[PRP] Let Your Voice be Heard (Taji x Kumbo)

[SilverLutz]

The sun rose over the horizon, waves of heat rolling along the plains. Creatures stirred and hunkered down to sleep as daylight swept along the ground, making the birds chirp and bugs begin to fly. One more creature rose from his den, jaws open in a growly yawn. Those who didn't know him might find the lion intimidating, but to those who did...

Taji licked his lips and hopped out of his den, moving at a quick trot to the watering hole not far from where he slept. He hummed softly, tail flicking back and forth as he counted the paces in his head. He stopped by the waters edge with a grin. Forty six paces! That was two better than yesterday. His strides were getting longer ever since he started practicing. As the player overseer his training time had gone down and he had even put on a few pounds. In his days a player he had been fit and powerful, but now that his duties were more political in nature, he found himself sliding out of shape.

Determined to stay fit - he wasn't that old, after all! - he decided to incorporate little work-outs in his daily activities. Jogging to the water hole had started a few weeks ago and already he was increasing his time and not finding himself out of breath. He took a long drink as a reward, glad he was making progress.

Lt Gnatty-Bug

 

[Lt Gnatty-Bug]

Kumbo's tail twitched as the sun crept onto it, warming it after the long night. It was quickly followed by an ear twitching as the soothing sounds of insects in the night gave way to the chirping of birds. His ear twitched again, when the twittering songs would simply not go away. He hated birds, but as much as he tried to fight their chipper call in the mornings, to ignore their perky chant, he could not.
He cracked open an eye, resigning himself to the fact that yes, the sun was rising, and the birds had every right to be twittering on about it. It does not mean he had to be happy about it.

With a deep yawn, Kumbo finally stood up - and promptly indulged in a deep stretch, or two. Maybe he was not the most athletic of the lions around these parts, but it still felt good. He smiled to himself, he actually did get a nice night's rest, and it was still golden out. If he jogged, he may be able to make it to the waterhole before many others showed up. It was not that he didn't like being around people, its just he did not like being the center of attention, and anyone new arriving at the hole was always the center of attention.

After another deep stretch he started on a slow and steady jogging pace. He was never going to win any awards, but it sure felt good to have a cool breeze in his mane. The best perk of jogging though was the fact that he could politely ignore anyone (or bird) that tried to chat with him on his way. They could squawk their obnoxious hellos and he could just keep padding along past them, pretending to of completely missed it. After all, it was the bird's fault he was awake in the first place.

It did not take long to reach his destination. He was smart enough to slow down to a quick walk before finally stopping at the bank; more than once he had seen other slip in the mud and go crashing into the water. The slower pace gave him time to take in his surroundings before approaching the shore. Kumbo whimped to himself, just a little bit; despite the early hour, he wasn't alone. Inhaling a deep breath, he crept out of the brush surrounding the shore, making himself as small as possible in hopes of not being noticed.

((HA! After my computer deleting nearly-finished posts twice I HAVE FINALLY REPLIED! *Still FAILS*))

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Taji lifted his head from the pond with a content sigh, his fur dripping wet with water. Shaking his head just a bit, he lifted a paw to lick and clean up his face. It was still early so it wasn't quite time for a swim to cool off, and he did need to keep himself presentable since he co-ran the lands with Howa, the brown cheetah. She had been rather busy as of late, though, seeing to her growing cubs, so most of the responsibility had fallen to him. It was a good time for that to happen, though, since there was a lull in the normal excitement of the pride as it was between Kikombe seasons.

A noise alerted Taji to the fact that he wasn't alone. Lifting his head, he glanced around the pond until he spotted a lion slinking off. Tilting his head, Taji stood and squinted to get a better view. The lion blended in well with the brown surrounding the pond, and after a few moments of staring he laughed.

"Kumbo!" he called out, waving a paw at the shy male. He hadn't spoken much with the other lion before, but he took it upon himself to remember everyone's name and their face to go with it. "Kumbo, good morning!"

Lt Gnatty-Bug

 

[Lt Gnatty-Bug]

Kumbo’s mane, for lack of a better word, completely fluffed at the sudden jolt. He winced, so much for going unnoticed, and glanced up to actually see who his company was for the morning. It was Taji, with a friendly wave that only served to have Kumbo fail at smiling back, knowing it was coming off more as a grimace, with water dripping down his chin. He recognized the older lion from the games he would watch as a cub, and was aware enough of his reputation well enough to know he had taken on the title of Player Overseer in his later years. Kumbo still remembers the first time he official met him; he was a little star struck and even more silent than normal, even getting out his own name had been a challenge that day. It just added another level of surprise that Taji actually remembered him, and by name at that, not as ‘that weird practically silent lion.’

Kumbo was still crouched with his head hovering over the edge of the water, little droplets still running off his chin. He decided this was not much better than the first time they had met. He pulled back from the shore, standing up straight and wiping the remaining water off with the back of his paw. The younger lion put on the best smile he could muster; it was still pretty weak, but far better than the slight baring of teeth he had done before. He was going to make a better impression today, even if he had to fake it. “Good morning,” was his simple response, but he said it strongly, and maybe a bit too loud if all the fluttering birds were any indication.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Taji tilted his head just a bit as Kumbo remained crouched by the water. Perhaps he had startled him? It came back slowly that the lion was a bit of a nervous Nelly, and he chuckled quietly at the look of fear on his face. The poor thing...perhaps he just wasn't a morning lion on top of all that. He was glad to see Kumbo gathered his courage and spoke up, making the older lion's ears press back in surprise.

He laughed again as the loud voice died away, sending a few flocks of birds with it. They weren't on opposite sides of the pond, but they were certainly a decent distance from one another. "My goodness, you've got some powerful pipes," he called back, his own voice loud by nature. Kumbo, however, had been a different kind of loud. Taji had never sent birds fluttering before. They usually cawed back at him.

"How have you been?" he asked as he got up to move closer to Kumbo. "I haven't seen you since...you were still growing into your mane, I think!"

Lt Gnatty-Bug

 

[Lt Gnatty-Bug]

Kumbo did not expect to be quite that loud. But fewer birds made him happy. He blushed anyway, it may not be in his personality to be loud, but he had learned from watching the games as a cub that he could drown out a crowd when he wanted to. What struck the younger lion as odd was that Taji was smiling at him, like he had done something right. He cocked his head to the side, considering this for a moment. He scared birds away, for anyone who did not hate the winged creatures, what is the benefit of that?

Taji approaching, but at the same time not rushing right to Kumbo’s side either. He could not of been more grateful, and therefore he closed the distance himself. He opened his mouth, about to give a generic response, and then shut it. He was doing things differently today, wasn’t he? He was being loud, and with confidence! “I actually am still getting settled here, what with growing out of my old pride. Its nice though! I just haven’t really found a place yet…” He had let his facade slip a bit, his eyes wandering off over the water, but he still stood talk, and spoke clearly, and brought his focus back to Taji when he was finished. It was definitely something different for him; it only made his skin crawl a little bit.  

[SilverLutz]

Kumbo met Taji around the halfway mark, making the older lion smile. He knew the other lion was a bit skittish, which was why the loud, confident voice had surprised him. "Still getting settled? Really?" he said as they both stopped walking. He moved to get another drink, still feeling a bit thirsty. Licking his lips as he lifted his head, Taji grinned at the mustache-marked lion.

"With a voice like that you should fit in wonderfully as an announcer. I know you're not the most outgoing fellow, but boy...that voice! It carried clear over the lake! I bet you could call a match easily," he said with a little nod. "You know the rules, don't you? And have seen a few games...announcing is, at its core, very easy. You just say what you see! For instance..."

He peered out over the lake and grinned as he saw two birds coming in for a landing. "Try this...announce the birds as they land in the water. Pay attention to detail and give it a shot."

Lt Gnatty-Bug

 

[Lt Gnatty-Bug]

Taji was smiling and Kumbo had no idea what to do with that. People normally gave him looks of pity, not genuine happy faces. This was all very new or him; perhaps he should just embrace it. Except now the older lion was going to get a drink – should Kumbo get one too? He was about to move forward, but while he was overthinking everything, Taji had already finished.

Kumbo could feel his eyes widening, probably to the size of elephant feet. Him? An announcer? Sure, he had played at it as a cub, but to actually speak in front of a real crowd was such a ridiculous idea. And Taji wanted him to try; it took a lot more than a loud voice to make a good announcer. The younger lion nodded vacantly, of course he knew the rules, but he was not outgoing enough to actually dictate the matches. Already the younger lion’s tail was wrapping around his legs and he was starting to crouch down, make himself small.

Except, then Taji gave him a specific task: the birds on the water – why did it have to be bird? But it still gave him something precise to focus on. Kumbo licked his lips, pulled himself upright again, and took a deep breath as he watched each bird take a turn landing. He remembers the games as a cub, all the commotion and how the announcers could so clearly pick out the details. He let himself focus on the next birds heading in for a landing, a small group of yellow billed storks. “The storks are coming in, looking strong as the group is balancing on the shifting winds- and oh! First one is down, fluffing its feathers with success- and another one! Perfect grace, no need to adjust, just sitting right into the water. But this last one, seems like they might not be paying attention, looks like they may be coming it a bit too fast and BOOM! There is the crash! Splashing right over the rest of the flock. Poor guy has a long way to recover from such a devastating tumble!” Kumbo gulped; the whole thing was silly. He must of sounded like a kid playing. He was terrified of what Taji would think, and there was no possible way he would turn around and look full on at him.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Taji gave Kumbo an encouraging smile. Everyone had a place in this pride and, while some sort of fell back on the spectator roll, he had the feeling that this timid lion was cut from a different kind of cloth. Once he started to announce the birds coming in for their landing, he knew he was right. The tone of Kumbo's voice, the inflection, the way the volume went up and down...it was perfect!

He roared with laughter as the final bird managed a sloppy landing and he reached out, clapping his paw against Kumbo's back. "That's fantastic!" he said with a grin as he calmed down a bit, his eyes sparkling with delight. "You just made a very, very ordinary thing extraordinary! You, my brother, have a wonderful gift. You captured my attention and held it, and had me on the edge of my toes for that last bird. Ah..."

He lifted his paw to wipe at a few tears of mirth that had leaked from his eyes after the last bird had botched his landing. "Kumbo. You certainly have a place here. You could be the finest announcer the lands have ever seen! You're a natural."

Lt Gnatty-Bug

 

[Lt Gnatty-Bug]

Kumbo had no idea how to react when Taji’s paw landed on his shoulder. It was so fatherly, and natural, and all he could do was stand there staring at the water like an idiot. But his ears perked up; his head was still down, but he was definitely turning to look up at Taji again. “You really think so?” He tail flicked back and forth with excitement. “I… I remember the games, and the announcers were always so…” He paused, considering his word choice, “Outgoing.”

The nervousness was setting back in; Kumbo’s tail was twitching as it tried to wrap around his hind legs again, “I guess I could try a few games… If you really think I’m that good?” He was trying very poorly to hide his distress. Deep breathes, and it would all be fine. So long as he could get himself into the right headspace, he could probably pull this off. It would just be a challenge getting there.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Taji nodded, pleased with Kumbo's answer. He knew the shy lion could do it, even if it was a bit scary at first.

"Fantastic," he said, patting the brown lion on the back once again before he stood. "You could stick your nose in to some of the training camps that will be starting up soon just to get your feet wet. The training camps are a great place for rookies, both players and announcers," he said with a little wink. "You don't need to announce in the camps, of course. That's just to get you back in the mindset of things."

Shaking himself out, he grinned at his new announcer and gave him another wink. "I'll see you around, then. If you've ever got questions or concerns, just come and see me. My den is always open."

Lt Gnatty-Bug

One more post from you and we're all set! You can put him in Blu's thread for certing.

 

[Lt Gnatty-Bug]

Kumbo nodded dumbly, he wasn’t sure what else to do. Maybe he would be the best announcer ever, but there was no possible way he was going to be able to do that as the timid lion he was. Taji was right about one thing – he could be loud when he wanted to be. He had never seen it as a talent, never used it, but it would be great for announcing.
He had the technical knowledge to go with it. It should not be so hard if he could block out all the spectators and forget the players were actual beings and not animated toys. Easier said than done, and that was just plain rude. He gave Taji a strong single nod after actually thinking about it; the camps were a good idea, “I’ll definitely try, sir.” It was settled; it was official; Kumbo was to be an announcer.