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 Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:13 am
Ever since that night with Uumi, where she had cornered him and forced the confession from his lips, Syeira had become more and more withdrawn emotionally. It was easy for anyone that knew her to tell - she sat more stiffly, her words were void of warmth, and her eyes gleamed like two pits of ice. For those that didn't know her, it probably wouldn't have looked any different from the sharp-tounged lioness they were used to. Still, there was little to be done about her sudden change of nature, but at least she had managed to hold herself together and keep her composure in the face of his betrayal. Syeira was not the sort of lioness that gave up and let others put her down. It hurt, yes, it hurt with the fire of a hundred suns, but she refused to let anyone see that she felt it.
Today, she sat calmly beside a meandering creek that branched off the main river, waiting patiently for her father. The elders were meeting, to discuss the succession of the throne and whether or not they thought she was fit for it. In her honest opinion, she didn't think there was anyone in these lands that were better suited - not a thought drawn from cockiness, but confidence. She had been here the longest, she had seen the pride blossom and grow in her mother's capable paws. She wanted desperately to do the same and return her pride to glory before it was snatched from them as she knew it could be with one good blow. Even Uumi's actions could not dissuade her from this.
With a gentle frown, she glanced down at the slowly rolling water, staring at the icy eyes that watched her. She was growing impatient, though she knew the elders could often be long-winded in discussions, especially the kind of utmost importance. Still, she was eager to know their decision, to know if she would have to watch the pride fall or help it flourish.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:37 am
Asi took a deep breath and sighed out as he moved over the kusini lands, heading for where he'd told his daughter to meet him. Often the meeting of elders was tiring, but this one seemed especially so. Not to mention one from their ranks was missing... now he would have to deal with that, as well.
Still, he'd gotten his point across and syeira was to sit at the throne. This would resolve many problems, or at least it was a start to fixing up the pride. How had it gotten to this point? but even if it was what the pride needed... he could not help but feel worried for his daughter. The shift in her mood over just the past few days was... dangerous almost. He had heard the rumors... he had not been able to bring himself to ask her directly if they were true or not, and she had not mentioned anything about that b*****d of a mate she had to him. One day he would murder that overbaring... rude... sickly...
He took a deep breath and brushed the thoughts away as his dark eyes took in the sight of his daughter's dusty pelt. A slight purr rumbled from his chest and he cleared his throat, though if he knew anything about his daughter there was a good chance she'd long since known he was apparoaching her. "Tha mee'in is finished." He said quietly, almost in way of greeting. His eyes shifted over his stiff form, sadness slipping into his facial expression before he pushed it away and opted for a more neutral look.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:59 am
The sound of rustling leaves and the crunch of grass told her that a large figure was approaching, though within the lands she knew that it was likely only to be a friend (her son and the other guards did a great job of keeping intruders at bay). Coming in her general direction, however, she suspected it was no other than her father. Thus, when his distinctive purr reached her ears, she let her icy eyes swing up and away from staring down at her own reflection, settling them on the dusty coat that was identical in color to her own.
"I see that," she said calmly, ignoring the slight flash of sadness across his face, in no mood for sympathy. "What did they decide?" she asked, just as stoic as the first words, her gaze on her father unwavering. It wasn't that she didn't want to be kind to him as usual, it was simply that she didn't trust her feelings. If she let one emotion slip through, they might all come flying in a raging torrent behind it, and it would take a long time to carefully put them all back where they belonged again.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:12 am
Asi sighed lightly at her words, his body lumbering up beside her before he sat and let his gaze float over the water for a moment. It seemed as though this meeting would be business oriented, and not time with his family. He could... understand though, why she might be shutting herself off... but it wasn't healthy, was it? He could always just order Nahi to go slit that p***k's throat... even if he didn't know the whole story behind the rumors.
Ah right.. he'd have to tell syeira about nahi's return. "The three o' us decided tha' wha'i 'ad to say was correct. They think tha' this is the only choice they 'ave righ' now." His own voice was calm, matter of fact. "They 'ave agreed teh put yeh on the throne. The ceremony will be 'eld in 14 days.... er... they are a bi' weary abou'.." But he hesitated and trailed off, unsure if he should bring up Uumi or not. Whatever, it wasn't as if the weakling could abuse his powers as king.
"er... yeh know.. Nahi is back in the lan's." There, that was a quick and easy subject change that would steer the conversation away from Uumi.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:26 am
"Fourteen days," she said softly, letting her eyes trail away from her father to stare up at the canopy of the trees. Fourteen days left before she took the throne of her homelands and set herself on the long journey of repairing the damage that had been done to the pride. Fourteen days left as just another member of the pride. Fourteen days left for Uumi to get over his moods and accept the fact that life for them was about to change forever. On that note, he'd probably be wise if he stopped that sulking right now. She wasn't slow, though, and she heard the words before her father trailed off. Her eyes flashed with a minute gleam of anger before she looked up at him - though it was obvious that anger was not meant for her father at all. "There's no need to worry, I have everything under control," and by everything, she meant her cheating b*****d of a mate.
"Nahi's back?" she asked, softly at first, feeling emotions toiling beneath the surface of her calm. She couldn't stop the way her eyes lit up a bit, or the faint crease of a smile at the corner of her maw. The two might not have seen eye to eye as cubs and Denahi's temper might still be worse than anyone she'd ever known, but their last meeting had left the two of them with an understanding. She was the one that had told him she would always welcome him back home, and it seemed he had finally taken her up on the offer. Now that she was queen, or would be soon, she could officially extend her protection to him - much like he had protected her. "That's good to hear," she said softly, her tail flicking as she gazed of into the trees, as if she expected Nahi to come walking out at any moment.
Then, of course, a thought struck her and she couldn't stop the grimace before it hit her face. "I'll have to talk to him, before he hears and.. finds Uumi." Even if she had threatened to kill him herself, she still didn't want Nahi hunting him down in a rage. He probably would, too, as he'd never much liked the male and he actually had good reason to slit his throat now. Her bright eyes shut with a sigh, her jaw tightening. She had made up her decision already, but it still felt wrong to protect Uumi now after what he had done. "If I'm not going to kill him, no one else will either."
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:43 am
Fourteen days. Fourteen days until the pride started regaining some order, everything would start going back to normal. Perhaps the old ways, the ways of the pride that Ari had only ever been able to tell stories of, would come about again. Well... whatever happened he trusted his daughter to make the right decisions. Asi caught the anger in his gaze and could only hope that Syeira would just kick Uumi out of her life forever... he knew his daughter loved the sickly... weak... male very much. She had many cubs with him, she protected him always... yet he went and did something like this to her! If it wasn't for Asi wanting to let syeira handle things her own way he would have went and slit the red male's throat himself! He would never be able to understand a love like theirs, with it's cruel beginnings and less than happy endings, it seemed. He mentioned nothing else on the matter though, it was best just to drop it, wasn't it?
He smiled as a hint of happiness appeared on her maw, happy to think that finally his family understood one another, got along with each other. "Aye... aye..." He trailed off slowly and then his tail flicked, curling around his paws. "I ah... 'ave been thinkin' ah wha' I coul' do fer 'im.." His words were careful, tentative. He was not sure exactly how long nahi would stay... but once he found out.. well he wanted his son to do something in the pride, have some sort of goals to hold on to. It was surprising how much Asi grew, how thoughtful he seemed to be. He had come a long way from the scrappy young male who had picked fights with other males and tried to avoid society as a whole. Besides, he'd noticed Nahi had not had his mate with him and had not mentioned his own family.. that worried Asi a little bit. "Our el'er male is missin'." He said suddenly, letting Syeira put two and two together.
Asi snorted as syeira once again jumped up to protect that wretched b*****d she called a mate... even after he'd harmed her so deeply. "Beh... yeh shoul' jus' wait til 'e scares the shi' outta 'im a lil', a'least." He grumbled, and he was dead serious. He wouldn't mind if nahi knocked uumi around til near death, at least.
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:00 pm
"You mean to put Denahi in the elder male position," she said, swinging her bright eyes up to look at her father's muddy ones, watching him in silence for a few moments as she considered this. He had already proven to her that he could be loyal - he had saved her from the jaws of a depraved rogue, whose claws she still wore on her pelt in the form of scars, small though they were. He might have been fierce, but time had been agreeable with his temper, and though he would probably never be quite rid of it, perhaps his ferocity was what they needed in the pride. She shrugged her shoulders lightly, letting out a deep sigh. "Two years ago I would have laughed at that idea, but now I believe it may be the right thing for him and this pride both."
She snorted lightly at her father's comment, tossing her head to rid her vision of the blond tuft that had fallen partly into it. "I've not dismissed that idea just yet, honestly. I'm going to speak to Denahi and tell him not to kill him, or injure him, but honestly.. what he does beyond that is his own business." She set her jaw and glanced away into the river, her muscles trembling beneath her pelt as she remembered hunting the fiery lion down in the night and having to reign herself in. She had almost finished him herself - it would have been so easy.
She knew very few of her family members approved of her choice of mates. Her mother was perhaps one of the few that had let them be, accepting that she was happy more often than not. Her father had never liked him, but then, those feelings were deeply rooted in how Taabu had been born. He loved his grandson, but she had a feeling he would never forgive the lion for how it had come to pass. She thought he had been beginning to, perhaps, and then Uumi destroyed that trust with.. this. Denahi, oh, she knew he had never and would never like Uumi - that went beyond Syeira's relationship with him, though why she would never know. Her relationship, the ordeal with Taabu, that had only strengthened the feelings of hatred. This new development.. who only knew how that would pan out. She really did need to get to Denahi before the rumors did.
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 4:18 pm
Asi's mind tensed as he waited for her thoughts on the matter. Soon she would be queen... and while that did not give her absolute power it still handed her the most power. Well, after customs were changed slightly. With the mental sickness of his bloodline he suspected girls were just the safer bet. No, he knew in his heart that as sad as it was he would rather not have another male on the taller of the thrones, the position that held the highest rank and power. He nodded once at his answer and smiled slowly, but tightly. He wasn't sure Nahi had yet forgiven him for the incidents that had happened so long ago, with Ari.
"Hmph." He sounded almost sulky that his son could not injure or kill the red lump of a moron. "Well yeh be'er tell 'im before 'e 'ears the gossip." He knew that the Nahi of old would surely and swiftly go to hunt Uumi down after hearing something of the sort. And if it wasn't for love of his sister it would be from an excuse to rough up the pathetic 'prince'. He shook his head softly and sighed for a long moment, trying to let himself just think that things were the way they were. The gods and goddesses above must have their plans.... oh elephant bones when had he started thinking like such a push-over kook? Fate, bah!
He watched Syeira another moment with a slightly sad smile on his maw, happy to be with his daughter but sad with all of the small dramas that seemed to surround their family. "I do think tha' this ol' lion needs res' soon." He stated quietly, wanting both to prolong the encounter and go back to his den and sleep. His empty, lonely den.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:15 pm
It saddened Syeira to see that look on her father's face when she mentioned Denahi, but she thought she knew why he looked so distraught and only time would heal that wound. Nothing she could say would make it ease, for him or for Nahi himself, and bringing it up would only likely make it worse. Thus, she only smiled back at him, weak though it was because of her own personal demons at the moment, and tried to pretend she didn't realize a thing.
"You're right," she sighed irritably as she pushed herself to her paws. If she didn't find Nahi now and tell him now to hurt Uumi, she'd likely have a dead mate if Denahi took it into his own paws. He really was the sort that acted first and thought about the consequences later. She would hate for her first act as Queen of the Kusini to be banishing her brother for killing her mate. "I don't need him making trouble in the next two weeks, especially not if we plan to put him in the elder position." She smirked at the thought and shook her head, though it was an empty emotion with the thought of having to 'protect' Uumi again at the front of her mind.
"You're not so old, daddy," she said, turning her icy eyes to stare up at the lion that she resembled so much. With a soft purr in her throat, she leaned over to lick his cheek affectionately, her tail twitching behind her. "Maybe you could use a good nap, though, while I go hunt down my big oaf of a brother." She stretched her front legs out a bit, shaking out her pelt to rid her body of the cramps from sitting still so long.
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:46 am
Asi snorted slightly, the irony of that slipping through his brain. His youngest son of his first litter the murderer of a kusini queen, and his own mother. His oldest son the murderer of a kusini king... He shook his head slightly and rid himself of the thoughts, they were beginning to leave a slightly bitter and horribly depressing after image in his mind. He smiled and shook his head. "Aye, righ' it woul' be no good if the o'er elders 'eard o' gossip concerning the offered elder bea'in the planned king." His tone was slightly joking but also a little sour, just thinking about Uumi as a king made him a bit angry. There was no helping that though, Syeira loved who she loved.
He smiled more pleasantly as she commented on his age and he nuzzled his fluffy head into her own, purring slightly as well. Not old... but he felt ancient. "Aye, a nap." He repeated her and nodded, wondering just how long he actually would sleep. "Yeh be careful in 'andlin' yer brother.." He said after a moment, though he fully knew that Syeira was aware of just how angry Denahi could get. "I'll be goin' then." He said softly, bumping his head once more with her own before standing and turning. "I love yeh." He added, realizing he rarely told his children this. A smile bloomed across his face at his own words, though Syeira could no longer see his face, but just saying the words made him happy. His family... it was sad that all of them were not all still in the Kusini lands.
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:35 am
"Only a king in name," she muttered dryly at her father's comment, tail lashing just slightly behind her. She was going to be queen, and with that, she was taking the control of the land. Uumi would be given a spiffy new title and would no longer be forced to babysit loads of cubs, but she was determined that he had little to no say in what happened in her pride. He didn't care for it anyway, and as of late, he hadn't really been showing her how much he cared for her either.
"I know, I'll be careful with him," she said with a nod, knowing full well how her brother's temper flared. Sometimes, the most random things set Denahi off, but she was glad he was home and wanted, more than anything, to make him feel welcome. That, and she just needed to make sure he didn't cripple and maim her mate. "I love you too, Dad," she called back, watching him as he began to lope off before she finally turned, setting out on her task.
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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 6:17 am
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