|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:07 am
He had been returned by Mrost after only a days of being away but he was sure his family - or at the very least his mother - had noticed that he had gone missing. The fact was that he was getting older now and even his body was showing signs of entering adolescense. He was a well muscled brute and one could tell that when he hit full growth he would be a formidable lion in a fight. If he wanted to wander off by himself every now and then who were they to stop him?
He lay now by the verge of a waterhole, his toned, dark body lying draped over the trunk of a fallen tree. It was from this that he gazed sleepily around for any who might dare to tread near his mother's den. Kinja herself was showing signs of age now, signs that he had failed to notice before. She slept more and only used energy for hunting. He had caught her a few times staring up at the stars and after the story she had told him about death he knew why she did such a strange thing.
Kinja knew that soon her time on this land would end.
It was this that bothered Hakan the most, for though in front of others he acted the tough bully with his mother he could be different. He could be loving and kind and caring and not have to worry about his reputation. When she left him so would the kindness that dwelled within his soul.
No. That wasn't true. He still had his younger brother and sister and he cared for them as much as his mother.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:25 am
She had gone again, although he’d be damned if he knew where. She was a peculiar thing- here, gone, back again; sometimes he only turned his head and she reappeared just as easily as she had vanished before. It would have angered him if it hadn’t become such a daily habit of the small female- and in retrospect, he might have noted he never asked questions either. Perhaps a part of him hated answers he didn’t understand. Phib was a male that liked to keep everything in front of him- and if he didn’t understand something, he more quickly turned a blind eye to it then he went looking for the reason.
She never had problems finding him, wherever it was she went, so he didn’t keep himself grounded. Instead he continued about the days ‘plans’- if one could venture as far to call them as such. He ambled like an African ghost, and age was beginning to make him aloof. It was hard to think that there had been a time when he had been grounded and territorial. Now he was practically half gypsy- and he could almost hear his father’s bones turning in their grave.
It was the scent of water that lead him to the waterhole. From the looks of the lands around him he had an inkling that he was near the great kingdom. Far too much green in comparison to the world he was used to- and he strayed away from it, keeping to the outlands for company and following the somewhat more stagnant water there.
He was a large lion; almost big enough to start becoming clumsy, with a tossed and curly mane, and a serious expression made ominous by his dark red eyes. Améh scolded him about looking too serious- it gave him the look of being almost villionous, but he’d be lying if he claimed not to nurse the appearance. He had no mind for the roughness of his expression.
It wasn't long before he arrived at the small patch of earth and water. There were the scents of others about, but it was only until his eyes caught sight of a particularly brutish looking cub that he actually considered them being around. It didn't do much to stop him from lowering his head and swallowing a mouthfull of water, but through veiled eyes he peered back up at the child and quirked his brow. "Such a serious expression." He rumbled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:45 am
Hakan bristled slightly as the large lion arrived on the scene. In fact the dark male had only ever seen one lion bigger than this one and that was Mrost himself.
Big meant strong, so where once Hakan might have gone in with hackles up, snarling and biting he now remained lying where he was. If he put up a fight so easily he might lead this other one to suspicions and that in turn might lead him to hunting out his mother who was resting not too far away.
He watched through narrowed eyes as the male dipped his head to drink, his strange pelt standing out amongst the golden grass around them. Luckily the hottest part of the day had left them and a cool breeze had struck up to offer some respite from the summer's heat. Since being in the desert Hakan had come to respect how much cooler it was here in his 'home.' For though he was a rogue he did not often stray far. The furthest he had gone alone was to the elephant graveyard and even then it had been a quick visit. Apparently the residents there weren't very friendly.
Stupid slobbering mutts.
"I could say the same to you." Hakan replied moodily, uncrossing his forepaws in case he needed to make a quick getaway or make a fast attack. He tended to think the worst of others even if they gave him no reason to.
"You don't exactly seem a chirpy sort, though perhaps that's a trait shared by rogues." He was assuming of the lions status only because he did not look at all like a Pridelander and he knew little next to nothing about other Prides.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:02 am
Admittably, he had to make effort to keep listening to the child while he drank. He had forgotten just how thirsty he had been, and once the cool waters hit his throat it was hard not to be entranced. The water was much sweeter and cleaner then what he was used to and he didn’t doubt it was of some result to the proximity of this place to the lush lands in the east. But he kept up his attention- at least as much as he needed, marked by a slight quirk in his large maw.
“Oh, I can be chirpy if I wish.” His voice spoke, trailing off in a mark of one who enjoyed speaking, if not the sound of his own voice. Phib had yet to decide if it was luck or tact that brought the black male to picking up his particular pridal (or lack thereof) affiliation. He seemed like a sharp sort, but surely it wasn’t that hard to tell from his appearance that he was rogue.
His head rose from the water, thirst quenched for the moment. The boy seemed edgy now that he had his full sights on him. Protecting perhaps, the other scents in the area? He still looked young, but he supposed he couldn’t be too far from adolescence. Surely old enough to start getting territorial.
“Ah, but I suppose I’d be lying if I said I would otherwise. A rogue, are we? Here I would see myself a lion." His face furrowed, and a slight knot appeared in the center of his head. With that face- he seemed a bit older then he really was. "You gaurding something, or do you enjoy twitching?" He noted lazily.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:18 am
His ears flicked back and for a moment he looked hesitant in what to do. Should he remain lying where he was or would it be best to stand? The thick muscles visibly tensed but no movement came, instead he simply fixed those cold blue eyes upon the stranger and waited.
This lion was big but as far as Hakan could tell he wasn't that intimidating. Sure he could probably fight well but he didn't seem to be looking for trouble and for now that was good enough for this dark male.
"Oh I bet you can." He replied almost sarcastically, "very, very chirpy I would expect." Then with a small smirk he moved to stand upon the branch, glad of the height it gave him. He hated being small only because he despised being looked down on. As far as he was concerned the only creature who should ever be allowed to look down on him was Mrost.
Mrost was master, Mrost was power, Mrost was father, Mrost was everything.
"Guarding?" He hissed then, bearing his fangs as he failed to control his fiery temper. "Even if I was guarding something it's no business of yours." He gave an irrited 'whuff' that sounded from deep within his chest and let his tail thrash angrily behind him. "Rogues should respect the privacy of other rogues."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:30 am
“A tragic opinion on your part then, boy.” Phib spoke simply. It probably was condescending- but he did make efforts not to make it so. “Implying honor among rogues is holding people you don’t know at a higher opinion then they deserve. People are always suspect.” Phib didn’t do much to hide the fact that he did tend to look down on most other rogues. He couldn’t stand pitiful stories and mewing kittens. Possibly because he was beginning to see himself reflected in everything he disliked.
“But I’ll keep my business to myself then.” he purred somewhat, lowering his head down to the waters. But despite that, Phib didn’t seem to be able to do that. Among his many quirks, he’d never once realized he had boundary issues. “If you were though-” He spoke again, licking his tongue against the end of his long water laden whiskers. “You shouldn’t look like you are. The less I know about what you’re thinking, the better for your advantage.”
He waited somewhat for a response, intrigued by the angry child’s retorts. But at the same time he became a bit distracted in his own mind. Since when had he become a parrot to his father’s opinions?
Ah- and here he would mistake them for his own.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 8:05 am
Hakan made an irritated face and snapped his head away to glance across the ground to where the pinnacle of Priderock could be seen. It was a spectacle that could be witnessed for miles around and yet whilst for many it symbolised security and joy it meant only hatred for Hakan.
He despised this place for so many reasons but he would remain here for as long as he was needed.
"In my experience rogues are far more trustworthy than some backstabbing pride lions." He snapped, leaping down from the branch to glare into the water at his moody expression. "Esepcially the ones that live around here."
He hated them all; lions to weak that they needed to huddle together instead of living from their own strength.
He shot another glare at the rogue and let his whiskers flinch back almost as if he was about to be swatted in the face. "Don't act like such a smart a**, I know how to defend myself if need be. There's more to me then you'll ever know." He took great pride in being trained by a God but he would not flaunt it completely, he liked to have his secrets. "Size isn't always what matters."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 8:22 am
“An interesting sentiment.” Phib reflected, screwing the corner of his brow to the side in an odd gesture. Perhaps it was just youthful rebellion of organized power. If not, Phib dismissed it as jealous bitterness, a statement which probably would have driven the young male mad. Despite his prideless wanderings, he’d always be a supporter of the pride system- although nowadays, even the royalty was a bit too liberal for his tastes. He liked the old ways.
“There are other prides besides this one, and plenty more rogues who’d find clever ways to back stab. I care more for order then the anarchy of wild things.” Although perhaps it was more accurate to say that at the moment he cared simply for the aloof nature of being alone. After having been sick, the lion had long decided he deserved a bit of selfishness.
He noted the slight jerk of the other male’s head, almost as if he was preparing for a slap. Ironic- he spoke well of rogues, but was perhaps more concerned by his presence then that monument in the distance. “If I had a taste for cubs I’m sure you would have noticed it already.” The striped creature spoke, his voice thick; but the elder boy was already continuing his boast. It brought a quirk to his face, but haphazardly he dismissed it. "I'll take your word for it then." The male conceded, although in a somewhat distract manner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 8:34 am
Well if it was one thing that this stranger knew how to do well it was annoying the heck out of Hakan. It seemed he knew just the right buttons to press to get him pissed off - though to be honest it didn't take much to get Hakan's hackles up.
The young male hissed again, his lips curling back to reveal sharpened fangs in those powerful jaws. He was very much a fighter though to do so with a male so big would probably be foolhardy.
"Maybe that's true, but rogues more often than not travel alone. Easier to keep your eyes on one lion than on a group of them. Do you not agree?" A growl underlay each word he spoke, not liking the way that this other didn't seem to be taking him seriously.
He may not have been as big but he was strong and very fast on his paws when he wanted to be.
"You are a fool to underestimate those just because they do not match you in size." He wanted to snap more insults but decided against it. Instead he moved forwards, placing his forepaws in the water to stare coldly at his adversary.
Perhaps Hakan was a fool not to fear those who could do him harm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:07 am
“No, no.” he repeated slowly, shaking his head. “It’s always fundamentally easier to keep tabs on a group then an individual. An individual is like a blade of grass- you don’t see it alone. You only see it when it’s together. Groups are predictable, and very rarely are they dynamic. A group has to stick together, they must eat, and they must sleep together. There will always be obvious signs of a group, but an individual can come and go like a wisp and you wouldn’t know the wiser. You can learn an individual- but, people change. Groups rarely do. Groups bind together because of a common reasoning, and that changes less then the mind set of one single fickle beast.”
Now, that was an interesting turn of events. Phib paused for a moment to decide whether or not he had been throwing his weight around. He did have a habit of occasionally doing that. But certainly not towards a youngling...it was unfortunate he even had to think on it. He didn’t like when his mind faltered. “I fear you’re putting words into my mouth, boy.” Phib spoke bitterly, for the first time sounding somewhat annoyed, although it left his voice come the next sentence. “I don’t underestimate you because you’re small. I underestimate you because you are young. And why shouldn’t I? You’ve only got half a mane growing in yet. I’d hope youth hasn’t become suicidal- there’s no shame in being young.” Stupidity, on the other hand-
“And I regret to remember when my size had something to do with yours. I’m honored your sizing me up, but I’ll have to pass on the brawl if you mind.”
There were few words that summoned up the sandy colored lion quite like the word brawl. In fact- he had been half asleep about twenty feet away, when the words finally caught his attention. At once the lean lion rose to his feet and glanced about, his bright green eyes flashing peculiarly as he registered his surroundings.
While Hakan had grown muscular and strong, Kamal seemed to only grow taller. He’d always been a long and lean lion- but all attempts to gain muscle were failing. He had the look of a rogue, that was for sure, somewhat disheveled and dirty, and his coat matted on the side he favored for sleeping. What portions of his mane that were growing in came in scraggly patches, and nothing quite as impressive as most of the other young lions seemed to be gathering. Kamal did well to ignore it- although privately, he was somewhat jealous of Hakan’s budding strength.
“Brawl? Whos takin’ about some brawls?” The brash voice of the young male cut through the other male’s conversation. At once Kamal moved towards the side of his brother, and eyed the larger male in the distance.
Well! That one looked like a scrapper! He hadn’t seen a male quite that big before, but his green mane seemed somewhat ragged and curly. “Whos we fighting?” Kamal panted, eyeing the red eyed brute.
On the other side, Phib rose a paw and placed it on his brow and groaned. This had to be the negative effects of his karma. Améh had been warning him about that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:35 pm
Mentally Hakan knew that he should not have been picking fights with someone much bigger than him, but despite the little warning siren going off in his mind he continued. Pushing back the other thoughts he let a slow growl rumble from his chest and prepared to return the bitter words with some of his own.
"Ah so it's not the size of the lion that matters, it's the size of his mane?" He gave a harsh bark of laughter that jerked his sides and continued in his taunting tone. He was so very confident as always; that was one of his major weaknesses.
"I'm not ashamed of being young, I just dislike it when old lions like you look down on us because of it. If--"
And that was where Kamal came in.
Never did Hakan feel more confident than when he had his brother at his side. The two did not often join up for such events but when they did circumstances were often a lot more enjoyable. It seemed both of them were always eager for a fight.
"Who're we fighting? I'd say some fool who thinks himself superior just cos he uses a lot of big words." He flicked his ears and let a smirk fall neatly into place across his grey tinted maw. "Well fellow rogue, it's time to put your theory to the test. Are a pair of lions easier to deal with than one 'blade of grass', eh?"
Oh this little bully was having waaaaay too much fun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:31 pm
“Yea-!” Kamal retorted back sharply, although he had honestly no idea what Hakan was talking about. But if one thing could be said about Kinja’s family- they were fanatically devoted to one another. Kamal probably would have backed up anything Hakan said. “Yous stupid old lion, insultin our manes!” [A particularly bad thing to talk about in Kamal’s presence, as he was somewhat self conscious of his own scraggly hair.] “I’ve never seen a lion with curls-!” He was going to add in something with about the other lion’s vocabulary, but he realized he hadn’t actually heard the other lion speak, and had nothing to go off of. Although to himself, he noted how much he hated idiots who thought their words were weapons, or some crazy crap like that.
Across the now ever shrinking pond of water, Phib still had his paw over his head, and minutely flexed his claws against his brow in agitation. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Get into a fight with a couple of boys who probably didn’t even have a set on them yet? Oh, glorious- he’d reached a new low for today!
But as intellectual as Phib liked to think he was, he had a mean strike of pride, and being insulted by the boys was quickly putting a sour expression on his face. Morons! Were they not even listening to him? Well- the black one anyways. He had no idea who this scraggly looking brown one was with the delightful language, but he could only imagine it was the other male’s backup ego. He noted that perhaps instead of Améh he should have invested in one himself. At least he could send that one to deal with obnoxious children and save the bad karma for another day.
“You mangy fools.” Phib snapped, his whiskers pushing forward. “What kind of lion would I be accepting a fight from a pair of ball-less cubs?” They were actually old enough to probably not be cubs, but better words didn’t fit. Phib huffed and flared his nostrils, sinking his weight into the muddy earth. If they came at him, he didn’t doubt he could take them. But- that really wasn’t the problem. It was one thing for him to get into scuffs with adults, but kids? Bah! “How could you possibly think you could take on me?”
To this, Kamal chortled. “There’s two of us!” He concluded most efficiently.
“Oh, how clever!” Phib snapped back. “How long did it take you to figure that out?” And once he had said that, his ear twitched. Oh, no- that was the lower portion of today. He flailed once, and shook his head as though he was in utter disbelief of what was unfolding in front of him.
"Don't you have a sense of logic in your heads? Damn kids, this is how you get yourselves killed before you even know anything. I'm not fighting with you." He resolved flatly, and turned to the side almost in his own childish tantrum.
Kamal blaked, and glanced at Hakan. Well, he didn't see the whole thing yet, but he could certainly get the idea the other male liked to hear himself talk. "Well- we'll fight you anyways!"
"Too ******** bad." Phib snorted bitterly.
To that, Kamal was somewhat wordless. What the hell kind of offense was that? Certainly not one to stop Kamal from the brawl! "I think he's scared."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 5:36 am
The smile remained on Hakan's face as he stood alongside his brother, head held high, tail sweeping gently from side to side and icy eyes narrowed. By looks the brothers were not very similar but in personality...well lets just say that together these two young males could quite upset the balance in anyone's life.
He chuckled at Kamal's comment on the curls and one could see the delight in his eyes. It was great fun to tease one so much older and bigger than them. One of Hakan's pleasures in life came from taunting others, seeing how far he could take them before they snapped and turned from gentle kitty to raging savage.
He'd have said that Phib's patience was running out and despite the fact he knew he was playing with fire Hakan didn't seem to care.
He wasn't Mrost's future High Priest for nothing! The War God would not allow anything to happen to him of that he was sure.
It was the insults that left Phib's mouth that finally swept that smirk from his face and suddenly his hackles were up again, head lowering as he strengthened his stance. He was quite willing to make this beast regret ever setting paw in this area.
"We're not cubs you gimp." Hakan snarled, "and if you insult my brother one more time I'll tear the tongue from your mouth. He's more intelligent than you'll ever be. Fools hide behind long words and metaphors, the wise say things the way they are without hiding behind sugar coated words." It was quite obvious that he was angered far more when his family were insulted.
Then taking a small step forward he gave his brother a sidelong glance and nodded, putting the smile back in place. "I think you're right. I can hear the fear in his voice." This wasn't true but meh...Hakan wasn't really bothered about what was true and what was false, not when fighting was concerned.
"You should never believe your eyes Master Rogue, eyes can lie. You fight more than just two rogues." You fight a God as well... he thought to himself happily. Though he had no idea whether Mrost was close by or not he had faith that if he was needed he would come.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 7:05 am
And Hakan was doing rather well at rising fire out of Phib. Damn ******** stupid damn kids. Although the better and wiser thing to do would have been to simply walk off, the temptation to see some fear in the little hellion’s eyes was becoming far more seductive. It was logically insane- but as much of a temper tantrum Phib was mentally throwing, he did have to take into account there were two of them. He was fairly sure he could pin one of them with his paw, but if he focused too much attention on that one, he was fairly sure the other could at least attempt to get a lucky shot at one of his eyes or ears. As furious as he was, the last thing he wanted was to get an injury out of this damn foolery.
“Are you so easily threatened by words?” Phib snapped. “Stupid, stupid-“ he resolved to saying, rising to his feet and shaking his large head bitterly. It did trouble him that the black child had taken him for a gimp. He wasn’t- but he did have a bad back leg. Not something he liked potential opponents to know.
Bitterly, Phib paced once and flicked his tail upwards, before stepping forth one paw into the water. Perhaps he might as well see if he could scare the two. And if they wanted a fight, it was their own damn suicidal fault.
Kamal watched as the other male suddenly stood half in the water, his bright red eyes locked upon the brothers. Although he couldn’t say much for the male’s scraggly appearance, he did note that it would have been cool if he had red eyes too. That would scare the hell out of some people. Although he quickly debunked the idea it worried him. Very few things ever bothered the scraggly male, and even less in defense of family.
“Eys, you-“ Kamal started, stepping forward and towards the bank. But a step closer and the other male suddenly roared, catching Kamal somewhat off-guard. He stumbled and bristled his fur, the end of his tail swaying.
The green brute hadn’t moved since the roar, but it was pretty apparent he was now highly agitated.
The sandy lion puffed out his chest and snorted. He wasn’t that big.
Elsewhere behind the future combatants- a soft rivet of white danced once across the backs of the reeds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 7:37 am
"Threatened by words?" Hakan huffed, "of course not. Words reflect the person, not their actions. You are a bitter old rogue who has wandered alone too long. You have no family, no friends, you are lonely and your sleep is filled with nightmares." Okay so Hakan had no idea whether any of this was true or not but he liked to fancy that it was.
"So you pass by and bump into a lion who is simply doing his duty and you grow jealous of his youth and his spirit and his connection with loved ones. You get jealous of what you see and wish to rid your eyes of the sight."
This was too much fun and it was only made better by the fact that he was not stnading alone like he usually was. Fighting alongside his brother was so much more enjoyable.
Luckily for Hakan he could swim and if need be he'd use the water to escape, he had no idea of the skills and capabilities of his opponent but he was pretty sure he would be faster in the water than some giant oaf.
Then suddenly a skull-rattling roar leapt forth from the green-pelt's parted jaws and Hakan tensed, lowering himself further and side-stepped neatly to stand closer to his brother.
"Kamal, listen to me." He spoke in a low voice, "he's big but he'll be slow, use your speed to keep away from his claws and fangs. Get him blinded with rage and we can take him." He grinned, "he can't land a strike on both of us at once, take in turns to be distraction and attacker and I think we can win." It was possible that Phib may have been able to overhear some of it in his excitement.
Confidence oozed from Hakan's dark form as he edged slowly away from Kamal, circling the edge of the waterhole with eyes fixated upon the agitated adult. He had to be careful now, very careful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
