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 Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:45 pm
 The black lion had walked far, far away from his home. But he was going back - that was certain, as he never had the intention of leaving. However, he didn't really know he would get this far out of the prides, either, and so was a little baffled at the landscape. His paws weren't touching sand, but instead, grass - a little life still spread in them. Yet, it still was not lush or thriving, and so there was also nothing to be found on the landscape other than a few boulders and wilting trees. No prey herds nearby, nothing.
He was sent off to search for any viable source of water or sustenance, given their pride situation. But as far out as he was, it definitely was not viable for anyone to simply walk here from their homes. He sighed; he had just gotten a little too overexcited, and wandered too far from the Motoujamii-Simo.
Silver eyes peered through the hilly plains, hesitating to see if there was anything left of interest before his decision to go back from where he came.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:01 pm
The light lioness continued to skulk forward through the grasslands… She had been traveling for a long, long time. For quite a while, it had been more or less aimless. She had been more than happy to get away from her nagging mother- always bothering her about sparring with her brothers. "You're too strong for a lioness, Aqui," she would say. "You should settle down- sparring is for the boys to do!" Her mother agitated her- the mere thought of how pathetically reliant she was made Aquila's lip curl. Well, fine- it was ok to lack strength- not everyone was born strong, but to downright dismiss it as a useless endeavor? Ridiculous.
Her father had understood, but he was almost never there.
And that led to her leaving- she couldn't put up with her mother's consistent pestering anymore! She had left just to leave- continuing her own personal training on her own. It wasn't long, though, before she had heard from a rogue that there was a pride she might be interested in… As would be true of anyone, her interest was piqued, and she was headed in a pretty vague direction… She'd heard the place was in a desert, so she fought instinct and headed away from moisture- towards dry air, with only enough rest to ensure that she had the strength to hunt. She had a goal in mind to achieve. The grass beneath her paws had grown slightly less pliable in the most recent days of her travel- a promising sign.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:18 pm
There was nothing. So he turned around; normally, he would be eager to return to the warming sands... But now, the sun was baring down on him; their lands were dryer than before, and his thirst was starting to severely parch from the lack of water. He would return home knowing that it would not be quenched. He breathed a heavy sigh, but return home he must, even if it meant disappointing both his mother and father in separate instances, as they had separate homes.
"Right, then," he muttered grumpily, frowning as he began to stalk in the direction he came.
He walked for a few minutes... not really paying attention to anything around him. He knew the way - no oasis would just pop up in the middle of nowhere when he had already passed by a barren land. His head was held down, disappointed in himself and the results he failed to produce. He was a lion of high honor and pride, and being unable to do what was expected was a grave matter.
These were his thoughts as he walked on towards his pride, the lioness approaching going unnoticed for the first few moments. But as he was taught to be alert and watchful since childhood, he managed to lift his head up to the intrusion to see her - she was walking, too, almost in the same direction... Yet her steps were hesitant, as if she didn't actually know where she was going. His eyes ran over her body, seeing the red and dark grey of the Motoujamii-Simo, but recognizing she was not of the lands or entirely of traditional colors.
He eyed her warily, concerned that if she kept going, she might stray into his struggling pride by accident. Now would not have been a good time to so readily welcome newcomers, especially when there were already too many mouths to cater to during their drought.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:31 pm
The lioness took another few steps forward, mind lost in thought about this place she had heard of… but her ears and eyes caught something that pulled her out of her reverie. A very dark lion was headed in the same direction as she was. The difference between the stranger and herself, though, was significant. Firstly, he was huge, even for a male. Not fat, either- she could tell it was muscle that made him larger than the average lion. She herself was larger than most rogues, if only by a bit. Second: He appeared to know where he was going- so it was safe, to her mind, to assume he knew where he was going. She pondered for a fleeting moment the dangers of calling out to such a stranger, but decided that if he had intended on harming her, he could have. Besides, she was fairly certain that she could at least hold her own enough to survive- worst-come-to-worst. Her brows furrowed for just a moment before a serious expression came over her face.
"Hey!" she called out to the black lion, altering her course slightly to head towards him. "Are you from around here?" she asked as she got closer.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:49 pm
He felt the female's eyes latch onto him, probing... He sighed and continued on, ignoring that fact. It would just have been a temporary inconvenience. Until she called at him. Then, she started to move at him.
He just continued walking, wondering if she would get the hint by his initial ignorance. Apparently not.
Finally, he moved his head in her direction, indicating his acknowledgment. The rogue looked fine - well-fed and healthy with some lean muscles of her own, he gathered. But such was typical of the Motoujamii-Simo, so he thought nothing of it.
"No," he answered flatly, continuing on his march, even if she was starting to follow him now.
"I am not."
Something itched at him - the moment was bothering him, especially the female who he knew now was obviously lost. Great; he had a home to go to, and did not have time to escort some random lioness to her own.
"You are lost, I take it?" he asked then, eyes focused on the trail ahead, "You are far from home, and going ahead will not take you there."
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:03 pm
Aqui's pace slowed just a bit, traces of disappointment growing on her own flat face. She had… misread this lion? Or was he just lying? One way or another, she continued on the direction she had initially taken, which coincided with his own. She had to quicken her pace to keep up with his, but her eyes remained focused on him as he continued speaking. (She half-way hadn't expected him to say anything else.)
"Mighty presumptuous, you are," she stated with a brow quirk. "I could take any direction and it would not get me any closer to home, considering that I don't have one at the moment," she said matter-of-factly. "So I'm not sure you could say I'm lost, as there's no specific place I need to return to. I am trying to get somewhere specific, however, and I don't know precisely where that is. But that's alright- if you don't know anything about this area, then I guess you're useless to me," she said with a shrug, her own eyes also looking forward. "I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track, anyway…"
To her mind, the stranger himself was a signpost, whether he knew it or not. She had not just learned of the name of the lands she was trying to approach, but also of the lions who lived there. They were tough, resolute individuals, who were larger than most and bore the colors of the sun and of fire. "I'll just have to find the Motoujamii-Simo lands myself, as was my plan…" she said under her breath as if to herself, yet deliberately loud enough for him to hear. If he was from those lands… She was fairly certain he'd respond.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:49 pm
The presence of the lioness following him was rather irksome. Was she expecting him to simply take her to his home? What kind of vixen was she? Even more fury-inducing were her next words directed at his character. She obviously did not understand the honor and integrity of his kind.
But he trudged on, half listening to her babble on - boy, did she talk too much. For the most part, he was deaf to her words - that is, until she had said "Motoujamii-Simo".
A brow raised, and he halted in his steps. Really?
"Wait," he commanded roughly, and in a louder voice than his previous words.
"You intend to seek the Motoujamii-Simo?" he repeated questionably, "We are in the middle of a drought, and don't need any more trouble in our lands."
He looked her squarely in the eyes, a little agitated by this rogue's whimsical wishes.
"Look at the ground beneath you. Shriveled up grass. This is a paradise compared to what is going on now. There are not enough resources, and our most honored members are even struggling to find water. What can you bring other than a burden to our deficit?" he posed the question.
"It'd be best if you checked in at a later date."
Hopefully that would bring her to her senses to leave him alone.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:15 pm
She stopped in her tracks and looked back at him, keeping her face straight. Her mind, however, was exceedingly pleased. Her little work-up to dropping the pride's name had worked- maybe now she would get some information out of the dark stranger.
His words struck her, however. She had known quite a bit about the pride- information gathered from passing rogues, but they had apparently kept the drought a secret from her sources. It was a bit of a surprise, more than anything else- a bump in her plans. But regardless, it made her more resolute. Her face hardened and her eyes grew a bit more cold with seriousness as he searched them. "I assure you, I am no harbinger of trouble. I was, however, unaware of this particular development," she admitted out loud. Her attitude had shifted from more chatty to short, sweet, and to the point. "How long has this been happening?" she asked, not truly expecting an answer from him, judging by his previous behavior.
She was at something of a crossroads, now. It would be wiser to do as he said, to wait... But... Would that also be something a weaker lion would do? A lion with less drive than she had? She had to end up there- she had to! If she was going to better herself, she wanted to become a member of this pride- their reputation alone was enough to provide the ambition for her. That ambition had become her life-goal for the past few weeks- to find this place and gain acceptance. She was tough, she could survive anything, and she would always come back stronger. If she could not do that, she felt... Like her weakness made her more akin to her mother.
"I'm certain I can do something- I haven't lived a cushy-life in well-guarded pridal lands, you know," she told him. Her life had not been particularly difficult, either, but it wasn't easy. "I have traveled far, and been to deserts before. I've seen how other prides manage in dry conditions, and I've survived on my own, taking care of myself for quite a while," she told him, considering this to be strength, of a sort. "Don't get me wrong though- I'll certainly consider my timing. At any rate, would you mind at least telling me how to get there from here? For when the... timing is right?" She was not foolish enough to ignore the words of someone completely up-to-date with goings-on... But she wasn't truly ruling out the idea of finding her way in immediately, either.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:36 pm
This girl was serious.
"At least a month," he answered, not knowing for sure himself.
The whole pride, in fact, didn't even fully realize the severity of their situation until so much time had passed already. By the time scouts were sent out to look for more sources of water, lions were already crippled by the shortage.
"Not even our most clever lions can find a solution, at least, not yet. The land is barren for miles from home. I know - we are nowhere near the Motoujamii-Simo lands right now, as I've gone too far out to look for water," he explained.
When she requested to learn the location of his land, he gave a skeptical look; a request to be a part of his pride was not usually offered lightly. As well, it seemed she was not entirely honest by that statement, judging her hesitance in her last words.
"Do not fool yourself into deceiving a Firekin, lioness. If you truly think you are worthy to beseech our council, I will permit your presence on my way home. But you barely have the fiery or dark colors that paint our pelts, and our regents may be more critical, as we have enough trouble to deal with."
He could tell that she had no harmful intentions, yet her fancies seemed too idealistic and childish to him. He was a lion of duty and reality, and so felt her wishes to be rather troublesome in this time. However, he would probably admit that her heart was in the right place...
"I, Mng'arizo of the Motoujamii-Simo, offer my assistance."
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:54 pm
A month… A month of water scarcity- no wonder he seemed so on-edge. Had she interrupted his search? She wondered, but she was quite certain that he would not have tolerated her presence as much as he had, if he was still on the lookout and not retracing his steps. She seemed to hang on his words- information from someone on the inside was much much more valuable than the rumors passed about by wandering rogues, and she dedicated all that she heard to memory. Her eyes remained serious now, though, despite what expressions took over her face. She was concerned she would be turned away- certainly. But despite that, she did hold out a hope.
"Fair enough," she said in response to him. "I understand." While she didn't like leaving her fate in the paws of any lion other than herself, she understood the necessity. Such order was required, more often than not- and knowing your place was something she had found to be important. Knowing who to submit to, and when. Now was a time not only to submit to the darker lion, but also to these unknown regents. She would do all she could to put her best paw forward, but at the end of the day, respect their decisions. Her hopes grew stronger, though, at his "invitation," though she knew it was hardly that. "Thank you very much, Mng'arizo. I, Aquila, am more than grateful for the help," she said, allowing her eyes to show it. Her fate would be in the paws of the regents, now.
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