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 Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:11 pm
 Shikoba found herself once again meandering through the rogue lands without aim or purpose. That was how she liked it, though. She enjoyed not being a part of a pride, not having to listen to anyone, being her own boss and deciding what exactly would happen that day on a whim. She did miss her sister and others she had met along the way, but it was a very strange sensation. She had the insatiable urge to help strangers, but at the same time was so wary of new lions that she always had to fight the desire to run when she saw someone new. She blew a little puff of air up towards the floppy fur that hung in her face, clearing it away so her bright red eyes could see ahead. She was massive for a female and her shaggy tuft and chest often gave the appearance of a mane from a distance. Her deeper voice also confused those that she spoke to, but there were obvious traits about her that pegged her as female upon closer inspection. Still, she was never bothered by the frequent confusion of her gender. It wasn't something that she took offense to, and actually found it a little funny to see someone she was speaking with realize she wasn't a male. Giving her head a shake, Shikoba ducked under a tree to take some respite from the unforgiving sun. It sure was a scorcher today.
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:47 pm
 Samael had been with Captain Ragnvard for some time now, and he still wondered if he had made the right decision in joining the rusty-red male's Reavers. It wasn't that he missed Captain Lucivar and the Reavers under his command, though that new red-coated female he had found was certainly a pretty thing. But he had seen her fight and she was as ruthless and talented as any male... No, it was the fact that Ragnvard worked him constantly. There were no days off for sleeping, even straight after a long Viking they had to be training, or doing something moderately useful. It was exhausting. Samael has certainly seen and done a lot more than he used to. He had even recruited (or helped to recruit) two talented rogue females for Ragnvard's band. But he needed a break.
That was why he was out in the roguelands without his Captain. He was taking some 'mental' time, resting and gathering himself after such a long period of intense activity. Officially he was scouting for his Captain, but really he was slacking off.
Having wandered along for a good few hours he had eventually spotted the path he was on had fresh paw prints. And they were going in more or less the same direction as he was. Curious and intrigued he followed them, soon enough coming up on the form of a bright blue lion resting under a tree. Well well.... Maybe today would be a little more interesting than he had first assumed.. Padding forwards he made his way towards the figure, calling out a casual greeting as he came close enough to do so.
"Hello there."
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 11:49 am
Shikoba closed her eyes to rest in the shade for a few minutes, ears twitching to get rid of the flies that always liked to be bothersome during the day. She was very near dozing off when a voice came from behind her and she instantly was on her feet. She turned to face the lion - dark and strong looking from her quick glance - and slowly backed up as he approached. Ever wary of strangers, she narrowed her eyes and lowered her head, taking on a defensive posture. "Hello," she said, her deep voice wary, her tail flicking to show her irritation at being surprised. That was her own fault, of course, for not having checked the surrounding area for other lions. "Am I trespassing? I'll leave at once if I am." Best to get that out of the way. He didn't seem to be in distress or require help which were two things that would make her less wary. He did seem to be alone, though....that was encouraging.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:36 am
"Woah... Easy there. I'm not here to cause trouble." Stopping his forward motion he watched her, expression vaguely surprised at her sharply defensive reaction. "Not trespassing. As far as I am aware this land belongs to no one. My pride is some way away from here..." She didn't have to know that his pride often came here to pick up thralls, there were no reaving bands active in the area right now so... it didn't have any relevance to the situation. He certainly wasn't about to attack her. He had come out here to rest and chill, not work up a sweat and possibly get his a** handed to him. He was a good fighter, no doubt about it, but he was sore and tired from a prolonged bout of activity.
Basically, fighting was the last thing on his mind.
"Would it be ok if I joined you? My paws are killing me, and this sun is making my side itch." He had received a pretty nasty claw mark on his last Viking and the damn thing was slow healing. It itched in the wind, it itched in the cold and it damn well itched in the heat. Pausing to twist round and bite at the offending itch he sighed, eyeing it before turning his attention back to the stranger.
"I'm Samael, by the way. What's your name?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 12:46 pm
Shikoba didn't let her guard down right away, watching the male as he spoke. He did give off a very calm air and he claimed to be tired, but she knew better than to take him for his word right away. When he gave her his name the shaky trust began to form, letting her ears perk up a bit rather than press against her head. Names were always a good way to start. "Shikoba," she returned, keeping her distance but nodding at his question. She sat down but remained on guard just in case she had to make a quick escape. "What pride do you belong to?" She knew a few by name but she was pretty sure she wasn't within walking distance of any that she tried to avoid.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:06 pm
Well, at least she wasn't about to leap out of her skin any more, that was progress... She was still way too uptight however, but Sam at least figured he could move closer without her either attacking him or running off. He rather hoped to enjoy a nice chat with her so the whole running away thing wasn't really what he wanted to happen.
Slowly he approached, though he didn't get too close, instead he flopped down onto his side as soon as he was in the shade, then stretched out like a rag-doll, leaving himself completely vulnerable to her but hoping that it would hall relax her. After all he coudn't get up very fast from being flat on his side... He did lift his head though, as it was hard to talk when looking up at her sideways.
"It is nice to meet you Shikoba." He responded, smiling in the most harmless manner he could. "I'm from the Myrsky. But it is not very near here... I came out to relax and get away from everyone back home, it is nice to meet a new face for a change," And at least she didn't seem predisposed to considering him some halfhearted hasbeen reaver. Most of the females back home wouldn't give him the time of day. It was most frustrating.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:20 pm
Shikoba watched Samael as he flopped down in the shade. She didn't mind that he had taken her place, although the sun was starting to warm her pelt again already. She'd pass her judgement in a bit and join him in the shade once she decided he really was harmless. As he spoke of his pride she wrinkled her nose just a bit. It wasn't one she was familiar with, but she'd remember the name and the general location in case she ever had someone come up to her looking for it. "Is your pride very large?" she asked, trying to relax. He was in as unthreatening a position as he could be in, after all. There were no devious motives here to worry about. "You're away from the pride with an injury," she added after a moment, finally noticing why his side was so itchy. "Is it a very rough pride?" There were those, she knew, that liked to fight and wrestle. That wasn't her speed, but she knew it worked for others.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:29 pm
"Yeah, I suppose it is... Though I have only ever lived within it so I don't really know how big other prides are, but there are enough of us that we have several outposts away from the main pride home area." Honestly he wasn't sure how many of the outposts were still in use ever since the change in leadership, but he assumed some of them still had to be. After all whole families had migrated to man them.
"Hu?" Lifting his head further he glanced down at his scarred flank, then shrugged, "Oh, that. Yeah, I got clawed up not long ago. Damn thing is taking its time about healing over. And until then it is a pain in the.. well, in my side." He finished with a lop-sided grin. "Fighting is kinda what we do. But it's ok, I'm certainly not about to fight you or.. whatever. Truthfully my Captain has been drilling us so hard I half wonder if it wouldn't just be easier to give up being a reaver and go hang with the freeborn every day. But then I'd be stuck inside the pride, and that would drive me nuts."
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:44 pm
Shikoba listened as Samael explained a bit about his pride. It sounded rough and tumble, but if there were a lot of members they obviously had something going for them. She didn't like the sound of being cooped up in a pride without the option to roam, so she nodded in sympathy. "...why not become a Captain?" she asked. "If it's do-able, of course." She had a vague grip on ranks and how they worked in prides. Sometimes they were earned, sometimes they were simply taken,a nd sometimes you had to be born into a certain title. It was all quite confusing and she was glad she didn't have to listen to anyone else's rules. That wasn't her style at all. Freedom and being her own boss was definitely her thing.
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 12:05 am
"Ffffft." He huffed with a grin. "Too much damn work for starters... I was going to, was all set to go out and win my Captaincy, but then I realised just how much time you have to spend looking after everyone else. Reavers are generally a lazy bunch, we eat, fight and drink.. So long as a reaver is doing one of those he stays out of trouble. But a bored reaver is a dangerous reaver, so a Captain spends most of his time when not fighting, making sure his Reavers don't have time to get bored. Me? I prefer a slightly calmer pace to life. Sure I love to fight, and who doesn't enjoy a fermented fruit every now and again, but damn... That kind of work load makes me tired just thinking about it. So nah... I'll leave the hard work to those with the desire for it and keep on being a reaver." He gave her another lop-sided smile, completely unrepentant about admitting his preference for being lazy.
"What about yourself? A gorgeous lady like you surely has a pride somewhere, or at least a large family." He was genuinely curious and was watching her with an open and friendly expression.
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 5:51 am
Samael's answer was candid enough to make Shikoba finally relax. A tiny smile graced her muzzle as he went on about how much work it was. She didn't mind a bit of hard work here and there, but she had to agree with him. It sounded like the life of a captain was exhausting work. His question made her shake her head, her floppy tuft swaying back and forth. "I belong to no pride," she said as she let herself shift to lay down as well, although she still kept her distance. "I have a sister, but other than that no living family to speak of. She belongs to a pride that lives in the mountains in the snow. It's pleasant to visit her and they let me come and go as I please, but pride life is not for me. I don't like to stay in one place for too long."
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 6:02 am
Listening attentively he nodded as she spoke. It made sense, though he himself didn't like the idea of being completely on his own. He preferred the easy life being in the pride gave him. There were thralls to hunt for him, freeborn ladies for companionship and plenty of fights and fruit when one desired. He really didn't have to work very much at all. In fact the only reason he did was for the benefits being a reaver afforded. Such as going out into the roguelands and meeting sweet young rogues..
"It is good that you have your sister to visit. I don't think I know of any snow prides near here.. Though we have snow back home. Have you visited many different places?" Samael asked, voice curious. He loved a story as much as any Stormborn and he hoped she might have a few to tell.
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:37 am
His question made her nod again and that last lingering fear of the unknown left her. "Many places. The hottest desert, the coldest mountain, the sea, the jungle, the plains...I've seen a lot but I always feel like there's more to discover. It's quite exciting." Tanakako If you want to wrap it up in the next post we can toss them in the breeding thread~
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 1:22 pm
Nodding he listened attentively. He loved to hear of new places and new things. When she didn't elaborate he asked questions, trying to coax her into telling him all about each place. Once she finally started to crack and tell her story he settled, rolling onto his belly and crossing his paws lazily, gaze ficpxed on her as she spoke.
This was exactly what he needed.
SilverLutz We are just waiting for them to be ok'ed by the Stormborn mule. I posted them up last week.
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