Khathelela & Astraios
Astraios was a quiet teen, and had been for a while. He could be rowdy when he was playing with his brother or sister (although playing didn't really happen anymore), and he could be rough when sparring. He could get loud and have a temper if things weren't going his way, and he could laugh above an acceptable noise level if something really got him going. His natural state of being, though, was quiet. Though he was not first in line for the throne, he still absorbed his lessons as any good royal youngster should. Though he was not the center of attention, he always had his manners about him, and carried himself with a natural poise and confidence that would give away his parentage even if he didn't look the perfect meld of his Thoth and Lela. He was what a young prince should be - respectful, attentive and focused.
Even though he was on the more subdued side of the personality spectrum, Astraios thrived on being around others. He didn't like being the main focus of a group, but he wanted nothing more than to be in the thick of things with those he loved, cared about or enjoyed. He tried to spend every moment in the company of others, and when he was left alone to his own devices, he grew restless and uncomfortable. On this particular evening, he was alone with his mother, but they were not far off from others. For a royal family, there is hardly ever true 'alone time'. He had learned this young in life, and it was a good thing he wasn't the jealous type. Though his mother and father surely tried, it was hard to ever have true quality alone time with their children. Often, times two or all three of them were involved. But that was how Astraios liked things - big and together.
Lela was, for once, at perfect ease with herself and her surroundings. Nearby, her entire immediate family were there. It was early in the night. The pride was still waking from their daytime slumber. Her family had yet to leave their den for the nights activities. She watched her family mingle with one another, mumbling about good evenings and where's breakfast and what was happening tonight again? For now, she didn't mind that her children had to grow up as the royal litter, like she did. When she was their age, she'd been kept very busy between her two feuding brothers and all of the problems her pride had been experiencing. It'd been a hard young life she'd lived. And she could remember, when she was so young, having looked forward to raising her children just out of the limelight. After all, Unyezi had been heir, and his children were the ones who would have to go through what she had experienced. Her own would never have to. Funny how things change.
One of her sons broke off from the group and came to sit next to her, just feet away from the others. His stomach growled, and he was clearly wishing to be eating, but for some reason he opted to be near her instead. "Aren't you hungry?" She surveyed the look on her sons face and smiled softly. Looking back at her were her own eyes, right down to the white eyelids and the growing tawny mane sticking in them. Sometimes Lela was swept away by seeing something like that. She looked at one of her children and was hit with the fact that they were hers, products of herself and her parents and their parents. Other times, she saw her mate looking back at her from their happy faces, and was reminded of the love she felt for him and his cubs - their cubs.
Strai grinned as his stomach growled right on cue. "Yes, I am. But I can wait." He turned back to look at his siblings and father, then back again to his mother. "What are you so busy thinking about? Long day ahead of you with Selene?" He was far from jealous of the preparation that was going into creating a queen out of his sister. He'd much rather spar with his peers and brother. He, too, had to sit through lessons here and then, but it wasn't like what she had to do. He enjoyed his fighting, and even hoped to put it into practice some day - maybe become a guard like his dad. To his young male mind, the thought of protecting and fighting off intruders was glorified into something much more glamorous than it actually would be. His eyes flashed with the images running through his mind.
"A day she probably will not find all that amusing." Lela grimaced. Her own childhood had not been full of such days, since she wasn't first in line. Now wasn't for focusing on her daughter, though. Lela looked to her son and smiled. "But you have most of your day free, don't you? Lessons getting farther apart and all." She bumped him with her paw. "I think I would've enjoyed that if it were me. I had a much more... stressful adolescence than I hope any of you will ever have." She tried not to talk too much about her early life aside from the pride history that could be gained from it. A fair amount of stress had been caused to her in those days, and she greatly wished to not relive them. "Your poor uncle Yezi, he was kept quite busy." She quickly tried to shift the focus off herself.
Aware his mother didn't want to talk about her past at that time, Astraios grabbed for one of her other mentioned topics. "I think I might spar for a while. Wonder who will go with me? Sometimes Ptolemy isn't game." He huffed a little and threw his brother a look, but then returned to the conversation. "Maybe Atlas will be up for it. Or I can hunt down Vunozi." Strai was fond of both of these relatives, but more so Vunozi, if only for their relative closeness in age. Atlas wasn't necessarily old, but he was old enough that he had been more off limits for play fighting until very recently, where as Vunozi had always been just a bit larger than him and therefore presented just a bit of a challenge, but nothing impossible.
Since his uncle had already been mentioned, he added, "And maybe I'll drop in on Yezi while I'm hunting down Vunozi."
Lela loved to hear that her children actually wished to see their family members. Not that she would've thought they would DISLIKE seeing them - but she liked that they didn't mind putting in a bit of effort. Lela had always been all about the pride, but she was also big on family. As were her family members. She was of the opinion that (as long as it didn't conflict with pride needs, since she was about the pride first), lions should drop everything for a family member in need. "Well you should eat up. You'll need your strength if you're going to beat Vunozi. He's got some bulk to him now."
Astraios didn't need reminding that his cousin was larger than he. He grinned and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'll get him this time." He winked at his mother and wandered towards the rest of the family to join breakfast.
Word count: 1,241
