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 Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:17 am
She wasn't in charge of a pride anymore. She had no responsibilities what so ever. In fact, whereas all the Safi members had been placed as hunters and huntresses (almost as if a trial to see if they would cope with having to work for themselves), Kenna had been ranked outside that; Aspirant, the Regents had called it.
She should have been dismayed by the situation. She should have been enraged they had done such a thing to her.
However, Kenna could not bring herself to be anything other than horribly amused by it all. By all means, she should have felt at least somewhat ashamed, and yet she couldn't even bring herself to do that. For the first time in her life since she had been a cub, Kenna was experiencing a stress-free life. She had no one to look out for except her cubs and her mate (all of which were actually accepted rather readily within the pride - the cubs because they were young, and her mate because he was pridelander, of all things, and No seemed amused by the fact). The pride members no longer looked at her for support, though most knew to keep their distances from her and not irritate her in any way (after all, she was still rather willing to use her claws, and she'd made it clear she would fight anyone out there just to keep in shape, win or loss, it didn't matter).
That aside, Kenna couldn't help but find herself entertained by the notion that she could so EASILY get under both Kidondo's and No's skin, just by BEING there and giving them smirks. She openly allowed herself to bicker and b***h with No, if only because it was amusing, and she allowed herself to oppose them, calling them idiots whenever they took what was, in her opinion, a stupid decision.
She seemed in no rush to rid herself of her new rank.
Life had become extremely pleasing for her. She rather liked that.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:54 am
In all honesty, to Jiryan, the change had really been little but a change of location. The only difference was that his mate was no longer top dog, and that provided a little less protection than he had been afforded in the Safi. Still, here there were more members from other lands, and he didn't have the same worries he had in the Safi to begin with. The more vicious members in the Safi had left instead of join with the merge, and this pride, although still upholding the Firekin ideals, was quite a bit more accepting of him in general. His only disappointment thus far had been the fact that his father was no where to be seen - what on earth was keeping him so long? Surely his sister's vision wasn't wrong?
With a gentle sigh, he made his way in the direction of his mate, having seen her in one of her usual spots. Probably harassing Simo lions with nothing more than her eyes and musing inwardly to herself, if he had to guess. She seemed to take great delight in that. The thought made him smirk, and as he plopped down comfortably at her side, at least a little of his good mood had returned to him. "I'm surprised there hasn't been a revolt yet," he said calmly, yawning and rolling his bright green eyes to look at her.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:47 pm
Kenna had, indeed, simply been laying there, as close as she could get to the main group, making them nervous just by existing peacefully (she did make sure to toss in a fake glare now and then, just for show - she was delighted by how easily riled they all were). When her mate came to flop himself on the ground by her side, she scooted over to give him space, allowing herself to lean against him, eager for contact, because if anything, relying on him was something new she could finally allow herself to do.
She no longer needed to appear strong in the face of others. She could afford to indulge in all those things she had been deprived of since she'd been a cub (and needless to say, Kenna was in fact, enjoying this, despite outward appearances). A snort of air was blown out through her nose at Ji's claim, her eyes rolling over to focus on him, as best as they could, given the position they were in, "If they're smart enough to know what's good for them, they'll be good lil boys and girls and play nice with the others. I'm not going to rush in to save any of them. They're no longer my responsibility and they were warned of this," in fact, despite the way she snarked at the regents, Kenna actually found herself agreeing with a lot of what they believed in. Even if they were pussyfooting the s**t they should have been taking care of, and even if they were sissies and Kenna felt they needed to show everyone a bit more of strength.
Alas, beggars can't be choosers and the ex-queen contented herself with voicing her opinion. Merely that.
There was little doubt in her mind, that if push came to shove with the safi she'd brought over, she would actually help the Regents of the simo out. If only because she could not afford to lose membership within the pride; if it meant growling at some idiots, then she would do it, by the goddess, she would show those idiots. She had, after all, a mission to accomplish in the future. Baby steps, that's all it took; a lot of patience and baby steps, "They better not try to pull anything. Not when I've had to work this bloody hard to get us in. When Kidondo first roared and came charging at me I honestly thought I had my days counted, Ji. I'm not letting any idiots make a fool out of me," she growled slightly as she looked around the territory, "They're sorely mistaken if they think I'll back them up. In fact, if they so much as move a finger to jeopardise my membership here, /I/ will be the first to claw their faces off."
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:23 pm
Her dependent nature on him now was something he hadn't expected at first, but it was something he liked to indulge in. He appreciated the fact that he had a little more contact from her now, and he supposed it was mostly because Kenna had been concerned before with keeping up her image. Not that he really blamed her - the Firekin of the Safi tribe had been quite a cut throat variety when they wished to be.
"No, I didn't mean the Safi," he said with a light smirk, leaning his head down to n** lightly at her ear. He was an affectionate sort, but he didn't want to over do it with Kenna, as he didn't take her to ever really be the hugs, cuddles, and rainbows type. Still, now that she was being more affectionate than before, he was still learning the boundaries, especially in public. "I meant the Simo," he nodded out at the lions she had been torturing all day with her glares, a soft chuckle in his chest, "I'm surprised some of them haven't revolted again the regents decision yet. After all, I hear that war was a bit nasty." He leaned a little more into her, supporting her weight.
He did listen to her, however, as she went on about the Safi lions they had brought with them. "I don't think any of them would be so unwise," he said slowly, narrowing his eyes out on those around them. "Most of them know how hard you had to work to get in here, and they know it would be on your head if something went wrong, especially right now. The regents still don't trust you." He flicked his tail, tensing up a bit. "If they tried anything, I would be right there with you. I don't need you put in any position to take the blame for their actions." He'd been in enough of a mess after Kenna finally returned from the meeting with Kidondo and No, after hearing that raging roar. He had almost left the cubs behind and gone after her, he could have covered that distance quickly. "I let you walk into harm's way once, I won't let anyone else put you there." He could feel the anger already seething at that thought, eyes narrowing, as if he dared a single one of them. It probably wasn't a very kind look, to Safi or Simo either one.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:37 pm
"Idiots, the lot of them, I swear to God," she sneered openly, her words making it unclear which group of lions she was referring to, if not both. As he nipped her ear, it flicked this way and that, unused to the touch, but otherwise accepting of it. Then, she leaned her head in and settled it over his shoulder. At first sight, it might've looked like she was indulging in some more contact, however, her maw sought out his ear then and continued to talk, "I think some of the ones we brought here have... ideas of their own," she murmured, "I think some of them think they can pull something off," a click of her tongue over her fangs signalled she disapproved of this, "I get the impression they're hatching plans of their own; why else would they come?" there were a few, like Sinbad, that she was unsure of.
She knew her brother openly despised the placed. What was he up to? What were they up to? "I called Kidondo an idiot at the time, because I had to, but he's smart to be suspicious. He's wise to keep his hackles raised. I get the feeling he's right, and that not everyone is going to play by the rules I set," she lifted her head away from him then, talking louder, changing the tone of the conversation, as if to not draw attention, "As far as a revolt goes, Kidondo might not be as harsh as I am, by any means, but he was able to lead a rebellion. I think we should give him credit for that. The lions here know better than to challenge him openly for such a decision."
Her own challenges to the regents were kept within a certain boundary too, mostly because she knew it was EXPECTED of her to be a b***h. By god, if it was a b***h they wanted, then it was a b***h they'd get; the fact it was all so horribly amusing was merely a bonus, "The kids are actually fitting in much better than the adults anyhow. I think we're the most relaxed of the lot. You're fine with being a hunter, and I'm perfectly giddy to be responsibility free," a snort of amusement escaped her, "I think Serafina's been making new friends. And did you notice she seems to stick to Kenina like a shadow to a body?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:11 pm
He tilted his head to the side slightly, as if he were leaning in to her affections, when she leaned in to whisper to him. His brow furrowed deeply as she continued to talk, though he had to admit that he agreed to what she was saying exactly. He had been quite confused at the large number of lions that had come with Kenna, especially some of the older ones. Sure, he could see some of them slowly seeing the Simo's point of view, and the younger ones about Kenna's age had never really been given too much of a chance - but there were just no excuses for others. Especially her brother, Sinbad. Why he was here baffled Jiryan since the day he found out he was coming, and it still baffled him.
"Kidondo is probably very wise," he muttered under his breath, turning his eyes out to the pride around them. "I didn't want to say anything, because I trusted your judgment, but it doesn't sit right with me." If they made trouble for them, especially before the regents came to know Kenna and realized it had nothing to do with her, there would be hell to pay. Ji didn't care if he wasn't as big or strong as some of them, he had a wrath to match any of them. He let it drop with a simple nod though, as he knew the queen whispering behind backs would be cause for attention grabbing - even if it was only to her mate. "I suppose you're right, though." He was still unnerved by the tensions between the two groups, but he supposed that she would know, she had a strange insight to these things.
"Yes, the cubs are fitting in better.. than I expected." He was happy for the subject change, and he was glad for this one. He had been a little nervous over how they would act, but it seemed it was for no reason at all. He shifted, however, as she mentioned the recent union between their daughters. "You noticed that too, hm?" He began, his brows furrowing once more as he leaned his head down against hers for a moment. "It makes me wonder what in the world Kenina did to make her act that way. She's too much like you sometimes." It wasn't really an insult, just an observation - one Kenna was dangerous enough, in his opinion.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:31 pm
She narrowed her eyes as she looked at her mate, as if to tell him that she agreed with him. Something wasn't right; she wasn't sure what it was, and she wasn't sure if it'd be set right with time, however... that was one of the reasons she had detached herself from either group. That was why she remain to the side, associating with neither simo nor safi, snarking at the regents and at the same time, spending most, if not all her time near them, so they could keep an eye on her.
Everything she was doing was on purpose. An attempt to get them to understand she was an individual, not part of a side anymore. She was herself, and perhaps, in time they would stop seeing her as the leader of the pride they'd hated. She snorted mildly again, then lifted a paw and began to groom herself, "Time will tell. I just hope they don't kill my fun, or I will be pissed. If I have to rush forward and actually prove I'm doing this more for fun than anything before I tire of this game, I will be SO pissed."
Lowering her paw, Kenna turned to grin at her mate, her teeth gleaming in the sunlight, "I expected no less from them, smart, unique lil things that they are," her gaze turned towards the lions around them once more as she shifted to lean back against him again, for she could not deny the comfort it brought, "What Kenina lacks in strength, she gains in wits. I'm inclined to believe she's the smartest of the lot. Though Kidondo is probably just as intelligent, really," her eyes narrowed, "Serafina... is special. But have you noticed Kenina can actually calm her down? I no longer need to hold her when we sleep at night. She curls up with Kenina," another grin, this one sadistic in nature, "They're smart in sticking together. They balance each other out; they're a rather lethal combination. Kenina probably figured out what we already know about Sera."
Ohhh, and she was proud of her dark little daughter.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:56 pm
He had to laugh at the way she was so worried about them ruining her fun, as if that was the only problem they would be facing if they decided to cause some sort of problem. He simply shook his head and leaned up to n** at her ears again before laying his head against hers once more. "I don't think anyone would dare ruin your fun," he muttered, though the smile on his face seemed to suggest that he was starting to get playful at this point, perhaps poking fun at her just a bit.
"You're right," he said with a soft nod, "together they are a dangerous pair. I'm not sure what worries me more - the current state of things, or what our darling daughters might grow up to be. If the rest of the pride is smart, they'll keep an eye on them." Still, there was an air of pride in his voice, and the smile on his maw was so wide it nearly split it clean in two. "They'll be a challenge for anyone, with Kenina's sharp mind and Sera's brutal strength." He tilted his head a bit as he thought about it, this new ability of Kenina to 'control' her sister. "I think she must have, otherwise she would have earned herself more than a few new scrapes and cuts by now, with being around her so much, don't you think? At least it's keeping Serafina out of trouble a bit."
Oh, he was proud of Kenina for figuring it out, and he knew both of them would make him even more proud in the coming months. Still, he had to wonder what fate had in store for them. Even if they were the only ones to recognize it right now, that pair was going to evolve into something dangerous and strong.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 3:43 pm
"They better not," she grumbled loudly, her head turning to give him a glare (even if it was probably obvious to him she was being just as playful as he was, in her own way - she still had trouble following him down this path, for jokes had not been in her nature before), "Having the time of my life, if you hadn't noticed," before Ji, she had never really laughed. Granted, she had been close to Azula, but the sisters had never joked. In fact, whenever Kenna bothered to look back upon those days... she found them to be rather monotone. She found herself to have been rather dull and monotone back then.
If the Regents did not like her strange sense of humour, well... it was likely they should be blaming Jiryan, not Kenna herself, for it was he whom had rubbed it all off on her. While it was true Kenna had adapted it in her own unique way, the red male was the one that had prompted the change in the first place.
A dry chuckle escaped her throat then, "They'll be fun to watch. They're so young, and they're already causing chaos and havoc," it was obvious she was proud of this, "Keahi's pretty entertaining to watch too," the poor boy had apprenticed as a soldier, and he... was not doing well. Kenna understood his distress, to a point, because he was afflicted by the same annoyance she was. However, the young male seemed further more affected than she was, to the point she'd watched him sink into hysterics whenever confronted with opponents that were not to his.... 'liking', "And I hope Quidel is doing fine. The poor dear left all his toys back home," she had little doubt he'd be finding new ones here though, "I'm pleased with how things are going."
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:30 pm
He chuckled at her, realizing that she was joking back, though no one else was likely to understand her strange brand of humor. He knew it was his fault, entirely, as she hadn't been prone to being the joking variety in the beginning. Still, it was hard to imagine her any other way, even knowing what he did, even after having seen her at some of her worst moments, at some of her most angry points. This was the Kenna he loved, this one right here. Those paranoid Simo lions be damned, they didn't see what he did.
"I'm not sure fun is the right word to use there," he said with a small chuckle, thinking over the different little quirks in his children. A few of them had inherited some of Kenna's more unfortunate habits, though Keahi seemed to be on the verge of not being able to function with it. That worried him, and he wasn't sure if he should try to talk to him, or let him see for himself how poorly suited he was for his chosen life. "Keahi will never make it you know. I hate to say it, but he won't function in a soldier's world with how dysfunctional he is." He frowned lightly, but shrugged, finally just shaking his head. "I suppose there's nothing to do for that but let him learn it on his own, he'd never understand if we tried to tell him."
At mention of Quidel, he simply nodded and smiled. 'Toys' were easy enough for him to find, he would do alright. They were all adjusting, and that was all that really mattered right now. Still, he looked over at her, bright eyes watching her in silence for a moment before he simply sighed. "Couldn't we have any normal cubs, Kenna? Not one?" He tried to say it in all seriousness, but there was amusement in his eyes.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:46 pm
"Oh, but it is! Can't you see how much ******** fun I'm having here?" it was clear she was, in fact, enjoying herself, if anything because while for now she was content with watching, she knew she could jump in to help her children at any given moment, "Jiryan, normal is so overrated, don't you think?" there was sarcasm dripping from her words, then she leaned in to bump her head against his, "That's what happens when you mix pridelander blood with firekin blood. 'Sides, there's no psychos on my side of the family, they're all clearly from yours," again, the sarcasm was evident in her voice, "They might not be what you call 'normal', not one of them, but they've got style."
Kenna knew that most of the quirks their cubs had inherited were from her side of the family. Not that she minded in the least; she very much enjoyed the fact Kenina kept herself clean with such meticulous care, and she loved to see the fire in Serafina's eyes. She still couldn't hold the mirth at bay when her oldest son, Kehai, ran off, screaming bloody murder about someone he'd just met that was so horribly frightening because they were asymmetrical, and she loved to watch Quidel.
Each and every one of her children were unique, and she knew that when the time came, they would take the world, "Oh, I know he won't do a soldier," she drawled suddenly, her gaze turning up to the sky, "He just needs to jump to that conclusion himself. He's stubborn as either of us. It'll just take time," a grin broke out then, "And when the time comes, I'll tell him that perhaps he's better suited to be a historian. After all... the boy knows the tales and the history of the safi with meticulous care; like it or not, safi history is now also part of this pride's history," oh, but that was just a small part of her plan right there, wasn't it?
Inserting their history into the pride was just another teeny tiny step they would take in time. If anything, it was obvious the ex-queen had given everything a lot of thought; she wasn't walking blindly, "I really do like it here," she admitted, then turned towards him with a frown, "Don't tell No and Kidondo that. I so do love watching them pussyfoot around me. It's hilarious."
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:04 pm
"I have Pridelander blood and Firekin blood too," he muttered, throwing her a glance from the corner of his eye, "what are you trying to imply?" Despite the fact that he was trying to force his face into an offended expression, his words were filled with barely concealed mirth. "I suppose you could be right though, my sister is a bit nuts," he said lightly, shrugging his shoulders and looking back out at the pride. Idly, he wondered if maybe she'd see him saying that in a vision, and he had to chuckle. Kat would deserve it, after not having him around to harass her anymore.
He wasn't so sure that normal was over rated, as he wouldn't have particularly minded one cub that was of an average mentality. The sort he could talk to without worrying about it freaking out over his stripes, or freaking out when he touched it in case he got it dirty, or it just freaking out because of instability period. A nice, normal cub would have been a breather. Of course, it was the little quirks that made them individuals, and he loved each of them even more for what made them special - even if it was a chore. Still, one could have been nice. Really.
"Oh, do you have a plan, hm?" he asked with a sly glance in her direction, one brow quirking. So she already had their poor, dysfunctional son pegged for a historian, did she? And one of the Safi, no less. He supposed he shouldn't have put it past her to have a plan of some sort, to incorporate more of her once-pride into the one that had taken her in. Still, he shook his head and smiled, leaning his head back down to hers again. "Nevermind, I don't think I would ever be able to understand everything that goes on in your mind."
Her next words simply made him laugh. "I wouldn't dream of it," he muttered, "that would ruin your fun."
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:37 pm
A small burst of dry laughter followed his words; despite his attempt to sound offended, she knew when he was joking, "Ji... you mated me," she drawled out, as if that were enough proof to show that he too was pretty insane, "I kind of wish I'd met them," she was talking about his family, of course. If she ever tired of playing this game of cat and mouse with the regents and showed herself for whom she truly was to them... and they in turn learnt to trust her, she wouldn't mind taking the time to make a small trip with Jiryan.
Of course, all that could wait for now. Specialty till their children grew, for while they were capable of standing on their own, Kenna was happy to loom over them from behind till she was perfectly certain nothing could touch them. She did, after all, have the maternal instincts inside of her. Who'd have thought it?
"I do," came her answer, coupled with a fiery grin that would have made any lesser lion shrink back and away, "Baby steps," she told him, "Baby steps... and patience," none of this s**t she knew that was still running through some of her old subjects' heads; sometimes, battles weren't necessarily won via brute force. Cunning was needed. Kenna wanted to win this particular battle without so much as unsheathing her claws, without spilling even a drop of blood. Another smirk was offered as he laughed, and then she allowed her head to fall on his side, her eyes closing.
This was fine. She could get used to this.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:51 pm
"Touche," he said with a slight laugh at her comment, shaking his head. He had indeed mated her, and to some, that meant complete and utter insanity, if not a simple death wish in general. Still, none of them saw in her what he did, and that was just what it was. "My family?" he asked, tilting his head as he looked up at her. They had talked about them before, but Ji still wasn't entirely sure it was a great idea. After all, the majority of his family didn't look like him at all - his mother was very, very brown. "Well, you aren't a queen anymore, so I'm sure we could find the time to take a little trip, it's not that far." He'd see how it went, honestly. He still wasn't too sure how the former Firekin queen would deal in a land of another pride.
"Baby steps indeed," he repeated behind her, shifted as she let her head fall to his side, moving to lay his head down on the ground, against her chest. He didn't know what went on in her mind and he didn't care to understand. Whatever master plan she had, it was her business, and he would simply be her pillar of support, nothing else. She didn't need him getting tangled in the web of her genius - or evil genius, whatever term she preferred.
Besides, all that mattered right now was the two of them. No evil pride plotting, no counter attack, nothing but the two of them and their family.
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