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 Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 12:46 pm
"You're sure they're all safe?" Yareha pressed. "Avahk, Ime'Kotek, Chiba and Hamaniya? Wazitandama and Kizev?" He listed them by litter, not once stumbling over the names of his youngest two, despite the fact that he'd given up his rights as their father.
He remembered why he'd done it...but he couldn't care less anymore. They were still his children and not even giving them to his own father to raise would change that.
Latitare was about to sigh noisily at Yareha's insistence on knowing about his children when he added two names onto the list. The eagle recognized them, of course. But why in the world...!
"What are you talking about?" he squawked, flapping to the ground and turning to look his partner in the eye. "Are you saying that the twins are your kids and not Kivuli'mwezi's!?"
Unbelievable! And here he'd thought he already knew all of Yareha's secrets!
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 12:53 pm
Andama blinked when he rattled off two names too many. She couldn't place any faces to those names, it wasn't until Latitare mentioned Kivuli'mwezi that she realized why. Yareha's father was prolific but generally uninteresting, his offspring were not especially interesting so she had never noticed them as much as she had the four known to be Yareha's.
She had to take a moment to let this news sink in and then struggle to force herself to remember something she knew wasn't there.
"Avahk, Ime'Kotek, Chiba and Hamaniya had all stayed out of it while I was there," she said, frowning, "I'm sorry but I have no idea of the other two, but I don't remember your father, or any of his immediate family aside from Aysu, being involved at all. He had cubs with a slave and even she did not participate."
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:02 pm
They said no news was good news, and he had to be content with that. Yareha closed his eyes for a moment and thought a brief prayer to the Great Lion on his children's behalf. Hopefully they would continue to weather this storm.
"Yes, they're mine," he answered the irate eagle before glancing back up to Andama. "Thank you though..." the lion's voice trailed off as he cast his mind back over all he'd learned today.
The King and Queen dead, Selene and Fuu as well, a coup in the low class...it was as if his wish had been granted by a trickster, twisting it into darkness and only after he himself had been forced out of the pride.
"Is this some false god's joke on me?" Yareha asked aloud with a crooked smile, his words soft and bitter.
Latitare shook his head. Unbelievable! He supposed it was just as well that none of the three of them were going back, and that poor King Thoth and Queen Khathelela were in no position to hear about this deception. The eagle had to wonder what had possessed Kivuli to go along with this madness, perpetuating this lie for more than a year now!
And for Yareha to be so circumspect that even Latitare had failed to suspect this. It was rather impressive, all things considered.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:11 pm
Andama wasn't particularly shocked by the revelation and it definitely didn't bother her, what did she care how many cubs he fathered- though she wondered by he lied about it, it was perhaps the only thing that made it worth a second thought.. but she didn't need an answer to that.
She frowned again at his bitter question and crooked smile, reminded that she wasn't necessarily beyond reason having suspected he might be glad to hear of these events. His actions had implied displeasure with the system, though he'd only ever attempted to harm a slave, nobody else. He had found her wandering around far from home, he got to ask why and was reassured of his family.. that was all she had to do now.
"Now you have your answers," she said, attempting to change the subject, "Is there anything worth hunting in the direction you came from or should I go back?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:19 pm
Latitare frowned up at his partner. The fact that Yareha still refused to believe in the gods was, well, it was pure Yareha. But Andama's news of the coup seemed to have struck the white lion a heavy blow. It was good that his children were safe, but he seemed to be having trouble with the rest.
"A day's journey north will bring you to a river," he told the lioness when it became clear that his partner wouldn't answer, might not have even heard the question. "Game is plentiful there, though of course there may be other predators who wouldn't hold back against a lioness. We had no trouble ourselves..."
He hesitated, unwilling to offer to accompany Andama. Not just because he doubted she wanted their help, but because it was Yareha's place to decide. And Yareha...well, Latitare wasn't certain if he should be worried yet, but he knew the white lion would probably need a moment or more.
Yareha, for his part, was silent, dwelling on the past, as well as his old hopes and dreams. Things he'd thought he'd come to terms with moons ago...but really, he'd just pushed them to the side and not dealt with them...
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:29 pm
Andama looked back to Latitare, nodding when he offered a suggestion of where to hunt. She was grateful for it, briefly letting her envy that Yareha had an eagle to help him keep an eye out for things.. but she had help, too, just not so feathery.
"Thank you, Latitare," she said, smiling, "You don't need to sound so worried, I've gotten this far unscathed after all."
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:35 pm
Latitare nodded, acknowledging the truth of Andama's statement. She was still alive and in good health, and thus was likely to remain so. Therefore he should do her the courtesy of not doubting her ability.
"As you will it," he replied politely before looking over at Yareha again. The white lion was staring at the ground, and Latitare didn't like the glazed look in his eyes.
First finding all those damned Seers who always knew exactly what he'd done...then that bizarre lion who claimed to be a god...and now to find out what had happened in the Mwezi...! Someone, somewhere had to be laughing their heart out at Yareha's life. He couldn't do anything right, it seemed!
Every time he sacrificed and gave up something in order to achieve something else, it turned out later that he needn't have bothered! Always his desires were granted after he'd stopped dreaming!
It was a perfect mess, that was what it was.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:43 pm
Her eyes wandered back to Yareha and she frowned again, going over their conversation quickly again in her mind and shaking her head slightly. She'd lost him, he was focused on whatever reaction he was having to the news she'd shared and except for the reassurance that his children were safe she was regretting it at all. She, Spiralia and the cubs would go North.. but they would be wary of Yareha's presence nearby.
"Thank you," she murmured again, looking back at Latitare and nodding, "Goodbye."
She had no intention of sticking around now and she didn't care to dance around making that clear.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:47 pm
Andama was almost out of sight when the noise started. In truth, there were two noises. One was Latitare's almost panicked words as he tried to calm his friend down. The other was Yareha's hysterical laughter, echoing over the landscape even as tears dampened the fur on his cheeks.
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