AW A Storm

Muninn,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

The rain was violent today. The rain and wind, the thunder and lightning... it was as though someone had upset the Gods. What had troubled Thor this day? It was impossible to tell, but today was one of the rare days the elements sent Muninn searching for a useable shelter.

The vicious onslaught of rain had been completely merciless since the rising of the sun. Now it was almost midday, and still the clouds refused to yield their downpour. Muninn had managed to find refuge by ducking under the wide corner of a large boulder that jutted out of a rocky outcrop protruding from a steep hill.

He sat, looking very disgruntled. His mane hung in front of a dreadful glare, his ears set back in his drenched mane. To add insult, the rocky ground that he sat on was in fact another small, jagged, cratered boulder that backed up to the larger one offering shelter. The crater that he stood within, not surprisingly, collected water... so he got to enjoy the opportunity of sitting in a puddle as he waited out the endless rain.

Lightning struck the grasses just in front of him, smoke pluming up as though a fire had hoped to catch, but the rain had snuffed out the flame just as quick as the deafening thunderclap could sound.

The biting wind blew past him, and Minunn gritted his teeth against the unpleasantness of it. At the very least, he could be thankful that there was plenty of room under his shelter, and that it would no doubt protect him from Thor's lightning.

"Speech"

Of Mind and Memory

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Abraham,

Lion of Ithilien

Played by ResidentRowan

---

Abraham really hadn’t meant to get caught up in the rain today. Really, he hadn’t. But after the sun had rose, he had left his usual shelter in the hills of Mosmori lake. His stomach had been rumbling something awful, and he couldn’t ignore it. What was his thanks for going out in the rain in hopes of some prey? Rain, oceans and oceans of rain falling from the sky. His fluffy fur barely kept him warm, and simply slowed him down as he looked for some inkling of shelter, of course, finding none and moving on to the next promising spot.

He noticed a shape moving just slightly under an outcropping, another lion. Abe wasn’t exactly that hopeful that the other lion was friendly, but decided he didn’t really have any other places to choose from. Then lightning struck the grasses, and he trotted over pretty quick to take a seat under the outcropping, Abe did not fancy becoming a torch. He sat as far away from the larger male as made possible by the shelter, to try and be respectful.

Abraham glanced at the dark male, "howdy," he offered politely,“what mighty fine weather we’re having.” Sarcasm bit into his words, as he continually dripped water from his long fur into the ground, split mane hanging low, as if seeming to melt off of him. He could tell the other lion looked a bit younger than himself, making him a bit less nervous of some sort of fight happening, now hoping they could just get along until the storm died down.

The freckled lion wasn’t sure if he should make conversation. Which was more awkward, silence or speech? He hadn’t had a chance to read the steel-eyed lion yet, all he could tell was he was as displeased with the rain as Abe was.
speech

Go West young man

manip by ResidentRowan (me) | code by twesh

@Muninn

Muninn,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

The dark male gazed out across the grasslands as the torrents blew by in sheets. In a way, it was fascinating... something to be admired, perhaps. His stare became distant as he was reminded of a time long past. The rains turned into torrents of snowflakes in his mind as the image of his father trudged through the thick blanket of snow on the ground. Muninn was a cub again, curled up under the rocks his father had left him under... obeying the orders "don't leave this spot until I come back for you".

As his father moved out of sight, the snow turned back into rain. Muninn was yet again an adult, and it wasn't his father who made their way toward him now. A stranger, freckled and soaking wet, seemed quite persuaded by Thor's lightning to join him under the outcropping. Surely the male had no other options, as Muninn knew he rarely looked like the friendliest man to accompany in such close quarters.

The other male remained as respectful of Muninn's personal space as could be hoped for, and the dark male was at least grateful for that. The guy had some semblance of common curtsey, something that far too many others sorely lacked.

The other spoke then, a polite inkling of small talk. Perhaps it was in hopes of getting to know one another as the storm ran it's course? Perhaps it was just to fill the silence? Whatever the reason, the once peaceful quiet was now made heavy and uncomfortable by the other male's presence. Muninn had nodded and scoffed at the other's sarcasm, at least acknowledging him... but it would not be enough. He would have to engage if the awkward feeling between them were to be absolved.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "You're fortunate the lightning did not fancy you today. What brings you to the grasslands? Surely you had not expected this." As soon as Muninn was finished speaking he felt judged for his own small talk. He was so terrible with social interaction. Perhaps the silence would have been more perferable...

Of Mind and Memory

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@Abraham

Abraham,

Lion of Ithilien

Played by ResidentRowan

---

Abraham was a bit angry at himself for making things awkward. Nothing was much worse than that, at least to him. Normally, he was pretty socially aware, but he’d made a mistake. The freckled male glanced off during the silence, not wanting to make the other lion uncomfortable by staring at him. Abe now wondered if he should just chance it. Run off into the rain and get struck by lighting. Would be better than the heaviness between them.

Then the monochrome male spoke, and he looked a bit less tense, a small, quirked smile working its way onto his lips, “Well, when I had headed out to hunt today, the rain was pretty light. Thought ‘d stay that way, boy was I wrong.” He chuckled, “so I’ve been searching for shelter for a little while, which you probably picked up from my pelt.” He shook his head lightly, “‘nd yeah, the lightning sure motivated me.” His warm brown pelt was glued to his sides, making him look a bit skinnier than he normally would with his fluffed up fur.

Had Abe been alone, he definitely would have shook out his thick layers of fur. But, he wasn’t an absolute lost cause, he had a decent amount of manners. Especially when another was in his company. Instead, he sat his freckled hindquarters down, finally, deciding to take a load off. The red eyed feline looked back at the other, examining him, he was almost entirely one color, and it was interesting to him, you saw a lot more mix of color around here, or at least from what he knew. He looked back into the others grey eyes, “I’m Abraham, by the way, awfully rude of me not to introduce myself,” he paused, “pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Abraham would wait for the other’s reply, before staring back out into the darkened grasses. He settled into a comfortable silence, allowing the other to speak more or be silent, whichever he so chose. His red eyes scanned the horizon, these lands were still so new to him, he wondered what waited around the bend. Unfortunately, the rain prevented him from exploration today, but there was always tomorrow, he supposed.

speech

Go West young man

manip by ResidentRowan (me) | code by twesh

@Muninn

Muninn,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

The other male took that inch and went on a marathon! Muninn regretted ever saying anything to egg the windbag on! This guy was clearly much more social than Muninn, and this was quickly turning out to be a bit of a one-ended encounter. Muninn could feel frustration bubbling in his chest as he listened to the older man drabble on about a hunt, and the rain being light... and then not so light... and his wet fur... and looking for shelter... and the lightening. The dark male had to almost force himself not to grimace or snap at the guy before he thankfully transitioned into introductions. At least this was something Muninn could participate in.

He nodded, the action a bit brisk in his restrained frustration. "Muninn." He said flatly. That would have been the end of it... but Abraham had quite an interesting accent. Muninn had never heard anything like it before. Surely it wouldn't hurt to ask, though he was weary. He didn't want to set the guy off again! "You're accent is very... foreign. Where do you come from, if I may be so bold?"

This seemed, in itself, like a pointless interaction. Why would the Gods have brought the two of them together? What purpose did it serve for them to be stuck under this gods-forsaken rock in the middle of a thunderstorm being forced to converse with one another? Perhaps only time would tell... but the possibility that this male was destined to play a larger part in Muninn's life was reason enough for him to go along with the God's little game... no matter how much he disliked it. At least the guy was nice enough.

Of Mind and Memory

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@Abraham

Abraham,

Lion of Ithilien

Played by ResidentRowan

---

Abe could sense the layer of… agitation, coming from the other. He was pretty good at reading others’ body language, and this time was no different. He had to force himself to not pin his ears back in embarrassment. Being forced into a tiny space with another, and then irritating them, was not exactly ideal. The other gave his name. Munnin. Interesting. It definitely sounded a bit foreign to him. The tone in which the other spoke confirmed how the other was feeling. God, he should just run back out into the rain at this point.

The other asked where he was from. Ah yes, his favorite question. He tried not to get irritated himself, and tried to answer curtly, “my father was from southeast of these parts. I believe it was in the plains. Pretty far, though. I’ve been moving my whole life.” He shrugged, “suppose it could be his accent or a mixture. And what about you? Never quite heard a name like your’s.”

Abraham then went quiet again. Thinking about the other man. It would have been better if he’d gotten stuck with someone who would simply smack him and tell him to go away. He really hated passive aggressiveness. He wasn’t even sure if this could be called that. The stranger didn’t even explain exactly what Abe had done, so he just had to assume. Who knew? Maybe he hated freckles?

speech

Go West young man

manip by ResidentRowan (me) | code by twesh

@Muninn

Muninn,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Tyrannidae

---

Alright. This interaction was beginning to be far too painful for him to endure. Muninn considered finding a new shelter... but the thought of the lightening strike finding it's mark upon his back made him weary. Still, this other male's explanation as to where he came from was... well, honestly exactly what Muninn might have expected from him. Might the risk be worth it?

"Well, explaining my origin can be a bit... complicated. I hail from the utmost northern lands, though. This is the farthest south I've been in my life.

Getting used to the rain rather than the snow has proven rather grueling for me."

Muninn chuckled dryly. He was unsure what else there was to say. This conversation was so forced and unnatural. Perhaps silence would be the best route for the duration of the storm now.

Finding a flat-enough spot of stone just above the puddle he had previously been wading in, Muninn curled up and closed his eyes. He had decided long ago this male was no threat to him. In fact, he was so sure of this that he felt no nagging in his mind that it might not be safe for him to lower his guard and fall asleep. In fact, it seemed to be the best possible solution for this unfortunate lack of chemistry. Not so surprising to Muninn... he didn't click often with others anyway.

"Forgive me, but I haven't slept well in at least a week or so. I hope you don't mind if I catch up on some desperately needed sleep."

And that was it... at least hopefully. Muninn hoped that when he awoke, his newest aquaintainence would be gone... just as he hoped the rain will have passed on. Here's to optimism!

(Exit Muninn)

Of Mind and Memory

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@Abraham (Just for the record, I love Abraham!!! <3 I'm sorry Muninn is such an awkward buttface that hates socializing lol)