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 Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:02 am
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She had to admit, from the stories she'd been told of the seaside pride, it was a lot more... dour than she thought it'd be. Hostilities were rising and everyone was on edge. Most were friendly towards her, but there was also the occasional suspicious look towards her. No one had confronted her on being a visiting rogue though, so that was a plus. (it could likely have had something to do with her being a hybrid though, and as such, by their logic, incapable of any mishaps with their members)
Meera was still in relatively good spirits though. At the current moment, she had her front paws dipped in the ocean again, her tail excitedly flicking behind her. Her first venture into the ocean had left her wistful for more, but the water was a little more rough than it had been that day, so it likely wasn't a good idea.
Ah, well. Maybe next time. She settled with feeling the water against her feet.
The cheeton hummed in thought, casting a glance back into the trees where the Bahari'mtoto lived. She hoped things smoothed out for them. It was such a wonderful place for so much strife.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:38 am
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Life had taken a bit of a turn for the worst within the Bahari'mtoto and the lioness wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. She'd expressed her concerns more than once and much to her surprise her father had been curt, if a touch weary. In his own words they had endured and come out stronger, but that didn't mean that there hadn't been tears and bickering. She'd found it particularly difficult to read how he was feeling or his own opinions on the controversy that had started to seep in to their psyche... But what she did know was that he would try to make the best of it.
She wasn't sure she had this strength.
Thus it was for this reason that she wandered along the shore, having come away from the meeting called for by their new King. Admittedly that meeting was still on going, but she had slipped away when she realised that what she knew was about to be turned upside down. She couldn't say she approved of the Kizi entering uninvited, but at the same time, tensions were high... By the time she had left, Shui had shattered an alliance that had existed since her birth and left reams of queries.
For example, if they couldn't go to the Kizi then where could they go? She hadn't remained to hear the answer, but she had her concerns. If there was no safe alternative then perhaps they were going to move to extremity. Her preference was for a more reasonable solution but she didn't quite have the courage to stare down the barrel of that gun yet - maybe someone else would.
Fortunately it seemed that someone else had wisely avoided the gathering and she soon found company in Meera. The hybrid had arrived rather recently and while Siarnaq and Ijiraq had both sang the pride's praises it really wasn't living up to expectations at all.
"I think I owe you an apology," she spoke up as she came within hearing distance. "It seems that we're not quite as jovial as Siarnaq and I made out, huh?" she said with a sheepish smile...
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 12:26 pm
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With the rolling waves, she hadn't heard Ijiraq approaching until she had already spoken up. Meera perked up, turning to look behind her as she did so, and then grinned in response. "Maybe a little, but it seems like everyone is a little bit stressed out right now. I'm sure things will calm down, given enough time." Or at least, that was her optimistic view of things, and if there was anything she would be known for, it was her optimism.
Meera tilted her head, looking the other female up and down. She seemed downtrodden too now... had something else happened? They may not have known each other long, but she liked to consider them friends now. She didn't like seeing friends distressed.
Her black ear flattened back against her head and she glanced away in thought, before turning more fully towards her and lowering her head to look up at Ijiraq, "Are you alright?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 12:32 pm
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"I'm tired," Ijiraq admitted. She wasn't sure why she was tired, but she could only assume that the tension had taken far more out of her than she'd anticipated. The young lioness hadn't anticipated that things would change so quickly and so mercilessly, in some respects she had to give Shui the credit he deserved - he'd made a decision and he seemed to be sticking to it no matter how hard they kicked and screamed... Her opinion on it though? She honestly didn't know.
She'd been raised traditionally and her mother had settled into a long term partnership with her step father, but that didn't mean she had drawn any battle liens herself. She'd never really been invested in it and from what she had gathered, Shui had no intention of punishing those who had come before now. The damage had already been done and harming someone retroactively served no purpose... It was just a shame no one could see that.
Perhaps her view would have been different if she was in love, or had felt those urges herself.
"And a little bummed," she said after a few moments. "I mean how can you not be when everyone's screaming at each other, accusing each other of being blind and in the grand scheme of things only about four or five people are actively listening to the words coming out of each side's mouths?" she snorted. She seemed done at the very least and she had never been the political type, she'd been more interested in the more light hearted aspects of life.
"If it's going to be like this for a while I figured I might see if my dad didn't mind me heading off to see some of the sights," she continued. "You know, to get some space and time away from it all? Maybe by the time I come home it will be better," she finished. She wished she could share Meera's optimism and perhaps she would when she had the energy, but for now she just needed to settle into that 'tired' state.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:18 pm
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With a confident look, Meera started waving her paw and nodding, "Of course I know what I'm doing." She ignored the little voice that said that that was largely what she did in life. Besides, winging it worked too sometimes.
As Ijiraq asked where they'd go though, the cheeton paused and lowered a paw to tap at her chin. "I do normally follow my paws, but usually to wherever the first inkling of an interesting place crops up. The rogue lands are pretty good at informing you of places you're about to run into, like the Bahari. I actually came here originally because I'd heard that there was a sea-faring pride nearby."
She grinned, "I don't regret coming here, for the record. Even if things are kind of tense right now, it was worth it to see the ocean and meet you and your brother and everyone else."
Meera sat down, completely unperturbed by the fact that she'd done so in the water, and had a look of concentration on her face as she thought. "I'm not really sure what prides or landmarks are near here." Her ears flicked up, "Is there a direction you'd like to go, since this will be your first time out?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 2:02 pm
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"Well..." Ijiraq rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I know that I'm definitely not supposed to head too far south, that's where my real dad is from and well... I might be ok, but you wouldn't be," she admitted. While Solomon was definitely her father, he wasn't by blood, and when she'd been old enough he had given her some of the answers she sought. Surprisingly to her very little had changed, her reaction had been rather muted and she continued to see Solomon as her parent... For some reason her young mind had assumed something would change at the time.
Family could be weird sometimes.
"See I could yell that he was my dad and apparently that's supposed to mean I don't get taken in as a slave but apparently they have some weird stuff going on with non-lions," she murmured. Personally she found Meera incredibly pretty and she had a suspicion that there would be more than a fair share of Vikings who would want a piece of her, but being desired didn't appear to be a fast track to superiority there.
"We have some...weirdish new neighbours in the desert nearby," she said finally. "Not really sure if they're dangerous or not, they just seem a bit distant for the most part so they could be interesting to investigate?" Ijiraq was of course referring to the Nergui and might have been a touch apprehensive if she knew all the details in regards to who and what they might have been.
...Fortunately it seemed the Nergui's disposition had shifted slightly to something more neutral for now, so there was every chance they might be safe during their visit.
"We can maybe head that way and then see if we hear anything from others passing by? If you found out about us then there might be folks who are talking about somewhere else too!" Suddenly, she was feeling slightly more energised.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 7:28 pm
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Huh, guess that meant she should avoid going south from here. She wondered what she could have meant by "weird stuff" but becoming a slave didn't sound very appealing. That said, her curiosity would probably bring her at least a little bit near it someday, but for now, Meera would heed that warning.
The mention of weirdish new neighbors had her perking up though. That sounded interesting! With a growing grin, Meera nodded, "That sounds like a good plan. I'm sure some others would have heard about this mystery pride of ours, and if not, well," she tilted her head, "we'll just be cautious about it. Either way, I think it's a great place to start." And likely a good way to get Ijiraq's mind off of what was happening here.
So she gave a decisive nod, "I'll be ready to go whenever you are. Just come get me once you've spoken to your dad." Or if he said no, but Meera didn't think he would. If anything, a father would want their daughter to find happiness, right? At least, that was her own experience.
In the meantime, she would stick around here. Play in the sea or with the sand until Ijiraq had her affairs in order. Maybe she'd try her paw at swimming again, once the sea had calmed some.
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