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 Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:17 pm
Her brother was still asleep. Zadok she trusted with her life, she knew he would protect her from anything, even a demon. And Anwar… her father. She barely knew him but already trusted him completely, blindly. She’d seen more of him in dreams than in reality but she already felt like she knew him, loved him. Her dreams again… The young girl stood up as quietly as possible and slowly moved to the entrance of the den, wondering if they all the dreams she’d ever had had a deeper meaning than she’d given them credit.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:35 am
Perhaps Obadias had conditioned him. It was an interesting thought at least. But as soon as his daughter stirred Anwar was abruptly aware that there was another wakeful one in his den. He remained still as his sleep faded into waking, his eyes shut as he listened. The stint in the roguelands had taught him to heed his surroundings, and that deceptive appearances could easily be worth more than brawn and even fighting skill. A clever enough bluff could end a fight without bloodshed. And the element of surprise... yes. The roguelands had taught him much.
But even before his quest he had been able to identify family members by step and breath. Zarha slept still, a small distance from him. He did not blame her. She was angry with him, and it was her right to be. Star slept as well, though she was also on her own. Guilt perhaps? Obidias had confessed already, but Anwar was playing his waiting game still with his unfaithful banu. How long before she came to him of her own accord? Still. She'd only learn that he did not care what she chose to do in private, only that she keep up proper appearances for the pride.
Slowly Anwar let his eyes slide open, his crimson gaze shifting to where one of his pale cubs was making their way towards the entrance to the den. Mozhgan. His daughter. Cross as Zarha was with him for it, he could not help the odd pleasure that the idea sparked. His. The little one was his, and her brother were his and, if not for him, they would never have come to be. There was a kind of...power in that. But a fragile one at best...and at worst perhaps as well.
Silent as a lifetime of sneaking had taught him to be, Anwar rose fluidly to his feet and prowled lightly after his daughter. She was not in trouble, naturally, but from what he understood of the pride Rahen dwelled within, trouble would likely be the first thing on his daughter's mind. Slaves. The idea that any one of his offspring could be regarded as less than notable provoked something in him so raw and unknown he was simply...not comfortable with whatever it was. But it too had a power. Something possessive and destructive.
"Trouble sleeping, my little one?" Anwar asked softly once he was near enough to practically touch her. His voice was low, no need to disturb the others. He'd often used the same tone with Obi really, quiet and concerned and curious and soothing... it was the perfect tone, or so he thought. Pour out your secrets to me, it said, I will listen to all.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:07 pm
Mozi jumped, visibly startled by her father’s voice despite its softness. Being snuck upon usually meant she’d found some serious trouble so the little lioness flinched and recoiled in fear until her eyes found the larger shape. It was just Anwar and he looked and sounded more concerned than upset so Mozi slowly settled down. She wanted to sit but wasn’t sure if she was going to be sent back to join the others.
“Yes. Sorry.” She spoke quietly, fully prepared for some form of punishment or at least light admonishment so she tried to correct herself quickly. She didn’t know much about this pride just yet but apparently following the rules was very important and lions here slept through the night and were awake during the day. It was very strange. She lifted one paw tentatively, as if awaiting her father’s permission to continue. “I’ll go back.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:13 pm
The kind expression didn't change as the young lioness apologized. He had startled her after all. She was so much jumpier than he'd thought but, he supposed, life hadn't been very nice when she was very small. It wasn't something he would blame her for, and as she offered to go back he shook his head.
"No, it's alright," he assured her, "If you want, we can go for a little walk. Or watch the stars until you feel sleepy again." It had always worked with his brother like that. Obi's dreams led to nights of quiet whispering and sleepy mornings until Anwar had adjusted to less sleep... "Did you have bad dream?" Anwar asked after a moment's thought. Bad dreams would certainly make sleeping a challenge. Obadias had seemed like not sleeping again ever was a suitable alternative for a while there, but if his brother didn't sleep how would he get visions to share with Anwar?
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:51 pm
“A walk… would be nice.” She said tentatively, carefully eyeing the adult’s reaction. A walk under the stars with no one but her father sounded just perfect – she wouldn’t mind if Zadok was with them but he seemed to be fast asleep. Hopefully her brother wouldn’t wake up now that the warm body of his sister had left his side.
“No… it’s just strange sleeping at night.” She said quietly. On the matter of dreams, however, there was something she desperately wanted to talk to her father about. She’d tried to tell him before but she wasn’t sure she’d been clear and if he’d understood what she’d been trying to explain. The young girl didn’t really understand it herself but she had dreamed of Anwar and Zarha long before the young girl had actually seen them and she had a mind full of questions.
“I dreamed about you. And Zarha, too.” She finally admitted. Was it strange? Would she be regarded as weird? Would she have to keep it a secret from everyone (with the exception of her father and brother who she trusted completely, of course). “When I was living with the demons.”
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:06 am
Anwar smiled at his daughter. His daughter. ”We should be quiet,” he cautioned he as he started to take a few slow steps, mindful of her shorter legs. He would enjoy walking and talking with his little one. Night, day, it mattered less to him now than it did to others. The important bit was whether he was awake or asleep, and who else was. Not whether the sun or the moon graced the sky. When Mozi explained that it was strange sleeping at night, he nodded sympathetically. Her mother’s pride had unusual customs, some of which he found disagreeable, such as judgments being based upon coloration. It would be an adjustment, he understood, to learn a new pride’s ways. Especially one so different. But he would be diligent, and her life would be much better here.
It was her next words that hooked his interest most sharply though. She’d mentioned dreaming of a dark lion who’d come to take her away somewhere safe and happy, or something similar. He’d been momentarily intrigued, before dismissing it as the same wistfulness many had. Any cub would dream of a rescuer in such a situation. But her repetition of it now brought back that same nagging notion… Well, his brother had a special gift. His mother as well. He’d thought it had not been passed to him, or perhaps could not truly be passed on. But what if, like the occasional patterning of fur, such things could simply…skip…a generation? It would be interesting to say the least.
”You mentioned dreams before,” Anwar said, already thinking of the precise, careful wording he could use to sneak out a secret before remembering that it was his daughter he was talking to. Did he really have need of such sly guile with his own cub? Even if she were not quite a little cub any longer, he’d not known her as a cub. She was still young though, and still his. ”Do you often have dreams that seem to come true?” he asked, part of him still against taking the more direct approach. But it seemed more honest to ask her openly rather than digging about in secret. His daughter would tell him what he wished to know, right? Of course she would, he was the one who had rescued her. He was her father. She would surely tell him anything, of that he was almost certain. Almost.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 5:58 pm
The young girl looked up shyly as he followed after her father, quick to find relief in the realization that Anwar didn’t look angry or disappointed… yet.
“Sometimes…” she said tentatively, very attentive to any change in her father’s expression. “It used to happen when I was with the demons. I used to see bad things happening to me and Zadok so I wouldn’t go to some places. And when I ignored it or Zadok didn’t listen, bad things did happen. I used to get dizzy sometimes but now it’s a little better.”
So far, so good, the young thought to herself. No screams, no angry questions, no looks of cold disappointment like the ones her mother used to give her. It seemed the world had gone quiet all around her and only herself and Anwar existed.
“But then I started seeing this place where the lions slept during the night and walked around under the sun. And I saw Zarha… and you. And then you came.” Her voice cracked a little , joining her increasingly worried expression in the betrayal of her deepest fears. She had to force herself to meet her father’s gaze. “Is it weird? Do I have to do something about it? Can we fix it… my head?”
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:27 pm
To say he was astonished that he had been given the information with so little effort might have been an understatement. Knowledge was power, great power, and Anwar had come to think of it as a thing to be fought for in the most subtle of ways. Things were different now though, being a father was more foreign than he’d thought originally. It wasn’t bad though, no, not bad at all. Especially if…well. Well well well.
Perhaps if he were a better lion, the sudden rush of schemes and ideas would not have filled his mind. This was something he could use. He might not have the gift of visions himself, but it was through using his brother Obadias that he had learned how powerful a gift it could be. And now… did it run in his family? Could he create more who dreamed of reality? Who could spy on the futures of others?
Abruptly he realized she was afraid, looking at him with her huge, beautiful red eyes all wide and worried. He couldn’t identify the sensation that curled around in his chest and stomach at that look. Was it guilt? Was this what it felt like to feel… he’d done wrong? No, preposterous, planning for the future was nothing to feel sorry about. But… she looked so terribly uncertain. ”Oh no,” Anwar purred, reaching to scoop her close to him as he nuzzled her cheek. ”No no, my darling little one, there is nothing wrong with your head. Others, narrow-minded fools that they are, might say so, so perhaps it is best to keep these things within our little family for now.” A child of his, who had the real dreams. What providence this was! And for Mozhgan, for his daughter, to feel there was something bad about this? The very notion that someone could have put such thoughts into her head gave him a different sort of feeling. Anger, he recognized it from a few times before.
”There is a…talent…” he explained carefully, ”That a few others of my blood have come to display. I, unfortunately, do not possess it…” the lion paused there, surprised that there had been actual regret in his tone. He was slipping up if emotions were bleeding though by mistake. ”Sometimes it can be frightening, or difficult to bear. But the things you see, my little Mozi, are, or could become, real.” He licked her briefly between the ears, wondering if perhaps he was getting a bit carried away in his affections. After all, he didn’t want to seem like he was overdoing it, but oh how exciting, a seer of his very own! ”You must never be afraid to tell me anything, Mozi,” he added, ”If you have a dream that frightens you, you should wake me and I will keep you company until you can sleep again.” It was, after all, precisely how he had gleaned so many true dreams from Obi. His poor, sweet little brother would wake in a fright, and pour out his heart to a kind, sympathetic ear offered so very generously by Anwar.
A seer. Of his very own.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:41 am
The young girl looked a little surprised even if pleased that her father had pulled her closer and her tense body slowly relaxed as she took a few deep breaths, letting the soft and reassuring words of her father ease her mind of all its troubles. But she did catch the mention of “narrow-minded fools” who might not feel the same way as Anwar and she decided that this was something she would keep a secret from the rest of the pride.
“There are… others like me? Here?” Mozi said a bit louder this time, clearly excited by the prospect of talking to someone in her family about her defect… ah- gift? How strange to think of it in such a way. But despite her father’s support, Mozi found it difficult to accept his kind offer. Afterall, she wasn’t dreaming quite as much as she had in the Aikanaro’hini but her dreams still disturbed her sleep on inumerous occasions and she truly hated to think of herself as a bother to Anwar. She hid her head deep into her father's mane so her voice came out a little weaker this time. “Can I really wake you? Won’t you be tired?”
“Will we tell mom and momma Zarha about it…? And uncle Obi?” the idea suddenly crossed her mind and the little lioness looked up with bright red eyes filled with fear and doubt once again. She wanted to feel safe in the small cluster of her own family but at the same time she couldn't help fearing they would look at her differently if they all knew the truth.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 10:43 am
Anwar thought very, very carefully as she asked her question. How should he respond? He didn’t want her telling everyone what she could do, and not every cub could keep a secret. But if he told her not to speak of it to anyone, she might be hurt. Not all things were secret because of shame, but some were. Would his little one know the difference? He was certainly not ashamed of her, not a precious seer, but he also wanted to keep her for himself. Zarha would know of course, and perhaps Obidias… well Obi could offer her unique comfort in their shared visions. But he’d promised to keep Obi’s secret for him. No, he wouldn’t break that promise now, not when he had such trust from his little brother.
”We can tell Star and Zarha, of course,” he assured her, ”And uncle Obi if you like. But not too many people, the fewer who know a special secret, the safer the special secret is.” But he didn’t want her to worry… what could he say that might tell her just how special it was? Oh. Wait. He’d heard that… ”I’ve heard it said that the descendants of lions called ‘gods’, who have special powers and are occasionally worshipped, have dreams like yours,” Anwar told her proudly. ”I do not mind being woken in the night, I need less sleep than you think I do,” he assured her. It was, after all, far more important to learn what his daughter might be able to tell him. Far, far more important…
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 5:54 pm
Mozi settled down quietly, her mind slowly becoming at ease. She now understood why she shouldn’t talk about it but Anwar didn’t appear to be too bothered by the idea of her “talent” becoming known to the rest of the pride. So it wasn’t something too terrible then, something that would make others dislike her on principle. It a great relief for the little lioness.
“Descendents of Gods? Does that mean we have a God in our family? Are there Gods in the pride?” she looked curious now with her ears perked up again as she listened to her father carefully. Slowly, her eyes dropped as the silence stretched, her eyes dropped, her tiny mouth opening in a small dainty yawn as she leaned against her father. And then, as if she had silently been thinking about it, she returned to her previous thoughts.
“I think I’ll tell uncle Obi…” He was so nice, so gentle. And he was very close to Anwar so surely there was no harm in letting him in on the secret. Her eyes closed and she sighed, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
Fin?
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