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 Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:58 pm
1. Introduction (You are here.)
2. Basic information
3. Culture
4. Ranks
5. Artwork
6. Stories
7. Songs
8. Interested Parties
9. Members
10. Pride RPs --UPDATED
Welcome to the Kizingo'zaa interest thread! DFA and I have been working on this plot line for a few months now, even referencing it in a few of our recent RPs, and we thought it was about time to bring it half-in the open.
The Kizingo'zaa are going to be based off of several different ideas and cultures, the two most promenant being Irrationality and the Romanii people (also known as Gypsys). There are also kudos towards Japanese Shintoism, modern Paganism/Wicca (no those two are not interchangeable, I know this), as well as broadway musicals and the 60s hippie subculture. XD A strange mix, but it does work. Please bear with us as we get the rest of this up.
It has come to my attention that our entire pride idea can be summed up with the lyrics to one simple song. I submit to you: Pure Imagination.
Come with me
And you'll be
In a world of
Pure imagination
Take a look
And you'll see
Into your imagination
We'll begin
With a spin
Traveling in
The world of my creation
What we'll see
Will defy
Explanation
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanta change the world?
There's nothing
To it
There is no
Life I know
To compare with
Pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly wish to be
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanta change the world?
There's nothing
To it
There is no
Life I know
To compare with
Pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly
Wish to be
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:00 pm
Territory/Geography: Along the Coast of Kenya, slightly to the north east of BurGavo.
The area that the Kizingo'zaa call home is small but lush. A small strip of white-sanded beach is the forefront and most worshiped area the Pride posesses. Most every member spents at least an hour or two here a day, playing and living their day-to-day lives. Directly behind the beach is a thick area of tropical vegetation,
History of the pride:
Kizingo'zaa was actually founded by a close knit family, consisting of a core mother and father, their two children and their mates, and a collective of grandchildren, a few years before the plague rolled through Kenya. They had long lived a roaming life, traveling through and between other prides' lands' as they pleased. Due to their peaceful, and quite entertaining, lifestyle most of the other prides were content to let them come and go, though there were certain places the Family knew better than to cross. It was upon reaching the seashore that this Family found its true home.
Long had they seen the waves for a distance, but never before had Mchezaji, their patriarch, lead them towards the thin blue line. Now they turned there, even as tales of sickness had begun to reach the western borders. Upon reaching the shores, the entire family was mesmerized by the beauty of the sea. The pull and tug of the tide, and gentle song that the waters and shore sang together. It was with delight that they listened to the whispers of the seashells and spoke with the fish about their dances. For several nights and days the entire family danced and sang upon the shore, happy in this physical embodiment of everything they had ever believed in.
Upon the fourth day, Mchezaji and Cheza sat their children and grandchildren down. Too long had they wandered, never knowing a place to call home. Their restless paws had never found a place they could stay in too long, for the pull towards other cultures and lifes had always been with them. They had raised their family on the move, ever learning new Beings' names and dances and songs, but now it was time for something new. This land matched them, and their paws were suddenly tired of all the travel. It was here their family would stay, and they would be called the Kizingo'zaa, for in their hearts they knew it was what they were. They were the Children of the Ocean's Shore.
They built their homes there, in caves a little further up the shore in the last hills of a mountain range. Most of the times, the newly formed Pride never bothered with these, for sleeping under the stars was much more pleasant. Perhaps this was a part of their downfall, before it wasn't too long after they'd finally settled down comfortably that the plague caught up with them. A darkness rolled over the shores, then, sweeping away both of Mchezaji and Cheza's children in the first night. From that point forward, their numbers dropped quickly. Very soon, Mchezaji and Cheza, whom seemed to be made of rock, and two of their grandchildren were the only ones left.
Though weakened by the plague and mourning for their fallen ones, the three continued their lives together. They had survived, and they knew without a doubt that they were intended to survive here. As Hadithi and Kamaria grew strong, and they grew weaker with age, the two grandparents taught them what they would need to know to continue what their family had begun together. Even now that the laughter was gone, the Ocean still called their names with every breeze from its rolling body and whisper lapped upon the sodden shores. With the first deaths of their kin this land had been tied to the three remaining more firmly than their word could have made it, and young Hadithi knew that he would never allow this dream to die.
Religion of the pride:
It could be said that the Kizingo'zaa worship everything and nothing at the same time. Their hearts belong to the Ocean for she is their mother, where all life began, came from, and will one day return to. At the same time, their Mistresses are the Arts. The Kizingo'zaa pride themselves on being patrons of Music, Dance, Storytelling and all artistic ends that one could dream of. Their muses are greatly involved in their lives, and a child generally finds its 'muse' during cub hood.
The concept of a muse was set in place in the family even before Mchezaji and Cheza's "reign." During cub hood, a child will choose a muse it will base its life around. Examples of common muses are Flowers, Trees, Clouds and the Stars. They may venture outside of their muses realm to create songs and storys, but most of their life will revolve around that subject. Generally, they will also name themselves something that deals with their chosen muse or artisitc path.
Muses are all important for the end of their lives. Though saddened by death, the Kizingo'zaa do not fear it or hate it. They have long since learned to accept death as a necessary part of Life itself. The body you inhabit must die so that it may provide for the grass, and return to the natural Circle of life. The soul, however, is given by the muses and shall become once more a part of the Muses when you die. Thus, the ceremony for death involves bringing a sample of the departed member's muse, if possible, to the body of the Lion(ess) after he/she has passed on. It is touched to their body, over the heart, so that the soul may make its transfer back to the muse it came from. That Muse is then placed in a special area known as a "Spirit Cave" where all the muses of the past reside. When this has been done, two family members are selected to carry the body between them to the "Ocean's heart," small just of shore that goes out into the water, that has a sheer drop off into the Indian Ocean.
Beyond the Muses, the stories the Pride tells are also held in highest esteem. This is slightly hard to follow, even for Pride members, as everyone is allowed to tell their own versions of the stories, and even make up stories. Any and all versions are considered valid, though most members will tell the version the King decides upon. With the changing of a king, the version is likey to change a small degree.
Certain exceptions are made about this 'rule'. The only two that no one is allowed to change are the story of how Kizingo'zaa came to be, and a story that dates even further back, to how the Kizingo'zaa way of life was first formed.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:06 pm
From the very beginning, the culture of this up-and-coming pride has been a little... odd. The original idea of happiness, pure happiness, still has very strong routes in its members, but over the course of time mixed as children brought their mates into the culture and the family came in contact with new prides and species. After traveling Kenya, Tanzania and countless other countries, its hard to see at times where the thoughts came from, but no denying their impact on the "modern" culture that is Kizingo'zaa. While the ins and outs of their daily lives are fairly complex of their own accord, and very difficult to pin down, a general knowledge of their most time-honored traditions can help to unravel some of the "mystery."
Muses make up the beginning, middle and part of the end of the Kizingo'zaa's lifestyle and belief system. What is a muse, you ask? A muse is anything--literally, anything. A rock, the sand, the sun, a cloud, that hyena chasing your brother, any of these can be muses! In fact, all of them and everything are muses, except for lions-- its because of this that no other creature but lions are allowed to be actual members of the pride.
At birth, no cub is ever given a name by their parents. Instead, each one is reffered to by a nickname usually refering to physical description, birth order, or demeanor. During cubhood, the new pride member is expected to take a look about the world around them and listen to the voices of the muses that live in everywhere. Eventually, one muse will claim the cub as its own, and tell the cub its new name. The cub will announce its name to its pride members, along with the muse that it belongs to. From that point on, the cub will spend its life learning as much as it can from its muse.
This idea ties in completely with the Kizingo'zaa view of life and death. The Kizingo'zaa believe that all muses are perfect, for what they are. Lions are muses that are imperfect--muses that have, for whatever reason, become corrupted and must take a new form in order to shed their corruption. However, their fellow muses do want them back, and will try to help them to find their way by providing teachers from whatever Muse the lion's soul was originally from. ((Example: A cub is chosen by a the Ocean, therefore her soul must be a part of the Ocean))
By this logic, Death is something that the Kizingo'zaa rejoice in. They know that they have lived their lives as best and fully as they possibly could, and thus they will be going back to the Muse they are a part of. When a Lion has died, their kin will bring a sample of their muse to the lion's corpse, if they are able to. This sample will be touched to the lion's breast, over their heart, and then carried into the Den (the largest cave around that gives house to the entire pride) to a small alcove set aside in the back where all the muse samples of the entire pride are kept. Once this is done, the most able males of the pride carry the body out onto the rock jetty and let it sink into the water, off the ocean shelf. The entire event is followed by a night of singing and dancing on the beach by moonlight, giving homage to all the songs wrote and stories told by the departed member of the pride.
The Ocean itself takes almost as great a part in the lives of the Kizingo'zaa as does the muses. Long ago, though no one in modern day is certain as to where, the idea that all live originated from water was introduced to the pride. The idea stuck rather readily, and was at first applied to rivers and lakes that the Original Family witnessed in its travels. When the Ocean was first spotted, an older story of the Family's creation came back into mind. Two and two were promptly added together, found to be ten, and it was decided that it was the Ocean itself, the muse, that had spoken to the Original Nganolinda (King) and told them of the proper way of life.
Even though they have now settled down, wandering is still something highly respected among their people. All visitors to their lands, so long as they keep the peace, are more than welcome to come sit with the pride and share in their meals. There is nothing the pride likes more than having visitors about, and will generally go out of their way to show the best hospitality they can afford. Their members are also allowed to wander, from time to time, but only with permission from both the Nganolinda and Wimbolinda (Queen) both. It is considered a great honor to take this duty, and any who wander are expected, if not required, to come back with stories and songs made from their travels.
As you can probably imagine by now, the Arts are something highly valued among the Kizingo'Zaa. All members are artists in their own right, wether their medium be sand-pantings, song, dance, storytelling, or any combination of things. Every peice of art is given its due honor, for their is no "true" form of art as far as they are concerned. The whole body of Kizingo'zaa artwork is an ever fluctuating thing, like the ocean itself. (The important and/or most favored of the songs, dances and stories, however, are marked for traditions, which is where the different positions in the pride come in. These will be explained in a seperate post.)
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:08 pm
Primary Ranks:
Nganolinda: The King of the tribe, also called "Story Keeper." While it is the King's duty to oversee the day-to-day buisiness of the tribe, his most sacred duty is just as his title implies: he keeps track of the oral tradition of the pride. Every story that has significance in the history of the pride or Original Family is known to him, and he has final say in how a story is remembered/told. The only variations that are allowed to occur officially in the story are the ones that he himself initiates, which will then be passed as the truth to the next king. In the event of the Nganolinda passing before an heir can be taught, the Walinziari will take up his position without mandatory reclamation of title for the un-taught heir.
Wimbolinda: The Queen of the tribe, generally, but not always, the Nganolinda's mate, is the "Song Keeper." She works in tandem with her mate in all matters, save the Story Keeping. While the two do not have to check with one another for minor decisions, major ones such as membership acceptance must be decided upon jointly. In the event of the Wimbolinda passing before an heir can be taught, the Mkuru'winda will take up her position without mandatory reclamation of title for the un-taught heir.
Mkuru'winda: Directly underneath the Wimbolinda is her second, the Mkuru'winda. The "Head Huntress," is exactly that; she is the general of the pride's able-bodied females and organizes the hunting parties. When on a hunting trip, the Mkuru'winda is completely in charge, even over the Wimbolinda, so long as she remains in her jurisdiction. In times of distress, the Mkuru'winda may take charge of the pride's lionesses in order to combat danger, should the Walinziari's force fail.
Walinziari: The "Head Protector" is the balance to the Mkuru'winda. He is the right-hand (or paw, really) to the Nganolina and the leader of the able-bodied males. Under his guidance, the males are organized into scouting groups and militia in a time of need. When the pride is threatened or truly under attack, the Walinziari will be on the front lines with the rest of the males, directing them in defending the lionesses, cubs and elderly.
Msomeshi: The last of the five leading positions, the Msomeshi is the only unisex one. While this position is more commonly held be either a retired Walinziari or Mkuru'winda, it can also be held by any elder of the tribe once they are past their prime years. The Msomeshi is in charge of the elders whom take turns as nannies for the pride's young. Even though each cub has its own muse to teach it, there are things they can only learn from other lions, such as their pride's culture. In the event that there are no elderly members to hold this position in the pride, the four leaders will share the duty of this office until a suitable member can be elected.
Secondary Ranks:
Nanny: Usually a position held by the crippled, old or otherwise routinely weak adults. Any lion or lioness can be a nanny, and there are usually several adults holding this position at once, under the leadership of the Msomeshi. They rotate their schedules and charges to that no one person is ever overworked, and generally see to the whereabouts and health of the pride's cubs.
"OOC" Ranks:
Muse: While everything is a muse (the Ocean, a Flower, the balloon you got at the circus) this also includes all non-lion species of SoA and Familiars. Muse-characters are always welcomed in Kizingo'zaa, and while OOCly they may not be considered a part of the "family" itself, they ARE in the "extended family" and thus a technical part of the pride. They won't be treated as full members, as they're not ICly under the Kizaa rule, but they will be treated as friends and allies.
---- A good way to look at this is like the slave system of other prides. Though not technical "pride members" and definitely not treated AS pride members, OOCly they are still considered members of that pride and certed as such.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:10 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:11 pm
If any of you are members of Surreal Twilight, you might have seen this RP floating about. It was done back in January shortly after spawning the idea, and the pridal concept.. hasn't changed much since. XD I submit to you:
Bitter Sweet Beginnings
Bright blue eyes watched the landscape, seeing everything and yet at the same time, seeing nothing at all as she padded the savanna. Everything had it's meaning, it's reason of life and yet as Muhali watched, she saw nothing but a 'whole'. She saw nothing beyond the blade of grass that perked her attention; she saw nothing beyond the ant that crawled before her paw tips and up that blade... she heard nothing but the wind, the moving herds, and yet she knew of the whole picture it all represented in her mind.
Her head slowly pulled to look up from the grass, her eyes looking at the horizon, a smile that showed she had nothing in particular to be happy over crawling upon her features. It was true she didn't have any particular reason for happiness, and yet the seemingly small cublet still felt the warm giddiness that indicated joy. She was happy with her surroundings; happy with the ants, happy with the herds. She was happy with the sky, and even with those creatures her eyes could not see yet her mind knew were there.
Muhali... was always irrationally happy; it was her reason of living, the way she was. She'd been born from a belief; she was ageless perhaps, but it never bothered her, because life, was a bliss, at least in her eyes.
Sitting herself down, the petite lioness closed her eyes and allowed two large wings to suddenly appear, spreading behind her, a whiteblue dot against the horizon of the savanna... she seemed to be almost calling to something, someone. For after all, Irrationality lived within every creature that crossed the land, they just either ignored her, or followed her only during determined moments of their life.
As her eyes opened, the figure allowed herself to lay against the grass, her gaze fixed upon the passing clouds; she was lonely. Despite being happy, she was somewhat lonely; oh how she craved for company, something of her own... something she'd be able to look down upon with pride, yet it was simply not in her nature to seek it out. she waited... just like she had all her life. Interesting things always passed her way and crossed her path, because life, love and everyone that welcomed such concepts were unpredictable.
That's the way it was, and Muhali would never have it any others way.
Life was hell; of this Huzunika had no doubts. The skinny, morbid seeming Lion lay out in the elements, allowing the wind to tug and jeer at his scraggly mane because to him there was no reason not to. Existing at all was purest torture, for there was nothing but darkness in the world. All around him the bugs violated the air with their grating, rasping chorus and the plants dried from the lack of recent rain. It was so hot here, during the day, that where green had been during his time as a cub there was only brittle, sick yellow. Yet, not even the coulds threatening on the distance now brought him comfort, for when the rains came the green would be blinding and the ground muddy and dank. Certainly not good weather for hunting.
Why could nothing ever be... Pleasant? Huzunika gave a massive snort, only to sneeze bodily at some scent on the wind. He mumbled to himself a little and rolled over, his back to the wind now. The open Savannah was no place for a lone lion, especially not one so bone weary and underfed as this one, but he stayed for what point was there in moving? His family didn't want him; no one wanted him! Even his prey would laugh at him, until he was reduced to slurping slugs from trees and logs to ease the cry of his stomach.
The wind bore tunnels through his mangy fur and sent the fleas running for the slightly thicker cover of his mane. For a moment, Huzunika considered tossing his head in irritation, but decided that it simply wasn't worth it. They were there, and they weren't going to go away. He heaved a heavy sigh.
When was this going to be over? His thoughts continued to spiral around that one, tiny thought. While Huzunika wouldn't kill himself, he did wish that he didn't feel the need to defend himself, either. One day, though, one day a hyena would get in a killing blow, or an elephant would flatten him. That sounded painful and Huzunika winced, but only slightly. Painful wouldn't be fun, but what WAS fun in this world? It didn't matter. All that did matter was that he wouldn't have to be here anymore.
Was there an elephant around?
Looking up, Huzunika decided that he might have to actually search for one. Though he wasn't certain it was worth it, he still pulled himself to his feet. After a few stumbles and false starts, he began to walk, then, in no particular direction. It was then that he noticed a rather brilliant point in the grass, lit by the light of the moon above. It was something he thought might be considered beautiful by other lions, but when you really looked at it, the thing was just a little too pale. It also stung his eyes, and Huzunika decided the thing was an eyesore.
Still, he plodded towards it as he didn't feel like changing his direction at this point. It wasn't until he was but a few feet away that he realized what he was actually looking at. She, it seemed, was a cub. A tiny, blue and white cub lying about alone on the Savannah... with wings. Well that was unfair!
Suddenly hit by the thought that life hadn't even bothered to grant him such a small favor as wings to make up for everything he lacked, Huzunika felt his spirits plummet even farther. Life was truly a horrible place!
Muhali's gaze was still fixed on the sky, two small paws coming up to spread her fingers against the millions of sparkly dots that littered the dark blue above her, almost as if she could grasp each and every single one of of them in her grip. It wasn't possible; even one such as she knew this much, but it didn't stop her from closing her grasp against the twinkling starts, only to spreading her fingers out again. Pausing, the petite lioness shivered somewhat as a cold chill passed against her form, but otherwise didn't move, her gaze having passed the twinkles she could see, her mind irrational by nature, imagining a world beyond the stars.
How she wished her wings could take her there. But... there were things a goddess could do, and things a goddess could not do. This would be one of the things she could not do; just being away from all these creatures, the sand, the water, the earth, the sky... would kill her. She needed them to live, just like they needed her, in one way or another; without them, she was but a mere thought.
She knew that too. She did not deny it; there was no need to, in her mind. She was whom she was, and she was such thanks to everyone that graced the earth.
Muhali's thoughts would've no doubt deranged into some other place, not even likely concerning the stars had she not caught the lion's scent as he approached. Her petite head moved accordingly against the grass, watching his figure approach her upside down as she spread her wings against the terrain. It took her a while to act, and even as he glanced down at her in disdain, her first sound to him was a soft mewl, almost as if inviting him to lay down with her and grasp the sky.
Her mind should've told her to flee. It should have told her that this was a male; and adult, 3 times larger than she was. It should've told her to take flight, and remove herself, yet it didn't.
Instead, the lioness rolled over so she was facing the male right-side-up, closing her eyes as her wings rested against her back, "Hi!" it was a chirp, delighted to see him, for some reason or another, her gaze slowly returning up to the stars, "Have you come to sit with me? I was kind of lonely," a pause as a paw reached her maw, her smile vanishing as she tapped it, "Will you be my friend? I want a friend to call my own; I'm lonely."
She had no reason for her words, yet they were say softly, almost blissfully for the male to hear, not an ounce of fear upon her features.
The creature of radience whom dared to be so different and gorgeous had seen him. Huzunika could have sworn, but it would have taken too much energy. Not to mention feeling and conviction and any number of things that really weren't necessary to life. It didn't matter.
It was her request, when he heard it, that really rocked through Huzunika's dark, desolate world. A friend? Oh, but people had offered him friendship before. No matter what, they all left him, so what was the point? Friendship was a meaningless word to most people; it was something that would fracture and drift with the slightest utterance of disagreement. There was no point in becoming friends with someone, especially this strange creature that flaunted her privelage with an unnatural looking innocence.
That he was driving the entire meeting out of porportion was a fact lost on Hazunika completely. Instead, he stared down at this angel of a child, legs shifting restlessly beneath him. He lifted a paw after awhile to scratch weakly at a particularly pestering flea as he considered. "Why would you want to be friends with someone like me?" He asked after a moment. Regardless, he sat down because he was too tired not to, and let his droopy, mournful gaze fall on the being of purest, irrational bliss.
His question seemed to confuse the 'child', her head tilting first to one side, and then towards the other, almost as if by doing so, she was hoping to see something she'd been missing to see about the full picture. It was soon enough obvious her objective was not accomplished however, for she blinked. confusion still seeping through her features, "Why wouldn't I?" her mind simply was not made to understand such a strange concept; to her, he was a lion like any other that roamed the savanna. A creature like any other ant, or any other grasshopper she'd seen.
He was much like her in essence, deep down, and thus his question to her was almost as if he were asking her why she should want to befriend herself. Her logic ran amuck; was there a reason she was simply not aware of?
Sitting up, the petite goddess stared at him, sniffing the air through her small nose till she couldn't help it; she smiled. He smelled of the wind and the herds. He smelled of the earth and sky; she saw nothing wrong with being his friend, she had no problem with this and thus stood on her paws, the movement swift, erratic as if not even thought over clearly, but just acted out on instinct. Moving her frame, she approached him, passing her lithe frame under his front paws, brushing her pelt against his left leg, much like a playful kitten would have, her tail latching around his right paw, "You smell like the air; you smell of freedom," a pause as she stayed between his leg, her gaze going up to face the sky, her own paw moving to point at the stars, "Why do you figure I can't grasp them? They're beyond reach... I want to touch them, but I reach my paw and can't reach."
There came a long pause to follow her words, her wings tucked against her back as her tail remain latched around him; she seemed to feel no disgust towards him, but rather curiosity. There was a perpetual innocence shrouding the goddess that made it almost impossible to think her an adult, "I think they're happy there though; they're together, with lots of friends, and when it's night, they twinkle, because they're singing together and dancing around the moon. They're just so far away and that's why we can't see them dancing, but they are; they dance and sing all day and since they're together, it makes them happy."
Slowly her head tilted backwards, her eyes gazing at him as a smile broke upon her maw, "Do you want to be my friend? I'm lonely," it was asked again, as if she'd never composed the question before to begin with.
She hugged him. That thought was almost enough to make the lion fall backward, but he held his ground. His mind reeled with the possibilities that she'd be 'infected' with his parasites--a thing that had disgusted so many ptoential friends in the past. And then.... She liked him? For nothing more than the smell of his body, which he'd been told on more than one occassion was vastly unpleasant, she liked him! The concept was almost too hard to grasp, but certainly not as hard as the strange reel in her own thoughts.
Following the reach of her paw, he looked up towards the stars. That cold void that they were hung in had never drawn his attention much, nor had the lifeless points of energy floating about so aimlessly. Hazunika had never understood why other creatures seemed so drawn to these things, and here was this lioness cub, obviously enthralled with them to.. And she was pressed up against him, warm and open. It'd been a long time since anyone had touched him.
That vast hurt inside of him, the deep despair that had eaten away at his heart and mind, began to break at that. Here was someone who didn't turn away disgusted at first sight. Surely, if she got to know the depressing person he was, something as sweet and innocent as this wouldn't want to stay. For the first time in his life, as quick and irrationally as it was happening, Hazunika found that he didn't like himself and the thought didn't make him dispair. Instead, he wondered--nay, hoped?--that perhaps he could change into something worthy of this innocent trust.
Perhaps it was in the stars; she liked them, just like every other creature did, and it was the one place in this dark, dreary world he'd never bothered to look. Raising his paw, Hazunika spread his as well, looking between the grooves to see the sparkling purple void between. It.. it was...
It was pretty. How could such lifeless things be that pretty?
"I think they're happy there though; they're together, with lots of friends, and when it's night, they twinkle, because they're singing together and dancing around the moon. They're just so far away and that's why we can't see them dancing, but they are; they dance and sing all day and since they're together, it makes them happy."
Hazunika's eyes widened at the cubs words, and his gaze was drawn abruptly down towards her. Gazing at her in wonder, she asked her question of him again. "I.... I want to be your friend." He replied, his voice low and soft and childish. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he gazed back up. He could feel it, a strange sort of still and tingle spreading through his body as he watched the heavens once more. What was this? Where the stars alive, as she said? Was that why they were so beautiful when everything else was dreary? No...
Everything wasn't dreary. The warm blue cub pressed to his side wasn't dreary... she was like the stars, he could tell, full of that life an innocence. As innocent and peaceful as the feeling within him now. In a strange way that Hazunika couldn't begin to describe this feeling was wonderful, no matter how foreign. How had he lived without this feeling?
He didn't want to, anymore. "I want to be your friend," He repeated, more strongly. "I'm lonely too." The tears still pricked at his eyes, and he didn't bother to blink them away. Instead, he let them flow down over his cheeks and into his mangy fur. He'd never said it aloud before.
Her gaze finally turned away from him and up towards the stars, her paw closing in a motion to grasp at them again, however, this time unlike her first few tries, she smiled, "I caught one; look, see? It tinkles," and this said she raised her finger up towards his face; a single tear had ran down his cheek, falling onto her paw by some sort of coincidental magic, or perhaps not as coincidental as it was necessary.
Whatever the cause, the single tear remain upon the lioness' outstretched finger, tinkling much like the starts themselves under the pale moonlight, "And you caught some too, just like I did," the single phrase though innocent seemed to imply that they weren't all that different from each other, something she'd believed from the start. Same essence, same paws, same eyes, same tails.
It was all a matter of perspective deep down.
Smiling both to herself and to him, she removed herself from the little cave she'd formed between his feet, her wings flapping once, twice so she came nose to nose with the male, her paw coming up to brush away his tears, which tickled down her pelt, shimmering like the first forgotten tear, "See? It's not lonely either, it came with it's friends, and when we're not looking, it'll go back up there, and when the sun comes out and hides them, they'll sing and dance about us, because I think that it is their nature," flapping her wings again, she settled herself steadily over his shoulder, grasping onto him like a child, a soft pur rumbling within her chest.
Loneliness was just a way to obtain friendship; it was part of the road that one had to travel to gain company. That's what Muhali thought.
"Since you're my friend, that means I'm no longer lonely; it also means you're not lonely anymore, doesn't it?" again the simple phrase seemed to hold more meaning than it might've seemed to a first glance. Especially significant was the fact the goddess was expecting an answer from him, for it was within his conviction that her words would prove useful, "It's good to have a friend, but one isn't enough; I want to be like the stars, where they sing and dance together all day around the moon, and the sun watches them and is happy for them. That's why he hides them in the day... to let them have peace. It's only during the night that they share their songs with us; it's only then that they urge us to follow suit."
Suddenly falling silent, the cub lay her head upon his shoulder, her wings once more resting against her back, her tail latched around his belly for further support. Either she was unaware of the parasites or she simply did not care; probably the later, for as one climbed her paw and flew off, she smiled.
It was like an ant.
She liked ants. She was sure they too sung and danced in their homes, much like the stars.
The tears glowed like diamonds on her fur, and it took him a moment to realize that they came from him. He hadn't know that anything so beautiful as that could come from him! Or, perhpas, it wasn't him that made it beautiful, but the fact that he was no longer alone. The fact that he had a friend made the tears, those happy tears, wonderful. They had first been born of sadness, unshed and wrapped around his heart like a cloud, only to be lifted away when true friendship was offered.
Something clicked in his mind, or perhaps it snapped, and as she laid upon his back what she said began to seep into him. It filled him with an even greater tingle, a sort of fuzzy, inner feeling. What was this strange power she was filling him with? He was certain it was her; what else could it be?
The lioness made sense, though. "I'm not lonely anymore," he replied, realizing it was true. "Perhaps.. perhaps it was good to be lonely, because if i wasn't lonely..." He wouldn't have been here, and he wouldn't have met this lioness and gotten this strange feeling. What was this feeling? He wasn't sure, but Hazunika was almost certain it had something to do with the stars. He looked back up at them again, thinking about her words about them.
Yes, he could see it now, that dance they did. It was subtle, but it was there. A movement lower along the horizon caught his eye, and Hazunika lowered his gaze to the tree line. The trees were dancing too, in the distance. Three of them, clustered together swaying to the music of the night. Music?
Hazunika blinked a few times in surprise. He had never heard it before, this music, and yet it was there. Suddenly that chirping and buzzing he'd hated so much formed into an orchestra of life. The grass around them hummed with it, and sparkled with life in the moonlight, swaying to the rythmn of the stars. His breath caught in his throat and he could feel that happy buzz inside growing stronger. "It all dances."
That blissful smile which had remain upon her maw suddenly changed; it was a subtle change, almost impossible to detect, but had anyone bothered to look into Muhali's eyes, they'd have seen a definite tinkle which had previously not been there. The smile was no longer irrational, and no longer was the cloud of fuzzy bliss hanging about her form; her features had softened, the smile was real this time, and the goddess was truly and rationally happy, without need for her own own domain to support it.
She didn't talk, almost as if not wishing to disrupt this new found music of his, however, she did add her purring to the orchestra of nightly sounds, raising it up just a notch, audible for him to not only feel, but hear.
It was only a long time later that she finally talked, taking a moment when the performers were taking a small break, the wind having died down and the first few rays of sunlight filtering through the darkness, almost like an omen of what went on within the male's head, "Everything sings and dances," she whispered, her head never raising from his shoulder, his ear within reach of her voice, "One just has to pause, and listen, and look; usually no one does, but those that know how to, because they're too busy running in this circle that never ends. They run and run and they never pause, but they never get anywhere either," her wings spread slightly, barely noticeable, but the movement was there, almost a premonition, "Only those that pause and look... and then listen ever get anywhere, because the moment they stop, they notice they're somewhere and there's no need to run anymore."
Slowly, she removed her head from his shoulder, her gaze floating up to the sky, "I never run; I always walk. It lets me listen and see, and smell and feel," the same truthful smile was there still as her wings flapped, raising her up into the air before she lowered down to come face to face with him, "And now I'll walk, knowing that you too are looking and seeing, hearing and listening," there came another pause, never awkward, almost necessary as she brought her nose to his and licked his maw and cheeks, cleaning him, ridding him of the trails of tears, "You'll always be my friend, and your children, your grandchildren, will reflect this... and they too will be my friends," the smile turned blissful again at the words, almost as if the goddess had just seen the future in her mind. Even if she hadn't, that's what minds were for anyhow; for seeing.
For seeing that what you wanted to see and could not.
The last of that night was blissful and strange to Hazunika. Though the winged lioness didn't say another word, her purring said more than any speech could have. The wind and bugs and purr and birds and everything in the night blended into an amazing harmony unlike anything he had ever heard before. All at once, the dreary grey of the world faded away and when that first light of dawn broke over the world, it was as if it were once more the first sunrise the world had ever seen. For Hazunika, it was the first, and it would be forever washed upon the backs of his eyelids and seared like a song into his soul.
Only a few hours before, he had been a desloate, scraggly creature without a hope in the world... and though those hours were short in comparison to the year or more he'd spent in despair, it seemed he could barely remember that time now. Surely, whatever he had been died the moment the little lioness had touched him for the first time, and been reborn with her promise of friendship.
Her whisper grazed his ear, confirming what had occured to him during this blessed night. The circle was important, yes, and it was important to understand, but it wasn't everything. Was this what had been wrong, all this time? He had never felt right living life as others did, always striving for some strange, unspoken goal, living each day always for the next and never stopping to savor the day itself. There was, more deeply, that purpetual fear as well, that cold chilling threat of the death everyone knew would come for them one day. They ran and fought and struggled against it, no matter that it was inevitable... a fact that he had faced long ago, and ...
...wallowed in, rather than savored the life he had now.
The weight on his back lifted, and slowly Hazunika looked up as she decended in front of him once more. Their noses touched, her tongue washing his maw like a mother would her newborn cub, and Hazunika couldn't help but feel that same sort of connection with her. She was his friend, yes; his friend, and mother, and sister and father...
Somehow, the thought of her leaving didn't upset him as the dissapearance of his past friends had. He understood now, that everyone must leave and live and listen and learn... but that would not stop them from being friends. Yet, he couldn't help but ask, "What if I must ask you something? Will I ever see you again?"
Still nose to nose, the female shifted, her head taking that peculiar tilt that indicated both confusion and precognition at the same time, "If you sing, I'll listen; you can always ask me whatever you want... all you need to do is listen back for the answers," This said, Muhali slowly pulled her nose away from his and looked up at the sky, her wings spreading further as she propelled herself upwards. There were still many things to see, and many others to listen to, yet this one would remain a part of her, as she remain a part of him.
It was only before vanishing that she turned back to him and smiled for him to see, "I'm sorry I broke you," she whispered softly, "But you were cracked," there was no sadness there, just understanding of some sort, "It was necessary in order to remake you... and add a piece of myself there for you to feel," turning back towards the sky, she flew up and vanished into a cloud, probably leaving the lion to phantom if she'd truly been there at all to begin with.
He watched her leave, but there wasn't any pain. The warm, fuzzy feeling inside didn't leave, and he didn't mind, for he knew now what it was. That warmth was his mother; the strange lioness whos name he didn't know, and didn't need to know. Without it, he still knew her and her lesson and knew that even without evidence, she had existed.
The sun rose and he listened to everything wake, and witnessed the dance of the herds and predetors. He listened, that day, to the songs of life, and the songs of death; the songs of happiness and sorrow. When night came once more, and the moon hung full and blossoming in the sky, Hazunika returned his gaze once more to the stars. They danced and sang, reflections of the day before, and he wondered if they were each earths of their own, dancing with the joy of their own Circle of Life. It was during this that he heard another song, a whisper brought to him by the wind, telling him what he needed to do.
He would build a family of stars; a family that would sing and dance for the life all about them. ... A family to be friends for his Mother, and for him... for with them, they would never again be lonely. Wether they be of his own blood, or for others who, like him, would in time step away from the frantic circle and pause, and look, and listen, it did not matter for they would be together.
~~++~~++~~++~~
In time, Hazunika found a lioness who understood the dances of those about her. She listened to the storys he had watched, and taught him the dances she had witnessed. Together, then, they lived under the song of time until four were born to them. It was then that Hazunika remembered something his mother had long since whispered, a part of her speech he hadn't understood or noted until then--these four had features he had never heard of upon a lion's body: eyes and stripes of purest blue. Remembering the blue marked fur the tiny lioness had possessed, Hazunika knew that this was the mark of his mother, the sign of his rebirth. Others, too, accepted this as proof of his story, and soon their family became strong. Before his eyes, his children grew, and loved and birthed, and with them their stories and dances became many.
He did not see her, but he knew, somehow, that his Mother was proud.
And then came the day he knew he would die. It was blissful night, clear and bright, and the stars danced more strongly than he had ever seen. Taking his leave of his family's song, Hazuniku climbed to the top of a nearby hill, to sit and watch the moon in silence.
A touch at his side heralded his mate's presence, and Nefari curled against him with her head upon her paws. They said nothing even then, for nothing needed to be said, and when she closed her eyes and her breath stilled he was not sad for they had known it would happen.
Slowly, Hazunika lowered himself down to curl around his mate's still warm corpse. He slipped his chin over the curve of her neck, and watched the grass about them as he waited for the last song he would ever witness. A sigh heaved through his body, slow and calm, for he could feel it now, creeping through his paws. It was gentle, and soothing; not scary at all.
But there was one last thing left to be done; one last step to his dance before the last note died.
"Mother?"
Time and time again the petite goddess had watch their dances in the night, soaring above them, or merely by closing her eyes; even when she was far away, she knew they dances under the stars. Those same stars she was padding under, and she'd smile truthfully and allow the happiness to lull her into sleep.
Never did the male call for her; not truly. He did talk to her, truth, and he whispered her name, even though he knew it not, but never once did he call for her, and it was this knowledge that allowed Muhali to step away from them and seek other places. She knew they'd call if ever there was a need for them, for they'd been brought up with the knowledge to seek help from others only when needed.
Long days passed, slowly turning into weeks, these slowly melting away into months, and these into years, and still the petite goddess knew her children danced under the stars, accompanying them. However, it was around this time that she sat one day and listened. She'd paused her walking to listen, and see, and hear and smell and touch, and his faint voice reached her heart. It was a mere word, a call, her name, and she knew his time would come soon.
She was not saddened by this.
The circle worked that way; her time to pad it was longer than his was, but one day she'd pass her title down to another, and she too would rest, and she'd dance high above within that immense blue, singing with the stars. Till that time were to come however, she'd walk along and listen and hear; it was for this motive that the goddess spread her wings and fly towards the region that tugged at her heart.
She knew he was there.
It was already nighttime when she arrived, landing softly upon the grass as she moved; not far away the song of the lions singing lulled her into smiling, her purring audible whilst she neared the hill.
He spoke her name then, and she mewled in returned, stepping careful towards him and his mate, "I heard your song," it was all what she said before she lay down, resembling much a cub that was laying down by bother her parents, her blue striped pelt contrasting quite vividly against their, "There are times I no longer look at the stars dance, and instead come hear, and watch you and your children dance," she smiled against his pelt, but continued nonetheless, "And I listen to your songs, and watch you, dancing around that fire only I can see, and I know the stars are proud, and so am I," a pause as she raised bright blue eyes to him and licked his maw, "I am not lonely anymore; are you?"
Her talking dissipated, but her eyes shone with another word; a clear thank you tinkled deep in them as a single star found it's way down her cheek. She was sure it'd return back to it's friends later, that it'd come to take a closer look of them, so loudly were their souls singing.
That single star reflected in Hazunika's eyes, shining a faint, illusionary blue in their golden depths. That she had come completed his dance, and the song's last note was buzzing in his ear. A smile lit upon his maw, encompassing in that single, simple gesture the years of delight and joy he had lived in since that night so long ago. On a hilltop, not unlike this one, he mused, where he had met his Mother and birthed her grandchild.
In his ears his children sang, her grandchildren, and they would be the last thing he heard as his eyes dulled and glazed and the star slipped back to the heavens.
Yet, though he was gone, the wind came and brought the distant song closer. In its rythmn and rhyme and swell, his answer breezed about the three, true in death as it had ever been in live. "I am never lonely, for in life you are never alone."
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:14 pm
Songs used by the Kizingo'Zaa do have certain stipulations OOCly. >.> YES, you can use IRL songs, even "modern" music... but you do have to use some common sense and basic judgment when choosing a song. Here's some lists of Do's and Don't's.
DO:
**Read through the lyrics of the song and, if there aren't too many, make a few "corrections" in order to use it. ________________For Example:__________________________Original: "With the moon shinin' bright as headlights on the interstate
I pulled the covers over my head and tried to catch some sleep
But thoughts of us kept keepin' me awake"__________________________"Corrected": "With the moon shinin' bright as torches on the Savannah
I put my paw over my head and tried to catch some sleep
But thoughts of us kept keepin' me awake"
**Remember that they are NOT capable of playing instruments beyond banging on logs for drums, or possibly blowing through conch shells. Any song that relies heavily on instrumentals probably shouldn't be used.
**Write your own songs or poetry! biggrin Creativity is win!
DO NOT:
**Use songs that are simply too "human" or "modernized." Examples of this are song such as "Space Jam" or "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree."
**Use songs that are not in English; use translations. No offense to other languages--they're gorgeous, and just as good as English, but the majority of this forum is in English. Its just better form to provide something that everyone can understand. If you want to provide the lyrics in the original language, make a note at the end of the RP.
RESERVED SONGS
These songs are to be held as "traditional" to the Kizingo'zaa pride. No one may claim that their lion/lioness "wrote" the song, and all children/joining adults will learn these songs as a part of their lessons. These songs were gathered from various places around the Savannah, and no one is quite sure where they've come from.
All TLK songs from every version released
Every Disney song that is able to be used in this environment
"If we Hold on Together" by Diana Ross
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:17 pm
Possibly Interested Parties:
SoA Name | Player | Current Location
Kereng'ende | Gelfin | Kizingo'zaa heart
Majoka | Gelfin | ?
Lefika | Red | ?
Sepoko | Red | ?
Ajabu'kenai | Kizamaji |?
Koda | Kizamaji | ?
Safiya | Lisiraa | ?
Tomoyo| Tahja| ? --- MUSE
JOINING REQUIREMENTS:
This IS something of an IC "test" members have to go through in order to join the pride. I've mentioned it before, but I'm going to reiterate here in a more ... logical manner so that people will know what is expected of them.
-Your lion must have come to the land and met the pride that resides there
-There must be an rp with Hadithi asking for membership
-One RP with the Queen asking for membership (This does not apply right now as there is no queen)
-At LEAST one RP fulfilling the "test" that Hadithi or the Queen will set before the lion.
When you've finished the last RP (which is usually a self RP though it doesn't have to be) post it in the thread, and we'll add your lion to the member list.
The reason behind this is the fact that their way of life is not an easy one to swallow; how many people are honest OK (at least at first) with "hearing voices?" That, and that the Kizingo'Zaa believe all of their pride members to be Family of an extended sort of nature. They are accepting people, but not everyone meshes quite right for that sort of position.
Other than that... We don't really have any other regulations for joining, though they're subject to change as we think them up; we'll usually talk it over with members and interested parties before we make a change like that, however.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:20 pm
Members:
SoA Name | Player | Position | Current Location
Hadithi | Kisoni | Nganolinda | Kizingo'zaa
Kamaria | Happy Tofu | Unsure | Kizingo'zaa
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:21 pm
Kizingo'zaa RPs!
Here we will keep track of all the pridal rp. biggrin if you're a member and are doing an rp in the pride, just post the link in the thread and we'll collect it here.
If we hold on --Hadithi x Muhali
A Whole New World -- Hadithi x Nyota x Misae
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:26 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:27 pm
Okay, that looks like it should be enough. Those that are inclined may post. <3
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:21 pm
This looks super shiny ya'll! biggrin I'll have to see if I have anyone crazy enough to join at some point! XD
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:22 pm
-molests tae- I hope you do <3 The more the merrier... -works on adding up some graphics-
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:07 am
Yay Kissy 8D Yoh started the thread!
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