Ever Unchanging (Open)

[russianwolf]

Thump, thump, thump several rodents scattered as Veli rushed past them, his massive paws harshly pounding on the dry Earth with each step he took. The watering hole entered into his line of vision, he smirked and shot forward at full speed. Furiously knocking away any animals that surrounded the hole, he gave a mighty roar before jumping in.

The force of Veli's enormous body caused a tremendous splash, the azure liquid splashed everywhere while the proud feline rose back up to the surface of the water. He grinned, pleased with himself and began to swim towards the shore. He shook himself in an effort to dry his damp fur. The feline chuckled, gazing into a small puddle of water and seeing his own reflection. "I wonder if anyone wants to play with me?"He asked himself.

[Huru]

H U R U

The bright African sun blared in the bright blue sky above the lands. At mid-day, the fiery orb had reached its highest point in the sky, casting rays of heat upon the earth below. It was a common occurrence for heat waves to be seen rippling off the ground, with little to no rainfall taking place for months across the continent. A young male lion made his way across the savanna, his steps falling rhythmically one after the other onto the scorched earth beneath his feet. The pads beneath his feet were worn from months of wandering across the african plains with no place to call home. For Huru, the life of a vagrant had been a part of him ever since he was a young cub. Never in his life had he had a place to call home. Yet overtime, the young lion had adjusted well to his lifestyle. He was a free-spirit, independent, and not needing a pride to be apart of and watch out for. He was content with living his life as a wanderer, moving from place to place without spending too much time in one area for long.

As Huru made his way across the grasslands, a strong scent made its way into his nostrils. He paused for a moment, allowing another intake of breath to filter out the unfamiliar scent. His amber eyes stared out at the land before him, catching sight of the big stone fixture rippling in the heat waves in the distance. So this is the Pridelands. He thought to himself before resuming his movement once more.

In his years of being a wanderer, Huru had yet to come across the Pridelander's territory. He had heard about it in his travels, but had never once seen the lands for himself. As he made his way across the territory, his pace slowed, taking in the sights around him. The land was plentiful with all kinds of creatures. The tall grasses that surrounded him on all sides a bright, vibrant green. Not bad. He thought as he pressed on, moving deeper into the territory. He was an intruder in these parts, but Huru did not care. Part of being a vagrant was encroaching on the territory of others. To Huru, the world had no boundaries. Territory lines were none of his concern and unfamiliar borders were meant to be crossed. If someone were to confront him here he would deal with it then, but for now, the young male was planning on enjoying himself in the Pridelands while he had the time.

An audible splash off in the distance captured the vagrants attention. He paused for a moment, turning his head in the direction of the sound. He could see animals scattering in all directions as the spray of water erupted from the earth. What the... He thought, allowing his curiosity to drive him toward the disturbance. He approached the watering hole slowly, concealing himself among the tall grasses that surrounded the large body of water. His amber orbs scanned the rippling surface of the water, until suddenly the head of a male lion resurfaced. Huru watched as the lion swam across the watering hole, to climb out on the sandy shore.

Huru's eyes followed the young male lions every movements, slightly amused as the other male spoke to his own reflection in the shimmering water. Laughing, Huru moved forward from his place in the tall grasses exposing himself to the male lion on the shore of the watering hole. "Do you always talk to yourself?" He asked the other lion, a smirk playing across his lips. The lion was looking for someone to play with, so why not have a little fun?

[Nami]

Zora was silent when she crossed the boarder. It had been a hot day up in the Highlands and most of the other lions were taking shelter in the caves or shadows of the mountains. The dark lioness had been one of the many to take shelter there, in the heat of the day, but not now. She had grown antsy and needed to move a bit. Zora hated nothing more than to sit around in the sticky heat, panting and swatting at the incessant gnats that would fly into an annoyed lion's eyes.
The coolest water source in the Highlands was at the Highland, Lowland boarder. Zora would've gone down there, but it wouldn't have been relaxing to constantly looking over her shoulder, so her paws had brought her here. At the edge of the Pride Lands.
The confident lioness wasn't hesitant when crossing, she knew Nala, Queen of the Pridelands and they had shared a few moments of life threatening danger together. So Zora didn't feel like she was intruding, if she happened to run into the Queen she'd be glad to see her. But right now, the only thing on her mind was getting to the huge watering hole that so many animals flocked to. A gentle, refreshing, breeze brought a moment of comfort for the sun baked lioness, and with it the scents of two male lions. Zora began to grow hesitant, the last time she had run into two male lions on her own, it hadn't ended well. But these were not the same lions. "Calm down, silly. You're safe here."
Forcing herself forward the lioness walked further into the Pridelander's territory. Soon the water hole came into sight, along with two other lions. Zora took a breath and continued forward.

Attachments:

[russianwolf]

Veli whipped his head around and looked at Huru with curious green eyes. He didn't recognize the other male, nothing about him was familiar so he obviously wasn't a Pridelander. The usually very playful lion was rather confused at the moment, he didn't feel threatened by this strange male yet he knew that it was his duty to protect the Pridelands from any intruders.

"I don't always talk to myself. I only do it if I'm bored." Veli said beaming joyfully at the other male. "Who are you and why are you here?" He questioned. He felt it was only right that he know why Huru was there. After all Veli didn't want a reason to have to attack the stranger, he would feel horrible later on.

[Huru]

H U R U

The other male's head whipped around with surprise at the sound of Huru's voice. Yet despite the shock of encountering an unknown male lion, a jovial smile was still plastered on the other male's face. Huru rolled his amber eyes taking a few steps closer to the other male. "Name's Huru." He replied, his eyes wandering from the other lion to the rippling surface of the water. His own distorted reflection staring back at him in the clear liquid. He turned his attention back to the other male "No particular reason. I go wherever I feel like going." He replied, his own grin plastered on his face. "I take it you're a Pridelander?" He added "Do I get to know the name of my interrogator?"

Suddenly, the scent of another lion found Huru's nostrils. This scent was unfamiliar and not that of a male, but a lioness. Huru turned in the direction of the scent, keeping a view of the other male from the corner of his eye. He watched as a lioness emerged from the brush without hesitating at the appearance of two male lions. He kept his eyes fixed on her, watching her movements as she drew nearer to him and the Pridelander. "Well, hello." He said as she approached them "Since we're all getting to know each other here, what's your name?" He added, as all of his attention began to shift from the other male to the lioness.

[Nami]

Zora stayed silent for a moment. Examining the two males. She flick a bit of her fur out of her eyes. "Zora." She responded with a smile. "And who are you both? You're not from around here are you rouge?" The dark lioness commented, moving her attention to the rouge.
"I know many of the Pridelanders but I haven't met you." Zora said glancing toward the other male. "What's your name?"
She tried to look totally calm, but her throat was growing dry and a hot breeze was making it's way over Zora's fur. She looked back at the rouge again, not completely sure if she trusted him or not.

[Huru]

H U R U

Zora... a nice name, the young male lion thought to himself. The lioness smiled as she spoke, revealing to the vagrant that she did not feel threatened in the presence of two male lions. "Can't say that I am" He replied to the lioness' question, watching her turn her attention away from the other male to him. "Nice place though" He added pulling his amber eyes away from the female to glance around the watering hole. Huru had been to a number of different territories in his time as a vagrant, never settling in one place for very long. However, today was the first time that he had ventured into the Prideland territory. As he glanced back at the lioness before him, a smile spread across his lips. "Maybe I'll stick around."

"I'm Huru" He added, allowing himself a glance at the other male who had not said a word since the coming of the lioness. He turned his attention back to Zora, who's eyes were upon him once again. "Are you from around here?" he asked the lioness, his tail flicking with curiosity behind him.

[Nami]

Zora let a smile tug on the edge of her lips at hearing the rouge speak. He was nicer then the ones she had encountered before, much nicer. She allowed herself to sit on her haunches, letting both the males see that she intended to stay for a while. "This is one of the nicer areas in the surrounding territories." Zora agreed then adding, "It does get a lot more sun then the Highlands." She looked the rouge for a moment, studying him as he spoke, she studied many lions, especially new ones. She liked to know what made them tick, it made it easier to understand those around her. "I'm from the Highlands." The dark lioness answered, a bit of pride loyalty edging on her voice. At hearing that the Huru might stay, she nodded in a welcome, "I'm sure you'll be welcomed with open arms here. If you ever around the Highlands, give me a call. I'd love to give you a tour." She smiled for a moment then she allowed it to fade from her lips. Zora could take it no longer, the smell and sight of the cool water finally got to her and she stood, walking boldly up to Huru. She walked passed him silently and came to the edge of the pool. Dipping her front paws into the water, some of the heat in her body began to lessen, her mood improving greatly. She let out a little sigh and plopped down next to the refreshing waters. She still faced the two males, she wasn't going to let either of them out of her sight just yet.

[Huru]

H U R U

As the lioness lowered herself to her haunches before him, the young rogue mimicked her actions. If the female was not planning on going anywhere, neither was he. His amber optics studied her as her own set of eyes looked over him. He wondered what she was thinking as she shifted her gaze from the other male and back to him. As she noted the territory that surrounded them, Huru pulled his eyes away from her to glance around the watering hole once again. The sun was still shining brightly overhead, casting invisible waves of heat onto the savannah below. Despite the unbearable heat that the mid-day African sun tended to bring, the area that surrounded the watering hole felt much cooler than the rest of the savannah. The few trees that surrounded the body of water cast the perfect amount of shade onto the fertile ground that was covered in lush green grasses. The cool water caught the typically dry breeze that passed through, the air taking some of the coolness off the water's surface as it passed. The area that surrounded the three lions truly was a nice territory. It was a shame that someone had already laid claim to it.

"The Highlands, huh?" Huru spoke, turning his amber optics back toward the lioness. "I've passed through there before" He thought back to that day when he encountered that lioness who could not stop laughing to herself. He shook his head slightly, shaking the memory of the strange lion from his head before continuing. "But if you're offering to give me a tour, I'd love to go back there and see some more of the place..." A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he finished and met the female's eyes. Huru did not really like the idea of returning to places that he had already been. Living the life of a vagrant, it was just something he did not normally do. But with Zora offering to give him a tour of her Pride's territory should he return to the Highlands, Huru was not going to pass up the offer.

The young male watched as the female made her way past him and toward the water's edge. She moved with an air of confidence about her, completely unafraid of the juvenile male lion who stood in between her and the liquid. As she lay down next to the water and turned back toward him, Huru was impressed with the boldness of the way she strode past him to get to where she wanted to go despite being in the presence of two male lions she did not know. Though only for a brief moment, she had even turned her back on him and the Pridelander, showing no fear of the strangers she did not know. Huru could not help but be roused by the way she composed herself with such confidence.

Huru got back to his feet, turning himself around so he was once again facing Zora before lowering himself back to his haunches. He watched the surface of the water ripple away from where her paws had broken the surface toward the center of the watering hole before fading away completely. "So if you're from the Highlands, what brings you here?" He asked her. From personal experience, Huru knew that accessing other territories from the Highlands was not exactly the easiest of tasks. Not to mention the Highlands were not relatively close to where they were now. However, there were a lot of things that Huru still did not know about the lioness who lay before him, and he was eager to find out more.

[Nami]

Zora smiled back for a moment, now that she was fully relaxed. She leaned forward a little, trying to stretch out her neck. She crossed her dark paw in front of her, her tail swishing back and forth ever so slightly. Huru seemed a like a nice lion, she found herself dawn to his ability to move about, unhindered by the ties that held ones self to a pride or certain family members. But from his looks and the way he held himself, he was not stranger to heart break, or pain for that matter. Her eyes examined each scar that she could see, knowing full well that each other carried a story. If she had been honest with the lions around her, she'd say she had a heart for adventure. But the last one she had taken wasn't exactly the most enjoyable. The every thought sent shivers down her spine. Heat waves bounced off the ground, distorting the horizon that Huru had his back too. Only when Huru spoke did Zora snap back to attention, she had let her mind wander. If she had heard correctly, the rouge was excepting her offer, she smiled. "Of course, I'm sure my king wouldn't mind." She tried to sound sure of herself but she wasn't entirely, Maliki was kind--but protective. Especially toward his females. A grin spread across her face at the thought of her friend Jiraa. She wondered if her friend realized that Maliki had eyes for her.
Hearing Huru ask another question she listened intently, her ears forward. She nodded before answering, "There isn't a lot of water up where I'm from. And normally it's quite shady, but today the sun is hitting our mountains so directly that most of the shade is gone. Many of the pride members are spending their day up in the caves but I wanted to go for a walk."
The dark lioness paused, letting the answer sink in. A few buzzards flew lazily above the group of lions. She let out a sigh, knowing that she would have to return before night fall. The sun was high but the days always felt short. But she did not let that bother her, she'd worry about saying her farewells when the time came. Sitting up a little Zora asked, "What brings you to these lovely lands? I'm sure you've seen a lot of the surrounding territories." A hint of admiration slipped into Zora's tone.

[Samaki]

Samaki let out a large yawn as she lazily strolled down to the watering hole. Her day had been rather boring and uneventful, the herds farther out of her way than usual. The pounding of the suns rays had been heating her back to an unbearable temperature as she had been wandering around in the sun all day.

The tall grasses brushed over her fur as she walked closer to the water. She stepped out of the grassland cover and stopped when she saw the 3 other lions just a few feet away on the shoreline.
Two males and a female. How foolish of me for not scouting the land first.. It must be the heat. she thought, raising her nose in the warm breeze. They were downwind and she could get no scent of them.

Well, I hope they're nice. but they seemed to be, the female looked completely comfortable around them. Samaki gave them a look from afar that seemed to say, 'mind your own business and leave me be,' she didn't care if they saw or not.

After pondering about the other lions, Samaki vaguely shrugged her shoulders and continued walking down to the water, still a few feet away up the shore from them. She sunk her paws in and smiled with relief as the cool water washed over them.
The pale lioness stepped in a few feet more and splashed into the water, rolling over on her back. She rested her head on the shore where the water only came up to her ears. Closing her eyes and letting the cool water and the warm breeze soothe her, she was enjoying herself greatly. She no longer cared if the other lions where even paying attention to her. Maybe Samaki would introduce herself later.

[Nami]

Zora smelled the lioness before she saw her. She was thin and lanky. But now it was three Pridelanders and one Highlander. She sighed and shifted uncomfortable, "Many lions are coming here for the cool water I see." She was planning on leaving soon. She didn't want every lion in the Pridelands to know she was here after all... her king didn't know that she had left.

[Samaki]

Samaki twitched her ear as she heard the lioness speak, causing the clear, cold water to ripple and make a tiny splashing sound.
"I don't blame them at all, especially on such a hot day. They'd better enjoy it while it lasts. You never know when a drought could take it from the land," she said in her normal, raspy, though soothing voice.
She pulled her paw away from where it had been resting on her stomach and gently rubbed her cheek in a lazy, but comfortable manner. Still laying on her back in the shallow water with her paws in the air, she relaxed there and waited for around 10 minutes.

Afterwards, she slowly pulled herself out of the water and stood up to shake the water off her back, sending droplets everywhere within a 6 foot radius of her, probably splashing some on the other lions.
Samaki seemed not to care or notice the rude gesture, and she didn't bother to apologize if she did.

The lioness seemed to be uncomfortable with her presence, so Samaki decided to leave. The young lioness needed to be somewhere anyway. But where am I supposed to be? she thought slowly.. It doesn't matter, just not here, so she simply nodded at the lions and turned away from the watering hole.

Samaki turned her sharp muzzle to the sky and watched it for a moment. Not a cloud was in sight, and the sun was still radiating it's summer heat. It had dried out Samaki's coat in a matter of minutes. Perhaps I'll go to pride rock and lay around in the shade for a while.. she sort of liked this idea, so she stepped back into the sea of tall grass and promptly left the watering hole to the three other lions and any others that were to come.

[Huru]

H U R U

A smirk tugged at the corners of Huru's lips as Zora spoke to him. In his few short years of wandering throughout the territories, he had heard plenty of stories about the prides and their leaders. Huru was no stranger to King Maliki and his overprotectiveness toward the female members of his pride. The young male had a feeling that touring the Highlands with the lioness before him would cause the Highland's king a bit of stress. After all, Huru was a young male with no pride of his own intruding Maliki's territory with one of his females. The idea amused the young male lion as he imagined how that scene would unfold.

Huru nodded as Zora spoke of her reasons for being in the Pridelands. The thought of being part of a pride made Huru cringe, as he imagined how different his life would be should he be under the rule of another. He could not imagine having to take orders from someone else or being trapped within the borders of the already established territories. Being a vagrant, Huru was only responsible for himself. He was free to make his own decisions and go wherever he felt like going. He understood the lioness's desire to go for a walk instead of remaining in her territory like the other members of her pride. He knew that if he had been in her position, he would not be able to stand staying in one place for very long.

The young male took a few steps closer to the lioness before him as she continued speaking. He lowered his haunches to the ground, taking a seat before her. "Just thought I'd come and check out the Pridelands." He replied to her question, pulling his eyes away from her to glance around the surrounding area. "Can't say I've ever been here before." He added before turning his attention back to her. "But yes, I have seen a lot of the other territories and even the lands in between. The Outlands, the Vinelands, the Highlands He added, winking at her as he spoke the name of her pride's territory. "You name it I've seen it" A hint of cockiness was present in his tone.

The scent of another suddenly made its way into Huru's nostrils. He pulled his eyes away from Zora to glance down the shore of watering hole where another lioness had just made an appearance. Without looking in their direction, she stepped into the water, allowing the cool liquid to flow over her paws. After a moment, she waded in deeper before rolling onto her back and drenching her body in the pool. Huru watched her in confusion, wondering if the newcomer even noticed the other three lions in her presence. "It sure seems that way." Huru replied to Zora's statement, pulling his eyes off the other lioness only briefly to glance at Zora again. "We're surrounded by Pridelanders" He whispered to Zora, a soft chuckle coming with his words. He nodded in the direction of the new lioness and the young male beside him, wondering what the two of them thought of two adult lions intruding in their territory. His eyes wandered again to the female down shore, "Hey." He called out to her, wondering if she could hear him over the water that covered her ears. Whether she had noticed them or not beforehand, she certainly would see them now.


ooc: hey Nami, just a reminder all IC posts have to be a minimum of 150 words.

we posted at the same time Samaki, so I didn't see your latest reply. would you like me to edit my post accordingly or are you going to have Samaki stick around a little longer?

[Nami]

OCC: Sorry for the shortness. I'll make sure to keep the others longer. Heh.

Zora nodded, Huru making her feel comfortable again. The heat was getting worse and she could feel the tug of the Highlands pulling her home. She let out a growl. She watched the thin lioness come from the water and walk away. She wasn't sure about her. She was a bit rude, but then again she had no expectation of being received here with kindness or any kind of special treatment. She was on THEIR land, and at THEIR watering hole. She sighed and shifted again uncomfortable. Maliki was always keeping tabs on her, she knew she wasn't one of his favorites and so she didn't get away with a lot of stuff. He knew she was a traveler and she had been for most of her life well... until that one faithful day. After that she knew she couldn't be on her own anymore. So she joined the Highlands seeing that this place was safe and high up. The wind blew but it was no comfort to the suffering lioness. It was a hot wind that only circulated more heat, making her eyes burn a little. She sighed. She had drifted off into thought again and realized that Huru was speaking to her. "Oh really?" She responded hearing Huru had been everywhere. She envied him a little. The lone lioness who traveled from place to place was still alive in Zora's heart and memories. She giggled at Huru's comment and nodded in agreement. "There everywhere these days." She teased shoving him gently with the side of her paw.
Zora got to her feet and stretched. She didn't mind Huru coming closer to her, she actually found him quite trust worthy. She liked his company. She wasn't sure if she'd stay or not though, the place was starting to get crowed and she hated crowds--more then anything. After hearing Huru call after the thin lioness she stopped. She couldn't leave now, it would be rude. To leave when Huru had invited her to speak would be something Maliki would not like, especially since that lion was a female. She was the one stepping onto their turf unannounced. Her old pride-less self wouldn't have cared, but now she had a pride to represent. She could only imagine Maliki's lecture on keeping the Highlands reputation honorable. But if she had been truly honest, she didn't care all that much. They could judge her all they wanted. If they judge her pride because of how one Highlander actet that was their problem--not hers. She sat down again, a bit closer to Huru, she eyed lioness suspiciously.