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 Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:33 am
Shinda was, without a doubt, furious.
Still, she managed to purse her lips into a stern line, resisting the urge to curl them into a snarl. She didn't know if what she had been told was the truth. Yet. All her life, she had been intent on exposing the mystery shrouding her mother's death, but now, something more important made her determined that this time, she would find out what exactly had transpired.
This time, there were to be no lies. She was not a cub anymore, not a young lioness they could persuade to give up her questioning but feigning the lack of knowledge to answer her questions. This time, she would go straight to the source, straight to Sakata.
And she wouldn't let it rest until he told her the truth.
Desperately, the Warrior wished that the story she had heard from that lioness was all a lie, a hoax and that her father was not as stupid as the story made him out to be. She hadn't been close to Sakata, that was true, but she still couldn't bear the thought of...
Well, of whatever Jini'chongo would do if...or when she found out about this scandal. It was not going to be a pretty sight, she was sure.
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:19 am
As the situation within the pride has become more troubled, the Warleader has found that what 'free time' he once had has now been entirely consumed. His Warriors are kept ever-busy, patrolling the borders and assisting the Hunters whenever possible. The Veterans are all being run almost as ragged as he is himself, trying to keep up with the demands of their leader. And the Second... well. It must be difficult, being in a position of responsibility for the food the pride needs, when the prey is so scarce, so it's no surprise that Usiku has been curiously absent of late.
Sakata's own hunts, once considered a haven from the pressures of his life as a Warleader, have taken on a new air of urgency. He brings what he can to the Minders, but the lions share (haha) goes to himself and the Warriors. It's just not good tactics to starve the fighters when danger threatens. And, as callous as it sounds, the pride stands a better chance of survival if a good share of healthy adults remain. The potential loss of cubs is a calculated risk.
These thoughts occupy his mind as he watches from his overlook, perched atop the rocky crag that runs along the bulk of the pride's heartlands. War is inevitable, and with the looming danger on the horizon it's far too easy to put his own troubles aside.
The approach of one of his Warriors - his daughter, he reminds himself - is noted, but given no more acknowledgment than a curt nod as he waits for her report.
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:43 pm
Indeed, the hectic situation in the pride had forced Shinda to focus on her duties for now, putting aside the idea of meeting her father to clarify the truth. It had also given her time to sit down and think it over, though Shinda wondered what good it would do to that lioness if she had indeed lied about Sakata's...activities with her. She just wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. And how he was planning to solve this sticky situation he had landed himself in.
The Warrior had to force herself to dip her head in greeting as she approached the Warleader--no, she wasn't approaching him because of matters of the Claw. She was doing this because he was her father. "Do you not fear what the Queen will do if she knew...no, when she finds out what you did?" The question was posed, and now all she had to do was watch his reaction and wait for his response.
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 6:52 am
The sudden verbal assault (from his daughter, no less!) is surprising enough to elicit a visible reaction from the Warleader - he blinks, and pulls his head back sharply. But that is all the response she earns, at first, as he stares at her from behind his blank mask.
His first response, of course, would be to ask Shinda which of the many 'incidents' she is talking about. Takatifu. Tukutu. The secret visits to the Claw with Kali'ari. Even his own long-buried plans... and darker secrets from the past. But the facade of the silent and slow-thinking Warleader serves him well in this stead, and his response is as dry and non-committal as possible.
"You'll have to be more specific, Shinda. There are many things the Queen does not know about."
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:48 pm
She settled herself next to him, staring out at the horizon impassively. It wasn't going to be easy to extract the truth from him, she knew. Oh, she knew it all too well. Shinda wondered if this reminded him of when she had kept pestering not only him, but others as well, about her mother, back then. It was a long time ago. And now, that very same cub, but now much bigger, both in size and in understanding, was before him once again, asking questions. Which were actually quite relevant to those she had wanted the answers to in the past.
Many things. For a moment, she let silence pass between them after he had spoken those words. How many of these 'many things' did she herself not know and how many were actually concerned with what she was about to find out? "Let's start with your apparent goal to populate the pride with your offspring, for one."
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Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:46 am
The silence is no more or less uncomfortable than usual, for the Warleader. He lets it grow between them while he watches over the pride, his thoughts wandering from his own secrets to tactics and plans. If the attackers come to their lands, he can meet them there with an ambu--
"Hnh," he grunts when she finally speaks, his thoughts of war interrupted by an unpleasant and unexpected revelation. How could she know? If there's one thing he does know about Shinda, it's her tendency to distance herself from the Heart and Blood. For her to know of the situation means that there is a leak somewhere, and if more members of the pride find out...
"Not a goal, no." Sakata frowns, realizing that he probably owes her at least some form of explanation. "I never intended for that to happen." His response is simple and to the point - no over-detailed explanations or justifications. No frippery, no wasted words. Just the bare truth.
"How did you find out? I don't have to tell you how bad it could be for the pride if too many others learn of it."
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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:20 am
A very strange thought had come to mind as he defended himself from her rather vaguely phrased question; what if his tryst with her mother wasn't the only one? What if he had fathered more litters in the Mizimu- oh no, that was a laugh. He wouldn't be that stupid, would he? And she would have noticed any resemblance......but it wasn't as if she paid much attention to the cubs in the pride anyway. Still, it was a rather ridiculous thought and she shook it away as she debated her reply.
"How could you not have intended it to happen? You were sleeping with someone other than your mate, Jini'chongo, the queen!" She snapped, keeping her voice low lest anyone passing by would overhear.
"I have my sources." She answered cryptically. "I didn't come to confront you about this because I wanted to blackmail you over this matter or anything. I came because I wanted to know what you would do about it." Shinda then paused, a scowl evident upon her maw. "The Queen is not stupid. How long will it take for her to see the resemblance and fly into a rage, and most probably, ordering their death?" She turned her smoldering orange eyes upon him. If...she was any proof, the recent litter (Had she even given birth yet? She wondered) would indeed bear a mighty resemblance to Sakata.
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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:29 am
"Yes, I know who my mate is!" he snaps irritably, a growl riding under his voice. With an exasperated huff, he turns to gaze directly at his daughter. It's... awkward, he realizes, to have this discussion. There's so much history behind each action, so much to explain. But does she deserve the explanation? Perhaps... however.
He narrows his eyes, irritated at her refusal to disclose her sources. "I'm not worried about blackmail, daughter, but rather about the consequences of loose tongues. It would be best to tell me how you learned of this." Even if she won't share it shouldn't be too hard, though. Shinda has never been terribly social, so there are only so many lions who could have told her. All he has to do is track them down one by one, and wait to see who cracks in his presence... but with any luck she'll come to her senses and save him the effort. There are more important things for him to worry about right now. Like this pesky little war thing.
"I have not... intentionally been with anyone other than my mate, Jini'chongo, the queen, since she began to share her den with me." The Warleader frowns, still annoyed at the inexplicable circumstances of that night, then flattens his expression. "And I trust that Jini'chongo will do nothing more or less than her duty. It is not the place of a queen to order the death of a cub, even if it does come from a... questionable union."
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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 8:22 pm
The growl did not faze her but in fact, prompted her to narrow her eyes in suspicion. How could he be so defensive when he had admitted to sleeping with others even though he apparently 'knew who his mate was'? Or was he referring to the fact that who he had slept with had been his mate? This issue seemed to be more puzzling than it truly was.
At first, she hesitated, wondering if she spoke the truth, Sakata would be furious with her mother. "If you really want to know," She licks her lips for a moment before deciding to answer, "She came to me herself."
"How could it not be intentional?" She questioned bluntly. "That may be the case, but do you not worry for your children living under the scorn of the Queen? And that no one else will piece things together, spot resemblances?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:09 pm
"Really." Sakata replies, gazing flatly at his daughter. And in the silence that follows his response he thinks over the situation. It makes no sense, he concludes, that Takatifu would approach Shinda. They've never interacted before, to his knowledge, and the Pure wouldn't be so foolish as to expose her cubs to danger in that way. Something about this entire conversation seems suspicious, but he can't quite put a claw on it...
...but it's suspicious enough that he begins to revert to his usual facade, his expression gaining the calm impassive state the pride is so used to seeing. She doesn't know as much as she is claiming to know, that's the most reasonable explanation. For some reason his own flesh and blood is trying to trap him with words. If he wasn't doing such a good job of dampening his emotions, the Warleader would be hurt by that thought. As it is, he grunts quietly and turns his head away.
"It's more complicated than you think," is all he has to say on the matter.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 5:32 pm
"I have no idea why she approached me either." She stated bluntly, breaking into the silence. "Honestly, I was rather puzzled when she did, but well, this situation is rather complicated, as you say." This wasn't going as well as she intended it would; if he remained as tight-lipped as ever, Shinda could not guarantee that she could continue to keep her emotions in check.
"Why do you never want to tell me anything?" She queried, starting to feel rather...tired of how her relationship with her father (her father, no less!) was going. "I came to ask you about this because I wanted to you to tell me, and not hear it from someone else. Yes, I am fully aware that I'm not the child you are closest to; I never have been because you always distanced yourself. I could create excuses for you all I want; that you were the Warleader, that you were grieving over mom's death, that you had so many other responsibilities. Even so, you are still my father. That's why I've always respected you, even when you didn't show me enough care a father would, but I can't seem to find any reason to now." After letting that all out, the lioness heaved a sigh, and looked away, unable to meet the gaze of her father any longer.
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:44 am
"Why do you need to know?" he counters, his tone annoyingly bland, "It doesn't concern you, and you're better off not knowing." The unspoken implication is easy to hear - the less she knows, the less notice she'll draw from the Queen.
Her diatribe has accomplished one goal, at least, even if it is not what she would have wanted. The lioness - no, his daughter - has his full attention, and his sharp huff makes it clear that he expects her attention in return before he replies. Once he is certain that she is listening he begins, his voice low and firm.
"Shinda. You did not come asking questions, you came to fling accusations and insults. If you truly respect me, as you claim that you do, then you would approach me as an adult and not as a whiny cub." The Warleader grumbles under his breath, gazing over towards his den before turning back to face his eldest daughter. "I have my reasons for keeping quiet about certain things, but if you ask me plainly then I will tell you what I can."
As for her mewling rant, well, Sakata gives that all the attention he feels it deserves - none.
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 8:12 am
"It is my family, isn't it?" Shinda's tone had started to possess a touch of discontent. Was it so wrong for her to concern herself with matters of her family, of her own blood? No, wait, he had always thought it to be wrong and never told her anything, no, EVERYTHING, and hid the truth from everyone, even his own mate. The lioness realized that the lion beside her almost seemed to be a stranger to her, and she wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded.
"So, you greet the harsh truth of what you have done with claims that they are 'accusations and insults'?" She let out a bitter chortle. "I've always been this blunt. Or do you not know that, father? Do you say you don't know your own daughter?" But that was hardly surprising, wasn't it? They had never been close. Never. And it seemed as though everything in the world was currently conspiring against her to drive her off the edge and it was all she could do to tell herself to grit her teeth and cling on.
"Do you like to undermine your children who are not born of royal blood? Do you like disappointing every lioness who believed in you? Do you think your other children will not be disappointed as I am if they knew what I know?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:19 am
"You don't even know the half of what I've done, Shinda. You didn't come here with truth, you came with wild accusations and childish whining." His voice is still low, still firm, and his expression is still carefully schooled. Any observers would think that the Warleader is having a serious discussion with a Warrior, nothing more.
Sakata pauses, silent for just long enough to be annoying, and then continues. "Your actions are unbecoming. Both to a warrior of the Mizimu'Tungika, and to my daughter. If you cannot keep your emotions from getting the best of you then I cannot have this discussion with you right now. I had hoped that as you aged you would be more prepared..." And a frown creases his brow as he searches for the right words. "...no, rather that the time would be right. But I see that time is not now."
And again, he gives no attention to her insults and barbed accusations.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:09 am
"You keep telling me you’ll tell me what you can, but when it comes to it, you still remain tight-lipped on the matter. You haven’t really changed, after all those years." Her voice now dropped into a low hiss, and Shinda herself is shocked at the contempt for him that is rising within her. She could almost understand why that lioness had loathed him and it was shocking to her now to remember her insistence on being loyal to her family, the pride.
She breathed in deeply and when she spoke again, her tone had reverted back to the normal dispassionate one she usually had. "I admit I don’t know how many lionesses you have slept with in the pride, but I do know that the Queen will be furious when she knows the identity of one of them." The lioness stood up and turned to glare at Sakata, a flare in her bright orange eyes. "If you choose to let your children be and take no responsibility for them, then I guess I will have to learn to play the role of the older sister.” With those words, she gave a curt nod of the head, turning to leave.
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