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 Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:08 am
The sun had just risen enough to give good light, and Lagarto was up, had gotten his breakfast, and was ready to work. Though it could hardly be called work, if it gave him this much pleasure. He lay relaxed in the brush, limbs spread out comfortably. Around him the world went by heedless of his presence, and a few gazelle even grazed nearby upwind. He was watching them intensely, almost unblinking, but they had nothing to fear from him. He wasn't interested in meat. In fact his interests were exactly parallel to theirs : grass.
The grasses of the serengeti were a useless meal for a lion, it was true. He'd ignored them for a long time in favor of more useful plants, ones that might provide some medicinal purpose. But now he was pondering just what it was about grass that made the herbivores so eager for it. It was their food, not the food of lions. But how did it feed them? How could a zebra or wildebeast survive without meat? Surely there must be some virtue to be found in their diet.
He absently leaned over and took in a mouthful of the blades for himself, chewing thoughtfully. Rough and sharp on the palette, but he'd had worse. No thorns at least.
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:42 am
 Ngetal climbed down from the higher branches of the tree, stretching and yawning, having just finished the meal she'd had stashed up there. The near by gazelle and prey animals were peaceful, despite her presence, but Neta didn't think anything of it. She didn't have a hard time blending in most of the time. She watched them graze as she went through her morning, post-meal routine, popping her spine, stretching her limbs, straightening her tail, and then grooming herself. One didn't travel with old blood staining one's fur or scent telling you're where abouts. She really didn't want to run into anything hostile. Neta barely got a good nights sleep as it was, traveling alone through the rogue lands. But she was alone, and so she did. Without complaint. Once finished, thirst became her priority. Neta started to travel in the direction of a small watering hole in the area and trodded on something softish. Looking down she saw a green lion lying in the grass that was more or less the same coloring of his fur. "Oh! Sorry - what are you doing?" Ngetal frowned as the lion ate some ... grass?
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:15 am
Distracted from his contemplations by a voice, Lagarto turned his head slowly and stared up at the female without any show of surprise. A leopard, he thought after a moment of study. No real aggression in her pose, thankfully, so he didn't have to worry about that. He was probably the world's lousiest fighter; if not for his sheer size, he would surely have been killed long ago. Once he'd finished sizing her up, he mulled over her words. He was... laying in the grass. He was watching the gazelle. But maybe she was referring to a more existential state of actions.
He swallowed the last of the grass, paying attention to how it scraped up his throat on the way down. Too harsh for a lion afterall, maybe the herbivores were made of sturdier stuff than most lions would expect. Ah, that was what the female meant. "Hello" he said, now that he had an answer for her. "I am studying the merits of grass. For the diet and for healing properties. And you? What do you do?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:30 pm
Ngetal sat on her haunches and give it a thought. Crazy, but she'd witnessed dogs and canines chewing on grass when they were sick. Either the lion was a healer, a scholar, sick, or insane. Or all of the above. "I travel. Mostly alone. At the moment I'm traveling to that water hole a few yards to the south of us." Neta gestured in that direction.
"Why are you studying the merits of grass?" Neta asked staring around at the vast sea of grass eat or yet to be munched on my the prey animals. Yeah, she didn't want to try it herself unless she needed to. And she finding out if there was merit by someone that had actually tried it was better than trying it herself.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:34 pm
Raising his eyes towards the watering hole, Lagarto blinked, then laboriously hauled up his body to a standing position. A few of the gazelle started and scattered. "I can escort you then," he rumbled and began to amble in that direction. "There are some reeds I planned to take a look at over there." The distance to the water hole was a very short one, almost ridiculously so, but Lagarto's pace was heavy and ponderous, as if he was mounting a great hill. In truth, it just took him awhile to get going; he could run fine, if given a mile to pick up speed.
"I study the merits of all plants, he answered to her question. "Many illnesses and injuries can be healed by the application of certain plants. Some can improve a lion's health, and others can relax the mood or expand the mind." He dropped his bulk down beside the mentioned reeds, at the edge of the water. He casually dropped his head to lap at the liquid surface just once.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:09 am
"What would reeds have to benefit felines?" Neta asked as they slowly made their way over to the watering hole. With how slow the big lion moved, it felt more like Neta was escorting him rather than the other way around. She idly wondered how the lion didn't go hungry. Maybe that's part of the reason why he tested and examined various plants, to keep from going hungry when he found decent ones?
He steps were heavy and forceful, so obviously the lion ate well considering his bulk, but Neta thought about how hard it must be for him to hunt, to run. The prey would feel the vibrations in the earth of the great lion running towards them, if he ever decided to run.
At the watering hole, Ngetal lapped at the water, after watching some of the prey animals take drinks. It was fine water then. She bent her head and lapped at the water, all but sighing in relief. She loved the water of water, even though it changed with each watering hole and it was subtle. "Are you a healer then?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 10:36 am
"Plants can do many things beside just feed our prey, Lagarto said, once he'd drunk his fill. "This plant here next to me, the stalk is dry and unpleasant. But underneath the surface you can find tubers which can aid those with weak digestion." He pointed with a paw across the water, to a clump of bristly shrubs. "Those plants there are poisonous to eat, but if treated properly, a past of them can be applied to injuries to ward off fever. A wise elderly shaman had taught him that, and he only regretted that he hadn't studied under the older lion long enough to perfect the curing of the plant.
"I am no healer, only a student of the green world, he answered her question, and rested his bulk down beside the bank. "Maybe some day I might be a healer, if I settle down in a pride. I can't fathom that happening though. It would limit me only to the plants in that region." He flicked a claw along the reeds idly, slitting them to expose the hollow interior. They also made good jewelry if soaked in a certain juice, but he didn't mention that. Vouching decorative uses seemed... gaudy.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:03 am
This coolness of the water quenched her thirst and the dryness she felt inside. It always made her feel so much better, taking drinks of water. No matter what happened in live. Neta lowered herself to the ground, near enough to continue drinking while laying down. She tilted her head at the big lion's words. That was true. Plants could be helpful. She'd once had a bad gazelle, and had found that nibbling on the bark of a particular tree had helped her from getting very sick. And it had almost tasted sweet.
"Would you mind terribly teaching me some of the benefits of the plants?" After all, traveling alone, you needed to know as much about healing yourself as possible. And if it helped someone else down the line in her life, Ngetal would consider it a great vantage.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:07 pm
Lagarto mused over her request. He was pleased to be asked for a lesson, but he didn't consider himself wise and learned enough to become a teacher. He was more interested in pondering the plants than in memorizing what they did, and he hadn't confirmed most of his theories, or spoken to quite enough wisemen, for his satisfaction. Still, it was good to learn, and here was one who wanted to. He couldn't deny her that.
He searched around for a good example, and didn't have to go far. Even with the grasses shoving out other plants for space, they still fought for their right to watering holes enough that you could find a nice variety. "This one here," he said as he pointed to a tiny cluster of white flowers. "Chewing on these gives a strange numbness in the mouth. You can chew them up and then tuck the paste against a toothache to give some relief. I've heard of some lions even using it to lesson the pain of having a tooth removed. The hard part is finding enough of them, though. They never grow in large clusters. And I recommend spitting out the juice that accumulates, as it can upset the stomach." He'd also heard of them being used for recreation, but he couldn't fathom why. They didn't give any pleasant effects. And they made his tongue feel gigantic when he'd tried them.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 6:02 pm
Ngetal looked over at the white cluster of small flowers. They looked pretty, but unremarkable. She sat up to better examine the small cluster of whiteness, but still wasn't satisfied. Neta got up and went over to the flowers, examining them closer. They were very pretty. White with slightly darker white stripe in the middle of each petal. She put her noses into the cluster and took a deep breath. Their scent was subtle and slightly watery. She liked them. Quite a bit. Neta took a few of the flowers into her mouth. It didn't really have a taste that she recognized, but they started a tingling sensation on her tongue. It was odd, and made her tongue slightly clumsy, but not really unpleasant. At least not yet. She spit out the juices and the paste she had created because she didn't have a toothache. "Well, that shertainy intereshting." Neta slurred slightly as she made her way back over to the lion and took another drink from the watering hole. That would certainly come in handy.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 6:39 pm
Lagarto nearly got up as the lioness decided to taste the flowers, but the thought drifted through his head and was turned down before any of his muscles took up action. The amount was far too small to do any real damage. He chuckled deeply at her comment and how it was clearly hindered by the flowers' effects. "Study by direct application, I approve. Not always wise for all plants, but as long as you keep the test measure small even poisonous plants can't cause serious problems. At least, not in any of the plants I've so yet studied."
He pondered the idea, resting his head on a paw. "I suppose there could be a plant out there I've not seen yet, that can kill with one bite. What a horrid thought." He could immediately think of one use for it that he'd never condone : assassination. That was the downside of being aware of plants, you never knew what a creature might do with that knowledge.
The warm day and the gentle lapping of water was getting to him, however, and his normally slow thoughts were dropping into an even slower pace. "I'd teach you more, but I think I may need to doze for awhile," he murmered, eyes drifting shut. "Do stop by when I'm awake sometime, if you want another lesson."
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