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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 10:21 am
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It was an interesting task to show his pride to someone who was visiting them for the first time. Jabez wasn't sure where to start or what would be interesting for Brauna to see. After some deliberation he had headed to the area of the pride designed for lion visitors. Allowing lions to visit and then be able to leave was a tricky business, but as long as they didn't share food or drink with anyone carrying the disease they were able to leave again if they wanted to.
"This is the place where most lion visitors stay," he explained, "At least the ones who'd like to be able to leave again. You don't have to worry about that, of course."
There weren't many lions around, and most of the pride members here were actually guards. Diseased lions were allowed here, but the sickest ones usually stayed away. He assumed the guards were there to prevent misunderstandings and accidental exposure to disease.
Quote: A large hybrid girl was standing on her own in the shade. She was slouching in a way that only made it more obvious that she was quite tall (and possibly embarrassed about it). Estrilde was just an apprentice, but part of learning was doing the job you were training for. She had grown quite a lot lately, and was larger than many of her lion playmates.
She turned her head as the two leopards approached, and then continued to look around. As far as guard tasks went, this was pretty boring.
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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 10:48 am
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It hadn't exactly been thrilling to follow her new friend along his scouting route, but she hadn't been expecting it to be. She hadn't gone along with him for the adventure, after all! Instead she'd enjoyed padding along with him, listening to him describe encounters he'd had, or explaining aspects of his job. She'd been attentive, watching him with a warm smile that was more than just polite interest.
Now, however, she was excited. She was going to get to learn about this astonishing place, while getting to do so at Jabez's side. To her, it was as important to see the pride through his eyes as it was to see them through her own. If she was going to stay, it was going to be because of him. So she sauntered next to him, comfortable and happy. "Oh, I see! By keeping them a little separate, they can learn about the pride or visit family, but still be safe from contamination?" She gave him an uncertain look when she used the word 'contamination', uncertain at the social niceties here in referring to the disease. She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dirdia was not one of the contagious ones. She was one of the "lucky" ones, who never got sick at all. Immune, her kind was called, though many times in her life Dirdia would have given anything to share in the curse with those she'd loved. They'd all died, every one of them. Her parents. Her siblings. Her children. Her mate. All gone, taken from her in the goddess' blessing/curse. It had tended to make her a little bitter, but she made the best of it. She'd found her immunity was useful to being an apothecary, as it meant she could talk with the visitors, strangers, and even range far beyond the borders in search of new plants and remedies.
So it was that she had come to the visitor dens today. She liked to frequent this area, in hopes of hearing of new herbs to offer the healers in the treatment of the many aspects of the disease. When she did so, she often wore a spotlessly clean wrap of white fabric around her neck, to indicate she was 'safe'. It was a soft, floaty fabric that felt nice to touch. It was one of her very few vanities, a treasured possession she allowed herself, despite the guilt that also hung around her shoulders. She was speaking quietly with a lanky, half-grown male lion when she caught sight of Jabez and his female friend out of the corner of her eye. Keeping them just within sight, she continued her current conversation.
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Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:40 am
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Jabez nodded. The word contamination sounded a bit awkward, but it worked. That's what it all came down to, after all. They didn't want the disease to spread to those that didn't want the blessing. It happened sometimes, but it would be better if it could be avoided.
"It can spread if lions share the same meal," he explained, "Or drink from the same water I suppose. Biting too, or grooming... But we don't go around biting our guests."
He grinned at his own joke. No, the only ones being bitten were the ones who decided to stay and devote themselves to the pride. He wondered what she'd think about that.
Quote: Estrilde pushed her front paws out in front of her and enjoyed a good stretch. It was hard to stay attentive when nothing interesting was happening. Her mentor had told her that all kinds of interesting people gathered here, but apparently her expectations about what kind of interesting things would happen was too high. She took another look at the leopards. The darker male was familiar, and she tried to remember if she'd seen the female before. It was a bit easier to keep track of the members with lion blood since they rarely wandered. Leopards could come and go, like her father did. He wasn't really a member of the pride, but he liked to visit and hoped he'd come around again soon. She liked to listen to his tales from the outside. "Did you see anything interesting today," she called to the two leopards. They came from the border after all, and with a bit of luck they'd have interesting news. She couldn't leave until her shift was up, but surely she could keep guard and talk at the same time?
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:02 pm
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Brauna considered this. Eating, drinking, grooming, and biting. It seemed it was something that was caught mouth-to-mouth, so to speak. It was rather a relief to know that she herself was not subject to the rules or the blessing, that she did not have to make a choice concerning where she would live within the pride or to what extent she would interact. She was free to do as she pleased. She took another look around at those gathered here, ears flickering with her thoughts. It must be challenging to choose to be here to visit, to not truly belong, and to be in fear for one's health. She settled the lion visitors around her into a firm category of admiration, for their strength, bravery, and self-control.
Just then a pretty, slender female, brown and striped, called to them about seeing anything interesting. The leopardess pricked up her ears in a highly friendly manner. "I think the only interesting thing that's happened is Jabez finding me," she answered candidly. "Probably more exciting for me than for him, though. Your home is astonishing!" This was said with bright honesty and appreciation. After all, it was likely going to be her home too!
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:04 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 11:00 am
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Brauna made a soft sound of pleasure at Jabez saying she might have found him, squeezing her eyes shut in a happy look. Somehow, although the words themselves didn't really sound like they would be, it seemed like the most romantic thing anyone could have said in that moment. It made her feel special, just like being near him did. Despite the strange blessing she was learning of that affected the pride, she felt like there could be no brighter heaven than Kitwana'antara.
"It can be scary out there sometimes," she admitted to the pretty female, not really registering that she was a hybrid. To the chipper female, such things didn't really matter anyway. "But there are lots of beautiful things to see. But here... here the people are beautiful." Her eyes were shining as she cast an admiring look at Jabez, her tone of voice indicating that she meant beauty of the soul, not really the beauty of a pretty pelt. A breeze shifted, bringing with it the more unpleasant scents of sickness, which sobered her.
Soft hearted as she was, she felt the need to see the bad as well as the good. She turned to Jabez and tipped her head inquiringly. "Can we go visit the sick lions?" she asked sweetly and seriously. "It would be nice to cheer them up, if I could."
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 4:03 am
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Jabez was smiling, and he couldn't seem to stop. He wasn't sure he wanted to, either. For some reason he was feeling really happy.
"It can be scary," he agreed, but fell silent when Brauna looked at him. She's beautiful, he thought. She was so happy, and seemed so interested in the world, and that made her seem so radiant and alive. And so kind.
"Yes, of course," he said, without thinking. It wasn't a place he usually went, but if Brauna wanted to go there it felt right that he should show her. He wondered if he'd meet old playmates from his youth. Would he recognize some of them?
Quote: Estrilde was still admiring the grass bracelet, trying to figure out how it was made. She noted that Brauna had a matching one, but didn't comment. It wouldn't be polite, and while she was interested she wasn't nosy. Jabez was not a leopard she knew well, but she was quietly excited over the romantic situation. The solitary and grumpy scout had got a girlfriend... And a very nice one at that! She wondered how long it would take for him to figure it out.
"Oh, you should," she said, "It's so nice with visitors when you're sick. You should tell them about your travels!"
Being a carrier, Estrilde had been sick when she was younger. She was healthy now, but she remembered enough of what it was like to be sick and unable to do much.
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Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:05 am
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"But before we do that," she said suddenly, stopping in her tracks to give her new mate a shy but entreating look, "what is it I need to do to join, officially?" They had talked about it a little, but she wanted to know for certain. She wanted Jabez to know how dedicated she was to him, to this pride, and to joining and taking her place among them. It was such a new feeling, a new experience, this desire to join such a large group of other animals, to want to become part of them.
"If we can," she added, glancing at Estrilde, "I'd really like to do that first." She swalloed, a little nervous, but unwavering. "I want to meet these lions and lionesses as a member of the pride, you know?" It meant a lot to her, now that she thought about it. It would mean something if she could possibly become a member before meeting these brave souls. To prove she wasn't just a visitor come to give them pity and then leave and go on her merry way. It was a means to express her feelings concerning them all. "What do you think?" she asked Jabez directly, her eyes appealing and hopeful.
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Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:50 am
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Quote: "Oh, oh, the Devotion," Estrilde said, "We can do that. I can escort the two of you to the Queen. I just have to..."
The young female bounded off to talk to one of the other guards in the area. Even if something far more exciting seemed to be coming up she couldn't just abandon her post without checking with the others. They had to let her go. It was her first time escorting someone to a devotion!
"Uh..." Jabez said, watching the leopon go, "Yes, it's called the devotion."
He cleared his throat and smiled.
"You'll meet the Queen, but she'll be nice," he said reassuringly, "She'll just talk to you to make sure you want to do this. After that you'll go out in the pride and meet the diseased."
He paused.
"You need to return to the Queen with three wounds on you," he continued, "To show that you're not afraid of the disease and the diseased. They'll bite you, or I guess scratch you, but biting is better."
He hoped this wouldn't turn her off completely. "Nothing the healers can't fix later, um, just to show your devotion I guess."
Someone else might have a more elegant way of explaining this, but Jabez wasn't used to talking much, and this would have to do.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 1:00 pm
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Well! It seemed that she could combine the two activities, then. But... to meet the Queen... that was sort of daunting. She twitched her tail anxiously and moved closer to Jabez nervously. "What if the Queen doesn't like me?" she asked quietly, as if afraid to be overheard. "Will she... send me away?" That would be disastrous, and would bring all her lovely dens-in-the-sky down into ruin. She already had dedicated herself to the pride in her heart, and the idea of being separated from it or her newfound love was just more than her soft heart could handle!
"I do understand the idea of the devotion though," she ventured hopefully. "Even though I can't get sick," a quick glance at him for confirmation anyway, "it shows that I am not afraid, and that I'm willing to put the pride first." She supposed it was a bit cavalier to feel so relaxed about the ritual, since there was no chance of her getting sick, but she wasn't the sort to be held captive by fears that were foundless. "Though... I'm not fond of the idea of being bitten." She wrinkled her muzzle up a bit, sending wrinkles up her nose and onto her forehead. "But for you," she smiled at him, then added hastily, "and the pride, I can manage three bites."
So long as she could stay, she'd be content. Life would be good, in its own, strange way.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 2:34 pm
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