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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:58 pm
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Just when she felt about ready to bolt behind someone, one of her older sisters stepped closer to her. Bila's breezy voice and calm demeanor was a breath of fresh air, much like the moisture-laden wind that was picking up from the incoming storm. She glanced at the older female, anxiety still etched on her face. It wasn't their eyes that worried her, after all, but what they might do if they came near her. Even so, the priestess' relaxed mood helped to soothe the teenager's frazzled nerves.
She had a point, after all. Regardless of what these strangers planned, even if it was to haul her off for fate unknown, Divy was still amongst her family, and not a single one of them would let her be dragged off like that. Even those not related to her would never stand for such a thing. She still had no idea what made them pick her out, for her family never pointed out her physical differences and she'd grown accustomed to thinking of herself as just another one of Sliabh's brood. But Bila was right. These fiery strangers couldn't hurt her by just staring, and they couldn't hurt her either.
With a bump of her head against her older sister, she took a deep, deep breath, smoothing her fur and soothing her mind. She had a job to do, after all. She wasn't just here to observe and hide. Thus when her father turned to beckon her back up to the front, she firmly shook her head no. She'd been given a task, and though they claimed they weren't here to fight, she still was needed as a potential messenger. She would stay on the fringes of the group in case she was needed, no matter how much these rude red strangers stared at her. She gritted her teeth, took a more steady stance, and trained her eyes on her father, Dumaka, and Vizier Modya. They'd do their jobs, she knew, and so would she. Inwardly, she breathed a word of thanks for Dumaka's bold and protective words. She definitely would tell him her thanks face to face later.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:58 pm
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Hearing the question pipe up from the oddly speaking bard, his gaze reflected towards her, before Sliabh broke his attention, he gave the other lion a nod. "I have heard they're very strong - spending their lives like - ah." He stopped for a moment, trying to think of a better word than "Claw."
"They prepare for situations that never really happen. My homepride would have called them Claws. Strength in numbers, this pride has though . . ." he trailed, before staring at the group in front of them, keeping one ear on the conversations around him.
"Sheltered by the sands and sun that they are raised under, though." He, though, couldn't talk much about being sheltered, having left a life of such a brain-washed pride. Looking to the youthful leopon, he gave her a sympathetic look. "You can hide by me, if you need it. I am a good cloak." He offered.
=======
It wasn't only the blue goddess, hiding herself in the masses on the side of the diseased. The sudden anticipation had drawn the Inspiration god out of his reveries - the ideas and stories thrumed through his disguised body as he just about burst at the seams with interest, snaking through the mortals as he watched the other pride from the sidelines.
Why were the Firekin here?
It confused and elated him, he wanted to know more, and, taking to the group again, he tried to mingle, listening to conversations. Anyone would see an adolescent just about dancing with interest and excitement, phoenix markings almost flying with his moving paws.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:21 pm
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Sliabh spotted another of his daughters, the beautiful black and white priestess Bila, approaching and felt both extreme pride at the bravery of his family along side a twist of worry and nerves at the fact that they were so close to danger, for these red-coated strangers were dangerous indeed.
When Bila comforted her younger half-sister, Sliabh sent the elder a smile of gratitude. It was all he could do to keep quite and not make this rather tense but stable situation a whole lot worse. He was their father and it killed him to stand by whilst his beloved daughter was mocked. But he knew, that while he was usually so even tempered, in this situation he would say something very inappropriate and most likely anger their 'guests'. But wasn't that what family was for? To back each other up and look after each other? He knew Divy would be safe with Bila, and Caoilainn was here too now. After glancing over at Netravati to make sure she was still ok, he turned back to the firekin as Moto spoke, Sliabh nodding in understanding at the bard's words. While he himself had spent a full year in the roguelands as a young adult, he was still pride-born and had spent the majority of his life within the Kitwana's boarders. If anyone had any more information than he on a subject, he was always eager to hear it.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:23 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:29 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:30 pm
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Considering that they were the ones that had travelled here, the Firekin didn't seem at all Worldly. They were confused, and seemingly disgusted by, species that had always been known to the Kitwana'antara. It was funny really, to be regarded with such curiousity, despite being a mere 'dog'.
In many ways, Nili'asikari was used to such curiousity, as the life of a Secret Keeper was a mysterious one. Only Royalty and the High Priestess knew of his true role within the Kitwana'antara. When he wasn't carrying out his duties as a Secret Keeper, he was pretty much a jack of all trades, lending help wherever it was most needed. Whilst he was quite sure at this point that no fighting was going to break out, he thought it best to stick around, for support if nothing else.
"Charming, aren't they?" He smirked, eyeing the two Firekin in particular who seemed to be the most critical, judging from how they refered to himself and the leopon known as Divy. The bits of grey-tinged fur that touched his face suggested that he was getting on in years, yet he was still as bold as he had been when he was a pup.
As conversation continued amongst both the Firekin and the Kitwana'antara, it was revealed that the strange half lion was actually something called a 'leopon'. Her father, a lion, was present, and it didn't take a genius to figure out then that the mother was a leopard. "That is...fascinating." It was the only word he could form in order to describe what he thought about the creature. He may not have agreed with the creation of such a thing, but she was here now, and he just couldn't help but be interested in her.
Sadly, not all Firekin shared his curiousity and fascination. He frowned in the direction of Nisi and Nuria. "There is no need to be rude. We have come here in search of information, not to insult and to judge that which we do not understand." As a Hongshan, Ukuba would always have to be mindful of what he said to the Firekin, as there were still those who didn't think of him or the other Hongshan as Firekin at all. Still, he was not afraid of a little conflict, and he would certainly not sacrifice his views and opinions in order to avoid it, unless it was for the greater good of the Hongshan as a whole.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:35 pm
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The lions were large, large like... Jabez fur started to prickle as he remembered the lioness he had encountered when he was roaming out in the roguelands when he was younger. And once he started thinking about it he couldn't stop. That one had similar colours, that one shared a marking, and many of the females seemed to be built like her. His mouth went dry and he shook his head. They just looked a bit like her, that didn't have to mean anything. But he stayed hidden, and tried to listen.
---
Far above the commotion, something larger than a bird soared through the sky. Veri, the Goddess of Blood hadn't told Mith that she was leaving. Between his introduction to the pride and the general unrest at the moment they hadn't talked much recently. She fully intended to return, however. She just had some business to attend to, and she figured it would be better for everyone if she dealt with it far from K'A. She was sure the pride had plenty of competent healers and midwives, but she might have an adverse effect on the other pride members in need of those services. Better to handle this alone like last time. She'd be back eventually...
The goddess didn't bother to hide her form, but she was flying high enough to be hard to spot. She didn't feel the presence of the gods below, or didn't care. The gathering of mortals was unimportant for now.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:36 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:36 pm
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Modya had simply ignored the situation revolving around the young Adivyta, giving it time to settle down. Unfortunately, this was not happening, and he began to fear that if it was not addressed more directly, something untoward might happen. He gave the young guard beside him a quelling look at his civil but brash words. He couldn't know how incorrect he was comparing these Firekin to the Nergui, but one could hardly blame him, to some extent.
He turned his attention back to the mostly white male, who seemed to be at least nominally the leader of the Firekin group. "My apologies, but it seems the matter of our pride's make-up is becoming a more pressing issue." His expression was regretful, but not really particularly apologetic. "It seems that our non-lion population is gathering some...," he paused delicately short of saying 'rude', "unexpected reactions from your group." He let that sink in before continuing. "If we are to have peaceful discussion, it might be best if such things were set aside."
Politely, he was asking Veru to get his group under control and stop the rude staring and comments that were directed at Adivyta. Modya might command respect from his pridemates, but he wasn't sure he could keep some of them from snarling or worse if such a verbal barrage continued on the adolescent leopon.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:46 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:58 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:59 pm
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Kiowaa was just about to ask Nisi if a lion could make a baby with a dog when Ukuba rightfully scolded them. The young lioness looked a bit flustered and stared at her feet. She hadn't been looking to pick on anyone...not really... but was this common? She'd never heard of such a thing in all her life! All these lions seemed it was the usual. Maybe the disease had caused it! Or maybe...
She bit her lip before any further words fell from her lips. But when Nisi kept whispering, she continued listening intently.
Wait until her siblings heard about this!
----
Ah, things were progressing as chaotically as expected. But not as poorly! Some racial insensities aside, no one was looking too aggressive. Maybe a little sour faced, but he could work with that. The one in front, Dumaka, had given away to an apparent Vizer. Inwardly Veru attempted to calculate where exactly that put one in the pride. It certainly sounded important.
Important enough to deal with for the moment, in any case. "We've heard about as numerous rumors about you as you have likely heard of us!" he said with a thrum, noting the female's mention of the drought. "To be honest, you aren't exactly the reason we're here."
"And, curious eyes aside, we're not here to judge. Mostly," he commented, with about as warning a tone as Veru could muster. It still came across as somewhat half hearted. He wasn't the sort to do much legitimate scolding. Returning his gaze to the main group, he offered a small smile. "I am Veru! And the group you see here make up a portion of the sentinels."
His tail twisted. There was a reason Veru wasn't an ambassador. He played his cards close, and wasn't about to lay everything on the table just yet. "We sentinels are warriors. We're used to fighting. Diplomacy, not as much. But I think we can all agree that fighting is not in the best interest of either of our groups."
Now, that actually was a warning. To everyone. No one would win if a fight broke out between them.
"I said we weren't interested in you. That's only half true. We're tracking some lions, and we've heard they've been through these parts. You'd know them by the strange way they talk. Have you seen them?" He said curiously, balancing precariously on ambiguity. "Seems the surrounding areas seem to think you have."
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:02 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:15 pm
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Modya glanced between Veru and Moto'spaki, listening to both. It seemed these newcomers had something to do with the Nergui, and that was potentially disastrous. However, the pale-coated leader seemed cautious not to call the Nergui by name. Why would that be? He rolled it over in his mind, thinking that perhaps he should have been more involved with meeting strangers before this. How best to proceed?
"If you are referring to those visitors," he began slowly and painstakingly carefully, choosing his words minutely. "They did indeed come through here, and spoke with our Queen." His expression was neutral, but tense, his tail holding extremely still. "Those strangers came here with words of alliance in their mouths, but left with threats of violence." He took a moment to watch the group, gauge their reactions to this. If they were siding with the Nergui, this would reveal that Kitwana'antara had not chosen to do the same, and could leave them vulnerable to retaliation from the Firekin.
However, if this group was perhaps hunting the violent Nergui... that could have very good potential. But it was how they reacted that would tell the tale of how the next chapter would play out. Balanced between wariness and hope, Modya waited.
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