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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2020 21:52:49 GMT
Nakala stretched on the surface of the rock, enjoying the sensation of the sun as it warmed her fur and the stone around her. Lazily, she licked an errant tuft of hair on her leg to smooth it, stretched again, and groaned in pleasure. Since Simba and Nala had returned and claimed the throne, the Pridelands had slowly grown more green, lush, and full of herds. Nakala had never truly experienced the Pridelands like this; she had been far too small when Mufasa had died and her father had taken the throne to remember. Turning her startling green eyes out over the field below her, Nakala watched various herd move slowly across the grass, grazing without fear of predators taking them down. Of course, they had no need to feel afraid; the hunting party wouldn't be out until later, and for the most part the herds of the Pridelands were protected under King Simba.
Simba had made it clear that the Pridelands were to be a protected area until the herds could come back in full force. While the rest of the pride understood and respected it, there were a few, like Zira, who disagreed and would sneakily hunt within the kingdom's borders. Nakala admitted it was a little weird to only hunt within certain areas, but it kept the lands growing, so she kept her mouth shut about the matter. It didn't matter to her whether Zira was her 'stepmother' or not, she had no relationship with the lioness except through her half-siblings, and preferred to keep it that way. Something about Zira made her feel... off.
The orange young lioness clacked her claws against the rock's surface. Stretching once more, Nakala stood and began to search for a new rock to sunbathe on, keeping an eye on her surroundings. It was difficult for her to let go of the feeling of being on her toes, after growing up under Scar's tyrannical reign and being wary of starving hyenas left and right. Humming to herself, Nakala kept hooded eyes on the lookout, ears primed for strange noises, and paws ready to spring to action at a moment's notice should the need arise.
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Feb 23, 2022 23:56:35 GMT
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Post by Simba on Nov 3, 2020 2:59:51 GMT
Why had he ever wanted to be king? It seemed like everywhere he turned some animal needed him. 'King Simba, the zebras are infringing on our grazing fields!' 'King Simba, the crocodiles are scaring the hippo calves and making them stampede!' 'King Simba, King Simba, King Simba!' KINGS he never thought he'd get so sick of his own name. Had his father ever felt this way? Had Simba himself ever made his father feel that way?
Finally he hadn't been able to take it anymore and had begged off, stating a solo patrol of the Pridelands to do something or other. He didn't even remember anymore. All he knew was he was finally alone and making his way toward the ends of his kingdom. If he remembered right, there was a rock there that was well hidden within the Ukuni Woods that he could finally BREATHE at.
Only, when Simba finally got there, there was a lithe brown shape lounging on it, and for the briefest millisecond Simba was thrown back in time. "Hey Uncle Scar, guess what? I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock!" Simba dug his claws deep into the dirt to ground himself in the present. Scar was dead, torn apart by the very hyena army he had amassed. This was... Nakana, Nakala, something that sounded like that. One of Scar's many attempts at an heir.
Simba hadn't actually spent much time with that side of his family. Mostly his free time, when not at the beck and call of the animals of the Pridelands, was spent with the lions and lionesses from his youth. Anybody born after that, especially any of Scar's progeny, Simba had unconsciously steered clear of.
It was time to fix that though. Simba padded a bit closer to the young lioness, making no attempt to hide his pawsteps or presence, and stopped a bit way. He cleared his throat to catch her attention, if his approach hadn't already, and nodded his head to the spot next to her. "This spot taken?" he asked. @nakala |
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Post by tennie on Nov 3, 2020 15:02:24 GMT
She had been prepared for intruders, but not for the specific lion that carefully came into view, his rusty mane and golden pelt reflecting the sun. Turning her head to glance in his direction, she almost slunk away as he approached, when his voice... quiet, calm, reassuring, broke the silence. He nodded at the flat, spacious area next to her current lounging area, asking for permission to join her. Nakala inwardly scoffed at her own thought process; permission? He was the king, he didn't need permission to do anything. Ignoring her anxious, racing heartbeat, a shy smile tickled her long maw and she nodded, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "Not at all, Your Majesty." Was that the proper way to greet him? He was family, but it wasn't as if they remembered each other before he returned. Besides... did he really consider her family? Nakala knew Sarabi had probably talked to him about her in some respects; how she was unlike her father, despite the resemblance, and how Sarabi had practically raised her when her own mother had died unexpectedly... Nakala had never done well with social interactions. She had been very, very small when Simba was lost to the pride, so she didn't remember much about him, other than that he was too old for her to play with at the time. Most of her memories during Mufasa's reign were blurry, and Nakala didn't like to think any of them were real, for fear of distorting the truth. The only parts of her childhood she considered real were imprinted on her mind like a canyon into the earth; Scar's (for Kings forbid she ever call that lion her father) tyrannical reign, the lack of food, the sudden burst of siblings from other lionesses... not that she really considered all of Scar's progeny her siblings. Most of them were nearly strangers to her. The only reason Zira and her cubs ever paid her any mind was due to her resemblance to Scar. Shaking herself from her thoughts, Nakala glanced back over at her cousin, avoiding meeting his eyes. Instead, her lime green orbs were focused on the rock beneath them, scanning for imperfections in the smooth stone. "Um... is... uh, is your day going well?" her voice was shaky, nerves drilling into her core. The breathing wasn't working. She had successfully avoided others all day, and of course the one time someone came close enough for her to practice socializing, it was the king. Figures. Simba |
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Post by Simba on Nov 6, 2020 3:47:15 GMT
She was scared of him, that much was obvious. It would have been amusing if it wasn't so sad. She was only a little bit younger than him, but she cowered away from him like a newly borne cub facing the world for the first time. Inside his head, Simba cursed at himself. He should have expected something like this to happen. Nakala probably thought he had something against her for her appearance alone. Of course if this had been even a month ago, he absolutely would have.
Simba joined his cousin on the flat stone and sighed as he sat down next to her. He could see her thinking, her eyes darting back and forth like she was watching her own thoughts bounce back and forth across her skull. Patience was never Simba's strong suit but for this, he would wait.
Finally it seemed Nakala gathered herself and fixed her eyes on the stone between them. The stutter and hesitancy in her voice when she spoke broke Simba's heart, just the tiniest bit, but he was determined not to let it show. "Much better now, honestly." he said sincerely, sighing loudly. He tipped his head back to let the wind blow through his mane. "It's peaceful, this side of the Pridelands. Quiet."
The thought that he was disturbing her own peace made him frown, and Simba tilted his head down to her in a nod of apology."If I'm intruding on your alone time, let me know and I'll go. Trust me, nobody knows better than sometimes you just gotta run away from it all."
"Run, Simba. Run away and never return." 'Shut up, Scar.' Simba mentally grumbled. Kings, how long would it take for the ghost of his past to stop pestering him? He'd avoided it well enough for his years in self-imposed exile. It seemed like now that he'd returned, his trauma was trying to make up for lost time.
@nakala |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2020 4:40:18 GMT
His voice was strong, and made some of her anxieties vanish. He didn't talk to her like she wasn't worthy of his time, and it didn't seem like his voice held any malice towards her. After all, would he have even joined her, if he disliked her? Taking one last shaky, breath, Nakala felt her body relax against the warm rock beneath her. This would be alright. Just casual conversation, nothing to worry about. It would be nice, she decided, to get to know her cousin. She nodded in agreement at his answer, following his gaze out over the field leading up to Ukuni Woods. While she could hear the sounds of distant birds and the braying of some herd animals, it was a peaceful mix of sounds. A soft breeze gathered around them, skipping some dust over the rock before dancing away, its playful movement a tease in the warming air. Nakala smiled again, this time much more relaxed, and closed her eyes to soak in the brief moment of calm. But Simba spoke again, and Nakala tilted her head towards him slightly, listening, before furiously shaking her head in denial of his suggestion. "Oh, no, it's no bother! Not at all. I don't mind your company. It's not often that I get others wanting to spend time with me." Shrugging, Nakala let loose her own little sigh, looking down at the rock once more. This time, however, her anxieties were fine, she was just used to avoiding eye contact. "I realize we don't know much about each other, aside from what Sarabi has shared, but..." Nakala sighed again, looking up at her cousin with a soft smile. "I've been through enough in my lifetime to know that running from your problems doesn't always solve them. While it scares me to no end, facing difficulties head on and working through them is something your mother taught me." Curling her lip, she shook her head slightly before rushing through her next comment, "Not that I'm offering advice, just... musing, I suppose."Simba |
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