“So this is what you really want to do?” blue cerulean searching waiting patiently though eagerness gripped her heart. “Leave the Pridelands? Why? The family, our family is here,” though Nix'Annada really meant hers, her children. Though her children had wings and were able to travel far if they pleased, this was their home base, this was where her children could return without worry. But if they left, where would they go, could she really leave her children behind? “Both of you want this then,” she looked to Daemonascus, though he was the diety of arrogance as he had been before in his past life he had the kindness and strength of a benevolent king. He was her son, by blood now but not as it had been then, she couldn't see him as her son, he was the part of their triangle of friendship that had once flourished before disaster.
“When, how long, and where will we go?” she would not leave without plans made, without time to tell each of her children to know that they can find her by lightning if none wished to follow. She almost felt ambushed.
“We don't know yet, Dae said he would go out and venture to different prides. Test them, see which would fit us best. I would rather not be kept only to the domain of our kind, the mortal world is where we are to be, not high on a pedestal forever,” Immortals were meant to be immortal but aid mortals, if they could. Otherwise, the balance between the two would not be held strong. “The mountains, maybe, or somewhere remote, somewhere where we can feel safe, somewhere where we won't be held as a pride's dieties, just as one of their own. Here, but not.”
Ryu'Rage could read the expression on Nix's face. She knew that Nix had left several times searching for Mrost, the God of War. It seemed strange that lightning and war seemed to have such a close bond, though Nix didn't tend to forge iron bonds as she and Dae had. Perhaps War was meant for her as Rage was to Arrogance.
“I'll go to the mountains, over the deserts, even to the sea. There must be somewhere where we can be bound and not separated by demand.” Though he wondered who would try to force an immortal to do anything? Mortals knew not what powers they held, and Daemonascus doubted they would try to find out lightly. “We have time yet, time to tell the others, time to find a new home,” somewhere to go and not feel confined. Though they could fly the Pridelands were like a magnet that beckoned them home every night as the moon glowed.
“I've told Rage that if we must,” he spoke softly, peering around to see if any other members of the pride, especially curious cubs, were close enough to hear. “That we can hide our true selves if we must to feel welcome. We don't have to risk our future of staying together because of mere appearances,” they could even use their talents to hide certain features, colors if they tried hard enough.
“But this has been our home. Here.” Nix'Annada sighed and felt the grass beneath her move as it alive, protesting their removal of weight upon these lands. “I know everyone has grown, you have grown Daemonascus along with your-siblings, but will this change truly bring us a new beginning, a chance to start over? Would there be no knowing of us wherever we go?” she questioned, uncertain if she wanted this to happen still.She and Rage had been welcomed into this land no matter their domains and their children had been accepted by those who lived here. They were not fear, that Nix knew of, and this was safe, large and even an invading force would have trouble taking over any inch of these lands.
“If, this can be certain, that we can be together, no matter if we hide ourselves, if we can start over and know that our persecution will not take place, then I agree, but I will not leave tomorrow, I need time,” she spoke seriously. Though it seemed silly even in her own sense of thought, she needed time to say goodbye.
“Then it is settled, Dae, you go and try to find a place, we will try and relieve our presence from others as much as we can,” though Rage knew already that the queen that had welcomed them prior, was no longer lingering here, not that she knew of. Who would they tell? Or would they merely vanish with the wind in the night? Ryu'Rage was anxious to know of where they might travel. They had stayed in one area so long that it seemed strange to leave but it was for the best
The mountains might be interesting, they were far from here, perhaps a secluded area where others were small in number, where they could be safe and hide away if they had too. A faint smile crossed her maw as she thought of these things, though an itching in her conscious made her wonder would she travel to the same place where her children now hid?
“Then I will go, but there are others things we need to talk of. Will we remain who we are now, if we go somewhere new?” he knew that if any of their names or domains had been mentioned in passing that arrogance and rage would not be welcomed, lightning, he didn't see would be a problem. “Should we become mortal, and change who we are, how we look? We would not be able to get close to others or they may be able to touch or even seen a faint resembling of our true selves,” illusions were not that complex, but they were not completely effective if used consistently.
“I feel if we changed ourselves, just to take away those things that would make us, have us be known as immortals, that we could be better suited.” It would be hard, and exhausting, but at night or whenever they rested inside a den they could relax and lift the illusion from themselves, but then came the questions of where they went, how close would the dens be to one another?
“Change what we look like or who we really are?” Nix questioned, narrowing her eyes. How dare he suggest a thing, but in all respects, he was right. There was no certainty that they would be accepted to any pride if they knew of their immortality, the eternal cycle and what powers they might possess. She wrinkled her nose as she felt a sneeze coming on, but it was merely an excuse for doubt of the situation, but there was doubt here as well. There was no certainty that with the ever changing pride and new comers that they would be safe even here, but how far would they have to travel, who would they meet or find on their way, would she find Mrost again?
“If we are going to do this, I don't want it to be a failed attempt, it needs to be a serious excursion, no silly sidetracks, no waiting or changing minds, I don't want to be up and down with turmoiling emotions in my heart, and if we do this, I don't want to change where we are for a long while,” a time and place such as the Pridelands would be ideal, but perhaps it was time for adventure.
“So we'll go, and start anew, it will be like the old times we had, adventures when young, but obviously more at stake now,” Rage rubbed her toes together, looked to Pride Rock and sighed, she thought she could find peace within the shadow of the great stone, but now it seemed like a symbol foreboding their further stay. She looked to Daemonascus and offered a half smile, “But we need to decide now, where? Do we want to be where others might know us, do we want to stay on our own for a while, shall we wait in the immortal haven granted to us until we know,” though she knew Daemonascus would the one who would find the place, they didn't need to get separated, they needed to stay together.
“How far will we take this?” over the seas, over mountains, around the deserts? Though in the back of Rage's memory something itched and burned with the thought of golden moving sand touched by the wind, and she wished it away, trying to focus on what was at hand.
“I do think its best we go soon, not right now we need time to, say our goodbyes,” though he knew his siblings were traveling far now, wherever there wings wished to take them, he still felt a connection to them by blood, even if by memory none of them seemed to match completely. “I think we should travel moreso at night, flying, during the day if we wish to move we should hide ourselves and make us look like a group of rogues traveling freely, we don't need more attention brought to us than that,” he nodded, black fur falling into view and he looked to the ground, where it sank with the pressure of his paw, he used to be so small, now this. He didn't want more.
Daemonascus was already larger than Ryu'Rage and Nix'Annada, he needed not more strength but resistance of size, but he would attend to that, somehow if possible, during his journey. “Should we tell others, or just family/” he mentioned though he felt like he was pushing the relativeness to family, and it was hard no doubt, “Should we tell the royals that are here now, so they know, or disappear in the night?” He felt, for a moment, like an avian whispering things back and forth like a fading vague memory.
“We should at least tell someone, at least have a messenger that will tell them. These times now are ones that are difficult, but peace and balance it beginning to linger here more stably and it is time we do not regress from what is before us. We should not act like scared cubs, but let them know with the passing of power to another royal, it is time for us to pass on from this place as well. We have enjoyed our stay, but times have changed just as we have, and we must travel on,” for a moment Nix'Annada wished there was a messenger here to take what she spoke back to Simi and Tufah, but later, somehow.
Nix looked to Rage who kept her eyes on the ground below her, playing with grass blades and she sent a spark burning them, catching Rage from her trance. “What were you thinking of?” but Rage didn't answer, and Nix let sparks surge from her horns, she was hiding something. “What is it?”
“I feel like we have done this before, and that's when everything changed,” she was brutally honest, and still tried to hide her silver eyes from the blue orbs of Nix and Dae before her. “I feel like we are forgetting something important, from the past, like a key to a puzzle we need to understand and unlock.” Se tried to remember, force herself to remember but she couldn't all she could hear were cries and then sinister laughs and she opened her eyes and the eyes were gone of the darkness that had lingered in illusion.
“Did we lose something, somewhere?” she looked to Nix, who shrugged and seemed to question herself as well, and looking to Dae, he seemed resistant, but confused as well. “I feel like we might find it, if we go certain ways, so we need to be careful, I'm not too sure if what we lost is something we want to gain again.”
“Then I'll be careful, but you two need to stay close to one another, do not even let each other too far from sight for I'm not sure when I'll return,” he noticed Rage's face and offered a reassuring smile, “But I won't be gone for long. We just need to be at the ready to go, and while I'm gone, the both of you should settle things here, make sure our message is sent and delivered correctly, we don't want to cause ill-relations here,” this place had harbored them for so long, it would be disgraceful if they caused a commotion with their leaving.
“Is there anything else, specifically, that we want in our new home?” he looked to them both, and Nix seemed disappointed, and hid her eyes from him. He saw her first as his friend from the past, and his mother second, either way, he did not want her upset, it would surely cause Rage to be upset as well. But they needed new life, new beginning, and it could start here, now.
”I just want us to be happy, and for you to be safe, we may have been different in the past, but you're still my son, although its still strange, you're still my son,” Nix offered him a gentle touch of her cheek to his, and looked to Rage who was quiet, peeking at Daemonascus from the corners of her eyes and she smiled. It was a strange thought, but it seemed only fitting that she was to bare Daemonascus to be reborn so that he and Rage could be together again.
“I will prepare whatever we need to bring, or give away, or bury here,” they had numerous trinkets in their den they had collected over the moons, and some they could take, most they would have to get rid of or they would be slower when traveling. “Be careful Dae,” she walked past Rage and whispered, “it'll be alright, come to the den after,” she smiled and she flew towards the den, home, for at least one more night, this would be home.
Ryu'Rage looked at Dae, wings outstretched, large stature and as Nix was far enough out of view, she ran to him closing the gap and she felt his wings hold her close and she smiled, snuggling her head beneath his chin purring and closing her eyes, she felt safe and secure. Could she really be without him at night, during they day, anytime? “Promise me you won't be long,” and she heard him whisper to her, and she smiled and licked his cheek, pulled away so that she would not get so caught in the moment he could not leave at all. “You better be careful, and be fast, I don't want to be without you for long,” she heard him whisper again and she smiled, and let her wings spread.
She watched him for a moment, and then took flight home after Nix, trying to keep herself from letting tears fall she just wanted to have him stay, but she knew this was right, it was right for them all, it it would mean they could start anew.
He watched her come close, and he promised to her, reassured her and when she pulled away he felt colder, she was his meaning to live, she was the light in his heart and soul and she was his mate whether the world would approve or not. It was right, and they were meant to be together no matter what came into their way. He would be careful, tred lightly and move quickly for he didn't want to be without her for more than a night as well. As she left, he whispered goodbye, turning and took flight himself, feeling weightless as the wing carried him high so that none could see.
He looked down at the Pridelands, the luscious greens, Pride rock and all the dens where others still lay sleeping. He smiled, thinking of his life spent here, but it was time for a change, and as he looked ahead and saw the mountains and endless spaces he knew, home was out there again, and he would find it.
Word Count: 2738
