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 Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 1:49 pm
 It was once again time to set off to a new destination. After her last encounter with the pink male Imani had elected to hunker down for a few days to give her body the time it needed to heal. Given that her nose had indeed broke thanks to the unfortunate meeting she found herself a bit handicapped when it came to hunting or avoiding potential threats.
Luckily Imani had found herself to be within a day's travel of the ocean! It was there plenty of small outcroppings provided her a relative safe haven. The rare passing crab or dead fish washing up on shore kept at least something in her stomach. The most important thing that stuck out in her choice of location was that the salt in the water that Imani had made a habit of bathing in each morning as it did wonders to clean out any wounds and stave off infection. Even if it did have the nasty side affect of burning like a b***h!
But, her vacation was now at it's end. Finally this morning for the first time in days Imani had noticed her noise wrinkling from the harsh salty air mixing with the foul stench of dead fish that plagued this cove.
She could see why now no one had moved into this area before!
The purple lioness ascended from her temporary home away from home. Sucking in a deep breathe Imani glanced over her shoulder nervously behind her. Leaving a sanctuary like this to jump back into the unknown was, well, a little unnerving even for the traveling lioness. Part of her longed to stay. Enjoy having a place to call home again.
But that was part of the reason she had to leave now. Knowing herself too well Imani knew if she lingered any longer it would be near impossible to convince herself that leaving was the best course of action.
Turning her head around back Imani casted her gaze down to the sea below. High tide would be going back out shortly making her dive far too dangerous with the jagged rocks below without the risk of breaking a limb or impaling herself.
It was now or never, she mused to herself.
With one last breath out to calm her anxiety, she shot forward off of her make shift diving point. Bracing herself she stuck her paws out to break her fall into the churning sea below. Maji had spent the last month or so, aimlessly wandering the roguelands. It was only in hindsight that he realized how much he valued his brother's company during their long years of travel. They had certainly had their struggles, but together, it hadn't been nearly so daunting.
With some frustration, the dark, leopard spotted male curled up at the edge of the beach, watching the waves roll over one another while he rested his chin on his front paws.
Their stop in the Bahari'mtoto was supposed to be just that - a rest stop. His brother, Kobe, had expressed a love of the pride in their travels, but a short visit had always been enough to satisfy that craving for the salt-water and good-natured pridemembers. It reminded Kobe of home, of the Simbafutaji who had disbanded so many years before. Kobe recalled memories of their mother fondly. These same memories, however, were never so clear for Maji. He had been young when they disbanded and his memories of his mother were scarce at best. Without them, he lacked the emotional attachment to the sea that his brother felt so strongly for.
The two of them had been travelling the roguelands on their own for... literal years. Despite all of the talk to settling down, the younger of the brothers never imagined that the day would truly come. Though, he imagined the female his brother met shortly after settling in to the Bahari hadn't helped the situation.
With another sigh, the lion rolled onto his side with a thump. He was happy for Kobe. Genuinely. He only hoped that Kobe's happiness hadn't come at the cost of his own. How could he explain to his brother how much he valued his presence in his life? He wasn't the sort to settle down for the sake of staying together. Kobe preached about finding a sense of self, how that was one of the values of the Simbafutaji. He needed to find himself.
Closing his eyes to get some rest, Maji was suddenly startled awake by an enormous splash nearby.The rather stocky lioness as soon as she hit the water sunk like a rock. A flash of panic coursed through her as she desperately kicked out her legs to propel her forward. One of her back paws caught on a rock. Using the momentum she had built so far along with her weight Imani pushed with all her might against the rock to rocket herself upwards to the surface. Her head briefly poking through the surf, just long enough for her to catch another gulp of air, before she sunk back down. When her paws once again hit the edged seafloor she repeated the same maneuver.
Breach, sink, breach, sink, breach. The cycle continued tirelessly but it was doing it's intended job. With every kick upwards she was inching closer to the shore. It was a slow, painful process but hey! It got the job done.
Even if she did look rather stupid. Imani would argue that the results speak for themselves.
Finally her hard work paid off. She had made it to the shallows where she could safely keep her head above water at all times as she made her away across the final stretch.
The gray outline occupying her intended landing zone gave her reason to pause. That wasn't there before, was it? Surely she would have noticed it before if it had. She had to admit to having a harder time remember certain things in her age but she wasn't senile yet! Wait, was it...moving?
Oh! Oh...
Gods help her. Why did it seem that she was doomed to run into even more males at a time like this? She still was recovering from the last damn encounter with one!
Letting out a frustrated sigh Imani pressed forward once more finally emerging onto dry land. Normally she would be ecstatic to be back on safe ground but with the heavy uncertainty of just who this strange was in front of her made her wonder if she wouldn't prefer battling with the sea some more instead.
With a heavy thump the lioness sat back on her hind legs. Taking a moment of respite to catch her breath. Gods knows she might need all the energy she could get back if the male proved to be hostile to make for a quick escape.
Right, keep it together Imani. He was most likely just a local. Talk less, smile more and you'll get through as well in no time flat.
Hopefully this time without anymore accidental injuries!
Now what was that greeting locals around these parts said to one another all the time? Something boy? Afoy? No, no. AH! Right that's it!
"Ajoy there! I apologize if I am intruding on your land. I didn't realize anyone else occupied this cove." It wasn't immediately clear to Maji that whatever had fallen off the ledge had actually been another lion. The enormous object had sunk so quickly, he briefly convinced himself that maybe a rock or other natural debris had simply rolled off the edge of the coast. With a little more consideration, he came to realize that it was probably an effort of his own laziness not to further inspect the situation. Kobe wouldn't even have thought on the subject, he would have already been in the water anxiously paddling for any sight of whoever had fallen.
When the purple coated lioness breached the surface, however, the male's ears flipped back with some concern. He stepped toward the coast when she went back under, but didn't immediately join her in the water. Was he keeping his own hide safe, or being selfish? He presumed some mixture of the two given he didn't know who this lioness was, nor which pride they were closest to at the moment.
After a couple more bobs up and down in the water, he came to notice that she was approaching even closer to the shore. With a little relief, he eased up and returned to a laying position on the ground. Maybe they'd be upset? But could they really expect a complete stranger to risk their life to save them? Kobe looked awkward when swimming... how could he really say it wasn't the same for this individual?
As the female lioness dragged herself onto the beach, Maji simply tilted his head lightly to look her over. She seemed startled and exhausted, but otherwise mostly without harm. At least, none that the male could immediately recognize. Belly-down on the ground, the spotted male did his best to maintain a neutral position so as not to further complicate the situation by giving off a threatening disposition.
Her greeting, however, immediately drew a raised brow before Maji let out an amused chuckle. "I can't help but feel there might have been an easier way down to this beach." Sure, it wasn't the most friendly greeting in the world, but he was smiling. "And, don't mind me. I won't be here long."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 11:26 am
The thought of him coming in and assisting her didn't even cross the lioness's mind. She was use to surviving on her own after all. It was common knowledge that in the rogue lands it was rare to find anyone who was going to go out of their way to lend a helping paw to someone in need.
If you were going to survive it was a necessity that you learn to take care of yourself and rely on no one. A lesson Imani had to learn very quickly once her mate past.
His response garnered a very unladylike snort from her. The tension in her body did relax as she drew closer to the male. He was in no threatening position. In fact, he had given her a clear sign of friendliness by staying in his position. If he wanted to fight there was no way he would let himself be in such a disadvantage by laying down.
Now in a more reasonable range for a conversation with the spotted lion Imani herself sat back down. "Hardly. The rocks in this cove are weak and prone to breaking under any weight." As she spoke her head turned back towards back to the jagged outcropping moments before she had jumped from. One of her paws lifting to gesture to the varies weak points she was pointing out. "Plus there is a matter of maneuvering around the dramatic drops. It takes hours to make your way down with the added risk of you still ending up in the water with one misstep." Now that was something she had to learn the hard way when she first arrived here!
Pausing for a moment the lioness turned her attention back to the stranger before her. "If you could find a better way about it, please feel free to inform me." She tried, honestly she did, not to have a bored drawl to her voice. Unfortunately it seemed despite her best efforts to slip through.
With a quick wave of her paw she dismissed the subject before it brought out an even ruder response from her. The last thing she needed right now was a offended male up in her face. "Not going to be here for long? So you are not from around here as well, no?"
There was a curious contrast between the two rogue lions as one understood the complexities of struggling alone in the savannah while the other had only come to learn how easy he had it the past couple years. While he might have a greater number of years of experience roaming without a pride or group to call his own, he'd always had his brother with him and they'd never struggled to acquire resources when it had been the two of them. Now. Well, now he was figuring things out the hard way.
When the female lioness gave a snort in response, Maji couldn't hold back a burst of laughter. The entire situation was something out of a comedy - lions falling off cliffs, near drowning experiences and lackluster male lions doing nothing to influence the situation for better or worse. It might have been the snort which prompted the thought that maybe this female would be good company. Either way, Maji was opening up to the thought of conversation and company.
Maji listened idly as she explained, quite intelligently, how maneuvering along the rocky side might have been even more dangerous an experience. The male didn't seem to have as much interest in the topic as he did the manner in which the female discussed it. Maji had a keen eye for body language and tone, believing there was much to be learned in what remained unspoken. Unlike his brother, he rarely took everything at face value.
Similarly, the female seemed more than a little bored with the conversation. A smirk tugged at the corner of Maji's mouth as she countered with some sass about finding alternative routes. Rolling onto his side, he responded idly, "I'll leave that to the professionals." She seemed to know what she was doing. Her follow-up drew more attention and he rose again to meet her at eye-level. "Ding ding! That would be correct." He might have left it there. After all, it wouldn't be Maji if he didn't push away the only company he'd had in 3 days.
But something about this female piqued his curiosity. Only moments before she'd gracelessly fallen into the water and dragged her soggy body onto the shore. Despite everything, she'd maintained confidence and poise before an unfamiliar rogue. To Maji, that took a certain level of resolve, which he respected. "Not really the settling down type. But, really, how could a lion pick any one place? Have you seen the scenery around here? There are some phenomenal places to experience."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:45 pm
The male unexpectedly bursting into laughter after her moment of lax manners and just the over all ridiculousness of this situation might have offended a more prideful being. For Imani however it had the opposite affect. Having someone to speak who was not afraid to openly express themselves put her at ease. Many others she encountered in her travels were often too stiff, wary, or doing their best to act diplomatic to just relax and be honest in conversation. His outburst caused her to pause for a brief moment during her rant. Her lips tightening as she tried to hold back a chuckle herself.
Come on, Imani. Pull yourself together! Breathe....in through the nose and out through the mouth. Good. Now she could continue without making a fool of herself by bursting into laughter like a hyena in the middle of a speech. With a subtle shake of her head she continued on her long explanation of why it was important to take the route that she choose.
Once she was finished the dark lioness watched her new found companion roll over to his side. Despite her having a more of a closed off and prudish stance - ironic given that the same stance is what drove her to move on from any company most - Still despite her best efforts she couldn't hide the amusement playing on her face. Unknown to her a growing smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Huh, I didn't know that I was a professional in the matter. Tsk. What have I been doing with my life all this time?" Both her eyebrows shot up as he abruptly righted himself back up into a sitting position to be eye-level with her again.
His response triggered a piece of herself that she had repressed long ago. Later once the two had parted ways and Imani was left to her own thoughts she would no doubt question herself just why this stranger was able to unleash such a strong surge of emotions, But for now she was content to live and enjoy the moment. Lifting a paw she set against her chest as she mimicked a look of awe and surprise as she dramatically gave a large gasp. "Correct!? My goodness! What prize do I win for my masterful skills of observation?"
Jokes and playful banter set aside Imani quietly listened to the still unnamed male as he explained his situation. There were similarities that they both shared when it came to where they were in life she couldn't deny. Though a young male as charming as this one not being keen to settle down into family life when there was plenty of tails to chase after and fights for honor to be won in the rogue lands wasn't that surprising to her. It was a story that repeated it'self often. Each new generation only adding to the amount of males competing for the same prizes. Imani had come to realize that in this region for most males branching out for a adventurous number of years was simply a part of coming into maturity.
Imani had to give this male his due credit though. Unlike many of the male rogues she had meet he wasn't stifling dominant nor did he give off the impression that every thing he did he expected some sort of reward at the end for. He had a collected air about him and confidence she couldn't help but respect. If she had to guess he most likely was either older and had fully come into maturity or simply was raised in a family who had taught him the valuable lesson of patience. Course she also couldn't deny that this was simply a front he put up. Though the latter seemed to be more far fetched given that he had a air of realism and a lack of bullshit around him.
His words did have a startling affect on Imani. If you listened closely you could almost hear the loud screech as reality came crashing back down. Her ears drew back slightly as she firmly nodded in response. Her form visibly becoming more tense as she tried to keep her calm demeanor going. "I have indeed seen the scenery around here. It is...breathtaking for lack of a better word. This valley in a whole well quite honestly there are no words to describe it, at least that I know of. Where I'm from life is a harsh short struggle. You don't have time to relax and enjoy the beauty in the world when you are desperate just to find enough food or water to survive another night." Momentarily she paused her gaze lifted from her companion to wistfully stare past him. A brief moment of vulnerability flashing in her eyes. "These rich lands hold so many possibilities. Each living thing as a entirely unique experience. The sights they see, the sounds they hear, the people they meet, the lives they live....they're so complicated a-and yet so...simple." I wish he could have seen it all, was left unspoken. A harsh, painful reminder as to why she was on this journey in the first place.
With a small sigh her barriers once again rose back up. Her attention drawn back to Maji. A warm smile that at this point she was a master of using to divert the subject meet him in response. "I have to agree with you. I don't understand how someone could pick one place to live their entire lives when they have this whole world wide open to them. It's good to meet someone who shares the same thought process." Pausing for a moment she drew her brows together as her mouth pursed. "I just realized we've been sitting here talking for a while now yet we never formally introduced ourselves, have we? I'm Imani."
(xD I'll just go ahead and post this here to help you out so you don't have to be doing all the work.)
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 3:50 pm
Maji's comfortable behavior was both a sign of how aloof he was, as well as how careless. Without knowing anything about the female, he was quick to underestimate her capabilities. Judging by his lean, but fit physique, he had not yet struggled on his own. It was also clear, by the absence of scars and other injuries, that Maji hadn't encountered any truly dire situations on his own. Or if he'd had, the wounds had long since healed themselves.
With a slow shake of his head, he laughed again. "I suppose you aren't then. A professional might have braved the beaten path. But you know what? I dig your approach. It was direct."
The banter between the two brought about a wide grin from the dark, spotted male. It was evident by the increasing swish of his tail that he was amused and enjoying their conversation. Not only had he found company which was tolerable - and pretty - they also had something of a sense of humor. Hanging too long with Kobe had been relatively dull once he'd exhausted his go-to exchanges. When she asked what she should win, he answered without skipping a beat, "Why, you're the lucky participate of this fabulous, and I mean truly incredible, conservation."
Without knowing Maji, it was difficult to tell which of his personas he put up in an initial greeting. Without the attachments of pride and family, he was free to be whoever and whatever he wanted to be. There weren't resources to be checked or verification to be had. In the roguelands, he could put on a face and convey exactly what it was he wanted someone else to feel. The manipulative side of Maji remained in stark contrast to his honest-to-a-fault brother.
Every so often, however, there would be a break in the facade when the softer and more vulnerable lion peered outward. When Imani drew inward to herself and began to put up walls, he seemed vaguely concerned. She might have perceived him as confident, but more often than not, his behavior was obnoxious to the point of losing company. Solid conversation was becoming an invaluable commodity.
Giving his mane a quick shake, he tried to maintain an air of casualness. But as the rogue lioness went on to speak and her story took a more serious turn, he focused his attention and simply listened. For once, he cut the crap grins and laughter and just paid attention. He had heard the same stories from wandering rogues for years, but without experiencing those hardships firsthand, it was challenging to empathize. Regardless, there had been an opening up right then as Imani displayed a level of vulnerability that hadn't been present earlier in their talk.
Maji mentally chided himself as he fought for the right move to follow up. Kobe would say something about a comforting gesture, he was sure. It didn't quite sit right in his mind.
Selfishly, he was relieved when the purple lioness smiled again. He could more easily navigate the exchange of names than he could the real reasons why he'd been drawn to the ocean. But, like Kobe always told him, the water held a great significance to them as much as he wanted to fight it.
Shifting gears and dipping his head lightly in understanding, he gave his own name, "Maji." It meant water. It always came back to the water.
"I take it you've been..." He didn't want to make light of their earlier discussion, neither did he want to dismiss the entirety of what had happened. "...alone a good while then?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 5:30 pm
She couldn't hold herself back anymore a light hearted chuckle filled the air as she gave a quick shake her head. "A professional I doubt would have chosen such a poor location to sleep in the first place." With a loose shrug of her shoulders Imani flashed a toothy grin at the compliment. "The results do speak for themselves, don't they?"
There was just something this male that made even this normally private and closed off lioness relax. He was just so different from the tired or skittish individuals that had filled her life in her day-to-day travels. It was like a breathe of fresh air. Not to mention it was a extremely rare occurrence met with this long unless to discuss a trade or to pacify someone when she accidentally overstepped her way into occupied territory. Their banter going back and forth was easily the best conversation she had in months. If anyone interrupted them at this very moment it would be hard for them to believe that the two weren't good friends having a chat that instead they were complete strangers that had in fact met less than an hour ago!
Biting down on her lower lip she closed her eyes, her tilted slightly to one, her paw still being kept pressed into her chest. She was quite enjoying being just a flair dramatic pretending to be touched hearing on what her prize would be. "Ah! What a great prize indeed. I'll cherish it forever. I promise you it'll soon become a family heirloom to be passed down throughout the generations to come."
The sudden change in mood was almost palpable. A small part of her couldn't help but feel bad for bringing the lightheartedness of their meeting down to a much more somber level. Imani picked up the shift in his body language right away. The carefree attitude he was practically exuding before became more awkward and unsure.
She couldn't help but to take pity on him. She had stupidly gotten caught up in her own pity party and left the poor male unsure of where to go to next. It was in extremely poor taste in her opinion to do so. She wouldn't force him from trying to comfort or think up something meaningful to say on the spot. After all he was just a stranger. He didn't care about her inner demons nor was she native to think that she would have a lasting impression on him once they parted ways.
She was glad the changing of the subject seemed to bring back his chipper attitude. Once again she could feel herself relaxing. Though this time she was more on guard not to repeat her past mistake.
"Maji?" Huh. It almost reminded her of the short and curt names from back home. Lions in these parts she had noticed tended to have more complex and long names. Perhaps it was simply a nickname?
Her head tilted upwards as he tried to break the tension with a ice breaker. To most it would be a simple question to answer. To Imani it was much more...loaded. She was conflicted on just how much information she was willing to give out or if staying her normal vague self would be the best course.
She elected to stay vague. He had already seen far too much into her inner workings already and had already proving uncomfortable with the subject.
"Yes and no. I've always lived a nomadic life. Being completely on my own though is something that has been brought on by a sudden turn of events."
Crap. Crapcrapcrap!!! That was too much. Waaaaay too much. She should not have said that. She should not have said that!
Laughing nervously she lifted herself up onto all fours. "My gods would you look at the time. The sun is nearly at it's peak! I'm sorry, as much as I would love to stay and chat some more I do have to go hunt and find shelter before dusk falls." Stepping towards him she gave a small bow of her head in respect to the bemused male. "It was lovely to meet you, Maji. Be safe in your travels."
With that said the stocky lioness brushed past the lion before he could say anything that would prevent her from completing an abrupt escape. Confronting that issue with a stranger that she had just met was not something she wanted to deal with at this moment.
No matter how much she had been enjoying his company.
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:06 pm
Maji listened as Imani shared with him more than she had intended. Travelling alone after a sudden turn of events? The suggestion seemed to be that something happened to her former companion. Without knowing the full details, the story was relatively similar to his own. Kobe had settled down, while he chose to keep moving. The same might have happened to Imani's friend.
But something about the conversation had shifted. Perhaps the genuine emotion which was shared brought about too much discomfort for them to continue as casually as they had before? The walls seemed to be palpable barriers between them now.
Before he could really say anything further, the female lioness was all apologies as she turned on her heels and began to retreat to the path away from the beach. Finding shelter might be reasonable if it hadn't come so abruptly in conversation. No. Maji suspected that the discomfort had been more than she cared to experience with a complete stranger.
"Yea," He agreed with a raised brow while he watched her go. "May you have better luck on dry land!" He finally shouted before she was too far away from earshot.
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