Pride Gathering

Participants:

Gadi - juvenile lion, son of Kori and Nonceba.
Johari - lioness cub, daughter of Kiini and Mwaliko.
Kikora - juvenile lioness, pride youth.
Korzar - juvenile lion, son of King Mzohari and Kasjari.
Kunjufu'bisi - lion cub, son of Kesonam and Mzuhali.
Mashaka - lion, brother of Balana.
Mwaliko - lioness, huntress of the Kopje Valley.
Mzohari - lion, son of Balana and Chiboa, King of the Kopje Valley.


Kopje Valley - Bottom of the Waterfall Cliff
You come to the bottom of a large cliff. Just above you is a massive promontory jutting out of the side, it sends a shadow across the waterfall. A large torrent of water comes down, creating a large 'lake' at the bottom of the cliff. Many sweet grasses grow on the edge perfect for grazing animals. As you look up the cliff face, you see a small path leading to the promontory and then stretches further along the cliff.

To the [K]opje [V]alley [Climb] up to the Promontory
[E]dge of the [S]avannah

A sparkling and cool lake
You can see the 'end of' a runoff stream.

Kikora has secluded herself from the large gathering of the pride, prefering the solitude of the waterfall pool's furthest banks. She's sprawled out near the water's edge, resting on her side, head resting on her outstretched forearm. It's been quite lately — thankfully — but it looks as if poor little Kiko' isn't just bored, but … sad?

Mwaliko pads in here from the valley, looking to relax.
Mwaliko has arrived.

And it's… Korzar! Yup, he's awake and moving once again. After several days of lying around, sleeping, and basically doing nothing, Korzar has decided to get up and do -something-. The cub pads towards the waterfall, coming from the center of the valley. When he spots Kikora, he brightens and calls out. "Heeey, Kiko!" Korzar hasn't noticed his friend's mood… he's still too far away to catch that yet.

Kikora's ears perk when she hears her name, and it isn't long before she lifts her head to find … Korzar! Her mood picks up almost immediately and she drags herself to her paws, half-trotting to meet the other cub. "Heya, Kor!" She says, trying to keep as much cheer in her voice as possible. "Heeeeey … you haven't seen anybody … new, have ya?" She asks, a bit suspiciously, head tilting a little. She rests her brown eyes on the slightly bigger male, patiently waiting for his response.

His friend's cheerful act fools Korzar. As he pads the rest of the way over to the girl-cub, he doesn't notice Kikora's hidden unhappiness, but he does tilt his head at the somewhat strange question. "Nooo… why?"

Kikora frowns, now wondering what she's going to say. Should she shrug it off and deal with the consequences later … or just blab about it now and get it over with? Resigned, Kiko' sighs and sits neatly on her haunches, little ears folding back against her skull. "The other day, me, Gadi, 'Len and 'Sasi were all playin' by the tree." She pauses, lifting her eyes up to Korzar's momentarily. "… and then, outta -nowhere-, stupid -Kaidi- ran down into the valley." Now, a frown — her brows crease and her nose wrinkles. "She's my stupid sister, 'cept my mama isn't her mama. She said it was my fault that daddy got killed." Somewhat of an abbreviated explanation, but it's obviously making the poor kid upset. "She's a meeeeanie." Pbbt. :/

Mwaliko is making her way towards the waterfall with a slight yawn escaping her as she goes. Her tail slowly sways while she glances around the area and smiles the ones here while nodding. "Hello everyone."

~ Not too far away, a lion king roars!

Mzohari pads in here from the valley, looking to relax.
Mzohari has arrived.

Johari has been in a pile of cubs all day. Enough sleeping already! The cub is soon wide awake, and heads for Kikora since she's making all sorts of noise!

Gadi had been waiting to be able to speak to Kaidi, but, his stomach inevitably got the best of him. Now the clay-colored juvenile can be seen lumbering towards the waterfall, a limp brown-black form hanging from his jaws. The long hairless tail identified it - rat. His tail is curled up, flagging in the air, a silent testament to his pride at one of his first major accomplishments.

It's sort of expected of him to make a racket every once in awhile, right? After having reaffirmed his existence to the world in general via his loudmouthed roaring along the western border, Mzohari is now making his way towards the waterfall — though he's not quite sure of his reasons. A bath — in water or in mud? A nap? A general bout of laziness? Maybe kick a few rocks around? Eh, who knows. Idly pondering over his options, the inky mass of Mzohari's thick mane makes his approach blatant — as usual. His steps are slow, almost a dawdle, and he stops frequently to eyeball anything of interest that he happens to wander across — one of which is NOT Gadi, as his grandson is just a bit too far ahead to be seen.

Korzar takes a seat facing Kikora, as his friend starts a little story. He cocks his head to the side… Kaidi? Who was that? Korzar opens his mouth to ask just that, when Kiko explains in the next sentence. OH! Her sister? The cub's first reaction is one of excitement… more playmates! And if he's friends with Kikora, than that'll automatically make him friends with her sister too! … At least that's what Korzar thinks, but then he spots the girl-cub's wrinkled muzzle. As Kikora continues, Korzar's nose wrinkles as well. "Sounds mean," he states flatly, then glances up as a flurry of arriving lions and lionesses of all ages momentarily distracts him.

Mashaka pads in here from the valley, looking to relax.
Mashaka has arrived.

Kikora also becomes quite distracted, watching her adopted pride members arrival from varying locations — her eyes are trained on Mzohari's mane for quite a while before she even thinks to respond to Korzar. "… yeah." Her voice drops to a low pitch, her brows raising up in a theatrical arc. "I dunno if she's still back there, but I wish she coulda found somewhere -else- to go." Once again the girl frowns, lowering her head and hunching her shoulders defensively. Although Kiko' is gentle and kind for the most part, something in her sours when she remembers how Kaidi taunted her, teased her and made her feel worthless.

Mwaliko glances over the ones here once more before moving over to settle down near her cubs. Her tail swaying a few times while her ears perk towards the cubs conversation. She slips quiet at the moment, pondering what they might be talking about seeing how she hasn't spoken with any of them recently.

Mashaka pads through the valley from the direction of the border, looking around for something, or someone. He finally spots who he's seaking, and starts making a beeline straight toward Kikora.

Kunjufu'bisi is awake in the area as well, somewhere off to the side and out of the way. He's presently sitting on a rock, forepaw in his muzzle as he often does when idle.

Gadi spies the other juveniles and cuts a path towards them, the rat in his mouth muzzling the greeting he tries to grunt out. Likely, he intends a word along the lines of Lookit, but it just comes out, "Mrft!" The rat is dropped at his paws, the young boy looking rather proud. It's only once he stops moving does he realize the black in the corner of his eye doesn't belong to stray bits of his own growing mane or that of the rat, but another beast entirely - his grandfather. His ears prick up faintly as he looks to Mzohari, but, he doesn't say anything at the moment.

The voices ahead do reach him — and such is evidenced in the mild pricking of his ears within the layers of his dark mane. But that's about all the response that's elicited, seeing as it's more than commonplace for there to be chatter around the waterfall. Continuing to meander along, Mzohari eventually steps into the significantly shorter grasses that ring the ever-populated area about the pool .. and once there, he stops and goes about the entire process of stretching, grunting and grumbling as his muscles loosen and joints pop. As of yet, he makes no motion to greet anyone. He's the epitome of laziness this evening .. and he'll get around to the hiya-sup-whatchadoin's eventually.

Johari watches as mom comes over to her and the other cubs, and immediately pounces at her leg the best she can. "Hi Mom!" Johari exclaims as the other furs start to build into the area. "Anything to eat?"

Korzar looks back to Kikora, after waving one paw in an all-encompassing greeting to everyone who's just arrived. He normally would be more friendly, but his conversation with Kiko has his attention at the moment, and it's hard to focus on more than one thing at a time! "Where'd she come from? Maybeee she go back?" he asks. If Kikora doesn't want her sister to stay here, then why not send her back to her home… wherever that was. Korzar looks up again, as Gadi yells out something from a little bit away. "Hi Gadi!" he calls, and then spots the little grey form near the dark cub's feet. "Whasdat?" The other cubs, who he doesn't know as well, are ignored, along with his laaazy dad, who already looks like he's getting ready for a nap.

Kikora gives her head a short shake, her shoulders still hunched up and ears plastered back. "I don't think she c'n go back … daddy got hurt — killed — by bad lions. She said her mama took her an' Kota here, an' something 'bout hyenas …" she stops now, noticing Gadi as he approaches with his rat. Heeeey! She didn't have any luck catching one of those things out by the tree a while back, but it looks like Kori's son did a good job. She smiles a bit in his direction, but is soon distracted by the lumbering form of Mashaka. Ack! She tries to train her attention on the three males at once, finding it difficult. Errg.

Mashaka passes the lazy Mzohari first, and on his way gives a nod to him. "Nephew." he says politely. "Nice to see you up." and continues right on toward the cubs. When he gets there he flops down onto his rump, dwarfing all, and glances to Kikora, first singling her out. "Hello Kikora. Nice to see you're still.. in the valley." he tells her pointedly.

Kunjufu'bisi takes his time in deciding just what to do upon his rock. Gaze wanders over the big lions, and the cubs… ultimately, it's Mashaka who gets his attention, especially his silver paw. The cub's paw drops out of his muzzle as he hops down off his rock, pads over next to Mashaka's silver paw, sits down… and stares up at the lion, forepaw re-finding his muzzle after a moment.

"Dun' really know.." Gadi says to Korzar's question of the prey's species as he pokes the limp rodent with a toe. "But I got it! It's huuge!" He says, parti-colored eyes wide, shining with excitement over such a kill. Nevermind it's barely a mouthful for an adult. "Um… er… Grandpa?" Gadi asks then as he looks over his shoulder towards the King, a paw scooting the rat into better view. "What /is/ this anyway?" Good job kid, stick things in your mouth without knowing what they are.

Mwaliko looks to her daughter and noses at her while purring softly. "Course there is.." She offers softly whie slowly licking across Johari's head and ears a few times. Her ears perk forward and she looks towards Mzohari and Mashaka nodding to them before tilting her head as she hears Mashaka. "An.. Why would she not be in the valley?" She questions curiously..

Getting ready for a nap? Eh. Not just yet. Finishing his lavish stretching with a great shaking-out of his mane, which leaves the heavy fur fluffed out in random spikes and curls, the lion's pale green eyes shuffle over in the direction of Korzar .. having been drawn due to what his ears caught. With a flexing of his toes, Mzohari turns and starts over towards where Kor' and Kikora are settled just after Mashaka passes him by. "And just who is going back to where?" The question is asked in a mild tone — though he wouldn't put it past any of the cubs to try to dump a fellow youth off in the Middle Ground if they'd gotten in a squabble, or something like that. However, seeing as he's closer now, he's able to fully hear what Kikora says in reply to his son and his uncle's remarks — and it brings a swift frown and an abrupt dropping of his laid-back demeanor. "What's all this about?" The question presented by his grandson is heard — but a short shake of his head is made, and he murmurs a quick, "Just a minute, Gadi."

"Mom, food.." Johari noses a little more into her mom's leg, but when it doesn't seem to be doing a while lot of good, she gives up. Looking around, she spots Kikora next. A grin overtakes her features and she starts for the older cub. "Hey Kikora!" She calls out, missing the whole 'Kikora might be in trouble thing' at first.

Korzar tilts his head as he listens to Kikora. Hmmm… well he's already out of ideas on where Kaidi could go. It looks like she's stuck here. Hopefully, she's not really as bad as Kikora is painting her… but Korzar believes his friend when she tells him that her sister is mean. Korzar looks up from his thoughts as a biiiig lion pads over, but it's just his great-Uncle Mashaka… Uncle Mash to Korzar. He remains silent when Mashaka addresses Kikora, eyes darting back and forth from Kiko to the adult. Korzar shoots a curious glance towards Gadi as he tries to figure out what he's caught, but no answer is given, and he looks back to Mashaka… at least until his father pads up right after his uncle. "Kiko's sister. She's mean," he explains. Not that he's ever actually met Kaidi…

Ooookay — at first, she's trying to pay attention to Korzar, Gadi and Mashaka … and then Kunjufu moves toward the big, lounging lion. Next, Mwaliko unknowingly brings up something of a sore spot for the cub, then King Mzohari gets closer, and now Johari is greeting her. Kikora's little brain is obviously having some trouble trying to decipher everything that's happening at once, so she tries her best: "Hi there, Johari! Uhhmm …" she says quietly, dropping her eyes a bit at Mashaka and Mwaliko's comments. Oooh great. "Yeah, uhm … I'm here, yep, yes sir!" Well, she -is- right here, but the cheesy grin on her face seems a bit … much. "My sister ran into the vaaalleey …" she says quietly, shooting Gadi a pleading look — maybe -he- can explain it better, since he wasn't emotional during the whole ordeal like she had been.

Mashaka smiles down to Kunjufu'bisi and gives his head a light rub with that big silver paw of his. "Hello there." he chimes down to the cub. "And who are you?" He then gives a quick glance to Mwaliko. "Oh, you know, the usual. Finding siblings, maybe finding parents, verifying what siblings tells you, going exploring in.. exotic places. You know how cubs like to dream of wandering." He then brushes a little something black off his paw. "Funny how this stuff gets all the way back to the lands from the volcano.." he says absentmindedly, then smiles down to Kunjufu'bisi once again. "I'm Mashaka." he offers.

Kunjufu'bisi sits and stares up at Mashaka for a while, maw opening in a grin as he's acknowledged. He doesn't seem to respond to Mashaka's words aside from a tilt of his head. A moment later he looks back down to the large silver paw, and lifts up his corresponding forepaw. He looks at it for a moment, and then puts it atop his head in a similar manner to the pat he received. He holds it there for a moment, and then points up at Mashaka.

Gadi flicks an ear at the dismissal of his question and his eyes are soon settling onto Kikora, and it dawns on him just what the conversations were about. "She.. oh. Kaidi?" He murmurs as he looks between the lioness youth and towards his grandfather and then Mwaliko and then Mashaka. His eyes show full well he has a good idea what's going on, but he doesn't add anything, save move over to stand closer to Kikora as a silent figure of support.

Mwaliko well its not like the lioness knows what is going on lately.. Why would Kikora have to leave here? ALl she knows is the girls lives here after all. Her gaze drifts over the faces here, ears perking forward as she watches for answers to start coming from somewhere. She looks back to Johari and shifts up onto her paws moving on over to her daughter and the others. A brow lifts as she hears Mashaka and she looks to Kikora. "Siblings?.." She was under the impression that the cub was on her own. Her gaze turns towards Gadi and she waits for the explation.

Johari's mind is rather narrowly focused, just the opposite of Kikora. But even she can't miss that everyone wants Kikora's attention. So with as patiently as an impatient cub can be, she flops her back end down on the ground and waits for some sort of signal from Kikora to start playing.

Ooo, the volcano again! It must *almost* be time for them to take that trip. After all, Korzar's been grounded for how many days? 1, 2, 3, …. ah, just call it a moon! He turns to his father to ask him if it has in fact been a moon, but Mzo has dropped off. Dang. Well, whatever, that just means that no one can tell him no. "Volcano! We going soon," he says proudly, looking up to Mashaka and Mwaliko, and then grins over at Kikora. That's gonna be awesome! In his excitement, he takes a playful swing at one of Kikora's ears… and after a moment, decides to get everyone in on the fun. He bats at the top of Kunjufu's head, and then crouches and pounces over to nearby Gadi and Johari, before pawing at thier muzzles as well.

"It wasn't the -volcano-, Kaidi saiiid it was up … up there," Kikora says in an unsure voice, gesturing toward the Pride Lands border with a paw. Ahem. She is careful not to get trapped in whatever little game Mashaka is cruelly playing with her, and she breathes out a little sigh, turning toward Mwaliko. Gadi sure didn't say much in her defense, but he'd probably been just as itimidated by the two approaching lions as Kiko' was. "Kaidi's my sister, but we have different mamas," she explains to Mwaliko in a little downtrodden voice, wiggling her nose a bit. "She was daddy and the Queen's cub, an' my sister Kota an' brother Kian'. She showed up th'other day an' said that hyenas … something 'bout her mama and Kota and 'yenas." It's right about then that Korzar starts batting at her, and she swings a paw at him aimlessly, distractedly — but she misses completely as he moves on toward Kunjufu, Gadi and Johari. Woooow, what got into Kor'? Kikora watches him and tries her best to hide the little smile forming on her muzzle, despite her trying to -explain-, darnit.

Mashaka chuckles down to Kunjufu'bisi, and follows what the cub is doing, placing his silver paw on top of his head. He wiggles his toes to the cub in a silly wave, giving him a big smile. He glances to Kikora for a moment. "Is that why I found some of your pawprints going off the border? I think we need to go over where the border actually is." he tells the younger one.

Kunjufu'bisi is busy beaming up at Mashaka and his response when Korzar runs by. A-wha? Who was that? The big lion is forgotten as Kunjufu looks after Korzar. He's about to follow, but ultimately decides he's not really got the energy to play. The cub settles down, puts his paw in his maw, and eventually conks out.

Mwaliko tilts her head while listioning to the conversation and slips quiet choosing to see what else may be said. Her tail swaying about as she settles back down to her haunches.

Hmmmm… well for all that flurry of activity and playful bats, Korzar is pretty much ignored. His excited, happy mood dampens, and his tail droops. He pulls himself back to his paws, and takes the few steps needed to return back to Kikora's side, where he slumps to the ground again, silent and motionless except for his tail, which twitches slightly as it curls around his body.

Eeeeh, what? Mashaka earns a suspicious glance and Kikora frowns, glancing down at her paws — which, by now, are free of any ashy evidence thanks to the dewy grass and the mucky bank of the waterfall pool. "How d'you know it wasn't Kaidi's paws? She coulda left already!" Ooh, defensive … and when Korzar returns to her side, Kiko' gives him a few light-hearted bats, flopping down to her belly to snuggle up against him. Even if the other cubs are preoccupied, Kiko' would never ignore her best friend! It seems as if all the excitement has taken a toll on her and she lowers her head to her paws, ears twitching back some. Before she closes her eyes completely, Kiko' gives Mashaka a desperate look, one that says, 'Please leave it between us — it won't happen again'. If that gets through to Mashaka, the little lioness is unsure because she falls into a light doze shortly afterward.

Mashaka gives Kikora a look at her first comment that tells her he doesn't take that comment seriously, then when the cub is falling asleep he reaches out with a paw to give her small back a light pat. "Sleep well." He glances over to Korzar next, and offers him a smile. "Well, going to the volcano would be fun, wouldn't it? I hear it's really neat there."

Korzar returns Kikora's batting half-heartedly, but he's getting tired too. He hasn't been paying full attention to Mashaka and Kikora's conversation, so he's not sure what exactly is going on. He does look up tiredly as Uncle Mash adresses him. "Yeah. Lotsa fun. Goin' soon," he states, with a faint smile. Soon, he's yawning, and not long after, his eyes are drooping, and he's almost asleep. He wriggles in tightly next to Kikora as he begins to drop off.

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