Dark Fire Angel
The wind cheated.
Really it did.
It was amusing to note, however, that Misae hadn't only just noticed this; she'd known for a while. In fact, the pale lioness was almost certain she'd known from birth. She'd always felt an affinity towards wind, and thus had always known it, the way it knew her; and she knew it was a cheater. It cheated. And it was extremely unfair that it did.
Thankfully, however, only the round moon hanging silently over the night sky was witness of the moment, and thus the only one that could silently mock her. Misae was glad her father had not been around to see her pathetic display of ... less than graceful skills. She was also glad that Hadithi hadn't been around too; he'd have never mocked her, nor would he have fretted and then scolded her like her father either. Still, it was a relief.
Her teeth chattered together, her jaw firmly closed, in a futile attempt to keep herself from making the noise as she padded shamefully out of the ocean water. Her long bangs were plastered over her face, her pelt soaking wet, with a few seaweeds and a lonesome grab adorning her frame tail. All in all, she looked like a wreck; but then again, anyone whom would have been tricked by the wind into racing it along the shoreline would have. The wind cheated though; a gust of it had unbalanced her while she was running, and she'd found herself tripping and rolling into the ocean.
The waves had crashed against her, and had rolled her inside, tugging her within till she looked... like a drowned cat. Never better said. Misae was skillfully aware of the wind laughing at her, it's voice brushing against her mind till she grumped, "You cheat; that's not fair... I win, out of compensation."
However, as footsteps resounded against the sands of the beach, the winds around her seemed to laugh all the more, 'No, you see, for we always make a habit of winning, no matter the game, and right now, we've not only won the race, but something else too,' it seemed to say, and Misae was left to face whomever was approaching her with the fear she'd been seen during her pathetic display. Somehow, she doubted that saying she'd MEANT to trip would cut it. So much for feline grace.
Sulking softly, the female stepped entirely out of the ocean and did her best to shake the water out of her pelt; it was so dark, and so cold, however, that all she managed was a weak shake, her eyes wide as she shuddered and shivered and her teeth chattered... and she waited fro whomever had either seen... or was simply going to see.
Kisoni
The Wind was laughing the Ocean was calling his name. Hadithi had heard it from the cave where he'd been having a chat with a local monkey, but had come as he usually did when he was called. Once he'd reached the shore, the waves lapping at his paws in greeting, the Ocean had suddenly felt silent. This wasn't t hat dreadful silence from a moon ago when he had thought it would never speak with him again; no, this was a teasing silence--there was something it was holding from him.
Hadithi gave the lightest chuckle, pawing at a shell it had washed up in front of him. "Come now, what is it?" The stars above danced at him, twinkling and sharing in the Wind's laughter. He thought he heard a whisper on it, but it was not directed towards him. Ears pricking, he remembered that there was one about that the Wind preferred, perhaps this was what the Ocean wanted. Padding down the shoreline and around a bend, his steps slipping in and out of the water, he was just in time to witness the white being, glowing silver in the moonlight, slipping form the ocean.
Many would have said Misae looked terrible as she was in this moment--indeed, conventional beauty wasn't anything to be had with her fur wet and spiked and mixed with so many bits of sea life... but to Hadithi this was beauty in its greatest. He was glad that the Ocean had called him to it, for it was a joy to see. She did not, however, look very happy about it.
"They laugh," He stated plainly as he continued his way towards her. He took his eyes from her form politely, glancing out over the moon-lit waters, before returning the gaze to the lioness. "Did you try and race the Ocean?"
He tilted his head, a low chuckle coming forth as he plucked some of the weed from her hair and set it aside. "I don't recommend that. Its pull can be quite strong, and sometimes It does not realize Its own strength." Hadithi sighed, smiling at the water even so and shook his head. It was then that he noticed something he hadn't been able to see from further away. "You're cold?"
Dark Fire Angel
Shaking herself off a second time, she looked pathetically up at him, childishly, seeking comfort in his voice, "I wasn't racing the ocean!" she whined slightly, and almost as if on queue, the wind picked up around them in a gust; Misae could practically hear it's laughter as if it'd been another lion sitting beside them. It meant no harm at all to her, really, but it could not help it's nature, just like a scorpion could have not helped it's own nature; it was amused, and it showed such a fact in the way it played against her wet form, mocking her playfuly, taunting her.
It was all in good nature though, for had the winds been angry, they could have caused real harm, as could have the ocean waters; they were playing, and though the pale lioness whined, she could not help the small smile that graced her maw as she spoke softly, looking away from Hadithi, "Not the ocean... I was racing the wind," her tone held a warm tone to it, as if she were recalling or talking of a very dear friend, of a family member. It vanished instantly however as her red eyes flashed, fire within her orbs, her front paw stomping on the sand, the whine returning to her voice, "It cheated though!" again as if on queue, the wind picked up about them and again it laughed.
Unknowingly (or perhaps not all that unknowingly...), it caused Misae to shiver again; the cold icy gusts against her soaking pelt making the female edge almost instinctively towards the nearest source of heat. Which at the moment... just so happened to be the large male lion in front of her. Now, her movement must not be confused for a seductive one; in fact, it was dead clear that it was innocent in nature, her mind having no problem wite the contact. Her thoughts on such themes had never been developed... having been secluded away from others and with only her father for company, the lioness had never quite learnt what life meant exactly. There was no doubt the winds would teach her, when she came of age, but for now, they contented themselves with watching her with a teasing smirk; they watched her edge towards the male till she was pressing herself to him, her front paws reaching up into an awkward hug as she shivered and nodded at his question. In turn, not only were the winds teasing the girl over it's victory, but also teased the male in an entirely different way.
Had Misae known about this, she'd have pointed out again that the wind was a cheater, and this was most likely what it'd had in mind in the first place when it'd challenged her to a race, earlier that night, "Yes, very much so," her teeth chattered as she gripped his form, rubbing her chest and face on his dry pelt, in turn making him wet; it was only when she noticed this that she gasped softly and looked up into his face, "I'm so sorry.... it's just... so cold," she could have sworn the wind was laughing louder than ever, but no longer at her. A pause, during which she furrowed her brow, "Why is it laughing at you?" genuine curiosity was laced within her words, innocent despite the situation.
It was all in good nature though, for had the winds been angry, they could have caused real harm, as could have the ocean waters; they were playing, and though the pale lioness whined, she could not help the small smile that graced her maw as she spoke softly, looking away from Hadithi, "Not the ocean... I was racing the wind," her tone held a warm tone to it, as if she were recalling or talking of a very dear friend, of a family member. It vanished instantly however as her red eyes flashed, fire within her orbs, her front paw stomping on the sand, the whine returning to her voice, "It cheated though!" again as if on queue, the wind picked up about them and again it laughed.
Unknowingly (or perhaps not all that unknowingly...), it caused Misae to shiver again; the cold icy gusts against her soaking pelt making the female edge almost instinctively towards the nearest source of heat. Which at the moment... just so happened to be the large male lion in front of her. Now, her movement must not be confused for a seductive one; in fact, it was dead clear that it was innocent in nature, her mind having no problem wite the contact. Her thoughts on such themes had never been developed... having been secluded away from others and with only her father for company, the lioness had never quite learnt what life meant exactly. There was no doubt the winds would teach her, when she came of age, but for now, they contented themselves with watching her with a teasing smirk; they watched her edge towards the male till she was pressing herself to him, her front paws reaching up into an awkward hug as she shivered and nodded at his question. In turn, not only were the winds teasing the girl over it's victory, but also teased the male in an entirely different way.
Had Misae known about this, she'd have pointed out again that the wind was a cheater, and this was most likely what it'd had in mind in the first place when it'd challenged her to a race, earlier that night, "Yes, very much so," her teeth chattered as she gripped his form, rubbing her chest and face on his dry pelt, in turn making him wet; it was only when she noticed this that she gasped softly and looked up into his face, "I'm so sorry.... it's just... so cold," she could have sworn the wind was laughing louder than ever, but no longer at her. A pause, during which she furrowed her brow, "Why is it laughing at you?" genuine curiosity was laced within her words, innocent despite the situation.
Kisoni
"Oh I can think of a few reasons," Hadithi chuckled, though his voice was lower than it usually was. Indeed, he didn't mind the contact--and innocent it was; Hadithi had never been one to think with the same mind that most lions would, though he did see what the Wind and Ocean both seemed to be getting at. Indeed, he found their laughter somewhat echoed in the words the Mother had spoken to him now a Moon or more past. Maybe that was stretching it, but it made an awkward sort of sense to the Lion who.... was not entirely certain he minded all that much, though right now the Wind and Ocean both could kindly sod off.
He raised his chin to invite Misae under it, his paw coming up over hers to draw her in so that his mane hung over her a little, shielding her shoulders. "Perhaps it cheats, or perhaps it uses what it is effectively," He laughed again, the noise rumbling deep in his chest. "Either way, you're cold and that can bring on other things that might harm intentionally. Come back to the cave with me, there's shelter there."
From any other lion this could have easily been a ploy, but Hadithi thought nothing of it. He nuzzled the neck of the sweet girl with a kindly, almost brotherly, air and pulled away finally to begin leading her back towards his home caves. "There, the Wind knows it is not so strong, at least right now... though we respect that It could get in if It wanted to." The last was said more for the benefit of the Wind laughing about them than it was the girl. Indeed, there had been a pause when he had defied It, and Hadithi was smart enough to know that he did not want to face the wrath of Sea and Wind.
He raised his chin to invite Misae under it, his paw coming up over hers to draw her in so that his mane hung over her a little, shielding her shoulders. "Perhaps it cheats, or perhaps it uses what it is effectively," He laughed again, the noise rumbling deep in his chest. "Either way, you're cold and that can bring on other things that might harm intentionally. Come back to the cave with me, there's shelter there."
From any other lion this could have easily been a ploy, but Hadithi thought nothing of it. He nuzzled the neck of the sweet girl with a kindly, almost brotherly, air and pulled away finally to begin leading her back towards his home caves. "There, the Wind knows it is not so strong, at least right now... though we respect that It could get in if It wanted to." The last was said more for the benefit of the Wind laughing about them than it was the girl. Indeed, there had been a pause when he had defied It, and Hadithi was smart enough to know that he did not want to face the wrath of Sea and Wind.
Dark Fire Angel
"No, no; it cheats," she nodded to herself, her words so firm that nothing and no one could have budged the thought out of her mind, "It cheats, just like you and I breath," a pause as she instinctively reached up to hides her head under his neck, feeling the falling strands of his mane tickle her face. It was a nice sensation, actually, one she could barely remember from somewhere, long ago... when she'd slept cuddled up to a huge lion. Somewhere, sometime...
Her mind never truly remembered it fully, but deep down in her subconscious, the details, as shady and weak as they were, were there, for her to dig out someday, "The wind is a trickster by nature though; asking it not to cheat would be like asking the sun not to shine. It is not possible; I like it that way anyhow, it kept me alive, long ago, when there was no love, and no happiness... when I was lost, and had no one, it's laughter, and teasing nudges kept me alive," as he retreated from her form, and the warmth was lost, the female whines; it was a normal reaction, but that fact probably never made it easier for the male to accept. Either way, she found herself jumping from her spot to follow him, pressing herself as near to Hadithi's frame as she could manage, without making them both tumble over.
She had the distinctively moronic urge to dive under his tummy and pass there rubbing herself there, and weaving herself around his legs, just like a cub or a kitten would have. Needless to say that even one such as Misae knew this was pretty much crossing the line, and thus held herself at bay; the urge remain though, and after walking for a while, she came to the decision that...this was probably due to the fact her frame was so much smaller than his. She wasn't a midget by any means; she'd probed that fact in the Ela-lands, sitting by Tsihilu's side. The other lioness was barely bigger than Misae, and she still had to grow some, however... Hadithi was large.
It never frightened her, however; it was nice. It was almost like having a big fluff ball .... blanket and pillow, and as they reached the cave, Misae practically squealed at the thought. In fact, the sound came out somewhere between a high pitched whine, and a partial purr; it resounded against the walls of the cave. Not that she cared, really, "Can I come in then?" she'd heard the wind following them from the shore; it moved the branches softly, the leaves sometimes falling, twirling as they played with it, however, it was amusing to note that the laughter had died down. No longer did Misae hear it's soft laughter, but rather, she could almost sense curiosity?
Yes, that was the word she was looking for; curiosity. The wind was almost curious, however, she had no idea why, or what it was watching; it must have it's own motives however, and thus Misae ignored it for now. It'd voice itself when the time were to come. Instead she entered the cave and sniffed at the walls here and there before settling herself in a small curled up ball, looking up at his large form almost expectantly; now, any other female would have remain silent, but alas, Misae was a child of the Wind, and thus was prone to voicing that what graced her mind, rather bluntly, "Will you come lay with me? I really liked the feel of your mane; it tickled. And I'm still cold," it was a request, not an order by any means, and the effect her tilted head had, added to her still rather pathetic air of need, "You know... I come from a place with no love," a pause, "Before I meet father, I was trapped. There were many lioness there... but there was no one at the same time. No one saw me, no one cared, no one loved. I fell asleep each night listening to the wind telling me about far away places..." she seemed to fall silent then and for a while, it seemed as if she wasn't going to say any more, however, she suddenly raised her gaze, red eyes glowing in the darkness, "Then... this... this thing appeared, and it drove me out of that place. I think... it was trying to steer me away from that place; I ran into father then, and I've been with him since. I was very small. The first thing father said about me when I met him, was that I was like a rose, blooming on fallen snow."
Her mind never truly remembered it fully, but deep down in her subconscious, the details, as shady and weak as they were, were there, for her to dig out someday, "The wind is a trickster by nature though; asking it not to cheat would be like asking the sun not to shine. It is not possible; I like it that way anyhow, it kept me alive, long ago, when there was no love, and no happiness... when I was lost, and had no one, it's laughter, and teasing nudges kept me alive," as he retreated from her form, and the warmth was lost, the female whines; it was a normal reaction, but that fact probably never made it easier for the male to accept. Either way, she found herself jumping from her spot to follow him, pressing herself as near to Hadithi's frame as she could manage, without making them both tumble over.
She had the distinctively moronic urge to dive under his tummy and pass there rubbing herself there, and weaving herself around his legs, just like a cub or a kitten would have. Needless to say that even one such as Misae knew this was pretty much crossing the line, and thus held herself at bay; the urge remain though, and after walking for a while, she came to the decision that...this was probably due to the fact her frame was so much smaller than his. She wasn't a midget by any means; she'd probed that fact in the Ela-lands, sitting by Tsihilu's side. The other lioness was barely bigger than Misae, and she still had to grow some, however... Hadithi was large.
It never frightened her, however; it was nice. It was almost like having a big fluff ball .... blanket and pillow, and as they reached the cave, Misae practically squealed at the thought. In fact, the sound came out somewhere between a high pitched whine, and a partial purr; it resounded against the walls of the cave. Not that she cared, really, "Can I come in then?" she'd heard the wind following them from the shore; it moved the branches softly, the leaves sometimes falling, twirling as they played with it, however, it was amusing to note that the laughter had died down. No longer did Misae hear it's soft laughter, but rather, she could almost sense curiosity?
Yes, that was the word she was looking for; curiosity. The wind was almost curious, however, she had no idea why, or what it was watching; it must have it's own motives however, and thus Misae ignored it for now. It'd voice itself when the time were to come. Instead she entered the cave and sniffed at the walls here and there before settling herself in a small curled up ball, looking up at his large form almost expectantly; now, any other female would have remain silent, but alas, Misae was a child of the Wind, and thus was prone to voicing that what graced her mind, rather bluntly, "Will you come lay with me? I really liked the feel of your mane; it tickled. And I'm still cold," it was a request, not an order by any means, and the effect her tilted head had, added to her still rather pathetic air of need, "You know... I come from a place with no love," a pause, "Before I meet father, I was trapped. There were many lioness there... but there was no one at the same time. No one saw me, no one cared, no one loved. I fell asleep each night listening to the wind telling me about far away places..." she seemed to fall silent then and for a while, it seemed as if she wasn't going to say any more, however, she suddenly raised her gaze, red eyes glowing in the darkness, "Then... this... this thing appeared, and it drove me out of that place. I think... it was trying to steer me away from that place; I ran into father then, and I've been with him since. I was very small. The first thing father said about me when I met him, was that I was like a rose, blooming on fallen snow."
Kisoni
Her insistence that the wind was a cheater caused true, unadulterated mirth to rise within Hadithi's throat, though he gave little voice to it. She was adorable, he thought, the way that she spoke and carried herself. Carefully, he pressed back against her as they walked; careful as her form was small against his, though that could easily be due to age as much as natural size at this point. He didn't mind the wet she'd rubbed into his fur, though it caused his skin to prickle with cold; being covered in water was probably worse for her. Still, the sun would be up soon enough and it would be balmy and hot outside once more.
"Of course you can," He responded to her request of entrance, watching her dance inside and curl herself up. There Hadithi stopped, eyes settled upon her for a long, silent moment. She didn't seem to be bothered by this, for she asked him to lay down with her. Hadithi, however, was frozen, watching her snow-like form. He couldn't really say what had stopped him, or why he'd let it freeze his legs, but the moment broke as she began to relate more of her history to him.
Shaking himself all over as if it'd just been a moment of stretching he'd needed, the lion walked around her, circling to lay against her back and throw his neck once more over hers, mane cascading down over her neck and shoulders to keep her warm. "Of that, Nyota and I agree," he said presently, implying though not mentioning that the two did not often see eye to eye, "indeed, its perhaps a good metaphor for your story as well. Grown from the plentiful, yet cold snow; a single spot that stands out for its life when all the rest about it has long since gone dormant."
Unlike others that might have said "died," Hadithi did not. Though he had not seen snow since his childhood, he remembered stories his parents had told him of a thing called 'winter' that they had heard of from birds. Even when snow fell on the ground and the weather grew cold, it didn't kill everything. The cold, instead, sent things into a dormancy, to sleep until the warmth came back. "But creatures that are dormant can live again. You were born into that cold, but you have been touched with warmth again. You didn't allow the cold to silence you--that is what sets you apart. ... Even if you were driven off by things beyond your control, perhaps the Wind sent it to guide you away. It knows what is best for you, even if you don't always understand it."
"Of course you can," He responded to her request of entrance, watching her dance inside and curl herself up. There Hadithi stopped, eyes settled upon her for a long, silent moment. She didn't seem to be bothered by this, for she asked him to lay down with her. Hadithi, however, was frozen, watching her snow-like form. He couldn't really say what had stopped him, or why he'd let it freeze his legs, but the moment broke as she began to relate more of her history to him.
Shaking himself all over as if it'd just been a moment of stretching he'd needed, the lion walked around her, circling to lay against her back and throw his neck once more over hers, mane cascading down over her neck and shoulders to keep her warm. "Of that, Nyota and I agree," he said presently, implying though not mentioning that the two did not often see eye to eye, "indeed, its perhaps a good metaphor for your story as well. Grown from the plentiful, yet cold snow; a single spot that stands out for its life when all the rest about it has long since gone dormant."
Unlike others that might have said "died," Hadithi did not. Though he had not seen snow since his childhood, he remembered stories his parents had told him of a thing called 'winter' that they had heard of from birds. Even when snow fell on the ground and the weather grew cold, it didn't kill everything. The cold, instead, sent things into a dormancy, to sleep until the warmth came back. "But creatures that are dormant can live again. You were born into that cold, but you have been touched with warmth again. You didn't allow the cold to silence you--that is what sets you apart. ... Even if you were driven off by things beyond your control, perhaps the Wind sent it to guide you away. It knows what is best for you, even if you don't always understand it."
