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 Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:18 pm
His tail flicked and his eyes dully rolled over the lands. He let out a long sigh. Ari would not be alive to ever see the festivals come back to life... she would never know if the goddess really was part of these grounds... she would not be able to see their grandchildren grow and their great-grand children be born! Asi felt cursed and blessed by these things, if only he could share them with Mng'Ariza.
His gaze floated up to the starry sky at night and his padding slowed. "Do yeh 'ear me though's, love?" He purred up at the sky, his voice full of pain. "Aye... we miss yeh down 'ere..." He sighed and let his gaze drop, taking a deep breath. This was foolish... like she was really a star now. He shut his eyes tight to bid away the sudden lump in his throat and to gain a bit of control over his emotions.
Making his way to the watering hole he slipped into the murky, night-cold waters. He went until it was above his knees and leaned forward to drink.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:30 pm
Nephthys had returned, and already Tafari had worked to birth a new life into the lands, along with many of the other members. However, death still lurked around the lands, and from what she heard it's shadow centered still upon the elder king. Isoke expressed her concerns one day to the female elder, and still it lurked in her mind. Taking one more moment in thought, she nodded to herself and turned, heading towards the dens.
Though the male she sought actually was at the water hole on the way, and Tisha was pleasently surprised to catch sight of him so soon, pausing by the waters with a soft smile.
"Asi, I feel as if it has been ages since our last talk..."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:36 pm
Asi's head came up slowly and he watched Tisha. He tried to get his face out of the upset frown it seemed to be stuck in. Tisha was an old friend, he hated being seen like this! "Aye... it 'as been." He said quietly, shifting and turning himself fully around. The once-chubby male was no more. He was skinny and sickly looking, he needed to eat more!
He wouldn't talk about the reason she hadn't seen him in so long, the reason they hadn't talked. He'd hid in his den for too long... "An'... an'ow are yeh?" He said, awkwardly. He wasn't really sure he remembered correctly how to hold a conversation. He slipped back out of the water and sat on the earth, still watching her.
She and Ari used to be good friends...
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:43 pm
She got a good look at him as he moved out of the water and the water stuck to the lower half of his body. Sucking in a soft breath, she tried not to show the worry in her motherly eyes as she glanced away. His conversation helped and she moved to pad around the waters and towards his side.
"Nephthys has finally returned, as has Hasidi with his own family...they've helped make things easier...and even Isoke has been around to cheer me up. " She kept her sentences soft and danced around why she had been so upset. Ari's death had hurt them all, but she had to be strong, and she learned a lot from her old friend. But if she knew one thing, she knew that Ari wouldn't want this of her mate.
"You've been hiding...haven't you Asi?" She eyed his form again while she was close, and cringed a bit. Suddenly, she felt guilty for not bringing back some spare meat, even if she didn't foresee this meeting.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:49 pm
He smiled softly, thinking about his children. And their children... oh how big his family was! He caught himself staring at the stars again and made himself focus his gaze on Tisha. Cheer her up? "Wha's 'appened?" Why did Tisha need cheering? Oh gosh, he had been hiding away. He had no clue what was going on with anyone any longer!
He frowned and looked away, grunting as a reply. "I can no deal with a lo'o others." He muttered in his own defense, but he sounded like a sullen child. He shut his eyes again, frowning hard. He missed Ari...
But it was so good to finally talk to someone other than Sye, the few times he'd let himself respond. He knew Ari would not want him like this but it was hard to be any other way... though perhaps it was because he had had a moment of weakness in the beginning of his grieving.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:58 pm
A flash of a frown was sent his way, before she found herself distracted with her own worries just slightly. Looking to the murky waters, the moon caught her eye.
"Nephthys' disappearance caught me off guard, and...well..." Stuttering into a stop, she showed a momentary laps of weakness in her calm demeanor, "I've been grieving not only on your mate, but mine as well..." Avoiding eye-contact, she took a deep breath before settling upon her haunches.
"-but I've learned how to move on, though both of them will forever been attached to my soul, I will never forget them from my heart."
Glancing towards him through her lashes and gray bangs, she softly added, "And I hope you will also find a way to work through this...as hard as it will seem...but you have a whole family and pride that is here to support you."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:05 pm
He blinked and frowned, looking apologetic for some reason. He'd never met Tisha's mate, he wasn't sure anyone had. She was a strong female though and he was pleased to know she could move on quickly. He needed to, he knew he needed to... but still, he clung to this depression.
He found himself leaning against her in an offer of comfort. "I did no' know o' yer troubles. I be sorry, I do no' know o' annee thin' goin' on." He said softly, frowning and nodding at her words.
"I do be thinkin' tanight 'as been the start o' learnin' teh... teh... teh get o'er Mng'Ariza's death.." The last two words were an almost silent whisper. He'd never said that out loud.
He'd also started saying Ari's full name when talking to Sye, and now Tisha. He wasn't sure what made him do it but no longer did he want to call her 'Ari' in front of them. He might have been going nuts!
"Aye... an' I mus' support 'em also." He couldn't just let his children and his pride mates support him with out ever doing anything back in return... he'd grown out of his selfishness a long time ago.
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:18 am
She gave him a warm smile, showing no sign of anger over the idea that he was clueless about her issues. Shaking her head a moment after, she leaned a bit on his shoulder and answered with her own soft voice, "I'm not one to publicize my problems, when there are greater ones in the world around me."
She trailed off and let him speak, feeling as if he needed the release of all the emotions that he held in these past months. Also having the same release before, she waited until he was done before adding her own two cents.
"If you would like, we can work through this together. It's easier when you have someone there who is working through the same thing..." Nodding at that, she took a deep breath, before looking up and wondering if it would be best to change the subject.
"So...how are your children doing...I only see Isoke these days, have all the others moved on to their own story?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:37 am
He nodded slowly. "Aye, aye tha' sounds good." He could have someone to speak to, that wasn't his daughter, and it would be easier to get over what had happened. No longer would he be drowning in his own self pity.
He blinked and frowned softly. His children. "The twins 'ave disappeared a long time ago an' Ari an' I 'ave ne'er 'eard word o'em so... I can jus' pray tha' nothin' bad 'as e'er 'appened to 'em." He frowned more at that and then shook his head. "Denahi still be livin' in the pridelands, Sye ran inter 'im a bi' back when she wen' thurr with her son an' grandson. I do no' know where Kenai 'as gotten off teh and Tamu... 'as a lo' on 'is plate." His tail flicked and he raised his brows at Tisha as if to say 'its hard to keep track of them all' and gave a very small, minimal laugh. The first one since Ari's death!
"An' yer kids?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 9:45 am
She frowned lightly as he explained his cubs, how most seemed to have disappeared in these past few months. Pondering over the fact, she thought about her cubs and what they had begun doing.
"Tafari has settled down with Isoke...I think they might be expecting, if he can get past his fear and shy-ness...and Nephthys has returned and is just content with being on her own, she hasn't really said much about what she saw out of the lands save for when she ran into Hasidi..." Trailing off, she swallowed before looking away, a bit saddened by the fact she only had two cubs, both with a long gone mate.
"Sometimes I wonder how they would have turned out with a father..." She said it with humor, not really rethinking the style she had chosen, "But I'm glad they've become what they are, I wouldn't have them any other way...a mother always has to be proud of her cubs..."
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:41 am
He nodded slowly and smiled faintly. Isoke, what a beautiful girl. His daughter... and Tisha's son. It was weird, but not unbelievable. After all most of the 'available' males and females in the pride were from Asi's line. He just smiled adly at Tisha's questioning of the father business.
"I be sure they be turnin' out none too differen' with a fa'er figure." He knew his cubs would have turned out just amazing if he hadn't been around, it was a mother's touch that made a cub really special. So he thought anyhow.
"Aye, always proud." He repeated, thinking about Denahi and Tamu. His twin daughters... how he hoped they were safe! He wondered if he and Ari should have... stopped having children after the first three. After seeing Denahi's anger problems and Asi knew something was.... quite wrong with Tamu's mind. He wasn't even aware still of Syeira's manipulative streak... Isoke and Kenai seemed the only two 'normal' cubs, but he loved them all very much and very equally, no matter their 'problems'.
"An' a father shoul' be proud o' the job a mo'er 'as done on rasin' children.." He grinned at Tisha, joking slightly. "I do no' think I was much o'a 'elp teh Ari." He was though, honestly.
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:52 pm
"Ari appreciated you very much, Asi," She said with force, a small frown on her maw as she bumped in softly with her nose, "Don't ever doubt that, alright, no thinking bad thoughts right now." Nodding once again, she smoothed her cheeks over with her serene smile yet again, and laughed lightly to herself.
"It really takes two to complete a family...and if I could do it all over agian, I would hope for a big litter to share with a loving father..." Looking to the grasses, she tried to hide the yawn as her eyes traced the reflection of the stars in the waters. It was a beautiful night, and she couldn't help but bask in it.
"-and to think, they are both watching over us right now..."
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:04 pm
He blinked and looked at Tisha and smiled fondly. That's right, they were good friends. "Thank yeh." He purred out slightly, feeling quite content and happier than he had in a long time. Her words reassured him, Ari had and always would love him. And he would love her, too.
He smiled slowly and laughed. "Some'imes big li'ers are 'ard.." He said slowly. Well, the four cubs he and Ari had was his biggest litter but he'd watched Sye with her huge amount of children and it did look hard. Very hard. "Bu' s'also nice." He replied, nodding slowly and leaning against Tisha slightly, in a friendly manner.
He looked slowly up to the sky and smiled more, eyes half shutting. "Aye. The sky be gorgeous tonigh'." He murmered, thinking to himself privately that it was a gift from his beloved to him, to let him know everything was alright and always would be even when things got bad.
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:10 pm
She kept silent, finding no need to say anything as both looked to the sky, leaning against one another. It was a support she would always hold as long as she walked these lands, and one of the many reasons she would live with the Kusini. The last few months were hard without the queen, and without her cub or mate, but things would change. The future was clear to her in that moment, and her heart warmed with the thought.
"Things will be easier now Asi, I can just feel it..." and it was the truth, everything felt right, with one of her close friends by her side, and the other looking down with a glow that rivaled the moon.
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:18 pm
As much as he'd like to believe her he was not at the point of fully having hope in things staying completely bright all of the time. "I 'ope so Tisha, I do really." He breathed, his voice quiet.
He didn't know what else to say, he was comfortable resting against an old friend, they didn't really have to say anything. In some ways it was almost like being with Ari again, they never had to speak and they could share quiet time together... it was wonderful. Although... it didn't quite have the spark that Asi had always felt before.
A big family. Tisha wanted a big family... what did he want these days? His eyes floated away from the sky and around the pridelands. Yes, he wanted them to be all that Ari had ever believed before... he needed to talk to Tamu again... to help him and guide him. He needed to keep seeing Tisha too... she was making him feel more himself than he had in a very long time.
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