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 Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:02 am
He had no idea that Kizuka had already given birth, but all he knew was that he hadn't seen her since that time she had approached him, her belly so swollen that it looked almost painful.
He gritted his teeth and paused in his step, dark body trembling with rage. He remembered what Mrost had told him, that killing someone without reason was murder, and Hakan was no murderer. He had no intention of even lifting a claw to this Pridelander male, he just wanted to make him feel guilty.
As guilty as Hakan himself felt for letting it happen to her.
He had been following a trail of scents for a while now, Kizuka's mainly. His body winding this way and that as he tried to note where she might have gone. It was only a few meters ahead that another scent caught at the air, one that was distinctly male. Was this the one he had been searching for?
Gathering his courage the young lion stomped off through the grass, heading towards a small outcrop of trees. He'd pause in the shade, gain his bearings and continue his search from there.
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Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:22 am
Mchele stalked through the grass, unaware of the lion behind him a short distance away in the group of trees. He was staying downwind as he stalked, eyeing up the springy gazelle up ahead, and so Hakan was downwind of him also.
His hunting for the pride had been directed more towards hunting for Kizuka. She'd lost alot of strength with the birth of the cubs and as they fed from her they would continue to drain her nutrients. It was up to him to help her get it back.
Not only had Bakhti insisted it, but Mchele had decided to do whatever he could for these young and their mother before as well. The moment he'd seen their little bodies and how they curled up against him, as well as Kizuka, he knew they relied on him just as much. Ausha would understand, he had cubs of his own.
Mchele just counted his blessings that Kizuka allowed him to be part of the family group. She could very well leave him and move on, if the cubs weren't so young to take with her. But when they were old enough it was a fear of his that she would.
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Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:49 am
The scent of the lion he was tracking increased and suddenly Hakan was aware that they couldn't have been that far apart. His dark form moved silently through the sea of gold, blue and piercing gaze flickering all around him.
Then with a powerful motion of his back legs he was propelling himself up upon a rock that jutted up out of the grass and took the opportunity to get a better view. He was large for a male his age and well toned too, his muscular body showing promise of a great warrior someday. Yet he had an inexperience and a blinding rage that were often his downfalls and were something he was trying to fix.
He wanted to be a flawless warrior.
It was then that he saw it, the herd of gazelle and the slight movement of a lion stalking them with his face against the wind. Ha, that had to be the one. It had to be!
With a snarling roar Hakan leapt, paws landing with a dull thud against the ground as he tore off towards them. This time he moved with crashing noise, his paws crunching the grass and twigs beneath him. He raised his head and gave another youthful sounding roar. His first intention was to scare away the herd and his second was to startle the lion he wanted to confront.
This was it, there was no turning back now.
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Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:02 am
The distant roar and crunch of fast footfalls behind him made Mchele's ears swivel back. It also made the gazelle pause to look up, bracing themselves for danger. Any minute now they would leap away, putting the hunter in a hard position. Either look back at whatever was rushing for him and the herd or run and try to grab one of the grasseaters before they fled.
Before he could make the decision though, another closer roar sounded and the herd animals took off. Mchele lept up and ran after them but they had gotten a head-start and were too far and fast to catch up. He'd be better off saving his engery for another go once he found another herd. He slowed to a trot after a couple of paces and then stopped to look round at the lion that had disturbed them.
Mchele had no idea the youth was angry at him though, instead he mistook Hakan for an over-eager hunter as well. "You can't hunt gazelle like that" He shook his head, trying to hide the disappointment that he'd not been able to catch Kizuka's dinner. "You have to keep quiet and sneak up. They're too fast for us otherwise."
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Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:13 am
"I know how to hunt." Hakan had a sharp tongue and he was using it now so that this other male would realise that he wasn't interested at all in the gazelle that had bounded off away from danger. "My mother is the best huntress around." He came to a slow halt a couple of strides from the golden male and tipped his head up to gaze coldly at him. His eyes narrowed to slithers of sharpened ice and for a moment he said nothing more, his whiskers twitching as if in thought.
"You smell of her." And by her he meant Kizuka. "I suppose that means you decided to stick around after all?" Realising suddenly that he hadn't explained himself very well the young lion thrashed his tail and wrinkled his snout.
"You are Mchele, right? The beast that stole away Kizuka's life." His hackles bristled and for a moment he looked quite menacing despite the fact that he was considerably smaller than Mchele.
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Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:30 am
Right, a know-it-all-boastful youth. Mchele had experienced a few in his youth but now he was older he hoped he'd deal with it better. He had to be an example for his cubs after all, at least in some respects.
"She taught you that method did she?" He asked, trying to sound casual as Ausha manged to pull off so well. Mchele wasn't very good at it though and he thought of saying more on the subject... except the look this young male was giving him was as thorny as a porcupine. Ouch, what was his problem?
"Smell of who?" His words that followed helped clear things up, if slightly, and Mchele reeled his head back as if Hakan had tried to swipe at him. In a way the comment had been similar to such an attack.
"Wha?! What do you mean stole her life?" He frowned. And this one had called him a beast to boot! Drawing himself up, he was kinda glad for his size advantage. It might help considering he'd never been in a real fight with another lion before and with the way this guy was bristling it looked like it could well come to that.
"Who do you think you are? Charging in here and scaring off that herd? That was going to be Kizuka's dinner by the way." Mchele was annoyed now, something he'd very rarely felt in his life. "And what would you know about me and her?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:02 am
Hakan's body tensed, his paws setting heavily upon the ground as if he were made of stone. His grey chest puffed out with the typical pride and for a moment he said nothing. Then finally he sucked in a calming breath and opened his maw.
"Don't act like an idiot. You Pridelanders might not be the sharpest claw on the paw but you should have the brain power to figure out that much." He hissed, "you took away my friend's life. You've tied her to this disgusting place. You ruined her with your foul act and taken away her freedom." He may have been over-reacting just a little bit, but it hurt him to think that Kizuka would never be free of the Pridelands now. She'd be stuck here in a place that he despised to care for this lion's cubs.
He tried not to let the size difference effect his posture, remembering what Mrost had said and taking it into consideration.
"I know you got her pregnant, I know you used her, I know that you don't even love her." He snarled, taking a step forwards. His ebony claws clicked against the stones beneath him as he released a long, slow growl. "Don't pretend to worry about her, what would you care if she starved?" He spat each word as if they were daggers; forceful and deadly.
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Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 8:54 am
This lion was having anger issues, that was sure enough. But why? Obviously it was about Kizuka but what did this young lion have to do with her? Could he be her brother? Friend? Secret admirer? She'd never mentioned anyone like him before so Mchele could only guess.
Ah 'friend', the spotted lion let the word slip. So that's who he was, although Mchele still didn't know his name.
Tail lashing, he couldn't help but let his teeth show a bit more as he spoke. "Look here young one. The Pridelanders allow wanders through these lands but not ones set to make trouble, you watch your mouth."
"I took no one's life. Instead Kizuka and I have created new life! Don't you see that? There's nothing foul about it." To Mchele that sort of comment meant this rogue thought his cubs foul as well. "And she may be better off staying until the cubs are a bit older, but she's by no means trapped here! Besides, she spoke to me of settling down. She wanted a secure life. She has one here for as long as she wants it."
But the stranger was not finished baiting the adult lion just yet and as he moved forward Mchele stepped round to the side, circling him and watching for any signs of an attack. "I didn't use her!" He snarled back but the comment about not loving her hit a weak spot and Mchele winced. "And I do worry for her. I care about her deeply! She's once of my closest friends..." But that was it, she was only a friend. Certainly he loved her as the mother of his cubs, but not true love.
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 12:39 am
Dark eyes narrowed once more as the lion swung his head around and snarled. His grey muzzle wrinkled and in his eyes was indeed the threat of attack. Yet Kizuka's words held him like string. She had told him not to get angry and use his claws and so he would try his best not to. Mrost's words also fluttered in the recesses of his mind, that if he knew he could not finish what he started there was no point beginning in the first place.
His ears flicked back at hearing Mchele's reply, she wanted a secure life? She wanted to settled down? His heart lurched and the juvenile stumbled back as if he was physically struck across the face. She wanted to stay here!? The sentence repeated again and again in his mind, the tone taunting as if it tried to wind him up further. She had said she would travel with him if need be. He thought he'd finally found a friend whom he could trust! To his horror he felt the biting sting of tears tingle the back of his eyes but covered it up with a growl, swishing his tail violently from side to side.
Kizuka...
Did she really want to stay?
"I'm her friend too but you don't see me trying to get her pregnant!" He finally snarled, though this time his tone was less certain than before. "Prides think they can do what they want because they have numbers. You think you can drag a rogue away from the life they hold dear. You manipulated her! You forced her to change her mind though she'll never realise." Now...he was just in denial. But he was hurting, reeling from the fact that Kizuka had chosen a Pridelander over him. He gritted his teeth and bristled once more as he stared into the face of the cornflower lion.
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Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:34 am
Mchele didn't know that Hakan was keepng his word on not attacking physically, at least trying not to. To him it seemed as though the young lion would leap at him at any moment. In response Mchele unsheathed his claws and bared his fangs, something that up until now he'd only done when killing prey. He certainly didn't want to fight but he'd have to defend himself.
But so far the only blows to be struck were with words and Hakan looked like he'd been hit with the news that Kizuka wanted to try a secure life for a change.
"I wasn't trying to get her pregnant at the ti-." The Pridelander let slip before he realised what he'd said. How would that sound? If they weren't trying for cubs then it would make their act all the more suspicious... and he couldn't let this Hakan know he liked males. To Mchele he seemed like he'd not take to that very well, using his friend to see if he felt anything for her fair gender.
"And this has nothing to do with the Pride... except, it would be a good safe place to raise young. But manipulating her? That's ridiculous! Do you think she would really have gotten so close to me if she didn't want to? Have you even talked to her?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:27 am
Hakan flinched slightly as the other male bared his fangs but forced himself to remain standing where he was. Pridelanders were sissies - or so he firmly believed - and he was almost positive that Mchele wouldn't attack. Almost.
His blue eyes flashed with slight confusion at Mchele's half finished sentence, tilting his head very, very slightly. So then what was he doing if he didn't want her pregnant? Surely there was no other reason for it? He shook his head vigorously and dug his own ebony claws further into the ground beneath him.
"What did you think you were doing then? Having a bit of fun!?" The male juvenile trembled with rage, fastening his claws into the ground beneath him as he desperately tried to stop himself from pouncing. He couldn't beat an adult lion even if he was being trained by a God. His build just didn't adapt to fighting with someone stronger and bigger.
"Kizuka...Kizuka..." What could he say? He couldn't tell Mchele anything of what Kizuka had said about her past in fear that he might not know. She'd never forgive him if he treated her as a source of gossip. "How about you? Have you talked to her? Do you know what she wants? Can you be sure she wants a secure life?" He growled. "You can pretend to be happy families but it ain't gonna work, not if you don't love her."
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:08 am
With some relief Mchele felt his larger frame and bared fnags helped keep Hakan at bay. Well that was good, a lion could still get seriously hurt in a fight even if the other one was smaller.
What wasn't a relief was that Hakan picked up on Mchele's fumbled words and there wasn't alot he could say to defend himself without revealing everything. "No... it wasn't like that. I wasn't having a bit of fun. No, it was more serious than that..." The golden-hued lion muttered but his voice grew more hesitant.
I was trying to find out my true feelings. He thought to himself. I needed to know how I felt about... oh no.... And suddenly Mchele realised one of the dark grey lion's previous comments had been correct after all. He had used Kizuka as a means of figuring out if he truely was gay or not. He had used her without considering how she really felt and without explaining his intentions to her beforehand. So what if he didn't know that cubs would eventuate from their actions? That still didn't make it right to her.
With these thoughts occuring in his mind, Mchele's outward appearance looked more crestfallen and even a bit guilty. It didn't help that Hakan was asking all the right questions to cause further doubt too. "I have spoken to her... she did ask me to stay and be a father. She wants me to be a father for them. And I love them." But he wasn't as certain as he was before. Could she just be pretending like this one said?
(( Italics mean those parts are his thoughts, not spoken words. wink ))
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:12 am
Upon careful calculation of his face Hakan could tell there was something going on inside that lion's mind which he was unaware of. He had expected the cornflower Pridelander to continue denying the facts, and yet somehow, somewhere he seemed to have hit a sensitive subject - which wasn't surprising really.
"More serious?" He arched a brow and straightened his posture, raising his head high and puffing out his chest. "You don't make any sense." But what had he expected, this was a simple Pridelander, nothing more and nothing less. His nose wrinkled, lips curling as he bared his fangs and growled. "You don't deserve to be a father, you don't deserve to have her love!" His ears flattened, fur along his shoulders twitching slightly, "what will your cubs think of you when they find out you used their mother? Don't love their mother? They'll hate you, resent you and you have no one to blame but yourself."
Okay that was probably too harsh and even Hakan seemed to realise - a little too late - that what he had said was more than hurtful. He flinched at his own words and took a few steps back. "You shouldn't have messed with one of my friends." He snarled.
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:49 am
"Yes it was more serious. She means more to me than that! I couldn't think of another female I'd rather have cubs with." Which was true, he couldn't, unless Ausha suddenly turned out be be a female after all. "She laid with me willingly. There was no tricks and it certainly wasn't forced!" But he hadn't been completely truthful with her either.
Mchele's defensive arguement was losing strength and the stream of blows from the rogue's mouth was shattering his resolve. He didn't deserve to be a father? He didn't deserve to be around and enjoy the cubs? "But I love them." He moaned under his breath, more to himself than for the benefit of Hakan.
And when the spotted juve started to talk of how the future would turn out, that his cubs would hate him, Mchele couldn't help the tears that threatened. Those tiny adoring faces of his cubs turning to scowls of hatred. It was too much to bear.
"NO!" He roared and lunged forward a step with a swipe of one of his paws. He was hardly a violent lion at all, but Hakan had pushed him past his breaking point. He felt there was no other way to make the other lion stop hurting him with his words unless he intimidated him into leaving. "No no that won't happen! Would you rather I left her and the cubs? That I didn't help raise them?" He hissed sarcastically.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:42 am
(( aww poor Mchele ;o; *feels so bad for the luffable lion* ))
He listened to the words that the lion spoke, finding his own questions arising. This lion didn't seem that bad, in fact he seemed quite genuine. The only problem that Hakan could tell was that something was amiss. For why would this kindly and obviously sensitive lion want to have cubs with someone he didn't love? He was sure that this lion would have been a good father and a good mate with someone that he did love.
So why didn't he love Kizuka?
As far as Hakan could tell she was a perfectly lovely lioness even if she was a little bit annoying at times. Why? Why? Why? And why was he here? What did he think he could do? Force this lion to love Kizuka? Even though he knew that was impossible?
He opened his mouth to speak and was interrupted by Mchele's angered roar, eyes widening as he saw the adult lunge. Pridelanders didn't attack, they were weak and clawless! He tried to leap sideways but his surprise made him slow and Mchele's golden paw connected with his shoulder and bowled him sideways to land in a heap upon the ground.
For a moment he remained still - stunned from the blow - and then finally he shifted, raising his head to peer at the lion with narrowed eyes.
"I WANT YOU TO LOVE HER!" Hakan bellowed, scrambling desperately to his feet in case the other attacked again. "You caused her great pain and now it's time for you to feel it too. Now you know how she feels, now you know what she has to live with each day." He backed up, not meaning to look afraid but deciding it was best to give the other some space right now. Fighting an angry adult was definately not a wise thing to do especially after the promise he had made to Kiz.
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