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 Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:45 pm
The hours of twilight had long since faded away, leaving the landscape a blurred mosaic of bushes and trees. Behind her she could hear the slave girl Nerit, and around her the wind whispered reverently through the leaves and grass. As well it should, she thought - tonight was a night of great promise.
Tonight the sky was lit with a full moon - the Great Lion was watching.
She shivered, half in delight and half in awe. It was a strange feeling, knowing there was something greater out there - something bigger than anything she'd ever be able to understand. And she knew she was a part if it...
A breeze lifted her forelock and ruffled her fur, and she whispered a brief prayer. Her bright eyes strayed to the sky, noting each star like a landmark on a map, and she was surprised to find a true happiness rising inside of her. Home at least! They were so close, she could sense it, feel it in the wind, smell it -- !
That smell! She raised her muzzle to the air and sniffed. The smell of the herb... and mingled with it, the smell of her pride. they'd found it! Though she was nearly bursting inside, outside she kept her demeanor cool. Turning to the slave girl, she barked a few sharp orders and waited until she was alone for the first time in a long time.
She took a deep breath, then took off in search of the king.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:57 pm
The small part of the pride that had found it's home was getting settled in quite nicely, and all of them anxiously awaited the days when the others would join them. Unyezi was particularly anxious, most especially about certain members. Particularly Shira and Otieno, where Shira was vital to the pride and Otieno, well, he was Aureole's last remaining family member. He wouldn't even admit it to himself, but he was also somewhat anxious to have Nerit back around as well.
The full moon was high in the sky, and Unyezi felt it would be a fitting night to return. However, without Shira around, Mwenzangu's initiation was to be delayed a month now. Perhaps that was good, for now the rogue who had found their home need not be given the chance to become a slave. Unyezi was particularly anxious, not hoping to see the one who discovered their home as a slave. With the Great Lion watching, the king was certain that someone else would find them. Their god was on their side, tonight. With this in mind, he was happy to wander around the lands, keeping himself somewhat occupied learning the boundaries of his new land.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:19 pm
She wasn't certain where she could find Unyezi - after all, she had no real knowledge of their new home. Other than it following the specifications, of course. But she wasn't especially concerned; rather, she chose to just let her paws pick the path for her. Her mind drifted as her feet wandered over the newly claimed lands, and each landmark she spotted was stored in her memory.
The scent of the herb filled her and she took a long deep breath. It was good to be back where it grew again... she'd missed it. Somehow, a part of her was missing without it. Her heart, which had been heavy with worry these last few months, seemed lighter than it had in years.
Home, at last!
A familiar scent was carried to her on the wind and she paused, then smiled. The Great Lion had lead her to where she needed to be. Her eyes scanned the darkness and managed to pick out the white form of her king, coming closer towards her from the left. She took another deep breath.
"Good to see you again, Unyezi!" She called, unable to keep a smile from her face.
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:02 pm
Unyezi's fur was for the most part light or bright colors, white and blue that stood out well in the moonlight. Shira, however, was much darker in color and blended into the background that much better. The King only saw the slightest signs of movement in his peripheral vision, and when he turned his attention on it he was surprised to hear someone calling out to him. Immediately he recognized the voice, and almost immediately following that Shira seemed to become much more visible in the night.
"Shira!" he called out, sounding rather excited to see her. Jogging closer to greet her and talk with her properly, he stopped several feet from him, "You've found us! It's a relief to have you home." Unyezi wasted no time in alerting her to the fact that they were home, for he suspected she might have figured that out already- she did look awfully happy.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:33 pm
"It's a relief to BE home, Unyezi."
And it really was - the long days and longer nights on their journey had seemed endless, and it would be a great relief to be in the safe company of the pride once more. Not that she didn't think she could take care of herself, of course! But it was always nice to have more lions around.
It would be good to fall back into a schedule again. She'd become lax in her rituals, pressed for time every morning and evening, but now she'd be able to truly devote herself to her pride and her job as a shaman.
"Is the pride settling in well?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:40 pm
Unyezi couldn't help but smile widely as he continued looking at the shaman. As much of a relief as it had been to find a home, it was a greater relief to have Shira home- she had the whole religion of the pride depending on her, had she been lost they would have been at a loss. Unyezi knew enough to maybe get them by a bit, but overall it would have been very bad. Very bad.
"We're settling in well enough," he said, "But we'll all be better having you back. There's already someone waiting for you, he helped us find this area."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:47 pm
She noticed the relief painted across his features and couldn't help but feel a little smug. It was, after all, a nice thing to know you were needed! Especially when an entire pride depended on your skills. If she was a little overproud of this fact... well, who could blame her?
She had, after all, worked damn hard for the skills she'd learned. A shadow passed over the lioness' face as she remembered her past and her teacher. Shira snorted and shook the thoughts away before she could really let her memories get her down.
"Good." Shira nodded sharply, her gaze following the faint horizon. It would be nice to see the lands under the light of the sun tomorrow. She'd have to become familiar with them - where the best herbs were, and where the water flowed cleanest and...
So much to do!
"Oh? Who found them then?" She wasn't familiar with everyone in the pride now - so many had been recruited while she was gone. So many had been lost...
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:54 pm
Unyezi was used to Shira's attitude. They were both very important for the pride's functioning, but even Unyezi knew that if it came down to it, the monarch would be much easier to replace than the shaman. It was how it had always been, and how it would always be, really. Still smiling, the king looked out over the lands as Shira did before looking back when she questioned him.
"Mwenzangu has joined us, he is the one who recognized the herb and was able to point us in this area," Unyezi explained, "I decided to start asking more rogues, since those who have traveled or are from the area are more likely to know if it's around. It was a good idea, though he'd been traveling with Unyenyezi before I spoke with him. We are lucky."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:03 pm
"It was a good idea." Shira agreed quietly. Who knew how long they could have been searching? Already it seemed like an eternity since the pride had had a home. She didn't think she could have withstood a lifetime of wandering across the world!
But there was no point in wasting time thinking of things that would never come to pass.
"If he was traveling with Unyenyezi, he must know a lot about the pride already." A good thing, in her opinion. Though they needed numbers sorely, it could be such a pain to instruct new members on the intricacies of pride life. "I'd be interested to meet him."
If he was from around here, he probably knew where more useful things were. Indeed, Unyezi was smart for asking local rogues!
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:08 pm
Unyezi beamed, happy for whatever compliment- it would have occurred to someone eventually, they would have found a home one way or another. He was just glad it had not been Njiru who had found the area first, though he did find it eventually. He glanced up at the sky, reminding himself of the full moon.
"I'd say you better meet him," he commented, "Is there time still to initiate him tonight, or will we need to wait until the next full moon?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:17 pm
Shira followed his gaze to the full moon, considering the hour and the amount of time it would take to prepare. If they hurried a little, she could probably do it tonight. That way he wouldn't have to wait a month to become an official member.
And after all, he HAD found the herb...
"We can do it tonight, if we do it right now. I'll take a few minutes to prepare, but if he can show me where some herbs are..." She grinned. "It should be doable."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:21 pm
"There is some not too far from the dens," Unyezi said simply, glancing off in the direction where the pride had taken up residence, "It's not much, or the only place, but it might be good enough for tonight. He's the only one. I'll take you back and show you, then we can see if we can find him."
Unyezi beamed, and turned around to head back towards home, nodding for Shira to follow along.
"And you can tell me about your trip while we walk," he said.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:36 pm
Stupid! She admonished herself sharply, Of course Unyezi would know where they are too!
"That sounds fine." She agreed, padding easily after the king. She'd have time enough later for exploration (and a desperately needed long rest). Besides, it wouldn't take too long for her to give him the herb and wait until a priest or priestess was watching over him.
Shira was silent for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. "Our trip was fairly uneventful. Nerit was good, for the most part. She's a bit... foward, for a slave though."
Honestly, maybe even more than 'a bit'! Nerit seemed to want to chat at every opportunity. Shira's ears flickered back in remembered annoyance. At least she had had someone to hunt for her!
"Oh, and I thought you might be interested to know..." Shira glanced sideways at Unyezi and then continued on quietly. "Nerit looks rather pregnant."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:51 pm
Unyezi nodded, and would later be happy to show Shira around a bit, though he knew solo exploration was very effective- it'd done him a great deal of good, though a guide for some of the more important regions wouldn't have been so bad. He could at least help her out in the right direction of some of the herbs, the areas he knew about anyway. The king had no doubt Shira would find much, much more than even Zangu had pointed out. At least, he hoped so! The more plentiful, the better.
Shira mentioning Nerit came as a mild surprise to him, having been so concerned with the reappearance of the Shaman he had completely forgotten she'd been the one to take Nerit- so that Nerit would not be stuck with Njiru, though no one really knew that. Shira needed someone with her, why not Nerit?
"Ah, yeah," he agreed, "Better company than some might have been, though, I hope. It was never lonesome with us, our group expanded in numbers as we kept running into others from the pride." Smiling a bit, he glanced over at Shira as she started her next sentence. His expression immediately changed and he stumbled a bit- but managed to keep walking.
"Pregnant?" he repeated, trying to look less stunned but still surprised- surprised as one might expect from him, not how he really thought about the subject.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:05 pm
Shira's eyebrows arched up as the king stumbled. Surprised much? Her thoughts jerked back to the rumors she'd heard in the past. At first she'd discounted them, and she'd almost forgotten them. Now it was like brushing the dust off of an old puzzle...
And wasn't Njiru in on all that? She strained her memory for a moment, forcing herself to remember old, nearly lost facts. Maybe that was why Unyezi insisted on sending Nerit to accompany her, even thought Shira'd been fairly adamant about going alone.
Well, that was his business, and his alone.
"Well, either that or she's gotten fat on traveling rations." Shira gave a casual shrug. "And I don't know how ANY lion could do that. We barely caught enough to get along."
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