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 Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:41 pm
What are you waiting for?
Shunqa had been asked it a lot as a cub, some as a juvenile, and once older than that, just before he got to the age where the inquiry took on a different meaning. He had always looked like he knew something everyone else didn't, or at least thought he did; sometimes, he engaged the meddlesome side of his peers when he would stand perfectly still and gaze at the land in front of him in anticipation. To be young was to be curious.
He was no longer young and waiting no longer meant what it had back then. In adult-speak, it meant stalling.
As an adult, Shunqa seemed to be waiting to do something rather than for something. He was anxious. His eyes said so, as did his shoulders, nearly as tense as one patrolling the border after spotting an enemy in the distance. They had all grown, and what restlessness he felt was no longer the interest or business of those lions that had been his playmates and were now guards, soldiers, or hunters like him.
Leave it to Shunqa to loiter around the training grands with intent to stargaze. The speckles of light were just starting to appear in the evening sky. They had gone so long without appreciation. Did anyone without the eyes of a cub even notice them anymore?
Shunqa did, for tonight. He sat in the land and stared up at them, though he saw something beyond the sky itself.
Or at least looked like he did.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:01 pm
Shunqa was not alone.
Close by, crossing the training grounds without looking up, was the hulking figure of Elda; a sentinel who had - until recently - been out serving proudly with Moto'Seide and the rest of the sentinels. A lioness who had handed over her best and only friend to become ambassador of the Ithambo'hlabathi. A friend she might not see again for years. If she had been better with words and emotions she might have made the most of that last farewell, but alas, she had stood there all stoic and silent, trading only a few words until they turned their backs and strode off in the opposite directions. Perhaps words might have come easier if she had realised that the Bonelands lions migrated - putting more and more distance between their two prides.
But, what was done was done, and Elda had her duty to focus on now. Or she would...as soon as the sentinels were permitted to go back out into the rogue lands again. If she had been the more ambitious and pushy sort, she might have gone to find out what the situation was. As it was, Elda's talents didn't extend much further than following orders and unless someone ordered her to find out, she would wait without questioning. And wait...and wait...for years if she had to.
Elda was a follower. Not a leader. A follower who would carry out orders to the best of her ability without hesitation. An asset...and a downfall.
Looking down at her paws as she was, Elda almost didn't see Shunqa until she was almost on top of him. Startling, she attempted to back up in an almost comical fashion, her hindquarters swinging wildly as she tried desperately to get her paws to reverse.
She mumbled what might have been an apology, got her paws into proper working order and began to circle around him, slowing only to glance up at the sky in a somewhat lazy attempt at figuring out what had captured his attention so.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:17 pm
What was this one's name? It was on the tip of his tongue, among other things. He wanted to tell her it was fine, no harm done. To ask how she was. To beckon her in the hopes she may be able to help him with his sister. He knew Seide had mentored this one.
"--Elda." That was it. The sky had lost his interest, but it did not wildly jump from one thing to another. He was grateful it was stayed by this lioness. Shunqa couldn't take his thoughts being in disarray like this and anything that could help him focus (or distract him) was a blessed relief. "Are you training this late?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:27 pm
She startled again at the sound of her name, twisting her head back around to look at him - properly this time. Did she know him? Dark fur. Golden eyes. Stripes--stripes. Oh yes, she did know him. This was Seide's brother. The realisation sent an electric jolt through her and in the next second her whole posture changed. Her head lifted up, paws squaring neatly beneath her bulky form, ears turning forward, alert and respectful. She even spared a moment to incline her head.
Shunqa may not have been a high-flying Legate like his sister, but he was still a relative of hers and that was enough in Elda's eyes.
"S-sir. No sir. Just--" She seemed to struggle for the right word and then settled on: "--Walking." Her whole body shifted awkwardly and for a moment she looked a little lost. And, in an attempt not to look even more stupid than she already had, Elda continued in a slow and careful voice - as if mulling over every word:
"Is there a problem?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:38 pm
Awkward.
His sister's most loyal of followers was nothing compared to her most contrary of comrades. Having a conversation with Azar'bijan had braced Shunqa for any others. Chatting with Elda might be a fumbling mess of words in the end, but to shy away from it would be like having one of his legs shattered and instead complaining he had sand in his eye.
Not that Elda was like sand in the eye... She was a lovely girl.
"There's no problem?" You know what would make this conversation easier? Saying things like they were a question and an answer. "Everything's fine, Elda," he tried. "I was just wondering how you were."
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:46 pm
To say that Elda was feeling uncomfortable would have been an understatement at that moment. She could deal with situations in the military. Knew what to say. What to do. How to respond to questions. But outside of work...? Not so much.
A nervous expression flitted briefly across her face before she gained control of it and returned it to its usual blank look. "Oh, well, um..." She cleared her throat and frowned - her heavy brow drawing in low over her eyes. "Fine." he female suddenly wished that someone would come sweeping to her rescue and help her out of this situation. But a quick glance around confirmed that that really wasn't going to happen any time soon. Her tail curled and so she asked the only question she could think of at the time.
"What were you...looking at." A pause. "Up there." She indicated to the sky more with her brows than her eyes, as if she didn't quite like looking up.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:58 pm
Shunqa imagined in her element Elda was productive and awe-inspiring. He didn't think any less of her for handling this chitchat in a very maladroit way. He'd be the same surrounded by soldiers or pacing on the borders as a guard. Probably for the best Seide had unintentionally anchored him to civilian life by their pact. Vowing to protect cubs that didn't even exist yet: as likely for Shunqa to do as stargazing.
"Just looking. They're nice, aren't they?" Shunqa tilted his head up again. They were brighter and more plentiful than they had been last he looked. "You can see them everywhere in the world, I imagine."
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:09 pm
"I suppose." Was her only response. Hard to get enthusiastic about the glowing things up in the sky, far, far out of reach. Still, there could be worse things to spend time doing. Elda just couldn't quite think of any at the moment. It did, however, astound her at how different Shunqa was from his sister. And from a lot of other pride members that she knew, in fact.
Perhaps he was bored?
"If you want..." She trailed, her ears folding back across her head. "We could do some training if you needed a way to pass the time." Training she could do. Training was all she really knew. She could face another in battle without a moment's hesitation. But to speak with them like this? Her nerves were dancing a merry little tune in her chest.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:22 pm
It wasn't about the distance, it was about the unity. His long-gone huria siblings could lift their eyes up and see the same stars. Shunqa didn't know what the somewhere they'd gotten to might look like, but he knew they shared the same sky, just as they shared the hunt. Was he the only one who understood the meaning of it all? There were ways to connect that were not through battle.
He sighed, too soft to really garner much attention. No, he didn't want to train...
...but maybe he should. To become a better protector for these imaginary cubs he was already such a devoted uncle to.
"Alright," he agreed, sounding uneasy. He was about to look like an idiot. No doubt about it. "How does Seide have you train?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:36 pm
If she picked up on his uneasiness she gave no sign. Elda did, however, seem to relax a little, stretching the muscles in her neck and shoulders. The lioness, unfortunately, had not gotten her mother's looks. She was stocky, thick-limbed and, all in all, a bit of a brute. Her face was broad and, to compensate, her nose seemed just a little too wide, giving her a cross-eyed sort of look at times. Still, you didn't have to be pretty to be good at what you did and Seide had taught her well.
All she needed now was some lessons in elocution and she might even start getting noticed for a change.
"I was a soldier before I was a sentinel." She had changed roles as soon as she had found out about Seide's promotion; following her idol into a new rank. "First lesson to check reaction times." She blinked up at him. "You are not a soldier." It was a statement and not a question. She'd assumed - perhaps foolishly - that Seide's siblings would have gone the same path as she. But that was silly. After all, she had a sibling who was a trained medic.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:56 pm
No, he wasn't. He was a hunter. A patient one. So long as he kept reminding himself just how accommodating he supposedly was, anyway. Things Azar had said piled on top of things Seide had said and now Elda put the cherry on top of the you're-a-failure-go-home sundae.
Hunters were important, damn it! They were!
Patience, Shunqa. Patience.
"No, a lot of our family went into hunting," he said, for... some reason. That was a tad more on the defensive said than he'd meant to be. Why did he tell her that at all? He didn't have to justify his life choices.
Hunter was a fine rank.
...It was.
"Is that really relevant?"
Still defensive, Shunqa.
"I suppose it is," he said, in response to himself. Weirdo. "What about it?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:12 pm
She opened her mouth to respond once. Twice. Three times. And only when he finished - at last giving her a chance to respond - did she wallow in awkward silence again, the tip of her tail the only thing that moved.
"Sorry..." The apology sounded awkward but she did genuinely mean it, even if the attempt was fumbled. "I...assumed."
And she supposed it didn't really matter all that much. Everyone was given basic training and nowadays, civilians from left, right and centre were honing their skills to become temporary members of the military. Shunqa looked to be a big, strong lion. He might just need some practise, that was all. "I mean...I didn't want to suggest that..." She fumbled again, her face burning. She'd just offended Seide's brother!! Why wouldn't the ground just swallow her up and get it over with?
"I'm sorry." And this time it sounded pathetic. "I should...go."
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:22 pm
Wonderful. Someone strikes up a conversation, offers to train him, and he goes and does this. Shunqa could have used the practice. A lot of it. He hadn't done more than the bare minimum since... err...
Besides, he just felt like a bully. He could almost see his sister glowering at him for snapping at one of her apprentices. Might Lady Luck take pity on him and keep him from saying something stupid again?
(Ha.)
"No, no." Shunqa was better off as a listener. Him talking never ended well. "I didn't -- Really, Elda, I apologize. I didn't mean to... get agitated. I've just been on edge lately what with Seide and her wanting cubs and the war and things. You'll forgive me, won't you?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:32 pm
Elda was starting to look less and less like a fully-fledged sentinel and more like a cub waiting to be scolded. Her eyes had widened and her head had sunken back into her hunching shoulders. Inwardly she was telling herself that she should have just kept walking. Then she'd never have been given a chance to offend anyone.
But then the dark male was apologising and the conversation took a rather unexpected turn. Seide? Cubs? What?!
"Cubs?" The word came out as a hoarse whisper and she was so distracted by that piece of news that she didn't even realise that he'd been asking for her to forgive him. Her mind couldn't seem to focus on anything else except the one thing that could spell a change in her foreseeable future. Could Seide raise cubs and be a Legate? Would she give the job to someone else? Would she not be there any more to give Elda her orders?
Panic. Panic. Panic.
"Seide is going to have cubs?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:41 pm
Lady Luck was a real b***h.
Shuna rushed to get this situation under control: "No." Except that was a lie. "--Yes." Maybe. "--Maybe. Maybe. She's thinking about it." He did a quick check to make sure no one had overheard them. The coast was clear.
"It's -- I should not have said that. I should not have said that. You can not tell her I said that." Shunqa didn't panic. It wasn't in his nature. He just freaked out on the inside and started repeating himself and stumbling on his own words. "Elda. You can't tell her. It's not -- No one is supposed to know. She hasn't even decided yet."
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