Welcome to Ayomide!

[Lili]

Morning set in quietly, creeping through the fog that hung low over the disputed plains. Lili strode silently through the grass, paws making no sound on the damp earth. She was crouching slightly so that she was hardly viewable in the tall grass. Her senses flared, every sound and sent making her fur prickle. She was ready for anything, or so she thought as she went on her way.

She had the dawn shift with two other guards just on the border of the disputed plains. If there was an attack, they would raise an alarm and immediately, they would be reinforced with other tribe members. However, the dawn shift was quiet and hardly ever held any action. It was no surprise they had put her on duty. Due to several antics, they were a little iffy towards her being on watch.

However, she did take her job seriously and she wished they would trust her with it more. She only messed around when she was off duty anyway. She sighed; she really was not helping her reputation by playing with the cubs. If only she could find it within herself to be serious all the time.

[Abhay]

The morning was beautiful. The sunrise made the trees gently sway , like dancing to a romantic slow-song. It was not only beautiful, it was Xiangs. And no Chike would be allowed.

Dark brown paws hit the ground, trampling the tall grass. Amber eyes glowed in the sun. A true warrior, almost like a sabre-toothed cat, Abhay was running in the jungle area of the disputed plains. They say youth is a falling star that never burns out, and it certainly never burned out for the seven year old asian lion. He ran and ran and ran, the wind raging through his fur, muscles tight and at work. It was a perfect day to get some Chike meat...

Seeing a cheetah, he growled and roared. Chike! It was only guards doing duty on the yet-to-be-named disputed plains, but Abhay was still feeling threatened. “Cheetah!” he said, voice booming and loud. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. he wanted to immediately rip the cheetahs guts out, but he hesitated . Maybe she’d surrender first.

[Lili]

Lili's head snapped up in surprise and she tensed for a moment. She quickly saw the Xiang lion and her lips curled back in a snarl. She let out a roar to warn her tribe before focusing on him. She was unsure why he had raised such an alarm. She was guarding the border between the disputed plains and the Chike territory. There was no reason for him to do so unless he wanted to attack or start something.

She rounded on him quickly, a smooth movement made possible by her natural speed. She knew that she would have at least two or three other cats with her soon, but for now she wanted to hold him off. 'This isn't your land,' she hissed, 'what business do you have here?' Her eyes were narrowed in a dark glare as she approached him slowly, body tense and ready for an attack... or defense.

[Abhay]

You could feel the tension in the air. All creatures, big and small, feline or not feline, were in a panic. The wind blew through the disputed plains, and blew through Abhays short mane, making it dance in the air like a ballerina. Growling and baring his teeth, tail high, Abhay said “You know very well these lands are disputed. What do you think I am, stupid? I am trained guard, I do as my tribe says, and as my tribe wants. These lands were the birthplace of Xiang, we deserve every right here”. Teeth and ambitions bared, you could see fire in Abhays eyes. It was the fire of Ning, burning brightly. The god of justice and guarding was on Abhays mind as he gave a mighty roar, shaking every tree in the savannah. Asian Lions didn’t belong on the savannah, but this savannah was different: every Xiang cat knew it was where chief god Xiang was born.

[Lili]

'Pah, that's where you're wrong little lion,' Lili hissed, fur rising on end, 'these lands belong to the Chike tribe. Esi gave it to us!’ The roar left her unaffected, she had heard roars many times and not one was mighty enough to frighten her. Her golden eyes were narrowed to mere slits and her ears were set back in anger. She could hear the sound of other cats nearing them, their quick steps soft in the grass.

Ever muscle in her body tensed and she felt as though one small movement would send her flying like a spring. She was eager to get into a fight as adrenalin surged through her but she resisted the urge to make the first attack. She had caused enough trouble and starting something would only be another black mark on her already long record. ‘Just back down, I’m only doing my job as you are!’ She demanded coldly. After all, she had only been guarding the border between the disputed lands and the Chike lands.

‘What business do you have so close to the Chike lands anyway? It looks rather suspicious… I should tear off your head for being this close…’ She was trying to provoke him into making a move. Her teeth showed in a snarl or perhaps a wild grin, maybe even both. She seemed to enjoy herself too much.

[Abhay]

Abhay smirked and exposed a fang. Esi.... what a bunch of nonsense! Ooohoo... and the seven spirits. How cute, little cheetahs and their single god. He might as well tear off her legs for believing this crap. Xiang was chief god: And he was born on these lands.

Abhay remembered the mythology. Xiang was created by all elements coming together on these lands. Xiangs parents, names unknown, were the first cats ever to set foot on Ayomide. They were long gone: They had died long time ago, when evil god Wu killed them. Still, Xiang accepted Wu into the panel of gods for his strength and courage. Wu was there whenever someone died: he was the grim reaper of cats. But, Abhay sensed that Wu would not be here today.

“I shall leave the Chike border” said Abhay, raising his head high, tail erect. “I have no need for contact of you dirty dung beetles. However, this war is not over. Xiang was born on these lands, and we shall never forget that”. With that, he tightened his muscles and sprang away, onto the jungle.

[Spirit]

Spirit did not usually linger around the borders with the guards, but he had been intent on seenig how things were running. When he heard Lili, he had hesitated for a moment. She tended to be quick to find trouble. However, she was very loyal to the tribe and he was soon quick to bound in the direction he had heard the roar. He saw the other lion leaving just as he arrived, coming to a graceful stop right behind the cheetah.

'What's going on?' He demanded softly, coming to stand beside her. He did not like being bothered by the Xiang tribe and it always irked him when they dared to get too close. The disputed lands belonged to the Chike and he firmly stood by that fact. If anyone said otherwise, he was fast to try to set them straight.