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NV-Act 1, Scene 1; [Open to Anyone]
Topic Started: Aug 11 2011, 08:39 PM (530 Views)
Embyr_Somm
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  • Evening. Above, the stars were beginning to appear, winking brightly at the valley below. On the horizon, the sun's trail barely lagged over the edge, procrastinating its descent. This whole display created a sort of backwards rainbow between the two planes. Not as vivid as an after-showers rainbow, but no less stunning to those who could enjoy its beauty.

    Unfortunately, over the years, many had decided this wonder wasn't worth staying up for. On a hilltop, sitting proud but alone, was a cheetah. She sat silently, eyes soft with a tinge of pity for the dusk skyline. Just because it wasn't as rare as its cousins didn't mean it wasn't as lovely. Nasari sighed to herself, thinking about how small the world must of looked to them. What a shame.

    She stood up then, in a normal pace, trekked along down the hill. Small puffs of sand kicked up behind her heels, leaving clawed toeprints in their wake. The others had probably retreated to the main burrow by now. She doubted anyone would wait for her, except for her mate, the king, maybe. The cheetahess disliked the thought of him worrying about her. She'd be fine. She always was and would be, with or without him. However, the first was the preference.

    Late night walks were a regular habit of the queen. She had been labeled a creature of the night by her peers long ago and the tag had stuck. They probably saw it as a negative, but she didn't see it that way. Setting her apart from most of the group, this characteristic wasn't a worn with badge of honor. Nasari carried it as a basic trademark, with a neutral outlook on it.

4 - Adult creatures
3 - Baby critters
2 - Adolescents

and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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Mwanafunzi had no idea where he was going. In all honesty he stopped caring. Such was the life of a rogue. He had ventured into the desert, not sure what he'd find. As it turned out, he found nothing, except desert. Perhaps it was the heat or perhaps the dehydration, but Mwanafunzi could not find his way out, and he accepted that perhaps he never will. So Mwanafunzi walked, his head bowed in defeat.

However, the Universe seemed to have smiled on him. Mwanafunzi didn't stop until he felt a cool breeze brush through his mane. He then realized, that sand had given way to rock beneath his paws. He looked up and saw a valley of green in front of him, and he was standing near the edge of a rock wall, the breeze having come from the valley. He looked around and couldn't believe what he had found. One of the stories he had listened to as a cub was of such a place, a desert oasis. He never actually thought he'd simply find it without even looking for it. At the moment, he didn't care about that. No, he cared about one thing: where there's green, there's water.

He looked down the wall. It wasn't a straight drop. There were ledges, and if he did this just right, he could walk down this wall into the valley. He had nothing to lose at this point. Slowly, he fell to the closest ledge. And again to the next. Each ledge no wider than him. A greater fall this time, but no worries. The slope became shallower. He could slide down a bit carefully. The only problem: he tripped. He tumbled to the next ledge. He was already weak from walking the desert, but the hope for water pushed him on. He was a bit sore now. A shallower slope, a better slide. Again, and again, and again. And grass. Mwanafunzi made it into the valley more or less unscathed.

He looked up to see his accomplishment. Happy with himself, he started into the valley. He started walking again; the air cooler, the grass friendlier. He looked up and saw the sky turn red with the evening. He saw the stars begin to come out. As he ventured deeper into the valley, he marveled at the sight. The stars always fascinated him, and he swore he'd learn their secret dance one day. However, not tonight. Mwanafunzi searched for water, but still enjoyed company of the stars.
Rogue: MWANAFUNZI
Majabalian: ASIMA
Nekuran: EL DORADO
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  • Doing some light patrol work around the valley's edge, she made an interesting discovery. Pebbles and dirt from the land's magnificent border were continuing to roll downward in a dusty waterfall. Her jeweled purple eyes followed the path they had made all the way to their source. It seems they had been disturbed by something quite recently, something that had come from outside the wall. The grass at its base was flat and trampled, continuing this pattern for an unknown length.

    Using her nose, Nasari tracked the creature and soon found herself standing behind him, the mystery male lion.
    "Good evening, stranger," Her voice was haunting, immediately breaking the silence, "Welcome to Nekura." He probably hadn't heard her coming; the queen's footsteps were airy, ghostlike. If she had scared him, an apology would come next.
    But first, "You are looking for refreshment, are you not?" Had he come from the desert, it was only logical that the main thing on his mind would be water, food, and shelter. Still as a statue, the cheetah waited for his answer. For now, there was no need to alert the clan.

4 - Adult creatures
3 - Baby critters
2 - Adolescents

and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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Traversing the desert, Mwanafunzi encountered many mirages. There were so many in the desert that after enough disappointments he began to ignore them completely. When he saw the glint of a lake, he almost ignored it altogether. Yet, Mwanafunzi stopped and felt the grass beneath his paws again. This wasn't the desert, he reminded himself. There has to be water for the grass. He looked back at the lake he had just ignored. This lake looked real to him, and it was nothing like the mirages in the desert. Hopeful, Mwanafunzi ventured towards the water.

However, not long after walking towards the lake, he heard an ethereal voice welcome him. He stopped. It had been absolutely quiet, and this new voice broke the silence, and it still hung in the air like a mist. In fact, he could see a few wisps of an evening mist form around the valley. He felt a shiver run down his spine a bit. Mwanafunzi wasn't a very superstitious lion. If there was something he didn't understand, he tried his best to figure it out.

He turned around to find the source of the haunting voice, and he found a cheetah with amethyst eyes. She had appeared without a sound, and she had a voice that haunted the air about as much as the mist forming around the area. To his dazed and water deprived mind, her appearance seemed supernatural; and something about this valley, Nekura she called it, and this cheetah was spooking some irrational portion of him. That instinctual fear wanted him to run back to the desert because at least he knew what to expect there. However, his curiosity and wonder wanted him to stay and learn and understand this Nekura valley.

He was also thirsty, so his curiosity and wonder won out. "Um, refreshment?" he asked. It came out rather dry sounding due to his thirst and he hadn't spoken in a couple days. "I would love some water, actually, if that isn't too much to ask for." It wouldn't hurt to accept the cheetah's help if she offered. Whatever the case may be, if this was all real or not, if his thirst got quenched then he would think more clearly, and perhaps the more the Nekura would make sense to him.
Rogue: MWANAFUNZI
Majabalian: ASIMA
Nekuran: EL DORADO
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  • Quietly and patiently, the young adult waited while the stranger took his time answering. Sometimes, the long, spotted tail, attached to her tannish lean frame, elegantly swayed, showing life in the mostly motionless figure. There was no reason to hurry in her mind, but, in case another less-peaceful clan member should stumble upon them, he probably should make his decisions a little faster.

    Um, refreshment?

    Her tan head dipped slightly, agreeing with him and signaling that was what she had said. Therefore, that is what she had meant.

    I would love some water, actually, if that isn't too much to ask for.

    Ah, wonderful. He got it; good news for both of them,. No matter what anyone had told her in the past, she often forgot to speak "normally" or "simpler", so others would understand her better. Luckily, this lion wasn't lazy and had contemplated the word, knowing it was the same as 'food and/or water'. Suggesting those two substances in one breath saved energy, but few of her peers appreciated that.

    Nasari looked in the direction of the empty field, then back at the newcomer.
    "Very well then," the cheetahess replied bluntly, "Come with me." Her slim form turned around, leading him in the opposite direction. There was no lake here, only a reliable stream and a couple pondlike pools scattered throughout the area.


4 - Adult creatures
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2 - Adolescents

and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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Mwanafunzi saw the cheetahess get up and turn around after beckoning him to follow. He looked back at what he thought was a lake. "Perhaps it is a mirage after all," he mumbled quietly. He got up and followed the cheetahess.

He lagged behind her purposely. She was mysterious, and his irrational side was too afraid to get nearer. He had questions, so many quesstions in fact, about the Nekura, about her, and about water. He didn't voice them, however. Again, he hoped a drink from her refreshments would clear his mind and allow him to think straight. For now, he followed the cheetahess silently and cautiously. He hoped that she would be good on her word. Something told him that she would be. Perhaps then, he would be able to ask his questions without this crazy fear he felt.

He didn't like feeling this way. It wasn't him. It didn't make sense for him to be so frightened of a cheetah in the mist. However, it didn't make sense for this valley to exist in the middle of the desert. Mwanafunzi looked up at the stars as he walked. They were the one thing that put his weary mind at ease.
Rogue: MWANAFUNZI
Majabalian: ASIMA
Nekuran: EL DORADO
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  • Her ears swiveled, catching the ambiance of the night valley and the sounds of the strangers footsteps behind her. Neither immediately chanced a deeper conversation yet, but she wasn't usually the talkative type anyways. Purple eyes focused forward, she thought about other things, irrelevant things. Like whether she should have eggs or rabbit tomorrow for breakfast.

    Ahead, the path narrowed, then opened again. The blades of grass split at the sides, bowing in the opposite direction, and the land ramped downward. Some of the fog thickened as they walked on, but then dispersed quickly after, allowing a partial view of the destination. As she had promised, there was a piece of still, grayish pool for him, ready to quench the harsh desert thirst.

    Curling her tail around her, Nasari sat down a few feet away from the water. Before addressing the lion, her dark claws made an random scratch on the ground.
    "Watch your step," she warned, lifting her paw and pointing to the edge of the pond. The slopes became very slippery in the evenings.

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and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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Their silent walk had come to a stop as they approached the grey pool. Mwanafunzi saw the cheetahess sit by the water's edge and tell him to watch his step. Slowly, the Lion began his walk to the water. He looked down most of the time, but as he approached the cheetahess, he looked up. He made eye contact with her purple eyes as he passed her, and he quickly broke it off and faced the pool. He didn't want to stare too long. He had to watch his step after all, he told himself.

The lion successfully made to the edge of the water, and he saw how still it was. He could see the dark sky with its many stars. He saw himself, and he realized just how weary he looked. He lowered his head, and he took his first sip of water. Perhaps it was due to going without water since before he entered the desert, but Mwanafunzi believed that it was the sweetest, most satisfying water he had ever drank up to that point. Perhaps also due to having gotten used to his great thirst, but after that first sip he felt many times more thirsty than he had moments ago. So he drank more. He took sips. He took gulps. He nearly dunk his whole head in the pool to allow the water to flow in more easily. He drank as if it was the last pool of water on Earth.

Eventually, after what felt like all too short of a time, Mwanafunzi couldn't drink another drop, which he felt was impossible. He was satisfied, however, and he could feel his mind clear up. He then thought of the cheetahess. Mwanafunzi stood up and took a deep breath. He turned around, and he saw that she was still where she was. "So you are real," he sighed, mostly to himself than anyone. He had thought that perhaps he imagined her due to being so weary. He walked back to her, still avoiding eye contact. "I must thank you," he said to her. "You may have saved my life."

((ooc: I'm very sorry for the delayed reply. I have been caught up in trying to get used to my first week of college, I hardly had time to think of a good reply.))
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Nekuran: EL DORADO
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[( OoC: Don't worry about it. :3 Just hope you are enjoying yourself there and not getting too overwhelmed. O.o )]

  • Her mouth formed a discreet smile. She was always pleased to have helped someone in need, whether they returned the favor or not. But, in this case, she didn't expect to end up in the same waterless predicament any time soon.

    So you are real.

    The comment made her head tilt slightly to the side, giving the lion a minor expression of confusion. Had she seemed like a ghost? He couldn't see it, but the words made her beam inside; she saw it as a compliment.

    I must thank you...You may have saved my life.

    She dipped her speckled head, then lifted it again.
    "You are most welcome, traveler," Nasari replied calmly, "Is there anything else you seek?" Now it was time for business. Just what was he doing here? Her tail tip twitched, not anxiously, but definitely curious to know his reasons.

4 - Adult creatures
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2 - Adolescents

and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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Mwanafunzi gazed around the valley. He didn't answer the cheetahess right away, as he was contemplating his words. He found that her word choice had added to her fantastical demeanor, and he didn't want to seem he couldn't hold his own in a conversation with her. Now that he could think more clearly, he put more thought into his words. It was a point of pride for him, and he felt a little embarrassed from even thinking she was some spirit when he was dazed.

"To be perfectly honest with you," he said a short while later, "I have no idea where I am. You said this is the Nekura, but I only stumbled across this valley by accident after wandering the desert. If I leave now, I'll be just as lost as I was when I first entered the Nekura." The lion turned his gaze back to the cheetahess. "What I need is a way out of this desert. However," he paused, trying to pick the right words, "this valley, it doesn't make sense to me. It's a place of wonder in the middle of a barren desert. How can that even exist?"

Mwanafunzi got up and walked past the cheetahess to gaze at the starlit valley once more. "You ask what more I seek, no?" He looked over his shoulder to the cheetahess and smiled a bit. "Wisdom," he replied. "Knowledge. Experience. That may not have been the answer you were looking for, but it's the reason I've been wandering, and therefor why I am here right now. It's why I find this valley so curious." Mwanafunzi started walking back to the cheetahess. "You've been most kind to me so far, so please forgive me if I've been wasting your time."
Rogue: MWANAFUNZI
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Nekuran: EL DORADO
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  • There was another pause in the conversation, as the male didn't state his intentions immediately. When he did, there was a clear answer, with additional side roads of curiosity attached, ones that must have been created only recently.

    Nekura appeared to be a mystery to him, as it would be to any outsider who saw it with their own eyes.
    "It exists because life says it must," she said calmly, "To defy viewers like you who doubt that it could or should be real, be in the desert of all places." The cheetahess chuckled, then spoke again. "Amusing, is it not?"

    The valley was a diamond in the rough, the founation of her clan's way of life. Things hadn't always been this way, cheetahs and more living amongst one another as allies in a single pod. This place was a stepping stone toward the future, evolution and it's own design showed this very concept.

    You ask what more I seek, no?...Wisdom. Knowledge. Experience. That may not have been the answer you were looking for, but it's the reason I've been wandering, and therefor why I am here right now.

    Nasari corrected him. "I don't look for any particular answers. To do so would portray arrogance and assumption. I'd never say I'd know everything or anything. I merely go with my heart, sometimes my head."

    His apology made her ears swivel towards him and her eyes meet his again.
    "You're not wasting my time, dear sir," she smiled gently, "But what you're after is...difficult, impossible to bundle. On this search of wisdom, knowledge, and experience, a long trip awaits you. Since you are not going anywhere specific, I could lead you in several directions, but which you take is up to you. After that, I cannot guarantee where your journey will lead."

4 - Adult creatures
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2 - Adolescents

and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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Mwanafunzi continued to gaze around as the cheetahess spoke. He gave a small laugh at her words about the existence of the valley. The universe would be one to put the Nekura in the middle of the desert to spite him, he thought. He laughed at that. It was amusing, just as she said.

I don't look for any particular answers. To do so would portray arrogance and assumption. I'd never say I'd know everything or anything. I merely go with my heart, sometimes my head.

To this, Mwanafunzi gave a small chuckle. "Then I know a few lions you'd call arrogant. Back where I came from, they only ever heard what they wanted to hear. Honestly, they didn't like me. I never said the answers what they wanted to hear." Mwanafunzi sighed. "A lot of things back home weren't exactly the best before I left. They said I should go gain wisdom, but I think they just wanted me to leave. I wasn't doing very well there at the time. Anyways, it's best not to dwell on the past. I'm here now, and that's what matters. If my journey has no end, then so be it. I don't mind. I will learn along the way, and it'll be worth it all the same."

Mwanafunzi looked around. "I don't want to overstay my welcome. You've been more kind than I would have hoped already. This looks like a large valley. Would it be to much to ask if I may stay for some time? I won't get in your way. I merely wish to rest after wandering the desert and perhaps explore the valley." He paused before continuing. "However, if you wish me to leave, would you please tell me the quickest way out of the desert?" He didn't like the idea of wandering back in so soon after finding relief from the desert, but he was her guest and he'd honor whatever she chose. His word and honor is all he has as a rogue, and there was no point in making them worth nothing.
Rogue: MWANAFUNZI
Majabalian: ASIMA
Nekuran: EL DORADO
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  • The lion chatted more, strength and spirits obviously replenished from the drink before and the friendly gesture. A hidden smile peeked around her mouth and she listened silently most of the time he talked.

    ...Back where I came from, they only ever heard what they wanted to hear...

    "Pity," she commented. The word was for both statements; the one about the stubborn creatures he had the misfortune of living with and the fact that they didn't like him. She could relate, seeing as many here did not like her.

    ...Anyways, it's best not to dwell on the past...

    Quite true. What good would come of that?
    "You seem pleased about it," Nasari said, "Seeing as you are getting what you wanted, I see no reason why you shouldn't be." He had wanted to explore the answers and his family had given him that chance, sent him away maybe, but allowed him to go all the same. Either way, the lion took went and appeared at peace with that decision, but things are not always as they seem.

    He requested to remain in the Valley longer, being very polite and gracious upon asking.
    "You may stay if you wish," the queen replied after a short pause, dipping her head, "But I will require your name, sir."

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and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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You seem pleased about it. Seeing as you are getting what you wanted, I see no reason why you shouldn't be.

Those words made Mwanafunzi think back. The journey, the opportunities it could provide, it was something he always wanted. However, with all the circumstances that led to leaving, it was hardly how he wanted to go. He knew one day he would be able to return, and he missed his family, but part of him didn't want to go back. His journey provided at least one thing for him: a fresh start. Even in what seemed like the middle of nowhere in the Nekura, those unwanted memories managed to creep back into his thoughts. Why go back to where it all occurred?

The young lion pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He reminded himself of what he had just said about dwelling on the past. Leaving was good for him, and he didn't let his thoughts of home show on his face. He smiled a bit. He a reason to, after all, because the cheetahess had just provided her consent on staying in the Nekura.

But I will require your name, sir.

And then, Mwanafunzi mentally cursed himself. Names! How could he forget a simple introduction? He and the cheetahess have been in each other's company since soon after sunset, and not once had he given his name. Although, now that he thought about it, most of that time was spent in silence with the lion thinking she was some sort of spirit.

Mwanafunzi was tired, and he didn't want to think to much about his social misstep to much. Therefore, after a short pause to process exactly what she said, he laughed about it. "I forgot to introduce myself, haven't I?" he chuckled. "Forgive me, it's been a long day. My name is Mwanafunzi. Your hospitality is most appreciated. Thank you." He gave a weak smile to the cheetahess, who he realized he never received a name from either. He didn't let it bother him, though. If she wished to give her name, she would. He was happy enough to be able to rest in the relative safety of the Nekura compared to the desert for the time being.
Rogue: MWANAFUNZI
Majabalian: ASIMA
Nekuran: EL DORADO
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  • A minor chuckle left her lips as her friendly, but stern purple gaze landed on him. She nodded in acceptance of his title. As the lion has previously mentioned that he was on a search for knowledge, it was a fitting name.

    Briefly, the sidetracking thought of the connection between names and personality hopped into her mind. She might be an exception to this bond, seeing as she was given a boy's name since her parents were so certain they would have one. Already off to a shaky start with that one, right? And 'of victory', as was her label's definition, so far, her birth or its reason, was by no means so splendid as to dub it such. It was just nature taking its course, nothing amazing about that, or at least it wasn't moreso than usual.

    "Well then, Mwanafunzi," she repeated, dipping her head politely, "Again, welcome to our lands. I am Nasari, mate to Lord El Dorado and Queen of Nekura Valley." Seeing as it was so late, it was probably not the best time for introductions to the entire clan. They'd have to make the traveler's presence known later, during the day hours.

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and an 'Embyr' in a pear tree >D
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