A Formal In(tro)duction [Hewa/Kas/Iar]

[ShinosBee]

Hewa stirred at the sound of someone...no, two someones approaching. One pair of feet came light but firm...Kasdeya. He'd come to know her stride, after lingering so long with her in the area. He could beat a good tune to the sound of her feet, but something about the sound of the second pair told him now was not the time.

The larger steps were full, powerful. No doubt an adult's. They were smooth and steady, full of assurance, no hesitance...Someone of rank then. He yawned, and it hit him. His audience day had come at last. With the moment he had before the pair arrived he stood, shook his fur out, and gave it a quick patting down. No need to look a mess now, was there?

He went partly out to meet them, standing a few feet into the den, but not near where he'd been resting before. The sight he was met with was rather inspiring, he had to admit. The bright light of day, glimmering hotly around the proud cub and her kingly father. They shared the same flaming hair, he noted. He bowed his head at their approach, as he'd been taught to when greeting a foreign ruler. Now if only they would not share Kas's quick to battle attitude...A cub he could handle, but if things went wrong...well the male had to be king for some reason, now didn't he?  

[Manda]

Iartuupe padded up quietly, with Kasdeya following behind him. He could hear some rustling about back in that den - and then a male cub slightly larger than his daughter came toward the front and stood waiting on them.

Hmm.... well, Kasdeya was right about his coloring. It was very nearly perfect. He also looked confident and determined... though also respectful. Which was good.

With a little smile for both young ones, he sat down and curled tail about his feet. "My daughter tells me ... that you believe you carry a demon inside of you."  

[ShinosBee]

Well so far so good...At least he hadn't been pounced, tackled, clawed, bitten, or anything of that nature. He took Iartuupe's sitting as a signal that he too should be seated, and he settled himself as best he could. Since his scuffle he'd taken to sitting with one hip tucked in a bit more than the other subconsciously, but it wasn't that noticeable...at least, it was less noticeable than the arcing scar that now trailed along his side, courtesy of the king's daughter. He cast a quick look her way before clearing his throat and raising his head to Iar. He might be a king, but that didn't make Mahewa any more meek. He looked up plainly, and with confidence.

"I am...not sure, to be truthful. Some of the things she has said seem to feel right to me, thrilling and wild, that make my heart race...but others confuse me more than anything else. Though I suppose that could be marked up to my being new to the idea." His look became ponderous. "What exactly does it mean, to carry a demon inside? I would hate to lie due to not understanding."

True, the idea did seem less foolish than before, but he still had his doubts. Frankly Kasdeya, while proud and ardent in her beliefs, hadn't been the best tutor, and he'd spent many a night wondering just what it was he was supposed to maybe believe in. The king would know though. He'd have to, right? So Hewa would ask, be told, and then be able to decide. After all, it was better to offend them slightly now with ignorance than to feign agreement, and have a lie revealed later. Right?  

[Manda]

Iar blinked slightly at that, first frowning at the way the younger lion drew himself up. But then, once he spoke, the king settled, listening. Aah... intelligence there. He didn't think this desire not to lie was born out of fear - which was why he accepted it.

Corners of his maw curved up in a slight smile and he lowered his head just a bit. "To have a demon inside can mean several different things. Most hear or feel it in some way. It's clearer to some than others. But generally ... it tells us to do things, helps us enjoy the hunt, the kill. The blood and pain.."

He got a sort of far-away look in his eyes for a moment, and then blinked, focusing on the young one again to see what he might say to that.  

[ShinosBee]

Hewa's ear flicked as an insect settled on it. It was so humid, the bugs were horrible here. But so far that (and the strange attitude of a few fellows around) was all he'd had to complain about. At least, for now. He had to admit, the look on Iartuupe's face when he talked of blood, of pain...was unsettling. Sure, Hewa killed. He was good at it, and enjoyed it...for the eating. But did he like to kill just to do it? Did he live to see the life drain from another...

"In all honesty...I love the hunt. It is thrilling and wild. Running, leaping, knowing I've won...That I enjoy." He made no mention of watching his prey die. Of course he watched, he had to be sure it wouldn't leap away when he let go, but it was more with heated neutrality than anything.

And then something struck him. He did feel urges from deep within, telling him to do things...He'd never realized before, but it was true. And if a demon was that voice inside, telling him how and what...well then he could say with confidence he was one. Sure, he didn't feel the urge to kill as deeply as some others, perhaps, but then, no one else felt the pull in him like he did. A quick flashback to the day he'd sat waiting for Kasdeya, and let that feeling lead him in a keening ululation that told of the pride's secret ways and dark power...that was his demon. That was what it called him to do.

A sort of proud confidence settled over the juvenile, and he straightened to meet the king's searching gaze. He could hold his ground now. He had what the king wanted to see in him, he'd just never known it until then.  

[Manda]

Almost, Iar started to frown again ... the young one hadn't mentioned anything about the kill, or the blood. And usually, they did ... was he a demon, or was he not?

But then, something changed, and the Aran'shale blinked, eyeing the other. Hm... well, perhaps there was something there after all. "Has something changed?" he prompted, almost gently. Tell me ... show me what you are.  

[ShinosBee]

Hewa nodded sharply in reply to the Aran'shale's calm question. Something indeed had changed. His life made sense, his urges...knowing the reason one did what they did gave purpose and drive to their future actions. "Yes. I made sense of it. My demon, I mean. I was wondering why I couldn't understand, but I just figured it out." His golden eyes glimmered with passion. Even if this king turned him away and out, he knew. He wouldn't wonder why he was who he was anymore.

"My demon told me." He said it with enough conviction that even Iartuupe would have to understand. "He stirred, made me see why I do what I do. Why my blood pounds to a certain beat, why the urges come to me. It's because He wants them to...wants me to." His tail lashed, and his brows furrowed. He knew what he wanted to say, but it was so hard to find the right words. That figured. He didn't want to right out say 'oh yeah I just now realized I'm a demon after all, but how else could he be clear? Hrrrn...this was going to be harder than he expected, it seemed, but he knew he would make it through. With a breath he stared back at the Aran'shale. What do you need to know, hmm?  

[Manda]

Iar nodded slightly at that - just a bit of encouragement. He could feel that the young lion was groping toward some kind of answer...

This sounded familiar, and yet all at once ...not. Perhaps his demon was different from most. That would be ... intriguing. The Aran'shale allowed himself a little smirk at that. This one might prove interesting to test later on.

"What sorts of urges?" he prompted again, trying to get the other to be more specific.  

[ShinosBee]

Okay, this wasn't so bad...it looked like he'd at least gotten Iartuupe's interest. And he hadn't been kicked out or attacked yet. That probably meant he wasn't going to be at all. He hoped at least.

Hewa flicked his tail up as a bug landed on his side, squashing it before it could fly away. A beat passed between the Aran'shale's question and his deadpan reply.

"My demon makes me sing." It was the truth, silly as it sounded. He'd never felt the need to sing more than he felt now, and his skills had exploded since arriving (though maybe it was just that he was maturing.) To him it seemed like...well not too strange a thing. Hopefully the king would feel the same.  

[Manda]

Iar had to very seriously concentrate to keep his jaw from dropping open at that. Sing?! What the hell kind of demon made you sing?

A low growl started in the back of his throat... was this one lying?

But then, something inside of him kind of prodded at his mind and he clenched jaw. So far, everything had fit. He wouldn't attack the young one now. Better to be sure. He didn't want to injure one who might be a true demon.

"Sing," he echoed then. "Sing what?"  

[ShinosBee]

Uh oh. That wasn't a good reaction...Still, Hewa stood firm in the face of growling disbelief. So his demon was different. So what? It was still a demon, right?

"Sing what..." His eyes clouded, as if he was thinking very deeply. And he was. How to explain that his whole being burst with the urge to weave a song to this place, one that would echo of home to some, while leaving others shaking in fear?

Well he'd just have to try. "You...you say the rumbling of the volcano is the voice of the god who lives in Hell, right? A voice we can all hear. Well that's not the only thing that talks. This whole place is just waiting for someone who can be their tongue...My demon can hear it, he wants me to sing it. Demon songs that would urge our warriors to battle, to welcome them home later. To strike fear into those who trespass, and fill those who enter unknowingly with a sort of morbid awe." He was on a roll now, half rambling as his demon told him to. "We're demons inside, not lions. But we talk like lions. Wouldn't demons have a language of their own? Maybe mine wants me to sing because of that. Maybe.."  

[Manda]

Despite his misgivings, Iar found himself being pulled into the other's words ... and not only that, but his tone of voice as well. It was captivating, in a way. And he could almost feel his own demon stirring just a bit inside of him.

"Perhaps there is something to what you say," he finally admitted grudgingly. His tail thumped on the ground once, and he inclined head slightly. "You may stay."


(( XD I would have him ask him to sing something but this has been going waaaaaayyyy too long already LOL So is good to go on and finish it lol ))  

[ShinosBee]

((XD it's fine! The end!))