Learning To Walk Again

[October 30th, Open to Chumvi and Mirage.]

Given that it was still so confusing trying to move four legs instead of two when walking, and this fact was a cause of great frustration to Mirage, the human-turned-lioness had taken some time to herself to practice. It sounded ludicrous, having to learn to walk again, but then the fact that she'd been changed sounded even more so.

Mirage was wandering semi-aimlessly, conscious of her feet - well, paws now - moving. It was easy to move the first two paws, that came fairly naturally, just like walking on two legs, but then the back legs were left behind. It shouldn't have been that hard, just to walk, but for some reason Mirage just couldn't seem to fully get the hang of it. Whenever she walked, it was awkwardly, and she just couldn't seem to get any fluidity of movement any more.

Olive eyes cast down at her paws, Mirage padded forward slowly, a frown overshadowing her face as she concentrated. However, what with her eyes being focused downward, she was more liable to find herself walking straight into something, or someone.

(Sorry for the wait, yo.)

Paws met briefly with the terrain as a young male crossed the expanse fluently, each stride rather refined. With every step, the brute lessened the distance from himself and the grasslands, the void reminding him of his growing hunger. Lips flashed as he glanced along the province, irises squinting with discomfort from the glare of the sun. Inhaling deeply, he checked for any scent of prey, the aromas quickly being sorted out by his brain. Naturally, the region seemed vacant of anything edible. Well, meat wise.

Sure, he could always chew on the grass, but that wouldn't do him any good. Mumbling with dissatisfaction, he moved forth, muscles rolling beneath his dark pelt. There was sure to be a bit to eat somewhere around here. If he was lucky, he'd come across a hunting party and flirt his way to the juiciest parts of the kill. Oh man, how he hoped it would be a giraffe. Sure, they were hard to take down, but once they fell they were a delight. Keeps a pride full for days.

While he was reminiscing about gnawing on each scrumptious mouthful of meat, he failed to realize an alabaster lioness in the distance. In fact, the only reason he returned to reality was because of the fact that he nearly rammed directly into the young female. A whoosh of carbons escaped his lips as he backpedaled sharply, nearly colliding with her unsuspecting form. Immediately an apologetic grin graced his lips along with silken words, "Oh, pardon me ma'am."

A sharp inclining of his skull had his thick locks falling obediently out of his line of sight. "Wait," Fiery irises trailed along the female's thin form, "I remember you. I saw you at the watering hole." Though he couldn't quite place her name. Had she even told him? Pursing his lips, he truly looked at her, noticing her awkward attempts at walking. This intrigued him. Was she walking like that on purpose or had she bumped her head and forgotten how to walk? Chuckling lightly, he nudged her shoulder, motioning to his own paws which stroked the earth with graceful steps like that of a feline.

"Left front, back right, front right, back left, Kitten." He strode around her in a leisured circle, "It's simpler than it sounds. Just don't think about it." Another musical laugh trickled from his lips, "That is, if you really don't know how to walk."

[You're ok.]

"Oh, pardon me ma'am."

"Oh!" Mirage looked up from her paws sharply, taken by surprise with the sudden voice that rang out from right in front of her. In her surprise, she fell back into a sitting position. "I'm sorry," she apologised, feeling a fool. "I wasn't looking where I was going." Her eyebrows rose as the lion stated that he knew her from a past meeting at the watering hole. She squinted a little at him, digging within her memory for a trace of the lion. But she had to say, she didn't know him all that well.

She looked him up and down, taking in his dark pelt, his thick, curled mane, trying to backtrack her thoughts to the watering hole, then it suddenly came to her. "You were...the lion caked in mud?" she asked tentatively. The action had confused (and mildly disgusted) her, and she was still no more enlightened to the reason for it now. "Was there...a particular reason you were covered in mud?"

However, before he answered this query, the lion before her seemed to have clearly noticed her troubles with walking. He nudged her shoulder, and demonstrated a smooth, flowing walk cycle. "Left front, back right, front right, back left, Kitten." Mirage shot him an unsure frown at the name 'kitten', but nonetheless she watched how his paws moved, and tried to remember it. "It's simpler than it sounds. Just don't think about it. That is, if you really don't know how to walk." the lion continued. "I know how to walk," Mirage insisted, with slight indignance. "Just not so well on four legs..."

"Four legs?" He repeated, a confusing ring clear in his tone as he turned to face her, eyebrows raising. Was she not born with the four legs she clearly had trouble handling. The thought hadn't previously occurred to him, although now it was the single thing that caught his attention in it's entirety. How else had she walked? With six legs? Eight? Or perhaps only three. Two? A frown tugged at the corners of his lips as he inwardly battled himself until a huff finally escaped him in exasperation, "I take it you were not formally a four legged lion, eh?" He saw no scars that could indicate she had an extra leg that may have been severed. He found himself staring at her legs, causing him to blink rapidly before shifting his attention. That was rude wasn't it? Staring at someone that is? Flicking his tongue along the length of his boxy muzzle, Chumvi seemed to recall her previous question about the day they meet.

Ah, the day he was engaged in a vicious battle with his sister, Kula. She was a fierce opponent, a relentless assailant. She covered each expanse he scrambled to make. Discovered and unmasked any attempt at hiding. She was a predator. A true beast. There was no hiding from the master of the seekers. "Hide and seek," he rumbled ominously, his claws clutching the earth, "There is no hiding from her. Doesn't matter what you do. Cover you tracks, mask you scent...nothing will work." A hoarse growl slipped from between his teeth, "She will find you." He reared up on his hind paws with a savage roar, his forepaws flailing playfully, claws carefully sheathed. Saliva drenched his incisors, the elongated tendrils cascading heavily to the terrain.

With a low huff he dropped back down to his paws, his tongue swiping to retrieve the drool. A grin spread mischievously across his features as he motioned to her legs, awaiting for her try attempt to walk once more. "You've never played hide and seek with a litter-mate?" He sounded genuinely surprised. After all, all cubs grew up playing. Though, most actually grew up. Chumvi was a cub forever. The glint in his irises proved this fact. Rarely was he able to remain serious. Everything was a simple game to him, it was fun. A joke, perhaps. That is, when it came to his sister or a certain lioness. The mere thought of her drew a devastated look upon his face before he hurriedly masked it with another cool grin, his tail flicking first to the left, then to the right.

An odd thing to do, yet the lion usually did this when he was nervous. "Um, try out that walking thing." He nodded to her, a single paw motioning in a slight circle as he lowered himself to his haunches quietly.

"I take it you were not formally a four legged lion, eh?" Clearly, the lion had seen right through her. "No...I'm not even a lion," she said, her tone alike to one used for a guilty confession, although she wasn't quite sure where said tone had come from. "I'm a human." She stood, feeling awkward, as the lion stared at her legs for a little too long, and shifted her paws uncomfortably.

Thankfully, he looked up, and continued to explain why he was covered in mud that day. Apparently, he was playing hide and seek with someone...lions played hide and seek? "Who is 'she'?" Mirage asked, confused at the lack of name being mentioned. As Chumvi roared, though, her curiosity turned to anxiety and her ears pressed flat against her skull. She flinched away a little, and remained cautious as he asked whether she had ever played hide and seek with a litter-mate. She assumed that meant sibling.

"With other children, yes," she said, a little on edge. "I had no...er...'litter-mates'." "Um, try out that walking thing." Mirage suddenly remembered what she had been doing, and, trying to keep in mind Chumvi's instructions, continued to walk. It was still a little clumsy, but a little better than before, all the same. She stared down at her paws as she walked again, feeling self conscious under the gaze of the lion.

"She, is Kula. Wonderful lioness and heir to the throne." Affection spilled warmly into his words as his thoughts trailed off to his sibling once more. however this time he was able to quickly reel himself back in before he zoned out and stared at the lioness unintentionally. It was clear it had made her uncomfortable. It wasn't is intention to make the mistake twice. Sniffling lightly he peered at her in a fleet glance. She said she was a human. A human. How odd. Stepping forward, he allowed his nose to brush her shoulder, gently inhaling her scent. She certainly smelled like a lioness and she certainly looked like a lioness. Though that must have just been on the outside. Was she a human crammed in that body? The thought was enthralling. Clearly she would need to be taught how to be a lion if she was in that body.

As her ears flattened to her skull, he felt his lower as well. Body language. That was sure to come natural, though she'd need to learn how to move, how to hunt and how to fight. His mind was suddenly working like a soldier, not like his usual playful self. Paws collided with the ground as he bucked forward, mane whipping wildly as he snapped lightly at her paws. Not at all vicious nor aggressive. In fact, he bore a playful grin, to assure the female he meant no harm. "See if you can speed up." He danced around her, swatting at her paws to get them moving. Her motor skills were naturally slowed but that can easily be improved.

"My name is Chumvi by the way." He tilted his skull in a questioning manner, as if to ask her for her name. The tip of his tail flicked once more as he continued to paw at her paws then her tail tip. All the while he released gentle chuffs and growls so she knew he was only playing. If she were a human before she'd think playing would be considering attacking. Animals behaved differently then people, surely she knew that, right?

"Oh, I see..." Mirage acknowledged as she continued to walk, carefully and slowly, calculating her movements and trying to regain the fluidity she had as a human. She faltered somewhat as Chumvi suddenly bounded after her and playfully danced around her. She watched him uncertainly - after her run-in with Babu, she was more cautious of lions than she had been before; Babu seemed unpredictable and easy to rile up, and so she was unsure whether all lions were so.

But this lion was smiling, and didn't seem intent on causing harm. He just seemed...bouncy and playful. "See if you can speed up." Mirage took a brief moment to remind herself of the instructions she had been given, repeating them over and over in her mind, before tentatively increasing her speed, taking wider strides. It would still take practice, but with this lion's instructions, and observing him move, she found it easier now. "My name is Chumvi by the way." Mirage glanced at him again, and a small, nervous smile came to her maw. "Mirage."

"Well nice to meet you, Mirage."

He sounded distant as his mind traveled. Peering out into the distance he allowed a grin to spread along his muzzle as he imagined his cubs getting into trouble as usual. He had decided to go out hunting for the bundles, and hoped to capture something sufficient, maybe a juicy calf just for Zukkiza. Yet he found himself teaching a lion how to walk. Nice going, Chumvi. Allowing a huff to pass in-between his teeth he whirled his head to check on her progress. A bit better, but she had quite a ways to go before she could walk with the fluent grace of a feline. Flicking his ear he contemplated asking her to just join him on a hunt, though it would be useless. With her clamoring about she'd scare off anything in a ten mile radius. Biting his lip he rushed forth once more, snapping at her heels to drive her forward. Maybe he could rush her practicing and she'd be able to be a bit quicker and less awkward.

Teeth collided viciously as he aimed a few inches away from her heels, not close enough to accidentally nip her, but enough to cause his breath to meet her limbs. Every few moments he'd slow before drastically speeding up. He was patient, due to raising cubs, though he felt an urgency to get some food. Besides, the herds may be moving on soon. There wasn't too much time left to waste on such activities, "So," He began, making idle conversation, "When you were a...human, did you have a mate?" He paused before continuing, "Is that the term you use? Companion? L..lover?" A shrug followed, "Something along those lines."

Surely she had someone too right? Maybe she had cubs. Didn't she miss them? He felt like a worrisome mother, always tense when he left his cubs. Even though they were perfectly safe under Zukkiza's protective gaze, what about her? What if something attacked and she got injured defending their babies. This stopped him cold before he shook his head savagely.

He seriously needed to stop worrying himself so much. It would cause his mane to turn gray much faster than he'd like.

Mirage heard Chumvi's paw-falls behind her, and felt his hot breath against her heels as he snapped his teeth near them, urging her forward with increasing speed. She found herself speeding up, but worrying about tripping clumsily over her paws at the same time. She cringed a little at the thought, but turned her focus back to her paws, moving them in the order she was meant to.

Chumvi's sudden, quite personal question caused her to stumble in surprise, though, but she cleared her throat and regained her footing quickly. "Well...sort of," she said, a little reluctantly. "But I made a mistake. He was too wrapped up in himself and his goals." Her voice hardened a little as she spoke. She was, of course, referring to her former ally, Syndrome. She didn't tell many of the past relationship they had had, because she loathed the very thought of it herself at present. Of course, it was easier for her to point out his wrongs than her own. Although she regretted her actions of helping him lure Supers to their deaths, she had gotten wrapped up in the whole thing too. She had gotten power-greedy, and become blind to sanity for a while...she was glad to have left that version of herself behind... "Ahem...what about you?" she asked, keen to shift the conversation from herself.