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Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:53 pm
Split Personality Umo, now alone for his second much needed break from Fatherhood; lay his eyes on the beautiful landscape around him. He wasn't sure where he was, or how he got their exactaully ( sweatdrop ).. nor if he would get in trouble for being here... but there was a reason to his wandering. He loved his daughter and Mate very much; adored them and admired them... but sometimes he... felt overwelmed. He had never ever really had a real family before and he was learning everyday. He was.. sometimes so nervous that he could almost; well... never mind. Nothing drastic. He could not bear to leave his Mate, Kikawaida nor his daughter Kinamasi. It would tear his heart out.
So, he chose to take a small break from this new life of his and to wander a bit. Let his feet do some much needed movement. He blinked Crimson eyes in the bright sunlight. Almost too bright for his eyes, which were use too the darker parts of the swamps. Since that was where he stayed with Kika mostly. With a sigh, he stopped walking to gaze at something white laying in the grass. fl00f3h Her feet felt like bursting. It had been many a moon since the adolescant had been outside of the prideland's borders, not since her time as a juvenile at least. Now, as if months of pent up energy was being released again Kia's cream tipped toes pounded against the warm earth as she shot forward across the landscape. Her heart beat seemed to increase with each bound as she experienced the thrill of finding something new.... she had almost forgot how much she had loved the feeling.
A long smile spread across her features she tossed her head back and roared happily as if announcing to the area "Kia is here and nothing could stop her". Tufts of her clay hued fur rippled as she ran. Faster and faster she seemed to go, her heavily built muscles from young adventuring had finally a chance to shine much more and she continued to run.
She closed her eyes, feeling the rhythmic beat of her paws like an internal drum and she smiled inwardly as she felt her speed rise and fall over the span of hills and valleys. She pulled her lids slowly opened so she could absorb the landscape more fully and appreciate the intrigue of it's newness to her, but something caused her to stop running.
Something before her that was still standing was directly in her path. It had become so close now that she couldnt veer off of her path to avoid it. Be it a canine, or feline, or human even she didnt care. All she cared about was how it got there and what it was doing. Why did it have to stop her adventure?
Her paws scraped against the dirt, sending a tall swirling spiral of dust hurtling into the air before her as she slid and skidded to a stop. She looked at the beast before her, saying nothing, only looking rather quizzical with her head tilted and mouth partially open. How did he appear so quickly?Split Personality Umo, being intrigued by the pale color of white amongst the grass; moved closer to investigate. It was a skull; sun-bleached white amonst the greenery. He stepped closer, brushing it with his dark brown paw. He had never really taken the time to look down at the belongings of someone long dead. Something. He took a moment, to bend down and investigate. It was a lion skull; large like his own broad head, with long fangs and worn teeth. Perhaps it was an old Lion that had passed long ago. Course, Umo knew that a corpse could be taken care of by the vultures and the bugs in a very short time; indeed. So, it may not even be that old. He could not smell anything; so he stood up.
It was intriging that something so fragile was inside himself. He blinked slowly. it was saddening in a way. After all, everyone became skulls in the grass eventually.
Umo's ears detected something coming towards him fast. A deer came to mind, since he saw some yellowish-brown fur flying. He winced, almost certain it would colide with him. The last thing he needed was an injury. An image of the deer, bashing him with its sharp hooves flashed in his mind and he winced, bracing for impact. After a few moments of having his muscles contracted and nothing hit, he opened an eye to see a lioness. He blinked. Some deer, he thought, his muscles relaxing. "W-whoa. I thought I was a goner!" He said, his flat-monotone voice deep and gruff. fl00f3h A Goner? Kia puffed up, taking what he said rather personally and probably in the entirely wrong way. He must have been refering to her weight.... How rude of him! She snorted, her green eyes flared slightly with warning "Well I never!" she said as she stomped a paw into the ground indignantly "I'm sorry sir, but I didn't think I was that big"Split Personality Umo blinked, she was certianly NOT a deer. So the pounding of hooves was out of concern.. but she stomped her paw instead? Wha? He blinked, then shook his head with a nervous look. "O-oh... no.. I did not mean it like that Miss." He said, his voice lacking emotion; though his body showed it. He cringed for a second. Ooh, he had offended her; sort of. "I-I thought you were a-a deer. You were running so fast and I was so... distracted; all I saw was your pelt." He added.
Oh, jeesel way to make a good impression Umo. He cleared his throat. "I was afraid I'd go home with a few hoof prints on my face." He said, biting his cheek. fl00f3h Her chin remained high for a few moments and he brow raised, although she wasn't so internally injured as she acted for even though her eyes were closed and her brows raised in defiance her ears were intently listening to his blubbering apologies. After a while, and rather in the middle of his little tirade she snorted again, but this time it was of laughter.
She lowered her chin to her chest and bit her bottom lip to keep herself from busting out into fits of giggles entirely while he continued. Although, no matter how hard she tried she couldnt contain her laughter with his last statement "HOOFPRINTS?" she bursted out, a wild smile on her face. And with that the laughter began and didnt cease any time soon. This silly fellow actually thought that she was a deer, and that was a laughing matter Split Personality Umo could not help but think; was she always this... way. He cocked an eyebrow at her nose in the air-I'm a princess-Stuff it-attitude. He did feel sorry and would not be mean to her about it, but simply be cool and collected. He blinked his crimson eyes, flicking his brown mane out of his face. "Well, you were running awfully fast there... The first thing that came to my mind was a deer." He said, rather complementitive. He glanced sideways at the skull in the grass. Who'd he rather talk to.. the skull or her. He smiled to himself. He could never do something so rude.
He sat down. "I was rather... unprepared to have a blow to the head... I have a job and family... In which I would like to return too unharmed; you see." he added; tail flicking slightly fl00f3h Her laughter continued more sparratically now, but continued non-the-less. A wide grin was spread on her face and it grew even wider every time he refered to her as a deer or something harming him. When he finished his explanation her laughter stopped for the moment. This fellow was quite the comic. Stifling snorts of laughter, she turned her head and looked at him with a single sparkling green eye with her brows downturned as she offered a slow and seemingly painstaking nod as she said "I see" atriculating both of the words with a long drawn out style.
She feigned a glare for but a moment longer before she burst out into laughter again, smiling at him warmly, the side of her that she most often showed to everyone but he hadn't seen thus far.
"You silly!" she said in between chuckles "I'm not going to hurt you OR trample your face.... if that makes you feel any better" she glanced over to the skull which seemed to capture his gaze from time to time. She nodded towards it, arching her neck to view the dull white object
"whacha got there?"Split Personality Umo felt this strange female was making fun of him and he wasn't sure if he liked that. Didn't she know that, yes, even the prey they hunt can cause major damage with their sharp hooves. He shook his head at her long-drawn out-phrasing of her understanding. Teenagers. Ugh. He hoped Kinamasi was not like this when she was older. He shook his head. "Well, now that I am certain that both my face AND body are not going to be harmed; I suppose I do not have to be worried now, do I?" He asked, inhaling slowly. At least he had met someome who was not of a threat. He never seemed to have bad confrontations anyway; this was the first.
He glanced to the side. "Oh, well. I found a skull from some old Lion... I was just. Thinking about it-out of respect I was. Well, I was just thinking... about age." he said with a smirk. "And worrying I am getting to old." he added, before laughing slightly. fl00f3h "nope! no worries!" she grinned dumbly. It was true, Kia was probably the last thing that would threaten anybody, but she didn't even know this herself.
As he spoke about the skull she walked over to it slowly and prodded it with one of her large paws, staring at it with wide eyes. She touched it's large fangs and 'ooohed and ahhed' at thier length and size. She ran her tongue over her own teeth to compare but found her teeth the latter by far and she frowned slightly at this newly discovered fact. "This fellow had some pretty big teeth huh" she said, accidentally ignoring his last statement. Split Personality [ Umo watched her intrest in the deceased ones remains. She was very intruiged by them and he found himself comparing the teeth to his own as well. His were almost as big.. but I must be a pride trait to this area. He gazed about for a moment, wondering if any other remains were amoust. "Judging by the size of his skull; he was big overall. I wonder if there are any other bones around. I bet his leg bones are huge!" He said fasicnatingly; sticking his head into the grass and searching for any other white objects.
"Call me a freak, but I haven't seen bones this big on a lion before. I mean, I have not seen many lions' bones but... My fangs aren't that big and I am an adult already." He said, peeking his head up over the grass to look at her when he spoke. Ever since he was a small child, his intrest in bones and growing-and such was very large. You could say his intrest was awakened by these findings. "I wonder how he died.fl00f3h She smiled at the thought of, if what the male said was true, how big his bones must be!
"Or," she said rather matter-of-factly "This guy just had a really big head" Kia shrugged, walking slowly in a circle around the skull and surveying it from every possible angle that she could and when they were all accomplished she overturned the bone and sniffed at the underside of it, marveling at how hollow it was. She grinned sheepishly, looking up at the male "It's hollow" restating the obvious. Kia was obviously not the brightest.
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Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:22 am
Umo looked thoughtfully at the young lioness. She seemed intruiged by thier discovery. He stepped over to look down and confirm what she was speaking from; the hollow chamber the brain had nestled in at one point. This lion was huge if one compared it to Umo's head. "That is where his brain was at one point. He must have been very wise." He said, looking up and sitting down; his head looking about to see if they could see any other parts of this old lion's anatomy. He sniffed the air and could not smell anything. "This part here-" he said, poking one of his big old toes into the orbital holes of hte skull. "-Is where the eyes went... and this is the cheek bone" He said, moving his finger across the arch beside the eye.
He stood and walked slowly about the skull, his eyes tight to the ground. He was searching for anything else white.
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Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 7:45 am
Kia shrunk back as he identified each part of the lion's--or what once was a lion's-- face. This thing on the ground didn't look a single thing like a lion's head. It didn't look like her and it certainly didn't look like her companion either. Her brows furrowed as she wondered what sort of beastly fate would have made a lion look like this.
"He's rather unpleasant looking is he not?" Kia sniffed at the skull as if the smell alone would give her all the answers she needed, although at this point she didn't need to smell the bones for she had already come up with the reason why this poor fellow ended up that way.
"Maybe a hyena got him" she shook her head sadly as if in reverence of a good lion's life.
Kia's nose touched the dirt as she swiveled around the ground surrounding the bones, though she didn't know what she was looking for she searched anyways, her nose twitching as earthen scents entered her nares. Eventually her nostrils ran into not a scent, but a mound of earth, packed from years but jutting above the level ground. She looked at it quizzically before she pawed at it a bit, revealing only the slightest corner of something white
"Hey you" she said, bobbing her head towards the other lion "Looky here."
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:26 pm
Umo chuckled, looking up from the long grass. "Well, thats just hte bones. There was muscles on it at one point... and then skin." He said flatly, his eyes blinking with a slight bit of pride. It was nice knowing all this stuff about bones. Though there was much he didn't know. Still, he was glad he did know. This was an intersesting thing to do with a stranger whom he thought was a deer.
"Well, I do not know. Unless there was a pack of Hyena and he was very old... then I can only guess." He said, shrugging his bulking shoulders. "Perhaps he died of disease or starvation... a rival killed him?" He said, thinking with an eye shut.
Umo sunk his head down into the grass only to have her say something to him suddenly. He popped his head up, looking in a circle before looking to her. "What?" He said, walking over too her and looking down too where she was looking. "What did you find?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 10:07 am
The thoughts in her mind floated briefly over the obscure idea that one lion could have killed another. Kia could barely grasp the concept, she simply could not understand why one would even dream of harming another.... especially one of the same species. Then again, the adolescant had no grasp of the emotion hate. She had never experienced it or fell victim to the stare from eyes that experienced such feelings, or if she had she had ignored it.
These thoughts were short-lived, for soon her attention had returned to the corner of white in the dirt. She continued to paw at it, a giddy glee rising in her chest at the thought that she might have found something good, a wide grin across her face reflected that emotion. As flecks of dirt were shifted away from the white it became apparant that this spot of white was indeed some sort of bone although Kia did not know what sort of bone it was or where in the lion's body it came from. All that Kia knew was that it was long and lodged rather well in the dirt and that her desire to dig it up was becoming less and less as she realized exactly how difficult it may be to take the bone out of the dirt.
"I don't think this one is living either" she said, her shallow interest peeking through in the tone of her voice "Is it anything important?" she said half quizzically as she looked at the bone with her head tilted to a slight degree.
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:38 am
Umo could not even imagine fighting anouther male to the death; far from it. He had never fought with anouther lion or animal in his life time. He had no need too apparently. Though Umo was a large male and had the huge clombersome paws of a male and had the thick jaw of a male. He would not have problems fighting as far as he was concerned. Shakingh his head, he looked to Kia; as young as she was... she probbly didn't really collect the concept of fighting as a way of life yet. He sat in thought; while the young deer lioness began anouther discovery. He looked up. He could see a bone in the dirt from where he was, since she had dug up part of it already. He padded over to her side, looking down with a watchful crimson eye.
He chuckled. "Well, of course they are not living. They are bones. They once lived inside a lion; but now are... well... not. They are just, out to enjoy the world of light and weakness; unlike their past; where they only knew dark and strength. See-" He paused to reach down and tap the bone wiht a claw, leaving a small gash. "-after a long time; bones are weakened by the sun. Where as, if they were still inside a creature they would be strong." He said with a nod.
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 4:39 pm
Kia looked down at the bone with a curious gaze, studying the tiny groove left by the male's claw. Kia extended one of her ones claws to scratch a similar mark in the bone's surface. She marveled at how the bone crumbled beneath her claw like chalk and half-wondered how it wasn't a part of the Earth itself yet. She supposed that this too would come with time.
"How old do you think these bones are?" she stated, gazing down at the white, knobby bone with enlargened green eyes "Have you ever seen a lion so big?" her eyes glittered. How amazing it would be to meet a lion so large and majestic, even if its head was as hollow as this bone fellow's was. Kia only worried that if she ever encountered a lion so big that she would be too afraid of it to question it's size and adventuring experience.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:56 am
Umo looked closely at the bones, his nose so close he could smell the disturbed dirt. He stayed in that position a few moments, before straightening up and looking to Kia with a smile. "A long time. At first, bones are not as white as these. The sunlight makes them whiter with age. So, I would guess they are... three or four years old. Judging how they are so fragile... I would say I am very close." He said, smelling the air.
Umo stared off into space for a moment before awnsering her question. He looked to her, his face straight. "My father. He was very large. I guess... I suppose he must of been a rouge, or perhaps a stronger pride. I have no clue
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:07 am
"Do you think he was as large as this?" Kia asked with wonder, a curious smile etched across her face. Kia had seen some fairly large lions, but not many were much bigger than she since she herself was nearly grown.
When he spoke of him being a rogue Kia simply glowed.
"I'm a rogue" she said proudly, tossing her head to the side so the tuft of fur on her head flipped over, a childish grin was written across her face. "I doubt that there's anything stronger... than a rogue of course" She grinned. Of course she wouldn't know if there was. Kia knew nothing of prides and thier benefits. In fact, the only pride that she even knew exsisted were the pridelanders.
Kia couldn't recall meeting anybody of particular strength from that tribe.... apart from her father of course, and though Kia herself was weak, the way that this other lion compared rogues with the strength of a very strong pride gave her confidence that most of them were indeed forces to be reckoned with
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:52 pm
Umo furrowed his brow in thought, looking down too the bones with a thougthful gleam in his eye. He thought back to his father, though now his memories of him were less... well... positive. He sniffed his nose, looking downwards again. "I think this lion may have been as big as my father. I could be wrong though. It has been a long time." He said, looking back up to Kia with a smile on his dark face; the 'v's under his eyes moving in unison with his cheeks.
Umo nodded. "I was a rouge as well. I enjoyed my time alone... but sought out more of a family... I live in either the Kusini Mwenzi or the swamps. Depending on where I am visiting." He said, looking off into hte direction of the Swamplands... where Kina and Kika were hopefully. They never left the lands unless Umo desired to go visit the Mwenzi.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:19 pm
Kia stared at the space over the other lion's head, thinking about what a large lion must look like. She desperately hoped that they would be nice if she ever was to meet one. A lion so large would be rather frightening when angry.
Kia nodded thoughtfully as he spoke of his two homes, she flinched inwardly when he spoke of family.... she had forgot what family felt like. She hadn't seen her mother or brother in many moons and her father was nothing but a shadow in her mind. She had never met him and it was beginning to seem very unlikely that she ever would. She frowned slightly while thinking about her mother and brother.... how she would wish to see them again.
Kia could imagine what the swamps would be like, sticky she thought, mossy perhaps... it didn't seem like a desirable place to spend one's time. The other name however, rung nicely in Kia's spotty ears and she smiled in hearing it.
"What is the Kusini Mwenzi like?" she said with genuine interest. She had been exploring the pridelands for a good bit now, this land sounded like a wonderful place for a new adventure.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:32 pm
Umo chuckled for a moment, thinking back to when Kika was pregnant and soon to give bith, he had been so torn. He couldn't go to the swamps and be with her.. due to their reliogous reasons but he didn't want to wander too far. Tough times like that were worth it though. He shook his head, looking back down too the bones when Kia spoke again. He looked up. "Well, it is a nice place. I am very fond of it. The leader, Asi and his Mate Ari always have cubs about. If I did not have Kika as a mate... I would spend all my time at the Mwenzi. There are no... enemies currently of the Mwenzi. Urm-" he paused, thinking deeply before shrugging with a grin.
"-I hate to say, but I have not spent much time there since I met Kika. I have been with her at the swamp mostly. She is uncomfortable with traveling. Last time she did travel, she was worried that the spirits would be upset. She sometimes thinks that Kika's... limp is because of her wandering..." He said, looking down sullen like.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:00 pm
A vacant smile took place of her interested expression as he spoke of te king and queen of the pride. Cubs, lots of them, a young pride Kia presumed. It would be a very nice place to visit indeed. She continued to daydream in such a manner until something that he said caught her off guard.
Her vision focused back onto the other lion, confusion passing through her green eyes as she listened. What was this talk of spirits? A limp? Caused by wandering? These ideas seemed preposterous to Kia. She had never even heard of spirits and she had only met a goddess once, and that one was little. If gods were spirits Kia didn't care if she upset them.
"Excuse me?" she said a little bewildered "A limp? Caused by an adventure? How?" She truely was curious. Kia had never felt any physical pain from wandering and could scarcely imagine developing a limp from something so simple as exploration of one's world.
Her head tilted slightly when the other lion looked down at his feet, seemingly not pleased. Kia felt guilty so she quickly added "Cheer up" to all of her questions, along with a chipper little grin
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:54 am
Umo could not help but smile at Kia's confused gaze in his direction when he spoke of his daughter. His sweet child, whom walked with a limp and had a tender leg when over excerted. He sat down, his head slightly cocked as he smile and spoke. "Well, you see, in the swamp lands they believe in Spirits. Kika thinks that the spirits were angry with her for leaving her pride.. after a big rain killed alot of the pride... she thinks that the spirits gave Kina her limp because of mine and Kika's meeting." He said, his crimson eyes blinking quietly as he reached up with a paw to scratch an itch. "I do not know if I belive it entirely but... I have my own faiths."
Umo smiled warmly, his ears twitching. "I sometimes feel guilty for not being in my rightful pride... and sometimes I wonder if I belong more in the swamps or not..." He said with a shrug, looking back down too the bones.
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:08 pm
Kia nodded slowly as if she was thinking through every word he spoke. Though she didn't understand religion or the talk of spirits she did understand his reluctant feeling about where he was located. Except with Kia she felt it all the time. The only time the uncomfortable churning and desire to be somewhere else would stop was when she was moving. She simply had never held a desire to stay anywhere. The world was her home and Kia felt it was her duty to explore every inch of it.
Kia didn't know much, but she understood the feeling of not wanting to leave somewhere because of ones that you love
"Well sir, I don't konw much about your situation, but it does sound like you love your family tremendously." she chewed on her bottom lip a little "but if you don't like the swamps or feel out of place then maybe you should find a place that makes you feel more comfortable.... you can never be happy somewhere that makes your spirit uneasy... even if the ones you love are there"
Kia's thoughts returned to her mother. She missed her tremendously, but felt so much freer being out in the open world and she would have never been so happy being confined to her mom's area.
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