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 Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:34 pm
(( Why does everyone ignore Tanaka's aura? It's not imagery, it's a real effect. ))  A mocking grin crossed the demon's maw, his lone grey eye focused intently on the purple cub who broke so spectacularly before he eyes. But he could still see a fire there, the cub wanted so to protect his friend, but was helpless to do so. The torment and despair the cub must have been feeling was intoxicating, even as the young one dared curse his name.
"Am I now," his expression hardened. "You have no idea what I am."
Satisfied that he had broken both cubs, he set the brown cub on the ground again, releasing her from his grasp, though he kept her tail pinned with his paw for the moment. That might have been the end of it were it not for the presence of the adolescent.
Tanaka's fur bristled, his tail lashing behind him in what was clearly a hellfire of rage rising in the depths of his chest. If he had been demonic before, now he appeared like an archdemon of the abyss, the aura spreading from him, growing, darkening. His eyes narrowed and for a moment he thought of just killing them all, of rending them limb from limb, leaving their blood to water the dusty earth under his paws. It was a tempting thought. No matter what course he chose, he had grown tired of this game.
His talons tearing into the earth below, paw curled as if wrapped around a throat he was about to pierce, his gaze remained on the purple cub for the moment, his words to him and him alone.
"You are a fool, but you are strong. Come with me if you wish to learn to use your anger."
His words spoken, the lion turned, seeming to release both cubs, though a silent glance to Kiuma said otherwise, a silent request to keep them from running off.
His demonic gaze now turned on the pair of adolescents, his full anger apparent in his stance and the lashing of his tail as he stepped toward them, every movement a malicious threat. The air was heavy with the smell of blood, the approaching sound of hyenas attracted by the scent of blood adding to the horror of the moment, though the white lion did not seem especially concerned.
Reaching into the minds of the adolescents, the demon again brought forward the thought of worthlessness, mixing it with feelings of doubt and terror, amplifying those feelings and brining them to the surface. Talons extened he stepped toward them, fangs barred as if he would strike at any moment.
You may as well just die here.
They weren't worth his time, only the two cubs had interested him. And were the adolescents wise enough to simply run, they would have escaped the wrath of the great lion.
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:16 pm
 Duhushi took a deep intake of breath. This was too much for him. The cuts from the strike were stinging again and the blood ran thick across his maw. He didn'[t want to break to the beast. He had to protect Amleth. His Amleth. The fur on his neck rose as another growl bubbled in histhroat. The gashes on his face tore as his muzzle furrowed. The skin stretched over newly found fangs and a sharper tongue. This wasn't supposed to be happening. This was his land. His father's land. He had to do anything to save his homeland. His mother didn't name him Matfutaj'duhushi, the diligeent searcher for nothing.
Green eyes starred up at Tanaka. Anger was deep in his expression. This...thing had no right to come into his home to do nothing but kill. His eyes roamed over about the tattered feathers of the others wings. Something inside him grew hot. His fangs bared in snarl before he could stop it.
"I don't care what you are. This is my land. My home...all mine." Duhushi huffed and shook the growls from his throat. He had to keep his anger controlled and supressed. The aura around him made him shiver. The strong puprple cub would never admit that he was broken. He would never admit that this demon had gotten to him.
When Amleth was released Duhushi finally remeembered to breath. His beloved was being held by that thing but they weren't out of harms way. His striped tail lashing Duhushi stalked slowly to Amleth. Tanaka wasn't going to keep him from her. The paw on her tail caused another growl to come up his throat. Amleth was still prisoner but the demons words had gotten to him.
Use his anger? For what?
The thought intrigued him enough to stop him in his tracks. "Why would I use my anger?..." His voice had changed to it's cub-like curiousity. His eyes turned to Amleth almost pleading with her for an answer. This felt odd to him. Such a feeling that he could have power with Tanaka and the female with him. Duhushi didn't want to think that. This god had given him horrible disfiguring scars and used Amleth against him but the thought ate away at him.
"How would you help me?..."
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Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:50 pm
((Oh, he's not ignoring them, he just thought it was in his imagination xd ))
Doubt, fear, and many other dark emotions started to cloud into Toshiro's mind. He suddenly felt so very small, as if he was the one under the god's paw. His odd-colored ears suddenly dropping, the adolescent blinked, unable to speak. Slowly, he backed up, ignoring the presense of his sister, even that of the cubs and adult lioness. Crouching down, he did something he hadn't done since he was a cub running into hyenas for the first time. He ran away, heading back to the safety of the outskirts of the Graveyard, once again blending in with the bones and shadows.
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Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 6:14 pm
The red lioness wavered as she moved towards Tanaka, her ears and tail falling. A great fear squeezed at her chest, unlike anything she'd ever known. But it wasn't fear of the fallen god himself, but fear for him... What if the cubs spoke the truth? What if there was a pride that lurked among the bones? Horrible, dark-loving creatures of death... If they came as a group, even his tremendous strength would not hold out. The fact that she'd fall at his side wasn't even in question. She'd follow him into the next life and gladly. But to have him expirience pain like when he had lost his wings... She feared that greatly.
Skirting around him, she put herself between him and the cubs. She gave him one last glance before she turned her eyes on the cubs. Hearing the last of the purple cubs words, she answered for Tanaka, her voice rough. "Anger can be harnessed. It can give you strength to do what must be done, beyond what you would be able to do with alone." She stated simply, settling on her haunches with her tail curling over her paws.
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Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 7:20 pm
 Glancing nervously to Duhushi as Tanaka put her down, Amleth stay put quite willingly. Her odd calmness once more gave way to fear as she watched the face of her friend and listened to Kiuma speak. He looked... he looked interested? Vaguely, but even so, the hyena-marked juvenile could see her friend mulling the god's words over in his mind. She whined softly and leaned forward to lick his cheek, and caught the movement of Toshiro leaving.
Had he gone to get help? She doubted it.
The cubs let out another soft whimper and curled up by Duhushi's side as he looked at her, exhausted and nearly trembling with fear for herself and her friend. It was as if her body was there, but her spirit had gone elsewhere for the time being, to avoid the pain.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:43 pm
A dark grin spread across the lion's maw, his tail flicking behind him, demonic laughter echoing in the ears of the retreating adolescent. Foolish mortal, he had dared stand up to a god thinking himself brave, but now he was broken, left to flee in terror with his tail between his legs. And though physically he had not been harmed, the adolecent's mind and spirit would be slow to recover, if it ever did. It was magnifecent, and the demon reveled in it.
Ignoring the second adolecent, Tanaka turned, stepping toward the cubs again. His eyes narrowed, a deadly serious expression in his burning gaze. Though he had elected not to kill them, he was not beyond changing his mind on that matter, that was something to be remembered.
Raising one paw, he placed the point of a dark talon under the purple cub's chin, one wrong move and in an instant the cub's throat would have been slit.
"Follow me and you will find the answer."
Though Tanaka's words were not demanding, there was something in his posture, in the air around him that indicated it wasn't a request. But there was something intriguing in his tone, something tempting. What he was offering the cub only he knew, but there was something irrestiable despite the vagueness of his answer.
"But be warned, the moment you cease to amuse me, your life will end."
Tanaka's tone was matter of fact, no threat in his words. The words themselves may have been frightening, but perhaps not as frightening as the thought that the lion may chose to kill them were the purple cub to decline.
Smirking, he turned toward Kiuma, his back to the cubs as if he knew there was no need to wait for an answer, he took the few steps to the red lioness' side, his shoulder brushing against hers affectionately, his posture indicating that they should leave before the hyenas arrived. He was not affraid of the beasts, but he had grown tired of this place and wasn't in the mood to aquire any new scars.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 7:55 pm
Duhushi was somewhat confused. A few moments earlier the god had wanted to kill them but now he wanted him to leave with them. His purple ears flicked in partial annoyance. Will these two ever make up their minds? His mind turned the gods words in his head until Amleth's lick brought him back. He shook out his striped mane and gave her a small lick across the nose. He could tell that she was frightened. He knew Amleth quite well in his own way. THe cub bent his head down and quietly whispered for only her to hear. "Don't worry Amleth. Nothing will happen to us...if I go with them." His heart sank a bit as he spoke.
The next thing Duhushi felt was the point of Tanaka's talon under his throat. The cub held his head high and tried his best not to look afraid. They could still kill them both if they so wished. Green eyes narrowed as he watched the god. His maw felt too sticky to talk. Duhushi knew that this was his time to leave his birth home. He could only nod. He knew that tone of voice. Tanaka wasn't playing around.
When the god step back from him Duhushi had tears welling in his eyes. How could he choose to leave after something so dramatic? He placed a purple paw over Amleth and gently nuzzled between her ears. "I have to go withi them..."
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:23 pm
Kiuma leaned back against him as he brushed her side, her voice low. "Picking up strays, Tanaka? Why take him? He'll only be another mouth to feed, young as he is. What purpose could this possibly serve?" She eyed the cubs with distaste, her tail lashing to land acrossed the fallen god's paws. The bones of her necklace clicked softly against her chest, a subtle counterpoint to the aura he'd brought up in this forsaken place.
"We'd travel faster alone..." She murmured to herself. Rising to her cream-tipped paws, the red lioness stalked closer to the pair, her head slung low between her shoulders. "Think hard before you choose, furball. Its not just Tanaka you'll have to deal with. If you come, you'll be under my eye as well. Step out of line, or into my way, and you'll be gone. Wouldn't it be better to stay here as the weak, pathetic creature you are, than to trail after us in the hopes that we'll make you strong, when we might just abandon you in some gods-forsaken place far from your home?" Kiuma gave a chesire grin, displaying her formidable fangs to advantage. Maybe she'd scare him off, and their problems would be solved...
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:26 pm
Amleth calmed herself slowly, letting out one last whimper as Duhushi licked her. She turned crimson eyes to the fallen god and his counterpart, and watched them silently. What did they want with Duhushi? Why were they going to take him away from her? She scowled, standing up to her full height (which wasn't very impressive) and swishing her tail with determination. They weren't gonna take her friend away from her! "I'm going with you!" the cub said boldly, bumping her head against Duhushi's affectionately. She looked back at the two adults and took a deep breath. "If he goes with you, I'm coming too." she said, looking them in the eye. They'd had the chance to kill her this whole time and hadn't.. hopefully they'd continue in that manner. Not being killed was always nice.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:34 pm
A low, barely audible growl rumbled in the white lion's throat, a slight snap of his jaws voiced his displeasure. Tanaka was not one to be questioned and he didn't like it, not even from the red lioness who held his heart. His voice was low, spoken to her ears alone.
"Because he will be useful."
His tone was cold, matter-of-fact, as if speaking of the purple cub like he was nothing more than an object, a piece of property to be used as they saw fit. Tanaka had his reasons for taking the purple cub, perhaps it was because he saw something in him, or perhaps he wanted to plant the seeds of sorrow and destruction in whatever pride may be in this place of death, or perhaps he somehow knew that they would need a lacky in the future and this cub was as good a canidate as any.
"He will hunt for himself, and if he falls behind, let him die where he falls."
The smirk that had crossed the lion's maw at the purple cub's sorrow, turned to a snarl as the brown one declared she would be coming along as well. The lion growled low, glaring at the brown cub with that infernal fire in his green eye. His invitation had been for one cub, not two, and Tanaka wasn't about to start taking requests.
"I don't recall inviting you, runt."
But what neither Tanaka or Kiuma realized, was that there were things that would soon slow them down more than either of these two cubs would, and there were far more uses for these two strays than either of them had thought.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:54 pm
Duhushi wanted to sit on his haunches and cry. All this was so much to handle. Leaving home, not saying good bye to anyone. He thought about his father realizing that his little boy was gone. Duhushi didn't frankly care sincehis father had let Dhamisa slip from his grasp once before. What would be so different if her decided to leave? "I can hold my own Miss thank you. I woun't need to rely on you two for shelter, comfort and what not." His tone could have been considered pushy or harsh but he was just getting his point across. "I can alreadsy hunt for myself." That fact was validated by how well-fed he looked...well...well-fed by graveyard standards.
What little mane he had ruffled when Amleth claimed that she was going with him. Her affection was met with cold steel as he drew away from her. "Please. Let me take care of this." He didn't want Tanaka to talk to her. It would only maintain her stubborness. "No Amleth. For once do as I ask and stay put. I'll come back for you...someday." He nudged her gently before slowly making his way to Tanaka's side.
Little did Duhushi know, this would be the biggest decision of his young life.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:17 pm
Kiuma snorted lightly as her tail flicked again, her bright eyes narrowing. Useful... pah. How could a little, purple, barely-out-of-cubhood lion be useful to them? She stifled a sneer and just shook her head, giving ground to her mate relunctantly. How could she have known, those many months ago, that her life would turn out like this? She'd expected to be at her brother's side, not in the graveyard with a fallen god and two rogue cubs. The other gods must surely be laughing at her now, since the Circle of Life couldn't be responsible for something like this.
The lioness heaved an inward sigh and focused her eyes on the female cub. Poor thing... she sneered. Wanted to go with her little friend... She'd already stood up for him so bravely.... Kiuma looked forward to seeing who would win out in this decision. Her big, ferocious mate? Or the little hyena cub?
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:06 pm
"N...no.." Amleth answered hesitantly, looking up at Tanaka. "But, I can take care of myself!" She puffed out her tiny chest. "And, I.. I'll stay out of your way..but I'm going, if Duhushi is!" She frowned at her purple friend as he walked away from her, and she trotted stubbornly after him.
"I'm going with you!" She hissed, bumping her head against his. "I don't have any reason to saty here." she added softly, her crimson eyes softening. It was true, really. The spotted cub hadn't ever had anything except Duhushi, and she wasn't about to let him walk away from her now.
She looked up at Tanaka and Kiuma with determined, but somehow pleading eyes. Even if they said no, she was prepared to follow them on her own, somehow. Duhushi was her best friend, after all!
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:39 pm
The white lion smirked, one fang barred in a demonic grin. He liked the purple cub and took great pleasure in breaking his spirit, a ripple of dark aura flowing from him at the delightful torture. Yes, he had plans for this one. At best, the purple cub would be corrupted, learning to follow the demon's dark and sadistic path, growing strong and evtually becoming an ally, a soldier for the white lion to command. At worst, he would simply become a scape goat, bait to throw at an enemy should the white demon need to protect his family. Either way, the cub was now property, a minion, and should he cease to amuse the demon, or outlive his usefulness, he would simply be killed, or left behind to die on his own in the wilderness.
Tanaka's gaze shifted, his eye falling on the red lioness with a small smirk, a smirk that faded at her expression. Concerned that she seemed unhappy, he stepped toward her, his head brushed against her shoulder affectionately as if to reassure her, a low purr echoing in her ear.
Eye narrowed, the firery green gaze of the demon settled on the brown cub, his maw parted as if threatening to rend her from the mortal world. Tanaka had meant his earlier words, the cub would be forced to live on the outside, forced to provide for himself and find his own shelter, to hunt for himself or wait for the scraps when the Tanaka and Kiuma had finished. And if he died in the process, so be it. But a second cub would be useless, merely vermin to get in the way and slow them down even more.
Finally, Tanaka snarled, turning his back on the cub, his posture showing that he was ready to leave this place and continue the journey. His voice was a low growl, spoken as if he were speaking to nothing more than an inanimate object not worth his time.
"Do as you wish. But know this, if you get in my way, if you slow us down, I will personally tear you limb from limb and force him to watch."
A flick of his tail indicated the purple cub to emphasis his statement. Then without another thought or acknowledgement of either cub, Tanaka shifted toward Kiuma, gently brushing against her shoulder, silently asking if she was ready to continue on, to leave this place of darkness and death behind and carry on their journey.
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:14 pm
Duhushi watched Tanaka closely with bated breath. It was hard for the juvenile to completely understand what he had gotten himself, and Amleth albeit accidently, into. He sighed. THe wounds on his face stung as the tips of his mane brushed the ragged flesh. A trickle of blood came down his nose as he smiled to Amleth. She was his most honored friend in fact...she was hi only friend. As his mind mulled over the thought he swiftly came to a realization. What Amleth had said was right.
If he went then she went...
The thought hit the young lion hard as he stood at her side gently dragging his tongue along her ear. What was he thinking? He could never leave Amleth behind. Ever. "Fine..." Her stubborn nature finally won him over as a wider smile graced his maw.
"I'll take care of her. She won't be in your way..."
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