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 Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 2:16 pm
 Letting out a deep breath the large male turned off the trail he had been following and stepped up onto the backed cream-coloured rocks of the small mountain ridge. Within a short time he reached the crest of the mound and stilled, forepaws placed firm upon a small boulder as he lifted his muzzle, gaze settling on the blanket of diamond stars that sparkled far above. The night was cloudless, affording him an uninterrupted view of the Gods' Haven and the sight of such splendor, infinite and unexplainable, gave some measure of comfort to his weary heart.
He had arrived in these lands several moons ago but still he felt like a stranger, an outsider. He followed the rules and in truth, his new role was pleasing to him, and it filled a hole in some small part of him. But the rest was a huge gaping chasm of old pain and regret and guilt. He could never forget his oldest friend, King and brother-at-arms.... the loss of the other lion had been hard and the ache he had left behind still had not faded. He missed the companionship and camaraderie of his old pride where he had been useful, his word trusted and his opinions meaningful. Now, he kept his head down and did his duty in order to try and forget, if only for a few hours, all that he had lost.
Sighing softly he closed his eyes and just listened to the wind as it sang through the mountains to the west, feeling the cool lick of the desert night ruffle through his thick mane. Solitude brought with it a sharp, aching pain, but it was a break from the busy ruins where he had to pretend, day in and day out, that he wasn't broken inside.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:27 pm
 Nailah padded slowly through the desert path, one of many nightly walks she had taken lately. She was feeling pretty restless recently, and found her nightly walks a way for her to fall asleep faster at night. The lioness didn't know why she was so restless lately, but knew her siblings and parents noticed her restlessness as well. It was rather uncharacteristic of her, because she had also started to space out frequently as well. The head nanny wasn't too happy with her about it because she was also starting to be neglectful of her duties.
She had approached the usual area where she would sit and stare at the night sky for a while until she had to return back to the temple. Though, curiously, there was someone already there! She hadn't seen him around before. Was he a new face? Or was he just someone Nailah didn't have the chance to ever meet? Whoever it was, it would hurt to introduce herself at all would it?
"Um...hello..." Nailah said in her usual soft murmur, not wanting to scare the male.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 11:29 am
The large male had heard her coming down the path but had not moved from his position. She was likely only passing by and he had little enough to say during the daytime, what would one say to a stranger under the crescent moon when everyone else was asleep?
It was only when she stopped at the foot of his rock that the old warrior tensed, his attention falling from the calm of the night to focus on the female behind him. Yet he sensed no threat from her so stayed still, only his ears flicking back to listen to her breathing and the faint shift of her paws in the dirt.
Her voice slipped into the night and the quiet softness of her tone surprised him. Finally he shifted, muscles rippling under the scared fur of his coat as he turned round and looked down at her, his pale, moonglow eyes calm and almost weary as he gazed down at her. "Greetings Ma'am." His deep, low voice rumbled through the night, the cadence of it steady yet clearly powerful. After a moment he stepped down from the boulder to join her on the pathway though he stayed a few steps from her respectfully. The male was clearly not a young lion, his size and impressive bulk spoke of a life lived in battle. His pale eyes seemed weary, holding a lifetimes worth of knowledge and experience. His manners were impeccable, like an old world gentleman. He stood in the col glow of the faint moonlight, calm and patient as if he could stand there all night waiting for her to choose.
Dipping his head slowly he took a step off the path so she could go past if she wished to. "I am sorry if I have disrupted your night."
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:13 pm
Nailah suddenly felt very small, and keep her eyes averted. "You didn't disrupt anything..." she replied, her voice still soft, "I-I just didn't know anyone would be out here at this hour." The lioness slowly walked past him, making sure to keep a large amount of distance between them. It wasn't that he was a bad lion, it was just that she was rather...intimidated by his presence. From what she could see from his paws (as she hadn't gathered up the courage to look up at his face) she could see he was indeed very large. Much larger than her father, or any other male she had seen in the pride.
She stopped a few yards away from him, "I'm Nailah." she said, out of politeness. That, and she didn't know what else to say. It would be pretty awkward just standing there silently.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:33 pm
He was faintly surprised when she looked away, as if afraid of him. It took a long moment for him to realize that, with his unique pride-blood (for his own pride had been somewhat larger than the average rogue), his scars and the fact that he was new here, may indeed make her wary of him.
Watching as she padded past he slowly turned round to face her again, pale eyes calm and unperturbed as if nothing could ruffle the experienced lion's metaphorical feathers. "Then please accept my apologies. I am recently joined and did not realize others came out here so late." For the first time he offered her a faint smile, the expression was worn and weary yet there was a gentleness to it that spoke of a lion who had once known laughter and love and true friendships.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Nailah. I am Akhenaten." He paused, pale eyes glancing away across the horizon for a brief moment before looking back at the slender female. "I take it you are a ..." He paused as if casting about for the right word. "... born member of the pride?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 3:50 pm
"Oh no no!" Nailah shook her head, "It's no fault of your own. There's no rule that says one can't come out at night." she smiled shyly at him, "I-I just happen to be very shy that's all." it was true though, even though she had managed to open up a lot more than when she was a cub, she still was very skittish around others she had never met before. "It's nice to meet you too Akhenaten." from his name he sounded like an original member of the pride, but it was obvious he wasn't, even though his pelt colors were something that would have been natural for the pride.
"Oh yes. I am." she couldn't help but be proud of herself and her pride. Well mostly her pride because this was the only life she knew. "I don't think my parents were original members, but my siblings and I were born into the pride. And you?" Nailah hastily added the question after she was done, fearing she was talking about herself a little too much.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:18 pm
Had she asked aloud the older male would have been happy to tell her that his name had been given to him for his pelt colour which resembled the sun, for a lion as pale as he had been seen as a great gift to the pride. Which while not overly religious, they had given thanks and left offerings on a regular basis.
Dipping his head he finally chuckled, it was a soft sound and short lived, but it was the first he had uttered since the decimation of his old pride and the death of his beloved King. "Well then... no harm, no foul. I am sorry if I startled you." This time his smile finally reached his eyes, lifting the weary expression for the briefest moment.
Listening quietly as she explained about her family, he didn't once seem bored or annoyed, rather he paid her his full attention and certainly seemed interested in what she said from the thoughtful look on his face. "I see." Pausing he seemed to consider her question for a moment as if unsure she wanted to hear what he would say. But finally he seemed to come to a decision and looked back at her. "I am from a pride far to the south. My King was slain along with many of the pride's warriors. A few of us managed to escape and I eventually found this land. Your King was kind enough to allow me to stay and I am now a scribe here." he gave her another smile, but this one was saddened and clearly he had lost much when he had lost his pride, for the shadow of that agony rested across his shoulders almost visibly.
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:05 am
Nailah finally hazarded a quick look to the male's face, and could see there was a bit of sadness in his eyes. She frowned slightly, wondering what a rather nice lion like him went through. The lioness gasped slightly, as she looked at Akhenaten with sadness, "That's...terrible." she said softly, "I can't imagine what that would feel like." it probably wasn't the right thing to say, but Nailah didn't know what else to say.
"But..." she continued, "I'm sure you can find your peace here...at this pride." the lioness tried to give him her brightest smile, "We're rather peaceful here, so I'm sure something like that won't happen here." she crept closer to him, but still left a decent amount of space inbetween them.
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:45 am
He couldn't help the sad smile that touched his maw at her exclamation. 'Terrible' couldn't even begin to describe what had happened, but he knew the whole tale was not the kind of thing one spoke of at first meeting. In truth, he was unsure why he had even told her the little bit that he had. His old life was supposed to be behind him, forgotten, yet he could not forget the agony that lived within his chest each day, the loss of all he had loved and held dear...
The edge of his mouth quirked upwards at her attempt to cheer him up. He appreciated her efforts, he truly did, even if he knew they were futile. Watching as she drew closer he dipped his head, a tiny half-smile curling across his muzzle though the sadness never left his pale eyes, it was apart of him now. "Thank you... I truly hope to make a new life here..." Sighing softly he seemed to pause and then looked at her, truly looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. There was something about her that made him want to trust her, it was a strange feeling, one he hadn't experienced since before the massacre.
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:25 pm
Nailah fell silent, knowing that her words of comfort were not really comforting at all. She shifted her weight slightly, but kept her brown eyes on Akhenaten and couldn't help but feel slightly lightheaded. She didn't know why she started to feel like that, but she did.
She quickly ducked her head down when the male looked back at her though, as if he was going to hit her. Which of course he wouldn't, Nailah reasoned to herself feeling a bit foolish, but she didn't feel comfortable holding eye contact with him. The lioness couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, suddenly feeling extremely foolish for having ducked away like that. "I-I'm sorry." she mumbled in spite of herself.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 2:55 pm
Her sudden movement made the older male arch one eyebrown in question. Her apology made him smile and with a low, husky chuckle, the sound rusty as if he rarely used it, the male dipped his thickly maned head to her politely.
"It is alright. I will bid you a farewell and will leave you to your nightly wondering. Mayhap we will meet again ma'am. Until then, I bid thee well Nailah." Then, with a courtly bow the large male turned and padded quietly away into the shadows, headed for his den until dawn once again warmed the horizon.
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:14 am
She liked the sound of his laugh, for it was very deep. She could feel it resonate off the sand, enjoying the sensation.
"Huh?" Nailah had momentarily forgotten that it was late, and of course one should go to sleep at this time. "Oh! Goodbye." the lioness dipped her head politely, "I am sure we will see each other again." she gave him a small smile, watching him disappear into the shadows.
Once he had left, she moved over to her usual spot and sat down, staring at the starry night sky. She would head back in a moment or two.
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