[PRP] Not Again... [ Azra / "Athling" ]

[NorthGenbu]

Soft sigh, a light heart, and a tender smile, the orange female danced across the desert sand in search of her two little ones. They were still young and life in the Dawnwalkers have became rather uneventful and easy going. Just how she would have wanted it. A simple life to hunt, care, and provide. To love and be loved. It has been some time since her mate has returned, where he has gone she did not know. Was he on his duties? Was he called upon by those who are so desperately alone that they sought his company? Did the king ask for his audience and not allow him to leave until his duty was fulfilled? She did not know, but she was full hoping, ignorantly, that he was completely safe. He was immortal, he was a God, nothing could harm her beloved.

Until his return, she was in charge of the little ones.

Life in the Dawnwalkers was pleasant, the soft, quiet motions of the other members, her little ones running about and playing. Beside her was the great being known as Athrun, God of Loneliness, resting happily by her side, and she his. She could not have been happier and more fortunate. After all she's been through, finally do things seem right.

However... that was three days ago.

Azra tried her best to keep her spirits high that Athrun will return shortly, he came when she called and she has called endlessly throughout the nights, praying for him to appear again. Seeking the cubs was her only means of keeping herself sane.

Where is Athrun?

Why isn't he back?

What is he up to?

When will he return?

Azraceri slowed to a halt, just beyond the pride's territory. The cubs would not have come out here, they knew better than to just go wandering this far off. However, it gave her time to think to herself and be... alone.

Alone.

Alone.

Will he come if she was alone?

Sitting down, she peered up in the sky, her eyes watered from such thoughts.

"Athrun... where are you?..."  

[NorthGenbu]

Sand twisted and danced on the edge of sight as the wind blew it across the desert with a cold unforgiveness that it always touched with everything. Slowly a white light seemed to appear in the center as a particular swirl of sand danced and seemed to lick at the sky. A flash of light reached the eyes of the sky and a small piece of light fell from the main ball, rocketing towards the earth at the center of the sand swirl like a bird fallen to the ground from so far up.

Sand flew everywhere and the dancing torrents ended as the spiral collapsed on itself with it's ferocity. As all the sand slowly fell to the ground in tiny particals that made the sky seem as though it were crying jewels that only a few would ever touch.

As the sand finally settled on the ground once more and the wind ended it's howling a pair of white and orange wings rose from the sand, pushing it back as a body appeared. It was small in comparison to what the ball of light that had dissapeared in the sky above had made it appear. The body of a cub who seemed as dissoriented with it's coming as anyone who'd seen would have been.

"Athrun." The word pulsed in the air around his ears for a long moment, coming deeply and then fading with a slow echo that made the cub's ears flick up as if saddened that it had dissapeared. A breath later words exploded into his ears, making the cub flinch as screams and hiccups and sobs seemed to be standing all around him though he knew none of the voices where anywhere near his body.

Whisperings of the lonely, screams and beggings, pleadings of those with loneliness steaped into their every fiber. It made the young cub's ears and heart ache as his fur slowly settled down from the ruffling he'd given it as they'd started.

The god of loneliness lifted his head and heaved a heavy sigh from his tiny white chest, staring off into the hazy distance of the desert ground. Of course he couldn't remember anything before waking up only seconds before, only one word.

"Athrun."

Again it seemed to pulse in the air even though he hadn't said it. Was that his name? It was the only word he seemed to know from before, so it must have been.

"Athrun...." the cub spoke out loud at last. His sky colored eyes peered around to look for any that might be around him.

Alone.  

[NorthGenbu]

Azra skimmed the outskirts of the pride's territory as if she was on duty, then again, she was no guard. The desert sand clung to her fur, the sensation but a mild annoyance that was forgotten with thoughts and conversation. Looking out to the horizon, particularly on windy days, it would whip and roar as it battled, the elements clashing. Speaking of it, glancing out, she saw far off that very same image play out. The sand whiping and funneling toward the sky, the sand picked up as if a tornado created by the god of winds or something.

"I hope they aren't out there playing..." She murmured, her motherly instincts telling her they would do no such thing. Still... she hoped.

It was then that the sensation hit her, in fact, it was no sensation at all. There was no wind. Being one attuned to the way of the Gods and a bit of nature, she was sure that if this phenomenon was occuring, there must be wind! Was it too far out? Was it just out of her field to feel it? She watched as the sand roared in the assumed wind. For a second she saw something strange, it was hard to tell with the beating light and the spinning sand, but it was as if it were a white light. Athrun? Azra's heart raced as she called out his name over and over in her head, hoping for his reply. Was it him? Was he back? Just as sudden as her thoughts, the sandstorm ended with a crash and then nothing.

Still, she had to know. No thoughts, no hesitations, she dashed out into the unforgiving desert to seek whom she may have lost.

"ATHRUN!"  

[laefe]

His tail flicked gently to take all the sand from his fur, it was almost as if it laid against his skin, brushing under his fur and peaking through every crack to find skin to irritate and rub raw. Maybe it was that he couldn't remember sand, or that he couldn't remember anything about anything anymore, but Athrun seemed irritated more with the sand than he figured he would have been.

He had a name, that much he knew and there were others that knew his name, which meant that he had to have been alive at some other point.

Slowly he sat down and took stock of what he did know despite his current predicament.

The cub knew his name at least, knew that his name was Athrun. He also knew that he could hear voices in his mind like they were standing beside him. Could he answer them? He would have to work on that later. What else did he know? Well he knew that he was a cub, how he knew what a cub was he didn't know but he knew that he was little.

"ATHRUN!"

That certainly wasn't in his head, there was no way that something that loud could have come from within his mind without giving him a huge headache. The cub switched his sky colored gaze over to a large lioness that was running towards him. He didn't know her of course, but maybe she knew him? She was calling his name after all, she had to know him.

Maybe there was a chance that she could tell him who and what he was, what he was doing here in the middle of the desert instead of with his mother.

Did he have a mother? Yes, he had to have a mother.

Athrun stood up and faced the running lioness, his eyes shimmering with hope and confusion at the same time, praying that she would help him even if she didn't know him at all. Maybe she would know him, or someone that knew him.

"Hello?" He called when she was close enough to him to probably hear him. At least she looked nice, she was bright orange like the markings on his wings and had a violet color to her. She was pretty, except that she was much, much older. Oh well.  

[PhiferWolf]

As she grew closer to the place where the light flickered, the white presence that she saw there, the tiny being. It was not whom she wished it to be. It was tiny, it was small like her recent litter. The cub was white as who she believed he was. Obviously male by scent. Upon his head was, to her slight discontent, was a snake shaped head ornament. At least it did not move like a certain snake that she knew. Its wings adorn strange markings that she often saw upon the wings on birds, or some similar. This was not the god whom she believed it to be but it must have been some sort of another.

With a few more steps, Azra stopped before the deity with a curious and lost expression. He wasn't Athrun. He wasn't her mate. How could have she mistaken this small thing to be something much larger? Though, she must admit if she did not know any better, he could have passed off as her mate if he lost some things like his head ornament and his wing markings and what not. But what caught her attention was his eyes.

So blue, so soft and soulful. It was rare did she ever see her mate's but it was a very similar shade. It was almost as if it were the same. This cub was looking at her and he did not freak out about images unseen to any but his own.

It would be best not to assume... but it would certainly ease the orange female's mind to know.

"H-hello, little one," she spoke softly as she would to any other cub. The orange female sat down to seem less intimidating and to show she meant no harm. "Who are you and what may your domain be? It was odd that you came here in an explosion of light..."  

[laefe]

A smile spread over Athrun's somber white face as she spoke, her voice was pretty when she was quieter. Why did he keep thinking that she was pretty? Maybe she was someone special to him, or maybe he was just freaky. The latter was probably the most accurate, he felt freakish right now.

"My name's Athrun... I wish I knew what my domain is... but all I can figure of it is that there are a lot of lonely voices in my head." Athrun explained slowly, his voice resonated a little bit unlike hers. That should have told him of their differences straight away. "I don't know much else, I can't remember who I am, though people seem to know me anyway... You knew my name after all."

Hope shimmered in his eyes as he peered back up at the large orange lioness again, his bright eyes hoping that she would tell him how she knew him, who he was. Hoping that she would tell him why everyone seemed to know who he was but himself. It felt too odd to be real, or maybe it wasn't odd, he was just odd for thinking in that manner.

Athrun was confusing himself again with his own mind.

"Help me, I'm all alone."

"I want my mommy!"

"I should never have left home..."

The words careened into his head like cannonballs into water, splashing up a thousand others as they kicked him almost square in the head. It felt as though he were getting a headache, but then that couldn't be right...

"Loneliness.... I think my realm is loneliness.... What's your name?" Athrun said at last, shaking his head to clear it of the screams of all the lonely souls out on the savannah. When he shook his head an orange earring shook itself free from his tiny puff of a mane and hung down from his left ear, dancing and catching the light. It was as bright as the lioness before him, maybe he just liked orange? It would make sense with his wings after all, but why was it stuck in his mane until now?

Athrun flicked his left ear so that the earring danced about on it's long gold chain, catching the light in a way that made him smile for some nostalgia he would never remember.  

[PhiferWolf]

Azra's heart sank further down as she listened to this cub spoke with knowledge well beyond his years. Though he was a god, he knew a lot and could deduce so much so quickly. Her fears settled when he spoke his name to be Athrun, the very same name as her beloved mate. Tears welled in her eyes when he discovered his domain to be the very same as her mate. Without hesitation, she pushed herself to embrace him, a sob escaping her.

This cub was her mate.

Oh Athrun, what had fallen you!? Where were you? What happened? What did I do to have this fate befall him? Where was the equivalency in this!?

What was she to do? Her mate was in her arms as a cub which meant he must have died. What sort of mate was she to leave him alone long enough for him to be killed and be completely unaware? She was a horrible mate. With her recent litter with her mate, what else could she do? She was alone with the pride. Do they know? Should they know that one of their members disappeared and in his place, a cub returns to the pride? Will they question it? Will that tornado goddess see him and figure it out?

Pulling herself away, her violet eyes watched him. He resembled Athrun far too much, others will notice... But what was she going to do? If someone had killed him then that lion, or God, may still be out there. He was a defenseless cub! The orange lioness didn't care, he was still her mate in her heart, if it was the last thing she did, she had to protect him. But... he had lost all memory of his former life... which meant he did not remember her being his mate or his sons or any of that. What should she do?...

"I'm your..." she smiled. "mother, Athrun."  

[laefe]

She couldn't be his mother. The feeling he got in his stomach wasn't a love that a cub should feel for a mother, but more for a mate like he knew that this female must have had somewhere. But if she was claiming to be his mother then who was he to argue with her? Confused though he was, Athrun wasn't a complete idiot, she was lying to him. That much he could tell, could almost taste, in her response.

"Momma?" His voice came out in a shrill cub-like response. Aside from the orange that he had adorning his wings, he and this bright female shared nothing in common other than her love for him and his odd appreciation for her beauty despite his lack in years and clearly practice. For he knew nothing of what mates did with one another and he was certain he wasn't hers, though how he knew he didn't know.

She smelled of another male though, a smell that felt somewhat familiar though he couldn't quite put a claw on what was so familiar about it exactly. Maybe it was someone he'd known before he'd woken up in the sand? That made some sense. His 'father' of sorts, since his scent was all over her, so he had to be her mate.

But what was this female's name?

"Momma?" He asked again, playing the game even though he could already tell what it was, "What's your name, momma?"

Why not make her feel better? She looked so sad when she gased into his eyes that it made him want to know how to ease her pain. He was a god but he didn't know how to use his powers to save his little white soul. Surely as the god of loneliness he could ease her sadness... right? Maybe she was lonely about something? Everyone had to be lonely sometime, it was what made him... right?  

[PhiferWolf]

Maybe lying to him was wrong, he will figure it out sooner or later and tell her then. They shared nothing in common, before and now. They only shared the bonds of their love and friendship which Azra hoped and prayed was still in his heart, somewhere. If anyone had asked, they'd know immediately that he was not her son and her current litter would certainly question it as well. It was best to tell the other pride mates that this God was under her protection... that would work, right?

"That's right, little one..." she murmured softly through tears. This felt awkward to call her beloved mate her son. If and when he got his memories back... it will be a long and tedious day to refresh his memories and hope the awkwardness of his cubhood 'til then does not cause any affects on their relationship.

"My name is Azraceri, but you've always called me Azra," The orange female smiled. "And you are my Athrun, God of Loneliness, but you are kind of tiny to be a God don't you think?"

She was starting to get that creeping feeling again. That feeling of loneliness...