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 Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:02 pm
Gali smiled at the question and quickly turned her face away to hide it. Nyota always hid among the commoners. Gali tended to hide in the council chambers.
Gali turned her bright eyes to a large rock nearby. "I would find cover. Somewhere small that I could cramp myself into where I felt safe." She looked at the heavy shade cast by a large tree. "Or somewhere I could blend in and hide."
She looked at her white fur again and then smiled at him and his overabundance of the same. Gali shook her head slightly to flick her white forelock away from her face. "If they can blend in. We would be at something of a disadvantage. You realize most of these cubs will not be nobles, assuming that any of them at all are?" Yes, had Mother considered that too? Gali couldn't be sure. She'd have to trust her father to do his best to help if they managed to-- Gali swallowed a sigh and eyed a pawprint in the mud. Probably from a groundling.
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:07 pm
Hinekiri only barely caught the tone of voice that changed in the lioness when she spoke of the one named Adaloise. She quickly decided not to push the subject, Hinekiri was no stranger to the idea of life being harder then others guess, and she assumed that Beatrix probably had secrets of her own.
"It is true it is helpful to have a searching partner, it makes you feel safer in this great big forest." Hinekiri said as she walked further into the dark trees. Walking along the lioness found herself humming a small tune she wasn't sure what else to do when it came to searching for cubs, they wouldn't know her voice if it were to call out at them, instead she hoped that he humming would coax them out of their hiding places.
All of a sudden Hinekiri had one of her paws slip out from underneath her. After a quick gasp she realized she had stepped into an enterence of a den. "Hey Beatrix, look there seems to be a small den here, perhaps cubs have hidden inside." Hinekiri looked around a little tentative to go inside on her own, the den of course would be dark, but it couldn't go unexplored.
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:14 pm
Kamau paused to consider her words. Yes he supposed that made perfect sense, cubs did often have a tendency to hide when frightened or when playing games. Perhaps this would narrow their search a bit, by looking for places where a cub could find shelter and feel safe. Her next words made him smile and consider. "Well, I suppose if they can blend in then we have best tread carefully so as to not step on them." It would not do them any good to injure an unseen cub when they should be rescuing them. Hearing her sigh he looked down and saw the paw print. "Looks a bit too big." But where there was one paw print there could be more.
They continued along down the streams edge. Kamau kept his eyes open for any signs of hidden cubs, be it paw prints or wide eyes looking out from a hiding spot. A large tree lay on it's side up ahead, and as they got close he could see the trunk was hollow. "Let's check it out." He said to Gali and then quickly padded over to it. "Is anyone in there? We are here to help." He peered into the dark chasm of the trunk trying to spot any sign of life.
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:27 pm
Gali watched Kamau stick his head in the hollow trunk and with a smile peered over the opposite side of the large fallen tree. "I imagine you must be hungry by now. Would you like us to find you something to eat?"
She hadn't meant to say 'us.' It was Kamau's suggestion that they were working together, his use of 'we,' that made her say that. Her eyes darted down the length of the log to where most of the white lion was sticking out of the tree and almost. Gali smiled, but she didn't... well, she didn't smile like this. Reserved, her sister had said once. It was just so funny to see him like that...
"Hello?" She turned her head away from him and looked down the other end of the trunk. The smile faded as her sharp gaze caught on some gashes down the other end of the tree that could have been caused by smaller clawed paws. "Anyone?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:44 pm
 Mot'e hadn't told anyone where she was going today or that she was going to pitch in to help the cubs. She tried to dismiss her wanderings in the woods as daily routine as a groundling. But she was on a mission, regardless of what she didn't want to admit. Her natural curiosity had gotten the best of her and sent her into this part of the woods today.
She didn't call out, she didn't poke around in small places, but she walked about nonchalantly, but always turned her head to catch any sort sudden movement.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:24 am
Well, they had wanted to live in the forest. They wanted to join the groundlings there, or the fairy folk as some seemed to treat them. So of course, it only made sense to put their experience forth to help the little ones that had gotten lost. Hadn't one of the agreements they'd been told been that those who dwelled in the forest would aid the king in times of need? Besides, the cubs had traveled with them for some time, and while Kunstig had never been particularly interested in them, they were ever so small. Helpless. Smaller and more helpless than he was, and that was certainly saying something.
He didn't know that he and his sister would find cubs. He didn't care to keep them if he did find them. They had one another, what more did anybeast need? But cubs might not wish to be left in the dark woods with the 'wicked' fairies. If they found one, they could simply give it to another searcher...
"Lovely lullaby," the small lion commented, belatedly realizing that he might startle the blue lioness (Parisette) with his abrupt appearance. He had not been here long enough to learn the ins and outs of the forest the way the groundlings did, but he did not fear the place in the least. Moilik's presence nearby was more than enough to stem any rational fears he might have, and those that were irrational were easy to dismiss.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:37 am
So the lioness who had arrived with them had turned tail and run off somewhere. While she knew the cubs were not the female’s own true offspring, the idea of a mother abandoning her own children was not only forigen to the lioness, it was also rather disgusting. And so it had not been remotely difficult for her brother to persuade her that they too should help to search for the lost cubs. A query look assured her that he did not desire to keep one of the runty things, which was just as well. She did not want a cub to look after, not a stranger’s runaway. She already had a little runt to take care of after all.
Moilik shadowed her younger and much smaller sibling. She was not thrilled with the majority of the pride, but the groundlings were quite nice. Living in the woods, it was her business to know the territory she and her sibling would now call their home. If she did not well know it, she could not well defend it. Or her brother. And Kunstig was the sort to need defending. Together they could do anything, but alone she was fairly certain that her runty sibling would be eaten or treated to an equally unpleasant fate. Just as she knew she would wander into more fights than she cared for without his quick wits.
Perhaps the combination of both her strength and his smarts would let them find their way to the lost little cubs. And then they could deliver the cubs to new parents, or perhaps the king himself. Perhaps doing something like that would help to poke it in his face that females were every bit as good as males. The divide in respect was probably the only thing about this place that infuriated her.
She said nothing as her brother stepped out into the path of another lioness, her own body language calm and relaxed. She could kill anyone who bothered her brother if it came to that. Why would she be tense and nervous? Coolly she looked on, content to let her brother do any talking. She would simply follow him, and keep an eye out. Primarily an eye out for trouble that might harm her brother. But if she glimpsed a cub she might say something. Someone would want to look after the little thing, and any parent should be better than no parent at all.
((I may be busy for the next few days, please simply assume that Moilik is trailing around with Kunstig if I am not available for posting.))
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:48 am
Parisette was startled when the green and brown male crossed her path, having not expected anyone else to be out quite this far. Instead, she had stumbled upon not one - but two members of the pride. They must have been newer, as Parisette did not know them by name and she had lived in the pride all her life, so she knew a lot of the older pridal members. Even the nobles, having grown up an attendant in the higher ranked areas. The male was rather...small, and for a second, she thought that perhaps he was one of the lost, but he looked too old to be an adolescent, plus he had a female trailing after him, so clearly he was not really lost. The female with him was larger, so he didn't need protecting from anything, clearly.
"Thank you," she told the male, pleased at his compliment, though slightly embarrassed that he had heard it. Lullabies were usually a personal thing, after all. "I used to sing it for my daughter when she was younger. I thought perhaps the lost cubs might find comfort in it." She glanced around, as if expecting to see cubs flocking to her, like a pied piper of lost cubs, but her lullaby had had no effect, it seems.
She turned her gaze back, offering the duo a warm smile, even though the female looked...disinterested. "Have you had any luck?" She asked, knowing they had to be looking for the cubs, else they would not have been out there - or so she assumed, at least. She hoped that someone was having luck. She cringed to think that any cub would be left out in the forest.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:01 am
A lullaby for her cubs? At the words, Kunstig automatically glanced around, as though expecting to see small blue children trailing about after the female. Of course, it did make more sense for any cubs to be safely away in their den. Espeically if the forest were as fearsome as rumor once had held. Now it seemed silly to him. The fairies had been eerie to him when he first heard of them, but he and his sister just fit so well into their ways...
"Perhaps they might," Kunstig agreed, though he watched her mirroring his glance around with some amusement. No, there were no cubs popping out of trees around her at the sound of her voice. "We have always thought music to be something...special." He did not need to glance over his shoulder to know Moilik loomed there. Well, perhaps 'loomed' was the wrong word. He was a runt, so she was clearly much larger than he was. But she was not quite large enough to properly be described as 'looming' over any of the other, more average sized, members of their pride. "Don't let us interrupt you," he added after a moment, flashing a brief smile at the lioness. Lullabies were melodies too after all. And all music was lovely.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:13 am
Parisette nodded her head at the male's words. "Music is a beautiful gift," she agreed warmly, pleased that they appreciated the arts as well. She was a fan of music, though she could not sing well, she still appreciated it. She just preferred acting and story-telling more so then song. She was surprised when he motioned for her to continue despite their presence, and shifted in faint embarrassment, before tilting her chin up and resuming her usual stage-presence, which was confident, of course.
Singing in front of someone not-family would be the same as acting out a play in front of a crowd. "Perhaps if you know the words, you might sing too," she suggested to the pair, smiling at them, though she was unsure if they would. "Two, or three, voices tend to be better then one."
She glanced around as she began to repeat her former lullaby, softly singing and occasionally peering back the duo watching her. She shifted a little, and began to walk, looking into various hiding spots that cubs might like. Like under tree roots, and behind bushes, expecting that the pair would either help, or do something to aid finding the cubs.
"Mama's gonna shelter you tonight. Through rain or shine, we'll stand together."
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:27 am
Kunstig nodded at the lioness' words. So many in the pride seemed to hold a mentality like that, or at least, most of those that they had met as of yet. Granted, he and Moilik were happy to just spend time with one another, rather than everyone else. So it was quite possible that their impression of what most thought was quite wrong.
"I'm afraid I'm not sure I do know the words of your lovely song," Kunstig admitted, "But the tune is simple enough..." With another glance to check his sister's approval, just in case, the small lion fell into pace near to where the blue lioness was searching. Her mannerisms had changed so quickly when he asked her to continue singing...perhaps she was one of the performers? It might be a good idea to get to know the performers, that way he and Moilik might better know when to look for a performance.
With his sister by his side, as always, he too began to search behind stones and shrubs, humming along with the stranger's song. He would not mess up her words if he did not say any after all, and it was still as though there were two voices for the tune. Perhaps he'd pick up the words in a little while, lullabies that he'd heard before tended towards being a bit repetitive. He'd always been a fast learner.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:35 am
Moilik nodded as her brother spoke. He always had the ideas that would work best. And to top it off, he had managed to persuade the blue stranger to sing for them while they searched. Pleased with her sibling, and the improvement in their situation, the large lioness nudged her brother’s shoulder affectionately. Though as the stranger suggested that three voices would be better, she had to shake her head.
“I am afraid my singing might well frighten the cubs,” she explained. She’d inherited her mother’s talent for songs, which, unfortunately, was not much of one. “You and my little brother sound fine without me.” Kunstig could sing, and speak stories in a way that made people want to listen to them. She had envied him once, when they were little cubs. Now though, she simply settled back and enjoyed his talents. It was like having her own personal entertainer, though he did seem to run out of fresh stories now and again. In return, he had his own personal guard. They meshed perfectly together.
Her tail flicking mildly in time with the rhythm of the lullaby, Moilik followed her brother as he searched, her eyes traveling over all the places he paused to check. She was more interested in tending to his well being than she was in finding any cubs. The music was a nice bonus though.
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Questionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:52 am
The silver and purple lioness's ear flicked towards the sound of music. Naturally she was drawn to it, but when she got close enough to see a squad of adults, she lost interest and trotted off a ways, but not without having picked up the blue female's tune and started humming it. After not too long, the tune was lost and it became a song of her own. Her dark eyes glanced here and there into the shadows.
Okay... so she was looking for a cub. It'd be such fun to have a play thing! Or a play mate, she didn't really care which. She'd never had much responsibility and she didn't fully grasp the magnitude of caring for a cub, but she thought it was quite the novel idea, and that she'd very much like to give it a go. If it didn't work out, well... That's why there were nannies, right?
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:07 am
Parisette was thrilled when the pair helped her look, undaunted by the fact that the female refused to sing - Parisette had giggled and smiled at her at her comment - or that the male did too refuse, but had decided to hum along with her instead. Although it was not another voice joining her in song, he did provide a lovely harmony for her song. She was surprised when the female mentioned her 'little brother' but they had seemed rather close, so being family was the reason for that closeness. She continued to sing, mostly making up the lyrics, since she had never really sung the lullaby for this long, but she hoped that some nearby frightened cubs took comfort in it, or at least, that it helped them realise they were not alone in a scary place.
She was not aware of the silver and purple female who approached them, as the fellow adult moved away before she noticed her. She wasn't aware of her song being taken and moulded into something new, though she would have been happy if she knew, always interested in new things being formed from old things.
Parisette began to repeat the lullaby, unconcerned by the fact that she was singing alone, with only humming to back her up. She didn't hesitate much as she moved now, instead she moved confidently through the bushes, though not too quickly that she lost her newly found duo, but her movements lacked her former hesitancy. It was likely due to the fact she had companions, and was therefore unlikely to get lost on her own.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:33 am
 "You think this is a good idea, Pan?" Raziela Liron peered uncertainly about her. Her nobility meant that she spent little time in the forest, and it always felt a little... off to be so surrounded by dense trees and thickets. But this time was different. She was here because Pan had asked to her be, because Pan had decided it would be a good idea, and she would trust Pan with her life.
Still, that didn't mean she wasn't having some last-minute thoughts.
"Don't worry, Miss Ela," the maned wolf snuffled at the ground. Other lions had been here already, many of them, and it warmed his heart to think that so many had arrived to help in this time of need. "Like you say, if it's meant to be, it will be."
The lioness nodded her head. "It certainly can't hurt to participate." She mused. "Where do you think we should start?"
"Maybe deeper in, Miss Ela," Pan suggested, taking a step deeper into the forest. "Maybe they're jus' hiding."
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