Post by Aitan on Apr 3, 2007 0:40:04 GMT -5
[Tyne] Tyne Rock Base
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<<------------------------------------------------------------------------->>
|| Tyne - Tyne Rock Base ||
<<------------------------------------------------------------------------->>
|| ||
|| Here is the heart of this water-filled kingdom: the natural rock ||
|| formation known as Tyne Rock. It is easily the largest monument for ||
|| miles around, despite the fact that it doesn't compare to any of ||
|| Africa's mountains. In fact, it is best described as a large stone ||
|| hill, close to the earth to provide safety and security for the ||
|| occupants of the cavern inside but still tall enough to command ||
|| substantial respect and attention. ||
|| ||
|| It's broad summit offers a fantastic view. From there one can see the||
|| surrounding jungles, the grasslands, the distant lake, and even the ||
|| remote mountains of neighboring kingdoms. Sparse golden grass is ||
|| scattered across the face of the Rock, and a large full tree nearby ||
|| casts a shadow along the lower rise of the formation. Lions, lionesses,||
|| and cubs alike can be seen constantly lounging in the sun upon Tyne ||
|| Rock. A broad ramp of rock leads to the pridal cavern within. ||
|| ||
|| www.stallman.org/photos/south-africa/kruger/rocks.jpg ||
|| ||
<<----------- Helpful Commands: @group Tyne, 'gmap', 'tmap' --------------->>
---------------------------------- Exits ----------------------------------
[PC ] To the Pridal Cavern [SE ] SouthEast - Jungle Clearing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[IC ] Nonza, Lady of Stars
[IC ] Aitan, Pale King of Tyne
As much as she is not a fierce fighter, she is still a daughter of Fuadi, and of Tyne. And in times like these, even the lesser of the former rulers' children are called to do their duty to their lands. At the front of the cave, ghosted eyes are watchful. The stars are her guides, and they tell much. She has spent her life interpreting them, and at last they have come to an agreement. They will aid her in her cause. The Lady of Stars stands guard, a few of the younger males below. Nonza waits. Nonza guards. There is a hawk perched upon the stone above her. He has told her what he told Aitan. So, she guards.
The pale moon reflects blindly off of Aitan's pale fur spreading a fuzzy aura of light around the King of Tyne. He paces... back and forth, back and forth, paws worriedly treading the rocks underneath. He glances down at his feet numbly... aware of them moving, but not even concious of the physical act of moving them anymore... they carry themselves to and fro. He looks out on the moonlit horizon. Face crumpling inwards, whiskers drooping, ears folding. Where can they be? Is she okay? What is happening this very second? He sighs, pausing for a second as a hawk screeches. He stares at it for a second... narrowing his eyes... then resumes his vigil. Back and forth... back and forth.
There is another. A small, dark, winged creature finds its way through the dark velvet pieces of sky and to the crocky outcrop. Down, then, floating until reaching the shoulder of the lioness that waits. Her head turns, ear lifting while the small bird bows, whispers exchanged. "They are in Kivuli." She says slowly. The strange sister, as usual. "They have found the giant scarred one and now rest among the vines. They are all right. This ones' brothers are staying close. They have called a healer to tend to him." Nonza's head turns, her eyes catching light, almost glowing. "Your son is small and weak, but he is now somewhere near those who can help him best. The dark beast of Mara'Nadaza is with them. He ran with the White Ghost all the way to the land of Shadows." Her head bows. "The Ghost one loves you, he says." Nonza's face turns, and the black bird moves from her, joining its winged brethren above. "And she is sorry to do this to you."
Ears flick backwards and Aitan, silent sentinel tho he is, jumps slightly as his always strange sister emerges out of the darkness. "Oh... it's you Nonza." He sighs, not even bothering to ask where she's been... his sister comes and goes as she pleases. This no longer elicits suprise in her sibling. His eyes inspect her winged confident wordlessly. "Kivuli?" He rumbles, teeth showing under his lip. "Son?" He falls silent, looking at his paws.... body trembling. As she mentions Ukomobasi's message to him, his great shaggy head falls and he starts to sob. Yes this son of kings and queens, royal blood coursing through his veins, begins to cry. His body shakes with the effort of his tears. These past few days have cost him dearly... to be left behind, of no use to anyone that he loves... slave to the land he was sworn to rule and the position that was his since he arrived bawling into the world. Not much has changed since that day of his birth... he feels just as weak and helpless. Only a little bit bigger now... with more to lose.
The Star-gazer moves with an almost ethereal quality, shifting to sit beside her frosted brother, providing him with a shoulder, but.. little else. Emotions are not something Nonza seems to.. possess. Sympathy can come in many forms, however, and this shoulder she offers is the sliver of it that she can provide. "There is one. There was only one." Nonza says, her voice, while not monotone, is limited to a small range of inflections. "You have a son. They have named him Kale'Kizuka, and he is made in your image." The lioness speaks slow, speaks soft. "He lives, and your Ghost does what she knows to do to keep him so." A pause. "And you must do what you know to do. You must provide your son a home to return to when he is healed. That is why you are here, brother. And to follow her would be an insult to your bloodline, and to hers."
"I know what my responsibility is!" Aitan roars, snapping his head up... torn out of his despondency by her admonition. "A son... one son." He is not upset by this failure to adhere to nature's rule of producing masses of offspring to ensure a greater number of survivors. Look how many of his once large family are still here. Elim... Nonza.. and himself. Even still... one cub is just enough for him. He is gifted even, for the chance to be a father after so long. "Kale'kizuka... he rolls the name over his tongue. "My son will find Tyne waiting for him..." He bows his head... acknowledging his duty. Still... why this godawful timing? Why did the gods pull both his brother away from the lands at the same time his mate's time was upon her? He will never be able to tell his son about the day he was born... no that honor will go to another. His chest reverberates with a growl. Motosi. Kinghood has robbed him of time with his mate, of seeing his son born... robbed him and gifted another. There will be many things to tell when Tyne's royal family is together again.
She does not flinch, nor turn away. Nonza's countenance is solid, eyes unblinking, lips unsmiling. "One son." She repeats. "Those that look after him do not intend to meet him in their paradise for many long seasons. Your child is safe. Your Ghost has run with the black beast at her heels to aid her as they ventured." The growl is met with a very faint tilting of her head, a turning of her face until the right eye is all that looks at him. It plucks light from the moon and casts it back, gleaming like a solid disk. "I saw them." She says softly. "She was alone, and then she ran, carrying the small Ghost in her jaws. She spoke to the dark one and he ran with her. Do you harbor ill feeling for the Rogue of the North, brother?" Curious. Ever curious.
"You saw them?" He rumbles incredulously, pricking a brow at her words. He sighs and shakes his head... sometimes his sister's "talents" are a bit unsettling. It's not that he doesn't believe her... it's just hard to get used to. Like discovering that there was a 6th sense that existed which he did not have. She makes him feel... blind. He meets her eyes, staring at her for a couple of seconds and leaning against her lithe shoulder slightly. "I... I don't know." He admits. Something about the strange lion unsettles Aitan. And he is jealous of the time that his mate and Motosi spend together. Their bond seems... different then the feelings between her and himself. Different how? He doesn't know... And now he will be there for his son's first breaths. There to comfort Ukomobasi in her fear and pain. And he can do nothing. He gives a frusterated roar, shoulders bunching and muscles tensing as he brusquely glides into his pacing again. "I'm not there! It will never be different... you can never make that up." He turns and looks at Nonza, emptiness and pain in his eyes. "I missed it."
"My sights fly far and wide, brother. How better to be everywhere at once?" Rhetoric. The lioness remains solid under his lean, her head still inclined, and as his chin rests upon her shoulder, it tilts, her head. Onto his. It is the first voluntary contact that she has initiated since her disappearance in Tyne, and it is reserved for her brother. And it is also the first smile, though he will not see it. It is.. amused. Knowing. "You put too much stock in birth. Ours was not glorious. Your son's was not, either. Nor will his son's or daughters. It is not the first or last breath that make the life you life. It is all the breaths in between that you will take. What you waste them on. What you use them for. Will you cave, now, and forsake the breaths your son takes after his first? Will you lament so the least important moment of your son's life?" Her head lifts, and she looks at her brother, the smile still there. Creepy. "Or will you do more than fear this one small tragedy. Will you thank your Stars that your son lives? That he will grow and you will teach?" She quiets a moment. "These are lessons that our great father can not have taught us. They are the lessons we must learn, and must learn well. On our own."
Aitan's fitful pacing quiets. He slows... and then stops, coming to rest in front of his sister, head bowed between his forelegs again. He raises it wearily and gives her a valiant attempt at a smile... though his eyes are barren and dark with worry. "You're right Nonz.... absolutely and completely." He takes a deep breath... body shuddering from exhaustion as he inhales. He glances out, gaze touching gently gently over the horizon. It softens. These lands.. this burden he was given. He must stay strong for them... and most importantly for his family. They must have something to come home to- His son and his nieces and nephews will grow up playing under the trees and in the savannahs of Tyne... but only if he holds it together for them all. He looks back at his sister and nods to her deeply, eyes expressing a gratitude for her gentle-but-firm verbal slap in the face. "Thank you." He says simply... eyes still clouded but not like before- there is a purpose in them once more, not just the dead emptiness of pain and fear that had crowded out everything else. This lion is a King, and by the gods... he'd better start acting like one. After all... what would his father say?
"You will never have to thank me." The lioness with her father's pelt says, bowing her head and stepping from the shine of the moon. Many wings. Black ones. White ones. Colorful ones. They are all mobile and Nonza is once more hidden somewhere. Out of sight. But not out of reach.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<<------------------------------------------------------------------------->>
|| Tyne - Tyne Rock Base ||
<<------------------------------------------------------------------------->>
|| ||
|| Here is the heart of this water-filled kingdom: the natural rock ||
|| formation known as Tyne Rock. It is easily the largest monument for ||
|| miles around, despite the fact that it doesn't compare to any of ||
|| Africa's mountains. In fact, it is best described as a large stone ||
|| hill, close to the earth to provide safety and security for the ||
|| occupants of the cavern inside but still tall enough to command ||
|| substantial respect and attention. ||
|| ||
|| It's broad summit offers a fantastic view. From there one can see the||
|| surrounding jungles, the grasslands, the distant lake, and even the ||
|| remote mountains of neighboring kingdoms. Sparse golden grass is ||
|| scattered across the face of the Rock, and a large full tree nearby ||
|| casts a shadow along the lower rise of the formation. Lions, lionesses,||
|| and cubs alike can be seen constantly lounging in the sun upon Tyne ||
|| Rock. A broad ramp of rock leads to the pridal cavern within. ||
|| ||
|| www.stallman.org/photos/south-africa/kruger/rocks.jpg ||
|| ||
<<----------- Helpful Commands: @group Tyne, 'gmap', 'tmap' --------------->>
---------------------------------- Exits ----------------------------------
[PC ] To the Pridal Cavern [SE ] SouthEast - Jungle Clearing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[IC ] Nonza, Lady of Stars
[IC ] Aitan, Pale King of Tyne
As much as she is not a fierce fighter, she is still a daughter of Fuadi, and of Tyne. And in times like these, even the lesser of the former rulers' children are called to do their duty to their lands. At the front of the cave, ghosted eyes are watchful. The stars are her guides, and they tell much. She has spent her life interpreting them, and at last they have come to an agreement. They will aid her in her cause. The Lady of Stars stands guard, a few of the younger males below. Nonza waits. Nonza guards. There is a hawk perched upon the stone above her. He has told her what he told Aitan. So, she guards.
The pale moon reflects blindly off of Aitan's pale fur spreading a fuzzy aura of light around the King of Tyne. He paces... back and forth, back and forth, paws worriedly treading the rocks underneath. He glances down at his feet numbly... aware of them moving, but not even concious of the physical act of moving them anymore... they carry themselves to and fro. He looks out on the moonlit horizon. Face crumpling inwards, whiskers drooping, ears folding. Where can they be? Is she okay? What is happening this very second? He sighs, pausing for a second as a hawk screeches. He stares at it for a second... narrowing his eyes... then resumes his vigil. Back and forth... back and forth.
There is another. A small, dark, winged creature finds its way through the dark velvet pieces of sky and to the crocky outcrop. Down, then, floating until reaching the shoulder of the lioness that waits. Her head turns, ear lifting while the small bird bows, whispers exchanged. "They are in Kivuli." She says slowly. The strange sister, as usual. "They have found the giant scarred one and now rest among the vines. They are all right. This ones' brothers are staying close. They have called a healer to tend to him." Nonza's head turns, her eyes catching light, almost glowing. "Your son is small and weak, but he is now somewhere near those who can help him best. The dark beast of Mara'Nadaza is with them. He ran with the White Ghost all the way to the land of Shadows." Her head bows. "The Ghost one loves you, he says." Nonza's face turns, and the black bird moves from her, joining its winged brethren above. "And she is sorry to do this to you."
Ears flick backwards and Aitan, silent sentinel tho he is, jumps slightly as his always strange sister emerges out of the darkness. "Oh... it's you Nonza." He sighs, not even bothering to ask where she's been... his sister comes and goes as she pleases. This no longer elicits suprise in her sibling. His eyes inspect her winged confident wordlessly. "Kivuli?" He rumbles, teeth showing under his lip. "Son?" He falls silent, looking at his paws.... body trembling. As she mentions Ukomobasi's message to him, his great shaggy head falls and he starts to sob. Yes this son of kings and queens, royal blood coursing through his veins, begins to cry. His body shakes with the effort of his tears. These past few days have cost him dearly... to be left behind, of no use to anyone that he loves... slave to the land he was sworn to rule and the position that was his since he arrived bawling into the world. Not much has changed since that day of his birth... he feels just as weak and helpless. Only a little bit bigger now... with more to lose.
The Star-gazer moves with an almost ethereal quality, shifting to sit beside her frosted brother, providing him with a shoulder, but.. little else. Emotions are not something Nonza seems to.. possess. Sympathy can come in many forms, however, and this shoulder she offers is the sliver of it that she can provide. "There is one. There was only one." Nonza says, her voice, while not monotone, is limited to a small range of inflections. "You have a son. They have named him Kale'Kizuka, and he is made in your image." The lioness speaks slow, speaks soft. "He lives, and your Ghost does what she knows to do to keep him so." A pause. "And you must do what you know to do. You must provide your son a home to return to when he is healed. That is why you are here, brother. And to follow her would be an insult to your bloodline, and to hers."
"I know what my responsibility is!" Aitan roars, snapping his head up... torn out of his despondency by her admonition. "A son... one son." He is not upset by this failure to adhere to nature's rule of producing masses of offspring to ensure a greater number of survivors. Look how many of his once large family are still here. Elim... Nonza.. and himself. Even still... one cub is just enough for him. He is gifted even, for the chance to be a father after so long. "Kale'kizuka... he rolls the name over his tongue. "My son will find Tyne waiting for him..." He bows his head... acknowledging his duty. Still... why this godawful timing? Why did the gods pull both his brother away from the lands at the same time his mate's time was upon her? He will never be able to tell his son about the day he was born... no that honor will go to another. His chest reverberates with a growl. Motosi. Kinghood has robbed him of time with his mate, of seeing his son born... robbed him and gifted another. There will be many things to tell when Tyne's royal family is together again.
She does not flinch, nor turn away. Nonza's countenance is solid, eyes unblinking, lips unsmiling. "One son." She repeats. "Those that look after him do not intend to meet him in their paradise for many long seasons. Your child is safe. Your Ghost has run with the black beast at her heels to aid her as they ventured." The growl is met with a very faint tilting of her head, a turning of her face until the right eye is all that looks at him. It plucks light from the moon and casts it back, gleaming like a solid disk. "I saw them." She says softly. "She was alone, and then she ran, carrying the small Ghost in her jaws. She spoke to the dark one and he ran with her. Do you harbor ill feeling for the Rogue of the North, brother?" Curious. Ever curious.
"You saw them?" He rumbles incredulously, pricking a brow at her words. He sighs and shakes his head... sometimes his sister's "talents" are a bit unsettling. It's not that he doesn't believe her... it's just hard to get used to. Like discovering that there was a 6th sense that existed which he did not have. She makes him feel... blind. He meets her eyes, staring at her for a couple of seconds and leaning against her lithe shoulder slightly. "I... I don't know." He admits. Something about the strange lion unsettles Aitan. And he is jealous of the time that his mate and Motosi spend together. Their bond seems... different then the feelings between her and himself. Different how? He doesn't know... And now he will be there for his son's first breaths. There to comfort Ukomobasi in her fear and pain. And he can do nothing. He gives a frusterated roar, shoulders bunching and muscles tensing as he brusquely glides into his pacing again. "I'm not there! It will never be different... you can never make that up." He turns and looks at Nonza, emptiness and pain in his eyes. "I missed it."
"My sights fly far and wide, brother. How better to be everywhere at once?" Rhetoric. The lioness remains solid under his lean, her head still inclined, and as his chin rests upon her shoulder, it tilts, her head. Onto his. It is the first voluntary contact that she has initiated since her disappearance in Tyne, and it is reserved for her brother. And it is also the first smile, though he will not see it. It is.. amused. Knowing. "You put too much stock in birth. Ours was not glorious. Your son's was not, either. Nor will his son's or daughters. It is not the first or last breath that make the life you life. It is all the breaths in between that you will take. What you waste them on. What you use them for. Will you cave, now, and forsake the breaths your son takes after his first? Will you lament so the least important moment of your son's life?" Her head lifts, and she looks at her brother, the smile still there. Creepy. "Or will you do more than fear this one small tragedy. Will you thank your Stars that your son lives? That he will grow and you will teach?" She quiets a moment. "These are lessons that our great father can not have taught us. They are the lessons we must learn, and must learn well. On our own."
Aitan's fitful pacing quiets. He slows... and then stops, coming to rest in front of his sister, head bowed between his forelegs again. He raises it wearily and gives her a valiant attempt at a smile... though his eyes are barren and dark with worry. "You're right Nonz.... absolutely and completely." He takes a deep breath... body shuddering from exhaustion as he inhales. He glances out, gaze touching gently gently over the horizon. It softens. These lands.. this burden he was given. He must stay strong for them... and most importantly for his family. They must have something to come home to- His son and his nieces and nephews will grow up playing under the trees and in the savannahs of Tyne... but only if he holds it together for them all. He looks back at his sister and nods to her deeply, eyes expressing a gratitude for her gentle-but-firm verbal slap in the face. "Thank you." He says simply... eyes still clouded but not like before- there is a purpose in them once more, not just the dead emptiness of pain and fear that had crowded out everything else. This lion is a King, and by the gods... he'd better start acting like one. After all... what would his father say?
"You will never have to thank me." The lioness with her father's pelt says, bowing her head and stepping from the shine of the moon. Many wings. Black ones. White ones. Colorful ones. They are all mobile and Nonza is once more hidden somewhere. Out of sight. But not out of reach.
