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 Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:13 pm
 It had been a quiet day in the Mazunguko, the maze's tunnels and passageways filled with the relaxed sounds of the pride moving hither and there. It was on such days as this that Juan felt the most soothed and at peace. The nightmares of his old life had faded with time, time these dark, shadowed and protective tunnels had given him, gifted by Aina before the former king's leaving. The old king had found Juan not far from the cave's entrance, bloodied and lame with his heart full of rage and despair. The old king had spent days calming the wild-eyed leopard, days speaking gently, of what Juan had never been able to recall, but eventually that voice had pierced the veil of grief and rage within him and slowly he had come back to himself. Weak and exhausted, the king had finally managed to coax Juan into the cave and the leopard had simply stayed.
Yawning, he let his pale eyes slit closed, sleek, muscular body stretching languidly before at length he rose to his paws. As an Elite Guard, he was only required to be on duty when the new ruler, young Nahasi, was going about business in the caves, but the older leopard often kept an eye on the young lion between these wanderings. Nahasi was young and innocent to the ways of the world, something that Juan had lost along time ago, and the elder feline felt some strange measure of responsibility to the heir, and often would go above and beyond the call of his duty in order to aid Nahasi when there as need.
Slipping from his private den area, the grey male padded through the maze's confusing network of tunnels with the ease of one of the pride's diggers, knowing the path between his quarters and Nahasi's as well as he knew himself. So it wasn't long before he was settled just outside the new king's den, sleek grey body curled up comfortably on the cool stone, pale eyes casually alert as the Guard settled in for a long vigil with the patience of true hunter.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:09 pm
 Nahasi paced inside his den, trying to decide what to do. This morning one of the new tunnels caved in and he needed to decide if it was worth trying to fix. The tunnel led to a small, clear creek. Other than the lake there were not many sources of water. If they had a tunnel to the creek it would put less traffic on the lake tunnel. However if they did try and fix the tunnel, it could just cave in again and the effort would have been pointless.
He wondered how his father decided what to do on times like this. Bitterly he thought that his father should still be doing this job, not him. Couldn't his father just wait until he became an adult to leave? Didn't he deserve a chance to be young? Nahasi shook his head as he thought about it. He couldn't change the past and it didn't help to think about it. What is done is done. His priority should be coming up with a solution for the tunnels.
This was one of his first decisions he had to make as king and wanted to impress the pride, to show he was ready to run the pride. It didn't help that he himself thought he wasn't ready. He plopped himself down in a corner, where he liked to rest.
He remembered when he was just the heir of the pride. Sure he had some responsibilities like when two members became life mates he would give his blessings or handle small arguments that occurred in the pride, but this. His choice could affect how the whole pride functioned.
He got up again and made his way out of his den. If he really wanted to figure this out he would go to the tunnel and decide there. That would be the best thing to do. As he left his den he saw the familiar grey fur of his guard. "Hello Juan," he said feeling a bit of pressure leave him. At least Juan was always around to give him a hand. "I want to go look at the tunnel that caved in. Is that alright with you?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:21 pm
As the time flowed past like the river that was on his King's mind, the grey leopard sat quietly, one ear flicking back every so often as he listened to the sounds of Nahasi moving about in his den. Something must have been troubling the young king for he had not so often been this restless before his father left, but Juan could already guess as to what his current issue was. The collapse of the new tunnel had been one of the pride's new favorite topics of discussion since its occurrence and Juan had not been oblivious to the issues it represented to Nahasi. The young heir had been troubled by his sudden ascension as it was and this piece of bad luck came so close to the transfer of power that he could practically feel the tension vibrating from the young male.
The sounds from inside increased, alerting Juan to the imminent arrival of the very object of his thoughts. So when Nahashi stepped out of his den, the silent figure of his guardsman was already sat up to attention, pale eyes watching the youth calmly. Though the older male almost never smiled, the young king's words did put a brief glimmer of quiet pleasure in his lilac gaze. He had been wondering how Nahashi would tackle the issue of the tunnel, and he was pleased and impressed by the youth's choice. To go and see the damage rather than relying on reports from his diggers was a wise move, for one could not truly make an informed decision unless he actually saw the problem for himself.
Dipping his head in a formal bow he rose to his paws. "Of course Sire, a very wise choice." His voice was as calm and as subtle as he was, the tones smooth and as steady as the rocks his fur resembled. If there was one feline in the whole pride who was guaranteed not to panic in an emergency, it was Juan. Taking the lead he escorted his King through the twisted and obtuse tunnels and pathways that made up their maze-like home. Yet dispite the distance they were required to cover to get to the freshly dug tunnel, Juan used little known cut-throughs and by-ways that even the diggers were often not aware off, natural shortcuts that allowed him to appear at any point in the pride's cave system seemingly from thin air. It was this unique knowledge that had caused the grey leopard to have gained a rather eerie reputation among his fellow pride members for being in all places at all times, but it was also this ability that allowed him to be such an effective Guard and Aide to the new King, for they wasted little time getting to where Nahashi's attention was needed.
Soon enough they arrived at the very obviously blocked tunnel, the heap of rocky rubble forming a near perfect obstruction to the underground stream. Ever silent, Juan stepped to the side so his liege could survey the full effect of the catastrophe unhindered.
"No one was hurt, and no one has been trapped on the other side. They were taking a brief break when it fell in." He informed the youth at his side of the relevant facts quietly and in a calm, concise manner. It would be one worry lifted form the young king's shoulders and allow him to focus on what needed to be done from here. Juan very rarely offered a direct opinion on much of anything, but he was the perfect adviser when it came to supporting his king and giving Nahashi the means to make the best choice possible. Only if he saw something dangerous in any decision did he speak up and that was only ever done in private. He was not one to cause additional problems by undermining his king in public.
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 7:29 pm
Nahasi had to hold back from grinning. Juan thought his choice was wise to go check on the tunnel. At least he knew he was doing something right. Though, as he thought about it, he realized that perhaps he was just saying that because he was king. Nahasi shook his head at the thought. There would be some creatures who would just say what they thought Nahasi would like to hear, instead of the truth. Juan wasn't like that, he reminded himself.
He followed Juan closely, not wanting to get lost in the tunnels. When ever he traveled through the maze, he was astounded how anyone could find their way. When he was younger he would explore the tunnels, but even than he normally asked one of the diggers to help find his way through the caves. He wondered how Juan knew the caves so well.
"It is good no one got hurt." he nodded when they got to the blocked tunnel. If anyone had gotten hurt, he would feel like he was personally responsible for the damage. He didn't even want to imagine what he would have done if someone had gotten killed. This problem he would have to solve quickly. Hopefully he would see for himself how stable the cave walls were. He knew having the underground river would help the pride in the long run, but he also knew it wouldn't be worth it if anyone got hurt.
He could hear the tinkle of water on the other side of the boulders. Carefully he examined the rocks. He wasn't a digger, nor did he pretend he was going at figuring out how stable things were. To him it looked safe enough. As he examined the rocks, he noticed something fall on his face. He wiped it off with his paw and looked at it carefully. It was just a small pebble. There was a chance that the roof here was still unstable.
"I don't think it is safe to dig here anymore," he decided as he looked up at the roof. "I want to postpone it until I can be sure it is safe. Digging in this area will cease until we can find a safer route to the water." He hoped it was the right decision. This would mean the pride wouldn't have their river for a little bit, but it was better to stay safe, Nahasi thought.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:05 pm
Juan would have been offended to know the youth even considered such disloyalty of him for the slightest moment. When he said something, he always men it from his heart and never supported any kind of lying except those little white ones that avoided hurt feelings when the truth wasn't going to do any good. Those type of questions that females in particular liked to ask.. 'does my fur look ok'... 'does this gazelle make my butt look big?'...
Juan would have been more than happy to tell Nahasi about the tunnels. Juan himself had simply been using them since his induction into the Brotherhood over a year ago, and had spent all his free time exploring the lesser known tunnels and natural caves, since he wasn't a very social cat he had possessed plenty of time when off-duty for his explorations.
The older leopard waited while his king examined the tunnel, nodding silently at Nahasi's comment even as his own gaze roamed the rocks above them. Frowning he stepped a little closer to where his king stood, head lifted up as he squinted at a crack in the roof. It looked stable enough, but something was making his fur stand on end. Dropping his gaze to the younger lion he nodded faintly. "As you wish, sir." he replied, making a note to let the diggers know as soon as he and Nahashi returned tot he main tunnel. Suddenly a low rumbling filled the tunnel, travailing through Juan's very bones, a sound he knew spelled trouble.
"Look out!" His cry escaped even as he flung himself into the smaller frame of his King just as the entire roof dislodged and came thundering down on top of them. Pressing them both against the wall of the tunnel, Juan crouched over the top of Nahasi, eyes shut tight and legs braced as shattered rock rained down all around them. he felt glancing blows against his back and hips and the warmth of blood trickling through his fur, but he stayed in place, protecting the young king until what felt like hours later but was only minutes at most, the tunnel once more became quiet.
Carefully, Juan opened his eyes and glanced around, discovering that they had been saved by a large boulder becoming wedged to one side of them, and only the small bits of rock had reached them to leave their marks on Juan's pelt. Only once he was sure that no more stones were going to fall, did he finally stand up and released Nahashi who he had kept pinned underneath him. Straightening with a wince of pain, the leopard dipped his head and started to examine Nahashi carefully, checking the young king over for any injuries. "Are you alright, sir?" He asked, worry lacing his voice for the first time since the young lion had known him.
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:44 am
Nahasi felt like everything was speeding up. When Juan said “Look Out!” Nahasi didn't have time to see what was going on. Juan covered him. He could hear the rocks crashing down against the tunnels. How could this be happening now? He wasn't getting harmed by any of the falling rocks thats to Juan. His mind was racing to figure out what he should do, what he should say. As he was about to say something there was silence. The rocks stopped coming down. Juan moved so he would have freedom of movement again.
He stared at Juan when he asked if he was alright. Carefully he got up and examined Juan's injuries. “Am I okay? What do you think?” he snapped as he saw the extent of Juan's injuries. “You are hurt. Did you ever think about what would happen to me if you died?” He looked into Juan's steel eyes. Nahasi knew he wasn't helping the situation at all, in fact he was probably making it worse. Since he became king he had little contact with other members of the pride, but Juan was always with him. There was a bond between them and he didn't want it to end because Juan sacrificed himself for him.
He took a couple deep breaths. He needed to calm down. Juan was hurt and getting upset wouldn't help in anyway. “We should hurry and find someone who can heal you. Your injuries aren't looking well,” Nahasi said much more gently. He could feel his mind slow down, letting him relax a bit. “Are you okay to travel? If you need to you can lean on me?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:19 pm
The youth's sudden anger surprised the leopard, making Juan sit back on his haunches, pale eyes blinking in a kind of blank startlement at the force of his lord's reaction. As the young lion's words sank in, a warm smile suddenly curved across the usually stoic and expressionless muzzle of the leopard, pale eyes sparkling in soft amusement. "You are worried for me...." Juan seemed almost surprised, but certainly pleased. He had known the young king was special for a long time now, watching him grow and take on more and more responsibility until at last the old king left and Nahasi stepped undaunted into the male's paw prints. All along Juan had been in the shadows, watching, supporting, silently aiding the young ruler. But he had thought his feelings one-sided, after all, the young male had many suitors among the pride members and Juan failed to see anything special about himself that would attract Nahasi's gaze. Having come accustomed to the idea that he would forever be watching from the shadows, this sudden expression of concern touched him far deeper than he would admit.
Dipping his head he gently rested his cheek against the younger male's mane for a moment, those pale, worldly eyes closing. "Thank you, Nahasi." The leopard's voice was soft, almost a whisper before he moved back with a barely disguised limp. At the younger male's questions, Juan turned and looked over his shoulder at the direction they would have to go to get out.. the cave-in had partially blocked the tunnel, large boulders still rocked slightly, unstable where they rested. They could get out, but it would be tricky and time consuming.
"I will be fine... we do need to go though in case any more decides to fall..." Taking a step he suddenly grunted in pain, lifting his back paw fully off the ground as a sharp pain stabbed through his hip. "Tssssssk." Snorting softly he glanced back at his side, the gash right over his hip was bleeding slowly, the good thing was that it meant no major blood vessels had been caught or there would be a lot more blood, but he was going to be almost useless while they climbed over the rocks. Turning back to Nahasi he looked almost apologetic. "You should climb over... I'l be right behind you." Well.. relatively speaking...
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:42 am
Nahasi watched Juan with his bi-colored eyes. “Of course I was worried about you. You are my best friend. How could I not care about you,” he said, not realizing Juan's feelings. He gave Juan a playful smile. “Don't tell anyone, but you are the most important member of the pride to me,” he spoke in a whisper.
He felt warmth come over him when Juan set his cheek on his mane. “You don't need to thank me,” he replied softly. Once Juan moved his head Nahasi examined the large rocks that stood in their way. He knew they were in danger, Juan in more than he was. They could always wait and hope that members of the pride would realize their absence and come looking for them. Nahasi didn't like that idea. He didn't want to play the damsel in distress. Now that he was king he should be able to take care of himself as well as protect those around him.
He watched Juan walk and knew his injury was worse than he thought it was. “If I go first you promise that you will yell at me if you need anything, if you need help?” he asked worriedly. If something had happen to Juan during this trip he wouldn't be able to forgive himself, especially if he made it out without a scratch.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:46 pm
The youth's words were bitter sweet and yet they were more than Juan had ever thought to hear from the young lion. Certainly more than he, a simple leopard, deserved. Unable to help the sudden warmth that filled him he had to remind himself they were in a dangerous situation and now was not the time to get all mushy and dreamy-eyed over Nahasi's sudden revelation. Smiling he winked playfully, an unusual expression for the stoic guard. "I wont breathe a word."
As Nahasi studied the rocks, Juan watched the younger male, favoring his hind leg though his mind was not on his own wounds, but on how to get the young king to safety as fast and as soon as possible. He had no intention of waiting around, it could be hours until someone realised they were missing and by then, the rest of the tunnel could cave in. No, they had to get themselves out. Nodding slowly he motioned for Nahasi to start the climb. "I will, I promise. Now... you need to start your climb there, where that smaller one is resting, and keep away from that one there." Pointing with a nudge of his chin to a large stone precariously balanced and slowly rocking, for Juan was sure it would shift and break the tunnel wall if it was stood upon. Giving Nahasi one of his rare smiles, he dipped his head in encouragement. "You start, I will be right behind you."
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:06 pm
Nahasi nodded his head and started to make his way up the rocks, being careful with each step. Occasionally he would check behind him to see how Juan was fairing. He wondered what would have happened if the two of them wouldn't have done this check. Who would have gotten hurt instead of them? He didn't even want to think about it. Juan wouldn't have been hurt though. He would have been fine.
Next time he was in the same type of situation he would be sure to be more careful. He did not want anyone to get hurt on his behalf. “How are you holding up?” he asked looking back at Juan. As he climbed the rocks, he was sure not to go too quickly. He knew that the longer they stayed there the better chance of another collapse happening, but he didn't want to push Juan too hard. “Once we get out of this I saw we take a nice break and lay down in the lake,” he said jokingly.
In actuality he would probably find Juan a healer to fix him up, than continue with his duties. He didn't have time to relax, but he did have time to make sure Juan got looked at.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 11:35 am
As soon as he was sure Nahasi was safe in making his way over the rock slide, Juan himself started forwards. It was tough with strength in only one back leg, forcing Juan to go far slower than the younger lion, his sleek, muscular body tense and straining as he had to us his front limbs to pull himself up rather than his muscular quarters to push. About half way up he stopped to rest, head low though he managed to keep his panting fairly quiet, not wanting to concern Nahasi.
Chuckling softly at the younger's comment, he smiled back at Nahasi to reassure him. "I will look forward to that, my lord. Resting in the cold water would be lovely."
After a moment's rest he continued on, barely able to put his back paw down let alone put any weight on it, he ended up reaching the crest practically on three legs. Stopping he looked down, checking on Nahasi's progress and was pleased to see the youth almost clear of the rocks. So, gritting his jaw he stiffly made his way over and down the boulders, grateful that at least going down was easier than climbing up. Finally he limped up alongside Nahasi and had to hide the sigh of relief that filled his lungs.
"We need to get back to the main tunnel and shut this one off. I can stay behind and wait at the front of it." He wans;t sure they would find a male able to stand guard and Nahasi would hae to be the one to actually organise something or someone to block the dangerous tunnel. Juan would wait and make sure no adventurous youths went down before it could be blocked. He didn;t even consider trying to get himself to a medic, the safety of the pride was far more important than his own wounds.
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 11:46 am
Nahasi didn't like the idea of making Juan stay there and wait. What if his wound worsened? Nahasi agreed that blocking the tunnel was the safest thing to do right now, but couldn't he be selfish just this once and make sure Juan found a healer?
He put his forehead against Juan's and closed his eyes. "If I go and leave you here promise you won't put anymore strain on you leg and that you will rest while you are here?" He didn't move his head an inch. He planned on staying there until Juan promised.
"I'll find someone to relieve you so you don't have to stay here and I'll find a healer." He decided. "And after that I'll get a group together to block this tunnel. It's such a shame isn't it? That water would have been helpful," he spoke in a jokingly way. It wouldn't be long till they found another tunnel leading to an underground river.
"It won't be long till we are resting lake." He finally opened his eyes and looked at Juan.
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 4:48 am
He could almost see the thoughts circling the youth's mind by that adorable little frown he wore between his brows. Juan almost wondered what was causing it but he figured he could guess. Not only had the newest tunnel collapsed and the route to their river cut off but one of the pride had been hurt... Nahasi had to be trying to work out the best way to deal with all the issues at once, as fast as possible, without bothering too many of the pride.
The leopard allowed himself a silent chuckle, for Nahasi was terrible adorable and sweet and so concerned about everyone but himself. Juan knew that, in time, he would make an excellent king.
Surprised out of his thoughts when Nahasi suddenly pressed against him, Juan blinked at the younger lion, nearly going cross-eyed with the other so close, their breath mixing between them. After a moment he allowed himself to relax, his own silver eyes closing as he simply enjoyed the warmth of the youth against his fur and the solid weight as he leaned close. So simple a thing as a touch was so very rare between them that Juan felt his chest tighten and he never wanted to move away, to loose this single moment... Finally he allowed a small smile to cross his muzzle, pale eyes opening to regard the fuzzy grey blur that was Nahasi from so close up. "I promise. I'll stay right here and wait for you."
Listening to Nahasi's solution, Juan let pride swell in his chest. Yes, Nahasi would do just fine as King, he was already thinking and acting like one. Taking responsibility and managing to juggle the pride's needs with his own wishes. Juan was pleased and proud, and hoped Nahasi would let him stay by the lion's side as he truly become King of the Mazunguko.
Smiling he almost nodded but didn't want to break the contact between them until he absolutely had to, so he settled for smiling slightly. "It is setback, but such things happen. We will simply find another route to the river." Pausing his smile warmed. "I am looking forward to that lake visit."
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 9:47 am
Nahasi gave Juan a quick smile before leaving. He hurried to the main tunnel and looked around for any of his brothers. There were not many with healing knowledge that he knew of, so that was going to be the hard one. As he scurried around the maze, he bumped into someone and feel down on his face. “Sorry,” he said quickly as he got up and helped the other lion up. Than he realized the lion he bumped into was a healer who helped him when he was a cub and scrapped up pretty badly. “I was wondering could you do me a favor?”
He explained to the healer what had happened. The healer agreed to go down and look at Juan while Nahasi looked for someone to guard the tunnel. It didn't take him too long to find a brother who was willing to keep an eye on the tunnel for him. It did however take a little bit for him to find the tunnel again. Once he found his way he took the willing guard down to where Juan was. The healer had made it there fine it seemed.
“Sorry it took so long Juan. I just don't know the tunnels like you do,” he said with an awkward smile. That was something he needed to change. He would have to learn how to navigate the tunnels quicker, incase an event like this were to happen again. Once Juan was better he would be sure to ask him to show him some of the best routes. “How are you feelings?”
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 6:07 am
He returned the smile before watching as the young lion vanished into the darkness of the tunnel. Settling down, curling up carefully with his injured leg tucked into his body, he settled down to wait for Nahasi's return. The pain was a deep, regular throb stretching from his hip down throughout his leg and up along his spine. But it was far from the worst pain he had ever experienced so he mostly ignored it, watching the tunnel both behind and in front, one for the chance of another collapse, and the other for the grey shape of his King.
When Nahasi returned to him, the leopard had not moved, but had remained in the spot he had been left just like he had promised. The healer was busy poking and prodding at Juan's side, while the guard kept a stoic expression, though it was possible to see the pain in the way he held himself if you knew him well enough. To an outsider, he just looked bored.
The expression broke as he saw Nahasi arriving, and a faint smile melted his serious look. "You were not long at all." He reassured the younger, though made a note that he would need to start teaching Nahasi his way around. One day Juan would not be there to guide him and he didn't want the king lost in his own pride. "I will be fine." The healer chose that moment to poke at the wound itself and Juan flinched, but swallowed the growl that tried to escape. "We need to move though, I don't like the look of the rocks here. The guard can stand at the mouth of this tunnel so he wont be in danger while you organise your solution." Juan knew he was speaking far more than he usually did, especially in front of another pride member,but the pain was slowly getting worse and if they didn't get out of here soon, he wasn't sure he would be moving anywhere at all.
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