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 Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:34 am
It had been a long time since the adolescent male had left home in search of his ever-elusive father and at times he thought he'd never find any clues as to where he'd gone. It was lucky for him that his mother had known his general direction (she spoke little of him now that she and Shaji had gotten close) and that he had found a few creatures here and there that remembered a blood red lion with a coat the same color as his own. Though he was glad to have found his trail, he was also saddened that he had to leave his sister behind. Kepi was always a joy to have around, but it quickly became apparent where Vulcan had been heading - to the Firekin. Although he loved his sister, she wouldn't be able to pass through the borders there. Hell, he wasn't even sure he would be able to, despite his coloring and their heritage.
It was these thoughts that plagued his mind as he sat beneath the old, gnarled tree, shadows casting dark stripes across his fur as the sun shone down between the dried limbs. How was he possibly going to make it into the Firekin without being attacked. Even if the rumors were true and the old pride had split into two, would the rebels be willing to take him? He wasn't sure if he wanted to join at this point, or if he just wanted to see his father. Leaving his family behind seemed almost.. unfair.
A deep sigh spread through his jowls and he let his attention fall back onto the carcass he had dragged beneath the tree. A fairly well-sized caribou rested before his hulking form (though he might not have been as large as a firekin his age, he was well beyond the size of an average pridelander or rogue). Trying to push these thoughts out of his mind long enough to enjoy his meal, he again busied himself with tearing at the meat.
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 1:02 pm
Bloody, ********, hell of a day. That's what it'd been. It'd all gone to hell, and Kenna was not particularly happy about it. It wasn't often that she ventured out of firekin territory and into the roguelands, but still, the queen liked to look at adjacent grounds every now and then. The trip had not started brilliantly though; no sooner had she left behind the security of her pridal grounds and dens that the desert had summoned up a harsh sand storm. The weather had forced the proud lioness to refuge herself till it'd passed and of course, once it'd all been said and done, she'd felt hunger tickle at the edges of her subconsciousness. Blowing the fact she'd left the pride alone (even Zap had stayed behind), Kenna had thus set out to seek out the herds that lived beyond the sands, eager to taste their meat once more. After all, she was well trained and rarely failed in her hunting trips.
Of course, today had proved to be one of the rare occasions in which the red pelted female did not succeed. Then again, if someone, anyone, had asked her, the queen of the firekin would have undoubtedly answered that it had NOT been her fault. In a way, it hadn't, really. She'd been oh-so-close to one particular herd, her body well hidden amongst the grass, ready to jump out upon the best given moment.... and that had been when an armature cheetah had appeared out of nowhere, it's slim body darting through the herd of prey beast, effectively creating chaos, and what was worse; a stampede.
Kenna had barely had time to rush out of the herd's way before it'd trampled her, and even then, she'd missed giving the cheetah that had organised the whole ordeal a good talking to (or rather, a good lashing to). As it was though, the usually proud queen of the kin was tired, grumpy, hungry and in an extremely bad mood as she padded amongst the grass, heading towards the shade a tree offered in the distance. She'd left her jewellery home (it made noise, and it was merely a nuisance when she hunted), however, even without it, the large lioness was a sight to behold... as tired as she was, she still retain a sort of proud air to her step. In fact, when she reached the tree the male was laying beside, Kenna was able to basically flop on the ground and still make it look a few notches more graceful than she had any right to (especially given the amount of dirt that the stampeding animals had kicked up and now rested on her pelt), "Bloody cheetah. I'll show him to create a god damned stampede," her eyes, red like fire, focused on her limbs as she dragged her tongue over her pelt.
She only turned towards the adolescent after the first few licks, narrowing her eyes at him. While many a lion would have pondered stealing his food... well, Kenna was above that; she would get her own food. Later. When her body stopped feeling like a herd of buffalo had actually managed to run over her, "And who the hell are you?" while it was snapped slightly, it was obvious the bad mood came from her run in with the prey, and she swiftly turned her attention away from him.
Who cared about the rogue anyhow. ******** him. Not literally though.
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:11 pm
It was hard not to notice the hulking red lioness coming in his direction, even though she seemed to be completely unaware of him where he sat. It was kind of an awe-inspiring and surprising thing all at once to see a lioness that much bigger than he was, as he'd certainly never come across that before. For a few moments, all he could do was stare with his mouth slightly agape and half full of caribou meat as she flopped down near him with all the grace of a petite, noble lioness. If he hadn't known any better, he would have said she was a bit like his mother in her ability to be so.. angelic. And yet, she was much more strong in appearance than her mother was, for sure.
"Uhm," he half choked, swallowing the meat he had been chewing as she turned her fiery gaze onto him. He hadn't expected that, but then, he wasn't sure what he had expected at all from this lioness. "I'm Jiryan," he finally managed, picking his head up and actually making a fair pass at appearing brave and commanding. He was getting close to the Firekin lands now and he knew that, thus he needed to make himself appear to be.. not a pathetic weakling. She also seemed to match the descriptions he'd heard - red, big, moody - so she seemed like a prime candidate. Maybe if he got lucky, she'd take him back to the Firekin and vouch for him.
As she turned away, his eyes narrowed and his brow knit in a rather perplexed, confused manner. She asked him a question, then managed to look like she couldn't give a crap about him? Well, he supposed he had met weirder and he might meet weirder yet. "I couldn't help but see that you're a little worse for wear there," he ventured, cracking a smile that was half smirk, "I don't suppose you're hungry?" He nudged the caribou carcass a little in her direction, watching her to gauge her mood as he did so.
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 1:48 pm
For a very long while, she did her best to ignore him, and even as he spoke his name, the large lioness looked off towards the distance, seething with rage at her disgrace. Then, her blood red eyes rolled to look at lion laying just a small distance away, "I couldn't care less what your name is," despite how rude the words were, they had an air of superiority to them, as if she couldn't really even begin to understand why she should bother talking to him what-so-ever.
As she moved to shift her position though, her perfect air of superiority cracked, pain flashing across her features. Despite how much she was fighting it, she really was worse for wear, and somehow, the knowledge hurt her pride more than the actual metaphorical 'fall' had. There was no way she was going to be able to brave the desert back home like this today. She would have to rest today and possibly tonight before heading back to her pride and realm. A sneer of distaste spread across her features and she shook her head, a paw lifting so she could tend to her cuts and bruises. All in all though, she'd come out of the whole ordeal in much better condition than most would have; if anything, she was in good physical form. This had a lot to do with the fact that despite being Queen, she'd never let anyone, slave or otherwise, to do her work for her. While she'd been watching more than a few of her subjects (specially her siblings - her brother Sinbad, mostly) grow cocky and perhaps just a tad lazy, she'd never allowed herself to be bested.
In Kenna's mind, a Firekin was not a Firekin if all he or she did was lay back and let the slaves do their work for them. Her eyes slid back to him as he nudged the carcass in her direction, head lifting stiffly, even despite the fact it obviously hurt, "Yes. But I am not about to take your food, mongrel. I am above that. All my kin is," almost all of it, actually, but not all. She let out a mental sigh.
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:11 pm
"You just asked me who I was, I'm not sure how else you expected me to answer that question but with my name," his brows both rose a little as he watched her, mild confusion dancing in his bright eyes. Either she was hurt enough that she wasn't quit at her best mentally, or she was always irritable and contradicting. He supposed it could probably be both, but how was he to know?
He didn't particularly want to make her angry, that was for sure, because although she seemed as if she were hurt, something told him that she wouldn't hesitate to try and slaughter him. It wasn't just the stories he heard about Firekins, but that demeanor she had, that barely contained wildfire lurking just beneath the surface. As such, he was making sure not to speak too boldly, or make the snarky comments he was rather known for. He had to take this one step at a time if he wanted to get into the Firekin lands and find his father, let alone do it all in one piece.
"Well, I wouldn't offer it unless I thought you sorely needed it," he stated calmly, lifting his head to stare at her from his laying position. "You should eat, or you won't have much energy to get back home. Resting will help, but you've gotta give it something to use." He shrugged, as if it was just the way the world worked. "I'd hate for you to get stuck out here." He glanced away, into the wild, eyes narrowing on the horizon. "You must be from the Firekin lands, right? We're near them, aren't we? And you look.." he trailed off, glancing back at her, "like every description I've heard of them. You fit it perfectly." He tried to let a little awe leak into his voice (for both she and the mention of the Firekin), though not so much that it might earn him a slap.
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:56 am
Her head turned so she could fix him with a cool, sharp look that mostly seemed to voice the fact she thought him to be a nuisance, and idiot and an annoyance, "It's call rhetorical question. I didn't want an answer. I was snapping at you, you stupid mudblood."
While it was true his pelt was red, he could have never been a firekin; his attitude was not right, in her mind. He was large, true, but she was larger, and thus, if he really was a firekin, then he was a mudblood anyhow. He didn't matter, and it was obvious she was choosing to ignore him for the most part, as if he weren't more than a mere fly that was too annoying to acknowledge.
This particular 'annoying little fly' did not seem like it was going to go away the longer she ignored it however, for he decided to talk to her some more. Mentally rolling her eyes, the lioness finally deemed it right to acknowledge him, her head turning to face him with another cold glare, "What, exactly, does it matter to you what I do anyhow?" despite the fact she was snapping at him again, there was just... a small amount of curiosity in her words; she did not understand why a rogue would even want to give her the time of day, let alone help her, "What have you to gain by helping someone that is obviously sneering down at you? Are you daft? Why would it matter to you if I got stuck here or not?" as an afterthought, she elaborated, "Those are not rhetorical questions, by the way."
As he spoke on, her eyes narrowed, "I am of the kin. What, exactly, is it to you? Are you of the kin too? Were you stranded from us by the plague? Like Ripuka's mate?" a snort, "Only someone suicidal would come into firekin lands, seeking them out without being of the blood. We tend to attack first, and ask later. Are you tired of living?" despite her words, Kenna's eyes did stray down to the offered meal; if he wanted to give her some, it would be his funeral. Why would she not take what was being offered? She was of the kin, true, but she was not stupid; if it meant survival, while she was away from her lands, she would take it. Thus so, she stood up and moved a few paces near him, taking a moment to offer him a sharp glare, as if to warn him off from trying something 'stupid', and then, lay back down to feed.
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:12 pm
He snorted lightly at the answer he got, but said nothing. Any other time he would have had a witty comeback and true, there were a hundred teeming on the tip of his tongue, begging to be released, but he knew he would get no where if he let his mind run away with him. That, and she would likely get mad enough to strike him and the last thing he wanted was to have a brawl right now.
Instead of persist, he let her think it over, staying right there until she decided that he really wasn't going to go away. He wasn't about to let her just walk off (not that he really thought she could in this condition right at this moment) and he certainly wouldn't leave her here alone. If his mother had taught him anything with her view on the world, it was that females were to be treated with the utmost respect and that they were to never, ever be left alone if they were hurt or in harm's way. What would she think of him if he just got up and left this lioness here? Cranky firekin or not, his mother probably would have drug him all the way home by his ear.
"You're hurt," he said bluntly, narrowing his eyes on her as his brows furrowed. He knew not everyone had been raised by a single mother (for Kiasi had been for the most part) that stressed being a gentleman, but the world couldn't all be cold-hearted. "What kind of male leaves a female that's hurt out here to fend for herself? I don't know anything about the Firekin past rumors that leak out of the lands, that I admit, but surely not even they would tell a male to leave an injured lioness by herself." He shook his head at the thought, pursing his lips. He could see his mother berating him now, though he knew that wasn't the only reason he helped. It would make his heart ache if he left her and something happened - he would feel guilty, no matter who she was. "I don't have anything to gain from this."
All this mushy talk about his honor and nothing to gain was making him feel a little queasy though, because he certainly wasn't Tootsie. He glanced away from her then, staring off with those brilliant green eyes, watching the distant horizon. Where had his nerve gone? It sucked to have to be so nice and soft just because she might give him a face full of claws, or help him with his goal.
"The kin?" he asked, snapping his attention back to her, letting his gaze rest on her face once more. Well, he had never heard that term before, but if she had been calling him a mudblood then he was willing to bet that he wasn't. "No, at least I don't really think so. My father is a Firekin, though he hasn't been home for quite some time. I've been looking for him, and my sister said he was finally going back to where he belonged." He shrugged his shoulders at his explanation, watching her calmly as she got up and lay down next to his kill. He didn't move to do a thing - after all, he had offered it to her. In fact, a pleasant feeling of accomplishment swelled in him, though he didn't react to it.
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:07 pm
"Again, honestly, what the ******** hell does that have to do with you anyhow? What's it to you if I'm hurt or not?" at least, despite her horribly gruff words, she no longer looked like he would get a face full of claws any second now. In fact, the lioness had settled herself down and was reclining herself comfortably against the tree's bark as she ate. Her muscles were relaxed and she kept her eyes off of his, a clear sign she (for now) meant him no harm; he was feeding her after all, and while unstable, Kenna was honorable, in her own, strange way, "It really shouldn't matter to you," swallowing, she turned her fiery yes over to him, arching a brow, "Any normal male, actually. Strangers that you are not particularly acquaintance with and that can be a threat to you should be left alone, as far as I was taught. Why would you approach a hurt Firekin? You are aware my kin kills anyone that strays near our border, right? And those we do not kill are enslaved."
By now, the conversation was turning out to be... mildly interesting. Enough, at least, that she was no longer grumpy over the whole ordeal she'd lived through. Then again, this had a lot to do with the fact that those back within the Safi lands hardly ever talked to her. Mostly out of fear for their lives. Those few that did were far too formal for Kenna's tastes (like Ripuka), or were for too INformal for her tastes (Such as Sinbad). Azula was gone on some sort of a hunting trip, probably too bored to stay, and no one around really spent time with the queen. Even her slave, Zap, was being used far more often by her lazy, cocky, dumb a** of a brother than by herself. It sickened her to see her brother resorting to the slave to do his work for her; the status of 'lord' had gotten to his head and made the size of Africa.
Kenna had never allowed her title to get to her; while it was true she was the Queen, she did not feel the need to flaunt it. Others feared her for whom she was, not for her title; she was pretty sure that they would have feared her even if she'd not ended up their leader. Her ears twitched back to the male, "We are taught weakness is to be extinguished. Killed. A male lion would kill a strange lioness if he found her and she were not of the kin. It is our way," her brows furrowed when he told her he had nothing to gain, "You have nothing to gain, and much to lose from helping me regain my strength. What if I were to call for my kin? They would kill you or enslave you. Hunt you down mercilessly. Even knowing this, you still wish to help me?" she snorted as she reached this point, then lowered her voice, "Bloody idiot."
Something about the way she said it made it less of an insult and more of... a something else. It was hard to figure out, really. His words snapped her attention back into focus, her brilliant eyes narrowing, "You claim your father to be Firekin?" this was interesting indeed. In fact, this was beyond interesting. Was he really firekin? Even if he was a halfling... that was what the rest of the pride (minus very, very few) currently were. She knew as much due to the dark, dark secret Mwali had shared with her and her littermates, "Really now? That's.... interesting," she drawled out, "What was your father's name, mmmm? Maybe I know of him."
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:49 pm
"It's just how I was raised," he said again, frowning at her. "Then again, it wasn't exactly I that approached you, was it?" his brow quirked at this, though the smirk that would have typically followed it was no where to be seen. He knew enough not to mock her, not at least when he seemed to just be getting on her.. well, he wasn't sure this was her good side, but it definitely didn't seem to be her 'worst' side. "I've heard that rumor, though," he said with a small nod, flicking his tail a little, though he didn't seem uneasy or swayed from his goal, "though I was hoping my heritage would earn me a little merit here." Truthfully, Kat had told him it would be alright - she hadn't told him the details, just that it would be. He trusted her when she said it would be, though he wasn't sure if she had seen what would happen exactly or not - he didn't know what these 'visions' of hers told her.
"Well, if I had simply left without helping you, without offering you any sort of aid, to return home and have my sister rat on me, then my own mother would likely kill me or close to," he smirked at this then, obviously amusing himself with the image. His mother was rather small, but would she ever tan his hide for leaving a lioness, no matter how mean or cranky, out to fend for themselves when they were hurt. "I'm not sure if I would rather face her or all your kin, to be quite honest." It was a joke, though he was not sure if she would get it, being as there were in fact some cultural boundaries here.
He had heard her mumble, though he had only picked up part. He chose not to remark though, simply shaking his head and waiting for her to decide what next to berate him about. Apparently his decisions were ridiculous, that he had learned, but he still trusted Kat and her guidance. If this was what was meant to happen, then so be it. He didn't think he would come to harm, or worse yet, die. He just had to take it one step at a time, right? His sister might not have had the most due north moral compass in the world, but she would not have led her brother astray.
"I claim him to be a full-blooded firekin, as he told me, but you wouldn't know his name. At least I wouldn't think so," he said, watching her as her interest sparked up. So, perhaps having heritage here did account for something? Mudblood or not, maybe Kat had been right, maybe he would find his way in. "He claimed he was born to Akamu and Vulhua, but not within the pride borders. I think those names will mean more to you than his will." He watched her for a moment, bright eyes studying her, before he finally decided that not answering her question itself would have been quite rude. "Though, if you'd really like to know, his name is Vulcan."
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 3:23 pm
A snort that could have been deemed as dry humour on her part was offered, "I approached the tree, not you. Do you see any GOOD trees around here aside this one? Yeah, didn't think so either," it was as 'comfortable' a conversation as he was going to get from her it seemed. If anything, it was clear the female was a no nonsense type (at least, up front anyhow), and while it might've been later discovered that she had a dark sense of humour, for the time being she seemed dry, if not wound up tight. In her defense, she'd almost been trampled over, she was away from her lands, she was tired and she was hungry and she was thirsty. Then again, he was aiding a couple of those problems by feeding her and let her stay still (not that it would've matter much, for she could have lasted without food for a few more days and likely another 48 hours or so without water - enough to see her back home either way).
At first, his rattling made her roll her eyes, this time physically rather than mentally, however, she stopped mid-action, forcing her features into a frown, "How the hell would your bloody sister rat you out anyhow? She's not here," his later joke, she did get, amazingly enough, if anything because the only lioness Kenna herself would have feared to confront, was her own mother. Her father... not so much anymore. Something in him had changed. Her mother though, ooooh, but she was fearsome. In fact, Kenna was sure she got most of her personality (minus the unstable bits) from her, "You have not seen my mother, then. In fact, I very much advise you to never meet her. I think she's worse than I am," and by that, she was hinting rather bluntly that she herself was pretty damned 'bad'.
Oh, but the conversation was turning into something horribly... interesting, wasn't it? For the first time during their encounter, the lioness smiled; it was nothing like a smile thought, more of a smirk with an edge that made others stay away from her most of the time, "Those names," she told him, "Those names, they ring a bell, actually," it was not a lie, for she had many times talked to Ripuka, learning about Firekin history from the old, blind lioness. She'd been around when Kenna's grandfather had been king and knew many, if not all of the names that were meant to be known, "The first ones. The last not... not so much, but regardless, it's interesting, at least," the queen was pondering now; granted, this was a half blood, but still, it meant more blood for the pride. If Ripuka recognised the names as true, it meant that he was firekin and at the end of the day.... one more body for the pride, "And you? What's you name?" she asked, the smile now gone, and attitude apparently change enough that it seemed she was addressing an equal. Or rather, not an equal, but no longer the dirt she walked on at least, "My name is Kenna."
While that name would have sparked recognition within the firekin (Simo or Safi, really, for whom did not know the leaders of both sides), she was sure he'd remain in the dark about it. Which made the whole ordeal horribly entertaining to her, "I'll tell you what," she said as she took one more bite of the carcass, "Quid pro quo. You gave me food. In return, I'll escort you to the firekin lands. No one'll harm you if you're with me," the smirk returned then, though it was brief, "I get you in, and you can go talk to Ripuka. If she can recognise those names and can verify what you say, and believe me, if it's true, she will be able to, then you can do whatever the ******** hell you want to do from there," a pause followed, "If she doesn't recognise the veracity of what you say, then...." well, she left the words hanging, but she didn't need to continue, "I take you in, you take it from there. Quid pro quo."
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 3:56 pm
He simply smirked at her, chuckling a bit under his breath as he lay down again, relaxing a bit now that she seemed to not be so damned uptight around him. What she said was undoubtedly true. She had approached the tree because it was the only one within a good distance that had any real substance to it. Well, be that as it may, she had still approached him and not the other way around; he didn't think it would do any good to argue with her, though.
"What?" he asked suddenly at her random question, thinking back over what he had said for a moment. Then it occurred to him that he had let slip a little sliver of information that he forgot not everyone was quite accustomed to hearing. "My sister has visions of.. a lot of things," he said with a shrug, "that's how I knew my father was here." It was just simple Kat to him, something he didn't dwell on, and sometimes he forgot that not everyone knew that she was a seer. "I don't think you're so bad, really. Fiesty, for sure," he said with a bit of a laugh, certainly falling back into his habit of making a joke of everything. Mostly, he just didn't want to dwell on the fact that he was going into hostile territory.
A bit of relief swelled through him as she admitted to knowing his grandparents' names. He didn't show it on the surface, but it was a big weight off his shoulders. He didn't think his dad would lie, but he didn't know how closely knit the pride was. If they didn't know his grandparents, for he had been sure his father was likely unknown to them, then he might have had a hard time getting in. "My name is Jiryan," he said, again, though he made no comment about how he had already introduced himself to her. This was a big break and he wasn't about to screw it up for himself. "It's nice to meet you, Kenna," he even dipped his head as he said, and for all the world, he seemed like he actually meant it.
Just as she suspected, the name she gave him really meant nothing. He had no idea who the rulers of either side were (in fact, he didn't even know they were split into two sides). "That sounds like a deal, Kenna," he said with a pleasant smile, relaxing comfortably where he sat. He had no doubt that if Kenna knew the names of his grandparents, then this Ripuka must know his father's story for truth. He knew partially that his confidence came from Kat's words, as much as he wouldn't believe that he would have been confident over everything without them. "I trust my father's words." He let her eyes stray to her again, watching her, all the while so oblivious to what might befall him in the future. He had only wanted to find his father, but where would his quest lead him in the end?
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