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 Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:30 pm
She'd been watching them watch each other. It'd been vaguely entertaining (not to mention extremely educating in ways she had not realised till then), however, Misae had reached one single conclusion as she'd watched both adults dance almost awkwardly around each other.
Nyota had been lucky.
The pale lioness was positive he'd been more than lucky, actually. Instinct told her that much; he'd never had to woo the petite Ela'wadiyi. She'd come rather willingly to him, upon the first approach; this was rare, her instincts to her. That female side of her, the same one that told her it was rare, also told her it was extremely romantic, even through all the awkward dance; she found it to be rather adorable, how they'd been unable to approach each other, their feelings or their own thoughts.
It was plainly visible to Misae that Tsi'hilu had never been approached by other males; no one had so much attempted to woo her. This was as plainly obvious as was the fact Nyota had never so much as attempted to woo a female; despite that, love had prevailed, and for this, the green marked femme was rather pleased. It'd been just like her dream, at the seashore, long back before they'd left.
Thoughts of the seashore brought back the by now familiar nostalgia she felt every time she pondered deep enough. Every time she closed her eyes she saw deep blue eyes, like the ocean itself, however, the wind remain silent to her for once; it refused to talk to her about that what she longed to know. Instead it teased her, and giggled at her, almost like a child prodding at another, telling her that it was so obvious what she needed to do. Still, no matter how much she asked, and how much she longed for a dream that'd point her in the right direction, neither came. Something deep down told her that perhaps they didn't come because this was about her, and knowing your own fate was somehow cheating against whatever rules it was that made the world turn. That same part of her told her that this was something she needed to figure out herself, and that was why the wind merely waited, silently smirking at her.
Tell truth, Misae would be lying if she said she didn't quite know what she was feeling; in fact, she'd long since admitted to what it was she felt. It was figuring out what to do about it that was the difficult part; of course, watching her father.... her parents in a way, she thought with a light smile, had helped her. She'd come to a decision the previous day, when she'd watched them from afar, nuzzled together on top of that rock; she'd decided she wanted what they had. She wanted a true home, and she knew exactly where to find it.
Her mind made up, it was just a matter of telling her father what conclusion the young adult had come to, and thus she moved through the tall grass rhythmically; Nyota would find her when he was ready. He always knew how to find her. So thus Misae contented herself with waiting, padding the land her father had actually grown attached to (who'd have guessed! Anything and everything really was possible); from time to time, a small tune was hummed, no words offered to her surroundings, rather... just the humming of a song that held a distinctly sad tone to it.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:56 pm
He'd gotten up early that morning. Though reluctant to leave Tsi's side, he knew he would have to find Misae; it might as well happen sooner than later. After an affectionate n** at her neck, and a plan to meet the elder later that day, Nyota slipped off into the lands that had claimed his heart as surely as the white lioness had. Now he had to find the other one.
Slipping through foliage and over the gentle, but abundant, hills of Ela'wadiyi, Nyota searched for the scent of his daughter. Strangly, there was a lot of it, and it told quite a tale--she had been watching them! From the way that her smell puddled in some places close enough to have a good view of where the two had been the last few days, it was simple enough deduction to know that the girl had been spying. Once more Nyota was glad that he'd decided to take things slow with Tsi, otherwise Misae might know even more than he thought was appropriate. Though, she'd been taught many things growing up on the move and wasn't a stranger to the "birds and bees" of other species...
Still, there was something different about thinking that she might have watched while he...
Nyota shook his head. What was wrong with him lately anyway? He blamed horomones and decided to have a talk with Misae about spying. Then again, what else had he raised her to do? Quite the conundrum.
Though, there was always that chance that the female wouldn't want to stay with them. They had decided to re-form the wolf clan, and Nyota's first thought was that Misae would be apart of that. The more that he considered it, however, the more he wondered if she would truly want to. She had said, when they left the shore, that she would always follow him. And yet... Nyota was as used to having insecurities as he was pouring his feelings out to another, and so he pushed them far from his mind. It was unsettling to have to question the loyalty of another, in old times he would have just assumed that they'd all screw him over in the end. In the old times, he knew perfectly well that every lion was out for themselves. He was no longer quite so certain of this.
The male sighed to himself. "Misae?" He called when the smell became strong enough that he thought she would be close by. "Misae'dhulu!"
There was a humming nearby and he turned his ear towards it first, then his face and finally his body. A short moment later he found her, before she'd even had thought to answer him, most likely, and settled down beside her to share her view of the land around them. "You were watching us last night."
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:31 pm
"Misae?"
Wait for it, she thought idly to herself as she paused mid-step, a paw held in the air as her ears twitched towards the source of the sound. Wait for it... she told herself again, and sure enough, there it came;
"Misae'dhulu!"
Ooooh, he knew. He only called her by her full name when she'd done something that he disapproved, which obviously meant he knew he'd been watching them dance. Misae snorted loudly, and despite her grown body, the sound was more than childish as waited for her father to reach her side, both now seated peacefully together. She offered him an innocent grin, that... actually fell short of innocent; in all truth, she looked like the cat that had successfully eaten the canary, "Maybe?" she replied as she turned to gaze at him, her ears flopping to the sides of her head; she had the grace to look mildly sheepish, actually, which only added to the charm.
Turning to cough into a paw, the female grinned, hidden from her father, her tail thumping on the ground, "You were lucky," even from the strange position, her eyes seeked him, looking at him from the corner of her vision, the smile that tugged at her maw evident that yes, she had been watching, "You had to do no wooing after all; she came to you willingly," her words were rather innocent, and yet they might've sounded like the held innuendo, just enough that she was sure another clear shout of 'MISAE!' would follow her blunt claim.
Despite this, she continued, happy, pleased... amused for the barest of moments before her head tilted, and it seemed to vanished, replaced by some for of honesty that shone in her eyes, "I want what you have," she said softly, and though the smile had never left her features, it had softened down to speak volumes, "I didn't tell you this; but on our way here... when we paused by that jungle, I met someone, while you were napping," her head tilted in the opposite direction, her eyes becoming heavy lidded as she recalled the encounter, "I meet a sister of mine; she'd been hiding in that jungle, afraid our.... HIM was still alive," she refused to say the word. Still did, and always would; Nyota was her father, not Nyekundu, "I told her she'd find happiness, and she left, searching for it.... she looked so sad and scared, all alone there. I told her she'd find it. What she wanted; I want it too."
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:54 pm
"Misae!" Nyota didn't let her down, though the outcry was far softer than she might have expected. He frowned deeply at his daughter's own temerity, as much as he always loved her for it. It was never funny when it was turned on him, after all. Well aware of how hypocritical that was, he didn't voice it and instead nipped her ear in a very slight, very soft reprimand. She was an adult now, he had to admit it, but he would always be her father. Still, with such power--such position--came great responsibility.
He nodded to her words, of what she wanted. Though the thought of a male "wooing" his little girl was enough to make a bad taste in Nyota's mouth, he tried to ignore it... for her sake. It wasn't right of him to be happy with Tsi and deny her her own happiness. Still, he had the hope that she might not be thinking what he was fairly sure she was. Rather than ask outright, and thu s put the idea into her head, he seemed to ponder it for a moment. "The pride here is in need of new blood. I... am joining them, if they'll have me, for the sake of Tsi, who will not leave them." Nyota chuckled, "Indeed, I didn't even ask her. They're a wandering pride, with clans that spread out all over their lands, never stopping in one place long. That is... very much like the two of us. Will you come with us to meet the leader? Perhaps there is the key to your ... needs there, with them."
If she thought she'd distracted him from their earlier conversation, however, she was wrong. Or, at least, she was partially wrong. He cleared his throat and added, "You were watching, and I would appreciate if you did not again, without letting your presence be known. .... While I hide nothing from you, there are times when we shall need our space."
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:19 am
She smiled as her name was voiced out again; it was a small, sheepish smile, her eyes travelling up to seek her father's own green ones, only briefly, silently apologising before she did so vocaly, "Sorry," she said as she leaned her head against the side of his neck, allowing him to n** at her ears. The apendage flicked once, twice, before it settled against her head, a purr rumbling at the base of her throat.
It was now that the hard bit would come; Misae knew, and she prepared herself for it, taking her time to silently listen to his brief explanation, "Love conquers all," it was a mild statement, that could have been taken in two ways; one regarding Nyota's situation, the other regarding her own. She kept it that way, slightly cryptic, on purpose. She'd long since come to understand the way her father's mind worked, and as far as she was aware, it was best to prepare him for those blows he could, and would, regard as 'fatal' to his mental health.
"It is not this land... that calls my heart," a pause as she lifted her head from where she'd kept it against his neck, looking up to his face without quite looking into his eyes, "There's someone I didn't want to say goodbye to, for a reason," she kept it at that for now, not quite keen on breaking the older male's poor (and still rather fragile from his own doings with Tsi'hilu) mind, "I will follow you.... but I'd like to follow my heart, too," in her way, she was telling him she'd always be his daughter, no matter if they were seperate from eachother by a few days' journey. She would follow in his footsteps; he'd done a fine job raising her, after all, that much was obvious by the way the yong adult chuckled mildly at his last words, a paw lifting in the wair, "I promise," she said, "That no matter how educating, and entertaining it is to... watch you, I shan't," she need not ask what had gone through his mind at the mention of 'space'; she was adult enough to understand, as was obvious by the twinkling in her eyes as she licked and groomed her father's neck.
It was then that the female paused, her eyes becoming heavy lidded as she worked away at his brown pelt, "You know... when we got here, a song suddenly came to mind; it tells a story, and it's pretty sad. I don't know where the song comes from, or how I know if it. It just.... suddenly appeared in my mind, a few days ago," and without further explanation, the female begun to hum for Nyota, her humming soon enough turning into words that told the sad tale of the Ocean Gypsy.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:48 am
Nyota sighed. "So you finally figured yourself out, did you?" He murmured. The question was rhetorical, for he knew who it was she'd not wanted to say goodbye to--just as he knew she'd not been sure why when they had left. Hadithi shook his head as he digested this information, but said nothing more. Her song came up, and he listened to it, with a slightly cracked heart.
Oh, she wouldn't break it; Nyota was too strong for that, really. But that his daughter was leaving him, and for someone he might actually be able to call "hated," was a hard thing for him to handle. Harder than he'd ever expected, really. When her song dwindled and faded, Nyota still did not speak. In the silence about them, he let his thoughts take him before he dared form a reply to her words.
That she'd sung to him at all stated how committed she already was to that stretch of beach; how much she'd been touched by Irrationality. Perhaps that had been what had chased her out of the desert so long. Nyota gave a sigh, head turning to look towards where he knew, instinctively, the beach lay in the distance. Misae had been groomed, if not purposely born, for that pride, hadn't she? While he was loathe to admit it, it seemed that he had to. There was little he could do or say that would keep his daughter here with him now, and it would be hypocritical of him to try.
Still, the young rarely knew what they wanted, and Misae was still very young. He thought that over for a moment, finally looking at her from the corner of his eye. She'd said that she would follow them, but also wished to leave for the beach. "Come and speak with Tsi a bit, and visit Taika. They've missed you, and have been asking. Perhaps... Perhaps we might take the trip together, just for a short visit. I don't like the thought of you going such a journey alone."
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 11:44 am
It was as much of an okay as she was getting. At least for the time being anyhow, and Misae was smart enough to wait it out, knowing it'd be better in the long-run. If anything, Nyota had taught her well, when it came to manipulation; granted, the pale lioness used it a bit more subconsciously than her father had in his day, and in a slightly more innocent way, however, the knowledge was there, and would no doubt serve her well in due time.
Figured her she had; at least partially. Mostly, she thought. There were still come small snips and pieces she had to put together, but all in due time; for now, the hardest part had been achieved, as far as Misae was concerned, and that made her smile in recognition, "I will," a pause as she peeked over Nyota's shoulder, her eyes darting in the general direction she knew the rest of Tsi'hilu's pride was staying before glancing up at her father, "Don't you two have a previous engagement though?" she was no fool.
She knew what came next; and it required both of them, without her. Misae would be content to keep out of the way for the time being and make things easier, "I'll go find Taika; I want her to teach me that weird song..." her mind strayed to the images of the water buck and the lioness couldn't help the soft giggle that bubbled up; as went as it came however, and she shoved her forehead against her father's leg, "I'll be fine, and don't plan to leave; I'll stay here," she knew he needed to hear that right now, and so she let him know, "I'll wait for you to come back," she also had an inkling of an idea of just what would happen afterwards too. As far as she'd noticed, the ela'wadiyi pride was calm enough; they were also rather open minded, and quite social. She had little doubt her father would be accepted...
Which meant that when the couple came back to tell Misae what had happened, there'd be some painting to do. And some feather weaving. Misae smirked up at Nyota, her mind chanting the words that Tsi'hilu would echo, only hours later, "Brown would look good on you," she left the cryptic message at that.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:28 pm
Nyota raised a brow. "of course brown looks good on me." Women, he thought but didn't dare say. Leaning in, Nyota lapped at his daughter's cheek once, then twice before standing to shake himself. He'd needed to hear that, yes, though for some reason he felt guilty over it. It was probably best not to dwell, he thought, and gave his mane a toss. She was right, of course; he was supposed to be meeting Tsi. Looking up towards the glowing sky, the light steadily streaming brighter across its heavens, he nodded to himself. It was close to time, he thought, though "time" was a rough concept among beasts such as they. Nipping her ear gently, he turned to go when a strange thought struck him.
It was brief, fleeting, and for a moment he wasn't even certain what had wanted to come tumbling out of his mouth. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at where Misae still sat, pondering it over as he looked at her. There was a strange portion of him that wanted to tell her to go, to run on back to her seashore and be happy. He thought, with the wolf clan's wanderings, he would be able to see her again, anyway. Tsi wouldn't deny him the chance, of course, and he thought she might even like to see the sea. Yet...
No. No, it was better this way. It was better for her here. If he could just get her to stay long enough to see that all would be well, and his mind and heart would be once more at peace. Comforted in that, he just smiled upon his daughter, then waded back into the grass towards the current resting spot of the Sky Clan.
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:47 pm
Nyota did not know it, but Misae had seen that feeling, as brief as it'd been, flash through his eyes. And she'd known. She knew it'd be merely a matter of time before he'd come to understand; only inevitable that he'd smile when the realisation came upon him.
All it took was time, and patience; she was glad that she was his daughter, for thanks to that fact, she had both time and patience to spare. This in mind, the lioness stood up, "Learn her freedom... just inside a day," she sang softly, humming as she turned to part ways, taking her time to find the waterbuck she knew would be somewhere nearby, "Tried to make her love their own," as she sung, her tail swished, partly to the wind, and partly due to the rhythm of the song, "They took her love... they left her there..."
The words were shuffled from the original one she'd sung to her father, and unlike before, her features held a solemn hint to them, her eyes trailing towards the distance where she knew the ocean called to her, "Softly Ocean Gypsy calls..." she whispered, an ear flicking, almost as if expecting an answer, "The sea is hushed the ocean calls her..." and this said, she moved elegantly through a shrub, her singing still drowning the small patch of land she'd previously occupied.
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