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 Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:19 am
That one fateful encounter months ago with Jaddis, the God of Famine, had disastrous consequences, leaving her mother Hai with a belly swollen with six cubs she must starve herself to feed and a mind tortured by the cries of the damned. The rogue lioness had done her best to keep it all a secret from her children, but completely by accident Kijani had managed to prise the truth out of her a few days ago, and she knew her life would never be the same. Somehow it felt as if she, Kijani, was the worst part of the curse: a lion with no morals despite everything Hai had tried to teach them. A lion who would have abandoned them all in a heartbeat to serve her own selfish instincts.
The thought that if she really had no morals, she wouldn't feel guilty about the lack of them never crossed her mind. She had failed some sort of inner test, the test to live up to her mother's example, perhaps, and that made her bad. It was an obvious conclusion to the young cub, and one she wished with all her heart hadn't been true.
The idea had gnawed away at her relentlessly over the past few days. Every time she shut her eyes she saw a dark figure with rasping breath and huge leathery wings like the markings on her own back, his eyes even blacker pits that bored into her own, condemning her...
Finally she'd just slipped off while Hai was occupied with settling a fight between some of her siblings. The vultures wouldn't harm her because of her mother, she felt certain, and if there were anyone else around then Hai would have known. With no idea where she was going or why, Kijani wandered, the sun beating down on her with a vengeance she relished.
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:20 pm
Something about the way mortals acted cued her to the extent of their knowledge of the immortal realm. There also seemed to be some aura about halflings, or seers, that alluded to their true nature without a word. She didn't have to hear with words that this child was cursed, either. It was almost as if there was a shield around her; not so much for protection, but as a warning. Perhaps none of this makes sense, perhaps this was an undiagnosed power of Hamsa's, but she knew this cub was cursed. Consider it good instinct, or consider it a personal message from her intuition that warned her that a curse of her own could have adverse affects she did not intend.
Though she was blind for the time being, Hamsa was dangerously aware of the vultures in the sky as she descended. The way was perilous if they didn't see her coming, but she retained much of her natural grace as she dropped slowy through the air until her pawpads touched the delicious earth. She relished the sensory overload from her remaining senses, tasting the air even as she accustomed herself to her surroundings. There seemed to be no immediate reason to shield her true begin. There was a godling near, for certain, but if she didn't already know about Gods, it certainly wouldn't help her to learn.
The sound of pawsteps, however, alerted her to the fact that the cub was actually drawing nearer. Apparently she was in movement, whereas from the sky Hamsa had percieved her as unmoving. A vulture cawed from above and Hamsa cast her blind gaze upwards in annoyance before flexing her wings absently. The sun felt wonderful upon her skin as it sifted through feather and fur to bake her slowly like a roast. She felt keenly alive.
After a few moments, she lifted her chin and called, "Hullo, traveler."
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:59 pm
Her head jerked upright, and Kijani whirled to face the speaker. Unfortunately, her paws didn’t quite move fast enough to catch up with the rest of her, and for a moment the cub was a tangled green ball of flying limbs and tail. A tiny thundercloud of irritation had already laced her expression by the time she got to her feet again, both at herself for being clumsy and at… well, whoever this was… for witnessing it. But that dissipated in an instant when she clearly saw for the first time who had spoken out to her.
She was the opposite of everything that dark nightmare stood for: her fur pure white with a pale gray spotted pattern, her tail a long silky thing like no beast’s Kijani had ever seen, her wings (wings!) huge and feathered. Ringlet-laced hair half-hid slender horns like polished bone. This was certainly no mere lioness, and yet she smelled like one – or at least, more like a lioness than anything else the cub could think of.
“What…? Who…? You’re…” she stammered, lost for words. Then her brooding mood took over again, and her suspicion. Maybe this apparition was somehow related to him. They both had wings, didn’t they? “What are you doing here?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:36 pm
Hm. Surprise. She certainly hadn't expected that. Of course, she had assumed that the cub was accustomed to seeing Gods because she was cursed. She hadn't really considered that the cub may have only seen the one God that had cursed her, or maybe she had never actually seen a God at all? Maybe they had cursed her while in mortal form? Her sightless eyes widened slightly at her mistake, but it was far too late to take anything back. Prepared to attempt an explanation for her appearance, her thoughts were interrupted by the very direct inquiry.
That wasn't the question she had expected. 'What are you?' would have been acceptable. 'What in the world?' would have been mundane and unoriginal, but expected. This cub spoke as if she knew exactly what Hamsa was, but wasn't happy with the fact that Hamsa was here.
"I am here because I wish to be." She spoke simply, a brow arching in curiousity before she turned the question. "Why are you here?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 6:21 pm
She seemed surprised, the cub couldn't help but notice, though for no reason she could fathom. The stranger was the one who'd greeted her, wasn't she? And her question was a perfectly reasonable one, at least in Kijani's eyes. She'd thought there was no one but her family here - though the lioness' wings would certainly explain her unexpected arrival.
"Because... I don't know," she muttered sullenly, self-pity flaring up suddenly within her. "I needed t' think." Her dark eyes flicked down again almost guiltily, and she jerked her head to the side. Kijani, who was used to pale eyes, hadn't yet noticed the stranger's blindness, or she might have stared longer. Of course, for all Kijani knew blind creatures ran around crashing into things every few heartbeats.
It was hardly fair to go and change the subject on her, was it? Or give such a vague answer to begin with. "You're a... a god, right? Goddess?" The words were probably near inaudible from Hamsa's distance; to all intents and purposes the cub appeared to be talking to a rock by her right forepaw.
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:10 pm
The Goddess couldn't help but look a bit amused at her own predicament. She had expected an entirely different greeting. Her head tilted slightly to one side as she considered what exactly was going through the cub's mind. What sort of interaction had she had with a God? Would shielding her true nature make the cub more at ease? Her gaze turned to 'look' around her again, despite the fact that she couldn't see a damn thing. Her ears pivoted as they took in the sounds of the area, trying to discover if anyone else was about that she would have to explain herself to.
But the cub was speaking again. Answering, rather, so Hamsa turned her attention back to the little lioness as her ears swivelled to do the same. Her brows arched simultaneously, "To think." She frowned before nodding slowly and allowing a soft smile, "And what, if I may ask, were you thinking about?"
The sound of a vulture flapping its wings above her made her wince, and she shook her head briefly before nodding to the cub's inquiry, "That I am, yes." She didn't say much else, unsure what the cub knew of Gods and Goddesses and unsure whether or not it was her place to share.
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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 12:56 pm
"About... stuff," she said, stubbornly refusing to go into details. "Important stuff. None of your business."
"Er... unless you want it to be," the cub added hastily, remembering that this was a goddess she was talking to, one who might be able to do all sorts of awful things to mortals who displeased her.
Kijani looked up at the sound of the vultures, but with nothing of Hamsa's irritation. In face, a half-smile flitted across her face for a moment. The big bald-faced flappers always reminded her of that story Hai had told them, about the bargain she'd made with them. It was one of her favorites; she bet no other lions had parents who were as smart as that! In her confidence she actually met the goddess' pale eyes before looking away again, this time swiping at a stubborn dirty spot on her green coat as if being clean was of life-or-death importance.
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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:56 pm
Her eyes widened and brows shot skyward at the cub's abrupt and blunt response, though after the initial surprise, her lips curled slightly in polite amusement. Of course that outburst was followed by a veiled sort-of apology, but Hamsa deemed it completely unnecessary. After all, Kijani was right. It certainly wasn't any of her business. Shrugging absently, she blew an ivory curl out of her face futily as she mused, "No, no. I suppose it's not. My curosity gets the better of me sometimes, please forgive an old fool."
Mulling over the sound of the cub moving her paw over her fur for some unforeseen reason, Hamsa's lips pressed in a thin line as she considered her next move carefully. Really she had no reason to stay, but curosity had in fact snared her. It wasn't often that she attempted any sort of conversation with cubs, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to help herself.
Shifting her weight, she moved her wings a bit awkwardly before they settled again and she ventured quietly, "I'm Hamsakili, the Goddess of the Five Senses." How long had it been since she had had cause to introduce herself by her true name? "You may call me Hamsa, if you like."
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:14 pm
Only when the cub relaxed a little at those words was it evident how tense she had been, underneath the sulkiness. She'd been wary to meet a rare stranger, and even warier once she realized what this one was, but "five senses" didn't sound too threatening or anything. The tip of Kijani's tail thumped against the ground thoughtfully: maybe the mighty and terrible god bit wasn't obligatory.
"Old fool?" Her eyes widened in surprise at the self-deprecation, and she stared hard at the lioness for a long and considering moment. "Y'don't look that old. Not really. And, and not a fool."
"Hamsakili..." She tasted the name curiously; none of the other strangers she'd seen had stuck around long enough for her to learn their names. Before now, it had mattered not at all whether they even had any. "Five senses? Like um, hot and cold and..." She trailed off, face wrinkled in a frown; that didn't seem quite right.
"Oh, I'm Kijani."
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:51 pm
She was bemused that that bit of humility had drawn the cub a bit further out of her shell. At least she had the grace about her to backtrack and reassure the Goddess that she was not what Hamsa had claimed that she was. She smiled softly, rearranging her wings so that they rustled in a quiet fashion before settling, folded, along her backside once again. Her tail swayed behind her as she spoke, "I am old, compared to you most certainly, but even to your mother more likely than not." Her smiled broadened, "Though I appreciate the compliment all the same."
The mighty and terrible god bit was definitely not obligatory. If anything, Hamsa was endlessly insecure about her position - among mortals, anyway. It wasn't that she didn't like being a Goddess, so much as she didn't know how to act around mortals who didn't know what she was - and it generally was frowned upon for everyone to know that you were so often times she just ... avoided any sort of encounters.
With cubs it was difficult, since she had been unable to raise her last ones. As this cub spoke through her consideration of Hamsa's name and title, she smiled patiently and shook her head, "The five senses being sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. That is why I cannot see, I can only have four at a time so that I can lend it to mortals or whatever else I wish to do. Sight is better; I generally avoid everyone when I cannot hear - I can read lips if I try, but everyone's dialect is too different..." She trailed off, realizing that this cub probably could care less.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kijani."
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:50 am
"Oh." What a stupid thing that had been to think, really. She should've just kept her mouth shut. The remote, blank expression that had occupied her features before Hamsa appeared settled back again - but the goddess was already continuing on, and it wouldn't remain for long.
I only have four at a time... Sight is better... The cub met Hamsa's silver gaze fully for the first time, her own dark eyes widening in surprise and curiosity. The usual focused half-scowl, the feeling of an impossible burden had melted away for the moment: this was far more interesting and less painful of a problem to contemplate. She padded closer a little self-consciously until Hamsa could have reached out a paw and touched her, staring up at the lioness. "You mean y'can't... How do you fly?"
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