|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:15 pm
So when he made his comment, “So…I think I won the bet…” Things just ran silent.
Ammon’nen walked very slowly, but quickly in a sense he was avoiding the female as she would near him. The male was getting grumpy. He was more irate about himself for being so stupid. What a way to ruin a good mood. He didn’t even know if he should call back to the female, saying that he believed they were close to a pride (and could smell the scents of different lions in the stale air). It was just…an uncomfortable situation.
The sight of something strange before them made his actually call out to the Aagiro. "Hey...what's that?" It was like a building...or something?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 6:37 pm
 Shenu-Hotep was enjoying his afternoon off from his lessons. Sure the commoners needed lessons, but that didn't mean he had to take classes with them. The juv huffed and rolled to his side to relax again. He wouldn't think about it. That was just easiest. Right now he would solely focus on chilling, looking the royalty that he was, basking in the sun, being worshipped by commoners approaching the Temple.
Surprise rolled the juv onto his belly as he took a closer look at the pair of lions approaching. His gold eyes squinted a moment. Decided Shenu jumped to his feet and strutted out to meet the pair.
"Hold there! State your business here." He puffed out his chest to look bigger. His gold eyes looked over the female then turned to the male. He bet he could totally take on that lion and show off for the girl. Shenu was absolutely sure his coat looked stunning in the sunlight. It had just been freshly groomed after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:29 pm
 Things had been rather... well quiet since the great sands. Aagiro gladly left to hunt when she could now, especially after that had happened during the fight. She still caught herself recalling the lovely weight of his strong body against hers, the smell of his fur... how furious she was that he'd won their bet. She couldn't believe he actually insisted that she keep to the bet's terms! Actually... he'd never really said anything about it... just that he'd won. It was confusing... Aagiro certainly wasn't going to bring it up. So instead she'd insisted he bring her to a more civilized area of lions; they'd been lucky to leave the land of fire lions with only a few scratches and bruises.
She lingered slightly farther behind Nen than she normally would have. Well, farther than she had back before the great sands. She was staring at his back, just watching him walk. They'd seen a few lions after entering the territory, but none stopped to talk. When he called out to her, her gaze flickered to the large.. cave like structure ahead of them. It was much too flat on all of it's sides to be an actual cave, but Aagiro was not sure what else it could have been. Ah, this must have been the temple the guards had spoken of. She had been happy they had not been turned away, it would be good to be around other lions and... well away from the sudden awkwardness of being around Nen. At least for a little while. "I think it's the temple." She called back, picking up her pace. It seemed like the first words she'd spoken to him in ages, and even they felt awkward rolling from her tongue since they were void of any sarcasm.
As they neared a young one seemed to come out to meet them, and despite the serious air he was already giving off Aagiro smiled. It wasn't often she was around little ones, but she enjoyed them very much. Any type of young was okay with her; the small that imitated their elders, the carefree who only wanted to play, even the young who'd not quite learned the ways of the world and tried their paws and command and tried to order around those of their age or younger.
She'd come up to Nen's side, though she stood a comfortable distance from him. She wiped the smile from her maw and coughed, trying to look equally serious. "My name is Aagiro, this is Nen. What may we address you by?" She still had no clue that it wasn't his full name. "We've come on peaceful terms, seeking company and perhaps shelter for a few days." Eventually their paws would lead them back to this place, but she had no way of knowing that. "Is this the temple little one?" She gestured with a paw toward the structure behind him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:38 pm
He could hear her pace quicken, and couldn’t help but just veer off to the right just slightly. The temple…hmm, must’ve been where the lions of the pride resided. He had figure so was true, when a young coffee color lion had left, insisting that the two of them state their business within the pride. As Aagiro answered for them (both introducing themselves, and stating their business), he just nodded an agreement. The less he talked, the better he had figured. Besides, even if he was in a…better mood, this was a mere child, and he could not act the same away around a kid like he did with an older feline.
As the younger male puffed out his chest, he chuckled. He did that once when he was a cub. His father had given him a quick poke in the belly causing him to deflate quickly. He hadn’t done that again. Ammon’nen resisted the urge to do the same to the male.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:00 pm
Shenu gave the quiet male a suspicious look. Was he trying to hide something? The juv momentaily grinned to himself at the thought of the rewards he would get if he uncovered something dirty. That would be the life, he thought, to be pampered on. The female's words brought him back to reality and he twitched his tail.
"I see. My name is Shenu-Hotep. Might I ask what offerings you've brought to ensure your peaceful stay?" The lion found himself winging it. He'd never met anyone not of the pride before; who knew how they were dealt with? Besides, Shenu never was one to turn down presents. He looked back and forth, and grinned. "Of course, as there's two of you, you'll need two." Greed totally crossed him mind. Two all for him.
"Indeed it is." He looked expectantly at the two. Clearly he was the best choice to show them around as he spent almost all his days there. Shenu couldn't wait to grow up and be able to leave the Temple without supervision.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:24 pm
Aagiro had been about to state that it was nice to meet little Shenu... until he mentioned offerings. She glanced toward Nen, her eyes slightly wide because really they didn't have anything did they? But when his gaze met hers, her gaze jerked away frighteningly fast and went back to the young lion. "Is Shenu alright as well?" She asked slowly, trying to buy time while she thought of something. As she glanced toward the temple something brushed her neck and with a tiny start she remembered the feather she'd found only days before. It had been a stunning blue color, and she thought it contrast nicely with her dark fur... ah but would that sort of thing even be considered an offering? How were they to know this pride's customs?
She really didn't want to give it to him but... well if that was the way of their pride... but crap, how was she supposed to get it off? She'd asked another bird to fasten it to her fur with a promise that she wouldn't eat him... she glanced toward her traveling companion. She cleared her throat and looked back to him. "Well it is not a grand offering but I think it will go lovely with your dark fur." Well what else could she do? Perhaps she would find another of it's kind somewhere else. She shifted a step toward Nen and then turned for him to see the feather. He knew about it, so he better not make any stupid remarks. "Take it off for me" she muttered under her breath to him, so the little one could not hear. She did not look Nen in the eyes though. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:32 am
…Offering? This kid wasn’t serious was he? Nen didn’t know of anything he could give---wait, how did Aagiro have something? A feather? A pretty feather that was too…Ugh, this kid was probably yanking their chains. Why wouldn’t have any other lions that had seen when they entered the lands ask for offerings. His gray eyes landed on the lioness just a moment, quickly reaching a paw to unravel the necklace, before thinking about something for his offering. What did he have…
Boys liked bugs…didn’t they? At least, young boys did. Somewhere in the large tufts of mane Nen had weaved a beautiful beetle into it, but it remained hidden at most times. He enjoyed the colors it held, which is the reason he kept it. He figured it was the only thing he really had on him to offer (whether he liked it or not, he had to do something just in case these were actually a custom of the pride).
He found the beetle with ease---the bright green stuck out like a sore thumb on his white pelt.
“Here…” he carefully undid the small piece of mane that wrapped up the bug carcass. “You could always make a necklace or something out of it…” He liked his beetle.
“Tell us, what pride have we stumbled upon?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:38 am
(Shenu you really are a snot. sweatdrop )
Shenu eyed the items they were offering. The feather, he had to admit privately, was a very pretty blue. He wondered where she'd gotten it. Then the male pulled out his offering and Shenu twitched an ear at the beetle. True it was green and shiny. His delusions of gradure were quickly shot down by reality. Clearly he couldn't expect anything of real value from simple, poor commoners.
"Yes I suppose you may call me Shenu. You both have very pretty offerings." He was trying to be polite and not hurt the pair's feelings. They wouldn't be sticking around after all. He twitched his ears as something occurred to him. "So yes, since you aren't staying, I would be happy to return these to you once you are ready to leave again. These are just insurance that you wont cause any trouble while your here." That made some sense.
"You have enter the Tuait'tekem, the Dawn Walkers."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 12:41 pm
After Shenu spoke Aagiro shot a glance at Nen. Where the hell had he gotten anything? Her gaze shifted to what he had and her dark eyes flickered over the pretty green of the bug. It was lovely, though... she wasn't fond of the idea of having dead bugs in her fur. "Saving a snack for later?" She quipped, not able to help herself. Surprisingly her tone did not come out angrily or sarcastically, more so amused than anything. It felt good, too. It was probably the first natural thing she'd said to him since their run in with the firekin!
She glanced back to the young lion and her head tilted. Oh? Would they get there things back? She beamed at Shenu, clearly happy she wouldn't have to give up her feather for keeps. "Well then, be ensured that no trouble should come from these paws." Her ears perked, as the guards hadn't really given them information about the pride. She suspected it wasn't really in their job description, but who could say? Tuait'tekem, she imagined it would flow pleasantly from her tongue. "It is beautiful here." She wasn't sure what else they could speak of with the young one, so it was best for small talk. The Dawn Walkers... she almost chuckled at that too. She'd finally caught on to the fact that Nen didn't like traveling in the daylight very much... and now look where they ended up. A pride of light, so it seemed.
"Ah... if you'd be so kind can you point us to a watering hole around these parts? There hasn't been much, we've traveled from up north a bit." Water would be good; cold, warm or otherwise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:14 pm
“Hah, hah, hah. Very funny.” He chuckled towards the female, the tension in the air slowly receding away.
The male nodded towards the younger lion, agreeing with what Aagiro had said. “You have my word as well. We just wish to rest for a few days before being off again.” Though, Nen didn’t know if the ‘we’ would actually really be the two of them. He had taken her to the land of sands (well, two lands of sands if you counted the firekin and the dawnwalkers). Now…it would be different if he kept up his end of the bargain…Something told him that he just…couldn’t. Would that mean he would lose the bet then if he could not keep his side?
Nen couldn’t exactly say the same about the beauty of the pride. He noted far less trees then there was back in the Southlands. That just meant he’d be sleeping out in the sun if he chose to continue his nightly wanderings.
Though, a water hole did sound nice. A quick dip to cool his achy skin, and tender paws was just the remedy after a rather long encounter with the two siblings of the Firekin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:09 pm
Shenu grinned as the female teased the male. Who'd want bugs anyhow? Nope, he loved his coat bug-free. Regally the juv accepted the items, then bowed his head in acknowledgement of their promise. Good enough for him! "Thanks. I think so too."
"Allow me to lead you fair lioness. I wouldn't want you to get waylaid along the way." He rose to his feet and waited for Aagiro to walk beside him. For a moment, he'd been tempted to resume his sunning or maybe go strut around the younger cubs. That was until she'd mentioned north. "Up north you say? What is it like there?" His eyes held curiosity as he headed for the temple.
Once inside, he inhaled deeply of the cooler hair. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darker light inside and he trotted forward. "So that doorway to your right is the sleeping quarters. Stay outta the priest's way and such. There's some places forbiddened and you shouldn't try to get into them. Here we are." He stood at the entrance to a room. "That first pond is for drinking and the one further back is for bathing. If you want your paws that is." Shenu twitched his tail and looked expectantly at the two.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:28 pm
Somehow when Nen said we it sent small tickles down her spine, though she more chided herself than anything for feeling pleased. Ugh, what was wrong with her? Even though their bet was painfully over (but not fulfilled) Aagiro had grudgingly come to like traveling with Nen. Though after those firekin... she wasn't sure what good he'd be in another fight if it ever came to that. Well, they had gotten away, hadn't they? So many things she just didn't want to think about really. She waggled her eyebrows at Nen as the boy addressed her as 'fair lioness'. "Oh well with pleasure, Shenu." Part of her wanted to boast about how it seemed she was more easily liked of the pair. She did not want an argument right then though... and it was a little hard to believe that she with her easily triggered temper got along better with the lions they ran into than Nen, with his easy going nature. It must have been his really terrible sense of humor.
She fell instep beside the younger lion, glancing once back at Nen. To see that he was following? Maybe. She cleared her throat as she turned her attention back to their little guide, mouth opening slightly for a response but then shutting again. Ah, how to answer that? "Certainly not as friendly." She said after a moment, unsure how free to be about the information of firekin. Shenu was still young, Aagiro didn't want to fill his head with bad stories. "Though we had to travel through mountains!" And here she sounded almost as excited as a youngster. "It was amazing, you could see so much land, we were very high up!" She again glanced back to Nen, wondering if maybe he had anything to had.
Her ears lowered just slightly as they moved into the temple. Her gaze was wide as it tried to take in everything at once, and almost instantly she could tell it was much cooler in this place than outside in the sun. Definitely a cave, whatever they called it. Ah, was this where she and Nen would sleep in the evening? Though they had already slept most of the day away... well when Aagiro allowed it anyhow. Somehow they still traveled when she wanted and she'd hunt when he willed it... even though the bet was finished. Priest? That sounded interesting, she wondered what a priest lion was like. Would she and Nen meet any during their visit? Well, not likely if they were to stay out of their way. Instantly her curiosity sparked
at the 'forbidden' areas and she had to remind herself that if she or Nen did anything wrong they could likely end up dead as not. Ah! They would actually get to dip their bodies in the water! That sounded fantastic, as tongue baths just weren't as appealing when it was very sunny out. "Thank you, Shenu." And with that she moved toward the drinking pond, nodding to a few members here and there almost sheepishly before leaning down to lap up some of the cool water. Cool, not tepid or hot... it was delicious!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:33 am
Hmph, what was it with male lions that they had met! They always just seemed to flock to Aagiro as if he didn’t even exist. It’s not like she was that pretty or something. Well…she was pretty nice looking and…Argh, what was Nen thinking! He shouldn’t care who or what speaks with the female. It wasn’t like he was her mates or anything. It wasn’t like he had feeling for her…right?
The star lion reminisced the ‘up north’ scenario. Not as friendly wasn’t the phrase. Terrible, horrendous. Was there any other words he could use? What about the big brute of the lions that attacked them for “tredding” on their land. They weren’t from around those parts, so how were they suppose to know where one land started and the other ended? It’s not like there were signs plastered all over the savannah.
He did particularly enjoyed the mountains though. When they were near the peak of one, he felt so close to the sky. He really blended well at night there!
As the young juvenile showed the way through the temple, Nen’s gray eyes scanned to the quarters they would be sleeping in for a few days. He could live with that…It’d be nice getting away from the ‘open’ for a while. Who knows, maybe he would actually consider staying in the lands. If Aagiro wanted to…maybe his decision would be swayed more. He couldn’t help but smirk about staying away from the priest.
When they arrived at the ‘waterhole’ a sigh of relief escaped his maw. He was ready for his throat to stop being dry. He too, stated his thanks to the brown male, before walking past him, letting him take a few laps of the cool water.
Oh yes, he could definitely get use to this.
As Shenu mentioned the second pond was for bathing, Nen decided to excuse himself from the group. “I would like to check out the second pond. I do think a cool dip is just the need for these achy joints,” he said, turning his gaze towards Aagiro and Shenu. “Please excuse me,” it was a little awkward to excuse himself from the group. He had made a promise to the younger male about not causing any trouble, and he was sure to keep up with that promise. Nen would most likely see the younger male later in the day, or even the next ---and he would definitely see Aagiro again when he decided to rest for the day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:40 am
"Oh, that's too bad. We're plenty friendly here." Shenu wasn't quite sure to believe her tale of being high up. Sure if you were careful, you could sneek up on top of the Temple. Was that what she ment? The juv was use to the flat, sandy dunes of the desert. They could see long distances in the desert, but didn't have to be too high up.
Shenu looked at the male and nodded. While he didn't feel like getting his toes wet, the pair just come in off the desert. "Alright." He sat and watched for a moment as the two moved around the room. Quickly he lost interest and with head held high trotted off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:21 pm
Aagiro had heard Nen's excusal, and it too her some effort not to start giggling from the sheer absurdity of how polite it had been. Nen was not polite. At least, not in her mind. She lapped at the cool water for a good while before looking up and moving away to stretch. Ah, it seemed Shenu had gone off somewhere. That was too bad, she would have liked to have someone else to talk to besides Nen. Considering they didn't really say much since... well the bet had ended. Well no... it wasn't when the bet had ended, because surely that had been the moment they'd steppy off that damned mountain. It was more like when they'd been fighting... and the dune...
Aagiro coughed and looked around sheepishly before standing and shaking off the dust and sand from her fur, sighing as she set off to find where Nen was swimming. Bathing? Bah, it was more like swimming anyhow. Perhaps she could figure out his plans... something. Oh, she really didn't know. One paw at a time, she told herself. END
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
