There was a disbelieving cluck to Sandalphon's tongue when he looked at Linistita. A part of him wanted to call the male out on his lie, but he was feeling sympathetic. Surely two sons and a mate would be enough to sooth Lari...for now. Still, Sandalphon couldn't help, but to feel envious that he hadn't thought of faking an injury earlier.
Sandalphon allowed himself to be pulled by Lari, only tugging back slightly but not enough to show any real displeasure. He would suck it up for her. "Shouldn't we be focusing on the scavenger hunt? We could always dance later, love." In private, away from the center of attention. Maybe he should have asked Aji to teach him a few moves first.
Subtle doesn'a look like a lioness in heat. Being a little frisky was one way to get attention, but inevitably it always ended with the wrong kind. Nadeshiko's own mother was a saucy lass, one that had ensnared her father, and the two were happily matched. It could work, but only if Alya knew the proper way to use it. Otherwise, they might as well start prepping the den for little bastards now.
As they closed in on the bulk of the gathering, Nadeshiko's eyes scanned the group. There were a few males, some with established harems and some without. One even had a cub he was looking after. "Where do you want t' start? Damien'keanu has no members in his harem that I know of, and he's not bad t' look at. Got a cub though, so that's iffy. And then thar's t' hoard o' Cantemae lads." Four of them in total that she could see. Maybe it wouldn't be best for Alya to hook up with a brother of her sister's mate, but then again, since they were both female it wasn't as if blood lines were going to mix. "Imarogbe be here too, but he's got two females already, don't know how you feel about bein' a third. I see someone new, though, so that's a change." Looking to the girl, Nadeshiko waved a general paw at the collection. "Where do you want t' start?"
As the two females made their way away from the family, Tsubaki couldn't help but to sigh. "If she keeps pushing things like this she'll either end up alone, or in a loveless match." Ensnaring a mate was one thing, but keeping them happy was another matter entirely. Sometimes her daughter reminded her too much of ghosts from Tsubaki's own past and it frightened her. She didn't want Alya to have the same fate as the Princess who had tried to ensnare her; driven mad from loneliness and grief. Hopefully Nadeshiko could tame her, in that special way of hers.
She leaned against her son, taking comfort in his warmth and the familiarity of his scent. Her dear sweet son; ever the comforter and always the wall flower. Tsubaki turned her honeyed eyes upon Sasha, and reached up to fix a few stray locks of his mane. "What about you, sweetheart? Have you found anyone that's perked your interest?" While in no hurry for all of her children to leave the nest, she did hope for their happiness, and to have someone to share that with. Maybe this was Sasha's chance, and he didn't even know it.
Though, by the way his gaze had wandered, Tsubaki thought that may have already happened. At least he was showing interest, and that was good.
With her son safely tucked away for the night, Vienna had felt restless enough to explore the area. She had known that they were camped near a pride, but wasn't exactly sure what kind. Would they be welcoming to two visitors, or hostile? Hesitantly the slender female crept along the edge of the gathering, taking in the festivities with wide, eager eyes. A party! That's what it looked like to her, anyway, from the dancing and laughter.
Maybe I should have brought Matteo with me. Then again, her son may not have fit in as well as she. There wasn't a single species other than lions here, and that made her heart clench. Maybe she should just leave before anyone saw her, take her son, and flee.
Then again, they didn't seem cruel...and she had missed talking to others...
Unfortunately for Vienna, the welcome party was gruffer than she would have wanted. Asta approached her, his head held his and muscular chest puffed out. Why he felt the need to intimidate a rogue female, even he didn't know, but a part of him was fully aware of what even the smallest of females was capable of. He wouldn't take any chances with this one.
For a moment he simply looked down his muzzle at her. Not because he thought himself better than the little female, far from it, but simply because she was so damn tiny. Like a little slip of a lioness who had forgotten to grow up.
Misinterpreting this intense look as something terrifying, Vienna felt herself cower away from him with her ears laid back. "F-forgive me, I'm sorry, I didn't meant to-"
"Why are you apologizing?" The question seemed to stun her, which confused Asta even more. His voice was deep and entirely the wrong tone for comforting. "You've done nothing to apologize for that I'm aware of, but I will be watching."
Taking that as her cue to move, Vienna smiled sweetly, if a little warily, up to him and skittered closer to the gathering.
It was hard not to note everyone gathering in their familiar harems. Why wouldn't they? he thought. Close knit families should tend to group together. Damien felt a bit of a twinge of jealousy. He'd had that once long ago. Until recently his harem, if it could even be called that, was only one. Himself. Now it consisted of two. He glanced toward his adopted cub with a slight smile. This was his second chance at a family and to do it right.
He watched the little cub make her tentative way into the main group. Some of the others had started dancing, which seemed a bit silly to him when they were suppose to be doing a scavenger hunt, but to each his own. In watching his cub, he noticed another dark male. There wasn't too many of them far as he knew. Damien gave him a slight nod in a friendly manor.
He glanced around a moment. Briefly he thought he'd heard his name, but couldn't identify the source. Probably just a blend of words then. His eyes went back to Anei. He didn't want her to get in trouble under foot with all those big lions dancing.
Anei watched as the different families interacted with each other. Everyone seemed to be happy. She was raised to hide from other lions. She began to think that her mother didn’t explain things to her clearly. None of that really mattered now since her mother was gone and now she had a dad that would teach her everything she needed to know. She was actually really grateful for that. She did wonder why he didn’t have a mate. Her mother didn’t have mates. She had flings, but Damien didn’t look like he was the type of male to have flings. Anei sighed. She was too young to be thinking about things like that. “So…. What exactly am I supposed to be looking for anyway….. hmmm” She looked around at the others around. She just start picking up things, hoping it was the right item.
Tanakako
magnadearel
Velveteen Angel
Painted Moose
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 4:00 pm
Nearachi smiled and nodded at the stranger. "It is a peaceful pride," he said cheerfully. "We like it that way." It wasn't a warning, just a comment, but Nearachi was a soldier, so he was quite muscular. It might have been taken as a threat, but the male continued to smile. "It is nice to meet you Eosphoros. I am Nearachi," he introduced himself. "We are quite loud, aren't we?" He laughed. "This is our first pridal festival in a while."
Lari pouted at Sandal's comment. "Everyone else is focused on the scavenger hunt," she pointed out. "I don't see the harm in us focusing on our own fun!" She flicked her tail, nudging at Sanadal to get him to dance. "Please, love?" She said, her pale eyes wide and entrancing.
Luminoscer reluctantly followed the pair to their makeshift dance floor, though he stood closer to Giz then the pair. "Having fun?" He asked Giz, his tone obviously amused but reluctant to be there.
Linistita was pleased that he managed to escape his mother for the moment and grinned. Ha! Freedom!
Now what was he going to do with this freedom? He frowned. Plus, now he was going to have to limp a little when he walked, or else his mother was going to get suspicious. He huffed. Maybe his plan was not the smartest one after all.
However, he spotted his brother Asta traumatizing a small rogue female and he grinned, making his way over (making sure to limp just a little). "Asta! Are you scaring this poor female?" He said, his voice booming with disapproval but his eyes sparkled with mischief.
Unaware of both her mothers disapproval, Ayla was scanning the crowd, eagerly examining all of the males. It wasn't that she was against females, but what was the point? You would still have to find a male eventually, one to provide a surrogate, so she may as well get rid of the middle-lady, and just find a male herself. To Ayla, this wasn't about love, necessarily. It was about security.
"I don't want to be a third," she said, sniffing a bit, sounding a bit insulted. "I want someone who will put me first." She glanced at Damien, taking in his dark pelt and the cub that followed him. Had he flung and gained the cub? That wouldn't do. Perhaps he had a rogue missus already...
She sighed, glancing at the Cantemae harem males. They were all very handsome, and she understood why Fleri had fallen for Pomona.
"Maybe there is just no one for me," she said, quietly.
((OK, Moose. You don't get to have Nade use my logic back at me. STOP TEMPTING ME =P ))
As Adina strode up to the festival grounds next to the lake she almost immediately heard the gentle, cooing voice of Kirimi. Her face instinctively lit up at the female's tone. "Kirimi! It's so nice to hear you," she stated with a tinkling laugh. At the other's question, Adina instantly grinned. She knew she could be difficult to deal with sometimes - her past self was hard to shake, after all. But even so, it was nice to see someone try with her. Although every once in a while her rejections for assistance ended snippily, sometimes it truly was appreciated.
"I would love to, Kirimi," she stated, hoping her tone sincerely conveyed her gratitude. She had been a tad concerned about how she would participate in the events of the festival, but she should've had more faith in her relationship with Kirimi (and Ima, of course), rather than doubting it. "Is Ima around? Will he be joining us?" Adina strained her ears in an attempt to sift through the many different voices speaking excitedly to one another, but failed to locate the low vocal tones of her other mate.
nessiaing
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 9:16 pm
Thor did not really want to be part of the festivities in a way. The idea of a party reminded the Commander far too much of her days in her old pride as a princess. She did not miss all the dancing and making pleasant conversation about boring things that she had to do back then. The best thing that had ever happened to Thor had been leaving all that behind her. Her home pride might have been scattered to the winds by disaster, but the upside was the lack of a need for their princess now. the female was quite happy to be the Commander in this pride these days.
If the Commander could have, she would have stayed in her den or made some excuse to run drills, but even the warriors she commanded wished to be here in the festivities. She would not deny them that, and had she hidden in her den, she likely would never have heard the end of it. Thor would have to use this as an excuse to find herself a mate or two for her harem. the gods knew she hadn't made time for that yet!
Somewhere down the road, Pandora had lost track of the black-coated pirate. He'd gone back toward the Bahari, with a lioness of a different blue. Jealousy had not entered her mind, though, as she simply carried on away from him. Following had only been a game, a teasing of the male that so clearly was afraid of her, a spook with fish dancing across her sides. Instead, she'd turned her course inland, simply looking about. Such it was that she'd found her way to another pride, a place that had love even more freely than the Bahari'mtoto had. This was a pride where lions formed small family units of adult males and females alike, with both genders of equal opportunity to become the leader of the family. It tickled her, really.
She'd arrived in time for a festival and some sort of game. Curiosity was piqued as she joined in the fun, doing her best to search. Maybe, if cards played right, she would find something good and have a good story to tell her pride sisters when she returned home!
Nyekundu, too, had been drawn by the sounds of revelry. He'd departed his family some time ago, inticed to find his own way without them being a crutch of some sort. If things didn't work out, though, he knew he'd be able to go find them and be welcomed back in. As such, he'd wandered for some time, before trailing after a fish- and wave-marked lioness, curious as to where she was going. What he'd found delighted him.
The pride was so open, so happy, he didn't think he'd ever want to leave. He'd look at other prides, yes, see what they were like, but ultimately, he decided, he would probably just come right back to this one. Red paws sank into the grasses as he searched, gold eyes dancing to and fro. Not paying attention, he found himself bumping into another lion. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"
Pandora fell back, rubbing her head with one paw. "No, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"Neither was I!" He looked around, then gave a curt and polite nod. "Happy hunting, friend!" He offered a smile, then went back to searching.
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 2:09 am
Surprised that his mother echoed his own thoughts almost exactly, he leaned gratefully into her warm pressence. Sure, he was bigger than her now, but there was nothing that ever quite replaced a mother's touch. Pulled from his thoughts by her fussing with his mane, he obediantly ducked his head so she could reach easier. Though her words made the young male start, eyes going slightly wide. Loking slightly panicked he stared at his mother, but movement beyond her caught his eye and he saw the large dark male Damian nod towards him. Heat flashed through him, leaving him frozen to the spot, body cold and cheeks flaming hot. Oh god. He had been spotted looking. Closing his eyes in utter horror at the idea that he may have just given himself away, he winced. "Not yet, mama..." He whispered in reply, wondering just why he had thought this whole event was a good idea. He would be lucky if he didn't annoy the wrong lion and get himself beaten up for unwanted advances.
Anei picked up everything she could. At this point, she didn’t care if she looked silly, she was having fun. Eventually, she would make friends. There wasn’t anyone her age there. The young cub was actually used to not being around cubs her age. She was not used to being around older lions though. They didn’t seem to mind her running around, collecting anything that seemed to need collecting. She wondered if there was going to be a prize. She had never won a prize before. She got more excited in her search for items, causing her to bump into an unexpecting lion or lioness. All her items scattered as she fell. “Ow….” She shook a little as she sat up and rubbed her head. “I’m sorry…. I didn’t mean to.”
Unsure if she'd found anything, Pandora continued poking around. As she searched, she was aware of most of the other lions around. A few, she noted, had markings much like her own... Sans the fish, but much like her own. They also looked similar to some her siblings had, as well as three of her aunts. Perhaps, she considered, she had relatives in this pride. Such a notion appealed to her, as it meant a blood connection. If she had sons, maybe she'd leave them here to grow up. It certainly had a good atmosphere! Nose to the ground, she was surprised when she bumped noses with a semi-familiar red lion. "Oh! Hello again, stranger!"
He'd been minding his own, searching again. The more he thought about it, the more Nyekundu liked this place. He'd have to go get his father, mothers, brothers, and sisters, bring them back. They'd like it, he was sure, where they could freely be a family unit. It was just a matter of finding them out there in the rogue lands. His tail twitched as he lifted his head, looking around. A number of lions shared looks, similar markings, which meant family roots were firmly planted by a few. He smiled, going back to searching, only to bump nose-to-nose with the fish-marked lioness again. "We should stop running into each other like this!" He stood tall again, smiling at her. "Or, perhaps, search together!" He gave a bow, smile remaining pleasant. "I am Nyekundu!"
She chuckled, a smile on her own maw. "I'm Pandora!" She looked around, eyes dancing. "We may well end up running into each other again, later down the road. This looks a good place to leave any sons I have, they'd grow up well here!" Of course, she questioned leaving any of her sons anywhere, not raising them. Spending time out here, she'd found such a concept wasn't the norm, and many families were happy raising their sons with their daughters. She was growing less and less fond of splitting her children up.
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:34 am
((Figured I'll throw these up in between responses <3 ))
He gave a slight shrug at her question and flicked his tail against his haunches. Damien glanced around at the other lions nearby. "I'm not sure Anei. I've never done this before. Look to see what the others are picking up?" He smiled, "or pick up whatever you like." The male was fairly sure the female would bring him back many pretty things for him to look at him. True to form, he saw her gathering up quite a bit.
Damien tensed a moment as his cub bumped into an adult. He hoped with the pleasant atmosphere, the adult wouldn't cause a scene.
"How can I say no to you?" Sandalphon's smile came on a little sigh. There was little he wouldn't do for her, she knew that, and it often got him into trouble. Such as trying to dance without music in front of the entire pride. His cheeks had darkened to a smoky color as the lion picked up what dignity he had, and began to dance. It was a shameful, ungraceful affair, but at least he was trying.
Nadeshiko snubbed her nose. "Whoever you're with should put you first no matter what number you come to them. I'm second, and do you think your father doesn't worship the ground I walk on?" He didn't, not exactly, but if she snapped her claws Hilal came running. If he didn't she wouldn't have stayed.
"Bah!" Stepping forward, Nadeshiko gave a good look about the area. "We're going about this all wrong. You don't need to come to them, they need to come to you. Your pretty, but you need to sell your skills. Can you sing? Are you a good huntress, or a fast fighter? A crafter?"
"Are you sure, Sasha? We can go talk to someone, if you want." She didn't want to push him in the least, though neither did Tsubaki want to see her son waste a chance at discovering something big. Seeing that he was far too uncomfortable with the whole ordeal, the lioness reached up to brush some of the mane away from his eyes. "How about we start the scavenger hunt then? With your eyes and my skinny paws I'm sure we can find almost anything." She tried to smile, to bolster up his confidence as best she could. He needed it.
Vienna noticed that another male had come over to the one who had "greeted" her, and used this as her chance to escape his gaze for good. She had already moved out towards the center of the activities, so maybe now she could blend in. At least that had been her hope until a little cub bumped into her.
Looking down at Anei, Vienna couldn't help but to smile. The little one was too cute with her overabundance of things; all sorts of things, from the looks of it. "It's alright, no harm done." She turned her gaze upward to catch the eye of a male that had come closer. Maybe this was her father? Either way, he was watching her, which was good. The small female smiled to them both before bending down to Anei's level. "I heard there was a scavenger hunt, but I can see that I'm going to have to work hard to catch up to you."
Asta scrunched up his face as he turned to Linistita, though that quickly dropped and was replaced with a raised brow. "What the hell happened to you?" Of course his keen attention to detail would notice the bit his brother was trying to pass over. "Did you get bit by another beetle?"
Still, he was able to scowl when for the briefest of moments Vienna turned back to them, and then went back to speaking to the cub. It was enough to ruffle his fur. "I was just talking to her. You're the one who scares them with your pathetic attempts to flirt."
Shira was bouncing on her paws, "Let's play, come on, come one!" The lioness was energetic as she raced around her twin, "I'm going to find some nice things~" Laughing she darted around through the grasses with glee. Something about the whole pride being up and around in the night together like this was exciting.
Shaking his head Shiro just trailed behind his twin, "She's may just tear up the field at this rate." He commented quietly though a small smile did flicker across his face. Like always his twin was being adorable as a cub...
"Do you think we'll find anything?" A small whisper tickled his ear and Shiro found himself looking towards the petite lioness, "I...mean I'm not that good at finding things..." How was it that Shira always seemed to have so much vibrant energy? Meanwhile Elthia was just hoping the shadows would come and blot her out from the busy crowd. There truly were a lot of lions roaming out tonight...and so many were strangers to her. More rogues perhaps?
Chuckling Shiro just bumped his hip against Elthia to break her out of her thoughts, "It'll be fine. Just relax and have fun...Shira's already ahead of us." Smiling he lead the other female forward after his twin.Beside of him Elthia's face flushed warmly in the darkness and she was glad that in the darkness the telltale signs of her dear crush were easily hidden.
Thor did not really want to be part of the festivities in a way. The idea of a party reminded the Commander far too much of her days in her old pride as a princess. She did not miss all the dancing and making pleasant conversation about boring things that she had to do back then. The best thing that had ever happened to Thor had been leaving all that behind her. Her home pride might have been scattered to the winds by disaster, but the upside was the lack of a need for their princess now. the female was quite happy to be the Commander in this pride these days.
