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 Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:15 pm
As much as Safiya enjoyed the golden Pridelands, something inside would not let her settle down just yet. After speaking to the pale, world-travelling cheetah near the graveyard, she had begun to realize how little of the world she had seen. The graveyard had been her bleak home since cubhood; her view on the world was minisicule. And so she decided to travel for a while, explore the world around her, and only after she had satisfied her travel bug, would she decide where she truly wanted to make her home.
So far her journey had been pleasant. Little pitfalls would not get in the optimistic Safi's way. She was determined to be happy and enjoy life. This new area she was coming up to seemed pleasantly scenic, as well. Different from the Pridelands - completely different from that horrid graveyard - it was no less pretty. Safiya smiled, sniffed the fresh air, and meandered at an easy pace. There was nothing bad to look back on and nothing bad to look forward to.
This place looked good for new things. New places, new faces, new experiences - maybe even an adventure! Safi grinned the wider and intently studied the changing landscape around her. Life was grand and full of opportunity.
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:29 pm
Asi moved sluggishly along the boarders, patrolling. Why he patrolled still was beyond him, he guessed it was because it gave him something to do. His eyes barely flickered over the lands though, lands that had become so famaliar.
His nostrils flared and something must have sent an alert in his mind, some unfamaliar scent. His eyes seemed to come out of their glaze and he looked around more.
"Dammit.." He muttered to himself, he didn't want to deal with strangers right now. And then he spotted the female, pale and alone. "'lo thurr." He called out.
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:10 pm
Safiya's wandering gaze came upon a spot of brown nearby. She recognized it instantly as a fellow lion, the first she had seen inhabititing this new land. What fun! She wanted very much to meet him and ask all kinds of questions.
Experience had taught her to be patient and curb her enthusiasm when it came to greeting others. Not everyone was as friendly as she, apparently. So she simply changed her course, so that it would intercept with his. And then, a voice came to hear ears. A greeting! This was a fair begining.
"Hello," she called out in return. Soon she would be near enough to see him clearly. She was so excited - she had to remember, though, to keep her guard up, reminded of the encounters with the scary hyenas back in the graveyard.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:20 am
Oh great, some friendly nit. He almost felt bad thinking that, the only reason he did think that was because he was cranky and a little lost in life right then. His tail flicked back and forth, back and forth. Slowly he was closer to her. "Wha' yeh be doin' in these lands?" He asked, his accent a little funny but his words clear enough. He tried to make his voice unharsh sounding, even a little friendly sounding. The Kusini lands were free to visit, he just wanted to know some about her.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:57 am
This lion had a funny way of speaking. Safiya didn't mind, however. It was pleasant to listen to. And it reminded her of the babyish, slang way she used to speak, herself.
"I'm exploring," she told the big brown lion. Up close, he really looked big! "I want to see new places and meet new people like you, before I settle down and have a family. I'm Safiya, new person," she said. "I've come from a long way away. What is this place called? Do you live here? It's really pretty. Are there many other lions around here?" Her words came out, as per usual, in a fast and bubbly waterfall of syllables.
She was able to, at least, restrain herself from bouncing around like a cub. No no, she was an adult now. The white lioness had understood this, and taken a liking to appearing refined and elegant. She always tried to remember to keep her head up, and her shoulders back. Whenever she opened her mouth, however, she still gave the impression of immaturity and perhaps even a little dumb. She was not unintelligent; only simple of mind and naive in heart.
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:01 pm
And as dark as ari was she was light... their personalities clashed too. "I be king 'ere.." He coughed. "Er, well.. I was king 'ere but my rul 'as been passed down ter my son, Tamu. These be the Kusini'Mwezi lands tha' yeh be so easily stridin' inta." He thought a minute, trying to remember all that she questioned. "Aye, mos'ly cubs and juves aboot now.." He said with a frown, obviously not pleased. Tamu would need help containing all of them.
His eyes flickered over her more and he just shook his head breifly. "I be known 'as Asi." He said simply. "Nice teh mee'ya, Safiya. I spose, anne'oo."
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:51 pm
This was going along just as splendidly as Safiya could have hoped. He was one of the first adult lions in a long time that had not been mean to her, and so this Asi was now one of her favorite lions.
That smile of hers never once left her face, only grew. She didn't understand why he frowned. "Mostly young ones? That's so nice! Lots of cubs, then?" That made her very glad. Cubs made her day happy like nothing else. "I do love cubs. I want to have some of my own, one day. Hopefully soon. A big family with lots of cubs!" She nodded her white head. "That would be so very nice."
To hear that he was king - or, former king, anyway - made her slow down, rethink herself. She was in the prescence of royalty, then? What kind of protocol did that require? Should she have bowed first? Hopefully Asi didn't think she was rude.
Not knowing what kind of title to give him, since he was perhaps king no longer, she settled with the nicest thing she could think of. "It is nice to meet you, Mr. Asi sir. Do..do you think I could meet the others in the Kusini'Mwezi? I've been travelling alone for quite a long time, and am a bit lonely, to be sure."
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:08 pm
Asi just chuckled lightly. He liked cubs too, but everything had been getting him down lately. And certainly there were so many cubs that it was hard to keep track of them. "I be tryin' ter find a nanny actually.." He murmered, ears flicking. He didn't mention it was because of his dead mate's three cubs. He didn't really want to talk about that anyways.
He cringed when he heard her address him so. "Asi, please. Tha be plain an' simple, no title required." His tail flicked and he slowly sat himself down. "I be sure yeh can find some o'ers aboot this area if yeh search enough. Feel free teh roam the lan's..." He paused, realizing this was Tabu's permission to give and take actually. "Er, well... so long as yeh meet with the new kind first."
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:46 pm
Poor big grumpy. He looked down. Safiya could only wonder why. Must'a been something bad. Even living in a musty old graveyard with scary hyenas and mean, crazy lions her whole life hadn't broken Safiya's spirit. She made a decision right then that she would try and cheer him up somehow, someday.
His next words made her eyes grow big. Hope and excitement burst out of her heart. "A nanny?" What an utterly perfect, lovely idea. "Oh, I could be a nanny, I would love to do that! D'ya think I could, Asi?" She remembered he didn't want a title. "Or..would I have to ask the new king?"
Safiya was experiencing many emotions. Suddenly there was this ideal picture, an attainable dream in front of her; she could take care of little ones. That would make her almost as happy as having her own. But just as suddenly, there was an obstacle to that dream. "D'ya think Mr. New King would let me? Could you take me to him? Is he..nice?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:54 pm
Asi chuckled slightly, eyes moving toward the ground. She was so happy, excited... actually, maybe the Kusini lands needed that right now. "I be sure Tamu would 'ave som'in fer yah, I be sure 'e be agreeable." His tail flicked and he rose, stretching. "I can bring yeh to 'im if yeh like... I know I 'ave three lil'uns tha' need lookin' after.. So yeah."
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:29 pm
Safiya was so thankful that she had come across such a nice guy. "Would you like to take me to him? Tamu, is it? I would like that very much. Is he your son, then?"
Ah, so he had cubs of his own then. Lucky. He must have a mate, then, also. Maybe she could meet the queen, too! That would be neat. She had never met a queen. "Do you have many children?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:57 am
"Aye, 'e be my son. And aye, I be takin' yeh to 'im." He began his slow walk toward the dens, not really sure where Tamu would actually be.
Asi tried to avoid explaining about the three cubs of 'his' that needed nannying. "Aye, I 'ave se'en o'em." He grinned and shook his head slightly, still amazed about his family. "Bu' they be all grown now."
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:46 am
"Sounds good to me," Safiya said, following him. She listened as he spoke on. "Seven children? Good gracious! And they are all grown?" Safiya wondered how much older he was than her. But then that really wasn't fair; she had been an adult for quite a long time. If she had had children, they could very well be adults by now also. So they were probably closer in age than she thought.
"How did you come to be king of this place?" Safi's curiosity got the best of her, and she thought she'd make some sort of conversation on the way to find Tamu.
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:46 am
"Mmm, all be adults." He said quietly, thinking about her next words. He sighed softly and decided he might as well tell her. "These be my mate's ancestors' lands way back. Long time ago, eh?" He shrugged lightly. "When the plague hit sometime back they all fled the lands. I do no' know 'ow many o'em survived bu' there yeh 'ave it." His tail flickered. And then Tamu became king, because Asi could not deal with this any longer. He wanted a nice quiet existance. A short one, really. He wanted to be with Ari again!
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:40 pm
His mate? Ah, of course he would not be unattached. He had children, that only made sense. Safiya wondered silently, curiously, when she would get to meet his mate.
She listened to his abbreviated history of the lands, without much interest. History was done and over with, nothing that truly affected herself. But something that did affect Safi was her new friend's sad disposition. She had a knack for intrepreting the feelings of those around her. But as they had just met, Safiya understood that he wouldn't want to share his troubles with her, much less have her help him. Though she wanted to ask what was bothering him, she did not want to alienate her new friend so quickly.
Feeling that her prodding questions had perhaps been a cause for his unhappiness, she continued along behind him in silence. It was odd for her, but she was trying to understand when it was appropriate not to speak. Perhaps this was one of those times.
Besides, there was not much else she could think of that would be appropriate to talk about.
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