Post by Curiosity on Feb 8, 2011 14:28:28 GMT -5
Characters Involved:
Ruya, female cougar
Arroyo, juvenile female cougar
=== Sprawling Mesa ===
Half a year has passed since Ruya first arrived in the lands of the Amaranth, and now the warm breezes of summer are beginning to shift to the chilled flurries of autumn, carrying the winds of change along with them. The middle-aged cougaress can feel the coming metamorphoses just as surely as she's been able to observe the same shifts in young Arroyo's growing form. Now that the girl is no longer a young cub entirely dependent on the care of her parents, she and her brother can often be found playing with Amaranth's other offspring away from the nursing den...though her guardians are often not found too far from the young matron-to-be, nonetheless. Even so, as the chosen daughter's grandmother, Ruya is considered a trusted caretaker in her own right, and as the tribe's self-proclaimed shamaness, she has more than just familial responsibilities to consider and attend to when it comes to Arroyo and her prophesied destiny. Although she is still young, she is no longer a cub, and the time has come to broach the subject with her, and determine whether or not she is mature enough to fulfill her intended role...though if Paoro foretold it, it must be true. As though reading her thoughts, the juvenile in question can be seen approaching in the near distance, and so Ruya takes the opportunity to beckon her closer. "Arroyo," she calls, a pleasant smile on her maw.
She's not a baby anymore, that much is true, but then Arroyo was only ever a baby in physical matters. She's always seemed older than her short stature would suggest, but then, when you grow up under watchful eyes and whispers behind your back of some great destiny, you tend to develop the idea you might be different than other children. Her family has dropped hints, tried to guide her in the right ways, but now she's old enough to begin understanding. The pale girl trudges along the well-worn trails of Amaranth, kicking up small puffs of dirt as she goes. She'd been quite content playing with her brother, but she's an obedient child who's come to acknowledge the summons. "...h'llo, gramma." She offers up to Ruya as she comes close enough, a fond smile touching her face. "Mamma said you wanted to talk to me?"
"Hello, granddaughter," Ruya repeats the familial greeting with a smile, offering the girl a loving lick on the forehead once she draws near enough. She lays down afterwards, settling her furred belly against the autumn-cooled earth to put herself on a more equal level with the juvenile. "Tell me, Arroyo, have either of your parents spoken to you about..." she trails off briefly, pondering how best to approach the subject with the young cub. "...about what it means to be a matron?" Though she's not originally from the Amaranth, the Ahyoka are nonetheless descended from the same Great Mother, and thus not much different when it comes to matters of the tribe. She waits to see how Arroyo responds, with an occasional flick of the tip of her tail, before proceeding further.
The young child with the red smudge upon her chest peers up to the shamaness, regarding her and the question asked with a faint squint. "Matron?" She asks, mulling over the word. "I heard mamma and daddy say that. It sounds important. I asked them and they said I'd be important, that I'd be a matron." She pauses momentarily as she seems to consider further before asking of Ruya, "I... I don't understand. What am I supposed to do?"
Ruya's broad muzzle spreads into a gentle smile at the child prodigy's words, already far more eloquent than might be expected of another cub her age. "Your parents are right, Arroyo. Being a matron is very important." Shifting her body slightly, she lays one of her forepaws across the other in a pose that visibly displays her thoughtfulness as she prepares her next response. "Matrons are the heart of their family's tribe," she finally answers, lifting one of her paws to gently press a toe against the striking birthmark on Arroyo's chest to point out the physical parallel before returning it to its former repose. "They guide the tribe through times of troubles, and provide moral support to their family...but they're never alone. They always have the chieftain by their side to keep them strong, and the shamaness to guide them according to the spirits...and offer grandmotherly advice," she adds with a light-hearted chuckle.
Arroyo squints down to the spot on her chest, her baby blue eyes having faded with earnest to something equally light but clear, a soft and gentle amber. That coppery-red smudge on her pale chest, such a poignant mark, the very bloody hue of it seeming some bold declaration. But of what? "...chieftain... shamaness..?" She murmurs up to her grandmother, mulling aloud over the titles. "M'supposed to protect everyone? But, that's what daddy does. I'll never be as big or strong as /he is/." She says with widened eyes, looking to Ruya with disbelief.
Ruya's understanding smile lingers at her granddaughter's confusion, gently correcting the girl's misconceptions with the truth. "It is what daddy does." And will continue to do for the time being, she supposes. Arroyo's still much too young to even be considering someone for her mate, much less taking one as her chieftain. "The chieftain is the one who is responsible for protecting his family and tribe. The matron guides them as a leader, in many other ways." She realizes the broad concepts may not be immediately grasped by the juvenile, so she attempts to gauge how much the young female understands. "Does that make sense, Arroyo?"
"Leader?" Says the girl slowly and considering, sounding overwhelmed by trying to understand let alone picture herself in that place. She scuffs at the ground with a paw, looking at her prints smudged in the dirt and pine needles. "I can't be a leader. I'm too little." And too quiet, too soft-hearted, and too... well, she's a baby. How can everyone rely on /her/? A look then dawns on her face, one of steady revulsion and shock as she jerks her head up to stare wide-eyed at Ruya. "Gramma!" She gasps out, "Is... is that why daddy's always so sad when he sees me? Is he... is he ..mad at me? Is he sad I'm supposed to be leader and not him? I don't want him to be /mad/!"
"But you won't always be," Ruya answers simply in response to Arroyo's claim, though the grandmotherly smile lingering on her lips quickly fades into a somber grimace at the youth's next words. "Oh, child. No...that's not why your daddy's upset. And he's certainly not mad at /you/," she is sure to emphasize, certainly not wanting the impressionable young cub to grow up feeling as though she's responsible for her own father's disappointment. She only knows what little she has experienced with the standing chieftain herself, and what details Nyssa has told her that Kein has felt worthy of sharing, but she can still feel the intense emotions bottled up deep inside his core. For what it's worth, the male does a good job of keeping his temperament in check around the tribe of his family, but the shamaness is nonetheless concerned that his chagrin will boil over and burn him from the inside out...if he's not careful to accept contentment when need be. But none of this is really anything she should (or even could) be telling the young cub who's also his daughter, for several reasons. As a result, despite Ruya's efforts to gather her thoughts and attempt to explain things both simply and truthfully, she finds herself at a loss for words, and chooses to merely wait for Arroyo's response before speaking further.
Arroyo does not seem terribly confident with Ruya's words, but a child isn't made to understand so deep of topics. Her experience with the world is far too new to realize the depths of good and bad, joy and sorrow, hope and disappointment. All she says is a quiet, "... I just want him to be happy. I don't like others bein' sad." She moves forward to push her forehead against her grandmother's foreleg and leaves it there, seeking comfort in the presence of the older female.
When Arroyo nuzzles up against her forelimb, Ruya's other paw reaches out to gently hold her granddaughter close, a wan smile returning to her maw at the young girl's words. Out of the mouths of babes... "And that, my child, is precisely the sort of attitude a proper matron should have." Simplistically so, to be sure, but no less accurate because of it. "Do not worry, Arroyo. Even the slightest breeze has the potential to become a windstorm strong enough to topple even the tallest tree. You have time, and you will grow...in more ways than one."
Arroyo peeks up to the shamaness, her clear light amber eyes brightening up from the more somber gaze earlier. "I like the wind. It always has nice smells and feels good!" In the way of children, more serious discussions seem to be forgotten and the girl scampers a few paces away, the tea-stained tip of her tail twitching. "I bet someday I can run as fast as the wind! I.. I'll be the Wind Matron!"
Like mother, like daughter. Allowing the youth's resilience to enlighten the mood with no resistance on her part, the shamaness decides to save further discussion on the sensitive matter for a later date. Ruya pushes herself up into a playful crouch when Arroyo prances off, wriggling her haunches back and forth as though anticipating a pounce. She may be middle-aged, but she's got plenty of life left in these bones of hers. "Race you to that rock," she dares with an mischievous grin, faking a rush forward to allow Arroyo the chance to get a head start. When she finally does push off her hindquarters, it's only to catch up with the younger cub, loping alongside her at a casual pace as they head towards their destination, together.
Ruya, female cougar
Arroyo, juvenile female cougar
=== Sprawling Mesa ===
Half a year has passed since Ruya first arrived in the lands of the Amaranth, and now the warm breezes of summer are beginning to shift to the chilled flurries of autumn, carrying the winds of change along with them. The middle-aged cougaress can feel the coming metamorphoses just as surely as she's been able to observe the same shifts in young Arroyo's growing form. Now that the girl is no longer a young cub entirely dependent on the care of her parents, she and her brother can often be found playing with Amaranth's other offspring away from the nursing den...though her guardians are often not found too far from the young matron-to-be, nonetheless. Even so, as the chosen daughter's grandmother, Ruya is considered a trusted caretaker in her own right, and as the tribe's self-proclaimed shamaness, she has more than just familial responsibilities to consider and attend to when it comes to Arroyo and her prophesied destiny. Although she is still young, she is no longer a cub, and the time has come to broach the subject with her, and determine whether or not she is mature enough to fulfill her intended role...though if Paoro foretold it, it must be true. As though reading her thoughts, the juvenile in question can be seen approaching in the near distance, and so Ruya takes the opportunity to beckon her closer. "Arroyo," she calls, a pleasant smile on her maw.
She's not a baby anymore, that much is true, but then Arroyo was only ever a baby in physical matters. She's always seemed older than her short stature would suggest, but then, when you grow up under watchful eyes and whispers behind your back of some great destiny, you tend to develop the idea you might be different than other children. Her family has dropped hints, tried to guide her in the right ways, but now she's old enough to begin understanding. The pale girl trudges along the well-worn trails of Amaranth, kicking up small puffs of dirt as she goes. She'd been quite content playing with her brother, but she's an obedient child who's come to acknowledge the summons. "...h'llo, gramma." She offers up to Ruya as she comes close enough, a fond smile touching her face. "Mamma said you wanted to talk to me?"
"Hello, granddaughter," Ruya repeats the familial greeting with a smile, offering the girl a loving lick on the forehead once she draws near enough. She lays down afterwards, settling her furred belly against the autumn-cooled earth to put herself on a more equal level with the juvenile. "Tell me, Arroyo, have either of your parents spoken to you about..." she trails off briefly, pondering how best to approach the subject with the young cub. "...about what it means to be a matron?" Though she's not originally from the Amaranth, the Ahyoka are nonetheless descended from the same Great Mother, and thus not much different when it comes to matters of the tribe. She waits to see how Arroyo responds, with an occasional flick of the tip of her tail, before proceeding further.
The young child with the red smudge upon her chest peers up to the shamaness, regarding her and the question asked with a faint squint. "Matron?" She asks, mulling over the word. "I heard mamma and daddy say that. It sounds important. I asked them and they said I'd be important, that I'd be a matron." She pauses momentarily as she seems to consider further before asking of Ruya, "I... I don't understand. What am I supposed to do?"
Ruya's broad muzzle spreads into a gentle smile at the child prodigy's words, already far more eloquent than might be expected of another cub her age. "Your parents are right, Arroyo. Being a matron is very important." Shifting her body slightly, she lays one of her forepaws across the other in a pose that visibly displays her thoughtfulness as she prepares her next response. "Matrons are the heart of their family's tribe," she finally answers, lifting one of her paws to gently press a toe against the striking birthmark on Arroyo's chest to point out the physical parallel before returning it to its former repose. "They guide the tribe through times of troubles, and provide moral support to their family...but they're never alone. They always have the chieftain by their side to keep them strong, and the shamaness to guide them according to the spirits...and offer grandmotherly advice," she adds with a light-hearted chuckle.
Arroyo squints down to the spot on her chest, her baby blue eyes having faded with earnest to something equally light but clear, a soft and gentle amber. That coppery-red smudge on her pale chest, such a poignant mark, the very bloody hue of it seeming some bold declaration. But of what? "...chieftain... shamaness..?" She murmurs up to her grandmother, mulling aloud over the titles. "M'supposed to protect everyone? But, that's what daddy does. I'll never be as big or strong as /he is/." She says with widened eyes, looking to Ruya with disbelief.
Ruya's understanding smile lingers at her granddaughter's confusion, gently correcting the girl's misconceptions with the truth. "It is what daddy does." And will continue to do for the time being, she supposes. Arroyo's still much too young to even be considering someone for her mate, much less taking one as her chieftain. "The chieftain is the one who is responsible for protecting his family and tribe. The matron guides them as a leader, in many other ways." She realizes the broad concepts may not be immediately grasped by the juvenile, so she attempts to gauge how much the young female understands. "Does that make sense, Arroyo?"
"Leader?" Says the girl slowly and considering, sounding overwhelmed by trying to understand let alone picture herself in that place. She scuffs at the ground with a paw, looking at her prints smudged in the dirt and pine needles. "I can't be a leader. I'm too little." And too quiet, too soft-hearted, and too... well, she's a baby. How can everyone rely on /her/? A look then dawns on her face, one of steady revulsion and shock as she jerks her head up to stare wide-eyed at Ruya. "Gramma!" She gasps out, "Is... is that why daddy's always so sad when he sees me? Is he... is he ..mad at me? Is he sad I'm supposed to be leader and not him? I don't want him to be /mad/!"
"But you won't always be," Ruya answers simply in response to Arroyo's claim, though the grandmotherly smile lingering on her lips quickly fades into a somber grimace at the youth's next words. "Oh, child. No...that's not why your daddy's upset. And he's certainly not mad at /you/," she is sure to emphasize, certainly not wanting the impressionable young cub to grow up feeling as though she's responsible for her own father's disappointment. She only knows what little she has experienced with the standing chieftain herself, and what details Nyssa has told her that Kein has felt worthy of sharing, but she can still feel the intense emotions bottled up deep inside his core. For what it's worth, the male does a good job of keeping his temperament in check around the tribe of his family, but the shamaness is nonetheless concerned that his chagrin will boil over and burn him from the inside out...if he's not careful to accept contentment when need be. But none of this is really anything she should (or even could) be telling the young cub who's also his daughter, for several reasons. As a result, despite Ruya's efforts to gather her thoughts and attempt to explain things both simply and truthfully, she finds herself at a loss for words, and chooses to merely wait for Arroyo's response before speaking further.
Arroyo does not seem terribly confident with Ruya's words, but a child isn't made to understand so deep of topics. Her experience with the world is far too new to realize the depths of good and bad, joy and sorrow, hope and disappointment. All she says is a quiet, "... I just want him to be happy. I don't like others bein' sad." She moves forward to push her forehead against her grandmother's foreleg and leaves it there, seeking comfort in the presence of the older female.
When Arroyo nuzzles up against her forelimb, Ruya's other paw reaches out to gently hold her granddaughter close, a wan smile returning to her maw at the young girl's words. Out of the mouths of babes... "And that, my child, is precisely the sort of attitude a proper matron should have." Simplistically so, to be sure, but no less accurate because of it. "Do not worry, Arroyo. Even the slightest breeze has the potential to become a windstorm strong enough to topple even the tallest tree. You have time, and you will grow...in more ways than one."
Arroyo peeks up to the shamaness, her clear light amber eyes brightening up from the more somber gaze earlier. "I like the wind. It always has nice smells and feels good!" In the way of children, more serious discussions seem to be forgotten and the girl scampers a few paces away, the tea-stained tip of her tail twitching. "I bet someday I can run as fast as the wind! I.. I'll be the Wind Matron!"
Like mother, like daughter. Allowing the youth's resilience to enlighten the mood with no resistance on her part, the shamaness decides to save further discussion on the sensitive matter for a later date. Ruya pushes herself up into a playful crouch when Arroyo prances off, wriggling her haunches back and forth as though anticipating a pounce. She may be middle-aged, but she's got plenty of life left in these bones of hers. "Race you to that rock," she dares with an mischievous grin, faking a rush forward to allow Arroyo the chance to get a head start. When she finally does push off her hindquarters, it's only to catch up with the younger cub, loping alongside her at a casual pace as they head towards their destination, together.