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 Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 3:03 pm
The winds of the pridelands seemed strong that morning, a tell tale sign of a strorm rolling in from the many rivers around them. The cold season was building up, and the breeze was a bit of a godsend, at least to most. Isoke on the other hand grew displeased with the wind, for as it grew, so did the storms and the colors of fall, the world seemed to be dying.
The clouds at night covered the stars, blocking her view from the dreams she held as a child. With the winds brushing through, the elders feared of sickness, and nighttime was also closed off because of the seeping breeze. The waters and lakes all raged with anger, another rule forcing her to stay put instead of going on her journey through the world around her.
All in all, Isoke was not pleased at all. With this change of weather, she changed as well, and changed towards the women she was about to become. Adolescence was a new chance, and as the childish urges disappeared, Isoke found her love for her family and friends grow stronger, just as her love for the stars made her heart yearn for neverending nightfall.
It was that yearning that sent Isoke out in the middle of the night, having fallen asleep early so she could slumber on her own and away from her silbings. So, when the moon lit the cave, the dark lioness filtered out into the breeze, pausing just to let it caress her pelt as always and for her nose to filter the scents. Somehow, the night just seemed so alive for the dark pelted female.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:42 pm
The weather was changing again. It would soon get cold, the grass will all turn brown, the trees will lose their leaves, and everything would seem dead. A lone figure, silhouetted by the moon against the dark sky, lingered on the hilltop by the dens. His pelt seemed to sparkle in the moonlight with an eerie, ghostlike glow. Tafari let out a sigh, gazing out on the silent landscape. Silent; save for the wind rustling the browning grass. Having not been able to sleep, the young adult left the shelter of the den to clear his mind in the open air.
How long had it been since he had crossed into these lands with his mother? He was only a cub then, not knowing anything about the land, about life, about his role in life. He knew nothing then; not much had improved. No, he had a purpose in the pride. He was needed as a hunter and as a protector. But was that all he was supposed to do for the rest of his life? The image of a dark pelted female crossed in front of his eyes. Isoke? Why was he thinking about her at a time like this? It was weird really... He always seemed to be thinking about her... That couldn't be normal. He didn't even think of his mother this much. The male clenched his teeth, a wave of guilt hitting him. Tafari shook his head. He had to stop this nonsense. He cared about his mother and siblings more than anything in the world. Right after that was the pride. He would do anything for them... So why did he keep thinking about her?
Tafari closed his eyes, turning his head towards the sky. What was wrong with him? He opened his eyes, having picked up a familiar sent. Okay, now he knew he was going crazy. His tail twitched nervously, not knowing whether to turn around or not. How many times had he turned around before, expecting her to be there? How many time had it just been his imagination? Why would now be any different? Should he embarrass himself by turning to greet nothing again? Slowly, he turned his head, blinking in surprise. "Isoke? What are you doing out so late?" That was all he could say... Smooth...
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:56 pm
Taking another deep breath, Isoke had no issue spotting the form of the white adult that loomed ahead of her. It was clear that he had finally grown, the mane stark against the night as it shone just as brightly as the moon. She could only stare a moment, seeing every shape and form of his as clear as day. Somehow, her cheeks warmed and her thoughts were forgotten of the anger of fall.
Overcast or not, there would always be stars shimmering across the lands, and Isoke couldn't hide the child-like smile that crossed her maw at the thought. Instead, she moved slowly through the grasses and towards the hill, the winds brushing her scent in an alluring dance that clearly met its target. As soon as his tail twitched, she paused and held her breath, waiting to see what might happen before he turned his head finally and blinked at her. She was about to smile up towards him before he spoke up first, and she felt all joy seep away.
"Wha?" Ears flattening, she seemed to become offended by the idea, and let her eyelids narrow slightly, "I am a big girl, Tafari." It was short, controled, and suddenly lacking the same old nick-name she used to give him from before. Instead, it was a casual anger that seemed to always surround her. That is, until a sigh escaped her maw and she looked across the lands.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:29 pm
[He turned away quickly, a little startled at her curt response. He probably deserved that too. What kind of greeting was that anyway? What are you doing out so late? ?? Of all the things he could have said, he had to choose that. He frowned at himself, "Sorry. I didn't mean... It's just... You can do what you want. Forget what I said," he mumbled, stumbling over his words before finally trailing off. That's right... She was old enough to do as she pleased now. She didn't need him to bother her about such simple things.
His ears twitched uneasily as he heard her sigh. He glanced cautiously over at her, trying to see around his pure white mane; the wind kept sweeping it into his eyes. It was a problem he always seemed to have. Something wasn't wrong, was it? "Are you okay?" he asked, a bit sheepishly. Why was he so nervous around her? Well, he was always nervous around others, but this was different. It was almost as if he was afraid of making her mad at him or upsetting her in some way. He... This feeling he had was normal, right? He turned away again, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he added quickly, not wanting her to think he was just being nosey. Why did it seem like he couldn't do anything right?
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:40 pm
She glanced out of the corners of her eye at him while he fumbled over his words, still facing ahead and letting the winds brush past her and towards him. It took only a second for it to bother her and she let a shiver visably run down her spine. It was once more the cool night, and as she paused, she wanted to shift over towards the warmth of the adult. She remembered the only time she ever settled next to his side, when she faced the one true life threatening experience of her life.
As soon as the question was voiced, her soft eyes settled right on his form, before she moved to sit and blink up at him. The light of the stars shone down at that moment, catching her eyes and his form and seemingly making them glow even more vibrant than before.
"..." She opened her maw and closed it, frowning that she couldn't get the words, "I thought...as a cub we wouldn't get as much freedom...but it seems now that I am older...I've lost my wings..." As she said that, she looked up to the silent sky, just frowning still as her eyes searched for birds, anything that would be alive in the still of the night.
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:02 pm
Tafari turned to face the female. What exactly was she so upset about? She lost her... wings? Sure, he didn't understand what she meant, but if it was important to her... Then it should be important to him too. He closed his eyes; he was thinking strange things again. "If you want help finding them..." he muttered, opening his eyes to watch her, "Your wings, I mean..."
He suddenly gritted his teeth together and turned to look upward at the sky. What was he saying? He was offering to help her find her wings? What was that supposed to mean? She must think he was crazy! Did she ever even have wings? What did she mean by wings? New approach to this... New approach.
"Getting older isn't that bad," he said with an awkward, but soft smile on his maw, "You start to understand things more at least." Now what did that mean? He wasn't making any sense... Try again. "Of course you get freedom when you're older. Look at you now; you're out and about way past everyone else's bedtime!" Okay, now you’re pushing it. Tafari frowned nervously at himself. There had to be an easier way to making her feel better... "What's up with this weather, huh? To think it was bright and sunny just a few weeks ago." Tafari... There are times where you just shouldn't talk...
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:21 am
She held a confused look across her features as he said all that, before turning her head once more and smiling lightly, a simple lift of the corners of her maw, "I know...it is just a childish want of mine..." Strangly, she suddenly realized just how different she was acting, and shook her head before standing up.
"I've just been pent up too long lately, I feel so caged, something I never dreamed of happening, dispite my status." Watching as the grasses shifted and the creatures buzzed with life, her ears perked at the crickets before his last notion came to meet her.
"This weather is all at fault...did you know that?" Her bright blue eyes were once more on him as she turned and moved closer, "Everything that has happened with the wet season just makes it worse...I've lost the freedom, the joy and the warmth, and the stars I love so much..."
She shook her head, "I shouldn't be bothering you with this...I haven't told anyone else about my...issue..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:32 am
The adult watched the younger female while she spoke. The moonlight seemed to radiate off of her dark pelt; it was almost enchanting. Tafari pulled his eyes away to stare at the ground next to him. Maybe it was really he who was being the childish one. Don't just sit there! Say something to her! He remained silent, not wanting to sound stupid, especially to her. What was there to say, anyway?
He blinked, hearing her mention the weather being at fault for everything. He glanced over at her right as she began to move closer. His mismatched hues widened a bit as a sudden look of panic overtook his features. He tried to sidestep away a bit, but gracefully stumbled over his own front paws and failed to do anything but duck down a bit as she spoke to him. She had startled him... He wasn't expecting her to want to get any closer to him than she already was.
Tafari glanced up at Isoke from his spot on the ground. He could always nonchalantly pretend to be bored to cover up his little fumble, right? Like that would make anything look less awkward... He blinked, realizing he seemed to be short on breath. It was her eyes that seemed to be mesmerizing him; so bright and beautiful, sparkling in the moon and starlight. He forced himself to look away, resting his head on his paws. "You're not bothering me," he murmured softly, "If you need someone to talk to... Or if something is bothering you... I'll be here for you," he said, cheeks flushing red. What was he saying? What a way to embarrass himself, just keep mumbling nonsense until she walks away, right?
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 2:41 pm
Pulling away as she saw him stumble, she bit her lip before looking out to the same spot as before, seemingly nowhere. It seemed as if the gods enjoyed their lack of comfort, for as she saw him and heard him murmber, she just shook her head slowly before mentally berating herself on what to do next.
Finally, when he spoke up and his cheeks flared red, she raised her head and smiled lightly, for it was clear Tafari would do nothing. So slowly, she looked over to him and smiled her warm, playful smile, a loving gaze resting on her true friend.
"I know Tafari, I know..." And with that, she took advantage of him lying on his belly, for she padded quickly to where he was. Lowering her head, she licked his cheek slowly, before the increase of heat on her cheeks became apparent as she pulled away, "You are my Farasi, my knight in shining armor and I would have no one else..." Now, she kept silent, clearly not going to say or do anything else, for it was Tafari's turn, and he had the choice. Brush it off as if it were just a sisterly action, or move in on the feelings he seemed to be ignoring as of yet.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:17 pm
Everything stopped dead in its tracks. The whole world seemed to freeze up as time was brought to a halt. Tafari looked up at the younger lioness, his heart starting once again. Did she just...? Red covered his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, easily visible through his silver coat. "Isoke...?" he stared at her, not knowing what to say or do. Why was it he was always thinking about her? It was like he wanted to always be around her; just as long as he could see her... he'd be happy. He wanted her to be happy... If he could just do that...
"I..." he started, uncertain of himself. What was he going to say? She could be with anyone... Why should he allow her to waste that on him? She was a princess, she deserved the best. How could he be certain that he would be able to give her what she wanted? How selfish could he get? She would do better with someone closer to her age. "I..." he tried again, not being able to say anything else. He didn't deserve anything more than he already had. So why did he have to keep thinking about her?
He couldn't say anything. He wanted to tell her that she could do better than him. He wanted to tell her that she was making a mistake... Yet he also wanted to understand why he couldn't stop thinking about her. Why? All of his contradicting thoughts were fighting with one another, and all he could do was gaze longingly into Isoke's mystifying blue eyes. His mind was telling him to stay away from her; if he got too close to her and something horrible happened... How would he ever forgive himself? His heart on the other hand was telling him he would never know unless he tried.
"I... I'm sorry," he forced out, pulling his eyes away from hers, "I... I can't..." It was too dangerous. He would always watch over her, but from a safe distance. She would understand that this was for the best, right? At least one day she would.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 6:48 pm
She was about to snap at him with irritation, but suddenly his words caught her ears, and her maw fell open. No longer did her eyes shine like before, but instead they just seemed to stare off into space, well past the lion she just flirted with moments before. Turning away, she felt as if she were a fool, the questions speeding through her mind.
Wondering first what she did wrong, she just thought over everything that was said and done, and saw no faults, only the rejection. Looking to him, she found a childish rage fill her being, and instead just huffed darkly.
"Fine." It was short, disapointment filling her words, "I take it all back." And with that, she moved to stride away from him, holding her first drama that would lead into her adolescence.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:29 pm
That was that. Tafari stared at the ground, desperately trying to stop himself from shaking. Did he really mean what he said? Of course he didn't, but what difference would it really make? She would do so much better without him. He would just end up disappointing her.
He winced at her words. She was upset... Why would she be upset? She wasn't really serious about all this, was she? Tafari gritted his teeth together. He was just getting his hopes up anyway... Out of all those she could pick... Why would she say that to him? She was walking away... This... This wasn't right. This wasn't fair. This wasn't what he wanted.
"Isoke! Wait!" he finally said after enough time for her to get at least half way down the hill. He quickly got to his feet, turning sharply to follow her. Not a smart move... His mind wasn't working correctly; it was like this was the first time he ever tried walking... Tafari took a few, unsteady strides before toppling into the adolescent, sending them both rolling down the hill.
Having closed his eyes when he started to fall, he now slowly opened them to see where he had landed. He blinked, realizing his nose was just a few inches away from Isoke's... Isoke?! His face flushed red as he hurried to get off of her, broken bits of dried grass and dirt sticking every which way out from his normally white mane. "I'm sorry!" he gasped, staring embarrassedly away from her. What a way to be an idiot... "Are you okay?" he suddenly asked, glancing over at her. What if he hurt her also? "I didn't mean... It's not that I don't..." he mumbled, trying to explain what had happened earlier. He wasn't doing a very good job of it...
(( If that's too much or whatever, then just say so and I'll edit~ XD;; I think I got a bit carried away... ))
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Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:53 am
She paused as he yelled out her name, growing frustrated with everything and deciding to turn right as he fell into her form. The larger lion pushing her down, she rolled as well as all of her breath left her body. It wasn't until she landed underneath him that she opened her eyes and saw just how close he was.
"What are you doing?" A meek hiss came out, waiting for him to get up as she rolled to her paws and stood. Looking over to him with sharp, hurt eyes, she just wondered how many more games would go on, how much more playing with her heart this lion would do.
"Am I okay? No, Tafari, I am not okay," She said slowly, her voice dying at each sylable as she looked away, "If you don't remember, you did just turn me down." And there it was, the turth of the matter all out in the open. As she waited for him to speak, her eyes just suddenly rolled and she turned away. Clearly, nothing was getting acomplished except the breaking of her heart. She may not know what love was, but being denied by her closest friend in a simple action she saw most adults do was something that both confused her and pained her.
And so, once more she turned away as he continued his mumblings, not really understanding where he was going.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 1:38 pm
The cool night wind ruffled the young adult's mane as he watched his friend, confusion in his eyes. Her voice sounded pained- did he really do something to hurt her? Mismatched eyes focused themselves on the figure of the younger female before him. The shock from his own stupidity was beginning to play with his mind. He couldn't just let her go off on her own now, but what could he say? Anything he said would just make everything so much worse.
"Iso-" he breathed, trying to think of something... Anything that would prove to her he didn't mean what he had said. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with her... He wanted that more than anything... But what if she ended up getting hurt? He wasn't worthy to be near her. She could pick someone so much better than him...
Tafari let out a long sigh. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her how he really felt about her. It was too... It was like surrendering everything to her. How did he know when it was the right time to do that? To admit that she was his weakness. A glance skyward reminded him of how late it was. It was still cloudy... Storms would reach the lands soon...
"You're still too young to worry about things like that," he forced out as she turned away. His eyes searched the ground for something steady to focus on, but the world around him seemed to be spinning. "It's late... You should probably get some rest." What was he doing? He sounded pathetic; telling her she should go to sleep? What was he thinking? Did he even know where he was going with this? "Just... You don't have to worry..."
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 4:43 pm
Stilling, her paws stopped all movement at his first words, ears perking lightly to show she was indeed listening but otherwise nothing showed. Her tail had even stopped moving, and yet as he faltered in his words, she just let out another long sigh before moving her steps slowly once again.
The comment about youth was what caught her, and right away she spun around with fury raging through her vibrant eyes. Moving back the short distance she had crossed, her gaze did not follow his to the sky, but instead burned right into his beautiful ivory pelt, and his bi-colored eyes that mimiced those of his mother.
"The only cub I see here is you Tafari," She bit out, though while her eyes filled with pain her words held a hint of sadness as well, "You can't even see what's before you anymore, and can't even tell when a female offers herself...or more as if you wont accept the love of anyone, not even someone who works so hard to be appart of your family."
Taking another breath, she looked as if she were going to say more, before shaking her head and turning away, "I'm sorry, but you've lost your chance Tafari..." That tone was clearly one of defeat, and she padded away once again with her head hung low.
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