Post by Bahati on Jan 6, 2007 21:47:42 GMT -5
Palandasya - Majestic Kopje
Three huge slabs of stone form the base of this majestic sculpture, accentuated by multiple smaller stones along the sides - making climbing at least partway up this structure possible. Acacia trees grow around the base of these giant monoliths, and one or two have found root further up the rock. Entry to the inner cavern is made possible by balanced slabs of rock, accentuated by fallen branches. It's obvious that this space is well-used.
Exits:
[East] to the Baobab Grove
[West] to Lake Kweupe
[Into] the kopje
Present:
[IC] Tania
[IC] Katibu
[IC] Hukumu
It was dusk. The clouds were catching the last wisps of warm colour in the sky as the sun began to finish its descent. At the crown of the kopje, the stars are beginning to show themselves and a pale moon hangs low above the horizon. A lone lioness approaches from the south, tail batting at insects irritably. Tania has been sulking in the hilly areas off in the distance all day, complaining to herself between long, lazy naps in the sun. Now the breeze is out and she's headed for the comforts of home, no matter how annoyed she may be.
This is the best time of night, in Katibu's humblest opinion. The caracal is stretched out within the branches of one of the acacias, paws lazily dangling, tail beating a benevolent beat upon the bark. He peers out into the lands with a partial smile. All is right in the world for him. When he spots a lone shape in the distance, his tufted ears swivel forward lazily, but he makes no move to intercept the leonine. That's not his job, after all.
Unlike dear Tania, Hukumu has not a single complaint to voice, neither to himself nor the breeze that catches his mane and blows the dark fur around his face. Life is good; the herds are thick and plentiful, and his son is growing strong. There is no doubt in the aging King's mind that his son Dawa and Dawa's half-brother will make fine rulers when their fathers are too old to hold the kingdom. He lounges in the shade of the kopje, eyes half-lidded against the setting sun as he ponders the arrival of Palandasya's latest guests--Kimua and Limuka. His birds have done well.
Tania draws nearer to the cavern, and inhales the scents on the wind that speak most strongly of Hukumu. Her lip curls, and she looks like she's going to confront him about something, but changes her mind. The lioness's posture, one moment tense, angry, and anxious, becomes relaxed and confident. She lifts her chin slightly, draws her ears back, and walks past the entrance to glide by her king with a vertiable aura of femininity. "Evening, majesty," she murmurs, smiling, but says no more than that and continues on by.
The caracal within the tree observes all this with a disinterested eye, but as there's nothing else to watch . . . well, it's better than nothing. Katibu's ears sway and his tail continues to tap quietly.
The melodic sound of Tania's voice is unmistakable. Hukumu's ears perk and, slowly, he turns his head, following the lionesses with his eyes. "Good evening." He can smell Katibu, but knows that there is no reason for alarm. Another predator--albeit a smaller one--so close to the pride's birthing chamber would send most lions into a fury. Not Hukumu; he has long identified the caracal's scent as an ally, and if anyone should be near the kopje where the cubs are at rest--it's Katibu.
The sleek, golden lioness walks a bit farther, to ensure Hukumu has ample time to lay eyes on her for that particular angle, before turning back and settling down to rest a few strides from the male. She allows herself a dainty yawn, and then begins to clean her paws. Tania waits until the pause draws on to the point of being annoying and suspicious before she speaks. "Tales would have it that there are strangers in our lands... a lioness?" There are also tales of a lion- this, she will personally investigate.
Another lioness? Katibu's ears cease their lazy swaying and perk upright. He hasn't met this new lioness. Has word spread so quickly already of the building of the pride?
"Kimua," says Hukumu to Tania. "Her name is Kimua. But you needn't worry, my dear; you're still my favourite. She lacks a certain, ah, *femininity* to qualify as your equal." The King may not be the cleverest of lions, but he'd need to be blind not to have noticed his concubine's absence. He flexes his ebon claws, attempting to quell the jealous feeling that rises in his chest. If not here, then where has Tania been? And with who? "Did you enjoy your stroll?"
It is an elaborate game they play, those that drabble with royalty. Oftentimes words can be deadlier than fangs or claws, and they must be chose with great delicacy. "With due respect, your majesty, I did not." Tania's head dips, her eyes fall. "Beautiful though the kingdom is, it brings no joy to my heart when I fear for the purity of his majesty's lines. No stranger from distant lands is worthy of mothering the children of Palandasyan Kings." And no stranger is worthy of usurping -her- rightful position as the crown favourite, noble bloodlines aside.
Is that jealousy Katibu detects? Certainly the king foresaw such a reaction. No lioness is willing to give up her prized position, regardless of her disposition. Tania is no exception, it seems.
Hukumu will never understand the female mind and all its intricate complexities. Tania is a particularly guile specimen; if she was not so beautiful, she might frighten him. Still, there are days that he suspects she is really a snake in a lioness' body, waiting for the opportune moment to shed her disguise and strike. "Your words are like tusks, Tania, and their aim is true. Surely, you do not mean to wound me with them?"
"Never, my lord," is her response, said more smoothly than the trickle of a peaceful brook. But there is poison in the water, and those who drink too heavily of it my find themselves in a stupor. "I think only of what hidden unpleasantnesses foreign lionesses may bring with them... strangeness of the mind, inherited disease... wickedness, even. Not all sicknesses show themselves in the pelt and in the eye... your majesty." Tania herself isn't wicked. She just likes to get exactly what she wants, when she wants it.
"Isolation breeds disease just as easily as any foreigner we might welcome into our noble ranks," Hukumu observes, sounding more worn and tired than he did a few minutes ago. Although he has not drunken from Tania today, he has many, many times in the past--and it genuinely pains him to hear her speaking this way, pleasant outward appearances aside. "I have seen what happens when brothers mate with sisters and when fathers mate with daughters. The young grow bent and crooked. Malformed." He shakes his great shaggy head. "I know, my darling, that you would not wish such a terrible fate on your family. Palandasya is in need of new blood."
Tania becomes sullen. Her ears push back, her nostrils flare, her face turns away from him sharply, her tail smacks once, tempermentally, against the ground. "My king speaks true," she admits, her defeat hanging in the air above her head. "But he would still have the common wenches of distant lands sit in the same shade and eat at the same carcass as his esteemed and loyal followers?" Her posture and tone speaks of scorn, neglect, longing for attention. She is an excellent actress, and if she had underlying motives, they are impossible to identify.
Now Hukumu rises to join Tania at her side and when he settles again, he leans lightly against her. "Tania," he says, pausing to enjoy and reflect on the sound of her name as it comes from his mouth. "Do not be sullen." Judging by his low tone, this isn't a request. As precious as his concubine is to him, there comes a time when the King must assert his authority over her--and that time is now. "I will tolerate no more of this sulking. When I make my decision, you will welcome the new lionesses into the harem as your sisters. Test them as you like until then; I put them in your paws."
She lays her chin across his front paws, baring the base of her skull to him in both a sign of submissiveness and dependence and one of suggestion and sexuality. "It will be as you say, my king." Her outward behaviour calms down, and she exhales gently through her nose; inside she broils. She shall have her revenge. She will not be a meek, controlled object. And Tania knows just how she'd most like to rebel: the second outsider... the male.
Hukumu rests his head across the back of Tania's neck and lets out a throaty rumble of approval. As far as he knows, this battle has been won. The dark-maned monarch's eyes close and, over the next few minutes, his breathing begins to change, growing longer and deeper until he's safely asleep. Nothing knocks him out faster than a soft, warm body.
Tania smiles connivingly to herself when she can hear and feel that he's drifted off. Oh yes, it will be marvelous when she gets vengance for this insult. And poor, unsuspecting Hukumu will never be able to blame her for it. She might even get a fun little romp out of the entire affair... with the details of her scheme working themselves out in her mind, she too slips off into a light slumber. Hukumu isn't the only one who rests more easily in the company of another.
Three huge slabs of stone form the base of this majestic sculpture, accentuated by multiple smaller stones along the sides - making climbing at least partway up this structure possible. Acacia trees grow around the base of these giant monoliths, and one or two have found root further up the rock. Entry to the inner cavern is made possible by balanced slabs of rock, accentuated by fallen branches. It's obvious that this space is well-used.
Exits:
[East] to the Baobab Grove
[West] to Lake Kweupe
[Into] the kopje
Present:
[IC] Tania
[IC] Katibu
[IC] Hukumu
It was dusk. The clouds were catching the last wisps of warm colour in the sky as the sun began to finish its descent. At the crown of the kopje, the stars are beginning to show themselves and a pale moon hangs low above the horizon. A lone lioness approaches from the south, tail batting at insects irritably. Tania has been sulking in the hilly areas off in the distance all day, complaining to herself between long, lazy naps in the sun. Now the breeze is out and she's headed for the comforts of home, no matter how annoyed she may be.
This is the best time of night, in Katibu's humblest opinion. The caracal is stretched out within the branches of one of the acacias, paws lazily dangling, tail beating a benevolent beat upon the bark. He peers out into the lands with a partial smile. All is right in the world for him. When he spots a lone shape in the distance, his tufted ears swivel forward lazily, but he makes no move to intercept the leonine. That's not his job, after all.
Unlike dear Tania, Hukumu has not a single complaint to voice, neither to himself nor the breeze that catches his mane and blows the dark fur around his face. Life is good; the herds are thick and plentiful, and his son is growing strong. There is no doubt in the aging King's mind that his son Dawa and Dawa's half-brother will make fine rulers when their fathers are too old to hold the kingdom. He lounges in the shade of the kopje, eyes half-lidded against the setting sun as he ponders the arrival of Palandasya's latest guests--Kimua and Limuka. His birds have done well.
Tania draws nearer to the cavern, and inhales the scents on the wind that speak most strongly of Hukumu. Her lip curls, and she looks like she's going to confront him about something, but changes her mind. The lioness's posture, one moment tense, angry, and anxious, becomes relaxed and confident. She lifts her chin slightly, draws her ears back, and walks past the entrance to glide by her king with a vertiable aura of femininity. "Evening, majesty," she murmurs, smiling, but says no more than that and continues on by.
The caracal within the tree observes all this with a disinterested eye, but as there's nothing else to watch . . . well, it's better than nothing. Katibu's ears sway and his tail continues to tap quietly.
The melodic sound of Tania's voice is unmistakable. Hukumu's ears perk and, slowly, he turns his head, following the lionesses with his eyes. "Good evening." He can smell Katibu, but knows that there is no reason for alarm. Another predator--albeit a smaller one--so close to the pride's birthing chamber would send most lions into a fury. Not Hukumu; he has long identified the caracal's scent as an ally, and if anyone should be near the kopje where the cubs are at rest--it's Katibu.
The sleek, golden lioness walks a bit farther, to ensure Hukumu has ample time to lay eyes on her for that particular angle, before turning back and settling down to rest a few strides from the male. She allows herself a dainty yawn, and then begins to clean her paws. Tania waits until the pause draws on to the point of being annoying and suspicious before she speaks. "Tales would have it that there are strangers in our lands... a lioness?" There are also tales of a lion- this, she will personally investigate.
Another lioness? Katibu's ears cease their lazy swaying and perk upright. He hasn't met this new lioness. Has word spread so quickly already of the building of the pride?
"Kimua," says Hukumu to Tania. "Her name is Kimua. But you needn't worry, my dear; you're still my favourite. She lacks a certain, ah, *femininity* to qualify as your equal." The King may not be the cleverest of lions, but he'd need to be blind not to have noticed his concubine's absence. He flexes his ebon claws, attempting to quell the jealous feeling that rises in his chest. If not here, then where has Tania been? And with who? "Did you enjoy your stroll?"
It is an elaborate game they play, those that drabble with royalty. Oftentimes words can be deadlier than fangs or claws, and they must be chose with great delicacy. "With due respect, your majesty, I did not." Tania's head dips, her eyes fall. "Beautiful though the kingdom is, it brings no joy to my heart when I fear for the purity of his majesty's lines. No stranger from distant lands is worthy of mothering the children of Palandasyan Kings." And no stranger is worthy of usurping -her- rightful position as the crown favourite, noble bloodlines aside.
Is that jealousy Katibu detects? Certainly the king foresaw such a reaction. No lioness is willing to give up her prized position, regardless of her disposition. Tania is no exception, it seems.
Hukumu will never understand the female mind and all its intricate complexities. Tania is a particularly guile specimen; if she was not so beautiful, she might frighten him. Still, there are days that he suspects she is really a snake in a lioness' body, waiting for the opportune moment to shed her disguise and strike. "Your words are like tusks, Tania, and their aim is true. Surely, you do not mean to wound me with them?"
"Never, my lord," is her response, said more smoothly than the trickle of a peaceful brook. But there is poison in the water, and those who drink too heavily of it my find themselves in a stupor. "I think only of what hidden unpleasantnesses foreign lionesses may bring with them... strangeness of the mind, inherited disease... wickedness, even. Not all sicknesses show themselves in the pelt and in the eye... your majesty." Tania herself isn't wicked. She just likes to get exactly what she wants, when she wants it.
"Isolation breeds disease just as easily as any foreigner we might welcome into our noble ranks," Hukumu observes, sounding more worn and tired than he did a few minutes ago. Although he has not drunken from Tania today, he has many, many times in the past--and it genuinely pains him to hear her speaking this way, pleasant outward appearances aside. "I have seen what happens when brothers mate with sisters and when fathers mate with daughters. The young grow bent and crooked. Malformed." He shakes his great shaggy head. "I know, my darling, that you would not wish such a terrible fate on your family. Palandasya is in need of new blood."
Tania becomes sullen. Her ears push back, her nostrils flare, her face turns away from him sharply, her tail smacks once, tempermentally, against the ground. "My king speaks true," she admits, her defeat hanging in the air above her head. "But he would still have the common wenches of distant lands sit in the same shade and eat at the same carcass as his esteemed and loyal followers?" Her posture and tone speaks of scorn, neglect, longing for attention. She is an excellent actress, and if she had underlying motives, they are impossible to identify.
Now Hukumu rises to join Tania at her side and when he settles again, he leans lightly against her. "Tania," he says, pausing to enjoy and reflect on the sound of her name as it comes from his mouth. "Do not be sullen." Judging by his low tone, this isn't a request. As precious as his concubine is to him, there comes a time when the King must assert his authority over her--and that time is now. "I will tolerate no more of this sulking. When I make my decision, you will welcome the new lionesses into the harem as your sisters. Test them as you like until then; I put them in your paws."
She lays her chin across his front paws, baring the base of her skull to him in both a sign of submissiveness and dependence and one of suggestion and sexuality. "It will be as you say, my king." Her outward behaviour calms down, and she exhales gently through her nose; inside she broils. She shall have her revenge. She will not be a meek, controlled object. And Tania knows just how she'd most like to rebel: the second outsider... the male.
Hukumu rests his head across the back of Tania's neck and lets out a throaty rumble of approval. As far as he knows, this battle has been won. The dark-maned monarch's eyes close and, over the next few minutes, his breathing begins to change, growing longer and deeper until he's safely asleep. Nothing knocks him out faster than a soft, warm body.
Tania smiles connivingly to herself when she can hear and feel that he's drifted off. Oh yes, it will be marvelous when she gets vengance for this insult. And poor, unsuspecting Hukumu will never be able to blame her for it. She might even get a fun little romp out of the entire affair... with the details of her scheme working themselves out in her mind, she too slips off into a light slumber. Hukumu isn't the only one who rests more easily in the company of another.