...//A Fathomable Truth
Lalala.. you should know the drill by now
Lalala.. you should know the drill by now
Kisoni
A long time had passed since she had finally returned to her old homeland. Still, no sign of this so-called "mistweavers" tribe had been found. The lioness made a soft noise, shaking her head as she admitted to herself she'd grown less and less concerned with it. Kimaji and Ushuafu were growing up now--technically, Ushuafu could be considered grown now. Speaking of growing up, Kizuka cast her dark eyes once more about the valley below her for any sign of her tan and white daughter. That she couldn't seem to find her didn't worry Kizuka too much. Kimaji had always been fairly well behaved when it came to direct orders from her mother, and Kizuka had strictly forbidden the juvenile from leaving the valley. Some leeway was needed with children, though, or how would they ever learn independence?
Rising to her feet, Kizuka gave a long stretch with a yawn that showed off her well kept teeth, Her claws raked across the bare rock of the cliff she'd climbed up to in order to see out across the valley, giving up a generally spine-chilling sound that didn't at all seem to bother the lioness. Normally Kizuka wouldn't have come so far out, but watching over her daughter seemed more important than staying out amongst the grass. Now that Kimaji was learning to hunt for herself, and Ush, independent as he was, had taken over his own share of it, life was beginning to get easier. To a point, Kizuka no longer missed Triv'an.
She'd let him go without a word several months before. As usual her thoughts darkened a little when she thought of the male, Kimaji's father. He'd been with her since they were cubs, and a great deal of love was still there, but not too long after returning to their old homelands he'd decided to abandon her and their daughter to go off on his own. A part of her shouldn't have been surprised, since staying was against the nature of most grown lions anyway, and yet... and yet she knew how much that must have upset Kimaji, and how much it'd upset her. A small, still naive part of her had thought she and Triv'an would have always been together, in friendship if not in love.
A shake of her head cleared those thoughts away before she dropped once more back onto the dusty rock in a relaxed heap. There was no use in woolgathering over the past, after all, and the great cat rolled a little onto her back, lifting her shoulders easily so that she could groom her stomach. The drought was still going strong, a problem that should be her bigger concern.
A sniff of the air from this altitude told her with no uncertainty that rain wasn't going to be arriving at any time in the near future, and probably not in the distant future, either. She flicked an annoyed ear at the slight depression that tried to creep up on her then, sending it away as she would a buzzing fly. Apparantly her prayers to the Storm God alone weren't going to be enough. Perhaps now that she and hers had learned to survive in this dying oasis she could return her attentions once more to finding her long-lost tribe. They had to be here somewhere... and if not, perhaps she could try to reclaim it?
That thought, something that had never occured to her, sprung hope eternal in her heart. Kizuka really had no wish to be the head of a tribe, even if she was already acting as head of her small family, but to be reunited her Mistweavers she would give anything. Surely there had to be more survivors than just her and Triv'an! ... and Kimaji, she amended, for the sake of the full-blooded daughter they'd spawned together. Kizuka grinned mentally at the idea and turned once more to her grooming with a heart somehow lighter than before.
Dark Fire Angel
The scent... definitely came from within this patch of land. There was no questioning it, and there was not questioning just whom this scent belonged to, that much was certain within the goddess' mind and at the thought, there was nothing she could do to hide the giggle that bubbled up her throat.
He was here! He was heeeeere! He was HERE!
Uadilifu was in fact so happy, she had to place most of her concentration on landing with style, and not in a heap of feathers and pelt as she took ground from high above, coming through several trees; it wasn't nearly as hot within the cover of the trees, however, Dili had swiftly noticed the lack of water within the particular region. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought, for she'd always liked water... however, the idea of finding her kin, or rather, her brother, was far too thrilling and tempting to turn back for over a simple lack of water.
Amusingly enough, unlike other gods, usually wishing to hide their wings within an illusion when upon mortal grounds, Truth always decided otherwise. Her pink figure was within plain view of anyone. That is... if anyone had been around, for as far as the goddess could see, there was no one; her nose told her a different story, picking up the scents of not only her brother, but two other lioness at least, which initially surprised her, and then.. amused her deeply, for some odd reason.
Following the nearest scent, which just so happened to be that of the older lioness she'd smelled, the goddess padded on, fluffing out and spreading her wings here and there, where the drying foliage did no bother them; it was in this manner that she finally reached Kizuka, spread out over her rock, grooming herself. Again, unlike many a gods, Dili seemed unmoved by the sight and she walked forth, smiling as if she'd just seen an old friend, "And good morning to you!" came the happy chirp, "I've come to see Ushaufu, do you know if he's around?" a pause, never bothering to check out the poor Misty's reaction to her entrance or initial words as she pondered, "Hmmm... or perhaps he has not given out that name? Perhaps he goes as Deception? Or maybe he lied about that too?" a frown crept over the pink goddess' features as she thought and went on, "He's green, wears this odd collar and has a nasty attitude and temper when things don't go his way, quite childish, in fact if you think about it... have you seen him?"
Her words were laced with obvious hope, for she'd scented her brother's scent upon this lioness; her instincts told her she'd know where to find him, however, it never once occurred to her to tell poor Kizuka whom she was. There was... nothing to indicate she was Ushaufu's sister in the least, "I've missed him terribly, and he has a horrid habit of running away from me almost upon sight! Can you image? The nerve of him..." a sigh was exhaled at this point as Truth shock her head.
Now, had Ushaufu not been too busy grumping over the fact his lunch had gotten away because he'd been too distracted, he'd have probably noticed his sister's scent from a mile away, for it was her presence that most scared the male.
You see, Dili's sole presence had a strange effect upon the god of deception; he was utterly unable to lie when she was around. Not only that, but her sole figure seemed to make him blurt out the most embarrassing things one could imagine; needless to say he kept his distance by all means possible. Alas! It just so happened the male god not only did not notice, but he walked into the clearing where both lioness rested, looking down as he snarled, for his mind still could not wrap itself over the concept of losing a prey because he had been thinking or rather, daydreaming. How was it possible?!
He was, in fact, quite prepared to offer Kizuka (whose scent he'd followed to the very spot he stood at almost by instinct), a full rant about how prey should not bloody be allowed to get away when he was hunting... however, the sight of pink sitting nearby the by now familiar white and brown form of the mistweaver startled him into stopping.
Finally raising his head fully and focusing his sight, the male god did something Kizuka had probably never seen him do; he did a full double take, gasping as he took a step back, his eyes wide with fear. In his stumbling, he landed back pressed against a tree, one paw swiftly coming over his mouth as if to stop himself from talking and the other one coming to point quite comically at the smiling goddess. Nothing more than muffled snarls and growls could be heard from behind said paw, however... it was obvious Deception was not only startled, but scared; his tail had puffed out as he stared on at them.
"Oh, THERE you are! I've been looking for you!" the happy chirp was accentuated by a purr as the goddess closed her eyes, obviously pleased for some reason.
Meanwhile, Ushaufu's mind only had one thought; WHY HER? WHY HERE? WHY NOW?!
Kisoni
Whoa is the poor mortal shoved upon poor Gods.. or rather, whoa is the poor mortal that has the Gods shove upon her. So concentrated was she on her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the rather obvious pink, purple and white Goddess making her way over to her before the girl was there and chatting rather amiably.
Kizuka's chocolate eyes snapped open, tongue still pressed against the half-bathed white fur of her underbelly when the Goddess seemed to pop right out of no where. The first thing that Kizuka noticed, odd to her own mind, was the mention of Ushaufu. Only when her mind had wrapped around that did she take in the fact that not only was this a Goddess, she was rather brightly coloured, with the most odd sort of bone protruding from her forehead.
Slowly the mortal lioness finished the lick along her stomach then drew her tongue back into her mouth as she recovered the feline look of hautiness that would give her back some of her scratched dignity. As her lips moved to shape a reply, the girl babbled over her own questions giving Kizuka no time to say anything.
A strange sick feeling was beginning to form in the pit of Kizuka's stomach, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. That someone had finally come looking for her strange charge should have thrilled her, for she'd long wondered about the boy's heritage. Indeed, this could be a family member or old friend, but perhaps it was the girls appearance that put her on edge. There was no denying the Goddesses beauty.
Perhaps unfortunatly, Kizuka's long association with Ushuafu had managed to make her less than completely humble towards the idea of meeting a God or Goddess. She'd just about formed a rather impudent reply to try and stop the girl's incessant chattering when her ears perked at a sound she could barely make out over the noise. Kizuka allowed her gaze to follow the way her ears had turned and she was somehow pleased to see the form of the green adolescent headed towards them. Somehow pleased, yes, and somehow fearful for what this might bring.
Whatever her feelings on the subject, she was still shocked by the somewhat violent--and rather out of character--reaction Ushuafu gave when he did see this new lioness in their midst. Kizuka turned and sat up fully on her rock, delibartly climbing to her feet as she waited a moment to see how it'd play out. A breeze brought with it the stink of fear from Ushuafu and a rather startling growl ran through her throat.
Usuafu afraid? That was more than unsusual. She'd seen the boy through dark and light, and not even when he'd nearly been gored by a wild boar had he showed the slightest bit of fear... Yet this lioness seemed to be able to do it. As these thoughts crossed her mind, Kizuka decended from her perch and rounded to get inbetween the two, facing this intruder. "Alright. Who are you, and what do you want here?" The growl slurring her words didn't make the meaning any less understandable, and if anything only emphasized it as the order it was. Her hackles rose slightly for all that the other lioness looked innocent enough; however she looked, Kizuka had already decided she didn't like this in the least.
Kizuka's chocolate eyes snapped open, tongue still pressed against the half-bathed white fur of her underbelly when the Goddess seemed to pop right out of no where. The first thing that Kizuka noticed, odd to her own mind, was the mention of Ushaufu. Only when her mind had wrapped around that did she take in the fact that not only was this a Goddess, she was rather brightly coloured, with the most odd sort of bone protruding from her forehead.
Slowly the mortal lioness finished the lick along her stomach then drew her tongue back into her mouth as she recovered the feline look of hautiness that would give her back some of her scratched dignity. As her lips moved to shape a reply, the girl babbled over her own questions giving Kizuka no time to say anything.
A strange sick feeling was beginning to form in the pit of Kizuka's stomach, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. That someone had finally come looking for her strange charge should have thrilled her, for she'd long wondered about the boy's heritage. Indeed, this could be a family member or old friend, but perhaps it was the girls appearance that put her on edge. There was no denying the Goddesses beauty.
Perhaps unfortunatly, Kizuka's long association with Ushuafu had managed to make her less than completely humble towards the idea of meeting a God or Goddess. She'd just about formed a rather impudent reply to try and stop the girl's incessant chattering when her ears perked at a sound she could barely make out over the noise. Kizuka allowed her gaze to follow the way her ears had turned and she was somehow pleased to see the form of the green adolescent headed towards them. Somehow pleased, yes, and somehow fearful for what this might bring.
Whatever her feelings on the subject, she was still shocked by the somewhat violent--and rather out of character--reaction Ushuafu gave when he did see this new lioness in their midst. Kizuka turned and sat up fully on her rock, delibartly climbing to her feet as she waited a moment to see how it'd play out. A breeze brought with it the stink of fear from Ushuafu and a rather startling growl ran through her throat.
Usuafu afraid? That was more than unsusual. She'd seen the boy through dark and light, and not even when he'd nearly been gored by a wild boar had he showed the slightest bit of fear... Yet this lioness seemed to be able to do it. As these thoughts crossed her mind, Kizuka decended from her perch and rounded to get inbetween the two, facing this intruder. "Alright. Who are you, and what do you want here?" The growl slurring her words didn't make the meaning any less understandable, and if anything only emphasized it as the order it was. Her hackles rose slightly for all that the other lioness looked innocent enough; however she looked, Kizuka had already decided she didn't like this in the least.
Dark Fire Angel
The god's eyes merely grew wider as Kizuka stepped between he and his sister for as much as he wanted to explain the situation (a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach practically demanding he do so), he was still very much afraid of what else he'd utter accidentally. Thus so, the growls and mumbles and yips continued, muffled by the paw he held firmly against his maw.
All he could do was stare and gap like a fish out of water behind said paw. Quite out of character for him.
Dili on the other hand had never been more amused in her entire life (and believe me, her life had been a long one), than the moment the mortal lioness stepped down from her rock and demanded to know whom she was. Her surprise at such an act, not to mention her growing amusement, were clearly visible through her sparkling eyes, "Why I'm surprised! Ushafu's never mentioned our close relationship?" she was, in fact, the goddess of truth; quite dept at noticing tiny things about others' feelings that even they might've not yet seen and as she looked at Kizuka only feeling rang true from her.
Was that Jealousy she saw? It couldn't be...
Deeply amused, and quite as used to mental games as her brother was, the lioness decided to play one of her own, never lieing, but instead giving the poor Misty partial truths. Rather, the goddess was offering her bits of truth, omitting most of it. That wasn't lieing, but it was still amusing as hell, she'd noticed, "We've always been so close, and yet he fails to mention even my name to she whom he's obviously lived for quite the long time, I'm appalled!" making a full act, she placed the back of her paw under her horn, "Oh, Ushaufu, and here I thought you loved me!"
Finally Deception was forced to lower his paw, "I do! But you scare the s**t out of merpppffffttt!!" once more, his paw found it's way over his mouth, his eyes going wide; he'd actually meant to say he hated her and that she was bloody obnoxious, yet the words simply could NOT come out, for it was a lie. At least half of it for he really did think her to be obnoxious.
The situation could not be more embarrassing.
Dili kept on her act, her attention mostly on Kizuka, fearing she'd have to take flight to evade an attack any minute however, far to amused to let go just yet. Gasping, she frowned at her brother, "If you love me why is it you're out here with this mortal? Shame on you! Shame!" tsking loudly, she watched for the answer she knew was going to come.
"That's because I really like her!" Wow, scratch that, the situation could get more embarrassing. That... was not what he'd meant to say, and thus his paw went to his mouth again, glaring hotly at his sister, yet obviously determined still to lie about it. He tried again, "She's quite fetching this morning, even you can't stand light tommmrrrppppfffftttt!!" he decided to shut up and turned around to hit his head forcefully against the tree he'd backed up against.
Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
Obviously and finally pleased, Audilifu dropped her act instantly and finally smiled at Kizuka, "That my brother finds you attractive in such ways is quite the compliment, you have my admiration..." her eyes closed, only to reopen, "I'm sorry about that, I have the small... slightly immature habit of teasing my brother a little bit when I find him, as our meetings are few, let me introduce myself; I am Audilifu, Goddess of Truth, and Ushafu's sister," a pause as she glanced at the god, whom had by now stopped hitting his head and had decided to sit there with his forehead pressed again it, looking very much embarrassed, "Whom is quite surprised to see him so grown and... attached to anyone. Last I saw of him he was still a cub."
"I hope you trip and fall," that was as far as he could get, for though he'd meant to say die, it was simply not true.
"Love you too, dear!"
All he could do was stare and gap like a fish out of water behind said paw. Quite out of character for him.
Dili on the other hand had never been more amused in her entire life (and believe me, her life had been a long one), than the moment the mortal lioness stepped down from her rock and demanded to know whom she was. Her surprise at such an act, not to mention her growing amusement, were clearly visible through her sparkling eyes, "Why I'm surprised! Ushafu's never mentioned our close relationship?" she was, in fact, the goddess of truth; quite dept at noticing tiny things about others' feelings that even they might've not yet seen and as she looked at Kizuka only feeling rang true from her.
Was that Jealousy she saw? It couldn't be...
Deeply amused, and quite as used to mental games as her brother was, the lioness decided to play one of her own, never lieing, but instead giving the poor Misty partial truths. Rather, the goddess was offering her bits of truth, omitting most of it. That wasn't lieing, but it was still amusing as hell, she'd noticed, "We've always been so close, and yet he fails to mention even my name to she whom he's obviously lived for quite the long time, I'm appalled!" making a full act, she placed the back of her paw under her horn, "Oh, Ushaufu, and here I thought you loved me!"
Finally Deception was forced to lower his paw, "I do! But you scare the s**t out of merpppffffttt!!" once more, his paw found it's way over his mouth, his eyes going wide; he'd actually meant to say he hated her and that she was bloody obnoxious, yet the words simply could NOT come out, for it was a lie. At least half of it for he really did think her to be obnoxious.
The situation could not be more embarrassing.
Dili kept on her act, her attention mostly on Kizuka, fearing she'd have to take flight to evade an attack any minute however, far to amused to let go just yet. Gasping, she frowned at her brother, "If you love me why is it you're out here with this mortal? Shame on you! Shame!" tsking loudly, she watched for the answer she knew was going to come.
"That's because I really like her!" Wow, scratch that, the situation could get more embarrassing. That... was not what he'd meant to say, and thus his paw went to his mouth again, glaring hotly at his sister, yet obviously determined still to lie about it. He tried again, "She's quite fetching this morning, even you can't stand light tommmrrrppppfffftttt!!" he decided to shut up and turned around to hit his head forcefully against the tree he'd backed up against.
Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
Obviously and finally pleased, Audilifu dropped her act instantly and finally smiled at Kizuka, "That my brother finds you attractive in such ways is quite the compliment, you have my admiration..." her eyes closed, only to reopen, "I'm sorry about that, I have the small... slightly immature habit of teasing my brother a little bit when I find him, as our meetings are few, let me introduce myself; I am Audilifu, Goddess of Truth, and Ushafu's sister," a pause as she glanced at the god, whom had by now stopped hitting his head and had decided to sit there with his forehead pressed again it, looking very much embarrassed, "Whom is quite surprised to see him so grown and... attached to anyone. Last I saw of him he was still a cub."
"I hope you trip and fall," that was as far as he could get, for though he'd meant to say die, it was simply not true.
"Love you too, dear!"
Kisoni
The answer she got initially only caused the lionesses hackles to raise a little further, as much as she tried to deny the truth of that. Indeed, the cause of it was rather unknown to her. She tuned out the muffled, babbled growls and yips of her comrade, focusing instead on the creature that claimed to be his... beloved. She wouldn't use the word lover, since Ushuafu had been a cub when she'd met him and she doubted even Godling cubs were so odd as to take lovers in that childish state. (Not to mention that as the scorned word crossed her mind her own rage doubled again, much to her own uneasiness)
That was when the next large shock of the morning was bestowed upon her as the adolescent behind her admitted his fear, and love, of the Goddess in the same sentance. Kizuka's ears flew back against her skull before she could bid them to otherwise, and she had to spend the next moment forcing them back up again. The Goddess hadn't done anything so bad as to cause Kizuka to attack her, no matter how much the mortal wanted to, except for the slight tone in her voice and precise wording that was beginning to make Kizuka feel as if she were being played with.
That was it! Kizuka's eyes narrowed again as she listened to Dili's next words, her ears once more turning back. Yes, this Goddess sounded a lot like Ushuafu had when she'd met him--and still could if he gave half a mind to it. The Goddess was playing some sort of game. The question was who was she playing it with? Though there seemed to be something in the all too innocent words for Kizuka, most of this seemed to be directed more at the cowering male behind her... the male that was trying his best to act brave and aloof as he usually did, but was failing miserably. He'd even admitted truisms about himself that he would have denied--or decieved others of--normally.
All these thoughts were blown out the proverbial window, however, when the next shout from Ushuafu penetrated them like a rock through a window. Instantly her heart began to beat a little faster, a strange sort of releif penetrating the hard knot of anger and unidentifiable emotions that had begun to coil within her just a few moments before.
One of Kizuka's ears lifted a little, though it remained cocked backward to catch signal from the male. Her head turned a little more towards him in question, though she never took her eyes off the Goddess for an instant. Once more the wind was knocked out of her when his comment was followed by yet another admittance while his very scent belied that he hadn't wanted to make it known, "She's quite fetching this morning, even you can't stand light tommmrrrppppfffftttt!!"
Her heart had to have stopped in that instant, and at once her fur was flat and body untensed in pure, unadulterated shock. To another this might have seemed something small to get so worked up over--they didn't know Ushuafu as closely as she did. Her gaze snapped from the Goddess to the God behind her, blinking in silent wonder as she tried to figure out if that meant what she thought it meant.
No, surely not. There was too much of an age difference! .... wasn't there? She herself had said that Ushuafu had always acted a little too worldly to have been a cub, and had even pondered wether Gods and Goddesses aged like mortal lions would. After all, they were Immortal... right? Still, that that could have meant what she thought it meant, and his actions now could even be taken as further proof that he DID mean it, was almost unfathomable to her. The knot in her stomach dissagreed by dispursing to be replaced by something that rather reminded her of a capture insect trying to find its way out of her body.
Her ears didn't miss the sound of the Goddesses resumed conversation, however, and the one closest to her snapped its attention back towards the horned lioness. Slowly Kizuka's head followed as well, giving her body a light shake as she might have to rid herself of water, before she hastily sat in the dust and lifted a paw. Grooming the appendage helped her to focus enough to shape a reply when it seemed the siblings banter had finally passed.
"Well, I suppose all siblings are capable of that," She found herself saying presently with the knowledgable air of both a sister and mother. Kizuka's brown eyes lifted again to the Goddesses, showing in an instant that she wasn't so sure she trusted this 'Truth' at all, but was willing to try... for now.
"I am Kizuka," The mortal replied by way of introduction, "And now that you mention it, I suppose I could see how you two were siblings, though your scents barely register you as such... you are an incredible deal alike, for all your differences." That somehow contradictory sentance really did make more sense after you spent any amount of time with the God of Deception while Truth was away. Her powers, however, did well explain his sudden inability to act on his, as well as proving in a second whos powers were stronger.
"He has grown a great deal these last moons he has spent in our family. I met him as a cub when my daughter and I first crossed into these lands." She turned an eye back to Ushuafu to see if he had anything to add to this and was surprised by the reaction her body gave to the sight of him.
Those insects trapped inside bred a thousand fold, even as she allowed herself a second to truly think about how much he'd grown. Mentally growling at herself, she broke through such strange reveries, though it could be noted that if she were human and capable Kizuka would very well have a splash of deep scarlet painted across her cheeks.
That was when the next large shock of the morning was bestowed upon her as the adolescent behind her admitted his fear, and love, of the Goddess in the same sentance. Kizuka's ears flew back against her skull before she could bid them to otherwise, and she had to spend the next moment forcing them back up again. The Goddess hadn't done anything so bad as to cause Kizuka to attack her, no matter how much the mortal wanted to, except for the slight tone in her voice and precise wording that was beginning to make Kizuka feel as if she were being played with.
That was it! Kizuka's eyes narrowed again as she listened to Dili's next words, her ears once more turning back. Yes, this Goddess sounded a lot like Ushuafu had when she'd met him--and still could if he gave half a mind to it. The Goddess was playing some sort of game. The question was who was she playing it with? Though there seemed to be something in the all too innocent words for Kizuka, most of this seemed to be directed more at the cowering male behind her... the male that was trying his best to act brave and aloof as he usually did, but was failing miserably. He'd even admitted truisms about himself that he would have denied--or decieved others of--normally.
All these thoughts were blown out the proverbial window, however, when the next shout from Ushuafu penetrated them like a rock through a window. Instantly her heart began to beat a little faster, a strange sort of releif penetrating the hard knot of anger and unidentifiable emotions that had begun to coil within her just a few moments before.
One of Kizuka's ears lifted a little, though it remained cocked backward to catch signal from the male. Her head turned a little more towards him in question, though she never took her eyes off the Goddess for an instant. Once more the wind was knocked out of her when his comment was followed by yet another admittance while his very scent belied that he hadn't wanted to make it known, "She's quite fetching this morning, even you can't stand light tommmrrrppppfffftttt!!"
Her heart had to have stopped in that instant, and at once her fur was flat and body untensed in pure, unadulterated shock. To another this might have seemed something small to get so worked up over--they didn't know Ushuafu as closely as she did. Her gaze snapped from the Goddess to the God behind her, blinking in silent wonder as she tried to figure out if that meant what she thought it meant.
No, surely not. There was too much of an age difference! .... wasn't there? She herself had said that Ushuafu had always acted a little too worldly to have been a cub, and had even pondered wether Gods and Goddesses aged like mortal lions would. After all, they were Immortal... right? Still, that that could have meant what she thought it meant, and his actions now could even be taken as further proof that he DID mean it, was almost unfathomable to her. The knot in her stomach dissagreed by dispursing to be replaced by something that rather reminded her of a capture insect trying to find its way out of her body.
Her ears didn't miss the sound of the Goddesses resumed conversation, however, and the one closest to her snapped its attention back towards the horned lioness. Slowly Kizuka's head followed as well, giving her body a light shake as she might have to rid herself of water, before she hastily sat in the dust and lifted a paw. Grooming the appendage helped her to focus enough to shape a reply when it seemed the siblings banter had finally passed.
"Well, I suppose all siblings are capable of that," She found herself saying presently with the knowledgable air of both a sister and mother. Kizuka's brown eyes lifted again to the Goddesses, showing in an instant that she wasn't so sure she trusted this 'Truth' at all, but was willing to try... for now.
"I am Kizuka," The mortal replied by way of introduction, "And now that you mention it, I suppose I could see how you two were siblings, though your scents barely register you as such... you are an incredible deal alike, for all your differences." That somehow contradictory sentance really did make more sense after you spent any amount of time with the God of Deception while Truth was away. Her powers, however, did well explain his sudden inability to act on his, as well as proving in a second whos powers were stronger.
"He has grown a great deal these last moons he has spent in our family. I met him as a cub when my daughter and I first crossed into these lands." She turned an eye back to Ushuafu to see if he had anything to add to this and was surprised by the reaction her body gave to the sight of him.
Those insects trapped inside bred a thousand fold, even as she allowed herself a second to truly think about how much he'd grown. Mentally growling at herself, she broke through such strange reveries, though it could be noted that if she were human and capable Kizuka would very well have a splash of deep scarlet painted across her cheeks.
Dark Fire Angel
The reactions she obtained to her words were quite interesting, and though she was keeping part of her attention on Ushaufu, by now, her almost fully on Kizuka; it was quite certain within the Goddess' mind that her brother was not going anywhere. For the time being anyhow.
That much was shown to be true as Deception finally slid his head away from the bark of the tree to look sourly at his sister, having completely missed Kizuka's glance at him; had he not, it's probable further amusing event would've happened, however, sadly, the god was too ashamed of his previously true word to pay too much attention to the details he was so used to noticing. Audilifu on the other hand had not missed the lioness' other gesture and the goddess was forced to stifle a giggle down, marring it with a little cough as she sat down, "Well then, now that we're all acquaintanced you could perhaps give me a little story to entertain me with, Ushafu? Or perhaps your friend would be more eloquent? I find it quite interesting to see you so grown..."
A blank glare was her only answer for a long while as Ushaufu obviously dared not open his mouth in fear he'd utter something else. Instead, he flicked an ear as he sat nearby the lioness, hooded his eyes and looked away, as if the flying bird he'd suddenly spotted on a far away tree were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen, "...."
"Oh come now!" the goddess lifted a paw to poke her brother, and so distracted had he been, that at the mere contact, he found himself jumping and nearly tripping over, catching himself barely on time, "I bet you've never told her what I mean when I say I'm surprised to see you grown, huh?" the same silent glare answered Truth, however, Ushaufu's eyes darkened ever so slightly, his mouth curving in a slightly sour way, "If you don't tell her, I think I might just have to do it myself, Ushaufu..." it was clear the goddess was no longer playing any games, but was in fact, frowning with concern, "You can't keep her in the dark..."
On the contrary, thought Ushaufu as he gazed his sister with a pointed look that voiced out just what he could and would do. So long Dili wasn't around, of course, "Tell her what you wish," this said he turned around and settled himself into a curled up ball, a meter couple of meters away from them, taking the change to groom his paws and pelt, which he'd made an utter mess of during the whole commotion; it might be interesting o note that his mind hadn't quite and fully wrapped around just what he'd said about Kizuka minutes earlier... and that upon reaching a conclusion, the god might've been quite startled, however, for the time being his mind was too much in a whirlwind to make much sense of anything.
In such states, Deception had learnt that it was best to sit, engage in some comforting activity, like eating or grooming and allow it all to pass, leaving his mind blank.
A sigh escaped Truth's maw at her brother's actions, however, patience and years of dealing with him before they'd thought it best to part had shown her he was not only not going to talk, but was simply not in a mood to do much at all. Not even run away from her, amusingly enough, "All right then, I shall, however, do remember you gave me consent to do so," a flick of the male lion's tail was all the answer she got from him before she turned to smile pleasantly at Kizuka, "Please do excuse us, sadly Ush ... can't work his best while I'm around. That's why we parted ways long time ago. As much as I love him, when I'm around, Deception is always overcome with the truth. That is no way for a god to work," a pause came to her words, her ears flicking to check on her brother before continuing, "It was not his fault, but see, for a lie to overcome the truth, it must grow... and he simply seemed unable to."
An irritate flicker of Ush's ear showed that he was paying more attention to what was going on behind him than he was letting known at fist. Snorting, he turned his head to look at the lioness, finally opening his maw to talk, "I've probably been a cub for a few mortal life times, if not more," this piece of information given out, he turned his attention back to his paw.
"Right, hence why I'm quite surprised he's grown so much within merely a few moons," her smile lingered even as she spoke, "It kind of supports an I idea I had long back... I thought that perhaps gods did not grow he same way, but rather, instead may grow as their minds mature; when a mind is ready to have a bigger body, the body responds..." at this she gave her brother a pointed look which made Ushaufu frown in confusion.
He did not understand that look, but perhaps... Kizuka had.
That much was shown to be true as Deception finally slid his head away from the bark of the tree to look sourly at his sister, having completely missed Kizuka's glance at him; had he not, it's probable further amusing event would've happened, however, sadly, the god was too ashamed of his previously true word to pay too much attention to the details he was so used to noticing. Audilifu on the other hand had not missed the lioness' other gesture and the goddess was forced to stifle a giggle down, marring it with a little cough as she sat down, "Well then, now that we're all acquaintanced you could perhaps give me a little story to entertain me with, Ushafu? Or perhaps your friend would be more eloquent? I find it quite interesting to see you so grown..."
A blank glare was her only answer for a long while as Ushaufu obviously dared not open his mouth in fear he'd utter something else. Instead, he flicked an ear as he sat nearby the lioness, hooded his eyes and looked away, as if the flying bird he'd suddenly spotted on a far away tree were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen, "...."
"Oh come now!" the goddess lifted a paw to poke her brother, and so distracted had he been, that at the mere contact, he found himself jumping and nearly tripping over, catching himself barely on time, "I bet you've never told her what I mean when I say I'm surprised to see you grown, huh?" the same silent glare answered Truth, however, Ushaufu's eyes darkened ever so slightly, his mouth curving in a slightly sour way, "If you don't tell her, I think I might just have to do it myself, Ushaufu..." it was clear the goddess was no longer playing any games, but was in fact, frowning with concern, "You can't keep her in the dark..."
On the contrary, thought Ushaufu as he gazed his sister with a pointed look that voiced out just what he could and would do. So long Dili wasn't around, of course, "Tell her what you wish," this said he turned around and settled himself into a curled up ball, a meter couple of meters away from them, taking the change to groom his paws and pelt, which he'd made an utter mess of during the whole commotion; it might be interesting o note that his mind hadn't quite and fully wrapped around just what he'd said about Kizuka minutes earlier... and that upon reaching a conclusion, the god might've been quite startled, however, for the time being his mind was too much in a whirlwind to make much sense of anything.
In such states, Deception had learnt that it was best to sit, engage in some comforting activity, like eating or grooming and allow it all to pass, leaving his mind blank.
A sigh escaped Truth's maw at her brother's actions, however, patience and years of dealing with him before they'd thought it best to part had shown her he was not only not going to talk, but was simply not in a mood to do much at all. Not even run away from her, amusingly enough, "All right then, I shall, however, do remember you gave me consent to do so," a flick of the male lion's tail was all the answer she got from him before she turned to smile pleasantly at Kizuka, "Please do excuse us, sadly Ush ... can't work his best while I'm around. That's why we parted ways long time ago. As much as I love him, when I'm around, Deception is always overcome with the truth. That is no way for a god to work," a pause came to her words, her ears flicking to check on her brother before continuing, "It was not his fault, but see, for a lie to overcome the truth, it must grow... and he simply seemed unable to."
An irritate flicker of Ush's ear showed that he was paying more attention to what was going on behind him than he was letting known at fist. Snorting, he turned his head to look at the lioness, finally opening his maw to talk, "I've probably been a cub for a few mortal life times, if not more," this piece of information given out, he turned his attention back to his paw.
"Right, hence why I'm quite surprised he's grown so much within merely a few moons," her smile lingered even as she spoke, "It kind of supports an I idea I had long back... I thought that perhaps gods did not grow he same way, but rather, instead may grow as their minds mature; when a mind is ready to have a bigger body, the body responds..." at this she gave her brother a pointed look which made Ushaufu frown in confusion.
He did not understand that look, but perhaps... Kizuka had.
Kisoni
Through their debate, Kizuka kept her tongue to herself. A part of her wanted to stop Truth from speaking, the part that said that things she learned about Ushaufu should come from him alone. The other, louder, part said that it was wisest to get the truth of a situation when it was offered. In the end, despite the Goddess's calling, Kizuka decided to hear what Audilifu had to say and take it with a grain of salt. After all, when one lived with, and trusted, Deception, she had found, one learned to never take anything at face value.
Especially strange, somewhat annoying feelings in ones stomach, Kizuka added silently with a slightly annoyed flick of her tail. The lioness allowed her attention to turn back to the Goddess, though one ear remained cocked behind towards the surly green ball of fluff and irritation behind her.
Finally the minor debate ended and Audilifu began her somewhat simplified explanation of events. Kizuka couldn't help but wonder here if that was all there was to it, but kept the question to herself. Instead of interrupting, she lifted her paw once more to her brown furred muzzle to begin cleaning it off again.
As Audilifu finished, Kizuka looked up in time to catch the particular look Truth had shot in Deception's direction, and it didn't even take her a glance towards him to see that he hadn't responded at all. It was with a singular sort of amusement that Kizuka found herself smirking at the situation, and shook her head, "I must admit, I'd already thought much the same thing myself. When you admitted your... calling, lets say, to me it was quite obvious who--"
Checking herself, the lioness cast another glance towards Deception. Kicking herself for her slip of tact, for surely admitting that Truth's power was greater was not something to do in his presence. At least, not until he'd said as much himself. Backpeddling with a slight cough to cover her slip, she brought her attention once more to Dili, "Well, even when I'd first met him he wasn't like any other cub I'd known. Too well spoken, too careful. Had he not been fledged and looking as the living dead, I still would have marked him for something otherworldly. Even so, I'd assumed he had no family or had been cast out."
This part she didn't back down from, having already threatened the Goddess once Kizuka had no qualms in doing so again. There was love between them, yes, but she didn't forget the story Varg had told her. Even a Godling cub was still a cub, no matter how many years he'd spent as such. But... did she really want to think of Ushaufu as a cub?
Kizuka flicked her ear at the errant thought, unliking how it continued to crop up and poke at the fact that she'd never really thought of Ushaufu that way. She'd treated him as more of a friend than the adopted son he'd pretended to be in the presence of her own daughter and now departed best friend. In truth, she'd treated him no differently than she had Triv'an in these past few months they'd speant together as a family. Actually, she'd possibly treated him a little better, for Triv'an had never given her a fight about anything she'd wanted to do, where as this male challenged her. The thoughts were becoming more and more unsettling--as was the infuriating light in Dili's eyes that said she had full knowledge of what was going on.
Forcing herself back to the conversation at hand, Kizuka was thankful that her mind worked as fast as it did. All these thoughts had taken only seconds to form, leaving no strange, awkward pauses in the conversation, "So perhaps your power was suffocating his, as the truth often will a lie, thus causing him to remain stunted.. but that is not what you mean exactly, is it?" She phrased it as a question, but her smirk and eyes held that it was nothing of the sort. The answer she wouldn't say, however; she'd already allowed a slip that could hurt Ushaufu's ego today, and Dili had done more than her share of bruising it.
Especially strange, somewhat annoying feelings in ones stomach, Kizuka added silently with a slightly annoyed flick of her tail. The lioness allowed her attention to turn back to the Goddess, though one ear remained cocked behind towards the surly green ball of fluff and irritation behind her.
Finally the minor debate ended and Audilifu began her somewhat simplified explanation of events. Kizuka couldn't help but wonder here if that was all there was to it, but kept the question to herself. Instead of interrupting, she lifted her paw once more to her brown furred muzzle to begin cleaning it off again.
As Audilifu finished, Kizuka looked up in time to catch the particular look Truth had shot in Deception's direction, and it didn't even take her a glance towards him to see that he hadn't responded at all. It was with a singular sort of amusement that Kizuka found herself smirking at the situation, and shook her head, "I must admit, I'd already thought much the same thing myself. When you admitted your... calling, lets say, to me it was quite obvious who--"
Checking herself, the lioness cast another glance towards Deception. Kicking herself for her slip of tact, for surely admitting that Truth's power was greater was not something to do in his presence. At least, not until he'd said as much himself. Backpeddling with a slight cough to cover her slip, she brought her attention once more to Dili, "Well, even when I'd first met him he wasn't like any other cub I'd known. Too well spoken, too careful. Had he not been fledged and looking as the living dead, I still would have marked him for something otherworldly. Even so, I'd assumed he had no family or had been cast out."
This part she didn't back down from, having already threatened the Goddess once Kizuka had no qualms in doing so again. There was love between them, yes, but she didn't forget the story Varg had told her. Even a Godling cub was still a cub, no matter how many years he'd spent as such. But... did she really want to think of Ushaufu as a cub?
Kizuka flicked her ear at the errant thought, unliking how it continued to crop up and poke at the fact that she'd never really thought of Ushaufu that way. She'd treated him as more of a friend than the adopted son he'd pretended to be in the presence of her own daughter and now departed best friend. In truth, she'd treated him no differently than she had Triv'an in these past few months they'd speant together as a family. Actually, she'd possibly treated him a little better, for Triv'an had never given her a fight about anything she'd wanted to do, where as this male challenged her. The thoughts were becoming more and more unsettling--as was the infuriating light in Dili's eyes that said she had full knowledge of what was going on.
Forcing herself back to the conversation at hand, Kizuka was thankful that her mind worked as fast as it did. All these thoughts had taken only seconds to form, leaving no strange, awkward pauses in the conversation, "So perhaps your power was suffocating his, as the truth often will a lie, thus causing him to remain stunted.. but that is not what you mean exactly, is it?" She phrased it as a question, but her smirk and eyes held that it was nothing of the sort. The answer she wouldn't say, however; she'd already allowed a slip that could hurt Ushaufu's ego today, and Dili had done more than her share of bruising it.
Dark Fire Angel
Though Ush's ears remain flattened back, his expression had not changed much. Trying to remain as nonchalant as possible, the god was now trying to sort the earlier minutes out in his brain, keeping an eye on both lioness as he did so. After all, what was said, was said, there was no use in crying over spilled milk, and not even wen Kizuka mentioned the obvious... that his power was smaller than that of his sister, the god was not hurt; it was, after all true. He'd grown up with that truth, and though he avoided her as much as possible, he knew the day would come where their powers would, instead of being overpowered one by the other... would instead cancel each other out comfortably.
That time had not yet come, and probably wouldn't for a very long time. He was wise enough to know that much; his sister had always been further advanced than he'd been, for some odd reason. Dili called it feminine instinct, Ushaufu called it luck. Be it whatever it may be, it didn't bother Deception all that much, "Whatever, I'm going to go get a bite to eat," he'd been planning on doing that anyhow, and now was a good a time as any other, it seemed, however, before departing he turned to look pointedly at his sister, "It was... good to see you, however, I'm kind of hoping you'll no longer be here by the time I get back," his eyes narrowed at the words, "This place is mine, you can't have. Go play elsewhere; there's a certain pride up north, in the dessert... you might find the place highly amusing, it resembles the Firekin in a way, yet such a kin would doubtlessly be quite enraged where they to see it... I also heard wind of the god of war amongst them, from a lithe seer. In turn you'll probably distract and keep them well away from this land, hopefully."
This said, the Adolescent turned and slowly padded into the vegetation; this region didn't need any more 'help' to lead it to it's destruction. Already the drought was doing enough. Giving a final almost epileptic look towards the ex-misty, the god vanished, his wings which had become exposed during the time he'd spent by his sister's side ... slowly vanishing as he walked away into the foliage.
A smile crept upon his sister's maw and she closed her eyes, releasing a purr that was meant for him to listen, "I shall be long gone by the time you return; do give your regards to Varg, it's been long since I saw him," her words no doubt reached him before he vanished, however, no sooner had she spoken that she turned back to Kizuka, "I shall be on my way very soon, I'm kind of interested in peering into this place my brother has pointed out... however, I'm not particularly sure I wish to interrupt within War's territory..." waving away her thoughts quite physically with a paw, the Dili smiled again, "At any rate, no, you see... what I meant was that... Ushaufu will no grow less he matures. I have nothing to do with it; he grows as he matures, something about this place and his time spent here has opened his eyes to things he'd probably not have thought over before."
As her parenthood was questioned, the goddess let out a sight, a frown coming over her features, "For the life of me... I can't recall our parents. I'm not quite sure what happened, something must've come to pass however, but all I know is that we were on our own. Deception and Truth. We parted ways since we could not remain together, yet my lineage remains quite the mystery within my mind for some odd reason..." once more waving the thought away, she turned her frown into a sad smile, "Before I leave, I must warn you... there will come a moment in time where Ushaufu will see the truth in you, and the truth within this land; there is nothing in this world he more afraid of than the truth, and ever since I've known him, he's used the same defensive technique against it," a pause was offered her eyes shinning at the Misty, almost as if willing her to take heed of her words, "He runs away from it. He runs away from Truth; I should know better than anyone, and when the time comes, knowing my brother like I do, whose probably lived in confusion and now, further more in denial, there'll come a time he'll live in truth, be scared by it, and he'll run away. Physically."
There was no more Audilifu could do than to warn the lioness, for being quite observant, she'd already seen what both god and mortal had failed to see within many moons, "However, you should not worry, he'll come back, mark my words, for there are things much stronger than fear, truth, denial, confusion or even deception; it all comes back to one single thing that remain never changing... love," this said, the goddess spread her wings quite elegantly and jumped up into the air, flapping them till she went over the trees till she vanished, heading, no doubt, towards the lands her brother had pointed her towards.
That time had not yet come, and probably wouldn't for a very long time. He was wise enough to know that much; his sister had always been further advanced than he'd been, for some odd reason. Dili called it feminine instinct, Ushaufu called it luck. Be it whatever it may be, it didn't bother Deception all that much, "Whatever, I'm going to go get a bite to eat," he'd been planning on doing that anyhow, and now was a good a time as any other, it seemed, however, before departing he turned to look pointedly at his sister, "It was... good to see you, however, I'm kind of hoping you'll no longer be here by the time I get back," his eyes narrowed at the words, "This place is mine, you can't have. Go play elsewhere; there's a certain pride up north, in the dessert... you might find the place highly amusing, it resembles the Firekin in a way, yet such a kin would doubtlessly be quite enraged where they to see it... I also heard wind of the god of war amongst them, from a lithe seer. In turn you'll probably distract and keep them well away from this land, hopefully."
This said, the Adolescent turned and slowly padded into the vegetation; this region didn't need any more 'help' to lead it to it's destruction. Already the drought was doing enough. Giving a final almost epileptic look towards the ex-misty, the god vanished, his wings which had become exposed during the time he'd spent by his sister's side ... slowly vanishing as he walked away into the foliage.
A smile crept upon his sister's maw and she closed her eyes, releasing a purr that was meant for him to listen, "I shall be long gone by the time you return; do give your regards to Varg, it's been long since I saw him," her words no doubt reached him before he vanished, however, no sooner had she spoken that she turned back to Kizuka, "I shall be on my way very soon, I'm kind of interested in peering into this place my brother has pointed out... however, I'm not particularly sure I wish to interrupt within War's territory..." waving away her thoughts quite physically with a paw, the Dili smiled again, "At any rate, no, you see... what I meant was that... Ushaufu will no grow less he matures. I have nothing to do with it; he grows as he matures, something about this place and his time spent here has opened his eyes to things he'd probably not have thought over before."
As her parenthood was questioned, the goddess let out a sight, a frown coming over her features, "For the life of me... I can't recall our parents. I'm not quite sure what happened, something must've come to pass however, but all I know is that we were on our own. Deception and Truth. We parted ways since we could not remain together, yet my lineage remains quite the mystery within my mind for some odd reason..." once more waving the thought away, she turned her frown into a sad smile, "Before I leave, I must warn you... there will come a moment in time where Ushaufu will see the truth in you, and the truth within this land; there is nothing in this world he more afraid of than the truth, and ever since I've known him, he's used the same defensive technique against it," a pause was offered her eyes shinning at the Misty, almost as if willing her to take heed of her words, "He runs away from it. He runs away from Truth; I should know better than anyone, and when the time comes, knowing my brother like I do, whose probably lived in confusion and now, further more in denial, there'll come a time he'll live in truth, be scared by it, and he'll run away. Physically."
There was no more Audilifu could do than to warn the lioness, for being quite observant, she'd already seen what both god and mortal had failed to see within many moons, "However, you should not worry, he'll come back, mark my words, for there are things much stronger than fear, truth, denial, confusion or even deception; it all comes back to one single thing that remain never changing... love," this said, the goddess spread her wings quite elegantly and jumped up into the air, flapping them till she went over the trees till she vanished, heading, no doubt, towards the lands her brother had pointed her towards.
Quote:
Kizuka narrowed her eyes at Ushaufu's retreating form when he dared tell his sister of that pride he'd warned her quite emphatically about. Send a female to them? Having been raised as religiously as she was, the thought of Gods and Goddesses as all powerful, untouchable creatures should have dispelled the thought that Truth might be hurt by them. However, the time spent with Ush had, as she'd reflected upon so much these past few months, changed so much about her life and beliefs. Gods were no longer quite so mysterious in her eyes, nor were they infalliable.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, she turned her head back to Truth only to slip into attention in the middle of her next sentance. The lioness tried to open her mouth and warn the Goddess about that barbaric pride, but the female spoke over her and what she said wiped all else from Kizuka's mind.
Love? Somehow that word was pointed, just as much as it rang bells of truth in her mind. Of course she loved Ushaufu, he was family now! That quietened the bells, but Kizuka could only grasp at what that might mean. She didn't shy from the dread she felt at the thought of Ush trying to run away again, however. She'd nearly panicked the first time the male had thought of doing it, no matter how well she'd hidden her fear, and it had only gotten worse for all that he'd spent months with them and no other incident had occured. At least, none that she'd noticed.
Kizuka hardly realized when the Goddess left, only the shadow she cast caught her attention and the lioness looked up from where her eyes had dropped to her paws just in time to see Truth clearing the treetops. Her frown deepened, and Kizuka did the only thing she could do. She sent up a silent prayer for the Goddesses safety, then stood and turned on her back paw.
Slipping into the cooler shade of the dying jungle, Kizuka allowed herself the few quiet moments to think. The last thing, the warning, that Truth had given Kizuka didn't deny. She'd had a first hand encounter (or two, or three) of Deception's one cowardly habit. While she admired her companion, even she couldn't extend him the grace to overlook this flaw, though she didn't blame him for it.
So, when the time came, that left Kizuka with a decision. A short growl from her own throat stopped her in her tracks. Why should she try and make decisions about things that had yet to pass? There was no telling when this would happen, and mulling about it now would only bog her mind down with more stress than she was already under. The lioness shook her head physically, the slightly longer fur on her forehead flopping about her ears as she did. The act shook away whatever nitpicky demons there were floating about and poking at sensitive matters, and the lioness planted herself in the dirt and forest debris to groom her paw. A few washes of her paw over the tuft between her ears got it straight and clean again, and the lioness huffed a soft sigh to dispell the last fingers of gloom she could feel brushing the edge of her reality.
That done, the comment Ushaufu had made about food flitted back to her with a predator's one minded way of things when their stomachs growled. Surely that must have been what his grumbling was about when he'd first come upon the mortal and Goddess earlier that afternoon, and Kizuka smiled. If he was having trouble before hand, he might need a helping paw now, and the lioness decided that a bit of hot blood and meat would do her some good as well. Turning her nose down to the ground, mouth hanging open as large cats were wont to do in order to take in the purest of scents, she caught the trace of her 'prey' and where he'd gone before she loped after.
--The end
Dated: Sept 19th 2006
