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 Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:05 pm
 Charon's heart was broken. The den was so empty. His mother was inconsolable and he'd lost his family; even his twin. Yes, he could have gone with them and Father. He could have left this place - his homeland - to go with a male he barely knew, to a land that held no love for him. He could have left his Mother alone to twist further into madness and eventually turn to death.
No. No he couldn't. He couldn't even begin to understand why the others had gone. Maybe they understood something that he didn't. Maybe he was the fool. But, from where he was standing, they were the fools. Abandoning everything for him.
Charon didn't hate them. Far from it. He was just... disappointed and confused.
And now it was just him and...
"Mother." He murmured quietly. "Is there anything I can do?" And this was the reason why he hadn't completely broken down. Ivie'lingwa. His Mother. She was taking the loss badly and, as such, he felt that he couldn't break down, too. She needed him to be strong and dependable, so he had swallowed down his grief to be the rock for her to lean on.
That was how things had always been and that was the way things would be from this day onward. Ivie'lingwa didn't appear to be listening. She was curled up at the far side of the den where the light barely touched her. She was pretending to be asleep, but she wasn't.
She did not move an inch, or...not obviously. But, she was trembling and the grief and pain on her face would have been evident if it had been turned the other way for her son to see.
She was cursed.
She was a terrible mother.
And her daughter's words came back to haunt her. Nissa from her first litter. Angry. Hate boiling from her. Calling her a disgrace...
But there was one left...one remaining...and he was talking to her, but she would not reply.
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:27 pm
The life of a slave could be busy or it could be very slow. Numbers were increasing slowly in the low class and as they did, individuals became less busy. Since Ivie's children had grown, Unyezi hadn't had anything specific to do. He liked to visit them and he liked focusing as much as he could on his own family in the midst of anything he was asked to do. Today, he had nothing to do except entertain Rika, who seemed to want to follow him around, even when he decided he was going to visit Ivie and told her that she would have to behave. She was a slave but she was still a kid.. nevertheless, they took her word for it and he agreed to take her along.
When they reached the den he knew Ivie and her family had been occupying, Unyezi slowed down, glanced to Rika and then called out, "Hello, Ivie?" 
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:50 pm
He gave a dejected sigh and, dropping his head a little, wondered what he could possibly do or say to help her. The whole situation seemed rather helpless.
He startled at the voice. The familiar voice and moved out towards the entrance to meet them. But not before casting a look over his shoulder to peer at the dejected form still lying there. "Mother...we've got visitors." A long pause of silence. "Aren't you coming up to see them?"
Another long pause and he sighed again. "Guess not."
He moved out alone to meet them.
Charon was borderline between juvenile and adolescence, the tuft of fur on his head beginning to extend down on his shoulders and the fur on his chest starting to fill out a little.
"Hello Unyezi!" He did not spot the other hiding behind him. "Are you okay?" Charon was always good at putting on a brave face.
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 2:20 pm
"Hello there, Charon," he greeted the young lion happily, it was good that he was still there but still very sad. Ivie was not alone this way but he had to watch his siblings go as well. He wasn't terribly surprised that Ivie didn't appear, either. He wouldn't be much better in her place, though he did have experience with offspring who shunned you.
"We're fine, we just wanted to come check on you, didn't w--"
Wait, where was Rika gone to? He stopped and looked around, spotting her bright tail behind him. He wasn't used to seeing her act so shy, but they did normally stick close to home. And when they didn't, it was rarely so personal a visit.
"Rika, come out here," he said, shaking his head.
Rika heard Charon call out to her grandfather, and then heard her grandfather call back. Both sounded perfectly friendly, but now she was hiding she couldn't just pop back out--
And then Unyezi was looking down at her. She smiled sheepishly and shuffled out from behind him, trying not to stick too close but not get too far either.
"Yes," she agreed.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 5:21 am
It was nice to know that there were others out there willing to support them. Unyezi had always been a great help and friend to the family, even before he was born. After all, it was he that had allowed his mother to stay here in these lands.
His ears lifted slightly as the older male paused mid-sentence and tipped his head a little. There was someone else there? Oh, there she was! A female, perhaps slightly younger than himself. She was rather pretty with her unusual patterns and colours. A relative of Unyezi's perhaps?
"Sorry!" Charon laughed. "I didn't see you back there. I'm Charon."
He moved further from the den to properly greet them, though he kept his voice up so that Ivie might here and maybe emerge from her silence.
"Sorry, Unyezi...Mother...well, she's not said much at all since...well, you know." His eyes lowered a little, but he quickly drew them back up. "But, I'm sure once she realises its you out here, she'll come and say hello." He could not help but glance over his shoulder, towards the empty entrance of the den.
Still nothing, then...
In fact it was partly true. Ivie, from where she lay, could hear the voices outside of the den. She recognised Unyezi's voice and felt perhaps a little of her grief loosen its grip.
Unyezi...he was a good lion.
But...would he be angry at her for letting the whole terrible incident happen? It was true, after all. She hadn't even stopped it from happening.
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Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:12 pm
"This is Imarika, she's my granddaughter," he introduced the unusually shy little lioness. He shook his head and looked back from Rika to Charon as he explained how things were going with him and his mother now. He smiled sadly at Charon as he glanced toward the den, he knew she probably wasn't very eager to talk to anybody now.
"I understand, it isn't easy when your children leave," he said, hesitating from there. He had children who had recently left the den and gone off to start their own lives. But he also had children who shunned him, refused to speak him- they might as well have left the pride altogether.
"How are you doing, Charon? Do you need anything?"
Rika opened her mouth to introduce herself but nothing came out immediately-- but then her grandfather was introducing her. She smiled meekly as she was introduced, and looked up to her grandfather as he spoke. She stepped out more and took a seat by Unyezi's feet so she wouldn't be hiding anymore. Charon was very interesting colors.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 3:43 pm
"Nice to meet you." Charon replied, smiling a little. It was always nice to meet new lions, especially relatives of Unyezi.
However, the smile faded soon after; difficult even for Charon to sustain in the face of all that had happened. He sighed softly, shaking his head a little. "I need something." He replied after a moment. "I'm just not sure what that 'something' is."
He blinked and hesitated a moment, seeming to be considering his next words carefully. "I'm...I'm afraid of..." He paused. "No, it doesn't matter. Everything will be fine. I'll make sure of that. I'm not going anywhere. Not ever. She won't be alone so long as I'm here." He lowered his voice and moved a little closer.
"Is she...is she going to be in trouble with the Queen?" He knew that his mother had been under watch for her strange behaviour and was concerned that the majority of her litter leaving with their estranged father might not look...well...not very good.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 3:59 pm
Unyezi smiled encouragingly at him, he would help Charon with anything he needed if he would only ask for it. He knew it wouldn't be easy for them, probably most especially for Charon. He hadn't lost any children but he'd lost his brothers and sister, and now he was determined to take care of his mother while she tried to deal with it.
"If you need anything, you only have to ask, my family and I would be happy to help," he said confidently, looking down to Rika with a smile and then back up with a little more hesitation, "She shouldn't be in trouble, she hasn't done anything wrong. They were old enough to leave on their own and since they were not in the low class, nobody would keep them here if they did wish to leave. This isn't her fault."
He spoke loud enough so that she could hear him, or he hoped she could.
Rika could only sit by her grandfather and nod enthusiastically along with the things he said. She didn't fully understand what had happened but she knew who the family was and she already liked Charon, and felt bad for him. He looked so sad! She glanced to the mouth of the den, imagining how sad his mother much be and couldn't help but frown.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 4:10 pm
"That's a relief." He murmured softly. He doubted the thought of being in trouble had even passed through his mother's mind at this moment in time, but at least that had squashed that worry before it had time to set seed and worry her needlessly.
"She...she won't speak to me at the moment. Maybe...maybe you'll have more luck with her than I did." He hated admitting that, feeling somewhat inadequate as a son and as her carer. All he wanted was for her to say something, tell him that it would be all okay as mothers should do.
Her silence was becoming unbearable.
And then he was aware of Imarika sitting there. She'd come along to visit some new lions and so far the meeting hadn't been exactly jolly. He wanted to apologise but felt sort of awkward. He really hadn't socialised with others his own age - except for his siblings, of course. He'd been tied to the den since birth.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 4:39 pm
He couldn't help but sigh when Charon said Ivie wouldn't speak to him at the moment, that made the whole situation that much more sad.
"I'll go see if I can talk to her," he said, nudging Rika up to her feet, "Rika will keep you entertained, right?" He smiled down at her and then walked around the young pair, heading for the den. He didn't walk in, not aiming to be rude exactly. He wouldn't barge in right away, anyway.
"Ivie," he called, "Ivie, I came to talk to you."
Rika squeaked when she was nudged away from Unyezi's feet and told she could keep Charon entertained. She watched her grandfather go before looking back to Charon with a sheepish smile. She didn't really know how she was supposed to entertain him.
"Uhhhhhh," she stammered.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 4:49 pm
"Good luck." Charon whispered quietly after the male, moving so he could sit closer to the seemingly shy female. He threw another, shaky sort of smile her way and sat more comfortably, curling his tail up over his paws hunching his shoulders a little.
"Sorry about this..." He apologised after the moment. "Guess this isn't the sort of visit you were expecting, huh? Seems my family has always been the kind to attract drama like this..."
He blinked. "So, you're Imarika, right? You're...you're one of the first other lion my age I've met...other than...well...yeah." His ears dipped a little. "It's pretty cool that Unyezi is your grandfather. He's a good lion."
A green eye flashed open and rolled backwards to try and glance at the lion who was coming to see her.
Not Charon.
No. Not her son. But, son or not, she knew this one. She knew him well. He had a familiar voice. A calming voice. But...she didn't want to be given sympathy. She didn't deserve it. It made her hate herself more for it.
She exhaled noisily and flicked an ear in his direction, wondering whether he would just give up and go. It would be for the best, after all. She was unworthy of that one son left behind. She was unworthy of friendship such as Unyezi's. She was unworthy of anything. She was cursed. Cursed and damned. That was why those around her held no love for her.
That's why they left.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:12 pm
"O-oh! No! It's OK, I'm sorry," she said, feeling bad she couldn't think up anything quick enough to actually be entertaining. He shouldn't actually have to apologize, families weren't perfect, they were visiting to cheer them up and not making them feel worse.
"Yeah, and you're Charon," she said, then smiling as he continued, "I haven't really met anybody else my age, either. Just Andy, but he doesn't count. Grandma and grandpa are fun, we see them all the time, they're slaves like me and Andy but mom's not."
.. should she have said that?
"Ivie," he called again, hesitating at the mouth of the den, going over exactly how was best to proceed. He used to be king, he was supposed to be able to handle anything and everything, which included situations like this but.. he was here as a friend, not as a king.
"Unless you tell me to leave, I'm coming in," he said. He couldn't exactly disobey a direct order but if she didn't say anything, he could say what he wanted and if she did tell him to get lost it might start an argument. Dangerous, perhaps, for someone who was supposed to stay on the good side of everybody else.. but she needed to talk.
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:29 pm
He smiled as she seemed to settle a little, finding her voice properly for the first time since she had arrived with Unyezi. "Well, at least I don't feel so odd now, not having really met anyone else my age...I mean. Is Andy one of your siblings?" He tipped his head, wondering whether he should recognise the name or not.
If he thought any less of her for being a slave he certainly didn't show it. Status mattered very little in his eyes and for him, it mattered least of all. He could have been a high class child and still be performing the 'lowly' tasks of caring for his mother. He certainly didn't think of them as lowly, however. No. His mother was the most important thing in his life and though it was certainly draining it was his purpose in life. She needed him and so he would always be there for her.
"What is your mother like?" He asked. A random question one might think, but he was curious to know about other's families to compare with how they differed with his own.
As much as she didn't want to talk, Ivie would certainly never tell Unyezi to go away. She had not and would not forget the kindness he had shown her. He had given her a home and a purpose. And, even if she didn't want to talk, he had come here to try and help.
She could not deny him.
She turned her head a little more so that she might see him enter, her tail curled tightly around her; body hunched up against the wall of the den.
She gave another loud breath and extended a fore-paw to pillow her chin against it in a miserable attempt at making herself look more comfortable.
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 5:48 pm
"Andy- Andama- is my brother, it's just the two of us, though, I don't have any other siblings," she nodded, answering his question and clarifying as he seemed to imply she might have more than just one. She was glad he didn't seem put off by the fact she was a slave- it didn't seem to matter at all, he didn't say a thing about it. That was good. She hesitated when asked about her mother, not sure how best to answer when she knew there was obviously some issues with his mother.
"She's a huntress," she started thoughtfully, shuffling her feet a bit, "She's a very good mom, I guess. It's mostly just her and us, except grandma and grandpa. She tells good stories, she knows everything- and what she doesn't know grandma or grandpa can tell. Uhhh." Rika really didn't know what to say about her.
Disappointed by the silence, he stepped into the den and spotted the poor lioness laying on the ground looking just as miserable as he imagined. He sighed and took a seat a short distance from her, so they could talk quietly (if she decided to speak) and not be heard by the young ones outside.
"Ivie, I'm so sorry," he said, "Can you tell me what happened?" Unyezi knew the gist of it but he'd never know if there was any specific information he didn't really know. He wasn't sure he'd get an answer but it was a start.
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:17 pm
"That's nice! It must be nice to be a part of a smaller litter...I mean, it's nice having lots of siblings but...if you just have one or two, you'd get a chance to know them better, don't you think?" He paused, feeling a sudden wave of grief choke him. He felt bad. Really bad. He hadn't really known his siblings as well as he should have.
Even his twin.
He recovered once she started talking about her mother, clearly not upset about talking about her. He adored his mother, no matter her faults, and she was all he had left now. "Stories?" His ears perked up at that. "Really? What sort of stories does she tell? Mother doesn't really...do the...story thing. But she has a lot on her mind and, to be honest, I don't think her mother told her many to pass on, you know?"
She watched him carefully. Kind Unyezi. The only one to give her a chance. Mad Ivie, good for nothing but making mistakes and ruining lives. Despite that, he had welcomed her.
She felt fresh, hot tears well in her eyes, summoned by the memory of their first meeting. She probably hadn't deserved that chance but...he had given it anyway.
She realised suddenly that he was speaking and drew an ear towards him hesitantly, afraid of what he might be saying. Tell him what happened? Ugh, her heart constricted with guilt and with anger at herself. It wasn't as if her cubs had been snatched from her or had been endangered in anyway. She had known what was going to happen.
She had always known.
And she couldn't help it. She kept reliving the moment that she had ruined her relationship with her first litter. With Nissa. Her beautiful daughter, small, innocent and yet...her face. She had looked at Ivie with such hate, such terrible anger and she'd said it. Nissa had told her that she hated her and...that was the last time she'd ever seen her.
"He..." She croaked, her voice shaky. It had seemed like a long time since she had used it. "He took them." She was actually surprised that she was answering him. Perhaps because he was older. Perhaps because he wasn't related to her...perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...
Even still, she answered.
"He took them like I knew he would...I agreed...I watched them go..." Perhaps she had hoped that they would love her too much to go.
But they had gone with him.
Gone...all of them but one. And why had he stayed? She didn't know.
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