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 Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:43 pm
Atia was in a good mood. She was on her feet again after the births, and seemed to be doing alright. She had been a little worried, all things considered. She was awfully old to be having kids. But they were born now. Born, and doing very well. Seven children, all of them hers. Well, Beau was involved of course, but that was hardly the point. What he wanted didn't matter much to her, after all, he was just her toy... a fun toy, that she liked to hang around with and all that... but she didn't really believe he would have much to do with how she raised her children.
And ah, there were two now. She let them run around a but now... they had to get to know the pride and all those in it. But that didn't mean she didn't totally control their lives. She had them all in her paw... and they did exactly what she told them, when she told them. "Octavian darling, there you are... playing are you?"
Octavian had been practising throwing rocks and hitting them off each other when he heard his mother's voice. It tended to send shivers down his spine. Sure, his mother was very frightening, but he did love her for what she did. She wanted the best, and he was convinced he would be the best for her. "Hello mother." He grinned, turning around to face her.
"Nice day, don't you think?" Always good to talk about the weather. One of the lessons she had taught them. You could learn a lot about people from what they said about the weather, and pick where to go next with your conversation. But he wondered where Lucian was... he had gone to get more rocks for the game...
Their mother did like competition.
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:55 pm
Lucianus had been just returning with a pile of rocks when something made him freeze. His mothers voice. The cub only stopped for a moment, lurking in the shadows, watching his mother and brother exchange greetings. Then he made his own grand entrance. His posture was straight, head up, eyes closed, as he walked like a proud soldier. Neatly and proudly.
The cub dropped the giant leaf of rocks beside his brother before sitting down him self and lowering his head in a respectful nod to his mother. She was old and to be respected, also, the cub craved her favor.
His arrogant mask road his face in perfect format as the cub opened his maw, "Mother," Then he looked over to his brother Octavian to greet him, "Octavian." Though the two had been playing for hours, it seemed it right to greet his brother again in the company of Atia.
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:26 pm
Atia smiles when she saw him, "Ah, Lucian, you're here too, how sweet." She ran her paws over their fur, lovingly to any outsider who saw them talking to each other. But both boys knew to fear Atia's claws a lot more than they appreciated the pat on the head. But she was pleased. They knew how to look like useful members of socity. And the better they looked, the better she looked. There were already far too many problems with their father for her to have problems with them. She did like Beau, she knew that much. But he was an outsider who had knocked her up before joining the pride.
So they had to prove their worth. And she would be sure they did, no matter what. Even if she had to kill them so that they wouldn't hold back their other siblings. "So handsome you two... And yes, lovely weather Octavian. What are you two doing?"
"Very well." Octavian told her, nodding to his brother. Act perfect in front of his mother. She had told them how they felt about fighting within the family. If she saw it, they were doing it wrong. "We're playing a game to work on our aim, you see."
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:45 pm
The paw on the head was enough to send shivers down Lucianus's spine. His mask stayed perfectly but on the inside he half expected his mother to strike to teach a lesson. When there was no strike, the cub relaxed some.
Now it was time to compete with Octavian and the rest of the cubs for mothers favor. Sure he liked his brothers and sisters, some what, but he also wanted to be on top and that mattered the most. A less violent of battle fields and one every single cub had to be apart of it like it or not.
"After all, aim can teach us so much in life. Like obtaining exactly what we set out for on the first try," The cub purred as he sat up right with a confident smile.
Even though at the moment the two were competing in some odd peacock fashion, Lucianus wanted his brother to look good as well.
"Octavian was just showing me how great his aim is, and I've just been giving him insight on how to aim better. Together we make a great team," His tone was arrogant and almost bored sounding. Almost like one you would hear if you hung around yacht clubs far to often.
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:30 pm
"Oh, how good you boys are being." Atia grinned. She didn't worry much about Octavian and Lucianus. They were the least of her problems, as long as they could keep their egos in check while they were around the rest of the pride. Planning and scheming was for inside the family only, and even then... it was only a good plan if you did it on your own and made everyone play along without a single one of them realizing what you had done. That made life so much more interesting.
She let her paws rest back on the ground. After all, to earn a dog's loyalty, you had to pet it occasionally. A real shame that all her slave dogs had died... she was so out of practice with making things hers from the day they were born. But she wasn't too worried. Thus far everything had gone according to plan. "You work together so well. And that's good... sometimes it's good to have an ally to watch your back." While you thought of a good way to sink a claw into theirs.
"Of course mother, you always tell us that we should get along. Especially in public. The more allies you seem to have, the less likely someone is to challenge your authority." Octavian practically quoted from his mother. He always paid attention to the important lessons, especially ones about how to behave with his siblings, and in public. Because the punishments for such failures were especially severe with their mother being how she was.
"Would you like us to show you? We both greatly improve from each other's lessons." Octavian smiled up at her, cheerful despite the churning fear in his stomach. Offering was dangerous. If they didn't perform well, their mother could snap... but if they showed improvement, then they were likely to escape punsihment in the future, and leave their siblings more open to it.
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:58 pm
Lucianus was drinking in the compliments , his face grew smugger and smugger at their mothers approval, until, Octavian offered a demonstration. Faster then an air leaking balloon, Lucian feel. Not physically but mentally. Lucky for him his mask did not betray him.
All the cub did was give Octavian a supporting nod as he picked his leaf up and dragged it next to his brother, then took a seat beside him facing away from his mother and toward the target.
Right now , beneath his mask, he was frantic. If the two failed they'd likely fall from favor. But still, if the two succeed, they'd just shine more and stand out. Thats what Lucian really wanted, for the two to be in their mothers gracious favor. That would open up more doors to society when they were older. Planning ahead, that was Lucian.
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:14 pm
Atia grinned, stepping back and rather enjoying this. She knew the stakes as well as they did. To prove that they had been doing their best to improve themselves, and doing it well, would inspire her good favor, maybe even let her use them as examples for their siblings. If they failed, oh, she would be smug and insult them, show off their own siblings to them instead. And what an excellent insult to injury that would be so far as she was concerned.
"Well then my loves... let's see what the two of you can do. Perhaps you'll be able to show the other members of the pride how it's done in the next game. Don't you think?" She smiled, sweetness as a curl of a smile played on her lips while she watched them. This was such fun, and what a bet it was. Would they win or would they fail? Would they be useful, or useless?
In the end, though perhaps not today, she was certain these two would be alright and that they would be extremely useful for her. But they wouldn't be if she coddled them or treated them like little princes who could do whatever they liked. She wanted them to be better than the princes, because they would have to protect the pride in the future when the next Caesar had to remain good and kind. They had to be dark and evil.
Octavian took his position, taking a deep breath and taking one of the rocks in his mouth, slipping into position. He had to remember to breathe, but it was hard when his limbs were shaking. Mother was watching. She was watching, and his whole being was terrified of what would happen if he failed. Three shots. He had three shots to hit the target. If he could do it all three times... but some adults couldn't do that.
He had to be better than 'some' adults.
The first rock left his mouth. Close to the target... close, but he didn't hit it. He froze up, but his mother didn't say anything. It wasn't a bad shot. Few cubs his age could have done better. But was it good enough? Was anything ever good enough when it came to her...?
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:12 pm
Lucianus winced as his brother nearly hit the target. But there was no such thing in as a near victory. This was still very much a lose and he knew if the other two were near victories that both would pay the price. No, he couldn't have that. So he slunk in closer to Octavian and whispered into his ear.
"Octavian, you need to not focus on mother right now. Focus on me, and prove you have a brain in that thick skull of yours," The insult was meant to piss him off a little, to at least get mother out of his mind. Normally Lucianus wouldn't insult his brothers smarts. Not after the last time, but today, this was merely to save both their butts. He wouldn't over do it no, if he got Octavian angry then he'd fail. Just a little salt was all he needed.
"Okay, now see that rock over there? If you focus on that and hit that, it'll bounce off, and Im betting you'll hit the target no problem. Come on man, you been hitting that target all day with your eyes closed," Lucianus trained his eyes back at his mother and gaver her a curt nod. Even though his face was flawless, the small cub was shaking in his boots. So much rested on the last two shots.
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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:00 pm
Atia almost hated to admit how much she was enjoying this. Almost. They were trying so hard to impress her and look so tough... she was already quite pleased with their progress, but nothing was ever enough. If they could be this good, then they could be better. She had never let herself be held back, even though her parents were called traitors and executed for it. She had constantly made strives to prove her loyalty... that she was better than they were, or could ever have hoped to have been. She was the most loyal member of the Pride, beside the Caesars themselves. And she had given tears and blood for the pride.
And now she would sacrifice her children for it, just like she had before. She had to make them the best of the best for when she was gone. She had to make sure they understood their duty... and that they had to make sure the Binadamu survived. That was all that really mattered, in the end. The only thing she put above herself was the good of her Pride. And that was why she pushed her children.
Perhaps one day, if she was luvky, they'd understand that. Her other children had all died before they did.
Octavian took a deep breath, for once listening to his brother. He had to make sure that he did this right. He had to make his mother proud... because failure was not an option. He couldn't fail. Because then both he and Lucian would be in deep trouble when it came to their mother. Failure had never been in their vocabulary. Their mother had always made a point of getting rid of believing they could fail.
He took one last deep breath, lifting up another rock and then. He threw it, and almost went into shock when it actually hit exactly where his brother had said it would. He hit the target. He had missed once, and hit the other time. But he couldn't smile yet. He couldn't let himself smile.
There was still one rock left in the game.
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:13 pm
Lucianus's mask didn't move, but he was smiling on the inside. The young cub at a early age was already good with calculations and Octavian was great at executing his calculations.
However, right now wasn't the right time to celebrate. Sure, the two had managed to hit one out of the three targets but there was still the last one. The last one would really decide their fates. It didn't matter that they had hit one target in style. No, if they missed now the two would be shamed. That was a fate worse then death to at least Lucianus. He was far to ambitious to be shamed even on something minor like a contest of team work. This was everything and Lucian knew that his brother knew this as well. An unspoken battle field of the two cubs and the rest of the litter. They could not fail.
"Alright, good shot but we can't do the same trick again," Lucian's orange eyes traveled back to the rock that the pebble had rickashayed off of. "The rock's been moved. It won't work. This time your gonna have to hit it straight on." Lucianus shut his eyes a little before opening them again, " You been doing this all day. Just think, if we get this target then we'll be the show cased ones." He took a breath. Now all he could do was hope for the best.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:53 pm
Atia grinned. Now could anyone else's cubs say that they'd done that well? She thought not. Which was excellent... provided that Octavian actually managed to hit the final stone. If he didn't... well, he had proven he could do it once. Why on earth wouldn't he do it again? That kind of failure could hardly be considered useful. And they would have to be punished for being so weak.
They were right not to celebrate, because Atia certainly wouldn't let them unless they were close to being perfect. And it was already, in her eyes, a failure that he had missed the first time. Not good enough. They would just have to be better if they were going to be of any use for her. But the last stone, just as every other thing they did, counted torwards whether she would find them useful in the future... or if she would dump them like the failures they were.
Now... how would this play out?
Octavian took a few deep breaths, "Right... one left. But you can shut up Lucian. I know how to do this last part." He growled at his brother, hating to be hassled after he had already managed one victory. But the failure was not going to go amiss knowing their mom.
He took a long deep breath, then held it. When he let it go, he grabbed the rock and threw it straight, not with all his might, because then it was likely to go in any which direction... he had to hit it... he had to hit it...
...and it fell short by only a foot from the target. "Oh no..."
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:27 pm
Now it was Lucianus's turn to growl at his brother. The cub had trusted him with his future and now it had crumbled right in front of him along side his brothers. At the moment he hated his brother with every ounce of energy he had and would be sure to make it known for a long time after that he thought low of him.
The cub wouldn't and more importantly, couldn't, do anything right now. Their mother , for one, was sitting right there and second he wasn't as strong as Octavian. The two fates had been twisted together thanks to Octavian and had become broken thanks to Octavian. At least that was Lucianus's view.
The cub turned his back to his brother and faced his mother expectantly not showing the shame he felt with every inch of his body. No use in showing what she probably knew they were feeling right now. At least his back was turned on the cause of his shame.
Honestly, at the moment he was scared. Scared to death of what ever horrific punishment their mother could come up with. This could even be the point where she banished them. Unforgivable.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:32 pm
"Well... Octavian, Lucian... I must say, I'm a little dissapointed." Atia said, her voice like a hiss though anyone watching would think that she was being perfectly pleasent with her children, because her wicked smile never really went away. "I would have thought that if you were both practising... you would show some improvement. But clearly... Octavian, you haven't been trying hard enough... and Lucianus... your calculations weren't right. And what good are either of you to anyone if you can't do things right?" She asked, shifting her shoulders back and forth.
"One success and two failures... that makes you nearly completely worthless to everyone." Atia told them, every word biting into her children, and seeing their little horrified faces did give her a sense of sick pleasure that she couldn't quite resist. "Of course you're still young... but excuses make me sick. They're what other parents use to justify their useless children, don't you think? And after all I went through to give birth to you... you think that the two of you would try a little harder, don't you think?" She asked, her voice a harsh whisper.
"I'm sorry mother." Octavian said, bowing his head as quickly as he could. But what could he say or do? He had gotten too frustrated. Thrown the rock too early. He had screwed up, and it didn't matter who he blamed... because both he and Lucian would get the same punishment for failure. "It won't happen again. We'll make sure that we're better... That we don't let you down again."
He was sure he could lessen their punishment if he just sucked up enough. Atia was suseptable to flattery, he had managed to figure that much out about his mother. "We know we're not up to standard yet... but we will be. We'll be the best in the pride, I swear it mother."
He sure hoped his brother followed suit... Atia had been known to take out her frustration on all cubs for the failings of one before.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:08 pm
Lucianus did pick up on what Octavian was attempting. Flattery. Why hadn't he thought of that ? His anger lessened as he did something that he would only do for his mother. Suck up.
"Yes. We'll one day be as near to perfection as you are mother." His voice was flat and matter of fact so, not showing any signs of the fear that was creeping along his spine at that moment in his voice. If the two of them could get away with a slap on the wrist and a little shame then the two would be lucky. Though, given their mother, he wasn't sure how lucky the two would be.
"Mother, perhaps you could show us how to hit the target three times," Oh he was sure she'd do it but it'd be a chance to also rub it in their faces. Possibly, it could be a way to weasle out. "After all mother you are perfect." Yes the perfect time toe weasle out of a harsher punishment. Though, he wasn't sure that their mother would let them off that easy. Lucianus knew how creative his mother was.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:02 am
Atia laughed a little, "Yes... perhaps at some point, I'll do just that my dear. However... for today, here are some lessons to keep in mind. Octavian, arrogance is no one's friend, and it will always be arrogance... Because arrogance is only true when you think you're better than someone. If you are better, then it's truth. Until then, you're just a fool." And then she glanced at Lucian, "And you my son... remember that while cold reserve is an attractive trait in an adult... in a cub, you only make yourself look like an inconsiderate fool. And part of our goals is to be liked, and loved, by those we seek to protect in this pride. To make enemies is to fail. To have enemies who don't know that they are... this is key."
She got up and turned around, "The things I tell you are for your own good my sons. And do not forget them. Appear humble. Appear kind. And never, ever, let your enemies know that you're smarter than they are. That's when they start to fear you... and in that, you lose some of your advantages. And I would so hate for either of you to become... useless."
Octavian watched her leave and let out a deep breath, "I really hope a short lecture is our only punishment..." He whispered, shaking despite himself. He would have to remember her lessons, because he knew... he had always known that being useless in his mother's eyes would lead to an untimely death. He could feel it in his bones.
"Come on... let's keep practicing... maybe if we get it right next time... then we'll earn a better spot over our brothers and sisters." Because if he and Lucian were the best... he wouldn't have much competition. Just a brother he knew he could crush, if he wanted to.
Or at least, that's what he kept telling himself.
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