Welcome to Gaia! ::

Toji chuckled amusedly as he passed another adorned lioness. She had appeared to be busy hunting, so he naturally stayed out of the way, but he couldn't help but notice the cunning creation of feathers and reeds she wore on her tail. In his wanderings, he'd seen a number of lions thus adorned in one way or another. From the simplest of earrings to elaborate headdresses and jewelry; the whole of the savanna seemed awash in adornment.

He wasn't criticizing the use of such things, really. He just wondered how they'd managed to craft such things. Monkeys, perhaps? Toji had sometimes seen them playing with sticks in clever ways. Or perhaps the Gods had provided the adornments?

Toji pondered the matter further as his dark paws steadily bore him away from the adorned lioness. Actually, he wouldn't mind have adornment of his own. He wondered how it felt, to have something jingle about his paws when he took a step, or weigh down his head. Though he felt he'd want his adornment to be useful rather than just something to look at. His mind traveled back to the lioness with her tail feathers. Perhaps she used it to fan herself on hot days?

As the sky darkened, Toji found shelter beneath one of the savanna's trees and also found that he probably should have been worrying about a meal rather than jewelry. He shushed his stomach as it gave an audible growl, and tried to distract himself by attempting to come up with a way to weave some of the nearby grass into something even remotely resembling the tail feather adornment of the lioness.

Meanwhile, Toji crouched terrified in the shadows of the trees, watching a rather irate lioness with wings shove fallen branches mercilessly into a pile. His mind worked frantically attempting to understand what he was seeing. A ghost? A monster? No, this had to be a Goddess! And she was angry! Had he done something wrong and was she about to pass judgment on him?

Toji didn't even entertain the thought of running. What use mortal paws against those of a Goddess? She hadn't spoken to him yet, not even looked his way, but she must know he was there! The pile of sticks, what did that mean? Quivering, Toji watched as the Goddess breathed in, and expelled fire onto the pile of wood! Flames leapt up, casting light against the trees and into the shadows. With his bulky form revealed by the dancing light, Toji gave up. He stood with his head low, and spying a large section of a fallen trunk, figured that attempting appease the Goddess wouldn't hurt.

Setting tooth and claw to the wood, he dragged it over and set it next to flaming wood, then turned to the Goddess to face his fate.

Daring a peek from beneath his mane, Toji was surprised to see that the Goddess didn't seem angry. Her voice was commanding, but lacked any note of wrath. Wait, was that a smile? Toji's eyes darted back to the ground, terrified. Perhaps... had she been angry about something else? Or maybe the log had appeased her? Toji's mind whirled, vainly attempting to figure out what was going on.

"Uh, " he started and cringed. He should talk a bit more intelligently, but his mind told his mouth it was on its own. "Um, my n-name is Toji'jabari, Goddess. Please forgive me! I, uh, I haven't made you mad, have I? Cause if I have, I'm very, very sorry!"

He mentally berated himself, and had to look pretty silly, this great big lion cringing like a small cub.
"I'll do anything to make it up to you! Really! Anything!"

Bliss! She wasn't angry at him! Waves of relief threatened to turn Toji into a puddle of fur, but he still maintained a healthy respect for angering a Goddess by declining her company. So, he came closer to the fire, a little wary at first of the leaping flames, but was soon pleasantly surprised by the warmth it afforded. What a marvel! Flames that did not destroy everything they touched.

"I-I'm am glad that you are pleased with me, Goddess." he said, cautiously lifting his head, but still avoiding looking directly at her. "You want me to tell you about myself? I'm not really that interesting."

He laughed self-deprecatingly. "I guess I'm strong, but I'm not clever, or brave. I'm pretty good at hunting." He tapered off into silence, completely at a loss as to what else to include. He really wasn't all that interesting, but if she, a Goddess thought he was strong and kind... Well, it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"I'm so h-honored to meet you, Sanaa! Really! And if I could do anything to help you, just ask!" he said brightly, at her name. He cast a doubtful look at the rain though. "I don't know what use I'd be, but if it requires a strong back, I'm your lion!"

Toji listened to the Goddess speak of the past, his proximity to flickering flames forgotten as he imagined this Pride of which she spoke. The firelight cast glimmers of delight into his brown eyes. He could almost see them. Strong backs toting bundles of branches, strong legs pulling large stones. And each and everyone of them wore the tail decoration the lioness had worn earlier that day. A good, honest existence.

It was an exciting idea. Toji almost felt like a cub again as he let his imagination run. He sat there with a vaguely idiotic expression growing on his face until Sanaa's waving paw brought him back to reality. He started, dark mane bouncing, and put on a serious face so that Sanaa would know he was listening. He couldn't help but smile when she complimented him again, though.

"Um, Goddess?" he ventured, tentatively. "Maybe you could reform your Pride? There are a lot of lions, and I bet you'd be able to find strong ones. And I could be the first? Maybe? If it's strength you need, I'd be happy to help!"

Toji almost couldn't believe his ears. He would be allowed to accompany the Goddess to her den? To join her Pride? Perhaps to receive an adornment of his own? Too good to be true! Yet, here he sat beside her fire, and basked in the warmth of her smile instead. Quite without realizing it, Toji had become an acolyte.

"I'm honored, Goddess! Truly, I am!" he beamed, a slow rumble of a purr beginning in his throat. What an auspicious day! The Goddess may have frowned at the rain, but Toji couldn't help but feel that it had been perhaps been a friendly gesture of fate to bring them together.

He also wondered at the duties that awaited him, but with no apprehension. He anticipated it, instead. If his Goddess wished to grow her Pride, then soon he would be among his own. He would have no end of friends and comrades to make the work merry. He would have purpose, too! To keep his Goddess happy. The life of a rogue lion couldn't compare!

Toji purred harder as he lapsed back into imagination, but came to when he realized the steady drum of rain outside their ring of light had become irregular. The rain was letting up!