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 Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:17 pm
It was a strange experience to no longer be a part of the ever sloping mountainside. The land there seemed to always present new challenges, but here on the open plains everything was so---flat. Traveling had been awkward and arduous at first. The vastness of the open space confused his acute senses, but after several days of travel, Ozark seemed to finally be settling into this strange, new world. Seeking out the murky scenery where it was rumored that the lions spoke with the spirits--the same as he did.
Rumors were rumors of course and while he wasn't holding his breath that he might find a pride that was exactly like him, a small part of him wondered just how such a thing could have spread so far as to reach the slanting lands where he had taken residence. With no vision to guide him however, finding the swamplands where this so-called ghost whispering pride existed was proving a difficult task.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:19 pm
Yamile was practicing actually practicing her walk. She'd practiced for as long as she could remember. She was different she was special, born to black lions pure white with only the barest of dark marking and wings. She was different and her parents though they seemed not to care.
Step, glide, step, glide, she moved flawlessly as a goddess should. Her mother use to say she was blessed by the goddess of grace, but Yamile thought she'd once been the goddess of grace. She still believed it to this very day. She had done something wrong and her past life and she needed to fix it, so she tried to be a close to a goddess as possible and accepted every challenge that came her way.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:20 pm
Glancing at him from the outside, one would have never guessed that Ozark's leisurely stroll was actually a carefully measuring process of cautious steps. It was, however, easy to see the tension in his frame as alertness consumed him. No scent escaped his notice. No sound avoided his attention. Including a rather curious stride that caused the enormous figure to tilt his head in the direction of the curious gait.
Having descended from the high peaks his coat was thick, full and rather shaggy. His physique was tall and--despite much of the strife he had faced in his lifetime--fairly full bodied, though not as heavily packed with dense muscle as the red warriors of the desert were. All and all he wasn't terribly hard on the eyes, but not particularly memorable either. Except for those piercing blue eyes, glazed and stationary as they were.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:22 pm
Yamile turned feeling as though she was being watched and sure enough she was. It was odd though, she could have swore the male wasn't really looking at her. It was so odd.
She turned moving toward him, her practiced gate as floatly as always. She gave the other a curious look and smiled, "Hello, may I help you? Are you lost?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:35 pm
That gliding pace had suddenly shifted angle and now, instead of moving in parallel lines as they had been, the other certainly sounded as if it were moving towards him, causing Ozark to hesitate in his spot a moment. Gaze lingering openly for a minute, seeming to be gauging how he should react to the approach. When he senses no threat from the other, the towering beast eased slightly and tilted his head in such a manner so that he wasn't staring so intently. Being certain that this was the cause of the swift change in direction and unexpected approach.
The sound of an angelic voice was a welcoming change to the droning noise of the savannah. Prey animals snorting and shuffling as they communicated with one another and to outsiders. Their tails flicking. Withers twitching. Pawing at the ground. Shifting their weight. All in an effort to combat the irritating flies. Birds overheard cawing. Flapping. Nearby wild dogs who panted as they lay in the heat, their cubs growling and scuffling as they played. Things that most never payed any mind to. They created a world full of detail for a lion who had never known the cool blue tone of the sky during the daylight or how black it was when night had fallen. Not to my knowledge.
Ozark admitted quietly. It was hard to be lost when you weren't entirely sure where you were headed in the first place. Sorry..
He added after a moment, awkwardly. And then again after a few more moments, to clarify. For staring.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:37 pm
Yamile stopped and gave a smile, "its okay. I am rather use to it. Actually I've been stared at since I was born for many different reasons. It would be nice to know for which reason you stare."
Yamile looked over the male wondering how she would be helping him. He had said he wasn't lost and it did not seem as though he actually needed any help, but still here he was and he'd been starring so Yamile knew he was next on her list of redemption. She just couldn't put her paw on what it was about him that was different, he curtiousness aside. Though that could have been it. She realized as of late that she helped other and learned lessons from them too and that it seemed to be another part of her regaining her goddesshood.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:39 pm
If her voice didn't give her away, her scent did. Nostrils flaring gently, breathing in the warm, gentle aroma of a female lioness. Yet her words caused Ozark to have some reservations about looking her way again. Always been stared at? Generally, there were two main implications why. There was either something negatively oriented about her that would cause others to draw an eye towards her or she was so fetching that they found themselves unable to look away. Either way, Oz didn't want her thinking that his gaze had been drawn for either of the above stated reasons.
Your pace. The words seemed forced. Not because he didn't want to talk to her, but simply because he wasn't accustomed to speaking to anyone. The act of holding a conversation was a foreign one. Never heard anything like it.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:39 pm
"My pace," she said blinking slightly, "never heard ... you can't see can you?" She sat before him and sighed lightly. "Pardon me my rudeness. I never thought much of it, but I guess your right. My walk is practiced, I'm told I float. Silly right?"
Yamile really did not think it was silly, but she did feel bad for assuming he been staring when he actually hadn't been. Past goddess or not, that wasn't an excuse for rudeness. She smiled despite the fact that she he couldn't see it. "Your hearing must be amazing if you can here all that my pace different."
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:41 pm
Straight to the point, wasn't she? Well. I guess I can admire that. Ozark mused to himself before offering the simplicity of an affirming shake of his head. At least she'd been forthright enough to apologize for being rude, though he couldn't particularly find anything said thus far that could have been construed as rude. Rolling his shoulders as the tension in his frame caused them to ache. It was difficult. To have a conversation with her and still keep his attention on the area around him, not that he wasn't accustomed to it by now, but it was exhausting to say the least.
Floating though. That made sense. It was certainly something of that nature. A lack of the typical four beat gaits he was accustomed to. Whether he could see it or not was of no matter, Ozark could hear the demure smile in her voice. Ears twitching gingerly. Floating.. sounds right.
Hesitating at the compliment, Oz didn't seem quite sure how to respond to that. He'd never been acknowledged for any of his physical acuities. Only the burden caused by his impairment, not that they'd ever given him a chance to try and be useful. Finally managing to add something to the conversation, however ungainly. ...it's necessary to survive.
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:15 am
Yamile shook her head a surprised look coming over her face. She always tried to be a close to what she thought she use to be, but she wasn't really aware all the time of how other's perceive her. "I guess its not so silly then," she said softly.
She smiled and just looked at him before closing her eyes and listening. "A necessity yes, but maybe a blessing from the god's as well. You are not blind to the things of the savannah other's are blind too. I mean to say ...."
Well she wasn't really sure, but she felt like it was a blessing and so she said so.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:16 pm
Ozark shook his head silently. Not silly at all or at least he didn't feel that way. It was simply the state of her mannerisms and no one could deny her that no matter how they may have felt about it.
As a silence stretched on between them his ears remained attentive. One focused entirely upon her while the other swiveled about the savannah, picking up various sounds. Granted nothing out of the ordinary. When she spoke again the giant tilted his head awkwardly, blue eyes fixed on her though there was nothing but a blanket of darkness around him. Blessing.
Somehow that word didn't sit well upon his tongue, but then, neither did the idea of gods and goddesses. Having been feared and despised by his pride, eventually turned against by his own flesh and blood. Nothing about his life seemed like much of a blessing. Still, she had a point, even if his sensory prowess had taken years to develop to the magnificent state Oz now possessed. Not without hardship..
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:51 am
"It seems that no one ever believes me when I say it. When I mention that something about them seems blessed. You since of hearing is amazing. I can hear well, but not so well as you. I think a quickened heartbeat nearby is the extent of my hearing."
Yamile stood eyes still closed, a smile on her maw. She wanted to prove her point, even if she wasn't sure the males belief in her words. "My eyes are closed," she started, "I am going move about and they will remain as such. Do you think you can guide me, you know keep me from walking into a tree of some such thing?"
Yamile felt a bit playful in the moment, but still she being serious.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:54 am
Blinking was a rather pointless gesture, so where as others might have done so to express their disbelief at the request, the immense male simply stared, canting his heavy head. Since his birth others had pitied him, despised him, but never had they expressed any desire to walk a mile in his paws.
Strange one isn't she? Gorgeous though. Legs all the way up to her chin.
A nonchalantly observant voice stated from somewhere behind Ozark and the male knew instinctively that if he turned his head to glance over his shoulder he would have been able to see the stranger who spoke to him. Mostly because he hadn't heard the other approach and only the dead could sneak up on a lion with his acute sense of awareness. Despite previous experiences that suggested it might have been better to ignore the spirit, a casual look was flipped over his shoulder at the lion. He looked young. Too young to be dead, but then.. Oz tried not to pry into the lives of those who found him. Life was a cruel mistress, of that he had first hand experience.
A plain look stated quite clearly that he wished the stray to mosy off back to where ever he had come from, but with a companion well inside ear shot, Ozark chose not to speak to him directly. Returning his gaze to the lovely creature that he'd accidentally run into. Quietly jogging towards her to pull short at her side. Close enough to be able to feel one another without being close enough to touch. Assuring quietly, I will.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:57 pm
She had no idea of the spirit the had approached and hadn't noticed the previous lull in their conversation, not that it had been overly involved. So when he moved toward her she hadn't been expecting it.
Yamile was slightly surprised at how close he had come to her, she was not really expecting that, but also when one's eyes close you were far more aware of how close another was to you. "Okay, then I'll start forward and let you be my guide. Just let me know if I need to stop or turn or whatever you feel is necessary."
Yamile took a few cautious steps forward, feeling very awkward walking with her eyes closed. It felt as though she would unbalance and topple over if she placed her paws in the wrong spot. Still it had been her idea, trying to prove to him that his hearing was special, a blessing.
Even feeling shaky her steps possessed a grace that was rather uncanny.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 8:38 pm
Entertaining this experiment thus far was proving surprisingly humorous as Ozark followed the lioness as much as he guided her. Carefully measured steps maintained the head and a half lead the tall male had over the strange female, wary not to leave her behind. If she stumbled the Oz wanted to be present to catch her, whiskers prickling against the breeze that gently brushed across his face. The mild currents held various notes of the scenery around him. Fragrant with shades of grasses, animals and a distant water source. Most noticeable was the gentle essence of the lioness at his side whom he couldn't see and the lack of aroma from the lion that he could, chattering in his ear rather obnoxiously.
If I were you...
But you're not...
I'd have a go at that..
And I won't..
What kind of a male are you?
Not that kind.
Realizing that the he still didn't know his companion's name, hazy blues flicked towards the motion at his side, her steps were still smooth and light despite how she wobbled in her blindness. Mostly due to lack of confidence as Ozark had no doubt that if she practiced long enough she'd be floating effortlessly again in no time. You seem to be a natural, stranger.. think you can make it to the creek?
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