[PRP] Flowers in the Sand (Meara and Ume)

[belloblossom]

Meara had an objective today, not to hunt or be any sorts of useful, oh no. She was going treasure hunting! She wanted pretty shells, sea stars, anything pretty that could be used as decoration for her or for her beloved mother. Lucky charms from the gods were an especial rarity, but Meara was certain that if one had been left, that she would find it.

So, she set off along the shore, getting her paws thoroughly wet and mucky, since the wet sand clung to her pads and sank into her fur. She noticed how the wet sand looked much like the color of her fur and she smiled. It must mean, she thought, that she was born to be no where else. Hooking her claws out into the sand, she flipped up something that was causing bubbles to rise to the surface, only to find that it was an irritable horseshoe crab and she shoved her paw into the sand and released it. Well, that was a bad start, she thought with a shack.

That meant it was only going to go up from here, thought Meara with a smile on her face and kept her gaze on the sand beneath her paws. She was so focused as she scoured the shore that she did not see the pretty lioness sitting nearby and completely bowled her over. For a moment, Meara was too flustered to speak, only managing a few stuttering sounds. Then, she scrambled off the other.

"I am so, so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm so stupid, I- Are you okay?"

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Ume had elected to take the rest of the day for herself. Ever since she had arrived to the welcoming pride the white lioness had dove into the job she had chosen upon her acceptance. Was she over doing it? Most likely. But the excitement and pride of finally having somewhere to call home again sparked even this old lioness get off her bum!

But even with the added drive she only had so much in her energy reserves.

Like the rest of the Pombukas these past few weeks had been stressful. With the turning of spring love was in the air. Love tended to bring with it fat bellies and new families. With how many cubs running around to keep track of Ume honestly had to wonder if the goddess of fertility had decided to take a vacation here!

Luckily Ume had been blessed with leave of duty for a day. She had been bluntly told when she showed up to work this morning to turn around and to go get some rest.

Well they didn't have to tell her twice!

Thus the lioness found herself enjoying her favorite activity when relaxing: meditating. She had found a decent little spot to plunk herself down on the shore away from the hustle and bustle of the main township where it would be relatively quiet and peaceful. There would still occasionally be a passer by or two but with them being busy on their way to their own destination but few paid the white lioness any mind.

It was perfect to her. The clean, salty air. The drowning sound of waves crashing on the shore. She could let the sea lap at her paws and with it wash away her troubles.

Of course she had heard the young lionesses coming. Even within the safety of pride old habits picked up from years of surviving in the rogue lands died hard. She couldn't help herself but keep an ear out for any disturbances going on around her. The heavy sound of footsteps trogging through the surf pulled Ume from her thoughts.

At first she paid them no great concern. Just another pride member passing by. However as they grew closer Ume became more and more alert.

Huh. They weren't stopping either. Perhaps someone had sought her out? Whatever for she couldn't fathom. She was a relatively unknown member of the pride given that she had only arrived a short time ago. That and Ume preferred to keep herself in the back round. Making a big name for themselves and having a large gathering of friends was something best left for the youngsters. Getting involved with the daily drama was something simply she had grown out of long ago. She much rather be enjoying a night in her den napping or having a quiet dip in the ocean.

She had begun opening her mouth to greet the newcomer when she was knocked onto her side out of no where! Letting out a loud OOF at the initial hit it was soon followed by a loud groan as she laid still in the sand, trying to piece together what just happened.

Was...was she seriously just hit and run?

Her ear given a slight turn to the direction of the sandy brown lioness was all the indication Ume gave that she was indeed listening as she slowly rose herself back upright.

With a soft chuckle the lioness gave a soft smile towards the one who just assaulted her. Well, at least they had the decency to stop and apologize! "It's quite alright. Mistakes happen to even the best of us. I might be a bit sore tomorrow and will definitely need a bath but I think I'll live." Bringing up a paw she absently wiped away the sand stuck to half of her face as she continued on. "How about you though? Are you okay?"

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Meara was still fumbling around, flustered at being so silly and distracted. This is what she got for trying to get lucky. No one gets lucky (well, they did all the time), but no one gets lucky because they tried to get lucky! Luck just kinda... happens! It was as though whatever god or goddess there was out there decided that in trying she had been doing something wrong and that's why she had tripped. It's not like she was clumsy or something... Eh heh...

"Thank you for being so understanding." She said, feeling relief overcome her when the lioness opposite her didn't seem too upset. Surely if she had bowled any of her siblings over in such a manner, they wouldn't have reacted as kindly, understanding or not. "Oh, I'm fine." She went on hurriedly. "Not a scratch on me! I may have lost my space by the shore--I'm hunting you see, well, I say hunting, but I'm treasure hunting, actually. How're your eyes? Wanna help me look? If we find something pretty it's yours-call it an apology gift." Meara babbled on, only to come to an abrupt stop. She was rather on and off in the way she spoke, but no one had ever pointed it out to her as a bad thing, so she never thought to correct it.

Pollack

Sorry for the wait, thanks for your patience! heart

 

[Pollack]

My goodness this youngster was a ball of energy, wasn't she? Ume could barely keep up as she rambled on a mile a minute. Luckily she did have a great deal of experience dealing with the types like these given he various cubs she babysat tended to get overly excited about any little thing they found, not to mention her niece. Now that little girl made even her head spin at times.

With a calm sigh she smiled mildly at the young lioness, patiently waiting for her to be finished with her inquires before attempting to reply. "It's no problem at all, dear. You're not the first nor will you be the last youngin' to accidentally knock me down into the sand. You could say I'm rather use to it by now."

"Oh? Treasure hunting? My goodness, that sounds exciting! Though I haven't heard any rumors about any great treasures lying around here. Perhaps you know something that I don't?"

Cocking an eyebrow she couldn't help herself but giggle at her question about her eyes. Ahh, the irony truly wasn't lost on her. "My eyesight? Well, I think you could say it's well below average. I doubt I'll be much use being a spotter for any treasure but that doesn't mean I can't help sniff any out if you wouldn't mind an old lady slowing you down, of course?"

belloblossom

No problem! Life happens. <3

 

[belloblossom]

Meara giggled at the notion of finding a great hidden treasure, as the other lioness put.
"Oh, I didn't mean find something impressive, just something like a sea star or something pretty I could take home, maybe make something out of... I dunno! Something lucky, maybe. Everybody needs a little luck now and then, right?" She said with a smile, only to pause and reconsider what the lioness had said.

Wait a second... Meara suddenly peered up into the eyes of the lioness. They were pretty, to be sure, but they looked unfocused and Meara could see her reflection in them as though she were looking into a pool of water.

She backed up suddenly, surprised in her realization and then ashamed for her not realizing sooner.
"Oh, uh, sorry about that! I-I didn't realize! I, er..." She trailed off, did some paw shuffling and said, "You wanna tag along with me anyway?"

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Couldn't sea stars be found pretty much anywhere on the beach? This girl was amusing that was for certain. Perhaps it was simply because she was now accustomed to much grander (and often outlandish) dreams and goals set by her niece and many of the other children she cared over. To have such realist and rather low expectations was a strangely refreshing change of pace.

"Well we did just have a big storm, so I'm sure there's bound to be a virtual treasure trove out there for the harvesting. With or without luck I'm sure you're going to find more than what you were expecting out there."

Letting out a small 'Hm?' her ears perked along with her expression. "Sorry? Fo- Oh! Oh, please. There's not need to apologize." Smiling warmly Ume stepped forward towards the girl, nodding her head in the direction of the busier part of the beach. "I would love to. Come on now, we might be a little banged up from the collision but there's treasure still left to be found, no? Adventure awaits as you youngsters say!"

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Meara wasn't entirely convinced that the other wasn't mad at her. If her parents had been there, she surely would have been scolded for being so impolite. Then again, they would have probably hauled her home by the tail for knocking over a blind lioness to begin with. Glancing out to the sea, she wondered if the gods would be angry with her too and prevent her from finding anything wonderful that day. This was turning out to be far more... awkward than she had hoped when she first set out.

Well, no time like the present to change the way things were going, she thought and decided to smile at the other.
"Yes, you're right!" And she began to progress in the direction that the other had nodded in. "So, hey, I'm Meara, by the way. What's your name?"

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Hm, the air of uncertainty and anxiety was practically oozing off of this young girl. Ume honestly wasn't quite sure if she should console her, drop the subject, or perhaps just leave the poor girl be. Clearly she still felt a great deal of embarrassment from the earlier hiccup.

Ume decided to lean more towards the latter option.

"Again, what happened is quite alright, dear. There's no need to feel nervous, I'm not going to go running off tattling to your parents or anything of the sort." Smiling as warmly as she could Ume rose to follow the girl. "Meara? My, what a lovely name. Well it has been a pleasure to meet you despite everything, Meara. I'm Ume."

Popping her lips softly she stopped for a moment to dust off some sand from a sand-dollar laying just beneath the sand's surface. "I know that you're looking for treasure but what exact kind of treasure are you looking for? If you want shells and sand dollars we could merely comb the beach, or perhaps you're looking for something more exciting?"

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Meara let out a sigh of relief; it seemed that everything really was alright. Well, if Ume was okay, then Meara ought to make an effort to relax too. She just... wouldn't think about it, that's all!

"Alrighty then." She said, biting back a final apology about her nervous behavior. "Oh, thanks. I'm pretty fond of it myself." She purred at the compliment. "You have a nice name too, Ume. I'll be sure to remember it!"

As Ume went on to dust off a sand dollar, Meara peered over her shoulder, looking down at it.
"Don't get me wrong, I love sand dollars and shells just as much as the next lion, but today, I'd love to get my paws on a starfish. Not a live one, though, because...ew, but a dried one would be cool. Or maybe the husk of a horseshoe crab. Even digging for the live ones can be pretty cool, if a bit messy." She paused and smiled. "I'm not just looking for dead stuff though, I know it sounds like that, but I just think dried starfish are the most wonderful things. If we happen to find a particularly shimmery shell or something though, I won't say no!" She skipped ahead, passed the sand dollar. "I just want to be out and about and adventuring, you know?"

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Ah, good she was glad to see that a subject change was doing it's intended job! If she played her cards right hopefully the earlier hiccup would be nothing more than a embarrassing memory in no time.

"Some put a great deal of emphasize on the meaning behind one's name," Not that Ume was one of those few, but Meara didn't have to know that little tid-bit! "Might I ask the meaning behind yours, if you don't mind?" She finished off with a gentle, reassuring smile.

Letting out a pondering 'hm' Ume lifted the sand dollar, fitting it behind her ear like an accessory. "A dried starfish? Well that shouldn't be too hard to find. Probably would be able to find some left in the tide pools, no?" With a shake of her head Ume pressed forward, heading past the young Bahari.

"I understand your desire for adventure, I believe all go through it around your age. At least you are choosing to express it safely rather than getting yourself in trouble like some have recently." If the recent influx of quite...loose morals were anything to prove the power behind a young adult's natural drive to push their limits and find something exciting to do! "Come now, perhaps if we can't find anything that quite catches your fancy we could seek out the baboons of the jungle and trade with them? They tend to have lots of exotic goodies horded away."

belloblossom