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 Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:04 pm
It was a good day.
Sahen, half-asleep and basking in the heat of the day, sat at the base of the jaw, surrounded by his most trusted guardians. There was something soft about his expression, though it had lost nothing of it's habitual smugness, and was tainted by the permanent (and cruel) quirk at the corners of his lips. It was unfortunate, but a satisfied King did not always mean happy things for the lions that festered under the might and power of his weighty paws.
"Jabari," he addressed Indira's middle son suddenly, and fixed upon the young, although fully grown lion, one golden eye.
The Shatkona yawned, sharp teeth glistening in the light of the sun, and tested his claws against the earth. He stretched, worked out the kinks in his neck, and gestured at Jabari to follow him.
"Come. Let us walk."
In private.
One look at the other Ligi warned them to remain behind.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:41 am
Several things raced through Jabari's mind. They didn't show on his face, or the smooth, easy way he got to his feet, almost slinking as he followed the larger male out of the room. He was not the strongest of his brothers, in fact many considered him the weakest in several different ways. But he was the fastest, which gave him a lot of leeway.
He wondered if Sahen had heard of the little cub he had only pretended to knock out of the way. No. He had executed the move perfectly. A flick of the wrist after a glance to make sure the landing would be well padded. It was only the startled giggle that told that the little girl had been unharmed. Thankfully that had been covered by the gasps of outrage and shock from her family.
There were others. Some adults put firmly into their place with a few trick moves he had learned from fighting with his brothers. They looked brutal to outsiders, but hardly left a mark. They just caught those less trained off guard, especially when done by a smaller, yet far faster lion like himself.
He was rapidly becoming rumored as the most fearsome of the brothers, simply because he pretended better than the others did. Those that knew the truth hadn't spoken of it, he would have heard. But what if he was wrong? Had Sahen found out? Had he seen through it?
If he were to die now, would his brothers be killed because of it? He couldn't let that happen. "My Shatkona," he said quietly, lowering his head respectfully, waiting for anything, expecting anything. The possessive term was also a ploy, one that could easily blow up in his face, but he didn't think it would.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:38 pm
Sahen had not, in fact, heard anything about Jabari's wayward good deeds and half-assed punishments. So long as they came when he called and did what he bid, Sahen didn't really much care what it was that the Ligi got up to. But it was no secret amongst the pride that he tended to favour those who abused their position-- these also, generally, happened to be the most cruel and bloodthirsty lions of their ranks.
Approving of the way the younger lion kept his head bowed, Sahen did not bother to hide his chuckle when Jabari addressed him. It was an airy sound, and too void of any real feeling. An almost whimsical smile played along his lips and he opened his mouth, looked like he was about to say something, and then thought better of it.
There was silence for a time.
The Shatkona was pensive, and seemed comfortable enough as he led Jabari through the trees. His steps were light.
"Your mother is a remarkable lioness," he spoke up suddenly, and glanced casually over his shoulder at the Mwanasheria's second son.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 5:55 pm
"I think so as well," Jabari agreed. "I learned a lot from her before becoming one of your Ligi." Then he fell silent, not wanting to say more than he absolutely had to. Sahen was temperamental and Jabari didn't trust him any farther than he could throw him. He could be laughing one moment and ripping your throat out the next.
At least it was him being talked to instead of his brothers.
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Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:55 pm
The corner of Sahen's lips twitched. It was easy enough to tell that he was amused.
"Yes," he nodded sagely, and continued on his peaceful traipse through the trees. Beams of light from the sun cut through the foliage and danced along his crimson fur. "Indira was always a very good teacher. I have known her since I was born. She was my mother's Advisor. Did you know?"
Of course Jabari would know. It was no secret. Queen Damini had died young. The current Mwanasheria and Zahama had belonged to her, as they now belonged to her son. But where Sahen was feared for his bloodlust, she had been revered for her kindness.
"I don't think she likes me very much," Sahen murmured, pausing long enough to look Jabari in the eye. It was such a childish thing to say. He sounded insecure. "Your mother, I mean."
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Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:17 pm
Ahh, even more dangerous territory. Of course his mother didn't like Sahen. "But my Shatkona," he said slowly, "if she did not like you, do you really think she would give you all of her sons as Ligi? We were given to you freely, and willingly." Careful, Jabby, carrreeefuuul. "She can be... difficult to understand at times, even for those she cares for. Perhaps you misunderstood her feelings?"
Each step in this conversation was like one in a minefield. Thank the gods it wasn't his brothers having it.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:49 pm
"I have never known a lioness more… clever than your mother," Sahen said, and nodded his head thoughtfully, "It is difficult to tell what she is thinking. And an even more arduous task to try and figure out what it is that she feels."
"This is why I worry, you see. I do so hope that she likes me," the Shatkona strolled to a stop, and spoke to Jabari as though he were a long lost friend. But there was no light in his eyes.
"It would mean so much to me if we could all get along. Zahama agrees with me."
There was a pause. Sahen licked his lips. Something indescribable might have flashed across his face, but it was too quick to really tell.
"Without her, we would not be whole. As a pride."
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:14 pm
Had that been a threat? Jabari lowered his eyes, keeping his mix of outrage and fear to himself as he thought of how to reply. "She is... getting older," he said finally. "But she is in excellent health."
Which, dammit, he wished she would show to more people because otherwise it would be so easy to say she had died of poor health. The pride would mourn, but not for long. And she would be replaced by someone that the Shatkona KNEW liked him--
Holy s**t, he really didn't like where his thoughts were going right now.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:45 pm
"Oh, I am glad to hear that," when Sahen smiled, it did not reach his eyes, "You are very fortunate, to have grown up with such a role model. I must confess, I do not remember very much about my own mother. She loved me, I know."
Queen Damini had loved everyone.
"But time and age has turned the edges of my memory hazy. I forget things."
This was such a blatant lie that Sahen did not even bother to try and hide it. He met and held Jabari's dark stare.
"I trust that your mother has explained to you the chain of succession? Has she chosen one of you, then, to replace her as the Mwanasheria when that time comes? Mahabala forbid it."
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:51 pm
He'd been right. No, he was jumping to conclus--oh, hell, who was he lying to? He knew exactly what the Shatkona was thinking right now. If he was the Shatkona, he'd be thinking the same thing. A young Mwanasheria would be easier to manipulate. And of the brothers, Jabari was the one that seemed to go along with the Shatkona the best. Or would he want one of the others? They were younger, still. Malleable like clay...
"No, I'm afraid she has yet to tell us," Jabari said, meeting the Shatkona's eyes. "I believe she wants to make sure of her choice before deciding." He didn't say she would consult Sahen on her choice, because that lie would be too blatant even for him.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:12 pm
Was that the reason Sahen had chosen Jabari, specifically, to speak with about this? Because he seemed the most likely to understand-- the one most likely to co-operate?
Sahen wasn't telling.
"She will choose you," he said, in a tone of such finality that the young Ligi would be fool to refute it. There was a confident steel about the King now. He flicked his tail, and started on his walk again.
On the path up ahead there stood a sickly looking lioness; a lonely huntress who'd recently lost her mate and lived, like so many of the others, in terror of their king. She gasped in surprise at the site of Sahen walking towards her, and darted at once into the trees. If the Shatkona noticed, he did not show it.
"The others are strong," said the King, "but they lack your focus. They do not think like you."
Yes, Sahen had noticed.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:21 pm
"Your confidence in my abilities is appreciated, my Shatkona," Jabari said as they started walking again, neither agreeing or disagreeing aloud. But it was true, and he wasn't really surprised that Sahen had noticed. He had wanted him to notice, in a way. Jabari wanted to be the one that stood out amongst his brothers, because the one that stood out was often the first one to be killed once things started going wrong.
"If I am her successor," he said after a few moments, "I will do my best to live up to both her and your expectations." A lie. One spoken so smoothly that even he believed it for a moment. He would try to live up to Indira's expectations, but not Sahen's. The two were quite different, after all.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:38 pm
Sahen laughed. It was not a happy sound, and sliced through the jungle air like a knife. A roost of nearby birds squawked in concempt. There was a great ruffling (almost a rumble, really) and they took off in a flurry of a hundred feathers. The Shatkona watched them go, a thoughtful expression on his blood red face, and then glanced over his shoulder at Indira's Son.
Jabari wasn't the only one aware of the contrasts between his intentions and the Mwanasheria's. But Sahen only smiled, and it was a strange, twisted thing. One half of his face refused to co-operate. It twitched down, while the other twitched up.
"See that you do, boy. See that you do."
[Fin, I believe!]
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