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 Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 9:53 am
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 Luckily enough for the bored little cub, one of the elder lions of the Kusini line happened to be making his way through his rounds. It was a boring, routine activity, but after everything that had happened with Damu and that female that called herself Nuksani, he realized the importance of doing them. Even if it meant never finding another interesting thing in his life doing them, Njozi would make his rounds like he was supposed to. He couldn’t bear to think what would have happened if he had not been there to save her and he didn’t want to risk not being there to save someone else that might need him. Of course, it was pretty irrelevant now that Damu had fled, but he could always come home, couldn’t he? He figured that he would one day – he loved his mother.
As the adolescent lion made his way along the forest line, eyes swiveling to peer in different directions, he happened to see a form almost as pale as his own come trotting out of the undergrowth and shrubbery bordering the forest edge here. He frowned, coming closer, until he realized that it was in fact that new younger uncle of his – although none of them used those terms with that litter officially. It’d be too awkward to call them all aunt and uncle with him being so much older. Come to think of it, they didn’t even use the terms with Damu and his litter, probably because he was a bit older than them as well. Most of the time, Njozi spent more time protecting his grandmother’s children than it was the other way around. Of course, being a rather uniquely large lion like his father, that wasn’t unexpected by any means.
“The forest is dangerous, Kabili,” he said calmly, bringing himself closer. He frowned for a moment, making sure the name he had used was the correct one. After all, he hadn’t spent much time with them because of his own new siblings. He had, however, seen them a couple of time and had their names pointed out by their mother and his Bibi – as the only boy from that brood, his name wasn’t too hard to keep track of. “You probably don’t need to go in there alone,” which was the truth. Damu had always been afraid of the forest, or at least disliked it, from what Njozi could tell – and it was near here, after all, that he had attacked that smaller lioness. Njozi didn’t think Damu would care much about hurting a cub, at least not in that state he was in the other night. |
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 2:53 pm
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 7:21 pm
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Njozi couldn’t expect the little cub to know the actual problems that the pride was facing. Who would have told him that one of his older brothers had a mind sickness that seemed to run in the family line? Bibi wouldn’t have told him, not at such a young age, and he certainly wasn’t going to do it now. However, he had half expected the stories of the forest being haunted to keep him out. Most cubs refused to go in there during the day, never during the night, and they all skirted far away from it out of the fear that something might jump out and grab them. He had seen a deader area of the forest, creepy looking and barren, but had never seen any sign of it being haunted. Of course, that could honestly just be from his own belief that all those little noises could be explained. If one went in expecting to be scared, the noises could definitely be unsettling.
“Me? I’m just making my rounds,” he said, then stopped with a little crinkle of his brow. Why would the cub know what his rounds were for? Sometimes his own assumptions made him want to kick himself. “I’m just out here walking a route around the pride, like I always do, to make sure no one bad has come in – no one dangerous. It keeps the little ones like yourself safe from all the rogues.” Of course, there was no reason to tell him that he also came out here to make sure Damu or Tamu hadn’t decided it would be a nice day for a rampage. They were grown but in their rages they wouldn’t hesitate to hurt a little cub. He had barely been able to stand Damu hurting a grown lioness, albeit her small size, but if he hurt a cub it would have been truly horrible.
“What are you doing out here all alone?” he tilted his head with a slightly quirked eyebrow after his query. Shouldn’t he be out playing with his sisters or something? Of course, if he was bored, he could always try and show him something fun. Maybe the little stones at the river spring, or the patch of heaven, as Ihlo had deemed it. Of course, taking him back into the forest after he had told him it was dangerous was a bit contradictory.
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 8:32 pm
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:58 pm
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“I suppose it does,” he said with a small nod as the younger boy told him how well his duties fit him. He had always suspected that his size had been the real choice between himself and Rengo. Syeira couldn’t have taken both of them and Njozi had already been much larger than Rengo by that time, even as young as they were. He supposed that Syeira needed larger lions to control her larger son – she was just lucky that the ‘humongosaur’ gene, as his own mother called it, happened to be rather apparent in the gene pool and that Taabu had bred a child to match the size of Syeira’s younger son, Damu. He figured it would probably have been pretty hard to control Damu if he was smaller than the male.
“Boring, eh?” he said with a small quirk of his brow, “you could say that. These rounds that I’m making are the same thing, day after day, but I have to do the no matter how boring they are. I’d much rather be spending time with my mate, or with the family, but some things just have to be done.” He shrugged, passing it off as if it weren’t a real problem. A few days ago, he would have done anything not to have to do these rounds anymore – after the problem with Damu and that rogue lioness, he wouldn’t stop doing them if the goddess herself came down and commanded him to. He wouldn’t risk anyone’s safety just so he could have a little fun.
“The lands aren’t always as boring as you think,” he said with a shrug, turning his attention back towards the cub and away from the thoughts of Damu. “Haven’t you ever gone exploring? Our lands are full of all kinds of surprises. Like the place where the great river begins,” he said with a small nod, “or the firefly haven inside the forest - not that you should be in there at such a young age, mind you, at least not without someone else.” He shrugged again, glancing around, “there a lot of ways to spend your time if you know where to do it.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:03 am
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:52 am
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"Cheer up squirt," he said with a smile, leaning over to nudge the little fellow's jaw with his paw slightly. "You're too young to look like life is already wearing you down," which was the honest truth. Njozi disliked seeing such serious looks on the faces of cubs. Being a cub was all about living life to the fullest, not caring what was going to happen tomorrow or the next day. He missed his cubhood, when he was carefree, happy with his siblings and all the games they played. Of course, his own cubhood had been cut very short - he'd left to go train when he was young. Perhaps it was his own cut-short cubhood that made him so sad to see that serious face.
"Well, the fireflies are actually really deep in. I'm not sure anyone should be going in that far alone." The depth of the woods where the firefly haven was had made even Ihlo frightened the first time he tried to take her. He wasn't saying the cub would necessarily be scared - but it was something to think about before one just trampled on in there.
"If you want, I can show you the spring where the river starts?" he gave a small shrug, a weak smile on his maw as he glanced down at his younger uncle. "It's something to see if you're bored, at least." He raised a questioning brow as he waited for a response from the young boy. He really only wanted to put a smile on his face.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:09 pm
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Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:28 pm
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Njozi watched the cub with a slight frown. Even in his cheerfulness, the little boy seemed off somewhat. Njozi was a slow fellow when it came to realizing things, but even he seemed to realize when something was deeply troubling. The cub's attitude was something even he was bound to notice, despite the obvious attempt Kabili was making at covering it up. All he knew to do, however, was to let him work things out on his own. Pushing and shoving him in any direction was not likely to help at all. "That's right," he said finally, though he couldn't think of anything else to say. What Kabili believed is what he believed, and it was hard to decide if this talk had helped that at all.
"That would be your best bet," he said, letting his smile return somewhat. It was easier to talk to the boy when he didn't have to talk about such depressing things. "We wouldn't want you going in there and getting lost. Believe me, I've done that my fair share of times." His grin widened, amused with himself. He found comfort in joking, and could only hope the little one felt the same.
"Of course not," he said with a final scoff. He shook his head, sending the black mane shaking, and turned towards the direction of the river. "I always have time for family, especially the ones that could do with a little cheering up." He chuckled, taking a few steps, then paused to make sure that he was following.
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