Malik: (10:28:52 PM): Malik paced forward, his eyes narrowed against the setting sunlight as he pressed on. The lion carried himself well for the amount of damage he'd taken. He was fully aware that showing signs of weakness, of injury, of pain was as much of a death sentance as anything. Now and then he'd wince or snarl as the wounds bit and shot stabs of agony up to his shoulders.
He'd not found Azeze...not found any of them. His mother, his brothers, and his sisters had all scattered. Their family broken. And their father...
He sneered and shook his head against the bubbling rage that began to boil from his gut. It did him no good to dwell on it.
Kosogo: (10:32:03 PM): Kisogo sighed to himself as his pads hit the dirt steadily. He had never journeyed this far from the pridelands, but with his mother back, he had promised he would search. The Firekin lands were the most likely place to look, but he hadn't had the courage to get any closer than the roguelands seperating the two lands. He knew that he would never find anyone this way, but he wasn't a fighter. He had never even brought down a prey animal by himself. How was he supposed to defend himself against the Firekins that his father had escaped from.
Kosogo: (10:35:00 PM): A scent caught in the lion's nose though, and he stopped, knowing the scent of another lion all too well. His blood pumped through his veins as his pulse quickened. Deep in his mind, the childish lion feared his own demise at the paw of a rogue, but what he saw, as he forced his legs to continue churning over the parched grass, was not what he expected. Peering through the haze of heat, Kiso at first feared, but then faintly recognized the shape of a lion, and the scent. A scent from long ago, from his childhood. Who was in these lands that could remind him so, except his family. Roaring loudly for the first time, Kiso announced his presence to the other lion in the distance, a likely stupid move, but when did the red lion ever think clearly?
Malik: (10:45:09 PM): Malik's body tensed and froze as the roar reached his crimson ears. Instantly, the brutish male was on guard, his thick shoulders squared back and his broad chest pushed out. He stood silent for a moment, rolling his ears forward as he took a long, slow look of the area around him. His eyes eventually settled on an all too familar form.
The golden male drew in a deep breath and answered the roar with one of his own, though for his own ego's sake- he made sure to voice himself perhaps a little more than nessicary.
Kosogo: (10:55:21 PM): Kiso's ears twitched forward happily as he heard the returned roar. Though it was obviously louder than his unpracticed vocal chords, it was friendly, brotherly. Malik had recognized him! Instead of padding along at his usual pace, the red pelted lion raced towards his golden brother, who he had always looked up to and now couldn't wait to see. It was almost ironic, though the silly lion didn't realize it, that the red-pelt of his lineage made him fit in better in these lands than the pelt of his brother, who lived here now. Genetics were a funny thing. This mattered little to Kisogo, though, since he had finally fulfilled his promise, he had found family! Mother will be so happy to know that I'm not the only cub to have survived!
Kosogo: (10:56:49 PM): As he neared his brother, he slowed his pace, getting nerves in his stomach again. He had heard rumors of a change in his father, had his brother changed similarly? His eyes grew troubled, the eyes that looked just like his mother's, as they gazed on the form of his brother, defining itself as he closed the distance. The roar had been friendly though... but how friendly could a Firekin actually be?
Malik: (11:03:19 PM): Malik grinned as Kisogo approached, his eyes- ironically similar to his father's- narrowed as he hunched down in the grass. While his body screamed in protest, he couldn't pass up a chance to -once more- prove that he was indeed the better pouncer of the litter. As Kiso slowed his pace, Malik errupted forward and threw a pair of padded paws out to catch his brother's shoulders and send him bowling to the ground.
He smirked down at the smaller lion and lashed the air with his tail. "Tsk tsk. Still slow, bruddah.Still roarin' like a girl."
Kosogo: (11:08:36 PM): Kiso furrowed his brow, looking around as the shape of his brother disappeared below the grass line. Well, this was great, just when he had thought he had found his brother, he disappeared again! Wasn't that just his lu-
And then he was pounced, and found himself flat on his back, his paws held up in front of his face, trying to hide the fear that had momentarily taken over him. He had never been a good pounced, but had almost enjoyed being pounced, since it was attention from his older brother, what else would a spoiled little cub want?
Kosogo: (11:12:43 PM): The mess and tangle of legs and tails that was the pair of lions continued to tumble, though, since Kisogo had learned how to recover from pounces well. Continuing to roll backwards, he tried to scoot out from under Malik. Hearing his brother's comment, he laughed, "You're right, still slow! But not dumb!" And continuing to laugh, he scrambled to his feet, bowing down his front body in a playful gesture before his brother, "The ladies like the soft guys!" And Kiso cockily winked over at his brother, at least he had gained some confidence.
Malik: (11:28:04 PM): "Well that's what they want'cha tah think." He puffed his chest out and ran a paw over his mane. "It's a chest full o' mane an' a good, strong roar dat make 'em happy...." He glanced to the side. Then again, he really only hung out with Rehema. She didn't really count..she had a mate and everything. For all he knew, he was already an uncle!
He shuddered a bit and backed up and plopped down to his rear. His body instantly slumped, grateful for the rest that had been denied to it for so long. "Haha. Well smart 'nuff tah stay outta trouble n' slavery..." He frowned and glanced down to one side. "I...looked fer years. Still can't find th' others. Azeze wasn't there when I went to the firekin place. I checked long as I could a'fore I had tah leave."
Kosogo: (11:33:04 PM): Kiso quirked an eyebrow, not having heard about the Firekin split. He saw his brother's exhaustion, but refrained from commenting, he didn't want to break up the family reunion by angering his brother. "Why did you have to leave? Aren't you there with Dad?" Figuring he might as well explain everything he knew and together they could pool their knowledge, Kiso sat back and settled in for a long conversation, "I'm asking 'cause Mom came home, she's back in the Pridelands, and I promised her I would come looking for anyone else. You're the first one I've found!" He twirled a paw in the dirt in front of him, "I was going to go to the Firekin border, but it took longer than I expected...." To get up the courage, Kiso left off.... His ears perked then, "But now that I've found you, we can get Dad together and then he'll want to come see Mom! Everything will be great!"
Kosogo: (11:34:00 PM): Kiso paused then, thinking about things, like why his father and brothers had left in the first place, "But... Why are you guys still here anyway? You never came back.... I waited for you to, but you didn't.... Are you really Firekin now?"
Malik: (11:44:10 PM): Malik's grin slowly faded into a cold, stern glare to the ground. He remembered the look of malice in his own father's eyes, the angry roar, the unrestrained blows they had exchanged. "...I just fought beside da rebels comin' up 'genst th' traditionalists...who pap was leadin'."
He looked up slowly, "'e's got more cubs. A new family... we're all th' family we gots, kid... No one else's comin' back."
Kosogo: (11:48:42 PM): Kiso's heart jumped to his throat as a cold feeling descended over his brother. This is what the lion had feared for during the conversation. He hadn't seen his brother through all of their growing lives, who knew what kind of lion he had become. A friendly greeting didn't mean things would stay that way.... But then Kiso realized the anger was directed at their father, not himself, and he relaxed, but only slightly.
Kosogo: (11:48:48 PM): That didn't lesson his worry one bit. "Dad was leading... the old Firekin? But he ran from them, he wasn't like them!" Kiso stood again, and backed away, shaking his head. He looked so like his father, his pelt color an exact match. He had been proud because Mwali had left that way of life, but now he had a new family, no it couldn't be that way.... At that moment, the peaceful life that Kiso had grown up in in the Pridelands was replaced. The family he had always been waiting for was gone, the cubbish adult finally grew up.
Kosogo: (11:50:45 PM): But what would he tell his mother? This would ruin her, break her. Kiso was worried, she was still so tired from her travels, would she be able to handle the news? Would her tired heart be able to take more pain? No, Kiso couldn't tell her yet, he would stay here, find out as much as he could, and only return when he had something to help her survive this. But something bothered him about his brother's speech. "But mom came back...."
Malik: (11:58:21 PM): Malik looked up slowly and rolled his ears back. "Life's not all happy n' easy as th' pridelands makes it seem like. Dere's wars, dere's death, dere's lands out dere sufferin' an' strivin' jus' tah make one meal a week. Pop turned on Rehema an' myself when we went out tah look for Azeze....it's likely dey killed 'th kid long ago when 'e was first taken. Get over it."
He shook his head slowly. "Th' pridelands keep lions soft. Make life easy... an' it's gotten so big dat no one's anyone anymore... I can't go back."
Kosogo: (12:03:13 AM): Yes, Kiso had realized all of that all of a sudden. He had been so happy when his mother returned, but had then had to think about the fact of what he would do with his life. Here he was, an adult lion, and on his first trip outside of the pridelands. It was certainly a learning experience for the poor fluff ball. He didn't like the way his brother was talking though, there were good things in life too. No one had thought his mother would come back, but she had! And now he needed to try to help her, anyway he could.
"Yeah, it is awfully big.... But Mom's there now! You have to come see her! Mal', she's going to die when she hears about Dad, at least seeing you will help her a little bit.... You look just like her, ya know, just like I look like Dad.... She cries everytime she sees me! You have to come back, even just for a little bit. You can't tell me that you don't want to see her...."
Kosogo: (12:04:02 AM): Kiso looked at his brother skeptically. If his brother didn't want to see Koho, then he would have nothing more to do with him. His mother was more important to him than any other family member, and if Malik wouldn't help his own mother, then Kisogo didn't have any need of him....
Malik: (12:10:57 AM): Malik's ears flattened back further. It was hard to think of his mother as weak and feeble in her old age. She'd always been powerful, sleek, and proud. She'd taught them how to hunt, kept their family together as long as they could... his nose creased a bit. He was nothing that she wanted him to be. He'd left...he'd failed, he'd even fought in a battle alongside the firekin.
"...I'll go." He muttered quietly. "But I think dat you both should leave... come an' live with Reh. She's...gonna be a ma soon ya know."
Kosogo: (12:18:30 AM): Kiso knew that this conversation was difficult for his brother, it was obvious from his face and ears, but the lion knew no other way of keeping his promises. It had been pure luck that he had found his brother at all, and he wasn't letting this opportunity slip away. He had let his family fall apart once, and if he was going to grow up, he couldn't let it happen again.
And then Kiso heard the words he had been hoping for and relief flooded through him. He'd come! If only for a short time, a few days, that was all that Koho would need as proof that her children were still out there and alive. She would be so happy, perhaps she would accept the explanation that Kiso hadn't found anything about Mwali yet, maybe.... Not that Kiso had ever been able to lie to his mother....
Kiso then looked around at Malik's next comment, "Well, where is she? You can't expect Mom to come to the Firekin lands!"
Malik: (12:23:35 AM): "Naw... no one should go in dere." He slowly laid himself down, finally submitting to the aches and pains his body had fallen under. The lion sighed and slowly let his head rest against his paws. It had been a long walk... he knew the moment he sat down it'd be difficult to get back up again.
"I dunno what happened tah pop... his eyes weren't his if dat makes any sense...an th' cubs 'e had were real little...dey looked...afraid almost. An' dey were right in th' middle of the war... I think 'e was protectin' 'em. I met one o' our cousins ya know, 'e led the rebellion against one of his own family an' all dat. Let me fight so I could free what slaves I could an' see if Azeze was dere still. I didn't find 'em, so I had no reason tah stay."
Kosogo: (12:28:44 AM): Even though his brother went down slowly, Kiso was shocked and worried, thinking his brother was collapsing. He rushed foward, closing the space he had previously created, and was at his brother's side before he realized he was just laying down. At the description of his father, Kiso furrowed his brother, his pale mane waving at the side of his troubled face. He had half-siblings now, which didn't please him at all, since it was just more proof that Mwali had abandoned his mother. Shaking his head, Kiso turned to look at his brother, really look this time, and turned his thoughts to more immediate matters.
"What happened to you, brother? You're hurt...."
Malik: (12:30:56 AM): Malik chuckled faintly and lifted his head up his paws to expose his forelegs. His paws flexed a bit and pushed the long, hooked claws out for his brother's inspection. "I told ya'. I fought in a war. Jus' got it all resolved n' all."
Kosogo: (12:33:53 AM): Kiso peered down at the injuries Malik had suffered, sighing to himself. He hadn't been prepared to care for an injured lion that was larger than him, but he would do what he needed to for his family. "I believed you, but I didn't realize that you had been fighting so recently.... Shouldn't we get you to shelter?" Looking around, worry started in Kiso's mind at the scent of blood an injury that pervaded the area that they were in now. It wasn't a safe position to be in....
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