proairesis

Alain,

Cub of Prideless

Played by Naboo

---

The swamp, in his imagination a bubbling miasma that concealed crocodiles and oozed poison gas; treacherous, deadly, and not friendly towards children. Though he was not an ordinary child, he was a brave young Faust boy and he was here to conquer his fear the swamp. However a moment came in which his little paw stepped into something slimy and instantly he regretted the decision to explore this place of all possible places. The stench was of dead and decaying trees, burning into his nostrils, pulling his ears backwards slightly as he looked around to plan an escape path. All around him though were wet, mushy leaves that sunk in when he stepped near them, the squishing of mud between his toes about as unpleasant as everything else here. Why had he thought this would be a grand idea? Celadon gaze looked at the dim blue-lit surroundings in the late, near midnight hour, everything beginning to glow in a haunting manner and he felt as if it was closing in around him. His bold face stayed, though inside he was quaking.

Galian,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

The ever-too-familiar sound of sucking and squishing mud fell lightly upon the maneless male's ears. It stirred him slightly at first as he lay sleeping upon a low lying branch... but as the sounds continued and became more hurried and frantic, his attention was caught and he lifted his head from the pillow of his crossed paws. A wide yawn parted his jaws, exposing long white fangs... a stark contrast to his midnight-black pelt... before he moved to hang his head over the side of his perch to see what was going on down there.

He was very surprised to see a cub struggling with the sticky mud and looking around for anywhere he could go that would take him far away from where he was now! Galian chuckled, making sure to be loud enough for the young cub to hear.

"Everything alright down there? That mud's kicking your butt pretty good, kid!"

His bright green eyes smiled down at the little one as his white fangs flashed in a friendly gesture. He snickered again in pure amusement, tail curling calmly as it hung over the side of the branch.

@Alain

Alain,

Cub of Prideless

Played by Naboo

---

While stuck in the paw-sucking mud that seemed to rise higher on his body the more he went into the swamo, a noise from up above made him gasp slightly. Trying to hide the sudden shock wave of fight which had gone through him he gulped in quietly and dared to look up. There was a flash of annoyance that the older gentleman had a much easier time and clearly knew his way around the swamp, but he tried not to let those emotions edge onto his face. It'd be lovely to know how to get out of here, but he couldn't act like a scared little cub now could he? "It's just a little deep is all. What are you doing up there anyways? Isn't it a little hard to get around on all the trees?" The other lion seemed particularly easy going, and well friendly enough that the was letting some of his guard down.

He struggled to crane his neck upwards and temporarily found relief by placing his two front paws at the base of the tree where the lion was. The mud dripped and ran thickly down towards his elbows, but the sensation didn't bother him. Green eyes resting upwards comfortably though he had a hard time distinguishing the black lion from the darkness of the dense canopy and low lighting of the setting.

@Galian

Galian,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

Galian looked around with an expression that mocked surprise and shock as the young cub questioned the difficulty of maneuvering the canopy. ”Hard? Pffttt... Perhaps it’s hard for some... but I think I must have been a panther in my past life.” he chuckled, lifting himself to his paws. His ebony claws dug into the bark for stability as his tail flew up for balance. ”Don’t suppose you’d like to try it? It always beats walking through the mud,” The maneless male hoped the young cub took him up on his offer. Clearly he did not like being up to his shoulders in muck that stank like the backside of a wildebeest. He could get the kid back home, and maybe even teach him a thing or two while he was at it!

@Alain

Alain,

Cub of Prideless

Played by Naboo

---

This stranger posed many different and curious things to Alain. First he started wondering about past lives, though he'd simply figure himself to be some grand fighter or a suave silvertongue. Instead he was likely some rotten water spider or maybe even a weird sea-turtle like the one he'd seen the other day, for he doubted the deities would have granted him such a grand previous life only to be what he was now (or what he felt he was). As his claws raked out into the bark of the tree his head nodded, shifting his lower limbs and taking a breath of the wretched swamp waters. "If you could show me, yes, please show me." His voice brightened and his eyes were very focused as he tried to clear his mind of the thoughts of alternative lives to the new skill he'd set to master.

@Galian

Galian,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

Galian felt a slight sense of pride fill his chest as the young one brightened at the opportunity to learn a new skill, and HE was the teacher! It was a bit sad to say that Galian had never felt this important in his life. He was teaching... and this lesson had the potential of sticking with the young cub for years to come. The maneless male felt accomplished to have contributed a little to the growing generation. "Alright then. First things first... you're gonna need to get up into the tree." Galian chuckled, moving swiftly down the trunk before cutting his losses and plunking onto the mucky ground with the young cub. "Once you're up there, it's as simple as finding the thickest branch growing in the direction you wanna go." He explained in a matter of fact way as he moved to attempt a grip on the young cub's scruff with gentle teeth. If he were to be successful at closing his jaws around the cub's scruff, Galian would proceed to carry him up the trunk before placing him gently down on an ideal perch to begin the training.

@Alain

Alain,

Cub of Prideless

Played by Naboo

---

Though his claws had already previously been scoring the side of the tree it would have been quite difficult for him to manage the first leap. Accepting this was difficult for him because he was generally quite a proud creature, but the opportunity to learn a new skill became too great, he knew that the suction of the mud beneath would keep him tethered here had he not relented, so when Galian came down, he eased himself. His body relaxed as jaws closed around his scruff and he waited to be carried into the tree, wondering idly what would happen if he fell but knowing that at least the waters and mud beneath were more of a cushion than the gnarled crusty earth of the forests. "Thanks." He knew that getting dirty, especially with the putrid smelling swamp water, was not a particular favorite of anyone's, so having had the assistance he was receiving, he wasn't going to let it go unnoticed. He was proud, but he wasn't rude. Maybe he could pass this skill on to Fenella as well, only if he mastered it with some sort of grace that was.

(Feel free to pp!)


@Galian

Galian,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

Galian smiled down at the young cub as he was thanked, then it was on to the training! The young, maneless male could hardly wait to see how well his very first pupil would do! First he would keep things simple. He spotted a rather thick branch hanging just slightly lower than where they were perched now. Galian knew that if they kept in the direction that branch was in, they would manage to make it out of the muckiest parts of the swamp in just a few leaps and bounds.

"Alright kid, see that branch there?" Galian nodded his head toward the branch in question just in front of them. "That's our target. Now, I want you to stretch out your claws... like this. Get a running start, and when this branch begins to bend under your weight... THAT is when you make the jump. Watch... I'll do it first, and wait for you on the other side. Cool?"

Galian just assumed it would be cool and in his excitement didn't wait for the cub to respond. With a massive grin on his face, Galian prepared. Claws had been dug into the bark already... now, running start. Galian's legs pushed off powerfully from the branch and just as the perch began to give way, Galian lept gracefully. He landed expertly on the thickest part of the other branch, laughing as he turned around with triumph!

"Alright kid! That's how ya' do it!! Lemme see ya' try it!" He called out with enthusiasm as he chuckled to himself. He lowered onto his haunches as he waited... sure that the kid would need to build up some confidence first. He sure did when he was first starting out. He had been scared shitless on his own first jump! Ahhh, the memories.

@Alain