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 Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 10:08 am
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 Uwanja was content to spend lazy days lounging in the sun, scavenging for food, and making his life at a slow pace. He had very few responsibilities beyond making sure his stomach was never empty, and getting himself water and sometimes a shaded place to sleep. He was not a complicated lion, that was for sure, and he was not troubled by much.
That being said, he was also rather lonely, as he had been living a singular existence for as long as he could remember. If he once had a family, he no longer knew their names, and he was sad to know that he would likely never meet them now. For all he knew, they were all gone already anyway.
He was not sure he liked being alone, but every time he saw other lions about, they seemed to be in a hurry or wrapped up in their troubles. He never wanted to intrude, and certainly could not keep up with them if they launched into their life stories. The less complicated, the better, that was his motto.
Maybe today he would make the effort to talk to someone, and not wander off when things got too complicated.
Maybe?
He wandered to a small drinking hole, lowering his head and dunking his muzzle into the water to get a good, hearty drink from the water without seeming bothered that he could no longer breathe. |
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Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 10:43 am
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 Jirru moved cautiously. She was sure she'd spotted some kind of animal, but with such a pattern, its identity eluded her. A strange zebra perhaps? Or some kind of prey, maybe even a cheetah with unusually large spots? She slowly worked her way along the grasses at sight's edge, unsure she wanted to test this new thing, just yet, but the prospects were so wild in her mind, even as far as some new breed of hyena or wild dog, would be interesting. She prowled amongst her thoughts for a few moments, before making her way to the edge of the water to peer across at it. The beast seemed to camouflage itself in its own pattern, even as it stood out among the grasses, and her tail flicked behind her while she tried to puzzle its existence into a tangible name. Bigger than her... was as far as she'd gotten, yet. It was definitely bigger, but somehow, not unattractive. With all the grace her breed lent her, she slipped into the water and hid most of her frame, grateful also for the chance to cool off from the day's sunbathing. Finally tired of slinking like a meerkat, she swam across the watering hole and tugged herself free of it, eyeing the- it was a cat! a lion? What a strange pattern for a lion! "Well aren't you different?" she murmured, brow forever cocked at an angle to examine her quarry.
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 3:11 pm
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Uwanja caught wind of another animal nearby. A cat of some kind, though it did not smell like any of the lions he had come across before. Each species, he found, had a unique scent profile to it, which made it easier for him to know when to approach and when to leave if they were not directly in sight.
He looked up to watch the cheetah, who was looking at him with a lot of curiosity in her eyes. He assumed it was a she, anyway, because of her scent, again, and her size. Not that he knew too much about cheetah. They were really fast, which ran counter to the way the lion liked to live his life.
His was a leisurely paced existence.
"Am I? In what way?" he smiled at the greeting, nodding his head to indicate he was not an aggressive guy, so her question didn't upset him. She was good at swimming, it seemed, and he was a little jealous of that. He looked very much like a floating log when he tried to swim. A white and black spotted log.
"Not a bad way, I hope." |
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:08 pm
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She blinked at his voice, tilting her head and giving a shake of the water from her fur, before she sat herself in place, watching him as she smoothed some of her wet fur. "Not a bad one, I wouldn't say. Not much camouflage for the fields, but the wrong mind might think you food, by looks alone." She didn't wonder that she couldn't smell the lion in him. She hadn't paid much more mind to her nose than was required to find him. Aside from that, the pond smelled so beautifully today, she'd focused those senses on that, instead.
He seemed a leisurely creature. Perhaps she might have offended someone with a more active lifestyle. "Sorry I snuck up on you, I thought it best to be cautious." She gave a soft smile and rotated her head the other way as she set her paw forward on the ground. "I go by Jellybean. May I ask your name?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 2:02 pm
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"Oh, don't worry about it! I was just curious if you were going to come close enough to talk, that's all. I'm not very dangerous, as far as lions go, so I am glad you chose to approach."
He laughed heartily, a big, rumbling sound coming from his chest and making the grass under his paws shake a bit. He was a big lion, though not the biggest, and built thickly, with round, muscular limbs and a heavy set, but friendly, face. He brought his big nose closer to her, tilting his head to the side.
"You think I look like food? Well. I'm tend to like food, so I'll take that as a compliment. My name is Uwanja! It is very good to meet you, miss Jellybean. That... is not a name I've heard before."
It sounded cute, the way they l's worked with the other syllables. He had no idea what a jellybean actually was, though he knew what beans were, and what jelly was. He could not picture anything bean shaped made out of jelly, though.
But maybe that was what made it so unique!
"Do you often travel by water?" he asked curiously, since she swam up to him to say hi. |
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 3:15 pm
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Uwanja grinned, thinking now it sounded like a good plan, and his pelt was not as bad as it might have seemed at first. Sure, gold and brown lions could blend in to the grass, but where was the fun in that?
Well. He actually did not really like having too much fun, when it came to hunting. He just wanted food, most of the time, and put off hunting too long to really want to waste time on it. Which he always did, because it was always harder than he could remember. He needed to be more proactive, not keep putting it off until his stomach could not take it any more. Then maybe it would be an easier process, and less annoying to him.
But it was so much work. So much work.
"Jirru Beylin is pretty, too. I think they're both very fitting!" Cute and pretty. He was on a roll without even realizing it. He was just an honest sort of lion, even if he was lazy, and he had no trouble saying what he was thinking. "Swimming is hard for me. I'm on the heavier side and tend to... sink to the bottom. But if it's shallow, I do like to sit in cool water. You swim much better than I do, though, so I can see why you like it. Have you ever eaten any of the little creatures that live in the water? The fish?"
A fisherman he was not: he had never tried to catch one before, if only because they were annoyingly fast. |
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 3:45 pm
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Jirru listened to him talk. Her name was fitting? Okay, sure. She could accept that. She couldn't help wondering whether he meant she sounded melodic or something, but she wasn't about to ask for clarification. She liked the idea, so she'd let it stew.
"Anyone can learn to swim. it's not hard, just like... walking at a strange angle." She chuckled. "Fish and turtles are nice enough, yes. Doesn't beat a good hare, or splitting an antelope, though." She hummed. "It's a nice change, but the land beasts are more plentiful, less slippery." |
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:50 pm
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Uwanja looked a little nervous, tilting his head to the side. He was an amiable, easy going sort, but he did worry about some things. Like sinking to the bottom of a watering hole and not being able to swim his way back up... just for example. He tried to stay out of the deeper water, if he could, though he hid any sign of fear well enough under normal circumstances.
"I would like to try some of those water meats... they look very tasty, but they go so quickly under the water, and so fast! Even if I were able to swim, how would I catch one? They just... zip away when they see your shadow."
He imagined he would probably splash and make a lot of noise, too, which was not a great thing to do when fishing. He did step a little into the water, though. His curiosity was raised, so he figured he might at least try to float a bit... but maybe actually swimming was too much for now.
Getting his feet wet, figuratively and literally, was probably enough for a first step. |
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 4:46 pm
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Jirru nodded at the brute. "Fishing does have its challenges. To fix the shadow thing... enter from the shaded part of the pond." She chuckled. "Sometimes that's not available, like here, so just move slow and easy. The less you ripple the water, the less the fish will notice. Most fish avoid the shallows, anyways. But if you can stand patiently long enough, some of them wander in, then it's just a matter of aim and speed."
She stepped into the water to demonstrate, turning so she faced the lion and sitting deep enough in the shallows so the water's top met the top of her bent knee. She seemed immune to any awkwardness in the silence she let follow, eyes glued to the water. Finally, her eyes flicking after some tiny glitter or another, she curled to dip her muzzle in the water, then dove after her prey, splashing a bit before she pulled up a long silver snake, making a face at the scales but not relinquishing the catch. "It en't alfays a fisss." she muttered, starting for the shore. "Wanna biht?" |
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:14 pm
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Uwanja smiled and nodded his head, listening as intently as someone as lazy and dimwitted as the big, spotted lion could. At least he was a gentle giant, and did seem honestly interested in learning how to fish. Maybe this time he would overcome his decision that it was too much work, and actually come to enjoy fishing.
Hell, maybe it would even prove easier than hunting. Hunting was something he had to do, and it was very exhausting. Not his favorite activity, certainly.
It sounded easy, the way she described it, but he had a feeling it was because she was using simple terms for him to understand. That he very much appreciated: sometimes, other felines he spoke to liked to talk over his head about things.
Her fast movements startled him, and he watched in wonder as she came back up with a fish. Wait. What the heck was that thing?
"Snakes live in the water?! That's fascinating! Is it safe to eat something like that? Does it have poison? You were amazing though, diving in there like that! Like lightning! I barely saw you move!" |
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 10:28 am
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Uwanja was baffled, but it was like a whole new world of food had opened up in front of him, and he was eager to actually start on his own fishing expeditions. He liked the idea of sitting and waiting for his food to get close enough, rather than having to chase it down and jump on it like he had to do when hunting bigger land animals. The smaller ones were too damn fast most of the time anyway, so he didn't bother with those.
How he managed to keep himself fed, being a pretty round lion at that, was a mystery even to him.
For food, though, he overcame his lazy attitude.
"Oh yes, if I can sit and wait for food, then I will. That's a perfect tactic. Running and swimming, by the looks of it, might just be a little too tiring for a hefty guy like me. I will when I'm hungry, though. It's just... a lot of work." He ate plants sometimes, because they were easier to catch. They did not move, after all, but he always needed to eat a lot of those to make up for the lack of meat. He ducked his head to try the strange fish thing she'd caught, careful even though she said she got the dangerous part off. The taste was new, but not unpleasant, and he looked surprised.
"I had no idea the water had tasty little things like this in it!" |
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:22 pm
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Jirru chuckled, shaking her head. "I can tell you swimming gets tiring faster than running does, but your muscles may be better suited to the workload than mine." She couldn't help letting her eyes roam the patchy hide. "Lions are built more 'work-y' than Cheetahs are, anyways." She smiled and lifted her shoulders briefly.
"If the fish suit you better, you'll want to find a better fishing hole. They take a few to fill you up, if you know what I mean." She stretched and lay down in the dirt to roll about a little and coat her fur in the dusty soil. "Never much liked snakes, myself. They're thin and gamey, and not a lot of meat to 'em." She rolled to sitting up again and shook her whiskers out. "But... To each paw their own, I suppose. Gotta survive somehow, right?" |
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Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 9:33 am
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"Yes, somehow, indeed!" He laughed, looking like he'd never thought about any of this before, and was a little overwhelmed. He was, in fact, very much so. He was usually just so mellow and slow, all this new information and experience was all but exhausting. He yawned massively, as a result, shaking his head and letting his fluffy mane poof out a bit with the action.
He stretched his front legs, smiling at his new friend sheepishly.
Which was weird, considering his pelt was more cow.
"I think this has been a very exciting day, and now I need a nap. It's been very nice talking to you, though, and I hope we can speak again some time! You know a lot more about interesting things than boring ol' me," he laughed heartily, then yawned again. He plopped over onto his side, stretching his legs in all directions before going limp.
It seemed as though he could go to sleep at the drop of a hat, though he hadn't passed out just yet. He was just getting comfortable. |
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