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 Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 3:22 pm
Something was up and Alcmene was on the job to figure out what exactly it was. Information from the guards was that one of the huntresses had been seen in a panic and meeting with a rogue. It was not too alarming except that it had been preceded shortly by information that the same huntress was slacking off. It was the first real issue, as she tentatively called it until it was proven not to be, that Alcmene had to deal with as queen. Part of her wanted to consult her father, or her mother.. but that wasn't necessary. She had to have more confidence than that, though her parents were the ones who pushed her into this without the practical experience to help her gain the confidence for it.
Humming quietly to keep herself calm and content, she was out looking for the huntress Ivie'lingwa.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 12:48 pm
Why did she never learn? Was she damned to keep messing her life up? Was she truly cursed to bring herself to a lower level everytime things were looking up? It was a sad thing but in truth not much had gone right in Ivie'lingwa's life.
Her father left at an early age without much reason.
Her only friend and love of her life rejected her, used her, tormented her.
The father of her children had departed from her after a fight and she knew they would never see nor speak again.
Mother was gone. Brother and sister, too. She did not know where to find them or even where to start looking. Not only that but her children were gone too and most of them hated her. Thought her an evil, manipulative wretch.
And of course there was her seer powers. Powers that, along with all the rest of the pain and mistakes in her life, had driven her mad. Most days she was fine but there'd be days like today. Days when things just got too much.
And then, today, another mistake. She'd slept with that male even after she told herself she wouldn't. Her daughter's terrible insults were true.
And now, after finding a pride, she was ruining her chances by slipping back into those bad habits. Yes, it was only a matter of time before they were noticed and apparently today was the day she'd be questioned about it.
She was moving back into the lands now, towards young Alcmene, carrying no prey and reeking of rogue lion. She wouldn't be able to deny it now. Today her faults would be discovered.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 11:35 am
Ivie stood out well enough in the group. Her unique color and markings, her unusual behavior.. not to mention the queen had been told exactly which direction to go to find her, she knew immediately who she was seeing when she spotted a lioness heading into the lands. She stopped and stood still at first, watching the lioness return and trying to take in the details. She'd been warned of unusual behavior, now she did not look too unusual. From the distance she looked only to be walking home, but she was alone. No rogues with her, which was a good thing. But no prey with her, either, an excuse that might explain and help her case.
The queen took a deep breath and decidedly stood where she was. Her head was high, her expression serious.. but she was not going to advance on the lioness. She waited for Ivie to take notice and, hopefully, come to her.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 1:20 pm
The queen was easy to spot. She was beautiful. That dark fur tinged with markings that resembled the stars. Being brought up a pridelander, Ivie held great comfort in the stars. They symbolised guidance, wisdom, eternal life. In fact being brought up a pridelander had benefited her in that she had slipped easily into the beliefs held here. For the moon was a queen amongst stars and no natural thing.
However, the queen's coming was not a good sign today. Her expression was serious, her head high showing her superiority. Ivie'lingwa did not need a vision to know why she had come.
Dipping her head in submission, the lioness moved closer, carefully, quietly. Her eyes lifted up to look into the others, seeking to read the others thoughts but failing.
"Queen Alcmene." She dipped her head again, hesitating a moment before continuing. "What can I do for you, today?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:18 pm
"Ivie'lingwa," she greeted her, her tone was serious but not unfriendly. She wasn't angry, the lioness was not necessarily in trouble, they were concerned about her, "Where have you been?" She did not reveal all of the information she had, part of her was testing the honesty of the lioness but also she did not want to scare her away from the truth with accusations.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:50 am
Her eyes flickered nervously. Where had she been? Where had she been? A thick feeling of dread settled heavily in her stomach, rendering her speechless for a moment. She had never been god at reading emotions in others, but she didn't seem to be angry.
"Hunting." She replied after a moment. Okay, it wasn't an out and out lie. She had been hunting. She'd even managed to make a kill - the bloodied hare now forgotten angst the grass, abandoned when the visions had become to much to bear. But it also wasn't the whole truth.
Should she lie to a Queen? The one whose father had allowed her to stay here and call this place home? Was it fair? But...if she spoke the whole truth she'd get in trouble. She knew it. And she didn't want that.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:04 pm
Hunting? Perhaps.. either way, it was one topic she needed to discuss with the lioness before her.
"Did you catch anything?" she asked, glancing over the lioness. She couldn't have taken down much more than something for herself by herself, especially if Njiru were honest about her abilities and habits. Practice was a good excuse, possibly for the panic but not for the stranger she was seen with. Especially returning from so far from the central lands.
"Njiru mentioned you have been having trouble," the queen explained, rewording what she had been told to make it sound kinder.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:15 am
She swallowed, afraid. Oh no. Okay, so her secret was out, was it. One of many. She dipped her head, ashamed. What did this mean? Was she going to be thrown out because she was useless? Yes, just a useless freak. She should have known this would happen eventually.
Suppressing a little whine she nodded a little. "I did. Catch something, I mean. But...but..." An image of the bloodied hare flashed through her memory and she recoiled, thinking it an echo of those visions. "I...I left it behind."
"Um...yes...yes, I've been having trouble." Possibly not helped by the fact that she hunted alone and not in a party.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:33 am
She caught something. That was hopeful, it could make the whole situation much easier. She left it behind, that seemed a curious action. She didn't seem to be the best fed of lions, even for living in a pride. And then, even if she weren't hungry, she was in a pride.. someone would be hungry.
"What's the trouble you've been having?" she asked, looking for more details and more in depth than just that she couldn't catch anything. Perhaps somewhere in there would be an explanation for why she had been in such a panic.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:39 am
"Because....because..." She felt sick. A cold, horrible dread stuck in her throat and she swallowed it down so it could chill her stomach and have her legs wobble. She stepped sideways to keep her balance - afraid her legs might give in - and dipped her head lower still.
"Y-your Father." She rasped, her eyes welling with tears. "He shouldn't have let me stay." She wanted to run, but to where? There was no place she could go without being caught? "If you want...I can just go." A tear came free, trailing down her cheek.
This was it. The whole horrible truth was going to come out and she'd be chased out of the lands or...or maybe worse.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:25 pm
Whatever Ally was expecting to hear, it certainly wasn't that. Ivie was upset, very upset, it was very clear. She wasn't just struggling to hunt, her behavior was unusual and questionable.. but those were not reasons to send her away. There were very few reasons to send someone away, mainly issues of religion. She might not like her father at the moment, but that was hardly a reason to accept that he was mistaken.
"That's ridiculous," she said, "You're not going to be kicked out for poor hunting abilities or for mysterious meetings on the border." She threw in the extra bit of information she had, Ivie didn't seem keen on giving up more than she had already. There wasn't much more that could be send if already Ivie was willing to give up.
"We won't keep you here against your will," she said seriously, though there was reluctance under the matter-of-fact tone she tried to maintain, "The Great Lion watches over you- wherever you go- but this is your home. When you asked to stay and accepted the Great Lion, this became your home. We can help you. You don't have to hunt alone, you don't have to wander away from us."
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:32 am
She felt the shame sweep over her. There was more to it than just poor hunting abilities but...wait...she knew about the meetings? Then who else knew? Her heart gave a worried lurch and her head lifted from surprise.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean...I just..." She trailed helplessly, unsure how to go on. "No. I want to stay. L-like you say. This is my home. I...I..." She hesitated again, glancing away.
"If only it were such an easy thing to fix." Her words were quiet but it was likely the other would pick up on them.
Another tear fell.
"I don't want to go." The words were a whisper, akin to the plea of a begging, desperate child.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:22 pm
Watching Ivie, Ally couldn't suppress a rush of pity for the poor lioness. She didn't want to leave, she didn't seem like she was going to leave on her own. Something was wrong, very wrong, and she was looking for permission to give up. That wasn't going to happen, though. She opened her mouth but closed it quickly, reminding herself to remain diplomatic.
"The you will not go," she said, taking the option to run away from the complications this problem, whatever it was, away from the lioness, "You need to explain yourself so that we can know how to help you."
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 1:05 pm
A touch of relief stroked the feeling of rising panic gathering in her chest. She could stay. She could stay. She could stay.
But in order to, she needed to get this off of her chest. She supposed it was only a matter of time before someone figured she wasn't normal. Not normal in that she could touch things without fear. Get close to someone without being afraid you would lose them.
"I...I...I see things." She swallowed, trembling, afraid. Would they throw her out when they realised what she was? "Things...I see things. The past. Present. Future. Bad things." She drew in another breath, struggling. "Not all the time...only...only when I touch someone...something. Lion. Hare. It doesn't matter...and almost always...it is bad."
The tears came again, fresh and hot against her cheeks. "I'm a f-freak."
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:51 pm
I see things. The past, present, future. It was a simple concept but confusing and a bit alarming in practice. The queen's reaction departed from the calm and collected manner she was supposed to maintain in formal meetings like this, it wasn't something she knew.. well, anything about. Ivie was very genuinely upset about this, and it would certainly explain why she was having trouble with her hunting- she even specifically mentioned hares. Though she would have liked to puzzle over it, or ask more questions, she had only to accept the response and do her best to collect herself and keep going. She'd have to ask for help on figuring that one out, but there was something else to find out about.
"What about the rogue on the borders?" she asked.
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