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 Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:22 pm
She marched more than walked, always giving impression she had somewhere important to be. This hard-eyed, dutiful stride was a bitter contrast to the thin, mangy, scarred runt Tanana was. The mental toll of her journey was as devastating as the physical repercussions, especially now.
Tiruan had told her from the start that he would return to his pride when their children were old enough to have their own lives. He had always thought Tanana would stay him. She, on the other hand, had always assumed he would follow her and the rest was lip service. It was not with ease that they parted, and Tanana could not bring herself to speak to anyone after that.
Some lions tried, when she didn't hide from them in time. Wasted breath on deaf ears. Tiruan's absence reinforced what she had known all along: there was her, her siblings... and then there was everyone else. She had no time to get sidetracked by Them again.
Tanana had not accepted she did not have much time, period. The hunger, the thirst, and the exhaustion were catching up with her all at once. The age old question pondered if a tree that fell made a sound should no one be around to hear it. Did a lioness?
The sun was rising in front of her and Tanana lay helpless on the ground. She couldn't remember falling out here in this jungle, but she must have. Several times she blinked to clear her vision. It didn't work. Several times she tried to lift her head. It didn't work either.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 4:13 am
It was for this reason that he had joined the devastated pride. Ravaged by a tsunami, it had demonstrated its strength by rebuilding. In the face of adversity it had picked itself up and started again, and he had wanted to be a part of that. There was only one small hitch in this plan and that was that supplies were extremely limited, particularly for the Bumani, who were charged with reconstructing dens and other such areas.
He was one of two Bumani. Architects were in short supply and as a consequence, he had a great deal of work to do. Alas, as many had pointed out on the council, how were the Bumani meant to do any work if they had nothing to work with and so he found himself out here. He'd been granted a leave of absence to explore, to locate and to document new regions for potential resources. If he encountered any prides (or hostilities) he was to take note of these to ensure that the necessary diplomatic emissaries could be sent in preparation for an exchange of resources.
It was all heavily dominated by rules and regulations.
...It was also why Solomon had voted to begin in the roguelands where the only thing he needed to document were hostilities, none of which he had found just yet.
Truth be told he was experiencing the same lonely journey that he had encountered on the way to the Bahari'mtoto. His father had warned him that the roguelands could seem completely empty and he hadn't been joking. At most, the lion had seen a herd of preybeasts but as they weren't necessarily inclined towards small talk, it left him without any leads regarding the materials he sought.
Suffice to say it had been a long and unsuccessful week, and as he had come to this conclusion, he had also noted that he deserved a rest. It was a rest the lion was preparing to partake in when the muffled 'thump' caught his ears. The culprit was not in his line of sight but they were in close proximity. If he were to put a guess on their weight as well...then it wasn't a small animal, granted it wasn't a big one too but he was going to take a stab in the dark and say it wasn't a rabbit.
"Mmmm...?" his head swivelled towards the area he had labelled as the zone of impact and padded towards it. Lips parting as he prepared to offering a greeting, but what came out wasn't quite what he'd been planning.
"Oh bloody hell," he breathed at the sight of the lioness, quickening his pace to close the distance. "Don't be dead, don't be dead," he continued and nudged at the lioness. "Are you there? Blink once for yes and twice for no," he continued before pausing.
"Oh wait..." his words dawned on him and he shook his head. "Just blink if you're alive," he corrected.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:13 am
Tanana heard him before she saw him. Her upbringing didn't allow for ease of caution. She'd been given to one of the more vindictive youths as a personal servant, and his demands were many. One must always listen for the sound of his paws. One must always be waiting for him at the front of the den. He never had much patience. About as much as he had empathy.
Leave me alone, she pleaded. Please just leave me alone. Leave me alone.
She had one option: play dead.
Leave me alone, thought Tanana. Please leave me alone.
Under similar circumstances she had met Tiruan. Tragedy had a way of bonding lions together. Certainly Tanana had always felt the closest to her siblings after she or they had been worked near to death. Not everyone was as practical as Uzulu in the upkeep of slaves. Her own mother wasn't, and on Tanana's face, several scars near her seemingly lifeless eyes were from those paws.
Don't blink. Don't blink.
Just leave me alone.
Tanana's body owed her no favors. When at last she had opportunity to care for it properly, she did not, save once. The pregnancy and birth of her cubs had been the only time she had been utmost diligent with her personal care. A lot of good that had done. A daughter with no heart, two that resented her, and the world only knew what had become of her boy.
Against her will, Tanana drew in a shuddering breath.
Then, she blinked.
Please just leave me alone.
Where there was a will, there was a way. When the force of the will to get up did not suffice, often, it only needed to be supplemented by the drive to get away. With renewed strength, albeit incredibly little of it, Tanana rocked to the side and lifted up. Standing was a shaking, painstaking effort, but she did.
Talking was but a wheeze. If only she could say it.
Leave me alone.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 10:30 am
Oh good, so she was alive! He took pleasure in the small things and thanked his lucky stars that he wouldn't have to perform a burial or the rites that would follow it. Not that he didn't know how to do them, his father had been well versed in them (though he never did explain why), he just preferred not to perform something so grim.
"Wow, you look..." he trailed off as the lioness struggled to her paws and shook his head, casting his gaze downwards at the female. He was a large lion but he knew a tiny creature when he saw one. She must have been a runt in her childhood, either that or she came from a very small bloodline. However, now was definitely not the time to be guessing her lineage... now was the time to be offering assistance before she let out her last gasp.
To be fair, he didn't think she had many left.
"Horrendous," he said, his expression apologetic. It was evident that he saw no reason to lie or paint pretty pictures in the given circumstances. "In your condition you should..." he shook his head again, grimaced and paced around the wary female. It was then that he took a seat a short distance away, providing the lioness with at least some personal space.
"You need to lie back down," he instructed, his tone firm. He wasn't one to be intimidating, but he could be exceptionally practical. "You need to eat, drink, rest..." he tilted his head to the side and lifted a brow. "And if any of those wounds are fresh you will need to clean them," he added.
"Now if you promise to stay here," he pointed at where she was stood with one of his claws. "I can get you the food and water," he offered.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:15 am
He was large, like a Firekin. Tanana had not been back to know how much rogue blood was in their lineage now, and how it had diluted the purists enough to leave the masses no longer the towering behemoths they once were. That was the only way she remembered them, massive lions with a hard-earned reputation as dissolute, vicious bullies she took orders from.
The most trouble Tanana had gotten in was for her mouth. When one heard this, they assumed her trouble-making and garrulous. She was not. Her silence was what damned her. Not the way she used her words, but that she did not use them at all.
Tanana felt a very cruel sense of deja vu at that moment. She did as she was told, sitting first, then sliding forward so all of her underbelly was on the ground.
Bow your head. It's respectful.
Keep your ears down. It's submissive.
Don't look up. It might save you claws to the face.
The last one Tanana did not heed, and her tired eyes swept over his coat, taking in the array of colors. This was no Firekin, less he was an exile. Where else did they make lions this size?
She hadn't give him any indication she understood him. Some had thought her mute. Others assumed she did speak, but not the same tongue. All but one of them, Tiruan, had given up and left. He would too if she lived long enough to see him off.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 12:29 pm
He'd never met anyone quite like Tanana before, any other creature he'd encountered had a little fire in their belly. Perhaps it was due to her weak state that she had lost that fire, but it was best that he didn't dwell on it. He was wasting time and by the looks of things, she didn't have much of it left. When he was satisfied that she was lying down again, he gave a nod and backed away a few steps.
"Thank you," he murmured. "I'll be right back, please don't move," he added and with that, he bounded away temporarily to seek water. He'd known from a young age that this was a priority, his mother had the good graces to explain this to him. Without the rain there was no harvest, without the harvest, there were no preybeasts. It was all very simple really and for this reason, he knew that he needed to get this first.
However there was one small hitch...
How was he meant to carry it back to her?
"All right Sol, get your thinking cap on," he murmured as he leapt over a number of fallen branches. "If you had to carry water, how would you do it?" he continued. He'd only been running for a few minutes, but he was fortunate in the sense that he had already known where water was... after all, he had slept by it the previous night. Now all he had to do was work out how to carry it!
Leaves, a giant flower?
He looked around for any type of inspiration.
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 9:25 am
Mto kept Ariza around for her big mouth, the very "fire" Tanana had none of. You never slacked off for long when she got her tiny talons into you. Plus, she was smart. Not once had she gotten in swatting range of a predator since she'd learned to fly, Mto included.
The water was refreshing and helped clear her head. She stayed in the shallow parts, and was cautious of her surroundings. When that mammoth lion appeared, she took to the trees.
With Mto soon to leave her to her own devices, Ariza was in the market for a new companion. She was not interested in a male, let alone such a huge one. They tended to be stupid, or bullies, or both. Goodness, she was not in the mood for the wailing of how many prey beasts it would take to fill up such a big belly.
It was obvious he was looking for food.
"Hey!" she squawked from the safety of her branch. "There's nothing for you to eat around here! Go on! Shoo!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:24 am
"There's nothing for you to eat around here!" The shrill voice immediately assaulted his ears and they gave a quiver. "Go on, Shoo!" The voice persisted and after a brief pause, the lion cast his gaze towards the tree where it seemed to have come from. Ariza wasn't immediately accounted for and it took him another pass of the canopy above his head to realise that he was not alone. He could surmise from the lack of other company that the bird was therefore the culprit.
"I wasn't after food," he replied smoothly, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to the water. He still hadn't found any inspiration and the least he needed at the moment was a distraction! He wasn't generally a rude individual, he preferred to demonstrate decent manners, but when time was of the essence they tended to fall to the wayside. "It's a bad time for me to hunt anyway," he concluded and pursed his lips, sweeping along the water's edge.
It was then that he had a flash of brilliance.
Floating in the middle of the water was a hollowed out log, admittedly it was too full of holes to be of any use to him but if he could find something almost untouched, he could punch a hole for his mouth and use the rest as a bucket. Aha, and this was why he was an architect and not a babysitter!
"Say, you haven't seen any logs like that have you?" he pointed towards the log and lifted a brow. "Only with less holes in it."
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:49 am
A lot of nosy tendencies resided in such a small body. Ariza hopped to the very end of the branch and leaned over to get a better look. What in the world, she wondered, would a lion need a log for?
"Of course I do," she replied indignantly.
The sound of feathers flapping against the wind would guide the lion's eyes to just what he was looking for. The log was washed up to his right, about four trees over. Vines had collapsed onto it, so really, she had no way to know for sure there were no holes until it was uncovered.
None the less, she haughtily directed him toward her find. "There's one right there. What use does a lion have with a log?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 12:21 am
She had a sharp tongue on her, he'd give her credit for that. Fortunately he was also tolerant towards such things and as a result, he didn't give rise to an attitude of his own. Instead, he merely followed her directions to the vine covered log and took the opportunity to swipe away the vines. On occasions he was given pause as he picked more delicately at where the vines had tangled around the long. If it was intact underneath it's blanket of greenery then he preferred to keep it that way!
However, when she asked for his reasons for collecting such an odd item, he did hesitate. The bird had already demonstrated a bit of a personality, and now she was prying for information. If she was a hostile individual then he wouldn't stand for it, nor would he expose the fallen lioness to the hostilities. Suffice to say that Tanana was too vulnerable and vultures (though this was no vulture) had a way of exploiting that.
"A sick lioness," he replied, electing to take his chances as he knocked the log to one side. It was at this point that he rolled it around with his paw to inspect it for any damage. "She needs water," he explained. Noting that no further details were required at this point, he then swept the log into his paw, tipped it on to its side and promptly set it down again. Once positioned correctly, he then balled his paw and smashed it through the top to create a 'handle'.
Satisfied with his handiwork, he knocked it back onto its side again with his nose and picked it up, approaching the water so that he could dunk it in a similar fashion to a bucket...
Hopefully it would hold the water.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 6:55 am
An illness? And he was bringing her water? Goodness, how noble. She had to give these lions credit: they took utmost care of their sick if they were able. How sad they were no match for a plague, and she had heard tale of many prides whose members were chased from their own homes by some nameless malediction. Not all were in the distant past, and the diseases... they appeared to be timeless anyway, like the Gods.
Ariza had known better than to waste her breath with effort to counsel her dear friend Mto when her son fell ill. The lioness would not have left her boy, and he had gotten so bad -- what with all the tremors and wailing, and other things she dare not mention again -- she had thought him destined to wipe out his entire family with some awful, contagious affliction. Dutifully she had stayed by their side.
Ariza would not die by the paws of a lion, but she would be alright should one give her a dreadful sickness that saw her to her last breath. What kind of monster turned away from the dying? Not her, that was for certain!
"My goodness, the poor thing." She hopped to a lower branch. Still well out of reach, but closer. "Is it the plague, dear? Have you lost your home? I can show you where the herds are if you need the direction. I've found more than one of you starved out here. Eaten by the vultures with no one to mourn them! Tragic is what it is. Simply tragic."
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 7:26 am
Solomon was speechless and it wasn't just because he had a tree branch in his mouth. The bird had obviously painted some sort of picture regarding his circumstances that were completely inaccurate. Perhaps she had encountered more of her fair share of individuals in that position, but he certainly wasn't one of them. A vision of health, if he were unwell then it would come as a complete and utter surprise to him as well. It should have come at no surprise that his eyebrow lifted at her questions and after she'd asked the last one, he elected to reply.
Setting the now water filled 'log' on the ground for an instant, he release a soft sigh and a haphazard smile. "The lioness does not have the plague," he responded smoothly. "But she is very malnourished, whether that is by choice or circumstances beyond her control, I have no idea," he continued and tilted his head to the side. "I can assure you that my pride are in good spirits, as for her's, I have no idea. I just found her," he finished.
Satisfied with his reply, he then swept the log back into his mouth and padded away from the curious bird. He could only spare that amount of time to discuss the issue with her and now that he had the water he required, he needed to get back to Tanana. It wasn't that he wished to be rude, he was just acutely aware of the time...
With that in mind, he made note to be swift on his paws, even if running was now off the table.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 7:55 am
Tanana had made it five tremulous, yet persistent steps while Solomon was away. One for every brother and sister she'd lost. She had been born weakest in some ways and strongest in others. A lesser lion would not have made it so far. But spirit alone did not nourish a body.
Fate or luck, whichever decided who was born a slave and who was not, must have felt some mercy was in order for once. She was blessed with a number of hiding places, and none better than the collapsed tree she wiggled under. Struck by lightning, probably, and toppled onto another perhaps felled by the same thing. Vines, leaves, and sticks made up the roof. It didn't look much like a fort until it had two blue eyes peering out from it.
There was no running, no hiding, but she would wait him out. That she could do.
Ariza could not follow her scent like Solomon and, from her vantage point in the trees, she couldn't see where the little lioness had hidden. She didn't think Solomon rude, just ignorant, maybe. If he had just met her, and his pride was thriving, how did he know whether or not she had the plague? Had he seen a lion stricken with it? (Not that she had, but she had heard things, oh yes she had.)
She best decide for herself just what was going on around here.
"There's no one here, dear. Are you certain this was the way?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 8:38 am
Ariza was a persistent creature and evidently she had no intention of leaving him alone, not unless her curiosity was satisfied. He cast a side long glance to the bird as she fielded her question. Granted, the lioness had moved from her spot and in doing so she had broken her promise, however this didn't mean she would have gone far. She was too weak and as he had witnessed this himself he knew for certain that she would be nearby. If he could have grimaced at the avian he would have done so, but instead he simply cast his gaze skywards briefly.
A little moment later he flared his nostrils and sought out the signs he required to locate his wayward patient. Her scent was still nearby, though it had moved a little and as for the ground beneath him - lifting a paw, he noted that there were a number of scuffs from struggling paws. Hm, well she was tenacious, he would give her that...
He did afford a brief sigh through his parted lips and wandered a few more steps towards her former location. A brief glance left, another right... he didn't notice where she hadn't gone at first and then he saw them. Two gleaming blue eyes peered out from it, watching and wary as they had been before. His expression became as dubious as was possible while his mouth was full and with a small 'huff' of breath, he made a very minor detour and headed towards her.
Five steps forward.
The 'bucket' was hen placed nearby and he took five steps back again.
Better to provide her with the personal space she needed, otherwise she probably wouldn't take advantage of the offering.
"I don't forget directions that easily," he said with a mild smile towards Ariza. "If I did, I'd never be able to go home," he pointed out and tilted his head to the side. "However if you're so curious, why don't you say hello to the lioness yourself?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 9:24 am
Five of her steps barely equaled a single leap to a lion his size, Tanana reasoned. She resolutely stayed in place, eyes wide open, as if the mere act of blinking put her at risk to be maimed. The water was so tempting, but -- no. No, she had to stay. It didn't matter whether it was a trick or a good deed. She only wanted to be left alone, and now he had brought someone else here.
"I stay out of reach of you lions, dear," Ariza confessed, but she just couldn't resist getting a little closer and glided down to a lower branch.
It took all but hanging upside down to get a look at Tanana. From what could Ariza could tell, this was a young lioness. No wonder she was being so ornery! Mto as an adolescence had always found something to cavil at whenever Ariza uttered a word. There was no pleasing the youth, not with predators or prey. Their bad attitudes were universal.
"She doesn't seem keen on speaking to either of us," said Ariza. "Do you know her name?"
It was Tanana that answered, but not directly. From beneath the tree came the most heartbreaking voice the busybody bird had ever had the displeasure to hear. It made her thirsty to listen to, and sad.
"Go away," Tanana pleaded. "Just leave --" She stopped to cough, but recovered right where she left off. "Just leave me alone... Please."
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