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 Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 1:47 pm
// Welcoming Committee // [An RP with Remove] It was growing well into the afternoon hours on the firekin lands as the sun slowly streaked across the sky. Like any other day, the heat filtered down upon the sands, and as always it was hard to tell if the sand was hotter than the air, or if the sun was hotter than the ground. For months, a young lioness always question the concept, keeping her mind on determining the difference as she walked from dune to dune. It was quite a repetitive life, but she had no choice, because in the end she could either wander, or become someone's afternoon meal.
And there was no way she was going to become someone's meal.
Talking a moment to pause, Nuri let the winds ruffle through her dark fur, the red and black pelt always brought her extra attention from the sun, so she was always greatful her fur was light and thin. The dusty breeze at least brought a cooling effect upon her form, and when traveling, it helped keep one away from going crazy with the heat. She had always been traveling of course, so by now she was used to the heat, but it still was nice, and today was quite a breezy day, if not a dry one.
Letting the breeze push her scent downwind, she could care less if another caught it, for never had she run into another lion. It caused her to believe that of course, the pride had shrunk, if not died off completly. But she always wanted to check to make sure. So thus, she let her paws carry her onward, her youth long gone as her leith adult form made way down yet another dune. Maybe today she would finally run into another firekin. That thought alone brought a slight smirk across her features.
The male lion was happy, content and somewhat pleased with himself, why he was he wouldn't tell anyone not yet anyway, he wanted to see what would happen. He was just wandering, his mane making him way too hot so naturally he headed towards the water, where he could be happy and rest. Water, rest, bath and anything else he wanted apart from food that was scarce in these lands and he found it better to hunt elsewhere, more likely to catch something.
As he reached the water he laid down under the small amount of shade there was moving occasionally to sooth his throat with a trickle of water. He was happy and unsuspecting of another wandering around the lands, then again that was Kimeti's buisness but not for long, Kwana would rule, then maybe Teleka would have a duty in these lands.
Nuri had yet to find herself a waterhole, though she could care less. Traveling taught her how to keep her head even when she was suffering from thirst. So thus, she never did search for them, they mearly appeared when it was time for her to drink. It was easier to not search and find them instead of searching and going to wrong direction.
Instead, she continued down the dune and started to pad up towards another peak, her paws taking in most of the warmth of the sands as the thick pads helped prevent any burning that could have happened. The sharp black markings that went across her shoulderblades and down her forearms caused slight uncomfort before she pushed it out of her mind, going to a stop as a new issue appeared before her. Of course she ran across the small oasis, but that was not what she found intrest in.
It was the large male adult firekin that was currently resting within.
"Intresting..." She whispered to herself, dark eyes narrowing in thought as she merely starred down towards the other. It was always better to observe and not bring attention than the other way around.
Teleka was unaware of the other lioness, his mind was wrapped up in Kijinga, hoping several different things. He decided he wanted to wash his paws but from previous experiance what was the point of liking your paws when they taste horribly of sand? He had learnt what to do! Grudingly he stood up and shook his mane, darn thing was full of sand again! He stepped into the water and laid down before rolling about, oh how he looked stupid, nothing new there. He was happy though, cool and wet, the way to be!
Seeing as how the other would not notice her any time soon, Nuri slowly made her way down the hill and towards the small oasis, ears perked as she listened to the splashing of the other. As long as he was rolling, she could sneak closer and closer. Slowly the sands turned into thick stones under her paws and she paused a moment, letting her prowl turn into her head being raised a bit. Eyes taking on an emotionless color, she let her tail drag back and forth, wondering how long this lion would take to notice she had just walked up towards him.
It was always fun to use what she learned on her own against others, heck that was the only way to stalk, being completly silent.
Teleka noticed the female but she wasn't important enough to stop washing! When he did indeed finish he looked at her curiously, "You do know your tresspassing don't you?" It was common for him to say this, he knew the firekins here and that consisted of two families, neither she was from! He looked at her curiously, there was no harm in a female, she wasn't like his sister, she was the only femme who could do this male any damage!
Raising a mocking brow, Nuri took a slow gaze over his form, taking in his now flat mane and his less than intresting pelt. Painstakingly slow, her eyes trailed back up towards his, and she just looked right into his gaze in a silent challenge. Her face still was void of any emotion, but just as slow as her run down of his appearance was, a steady, bloodthirsty smirk crossed her form. She would not stand down to a nobody, and she knew this so-called firekin was a nobody.
"So..." She said in a dull tone, as if bored, and she nodded towards him, "...this is what happened to a once great pride..." Her tone was mocking of course, if he could even catch it, for most of her voice was dull, and she let it sit in the air before continuing, "...Pity." With a short laugh, she turned her back, showing he was not worth any more of her time, and as he lost sight of her face, her smirk grew, and she waited.
He watched her turn and laughed, "You better get going, my Queen Kwana will not be pleased with an arrival of a rouge into these lands." He shook his mane making it poofy before it went back to its normal state. Manes were pathetic and so was that female. He rolled his eyes at her, he had no intrest in her. Her pelt may be similar to a firekin pelt but she was and is no more then a rouge and rouges do not belong in lands such as these unless they are slaves, in which case they are no longer rouges. He wasn't going to start anything, he had learnt patience from Kwana.
She felt the cold, soft laughter rise from her form once more, and her eyes looked over towards him in a dismissing manor, "Oh really? Than why are you still here?" She could smell it, he did not have the scent of a Firekin who lived there for his whole life. She knew he felt he was on top of the world, but alas he still was a wanderer, one who just happened to stumble on home once more. Just like her.
"Keep telling yourself that you are worthy...but you still are not a true Firekin." She paded lightly away, and sniffed the air while she moved. His path was still strong, and thus, she decided to follow the trail he had journeyed on, perhaps it would lead to this Kwana.
He laughed, "Ah but what you don't know you can't judge. I know the royals here and trust me they dispise rouges such as you." He laughed again as a smirk crawled upon his face, "That and what use are you anyway, males are what needed to keep the pride going, not females. You will just be in the way, Rouge."
He lapped up a little water, his brown eyes still on the female, who did she think she was? A stupid spoiled brat? Yeah that sounded right. He would have to warn his sister about this thing, if she was going to be staying but as Kwana had said to him before he was accepted, she is a rouge and rouges aren't liked unless they prove themselves and with that attitude? Kwana won't like her, will she? No, too bossy, a threat to Kwana! Kwana better not like her, that thing would stink the place out, oh instant dislike, isn't it lovely!
Nuri held back her laughter, the boy behind her was quite fun indeed. She already was spinning the idea in her head, the so-called queen had him wrapped around her paw. Of course, knowing a Firekin queen, the lion must be brainwashed or the sort. It already was a plot in her mind, and she knew just what tatic would get her to take the advantage. She would meet this Kwana, and see just if all these tales were true. There was no need to prove herself to these firekins, she already had the plan all made up.
And so, walking towards where he was out of ear shot, she called over her shoulder in the same voice, at the top of the dune, knowing that once she was over, he would not be able to answer back unless he chased after her.
"Indeed, I shall go see this trusty Queen, following the trail you left, oh great knight..." Walking past the dune, she knew he couldn't see her mocking smirk, so she left it with her voice, and her cold laughter that followed.
He laughed as he had not came from Kwana but her sister Kijinga and any trail he would have left towards Kwana would be long gone by now. "Idiot!" He laughed before laying back happily on the ground. He yawned as he laid his head back onto his paws, he couldn't wait to hear the reaction of the stupid femme when she saw Kijinga instead of Kwana, oh the humour! He just chuckled, before realising that crazy female may try and attack the princess, well that wasn't allowed, especially Kijinga! He stood up a snarl in his throat. He would go a different way to her, it was faster.
Stretching as she reached the bottom of the hill, Nuri suddenly took a moment to sit, her tail sliding back and forth in the sands as she took a glance up to the bright ball in the sky. She always remebered the stories of the gods that her parents told, even the ones the elders spoke of when she was a part of the pride as a young cub.
"Have I really been gone long enough for the whole pride to change?" She asked towards the sky thoughtfully, her eyes trailing back downwards as she pushed up once more. Though she was thirsty, she was not about to turn back, she could survive a few more days if need be.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:34 am
// By Finar-si // [An RP with Dustfeather and Sirius Dogstar] It had been days since her last encounter with that lion, and already Nuri felt her paitence waring thin. It was one thing for her to be disrespected so by the unpure firekin, but it was another thing all together when no one chased after her. She always remembered firekins to be strong, prideful, and overall protective of their lands, and for them to just sit and let her wander. It had all but blown her mind away.
And yet, as she continued her search, she did not turn her back on the pride just yet. She still had a strong feeling that they were led by the great leaders she remembered as a cub, and knew deep down that they still had to be there. So she continued her search, her treck through the hills and dunes of the desert as the sun rose and fell each day. She ignored the burning on her deep, blood red pelt and the attraction of her even darker markings. Showing no weakness, her form never fell, her features never gave way. For she knew, there was always the chance that another would be over the next dune.
She's seen nothing of her siblings these last moons: it's as if they've dropped off the face of the earth. Which was ridiculous...if they had, she'd know.
Perhaps she can alter her plans after all, with none the wiser. Well, until they figured it out, of course (which they were bound to do eventually: most of them were, after all, quite keen), but until then....Why am I thinking like this? a little persistant whine, remnant of an old past, nags at her. This is not how a god thinks. It's how a mortal thinks.
The trouble is, she's not entirely sure who's side she's on anymore. And that makes doing anything problematic. And the problem with that is that not doing something is generally a problem in and of itself.
Her worried mind touches on something nearby: another mind. Startled, she recoils, before curiousity gets the better of her. Something's out there. Something familiar...or as familiar as it can be, under the circumstances.
The tiny cavern that she resides in couldn't, at the moment, hold a lioness, much less a small antelope. But space has never mattered much, to gods. A dim glow pulses through the darkness as the goddess flickers into a much firmer existance. Crimson fur twitches in the breeze, and two long wings fold back against her back. It's been awhile since she's made the change, and she's pleased to find that it wasn't an effort. On second thought, perhaps the wings were a bit overdoing it. She frowns at them thoughtfully.
A second later, a wingless, otherwise normal-looking Firekin lioness is trotting out into the sands, ears perked as she trots right towards the oncoming Nuri.
The cruel sun beat down on Kijito's light tan pelt. Why he was in the desert? he mearly felt like exploring, though that probably wasn't too wise. Peering about himself, he stared at the endless sand. Wondering if he had already passed this way. He had yet to see any of the feared lions that he had heard about. Climbing up a dune, he cocked his head slightly to one side as he spotted a red shape among the sand. Curiousity filling his eyes, he headed towards it.
As her paws moved up on the rough sands, she ignored the burning that shot up her leg, the desert heat getting to her at last as in the back her mind she knew she needed to find shelter fast. However, that thought was soon out of her mind as she made her way to the top of the dune, and her deep eyes caught sight of another, another female lioness that had soft red fur.
"One of the Blood?" She asked to herself, reverting back to the old words that her mother and father spoke softly about away from her siblings, "...maybe..." her voice was soft, icy and hidden as her eyes widened slightly before narrowing to a thoughtful gaze. She kept her emotions hidden from her features as her head fell slowly to a prowl, and she did not move from her spot. There would be no need for moving, for Nuri knew somehow that the other knew she was there. Sniffing lightly, she shifted her weight as her paws screamed at her, though she did not show it, and kept her stance strong, watching.
The heat doesn't appear to bother Finar-si unduly. She likes it out here in the midst of the sand and the sun, where daily living is a chore. It breeds a tough race of any being that is able to survive out here. It makes her pleased, still, of her pride. She wonders what to say to this newcomer as she nears.
'I am your Goddess' was not particularly appealing. For one thing, they never bothered to believe you unless you did something miraculous. She'd learned that one early on. Mortals were odd things. Give them even a little bit of a reason, and they'd become absolute monsters to their own kind without a twinge of conscience, but they became extremely suspicious when you pointed out an innocent little fact to them. Mortals.
She slows to a walk as she nears, dipping her head cordially. "May Finar-si be with you," She says with relish, to the other female, watching her with idle curiousity. Probably one of the pride. She hasn't kept up with them since Makadari's time. She vaguely recalls that Hestia's brood are probably in power now. That still infuriates her, even as the less godly part of her notes dryly that it shouldn't. Some habits are hard to break.
Oh, dear. Something else is coming this way. Something tan. This could be problematic.
His curiousity grew as another figure appeared. Hoping that his tan colored pelt would allow him to blend into the sand, Kijito continued to approach. He noted that their pelts where much like his brother Uumi's. Stopping not far from the two of them, he eyed them nervously.
Her eyes trailed across the other's pelt darkly, though she merely was judging the other like she always did, trying to figure out just who she was and if she was a threat. Of course, she did it with all of her senses, and her eyes were just the first to scan before moving back to stare into dark lavender eyes. When the goddess finally made way to stop, Nuri was quite caught in the strange colored eyes, one she did not expect from anyone, and it took more than a moment to pull her own away, engrossed in the coloring as if she was caught by magic.
If only she knew who Finar-si really was, and that the goddess she had been taught to praise was currently standing right in front of her, than she might have just understood her sudden intrest in the other female.
Her musings were suddenly broken by the head bow and the greeting, and for the first time in her life she was fully caught into a lapse of silence, though she broke out of it well. Bowing her head in return, it was not quite as far down as her eyes still gazed on the other, showing distrust and uncomfort for a split second.
"You know of our goddess..." She stated evenly, and her ears perked to swivel to where Kijito was currently placed, her head soon following slowly to keep the other in her line of sight still.
"Yes, I know her." The double meaning causes the smallest of smiles to curve on her lips. "My name is Karama," She says slowly, atuning her own self to the name, then breaks gazes with the other to look about the landscape, as if drinking it in.
"I've not been home a long time," She says softly, darkness throwing a thin veil over her voice. Her last time, in which she was a slave of the very creatures she'd created, had not been pleasant. The memory suddenly reminds her of why she's here. This isn't a game. The goddess part of her screams in quiet outrage at the betraying thought. "A long time."
"I assume you're part of the current Blood-pride...?" She questions, lifting an eyebrow at Nuri, as if expecting her to fill in the name.
Uncertain how to act towards Kijito (she knows how any true-blooded Firekin would act, of course), she ignores him for the moment. If Nuri draws attention to the cub, she'll act, but until then, perhaps he'll just...miraculously disappear. Or something.
Kijito watched them for a mometn longer before gathering up his courage and moving to stand next to them. Dispite not being able to speak, he tried to say hello though it only came out as a soft growl. His eyes where open and friendly looking.
All but raising a brow, or a facial action alone, at the words the other had said, Nuri acknowlaged the name and nodded softly, noting lightly that the other seemed slow to put it out, and decided it would be best to give out her own in return, less she wanted to cause an issue before she could figure this Karama out.
When the other finally turned, Nuri turned as well back to where her eyes had strayed, and the single twich of her ear was the sign she heard the other speak of her absence.
"Blood-pride?" She turned her head as her voice cooly repeted the question, letting it roll over her tongue, "...the pride does not accept rogues...even with their...blood..." She hissed out that word, her soft voice mocking as the first strong emotion shone through. Letting it fill the air a moment, she moved on quickly.
"And my name is Nuri..." She did not say anything outside of that, no 'nice meeting yous' or anything of that sort, only just silently gazed back towards the sands until her eyes caught sight of a cub-like lion, one that was no Firekin.
"What in the...!" She hissed as he moved closer, gazing emotionlessly down towards him and blinking as he growled.
Well, some things never change.
"Rest easy, sister," She remarks, a trifle wearily. "I didn't mean to insult our noble heritage. I merely meant if you were part of the pride, and not an outsider. Rogues have wandered these lands before, although never for long." No, they'd find themselves dead or enslaved. Although this didn't seem to be the case recently. The pride's grip on this land seems to be weakening. Perhaps the new King or Queen is weak, or maybe they just need to find that grip. You can't give someone a life and then expect them to behave contrary to it, she thinks, a little sadly. They are what she made them. Trouble is, she's not sure if they really believe in her anymore, or just in themselves. The system needs to be broken...somehow. Her ears flatten a trifle.
Well, so much for hoping Nuri was the unobservant sort, Finar-si thinks glumly. She turns a stern eye to the tan-colored male cub. "Looks like a rogue." Her voice is slightly hollow. Opportunities shouldn't be wasted, however. "You know the penalty for trespassing on these lands, cub?"
Kijito blinked a look of puzzlement crossing his features. Trespassing? he didn't even know that someone owned the land. His father had never said that to them. Shaking his head slightly, he took a step back nervously.
Nuri took one quick glance over the elder cub before turning her eyes away in a dismissive manor. She was not a part of the pride, and thus found no reason to punish the pridelander, besides she was more intrested suddenly in how this female was acting instead, and slowly narrowed her eyes.
"Rumor has it..." She spoke slowly, trying to catch Finar-si's attention, "That the pride has shrunk from the recent pride...many families parished or left the pride from a vast plague that spread through the lands, my family being one of them...and few have come back..." She trailed off, wondering if 'Karama' would take the bait and question more on the pride. Sighing soon after though, she turned back to Kijito as he stepped back.
"Be thankful you only ran into us." She hissed lowly to him, leaving the rest for his mind to wander around in.
'Karama,' as we must probably now call her, quickly darts a glare at Nuri, but it's a glare with no real venom behind it. That's interesting. Maybe I'm missing something.... That wasn't the type of reaction she was planning on. Perhaps the system is crumbling...or perhaps the loyalties of the pride have been stretched thin. Still...That's very interesting.
"He's probably not worth it anyway," She growls. "Too skimpy to be a good slave, and the desert out here is just as capable of killing as we are." Probably more so. Too bad gods can't pray to anyone. She could always ask another god to lead the cub out nicely, but that comes with all sorts of problems on it's own. She looks hard at the light-pelted child. Probably from a southern pride. "You'd best run home to mummy, boy. And tell her to keep her brood away from Firekin territory: next time, your bones will be littering the landscape within a day or two." It's a warning coated in a very real threat.
But her gaze flicks back towards the red lioness, almost automatically. The news sorts itself into the female's mind. Plague...she shivers inwardly. There's a god she's never been fond of. Death she can handle, but there was just something off-putting about Plague. "Indeed," She murmurs, taking the hint. "Who, then, remains loyal?"
Kijito took another step back before turning and running back the way he had come. He didn't like the two lioness and had decided he best be going.
Returning the glare with a cold stare of her own, Nuri found herself being drawn in once more before Karama turned away, and she took a deep breath soon after. Turning to gaze at the pridelander, she watched with idle facination as he turned and ran, the words of the other filling the air to drift around before stilling in silence once more. She just let it beat down upon her just like the sun in a relaxing manor before she moved to sit, a yawn streching her maw.
"Who remains loyal?" She repeated once more, opening an eye for a second before turning both eyes, "Apparently two families have built...a new queen has taken the thrown...and even firekins who left to escape the plague are not welcome, no matter what reasons they traveled upon..." Her smirk grew lightly as she remembered the meeting with Teleka, and she echoed his words, "The royals despise rogues...rogues just like me..." She didn't seem to effected by it, but she still said it as she glanced towards the other, "And since you have been gone quite a long time...they will despise you too..." her voice staied even as she awaited a responce.
A queen...interesting. There's not been a ruling Queen in a long while, especially as the main monarch. This ought to make life interesting. They're worse than the males. They tend to think a lot more, and thinking, especially in a religious individual, is dangerous.
"That's stupidity," She says, shortly. "Even if we have been rogues, we're still pure-blooded. You've said the pride is low in numbers: what'll they do in a generation? There won't be another generation." Besides, if they're Hestia's brood, the lioness thinks darkly, They're more rogues than I or you my friend. "No matter if they despise us, Nuri, they'll need us. It's something I'll be sure to point out at our meeting," she finishes. They sound like puffed-up little royals...they're generally the harmless type, too filled with self-worth, but she needs something to work with, not dim-witted near-sighted fools! Perhaps it's time for a prophet in the pride; she eyes Nuri with a glint of curiousity.
Blinking, she just starred as the other spoke, surprised at the words as a slow smirk came across her face. Right than and there, she knew that the other was just as cautious as she was, and only followed others when they proved themselves. The world seemed a lot simpler now as she continued to listen to the somewhat of a pep talk her goddess-in-disguise gave her.
"Yes...they will need us...it is rumored even moreso that they will inbreed soon...but even than...the families have left as well..." She did not know how much more she could explain, for she only met one other, but it made sense so far. Nodding lightly, she stood once more, before taking a soft breath.
"You know...They say that there is power in numbers..."
"Yes, there is," she replies vaguely. Unfortunately, numbers could also be hard to control. But if there weren't that many of her blood left...they were going to need all the help they could get. "We might as well stop hanging around the outskirts, then, and head into the territory like we mean it." A genuine grin (and a rather wolfish one) spreads across her muzzle. "After all, these are our lands. We shouldn't have to walk into them like two hyenas snuffling on the edge of a kill, sister. Let's go and meet these royals and find out for ourselves if these rumors are true."
Nuri continued to just stare at the other, her dark eyes trimming through the red fur a moment long before the words settled in.
"Alright...it is time anyways." She stated simply, for now it was time for her to do her work. Once more she was following another, going in as a shadow until the advantage arose, her claws extended to strike for the kill. Of course she did not mean to hunt this light red female, for somehow this character had reminded her of herself, catching her respect. Oh no, she meant for her to succeed, no one would know her intentions, not even herself, until they suddenly became clear. For her to observe behind another was easier than it being played out for her to hear.
"We shall travel to the heart...where they say the queen herself slumbers..." Small smirk growing, she decided it was time to see just how far Teleka got on his warnings, she wanted a crowd this time around.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 7:18 am
// Another Firekin // [An RP with Baneful] The sun slowly started to set as Nuri glanced up into the sky, her paws brushing roughly across dried grasses and dirt while her tail lifted away from the darker sands. She was unsure as to where she had wandered to, just hunting a herd that had been near her boarders in search for foods, and now after finding a satisfying meal she was left to wander the new lands. Being able to truthfully say that she had never set a paw outside of the lands of the Blood, it was something new to find the somewhat cooler grasses to the south.
In her mind, everything in the world was sand, perfected by the gods and Finar so Firekins could rule over all others. Sadly, her ideals were shattered as she moved onward. The lands peaked her intrest greatly, how they changed from Sand to Grass, and now seemingly back again to the dark sands of the Graveyards.
"...Intresting..." She whispered to herself, her nose rising to take in the scents of decaying flesh as well as what seemed to be more lions. Though she thought no other Firekins might live there, she still made way towards a large skull, her hind legs pushing up so she could gracefully land on the top. Sitting down a moment later, her dark eyes narrowed as the grays of the setting sun darkened her coat. She looked like a mere shadow on the pearl white skull as she searched for anything that could be moving in the seemingly dead lands around her.
The only movement on this side of the graveyard today was Chomo, who after a long and arduous hunt, was now carefully slicing a carcass he had carried into the lands into chunks of useful and nutritious meat that he could carry to the den without leaving a mess. He was efficient at his work, but also preoccupied with what he was doing.
It was the scent of the blood and flesh that masked Nuri's scent from Chomo and he remained totally oblivious to the lioness not so very far away.
Finally happy that he had removed enough of the meat, stacked up nearby, he himself tucked into the less favourable parts of the antelope, unwilling to waste anything if he could avoid it.
It only took a matter of minutes for Nuri to catch the scent of blood in the seemingly windless lands, her eyes turning to sharply land on the form of another lion. Taking in all at once his large form, dark coat and mane, she figured he was a fully grown lion, one that had he noticed her, might have easily attacked her.
Quickly taking advantage of having his back literally turned from her, she jumped soundlessly to the dirts and prowled closer, the scent growing in her senses as the meal she had before seemed to slip from her knowlage. Pausing many times as if she thought he would turn, her eyes narrowed once more and her head lowered, like the self-taught huntress she was. She never scavenged before, but when one was hungry, they oftin would do anything.
Chomo continued to eat from the carcass until he felt ill and could eat no more. There was still enough meat left for a decent meal, he just couldn't carry it. Despite this his eye was constantly on his little "doggy bag" he had made up for Ausha's dinner. However, as he licked his chops, he noticed something and froze as he was taken by a sudden feeling that he was being watched. However, he didn't look around right away, just stopped dead.
"Is someone there?" he asked, his voice a low growl, half expecting to hear Ausha or worse, a hyena, make a snappy retort.
Pausing a few yards away, Nuri noted that the other lion had stiffened, and she soon raised her head as well as her cheek in case he would turn. Of course, she would not show any weakness to what was considered a 'lesser' of the firekins, but none the less she had to still hold her ground. If he turned and attacked, she had to be ready to counter.
Ears swivling soon after, he spoke out into the silence, the growl causing a smirk to rush across her features, though it disappeared just a quickly as it spread.
"I take it if I said yes...you would probably turn and attack me..." Her voice was soft, cold and guarded as she continued to step closer with an eligent stride, keeping a few feet away though close enough that both could reach eachother in a single pounce.
"...So how about you pretend I am not here...and we both will walk away alive..." Flashing a fang when their gazes became level, she turned her glance to study the food, but soon let it train onto Chomo once more.
The voice that finally met Chomo's ears was neither Ausha nor a hyena, it was decidedly more feminine and chilly than what he was used to. He all but bristled as he slowly strove to look behind himself while maintaining tenseness in every one of his muscles "I would only attack you if you were thinking of touching that hard earned meat." Chomo was not often hostile, but this tense atmosphere, with another lion, adult and a stranger to him within pouncing distance, unnerved him. Warrior instincts passed down from his mother and father prompted him to speed his turn to face Nuri without warning.
He didn't attack, but he made it clear with another low growl that he was not messing about. He had almost killed himself out there to bring back this antelope and the mental image of Ausha, even thinner than he already was, made him feel like he had failed. He was a firekin (as Ausha tended to remind him) and should always be the best at what he did.
He took in the lioness' appearance as he stood there, feeling an odd surprise at the similarity of her colouration to his own, nevertheless, it changed nothing of their deadlock.
"How about you ask before theiving like a hyena? I'm not that stingy normally, normally being when a strange lioness isn't threatening to start a fight."
Had she not grown up on her own, in the dark atmosphere of being on the brink of death for all of her life, she might have turned away with a cringe, but sadly, she did not back down. Instead, she mearly let out a soft laugh, one that was cold and contained, and shook her head as she fully faced him and disreguarded the meat.
"Me?" She said as if the idea of her stealing the meat was the most absurd idea in all of the lands, "Tell me now, why would I steal your meat, when I could easily collect some of my own? Besides, I am not as ignorat as many put me out to be..." She of course was referring to the fact that she could clearly see that the meat was for someone else. Had the lion been on his own, he would not have saved it like that, instead he would have eaten it all.
Turning her head away once more, she glanced across the lands, taking a moment to realize that nothing was like the sands she had grown up in. Sure it may seem as dead, but the dark soft dirt beneith her paws was not the heated sands of her own land.
"Maybe you can help me out..." She said softly, not looking at him and not giving him any sort of a choice with her tone. Right away, she pushed on her sentence, "...What place might this be?" She turned to stare at him with her eyes, the deep blood red pools dark and endless.
Had she not grown up on her own, in the dark atmosphere of being on the brink of death for all of her life, she might have turned away with a cringe, but sadly, she did not back down. Instead, she mearly let out a soft laugh, one that was cold and contained, and shook her head as she fully faced him and disreguarded the meat.
"Me?" She said as if the idea of her stealing the meat was the most absurd idea in all of the lands, "Tell me now, why would I steal your meat, when I could easily collect some of my own? Besides, I am not as ignorat as many put me out to be..." She of course was referring to the fact that she could clearly see that the meat was for someone else. Had the lion been on his own, he would not have saved it like that, instead he would have eaten it all.
Turning her head away once more, she glanced across the lands, taking a moment to realize that nothing was like the sands she had grown up in. Sure it may seem as dead, but the dark soft dirt beneith her paws was not the heated sands of her own land.
"Maybe you can help me out..." She said softly, not looking at him and not giving him any sort of a choice with her tone. Right away, she pushed on her sentence, "...What place might this be?" She turned to stare at him with her eyes, the deep blood red pools dark and endless.
Chomo wasn't out to start a fight, he wasn't argumentative, so he did not rise to the female's comment. Of course, one had to wonder why else she was creeping up on him. Still, he said nothing of that, merely sat himself down. "I didn't say you were ignorant, an ignorant lion couldn't have snuck up on me like that." Indeed, he was yet to meet any lion that could match the hunting and stalking skills of a Firekin, you had to be good when you hunted out in the open, coverless and obvious.
He followed the female's gaze to the lands and raised a brow slightly in puzzlement, she seemed distracted, was she looking for something?
He didn't even need to ask, the dark female asked her own questions it seemed. He was used to assertive lions and merely shrugged. "It's an elephant graveyard, near the pridelands, in other words, nowhere special." he met her bloody gaze unflinchingly with his own crimson one and added.
"Why? Are you looking for something?"
Holding his gaze as he spoke, she found herself suddenly pulling away as he asked the question, huffing lightly as she was haunted by thoes eyes. It took only a moment for her to realize something, and her eyes locked back upon him once more as she studied his features, going from his face to his mane and than down to glance at his coat.
"I am not looking for something..." She said softly, distracted as she glanced to her paw and back again, before looking back to him, "That is an intresting sade you have there...are you origionally from...'nowhere special'?" She awaited silently for his answer, her mind quickly going into the thought process as she tried to search his gaze for the answer before he said it, if he did. For some reason, she had an idea that he probably wouldn't answer the way she wanted, but maybe, just maybe his eyes would.
"Fair enough." Chomo conceded once again, he wasn't intending to argue with this firey female. He was sure she sought something out here, but it wouldn't do to push her on the matter, that would probably just end in a verbal argument.
He cast his eyes over his dark red pelt as it was referred to. He was not ashamed of his roots. "I'm not originally from here, no. I'm a Firekin, of the blood, son of Moto and Kimwitu, hunters of the pride." He felt ashamed at having never been able to get back into the pride he had tried to, but he was more proud than words could say of his parents who had gone before.
"Why?"
She was slightly taken aback at his refusual to respond to her comments, blinking slightly to show her surprise but nothing else coming across her features. Slowly, this firekin was breaking down all she was built up, and at the moment it was really annoying her, frustrating her.
Mentally shaking thoes thoughts away without another mention, she let her ears perk as he spoke, a slight lift of her lips signifying a grin as he finished. Letting him question her motives, she just shook her head before casually sitting down, her body set in a proud stance even than as she tilted her head towards him.
"I figured as much...it is not oftin though that you find another Firekin outside of the lands...but than again these days there aren't many inside the lands either..." She thought and tossed the names through her mind though nothing came up, and she merely added one softly a moment later, "You could say that I am a Firekin as well...but they dont quite accept Rogues, no matter the fact there are less a dozen of them still settled..." Mind going back to the conversation she had with the other female weeks earlier, she let her words trail off into silence.
The red male was just glad that the previous tension seemed to be a little more defused, they could talk in a civil manner. He was equally glad to hear that the female was of Firekin lineage, he had thought the darker ones were all but gone. He grinned amiably and nodded "It's good to know that not all died, but were perhaps simply scattered."
However that grin faded as the subject of the current inhabitants of the land became the subject of conversation.
Chomo was still smarting from his previous rebutal in the Firekin lands, and any excuse to comment on this was a worthy one. "I am outside the sacred desret through two eventualities, one, the sudden reclaimation of the pridal lands by a band of lions who accept nothing less than an identification card as to one's lineage, wether or not it's in blantant and plain sight that the blood of Finar-si courses in our veins as much as theirs." he rolled his eyes "I have no time for such lions. Not to mention I have a duty to a friend here these days." he shook his head, letting the concealed anger fade "It just made me mad that they were nothing more than a gang yet they feared true bloods returning."
He waved a paw vaguely "May Finar-si herself have mercy on their foolishness."
As he spoke she simply starred at him, her mind ticking away once more with each breathless second that passed by. With the first strike, she was reminded of the twin who had gotten in so easily even though he spoke so harshly of rogues. Of course, she knew he was one himself, yet he avoided the face and in turn acted as if he were the king himself. Nodding she turned her head to look to the skied as he spoke, wondering if their great goddess was still watching over them even though they had wandered away from the homelands.
"What is say is quite true...rogues pose as royality and in turn disreguard thoes who they were just like all but days before..." She turned her eyes back to him before letting out a whispy sigh.
"Only the goddess can correct what mistakes are taking place in the lands...maybe, once that does happen, our blood will return from their wanderings, and the pride will grow strong once more." Sure it was whistful thinking, but even thoes who have left the lands can see, the pride was weak.
Turning towards the food, she suddenly remembered that he spoke of a friend, and everything clicked once more, "I take it the rest of that meat is for your friend...though surly you cannot carry it all on your own..." She held the silence on as an offer, the connections of their past causing a small sort of trust to build in her mind, enough that she would easily help him if he needed it.
"My mother always told me the Firekin were a pride of the blood, no matter what happened, we would be brought together by the goddess and the heritage we share. It is agonising to see our already tried pride attempt to destory itself again only moments after the fledgelings return." he shook his head dismally.
"I pray to Finar-si each and every night for that eventuality." he gestured to the gourd he had carried with him "even going so far as to retreive plants from the sacred desert as an offering. It is in her paws if the pride will blaze anew." This admittance of his religious behaviour continuing in such a forsaken corner of the world was slightly embarassing but if anyone could understand, it would be a fellow firekin.
He also turned his attention to the food and nodded to Nuri "If you would be kind enough to lend a paw, I would be indebted to you." It was all too true that he'd be lucky to carry the meat and gourd back himself in his exhausted state. "I can lead the way."
She just stood up slowly, streaching a moment before smiling to him, a small, petit yet still true smile none-the-less. Though of course, it still had a dark edge to it.
"Your mother must have been quite wise...teaching so much...it is the knowlage of thoes who survived that will lead the rest, and sometimes I wonder how many truly remember the rituals of our past...of Finar-si..." She showed no signs of amusement at his admitance of his own rituals, in fact he impressed her more and more with the knowlage, for she had not met another who spoke with such religous ferver like he did.
Nodding once when he agreed to her offer, her smile fell to the same emotionless mask as she padded over to the pile, awaiting his first move and instructions as it was indeed his meat, and judging his size, she knew best not to anger him at all.
"My mother was wise indeed" Chomo agreed "She kept out of the other's way, did her job and upheld the traditions of the pride, she was a terrible loss." His tone took on a reflective echo and he added "And the day the Firekin forget Finar-si is the day the Firekin die."
All seriousness suddenly aside he swished his tail and turned back to the matter at hand. "Okay, could you take those pieces of flank please, and I'll get this here." He gestured to one or two seperate pieces of flesh. "Feel free to eat that one there, it's just an extra I'd have left for later or to bribe Ausha."
Then, picking up the meat he had designated himself (no more nor less than he had asked Nuri to carry, he didn't want to insult her by pandering to a gender, only fools did such) he led the way towards the den, over winding vertebrae, jumbled ribs and upwards through the rocky cliffs and mists. Finally he reached the place he called home, furnished with pelts and trinkets he and Ausha had ammassed over their time living in the graveyard. After checking around and noting a distinct lack of Ausha present, he headed to the coolest corner of the room and placed the food down on the stone floor, atop a fresh layer of leaves to stop it getting too dusty and rotting prematurely.
"Just toss it over there, and thanks again, a double journey in this place is near impossible, not with the hyena around snatching kills." what Chomo didn't know was that it was not a case of hyenas stealing kills, simply Erevu stealing kills, the rest of the hyena were actually pretty decent about the whole borders thing.
"This is my home away from home." he stated with a sweeping gesture at the room. "I'm afraid it's nothing more than a bachelor den, but it's cosier than sleeping out there amidst the bones."
As he spoke of his mother, she just silently let him go on, knowing full well that it was not the right time to interrupt. So falling into her normal rutine, she kept her silence and followed him towards the food, picking up the peices as he instructed to and glancing back to him with his offer.
"It is alright...I was able to get some food on the way here, more than what I usually am able to hunt..." She sent a soft smirk, "There is not too much meat in the desert..." As they walked on, she found herself studying the scenery sharply, not letting anything be missed in case she had to make a hasty exit back towards the boarders.
As soon as they got to his den, she moved with him to drop the food, turning back once they were finished and leaving the offered meat with the rest, not making any scene for him to take notice.
"Well...It is does look better than traveling around all the time..." She offered lightly, "But you said away from home...is it that you are thinking about returning to the lands soon?" Intrest laced her voice as she tilted her head in curiousity, though her emotionions still failed to fill her eyes.
"It suffices, I suppose."Chomo shrugged "You know something? I don't have a clue if I'll ever go back to the desert. My head is so messed up lately. You see, I have this friend." he gestured vaguely in the direction of Ausha's bed "He's totally dependent on me, can't hunt at all despite being old enough, bad shoulder. He's a rogue, no special blood, nothing, but I've looked after him since he was small and can't just leave him here." he sighed, he wasn't going to mention his dream of how the white lion would somehow play a large part in his life, perhaps this was the part he played. To go back to the Firekin lands would be madness wouldn't it? Not when they were so against other lions entering, he'd be cranked down to slave or something equally degrading.
"Maybe someday, if he finds someone else to tend to him, then I'd be able to go back, but not now. I think the reason why I think of this area as temporary is simply because part of me is restless, you know? I'm not that old really and I don't want to get old never having done anything with my life."
he chuckled
"But I don't need to worry about that at the moment, I'm still a sprightly young guy. Finar-si will see to it that I don't waste the time I have, wether or not I'm in her domain or not, the old pride blood link ties me there." A slight look of thoughtfulness came over him as he said "However, if you intend to go back yourself at any point, I could always show you the way from here." Ausha got along just fine on his own for a few days when Chomo was out, he would be fine to accompany Nuri if she wanted directions. "Only if you could be bothered with my company, that is. I've been told I'm irritating."
"Sometimes the goddess gives us different paths to follow, always the best paths for us to take. Though they might not always be the same as the rest of the Blood, they will always lead us correctly." She tried to speak out, though it came more as akaward than anything else, the lioness not used to talking to another let alone helping one feel slightly better. Shaking her head, she soon gaveup and turned to glance to the bed, "This friend of yours...he sounds like he was blessed by Finar-si herself...letting one of her children watch over him is such a great honor, no matter what pride he was originally from."
When he offered to acompany her, her eyes brightened for the first time in ages, though she was quite unaware as she turned to look around the den, "Please, it is always a privliage to spend time in the presence of another Firekin."
Letting out a light laugh at his last statement following the offer, she looked over her shoulder to smirk towards him, "I would say that you are more refreshing than anything else..." Leaving that in the air, she walked towards the other bed to get a light sniff, taking in the scent so if she ever did run across Chomo's friend, she would know not to attack him.
"Oh..." Turning back after a moment, she nodded to him, "I never did tell you my name...and for that I apoligize, such a disgrace in the eyes of Finar-si for my disrespect of another. I am Nuri, daughter of Adish and Fyeta." Letting a slight bow, she looked to him as she awaited for him to hopefully introduce himself in return.
Chomo grinned a little at Nuri, she didn't know it but her words were exactly what he had hoped to hear, not too long before he met Ausha he had dreamt of the firekin goddess as his mother had described her and in that dream she had told him to look out for a pale prophet, a lion that would define his future, he had doubted the dream lately though and had been wondering if he was betraying his pride by staying out here away from the desert. "I think you are right, thank you."
The dark lion stretched and yawned before replying with a grin " Nah, the pleasure is all mine, you are the first Firekin I've come across who is like the lions I remember, proud and dignified."
Chomo nodded "Pleasure to make your aquaintence Nuri, my name is Chomo, son of Moto and Kimwitu" he returned her bow and then sat back again "So, shall we wait till morning to depart or leave right away?"
She glanced over his grin, seeing it to be almost unguarded and unlike one she had ever encountered before. Being put off once more, she just turned back to face him and sat a moment, her eyes glancing away as she tried to think of a good answer to his question.
"Chomo..." She echoed softly, looking back to him with the same thoughtful gaze, "...no it is alright Chomo...I would rather like to meet this pale lion you speak of...meeting another that is not quite red would be as refreshing as talking to you has been." Standing, she moved back to him and continued on, " So, when shall he appear, or must we go out and...hunt for him?" Of course it seemed to be quite a dry joke, for she did not smile nor laugh after it, but merely looked to him for the next responce, not ready to travel after finding such a confertable place. Than again, she would never tell another she was enjoying the company after so long, so she went along with her story, that she only wanted to meet this light colored lion he spoke of.
Chomo had never really learned how to hide his emotions, at least not the positive ones, so he didn't hide his slight relief at not having to leave right away. "I warn you, Ausha isn't a very refreshing lion." he could barely supress a chuckle "If he calls you darling or boasts about himself, just ignore it, he's very headstrong."
Again, he didn't rise to what could, by some lions be perceived as a baited question, but replied simply. "Nah, I've done all the hunting that I'm going to involving him, if he wants his meal.." he got to his feet and headed over to a large bull elephant skull that made up part of the den's outer wall. "he can.." he struck it twice with his solid forepaws, resulting in a resonant boom "come and get it."
Then, he turned and headed back to the pelts on the floor and seated himself. "He'll be here soon."
"Darling?" She asked him, letting out a light sigh as she just let the whole idea flow over her shoulder, "Oh...kay..." Soon she grew even more entertained as he completly missed the meaning of her question, and spoke his own, her ears perking at the signal as well.
"Oh no...I didn't quite mean it like that..." She told him as he passed by, and just followed a bit before sitting a few yards away from his own pelts, "...Hunt...as in...search..." She tried to explain, the akwardness of speaking so long with another showing through, though soon enough she was trying once more. Her emotions were still hidden behind her mask, nothing showing through her features, though her soft voice seemed to lose an icy edge it once had.
"What is his name?"
Chomo nodded "Yeah, what I meant is I've already done enough actual hunting for him, I'm not going to do all that and then have to track him down like a gazelle. He'll hear the skull, it's amazing how well hunger sharpens his selective hearing."
He peered into the mists that curled at the den entrance for a moment before replying. "Kikausha, I call him Ausha though, that or "little arrogant git" , feel free to do the same if you choose."
Ausha had heard the boom from where he patrolled the boneyard. In all actuality he wasn't that far from the den, and the prospects of food for the first time in several days was motivation enough to change his course. Picking his way along the well-worn path to where he called home, Ausha became aware of an unfamiliar scent here and there, intermingled with the familiar scent of Chomo.
As such, he grew more cautious on approach to the den, slowing to a walk as he entered. Before even looking around he snapped "Chomo, you had better not be playing silly buggers, I can smell.." he finally noticed Nuri and flicked his ears back biglionbiglionbiglion "..someone else."
He was shaken from his train of thoughts "Uh...hi."
"Hey Ausha, meet Nuri"
Before she could answer she found a scent moving closer, and slowly she turned her head to look at the entrance of the den, the same place where Chomo was gazing as well. It took only a moment longer for the smaller lion to enter, his voice echoing as a pause came right as their eyes locked, and a smirk crossed her features while her eyes darkened back to their normal, icy shade.
Of course, she made no motion to stand as he seemed to stutter almost with his greeting, and she glanced over towards Chomo while he spoke soon after.
"Kikausha, I have heard a bit about you..." She said lightly, eyes glancing over his pale form in intrest as red was the only color she was accustomed to. Tearing her eyes away, she glanced back to Chomo.
"He was quite fast...good thing there is quite a bit of meat here."
Chomo kept his eye on Nuri as Ausha spoke to her, somewhat amused with how off his stride the pale lion was thrown by her precence. He almost made a joking comment but thought better of it, Ausha looked a little flustered already and he didn't want him throwing a tantrum/hissy fit. So he stayed quiet for that time being, watching the two.
Ausha blinked once, still surprised at the fact that a large lioness was sitting in the normally deserted den. However, he soon regained his composure. Chomo didn't look bothered, why should he, of the higher rank, look otherwise? Shaking his head slightly, he spoke "I have heard nothing of you." a slight warning narrowing of the eyes from Chomo, barely perceptible but which said in so little words to be nice "miss, though that's probably because you are new to these parts." he hated being polite, but something told him to tread carefully in this conversation if he didn't want a talking to from Chomo later.
He stalked over to the meat as Nuri turned to speak to Chomo and dug in, not waiting to see if he'd have to share. As an afterthought he gave Chomo a grateful "Thanks." before returning to his meal.
"S'noproblem." Chomo added with a wave of his paw to Ausha before he turned to Nuri "Oh Ausha is always fast when it's food that's to be had."
"You make me sound like a pig. I have a better figure than you."
Blinking once as he referred to not hearing of her, she almost responded when he finished the sentence, and merely smirked at just how correct he was. Of course, it was not the first time she was disreguarded for not being around the area, but he had shown her a sense of surprise that made her feel stronger and once again a Firekin. Maybe catching that look in others would be worth staying away from her lands for a few weeks.
Turning towards the other lion in the den, she took notice he was starring at the two, and right away called him on it.
"So he is fast...Are you watching us because you think he will attack me...? He may think he has a better figure than you but..." trailing off, she decided as an after thought that her best choice would be to end that thought, though every part of her screamed to finish the sentence just to see how the two would react.
Chomo shook his head "Nope, not really, I just can't be bothered with an argument on my paws because Ausha can't keep an air of politeness about him." he cast a glance over his shoulder as Ausha froze and bristled a little before going quietly back to eating. He'd have to thank him later for being so well behaved, all things considered.
However, for once, Chomo found the insinuated flattery coming his way and wasn't sure how to react. In fact, he probably would have blushed, were he not already red and covered with fur. "Ehehehe" was all he could muster as he cast a glance at Ausha.
He was just waiting for him to go nuts.
Ausha was actually controlling his emotions pretty well for a change, simply eating away. That was until Nuri mentioned his figure. His tail snapped into a frantic twitch as he turned around, his chilly blue eyes dangerous. "I find it hard to beleive you would know anything about appearances, darling." he glowered, in full angry-b***h mode "I mean...look at you."
Chomo just cringed and regretted bringing Ausha back.
Nodding back towards him, she followed his glance to see the white lion still a moment. There was something about him that caught her attention. Yet, before she could study him more, she found her pause getting thrown back in her face, and all in all, it seems like they took it entirly the wrong way.
"Darling?" She asked softly, her tone getting back to normal as she stood slowly to her full height. Walking step by step, her strides were even as she moved towards the hunt, "I was just saying, that considering you are so...lean...I am sure it would be easy to make sure you learn where you stand on the food chain..." Turning away, she glanced towards Chomo, her eyes lightening to show it was merely some sort of dark joke, though Ausha would not be as privlaged to see her eyes.
Ausha watched as Nuri drew towards him, standing to his own, small for his age height. His gaze was venom as she spoke to him, his tail lashing behind his hind legs. He took her joke as pure seriousness, moreover a threat, and curled his lip in disgust before replying. "Better lions than you have tried and failed dearie. Hyenas too if I recall. You want to try and show me where I stand, bring it on, I'll take everything your petty claws can throw at me and It will change nothing. I am one of the leaders of this pride and while you are in this land, you WILL show me a degree of respect." He cast his chilly gaze to Chomo and back again before adding "As for how lean I am, it's called slimness, DARLING." he practically spat the last word "You would do well to look into it further."
And with that, he made to make a dramatic exit, stalking out into the mists as though he had been terribly, mortally offended.
Chomo watched the outburst with varying degrees of cringe and wish-I-wasn't-here-right-now. He watched as Ausha stormed out of the den, his eyes on the mist as it swirled in his passing, then, there was quiet, at least for a moment, before he shook his head and added "I apologise for him, but I warned you, drama queen to the bone he is." he sighed "he doesn't get along with others."
Though he didn't agree with Ausha's veiw of Nuri (he thought her perfectly proportioned) he said nothing of that sort, lest he make a fool of himself.
Nuri just blinked and watched the small lion leave, snorting to herself at his words though mildly entertained with his reaction. Sure he didn't seem to think much of her, but that was who she was. She tried it with Chomo, and failed, but getting that reaction out of the small lion caused her to gain all confidence and smugness back once again.
"No need to worry, I can tell he is perfect company for a firekin..." She told Chomo softly, still looking out, "I will admit, I had my doubts when you said you were watching over a pale colored lion, but he is well on his way to gaining my respect, surprisingly, and that is saying a lot...but even with his limp, he has a spirit only thoes of the Blood can match...pity he isnt one..." She contemplated that idea for a moment, before shruging it off and looking towards the pile of meat.
"Well at least he ate." Silenced after that comment, she sat back down again and watched Chomo with her emotionless gaze, awaiting for him to direct her as to what she should do next, considering she had no idea herself on what was around this strange world of his.
Chomo was glad to hear that the female approved of Ausha despite his harsh words. "I'm glad to hear that, he certainly is fiesty when he wants to be, still, he's company out here and not as much of an idiot as some of the rogues I've heard wander out in the wastes. Come ot think of it, I've never been sure of what blood he is decended" and in Chomo's mind, this was odd, after all, the Firekin knew their heritage and bloodlines, why wouldn't all lions know the same?
Chomo followed her dark gaze to what was left of the meat "Not that much, he normally eats the lot, must be "watching his figure" again, Finar-si knows why" he shrugged his shoulders.
"Anyway, if we wish to leave early and catch the early morning cool over the great desert, we had probably get some sleep soon." He glanced around the den "I doubt Ausha will be back until later, if he chooses to come out of his huff that soon. Either way, you are welcome to sleep over there." He gestured towards a fresh pile of pelts "Those have not yet been slept on and are fresh. Or, should you wish it, you can take a few outdoors, the ledge outside has a wonderful veiw of the graveyard. It's not that I don't enjoy your company, far from it, but I know some lionesses would rather not crash in a meagre bachelor pad."
He lay down on his own bed of pelts, tatty but his own, and, watching whatever option his fellow Firekin chose, stated "Good night, Finar-si watch over your dreams."
As the night moved on to the morning, Nuri found herself musing over the events of the night before. Choosing to slumber ouside once her restlessness started, she made sure to leave when Chomo had falled completly asleep, taking his word and seeing that indeed, he was right about the view. Even though it was still dark out, the moon illuminated all of the bones against the dark sands, giving off a glow that she never would have seen back home.
Soon after falling asleep, she awoke as the sun was just about to rise, the stars fading as her eyes ajusted. Right away, she moved to stand and pick up the few pelts into her maw, carring them back into the den and replacing them in the pile. Lifting her head, she silently studied where Chomo was for a second before padding out into the growing light once more, the mists curling around her form as the silence incased her mind.
The main question was however, did she want to travel back home, where they would probably enslave her because she did not survive and live her life there. That stupid lion seemed smitten enough to do the honors, and just that thought alone made her growl lowly and bristle her fur. Shaking her head, she moved to the edge, debating the idea of going for a hunt.
Chomo watched quietly as Nuri had left, himself half asleep at the time, then he felt his mind grow fuzzy and he slipped off into the world of dreams.
For Chomo, dreams were never a predictable thing, and that night he found himself running across an endless desert, a firey moon overhead, sand beneath his paws. He was chasing his parents, their backs to him, charging must faster than he could. As he ran his paws slid on the unfamiliar terrain and the two drew further and futher away. Finally he couldn't see either of them anymore and he slumped to the sand, hopeless.
Then, apparently out of nowhere he saw a raven circle down from the night sky, it's wings reflecting a distant flame, it's eyes a chilly blue. It led him on through the desert until the Firekin lands lay before him, he felt his heart soar as, on the other side stood his parents and Ausha waiting. He ran towards them only to be yanked into darkness by fangs on his neck.
Snapping his eyes open in the cave, he let out a gasp, confused for the few moments it took for the dream to fade. He had no clue what time it was or how long he had been asleep, but he sat up anyway, attempting to tame his sleep-bedraggled mane into some semblance of behaving before he stepped out into the early morning. He moved carefully though, so's not to wake Nuri were she asleep. He was looking forward to the trip, he could retreive more herbs from the desert's edge. However, he would have to watch how far within the Firekin borders he went, they were very fussy these days about visitors, of the blood or not.
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Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 1:03 pm
// Another Firekin // [An RP with Baneful] Turning her head sharply, her dark eyes landed on Chomo as he stepped out, narrowing a moment before her shoulders relaxed. Turning fully now, she let out a soft greeting, her voice soft and an icy purr as the sleep still wore at her form.
"Chomo, I take it you would like to leave?" It was a light question, though she of course still was debating the whole idea. Not feeling the need to voice her concerns, she padded quickly to his side before looking out to the graveyard, the sun finally hitting the far bones as the view went for miles on the hill-less lands.
Her mind shifted to the task at hand, and she hoped he would know the way, and maybe a few hunting spots as well while they were at it. Lightly ruffling her fur, she kept her eyes locked and ears perked, for she was unsure if he would even answer, and if than would he answer enough for her to get the whole idea. Turning back suddenly, she just blinked at him, not quite looking impatent but not quite getting the whole look of intrest.
"That's a question I should be asking you." he replied in a smooth voice, after all, he lived here, he had just assumed the female wanted to go back to the desert. "I just thought that was were you were headed." he shrugged "I'm in no hurry myself, I've got all the time in the world here, if you want to hang around, feel free."
He sat down and looked the female in the eyes, she was hard to read and he didn't even try to begin. He simply flicked his tail. "Are you going to go back to them? The crumbled pride?" he didn't really want to know the answer, but he asked anyway. On one hand the answer to his question could match his own thoughts, on the other it could remind him what he really was, a deserter, leaving his pride in it's time of dire need.
She sat there for a long moment, silence building around like a thick veil as the graveyard gave no other noises. Soon though, she merely took in a light sniff and glanced away from his eyes, thinking of his question.
"Now that you mention it...I am quite unsure..." The answer was slow, well thought out as she looked away from his own gaze as her eyes became lidded, "I am quite enjoying myself..." Fully trailing off at that, she brushed passed him as she padded down towards the dark dirt, running a paw through the sand-like grounds as she thought for a moment.
"The Blood has expressed that it is not the...time for the return...so while they are contemplating, I thought I would explore the other creations of our honorable mother. Already, I have learned that Finar-si created much more than our desert, and though it is not quite home..." silenced now, she lost her words, and realized she was showing a sudden weakness, so with a shake of her head, she quickly added, "Ignore my musings, nothing good will come from them..."
Chomo nodded, glad beyond words that another lion felt the wonder of the lands outside the desert "That's exactly the way I felt when I strayed outwith the pridal lands, there was so much of the lore unwritten, so many lands that had never even heard of Finar-si. I stayed here because I always felt I could do more in this place than I ever could as some peon serving a lion that claims to be of the royal bloodline."
He turned to watch her pass as she walked past him, her red pelt still an unfamiliar splash of colour to him who had never really seen his own pelt through outside eyes.
"Finar-si's work is great, and I hope one day to be able to speak of all of it, not just the great desert." he gave her a grin and added "Bah, musings can often prove the sparks that ignite the fires of change, you shouldn't stifle them.."
Turning to look at him when he spoke of the goddess' work as well, she just took a deep breath, "You always have to wonder...why was this all hidden from us? Only Finar-si knows what our elders are thinking...for some reason, I dont think she wanted this to be hidden...or else..." She trailed off, looking to the side and letting off another sigh as she took it all in, something she was doing a lot of when she finally left the desert.
Living in the sands her whole life, she almost felt like a newborn cub from the expirences and such. Taking each thing in, the sunrise, the grasses, the abudence of water and the new animals, it all was secretly thrilling - though as always no one knew that but her.
"...or else...she never would have made it so breath taking..." Turning back to step back towards him, she caught his grin, blinking at it in surprise. Still feeling surprise with the gesture, her tail sung as nodded to his words.
"My parents never encouraged musings...they believed that musings lead to weakness and challenge to authority..."
"Maybe she hid it to teach us of her wisdom before we experienced it, perhaps we would not appreciate it's importance were we born within it. Perhaps there never was speak of the desert being our only home." he paused "Sometimes mortal lips speak the words of the gods untrue. That was something my mother taught me, guess it means don't believe everything you hear. I think that everything that happens is destiny and no matter what the elders say, it is part of a greater design that I ended up out here and who am I to fight it?"
Chomo too had lived at his oasis for most of his life, his crossing over into the lands beyond had been a wonderful and enlightening rebirth for him. He had brought with him a distinct lack of cunning, something which carried over to now, he hid none of his enthusiasm for the ideas he had come up with, being not very good at concealment.
He nodded "That's why I stayed here, I let Finar-si decide my pawprints." another faint grin "My mother might have been wrong, but she always was a bit of a rebel."
Nuri listened lightly as he continued to let it all out, and she felt herself loosen in his company, it becoming easier for her slowly.
"How about..." She spoke softly after the conversations, "...we talk more about this on a hunt..." Her voice grew softer still, a bit of small sarcasim filtering through at the next words, "I am sure Ausha is waiting for some food...and I am always willing for a hunt." Nodding for him to follow, she turned and continued to the dirt, waiting for him to take the lead as her eyes trailed across the skulls nearby.
"What happened here anyways...it is almost as silent as our home..." her eyes moved yet her face still faced the other way, tail swinging as her form was calm.
Chomo liked the sound of a hunt, he felt most content when he was excercising his skills of stealth and speed, using all the cunning that had been passed down to him from his parents, hunters till their untimely deaths. "Sounds good to me, hunting is one of life's little joys." he passed over the comment about Ausha without mentioning it, he wouldn't be hungry for a while by Chomo's estimates, not with the meat that was still left over.
He followed he silently, passing by into the lead, following the path out to the open grasslands so effortlessly that his feet themselves might have been doing the thinking.
"What happened here? Nothing really, very little happens in these desolate lands other than the odd elephant coming to pass it's final moments amidst the memories of it's fellows. Sometimes I feel something larger happened here a long time ago, you often see hints that something big went down, hyena bones, old pawprints still in the dust, like echoes." he shook his head "But it's all probably my over-active imagination running wild in here."
Soon the grasslands came into veiw and it was like someone was slowly pouring colour into a world of black and white.
Keeping close, only a few steps behind, she took glanced around as they passed skull after skull, ribcage after ribcage. Most of the time, they could have easily slipped through the bar-like bones that looked like sprouting flowers in the dirt, and yet they avoided them as if they were mere mirages like the ones she saw in the desert.
"And no matter what, as long as you get a kill, you are quite set..." She said that softly to herself, under her breath almost as a noise came from under her forepaw. Lifting it up a moment later, she blinked and looked hard at the grass, still not used to such green life as Chomo seemed to talk ahead unfaltered. Pushing back to keep his pace, he finally answered her question and she just had to move to his side to speak out to him this time.
"Maybe it was the sickness." Keeping it at that, she turned her eyes onto the grasslands, and just changed the subject, "We need these closer to home..."
Chomo walked on through the skeletons of elephants gone by disconcerned, he had seen it all before too many times to pay much heed now. He still felt their echoes late at night, but in the daytime, they were mirages to him.
Chomo noticed that the precence behind him had faded somewhat and he slowed his pace, waiting for Nuri to catch up. The mists lost their iron grip on the air, fading to mere ghostly tendrils that caressed his blood-hued pelt and dark mane, trying to win a battle with the clear grassland air.
Her mention of the sickness caused the breifest flicker of sombreness to flit across his features. It had claimed everything dear from him. Were it not for the invisible plague, he would probably have grown up secure within the desert borders, blissfully ignorant, a proud hunter. But in some ways he was grateful, it had shown him a world beyond his imagining, and brought him to this point in time.
The grasslands made Chomo grin wickedly though, he broke his thoughtful silence. "Know what's the best thing about these lands? They aren't mine to hunt on. They belong to the pridelanders officially, but I always tell myself out here, it's the Firekin who are the chosen ones of Finar-si, we make a living anywhere, and we do not have to ask permission." It was true, despite everthing, Chomo still carried with him the superiority complex that he had been born to, he just never flaunted it unless he had to.
"And that..." She poked in, "Is why no one should even argue when they see a Firekin, and yet you dont hear many speak of firekins appearing in these parts...not many leave the sands as well..." Her eyes watched him for his grin, the grass causing them to stand out unlike most lions who would hunt in these parts. Feeling her head lower, she perked her dark ears and let her paws move with the breeze, the rustling covering her movements against the new elements as she quickly ajusted.
"Now...maybe we should get this hunt going...I am sure we are seen miles away with these pelts on this...grass is it...I dont even reconize it much anymore because of the rarity of oasis'." She lifted her head a moment before narrowing her eyes and glancing with a challenge back at Chomo.
"Now...you call yourself a hunter...lets see you hunt..." trailing off with light, airy laughter, she awaited for his reaction.
Chomo nodded, already guaging the lay of the land and the direction of the wind as though it were second nature. The Firekin pelt was a curse and a blessing, a curse for it's camoflage potential, a blessing for it's nobility. "Indeed, we don't want to scare everything away, and yep, it's grass, you learn to love it."
Grinning wickedly in response to her challenge he flicked his tail "I'd be a disgrace to my parents memory if I could not." It was much easier to hunt in the cover of the long grass than the open desert, and Chomo's body was fine tuned to hunt, it was his only true talent.
Without a word he slunk down close to the grass, switching from an ambling mass of muscle to a sleek predatory feline, intent on the horizon. It was a change made more shocking in Chomo, normally sort of amiable, bordering on dense. In a twitch, he slunk off, keeping to indents in the earth to keep his colour concealed.
Firekin instincts simply told him that Nuri would be perfectly capable of following that lead into her own strategy, after all, females were the better hunters by genetics.
However, Nuri decided not to quite take her own lead, instead she wished to see him in action. For the last few hours, she wondered how effected Chomo was from being out away from their home. It sent her into deep processing, wondering just what might come if she were to stay away from the sun and the sands.
And so, as she lowered her head and shoulders to settle into her customary, as well as self taught, pose of hunting. Making not a sound as to keep with the breeze, she let her eyes settle on the dark coat of her company, mind drifting as prowl mode turned all thoughts off. Soon enough, when he went for the kill, she would see just how he did it, just how he hunted.
"Give me a show..." All she had to do now, is wait and see if she would prosper from this hunt.
Chomo made mental note that Nuri seemed to be hanging back a little, but nevertheless observing, and focused his entire attention on the task at hand, he couldn't afford to be distracted.
Once again he was in his mind, alone on the grasslands, the wind blowing through his mane and fur, bringing with it scents and directions, it was a data center for those who paid it heed. Today it brought the vague musty scent of a herd of wildebeest somewhere to the west, not too far though. An adult wildebeest was too much to tackle alone, too risky, but there might be calves nearby, it was the time of year for it, after all.
Making sure on a subconcious level to remain downwind, Chomo moved on velvet paws towards his quarry. Out here there was no sand, no searing heat, but he could imagine them, if he tried. Blood of great Firekin hunters ran in his veins and he didn't intend to dissapoint them, for Chomo every hunt was paramount, failure failed them.
He saw the black specks on his immediate horizon and began to guage his attack, there were several calves, true to form, however some were nearer the big dangerous bulls and cows than he liked. One parent however, was near the back of the herd, probably a mother with her first child. Chomo smirked faintly, not cruelly though, more decisive than anything else. In the wild, mistakes were often sorely punished.
This mother would be more careful with her next child.
Setting his jaw firmly, he drew nearer and nearer, the voices encouraging him in the heartbeat he heard roar in his ears.
He turned west suddenly and she was forced to follow, her eyes watching his muscles shift as his tail caught her eye with every slow swing. Soon enough, she found herself too distracted by following someone (for the first time in her life as well) so she moved to the right, taking a thicker path as the grass covered her slimmer form. She too could catch that delectable scent that filled the air, something in such a mass that was rare in the desert and had her mouth all but watering.
So when they reached the visual point of the calves and bulls, Nuri paused in her tracks to just stare at the creatures, glancing at each one and catching sight of the mother just as Chomo did. While he moved around, she took a step back and lowered some more, ready to catch any that might be stupid enough to run upwind.
Right when he reached the closest point before he might be seen, she extended her claws and pushed towards a rock, the grasses splitting and hiding her form slightly as the rock took care of the rest. With her there, ready to pounce anything that ran, she glanced to Chomo, waiting for his first move.
Chomo knew that he would have as much chance of spottin Nuri at this moment as the wildebeest would have of spotting him, he couldn't jeapordise his position. Instead he relied on that sixth sense that seemed to imbue every creature that hunted, the sense that was 9 parts guesswork, 1 part something deeper and more primal. He knew she was ready nearby.
With steps in synch with the attention of his prey, Chomo drew nearer and nearer, so tense that he felt like a vein pulled so tight it was liable to snap any moment. They said the sweetness lay in the anticipation, Chomo disagreed, for him life was those few seconds when all that lay between you and food was open air, when nothing else mattered but the chase.
He charged.
It was a blur from there on out, it seemed like a hundred lions shared his footfalls, a hundred lions had did this all before. And at the other side, his prey, red eyes met with young terrified ones, but there was an understanding there, an understanding that transcended this place, this very time. It would all happen again as it had happened before. The calf, despite it's run for it's life was no match for the massive strides of the adult lion and it was all it's fatally negligent mother could do to flee the red death that emerged from the grasses to punish her mistake.
Chomo felt his teeth sink into the animal's jugular and somewhere in his head knew that this was the way life went on, there would be other calves, there would be other lions, he was a bridge.
Suddenly the world rushed back and Chomo collapsed to the earth, the calf in his jaws, the thunder and dust of fleeing wildebeest all around him. He was dazed and confused, he had flown, flown on wings of power, ran on feet that were not his own. It had been perfection.
But what of Nuri?
He struggled to his feet, the calf's life ebbing away in his jaws and watched to see if she could possibly catch one of the calves scattered by the disruption. If so they would feast well that day.
It took only a second for her to back down as the chaos errupted. Her heart thundered in her mind as everything seemed alive, and as her ears perked, she caught the sound of steps, racing towards her point. They were heavy with stregth, weight, and authority, and she realzied she would be encountering one of the large males. Not once, however, did she think twise, and as time seemed to slow and stall, she pushed down on her haunches and got ready for the split second in which she would need to strike.
At first, she caught sight of a flash, two horns that were quite large and quite sharp, followed by a frenzied snout. The lengthy neck came into view next, and right as she caught the sight of the base, she pushed off the ground, her light weight sending her crashing into the large wildebeast. Though her momentum caught him off guard, it was her extended claws that sent him crashing down stunned, giving her a short chance to go for his neck.
And yet, unknowingly, she did not go for the kill, instead she pushed down and looked with her paw on his neck and foreleg, eyes peering with her slow smirk. It was at that moment however, when she pulled away, that everything seemed to turn for the Firekin. Of course, not many Wildebeast decided to venture in the sands, so she did not encounter such a creature, and its next action was something she never expected.
Letting out a hiss, the two hind legs that were left alone kicked her lower abdomine, sending her off the creature and into the grass. She pushed to her stomach, having landed harshly against the rock as well as pushed on her back, and she took only a moment to steady herself before her eyes trailed to the onlooking ones of Chomo. Shame filled her being before she turned back to the faltering creature, the wounds she inflicted making it falter, and she pounced again, this time aiming with her teeth. Sinking her fangs in the warm flesh, she pushed the creature down, eyes narrowed in angry slits as the pain and the bruises were put in the back of her mind to be tended to later.
What was on her mind now, was how she was tricked by a mere beast in front of another Firekin, and not many of the Blood would be impressed with her showing. Despite the fact that the male underneath had stopped moving.
Chomo almost called out as he watched Nuri go ambitiously for one of the big males, he had forgotten that she probably hadn't encountered these beasts before, in the desert you brought down whatever you saw, out here you picked and chose. He couldn't look as the animal kicked out it's legs, an odd feeling of terror flooding him. The calf still held in his solid jaws, he headed towards the two, worried that Nuri might be severely injured, he had heard tales of lions gutted by wildebeest in the past.
But no, she was back on her feet, resiliantly taking the male on in a sort of vengeance, it was impressive to Chomo's eyes, most lions would have fled in fear of getting trampled while they were down.
His footfalls seemed painfully slow as the battle unfolded before him, he was just too far away to help out. But his trust remained in the Firekin. Oddly however, not a single thought of his judged Nuri badly for her apparent misjudgement, he was actually very impressed. If she made it out alive, he'd have to tell her so."
And still he ran.
Having been kicked quite afew times in the struggle, Nuri held many deep bruises under her fur, however, even than it wasnt as bad as to how she delt with the struggling beast. When he had stopped moving, she pulled away from the heavy form to step back and look on, realizing just how stupid she was. The Wildebeast being a good deal bigger than she, she was lucky that she had gotten him from the side, for had she gone head on she might not have made it out alive.
Panting, her eyes ranged over the forelegs, seeing the deep scratches and wounds her claws had sent across, as a reminded for it to still. Blood seeped through the air and she could even taste it on her maw, though she ignored it as the whole prospect of eating such a creature turned her away. So doing just that, she caught sight of Chomo as he was near and let out a short growl, ears flatened and bruises hurting. They moreso hurt from the shame than any of the inflicted pain.
When he made it in front of her, she glanced up with a dark, almost black gaze, "How much did you see..." A simple defence, becoming cold and harsh when she was humiliated, and as she said it, she completly ignored the kill, the Wildebeast just lying there in a huge mass of fur.
Chomo waited worriedly as the kicking stopped and the animal lay still, forgetting his own kill still held possessively in his jaws. He placed it down on the ground as he bounded over towards Nuri, clearing the last few meters at a jog. He immediately looked her over, mortified that he might see any critical injuries on her frame. He relaxed however to see that she was upright and breathing.
In response to her question, he replied "How much did I see?! You brought down a bull wildebeest! You should get a prize for that!" he didn't even mention that attacking the creature in the first place might not have been the best idea "Are you okay? I've heard those things are capable of kicking a lion's spine out" he shuddered.
"But still, wow." he was evidently in awe, not dissapointed in the least.
Nuri controled her breathing as he spoke, blinking silently for a seocnd before shaking her head.
"I got lucky...there was no skill, it was all a stroke of luck...Finar-si must be watching over me..." She turned away to streach her form, cringing, and taking a slow breath back up again.
"We should just take your catch back...I am...not too hungry anymore..." she trailed off slowly and tried not to show anything as she was glad the bruse would not show through her pelt. Now, all she had to do was walk back to the den, and she could just fend sick and rest for awhile - he wouldnt suspect a thing.
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