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 Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:28 pm
It was evening in the Pridelands, and the sun was almost set. As dark was settling in, Mtima was lounging around outside the den. It was nice to be out in the night air, and she had been quite relaxed since Wahabu found out about her. She was overall enjoying life much more than she had been in a long time, back to about when she'd first met Kizamaji.
Everything was just nice. Wahabu was on his way back home from a day out and about, as he usually did and was much more comfortable doing now than he was before. He too found life to be a bit more enjoyable lately, and he realized he'd have to seek out his friend to tell him so. He felt bad for running away on Kubwa, he needed to know it was ok now. Off in the distance, he saw his mother outside the den and smiled.
"Mama!" he called out, picking up the pace to get there quicker. With a grin, he flopped over so he rested on her side, "Hey! What're you doing out here? I was just at the river.."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:43 pm
Boma'burudi thought that she would never again return to this dreaded place, and made sue that she did not follow the paths she had taken before. She was terrified that the little white mortal lion would appear and she would have to explain her heavy abdomen. She padded slowly, afraid to fly in fear of killing what grew within her. She felt like the earth pulsing and reading itself to give life to something new.
Her demeanor was slow an almost bumbling, she wore an expression of confusion and fear. She wanted to be happy for the thing that grew within her but she knew it was a mortal..how could she be happy to bring a mortal into this world?
She was heading to Mtima, Mtima had witnessed her birth, and she tohught of the older lioness as a motherly figure, as she approached the older goddess's den (She'd been tracking the Soul God's scent) she spotted two yellow figures side by side.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:52 pm
"The river?" Mtima asked with a bright smile, both eyes and full attention on her son, "Did you see anyone there today? There are usually some interesting people about." She smiled at the memory of going there and running into Ashki, the purple lion that she scared a good deal by admitting she was a goddess to in a feeble attempt to convince him of his goodness. She wondered how he was, as she sometimes did about those she met.
"No one today," Wahabu replied with a shrug, looking back at his mother with a somewhat disappointed expression, "But I got to see the river, and it didn't look very happy today. The water was going re-"
He was about to describe why he thought the water wasn't so happy or safe, but something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Someone was coming this way, and it was a stranger- one with wings, by the looks over it. With a blink, he leaned out to get a better look.
"Mama, someone's coming," he said.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:01 pm
A pang of jealousy grew in Boma'burudi's chest as she noticed now that the adolescent beside Mtima was her son. The resemblance was unmistakeable, the brown and yellow hair, the marks they both shared, and of course their basic colors. She for a brief moment thought of what it would be like to sit so close to her own offspring, to listen to them speak of their days..but she had to stow away that hope, she couldn't keep little cubs..they would just get hurt.
"Mtima, Goddess of Souls, it is Boma!" She called as the young male noticed her, her voice wavering from the usual deep gravel voice to a soft squeak, "Who's this beside you?" She quickened her pace to cover the distance and soon found herself a few feet infront of them.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:09 pm
Mtima was confused when Wahabu's attention went away from talking to her to something behind her, and when he said someone was coming she immediately turned her head to see- and it was just in time to hear Boma call out to her. She could hear in her voice and see that there was something wrong. Looking concerned immediately, she got to her feet and stepped in the young goddess' direction.
"Boma," she greeted, sounding concerned, "This is Wahabu, my son." She glanced back to him, and nodded for him to get to his feet as well- he shouldn't be rude, even if Boma would have been here to see just her. Then the goddess looked back to Boma, hoping for some explanation.
Wahabu had to think quick to stop himself from flopping over when he suddenly lost the support of his mother's side, and did not need prompting to get to his feet. He just stared from behind his mother curiously and offered the goddess a polite nod of greeting, but nothing more. Normally, Wahabu would have done or said more but the goddess looked distressed and was someone that his mother knew. It was his first time in such circumstances, and he was a bit surprised- though he knew he shouldn't be.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:19 pm
"He-hello, Wahabu, so you are apart of the mortal family...I am Boma'burudi I met your mother sometime ago," she offered filling in some blanks that must have been forming in the little mortal's mind, "I...needed to ask for her advice in a matter.." She took her eyes off of Wahabu, who at a second glance was spitting image of his mother, and looked towards Mtima a sense of pleading in her twotoned eyes.
Boma's belly was heavy, and it would be possible at closer inspection to see the "bump" that would give away her little secret, it would be easy to glammer, but she had nothing to hide from this goddess.
"May..I ask for your help?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:29 pm
"Hello," he murmured in a hushed voice, still a bit wary of the whole situation. He couldn't help but be a bit nosy, and even with a slight lean to the side to see Boma's stomach it was pretty obvious. He had no idea what to think, and could see that this was probably something private that they'd appreciate him leaving for. As a courtesy, he started to step backward to indicate he would leave if they wanted.
Mtima offered a sheepish smile as Boma politely introduced herself, and was given just enough time to notice the other goddess' belly. The bump didn't need to be big for the goddess of souls to see that something was living there. She nodded to Boma's requests for help, and turned to Wahabu- who was, conveniently, already heading back.
"Wahabu, it might be best if you went into the den," she nodded, and watched as he nodded and went inside. He was a good boy, that was for sure- and smart enough to respect the wishes of two gods.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:38 pm
"I seem to have gotten myself in a terrible pradicament," she smiled curteously to Wahabu and made a polite gesture that it would probably be best if he left, "I..am sure that our buisness would bore you anyways," she added suggesting this in hopes Wahabu would not get upset for having to leave, even if he seemed willing to do so.
In a hush tone she added to Mtima, "I'm sure you can already tell, but I am heavy with life and scared.." she had to just get that out there, needed it to be said, she had not spoken to anyone since realizing she was pregnant..and it felt more real or actualized that she said it out loud, "Mortal life..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:41 pm
Mtima'safi took the time, now that they had privacy, to circle around her poor friend. She could definetely tell that Boma was pregnant, something surely most would be able to tell if they took a look at her. She could even predict Boma's words based on the souls she saw, they were mortals she bore- just like Wahabu and Kilango.
"I see," she replied, halting her circles to face Boma. What could she say to Boma about this? Surely the goddess knew how it happened, why would she be so distressed? Perhaps she had similar feelings as Kia, for cubs certainly held back a goddess more than a mortal. "Boma, it'll be all right.."
It was a feeble start, but perhaps it would draw more explanation out of her friend.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:49 pm
She stood perfectly still as her friend examined her, as she circled Boma's heart felt as if it sunk into her toes, how could she allow this..this horrible thing..how..
"It most certainly will not be alright!" she huffed dramatically, "I may have a young form, but I am much wiser than my years! I had a son before, a mortal who was sealed into the earth with me..you can obviously assume what happened?"
Staring her friend in the face tears started to pour, "It was a silly loveless mistake, I was so lonely..and he eager to see the world from above the trees...I took advantage of a poor little boy..of course he was not a boy..a young man," Boma was a hard judge of age, her idea of time was skewed from being sealed away, she was not quiet an adult, but of course had as many years as one, "He was so sweet..and I ran..because I knew he would...he would..die..and now." her words trailed off inaudibly, she wanted to express her fears for the mortals within her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:57 pm
Mtima stayed calm as Boma huffed dramatically on about her worries. She was startled to hear of a mortal son that had been sealed away with her- wondering why whoever sealed her away or however she was sealed away would take a mortal along with it. As Boma explained her fears, all Mtima could do was think of herself- but not in an entirely selfish way. She had a mortal family, one she loved very much. She had no worries about them, no worries for their deaths- she'd been ignoring those since the beginning, that was for certain. Why could Boma not love her cubs?
"Boma, I have a mortal family," she responded, hoping to be of some help instead of dwelling on how Boma was thinking about the negative when Mtima had been thinking about the positive. It was more important to help Boma than to think about other things right now, "I have mortal cubs, you just saw one of them. You can still love them, take care of them. You're in a poor situation with their father, but that shouldn't change anything."
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:02 pm
"I cannot watch another die, I cannot raise something that I should outlive, children are supposed to watch their parents wane and die, further more they are supposed to uphold a legacy, not the other way around!"
She could not be soothed, why had she come to a goddess who had a similiar life that she would soon have, living day by day with the small creature as it grew, and grew, and grew, but tomorrow? What if he fell into the river..what if what if!
"I..I..I'll leave them with him, with Kubwa, a pride is safe, is it not?" She again adorned the pleading look and shivered involunatarily as she thought about it.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:08 pm
Mtima could tell she was not being any help to Boma, and she found herself rather speechless as the goddess declared the facts of how parents and children should be, and came to a conclusion of what to do. If nothing else, perhaps she had helped get to the point where she decided what she was going to do.
Then Mtima realized what Boma had said.
"Kubwa?" she repeated, startled by the mention of the name. Surely she did not mean the young white fellow she'd seen in the tree, the friend of her son who told on her. Boma was not kidding when she said she had taken advantage of a young man, for it could not have been long before or after she'd met him that this happened, by the looks of her belly.
"Prides are the safest place for mortals," she replied tonelessly. She could not deny that fact to Boma, though she knew sometimes Prides could be broken up. "Can you not be convinced otherwise?" she asked hopefully, she would not do well to argue with a goddess- especially one so stubborn, or likely to be.
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:13 pm
"I want to stay..want to see them," she sighed and thought of the possibilities, a little gemmed daughter the spitting image of herself, wingless and beautiful, being able to talk to and groom with, and love, "Is there more than one, you can see souls, can you see their souls? Can you tell the gender?"
Boma started to calm down and settled herself down laying on the warm earth, was it possible she could have the same life that Mtima led? A son..a mortal..son...?
"Kubwa, yes, a young lion, he was tender, and so interested in flying...too bad lions did not have wings? But then again, it would take away the novelty, wouldn't it?
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:23 pm
Mtima frowned as Boma admitted that she wanted to stay, that she wanted to do the same kind of thing that Mtima was doing with her family. She was hesitant to reply when asked about the souls. How would Boma take to know how many there were? Would it convince her to stay, or convince her not to?
"I cannot tell genders, but I can see the souls of your little ones," she replied in a somewhat formal tone, "You carry three cubs, all mortal and seer gifted." Her tone was more personal when she answered the question, deciding there was no point holding it back for the goddess would find out when she birthed them. She could even see the nature of the young ones growing in her friend, and to her that made the situation harder for her to handle. She made no comment on Kubwa, but nodded.
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