Pride Rock Resting (OPEN)

[Samaki]

Pride Rock's massive structure stood plainly on the savannah. The large slabs of earth and stone, mounted together to form a truly admirable structure. It must be the envy of other prides. The golden, grey rock was radiating the heat of the sun, making waves in the air.

Samaki had been part of the pride for more than a few months now, and had only been in the presence of the great pride rock but a few times. The honored home of the royal pride. Samaki didn't think she was included among royal terms, but in the pride she grew up in, she was the King's daughter. Yes, but the pridelands were different.

Shrugging her shoulders, she assumed that if she wasn't welcome there, she would soon find out. It was worth the risk, as it was a great spot to meet other lions and hang out in some of the shade surrounding it.

Her paws easily carried her up the rocky climb, black claws serving the useful purpose of latching into the nooks and crannies and heaving her body up to Pride Rock.

She sighed when she pulled herself up onto the base of pride rock's peak; it seemed like a throne of the land. One could see almost everything for miles, I could only imagine the view from the edge, or even from the very top of pride rock! Samaki thought excitedly, but she didn't dare venture to those points, it didn't seem she had the right to.

Samaki simply paced around the entrance of the royal den of Pride Rock and decided to lay behind a fairly large rock outside (See where Kovu slept outside in TLK2). Samaki let out a large yawn and sighed, curling her tail around her feet, the beaded bracelet around her tail making a clinking noise.

She looked out to the vast lands before her, enjoying the great view in comfort. She didn't know if there were any other lions around, but she'd be glad to meet them now.

[Simba]

S I M B A

In the early afternoon, the bright rays of the sun were blaring down on the savannah. Shortly after midday, the giant star had reached its highest point in the sky over the African plains. With it, came an unbearable heat that sent many of the creatures who survive here retreating to the shade. With the rainy season having come and gone with no precipitation, the temperature was unseasonably high. By this time in years past, the rains would have come and gone, cooling the land in the process. This year however, no such event had occurred.

In the intense heat of the day, Pride Rock's den was proving to be the perfect respite from the blazing rays of the sun. The cave that had formed naturally by the slabs of rock that built the massive structure, provided the Pridelanders with shade at all hours of the day. The den's interior was significantly cooler than the air outside, allowing the lions to escape the intense heat that was becoming difficult to bear.

The king of the Pridelands opened his eyes, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the den. His jaws parted in a yawn, as he awoke from an afternoon slumber. He glanced around the den at other sleeping members of his pride, who were finding rest to be the perfect escape from the day's unbearable heat. The king got to his feet, stretching the stiffness from his limbs before moving toward the den's entrance. His footsteps on the giant slab of rock were silent as he moved to not awaken the other sleeping members of his pride.

As he exited the den, Simba was instantly confronted with the high temperature of the day. For a moment, he was relieved that the den had managed to remain slightly cooler than the air outside. He continued forward, making his way down the great slab of rock toward its edge: a path he had walked many times since becoming king of these lands. When he had reached the edge, Simba came to a halt as his gaze fixated on the vast landscape before him. His amber eyes carefully surveyed one area of the land to the next, taking in all of the familiar sights of the Pridelands.

A soft clinking noise suddenly caught the king's attention. He turned his body around in the direction of the sound. A young lioness laying behind a large rock captured his attention. He had not noticed her when he had passed by her, but he assumed that she had noticed him. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." He apologized, sincerity evident in his tone. He knew that she was one of the newest additions to his pride, but had yet to have the chance to meet her. "And welcome to the Pridelands." He added with a smile, finally getting the chance to meet the newest member.

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ooc: I don't really remember where it was that Kovu slept in relation to the den so I just made it so Simba couldn't see her because she was behind the rock. Hope that's ok![/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Samaki]

((OOC: Click here to see where Kovu slept in TLK2, and where Samaki is laying now (:))

Samaki in fact did not notice the large male lion that had left the den and she kept her eyes overlooked to the vast landscape of the african savannah, the view was beautiful. It was truly an honor to be accepted into such a large, gifted pride of lions. They must have owned the pick of the land, rather than the other prides, though she was sure they might have great territory as well, if she ever got to visit them.

She turned her head, her eyes widening just a bit as she was caught off guard by the large lion. Honestly, I just don't know why I keep missing the presence of these other lions, it must be the heat.. The heat.. The sky was completely clear and blue, no sign of coming clouds or signs of rain whatsoever. Her amber eyes quickly scanned over him, he had a full, dark red mane, and a rich golden coat. He must be.. the king, I think, he does look royal..

"Oh, hello! You must be... Simba? If I am correct? Thank you for the welcome, I feel ashamed for not introducing myself to more of the lions, especially the king! Though I'm sure you know how this heat of the summer sun is known for taking a toll on everyone, she said kindly, she had a small accent of elsewhere territory, "I'm sure you can tell I'm not from around here," she added shyly. She hoped the well known king of the pridelands would accept her, though he seemed kindly enough. She had heard good things about him around and about outside the pridelands.

[Simba]

S I M B A

Generations of lions had survived in the Pridelands, creating long lines of felines that had seen the rise and fall of many generations of kings. Every now and then, a vagrant lion would stray into the territory in search of a new pride to call home, welcomed by the pride that already thrived here. However, in the recent years, more and more new members had acquainted themselves with the pride that had reigned for years in this territory. It seemed that by the end of each week, the pride had been able to add more members to its ranks, increasing steadily in number.

With the recent increase in new members, it was not surprising that the king of the Pridelands had yet to meet some of the more recent additions. He had heard about them from many of the lionesses who had already crossed paths with the new additions. He had been given names, but had not had the opportunity to match each one with a face. Simba had always made it a high priority to get to know each member of his pride on a personal level. The king felt it was important to know who each member was and for each member to know him as well. He liked the philosophy of having a pride that functioned as one large family that could communicate with each other, rather than an estranged group of lions living within the same territory. He had managed to do so thus far, however with the recent influx of members into the pride, it was becoming more difficult to formally introduce himself to everyone.

As the lioness returned his greeting, a warm smile turned up the corners of Simba's lips. Seeing the pride growing and thriving each day was a reward to the reigning king who had returned when everything had nearly fallen apart. With the help of his Queen, he had managed to restore the Pridelands to its formal glory and allowed the pride a chance to grow. To see the bright, cheerful faces of the members of his pride was one of the most rewarding aspects of being the king of these great lands. It gave him reassurance that he was doing something right, as long as the pride continued to grow and thrive under his rule.

"Yes, I'm Simba." The king replied with a nod. "And you must be..." He paused for a moment, drawing unfamiliar names from his memory "Samaki?" He questioned, hoping he had gotten the name right. He had heard the name, along with a few others, exchange d between some of the lionesses, although his guess was as good as any. "No need to feel ashamed, you will meet everyone in time. I'm sure you've noticed that there is quite a large number of us here." He said with a chuckle. The lioness before him seemed very kind and polite, providing the king with a good first impression.

"This summer has been especially hot." He continued. The fact that the seasonal rains had failed to fall this year was not lost on any creature that survived in these harsh lands. The rain brought the cooler temperatures of autumn that were much needed after months of unbearable summer heat. Without any precipitation, the temperature had yet to drop and everyone was beginning to feel its effects.

As the new lioness had been speaking, Simba had detected the slight hint of an accent in her voice. In all his years, he had never heard an accent quite like hers before and knew instantly that she was not from around here. "Have you had an opportunity to take a look around?" He asked, able to tell by her voice that she was not from any of the territories around here. She had most likely traveled a great distance to get to where she was now, putting herself in very unfamiliar surroundings among lions that she did not know. "You are more than welcome to call the Pridelands your home." He added with a smile, hoping to make her feel welcome and comfortable enough to be able to call these unfamiliar lands her new home.

ooc: ahh thank you! I was looking for a picture when I was writing my last reply but couldn't find one anywhere. Now I know! xD[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/size]

[Samaki]

SAMAKI

"Oh! What a pleasure to meet my King, Simba, and I look forward to meeting the rest of the pride, certainly," she said graciously and nodded her head for a moment before continuing, "Indeed I am Samaki, it is an honor that you know my name. And oh yes, I agree that this summer has been especially warmer. Do you know of when the seasonal rains may come?" she asked him curiously, tilting her head slightly. The question seemed innocent, but one corner of her mouth tilted upwards in a small crooked sneer as the question escaped her lips; it was as if the thought of drought and death tickled her, as though she were plotting it. This was not the case though, since obviously no beast could control weather, and her small smile was left unnoticed.

She turned her head away for a few minutes to look out on the savannah again upon awaiting his reply and contemplated a life style like that.. A life style of malevolent deeds. A life style of a fiend. Wouldn't it be such a rush to be able to live on the wrong side of things? I could be as much of a rebel as I wanted and do whatever I feel like doing. these types of thoughts wandered around in her mind until she finally shook her head abruptly. She could ponder these things later.

[Simba]

S I M B A

"And what a pleasure to meet you too, Samaki." A gentle smile forming on his lips as he spoke the words. "I'm sure the rest of the pride will be happy to get to know you as well." As the lioness spoke of the harsh summer weather and lack of rainfall, the king of the Pridelands found himself stealing a quick glance at the sky. There was not a single cloud to be had among the backsplash of bright blue that lingered above them. It had been the same for days, only changing with the setting of the sun that caused the bright blue sky to morph into a deep navy. The sun would be gone for a short period of time, though the heat still lingered. At times it seemed like the sun had never set at all.

"I wish I could say I knew when the rains were coming." He replied, lowering his gaze back toward the lioness. "It is quite unusual for them not to have arrived by now..." He followed Samaki's gaze out across the territory, his amber eyes scanning over the landscape he knew so well. The typically lush grasses had been baked in the intense rays of the sun, leaving them brown and dead looking. Herds of animals moved slowly across the savannah below, foraging for something that could be considered edible. Even the watering hole was taking on a new appearance, looking much smaller than usual. As each day passed with no sign of rain, the situation in the Pridelands made the king feel uneasy. It was only a matter of time before the herds would move on and there would be nothing left to eat and the watering hole would dry up to nothing.

Simba pulled his eyes away from his territory and back toward Samaki again. He would worry about the current situation later when he was not having a conversation with a new pride member. Dealing with things like this was his job as king and he did not want to worry her with what would happen should the weather continue following this pattern. "Have you traveled a long way?" he asked her, trying to shift the focus of the conversation away from the unsettling weather.

[Samaki]

SAMAKI

The pale lioness smiled gratefully upon hearing the King's words. Indeed.. I'm sure they will be very happy in the end, certainly.. her seemingly kind hearted smile nearly turned into an evil sneer before she caught herself. Then the weather again.

"You don't say? It is truly an awful thing for the rains not to come.." she trailed off when he changed the subject. Have you traveled a long way? A long way indeed, a long way to her past.. her home.. Well it's not my home anymore! They don't love me.. I don't think they ever did.. and her head drooped sadly as she thought over her past. That was until she remembered to answer him, "Ah.. Why yes, I have travelled a long way.. You see, I was born in a pride near the coast. You know, the ocean? If you have heard of it, but I think the Pridelands are certainly quite a ways inland from there. It's uhh.. a bit past the drylands and highlands, which I believe are quite close to eachother.. Oh sorry, I ramble. I don't believe I want to go back there though.. The journey was even longer because I could not simply pass through the other territories, which is the shortest route. It actually rains in the Highlands and Coastlands a lot, and our prides are pretty friendly towards eachother I think, but we haven't really made contact with them in a while.. Hmn.. I wonder if they are suffering from the drought as well.." she explained. She felt like she had said a bit too much on her part, so then she turned the subject to him, "And what abou--" she was suddenly cut off as a young, grey lioness practically bounced up pride rock and interrupted everything, following in a glare from Samaki.

(OOC: Geographically it would make sense for the Highlands and Drylands to be close to eachother, since the Highlands are basically a mountain, causing the clouds to rain and thin out before the drylands, causing the drylands to be, well... dry. Basic geographical weather study. Plus, winds from the coast and such would build up clouds and rain, blowing it towards the Highlands.)

[Sooka]

Sooka

"Hahah! WOW, that was quite a tale, uhh... nevermind it doesn't matter, I can ask your name later, but right now it's all about the King! What an honor to talk to the King PERSONALLY! I mean WOW!" she laughed giddily in her high pitched voice, definitely pushing Samaki's buttons and receiving a hard glare from her. She continued by posing and walking closer to Simba in a flirty manner, which would make anyone want to grit their teeth, "Hey, mister! You must be the KING right? Of the Pridelands! You may as well be King of everything! I bet you're sooo popular, being the King and all. Hey! I used to be best friends with your daughter, the Princess! Oh man, we had some of the greatest times, EVER!" she lied professionally. In all actuality, Kiara always avoided Sooka as a cub, and even now.

"My name is Sooka! I'm friends with everyone in the pride!" she giggled, flopping down next to Samaki as if she had known her all her life, as Samaki still looked as if she were itching to get her claws into her.