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 Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:14 pm
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 It seemed just her luck that everything was going decidedly wrong as of late but she knew, deep in her heart, that it was untrue to those that had honestly suffered to feel pity for herself instead of worry for the pride as a whole. There were others that had lost so much more than a bit of their self confidence and thus, she found herself sitting quietly beneath the sparse shade a tall acacia offered, trying not to draw too much attention to her emotions.
An old, healed wound had left a scar across the bridge of her left brow, interrupting the clean line of her stripes and it served as a constant reminder of her own pitfalls and failures - her own misfortunes and disasters. Every time she looked into a watering hole and saw her own face staring back at her, especially following the tragedies that had only just passed, she could not help feeling a little unnerved.
Was there no where on this earth that was safe?
"You fret too much," a voice chimed from the branches above her and without bringing her dark eyes up, she smiled at the sound of his voice. When she did not respond to her steadfast vulture companion, he added, "you know I'm right."
There was a sound of his ruffling feathers from above as he shifted himself among the thin leaves.
"I know you're right," she said, at last, but her eyes were already on something else - one of the males that protected them seemed to be wandering toward her. Girusomething, what was his name again? She had only ever heard it from some of the pride's more gossipy females and had honestly never paid it much mind.
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:58 pm
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There had been enough moons that shifted overhead for Giruvegan to feel more comfortable here. He could never fully allow himself to let it feel like home, but it was a temporary place that he could allow himself to relax in. He had begun to make...friends?...companions that he could open up with a bit. It felt like a pressure had been released, allowing himself to admit that he was still a tad uncomfortable with all of the duties that his position required of him.
His current task was easy enough; he was carefully checking in on all the females, making sure that all seemed all right. The stampede had done a number on all; some moreso than others. His pride had taken a beating, the inescapable reality that he failed his duty to protect his charges. A silent vow to do better would only go so far, so he kept his mind and paws busy to fight back the darkness that ate away at his heart.
His dark eyes had caught sight of a lioness he hadn't spoken with yet....what was her name? As he approached her, he tried to pull out her name from memory...but one wasn't coming. Her markings were so striking, so complimentary of the savanna grass that stretched along the sparse, thin trees that scattered the landscape. Well, if he couldn't recall her name, the best part to start would be to offer his (though she certainly would know it, there being so few males within the pride).
"Greetings," he said as he drew closer to her, close enough to see the colour of her eyes. "I am Giruvegan....and I am here to see if you are holding up alright." He didn't recall seeing her in the midst of the stampede, but everything had happened so fast, under the cover of heavy rain.
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 2:39 pm
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Giruvegan, that was it.
As he spoke, she found herself smiling politely up at him and trying not to let her eyes wander across the strange myriad of markings that covered his body. They were peculiar and interesting to her because she had never quite seen anything like him if she were being totally honest. After a moment, she realized, she was doing exactly what she had tried not to do and her polite smile faded to an awkward, suddenly shy, laugh.
"I'm sorry, I don't meant to.."
Nope, that was a little more awkward.
She blew out a sigh and pushed herself up to a sitting position so that he did not have to look down at her quite so far. Then she simply dipped her head, polite, in a way she hoped would rectify her forwardness. She still wasn't sure how one behaved with the males here - she knew some things and had heard others..
"I am Lamkana, I'm still.. rather new to these lands. I've been fairing alright, given everything, I suppose."
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 3:37 pm
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Giruvegan could only hope that she would offer her name in return. There was a quiet moment between them, and the Inselelo only assumed it was due to her trying to sort her mind out. The moment stretched a bit longer than he had anticipated...and then she admitted what he had partly wondered. She was eyeing him, in the way that many of the Busisa and Umzingeli did.
And although his heart still nipped at him with sadness, he laughed. A bright, joyous laugh, one that he didn't realize had been wanting to burst out for quite some time.
Tension released itself in his shoulders, and he quickly got himself under control. "You are not the first," he said with a polite bow, "and you will not be the last." He lifted one of his forepaws up, flexing each claw that could resemble a rather large foot of a hawk. "It is strange. Back in my homelands, they liked to say that we have the blood of birds within us, but I will admit I don't carry any secret powers. Or feathers."
He offered another nod, sitting a respectable distance away from her. He was attempting to ease himself on a similar level with her. She seemed quiet and content...his eyes wander up towards the vulture perched in the tree. She may seem quiet, but she was never alone; a blessing.
"It seems we share a trait of newness," he added on. "I am glad to hear you are well enough, given the incident that struck."
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2018 2:48 pm
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The bright, gay sound of his laughter was enough to cement the smile on her face and she was glad that it had done enough to dissipate the awkward, restricted air that lingered between them. To be sure, things here with the males were so different than how she had been raised - so different from him..
As he spoke, she let her murky eyes linger upon him with rapt attention, banishing all thoughts of the lost love that she would never find again. Yet, as he spoke, her brows rose a little and she nearly gasped at the unlikeliness of what he was telling her - the blood of birds? Well, he certainly looked like it was possible, and it felt so, so close to her heart that she found herself looking up at the bird sitting above her in the branches.
Kota answered with an amused trill but otherwise did not move, not wishing to intrude more than simply watching over his dear friend.
"That is.. an odd coincidence," she said at last, touching her chest with a paw, "I am from a pride that believes in bonding with birds. When we are cubs we find a companion that stays with us for life, that is as much a part of us as our hide and blood. Kota has been with me for as long as I can remember."
Her gaze dropped and she found her smile growing wider, uncontrolled. How strange, to find someone so close to how she had been raised!
"How have you been fairing here, then? It seems.. very different, doesn't it?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:39 pm
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The conversation was flowing smoother than Giruvegan could have ever wished it to. He had never been the most social lion, as merchants usually got by with a persona plastered on their face. Here, he didn't have any wares to hawk off; just protection. In many ways....he preferred it. It felt more honest.
"A coincidence indeed," he echoed, though he wondered if that made his pelt seem even more awkward in her eyes; to inadvertently wear a symbol to be respected, even if he couldn't take it off.
"It is....very different. Very." He was getting flashbacks of remembering all the staring. And also....all the flirty females that wouldn't quite leave him alone if he didn't keep himself busy. Thankfully he had found a friend that was amused with the attention, so between her and his sister, he hadn't been harassed too much. "I am beginning to find my way, and feeling more comfortable with it all. I have even made something of a friend, though I know that connections such as those will not last forever. But it is...nice." He hoped that she had a friend, though that vulture of her's seemed to be something closer than a friend; a second half of her.
"The biggest change for me is the food, to be honest."
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 11:25 am
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"I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks so then," she echoed his thoughts and laughed at it, feeling the bits of tension in her shoulders relax and release with the gesture. It had seemed so odd to her so far, the coexistence with the males and the rules that governed them. It made her feel much more connected with the females here but it was strange to know that eventually even this kind male would be run back into the rogue lands from whence he came.
"I think that is the strangest part for me, personally, watching you come and go. I think only one male has been replaced in the time that I've been here but," her words faltered and her jowls pursed. When she had been young she had loved a male that never would have left her had they been given a choice in the matter. She would not find that again anywhere and she was not sure she had wanted to; it was still different to know it wasn't her choice, here.
"It's a little strange, isn't it? Whatever you do here for us, with us, is very temporary for you. If you don't mind my asking, why have you.. decided to do it?" The look on her face was perplexed and after a moment, before he could answer, she shook her head and dropped her eyes out of a sudden feeling that she was overstepping her boundaries. "Forgive me, that was.. a very forward question."
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:59 pm
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"Forgiven," he chuckled with one sarcastic wink. "Forwardness is akin to honesty; as hard as it can be, I see nothing wrong with it." It was not the easiest subject to broach, but a fair enough reason to ask. If he was to...sire....cubs here and leave, they at least deserved to attempt to understand why he made this choice.
"It was simply to find the best place for my sister to live. I am glad I can be here with her to settle in and adjust. If my time here is short, let it be well lived. I hope I do not lose a challenge any time soon, but after seeing my homelands fall, I know that life is temporary, no matter where you are. Some moments just last a bit longer than others."
He breathed another chuckle as he exhaled, feeling like perhaps he was starting to preach to her, rather than just make small talk. "Ah, sorry. It is something I have been coming to terms with, and I think your question finally helped me solidify that feeling."
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 7:15 pm
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"I am glad I could have helped," she spoke, after a laugh. Talking to him was as easy as breathing and that was a welcome change for her as a newcomer to this land. She had been finding her place here odd, although not entirely uncomfortable, and the honest conversation with him was, well, enlightening in its own right. If there was one thing that was odd to her, it was simply the males and their places among this pride. "I admit that speaking with you had been a little more helpful than I thought. You aren't the only one that finds the ways of this pride to be a little odd."
She smiled and pushed herself to her feet, stretching out her long front legs. Overhead, Kota shifted, ruffling his feather and murmuring something she didn't quite catch under his breath. The tone was unmistakable and she fought the urge to reach up and swat at the branches; he seemed to know, as he flitted higher, safer into the tree top.
"Don't apologize," her eyes dropped back to him and this time she was the one that winked, a quick flash of a sapphire eye. "This pride is undeniably a safe haven for a lot of us, myself included. After all the turmoil and disaster that has followed me it is nice to feel as if there is somewhere I can rest easy at last. Even with.. everything that has happened recently, we are bound together and, well," she dipped her head with a shy smile fixed in place, "you and the other males have been incredibly good about keeping us safe during this chaos. So really, thank you."
She turned her head to look in the direction she knew a large part of their pride had gathered, licking their wounds and accounting for those that were lost and injured. She really ought to head back and see what she could do to help.
"Would you mind escorting me back to the others, Giruvegan? I don't expect to run into a dangerous rogue between here and there but," she shrugged, "at least you are good company even if we don't. Hm?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 7:40 pm
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