The Land Awaits [jump in!]

[Zoketi]

[This is open for anyone! c: Realistic characters only, though, i.e. no powers or unnatural pelt colors.]

My characters;;
M***a
Shomari

The pair of young lions stood on the crest of the hill, surveying the open plains that stretched before them. The taller one, the female, breathed in the air and let out a sigh. The skinny grey male, just leaving cubhood, shifted from paw to paw next to her. The lioness glanced to him with a broad smile, and then trotted down the slope, her mint-green eyes aglow. She weaved through the grass confidently. The male blinked and hurried down after her, his tail waving frantically as he caught up to her. M***a let out a soft little chuckle as she moved along, gently trotting. The silly youngster never liked straying far from their home. But M***a had decided to set off for a bit of traveling. She'd been feeling rather stuck lately, and needed a change. She lifted her head happily, embracing the breeze.

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(I'll bite! I shall be using Xoren and Sola. If Sola's pelt is too unrealistic for you, just imagine it's the same pattern as Xoren's =P)

Xoren and his daughter watched the two strangers as they trekked down the knoll they came into view upon. Looking to each other, they silently decided that it would be a welcomed change to the long days they spent alone, minus each other, to speak to the other lions. Walking perpendicular to the breeze the female embraced, Sola was the first to speak as they came a few feet from the two. "Hello!" the adloecent lion called cheerfully, "what brings you to these plains?"

[Zoketi]

[xD Yay, a reply! And okay. I think she's fine.]

M***a's gaze spotted a pair of felines down the hill as she walked, and she lifted her tail in curiosity. She felt Shomari brush against her, and could feel his slight trembling. She gave him a soft look, then lifted her head to face the two unfamiliar big cats. Lions, she thought, though they didn't seem as if they were pure-blooded lions. "Hi!" M***a greeted in an equally pleasant tone. She halted, her small build hovering in front of them. The younger grey cub behind her stared nervously around her hind legs, his amber gaze wide. M***a let him be; she wouldn't try to push him to interact, as he always shied away. "Oh, we're just passing along." she answered with a dip of her head. "That's okay, right?" She hoped they weren't intruding.

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"Why wouldn't it be?" Sola responded with alacrity. "We have no intentions to be of any hindrance," Xoren chimed in, "so you don't have to worry." He was specifically attempting to calm the smaller of the two who he noticed was slightly trembling behind the lioness. Taking soft steps, Xoren approached the two, closing the distance to a less detached gap. "Is there anywhere in particular you where heading to?" He asked, consciously adding a hint of curiosity to his voice.

[Zoketi]

M***a tilted her head, shrugging a little. "That's good to know." She quipped lightly. "I was just making sure, in case, it wasn't permitted to be here, or something." She gave a slight grin. The light-colored lioness watched as the male moved a bit closer. She felt Shomari tense, and gently let her tail stroke his back in comfort. He seemed to relax a little, but made no move to come out of his 'hiding' spot. "Oh, not really." M***a lifted her head and replied cheerily. "My home's further that way--" She pointed her tail in the direction they'd come from, "--and I decided to take a break and go on the move for a bit, since I used to wander around before I made myself a home." she finished with a little nod.

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"Well my daugther and I have been wandering too," Xoren said peeking back at her, "we actually are a bit relived to see others around here." Looking to the sun that slowly crept its way out of view, Xoren reengaged his line of sight with the stranger's. "I am Xoren." he said proudly, "And I'm Sola!" the adolescent spoke with similar inflection.

[Zoketi]

The peachy-tan lioness inclined her head politely. "It's nice to see others, too." she added, ears pricking up. "My name's M***a." she introduced, smiling warmly. She glanced back towards the grey cub. "And this is my adopted son of sorts, Shomari." she lifted up a hind paw and nudged him slightly. He took a few nervous steps forward and dipped his head in a jerky motion. "Don't mind him, he's always like this." she murmured, brushing her tail against the young lion's side again.

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Sola chuckled a bit, intrigued at the lion's skiddish nature. "It's nice to meet you two." Xoren said, bowing his head slightly. Sola, still new to her father's tenancies, did as he did. "Would you like to travel together?" Xoren asked raising his head. "At least for a little while!" Sola included "I'm sure we'd be a good traveling company." While she did genuinely believe in her own statement, she found that it was at least partially driven by the desire to get closer to the ash-grey cat.

[Zoketi]

She smiled pleasantly. Feeling a little caught off guard by the bows, she merely shuffled her paws. "Oh!" She tilted her head, surprised. But it was a nice idea, certainly. The more the better, in her opinion. Perhaps Shomari would be resistant at first, but he'd learn to get over it. This wouldn't be the first time they interacted with others, M***a was sure. "That sounds great." She answered at last, flicking her tail. She heard a sort of resigned sigh from the grey preteen behind her.

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"Alright then." Xoren said with a hint of relief in his voice. "It might be beneficial to find a place to rest for the night," he said watching the sun's fiery fingers touch the flat horizon, "it will be night soon."

[Zoketi]

M***a nodded in agreement. "Sounds good." she murmured, glancing towards the setting sun as well. Shomari straightened a little and turned, taking a few steps away from her, his tail flicking. "There's a clump of trees that way, maybe that'll work." M***a suggested, pointing a paw towards her left.

[Deleted]

(I'd like to join with Shys and Shay, if I may?)

"Uhh, sis," Shay said, whispering to the gap in the trees where her sister had disappeared to hunt. Shay crouched lower. She had been watching the lions and lionesses for a while, but only recently had they turned and started walking towards her crop of trees.
They were nearly here. Shay looked about in a panic. Her slight leopard ancestry meant Shay had the claws to climb a tree, but her inexhaustible appetite meant she no longer had the skill. Her coat was concealing though - some would say almost magical. So she picked the largest crop of bushes and waddled inside, watching and waiting for what the intruders would do when they saw all the animal bones they'd left lying around. Not to mention the half-eaten zebra carcass lying against the tree. They would know someone had been there. Hopefully, they were friendly.
"Shys, come back soon," she whispered.

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The group of trees seemed a nice place to spend the night to both Xoren and Sola; they would be happy to sleep anywhere after the previous few nights they spent out in the open. "I think that looks to be an adequate spot," Xoren said as he observed the area from afar. "There might be some others inside though," Sola mentioned, "we should be careful when we get there." Moving as one, Xoren and Sola began to make their way towards the collections of trees, looking back over their shoulders at the other members of the party.

[Zoketi]

[hi krissi! sure thing. ;3]

The creamy-tan lioness swished her tail. "Yup," she chirped softly. She glanced at Shomari, then began to tread forwards, following Xoren and Sola at a steady pace. M***a hadn't realized how sleepy she'd actually gotten. When she looked over at the grey cub she could tell he was also rather drowsy, especially since he wasn't used to all this movement. She flicked her tail against his flank as she strode along after the others, in a pleasant mood. As they neared the dense vegetation, she lifted her head to draw in the scents. "There is someone there. And I can smell meat too." she murmured.

[Deleted]

Shay couldn't help it any more. They were getting ever closer. Come on, sis. she shuffled her little feet and wriggled her rather large behind nervously.

Then she had an idea. Cupping her hands over her mouth, from concealment she said in the deepest voice possible, "HALT. WHO GOES THERE?"

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Sola heard the voice that bellowed and rebounded against the trees they were now surrounded with. She had heard the voices of those this was attempting to imitate during her days as a thief and immidiatly identified it as a ruse. "We are but a simple group wishing to find refuge in this sanctuary," she replied before the others could, "that is if you would allow us to..." Xoren looked to his daughter aware that she was acting far out of the ordinary. He turned his gaze to M***a and Shomari, signaling with his eyes to follow Sola's lead. By the time he had turned back, Sola had lowered her head in a submissive fashion as to further the bluff which he commenced to copy.

[Zoketi]

M***a flicked back her ears in surprise at the voice. Hmm, not so friendly, but perhaps they could work it out. She tilted her head and padded demurely forwards, Shomari tagging nervously along. He'd obviously been spooked by the deep growl, and was trembling a little. M***a made sure to keep next to him as she followed Sola and Xoren, trying her best to appear harmless and small. Which really wasn't that hard for either her or the greyish cub.

[Deleted]

Shay watched as they walked between the trees, anxiety piling up in her throat. She didn't dare breathe... but then a young lion walked in, one about her age, looking about nervously. It had been so long since she'd seen someone her own age... "Uhhh. *ahem*" Shay cupped her hands over her mouth again. "You can't come in... just yet. My parents aren't home and if they find you in here uninvited, they may be angry. Very angry." She put her paws down, but then noticed an itching sensation and looked down. What she saw made the muscles in her back tense, and she grimaced.
She was crouching right over an ant's nest.

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"Who are these parents you speak of?" Sola said, raising her head, "Last I was aware unrelenting forces had nothing to control them." Sola new that if she began to call the stranger's bluff, she and the others would eventually force them out of hiding. "If your parents have any qualms," Xoren bellowed, "then they should speak to me directly rather than using you as a mouth piece." He followed his daughters shift in attitude, a direct attempt to reverse the current situation.

[Zoketi]

M***a let Sola and Xoren take the lead with replies, for she didn't think she was the best at this sort of thing. She flicked her tail and peered into the brush warily, wondering who could be in there yelling out at them. She was tired and partly almost wanted to just abandon this idea and find another place, but her determination wouldn't let her. She nudged Shomari close and allowed him to duck against her, still shivering.

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"They... Uhh... Uhmmm..." Shay shook her chubby little legs, trying to get the ants off and rustling leaves in the process, until finally she felt one crawling in the fur on her tummy. She felt a little pinch and a sting, then another on her back, until she couldn't take it any more and started scratching at her body like crazy. Being such a big lioness, however, meant she couldn't reach all the itchy places, and in the process she rolled out of the bushes and came to rest on her back, pinned under her enormous fluffy tummy, right at the feet of the eldest lioness. Shay looked up and said, "Ok, I admit its just me here and I'm all alone please don't hurt me but please, GET THESE ANTS OFF ME!"

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Sola and Xoren immediately began to brush the ants from the stranger's belly, making sure not to allow them to crawl onto their own paws. As they did this, Xoren looked around the enclosure, his keen eye working for any others that might be lurking in the shadows. "Why did you try to scare us off?" Sola asked as she brushed the last of the ants from the feline's fur. Though she was on guard against this unknown cat, she did feel as if a creature bothered by such a small nuisance could not be too dangerous.

[Zoketi]

M***a pricked her ears in surprise as a large lioness rolled out, fighting against tiny annoyances--ants. She frowned slightly, and quickly assisted the other to the clean the insects from the fur of the newcomer. She shook her paws and sniffed, brushing against the grass to make sure none of the bugs got into her own pelt. She cocked her head and straightened as they finished. "I'd like to know that too." she murmured, though she was more curious than upset really. Shomari stayed behind her, watching as usual.

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"You're strangers," Shay said. "You could be good or bad guys, and my sister's out hunting, so..." She shrugged, and despite her size, easily turned over and hopped to her feet - not that that was much higher than lying on her stomach. "Thanks for the help with the ants. Guess you guys aren't so bad after all." She smiled at them. "So who are you guys anyway?"

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"We're just wanderers," Xoren told the lioness, "We had figured we could rest here for the quickly approaching night. My name is Xoren," He said, bowing his head just as he had when he first met M***a and Shomari. "And I am his daughter Sola," the adolescent told them, following her fathers motions more naturally this time.

[Zoketi]

M***a figured the large lioness had a fair point. She blinked lightly at her, coiling her tail around Shomari's flank. Not bad guys. She smiled cheerily and glanced towards Xoren and Sola as they introduced themselves. When they had, she took a step forwards and dipped her own head politely. "I'm M***a." she chirped kindly, blinking mint-green eyes. "This is my friend Shomari." she added, glancing towards the orange-eyed older cub. He merely shuffled his paws and blinked. "So if it is alright, could we stay the night under these trees?" M***a asked.

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"Umm... yeah, I think so," Shay said, looking around. "I mean it's really not up to me. My sister, Shys, is in charge. She's basically my mother." Shay rolled her eyes. "But she hasn't come back from the hunt yet. I was actually thinking of going and looking for her... but like you said it's getting dark. I wouldn't want to go alone..." She looked out over the grassy plains, clearly worried.

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Xoren knew what it was like to worry for a loved one, and has always had a soft spot for these circumstances. "We can help you find her" Xoren offered, "it would be no trouble at all." Sola looked to her father and nodded her head, indicating that she too would come and aid in the search.

[Zoketi]

The creamy tan lioness swished her tail in thought. She supposed she might as well come too, seeing as she had nothing better to do. M***a pricked her ears, following the other lioness's gaze over the grassland. Shomari looked less pleased, and she knew he was tired and hardly wanting to spend more time with strangers. But, she couldn't leave him on his own in unfamiliar land. She gave his head a quick lick as he scooted around her, and then lifted her head. "Agreed," she murmured brightly. "Which way did she head off in?" M***a queried, stepping forwards and letting her mint-green gaze sweep over the savannah curiously.

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"Would you? Oh thank you," Shay replied. "She went off that way. Look, see? There's her tracks." She pointed at the sandy soil and the way the grass was pushed down, heading west towards the setting sun. In the distance the land darkened as patches of trees grew thicker and the grasslands more patchy. "She often hunts near those woods. I should never have said I was still hungry." Then she set off at a speedy trot - speedy for one whose bouncing tummy nearly dragged against the ground.