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 Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:37 pm
 It was normal for him to prefer a walk at night, especially since the darkness provided lots of cover for him (even out in the open), and the moon was almost always in full view. His mind was at it's clearest at night, but...that wasn't the case this time. His two companions had drifted off to sleep long before he decided to take his little stroll, and Njiru took the opportunity alone to think through what he would do about this escaped slave. She was too far to track, so there was no way around a scolding from his younger brother. The former prince winced at the thought of the smooth flow of insults that would easily come off his brother's tongue, and there wasn't anything he'd be able to do about it.
"Trouble, that's what they all are..." he mumbled to himself, silvery orbs staring straight at the ground beneath him. "Slaves..ungrateful, no good, wastes of skin and fur.."
Finally, too frustrated to keep walking any further, he took a seat and stared straight up at the moon. The huge rock in the sky did nothing more than stare straight back at him, seemingly mocking his own distressed appearance. Njiru inwardly cursed at what had been his fate at birth, and with fierce eyes he yelled out into the night sky. "Is this your idea of entertainment!?" he growled. The silence that followed his statement only made him angrier. "Just pushing me and pushing me closer to edge of my own sanity!? Didn't you do enough of that when you decided to rob me of my birthright by changing one night sooner than you ought to have..?" The last few words of his outburst was said with a bit of hopelessness, and he lowered his head dejectedly.
"Or was I really destined to be lower than my good-for-nothing brother?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:11 pm
A slave had escaped, but Sini'ngozi did not particularly care. Sure, slaves had their uses, but they were not important members of the pride. She would perhaps be angrier or more mournful if a fellow priest had been lost to the pride during the search for a new home. A slave was nothing to her, as she had not been in charge of the lowly lion. Njiru, on the other hand, faced some difficulties in the future. Sini was not stupid enough to fail to realize this, and somehow the idea amused her. The former prince was to be scolded by the very brother who had surpassed him. She could feel the resentment coming off of Njiru in waves whenever the other spoke about his brother. It was clear that he had felt wrong by the moon... but the moon wronged only who deserved to be wronged.
She had been sleeping, curled up into a ball near the former prince when she was woken by the change in the atmosphere. Cracking open an eyelid, she noticed that Njiru had disappeared, and she could not help but wonder where he had gone to. With a yawn she stood up and stretched, purple eyes looking into the darkness to see where he black lion had gone. His white mane would give him away in the dead of night where otherwise he would have belnded in perfectly against the dark background. Slowly she made her way over to where she suspected Njiru to be, with the moon and the stars as her guides. In the dark she found him, a smile quirking up her lips as she realized he was talking to the moon.
"You shouldn't question the moon like that," she said softly, coming up beside him. Her purple eyes scanned his face, light body moving so that she sat down. She cast her eyes up to the moon, smiling almost fondly at the white orb. "It has its reasons, and to get grumpy at it will only weaken your position with it," she said with a chuckle.
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Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:31 am
Njiru's eyes stayed downcast, though his ears twitched lightly in recognition of the voice. He didn't need to see her to know it was Sini; she was really the only one he knew would approach him while he was like this. At first he heaved a sigh, not really wanting to notice her, then decided against it. With a quick shrug and another sigh he lifted his head and turned to look at her, face devoid of any sort of discernible expression. "Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.
"And why shouldn't I? I don't suppose he has another plan for me, say lower me in rank even further? Or perhaps keep me from finding a mate? Or maybe lead me to die early far from our future borders?"
He cut his rant shorter than he usually would had he been answering someone else's question. He was almost positive, after all, that Sini couldn't care less what sort of thoughts concerning this subject were roaming around in his head. Njiru turned his attention back to the lonely orb that hung in the sky. "But I suppose you're right....not that you need to hear that from me." The former prince smirked, allowing that single, solitary gesture to slip past his unusually tight grasp over his emotions Though why he felt he needed to do this right now was beyond him, he didn't feel much like questioning it. It felt right, so he did it.
"Anyway, can I help you with anything?" Njiru raised a brow, turning his attention back to the lioness.
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Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:48 am
"Yes, you did wake me," she responded, but there was no blame in her voice. It was simply said as a fact, any emotions being detached from it. The night was a beautiful time, and so she really did not mind being woken up in the middle of it. If she had things her way she'd be completely nocturnal, and would stand underneath the moon, bathing herself in its white rays. But the group had been travelling during the day, and at the end of it she was always exhausted and would fall asleep without thinking of the beauty she would miss. In a way she was almost thankful to Njiru for his movements having woken her. Tonight was particularly beautiful, and it would have been a pity to have missed it. The sky wasn't completely black, and in fact was darted with blue streaks that brightened the sky up more then the moon and stars combined. She loved the mixture of colors, and could easily find herself staring up at them for hours.
She chuckled softly when he ranted to her, and though she figured he had more to say then what he had, she did not push him. In fact, she seemed patient with him, almost understanding. He had felt cheated by the moon, cheated out of the reign as a king because the moon had decided to change in the sky. As a priestess, though, she had never come to question the moon. It wasn't her place, and it was most definitely not Njiru's place. "Because you will only worsen your position with this pride by angering the moon. The moon has plans for you, as it does for everyone. If its plan is to lower you in rank, don't complain. If you never find a mate, don't complain - you love yourself too much to waste any of it on another lion. If you die, the moon will take you in because you are its child. There's no reasoning behind questioning it, and if you don't... perhaps things will get better for you. Though, that I cannot guarantee."
An amused smile flickered onto her face, purple eyes stealing away from the sky and to him briefly. "You never know, you may be the only person I need to hear that from." She shook her head in dismissal of the next question, because she wasn't here to receive help from him. No, she was here to give him the help he needed. "No, but can I help you with anything?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet as if this would help her cause.
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:52 pm
The male smirked at her reply. As usual, it was straightforward and very......right, though some parts a bit cryptic. With a raised brow he shrugged and gave a small sigh, closing his eyes to clear his thoughts of Unyezi and what could possibly happen. It didn't help to dwell on the over-exaggerated predictions, after all. The night air did help with the process, and moments later he managed to lift his head and glance at Sini again. "No, I don't suppose you can.." he replied, voice a little shaky. It always was around her, but he was never sure why.
"Not unless you can make me the ruler of our pride, I don't think you or anyone else can help me."
And he knew it sounded childish, to be complaining about a long-standing tradition. He even knew that talking about such things around anyone but a slave was nearly pointless, as they probably liked whatever it was they did for the pride. Be it the hunters that worked alongside him, or the priests and priestesses that helped with newcomers to the pride, every single one of them (save for the slave, naturally) seemed perfectly content at where they stood in the pride. Everyone, that is except him. And that would probably never change.
It took him a minute or two to process everything she'd said to him prior to offering her help, and only one particular thing stood out. Most of it he'd already heard from most everyone he'd talked to concerning the subject, but the question of finding a mate had never come up before. His gaze became a curious one, though, and so he asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'you love yourself too much to waste it on another lion' anyway?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:16 am
"And you know that I would not do that," she told him, her voice darkened slightly with anger that he would suggest such a thing to her. "The moon chose Unyezi to be our king, and I will never go against the moon's decision. It cast you inside because you were destined to be imperfect for kingship, but the moon also gave you your position, gave you your health and your life. It would be unwise to let your ambition overcome you, because to do so would mean going against the moon. So, no, I would not aid you, and I doubt anyone else would aid you." Once again she was frank with her reply, knowing that it was best not to delude him with sugar-coated answers. If she attempted to do that, he would take his bid for kingship to the next level. Though, in reality there was nothing that he could do. He had not been born on the proper day - the proper moon cycle. It was unfortunate, but it was fate.
"I will help you cope with your loss, though I do not consider it to be a loss. But, Njiru, I will not help you become the ruler of our pride. It is not your place, and I would not curse you or myself by aiding you in such a way." Sini did not mind helping Njiru out to find emotional stability, but when what he wanted interfered with her religion and duty she put both paws down on the ground. Sini would not be swayed to do anything that she believed would be harmful to the pride. She was no usurper, and she certainly wasn't going to attempt a coup d'etat, not for Njiru. Unyezi was their rightful king, and on top of that he was one of the better ones she had seen in her lifetime and according to stories and records that had been kept through the generations.
She laughed softly at his question, her anger jus beginning to fade away. "You're vain, and you aren't letting love be another option. You're too wrapped up in your power struggle. That is what I meant." And that sounded a little harsh, but once again Sini chose not to sugarcoat her words for the sake of a lion who wanted to desperately become king of their pride.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:24 pm
The bit of anger in her voice was enough to hush him up about his "power struggle," as she put it. And, of course, she was absolutely right, but he wasn't about to say anything. He might accidentally imply that he'd stop any sort of attempt at the throne, should he be given the chance. Instead, he sighed and listened to her answer to his last question, smirking slightly. True, his ambition and somehow naturally dark-seeming persona sort of pushed any interested (if there ever were?) females away from him. It helped him keep his priorities in proper order. And they were, in order, properly leading the daily hunts, and then trying to plot some sort of plan to take over the throne. That's what it was for his life as of late...
He said nothing until after a dead silence had settled between them again. "I supposed you wouldn't," he replied in regards to her obvious disdain for his vague request for help. "But you never know. I might get lucky. You know, with finding help from maybe a rogue or something. Should I get that desperate." He looked down at the ground beneath him, eyes focusing on a small stone, and mumbled (he hoped incoherently), "And trust me, I'm getting there..."
It was quiet for only a moment or two before he cleared his throat and looked up at the lioness. "And how would love be another option?" he asked. "It may or may not bring me happiness, but regardless of that I highly doubt that having a family of my own would even come close to the satisfaction of finally becoming the king of this pride, should that happen one day." He almost bit his tongue, quickly looking down once more at the small stone. "Besides, if my ambition is some sort of curse, perhaps any future cubs I may have might suffer as I do now. It's enough for me to feel utter dissatisfaction alone.."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:21 pm
She was glad that Njiru was not as stupid as he seemed, because she really did not appreciate such discussion about overthrowing the current king. Sini was completely loyal to Unyezi, and though she was currently conversing with his arrogant, disgruntled brother, her loyalty would remain to her king. So, naturally she would not tolerate Njiru's talk of becoming king for long. Sini could still find it within her heart to guide him through his troubled times, but helping him to achieve his dream was out of the question. With that, Njiru would find aid from no one, at least no one who was a member of the pride. He was on this journey alone, and would remain on it alone until he decided to give up and move on with his life. That really was the only option that was left for him.
"Any rogue that you pass by and try to coax into aiding you in your cause would consider you downright mad for what you want to do. Consider this - you're going against your whole pride just to be king. If you ever became king, which you won't, no one will look to you. No one will love you as they love Unyezi. Not even I would look fondly upon you." Though, at this time it looked as if she didn't even look fondly at him now. Sini distinctly felt as if she was schooling a young cub in the most simplest of matters. If she thought that way now, it was likely she would in the future. That was, unless he did something drastic to change her opinion of him.
"If you cannot be king of this pride, then you can be king of a family. It should sufficiently fill the longing within your heart. But, as I've said before, you don't let it be an option when it's really the best for you. Find some pretty girl and settle down with her." She shook her head, staring at Njiru with symmpathetic eyes. "Ambition is not a curse, only when used poorly can it be considered that way. It can't be passed down onto your cubs simply because they are your's. Cubs develop their own ambitions, but what those ambitions are... well, that determines if it is a curse or a gift. Your ambitions should be placed elsewhere, not at this kingship that has already been decided by the moon."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:41 pm
It was, at this point, growing intolerable for him to be around anyone. He knew his ambition would be extremely hard, if not downright impossible. Njiru knew she was right, he knew it, but to admit something of that caliber at this point in his life would mean years upon years of wasted efforts and time. He wasn't ready to admit that, nor was he about to give up just yet. In his mind, if he concentrated on nothing else, then the worst that could happen was for him to die without completing his ambition. There was nothing else he really lived for, nor cared about, therefore he had long since decided that the only outcomes of his particular ambition would be for him to finally become king, or to die trying. There was no other ultimatum. And from cubhood to that very night it remained still his lifelong dream.
And naturally, he still failed to see that it was exactly that. A dream, and nothing more.
"Should the rest of the pride decide to disband if I ever became king, then so be it. But at least I'll die knowing that my dream was realized, no matter the outcome, and whether or not I do it alone." His eyes remained downcast, not particularly focused on anything, and when he spoke again he did so in a small, barely audible whisper.
"I don't wish to speak on the subject anymore. It's obvious that we will never share the same thoughts about it, so there is no point in discussing it any further." His voice was cold, and very distant. "And...I don't want, nor do I need a family, at this point in my life. Or ever, for that matter.." The former prince looked at the lioness with a small gleam in his eyes. "So I've no need to move my ambition in that particular direction, or anywhere else."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:00 pm
"You're an idiot," she growled out softly, and it was clear by the tone of her voice and her posture that that he had pushed the last of her buttons. With a swift movement she had stood up, her eyes narrowing to near-slits. Though, she decided that physical confrontation was unneeded at this point and time, and so she simply walked a few steps away from him, as if simply being in his presence had tainted her in some way. Her tail lashed angrily out behind her, the dust rising and spinning in the air from the little wind the movement had made. It was very clear from even an outside eye that Sini was upset, and though being a priestess had given her a more reserved nature... she was capable of cracking, of letting the anger build up in her so much that she was forced to lash out in some way or form.
"You're disgusting. Being king is all about taking care of your pride. You should very well damn care about their feelings, about whether they abandon you or not! You will never be king without your pride! How can you not understand that? How can you want to be king for any other reason BUT to take care of this pride?" Her head had snapped to the side, and she glared at him through the fall of white-tipped bangs. It was obvious that he was lucky that she hadn't chosen to harm him, because she seemed quite capable of it. Even now her claws dug into the earth, needing to feel something scream underneath the touch.
"And I don't really wish to speak to you any more, but yet I still am. It's rather obvious that between us, you are the fool and I am the genius. It is a waste of my time to try and help you, to try and aid you in seeing reason." She shook her head, trying to push away the anger that was thrusting itself through her body. "How can you not want that? How can you be so stupid and foolish as to not be able to see what it is you really need? You need no kingship. You need a family." Sini sighed softly, eyes downcast as she spoke to him once again, "You're a lost cause."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:13 pm
She doesn't understand...
He wanted to growl back, he wanted to continue the argument. He wanted to fight. But somehow the words she'd said to him, the words that he'd heard from so many others so much older than her, so much more experienced with life, kept him from saying anything. It was as though hearing it from her made him think twice about lashing back. So he let it go and let her have the final say in their discussion. There was no point, as they would never see eye to eye on the subject.
And somehow those insults sunk in, more so than ever before, and he didn't know why. All others who'd said he was a fool, who called him for what he really was at this point, he was unaffected by. Yet....everything she said just immobilized him. And he sat there, unmoving with his eyes downcast, tail still behind him, with nothing but the cool wind and the presence of a lioness who seemed to despise him. Or at least...his ambition.
Finally, he lifted his gaze, turning it to the figure of the said lioness, though he saw past her.
"Then stop wasting your time..."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:55 pm
Sini was silently surprised that he offered no retaliation, did not even try to defend the words that had came out from behind his lips. But, it was the wisest decision he could have made. Sini could already feel the anger seeping out of her pores, leaving her vaguely exhausted, a tired feeling hanging over her head. Anger always left her exhausted, because she truly was unused to it in large amounts. Now all she could do is let the silence settle in around her, and shake her head in disbelief of the anger that had consumed her only minutes before. Truly, if Njiru had done anything to defend himself, he would have been liable for a smack across the face with claws unsheathed. If that happened... Sini knew she would regret it later. It was improper for her to get so upset, especially considering that she was a priestess.
When Njiru finally spoke, she turned around to face him, a heavy sigh escaping from her mouth. "I can't, I see how desperately you need help and I can't help but try and give it to you." Her pity for Njiru was apparent, but perhaps it wasn't just pity that had convinced her to try and aid him through his troubles. She thought that at least some part of Njiru was worth saving, or at least trying to save. She knew that there was a possibility that she would not succeed in saving Njiru, but she had to try. "And maybe, just maybe, helping you will not be a waste of my time. It's up to you to decide whether it is or isn't, though."
But, oh, it seemed so hopeless...
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:34 pm
He almost resented her pity. Almost, but in a sense he sort of liked it...again, he had no idea why. Maybe it was how straightforward she was with him, but he was just drawn to her. So with a sigh he stood up, feeling more tired than he really was. He walked a little closer to her, still keeping his distance with the knowledge that she was still a bit upset with him. "You're pity's touching.." he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"But I don't want it." He stopped there, letting the silence engulf them. "Besides, why do you care so much? There's nothing in it for you.." The question was in the air for a time, as he said it so quietly. He would've been surprised if she heard him at all. A thought formed in his mind in that silence, and it made him smirk a little, but he quickly brushed it away. It was absurd, especially since they had such opposing views.
And it brought on a few more questions that he thought would make the conversation a little more interesting, and maybe keep him from yawning. He was...really tired. So he asked, "That, and why do you insist that I need a family?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:48 pm
Her eyes watched him carefully as he took a few steps closer to her. If he dared to venture any closer, it was likely that he would get close without being harmed. Very rarely did Sini build up enough anger to actually strike someone. It would only create a bad reputation for her as a priestess to suddenly become violent and hurt a member of the pride. Sini cared very much for her reputation and position in the pride, and she would do nothing to tarnish it and cast it under a poor light. So, she had come quite close to forgiving him, at least until he spoke again with sarcasm clear in the notes of his voice. Her eyes became fixated on him, harsh with barely controlled anger, and it was once again clear that he was pushing her buttons once again. Sini had come close to striking him once, if he brought her to that point again there was no guarantee that he would come out from it unscathed. Sini loathed lions who continually annoyed her, and she also loathed lioness that pursued pointless goals that simply were unachievable.
So, she really, really loathed Njiru at this point.
"I care so much because you are a member of this pride. You were born under the moon! I care about you because despite your views and your aspirations, you are still a lion in need of aid, and as a priestess it is almost my duty to help you understand what has befallen you and get through it." Her words were heated once again, but it was pure passion that brought her words to life, not anger or hate. "So, what do I care if there is nothing in it for me? I've come to accept that some of the things I do for others don't bring me any sort of reward. That is life. That is kindness even."
When he spoke again, she shook her head at his question in disbelief that he could not see things the way she could. "Because a family will stabilize you, will give you a purpose. That is why you want to be king, because you feel as if your purpose has been stolen from you. The only cure is to give you a new purpose, and that can come in settling down with a female and having cubs. That is why I suggest finding a family for yourself. It's the thing that can help you most at this time."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:01 pm
And so, it was after this display of "kindness," as she put it, that he figured he might be able to come out of this conversation with the lioness not so angry at him. It was more than likely going to be a feeble attempt, but she was so insistent. And, perhaps exhaustion was slowly getting the better of him. But whatever it was, he posed a...question. Or rather, a sort of agreement, should she take him up on his offer. "Alright, since you really seem to want to help me, would it be too much to ask of you to make a sort of deal with me?" he asked, then stood and moved a bit closer. Not too close, mind you, since he had no wish of walking away with any sort of visible injury.
"You really want me to change my ambitions, right?" he continued. "Well, since you think a family is my next option, how about you try and find somebody who'd even consider becoming my mate?" It sounded a little crazy, sure, but what could he lose? He was absolutely sure that there wasn't any one lioness who'd think of him as the fatherly type anyway. "And until you do, I'll continue with my 'pointless' ambition?"
He stood once more, ready to turn in for the night. "So how about it?" And so her response would be what would either let him sleep easy, or....just sleep.
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