Contemplations |Open|

[daystar]

Taser sighed deeply. He lay beneath a small tree, the air was cool and the wind blew heavily. It was refreshing. He was boredly inspecting his paw. His eyes darted over it as it lay before him palm up. He smiled, it's just a paw. He lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings. This was his home and he was happy here. It was quiet most of the time. The wild dogs were still abundant but they at the moment avoided him at all costs. Which was good but he sometimes wished they'd turn and fight just a little. The lion in him pleaded for conflict but the king told him this was perfect. Everything was flowed nicely and he was happy, happier then he'd ever been before. Poriuma was a lovely place, a strangeness hung in the air. The unnatural land had been cleared by the humans. Humans that were since long gone.

It was amazing the mark they had left. He recalled the pride that had lived here before him, a pride that he had claimed, re-birthed. The leaders before him were just whispers in the wind. He knew not their names, he didn't know their accomplishments and as their scent faded off the borders and the leaves their memory died. Even within him, they no longer existed, out of sight out of mind. Their legacy gone but the humans were different. They scared the very earth with their presence. He wondered if the trees had melted at their approach or if they had destroyed them to make the clearing that now surrounded him. He had heard of the humans and had been taught as a child to detect their presence. He knew they were very dangerous but he knew that they had abandoned Poriuma long ago.

He flinched slightly as lightning struck across the sky. He guessed it about mid-day but the sky was darkening and he knew the rains were coming again. It had rained several times recently making it apparent the rainy season was here. Tiny flowers were already blooming around him and they seemed to quiver in anticipation of the rain. He pulled himself up and stretched his muscled extended and he yawned readily before plopping back down into a sitting position. He scooted back toward his tree shelter. This was a good a place as any to await the upcoming rain, the first rainfalls began to fall. The rain was soft and calming. Suddenly, a Springbok broke into the clearing not twenty feet away from where Taser stood. It seemed panicked and it appeared to fly into the air. It circled and continued it's panicked leaps. It must've been separated from it's herd. He rose to his feet in excitement but he didn't pursue the creature. The drizzle pounded into a down-pour and he lost sight of the prancing creature. He listened intently trying to distinguish it's panicked footfall from the heavy wind.

[Kamaria]

Crouched low in the tall grass she stalked forward, carefully placing each paw where it would make no noise. The Springbok was standing foolishly far from its herd, and she had her sights set on it. She moved forward again, and then lunged at it. She didn't push it back toward the herd, but instead bounded between it and the others. She smiled as it panicked and bounded int eh exact direction she wanted it to go; away from the herd. She immediately bounded after it, giving chase to her prey. In less than a few seconds she could have had it, but the movement of something under a tree made her stop.

As the Springbok leaped in circles, desperately trying to find the herd again, she eyed the male that stood under the tree. But the drizzle began to increase to the downpour that was common in the wet season. She tore her gaze from the male and caught sight of the frantic Springbok. She ran after it again, this time catching its hind heels with her claws, causing it to lose balance a few times, before finally she leaped on it. In mid-leap, the animal dropped under her weight with a loud thud, which she knew the male would hear regardless of the rain. She snatched its throat in her jaws and killed quickly, waiting for the flailing limbs to go limp before dragging it to the shelter of the nearest tree. And the only tree close enough to get to quickly was the tree under which sat the male.

Gwandoya pulled the dead Springbok with her legs moving oddly around the body as it dragged along directly beneath her belly. Her jaws clung tightly to the antelope as it slid over the rough, wet ground. She watched the male as she came closer to him, amber eyes full of caution. She finally dropped the carcass where it would not be so spoiled by the non-stop rain and she would be free of the annoying splats of water on her back. Not that she didn't enjoy the water, for she loved it, but the rain got annoying after a while. She preferred rivers and ponds to rain and mud puddles. She took a strip of the meat from the Springbok and moved away from it to lay near the tree, but away from the male. She purposely left the carcass between them, offering him his share first, as she knew he was the leader of the pride. She eyed him as she gnawed the meat slowly.

[daystar]

His eyes danced as he caught his first sight of what had the Springbok in such a frenzy. A young lioness pursued him and his excitement grew. He cursed the rain for he couldn't see through it. He moved away from the tree and barely into the rain as he strained to see through the darkness thickened with rain. The pair moved back into sight and she almost had the creature. Then she stopped and her eyes caught his. He simply stared, allowing her her reaction while he himself remained without any thoughts running through his mind. Then she just went back to the chase. Now he let himself think quietly, what was she doing here? Technically that was his springbok but it wasn't like they were in short supply...or was it that there wasn't a heavy demand for food in the tiny pride. Regardless, he wasn't protective of the food supply in Poriuma.

He could no longer see her through the rain but he knew she must be close because the scent of blood filled his nostrils. His tail danced behind him as he once again attempted to locate his visitor. Then out of the blue she was right in front of him carrying the kill. She didn't even seem to care that he stood barely yards away from her. Though it was the best shelter and close to the tree the rain barely broke through. Sensible in every way except that he, a massive lion was occupying this space. Lucky for her, Taser was more curious then vicious and he immediately moved toward her as she lay down to eat. He didn't bother with the meal, he ate little for his size. Food didn't really interest him most of the time.

Though he was interested now and he sat down beside the head of the springbok. He wasn't really close to her but he was rather close. Closer then he normally dared, after all he was of menacing size and tended to intimidate others just by his size. He found if he ventured too close they'd move away rather quickly. But on this day, she had broke boundaries and so he felt he had every right. So he offered his most non-threatening smile and lowered his head to mask his tallness. He abandoned his usually soft-tone in his voice because of the loudness of the roaring rain. Though the ever-friendly tint hung thick in his tone. "Not exactly a nice day for hunting, is it?" he paused for only a second to make sure he had her attention. Then he continued. "My name is Taser." Simple enough conversation considering he was a king and she had invaded his pride lands. But Taser wasn't the formallest and by her actions, neither was she.

[Kamaria]

She paused, her jaws just clamped down on the meat she had taken, as he spoke. She enjoyed the sound of his voice, as it was gentle, but loud enough to hear over the pouring rain. She hadn't made contact with another lion this close since the day her mother had died, more than a year ago. That was, indeed, the day she learned a great lesson in life, and she took it to heart. Her eyes watched him with great curiosity, as her mature yet so young mind realized that he was a king, and she had just trespassed on his land and still he had not driven her off. She silently thanked him for that, as she desperately needed a pride. Not that she couldn't get on well enough on her own, she was just lacking interaction that is good for the mind, and only now did she realize just how much she longed for it.

She swallowed the remainder of the strip she had taken, slowly. She sat up deliberately, considering what to say. She returned his smile with a rather timid one, which was not like her and a horrible impression on her true personality. She mimicked him, lowering her head to look at his face, as she was truly rather large for a lioness, though she did not look it until standing next to another. Though she was tall, her body build was, in fact, rather stocky. The scar on her chest was visible, though not distracting. It caused her no pain anymore, and she barely knew it was there.

Her black-tipped tail waved a couple of times in her thought of what to say, for she was not used to such encounters, and it would likely take her a while to get used to conversation. She gave a frustrated rumble, more true to her nature. She was glad of the friendly hint in his voice, for along with his size and the fact of him being a king the absence of the friendly words might have been a little threatening to her. The instinct to talk herself out of the situation threatened to overcome her, but she suppressed it, knowing the male was friendly so far.

"No, it is rather dreary to be hunting, but it had to be done. and it was pretty easy to separate it," here her eyes fell upon the springbok, but she turned her gaze to the male again. She repeated his name until it was comfortable in her mind, and she flicked a teddy-bear ear. "I am Gwandoya," was her reply. Though her voice was gentle and shy-sounding, it was not meant to be so. The shyness in her voice was rather due to the trust he had not yet gained, though she found that he was already starting to reel it out of her. His will to be kind was a part of it, and the fact that she had been watching this pride for a few days. She watched him now with golden eyes, that still seemed to shine despite the gloomy rain. Hidden in her eyes was her true personality, which was rather strong willed, though she was a bit of a push-over when she did trust.

[daystar]

He glanced to the side at the pouring rain. He was surprised that it hadn't turned nastier. He'd seen a few streaks of lightening but thunder so far had eluded the pounding rain. Which was not a sour event for Taser. Rain was a good thing, it brought life but when accompanied by thunder and lightening it seemed...much more angry and dangerous. He listened as she spoke turning his attention back to her. Dreary to say the least, but a lion's got to eat even when it rains. He noted the shyness in her voice and attitude, he didn't fault her. Frankly she needed to be reserved. She was trespassing and if she had any scent of arrogance to her Taser would've reacted much differently. As a matter of fact she was still standing where she was because Taser allowed her to. Though, he didn't put much thought into it, he expected her to.

Regardless of the circumstances he was glad she was here. He'd had his social encounters recently but before that he had a long stretch of solitude and like her he still had a longing for interaction. Something about being alone, that fuses into a lion's personality. It changes them and he was a perfect example. He'd talk for hours with anyone and in doing so he was overly trusting. Already he had no foul thoughts about the lioness before him. Surely she was innocent, just hungry. His tail twitched behind him slightly in annoyance of the few spare drops of rain that fought their way through the many branches and leaves above his head. Other then his tail movement he ignored the rain, his coat usually so, so pale was darkened by the rain. He almost looked like a normal colored lion, almost but still lighter.

He too, repeated her name in his head. He didn't want to mis-pronounce it. Finally he said, "Well, Gwandoya, what brings you to my humble little pride lands?" He assumed she had followed the prey but who knew why she had been in the area. He would know because he had asked. He was sort of big on asking questions. There aren't a lot of questions or any for that matter that he didn't feel comfortable answering and he gave everyone else the same...privilegde. He did know that sometimes he asked too much and took responses of 'I don't feel comfortable talking about that' and the like in stride. He'd just nod and continue talking. It was his nature, part of what he was born with, the rest brought on by his experiences.

[Kamaria]

She watched his actions, even the little movements. It was something she found she had to do, for if she didn't she might miss something and missing anything could get her into trouble. That is how she survived, for she had to observe the movements of her prey to pick out the weakest, and she had to watch other lions and lionesses carefully to make sure they didn't get any ideas about stealing her kill. But, that is only the way of the loner, and she was sure to grow out of this habit, if she were to join a pride and not have to watch so closely.

As he spoke his question, she shifted her weight from one paw to the other, trying not to be uncomfortable, but it was inevitable. There was more to it than she really wanted to tell him, and she wasn't sure if he would know if she told a short version of the truth. She really had followed prey closer, for she had stuck to the outskirts of the pride lands and not hunted as she was watching. Perhaps she could tell him that she had followed prey because she could find no other on her wanderings as a loner, and possibly he would either believe her or become suspicious.

But if the latter happened, he could run her off, and then she would lose her chance to be social. Although, if she told the whole truth he could still be suspicious. But was it not typical for a loner to join a pride, at some point in their wanderings? He didn't seem the type to run her off for keeping to the outskirts and trying to decide whether or not to make herself known. Surely he would understand, for he probably needed pride members anyway, as she had observed only two in the days she'd watched.

All of this ran through her head in a matter of seconds, and in that time she swished her tail anxiously and shifted her weight from side to side. So she decided to risk the truth rather than possible suspicion. "Your small pride attracted me," and it occurred to her that she might not want to choose those words, but they were already said, and she couldn't take them back. So she added quickly, "And I am wandering, but I am longing for the company of a pride, even a small one. I prefer it that way, for now. I was hunting, for I had not eaten in days, and I did not pay attention to how close I had come. I apologize for trespassing so carelessly." In her haste to tell before she could change her mind, her words came before she could stop them. She looked away from him as she spoke, hoping that she had spoken the right words that would make him forgive her. Her voice lacked the charm that she usually used to get out of uncomfortable situations, but there was a hint of it. And as she spoke of her hunt, she realized that she had eaten very little of her kill for being so hungry as to not know she was trespassing. The thought of how little she had eaten made her hungry again, and she eyed the meat with a certain longing, but did not move, for she still waited for his reaction and she did not want to be rude under these circumstances.

[daystar]

He listened intently allowing the attention he was giving her be obvious as he watched her. He was watchful of every move, too. Though his monitoring was caused by extreme curiosity more then nerves. His time in solitude made even the normallest encounter intriguing. His eyes remained on her face ready to catch her eyes if she would look. Finally a smile broke across his features, so she did at least realize her mistake. He didn't reply immediately and he caught her gaze toward the kill. He effortlessly moved several steps closer to the tree and away from the kill. This move he made as graceful as a massive lion could manage. He only shortly thought maybe he should of stood his ground it was on his land, it was his but he didn't think of it until after he moved. She'd killed it and it was natural manners when attempting conversation to allow the other their boundaries and their space. Although he had intended to be 'invasive' upon her space because she was occupying his space. It didn't phase him as he decided that he had just subconsciously threw that strategy to the wind.

A small pride. Yes, they were quite the small pride probably one of the smallest. He wasn't sure if it was rude to point that out or not. They might be a small pride but they were young. He was secure in the strength of himself and his pride so he took no offense. Frankly he did need her. The more lions in the land the better protected it was, the stronger it was. He wondered if she knew that. He wondered if she knew he would allow her to join his pride because he needed the numbers. He didn't want her to know but to turn her down because he was too prideful to accept help when he needed it. From the way she talked she needed help too. It was a win-win situation so he let his suspicion that she might think his pride desperate disappear to the back of his mind. "Gwandoya, you can stay in Poriuma, my pride lands for as long as you like." His voice although still friendly as always was absent of any true emotion. Just plain speaking as if they were discussing something as simple as the way the wind blows. He added with a slight hint of tension to his words "You may also join the Ari pride."

True, she'd just showed up on a stormy day with a kill in her mouth. True, it wasn't customary to welcome such a visitor so quickly and so effortlessly but Taser wasn't one to beat around the bush. She wanted a pride, he wanted members. It was a simple equation and now it was out of the way. No longer an issue, he ever so slightly arched his back in a barely noticeable stretch. He felt more at ease and once again he smiled still attempting to catch her gaze. A perceptive lion could see a lot in the eye of another.

[Kamaria]

She tried to keep her gaze on the kill, for more reasons than just that she wanted the food. Although she did see him and his reactions through her peripheral vision. She saw him smile at her mistake, or the fact that she did know her mistake. She saw his eyes flicker at every move she made, and had to resist the temptation to look at him as he moved away from the kill. She didn't move for a moment, but subconsciously leaned forward while so intensely focused on it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the slight tension in his body as she spoke of the small pride and almost regretted the words. She knew he was wondering if she had used that just to get into the pride, and partly she had, but truly it had slipped out before she oculd stop it. Guilt entered her eyes as she thought this, though she hoped he did not catch this while she was trying to look away. She flicked her amber eyes toward him to see him clearer from the corner of her eyes, though she did not turn her head, and she saw him try to catch her gaze, and she had to work hard to resist the urge to let him.

Her head snapped up, however, as he spoke his first reply and she could do nothing to stop her eyes meeting his. Her amber ones held surprise, despite her knowing it was almost garunteed. They also held relief and silent thanks to him, as she knew it had been obvious that she oculd no longer handle being on her own. She knew not what she would do if she had been refused, but she cast the thought aside and flicked her ears forward. As he spoke again, she leaned back away from the kill and toward his new place near the tree. She felt like jumping up and down as she would have as a cub, but she controled the impulse and smiled. This one had changed immensely from the last she had given him, as it now containted none of the timidness and unsureness the first had held. Now her smile was full of gratitude and happiness.

She nearly forgot the kill she had longed for only moments ago, but a gust of wind and rain sent the smell to her nose and she turned her head back to it. But, slowly, she turned back to Taser. "I think I should like to join the Ari, if it's okay with you." Her voice was still fairly calm, though the gratitude could not be kept out of it. She spoke as calmly as she could, and succeeded, except for the excitement in her voice. She moved toward the kill finally and ate chunks out of it at a time, for she was hungrier than she had let on.