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 Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 4:04 pm
 She was so tired that she felt dead on her feet, but there was still a short walk back to her den before she could rest. A walk that seemed far longer than it actually was. Off to one side, Vesta and Naar called their farewells and Fia offered them nothing more than an appreciative nod.
Their shadowed eyes and hollow faces spoke volumes.
They had been gone longer than ever on their hunt for water, to the place where the sand became hard and uncomfortable underfoot, impaled by thin blades of foliage that rustled in the wind. It had felt wrong, somehow, to have gone that far out. As if their lives might suddenly come to an end; struck down where they stood for having breached the natural borders of the desert. None of them had gone so far before and it had made them all equally nervous. And so, after a discussion, they had decided to return. The news, of course, would not be good. They had, despite all odds, managed to find a pool of murky water protected by a build up of rocks. But the stagnant pool had tasted foul and there had not been enough to make a journey back worth it. The sun would claim what they had not and soon that rock would be as parched as the desert skeletons. So the group had rested a time, slaked their thirst and then begun the long journey home.
Walking back always seemed to take longer somehow. Maybe because of the weariness or the homesickness. Or maybe from the horrible realisation that they were still no better off for all their troubles. Perhaps, Fia thought, she should just stick to what she was good at and draw pictures of the suffering.
Except the thought of that revolted her. She'd not been able to record anything since things had taken a turn for the worse, neglecting those duties in favour of adding Vesta. And what was there to record anyway? A hot, relentless sun growing fat in a cloudless sky. No. She would not record anything until they had some hope.
And they really could use some hope right now.
Moving sluggishly, Fia closed the gap between her and the den-site; taking comfort in the black rock formations rising high above her. Soon she would be spread with shade from their loving embrace and she could sleep long and hard until the exhaustion had left her bones and she could head back out again. She was so tired she didn't bother to look up to see if anyone else was around. Didn't bother to notice the lack of bodies roaming the very heart of the pride. If anything, she was just thankful for the quiet.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:29 am
In Azar's mind, there wasn't a sign of hope at the moment.
She was exhausted herself, and it was for a very different reason than her sister who had been out looking for water. She hadn't been sleeping much lately, and of course there was also the fact that she was thirsty and tired and really hadn't been eating much, taking most of her share of any food to her grandchildren, but that wasn't what was on her mind. There had been a death in the family and this death had been caused at the paws of another. It had been done by an attack and this lioness was not a happy lioness because of this. She was lost and upset and angry, she was very angry.
Nur'yu was dead and he did not deserve it. Her free loving and playful son was no longer alive and some where out there was his killer and currently Azar was fighting a battle in her mind, she was upset extremely sad, she was angry and she wanted to kill the first thing that looked suspicious. There was the battle of trying to keep those emotions in check. She needed to she had a job to do and this job included her staying level headed and keeping herself together. There was another job that included that too. She was still the mother to nine other children, and although they were adults she had the need to take care of them and make sure that they were okay, especially her Kakek who was with Nur when he died. Kakek had not uttered a word since. There was also her siblings who too seemed pretty upset. She was conflicted and not that sure of what to think at times. She wanted to act on her instincts but at the same time she knew she couldn't.
She was wandering a little, trying to take a walk to clear her mind. She knew that she really needed to sleep but she couldn't. She was walking a little slower then normal, she was tired and she didn't want to use too much energy. She was looking around and she paused as she spotted her sister. Fia and Ea were twins and they looked basically the same, but after growing up with them it was much easier to tell them apart. Fia was back and she knew that she had to break the news to her but the thing was that she didn't exactly know how to break the news to her sister. She paused and then started to move toward her sister. "Fia." she said quietly not really that sure of what to say, she knew that her sister liked her son just as much as most of the pride did.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:28 am
There were very few things that could ever make Ea do something she didn't want to do. Of all those things, the only one that could be said to have any reliability was her sister, Fia. For all of Ea's bitterness and drama, she could never direct her rage at her twin. Fia always knew when Ea was full of hot air.
Which was why, in times of seriousness, Ea wished she could have hid herself behind many layers of defense. She followed behind Azar. Not intruding, not even speaking- just to be there. She was the one responsible for Nur's care, after all. She felt responsible in a way that was simultaneously logical and illogical.
But she didn't have the heart to say it. As Azar approached Fia, Ea quietly rounded the rocks that lay about Fia's den and sat. Her head dropped low, as though Fia might be able to read her mind just by looking into those mirrored eyes.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:32 am
Fia
She looked up, recognising the voice but not so much the tone in which it was spoken. At first she was exasperated. She didn't want to chat or catch up - not until she had rested - and here she was being confronted the moment she got back. How was that fair? Did she go around harrassing people when they were tired and moody. Oh, wait, maybe she did. Anyway, it didn't matter. She'd just give an acknowledging snort and move around her to get to her den. If that didn't get the point across she didn't know what--
--wait, Ea?
Azar's soft tone partnered with that look in Ea's eyes...
Okay, so something wasn't right.
She drew to an abrupt halt and lifted her head; the muscles in her neck tensing. And even as she summoned the words to speak, she felt her heart sinking with fear. Something had happened. Something terrible. And if Ea was that affected...then it was either medical related or someone she knew. But with Azar here, too...
Without meaning to, Fia took a short step back. "Something's happened."
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 5:47 pm
Azar turned toward Ea to see if she wanted to say anything but at the moment it didn't really look like she wanted to say anything. She bit her lip and then turned back to Fia. At first her sister's face seemed more annoyed and then started to become more concerned. And her sister's question almost made her hair stand up on her back. It made her upset that was for sure. She didn't know what to think about it but she knew that she almost wanted to start crying again but at the same time she knew that she couldn't do that in front of her sisters, nor did she want to do that in front of her sisters that was for sure.
She paused for a moment and stared at her sister. "Well... something... happened." Her sister described it well, she wasn't sure how else she could describe it other than that something happened. "something really bad happened while you were gone Fia." She backed up a little and sat next to Ea leaning against her, even if Ea didn't really enjoy her leaning she needed some support, literally. She braced herself preparing herself as she was about to speak. She already knew the news but she almost always had to mentally prepare herself again when she was about to tell some one about the news. She wished she didn't have the honors to share this news with anyone else. She wished her son didn't have the 'honors' of dying either. "Nur... passed away Fia." She said simply, she didn't like saying killed, even though that is what happened it was hard really processing the fact that her son was dead and that he wasn't coming back and even though she wanted to kill the one who did it she hated that it was at the paws of some one else.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 6:08 am
Ea flinched, but shouldered the weight of her sister. She was not an affectionate sort, and the fact that she hadn't moved was a definite sign that the news was dire. The medic waited until Azar had finished before speaking up. The words were coming hard for her sister, and Ea felt a small spark of anger build up in her chest. Anger that they had to do this at all. It wasn't fair.
"There was an attack," Ea continued. "Outsiders, some of the Hongshan claim they are Nergui. I don't know what happened, but there were several lions involved on either side."
Her head drooped, trying to think if there was more to add before the inevitable outrage occurred. "There's talk of war."
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:02 pm
Fia wasn't quite sure how to react. Situations that she didn't like were usually met with rage and fire. She could shout down and rampage during the most difficult of discussions; release her energy that way. But this...this was something else entirely.
Nur'yu was dead.
Her body had gone very still, the breath stuck in her lungs as she tried to process this information in a way that she could deal with. The immediate need to lash out was curbed by the fact that here was no one to lash out to, but her eyes burned dry and a muscle in her jaw clenched as she tried to keep the rising surge of emotion at bay.
Tried and failed.
"Dead?!" She hissed at last. "What do you mean, dead?! He's a watcher! Not a warrior! Nur'yu can't be dead! Watchers don't go fighting strange lions on the borders!" This couldn't happen. It just couldn't. She'd only been away a few days and now there was death and war and ruin and her heart hurt with a pain that echoed in her head. "This is all some sort of mistake, isn't it?"
But the look in their eyes forced her to look away and she sank her claws into the sand as if to try and defend herself against the truth. This couldn't be happening. It was time to wake up now.
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 5:35 pm
Azar could feel her eyes grow wet and her throat burn. She hated that feeling she knew that meant that she was close to crying. But she wasn't going to cry, she didn't like to cry that was for sure. She really hated it. She could rarely bring herself to do that. For now she had to close her eyes and hope that it would go away. She listened to her sister and shook her head before opening her eyes and looking at her sister. It almost felt as if a drop of water was falling down the side of her face. Or at least she wanted to say it was water. Not a tear.
She turned toward Ea and nodded. "yes, there is." She then turn toward the other twin and shook her head. "I wish it was a mistake, I wish it was a cruel joke that someone was playing on top of everyone else." She then paused and dug her claws into the ground underneath her paws. "I know watchers aren't supposed to do that. I think he was helping find water." She really wasn't even that sure herself to a point. She wished she knew but she was too busy the emotion welding up inside of her that she really wasn't paying attentiong to the story. She would find out later once everything was taken care of or he was avenged. She moved a little closer to Fia. "Sister, this is horrible." She said, trying to hold back the tears again. She was angry but the sad was hitting her from time to time, that was always the worse to her.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:00 am
Ea shifted uncomfortably. Her shoulders pulsed. "I would never play a trick like that, Fia. I saw him."
Sorrow was not something akin to the wild cat. It left her with a strange, flighty feeling in her chest and nausea in her stomach. The last thing she wanted was to bring her sister ill-will. She might have had her moments, but those moments rarely stretched towards her twin. "They call them Nergui. Those monsters the Hongshan were rattling about."
She paused, her whiskers flaring outwards. "At least, they claim they were them. I am not so quick to trust anything these outsiders say, but... it certainly was some enemy. There were other injures too, just... none as severe," a memory she did not care to remember. The frantic yelling and chain of events that had lead them to this point. "They have one though. A nergui."
For a moment, her voice grew grave. "I don't know what our parents will do with him, but its possible he was responsible."
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:42 pm
She was stony silent for a minute, only half-hearing what was being said to her. Nur'yu was dead. Dead. Never to speak again. Never to smile again. Never to bother her again. Dead forever. She swallowed back on the horrible nausea gathering in her throat that threatened to choke her and when she remembered to breath it came out with a strangled sound.
"The Nergui." She repeated at last, her voice strange and hoarse. It didn't sound like her own.
Still she didn't look at them, afraid that looking into their sorrowful faces might break her. Fia filled with despair and, more strongly; hate. Hate for those that had done this and hate for herself for not being here when she was most needed. Her sisters had been left to deal with this and she had not been here to support her family. She had not been here.
"The Nergui who did this--he is still alive?" She felt the fire kindle in her chest, protecting her heart from the horrible, crushing sensation brought about by grief. That same fire came to burn in her eyes and those that knew her would recognise and understand that look.
Fia had a fire in her heart and once it was set alight it was near impossible to derail her from her path.
She wanted blood. Nergui blood.
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Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 7:54 pm
Azar was heart broken herself at the death of her son, however she kept reminding herself tht there wasn't anything she could do about it. Even though they were both upset, being around them made her feel so much better. She felt so much more at home then if she was by herself or even with her mate. No matter how nice her mate was or being around her mom and dad was there was something different about being with her sisters. She looked at Fia who Azar had really never seen upset before. She paused and flicked her tail around behind her before then shaking her head. "The Nergui?" She asked her sister in return not that sure of what to say. "I have no idea." She then turned to Ea. "I think so but I'm not exactly sure."
He sighed a little before pausing once again and speaking to the other lioness. "all I know is that I'm not happy. I want to find them and hurt them." She said herself. She had no clue what to do but at the same time she just wanted to kick some butt. Even to a point she wanted the Nergui to be alive so they could get back what happened to Nur'yu.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 4:59 pm
Ea shook her head. "He's alive, but who knows. He claims innocence. Maybe. From what I hear he's not exactly forthcoming with information." The black cat's tail swayed in thought. She could sense the sudden change in her sisters. And for once, it was Ea that seemed the calm one.
"Either way our parents aren't likely to give judgement hastily ," she paused. "We'll have revenge, Fia. But for right now..."
To that, Ea wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't really just suggest they mourn. It wasn't in the firekin way to just sit idly back. "I don't know," she admitted. "But the answer won't come tonight."
"I'm sorry, Fia," she said again.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:17 am
Fia growled hotly, the fur on her shoulders rising in response to her sisters' words. There was so much that no one seemed to know. So much hesitation in what action to take. Her claws were in the sand, rooting her to the ground as if trying to expel her fury safely instead of taking it out on someone else.
"Then someone should make him!" She snapped, laying back her ears and twisting her head to look away. Her eyes burned. "I'll make him." Though of course, she wouldn't be given the chance. Those who might wish harm on the prisoner would certainly not be allowed within viewing distance - a fact she would find out later, of course.
Her head snapped back around, her mismatched eyes blazing. "They won't get away with this." She seethed. "They'll pay."
But not tonight...
The pain welled in her chest again, threatening to suffocate her, and she was painfully aware of how much she didn't want to break down in public. Painfully aware of declining into a blubbering mess. Her face was tense as she paced erratically back and forth, hissing and mumbling under her breath about vengeance and promises.
And then she breathed a hasty, "I'm sorry." And took off across the sand, her pace swift but strained - as if she were forcing herself not to break into a run.
Nur'yu was dead and she hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye.
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:00 pm
Azar looked at her sister, not really sure of what to say. She could see how upset Fia was and it made her more upset. More angry, all of this hurt too much of her family and that made her so angry she was just craving to get her paws on the lions, or lion behind it. She wanted to dig her claws into him and get revenge for her son. Her son never had a mate, never had cubs. He was young and he was still full of life and adventure and she couldn't believe it. The more she thought about it the more she got frustrated and the more she couldn't help but to want to hurt some one.
She looked at her sisters before sighing. She didn't know what to do with herself. She watched as Fia ran and she couldn't even bring herself to go after her. She knew it would be a bad idea to begin with but at the same time she hated seeing her sister like that. She hated all of this. She turned toward Ea and shook her head. "I'm going go to go back to my den. let me know if you need me." She pushed herself up on all four of her paws, and prepared herself to go back to her den. She was a very frustrated lioness at the moment, she was hoping that her parents were going to let her get the revenge that she wanted. She didn't want to go against the pride but she didn't want anyone to get in her way at the same time. For now, she needed to rest and think
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