Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 1, 2021 22:53:09 GMT
Sam had been only traveling a few days but it felt like years.
There weren’t humans anywhere, no sign of the expedition party.... But there were plenty of animals... And voices. Lots of voices he never seemed to find any answers for. Where had they crashed exactly? He wished his mom was there to answer, she always had the answers.
But as of right now? He was alone, lost, and so utterly confused.
Letting out a sharp intake of breath, he rubbed his bloodied knees slightly as he continued up the incline of the hill. The others had to be somewhere right? He couldn’t be the only one to survive. That just wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be alone.
“Don’t think that way, Sam,” he told himself. “You can do this.”
He continued this mantra as he made his way deeper into the Savannah.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2021 0:42:01 GMT
The sun hung low on the horizon as it slowly began its ascent. The birds began to stir in their nests, and curious pups poked their heads out of their dens to greet the new day.
And then there was Akachi.
Yellow eyes squinted against the growing light before he turned his head away from the rising sun, the tip of his tail twitching with annoyance. As a creature of the night, he would need to seek refuge somewhere to sleep, at least until the sun neared the edge of the opposite side of the sky. Dark paws carried him through the tall grass, his head low, as if he could block the sun behind the blades of grass.
His steps paused as the metallic scent of blood reached him. Lifting his head, Akachi swept his gaze across the savanna in search of the source. Farther away as the ground began to incline was a strange two-legged creature, swathed in oddly colored skins while only its head contained any fur. What a weird ape, he decided. The leopard lowered himself, his steps quiet as he stalked after the mostly bald ape.
Rounded ears drew forward, catching the tail end of what had been said. Ah, good, he could understand it.
"You can do what?" Raising himself higher, his strides became longer to shrink the distance between them. Yet, he kept his pace leisurely, knowing quite well how most animals around these part reacted if a large black feline suddenly pranced up to them.
ooc: figured he wouldn't actually know the word human yet lol
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Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 2, 2021 4:21:10 GMT
Sam nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around.
There were two things he was acutely aware of, first being that voice had been much closer than the others. And the second that there was absolutely no humans around - just a panth... A Panther!? Now he jumped back a little, perhaps not as afraid as he had been but definitely startled. Having only ever seen one behind the safe bars of a zoo.
What he also noticed was that it didn’t seem intent on harming him. That was weird. Wouldn’t he be pretty easy prey for one? He was small for his age, young, alone. He might as well have just painted “prey” on his forehead at this point.
Maybe the guy who talked could help him! “Uhhhh nice kitty,” he managed calmly. “Uh sir, if you’re still there. I could use some help.”
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2021 5:10:17 GMT
There's the reaction he had been expecting! Props to this scrawny ape for not turning tail and running, not that the ape had a tail to begin with.
"Don't worry, the kitty won't hurt you," a chuckle rumbled low in his throat as he pressed forward until the leopard was a mere two tail-lengths away from the strange ape. He at least gave the wary creature that much space as he took to slowly circling around. While it may have appeared to be a large predator scoping out its prey, Akachi was, in truth, inspecting for the source of blood.
He only circled around once before positioning himself before the ape. He lowered his hindquarters to the ground, yellow eyes calm as he continued his observations. His lips curled with a lopsided grin, his head tilting to one side. "And, it's Akachi, but kitty works too."
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Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 2, 2021 5:29:17 GMT
Sam might have pissed himself if he wasn’t frozen in place.
The Panther was talking. What in the ever living hell was going on? Had he ingested some drugs unknowingly? Had he hit his head hard on the way down? This wasn’t possible. Animals didn’t talk. They couldn’t talk, they didn’t even have vocal cords!
He felt his voice caught in his throat multiple times. Trying in vain to form a sentence - any sentence, even a damn word. Just a single word Sam pick any word! “I hit my head wayyyy harder than I thought I did,” he finally found himself saying. “There’s a panther in front of me and he’s talking. I’m talking to a Panther... A Panther.”
He laughed slightly as if this whole situation was somehow amusing. “Maybe I actually died and this is like the lucid dream I’m having before I croak.” He wasn’t talking to Akachi per-say but trying to get his bearings.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2021 6:01:36 GMT
In the ape's ramblings, Akachi managed to pick out a few snippets of useful information. First, this creature had obviously been isolated from the rest of the world to not believe any other animal could talk. Second, there was likely head trauma at play, only adding to the list of injuries he had been mentally keeping track of.
The tip of his tail flicked back and forth as he mulled over this new information. He should probably calm the ape down before any further injury was sustained, and he did not want to be the one blamed if the ape stumbled down the hill. "Everything talks, except for the grubs." Akachi slowly stood up before cautiously approaching, his head low and his fangs hidden from view in an attempt to keep the ape from startling further.
"Calm down, cub. Deep breaths. You're still very much alive." For now, until the scent of blood attracted predators that were actually looking for an easy meal. The leopard ducked behind the ape, rubbing his soft fur against the back of the ape's legs. A purr rumbled in his throat, a hopefully soothing sound despite the species barrier. "Got a name, cub? We can start with that."
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Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 2, 2021 6:11:27 GMT
Everything talks? Everything here talks?
He thought he may be losing his mind further than that before he realized it. The voices. All those voices that had rung out around him when only animals were around. Oh my god. This wasn’t possible, was it? A place like this where animals spoke would be the biggest finding in the history of man.
Sam tried to get a grip, surprised as the animal rubbed up against him and purred. Was he trying to keep him calm? Sam actually did find it calming as surprising as that was. Though it took him a minute he realized it might have recognized him as young considering he called him a “cub”.
“S-Sam,” he managed after a long moment of considering whether to reply to him.
After he’d stopped talking for a moment he managed to gather more words. “But you can’t - animals can’t talk,” Sam managed after a few minutes. “I was just at a zoo two weeks ago and no one talked.”
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2021 6:34:03 GMT
"Sam," he tested the name. "Short. Simple. Do you know what it means?" Idle conversation, anything to distract the ape from its confusion.
"So says the animal," there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, briefly disrupting his purr. Akachi stepped around the ape, his flank still gently brushing against the other's legs. Yellow eyes peered up, a slight incline to his head. "We're both talking, aren't we?" He was beginning to wonder what kind of ape lived in such seclusion that they didn't know something so basic. He would ask if they've lived under a rock, but he was certain that even the grubs knew better.
His nose scrunched up as an unfamiliar word was spoken. "Zoo? What's that?" And it had mute animals? Perhaps that was why Sam had such a hard time comprehending the situation. Honestly, what a terrible place that must be!
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Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 2, 2021 6:46:20 GMT
Sam? Well he really hadn’t thought about name meanings. “I’m uh... not really sure?”
After all growing up in America they put a lot less thought into name meaning than those in Africa. After all, their names were a lot simpler and didn’t always have a real meaning. Though his mind then drifted to the fact that they were indeed both talking. Which shouldn’t have honestly been possible, none of this should have.
“Well where I come from. Most of the animals out here would be behind the bars of a cage. Not that I like it but still,” Sam explained. “That’s what a zoo is where people like me can see animals like you up close. Well not this close I mean, but usually we wouldn’t want to be this close to carnivores.”
God was he really having this conversation right now? He didn’t understand. Did the others know about it? Has they made heads or tails of this? “I need to find the rest of the crew maybe they’ve figured this out,” he managed finally. “Did you see any other humans nearby? Like taller than me? Bigger?” God he hoped so.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2021 15:06:54 GMT
"Well, that's a shame." Almost every name had a meaning, whether it was a concept, a parent's wish for their child, or simply the name of the trade their family was known for. If wherever this ape had been did not bother to give their names meaning, then that sounded like such a dull place.
This zoo place sounded even worse. The animals were mute and confined. The way Sam explained it, he could only assume whatever strange ape species this was had overthrown their lion kings and queens and enslaved the rest of the animals. Then there was that clear divide Sam had made: people and animals. Was people the name of their species?
Akachi turned his head away, seemingly surveying the area while, in truth, he was hiding the distant look in his eyes as he processed this information. His left ear twitched as Sam continued. "There are more hairless apes?" Yellow eyes returned to peering up at Sam. "Perhaps you should ask the birds. It would be rude to wake the owls and nightjars, but the egrets and eagles should be up."
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Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 2, 2021 21:15:34 GMT
A shame? Maybe but he guessed that his name did have one meaning, but tt wasn’t one he was proud of. Namely his father, who had run out on his mother years ago had named him after his grandfather. Since he’d never met either of them he couldn’t say that was something he was particularly proud of.
“I guess the only real “meaning” it has is that it was my grandpa’s name. I think,” he responded honestly. “It was the only thing my dad gave me when he decided to skip out on my mom. Wish I could change it honestly because screw that guy.”
The birds? Huh? If the animals did talk it wouldn’t hurt to try at least, but hunting down birds sounded difficult. “I mean, there were a lot of us. But there was this crash, I don’t know if anyone else survived,” he admitted, his voice became more distant the closer he got to talking about things. “I don’t even know where I am at this point. We were heading to somewhere in Kenya, I think. My mom told me that before “
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2021 0:34:04 GMT
Grandpa? Was that a shortened form of grandfather? Akachi, himself, knew not his lineage, his immediate knowledge ending with his parents. He had heard of others honoring their ancestors by passing down names; perhaps such a custom was common among these apes. "Ah, an absent father." His ears flicked with annoyance as he averted his gaze, a frown pulling at his lips. "I know how that goes."
Crash, crash... Had he heard of a crash recently? Something had fallen from the sky, he was certain, but, surely, these apes weren't riding on those giant birds. Any other cat would have likely decided this was a matter to be brought up to the reigning king, seeing how this strange ape had been found on the Pridelands. However, he wasn't any other cat. He was Akachi. He saw no benefit to himself to leading a stray ape all the way to Pride Rock.
"I don't know what or where a Kenya is, but~" Akachi strode forward, leaving Sam's side in favor of positioning himself at the top of the hill. He glanced over his shoulder, jerking his head to motion for Sam to come over.
Sitting down, a large paw lifted. He lowered his head, cleared his throat, and stretched out his paw with a sweeping motion. "Everything the light touches..." His voice lowered as he feigned regality before pausing for dramatic effect. "... Belongs to the lions." Another pause before a grin cracked on his lips.
"Welcome to the Pridelands, Sam."
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Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 3, 2021 3:28:23 GMT
Absentee father was one way of putting it.
Honestly he knew that his father hadn’t wanted to be a dad. He had tried and the idea had scared him so he’d run off like a coward. But he didn’t respond about that though he had to chuckle as he mentioned not knowing what Kenya was. “Kenya is a place. It’s on the same continent as us,” Sam pointed out. “In Africa.”
He said this as he hesitantly followed the Panther. He was still a little shocked by all of this. After all, he had never met a frickin’ talking panther before. This was the last thing he had been expecting out of this.
As he reached the top and got his first good look at the Savannah though. He was starting to believe he hadn’t crashed into any other savannah. How was there so much... Wild? How had humans not come into here yet? Where were the buildings?
It was beautiful, and after a moment of taking in the Panther’s introduction he managed. “My mom would have loved this place,” admittedly. Before adding. “This is incredible.”
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2021 4:53:19 GMT
He almost wanted to ask, what's a continent? This ape had quite the foreign vocabulary, and Akachi would likely be unable to wrap his head around each word in one sitting. He should just go along with it for now, pretend like he understood everything Sam had just said.
His paw lowered to the ground, and the leopard shifted his weight slightly where he sat. As breathtaking of a sight it may be as the rising sun cast hues of red and orange across the savanna, he preferred the nighttime view, when the clear skies were filled with stars. "Don't get too awestruck just yet. There's still--" a yawn broke through his sentence, stretching his jaws and pulling his lips back to reveal sharp teeth. "--more to see." Akachi shook his head, squinting against the sun.
"Sorry, cub. It's past my bedtime," a low chuckle rumbled in his throat before he glanced up at Sam. "Should I introduce you to a bird?" There was probably one or five nearby. A bird of prey would be best, their keen eyesight making them excellent scouts. They may not all approve of Akachi sticking his large head into their nests, but the sooner he could dump the hairless ape on someone else, the faster he could go to sleep.
A small portion of him did not sit well with that thought, but he quickly dismissed it as his stubborn curiosity.
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Samwel Igwe
PRIDELANDERS
Human Prince of the Pridelands
Posts: 536
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Post by Samwel Igwe on Jan 3, 2021 5:40:46 GMT
More to see? There was more than THIS?
Honestly, Sam almost didn’t believe that. It was unlike anything that he’d ever seen even in books! Just how big of a place was this? How did the world not know about it? He had never heard of the Pridelands on any map, or in history class and...
“I just don’t understand. I’ve never even heard of the Pridelands,” Sam admitted honestly. He crossed his arms and fell deep into thought. “Somewhere this big should be on just about every map. But there’s no stories, no history books...”
It honestly blew his mind to think about this. But he was brought from his deep thoughts when he mentioned finding the birds. After all, it was super important at this point he find some sort of sanctuary. He didn’t know how long he’d make it on his own - he was still only fourteen.
“Probably would be a good idea,” he admitted. “I’ve been on my own for a couple of days now. And I’m sure not everyone here is actually friendly.”
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