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 Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:36 pm
Sitting contently on the beach, the blue lion took in a deep breath. He was enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of the enviroment, trying to grow familiar with his future home. Muujiza and he had yet to be accepted into the seaside pride, but for some reason Juke just knew it would happen. If not soon, then some day. No matter when it happened, he knew that he would love being a member of any group here, and he knew that he would assimilate into the group life with ease. A transition from rogue to pride did seem a bit daunting, but with that green lioness at his side, anything seemed possible. Especially if he loved the place, which he so obviously did. A smile had been permanently planted to his maw since his arrival, and it was still there, days later.
Watching the foamy tide rush towards him, he didn't bother moving away. It flew around his lower body, soaking his feet, tail and rump. The cool saltwater was nice, lovable, and even smelled great. The salty scent that seemed to be draped on everything around here was growing on the male, and the stronger it got, the more he enjoyed it. The only thing that seemed to be missing at that moment was a little company, perhaps one of the pride members? He had only met one of them so far, and she seemed perfectly nice. It'd be interesting to see if the other members of the beach clan were as kind.
While he was alone, however, he enjoyed it. The gentle rhythms of the ocean soothed him, subconciously causing his tail to thud gentley on the wet sand. Today's song was slow and soft, like the quiet tide that tickled his paws. He closed his eyes, imagining what everything looked like farther out into the water. One day, he might just swim out there. It'd take some practice, but who knew what tomorrow may bring? All that was for certain was the here and now, and how relaxing that music was. Thud, swish, swish, slosh. Thud, swish, swish, slosh. He bobbed his head to the tune, humming a soft melody to go along with it. No longer thinking of company, he let himself go far into the music, forgetting that someone might see him. He wasn't one to act different around others, of course, but he did know that not everyone appreciated the music as much as he. Someone who didn't understand the way his mind worked might think he was a bit... insane at best. That was no way to come off on first impressions. Right now, though, he had forgotten that someone might stumble along him, and was happily bouncing to the beat.
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:52 pm
"You hear the music too?"
Kijuvo had been watching the male for a while, creeping along behind the sand dunes that lined the shore. He slid down one, coming to a stop close to the blue lion's feet. The juvenile didn't see newcomers often - in fact, out here he was often alone. But sometimes he prefered it that way.
"When the birds are out and the wind blows, it's even better." The cub paused and watched as the waves swirled up near his paws, then settled back into their home. He seemed unconcerned that his feet had become a deep shade of purple.
"Sometimes when the tiny lanterns come out at night, I pretend I can hear it then too. But it's hard." He scowled and batted at a small crab. "I have to listen reeeeeally closely to hear that."
But night was the prettiest time, he thought. When the moon sparkled down on the ocean he could almost hear each silver ray ringing as it hit the waves and stained them. If he closed his eyes, the world had a heartbeat. Sometimes he pretended his own beat the same.
And sometimes, if he was lucky, it did. He grinned.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 7:06 pm
Mildly surprised by the sudden voice, Juke opened his eyes with a start and quickly turned his head round. The vibrant purple legs completely absorbed his attentions for at least several moments, before he was able to force his eyes upward towards the face of their owner. A pleasant looking juvenile, he was, if nothing else. Besides the purple, which seemed to glow in the blue and tan setting, what really interested the adult was what the younger male was talking about. He had expected very little while traveling with his friend, and when they had happened upon this little slice of heaven, he was certain it couldn't get any better. Having already met two very kind lionesses, he was had been until that moment completely certain that this pride was made for him. Now, it seemed that he had been correct in such a assumption, as there was somebody here who actually heard it. In all his travels as a rogue, he had never come across any creature, lion or dog, that could listen to nature's wonderous tunes; save for the birds, of course.
"Really? I haven't been out here with the birds yet; deffinatley have to remember to try." He smiled warmly, gesturing for the younger male to come closer if he so pleased. "I've only seen one of them, on my first night here... Haven't had the chance to actually hear their song yet, though." He tossed a glance towards the sky, checking if any of the white winged creatures were about. He listened to the other talk of the music, but didn't follow after the tiny lanterns were brought up. What were they? In all his life, Juke had never come across anything called a tiny lantern, or anything that even seemed like one. "...What's a tiny lantern?" He cocked his head to the side a little, stopping it's light bounce. His tail, however, kept to a steady beat, sending ripples from the tide out around his body in every direction.
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Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:24 am
"Tiny lantern?" Kiju grinned and waved one paw carelessly towards the night sky. "Those little lights, silly! And then there is the big one, that makes a pretty path on the water that I can't follow."
The cub rose and splashed out into the waves until they broke at his chest level. Which, admittedly, wasn't that far out. But the water felt so good! It was so cool and comforting, he wished he could live in it like the fish. Sometimes he would duck beneath the waves and float underwater, suspended. Nothing could touch him, nothing bothered him.
Well, except for that pesky nagging need for air.
Someday he would figure out how to breath water like the fish. Maybe he needed those little flappy things on their faces. ... Gills? Isn't that what Mama called them? Yeah... gills.
The cub looked over his shoulder at the lion. "What's your name?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 5:23 pm
The adult sat there dumbfounded for a few moments, as the younger of the pair played about in the waves. Little lights? Big one? C'mon, Juke, he thought. Think it through. Perhaps he meant the stars? The tealish male had never been a nightbird. He much prefered the hours when the sun beautified nature and woke the creatures which magnified the song. But yes, perhaps the little one meant the stars. And the large one the moon? Or maybe the sun? Either way, he had the basic idea of what the juve was talking about... at least, he thought so.
"I'm Juke." A slight grin spread across his face. This was his first encounter with a lion so young, even though this particular really wasn't all that little. It was really pathetic to think of it, but rogues to really come across other lions that often. Especially lions with litters. Well cared for rogue litters are hidden away from the eyes of the savannah, while the more carefree mothers let their broods dance along the grasses on their own. Juke had been one of those males who never came in contact with them, and he had no idea how to handle them. "What's yours?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:26 pm
Kiju smiled brightly. "I'm Kijuvo, but Mama calls me Kiju!" He beamed and tossed his mane-tuft, flinging water droplets everywhere. Someday he would have a big mane, just like Juke did! Then he'd look really impressive.
"Are you new here, mister?" Kiju tilted his head to the side, ears pricked for an answer. He'd never seen this lion before! Surely he would have noticed the teal male if he'd been here long. Maybe he'd come from OUTSIDE! He musta, if Kiju hadn't seen him!
Wooow. The cub had vague memories of the lands beyond the Bahari'mtoto pridelands, but they weren't much beyond a blur of grass and sky. And long walking... lots and lots of walking everywhere. It made his feet ache just to remember it!
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:08 pm
If anything could be said for the juve, it was that he was very enthusiastic. Juke wondered absently if his own litter would be this way. He wasn't sure he was ready for something like that... Luckily, he didn't even have a mate yet. There was that lioness in mind, bt there was plenty of time for that later, when his life here with her was more secure. Drawing away from the thoughts of breeding and females, he smiled brightly at the wet youngster. "Nice to meet you, Kijuvo." He nodded his head politely, wondering absently if brown and purple were a trait of the pride. So far, he had actually only met three members. A green lioness, much like his own Muujiza; a brown and white spotted lioness; and this brown and purple male. Nkechi, the splotched being, had been pregnant at the time of their meeting, if he could recall correctly. Perhaps her brood had come out brown as well?
"Yes, I am new." Juke chuckled a little, having not thought of it as such a great deal. To a younger mind that had only known this paradise, however, it must be something to marval at. "I'm from the rougelands, out where no pride lives." He hadn't actually resided anywhere, come to think of it. He had been a gypsy at best, traveling from border to border to suit his wandering mind. It was around the time he had met Muujiza that he had started to consider the pride life.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:29 pm
Kiju grinned and nodded sagely. "I thought so! I was from outside too, you know!" The cub splashed up out of the waves and plopped in the sand next to Juke. "Mama grew up -outside- here." Purple paws build a temple in the sand as he considered his words.
"I ... don't really remember anything..." He confessed. "I was reeeaally little, you know? And I'm glad too! Everything sounds -awful- out there. Too many others!"
He didn't think that he could stand to be surrounded by a lot of lions! He would go crazy. Too many voices speaking at once, too many sounds and sensations and... the cub shook his head. No, out here... it was much better. But this was all beside the point! He was here now, and safe.
"Do you think you could tell me about it?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:48 pm
With his pathetically small experiance with the younger crowd, Juke was slightly taken aback that this juve would want a story time. No lion, besides Muujiza of course, had ever asked what anything about his life was like. He had lived on his own as a youngster, and so had never asked any of his elders what they're lives had been like. What he didn't know was that the usual young lion was a curoius creature, and sapped up new knowledge like a sponge.
After a few moments of heavy thought, he finally decided on a description of what it was like out there. "Well, it's... large. Vast, too. Like the ocean." He nodded his head off to the roaring tide. "The grasses go on forever and ever. There are a few trees scattered around, and tons of herds of antelope and zebra... Elephants, too. Some rhinos, and of course wildebeast." The multitude of creatures that called the African savannah home was too long a list to tell in one sitting. Juke decided to cut it a bit short. "There are other types of felines, too. Cheetahs, leopards, severals... Ever meet any of them?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 11:55 pm
Kiju stared at the older lion in awe. Wow! That sounded so dangerous... and so amazing! Someday, maybe, he would venture out and see this outside land. But for now... well, he was content staying here with Mama and his sisters and brother. Here was a better place.
A quiet, loving, gentle place. Even when the storms hit, or the waves crashed stronger on the shore.
"There are others like us, but not like us?" He wrinkled his nose. "Not-lions?" He'd never heard of these others. Cheetahs? Naw! But he HAD heard of the elephants and wildebeasts, and the antelope! That's what Mama said they ate. Well, after they were old enough and stuff!
But he liked fish, and that was good enough for him. "I only met my family, and then some lions here like you. Did you meet a lot of others outside?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:18 am
The older male nodded his head slowly. "Mmmhmm. There are others. Once I met a wild dog. They're funny looking creatures, with long noses and pointy ears." That one dog had been a lot of fun, too. He respected Juke's music so long as Juke respected that he liked to close his eyes and pretend he was flying. Since their meeting, the blue lion had taken to the hobby a little. Imagination is a wonderful thing, he mused with a slight grin. "Yes, I did meet a lot of others out there. There are creatures EVERYWHERE. Sometimes there are fights, though." That topic was a little more grim, and to go into detail was probablly not suited for younger audiances such as Kiju. He decided to brush it off, looking back out at the gentle tide.
It hit him suddenly that Kiju might know more about this place than he did. After all, the juve seemed to have been living here longer. "Are there other creatures around the beach?" His ears raised to listen intently.
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Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 2:17 pm
Wild dogs? He -would- have to leave sometime, just to say that he had seen these strange creatures! ... well, as long as they didn't all run out at once and try to talk or something. Kiju winced at the thought. That would be a little much.
At Juke's mention of sea creatures Kijuvo immediatly perked up. "Oh yeah! There are a bunch of things that live on the beach! And in the water too." The juvenile pulled himself to his paws and started down the stretch of sand. "There are these smallish water holes, and tons of things live in them!"
At the far end of this small length of beach was a rocky outcropping full of saltwater pools. Mama called them tide pools. Inside he could see fish and strange wavy-things that looked like jellyfish but were stuck on the rock. And there were crabs and strange slug-things, and plants that lived in the water!
"See, see! There's a crab, and that's an anen..anemo...anemone!" Kiju beamed back at Juke.
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Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 3:45 pm
Juke was honestly surprised to hear that there were a bunch of beach inhabinents. He had yet to come across any. Well... besides a few gulls and a fish. He hopped up on all fours, trotting lightly after Kiju. It was a good thing he had come across the juve. This was sort of like a private tour of the beach!
The adult was shocked he had never been on the rocky outcroppings before. As he padded over them after the brown and purple juve, he took a bit of time to explore with his eyes. Standing on the rock was interesting; it was cool and wet on his pads and sort of rough and smooth at the same time. The little pools were absolutely incredible. The amount of moving things inside of them blew his mind. He nodded enthusiasticly as Kiju pointed out the crab. The next creature caught him a bit off gaurd, however. "Anen... Anenomeneme?"
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 12:05 am
Kiju grinned and a laugh bubbled up from his chest. "Nono, A-neh-mo-nee!" He crouched next to the tide pool where the jellyfish-like creature waved tentacles gently in the current. "Watch this!"
One paw dipped carefully into the salty water and brushed the edge of the anemone's base. Immediatly the creature drew back its apendages and curled in on itself. Kiju withdrew his paw and after a few moments the anemone opened up again. "That's what it does when it catches fish! You can't touch them in the center though, cuz that's where they're dangerous!" He'd learned that one the hard way.
He treaded carefully along the slippery rock and came to a second pool. This was was his favorite - it was big enough to swim in if you wanted, and it was always warm because the sun could heat it all the way through! Sea weed grew at the bottom and fish hid in its twists and turns.
"C'mon!" With a yell the cub tossed himself into the sun-warmed water and came up spluttering and laughing. "It's warm!"
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 12:07 pm
"Anenomee... Anenenoee.." Juke stared at the ool perplexed, trying to make his tongue work. His mouth felt like jelly as he attempted to get the syllabels right, but it just wasn't working. The juve had intereseted himself in something other than pronunciation, though, so it wasn't too much trouble. He shrugged and peered at the tentacled critter. "Wow, that's nifty." It seemed that the things that called the water home were always far more interesting than those that lived on land. His life here on the beach was full of promise; even just sitting on a rock was far more interesting here than it was out in the savannah.
The adult followed Kiju to the larger pool, but he was a little reluctant to jump in. After hearing that part of the aneno- anenemone- whatevers was dangerous, he wasn't too keen on diving into their home. Surely there were other dangerous things in there. "I think I'd rather stay dry today..." He smiled a little, hoping he hading offended the youngster.
((sorry this took so long. :/ finals. <3))
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