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 Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:26 pm
 They grey lioness was tired. The sun was setting, the moon was in the sky and waxing towards full. So far, she hadn't seen any decent places to den for the night, but she certainly didn't want to push through 'til dawn - again. She had no real idea where she was, nor if there was anyone, other than the expected rogues, living nearby. Ieiunium was, however, beginning to get the idea that these lands were claimed. It felt as if someone was watching her, and that just made the lioness uneasy.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:34 pm
She had wandered far from her den now, though she knew her father was on patrol somewhere in the area and so she felt secure in her wide wanderings. Besides, everything was almost back to normal- the new Shaman was setting up to perform her first initiation in a couple days, empty roles were mostly filled.. everything was fine, she could go for a walk if she wanted to.
Knowing her father and some other guards often patrolled near here, she was expecting to see guards- but she was surprised when she spotted a very unfamiliar figure. She watched her for a few minutes before realizing she was still headed inward and nobody else was appearing to tell her so. Aysu was no guard and she was about three quarters of the way to giving birth to cubs but the rogue didn't seem dangerous at first glance. So she decided it was OK to approach her, making herself known.
"Good evening!"
She could still be polite, right?
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:38 pm
Ieiunium looked up, startled, as a sudden and unexpected voice hailed her. She wasn't expecting to see a strange black lioness who was quite heavily pregnant. The rogue stared, blinking, for a few long moments before the manners she used infrequently kicked in.
"Oh! Good evening!"
She had...absolutely no idea what to say to the stranger who had appeared before her so suddenly. But it was unusual to see a pregnant lioness wandering around, and it wasn't exactly a subtle thing with the woman before her.
"I...would hope you live around here?" she stated with a questioning note. She hoped that a lioness in that condition wouldn't be wandering far so close to her time, but she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:46 pm
"I do live around here," she said, looking the lioness up and down when she finally spoke. She appeared to be a rogue, and to be very quick to observe the state Aysu was in.. but then, who wouldn't be?
"You're on the borders of the Mwezi'Johari pridelands," she said, "I'm no guard, though, so I don't know what happens now normally."
Aysu offered a smile.
"My name is Aysu," she introduced herself.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:54 pm
The grey lioness gaped. "A pride? Here?" She couldn't believe it. She'd had absolutely no idea there was one so close. Ieiunium fidgeted nervously. Prides were big, made up of many many lions and lionesses and weren't necessarily friendly to travelling rogues.
"I'm Ieiunium," she replied finally, after getting past her shock and surprise.
"I hope my being here doesn't cause any trouble, I just need a place to spend the night," she went on, knowing she was rambling, but unable to stop. It was so weird, she could go days on end without speaking a word, and now that there was someone else around, she spoke sentence after sentence.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:10 pm
"Nice to meet you, Ieiunium," she said politely, though she had trouble with the unfamiliar and somewhat unusual name. She considered the remark about causing trouble- the pride was hardly worried about outsiders, and even the trouble going on now was all internal. She couldn't be any real trouble, especially looking so worried about it.
"No, no trouble," she said, "We're quite friendly, I assure you! I wouldn't recommend coming in much farther unless you wanted to join- or at least say you might want to join."
How did any of the guards ever recruit anybody? This was as good as Aysu could do and it was still horrible sounding.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:16 pm
Well, Iei had no doubts that Aysu, at least, was friendly enough. The grey lioness had her doubts about how the regular guards would react to her. She knew she looked like a mess - her fur was dirty and matted, her tail dragged in the dirt and she generally felt unpresentable.
"If you're sure," was what she said aloud. "I don't need to go further in...whichever direction that is. I just want a safe place to sleep for the night," she reiterated. Iei wasn't quite sure what Aysu was getting at, but this dancing around was making her antsy.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:23 pm
Aysu's mind was always working, and though she couldn't really figure out what she thought.. she did think Iei seemed nice, and had the potential to handle any class with modesty- perhaps some anxiety, if you wanted to look at it less optimistically. And she would be very pretty when she cleaned up. Her silvery fur was very interesting. She could think of at least one lion who could stand to meet a pretty girl- and one who had no idea of the drama that had been going on.
"Hmmm," she hummed thoughtfully, deciding she didn't actually know anything about Ieiunium and so would be extremely creepy to say anything going through her mind at that exact moment.
"It would be safest to come into the pride," she said truthfully, "I'm sure I'm biased and you wouldn't think so going in blind, though. Would you like know about us?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:26 pm
Blink, blink. Blink blink blink. Iei was trying to figure out exactly what Aysu had in mind, but she doubted that even the black lioness knew what she was planning.
"I...guess I'd like to hear about your pride," she offered. It seemed to be the safest response. At the very least she'd know more than she had before. And she didn't have to actually join the pride in the end.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:33 pm
It was lucky that Aysu was a very confident lioness or she might have worried about how terribly awkward and strange this was. Iei hadn't expressed any interest, she was only looking for a place to stay for the night.
"You see the moon?" she said, looking up to the sky where the moon was out even though it wasn't fully dark yet, "The moon is the eye of a great lion, he watches over us from the sky. It's almost full, he's waking back up now. That means now is when it is safest to wander, and when the most blessed are born."
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:38 pm
Iei looked up obediently at the moon above. It didn't exactly look like an eye to her, but she supposed it could. It was the weirdest conversation she'd ever had by far. She had no idea if everyone in this pride was like Aysu, or if the black lioness was just one of those people who made everything somewhat awkward without even noticing.
"So...which god is your great lion?" she asked logically enough. She wasn't that familiar with gods in general, but she knew that sometimes they chose to walk the world in mortal form. They could even have children with mortals, and oftentimes those seeds became the foundations for prides. That, at least, was what Iei was going to guess about this pride.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:44 pm
As strange as Iei thought Aysu was, her perfectly reasonable question was the strangest one Aysu had ever heard. The Mwezi'Johari did not acknowledge gods, those who knew of them did not speak of them and if the question arose they were explained away as vaguely but as confidently as possible. They were simply lesser than the Great Lion and so while one might be cautiously respectful towards them, they were not treated with the same reverence and love.
Unluckily, Aysu was one who had no idea about gods at all.
"I don't know what you mean," she responded truthfully, though a bit curiously, "The Great Lion is the only god we know, the only god we need."
She spoke with confidence despite the unusual question put forward. She had to speak with confidence, considering recent events, it was almost dangerous to show any doubt- especially with the Great Lion watching now as the full moon approached.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:51 pm
Well, she was certain that Aysu wasn't lying, at least. This lioness didn't know anything about the gods other than the one she worshipped. Anyone realized that this didn't change the fact of their existence, but she supposed she should let the matter drop. If she stuck around these lands a while longer, she'd have to ask someone a little more...thoughtful.
"I see." There didn't seem to be anything else Iei could say in response to that. They grey lioness fidgeted, clawing the ground beneath one paw. The awkward silence stretched on, and she had no idea how to break it without sounding even more awkward.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:58 pm
She sensed doubt but that was to be expected from someone who was only just learning about this. Everybody had had their doubts recently, not about the Great Lion's existence or importance but of his watch over them. Iei at least did not openly say it was impossible or unlikely or it would have been a very bad idea to continue encouraging her to check it out.
"I'm sure you could learn more from the others, I'm only a huntress," she said, "But I am inviting you to come and take a look around, if you'd like."
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 9:03 pm
Was Aysu being pushy or was she always like this? Maybe it was a side effect of being pregnant... Iei decided it was best to humor the other lioness.
"Perhaps. Like I said, I just really need a place to sleep tonight," she reiterated. "Maybe I'll look around tomorrow?"
The rogue lioness wasn't sure if she was lying or not, but she was just so tired. Not to mention the pride seemed to have the weirdest religion she had ever heard of. Then again, maybe the pride would be welcoming, despite all that. She really had no way to know.
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