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 Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:14 pm
[ For anyone <3 ]
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As the small mouse crept out from his den and into the blinding light, he probably never thought that those brief moments of sunshine were the last he'd see. One moment dry heat- and the next, oblivion, as a cub's paws landed firmly upon his small shape. For most cubs, it would have been a play pounce. The cub would lift up its paws to entice the mouse to run, and the game would begin anew. Even in the Motoujamii, children played. Not so much now. With water levels continuing to drop and rations getting smaller, even young cubs knew nothing could be wasted.
Kio made short work of the mouse, mostly oblivious to the implications of her precocious brutality. She was a young cub- lanky and awkward rather than round and fuzzy. There was very little childishness to her, from her shape down to her stoic expression. Something which could have been blamed upon the current crisis.... but more than likely was inherited from her sour tempered mother. Indeed, the look she gave as she glanced over her shoulder was pure Ea.
There was a noise in the distance, like a faint whistling. The cub's wide, oddly still yellow eyes curiously moved to find the source. She was a bit further out from the main pridal lands, as her home was at the medical wards. There was usually heavy traffic around this hour of the day, particularly with so many lions under heavy stress and exhaustion. But she was a good stone throw away from the main den, and couldn't see anyone that might have been making that strange whistle.
She squinted her eyes and stood up. A strange noise warranted investigation.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:41 am
There was nothing better to do around the den today. The small lioness didn't have lessons she had to participate in today. Even though today was very hot she didn't want to spend the day laying around the den. She decided to go out and bother her older sister Azar, follow her around and see what she was doing today. However When Azar was making her way toward the Medic's den to talk to Ea, Aithne decided she had something better today. She noticed the smaller lioness and she was interested, very interested.
Aithne, trotted toward the other lioness, watching her with the mouse the lioness looked like she had an idea of what she wanted to do for the day and Aithne decided that she wanted to have something to do with that too. Aithne wasn't the kind to ask if she could join some one else, she didn't care if they wanted her company or not she was going to join them. She was stubborn and if she wanted in on a game even if they told her no she didn't care. She smirked as she wandered over behind the lioness looking over her shoulder before speakig out.
"Hey! What are you doing?" She flicked her tail around behind her as she demanded an answer from the other lioness. She looked familiar, Aithne was curious
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:15 pm
In a bid for alone time together, Shula and Kosuke had left their litter with the closest-in-age litter they could find. Which happened, this time, to be Ea's litter. Maybe they'd pick up medical skills and one would become a medic. They'd hoped so, anyway. While his sister was more intent on just doing nothing, Keahilani, his black snake wrapped around his neck, sat watching... Anything he could. Which included, this time, his cousin.
He hadn't missed the look on Kio's face. A glance was spared for his brothers and sisters, before the mask-marked cub got up and went over. Another glance was spared for Aithne, before he flicked his ears. Yes... He heard it, too... Whatever it was.Ten's tongue flicked, looking at the cubs curiously, before the snake lifted his head to listen. Unlike them, he heard nothing. "What are you two listening for...?" The snake let out an indignant sound as his tail was swatted with a paw. "Hmph, well.. Forgive me for not being able to hear as well as you, snakes have much tinier e--" A paw covered his mouth, holding it shut. "Be quiet, Ten."
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:33 am
Kio was silent as the two cubs accosted her. The youth of the pride wasn't familiar to her yet, even her own direct relations. What few trips she had made outside the den had mostly been confined to the area around home. Her mother, perhaps somewhat paranoid that her cubs might get it in their heads that they wanted to be soldiers- had further restricted their mobility. She wasn't shy... but, Kio wasn't exactly what one might call 'talkative'. A trait no doubt a reflection of her deathly quiet father. She regarded the two with a curious stare, before looking in the direction of the whistling wind.
Unlike her father, she wasn't voiceless. "I hear something," she said calmly. Her eyes closed, as if focusing. Then they fluttered open, and rather single mindedly began to walk in the direction of the sound. The flick of her tail seemed to be all the indication the two would get of an invite.
Further down the sand, where the rocks began to give way into dunes, there seemed to be a rather large shape obstructing a break between two stones. Kio paused her approach, attempting to decipher what it was. But from this distance it seemed amorphous, and given her age, likely wouldn't have had the words for it in the first place.
Her pace began anew.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 11:03 am
Aithne normally was the kind of lioness that only paid attention to what she wanted to. She had a bit of a tunnel vision, she paid attention to what she wanted to and at first it was just Kio, she wanted to know who Kio was. She must have been related she knew those looks that Kio gave and she knew that those markings were just too familiar for Aithne to not be related to her. She flicked her tail around behind her once more before turning toward the other cub, and the snake. But as the lioness spoke of the sound she looked forward. This time her focus was on that, trying to figure out what sound the lioness was speaking of.
She stared at the same thing Kio was speaking of, she arched a brow, what was it? She was very curious that was for sure. She wanted badly to know what it was. She shook her thoughts off as she watched the other lioness begin to walk. She stretched her paws and stood up before she began to follow the other lioness. Normally Aithne was the kind that would be the leader in things and liked to make things her own instead of following some one around but she was curious and she wasn't really wanting to run forward and take control of everything. But Aithne felt at the moment it was better to follow the other. She seemed she knew what she was doing, she thought so anyway.
As the other lioness paused she paused too lookin over her shoulder at the other lioness before pausing and then looking at the other lioness once again. "What is it?" She whispered mostly to herself before pausing and turning once again to follow the lioness she really wanted to know what it was.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:29 pm
Laying on her side underneath the sweltering sun Inadu panted even in her sleep. There was no relief from the heat. Despite the naturally short length of her coat. Despite an occasionally dry breeze that rolled across her thin frame. Even despite the shade of the den--when she chose to linger there. The still new cub wondered how her mother, even closer to solid black than she was, could stand such a climate. With the shortage of water it certainly wasn't the most favorable of conditions for the darker colored cubs.
Not one to complain though, the painted youth had followed her sister out to play and until this moment had been completely unaware that she was being left behind. Garnet ear twitching and swiveling at the sound of unfamiliar voices and, more distressingly, Kio taking her leave of the area they had come to together. Reluctant to move let alone follow as her shadowy pelt threatened to melt right off her body, Inadu rolled onto her belly. Blinking against the harsh light that greeted her as dark, golden hues swept across the area.
There were two unfamiliar cubs, one with a sleek looking snake slung across his shoulders. However, Ea's daughter held little interest in them at the moment given her immediate desire to find her sibling. Lifting herself onto huge paws that didn't yet fit her small body. Further off Kio's familiar backside was encroaching on an outcrop of rocks attention completely focused on whatever it was that had drawn her to the distant shapes. Hmm.
Like an infectious disease Inadu's own curiosity had piqued. Jogging to catch up as pricked ears and wide eyes strained to understand what they were stalking.
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 2:13 pm
Keahi let out a hm, looking first at Aithne, then over at his other cousin. Oh, he knew that patching... He had a couple uncles who had it. With Ten in tow - Not that the snake had a choice - he went after Kio. When he saw the strange shape, he stopped to stare at the moment, looking to Ten. "What is it?"
The snake flicked his tongue, blinking. "I'm a snake... I don't see so good... But it smells like nothing I've ever smelled before." He was sure his mother would know, but this didn't seem a time to ask. "I see well enough that your cousins are leaving you behind, though."
The cub let out a huff, then went after Kio. As the got closer, he tilted his head, then turned to Kio, doing his best to keep pace with her. "What is it?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:39 am
Kio continued her single minded approach. Only her sister's arrival brought a short hitch in her step- offering a small smile before continuing on. Whatever the object was, it wasn't anything that could be called 'natural.' As they grew closer, the whistle of the wind seemed heightened. It was a curious sound, and not the sort the young child recognized.
The object thrust up against the rocks, was in fact, a kind of bag. Old and threadbare, it looked like the rocks were doing most of the job holding in whatever it contained. Small splotches of gritty sand covered the fibers, indicating that it had been buried for some time. A few glittering shards of gold poked through the cracks, and it was these shining pieces that were catching the air and making it sing.
Kio approached the collection. It was wedged up a few feet from the cub's heads. The integrity of the bad seemed suspicious at best, but for the moment it was holding. As to what it was, however, Kio wasn't sure. Her tail curled as she curiously considered it. "Something is inside," she confirmed.
Although this was likely quite apparent to anyone looking at it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:48 am
Keahi stared up at the object, slowing his trot to first a walk, and then stopping completely. Blue eyes flickered, taking the sight in, before he looked over at Kio. "How do we get it down?" No solution came to him, though, and he continued to stare at it. The gold, if anything, was pretty. It made him think of Soleil, something his sister would want to wear.
As if summoned by her brother's thoughts, Soleil, curious about where everybody was going, walked up behind them. Unlike the others, she hadn't exactly run, or gone about in a hurry, instead walking slowly. Why bother expending energy? She stared at the bag as she walked up, before stopping next to her brother. "Whatever's in there, I so want it." Her gaze soon looked around, before she began trying to climb up to it.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 3:49 pm
Kio's smile was returned with a nudge to her sister's rump with her muzzle once Inadu had drawn close enough to touch her. Quietly reassuring that she would be her siblings back up during this hair-raising adventure. After all, they had to look out for one another, right? And the whistling noise, more apparent to the painted cub as they drew closer, seemed like an ominous sound. In the desert, where there were few things for the wind to catch on and produce anything but howls as it coasted over the open landscape, such an unusual shrill put Inadu on high alert.
Watching the strange shape grow more defined--granted still nowhere near recognizable--the closer they came to it, she reluctantly followed Kio to the rock face to peer up at the haggard bag. There was no scent of food or water for that matter so any self interest at all the little fire snake might have had quickly diminished. Sitting on her rump to exhale a sound of dismay, watching another cub she hadn't noticed before attempting to scramble up the rock to reach the object. Inadu's brows knit with annoyance almost immediately, bounding past Kio in an attempt to stop Soleil in her path. Hey! Kio found it! Back off!
Sitting in the way of Soleil's progress, her gaze drifted back to meet the brilliant yellow eyes of her sister, following the ear that was already angled in her direction. Obviously questioning what she wanted to do next.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 4:51 pm
Aithne's curiosity raised as they got closer and closer to the... thing. Her attention was diverted as the other lioness caught up. Both of the cubs smelt familiar. They smelt like Ea but she was pretty sure that she had never seen them before. It was another thing that confused Aithne on top of the strange thing they were going after. She was surprisingly quietly as she thought about the two things that were confusing her. However as they got closer and closer to the suspicious looking thing her attention moved back up to it. She stared at it along with the other cubs. She was a littler taller then the others however not too much. Even though she was older she was a little on the smaller side.
She paused for a moment as the looked at the new lioness. She paused for a moment before looking around at the others. She wanted it. She didn't mind if she had to share it or if she could only look at it. She really just wanted to see what it was. She flicked her tail around a few times behind her before pausing and then speaking out to the other cubs. "She should share..." Her voice trailed as she looked at the lioness before back at the other cubs once again. "But on the other hand she has the right idea. if some one wants to climb on top of me we might be able to reach it." She offered the idea, not really sure how else they were going to get it. She was debating on suggesting getting an adult but she figured they would probably ruin all of the fun. Or try to take it from them. She turned toward them quickly arching a brow, she was hoping that they would go along with her idea.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:50 am
Kio's tail twisted. A decision to be made! To be honest, Kio hadn't expected to find anything worth being fought over. She wasn't even completely sure what that bulging bag was. Something shiny... but not something to eat or drink. Despite Inadu's protests, Kio didn't seem too interested in actually owning the strange lumpy bag.
But she wasn't exactly going to let the other cubs dictate what she should do! She might not have cared, but clearly her sister did. "It doesn't belong to us," she said. "...at least not yet. Better find out whats inside, then we'll worry about who gets what."
She settled back to the ground, clearly too small to reach the bursting fabric. "I am no thief," she concluded. But maybe they could be heroes for finding the lost bag! For the moment, it seemed best to go with Aithne's advice. Without much ceremony she jumped ontop of the other cub and scrambled to the top of her shoulders- using her head as something of a balance.
But she was still too short! "Can't reach..." Kio said. It looked like they'd need a third.
Elsewhere, someone else was watching the cubs uncover their little treasure. And while Kio might not have been a thief, this one certainly was!
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 12:18 pm
The dark snake's tongue flicked as he watched, then slithered down to the sand, looking at Keahi. "Well, go help them!" It wasn't like a snake could do a whole lot. His abilities were severely limited, since snakes weren't exactly that strong. Not in Africa, anyway. His tongue danced out again, looking up at the dimly visible for his eyes bag.
The cub's ears went back for a moment, before he went over. After some contemplation, he looked to his sister, then Aithne, then their cousin. "We should form a pillar... Largest to smallest." Which from the looks of it, meant that either he or Aithne was at the bottom, and Soleil in the middle. "Soleil, get over here and help instead of hinder."
The little red lioness started to let out a huff, only to stop. It wasn't like they were rogue-parented cubs, so... It had to be okay, right? She went over, staring up, then reached up, tugging Kio down. "Hey, tower topper, lemme climb up first, THEN you climb up." She could smell Uncle Vlam on this cub. And that freaky other cousin of theirs, with the white eyes... He gave her the creeps. Not that she voiced this. "I guess since you spotted it first, you should be on the top to grab it and pull it down."
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 10:31 pm
Chht. Rather irritated to be so blatantly ignored, the fact that Kio seemed less affronted made her bristling fur ease. Turning on her forepaws to glance back at garnet sister. If she didn't mind, then Inadu didn't particularly care either, but given Kio had been the first to acknowledge the strange object and whatever they decided, the serpentine cub had already decided that it would be her sister's choice first. Giving Aithne a look, the patch-work cub didn't necessarily disagree, though she didn't exactly agree either. Stating bluntly. Kio found it. Kio should decide.
Glancing up at the worn bag again her small, white maw tucked into a frown. Well, it certainly didn't appear that it belonged to anyone at the moment. Or that if it did belong to someone, that time had long since past given the state of---well, whatever it was. Perhaps whoever had once owned it had forgotten it?
Inadu's thoughts drifted after a few seconds of entertaining that train of though upon realizing she didn't much care. Arching a brow at the cub-tower being created right before her eyes. If this wasn't the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen in her short life, she didn't know what was. Shifting on her haunches to examine the structure the bag was wedged between golden eyes seemed to be considering why nobody had attempted to climb it.
Maybe she would give it a try.
Wrapping her arms around the rock, her claws gripped at the surface, using her hind paws to shove and shimmy herself upward in small leaps. Pouting as she slid down several inches for every inch she seemed to ascend. Reluctant to quit though, Inadu kept slithering along with her belly pressed to the rock every once and a while reaching out to swing her paw at the bag to see if she could at least get it to budge and perhaps knock it into their reach.
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:18 am
Aithne looked at Kio before shooting a glance at Inadu. She knew that it was Kio's idea and she was letting her decide! Even though Aithne wanted to speak her mind she bit her lip and looked forward at the other cub, she was hoping that her idea was going to be put to use. She felt like this was the best idea that she could come up with quiet frankly. She was hoping that everyone else would go along with it too! then again that had part of the way to do with the fact that Aithne liked being in charge and if the others went for it then she was some what in charge at that moment. Her mind mind anyway.
To a point Aithne knew that she was going to be the base of this tower idea, she was the one who had thought of it, but at the same time she wasn't that sure how ready she was to be the base of this cub tower. She braced herself and grunted as the others started to climb on top of her. She was a little caught off gaurd. She wobbled a little as Kio climbed, she stumbled to the side, but managed to stubbornly place her paw on the ground and then start to push Kio up. However keeping her balance was half of the battle. she then had to push the cub up and hold another cub. She grunted slightly once again and held herself up straight and then growled out to the other cubs.
"Becareful!" She warned annoyingly, she didn't mind the others climbing on her but she didn't want claws digging into her, or for that matter she didn't want anyone stepping on her head. "Can you get it!?"
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