[ORP] Celebration of the Heiress

[Excited Apathy]

"I know." Kestven kept (most of) the sigh out of his voice, but shot his mother a look of the sort that had gotten him extra drills in the past. Hell, it might today, just not immediately. Probably. No matter how old he got, or how old she got, OR how many siblings he acquired, some things didn't change. Mittere's pushing him to keep improving was another of those things.

The Duke's arrival was a welcome distraction, and his ears pricked as he realized hey, that was his brother. Nephew? Bah, it didn't matter, the cheeton was adopted anyways. Tarafa's grandson was family, and Kestven was grudgingly proud of him. He was only glancingly familiar with Na'al, but she'd certainly be more well-known now. "Did you know about that?" he asked, green eyes flicking back to the Master Warrior.


"I wonder why she picked him," Arantza remarked, strange dark eyes on the newly-elevated royal pair as she joined her siblings. He was her nephew, true, and she cared about him as much as any of her family, but... Oh, to hell with it. He was a bit soft to be--nominally, at least--in charge of their defense. Good thing her mother would ensure things got done anyway. And she wouldn't follow any stupid orders.

"There's no accounting for taste, I guess." Remarkably diplomatic, coming from the acerbic lioness.  

[mouselet]

"Of course," Kahlama nodded to Metea as the other lioness wandered off. She was paying as much attention as anyone to the announcement and though she didn't know either of the lucky couple, she wasn't going to let that stop her!

The red lioness came up to the new Heiress and offered a friendly smile. "Congrats! It's nice to meet you. I'm Kahlama, one of the Healers. Please feel free to come see me if you have any questions," she told the darker lioness.


Na'al could see her words and their import ripple through the assembled pridemembers. She wasn't certain what to do next as the talking started up again, but thankfully a lioness about her own age came up to her. The Heiress descended from her slight stage to be on a level with the red female - Kahlama.

"Thank you, and I'm glad to meet you too, Kahlama," she replied. "I'll have to keep that in mind - there's so much to learn!"


Lutum had been worried that things might get awkward, but one of Ebha and Nagua's children came forward to congratulate Na'al. That made it easy enough for him to slip away and meet Eione, who'd been headed towards him.

"Your eyes are wet," he remarked in surprise as the lioness came near. "Did we do okay, do you think?" the brown male continued, finally allowing his nerves to show. He hadn't wanted Na'al (or worse, Maji) to pick up on his nerves and convey them to the whole gathering. Honestly, the Duke would've preferred his mother to do the announcement, but her health had been worse of late, and no good son would let his mother push herself too far for something that he could do on her behalf.


Maji wasn't sure what to do now, especially after Na'al started talking with another lioness. About Healing, which he didn't know much about and which he'd been told he didn't need to know if he didn't want to.

But Ua was here. He'd kind of avoided Ua for the past few days, ever since Lutum had told him that Na'al wanted him to be the Royal Escort. Mostly because the Duke had made it very clear that the blue lion was not allowed to tell anyone until the celebration and announcement.

Sheepishly, Maji made his way over to his brother. "Uh...hi, Ua."


"I think that's enough of that," Saskiranel announced after the announcement was concluded. She deftly corralled Haskaka with a paw and ushered the cub up with her as she approached the Heiress.

"Congratulations," the Guard offered with a bow of her head. "I believe the Queen has chosen wisely, and that you and your Escort will do very well for the pride." She smiled then. "Do not forget that you can always rely on your old comrades among the Guards."


"Knowing is only a portion of the battle, and you cannot lead others in battle if you don't speak," the Master Warrior chided her adopted son as Lutum stepped forward. They were both silent through the formal announcement though, as Mittere watched carefully. Maji was never going to be a Warrior, and that he'd done well enough as a Guard was...acceptable. She'd have preferred more, but the boy didn't have the temperament for it. Still, he'd be a decent King.

"I knew that there would be a new Heiress and Royal Escort," Mittere admitted to the cheeton. "And if you had thought about it, you could have guessed who the Heiress would be." Not to mention that if one had observed the various Guards together, you could've seen that Na'al and Maji were becoming an item. But if Kestven was not yet that observant, there was only so much she could do without forcing him. He had to learn.


"Well, he's not related to Sliabh," Sedare replied to Arantza. The white and pink lioness turned to her whiter sister with a mischevious grin. "You never guessed the twerp would pull something like this off, eh?"

Since the Warrior was perfectly content with her lot as it was, she certainly wasn't jealous of the new Heiress nor her nephew the Royal Escort. (Never mind that the nephew was older than she, that was the way families worked sometimes.) Instead it was much more entertaining to see how her siblings reacted to this unexpected news.


Mstari glanced over at her conversational partners, but both of them had been distracted by siblings. Ah well. Perhaps later. She might as well join the crowd now gathering around the Heiress to congratulate her. It was the most interesting thing to do. For the moment. Besides, she knew how much the Queen relied on Ishara, but the Head Priestess was not much younger. Perhaps there would be an opening?  

[Neon Fly]

At least I know the names of most of the pride members, Sorcha! Athair bit back with annoyance to hide his embarrassment. How had he not known the heiress was being announced today? He liked to think he was more in tuned to the events of the pride then that, but things had been—difficult as of late for him. Not only had he been neglecting his job as a Matchmaker, he had felt distanced from the pride as a whole. With a somber expression his gaze dipped toward the head of the group, where a lion standing on a raised stone ledge began to speak. He recognized the brown male as one of the current Queen's sons, Lutum. While Sorcha and Mezli continued to catch up his ears strained to listen to what as being said. Over the low hum of the gathered crowd it was almost impossible to catch the announcement, though Athair could certainly take a guess as a dark female stepped up beside him.

You spend all your time here, I'd hope you know everybody's name! Sorcha returned with a flick of her tail and a wry grin before dismissing her irritable brother in favor of the fellow traveler. Her grin widening as she ignored the announcement that carried across the gathering, seeming to have little interest in the proceedings, though one ear was flicked in the direction of Lutum and his daughter on their platform. Sorcha had always been good at feigning disinterest where her pride was concerned, head tipping to one side with a laugh at Mez. Isn't that the truth, there are some real coconuts out there! I once saw a lioness traveling with a waterbuck she thought was her mother and another who didn't speak a lick of the common tongue! What's the weirdest thing you've ever encountered?

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Mez tutted softly as the other siblings snipped at one another, although he knew it was what siblings did best. He flicked his fluffy tail back and forth, both listening to the announcement and to his half-siblings with his almost permanent grin.

"Oh, how exciting," he said softly as Na'al greeted the crowd along with her chosen mate. It was always nice to see the new generations coming into their prime, especially in this pride. Having children to replace the old generations was important for any pride, but with the illness that afflicted so many here it was vital that cubs came at a steady pace.

"The strangest?" he asked, wrinkling his nose up comically. "Oh...perhaps it was this one leopard I met. She was stuck up a tree! Apparently she'd been raised by cheetahs and she had no idea how to get up or down one, and had been chased up the one she was in by a rhino. I had to help her down," he said with a little laugh. "Even though I'm not the best at that sort of thing myself."

Neon Fly

 

[mouselet]

"You're very welcome," Kahlama told the Heiress, nodding again and moving away so that another could take her place. It seemed that now that she'd begun, all the well-wishers had moved in, and the males had dispersed to talk to others in the crowd. Which helped to relax the atmosphere and made everyone feel more welcome, or so she thought.

As a Healer, the red lioness did try to help people relax and be more comfortable. It made everyone feel so much better and improved attitudes and outlooks. Was there anyone else she could help that way today?


The navy lioness moved lithely through the crowd and managed to subtlely force her way into the group right up near the Heiress. It wasn't too hard, after all, for a pretty lioness who wasn't afraid to bump others out of the way.

"Congratulations," she offered Na'al. "Do you think the Queen will be stepping down soon?" Her green eyes gleamed as she contemplated the lovely mess that could quickly be made of the pride's upper ranks. There should be plenty of opportunities...for those who wanted them.


"Thank you, Saskiranel," the young lioness said to the older female, offering a friendly smile to the leopard cub in tow. He was pretty cute, as well as a happy reminder of how friendly the pride was to all species.

Na'al was surprised by the direct question her next well-wisher offered. When would Nawiri retire? That wasn't something that had been firmly discussed yet - they'd only begun assembling people for when it happened, to make sure that everyone involved was informed and capable when the time came.

"I'm afraid I don't know yet," she replied. "But we will be prepared whenever that is."


Lutum nuzzled his sister while she regained her composure, smiling at her when she finally raised her head. If not for the fact that she had never once shown any symptoms of disease, Eione would have been a fine Queen herself. She was so willing to give everything she could to help others, even when it wasn't practical.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, we all know how busy you've been, and the pride is a better place for it," he assured her. "And I'll mention it, though I'm sure every Healer that talks to her from this day on will tell her the same thing!" the brown male pointed out with a laugh.

"But enough about my family...what about yours?" Lutum asked suggestively, raising an eyebrow for emphasis.


"I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you!" Maji felt bad about it, but he had been sworn to secrecy before the official announcement. And that included keeping it secret from his brother. "They didn't want any word to get out prematurely, just in case. I think it was Grandmother's idea. Not that she was told who was involved, but she had suggestions for when the Queen did name an Heiress," he explained.

"And I don't know, but I have a lot of stuff to learn now. It's almost as bad as learning from Grandmother," the blue lion complained. Not that it was bad enough for him to quit and refuse Na'al's suit, but if he couldn't complain to Ua, who could he complain to?


Sedare snickered at Aella's incomprehension. True, she didn't think Maji was a great prize either, but that was simply because he wasn't as capable or independent as she and her siblings were.

"The rumor mill had it that those two were looking at pairing up though. Doing patrols together and all that..." the Warrior let her voice trail off suggestively. Of course, rumor was quite certain that the pair hadn't gotten very far yet, but there were those who wouldn't be the least surprised by Na'al's choice.  

[Andranis]

Fashionably late - That's what her mother had called it, once upon a time. She'd mentioned once that Shinkai and Sotome had been fashionably late coming into the world, and growing up, the blue lioness had noted that her brother was late in growing his mane in. He was nearly a full-grown adult when the rest finally sprouted! But one thing they'd never witnessed was the naming of the heiress. "Come on, hurry up!" She gave Lutfi a shove, supporting his weight. His rattling cough didn't bother her in the least, as accustomed as she was to the sounds of death. "Not many get to see this!"

"Is it because most usually DIE long before the queen?" Truly, the thought scared Lutfi. He could die long before either of his mates did, or the lioness with the spots on her legs. He could even die before he sired any cubs, or die while they were still young. Like most lions, he had a healthy fear of death. He knew it was inevitable, but he still feared it. "Come on, I can walk, don't worry!" Despite how scratching his voice had become, he offered a smile to Shinkai. "I'm not a cub anymore!"

Nilofer bumped her shoulder against Lutfi's left side, offering him a mischief-filled smile. "Oh, but you ACT one!" Since joining, Nilofer had settled in as an apothecary, taking some joy in her job. She was helping others, more than just helping to feed the harem and her pad. While she still saw herself as Lutfi's beybanu and Shinkai just below her as a banu, she'd come to see the other lioness more like an older sister, more versed in the world around them. She'd just found one curiosity in this new land, so filled with death, and that was the ever-cheerful bard that had started following Lutfi around.

Which speaking of... Her ear flicked, before her gaze trailed behind them, a lilting song reaching her ears. It was actually not so cheery as usual.

Usually Pavla would sing something cheery, sacharine to distract everybody. Today was not one of those days. Lutfi, his dear pink-butted friend, was feeling the effects of the illness. "I have called you children, I have called you son... What is there to answer if I'm the only one?" He knew it was an inevitability of the pride, that most got sick and died early. Others got sick and got well again, while others never got sick at all. "Morning comes in paradise, morning comes in light. Still I must obey, still I must invite..." It was most evident in the pair Shinkai, an immune lioness, had brought back - Both had fallen ill, but only Nilofer, with her big blue spots, had recovered. Lutfi didn't. "If there's anything to say, if there's anything to do, if there's any other way, I'd do anything for you.."

"Goddess WEPT, Pavla, will you sing something CHEERY?" Shinkai gave a shudder. "This isn't LIKE you and I don't like it!"  

[Bronze Coffee]

Mitternacht looked over to his sister who sported their mother's color and just sort of stared at her with his miss matched eyes. Of course he'd run into her. He rolled his eyes and then just settled down to the noise that was this gathering. His tail curled around him and he just let the tease roll right off of him.

"I'm making sure mother hasn't kicked the bucket," he said simply. He really didn't care who was in power. He should, but he wasn't that kind of lion. "Besides, I'm not you. I don't actually know where the rest of the family is." He liked to pretend he wasn't that close to them, in all honesty. The black and white male just looked around, looking for more of that tell tale pink until his eyes settled upon his mother talking to someone else. Interesting. So she could be social.

Maybe he'd try to tease her about that later.

"Why are there cubs here? Ugh."

Then the announcement came and he just rolled his shoulders. Well, that was an interesting choice, but whatever. He looked at the girl in question, and then scoffed. She seemed soft spoken. He couldn't help but snicker to himself until Na'al tried again.

He knew exactly none of the people talking and being introduced, so it still didn't spark his interest too terribly much.  

[mouselet]

The Duke smiled at his sister. "I'll hold you to that, and look forward to the day," he told her. Eione would be a wonderful mother...whenever she deemed her life settled enough to devote time to raising cubs. He knew their mother would love to see that day, but whenever Eione was ready would be soon enough.

"But enough of me monopolizing your time. I know you want to talk to other people, and I should do the same," he told her. Just part of the responsibilities of being Nawiri's adopted children and holding the ranks they did.


"No no!" Maji corrected his brother. "I'm not supposed to learn healing, but other stuff. Like the Guards and Warriors and...others. Defending the pride and all that." Things that he knew Ua didn't know, or care, much about. Which was fine. His head really had spun when the pink lion attempted to explain anything about healing.

"So I'll probably have to...ask Grandmother questions," he concluded with a theatrical shudder.


"If you say so, Aella!" Sedare crowed, amused by her sister. "And, Mitternacht, you know Mother won't die that easily." It was, after all, a statement of fact. Mittere was too damned stubborn to die, even if she was looking a bit worse for the wear.

"There are cubs here because this is probably the biggest thing to happen to the pride in years. So they want to witness it," the pink and white lioness explained. Her brother was such a bore, not bothering to pay attention to anything outside of his narrow life, then asking dumb questions which he could've easily answered for himself if he'd exerted the effort.


Mstari was somewhat disappointed that nothing had been set yet, but she supposed it wasn't strictly necessary. "Ah, I see then. Thank you," she offered the formulaic words to the Heiress with a friendly nod before retreating.

Nothing set could extend quite far beyond the royal family, and Mstari was certain the pride was in for a new regime in multiple ways. A canny lioness could take clear advantage of such changes, if she was prepared. And Mstari certainly meant to be that. The striped female slipped away while everyone else was congregating to start making plans.'


There was a break in the well-wishers, and Na'al, for one, appreciated that. It seemed like some people had left already, but others had come to take their places. Truly, she was only beginning to appreciate how large the pride really was. Which was, the lioness reflected, no bad thing.

It just made her wonder how long this day (and night) was going to be. She had an inkling that it would end long after her paws began to ache.


Kahlama was retreating and thinking of leaving the celebration entirely when she heard the most depressing song that had ever graced her ears. Following the noise, the red female came upon a small group of lions, two females and two males, one of the latter clearly being the singer.

"I agree, that's a fairly depressing song to sing, and not well-suited to a celebration! Why don't you sing something to help celebrate instead?" she suggested cheerfully.  

[Andranis]

Pavla let out an over-dramatic sob. "But a named heiress means our queen's going to DIE soon!" Not that he remembered when their current queen had taken the throne. She had been on the throne long before he was born. When he got a stern look from Shinkai, Lutfi, and Nilofer, he shrank down sheepishly. "Okay, okay... I'll think of something happier to sing!" Sitting down, Pavla thought about what to sing, then his morose mood seemed quickly forgotten as he perked up. He'd heard some bird sing it, picked up from who knew where, but it was as good a song as any. "He was brought up like a sailor, a pirate of the streets! Stealing booty, booze, and dirty magazines! The rainy days come, the rainy days go, the whiskey, the liar, the thief!"

Shinkai's ears immediately folded back, eyes growing wide with surprise. "I'm not sure that's any MORE appropriate!" On one paw, it wasn't depressing. But on the other, this was an announcement of a future queen! The subject matter didn't seem RIGHT, especially since there were cubs around! She left Lutfi to stand on his own, tackling Pavla to cover his mouth. "Sing something else! Nilo, stop laughing, this isn't funny!" As somebody who'd grown up in the pride, she was PRETTY sure she knew what was appropriate and what wasn't, and this was NOT appropriate! Shouldn't Pavla have KNOWN that?!

The dark lioness' body shook as she sank down to her haunches, eyes closed as a grin spread on her face. "Yes it IS!" She flopped over into the grass, rolling onto her back as she shook with laughter. One paw lifted to cover her eyes, blocking the sun out. She had no idea where Pavla had heard it, but she quite liked it. When she finally ceased laughing, she looked at Lutfi, still grinning. "You spend all day with him following you around, tell me you know the rest of the words!"

"Do NOT encourage him!"

Lutfi watched them in amusement, smiling just a bit. "I might know the words, yes. But I'm not singing." He motioned with one paw at his throat. "This is NOT the voice of a singer. Pavla, meanwhile, DOES have one." He had, after all, spent enough time with Pavla to hear that. His attention turned from his two mates and the odd and overly-affectionate friend he'd made to Kahlama, tilting his head just slightly and regarding her. "I think we may have missed the announcement, who was declared the heiress?" It had been in no small part, that they were late, because he had begun coughing as they prepared to depart. The fit had made it near impossible to leave their den, as the three closest to him had hovered protectively. It had more to do with why Pavla had opted for a depressing song than the usual cheery, than the impending departer of the pride's current queen.  

[Neon Fly]

Ignoring the dig, Athair's gaze followed the crowd of people slowly stepping forward to congratulate the dark pelted lioness with three blindingly bright, yellow stripes on her shoulder. The new heiress and Lutum's daughter Na'al. He wondered what had made the royalty choose her, more out of curiosity than disagreement. He certainly wasn't in any position to argue or fit to decide who should and shouldn't lead the pride. She seemed young though for such a monumental task, as gathered all together it was obvious that the pride was doing well for itself, despite the illness that plagued them. At least it looked like she had a good support system. That would be important in the future.

We should go make an appearance and congratulate her in father's stead. I don't see him anywhere and he's been an important member of the pride. Athair spoke over his shoulder to his siblings, deep in conversation and hoped they heard him even as he made his way, cautiously, through the crowds toward the front of the thicket of fur and milling voices.

He was nearly in front of Na'al when a stunning, red pelted lioness brushed by him, causing the cool colored Matchmaker to pause in his stride and watch her pass, ignorant of his staring. She was gorgeous, though he couldn't place her name or family. So much for his claim of knowing everyone.

Who says chivalry is dead? Sorcha chuckled lazily, rolling her eyes as she nodded toward the striped butt disappearing into the crowd from their safe distance. We should follow him, before he has a heart attack.

Leading the way into the throng, the elder sister nearly bumped into Athair from behind as she found him, standing like a doe in the crosshairs of a predator, stiff and unblinking. Ack! Athair! What the hell are you..? Ooh.. I see.

Grinning wolfishly at the pretty lioness off chatting with a small group of strangers she didn't recognize, granted that wasn't saying much considering she didn't recognize hardly anyone in the pride, Sorcha bumped her shoulder against Athair's side. You should go talk to her. Me and Mezli can go say “hey” to the new heiress, right M--

No! I... no. It's fine. Awkwardly, turning his eyes ahead again, embarrassed to be caught oogling another pride member, Athair offered a flimsy, apologetic smile at his siblings before leading the way up to Na'al and the rest of the group of royals, bowing his head deeply as he made introductions. Congratulations, Heiress Na'al, I'm sure you will serve the pride as well as your grandmother has when the time comes. I'm Athair Scathan, son of Sliabh and these are my half siblings, Sorcha and Mezlijin.

SilverLutz

Dragging Mez for the ride, but Mez doesn't have to follow if you don't want, they could lose him along the way if he doesn't wanna meet Na'al. xD

Mouselet

 

[SilverLutz]

Mez followed the two lions dutifully, not at all minding that they were heading up to offer their congratulations in their father's place. They had many half-siblings running around in the pride and elsewhere, he was sure, so it was only fitting that they act as ambassadors on Silabh's behalf.

When Athair was caught scoping out one of the other females he chuckled along with Sorcha, wiggling his brows suggestively at his brother. The lion might be a matchmaker but that didn't mean he couldn't match himself, as well!

Approaching the heiress, he bobbed his shaggy head in greeting and gave her a toothy smile. "Nice to meet you," he added, given this was his first time even seeing the lioness. "I'm sure you'll do very well when your time comes."

Neon Fly

 

[mouselet]

"Oh!" Kahlama replied in surprise to the intensely pink lion whose pelt was as bright as any of her own family. They hadn't managed to make it in time for the announcement, which was somewhat sad. Especially since she was no Bard, to make a recitation worth their time.

"Well, the Heiress is Na'al, the Duke's daughter," she told the group, gesturing towards where the navy lioness could barely be seen in the crowd of well-wishers and congratulations. "She was a Guard before."


"Why thank you Athair," the Heiress replied with a friendly nod to each of the three. She frankly could have guessed who their father was, given that Sliabh had been quite...prolific...and that his children tended to have his distinctive markings. Still, it was not a terrible thing, given how many cubs died of the plague every year.

"I'm honored by your faith in me, and I hope to fulfill your hopes as well as my own when the time comes," she explained. Na'al was certain she'd always have doubts, but Grandmother had told her that it wasn't about not having doubts, but having the courage to overcome them.