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 Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:27 am
 Roho padded silently through the sand, her tail dragging loosely along the ground making odd patterns as she tread. It was a boring day for her, there weren't very many things to do, and she wasn't feeling quite brave enough to travel just yet. Not since her discovery of this pride had she gathered such a courage, and she doubted highly that she would ever find it again. Shuddering as she thought back to those rough and scary days, Roho nudged the thoughts from her mind as she paced quickly towards her destination. A small pool of water, a little of the way of her normal walking route, but she quite enjoyed the view. Of herself. Smiling timidly to herself she picked up pace as the familiar outline came into her view. Dust kicked up at her heels, and she quickly let go of her mundane expression in favor of a larger more obvious smile. Skidding to a halt, just before the water's edge, she let out a sigh of content, circling her small standing area several times before finally resting in just the right position. Her back legs out stretched, tail slightly wagging, ears down, and her front paws dipping into the water. Content and at ease, Roho waited patiently for the ripples to calm before she tilted her head over the edge zoning into her own reflection and leaving the rest of the world behind.
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:28 am
 He almost passed by her without seeing her - she absorbed in her reflection and he tired from his early morning stroll around a section of the pride lands. Khet was never one to laze around for too long. A short time lounging on the sand and hed get fidgety and start to think about something else he could do. Maybe something to help someone.
He had paused mid-stride and was now throwing the young female a curious look. What was she doing, exactly? Was there something down there in the water? Something...interesting, maybe?
Giving a gruff sound to acknowledge his coming, he padded heavily across to where she reclined and, stretching out his neck, peered into the water.
"What are you looking at?" He asked, his tail swishing.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 9:55 am
His sound of warning was lost in the wind, Roho all but acknowledged it as she blissed out to her reflection and the slight rippling sounds the water made as it clashed against it's banks. It was calming here in this pride, and she quite enjoyed it, especially since it was so largely populated. There were so many males to flaunt to, and so many females to compare herself to. Absolutely perfect.
She was so lost in her own thought, she didn't even notice the male's approach until his reflection caught against her's in the water. Slightly confused, she peered closer into the water, nearly tipping her nose into as she inspected the elements. Realizing she was obviously no longer alone, Roho slowly shifted her head to the side to see the male sitting next to her. Completely absorbed in her curiosities.
"HEY! You ruined my reflection!" She whined, trying to take in a better look of the male as she did so. He seemed less than dangerous, but then, if he wasn't looking for a fight why was he here? Confused, she spoke up again a sigh in ever word. "I was looking at myself, it helps me to relax." Prepared for a scrutinizing glance Roho readied her defenses. "What about you? What are YOU doing here?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 10:42 am
"Looking at..." He trailed, blinking in slight bewilderment as he stepped away from her. She was clearly not happy to see him and he didn't want to earn a slap on the nose from ruining her...relaxation time. That would not be fun for either of them.
"I was only passing by." He replied, frowning slightly. "And you should not be so rude. I was just wondering what you were looking at. I thought you might have needed some help." He exhaled loudly through his nose. "And isn't there something more interesting to look at than your own reflection?" He gestured to the terrain around them.
They lived, he believed, in a most beautiful land.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:39 pm
Scoffing at his comment, Roho turned her attention back to the water. Her sudden stir had caused a big ripple effect on the water. Making it nearly impossible to see her own reflection. While this was annoying, she knew soon enough the water would calm and she could return to her relaxation time. For now though, there didn't seem to be any harm in chatting up this young thing.
A confused look took the female by surprise as she realized he thought she'd been being rude. That wasn't really her intention, more a misinterpretation. "I wasn't being rude, you really did ruin my reflection!" Her tone was softer this time, but still she had disappointment in it. "But, that's what I was doing." Now she was really confused. Couldn't he see the overwhelming beauty she saw? Standing RIGHT in front of him? Not to mention the beautiful oasis they were standing around. "Can't you see the beauty right in front of you? Why would I go anywhere else, when there's so much already in front of me?" Boasting happily, Roho straightened up tall and proud, waiting the compliments the male would surely rain upon her.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:23 pm
Khet, unfortunately, was not much of a flirter. In fact he probably wouldn't even know what the word 'flirt' meant. So, when she asked him about her own looks, instead of complimenting her as many a male might, he simple gave a confused blink and looked hard at her face.
Was she beautiful?
More beautiful than the desert? The land all around them? More beautiful, perhaps, than any other female he had crossed paths with? Her fur was very white, he supposed, and the grey markings did compliment against it quite well. But...he had seen desert flowers that had been so bright and stunning that he had paused to look at them for long moments.
Could he say the same about this female?
"Well." He replied, not believing in lying, even if it was to preserve someone's feelings. "Prettier than some things, I suppose. I have seen more beautiful things in the world, though. Perhaps if you were not always looking at your reflection, you might notice some of them?" He lifted his head a little higher. "I would even be happy to show you myself. There are some quite amazing places of colour even here in a place as arid as this."
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:07 pm
Ouch.
The blow to her ego was painful, but not nearly enough so for her to change her stance on how gorgeous she was. Perhaps this male wasn't all that interested in girls, or he was blind. Yeah, probably blind, no one could deny Roho's looks. Not even the strangest of males.
"You don't have to be so rude, I wasn't talking about myself..." She fibbed, trying to play off her hurt expression. "Didn't you see the beautiful ripples on the water when you ruined my reflection? Don't you hear the sound of the wind slightly whipping past our ears? Not every female is completely obsessed with herself you know." Another lie. Great this was turning out lovely. Sighing, and trying to prevent any further lies from forming, she decided she'd take the male up on his offer. That is, if he wasn't fibbing himself. "But if you're so sure you've got something more colorful, I guess I could take a look." Roho wasn't too keen on bright colors, never having been around them much. She was much more interested in calming, or muted natural colors. But it couldn't hurt to let him show off a little right?
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:50 pm
Thankfully, Khet would never assume that anyone would lie to him and he took her words for truth without a moment of questioning them. He gave her a short smile and glanced back at the water. "Well...I don't know that many females, but, I suppose not. I...apologise for jumping to conclusions." His tail swished behind him as he gathered his paws beneath him. "I know a place. One not too far from here, in fact."
He seemed pleased that she might be willing to open her eyes to other sights.
The young male took a moment to gain his bearings and then dipped his head a little towards her. "My name is Khet, by the way." A slightly delayed introduction, he supposed, but there had not been much time to say it before. "And yours?" He backed off a few steps and then turned in the direction they were to head. "I promise, the trip will be worth it."
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:40 pm
Roho smiled a wide blushing grin as he dipped his head in her direction and introduced herself. In return she politely bent herself into a courtesy, and gave her own small introduction. "Roho'Nzuri, but you can call me just about anything!" She smiled again, before listening to his explanation.
"I hope you're right Khet, i've been here quite some time and this is the closest i've come to real beauty." Pausing again, a realization hit the female and she immediately faltered her elegant stance and stumbled over her words. "H-hey Khet, we won't be going too far away from the main area right? I-I don't like leaving my safety zone much.." Embarrassed by her petty fears, Roho looked down at the ground and began shuffling her feet. She couldn't help it. She just wasn't ready to let go of her baggage just yet.
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:52 am
"Roho'Nzuri." He spoke the word as if to test how it sounded. It was a nice name.
"That's only because you weren't looking past the water." He replied. The words could have been teasing but he spoke them so matter-of-factly that it was hard to think of them anything other than serious. His ears turned towards her then and his head tilted quizzically. She was...worried about going too far? Well that was silly! The land was safe and he was there to make sure no harm would come of her.
"Don't worry. I'm in training to become a Guardian. I won't let anything happen. Besides, truth be told, I've never seen so much as a hint of danger. This land seems safe enough. You shouldn't be worried about traversing it. Come, come, I'll show you the way. It's not too far and definitely not outside of the boundaries." He gestured her with a paw and began to move up the slope of a dune, his step slow but sure. "We should be able to see it once we reach the top of this--ah, yes, there it is." He crested the dune and settled his weight onto his forepaws so that he didn't end up sliding back down. "You see those large rock formations there? That's where we're heading."
He looked across at her. "So. You feeling up to the challenge, Roho'Nzuri?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:02 pm
Roho listened as he commented on her inability to look past the water. For some odd reason it reminded her of a phrase she'd once heard. 'Can't see the forest for the trees.' She didn't really know why it reminded her so much of it, mostly because she never understood what it meant. But, it wasn't so important that she should dwell over it. In fact she should be more focused on her other fears. She really wasn't brave enough to leave the inner sanctum of the pride. Her inner fears had grounded her to it. But, he seemed so confident that no ill will would come to her, while she was in his company. She'd never thought of it that way, surely under the company of another her fears would be pointless!
Nodding solemnly, she slowly followed Khet up the dune of sand, taking extra time to wipe the excess sand from between her paws. She loved this pride, and it's environment but the sand, was pretty aggravating.
Picking her head up as she crested the dune, she could just make out the landmark Khet was directing her towards. It seemed a bit of a walk to her, but she took one last glance towards the male to her right, and toughened her resolve. "Y-yes
She frowned to herself, her answered sounded more like a question.
"I mean YES. I think I am at least. Just promise you won't leave me alone, and I think I can make it!" She smiled weakly and again nodded in Khet's direction. Hoping her weak smile would be enough to convince him of her readiness.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 1:35 pm
"I promise that I will not leave you. You have my word." And he bowed his head a little to show that he meant it. Khet was not about to break an oath to a member of the pride, especially someone who needed a little confidence boost. Then, with a small smile, he started off down the dune, moving slowly so that he could match the pace that she set.
"Whilst we walk, perhaps you can tell me about yourself? You seem about my age but I've not seen you before nor any lion of your markings." He didn't think so anyway. A lot of the Tuait'tekam tended to be sandy coloured, although pink also seemed to be a popular colour amongst their numbers in more recent days. "It could be, of course, that I've spent too long at the borders and not enough time inside of them." He gave her a knowing smile, because it seemed very unlikely she would have gone close to the borders where their paths may have crossed.
"I was born here myself, you see, but...perhaps I'm not as familiar with everyone as I should be."
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:57 pm
Roho stepped slowly on the way down, keeping her eyes on her paws and concentrating with all her might. Though, she left an ear open to conversation with Khet, she wasn't all that happy to answer him. Nervous she'd go sliding down the dune with one failed step.
"Funny you would say such a thing.." She commented, taking another slow and steady step. "I actually came from the borders not ll that long ago." She smiled weakly. "As a cub, I got lost from my family, I was enjoying the scenery and when I came back to reality my family was gone. I roamed the rogue lands for a while, unable to do much for myself I relied upon the goodwill of others. Which is what led me here. There was an older lioness, who would bring me food as often as she could to the border, but one day she just stopped coming." Roho's voice cracked slightly as she spoke of the older lioness, she was such a kind soul. "So, I took it as a sign, and I gathered my courage to approach the borders, leaving my days of leeching from others behind me." Roho nodded solemnly, noting the end to her sad little story. She wasn't at all proud of her days as a rogue but she had no better lie to tell. Not that she would, Khet seemed like such a sweet boy, serious, but with a sweet undertone. There was no sense in harming him with lies.
"And what about yourself? Have you always wanted to train to be a guardian or is a more recent passion of yours?" She asked with interest, as she looked up. Good, the formation Khet had pointed out seemed to be drawing closer. Though her heart was getting heavier with her cubhood memories, her excitement was growing with anticipation at seeing more of this beautiful land.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 12:40 pm
Khet's ears folded back into his growing mane, his eyes suddenly sad. What a hard life she had lived so far. He felt blessed to have been born within a pride and still have his family close beside him. "I am so sorry to hear that, Roho'Nzuri. It sounds like had a difficult time growing up, though at least there was that one kind soul who gave you aid when you had need of it. Have you ever thought of trying to seek them out? Your family, I mean? The world seems like a big place but nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it."
His tail swished and for a moment he was quiet, thinking on his reply. "I have lived a life of security and have been very lucky for it. I have always wanted to be a guardian, to protect others and see that all feel as safe as I did. There was no other path I wanted."
He blinked and glanced ahead to where the rocks were looming closer. "I have been blessed, also, with that strong future path; knowing exactly where I want to head and how to get there."
And then they were amongst the rocks, the shade falling across their backs. "Here, we're almost there. You see that bend, just beyond there..." He trailed as they rounded it. And there, growing out from the rocks was a small tree. It had taken root in the earth amongst the crevices and had grown up; stunted and delicate but protected by the rocks all around it. The fine, little leaves cast a pale, dappled shade across the sand where a carpet of equally dainty blue flowers grew.
He paused, smiling and glanced at her to see whether she believed it to be as beautiful as he did.
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:23 pm
Roho nodded as Khet examined her words. She found herself enjoying his company, something she hadn't had much of since her entrance into the pride. "I one day hope to seek them out, but I want to be prepared when that time comes. Right now i'm weak, my memories of the outside plagues me and i'm fearful to return. But it is, one of my dreams." She smiled lightly, thinking back on her vague memories of her family. "I also hope to one day find the old lioness who assisted me. Or at the very least find her burial place. She was a kind old soul, and she may have saved my life. It wouldn't be right to never thank her properly."
She walked on in silence, listening to Khet tell his story. He was a very dedicated individual. Something she thought would serve him well in his future. "I think that's very admirable of you Khet. To have such a dedication to serving and protecting others. I can say from experience that not all lions are like you." She smiled vaguely, her eyes growing wide at his last comment, and watching as they rounded the last corner.
Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the scene before her. It was magnificent. The small tree, pushing it's growth out from between the rocks was inspiring in a way she knew quite well. "Life will always find a way..." She gasped excitedly, as she took a few strides closer to the beautiful scene. "Khet... it's absolutely gorgeous! How did you find this?" She jumped around excitedly looking from the small tree to the lion who'd brought her here. Desperately wanting to go closer, but not daring to disturb the natural beauty that the scene held.
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