[PRP] Dream your days away (Saoirse & Primitus) Fin

[Tanakako]

It had been a hard week on the young adult, the curse that consumed her pride and affected her had been particularly active, confining her to her den for several days. But the coughing fits had finally subsided and she could hold down a light meal at last. Weakened from the latest attack she had never the less spent several hours slowly making her way to a small grove of trees on the edge of her pride's inner territory. As a cub she had discovered this place, and it had always remained special to her... so when she had a particularly hard time with her sickness, she liked to come out here and just rest, quiet and undisturbed.

Hours passed as she dozed in the warm sunshine, letting the sun's golden energy slowly infuse her weakened body, and sooth her spirit. She knew her father, Sliabh, would eventually come looking for her, as he had always known of her secret glade, but she had a while as yet and knew he would not come till she was ready to leave.

A deep, contented sign slipped form her maw as she rolled over, eyes closed and body relaxed across the warm earth. Her pride may suffer horribly, but there were still pockets of joy in daily life.  

[Eos Galvus]

Primitus was restless, the god roaming hither and yonder trying to forget his pain, but now, the land scented of illness and... Plague? He wasn't sure, but he walked carefully, paws lifting and lowering with the caution of a preybeast as he moved. He never bothered hiding before, and now he doubted he would either. Instead her kept on, finally stopping at a pond and dipped his head to drink slowly and deeply, thirsty for drink only out of habit-- he knew Gods didn't need sustenance, but it was a habit born early in his lifecycle.

His nose twitched. He wasn't alone, but he didn't dare make a sudden move or draw attention. He was probably trespassing.  

[Tanakako]

Gradually the sounds of another close by drifted past the sun-induced lathery to reach her consciousness. Yawning she stretched out her limbs, back arching as a ripple of contentment passed through her. "... Papa...?" She called, her delicate voice soft and light in the sunlit air. Vibrant amber eyes opened as she rolled over onto her belly, expecting to see her father arriving to take her back home. But the lion across from her, drinking at the small pool, was certainly not her dad.

Gold eyes widened, yet it wasn't fright in her expression, but a kind of surprised awe. She knew of the gods, knew perhaps a little more than her pridemates did as her father often indulged her desire for stories as a cub and had spoken of the many things he had seen during his time in the land beyond her pride's borders. Of course, his impressive wings were a dead givaway but still, she had never though that she, a simple female stuck within her pride's lands, would ever meet one of the exulted ones.

Licking her lips she rose onto her paws, her movements were graceful if a little stiff from the lingering pain of her illness. "Greetings.." She called softly, curiosity warm in her expression. She had been adventurous as a cub and age and sickness hadn't dulled it as she reached adulthood.
 

[Eos Galvus]

Primitus looked up in surprise, but smiled. At first he mistook her voice for one of his own, but the gentle behavior was one of a mortal unaccustomed to the gods and he smiled, nodding in politeness.

"Hello, small one." He smiled gently.  

[Tanakako]

The nickname made her giggle softly, amber eyes warm with quiet laughter. "I think you are the first to call me small..." She was slender, graceful even if she was a little too thin from the illness that ravaged her body, but she was tall, taller than most of the pride in fact, thanks to her father's over sized genes. Most of her siblings were on the larger scale, and those that were not had been stunted by the disease. For their father was a veritable giant among lions and it seemed the trait was strong in his bloodline.

Padding round the small pool so she wasn't calling across it to the stranger, she dipped her head in a small bow. "Welcome to the Kitwana'antara... I'm Saoirse." Her smile was warm and genuine.
 

[Eos Galvus]

Primitus blinked, and gave a slight smile, sitting and bowed politely.

"Do forgive me. Most compared to me are small." He chuckled. He was a giant to be sure, a trait his cubs seemed to be spotty on, but he wasn't one to complain. Body meant nothing to spirit. Still, she looked thin and he wondered if she was eating enough. Concern flickered across his face breifly, but he smiled.

"My name is Primitus." He smiled gently. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry I've never heard of your pride before, but would you mind telling me a little of it? I don't want to intrude, of course..." A shy smile. It had been so long.  

[Tanakako]

He was certainly polite and seemed kind even though she had only just met him, she felt safe with him close by. Knowing so little about gods she was infinitely curious, but she was mature now and not a cub, so she kept her insatiable need to know under wraps. Besides.. she enjoyed slowly getting to know those she met, as strangers were rare in the pride for obvious reasons.

Tilting her head she chuckled softly. "Well.. you are very tall, so I forgive you." Smiling to show she was only teasing him, she settled on her haunches, still weak form her most recent illness. "It is a pleasure to meet you too, Primitus." She replied. "Don't apologize, we are a rather secretive pride." Pausing she wondered how best to explain them. "We try to limit outside contact with other lions, as we have a curse." Tilting her head she made a face, struggling to find the right words. "Our pride is sick, and many of us die, but we try to keep it from going beyond our boarders as we don't wish it to infect another pride." Pausing she smiled gently at him. "You are safe, don't worry... I would have to bite you, or we would need to share a kill or something for you to catch it... but it is too dangerous to just let infected members wander around in the rogue lands. So we keep to ourselves out here." Glancing across towards where he main part of the pride lived she smiled softly. "We have some amazing healers, and we live as best as we are able. I have several immune siblings, but I am blessed by our Goddess." Falling silent she looked up at him again, hoping she hadn't just scared him away.
 

[Eos Galvus]

Primitus looked heartbroken more and more learning of the pride's plight, wishing to help.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But glad to know there are peoples willing to work past it and turn it into a gift." He smiled, unbothered hearing of another diety.

"So your Goddess has blessed you to live?"  

[Tanakako]

She gave him a gentle smile, reaching out to touch his solid shoulder with her cheek gently. "Thank you.. we do our best with what we have, and truly, life is still worth living for how ever long we are given." Pausing she considered his words. "Well.. our Patron is the Goddess of Pestilence.. it is her blessing that causes our sickness. I have the disease of the pride, but I am one of the less server cases. Most days are good days and I only have a few bad days at a time. And I am usually mobile." She smiled at him warmly, clearly considering herself lucky to be so healthy.
 

[Eos Galvus]

Prim smiled kindly.

"I'm glad to hear you have a good balance."

And an appreciation for life. So many threw it away... It was a good sign some did not.

"It's good some still treasure life."  

[Tanakako]

Dipping her head she smiled softly. "With so much death around you, it is important to value life while it is given." She replied softly, an old sadness filling her golden eyes or a moment as she remembered all the lives they had lost, all the close friends that had passed on from the sickness.

Pulling herself back to the present she blushed faintly. "Sorry if I am depressing you... I understand if you wish to leave. Not many outsiders understand our ways." She had listened to her hyena friend tell of his struggles in the outside to find a female for pups.. it made her heart heavy knowing those from beyond the boarder considered them evil for trying to live their lives.



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[Eos Galvus]

"No, not quite yet."

But trhe sadness he saw-- so close to his own...

"I'd like to help, somehow, honestly, make your lives cheerier. There is no shame loving life as you see fit."  

[Tanakako]

Smiling gently she looked up at him, her expression grateful, if accepting. "Anything would be welcome. Just seeing a smiling face when you don't feel well can do wonders for one's spirit. Those of us who are healthy hunt for the rest of the pride.. and many of us aid the healers or help with the young. We are a community here... " She smiled softly to herself, evidently remembering friends who had passed on.

"We all help each other, how ever we can."
 

[Eos Galvus]

"If there's something I can do, I'd be glad to do it." He smiled gently. "Even if it seems small."  

[Tanakako]

She chuckled softly. "The pride would be most grateful." Pausing for a moment she gazed up at him, then tilted her head. "If it isn't too rude of me, may I ask where you are from?" She was fascinated by the tales of the outside, beyond her pride's boundary, and the gentle god certainly seemed like he may have been to some amazing places in his time.