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 Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 8:07 pm
 Kafele had been chasing a butterfly without moving too far from his mother and siblings when he noticed a young green and white lion approaching. He was sure he’d played with him when they were a little younger. He was equally sure that the cub had complained to the adults present at the time about Kafele’s roughhousing.
Unlike other times when Kafele had let himself be ruled by instinct, there was something of a calculating thought behind the older cub’s actions as he waited for the other to get just a little closer and his brother Azu to do something to catch his mother’s attention (as he often did). As soon as both conditions were met, Kafele sprinted towards the green cub, giving him one nasty pounce on the back.
“Hello! Remember me?”
The other cub was being pretty noisy… well, as noisy as someone with a face full of dirt can be so Kafele made sure he kept his head on the ground, pinning him down as he laughed.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 8:55 pm
 Laying underneath a tree, the purple males fur cooled laying on top of some grass still slightly moist from the morning dew. His deep red eyes glazed over while he reflected on the past few weeks, it all has been something of a dream. Kafei came here with magnificent hopes to start some movement to get these lands back on track, and all he had really accomplished was making a fool of himself.
Perhaps his parents where right, it had been a mistake to come here.
He blinked, refocusing his eyes as a red dot hopped off the ground on top of something else in the distance. Kafei lifted his head off the ground curiously watching, it turned out to be two cubs. Getting up he strolled closer, if he was going to lay around like a worthless lump of rocks he might as well be in range of some entertainment while doing so. Upon closer inspection though, one of the cubs were obviously more enthusiastic about the encounter than the other.
With both cubs rather occupied he walked right up to them and looked down. "That's some kind of pounce you got there, though I don't think that cub you have under your paws very much appreciates the demonstration."
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:36 pm
Kafele had learned to be very wary of adult males so when the lion’s voice sounded right above him, it took only an instant for the red cub to jump off his green “friend”, ears shooting back and his coat looking suddenly rather puffy. He stepped away from Kafei discreetly.
“Oh, we’re just playing…” Kafele said without conviction as the other cub started coughing compulsively. Oh, busted!
The green cub circled the purple lion, hiding on Kafei’s shadow as he scraped away most of the dirt with his paws, yelping occasionally. Then, either because he didn’t want deny what Kafele had said or because he thought that a lion that could make his bully uneasy was equally frightening, he broke into a run, no doubt going back to his mommy. Runt.
Kafele was a little prejudiced when it came to the pride’s Houses and the fact that the adult was most likely from the Tama house, relaxed him considerably. But the close proximity of his mother was a double–edged blade: close enough to come to the rescue in case he was in trouble (and maybe even get involved in a fight, noooo!) or to hear about how her son was misbehaving, depending o the purple male intentions.
“He asked for it.” Kafele said quickly in a very matter-of-fact tone as an excuse for his behavior. ”It was re-retr-retri…bution. That.”
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 1:03 pm
"... Retribution, huh?" Watching the little green male flee as quickly as his little paws would take him, Kafei turned around to face the red cub that had caused the other cubs terror. He listend paitently to his story, and after trying to explain himself out of his little situation, It was obvious this kid had liar written all over his face. Kafi usually didn't pick on lions younger than himself, but it wouldn't hurt to work this little trickster up a bit.
"Ooooh, I see. That little guy beat you up, and you were so ashamed of the loss that you wanted to even out the score." Kafei had only recently come into the pride, but he was willing to bet a gazette on the fact that this one was a Atmaja lion through and through. It shouldn't take too much to get him to confess.
"And the reason you surprise pounced him was because you wouldn't have a chance of beating him any other way. It all makes sense now! Sorry for interfering and nice talking with you." Kafei turned away from the cub and started to slowly walk away, knowing full well the little spitfire wouldn't let him get away with accusing him of being weak.
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 1:45 pm
“Well, not really…“ Kafele started slowly when Kafei assumed the green cub had beat him up (yeah right!) but he tried not to protest too loudly, slightly intimidated by the blood red eyes of the adult. “Wait, what? No way!”
Nice talking to you?! Was the purple lion turning around turning around to leave? Did he think Kafele was ashamed for being beat up by that wimp?! And why did he feel so bad for being dismissed so quickly? The red cub was suddenly feeling much less cautious and much more rebellious (though his revolt was totally justifiable!). Her ran after Kafei and circled the adult, standing right in his way with his head held high, a stubborn expression suddenly decorating his features.
“No, no, no! He didn’t beat me up! Like he could! He’s just a whiny baby who runs to his mommy every time we play. That’s why I gave him a scare. He’s just a typical little Tama w-…” Kafele blurted out defensively before freezing, suddenly aware of whom he was addressing and his mouth clamped shut rather noisily to prevent him from finishing the sentence. Yeah, nice one Kafele, please do offend the House that big lion almost surely belongs to. The cub let his rump slide to the ground and his tail wrapped around Kafele as he looked both annoyed and worried. But mostly just annoyed…
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 6:57 pm
"Whimp?" The purple and blue lion finished the cubs sentence for him.
"....Figured as such." Kafei let out a deep sigh before continuing. This really wasn't any of his concern, but the only cub to two very smothering parents left him always searching out these sort of pseudo role model positions.
"It's obvious you are strong club, but learning how much of that to use appropriately in different situations is what real strength is made of. Learn how to do that and you'll have a great life ahead of you." It sounded painfully cheesy, but his own father had given him a similar speech when he was around the same age.
"But if you keep pushing others around into adulthood, your eventually going to lose all your friends. Nobody wants to be around a lion they're afraid can and will hurt them." Kafei plopped his bum down on the ground and got a good look at the cub before him, seeing if his eyes had glazed over due to his lecture yet. He seemed to have a strong spirit, but there was also a hint of fear in his stare as well.
"Is everything alright?" A look of concern fell upon the adult males face.
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:20 am
Well, Kafele was about to say wussy but Kafei’s assumption sounded a little less rude…
“That sounds like a lot of thinking…” he started slowly looking obviously unconvinced but unwilling to openly oppose someone who had just called him strong. “And it’s just playing… it’s not like I give them ah… permanent marks.” Mmm, that didn’t sound good, now did it? He had to work a little on his “defense”. Kafele wasn’t particularly happy that the male was assuming he’d lose his friends if he kept acting the way he usually did - he’d heard that argument before and he’d hated it from the first time as well.
“Uh?” the red cub seemed confused at first when the purple adult showed some concern and lied down in a very non-threatening way but he quickly recovered and gave Kafei an honest smile - not the usual wicked grin he had reserved for almost everyone else. The cub actually chuckled. “Your eyes are really red. And I thought you were angry.”
It was easy to see that this lion was nothing like the one that had scared the red out of him a few weeks before. Kafele took one step closer to the male and sat next to him – secretly happy that the difference in heights wasn’t quite as pronounced now -, looking much more at ease.
“Some adults are, you know.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 9:25 pm
"I guess it is, but growing up requires a lot of it. Thinking before you act can mean the difference between making a friend or an enemy." As he finished his words, Kafei thought about the trouble he had gotten himself into by shooting off his mouth to those Ligi.
Although he tried to sound as experienced as he could in front of this cub, in reality Kafei had only just reached the age of what most lions would consider an "adult". Physically he was pretty much there, but mentally not so much. He was still incredibly young and inexperienced, and while he had the true heart of a Tama, his eagerness to share his thoughts about bringing justice to the current Shatkona could easily get him mistaken for an Atmaja.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you." Hearing the cubs answer, Kafei was pretty surprised... Nobody had ever commented about his red eyes like that before. He tried not to take it personally however as the pride was full of ill intended lions, Kafei had even run into full grown adults that met his presence with caution.
"There are many cruel adults, as I said before, but they shouldn't be putting their paws anywhere near someone your age." The cool colored male mumbled. Just the way the cub had worded it hinted to the fact that he knew this from experience, and it just didn't sit right with Kafei. How could this have been the pride that all his beliefs originated from? The pride two wonderful and kind lions such as his parents were raised in?
"Oh Tama..."
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:51 am
“Enemy..?” Kafele didn’t much care if he made friends amongst the other kids. He was proud to say it out loud to anyone who didn’t like the way he played even if it wasn’t exactly true. But “enemy” was a strong word, full of the kind of hate aunt Fila used when she talked about the pride’s ruler. He did not want to stir those kinds of feelings, that kind of hate in others.
It was easy to be around Kafei. Even if was an adult, a stranger and from a different house. Maybe the cub was too quick to trust but he felt safe with the Tama lion.
“I wasn’t that scared! I’m a strong Atmaja! Or I will be…” he grinned again, his throat rumbling with a purr-like chuckle as he appreciated their difference in size. He purposefully refrained from elaborating on his past experience with a strange adult. That was his secrete and he would never tell anyone about the horrible encounter with the red lion. A part of him was still afraid Angra would come and find him if he told anyone about it. But Kafei was a completely different matter altogether, obviously. He didn’t have to be afraid of him and he actually felt very much like testing his limits with the adult. His mother probably wouldn’t approve but he dropped to the ground and aimed a pounce at the purple male's back. His tiny red bum wiggled only a couple of times before he jumped. “Gotcha!”
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Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 4:59 pm
"ACK!" Kafei let out a rather pitiful sounding roar when the cub hit his back. All these years of being a spoiled high-ranked cub were coming back to haunt him.
He rolled on his side and flailed his limbs. "What do you mean will be!? Your plenty strong already." Kafei calmed down after the initial shock the sneak attack and laughed.
"This is going to sound terrible, but even at your age you could kick my bum! In my old pride my parents were in a rank that lead me to not having much... physical conditioning." He almost said exercise which would have been a more appropriate use of words for his situation, but he figured the way he had worded it sounded less like he had been a lazy bum most of his young life.
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Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 11:10 pm
Kafele growled playfully when he realized he’d managed to catch the adult by surprise. It was an exhilarating feeling but he was painfully aware of his limitations. He would very much like to be able to take down a full grown lion like Kafei but the cub knew he still had a good amount of growing to do before the adult’s words were really true.
“I’m still small... but I’m going to be as big as my uncle! And then I’ll really take you down!” the red cub said as he batted at Kafei’s mane.
“If you wanna play, of course.” He added quickly, moving around the purple male as if he were looking for a weak point.
“You don’t need to be that strong anyway ‘cause you’re Tama. You’re supposed to think a lot.” The (very much prejudiced) red cub was already wriggling – obviously up to no good – when he suddenly became very still. “Old pride? You weren’t born here?”
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Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:11 pm
"Sure thing." There was a hint of hesitance in his voice, but perhaps he could practice in the mean time. Kafei shook his royal blue mane back into place as Kafele made a rather interesting... comment.
"That's painting quite the board brush stroke." The blatant statement from such a young cub came as a surprise to Kafei. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to it, but he figured what he said was enough on the subject. No harm was done, but hopefully the cub wouldn't find himself saying those words to the wrong Tama.
"Yeah, I was born a long ways from here. My mom and dad are original members of this pride though." Kafei realized bringing in the politics of his whole situation might be a bit too much for the attention span of his young friend, so the condensed version would have to do.
"They got chased away from here a long time ago. Even in their new pride though, they still praised Atmaja and Tama. They didn't want me coming back here, but... you know, sometimes you just have to disobey your parents." Kafei thought for a moment what he said.
"We both know it's true, but uh, lets try and keep that little word of advice between you and me."
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Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:48 pm
Kafele didn’t really understand what Kafei meant but he did realize the adult wasn’t very pleased about something the cub had said. He’d ask why to aunt Fila later… if he remembered.
Aware that he’d been guilty of several “straying too far” and “being too blunt/rough” crimes, the red cub had to laugh about the disobeying part. Well, it wasn’t that bad as long as he didn’t make mom worry too much.
“Why were they chased away? Why did you come back?” From the things his aunt told him, things in the pride were so bad that no one sane would willing join the Ashnai’le. "Chased away" actually sounded pretty good considering how many lions got killed or were enslaved simply for stepping on the Shaktona’s fussy paws. "How did they get away with all those Ligi around?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:52 pm
"I really don't know much about the story. To be quite honest they didn't tell me the whole truth about why they left until only recently." Kafei understood why they hid it from him, but it was still a shock none-the-less to find out this world his parents would always reminisce about, and that all his beliefs were founded on, was in such distress.
"They mentioned leaving in a group, but once they got into the rogue land they all went in different directions. No idea how they got out alive though, I guess the Shatkona was feeling generous that day." It dawned on the young male that he was most likely not going to see his parents again, that grim fact also meant he would never know much about their lives after the new Shaktona took over. Maybe certain stories were better left untold.
"Why... did I come back?" This time, Kafei chose his words carefully. He didn't need the cub slipping to a Ligi his real intentions. Kafei had already made enough enemies in that rank as it was.
"I never felt truly at home in my old pride. It was a nice place, but it didn't feel like it was where I belonged. My parents talked a lot about this place, and of course about Tama and Atmaja... I don't know. Even though bad things are going on, I feel more at peace here." The male paused before adding one more comment.
"Besides, I know prosperous times will return." And he intended one way or another on making sure that happened.
"Say, what about this uncle of yours? You said you wanted to grow up to be as strong as him... is he a good fighter?" While he enjoyed small talk, Kafei took advantage of any avenue he could to make alliances. His connections were still extremely limited since he had no living relatives in the pride anymore, but a trustworthy face seemed to help get conversations going.
Admittingly, that comment about his red eyes still bothered him.
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Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 7:52 pm
Kafei didn’t provide much information and Kafele quickly lost interest in the adult’s parents but he had to snort at the comment on the Shatkona feeling generous. Belatedly, the red cub realized that he had to be careful with his words. The adult might not look like a Ligi but there was no telling how far Sahen’s controlling paws reached. There were spies everywhere – or so the cub was told.
“You think so? You think there will be balance again?” he was very curious now. After all, it was not every day that he heard such hopeful words about his pride. “Do you think the Chosen One will come soon?”
He wasn’t supposed to talk about it, he knew. But Kafele was still a very young and careless cub and he was particularly prone to mild indiscretions. He didn't even whisper as he said those two forbidden words.
“Uncle Sikudhani? He’s big. But I think my aunt would beat him in a fight, she’s super tough.” The red cub sat down with a thud, pride gleaming in his eyes as he visibly considered his next words. “I don’t see him that much though ‘cause he’s a Lord. We had family here but then something bad happened and my mom, my aunt and my uncle left when they were little. My uncle ended up back here and he was adopted by Lords so he’s also a Lords. My mom and my aunt came later and they’re huntresses. Aunt Fila explained this to me when she was training me.” Was it okay to spout so much information regarding his family? Kafele hoped so. The cub was sure that he hadn’t exposed any family secretes but perhaps he shouldn’t be so open about his family history.
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