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 Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:41 pm
The sound of wings echoed all around her, a torturous noise that carried on a breeze. It snaked its way from canopy to jungle floor, sending the wafted scent of prey through to the very recesses of a crumbling den. The painful groan that came from within silenced the wilderness for a moment, giving peace of mind to whomever had been disrupted. But the cawing of a bird in the distance erupted only moments later. It was a sound akin to laughter for the lioness.
Hunger was a need she had yet to fulfill this day. She had not eaten the day prior either, nor the day before that in fact. It had been weeks since her last flesh-covered meal, the taste a memory gone astray. Because of this the weight of starvation was beginning to take its toll. It was sure to be the death of the lioness if food--good, hardy food--did not find its way into her mouth.
Pulan had never suffered so much in all her life, not even after parting ways with her siblings and having to fend for herself. She was petite, a patient huntress who always managed to be just quick enough to get by. But her fortune would take a turn for the worse on a few months back, when the lioness was forced from her previous home and into foreign territory. Already, it had begun to show its lack for luck.
Her meals were either too high or too fast, most of the time. And if they weren’t quickly making their get-away from the lioness, they had already been caught and devoured. More often than not she found herself upon carcasses too far gone. Bones had already been gnawed to their core and sucked dry, meat—well, forget about it. There was never enough to satisfy. Pulan had truly never suffered so much in all her life. And yet…
She still woke up with a smile. Pulan was frail and weakening…but still she smiled.
Every morning she paused within her hideout. The lioness was cautious, all had to be in the wild world they lived, ears erect and absorbing every sound that made its way past her den. Then, when all seemed safe enough, she would stretch out her withering frame in the rising light of the sun. Despite her failed attempts all the days prior, Pulan would always give small game hunting another shot. And if that failed she knew just where to find the freshest of vegetation to sate her for yet another cold night.
She knew that today could be no different, and yet something kept her from moving forward. An incredibly strong force of...deja vu? Fate? It froze her in place. Violet eyes looked on to the world blindly, waiting for something she would never see coming.Hopefolly I am awful with titles okay, don't judge me! DX Also, still trying to get back into RPing so please pardon the dust. lolol <33
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:36 pm
Bandele would one day christen his sons with names as meaningful as his own. They would be like him, given not just a word to answer to, but a purpose from the very moment of their birth.
Bandele: Follow me home.
But lately, he maundered through his day-to-day with the only ambition being to find an ambition. There was no one with him to follow and no home to lead them to if they did. His was a moribund life more existing than fulfilled, not unlike a name carelessly bestowed where it didn't belong. Such a waste. Every breath, step, blink; every mile; every word. All of it was a waste.
Others dreamed of royalty and fame. Bandele sought only direction. Work was work, yes, but the outlook he had was not one you'd find just anywhere. Duty was life. He had helped to raise his brothers in the stead of an absentee father and a mother he so adored, but too readily pitied. The truth was Nyumbani would have raised her boys with or without the oldest assigning himself role of surrogate father. Yet Bandele had always seen the females as softer somehow. Something to be protected and nurtured. Something worth dying for.
To die peacefully but without cause, why, he could think of no greater personal tragedy. He wouldn't say he worshiped the Gods, but in the privacy of his own mind, he would sometimes pray to them for guidance. He would never fully lean one way or the other on the subject of whether or not they swayed him down that particular path on that particular day.
For him, all roads led to home, and when your home is nowhere, that is where you're sure to go.
On his way to nowhere, Bandele saw her, emerging from a den he wouldn't otherwise have known was there. He was not the type to balk at beauty, but in her state of elegant disaster, she stopped his paws and ceased his tongue. He had never mastered the art of addressing a stranger.
She was, in a word, angelic. How she could look as she did and look out at the world as she did baffled him. He ate well, slept well, and could never hope to force a smile. Here she was, offering one sincere. It was astounding.
Bandele didn't take long to notice her eyes. He knew what that glossed over, faded color meant: blind. Right away it explained everything, and just as quickly, it made his task more challenging. He had always counted on the opposite party seeing and greeting him first.
Bandele meant to clear his throat and issue some kind of welcome, but instead only the start of a word and then silence.
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:56 am
And what was it that charmed her into such a frozen state of mind? What kept her limbs locked like the roots of trees, and what kept her body as calm and as welcoming as it had ever been...What was it that she should be expecting?
The sound of feet shuffling closer was one she knew well, and one she rarely overlooked. Yet, somehow she had and somehow another had entered her space without any further notice. Senses so keen had been distracted by the thoughts of a moment ago. Suddenly that feeling of wonder which had possessed her was quickly turning into another. Pulan, like any other, was not beneath feeling the fear and uncertainty that came with unexpected situations. They were emotions that began to gradually take her over, pulsing like the very blood in her veins. She was not alone. And yes, it scared her.
Heat rose from the very ends of her toes and would have filled her face with color if only it could. She was unsure of what to do next, of where to go, and if the other planned on striking her down. The lioness tried to drown out the sound of laughter from birds who mocked in the distance, clearing her mind. She focused herself on whom, what, and where the steps might have come from, and made hasty attempts to hone in on the other who watched. The silence which surrounded them both facilitated this, and made everything that much more difficult.
The steps had come to a halt. The only sound distinguishable from what nature composed being the faintest of breaths from a short distance away.
Run. Run now! Her psyche screamed. But Pulan remained where she stood, as if the spell had not yet passed. Hope still lingered beneath the doubt.
"I know you are there." She boldly proclaimed. Something to her side, a sound she could not understand nor recognize, prompted her to swivel slightly in its direction. Darkness was all Pulan could see, but a smell which traveled with the wind hinted to the presence of another lion.
She offered the faintest of smiles, but it was weak. And at this angle, it was clear that the lioness was in no shape to ward off threats.
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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:06 pm
Words stood to wound Bandele faster, deeper, and more lasting than any damage sustained from battle. It all depended on who said them, why, and when. Pulan earned herself a flinch -- or, perhaps, it was more of a cringe.
Bandele had been a boring cub with no imagination save for spectral wars with rocks posing as pretend soldiers and worst case scenarios drawn from seemingly harmless situations. Stick in the mud, they called him as a youngster. As an adult, opinions ranged from paranoid to prepared. Oh, the many things running through his mind just then. Did she worry he was going to attack her? How many had in the past?
She shouldn't be out here with no family. He knew the world and its ways, and couldn't fool himself into thinking her without any kin. There were too many like her, some with even worse handicaps, that were discarded by their own to fend for themselves. It didn't matter if they wanted to or if their potential caretakers had other things to do. It wasn't right. No excuses.
With no excuses to keep him quiet, Bandele took a step forward. Just one. He bowed his head to her. Though she couldn't see it, he didn't feel it was pointless. There was a sincerity to it that would carry in his voice.
"I mean you no harm," he said. "I was just passing through."
Keyword: Was.
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:47 pm
"I see." A poor choice of words. The crack of dried brush beneath a males heavy step turned a single ear, but did nothing more than that. She was alert, aware of his direction and now, seemingly, aware of his purpose. Yet, even in her weak state, faced with a conflict she should have known the answer to and already been in the progress of; Pulan remained still, quieted by her curiosity, his presence and something...more.
Pulan did not question him, not in her voice nor her stance. Even with history proving her wrong before, the pale lioness chose to believe his claim. "I do not mean to stand in your way, then." She paused to breathe. It was necessary as well as purposeful. "Please...pass." Then she collapsed back on her rear, turning away from the male to give the ground her unseeing stare. A haggard cough was forced out from the fall, replaced quickly with a few soft words.
"Safe passage, traveler."
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:44 am
Bandele had chosen not to speak many times, but had only been rendered speechless a few. When it did happen, a female was always responsible for it. This was devastating to witness, and he found himself at such a loss, strong was the temptation to pass by. Not to keep from being bothered. Not because he had better places to be and better things to do. By nature, when confronted with something this bad, the instinct was to avoid it.
Never before had he encountered a situation where such a simple choice promised to either change things or haunt him for an indefinite period of time.
Pass or speak? It was that simple.
"Safe passage, traveler."
He lifted a paw --
-- and set it back down.
"Bandele," he said. To him, it came off as grizzled and harsh. It wasn't. To Pulan, he would sound unsure.
He quickly corrected himself. "My name is Bandele."
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:27 pm
Even in the darkness there had always been a light to guide her, and Pulan still clung to the faith she had in fate itself; that light all her own. It was her belief in fate that had kept her alive for all this time. It had brought her to these lands, rooted her to that very spot, and had brought him to her.
And yet, like the startle from thunder so sudden in the unseen sky, the unexpected happened; and even if she had been so filled with hope that she almost expected it, the female could not keep quiet her gasp. She must have closed her eyes at some point, for lids so heavy suddenly shot open as if lighter than air. Whatever fatigue that had plagued her before shrank to the back of her mind, just as every other worrying thought vanished.
This was a sign she could not ignore.
Bandele. Those pale, violet eyes widened, her soft features brightened, but her voice...for now...was lost to the factor of surprise.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:55 pm
Shia bean So while I go to post for this this song comes on Pandora and I'm like /stare
He was just super grateful for the first thing. Leave it at that.
Aside from that, if what he felt was fate, he could silently accept what it had assigned him. If it were luck, he had many stars to thank in the nights to come. Something had given him purpose, and she was lovely. Far be it by him to care who or what was to thank.
The next thing he should have done was ask her name.
He meant to.
Bandele's voice was low and beseeching. "Why don't you come with me?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:36 pm
Hopefolly Pandora knows how to put the feel in ALL THE FEELINGS.
Time which spanned between one word and the next disappeared. His breath, the breath of her own, the ambiance of the forest; all of it seemed to fill the void. There were many things that needed to be said. So much of Pulan was now filled with questions that she desperately wanted to ask...yet, she would settle for one. So sure of herself and so sure of this, Pulan did not hesitate to find courage when his proposition was made.
"Where will we go?" The pale lioness raised her head high then, tilting it ever so slightly; curious. Genuine curiosity. She rose steadily to her feet as if his only offer gave her new strength, and remained facing in the direction where his scent was the strongest.
One might assume it was a thought not meant to be said aloud; but quite the contrary. Pulan very well meant for Bandele to hear it. She meant to say it, with every underlying meaning that she may or may not have been cognative of. The word had been on the very edge of her lips since the moment he had arrived.
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:23 am
Bandele wouldn't know what to call their union or how to explain it. He was not gifted with words, but few were eloquent enough to do justice to this situation. He could not begin to know how to say that, right away, their companionship came second nature. Like taking a breath, or blinking. It was with that ease he approached her and the tuff of his tail brushed her side. This would be the way he would help guide her from now on.
And how did one phrase this kind of adoration? Not love at first sight. Bandele had never been much of a believer. But something so close to it that he -- maybe he was wrong?
Beyond words is what he would call it, if he must call it something.
"I don't know," Bandele confessed. There were many things she could count on from him, and one was that he would do his very best to never lie to her. "Where we can for now. What's your name?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:16 am
Pulan expelled a breath, and in it every relief she felt. His touch was gentle, and coaxing...it lured her closer and warmed her like the very radiance of the sun. It also tortured her as it parted ways, her body slowly reaching for it again. He already meant so much, a feeling she, like Bandele, could not quite explain.
She waited for the words to come, confident that he would have some share, and accepted everything once they had been spoken. It was all she had ever asked for. To go wherever she could, whenever she could; with him.
But now it was her turn, a small smile forming across pale lips. While it had been said a thousand times over in her own mind, the lioness could not recall the last she had heard it out loud. Her name...no one had bothered to ask of it before. The female dared to get closer, to brush her side against his, to linger for a moment as close as two lions could be. To feel him there, to know that Bandele was real...it made her heart sing.
She whispered it, words accompanied by a low and satisfied purr. "My name is MPulan...I will follow you, Bandele. Wherever you are, that is where I will always want to be."
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:56 am
Bandele recoiled -- Gods help him -- shyly, but not enough for her to really tell without the sense of sight to fill her in. He would need to get used to this openly spoken affection. "OUR LOVE WILL REACH THE HEAVENS We should find you something to eat."
He had always walked slowly and carefully, so patient strides were nothing new. Though he regarded females as delicate, and though his name itself told her to follow, he would rather they walk close to side-by-side for now. Until the time came she was better off standing behind him, her new shield.
"I CAN SHOW YOU THE WORLD This way," he instructed gently. There was a herd he'd seen not far in the direction he'd come from.
-FIN-
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:04 am
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