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Post by Kezia Sade on May 26, 2013 11:36:58 GMT -1
Kezia wandered through the long grass which reached up over her head. She wasn't sure how she'd come to be there, but she knew it wasn't her home world, and that was good. She tried to peer over the blades surrounding her, but she was too small. Curse my genes, she thought, thinking glumly about her mother and her long gone father. She continued forward, hoping to find some shelter nearby, as night was falling and she had no idea how safe these plains would be once darkness claimed the sky...
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on May 26, 2013 20:07:17 GMT -1
Hayashi had been laying among the grass watching the sun set, passing his days as he normally did. He was now used to the tribe smiling at him rather than trying to hurt him. Even so, he still had a pain that wouldn't lift ever since he lay eyes on Mira and realised he could never have her. Every night, her piercing blue eyes would haunt his dreams and remind Hayashi of the things he could not have.
Breaking his thought, Hayashi heard a rustle behind him and quickly jumped up when the smell was unfamiliar. Emerging from the grass was a strange looking creature he had never come across before. It was a feline, very small in size with some stripes like Hayashi's own. Seeing the confused and lost look on the small feline's face, Hayashi couldn't see why disturbing would be a bad idea.
"Hi there," he said nervously. "You look a little lost. Can I help at all?"
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Post by Kezia Sade on May 26, 2013 23:09:28 GMT -1
Kezia made a loud noise of surprise, a mix of a lion's roar and a tiger's growl. She jumped back, startled at the appearance of this tiger, whom she hadn't notice, the long grass obscuring her vision.
"Uh, hi there," she stuttered. She looked him up and down and decided that if he was offering help, she may as well take it (even if he was a tiger). "Well, um, could you tell me where I am? Please," she added, remembering her manners.
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on May 27, 2013 18:56:28 GMT -1
The noise of the startled newcomer came as a surprise to Hayashi as it was familiar yet unknown, but he couldn't quite explain how or why. Carefully making sure he was gentle in his approach as she was clearly not from Tialka, Hayashi explained, "You are on Tialka, a world full of peace and friendship...or something like that." He wasn't very good at the whole introduction thing, that was his brother's job.
All of the creatures who had made this planet their home were each different in their own way but this one was the first feline Hayashi had seen that wasn't his brother or Mira. Her coat was sleek and her eyes were stunning, he could stare deep into them and fall into their gaze.
"Where have you come from?" Hayashi asked, inquisitively. "We have newcomers here all the time but none quite as-" He stopped for a moment when he nearly slipped out with the wrong word, "-different as you."
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Post by Kezia Sade on May 27, 2013 19:52:48 GMT -1
Tialka... Not somewhere I've heard of, thought Kezia. She kept her distance from the tiger, despite his friendly demeanour. "I'm from Lyria," she answered, her voice not as shaky as earlier. "It's a long way from here, I think, but even there, I'm... different." Her voice trailed off as a blush blossomed over her fluffy cheeks. Memories of school-time bullies crossed her mind, mocking her for her mixed genetics.
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on May 27, 2013 20:02:17 GMT -1
Lyria did not spark off anything particularly to Hayashi. As far as he was aware, it was just another world.
"What is your name?" Hayashi asked kindly. He wasn't used to being so friendly around strangers but there was something quite cute about this new arrival. Her cheeks were blushing after she had spoken and Hayashi felt a little bad for using the word 'different'. He had meant it in a polite way rather than insulting but he couldn't take it back and didn't want to blow his chance at making just one friend in the world. Ever since he'd arrived on Tialka, he hadn't had anyone to talk to as a friend. Koatia was merely an ally when he was on his side who had used him as a tool. As for when he had switched sides, though all of them trusted him, they had made friendships of their own and Hayashi had felt quite left out and lonely...until now it seemed. He didn't keep his hopes up however. She would probably meet Hiruko, Seirei, Mira and the rest of the Tialkians and fit in better with them rather than Hayashi, the lone tiger.
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Post by Kezia Sade on May 27, 2013 20:09:39 GMT -1
Her blush deepened when the tiger asked her for a name. She wasn't really used to people being kind to her, they often avoided her because of her appearance. "It's Kezia," she whispered, her ears flattening and her body shrinking into itself a little. She didn't mean to be so quiet, so she cleared her throat and tried to speak a little louder. "Kezia. Kezia Sade. What about you? I mean, if you don't mind me asking..."
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on May 27, 2013 20:16:33 GMT -1
At first, Hayashi didn't quite catch her name but luckily she repeated it when he appeared blank. "Kezia...Ke-zi-a, a very pretty name," Hayashi said playfully. He felt like he had found his confident self again. "I am Hayashi, Hayashi Koudo that is."
That got the introductions out of the way. Kezia still seemed to be a little nervous so Hayashi didn't want to just leave. "Are you looking for anything in particular? If you want to rest for a while, the lake is a brilliant place to do so. Or this hill I was lying on is the perfect place to lie down and watch the sun set."
Speaking of which, he glanced round to see the sun much lower in the sky, spilling over the clouds shade of pink and gold. The sight was extraordinary this evening.
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Post by Kezia Sade on May 27, 2013 20:22:10 GMT -1
Kezia blushed even more at the compliment. "I suppose I am a little hungry and thirsty," she said. Parched and starving were more akin to what she was currently feeling, but she didn't want to sound too demanding. "I've been travelling for a long while, a rest would be nice." She gave Hayashi a small smile, grateful for his kindness. She looked over to the sun as well. "A place to stay for the night would be good too," she muttered quietly, wanting neither to impose even more on his kindness, nor to spend the night outside in an unfamiliar place.
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on May 27, 2013 20:36:48 GMT -1
"I'm sure we can fix that," Hayashi said with enthusiasm. "Follow me."
He led Kezia through the West Grassy Plains and it wasn't far until they had reached Hayashi's very recent new den. Hayashi forgot that his home wasn't really much compared to the other Tialkians but it was close to the Tree of Life which reminded him what he was fighting for.
"Come inside, it'll be dark soon and Tialka has a nippy breeze if you don't respect it," Hayashi told Kezia, with thoughts of Seirei coming to mind seen as he had created the wind. He led her into the cool, dry den which was narrow at first but opened out into quite a spacious hollow. Even from the middle, the Tree of Life could be clearly seen swaying in the sunset from the entrance.
"What can I get you to eat?" Hayashi said, placing a glass of water in front of her from the reserves he had at the back of the den. "I assume you are a carnivore at least, I have a kill from yesterday in storage. It's still fresh."
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Post by Kezia Sade on May 27, 2013 20:45:26 GMT -1
Kezia followed Hayashi with caution - despite his friendliness, she couldn't quite bring herself to trust him fully. Even so, her need for sustenance currently outweighed this mistrust, and so she found herself at Hayashi's home.
She took the glass with a smile and tried not to drain it too quickly (but failed. Miserably). She placed the glass back on the table and said, "Anything would be fine right now, if you don't mind sharing that is." She gazed out the entrance at the golden tree that was swaying. Her curiosity bubbled to the surface. "What's that?" she asked, pointing towards it.
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on May 29, 2013 19:10:20 GMT -1
"That is the Tree of Life," Hayashi answered, taking out some preserved meat from the cupboard. It still smelled fresh from yesterday and the blood had soaked the leaves it was wrapped in a little. He began to start a fire in a pit that sat in one corner of the den. There was a spit already put up above the pit and once Hayashi had the fire roaring, he placed the dripping meat on the spit and began slowly rotating.
"The Tree of Life was made by my brother and his friends, the other Founders of this land," he said, continuing. "It serves as a protection or barrier against those with darkness in their hearts. The Tialkians go here when they are in danger. It's kind of a symbol of this world too."
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Post by Kezia Sade on May 29, 2013 23:15:22 GMT -1
Kezia looked back to Hayashi as he spoke. "The Founders?" she asked. She hadn't really thought about the origin of Tialka, she was just glad it existed. Then again, all worlds had creation myths, it just seemed that this one was real.
She looked back to the Tree of Life, as Hayashi called it. "It's beautiful," she murmured to herself. It truly was, with the pinks and soft oranges of the setting sun shining off the Tree's golden leaves.
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on May 30, 2013 17:08:55 GMT -1
"Yeah, they co-created this world or something like that," he said, not really wanting to go into too much detail since he had been the enemy when they had first created Tialka. "But they call themselves 'The Founders'. No doubt you will meet them in time. I'm surprised my brother hasn't already rushed out to meet you. I guess he's kind of busy with the cubs."
Now that Kezia mentioned it, Tialka was beautiful. He had never stopped to realise how lucky he was to be able to live in peace on this planet. After a long stretch of silence, the meat was finally cooked and Hayashi began carving it onto a plate for Kezia.
"So what about you?" he asked in curiosity. "What's your story? Where did you come from?"
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Post by Kezia Sade on May 30, 2013 22:00:55 GMT -1
At the time of Hayashi's question, Kezia had been lulled into a sense of peace and jumped at the sound of his voice. "Oh, um," she stammered, trying to piece together a comprehensive sentence. "Well, I come from a place called Lyria. I'm not sure exactly where it is from here or how far away." She paused, thinking how best to continue. "It was just me and Mama. We kept to ourselves a lot. Eventually, I decided to go, lead my own life somewhere new." Kezia decided to leave out the bit about being bullied, as well as her father.
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Post by Hayashi Koudo on Jun 5, 2013 9:37:15 GMT -1
As Hayashi listened, he felt as if Kezia was hiding something. He couldn't blame her though, he didn't want to have to explain that he was once the enemy on Tialka. He'd already gained the trust of the Tialkians and didn't need to repeat his past actions to anyone else.
"I guess we all have to leave the den someday," he concluded. Except his past was very different and it wasn't so much as leaving the den as it was abandoning it. "You'll see in time that this world is a pleasant place to live. You can find your own place, there is plenty to hunt and even more places to explore. A lot of this world is still unexplored. But we are so happy here, there is no rush for us."
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Post by Kezia Sade on Jun 9, 2013 15:02:41 GMT -1
Kezia gave a soft smile. "In which case, I think I'll stay here for a while," she said quietly. Although she'd seen only a little of Tialka, she liked it. The atmosphere here was friendly and, if the 'Founders' were as kind as Hayashi was, she felt she may even be able to fit in. Since Tialka seems to be a new world and arrivals were sparse, her new co-habitants might believe her tigonism was normal for where she was from.
"Until I find my own place," she started, even quieter than before. "Would it be okay if I stayed here?" A blush flared all over her fluffy cheeks as she asked.
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