Anupu's royal senses were alive, he thrummed with his new attunements, his new charges. It was both exhilarating and terrifying to once again have royals to care for. Mostly his work thus far had been with kings, both exiled and enthroned and he was delighted as he felt a subtle wave.

He knew the feeling though it wasn't common, he remembered it well for it was the feeling of a royal once again regaining their rightful place. Like royal princes who had gone unrecognized, like exiled queens once again returning to power, the wave alerted him that one of his charges had regained what was his.

"Bwana..." He murmured and with an excited leap he teleported from the haven of gods to the mortal world. He glanced about and grinned at his surroundings, yes indeed this spacious den had to belong to a King. Bwana had returned to his pride and reclaimed his rightful place. Anupu chuckled and flipped his cape back in his usual fashion, he folded his wings against his back and sat down.

Bwana had been out looking at the lands, remembering every small gap in the rocks from his youth. All the places he used to hide when his father was on one of his rampages. Those had not been good times, but his home had always found a way to save him. Even the forest, made ominous from all the lore around it or strange creatures and magic, had been a safe place for him. Thought now, it seemed, some lions had moved in.

He would have to visit them some time. See what was going on with that.

For now, though, he was tired looking all around and wanted to head back to his den for a nice long nap. Fara was out being... Fara. Making sure none of the memebrs meant to harm his king. Probably making them all exceedingly uncomfortable, too. Oh well. Moving into the den, he was quite surprised to find that he wasn't actually as alone as he had been expecting to be.

But his guest didn't make him unhappy.

"Lord Anupu!" he said, offering the God a humble bow to show his respect, "I didn't expect to see you! I'm very pleased that you could stop by!" And he did have something he could ask the other, though he didn't know if it would be displeasing for the other.

Anupu grinned and stood as Bwana entered, he waved a paw and chuckled. "No no, you musn't bow, for now it is you who are king!" The God smiled and dipped his head good naturedly. "I'm very proud of you Bwana I had to come and give you my congratulations."

He sat back relaxed, "I'm very pleased for you, I must continue to keep an eye out for you though...the position of king may be perilous for some time eh? Be wary of who you trust." His tone was serious but his pleasure at Bwana's success kept his dark blue gaze gleaming.

"Ah, but you must need rest shall I take leave?"

Bwana smiled, nodding along. "I suppose I can't deny that, now can I? I am kind now!" He was pleased to have his position as kind, even if some aspects of it still had him a little nervous. And there were... things... that he needed to get a bit straight. Like who he can and can not make love to while his queen remained none the wiser.

Whoops.

"You have my thanks! I am happy to be home. It's very strange- most of my concerns have all but vanished. They did so the moment I stepped back into this land. I guess you really can't escape who you are. But you're right, it's not going to be easy. I know there were some in this pride looking to take my father's rank in my absence, and others who would probably be happy to help them do it now."

He sat down, heaving a sigh. "Ah, I couldn't possibly sleep now. Anyway, there is something I wanted to ask you... though I'm not sure if it's really something you would know how to help me with... it's about... cubs."

"Cubs! You've found a proper queen then? Ah I must double my congratulations then! Heirs already, thats the spirit Bwana!" Anupu was smiling broadly now and his paw came down on Bwana's back in a brotherly thump. It was wonderful, just wonderful the boy was a natural, he would have everything running smoothly in no time at all.

"Now that your lineage will be properly settled no one should dispute your claim to the throne, and to those who do, well you need only point out how well established you are."

"Err.... well, yes, I do have a queen now. She's quite... special. Certainly the only queen I could ever want," he cleared his throat. Was he going to lose the respect of his God already? He would have to do something to make things up to him. "I wish things were that simple. This female came to me before I reunited with my queen and made her a fixed part of my life. She... uh... wanted cubs, so I... helped?" He frowned. This was hardto explain.

"But now she realizes that too many cubs might be too much for her to handle in her position in the pride. I told her I would take the cubs she could not care for and keep them as my attendents. Raise them, which I want to do. But... what should I tell to my queen? Should she know these cubs are not hers, but still mine?"

Oh...lovely...no his duty was never totally straightforward, of course that was probably for the best, after all if the royals didn't need any help at all his life would get rather boring rather quickly. Still he had hoped that Bwana's troubled would have smoothed out, instead he felt a sinking suspicion his troubles had just started. He would need to keep a closer watch on the young king.

"Well I don't suppose I can blame you for what was done before you found your queen, but she's OBVIOUSLY going to know they aren't hers..." He sighed and started to pace the den.
"I assume you've chosen a clever lady as your queen, you wouldn't be foolish enough to just choose a partner based on looks alone...she will wonder why you should take charge of these cubs and give them positions as attendents, you must tell her the truth."

He sighed and sat down, "It will be difficult for you, this other female does she have high aspirations? Is she noble?"

"Well, yes, but she doesn't need to know that they're not mine... right?" No, lying to his queen? He couldn't do that. But she was going to kick the s**t out of him for this, and he knew he wasn't even lying to himself about that. She was a very different lioness. Strong willed and the kind of creature who didn't take crap from anyone. She would probably make a better king than he would, if she had the right parts.

And more fur.

"Oh, she's very smart. And I wouldn't want to lie to her. I suppose... I will tell her, I just... I know she's going to be so displeased with me. Making her upset... I don't want to hurt her." He frowned, pouting almost, as he considered the rest of what had been said.

"She knows her place in her pride and she understands her job. She asked me to look after the cubs because she knows it would be dangerous for them to be with her. I don't think her pride focuses on upper class positions, but if she had purple in her fur, she would be noble in this pride. I respect her."

"You must tell your queen then, explain things to her, she will forgive you with time, and she should feel compassion for cubs who might be endangered otherwise. If you wish I too shall speak with her, after all being queen she is as royal as you now." Anupu watched Bwana a long moment before shaking his head.

"She will be hurt Bwana, but you must show her that those days are in your past. Show her that you will be true to her, responsible, that your duties as her King will come first. And stop pouting, your hardly a cute cub for that to work." He gave a wry smile and shook his head again, how did things get so tangled up?

"Not before leaving me with a few patches of missing fur," he muttered, though more to himself than the God he was speaking to. Still, the thought made him smile. Why was he attracted to someone he spent so much time arguing with? They were so different and, in that respect, perfect for one another.

"She is indeed, but I think it's something I should do alone. Since... I got into it myself, and all. But thank you, my Lord, for your kind offer." He heaved a sigh, straightening himself up to look more like a king and less like a child. "I suppose I still feel cute and little," he chuckled, "but you're right- I can't pull it off. Forgive me if this is too personal a question to be asking a God, but do you have problems like this? Do you have... a queen?"

Anupu chuckled at Bwana's mutter hmm it seemed this queen he had chosen would be good for him. He had seen all sorts of royal couples, from the very best sort to the kind he never hoped to encounter again.
"Indeed then, it's up to you. Perhaps your pout will work on her?" He grinned.

The grin slowly faded however at Bwana's question, do you have a queen? Did he have a queen? No...did he even want one? After all his duties were his own, and if he had a queen to concern himself with he might neglect them. she could not be a mere mortal either, she would need to be a Goddess, and what Goddess could match him? He thought of flashing yellow eyes and tensed before shaking his head.

"No, I have no queen...perhaps someday, but affairs among Gods seem so complex, I would rather focus on my duties then look for troubles."

"Perhaps! And if not I'll hold you to that idea. Though, perhaps you should meet her sometime anyway, under happier circumstances. So she can know I'm not just talking to figments." He didn't even know if she believed in Gods or not. Something to ask, possibly as a distraction after letting her know that he had some children with another woman.

Listening, he nodded, glad he wasn't angry with the question. He knew they had a mortal-in-need-of-advice-from-a-God relationship with one another, and he didn't want to step over any boundry lines with that. He respected Anupu and would be lost without his advice.

"I understand. It's a pain for mortals too. If getting a queen wasn't part of duty, I might have put it on hold for a while. In the end, though, I'm happy with my decision on a mate."

Anupu's smile returned then and he had to hold back a laugh, "I'm hardly a figment and yes once you have things settled with your queen I should like to meet her, she sounds most interesting."

He thought for a moment before looking at Bwana hoping to give him another helpful word or two before leaving him to his own devices. "You know, it might help a bit if you consider if the situation were reversed, if she had cubs without you, how you would feel. Then maybe you'll be able to phrase things to better take those feelings into account."

Then again what did he know, he tried to keep his emotions at bay for so long they often overwhelmed him. Not to mention his domain wasn't emotion or advice or anything remotely useful to this situation, all he had was experience watching such scenes unfold.

"Well your happiness and well being are quite important to me, so I'm glad for that at least. You will promise to take care though Bwana? Do not let simple issues cloud your eyes to those more dangerous."

Bwana couldn't help but find 'interesting' to be the perfect word for his queen. She was... different. Beautiful, of course, but more than that. There was no way he would have been able to stand being around some pretty lioness who didn't have half a brain. His father had picked girls who didn't know how to think for themselves. He, in turn, had picked one perfectly capable of thinking for herself and rather disinterested in letting anyone else's thoughts get in her way.

Quite different.

"That's a good idea, I should think about that before she gets back to the den." He hoped she would be out for a while, just so he would have more time to prepare for what he was going to have to say to her.

"I will," he replied with a nod of his head, "I understand my place in this pride is not quite stable yet, though hopefully it will be soon. With your help, I've already come much further than I ever imagined I would." He knew it was time to part, a smile spreading over his purple face. "If you ever happen to find yourself dealing with a simple issue, though, you know one king who had plenty of experience in the area."

Anupu smiled and nodded pleased that Bwana would take his advice to heart, things might be a little bumpy but at least he was trying. He would leave though, he knew the younger male had much to think about and to prepare for his queen.

"Good Luck Bwana, I'll pay you another visit soon...friend." He tipped his muzzle and stood one moment there, the next gone.

Curtain