[PRP] Trying to be Brave (Shukura x Mlinzi)

[SilverLutz]

Shukura was on a mission. That mission? She wasn't quite sure, to be honest. All she knew was that she really needed to get a start on her Jedi training. Here she was, nearly an adult, and she still hadn't added anything to her necklace to show that she was moving up in becoming a Jedi. Truth be told, she wouldn't be very upset if she never did attain that rank. She liked being at the bottom of the pile, in a sense. It meant that everyone else needed to look out for her and protect her.

But at the same time, she knew that never climbing the ranks would be frowned upon. This pride was her family now and she needed to make them proud. So, under her own doing, she decided to head out into the rouge lands for a few days to try and find something to motivate her to be a better lioness. One with more bravery and strength and less meekness. She knew what she wanted to do when she finally graduated and became a Jedi: she wanted to help people. Being a healer might be the best way to go about doing that.

Shukura sniffed at the ground to see if she could find anything interesting. Herbs, water, a shiny rock...there wasn't much around, but that sort of helped her to focus on what she was trying to do. She lifted her head and let her golden eyes scan the horizon. Just trees, a mountain or two off in the distance. She wondered if there were any other lions around.

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Today was his lazy day.

The one day where he put aside his typical duties, and relaxed. The one day where he tried not to worry over the ill and failing lions around him. Of course, he was never truly able to get them off of his mind. His best friend was one of the worst cases in the pride. His health was failing fast, and he knew there was nothing he could do to save him. His friend had told him not to worry, to praise the goddess for the time he had been given. But Mlinzi had simply snorted at the request. He loved N'Seka, like the brother he'd never had. But he couldn't respect the male's wishes, he was greedy and selfish.

What was he supposed to do once his friend passed on? Who would he talk to, who would give him advice? Sighing to himself, Mlinzi could feel a small breeze touching at his whiskers. Though beyond that, he knew nothing. He suspected his hard sigh had swept up a tiny dust storm, but he had no way of knowing.

Instead he tried to free his mind from its prison. Rolling over onto his back, the male flopped his paws into the air, lulled back his head and closed his eyes.

HE just wanted to be free.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Shukura shivered as a light breeze tussled her tuft and whiskers. There was something odd about the land here. Something that didn't seem quite right. She couldn't quite put her paw on it, but it was making her unease. Everything was very still and silent and...dead, in a way. She decided to walk just a bit further before heading back. If she didn't find a lion soon, she'd start getting the heebe-jeebies.

The wind worked in her favor, though. The scent of a lion reached her nose and she turned her paws in the direction the wind was coming from. Hopefully it would be a kind lion. She was shaking just a bit as she walked, but with each paw step she told herself 'be brave, you're training to be a Jedi, Jedi are not frightened by a simple stranger'.

Finally she spotted him. He stood out fairly easily against the brown earth. She tilted her head to the side, taking in his rather relaxed position and smiled. He didn't look dangerous at all!

"Hello," she called out hesitantly, her voice shaking just a bit.

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

This wasn't going to work, his mind was too caught up in well ... everything. He couldn't get his own problems out of his head, much less his friend's. As frustrated as he was, he still held onto the relaxed pose, though he could feel certain muscles tensing in agitation. As he lie there, trying to ignore the world, he realized the world had other plans.

The subtle but shaky voice hardly bothered him. It had come from a fair distance away, and by no means did it sound threatening. His ears perked, and his tail swished a small dust tornado near his rear. Slowly he cocked his head to an uncomfortable angle, and stared blankly at the dark expanse before him.

"Hello there young one. What can I help you with?"

He offered the newcomer his trademark toothy grin and awaited an answer. In his mind, he assumed it was a young lioness from the pride, coming in search of his aid. He really had no idea just how wrong he was.

Silverlutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Shukura cleared her throat after her rather horrible introduction. Dang...what a first impression. She approached the lion as he spoke, and yes, he seemed quite friendly and rather harmless. His eyes were a bit milky and she wondered if he could see her. They didn't seem to be very focused.

"Oh...n-nothing," she stammered before biting her tongue to get herself to be calm. "I was just...wandering. From my pride for a few days. Not really looking for anything...I just haven't seen another lion since I left and I wasn't sure if I was trespassing on any lands."

That was the last thing she needed...if she accidentally started a war with some other pride she'd never forgive herself. Of course, the chances of her starting a war were second to none. She'd probably just roll over and submit to being a slave without much of a fuss.

Depawsit

All righty, I am off to work! I'll reply via phone as I can, though o3o.

 

[Depawsit]

Mlinzi's smile slowly faded away as he realized his own mistake.

"Oh forgive me, I thought you were a fellow pride member." He smiled once more, slightly embarrassed by his slip up. But more intrigued now that he had met yet another outsider. And though he couldn't prove it, he was sure she was younger than the usual lions he ran into out here on the borders.

"Oh no, you are perfectly safe where you are. But I must lay caution on you. If you tread much further south, you may run into a few problems. So watch your step, but for now you are quite safe." He nodded his head, feeling the sand and dirt grit into his gorgeous white mane.

"So why is it you're travelling alone?" He paused a moment, before finally tacking on. "And at such a young age too."

SilverLUtz

Take your time. No rush here C:

 

[SilverLutz]

Shukura's ears twitched back in a submissive gesture as the white male spoke. So she had stumbled on to another prides lands. Hopefully it was a friendly pride. Going off how this lion acted it wasn't terribly violent, which was a bit odd given the rather barr surroundings. His words also alerted her to the fact that he probably had poor sight if he hasn't recognized her as a stranger. That made he feel a bit safer.

She made a mental note by to travel to the south before clearing her throat again. "It was a choice of my own, sir. I need to gain a bit of bravery if I am to grow in my pride. I'm no longer a cub but my rank is still that of one," she added, slightly ashamed. "What pride is this that I have come to?"

She hesitated to move closer, not sure if the lion would appreciate that or not. For now she would keep her distance.

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Mlinzi nodded in understanding, taking her tone into account. She was quite unhappy with her rank, which saddened him. One should hold on to their youth, no wish for it to end.

"Ah I see, and why is it that you seek such bravery? Do you come from a place that puts fighting above peace?" His words weren't meant to be judgemental, but he could understand how one could take them that way. "Why is it that your rank haunts you so? Shouldn't you cherish your younger years? Or do you simply crave the respect of becoming an adult?" If that were to be the case, he could understand her plight. Many adults would look down on him as a cub, observing him as one to take less seriously than others. Even though he was quite the exceptional apothecary from such a young age.

Noticing the tension in the air, Mlinzi tilted his head and smiled. "You have no need to fear me, I won't be harming you. Have a seat, chat a while!" Patting the ground near himself he winked in her direction. "I promise I don't bite." Not that many would be able to tell, but he rolled his eyes back in his head and chortled.

"This is the Kitwana'Antara, a place cursed with the burden of disease. We are a very secluded pride, keeping to ourselves so as not to inflict our burden upon others."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

The young lioness looked away as the lighter lion questioned her. She didn't really know why it bothered her so much...perhaps because those she had grown up with were already training to become something within the pride, while she still wasn't even at that second stage yet. The single bead around her neck was not something to be ashamed of, she knew, yet she couldn't help feeling left behind and out of place. Only cubs had one bead! Not nearly grown lions!

"Oh no...we're very peaceful," she said, shaking her head quickly. "I don't think I'd be allowed in a pride that had different values. I'm not very strong, nor do I like to fight." She drew a bit closer, and it was then that she realized the lion couldn't see. She hesitated for a moment before moving again, sitting down just in front of the large male.

"Only cubs are at the rank I'm at," she said quietly. "Or new members to the pride. I've been in it my whole life and I'm still...well. At the lowest rank. Those new to the pride move up very quickly, and its' generally a 'coming of age' thing to change rank when you're small. So I'm kind of the odd one out."

At the mention of illness, Shukura's ears flattened against her head. "Is it dangerous?" she asked, her voice a near whisper. She wouldn't want to walk into trouble, even though this lion seemed very nice.

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Mlinzi giggled at the young lioness' worries. Not because they were petty but because of how upset she seemed to not have the same rank as others. When in fact, it could be a very great thing for her to be so old yet so low ranked.

"Forgive me, I don't mean to offend, I just find your lack of confidence in yourself a little ... cute?" He could feel the grimace he made as he said the word. Surely it had to inappropriate to tell that to one so young? Gods he hoped it wasn't.

"The way I see it ... er ... forgive me I don't think we've shared our names just yet. I am Pumbaa'Mlinzi, you may call me as you wish." Mlinzi dipped his head in the direction he could hear her words coming from.

"anyway, the way I see it, your lack of rank means great things. It means you have yet to meet your full potential. And if you're trying as hard as it sounds like you are, then that means you have some exceptional potential. You should be proud of that, its hard to come across. Many die trying for it, but something tells me you won't." He tried to wink playfully at her, again put off a bit by the age difference between them. Was it really that big a deal?

Dangerous? Well that was a strong choice of words wasn't it? Mlinzi's ears flattened to his skull as he shook his head in disagreement. "Only to those infected, you have nothing to fear. You won't be contracting any diseases from this land." his tail twitched happily behind him as he tried to offer her a comforting smile.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Cute? Shukura's ears pressed back in embarrassment, glad for her fur to hide her flush. Although, she supposed, he couldn't see her even if she had no fur on her hide. She'd never been called cute before, even over something as embarrassing as her obvious lack of confidence.

"Either that or I have none at all," she said quietly. "Oh...yes..." Names were nice to give. She gave a tiny smile and nodded, before speaking up. "I'm Shukura. It's very nice to meet you, Mlinzi." Mlinzi rolled off the tongue so nicely she decided to go with that. And it was very nice to meet him, despite the rather shy way she was talking around him.

"Oh...that's good." She didn't want to get sick, after all. She stood a bit taller after that, the last of her fear leaving her to be replaced with curiosity. She moved a bit closer to the handsome lion, intrigued by his markings.

"Forgive me," Shukura added, ears turning back again as she realized she had gotten quite close without explaining why. "You...um. Your markings are just. Very handsome. I've never seen a lion like you before." He was so colorful while being so pale, it was a very interesting combination. "Are all the lions like this here?"

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Taking in her name he nodded in approval, it was quite a lovely name. He wondered whether she felt as insecure about that as she did her rank within her pride? For a moment he opened his mouth to question it, but quickly shut it more than happy to divert his words to the answers she sought.

As he listened to her question it became apparent that the female was within a closer proximity than before. His whiskers could feel her breath as she spoke, and the space between them? Well if he could explain it that way, he would say it felt filled. Of course he was flattered that the female now seemed to trust him more, but at the same time he still fought his gentlemanly urges. He would remain polite, but was this something he should look further into?

"Well thank you, though I can't say they all look like me." He paused a moment, offering a simple smile. "My pelt comes with a dying breed, I am the last of my coloration around these parts." His smile wavered as he tried to stay strong in the face of the depressing topic. "But there are many other colorful lions in these parts! Why my best friend, he's black with the most exquisite pink markings you've ever seen! And that's coming from someone who's only ever seen them once!" Nodding his head in a matter of fact way Mlinzi focused his attention on Shakura once more, "And what of you? What is it that makes your pelt one of a kind?"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Shukura nodded slightly, taking another moment to observe his pristine white fur. It was almost blinding her to look at since the sun was so bright. It made it hard to see the rainbow patters on his back and face, but if she squinted a bit and shielded her eyes with a paw, they stood out nicely.

"Me?" she asked, looking back at Mlinzi with a startled expression. She was quiet for a while before shaking her head, not able to think of anything unique about herself. "Not much. I'm a very plain brown, mostly," she said, setting her paw back on the ground. "And a rather dull blue. Some stripes here and there. Nothing worth noting."

She did forget about the little details around her eyes, though. She didn't see them often and never really thought much of them. "I'm rather boring to look at, so you're not missing much."

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Mlinzi's smile faded into a dull frown at Shukura's words. It pained him to meet someone so critical of themselves. Especially when he knew that despite their own take on themselves, there was always more to the story.

"My dear you are far too critical of yourself. Forgive me for saying that, but I feel you need to know it. In the time I have met you, I have seen past the things that you can not, and I am happy to have been able to." He nodded lightly and patted the ground near Shukura. He knew she was nearby, and meant it to be a gesture of paw patting. "You are a sweet and caring individual, and I am sorry that you can not see that."

Again Mlinzi frowned, taking no action to hide it. "Why don't we go for a walk, and clear our heads? I would be honored if you would be my guide. Perhaps we can even find that bravery you're looking for?"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Shukura ducked her head as Mlinzi frowned. She tended to make people do that whenever she talked about herself. She wondered if it was the way she said things that made everyone frown like that. It was the truth to her, though. She was as plain a Jane as you ever did see.

"A walk?" she repeated, before laughing quietly. "That would be nice, if I could find some just laying in the dirt. But you don't really need a guide...do you?" He was an adult, after all. Surely he was used to walking around without seeing! She did nod, though, and moved a little closer to let the larger lion know she was agreeing to walk with him. There was no harm in it...he was a very kind lion.

Depawsit

Wrap this one up and start a new one? o3o