[FIN] Disease Changes Your Outlook (Elera & Tarafa)

[mouselet]

The Bard was back on duty, making her rounds, content in the knowledge that she wasn't going to have to tell Mittere about the...problems...of Surya'nontle's reign. She'd promised herself that she'd give the pink lioness at least a day to think over what Nawiri told her before visiting again.

Thus the blue lioness was wandering through the pride lands looking for stories to gather. Today she was investigating the non-lions who were an essential part of the pride. Tarafa always found them interesting, these people who chose to live among the diseased lions and help as best they could while being safe in their racial immunity. Some came from outside, but just as many were born and raised to it, just as there were lions who were adopted in to the Kitwana'antara and others who were born to it.  

[Talencia]

It was strange, having a home. She had wandered for long enough, and had felt that would likely be her life, but now all that had changed. In a matter of a half hour or so, her entire life altered course. A pride of lions worthy of her dedication.

Despite this, she was glad there were positions that allowed her to range far and wide. She had opted to become a scout, skimming the edges of the territory but still able to come home. There was that word again! Home. She glanced around her new den, just shy of being fully uncomfortable with the situation.

Piera was sitting nearby, industriously pruning her feathers. Elera case her a sideways look. That was one of the things that had kept her on edge. She was waiting for something, and it hadn't come, and that was driving her crazy. After pacing the small den space for the fourth time, the leopardess finally let loose. "Oh, would you just SAY it already? Say it and have done with it!" Ears canted backwards, she bounded outside into the fresh air, hearing the predictable rustle of feathered wings behind her.

Sure enough, the raven settled on a sturdy branch nearby and watched her with intent eyes. "Feeling testy much?" the bird inquired mildly, which didn't help Elera's temper whatsoever. She glared at the bird in what could almost seem a murderous fury to an outside viewer.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Motherbird, so spit it out!" Her voice was practically a hiss, tinged beneath with a soft growl. She wasn't truly angry at her raven companion, merely anticipating something that was likely much deserved. It rankled.  

[mouselet]

The blue lioness paused, ears cocked, as she heard someone shouting nearby. Blinking, she turned to investigate. It wasn't a voice she recognized, which in and of itself was worth noting, and she couldn't think of any reason why someone would be shouting. Curious, the Bard crept closer.

The voice appeared to be coming from a den that Tarafa remembered as being empty. Obviously she needed to come over here more often, since it seemed rather occupied now. She thought she heard two voices inside, but she couldn't be certain.

Then a leopardess bounded out, followed by a bird of almost identical coloring. The Bard listened to their exchange for a couple more retorts before deciding to step in and, at the very least, redirect the pair's attention.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, coming into conversational range.  

[Talencia]

Still totally not used to pridal life, being a complete newcomer to it, Elera did not react very well to being startled by the appearance of someone else. She spun to face the 'threat' with her body lowered in a crouch and her fangs bared. What kept her from a snarl demanding to know who faced her was the cackling laughter of the she-raven. It gave her enough pause to remember... they were on pride lands. This must be a pride lion. A fellow pride member.

Her stance immediately softened, whiskers wilting and slicking back apologetically and her muscles relaxing, rising her from the ground. She did glare daggers at the chortling bird, but managed a genuinely abashed look directed at the lioness.

"I'm sorry, my manners are not those of a pride," she said frankly. "In the roguelands, you'd have been as likely to either want to eat Piera there, or to attack me." She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders. "I had to stay on edge to stay alive. Forgive a newcomer for old habits." Her apology was stiff with disuse. She was reminding herself that this was another one of the lions who bore up under illness and death. She didn't apologize to just anyone. In fact, come to think of it, she couldn't recall the last time she's apologized and meant it. Sarcasm tended to rule rather than being heartfelt.

She composed herself, scrolled back her memory to recall what had actually been said, then actually cracked a smile at the blue feline. "As to something being wrong," she added, "nothing was wrong except that I know this featherhead has been itching to say something, but hasn't just to torment me." She looked back over her shoulder to bare her teeth at the raven. "Contentious old woman!"  

[mouselet]

Tarafa watched in detached amazement as the leopardess reacted to the perceived threat with remarkable speed. She wondered if this was what Mittere would be capable of when she recovered. But that, of course, was many long weeks away.

The blue lioness raised an eyebrow at the laughing bird as the leopard apologized. She'd noticed that most familiars seemed to act like that - grounding their partners.

"There's no need to apologize, if I'd been thinking I would have made tried to make friendlier noise," the Bard told her, smiling. "And I suppose that you can't blame your familiar too much...I'm sure she just wants to remind you of what's going on versus what's past."

The blue lioness sat down, trying to make sure she looked as nonthreatening as possible. No need to touch on battle reflexes if she could avoid them. "Since you're new enough that I don't know you, let me introduce myself. My name is Tarafa, and I'm a Bard of the Kitwana'antara." She cocked her head at the as-yet-unnamed leopardess, inviting the other to share.  

[Talencia]

The title the lioness gave intrigued her. She hadn't had enough time yet to learn much more about the pride than the little she'd learned from Nawiri. Still, she was right. Names were necessary, here and now. She glanced back again at the bird, who had composed herself once more into the picture of serenity. "That shamming bird of a mother is Piera," the leopardess said, then turned back to Tarafa, "and I am Elera'plova, though most merely call me Elera." Most. That was an understatement. They had hardly stopped long enough to make friends along the way. A faint snort from the raven's direction indicated that Piera's thoughts were, as usual, right in line with her feline charge's.

"I am going to take on the duties of a Scout," she added informatively. She didn't bother to explain how it suited her. Just because this was a fellow member did not mean she had to bare her soul and all its darker corners. Instead, she turned the conversation back on the lioness. "Now, what is a Bard?" she inquired, tipping her head to the side. It seemed to Elera to indicate a rather non-vital position, which puzzled her. Not being sentimental, nor having any appreciation for the gathered wisdom of others, she was currently rather blind to the advantages of the role of a Bard.  

[mouselet]

So...they were Piera and Elera'plova, better called Elera. Tarafa filed away the names as ones to remember for seasons to come. Not being lions, they would almost certainly be around for quite some time. She had to wonder what Elera was omitting, Piera's snort indicating that something was missing. It probably wasn't important though. If it had been, the leopardess likely would have mentioned it.

"A Scout, eh? I would have pegged you for a Guard, but I guess that shows what I know," the blue lioness chuckled as she made a mockery of herself. She didn't doubt that if the pride was attacked, Elera would almost certainly be on the front line of defense.

Tarafa blinked in surprise at the other's question. She knew that not all prides had Bards, but she'd never actually encountered someone who had no familiarity whatsoever with her job. "Well, you could say that the basis of my job is information," the blue lioness said slowly, trying to boil things down to their core essence. "I make my rounds of the pride lands gathering it, and then I retell it to others in a more entertaining form." She paused. "Most times I'm just telling stories to pass the time or teach a lesson. Some times I'm called upon to recall how we overcame or fell prey to some problem in the past that resembles a current trouble."

Nevermind that her specialty was the day-to-day tales that made life worth living. She was still a Bard and still had those other responsibilities to her pride.  

[Talencia]

That was certainly an odd job to take in a pride of sick lions. She supposed if she stopped to think about it, it made sense. When members died off as swiftly as it seemed they could here, it probably became vital to preserve knowledge. It made her curiuos though. "Are you immune, then, to the disease?" To Elera, it made the most sense to put those likely to last in charge of keeping information, but perhaps this was not so. If there was more than one Bard, that probably was sufficient for keeping memories and knowledge alive, regardless of who died, even the Bards themselves.

Still, it seemed a relevant question. She had yet to really get a grasp on what this disease was, how it worked, what it looked like when a lion was sick, and what the actual mortality rate was, much less how it affected the pride overall. She had a lot to learn, but nothing she had already learned made her regret her decision to stay here.  

[mouselet]

Tarafa blinked in surprise at the leopardess' bluntness. She supposed the question made sense, but it still wasn't the sort of question she usually got. She debated how much to share, deciding that the other really didn't need to know about her past, her betrothal to Uzazi and the fact that it wouldn't have happened at all if she'd been immune.

"Ah...no. I have, thank the Goddess, not been subject to the disease yet, but I carry the seeds within me as do most who are not yet afflicted," the lioness replied. She didn't include the word "lion" in her reply because if Elera had been here for any length of time she would have had it explained that it was a disease of lions only - lions and halfbreed lions.

The Bard wondered if she should go on, explaining how all lions but those immune were born with the seeds of the disease, but most weren't actually sick at birth. She decided to leave that explanation to any Healer the leopardess should ask, because truly, that wasn't her specialty.  

[Talencia]

Elera nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps her assessment was correct to some extent, if Tarafa was for the most part healthy. "Are there many bards?" she inquired politely, though her tail was beginning to twitch. This was really rather one of the reasons she had previously abhored the idea of pride life. She just wasn't cut out to stay polite and friendly all the time. She worked hard to keep her ears from angling backwards. It wasn't that she disliked this lioness, but it was her nature to see things in a less positive way.

Granted, she was finding it easier to see positively since meeting Nawiri, but this only could go so far. She just knew she'd find herself biting her tongue soon to keep some sarcastic or scornful thing from escaping her mouth. This lioness... indeed, any member of her new pride, did not deserve the sharp edge of her tongue. She shifted uneasily. Yes, scout was definitely a good position for her.

Knowing that her charge needed rescuing, Piera swooped down from the tree, landing near to Elera, but in front of her slightly. "Pardon my interruption," she said, her croaky voice much less raspy than would be expected of a raven. "What is the pride's history with familiars? Have they always been welcome?" She didn't even flick a glance at the leopardess. When it came to social graces, she knew Elera had few, and was more than happy to provide her own accomplished skills to fill the gap.  

[mouselet]

The lioness noticed the twitching tail. She wasn't entirely certain why it was twitching, but supposed there must be something going on that was rubbing Elera the wrong way. Tarafa hoped it wasn't her herself, as she found Elera an interesting creature and had a feeling the leopardess would be good story fodder.

"No, there are fairly few of us. Most do not feel it as their calling, and many of the rest simply don't have the memory for it," the Bard answered simply. There was more to it, yes, but that was for the senior Bards, the Secret Keepers, and the Queen.

When the bird spoke up, the lioness blinked in surprise. She had to remind herself not to overlook the avian. "Familiars have been welcome, yes, but many find it hard to stay. Especially those who were close to lions with the disease..." Tarafa allowed her sentence to trail off ominously, indulging her taste for the dramatic. It was also plain fact. Familiars who survived where their close friends fell seldom wanted to remain with the pride that could be blamed for their death.  

[Talencia]

Piera bobbed her head in understanding, grasping the unsaid portion of the lioness' sentence. "Good thing for me that my charge is not of lion blood, then," she commented lightly. She sidled a little, waddling a bit awkwardly on the ground. "Perhaps I might do some good then in comforting those left behind." Her bright, intelligent eyes grew thoughtful. Yes indeed, perhaps she had something she herself could do here. Loss of that sort ran deep and harsh, but the raven's skin was tough. She could take the fierce sadness and anger that would accompany grief. "It is a thought, at any rate," she concluded, cocking an eye back at Elera finally, to assess if the leopardess was able to continue or not.

Elera had frowned at the mention of familiars left bereft by the death of their companion. It wasn't a pleasant thought at all, and took the focus off her manners, reminding her of why she had impulsively decided to join. She nodded absent agreement with what Piera was saying, eyes unfocused as her thoughts turned inward, imagining how her own job for the pride would go. This gave her a question she could ask, and her eyes narrowed in on the Bard. "Tell me, are there many of us who are...," she trailed off in a fumble for how to not insult. "Who are non-lions?" she finally finished, unable to find another way to put it. "And are there many Scouts?" It could impact what she needed to do, and the urgency of it, if there were only a handful of the scouts to warn off those who were succeptible.  

[mouselet]

Tarafa nodded at Piera. Yes, the bird was lucky that her leopardess was immune to the plague. Still, disease was but one of many deaths that awaited. The former rogues should know that already though.

"It could well be," she replied to the suggestion. "Certainly company of any kind is always welcomed by those stricken." By the plague, the lioness added to herself. The ghost of a smile played around her lips at the thought of how Mittere might react to Piera's "comfort."

The smile faded again as the Bard returned her attention to Elera and another pertinent question. "There are several other non-lions in the pride at the moment...but it is not a large pride to begin with," she warned. So yes, there was a good portion of the pride that was not lions...but almost any portion of the pride would be a good one.

"Scouts are one of the positions we are shortest on right now. In the not too distant past there was...trouble. And so we have few Warriors and Guards, and even fewer Scouts." She wouldn't say it aloud, but it was there to be heard. The Kitwana'antara was weak right now, and needed strong pride members and friends. Tarafa had a feeling Elera would become one of the cornerstones of the pride.  

[Talencia]

Well at least it appeared she was indeed doing something to help out, if there were so few in the position she chose. She definitely got the feeling that it wasn't due to it being a slective process, but due to the unfortunate ravages of the disease. Even with these thoughts, though, her forepaws were again shifting back and forth. They were telling her she'd been still for too long, warning her of the danger of growing attatched. Of course, it was different now, but habits were hard to break.

"Thank you for the information," she said, standing and doing her best not to pace. "I think I will go find someone who can give me a tour of the pride's boundaries." That would give her something to actually do, would get her well positioned to do her job, and would keep her moving too. Piera seemed to approve, for she gave the lioness a spread-winged bow and launched herself into the sky. With an effort, Elera kept herself from immediately bolting off too. "It was nice to meet you," she said as politely as she could, muscles coiled to bound away, "and I hope we'll see each other soon." The lioness wasn't a bad sort, and the leopardess truly didn't mind the idea of seeing her again. With a last bob of her head, she turned and loped in a random direction, generally just meaning to do some exploring of her own as well as find a guard or someone that could fulfill her need to learn the pridal edges.

In truth, she was quite proud of herself. That was two encounters with felines she did not know within a single day that she hadn't flubbed up by getting snarly or defensive. Maybe this pridal life was exactly the sort of thing she needed!  

[mouselet]

Tarafa nodded a farewell to Elera. "May the Goddess shield you on your way," she murmured, a smile playing about her lips. The leopardess was clearly a creature of action, not at all suited to staying in one place for any amount of time. Watching her adapt to pridal life would probably not be dull. There was still much of a rogue in her, but Tarafa thought there was a good soul inside, sympathetic to the lot of the Kitwana'antara.

With Elera, Mittere and some of the other new arrivals, the pride would be safer than it had been in months. And that was a very reassuring thought. She only hoped that there would be no reason for those two in particular to become stories she would tell to the cubs.