|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:37 am
 Her crimson eyes turned toward the sky, Busara was lost deep in her thoughts as she walked next to her daughter. She couldn't believe how big her little cubs had all gotten, they were almost grown. Her sons and other two daughters had decided to find their own paths in life after the downfall of their home.
Busara wasn't entirely sure what had happened. All that she knew was that one day, everything was fine and she was living happily within the pride with her cubs. It seemed that the next moment had the pride wrought with troubles.
Everything was going downhill and the members didn't know what was happening or what to do about it. In the end, the pride fell and all the lions were forced to abandon their home in fear of falling with it.
Fortunately for Busara, by the time she'd left her cubs had grown old enough to make their own decisions and care for themselves out in the rogue lands. She still worried for them, but her worry lessened when she saw the capabilities of the one daughter the had accompanied her. Nabila trotted peacefully by her mother without much of a care. Even though the dismantling of her birth home had occurred, she was excited to see where they were going to next. Nabila had never been outside of the pride before, except for when her mother had taken them out to learn to hunt when they were younger.
Traveling in the rogue lands was exciting for the young lioness and it fed her sense of adventure and curiosity. Though she couldn't deny the longing that she felt for her absent siblings, she wanted them to lead eventful and exciting lives of their own as well. She had loved the time that they had all spent together, but their lives were only just beginning.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 4:06 pm
Now, however, she was alone again. A dawnwalker who did not know her own pride had disbanded, because she had not been back in a long while. The gods, if they were real or as the Dawnwalkers had imagined them, shined well on the young lioness. While she was hardly ever full, she certainly had not starved.
The luck had given her a sort of carefree mind. The rogue lands had yet to lose their newness. The more she traveled, the more amazed and overwhelmed her mind became. The trick, she'd found, was to be as friendly as possible. Even killers would think twice if their victims pointed them out, and gave them a face.
Then, it could be argued, A'nna had yet to notice a lion such as the Stormborn. She had been smart enough to stick to the friendlier prides. There were some places you just didn't go.
When she saw the mother and daughter, she breathed a sigh of relief. A'nna had smelled the scent of lion from a distance, but the mixing stormy winds had made an exact location hard to pinpoint. The last thing she needed was a pack of bachelors looking at her the wrong way. So far, she'd imagined to escape. But, they did say she had charm.
"Hi there," she called out to the female and a younger lioness. One could say that charm was working now. "Are you traveling the long path as well?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 9:31 pm
Walking as she was now reminded her more than ever of the time that she spent in the deserts, wandering for long periods of time as a lioness who wasn't quite an adult. After leaving her parents' home, it was all she knew how to do. Her entire reasoning for joining the Ongozana'Ke was to have a safe and stable home where she could have cubs, which she did. Although, now she simply missed the companionship that she'd shared with the other members of the pride. Busara feared being alone again, but having her growing daughter at her side comforted her at least.
The silver lioness sincerely hoped that she was leading Nabila in the right direction and not into trouble. She had never spent much time in the lands that didn't encompass the stretch of the deserts. Nevertheless, they had to keep going. They couldn't stay where their home once stood, there would be no making a life there now. Busara was shaken out of her reverie when Nabila pointed out to her that there was someone approaching in the distance.
When Busara saw the figure of a lioness, she was not immediately concerned, though she knew that looks could be deceiving. She was pleased when the lioness spoke in a friendly manner, as she was not in the mood for any confrontations.
"Hello, why yes, we are," she greeted her in a pleasant tone before sighing out, "and a long one it is indeed." Perhaps she was getting ahead of herself, but the lioness before her did not seem at all like a threat, so Busara began to let her guard down as she spoke. For reasons that she would never admit to herself, she felt the urge to introduce herself to this lioness. "Um, I'm Busara, and I'm traveling with my daughter," she said, attempting to sound casual.
Nabila's mind was beginning to drift off into the possibilities of finding something to eat around here. Having been born and raised within the confining borders of a pride, the young lioness had never walked and traveled so much in her life. She'd never had to find someplace to sleep each night and rely on herself for everything everyday. Needless to say, it was beginning to wear on her. As she opened her mouth to complain to her mother, she spotted a form in the distance that was apparently heading their way. Instead of a complaint, a warning escaped her voice, "Mom, there's someone heading toward us."
As they drew nearer, a sudden childish shyness came over Nabila, and she decided to drop back and let her mother do the talking with this one. She would simply watch and listen, she rationalized.
"Nabila," she introduced herself, nodding curtly before looking away, feigning disinterest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:50 pm
A'nna was all smiles. The friendly response made her dip her head slightly and her tail swooped, relaxed behind her.
"Ah," A'nna said, moving her eyes to the aforementioned daughter. The feigned disinterest only made her smile all the more. "If my mother were traveling, I would go with her, too," she told her.
The young lioness' eyes returned to the youthful mother. Rogues had children at such young ages these days. How did they provide for them? So many starved, she'd seen cubs abandoned. It was no beautiful life outside of the Dawnwalkers.
"I'm A'nna," she explained. The lioness let her eyes wander without so much of a look of shame. "I think I smell damp earth nearby. I could use some water." With a shrug of her shoulders, she added, "And some help finding it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:30 pm
Busara glanced back at Nabila, and began to wonder about the girl's behavior until she witnessed the smile spread across her new acquaintance's face. Busara took a moment to gaze at the lioness and she couldn't help but notice the sky blue eyes on her youthful face. Before Busara was caught staring, she quickly stated, "She is the only one that I have left. The rest are on there own now."
"It is nice to meet you A'nna. I would love to get water right now if you think there's some around here. I'm sure it'd be easier if we all looked together," Busara agreed and began to walk in the direction of the water the A'nna had detected. Eventually Busara glanced at her and asked, "Where are you traveling to? If you don't mind me asking?"Nabila watched the lioness out of the corner of her eye and noticed the way her eyes roamed explicitly across her mother. The girl's eyes narrowed considerably. Nabila's ears perked up at the sound of water. She was more than exhausted from traveling for days on end. Still, she decided that she would keep an eye on this A'nna for the time being. So, she simply followed the two to where they could hopefully find something to drink around here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 7:30 am
If A'nna noticed Busara's lingering stare, it was only met with friendliness. The earthy, champagne lioness had no trouble meeting such a gaze, and even less trouble returning it.
"It's nice to meet you, too," she answered, automatically adding a subtle wink to the gesture. "
"Oh, you know, here and there." There was a brief bob of her head as she briefly shifted her attention to the lands beyond them. "I, uh," a momentarily sheepish glance to the ground. "Don't have a destination in mind, really."
A'nna tipped her nose into the air, and sniffed out that damp, earthy smell. It was possible they would need to dig. The water would be muddy, gritty in her teeth, and A'nna couldn't help but be put off by the idea. Still, it was water, and she needed to stay hydrated. If she started to get thirsty, she was heading towards dangerous territory.
"Where are you and your daughter headed?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 12:34 pm
"Oh? No destination, huh?," Busara responded and chuckled softly, "That's sounds a lot like my life before I had cubs. I originally came from the desert, and to be honest I don't really know my way around here." As she spoke, Busara kept her senses alert for nearby sources of water. The scent of it seemed rather distant, but she was sure that they could manage to find it, even if they had to put in their effort to do so. The memories that Busara held of her time wandering the desert floor were excellent in times of need. Thus far, the lioness had not experienced a harsher place, so traveling along the lands was a relatively simple task for her.
When A'nna asked about her own journey, Busara began to speak while deep in thought, "Well, we don't exactly know where we're going, but we are hopefully traveling toward a new home for ourselves. You see, our home, our pride, the Ongozana'Ke fell apart a while ago, and it had forced us to move on," Busara frowned a moment she felt the sadness of losing her first home as an adult," I've heard about a pride similar to our own, one that is ruled by females. So, I was hoping that we would be able to find it somewhere along this path, and maybe if we do, we can live there and have a new home." Nabila was beginning to wonder where exactly this alleged water was supposed to be. She was getting more and more thirsty as she thought about it. She lifted her nose and sniffed here and there, practicing her survival abilities. Sighing as she heard her mother go on about the tale of how they came to be here, she wondered why her mother was being so friendly and social with this female. As far as she knew, her mother was a loner, and she largely avoided interacting with others in the rogue lands. Nabila could help the bloom of curiosity that had manifested in her mind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:36 am
A'nna laughed lightly at Busira's comment, but there was obvious discomfort in the way it left her throat. Her tongue pressed against her teeth, and she rolled it in her mouth as if debating something more. No, she did not want cubs. Not that she minded their scrawny bodies and cute noses, but unless the gods blessed her with a pregnancy, there would never be a father to her children.
"Be careful in areas where scent travels," A'nna warned. "The rogues can be desperate." Beyond desperate. She had her kills stolen a number of times, which was both frustrating and terrifying. Now and then, she could convince them to share with her charm, but mostly those kills were hoarded off and A'nna ran, not wishing to be injured in a confrontation. "If they smell a kill, many will fight you for it."
A'nna could defend herself reasonably, but she was no fighter, and she was certainly not a killer. It was much safer to run.
"I've never heard of such a place," A'nna admitted, her eyes glancing back to Nabila, then once more to her mother. "Female leaders?" A'nna's ears began to perk. "Really?" Though she had been gone for a while, A'nna had not ventured far from the Dawnwalkers. The comfort of returning home kept her grounded to the regions she knew better. Slowly, she'd make her traveling arc bigger. The only prides she had met, and certainly the rogue lands, were dominated by male presence.
"I've never heard of such a thing." It seemed weird, like a legend made just for her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:07 pm
Busara thought that she was beginning to like this lioness. Even though she was able to tolerate males enough to have cubs for herself, she definitely preferred the company of the fairer sex. For her, males were largely functional for breeding purposes, and that was the only time she sought them out. "I definitely will," she replied concerning the dangers of traveling and living in the rogue lands.
Even though there tended to be a higher density of wandering rogues in this part of the rogue lands than in the deserts, Busara was confidant that she would be able to fend off most potential threats. For she new that the ones that would attack her where simply attempting to make a living for themselves in an unforgiving place in their world. Especially since she had her daughter's life to worry over, she was more than capable of any amount of violence to protect her child.
"Yes!," Busara answered with excitement in her voice, "Our home that fell apart was also lead by lionesses. It was so wonderful to live in a place where you are not pressured or expected to behave a certain way or live according to the laws of males or punished for not doing so. Females and males lived peacefully with one another without strife or expectations. Females were kind and generous toward one another and were taught to work together. Things like jealousy and petty fighting simply did not exist there," she said wistfully in remembrance. Then she began hesitantly, "I hope....I hope that the pride we're heading toward is anything like our old home. That would be enough for me."Nabila was getting quite sick and tired of these two babbling on and making no effort to find the freakin water that they were supposedly after. So, Nabila decided to take things in her own paws. She jutted out from her spot behind her mother and began sniffing the air and ground with vigor. It was nearby, but hidden, it was strange. It was so close that Nabila was certain that she could find it.
With her nose to the ground, she was looking more like a wild dog than a young lioness. As they walked forward, the scent grew stronger. It only took them long enough to pass by a dozen or so more trees before Nabila finally spotted a small puddle in the dirt. "Ah ha!," she exclaimed before sinking her paws in the dirt and digging up the pool of water that lie beneath the earth. "I found the water," she announced proudly and beckoned her mother and A'nna toward the pool of water in the ground.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:20 pm
It was beginning to sound more and more like a dream. No fighting, no petty disagreements? It was almost too good. Could female leaders really do all that? A'nna had known many jealous lionesses. Her mouth firmed and twitched at its corners.
"I don't mind males," she began to correct. "Well, not all of them." They helped to feed her crave for attention, and many were nice enough. "I just don't--" she began, before Nibala's voice sharply cut her off.
A'nna broke into a jog to catch up to Nibala. Indeed, she'd found moisture beneath the earth. The reddish lioness licked her dirty teeth and nodded. "So you did!"
"Could you help me dig it larger?" If they could dig a large enough hole, the sediment would sink to the bottom after a few moments of waiting. It wouldn't taste great, but it would be better than a mouthful of grit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 3:53 pm
"They're not so bad, its just that, so many mothers and fathers feel that they should coddle and weaken their daughters and treat their sons like adults before they're even weaned! All children shoo--," Busara paused in her impending tirade about the social discrepancies in child rearing when she heard her daughter's voice. She fought back a blush when she realized that she'd completely forgotten the reason for their joined stroll.
"Of course, good job Nabila!," Busara said proudly as she walked toward the two of them. Well, at least she knew that her other children will be able to survive and not starve on their own. Sinking her paws into the dirt, she helped to dig a larger hole. Once the three of them deemed the hole to be big enough, they waited for the sediment to settle.
Looking to A'nna, Busara smiled and cleared her throat, "Thank you for helping us find water. I'm glad I ran into you."Nabila began digging without any further prompting. As she scooped the earth away, she could see the pool slowly widening. Her excitement grew at the prospect of getting water, dirty as it might be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 6:10 am
Busara was certainly a spitfire about her belief system, A'nna had to give her that. The female's rant made her laugh, gently, as though she were pleased by the lioness' adamance.
Between the three of them, the hole was widened in no time at all. It sat there, a pool of murk, and A'nna examined it, a rumble in her gut. Hopefully, she'd find something better than this soon.
The lioness sat back on her haunches to relax, before nodding at Busara. "Of course." The bright smile she gave her said she thought it was nothing. "Girls have to stick together out here, right?"
A'nna fully intended to stick around for a while. She felt welcomed, and the extra pair of claws and teeth might just score her a good, hearty meal. The idea of wildebeest certainly made her mouth water!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
