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 Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:39 pm
 Sometimes being the young prodigal heir to a threatened pride was no great cup of tea.
Nearly all her life she'd been sheltered, coddled, lectured, protected -- all the while raised to accept and not misuse the power and responsibilities the rank of Queen would eventually bequeath to her.
Now, as Kauta had finally hit the age of Adolescence -- the time in which pride law dictated she could officially take on the rank she'd been raised for -- she felt more than a little fear.
They say that children are always too eager to grow up... and when they do, they want to become children again.
Light paws picked careful pathways through the dense foliage and brambles that made up the African jungle. The black-and-white patterened Mteule followed behind -- at least, the last time she'd checked, he'd been following her. She'd darted ahead slightly, in need of a brief moment of peace. She found it in the form of the horizon, as the sun sank lower in the sky and lit everything in sight up in a warm golden glow.
For a moment, Kauta lived in the center of the sun, warmed and cleansed, and the fear lifted from her heart. She never looked for it; gave it no name; yet she knew it always, when that gift of peace came. She stood quite still for the moment it lasted, then the light shifted slightly and the moment passed, leaving her as it always did, with the lasting echo of its presence.
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 7:30 pm
 Mteule felt for the heiress. He and his twin had also been assigned their lot in life long before they had a chance or any say. It was preordained that they would become the pride's priests, and carry out that duty for the entirety of their lives. They were entrusted with a great deal of responsibility, for the King and Queen had passed on shortly after their birth, and their children almost one by one after that, eventually leaving behind only one surviving daughter. Kauta had been forcibly abandoned by her blood relatives, and she was still expected to cope with that fact and grow up to become the rightful ruler of the pride.
Sometimes Mteule felt like a large-scale jerk for this... It was the reason that he stayed with her, the reason that he offered himself as more than just an advisor and a teacher. He often did whatever he could to ease her burden without robbing her of the experience she needed. He was protective over her, though for a long time until now he had not allowed himself to show as such. She needed to become well rounded in adulthood, so that she could know of love and feel that she was, but also have the strength and independence to lead their family out of the ashes and decay of the past.
Minutes had passed into hours, hours had passed into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, and months into a year. They'd watched the princess grow, nursed her through mild bouts of sickness, depression, fears- Mteule had taken it upon himself to be there for her through good times and bad alike. He'd even acted as stand in king and looked after everyone while their Ardhi heiress learned the ways of their people. The time was fast-approaching that they would hold the ceremony that officially claimed her as the ruler of the jungle-pride. Was she scared?
It would be a sad farce of companionship if Mteule could not say that he knew she was. That's why today, especially, Mteule stayed with her throughout her wanderings. As she stood watching the sun sink beneath the horizon of the distant savannah, Mteule sat on his haunches and watched her. The golden-red rays seemed to catch and warm the rich brown and sand colors of her coat, fading to a shadey hue as the light faded from sight. Still, Mteule said nothing just yet.
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:56 pm
She was aware of Mteule's prescence, but for several more moments she made no move nor sound. She was no seer, but if asked, she would have bet her pelt that the sunset had come from the gods themselves.
Mteuli and Mteule had both assured her time and time again that she would make a wonderful queen, no doubt of it. As well as nearly every other pride member. The twin seers had done their job well, she mused. Truth be told, she couldn't quite put a paw on what was causing her inner termoil. The kind of reassurance she needed, no pridemate could give. No matter who said what, there was still a constant reminder that if she made one small wrong step, she could muck things up for good.
Oh to be a cub again, with the responsibility still in the distant future.
She kept silent, trusting Mteule to say something comforting, something he thought she needed.
Because he and Mteuli always did. They knew her more closely than siblings; knew when she was happy, when she was depressed, when she was angry. And somehow they always said something that made her feel better.
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 12:40 am
"It's kind of nerve wracking, isn't it?"
Mteule regarded the heiress for a long moment in silence after that, giving pause for her to reply.
"Just remember that you are not doing this alone. Just because you're of age now doesn't mean that you'll loose Mteuli's and my aide."
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 8:08 pm
She kept her eyes on the darkening sky ahead, the stars just beginning to come out of their daily hibernation. "Yes, it is," she said softly, her voice barely audible.
She turned to the priest, her auburn eyes finding his cerulean ones easily in the growing darkness. She smiled then, moving closer to Mteule and butted his shoulder in an affectionate nuzzle. "Thank you, Mteule."
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:55 pm
Mteule felt a familiar fluttering sensation from within his chest, fully aware as the heiress brushed her head against his shoulder.
Perhaps it was a bit out of line, in Mteule's strict mind, to be so familiar and formal with the soon-to-be queen, but there were times that he could not help himself. The three of them had come quite some ways now. The Ardhi-heiress had been like a younger sister for some time now, but as she grew, so did her mentality, sense of responsibility, and wisdom. She had an incredible head on her shoulders, and before he knew it Mteule had found himself admiring her strength more with every passing sunrise and sunset. She was growing, quite surely, into a beautiful and promising queen.
.... but of course, such thoughts of affection were all but forbidden. It was his place to be her advisor, not her admirer. It seemed dire to Mteule to keep a strict focus on his task, and for some reason unknown to the others (it seemed to him) that meant no time for admiring the opposite sex.
.... Sometimes Mteule wondered if they really didn't believe him to be some other type of creature of an asexual design.
He gave the princess a reserved smile and purred softly in response, happy to see her relieved.
"Of course, Kauta,"
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