Post by Shomoro on Apr 29, 2008 2:36:04 GMT -5
Involved:
Dhoruba, Tyne Huntress
Aya, Male Ethiopian Wolf
Najisi, Male Lion Cub
Tyne - Mwindaji Savannah
Aya has made his decision: as adorable as his little charge is, he -is- a lion, and lions -really- ought to be with lions. And this place was closest. So he's been leading Najisi there for the past few days, his frequent stops in part to feed the child and in part because he doesn't -really- want to leave him go. He's -lonely-. But... Now, the smell of lion has got much stronger-- he's fairly certain he's in pride lands now. "All right, bug!" he announces, as though his readiness will call lions to them.
Najisi has been following his unlikely charge without complaint; maybe it's because they stop often to rest, or just because he's used to walking. Either way, the foreign little cub has been glued to Aya's side, and although small meals of lizards and insects and occasional birds haven't done much to bulk him up, he does seem to have relaxed quite a bit. He'd been gamboling at the wolf's feet, occasionally batting out a paw to swipe at his tail, but as they pass into Tyne his odd but decidedly playul antics taper off into wary looks and hunched shoulders instead. He can smell the scent markers, the overwhelming odour of other lions, and it frightens him. He still stays close, but for a different reason now, mumbling under his breath--just one word, over and over again. "Baya, baya, baya..." It's not really directed at Aya; if anything, he seems to be talking to himself. Only his loyalty to the canine keeps him from bolting off to the south and away from pridal lands.
There are lions about, though at the moment its just Dhoruba. The lioness is on her own settled in the grasses, tail flicking about at her side while her bright gaze rests off on a herd. The acting hunt mistress has to know where the herds are after all, specially when she is getting all the hunters out soon for the pridal hunt. Even with everything going on the pride has to eat. For the moment she doesn't pick up on the wolf nor the cub that is moving steadly closer to where she is.
Oh dear. Najisi has begun to seem more and more concerned as they pass further into this place. He wishes he could scent intentions too-- he's got no way of knowing what the inhabitants of this place are like, the wolf realizes. Whoops. "It's all right, bug," he assures, nosing Najisi's head. Unfortunately-- at least in the sense of the element of surprise-- he's unaware that they're getting closer to one of the place's in inhabitants. The scent of lion -is- heavier, though. "-- I wonder if we should talk to their leader-- or maybe a female." They take care of cubs!
The boy's ears flick back when Aya nudges him, and he gives himself a shake. "Katu," he grumbles, apparently having picked up on what the wolf is saying--or at least the general, reassuring tone of his voice. "/No/." And that is probably a word Aya wishes he hadn't learned by now.
"Twende!" There's an odd sort of urgency in his own voice; can't Aya smell the very pungent odour of lions around them? But he /keeps moving/, and Najisi follows with a disgusted snort, his body low to the ground. Slinking. He's /not/ happy to be here.
Voices?.. This is what Dhoruba catches along with some strange scents. Maw twitching she glances one way and then another before catching sight of some dog thing moving her way. She blinks before shifting slowly so she's sitting up, bright gaze watching Aya faintly. Well its not like she's ever even seen a wolf before mind you, as to the cub she hasn't seen him just yet.
Aya makes a little face, twitching, when he hears that. "Come here--" pained. "It's all right, no-one will--" oh dear. He stops abruptly when a lioness rises out of the grasses, laying his ears back, startled. "Uhm--" little pause. Probably his body languagei sn't too reassuring-- but he's -surprised-! And the lioness is -staring - at him. "Umm-- hallo!" there!
The grass is longer here than it is back in the Forgotten Lands--more lush--so he can't really see Dhoruba above it. What he /can/ see is the way Aya's posture changes, and Najisi gives him a weary look; it has 'I told you so' written all over it. It's not hard to guess what he's spotted, after all. "/Twende/," he mutters fiercely, twining his thin body through the wolf's forelegs. Let's /go/. Before they /eat us/.
Dhoruba humms faintly and then glances to the grasses as she catches more movement and is rather surprize to see a cub at the wolves feet. "Hello there yourself. You two need something?" She questions curiously.
Aya brushes a paw in front of Najisi, protective. "-- Uhmm--" cat has his tongue, apparently. "-- Well, I-- umm. This is-- this is pride lands, right?" just to establish the obvious while he actually figures out what he's going to say. "Ah-- I-- is he yours? I um-- I hope he's not because he's quite shy. I mean-- I found him and I don't think he was treated very well.He doesn't speak Common though, so -you- speak Common -so-," Aya finishes, getting ahold of himself, "I suppose you're not?" he's not used to talking with lions, really-- but this is necessary, and he's heard that many of them were all right!
If he peers through a break in the grasses, he can see the lioness' dark form. Or at least enough of it to determine that she /is/, in fact, one of those leonines he's been smelling since they went past the border. Najisi glares, pressing his side to Aya's foreleg, and sinks down a little more until he's flat on his stomach. Trying to keep a low profile, apparently, even though she's seen both of them already. He seems even less pleased when Aya starts /talking/ to her, and nuzzles up against his paw, trying to get his attention. Repeats, "Twende, twende," a third and a fourth time, for all the good it does; Aya doesn't speak the same language, and, frustrated, he /nips/. "/Baya/."
Dhoruba glances to the cub, a soft smile is offered to him to try and show she is NICE.. Even though she is a large lioness and all there is nothing at all to worry about! "Yes, this is the Tyne pride lands your on." She blinks at the question. "Mine?.. No.. I don't have any cubs. Where did you find him at?" She looks back to the cub as it starts to speak some language..that's different.
Aya glances briefly down at the boy, and then-- "Ow!" startled. "It's -okay-, bug." He twitches his paw up to lick at it briefly. "It's all right..." is this the right thing to do? It -should- be... but he's not sure now-- he'd sort of imagined Najisi as frolicking on over to whoever they met and that being that. "-- In the lands to the southwest of here. He looked like he'd been on his own for a few days at least."
It's a good thing that Najisi isn't hers, really, because the way he's looking at Dhoruba is a mixture of distrust and fear. It would probably be more understandable if she were an adult male, but...maybe he's just frightened of his own species in general, for whatever reason. And that language barrier can't help things any. "Aya-bug." It's almost a whine, plaintive, but at least he doesn't bite again.
"I see." Dhoruba says to Aya while she frowns a moment, suddenly worried about the cub though from the way its eyeballing her she isn't sure why she should care. "Well.. He doesn't belong here that's for sure. Did you try the other pride a ways off?"
"-- It's ok, lions are -nice-, they're like -you-," he murmurs to the little thing, and then looks up again, his ears cocked back. "-- No, I didn't. I thought he should be with other lions. I mean-- he likes me, and he's -very- nice, but-- I don't think it's probably good for lions to learn how to bark..." he's a little uncertain though, as he speaks, his paw back in front of Najisi as he lowers his head to bump his nose between the cub's ears.
Najisi's picking up habits from Aya already--he's got his tail tucked between his legs, though it looks very /strange/, given that it's not something a lion ought to do. He's young enough to be easily malleable, it looks like. He huffs out, lifting his head when he's nudged, and that at least seems to relax him a little. Well, that and the fact that Dhoruba's keeping her distance helps too, although he's certainly uneasy being within eyesight of such a big predator--even if it /is/ one of his own kind.
Dhoruba smirks a moment. "No.. Most likely not good if he starts barking." She humms faintly. "What was you planing on doing with him then?" Well its not like the wolf can really keep raising him, not on his own anyway. Its a lion not a wolf very different!
"It's ok--" it might help too that Aya has relaxed a little, his body language merely wary and not -frightened-. "I-- I on't know. I was hoping-- I-- had been thinking one of your pride might take care of him. But-- if he's not yours--"
And Najisi, for his part, doesn't have much to contribute to the conversation. He may have gone quiet just to avoid drawing attention to himself, though, because his body is still quite tense against Aya's leg. Thankfully, he doesn't have any idea what they're talking about--after all, /he/ doesn't know lions aren't supposed to bark, just that the wolf doesn't seem nearly as frightening as these strange lands and strange pride, and he might have a few things to say about it if he could.
"Well.. I don't see why he can't stay." Dhoruba ahs softly. "But I don't think he'd stay on his own." She peers at the wolf slightly. "You'd most likely have to stick around with him.."
"Oh, well--" Aya begins, and while he sounds like he's about to say no, he's hardly even aware of it 'til the words leave his mouth. But in any case, Dhoruba is providing an excuse that's acceptable a moment late.r And-- she's right, too! "-- Well. That's a good point. And are there cubs in your pride right now? Bug needs friends. Don't you bug?" sounding much more cheerful.
Dhoruba has disconnected.
When Aya's voice lightens, Najisi's tail gives one of those curious little twitches, swaying in a way that doesn't look entirely feline. He seems to brighten further, relieved, when Dhoruba's seemingly massive form drifts off through the grasses /away/ from them. They're still in one piece! He makes a little noise, obviously trying to attract the wolf's attention, and rubs his cheek against Aya's foreleg.
-- Huh. Well.. it didn't -seem- hostile, and he- is- going to be able to stay, so...that's good. But-- she didn't really -say- anything in answer to his question. Well-- at least Najisi seems to be feeling better. "You could get a -friend-, bug," he tells the cub, peering down at him. Adds: "What's that, then?" when the other makes that soft sound.
"Aya?" he replies uncertainly, craning his head to peer up at the other. /That's/ a word he doesn't think he's ever heard before. Then again, it's not really surprising. Well, it can't be anything important. Najisi rears up onto his hind legs, now, resting his front paws where his face had been a minute before, and stretches his head up to lick carefully at Aya's jaw. Then: "Twende?" There's a long pause as he searches his memory for the sounds he's heard the wolf make whenever he wants Najisi to follow him. "Let's go?" he tries eventually. The words are accented and rather clumsy, but they're understandable.
"Yeah bug?" Aya wants to knwo, and then, "Oh, my, you're big--" startled when the child rears up: stretched out, Najisi is surprisingly long. He laughs then, ears pricking forward. "What's that?" at that foreign sound. But-- that bright-eyed gaze on his, and-- "-Oh-!" startled and pleased when he understands. "Let's go! Very -good-, little bug! Let's go, then! Onward!" a little excited, thrilled even-- already being around lions is proving good for the boy!
Had Najisi the vocabulary to do it, he'd probably argue that it's /Aya/ who's been good for him; after all, who's been feeding him and talking to him even though they're not even the same species? "Let's go," he repeats when Aya does, and, "Onward," this even clumsier, tasting the word. Najisi beams at him, and then drops heavily to all fours again, setting off--back in the direction they'd come from. He wants /out/; he can smell at least two distinctly male odours, and he doesn't want to be here when /they/ show up.
"Oh good -boy-, bug! My little Najisi-bug," crooning at the cub, laughing, -terribly- pleased. He licks Najisi's nose, beaming back at him. "Oh -good boy-, little bug!" but... he'd celebrated -much- too soon. Staring, dismayed, after Najisi he doesn't evenspeak at once, his ears laying back. Oh -dear-. "Bug, dear. Come -back-, please--?" uncertain.
The cub doesn't even notice that Aya's not following, at first--it's only the sound of his voice that alerts Najisi to the fact that he's going off alone. He stops at once, looking over his narrow shoulder. "Twende," he repeats. "Go?" He's hesitant all of a sudden.
"-- Bug, we should stay, not go-- this is where you should -be-. With lots of nice lions. I'll be here too though-- why not try it out?" Aya takes afew steps after him and then pauses, jerking his chin farther into foreign lands. "It's all right-- come on, umm, twende, bug. This way--"
Aya seems to be indicating the /other/ direction. Najisi hasn't turned around, but he's still looking, and he's really frowning now. "Katu!" he protests, and jerks /his/ chin back towards the Forgotten Lands--it may be scruffy and dry and not have much food, but at least it doesn't have so many frightening lions and lionesses drifting around within its borders. "Aya," and /this/ is almost pleading.
"-- Oh, bug--" protesting. "But you should -really- get to know some other lions..." But-- Najisi looks so-- -dismayed-. Aya isn't made for not giving people what they want, and while he can to a degree hold out against the cub, well.... It's very difficult when Najisi had been so hesitant and frightened. And he -did- say a -whole phrase- in Common! That surely ought to be rewarded! He eases uncertainly closer.
As soon as Aya takes another step forward, Najisi /is/ turning around. He's grinning all of a sudden, though, nothing hesitant about it--not around the wolf, not anymore, even though smelling male lion makes him instinctively uneasy. "Let's go," he encourages, in his painfully awkward voice, and takes a step back. Then stops, waiting to see if the other will continue following him--it's oddly reminiscent of Aya trying to coax Najisi into following /him/, what seems like a long time ago to a young cub.
And to Aya, too-- Najisi seems quite -close- to him now, he doesn't -want- to leave him go. "-- Well we'll just stay on the borders for now then, and get you used to it bit-by-bit. What was that lioness's name again? They all -look- alike to me so -that's- useless..." and smell pretty similar too, ugh. He wrinkles his nose and lets himself be coaxed for a few steps before lengthening his stride to come up by Najisi. "You, bug," he tells the boy, leaning down to nuzzle him, "are quite a sneak."
And when he does, Najisi is ready with another big smile for him. He drops his forelegs to the ground at once, a movement that looks surprisingly like a play-bow, and rolls his face into that nuzzle, licking at Aya's jaw again. He certainly /has/ bonded to the wolf, hasn't he? Who knows if that, ultimately, is a good thing--after all, it certainly hasn't helped him to form attachments to his own kind. But now that Aya seems to have given in, and they appear to be leaving, he seems so /happy/. ""Aya-bug," he replies slyly. "Mwana." Oh, he wishes he had a word Aya would /understand/.
"Oh you -sly- hyena!" Aya laughs-- look at that. "You're just happy because you got your way. Well it's only for -no-w, bug, I shan't -spoil- you--" he licks back nevertheless: how can he possibly -scold- this little thing? "Oh, you know it too. I wouldn't be surprised if you -did- speak Common all along!" of course, -that's- just wishflu thinking. He watches Najisi's face neverthleess-- just on the off-chance... "Well, come on then!" as brisk as though it was -his- idea to go to the border all along.
Aside from a slight tilt of his head, though, there's no reaction--he recognises the word, since Aya's used it before, but he has no idea what it means. What he /does/ understand is the message, loud and clear, that they're leaving. /Good/. That he really ought to be staying with the pride doesn't even cross his mind; he's just happy that Aya's safe and /he's/ safe, and that they didn't encounter anything worse than Dhoruba. So as he trails his companion to the border, Najisi is playful again; he stalks the wolf's feet, and tackles them every once in awhile, his tail whipping furiously behind him. He plays rough, but he keeps his claws in and, in any case, he's not big enough to actually throw Aya off-balance.
Aya agrees to it, of course-- how can he say no to such obvious delight? He doesn't recall seeing Najisi quite so pleased before, so tihs is a a lovely change and he's a -sucker- for lovely changes. Still ,those playful boxes make him stumble once or twice, so that he kicks out-- just as playful and as careful. "Silly -thing-!" affectionate and just a touch pleased. He might be a dog but he's better than a lion, to- tihs- little thing, at least.
He is, quite; that much is obvious just by the way Najisi looks at him, as if he's some important figure. Well, he /is/, as far as the boy is concerned--Aya probably saved his life, after all, and now that he's finally figured out that it wasn't some sort of nasty trick, he's quite affectionate. He lunges at the wolf's foot when it kicks out at him, grappling at it. All that he manages to do is topple himself to the ground, and he picks himself up after a minute, shakes himself off. Whoops. He takes off after Aya again, but now, while he hurries along and sticks nearby, he at least seems to be played out for now.
Dhoruba, Tyne Huntress
Aya, Male Ethiopian Wolf
Najisi, Male Lion Cub
Tyne - Mwindaji Savannah
Aya has made his decision: as adorable as his little charge is, he -is- a lion, and lions -really- ought to be with lions. And this place was closest. So he's been leading Najisi there for the past few days, his frequent stops in part to feed the child and in part because he doesn't -really- want to leave him go. He's -lonely-. But... Now, the smell of lion has got much stronger-- he's fairly certain he's in pride lands now. "All right, bug!" he announces, as though his readiness will call lions to them.
Najisi has been following his unlikely charge without complaint; maybe it's because they stop often to rest, or just because he's used to walking. Either way, the foreign little cub has been glued to Aya's side, and although small meals of lizards and insects and occasional birds haven't done much to bulk him up, he does seem to have relaxed quite a bit. He'd been gamboling at the wolf's feet, occasionally batting out a paw to swipe at his tail, but as they pass into Tyne his odd but decidedly playul antics taper off into wary looks and hunched shoulders instead. He can smell the scent markers, the overwhelming odour of other lions, and it frightens him. He still stays close, but for a different reason now, mumbling under his breath--just one word, over and over again. "Baya, baya, baya..." It's not really directed at Aya; if anything, he seems to be talking to himself. Only his loyalty to the canine keeps him from bolting off to the south and away from pridal lands.
There are lions about, though at the moment its just Dhoruba. The lioness is on her own settled in the grasses, tail flicking about at her side while her bright gaze rests off on a herd. The acting hunt mistress has to know where the herds are after all, specially when she is getting all the hunters out soon for the pridal hunt. Even with everything going on the pride has to eat. For the moment she doesn't pick up on the wolf nor the cub that is moving steadly closer to where she is.
Oh dear. Najisi has begun to seem more and more concerned as they pass further into this place. He wishes he could scent intentions too-- he's got no way of knowing what the inhabitants of this place are like, the wolf realizes. Whoops. "It's all right, bug," he assures, nosing Najisi's head. Unfortunately-- at least in the sense of the element of surprise-- he's unaware that they're getting closer to one of the place's in inhabitants. The scent of lion -is- heavier, though. "-- I wonder if we should talk to their leader-- or maybe a female." They take care of cubs!
The boy's ears flick back when Aya nudges him, and he gives himself a shake. "Katu," he grumbles, apparently having picked up on what the wolf is saying--or at least the general, reassuring tone of his voice. "/No/." And that is probably a word Aya wishes he hadn't learned by now.
"Twende!" There's an odd sort of urgency in his own voice; can't Aya smell the very pungent odour of lions around them? But he /keeps moving/, and Najisi follows with a disgusted snort, his body low to the ground. Slinking. He's /not/ happy to be here.Voices?.. This is what Dhoruba catches along with some strange scents. Maw twitching she glances one way and then another before catching sight of some dog thing moving her way. She blinks before shifting slowly so she's sitting up, bright gaze watching Aya faintly. Well its not like she's ever even seen a wolf before mind you, as to the cub she hasn't seen him just yet.
Aya makes a little face, twitching, when he hears that. "Come here--" pained. "It's all right, no-one will--" oh dear. He stops abruptly when a lioness rises out of the grasses, laying his ears back, startled. "Uhm--" little pause. Probably his body languagei sn't too reassuring-- but he's -surprised-! And the lioness is -staring - at him. "Umm-- hallo!" there!
The grass is longer here than it is back in the Forgotten Lands--more lush--so he can't really see Dhoruba above it. What he /can/ see is the way Aya's posture changes, and Najisi gives him a weary look; it has 'I told you so' written all over it. It's not hard to guess what he's spotted, after all. "/Twende/," he mutters fiercely, twining his thin body through the wolf's forelegs. Let's /go/. Before they /eat us/.
Dhoruba humms faintly and then glances to the grasses as she catches more movement and is rather surprize to see a cub at the wolves feet. "Hello there yourself. You two need something?" She questions curiously.
Aya brushes a paw in front of Najisi, protective. "-- Uhmm--" cat has his tongue, apparently. "-- Well, I-- umm. This is-- this is pride lands, right?" just to establish the obvious while he actually figures out what he's going to say. "Ah-- I-- is he yours? I um-- I hope he's not because he's quite shy. I mean-- I found him and I don't think he was treated very well.He doesn't speak Common though, so -you- speak Common -so-," Aya finishes, getting ahold of himself, "I suppose you're not?" he's not used to talking with lions, really-- but this is necessary, and he's heard that many of them were all right!
If he peers through a break in the grasses, he can see the lioness' dark form. Or at least enough of it to determine that she /is/, in fact, one of those leonines he's been smelling since they went past the border. Najisi glares, pressing his side to Aya's foreleg, and sinks down a little more until he's flat on his stomach. Trying to keep a low profile, apparently, even though she's seen both of them already. He seems even less pleased when Aya starts /talking/ to her, and nuzzles up against his paw, trying to get his attention. Repeats, "Twende, twende," a third and a fourth time, for all the good it does; Aya doesn't speak the same language, and, frustrated, he /nips/. "/Baya/."
Dhoruba glances to the cub, a soft smile is offered to him to try and show she is NICE.. Even though she is a large lioness and all there is nothing at all to worry about! "Yes, this is the Tyne pride lands your on." She blinks at the question. "Mine?.. No.. I don't have any cubs. Where did you find him at?" She looks back to the cub as it starts to speak some language..that's different.
Aya glances briefly down at the boy, and then-- "Ow!" startled. "It's -okay-, bug." He twitches his paw up to lick at it briefly. "It's all right..." is this the right thing to do? It -should- be... but he's not sure now-- he'd sort of imagined Najisi as frolicking on over to whoever they met and that being that. "-- In the lands to the southwest of here. He looked like he'd been on his own for a few days at least."
It's a good thing that Najisi isn't hers, really, because the way he's looking at Dhoruba is a mixture of distrust and fear. It would probably be more understandable if she were an adult male, but...maybe he's just frightened of his own species in general, for whatever reason. And that language barrier can't help things any. "Aya-bug." It's almost a whine, plaintive, but at least he doesn't bite again.
"I see." Dhoruba says to Aya while she frowns a moment, suddenly worried about the cub though from the way its eyeballing her she isn't sure why she should care. "Well.. He doesn't belong here that's for sure. Did you try the other pride a ways off?"
"-- It's ok, lions are -nice-, they're like -you-," he murmurs to the little thing, and then looks up again, his ears cocked back. "-- No, I didn't. I thought he should be with other lions. I mean-- he likes me, and he's -very- nice, but-- I don't think it's probably good for lions to learn how to bark..." he's a little uncertain though, as he speaks, his paw back in front of Najisi as he lowers his head to bump his nose between the cub's ears.
Najisi's picking up habits from Aya already--he's got his tail tucked between his legs, though it looks very /strange/, given that it's not something a lion ought to do. He's young enough to be easily malleable, it looks like. He huffs out, lifting his head when he's nudged, and that at least seems to relax him a little. Well, that and the fact that Dhoruba's keeping her distance helps too, although he's certainly uneasy being within eyesight of such a big predator--even if it /is/ one of his own kind.
Dhoruba smirks a moment. "No.. Most likely not good if he starts barking." She humms faintly. "What was you planing on doing with him then?" Well its not like the wolf can really keep raising him, not on his own anyway. Its a lion not a wolf very different!
"It's ok--" it might help too that Aya has relaxed a little, his body language merely wary and not -frightened-. "I-- I on't know. I was hoping-- I-- had been thinking one of your pride might take care of him. But-- if he's not yours--"
And Najisi, for his part, doesn't have much to contribute to the conversation. He may have gone quiet just to avoid drawing attention to himself, though, because his body is still quite tense against Aya's leg. Thankfully, he doesn't have any idea what they're talking about--after all, /he/ doesn't know lions aren't supposed to bark, just that the wolf doesn't seem nearly as frightening as these strange lands and strange pride, and he might have a few things to say about it if he could.
"Well.. I don't see why he can't stay." Dhoruba ahs softly. "But I don't think he'd stay on his own." She peers at the wolf slightly. "You'd most likely have to stick around with him.."
"Oh, well--" Aya begins, and while he sounds like he's about to say no, he's hardly even aware of it 'til the words leave his mouth. But in any case, Dhoruba is providing an excuse that's acceptable a moment late.r And-- she's right, too! "-- Well. That's a good point. And are there cubs in your pride right now? Bug needs friends. Don't you bug?" sounding much more cheerful.
Dhoruba has disconnected.
When Aya's voice lightens, Najisi's tail gives one of those curious little twitches, swaying in a way that doesn't look entirely feline. He seems to brighten further, relieved, when Dhoruba's seemingly massive form drifts off through the grasses /away/ from them. They're still in one piece! He makes a little noise, obviously trying to attract the wolf's attention, and rubs his cheek against Aya's foreleg.
-- Huh. Well.. it didn't -seem- hostile, and he- is- going to be able to stay, so...that's good. But-- she didn't really -say- anything in answer to his question. Well-- at least Najisi seems to be feeling better. "You could get a -friend-, bug," he tells the cub, peering down at him. Adds: "What's that, then?" when the other makes that soft sound.
"Aya?" he replies uncertainly, craning his head to peer up at the other. /That's/ a word he doesn't think he's ever heard before. Then again, it's not really surprising. Well, it can't be anything important. Najisi rears up onto his hind legs, now, resting his front paws where his face had been a minute before, and stretches his head up to lick carefully at Aya's jaw. Then: "Twende?" There's a long pause as he searches his memory for the sounds he's heard the wolf make whenever he wants Najisi to follow him. "Let's go?" he tries eventually. The words are accented and rather clumsy, but they're understandable.
"Yeah bug?" Aya wants to knwo, and then, "Oh, my, you're big--" startled when the child rears up: stretched out, Najisi is surprisingly long. He laughs then, ears pricking forward. "What's that?" at that foreign sound. But-- that bright-eyed gaze on his, and-- "-Oh-!" startled and pleased when he understands. "Let's go! Very -good-, little bug! Let's go, then! Onward!" a little excited, thrilled even-- already being around lions is proving good for the boy!
Had Najisi the vocabulary to do it, he'd probably argue that it's /Aya/ who's been good for him; after all, who's been feeding him and talking to him even though they're not even the same species? "Let's go," he repeats when Aya does, and, "Onward," this even clumsier, tasting the word. Najisi beams at him, and then drops heavily to all fours again, setting off--back in the direction they'd come from. He wants /out/; he can smell at least two distinctly male odours, and he doesn't want to be here when /they/ show up.
"Oh good -boy-, bug! My little Najisi-bug," crooning at the cub, laughing, -terribly- pleased. He licks Najisi's nose, beaming back at him. "Oh -good boy-, little bug!" but... he'd celebrated -much- too soon. Staring, dismayed, after Najisi he doesn't evenspeak at once, his ears laying back. Oh -dear-. "Bug, dear. Come -back-, please--?" uncertain.
The cub doesn't even notice that Aya's not following, at first--it's only the sound of his voice that alerts Najisi to the fact that he's going off alone. He stops at once, looking over his narrow shoulder. "Twende," he repeats. "Go?" He's hesitant all of a sudden.
"-- Bug, we should stay, not go-- this is where you should -be-. With lots of nice lions. I'll be here too though-- why not try it out?" Aya takes afew steps after him and then pauses, jerking his chin farther into foreign lands. "It's all right-- come on, umm, twende, bug. This way--"
Aya seems to be indicating the /other/ direction. Najisi hasn't turned around, but he's still looking, and he's really frowning now. "Katu!" he protests, and jerks /his/ chin back towards the Forgotten Lands--it may be scruffy and dry and not have much food, but at least it doesn't have so many frightening lions and lionesses drifting around within its borders. "Aya," and /this/ is almost pleading.
"-- Oh, bug--" protesting. "But you should -really- get to know some other lions..." But-- Najisi looks so-- -dismayed-. Aya isn't made for not giving people what they want, and while he can to a degree hold out against the cub, well.... It's very difficult when Najisi had been so hesitant and frightened. And he -did- say a -whole phrase- in Common! That surely ought to be rewarded! He eases uncertainly closer.
As soon as Aya takes another step forward, Najisi /is/ turning around. He's grinning all of a sudden, though, nothing hesitant about it--not around the wolf, not anymore, even though smelling male lion makes him instinctively uneasy. "Let's go," he encourages, in his painfully awkward voice, and takes a step back. Then stops, waiting to see if the other will continue following him--it's oddly reminiscent of Aya trying to coax Najisi into following /him/, what seems like a long time ago to a young cub.
And to Aya, too-- Najisi seems quite -close- to him now, he doesn't -want- to leave him go. "-- Well we'll just stay on the borders for now then, and get you used to it bit-by-bit. What was that lioness's name again? They all -look- alike to me so -that's- useless..." and smell pretty similar too, ugh. He wrinkles his nose and lets himself be coaxed for a few steps before lengthening his stride to come up by Najisi. "You, bug," he tells the boy, leaning down to nuzzle him, "are quite a sneak."
And when he does, Najisi is ready with another big smile for him. He drops his forelegs to the ground at once, a movement that looks surprisingly like a play-bow, and rolls his face into that nuzzle, licking at Aya's jaw again. He certainly /has/ bonded to the wolf, hasn't he? Who knows if that, ultimately, is a good thing--after all, it certainly hasn't helped him to form attachments to his own kind. But now that Aya seems to have given in, and they appear to be leaving, he seems so /happy/. ""Aya-bug," he replies slyly. "Mwana." Oh, he wishes he had a word Aya would /understand/.
"Oh you -sly- hyena!" Aya laughs-- look at that. "You're just happy because you got your way. Well it's only for -no-w, bug, I shan't -spoil- you--" he licks back nevertheless: how can he possibly -scold- this little thing? "Oh, you know it too. I wouldn't be surprised if you -did- speak Common all along!" of course, -that's- just wishflu thinking. He watches Najisi's face neverthleess-- just on the off-chance... "Well, come on then!" as brisk as though it was -his- idea to go to the border all along.
Aside from a slight tilt of his head, though, there's no reaction--he recognises the word, since Aya's used it before, but he has no idea what it means. What he /does/ understand is the message, loud and clear, that they're leaving. /Good/. That he really ought to be staying with the pride doesn't even cross his mind; he's just happy that Aya's safe and /he's/ safe, and that they didn't encounter anything worse than Dhoruba. So as he trails his companion to the border, Najisi is playful again; he stalks the wolf's feet, and tackles them every once in awhile, his tail whipping furiously behind him. He plays rough, but he keeps his claws in and, in any case, he's not big enough to actually throw Aya off-balance.
Aya agrees to it, of course-- how can he say no to such obvious delight? He doesn't recall seeing Najisi quite so pleased before, so tihs is a a lovely change and he's a -sucker- for lovely changes. Still ,those playful boxes make him stumble once or twice, so that he kicks out-- just as playful and as careful. "Silly -thing-!" affectionate and just a touch pleased. He might be a dog but he's better than a lion, to- tihs- little thing, at least.
He is, quite; that much is obvious just by the way Najisi looks at him, as if he's some important figure. Well, he /is/, as far as the boy is concerned--Aya probably saved his life, after all, and now that he's finally figured out that it wasn't some sort of nasty trick, he's quite affectionate. He lunges at the wolf's foot when it kicks out at him, grappling at it. All that he manages to do is topple himself to the ground, and he picks himself up after a minute, shakes himself off. Whoops. He takes off after Aya again, but now, while he hurries along and sticks nearby, he at least seems to be played out for now.