Participants:
Balana - lioness, Kopje Valley's Queen Mother.
Kikora - juvenile lioness, pride youth.
Korzar - juvenile lion, son of King Mzohari and Kasjari.
Celestial Gardens
_(Celestial)\\_(Volcano)\\__
As you enter as sense of awe overtakes you. Looking around you can see various
plants of magnificent colors. Flowers bloom beautifully all around you and
you are surrounded in a high amount of green. There is a large open spot
in the middle where it appears that nothing has grown and some overgrowth
provides shade there as well. You can lies out on the ground and look
about at the beautiful plants that have been made here.
Looking back you can still see the trail and the divison cutting your view
of the other side. The warm nature of this dormant volcano has made this a
spot of warmth and comfort as a cool breeze spirals down every once
in a while to cool you off.
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You can climb back {up} the left slope Move on {T}oward the Lake
Kikora is resting a safe distance from Balana and her litter, peering longingly at the sparkling lake just ahead. As if to punctuate this, her stomach issues a low and drawn-out growl, causing the girl to curl a forepaw closer to her chest. The other remains splayed out, tapping random little beats against the earth as a distraction. Tail lashes every once in a while, and she issues the occasional little sigh. She spares a glance in Balana's direction, wondering if she'll let her walk down to the shore and hunt for fishies.
The elder has more or less just finished feeding her cubs, seeing that they're all groomed up. An ear twitches as she hears Kikora's stomach, and Balana lets out a slightly resigned sigh. She's feeling much the same way, and knows she's going to have to go take something down.
With a soft grunt, Korzar emerges from a fitful sleep. His dreams had been full of shouting… mostly about how he was never gonna leave the valley ever again. Ugh. He stretches, rolls onto his belly, and peers about, eyes resting on Balana. How was she feeling today? Still as angry as yesterday? He hopes not… he doesn't want his dreams to come true.
When Korzar issues his soft waking noise, Kikora's ears spring up and she looks to him alertly. He's the only friend she has, and his presence causes her visible relief. The silence between juvenile and elder was getting almost too loud for her little ears, but she didn't want to disturb the napping cubs. She tries to get his attention by waving a paw softly, giving him a look that's hard to read.
Sigh. Glancing over at Korzar as he wakens, she seems to be more worried than anything at the moment. "Hi," she says to him before she stands, shaking her pelt and looking off towards the lake. "I'm going to have to go looking for something to eat. I'm sure finding prey won't be hard, but something I can catch without expending too much energy might be."
Korzar spots the slight movement out of the corner of his eye, and smiles a bit as he sees Kikora is awake. He's about to get up and go over to her, when Bal speaks. At the talk of food, Korzar's stomach rumbles. How long has it been since he's had something to eat? He can't even remember… at least a couple of days. "Ok," he responds sullenly, reminded of the fact that it's *his* and Kikora's fault… now Gramma Bal has to go hunt.
Kikora smiles a bit at Korzar, though it's just the empty husk of her usual smile — all of this stress has taken a great deal of her usual pep and vigor. When Balana stands and shakes out her dusty pelt, Kikora's eyes widen and she hops to her feet, ears immediately plastered down, a desperate look on her face. "Waaaait, waaait!" She calls and hops a bit, her tail lashing a few times at her hocks. "Please don't hunt fer us," she says now in a smaller voice, looking downtrodden. "It's my stupid fault me an' Kor are here. I go fishin'? Catch 'nough fish for us?" Of course, -that's- optimistic of her, but she has faith in her abilities. She just isn't sure how much fish Balana would need, but she'd definitely get enough for she and Korzar to get by on. "Pleeeze?"
As Kikora speaks up, Balana looks over at her and sighs. "Kikora… you shouldn't be having to worry about that. Your childhood shouldn't be spent having to worry over it." She gives her pelt a slight shake, and folds her ears a little bit. "If you want to try your paw at fishing though… just don't go out where it's too deep."
Korzar raises his head higher, and his ears perk and swivel. Yeah, fishing! That's a way to make up for this colossal mistake! "We get food," he says, standing, tail bobbing. "You stay here. With the baabies." He's brightened considerably… maybe this could be their chance to get outta trouble. When Bal speaks, he tilts his head. What was she talking about? If anything, fishing would be fun! Right? Either way… "C'mon," he says, padding over to Kikora. "We get the food," he repeats.
Celestial Lake:East Shore
_(Celestial)\\_(Volcano)\\__
The very center of the valley crator of the Celestial Volcano is also it's
crowning jewel. You stand on the shore of a rather large crator lake. The
pool is so clear and reflective that you swear that you can see the bottom,
and at the same time, every detail of your own reflection. When the sun
shines over the crator, the soft, lulling waves sparkle like a thousand
diamonds in the cool water. On this side of the shore there is a rock
formation that is perfect for sunbathing and relaxing on. One tree
shades a part of the formation to keep those who wish out of the sun.
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Move on {t}o the Gardens {S}outh {S}hore {N}orth {S}hore
Korzar pads forward, nearing the lake. It's time to catch fishes! He wades a little into the water, going knee-deep. Ok… now what? He doesn't have much experience. He's always too busy running around at a mile a minute to actually pause and take time to do something like fishing. He rakes his eyes back and forth across the surface of the water, but, for now, sees nothing. He turns and gives Kikora a puzzled expression. Who knew fishing could be so boring?
Kikora follows after Korzar a little slower, trying her best to draw out the memories she has of fishing with her father. She remembers being cold, and being patient … it isn't too buried, as she shared her last-caught fish with Korzar what seems like moons ago. "Okay," she starts out in a quiet voice, giving Korzar a little grin. "First, we gotta get in and be quiet so we don't scare 'em off." She wades into the water slowly, trying to make as few ripples as possible. Once all the mud and muck from the bottom has resettled, she continues. "See, daddy taught me that girl-fishes are brown lotsa the time, and boy-fishes are brighter. Look, there's one!" A lake cichlid, one of the duller variety, cruises near the cubs. She figures that it'd be easy to catch, so she says, "'member? Just scoop 'em out!" She says encouragingly to Korzar, giving him an impromptu fishing lesson.
The elder settles down to her haunches some distance away. She can't quite get within hearing range of the cubs or she'll be out of range of the newborns, but she can watch. And watch she does!
Okay… scoop 'em out? Korzar eyes the approaching fish, sizing it up. When he thinks it's near enough, he quickly plunges his forepaw through the water. He has it… wait, no, it's slipped out… but with a last second lunge, the juvenile is able to get it again, this time with a firmer grip. He slowly brings it out of the water, so suprised that he almost drops it again. With it wrigglin all over the place, Korzar places it in the safest place he can think of… his mouth, where he grips it with his teeth. "Hey, I got it!" he exclaims triumphantly… or at least that's what he tries to say, but it sounds more like "Hrrrgh, igrrrrt!" with the fish in his mouth.
Kikora seems to hold her breath the entire time Korzar goes for the fish, and only exhales when it's trapped safely in his maw. "Eww, that one is yoooours!" She says, grinning at him playfully. In a flash, her eyes are back to the relatively clear lake water and — just as she suspected — a few more healthy-sized fish can be spotted, swimming in no particular direction. She lifts a forepaw up and swiftly plunges it into the water, extending her little claws right before she hits the surface. Kiko' sinks down into the water on one side, turning her head some so she doesn't submerge her face … and with a little grunt, she pushes the hooked fish out of the water, sending it flying to the dry, sandy banks. A bit of flesh remains on her claw and she shakes her paw, eyes never leaving the flopping creature. "Kor! Step on its tail so it can't get back in!" Whew, it's hard work!
Whoa! Korzar trudges for a few steps, getting out of the water and back on land. Once there, he tries to plant a paw down on the flopping fish, but it's moving everywhere, and it's slimy and slippery too! Finally, he gets it, and luckily it hasn't wriggled its way back into the water. Korzar stands on the bank, legs dripping where his fur was submerged in the lake, breathing deeply through his nose and trying to breathe as much as he can through his mouth. He's got one paw mounted on the fish, and he's still holding the other one in his muzzle… he doesn't think he can deal with too flopping fishes on the ground!
Kikora sloshes her way out of the water and nudges Korzar gently with a paw, signalling that it's okay for him to abandon the fish on the ground. With one pleased cry, Kiko' whaps! at the fish until it's farther away from the bank, rendering its flopping futile. "There!" She says, giving herself a little shake, water droplets flying from her fur.