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Mar's Hunt
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Avu's Hunt
Avu had been eagerly awaiting the Treasure Hunt for a while now. Ever since he had first heard of the Treasure Hunt, he had known what he wanted to do. He knew where he wanted to go.
The sea.
It was risky, but his heart and paws ached with the desire to go as far as they could, to swim farther than any lion had ever gone before. What was out there, beyond the horizon? The dolphins he had grown up playing and hunting with told him tales of other seas, of other creatures. Of vast coral reefs and deep dark trenches. Of shipwrecks full of mysterious objects. Avu longed to see them, and the ocean encouraged him, singing and calling and beckoning him to come play, to come see. It whispered warnings too, telling him he must be careful. But he needed to go, to explore, to swim.
In preparation for the Treasure Hunt, Avu trained daily. He swam out as far as he felt able, then swam back. He started working on swimming laps around the island without returning to shore to rest. He practiced treading water for hours at a time. Once a week, he would test his limits, swimming out as far as he could and saving nothing for the swim back. The dolphins helped him, carrying him back to shore if he was truly too exhausted to make it.
"We will help you," they promised, "When the time comes for your Treasure Hunt, we will swim alongside as far as you go. You will need to rest, you can't swim forever."
They were right, and Avu wasn't foolish enough to think he could make the journey alone. He thanked the Great Lion to have friends like these dolphins, who would help and encourage him. They had for his whole life, playing with him even before he was allowed to swim in the deep. The calves were like siblings and cousins to him, the older members of the pod like aunts and uncles. It was a bit ironic that Topi had been the cub they rescued, but Avu was the one that had really made the dolphins his family. But that was ok, everyone has their own calling.
The day came. Mar spoke to the pride, and then sent them out with his blessing. Avu noted how most of the pride headed west, towards the mainland. But he headed east, toward the Lion's Nose, the farthest reaching point of the island. There, he camped overnight, and at sunrise approached the water. He stopped for a moment, standing in the shallows, looking out at the sea. It was perfectly calm, as if just for him, to make the beginning of his journey easy. Avu said a prayer, took a deep breath, and waded out into the water.
The sea giggled and sang as Avu took his first strokes. It lapped gently at his sides, and the current tugged him along, giving him a little boost. He found himself caught in a riptide where there shouldn't have been one, something that would have terrified a normal lion but which Avu counted as a gift and a blessing. It swept him out to sea far faster than he would have been able to swim, and all he had to do was ride it out. When it released him out in the depths, the dolphins greeted him, clicking and whistling and bopping him playfully. "Let's go!" they exclaimed, "Let's swim!"
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And swim they did. Ears back and head low, Avu powered along through the water. His splayed paws scooped it perfectly, propelling him faster than any normal paw would have. The sun was in his face for now, but it would soon enough be at his back. Besides, he didn't need to see to know where he was going. He could feel the direction in the water and in the wind, could smell the land that was growing farther and farther away. The horizon ahead always looked the same, nothing but water as far as the eye could see. It was thrilling, inviting, it promised adventure. Who knew what could be found as far as Avu could swim? Perhaps there was only ocean forever until he found the far side of the mainland. Or perhaps there were more islands out there, or other mainlands. Perhaps, as someone had joked, the world was flat and Avu would find the edge. Who could say?
Whatever was out there, Avu felt at home even just here, in the wide open blue. The warm water soaking his fur, the salt on the air, the cool breeze. The softness of the water flowing over his paws and around his sides. There was nothing quite like the feel of the water, the feeling of swimming in it. The feel of your own strength and power as you pushed against the water's resistance, and the feel of the power of the water itself. The ocean had a funny way of making Avu feel both strong and weak. Strong because he had mastered the currents and the waves, able to free himself from a riptide or dive below a monster wave. Strong because he could swim farther and faster than any other lion in the pride, even than Mar. Strong because this thing that was so scary to most lions was so welcoming to Avu. But it also reminded him of his limitations. He could not hold his breath forever. He was no match for the strength of the waves in a storm. There were some currents too swift even for Avu, which would pull him down and drown him if he wasn't careful. At the end of the day, if the sea wishes to kill you, it will, and there is nothing you can do about it. The ocean was something that could never truly be conquered, and for that he had a great respect.
After swimming for a while, Avu paused to look back towards the Lion's Head. From here, it looked like a smudge on the horizon. A dark green smudge. He could still make out some details, but on the whole it just looked like a blob. It was kind of odd, seeing it from this side. Avu realized that he was the only member of the pride to have ever seen their home from this angle. All of them had seen it from the other side, had seen it in the distance while standing on the Crescent as they prepared to make the Long Swim. But no one had made a long swim this way. It looked different from this side, had different dips and rises. Had different shading depending on the density of the jungle. It was an entirely different view, and one that perhaps no other lion would ever see.
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Avu looked at it for a little while, treading water and appreciating the moment. Then, he turned back around and pushed onward.
Out here the water was a bit choppier, the swells larger. Avu rose and fell with the flow of the ocean, up towering swells and down into dips. The dolphins played in them, leaping out of one and into another, sometimes jumping over Avu as they did so and leaving water droplets to rain down on him. He laughed at their antics. A part of him wished he were a dolphin, able to leap so freely in the water, but he knew that was not his place in the world. He was a lion. An odd one, a water loving one, but a lion nonetheless.
The dolphins left him every now and then to hunt, and always returned with fish for him to eat as well. This was something they had promised him in the planning before he began the journey. While Avu was a skilled fisherman, the dolphins were more skilled than he was and had more energy for swimming and hunting. He was grateful for their care and friendship. Honestly, he didn't know how he would make this trip without them. He probably still would have tried, but he might not have been nearly so ambitious as to simply swim with no direction for as long as possible.
Avu alternated swimming and napping throughout both day and night. Another important aspect of this journey was the fact that though the water was warm, it was still below the body temperature of a lion. That meant if he were to stay in it constantly, he would eventually become hypothermic and die. So, he took some breaks, drying and warming himself and napping under the sun on the backs of dolphins. On the opposite side of things, being out in direct sunlight was another health hazard, so he sometimes swam with pieces of seaweed draped over his body to protect him. At night he functioned similarly, swimming for some time and napping for some time, only he didn't need the seaweed's protection then. His muscles grew sore and his body grew tired, but it was worth it to be on this adventure, and he grew stronger as time passed.
The first few days were honestly as perfect as they could have been. The sun shown for about half the time, and the rest of the time it ducked behind clouds. There was a day that was entirely overcast, which was a nice change. The group had a few interactions with whales, which was pretty cool, and they didn't run into anything dangerous, which was also awesome. They just swam and laughed and enjoyed the adventure and the sea. It wasn't easy by any means, the sea always presents a challenge to anyone who wishes to spend time in it, but it was a welcome challenge and one Avu met with enthusiasm. This was his dream and his journey, and the fact that it was hard made it even more worthwhile.
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The trouble came on the seventh day. The sky grew progressively darker, the wind picked up, and the waves started to thrash in the ocean. They rose up as if to meet the sky, showing it their restlessness and anger. The swells were no longer easy to glide over and ride out. Now, Avu found himself fighting to make it over them, and sometimes took to diving through them. But even when he did that he found the water angry and churning.
The rain began. Not gently and then growing harder. It started all at once, like the dark clouds had decided to just open up and pour out their contents. The rain pounded against Avu's back and head, the wind driving raindrops and sea spray into his eyes and nose. The sea didn't sing gently, it roared, and the towering waves sucked Avu up and threw him down again like a cub with a mouse. The dolphins squealed, but they couldn't help Avu against the storm. He found he had no control anymore, that no amount of his skill or training was able to help him in navigating the raging sea. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled, but the sound of the water was louder.
A particularly gigantic wave picked him up, and then sent him plunging down, down beneath the surface, down into the dark depths of the sea. He couldn't sea anything in the dark, couldn't feel the pull of the current to tell him which way was up. He thrashed about, desperately trying to find his bearings in swirling water. He could feel the seconds ticking by, each one counting down to the moment he would be completely out of breath. His lungs started to burn, begging him to breathe, but he couldn't find the air. The currents pushed and shoved and tumbled and tossed him, and the timed ticked down, and then the darkness outside became the darkness inside as his time ran out. His body fell limp, paws no longer swimming, and he sunk deeper into the heart of the sea.
"What are you doing here, child?"
Avu's eyes fluttered open. He found himself still at sea, but he was no longer in it. He was sitting on the surface of the water. It was now calm, lapping gently at his feet. The sky above was clear, millions of stars twinkling, and the moon was full, casting a path on the water. Avu was sitting on that moonlit path. Farther down that path sat the Great Lion.
Avu bowed low, completely in awe of the deity in front of him. The Great Lion was more spectacular than he had ever imagined, and yet he had the feeling that the god had dimmed his radiance so that Avu could look upon him without being blinded. He opened his mouth to say something, to speak to the King's greatness, but he found his mouth empty. What words were there to describe the Great Lion? What could be said?
[501/500]
"Sit up child," the Great Lion said gently.
Avu did as he was told, looking up again in awe.
"I ask again, what are you doing here?"
"I, I died," was all the young lion could say. He knew what the moonlit path meant. He knew that the souls of lions who died walked along the path of the moon on the water, which guided them home to the land of the Great Lion.
"Perhaps," the Great Lion said, "Why do you come so far out into the sea, when I created Lion for the land?"
Avu didn't know what to say to that. "I wanted to explore. To see what was out here."
"You could have explored the land," the Great Lion pointed out.
"I'm not curious about the land," Avu admitted, hoping such a statement wouldn't offend the Great Lion.
"Why not?"
"Everyone explores the land. Anyone can walk the plains. But no lion has explored the depths of the sea. We don't know what's out here. There are lots of strange and beautiful creatures in the sea. I want to see them. I want to talk to them, if I can. I want to learn about this other world. Dolphins are so neat, the way they can dive and leap and glide through the water almost effortlessly. They're so different than lions, yet so perfect in what they are. And corals are so pretty, and anemones, weird and unique and like nothing that is found on the land. And whales, whales are huge, bigger than any land creature, and they sing such beautiful songs."
The Great Lion chuckled. "You have a bright, curious spirit, child. Maintain that, it will serve you well."
Avu wrinkled his brow in a puzzled look. "But, I died. How can I be curious about the sea if I am not on the earth anymore?"
"My child, I have many plans for you still. Your time to join me in my land has not yet come. It is I who gave you breath, and it is I who decides when you will breathe your last."
"Oh," was all the young lion could say in response, barely able to process the fact that he had died and was apparently going to be brought back to life. "So then, what happens?"
"I have a gift for you, Avu. Your curiosity and love for my creation is earnest and child-like. I will grant you the ability to explore it further, to listen to the whale songs and see all the strange and colorful beings that swim in the depths. I give you the gift of breath in the water."
Avu felt a tingling sensation on his neck. He tilted his head, trying to see, but couldn't, so he reached up with a paw to feel. His toes brushed over flaps of sorts. "What are these?"
"Gills," the Great Lion replied. "Your first breath upon your return will be through these, not through your nose. They will enable you to explore where you desire. And you will still be able to breath on the land as well, so that you can still be among your family."
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"Wow," Avu said, stunned. "Thank you."
The Great Lion smiled kindly. "You are welcome, child. There is another gift, a blessing you have had your entire life, which you shall soon discover. Use it well. I am also sending you a guide, to help you in exploring the sea. You will find her in the Deep City."
"The Deep City? Where is that?"
"You will find it soon enough, and you will know when you are there."
Avu supposed that answer would have to be good enough. If the Great Lion said he would find it, then he would. The Great Lion was never wrong.
"It is time for you to go back now Avu."
Avu bowed again. "Thank you, Ada."
The Great Lion leaned down and pressed his nose gently to the top of Avu's head. "I am always with you, child. When you are in need, call out to me. When you are alone or afraid, seek my comfort. When you are confused, ask of my wisdom. When you are happy, let me hear your laughter. When you are well fed, remember who makes the fish plentiful and the young deer leap. Follow me wherever I go, for I will never lead you astray. Now, close your eyes."
Avu did as told, shutting his eyes. He felt his fur become wet again, felt currents swirling around his body.
"Now breathe."
Avu inhaled, opening his mouth. Water rushed in, and for a moment he was afraid, but then he felt it flow over his new gills. He opened his eyes and found himself back in the sea, deep below the surface of the water. But he wasn't drowning anymore. His gills expanded and flattened as they pumped water, drawing the oxygen out of it. It was certainly an odd sensation. His neck felt almost itchy, but he figured he would probably get used to it with time.
Seeing as he no longer had to fear staying under water, Avu began to swim. The storm above could not harm him anymore, and while it was dark in the water he could see just well enough to pick a direction and keep moving. He didn't know where the Deep City was, but he would find it. And he would find the guide that the Great Lion had spoken of.
After a few hours, Avu felt the sea begin to calm down, and sunlight once again filtered through the water. It was a unique experience to be able to swim below the water instead of above, and he had to keep reminding himself that he could breathe underwater now. The dolphins found him once the storm had ended, and they squealed with wonder and delight upon seeing that Avu was alive, and upon seeing Avu's new gills. In a way, the gills gave him a unique advantage, because while the dolphins needed to surface for air he could stay submerged.
"Do you know of the Deep City?" Avu asked them, after they had all played together for some time.
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Topanga's Hunt
Topi set out towards the mainland as soon as the opening ceremony ended and the pride was sent off. Three weeks seemed like a long time for a game, but considering the fact that the journey to the mainland took a whole week in itself, she was glad for the amount of time. It seemed that she wasn't alone in her decision either- several of her pridemates walked alongside her as she headed for the long stretch of ocean that separated the Lion's Head from the Crescent. She was a bit surprised that Avu didn't seem to be coming to the mainland. He was the best swimmer in the whole pride, better even than Mar, and was therefore the one for whom the journey would be easiest. Oh well, his hunt was his own, and if he wanted to stay on the Lion's Head that was his choice. She would see him in a month, and then could hear of his hunt.
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Nuria's Hunt
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Katara's Hunt
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Ausra's Hunt
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Amita's Hunt
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Mamba's Hunt
The concept of a Treasure Hunt was rather odd to Mamba. Six weeks in which the entire pride was spread out, journeying through other lands, with no one but Mar to defend the territory? It sounded like a recipe for disaster. When he first caught wind of the upcoming game, he spoke with Mar privately to share his concerns. There would be no one to protect the land, no one to protect the king, no one to protect the prince and princess. What if something happened? Mar explained that he had full faith in every member of the pride, that all had come to this land on their own and thus all were perfectly capable of exploring the world alone, as they once had. He trusted his children, too. They were strong and bright, and seeing the world would be good for them, if they chose to leave the Lion's Head to go on their hunts. The Treasure Hunt was more than just a game. It was a time for each lion to go on whatever journey their souls needed. For some, going out into the world would prove to themselves that they were strong and whole and capable. For others, the six weeks might be the solitude needed to commune with the Great Lion and strengthen their faith or resolve the aches in their hearts. For still others, this could be a chance to tie up any loose ends that had been left behind.
"What if some don't return?" Mamba asked.
"Then I will send out parrots as scouts, to see if they can be found. If they are found injured, we will go to their aid. If they are found held hostage, we will go and negotiate for their release. If they are found happy, in another pride, the birds will deliver my blessing. And if the sad news comes that they have died, we will mourn them as family."
Mamba was silent for a few moments, pondering this. "At least let me stay here, to defend you and our land. It is my job, as a Child of Qilin, to defend my king and my kingdom, no matter the cost."
"I thank you for that, and for your service to the pride. But this is a time for you too. Go, explore this land that you are a newcomer in. Learn its ways and its secrets, and you will be better equipped to deal with its trials. I will be fine on my own. I have the Great Lion watching over me, and over this land."
"But Your Majesty-"
"I will make that an order if I must, Mamba," Mar said, though his voice was kind. "Go. Explore. Find what life has to offer beyond duty."
Reluctantly, Mamba agreed, and when the time came for the Treasure Hunt to begin he found himself among many other pride members, making the long journey to the Mainland. From there, he simply chose a direction, and he began to wander.
[500/500] - 2 points (claimed)
It was uncomfortable, to say the least. His paws were not made for wandering. He was built to stand guard, to sit for long periods of time as still as a statue, always ready to leap into action if needed. He was built for sparring, and for running across harsh terrain with only a flask of water and a loaf of bread. He was built for duty. Not for leisure. Not for aimless walking, with no clear purpose and no clear endpoint. The last time he had wandered like this had been when he first came to this peculiar realm, when he had searched for a place to stay and for remnants of his homeworld. Though he had been wandering, he had had a goal. This wasn't like that. He found his paws itching to return to the Lion's Head, and his mind buzzed with energy, always telling him that he was wasting his time and that he needed a task to do.
Mamba huffed. "Perhaps this is why King Mar wanted me to go on this treasure hunt," he mused. Maybe he did need to learn how to relax and enjoy himself.
A couple of days into his wandering he came to a stream and sat beside it. "Hello," he greeted it, just to hear his own voice. He was surprised to find how lonely he felt, only a few days in. Surely, he had more stamina than this. But he supposed that even when he sat at his post for hours on end, he was never truly alone. Morrow sat just a couple meters away, offering silent companionship. And here among the Lions of the Waves, he was always surrounded by pride mates. Rarely an hour went by when he didn't see or hear someone, even if he didn't make conversation with them.
The stream swept over the rocks in its bed, bubbling softly. It didn't respond to his 'hello', not that he had expected it to. Mamba idly wondered if Mar would be able to hear what the stream said. Did all water have a voice, or was it just the ocean? Mamba himself couldn't hear its words, but Mar was able to, and so was the young Prince Avu.
Thinking of the Prince brought a modicum of anxiety to Mamba's mind. Was the Prince ok? The Princess? The King himself? What if something happened to one of them during this Treasure Hunt? Avu hadn't come with the rest of the Pride, he had gone off another way. That meant he had been completely on his own for a week and a half, compared to Mamba's three days of lone wandering after the week of group travel to the mainland. Anything could have happened in that time. And Avu was hardly much of a fighter.
Mamba took a breath. He'd have to be content with the knowledge that Avu was a bright young lion, and that, according to Mar, the Great Lion was looking out for him.
[500/500] - 2 points (claimed)
That was another thing. King Mar and the majority of the pride seemed to have a deep understanding of and connection to a deity they called the Great Lion. Was this Great Lion the same deity that presided over Mamba's home realm? Or was he a different deity? How should Mamba interact with him? King Mar spoke with the Great Lion daily, going out on the rocks just before sunrise and returning once the last colors had melted into the classic bright blue of day. Some days he returned with a smile on his face and a lightness about him that lasted through the rest of the day. Other times, he came back thoughtful or pensive. Occasionally, he would return with a message for the entire pride to hear. That didn't happen very often -- "I'm not a prophet, just a lion" the King had once said -- but it always intrigued Mamba. He had no doubt that the Great Lion was real, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do about that. He had admittedly never given much thought to the deities worshipped in his own realm. They had seemed impersonal and inconsequential. They didn't meddle in his life, and he didn't bother with them. Truthfully, he hadn't been entirely convinced that they were even real. But seeing how King Mar interacted with the Great Lion, Mamba wondered if anything would have been different if he paid attention to the deities of his realm. Would they have protected it at the end, when the entire realm had been destroyed? Did they even have the power to do so? King Mar always said that the Great Lion was a protector, that he looked out for the Lions of the Waves, so clearly Mar believed that the Great Lion had the power to influence events in the mortal realm.
And Amita, the kind and gentle lioness, she said that she had seen the Great Lion. That he was a friend who comforted her in her sorrow, and led her to a new land. She also took time alone to speak with the Great Lion. She didn't seem to have quite the same dialogue with him that King Mar did, and when Mamba had inquired she said that some days, she goes for a walk and hears no words in response to what she says, but that she is confident that the Great Lion listens to every word she speaks to him.
Amore had a bit of a different story. She said that the Great Bird had blessed her with wings. Well, those wings were plain to see and real to touch, so clearly she'd gotten them from somewhere. Were the Great Bird and the Great Lion two different deities, or were they one and the same? Was there just one deity who took on different forms? If so, was he the deity of just this realm, or was he a deity of all realms? What were the limits to his power?
[500/500] - 2 points (claimed)
"Who are you?" Mamba wondered aloud.