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 Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:28 am
Cassian.
What word could best describe him? Well, he wasn't the most friendliest cubs that was for sure. But he wasn't unkind either. Poor boy, he had so much troubled thoughts running through his mind for someone so young. And it wasn't that he was being parented badly or that he was always getting into trouble.
No. The fact was that Cass had been born with a disability and the fact that he was already a proud, independant little male only made things worse. Because no matter how independant he wanted to be, there was only so much he could do before he would have to ask for help.
It was his eyes.
He was shortsighted, to put it plainly, maybe it was an inherited illness or maybe he'd just been unlucky. Either way, the blurry world was taunting him and life was pretty miserable right now.
He sighed, rolled onto his back and stared up at the stars, stars that should have been strikingly sharp but to his eyes was white fuzz in the darkness.
Another sigh.
Popi on the other hand, had no such problems; his were on an entirely diferent spectrum. He'd probably inherited all the bad traits of his family, as far as he was concerned. He wasn't particularly big, unlike his granfather... but he'd inherited the dark adult's horrible temper. To boot, he'd also inherited his mother's unique sense of humour, and his father's antisocial tendencies. All in all, it made Popi a rather unpleasent being to be arounf, for when he wasn't scowling darkly, he was being sarcastic, a smart a** and a general jerk.
It wasn't that he didn't care about his family or his sibblings; no, he cared. However, he did so in his own peculiar way. He was manipulative, overbearing and generaly overprotective of those he loved, to the point of being antagonising, in more than one way. His intentions were good, it was just the way he carried them out that seemed to failt him; but then again, maybe things would change in the future, once he was given a chance to meet... new personalities.
Padding through the darkness of the jungle, he made his way towards where he could scent his brother; he made no attempt to remain hidden, for after all... his blazing mane and red orbs always seemed to give him away no matter where he went. He was imposible to miss, which such markings and mane, no doubt.
A growl rumbled through his chest unbidden at the thought as he reached Cassian's side, "You're going to get sick, laying here all alone, you idiot," which of course, translated from Popi's distinctive way of talking, it meant he was worried over his brother's health.
An ear lifted and a moment later his head followed. His empty-looking eyes focused on his brother, the closeness allowing him to pick out the finer details on his pelt. Their patterns were something that they shared, though whilst they were similar they were also very different.
He snorted, flicked his tail and drew himself up into a sitting position. "No I won't." He muttered, though it was an automatic response rather than an argumentative one. He shifted along the rock a little bit and shook his head, sending the tuft - that would one day be a mane - fluttering across those odd eyes.
"What're you doin' way out 'ere, eh?" He cast another glance at his brother. He wasn't sure what to make of Popi, that much was obvious. He wasn't uncomfortable around him but he wasn't comfortable neither, it was a restless feeling he got in the pit of his stomach. Maybe it's because he was worried someone might find out about his secret.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:19 am
"Bloody will too!" came the inmediate response; it was said in such a 'no nonesense' voice that it almost made it clear that IF it were to happen, Popi would likely feel rather guilty he'd not managed to help it. A frown followed the statement, then a grimace, "I was bored and couldn't sleep," this was mrmured grumpily as he padded forward and allowed himself to flop almost tiredly over his brother's side, using him like a pillow to place his neck and head over.
Shameless with the contact. But then again, Cassian was his brother. Why wouldn't he be shameless with the contact? They'd all shared a den since birth. What was there to hide? What Popi didn't know was there really WAS a secret between them; he'd always known Cassian to be somewhat strange, which of course targeted the lighter male with more attention and worry (read: overbearing protectiveness), than their sister, whom was rather self suficient, "What about you? You're all the way out here too, you know. Look who's talking.... mister I'm all alone here..."
He gave a little grunt as his brother lay next to him, but in reality he was glad for it. He tended to stay out of the way - for many reasons - but he didn't really want to. In fact, all he really wanted was for someone to comfort him, to tell him that everything would be okay. To tell him that one day he'd wake up and everything would be in focus again.
He sniffed, forcing back the sad lump in his throat. He knew that'd never happen. He had broken eyes and that was all there was to it. And yet, it was nice to have his brother close - even if Popi didn't realise that his presence was actually comforting the poor cub's heart.
Eventually, he laid his head on his paws and glanced out through the foliage. "I was thinking, yeah? About stuff. Can't think with everyone making a racket." But no where in the jungle was quiet so it was a poor excuse. And as if to highlight the weakness of it, a parrot gave a loud squawk and flapped through the air just above their heads.
"I don't like it here. Stupid birds. Stupid plants." He gave another grunt of irritation to emphasize this point.
He could understand that much, at least. A snort was released from the dark pelted boy, "Yeah, no kidding," he grunted in agreement; when their parents weren't bantering (they seemd to quarrel points, as stupid as 'the sky is blue' 'no! It's a hint of a shade pink!' 'is NOT!', to the bloody ground), their sister was making some sort of racket.
Popi wasn't one for rackets (at least when HE wasn't the one making them, at any rate), and thus was prone to slipping away from the rest, albeit no doubt for diferent reasons than Cassian. An ear twitched towards the parrot before the growing boy scoffed softly, "Not like this spot you picked is that much quieter, moron," despite the insults thrown left and right, they weren't meant as such. It was almost as if he were using them as nicknames - a bad habit that would get him into more than one fight in the future, no doubt. Alas. "Where'd you plan to go anyhow?" he rolled his eyes in mock irritation, then snorted, "And what'd the plants ever do to you? They don't bother me," the parrots though, that was something else entirely.
He turned his silver-eyed gaze to his brother, wrinkling his nose. He was a stocky cub who'd grow to be powerfully built one day. Who knew, maybe he;d use that strength for something good, or maybe he'd get drawn into a bad crowd. Either way, he didn't like thinking of the future much. The future wasn't bright - not in his dismal mind.
He chose to ignore the insult. Coming from someone else - a stranger - he'd probably flown into one of his lectures about manners of lashed out (depending on his mood) but his brother was family. Besides, it wasn't said with any real venom so it bounced off him harmlessly.
"Well, I'd like to see yah find a quieter spot in this damn place." He flinched his whiskers. "Ah dunno, anywhere but here. Hate it. Hate everything. It's...suffocating." He nodded as if it made complete sense. "And dark and wet and humid and..." He turned his ears. "Don't yah think there's gotta be a better place than this, eh?"
What did he want?
He wanted sunlight, pure beating sunlight and stretches of land wavering in a heat wave that wouldn't make him feel so blind. There were so many fine details here, so many things to see, that it was almost like a constant reminder.
"Plants are only good for antelopes, yeah? Not lions, not us."
"I could if I wanted to," the reply was huffed with such an air of superiority one wouldve thought he HAD in fact found such places. For a moment, the boy paused, ponderng, and then turned that arrogant smirk to face his brother, "There's the cave; if you go deep into 'em, they're all quiet and such," so there, he added almost inmaturely in his mind. Had he been able to, he'd have even stomped a foot petulantly, but seeing as how he was reclined over Cassian's lighter form, that was currently not posible least he smack his brother... and for all his barking and snapping, he didn't seem physicaly inclined to hurt those he loved.
Well, the white lion DID have a point.
A huff was released as Popi turned to look at the plants, "Of course ther's a better place. Imma ******** find it, too. I'm leaving one day, and going to explore, and no one can stop me. You can come too," one bright colored orb slid over to watch Cassian's reaction to the words, "Well, plants hide us and s**t too. They don't bother me. It's the suffocating part I'm not fond of," then again... Popi wasn't fond of much of anything at all.
He shrugged lightly, not wanting to disturb his brother too much. Either way, he wasn't too keen on his idea. Caves, caves were dark and damp and...dark! Cassian, was in fact, a little nervous about the dark and he certainly didn't like the idea of exploring silent, dripping caves. No siree!
"I'll pass on cave exploring if it's all the same." He mumbled.
He gave a little start at the forcefulness of his brother's reply. So he felt the same way? He was partly relieved about that, glad that this was one trait he did share. He was fed up with being different from everyone else, so this was a nice change. He had something in common with his brother!
"Maybe I will." He replied, hesitantly because he wasn't sure whether he wanted his family finding out about his little problem. If he went with Popi, he'd soon find out that he was useless at hunting because he couldn't see and then he'd have to hunt for the both of them. No, no, he couldn't even consider not being independant. The thought of relying on someone for the rest of his life haunted him. That would be made worse if he was relying on family because...well, he didn't want them to think of him as broken!
"I guess I'll wait an' see what happens." He nodded. "Plants do that, I guess, but other lions survive out there so there's gotta be some decent hiding places or they'd all starve, right?" No, as far as he was concerned, the sooner he could leave this place behind the better.
"Do you think they'll mind us taking off?" By they, he meant their parents.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:50 am
A brow arched at the notion that perhaps (just perhaps!) his brother was afraid of the dark, and though it was mildly out of character for Popi, he did not press the issue, for some reason or another. Perhaps the dark pelted male could easily see that Cassian was particularly moody that night, and wouldn't appreciate deeper teasings. He'd save the notion for later, if his brother ever got into a lighter, better mood. Popi had always wondered why the lighter pelted boy seemed to always be so... down in the dumps, to put it bluntly.
Then again, whom was he to judge anyone? He was usualy in a foul mood; it wasn't like he could begrudge his brother for being sad (about what, he had no idea, but he was going to likely press said issue when given the chance, no doubt). It was posible though that both brothers were more similar than they liked to belive; they simply dealt with their problems in diferent ways.
"You're the only one I'd take," his dark secret was that he LIKED having someone to take care of. He couldn't care for his parents, both being horribly indipendant, and his sister... well, she was much similar. The one that Popi had focused his attention on to a much greater extent was the usualy mildly depressed Cassian. Something about the way the other boy would keep to himself reminded Popi of himself. A sadder.... blue-er self, "No," it was said without even a moment's thought, "They wouldn't. Granpa's a pirate, and mom liked movin' around. Dad would travel a lot. They'll understand," there was not even a small bit of hesitation in his voice, "I would leave without a goodbye. That way they'd know I planned on returning," amusingly enough, Popi was sentimental enough that he disliked goodbyes. Go figure.
He shifted to rest his head against his brother, figuring that if he was going to be used as a pillow, Popi could be too. They'd had few of these moments, but it was clear Cassian trusted the male enough to open up just a little. In fact, if ever Cassian shared his secret openly, it'd probably be with his brother.
They were similar in many ways.
"Really?" His heart lifted somewhat. Okay, so maybe the future wasn't all bad. If his brother wanted him to come, maybe he could figure out a way of keeping his secret and still travel with him. Maybe he could eventually learn to hunt using other sense or...something. Either way, those simple words had given the lion cub hope and a rare smile lifted the corner's of his mouth very slightly.
"Well, if I could go with anyone, it'd be you, I guess."
He nodded, He supposed that was one good thing about their family. They certainly did like moving so it'd probably come of no surprise to them if their children decided to follow the same way of life. "No goodbye? Yeah, I guess that's true, though I wouldn't want to worry them...not really."
He flicked his tail. "Well then, it's decided. When the time comes I may or may not go with you." And he gave his brother a playful shove, attempting to pull himself free.
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