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 Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:36 am
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Makadara was tired, and while not a small lion, he looked rangy, as if he'd been eating just a little less than his frame needed to fill out properly with muscle. For someone who had always reveled in pridal bonds, he felt as if he'd been wandering, lonely and without roots, for most of his life. He'd recently settled for companionship with a kind lioness he had met in his travels, but she had died shortly after giving birth to a pair of cubs.
On the one hand, it had given him some much-needed purpose as he had dealt with his grief, and he loved them both with a fierceness that had surprised him - their mother hadn't been the love of his life, but she had been a friend, and he still felt her loss keenly.
It was the realization that he wanted something better for them that had Makadara showing up near the border of the Ela'wadiyi's lands - he had heard stories of the pride, and while he may not have approached seeking acceptance for himself, regardless of how much he may have wanted to, he didn't want his daughters left on their own if something unforseen happened to him.
And so, here he was. He'd left his daughters hidden a short distance away, just in case the pride was less...welcoming than he had been led to believe.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 2:17 pm
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It was not very common that Skan would allow rogues to join the Ela'wadiyi in times outside of the festival, but he did admit to himself that once a year was limited. He felt that there was adequate blood within the pridal lands, but many of those joining stated how they had heard how wonderful and peaceful the Ela'wadiyi were...and it had slowly chipped away at Skan's hard heart. He wasn't about to open the borders, he never would, but it kept him more open to listening to those begging to be allowed to join their numbers.
He didn't wander the borders much anymore. He depended on a few birds to alert him when something seemed odd, and he was responding to this now. There were times when he had to just tell the birds to take care of it; the last were vast, and he couldn't just magic himself anywhere like his parents could.
But this time, it was close enough to walk. And so he continued to walk until his eyes saw a dark, black form. Even though he had allowed black lions into the pride before, and even had a black coated son of his own...Skan couldn't help but reflect on those stories his father had told him of the pride that had brutally claimed their original lands. The small, brighter streaks of colour wouldn't have fit the Dark Fire pride, but it still was a prejudice he could never completely shake off.
"Hello," he called out, leaving a few lengths of space between him and the stranger. "How may this wanidatsi assist you?" |
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 3:19 pm
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Makadara hesitated, as if suddenly unsure of his decision. Something about the other lion's expression was not quite welcoming, although it wasn't particularly aggressive or unwelcoming, either. Thinking of the two cubs he had left hidden a short distance away though, he breathed deeply, then attempted a small (if tired) smile.
He knew little about the Ela'wadiyi, other than what he had heard in passing - and so the title of wanidatsi was not something he immediately recognized as being important.
"I hope you can," Makadara started, clearing his throat. "I came with my two cubs, to ask about joining the pride that I have heard lives here."
He hesitated, not naturally being inclined to talk about his own feelings...but hadn't he also heard that the pride tended to keep to itself, and that rogues were rarely allowed to join them? If so, it couldn't hurt to give more information...
"I have been on my own for a long time, but it's not something I have particularly enjoyed." He went on, tone unusually hesitant. "However, now I have two young cubs as well, and it is...not what I want them to grow up with."
"When I considered the prides I had heard stories of, this one sounded the most like what I would want them raised in." He tilted his head slightly, hoping he hadn't been mistaken. He'd figure something out if he had to, but truthfully, he didn't want to. Fatherhood might be the most rewarding thing he had ever undertaken, but it was nonetheless proving exhausting, both mentally and physically.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 4:43 pm
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The fact that this lion didn't seem to balk at Skan's title told him two things. Either that the use of a strange tongue didn't bother him, or he already had an idea of whom he was speaking with. While it was extremely rare for anyone within the Ela'wadiyi to leave these lands, he also knew that there was more information shared at the border than there had been a few generations ago. Not all their secrets were shared, but enough that continued to slow stream of homeless lions looking for a home.
"Forgive me for testing you," Skan replied. His eyes narrowed, and while he couldn't detect the truth from fiction, the body language that the black lioness reflected towards Skan seemed honest enough. But still....he just had to make sure.
"This pride that you appear to want to join...do you know its name?" It was a relatively simple test, but Skan just wanted to make sure that he actually knew what he was joining into. Skan knew that some rogues had a hard time adjusting to the way of life here, no matter how much try tried to hide it. The tattooing alone was something that many had a hard time sitting still for, let alone the nomadic nature, the oaths they took when married, and the deep loyalty that was expected of you and your clan.
And so, this was the first, small test.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 5:03 pm
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Makadara blinked, but otherwise looked stoic. Of course there would be some testing - he was looking to become part of a group who had been living and working together, potentially for generations.
Inclinig his head, he waited to hear how he was to be tested. "There's nothing to forgive - caution is to be expected."
Had he managed to stumble across a leader of the pride? And did they only have one, or many? A lot of the stories seemed contradictory, at least in regards to the finer points of the pride.
"Unless I have been grossly misled, it is the Ela'wadiyi." Makadara spoke slowly, considering his words carefully. Looking more closely at the male before him, he realized that the intricate markings that decorated his pelt looked different, more structured than was typically natural.
Hadn't he heard something about this pride tattooing its members, now that he thought of it? Curiosity had him wanting to ask, but he had no way of knowing just how much more the other lion's testing might entail, and asking before that seemed imprudent.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 5:19 pm
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Skan narrowed his eyes for a moment, looking a bit more closely at the shape of the male before him. It had been hard to look past the black pelt, but as Skan's green eyes wandered a bit, he realized that this lion was a bit malnourished. Even if the old pride that had ripped his father and their ancestors from their birthlands was still around, there was no way that they would send an old, thin lion to somehow infiltrate and attack them here. What good could he do, in the shape he was in?
When it felt like the long moment had lasted long enough (and Skan wanted to make the older male sweat, just a bit!), Skan nodded. "Correct. Though rare, sometimes we get lioness looking for a pride that is not ours, and I send them on their way."
With that, Skan took a few more steps towards the stranger, and it became more aware that he was pretty thin. Still able to move, but he would probably quickly put that weight back on after living with a clan for a few cycles of the sun. "Either you know much of our pride, or you have dumb luck; I am the wanidatsi, the leader of the Ela'wadiyi as a whole. Though I am part of the Bird clan, I am tasked with leading my people and keeping them safe."
"It is a place that typically only accepts strangers once a year, though at times I tend to lead a few towards a new life in these lands. I take it your cubs are tucked away for safekeeping until you knew if your petition was accepted or not?" he asked carefully.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:58 pm
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While visibly far calmer than he felt, Makadara relaxed minutely when the other lion replied in the positive. That was a good start, at least. When Skan stepped closer, the ex-mistweaver's spine straightened, and and his head went up; not quite abruptly, but close.
When the wanidatsi spoke, however, he inhaled. A small, almost imperceptible reaction. So he had been talking to the leader of tjis pride he'd come seeking to join. Would it benefit him more to admit it, or to keep his mouth shut?
"Perhaps it is as much one as the other," he finally settled for, the barest beginnings of a smile making his eyes light up. Hearing the...wanidatsi talk about just what that meant, he understood his caution - it struck him that it would be all the more important for a relatively peacable pride to be careful about who they let join than it might be for most.
"Yes. I didn't want to risk their safety if things had been...misrepresented." he replied. Not that he was entirely comfortable with the cubs being left on their own if something happened to him, but at least they would have a chance.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 7:17 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 11:44 pm
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Makadara's posture eased visibly, even as his gaze sharpened, doing some weighing, and judging of trustworthiness of his own. After a heavy moment, he finally nodded.
"That sounds like the ideal solution." He said the words slowly, his expression clearing slowly. "If you don't mind waiting, I will go get them."
This for him was a huge demonstration of trust - his cubs were all he had, the only family he had had for a very long time, and so while this felt necessary, and even right, it was not a particularly easy one.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 11:44 am
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 2:12 pm
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Makadara inclined his head. He might not be at his peak, at the moment, but he could manage that - especially if the other male helped with carrying one of his cubs. "Thank you," he said simply.
"I'm Makadara." He replied, slightly embarrassed that he had neglected to introduce himself sooner. "I will return soon, then," he continued, making his way purposefully back the way he'd come.
A short while later, he came back into sight, with a pair of small cubs in tow.
Mwanga'mkali practically pranced alongside her father, healthy exuberance practically radiating off of her. They were going to meet other lions! Ever since she could remember, it had been just the three of them - her mother was the haziest of memories, known more from Makadara speaking of her than actual experience, and the idea of having other lions to play with (Papa was indulgent, to the extent that he could be, in regards to being a willing playmate, but he was usually too busy to be ideal, leaving only her sister, Manakel, as the recipient of the majority of her...enthusiasm).
Darting between Makadara's legs, she barely avoided tripping him, earning her a small sigh of rebuke. Spotting Skan, she froze, then looked up at her father for guidance - he'd said they were going to (hopefully) be joining a pride, but he had always been so adamant about keeping them away from other rogues that she hesitated for the first time, seeking reassurance.
At a small nod from her father, a bright smile lit up her face, and she darted off ahead, toward the light colored male.
"Helloooooo!" She practically yelled, seeming a little surprised herself by just how loud her voice had emerged.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:58 pm
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The wait wasn't too bad, and it gave Skan time to reflect on this situation. He didn't usually get to exchange too many words with newer members. Something about his station (and tattoos) being intimidating. His tattoos were something he almost never thought about, having been carrying them his whole life. He was nearly out of room for new stories, and he hoped that meant that the remainder of his life would be quiet.
He could hear them coming before he saw them, having let his eyes slip closed for a moment to meditate. It wasn't too often that he had moments alone; even his quiet moments at home were shared with his mate. His green eyes cracked open to see two very adorable cubs, one being quite loud.
"Hello," Skan said with a soft smile to the white cub, reminding him of the clouds above. "My name is Skan, it is nice to meet you." He started off short, just in case he was somehow...still intimidating, even if he wasn't too large of a lion, from many outsiders' point of view.
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:13 pm
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Following in Mwanga'mkali's wake, Makadara shot a rueful smile at the other male - he loved her enthusiasm, but was still finding that she often surprised him with just how...aggressively frirndly she could be. It wasn't a trait she'd gotten from either of her parents, that was for sure. "It helps if you introduce yourself," he said, not blind to the irony, having just failed, himself, to be prompt about doing so.
Mwanga'mkali grinned, looking up at Skan expectantly. Her brow furrowed briefly at her father's gentle verbal nudge, then cleared almost immediately. "I'm Mwanga'mkali" she said brightly, eyes widening as she took in all of Skan's tattoos. "You can call me Mkali if you want, though!"
She sidled a little bit closer, stopping when she stood directly in front of him. "Your markings are really pretty, Skan," she said, then looked over at her father, slightly sheepish. "...Wanidatsi." The word was obviously one that she had only recently been taught, her pronunciation clumsy. She pressed on, though, doggedly. "Papa said that you're taking us to meet our new pride," she confided, shifting her weight from paw to paw, practically vibrating with excitement.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:28 pm
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Skan laughed. "Well, thank you. My fur is pretty plain, but all the markings that you see are tattoos...explaining my life's story. It's not over yet, but I've had a pretty busy life, as I'm sure you may guess." Indeed, he knew he still had some years in him, but he was running out of 'canvas', so to speak.
"As you grow and learn about yourself, you'll have your own accomplishments and stories written on your for all to see." He hoped that he wasn't putting too much pressure on her...but she seemed to be taking everything in stride.
"And yes, I will be showing you, your sister, and your father where your new home will be. I'm certain all three of you will like it." They would probably be pretty tired once they got to the clan.
"She seems quite ready to join in," Skan mentioned to Makadara with a chuckle.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 11:01 am
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She looked suitably awed by this explanation. "Can everyone in the pride read them? That's so neat, having a story on your pelt!" She practically wriggled in excitement at the idea of it, staring at his tattoos openly, now.
"Will I be able to understand them, too?" She shifted from forepaw to forepaw, looking up at him expectantly. Abruptly, she turned to look back at her father, grinning widely. "Papa, I get to have story tattoos when I grow up!" She exclaimed.
She then turned back to Skan when he continued. "Are there other cubs like us to play with?"
Makadara chuckled, shaking his head. At least Skan was taking Mwanga'mkali's enthusiasm in stride...
"I'll look forward to seeing what you choose to tell, when the time comes." He said seriously to his daughter. She was the sort to jump into everything full-force, and he suspected that it meant she'd have plenty of tales worth telling.
"She always is," he turned back to Skan, laughing softly as well. It was a relief, knowing that, while joining a pride came with its own inevitable challenges, at least his two daughters had somewhere they belonged, in case anything happened to him.
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