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 Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 4:49 pm
 The forest around Odd was dark and unfamiliar, and a lion who had not been raised in the way Odd had been raised might have found it unnerving to go so long without seeing the sunlight, to be unable to tell for certain whether it was day or night beneath the dense foliage of the canopy, but Odd did not find it the least disconcerting or discomfiting: it simply was.
For his entire life Odd had been a lion who accepted things the way they were and did not make special efforts to change things. Instead he believed that things were as the spirits had willed them to be and tried to act in accordance with the spirits' wishes for him. His mother and her sister had helped teach him to discern the spirits' will, which gave him some unusual habits and ways of seeing things, but generally made his life simpler because it gave him somewhere to turn for guidance.
And when the spirits were not forthcoming, Odd could always rely on his mother or his aunt to point him in the right direction, since both lionesses were more attuned to the spirit world than Odd could ever hope to be since he was half Stormborn as well, and both unable and unwilling to deny that part of his heritage, even if it did not manifest in the same violent manner his his brother Calder felt. Odd simply took a great deal of delight in the earthly experiences of living.
So when his aunt Iseq'Aili told him to be in a certain place on a certain day at a certain time, Odd thought nothing of following her instructions and taking himself there, even though it meant sneaking out of the Stormborn stronghold and leaving the pride's original lands to cross into an unfamiliar forest to meet with an unfamiliar lion. He was not in the habit of questioning his aunt, even when her pronouncements and directions seemed nonsensical. This was not the strangest thing she had ever had him do, either.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:16 pm
 Now, to say that Muista was unaccustomed to strange occurrences or characters. Her own mother was such. She was sick and saw spirits, heard them. Sometimes, she caught her mother staring off into nothing and smiling so contently, looking happier than she had in a while, before returning to her 'usual' self, wandering around in her dream-like trance with a scant few moments of lucidity. Besides her own mother, her pride was full of Seers, their gifts ranging from mild to potentially mind destroying. Fortunately for her, in her humble opinion, she didn't really have to deal with the whole being a seer thing. She was going to be a healer. Yes, the Gods were important and the spirits that her mother kept seeing. The young lioness didn't doubt that they were there. It was just that, she wasn't quite so compelled to beseech and fawn and be so completely absorbed by those forces which cannot be seen. Muista did talk to them, sometimes, if she was feeling stressed or confused, and she listened. Sometimes the clearest revelations came in moments of utmost silence, after all. If nothing came to her from the powers that be, she would just figure things out on her own. On this day, she was out collecting herbs so that she can make bundles back home. Yes, there were plenty around the pridal territory, but she wanted to see if she could find something not quite so common, something from outside her usual stomping grounds. It didn't hurt that she could almost swear she could hear a voice whispering on the breeze. 'Just a bit further. Almost there. You'll find what you seek.' Again, odd, but not so terribly unusual if some of what her pridemates said was to be believed. With her herb sachet hanging around her neck, she proceeded on her way steadily, if somewhat slowly. The forest in which she found herself wasn't so very different than those back home, but these were thick with old trees and the canopy over head so dense that light only seemed to penetrate the ceiling of greenery in thin shafts of golden light. Taking a little look around, the girl stepped on a dry twig which snapped under her paw. Overhead, a roosting bird took off through the upper branches, allowing another trickle of light to fall directly where she stood, blinding her for a moment in the sudden brightness. She hissed softly, backing up until her hind feet found a tree trunk. Sitting down, she lifted a paw and rubbed her eyes, trying to readjust to the shadowy space below the trees.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:03 am
When Odd was in unfamiliar territory his senses were always on the highest possible alert, and it wasn't just the spirits he was trying to sense. After all, the spirits could certainly make a lion's life difficult, but their mischief could be foiled simply by paying attention to one's surroundings. Also, the spirits were far less likely to cause direct physical harm to a person than anything that could be seen or heard. And so Odd watched and listened and moved with all the silence he could manage, which was actually an impressive amount. He was very good at ghosting, even though he was brightly colored.
A twig snapped and a bird took flight, which meant little enough on their own, but in such close conjunction it probably indicated that there was someone else in the woods, likely another predator. Odd figured that was the person his aunt had meant for him to encounter when she sent him off on this errand, but it was difficult to say for certain and he was still inclined to approach with caution, though he wasn't going to sneak. He'd accidentally surprised a sufficiency of Stormborn to know that appearing without any sort of warning was a good way to provoke startled violence.
There was a shaft of light shining through the trees in the same direction the sounds of twig and bird had come from, and Odd decided to take that as a sign to make that his destination. Walking, rather than stalking, Odd made his way there until he could espy the person he'd been sent to meet, the sight of whom made him blink his amber eyes in startlement. He had not expected that he would be encountering a lioness his own age wearing a satchel of what smelled like herbs around her neck. How intriguing.
He stepped forward, placing himself directly in her line of sight, and stood still, waiting for her to notice him.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 12:55 pm
Waiting a moment with her paw over her face, the lioness waited until she felt that her vision had readjusted to the dim light. There was the sound of approaching footfalls. Company? With a sigh, Muista lowered her paw from her eyes and lifted her now adjusted gaze to the forest before her. She blinked upon focusing on a young, foxy coated lion about her age, simply standing there. Glancing around for any others that may be lurking around, she flicked her ears before fixing her yellow gold eyes to the male.
She wasn't trespassing, of that she was fairly certain. There would have been a swifter reaction if some unknown lioness meandered into some other pridal territory. On her way here there hadn't been much of any scents of recent activity. She wasn't getting ganged up on. No. It was just her and the fellow in front of her. Well, she had come her for a reason, perhaps he had as well. Maybe he had head urging on the wind too.
"Hello," Muista began, rising to her feet, dipping her head in a bow. Righting herself, her continued. "Um, I'm Muista. Who might you be and, if I may ask, what brings you here?" It almost seemed like here was his destination, so perhaps he was supposed meeting someone. If he wasn't busy, and if he was from the area, she might be able to ask him about the areas herbs of interest! Even possibly asking him to help her, if she wouldn't be keeping him from anything.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 1:16 pm
Odd waited for another moment or two until the lioness lowered her paw. He wondered what she had been doing with it over her face. Perhaps she was trying to see things with new eyes. He sometimes found that if he closed his eyes for a minute or two, things seemed a little different when he opened them once more, and not just because time had passed. Of course, that was because he also used those minutes to center and focus himself so that he was more balanced and receptive when he opened his eyes, so there was no great mystery there. No, the mystery was whether or not she was doing the same thing, but in a slightly different way. He wanted to ask, but that would be rude.
He could tell the moment her gaze landed on him. There was that instant alteration in her demeanor that bespoke a kind of uncertainty. What she was wondering Odd could probably guess: which of them was in the wrong place, and would there be any sort of danger or violence in the next few seconds? Odd could have told her that he was outside the area typically encompassed by Stormborn patrols, so she wasn't trespassing, but neither was he. He knew that these woods did not belong to any pride. There was a feeling they had about them.
"Hello, Muista" Odd said, returning her bow a little awkwardly but rising with a wry grin.
The wryness came from his awkwardness as he performed the obeisance. Neither the Stormborn ways nor his mother's ways had ever taught him to bow. Showing respect was something he knew how to do, of course, but respect was a thing that the Stormborn insisted had to be earned. His mother would have told him to use his own discretion, but only spirits and gods were truly worthy of being placed above a lion of sound mind and body.
"I'm Odd Haleifr of the Myrsky Syntynyt, but I was told to leave my lands and come here today." He wasn't quite willing to say he'd been following his aunt's instructions. Not to a lioness who didn't understand about him and his family.
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 1:39 pm
The male's somewhat awkward bow didn't seem to bother the lioness any. Perhaps such gestures weren't so common down here. From her earliest days, she had been raised up in the mountains, brought there with her siblings by her mother and an old friend of hers. The cheetah had acted in somewhat of a fatherly role, but Muista didn't consider him as such. Her sire had obviously been a lion, just a lion who hadn't stayed with her mother. Two passing souls, coming together and then parting again. Did she hold any resentment towards the mysterious figure of her own father? No. Her family did well enough for themselves up with the Seers, though, so far as she was aware, neither she nor any of her siblings had the gift that was so cherished. It didn't matter.
Blinking at his name, quiet for a moment longer, a ghost of a smile settled on her features. "Odd...What an interesting name. Odd Haleifr. Hm. I've never heard another quite like it, so it must be a good rare name. Does it have any special meaning? I mean, other than being your name." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gave an inclination of her head. "Myrsky Syntnyt?" She wasn't familiar with the name beyond just the name. The entire mountain pride was tucked away from most of the world, secluded in their dreams and visions. Anything beyond the name of this new pride was unknown to her. Shaking her head from her brief reverie, she refocused on the lion before her. "You were told to come here? Was it by the wind? I set out to find some new herbs and there was a voice carried to me by the wind. It urged me to come here. Gently but encouragingly. Such a way it called that I saw no fault in following after..."
Pausing for a moment with her eyes wide, she drew her ears back sheepishly. "Ah, that doesn't sound too strange, does it? I don't know how the Myrsky Syntynyt view spirits and things."
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 1:55 pm
Odd almost laughed aloud at Muista's reaction to his name. Everyone he met had a similar reaction to it, and he had long since ceased to be bothered by it. Mostly he was amused. His mother had not given him a normal name, that was certain, and he had not chosen to shorten it in a way which would make him seem less unusual. Odd had been his choice of a nickname, even knowing what it meant as a word. It also meant the point of a weapon, he had been told, but that was not what most people thought when they heard it. That Muista had asked was a point in her favor.
"I'm told Odd can also mean the point of a weapon, and that was the meaning my mother intended when she named me, but I would not be surprised to learn that she intended the double meaning to serve as a talking point for me for the rest of my life." Haleifr, he knew, meant half heir, but he had never known what to make of that, which was why he didn't use that part of his name very often. He decided to pretend she had only meant to ask about the Odd part of his name.
When she asked about who had told him to come he was on the brink of laughter again, but managed to turn it into a cough at the last minute. He didn't think that laughing at her would put him in the best stead at the moment. Though maybe he was wrong. She seemed to be fairly good-humored, he thought with a mental shrug. And she listened to the wind, which was rare. Surely this was the person Iseq had meant for him to meet.
"Ah, no. I'm afraid the elements don't usually speak to me as clearly as that. I'm forced to look for signs from the gods and spirits if I want their direction. Someone older and wiser than I in their ways gave me the instruction." He smiled at her and assured her, "If you knew my family, you would believe me when I say you don't sound the least bit strange."
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:57 pm
Odd seemed to be in good spirits, which was nice. To her, it meant that she wasn't overstepping her boundaries or offending the fellow. That being said, she seemed to be in a similar mood herself. She hadn't been attacked or run off and that was a good thing. Muista had little in the way of training to fight. She had known that she had wanted to be a healer since she was old enough to decide what to apprentice for. If push came to shove, she would fight with all the strength she could muster, only if necessary of course.
She seemed quite pleased of his answer and smiled. "Oh, well, that's neat, both the meaning and the double meaning. It's certainly an effective way to get talking. Heh, kind of like this." She shook her head. "Muista is only part of my name and as such isn't complete in meaning. My full name is Muista Unesi. It means 'remember your dreams', so I've been told. Er, actually, I think by itself Muista may mean 'other', oddly enough, but I'm not entirely sure there. " The stripped teen gave a shrug, which caused her sachet to bob against her chest. She had intended on hearing out his whole name, but seeing as Odd didn't mention it or appear to have any intent to carry on about it, she let it drop.
His cough, though it was to conceal a bout of laughter, still caused her to p***k her ears forward again. The unconscious motion wasn't out of suspicion of what he was trying to hide. Heck, he could have outright laughed and she would probably have shrugged it off with little issue. She never had been the sort to take offense over those sorts of things. Coughs and sniffles of all sorts generally tended to make her sit up in concern with her herbal knowledge and medicinal training at the ready. He was sounding fine in speaking and that cough had come alone instead of a string of them, so there wasn't much cause for concern. As such, the teen mentally calmed herself and returned her little smile to her face.
Muista listened as he spoke, nodding as she did so. Her smile brightened and warmed considerably at his words. "Thank you. That's good to hear. My pride is all about seeing and listening for signs. Mm, more seeing really. I don't have their sight so I always listen. My mother sees them though...Quite often. Most of them consider themselves closer to the world of the spirits, but I think it can be just as enlightening to see what can be learned from the world around us."
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:48 am
Coming from a pride where names usually meant something and that something usually had to do with honoring one's ancestors or the parents' hope that their child would do something wonderful enough to be honored in their turn, Odd couldn't help but think Muista's name was a little bit unusual in full, but he had no judgment to pass on it. A lion named Odd really was in no position to comment about the strangeness of anybody else's name, ever.
As he was thinking this he noted how her ears turned abruptly forward as though with sudden concern and he reacted by swiveling his own ears backward, just in case she had heard something he'd missed. It had not occurred to him that the pouch she carried around her neck, probably filled with herbs, might mark her as a a healer, or that she might be very enthusiastic about her work and inclined to practice on near-total strangers who coughed out of the blue.
His tail twitched an inquiry when he didn't hear anything, but he didn't voice his questions aloud. Ears were a little like tails in that they were not always as controlled as a person might want, and so he decided to put it down to the result of something like that. Given his cubhood experience of playing with the daughter of the goddess of healing and then meeting the goddess herself, he probably should have thought of pouches for that purpose, but in the Stormborn they usually held other things like good luck charms or souvenirs from battle or something.
"The priestesses in my pride do that," Odd said. "But there are others who aren't priestesses who still have predictive visions. One of my sisters and one of my half-sisters do, though they're both training as priestesses. My mother and her sister are more like me and you in that they don't have visions, but they see the spirits' intentions in the natural world. They're much better at it than I am."
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:41 pm
Whether or not she realized or cared that her reaction to Odd's cough might be considered a bit forward in regards to her craft of choice, Muista made no indication. She wasn't an overeager healer. Seeing the state of her mother every day, particularly on her 'bad days', kept her alert for any little signs. There were times when her mother's behavior seemed most worrisome. She was an older lioness though, having gotten pregnant later than most do or should. They had been lucky that an old friend had found them and brought them to the Intaba'umbekizeli. If they hadn't been found, well, there wouldn't be any telling if they could have survived.
Looking back and sinking too deeply into her reverie, Muista shook herself back to the present with a mildly apologetic smile. "I know of natural seers. There are a few where I live. Others gain the sight after going on some rite of passage quest up in the mountains. Only those who are born of the pride may take part though, as such my siblings and I may only give assistance." Giving another bob of her shoulders, she continued. The lioness inclined her head at the mention of Odd's mother and aunt. She straightened herself up, her tail curling slowly from side ot side. "There is no time limit for becoming a practiced listener. You and I are still learning. I know I'm not the as finely in tune as some, but I try and I look forward to being able to more efficiently pick out the meanings in what is presented to me. Being a student in the subtlety of nature and the spirits takes time."
The young stripey lass gave a thoughtful hum, as if briefly debating something with herself. "Hey, Odd, would you mind telling me about your family? I hope I'm not coming off as nosy, You mentioned that your mother and aunt are students of the natural world. If you aren't comfortable discussing such a matter with essentially a stranger, then you don't have to. Although, I could try answering any questions if you have any for me."
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Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 7:10 am
Odd hesitated to agree immediately to Muista's request, even though she seemed to understand a great deal about his family without being told. The way she put things made so much sense. He wished he'd had her words when he was younger and trying to explain himself and his mother's family to the Stormborn. Phrases like "practiced listener" and "student in the subtlety of nature" would probably still confuse the Stormborn, but it would have at least been more lucid and coherent than the stumbling explanations he had made in his youth.
"Would you believe no one's ever really asked me that?" he said.
It was true. People had been curious, but they had never actually asked about his family. Not in a way that didn't smack of suspicion and thinly veiled disapproval. He really didn't understand why the Stormborn took such offense at his family when others who were viking-born were accepted readily. He decided at once that he would not go into the bare tolerance his family was afforded within the pride. It would give her an unfavorable impression of the Stormborn, and Odd would have preferred not to do that.
"My mother met my father, the warlord of the Stormborn, while he was out viking and the two of them began trysting. At some point, as a result of their relationship, my siblings and I were born. My two brothers and I are nearly triplets and take more after our ma in appearance, but my three sisters all look different, though more like our da." He felt like he wasn't telling this very well.
"Our mother and her sister had always lived in the forest, wild, free, and fey. They know things intuitively and read the signs the spirits leave. When we were born, my siblings and I were taught some of this craft, though I believe we all practice it to different degrees. I am no warrior, unlike most lions in the Stormborn, and so I cling to it more closely than some, perhaps...Is this what you wanted to know?"
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 12:53 am
Muista caught herself before openly staring or gaping at Odd at his initial response. No one had even bothered to inquire about his family? Ever? No one? Really? If one was curious, the best thing to do is ask! Elsewise conjecture and assumptions grow. Unasked questions could burn the tongue so it was best to just get them out in the open. That's what she believed anyway. Well, to each their own, but one never really learned anything if they didn't seek to find out.
"For real? No one ever before? Wow..." It seemed to be a bit of a shock to her.
The girl listened as Odd told of his family and a little bit about where they from. While it wasn't a whole family tree and history, it was still quite interesting to her. It was something different and new. As far as she could recall her entire life had been spent in the mountains. While she didn't really know much about her father, it was very clear that he was a heavily striped fellow, likely a rogue, if his absence and her and her siblings coats were of any indication.
When he finished up, Muista smiled. "Yes, thank you. Your family sounds like it is full of interesting souls. It's nice to hear of others outside of the Intaba to get a feel of other things apart from the goings on up in our mountains. Your mother and aunt sound like intriguing women. I think it's kinda cool that you follow their ways, even if it's just to your own extent. Aside from the traditions of the pride my six siblings and I have to sort of make up our own. My father was never around, though I have heard a little bit about him, and my mother has never been in, ah, never really been in that great of health. A cheetah friend of my mother's helped a lot with our upbringing. She needs a good deal of looking after. She's an older lady, my mother is. I think that's why she sees and converses with spirits as she does." The train of thought seemed to take the teen into a darker place in her mind. For a moment she grew quiet, her ears involuntarily drawing back and her brows drawing in to knit low on her forehead.
Recalling herself, she shook her head and flashed an apologetic grin. "Sorry," Muista murmured. "Is there anything you'd like to ask of me? I don't want to subject you to a bunch of one sided chattering." Her voice trailed off softly to another brief pause. "Hey, Odd, you live near the sea? You smell of forest and earth, but there's a certain saltiness too..." She gave a bit of a sniff and her tone turned rather thoughtful sounding. "I've never seen the ocean. Just a few lakes. Mm."
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 6:43 pm
Odd didn't understand what was so strange to her about his never having been asked about his family. At least he didn't initially. But then he remembered that she didn't know about the minor uproar his family had caused with their arrival. How could she have known? He hadn't told her about it. Eventually he would have to, if they kept up their acquaintance. It was not a minor part of his life.
"Oh, they're interesting," Odd murmured drily, summoning up a blend of affection and exasperation that can only be achieved by teenagers when speaking of their families. "They can hardly help it."
Hearing about Muista's family made Odd smile, but the smile wasn't too brilliant. What she was telling him seemed too sad to really smile at. The idea of growing up like that was more than a little awful to him. Things could sometimes be dangerous or harsh for cubs in the Stormborn, but at least cubs were never expected to look after their parents. Obviously it had not been an easy upbringing, even with the outside help the family had.
"It doesn't seem as though you came out of it too badly," he said, offering her a hopeful. "That is, you seem to be...When I look at you from the right angle it seems like I can see your spirit, and it seems so brilliant."
And beautiful. Her spirit was beautiful. But he wasn't going to say that because he couldn't think of much that was more awkward than that sort of statement. Also, he'd never been able to see anyone's spirit before, no matter what angle he looked at them from. He knew his aunt and mother had some skills to that effect, but it had never been a skill he possessed. Maybe he had imagined it.
"Sorry. That sounded so strange. Even for me," he said, backtracking quickly. He was very self-confident for an adolescent male, but some sorts of statements were really just too unusual to be allowed to stand without qualifiers.
He was relieved to have been spared trying to think of things to ask Muista. It wasn't that he lacked curiosity, but he had no idea what he wanted to ask, really. This wasn't a situation he'd ever expected to be in. Usually greeting strangers was something he avoided at all costs, and he tended to get to know people by stalking them, which was only acceptable because he'd never been caught at it.
"I don't mind," he said. "My half-sister talks like you, sort of. Different subjects, but same style. You don't really remind me of her at all though. That's a good thing. I mean, she's my favorite sibling but..."
He was not usually this awkward. "Yes. I do live in a place like you've described. You should see the water someday. It's so vast. There are waves even."
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:06 pm
"Most can't," Muista chimed offhandedly. "But that's part of their charm, I think. It certainly keeps life from being dull." In her opinion, the most interesting family member was likely her mother, her siblings and her having pursued being hunters or healers for the most part. The extended 'family' of the pride at large were all quirky in their own right, but they weren't of her blood. They wouldn't be, she supposed. As far as she knew, her mother had no siblings, living or otherwise, and most things pertaining to her father were but mysteries.
There was no dislike or any real discontent from her towards her various pride mates. They had treated her family well and accepted them as their own. Still, there were times that she felt as an outsider. She cared for those she was training to help but, in a pride that carried preferences for lighter, pale, or even pure white coats, there were occasionally feelings of being something so different. Not too often, but sometimes.
"Well, thank you, Odd, for saying so. " There was a bit of a pause at his next statement. Muista felt a bit of a blush touch her cheeks, warming them.
"Yes, it did," She agreed but smiled warmly. "It's alright though. I don't mind some oddity." Her smile quirked up some as if she was either pleased or amused with her little wordplay. Quite possibly a bit of both.
The striped teen straightened a little at his mention of her manner of speech being similar to his half-sister's. "That's good! And, no, I get it. It'd be kind of weird if I was giving off sisterly vibes at you even though we only met a short time ago. I don't think I'd know what to make of that honestly. Heh. It's not a thing though. I'm not getting brother sorts of feelings from you, so we're good there."
"Mm. I'd really like that. I bet it's pretty breathtaking, the vastness and all. I mean, the lakes in the mountains aren't particularly large and the only time there are any sort of waves going on, it's in weather that one really oughtn't be out in. They do have a sereneness when the weather is nice and the water is always cool. Sometimes they're so smooth that they appear to be mirrors, the water so still it almost seems like you could step out and walk. Obviously not, but the shore is a nice place to sit and contemplate things. It wouldn't be a problem, would it? I don't know the Stormborn visiting policies." Granted today had been the first day she had ever really heard of them. It really was quiet up with the Intaba'umbikizeli.
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 5:31 am
A dull life. Odd doubted he'd be able to have one of those even if he left his father's pride. There would always be the spirits and their influences. He wouldn't leave his family or his pride though. It was home to him, even if the home was sometimes uncomfortable because of his own duality.
He offered a half-smile. For him the wordplay was not new, but he could appreciate that she at least was not speaking in unkind jest. Even Kazul still used his name to tease him from time to time. It was an old, comfortable joke between them. Almost no one used the second half of his name, and that was just as well. Its meaning had always made him a little uncomfortable, given his place in the Stormborn.
"I have more than enough sisters. They don't seem to me all that rare a commodity," he said. "I'd rather have a new friend than a new sister, all things considered."
Although because he was an adolescent male he suddenly wanted desperately to know what sort of not-brotherly feelings she got from him. He was increasingly intrigued by her, and it was impossible not to notice that she was very attractive. Naturally, he wondered if she felt anything similar, but he would not ask it. He wasn't that self-assured. That sort of assurance would not come to him until he was an adult.
"Hah. Unfortunately, the Stormborn don't have visiting policies. You are either one of the pride or you don't tread on pride lands without risk of capture or attack." He was more amused by this than anything else. After all, his family had not come into the pride in a conventional manner.
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