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 Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 9:48 pm
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Hodari was just coming back from one of her patrols. It was one of the few things that she really felt comfortable doing. If she spotted any of the external rebels, she could approach them before any of the other Guards could and either play messenger or look like she was chasing off a rogue. She liked to think that she played a convincing role, but in reality, she was frightened.
When she was a cub, Hodari had wanted to be a Guard so she could be part of the muscle support for her mother, but at the thought of fighting anyone now, the young lioness trembled. Of course, when the time came to fight, she would swallow her fear and do as she had promised: she would support the cause, even at her own expense. It's what her mother would want from her, wasn't it?
With her mind occupied with such deep thinking, she almost didn't notice her light-coated sister, Kimondo. Hodari had been passing the watering hole on her way back to camp and upon looking up, she had seen her sister walking towards her, covered in dirt and petals.
Eyes narrowed with curiosity, Hodari approached her sister.
"Kimondo!" She called to her. "What on earth are you doing?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 9:54 pm
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Entirely focused on the task at hand, Kimondo didn't notice her sister was nearby until she called out her name. Not so easily startled (and mindful of the flowers she carried, and had already had to stop and pick up numerous times), she simply turned to see who spoke to her-- and she smiled when she saw her sister looking at her curiously.
"Hodari!" she said brightly, "I'm planting some moon flowers, do you want to come with me? I could use the help!"
Considering she had dirt all over her paws, her back and her face just from digging up the flowers, it definitely looked like she needed the help. She had a few willing (if begrudging, in some cases) helpers but still, the point was to divide and conquer.. as much as one could by planting flowers, anyway.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 10:30 pm
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Hodari returned her sister's smile, happy to be in her company. Kimondo had always been a friendly sort, Hodari noticed and one of the more peaceful of the siblings. Her eyes moved to her sister's back as some form of memory came to her. As a friendly move in favor of the rebellion, moon flowers. While she couldn't recall where she had heard it, she felt herself relaxing. Surely this was a way she could actively be part of the rebellion without the need to fight anyone, yet anyway.
"It would be my pleasure." She said with a nod and a new bounce in her step. Looking over the flowers again, however, she added with a slightly skeptical tone, "So... How does one plant flowers, exactly? And are we sure these ones are even going to be alive by the time we get them in the ground?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 10:40 pm
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When Hodari agreed to help, Kimondo started off on her way again, moving carefully but at a nice steady pace. She snickered at the skeptical tone her sister took when asking about the flowers.
"I asked Antara for advice before I started, she ought to know how to deal with the flowers, after all, " she explained, glancing over her shoulder to the flowers laying on her back, "They should be OK for a little bit, we just have to make sure we get a nice spot for them. They'll need water, which is why I wanted to start near the watering hole until I had more practice at this."
With a grin, she took a step a bit too enthusiastically and a flower fell off of her back.
"Oh!" she gasped, looking back and turning slowly, "Can you pick that up for me?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:06 pm
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Hodari turned around as her sister approached and then bypassed her, walking just behind Kimondo's shoulder and swishing her tail as her sister laughed at her. Obviously Hodari would have never learned how to plant flowers before, she was a Guard, after all. Still, she understood that it was all in good humor and soon a smile was back on her face.
She listened to her sister as they walked, glancing at the ragged looking flowers when there was a pause in her sister's answer, only to see one slip off from her sibling's back and onto the ground.
"Pick it up?" She echoed dumbly, staring at the fallen flower. With what? Her mouth? Surely her teeth would crush its stem and kill the plant. Lowering her head to the fallen flora, she scrunched her nose under it and then moved slowly up letting the flower rest nicely balanced atop her muzzle, accompanied by a small mound of dirt. Looking cross-eyed for a moment to make sure she had gotten the flower, Hodari smiled and then walked carefully over to her sister and depositing the flower-and its dirt-onto Kimondo's back. "Oops, sorry." She said, giving her sister a half-grin.
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Ecavi generated a random number between
1 and 2 ...
1!
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:23 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 11:49 pm
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Hodari nodded with a smile ever present on her face, a welcome change. Recently, the young lioness had been doing more than her desired share of worrying.
"Oh, it's not problem. I'm just happy I can help the..." She paused, glanced around and upon seeing clear land all around, she continued. "Help the cause without having to fight anyone." She fell silent for a while as the two sisters continued walking towards the watering hole, which had come into sight. Maybe it was better to talk to someone about it to someone, after all.
"Kimondo?" She began, hesitantly. "I became a Guard to protect the ones I loved and the cause I'm standing up for. I always knew that I'd have to fight someone eventually, especially since things are really starting up after the hunter's strike, but... Do... Do you think I'll have to kill anyone? I mean, I get it, it's a war. Lions are going to die on both sides, but sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to do it...To take a life." Hodari gave a long sigh, shaking her head slightly as she walked up towards the water's edge. "And then I can't help wondering how disappointed, Mother would be if she was here to hear any of this."
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:13 am
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Kimondo kept on smiling until Hodari finally spoke, though hesitatingly, about her worries. She nearly tripped over her feet as her sister carefully asked if she'd have to kill anyone, frowning immediately. She'd had similar fears, and an uncomfortable conversation with their mother that had given her other ones.
"Do you believe in the rebellion?" she asked simply, coming to a complete stop and turning to face her sister directly, "Not because of what Mother or Father say, not because of anything I do. Or Matakwa does. Or Milele. Or Jabari. What do you think?"
Until she had met Liuhe, Kimondo had never had any doubts. And that had led to the realization that not only was she allowed to have an opinion different from mother.. but her mother knew that she had prevented the critical thinking necessary for her children to form their own opinions, if for no other reason than being partly responsible for the rebellion. Until she had her face off with Umepatwa, she had never stopped to ask herself the questions she now asked Hodari.
"Do you think we can do better than Shangyue?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 1:58 pm
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Hodari hadn't meant to ruin the mood. She had been enjoying her company with her sister: with the rebellion progressing forward at a faster pace than usual, Hodari had been content to take the time planting flowers and speaking with her sister. Now, however, she felt shamed for speaking up at all.
After Kimondo's stumble, Hodari had been preparing for words of anger. How dare she be questioning her place? She was a born rebel to one of the leaders of the rebellion. Questioning herself would weaken the entire cause!... But none of that came. Hodari, who had closed her eyes in preparation, opened them at the question her sister spoke.
Did she believe in the rebellion? Hodari had stilled as she began to consider it. Shangyue had murdered his family in order to become the King. That at the very least had been wrong, but he also had promoted Slaves to higher ranks, and while they would always be in the Low Class, at least they got a chance at a better life, right?
Her tail lashed as she became frustrated with her thoughts and then her sister asked another question. Could the rebellion do better than Shangyue? That stopped Hodari's mind from producing anything for a while. Her entire life, she had only meant to fight, to protect those she cared about. What was she doing, getting herself into such conversations? Her mother wanted another warrior, not a thinker, or so Hodari had often believed.
"I..." Hodari was speechless. She sat down, stared at her paws and then was up again, pacing. "I do not want to be ruled by a King who will slaughter his family in order to rule over the pride sooner, rather than later." She said slowly, raising her head to meet her sister's eyes. "And I think that what the cause is trying to do, is to ensure that all lions are to be treated justly... Even the slaves and the members of the low class. I believe in that, I think. I just..." She sighed and approached her sister, but was now looking passed her, towards the lake they had been moving towards.
"I'm a Guard, but I hate that we have to harm one another in order to make people see reason. Of course, thanks to Mom, I know it's impossible to have a peaceful rebellion, because that hadn't gotten us very far before. I'm scared to think of how many lives will be lost, of what war we could bring upon ourselves, but..." There, her decision was made and her mind had cleared a little for it. "I believe in the rebellion and I believe that those that take over after Shangyue is overthrown will be better leaders than he ever was."
Hodari looked to her sister with a grin on her face, who knew that talking to someone would actually help her to grow as a lioness? Go figure.
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 2:59 pm
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Kimondo could see the surprise and hesitation in her sister and she waited patiently for her answers. She could see herself in Hodari. They'd never bothered to question anything before, and now that they were old enough to understand better.. it was something they really needed to do.
"It may be impossible to have an entirely peaceful rebellion, but we can try to find other ways," she said, glancing over her shoulder to the flowers that rested on her back, "That's why I'm planting flowers. I'm a huntress, I know how to kill prey.. I don't imagine it's much different.. but I can't hurt anyone. I won't. If you won't, you can find other ways to help."
She returned Hodari's smile.
"I hope there won't be many injured or killed for this," she added sadly, "But I hope those who are truly believe in what they are fighting for."
It seemed more likely that the members of the rebellion would believe in what they were fighting for, as they were choosing to fight against the king.. assuming those, like Kimondo and Hodari, born into rebellious families, had half a mind to consider what was being asked of them. Those who fought for the king.. many might well believe in his claim, that he had done enough good to make up for the bad, but some would fight for him out of fear. Those would be the worst casualties.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 2:39 pm
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Hodari felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and for this, she was happy. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy t have had the conversation with someone she trusted not to pass her doubt onto others. Now that she had regained her belief in herself and her cause, she didn't want to think any more of her silliness that had been doubting it, however warranted it may have been.
"I will do what I can to help you, sister." She said with an encouraging smile, but it fell slightly as she went on, "But I will do what I have to, what I've been training to do, in order to protect you and our family, as well as those we fight for." The idea of death, something that may occur when she finally had to fight on her own, frightened her more than she would admit to anyone, even Kimondo, but she knew that in order to protect her loved ones, she would put her life on the line, scary as it was.
"These poor flowers have had to lay here amidst my ramblings." Hodari said with a sheepish grin, "Let's get them planted before they whither."
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2016 4:35 pm
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Kimondo smiled at her sister, almost letting her sorrow creep into her eyes. It was a long-lived anxiety in the family, that they would eventually have to fight and that meant they might not all survive it. It was a risk they were willing to take and there was no use in trying to convince any of them otherwise. When this was over, she hoped they had the better world they were fighting for.
"You should talk to Umepatwa and his friends," she suggested, taking a few steps to get moving again on her way to plant her flowers, encouraging her sister to come along, "They have more active plans than mine, I'm sure they'd welcome the help."
It was a wonder that more of her siblings were not directly involved in Umepatwa's youth rebellion, but that was probably her fault. Her arguing with the big idiot had been part of his motivation, and though she wouldn't take part in some of their more aggressive antics, she did consider herself part of the group.
"But we'll worry about the flowers for now," she said brightly, picking up the pace to find where she wanted to put this batch of flowers.
belloblossom You can wrap it up from here~! And feel free to join in Youth Rebel/Umepatwa's group shenanigans x3 You never really needed an official invitation but Hodari would certainly be an easy one to welcome into the group!
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 12:15 am
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Hodari nodded as she considered the offer of joining the youth rebellion. It would keep her mother off her tail, knowing she was stepping up to defend her peers and the thought of helping her sister and the cause sent a pleasant shudder down her spine.
"Umepatwa, was it? Yes, I'll see about talking to him." She replied and increased her speed to keep up with her sister. "Let's plant these a few tail lengths away from the shore. The ground should be damp enough to keep them alive... Not that I think about the safety of flowers all the time!" She added quickly, but it made sense. Flowers needed water as much as they did, so why not plant them close to its source?
Unfortunately, damp water translated to thick mud, even further away from the shores of the lake and re-planting them all caused Hodari's white paws to turn brown. Ugh. She always assumed she'd have to get dirty for the rebellion, but this is not what she had envisioned.
Although... By the time they were done and the flowers were planted, even Hodari had to admit that they looked good.
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