[JOINT-META] Incongruous Juxtaposition? (OPEN)

[Baharimtoto Pride]

This is a joint mini-meta RP between the Bahari'mtoto and the Motoujamii.
The overall aim of this RP is to let the Firekin meet some of their most distant relatives, while also exploring a land far beyond what they have ever seen before. It's meant to be a little bit of fun, somewhere that the Firekin can unwind without fear of reprisal, while also scoping out the Bahari'mtoto as potential allies.

As with all previous external visitors, the Firekin will respect the rules of the Bahari'mtoto and in Ram's own words, if you have a dispute, then make sure your Firekin takes that fight outside!

Duels are certainly allowed, though it would be safe to assume the Firekin have a considerable advantage in that respect. While Firekin wishing to learn or explore certain aspects of Bahari'mtoto culture are more than welcome to do so.

Unfortunately, the Bahari'mtoto will not be allowing flings on this occasion,
no matter how attractive the Firekin boys and girls might be!

Note for Firekin
Keep in mind that only those who signed up for the expedition may participate in the Bahari'mtoto meta. If you did not manage to sign up this time, you can still use a Bahari or a Rogue to participate. n_n

 

[Baharimtoto Pride]

It hadn't been long since the pair had returned, in fact, one might have said that it had only been a week or so. And yet, in the last few days they had been required to regale not just small children with their tale, but also the elders... And now their father. For the most part their stories had been well received, spurring on the curiosity of others regarding certain individuals that the siblings had encountered during their wandering through the land that lay beyond their borders. However, they had made several invitations that a certain someone hadn't been entirely impressed to hear.

Suffice it to say that while the King of the Bahari'mtoto had been satisfied that his children hadn't insulted any prides on a grand scale, at least not enough to bring their wrath down on their home, that didn't necessarily mean that he appreciated his sons' and their willingness to simply invite the world for a party.

Unsurprisingly, when Ram had finally been informed of some of these stories and the genuine nature of the invitations had been revealed, he hadn't reacted as kindly as either of the adolescent males would have liked. In fact, they had received a considerable dressing down as a result. As they had now been informed, neither of them had the expertise of a diplomat and as a consequence, they could very well have been played. Certainly, if they had an interest in the profession then they could certainly be guided in such an art but to simply go with their gut was not considered desirable.

Unfortunately for Ram, it was apparent that on this occasion one of the genuine invitations had been taken, and once again he had foreign lions on his borders.

...A large number of them.

When they had arrived he had regarded them with the same apprehension as he had received the Stormborn, but the manner in which they had carried themselves had soon relieved at least some of his concerns. Whether these red lions, filled with fire, would respect their rules remained to be seen but they were entitled to the benefit of the doubt at least.

"I promise they're okay," Shui had murmured as they had approached the borders.

"Yeah, they're really nice," Huo had agreed and shaken his head. "That was the second time we met them and apparently the first time we met them we met someone really important," he had pointed out. "They might look a bit rough around the edges, but I think they're solid."

"Rough around the edges..." Ram had repeated and raised a brow before giving a small nod and beginning back towards the inner regions of the pride. "If they don't respect our -"

"They already know!" Shui had called after his father and grinned. "They know what they're getting in for."

"We shall see." Was all their father had said as he had wandered away.

Shui and Huo however, had looked more than a little confident. The Firekin had seemed perfectly respectable, they were in a world they barely knew and they had a willingness to learn. Where better to have them explore than a place so different from home? Sure it might have sand, but they'd have never seen the ocean before and they'd probably have never eaten the meals they did. For all intents and purposes, both brothers were in agreement that this could be fun.

They'd prove their father wrong, that much was certain.  

[Motoujamii Lands]

Heti was nervous. Why? Well...a number of reasons, though he really wasn't in any sort of position that he should have been. He was an officer, yes, but not one of high ranking and would have no direct say in what happened on this visit.
And yet, he felt the pressure of it as if he were the one in charge. He wanted this to work so badly and feared what might happen if it went wrong.
Firekin were good at many things and, certainly, they had their fair share of diplomats. But the Firekin in this group?

Soldiers. Huntresses. Newly-appointed officers yet untested...

Ha! Well...what was the worst that could happen? They could offend the lions here? Cause trouble? Break any chance of an alliance before one could even begin? Urgh. He wasn't sure he could handle the stress of it.

A female padded up alongside him, offering him a somewhat amused smile (perhaps as if she could read his mind).

"Chin up," she called across to him, "it might never happen."

Then she was gone, moving up ahead, making it suddenly clear that he was falling behind. With a sigh, he shoved forwards and hoped to be among one of the first to meet their potential coastal companions.  

[Epine de Rose]

There he was!

The pair of brothers had been waiting expectantly for the familiar figure to enter their line of sight. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the spotted the striking markings and what appeared to be a lion who wasn't quite as confident as he'd been previously. Not that they blamed him, he'd been quite clear that he was by no means a senior figure in this particular pride and the insistence he might have given to those in leaderships positions may have put him in a precarious position.

Hopefully the Bahari'mtoto wouldn't disappoint though; hopefully the Firekin would find something of value here. The Bahari'mtoto certainly weren't the world's greatest in battle but they'd never had to be, but they excelled in a variety of other skills that they might have considered advantageous. Both of the brothers were confident that at least some of the less battle-worn of the Firekin would see this.

...They were under no illusions that those who favoured combat might regard them with some doubt. After all, this fiery pride favoured strength and combat prowess over all else, so the more nuanced skills of this land might be lost on them. Nevertheless there was an opportunity for them to explore and maybe, just maybe, the Bahari'mtoto might open their eyes. It was an idealist's view for sure and their father had been significantly more realistic in his views but they were still young and entitled to some level of stupidity.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeti!" Huo sang merrily as he leapt on to his hind paws and gave a wave. "Are you ready for us to show you a whole new world?" he continued in much the same merry tone.

Beside him, Shui offered a smile of his own and gave a more measured nod of his head. There were days when the blue brother was more reserved than his partner in crime and one of those days appeared to be today. Mayhaps his siblings would also have the opportunity to meet these lions as well, the brothers had both explored the outside world quite extensively (though they hadn't seen it all), while the majority of their siblings seemed to have favoured home... This had the potential to be fun for them!

Alas, while Shui would have liked to provide more personal greetings to the rest of the band, he wasn't entirely aware of who they may be...

****************************

Quote List of Doom
You do not have to post here even if you're quoted, 'tis just an invite alert!

show spoilerhide spoiler

Direct Quote

Kimaria

The Usual Cuprits who tend to pop up!

Ctrl F Greenie

Pollack

Syrius Lionwing

Family Members! (Obviously not required to participate if you don't want, just blanket inviting peeps)

SilverLutz

Andranis

Magnadearel

Keiko

SSBrosB

DavyJnah

Mogami

 

[magnadearel]

((I will do my best to keep up with this, but I'm really busy irl.))


She couldn’t believe how far they’d come from her home in the desert. Akane had lived there long enough now, that it almost seemed as if that was all there was in the world. But she knew different. She’d come from outside the pride after all. And now she was back; roaming with those from her pride now and not alone. It still felt slightly weird. She hadn’t realized how far they intended to go when she’d signed up.

The air here was weird. Water yes, but also of salt. It was as though the water from a very large oasis had mixed in the air with salt from the desert flats. Akane was stunned by her first view of the ocean, and by the colors of the lions meeting them. It was so strange to see ones in colors other than the reds, white, and blacks she was used to.

Trotting calmly at the red lioness’ heels, a jackal moved calmly among the group of large lions. Que-ale had no worries about being trampled or eaten. He was completely enjoying the adventure and the change from the desert. Although he’d grown up in the desert, this was a nice change, and he knew he’d be returning eventually. When his lioness would pause, overcome by the view, he’d give a gentle nudge to her back legs to get her moving again. It was his job to look after her until he could repay his life debt.

Being short and small did have its disadvantages though. He wasn’t able to see those that they’d come here to meet. Que-ale did hear one of the lions call out for them. They must be here finally.






Plamen was plainly excited. He’d come on this trip to help hone his skills and provide his comrades with his water-seeking skills. The lion wanted to crow with delight at all the water that lay before them. Biggest water hole Ever! He’d never, never seen so much water in one place! Plamen wanted to burst out with questions about how they kept it all there.

Instead he walked up slowly to the group. He didn’t want to give the wrong impression or make it appear like he was attacking. It was clear to him these two were brothers. “Hello,” he greeted them, “I’m Plamen.”










Maybe his father didn’t want to greet these newcomers, but Kaito did. Apparently Shui and Huo knew at least one fairly well. These lions looked very big and strong. The ocean colored male stood near, but not too close, to his adopted siblings. He wasn’t the only one from the pride interested in them either. Kaito settled down to wait and watch. His eyes roamed over the new comers, and noted their interesting pelt designs. While the Bahari favored ocean and water, these reminded him of fire. Did they gobble stuff up just as fire did and leave nothing but ash behind? He shook his head at the silly thoughts. Surely not; for these were lions not fire.









While everyone else might be welcoming, there were some who were on guard. Desher had come down to look over these visitors with a guard’s eye. He’d been a guard all his adult life and was well use to looking for signs of trouble. Unknown to many at his new home, he had something in common with these. For he and his mate had also come from a desert. Not the same one as these here, or perhaps not as harsh but a desert nonetheless.

Desher stood some distance away, but close enough where he could easily hear. He didn’t want to intrude with his suspicions if they truly came in peace. If they were the warriors rumor had stated, then they would probably be easily to tell what he was.
 

[MangoMeow]

Anya was practically wiggling with excitement. She was with her pridemates, looking out at these travelers, and she couldn't wait to see who she could meet. Supposedly, this was a pride that came from a desert! Desert lions, like herself! Although they were also clearly not like her old pride, from the way they were described. She was curious to see the difference. Did they look different, smell different, act different? There was only one way to find out, and that was to see for herself.

Well, at least one of her questions was answered already. Out the gate, she could already tell that these ones were a very red bunch. Reds and blacks and whites, and so, so vibrant. It made them stand out as if they were fire itself! They were huge too, with bulky muscles that looked like they could swipe someone's head off, but she wasn't that intimidated by it. She probably should be, but she wasn't.



Aislin was tucked away in a nearby bush, half stewing over her situation and half intrigued over what was happening. She'd been making her way along the fringes of this pride's home, hoping to pass by without any problems and continue her search for a good temporary den in the nearby prideless lands, when she had come across this meeting of prides.

Now, being a pregnant rogue, she should probably have skirted around the group and kept walking. Curiosity got the better of her though, and so she was now curled up in the shade of a nearby bush. She was rather tired anyway. She could do with resting for a bit.

If she was lucky, none of these lions would be any the wiser to her being there. If not... well, hopefully they wouldn't attack her.  

[belloblossom]

Meara had been excited to hear that others were coming to her lands and had wasted no time in getting there once she heard they had arrived. She wasn't surprised to see that others of her pride had beaten her to it, maybe they had known which way they would be coming in or when, but she trotted forward to observe the newcomers like any other.

She passed a fellow guard, Desher and dipped her head towards him, but ended up seating herself next to a lion with a distinctly water-like pelt.
"Heya Kaito." She greeted him with a smile and a bob of her head. "Come to admire the sunset too?" She grinned at her own joke. She had heard a rumor that the Firekin were supposed to match the colors of their namesake, but she never realized that they'd really be so red.

magnadearel

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The pale lioness had been intrigued, from a distance, about the stories told by the royal sons that had returned home. She'd considered herself a fairly brave lioness until the stories reminded her that there was a world outside of the sandy beaches here in their home. Had she been herself the last time they had visitors she'd have likely felt the same sense of shock and awe.

Approaching the gathering of individuals she spied the royals fairly quickly and although she was unlikely to catch the eye of any of them she shot a small smile. It was in a slow turn of her head to take a look over the gathering that she spied the very stark red pelts against the sea of much soft hues. Her eyes naturally widened at the scene and an feeling of amazement washed over her. "So these are the lions." She muttered to herself. A click of Wimbi's beak reminded her that she wasn't nearly as alone as she had come to think. The bird had taken a ride along for this particular adventure - choosing to seat herself on the slow moving, pale shoulder blades.

"Look at their pelts." She stated to Wimbi and peered outwardly at them. Her own pelt had curled naturally with the air of the pride. This group would likely soon see the consequences of wandering a little to close to the sea herself. "They seem friendly enough." She remarked. Wimbi remained uncharacteristically quiet, but squeezed her pelt in recognition. Then Yawo took it upon herself to stride a little closer with a confident, and welcoming smile.  

[Pollack]

Damn Bahari girl. This was wrong! This was bribery! This was black mail! This was high-way robbery! This was...this was just plain kidnapping!

Well, as much as one could kidnap someone who was willing, if not downright gleeful, to come along for the ride. Despite her protests Snowflake had on all accounts absolutely jumped at the chance to come along with her normal babysitter Yukio to 'meet real giants with the Firekin' Before Organa could get a word in edgewise her child had been swooped up onto Yukio's back and carried off to join in the excitement.

Which left Organa one other choice: Reluctantly follow the pair into the fray and face her fear of once again coming into contact with a member of the Firekin nation. Something she had vowed to avoid for the rest of her life least she found herself with two damaged legs next time!

Yukio today was using a very special gift of hers that she had developed over her life; the mastery of playing the oblivious nitwit. Oh yes, she was keenly aware of the grumpy mother glaring daggers in her back for this little stunt. She was also aware of the valid reasons behind her hesitation to try her paw at a second meeting with members of the pride. However holding onto this fear and anger wasn't healthy either. Yukio was in a firm belief that if she just meet other Firekin then she could see that not all of them were bad. Unfortunately with how stubborn the gray firecracker was known to be there had to be something, or someone, to force her to make that contact.

Luckily Yukio knew that the curious little ball of fluff crawling her back was her biggest weakness.

"Ohhhh we're all going to have so much fun! If you thought I was big Snowflake than you in for a huge surprise!" Yukio finally spoke up, her smile beaming as her peered skyward to get a glimpse of the tiny tail peeking over her forehead.

"Wait Yuki there are people even bigger than you?" The soft, monotone voice called out amongst the poofy mass of Yukio's curly tuff of mane. There was a brief pause as she shuffled around to peer out finally from her hiding spot. "I don't believe you." She flatly declared.

Letting out a teasing scoff Yukio gave a click of her tongue. "Oh young one of little faith, you are about to have your mind blown."

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Afina strollled down on to the sands in a great mood. The news of the firekin arriving on the sands made her smile. She had been told about the firekin by her grandfather. Her grandmother was of the firekin and that made her grin. She wasn't sure if any of these lions would be related to her granny or not but she had been told about them and that they liked a certain colour. Her grandmother had left of her own accord but she was the right colour pallet.

She had been born here by the sea and she was blue, and that was fine, the bahari had never had any colour predjudice and she was glad of that her litters had been so multicoloured thanks to her splotchy mate and massive family. Still she wanted to speak to one of these firekin and ask them about the colour thing. Settling her gaze on one of the large red lions she made a beeline for Heti, he looked like he was in a talkative mood.

Coburnycus was new here, so new in fact that he didn't really know the customs of th lions of the sand and sea, it seemed that the pride was allowing an army on to the sand. Their coats were so striking blood reds and every state of black and gray that could be imagined. He was on the small side for a male lion, short and stocky instead of tall and muscular and definitely on the chubby side of life. All of these things made him feel tiny around all of these massive blood red beasts. Still, they seemed friendly enough so he plodded towards the arriving band with a smile on his maw.

Kiahi'kripi was so excited, so, so excited. She had been told they were coming to the sea, they were going to a place that had water as far as the eye could see but the water couldn't be drunk, she had been told by her aunt not to drink the water no matter how thirsty she was. It had made her want, desperately want, to drink it, just for kicks, but she guessed the water wasn't actually safe to drink though all he could really get from her aunt was 'salty'. Her aunts was always so stoic and not very forthcoming, she would just have to ask one of the residents why you couldn't drink the water. The big firebrick red lioness happily skipped on to the soft warm sand, the feeling of sand gave her a moment of homesickness but it was quickly washed away when her gaze took in the pride and the water that marked their border. Sure they had heard the sea on the approach, smelled it and felt the cooler air but this full view of the water, well, wow, now she really really wanted to drink it.

Geei was much less excited to be stepping on to the bahari sands. She had been to the sea before, she had been born a rogue after all, she had seen the sea and the sandy shore before. It was still beautiful, she remembered coming he were with her family when she was much younger. She had to keep her cool and act like a leader, she couldn't allow herself the indulgence, still, having a conversation with the bahari lions would bring some good will and they would be spending a few days here so she should at least be a little social. Breathing out a long heavy sigh the usually dour lioness smiled. It was beautiful here and feeling sand under her paws once again was a welcome feeling.

Haru wasn't trailing behind, but he was at the back of the firekin party as they approached the curious pride members. The stark white sand reminded him of home but the smell here was so different, the salty water gave the whole place a strange feeling. It wasn't one he disliked but he could already feel his mane getting frizzy from the natural water in the air. The curly haired pride members seemed to be curious about them. He had heard much of the Bahari, a peace loving pride that could protect itself. They all seemed keen to harbour good feelings and ultimately an alliance perhaps. He would help in any way he could, he was feeling very confident in his new position and now that he had settled in to his position out here he was ready to show he could lead if he needed to. There were certainly plenty of on-lookers, the blood red male with the streaked mane settled himself in to a comfortable seated position and watched as the members of his pride started to mingle with the members of the Bahari, perhaps he would watch for a moment, just to make sure that no one was getting in to any trouble before he joined in the socialising.

Epine de rose

Cause Xenon needs to reign in his missus as usual XD!

Kimaria

hope ya don't mind Afina bee-lining for Heti lol!

MangoMeow

Incase Anya wants to pull Burny along <3

((@ all : feel free to approach my firekin & bahari ))  

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Exhausted was the way she would describe herself these days. The new mother had taken to spending countless hours just laying around following episodes of energy from her endlessly excited cubs. The daylight hours seemed to go on forever and the night seemed far to short - was the sun playing a mean joke on her? Perhaps the sun and the moon were working together to make her life miserable. Not that the moon stopped the cubs from playing most of the time, but they certainly seemed to get a little more sleepy when it was in the sky.

Today the goddess woke with a plan. Rumor had it that there would be visitors attending the prides lands and that they'd be available for questions. Not that the pride intended to interogate them, but that did mean they'd be available for little cubs to look at. Without hesitation or consideration of the rumor she got the cubs together, had them in a nice line and began to file out of the den she shared with Solomon who had basically adopted the family, by force. "Keep up." She wondered how cubs ever survived if they were separated from a parent. Their little paws just couldn't get them anywhere quickly enough to avoid a problem. Just one of many thoughts that had occurred to her during the many times she watched them play.

Arriving on the scene took her much longer than she had thought it would. But once she was there she turned to her little trouble makers and smiled warmly. "Go ahead and ask them ANYthing." She lowered her head to them and widened her eyes in awe. "They might have some really good stories for." She smiled a big toothy grin, raised herself up and sighed softly as the scampering of paws on the sand could be heard. Turning around she spied a fellow new mother, Organa, and decided that misery enjoyed company enough to wander the lioness' way.

They've arrived..

I'm going to quote those in the Krisis x Tethys litter as Krisis has brought the whole crew out to interrogate the Firekin. xP

Epine de Rose

Pollack

DavyJnah

Silverlutz

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Ah, a voice he recognised! Heti looked up in time to see the brothers heading towards him. Despite only a short time since their last meeting, the pair looked older - their manes more filled in, curling slightly in the strange-scented air that lingered here by the...sea?

"Ready as I'll ever be," he declared with a slightly apprehensive smile. He cast another look around him, realising that their arrival had drawn a rather sizeable crowd...though all of them looked friendly and curious. A good sign, he supposed. The people here seemed open enough to strangers crossing their borders. The brothers had told it truly.

He turned an ear back as he sensed someone else coming behind him and side-stepped just in time for Kimeti to give pause at his flank. The younger male looked curious and far more relaxed than he.

"This is Kimeti," he introduced, "Kimeti, this is Shui and Huo. It was they who extended an invitation to their home."



"Charmed," the teacher replied, "it seems an interesting place. I've heard mention of a...sea?"

And then Afina arrived, her pelt so strikingly blue that for a moment Heti could do nothing but blink. He'd seen rogues aplenty, by now, of course, but none had been so contrasting and different as she.

"Nice to meet you," he offered, somewhat hesitant, she was dressed in strange garments. Perhaps that meant she was important amongst the pride members here? "My name is Heti."

-----



Pamuya blinked for a moment, catching her breath after following her mother across the rough terrain to where the huge, red lions had started to gather. She was not sure what she had expected. Something like out of a story? Something of epic proportions. Something she could talk about for days to come? In truth, she was not disappointed. The red lions were many and their uniformed colours was something to behold. However, most of them looked rather smiley. Not all big and brutish like what she had expected.

"Ok!" she burst out in response to her mother's request and leapt into the fray, padding around the gathering as if trying to pinpoint her victim.

Maybe some of the other cubs would join her, too..

[if anyone needs a Firekin to RP with I have one going spare!]

Epine de Rose

Syrius Lionwing

Ctrl F Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The little striped cub had been breathing in small quick spurts as she did her best to keep up with the group. Her siblings appeared to be struggling with the same predicament. It was all worth while when they had arrived to the scene of big, red lions speaking with a few easily recognizable individuals from their home. The red was a very incredible color against their pale sands and Aur`iel found that her eyes had naturally widened in awe.

"Yes Mom!" She echoed her sister happily. It wasn't often they were given free reign and so she was excited to be free to speak with whomever she came across. Soon she was scampering along behind Pamuya in search of their first victim. The first lion to be berated with questions from youngsters.

"Do you see anyone Pamuya?" She asked quietly and quickly.

Kimaria