|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:17 pm
 Things had been relatively quiet in the pride in the last few weeks but Kafele wasn't sure that was a good thing. The lower classes were still starving for food and justice but the well-fed trained Ligi kept them in place and open rebellions were rare and tended to be extinguished in the most brutal of ways. But there were still whispers of hopeful prayers running rampant through the pride. It seemed the only thing his grandfather had failed to control were the rumors of the Chosen One that would one day rise to defeat him. Kafele sighed. You’re late, he told the imaginary lion that he too hoped would come restore the balance of his pride, Very late.
Not everything was bad, he had to admit. He was always being watched by the Ligi but the ones that were usually assigned to him were the Mwanasheria’s sons, Jabari and Kafei. Jabari was alright even if mysterious at times. And Kafei had been his best friend even before he’d known about his heritage and Kafele trusted the cream-colored lion completely. So being under surveillance was not really such a bad thing, after all. They usually just took long walks and raced or trained. Rarely, Kafei helped him sneak out a hare or two for the starving cubs of the hunters but it was hard to do such things without being noticed and Kafei was always a little more afraid of being caught doing these little acts of defiance – Kafele didn’t know why. Perhaps he feared placing his mother in danger and that Kafele certainly did understand.
One other thing that seemed to be lighting the red lion’s mood lately was his ever-growing proximity with a blue huntress of the Tama house. It was ironic that one that had once boasted so confidently of the greatness of his house – of which Kafele considered himself a prime example – would one day be so taken by someone from the opposing house. It was a dangerous business though. The young lion knew that being close to one of Sahen's grandchildren might place Ixi in trouble in more ways than one. Kafele sighed again as he watched the sunset from the top of the Weeping Lion, bathed in the warmth of the orange light.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:19 pm
 xxxxxThe pride was in shambles as far as Livius was concerned. In no way was he jealous of the lesser ranks of the pride, struggling every day for food. It was heartbreaking to watch the cubs crying out for meat to their parents, who remained unable to secure them the food they required. It was ridiculous; the Chosen One that'd been spoken of for so long had never showed up and saved the pride from the rule of his grandfather. Livius was extremely envious of this purported Chosen One for the fame he had claimed over the lands, but in no was was he unhappy that the savior had never shown. The lion cared much too much for the Ashnai'le inhabitants to be gleeful about the other lion never showing. In fact, it almost pained him to watch his pride suffer like this. Of course, those of the upper ranks weren't doing awful in the least. Livius himself was living quite fine and had no idea how those lower in the pride were handling it emotionally. Even so, he did feel for them and wished he could do something to help out without risking apprehension.
xxxxxThe sun was setting. It cast a beautiful orange glow over the Ashnai'le lands, making everything look much more glamorous than it really felt. Then again, appearances were always the most deceptive characters in stories, were they not? Livius huffed out a sigh, glancing over the pride as he climbed to the summit of the Weeping Lion, hoping in vain that rising so far above the pride would keep him from witnessing the suffering of the other inhabitants. Although he knew it would be fruitless, Livius never resisted an idea once it came to the mind, and was soon as the top of the waterfall. Glancing about, Livius immediately recognized the stark white mane of his brother Kafele. With a small, relieved smile, the lion padded over quietly to greet his brother.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 10:47 am
Kafele looked over his shoulder, an annoyed growl rumbling in throat until he recognized the lion who was moving closer. His expression opened up almost instantly and he even smiled a little. Out of all his siblings, it was around Livius that Kafele felt he could lower his guard the most. The red lion was too similar to Azu which caused their tempers to clash on occasion and their only sister, ever the fierce defender of their grandfather, was still deluded as to who truly was to blame for the state of affairs in the Ashnai’le.
“Ah, it’s you Livi. I thought they were coming to check up on me again.” Always under the close surveillance of the Ligi, the red lion didn’t feel the need to specify who was keeping tabs on him. And it was fairly obvious – to everyone except their sister – who was behind those orders. “Did you come up here to watch the sunset?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:06 pm
xxxxxAt his brother's growl, Livius slowed considerably. Then realizing that Kafele meant no threat by it, sped up once again. Up close it was easy to see how truly brilliant his brother's coat was. The gold markings gleamed in the sunset's glow, and Livius had to fight down everything he had to keep away the bubbling jealousy arising within him. Although he himself did have fascinating markings, he hadn't been blessed with flashy colors like Kafele had. Livius was completely absorbed with envy until Kafele snapped him out of it with his comment. A small snarl settled itself upon his lips at the thought of the Ligi. Their grandfather was an extraordinarily cruel ruler and always kept close watch on those beneath him through his little pets, the Ligi. It was clear that Kafele was drudging up the same ideas in his mind, and Livius took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking to his brother.
xxxxx"More or less," Livius said, gazing out over the lands with a sad look in his eyes. The pride was dwindling, barely holding onto life under Sahen's rule. It was pathetic. He felt rather lonely sometimes within the pride; there weren't many members and he was often alone. It was nice to have Kafele right now, but what about in the long run? Every time Livius thought about trying to find a mate, he knew that he could never subject a girl to the possible wrath of Sahen. Besides; it would be grossly unfair to bring any cubs into a pride in this condition. They wouldn't survive for long with food as scarce as it was. Letting out a long sigh, Livius glanced at his brother and shook his head without a word, hoping it would communicate all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:54 pm
“Come closer to talk. We can’t even trust the birds around here.” The red lion stood up, shook his body from head to tail and then sat again, blue eyes turning a shade closer to green as he watched the sun. His thoughts were on Ixi before long, something that was happening with increasing frequency lately. He had trouble getting the blue lioness out of his head even though he knew the consequences any kind of relationship with the huntress would bring.
“Hey, Livi. Do you think we’ll ever be able to have a normal life?” he asked his brother after a moment of quiet contemplation. It was strange how lands so beautiful could hide such a terrible reality.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:08 pm
xxxxxLivius scowled at Kafele's comment, knowing all too well how true it was. No one was to be trusted within the pride anymore; it wasn't always clear who was under Sahen's influence and who wasn't. It was more than a shock to Livius that Kafele even trusted him; sibling turned against sibling wasn't something that would be surprising recently. But thankfully, Kafele had nothing to worry about. Livius took another deep breath to calm himself and sat down next to his brother, staring out once again at the land. Everything here was so deceptively beautiful. Behind every stunning piece of foliage there was always the chance of a pair of watchful eyes, ready to attack with all they had.
xxxxxLife in the pride was uncertain. That was what Livius began thinking about when his brother proposed the question. There was no black and white within the pride; everything was a gamble, all coming down to chance. He sighed before he answered, exhausted by the stress this whole thing was imposing upon him. "Perhaps if the..." he trailed off, not wanting to say the title aloud for fear of alerting a Ligi of their conversation. "Perhaps if he turns up. But until then..." Livius shook his head, eyes downcast. "I've been thinking about how nice it'd be to have cubs. It's terrifying to think that this is all we'll ever have. All we'll ever be." That was most all there was to do in the pride lately - think. And never was Livius able to dwell on anything good. Always he was consulting his mind about the possibility of actually being happy within his pride. Always it seemed like a far-fetched dream.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:31 pm
Kafele had long learned the hard lesson that he wasn’t in a particularly good position when it came to trusting those around him. Some would approach him to earn Sahen’s favor, others would harm him if they believed they could get away with it. And yet, the red lion still gave away his trust with relative ease. He trusted his close family, even the deluded Dada: his mother, his uncle and his brothers. Sahen might be blood but he was certainly not family and towards the ruler Kafele had little more than grudges and repressed anger. But he had opened his mind to a Ligi, one of the Mwanasheria’s sons. It would sound foolish if he were to say it aloud but Kafele trusted Kayin, his only true friend and someone he knew since cubhood, almost as much as his own brothers.
“This can’t be all. I can’t bear to think like that.” He stood up, his expression suddenly determined even though his voice dropped. “There’s someone I like.” He frowned, eyes still firmly on the setting sun as he waited for his brother’s answer. Kafele had never been much of a thinker so he’d usually rely on Livius when he was in need of an advice or explanation. Now that he was all grown up and forced to do a lot more thinking on his own, Kafele still valued his brother’s opinion above most.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:54 pm
xxxxxWhen Kafele responded, Livius merely nodded his head solemnly. He knew damn well how hard it was to think about the future, or lack thereof, that he and the rest of the pride may be headed into. It was sickening to think he was growing up like this; that there were others who had grown up into this, were growing up into this now. All of it was near impossible to think about for more than a few minutes; the emotions evoked were always too much for one to handle. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to think about within the pride, which also had a paw in why the overall morale of the members was so low.
xxxxxWhen Kafele admitted to there being a girl in his life, Livius winced. He knew this had been coming - he'd seen it from a mile away. He just wasn't sure his brother would go around admitting it or submitting to it with the pride in such a state. Chuckling slightly in attempt to lighten the mood a bit, Livius replied: "Oh, Kafele. Now's not the time to be chasing tail like a juvenile." A nervous glance flickered toward Kafele; his brother knew Kafele would never tell him something of this magnitude if it wasn't important to him. This girl meant a lot to Kafele, Livius could plainly see. This subject had been dwelling on him and was weighing him down. It was easy to tell that Kafele was stressed out on the subject, and Livius intended to help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:54 pm
“I’m not just chasing… anything!” Kafele said somewhat indignantly, repressing the urge to throw himself at the ground dramatically and whine. He remained in place and finally met his brother’s eyes and sighed instead. He knew Livius meant nothing by it and he smiled faintly as his blue eyes returned to sun.
“I just…” he was whispering now, clearly afraid they could be overheard. “She’s so… different from me. She’s a huntress from the Tama house. Don’t laugh!” Oh, look at him now. One who had always boasted his Atmaja pride and the perfection of his coat to anyone who would hear him. Well, that had been before Kafele had known where the red from his coat had come from. “She’s blue with fiery eyes and she’s so gentle, Livi. She my complete opposite. She lights up when she sees me and she didn’t think any less of me when I told her Sahen is our grandfather. There's not an ounce of lies and resentment when she says my name.” he paused, a deep frown casting a shadow over his eyes.
“If he finds out, Livi. I’m afraid. I don’t know…” His entire family already lived surrounded by Ligi. The last thing Kafele wanted was to add another weakness to his plate. Sahen might be refraining from hurting his own blood or the Mwanasheria’s sons (Kafele’s friends) but there was no reason to stop him from using Kafele’s affections for Ixi against the young lion. “I’ feel so lost sometimes, Livi.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:56 pm
xxxxxLivius laughed whole-heartedly at Kafele's first commnt; he'd known all along that this was no sort of cubhood crush. Kafele wasn't the type to go about dispatching this sort of dangerous information over just any lioness. This girl was special to him. That's what made Livius so nervous.
xxxxxThose nerves were in no way alleviated when Kafele continued on. In truth, Livius' stomach churned. The Tama and the Atmaja were rival houses within the pride, and it was certainly frowned upon to so much as treat another of the opposite house kindly. As far as Livius could remember, they didn't intermate. Letting out a long breath, Livius shook his head. "You've dug yourself into a deep one here, Kafele." What more could he say on the subject? It was dangerous to so much as love during these times - what Kafele spoke of was much deeper and could have much harsher consequences.
xxxxxNodding, Livius glanced over at his brother briefly. He was struggling. Not the way the others of the pride were struggling, but in a completely internal way. He was in deep trouble and knew it - but could he really help it? "Oh, Kafele..." Livius sighed, shaking out his mane. "You love her. You know how dangerous that is!" He was torn; should he encourage Kafele to follow his heart? Or should he support him in doing what would keep the pair of them safe? It was such a complicated situation, and just Kafele's luck to end up in it, Livius thought.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:12 pm
Yes, he knew. He definitely knew. Rumors alone were dangerous. There was absolutely no way he would endanger Ixi by taking their odd friendship to the next level and making his affections for the blue lioness completely public. The fact she was from Tama only made everything worse and Kafele feared Sahen might have plans for his red grandson and they might not include a mating between the Ashnai’le Houses.
“Don’t worry.” He said quietly but firmly, showing a degree of confidence he didn’t truly feel. “No one knows. No one will know. I’ll make sure of that. I won’t do anything stupid.”
He didn’t deny that he loved her. He was about to but decided against it simply because he lacked the arguments to fight that statement. But his mind was in turmoil. Love? Did he love her? Well, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Every time he left the Weeping Lion, he wondered – hoped – he would find her. He liked everything about her from her coat to her laugh. And when he was with her he did not feel like the grandson of the tyrant who was slowly destroying his pride but as Kafele, just Kafele, a young lion in love. Yes, he was slowly starting to realize it himself now. He was in love.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:49 pm
xxxxxAs nerve-wracking and completely screwed up as the situation was, Livius couldn't help himself when a smile creeped upon his face. He could see his brother battling a whole array of emotions, indicating that he hadn't really thought about whether or not he'd loved the girl. Livius let out a chuckle, gently flicking his brother with the tuft of his tail. "Kafele, you're a right mess, aren't you? I'm just now helping you realize that." It wasn't a question, because Livius knew he was right - Kafele recognized the amount of danger he was putting himself and his girl in when he admitted to the relationship, but only now, because of Livius, was he realizing how much it all truly meant. Unsure of whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, Livius decided not to pursue the subject any further.
xxxxxAn idea crept itself into Livius's mind just then. "What if..." he trailed off, closing his eyes, trying to imagine the future. "Hmph. I guess that wouldn't work." He shook his head, realizing he was simply fancying things that could never happen. "I was thinking that maybe I could find a rogue gal, but... he has eyes everywhere. It would never work out. I could never sneak away. At least you have her, Kafele. At least you do get to see her sometimes and know she has your heart. That must be nice, at least?" Livius often fantasized about what it would be like to be a mate, a father. In that way, Kafele was lucky - at least he had someone who loved him. What did Livius really have? A pang of jealousy took over his heart, and he fought it back. It would do no good to make his brother feel worse than he already did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 8:51 am
Kafele let out a sad chuckle as if to agree with his brother’s words. A mess, huh? He certainly wasn’t feeling like his usual self which was something he considered to be a relatively good thing most of the time. But the price of failure – in this case, being found out - was simply too great. It was starting to keep the red lion up at night, to be honest.
“When I’m with her, it does feel… nice.” Kafele admitted and he stood up slowly, his muscles visibly tense. He’d never been a particularly perceptive lion but even Kafele had noted the hint of bitterness in Livius’ words. Their current situation or their bleak futures, one of those was certainly at the root of the two lion’s worries. The red lion leaned to the side and pushed his head against his brother’s white coat, hiding his expression from view as he tried to relax from the sudden cold anger he was feeling. “But, Livi… if something ever happens to her because of me… I swear I’ll kill him, Livi. Or die trying.” A soft growl rumbled in his chest.
“Ahh-ah… enough with the serious stuff. I’m going to get my head under some cold water. I’m feeling a little hot in the head.” He moved away from his brother, forcing a small smile to ease the sudden tension. “I’ll see you later, Livi.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:14 pm
xxxxxLivius smiled a bit, but it was short-lived. While is was great that his brother was having moments of happy freedom, there wasn't any way Livius could get past wishing he had what Kafele had. When Kafele mentioned the possible consequences again, pressing his head into Livius's pelt, Livius tensed. "I'm not sure killing him's such a bad idea, sometimes," he admitted, albeit knowing a plan as such would only end in the certain death of the plotter. But wouldn't it be a worthy sacrifice? There weren't many left within the pride left untainted, but wouldn't dying in an attempt to stop all of this oppression help those under Sahen's rule realize their power? Livius heaved out a sigh, knowing such a plan would never work, regardless of the state of the pride.
xxxxxChuckling, Livius nodded. Cold water sounded like a good idea, although Livius himself wasn't in an angry state - much more defeated than angry. Returning Kafele's smile, Livius settled further into the rock he was mounted on, planning to keep watch over the pridelands for some time longer. "See you, Kafele. Good luck." Consumed once again with thoughts of the consequences of his brother's romance, Livius settled his head on his paws. It was going to be a long night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
