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 Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:20 pm
It had been days since Kimeti had accepted him into the pride. The joy that Uzulu had felt had long faded and now only lingered as a distant memory. For now his focus was primarily upon other things, like finding himself a cave before they were all taken away by the quickly coming swarm of lions. It seemed he wasn't the only one that had decided it was suddenly time to return home. Granted, though the Firekin weren't what they once were, Uzulu had always fancied a cave, and it seemed that they were in short supply. Most certainly he had no plan of staying in the pridal cave for the rest of his life. It was no way to raise cubs, peace was needed.
So he'd set out from the caves, nice and early, trailing his way along the rock face towards where he believed was a suitable place. It was well out of the way of what should have been considered the pridelands, considering it was so far north. The journey, as well, was not one for the feint at heart, for it involved scaling the tallest of the rocks - or at least the path Uzulu took did. He'd always been a fan for heights, loving to see the world from the highest point on it. The sands were so vast and unobstructed, as well, that if one were to go high enough they could see everything for miles. It made him feel tall, like a king, and he liked it.
Long ago the sun's rays had breached the line on the horizon, and now it stood full in the sky, beating down on his red pelt. Uzulu's tongue was rolled out of his mouth in an unromantic fashion, and he kept displaying it to a rather young female as he looked back to make sure she hadn't yet fallen to her death.
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Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:30 pm
And Kaanga probably would yet fall to her death- for as the seeress attempted to climb the steep crags, she fell and tumbled, clawing her way back up, and heading to the next ledge. She was winded and overheated- but her bright yellow eyes were eagerly unawares of it. Or at least- she was very good at making herself look it. “I-“ She huffed, clawing herself to the next level. “-Think this is a very good place for you to stay!” She peered back down as a small stone fell to the rocks below. “You’ll always have good air.”
The white creature made another jerking motion, and hit the next rock. This time, she landed with much better results the eighty other times- and took the moment to dust her tired self off. “I am sure there must be some caves up here. No one ever goes up here. At least, I never go up here.”
He was still a few ledges above her, and with a deep breath, she hopped up to the next one. She had yet to realize that perhaps if she stopped talking, she would not be so winded. “–I am getting better at climbing, I think!” She added, as if to dismiss any thoughts of her floundering.
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Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:53 pm
Uzulu flicked his ears back. Kaanga had been talking all morning, for the most part. It wasn't until now that she'd switched her motives to more on their climbing. Of course, he hadn't really started his ascent until this moment as well. He did give her credit for following him all this way. It wasn't as though he asked her to come, she just did. . . Loyal, he supposed he could call her, though why he was blessed with such luck, he had no idea.
"Not quite. Just a little bit farther." So he leapt up onto the next ledge, careful to pick pathways he was fairly sure no one could die on. Then again, he was never very good with such guesstimations.
The sun was directly over them when he finally stopped, and he was, needless to say, on the top of the world, looking down. It seemed his ascent had ended, and even he was left a bit fatigued. But on the opposite side, there was something he wanted. A cache that led near to a niche in the rock. Following it with his eyes, it lay in a shadowed area, and obviously ravaged by torrents of rain long since faded. With a grin he slid his way down the other side of his rockface and down into this darkened area. There, the small drip of some water source turned over silence in a continuous repetitive motion.
He'd found the water, but no cave as of yet. Hopefully there would be one close by. For now, it was time to quench his thirst. "Kaanga! Over here! Water.
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Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:30 pm
“Water?” Kaanga gaped, the shock of such an idea causing her to pitch forward and smack her chin into the ledge just below her. She groaned as stars burned at the corners of her eyes, but despite being a simple and eager lioness, she could take a good hit. After a few shakes of her head she was back on her feet, looking no worse the wear. “Water all the way here?”
Water in the Motoujamii was nothing to laugh about. Kaanga had grown up with thirst, and she’d learned to ignore it until she had come to water. But now, with the idea of it in her mind it sat like a heavy iron weight on her tongue. Eagerly she scrambled upwards, finally coming to a stop where he was.
The fact that he had found water seemed irrevokable proof that the heavens were trying to give the young seeress some kind of sign. She breathed and carefully padded to him, but not before taking a moment to settle her disheveled white fur. “I think this is a good sign!” She voiced. Surely, any lion as marvelous to make water come here could do anything.
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Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:39 pm
Uzulu nodded, his caked mouth slowly filling with the sweetness of liquid. Even her obnoxious voice was something of a blessing as he felt his thirst quench. Her constant talking was almost a comfort as they continued to travel. He didn't have to talk, but she told him stories, whether he wished to have them or not. It certainly made him feel more secure about himself. Plus, she was Kimeti's daughter, and he'd seemed to win her favor, like no other. Then, a sudden thought struck him, and it made him frown. It would be rather hard for her to reach him, for visiting, being so far away from the caves of common. Would the journey be too far for her to take? Probably. He'd have to spend more days away from his new home - once he found it - than he had previously wished. No matter, a little bit of sacrafice was nothing.
He waited for her to take a drink, she probably needed it more than he. However, in the jungle there was almost always water, everywhere, and he'd grown accustomed to its cool gaze. The ventures into this desert had proved more gruelling than he would have thought.
"Kaanga, you know this place better than I do. Its been many a time since I've searched a cave, I think you'd be better at locating it than I." He did think she'd have a better chance, but he also wanted to make her feel wanted, and proud. Besides, when people were fatigued they'd believe anything. The more little problems he gave for her brain to solve, the harder she'd fall. He'd have to be careful if she were to grow too smart, then she might see past him. For now, it seemed he was safe.
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Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:48 pm
It didn’t take thirst for the request to delight the young lioness. Her eyes went wide and her ears alighted, and her body squirmed. “Oh!” She peeped, almost as though she could hardly believe anyone was asking her opinion on anything. “I mean- I don’t know this place so so well, but I might remember there being a cave, or something, up here-“ She babbled energetically, before silencing herself as she too took a drink.
It was cool, and soothed her throat. Somewhere in the drink she might have had a faint burble of caution- ‘Don’t be so eager!’ her mind might have whispered, but she swallowed it away so fast that she did not hear it. She licked her chin and turned around, gesturing towards the water. “We should try to find a cave near this. If it rains again, it will swell and bring more water. You might not need to come down all the time!”
That though, brought a frown to her face. If he didn’t come down for water...would she ever get a chance to hang around him? Perhaps he’d let her stay up here sometimes? Yes, yes, that would work- “I think, maybe this way-“ She spoke, picking some random direction. Thankfully though, she was a seer, and while this might have been a random goose chase, some instinct came to play, and her mind’s map of her homeland began to pull her.
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Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:53 pm
Uzulu paused for a moment to look towards the stretching sands below them. His tail raised high, ears perked fowards at the sight. The neverending sands stretched far before him, seeming to fall off the earth a good distance away. 'Sometimes it gets so big it looks as though it might fall from the sky.' It wasn't her exact words, but the meaning stayed in his mind, all the same. A faint smile came to his lips. The world needed more change, and so long as that change was Firekin, he would be okay with it.
Her voice cuased his ears to flick back to his skull, as if he didn't want to be interrupted in his silence. As he turned, however, a smile was faintly alighting his face and his ears turned forwards once more. He nodded at her suggestion, knowing full well that was exactly what they should do. Let it all be her idea, though, even if it was painstakingly obvious. At her suggestion of not coming down all the time he frowned, and saw that she, too, seemed disconntented.
That brought his face back to neutrality, his head hoping, perhaps, the same thought he had crossed her mind, and it had made her ill at ease. Whatever the case, she was starting out again, and it was time for him to follow. No words crossed his mind to say, so he let her do all the talking, and carefully picked his way on the rocks behind her. He hoped she didn't go too far. He was not used to the summer sands, and already he grew weary, too many more lengths traveled and he'd have to stop for a rest in some shade. He could already feel his head throbbing a bit, his tongue lolling out in weariness. Kaanga was no doubt more acclimated to the heat, having never set foot elsewhere.
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:29 pm
Kaanga lurched forward, clearing the gap between a pair of rocks. She landed it rather well- considering the past twelve rocks she’d had a misstep on. She seemed rather proud with herself, and for a moment, she paused and sat on the stone. “This is a good way,” She rambled, never able to keep herself too quiet. She was too eager to speak- someone was listening! It was a delightful feeling. And he was still following her too.
“I’ve had a dream about this, I think,” She pursed, strolling down the stone. “A long time ago. When I was just a cub. Rocks like this...” Now, her dreams were troubled of things to the south. What was it? Strange times that troubled her mind.
As they rounded the corner, the dream began to be painted out in front of her. Deep, orange yellow rocks and soft blue hues cast down from the sky- and the sun, glittering any precious materials, or sand made glass on the edges. And in the center of the small gorge of rocks, was a dark black hole.
“Oh!” Kaanga stammered. “Look- a cave-“ She hushed.
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Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:14 pm
Uzulu kept his eyebrows stern, following quietly in the footsteps of Kaanga. She seemed to know just where she was headed, while he knew nothing of this region. He couldn't quite fathom having a dream about someplace, even with the aid of a memory, he knew it would be hard to locate something in this mess, yet even as he said it was impossible her voice ws breaking the silence.
As he rose his head in disbelief, sure enough, there lay a opening in the rocks, just waiting for him to venture into. He blinked once or twice, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A glance back towards where they had come told him they were close to the water source. He wouldn't be dying of heat exhaustion anytime soon.
Even Kaanga seemed to be silenced by the pure awe of it all. Then again, she'd said she already knew - having that dream and all - he would have thought her a little less surprised. Uzulu shrugged off the thought with a flick of his tail, starting forwards again with a jump. He flicked his gaze back to Kaanga just long enough to let her know it was okay to follow, and began to travel towards this beauty.
It didn't take him long to get there. The rocks flashed at him dangerously in the sunlight as he approached. He would take no warning from an inatimate object, however, and so lengthened his stride, swiveling his head for a better view. The surrounding world was carved of red. How the came had come to be, Uzulu did not know, but he was surely grateful for its presence. Grinning again, for the first time since the beginning of their journey, he slid one foot into the shadow, watching as the sun dissapeared from his fur.
The first moment of contact worn thin, he stretched the rest of the way into the darkness, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light. It was a narrow cave, at first, but as he moved past the first layer of rock, it began to open up. Not huge, only the home cave was of monstrous proportions, but enough to fit himself and perhaps a litter of cubs comfortably. Most importanly there was water. Close. His grin broadened and he turned around to face the outdoors once again.
"Nice work Kaanga. Its perfect." He settled onto the cool floor, happy to have finally escaped from the cool heat, his eyes watching the outdoors with interest. It even had a nice view, for what it was.
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Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:53 pm
A kind of pleasure floated through Kaanga as he praised her, and she flattened her ears and smiled in embarrassment. “We would have found it anyways...but...Kaanga is really glad you like it!” She spoke eagerly, and gently danced a circle in the bright entrance way. She waited until he settled, before carefully approaching. She did not want to make it seem like she was intruding upon his new home- but after he looked like he wasn’t blocking the way, she stepped inside the cavern. Shade flushed over her white body, and she gave a sigh of relief. It was perhaps the most adult sound she’d made since seeing him.
The white lioness flopped over on her side against the wall, and stared at the back. It went a bit farther, and she decided that this place was more then agreeable. It was narrow in the opening, but then, that was good. She wasn't sure why, but she had once heard Kimeti say such a thing. “Yes, yes. This is good. You’ll be up high and cool, and you will see the sun rise every morning.”
She rolled over onto her back, and stretched. “I wake up to look at it rise...” She commented softly. “I’m usually up because of dreaming so much. Do you ever dream, Uzulu?” She rambled.
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Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:27 pm
Uzulu smiled at her as she approached, stretching out his front legs as they began to ache. He leaned over onto his right side, draping his head over red limbs, and closing his eyes contentedly. His body seemed to draw on the cool air, leaving him exhausted, but exhalted. He managed a slight nod and poked one eye open to watch her. She looked so calm here in the shade, unlike her normal frivolant self.
"Yes," he answered her, humming dreamily as he imagined it. Waking up to the dazzling display of lights flickering across his home. To awake the day with beauty, and not that of a lion. "Perhaps you can see it with me.
He felt his mind fogging as he drifted, and he barely heard her as she kept talking. He jerked his head, flicking an ear to try and catch the fading sound. He couldn't fall asleep quite yet. "Dream. . ." he muttered, his tail hitting the ground in a repetitive motion. "Often. Of my past, and hopes for the future. But not places I've never been. Not li. . " He never finished his sentence. 'Not like you.' His head bobbed and he drifted into a world of imagination.
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Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:17 pm
Kaanga smiled as she rested her head on her paws. “I would very much like to-“ She echoed, and shifted. No, she hadn’t though he dreamt like her. Not many people did, she’d began to decipher. Sometimes she wondered if it was real at all...but she did dream of things. Things that seemed so real that they one day would be. “Hee...” She whispered. “Sometimes I-“
Her head turned towards him, and saw that the lion was nodding off. She quieted herself and gently curled her tail around her hips to appreciate looking at him. Should she go then, now that he was drifting to sleep? Father would probably want her to. But...he had said she could stay and see the sunrise. Shyly, she rose to her feet, and looked around the dark cave. Her muscles ached from climbing, and she only now became aware of it.
Carefully, she walked up beside him and sat. Not too close- she waited to see if he stirred. When it didn’t seem like he would, she moved closer, until her side touched his. Sleepily, she made a yawn, and rested her head back on her arms, crossing them and letting her mind drift.
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