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 Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:21 am
Mii'ah was brimming with happiness despite the fact a drought raged through the pride and her duties as a soldier had been reassigned to one similar of a waterseeker. She didn't care, she had finally succeeded in joining the ranks of the fiery warrior lions of the firekin. She still had a ways to go when it came to being on par with many that had been born into the pride.
Yet, today her thoughts were not focused upon finding water or training. No today she was seeking out the lion that had given her first chance. The lion who, like no one else, had pushed her to do something rather than just handing it to her. He had challenged her and after being pampered by her father her entire life, it was something that was completely welcome.
"Xipil!" she called as she spotted him.
The lion in question lifted his head and turned in the direction he heard his name called. He frowned slightly as his blue eyes met her green. "Here for another loss?" He mocked a small smirk curling the corners of his lips. Though he did not care much for the challenge of outsiders, he had to admit dueling the female had been entertaining especially when she began to demand his respect.
She did not know it, she had forced it from him.
She shook her head, a grin spreading across her mouth. "Hardly, though soon," she replied unbothered by his taunts. "I am no longer an outsider, I am a full-fledged member."
He frowned, it was not the news he had been expecting and to have something surprise him...well it left him mildly troubled. "How nice."
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:03 am
Fia was tired. Always tired. When she wasn't watching her younger siblings, recording history (a task she had neglected recently) she was out with her newly acquired friend, Vesta, seeking water. The water-seeking had, of course, taken priority and her paws were unused to such use. They bothered her now, sore and worn. Thankfully, she had Vesta there to keep an eye on her. To know the lands well enough to know when to turn back or where they could stop and rest or sections they had not yet checked. She was a good kid; noble and dedicated, but she was also quiet and timid. Actually, her timidness was probably why Fia put up with her. There was no battle for dominance. Vesta was quiet and calm and listened to everything Fia said. And Fia? Well, she respected the little lioness for the work she did. Work that - up until now - had mostly been ignored or sneered at.
So, despite all the reasons why it shouldn't work. Their friendship had, in fact, rather flourished these past few days. It was...a strange thing: to have a friend.
She had been heading in from a short round of water-seeking that morning before Vesta had declared them too tired to rest and had ordered their search to a halt. Fia - for once - had not tried to press the matter and had simply followed her. After all, with most of the lions out searching, there was no point grinding one's paws down to the bone. Rest was essential. A weary searcher was a poor searcher.
That was, however, when she heard an unfamiliar voice calling a familiar name. Her brother. She had not taken the time to speak with him in quite a while and it seemed he'd acquired himself a lady friend without any aid from her at all? This, she had to see!
Hopping over a trail of low rocks, she descended the dunes in the direction of the voice, pausing to take in the scene before her. There, a short distance away was a pretty young female who Fia did not know. A new member, then? Even still, new or not, the pair did seem to be reasonably well acquainted. Well enough to jest. How cute! Flirting already!
With a soft snort, she padded across to her dear brother and his new girl, fully intending to tease him. After all, she had not expected her workaholic brother to find himself involved in romance. And, whilst 'romance' was something that Fia had no intention of involving herself in, she was strangely happy to see that her serious-faced brother was doing something other than training.
"Well, well." She chirped; eyes sparking merrily. "Have I stumbled into a private moment? How adorable." She drew up alongside her brother, eyeing the female curiously. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your new lady friend, Xipil?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:57 pm
The red furred female frowned as he only responded with a, how nice. That was all he would give her? It practically made her blood boil as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "How nice indeed," she snapped flicking her tail behind her in anger.
He smirked shaking his head. "Just because you won a membership doesn't mean that we are equals, you are far beneath me in skill and ability," he said in a matter-of -fact tone of voice. His head turned at the sound of his sister's voice. "Hello Fia," he stated turning slightly away from Mii'ah, much to her displeasure.
She opened her maw to speak, only to pause as Fia called their time 'private' and her to be Xipil's friend. "I would hardly call us friends," she retorted before giving the darker female a once over. "I am perfectly capable of introducing myself," she interjected as Xipil began to speak again. He merely raised his eyebrows and allowed her to speak.
"My name is Mii'ah," she replied, offering the other girl a smile.
"There you go Fia," Xipil said.
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:07 pm
What was this? A lover's tiff? Already?
"Be nice, brother dear." Fia teased, throwing her wild-eyed look across at Mii'ah. Yes, she was a good size and had a rather pretty pelt. She certainly looked the part of a Firekin warrioress! Her brother could have chosen a lot worse, that was for certain. Her smile widened.
"And I - as he just stated - am Fia. His dearest sister. Nice to meet you." She tipped her head, curious. "But...if you're not friends, then what are you? I'd have guessed you were reasonably well acquainted?" Or was she...totally wrong here? Was this just some sort of work-related thing? In which case she'd be severely disappointed in Xipil for not seeing the potential. "Are you to be a soldier, Mii'ah?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:17 pm
Xipil didn't quite understand what Fia was getting at, he was a lion who didn't quite understand his own emotions. "I do not understand what you're getting at Fia, I am always nice," he replied even knowing that wasn't true. He was never cruel or mean even but he wasn't particularly nice, he had an air of arrogance at times. Still, he didn't think he wasn't be nice.
"Acquaintances, we are acquaintances," he told her, his blue eyes flickering back and forth between the two lionesses.
Mii'ah nodded in agreement. She didn't consider Xipil to be more than an acquaintance, or a fellow soldier. No, he was far too infuriating to consider as anything more. "I am, newly joined in the ranks of the soldiers," she admitted a bit sheepishly.
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 11:54 am
"Well...maybe." Fia admitted. After all, Xipil wasn't mean. He was a reliable, sensible and serious sort. But that was the issue. He was too serious! Where was the sense of humour and the laughter? She arched a brow and poked him in the side with a paw. "But you need lessons in how to be fun."
Her attention snapped back to Mii'ah. "Well, it's nice to meet another member and a good rank choice, too, considering all this mess with the water." She grumbled, but shoved the thought roughly away. Now was not the time to get angry at the select few who had dared imply that she was not important.
"I take it you know what's going on in the lands." Fia replied. "With the water and everything. You might be recruited into helping seek water." She shot Xipil an accusing look. "And I thought you might have been helping out, too, Xipil."
In truth, she had no idea if he had been or not. "That's all I've been doing these past few days. Oh, I have an idea! Maybe you two could go look for water together?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 9:20 am
"I am perfectly capable of being fun, I don't need lessons," he responded, his brow knitting together in a mix of confusion and offense. Now he thought he was quite fun! Fia obviously had different views upon fun than he did. He opened his maw to speak once more when his sister directed her attention to his companion. Shaking his head ever so slightly he closed his mouth and waited.
Mii'ah nodded solemnly, a small frown upon her lips as she reflected upon the drought that had ravished the lands. She sighed softly before she spoke. "Yes, my duties have been focused more on searching for water, with the help of the waterseekers to guide me, but," she paused thinking about the past few days and how they had ended the search with nothing to show. "It is not easy," she admitted a bit ashamed of herself. She never thought life here would be easy but she also never thought they would have a drought so severe.
Xipil's expression visibly darkened as his sister accused him of doing nothing about the lack of water. How dare she! "Of course I am," he replied, tone steady and even though he was mildly irritated with his dark furred sister's words. "I don't know why you would think otherwise sister, I understand that without water we are in trouble. Being a soldier won't stop me from succumbing to dehydration. I might possibly be more prone to it."
At Fia's suggestion Mii'ah shook her head, "Look with him? His ego is so big I'm not sure anyone can search with him."
Xipil simply rolled his eyes, she would make her accusations but he would say nothing because truthfully he had an ego but was very careful about keeping it in check. You couldn't work in a unit if you only thought of yourself.
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:37 am
She cast them both a smile, her head shaking very slightly from side to side in amusement. The amusement faded as quick as it came, however. The thought of droughts and fruitless searching. Her mouth tightened into a thin line, ears pinning back against her head. She hadn't come here to talk about such serious matters...but it was a pressing issue and one that clearly hampered the thoughts of all who lived in the pride.
She wondered what her brother thought of what should be done about the water. He was a soldier, after all. Perhaps he would wish to see the water prioritised to the military over sharing it equally. Fia wasn't sure how she would feel about that. With that in mind, she decided not to ask.
Her eyes flashed. "At least you are both aiding." She was mildly surprised that the soldiers were looking for the water, too. "Although I'd say it's a waste of energy. If there was water to be found, we would have found it by now." She waved away the serious nature of their conversation with a paw, turning her eyes to the female. "Sad to say, but most of the males in this pride are like him. They all carry around quite an ego - though I suppose they can't be blamed entirely for that. The pride does have quite the reputation, after all." She threw Mii'ah a smile. "Perhaps give him a chance to show you his sensitive side? He has one there somewhere, underneath all that stoic mask of his." She laughed. "He does need some friends, I think." Her tail twitched. "And if he does get to be too much of a bore, perhaps you should both come with me and Vesta next time we head out to search?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:46 pm
The drought was a troubling matter to the red lion, it was a situation he hadn't expected. He never liked it when he was caught unaware and in retrospect, he should have thought that eventually the pride would experience a drought. The harsh conditions of desert would, in theory, allude to a drought, yet the thought had not occurred to him and since it had happened, he was forced to think of things in a different light.
His sister would be surprised in the answer he would give her, should she actually ask. It was true that as a soldier the thought of prioritizing the water share in favor of the more military ranked members of the pride, but he believed it would be in their best interest, as a whole, to share. They would survive, he was certain of it.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I?" He asked tilted his head ever so slightly in curiosity. "I disagree," he shook his head, gaze flickering between both females. "Perhaps we are not looking far enough," he offered as he thought about the possibility. They had not found any, or very little, yet but he was certain that there was water to be found.
Mii'ah's gaze darkened visibly at the words Fia spoke. It was something she worried about, with the growing members and the receding amount of water. "It is a troubling matter, but I believe that we should not give up hope. I know that I do not know that much, not about this pride or how it all works but I know we are strong and we will survive." A sparkle returned to her eyes as she lit up.
She laughed at Fia's suggestion shaking her head. "No, I doubt he has a sensitive side," she offered him a grin and received little to no reaction other than a shake of his head. "I do think I would like that, he's really the only one I know and I don't really think I want to keep it that way."
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:30 pm
"You've heard what the others have been saying, right? The soldiers and guards want the water all to themselves. Your poor, useless, historian of a sister--" she set a paw to her chest as an indication she was speaking of herself, "would be left with dust alone." She shook of the topic almost immediately, however. Talk of such things left her with a bitter taste in her mouth and thoughts of that white-eyed Armada.
Those thoughts always left Fia with an angry fire in her chest. A fire that had become nigh untameable as of late.
"But enough, enough! You're right. We can't stop looking no matter how pointless it seems. The Firekin will survive as they have always done. It is our way." But would anyone record it for future generations if she were not here to do so? With a low sigh, she stood, brushed the sand from her pelt, and circled the pair.
They weren't as close as what she had hoped - or so they said - but she was certain that there could be a budding romance there if she only teased and worked at it. Surely it was worth a try! She could even get Vesta to help out, too, though likely the timid creature would be far too embarrassed to get involved in such matters. "Vesta and I are planning an early morning outing tomorrow if you'd care to join us? It'll give you two the perfect opportunity to get to know one another better, mmm? Now that you're both soldiers, it'll be a good thing to do, surely."
And she passed by Mii'ah, smiling secretly. "And don't worry, if he starts to get boring we can tease him. He's incredibly cute when he's flustered." Fia didn't think she'd ever seen Xipil 'flustered' in her life, but it was worth a shot and no doubt it would be amusing if it happened.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:37 am
Xipil was quiet for a moment, though it was probably hard to tell that he was reflecting upon his sister's words more than keeping to himself. Eventually he heaved a sigh and nodded, "I have." His reply was short and sounds almost saddened by it but the brief glimmer of emotion disappeared quickly. "Those that speak of such are fools," he told both girls, his tone sharp and expression dark. "We have faced harder times have we not Fia? I assure you that we will get through this. If it does come down to it, you are more than welcome to share the water I have."
Though he had offered, he was sure that they would not prioritize the water, or at least he would fight it. He thought it to be foolish, they were a unit and if they started openly declaring parts of it lesser in value, then they would cripple themselves. As the topic of the conversation shifted, his expression softened to a more neutral look. He nodded curtly at the mention of meeting Vesta and his sister. "Very well, I will be there. I have not seen Vesta in a while," he commented thinking about the female.
Mii'ah had chosen this moment to be quiet, listening intently to words of both siblings. She did not feel like she truly had a voice in a matter concerning such. It would be unfair and foolish of her if she spoke up in favor of prioritizing or sharing the wealth. She did not feel like, as a new member, she had a right to vote regardless.
She was thankful the topic had changed. "I'll be there," she promised, unaware that Vesta was the very female she had defeated in order to win entry. She laughed at Fia's suggestion. "I'm not sure if he's ever 'cute' but I wouldn't mind trying to fluster him."
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 11:37 am
She was touched, in fact, that Xipil saw things in a sensible manner. Then again, she wasn't sure why she was surprised. Xipil was a soldier and a talented one at that, but he had their mother's knack of truly seeing things. It was good to know that at least one soldier would be fighting for the side of everyone and not just the few.
The fond smile she threw his way said more than words ever could. After all, Fia never really looked 'fondly' at anyone except her twin sister. Then the smile widened and, with a flourish, she stepped back away from the pair and gave them another look. "Brilliant! We usually meet by the circle of stones at first light. I shall see you both there bright and early!"
And she gave Mii'ah an amused wink. "Finding water and flustering a soldier. We have our work cut out for us, I think." And, with that, she turned on her heel and padded back out across the desert, leaving the pair to their own devices.
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