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 Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:07 pm
It was a strange time for all of them. The Safi had relented, and their leader, that Kenna, she had brought them to the Simo. Those of them that had wanted to come. He knew that many had not. He had known when he had failed to see Jua's dark form amidst the newcomers, or... He didn't know what else. His sister was the one lion from the Safi, now, that he would have recognized, and try as he might, he knew he wouldn't find her. She was so much like Ripuka. He had met her but for moments during the rebellion, but that much had been obvious, and he could only imagine how she felt about the Simo.
It was difficult for him to see the lions of the old Safi within the pride, though part of him was glad. Still, he understood enough to know that their main reason for coming hadn't been because they had seen change. It wasn't because they understood the Simo's point of view. It was because there were too few of them. They couldn't continue on, they had been forced to come. The thought deeply disturbed him, the thought of vengeful souls mixing in amongst his pride.
On top of that, there was Ripuka. Try as he might to banish the thoughts and memories of her death from his mind, he knew they weighed heavily on him constantly. It had slowly become easier to bear, and much that had been because of Uddhava. The little golden cub and Yin were as far as his family stretched, and he was eternally grateful to the both of them for being there, and for helping to anchor him to the world.
Still, everything that had transpired, and in so short a time, spelled worry for the tan-pelted General, and as he padded across the sands, a small frown creased his features and his mind was full.
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:22 am
Ny was more then happy that the Safi had returned for with them returned one of her children. She was proud of him for he still believed what she had taught all her children. Though she was sad, for though they returned she knew the one she missed the most wouldn't return. Though some of her family had and then there was the little one. The one that Kidondo spoke about. The cub of Ripuka's he was going to throw out the pride. She wasn't happy about this and no matter what she did, she couldn't forgive him for it.
She was wandering today, allowing her mind to wander. Thoughts of her daughter and how she had been treated by her 'mate', thoughts of Intuthu who had left the pride for he had fallen in love. So many things had happened so fast and Ny couldn't keep up with them. They were stressing her out. All she wanted was things to be relaxed again but it seemed to her they never would be.
She couldn't believe for one minute that the Safi returning wouldn't bring problems. She was glad they had returned but she knew with it brought drama. They had all fought so hard for what they believed in, they weren't going to just roll over now were they? No, she had kept her beliefs to herself since the war. She knew that the pride needed new blood and maybe the Safi do too but still something nagged at her. She couldn't see things sorting themselves out soon.
As she walked she seemed to have forgotten herself, so wrapped up in her own thoughts. She hadn't even noticed how close she was to anyone else. It seemed there was too much to think about though she wished to not have to think about any of it.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 3:19 am
He had almost wandered across the white lioness's path when he realized that it would be polite to pause and at least greet the other. For a moment, his frown deepened at the thought that he was so preoccupied that it had taken him this long to fully comprehend that there was another lion nearby. It wasn't a good sign. That they were in the middle of the pridelands where the chance of there being a rogue or a stranger was next to zero wasn't an excuse, and mentally he made a note to stay aware of his surroundings. Or at least more so than he had moments before.
He stopped and turned toward the white lioness, his many thoughts hidden from his face. "Good day," He said as his eyes met hers and he nodded in greeting.
She seemed familiar. Granted, she was obviously a Firekin, and as such it didn't surprise him that he felt as if he had seen her before. If she had been with the pride since the Rebellion, then it was only to be expected that one time or other, he had glimpsed her walking by in the distance.
She wasn't a Safi. That was easy to tell. There was a certain quality about them that spelled the fact that they weren't part of the pride. They were now, technically, he knew, but they hadn't truly been assimilated into the Simo yet, and he still had his reservations about them. Only a fool could possibly consider the notion that life could go on as it had before the band of Safi had arrived. There was bound to be trouble, sooner or later.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:55 am
Ny's head rose at the greeting and she stopped suddenly. Was Ripuka trying to haunt her through her children or something? She let out a soft sigh and forced a smile Azarax's way. She knew who he was though she wasn't sure that she had ever actually spoken to him. There were things about him that had always seemed like Ripuka and she wasn't even sure if she had been told about the relation but she had always believed it.
"Good day." She replied to him.
"I am surprised to see you out here. I would have thought you would be keeping an eye on the newcomers" Ny looked at him, her face emotionless. She knew his ranking and was sure most in the pride did. She thought the comment was fair, she was surprised Kidondo and No weren't on their tails constantly. She was sure that no one trusted them.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 9:23 am
The straightforward comment would have surprised him, but something about the lioness seemed to radiate confidence and a certain bluntness in her words that he could appreciate. It made life easier, he had found, when he was spoken to flat out as opposed to in riddles, or in any form of beating around the bush. Life was what it was, and he appreciated it when others understood that.
"I would have liked to," He admitted. "But I couldn't possibly keep an eye on all thirty-three of them. In any case," he added. "I'd rather not start trouble where there isn't any." It made sense to be watchful, slightly suspicious even, but it was difficult with the Safi. It was hard to tell whether or not they would start anything, though he knew most were convinced they would, and until something happened it simply wasn't a good idea push the issue.
He paused. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "I'm sure I've seen you before, but I don't suppose we've been introduced. I'm Azarax."
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:07 pm
Ny looked at him and nodded. It made sense and it still hurt her to know that one of her children would be watched with suspicion. She was just glad that he was finally home, now the family was getting closer to being back together.
"Yes Azarax, the one who use to be in your brothers position now." She smiled softly, her eyes were vacant of all emotion, they looked dull as she stared at him.
"I am Nyeupe'Moto but you may call me Ny, most do." She watched him curiously and sighed. The world was not fair. Here Azarax stood in front of her in such a high position when his own brother would be kicked out in not too long. It saddened her. The pride was confusing. Then she wondered if it would ever be simple again.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:57 pm
"Pleased to meet you, Ny," He said with another nod.
"My brother," he echoed. A sad smile stole across his face as he remembered Kidondo's words. Udd would be reaching his adolescence soon, as strange as that might seem. He was growing every day, and under Moja's guidance, he was learning more and more. He would be well prepared for live outside of the desert on his own when it came time for him to leave, Azarax had full confidence in that. But it didn't make the fact that his departure was drawing nearer each day any easier.
The urge to protect the little golden lion had only grown stronger since he had first met Uddhava, though Azarax knew that his brother was becoming more capable of taking care of himself. But he couldn't protect a lion that wasn't around. He couldn't make sure he was safe and that Ripuka's promise had been kept if Uddhava was wandering those strange, foreign lands all on his own.
He shook his head. "No," he muttered. "His position is harder to be in than mine ever was." Because he understood his little brother. Udd wasn't anything anyone would expect of a Firekin, apart from his size, and even then he had always been somewhat smaller than most. The dash of red in his mane was the only indicator of his heritage, and his personality was the complete opposite of the average lion in the pride. He was like an anti-Firekin, almost. He was shy, and timid, and it wasn't difficult to scare or worry him. The prospect of leaving the desert was a daunting one, even for Azarax, and he could only imagine what it was to Uddhava.
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:13 am
Ny nodded as he spoke and then watched as his facial expressions changed. He obviously cared about his brother. Ny cared about the youngster though she was yet to speak to him. She wasn't sure that she could talk to him without wanting to keep him as her own. She had already made her views about kicking the youngster out to Kidondo and she had angered him somewhat.
"Yes I suppose you are right." She didn't say much more on the subject. "I am not sure how your mother would feel about it all..." Though Ny knew she wouldn't have argued the fact, Ripuka had strong motherly instincts. She missed her so much.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:31 am
He wondered, too, how Ripuka might have felt about Kidondo's decision. More than once, he had tried to put himself into her mind, tried to figure out what Uddhava's departure might mean to her. But the fact remained, he hadn't known her well enough to do such a thing. Not by a long shot, and that knowledge filled him with regret.
He studied the white lioness carefully, trying to place her, but he had no past memories of her. Definitely not after the split of the prides, he would have remembered. But perhaps before then, he had thought, but nothing came to mind.
"I wonder too," he said with a small frown. It didn't help that he had to wonder about such things and not be able to gain any answers. "Did... you know her well?" He asked. Obviously, Ny knew what had happened. He supposed it was somewhat easier for him, not having known her all too well. The knowledge that one of his parents was gone forever did leave a hole in him, but he could only imagine what it must have done to those who had known her well.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:49 am
Ny wondered how much Azarax thought about his mother but didn't ask, she just nodded as he spoke. She had loved Ripuka greatly and she was still a little bitter though now, it wasn't just towards Kidondo, it was towards many. In fact anyone who may have had something to do with the splitting on the prides, which she was almost certain was the reason Ripuka had been killed. She would get over it, but it still felt like a fresh wound.
"Ripuka was like a mother to me. I never really knew my mother much and then when Ra and I came back to the pride and had our children, Ripuka was always there for me." She let out a sigh. Oh how she missed her Ra.
"So yes, I believe I can say I knew her well. She taught me everything about the pride and the traditions that we held." Again she let out another sigh, she missed the days where Ripuka would tell her that Finar-si would look after them no matter what.
"Things change though.... it sees like forever ago she was telling me all about that." She smiled at the male, she was trying to hold her own but Ripuka brought alot of emotions to the surface and she was having trouble keeping them all under control.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:01 pm
As he listened, he thought how strange it was that he was meeting a lioness who had known his mother so much better than he had. He supposed it made sense, in a roundabout way. Ripuka had been a storeyteller, and she had doubtless taught numerous youngsters. His mind flitted to Kidondo as Azarax realized that the Regent, too, had been much closer to Ripuka than he.
And as he stood, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He wasn't the one who should be mourning Ripuka. There were so many on whose shoulders that responsibility fell, and his wasn't really one of them. Ripuka had been his mother in name and by blood, but the fact remained that he had barely known her.
It's time to move on...
Perhaps it was. And still, his mind lingered on the fact that she had brought Uddhava to the Simo. She had trusted him to keep his brother safe, to take care of him, even though she had had no idea what the Simo would have done. To either she or the cub.
Azarax nodded, returning her smile with a small one. "It has been a while," He agreed. Since everything, for him, had truly begun.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 11:27 am
Ny nodded as he spoke. She hadn't been amazingly talkative for a while now so Azarax was lucky to have got as much out of her as he had. Since her argument with Kidondo she had kept mostly to herself. She still did not agree with his decision over Ripuka's cub.
"Where is your brother? I wish to meet him before he is thrown out." She was careless with her words but in a way they were true, he was being thrown out. She wished to meet him though, see how much this cub would resemble the female who she missed daily. Oh how she wished she could turn the clock back.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:03 pm
A small smile pulled as his mouth at Ny's words. Her choice of words, and perhaps the way she said them, told him that the white lioness had some strong feelings about Kidondo's decision for Uddhava's future. It was a reassuring feeling, to know that Ny cared about the young lion without ever having met him. It didn't matter that it was because of her relationship with Ripuka. It was enough to put his mind at ease, at least a little. Because if Ny could care about Uddhava like she did, then it meant that it could happen outside of the desert too.
"He lives with Yin-li and I in our den, but he spends much of his time learning from Moja." He thought about the lioness he had met briefly only once. Sometimes, it made him wonder that he placed so much trust in her to teach Uddhava about the outside world. Still, he knew, there was likely no one else better than Moja to do the job, and he trusted Kidondo's decisions.
"You should come meet him someday, then," he nodded. "I suppose he might like that."
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:48 am
Ny listened and nodded.
"It must be horrible for the boy, living somewhere knowing that you aren't welcome to stay." She let out a soft sigh. At least she knew where he lived and was taught. It meant that she would be able to seek him out and at least watch him, if not talk to him. She knew the poor boy wouldn't have the best time fitting in with those his age so she would look out for him if at all possible.
"Thank you, I will be sure to seek him out, if only to see him."
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:53 am
Azarax nodded. Perhaps, he thought, that horrible was a bit of a harsh word for it, but the idea was right. It couldn't be easy, to know that you were only a part-time tenant, that you were only allowed to stay for the sake of learning how to live life somewhere else. He couldn't imagine it, and to be honest, he didn't quite want to know how it felt.
"Do," He said. "When he leaves, I think it would be good for him to leave with more knowledge about his mother. Perhaps you could tell him more about her than I could." He didn't add the reason why. He was sure Ny would know, and in any case, it wasn't something he liked to spend any particular amount of time dwelling on.
"I won't take up more of your time," he added, realizing he had some ways more to patrol. He turned to leave, hoping that Ny would seek Uddhava out soon. It was obvious that the lioness had strong feelings about Udd's departure. Perhaps, he mused, a meeting between the two could do them both good.
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