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 Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:13 am
Her insistence on watching from a high up place not only gave her the advantage of regarding a far larger stretch of land than if she'd been observing from a ground level, but it put her prey at ease; A lioness that rested out in the open was no threat, for she showed no intentions of hunting. This allowed the prey to move freely, making it easier to observe their patterns and pin point the ones that were visibly slower, or posibly weaker than the rest.
Observation was the key to hunting, or so thought Tsi'hilu. Silent observation.
Of course, she'd always been good at both those things, since a very young age; observeing, and being silent, so thus the role of a huntress had come god-blessed for her. No more of that 'You'll probably grow up to become a leader, just like your mother!', which was in fact, greatly appreciated. Tsi'hilu had long since decided that she simply... was not meant to be a leader. Even despite having overcome grand part of her comunication problems since cub-hood, the young adult had noticed she still retained certain scarrs from the incidents. That aside, her personality simply did not mesh well with decision taking. She'd grown up to be somewhat a loner, and though she was glad she was once more part of a family, her mentality was diferent enough to make pridal decision taking hard for her at best.
That what she'd most missed since become astray from her familly was the feeling of 'belonging' and she was glad she was once more part of a group, even if wasn't that of her parents. At least it was her kin, and she'd come to adopt them as surrogate parents anyhow; her parents hadn't been much of parently figures anyways. They'd had their own problem, at least Tsi'hilu had seen, and thus the attention they gave her was not always the desired one at the time; still she loved them dearly, and she knew she always would... even if deep down she'd given up hope of finding alive. Deep down she knew they'd perished within the plague; or at least, that was the mentality she'd adopted. All she hoped was that where-ever they were, they were happy, even if in spirit.
Amusingly enough, she wasn't bitter about the plague istself however; it had been that same desease that swept over the land that had in fact, no doubt, aided to keep her alive; she was well aware of that. Not only had it provided her with plenty meat to grow stronger on in her early years of cubhood, but it had doubtlessly kept her safe too. Not only had it whiped out competition later on when hunting came into mind, but it had whiped out potential danger to her person in the form of rogues.
She wasn't grateful to it, but she wasn't bitter either. Tsi'hilu had long since learnt to accept life the way it was; an endless array of greys that merged themselves together. Nothing was black, and nothing was white either; things tended to be somewhat in the middle. Growing up with such ideals made it easier for her to accept life, and though she was usualy silent around most she knew, she was far from sad, or even unhappy; she simply understood and accepted.
It was in her nature to.
Her ears twitched then, her eyes wandering away from the spot she'd been regarding in order to gaze at a not-so-distant dark speck that seemed to be traveling the land her way. It was a lion, she decided, however not one from the sky clan; the pelt lacked tattos, and the way it moved was not one she recognised from her family. She did not move however, instead merely regarding the form silently before returning to her gaze to the peacfuly gracing herds in the distance.
After all, nothing was Black or White, but an array or greys. Not even the fact this lion's pelt was a dark color while hers was a pure white, tattos aside, seemed to stray the thought away from her mind. She'd grown up with it.
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:53 am
This country was interesting, the lion had long since decided. The golden hues of its existance seemed to carry on into eternity and it was impossible for such a marked figure as himself to hide amongst the foliage for none of this greenery was actually green! The irony of that, if it could be called such, was doubly amusing and Nyota found himself chuckling at that. His noise sparked the interest of a few prey-beasts nearby, but he ignored them and continued to be as obvious as he had been before. Eventually, they grew used to him, though they did not allow him to go completely unmarked, and went back to their day to day buisiness. After all, a Lion in the open was a lion that wasn't hungry. Indeed, such a lion could be counted as a friend for a short time, or so many prey-beasts had seemed to think in the end. He'd had quite a many good conversations with zebras and wilderbeasts along that notion, actually, and eaten one or two of them later on.
Another creature seemed to be in much the same way as he was that day, actually. He had spotted her early on, though he hadn't been sure of her gender from that distance. The unusually complex red markings upon her fur might have gone unnoticed as a few oranges and deeper sunset colours were tossed about on the landscape, but the brilliant white of her immaculatly kept coat certainly weren't to go without mark. Indeed, even if ones eyes were simply on the herds, one couldn't go without seeing what their eyes occassionally flickered towards. Even a lion out in the open was a lion that could sneak away, and they would want to make certain she was still where they could see her.
This dance of predator vs prey amused him, but it always had. The complex dance of lives, all circling around the same point but with different means to accomplish it. For the prey, this was to not get caught; for the predator, this was to catch the prey. Life appreciated its little games.
With all of this in mind, Nyota continued his approach without a falter. He knew he'd been spotted, for how could he not be? It wasn't as if he were attempting to hide his movement, and the prey reacted to him the same way as they did her. Of course, he could already tell the lioness was rather young, in build at least, and it was probable that she might have allowed this to slip her notice; probable, but not likely. As he grew closer, the oddness of this female was even more pronounced. Not only was the pattern of her fur more intricate than he'd seen on a creature previously, she also seemed to bear a great deal of objects hung about her body as some of the baboons liked to do their shaman. Interesting.
To simply lumber past her would be rude, the male decided after a time. But this was also a land he knew little of, for he'd never come this direction before in his travels. While he had no want of offending her, should this be a one of the places were strangers were not welcome or where formal greetings were required, he had little choice of it if he wished to speak with her. After all, a lone female would be easier to deal with had he the need of violence or similarly harsh reactions, and she could be a window into what lay further into these lands.
With such thoughts racing through his mind, Nyota opted to take pause beside the lioness's bolder. Though his steps stopped, and eyes wandered across the planes rather than up to her person, he did not sit. Finally, he looked up towards her and sought to catch her green orbs with his own. Slowly, the lion tipped his head forward but did not break the eye contact, "Good afternoon, miss," He offered her a charming smile and straightened. There wasn't a need to say much more, for who knew if she'd respond to even this?
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:24 am
As he wandered nearer, the lioness' eyes regarded him for longer moments; his movements did not seem to indicate a threat to her person, and though this male carried himself highly, this was not uncommon. They were, afterall, felines; Tsi'hilu knew few liones, cheetahs and leopards that carried themselves without dignity and grace. It was within their species' instincts, she'd decided. Those few lions that losed their graced lost part of themslves and their heritage, she thought, and thus would never be complete till they regained it. Even long back, as she'd wandered the land, she'd maintainced an air of elegance and grace; true, she'd been sacred to the point of being terrified, but she'd worked her way to where she was.
It had been the stubburn thought of seeing her family alive that had kept her going; it had been that thought that had fuled her onward. The need to maintain herself alive till then; to show them she could take care of herself.
Alas.
At any rate, the male didn't seem to pose a threat at least. Nor was he hunting either; he wasn't from around these lands in the least, however. She'd caught sight of how he regarded his surroundings, plus the fact he lacked tattos was an obvious hint in her eyes. Tsi'hilu was, after all, an observer at heart. She was used to taking silent note of things others... might have missed.
He smiled then, and offered her a greeting as he paused by her boulder, however, there was no inmediate response from the female; at least not a vocal one, however, she made sure to show her intentions physically. She closed her eyes briefly to offer him a smile, signalling she did not mind his presence and trusted him enough to close her eyes. If only for mere seconds. She also did not move from her perch, but did allow her gaze to catch his own, green hued one, "Good afternoon," the words came long moments after this had passed, her voice hushed, soft, almost musical, yet visibly unused, even to foreign ears.
It wasn't entirely her fault; since a young age, she'd refused to talk, seeing words as things that only faultered and decieved. Tsi'hilu was more prone to action, and the long time she'd passed alone, wandering the Ela land had not helped; it'd caused her voice to grow soft, and thought pleasent to the ears, it was unused and needed time to grow in strength, "What might bring a stranger to these lands?" straight to the point; the petite lioness had never understand why others always seemed to evade topics, and walked around questions, tiptoeing before asking. Instead she believed that showing knowledge of certain facts was what kept those smart enough alive from those ... not-quite-so-smart. Within that single phrase she's voiced she knew him to be an outsider, and had not only welcomed him, but shown she had no intention of forcing him back in the least. Her tone was polite, soft, specialy for one at that turbulent stage right before maturing completely, though she might've been mistaken for someone younger.
Her body had never grown to the size other lioness' had; she figured it'd had to do with living alone. She'd adapted. It'd never hindered her hunting skills however; and though she had a harder time taking down larger prey, this just meant she needed help to do so. Her skills were otherwise quite as inmaculate as her pelt, "Are you lost"
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:06 am
Soft spoken, she was, but he didn't seem to mind. The wait for her to speak wasn't a tense one in the least and it gave him time to get a good feel for the soil under his paws. Good, sturdy ground--he liked that, for it gave him a slight advantage of footing, should he need it. Rock, after all, was not a surface one could grip to too easily, or clutch in a time of need. It was possible the young thing--for indeed, she was obviously far from grown though her countenance belied a strange sense of wisdom--had also thought of this. He'd come across many that would have prefered to attack.
Her attack did come, then, but not in a manner he'd expected. Rather than use took and nail, she used pure blutness. It was a tactic he'd seen little use and it brought an upward twitch to his already dazzling smile. How very quaint, he couldn't help but think, a touch of awe touching his heart. This was already proving to be quite interesting indeed. "Some might call me that," he answered as truthfully as he could, "For I haven't a clue where I am going. It has yet to seem to matter, however, as I have no destination. Therefore, I would say no." It was odd being blunt, and he hadn't much practice with it. Still, no matter how fruitfull his words now, he thought he might reach a level to match the lioness soon enough. He'd found a long time before that people rarely liked someone who spoke more often than they themselves did, or someone who skimped on their words when offered a buffet of them. No, the best idea had always been to answer like with like, but her to-the-point pattern of speech thus far was rather uncommon.
Loving the idea of getting a taste of something new, Nyota allowed his eyes to wander away. The diversion only lasted a moment, green orbs easily returning to Tsi'hilu's side as if she were a flame and he a moth. As easy and natural as the motion must have looked to watchers, he mentally timed himself into that rthymic pattern. "On that same note, my reasons are as vague. I am here because this is to where my paws have carried me; It would perhaps do well for my peace of mind to know what this land is called, however...?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:29 am
There was only a moment's pause, an ear flickering away to a herd as if to check on them before she placed her full attention back upon the male. Her smile had never left her maw, her relaxed pose showing not only no fear, but a huge sense of calm, "You find yourself in Ela'wadiy Lands; We live here. You are welcome however, so long no harm comes to Us," that was the way the pride thought; they never forced out strangers unless they posed a threat to their security.
Tsi'hilu was even further laid back within these thoughts; her mind was usualy intent on survival after all, and her instincts told her that forcing out a much larger male would be suicide for her. It was true that the health and safety of her family and loved ones was prioritary, but so was her own safety; at times one had to leave open ground to observe, engaging a strategic retreat to give time and gain number and strength.
Even though these weren't her actual thoughts on the matter right now, her instincts were still there; they told her to watch and observe, and later pass judgement. The petite lioness had learnt to never judge others on first impressions, for things weren't always what they seemed; she'd learn this while she was alone - while hunting, some species mimiced those that were poisonous in an attempt to remain safe. It was always a good idea to observe, and Tsi'hilu was indeed a good observer, "Being a stranger is not bad; we are all strangers somewhere," another pause followed, not awkward however, but rather graceful as the lioness stood from her perch and lowered herself to the ground beside him. She'd decided he seemed not to be a threat, and thus having a height advantage would merely hinder the meeting; the height was of no use to her right now after all.
She had previously not offered her name since it had not been asked for, however, the fact he'd asked for the name of the lands he had found himself within seemed to spurr her to explain; it was only natural, "My name is Tsi'hilu Waya; I belong to the Sky clan," she left it at that as she allowed herself to sit down nearby. Now placed nearby his form, the fact her pelt was decorated with tattoos, and not markings, was probably clearly visble. They were Ela tradition... they told the story of her life; she added to the tattos as she grew, and though few were able to read them, they reminded her of those important things that had happened over the years. They were like a book and though she knew they'd fade in time, knowing herself allowed her the chance to know others.
The feathers that clung to her ear and her neck were in fact slightly tattered, obviously old in age; they'd been taken from the first bird she'd killed as a cub, weaved around her frame. They were, in a sense, a mark of when she'd become a huntress. As she sat, she remain silent, observing him, never masking the fact, her ear flickering every so often; she'd taken in his scent too, and were he to ever be near, she'd intantly recognise him, "What's yours? It would probably be rather rude to keep on calling you 'stranger'."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:51 am
"I would not deem it rude, no," he responded to her last comment first, thinking it the most pertenent of repsonses. He'd given her a nod when she'd deemed to lower herself to his level, and taken the moment to sit rather than remain standing before her. Now that she was closer he could see that her unsually marked pelt wasn't a part of her pelt at all but some form of.. dye? Rather than ponder the logistics of how she'd have gotten it upon her form at all, he simply accepted it with a note to ask later. That was the sort of question it didn't seem would be answered at first, anyway. "After all, I've not offered my name, and lest you are of a supernatural spark there would be no way of knowing it; therefore, I'd say the rudeness is more upon my form, for leaving a lady such as yourself to put herself upon the platter first."
He nodded to her once more, eyes never leaving her as he offered her a kind smile, "I am called Nyota'visima, of no clan but my own, I'm afraid. Your ladyship is right, Miss Tsi'hilu Waya, it is no sin to be a stranger, for if it were I should be very bad company indeed for such a beauty as yourself. You see, I am a stranger to each lands I go to, save in the event I retrace my own steps; alas, this is a fate I'm very happy with and thus I too have no qualms about being a stranger and treated as such." He was failing rather badly at conforming to her blunt speech patterns, and he knew it. The knowledge was rather annoying as Nyota did not like to fail, regardless of reason or rhyme, but things were also not so quickly picked up. She did not seem annoyed, however, and he took that as a good sign.
His eyes took in the details of the feather and leather she wore about her person even as a slight breeze brought her scent to him at last. He marked it, engraining it in him that he would know her if it were necessary. Sky clan? It would certainly seem that way. Of course, not all thins were obvious on a first meeting; though if you knew what you were looking for, the majority could be summed up by so short a time. Again he pondered the age of the creature before him--she acted old be seemed young. It was entirely possible that this 'race' of lions were simply softer in body than those he'd come across before. There truly was only one way to decide upon that.
Nyota's ears flickered towards the other animals milling about the grasslands, paying them little mind but for to assertain that no danger was lurking. "I am glad to hear your people are so kindly to we wanderers. It is most unusual these days to find such an attitude, unfortunatly. You say that you are of the Sky Clan; perhaps I could acquire as to the 'what' of this question without seem terribly rude?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 2:15 am
Ah. He was probably thinking of the Fire-race. They whom had brought The Plague upon this land; she'd never had the pleasure to meet any of the kin of fire, but then again, as she wandered the lands for so long, she'd merely come upon the grand total of two lions. One quite mad, she'd decided, suffering from some sort of mental desease, and the other she'd later adopted as a surrogate father right before she'd been accepted into the Sky clan, "We Ela are not like those of the kin of fire," in the least. Their customs were diferent, and Ela praised the spirits of many things; the earth, the birds, the sky.... everything, while the kin of fire seemed intent on following one god.
They were diferent cultures, and amusingly enough, just like she bore no bitter feelings for the plague, she bore no bitter feelings for those that had brought it to this land. Ultimately it had been their fault she'd been seperate from her family before migration, but it'd never bothered her. Some things were simply meant to be the way they were; mourning and harvoring bitter feelings for things in the past that one could not change seemed to be a waste of time. At least in Tsi'hilu's mind.
Lossing time was not something her instincts would allow her after all, "You can call me merely Tsi; my full name can be rather long," a short pause followed, she'd seen him staring at her tattos, and she was well aware that they were not custom around other prides, "It means Silent Wolf; I used to be part of the wolf clan, but it died when I was very young," that single phrase seemed to voice out huge waves of information for one keen enough to see into it; she found it polite enough to offer information back since he was giving her some himself. It was all part of the 'judgement'; one could not be deemed or judged of worth, or any other way without dishing out some information, "I had no clan but myself for a very long time; these lands are large, and do not show signs of many treading it; you are welcomed... there is enough space for the few of us here," she seemed to pause to think something over before standing up to return to her rock, taking just a moment to reach her maw for his tail, tugging ever so softly as means to tell him to follow her.
This done, she jumped up the rocky side with grace, waiting for him to join her, "The Ela'wadiy have lived here for many generations; many clans form one pride, each clan small, a family," her right paw outstretched to point diferent spots in the distance, "Sky clan, Earth clan, Bird clan, Shadow clan, Wolf clan, amongst others, each have their traditions, but neither clan remains stationary on the same place for long; they move with the herds along the land," her paw lowered to the rock, offering him the same soft, calm smile she'd been offering him before, "The plague came many moons ago; swept the land. The families migrated to escape it; many have never returned, probably dead," for such a young looking lioness she seemed not only to accept the fact, but she accepted it gracefuly, "Not many of us remain; I was left behind, forgoten before migration as a cub. I got lost - grew up here."
There was actualy a reason for allowing him to know this much; I know my home, I know this terrain and the little secrets within it. A battle between us would probably tilt in my favour should you threaten me; though there's few of us, those that have survived are strong. Do not judge me yet, "I shall call you Nyota."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 2:39 am
Very smart. Those two words seemed to sum up his decision upon her, but there was much more subtlity to it than that. She wasn't smart in the way that he was smart--cultures and words and speech, and yet, hypocritically, she was. The paradox was astounding, and beautiful.. as beautiful, he though, as she herself. He wasn't often one to remark upon a lionesses appearance, but he could say that this was one of the greater beauties he'd met. That she had a brain to go along with it served her well--he thought he would like the El'wadiya lands if they produced such interest meat as this.
He'd followed her up to her rock quite amiably, not at all afraid of claw or teeth. The note she'd made with telling him her story wasn't at all missed, and he weighed the information carefully. "Tsi it shall be, then," He agreed, tail beating lightly upon the rock in the steady rythmn of his heartbeat; an unintention gesture, a tick perhaps that he'd been unable to shed through the years. "I have long heard stories of this sickness, sweapt upon the prides of every land as a great flood. It touched the lives of many, not just the fire's kin and the clans of this golden land. I find myself fortunate to have never been affected by it, but I grew up far from any true society... much as you admit you have as well."
A nod in her direction followed that statement, showing he meant no harm by any of this. Unconsiously, Nyota echoed her earlier decision: information offered deserved information gained. Besides, there wasn't much he could or would tell her about himself that would do either of them any harm in the knowing. "I am sorry to hear of your clan's passing, though they do leave a well met legacy. The ravages of such things are hard to recover from, though certainly not unfeasible. You've good land here, and as you said few to share it with. I have been in these lands many days no, I believe, with no sight of another of our kind, save your person."
Nyota's eyes followed the herds as they moved, taking in the way that they adjusted to the two predators conversing so blithly in the open. In truth, the youngest of them seemed completely unafraid of this prospect, where in other lands they knew the dangers just like any adult of their kind. That in itself was remarkable, but he chose not to make the more obvious of comments. "Indeed, an untoiled land." His murmered, a smile upon his maw to indicate his enjoyment of the serenity it presented. "Your home is indeed a lovely place, Miss Tsi. I think I shall enjoy my stay here very much."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:03 am
Indeed, the lands were not touched by many, but Tsihilu knew that due to the plague that had swept, many lands suffered loss; she figured many of the prides had been thinned down, mere skelletons of what they once were. This had forced many lions to migrate from their own prides, to avoid mating sisters, or those too closely related. In a sense, she'd figured, the plague's purpose might've been to cleanse the over populated lands, to make it easier for those few surviving to continue on.
Everything was grey.
There was nothing entirely evil, as there was nothing entirely good. There were always second thoughts, second intentions and other sights. Tsi'hilu knew this, or at least believed it anyhow, "I did not encounter the sickness either; in a sense it ensured my survival. Whipping out those few lions around these lands, I had very few to threaten me while vulnerable; not only that, but very few others competed with me for food," she turned her green hued gaze to him and smiled, a small purr rumbling in her chest briefly at the compliment and the fact he'd bothered to mourn her parents, "They're still with me; my family - had they not been I would not be here," in a sense it was true, but it'd been her stubburn wish to reunite with them that had pulled her through those harsh months.
She had those months to thank for whom she was now however, and thus no bitter feelings rang through her at the thought; bitterness was a loss of time. Time was essential for survival; those that lost time and those that bothered to look back and cry were those that were hunted. It happened to the prey species and it happened to lions too; she was naive in many ways, love being something she'd experinced very little of, but she'd seen what happened to those that did not act with care, out in the open.
"Feel free to stay as long as you wish; no one will bother you. Everyone seems seclusive now a days, probably paranoid," a pause as her paw lifted to her maw in thought; she knew she didn't fit in; this was her home, and this was her culture, but she'd grown up alone... and those tidbits of their behavoir had not stuck to her. She reigned herself and her behavoir by other rules and thoughts and thus stood out amongst her clan not only for her pure white pelt, which no other had, but due to her behavoir too.
She was open by nature, but not trusting, however, she seeme to decide this lion to be fair company; not only was his behavoir easily understood by Tsi'hilu, but he was intelligent and seemed to be threading the ground around her carefuly, evaluating. Tsi thought that to be remarkably smart; not only was he not judging her, but rather, he was observing. Waiting and observing; that was the key, "I hope you enjoy your stay; we don't get many visitors. I'm afraid I'm lacking in my elcomings, but you happen to be the second lion I've ever had the pleasure of meeting outside my clan... and the first one had been rather.... strange. He was affected by some mental sickness. Met him while I was a cub, long time ago."
There was a pause then before she turned to face him, "Join me for a hunt?" it was a clear invitation to the fact she'd accepted him.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 2:20 pm
Had it been a few years earlier, Nyota might have thought it odd for a lioness and lion to hunt together. He had been raised by his mother, of course, and taught to hunt... however, she'd kept her male and female children segregated, so that they might 'learn to adapt to a pride more easily in adult hood.' Of course, his mother's views on the entire world order had been rather old-fashioned, he'd later found out. Most prides, though not all, seemed to have more than one male to them. In fact, it was quite common for pairs to mate for life, rather than share mates through the entire pride. Hunting together was the least of the differences.
Her thoughts on the subject of the plague were rather accurate with his own, however, a fact he found strange and amusing. Few wrote it off so easily as she did, and it was relaxing. Disease was inevitablity in over croweded populations, and the lions had been pushing their numbers if what he'd been told were true. In fact, the amount of them in the world now was rising at a rapid rate and he wouldn't be surprised if another plague were to come and ry to pound the lesson back into their brains once more. Were that to happen, he'd retreat back into the safety of the desert--for he knew how to survive there. That wasn't pertanent to the conversation or the day, so Nyota ignored the errant thoughts and offered another smile to his quaint accquaintance.
"I would be honored," He replied, rising. He gave his body a stretch, limbering up his muscles before he joined her on the ground beneath. The herds still hadn't thought too much of the lions moving, but they'd be aware of it soon enough. "And yes... I believe I'll enjoy my stay very much." His eyes roamed over her once again, as if settling some thoughts into place. He found her eyes easily once more, giving her a nod, before he slunk past her to somehow dissappear into the tall grass. She would know, he thought, what he had marked and agree with him that the two wounded gazelles not too far off should be put out of their misery.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:44 am
She needed no further words; verbal communication was still slightly foreign for the petite lioness... she found words to be clumsy more often than not. They were not needed, especially not at a time like this, and thus as the male lion slunk off without further sounds, she smiled and slunk off into the taller grass, in practically the opposite direction he'd picked.
Her ears remain perked, her claws unsheathed as she both listened to the prey and felt it pad over the earth; the young Ela'wadiy had not missed the fact there were two wounded gazelle nearby, but she'd ignored them till then. Instead of ignoring them now, however, she focused her ears on them, listening to her surroundings till she came to a stop, her body lowering itself to hide between the tall blades of grass. Despite the fact her pelt was further easily seen than that of most brown or yellow hued lionesses, her petite frame made it easier for her to hide, her tattoos disguising the white if only somewhat against her brown surroundings.
Then she merely waited.
It would be easier to take down the prey if he directed it towards her after chasing it slightly; where strength could not win, the element of surprise could. Tsi'hilu merely decided that she'd have to time herself before jumping for the kill. It was all a matter of waiting, as everything seemed to be as of late; she didn't mind however, she was good at waiting. She'd grow up waiting and didn't mind waiting a little bit more. Never once did she find it odd to share a hunt with a male, and never once did she seem to question many things others would've paused to do so; perhaps the fact she'd grown up alone had scarred the way she interacted with others socially, but at least her heart and mind were both in the right place, she reasoned.
It was then the noise came; the sound of hooves coming her way, indicating the stampeding gazelles as they tried to evade the larger male that had begun to give them chance. The small lioness remain hidden however, pushing herself lower into the grown, her green eyes narrowed as she flexed her muscles; adrenaline pumped through her veins, making it hard to stay put, however, as much as she wished to move, she waited and waited... she waited till a particular scent hit her nose, and then she sprung from her place.
Deftly, she launched herself, her maw closing over the smaller gazelle's; the creature kicked and fought, like any other would've... fighting for it's life, having another reason to live, however, after a few more struggles, the white frame forced the prey to the floor, her mouth tight against the the gazelle's, her claws sinking into it's neck for better hold. She didn't let go for a long while, till she felt the body go limp and the life that was so precious to all escape from the body she'd taken down. Tsi'hilu seemed naive, or young, however, she seemed to understand what a delicate balance was placed between all species; it was this balance being broken that gave birth to things like The Plague.
She didn't hide in a bitter corner, afraid like many others however, for she'd come to a conclusion long ago, "If you hide... if you're scared, you act weak," her maw had separated itself from the gazelle's at that point, her tongue lapping up the small droplets of blood that tainted her pure pelt, looking strangely similar to the hue of her tattoos, "If you act weak... you act like prey, and if you act like prey... you become prey," her eyes finally turned upon he male lion, a soft smile ringing in them. She didn't finish her train of thought, but rather, left it hanging in the air, unsaid as she moved over to allow him some space to share the kill.
Prey will fall to the claws of predators. It was life's law.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:10 am
"All too easily lions become prey," Nyota agreed as he padded up afterward. He'd chased on past her, pushing the other gazelles--for several had gotten caught up in the movement--away from her. Usually they would not try to save a fallen one, but occassionally a young buck would get it in their head to attempt taking on a lion or lioness. It really wouldn't do to get this young one gored when she'd proven to have an amazing amount of good sense. He laid down opposite her, leaning his head in to sink his teeth into the hot, burning flesh and blood. Leisurely he ripped the corpse's side open to expose the tender entrails. Rather than fiest upon them, Nyota took a hearty bite of the backside's meat.
The silence was easy enough, for it seemed to be the language she spoke best. Having taken a peice he raised his head, silently offering the more tender areas to her first. It wasn't in his nature, but all wild things had to adapt; it was the only way to live. And so, adapted he had to customs and cultures of those around him. No longer were lions the rulers of the roost. In truth this didn't bother him, as far as dignity or pride were concerned; it only mattered in the way he presented himself to others. It was obligatory, in his mind, that he show kindness before all else.
The sound of bugs reached him, but they would know better to attempt and move in before the lions were done. Nyota washed some of the blood from his maw, though he didn't mind it much at this faze of the meal. His tail thumped slowly against the ground, his habit becoming noticable in its repetitive. After she'd taken her peice, he reached in for another chunk off the haunches.
"I doubt you have to worry about that so much," Nyota said presently, words slipping into the silence as easily as if they'd been there all along. "Weakness does not always mean that you are prey, for many prey are very strong. Its pity that cannot be afforded, in my opinion."
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:25 am
Her head lifted from the meat she'd been carefully tearing apart, er maw displaying a soft smile that seemed to indicate something aken to understanding, yet fell short of actualy fully agreeing with him. Then her eyes turned to look away, off into the distance for a few moments. She was lost then, deep in thought, her ears twitching every so often, as if listening to sounds only she could here, and it wasn't till a good few minutes after that she finaly looked down upon the fallen gazelle and dipped her maw into the still-warm meat.
It hadn't passed unnoticed how he's left the tender parts for her to pick; perhaps someone else less observant wouldn't have noticed a few things the male had done, but Tsi, born and bred to look and listen, had noticed instantly. Refusing to eat from such parts would've broken a delicate balance; it'd have been a rude refusal and a way to show she did not accept him for what he was, however, as it was, the lioness dipped her maw into the entrails and feasted silently for a few good moments. It wasn't until she seemed somewhat sattisfied that she lifted her head, a long strip of meat hanging from her clenched teeth, which she offered silently to him.
Amusing as it was, she'd noticed how their small meeting had been a display of actions, as if they were each passing a ball from one's court to the other, observing and waiting for a reaction that would tip the other off. So far the petite female had been somewhat convinved she liked this one; there were very few she didn't like, tell truth, come to think about it, but there was also something else that told her that she should tread the terrain with care. At least for now.
It wasn't in her nature to show distrusst however, and thus she showed it not, instead openly displaying some sort of trust, perhaps friendship for he whom she'd only just met. It'd been clear to her how he'd protected her, if only briefly whie they hunted; hunting was a process she believed brought lions together. Not only that, but it was a task meant to be performed in group; each lion was meant to do something. Each was better at one thing or another; whereas she was small, and would fail at taking down larger prey, she was swift, fast and agile. It compensated. Ot at least that's what Tsi'hilu believed, "Pity... it depends," her eyes, which had seeked his green ones, seemed to smile as she talked, "My culture believes there is purpose behind everything; that there are spirits within everything... the trees, the rivers, the soil," her paw raised to her maw, and as she licked it clean, passing her tongue between her fingers till her pelt was finaly blood free, she continued, "You may feel pity for others; for prey, for that weak lion that walks by... the one you know whose time has passed. What you can not do however, is allow that pity to guide you. If you feel no pity, half of your heart is empty," finaly placing her paw upon the floor, the liones smiled, "Being empty... must be a sad experience."
If her words were any indication, it was clear though Tsi'hilu was not 'empty' by any means, she was in fact missing something or other. Something even she was not aware of, for though she was used to observing... she'd always been afraid to look inward and observe the inside.
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:46 am
He carefully took the meat she'd offered; her gesture was an oddly intimate one, but he remarked nothing on that and instead allowed himself to enjoy the tender strip. When he'd finished and licked the blood from his maw, he gave himself over to a soft chuckle. She was young, but set in her views and decisions. Of course, her views did not match his own completely, and for that he was glad--it would have been boring if she agreed with him... immediatly, at least. "In this I'm afraid we must agree to disagree,"he nodded respectfully to the young lioness. "You can feel sorry for another, certainly. You can morn for what they are to lose or have lost, but to pity something is another thing entirely. Pity, while a form of compassion, is for those that you consider below yourself; whom, no matter what they do, will never be on an equal plane with your own person. At least, in the way that I consider it."
He took a moment to think, slowly grooming himself clean regardless of the empty, clouded stare of the cooling antelope between them. "It wasn't always this way, that word. It took time for it to develope that conotation, which is why it is so interesting in the way that it is used. Society at once says, as you do, that to be without pity is to be cold, and yet those that society pities are those that do not want it. If you ever were to tell someone that you 'pity' them, they would be offended; in every case I have witnessed or taken part in or heard of, it is always the same. And thus, I reitorate my point that pity, in itself, is something that makes one weak because to pity another is to be so far into ones own ego that you cannot see past it into true empathy for the other's situation. Even so, to empathize with another brings about another point as to wether or not it is ethical to take a life in order to promote your own. Obviously, we are on the same side in this arguement, at least on the conclusions end, but would we get there the same way?"
His green eyes met her own, and for a moment he seemed to expect an answer. Suddenly, Nyota laughed--truly laughed--at himself and shook his head. "Forgive me. I seem to have gotten caught in the moment; it happens occassionally, though I never mean for it to."
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:06 am
Again she smiled that earlier smile of her; the one that seemed to indicate she understood what he said, but did not agree on it fully. The gesture reached her eyed; it made them twinkle with some unknownsort of light, "Life is only interesting if there is disagreement," her eyes were removed from his briefly as she looked upon the moving heards; the smell of blood probably scaring them away, "What sort of world would this be if there were light but no darkness? Or darkness but no light? Both need eachother to define themselves. We would never know that light is light were shadows and darkness not to exhist; we'd take it for granted, and we would not be happy for it," she fully seemed to believe her own words, no hesitation within them as she talked and finaly turned to regard him in the eye.
It was a strange gesture for a felin; looking into another's eye. Very few lions seemed to do it, but Tsi'hilu found it easier to understand unspoken words by doing so, and thus she did so, "That is why I remain silent," the words were spoken without fear as he finished, the same smile still twinkling within her eyes, "You can not look an antilope in the eye and tell it you pity it,just like it will not turn to you and ask you not to eat it. It is merely the way the world works; we accept we eat them, they accept they are to be eatten," a pause as she retracted her claws, her tongue coming out of her maw to lick her own face free from blood, "Diferent rodes that lead to one same place; at times it matters not if you take the long road, or the short one, but rather, it matters that you get to the destination," the smile changed, almost mischivious for a moment before the spark died down to a the same pleasent blaze it had previously been, "This comes from a lioness whom was born into a roaming pride; a pride that would, and will walk their land, never settling in one place for long."
It must've been strange to behold how the petite form seemed to accept the other's lack of pity; much like he seemed to accept her need for it, really, however, she seemed content that way, and merely allowed herself a pause before motioning with her head, "Where shall your paws take you now? I sense your need to roam; my pride lives for that need. I know it well," she knew the 'farewell' was innevitable at some point in the near future, but she'd grown up with Hope.
She truthfully believed in it, and lived for it, rather than the roaming her pride seemed to live for in exchange; it had been her hope to see her clan members and family alive that had in turn kept her moving for so long, and though they were still missing from her life, that Hope had not died down. Now it was the hope to perhaps meet this fellow stranger in the future that allowed her to ask fearlessly what lands he'd seek next.
There was, after all, no doubt in Tsi'hilu's mind he'd be back, just like though her mind told her her family was dead, her heart told her there was no doubt she'd see them again. Her mind simply seemed to work in such strange ways, "There is nothing to forgive," a pause, "Except perhaps my action; I am afraid I am too open in my gestures. It usualy has the oposite efect from putting them at ease..." this might, of course, be due to the fact she'd grown up alone, lacking a guidance to tell her what was appropiate when meeting someone and what not. The smile turned slightly sheepish for a moment; it was a rather odd choice to compare her to, a sheep, but it seemed to work.
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