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 Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:07 am
He lay, silently, staring at something only his eyes could see. The wind played across the ground, stirring dust that swept up like a miniature golden wave. Then suddenly the land became desert and it was so real that Kidondo could almost imagine the smell of home in his nostrils.
Another breeze crept across the bare landscape, teasing more dust that swept upwards as if being sent skywards by the padding of great paws. Those paws materialised as if by magic, huge, slow and red. Royal red. Kidondo did not tame his imagination, though perhaps he should have. Indeed, he was too tired to stop it, too tired to keep his mind from dwindling where it should not go. Unconsciously he raised his square head, the chin raising until it met with the face of the imaginary lion.
He knew the face well. It was large, serious and sharp, like the blade of a knife. It held eyes as deep and dark as shadow flickering in the lamplight. There was pride in that face too, an angle of the jaw that was similar in Kidondo's own.
"Father..." His words, though spoken aloud, did nothing to deter his mind. The lion wavered, his image flickering and Kidondo finally shut down his mind, willing the thoughts away.
His father faded and Kidondo turned on his side, letting his eyes fall on the shadowy form of No. He watched the slow rise and fall of her sides, touched with a warm glow by the dying sunlight. This would have been the perfect time for most lions to declare their love but again, it seemed a hopeless cause for Kidondo. They weren't like normal couples, though he was thankful they weren't. She knew how he felt, just as he knew her feelings and that would have to do for now. Words could wait. He couldn't say it, not yet, not when he could be dead within the week. No, only when all this was over and he knew they had a future together could he seal his feelings with those three little words.
He shifted closer, hooking his chin across her neck, finding comfort in her warmth. Being used to the harsh heat of the desert meant that he felt the cold a little more than his fellow rogues, but having No next to him took all that away. With her he felt as if a fire burned inside him, a fire that would never cease to burn.
He sighed and closed his eyes again, desperate for sleep that seemed a rare occurance lately. The time was drawing nearer. The recruiting had been completed the journey was almost done. Soon he would be at the borders with his army behind him and No at his side. She was walking into danger but so were all of them, even so, he would keep one eye on her, he would not let her fall.
We will work together, he thought to himself, we will protect one another.
But then, the duel, the challenge. The one thing he was dreading more than anything else. He would rather face the whole pride alone than face his father. He didn't hate Kimeti, he never had. His father had been a lion he had grown to love, grown to adore. Kimeti was strong and proud, he was a true King who never stood by and let others walk over him. If only he would see the errors in his beliefs! If only he would see what he was trying to say!
Then again his imagination took him and he raised his head again, staring out across the darkening plains. His father stood their again, the wind lapping at his mane and spilling it into the sky. There was a look in the lion's eyes that made Kidondo shudder.
"What if I lose?" He whispered. He did not fear death but he did fear what his death would do for the rest of the pride. The rogues who had followed him, the rebels who revealed themselves...they would sall suffer.
And then...
"What if I win?" Kimeti's image seemed to crumple and Kidondo stood,, his sides shuddering from the thought. Could he carry on in life with his father's blood on his claws? When it came to it, could he really deal the final blow?
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:16 pm
Dreams pulsed against her head in spindles. She never dreamed coherently, or if she did she never recalled it in order. She was walking on an amber field, and then there was fire and water. Her shoulders flinched as his head pulled across her neck. It wasn’t enough to wake her. By now her body was accustomed to his presence, and with the both of them sleeping infrequently, she grew used to jostles. But his whispers, even breathlessly, seemed to summon her subconscious from the darkness. Slowly they melded into her dreams- and recognizing the voice, a jade eye slowly rolled open. His voice was low, and she tried not to do anything to break his thoughts.
He worried so! Not that they didn’t both worry, but she wished he would leave the worrying to her. She could take the brunt of any kind of faltering. At least, she believed she could. She had a nest in her heart dedicated to calculating and trouble. But even as she wished to take away that worry, she knew there was little she could do to ease the task at hand. This pitted father against son, most likely with disastrous ends. She worried for him. What would happen if he were killed? She could not allow it. Her heart would not allow it.
After a few moments of passing, she snaked her lean black neck upwards, looking to him. His eyes seemed focused on nothing- and with her nose, she touched the bottom of his chin. “Not sleeping doesn’t do well for troubles,” Her voice breathed.
"Kidondo...," Her shoulders rose, looking at his expression for a cue. She still remembered that night in the cave, when Kimeti had stumbled upon them. He'd been crippled by his worry- but now? She knew he wouldn't let it happen again. But she worried for him. What would it do to him to stand up against his father- and win?
She did not want to see any part of him die with the king.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 12:02 am
At her touch, his thoughts faded like mist beneath the burning sun. His eyes turned downwards towards her, his eyes softening. She was awake. Had he woken her?
"I'm sorry." He whispered, touching his nose briefly to hers. He hated worrying her, but with such a task dwindling there before him, his own concerns were increasing with every day. "You should be sleeping. We both should." He corrected. The smile that touched his maw was short-lived but tender. "I didn't mean to wake you." He cuddled closer to her, hoping that the closeness would keep away his father's haunting ghost. Would that ghost stay with him even after the elder lion was dead?
No, no it couldn't stay, he wouldn't allow it. Besides, he was doing the right thing, wasn't he?
"We'll be meeting with the rogues any day now, I should not be thinking like this." His voice was quiet, melancholic. "Silly really. This is what I set out to do all that time ago, I should not be doubting it now. This has to be done. One life to save many, right?"
One life to save many....
He coiled his tail tightly around hers, using the gesture to ease the worry in his heart. He had always been a worrier, always thinking too much.
"It'll be okay." He sat then, shook his mane and stared out towards the direction of the land. "I can almost smell the sand. It's good to be home after all this time."
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:47 pm
Her own face crossed a tentative smile when he corrected his statement. That was the truth for sure- they’d hardly had enough sleep between the both of them to even make up a meager standing for one individual, let alone two. They’d need their rest for what lie ahead. But yet… a fire thrust beneath them, and one she doubted would end until they had succeeded in their task or died trying. “You didn’t wake me anymore then I would have done in time,” She spoke, and lightly bumped him on the shoulder.
“I would worry more if you didn’t worry,” She cautioned, resting her head back down against him. “The caution is a good sign. It means you have a ready mind, and that your motions are not driven by ego.” If she could have scared the loom of his father out of him- she would have done it. Just the same as it had been that day in the cave, she was prepared to face that male. And while their only hope of victory lay in Kidondo- nothing would stop her from putting herself between them if there came the need. The fear of failure scared her far more then the pangs of death.
“It is,” She smiled genuinely. It seemed like a while since they had been foolhardy adolescents- but she supposed it was not as long as it felt. “It will be good to see the sand again and the rolling dunes.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:15 am
He sighed, deep and long. No was right, No was always right. To worry was atleast to be cautious and they certainly needed just that if they were to head into Firekin lands with their little troop. They needed to fight as one, protect one another, keep one eye on their allies and one on their enemy. They had to learn to protect one another, to work as a collective. He would tell them that when they arrived at the desert in preparation.
He shivered at the thought of that day, the rogues gathering from all corners of the land, rogues he barely knew yet somehow had a connection with. He was as proud of them as if they were his own children, created from his desire to set things right.
He hoped that after the fight was done that they would stay in the lands and live in them, for with a victory they would seal their own right as Firekin.
"You are a true Firekin at heart." He purred. "The gold of the desert only acts to make you more beautiful." He pressed his head to her side, the purr still light in his throat. "I've been thinking, we've not spoken much about what will happen when we are in power of the lands." He spoke as if the victory was already won. "About what will happen to all the lions that reside there, nor what we need to set into place. I was thinking that we strip away the royal title first, if you agree. There are too many Firekin tied to royal blood to make it meaningless anymore. Everyone has some prince or princess in their heritage, except maybe for the few who were lucky enough to be born to a seperate line." He nodded thoughtfully. "What would you say to the title regentess, my lady?" He smiled, warmly, meaningfully.
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