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 Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:03 pm
Finally. Finally he'd found them. He was a little ragged and foot-sore for having done so, but now at last he shared a pride with his family. Granted, they weren't in the same clan as he, but that mattered little to the wayward Ghostie male. No, he corrected himself, he wasn't a ghost any more. He was one of the large and very respected Ela. The thought made him hold his head higher.
But now to learn more about his new pride, his new family. Having traveled as much as he had since the old pride had disbanded, the idea of not having any set den and territory didn't bother him one bit. He had learned his lesson, home was not the den you were born in. Home was where the ones you loved were. Padding into the camp for the Wolf Clan, he looked all about him with great interest, his red eyes taking it all in. One of the first thoughts to drift through his mind was that he needed to manage some tattoos! He was more naked than the newborn cubs he saw tottling around!
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:20 pm
The young lioness lazily pulled herself from her den, a look of dejection and sorrow all over her face. She was bored out of her mind, and she didn't care who knew it! She'd been to so many dens today, looking for someone to talk to or hang out with. But with each new den she came across, she was met with rejection of some sort or another. So in a fit of upset she'd curled into her own den and tried to take a nap. But her energy level was far too high! It had been a couple of days since she'd been down to see Turu, and that meant she had sooo much extra energy to burn. Just standing here outside her den, she could feel the muscles in her legs yearning to be stretched.
Looking around, she knew this was neither the time, nor the place to go for a run. But something caught her eye to replace those thoughts.
A male, smoky grey in color ... and the most startling red eyes she'd ever seen. Tilting her head curiously, she lifted her paws and begin to approach him.
"Hey you! Who are ya? I don't think i've ever seen you here before!?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:33 pm
Sahak turned to see... well, leg stripes approaching! He peered at the odd looking female closely. She wasn't like most of the others, who clearly had been born here and tattooed from birth. No, she was from somewhere else, like him. "You would be right, you haven't seen me before," he replied amiably. "I'm Sahak, and I just was accepted into the clan." He tipped his head to the side, which sent his black mane rakishly over his bright red eyes. "You aren't from here either, though, are you?"
He spoke as if it was a sly and educated guess, despite the fact that it was as plain as the nose on her face. His previously sober and anxious outlook on life had mellowed and altered to be more jovial and happy, despite the challenges he'd faced in the roguelands.
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:43 pm
Xerxes' paws began to pad on the ground with excitement. She'd been right, she loved being right! It meant her intuitive nature was working as intended, though it wasn't really hard to tell he wasn't from here ... the same as it wasn't hard to tell she wasn't.. Tattoos were a major part of the Ela culture, and so far she'd been unable to obtain some of her own.
"I KNEW IT!"
She yelped happily, side tracking off of her own thoughts and bouncing around on her front paws. "Sahak huh? I'm Xerxes, and I was just accepted recently too! But I guess i've been here a little longer than you since I know i've never seen you!" Xerxes tried to stifle her giggles, but they just kept slipping through. Or at least they were until he asked about her own residence. Her ears drooped down and her feet ceased their prancing.
"Its the tattoos isn't it? I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN SOME BY NOW! Man, I guess it is that obvious."
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:55 pm
Sahak watched and listened to the exuberant lioness with amusement. She seemed very young to him, though he couldn't pin down whether it was because he'd matured so much recently, or whether she really was just young. He supposed it was also possible that this simply was her personality. He continued to watch her with interest, finding it intriguing to not know what she'd say or do next.
He didn't mind her loudness, nor her energy. He took it with aplomb, letting it all roll over him like water off a duck's back. He'd learned enough about Ela to know that it wasn't a combatative, angry sort of pride (as if his parents would ever have moved to such a place!), so he wasn't concerned. If she wanted to bounce, shout, wiggle, dance, or exclaim, she was welcome to it.
"Yes, I was feeling rather plain just now, seeing all these tattoos," he agreed with her in general. "I am hoping to get some tattoos as well." He gave her an inquiring look, ears perked forward. "Do you know who we could ask, so that we could blend in a little better?" He let it become a 'we' thing, since they shared out-pride blood. Even if they didn't go together, it was still kinda a commonality. "I thought you might know, since you've been here longer," he explained, hoping to please her with the honor accorded with being a member longer.
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:16 pm
Xerxes' posture quickly relaxed with Sahak's words. She was glad to be with someone who was equally as out of place as she was, even if she had allowed such knowledge to slip their hew paws before. "Hey I am too!" Immediately her voice picked up again, and her tail began to flick in anticipation.
With Sahak's introduction of the 'we' Xerxes felt an odd connection with him. Almost as though the two were two peas in a pod! Which technically they were, but she wasn't one for technicalities. "Well from what I can gather there are these older lions called nvwati and alu'nadi who live higher up on the mountain. Apparently they are really difficult to reach, and sometimes you make it up there, and they aren't even home. I want to go try and find them for myself ... but I get nervous just thinking about it!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:22 pm
His brows raised as she described them. This was indeed information he had not heard yet, and it wasn't exactly the most encouraging news either. Hmm. Well, regardless, it wasn't as if he was in any rush, nor was he going anywhere. This was home now, tattoos or no. "I wouldn't blame you for being nervous," he assured her. "Climbing mountains isn't for everyone, even if it is within the safe boundaries of the pride." He gave her a sympathizing smile, continuing to play to her exuberance. He wasn't mocking or making fun, but he also wasn't entirely treating her as he normally would treat a peer. Her youthfulness was bringing out a gentle and accommodating manner.
"You know, since we both need them," he began, his tone almost cajoling, "we could always go together up the mountain?" He tipped his head towards the looming peaks to give his suggestion more validity. "That way, we can tackle whatever hardships there are as a team." He himself wasn't terribly worried about it. Not that he'd climbed mountains as yet, but he was used to them. Plus, he was no slouch defending himself, should the danger be physical. "That way neither of us feels alone or afraid," he added ruminatively, as if he was considering his own vulnerability, rather than his capability of doing it alone.
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:42 pm
Xerxes wanted to interject his speech badly, but she was well versed in minding her manners. If there was one thing she was good at, that was it. But finally he finished his explanation and she spoke up, though she was careful to wait a bit to ensure he was finished.
"I don't know if it's the mountains that are making me nervous, or if its making it up there only to find they aren't home." Xerxes tilted her head as she finished her sentence. They sounded really weird. She wasn't worried about the danger ... but the punctuality of her visit. Yeah, she was definitely strange. As she stood there debating the logic behind her comment, Sahak took the time to continue speaking. His words intrigued her, and she kept her ears wide open in response.
"Hey, that's a great idea Sahak! With the two of us watching on another's backs - we'd be unstoppable wouldn't we?!" Again her childish grin returned, and with it came a gleam in her eyes. "But what happens if we get all the way up there ... and no one is home?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:47 pm
He shrugged with a laugh at her question, undaunted by her enthusiasm for his suggestion or her worry about them not being there. "If they aren't there, either we wait, or we come back and try another time." He smiled and raised his brows at her. "I'm not planning on being anywhere else than the pride for a long, long while. Have you got plans that keep you from trying again another time?" He eyed her often-shifting paws with amusement. If anything, she appeared to need the extra exercise to get her energy out!
"Besides, additional visits to the mountain might give me an excuse to visit my parents," he added with a great deal more warmth in his voice. He knew the clans didn't often mix, which was fine... he was a big boy, after all. But the idea of finding an excuse to drop by to say hello was something he savored, family-oriented as he was.
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:54 pm
Xerxes could do nothing more than balk at Sahak's comment. Of course she had nothing better to do than get her tattoos! It had only been her goal since coming here, to finally scale the mountain and obtain a set for herself. She often wondered what types of tattoos she would receive. She'd learned by now, that each lion's tattoos was a story of their own life. Thinking back on her own, she found it hard to believe someone would be able to turn that story into such an intricate and delightful art form.
"Of course I have nothing better to do! As long as you're willing to be my bodyguard, i'm willing to be your's!" She nodded matter of factly and stamped her paws on the ground. "But lets hope we don't have to make that many trips OK?" With a sheepish grin, she flipped her head to the side, effectively brushing the mane from her face.
That's when she realized she'd stuck her paw, right in her own mouth.
"Well in that case, I say we take as long as we need! Its always good to stop in on family, especially when they're very close."
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:02 pm
Sahak gave a great belly laugh at her bold statement. Bodyguards to each other, eh? He grinned fondly at her, already becoming quite genuinely affectionate towards her. She was an odd one, granted, but her spirit was so bright and cheerful, she was impossible not to like. "Yes," he agreed amiably, "we can watch each other's backs." He stifled another laugh as she became abashed at her request for not many visits. "No no, I agree," he chuckled. "I don't plan on spending all my time heading for the mountain or visiting my family," he grinned. "I love them, but if I'd wanted to be in their clan, I probably could have requested that." No, it was much better being out on his own. He was still looking for how he was supposed to fit in the world, after all. Hard to do that with mom and dad peering over your shoulder!
"For now, though, I think I'd like to find a den and a good meal," he gave a great sigh, gazing around him in appreciation once more. It was a beautiful place, with the mountains soaring nearby, everything alive and thriving. A very good place to call home. "Here, why don't you show me the empty dens and how to tell them from the occupied ones, hmm?" As if assuming she'd go along, he sauntered off, ready and willing to have her chatter excitedly to him as they walked. In fact... he realized with pleasure that he'd made a friend. It felt good. Home, family, and a friend. Life was very good.
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