 |
Fire Dog || [ Kizi ]
The sun bathing the coastline for longer and longer. Soon the longest day of the year would be upon them, and with it the beginning of the Mummer's Ball. The two beach-dwelling prides would once again come together to feast, play, sing, dance, and make merry. Young couples would smile across a dancing fire and slip into the shadows. Following that, hopefully, round bellies and knowing sighs would fill both prides. New blood. Strong blood.
Fire Dog long knew his mother would wish for him to further strengthen the bond between his pride and the Bahari by finding a suitable female to share a smile with, to lead into the shadows, to watch grow round and content, and finally to dote over a new generation of nobility. Riddle-mouth's Cubs were now fully grown and ready to seek out their own lovers. If he could set an example for them, as his mother often did for their father, it would be an honor.
He glanced back as he put the border of the Kizi behind him. Here, the rocks had eyes they said. While he was far from violating any laws, he valued his privacy. This was a private affair, known only to his uncle. With special permission, he was charged to officially make the offer to share the coastline with their brother pride. Unofficially, he was going to take a gander at his options. Prospects.
The lean, lanky male loped his way with all the grace and confidence of a young stallion for the border of the Bahari. His fiery mane caught the wind and blazed behind him like a torch. He smirked, knowing that at leas back home he was considered a catch. Perhaps out there he would find himself worthy of catching.
Ganesh || [ Bahari ]
Perhaps what the other lion would wind up finding wasn't mate material, but the lion picking over various shells was certainly one open for conversations. Ganesh hadn't really thought about mates or cubs much, even if his parents were whispering to each other about the prospect of more. It wasn't his place to intrude on others' lives, so he didn't bother trying to listen in. If they had more cubs, so be it. He'd adore his younger siblings all the same, since it meant more little lions to teach a trade to.
He held up a shell, admiring how it looked in the sun. Many colors reflected on the opaline surface that made up the inside, once home to an oyster. As he placed it with some others that he thought the neighboring pride's merchants might like to take with them, he noticed the blaze of mane approaching. The black-maned lion lifted a paw, waving. "Ahoy, there!" Ever the peace-enjoying Bahari, the young wave-marked lion had a grin on his face.
Fire Dog || [ Kizi ]
Perhaps the sun-licked morning was not to be the one in which he happened upon a slender lovely basking under the warmth of the sky's firey eye. Instead a lonely male picked along the coastline where the seafoam had created a distinct line in the sand. The dry sand tapered into firm, damp sand creating an easier walkway for any who traveled this way. It was littered with the broken remains of crabs and other various shellfish, tangled up kelp, and bits and pieces of sand-worn shells. Treasures came easily to those who could step out into the sands following the tide but by now the treasures would be picked clean- likely by the Bahari. The kizi were slowly turning their eyes to the border and the treasures that took a more...exotic twist.
He slowed himself and lifted his head. The charming, knowing eyes of the kizi prince regarded his bahari brother with a welcoming calm. "Well met." he responded with a slight tip of his chin. "Anything good this morning?"
Ganesh || [ Bahari ]
Shifting where he sat, Ganesh lifted another shell, this one broken by whatever larger creature of the sea had eaten the resident. "A few shells, nice ones... Colorful ones, even!" He pointed with one paw to his pile of goods. There weren't many, though, mostly the less destroyed shells. He picked up a long white shell, turning it over. "This one's quiet nice, it LOOKS plain while it's dry, but when you get it wet, it has the colors of the rainbow hidden inside!" He smiled happily. "It'd look nice hanging from the neck of a lioness!" He himself tried to imagine it, but had a hard time. The right lioness hadn't crossed paths with him, so it made it hard. She was out there, though, somewhere.
Fire Dog || [ Kizi ]
"Certainly a Bahari such as yourself isn't satisfied with shells as common as those?" He flicked a fragment of the very same type of shell away from his paws and raised a brow. They were fairly common- even the whole ones littered the entire coastline. Sometimes they were fortunate enough to find two whole halves still joined, tangled up among the kelp or wedged inbetween rocks. The truely rare ones were much larger. They spiraled, spiking outwards with soft pink interiors that shone like pearls. Those were the most valued- at least among the Kizi traders. These ones had strange values on things from the sea. Some things were outright forbidden while the Kizi had no such limitations on their spoils.
"The high-summer day approaches. Has there been any word from your leaders as to the nature of this year's festivities?" He smirked. "OR any large kills bobbing about in your waters? Last year was a rare treat indeed."
Ganesh || [ Bahari ]
He gave a shrug, watching the broken shell tumble away. "They're still lovely, and the prides not by the sea would enjoy them, for sure." He picked up another shell to examine it. "Which is why I'm spending my day looking at them... I'm hoping to find something that can be traded to lions from further inland."
He looked up at the Kizi lion, tilting his head slightly in thought. "No large kills, but we're feeling about ready to tackle that buffalo herd in the trees... The forest is starting to die a bit from their continued presence, never mind the danger they pose." He tapped his chin. "Maybe they'll leave soon, they can't really be THAT attached to the land, can they?" As far as he knew, few plant-eating beasts stuck to one area like this. Most migrated, some traveling thousans of kilometers to this land or that for this specific reason or that.
Fire Dog || [ Kizi ]
"Interesting that you mention that." Fire Dog picked a small fragment up from the sands and lifted it up for inspection. It was once likely a simple clam shell, but after tumbling about through salty water and being washed over and over against the sandy shores it had been smoothed out and polished into a nearly perfect triangle, white as cub's teeth. "Riddle-Mouth is gathering information regarding the lands beyond ours. He's debating arranging for a new faction within our prides specifically for the purpose of gathering stories and trinkets."
He flicked the shell aside and set his paw back under him.
"Buffalo huh?" He glanced up to the treeline- a pitiful thing really. The trees here were short, windswept, with gnarled branches and bark polished by the salty winds. Further inland the forest grew thicker and less laughable. That was likely where they were.
"A few of those could serve well for a feast...suppose we herded a few down and kept them pinned until the festival."
Ganesh || [ Bahari ]
Ganesh gave a snort. "I wouldn't go after them, if I were you. Buffalo are scary beasts, even our guards won't go near them without good reason. And they've been getting more and more aggitated. I'm glad we haven't had any cubs recently to go running in there, or we wouldn't likely get them BACK!" He shifted, rising and stretching, before gathering the shells he'd picked into a small pouch. "I'm sure once we figure out how to approach the herd an get them out of there, we'll have a good feast. Until then... I'm not sure what we'll do."
Fire Dog || [ Kizi ]
"We're dangerous. The sea is dangerous. Every creature we kill for our meat is dangerous- in its own way." He brought a paw up to his chin and glanced upwards. If they could drive them, spook them, through the trees and down the cliff there would be at least a few that would die from the fall. No unnessicary combat, minimal risk. Those that didn't die would be injured severely, broken...but alive. Fresh.
He smirked. "That's why we hunt in parties. Perhaps that'll be the start. Our pride should provide the feast this year- since your pride was so kind to take care of our bellies last year."
He nodded shortly. "Thank you for the information. And...by chance, off paw, are there many single ladies that will be joining you this year?"
Ganesh || [ Bahari ]
At the question, Ganesh gave a laugh. "None that I'm aware of! The only lionesses I've seen in the pride lately either come with mates, found mates already, or are in some way related to me, so I'm not looking at them like that." He brushed his mane up out of his face. "When one has a family as big as MINE is, they keep a very close eye on their family lines to make sure you're not kissing your own cousin." He wrinkled his nose, clearly displeased by this turn of life. It was a major reason he'd been having a tough time of it. The only lioness that had even caught his eyes wasn't even intent on joining! Maybe one day he'd see her again and get her to join...
Fire Dog || [ Kizi ]
Fire Dog gave a good humored laugh at that. "Well pride-brother it sounds like you may have the same luck as I do. Our pride's been plagued with mated pairs or pairs that mate and take their cubs away with them- quite against the laws, but Riddle-mouth doesn't waste good time on bad rubbish." He bobbed his shoulders. "If they try to return, they'll likely regret the day their parents crossed paths."
He flicked his tail and turned a shoulder. "Well. Perhaps this year our fortunes will turn. There's bound to be new blood and laughing eyes for the two of us. I should return. Riddle-mouth will like to know about the feast in the trees."
Ganesh || [ Bahari ]
He waved, smiling pleasantly at the other lion. "You have a good day, brother! May the sun warm the sands in a pleasant manner and not burn your paws!" Taking his treasures, tail flicking gently, he turned and headed back to his part of the beach. There might be other treasures to find, who knew. He flicked the odd mermaid's purse back into the sea, hoping they went where they needed to go. Hopefully they'd not been in the sun too long, too.
|
 |
Reply