RhubarbDumpling: Watching the blanket of night peel slowly back from the sky, a lone figure paused in her slow move from amongst the shadows of high scrub, finding a patch of easy light, the streams of soft pinks and oranges above seeming to do little for the uniform grey light stretching across the plains.
She had passed a troubled night. Kaure's dreams were never entirely easy, for with that which she accepted as a gift came that she did not wish, sights that boded ill.
Sighing, the pale lioness allowed her body to slide into a reclining position, head tilted upwards, taking in the sight of the last stars twinkling idly as the fiery brilliance of the sunrise set about snuffing their jewel-like clusters from the earth's view.
"Would that you could see," she whispered idly to those diamonds of the heavens.
The wings painted upon her back rippled with the movements of her musculature, shoulders softening. Often she had wished for them to be real, to fly away and greet the stars she could watch for hours.

Saffy Kitti: One of the last real Ela'wadiyi that lived in the lands was slowly making his way from out of the rough vegetation. His chrage, Adi'sa, was still asleep, but the old nvwati wanted to determine just where they were going to head before the little one awoke. Tawa'di knew that if he wasn't entirely sure of where to go, the little juvenile bundle of fur would pick for them, and that could prove disasterous.

His large paws, brittle as they were, emerged from the rough brush to find more of the savannah grasses. Not always nice to his paws, he paused before stepping out, his large, greying mane framing the old face of one who had seen many summers.

Noticing that there was a form just a bit off from he was, he kept his eye on the stranger, not wanting to approach, yet feeling compelled enough to not ignore them and move on as he normally did. She didn't feel like an Ela'wadiyi. Not completely, anyway.

RhubarbDumpling: That a new scent mingled with the sweetness of the aromas of morning may have been true, for too deep was the reverie of the female to pay much attention to it. Her mind was in the heavens, soaring, dipping, swooping over one of the brighter of the stars.
Though considering herself too old to give way to such childish fantsies, she could not help but indulge in them now and again, and after an uneasy night, there was no greater comfort than to retreat to a portion of her mind where no harm could meet her, where no other existed.

A thin smile snaked across her maw, warming her liquid gaze, directed as it was into nowehere.
"To the morning star and back," she chorused in an undertone, voice almost sing-song in it's lilting ways, childish.

Saffy Kitti: Tawa'di watched her, his interest in her mildly growing. He could tell, at least intuition could tell, that her mind wasn't completely in her body, and thus she most likely didn't realise that the aged lion was near her.

He gave a little shake with his head sadly. These may be the Ela'wadiyi lands, where few roamed, and even fewer conflict occured, but one might never know what could happen. Even if they were blessed with the seer-gift.

Deciding that the best way to gain her attention and be polite at the same time, Tawa'di cleared his throat, hoping that she'd pull herself out of her daydreaming state.

"Are you lost, miss?" he said gently, not knowing if she would spook easily. He would wait pateintly for her reply, if she heard him, for being pushy was so mething that Tawa'di detested.

RhubarbDumpling: Though her mind may have strayed, her sense of hearing was regretably alive, and upon the sound of the other's voice her wits came screaming back to the femme, the eager light snuffing itself from her gaze, smile fleeing once more, only to be replaced in a trice.
Turning to meet the gaze of the aged male, Kaure impressed upon her features a gaze of friendly inquiry.
"Not lost, sir, merely unsure of my way."
A quiet gurgle of laughter followed this, before she followed up the words;
"I have escorted a charge to these lands, one of your pride. It is strange, to be a stranger in the home of one so close."

She had assumed him to be of Utlwa's own pride, the tattoos seemed to bespeak the fact.

Saffy Kitti: Tawa'di offered her a nod of mild understanding, confirming what was in his mind; that she merely was there, and not quite lost, per say. He took a few steps out from the tall brush, exposing his overly tattooed body a bit more. No use in hiding the face that he was old; anyone could see that just by his greying mane.

His ears perked at the knowledge offered that one of his pride had returned. It warmed his old bones, knowing that there were still some of his lost pride returning. It seemed that not all was lost, then.

"I see. It is good for the heart to hear that." He gave her a small bow, for if it was any larger, he might harm himself. Mornings were not always kind to the old. "I am Tawa'di Kanati, it is a pleasure to welcome you into the Ela'wadiyi lands."

RhubarbDumpling: Never would her eyes grow accustomed to the myriad of tattoos the Ela'wadiyi held, their lives told upon their pelts, stretched out for others to read. That the male before her had led a life longer than her little friend was evident not only in his story, but in his figure. His movements spoke his age, and in response to his shallow bow, she inclined her head in greeting.
"I am Kaure, and I thank you. I hope you will meet my charge. Utlwa Galu'nadi is her name."

His name was unfamiliar to her, but then, most not concerned with Wally's father had never been mentioned within her hearing, so extensive was that single topic to the juvenile's mind.

Saffy Kitti: Tawa'di had noticed that once he emerged from the taller foliage that the female had taken a scan of his tattoos across his body. She seemed to know a bit of the language of the tattoos, and it secretly confirmed for him that she had spoken the truth. He was humble about his life, and would be more shy to speak of it then anything.

He gave her a nod, feeling a bit unfamiliar with the name himself, but he would not admit that. "I would love to be graced by her presence, though I would not want her to be awoken just for that. There is plenty of time in the day, and even the days following this to meet with her."

He was mildly hoping that he wouldn't meet with another, though, for there was something deep on his mind. It could be a good thing to meet with this other, to get the matter off of his mind, but it was something to not forget about, also.

"I had a premonition of others returning to these lands, but I believe it was of a larger group then just the two of you..." he rambled. He had 'seen' a group of only a handful returning to the lands, but he wasn't sure if they had actually reached the lands or not yet. He was deciding to seek them out as soon as possible, but it was hard when one aws old, and hid charge was a budding ball of energy.

RhubarbDumpling: The old lion's words rang true, for similar dreams had plagued the femme. A vague hope had existed within her heart that the lions within her inner gaze would prove the family members her young companion sought so desperately, but fear existed they may prove otherwise.
"Such visions I share, Tawa'di Kanati. Tell me, do you know of whom they are? Whether they share the name Galu'nadi?"

Wally's eager face sprang into her mind, those green eyes full of hope, childish dreams centred on the remains of her kin.

Saffy Kitti: Tawa'di gave a disappointed shake of his head, only able to offer a sigh. "No, I am afraid I do not know their names. As far as I can 'see', there is only a handful of them. An older female, and a few that are just into adulthood. I am afraid I do not know if they also own the name Galu'nadi."

He shifted the weight his forepaws beared, and reclined himself into a sitting position, which was much easier on his aging body. "I do believe though, that if none of them carry that name, then perhaps they will know the whereabouts of whom you seek."

His words weren't of the most comforting kind, but he hated to give false hope that would go no where. There was no point in lying about what he 'saw', for it would only make things more complicated, and that was something that was far from what Tawa'di wanted to do.
RhubarbDumpling: He may have tried to alight no hope in Kaure's breast, but two words to have passed his lips did just that. The mention of an older female gave rise to suspicions about Wally's grandmother, and silently did the lioness indulge these fond ideas. What joy would meet her young friend if those to share her name were to return. What felicity!

With real warmth did the porcelain female smile on Tawa'di, allowing the passage of his aged body to pass without comment. She offered no help, for to make offer would be to insult, she felt.

"I thank you, sir. You have said what I needed to know, perhaps without meaning."

Saffy Kitti: Tawa'di gave her a questioning look, unsure as to what he said that gave her a little gleam in her eye. He didn't want to press it, for disappointment was something that he didn't want to give to Kaure. But he had to tell himself that he didn't know their situation, nor whether what they were just looking for, so he let his concern drop, and turned to another matter that interested him.

"You're welcome, Kaure. I am hoping that you will find what it is that you are looking for. All should be able to end their quests with a smile." He offered her a kind smile before continuing. "Though I am a bit intrigued that you see things as well. That is an interesting fact to come across..."

Tawa'di had never come across another that was blessed with a gift from the gods. He never assumed that he was the only one with the gift, but it did surpise him to find one suddenly before him.
RhubarbDumpling: A quick reverie was all the female allowed herself, in which the thought of her young friend made happy was simply too appealing to resist. Idly she imagined the joy of Utlwa at the sight of her family, before allowing her mind to return to earth, to what was in existence, and to the male's words.

His comments struck a smile to her face, though a silent question lurked in her eyes.
"I dream them, rather than see them, per se. I see things in my sleep, and follow their ways, I suppose."

Like Tawa'di, Kaure had met no other with her gift, but had always assumed it was not very rare.

Saffy Kitti: Tawa'di didn't bother hiding his sense of surprise. "Dream them? That is something odd....I do see them in my sleep, but sometimes I get hit with them while I am awake, at any moment. Mind, those are actually a little painful, but only in dreams..." His mind and words drifted off as he tried to imagine that.
As far along as he could remember, Tawa'di's seer-abilities had always been there in the back of his mind. Mixed in with the nvwati training he gained so long ago, he was able to interperet them much better then the average lion with no training, and thus had much more accurate readings. But the times they hit him when he was awake; either walking, hunting, or even just speaking, would be painful as his brain could barely handle the sudden impact. As he aged, it grew lighter, though. "I do wonder if your seeings feel much more realistic then mine, for you are in a dream state when they occur..." his words rambled again, speaking aloud what he was thinking.


RhubarbDumpling: She could not answer these thoughts with any true clarity, for as he could not see her visions, nor could she see his, and the realism of either was immeasurable in this way.
"Perhaps," she attempted, "... perhaps at the time they are, but when I wake, I think they flee me a little, for I cannot always remember every aspect, but pictures, figures, voices. They fight for supremacy in my waking mind, fight amongst themselves to see who will be remembered."

Like Tawa'di, she heralded some pain from this, but not in the vision itself, but in the jumble of confusion following, a pain of the nerves rather than the nervous system, an overwhelming confusion.

Saffy Kitti: Tawa'di gave her a knowing nod. "Though I rarely see when I dream, it is almost like a dream, hard to remember details, only a light cloud of what truely happend remians in the mind."

His eyes fell on her gently, her coat a seemingly different version of the Ela'waydiyi tattoos. At least, that was what it appeared to be for him.

"Please excuse me, but I do find it quite a treat for me in my old age to find another who can see. I may stumble over my words like a cub, but as far as I can remember, I have been the only one in the Ela'wadiyi lands to have such a gift."

He paused before continuing. "How does your charge take this?" The other Ela'wadiyi knew of his gift, and as such, he was held a little more in amazement then anything, which was something that Tawa'di did not want. He would rather be someone approachable then anything.

RhubarbDumpling: His speech of excitement lent greater warmth to the smile seemingly affixed to the white lioness' features, warming her heart, indeed. That it was a treat for him to meet another with such a gift pleased her, for she felt that in a fashion, she had brought the old man joy.

His question led her to quirk a brow.Utlwa had always seemed to take it as a matter of fact, neither doubting her assertions, nor making a great deal of them.
"I think, sir, she merely accepts it as a matter of fact. She seems neither to hold a great interest in it, nor an entire lack of interest in it. She places faith in that which I see, but would, I think, accept it if I were unable to dream such."

Saffy Kitti: "That is most interesting, and a blessing in sorts." The old lion gave a sigh. "When the Ela'wadiyi where in the old lands, there were manny pressures on one such as I to produce reults nearly daily. It was stressful, and I am glad to hear this."

His tail swished against the ground behind him, before it drew itself up next to his side. "This charge of yours...Utlwa, seems like a kind soul. I do hope that I meet with her soon. It would bring me great joy if I could help you two on your quest for her kin."


RhubarbDumpling: These tidings gave Kaure cause for pause. The pressure the old lion must have felt worried her, for such was a heavy burden to bear. Much was she glad that the only pressure upon her abilities was provided by herself.

His mention of Utlwa, though, banished these thoughts, and most readily did she nod, lending her assertion.
"A kind soul, indeed, though her manner may need some polish, she is very young, and holds the faults of youth; a ready temper, and a propensity towards pride. She does not think ill, but she may speak or act it. I should like you to meet her, however, when impressed with correct respect she proves her true wit."
A realisation of the time dawned upon her;
"She will wake soon, if you will allow me to bring her to you on this day."

So ends part one, Kaure and Tawa'di.