[Kosa/open] Why am I here?

[nima]

The female, heavy with pregnancy, walked through the lands.. It was apparent in her step that she was tired, and in need of food. She had been traveling for many, many miles.. Actually, she had traveled from her homelands in the vinelands in search of fresh prey. Food was scarce, the weather hot and nearly unbearable. Fresh sweat covered her sticky coat, threatening to drip into her eyes. Shaking her head, the shiver ran down her entire body until her fur fluffed out, looking much like she had just been air dried and appearing now as a fluff ball. A pregnant fluffball. "By the great gorge, I look horrible!" She said to no one in particular. She found a watering hole nearby, and gladly stepped in. Instantly her puffy fur flattened against her heavy body. She was still in her youth, so unlike when most had gotten pregnant she maintained a somewhat slender figure. Of course, after a while she would look like any mother lioness, bigger and heavier with fat.. but for now she did not look half bad for being pregnant. It was a small belly for being so close to the birth. It was a noticable bump, but just looked as if she had put on a little weight.

Dipping her nose into the water, she blew soft bubbles and picked up her head, licking her mouth and nose clean. She felt a kick in her belly, followed by several more. "Oh come on.. let mommy take a bath.." She said, exhausted. She laid down in the water, her head on the shore, while the rest of her body lay engulfed in water. A passing injured antelope caught her attention, running by. It stopped a distance off, seeming to think itself safe. Her eyes widened, she examined the prey for a moment. Nothing was in her focus except food. Slowly, silently, she got out of the water. Stalking the antelope, she stayed low to the ground, moving so slowly that she barely moved at all for a few steps... then... She ran for it, slowed down by her own pregnant belly. But adrenaline kicked in, her muscles flexed and she pounced. Success. The taste of the antelope met her tongue as she brought it down, feeling its last breathe beneath her leave it. Feeding on the carcass, she felt happy kicks at the taste of food in her belly.

[Eupe]

[glow=white,2,300]EUPE[/glow]

What a surprise.

After running all day with no rest, seeing naught but mile after mile of plant-less, sun-bathed space, a green tree provided minimal respite from the blazing sun's heat. She closed her azure eyes, savoring the momentary coolness. She stretched out her back legs from her run, extending her paws and thus her claws. She then turned and sliced her claws in the bark of the tree, letting the cool sap soothe her tired pads. Sighing, she turned back to the horizon, in the direction of the Oldlands. Her little campaign had been fun, but she needed to return to Zuri.

Just as she began to leave her shade behind, she saw a shimmering blue pool of water.

A mirage? It couldn't be real...

With wide eyes, she galloped to the liquid with an orange wad of fur floating in it. She blinked twice, quickly, her face expressionless. She hadn't yet noticed that the lioness was pregnant.

"Oh... well hello." Although still in shock, she had manners embedded in her soul. Her mother was a better Queen Teacher than she had thought.

Legend:
Thoughts
"My words"
"Others' words"

[Kosa]

At the edge of the pool that the lioness were in, there was a small patch of bushes. hidden in them, a tawni lion with a full mane remained hidden. he watched the orange lioness lay down in the water...a natural fluff-ball...something to cuddle with... Kosa shook his head. His red mane flashed and the black edges blended in softly. He watched as a white lioness, one that smelled like authority came towards the pool. (You had to make this hard Eupe! Kosa is even more afraid of lions in authority than normal lions!) Kosa's golden eyes widened and he backed out of the growth, hoping to slip away... but where? The plain was an open area...

[nima]

The pregnant lioness, orange and her fur wetted down, sighed with delight at the touch of the water. It swirled around her, bubbles coming up as she moved around. Then she was aware of paw steps coming closer, and looked upwards. There was a lioness, apparently one of authority, and she straightened, coming out of the water. Walking a few steps off, she gently shook her coat clean of the water. "Oh.. Well, hello." She looked to the lioness, smiled warmly, and nodded. "Hello there, miss." She said softly. It was then that she became aware of the scent of a male. Looking around for the source of the scent, she saw a lion in the distance. From afar, he looked like he was hiding. She strode over to him, stopping a short distance away. "Hello there." She said, and it was apparent that he was shy. She softly gave a purr, closing the distance between them. She brushed up against him with her head, as a sign that she was friendly and liked him, approving of him and his ways. Smiling at him, she whispered, "I'm Nima."

[Kosa]

When the lioness rubbed against him, a purr escaped Kosa's throat. It was deep and low, and something he hadn't done for a long time. It reminded him of his mother...his mother. The purr stopped short and Kosa pulled away from Nema. Sitting down, he wrapped his tail around his feet. "My name's Kosa..." he said "Kosa" a little quieter, knowing the meaning of the name...

[nima]

She was in bliss as she felt him against her. Then he pulled away... In an instance it was over. And Nima sighed as he pulled away from her, he spoke his name, and she smiled. She had recovered her pride, reminding herself he was just shy. "Kosa..." She repeated, then looked at him and smiled. Tackling him gently, she gave him a lick on the cheek. "I like you, Kosa.. You're not like the others..."

[Kosa]

Kosa landed on his back as the lioness tackled him. "Kosa...I like you, Kosa... You're not like the others..."[/b] When she liked him on the cheek, Kosa was rather taken a back. Then he looked into her eyes. They were beautiful. Like stars... Suddenly Kosa noticed that Nima was heavier than a normal lioness. Peering down her side he noticed a considerablely large bulge. It moved, like there were cubs in there. "You're pregnant! Were's the father?"

[nima]

She looked at him as he gently shoved her off, reminding her of her pregnancy. "Dead." she said finally, with a deep breathe. "Trampled by a stampede of wildebeast." She explained. "I was lucky enough to escape, but he wasn't..." She trailed off, then looked at him again, forcing a smile. "Its in the past." She said softly. "Like they say, you've got to put the past behind you." She said, adding, "And now I'm focused on the future.." She said softly, nuzzling up against him. He had great muscles, a good protecter.. But more then that, she saw something special no one else had seen. Love.

[Eupe]

[glow=white,2,300]EUPE[/glow]

Eupe, too had noticed Nima's pregnancy. It wasn't so long ago she herself had given birth to two beautiful cubs. It was a happy time for her. Realizing how far away this place is from any territories, she assumed Nima was a Vagrant. This made her sad. A young mother would have a hard time on her own. Soon, she remembered her campaign. New cubs in her pride would be most welcome, as well as a strong young lion such as the one quite near her.

She had watched Kosa and Nima's meeting silently, until her whiskers twitched and she began to speak. "It's strange. I haven't seen a single creature out here in quite a while, and today I find two. I've been away from my pride for some time, and I wish to return to them soon." She looked over at Nima. "A pregnant lioness cannot be out here alone," then, she looked at Kosa, "and a male such as yourself does no good without a pride."

"I would like both of you to accompany me to the Oldlands."

Legend:
Thoughts
"My words"
"Others' words"

OOC: Sorry, but as a reminder, can we keep the posting order?

[Kosa]

Kosa sighed at the answer. "Dead. Trampled by a stampede of wildebeast. I was lucky enough to escape, but he wasn't... It's in the past. Like they say, you've got to put the past behind you. And now I'm focused on the future." At the last remark Kosa realized what she wanted. "Do you want me to stay with you? I'm sure I could help raise the cubs..." He didn't want to use the word "father." He wasn't sure about that yet. He still wasn't sure about other lions. This one was different. She tugged at his heart. He loved her, love at first sight as the humans say... Kosa was pulled out of his thoughts as the white lioness spoke. "It's strange. I haven't seen a single creature out here in quite a while, and today I find two. I've been away from my pride for some time, and I wish to return to them soon and a male such as yourself does no good without a pride. I would like both of you to accompany me to the Oldlands."
He gently licked nima behind the ear before answering. "It's up to Nima."

[nima]

Nima looked at him, him and his curious ways, and his muscular handsomeness.. To others he may not be handsome or good looking, but to her he was both. She felt a tongue upon her cheek as she was invited to the oldlands. "I have a home in the vinelands... but I do not favor it much as there is not much food there. I will..." She paused, nipping Kosa's ear, tugging gently affectionatly, "We." she continued with a smile, ".. will accompany you to the oldlands. But first, I invite you both to feast on the antelope I have hunted." She said softly, and licked Kosa's cheek. "I would be delighted to be with you, Kosa.. We can raise them together." she said softly, smiling. She returned to her meal, feasting to her fill. There was still plenty left, so she made a soft throaty call, much like a mother would give to her cubs, to call them over to eat their share.

[Eupe]

[glow=white,2,300]EUPE[/glow]

She smiled.

Normally, she did not give herself the pleasure of such pleasantries, but today she would make an exception. When the sun rose, she thought she failed. She hadn't managed to convince any lions to join the Oldlanders thus far. In a moment, her mission was successful. She had gathered a couple, a strong male and female, with more on the way. The Oldlands would flourish again, of this she was sure.

"I am honored." She followed the pregnant lioness over to her kill, bent her head, and gracefully detached a chunk of meat from the carcass. She slit the fat and arteries from it with her talons and swallowed the meat piece by piece. She was starving, but as mentioned before, manners were drummed into her.

As she finished her meal, with no trace of blood on her face, she strode over to the shimmering pool and lapped some up, quenching the dryness that comes in your mouth after days without liquid. She then curled up in the embrace of a trees roots just beside the shore and licked her sore paws. The sun was setting, the heat with it.

"We should sleep. If we're returning to the Oldlands, we should start tomorrow morning." She laid her head on her paws. "It isn't too far, but we'll need strength." With that, she closed her eyes and slept.

Legend:
Thoughts
"My words"
"Others' words"

OOC: Once both Kosa and Nima sleep, we should make a thread in the Oldlands (whoever gets to it first). Then Eupe will have to introduce you to the rest of the Oldlanders (just Zuri as of now and I'm don't think Storm is active anymore so it'll probably just be all NPCs) and you two can get on with your lives. ^_^

[Kosa]

When invited to eat, Kosa ate only a little. These lionesses needed it more than he did. He had downed three antelope in the past two days and had a carcass hidden in the bushes were he was originally hiding. After the lionesses ate and Eupe had fallen asleep, Kosa layed down. He layed down on his side and invited Nima to lay down next to him. He soon also fell asleep, surprisingly near to Eupe.

[nima]

Nima ate her fill, watching as Eupe fell asleep. Soon Kosa had fallen asleep as well. Yawning widely, she murmered, "But I'm not even..." A yawn took her and she laid her head on the resting Kosa's chest.. "Sleepy yet..." She ended in a murmer, her eyelids feeling heavy. Maybe if she just closed them for a moment... And soon she was asleep. To start her journey tomorrow.