The Tropical Mystery

[Prince of Pridelands]

Keplar was walking to and fro over and over again at the foot of pride rock. He was terribly worried.
"Where could they be?"He thought. It had been a day since the hunting party had left and they usually come back after a few hours, maybe even half a day, but never a COMPLETE day!
He felt like bursting into tears. His best friend was also a member of the party. She was a young member, but still proved her worth in hunting and was also good at fending for herself. But he was still worried. It was supposed to be a simple hunting trip and it turned out to be a big scare for everyone at pride rock. Keplar could see other lions and lionesses sitting at various places at the foot of pride rock, waiting for their sisters, friends and mates to return from the hunt. but to no avail. He lay down on the ground and rested his head on his paws, but kept his sights on the horizon in anticipation.

[Deleted]

Misteeca was an adolescent lioness, but she wasn't so good at the hunting. So... therefore she wasn't part of tjhe hunting party. She saw Keplar sitting by himself and padded over next to him.

'' Hey, they'll be alright. They're smart animals.'' She said trying to comfort the lion. She lay down next to him.

[Prince of Pridelands]

"I hope so".Keplar was somewhat happy that someone would actually care to comfort him, although he did not even know who this lioness was.
"Hi, I'm Keplar, but I don't think I've seen you before. Whats your name? Are you also waiting for someone who is gone hunting?"

[Deleted]

''Oh, sorry, i'm misteeca.. misty for short..'' She said. She looked at the ground sadly.
''Yes, my sister.. Aleusha...'' Misteeca looked up from the ground. '' This was her first trip. She's tough.. but if she gets seperated from the rest.. i don't know if she'll be able to survive..'' She said as she wiped a tear from her eye...

[Prince of Pridelands]

Keplar could see the sadness in her and felt sorry for her since he was in the same situation.
"I'm sure wherever they are they surely must have stayed together." he said as he gave a few pats on Misty's back to console her. It was a pridelander safety rule, that any pride members intending to travel far from pride rock, including hunting parties, must not travel alone, must remain in a group and must not stray away from that group. Keplar kept looking at Misty for a while until a glimpse caught his eye. He looked up to see a bird flying towards the promontory, possibly looking for the king. A while later everyone was being called to assemble at the foot of Pride Rock since the king had an announcement to make. The king sadly told everyone the report he was told that the party has gone missing. This news greatly shocked Keplar such that his mouth and eyes were wide open.
"Oh no! Juni! Whatever could have happened to her?!" When the announcement was over everone stayed at that place with worried looks no less than that of Keplar himself. Some were even crying. Keplar looked over towards Misty to see how she would have reacted to this.

[Deleted]

Misteeca looked at the ground sadly. She looked back up at Keplar. '' If this is true.. then there's a chance they might have split up or lost each other, and u know what i told you about Aleusha.'' She said sadly. '' I don't know about you but i'm gonna go out there and find them!'' She exclaimed.
''You coming?'' She said eagerly.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Juni looked behind her. She saw half of the group walking the other way. She saw one of the younger lionesses from the other group look back too. Then.. they disappeared..
Juni kept walking, following the leader of the group. She padded up next to the leader.
''Do you know exactly where we are heading?'' She asked curiously. None of the pride members knew what was going on except for the leaders. No-one knew they were lost. Juni still padding along beside the leader, waited for her reply.

[Prince of Pridelands]

Keplar was not really expecting this. But then again the king had refused to risk any more losses by sending a search party, and Keplar could not bear the worry of his friend anymore.
"Alright, I'm with you." He walked alongside Misteeca and thought about the trip. He knew it was not really that easy or safe and the jungle was pretty far away. Perhaps they would pass the territories of other prides aswell, encounter other animals on the way. He just hoped that they wouldn't need to fight their way through. As he walked with Misty, he noticed she was quiet and had a determined look on her face, possibly thinking about her sister.
"Are you sure about this? What if something happens to us? Maybe we should find others to come with us. Perhaps also get as much information about the jungle as we can."
________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I'm sure I do!" The elder lioness replied, although she was as confused as anyone else in the party. As an elder and leader of the group, it was her responsibility to take care of the group and she didn't want anyone to start panicking, so she falsely assured everyone that they would be alright. She didn't know how wrong she was. To her, a young member like Juni would be something of an annoyance, and besides, the jungle was too big to be covered so easily, so the leader ordered Juni to search for some exit towards the North, while she herself went Westwards. Juni had been ordered to report back to her when she found something of interest.

[Deleted]

Misteeca looked up at Keplar. ''Well, if you want...'' She said ''Who are we going to ask though? I don't really know tat many lions around here.'' She questioned looking around.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Juni looked at the elder and nodded. she turned and walked off to the north and looked around. She saw a narrow path between some bushes. She walked back up to the leader.
'' I think i've found something...'' She exclaimed...........

[Prince of Pridelands]

Misty was right though, Keplar didn't know anyone else who would be willing enough to come with them.
"Ok I guess we'll move on and see what happens." Keplar continued to walk with Misty. He let fate decide what it had in mind for them.
"So, have you ever been on one of the hunts before?" He asked, trying to overcome the worries with some talking.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

The leader followed Juni and saw the small pathway.
"There are many pathways in the jungle. This is only ONE of them. So I reccommend you start searching where this goes and I'll search along the other path I found heading Westward." She said to Juni as she started heading Westwards.

[Pulsar]

“And where do you two think you are going hmm?”
Said a lion as he steeped out in front of Misteeca and Keplar.
“You aren’t thinking of going looking for the hunting party?”
He said raising an eyebrow.
“I’m afraid I it’s to dangerous and the King has given his orders…. And it’s especially dangerous with only the two of you…….”
He smiled at them.
“If you do go, I’m going to! I don’t know about the rest of the pride, but I won’t stand idly by and do nothing while members of the hunting party are lost….. Or worse…”
He paused for a second.
“Oh yes, my name is Pulsar by the way…. I don’t think you know me… I’m still rather new to the pride….”
Pulsar didn’t really know too many lions in the pride, but those he did know became good friends with him, and he hopped helping these two lions find the hunting party would get him off the ‘outsider’ list and into the prides good lion list.
He grinned at both of them.
“I mean that is… if it’s alright that I travel with you?....”
He said in a low curious voice.

[Prince of Pridelands]

Keplar's question was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a lion. At first Keplar was afraid this lion would report them to the king, but it seemed he wished to join the group.
"Er... I'm Keplar... and this is Misteeca." Keplar was still a bit surprised at the sudden appearance.
"Sure you can come with us, if its allright with Misty as well... and if you're willing to risk your life." He said with a bit of a smile. "I'm going to look for my friend and Misty here is looking for her sister. But unless you have someone important to rescue, I don't see any reason for you to risk yourself. I don't mean to be rude, but may I ask why you are so interested in going to the jungle? Haven't you heard that the jungle is haunted?" Keplar was still suspicious of him. Most animals would think twice before even MENTIONING going to the jungle.

[Pulsar]

Pulsar stared at Keplar for a few awkward moments before speaking.
Pulsar:” Well, why don’t we say I have business to take care of, that direction?”
He said smiling.
Pulsar:” Besides I’m offering my help for free…. I mean you say its dangerous right? Well won’t your odds of surviving be greater if I came along?”
He said curiously.

[Deleted]

Misteeca smiled and bowed her head as Kep intorduced her to this.. Pulsar.
'' I don't see why not.. we could use some company, couldn't we Kep?'' Misty said and turned her head to Kep.

[Prince of Pridelands]

Keplar looked at Misty, then at Pulsar for a moment. He had to admit they could use all the help they could find.
"Fine, come along. Just remember to stick close... especially when we reach the jungle. Its very easy to lose your bearings there. As the trio walked towards the jungle, Keplar could see Pride Rock getting smaller and smaller as they got further. They would still have to traverse the desert and it was quite a journey.
"So do you know anything about the jungle aside from the fact that its haunted? Perhaps you know some things about survival as well?" He asked Pulsar, hoping that he would help them out in a serious situation.

[Pulsar]

(*smacks self on head*
Doh! knew i forgot to do something before i left....
*Feels like a complete ideot*
Sorry guys should have said..... on the upside i did manage to get into the hotels internet network, but it limits me to time but i'll rp best i can if you guys are waiting on me?
Sorry again about that, that was me being stupid. anyway here is a rply then you guys can continue)

Pulsar looked at Keplar and frowned slightly.
"I used to live in that 'Haunted jungle' i know some things but i have this thing that i don't tell other lions my servival tactics..... no offence..."
He said looking at Keplar.

[Prince of Pridelands]

OOC: I deleted the conversation so as not to ruin the flow of the RP... I hope its okay ;D?

IC: "You actually used to LIVE there?!?! But it has been said no one came out from the jungle once they went in. How the heck did you survive there?!" Keplar was visibly surprised at hearing about this. But his surprise slowly changed to curiosity.
"How long did you live there? Whats it like? Is it scary?"

[Deleted]

Misteeca didn't belive these stories as she had come from a small portion of the jungle and never found that it was haunted or scary, etc. But then again that might have been her part of the jungle. She looked at Pulsar waiting for his opinion before she'd give hers.

[Pulsar]

"Scary?...... hmmmmm i supose it depends on what you think scary means...."
Pulsar said pondering a moment.
"There are things in there that can and might kill you.... and the deeper yougo in the worse it gets.."
He shrugged.
"But like i said depends on you opinion.... but as i've said before, i don't just go blabering about stuff like that..."
He laughed as if he found it funny.

[Deleted]

Misteeca laughed to go along with it then she stopped, confused.''Why are we laughing?'' She thought to herself. ''I used to live on the edge of the jungle near the desert. Wasn't anything bad there. I was about to travell through the jungle to see what was on the other side. And then i heard he stories, so i went around. So i don't really no that much about it. So are we just gonna stand here talking or are we gonna go look for our friends and family?'' Misty said and looked at Pulsar and Keplar.

[Pulsar]

Pulsar noded in agreement and smiled.
"Yes, lets go see if we can't find the missing party, and it's members..."

[Deleted]

Misteeca started to walk off into the jungle then turned around and looked at Keplar.
''Coming??'' She said and smiled.

[Prince of Pridelands]

Keplar was in thought about what possible things could be in the jungle. His train of thoughts was interrupted by Misty's call. "Sure, lets move on." He said, returning her smile with his own. Eventually, night fell on the land and the desert began to feel cold. Keplar spotted a small oasis nearby.
"Lets head there... it'll be safer than spending the night on cold sand". He was thankful for his paws to be touching something other than sand. He lay down on the grassy patch and invited the others to join as well. The night sky was crystal clear and a cool breeze constantly kept blowing across the landscape. They were surrounded by a few short trees that blew along with the wind. Somehow, all this made him feel good... relaxed. He was very sleepy from travelling all day. He looked at the horizon in the direction of the jungle.
"We've still got a long way to go... another days journey I'm guessing." he announced to everyone. He then looked over to see what Misty and Pulsar were doing.

[Deleted]

Misty walked along with ulsar and Keplar and then replied to Kep's words.
''Yea, we should stay there for the night. Oh and what are we going to eat tomorrow morning?'' She questioned the other two. She looked at Kep, he was bound to know..

[Prince of Pridelands]

"Eat? Uh oh!" Keplar had to admit he hadn't thought about that. But what was there to eat out in the desert? Keplar could not think of any solution and came up with one reply: "I guess we'll have to wait until we reach the jungle. Theres bound to be something there we can hunt. Unless any of you guys have any suggestions?"

[Pulsar]

Pulsar looked at Keplar and Misty.
“Snakes aren’t too bad…. I mean once you kill it without getting bitten, they can taste nice….”
He said as his gaze shifted to a snake a few metres away which was slithering its way past them. Ok, so it’s not exactly Zebra, but it’s reasonable enough if one is hungry…
“Maybe that was a bad suggestion….”
He said still watching the snake as he pondered what he suggested to the others.

[Deleted]

Misteeca stared at the snake.
''Ok,, that's kinda disgusting.... but if you say it tastes nice... kinda.... i don't see why i shouldn't try it. But you can catch it.. you've obiously done it before.'' She said and giggled a bit and looked at the snake.
She didn't know why she just agreed to try some..

[Pulsar]

Pulsar looked at Misteeca with a surprised expression.
“I ugh…. Ok….”
He said knowing that he did have to catch it; after all it was his idea.
Crouching down as low as he could he slowly crawled up behind the snake which had stopped slithering and seemed to be resting.
Why on earth did i suggest eating snake, these things are always a pain in the butt to catch
Letting out a light sigh, Pulsar got ready to pounce. But as he did the snake quickly moved out of the way, obviously after hearing him sigh.
Pulsar landed flat on his face and sand went up over him. Getting up he shook the sand of and spat out what was in his mouth. Then he heard a hissing noise. Looking to his side with a look of slight horror and surprise he saw the snake.
The snake lunged at Pulsar who barely managed to dodge the attack by lifting his front leg out of the way. The snake recoiled and took another shot, once again barely being dodged by Pulsar, who from his expression was having what looked like a heart attack as he dodged each of the snakes attacks one after the other. Finally the snake slipped up on one of its lunges and acting as quick as he had noticed it, Pulsar grabbed the snake and flung it as far away as possible.
Landing on the ground a few metres away, the snake looked back at Pulsar and hissed as its tongue shot out quickly, before finally slithering away.
Pulsar collapsed on his back taking deep breaths in and sighing.
“Ok if I ever suggest we eat snake again I want one of you to hit me…”
He said between breaths.

[Prince of Pridelands]

Keplar laughed at Pulsar's attempts to catch the rambunctious reptile and saw that Misty was also giggling uncontrollably.
"Hey wait a minute! I'm sure I saw..." Keplar suddenly spoke up and eagerly looked around himself.
"Yes! There is is!" he exclaimed, pointing at a desert tortoise he had seen just before Misty had asked him the previous question. He decided to catch the thing. He became over-confident, thinking that a slow tortoise would be an easy meal. He pounced at it and bit it, but the tortoise was quick and retreated into its shell. He knew the upper shell would be too hard so he went for the belly, but before he could bite again, to his surprise the tortoise bit him... AND RIGHT ON HIS NOSE!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Get it off me!" he yelped as he swung his head to and fro to get rid of the tortoise, who still clung on to his nose. It took a while, but the tortoise did let go, and was flung quite far as Keplar swung his head to the side. He saw as his nose swelled up a bit and turned from pink to red. It hurt considerably as his nose was a sensitive spot and instinctively, tears started rolling out of his eyes.
"Boy! Desert animals really are tough! No wonder they can survive out here." He said as he held his red nose in his paws and tried to massage it.

[Deleted]

Misteeca sat there watching the two males trying to get some food.
While they were still attempting she walked over to a nearby bush and picked off a pile of berries and brought them back to where she was laying before. Lay down and started eating.
''Anyone want some?'' She said and looked at the two, one lyeing on the ground and the other comforting his nose.

[Prince of Pridelands]

"Umm... no thanks. You found them so I guess you earned it. I wasn't feeling that hungry anyway." said Keplar, feeling a little stupid and a little jealous at being outsmarted by a lioness. As soon as he felt his nose pain reduce to a more bearable amount, he went off to sleep, ignoring his stomach. The next day the trio had managed to reach the start of the jungle. Already the environment was changing. It became slightly cooler, the sand slowly transitioned to grass, the ambient sounds of jungle birds and other creatures was audible.
"Okay, where would be the best place to start?" Keplar said looking at Misty and Pulsar, knowing that the two would know this place better since they claimed to have lived here.