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 Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:21 am
Kaanga seemed to have an endless supply of chores to keep her daughter busy these days. An might have been young, but it wasn't hard for her to catch on that in her mother's world, a busy An was an An not getting herself into trouble. But although she gritted her teeth while doing them, An knew she still got much more freedom then she probably deserved; particularly after her face had gotten torn up. She was still quite an unfortunate sight: half swollen and half healed, still very much an angry angry red on such a pale face.
It seemed funny then that she'd be smiling. In fact, as she skittered about the sands, she even hummed to herself. Later on, she'd go back to the dunes for a little bit of adventuring. For now... well, for now she had a task to accomplish! It had been only two weeks now that Kinja had returned to the Motoujamii. She didn't exactly know who "Kinja" was- but she had heard from her mother that she was about as close to a grandmother she was likely to get. And that thought delighted her. She already had such a big family! It seemed odd that they were missing grandparents...
Digging her little claws into the rocks as she hoisted herself up and into the denning areas, the little blonde cub scampered around, peeking in alcoves and nooks. Where would an old lady hide, anyways? Kinja was surprisingly difficult to track down- and An fancied herself quite the tracker! After a good half hour of running around the pride, however, she finally found where the older lioness had taken up.
"Hey!" An called, bounding about into view. "Mom said I was supposed to come visit you! And find out if you needed anything." To this, she did her very best cute-kitten face, and wriggled forward. She had a mischievous face, despite the wound. It seemed to be all she could do to keep from gushing out a series of questions.
"I'm An!" She explained. "Kaanga's daughter."
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:57 am
Kinja, as per usual lounging in the sun, this time just outside the small den she had managed to find vacant. The old lioness didn't much mind the heat as long as she avoided the hottest points of the day. In fact, the warmth helped her old joints and muscles and eased her into a calm relaxation. The heat was certainly one of the things the old lioness missed while gone for the desert, the sand on the other hand, she was happy without. Oh well, there always had to be some give or take with just about everything in life.
Life int he Firekin lands again was something that Kinja adjusted to quite easily. She surprised herself with how much she missed the place. There were some areas within the pride, her old den to be precise, that she had refused to go near or even see. There were too many memories there that she wasn't quite ready to face.
The changes in the pride had to be the most pleasant surprise that Kinja witnessed. There was so much more unity among the members and less quarreling. The pride was thriving under Kidondo and No's ruling and Kinja couldn't be more proud of her grandchildren because of it. Yes, the Firekin pride couldn't be better off and it made living among the sands much more enjoyable.
And cubs! Kinja had never seen so many cubs but it made her heart soar to see them all enjoying a care-free life that cubs deserved. She remembered raising her own an dhow hard it had been to give them the freedom they so desired while making sure none of them got possibly injured while mingling amongst the other pridal members. There had not been one lion or lioness that she qould have trusted with her cubs except Kiu, of course.
Speaking of cubs...The little golden ball of fluff certainly didn't go unnoticed not with her energetic greeting and happy-go-lucky attitude. "You're mother?" A smile easily creeped onto the lionesses face as she watched the cubs antics. Oh how she missed having her own. "Oh Kaanga's your mother then? Well An, I am so glad she sent you to find me. I certainly could use some company if you wouldn't mind spending time with an old lioness like me? I must say it's not often I get to spend time with any of my Great grandchildren."
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:19 am
An's eyes went wide like saucers. It didn't matter if there was a 'great' in between it or not- children were suckers for their grandmas. She wibbled and scampered over to her, grinning from ear to ear. She knew next to nothing about the old female, but her mother had emphasized that they show her the utmost respect. She had been a queen! That thought alone amazed An. She was the great granddaughter of a queen!
"Of course!" An squeaked, affectionately knocking up against the older lioness. "Mom has me running around doing chores. I'd much rather hang out here." Her tail curled as she sat, attentively flicking her ears forward. Feeling a bit sheepish, she rubbed her face, almost as though she could rub away the wound. "I uh...got in a little bit of trouble recently."
But with that out of the way, she could not longer keep her questions down. "My mom says you just came back from outside the lands. You must have had so many amazing adventures. And you're old!" She paused for a moment. Wait. Maybe that hadn't sounded right. "I mean, not in a bad way! Not like...wait. What I mean is, you were still adventuring. That's what I want to be like. I don't want anything to get in my way."
She glanced down at her paws. "What's it like out there? I go as far as I'm allowed to go, but I won't really be able to start on a real adventure until I'm a bit older. If..." She wriggled. "If you knew any really cool places... I'd love to know where to visit them!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:08 am
Kinja chuckled heartidly. This little girl certainly had to be a handful for Kaanga. Kinja herself wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep up with the energetic An for a long period of time. She'd certainly do her best though. If this little one was willing to hang around and keep her company she'd do her best to keep the cub entertained.
Kinja didn't need any mention of the little one's nose. She had taken notice of it almost immediatly upon seein ght ecub but she hadn't wanted to bring it up. It was best to let the youngster's to bring stuff up like that on their own. "I can see that. What gave you such a horrible cut? Were you off playing a bit too roughly?"
The next bombardment of quesitons and comments had Kinja laughing. "It's alright. I am old, but being old doesn't mean you can't have adventures, just remember that." She winked playfully at An. "I am glad to hear you have such bug dreams. Make sure you never loose them, but don't forget your loved ones while you're out having adventures. They'd certainly love to hear whatever stories you may have. I know I am an avid fan of hearing stories and judging by all your questions you are too." With a smile Kinja shifted herself a bit to draw An in closer to her.
"It's a big world out there An. There's places that don't have one grain of sand. Some places have lush grasses, others are muddy, and some even have more water than you could ever imagine. Just exploring each place is an adventure in itself. But you're right. You do need to wait until you're older. Young cubs exploring is never a good thing, at least not past their pride lands."
This cub was just full of questions. She'd have poor Kinja thinking in circles before it was long, but the old lioness didn't mind it one bit. After all, it had been quite sometime since she had cubs to look after it. Having little one's around made her feel younger and more envigorated. "Hm...I can't say that I can think of one specific place. Every where I've gone is fun and interesting in it's own way...or as you put it...cool." She nudged the cub with her nose.
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:26 am
"Oh, haha..." She trailed off. Not quite. Mom probably would have loved if it had been just some cubs rough housing. "Well... I uh. I can say I told my mom it was just some rough housing?" Although An doubt Kaanga believed her. Perhaps, in a way, they had a bit of an understanding. The true story was a bit lengthy, and probably not something adults would be all to pleased to hear. She didn't regret her little folly though. It stung, but that was about all the mind she gave it. She wasn't some fragile thing.
"That's what I mean," She thrummed, pleased to hear that Kinja was not angry with her. "When I'm old, I want to be doing just as much as I do now. Mom says that since we were born this way, it means that we're needed elsewhere. Because firekin are the best at everything." She pushed her paw to her chin. "But... I haven't figured out what or who might need me. So I think I'll have to do a lot of traveling."
She stretched out. "So, I'll see everything. My friend Preta- she's a jackal, she says in the other lands it rains water. It's.... it's hard to even imagine! Why did you leave?" Her ears perked. "I can't imagine you getting kicked out."
An looked out to the horizon, the same cheshire like grin stretched across her face. "But if everything out there is interesting... it's going to be a lot of work!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:29 pm
Kinja certainly knew there was more to the cubs story and she was certain that Kaanga also knew about hidden details. She highly doubted it was roughhousing that gave the cub those horrible marks across her face. Unfortnatly for An, Kinja didn't think those marks would heal without leaving marks. Kinja wouldn't be surprised if the cub thought of them as battle scars or a bit of character.
The quick change in subject wasn't unnoticed but Kinja let it go. She wasn't about to push An about it. After all, they had only just met. "Oh, you'll be surprised how many others you'll meet as you grow up. Maybe the one you're ment to help or be with is right here in the pride and the time just hasn't come for you two to realize you need one another." Kinja smiled softly. "The ways of the world are marvelous things and many times very confusing."
Kinja blinked at the change in subject again, mind it wasn't as huge of aleap as the previous but enough to make Kinja chuckle at the cubs rapid mind. "I..." Kinja wasn't quite sure how to go about explaining this to a little one and making her understand. It certainly wasn't a question she was ever faced with before. "There were....circumstances that made me feel as if I needed to leave." Her smile dropped a bit as she thought back. "I really wasn't needed here either, so my leaving just left room for my son to take over the ruling." She turned her attention back to An. "Everything turned out fine though. I had my adventures, met many different lions, and realized where I need to be."
"Yes, it's all a lot of hard work, but every bit of work is worth it in the end."
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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:43 pm
Hrm! Here in this pride? Why, that wouldn't make any sense at all! But...then again, An supposed such things were never meant to make sense. She hoped for her sake though, that it wasn't. It would be unfortunate to be born to help someone she would never see once she left! "Things...are confusing." An admitted. There were so many things she had questions about. There were times when she felt very much a child, and times when she almost burst for being treated like one. She understood that life was hard, but didn't know that monsters weren't responsible. But she knew she was anxious for her journey to start.
Possibly too anxious, judging by the marks on her face.
"Wow," An said aloud. "I knew it."
Perhaps this needed some background information. For a moment, An seemed so delighted in the thought that she forgot that people couldn't read her mind. Her bright blue eyes fluttered back up, and a grin stretched across her face. "I mean. I had an argument once- with a friend, you know?" She didn't suppose Kinja did, but! "She said being important was everything. Like, if I were to be Queen like you were, I'd know everything and everything would be alright."
Her tail twisted. "But, it's not like that, is it? There was a lot more for you to do! That's how I feel sometimes. I don't feel bad I'm not red like my cousins or some of my siblings. Because I don't think I'd be any different if I were or if I wasn't. I still wouldn't know what I wanted to do. And... if even a queen felt she wasn't needed, then it's a lot like the same. I think."
She stretched out her paw. "But! Everything turned out fine. So there's no need to worry about it! Did you ever meet any monsters on your trip? Or magic princes, or flying lions, or things like that?" She had moments of brilliance and moments of infancy. She was somewhat deadlocked between them. "But- where did you decide you needed to be? At the end?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:24 pm
Cubs had such odd perceptions of things, but to think that if you were important you knew everything...well...that had to be one of the most inaccurate and strangly disturbing ideas Kinja ever heard. "No, you were certainly right to think of your friends ideas wrong on that subject. If that were true, there would be so many things that would have been different in my life because I knew everything." Kinja, to tell the truth, was pleased that such a notion wasn't true. If it had been, she never would have followed Kiu into the desert knowing the kind of trouble and heartache that was in her future. "Mystery and the unknowing is what makes life all that more interesting to live." Yes, the unexpected was what made the world turn and made everyone who they were.
"Monsters, magic princes or flying lions..." Kinja chuckled warmly. "Well that all depends on how you percieve things. A snake in the grass can be a monster to you, but nothing more than another reptile to me. Now I can't say I've ever met a -magic- prince...or have seen a flying lion." Flying lions? Oh yes, Koka had heard of them, knew of them, but had never physically met one of them. The Gods were, in simple terms, flying lions...as for princes...well Kinja met her magic prince long ago.
Reaching out a paw, Kinja scooped up the cub and drew her closer to her, licking the top of her head in grandmotherly affection. "The place I needed to be was right here, back in the desert. This is where most of my family is, and I realized that as much as I had thought I didn't want to be here, it was where my heart wanted me to be."
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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:47 pm
She let out a squeak of surprise as Kinja lifted her up. If she was shocked though, it lasted mere seconds before she was contently thrumming, and enjoying the affection. Yes. She was going to like having a grandmother~! Quietly, she snickered to herself. This hadn't been much of a chore at all!
"Hmm. I've seen some snakes before. But, they're not quite monsters. We even met a cheetah once! We thought for sure he'd be a monster, but... he turned out to just be strange." Although, she had begun to wonder if monsters could hide themselves just as easily as snakes or other such creatures could. "That's too bad though! I wonder where they're all hiding. What good is a prince if he's not a magic prince?" Well. She supposed Uncle Kidondo had been a prince once. She knew there was royal blood in her veins. "Well. I mean. I guess if you have to be magical, you might as well be a prince too. I guess they could be whatever they want."
She seemed to ponder Kinja's next comment with a kind of solemn consideration. "I wonder if I'll feel that way too. I like my home. But I want to go on adventures... but, it's scary to think that maybe all the best things in the world are right here. You know?"
"But, I guess if I haven't seen them, there's no way to know until I do. My other friend- she's a jackal, it's sort of like a lion except tiny and they bark, she even said there's other deserts out there. The Motoujamii seems very big, it's hard to think that there are others."
She paused. "How did you know this was the place? ...Although, I guess it wouldn't be the same either."
Her chattering questions continued, as she wriggled a bit closer and crossed her paws with a most serious expression. "I bet there are a lot of other prides and lions out there. It's going to be hard to find out which one needs me."
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:41 pm
Oh to be a cub again and believe in such fantastical things as monsters and magic princes. It warmed Kinjas heart to see that An was very much the innocent cub that she ought to be. In Kinja's eyes, her first litter of cubs had to grow up far too quickly. There was just too much going on at that time for them to enjoy cubhood with the plague striking the pride and their father dieing. Kinja regretted that should couldn't do more to help them enjoy the life of cubhood and just be...well...cubs, but times were tought back then, for all of them.
"Hm, I can't say how I knew...I just...knew. Things like that happen. Like I said, the ways of the world are very strange."
"I am sure you will find the perfect place for you, but you shouldn't stress over it. You'll know when it's time. Things just seem to happen that way and the more you worry about them to less you're able to stay in the moment and enjoy things the way they are. I know you're very excited to get on with your adventures, but you should have fun now while you can. Be with your family, make friends, and just enjoy being young." She adjusted her paws to allow An to move closer to her. "You'll be full grown before you know it."
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:58 pm
Be full grown before she knew it! To most, that was a call to slow down and enjoy life. To An, it filled her almost with a sense of panic. She had so much to do! So much to do before she was old! So much to do before she had to leave the Motoujamii! But even in the dread, she was smiling. She didn't know where she was going or when, but she knew there was something out there. Something out there waiting for her.
But it was an awfully big undertaking. And An wasn't about to disappoint. She couldn't just fade away. She couldn't be forgotten by her home. An turned towards the older lioness, and pushed her paws together. "I've got an awful lot of work then."
As Kinja pushed her close, she leaned against the lioness's large paws. She wasn't sure what Kinja meant when she said the world was strange- but she could sense that, like her own scars, there was probably a lot more to the story then she was letting on. "Grandmas are good at talking," She commented. Her quirky smile reemerged, and she flicked her tail.
"I just hope I can have an amazing story too."
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:29 am
Kinja chuckled at little An. "Oh, you'll find the time to do everything you want to I am sure. You're quite the ball of energy and very determined." Having An around made Kinja feel all that more...needed. Since arriving at the pride Kinja had little to do. Even hunting was something that she wasn't insisted upon doing, and really, Kinja wasn't sure she'd be able to hunt on the sands again. Her muscles just weren't what they use to be. The shifting sand could easily do her in if she made the wrong step. But...having An with her right then made her have a purpose. Though the cub didn't realize it, Kinja was, in a way, cubsitting An, and the old lioness had no qualms with that at all.
"An, I am sure you will have a more amazing story than mine and that I have no doubt of. My story is just from things that happened to me. You...you are determined to go out and make something of yourself. You're already startying to write your novel."
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