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 Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:08 pm
 Out on her patrols again, the lioness was deep in thought even as her orange eyes swept over the pride lands, keeping a lookout for any intruders. Intruders, like her 'mother'.
Shinda still wasn't sure what to think of the older lioness. But the story she told could very well be true, and she was determined to find out if it was. It was time to dig into the past, time to find out what exactly had happened before she was born. She harbored the notion of interrogating Sakata and demanding an explanation from him.
But if he hadn't told her back then, why would he tell her now?
There was something sinister brewing, nevertheless. She would have to find allies, others that would help her.
The problem was Shinda didn't like trusting others.
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 5:43 am
 The young Sacrifice happily made her way down the path she and Daddy had taken many times before, on secret and known excursions. Only this time, she was going to go it alone!
Kali had come to the conclusion that she was quite old enough to do things on her own, now that she'd been a member of this world for several months now. She'd been a somewhat dutiful pupil for her lessons about the spiritual world, she'd been somewhat mindful to her nanny and parents... and, well, it was time for her to discover life for herself!
... or at least, that's what she planned on telling her parents, should they discover she'd evaded her nanny's watchful eye once more!
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 5:59 am
Her sharp ears pricked up at the sound of tiny pawsteps, frowning as she noted there were no heavier ones chasing after. For a moment, Shinda pushed her troublesome thoughts to the back of her mind, her orange eyes brightening as she scanned the area, searching for the little cub who had escaped the care of the Minders.
In her youth, she reflected, she hadn't dared to disobey her Minders; the expectations they put on her were simply too heavy that she had to be mature at a very young age. She didn't really have a proper childhood, she supposed.
It was surprising then, when she discovered that the cub was one of her half-siblings, and Shinda bit back a sigh, watching her frolic about in her delight for a few moments before deciding to intrude. "And where is your Minder, little one?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:30 am
Her head jerked around at the sound of the voice. Why hadn't she realized someone was there?!
"I.. I.. uhh, I uh," she stammered, completely caught by surprise as her bright orange eyes gazed back into ones of the same color. Wait.. she'd seen this Warrior before, out practicing!
"I'm old enough to not need a Minder, thank you!" She finally snapped, collecting her thoughts. Didn't this Warrior obviously see how strong Kali was, and how old she'd grown in the few months she'd walked in this world?
She creased her eyebrows and gave the older girl a frown, hoping her naturally ill-tempered face would give off a solemn and serious vibe, just as she'd seen her father's do when he was barking at some of the Warriors in training.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:43 am
"I'm pretty sure the Queen would say otherwise." She answered smoothly, a calm stare fixed on her half-sister. Indeed, she looked more like Jini'chongo than Sakata. Even this near, it was obvious, seeing how the orange markings decorated her fur. Shinda, on the other hand...
Frankly, she was a little surprised the cub hadn't noticed how much she looked like the Warleader. The simple markings, the orange eyes, the larger physique...
Maybe she shouldn't have expected too much of a mere cub, of royal blood or not. She remained firmly in her position, unfazed by the look the young one was giving her. In truth, she was rather amused by her defiance.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:52 am
"Well... where's your Minder, then?" Kali smugly replied, sticking out her tongue at the older girl. This lioness couldn't be that much older than Kali... could she?
"I'm the daughter of Sakata, I can go where I please and everyone else better watch out, else Imma take care of them good!" she announced, sounding as threatening as she could muster up. True, she might not be nearly as frightening or commanding as her larger father, but Kali'ari was determined to develop the same personality as his, and one day be able to instill the same fear and respect the others gave him, for herself.
Straightening up her shoulders, she stood there proudly. "So you better watch out, lady, because I'm a Warrior too!"
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:00 am
An amused grin formed on her face, and Shinda threw back her head and laughed. "I grew out of my Minders' care long ago." And she had never really went to see them after that; Shinda didn't find socializing with cubs as fascinating as she did when she was smaller.
"Well well, what a coincidence." The lioness said, arching an eyebrow. "I too, am the daughter of Sakata." Really, even though their father had taken her to see them (while they were sleeping too), she wondered if he was serious about her being part of his family when he hadn't bothered to mention to them that they had an older sister.
Better late than never, then.
"A Warrior?" She echoed, pinning the cub with an unblinking gaze. "I'm pretty sure the best role you could fill is that of being the future Queen. Either that, or Royal Sacrifice. There's not much choice, is there?"
Really, she was rather glad she wasn't Jini'chongo's daughter. At least she got to choose what she wanted to be.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:21 am
Her nose scrunched up in displeasure. "Nobody saaaaaid a Royal Sacrifice couldn't be a Warrior too, y'know."
It took the young cub a few minutes to digest the information the older girl told her. While her Daddy had mentioned the fact that Kali had an older sister, Kali wasn't one to actually think about that sort of thing, not when this sister of hers was never actually around them or anything.
"You're Sheeda?" she asked curiously, tilting her head and forgetting her GRR face for a moment or two. "You kind of look like Daddy... but if you're my sister, how come we've never met before? Are you jealous or somethin'? I bet I can get Daddy to make you a Sacrifice too, if you wanna."
Pausing, she narrowed her eyes as she thought about her last statement. "That is, if you're nice to me and stuff."
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:30 am
"And nobody said they could." She replied simply. Such large dreams for such a little one. She remembered vaguely, when she herself looked at her father from afar and wishing that she would be a Warrior so that he could pay more attention to her.
That was just stupid, of course.
"Shinda." She corrected, making a face of slight disgust at the mutilation of her name. Really, this was why she didn't particularly like conversing with cubs. Or socialising with them, for any matter. It was just plain awkward.
"I've been to visit you and your siblings once. When you were sleeping, unfortunately." Jealous. She still wasn't sure if she should be, if she was. Too many things had took up her mind of late. "I'm perfectly content in being a Warrior." A smirk tugged at the edge of her maw. "So you don't have to go through the trouble."
"And you are?" She realized that she didn't exactly know their names yet. Sakata hadn't told her, and she hadn't asked, out of habit that he had never answered the questions she posed out of curiosity in her youth.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:39 am
Hmph. What a mean 'ol lady, this lioness was!
"Ok Sheeeeenda," Kali drew out, intentionally butchering the name as she found the Warrior's reaction to the slander quite amusing. If her sister was going to pick at her for the Warrior thing, well then, Kali was going to pick right back! It puzzled her that Shinda would pay her a visit while she was sleeping (after all, don't guests visit so they can talk?), but she wouldn't question it. Not when she had some more taunting to do!
Hmphing audibly, she lifted her chin in the air. "I am Kali'ari. And you just watch, you old lady, I'll become a Warrior too, soon enough. I'll be better than you, and maybe even better than Daddy!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:42 am
She had hoped, that her younger sister would be decent enough to not mangle her name any further after seeing her reaction. Sadly, it had been a futile attempt. Really, cubs these days were getting out of hand. Daddy dearest must have been pampering this little princess of his.
As much venom she felt as she thought that, Shinda kept an impassive look on her face. If she didn't bother about it, the little one would probably get bored and use her name properly. Eventually.
Kali'ari. She filed the name away in her mind, the smirk quirking on her face yet again. Such unreachable goals this one had. "I'd love to see the day. But you are different from me, Kali'ari. You have obligations to the pride. I can, however, and have chose the path I wanted, the path you want, in fact." Her half-sister really needed to come back down to reality. And if Sakata wouldn't do it...
Then this elder sister would.
Really, she was doing this for Kali's own good.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 6:58 am
Growing increasingly frustrated, the small child's eyes began to well with tears. It wasn't fair that her sister, her own flesh and blood, would be able to achieve and obtain the one rank Kali sought after more than anything, while she herself seemed forever doomed to the life of a Royal Sacrifice.
She didn't want to learn the ways of the spirits. She didn't want to stay cooped up in the caves, watching the others reading entrails, when she could be outside in the sun, fighting and brawling with comrades and enemies. Kali knew her Father had just been agreeing with Mother, but for a sister... no, a stranger to confirm that her Warrior dream was unobtainable...
No. The young cub had been stubborn with her Father, and she would be stubborn with this Shinda. She would be stubborn and overcome these silly rules. She would get to be a Warrior.
"Maybe for now you can tell me what to do," she huffed, the small tears beginning to flow down her dark cheeks, "But you just try when I get bigger. I won't be so easy to stop then!"
Embarrassed at crying like a cub (since of course, she was far to old for that sort of nonsense!), Kali'ari quickly turned on her heels and scurried away from where Shinda stood. She wouldn't let her older sister see her cry. She wouldn't let anyone see her cry. No, she was gonna grow tougher, and stronger, and BIGGER, and then she'd show them all!
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:26 am
Oh. Oh oh oh damn.
No one told her cubs were this hard to handle. Why couldn't they just take the blunt truth in stride? Shinda resisted an urge to grind her teeth in annoyance. It really wouldn't do to get on any of the Royal family's bad side. Especially if it was true about what Jini'chongo was about to do to her.
And well, Sakata wouldn't like it that she had made his little princess cry.
Dammit, her mother had died when she was young and she hadn't even shed a tear! Then again, she hadn't really known her, so there was nothing much to remember, to mourn over.
Did Kali'ari really think she had it worse than her? Oh no. She didn't know how hard Shinda's life had been when she was growing up; it was harder than her comfy life as the daughter of the Queen and Warleader.
Sighing, the lioness padded after her half-sister, trying her best to sound comforting, which she wasn't too good at due to lack of experience. "I'm just telling you the truth. There's no use in deluding you, is there?" Then, she paused, a thought clicking into mind. "At least you have your parents." It was quiet, hesitant, and sounded rather...well, sad.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:44 am
Kali glanced up, scowling at the older girl. Didn't she realize that Kali wanted to be alone?!
"Don't be stupid," she growled fussily, leaning down to wipe her wet cheeks against her shoulder. "You have parents. You have the same Daddy as me!"
Her scamper slowed in pace, until she was walking, albeit slowly, beside the other girl. She turned her face away and refused to look back up at her again, less another round of traitorous tears felt the inclination to fall and impede her blurry vision any further.
"Rules are stupid." She finally said at last, after a few minutes of silence. "I bet Daddy could let me be a Warrior, if he really wanted me to be. What good is a Sacrifice, if they don't do anything until they die?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:55 am
"Same daddy, maybe." Shinda said as gently as she could. She couldn't convince herself that the father Sakata was to her and the father he was to Kali and her siblings were the same, however. "But have you ever heard about my mother?" Orange eyes flashed, remembering the older lioness who had approached her a few days ago. Was it really a few days? Sometimes it seemed as if it was so long ago, sometimes it seemed as though it was just yesterday.
"I don't know." The lioness offered quietly. "The Minders raised me, taught me everything about the pride, told me of all the expectations set on me, imprinted the rules into my brain. I've grown up with everyone reminding me of it all that I couldn't really question it." For a moment there, the larger lioness seemed vulnerable, lost.
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