[Event] Introduction of the Heir

[Lithiasaur]

Maajabu sat and watched the events unfold with a decidedly detached look on his face. He was not impressed, it seemed, or just could not bring himself to show any of his thoughts on his face. He flicked his tail, then glanced around at all the activity thrumming around him.

He was incredibly patient, to the point where he almost seemed like he was asleep. he had a piece of grass in his mouth, which he chewed on thoughtfully, turning it from one side of his jaw to the other, the leafy stalk sticking out as he chewed the bottom.

He didn't have the largest fangs in the world, but what he lacked in teeth he made up for in his raw, brutish strength. He was muscular and round, and his dopey expression was deceiving. He had thoughts, he just kept them to himself.

Doti could not say she was thrilled with this strange event, but she supposed a nice reason to gather with everyone else and just hang out was good enough for her. She didn't have to like the reason itself, so much as the gathering.

It had been a while since she'd gotten out and met with others, and she found she was feeling rather shy. She sat a little away from the closest group.

She watched quietly, laying down and keeping to the shadows of a tree.

Utanzi padded along with his head up high, footsteps light on the ground. He was excited! changes did not mean things were going to be bad, it was just a new and interesting turn, right?

He spotted a group of lions and saw his sister among them, then saw what he had to assume was his... family? They all had markings like him! He bounded toward them and came skidding to a stop nearby.

Nearby being directly into Hadaya's side.

"Oomph!"

Duniani grumped and tilted his head up at their ruler, then glanced around at the reactions of the pride. Why did he have to get dragged away from his bed and his sunning spot for this? He hardly saw the point.

So the King had an heir. Did it matter who it was? What they were? Whatever the King said went, after all, so who were they to have any part of it?

The kid had a long way to go, and Duniani was not sure he saw a future ruler there, but who knew? It wasn't like he was an expert on rulers. He was just grumpy because he had found a beam of sun that got his stomach nice and warm, and that perfect feeling had been lost.

Legea and his sister Vizuri were late to the gathering, and had missed the announcement altogether.

"I told you we were needed here, but you had to go and get yourself stuck in a bush. You are always getting into trouble!" The female said, huffing impatiently as her brother limped beside her. He had his ears flat on his head, whining softly.

"I'm sorry, I really am," he said. It had been an accident. But in their family, it was always an accident. That did not make it any less troublesome. Thankfully, Vizuri had managed to escape that end of the gene pool, and her luck was rather good. She was capable and confident.

And constantly fixing her brother's messes. He seemed worse off than her father, though she hadn't known what Hadaya's life had been like before he'd come to the pridelands. Still, she'd heard stories. Speaking of, she saw her father and a batch of similar looking lions standing around him, and she blinked in wonder.

Was this a family gathering she hadn't been aware of? She turned to ask Legea, but he was already bounding off toward them.

Ishiwa walked near to Yai, though the two had not formally met. They were both thinking about this new heir, and what it meant for the pride. Yai saw weakness, and pondered it over, while Ishiwa... was not entirely sure he understood what was going on. He turned to Yai to ask but the serious look on her face gave him pause.

Maybe she wouldn't want him bothering her. A lot of other lions got mad when he asked too many questions. But it wasn't his fault he didn't understand anything! He was trying, he really was. He was just... not doing very well with it.

He wasn't very smart. He'd been told that a lot, and now he told himself that.  

[Cajanic]

"It's nice to meet you too!" Kaimu all but screamed, leaping forward and giving his father a light head butt. For once, his genes didn't seem to get in his way, and he didn't hit the other too hard or miss completely and face-plant into the floor below them. He was happy that he had met his dad- it was the whole reason he had come to the pridelands in the first place, after all.

"I know mom isn't here," Kaimu commented, "right?" Honestly, he hadn't kept in contact with either of his parents, shame on him. Sikio frowned.

"I'm pretty sure my mom is around here somewhere, but it's nice to get to meet my dad, too." She smiled faintly, though she was a little awkward about the whole thing. She knew she had a distinct lack of looking anything like her father plaguing her. Maybe he didn't really believe she was related to him. How sad that would be! Then she saw someone familiar bumping into her father- it was her brother, Utanzi. ... HER BROTHER THAT LOOKED LIKE HADAYA. "Oh! It's good you're here, brother! Look! This is our father, Hadaya! Have you met him yet?!"

Janga smiled and looked back at the others, shaking his fluffy mane in a way similar to his father. "So dad, you got a bunch of kids from all over the place, huh? I guess you're not that bothered about the prince being kind of mysterious, then, right?" He just wanted to find more supporters. Surely his dad would be on the prince's side.

"I'm still confused about it," Kaimu sighed, "it makes it feel like anyone could be king... though I guess he did say he was of his bloodline, right?" He frowned.

They all noticed two more lions heading their way: Janga knew them to be his siblings. Smiling, he waved them over with a paw. The more the merrier!

Lithia_Brandon

"My name... is Jivu," replied the lion timidly, drawing himself slowly out of his ball of fear again. He wasn't really used to speaking to other lions, and he really didn't know how to treat females. but this was supposed to be a big deal, so even if he didn't like to, he was going to make sure he had some kind of a voice in what was happening around him.

Even if only one other lion happened to hear it.

"I think you're right about that, too..." he offered softly, "we shouldn't just... stick to our own. We'll kill ourselves off doing something like that, right? If we don't grow and we don't learn about the outside world, how can we protect ourselves? Or evolve along with it? These angry people... I really don't understand why the rage is so alive..." he watched some of the angrier lions yelling their insults about the new prince, and even the king. If he were a stronger lion, he might have done something about it. Instead, he just whimpered.

NovaCracker

Shangwe listened to the other lions near him, who were bashing the prince and roaring out their displeasure. He didn't have an opinion one way or another about the new prince, that much was true, but that didn't mean he liked hearing them voicing their rage in such a counter-productive way. It seemed like they were really just doing it to get a rise out of the lions around them, not offer anything meaningful to the situation. They were rabble-rousers!

Sungura could see how mad his friend was getting "Try to calm down, Shangwe," he offered faintly, "everyone has opinions, and are free to voice them whenever they feel like it..."

"Maybe," hissed the large, muscular lion, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it. They know they're yelling about a kid, right? He's not going to take over the kingdom tomorrow! He's going to grow and train in the pride!" He huffed and looked downright insulted. Was it because he had recently grown fond of someone outside of the pride who had joined them, and he didn't like the suspicion towards members outside of the pride bloodlines? Maybe. Or maybe he really did like the prince, and he just didn't want to admit to taking a side. Either way, his rage was boiling, and he was doing what he could to keep himself calm.

His claws gripped the dirt, and Sungura gave him a pat on the head. "Let them talk all they want- they can't change what's happening anymore than you can. It's going to be fine. They'll calm down. You should, too."

"I suppose you're right. It's a good thing you're here- I might have done something brash if I had been on my own."  

[Depawsit]

Izzy was standing still, her ears perked, her full attention focused on the ceremony at hand. All this talk of a new heir recently, and now this sudden announcement. She wasn't particularly impressed with the situation, in fact she was pretty upset by it. Offended even! How on Earth was this ... cub supposed be the new King of the Pridelands? He was a pipsqueak! But even worse than that - this cub wasn't even from here. Izzy merely rolled her eyes as the more upbeat lions began to cheer his name happily. This was getting out of hand.

A glance to her right and she noticed the male with his claws gripped tightly into the dirt. Huh, maybe she wasn't alone in this whole upset thing. Eavesdropping wasn't her best talent, but she had to admit she had a knack for it. That's when she found out that the male really didn't have the same feelings as she did toward the new heir. Intrigued, she stepped a bit closer.

"It's not so much that he young you know. There are plenty of reasons for upset to be had. You do know he's not from here ... don't you?" Her goal was to hold a neutral tone, throughout her small speech, but bits of her personality were definitely fighting through the cracks,


----




Ghubari allowed the other lioness' words to sink in as she spoke them. She had a valid point, he couldn't argue with her there. But as she went on, he found himself developing a sort of sympathy for him. He would have quite a lot to deal with, especially the loss of his family. Ghubari knew that pain all too well, and it sent little pangs of guilt through his chest.

"I"d say you've got a wise head on your shoulders, that i'm certain of. But I also wonder if maybe he's been brought here a bit late for his own good. As you've said, he will always have the memories of his old home. It seems if he was brought here sooner, those memories wouldn't be so strong." Ghubari frowned slightly, speaking with this female was bringing out quite a few different things he hadn't thought of before.

"But he does also have quite a bit to go before he's ready to take us on. We can only hope that time is good to him, and in turn to us."

Safaia

Cajanic

 

[Buffy_the_Bloody]

Illyeria shrugged. She had only followed what Shumu had said after all. He had encoruraged her! She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Orca you are just too much of a goody goody for your own wellbeing.." She said and groaned. This cub was just that.. a cub.. and though she'd never hurt a cub, she still found hope that this would somehow be a mistake. It was hard knowing your future heir was half your age..

She turned her gaze to her sister, smiling at her a bit. Though when she said she was excited about it, she groaned again.
"Oh Orlan, not you too!" She said.
"I'm starting to think that Shumu is the only one with any sense out of any of you.." She turned to look at the orange male, and smiled.
"They would like to try, I'm sure."


Anjelle chuckled, shaking her head. She knew that Illyeria wouldn't hurt a fly. She wasn't even a very good huntress for similar reasons. But that didn't mean sometimes she didn't get frustrated with her arrogant cousin. Then another of her cousins appeared, and she smiled in greeting.

"I'm excited for it myself! How exciting to be part of something like this." Which was just met with more groaning from the Grey lioness.
Anjelle cast her gaze on some of the surrounding lions, her eyes settling on a cream male she had seen a few times before, but she had never met him. She smiled, waving, since he seemed to be as happy as she was herself.

Reeshie Hack

Cajanic

 

[Talencia]

Samiel sat patiently, watching and listening for the reason they had all been called together. His half-grown mane meant that he hadn't been involved in the tangle they'd had with the hyenas, but he was hopeful this had nothing to do with that. He already despised the mangy things, and he didn't care to hear more about them.

However, when the king came stood regally above them, limp and all, Samiel raised his head to give him all the respectful attention he deserved. The information conveyed to them was astonishing. He was plenty old enough to be aware of the unease concerning a lack of heir. He also was quite aware of the murmuring disquiet at the heir that was finally chosen. He glanced left and right, then back up at the small form of the new prince. He did not envy the cub his new position, not one bit! Clearly one could not satisfy everyone... after so long without an heir, they had one, and some felt the need now to complain about having this one!

For himself, he was pleased to have the royal line assured, to know their future ruler was going to spend his young years under the tutelage of the current king. Whether one was pride-born was hardly a means to choose their suitability for that tough job! Not to mention many of those present had rogue blood as well as old Prideland bloodlines. His own father had been a rogue, after all! He had no resentments towards those from outside the pride. Did they not accept outsiders here or not? Of course they did!

So when several cheers went up, he too called out his support for the youngster. "Long live Prince Tau! Long live King Simi!"  

[KasaiLoki]

Soren shook his head at some of the arguing that seemed to be going amongst some of the lions. He chuckled lightly when cheers were heard amongst the crowd. At least some lions were like him an approved of the newly dubbed heir. He snorted at the charcoal lioness’s sarcastic cheer, rolling his own eyes as he scanned the pride members.

His gaze stopped short when it landed on a lioness that seemed to wave, right at him. He cautiously looked around, not wanting to think this girl was waving at someone else, before he rose a paw awkward to return the gesture.

Instead of staying afar, Soren rose from the shadows, slinking across the gap to introduce himself to the other lioness.

“Some news, huh?” His gaze shifted from the others around, focusing on Anjelle.

Buffy_the_Bloody

 

[Buffy_the_Bloody]

KasaiLoki

Anjelle listened to her cousins continue bickering, but she found herself drowning them out slightly whenever the male had come over. She hadn't expected him to approach, but she was happy he had. A handsome male, and such great news like a new Heir. Today was truly great indeed!

"It's so...neat being part of history." She said, grinning and nodding her head in greeting. "I'm Anjelle by the way. What do you think of the new heir?" She wasn't sure if she expected him to say what her cousins had said.. Or if he would be like her, excited for the new announcement.  

[Cajanic]

Shangwe was a little surprised when he heard someone start speaking to him, and had expected it to be one of the loud trouble makers from the crowd. However, when he turned to look he found someone he wasn't really familiar with looking back at him. She had quite the interesting coat, and didn't look like she was entirely local bloodline herself. Yes she seemed to be against the new prince, too. He frowned. While Sungura gave him a comforting pat on the head, he wasn't comforted.

"So? What difference does it make where he's from? He's going to learn about our home, and our ways. There's no reason to just assume he's not worthy because he's from somewhere else. He's just a kid, and kids are quick studies. He'll spend the majority of his life here, won't he?" It just was beyond him, but maybe that was the whole problem. Maybe not being able to even comprehend the anger at him not being from the pridelands was what really had him uptight.

"Isn't it good to have someone who knows about other places? Someone who might be able to spread some new information into the pride? I thought knowledge was how we grew." He sighed. Sungura chuckled, the small hare still sitting on Shangwe's head.

"Don't mind Shangwe. He's a little confused. But he doesn't mean to be so snippy, I promise."

Depawsit

Illyeria didn't thrilled with the new prince, but Orlan didn't mind. If anything, it was amusing to see her sister so unhappy. Not that she liked seeing others upset, of course, but who didn't like toying with their siblings every once in a while? And this time she didn't have to even try- it was just because she was happy about something that her sister wasn't.

Thankfully, she wasn't completely alone. Anjelle was on her side, at least, and it seemed Orca wasn't against it either. She nodded hello to the orange lion she had not met before, before smiling at the family. "I would hold it over you guys if I were king, so I don't see what would be so bad if he did the same thing. As long as it's not all he does, isn't it kind of natural? At least as first." She chuckled thoughtfully.

"In any case, I think it's a good idea to have new blood, or at least partially new blood. Who knows what he was doing before he got here- it's going to be interesting to see what he thinks about things here in the pride lands!"

Reeshie Hack

Buffy_the_Bloody

"This seems really intense," Saniya observed, sitting near her brother, "this isn't, like, how things were in our old home, is it? We're not going to break out into war, are we? Because I wouldn't have come if I knew this place was just like our old home."

"You can relax," Bomvu assured her, "this place is not like our old home. Actually, it's a very nice place to live. I think you would be surprised, and maybe even impressed. Everyone here is very nice." He smiled, happy to have his sister there. She was normally the only one who saw him smile.

Saniya sighed. "This doesn't seem nice."

"I think this is a bit of a shock. They aren't used to outsiders taking control, it seems. Though it's normal for us, I supposed some of these lions are very invested in bloodlines and wanting kings from the pride, who were born there and know there way around."

Saniya frowned, looking around. It was a little off-putting, but if Bomvu kept insisting that they were nice and it wasn't just another war zone, of course she was going to have to believe him.  

[KasaiLoki]

Buffy_the_Bloody

Anjelle? That indeed was an interesting name. “I’m Soren,” he briefly introduced. He loved his name. Birds soared in the air to find adventure. He always wanted some kind of adventure. It fit.

“I agree. I don’t think I’ve seen this happen before.” He shifted on his toes. “It’s exciting!” he laughed, feeling the jitters run through his body. “I think it’s a great idea. I mean, Prince Tau could be…something this pride needs?” If he came from another pride, it could be allies for the large land. He held the blood of the King, the looks alone spoke that. “I think…with King Simi as guidance, he’ll make a fine rule in the future.” He had no reason to doubt his King.

Soren nodded briefly at Orlan. New blood (or partial) was good. It would bring a new perspective into play.  

[Depawsit]

Izzy took a step back from the male as he descended into his rant. It was now abundantly obvious he was the wrong choice to try and to about this. But then, she wasn't the type to back down. Instead she took his words seriously, if there were ever a way to be fair, she was going to be the one to do it.

"Well for starters I would think it would make all the difference! And by no means have I ever said he wasn't worthy, the choice is merely questionable." Izzy paused for a moment and sneered slightly at the mention of kids, they were adorable, but hardly reliable. "The idea that he isn't from here is unsettling to me, because he doesn't know us. Sure he can learn, anyone can learn. But to truly know us as a pride ... to understand us. I feel something like that should come from within ... within the pride." Slightly uncomfortable with the anger coming from the other, Izzy tried to preoccupy herself with the grass at her feet. But it just wasn't doing the trick, he was just so stubborn about this!

Sighing she reared her head up once more to combat his latest comment. "Knowledge is how we grow, and more importantly its how we survive. Perhaps in time having here would be a good thing. But I still feel as though the heir should come from within, not from some outside source." Shrugging her shoulders, she turned her attention to the adorable hare sitting on the male's shoulder.

"Aww its OK! I think everyone is a bit on edge after the news, so I guess I can forgive him!" She flashed the hare a toothy smile, more meant to be friendly than intimidating.

Cajanic

 

[Skeleghetti]

The little black lioness was walking around and remembered why there was such commotion at the Pride Rock. She wasn't sure if her mother was here or not. Usiku bounded up to where she could see when she lifted her head. There they stood. She smiled, they looked so great up there! She bounded around on her toes excitedly, then stopped, in case some one decided to stare, she was usually pretty shy but she guessed today would be different...? She shrugged on the inside and started bouncing again.

 

[Reeshie Hack]

"Of course I'm the only one with sense," Shumu purred with a bit of a smirk. Oh, he liked to have his own ego stroked, and coming from a lady such as Orca's sister, it definitely was a compliment.
"A smart male would know better than to try. That's no way to treat a lady," he added, his tone a little low. The others had gone back to talking about the heir, but that really just wasn't what he was interested in. Politics, meh. The heir was just a cub, he wasn't going to be king yet, so why worry about anything now? He was very much a live in the moment lion.

"We can't assume what the boy will be like as a king, he might be more humble," Orca replied with a small shrug, choosing to ignore his friend and Illyeria. Another male joined their little group and he nodded in greeting before returning his attention to Orlan.
"I didn't consider that. I hope being from another pride, he won't want to change anything..."

Buffy_the_Bloody

Cajanic

KasaiLoki

 

[Depawsit]

Sitare growled a little cublike growl as he pushed his way angrily through the crowds of adult lions. They were all really upset about something, and he didn't have a clue why. The King had introduced the kingdom to their new King, that was supposed to be a time of celebration. But then why was everyone so upset?

Glancing to his left Sitare caught a glimpse of his nanny Izzy, and he slunk behind a group of gaggling females to hide from her. It was probably best she not know he was slipping away from the den again. Sarabi and Samawati would have his hide if they found out. Paying little attention to what was going on ahead of him, it took the cub only a few seconds to bump into something just ahead of him.

"Oooof! S-Sorry!" He yelped, backing away quickly, finally realizing he had bumped into another cub. Phew, maybe he wouldn't be in trouble afterall.

Bloo Starr

 

[Skeleghetti]

Suddenly swept off her feet, Uskiu looked up again to see another cub scuttling away saying sorry, she thought it must be the one to bump into her. She smiled. "Hey! Wait!" She runs up and almost bumps into him.

Depawsit