[ORP] Let The Feasting Commence!

[Meepfur]

The past year had gone well for the Jini-misemi, all things considered. They had built a new home for themselves on and around the mountain, propered in spite of losing their swampland home. Oh, many of them missed it still, but for most the ache faded with time. Cubs had been born, grown up, gone away and returned home - 'swampies' who had never known the swamps at all. Life went on. The world kept moving. It was good.

The lands were quiet, and to some extent, so too was the pride itself, without any great ups or downs. There were cubs now and then, but no booms, occasional Provisionaries, but no significant influx. It was...boring, almost, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. Khara would take boring over a wildfire any day.

The games had provided a bit of excitement, if only briefly: the race had been a success, the mountain terrain proving to be much more thrilling than the swamp course, whereas wrestling apparently lost all appeal when there was no mud involved. The loss of frog-catching was a pity, but there simply wasn't a sufficient supply of what had once been the pride's favorite snack to build an event around, and there was no suitable substitute to be had here. They would have to come up with new and better things for next year, more thought through and less cobbled together.

If she were to tell the truth - which she wouldn't to any but those closest to her - Khara's heart just hadn't been in it. She was troubled still, by the past and by the future, and by other, more personal matters. The Queen had not felt quite herself since the fire and exodus, though she was careful to hide it well. Appearance, after all, was everything.

And now, two days after the race, it was time for another appearance - one more, and then a much-needed rest. The hunters and huntresses of the pride had been busy over the last day, killing and bringing in enough prey for the entire pride to feast at once. To an outsider (or certainly to an herbivore), the sight might have been gruesome: bodies slashed open in ceremony, the ground around them soaked with the offerings of blood. By the time the preparations were complete and the pride had all gathered, evening was only an hour away.

La'u Khara'i stood amidst the bodies and blood, her own pale forepaws soaked with it, and addressed the crowd, most of her words save the preface identical to those she had spoken at the pride's last feast. Ill-fated though that celebration may have been, tradition was tradition. "Good evening, my friends. I hope that everyone enjoyed our games this year, whether as participant or as spectator. I do apologize again for the lack of frogs." The lioness smiled a little as she paused, then cleared her throat before continuing. "Now it is time for us to honor the spirits. We remember the past, celebrate the present, and look to all the future holds. We have been blessed with prosperity, and for that we give our thanks. With this gift of blood, may the spirits be pleased, and continue to favor the faithful."

She bowed her head and was quiet for a moment, before breaking the silence with a roar...a roar that cracked towards the end, prompting the Queen to clear her throat and offer the gathered lions an embarrassed, if good-natured, grin. "Well then. Shall we begin?"  

[Meepfur]

Male Female

Each RP post you make earns you one raffle ticket towards a swampie cub! The winner of the raffle will choose which cub they want, and the other will be contested off later. These two cubs are the children of Koko`kizuka, a particularly reclusive seer and daughter of Asali'jua - though few know it to be more than rumor, Asali had favored her to succeed, but she didn't return from her pilgrimage until well after her mother's death. Because of her lateness, her brother Narindima'moyo inherited, followed by Jhonki-sahna and then La'u Khara'i. Many things could have been very different if she had not tarried so long in other lands...

Whether it is regret or simple unsociability, Koko keeps mostly to herself, and will encourage but not require her children to do the same. They will receive a traditional Jini-msemi upbringing, but she will also tell them 'bedtime stories' about the Mizimu`Tungika, where she lived for some time with the name Kuimbenye'baridi, and where she would have stayed had the pride not dissolved.

And that pretty much covers the information you'll need if you win! (Oh, they also have another sister.)  

[Andranis]

Three lions approached as a group. In the middle was a white lioness with gray markings, limping slightly and favoring her front left leg. She was finding it harder and harder to go out and hunt, something that saddened her. She'd have to see about becoming a Ghost, something that she didn't think would require as much physical prowess as hunting, especially on rocky and uneven terrain. Living on a mountain wasn't helping her leg any, at least. The gray and white lioness found a spot, settling down and listening to the queen, smiling. "We don't mind the lack of frogs, so long as there's a lack of FLAMES licking at us."

Like a ghost herself, Mimi followed Pata'chasi, taking in all the gathered lions. How many were still out on their name quests? How many of these lions were new faces? Not many, really... On either count. The one thing she didn't see much of were frogs, something that made the albino lioness especially sad. She so adored how they filled the long nights in the swamps with their songs, crooning to one another and hoping to find love and mates. The pale lioness settled by her sister, offering the brown-eyed lioness a smile. "You may not miss the frogs, but I do... But you ARE right, as long as flames aren't licking at me, I'm good!"

A last lion followed behind the two lionesses, his coat decorated in a mottling of gold and clay brown on white. He moved slightly more easily than the lionesses as he walked, which if one compared his bulk and mass to how petite they were, they'd wonder HOW he moved so easily. As he settled down near them, tail flicking, Paa'ndani grinned. "I, personally, don't mind either way. Every sound is wonderful after growing up in a desert, where there's practically NO sound." He flicked a pebble with his paw, sending it clicking along some other rocks. "Even the sound of a rock rolling down the hill is a welcome sound." His father'd probably be unhappy to hear he was being philosophical like this, but what would Kosuke ever do in his precious desert?  

[Princess_Feylin]

Song was still moving with care following the games. He'd injured his shoulder in a fall during the race and all was not right with it yet. His two serpentine companions utterly disapproved of him attending this feast instead of resting, but he had ignored them, as he usually did, and decided to attend anyway.

It was worth it, he felt, to have the opportunity to interact with others in the pride. He had not returned all that long ago, and there were many new and unfamiliar faces here, true strangers, not just old acquaintances made strange by new surroundings. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to bring himself to socialize too much, but he could try. And it would be better than being cooped up with Memfis and Grayslan while everyone else gathered and had fun.  

[OP-Yuna]

No fire - things were already looking better than last year's feast! Evangeline was glad for that. Just as she was glad for her now-grown children, whether they be here, or elsewhere. They had grown to be such lovely dears. But then again, she may have been a little biased in that regard.

It was nice to see that, despite the move, their numbers were still great, and the pride still strong. They were lucky - not many would have come out of such events so well. It made Evangeline proud to be part of it.



Sam, Sam, where was Sam? Tidis reared up, trying to look over the crowd for her. Knowing his luck, she was right there and about ready to startle him out of his fur as his attention was elsewhere... Yep. That sounded about right. Well, he'd be ready for it! Muahahaha!  

[KasaiLoki]

Noka had recovered from her race. Her results hadn’t been what she wanted, but she had given it her all, and that was all that she needed. The pride was coming together again, so win or lose from the race, that’s all the matter. Her pale blue eyes scanned the feast, a tongue slipping through her maw to lick her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw such a bounty of food.

She chuckled at the lack of frogs comment from their queen, remembering the time as a cub she had participated in a frog catching event. She did miss those little delicacies. She couldn’t help but nod in agreement when both Pata and Mimi spoke, mentioning lack of flames. Losing the frogs was a small price to pay to never have experience such a catastrophe again.  

[Depawsit]

Mpya'nafsi sulked her way to the feast with her tail between her legs. She wasn't looking forward to it, much like she wasn't looking forward to any large event with a lot of lions involved. It wasn't necessarily that she didn't like them. But that she was scared of large gatherings, they just spooked her for some reason. So many lions in one area? They could stomp on your tail, or topple you over, or something much worse!

Crowds were dangerous things, and well she wasn't one for dangerous situations! Well honestly she wasn't one for dirty situations and either and well just look at the ground! It was flooded with blood! But she knew the blood was ceremonial and a blessed tradition, she just feared cleaning it from her silken white fur.

Looking out over the crowd she spotted a lovely purple lion and his two serpentine friends. They looked a little out of place, and the male actually seemed injured. It made her curious and she tip toed her way over to him with a gentle smile.

"Hey there, I don't think i've bumped into you before! I'm Mpya'nafsi, i'm slightly new around here. Well maybe not, i've been here a year, but I don't get out much. But you ... you look like you were born here, I thought maybe I could break the ice with you ... y'know if you don't mind!" Offering a shy giggle she fiddled with her paws hoping he wouldn't shoo her away.

Princess_Feylin

Stepping out into the crowd, felt like the start of a new beginning. She was only a young thing when the fires hit, but she remembered them all the same. It was quite a scary occassion, but thanks to her Mother, Kupa and her littermates had all survived and made it to their new home here - in the mountains.

And now here she stood, one of the only children that remained with her. The others had ventured off to be with their Father in another pride, Kupa had read the stars, whom had told her it was not a good idea to meet him. She had stood by their decision and would continue to do so, until told differently.

As she stood at the cusp of the crowd, she tried to raise her height to see over some of her taller pride mate's. Hoping to catch a glimpse of her Mother, who she knew would be here. Where else was she going to be?!

A glimpse of blue caught her eye, and she knew it was her! Bouncing on her heels, she kicked off and darted right to her side with excitement in her voice.

"Hi Mom! How are you today, I see you came to the feast! Aren't you excited?! I can't wait to speak with the Queen, I hope she stops by me!"

F a y t h - x

For the life of me I can't remember whether they were born before or after the fire. But I THINK it was before. Please correct me if i'm wrong XD

 

[Meepfur]

The gravity of ceremonies like these was always a bit lost on Samudranta; they seemed considerably less dramatic and/or mystical when the one performing them happened to be your mother. Others may have found Khara exciting, but to her daughter, she was ordinary - not in a bad way, she'd just seen her almost every day of her life. She wasn't a Queen, she was just mom.

Sam didn't get the fuss, and quite frankly, never understood why her mother enjoyed it so...but she did, and if that was what did it for her, then so be it. As long as no one fussed over her like that, Sam was alright. She never wanted being the Queen's daughter to define her, and preferred to avoid the topic at all. Consequently, these public ceremonies weren't her favorite, but her social nature always won out, and so here she was!

Trying to stalk a certain red lion through the crowd without his noticing.

F a y t h - x

 

[mouselet]

Kauke wriggled his way through the forest of legs, trying to get closer to the tantalizing smell of dinner. His parents had been trying to explain to the litter why the ritual slaughter was so important. The white lion was sure that it was All Very Important to the spirits and the Queen and the adults, but what did a kid care for that kind of stuff? He knew that it smelled delicious, that he was hungry, and that no one seemed to be eating. Wasn't eating the point of a feast?

The juvenile's progress was stopped by another set of legs, ones that he didn't immediately recognize. Frustrated, he pawed at the unexpected obstacles.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Depawsit

Song looked up at the lioness who had approached him, quickly taking in her coloration but paying more attention to her voice. He had always been fond of singing and despite having been brought up to be more polite than that he tended to feel that the most interesting thing about other people tended to be their voices. He decided he liked her voice, or he would once she was more relaxed and it was less tight with nerves.

He greeted her with an easy smile that he intended to put her at ease. He had always been good at those, in his opinion. "Mpya'nafsi. My name's Songvari. I'm glad to meet you. I've been away on my pilgrimage until recently, so there are a lot of people here that I don't know, too."

He didn't go into the long and really pretty dull tale of how he'd first returned to the swamps only to find them burned, and ended up extending his pilgrimage by more than a season as he tried to figure out what had become of his pride, and then decided if he still wished to be one of them in such an unfamiliar setting. Some days, waking up gasping in the mountain's thinner, colder air, Song wondered if he'd made the correct decision.

"How did you come to the pride?" he asked, reminding himself not to stand too close, given how uncomfortable Mpya'nafsi seemed around strangers. His tail swished at his two serpentine companions, bidding them to go elsewhere for a while.  

[Meepfur]

The Queen would have liked to be able to get away with just saying her piece and then leaving, but unfortunately, that would hardly be appropriate. A much-deserved nap would have to wait - she could catch up on sleep after the feast concluded. Hopefully without disaster of some kind. Then she could rest uninterrupted by worries.

In the meantime, socializing was required. Khara stepped away from the sacrificed preybeasts, out of the way of anyone who wanted to get started on the actual feasting, and went to mingle. She scanned the front ranks of the crowd, assigning names to most of the faces, and picked one to start with.

"Noka," she addressed the green lioness as she approached. "I hope this day finds you well."

KasaiLoki

 

[Andranis]

As other lions filtered in, Pata'chasi watched them, offering a few a smile. Moving carefully, she crossed her paws so that her gray paw covered her scarred paw. Her tail flicked a bit, before she noticed a juvenile. She watched him for a moment, before smiling and calling to him. "Young one, come this way, it's a clear path to the food!" She wasn't hungry, herself, not quite yet, but there were some choice cuts near her little group of 'siblings'. Or at least, SHE thought they were choice cuts.

The albino lioness chuckled, before pushing herself back to her paws and oging over to the young lion. It made her think of her own children. So far, only one had returned from his Pilgrimage, with word that one of his brothers had joined the pride of their grandfather's adopted brother. She was sad that Moshi wasn't coming home, but she was also happy for him. The catch was, though, that Atlas, now Sustinet'mundi, had returned BEFORE the fire... Somebody would have to tell the Jini who'd become Firekin that the pride had moved.

She crouched down by Kauke, smiling at him. "Want a walking guide over there? I can clear the path for you."

mouselet

Contrary to his 'sisters,' Paa'ndani watched with a touch of boredom now. Finally, he rose up to his own paws, picking through the growing crowd looking for somebody to talk to. Anybody'd do, really, though it appeared everybody had their own conversations going. He let out a puff of air, before grabbing a leg off a carcass to chew on. As the painted lion settled down, he looked around at everybody, taking note on who was here and who hadn't arrived yet. Somewhere in the crowd, he was sure, were both Mimi's returned son, and Pata'chasi's returned daughter. And this realization made him feel... A bit of jealousy at their parenthood. Still, he DID enjoy being the fun burly uncle..  

[KasaiLoki]

It didn’t matter how many times Noka had spoken with the Queen, whenever she approached she found herself in a slight state of panic. After all, it was the Queen, and it wasn’t every day that one could mingle with the royalty. Although, the green lioness did remember metting with Khara when she was younger. She had barely remembered the given name that her parents once dubbed her, but now she seemed to recognize her true name. Noka couldn’t help but pride herself that she remembered.

She flashed a hesitant smile, the small jitters slowly seeping away from her. It was their Queen, but she still was just another lioness.

“My Queen, La’u Khara’i,” she gave a slight bob of her head, a respect for the swamplands’ ruler. “This day has been one of the bests in many a moons,” when was the last time the pride came together for something so joyous?

“I think it will definitely boost the morale, if your games haven’t already.”

Meepfur

 

[OP-Yuna]

Eveangeline was happy to see her daughter - all her babies had grown up to be such lovely lions and lionesses! She was indeed proud.

"Hello, my dear. Yes, I am quite excited. It is always nice to see everyone gathered and happy. Hmn,..yes perhaps the queen will speak with you - I see no reason why she wouldn't."

Depawsit

---


Tidis still didn't quite get the gravity of Sam's mom being the queen, which was perhaps for the best. Not that he got what was so great about being queen, or king. Too much responsibility for his young, silly, brain.

Tidis was stopped several times to chat, but was much wore distracted with trying to find Sam, which wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. had she decided not to come?

Meepfur

 

[samus x]

Msitu Farasi was more than happy for things to be dull and boring. after the crazy wildfire that had happen and having to go on her name quest shortly after. she was just pleased to be with her pride and she was feeling more than at home now after all that had happen with in the past year. with her father Shemshi not far from her, she stuck with him as she looked around for any of her relatives or any friends of her's.

Shemshi stuck with his daughter Msitu as he had yet to see anyone he knew just yet. though honestly he probably should take the time to socialize and enjoy the feast. but honestly he just didn't want to make a goof of himself during the lovely feast so he stayed with his daughter. maybe after he got over being nervous about being a fool, he would actually socialize a bit.