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 Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:10 pm
His best friend (who also happened to be his sister) was miserable with her given heiress duties. He was feeling terrible for Tain, his mother's young captive, and to top it off, she had sent him to spy on Tain's family for more ways to screw up their lives.
Well, that was just too bad! The black juve was sick of being his mother's pawn, sick of being responsible for everyone else's suffering. It was so frustrating, being the polar opposite of his mother. She thought he was stupid, thought he was good for nothing more than manipulation. Sometimes Cam really felt like Roho was incapable of loving him. She never showed him any affection, though she showered praise on his siblings. Stupid Ibilisi! She was so cruel to him, and yet she was never scolded for it, only encouraged. Besides, Roho thought that she was smart enough to think for herself. He hated it, being used just for his mother's gain!
So, though he was going to the Pridelands, he had no intention of finding Tain's family. Instead, he was going to enjoy the land, and maybe even find someone to play with. Much as he loved Kaihdin, Roho had made her too serious and so she was usually to busy worrying to think about playing.
Pride Rock rose in the distance and his red eyes lit up. Maybe when he ran away with Kaihdin and Tain, they'd come here. It sure was beautiful and peaceful.
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:36 pm
In every burst of light beyond a shaded patch of earth lay endless promise and potential; every hidden alcove and darkened corner held secrets that just waited to be discovered. The cub trotted along a little-known path, happily tripping and stumbling through undergrowth and over fallen branches. Pride Rock loomed overhead, blotting out most of the sky.
Home. It was nice to always be able to find it! No matter how far she wandered, she always knew which way she had to go. Back to where Mama and Papa were, back where her brother and sisters were! She couldn't imagine life without family. Her confidence was built on the knowledge that her family would always be there for her.
Siri grinned and burst into a clumsy lope. She could almost feel their support even now, strengthening her for whatever life cast in her path.
"Waaaa - WATCHOUT!" Siri shrieked, slamming on the brakes. The cub barely managed to stop before running into the large black juvenile in front of her. "Yeesh, y'need to be careful!" The cub chided, climbing to her feet. She ignored the fact that she'd been the one not looking where she was going.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:55 am
Had he made her same mistake back at home, he would've been belittled relentlessly. Any other lion would be annoyed by the cub, especially since she blamed it on him, but Cam? Cam offered her a smile. He felt so free out here, not having to worry about making any stupid mistakes. "Oh... um..." he said, tilting his head. "Well, you were kinda the one that ran into me, but that's okay. I'll watch out and make sure I don't do it, too."
Her fur... it was so bright! It was like his brother's mane, except a slightly different shade. But how bright it was! Cam smiled shyly at her. "My name is Cam." He had hated his full name - Camulos - since his mother told him what it meant. His name was that of some old-time god of war. Why did everything have to be about hatred and violence? Why couldn't he have a normal name? Heck, he wouldn't mind going by something as silly as Flower, if it meant getting away from the negativity! Besides, he liked flowers...
Blinking, he grinned sheepishly, realizing that he had zoned off. "What's your name? Are you from around here?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:05 am
"Oh. Right!" Siri grinned. "I'll be careful too, 'cuz maybe the next lion I run into will be a mean one." She leaned forwards conspiritorily, whispering to the older male. "There are a LOT of grumpy old lions around here, you know!"
She leaned back to study him for the first time. Wow, he was dark! Like the night, or like the shadows under rocks she liked to peek at! Lots of interesting bugs n' worms down there. She flopped back on her haunches, tail whapping through the grass behind her. Wow, she hadn't met too many other lions her age! Well, besides her brother and sisters, but they didn't count.
"I'm Siri!" She beamed up at him. "It means 'secret'! ... even though I don't really have any secrets." She always though it was a strange name. Why keep secrets? Did her parents have secrets they were keeping? Maybe SHE was the secret! What an idea. But everyone seemed to know about her...
"Oh! Yes, I live here! Right up near Pride Rock!" She canted her head to the side and smiled. "Where do you live? I've never seen you here before!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:10 pm
Cam smiled at the girl, brightened by her spirit. "Siri? I like that name. My name means..."
He hesitated and then decided there was no harm in making up a meaning for his nickname. "It means 'friend'." After all, he just wanted to be a friend to pretty much everyone he met. "I think it's pretty fitting. I try to be everyone's friend."
When she asked where he lived, he frowned. If Mama found out he disclosed their location to someone that could be a friend of the enemy, he'd be in big, big trouble. "I live somewhere in that big grassy area," he said, referring to the Southlands. "It's not nearly as pretty as these Pridelands. It's kind of dry and hot, but it's okay. I like visiting the Pridelands."
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:09 pm
"Whoooaaa. Really? You're from -out there-?"
Siri peered over the juvenile's shoulder, her gaze following the horizon as it faded into a bone-white haze. He lived there! A place she couldn't go! ... Well, at least the border guards wouldn't let her go very far. Someday she would sneak past them and get out there! See the world!
"Friend... that's a good meaning, mmmhmm." She perked her ears forwards. "Our names together mean 'secret friend'!" Siri beamed. "Maybe that's what we are! I won't tell mama I met you, and it can be our secret. We can have secret friendship meetings too! And secret projects, and secret friendship duties."
Siri opened her mouth to continue, then paused. "That is... if you want to, Cam!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:30 pm
Siri had no idea how happy her silly musings made the juvenile.
"Yeah, I like that idea," he said, genuinely beaming. A friend, a real friend! And they were secret friends, too, so he didn't have to worry about trying to hide his family from her. It was just him and Siri. How exciting! Cam grinned at her, allowing a tuft of black mane to fall into his red eyes.
"Projects and friendship duties? That sounds fun! What kinds of things should we do? Maybe... we could meet up in secret, every few days! And we can play and run around and have fun and stuff."
He flicked his tail, happy with the idea.
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:54 pm
"Yeah! Secret meetings, an' if we tell anyone else... something -bad- will happen!"
Like... like they had to save the pride! From evil monsters! Yeah... and they were the only ones who knew about the threat. So it was up to them! Siri was nearly bouncing with excitement. But, what -kind- of monsters were they? Hmmm...
Well, she could find that out later! First, they had to make sure they defended the pride from them. Yeah, that was most important! She cast a sly look around her and then leaned in close to Cam.
"Our first duty..." Siri paused for emphasis. "... is saving this pride!"
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:23 pm
An' if we tell anyone else... something -bad- will happen!
Cam shivered slightly, knowing that there was too much truth in her words. He pushed the thought away, as he had learned to do, and tried to focus on his new friend. This was a happy time and he didn't want to let the shadowy thoughts of his family ruin it.
"Y..yeah," he said, offering a small smile. When she mentioned their first duty, he brightened. How exciting! Their first job as friends!
"Saving the pride?" he asked as she revealed their duty. "We better hurry up then! What do we do first... Captain Siri?" He grinned at the title, deciding that it was fitting for the exuberant female.
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:04 pm
Siri's heart sank as she noticed the darkening of Cam's expression. Had she said something bad? Maybe he didn't like the pridelands... maybe he was mad! But she plowed forwards and was immediatly rewarded with a new smile. Her heart rose up and she let out a deep purr.
"Ya! Saving the pride." She beamed at him. Captain! He called her a Captian! But... what DID they need to do? Well... there were monsters, yes, and they would eat the pride if Siri and Cam didn't stop them. But... the monsters were also afraid of the light! So they could only come out at night.
That ment they had all day to work on a plan! But what would stop them from eating the lions once the sun went away? Siri scrunched her face up in thought.
"Well, -everyone- knows monsters only come out at night! So that means they have to live -somewhere- during the day, right?" Yes! That was it. So... "So we need to find all the spots monsters could hide in and explore them, and make sure to clear out all the monsters."
Siri leaned forwards, eyes bright. "Seee, they'll be SLEEPIN' durin' the day. So we can sneak up and WHAM!" She grinned.
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:07 pm
Cam grinned broadly at the plan. Not only was Siri fun, but she was smart too! "Wow, Siri - er, Captain Siri! That's a really good idea. So, we look in any hiding spot we can find? Like..."
He took a quick glance around, noting several places immediately. "...like between those big rocks over there! And under that bush, and in that big ditch, and..."
Boy, there sure were a lot of hiding places here! His home was much more open and bare, though there were plenty of rocks and boulders to hide behind. "Gee, we'd better get started!"
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:38 pm
"Yeahyeah! Juuust like that one!" Siri waved a paw towards the big rocks off to the side. "But we have to be reeeeaaally careful, Lieutenant Cam!"
She schooled her face into a grim frown and pinned her ears. Her tail lashed as eh paced in front of him. "We have to remember to watch our backs! We don't know what's in there, and even if it's sleepin', it could STILL be dangerous!"
A smile broke across her muzzle. "Solet'sgo!"
The small cub bounded over towards the rocks. As she got closer she slowed until she was practically stalking through the grass. Careeeful!
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:11 pm
Lieutenant Cam! He grinned brightly. "Very careful," he agreed. "Sometimes things can be even more dangerous if they're sleeping! Like, if we woke them up, they might be grumpy." He shivered at the thought of getting on the bad side of a snake. Those fangs looked deadly!
The black juve followed her, every step careful and precise. He wasn't just looking out for himself now; he had to make sure not to put his new friend in danger, too. So, as they approached the rocks, he whispered, "Okay, Captain, you stay there. I'll check this first one out, and if there's something in there, I'll call you and we can chase it away."
He hurried forward, his head lowered and eyes intent. The tip of his nose poked into the crevice, and, seeing nothing, he hesitantly began to wiggle into it. Finally, his entire body disappeared, and he growled as a shiny beetle scurried out into the sunlight.
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Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 2:45 pm
"Yeah! Daddy is sometimes grumpy when I wake him up!" The cub didn't mention how she woke him up before the sun rose, or during a designated nap time.
Siri was about launch a protest about staying behind, something involving leaders on the frontlines, but Cam had already dissapeared into the small cave. She could just see the tip of his black tail protruding from the entrance. His sudden growl startled her and she squeaked, peering carefully over the grass.
A shiny irridescent beetle scurred into the open.
"A MONSTER!" Siri cried, leaping to her feet and pointing furiously. "Quick, quick! Catch it while I dig this hole!"
Paws scrabbling, Siri dug frantically at the earth. Slowly but surely a hole appeared, one with steep (hopefully unclimbable) sides and a deep bottom. Well... deep for a beetle, anyways.
"Drop him in there! Maybe he can't climb out."
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Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 7:32 pm
"Be careful, Captain!"
The juve hurried out of the cave, his big paws flying comically. When she told him to catch it, his blood ran cold. How could he catch a monster? She was MUCH braver than him! But... he couldn't let his friend down, so he swallowed his fear and chased after the shiny beetle.
It was quick but he was quicker, and finally, he caught it between his paws. "Now what?" he worried out loud, afraid that if he took it in his mouth, it'd bite him or something worse! But the hole was almost done, so he grabbed it carefully in his teeth and hurried over, dropping it in.
The insect lay still for a moment, shocked by the fall, and then began scrambling around, trying to find a way out to no avail.
"We did it!"
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