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 Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:24 pm
 Home was gone. She had foreseen the chance of her home disappearing, but it was always hard to believe that it would actually happen. Her homelands were once again a mess, decaying into nothingness as the rogues overtook it. With a bitter heart, she had parted from her mother, her sisters, her guardians. Her visions were guiding her to a new location that would protect her. Visions did not prepare her for the difficult trials that were presented before her. They did not show her how to keep herself safe at night. They didn't keep her belly full, nor tell her that there might be a large gorge in her path. Still, her previous petite frame fleshed out, muscles that developed made her trials easier to handle. Growing from a position where she didn't need to do anything but explain her visions to fending for herself matured her. It was evening, and Tarsa was beginning to look for a place to rest for the time being. She would probably move on once the moon was at its brightest, avoiding the little pockets of families that dotted the rogue lands. She did not need some male to decide she was a pretty little thing to steal away. She had enough visions of her father and his doings, and learned from them on how to avoid males like those. Being careful had been a quick lesson to learn, one that she did not want to forget.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:38 pm
 He was lucky beyond all reason that Latitare had chosen to stick with him. Having the eagle to scout the terrain ahead, find prey and even help him hunt it down was a blessing in these unknown lands. Yareha hated to think how things would go if he'd had to travel alone. He was a hunter by training, but the pair of eyes in the sky could see far more than he ever could. The eagle's vision was incredibly sharp, able to pick out even snakes and genets easily from a great height. On the other hand, because he didn't have to spend every waking moment keeping an eye out for food or shelter, that did leave the white lion a lot of time to think. And he was thinking on how he'd really, truly messed up. If he hadn't, he'd still be back in the Mwezi'Johari. What was it that was the fault though? He hadn't minded the class system that much...just the way that it made lions act. Okay, so maybe that was a problem with the system itself. Because if there weren't classes, there wouldn't be lions thinking they should act a certain way based on their class. Ugh, this was just far too heavy right now. And he could see Latitare circling lower, which meant the bird had found something. Latitare was indeed descending to a level where he could talk more comfortably with his friend. This was the time of day when he usually located some kind of place for them to den for the night and to be truthful, the eagle hadn't found one yet. But he'd found something just as interesting.
"There's a lioness ahead," he told his partner. "A loner, it looks like. Not more than thirty lengths." Latitare probalby should have spotted her sooner, but with her rust-colored fur, she blended in rather well with the evening light.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:55 pm
Her lighter coloured toes picked through the dry brush as she tried to see how many rocks were hidden under it. She didn't want to lay for a few hours on stones that would jab at her ribs while trying to catch a nap. Moving on after that would not be easy.
Her dark ears twitched as she thought she heard a voice. Though she had been wandering for quite some time, not being raised in the rogue lands still made it hard for her to differentiate if a sound was a voice or just tall weeds rustling in the soft breeze. She looked out to where she thought she heard the sound, but it wasn't quite easy to see in the fading light. An eagle? What would an eagle be saying to the sky around it? Strange.
Deciding to ignore the eagle, she hastily rushed back into her work. Not quite being as careful as she had been a moment ago, the lioness lowered her paw onto a sharp stone, and she inhaled sharply. "Ouch!" Damn it, now that was going to slow her down.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:00 pm
Yareha was debating avoiding the lioness entirely when he heard her cry out in pain. Damn. Might as well go and see if he could help or...something. It was usually "or something" in the past...but he wasn't sure he wanted to continue that now. He didn't know how much it had contributed to his being kicked out, but it had certainly strained and destroyed several of his relationships in the pride.
He sighed and kept walking towards the voice until the lioness came into view. She didn't look too injured...but the fading light made it difficult to judge accurately.
"You okay?" he called out.
They'd worked this out already, that Yareha didn't always respond to Latitare. But there was nothing wrong with the lion's sense of hearing, so it didn't matter too much. The eagle was here because he wanted to be, but make no mistake that Yareha was the one in charge. Latitare simply cleared the way and helped find food and shelter. He scouted and Yareha made the big decisions, being the bigger of the two of them.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:36 pm
Tarsa's ears swiveled when she did hear a voice, calling out to her. Damn it. This isn't how the evening was supposed to go, but it clearly wasn't going to get any better soon. She knew that she was going to have to be careful with her paw for the next day or so, and now she had a visitor...just damn it.
"I'm fine," she replied, though it was strange to reply to a voice that she did not know. She didn't normally speak to rogues. Her golden eyes glanced over to see a mostly white lion with a blonde mane...and the eagle? Odd. She wasn't used to seeing a bird and a lion acting like they were a pair.
"I just stepped on a rock," she said dismissively. "A certain eagle was a little distracting."
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:47 pm
The eagle in question had the grace to land on a larger rock and rustle his wings sheepishly. "Sorry," he apologized. There wasn't much more to be said, except that their system might need a bit of work. For example, if there was an enemy out there, Latitare wouldn't want to betray Yareha's location to such a creature.
Not that he though this lioness meant them ill.
The white lion let out his breath in a gusty sigh of relief. The lioness sounded more annoyed than anything. He didn't want to give someone else a reason to hate him, after all. Not a total stranger. He didn't know the odds of running into her again, but it seemed more likely than it would have when he was staying in one place. Weird how that worked.
"He does that sometimes," Yareha told her. "His name's Latitare, and I'm Yareha Afaer. What can we call you?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:29 pm
The brown lioness eyed the two of them carefully. She wasn't terribly trustful, especially if she couldn't quite get a read on who she was speaking with. A downfall to being such a strong seer was depending on it to make all your judgments, though Tarsa would never not use her abilities. It was like breathing most of the time.
Still....should she?
"I am Tarsa," she said after a long moment. "Are you lost?" She wanted to test him, and this was usually the best question to start with. Even if it was a yes/no one, it was still better than other things she could initially ask.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:21 pm
"Nice to meet you, Tarsa," Yareha replied automatically. Now there was a question to ask! Was he lost? From one perspective no, and from another yes, and from yet a third no again...he was lost but in a purely metaphorical way. If he didn't know where he was physically, he also wasn't trying to get anywhere either.
"Not really," the white lion answered at last. "Being lost implies that you're trying to get somewhere, and I'm not."
"Being lost also means you don't have a handy winged friend to find you the quickest way to a location," Latitare piped in, beak gaping in an avian grin. Not to mention that birds always gossiped and he could get directions from a passing stranger for the both of them if they wanted to go somewhere in particular. But there was no place Yareha wanted to go to, only places to avoid.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:43 pm
"A true rogue, hm?" Well, she had come across many of those in her time, and she supposed it shouldn't surprise her too much. Him having this eagle friend, Latitare, had throw her off. She assumed that perhaps he was on his way somewhere, but her assumptions were off.
"Well, you are always looking for the next meal, and next place to rest your weary paws. That I can understand." She nodded to the eagle. "I see he helps fill that void, as tricky as it can be...."
Her eyes glazed over for a moment, but Tarsa's body was used to these visions appearing. She grew quiet for a moment, her body a bit tense as she worked her way through the vision.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:47 pm
Yareha looked distinctly uncomfortable at the phrase "a true rogue", but didn't bother to correct the lioness. It wasn't lying, per se, just an omission of the greater truth. She was quite right for the present and forseeable future, after all.
"Yes, Latitare is a great help when it comes to creature comforts," the white lion replied hastily, latching onto the (slight) change of subject. "And he's got no fear of what might happen if he happens to nest on the ground for a night or two, since I've got his back." It was a good arrangement all around.
The bird in question nodded vigorously in agreement. "We're partners. We help each other get by," he confirmed for Tarsa. This was a much better relationship than when he'd had to spy on Yareha. Well, okay, that might have been better if they hadn't ended up on friendly terms. It was the friendship that had made the inevitable so difficult.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 8:03 pm
She was a little distracted, if only because of the information she had gotten from her vision. She wasn't sure if it was totally accurate, but she was used to being fairly straight on. Perhaps a curse from her stupid father.
"Ah," she said, her face growing a touch sad for a moment. Like her, in a way. "Its an adjustment, yes. I'm sure its easier to move on with a partner, as the two of you support each other so well."
Another little glimpse, almost like someone shifting through the tall brush. "Ah...hehe. Just be wary of the females in the rogue lands, they will take everything they can from you, just for fun. I don't count myself in that, I'm slowly making my way to a new home."
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:12 pm
Yareha blinked, giving the lioness a strange look. He wondered what on earth would make her say things like that. About this being an adjustment, and to be wary of females. It was almost like she knew something about his past. But that was impossible...wasn't it? They'd never met before, as far as he knew. Of course, it was entirely possible that she'd spoken to someone he'd met before, but the only person that came to mind was Ieiunium...unless if maybe Tarsa had been near Mwezi lands and spoken to someone there?
Regardless, it was a very strange coincidence and he could find no logical explanation that didn't involve large amounts of supposition. But, as he didn't really want to bring up his past, the white lion decided to interpret her words as well-meaning ones that just happened to reflect his circumstances without any real knowledge.
"I'll, ah, keep that in mind," he managed to answer at last.
Latitare cocked his head to the side at Tarsa's words. She showed a remarkable insight into their situation without any prior knowledge. This was strange, but not entirely unheard of on the bird's end. He, at least, had some knowledge of Seers, not being from the Mwezi's territory originally and having traveled somewhat when he was younger.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:18 pm
It was hard for Tarsa to ignore the look he gave her. It was so common to see that now...was it really as rare as she was meant to believe? Having two sisters who were such strong seers like herself had made it seem almost normal, but it clearly wasn't.
With a somber look on her face, she really looked at this Yareha. "I saw into your past, though only bits and pieces." Her tail swished behind her for a moment, brushing away a fly. "I left my own homelands, so I can only give you frail advice to survive out here."
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:22 pm
Wait...what? She was saying that she hadn't said those things as a freak of chance? That, somehow, this lioness was able to see his past? How was this possible? It was...it was as if she had powers that only the Great Lion should have! Yareha had no experience with, exposure to, or knowledge of Seers. And as for gods, he believed only in the Great Lion of the Mwezi'Johari. The fact that Tarsa had these strange powers went totally against everything he'd ever known.
"That's...impossible," he managed to stammer out.
"It is not impossible," Latitare told his partner gently. "She is a Seer. They have the ability to See what is not there - past, present, future. What is close, what is near. And much more besides, though the abilities and strength vary from person to person." The eagle spread his wings and executed a bow.
"It is an honor to meet a Seer," he told the lioness, for the ability was uncommon and the eagle had been raised to regard it highly.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:27 pm
She gracefully nodded at the eagle. "I still struggle with the fact that some find it so strange...but I was raised around my powers, so its almost second nature." Her tail swished, and she peered again at the lion. He was not taking it easily.
"Think of it like...glimpses. A zebra darting before you, or your friend Latitare striking down prey. It is fast and hard to pin-point, but my visions are usually accurate." It was hard to not ignore the fact that this lion certainly adored female attention, at least in the past. Thus, a valid warning with some not-so-kind females that lingered around watering holes, looking for a male to leech off of until he became too boring to entertain her. There were reasons she kept moving, even if it, at times, felt like she would never find her new home she was meant to be in.
"It is why I don't consider myself a rogue; I follow my visions to my new home, wherever it is."
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