, but if you listen really well they do talk! I would love to introduce you to them as long as you promise you won't think oddly of me..."
In those words, Mtoto sounded far older than her age, but she was speaking from the heart. These plants were possibly far more than friends to her, they were like her other family. One that she couldn't see all the time, but cherished every moment when she could.
"Oh, but I would love to see the birds too! Are they far from here? My friends live a little deep in the forest, but it doesn't take too long to get there... Especially with your help Sata! I won't trip over all those vines and tree trunks!"
Mtoto took a deep breath as she finished up her sentence. She was definitely a talker, and anyone who had a problem with that, would never last long with her. Thankfully though, Mtoto herself was never bothered by others actions towards her. If you couldn't accept someone for who they were, they were never meant to be close to your heart anyway!
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 4:04 pm
“Don’t worry, I’ll do my best not to scare them. I have a lot of experience with shy animals. I’m planning on becoming a Whisperer, you know?” Sata said cheerfully, looking back to grin at the little girl. The blue lion thought her words to be rather interesting, happy for her interest in the birds and wondering who exactly were the cub’s friends. Snakes? Small mammals?
“No, they’re not too far. But we can see them any other day, I wouldn’t mind taking you out again… ah… maybe with proper permission next time.” Sata chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll get there in no time. Just point me in the right direction."
He got lost in his own thoughts as he walked. It wasn’t really a good idea to have such a young cub sneaking off into the jungle. There were predators lurking in many bushes and trees and Sata felt perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give the young girl a proper warning.
“When I was little, there was a huntress that brought me to the forest… just like I’m taking you. You are still little so have to be very careful here. There are dangerous animals in the forest and you can always fall and get hurt. So if you want to visit your friends, ask someone older for help, okay?" Yeah… he’d never really paid that much attention to those kind of warnings when he was little but maybe she would be different. “I’ll bring you here anytime you want.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:37 pm
Mtoto was enjoying herself more every second she talked with the older lion. He was extremely friendly and very open, which was something that stuck with the young girl. Though her spirits did dampen a bit when he spoke about his experience with animals. Not there was anything wrong with that, she loved animals as well; she just hoped Sata would be as open to her friends as she would be to his.
Silently she hoped her heart was right in assuming he would, but she couldn't do much to fight back the fear that he may not be.
She chose to keep her mouth shut for the time as Sata mentioned his memories of a lioness much like himself. She couldn't help but smile at his offer. It would be wonderful to have a partner in crime, so to speak, especially one so close to her own personality.
"Would you really? That would be awesome!"
Mtoto bounced excitedly on Sata's back without much thought, before quickly forcing her bottom to stay put, and mumbling dozens of apologies. It was about the time that she finished her string of apologies that she picked up on where they were.
"Oh! We're here! See that opening just up ahead?!" She squinted as she peeked ahead, and sure enough there was the small opening she had discovered, it led to her little private sanctuary. "Oh, and Sata..."
A deafening silence fell between the two as Mtoto tried to uncover the right words to describe how nervous she was. "Please don't think differently of me once you meet my friends." With little more than a slight frown, the cub's face quickly reverted back to it's ditzy, yet oddly cute smile.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 4:52 pm
Sata laughed heartily as the cub jumped on his back - even though it sounded as if she had knocked the air out him more than once. Her excitement was contagious and he turned to look at the cub with a grin. “No worries, little Sister.”
“Uh… what do you mean, little one?” he asked without meeting her gaze when he noticed the change in her tone. It crossed his mind that perhaps the little girl was painfully unaware of the dangers of the forest and had befriended the wrong kind of creatures. He lowered his body to let the little cub return to the ground, looking around cautiously. “You know… it’s a good thing to be attuned with our forest brothers but some can be dangerous… especially to cubs your age. Snakes can be a bit temperamental at times and when hungry even some birds can attack you…” the older lion kept avoiding the cub’s gaze, trying to be as little confrontational as possible. The last thing he wanted was to have her argue on this point and get herself in danger later when he – or anyone else – wasn’t watching over her.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:12 pm
Mtoto was taken off guard at first, but she quickly picked up on Sata's confusion. Of course he would be lost, he had no idea what she was talking about, and she was a bit too nervous to just come out and say it. But Sata seemed to love the forest as much as she did, perhaps he wouldn't be so torn about her interests?
"Oh no, no! I promise I know better than to go near snakes, they scare me a little with their big teeth!" Though she didn't want to comment on the birds, fearing that if she worded her thoughts wrong Sata wouldn't take her to see them after all.
"My friends aren't dangerous..." Mtoto paused a moment to try and word her next steps carefully. "Well, I guess some of them could be, but you'd have to be very clumsy or just really hungry in order for them to harm you.
But I don't think I have to worry, I would never be hungry enough to eat my friends..."
Well this wasn't going right. She was just making herself sound weird. Most definitely not her intentions. "See, I bet if you look real close, you could see my friends from here! They're all sorts of colors and sizes, and they smell good too!"
The young cub raised her nose to the air, and took in a large whiff of the fresh air around them. Exaggerating the smell in order to try and coax Sata into picking up on her hints rather than outright admitting it. It wasn't that she was ashamed, far from it! She was just very nervous of the many possible reactions he could give her, and the closer they got, the more her tummy squirmed.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:05 pm
Sata laughed a little, his expression instantly betraying the relief he felt.
“Good, good.” He said with a quick chuckle, giving a very light nuzzle to the top of the cub’s head. He took one good look at her, his expression curious and amused. He was growing rather fond of this funny little cub and her cryptic words that silently led the adolescent to the creation of multiple guesses concerning the identity of her mysterious friends. His best bet currently lied on frogs. Poisonous frogs. Yeah, that was probably it.
Taking his thoughts into account, it was easy to see why the little girl’s last words were so confusing to Sata. Colorful? Sure, some were. Different sizes? Maybe… But as far as his 818experience went, few animals could be said to “smell good”. To add to his confusion, he couldn’t hear, see or smell any frogs – or other creatures for that matter – in the area.
For a moment, Sata seriously considered the possibility that the little cub’s were actually imaginary – some cubs had them apparently - but a quick glance at the cub revealed she was staring at something ahead and he followed her gaze inquisitively.
“Do you mean… the flowers?” he asked tentatively, trying to piece everything together. It was a long shot, he supposed, but he really couldn’t think of anything else that might fit all the information she’d been giving him. He didn’t sound shocked or surprised and certainly not worried but incredibly curious instead.
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