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 Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:08 am
She could hear the echo of her mother's shouts, her angry rebuke of 'get out'. Yes, she'd pushed her luck this time, but was it really so bad to want to know who her father was? Yes, in the grand scheme of things, he was just a male. Not even a Parastar. An outsider who didn't know his place. But he was mysterious. And he was an outsider. That's why she wanted to know him. Curiosity drove her to it. She wanted to know about the world he lived in.
But Horowai would not hear of it and her head still hurt from the strike the blue lioness had dealt her grey-pelted daughter.
Now she was running as fast as her little legs could take her, just in case her mother decided that she was going to come after her. She risked a glance over her shoulder as she ran and, to her relief, saw no one following her.
Safe, then, it seemed.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:19 am
Safe enough, at least, until her distraction ended up propelling her right into the leg of a much brighter, larger lioness. Knowing that the small thump against her hind leg couldn't possibly be of much threat to her, the emerald eyes of the Kunanda queen swivelled down to land upon her niece, recognition lighting them. The toh that Horowai was paying for her shameful attitude, this one. Living in the same clan meant Tejasvi knew all about the fussing, no matter that she was often busy. It almost made her laugh to think that Horowai had ended up with one that was such a handful.
"Going somehwere in a hurry?" She querried, tail flicking behind her as she studied the little one. Not the most honorable of colors, that was for sure. Her sister wasn't the top of the charts, but Tejasvi often found herself wondering what sort of male Horowai had let best her. It was no matter, in the end, as he'd been a rogue, she supposed, and not truly bound to their practices, but it still put a sour taste in her mouth. It was easier to say that one was accepting than to actually be as accepting as one said.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:24 am
"Oof!" The pain in her head was renewed as she bumped straight into the leg of another lioness - though thankfully not her mother. The impact sent her sprawling over backwards and it took her a moment to find her paws again. When she did, she blinked up at this blue lioness, curiosity there.
This one looked like her little sister. Or rather, her sister looked like this one.
At the question, the cub stiffened a little. "Um. No." Judging by the colours, this one would be a Rawal, yes? She'd better get her act together and pull herself out of that annoyed slump her mother had put her in. Yes...this one certainly was a handful.
She had the looks of that enigmatic male. She had his face, his eyes, his grey pelt. Certainly she was not a pretty creature by any means.
"I'm Aysu. Why do you look like my sister?"
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:31 am
A light smirk quirked the corner of her mouth as she watched the thoughts pass through the little one's eyes. She was confused, that much was apparent, and Teja made a mental note to scold Horowai - or at least whatever nanny she had found - later about the importance of this one knowing her family and where she had come from. It wouldn't do if she grew up running into lionesses and asking them such mundane questions. For now, it was tolerable, as she was so young, but she knew other lionesses that would not have even given her that grace at this age. Her own aunt probably would have been quite unamused.
"I'd say your sister looks like me, Aysu," she said calmly, sitting down in front of the little one, though it did very little to change the difference in their heights. "I'm Tejasvi'Nila, your mother is my sister." Among other things, she might add. The top of those being a royal pain in her rump at the best of times.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:36 am
Oh. So she was that aunt. Yes...maybe Mother had mentioned something about that before. Not that Aysu ever listened. She'd made it her job in life to do the exact opposite her mother wanted.
Horowai didn't want to talk about Father so it's all Aysu talked about. Horowai did want her daughters to learn about the pride so Aysu found something more interesting to focus on. She had, however, caught enough information that she knew the female sitting before her was not a Rawal at all. She was far greater than that.
Aysu shrank down a little, realising how big the gap between their status' were and how stupid and foolish she must seem. She had little tact this girl and was often blunt in her mannerisms. Then again, she'd show Mother up if she acted badly now. However, even that thought was not enough to have her show herself up.
"Oh. Hello." She dared to lift an ear. "Um. Yes. Mother told us about our Aunts. Especially you. She told us not to bother you and stuff. So...uh...yeah..." She blinked. "Sorry for...bumping into you." There, finally she had some manners, even if they were badly worded.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:50 am
Well, it was nice to know that Horowai hadn't completely failed in the teaching department. At least the little one knew her by name, if not immediately by sight. She'd know now in any case, that was for sure, and she suspected that she'd just done a complete turn around in attitude. As much trouble as Aysu was, it was a bit hard to believe she was suddenly so submissive.
"That's a little hypocritical," she muttered, so low that she wasn't sure the cub would even here, though that was just fine with her if she didn't - it was more of an off hand comment anyway. It almost made her laugh to think that Horowai was lecturing someone on not bothering her when, up until recently, Teja had had her paws full taking care of Horowai left and right. This one might look like her father, but her blatant disregard for rules reeked of her mother.
"It's alright, little one, I don't mind so much. I'm not doing anything at the moment, simply playing a bit of hookie." She relaxed herself into a laying position and reached out to scoop her paw around the smaller body, dragging Aysu towards her without any regard to what protests might arise.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:55 am
Her ear caught something of the murmer, but the word was not a familiar one and, beliving she'd misheard, shrugged it off as nothing. If it was important, she'd repeat herself, right?
And then the lioness was moving, a paw was reachign for her. To give her a cuff? She tried to draw back but wasn't quick enough. Instead she was scooped forwards, dragged closer to the pale blue lioness. There was no shouting. No hitting. Well this was new. Maybe Aunt was better than Mother after all, which was odd, considering her high rank and all.
It didn't make sense.
"You're not like I thought you'd be. Don't you care I have an ugly face?"
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 11:04 am
"We all have different opinions," she said with a small shrug, though she knew Horowai's lay primarily in the fact that high-ranking daughters would have made her look better in the eyes of the pride. She loved her sister dearly, but she was easy to read. Not that it wasn't a commonly shared notion among the rest of the pride, or that it wasn't true, because it was, it was just unfortunate that the little one had to deal with Horowai's disappointment in her. She was the only Rawal daughter her own mother had ever had, and she imagined she was vaguely frowned upon for that, despite her great rule.
"I wouldn't say that you're ugly, just unfortunate, Aysu. The gods bestow upon you what they will, and you must learn to accept that in life." She shrugged, reaching out with her other paw to toy with the small tuft of hair atop her niece's head, the other still wrapped around her smaller frame. "Though, who am I to say it is unfortunate? For all we know, you could have been a male in your last life, and that would mean this time you are very fortunate indeed."
She smirked and shook her head, turning to look out at the jungle. "Sometimes others have trouble seeing the silver lining, that's all."
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 11:09 am
Well this was a turn of events indeed. To think that her Aunt could be saying such comforting nice things when her own mother could not? They were very different, these two sisters, a lot like her and her own siblings, in fact.
She nodded. "There was this other lioness. Black, she was. She told me a similar thing." But it was hard to accept it, especially when she knew her mother was bitterly dissapointed. Was it ridiculous to think that, despite all the grief she brought her mother, that deep down she just wanted to be loved?
At the thought of being a boy in a past life her face scrunched up with distaste. "Ew. I hope not. Boys are icky."
And then that last comment. The silver lining. "Including me." She added with a sigh. "You're not much like Mother, are you, Auntie? Mother doesn't understand anything." She gave another, elaborate sigh and flattened her ears. "I'm going to be glad when I can take care of myself."
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 11:23 am
A black lioness? Her mind drifted over all the females she could think of like that, and though a few came to mind, she simply shrugged it off. It was worrisome sometimes to think of the Shikar-i passing comfort among themselves, given the state of the pride at the moment and the tendency for the lower ranks to grow weary with their positions, but she had to give them a little faith and trust, and try not to point any fingers.
"Boys are icky, indeed," she said with a little laugh, amused at the childish notion that was very close to the true belief of the pride itself. She would grow to see their necessity one day, though. "They serve their purpose though, like all of us do."
"Including you," she nodded as her niece asked, turning her bright green eyes down onto her. "And no, I don't suppose we're very much alike at all. She does understand some things though, she's just.." Well, she didn't want to lie to the little one, but she knew Horowai was, well, Horowai. "She's just a little harsh, is all, she had it rough. Our mother died when she was very small." She flickered her tail, her gaze drifting back out again. "Don't we all wait for that? Though it's not as grand as you might think. So much to do." She often wished for the days where she wasn't the queen, where she wasn't responsible for a whole pride.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 11:26 am
She shrugged. Boys only served to be irritants. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with them. Nothing at all. Only her father was a male worthy of her attention. Only her dear father, a male she already loved without ever having met.
She shrugged a little. "That's no excuse..." But maybe she'd spend a little time trying to understand her mother, even if they didn't see eye to eye. It was worrisome how little she knew about her parent. Both parents, in actual fact.
"Auntie, did you ever meet my father?" The question came out of the blue, but it was clear the child thought of him a lot. He was never far from her mind. "Mother won't talk about him. She just gets angry when I ask her about him."
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 11:39 am
"It's a good excuse," she said softly, frowning as she stared off into the distance. It was a frown meant for the cub, but she wouldn't look at her, instead choosing to appear as if something else had caught her eye, or simply her attention. She didn't need to tell the tale of how she'd had to become more mother than sister to her younger siblings, it mattered little, as it was simply what was expected of her.
"Your father?" she asked, a brow quirking and her eyes turning back to the younger female despite herself. "No, I never met him." She shook her head, though she was carefully studying Aysu as she asked about the elusive male. She'd been told of what had happened, just barely, after a confrontation with her sister. Horowai had provoked him, no doubt, but in her mind she had a good reason to be angry, even if it didn't need to be taken out on her cubs.
"Your mother has a good reason for being angry, even if it's hard for you to understand that right now. Boys are icky, and they grow up to do even more icky things sometimes." The terms made her want to laugh at herself, but it was a good way to talk to the young one on her level, she supposed. "If your mother thinks it's best that you not know, then perhaps she's right."
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 11:44 am
Scrabbling free, the cub turned to face the lioness, a frown on her own little face, a face pale in comparison to the rest of her grey-swept body. She was dissapointed that her Aunt hadn't met him. Maybe she'd have been able to learn more about him if that was the case.
Yet it seemed he had only bothered to speak to her mother. And why her of all people? There was nothing attractive about her!
"Father isn't like that." Aysu insisted, stomping a little paw. "I know he isn't." She wasn't sure how. She'd dreamt of meeting him so many times that she'd crafted a perfect image of him in her mind.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 12:02 pm
Tejasvi just looked down at the little cub as she scrabbled away, not even fighting to keep her close. Inwardly, she sighed at the thought of this one becoming so attached to her father. Becoming attached to males, either mates or father figures, was not something that typically boded well, especially for females of lower ranks. She'd have to tell Ardala or Aladra to keep an eye on this one.
"How would you know, Aysu? You don't even know him." She sighed and shook her head, flicking her tail as she let her gaze rest on the younger female for a long moment. "Listen to me, and listen carefully. Nothing good comes of getting attached to a male, do you understand? You are angry at your mother because she is hard on you, and that I can understand, but it is no reason to forsake the teachings of this pride."
Tej knew that forsaking the teachings was perhaps not the foremost thing in her mind right now, but male attachment, one way or another, always led down that path.
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 12:08 pm
Aysu listened, and though a scowl lingered on her face, it was clear she was listening and listening well. She had heard those words before, though formed differently on her mother's tongue. But here was another female, telling her almost the exact same thing.
But he wasn't just any male. He was her father. Could they not understand that? Did they really not think of their father at all? No...she supposed they wouldn't. She shouldn't, either, she realised then. It was wrong. Very wrong. But she couldn't help it.
"I understand." And she did. "I won't forsake the teachings, Auntie. I won't." Not on purpose, anyway. But as the words left her mouth, she knew if her father came and stole her away she wouldn't tell him to bring her back.
"I should go now. Mother might be waiting." It wasn't the real reason why she wanted to go. She just wanted to get her head around this new realisation. That, in fact, she couldn't have her father and the pride. She couldn't please both.
"Thank you." She wasn't sure what exactly she was thanking the lioness for, but she felt it was only right. Besides, she'd made her realise that not every light coloured female was so nasty.
She backed up a few steps, then turned and hastened back the way she had come.
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