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 Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:18 pm
 A day to relax. Malaya wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She didn't have to go scouting, or hunting for the sick, or any number of things she could come up with. What does a scout do on her day off? Malaya mused to herself with a giggle. She could just lay around, but somehow that just didn't seem fun. That's when she remembered a comment from awhile back. Someone had asked how her family was doing.
I should check on them. I really haven't made the time to see anyone. She felt a bit guilty about that. Certainly she should have said hi to her father at least. Not to mention all her siblings, half-siblings, and adopted siblings. Her head started to spin with it all. No she couldn't go visiting them all. What would make a happy medium? The black lioness twitched her tail as she thought about it.
I'll leave it up to chance, she decided. She would walk randomly through the pride and see who she encountered. That would make it fun too. Who knew who she'd run into. With a grin, Malaya set her feet moving. Maybe the first play she'd check was the sunning rocks.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 9:18 am
Divy loved to cheer up others. It didn't bother her that she was different than just about everyone else in the pride. There were lions, of course, and quite a few hyenas. There were leopards and a cheetah or two. There were all sorts of familiars, but not very many of her kind. This wasn't how she saw it, not really. Haruma had explained quietly to her some time ago that she was as susceptible to the disease as any lion was, and to her that was good enough.;
Thus far she hadn't shown any signs of it, but of course that didn't really mean anything. At any time she could suddenly come down sick, and so she didn't tend to think of herself as automatically immune. No, it made more sense to consider herself a carrier of the deadly strain. Not that she'd ever want to leave the pride anyway. This was her home and these were her family members.
Being as young as she was still meant she only sometimes tended to apprentice duties. She had thought to become a scout, but now she wasn't so sure this was what she wanted to do. Lately she'd been drawn to comforting those who were sick, discovering the had a knack for picking up on nuances of emotion that led her to this person or that individual, helped her to know what to say to soothe them. Thus she was at the sun-warming rocks now, during her free time, seeking if someone was there who could use a bit of cheering. It happened that there wasn't, but the flat, heat-soaked rocks felt wonderful, so she lingered for an indulgent moment.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 1:49 pm
The lioness had a leasurely walk to the sunning rocks. It was a nice day, and the rock should be pleasantly warm by now. When she reached them a familiar flash of blue caught her eyes. It was fairly easy to guess what family the female belonged to. Malaya approached with her head up.
"Hello there! You look like you're one of Sliabh's children. Do you have some free time?" She felt almost silly now. Was wanting to meet her extended family after so long a good idea? The leopon boy she'd met not long ago had encouraged this branching out. It wasn't just her and her siblings after all. Malaya bounded up to be closer, and so she wouldn't have to shout.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:38 pm
Divy looked up at the voice, then smiled brightly. "Oh hello big sister," she replied, making room on the rock she was perched on. "A fine day for sunning, isn't it?" She glanced skyward and closed her eyes to let the sunshine bleed through her eyelids and surround her vision in warmth. That always sun-dazzled her a bit, making her blink the sparkles from her eyes when she opened them again, but it always made her feel good nontheless. "I always have time for my family," she added as she turned back to the lioness.
Granted, she didn't know all her siblings very well, but she had made a point to learn as much about them each as she could. She knew this was one of the siblings from the litter that had lost a brother around the time she'd joined the family. Their father had mourned quietly. Perhaps that was what had stirred the youngling to seek people out to comfort, having seen her own father touched with grief when she was so young.
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 3:24 pm
At the friendly reception, Malaya bounded up to join the younger female on a warm boulder. She smiled gratefully and stretched herself out. The warm rock felt pleasant against her dark pelt. "A beautiful day. I'm Malaya." She opened one eye to gaze at Divy. "Thanks. I wanted to meet more of my family here in the pride."
"So what do you do? Anything you like to do for fun?" Maybe it was silly. How better to learn about someone than what they liked to do?
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 10:38 am
Divy smiled at her older sister, amused by her immediate usage of the warm rock in the most enjoyable way. She enjoyed seeing others feel good, regardless of whether they were ill or not. "Nice to meet you, Malaya. I'm Adivyta, but I just go by Divy." Granted, it had been a childhood nickname, but she generally preferred it. It had the air of joyful energy and cheerfulness, the sort of thing she usually wanted to communicate to those who were suffering more dark days than bright.
"Well, for fun I visit with my family, play with cubs, or visit someone who has a hard time getting around." She swept her whiskers back in a smile. "If I'm going to have fun, I want others to have fun as well. No sense in keeping it all to myself." She twitched her thick tail lazily, sweeping it across the warm rock and enjoying the contrast of the warmth of the rock with the cool of the wind of moving her tail. "What do you consider fun?" she returned the question politely, ears pricked with clear interest. It wasn't just her manners that made her ask, but the artful desire to exchange niceness.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 3:23 pm
"Oo that's a pretty name, but Divy is easy to remember and say." She watched a bug crawl across the rock not far from her large paw. Malaya really didn't think her name would make such a nice shorter name. That was alright as she liked her name the way it was.
Her head came up in surprise. "I think most of my siblings are so busy we hardly get to see each other." The black lioness gulped a bit. "You don't have any problems visiting the sick Divy? I can't. Being around them makes me so uncomfortable, and I don't want them to feel bad." She sighed and ducked her head. Surely Divy would think her a horrible person now.
"Fun? I don't know. Laying in the sun like this, or scouting is exciting." Exciting wasn't the same thing as fun, a tiny voice said in the back of her mind. She really didn't have time to consider what was fun to do.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 6:52 pm
Divy wrinkled her nose faintly. "Ah, I see that we have different strengths! I've tried scouting, but it doesn't agree with me. It is too lonely, too far away from everyone I love." She blushed a little at that four letter word, but moved on smoothly. "No, visiting with those who can't move about much due to the disease isn't hard for me. They often are some of the most cheerful and grateful people I know." She smiled in amusement at her sister. "This is why the different ranks work so well for the pride. We each have something we can do for the rest, something that not everyone can do or wants to do." It made her feel warm inside to realize that this included her. She was beginning to contribute to the pride in her own way, and making it better for everyone.
"Tell me, what do you enjoy about scouting?" It wasn't a sarcastic question, for Divy leaned forward eagerly to listen. She liked hearing someone else's perspective, as it expanded her understanding and empathy with others. She honestly was interested in hearing what her sister savored about the life she'd chosen. Granted, Divy was reasonably sure she would be a nanny now, but it had been a scout last month, and who knew if she'd find a better niche for herself in the pride next month? Listening to how others felt about their roles helped her define for herself what she was good at and wanted to do.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:26 pm
Malaya smiled as her half-sibling wrinkled her nose. The young female was cute. "Indeed we do. I'm glad since what would we do if we were all alike?" She listened as Divy told of her experience with it. It was a different way of thinking about things. Maybe if she found someone to love.... She shook her head to brush off that thought.
"I'm glad you enjoy their company so much Divy. It makes me happy to know that someone can spend time with them that enjoys it as much as they." Malaya nodded her head as her earlier thought was echoed. It worked. She felt words tumble from her lips as soon as the question was asked.
"I love being outside. Roaming over the land. Feeling like I can fly when I run. I like meeting new lions and others who aren't sick. Being able to interact with them." Words didn't seem to match the feeling deep down inside that she felt at the thought. Malaya stared out at the land in front of her, not seeing it, but the landscapes near the edges of the pride. The whole sense of freedom while at the same time knowing she could call on her pride at any time to back her up.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:21 pm
Divy smiled kindly at her sister's description. "It does sound appealing when put like that. I am glad you feel so strongly about what you do for the pride." She sighed faintly. "If only I knew where my place was that would make me feel as fulfilled as you do, Malaya." Her ears folded faintly, but her expression of woe shifted to one of determination. "But I shall, never fear!" Her happy smile swept her whiskers back and squinted her eyes shut. "I just have to keep looking!"
That reminded her that she'd been looking for those who needed cheering up. "Ah, and speaking of looking, I forgot entirely what it was I was doing!" She bounded to her paws energetically and gave her sister a head-bump of warm affection. "I'm glad we got to talk, Laya," using a shortened version of Malaya's name, as she tended to do with everyone. "I've got to go now, but hopefully we can find time to spend together again soon!" With that, she jumped down and went trotting off into the dens, aiming for one with a surprisingly old lioness that was had been suffering painfully of late. She never got out, so it was a safe bet Divy would find her there and ready to chat.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:36 pm
Malaya was trying to think of an appropiate reply when Adi bounced to her feet. She nodded her head, "alright. It's been a pleasure talking." A smile crossed her lips at the shortening. Her name sounded cute that way. The black lioness thoughtfully watched the hybrid scamper off.
"You may not see it Adi, but I do. I think you have found your place, and you only need to realize what you enjoy." She spoke softly to the air.
FIN
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