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 Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:47 pm
 Heti - a guard turned temporary sentinel - was being recalled. And not just him, but the entirety of the sentinels no matter how far spread they were. Whether amongst the people of the Bonelands or out in rogue country hunting down snippets of information, they were all turning back for the desert. Word had spread and it was time to gather and share the information they had gained on their enemies. Which, in Heti's case, was a rather poor amount.
The Nergui, if nothing else, were skilled at espionage and trying to work out their motives and reasonings had proved near impossible. Even if they had managed to capture some and forced them to answer questions, he doubt it would even make sense. Likely they'd babble in their incoherent, foreign tongue and they'd be no closer to finding out anything about them. The lack of knowledge put Heti on edge and he wished he had some good news to take back with them.
Not only to the regents, but to his father, too.
Alighting a dusty slope topped with the snapped, brittle trunk of a dead tree, Heti paused to give his surroundings a glance, leaning to rub his side against the rough bark. At first he didn't see much of anything and then, quite suddenly, he did.
A lion.
His head lifted, ears perking forwards. Someone he knew? Or a stranger? At this distance it was hard to tell and his nostrils flared only to find the wind pulling away from him. Deciding to be daring, the young Firekin male lifted his head and roared; announcing himself to the other. Perhaps if this one was not an enemy he might have some vital Intel that could help the war effort.
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:53 pm
 Jamadagni was bored. There was no point in hunting at the moment because he was full, having stumbled over a fresh kill abandoned by some wasteful being. He'd eaten both out of respect to the killed prey beast and out of a need to not waste anything, meat or his energy. Now, when Jama would normally be sizing up the prey in the area for what was the most likeliest meal of the afternoon, he was wandering. Pointlessly really. Jama was without direction or purpose. He had no doubt a direction and a purpose would eventually be stumbled across or pop up somewhere. It was just rather boring waiting for it without hunting.
Maybe he would go visiting soon. Jalouzi or Mazal or someone. Or everyone. All of them. At least then he could devote himself to catching up with everyone and what they were up to lately. And finding Jalouzi would be a decent distraction. Not a great distraction, because he would still have more than enough time to notice the boredom, but it was something.
The roar carried loudly through the area and brought Jama's attention to the lion that had let it loose. He chided himself in allowing the boredom to over come his good sense and discipline. Always be aware of the surrounding area. He shook himself from his stupidity and allowed a friendly roar sound in greeting even as he started, carefully and cautiously, over to the other lion.
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:50 am
A friend then, judging from the greeting, though Heti had become wary these past few weeks. With the decision made to approach the other male, the Firekin dropped down from the rocks and sloped his way cautiously towards the other, allowing the closing of distance to fill in the gaps. A male of good proportion with striking markings of black, red and grey. He might even have been mistaken for one of the Firekin if his markings were not so strange. No new member that Heti had met bore such strange jagged stripes on their pelt. In which case he was either a rogue or a friendly Nergui out on a scouting trip...
Heti hated how paranoid he was becoming.
"Your colours are too bright to be of the Ithambo'hlabathi and you are not from my pride." He called out, drawing to a stop at a 'safe' distance. "Are you a rogue?" It might have seemed a silly question. Would a Nergui declare himself one if asked? Probably not. "Or is there some other pride close by that I wasn't aware of?"
His mind turned over the possibilities. If he was a rogue then maybe he had some information. If he was part of a pride perhaps another alliance could be formed between them and his kin. His thoughts churned, almost wildly, forcing him to blot them out and concentrate on any answer the male might give to him.
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Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:19 pm
Jama nodded at the other lion when they were close enough to speak without shouting at the other. "Yes, I'm a rogue. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't realize I was in an area that had a pride so close. I've been wandering without any thoughts." Jama shook his head, disgusted with himself for the lapse in his own discipline.
First he hadn't noticed this lion until after his roar sounded, and now Jama was learning that there was at least one pride in the area. He could have wandered onto hostile lands with his head in the clouds. It was time to get out of them.
"Are you a member of one of the prides nearby? I am Jamadagni, by the way." Jama sat down, deciding to trust the other lion enough to get a little comfortable. But he was still as cautious as he could consciously be. Especially with his recent obvious lapses. "What prides are in the area?" If Mazal's Mizani Ulimwengu pride was near enough, he could visit there until he found a way to make sure his head was screwed on tight. Or go insane from the lack of action. Either was possible or probable.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:54 pm
Heti nodded, though he didn't move any closer to the other. "There is only one that I know of that is close enough that it could cause you problems. The other is...some days away yet." He thought of home with a churn of longing. It felt like such a long time since he had felt the soft heat of desert sand beneath his paws. "My name is Heti." He replied with a cautious dip of his head. He was a well-mannered male; something he'd learned from his mother.
"The closest pride is Ithambo'hlabathi, but I wouldn't advise visiting. The males are protective of their females..." And he didn't doubt that any trespassing rogues might meet with a rather nasty surprise should they get to close; by accident or not. "The other is...off further in the desert. If there are others I have not been to them." He allowed his suspicion to ease somewhat. The male before him had no northern accent and surely a Nergui would not travel alone now that they'd got the attention of the Firekin.
"You haven't, by chance, seen any strange lions whilst on your travels, have you? They speak with strange accents and their ways are distinctly...foreign." Vicious might have been a better word for it but he didn't want to worry the stranger needlessly.
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:29 pm
Jama remembered hearing something about the Ithambo'hlabathi pride, and their ... protectiveness. But he had never known where their lands had been. Granted, Jama had never wondered in this direction before. And he had never gone looking for a pride's lands before expect when he had escorted Mazal to her peaceful pride, the Mizani Ulimwengu pride. To think he could have stumbled onto their lands.
Jamadagni mentally paused. If he had stumbled onto their lands, then at least he wouldn't have been bored for a little while. It would have caused some excitement.
"Heti, you've been to pridelands? Does that mean you are a part of a pride?" Jama wondered what living with a pride was like. Was it riddled with routine, or did living with so many other personalities ensure the routine of every day life was broken with different situations mixing together.
Shaking his head, Jama answered the other lion's question, a bit - concerned. That hesitation in Heti's voice when he had described the strange lions' ways as foreign. That could mean so many things. "No, I'm sorry, Heti, but I haven't seen any lions until you, strange or otherwise. Though I've met a few lionesses on my travels, I wouldn't call them strange and their accents and ways were distinctly rogue." Well, on the up side, if Jama ran into these foreign lions, his boredom would disappear. At least for a while.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:52 pm
"Yes." He said at last. "I am part of a pride. My kin has formed a recent alliance with the Ithambo'hlabathi. I've been stationed at the outpost with some of my brethren until a day ago. Now, I'm preparing to head back to my homeland to report back on my findings."
He gave a small nod when Jama confirmed that he had not come across any strange lions. "If you see anyone like that you would be wise to stay clear, especially if you travel alone. They're not a good group and there's no saying what they might do if they find you. The worst reports speak of death or slavery though no doubt there must be some who survive the encounters." He wondered just how much he should say and decided, on this occasion, to trust the lion. "My own pride prepares to go to war with them. We call them the Nergui, though we don't know their true name." He blinked slowly. "If you don't mind the heat and living amongst a bunch of fiery, stubborn characters, I might recommend that you pay my homeland a visit. I hail from the desert pride of the Firekin. Despite hard times we do welcome strong members to join and become one of us."
He twisted his tail thoughtfully. "Or, perhaps it might be best if you got as far south as you possibly can. If the predictions are right and this war comes, the north will be the first to see it."
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:37 pm
"War?" Jama perked up at the concept and possibility of war. He felt torn between guilt and relief. Guilt because he knew war was horrible. It brought death, destruction, ruin and so many more negatives into a person or pride's life. On the other hand, relief from his boredom, a purpose and chances to fight. That - that competed with the guilt. And was winning.
Jama sat up straighter as he started to think. Decisions being made in a split second, but Jama knew what he was going to do. He was going to follow the idea of adventure, fights, and war.
"Nergui. Have they been very troublesome for you and your pride and your pride's allies?" The more information he could gather about these beings, the more he'd have to use against them in a fight. "Desert and heat are not a problem for me. You come across more deserts in the roguelands than not."
The Firekin. Hmmm. Jama just might be settling down. It would be away from Mazal, but maybe - maybe he could still visit her. After all, Heti was out and about outside the pride's lands. And the prospect of action was pulling at Jama more than even his first love, Mazal. She would understand, when he finally saw her again. He was positive. This was where his future was leading him.
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:37 am
And some Firekin might have agreed with Jama's way of thinking. Some of them craved battle and glory. Others, like Heti, would have much preferred to have bypassed such an event if given the choice. Unfortunately, choice didn't come into this. War had come to them and there was no turning it away. Well...not easily.
"There has not been too much yet. They seem to like to play games from the shadows. But we know of at least one pride they have destroyed. We took in some of the survivors of the attack and it was from those refugees that we first learnt about them. Since then there has only been one fatality amongst the Firekin and a number of lesser injuries. As of yet the Ithambo'hlabathi have not had any direct contact with them." Which was at least some good news to be had.
Heti levelled the male with a look and continued: "I don't think this war is going to be over quickly, no matter what happens. All the sentinels are being recalled back to the lands to report in and I very much doubt that there will be much information to report." He set his jaw grimly and tipped an ear. "But the decision is yours, of course. And it would be best not to rush into it." His homeland was not exactly an easy place to live at the best of times and with war and drought and tension it was harder than ever.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:35 pm
Jama nodded at Heti. "As much as I long for and look forward to a fight, I am still glad to hear that they haven't bombarded your pride with anything but games. I hope it gives you and your pridemates time to move and safe guard the cubs." Because as much as Jamadagni wanted excitement and a good fight, he needed the safety of cubs and young lions far more.
After all, he'd raised Jaz after he had found her stumbling along alone and lost, starved and dehydrated. Above all else, Jama felt his duty was to tend to the young. To teach them to defend themselves, to hunt, to think outside the box. Jaz was a perfect example of this. Jama just truly hoped this lull in action would give Heti's pride time to see to their cubs.
"Thank you for the advice. I have to pressing matters to see to, so I will take my time and see where my heart and soul would truly prefer to be. But I have no problem telling, wondering the rogue lands is becoming trying. Though I have no one to answer to, friendly fights and conversations are also hard to come by."
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 1:42 pm
Heti nodded gratefully and took a short step back as he declared his leave. He hoped that the large male would consider coming to the pride. If he proved himself he would be a valuable asset. "Travel safely, my friend."
And he stood and watched a while, murmuring into the wind: "Sometimes there is more to life than aimless journeying..."
Perhaps, one day soon, Heti might come across that male amongst his own kin in the desert.
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