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 Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 4:06 pm
She wasn't sure why, but his last comment made her laugh a bit, and there was a smile on her face as she wound through the undergrowth at her feet. She somehow doubted that even if he wanted to, he could get very far. She'd probably be able to track him down in no time. He was woozy, as best she could tell, and wounded. He wouldn't be able to go anywhere despite her warning - not unless he was extremely bullheaded. Always possible, she supposed.
As she reached the tree she had deposited her herbs, and for a moment she nosed around in them until she found a bunch of leaves. Grabbing them in her mouth, she turned back around and headed yet again in the direction she'd left him. Luckily enough for the both of them, it wasn't really such a long walk.
"Here," she said after she deposited the leaves on the ground, "I need you to chew on those, alright? They're gross, and bitter, but they make a paste to put on your paw." She would have done it herself, but considering the way he stared at her like she was an alien sometimes, she doubted he'd want her smearing something she'd had in her mouth onto his gaping wound.
She sat down in front of him as she waited, tilting her head a little as her eyes drifted back up to him, simply watching him with expectation on her face.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 8:27 pm
While Njozi has no trouble taking charge when he needs to, his upbringing has formed the dark lion into a very obedient soul. Well, mostly obedient, given his past. But in this situation he sees no need to disobey her wishes, and so when she returns he is in precisely the same position he was when she left.
And when she re-appears he is again struck by just how much green she bears. How he failed to recognize it before is beyond him, but now that he has taken notice he cannot keep himself from looking. Green upon green, and yet she is clearly no coward. Clearly not selfish. Unless there is some secret she keeps buried beyond his ken - only time will tell, in that case.
The pile of leaves gets a dubious glance, followed by a curl of his lip. "Chew? On those?" But he leans forward obediently (and carefully, since he dare not put weight on the injured paw yet) to take the bitter greens in his mouth, grimacing with plainly evident disgust as he chews and the unpleasant taste becomes clear. And he keeps chewing, watching and waiting for some indication that he's chewed enough, and listening for instructions on what to do next.
The acrid flavour is not kind to his empty stomach, but he soldiers on. Ugh.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:22 pm
If she could have heard his thoughts, they no doubt would have amused her. Her form had a lot less green than it first appeared, given that such a large percentage of it was actually her tattoos, but it still had a shocking stripe of green down her back inherited from her father. She wouldn't have mocked his ideas of spirits, but she certainly wouldn't have thought much of herself being a coward just because of her green coat. She had always been proud of the green, especially after she came to enjoy healing - leaves and herbs were both green.
As it was, she couldn't help the small, amused smile as he began to chew the leaves. She knew how awful they tasted, because she used them often to patch up things on pride lions and chewed them herself in those cases. "I know, very, very bitter." She counted off the time in her head, and then nodded at him. "That should be good and pasty by now, you can stop chewing."
She leaned over to look at his paw and then glanced back up at him. "Alright, what I need you to do is take that paste and put it on your wound here, smear it and pack it down into the pad. It might sting a bit when it first touches, but then it should numb up quickly." It was a messy process, but it was the best way she'd been taught by Kiwi to stop bleeding, and unless he wanted to sit around for another few hours with his paw in the air, this was his best bet.
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:41 am
After giving a dubious glance at first Makonde and then his wound, the dark lion shrugs and does his best to bring paw to mouth.
It probably looks a lot less awkward when she does this sort of thing herself, given her experience and the fact that it's often easier to tend to someone else's wounds than one's own. As it is, Njozi is balancing awkwardly while trying to press the paste to the wound with his tongue. It's a messy process, and the ground is liberally decorated with both blood and plant-paste by the end of it, but he does his best.
"Ugh," he mutters, scraping his tongue with his teeth and grimacing, "definitely not the best thing I've ever tasted." After looking at her to see if it's okay, he tentatively places his paw upon the ground and puts a little weight on it. It hurts, but it's not unbearable, and so long as he doesn't put his full weight on it for a while things should be okay.
"Thank you, Makonde Waya."
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:06 pm
She simply nodded her head in a reassuring manner as he brought his paw to his mouth and began his best attempt at covering the wound with the paste. It was certainly a lot less graceful than she would have done herself, but it wasn't bad for a first attempt, especially since he was doctoring his own wound.
"Good," she commented with a small nod and smile of approval as he glanced at her. The fact that he could put his paw down seemed to be enough of a sign that the paste was doing its job. "No, most medicines are rather foul, I'm afraid. I imagine they can't be both helpful and delicious." She offered him a weak, amused smile, but her gaze had already drifted away from his paw and up over his form. He was in no condition to be traveling, even with his paw mended. She'd done a little for him, but the gods help her, she still wanted to do more.
"Please, just call me Makonde. Waya is my last name." She knew the tradition was not upheld everywhere, and not all lions knew the difference between a last name and a traditional long rogue name, but it sounded terribly formal every time he said it. That said, her eyes squinted a bit, and she pushed herself up to her paws so that she could level herself with him slightly. "You should eat. After all that blood loss, and that bit of a sway you did, I don't think it'd be right to send you on your way." She wouldn't tell him she thought he'd let himself be malnourished, just simply chalk it up to the injury. "If you're comfortable with it, you could come back with me to the pride for at least one meal. They're a kind sort, and family of mine."
The look in her eyes was almost pleading, staring up at him from where she stood. She didn't know how tough he was, what his story was, or where he was headed, but he was injured and sickly looking to anyone with an eye keen enough to tell.
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:25 pm
Njozi nods, listening carefully, while testing the movement of his paw. "I don't have much experience with... healing. It sounds interesting." A slightly self-conscious twitch of his lips is the only outward indication that he notices her inspection of his form. He's not in horrible shape, but he knows that he has looked better.
"Makonde, then. Some others in m--" Njozi stops suddenly, biting the words off before they can escape from his mouth. "I--" And again he's at a loss for words, grasping silently for the right thing to say that doesn't strike too close to home. "I've met other lions with last names," he finishes lamely, turning his gaze aside. Her unexpected movement towards him doesn't earn the flinch it would have just a few moments ago; he's fairly confident now (despite his fears) that she means him no harm.
Her request does startle him, though, and he turns back to regard the smaller lioness, his face set in a very serious expression. "I don't deserve your kindness," he replies simply, then sighs and lowers his head, "but I will take it, with my heartfelt thanks."
The fact that he is not entirely comfortable with it, despite his acceptance of the offer, is clear in his reserved and anxious posture. Oh, what a coward he is - accepting the help of others, because he is too afraid to die alone. But he has to survive, he's given up too much already to preserve his life. So he nods to Makonde, and rises carefully to follow her.--fin--
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