[PRP] Action at the Circle

[Light Atago]

Ahh, what a day! Everything was going Isi's way recently- she'd rebuilt her long-lost drum... her daughters got along well (she had been concerned for a bit that they'd argue often) and on top of it all, she was losing weight! She felt younger than she had even with Ezeoha, and that was saying something. The dark lioness's tail flicked happily in the grass beneath a tree in the Nchi'Mahadhi lands. She could hear a faint drum beat in the distance, perhaps someone was practicing- one of the cubs, maybe? She purred softly in the peace of it all, but it was not to last. A day spent entirely like this could get boring, fast, and it was well on its way to being too long in one spot.

She stretched and rose to her paws, heading towards the drum circle to see what was happening. She was fully prepared to teach some lessons, she expected it, in fact. A smile crept across her maw as she got to a hill, once she crested it, she'd be able to see the circle  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

"Bah dah baa ba baaaa~"

Nsundu giggled to herself as she finished arranging the drums. There! Waseme's little practicing stunt had ruined quite a few of the drums, but after some hard work everything was back in place. The drums had been decorated with bits of petals, rocks, and some of the pretty shells that she and Taka had found the other day in the water. The circle may have been small now, but Nsundu knew that it would eventually grow larger as this generation of cubs grew and made their own drums. She could only imagine how many more drums would be added. The thought made her paws itch to beat out a rhythm. And so she did.

Still singing to herself the strange tune, Nsundu settled herself down next to the nearest drum. She gave it a testing tap, before she began to drum out Indlovu's song. The beats were heavy, as the pride's ancestor had been known for her resounding footsteps. She had been named 'elephant' for a reason.

[ Indlovu's song can be found here, and it's to the tune of Lebo M's version of "Hakuna Matata" <3]  

[Light Atago]

Isithunzi smiled at the sight that met her pink eyes when she could see the drum circle. This was the first time she'd consciously heard Nsundu on the Pridal drums. She was sure she'd heard her before, but she hadn't ever seen her to have definitive proof that the music was from Nsundu. She took her position at the drum to the right of her and started pounding a pleasantly complementary rhythm that further enhanced the song Nsundu had started. Isithunzi knew and liked the tune, so she had no problems helping enhance it. She shot a smile over to Nsundu, and without stopping the beat, said, "It's too catchy not to join in!" Though, her voice was barely audible above the heavy sound of the drums.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Nsundu was so caught up in her own rhythm and the song that she was singing in her head that she didn't even notice Isithunzi looking at her. Normally she would have been on the lookout for the pink-eyed lioness, knowing that she would come at the sound of drumbeats. Today, however, she was immersed in herself, and was enjoying it very much. It was only when a secondary beat joined her own that she looked over, grinning at the arrival of her friend. Well look who decided to show up! Nsundu continued to beat out her rhythm, reveling in the complimentary beat that Isithunzi was adding as well as the sound it was making. And this was just two of them. She could only imagine what it would be like with the whole pride.

"Of course!" She called back, over their drums. "The more the merrier!" The lioness continued the song until it was done, adding a little dramatic flare to the ending. When she was finished, Nsundu giggled, giving a little dance at the end. "That was fun!"  

[Light Atago]

"Sure was!" Isithunzi's pink eyes danced with joy. She loved the sound of two drumming at the same time. She hadn't heard such a sound in quite a while... For so long it had been herself drumming on a rock out on the lonely savannah. Nobody out there even appreciated what rhythm was around them! She was so glad to be with lions that felt the same thing she did, or didn't look at her like she was absolutely insane when she started to pound out a beat on anything that was nearby. At least these lion were, at the very least, understanding and accepting.

She pounded a few random beats onto the drum before hopping away from them. "Place sure looks a lot better than it did when we first got here. Amazing what a little work can do." The drums were all repaired, the circle looked exactly like it had in her memories, it was a dream come-true to the dark lioness. "Someday soon, we'll hear many layers of sound to each song, I predict." She said hopefully. Cubs of the pride were always growing, their numbers would only get bigger, she could feel it!  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Nsundu's grin widened when she saw that her delight was mutual, extremely pleased with herself. While she had never witnessed the great drum circle in its glory, she had quite a vivid imagination. No doubt, if two lionesses could produce such a sound, a whole pride together would produce an amazing sound! When she visited the Pridelands to ask if Banji had heard the beats, he would (without a doubt) say that he had felt their Rhythm all the way over in the Nchi'mahadhi lands. That would be a glorious day, she could just feel it.

"I like how it looks. I know we might not be able to get it looking exactly how it did, but I think it's got a lot of unique flavour to it. It'll be even more interesting when the cubs grow up and find their Rhythm." With the Rhythm-finding the cubs would be building their own drums, and thus adding their own unique drums. "I have a feeling Taka's going to make quite a bright little drum!" Nsundu grinned, and then sighed dreamily at Isithunzi's prediction. "I really hope so. It would be so nice to see what it sounds like with all the pride members we have now."  

[Light Atago]

Isithunzi perked up at the mention of her daughter. "You think? She said she'd spent some time with you not long ago... I hope she wasn't a bother. She can get so... muddy sometimes," Isithunzi chuckled. She hoped the cub hadn't gotten Nsundu dirty, though it would've been hard to tell anyway.

"I have a feeling she'll bring something different to this pride's overall sound... She has a knack for tinny sounds. A kinda thin drum, easily overpowered, but it still stands out. When I last went looking for gourds," Isi elaborated, feeling it was a necessary story, "she came with me. Thinner gourds have a thinner, tinny sound, and those were the ones she seemed to like best." She chuckled and tried to remember if anyone had had such a thin drum ever... No occasion ever came to mind, though it was quite possible that one had existed.

"It shall be interesting to see. I'm glad the circle isn't exactly the same as it was in the past, too." She said, getting off-topic. "I'm not sure why, exactly, but I think it's a good symbol of closure on the past." Her family, mostly. Close enough to remember them with it, and different enough to provide a unique flare for the upcoming generation. Isithunzi was pleased with it.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

"Naw, she's not a bother to me at all!" Nsundu replied, grinning at the thought of her meeting with the cub. "She's really sweet and she seems to really love this pride." Now if only she could get her own daughters to be like that. Kitambi seemed to have found new appreciation, but Waseme didn't exactly seem like she was enjoying herself. Ah well. They would turn out alright in the end. If not, she could just blame it on their father.

"Did she really?" The lioness listened intently to her story, tilting her head. Thin drums? She had never heard of such a thing. Her own drum was fairly large and thick, so as to make a loud, hollow sound when she hit it. Nsundu had had very little drum instruction before Isithunzi, and so hadn't really had the time to experiment with different types of drums and gourds. It was nice that this generation would have a chance to go out on their Rhythm quest and find their heart rhythm. "That's really neat! Leave it to the cubs to think up all the new instruments."

Nsundu nodded slowly at Isithunzi's final comment, turning her brown eyes back to the circle. "I like to think of it as new flavour. Some of the old have returned, but there are so many new members. They bring their own talents and we get to see it all in the drum circle. It's like a pride rebirth." She paused, before asking, "Do you think you could take Kitambi out with you when you look for good gourds? She just spends so much time by herself, and I dunno if that's good for her..."  

[Light Atago]

"The gourd and the thickness of the drumhead, and the tightness of the drumhead... These all make differences in the sound. Though, I never thought a tinny sound attractive until my daughter played around with a thin gourd. It's not half bad," Isithunzi said thoughtfully.

"Oh of course!" Isithunzi said with regards to the young Sha'Ihubo. She loved instructing others in the ways of the pride, drum, and rhythm. Besides, Kitambi was the heir, it only made sense that she ought to be spending time with her... More than she had been, definitely. Isithunzi knew that, for the future, the leader needed to understand much of the idea of rhythm. The Malenga needed to know as much as she could. Besides, knowing more about a culture couldn't possibly hurt. "I shall come and find her next time I head out to find some. I could definitely use the help. Maybe I'll bring Taka along too... We'll have to see, though. She's typically up and about long before I am in the morning," Isithunzi chuckled. How Isi's mother would have been proud of Taka... She was an early riser too, and always disapproved of Isi's late-night, late-morning habit. But it was something Isi had always done, and old habits were hard to change, especially when there was no real need to change them. For a moment, the shadowy lioness' pink eyes flickered a glimpse of the pain from her loss, but it was quickly replaced as she turned her eyes again to the drum circle. A smile spread across her face. What a turn-around, she thought.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Nsundu nodded along with what Isithunzi was saying, inwardly making a mental note about it all. She would never claim to be as knowledgeable about drums as the other lioness, but she liked to know tidbits like this. It made things easier when she had to explain her ways to outsiders. Plus, she was sure that Kimanda would be back one day, and then she could tell him all about the drums. Kitambi had told her that she'd only taught Kimanda how to use one, not how to make it. Thus, Nsundu would be able to talk to him about sound, thanks to all these nifty bits of information Isithunzi kept spouting. Plus it was always nice to know about her own pride.

The lioness gave Isithunzi an appreciative grin when she said she would take Kitambi along with her. Good. It would do Kitambi a world of good to go out with others her own age, as well as a good mother like Isi. The cub was much too distant for Nsundu's taste. "Kitambi won’t mind getting up early, she's up then already. She says she likes to watch the sunrise." Nsundu, on the other hand, like to sleep past the sunrise and get up when she wanted. Morning was alright, but she would prefer to sleep in. An afternoon nap, however, was an acceptable substitute.

"I wonder what Juke and Muujiza's kids are going to want to do," Nsundu murmured absently, staring out over the drum circle. Two boys and two girls. What would they do?  

[Light Atago]

Ah... Juke and Muujiza's cubs! They would be her first real "job" in the pride, this was one of the biggest things the position of Umshayi was around for! She could hardly wait to meet with them and help them make their own drums... As her Umshayi had done with so many pridemembers... "They must choose their own path. I can hardly wait to see how they develop." Isithunzi said, her eyes intent on the circle as well. The light in her pink orbs seemed to dance about as lions of old had... The sight would be seen again by the shadowy lioness. A smile spread on her face. The pride was growing up and getting bigger, just what it needed. "I can't wait to meet with them," Isithunzi admitted to the brown lioness with a smile, turning her eyes from the circle.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Nsundu had initially been extremely exciting to bring Muujiza and Juke back with her because they had had cubs. The new blood would be a welcome addition to the pride that was just getting back on its feet. Not only were they impressionable because of their age, but they also had a musical background. It was so much easier teaching musically inclined lions and lionesses than trying to explain Rhythm to those who didn't have a clue what was going on. They were to be the first cubs to arrive in the Nchi'mahadhi lands. Little did she know that before they would arrive, both she and Isithunzi would have their own cubs. Funny how life works out.

"Neither can I. They have the background and the opportunities, it'll just be up to them where they'd like to go. I haven't had much time to spend talking to them, but I bet Kitambi has met up with them. It'll be your first sort of job as Umshayi right?" The lioness was as excited as her friend was about the growing up of the pride's children, even if she didn't get to teach them.  

[Light Atago]

"It will." Isithunzi nodded. She wondered for a brief moment if Ez ever heard the drumbeats all the way in the Pridelands. "My daughters came to me the other day demanding to know more about rhythm, it was the cutest thing..." Isithunzi recalled. Both were, in unison, asking about it... Later that night Taka asked about their father again. She hadn't told them... She didn't intend on it, either. That was something she'd rather not tell them. She had been terrified when they were born. Scared to death, what if she couldn't provide for them? She knew she was going to be busy, what if they needed her? But they turned out fine, and they seem to keep occupied in one way or another. For this, Isithunzi was very grateful.

"Cubs can ask the most complex things..." She mused, reminiscing about the other night.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

"Oooh, first job. You excited?" Nsundu grinned at her friend, absently tapping her toes on the ground. This would be a big job, especially since her own daughters and Isithunzi's would be growing up soon as well. That would be seven juveniles to guide and teach. She had faith in Isi though. The lioness could handle herself, and she would be a great teacher.

"Did they really? Kitambi used to ask lots of questions, mostly about how to act and what she should do if something came up. She seemed to want to know about everything in the pride, for her own knowledge really. Your daughters just curious or really interested?" She was using Isithunzi's daughters as sort of models for her own daughter, to make sure she wasn't doing anything weird. "Complex things?" Nsundu repeated, tilting her head.  

[Light Atago]

"I'm very excited. Maybe I'll go meet with them tomorrow..." She looked towards the sky thoughtfully. Did she have anything going on tomorrow? She couldn't think of anything. She'd wing it- Isithunzi almost always did.

As for her daughters... "They both came to me at the same time, I have a feeling they'd been hanging out all day and decided to get some questions answered. Nothing more than cub-questions. Like..." Isithunzi remembered back to the incidence. "'What does Rhythm do?' and, 'Is there ever a bad rhythm?' Of course, they asked plenty more questions... Like, 'Why is the sky blue?' That one I don't know the answer to," Isithunzi chuckled.