[PRP] Best of Both Worlds

[Epine de Rose]

The quiet life used to suit him, it had been a fairly strange feeling when he'd come to the conclusion that with the introduction of new blood he had always felt the need and drive for something more. He wasn't sure what that 'more' was yet, but it was a breath of fresh air and he felt younger and more renewed than ever before. Despite being recognised as one of the more progressive individuals in the pride he hadn't realised that in many respects he had stagnated.

Outsiders had been healthy for him, just as much as they had brought new ideas to the pride.

Nevertheless the ideas that had come with them hadn't really been put in to practice; most had been too far from the realms of possibility, and while they may have been fun to some they also (on occasions) bordered on disrespectful. This didn't mean that he wasn't opened to those who continued to present to him and he remained confident that eventually someone would come to him with a set of fantastic ideas.

He personally wanted something fun, something colourful and more importantly...something that brought both the living and dead together in celebration. Admittedly he wasn't confident the last part was possible but he could continue to hope that it might be.

For now though, the lion continued to sit upon the border of their home, staring out at an otherwise barren expanse that stood between them and the roguelands that lay far beyond...

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Epine de Rose

Dia smiled she was enjoying her time in the Nezi pride, she had met some kind and strong lions and she loved that so much. She still wanted to do more for the pride, she felt that the dead could be celebrated not remembered quietly. The Nezi pride could use a little color and happiness. She thought it would help the lions to let go of the fear of the past and move on to a brighter future. She made her way to the border and spotted a figure there. She smiled brightly and said "Greetings." She hoped her greeting would be well received.  

[Epine de Rose]

He rather liked company and it was with a smile that he turned to see who had approached him. It was one of their 'newer' members, though she had been there for a fair amount of time now. Hadn't she been one of those who had joined them from a pride that had also respected the dead in some form or another?

"Dia, yes?" He had made a point of memorising the names of the new. He'd been determined to make sure they knew that he was someone they could approach at the very least.

"Afternoon," he added and turned his gaze back to the horizon. Had it always been so bland out there or had it been busy in the past? They were rather out of the way from everything in the caldera to say the least.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Epine de Rose

Dia smiled and nodded "Yes that is my name and you are? I think we met once when I first arrived but I can't recall your name off hand." She smiled brightly and then said "Afternoon to you as well, so what are you looking for out there?" She asked curiously trying to see what it was he had on his mind. It must have been something big since his mind seemed to be so far away as she tried to strike up a conversation. She wouldn't give up there was hope here and she wouldn't let that go for anything.  

[Epine de Rose]

Itiri raised a brow at her question and then paused, if only momentarily, to remind himself that he was not and never would be the star of the show when new blood joined the pride. Their fabled Seer and new Death Priest was the one who took that spot and as a consequence Itiri didn't actually introduce himself. It was remiss of him, but it did give Dia a reasonable excuse as to why she might not know his name when he knew her's.

"Itiri," he chuckled. "I'm the Chieftain of the pride," he nodded to her necklace. "It looks good, you finished it well," he complimented and pursed his lips as he glanced back towards the horizon.

"Inspirations I think," he said finally and shook his head. "We are the pride who ensures the dead reach their final resting place and while this is a honourable task we still forget that living is a part of this process," he glanced at her and chuckled. "I'm a fan of living and I would like to make others experience the same joy but with some so focused on the last point in their journey..." he paused.

"I was hoping for something to bridge the gap, fun while remembering our duty," he grimaced very briefly. "Haven't quite worked out how to do that yet. It's still a work in progress," he confessed.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Epine de Rose

Dia smiled brightly and then said "Well it is very nice to officially meet you Itiri." She smiled as she touched her paw to the necklace that made her a member of the Nezi pride. She nodded and then said "Thank you so much I worked really hard on it." She looked out to where he was looking and thinking of what sort of inspiration as well. "Humm." She made the sound softly. She grinned then and said "A celebration of the dead would be a wonderful connection between the living and the dead, encourage the living to brighten up the celebration for the dead. Flowers, vines, perhaps pretty furs. Music. Stories of the ancestors." She was very excited.  

[Epine de Rose]

He raised an eyebrow at this; it was quite unlike anything they would do. The passing of the dead and the rites that followed were very particular, but the celebration of achievements in their life were not necessarily celebrated even if they were remembered and given due respect.

"Is this something your former home did?" he asked curiously.

Several of their new bloods had come from rather unique places; some had been frightening, some had been colourful and some had been loud. In the grand scheme of things it was their new ideas that he hoped would stir some excitement within his home even if the rites of those now beyond their grasp remained the most important of outcomes.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Epine de Rose

Dia nodded "When I was younger yes it had become harder over the years to celebrate the dead as they should be celebrated, remembering the dead properly as the living grow weak from hunger and mates become impossible to find as the family lines grow too close together." She said sadly "Our way of life was dying and the elders refused to move on to seek out a better life, many still struggle to survive in my old pride, but I can not force them to leave if they will not." She sighed. She shook her head. "Anyway yes, the ideas are from my homeland." She smiled again.  

[Epine de Rose]

"How familiar..." Dia might have spoken of her own homeland but there were elements of it that had parallels with the N'ezi. Disease had taken the N'ezi while hunger had taken her home, but the facts remained the same. The only difference was that the N'ezi did still have some blood in it and hadn't yet become inbred; the risk remained but they hadn't reached the point of no return yet.

...The inability to celebrate anything though, and elders who didn't want to change, those hit close to home.

"So what did your home do?" he asked curiously. "To celebrate that is, what did you do during those festivities?" he clarified.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Epine de Rose

Dia was glad for the clarification she received since she could not speak to the fate of her homeland, she did not know if others would leave the pride or stay and perhaps die out within the next 5-10 years. She sighed out softly and then said "Families create alters to remember their ancestors and bring offerings. Food, flowers. Then there are parties, music, dancing, feasting to honor the dead. Games with reed or grass woven balls filled with berries or other treats. Perhaps shiny stones or shells. Then the cubs must play and attempt to break open the balls." Dia laughed thinking on happier times of her homeland were bittersweet.  

[Epine de Rose]

"Shells...?" Itiri's expression was puzzled, as a lion who had never seen the ocean he'd never been privy to what these things might be. She was lucky she hadn't mentioned seaweed, whales or other such wonders! His head tilted to the side and he lifted a brow, the questions he had should have been related to the festivities but he did now have to wonder what other oddities existed beyond his home.

He shook his head; back to the topic at hand, right?

"So an opportunity to remember them for who they were, what they achieved," he paused thoughtfully and then smiled. "And then a possible glance into what their new adventures might hold?" He might have been reading too much into it but cubs to him very much implied a new beginning...even if they may not necessarily be an ancestor, merely their legacy.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Epine de Rose

Dai thought on how to describe the ocean that was not far from her homeland she had gone there many times. "Well you see there is water that is not fit to drink, it is too salty and there are creatures and things that wash up on the shore. Which is the place between the sand and the water." She explained hoping it was easy enough to understand. "I know there are other beaches perhaps you would like to see for yourself someday." Dia smiled "That is a good way to look at it thinking of them in the next world living happily waiting for their loved ones and descendants."  

[Epine de Rose]

"So a lake...?" He didn't mean to sound completely stupid but the only shorelines he knew of were those upon the lakes. Except, she had indicated that whatever water fields she had known of weren't something that could be consumed. It was an odd concept for him to consider, he couldn't even fathom why such a thing was necessary... did it do anything other than exist?

"A..." he paused. "Is it habitable?" he finally asked and shook his head. Perhaps there was life within these regions that he still had to learn about and what might be uninhabitable to him could be a paradise for something else. She had mentioned creatures so unless they had all perished elsewhere and washed up then surely...

"I'm not sure I understand the exact reasoning behind the existence of a watering hole that you can't drink from," he admitted.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Epine de Rose

Dai laughed and smiled "Much larger than a lake it is a vast body of water." She considered why there was a thing that you couldn't drink. "Well if you are skilled you can hunt creatures in the water for food, fish and other creatures." She offered. "I don't think most can live in the ocean besides fish and other creatures, I have heard there are lion prides that live near the sea, by pride lived within a days travel of the ocean." She explained.  

[Epine de Rose]

"Are they tiny?" Itiri's eyebrow had lifted even higher at the thought of a lion surviving on just fish. His naivety and lack of knowledge on the outside world was showing, he had no idea that larger sea beasts lurked inside these watery depths and said prides would have the capacity to feed themselves very well.

"The fish here are so small, you would need hundreds upon hundreds to sustain a pride," he shook his head. "And even then they don't seem to reappear that quickly, you would starve!" his paw lifted to brush at his cheek as he became lost in thought. Clearly there was a huge amount out there that he wasn't aware of and he had a lot to learn.

...He would have liked to learn it too, but would he ever find the time to be able to leave briefly to explore?

"Have you been?" he said finally. "Did you go often, or have you just seen them?" he asked curiously.

MiddyGlow