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 Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:04 am
 She was an Ela'wadiyi. A member of Bird Clan. A huntress. She. Thin, scraggly Ka'ohu who had vowed never, ever to succumb to the call of a pride. And yet, after so much had been said and done, here she was. In a place that she could learn to call home. She had burned away who she had once been in that fire whose smoke had spread feathery wings and gone aloft. That bird had taken everything sad and painful in its talons and streaked away - never to return. The smell of that fire still clung to her fur as she had been drawn away to join members in festivity - both new and old.
She was no longer scruffy scavenger. She was something more. And she had her companion, Ceyx, to thank for that: though she never would. That male had sometimes proved more trouble than he was worth and his incessant desire to be her friend had proved more stubborn than her need to stay away from males and their foul, lying tongues. Perhaps, after all Ceyx was not like the one who had hurt her so. Perhaps it had been unfair to judge all males so harshly...
Nevertheless, the bird had flown and here she was.
And what a place it was! So crowded and noisy, filled with lions and lionesses old and young. She had spied the tail of a cub as it had darted in front of her path - forcing her to a halt. And, somewhere to her left, a group burst into joyous laughter so loud that she startled and shied away; ears folded back. Being born a rogue and living that lifestyle up until now, Ka'ohu had been lucky if she had spied a single lion on the horizon. This was something she had never even believed possible. So many lions with their dizzying tattoos, swirling and spinning and confusing her with their brilliant colours. She was too overwhelmed to feel awe-inspired and with so much noise and so much going on, she could feel her chest tightening - each breath coming more difficult than the one before it.
What was happening to her? Her breath was coming in short, sharp gasps now, her eyes dilated as she panted. There was another burst of laughter - closer this time - and she jerked backwards a couple of steps only to find her rump connecting sharply with someone else.
"O-oh!" Ka'ohu flustered, the panic attack gripping her tightly, and span to see who she had just bumped into.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:49 am
 How Hari loved the festival. Just, everyone, all over! Even though she was rather bad at social gatherings like this, not quite being too good at chatting normally with anyone, she was extremely happy to walk around and be amusing when she could be, or just see and say hi to all the new faces, or some from other clans that she hadn't seen in a while. There was an extra bonus this year that her friend, Sielu, had joined the pride. She felt a little proud about that, since she thought part of the reason he had joined was because they were friends and she had introduced him to the place.
But right now he was off doing whatever, and she was lost among the crowd, grinning like a fool as she wandered about, slipping between lions when she had to.
It came to no surprise when someone bumped in to her. Because she wasn't the most graceful or careful lioness, and she seemed to have a knack for ending up in places where she might get others to stumble into her, this sort of thing was almost routine for Hari. As far as she was concerned, it was all just a reason to smile and say hi to whomever she had bumped into, or had bumped into her. She turned to face the bumper-lion, friendly grin already plastered on her face, when she came nose-to-nose with someone that looked... well... a whole lot like her.
Confused and overwhelmed by an extreme feeling of dejà vu, she sat back, gaping slightly. It couldn't be said Hari had the quickest wits around, but she realized rather quickly that this was more than just anyone. She tilted her head. This was family. "Ka...Ka'ohu?" She blurted out. She hadn't seen her sister in so long! could it really be?
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:03 pm
The similarities between the two sisters were so obvious that it must have been clear to anyone around that they were related. The same earthy hues. The same sky-coloured eyes. It was like staring into a mirror and the sensation was disconcerting to say the least. Ka'ohu gawked for a long moment, staring with wide and unblinking eyes as the stranger spoke her name. And then she realised the stranger was no stranger at all, but a female she had not seen in the longest of times. Not since she had been very young and full of spirit.
"H-Ha-" She couldn't quite get the name out and for a moment she tried to moisten her mouth and try again - she'd been breathing so fast that it felt as dry as bone. "Hari?" She managed at last. The name felt foreign on her tongue and it seemed as if someone else had lived that young life for her. She'd almost forgotten that she'd had siblings and now here one was. Right in front of her--
--and she looked a state.
Her fur was still dusty from her travels and she bore the thin scars just behind her shoulder where she'd been mauled by a hyena. Her fur was as unkempt as it had always been though her body had become all hard angles. "S-so." She cleared her throat, thinking that even her voice sounded too rough. "This is where yah've been hidin' all this time, eh?" She tried to get over her initial panic of being so surrounded and backed up a step. "S'been a long time, Hari."
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:28 pm
She was pretty good at generating somewhat awkward situations, but silent awkward ones were rare. So Hari felt rather out of her element here! She blinked, taking in her sister with surprise. She really did look bad. Life had apparently been kinder to her. Though Hari's fur was messy, thanks mostly to her carelessness, she looked generally healthier.
Ka'ohu breaking the silence was enough. "It has! Where have you been? How are you?" She asked loudly, but with clearly evident happiness. Not one to sit still when excited, Hari bounced back onto all fours and made a quick circle around her sister,before stopping before her again. The grin was back in full force, she couldn't be any happier about this than she already was. "D'you know where anyone else is?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:38 pm
Hari's excitement brought a shaky smile to Ka'ohu's face. She couldn't remember the last time someone had seemed so excited to see her, if ever. It put a warmth into her chest that she hadn't felt for a long time. "I--uh--" She tried to speak. To answer her sister's questions. But the sudden rush of emotion choked her and her eyes burned with unshed tears. Overcome, she lifted a paw and draped it across her face in a lame attempt at hiding it. "I--uh--I'm sorry. Just.." She trailed and tried to clear her throat.
Her sister was here. Here of all places. She had always thought the world a large and scary place but what were the odds of this happening? Of them meeting again after all of this time? It hardly seemed possible and yet it was her. It was Hari.
Rubbing a paw firmly across her face she forced herself to continue. "Ah've been be'er." She admitted. "But s'all okay now. S'all okay. Ah'm not out there no more." Thank goodness for that. "Nah, ah've not seen anyone else." And it shamed her to think that she'd not often thought of her family. Her bitterness had made her selfish, too, it seemed. "Ah'm glad yer okay, Hari. Ah really am." She sniffed hard to keep her emotion in check. "You's is happy 'ere? In this place?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 6:44 pm
She was not used to this kind of reaction. Hari's attitude didn't usually inspire tears, and she herself had rarely shed them, so this was honestly a little troubling! She leaned a bit closer to her sister, looking a little concerned as Ka'ohu regained her composure. "It's okay," She said, if only because she didn't know what else.
Her not exactly affirmative response made Hari rather sad. Her sister had apparently been through a lot, and she hadn't been there to help! Certainly that wasn't proper of her, she should have been around when Ka'ohu needed it. She couldn't think of anything to say until a question was actually posed, and really felt bad for her lack of ability to "talk good" in this sort of situation.
"I'm very happy here." She confirmed, at first seeming a little hesitant as she was still feeling a little worried about her sister's current state. But then she perked up. "And you will be too! This place is awesome, Ka'ohu. You'll see! Everyone is so nice, and there are so many neat things to do, and it's safe, and there's even some magic!" Or at least she was pretty sure there was. While not quite as obsessed about magic as when she was a cub, it was still a good way to get Hari's attention. "We'll have so much fun together! What clan're you in? I'm in Bird Clan!"
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:31 pm
If her sister was happy here, there wasn't any reason why she couldn't be either, then, could there? No. It would all work out fine and this would be the best decision she had ever made. Ka'ohu hoped so, anyway. Her decision making in the past hadn't turned out the best possibilities. "Tha's good." She replied, getting a better hold of her emotions now that she was over the initial shock.
No doubt she'd relive it all later when she was curling up to sleep.
Her sister. Here. The thought would surely repeat and repeat again until she believed it to be true.
And Hari's description of the pride's lands and people gave her hope. She needed nice people. She needed safety. And heck, perhaps she even needed a little magic. All those things had avoided her for so long it was bound to come around sooner or later. "Sounds good." She continued, even sounding a little enthusiastic now. Hari's optimism seemed to be infectious. "Bird Clan?" She asked, not quite believed her ears. "Fer true?" Was it a coincidence or had there been magic in those flames? What were the odds of it putting them into the same clan when there were so many different possibilities. "Hari, yous ain't gonna b'lieve this. Ah'm in Bird Clan, too." And with a widening smile she shook her head in disbelief. "Ah reckon this place does 'ave ah bit'ta magic." And, scuffing a paw on the ground, she asked: "Will yah...be able tah show meh the ropes?"
She'd not come alone, of course, but she didn't think that Ceyx had been in a pride either. This was a new experience for the both of them as far as she knew.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:54 pm
She almost sighed, relieved, when her sister seemed to recover, but managed not to, as it might make Ka'ohu feel awkward. Hari certainly didn't want that! Her sister was here with her, and all she wanted was for her to be happy. After so long, she was almost a stranger, and still the lioness couldn't help but feel as attached to her as ever. Ka'ohu's growing enthusiasm only made Hari feel even better, and she grinned.
Then her mind was blown.
Hari had never gone through being 'sorted' this way. She had joined Bird Clan on invitation from Tawa'di, but had watched plenty a Tree Ceremony, and been fascinated by how the fire would chose one place to send those who joined. There were so many places they could end up! Perhaps in her own way she shouldn't be so surprised, because she had said herself that this place was magical, and it was just right that Ka'Ohu would end up in Bird Clan, with her. Nonetheless, she was ecstatic. First she found out her sister had ended up here, of all places, but in her very own Clan! "That's..." She was even at a loss for words. "Ka'ohu, that's–!!" She smiled widely, not able to find some adjective that properly described this situation.
So she opted for answering her sisters question, which was easier. "Yes! Of course!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:21 pm
wooga Paes Sorry for the delay! I think one more post from you and we can call it done? : D
"Thank you." She replied at last, her voice thick with emotion.
And then, feeling strange and stupid standing there all emotional and stuff (just like a sissy girl) she tried to puff herself together again. "Yoos need tah meet ma friend, Hari. He's comin' to the Bird Clan, too. He's a bit'o' a pain in the a** but he's mostly alright." And her head wheeled around as if to find him. "But...maybe not jus' ye'. Do yoos mind if I jus' stay with yoos for a bit?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:27 pm
"Your friend? What's he called?" She asked, not because she thought he might know him, but just because. She didn't even seem too intent on answering, because she seemed happy enough to get to her paws and be ready to move, especially once Ka'Ohufailed to find her friend.
Hari grinned, she was more than happy to have her sister stay with her. "Yes! Of course! Come on, I can show you around a bit." She nodded. "And maybe I can introduce you to nice folks and you can find your friend!" She said cheerfully, nudging her sister once before hoping she'd follow her into the crowd. There was nothing Hari would like more now than showing her home to her sister.
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:18 am
"Sound's good tah me." Ka'ohu replied, moving across to her sister and giving her a light nudge in return. "And his name is Ceyx. Big white lion with, uh, spots." Not the most useful description, perhaps, but it was the best she had. And, with that done, Ka'ohu was ready to be shown her new home.
Her new beginning.
Finally, after all this time, she was home.
/fin
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