Mokosh was reminded all too suddenly that they were there to discuss the coming fate of the pride, not lose themselves in idle gossip. She'd say that the words of Umama and Umholi soured the conversation - but it was worth it to remember what they were really here for. How quickly she'd turned to seeking familiar comforts, and let that knowledge slip her thoughts...
Thoughts that sobered further the more Ukwazi's words set in. Limiting cubs? The idea made sense, of course, but the pale lioness was still caught aghast. The birth of cubs and furthering of family ties meant so much to the lions here that a season without that undercurrent of joy and anticipation was beyond Mo's imagining. What would they replace it with? The slow gnaw of hunger, and the rise of bitter tempers. Her eyes moved once more among her pride-sisters, a little less surely than they had before. How many of them would she see moons from now?
Then Liyana spoke, and Mo could only nod agreement with her words. Traveling in pairs was a good idea - surely sending out two would be safer than one, and they could help with hunting besides. Though she hated to look at the practicality of it...the more of them were out searching for better, the more food left behind for those who stayed at home.
"It seems a good idea to travel in pairs. But maybe there are those would volunteer to accompany the Cinga and Aenda - capable fighters and hunters to split off with those who have vultures to see for them." Splitting the Cinga and Aenda would give them more pairs, right? Heighten the chance that someone would find something worthwhile, and speed their safe return.
Quaji
SilverLutz
No sooner had she shared her thoughts than their new inselelo joined their circle - well, speak of the mane, and the mane doth appear. Mokosh smiled at him, just slightly, over her shoulder. "Well met. I certainly hope so - it would appear we need all the aid we can get just now." Normally there might be sass, or a bit of challenge. Curious as she was about him, though, they had more pressing things to worry about.
"Did you or your mother travel by any herd-rich areas on your way here, by chance?" Her tone was light, sardonic, but only half-joking. Any news about the lands outside the pride would be welcome as far as she was concerned.
AstoriaFallen
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 7:54 am
Chazama was hesitant to join in on the conversation as she and her mother settled in among their pride sisters. She knew Dina had a duty to perform, but her mother's current health situation had her feeling uneasy about the idea of sending the cinga further than they normally would go. It made sense though. From a tactical standpoint it was a good suggestion, and that made it difficult for Chazama to argue against it. Her brows knitted together in concern as she sat back on her haunches and curled her tail around her in a clear sign of her discomfort, but her maw remained shut. The future of the pride depended on this decision, and it made sense, even if she didn't like it.
Dina, however, was all too ready to share her opinions with the group. "I agree, we should push ourselves further out to see what is happening with the herds." That included herself. Despite her current weakened state, Dina was an older lioness who had seen the Bonelands through thick and thin, and she knew they wouldn't survive unless they pulled together as a pride and pushed themselves to their limits. Sometimes, well sometimes, that meant performing a duty that may ultimately end with one's demise. It would be worth it if it helped the pride survive.
Chazama's frown deepened at her mother's words, as she knew what Dina was thinking. They had spoken many times of the fact that Dina was getting older, and it was getting harder for her to move around in the heat, but her mother was a stubborn lioness who insisted on performing her duties as cinga. When the idea of going off in pairs was suggested, Chazama's ears pricked up, and even better, the suggestion of others pairing off with cinga or aenda. Surely, that would bring some peace of mind to Chazama if her mother wasn't expected to be alone. "I agree with Mokosh, pairing an aenda or a cinga with a volunteer to accompany them would increase our chances of success." It was a solid suggestion, and Chazama fully backed the idea.
Bora, the white vulture, eyed her two orange and white lionesses with suspicion and some worry. Of course, she would help Dina if she wished to travel further, but she had an eye for a weakened body and Dina was in no condition to be pushing herself in this heat. Her white feathers ruffled as she shifted her weight on the branch as her gaze traveled to the rest of the felines. Hunger had already started nipping at their heels, and the signs were clear to the avian. Something had to be done to ensure their survival, and risks would need to be taken.
Giving a frown he shook his head. "Any herds we saw were well from the pride, it had appeared as we grew closer the herds grew thinner unfortunately." To say as to why that was, who knew. Perhaps it was the prey telling the predator something about the lands in which they lived? He wasn't sure how many of the lionesses before him were from outside the pride or had grown up here and known a life of nothing else. It was curious to him, but again, weren't there many prides like that? Where lions had been born and raised and knew nothing of the outside prides?
He'd seen his fair share of them over his few years on this planet and this one was probably the most unique to him. Simply by the lack of males and the desire to drive out any that would want to help populate the numbers. He could understand the reasoning though. Taking a look around he wondered what would happen if food wasn't found anytime soon.
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:21 pm
"Then we must do what we can and lean on the teachings of our mothers, hoping they taught us well."
In some ways, Ukwazi wished her father was still standing among them, radiant as ever, exuding the confidence that she desperately needed at that very moment. The Umama looked upon the weary bodies and worried faces of the pride as they faced a difficult decision on how to tackle the gruesome threat of starvation. The rock in her stomach grew as golden eyes passed over each one. They were counting on them all to formulate some solution to fill their bellies.
She turned her attention to Umholi Faust, her tail snapping in annoyance. How had they gotten into this situation? It was as if the pride knew only misfortune these last few years. Earthquakes, horrific rain, torrential downpours and strange lights...all under this Abaholi's leadership. Still, such things were undoubtedly circumstantial. She was a lioness of logic, not speculation and superstition. Something she seemed to need remind herself of.
"It seems there is a general consensus among us that we must spread ourselves out, and find our herds." She didn't even need to add what everyone else thought. "Even our newly joined Inselelo saw worrying signs in his approach. We must act. I suggest we all travel the distance, not just the Aenda and Cinga. Those with vultures number too few for everyone to feasibly travel with one, so I put forward that anyone capable and willing should travel by themselves or with another with the same task: find signs of herd movements."
"Then we will be able to determine a path of early migration and move the pride earlier. We have no cubs to slow us and any elderly among us will have more aid for it. We should reasonably be able to catch up to the herd if we have a heading."
OOC Information I will be posting regularly in this thread and wrapping this up before the end of the month. If you would like to get yourself to 5 posts, you are welcome to tag me to have Ukwazi converse with your character(s). I am more than willing to help.
A new event will be starting August 1st.
SilverLutz
AstoriaFallen
Jovi of Shadows
Anderleit
Andranis
Quaji Crew
Noble Cub
Offline
SilverLutz Crew
Offensive Hero
Offline
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 4:40 pm
Silent as ever, Faust found the irritated gaze of Ukwazi on him. A hot-blooded lion or a male with something to prove might have taken offense to the look, but he didn't blame her for it. Of course she was irritated - the pride was slowly going hungry to the point of impending starvation. He had no sway over the herds so it wasn't his fault, but as one of the Abholi it was his job to help correct the problem.
As voices were raised and agreements were made, he nodded his head to show he was in support of the idea. Everyone would do their part to help, be it venturing far from their borders to seek the herds or staying closer to the core of the group to assist those that needed it.
"Everyone will have to pull a bit more than their share," he cautioned. Lots of the lionesses seemed pretty eager to go and search, but he had to reign them in just a bit. Spending all their precious energy and enthusiasm now would only lead to burn out and despair.
"I caution you all to be mindful of your limits. Don't push yourself beyond what you can't handle. There is no shame in turning around and coming home. There will be those here to aid you." He turned his gaze to Enion, fixing the Inselelo with a weary but determined expression.
"You've come at a hard time, I'm afraid. But perhaps a good time to prove yourself to the pride."
Quaji
Andranis
Anderleit
Jovi of Shadows
AstoriaFallen
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:19 am
Enion listed to the words of Ukwazi and nodded. That was probably the one major upside to his joining right now, there were no cubs to worry about feeding. Adults could go much longer without food before succumbing to weakness.
Looking over towards Faust he gave a small nod. "I hope I am able to provide the support the pride needs." He'd have to ask his mother if she remembered seeing any herds, she had always been the more observant one.
Liyana looked up towards Avani and the vulture gave a stretch of her wings to test their strength. They were going to have their work cut out for them and Avani wasn't about to shirk on her duties in the slightest. Liyana was feeling the effects of hunger but it was minimal. She was fortunate enough that avani would bring her scraps she found but most of the time she made sure the vulture ate them because she could travel faster and farther than herself. In the event something happened to Liyana, Avani would still be able to let the pride know where any herds were. The duo were ready to do their part and would continue to do it in a solo pair if need be.
Hesper could see the worry on many faces but was hopeful. Thinning of herds like this happened everywhere and this place was no different. They too would prevail and unlike many prides, there weren't any cubs currently to worry about.
Otherwise silent the whole time, Phikelela listened intently. She glanced at the other Cinga, humming in greeting and offering smiles, but spent more of her focus on Faust and Ukwazi. Finally, she glanced over at Liyana, then up to her own vulture companion.
Fluffing her feathers just a bit, Ukumelena lifted her head. "We'll work hard, to find you all food. Even if it's already... Succumbed." Vultures had the single best sense of smell in the bird world, they could smell a carcass miles away. But something already dead was still better than nothing at all.
Izinyathi frowned, shifting in her spot. "I can't say I like the idea of any of our pride sisters wandering further and further away... It's not safe." She followed Phikelela's gaze up to the trees, then glanced at Faust and Enion. "Perhaps, though... A solution to at least my worry... Sending an Ahluke with any lionesses that travel to search, then they have the benefit of muscle and somebody to intimidate any rogues who might cause them to bring home trouble." It gave, in her mind, the Ahluke something else to do, too, since there were no cubs to help take care of at the moment and the hunting was slim and getting slimmer. "I don't doubt the fighting ability of our pride sisters, mind, but that added insurance can't be bad."
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2022 7:16 pm
Einion wasn't entirely sure about what the future might hold for him here. He did know that he was probably better fed than the rest of these lions right now, his mother too. The good fortune of having just came from elsewhere. He thought back about their trip here and how they made their way to the lands and the different landmarks, sights they witnessed. Scanning for his mother he walked over towards her. "You don't suppose you paid better attention to any herds when we made our way here did you?" He had been so hyper focused on making sure Ferro was safe and had a place to live that little else had mattered to him outside of that.
Hesper shook her head. "They were pretty scarce from what I remembered. We had gotten lucky with the hunt we were on before you defeated the Inselelo before you." She said wrapping her tail around her feet. It had seemed like slim pickings even when they had made the kill they had, and it had fed the trio well before being left to the scavengers of the lands.
"It truly appears that scouting parties are the best option all around." She offered her acknowledgement to the situation. "I'm uncertain of the numbers in the pride, Ahluke to lioness ratio and all. Would it be too much to spare maybe 6 parties, which would be 12 lions in total if they were paired in groups...." Her voice trailed off with her thoughts. She was so new here she wasn't sure if there were any that were old, ill, or just too hungry to move. Taking too many able bodied lions could be dangerous to those that don't have the energy left to defend themselves. She also wasn't sure how long the food has been scarce and how much longer before even the Abholi felt the effects too strongly.
Liyana and Avani were more than capable of leaving with just the two of them, to save a lion to go with someone else. "Avani and I are happy to just travel with just the two of us, save an Ahluke or able bodied lioness for another pair." Avani did most of the work, Liyana and her managed to do well over these years and she hoped they would continue to grow and learn from each other. Traveling long distances had been something they'd been doing on and off for a while, though it wasn't anything like what the Enda did. But they did test their limits and had a few close calls in the past and yet here they stood. How many Cigna were left after all these years? It was hard to gauge at times when parties weren't always together.
AstoriaFallen
AstoriaFallen
Winter Wolf
Offline
SilverLutz Crew
Offensive Hero
Offline
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:36 pm
A few more voices were raised and Faust nodded. He wouldn't force anyone to do anything they didn't think they couldn't handle, but he would certainly empower those that wanted to help any way they could.
"If someone feels more comfortable having an Ahluke travel with them, I'm sure there are those who would be willing to go. I trust you all to use your judgement in deciding if and how far you should travel, as well as with whom. If you have trouble finding someone to travel with, find me and I will assist you in locating someone willing to scout."
With that he gave a final nod and rose to his paws. He gave his mane a little shake before leaving the area, off to update the other Abholi on the consensus of the pride.
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:45 am
Hesper, while a sturdy female, definitely wouldn't be one to be caught dead walking alone. Especially not during a famine such as this. A lone lion could easily be a target by any number of other predatory animals, even hyenas would likely be so bold to attack a lone lioness and hope to make her into a snack. "We will have to be vigilant." Hesper looked over towards her son. He had always been so cautious, though a little too caring sometimes.
Giving a nod of his head he couldn't agree more. "Definitely." Though he would have to be one to travel alone most of the time, given his current rank within the pride. He was still in decent enough health he'd be able to hold his own, but in a few days and weeks he'd be just like the rest of the pride in regards to hunger and less body mass.
It was good that the rest of the pride seemed to share similar concerns regarding the current ongoings with lack of prey. "Perhaps we should head out soon?" Avani said, giving a stretch of her wings. "I agree, but we should wait to see if anything else of importance is said. Once everything here is settle we can head out." Liyana said looking towards her feathered companion.
AstoriaFallen
AstoriaFallen
Winter Wolf
Offline
Quaji Crew
Noble Cub
Offline
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:29 am
((Raffle will be rolled Monday the 22nd at 10pm EST. All posts before that date will count towards it.))
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 8:25 pm
Her own name on the tongues of her sisters would never stop surprising Mokosh - but she turned her head Chazama's way all the same, with a small, grateful smile. It was one thing to pipe up with suggestions, and quite another to have them supported (no matter how perfectly reasonable they seemed). It was support that, once upon a time, Mo hadn't been sure she would ever have again. She would never take it for-granted, and it was all the more reason to do her best for her home and everyone who shared it.
That said, their new inselelo didn't bring particularly good news...but nothing terribly surprising, either. Mokosh tried to hide her disappointment behind a smile, but the gesture was thin, and she couldn't keep the sigh out of her words. "Well, that confirms the reports, at least. And that this meeting couldn't wait any longer." Might have been needed a little sooner, in fact. She'd do her best to keep a brave face on, either way; the times to come would be hard for everyone, but she was younger than many, and that meant that she could shoulder more of the burden. It was their way of her lost pride, long ago in the valley, and it would serve her well again now.
AstoriaFallen
Late quote to let you know I've responded, just summing up Mo's thoughts here. Don't feel like you have to reply!
Jovi of Shadows
Late quote to let you know I've responded, just summing up Mo's thoughts here. Don't feel like you have to reply!
Anderleit
Familiar Phantom
Offline
AstoriaFallen
AstoriaFallen
Winter Wolf
Offline
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2022 6:45 pm
[me forgetting I had this half typed up earlier]
Looking over towards Mokosh, Einion gave a small frown. "I do wish I had better news." It was true, if he could have brought them news to lift their spirits, he would have. However, he didn't want to make promises he couldn't keep or tell tales in an effort to just cheer everyone up. "Hopefully we will have better news for everyone in the near future." Giving her a reassuring smile he hoped perhaps time would prove fruitful for them all.
Hesper smiled, mostly to herself. She was glad for her sons optimism but these were hard times. They would test everyone in the worst ways she imagined. How many would be dead before the end of the season? She shuddered at the thought. She could only hope with the rest of them that things turned around.
Liyana swiveled her ears slightly as she listened to the conversations around her and Avani. "Doesn't sound like anyone has good news." Avani looked up at her bonded and shook her head, "No, it does not. Hopefully in our travels we will be able to give a better reason as to why the herds have thinned so greatly." Giving a stretch of her wings she was ready to get back out there.
Anderleit
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 8:24 am
It was sweet of him to want to spare them discomfort. Mokosh shrugged somewhat helplessly at the male, though her smile never wavered. "Don't be sorry. It is what it is, right? The truth of things cannot be helped." She looked over the assembled pride, still tittering among themselves. Umholi Faust was already departing, likely to spread the news to his companions; some of the Cinga and Enda were mobilising as well, preparing themselves for what needed to be done.
"Yeah, hopefully soon we'll have something good to tell people, but until then... We're already preparing. We're all ready to do what we have to do to survive. So don't worry about us." The smile she flicked his way changed, mirroring his reassurance - even if it was as much to set herself at ease as it was him. "You've won your place in a pride that takes care of its own, inselelo. We'll do what we have to do to get through this."
Nodding to Hesper and Liyana, the pale lioness rose, shaking the dust out of her pelt. She needed to see to some things as well, if she were going to be wandering the pride-lands again; she hadn't really been the best rogue when she had to do it the first time. As she headed off, she reflected on how she meant to make good on her words. She would. But to do so, she needed to be better.
Anderleit
Familiar Phantom
Offline
Quaji generated a random number between
1 and 23 ...
12!
