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 Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:05 pm
She was tired and hot. The sun was high, her shadow right under her and all of the good places with shade were currently occupied by those who had sought shelter from sweltering heat earlier. They had been smarter, faster, and she, lost in thought, musing on what could happen in days to come. She had thought of going out, searching for water, but, that could put her at risk, bringing her outside the borders. What if he was out there waiting, was waiting with them?She lapped her lips, tongue dry and took in a shallow breath while laying on a flat stone half buried by a sand dune.
Rellik curled up as much as she could, but the sun made it hard to keep her muscles taught, she relaxed them and stretched out, closing her eyes and gave into the heat. She was too tired to walk anywhere to find somewhere cooler, she was hoped night would arrive earlier this day.
This horrid, horribly hot day.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:11 pm
The male wasn't usually one to mess with other people's business, and normally he would have walked by the striped lioness without really bothering much with her. He had things to do, like training and patrolling. But in the time it took for him to pass by Rellik, he noticed how she moved about on the rock.
And because he just happened to pass right by the rock, he paused beside it, and looked at the lioness. "Lying on a rock isn't the best way to avoid the heat." He pointed out, though there was no mockery in his voice. There was such a thing as lions getting sick from over heating, and if this female was uncomfortable she should find a better spot.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:16 pm
She did not hear him approach, not even when he was so close. If she had had enough to eat and drink,s he might have even been startled by his presence so close in proximity with her own. All she could do was turn her head slightly, see the bright white contrast against the gold sands around them, silver eyes half lidded. "Everyone else has gone to the shade," she said moving her gaze back down and closing her eyes. "There is none left," truthfully, she was so tired, she could only bring herself this far.
Why was he alone, and why did he seem..fine? Wouldn't he, being white, become hot just as she, if not more so attracting the sun? Would his skin beneath the fur ripen into red and burn?
She had not seen him before, but he mark upon his face, it seemed familiar, somehow, as if from a dream. She gave a half smile, her voice quiet, "I guess I was not fast enough today. Although you....you seem well."
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:22 pm
Ah, well, that was a problem. Though he doubted there could possibly be no shade, perhaps she had just not managed to find some. Or the journey to shade would have been a bit far to walk in the heat. "There is shade by the medical wards." He pointed out. There was more shade around the main pridal area, but that was where most others had probably gone. She would have a better chance of finding a place by the medical wards, though now it actually had some patients. "You could pretend to be a concerned relative, if you must." The firekin had so many blood connections, it wouldn't be too strange.
As for the comment about his well being, Moto'spaki just shrugged. "It does not bother me." He had found often darker lions were more irritated than him, and their fur always felt hotter to the touch. Though when he was young, it had hurt his skin, the white lion was a firekin, one of the blood. He existed for this kind of land, it was bred into him.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:28 pm
At his words, Rellik gave a half laugh, "Those related to me, one would know," she pushed herself to sit up and made a motion to her pelt, "The stripes, they passed down to my children, now grown and on their own. I've no family here, the pride is my family, yes, but none by blood," she said simply, almost with a saddened tone. The reds and whites on him, they were unusual, especially the shade of red, she had not seen it before.
"Besides, for those with the medics, they deserve shade more than I," she said with a smile and nod, as if to reassure herself.
"You are lucky then, to not have the sun bother you so much, this heat, I have gotten used to, but certain days, with no water, it feels as if my throat is coated in sand, makes it hard," she had not been born in a place like this. She would have never guessed herself destined here.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:35 pm
That was fair enough. She wasn't the only striped lioness in the pride, but there weren't too many that he knew of. "You need not enter the wards." he pointed out. "The patients are inside, you can simply find shade on the outside, among the rocks." The rock she lay on, however, was too short to really provide shade.
"I suppose I am." He agreed softly. Yes, he couldn't complain about the heat. "The lack of water is troubling. It will be a relief when the rains return, hopefully not too late." The lack of water also made prey scarcer, which, in turn, made the need for water even more desperate. Many firekin were growing thin, though he wouldn't yet say they were truly weak.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:40 pm
"I'm not sure I can get that far now," she said simply, she shook her head a little, sand falling from the fur atop her head. She curled her tail around herself and watched him. His demeanor was strong, and he didn't falter under the sun, she wondered how old he was, what kind of obstacles he had faced in his life...she only hoped none were like those she faced before the firekin, before traveling with the others, when everything seemed to come undone.
"Perhaps, when I can later, but I feel like I would make it partway, and be consumed by a dune, I had only made it this far earlier," she said with a shrug. "It seems today is getting the best of me."
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:46 pm
He nodded, because that wasn't something he could reason away. If she was too weak to go to the medical wards and find shade, there was nothing he could do. A more chivalrous lion may even have offered to help her there, but Moto'spaki was no chivalrous lion.
He was not unkind, however. "Then I suppose I can teach you a trick." He shrugged, and moved around the rock to side where there was some little shade. The sun was high in the sky, but not directly above them. There was perhaps a paw's length of shade on this side.
"The sand beneath is cooler." He explained, and used one of his large white paws to pull the sand away from the base of the rock. He did this a few times, until there was somewhat deeper hole.
The lack of rain made the desert even hotter, and the sand drier and warmer. But still, the layers beneath weren't as hot as those above. "If you move enough away, it is a better place to lie than the rock. At least for a while."
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:49 pm
She watched him as he moved, as he moved the sand away and spoke. Why had she not thought of it before? Rellik had a flash of a memory where she had dug beneath the roots of a great tree, sheltering herself from rain, she had been muddy then. It was strange where times in her life were so vastly different, who she was then, and the world full of water around her, and who she was now, the sands dry as ever.
"Thank you," she said with a smile and moved to stand beside him, worked her paws into the sand to move it away. The sand becoming slightly cooler as she dug deeper still.
As he stood near her, silver eyes glanced at him, "Who are you? I mean...I still don't know your name."
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:55 pm
He helped her part ways, but as she got going, he gave her space. She would know how much she wanted to dig, and he wouldn't do it for her. He nodded at her when she thanked him, but didn't say anything. It was a simple enough task, in the end. He hadn't lost much doing it.
"My name is Moto'spaki." He told her, then looked at her briefly. He supposed typical social conduct required he now asked the same of her. "And what is yours?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:59 pm
As she dug deep enough, there was a crawl space quite large beneath the rock that she could fit herself into and that was what she did. Maneuvering herself, almost rather awkwardly with an umf a couple times, she curled up in the slightly cooler spot and sighed taking in a breath.
Hearing his name she raised her gaze and smiled, "Thanks Moto'spaki. I'm Rellik." She watched him, now noting she hadn't dug enough out for him as well if he had been searching for shade too. "Where will you go now, now that you've aided me?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:05 pm
He watched her settle down, and felt slightly satisfied with himself, because he had done something helpful. It had been a long time since he'd really had such an opportunity. and perhaps he had pitied the lioness, somewhat, though such an emotion wasn't usually desirable.
"I will patrol." Even more important now, considering he was handling the heat so well. Most firekin were probably still dutifully at their posts, but few probably patrolled the lands now. Ideally patrols weren't realized on one's own, but it wasn't even a strange thing for Moto'spaki to do. "i'll take my leave now, if you have no more need of me."
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:08 pm
"Then I wish you well on them, do not let the sun take advantage of you as it has me, and perhaps I'll see you again when the temperature has dropped some," she usually wasn't so pitiful and tired that she couldn't keep a conversation.
As she curled up more, and settled herself against the sand, she watched him, and felt sleep creep on her.
Perhaps she might seek him out again, see who Moto'spaki was when he wasn't a lucky sun-walker.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:12 pm
In place of a farewell, the white lion simply nodded. Yes, perhaps they would meet again. It didn't seem all that unlikely, in a place like this. Though he might be more boring than she thought.
With a last glance at the lioness, who seemed to settle down quickly enough, Moto'spaki turned and headed away, over the dunes and beneath the sun.
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