Post by Kumu on Mar 31, 2007 22:16:34 GMT -5
Kivuli - Willow Beach
Safiye, rogue lioness
Kumu, rogue barbary lioness
The lagoon is peaceful at this time of day, small waterbirds fluffing themselves up in the water and the croaking of exotic frogs making a dubious song. From the North comes this bear-lioness, at an easy, striding gait. The light of the sunset doesn't do much to hide her ruddish coat, but she doesn't seem to mind - if Kumu had wanted to be a ninja, she'd have reincarnated by now. [ Kumu ]
And Safiye was having such a relaxing afternoon, too. When the sounds of the newcomer's footsteps reach her ears, the diminutive foreigner turns her head and cranes her neck, peering over her shoulder at Kumu like a startled herd beast. This female is bigger than any Kivuli lioness she's seen - if she is indeed a lioness at all. Both her ears tuck flat, slicked back against the curve of her skull in a display of submission even before any words are spoken. [ Safiye ]
Passing through the lagoon is going to prove more interesting than it could have, it seems. Kumu's head raises from it's lowered position when movement catches her eye, and she snorts at the sight of Safiye. This reaction, she thinks, is very common - didn't the battlers around here have any sort of code? - which might be expressed in the slight widening of her yellow eyes, and the quirk of a brow. "Denmaster?" She inquires, voice deep and sounding as if it had been dragged through several tons of gravel and sand, "if we are to harm the genteel, it shall be on their terms, and my limerick are not sharp. Rest yourself." [ Kumu ]
Denmaster. It's a term that even Safiye, for all her travels, has never heard before. Kumu's tone isn't particularly reassuring either, but her speech is eloquent enough that it takes the edge off her voice and provides Safiye with a small amount of comfort. She remains where she is, basking the dappled shade of the willow tree while the breeze ruffles harmlessly through her fur and tousles her whiskers. "If you are looking for the Kivuli lions," she begins, "press on. I am the same as you, rogue." [ Safiye ]
Kumu's left ear flicks to the side, an expression of thought. "If we'd wanted consort with these strange - how do you say? - patrarchies, I have no doubt I'd be in the heart of this place," she points out calmly, as if it were as clear as the first star in the night sky. "No, no, I am passing-," at Safiye's last word, she frowns. "I am no /vagabond/; I am of /proper/ birth and raise," she corrects Safiye in a colder voice, before catching herself. "Or is it, as you people say, the way to show pilgrimagehood?" Snorting, she adds: "so /strange/, you leveldwellers."
A cruel smile creases Safiye's plump black lips as she turns her head away from Kumu and tries to suppress the anger that the other female's words have sparked inside of her. "Forgive me," she murmurs in a low and husky voice. "I assumed too much. If you are but simply passing, please drink. It has been a long time since I have had company." [ Safiye ]
And drink Kumu does, stepping towards the shallows and ducking her head down. When she rises, she steps away, front paws leaving tousled earth from the water on her paws, and settles onto her haunches. Frowning once more, she flicks her tail in towards herself, the characteristic two-toned colour showing itself. "What of you, genteel? Why do you stay here, instead of going deeper in and declaring yourself?" It's an odd thing, to her - isn't skulking around without intent to pass through briskly /rude/? [ Kumu ]
"I have," Safiye explains, shifting her gaze to an indistinguishable point on the horizon, looking for something that only she can see from under her dark lashes. "Alas, their monarch will not see me - or anyone. As I understand it, he is still in mourning for his father, the King Kiet, who passed suddenly several moons ago. His sister has granted me permission to remain here until his grief has lifted. What of you?" [ Safiye ]
"His strength shall course through their veins," Kumu mutters sympathetically at the news. "In that case, we understand. As for myself, I am of a pilgrimage. The finer strength of my clan grows weary, battlers far outnumbering the genteel; I fear that we shall defeat ourselves, and such a thing is a terrible omen." Her paws knead the earth, thoughtfully. "But all I find are weaklings defined by mane, not claw. This, too, is unwell." [ Kumu ]
Safiye chuckles. "You'll find no warriors here, I'm afraid - at least none who could be persuaded to bid farewell to this place. All have sworn loyalty to Kiet's heir."
"I don't seek warriors of the flesh; I seek warriors of the mind." Kumu shakes her head, sadly. "Unfortunately, it seems you are all bound to a far different ruleset. And so, we wander." Lifting her head to the sky, she sniffs at the air, and frowns. "I cannot lie here tonight. Such a thing would be dishonourable to mine, if not yours." [ Kumu ]
Kumu's behavior is all very puzzling to Safiye; her latest proclamation elicits a small snort of disdain from her nostrils, but she says nothing except, "Go in peace." Nearby, a spur-winged plover takes flight with a lizard in its beak, causing the smaller of the two lionesses to redirect her attention back to the lagoon proper. [ Safiye ]
Rising from her position, Kumu takes a few lumbering steps before looking back towards Safiye. "I thank you for your conversation and drink," she rumbles, banded ears flicking back. "All the best to you and yours, genteel." And with that, she takes up her ambling trot once more. If Kumu is puzzling to Safiye, the reverse is just as true. [ Kumu ]
Safiye, rogue lioness
Kumu, rogue barbary lioness
The lagoon is peaceful at this time of day, small waterbirds fluffing themselves up in the water and the croaking of exotic frogs making a dubious song. From the North comes this bear-lioness, at an easy, striding gait. The light of the sunset doesn't do much to hide her ruddish coat, but she doesn't seem to mind - if Kumu had wanted to be a ninja, she'd have reincarnated by now. [ Kumu ]
And Safiye was having such a relaxing afternoon, too. When the sounds of the newcomer's footsteps reach her ears, the diminutive foreigner turns her head and cranes her neck, peering over her shoulder at Kumu like a startled herd beast. This female is bigger than any Kivuli lioness she's seen - if she is indeed a lioness at all. Both her ears tuck flat, slicked back against the curve of her skull in a display of submission even before any words are spoken. [ Safiye ]
Passing through the lagoon is going to prove more interesting than it could have, it seems. Kumu's head raises from it's lowered position when movement catches her eye, and she snorts at the sight of Safiye. This reaction, she thinks, is very common - didn't the battlers around here have any sort of code? - which might be expressed in the slight widening of her yellow eyes, and the quirk of a brow. "Denmaster?" She inquires, voice deep and sounding as if it had been dragged through several tons of gravel and sand, "if we are to harm the genteel, it shall be on their terms, and my limerick are not sharp. Rest yourself." [ Kumu ]
Denmaster. It's a term that even Safiye, for all her travels, has never heard before. Kumu's tone isn't particularly reassuring either, but her speech is eloquent enough that it takes the edge off her voice and provides Safiye with a small amount of comfort. She remains where she is, basking the dappled shade of the willow tree while the breeze ruffles harmlessly through her fur and tousles her whiskers. "If you are looking for the Kivuli lions," she begins, "press on. I am the same as you, rogue." [ Safiye ]
Kumu's left ear flicks to the side, an expression of thought. "If we'd wanted consort with these strange - how do you say? - patrarchies, I have no doubt I'd be in the heart of this place," she points out calmly, as if it were as clear as the first star in the night sky. "No, no, I am passing-," at Safiye's last word, she frowns. "I am no /vagabond/; I am of /proper/ birth and raise," she corrects Safiye in a colder voice, before catching herself. "Or is it, as you people say, the way to show pilgrimagehood?" Snorting, she adds: "so /strange/, you leveldwellers."
A cruel smile creases Safiye's plump black lips as she turns her head away from Kumu and tries to suppress the anger that the other female's words have sparked inside of her. "Forgive me," she murmurs in a low and husky voice. "I assumed too much. If you are but simply passing, please drink. It has been a long time since I have had company." [ Safiye ]
And drink Kumu does, stepping towards the shallows and ducking her head down. When she rises, she steps away, front paws leaving tousled earth from the water on her paws, and settles onto her haunches. Frowning once more, she flicks her tail in towards herself, the characteristic two-toned colour showing itself. "What of you, genteel? Why do you stay here, instead of going deeper in and declaring yourself?" It's an odd thing, to her - isn't skulking around without intent to pass through briskly /rude/? [ Kumu ]
"I have," Safiye explains, shifting her gaze to an indistinguishable point on the horizon, looking for something that only she can see from under her dark lashes. "Alas, their monarch will not see me - or anyone. As I understand it, he is still in mourning for his father, the King Kiet, who passed suddenly several moons ago. His sister has granted me permission to remain here until his grief has lifted. What of you?" [ Safiye ]
"His strength shall course through their veins," Kumu mutters sympathetically at the news. "In that case, we understand. As for myself, I am of a pilgrimage. The finer strength of my clan grows weary, battlers far outnumbering the genteel; I fear that we shall defeat ourselves, and such a thing is a terrible omen." Her paws knead the earth, thoughtfully. "But all I find are weaklings defined by mane, not claw. This, too, is unwell." [ Kumu ]
Safiye chuckles. "You'll find no warriors here, I'm afraid - at least none who could be persuaded to bid farewell to this place. All have sworn loyalty to Kiet's heir."
"I don't seek warriors of the flesh; I seek warriors of the mind." Kumu shakes her head, sadly. "Unfortunately, it seems you are all bound to a far different ruleset. And so, we wander." Lifting her head to the sky, she sniffs at the air, and frowns. "I cannot lie here tonight. Such a thing would be dishonourable to mine, if not yours." [ Kumu ]
Kumu's behavior is all very puzzling to Safiye; her latest proclamation elicits a small snort of disdain from her nostrils, but she says nothing except, "Go in peace." Nearby, a spur-winged plover takes flight with a lizard in its beak, causing the smaller of the two lionesses to redirect her attention back to the lagoon proper. [ Safiye ]
Rising from her position, Kumu takes a few lumbering steps before looking back towards Safiye. "I thank you for your conversation and drink," she rumbles, banded ears flicking back. "All the best to you and yours, genteel." And with that, she takes up her ambling trot once more. If Kumu is puzzling to Safiye, the reverse is just as true. [ Kumu ]
