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 Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 2:21 pm
Finar-si was ... disturbed. And when she was disturbed, she shed her Karama-illusion and took to the skies, where she could forget about her uncertainty and her pride for a time. Truth be told, she had let the pride go for too long this time without intervention; she wasn't certain she could, or should, set it straight. The entire mess had been enjoyable to come back to, but also frustrating, and no little bit frightening. These mortals had spun out of her control now, something that she supposed was inevitable, but it was a pity. Ah, well. With Vuvi's help, perhaps she could leave something behind to make life just that much more interesting for her children who had dared to defy her ... and who she was, paradoxically, proud of.
The sunlight was just beginning to peek over the horizon, throwing the lands awash in hues of orange, yellow, and rosy red, as the wine-colored, winged lioness lightly touched down to earth, paws barely making a sound against soft sand. She ruffled her wings, leaving them spread for one proud, vain moment, before letting them drop back to her side. Sniffing, she glanced off toward the sunrise, ears curved forward. Hmmm.
Kenna was likewise disturbed, but overtime... her annoyance with the world had dissipated slightly. If only because her cubs were born, and it meant that though the pride itself was in trouble, there was a small glimmer of hope for the future. At least in her eyes.
Her flame was not dead at least, and though she still worried, the Queen was content to wait things out and ponder them over with her mate. Ripuka's sudden disappearance had been devastating to her though; she felt she had lost a dear friend, and almost a mother, in a way. They old story teller had played out more of a mother role than her own blood-related mother. Bless them both though, they were great lionesses on their own right and Kenna held absolutely no grudge against her mother for it.
It was then the queen looked heavenward as the breeze blew against her pelt; what she saw was not really expected, in all honesty. She had heard talk of Finar-si and she was sure she had seen the goddess in dreams herself, but she had never expected to see the glimpse of red in the sky. Her eyes were trained on the goddess as she flew.
It was only belatedly that the goddess realized she had not come down in a place devoid of other predators; as she turned, catching the scent of another, she froze, violet eyes sweeping across the desert sands. Damn! It was Kenna; and, despite her pride of the Queen and her traditionalists for following the true way, Finar-si certainly had not had it in mind to ever meet her, save in her guise. It was one thing to act mysterious and unearthly while you were a priestess, who wasn't supposed to have the answers, and another to do the same and be a diety, when you were supposed to. Because the goddess had a sinking feeling the lioness would ask questions that she was not, in fact, prepared to answer; at least, not well.
Frowning, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, the wine-colored female stood, the wind ruffling her fur in a proper, theatrically dramatic effect. Time to do some bluffing, perhaps.
For one long, almost awkward moment, the Queen remain laying on her rock, half sure that the goddess before her was, in fact, some sort of mirage. However, when the seconds ticked by and the other female's form did not dissipate into nothingness, Kenna was convinced that what she was seeing was for real.
Slowly, she pushed herself off the rock and strolled down to the dessert sands, "Finar-si," there was devotion in the single word, as if she had always known the goddess would one day come... appear before her. Despite that though, there was the gruffness and the rough edges that seemed to characterise the Traditionalist queen; her guard was never let down, even in the presence of the goddess, "We need your wisdom," she told her, not one for beating around the bush, "I need to know what I should do. I can not keep this pride together. It's suffering. Your once proud blood is.... muddied, dirtied. We're dieing."
The goddess watched, careful to keep her face impassive. It was either a stroke of brilliant luck or coincidence that she had come across Kenna, whom she knew at least by name and sight; the majority of other lions in the pride she either did not know or had forgotten, or perhaps they had been cubs when she had last seen them. She could not even remember who Kenna's parents were. It would have been beyond awkward to try to wriggle that out during the conversation without looking like she was doing so.
"Kenna, all prides fall upon difficult times. It is what you decide to do with them that marks you as great, or lacking in greatness; and it is a test of my children that they must go through to become strong." Finar-si was astonished to find that she felt a tiny thread of guilt for what had happened. That was ridiculous. Scowling inwardly, she shakes the feeling off, but her eyes soften somewhat. "You have suffered greatly these past few moons, and, my daughter, you are correct in that the pride cannot continue like this. You will die out within the next generation; the Blood is too close." She uses the ancient name for the kin, perhaps something that has not been given in the past few generations. "The pride's failure began when Jua took for a mate a rogue male ... and that may be how it can be saved.
You have but two choices with your own pride. You can, for the moment, join with your rebel brothers, in the hopes that one day you may be able to revive the noble traditionalist pride over them again; or you can bring my lions out to the world, to find a new place there and perhaps return in the future, once your ranks have swelled and new blood has been taken up." There is a considerable pause. "I can send you rogues that are worthy to take up low ranks among you - perhaps even slaves - that is how you must revive the bloodline." Her lips curled, slightly. "It is not the most ideal way, perhaps, but you have no other choice. Strength is valued utmost for these roles ... but the true-bloods, the true royalty, must also be intelligent and crafty. Should you choose to do this, all children of these matings must be raised in the firekin fashion, else all hope for your pride is lost."
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 3:13 pm
Of course, Kenna had no way of knowing that the Goddess had not been watching them. As far as she was concerned, the deity had been listening to them, watching them, even if she had never showed herself. The devotion to Finar-si had been taught to her from youth and it was hard for her to ignore.
Thus, she was not surprised the Goddess knew her name; it only seemed to strengthen what she already knew. What she had always known... that Finar-si HAD indeed been watching them. As the other lioness spoke those, confusion marred the Queen's features, if only momentarily, "But... Great Goddess, we can not continue if our lineage will die. There is no one of Blood for us to mate any more. My children are related to all the other cubs. Far too strongly related to produce worthy litters of their own."
The goddess then voiced what she had also known and feared. What the rest of the adults in the pride seemed content to ignore for the time being. It hurt, to know she had been right... it was not a time she wished to be in the right; she firmly wished she had been wrong about it all.
The solutions given posed a dilemma for her though. She knew quite a few lions in her pride would not be happy with that, even if it WAS the logical solution. She allowed herself to sit down, and for a long moment, did not speak, but rather, seemed to turn inward, digesting all what the goddess had said, "If we do both... at the same time. Would that help?" it was a murmur at first, then she raised her gaze back to the goddess, "My blood is pure; My father was Makadari's son, Mwali. If I brace myself and head off towards the Simo with my mate and children... maybe the poison can be extinguished. I will give your children the choice to join me in an attempt to do what the rebels did to us; work from the inside of their pride, or go out into the roguelands, and spread the kin of fire."
Finar-si was making it up as she went along, pleased by the storylines that could sprout anew from either of these choices. But she merely kept a grave face as she watched Kenna digest this, slowly nodding at the conclusions the other female comes to. "It is inevitable," she remarks gently. "But necessary, for the time being. When the ranks swell again - with care - then you may have more to choose from in the way of mates. That may be a generation or so from now, however; despite your pain, you may not live to see it. But should you choose to save the pride, rather than let it die out, your name as queen will be famed throughout the pride's history." It was, she mused, more or less true, just like Jua's name would probably be damned. Dhyn would probably have a fit if she heard how her mother's name was being used, but Dhyn, as far as Finar-si was concerned, had been a severe disappointment. Ah, well. So long as she stayed away from the Firekin, Finar-si would let her be. For now. It was a bit tempting ... but no, not now. Get the pride back on it's paws first.
Makadari? Mwali? Hmm. Kiu's niece, then. So she hadn't been gone that long. She had thought Mwali long gone, but perhaps he had come back and fathered some children. She certainly couldn't remember him ever having cubs. The red wine-colored lioness tilts her head to the side, considering. "It could not hurt," she says at last, dryly curious over how the rebels would take it ... and how the rest of the world would cope with an onslaught of her children. Most amusing. "But it would be wise to council them to return in the future, those that go out; or have their children, or their children's children, once properly-taught, return. It would also help you when they return, in dealing with the rebels in the future." A thinly veiled suggestion that rebellion against the rebels would be no bad thing, provided it was in the future, when the traditionalists were stronger.
Ah... but her fears and doubts were dissipating by the second. If only because while she had considered this course of action before, it was one thing to think of it on her own, and another to have it approved by Finar-si. Finar-si was the Law, and if the goddess considered it a good course of action, then, well... damned be whomever try to to contradict Kenna in those thoughts.
Nodding, the queen digested the last few pieces of information, her blood red eyes narrowing as she pondered the possibilities of these actions. Aye, indeed they were extreme, but extreme times called for extreme actions. If they did not push against this problem, it would kill them, like the plague had other prides. Kenna would not have that. It did not matter if she did not live to see the kin revived. It was enough to know that Finar-si would see it in the future. She needed no more than that, "We shall do as you have suggested, Great Goddess," she told the other female, her head bowed down low; lower than the proud Queen had ever dipped it. This was an honor reserved only for the Goddess whom she had been bred to feel devotion for, "We will revive the Kin, and we shall do as you have said. I will gather mine immediately, and we shall prepare to push the plan into action then. Your Word is Law."
She inclined her head, both receiving the devotion, and at the same time giving Kenna credit, smiling a faint, tiny smile. "Your devotion is impressive, Kenna. Clearly, you were destined to be Queen during these difficult times; and to see our pride through." Her teeth flash white against her light-colored muzzle; a rare smile of favor. "It is rare, in our history, that a female leads the pride; but when it happens, she generally has more fire in her than any five other kings combined."
"I shall also give you a gift; your new priestess will bear new cubs, the lastborn before the pride disperses. They too will have the gift of foresight, and may be useful to you in times to come." After all, if Finar-si's son had been leading the rebellion, he'd have seer powers as well, and that might be difficult to deal with. The goddess wasn't sure if Kenna was a seer, or had seers on the traditionalist side. Ah, well. Vuvi would simply have to deal with giving children up if Kenna wanted to use them.
"I am proud of you, and you shall carry my blessing with you wherever you go. Your children, too, shall become great, provided you teach them well and do not let them stray from the path." It sounded almost like a prophecy; just the right touch, Finar-si feels with satisfaction. After all, if it doesn't come true, well, Kenna would have herself to blame. Feeling like she'd better leave while she was doing well, and curious as a kitten to find out what Kenna would do with the advice, she spread her magnificant wings, shaking them out experimentally before giving a final, slow nod to the queen. "Fare well, Queen Kenna. We may yet meet again in the future." With a flurry of wings and wind, kicking up the desert sands, the goddess fled the scene.
She watched her leave, her heart racing faster than it had during any fight she'd participated in. She knew what she had to do now. She had consent to carry out Finar-si's will and carry it out she would! Oh, she would make the world cower, she would!
The adrenaline pumped through her veins, the fire revived by Finar-si's praise. Kenna was sure very few lions had received that praise, and by the Goddess, she would prove that she was worthy of it. As the goddess' silhouette vanished, the queen lifted her maw to the sky and roared, long and hard. The sound carried across the sand and it was a warning that a new era would soon enough start.
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