Welcome to Gaia! ::

.:. Shadows of Africa - Moving! .:.

Back to Guilds

 

 

Reply [OOC] Journals [OOC]
[J] Thalion's SOA Directory Goto Page: [] [<] 1 2 3 ... 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 234 235 236 237 [>] [>>] [>>] [»|]

Quick Reply

Enter both words below, separated by a space:

Can't read the text? Click here

Submit

Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:07 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


User Image
Name: Taban | Cert
Meaning: Genius
Rank: Leader of the Chokwe Troupe
Status: Mated to Lady Lightfellow (Vistada)
Personality & History Summery :
The troupe originated in the Anasi- a group of predatory beasts that dwelt in the underground. The Anasi were fond of stories and worshiped the god of Trickery from who they gained their name. The adopted prince of the pride was a young cheetah by the name of Taban who, until he failed to sprout a mane, believed himself a lion. As he grew, his desire for the open plain grew and he could no longer stand to be confined to the underground.

When Taban left for the over world, four followed him. Lucia, a hyena who had been wounded by man’s thunderstick and taken into the pride to recover, had assisted Devi in raising her cub. When he left for the over world, Devi insisted that Lucia remain by his side. The second, Fubar, was a maned wolf who had served as the cheetah cub’s best friend and companion as they grew up together. The third was Bai Feng, a cheetah and a former servant of man.

The troupe found some purpose in offering their assistance to the Mistweavers when the small pride faced the threat of invasion by outside rogues who sought to claim the valley as their territory. The troupe served as a patrol and often times detoured the invaders. One such invader was Nyek, who had been deceived by Taban into showing him the location of his growing pride.

Shortly after the mistweavers re-established their pride order, the troupe took in Nyack, a lion who had been searching for a purpose among the freelands of the Savannah. The lion decided to devote himself to the ambitions of the troupe and ever sense has lent them his strength. Nyack had left the pride shortly to seek out a mate for himself and had wounded himself during a hunt. The series of events brought to Nyack a meeting with a goddess and a young son who he returned to the troupe with.

The troupe continued to grow. With their bloating numbers, ranks were established and the troupe was divided into two sections- those trained in the art of combat and those trained in the art of tact. The troupe has since dedicated themselves to changing the face of the Savannah through their combined efforts.

Taban has been quietly involved in a lot of larger conflicts, he's fairly knowledgeable and seeks to expand his knowledge in whatever way possible.

The best way to describe Taban is ambitious. He was born as a prince, though by mistake, and carried the title with pride through his youth. His entire existence was based on the approval of his parents. When he became aware that he was not truly the son of lions, Taban became determined to prove that his worth was just as great, if not greater, than any prince of lions.

As Taban grew, he began educating himself and testing his wit against other creatures. He presents himself with the charm of nobility and a smooth way of speaking. However, many see him as deceptive or shady. Taban makes it his business to learn as much about someone or something while revealing as little about himself as possible.

His confidence is often mistaken for an over-inflated ego. He depends on only himself, no longer praying or thanking gods for his successes or pleading for guidance. All things come to those that earn them is his way of thinking.

He has very few close friends and makes it a point to keep it that way. It's up for debate if he even truly believes in love.


Plots :

♦ Lots of rp! Taban leads a rather large troupe but right now we're in plot limbo. A lot of players left, a lot of plots fell through, and we're all scratching heads to figure out a good way to pick up with things.
♦ Any conflicts needing a few extra fighters. Taban is almost always accompanied by at least three of his troupe members at any one time.


Colorist: Dusty
Obtained by: Custom

FYI
- Taban can never be seen without his familar, Fubar
- Taban is a cosplay of Hugo from Suikoden III
 
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:09 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


User Image

Parents:
Bai Feng ("Zuko") | Image (Thalion) | ___x___ | Image (NPC) | Eylai (Deceased)


Siblings:
- Rufio | Image | Nerpin |
- Rayan | Image | Mila Farrell |

Offspring:
Litter 1: Taban x Mdhamana'Kinyamkayla
Leknaat | Image | Nerpin |
Belcoot | Image | [ Eskimo ] |
Aila | Image | Reeshie Hack |
Saikon | Image | Vistada |
Huali | Image | Chobi Chocobo |
Nascha | Image | Safaia |
Jowy'Atreides | Image | Thalion |


Family Echo  

Thalion

Conservative Seeker


Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:11 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |
 
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:11 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |



User Image
"My Juvenile years...tales of discovery and trails.

The fire had separated myself and Korvo. Above us, the thunder roared with the fury of a thousand lions and opened the maw of the sky to send bolts of light to the ground. The dry grass soon became a sea of flame sweeping across the landscape like a starving beast.

I ran for my life, choking on the thick smoke and dodging ember sprays and falling trees until he found himself in the damp safety of the spider's den. Intricate as a web and just as dangerous to any but the spiders themselves, I made my way into the depths of our underground to where my blind 'mother' awaited our return.

The tale of our escape and the danger that separated us devastated the one who had raised me. She wept in fear for her mate for many days following my return and praised Anansi for returning me to her side.

When the smoke had cleared and the earth had cooled once more, I returned to the over world and searched for my lost 'father'. Many days I walked, often times climbing the black skeletons of scorched trees to watch for our king, my father, my mother's only love.

When I found Korvo among the ashes, the lion bared his teeth and threatened me with a great paw that even the strongest of beasts feared.

"Dad!” I cried, but the lion only sneered at my voice. "Father!" I tried again, "Mother has been mourning, the fire came so quickly, forgive my cowardice.”

The lion seemed both insulted and confused by the words. In the smoke and confusion, Anansi had found it fit to remove his follower and king of his children of his memory. I recounted as much as I could recall, including the blind queen in the depths of the underground, still waiting frantically for her mate. The old hyena who had lost her pack and had come into their good graces as my nanny, a white scouting cheetah with man's bindings still clinging to his back, and a maned wolf that had been my companion. None of it dawned a single memory within the king.

Curious at the cheetah's apparent knowledge of him, the king followed his 'son' back into the heart of their kingdom. There was no mistaking the face of his lover. The heart will remember where the heart forgets...

That is the tale and the lesson of my juvenile years. My life was still only just beginning, but these events marked the beginning of a new flame...and this time, I was the one to bring them."






"And so through the flames, my story truly began..."

 

Thalion

Conservative Seeker


Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:13 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |



User Image
The spiders were re-united once more. The lords of the underground, children of the spider began hearing the whispers of the overworld. A tyrant among lions has risen from the sands of fire. Younglings were being snatched from their homes and trained under a blood-stained paw towards domination over the overworld. The spiders surfaced along the boarders of the Mistweaver valley, a mysterious and supposed cursed land home to a small race of lions.

The land had very few true-blooded members left to defend its boarders. One by one, rogues were coming into the lands to breed and raise their cubs. The land soon became dry and deprived of prey.

My own fascination for the pride began as I watched the prince of their pride read written history upon the walls of the Mistweaver caves. A written language! Written stories, histories, and drawn faces from the past. Immortalized words and names.
 
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:13 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


User ImageThe troupe originated in the Anasi- a group of predatory beasts that dwelt in the underground. The Anasi were fond of stories and worshiped the god of Trickery from who they gained their name. The adopted prince of the pride was a young cheetah by the name of Taban who, until he failed to sprout a mane, believed himself a lion. As he grew, his desire for the open plain grew and he could no longer stand to be confined to the underground.

When Taban left for the over world, four followed him. Lucia, a hyena who had been wounded by man’s thunderstick and taken into the pride to recover, had assisted Devi in raising her cub. When he left for the over world, Devi insisted that Lucia remain by his side. The second, Fubar, was a maned wolf who had served as the cheetah cub’s best friend and companion as they grew up together. The third was Bai Feng, a cheetah and a former servant of man.

The troupe found some purpose in offering their assistance to the Mistweavers when the small pride faced the threat of invasion by outside rogues who sought to claim the valley as their territory. The troupe served as a patrol and often times detoured the invaders. One such invader was Nyek, who had been deceived by Taban into showing him the location of his growing pride.

Shortly after the mistweavers re-established their pride order, the troupe took in Nyack, a lion who had been searching for a purpose among the freelands of the Savannah. The lion decided to devote himself to the ambitions of the troupe and ever sense has lent them his strength. Nyack had left the pride shortly to seek out a mate for himself and had wounded himself during a hunt. The series of events brought to Nyack a meeting with a goddess and a young son who he returned to the troupe with.

The troupe continued to grow. With their bloating numbers, ranks were established and the troupe was divided into two sections- those trained in the art of combat and those trained in the art of tact. The troupe has since dedicated themselves to changing the face of the Savannah through their combined efforts.

Taban has been quietly involved in a lot of larger conflicts, he's fairly knowledgeable and seeks to expand his knowledge in whatever way possible.
 

Thalion

Conservative Seeker


Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:14 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |

User Image
(-) | Suspicious Movements Underfoot - Moses' betrayal | Finished
(-) | The Beasts of Man's Land - A glympse into Nykendu's Pride | Finished - Short.
(-) | A morning hunt - Trick the Ground | Incomplete
(-) | Meeting the Mistweavers - Maji, Devi, Korvo, Enki, and Ramses (Can be provided if inquired. AIM RP, meant to be private.) | Finished
(-) | Taban on Patrol - The Mistweaver Lands | Incomplete
(-) | Trespassing - Confronting the outsiders | Finished - Short
(-) | Most unfortunate news - Taban and Maji | Self RP - Short
(-) | Lost and Found - Family - Taban, Masika, Ramses, Sekhi, and Maji | Finished
(-) | The Cheeion and the Cheetah-lion | Taban's company & Mbura | Finished
(-) | Meeting Nyak | Complete!
(-) | How the cheetah lost its roar | Taban and the Wind Goddess | Complete
(-) | Staring at the Sun | Finished
(-) | The lion and the Lamb | x6 with Maji, x1 Kisulisuli, x1 Taban | Finished

(-) | Trixters | Ush & Taban | Complete
(-) | Tact meets Stealth | Taban & Altair | In-Progress
(-) | What the puddles say | Complete
(-) | The meeting at the cliffs | Mishenka, Kizuka, Maji, Ushaufu, Taban | In-progress
(-) | Is Fate Unchangeable? | Taban, Bai Feng, & Mwezi | Finished
(-) | Returning Home | The Troupe, Nyack, & Nedu | Complete!
(-) | Brick Walls | Kizuka, Maji, & Taban | Finished
(-) The Ditz and the Squire | Taban, Fakhir, & Neha | Finished!
(-) A matter of Perspective | Finished!
(-) Proposed Brotherhood | Finished!
(-) | The ditz and the squire | Finished!
(-) | Welcome to the World | Taban, Bai Feng, & Matawi's troupe | Abandoned
(-) | The story of fish and bird | Taban & Chinedu | Abandoned
(-) | To catch the wind agian | Abandoned

(-) | The newest stars | Jowy, Taban, Leknaat, & Riou | In Progress
(-) | Destiny in the Stars | Hrist, Fubar, & Taban | Complete
(-) | Mark of the Stars | Taban & Kirkis | Complete
(-) | Hrist & Taban | Complete

Totals______________________________
27/31 Complete
3/31 Abandoned
1/31 In Progress


Italics - abandoned
Red- used for breeding

Successful breedings:
- Colorist Choice - April  
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:15 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


User Image


User Image
(~) | "Maybe I am a Cheetah" | Art by: Thalion
(~) | "Like a Lion" | Art by: Thalion
(~) | Taban | Art by: Amy D
(~) | Taban and Yuber | Commissioned by Gummi, done by Kamirah on Deviantart,  

Thalion

Conservative Seeker


Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:17 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


Troupe Name: Chokwe Troupe "Firebringers"
Troupe Leader: Taban
Tacticians:
- Bai Feng
Elite Guards:
- Lucia
- Nyack
Guards:
- Fubar
Apprentices:

Squires:
- Nedu

Ranking:
Leader:
There’s no need for a fancy title. The leader’s job is to keep order within the troupe and dictate the troupe’s movements. They serve as the lead tactician of the group and will often times issue those under him to gather information if necessary.
Tactician:
The tacticians serve as a council to the leader, but have often been entrusted with handling affairs in the leader’s absence and organizing larger hunts. They are in charge of gathering information and serve as a council- along with the leader- to help dictate the movements and actions of the troupe. The guard answer only to the tacticians or the leader. Achieving the rank of tactician is to fall under an apprenticeship. Only those that prove themselves of higher intellect and trickery will be given the title of tactician.
Elite Guard:
The elete guards are fighters that have proven themselves in combat or through the vigorous training that the troupe demands of any of its members. Only those that manage to pass the tasks posed on them by Bai Feng, Lucia, Nyack, and finally Taban will be given the position of an elite guard. The elite guards are also expected to accompany a tactician into larger hunts.
The Guard:
The warriors of the tribe. The life of a warrior is to carry the tasks dictated by the tacticians. Often times, the guard will be broken into units and put into the command of an elite guard. Much of the guard will be expected to continue their training through one of the three combat masters, depending on their strengths.
Apprentice:
Youths and juveniles who show more of an interest in becoming a tactician fall into this category. An apprentice will follow a tactician’s guidance and instruction, learning the trade first-hand. They will often receive the task of gathering information from prides, packs, and clans that the troupe encounters. If they prove themselves to their master, they are promoted to tactician.
Squire:
Youths and juveniles who show more of an interest in becoming a guard fall into this category. From their youth they are trained by the three combat masters- one for power, one for speed, and one for technique- before they are admitted into the guard.

Troupe Vocabulary:
- Wind-Chaiser: The common term for a cheetah.
- Bone-Crusher: The common term for a hyena.
- Lord/Lady of the Savannah: The common term for a lion or lioness.
- Moon-Caller: The common term for a wild dog.
- Howler: The common term for a maned wolf.
- Shadow-hunter: The common term for a leopard.
- Youngling: A youth of any species.
- Windchild: An avian.

Troupe Religion:
The troupe has no established religion. They neither support or condone those that are religious either. The common belief is that gods and goddesses are a race entirely of their own, have matters of their own, and care very little for the strife of mortals. While there is respect for the gods and the power they may or may not wield- there is no worship or dependence on the hope of a divine blessing. The troupe believes if there is going to be change in the world, it’s brought about by those that live within it, not above it.

Gods are also seen as elements in stories, figures that can be tricked into blessing or cursing those that they encounter. The troupe leader, Taban, believes that it was the goddess of the wind who stole the roar out of the cheetah’s throat and seeks to capture her not once, but three times in order to receive a blessing. Nyack tells that he had been healed by the goddess of crafts in exchange for tokens from every land that he passes through.

Troupe Culture:
The troupe is essentially seen as one large family. Any species of animal is allowed into the troupe so long as they can prove themselves to be of use to the troupe and trustworthy. While titles exist within the troupe, formalities are rarely used or encouraged. The younglings are raised between all the members of the troupe to further establish a sense of unity and brotherhood among its members.

The troupe has no territory, no loyalty to one pride, one god, or one individual. In entering the troupe it’s taken as an unspoken oath of loyalty to all the members. Even the leader would gladly lay his life down for any one of the troupe.

While not actively a part of any set pride or other established group, the troupe will spare no expense to learn about any they encounter. Information is the most valuable asset to the troupe, and while they are more than willing to learn about the individuals and groups they encounter, they are -very- reserved about how much information about themselves is given out. As anyone might imagine- gathering information can be quite a chore under such conditions.

The troupe can be best described as a group of wandering mercenaries. In exchange for information- or if they feel a pack, pride, or individual is in need of their assistance- they will offer the service of their tacticians and/or guard. For a time the troupe remained close to the mist weaver boarder, having come to an agreement to help detour the invading rogues. The troupe also largely contributed to discouraging Nyek’s pride from invading the valley.

Troupe History:
The troupe originated in the Anasi- a group of predatory beasts that dwelt in the underground. The Anasi were fond of stories and worshiped the god of Trickery from who they gained their name. The adopted prince of the pride was a young cheetah by the name of Taban who, until he failed to sprout a mane, believed himself a lion. As he grew, his desire for the open plain grew and he could no longer stand to be confined to the underground.

When Taban left for the over world, four followed him. Lucia, a hyena who had been wounded by man’s thunderstick and taken into the pride to recover, had assisted Devi in raising her cub. When he left for the over world, Devi insisted that Lucia remain by his side. The second, Fubar, was a maned wolf who had served as the cheetah cub’s best friend and companion as they grew up together. The third was Bai Feng, a cheetah and a former servant of man.

The troupe found some purpose in offering their assistance to the Mistweavers when the small pride faced the threat of invasion by outside rogues who sought to claim the valley as their territory. The troupe served as a patrol and often times detoured the invaders. One such invader was Nyek, who had been deceived by Taban into showing him the location of his growing pride.

Shortly after the mistweavers re-established their pride order, the troupe took in Nyack, a lion who had been searching for a purpose among the freelands of the savannah. The lion decided to devote himself to the ambitions of the troupe and ever sense has lent them his strength. Nyack had left the pride shortly to seek out a mate for himself and had wounded himself during a hunt. The series of events brought to Nyack a meeting with a goddess and a young son who he returned to the troupe with.

The troupe continued to grow. With their bloating numbers, ranks were established and the troupe was divided into two sections- those trained in the art of combat and those trained in the art of tact. The troupe has since dedicated themselves to changing the face of the savannah through their combined efforts.
 
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:20 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |

Breeding form:
Quote:
Father's name, image, and owner OR "Rogue":
User Image
Uncerted
(You can kind of see the fire mark on his shoulder, it was wrong in his adol stage)
Mark on his shoulder (If important XD; )
Mother's name, image, and owner:
User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.
uncerted (glittery-like markings on her back)
Pride: Rogue
Roleplay Links for Father (if not a rogue):
(-1-) | Suspicious Movements Underfoot | (He joins towards the bottom of page 1)
(-2-) | Lost and Found |
(-3-) | The Cheeion and the Cheetah-lion |
(-4-) | Meeting Nyack |
(-5-) | How the cheetah lost his roar | *With Mana
(-6- | Staring at the sun | (self rp)
(-7-) | Self Rp |
(- cool | Trixters |
(-9-) | What puddles say |
(-10-) | Is fate changeable |
Roleplay Links for Mother:
*RP #1
*RP #2 *with Taban
*RP #3
*RP #4
*RP #5
*RP #6
*RP #7
*RP #8
*RP #9
*RP #10
Would you like having a throwback? Sure!
If so, please list images of those ancestors (or aunts/uncles) here:
- Mana's sister
- Taban's father
Would you like having a random? No
 

Thalion

Conservative Seeker


Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:23 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


-Spare Post-  
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:24 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


-Spare Post-  

Thalion

Conservative Seeker


Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:41 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


-Spare Post-  
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:42 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


Self-RP's
Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:24 pm
A sleek white form emerged slowly onto the grassland, lifting its crimson-crowned head up above the long grass around it. The moonlight glanced off a set of watchful orbs as the hunter scanned the area, ears rotating about and mouth parting to taste the African night wind. Though the landscape was ever-changing, the task at hand never did. Bai-Feng, as he was known formally as, or Xuco moved silently though the grass. The moonlight played oddly over the gold and crimson of the now worn coursing harness that laid forever strapped to his sleek form. The only physical reminder of his past life that remained with him.

Back then, he was no more successful than any other courser to the emperor however favored he was. His white pelt made him painfully obvious to the prey so he was often covered in fine dirt before the hunt. A habit that carried over to his older days as a free cheetah, though no longer by human hands. Back then his white coat and firey red mane had been a sign of good fortune in the eyes of the emperor. It was a royal sport, coursing. The rulers of the orient would often meet with their prized animals to compete against each other. Rulers from forgiven lands would travel to the east to compete and those from the east would travel to the exotic lands to hunt new and exotic game. India, China, Africa, and other great landscapes. Bai Feng had been the favorite of his young emperor and was hardly ever seen apart from the young man's side. Sitting at his feet by his throne as a status symbol, a token of good luck.

Coursing had been an art and a great honor among his kind. The cheetahs he had been born among were of a noble lineage, bred from champions from generations prior. The first, he'd heard, had been a gift to the emperor's late great-grandfather as an exotic species to add to his palace. Creatures strange to the area were seen as tokens of great wealth and often looked highly upon by the people and other rulers. Eventually word of using them as sport reached the emperor and soon it had been refined into a way of life. The cheetahs lived better than most of the common people, eating prepared meat and drinking clean water drawn from the palace's stream. They were groomed and set with harnesses that allowed their handler to restrain them on the field along with coursing helmets that were set on their heads, blinding the cheetah until removed for the hunt. Keeping them passive.

Bai Feng had been among the six that had been brought to Africa for a hunt arranged between a local sheik and the emperor. The night of the hunt had fallen on the night of a migration of some of the local beasts. Massive horned creatures Bai now knew to be wildebeest. Thousands, perhaps millions of the creatures had made their route across the hunting range and the hunters had been scattered. Bai Feng lost contact with the others in his team, finding himself soon in the company of one of the native female cheetahs. Wild and bold, she'd been nothing short of perfect to him.

Much as he'd loved her, Bai Feng couldn't find it within himself to abandon the life he knew and set off to search for his old master. After two seasons passed it became apparent that there was no trace of his old master or his team. When he returned to his mate's den he found only a corpse, already picked clean of her flesh and fur.

Heartbroken, he'd wondered away from the den, growing thin and rugged from his once sleek and proud form...

The spiders had found him. 'Ghosts of the Savanah'. The creatures of the underground had found his broken from, taken them into their shadows and restored him to health. They were the weavers of tales and the ears of the land. Their ways and stories intrigued him. The more he listened the more fascinated he became with the land. They'd earned his loyalty, Korvo had become his emperor....and now it was time for him to remove his blinders and track down game.

Bai dipped his head slowly, pawing at the ground with his worn-down claws. There were patches of thinned out grass where the dirt could be had. The land was dry enough to make it a bit of a task for him, but his white fur simply would not allow for sucess. Most especially at night.

Bai paused and slowly glanced back behind him. Another spotless form emerged slowly from the grass followed by his ever-present 'bodyguard'.

"Young emperor." Bai dipped his head slightly. "A suprise to have you out at this hour."

"I'm not a cub anymore." Taban said simply as he approached the older cheetah. His body language suggested that he was a bit uncomfortable with the area. "Are you going on a hunt?"

"Yes. As soon as I can dust myself."

Taban nodded, not unfamilar with that aspect of the white cheetah's routene. It made sense. Anansi would often change form to blend into his surroundings. Either for hunting or trickery. He himself had become something else, more manner-wise than anything else, to learn of the location of Nyk and his 'secret' pride.

"I... was told I should learn to hunt from you."

"Were you now?" Bai raised a brow, "Have the methods of your father failed you."

"More than I care to admit." Taban smiled a bit sheepishly.

"So you've come to terms with it then."

Taban frowned a bit, his ears rolling back. For much of his youth the cub had believed himself to be a lion though it wasn't without reason. The mother had been blind and picked up a cub- not her cub- but a cub she believed to be hers. At the time the father was gone and the cub was..well a cub. Led to believe that his mother was his true mother. He knew no other truth. Around the time that a lion would have rightfully grown his mane he'd grown more defensive, more bitter- and dare he think it- more arrogant as a false mask to hide the disappointment in the truth's revelation within himself.

Now mature and wiser, he was learning to live with the fact that he was indeed a creature the natives referred to as a 'windchaiser'. A cheetah.


Musings...

I have never been objected to the belief that gods and goddesses do in fact exist in their own plain, perhaps they exist in the elements around us, or watch from an unseen land. My doubts have lied within the belief that a god or goddess will provide everything to us mortals. In my experience, this has been the greatest lie of them all. They bless and make themselves known to those that please them, those that seek them out, and most importantly- those that prove themselves to them.

Anansi did not see me fit to live within his caverns. A cheetah, raised by a blind lioness who was unable to realize that the very god she worshiped had led her to take an orphaned windchaiser over her own lion cub. So I was raised as a lion, learning the way of deception, and settling with a title no less than prince. When my legs grew restless with the tightness of the underground, I took to the over world and tasted the wind the way only a cheetah could.

It was an intoxication, from that moment on, I swore that I would show my foster parents that I was far more than they could have hoped for in a son- I would catch the wind.

In my travels to do just that, I managed to detour a would-be tyrant from leading an attack on the peaceful valley of the Mistweavers using only my wit. His ‘hidden kingdom’ was soon revealed to me by the king itself. While he busied himself with scarring his followers with his mark, I made my escape and the wind carried me free from his territory and back in time to reveal the tyrant’s location and plans. Fearful of the information I carried, he abandoned his quest to take the valley.

As I came into adulthood, I realized that I would never be as strong as my parents had hoped. My strength lied within my mind, and my mind alone. I would never join the battles waging across the savannah and my only legacy would be my knowledge. In my travels, I happened upon a creature that forever changed my outlook on my ambitions- the offspring of a cheetah and a lioness.

Granted, the cheetah was a frail creature… pathetic and already accepting of his place as a cheetah. However, the possibilities of such a combination was endless. With the speed of the cheetahs and the power of a lion, nothing could carve its name in history better. Granted, the speed would be watered down, as would the power, but if one knew how to combine both effectively along with tact- there would be no stopping them. As warriors or as tacticians- both… an elite force. With the proper guidance…

Fate seems to have a guiding paw with me as well. Shortly after my encounter with the cheeion, I met with the god of deception himself. The father of tricks revealed that within my eyes there was far more than a cheetah, there was something that even he could respect. It would be a pity to disappoint him. He’s a father now- and his offspring with a mortal are all ….gifted. Which leads me to believe that if I were to be blessed with a litter of my own, I too would have a litter of gifted cubs with the power of foresight, the one gift any tactician would gladly remove a limb for.

I have caught the wind and received a token.
The second time I will ask her name.
The third time…I will ask the blessing that will bring the winds of change upon the savannah itself. Never before and never again will they see warriors and tacticians as those that I will bring forth and guide.
 

Thalion

Conservative Seeker


Thalion

Conservative Seeker

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:43 am
Taban
| Basic Info | Family Tree | Cubhood | Juvenile | Adolescent | Adult | Timeline | Photo Album | Relations | Pride Info |


Obtained by: Custom - Colored by Mila Farrell  
Reply
[OOC] Journals [OOC]

Goto Page: [] [<] 1 2 3 ... 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 234 235 236 237 [>] [>>] [>>] [»|]
 
Manage Your Items
Other Stuff
Get GCash
Offers
Get Items
More Items
Where Everyone Hangs Out
Other Community Areas
Virtual Spaces
Fun Stuff
Gaia's Games
Mini-Games
Play with GCash
Play with Platinum