[FIN] Epic. Fail. (Kubwa x Chaku)

[Uta]

He never meant for things to go horribly wrong, they just did. No matter how pure his intentions, no matter how careful he approached a situation, no matter how friendly and kind he acted, something always went wrong. Horribly wrong. Horribly, horribly, horribly wrong. It was the story of the lions life and he just could seem to shake the epic fail that followed him.

Getting a drink from a watering hole was never that simple. It might stat out fine, but before the end of the day, he'd either wind up half drowned, half eaten, picked up some sort of rash or flea infestation, or have pissed off the neighboring herd of rhinos. In all honesty, it didn't matter which of these instances or similar occurrences happened . . . all that was guaranteed was something would go wrong, and somehow be traced back to Chaku.

At this very moment, the lion was running blind. He had no idea where he was headed, all he knew was that there were two very angry falcons dive bombing his head. Their claws had given him a few scratches already, and their beaks had pulled out a few small chunks of his mane. "I'm going, I'm gooooing~!" He half wailed, looking quite the fool.

This was no way for a knight to act. He was supposed to be training to be a great guardian and hero, but instead he was getting cowed by two nasty tempered avians. What was wrong with this life!?! Why did everything he touch go up in flames!?

Finally, the birds gave one last angry scree before turning away and leaving Chaku to his fate. The blue coated lion trotted forward a few moments before collapsing in a heap, sides heaving as he panted and gasped for breath. He had no idea where he was, though from the scent of the land he seemed to be dangerously close to a pride. Great. Just. . .great. Unfortunately for Chaku, even if he wanted to get up and run he couldn't. He needed a break and a good rest . . . and here was as any good a place to do it as anywhere.

He'd keep himself alert in case trouble approached, but all he could hope was that maybe, just maybe, the pride wouldn't notice the lump of bright blue and green near their borders.  

[Wylde Roses]

Kubwa'Na'Kiburi had only very recently joined the Kitwana'Antara, and while she didn't regret her decision in the least, she still had the instincts of her life of wandering that told her to move, move, move, and so to try and burn that off she was taking a walk near the pride's borders. She didn't expect to run into anyone out here, which was a sad thought for the talkative lioness, but she could return to the dens at any point in time should she really desire company.

The tri-colored lioness paced about eagerly, almost dancing from paw to paw as she meandered near the borders, humming softly to herself, completely unaware that she was entirely off-key. She wandered for quite a while, until at last she spotted a brightly-colored lump of... something... nearby.

Carefully, she hurried over, as close as she dared get, lest she go too far and ruin her new life before it had even fully begun. "Hello?" she called out, wondering if the lump could even hear her - whoever or whatever it was didn't seem to be in very good shape! "Hello? Hello? I know you're not a rock, that's a silly thing to pretend to be! Um... are you okay?"  

[Uta]

Had he not been so exhausted or thirsty or upset over his previous attack, he might have paid attention to the off-key song. Unfortunately, while Kubwa had been singing to herself, she had been too far for the lump of a lion to understand or hear her. On the other paw, the fact that Chaku hardly realized her approach until she was practically on top of him was a complete rogue faux pas!

When her voice broke through the quiet of the land, the blue and green maned lion gave a visible start. Jerking his head up, his pink eyes were wide with surprise as they focused on the source. "Oh . .uh. . ." He couldn't think of something to say, and was simultaneously berating himself for being such a fool.

He was a lion . . .he was near pridal territory . . . . How could he have missed her approach!? How could he not have heard her paws on the ground, her breathing, her scent!? It really wasn't good form for a future protector of . . someone. . . something. . .a pride perhaps . . .was letting others sneak up on him in such a fashion. Thirsty and winded was no excuse to let down his guard!

Thankfully, the female lioness before him didn't seem cross. She was exceptionally bright in color, something he could definitely appreciate, and she wasn't snarling or growling. In fact, she was actually inquiring about his health and well being! Well . . .how was he? Wait. This was a she . . . a female. And females might be damsels whom might be distressed! He was supposed to save them and yet . . .just as quickly he averted his gaze and stumbled even more over his words.

Damnit. Why did girls always do this to him? Why couldn't he be suave!? Wait. Speaking. He had to speak. "I . .er. . I'm no rock. I mean, pretending to be. . . a rock . .I . . I'm all right thanks. Really." He pushed himself to his legs, though he did look a little wobbly and greatly disheveled. His mane was also missing a few spots and his cheek was scratched. "I'm not invading your lands or anything, am I? I mean . . ." He paused, puffing out his chest and trying to sound more confident. That was the trick, wasn't it? "I . . . was just resting and will soon be on my way."

Yeah. . . or . . .something. FAIL.
 

[Wylde Roses]

Oh, goodness, this not-pretending-to-be-a-rock lion was hurt! Kubwa knew as well as any that life in the rogue lands could be a difficult one - that was part of why she had decided to join a pride in the first place! - but she held herself back from helping him because she was pretty sure that would end up being a bad idea all around.

Instead, the brightly-colored lioness took a seat and inspected the other feline. His wounds didn't seem dangerous, just painful in a few places - what could possibly have attacked him? And pulled out portions of his mane, at that? Kubwa itched to cheer him up and help him feel better, but there was only so much she could do.

And what was taking him so long to properly answer her, anyway? Confused and a little more concerned than she had been, Kubwa peered closely at the lion, hoping he hadn't received a head injury - she was no healer, after all.

Then the lion opened his mouth and started to respond, and Kubwa couldn't help but smile at the words that found the way out of his mouth. "Is that what you're worried about?" She asked, tilting her head and getting to her paws, pacing around a little. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that - the borderlands are safe enough," she said, smiling even more brightly.

"I was a rogue not long ago myself, but I have a wonderful home here now," she chirped, happy to have someone new to talk to, especially someone who seemed as nice as this fellow. "Well, wonderful except for that little disease thing, but that's nothing in comparison to really having a home! I'm Kubwa, by the way - Kubwa'na'Kiburi, but you can just call me Kubwa. Who are you? What were you resting from?"  

[Uta]

Chaku couldn't believe he had actually stumbled upon someone's pride. Usually there were big warning signs and markers and evil lions with pointy teeth ready to rip outsiders up for their transgressions. Or maybe that was just the one time, that bad experience. . . . Either way, he had long ago learned that stumbling upon others lands could be downright deadly and dangerous!

So why was it those birds had chased him here!?

Thankfully though, this other bright blue lioness didn't seem to mind. And she said the borders were safe, so that was a good thing! Chaku was just beginning to relax a little (even though his anxiety had sky rocketed by being around a female), and couldn't help but look up and offer the other a small, albeit relieved smile.

So . . . she was a fellow rogue huh? She certainly looked happy now that she was in a pride. And there was a disease thing. But . . .so long as . . wait. WAIT. Chaku's brows suddenly knitted and he tilted his head. "The . . .disease . . .thing? Are you sick then?" He didn't understand from her brief explanation that the entire pride was infected. It sounded to him that she was ill and suffering, and maybe that's why she settled down in to the pride. He'd never met someone who was wrought with plague or disease before. . . . .

"It's n-nice to meet you, Kubwa. I'm Chaku, a . . . great warrior. Or . . .at least that's what I'm trying to be. I was just resting from . . . from battle but . . I mean. . yeah. From battle! It was an epic affair but . . . .they got away, and left me a little shaken up." While he didn't condone lying, he also wasn't making everything up. It had been a battle against birds, and they had left him a bit shaken. Those were just details he opted to leave out.

 

[Wylde Roses]

Her, sick? Oh, no, she didn't think so... But it was possibly still too soon to tell. Instead, she shook her head and stood up, circling - what did he say his name was? Chaku? once, her dark eyes shining."Oh, I'm not sick - at least I don't think so, but it's too soon to know. It's something the whole pride has, and I suppose it's kind of sad, but it means I'll always have a home so it's more than worth it," Kubwa said, looking around at thee border curiously.

"But you should be alright while passing through, as long as you don't eat after someone or get scratched," she added, then smiled. A battle? That was so - so brave! "You were in a battle? Then you really should rest for a little while; you must have had some interesting adventures, maybe you could tell me about them!"

This Chaku fellow seemed like great fun, and so very brave! Kubwa could never be a warrior, but those with the bravery to do so must be very special creatures. She felt so very lucky to get to meet one!  

[Uta]

Chaku blinked as the lioness explained herself. She wasn't sick, but she might be? Too soon to tell? Always have a home? The blue lioness couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable as he glanced around him. He was on the borders of their pride, but if everyone was sick, did that mean he'd be sick too? His pink eyes went a bit wide and his tail gave a somewhat nervous flick behind him . . . . Uh-oh. Maybe he really put his paw in it this time!

Thankfully, Kubwa was sweet and did a little explaining. He should be all right if he didn't get scratched by another or eaten in the lands. And he hadn't yet. It still didn't explain how one really got sick but . . . maybe he was all right. Provided the other lioness didn't get too close. "What uh . .. what sort of illness does the pride have?" He tried to ask nonchalantly but it was quite obvious he was a little concerned. Plagued lions probably weren't the wisest group to be around.

Still, the blue lioness before him seemed more than amicable. And she was actually interested in his stories! Maybe she was just being polite, but nobody ever seemed to notice Chaku much. . .especially the ladies. He wasn't very good around damsels, or those in distress, but it was his dream to rescue every single one of them. He'd be the greatest knight in all the land, the best warrior, and would become a legend! Or so he hoped. . . . Right now he hadn't exactly made a very great start.

"I uh . . . I've had some interesting adventures. Mostly they involve me r-running but . . uh. . . I don't know. They're not very interesting, not yet, buts someday they will be!" He quickly added, not wanting to get her hopes up and then disappoint her with his kind of pathetic attempts at playing the hero. He really wasn't very good at it . . . but his whole life could have easily been summed up as a failure.
 

[Wylde Roses]

Kubwa smiled at the strange, brave warrior yet again, and tilted her head curiously. "What sort of illness? Oh, um, well it's an illness so they're sick! But don't worry, sometimes it doesn't kill you for ages and ages and ages, so it's really not so bad if you think about it!" Well, okay so maybe it was pretty sad to be so sick for so long, but they got to stay with their family and be together and hear stories all the time, so it was wonderful in its own way, too!

She hopes she was impressing the right things upon Chaku; he did seem so very nice, and she'd love to see him around again. It would be a bit sad if he passed on through and never came back; but not everybody could find a home here, she supposed. Still, maybe he would decide to stay and become a part of the pride! They needed good warriors to help protect everybody, and she'd love to get to talk with him more often!

"Running? Well, it might not seem that interesting to you but I'm sure it is! Where were you running from? Were you running to anywhere? Oh, were you hoping to save someone trapped by a vicious beast? Did the beast nearly bite your tail off?" She paused for a moment to flop over onto her side, staring up at him with excited dark eyes. "And of course they'll be interesting someday; not every story starts out fascinating, you know! Sometimes it takes a long time and a lot of mistakes before it gets to be really, really amazing!"  

[Uta]

Wait, what...!? Did she just say it sometimes takes a long time to kill you!? As in dead? As in this illness was fatal!? The fur on the back of his neck stood up a bit, and he had to wonder why the spirits had brought him to this land. . . It was strange to see that the vibrant lioness before him speak so casually about such matters. Was she nutty or just genuinely happy about life? Death and illness be damned. . . .

Thankfully, Chaku wasn't the brightest of individuals. And while he was still worried about death -- he wanted to die from a glorious battle, not some sickness -- her attitude was strangely refreshing. In fact, the way she so breezily continued chattering with him, the lion was finding his reservations beginning to slide. . . .

Clearly, the best thing to do was not talk about this illness or sickness. "I . . . I guess you're right. I'll just be careful then." He added with a small smile, doing his best to relax.

As Kubwa rolled to her side, obviously relaxed, he listened to her words. She genuinely seemed interested in his stories, and while most of them ended with him running in terror over some new issue or another, she didn't have to know that. Right? He didn't want to lie but . . . embellishing the truth wasn't necessarily a bad thing either. He'd gotten quite good about it in his years. "Well, sometimes I was running for my life -- situations that just turned too dangerous to linger in. I . . . I've never saved a damsel yet, but I will!" He added quickly, not wanting her to think of him as a coward. Thankfully, there was something empowering about her word, something that made him actually feel like he could do anything. He liked the idea that he had no grand stories because it was too early yet in his grand scheme of life. "My adventures are just beginning, yeah . . yeah that's right. So there's not a whole lot to talk about, I guess." He added with a little shrug and another smile. "But there will be! I promise you that."

 

[Wylde Roses]

]Well, if Kubwa knew that Chaku was wondering about her sanity, she'd be the first to state that she just loved life, but the truth of the matter was that she was just a bit of both. But in Kubwa's mind, she'd already experienced the worst that life can offer when she was outcast from her family. A little physical illness and suffering was nothing compared to having nowhere to go and no-one to turn to.

"Sometimes running is the best idea," she agreed amicably, sitting up again so that she could pay proper attention to every word the lion shared with her. "Of course you will! You can't go around saving every damsel, you know - that's not how it works. The only damsel you'll save will be the right damsel, and you'll know her when you find her!" Kubwa giggled a little as she spoke, but she was completely confident in her own words.

"We have bards in the pride, you know? They tell stories to everyone and the cubs of the pride all love them, it's so wonderful for them to hear amazing stories about the lands outside, since most of them will never see them. I bet someday they'll be telling stories about you, too! It will be nice to hear about all you do once you've gone..." Here she trailed off, her enthusiasm dampening a little as she thought about Chaku leaving.

To be sure, she didn't know him yet, but he seemed nice and he was willing to talk to her. She thought about it for a moment, and decided that she'd miss him once he moved on. She'd rather like to keep him, actually, but that wouldn't be fair to the damsel he had to save someday!  

[Uta]

Chaku was pleased that this female didn't appear to think any less of him when he admitted his lack of damsel-saving experience. He was pretty young, after all, and still new when it came to this sort of thing. But her take on rescuing damsels in distress was totally different then what he believed!

"Only one, huh? And I'll know her when I see her?" The lion had never thought about such a conservative view. As far as he had believed, he would save all of the damsels he could find! That was how the stories went, at any rate, wasn't that the case? Granted, he'd yet to actually ever meet someone in distress, damsel or not, so it was possible she was right.

Maybe.

"Eh . . . I suppose that could be why. I just haven't met the right damsel... but I do hope I get to meet her soon!" Well, maybe not too soon. He still wasn't very good around ladies, after all, they made him nervous. So if he met her soon, he might make a fool of himself, and then he'd lose out on her and it would just . . not be pleasant.

Why did females have to be so darn terrifying?

Even Kubwa, despite being so relaxed and easy going, still made his tummy flutter with anxiety. He wasn't being very smooth around her at all, though he appreciated the fact she was just so damn happy. And she didn't point out all of his mistakes, or laugh at him in the mocking way. No. She was pleasant. It was . . .nice.

As she spoke about the stories of the pride, the amazing adventures others had been on, the lion couldn't help but puff out his chest in pride. That would be him sometime, definitely. "I hope someday someone can tell my story, or of my great adventures. And at least you'll be able to say you've known of me when they do circulate back here!" He grinned, his dream obviously important to him. It did occur to him though that . . well. . . with his bad luck, some of his not-so-great stories might get back to Kubwa.

Well. . . . thankfully he wouldn't be here to witness that, right? Right. . .
 

[Wylde Roses]

"Well," Kubwa said thoughtfully, looking up at a pretty cloud floating across the sky. "There might be others, you can't just leave them alone if they need help, but there's one that's really, really special!" Yes, that sounded right. She was enjoying this conversation a great deal, almost as much as the company of this brave, brave fellow!

"I'm sure you'll meet her, and you'll save her and then the story of your brave adventure will spread throughout all of the pridal and rogue lands everywhere!" Kubwa got to her paws as she spoke, and her gaze dropped down to her paws briefly, feeling a blush form under her fur.

"I'd love to hear stories about you someday..."  

[Uta]

Chaku gave a stretch before shaking out his coat. He had all forgotten about the possibility of her being ill, and the dangers of the sick pride. It had been a good choice to forget about those details, because if he hadn't, he likely wouldn't have stuck around to converse with Kubwa.

And he was having a legitimate conversation about damsels~! It felt good to talk about his goals, his dreams, his hopes with someone who didn't just point and laugh; who didn't seem to judge and tell him good luck laced in sarcasm. Though he was clumsy, though he wasn't the brightest flower on the savanna, he certainly was determined. No one could fault him for having big dreams.

"I guess if I need to find that special damsel, I sure as heck better rescue all of 'em. At least until I find her, right?" He grinned at the prospect, finding new hope in the lionesses words. It would be nice to find just one lioness, his own to cherish, his own to care for. Every knight needed a princess, after all, and that was what he was ultimately looking for. Every story had to be complete with such a daring rescue . . . .

Glancing over at Kubwa, Chaku gave another little smile. "Well, perhaps someday I can come back, after I've made some stories worth telling. Anyway, m'lady," he bowed his head, using the word he had always heard used in stories. "I suppose I have many a damsel to rescue, so should be on my way. It was very nice to meet you." And with that, the young lion rose to take his leave.

He had a new life ahead of him, after all, and he felt refreshed. Now was the beginning of something great, he could feel it. . . .