Faith in the Fauna

[Deleted]

Zelda groaned. “Fine!” She growled stamping her paw in frustration. “Moona. What do you say wanna go play?” Zelda then thought for a moment. “Oh and if you don’t mind mum, I would like Taro and Sarumba. It’s been so long since we’ve seen other lions I would love someone else, someone new.” She looked at her mother guiltily before padding to Sarumba and batting her paw. “Sarumba will you come with Moona Taro and I?” She asked politely looking up at her.

[kyto7878]

Moona said in a sad tone "Well I guess so. Lets go on an adventure maybe. That will be fun!" Moona followed Zelda as she stomped her way towards Sarumba. Moona grinned after Zelda said “Sarumba will you come with Moona Taro and I?” Moona then smiled showing his teeth as they shined and said "Pwease?" Moona's tail flicked up and down and side to side. He looked at Zelda and asked her "How old are you? Im 1 1/2 months old."

[KanuTGL]

OOC: This RP has now been paused for a month. To keep this story from fading into nothing, as a Moderator I will start this RP again.

IC: "No, this is not my kingdom nor anybody else's. It belongs to all of the creatures and is currently unclaimed. Sarumba and I, Bagymo, merely live here, but this land is abundant in it's resources. You are all quite welcome to stay, hunt, do whatever you wish."

Gacoki visibly relaxed his stance when he heard this and gave out a small sigh of relief. Dajan's eyes lit up and for a brief few seconds a thought flashed through his mind - "Unclaimed?" What a marvellous opportunity... Since his older brother was destined to be King of their homeland, who w-- Gacoki glanced at his brother, as if he had read his mind, and Dajan shifted his gaze to his own paws.

"And it is a pleasure being in the presence of royalty," the older male, Bagymo, continued. Gacoki smiled and returned the bow. The younger of the two white lionesses introduced herself next and Dajan smiled widely at her. "Pleasure to meet you, m'lady." he said and bowed down so low that his nose almost touched the ground. Gacoki rolled his eyes.

At the mention of a hunt the two brothers' ears pricked up in unison. "Sounds like a fantastic idea!" Dajan exclaimed and for a moment look just as excited as the little cub Moona. "We could go off this way - I saw a herd not so far away from here!" Gacoki nodded. They would never excel a lioness' skills but, without bragging, he thought that he and his brother had become a pretty good team of hunters... Maybelle, Taro and the cubs went off to (apparently) chase mice. "We'll go off in this direction." Gacoki said and pointed with a paw. "Come on, Daj."

"We'll be right back!" said Dajan, beaming, and strutted off after his brother, as confident as ever. If they had left but a moment later they would have seen a frightened Taro return with Moona.

"Right. So where to, brother?" They had reduced their speed down to a slow jog and were currently scanning the ground for any signs suggesting what way the herd of antelope had went.

[Tamber]

((OOC: sorry, y'all for not keeping up with this the way I should have been. I was kind of stuck in a spot for a while but I'll make my way around to keep this alive.))

Seeing that Xoren would soon be fine, Feja decided that it would be a good time for her and her pupil to continue on their travels. She stood tall before Kianga and the white lioness. "Sorry to rush off like this, but we've got some business to attend to today. We've yet to eat, so I'll have to coax Tad into catching something for me." She smiled at the lionesses, then turning to give Tad a wink and a grin, as well.

Tad couldn't have been less amused. With each moment his mentor seemed to have less and less respect for him. "I hate new people. Feja's always mean to me when they're around." he thought. Tad wrinkled his nose at her smirk. His ears flattened and he began walking away on his own, up the tree-filled hill they had been standing beside.

"I wish you much luck in recovering, Xoren," she said with a pleasant smile to the white lioness. "Best of wishes to you, as well, Kianga. Thank you for sharing your meal..." Feja paused, looking at the carcass. "...Though I don't think Tad ever ate any of it."

Feja headed up the hill through the trees after Tad, waving a last goodbye to the lionesses. She trotted up after her friend and found him sulking behind a tree, a pouty look on his caramel face."What's wrong with you?" she asked, seeing him glare at her angrily. "Hey, your problem with new faces isn't my fault, so don't go pinning this on me."

"Well it doethn't help when you're tho rude to me, ethpecially right in front of the people you want me to meet."

"I figured it would be an incentive for you," she said, shrugging and continuing to walk forward, expecting Tad to jump up and follow. "If you'd have grown a pair and spoken to them, I would have shut up. Besides, how mean was I really being, Tad? The awkward silence as I gave you a chance to introduce yourself...that was all you."

Tad stood up and followed his friend from a relative distance, now sulking even more. He knew that it was ultimately his fault for how unimportant and weak he felt, but Feja's negativity wasn't helping, tough in some way he wished it would.

Feja looked back at her friend, and seeing the sadness in his face as it hung near the ground, she paused and waited for him to catch up. "You know I only want to help you, right Tad?" Tad nodded reluctantly, and Feja nuzzled him slightly. "If taunting won't help you open up, I won't do it, but I've got to know what will if you want me to help. I can only go so far. At some point you've got to take chances and try the new things that I teach you about, not just talk about them in the future tense."

Tad nodded, feeling slightly better after hearing Feja soften. The strange pair walked calmly out of the trees and onto a vast savana, off on the search for food once more.

[Deleted]

Zelda lay down, misery etched in her face. "Mother. I'm going for a wander on my own. I don't care if I see the snake." She stood up slowly, turning her back she ran off. As she ran flashbacks played through her head repeatedly. She was being hugged by her proud parents. Next thing she knew she was humming tunes to her dad. The wind blew around her, turning she thought she saw her father standing there, watching here. When she blinked he was gone. Zelda turned and followed where her father had dissapeared, next thing she knew she was alone rocks, trees and bushes blocking her from seeing anything. Jumping up and down she just to see reached over the grass.

"It's what I wanted I guess." She muttered. Miserably Zelda lay down and cried herself to sleep.

[kyto7878]

Moona didnt know what was going on. He saw Zelda running into the distance. Moona sighed "I thought we were going on an adventure? I guess I was wrong." Moona layed down in the dirt near the tree he had climbed on a while back. He hesitated to think about his mom and dad and instead thought about why Zelda had left. "This is the worst day ive ever had. I hope I find my family soon and maybe a friend.

Moona stood up and climbed up the tree to the highest branch and began to dig his claws in the bark. He knew that he couldnt expect to be taken care of all the time even though he was a cub. He was going to train himself to fight and hunt that way he would never be weak. Moona saw a grass hopper and desided he would start with that. Moona let out his best roar but of course it was weak and cubbish. The grass hopper just hopped from leaf to leaf in the tree.

[Deleted]

The wind blew Zelda's fur as she thought deeply. The wind whispered slightly audible words. Zelda strained her ears to hear "My daughter, you must not mourn for me for any longer. I miss you and you mother dearly, but please don't abandon your friends there is a half lion half panther waiting for you." With that he began to fade.
"Dad! Wait!" I cried trying to follow his voice. I froze, "half lion and half panther." I repeated racking my brains. I gasped. "Moona!"
Zelda turned and ran the way she had come.

Slowly Zelda slowed to a walk she could see Moona in a tree but only from the distance. "Moona!" She called. "Lets go play now!" She shouted again. As she said this she heard the words, Thank you said behind her. Zelda turned to see no-one. "Anytime dad." She whispered smiling.

[Tamber]

The duo strolled calmly through the tall, golden grasses through most of the morning, not one gazelle or wildebeest in sight. It was strange not to see more herds out and about today, being as sunny, cool, and serene as it was. The cats' stomaches began to growl ferociously, and Feja decided that a different route had to be taken.

"We should find water," she announced, pausing in the middle of the savanna, standing tall, and looking about for a reserve. She turned to look at Tad, giving him a chance to redeem his mistakes from earlier. "Do you know why we should find water?"

Tad was sure that he had heard this explanation at some point, but his memory failed him. He went for an answer he knew was wrong, but was better than shrugging his shoulders. "Becauthe...we're........thirthty?"

Feja tried her best not to roll her eyes and sigh at her student. She tried to keep her face emotionless, but the narrowing of her eyes and the twitching of her eyebrows gave her disappointment away. Tad was sensitive to such minute reactions, therefore he certainly noticed, but he hid his emotion better than his friend.

Feja swallowed and corrected him politely. "We're not thirsty..." she hinted. At that moment a flock of malibu storks sounded their cries and flew overhead in a group of about ten, gliding nearer and nearer the ground. "...But they are," Feja concluded. She peered up at the storks again, then gave Tad a little smirk.

Tad was surprised and relieved to see Feja's disappointment vanish so quickly, and he smiled as well, his ears perking up to the calls of the storks. "Are we gonna follow 'em?" he asked excitedly.

Feja smiled and nodded. "Lead the way."

[kyto7878]

Moona's ear's flickered up when her heard Zelda say "Lets go play now!" Moona face lightened up he did have a friend he wasnt alone after all He ran to Zelda and said "Where are we going for the adventure?" Moona had a big popsicle grin on his face. Moona ran around in circles around Zelda she was far older then him but she was still a great friend. Moona then realized finally that no one is ever alone.

[magiccat]

Maybelled smirked at the two cubs. She was pleased Zelda had come back and was eager to keep an eye on her daughter. Seeing Moona begin to play she chuckled and yawned.

She wasn't sure what the group were going to do next so, enjoying a moment of snake-less peace, she lay down in the grass. Her ears flicked about and she moved her tail from side to side. The moment didn't last long as she remembered what they had been doing.

"Well, if no other snake wishes to pick a fight, I shall conclude our hunting" She said, turning to search for more mice. Dajan and Gacocki could handle the big prey. She'd been taking down Zebra's for her and Zelda since...well since they had left the pride. Today she would quietly catch a few mice for the cubs.

Spying a particularly nice one a little way off from the group, she began to stalk through the grass toward it. All the mouse saw, was a flash of white as Maybelle pounced and claimed it. Her teeth dug into it and held her prey tightly. She trotted back to the two cubs, then placed it down gently before slinking off to find more. She often enjoyed hunting, especially on a nice day like this.

"Well...nice if you don't count that ugly Tree Cobra" She muttered to herself as her eyes searched for mice.

[Deleted]

"Where shall we have our adventure?" Kyto said to her. Zelda thought for a minute.
"I know somewhere. Just wait I need to tell mum something." Zelda ran to her mother and bit her paw gently. "I've just been talking to dad." She said quickly before running over to Kyto. "Kyto lets go." She said leading the way to a large meadow. Zelda padded aroubnd it making sure she and Kyto were safe. No threat around. "Kyto lets play hide and seek!" Zelda cried.

[kyto7878]

Moona followed Zelda with his head help up high trying to act important and proud. Until he tripped in a hole in the meadow Moona's tail flew over his head and it looked like he actually had a mane starting to grow. Moona's smile turned into a popsicle grin as he got up from the hole and began to shake his fur. "Hide and seek! I love that game ill look for you first ok?" Moona was ready to try to unlock the stealthy panther side of him. Moona began to count down from 30 "1.....5.....15.......20......30..... Ready or not here I come! Olly Olly Oxen free!" Moona crouched down and began crawling through the long blades of grass.

[Deleted]

Zelda giggled as Moona fell over but ended up rolling on the floor laughing at his tufted tail mane. She nudged it off him and grinned.

She jumped as he began counting; stealthily she darted to a lone thorn bush and hid in there. She held her breath as the thorns poked her sides. "15, 20, 30 Ready or not here I come!" Zelda lay close to the ground where less thorns poked her, as she lay there she thought of the next hiding places.

Shrugging she looked through a gap to see where Moona was searching for her. She had to place a paw over her mouth to muffle her giggles. At least the thorns aren't distracting me anymore, it's only the giggling I have to stop now. She thought to herself.

[Zorayda]

Taro lay in the grass, panting slightly and feeling lazy from the sun high in the afternoon sky. He grinned lazily, his tongue lolling out, as the cubs romped to and fro in the tall grass. He kept half an eye on them, seeing as he and Maybelle had become the babysitters for the afternoon.

Taro kept the other half of his attention on the beautiful Sarumba, who was not too far away--easily spotted by her innocently white fur. His emerald eyes flicked to her every now and then.

The young male flicked his still-short black mane out of his eyes and lay his head on his front paws, the sun reflecting off of his brilliantly golden fur. He stretched his chocolate brown toes out, his claws unsheathing, before relaxing them and tucking them under his chocolate brown chin.

[Lorien]

Sarumba was about to answer the cubs, but they ran off to play instead. Smiling, the white lioness shrugged. She remembered how it was to be young and so...active. She looked over at Bagymo, who was lying down in the green grasses of the lush savanna. Her eyes then looked to Taro, who was also lounging in the grass. Maybelle was off hunting for the cubs while the princes were off hunting for the rest of them.

She stood up and trotted to the watering hole, dipping down her slender neck for a drink. She smiled as she peered at the water before her, a flock of storks flying toward it. She thought about chasing them just for the fun of it, but decided that she did not want to get wet. She enjoyed swimming sometimes to cool off...but it brought back memories that she wished would stay retained.

Bagymo watched Sarumba as she walked to the edge of the water. He then peered over at Taro, who also seemed to be looking at the young lioness yet at the two cubs playing at the same time. He smiled and yawned, the heat and quiet making him tired.

"Young Taro, how did you come to know the Juai religion? With the recent commotion, I don't recall if you've told me."

[kyto7878]

Moona padded his way from tree to tree.From a patch of long grass to another patch of long grass.And from hole to hole. but Moona could just no find Zelda moona then Moona though he saw something in a bush but he didnt know it had thorns so he ran as fast as he could toward the thorn bush and leaped into to get Zelda. But when he landed in the thorn bush he yelped with pain "Augh!!!!!!!!" Moona fell and rolled out of the thorn bush with at least 20 thorns in him. Moona layed in the ground and got up but he was shaking a little. Moona began pulling each thorn out 1 by 1 but the pain was so intense. Blood came down his fur and he said to Zelda "Ok zelda your it now."

[Tamber]

Tad hesitated for a moment, knowing this was a big moment and that he was getting a big second chance. He stepped forward and began trotting after the storks, but he soon realized that he would have to pick up the pace in order to keep up with them. He gradually built up to a dead run, and Feja soon took off after him.

Something about the chance was exhilarating and wonderful to Tad. The wind blew across his whiskers and tickling his cheeks, making him giggle. He amazed himself as he caught up with the birds and ran underneath them, their shadows scattered around him.

Tad and the birds reach the peak of a gradual incline, and the caramel lion skidded to a halt. Dead ahead of him he saw an expansive, glimmering watering hole, twisting and turning over the land. It was populated by various animals, often grouped together with members of their species. Antelope, wildebeest, zebras, rhinos, and even a few giraffes, not to leave out the many different species of birds perched on the trees, taking flight, and resting on the water. Tad watched as his stork friends glided down, splashed through the water with their long legs, and rested into it's calm ripples. It was certainly the most beautiful thing Tad had ever seen.

Feja reached the top of the hill after Tad and stood next to him. She marveled at the sight before her and scanned the area for any suitible prey for her friend. Still, she was cautious. In the midst of large groups such as this, a hunt could create a big disturbance or even a dangerous stampede.

"Oh, ithn't it beautiful, Feja?" Tad marveled. "I don't know...I don't think I want to disthturb them."

Feja was slightly relieved to hear this from her pupil. "Let's look somewhere nearby. There's bound to be a separate herd or two around here."

Tad turned to his teacher and asked, "D-do you think I'll g-get thomething today, F-f-Feja?"

Feja grinned calmly. "Stay on task and you might. Go on, walk around and see if you can find something."

Tad commensed in his hunt, treading through the golden grasses. His eyes were wide with wonder, and a toothy grin appeared on his face. Feja followed her friend and kept her eyes peeled, discretely preparing to help her student if she needed to. She only hoped that with all this excitement he could stay composed and focused.

[Shari]

The very earth itself shook slightly as a massive black rhinoceros slowly strolled across the savannah. Herds grazed, predators basked, and a gentle wind sent ripples across the sea of high grass. In short, it was another beautiful day, spirits be blessed.

Taking his time, the rhino strode on, his body waggling as his enormous weight shifted from side to side with each step. About fifty yards to his left, an unlikely duo of a lion and a cheetah were conversing with each other. The lion looked rather excited, perhaps a first hunt? Not that Busara, yes, that is the rhino's name, feared anything. Predators knew better than to get in his way, the last group of lions that attempted to hunt him down had the bruises to prove it.

Snorting loudly and swatting his tail in circles in a futile attempt to get the flies off of his bottocks, Busara decided to pay no heed to the two. The mystery would probably solve itself with the passing of time. No need to waste precious stamina just yet.

"Hmmm?"

It was then when he spotted something, a rather large group of seemingly rogue lions enjoying themselves near a watering hole. Cubs were there too, happily running about, their mother(s?) keeping a watchful eye on them. Realizing that he was pretty thirsty himself, the horned herbivore decided to join them for a drink and perhaps a tale or two.

He could have stopped at the other watering hole behind him, but that one was a tad too crowded for his liking. And besides, most herbivores were not like him, they weren't adventurers like he was, thus he considered them boring. Most predators on the other hand, especially felines, loved wandering the lands as much as he did. And one could hold interesting conversations with them if they didn't try to kill you.

Approaching the group in a slow but steady pace, he called out to them.

"Hail! Could this old rhino have his share of the life liquid?"

[Zorayda]

Taro flicked an ear at Bagymo's voice and rolled onto his feet.

"Hmm... you know, I really heard about it from the herds of animals I've seen in my travels...Zebras and giraffes, mostly--the kind of animals that lions can't hunt alone."

Taro tilted his head, a distant look coming into his eyes. "It just...I don't know how to describe it...captured my imagination? No...perhaps it just made sense to me, that there was a sentient being or beings that created this planet. I don't even know all of the gods' names...I just know that I can feel their presence in my heart sometimes."

He looked up into the sky and let out a tiny sigh, then turned his eyes to the older male. "When did you learn about Juail? And...can you tell me...a story about the gods? I probably haven't heard any of them...I'd love to listen."

Taro was interrupted, however, when a large rhinocerous walked up to them and asked to share the water.

Glancing at Bagymo, Taro answered, "Well, of course! There's enough for everyone." The young male lion wasn't bothered with sharing their space--and who would be foolish enough to say "no" to a rhino?

"What's your name?" Taro asked, then realized that he was talking to someone without being shy. This made him flatten his ears and blush, but his gaze lingered on the rhino as he walked towards it (almost) fearlessly.

Perhaps he was young, foolish, or just inexperienced.

[magiccat]

As Zelda ran over to her she stopped, a paw still half raised. She had been talking to her father? Why had Maybelle not received any visions? She was slightly hurt by this, surely she was important enough for her mate to talk to her?

Maybelle froze and raised her head from the grass. She hadn't gotten far from the group and she had heard the Rhino arrive. The way he spoke, he sounded like her dad. She glanced toward him briefly, watching Taro approach. She realized this left nobody in charge of the cubs. She darted back quickly, only to find Moona bleeding and Zelda in a thorn bush. She looked between the two cubs, not sure who to rescue first. Finally, her mothering side won out and she dived toward Moona. Zelda wasn't hurt yet. She examined his wounds and pushed down gently to try and pin Moona to the floor. "Don't try to stand Moona" She urged.

Quietly the worried lioness tried to tend to his wounds. All she could do was drag her tongue along them. She hoped Moona could grin and bare a bit more rpain. Slowly she pulled herself off of the young cub and sat beside the thorn bush, looking down at Zelda crossly.

"Care to tell me what happened Zelda?" She asked, a strict slightly angered tone to her voice.

(OOC: That turned out better than I thought it would)

[Deleted]

Zelda looked at her mother sheepishly. “Sorry mum.” She said her ears pinned back. Zelda glanced at Moona, “Sorry Moona.” She said. Zelda then looked back to her mother. “Mum, I didn’t expect there to be thorns in the bush either.”

She hung her head sadly.

Meanwhile on top of a large rock a young male lion watching the small family amongst the bushes. He smiled as he looked at the white lioness and her cub, but something was different about the other cub, he was a golden colour with hints of black. Akua’s golden eyes hardened before he turned on his heel and padded to the watering hole. As he padded there he spotted one unusual thing. He frowned and observed it from the distance. A group of lions, possibly a pride, drinking water from the watering hole, with a rhino. He didn’t understand at all, hesitantly he padded to the water and staying close to the lions lap a small amount up. He looked up at the group thinking deeply. “Excuse me...” He began. “May I join your...um....pride?” He asked nervously. The wind blew is black side fringe and from a distance it would of looked like he had grey fur. Ma-akua shrugged and looked at each individual lion. He looked twice when he saw a white lioness. “Wow.” He mouthed, I thought I was the only white lion around here besides that other female. He thought.

He put the thought at the back of his mind before turning to face the largest lion. “I am Ma-akua, a rogue. You are?” He asked.

[kyto7878]

Moona's pain became more and more intense as Maybelle's tounge went across it, wiping off the blood. Then he heard Zelda say sorry but then moona explained "It wasnt your fault I shouldnt even have jumped in like that."As moona layed in the dirt he began to stop bleeding. Moona listened to Maybelle and didnt try to get up even when he saw Zelda talking to another lion that he wanted to meet. Moona layed his head down in the dirt and closed his eyes.Moona began going further and further away until he fell asleep. He was lost in his mind dreaming about the family and friends he used to have before he got lost....

[Lorien]

Bagymo was about to tell Taro of how he had grown up in a religious pride, how he had been chosen to be the future Mystic of Solet (as they called the position), the one who would know all of the teachings, stories, and everything to know about the Juai religion. However, a rhino disrupted the two, asking to share the watering hole they had all gathered around. As Bagymo's eyes quickly shifted to Sarumba to see that she was ok, he stood up to get a closer look at the newcomer.

Seeing the horn on the rhino's snout, the elder lion gave a laugh and walked toward the armored beast, answering Taro's question for him. "This is Busara." He bowed his head slightly to the rhino in greeting, a large grin on his face. "It's a pleasure to see you once again, my old friend."

Sarumba, while she had seen this rhino before when she was a cub, was startled by his presence. She soon took her leave from the water hole and made her way over to Taro. She knew what power these animals had, and although she knew that he and Bagymo were friends, she was still cautious.

Bagymo's eyes then shifted toward the new figure, a white male lion. As the male approached, Bagymo listened to what he had to say. He then found himself being personally addressed and bowed his head in introduction. "My name is Bagymo. It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance, Ma-Akua." The elder lion then looked about the small group, his eyes resting on the white rogue once again. "We are no pride, just a group of wanderers finding each other by chance. But you are more than welcome to join us."

[Shari]

"Well, of course! There's enough for everyone."

A smile appeared on Busara's large lips, generosity hadn't completely left this world after all. The young lion immediately began to blush however, causing the rhino to raise an armoured eyebrow. After regaining it's composture, the lion asked for his name. But before he could answer, a rather familiar voice had beaten him to it.

"This is Busara." the voice explained, "It's a pleasure to see you once again, my old friend."

Narrowing his eyes to slits in order to get a sharper view, after which he let out wheezy gasp as he suddenly realized who was standing there before him.

"Bagymo!" he greeted, softly bumping his head into the oddly coloured lion's flank as a salute, "How long has it been?" The joyful grin threatened to split his face in two.

It was then when he noticed Bagymo's accomplice.

"It cannot be..." he thought to himself, closing his auburn eyes and shaking his cranium slightly in disbelief.

"Is that little Sarumba?" Busara asked, his grin changing from pleasant to teasing. The white lioness didn't respond however, and cautiously walked away from the two to the lion which had greeted him earlier. The rhino once again raised an eyebrow, was it something he said?

Deciding to worry about it later, he returned his attention to the black maned lion in front of him.

"So, how have your gods been guiding you, my friend?" he asked with a friendly smile, slowly trudging towards the watering hole in order to quench his thirst.

[Deleted]

Ma-akua nodded his head at the lion named, Bagymo, then listened as the rhino said something about Sarumba. He looked around and saw the white lioness padding off. Frowning he followed her. "Um...hi, Sarumba. Right?" He asked as he caught up with her. "I apologise for intruding but I couldn't help noticing you wandering off alone. Is everything ok?" He asked softly.

Zelda looked at Moona with a guilty sinking feeling. She padded to his side and began helping her mother clean his wounds. "It isn't your fault Moona, it's mine, all mine. No-one elses." She said firmly. With that she padded off away from her friend and mother and sat down shoulders hunched.

[Zorayda]

Taro was shocked to know that Bagymo and Sarumba knew this large beast before him, a tank of muscle, and armor.

"Uh...okay, I guess...I am kinda new to the Juai religion, and I was actually just asking Bagymo a few questions about it..."

Something else raised the young lion's curiosity.

"So...you knew Sarumba as a cub, eh?" A wicked grin crossed Taro's features. "What stories do you have about her? We've become quick...friends," Taro finished the sentence, confused as what to call Sarumba.

He really wanted to be more than friends with her, but being together in some way was sufficient...for now. Taro's gaze became distant and wistful for a moment before refocusing on the rhino.

[Sarah]

A few distances ahead, Hiko walked slowly with no thoughts in his mind collapsed on the ground; "I got to keep moving...." he said very exhausted and made no effort to get up or move. He was too thirsty and too exhausted to even think about moving, he looked at the lions that was only a few distances ahead. If only I could get there..... Hiko thought to himself tiredly. He made an attempt to get up and almost made it, when he finally went back down to the hard ground, he let out a deep breath.
"Water....." Hiko whispered weakly, his tongue longing for water that will give him the strength to walk again. "Why did I ever leave home?" Hiko muttered to himself negatively, thoughts like these always comes to his mind when he doesn't have the strength.He sniffed the air for water, but there wasn't any that he could get to before he finally collapsed and his vision quickly faded into black.

[Shari]

(Oops! With the black maned lion I actually meant Bagymo, but I just realized your lion has black manes as well Zorayda! Sorry for the confusion. But heck, I'll continue like this.)

A sense of relief washed over the rhino as massive bodies of water disappeared down his throat, just what he needed. While Busara drank, his ears perked to listen to what the young lion had to say. Apparantly the lad was barely introduced to the famed Juai religion, and would love to have some questions answered.

"I wish I could help you, young whippersnapper! But I've refrained from worshipping things like gods long ago, ho ho ho ho!" he laughed, which actually sounded more like he had something stuck in his throat and was choking.

But then the lion began to ask him things about Sarumba's childhood, with a suspicious grin on his features. The last sentence interested him in particular:

"We've become quick...friends," the youngling had said, before his gaze diverted slighly into the lioness's direction. Eventually he swirled his head around to look at the rhino again, who's lips curled into a youthful smile.

"Oui, c'est l'amour..." he thought to himself, trailing off. Suddenly a painful memory stung his mind like a wasp, and he was quickly brought back to the real world.

"Well, I've sure got some stories to tell about her shennanigans as a cub!" he laughed, which again sounded like he was dying a horrible death, "You see, there was this time when- wait a minute."

His eyes narrowed to slits as he had spotted something unusual in the distance and wanted to get a better look at it. What first looked like a dark heap of fur was in fact... a lion!

"More of your kin!" he suddenly exclaimed, nudging his broken horn in the lion's direction, "and it appears he needs our help!"

[magiccat]

Maybelle licked Zelda softly to show she accepted the apology. She watched Moona for a while before sighing slightly and looking at the ground. Her mothering instincts could be a pain in her very own royal behind some times. She just hoped Zelda and Moona weren't too upset. Deciding to play peacemaker she stood up.

"Both of you are at fault. You share the guilt so you share the blame. Both of you have apologized so lets drop the matter for now." She said with a kind smile. She stood there a little awkwardly. "Well I hope neither of you get into any trouble again so I'll go now. I trust you but remember Zelda, I'm only ever a little way away. You don't need to do everything without any help"

So the lioness walked back to the group, dropping her motherly smile as she did so. It worked with cubs but she made sure never to talk to adults with it. She drew level with the group and sat down. Noticing the Rhino she froze startled by his close proximity. That horn... oh gosh. She was thankful the cubs weren't close enough to get trodden on. Be it by accident or anger.

She noted the white lion a little way off but figured he was busy with Sarumba. "Hello...um....Rhino" She tried. "My apologies for this rude question but, who exactly are you?" She said with a curious look and a friendly smile. However she was distracted by the Rhino pointing out a new lion. She just spotted him collapsing.

"Are you ok?!" She yelled, dashing toward what she had seen. When she got there he had fallen unconscious. "Yes this lion definitely needs help" She called back to the group. She tried nudging him but quickly decided to wait for back up. If he was hostile upon awakening she was done for.

[Deleted]

Zelda sat by Moona watching her mother try to help the rhino. Standing up she turned to him, "Do you want to go swimming at the watering hole instead then?" She asked, "It's safe and we will be surrounded by other lions, what could possibly go wrong?" She said, more to herself then to Moona. Shrugging it off she scanned the area and spotted a familiar figure. Squinting the figure became clearer. Sarumba. Grinning she ran to her but hesitated when she saw a male lion with her. Looking at him she became quite jumpy and the feeling of vulnerability washed over her. Turning she ran straight back to Moona and lay by his side sighing, “Swimming would be safer.” She said to him giggling.

Zelda looked at Moona softly. “Or do you have another idea?” She asked curiously.


Akua turned when he heard a shout. Gasping he saw the same female lion as before watching another lion, he was clearly injured. Turning away he ran straight toward the two lions. “Is he ok?” He asked urgently looking down at the lion. Ma-akua lowered his snout and nudged the weak lion, carefully he slipped the newcomer on his back. “I’m Ma-akua by the way but we have to help this lion before we have proper greetings.” He said smirking. Slowly Ma-akua made his way towards the water.

As his paws were about to give way he placed the lion by the water. Panting he looked up and glanced nervously at the rhino, “I’m sorry I didn’t get any of your names, only Bagymo’s. May I ask who you all are? And as you probably heard before I am Ma-akua, some call me Akua, for short."