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 Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:28 pm
 Maua trembled in front of his father. The young lion’s grey eyes were watery with tears under his father’s furious glare, wet tracks dampening the fur of his cheeks. His pink mane had just barely begun to grow in, his cub fat still rounding out his figure. It was not the image one would expect to associate with a murderer.
But that’s what Maua was. At least, that’s what he was according to his parents. His sister, the eldest of the triplets, was dead. And it was all Maua’s fault. He hadn’t meant to knock her into the river. He hadn’t meant to shove back a little bit harder than he should have. But he had been so tired of Niliua clawing at him and teasing him all morning. He had just wanted her to get a taste of her own sour medicine.
However, the current had been just a little too strong that morning, the rocks just a little too slippery. Maua had watched in horror as his sister plunged into the river with a scream. The young lion had chased after her, desperate to try and get her out of the river. But he wasn’t fast like her, wasn’t strong like his older brother. Niliua had disappeared into the river, swallowed by the churning rapids.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:29 pm
Maybe if Purua, Maua’s older brother, had been there, it wouldn’t have happened. Purua was smart and always knew what to do. He would have known not to play so close to the bank. He would have been able to make Niliua stop climbing over the rocks. Even if it he hadn’t, Purua would have known how to save her. But Purua hadn’t been there. He had been out on his apprenticeship with one of the soldiers, a shining prodigy of his father. But Maua didn’t have such luck his finding a mentor. He was the baby of the family, the screw-up, the disappointment. And now he was also the murderer.
Maua’s father growled at him, teeth bared in a fierce snarl. Maua cringed, trying to curl up in on himself. He wanted to disappear. His mother’s sobbing reached his ears, making the guilt in his stomach threaten to push up the contents of his breakfast. The pink male could barely suppress his own sobs, the fear of his father’s wrath the only thing keeping the shudders at bay.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:31 pm
“What have you done?” The purple male demanded. He rose to his feet, towering over Maua’s shaking body. “What do you have to say for yourself?” He snarled louder this time, making Maua jump.
Maua looked up into grey eyes that mirrored his own. But while Maua’s were more like soft rain clouds during the wet season, his father’s eyes swirled like a dark storm cloud in a monsoon. “I…I…it was an accident, I swear!” It was. It really was. But from the fury in his father’s eyes, Maua could tell that he wouldn’t believe the excuse. “I didn’t mean for her to fall!”
“You pushed her in.” His father swiped at him. Maua whimpered and skittered out of the way. Maua bit back a retort. Niliua had started the pushing. Maua wouldn’t have pushed back if she hadn’t been being a bully. “You expect me to believe that you ‘accidentally’ shoved your sister off of the rocks?”
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:33 pm
Maua didn’t want to answer. He knew that no matter what he said, his parents would blame him. That was how it always went during arguments. Niliua would blame something she had done on him, and his parents would punish him. “I tried to save her.” He whispered, eyes shifting to stare back at the cold dirt beneath his feet.
His mother’s head snapped up, cloud-coloured eyes narrowed with rage. “Trying wasn’t good enough!” She screamed, blue cheek markings wrinkled by her snarl. She leapt at him, but Maua’s father stopped her advance. Maua could do nothing but stare up at them with terror. Were they going to kill him? Were they going to take revenge for the death of their favourite child? Maua wouldn’t doubt it for a second. If only Purua were back from his apprenticeship. Purua would stand up for him. He always did.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:36 pm
“You are no longer a part of this family, Maua.” His father said coldly. Maua’s ear pricked forward, unsure if he had heard them correctly. What did they mean? How could he no longer be a part of the family? He was their son. Even if they never treated him like a son, it didn’t make it any less true. They couldn’t just make him stop being related to them. “For what you did, you are hereby banished from our family, our lands, and the pride.”
Maua jumped up. “You can’t do that!” He begged. He didn’t have anywhere else to go. He hadn’t finished any of his formal training. He couldn’t hunt or defend himself like his siblings could. He would die out in the roguelands. And all for an accident…he didn’t deserve it.
His father roared, silencing him. “Who are you to say what cannot be done? You, a murderer and a failure.” The words cut deeply into Maua’s heart. “You have proven yourself unfit to care for the life of another. You weren’t able to keep your own sister alive. How can we trust you to be responsible for the other members of the pride?” The pink male began to sob again. They were right. There was no way he’d be able to carry on the family tradition of protecting the pride borders. Not after this. Who would trust him?
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:38 pm
He sniffed, unable to look at his parents now. “Wh…what will you tell the pride?” Maua asked. He didn’t want Purua’s career being hurt. Purua deserved to have a successful life, unmarred by the tale of his kin murdering on of their own. He wished he could say goodbye to his older brother. If anyone in the pride would miss him, it would be Purua.
His mother stuck her nose up at him, looking back at Maua with disgust written on her face. “As far as we are concerned, you drowned in the river with your sister.” She turned away, blue tufted tail lashing out. “Leave us.” Maua turned to walk towards the entrance of the den, tears beginning to fall again as he prepared to leave his family’s home. His father cleared his throat. Maua whipped around, a small part of him hoping that the purple male would change his mind and allow Maua to stay. “It should have been you.” He snapped, turning to comfort his mother.
Maua hung his head. He hopped up the stairs, pausing briefly at the doorway. The pink lion resisted the urge to look back one more time, to run back and throw himself at his parent’s feet begging for mercy. Instead, he stared out into the bright daylight, lip quivering. “I know, Dad.” He murmured, feet finally carrying him over the threshold and out into the lands of the unknown.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:39 pm
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Maua trembled in front of his father. The young lion’s grey eyes were watery with tears under his father’s furious glare, wet tracks dampening the fur of his cheeks. His pink mane had just barely begun to grow in, his cub fat still rounding out his figure. It was not the image one would expect to associate with a murderer.