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 Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:41 am
  "Watch'a doing?"
Naar startled, head swinging sharply to the right; eyes focusing in on a small face peeking from over the lip of one of the smaller, completely dried up, water sources. She knew the face. It was Nur'yu. Apprentice Watcher. A curious little thing with a knack for finding trouble. And a knack for finding Naar-ehuka, or so it seemed. The orange-red female gave a low chuff of greeting and came to a slow halt. Her grey eyes were troubled - as they normally were - and as dark as a stormy sky. Except, now-a-days, a stormy sky would be a very welcome thing indeed.
"Tracking." She answered simply. "What are you doing?"
"Watching." He replied, hooking his paws over the edge of the 'basin' and pulling himself up. He was covered in a dusting of gold and his orange eyes were alive with mischief. "Can I come?"
"Um..." Naar looked a little cornered, eyes darting from side to side. "Well..."
"Pleeeeease. Pretty, pretty pleeeeease." He took a step towards her, pausing to shake a hind leg vigorously - apparently there was some sand stuck between his toes - and then bounded over to meet her. "I'm bored. Besides, we've been tracking before. You know I'm useful! What if we run into the monster lions out there? You won't be able to handle them all by yourselves, and look, my mane is properly growing in now."
Naar reached out to flick said 'mane' with a forepaw and arched a brow. Certainly he was growing fast and he'd soon be an adolescent, but...he was still young and it wasn't safe out there now. "It's thirsty work." She concluded. "Best you stay here. Where's your teacher? Isn't he around somewhere?"
"Who? Ran? No. He's sleeping." He wasn't actually sure where his teacher was, but sleeping was probably a good enough guess. "He won't mind. Besides, you only just got promoted, right? Is this your first time out by yourself? You might need some help! Someone to encourage you in case it doesn't go well. You remember our last tracking attempt, right? That didn't go so good."
Naar's ears fell. The juvenile was right. Why had she even been promoted in the first place? She was kidding herself if she thought she'd be any good at this. She'd fail, no doubt, and be reverted back to simple huntress. She had not been made for grand things. Not at all.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:55 pm
"What won't go 'so good' is your bothering her," a voice spoke, not low, not harsh, but cool, sudden and to the task. Ryujin came up over the nearest dune, all black in against the golden sand, silver eyes watching the young, pestering adolescent.
He looked to the boy, to Naar, and back to the boy with eyes narrowed.
"Has your teacher taught you nothing of respect? Perhaps I should tell him what you've said-" he spoke as he walked to the pair.
Though he looked to Naar, then back to the boy, but Ryujin couldn't help but notice: her eyes were like his.
"Go rest in the shade, or look for water nearer to the center of the pride, all right? She has her work to do."
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:58 am
Nur'yu's little face fell; the corners of his mouth drooping and his eyes widening. Even his ears sunk back to press against his head. "My teacher is teaching me how to watch." He mumbled, more to himself than in response to Ryujin.
Naar had startled at Ryujin's approach and had turned to look at him. He was solid black, his pelt obsidian against gold. Very striking despite the lack of markings, with pale, pale eyes. She hadn't met this male before and couldn't recall whether she had seen him in passing or not. Her eyes instinctively lowered, her waving tail curling tightly against a hind leg. It was awkward, not knowing the lion who was standing up for her. Not knowing his rank or even his name.
Meanwhile, Nur'yu was still wavering in place, clearly mulling over a response that wouldn't have him sent back to the pride to suffer more boredom.
Naar, at that moment, found her voice. "H-he's right, though. I...my last search didn't go very well." And then her ears dropped. "What...what if I do need help?"
"See?" Nur'yu chirped, instantly brightening. "I should go with her!" The little one wasn't very good at taking a hint, apparently.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:56 pm
Ryujin tried to eye her without her seeing, his pale eyes were sometimes, he was lucky, good for that sort of thing. However, what intrigued him were not only her eyes, but the markings on her shoulders. Almost like, wings? He quirked a brow, very slightly. One f his sisters had wing markings, not as abstract, was she...like them?
He looked to the boy again, huffed and wrinkled his nose.
"Watch or not, consider this a relief of your post then," he said suddenly, trying to be stern. "If she wishes for help, accompaniment," he said, looking to her, letting her see his gaze, "then I will go."
He looked to Nur again, ears flicking, "but you, I think you are done for today."
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 4:29 pm
Naar startled at the stranger's offer of help, her head jerking back and eyes widening. She didn't know him and yet he was offering her this...this kindness? But...why? She had done nothing to deserve aid as far as she could remember. Her mouth worked soundlessly for a moment and then Nur'yu sprang back to life, clearly not appreciating being talked down to. Unfortunately, options had run out for the kid.
"Fine. Be like that." He stuck his tongue out at Ryujin and then cast a wary glance at the orange-pelted female. "But you'd have been better with me helping." And, with that, he gave an annoyed huff and turned to stalk away, kicking up sand as he went.
Naar watched him for a moment, her dull eyes listing across the dunes when he was finally out of sight. A wind came up to fill in his shallow paw-prints and mask his presence from sight. His scent, however, was still on the wind.
Only then did she realise she was now alone with the strange male and reluctantly her eyes switched back to look at him. He was not much to look at if you liked a male with markings. His pelt was as plain as plain could be, but dark as the night sky. His silver-white eyes were stars set in his stern face, drawing her attention straight to them. "I...uh...hello." Her ears fell back against her head and after a short grimace, she tried again. "Are you a...tracker?" She shuffled her forepaws awkwardly.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 7:58 pm
Ryujin watched the boy stalk off and when he was far enough away, gave a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry," he said, looking to the boy disappearing, then back to Naar, "but as I was passing by, I could not help overhear, and, forgive my forward words, but you did not seem appreciative of his words or presence to you."
He shifted, turned to face her and, as he once did and learned where he was born before coming here, slightly dipped his head, "I'm Ryujin, and no, not a tracker, a soldier. But, I came here with my family a while ago, and my mother when-" he stopped, trying to gather which words he should reveal, "did teach me well before I left."
He watched her, the orange pelt of fire covering her form, piercing yet soft eyes, but he felt as if she had a strong spirit and that perhaps, maybe, he had seen her eyes, her face, in a dream-a vision.
"I'm sorry if my intrusion caused you any trouble or-" watching her paws shift, his ears falling back a little, "worry."
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 4:43 am
"He...he didn't mean to...hurt my feelings." Naar admitted softly. "But..." She trailed and looked up at the dark-faced male again. He was a soldier? Instantly she felt her spine grow rigid and she straightened her posture and stuttered a little as she tried to grasp for words. Soldiers were faaaar more important than trackers were, right? And now he'd just overheard her being taunted by a cub?
Was this going to be reported and then find herself being downgraded back to a huntress. How would she ever be able to show herself in public again?
But. Wait.What? He was apologising?
"I, uh...well..." She trailed, tucking her tail around her hind leg and giving a small whining sort of sound in her throat. "No. No. That's fine. I just..." She forcibly stopped herself and gathered her thoughts. "I'm Naar-Ehuka." There, that was better. An introduction was only polite when he had offered her one. "I'm new at this tracking business and...I'm not sure if I'm...cut out for it. Nur'yu was right. I'm...I'm not very good so far and..." It was clear she had no confidence in herself, though it properly hadn't been helped by the cub's attempt at making things better. "But...I shouldn't be wasting your time with this, Sir. I'm sorry."
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 5:04 pm
((So sorry for the delay luff <3))
Ryujin watched her, tail flicking as he listened to the nervousness in her voice. He blinked, silver eyes watching her own, and he let his back at ease, his muscles at ease. Now that the annoyance juvenile was gone, perhaps she could relax as well.
Why was she still so very nervous?
"It is all right, to be new to something, I felt the same way coming here, trying to find where I was best suited. And stop that, you can't determine if you aren't cut out for it so early in the game," he said with a laugh.
He shook his head and offered a smile, "How do you think I felt when I came here, and then had to train to fit my role? Wasn't easy, and my brother didn't help either. And don't feel that way, I can show you some things, if you like, that may help you."
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:11 am
"You...were a rogue once?" Naar's interest lit her eyes briefly; lifting her ears just a touch. And then she looked ashamed and gave a small nod. She wasn't being very much like a Firekin...she just...she didn't have much confidence in herself.
"I, uh, yes. I mean...you would help?" She looked nervous again for a moment and then she forced herself to try and relax. He was being friendly and she should stop being so rude. It took a moment but eventually she managed to get the muscles in her shoulders to unwind.
"Do you...think I could learn?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:19 am
Ryujin nodded, "Before that, I came from a land so different from this," he peered about, thinking of how the Pridelands seemed to fail in comparison to the home he loved now. "My life then was much different than now, my family, my brother, sister and I came here with a close friend to get away, what we learned on the way here has helped me greatly." He turned to look at her, silver eyes shining, and he smiled, "I was once soft spoken too, shy, and now, I've become what you see. If I can learn, you can as well, Naar," he said with a soothing voice, friendly, reassuring.
Ryujin was much different from him brother when he spoke to others. Ka spoke more bluntly, while Ryujin, well, he didn't care for showing strength through conversation, and this female's eyes were, different...like his, and it intrigued him and made him curious.
"Want me to show you some things? Very simple, but," he said with a pause, "you don't have to if you don't want to," he said with a smile and reassuring nod. He didn't want her to feel forced, or coerced in any manner.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:23 am
His words were strangely reassuring. He certainly didn't seem to be soft spoken and shy. In fact she would have said quite the opposite, with his dark, handsome appearance and the strong tone of his voice, unfaltering and deep. His journey had taught him well. He had flourished in the desert where she had fumbled.
And she had been born here...
She forced herself up out of that pitying line of thoughts and gave him a shy sort of smile. "If you're not too busy...I will try my best to learn what you can teach." She was worried, though. What if she made a fool of herself?
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:38 am
He offered her a kind smile, and dipped his head low, eyes meeting hers, "I've all the time to give, if you wish it, and you will do well, trust in that, and in yourself, and you will be fine, Naar." He pulled his head away, ruffled his mane and stretched his forearms. He looked to the dunes around, squinting, seeing a familiar small collection of rocks and sun-burnt brush.
They would go there.
"Trust me, you'll do just fine, lets go," he said and began walking. This day would prove to be one of his fondest.
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