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 Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:36 am
What had happened to the once thriving lands? Had they been cursed the moment that Tamu had killed Mng’Ariza? The lands were almost dead. The grass dried, dying. Barely any herds roamed as they once had done. The large charcoal lion couldn’t blame them though. For a land he hated with a passion, he just…felt so bad for them now. He needed to change it. His sister was gone, disappeared. The big oaf she was mated too still remained though. His father still resided here, but in his age, Denahi was sure he couldn’t do much for the lands…his mother’s lands. Tamu had fled as well. Who did that leave? Really no one. Where were the elders? Weren’t they suppose to intervene when times were tough? Did the Goddess also leave the lands…? Would the Kusini become a wasteland. Would his mother’s dream finally be over?
Near the ghost forest, Denahi patrolled the borders. He didn’t know why though; he was the last one to enter the lands. Several others had come to exit. His sky blue eyes gazed into the forest. Oh how he remembered stories he was told as a child of the spirits that were held there, guiding the lost, confusing those with ill intentions. He should have known they were just stories. It didn’t prevent his brother from coming into the pride, even if he was just a cub at the time.
The lion sighed. He needed to do something. It was time for him to take charge. He would not be leader, he couldn’t be. What was once his birthright was now something he didn’t want. Someone else would take the thrown, but not him.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:46 am
Sisal was a stranger to the lands, she didn't know them nor in a way did she care. She wasn't the youngest of lionesses but she wasn't the oldest either. She moved slowly and carefully generally not making a noise when her paws touched the ground. She didn't want anyone to know of her presence, she never did. Sisal had been something of a loner most of her life and so she was the queen of stealth.
How she had made it into the forest she didn't know. It was somewhere strange and new and to be as stealthy as she normally would it meant she found herself busy and doing things that normally she wouldn't like stepping on fallen branches and leaves. Both of which made more noise then she was comfortable with. Her tail flicked behind her as she stopped moving and listened. She had stepped on another branch and it had made a larger snapping noise then the others had. She raised her head and sniffed the air, catching a faint scent of a male. She let out a low hiss before moving on. Most males she had met were young and tended to show off it meant she avoided the male scent when possible. Maybe today she wouldn't be able to avoid it as well as normal.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:53 am
At a large snapping of a branch within the forest, Denahi had decided to investigate. Maybe the spirits were trying to lead someone here anyways? Why would they. They should be leading those away from the lands. No one else should be cursed to live there. Denahi needed to quit thinking of the lands being cursed. His mother would not appreciate it. With a little love, the pride could be back up and running in no time.
He moved slowly. He wasn’t as young as he use to be, and didn’t have much fight left in him. He only hoped that the intruder did not want a battle. If he had too, he would stick up for himself and even the pride. If he had too…
Those were words he would never admit to say. Had growing up caused the lion to know what was what now?
He spotted the intruder within moments. Knowing the forest well meant he knew all the secret paths hidden from others. He watched from the overgrowth of the forest, his bright blue eyes steady upon her form. “What brings you here?” He called out, not showing himself just yet.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:05 am
She hissed as she heard someones voice and lent back on her haunches a little, keeping her body to the ground.
"My paws bring me here... who are you and why are you hiding?" She narrowed her eyes a little as she looked in the direction the voice was coming from. She wasn't about to run or fight but she didn't like not seeing who it was who was addressing her.
Her tail swung from side to side and she sniffed him out. She was at least looking in the right direction but she couldn't see the dark lion that was hiding there and it annoyed her. She wanted to pass peacefully, she didn't need any stupid males making her life difficult again.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:12 am
“You’re paws bring you here? Do you not know the stories of this lands. Further on lies a pride that the spirits of this forest protect. Tell me, do they need to be wary of your presence.” He rose slightly, but still kept himself hidden. “There are many different paths in this forest. I’d hate to see you get lost here, and never see the light of day again.” He knew some lions that entered never were seen again. (The forest was big, perhaps they had exited another way? Who knew.)
After she spoke, Denahi stepped out from beyond the brush. “My name is Denahi,” he introduced. His looked almost haggard, his eyes tired. He obviously did not keep up with the tough exterior in his older age.
“I am…” he wasn’t the king of the pride…he was just…temporarily in charge… “er…the Advisor of the pride.”
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:17 am
She listened to his words but wasn't overly interested until he showed himself and then she relaxed. He wasn't what she had expected but then why should he have been? She looked him over taking in every inch of him before she spoke again.
"I am Sisal and I apologise I did not know of any pride here." She flicked her tail behind her again but she sat up and looked at him, her purple eyes looking into his blue ones. "I would be interested to hear of the stories though." Stories was something Sisal was interested in, she had picked up a few during her life but she was never sad to hear another one. She loved the histories of prides but never once had she found a pride that she could live in. Sure a story is just that, it would have to be something more for her to want to join it.
"You could also show me the way out if it is that easy to get lost here..." She thought she would suggest it though she was sure she would be able to get out if she wanted.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:33 am
“Do you want to hear stories of murder, despair, heartbreak?” That is what the land was really. “Our land is not what it used to be. It is called the Kusini’Mwezi. My mother was once the queen here,” he said, not sitting, just watching Sisal. She reminded him of Saranta, another lioness he had once fell for---but she disappeared one night and never returned. Maybe she had gotten lost in the forest too? Forever to be bound?
“Follow me…” he said. He would take her to the pride rather than out. It was quicker to go this way anyways. He could tell her stories too if she cared to listen.
A deep sigh, the memories from his life spilling out of his mouth about the pride. “Our former queen died, murdered actually…by her own blood.” He said after a moment. “Her daughter took the throne, but has since disappeared. Her mate is not a capable leader,” his voice held disgust for the red lion, evne if it was his former mate’s brother, “so our pride currently lies in ruins.” Denahi didn’t speak that it was his family who held the royalty, except for the when he spoke about his mother earlier.
A bright light at the end of the forest path meant the Kusini land was just a few feet away. What once was full of lush, green grass, herds of zebras and gazelles grazing happily was now nothing more than a plot of browning vegetation. Hopefully the goddess would take pity on her lands, and help the struggling pride back to its feet.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:39 am
Sisal listened, she followed the larger lion out of the woods keeping slightly behind him as they walked.
"So you are king now?" She flicked her tail again, something that was a very Sisal thing to do. There wasn't really any reason for it - she just did it. She had also put two and two together about he being royalty, she wasn't stupid you see.
"So who killed her?" Her own blood wasn't good enough for Sisal, she wanted all the gory details. As they left the forest though she really wasn't sure what to make of it. She had more sense then to comment on the state of the lands. Part of her felt sympathy towards the male, she could tell that he cared a lot for the pride but it was just... in shambles.
She turned and looked around and then smiled.
"So what you gonna do about all this then?" Her eyes glinted a little and the real Sisal could be seen in her eyes. She loved a challenge and though she tended to like being alone it seemed her paws had brought her somewhere that she could possibly help make a difference.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:01 am
“No.” He refused to accept that title. He was… “Advisor, more or less. I do not deserve the leadership, but there needs to be someone in charge since my sister is gone.” He shrugged a little. “One day I would have jumped at the chance to become King…but I can’t now…” he didn’t elaborate. Perhaps later he could explain why.
“His name was Tamu-jitu. His eyes held innocence but his soul was as black as the devil. He was the heir to the throne…her third born child. My brother.” A low growl uttered from his maw as he spoke of Tamu. The memory of her dead eyes, the memory of his father’s angry ones. Accusing ones…guilty even. That was the day he vowed he would never returned. And here he was..
Denahi stopped, just inches from the Kusini land entrance. “You know,” he turned to her, his voice quiet. “I don’t really know. Part of me just says to let it die. The other says to rebuild it, as your mother would have wanted it. She may be gone, but it is one of the only memories I have left of her…” Ari was here somewhere…he knew that in his heart. He stepped forward again, showing off the dying lands. “It’s not much, but welcome to the Kusini lands.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:27 am
Sisal didn't question the fact that he didn't want to be called king but whatever he called it he pretty much admitted that was what he was. She crouched down, feeling a little exposed as they moved through the lands. She listened to the story as she surveyed the lands. His brother? Her eyebrows raised at that but she didn't say anything. Why would a lion kill his own mother? She didn't voice the question, there were some things better not said.
She looked to him as he spoke about the pride.
"You obviously care about the lands, is that not reason enough to try and rebuild it?" She tilted her head slightly looking up at him. "If you cared about your mother so much why not make her lands beautiful again. There isn't a lioness in the world who wouldn't love for their son to rebuild their lands in memory of them." She sounded slightly sad as she spoke as if there was something, a memory there but she smiled again. "Is it not worth it for her?" She had to ask.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:47 am
A small smirk appeared on Denahi’s maw. “If only it were that easy.” Denahi had been accused of the murder of his mother. He wasn’t…the most liked lion of the land. Even if the truth of the matter had already been out, it was like he was tainted. To rebuild the pride meant to start over. The only way he could think about starting over, was forget everything. His previous life…his previous love. He’d have one of his children take over the throne, but he had lost contact with them many years ago. (Not that he would trust Ezeoha, or even Bari to do such a feat.) If he forgot his life before…maybe that meant he should move on from Rehani. She was gone too, no use holding onto a love that no longer was there.
“It is worth it,” he said after a moment. “I just don’t want to disappoint her.” Great kings and queens of the past looked down from the stars. Ari would be watching his every move. This was the first time really in Denahi’s whole life he was sincere.
“Heh, look at me. Like some sissy here explaining pretty much my whole life story to you.” A stranger. He didn’t add on the end. But it was true. His whole life story was really the whole Kusini history. How funny things like that worked out.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:14 pm
"When is anything easy?" She smiled and looked out over the lands again. He was right though it wasn't going to be easy it was a big mess. She looked one way and then the other before letting out a soft sigh.
"Well first off, you need to claw up all that dead grass, nothing is going to come here when everything is dead." She got up and walked forward a little, her tail swinging from side to side behind her. She raised her head to sniff the air and caught the scent of what it was she wanted - water.
"If you will allow it I can help you sort this place up. After all it will take you years on your own...." She thought she would at least offer herself to help. It wouldn't be too much of a bother for her and well in all honesty she was more then happy to have found something to do with her time. If they started clawing up the dead stuff by the water that would be where the new stuff would grow the quickest. It just needed some time and thought but she was sure the lions lands would sort themselves out eventually.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:25 am
Denahi nodded as he listened to Sisal speak. Tearing up the dead grass would allow new stuff to grow. Perhaps he could somehow get the hunters to herd new herds of animals to the land as well. The goddess may be gone for now, but that didn’t mean the land had to die. His mother wouldn’t like that. Somehow he needed to let the memory of his mother stay forever, even after the years she would be gone.
A smile, probably one of the very few genuine ones that Denahi had ever offered, was given towards the female. “I couldn’t ask you to do that…but I would give you my many thanks if you did…” Denahi never did understand by a stranger would help in lands that she was not a part of, but who knew, maybe this meant the start of something new. The old members of the pride thought of him as a murderer. Perhaps she would be a way to help wipe clean his previous history.
“But you just got to this land. Lets get you acclimated to the pride before we put you to work,” Denahi joked.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:31 am
"You didn't ask me, I offered." She smiled back at him and then laughed when he mentioned about her getting use to the pride.
"Ah rubbish, there is plenty of time to get use to the pride... work needs to start straight away! Just show me to your main water source and we can start from there." Sisal was an easy going girl really, she believed what she was told but was generally wise enough to know fact from fiction. She had been surprised by this male and his honesty. He had defiantly shown her not to assume things. Granted she wasn't sure if she would stay for life as it were, who makes that commitment that quickly? She was however happy to have found somewhere to make a start on something good. At least that was something she could do!
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:39 am
“Yes m’am,” Denahi said with amusement.
“The land has four major landmarks. You have traveled through our forest known as the Kilango’ta. Further south, the hills provide a border, and two rivers lie to the east and west. The eastern river is much calmer than that western river, and it is believed that our deity resides just beyond the rapids. No one has ever ventured there and returned alive to prove the claim. “
It would be good to start at the Dya’comi river. This was where a lot of the prey congregated. If their vegetation was brought back, maybe just maybe the land will be back to its normal regime.
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