[PRP] At the riverside [Woha'li Galu'nadi & Sepsis]

[Vashtya]

It was early in the morning, and the sun was still making its way over the horizon as Woha'li strode along mother river's eastern bank,near where it split into two. The rest of the clan was, for the most part, still asleep, although they were already beginning to stir -
no one would want to waste the morning, and its cooler temperatures, by sleeping in.

Yawning, she stretched luxuriously as she appreciated the relative peace and quiet that blanketed the landscape. Not that it will last long, she thought, smiling slightly to herself.

Crouching with her front paws in the water, she drank deeply, her eyes half-lidded, as if she were still not quite fully alert.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

It was coincidental that his clan had been so close to the Sky Clan; it wasn't common for them to pass by one another so easily, but given the Festivals had only just come to a close... it was no surprise that several of the clans were still in close quarters to one another. It would take a while for them all to be truly divided again and there was a small part of Sepsis who was grateful for this.

He was still very new to the pride that had taken in the majority of the former Swampland refugees and he still had a great deal to learn. Appreciating the culture and views of other clans was slowly but surely helping him to understand the land he'd chosen to remain in. It was in striking contrast to the rest of his family, given that his mother had taken it upon herself to drift into the rogue lands once more.

...She'd explored it at a young age and found her name, but he never had. At least he could be sure in the knowledge that she would have enough savvy to keep herself safe, even if he'd craved more of a home than the cold and rather antisocial realms that lay beyond the borders!

Not that he'd been terribly sociable since he'd gotten here.

He didn't expect for this to change any time soon, but as he drifted towards the river to sate his own thirst, it seemed that someone had been of the same mind. He didn't recognise her, thus she most definitely wasn't from 'his' clan, but it was safe to assume she'd come from the exact same festivities he had. It was unbecoming of any Ela not to participate in those particular events in some way or another, even if it was just to observe or cheer on a clan member!

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Woha'li straightened, sharp gaze cutting to the pale male who was making his way to the water's edge, inclining her head slightly in greeting, although she waited to speak until he drew close enough that she didn't need to raise her voice.

"Hello," she finally said with a friendly smile. It was nice, after such a lengthy period of antisocial behavior, to have gotten to meet a number of pridemates from other clans in the days following the Sky Festival. He looked fairly young, she observed to herself, curious as to what clan he might be a member of.

"It's a beautiful morning to be out and about, isn't it?" She continued, going for what she assumed was a fairly safe topic - and as the case may be, also a true one. The air above the river was sligtly misty, and like the evening, she always found the transition between day and night to be one of her favorites.

After studying the pale lion for a moment more, she blinked, realizing she had yet to introduce herself. "I am Woha'li, of the Sky Clan" she finally said, hoping she hadn't come across as rude.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

And so she spoke, greeting him in a way he was well used to. It was a standardized greeting to the majority of the world and he'd only really come to appreciate that in his wanderings. More amusingly, they all tended to go straight for weather as the safest topic of conversation when meeting a stranger. It was undoubtedly neutral and there would be few who would take offence at such a mundane topic of conversation.

"Morning," He replied with a slight bow of his head.

He afforded a moment or two to look round him, and to at least observe what she might have been referring to. Truth be told, he'd never been one for scenery and as a result it took considerable effort for him to place himself in the paws of another. No doubt she might have found this pause odd, but she could simply put this down to him being a socially awkward creature if she chose to, goodness knows plenty of others had!

"You will have to forgive me, admiring the view has rarely been one of my strong points," he said at last and hazarded a wry smile. "But it is a pleasant morning, in the most basic sense of the word," he conceded. "My name is Sepsis, I'm from the Wolf Clan," he added.

"Though one would say I'm not exactly local," he finished with a half-snort. There was a story to how half his pride had come to be in the Ela, but she might already know that anyway, there was no point in preaching to the choir...

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Woha'li found herself smiling at his response. His word choice was somewhat...unusually precise, and she couldn't help but appreciate that he hadn't simply proffered a typical response, instead choosing to give a more honest one.

"It's nice to meet you, Sepsis," she replied, shifting slightly as she sat back on her haunches. "And that's fair enough. I can't say I devote large amounts of time to it, but certain times of day, or interesting looking places do tend to catch my attention." Her smile faded slightly, but lingered at the corners of her mouth.

"You're not?" She asked, curiousity piqued. "If you don't mind my asking, where are you from, and how did you end up joining the pride?" Being about as local as one could be, she had always been fascinated by tales of other lands.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"I was from the Swamplands," he replied with a small shrug. "I went away for my naming quest, which didn't go the way I envisaged it would," he added and shook his head. Perhaps the Swampland's pride members had been splintered so badly that only a small number had ended up within the Ela after all. His mother hadn't even come here, so he assumed they had all branched off and found new homes based on the places they had discovered on their own journeys of self discovery.

"When I came back the Swamps were gone and I heard word that most had fled here," he pursed his lips. "The Ela gave us sanctuary for a time while we recovered and then it seems we all went our separate ways," he tilted his head to the side and then smiled. "At the end of the day this was the only place I thought felt a bit like home so I asked to stay, been here ever since," he finished.

"Although I'll be real with you it hasn't been a long time, I'm still fairly new to it all but at least I'm not the newest of the bunch." He motioned to her. "But definitely new enough not to have achieved something quite as ornate as your physical attire," he finished.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

She listened attentively, curiosity keeping her silent as he spoke. She had nothing but respect for any lions who had left behind all that was familiar, and to find a place among the Ela. It was humbling, to think what that must have been like. It also gave her a sense of pride, that the Ela had been able to provide that sanctuary for them (not that she was personally responsible, but still).

"That must have been difficult," she said after a moment, before smiling slightly as he made mention of her tattoos, which did cover most of her body. "But I am glad to hear that the pride became home for you. And they certainly add up!" she said of her tattoos. It was one of her favorite parts of their culture, that they transcribed their lives on their pelts. "With a past like yours, you merit quite a bit of this attire yorself, from the sounds of it." After all, she had never even left the pridal grounds for more than a day at a time, whereas he had journeyed, through what she could only guess had been significant difficulty if he had originally come here seeking sanctuary.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Had it been?

Sometimes he wondered how he truly felt about everything that had happened in the Swamps. There'd been a disconnect there, things just hadn't added up and ultimately he had never felt quite right there. Without a true name he would never have been able to return home either, so had the swamps ever really been his home? He loved his parents quite a bit, but to say that he would have enjoyed living there when he returned was debatable.

Thus, when he'd discovered the destruction of his birth place he hadn't felt quite the same grief that others had. If anything there'd been a sense of resignation, acceptance, and perhaps he'd even acknowledged that fate had determined that he definitely wasn't meant to consider that place home...

"It wasn't," he said at last and shook his head. He wouldn't bother here with the details, but he also wouldn't lie and draw sympathy he didn't deserve. "Although if I were to be allowed to have such colours on my fur I would probably take pleasure in it," he confessed with a small smile. "Not sure which stories would end up on there though, I might have to ask for some opinions." He confessed.

"A part of me would like a family that could explore just as I did but that isn't necessarily something that is done here, it does build character though, so perhaps in time it might be something to consider," he murmured. He wouldn't openly admit that he might suggest his own children wander for a while to find themselves, but it had benefited him to no end and ultimately he'd had no further questions when he settled here. At least if they explored then he knew they would find their answers and be more settled rather than always experiencing a 'what if' scenario when they were exposed to fleeting outside influences...

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Woha'li blinked, surprised by his response. Maybe he was adaptable enough that it hadn't been. It impressed her, somewhat. That wasn't to say she was afraid of change, or things outside of the familiar...she just had heard about most of it second or third-hand.

"Deciding what parts one wants to tell aren't always easy," she agreed. "But it's one of my favorite customs, since some of the decisions of what one wants to share about themself in that way says something about them." She smiled again.

As he continued, she nodded thoughtfully. "It's not necessarily done, but it isn't forbidden, either," she observed. "My birth mother left to journey into the southlands for a time, which is where she met the lioness who raised me when she passed, along with one of my older brothers." She thought of Binti, who had been a rogue before joining the Ela'wadiyi, after Woha'li and her siblings had grown to adulthood...and couldn't disagree with his assessment.

"It's hard for me to know that personally though, as I have never wandered more than a day outside of our borders...but from what I have heard, I can't disagree that doing so would likely help one better define themselves." She eyed him thoughtfully as she spoke, nodding slightly to herself.

It wasn't that he'd convinced her of something she had previously disagreed with - she'd long been of the mind that Binti had a sense of conviction with her opinions that she'd always admired (and possibly, emulated), and tended to be more willing to consider creative solutions to a problem than some of her more traditional clan members...but she hadn't necessarily connected the traits with the elder lioness' wandering youth (and that wasn't to say they came solely from that...but she found herself suddenly wondering if it hadn't made them more prominent, or honed them.

She debated asking him if he was implying he planned on leaving to wander again, when he had a family of his own, but ultimately decided it would be a little too invasive of a question.

"Are the Ela'wadiyi very different from your old pride?" She asked instead.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Quite," He nodded. "My pride went through several changes before we became what we were when I was born," he murmured. He remembered the history lessons, the Swamp lions hadn't been sunshine and rainbows, but at some point they had adapted and evolved. When he had been born they had been much more moderate and peaceful, they had followed traditions of finding their true name and purpose but the rest of their dark history had been lost.

...He'd have been a very different lion if those traditions had existed.

"As a whole though, when I was born we weren't nomadic. As adults and cubs we stayed in our home, but as adolescents we were required to leave the pride to find our true name. The names we're given as cubs aren't the names we keep - the belief is that our parents don't truly know who we are and neither do we...until we find it."

"So we leave and we don't come back until we have that name and that purpose, until we genuinely know who we are," he pursed his lips. "All of my family, except for me, found their names," he explained. "Before I had the chance to find out whether or not I could return home with the same name, my home disappeared," he remarked. He'd already covered that bit, or so he thought he had, but it was the truth and he still to this day...had never had the chance to ask his mother if she would have let him come home.

...He didn't actually know where his mother went either, she wasn't here.

"Other than that our day to day lives were quite uneventful, the only difference between you and I would be that we weren't nomadic, we didn't move through different regions seasonally." He shrugged. "You would run in to the same lions all the time and not have to wait until different festivities to unite as a whole pride," he pointed out. "If anything, that's the only major difference beyond what happened as we came of age."

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

"That's an interesting tradition - and I can see a certain amount of logic to it," she said, expression thoughtful as he described the process of going off to discover their true name.

"I can't imagine what it would be like to attempt to do so, but we change a lot as we grow to adulthood." That said, she was rather glad they didn't practice that here - she rather liked her name, especially with it having been given to her by her deceased mother - it felt like a link in the chain that connected her to her bloodline, to some degree.

She wondered what that was like, staying settled in one place, rather than moving frequently in smaller groups, where one went a full year before seeing some pride members again. There would be downsides, of course, if one didn't care for someone, but had to remain in more settled proximity - but if something happened that required immediate notice to all of the pride, it would be a lot easier to get the information out.

"If that's the case, other than getting to know all the new faces, I can better understand why you found it fairly easy to acclimate," she said slowly, as though thinking carefully as she spoke. Would she be so composed, and speak so easily if she had returned home from some task, only to find it gone, and uncertain of what had happened to those she cared about?

She didn't think so.

"You mentioned being fairly new to the Ela'wadiyi," she said after a small hesitation, consciously shifting the subject. "Was this your first Sky Festival, then? And if so, what did you think of it?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Was it his first...?

No, after some consideration he'd noted that it wasn't... but he had chosen to remain aloof when he had first arrived. He hadn't been certain he'd made the right choice when he first arrived as there were certain elements of the Ela that he was still getting used to. Nevertheless, the longer he had stayed and the more opportunities he had had to speak to those around him, the more certain he was that he'd made the right choice.

"Second, I think," he said at last and hazarded a smile. "I wasn't very sociable at the first, I was still getting my bearings and...well I supposed I was getting used to the fact I wouldn't be moving around anymore," he admitted gently. He felt a pang of guilt that he wasn't likely to see his parents again but perhaps fate would find a way to reunite them, even if it was temporarily.

"So I suppose this is the first time I've taken it upon myself to say hello," he added with a cluck of his tongue. "But I do remember my first and it was an unusual experience, there's a certain spirituality attached to it that I'm not entirely sure I grasp." He paused thoughtfully. "But... I'm not really sure if I'm meant to understand that as is, it might be exclusive to the leadership," he admitted.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Woha'li nodded thoughtfully. She could see how the friendly chaos that made up the sky festival (there were more serious parts to it, for sure, but the part that was always the most enthusiastically attended was the part that decided who would be the champion for the years to come.)

"It allows us to reaffirm that, while we are all separated by clan for most of the year, we're still one pride...and that we're all deeply connected at our roots, like the tree itself." She spoke comfortably, her voice dropping to a slightly slower cadence, and her words coming out smoothly and easily; steeped in the history of both her clan, and more directly, her bloodline.

"It allows us to share in grief and celebration, for both those who have passed before, and those who will walk after us...and it reminds us, in so doing, that while they may be felt most strongly by individual clans, we all share in those losses, and in those new voices, and to release the grief, so it doesn't hold us back." She stopped to take a small breath, before continuing "It also allows for movement between clans, with marriage, and for the young to test their strength and skills without penalty...and potentially, to bring honor and respect to one's clan for the year to come." She smiled.

"We tend to be quite community-minded, so the contest for champion is one of the few opportunities for lions to stand out individually, in a way recognized by all the clans."

She stopped, realizing that he may have just been making an idle comment, instead of asking for that level of detail. Clearing her throat, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, not necessarily embarrassed, since she took pride in her clan's reputation as being particularly steeped in their pridal lore, but still slightly awkward, like anyone who realizes that not everyone else shares a particular interest, and that they may well have bored their audience to tears.

"I apologize if that was more than you were looking for in response; I can clearly sometimes get caught up in it when I get started." She finally said, turning her head to look at him directly, expression only a little sheepish.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

He was a polite enough lion, and while he was likely to be one who would be bored to tears by uninvited ramblings, on this occasion Woha'li was in luck. The opportunity to clear up some of his confusion surrounding some of the more nuanced aspects of the pride was one that he would happily embrace. The fact that he would be able to walk away from this with a greater understanding of the pride than he had before, if only so he could walk into the Sky Festival with much more confidence next time, was something he was grateful for.

...Honestly, he might even appreciate it a great deal more.

Woha'li's knowledge and appreciation for her own pride was clear as she spoke and while she certainly did get lost down a rabbit hole, he had the good grace to listen to all of it. On this occasion it was interesting, and she had even gone so far as to explain why the tree had held such significance. Now that she had explained it, it also made a lot more sense.

"It's good to have passion for something," he said after he was confident she had finished for the time being. "And you're clearly passionate about this," he added with a wry smile. "You explained some of the significance behind the mysticism, so I don't think an apology is needed," he lifted a paw to point towards her.

"...You just answered a question and perhaps some that might have followed after. That deserves thanks, rather than a reprimand," he finished with a wry smile.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Woha'li smiled back at him, looking...relieved, at his non-judgemental response, her posture relaxing slightly. With a small laugh, she shook her head in gentle self-mockery. "Sky clan is somewhat known for our knowledge of pridal history, and my mother was one of the elders who journeyed here, and so was, from what I've been told, particularly knowledgeable about it. She died when I was very young, so I suppose I have always felt that it made me feel more connected to that."

She loved Binti dearly, and her reverence of her birth mother, who she had no memories of was likely in large part due to the other lioness' deep-seated respect for her.

"That said, I do sometimes get carried away, so I'm thankful for your tolerance of that," she said, smiling.

Tilting her head slightly, she looked at him with interest. "What are you passionate about? Since I've taken the opportunity to try to bore you with mine, I find I'm now curious as to what might interest you to a similar degree."

Epine de Rose