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 Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 12:16 pm
The few months he spent alive had done wonders for little Mastema, his mind and soul welcoming the life that sprung around him. While his paws only brushed the pure lands of the Pridelands, his mind wandered as he listened to the tales from his family. Stories of sandy spances and misty trees littered his dreams, the past of his family fuling his imagination.
Little did he know that part of his fantasy was indeed fact.
That morning, the youth found himself springing outside of the den with the sunrise, not daring to go farther that what was alowed. He had yet to learn to fear his parents, but he learned what disappointment was. Never would he disappoint his family, or at least to his knowledge mean to. As those dreams filled his mind he wandered towards a nearby edge, looking down and out while images danced before his eyes. Silenced by awe, he just settled to his haunces and waited to see what would come forth next.
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Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 12:38 pm
A wide yawn split jaws filled with terrible teeth as a lioness the color of sunset stepped from the pridal dens. Muscles like fluid metal rolled under skin as she bent into a lazy, bone snapping stretch. The sun, once feeling so hot on her red pelt, was diminished in Kiuma's mind. After the sun over the desert, this was gentle in comparison. Nothing at all like the blistering heat.
Eyes like her pelt scanned the rocks and came to rest on her youngest... a cub that was strangely out of place among the others. It wasn't just his color either. After all, the twins were blue, of all colors. No, it was his attitude that put him apart from his siblings.
Soft, sweet, gentle, obedient... She could appreciate his willingness to follow direction, but the others, while not bad, were hardly something she looked for in her cubs. A sigh slipped from the red lioness as she padded towards the cub. Something would have to be done for Mastema, something to toughen him up while not seeming to. "Mastema! Come here, son."
Shadows passed over the ground, drawing Kiuma's eyes up to the flock of birds that passed. The look brought a smile, and a new purpose to her steps. Yes, that was it... if she could teach him to hunt, perhaps he'd turn out right after all.
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Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:29 pm
Unable to note the gaze that lingered on his pelt, for he was too far gone in the fantasy's of the past, but once the words called to him, the boy forgot all of the mind's games that were held. Turning suddenly, bright green eyes blinked to where his mother had settled, before he realized the summoning. And so, he scampered onto his paws and rushed over to his mother, slowing down once he was a few feet away.
"Yes mother?" He asked softly, his paws gliding to her side so he brushed against her large paws, a soft purr-like rumble forming in the back of his throat.
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:04 pm
Kiuma smiled ruefully as she raised a paw and let it stroke down Mastema's back for a moment, then she pushed him back till he was settled before her. She sat herself down and regarded her youngest.
"Hmm... I think its time I took you out for some hunting practice, Son." The red lioness said, her tail twitching as it curled beside her. "I think it would do you good."
He looked so cute, sitting there with his creamy coat and green eyes... hardly looking like her son at all, what with her red pelt and eyes.
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Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:46 pm
When she brushed her paw down his back, he let out a soft giggle, before sliding down upon her silent commands. Looking up a bit confused, his eyes showed the trust as well as the innocence, not whining like he saw some of his other siblings when they didn't want to be left in one spot.
"Why do I need to hunt...don't we have hunters?" He asked a bit confused, not really understanding though his voice more confused than disagreeing, "But if you think I should..." That is where the tentative tone came in, and he looked down to his paws with a confused blink. He really didn't want to hunt anything, but maybe his mother would do all the killing, if he was lucky.
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Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:27 am
Kiuma watched her son with unblinking eyes, a little frown appearing as he spoke. Yes, it was good she was seeing to his education now. This could not be allowed to continue.
"Never let another do for you what you can do for yourself, do you understand, Mastema?" The lioness put a heavy emphasis on her words, bending her head to catch her son's eyes. "Only the weak rely on others to feed them and protect them. You are weak now, but you are only a cub. In time, you will grow strong, and by then you must know how to take care of yourself. No child of mine will laze about like the useless rogues of the pride, depending on lions like your father and I to feed them." Kiuma nodded sharply, rising to her paws with a flick of her tail.
"Today we shall start teaching you how to hunt, and I expect you to try your hardest. Your siblings started this a long time ago, and its about time you joined them. Come." She paced her way around her little son and set off down the rock, her pace held to something would allow him to keep up, even though it pressed him. Yes, there was some serious work to be done.
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Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:01 pm
His ears suddenly flatted upon the side of his skull, his gaze still avoding her own at the chidings she made. Sure he could agree that the weak let others hunt for them, but at the moment he didn't mind using what others gained, for they offered and he hated to pass it up.
In fact, he really had no idea why it was expected of him to hunt so early, it just didn't make sense, and the only other youth he saw hunting were his siblings. And yet, as he looked back up towards his mother, he couldn't verbalize his misunderstandings, so he simply nodded with a mute response. As she moved away, he followed as if he were on a death march, his shoulders hunched and his head a bit low while he scampered to keep with her pace.
Maybe, he could think of some excuse to get out of it once agian, though the chances were looking quite slim today. Kiuma seemed to be in a very short mood.
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:08 pm
Kiuma caught his flattened ears and down-cast expression, and she sighed inwardly. That was exactly the kind of things she wanted to train out of him. They had no place on one of her sons, her precious children.
The red lioness led the way, her son padding along behind her. Now, just to find a good place to find prey... something small to start out with, she thought. Round ears flicked and turned, scanning the surrounding area for anything that might be moving.
Was that...? Yes! The lioness froze on her pacing, ears trained on the sound. Mice? Yes, mice in a little den in the grass.
"Mastema..." She called softly. "Come here, son."
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 8:25 am
Perking up at his name, he rushed over to her side with a tentative slide at the end, looking up to her with wide emerald eyes that by no means mimicked his father's.
"Yes mother?" He asked softly, having decided that he might as well get it over with, because in the end he knew his mother knew what was best for him. If she wanted him to hunt than he would hunt, and he would do it without any complaints. That and he didn't have enough time to think of excuses.
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 7:44 am
Kiuma nodded, pleased that he had responded quickly.
"Shh... quietly now. One of the biggest parts of hunting is stalking, and to stalk, you must be quiet." She reached out a large paw to pull him towards her, settling the small tan body between her forelegs. "Now, listen carefully.... Do you hear the soft squeaks and rustling in the grass? That is mice... small, and not much of a meal, but they shouldn't be too hard to catch for you, and when you are an adult, they can feed you when there is nothing else available."
She listed her head to scent the air, nearly sighing in relief when the mice's scent came to them clearly from upwind. "Another important part, is to make sure the wind is always blowing in your face when you approach your prey. If its blowing at your back, it will carry your scent to them, and they'll flee. Now, crouch low and move as quietly as you can towards the mice. Wait to get as close as you can, then pounce on them!" She smiled as she unsheathed her claws, demonstrating on some grass. "If you catch something in your mouth or your claws, bite down on it as hard as you can, till it stops moving, understand? Now, go see what you can do..."
She gently nudged the tan bottom, pushing her son forward with an encouraging smile.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:55 am
He let her pull him in, not minding at all when placed in one of his favorite places. Looking straight up to her much larger form, he listened very carefully, loving the sound of her smooth and soothing voice. She told him to be quite, and so he nodded, that much was easy enough to follow. Maw shut, he looked back down to the swaying grasses and tried to focus.
The rustling was what he heard first, but soon enough he could make out the soft callings of the mice, and he swallowed suddenly. He heard them alright, and knew they were playing just as he always loved to. Eyes snapping back to his mother, he listened for the second part of her lesson, and felt the breeze just as she did.
Before he could ask questions, however, she pushed him out in the open, and he scrambled onto his paws. Remember the last part of the lesson, he quickly fell to his belly in a soft puff of dirt, before sniffing the air as she had.
Stay low, stay silent, and bite as hard as you can.
The mantra flowed through his mind and he moved closer, his paws shaking slightly while he thought it all over.
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:15 am
Kiuma stifled a sigh as she crouched to watch her son at his lesson. Whether or not he caught something was up to the Circle now... She could only do so much for him. She couldn't be his jaws as he bit down, or his paws as he stalked.
She liked to think she could train him out of those silly thoughts about how the creatures might feel though. Prey was for food, nothing more. He had to learn that, or he'd be just another useless lion in the pride, taking up space and resources the useful ones brought in.
Kiuma wished she could talk him through it as he moved... he seemed to respond well to commands as they were issued.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:04 pm
He stilled a moment, as if sensing his mother's own unease on the situation, as a shiver filled up and down his spine. He closed his eyes a moment, taking a deep breath and suddenly smelling the mice. A strange urge filled his body, a hunger that rocked his soul and caused his small claws to jump out.
The mouse shifted ahead of him, the grasses quivering slightly as it searched for food. Mastema watched with fascination, blinking a moment and than looking back at his mother. He was uncertain, though his body told him to chase after the innocent creature. Maybe this is what she wanted to teach him, a control over his urges, the nasty urges that made him want to kill. His siblings didn't seem to mind the urges like he did, and he realized that was because how fun it felt, how exciting.
This must be the lesson his mother wished to teach.
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