Secrets of the Past [AustralianChaos & KiarasMate]

[AustralianChaos]

The yellow-furred lion sprinted through the grasslands, his black mane rippling behind him, his blue eyes dilated in fear and panic as he ran for all it was worth, trying to escape the two large, furless, tailless monkeys relentlessly chasing him down, trying to hit him with some sort of long stick that was firing strange darts at him, as he had noticed when one had hit a tree trunk he had lazing next to. Tanga did not know what those darts were or what they did...and was not about to find out.

But the moment Tanga had fled, the humans had jumped into some strange, shining object that chased after him, moving much faster than its bulky looks suggested it could go, making a strange, rumbling roaring sound as it raced after him, Tanga's light, agile frame the only thing keeping him ahead of it as he heard darts whizzing past his ears, causing him to flinch away and sprint faster still, aiming for a small forest in the near distance. Maybe he could lose them amongst the thick foliage and trees, especially since these creatures seemed to rely on sight more than smell to track their prey...namely, him.

But as Tanga closed in on the forest, weaving through a large rock formation to try and slow his predators down, he saw a lioness close by, obviously unaware of the impending danger. "Run!" he yelled, trying to make his voice carry over the wind rushing in his ears as he kept running, hoping she could hear. "Find shelter, get out of here!" he cried, not stopping in his efforts to get to the forest, looking over his shoulder to see the strange 'creature' the two beings were riding in had gotten around the rock formation, and while it had lost ground from it, was gaining fast once more.

[KiarasMate]

Her dusty brown paws ached, her tawny fur being mercilessly baked by the unrelenting sun that hung high in the afternoon sky above, her mysterious black eyes strained to keep focused upon the small band of impala that were on a direct course towards a small patch of nearby forest, her raggedy breaths coming in short bursts, and yet, she pressed on, the inextinguishable look of determination burning clearly in her being as she charged through the savannah, the muscles that adorned her physique rippling with tension.

"Just a few more strides! C’mon, do it! Remember who you’re fighting for!" She thought to herself as the distance between herself and the escaping impala rapidly diminished.

She was so close! Just a few seconds more and she would be close enough to trip up the elderly looking impala who was bringing up the rear of the herd. After days of failing to satisfy her need for sustenance, it all came down to this! Poised, ready to sink her sharp fore claws into her victim’s hind leg, the lone lioness’ concentration was suddenly shattered by an unfamiliar voice that echoed around her.

“Run?” The tawny furred lioness grumbled in a partially winded voice. “What do you think I was do…?” She continued to mumble, until her gaze caught sight of just what exactly she was supposed to be running from.

There, not more than a couple hundred paws length in front of her, and approaching fast, was an unknown lion, who was being pursued by one of the strangest creatures the young lioness had ever laid eyes upon. It looked like nothing she had ever hunted, nor anything that she had even seen in her short two years of living, but the tone of the fleeing male’s voice, combined with some deep, instinctual fear, told her that this was not the time to ask questions.

Quickly forgetting about her tender feeling paws, as the sincerity of the moment had all but alleviated her aches and pains, the tawny coated female turned and hightailed it back the way she had come, her long, powerful strides inadvertently kicking up clouds of dirt behind her as she fled towards the nearest looking sanctuary, in this case, being the nearby forest. The strange creature that had been trailing the black maned lion, looked to be too bulky and immobile enough to maneuver nimbly enough through the thick foliage of the dense forest, or so it appeared to the young lioness anyways.

Unsure of where exactly she would find solace from the noisy assailant that rumbled through the grasslands after the yellow pelted male, and now her, the tawny furred lioness thought quickly as her sharp eyes caught sight of a heavily packed group of thorn bushes that barricaded the path in front of her. They looked to be dense enough where it would be impossible to trudge directly through them, however, a well placed, and a well angled jump, just might be enough to clear them, although without knowing what was on the other side, it was a risky venture. Still, being left with no other option at this point as the cacophony of the foreign metallic creature, grew louder with each passing moment, she knew she had to do it. Taking a deep breath and with one last amazing burst of speed and strength, the agile female lifted herself into the air, her body just barely clearing the tops of the thorn bushes as she vanished on the other side, her landing only being punctuated by a watery splash.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga instinctively followed after the lioness as she took off herself, heading straight for the forest, managing to seek shelter in it just as he heard the faint thump of a couple of those darts hitting a tree beside him. Chasing after the female, he skidded to a stop as he saw the thorn bushes, and the female's exceptionally high leap over it. He knew he couldn't jump that, and getting through them was impossible, too.

Looking around desperately as he heard the rumbling of the metal creature die down, only to be replaced by the cunching of footsteps as the two creatures continued their search on foot, Tanga found that he had boxed himself into a corner, and escaping it meant heading right at the humans, which was definitely a suicidal move. "No...no, no, no!" he cried out in frustration, looking back at the thorn bushes. "Blast it, I can't jump that!"

But even as he looked around, he saw some of trees near him had low-hanging branches, giving him an idea. Most lions had real difficulty climbing trees, but Tanga was smaller and thinner than most...besides, right now, it was his only chance. Leaping with all his might, he manged to clamber up on one thick branch, before leaping leaping to another, wincing and scrambing for purchase as he heard a sharp crack coming from within the wood...which fortunately still managed to hold. He reached a third branch directly over the thorn bushes right as the creatures came into view, yelling something Tanga could not comprehend as he leapt, another dart missing him by less than an inch and he landed on the far side, splashing into a small pond.

Surfacing after a moment, Tanga managed to tread water briefly, getting his breath back while he heard the creatures yelling on the far side of the thorn bushes...possibly arguing over something. When the sounds of their footsteps started to receed, Tanga breathed a sigh of relief, before turning around, pausing slightly. The pond appeared to be at the edge of some near-inaccessible, secluded grove, filled with thriving plant-life, and a number of small animals, too. Swimming slowly to the edge of the pond, standing in the shallows, looking around in mild awe at the place he seemed to have stumbled across, before remembering the lioness earlier, and looking for her.

[KiarasMate]

Completely oblivious to the struggles of the black maned male she had quite literally left in her dust, as her own survival had taken front and center stage in her mind, the young lioness braced herself for impact as her entire body submerged beneath the surface of the pond. The sudden extreme change in temperature from her overheated physique being swallowed whole by the cold water, caused the tawny furred female to gasp involuntarily, resulting in her nostrils and lungs to become filled with the chilly liquid that surrounded her. Pumping her hind legs furiously to propel herself upwards, the young lioness’ head breeched the surface of the basin as she strained to take in a breath of fresh air.

Paddling quickly towards the bank of the pond, the saturated female hoisted herself out of the water while retching frantically to rid her airwaves of the unwanted fluid that permeated throughout her throat. Spewing the contents of her gullet onto the vegetation below, her thick fur hanging miserably as rivulets of water trickled and pooled at the base of her paws, it took the young feline several minutes to compose herself before her tenebrous orbs caught sight of the yellow furred lion who had initially issued the warning to run. Flicking what little water remained clinging to her ears, the young female angled her head while swiveling her ears in some exact position, trying to pick up any sounds of the strange creature that had been chasing the two felines previously.

Fortunately for her, she heard nothing that resembled the chaotic mish-mash of noises that she had heard from the unusual shiny beast before, thus making her feel slightly less anxious as she had been feeling. Still, the tawny coated lioness kept her distance from the black maned male, despite the fact that he didn’t look as though he posed her any type of threat. Making sure to meet her company’s gaze, her black eyes staring genuinely into the young male’s blue orbs,,, she spoke softly, her voice carrying easily over the now serene atmosphere around them.

“I suppose I should be thanking you for warning me about that creature, although I don’t have the slightest clue to what that creature even was. Still, you have my thanks mwokozi.” Her last word rolling off her tongue, accenting it in a peculiar manner.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga paused as he caught sight of the lioness, frozen momentarily by her dark eyes as she spoke, softly expressing her appreciation. He shook his head slightly at her admission that she did not know the creature. "I don't know what it was, either, nor the two bald monkey-things with it, but when they started throwing strange things at me threateningly, I wasn't about to stick around and find out," he explained softly.

He paused, however, when she used a strange word, one he had not heard. "'Mwokozi'?" he repeated curiously. "Forgive me, but I am unfamiliar with that word...what does it mean?" he asked softly, walking out of the shallows of the pond as he remembered the water swirling around his ankles, moving away from the lioness briefly to shake his fur out, his mane fluffing out slightly before settling back down, his bangs falling limp over his left eye, as it always did, no matter what he did he try and stop it. He'd long since given up on controlling his mane, and just let it hang that way now.

Looking back over at the lioness, he suddenly paused, berating his disrespect as he muttered sheepishly. "Sorry...in all the excitement I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Tanga." He looked up at her again after a moment, looking suddenly shy now that his adrenaline rush was easing off. "I'm sorry I got you into that mess, I didn't see you until it was too late. I hope I didn't disrupt anything," he said sincerely, knowing she would probably get really angry, really fast if he had...rogues were rarely given any respect, even by other rogues, though he did try his best.

[KiarasMate]

Remaining stock still, despite the strong urge to want to groom her now moist fur dry, the tawny furred lioness remained riveted in place, her stature looking quite noble regardless of the condition of her pelt. Swiveling her ears almost comically, she listened to the young male speak, his voice seeming certain in tone for the most part. Curling her soft muzzle lips into an amused smirk from his description of the “two bald monkeys”, as he had put it, the young female had to resist letting a giggle leave her muzzle as she had never heard such of a bizarre thing. She knew that the different types of monkeys that could be found throughout the adjacent lands, were known to throw certain things when they were feeling threatened, although to which certain things they flung, she didn’t care to mention, but this was completely new to her.

Holding her tongue, as was customary in her mind, the tawny coated feline waited until her company had finished speaking. After hearing his words and noting the slight change in his tone as his voice trailed off, the young lioness’ facial expression softened as she shook her head slowly. Speaking up in the same quiet voice she had before but with an apparent air of gentleness laced amongst her words now, the tawny pelted female addressed the yellow coated lion, whose name she had been told, was Tanga, as she both introduced herself, as well as fielded his inquiry about the term she had called him by just moments ago.

”I am most humbled to meet you Tanga.” She stated as she lowered her frame in what looked to be a formal show of submission, before she arose once more and continued speaking. ”My name is…Singa, and I must apologize as well… As they say, old habits die hard. That was Ancient Leonid I was addressing you by. It roughly translates to Savior.”

Spreading as friendly of a smile as she could muster across her countenance, her tail beginning to flick casually behind her, Singa took a few tentative steps backwards before she gingerly took a seat, the pain slowly starting to return to her tender looking paw pads. Hoping not to offend her company, yet being unable to stand the feeling of having wet fur any longer, the tawny furred female started to groom herself in as discrete of a fashion as she could, her rough, pebbly tongue making short work of the few strands of water that had settled amongst her fur. Making sure not to come off as though she was ignoring Tanga’s presence, Singa spoke nonchalantly in between licks as she kept the black maned lion in sight out of the corner of one eye.

”You needn’t worry about disturbing me Tanga. Hell, if it had been any member of my former pride, they wouldn’t have even lifted a whisker to ensure my safety, not that I would have minded either though…But in all honesty, I was in the middle of a hunt. I probably would have failed though…that’s just my luck these days.”

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga gave her a curious look at the lioness' formality, and in particular her somewhat submissive body language. He could see the well-developed musculature hiding under her pelt, and knew she could tear him limb from limb in a heartbeat if she wanted to, which made her show of formality all the stranger. He did gave a polite nod at her name, Singa, comitting it to memory as she explained the strange cause, causing Tanga's eyebrow to quirk, unable to help interrupting during a pause. "I...I though the Ancient Leonid language was dead," he remarked softly. "And I'm no saviour...you got yourself out of that mess with little trouble, and if I remember correctly, I was the old who got you into it, in the first place."

Tanga politely turned his gaze elsewhere as Singa began to groom herself, giving her some small privacy as she continued speaking, frowning at her mention of being in a former pride, and that they would never have helped her. He did grimace in guilt, however, when she mentioned that he had disrupted a hunt. Hunting was much, much harder alone, as Tanga knew, and knew he would be devastated and angry if someone had messed with one of his hunts. "Sounds like your pride weren't a very pleasant lot," he said softly. "And I'm sorry for ruining your hunt. I...I'll try and make it up to you somehow, if you'll allow it," he continued. He might be a rogue, but his parents had taught him not to let that solitude translate into selfishness, and to always maintain a polite and respectful view towards strangers...unless they did something to deserve otherwise.

[KiarasMate]

Reflecting tentatively over what Tanga had responded about her use of Ancient Leonid while the young male continued to converse with her, Singa was slightly taken aback by his overly generous offer to make up for the botched hunt he apparently felt he had caused her. She most certainly wasn’t used to such kindness from a male, let alone one who had already helped her in a small, yet still significant way. She had been pretty focused upon the hunt, as her growing starvation had nearly driven her to the point of over-exertion of her body’s limitations. Who knows, if it hadn’t been for this unforeseen change of events,, that hunt, had it failed, might very well had been her last. Now though, she had the time to rest, and having the companionship of another of her kind, even if it would be for a short time, wasn’t something Singa was about to take for granted.

”You must forgive me Tanga, but I am unaccustomed to such thoughtfulness being administered to me by one I barely even know.” Singa answered back as she finished her grooming session and lowered herself into a much more comfortable looking position, the weight of her body now being taken off her weary paws. ”As you so accurately put it, my former pride were rather disingenuous when it came to caring about their lionesses. It’s not their fault though. It’s just how things are for them.” Recalling Tanga’s remark from before, Singa quickly added in as she rested her head upon her fore paws while staring up at her company with a pang of regret barely detectable within her dark eyes. ”You could say that the Ancient Leonid language is dead, since that’s not too far from the truth. Very few prides still speak Broken Leonid, which is pretty much just a fragment of the actual ancient tongue, but even fewer prides still actively live by the Ancient Leonid codes and ways. Trust me though, it’s nothing you want to get involved with.”

Suddenly getting the feeling that she was divulging too much information about her past as she might have felt comfortable doing, Singa seemed to clam up after the last words had left her muzzle, her gaze now shifting away from Tanga and up towards the canapé that covered the secluded grove that she and the black maned male now shared together. As reassuring as his presence might have been, Singa knew that her time was much more valuable than she was letting on about. As much as she might hate herself for it, she knew she would have to get a move on, and the sooner, the better. Slowly rising to all fours again, a noticeable twinge of pain representing itself across the tawny furred lioness’ facial expression in the form of a grimace, Singa gave her toned physique a quick once over before turning her attention back to Tanga as she addressed him solemnly.

”Your selflessness is payment enough for me Tanga-Mwokozi. If anything, I am in debt to you. I would ask nothing more of you than to simply be on your way and not to waste any more of your precious time on the likes of myself.”

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga turned his gaze fully back onto Singa as he noticed she had finished her grooming session, sad but not overly surprised at her revelation that his act of kindness was not something she had been given often, especially from strangers...his life was full of similar let-downs, himself. He was surprised when, at the same time as she confirmed his accuracy of her old pride being rather...harsh, she also defended them, implying such harshness was simply how things were, which left him thoughtful. His parents had been fairly strict with him and his younger brother...as rogues, it was necessarry to ensure his survival...but they had balanced that out by constantly reminding them how much they loved them.

He looked up at her as she explained the Ancient Leonid language and ways, quirking an eyebrow when she suddenly clammed up, looking like someone who had just said too much. He couldn't understand why, though. "So...your pride was one of the ones that followed the Ancient Ways, and spoke fragments of Ancient Leonid? I'm guessing, since you're not with them, that it's a hard life to live by?" he asked tentatively, before adding on a quick ammendment. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry, I'm just curious...you're the first lion or lioness outside my family that's even really bothered to speak with me at all," he said softly, sighing before moving on. "And now that they're gone...you're the first I've been able to talk to in a number of months..." he admitted softly, the tone used when he said gone clearly implying that they were dead.

His concentration turned back to her as he saw her wince as she stood, Tanga looking down at her paws, managing to catch a glimpse of what were obviously overworked and tender paw pads, causing him to shake his head as she suggested he was free to stop wasting time on her. "There's no debt to pay, Singa, I just did what any decent lion should. And I can't, in good conscience, leave you be, I can't help but notice your paws seems to be causing you pain. I'm alone with nowhere to go, Singa, time is of little importance to one such as me. I you don't mind, I'd like to at least accompany you for a short time...at least until your paws are a little better. I've been learning to hunt alone all my life, I can help provide for us while you can have a chance to rest." Tanga's voice grew progressively quieter as he made his offer, clearly closing off into his shy shell, feeling like he'd asked too much of her already. But the fact was, after the death of his family, he was incredibly lonely, and right now, Singa was his best chance for some social interaction he had been craving for a long time.

[KiarasMate]

Admittedly perplexed by just how hospitable the black maned lion was being, Singa’s natural defense mechanisms were momentarily being alerted. Making sure to keep her attitude in check however, as Tanga had shown her nothing but kindness thus far, the tawny furred lioness took the opportunity to answer his former question about her pride, even though she didn’t care to reveal more than she already had to him, but knowing that this would at least give her more time to process the current situation, and more importantly, what seemed to Singa, the unusual request on the part of the yellow furred male, the young female elaborated briefly upon her previous statement.

”The pride I came from, is actually the only pride I know of that still speaks fluent Ancient Leonid Tanga. It is rumored that our blood line can be traced all the way back to the Ancient Leonid pride, although if you ask me, it’s just a pile of ng’ombe. Let’s just say that egocentrism runs deeper in their blood than any Ancient Leonid genes ever would. Still, life of all the members of the pride were strictly ruled by the code of ethics once believed to be used by the Ancient Leonid prides. There are traditions, regulations, and consequences for every action. It’s a rough living, and I am not surprised in the least bit, why the Ancient Ways have been abandoned by all but the most foolish-hearted and thick-headed.”

Lowering her ears in a show of the utmost sympathy as she learned of the fate of Tanga’s parents,, Singa felt a sharp pang of guilt jolt through her heart, causing her to close her eyes momentarily. Unsure of what had caused this, other than the notion of someone else’s loss, the tawny coated feline did her best to pay her respects to her company’s deceased family, muttering a blessing in Ancient Leonid under her breath as she pawed the ground below her several times over this way and that, clearly having done this numerous times prior, or so it appeared.

”Furaha ya milele.”

Attempting to put more weight upon her already throbbing paws, Singa winced once more as she sighed inwardly to herself. It appeared as though she had no other option but to take Tanga up on his most generous offer to stay with her, even though every proverbial moral bone that had been crafted by her former pride’s outdated beliefs, was telling her otherwise. Deep down, Singa knew that she was destined to be alone, to suffer alone, to die alone, and yet, she had already cast aside the shackles of her pride, so why was she still not allowed to make her own decisions? It was an internal struggle that would continue to plague her for a long time to come, but seeing no other alternative, and knowing that there were at least some temporary benefits of having such an acquaintance to pass the time with, Singa finally nodded her head in acceptance.

”If that is what you desire Tanga, than I will oblige your proposal, for a little while at least.” Singa proclaimed as she performed another submissive looking bow before the black maned lion, her shadowy orbs taking in Tanga’s reaction to her response, hoping that it was satisfactory enough. ”You are quite observant, I must say, because indeed, my paws are not in the best of condition due to how far I’ve traveled in the past few suns or so. I don’t know how I could ever ask you to hunt for me though. Such a request as that in my old pride, would bring me nothing but endless ridicule and scorn.”