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 Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:00 am
Two left.
Two of three.
She looked at them with her good eye, wondering what on earth she was going to do without the third. Poor little Az, would he ever forgive her if he found out? Her heart clenched with sadness but deep down she knew it had to be done. She had her faith and she would in turn pass that faith onto her children. It was what had kept her alive all this time.
She looked to the two sleeping balls of fur at her side. Her daughter and son. She smiled and reached over, rasping a tongue across her little daughter's head.
"How about a first lesson, fire cubs?" She whispered. Yes, her job now was to teach her little ones, because with them there was hope for the future. Her little darlings who would rekindle that dying flame.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:20 am
The lone female cub stirred, waking from her dreams. Orange and gold had filled them... Orange, gold, some shade of brown... But they were not comforting. She knew not what it was, though, and decided in her waking moments that it was JUST dreams.
Opening her brown eyes, Jua'taka looked about. Mother was close, as was Wakia.. Where was the other one? She sniffed about, looking for the odd cub. Didn't she have another brother? She thought she did. Yawning, she looked up at her mother. "Is it mornin' already...?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:35 am
"Yes dear." Ripuka smiled. Her daughter. Her little, beautiful daughter. These two little ones were her reason for living, her reason for breathing! She stared into those large, innocent eyes and wished that she could be so small and young again. She missed her parents desperately, though they had never been very warm towards her. She had respected them and whenever she had been in turmoil she could always ask them for answers.
Now she had to provide those answers for her children.
"The sun shines upon the desert and soon you shall see that place for yourself. When your legs are stronger I will take you and your brother outside to breath in the true spirit of the Firekin." She shifted slightly and found herself purring. Soon she'd be able to parade her precious children for all the Firekin to see.
To think! Ripuka was a mother!
She beamed. "Now, time for your bath."
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:06 pm
Jua'taka wiggled a bit, doing her best to sit up. Still being young, though, she soon wobbled and fell into her brother. "I can't wait, why can't we go now?" There was so much outside the den, she wanted to see it all, not sit and WAIT for it! Rolling over, she gave her mother an almost apalled look. "A bath? But whyyy? I'm not dirty, I haven't gone anywhere!" As if to examplify it, she held out her white-toed forepaws, showing the wishful lack of dirt. "See? No dirt here!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:36 pm
The bulky male cubs eyes were pressed together tighter as he faught being woken up, mother and sister meant everything, but something could be said for being lazy and sleeping the day away, after all he was still so young! His consciousness had expanded away from his dreams and he found his mother's voice talking to them and then he heard his sister call back.
He grunted and let out a low whine as Jua'taka fell into him, "Jua'taka!" He growled at her and openegd his eyes slowly, "Bath time?" He asked and thought that, that was just fine, afterall, mom's know best!
"I'll go first if you don't want too," he didn't move from his spot, just lifted his head to address both of them.
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:19 am
She laughed at her daughter's antics. Oh she was a typical cub through and through, though eventually she'd be given a bath whether she liked it or not. Luckily for Jua, her brother woke up and offered to take her place.
"See Jua'taka, you should follow your brother's example." Ripuka lifted him gently from his place at her sight, settling him in her forepaws. "But you're right, you aren't dirty. Soon, children, you will both be outside and I want you to look your best. You are fine Firekin cubs and you shall be admired by all the others. It won't be too much longer now, a few more days should be enough to see you out." Yes, it was obvious she was proud of her two little darlings.
Then she began Wakia's wash, starting at his ears and face. His fur was downy soft behind his ears and smelled so beautiful. The smell of cub was possibly the most beautiful scent in the world, she wished it would never fade.
She paused in her washing and raised her head. "How about a story to pass the time?" She was appropriately named the story teller and she had many tales to tell.
Her mind turned briefly to Azarax. Was he okay? Were those pitiful slaves caring for her son? She hoped she had not made a mistake but it had seemed the only way...she had to go through with it now. It was too late to go and fetch him back.
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:23 pm
Jua sat up, watching her brother get groomed. At the offer a story, the black and white cub's ears lifted. "Tell us about father! Where is he, why isn't he here?" Was he actually Firekin...? She didn't ask that, though. "And about the pride's origins!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:56 pm
Wakia puffed his chest proudly at his mother's statement and willingly allowed Ripuka to pick him up and move him, to him mother was the greatest thing that the world had to offer, who cares about leaving the den? He squealed in happiness as she began to groom and noise something like a purr left him.
"Jua, I don't want to know about our father!" he paused hoping he didn't hurt her feelings by disgreeing, "I think I want to know aout the pride, is it a story of bravery?"
He fidgetted excitedly and at that moment was determined that he too would be a story teller, mothers had the best stories! He wanted to be just like her. He looked up to her his orange eyes glittering brightly.
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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 12:10 am
She smiled fondly. She had such beautiful children, so sweet and innocent. She suddenly wanted to protect that innocence more than anything, hide the stories that she had told to others. But she couldn't, she had to teach them.
"Your father?" She wondered what had brought this up. "Makaa..." She whispered. "Your father is the most beautiful lion I have ever met. He was the brightest orange with the biggest black mane I ever saw. You got your colours from him." She paused to wash her son's neck.
"You will meet him someday. I think he will return." Ripuka adored that orange male. No one had ever quite softened her heart as he had done. "He has gone to spread the word about the Firekin, to put fear in the hearts of outsiders." She smiled then.
"A story? How about a story of Finar-si, our beautiful Goddess? I think that will suffice." She blinked.
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:11 pm
Trying to take her brother's place amid their mother's paws, Jua raised her ears. "I think I want to meet him one day... He sounds like a sight to behold!" Settling down in range to be bathed, the cub's eyes filled with wonder. "Yeah, tell us about Finar-si!" She wiggled, unable to contain her excitement at the prospect of a story. Well, a long one.
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:09 pm
"I will be brave and strong," he liked the idea of that, "Finar-si, who is she?" He questioned ready to soak in his mother's knowledge. And grunted a short protest, it was his turn to be cleaned, Jua could wait her time.
"Do you think I will be like him?" He inquired suddenly, would he be like the big orange lion? Or would he be his mother fully.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 1:45 am
Ripuka smiled. "One day he will return, I am sure of that. You'll learn soon enough that you can take the lion away from the desert but you can never take the desert out of the lion. You could wander to the very edge of the world and still crave home." She knew that one from experience. During her time of forced travelling she had thought of nothing else but the gold sheen of desert beneath the pounding sun.
She had not been able to relax until she had returned.
She tipped her head at her son's question. "I think you will be big and strong like your father with your mother's intelligence. A perfect mix." She gave him a lick between his eyes and smiled, curling her tail around her daughter. "Patience Jua, it will be your turn soon." She laughed.
"And now to answer your question." She looked to her son. "Finar-si is the reason we live. Finar-si is the reason for everything that a Firekin does. She is our creator, our ancient mother. She is the source of our power and strength and she is the reason we live here in the desert." There was pride laced into every word.
"Finar-si was a Goddess of brilliant red, red like none other could see. Her fur was not just any red, it was the red of blood, the red of heart and passion. She had brilliant eyes and fangs that glowed with light. But what was most beautiful about our Goddess was her wings, for she had powers that we can only dream of. She could fly and she could change things with a single twitch of an ear. But in the ancient days, Finar-si grew bored. She flew the world and met nothing but weakness and drab coats. Determined to put this right, Finar-si set off with a vision in mind. She would create a lion more powerful than the rest, a lion worthy of being called hers. With her magic she would carve the bodies of a pride of lions more fiersome than any to walk the earth."
Ripuka loved to tell legends and she loved to weave her own ideas into them. She had no idea about what truly happened but fancied that she had the knowledge to make correct assumptions. Either way it didn't matter, so long as she got the lessons across.
"And so she made the first of the Firekin and blessed them with the colour of her very own coat. She made us larger than other lions, with ebony claws, gleaming eyes and powerful calls. She gave us pride and courage and bravery. She poured her heart into our making until we came as close to perfect as Gods and Goddesses themselves. Then, when her work was done she sat back and watched us living our mortal lives. She watched us as we were born and as we lived our lives and as we died, for children, Finari-si can never die. She is an eternal being. If you were to see her today she would be as young as she was then." Ripuka smiled. If she had one wish it would be to see Finari-si just once before she died.
"So you see, Firekin are superior to others because we have a powerful creator. We are born not only strong, but wise too. We are sharp-minded and sharp-clawed. Others learned to fear us and any that came to close to our lands were emslaved and punished for treading upon our precious lands. And it was this desert that created the foundations of our pride. Living here was a test given to us by Finar-si herself. If we could survive in the most barren place in the world it would proove ourselves." She paused to continue washing her son and then continued. "And we are still alive today. We passed our test and continue to live here as Finar-si wishes."
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:00 pm
Jua'taka's eyes shone as she listened, and her heart swelled with pride at the idea of being Firekin. "I'd like to meet Finar-si one day... I bet she's the most beautiful lion there is" A sigh escaped the cub before she looked at her brother. She still distinctly remembered two warm masses, not just one... "Mother... Didn't we have another sibbling? A brother, or a sister...?" She eyed Wakia, still... Wondering. Maybe it died early on and that was why it was gone...
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:31 pm
Wakia could not fathome a lioness with wings but blurry images swirled through his imagination that resembled bird like lions that went about coloring Firekin lions. He took all of her words to memory storing them in a mental cave of sorts where he would in years to come place all of his most cherished memories and knowledge.
I am the perfect mixture, I am my parents as well as me..he mused.
"I'm better than everyone else because I carry your blood, I carry a God's blood? Are there many gods? So many of us have survived, we passed Finar-si's test!" He liked the idea of constant stories from his mother and thought of other red, black, and orange lioness' grooming their children and telling these fantastic tales of gods.
Did Finar-si groom the first firekin' like this? She created them, that was like giving birth was it not? His little brain seemed to be a sand storm of ideas and emotions towards these stories. It seemed to him that it was quite possible but he did not want to ask and look foolish infront of his great mother. Wakia had no recolection of another mass, she remembered Jua, before that he did not commit things to his inner cave, so instead he listened and waited for more information.
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 4:32 pm
With her short story at an end, Ripuka was all too happy to answer questions. Finar-si was her most beloved. She was like a mother, a sign of hope, a guide in the darkness like an ever glowing candle in her heart. It could never be blown out and it would never flicker nor fade, not whilst she still drew breath.
She hoped to light the same candle within each of her childrens' hearts too.
"If the Firekin do not dwindle from their path and please our Goddess, then maybe one day she will return to us. I think she will someday and I know she will be the most beautiful and fantastic of all."
Then she smiled at her son and nodded, eyes glittering fondly. Their minds were certainly sharp at this age. She had forgotten what it was like to be young, to have such an impressionable mind. It must be wonderful.
"That's right, Wakia." She nodded briskly. "Outsiders, inferiors, rogues, many names for the lions that are not of the Firekin blood. They were not born by the will of the Gods. It was their inferiority that spurned Finar-si into creating something greater. We are wiser, stronger and braver because of our creation. Never forget that." She gave him a tender lick on the nose and then reached for her daughter.
"Your turn for a wash, little flameling." She smiled.
"There may be other Gods. There probably are. But I doubt any of them could create a race of lions, especially not as strong as we are. Finar-si is a queen amongst gods and we owe our allegiance to her for giving us life." Then at Wakia's last words she nodded slowly. "We have passed this one, but there may be more. In fact I know there will."
She knew of Kidondo's treachery and she had a feeling it would not be the last time she saw the prince on these lands. No, he would return and he would try to kill all those who stood in his way. Even she, who had been like a mother to him.
She was about to begin Jua's wash when th little daughter spoke her question. Her heart gave a painful twinge and an echo of it flickered briefly in her eyes. Where was her other son now? Her son who was the colour of sand? Were the wretched slaves caring for him? Little Azzie...
"No Jua. There was only ever you two. A daughter and a son. What more could a mother ask for? You have both made me so proud and you have yet to see the outside world for yourselves. You are the only children I could ever wish for." And she began to wash her daughter's ears.
"Now, you'll have your bath Jua and then a nap. Tomorrow I will take you across the sands."
And finally she would be able to show off her blessed children.
((If you two would like to begin a new RP then let me know and I can start it <3 if you'd prefer to wait cos of RL stuff then that's cool. Feel free to send me PMs whenever, I'm pretty much always available for RP. ))
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