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 Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:04 pm
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It had been a little over two moons. Two full moons since Kira had been on her own, and she had to admit that her optimism was starting to fail.
Despite the midday sun warming her pelt, and despite the pleasant scents carried to her on a gentle breeze, the dark lioness's usual smile had faded. She was doubting now more than ever that her decision to abandon hope on her failed pride was the right choice. While she was able to survive easily on her own, Kira only truly thrived with company, and the scant contact she'd had in her travels - a few words with a wild dog, a meal shared with another lone lioness - weren't enough to keep her happy.
Suddenly, the breeze carried a new scent. Kira's head shot up, her ears perked forward as she strained to hear the lions she smelled. Unsure whether to be excited about the company, or nervous about the quality of said company, the bone-marked lioness crouched in the sun-bleached grass and waited to catch sight of the approaching felines, anxious to see if she should introduce herself or flee.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:25 pm
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 Tryggr was glad to get out on another Viking. He had only been out on one before and it was great to stretch his paws and see the outside world. His mother had joined the Stormborn after living her entire life in the rogue lands, so he was always eager to see the places his mother had walked when she was younger.
As was the norm with Vikings, the lions began to spread out to cover more ground. They were still within earshot of each other in case someone found something or came under attack, but they were far enough so that Tryggr could look to his left and his right and have trouble picking out the fellow Reavers that were out with him. He didn't mind, though. The last time he was out he hadn't run into any trouble and had even found a few trinkets to bring back for the Warlord.
As he walked he tilted his head back, enjoying the breeze that blew from behind. It made his mane flow into his eyes a bit and he shook his head to clear it from his eye, during which he spotted a skeleton in the grass not far from him. Curious, he turned in the direction of the bones, only to realize as the wind died down that the skull was staring right back at him. He froze in place before realizing it was a lioness, one with markings that helped her both blend in and stick out all at once.
He remained silent for the time being, unsure if she was friend or foe. She didn't seem to be ready to pounce so, after a moment, he cleared his throat a bit.
"You blend in rather well, don't you?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:48 pm
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A few heartbeats later, and Kira caught sight of the lion the scent belonged to - a pale male with a contrasting red mane and markings more peculiar than her own. More peculiar still were the braids pleated into his mane underneath on either side of his face - his very handsome face. She hadn't seen anything like it before.
Distracted by her fascination, Kira suddenly realized that the lion had noticed her, and was similarly inspecting her. Both stayed in mutual stillness until the male broke the silence.
Not sure if his words were serious or taunting, but feeling that they were at least friendly enough, Kira slowly rose to her paws with a sheepish grin. "Blending works a little better for me at night. You seem like you'd camouflage quite well, though, except maybe your mane."
Kira shifted her paws nervously, very aware of the muscles showing beneath this lion's pelt. Should he choose to, he could definitely harm her, and that was worrying. Still, she reasoned, he wouldn't have started a conversation if that was his wish.
"My name is Kira." She bowed her head briefly, all the while keeping her eyes locked on him.
SilverLutz Not going to lie, I laughed out loud at the 'skull staring back' part.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:06 pm
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Tryggr remained straight faced for the moment, taking in the lioness before him once she stood up. She didn't seem threatening at all even if her markings were rather intimidating. Her words made him tilt his head a bit and, once she gave her name, he relaxed. She wasn't a threat at all.
"Tryggr," he said, giving his own in return. "It's nice to meet you, Kira. May I ask what you're doing out here?" It was the rogue lands, yes, but she was very close to the Stormborn lands. She honestly was lucky it was he that had come across her rather that some of his pridemates. They wouldn't be so personable.
"It's okay that you're out here," he added quickly, realizing that his words might have come off a bit harsh. "You're just quite close to my pride's borders and that could potentially be dangerous."
Rennekae XD Yay for the laughs! Running out to get ice cream but I'll respond when I get back
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:25 pm
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Kira smiled warmly as the lion - Tryggr - responded. It was a relief that he was friendly. It was so hard to tell with some creatures, and wanting to believe that all animals she met were nice did not make it so.
She was caught a little off guard by his question; mostly because she felt the answer was obvious - being alone in the Roguelands, one could easily assume she was a wandering Rogue - but partially because of the almost chastising undertone in Tryggr's voice. She was about to answer when he spoke again, and Kira felt some tension return.
In her melancholy, she hadn't really taken notice, but now that it had been brought to her attention, Kira could definitely catch the scent of many, many lions in the distance.
"I'm sorry!," she exclaimed. "I don't mean any harm, honestly. I was.. well, to be frank, I was moping and I didn't realize how close I'd strayed. I am just a wandering rogue, so I assure you I won't be around long. What pride are you part of?"
Kira offered an apologetic smile. She hoped that Tryggr wasn't a border guard; while she understood the need, she'd prefer to be able to stay and talk with someone for a while. He seemed nice, and she would much rather he continue the conversation than chase her off.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:40 am
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Tryggr shook his head a bit as Kira quickly apologized. This wasn't their territory after all, she had no reason to say sorry. He was just concerned for her well being since those in his pride had a bit of a reputation for taking what they wanted, whether it was treasure or other creatures.
"We are called Myrsky Syntynyt, although we are also known as the Stormborn," he said, his voice soft to try to smooth any ruffled feathers he may have caused. "There are frequent outings from some of the pride members called Vikings in which the lions look for treasure to bring back. Sometimes that treasure includes lions like yourself." Gentle, unassuming lions that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. "I simply wanted to let you know so you could be on guard, if you do plan on staying around here for any amount of time."
He glanced to his left and his right to make sure the others in his Viking hadn't spotted him stopping to talk to Kira, but there was no movement in their direction. Training his green eyes on her once more, he gave her a very tiny smile.
"Moping? That's a strange thing to do. What is there to mope about?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 11:21 am
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Her lips silently formed the name of his pride, a weird feeling but it was fun to pretend to say. She listened raptly as Tryggr explained his home, ears twitching slightly at each new word. She laid her ears back at his mention of her being a 'treasure' and a need to be on guard, and at his scanning the area. He didn't seem bad, but were there others? Or was he just nice to those he was about to claim?
His smile caught Kira a little off guard, and she couldn't help but smile back. Her smile widened as he asked about her moping, a sign to her that he was a caring lion. It faltered, however, as she realized she had to answer.
"Oh. Well. I suppose it might be strange, but, I've been rather lonely. See, I've been a Rogue my whole life, and I'm not really one for being by myself. Recently, I was asked by another Rogue if I'd like to join him and a few other stray creatures in forming a pride, and I agreed. I was happy to finally have a family. But.. things didn't work out, so I'm back on my own."
Kira didn't really want to explain why things hadn't worked out. Honestly, she didn't really know why they hadn't worked out, but her eyes had started to sting with tears at the thought of saying that the others had just stopped showing up, and she couldn't get the words past the lump that was suddenly in her throat. Instead, she forced a smile and met Tryggr's gaze.
"So, these outings - Vikings, right? - how do they work? What sorts of things do you look for?" With the knowledge that they sometimes brought back other creatures, Kira wasn't sure the answer would be pleasant, but she was curious and wanted a change of subject.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 11:41 am
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"Ah...that's a shame. I can only imagine how hard starting a pride might be though," Tryggr said, genuine sympathy in his deep voice. He wasn't one to tell others what to do unless the situation called for it, and the idea of being a founder of a pride was far beyond his capabilities. Or so he thought, anyway.
"Vikings are mostly to keep the pride sustained and alive," he said after a bit of thought. "There are those that go out and hunt, but Reavers go out to bring back new members for the pride, things for our Warlord like trinkets and interesting food, sometimes it's just to make sure no one is encroaching on our land, and other times its to battle those that are. They're quite versatile," he ended with a little nod.
"They're also how some lions rank up, so to speak. You have to go on a Viking to become a Reaver, which is what I am. It allows you to leave the pride as you please." He was quiet for a bit, realizing how bad of a light he had cast his pride in at first, and cleared his throat as he went on.
"I'm sorry if I've scared you with the warnings. It's really a very nice pride to be in. Everyone is very proud and protective of one another, they help each other out...it's a big pride but close-knit at the same time. And you're never hungry or afraid of attack there."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 12:12 pm
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Kira smiled away her pain, grateful for this stranger's compassion. While she understood that it was hard for her old friend to recruit new members - she could only recall there being two or three others - she wished they could have at least stayed together as a small band. She shook the thought away; after all, the past was the past, and she had to look forward to the future. Dwelling would not help bring happiness.
She listened with interest to Tryggr's words, nodding slightly, and preferring to believe when he said 'bring new members' that he meant willingly. To her, these Vikings seemed rather confusing, but she guessed it would make sense to someone who'd grown up in that life.
As he mentioned 'ranking up', she cocked her head. She'd never heard of a pride with a system quite like that. In the prides she'd had contact with, 'rank' simply meant 'job'. You could change your rank sometimes, if you'd rather be a cubsitter than a hunter for example, but she'd never heard of ranks being higher than others. Except of course the pride leader, and sometimes not even then. She absorbed the information hungrily, happy to learn new things.
"Oh, no, you don't need to apologize," Kira hurriedly responded. She was flattered by the apology, but really it wasn't needed. "Most prides aren't very welcoming of strangers on their borders, and I understand that. That protectiveness and sense of family is exactly why being in a pride is so appealing to me."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 12:18 pm
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Nodding a bit, the large male glanced once again to the left and right. The lions in his Viking were moving on, leaving him behind. He could catch up, of course, but he'd have to run just a bit. He didn't want to be rude to Kira either, so he opted to stay just a bit longer.
"Well...if you'd like, you can come back with me when I return to the pride. I can't say how long I'll be gone, a few suns at least, but if you stay in this area I'll look for you on the return trip. I can stay longer to answer questions you might have. And please don't feel as if you have to come. I can promise you you'd be safe and be surrounded by lots of other lions all the time, though."
That seemed to be what she wanted most of all and if he could help someone, Tryggr would do as much as he could.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 1:22 pm
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Kira flicked her ears as Tryggr glanced around again. He seemed a little bothered by something - but not being able to see any other lions about, she doubted either of them were in trouble, and she couldn't fathom what would be bothering him. She was about to ask when the Tryggr spoke.
The skeleton-marked lioness was startled - but in a good way. She had only just met this lion, and he was asking her to join a pride. How odd that such an unlikely event had happened to her twice. Kira had to admit that she was sorely tempted; even if she had only just met Tryggr, she couldn't deny that she was attracted to the pale lion, more so than was reasonable. And, besides, even if she didn't have any romantic interest in him, he was offering her a chance to have everything she'd ever wanted. She was a little scared that this would end the same as her last pride had, but she reasoned that this pride was already well-formed. Still... she had doubts she didn't really understand.
"I.. I don't know. I mean, I want to, but I.. just don't know. I.. will think about it. I'll stay here, and when you return, I will have an answer for you. And probably more than a few questions." Kira smiled reassuringly. She was almost certain what her answer would be, but she needed some time to sort through her confusion. This 'Viking' would be a perfect time for her to consider the decision she'd pretty much already made.
SilverLutz I'm going to run to Microplay quickly with the hubby. Should be back soon. If you want, we can continue this, or you can do a wrap-up post and we'll call it done. But I'll reply to the other when I get back. :3
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 1:39 pm
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