[ORP] Heroes in the Mwezi'Johari

[SilverLutz]

Kupa's ear turned in the direction someone had called her name from and she grinned when she saw who it was. Iki was a rare sight these days - or perhaps Kupa herself was - and she was delighted to see her sister. She bounded forward a bit more enthusiastically than she normally would in front of so many other lions to bump her head affectionately against her darker sister's.

"Wonderful! I'm so glad things are settling down," she said with a little smile, slowly composing herself after her energetic outburst. "All that fighting and everyone being suspicious of everyone else really made me nervous. Now it's lovely," she added, a happy sigh leaving her muzzle. Having grown up in such a tense atmosphere it was refreshing to be able to walk around and mingle for a change.

The sensation of being watched had her turning to look around and not too far away she spotted two lions speaking to one another, the more natural colored of the two the one that was making her fur stand on end. She gave him a little nod and a smile before glancing back at her sister. It was only when she had faced away from the two that her smile dropped a bit.

"He's one of Shangyue's sons, isn't he?" she murmured, not wanting to be overheard. She knew that anyone that sided with the old tyrant had been forced to leave so there was no danger of him being a threat, but it still gave her the heebe jeebes to even think about the ex king. She was sure he was lovely, though, despite his sire.

Ecavi

 

[mouselet]

Slowly but steadily Jitu threaded his way through the crowd of lions until he managed to close in on Ukulwa and her conversational partner. The two lionesses continued talking, seemingly oblivious to his approach. The male came near enough to touch Ukulwa, though he didn't for the time being. It was usually his mate who initiated contact, and Jitu was merely content to wait for whenever she silently declared it to be time.



She'd noticed the two high class lions staring in their direction, but the Hunt Leader preferred to give the boys the hairy eyeball and return to her conversation with her sister. Her...amazingly naive and innocent sister. Iki mentally shook her head at Kupatwa's willingness to belove wholeheartedly that everything was perfect now. She herself had doubts, but was willing to wait and see how Kimondo's reign went.

Really, aside from the expected fallout from Shangyue's henchlions, Kimondo hadn't done much up until now. Here, Iki suspected, things would change.

Almost as if following her thoughts, Kupa spoke up then, asking quietly about the two lions staring at them. Iki glanced over at them before returning her attention to her sister.

"The brown-pelted one? Yes. A former Prince and Shangyue's would-be Heir. But he helped take down his own father," the black lioness informed her sister in an undertone. Not to mention the fact that, by right of inheritance, Liuhe could have been King. But he'd turned it down immediately, taking only the position of Regent until the Shaman declared the new Queen.  

[SilverLutz]

Ah. That's why he looked so familiar, then. Familiar and yet not. Kupa wasn't a very high class, just a nice comfortable mid, and even if she hadn't been the type to keep her head down during the rebellion she certainly wouldn't have been hanging around higher class lions, especially the would-be heir. Iki's words comforted her a bit, though, and she let out a breath of relief.

"Well, that was good of him," she said with a much more relaxed expression on her face. Ha! She had been right all along. Turning to glance over her shoulder again, she gave the duo a more genuine smile and a little wave of her paw before turning to her sister once again.

"So how have you been? It seems like it's been moons since I've seen you last!" Indeed, Kupa had been very, very good at staying out of sight for the past few months, even from her own family which was impressive considering their number. She knew her sister had a fairly important role in the pride and couldn't hide away so easily as she could, but she also knew Iki was more than the lioness for the job.  

[DavyJnah]

Having kept to herself mostly and being an odd lioness she came up with a few ideas as to why another lion would not have wanted her. Then a list of her rank and other things popped to her mind but she instead just shrugged at that other. "Well yes, males are silly. I am just glad that at least I found him and he found me."

It was strange that there were new presenters. Thula noticed the male approaching that Ukulwa had mentioned was her mate. A very handsome male but of course, no where near as handsome Umgiyo of course. "He's a sturdy fellow." The look that Ukulwa gave Jitu was a look she was sure she gave Umgiyo on a daily basis. "Hello Jitu."

Her eyes orbs searched again. Where was Umgiyo?

"Everything is going fine." He mock growled back at his sister, keeping it quiet. He did not want to draw any more attention to himself than he already had. After all he already felt enough eyes upon him and felt like maybe he was being talked about. He was still irritated at being tackled and having to right himself from his sister's onslaught. Of course Kasai would have done this. Maybe he should have gone to see her previously.

Attention back to his mother, "Well hopefully we can get more than just our little group but I understand everyone is busy." At least thankful that his mother also thought it good to not disrupt what was going on. Now Yoru just needed to join them.

Looking in his brother's direction he tried his best to make his eyes bore into the dark male. Willing him to hurry up and stop talking to that male and get his rump over to them. He did not want to be stuck with the two females alone.

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Abominable Greenie

belloblossom

nessiaing

ABVirus

mouselet

 

[belloblossom]

Hodari watched as her cubs (for they would always be cubs to her) tussled with a mixture of amusement and wariness. Still, her tail was curling in pleasure with having her family so close by, especially her son and daughter that she had trouble tracking down. Galdric was usually so elusive, even with the smaller numbers within the pride. And Kasai... Well, Kasai seemed to be everywhere at once, yet whenever Hodari tried to track her daughter down, she was no where to be found.

Well, She reminded herself. We're altogether now. And she purred at the thought.

"I'm sure we can organize some form of larger family reunion sooner or later..." Hodari replied to Galdric, though she was uncertain of this. She only really kept in touch with one of her siblings, the very same Kimondo who was now Queen. Hodari's relationships with her other siblings and her parents were slight. They were kin and she would protect them, but the rebellion (as well as her early motherhood episode) had pushed her away from her family and she was unsure of how she could reconnect. Maybe this group hunt would be just the way to do it.

"But given that it's short notice, maybe we should just stick to whoever happens to be available, like the four of us seem to be." She said finally, smiling. "And then later we can see what we can do about getting the entire family together in one place. Sound good?"

Feeling eyes on her, her ears perked and she looked about only to find Liuhe looking at her. She smiled brightly at him and his friend and raising her eyebrows, nodded her head towards her and her family. The Lords were more than welcome to come and sit by her if they so pleased. But Liuhe's eyes moved on and Hodari shrugged and went back to her watching Galdric and Kasai, content to be near her darlings as she, as well as everyone else here,
waited for the announcement to take place.

"Oh, I'm wounded." Yoru declared, placing a forepaw on his chest and looking overly-dramatic when Belial admitted that his twin was prettier than he. He stayed like that for a few seconds longer before dropping his paw and the pose and grinning at the other. Who knew talking to others could actually be fun?

"Indeed." Yoru agreed when his companion wished that Miyako make an appearance at the gathering. If she didn't, perhaps Yoru ought to seek her ought himself, he thought. He glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting Miyako to come bounding towards the two lions, yet she didn't show. "Well, we need only hope for the best. She could be out hunting, perhaps." He gave a half shrug and then turned his gaze back onto Belial. "It's nice to meet you too, Belial." He grinned.

Mhm, well... When Belial went on to speaking on the relationship between his twin and himself, Yoru waited with a neutral expression. Eventually, Belial fell silent and Yoru grinned.
"I can't say how my sister feels, of course, but I can say this: you're the first and only lion I've ever seen her take an interest in." True, he hadn't seen Miyako recently and therefore wouldn't know if she was courting anyone knew, but surely some word would have gotten around if she had been? It wasn't a very large pride, after all. Still, he gave his companion a friendly smile and flicked his tail. "So, if you ask me, there's hope for you guys yet." He had decided just then that he rather enjoyed Belial's company. At the very least, he didn't seem snobbish or particularly rude. And while Yoru didn't know much about the lion, like where he had stood during the rebellion or what he did now, he had stayed within the pride and that had to mean something, right?

Quite abruptly, a shiver ran up Yoru's spine and he looked around frantically, before his eyes settled on the lion whose eyes were boring into his back. It was his brother, Galdric, who looked as though he had quite a pawful with his mother and now Kasai (oh Great Lion) with him. It looked as though Galdric was about to drag Yoru over by the tail to the group if he didn't come willingly, but Yoru was reluctant to go over after just finding someone he actually felt comfortable talking to.

"It seems my brother requires my aid." Yoru said, turning his head back to Belial, but angling his ears towards where Kasai still sat proudly upon Galdric and where his mother looked on, visibly amused. "This may be a little abrupt, but would you like to come with me? It may help you get to know Miyako, by an extension, if you met with some of her family. Hodari, our mother, is sitting just over there." He said, hopefully. Please don't make me face the craziness of my family alone, he thought.

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Abominable Greenie

DavyJnah

ABVirus

Ecavi

Tanakako

If you wanted to post Mti here, he and Hodari could meet?

 

[magnadearel]

A scarred male walked peacefully under the welcomed bright gaze of the Great Lion with his family. Meshach was looking forward to ceremonies being held properly under the Great Lion’s watchful eye as they should be. He headed slowly toward the gathering spot, knowing he had plenty of time still. With his family at his side in the pride he’d been born to and not having to hide, nothing could be more perfect.

Meshach gave a silent but grateful prayer upward. So many things could have gone wrong. But they hadn’t. They were all here. Once there he settled himself in a spot that would be large enough for his family without crowding anyone else out. There had been rumors it was a couple of clerics presiding, and he was curious to see how this would turn out.








Meztli couldn’t have been more proud to accompany her father to the gathering place. She’d grown up on the stories of the pride and now, finally!, she was getting to witness them for herself for the first time. She pranced in place to keep her nerves steady at her father’s slow place. If she could have run and gotten them all there faster then she would have. No, her father had to have dignity.

“I’m eager to hear what they have to say.” She’d heard about some changes, but for the life of her couldn’t figure out what they’d be. It wouldn’t be for much longer though. Everyone was gathering and waiting. She settled beside Meshach to prove that she could sit as still as him.









Afrim left his duties as a hunt leader behind and made his way to the ceremony gathering. He’d heard rumors like many others, but nothing solid. Curiosity was eating him up! The young male had his head up and ears twitching to catch anything that might be of interest. Sadly, nothing yet, and it didn’t look as if they were quite ready to start the ceremonies either.

All in due good time. He knew better than to rush a hunt, and he certainly wasn’t going to rush this! Instead the male picked his way among those seated to find a spot for himself. Seats were filling up fast.













Argyros wandered along. Judging by the position of the moon, it’d soon be time to start the ceremonies held this night; which meant he’d better get his behind moving if he didn’t want to be late. He weaved around dens and obstacles. It didn’t really take him long to get there either. He moved quickly to find a spot and settle in. Once that was done, he took some time to look around him. It was with surprise that he noted the priestess wasn’t conducting the ceremony. Was this part of the changes he’d heard about? If so, it might prove to be some interesting changes.












The fluffy guard made her way along with the crowds. It was nice to see the pride under “normal” settings. Her eyes skimmed about as she noted the attitudes and postures of those around her. Most were relaxed and happy. That was definitely a good sign. Now if they only stayed that way. Were those possible rumors going to rile some up? No way to tell until it happened.

Nubiti broke from her studying those around her to look for her mate. She hadn’t seen Batu in a while and wondered where he had gotten off to. Hopefully he would make it in time for the ceremonies.

Painted Moose

Runa + family

nessiaing

Batu

Ecavi

 

[ABVirus]

When her mother put in that she shouldn't be rough-housing in the middle of the announcements, Kasai rolled off of her brother, smiling throw it all. His reply was about what she would've expected from Yoru, maybe her brothers had been hanging out without her? The nerve.

Now, for the interesting bit she had heard earlier.
"A group hunt, hm? Yeah, I'm in!" Of course she was, how could she miss out on something like that? Did Yoru know about this yet? She suspected not, considering he would never agree to such a thing... Then again, tossing a look over her shoulder at the lion he was getting along so well with... Maybe she would be wrong. Maybe he finally grew up, like she had told him to.

Taking that time to actually look at her surroundings, rather than just buzz past them, Kasai's gaze flitted about the other pride members that were gathering close by. There were pelts that she recognized and others that she didn't. One that did stand out to her was one belonging to a lion that had more yellow on his coat than she did! How delightful!

Then her mother was speaking again and she turned her head back to face her.
"What? Oh, yeah! Sounds good!" She chirped and then they were joined by two other lions. Well! She certainly recognized one of them to be Liuhe, but as for the pale blue male... not so much. Clearly, this had to change.

"Hi! I'm Kasai!" She chirped, getting to her paws and moving over to the other lion. "I like your stripes!" She informed him, gesturing with a forepaw to his front legs.

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belloblossom

DavyJnah

Ecavi

 

[mouselet]

"I've been doing my job, organizing hunts," Iki replied offhandedly. She watched the proceedings as the Queen made an appearance. Should she tell Kupa? Should she not? Ah, why not. She didn't think her sister would out her to the pride, unlike some.

"Though there is this...male," the black lioness said at last. "And he is absolutely infuriating! He helped me get my head on straight some time ago, and now I think he thinks I owe him? I don't even know, he's not from the pride originally..." Iki'renkli trailed off as Kimondo announced some changes to the ranks of the priests. Oh good, things were getting more organized. Hopefully the Shaman wouldn't have any more apparent mental breakdowns.

Jitu nodded to the pink lioness in turn. He...didn't know her name, and no one seemed to be inclined to make introductions. So the big lion merely moved closer to his mate and allowed the Queen to draw his eye. He didn't know too much about the priestly caste, but he could appreciate that the responsibilities were being split up to allow for the size of the pride. No bad thing. Also to not have adult Apprentices forever - that sounded relatively awful. No wonder Kimondo was doing away with it.


The black lioness was standing back in the crowd when Queen Kimondo made her announcement. She was somewhat surprised but also quite pleased. It wasn't as if she was the only active Midwife in the pride, so it was a real honor to be chosen as the High Priestess of the lot.

In a way, this first announcement of Kimondo's reflected one of the best things Shangyue had done for the pride in his reign. It had been that murderous b*****d who'd seen that there were too many Guards and Hunters to be easily coordinated by their respective Heads, and so introduced the ranks of Patrol and Hunt Leaders to divide the responsibility more. The Mwezi'Johari was no small pride, and such divisions were necessary if there was to be any semblance of organization.

Still, it didn't seem like an especially big deal that affected most of the pride. Caritas privately bet that there was more to come.  

[magnadearel]

Out of the corner of his eyes he could see one of his twin daughters was afire with nerves. The scarred male resisted the urge to chuckle at her. “I think we all are Ayaka,” he rumbled instead. “These should be good changes that benefit the pride as a whole.” Meshach had every confidence in Kimondo that he didn’t have in Shangyue.

With the arrival of the queen, Meshach rose to his paws and gave her the deep respectful bow she deserved. Once done, he settled himself back into place to listen to the announcements from the queen. The male nodded with approval of the changes. Just as no cub could forever remain a cub, no matter how much his parents might wish, no apprentice could remain so. It would also help distinguish those adults still in training and those who had mastered their profession.




The young lioness rolled her eyes and snorted as her father stated the obvious. Of course, so had she! Meztli applauded those who were mentioned for rank updates. Not that she knew them personally, but if the queen said they’d earned it then she was inclined to believe her. She did try to spot those named as High Priests, but wasn’t familiar enough to pick them out of a crowd.

Meztli looked around to see how others were taking the news. No one appeared upset by the changes so far. In fact she thought she heard quite of a number of animated conversations. Too bad no one had sat closer to them that she could talk to too.




Patience was rewarded though. The queen made her appearance and the proceedings got underway quickly. He nodded with understanding as she explained the delay for these announcements. It made sense. She probably had a fine line to tread here. He didn’t think there would be too many upset by these particular changes.

Afrim applauded warmly as ranks changed and deserving adults got the recognition they deserved with their new ranks. Then she named the new High Priests. He was fine with these changes himself. She wasn’t making herself an army to do her dirty work. Not that the queen would have dirty work to do.




Argyros nodded as the queen showed up. Things would surely get underway now; which in fact they did. Nor did the queen make a flowery speech first. It was quite short and to the point. He considered the update to the ranks. He could see how they were needed, but in truth they didn’t really affect him all that much if at all. His lips twitched as he could imagine how the “apprentices-who-weren’t-really” felt about it. Probably happy not to be apprentices anymore! The guard remained sitting as he waited to see if there would be anything else or if this was going to be the shortest meeting probably seen for a long time.




She paused in a spot out of the way and where she wouldn’t likely step on someone’s tail accidently as the queen arrived and quickly began making announcements. Nubiti listened attentively. She also listened to the murmured, and not so quiet, conversations around her. None sounded like someone had been outraged. That was a good sign. She guessed those promoted were fairly popular among the pride. No harm there. The lioness wondered if the queen had anything hidden under her paw that would make this gathering a bit more lively. Only time would tell. So she did what she had to. She waited.

Ecavi

 

[SilverLutz]

Attention caught by the queen for a moment, Kupa tilted her head as she listened to the announcement. A few of the lions were named to higher ranks and she smiled, glad that their hard work was paying off. It only was fitting for good work to be rewarded, after all!

Her sister spoke again after that and what she said caught her attention, a teasing smile on her face. "He's infuriating but helped you get your head on straight? That's quite an interesting combination," she said, giving Iki's shoulder a playful nudge with her own. "And a joining rogue at that. Perhaps he was a bit lost given all that was going on and he was looking for a friend," she added, tilting her head the other way. Anyone who thought Iki was a good first friend to make might be a little strange, but they had to be brave at that! Her sister wasn't one to make friends easily, after all.