|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 8:49 pm
*rolls in* I just love this pride concept. I have a couple different entries, so I hope it's okay if I post them separately as I finish them? ^_^"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 8:57 pm
.:. Young Shrinekeep .:.
Username: YourxStarlessxEyes
Lioness's Name: Ghislaine
Meaning: “Pledge” (French/Cajun French)
Personality: Ghislaine is fervently religious and her greatest joy is in serving the Loa. She feels the Loa are more of a family to her than most of the other lions in the pride, besides the Mama, of course, and one or two Shrinekeeps. She loves communicating them, teaching others about them, and feeling close to them. She takes her responsibilities incredibly seriously, and her duties as a shrinekeep come before all else. She could talk for hours about the Loa, and always wants to learn what her elders can teach her. While she has an infinite amount of patience for things and time, she has very little patience with people, or more specifically, disrespectful or arrogant people. Therefore, Laine posesses a bit of a short temper, albeit only with those people who annoy her. She can sometimes get into arguements or be provoked, but she knows this is not proper behavior for a shrinekeep, so she is trying her hardest to improve her self-control in the face of trying people.
History: Ghislaine was born into the pride. Her mother died when she was young and never spoke about her father before that. As such, Laine was taken care of by the rest of the pride. She was incredibly lonely at first, and mourned her mother every day. She’d often go to the Hounfor of her mother and would pray there or simply sit there for the company instead of playing with the other cubs. One day, she left a bone there as an offering, and a feeling of warmth and security passed over her. She felt comforted and watched over, like she was being protected by something she could not see. and she realized that what she felt was a connection to the Loa. Reassured, from then on she worked to be a Shrinekeep in order to honor the Loa and keep her connection to them, and so that she might help others to respect and honor their own dead.
Prompt Number: Prompt One
Prompt Response: Ghislaine was strolling over to one of the Hounfor that resided in the Shrinekeeps’ general living area. It was late afternoon and it had been a peaceful, productive day. Now she was just tending to her personal duties as a Shrinekeep, caring for some of the recently unvisited Hounfor. As Ghislaine turned her head to retrieve the black feathers she intended as an offering at the Hounfor of a Caplata, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze narrowed as she saw who it was. It was the one person she did not want to see, preferably ever. It was that horribly flirty, bold, insolent Poupe who was coming towards her. Very carefully, she turned back to the Hounfor in front of her and laid the feathers down gently.
‘Why won’t he just leave me in peace?’ she thought angrily as she refused to look in his direction again. ‘I have no interest in him or any other male. I need to focus on serving the Loa and improving as a shrinekeep. He is only ever a disruption here.’ Ghislaine continued to arrange the feathers with her paw as she tried to contain her irritation. The particular Poupe in question was always hanging around the other young lionesses in the pride, especially the Shrinekeeps. He was lazy and aggravating, and far too forward. He always disrupted her meditations and connections with the Loa. Often, she wasn’t even able to concentrate properly for the rest of the day. Not to mention his seemingly endless responses to any rebuke and his suave demeanor always lead her to lose her temper in an unseemly way unfit for a Shrinekeep. Of course this irritated her even more, as she hated looking unruly or aggressive. He was just so irritating! As Ghislaine heard him approaching ever nearer, she rolled her eyes heavenward for some sort of help, breathed deeply to try and calm herself, and promptly turned and walked in the other direction from the Poupe, hoping it would finally work this time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:52 pm
YourxStarlessxEyes I hope it's okay if I post them separately as I finish them? ^_^"
Yes, that is preferred, actually! 8D
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:09 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:18 pm
.:. Young Shrinekeep .:.
Username: Mogami
Lioness's Name: Shani
Meaning: Wonderful
Personality: Shani is a kind and respectful girl who always has a hint of a gentle smile on her face. She is usually quiet and reserved, preferring to spend her time alone humming or having long silent monologues with various Loa (who, unfortunately, don’t seem inclined to answer back) but she’s usually very welcoming when addressed directly. She believes her life was saved by a Loa and has decided to be a Shrinekeep and serve the Loa in every way she can by tending to Hounfor as best as she can.
History: Shani was not born within the pride but she was found by a Shrinekeep one morning sleeping on a Hounforthat had recently been neglected. Somehow, the tiny and starved dark cub managed to slip past the guards during the night and, completely exhausted from being lost for a couple of days, she ended up collapsing on the Hounfor! When asked about it later, the young cub said she’d “heard a beautiful voice” and followed it all the way to the Hounfor - although she doesn’t remember any of it now. Taking her mysterious answer as a sign, the Shrinekeeps decided to raise the child amongst themselves and teach her their task. Feeling instantly integrated and accepted, Shani was more than happy to oblige. She visits the Hounfor where she was found at least once a day to pay her respects and present an offering (usually a song and a small pebble) to the Loa that saved her life. Shani does this ever since she arrived at the pride and has never missed a day.
Prompt Number: 1
Prompt Response: Shani placed the feathers down, carefully arranging them to form a specific shape over the Hounfor. There was no humming today for the young girl had long since learned that that this particular Loa was not fond of her cheerful little tunes while she was tending to its Hounfor. No matter how happy she felt, it never did feel quite right to sing here and the mere sight of the Hounfor as she approached it was enough to silence the already quiet girl. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation (though it sound far noisier inside her head) Shani grinned tenderly when she was done, bowing her head for a few seconds before finally moving away.
The dark girl sighed quietly when she saw a familiar shape in the distance and immediately took a few steps to the side to hide behind a tree. Why the Loa had chosen to associate themselves so profoundly with such dodgy character was beyond her… but then again, Shani was still a simple Shrinekeep apprentice and not at all qualified in understanding the will of the Loa.
He was not… bad-looking. Not at all. But he was always so intense and pushy that she ended up feeling uncomfortable and annoyed in his presence. It was true that had learned a great deal regarding tolerance and self-control thanks to this particular Poupe but the bottom line was that she was simply not interested. She was far too occupied by her teachings and the work around every Hounfor (which she loved) that she simply had no time to spare with silly things like males who pranced around a different female every day.
Patience, she whispered softly to herself. This was someone chosen by the Loa (the Loa she also served though obviously in a very different way) and she owed him respect at the very least. Shani counted to five before slowly reappearing from behind the tree, a wide smile already gracing the young girl’s features as she bowed her head and addressed the male.
“Good morning.” Perhaps this would turn out to be a pleasant conversation… if he wasn’t on one of his worst days that is. Perhaps she could even gather enough confidence to ask him if he could hear the voices of the Loa through his connection as clearly as he could hear her or any other lion in the pride. She’d always wondered about that. Yes, maybe this woudn't be so bad after all.
*wanted to resist - obviously failed*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:22 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:47 am
Last day advertising!
If we can do this for today XD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:53 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:35 am
I'm advertising for the LAST DAY!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:51 am
DAWN OF THE FINAL DAY.
24 11 HOURS REMAIN.
-pummeled-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:36 am
I'm STILL Advertising! (18 )
I thiiiiiiink I've advertised for every day this contest has been open. heart Now if only I could finish an entry. gonk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:51 am
.:. Young Shrinekeep .:.Username: Rhyme or Reason
Lioness's Name: Ezili
Meaning: Another way to spell Erzulie, a Loa in Voodoo history
Personality: Ezili is the epitome of your normal Shrinekeep. She is peaceful beyond understanding and will never be found saying anything that could be seen as bad to anyone. Her profound abilities to take everything in stride are quite common, but her ability to absolutely never fret over the stupid things isn't. She can remain calm and keep moving forward without any sort of reassurance or help. She just knows that it's her duty to tend to the Hounfor and she will continue to do so until she can't any longer.
Most Shrinekeep choose to stay pure in the way of never choosing a mate, but Ezili does differ from them there. She adores cubs, as shown in the ways that she'll play with Little Ones and tell them stories until they fall asleep. She may be young, but once she becomes an adult, she is set on having cubs one day. Of course, that doesn't mean she'll abandon her Shrinekeep duties! No, she'll just take a break from them for a while. The motherly, peaceful lion truly is as innocent as they come. She won't fight back or make derogatory comments, but she will happily hold a pleasant conversation for quite some time.
Like any good lioness, she hold religion very dear to her. Ezili will pray to Mawu every time she has a bad thought, every time she sees something terrible occurring, or just any time when it would seem appropriate. Her body and soul are closer to Mawu than the Loa, as she chose not to hold the spirits closer to her. She enjoys cleaning the Hounfor and imagining what their lives could have been like at one time. Her imagination soars to heights most lions wouldn't dare to reach, but sometimes she needs a realist to help come drag her back down to earth. She can get lost in a daydream and do her duties in a mindless trance, which is how the shrines she tends to are most often cleaned.
Ezili is rather knowledgeable with the Loa. She can quickly learn about all their likes and dislikes, though the Ghede Loa are the ones she finds to be the most interesting. Though it is her duty to sometimes work with others, she can indeed be rather shy. Her tongue can get tied when facing a new lion and often she will stammer or mumble over some of her words, which she is working on. Her heart is of gold and she may be shy, but this dedicated little Shrinekeep will do everything in her power to please others.
History: Ezili was born on one of those days when rain poured down over Africa. That's all she remembers from the beginning. Rain. Rain... And the sound of an angel singing her to sleep. Her mother was an elderly lioness that had been forced to bear the cubs of her father, though he never stuck around to see them. She was a single cub born to her mother, possibly because her age kept her from having so many cubs. There was no doubt that her mother loved her, as she would spend the entire day grooming her young cub and tending to her every need. It was obvious that the elderly mother needed a bit of help, though.
On her weary old bones, she had a big issue with raising Ezili. She could hardly keep up with the little cub and, though Ezili would always stop her tumbling about and run back to her mother, she worried about the little cub's safety with only her around. So she did what seemed to be the only solution and took her cub to the Pepo'poroj Pride. There, the pair of lions were told about the Loa and Mawu and every other thing they could possibly have been told about. Her mother made it her duty to tell Ezili stories of Mawu and different Loa which is exactly what sparked her interest in being a Shrinekeep. The Hounfor were great structures that carried a lot of history within them. You never knew who exactly was below, but you could imagine their stories and think of all the marvelous things they did in their lifetime.
Oh, yes. Ezili had decided that she wanted to be a Shrinekeep. Just as she reached the beginning of adolescence, her mother fell very, very ill. She died around the time when Ezili was announced as a Shrinekeep and her only daughter chose for her to have a Hounfor so she could tend to it at all times. The light-hearted little lioness learned quickly that being sad did no good for those around her, and though she still mourns over her mother, she hardly shows it. She tends to her Hounfor every day and will sometimes be seen praying to Mawu there.
Other than her mother, Ezili really had nobody in her life that she was close to. She would, and still does, get up, do her job, and only mingle with those who approached her first. Many of the Shrinekeeps were quiet souls, though, and very few of them wished to talk on the job which was understandable. And so Ezili is now trying to change herself to be less shy and more sociable - to live happily and with friends surrounding her as her mother would have liked.
Prompt Number: Three
Prompt Response: 'Finally!' Ezili's eyes darted every which way from her spot outside her den. Everywhere, the Pride's lions were buzzing with excitement. For it was Dead Day and the long-awaited festival was beginning. Everyone who was available had been out hunting endlessly for quite some time and mounds of prey were scattered over the Pride's land. It was quite a feat, actually! To have so much food concentrated to one area. She smiled, prideful that her Pride was the finest in all the lands. Well, at least it was in her mind. But a small cloud of worry covered her heart. How would she know if her mother had come to visit when there were no Poupes in the family for her to reside in?
Surely the orphaned Poupes would get the spirit that had no one else. Ezili rose to her paws, shaking dirt off of her dark pelt. With her emerald eyes bright, she put on a smile and trotted toward the one place she knew the orphaned Poupes would be. For the most part, orphaned adolescents lived near or with each other. Surely not all of the orphans could have been taken over by the pride's ancestors yet. She walked to the one den that still smelled of the fresh scent of lion. Bowing her head, as customary in greeting, her eyes caught onto one Poupe in particular. His drowsy eyes were the color of her's - the color of her mother's. Sure, this may not have meant anything, but she beckoned him with her tail to come outside.
"Ezili." The adolescent lioness whipped around to stare at the lion that emerged from the den. She didn't know him... How had he known her name? Or mimicked the voice of his mother? Silent, not knowing what to say, Ezili moved closer to him, head bowed in interest. Could it really be? Her quizzical eyes must have been prying, for the Poupe simply bowed his head as a response. It was. It was her mother! Or, at least, she hoped. If she was making a fool of herself it could be rather embarrassing, but this was too amazing for her to second-guess. She backed up until they were side-by-side and twined her tail with his - a normal gesture for her.
The two took off toward the nearest pile of prey, knowing that she'd want to give her 'mother' the finest bit of zebra in the pile. "You would like zebra, right?" He simply nodded his head, an ever present smile on his face. She rummaged through the pile, finally managing to pull a zebra's leg from the mess. She put it down a bit away from the chaos that was a ton of lions searching for food and laid down, the Poupe doing the same. He took a large hunk of zebra and sighed in relief, just as her mother always did. And that was that. Life was like that. At least, for a little while. They sat there, just enjoying the fact that it was a festival day.
Ezili didn't talk to the Poupe much. Just enjoyed his presence and treated him as though he were her mother. And so they ate zebra and watched the Pepo'poroj lions mingle until the sun set behind the horizon and night rolled in. Finally, she stood, looking down at the lion with a sad smile on her face. "I must go to the Hounfor to place zebra there. Goodbye... Mom. She never was good with saying goodbye. It was a hard thing to do, but she still had to go pray and offer zebra to the Hounfor. That was most important.
Long adolescent legs carried her toward her mother's Hounfor and stopped when they reached the food pile that was nearest to it. Only a large hunk of zebra meat was left but it was all she would need to offer. With a heavy heart, she picked it up and heaved it up to her mother's resting place. The shrine was clean from her working on it all the time and it was easy to place the meat exactly where she was meant to. All there was now was her prayers. "Mother, I promise to keep serving the Loa. I promise to respect Mawu at all times. And in return, all I ask is that you keep our pride safe. Until the next Dead Day, Mom. Rest in peace."
That was it. Her adventures on Dead Day were done. There wasn't much else she could do while the rest of her pride were celebrating with their ancestors. So she went back to her den, curled up and went to sleep with dreams of her mother filling her head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:01 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:17 pm
.:. Secretive Medsen Fey .:.
Username: Satsurashi
Lioness's Name: Altaveu
Meaning: “Speaker” in Catalan
Personality: Altaveu mostly keeps herself, which is understandable for one who keeps a secret that she doesn’t want anyone to know about. The fact that she’s half-God means to her that she’s different, possibly unlike all those she’s come to know and love. You could never find a lioness more devoted to her pride, or more willing to do anything to protect it’s members. Part of this need stems from the guilt she carries with her that if they knew that secret part of her, they might mistrust her. After all, others fear what they don’t understand, don’t they? Even Altaveu is afraid of what may happen if she does, one day, begin receiving visions.
Altaveu is plagued by the idea that she may one day see flashes of the future, as she’s been told by her mentor sometimes happens to those with divine blood in them. She lives in constant fear that she will see something she must act on, like a premonition of harm coming to someone she loves, but in doing so she would reveal her secret. Even though one of the pride’s houngan is a seer, she doesn’t feel she would be accepted as he was. Her fear has turned this fact into something terrible in her mind, and it doesn’t help that she was abandoned as a cub by her mother for this very reason.
As a Meden Fey, Altaveu is an eager learner and shows promise of becoming a great healer like her mentor. Even though she is still technically being apprenticed, she has learned much from him and, if it weren’t for her lack of confidence in her skills, could likely work on her own now.
History: It all started with her mother. Altaveu’s mother had a fling, and it was later revealed to her that the lion she mated with was not who she thought he was. Maybe her mother was superstitious, or perhaps it was the deceit that unsettled her so much, but in either case she was deeply upset. She left the God, and wandered alone thereafter.
When the wise Medsen Fey found her, it was quite by accident. He had been collecting herbs when he came upon them, away from his pride. She was weak and worn, and almost incoherent. With her was a single, tiny cub, apparently the only offspring she’d had from her union with the God. They were both too weak to risk moving them back to the pridelands, and so he set up a temporary den where he found them and began to work.
Had her mother not been found by the skilled healer, both she and her cub would surely have died. They were both weak, but the Medsen Fey’s skills were able to pull them both through the worst of it. Once Altaveu’s mother was well enough again to remain her wits, she eventually told him her story. All through the telling of it the Medsen Fey could tell she was deeply troubled by it. And the way she looked at the cub… she seemed to seem mistrustful of her, even fearful, not at all the motherly adoration he would have expected of a normal mother and her baby. The cub hadn’t even been named.
Then one night, the lioness left. The Medsen Fey had been sleeping, and when he awoke there was no sign of her. The Medsen Fey up until now had not intervened in the mother’s raising of her cub in any way, respectful of her wishes and her strange fears surrounding her child. But now he saw that if he didn’t take matters into his own paws, the cub would die, if left alone. It was obvious that this is what the mother had intended to happen, but as a healer, he couldn’t bring himself to leave as she had done. So he raised her himself, bringing her food and taking care of her in private, until she was strong enough to be taken back to his pride. He named her Altaveu, “Speaker,” because in the first few weeks all she could do was mewl piteously for her mother. In time, she eventually calmed down and accepted him, and the rest of the pride, as her own personal extended family.
Of course, the rest of the pride never knew what happened. The Medsen Fey told them all, to spare the cub’s reliving of her abandonment, that he had found her alone, and the rest of the pride accepted this. Only he and Altaveu herself knows the truth of what happened, a truth that still haunts the lioness to this day. Which God her father was remains a mystery, to both Altaveu and her wise mentor.
What's her secret?: Altaveu is the offspring of a god and a mortal lion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:57 pm
.:. Old Caplata .:.
Username: ~Kiana_Nala~
Lioness's Name: Wambui'Lisha
Meaning: Singer of songs'full of mystery
Personality: Wambui'Lisha is very quiet and secretive. She does not 'hangout' often with the fellow members of her pride. Wambui'Lisha prefers to stick to her den and talk to the spirits of the land. When she is around other members of the pride she often sticks far back and let's them come to her if they are in need of her service or a long talk.
History: Wambui'Lisha was born into the pride as a relative to the old Mama. While she was a cub all she wanted to be was the next Mama, however, she soon learned that that job would go to her cousin. Her heart was broken forever, and she did not believe that it would ever be healed. That was until she met the Caplata. The old lioness was a stranger to the pride, although, she was highly respected amoung her people. There were many rumors about her circling around the pride that the older cubs at made up to scare the younger one's. One rumor that Wambui'Lisha believed was that the Caplata was taken over by one of the spirits she talked to.
The old Caplata found Wambui'Lisha laying under a tree while she was trying to cool down. The young cub looked as if she was going to die from the hot tempatures. The old Caplata picked the cub up in her mouth and walked back to her den. She laid the young cub down on a animal hide and splashed some rain water on her. Wambui'Lisha awoke and watched the Caplata carefully. Would she be offered to one of the spirits for a meal? Would she be turned into some servent for the spirits? Well in a way she would. The old lioness looked at Wambui'Lisha and pushed a couple bowls over towards the cub that had different colored liquids inside of them. Then she sat down and looked into the young cubs eyes. "The spirits tell me you will take my place one day. You have a open door in you that will allow them to talk with you." She spoke softly. Wambui'Lisha stared at the old lioness in fear and was unable to move. "A door?" She asked in a shakey voice. "What if I don't want to be a Caplata?" She said, trying to make herself seem stronger then she was. "You might not want to be, but you have been chosen by the spirits. It is best not to anger them." She said as she dipped her paw in one of the liquid bowls. "Besides, you do not have any other position open to you. You will never be the next Mama." The old Caplata said in a darker tone.
Wambui'Lisha let her tears spill over her cheeks. She knew she would never be the next Mama, but wasn't there something else she was good for? "No." A voice replied within her. She was shocked at the reply and looked around the den. There was no one else in the den with them, so it must have been in her head. Wambui'Lisha's heart tightened before she looked up at the old Caplata. The old lioness smiled slightly and began putting the liquid on Wambui'Lisha's face in intricate designs. "You will begin your apprenticeship under me now, however, you will not be able to learn the harder spells until you are a adolescent." She said as she finished the designs. "Now we must speak with your parents. For you will never return home again."
Prompt Number: Three
Prompt Response: As Wambui'Lisha stood in front of her mate's resting place she could not help but think she was doing something wrong. Her mate was not in the ground like they had all thought. He was buried in her den under the spot where he used to lay next to her. Wambui'Lisha was unable to let him go. She needed him near her for he gave her hope and strength. She would also need his spirit to fill her for the the task she was going to have to fulfill. The cub that she carried within her womb would be given to his brother Lazarus to be taken care of for the time being. She needed the cub to be protected and loved until it was time for her to take her mother's place as the next Caplata. A small sigh escaped from her mouth as she looked over at Lazarus. How angry would he be if he found out that this wasn't his resting place? Would he even care? She thought to herself. He would be angry, but Takis, her mate... She needed him. And so, she would not tell Lazarus about where he was truely buried. She had offered him meerkat meat and their bones. As well as his favorite bug. Everyday she would serve him food so that he would eat with her and not be hungry on the other side.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
![[Eskimo]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/ea/2c/53920899312cea_flip.png?t=1541710050_6.00_00)
