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 Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:07 am
Heti could not help but feel relieved as the agreement was made and the impending feeling of tension eased away. The Firekin would have their water and the Bonelands would have the huria - for a time, at least. It was a win-win situation and hopefully the start of something great. After all, Heti might have been a Firekin but he was not eager for battle as some might be. To have fought those lionesses with their cubs at their feet...
Would he have found the courage, then, to stand up and say no? Or would he simply have stood back and watched in horror as lion clashed with lion and innocent children were caught in the crossfire? The question made him uncomfortable because he was not entirely sure that he would have made an attempt to stop it. One of his flaws. Spineless.
He looked up from where he had been taking the moment to drink and revelled in the sensation of the water against his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a decent drink. He almost felt a little guilty at being able to slake his thirst when there were others back home desperate for their share. At least, with this group here, the strain on their water supplies would be lessened somewhat. Things were looking up and for the first time in a long while, Heti could feel more positive about the future. Their struggles would make them all the stronger.
Turning and making his way amongst the crowds, he cast a look about for one lioness in particular.
Armada.
He'd had mixed feelings about what had happened here today. On one hand he disagreed with Armada's rash actions. But, at the same time, he could understand them completely. There were many a Firekin who would have acted exactly as she had. His own father would probably have been one of them. Could she be blamed for taking offence and attempting to lash out as she had? He wondered, briefly, what was to happen to her now. Would Seide suffer her presence in this new territory or...
Elda chose that moment to brush past him and he trotted to catch up with her. "Do you know what's going to happen with Armada?" He asked her.
The female said nothing. Simply set her expression and moved on.
Heti pressed on anyway. "Did Seide say anything?"
"The Legate has given me my orders." The stoic female replied in her bland tone. "Go ask her yourself, guard."
Heti paused - head up, ears laid back in his mane - and watched Elda move ahead. It took him only a few moments to decide to follow her, maybe he could overhear something that would give him a better clue as to what was going to happen.
Elda - clearly seeking the silver-eyed soldier - gave a loud huff and called out: "Armada." It was strange, in fact, to hear her voice lifted in such a tone. She was clearly trying to follow Seide's orders to the best of her ability.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:35 am
Even after the tension had diffused, Armada was still knotted in anger. She couldn't understand why they had bothered to compromise with a group that could have so easily been driven away. A group that clearly had no redeeming qualities, not that she was willing to look all that hard. All Armada had needed was to see some brute male in charge and his women looking on for her to make a quick judgement and assesment of the situation. It was the kind of life she'd left for good. Inviting it back in...
It was almost unforgiveable.
Even worse, was now she had somehow become something of a pariah, even among lions that she respected. This didn't sit well with the former corporal. Did they think she acted that way just to prove a point? Her eyes narrowed. As far as she was concerned, she was doing exactly what the regents had asked of her. She might have fudged a bit on the listening to Seide part. But she was doing her damn job, regardless of what soft hearts the rest of the group had become.
She snorted. Personally, Armada doubted they'd even fight back. They'd probably scatter like hens. Not that they had, but at that moment, Armada wasn't exactly looking into this whole situation too closely. Her tail twitched as she licked her paws clean of the mud that had long since dried and caked on.
As Elda approached, a low growl echoed in her chest. Look who thought she was top s**t now? Half brained kid. Wasn't she related to Vlam? That explained a lot of things. She didn't respond, but her silver eyes raised to match the other lioness. She noticed Heti behind her. Her nose crinkled.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:00 pm
To Elda, life was simple. She was given orders and she followed them. Seide had been her mentor as she had grown and as ranking Firekin amongst their group, was to be obeyed. Seide said jump. Elda would ask how far. And as such, she couldn't understand why anyone else would be willing to ignore her. To go against orders seemed a ridiculous and terrible thing.
She did not call out or speak again until she was a pace away from the other female, her gold eyes watching intently for any sign of rebellion. What was to say the ex-corporal would not ignore another order? The growl she'd given in greeting was a clear sign that Armada was still angry.
"Armada." She addressed the female blandly. "Legate Moto'Seide has requested that you be escorted back to Firekin territory. I will accompany you myself to ensure these orders are carried out." Her tail flicked with finality. "I trust you will go quietly."
"Hold on. Hold on." Heti had hastened to intervene. "You can't be serious?"
Elda gave him a look that said, very clearly, that she was.
"The situation is under control now, isn't it?" Heti continued. "Why waste resources by sending her back? We know nothing about these lions. We might still find trouble here."
Elda looked unaffected by his words. "Orders are orders. Now please, leave me to my duty." She turned her back on Heti then and stared quietly at Armada, clearly waiting for the female to take the lead and start back for home.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:34 pm
Armada's brow furrowed. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised to be sent back. After all, with this new success the regents would need to be informed. And who better to send back with that information than the person who you wanted most out of your hair? It was what she would have done, given the situation.
"Someone will have to inform the regents," she said flatly to Heti. But her eyes were still on Elda. "Although surely your orders aren't to escort me all the way. I am more than capable of walking."
As if to prove her point, she stood up. She squinted. "Although, perhaps I'm not the only one she's trying to get rid of." That wasn't true, but it felt good saying it regardless. She turned and her tail flicked at the air like a whip. "I suppose there is no sense arguing why she's making a mistake."
It was bitter, but just maybe, she really did hope there was a way out of it. But half resigned to her fate already, the strange eyed lioness started her leisurely stroll. There was no one to say goodbye to, after all.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:47 pm
Elda's eyes narrowed at Armada distrustfully. Inform the regents? She wasn't sure that this fiery female was the right person for that particular job. Unfortunately, Seide had not specified on who should go with the message which meant Elda had no argument to give. If it meant the soldier would go quietly then perhaps it was for the best in any case.
As to whether it was necessary to go the whole way, Elda didn't give a response. That hadn't been specified either but to assume that was the case would be wrong, wouldn't it? Perhaps she ought to go back and ask--
--What?! What was she trying to insinuate? Who else would Seide be trying to get rid of? Surely not herself! She was only ever loyal! The very concept brought a strange line of worry between her brows and for a moment she was too conflicted to begin a response. By the time she had shaken it off as nothing, the lioness had already started back for home; leaving her behind.
Heti had hurried to catch up with the other female, though, keeping an arm's stretch between them as he walked at her side, matching her stride. "Taking the message to the regents would be a good idea." He made an attempt at making things better - though it all did seem rather futile at this point. "They may very well reinstate your rank after they hear what happened here. The suggestion their leader made would not have gone down well with Kidondo or No, either."
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:13 pm
Armada doubted it. Seide had been earning major brownie points with the regents since... her conception, probably. And not entirely without merit. Seide worked as hard, and she wasn't a soft heart either. Which was what made the whole thing disheartening. It made her feel like she was in the wrong. Or that everyone was going crazy. Armada firmly clung to latter.
But on the bright side, it looked like she'd struck a nerve with Elda. Armada rolled her eyes. Soldiers like Elda never got far. They clung underneath someone like lichen and that was it. Their entire career would be dictated by the rise and fall of the person they'd latched themselves upon. She had the sense to pick a good one, but her loyalty didn't impress her.
"Maybe they will," she said to Heti flatly. "But I won't misrepresent the situation. I didn't do anything wrong." The fact that Seide had sent her back would be all No and Kidondo needed to hear to make a judgement on the situation. She wasn't going to be getting her rank back.
"So," she said curtly. "Who is Seide replacing me with? I doubt she's shrinking her forces."
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:28 pm
Leaving Elda stomping along behind - to keep an eye on them in case they made a break for it, no doubt - Heti turned a wary look across at Armada. "If you like, I can come with you the rest of the way? I could vouch for you?" The very thought of standing before the regents and telling them about what had happened made his stomach squirm with nervousness. But, with this, he was pretty sure he'd do it, if only to ensure that Armada wasn't unfairly judged. "And even if they don't reinstate you, I'm sure it won't take you long to work back up the ranks. After all, you got there once before and you still have that talent to put to use."
He knew, for one, that he would not ever want to get on Armada's bad side. She was scary!
At Armada's question, however, he seemed genuinely surprised; as if he hadn't even considered the idea of a replacement - which he hadn't. "I don't think they'll be so quick to replace you, Armada. After all, I can't think of anyone in the current group who could be a good candidate." Well, actually, that wasn't quite fair. There were some good lions amongst them, but many who had come were not even soldiers. He also didn't know a lot of them all too well. Being a guard could be isolating at the best of times and he was slightly ashamed that he fumbled for names - particularly of those born within the lands.
He threw a cautious glance over his shoulder at the female stalking after them and then lowered his voice to be sure she wouldn't hear. "You don't think...?" And he indicated Elda with a swift motion of his head.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:49 pm
"There's no need for that," Armada said. Her voice was sharp, despite feeling a twinge of regret for it. Heti was a nice fellow, and probably didn't deserve the barbs. But vulnerability was not an emotion Armada was capable of showing. "All the regents need to hear is I'm being sent back to understand the situation fully. The rank doesn't matter."
Her pride, however, did. She had no problem being hated by her kin, as long as she was the one in the right. As long as she was respected. By the way the others had looked at her, it felt as though that pendulum had shifted sharply in the other direction. During the water crisis, she had been the brutal, but honest voice of reason. Now... now she didn't know what she was. She didn't have the respect of the troops, not the way Seide did. Her bitterness had gone from practicality to unwarranted.
As Heti indicated Elda, Armada rolled her eyes. "Elda is a tagalong," she said lowly. Whether it was low enough for the other female not to hear... "You don't promote tagalongs who can't think for themselves."
Maybe she was just angry no one else had supported her. How could someone without a mind of their own support anything? "But I didn't mean in the group," she corrected. "We have a forward post now. Surely they'll be sending more troops down to occupy it. If we're promising things like training."
As they moved, the ground slowly transitioned from sharp grass to stone.
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:56 pm
He flinched out of habit but recovered quickly enough. He'd sort of been expecting it in any case, though he would have felt worse if he'd not offered at all. At least she knew that he would have been happy to go with her if she had wanted it. He remained quiet on that subject now, not sure what else to say. Armada seemed resigned to her fate but he had no doubt that she'd be able to build herself back up again. She had a spirit that burned and nothing was going to be able to stamp it down for long.
Elda, still trailing them, lifted an ear forwards but if she had heard much it had clearly not been enough to break up their conversation.
"Oh." Was Heti's initial response. Of course. With the 'bridges built' and it was deemed safe, perhaps there would be more sent down to ensure it stayed that way. "I hadn't thought of that. I wonder what that pride will think, seeing more of our number there at the edge of their lands." He looked concerned about that. "I wonder how long this allegiance will last at all. Some of them hadn't looked all that happy about their leader's decision." He thought of civil unrest and the potential for fighting. "I suppose one good thing to come of this is that we know the Nergui have not spread this far down. None of them seemed to give any sign that they had been harassed by anyone before us." Although, he supposed, they could have hidden that so as not to appear weak.
"Maybe it's better that you will be in our homeland, Armada. It seems more vulnerable now that we've been attacked once and they'll need experienced warriors there if it happens again." He trod a little more carefully on the rocky ground, the pads of his feet unused to the strange sharpness.
He almost wished he was being sent home, too. He missed the sand beneath his paws. Missed his old duty as guard.
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Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 8:35 am
Armada wasn't so sure that it proved anything at all. If anything, if the nergui had spread then they were clearly intent on focusing their efforts on their lands. These boneland people... would they be able to withstand an invasion? Why put effort on harassing a pride they could overtake without much trouble? She squinted. Or why bother at all? Roguelands lions were...
She shook off the thought, as the idea of being sent home in favor of them caused anger to lace up through her veins.
Still, she seemed to soften a bit when he expressed some amount of faith in her abilities. Sometimes she wondered. She hadn't always been capable, but she was determined. In the end she supposed she didn't care much for the outside lands, but in ensuring the safety of her new one. Wasn't going home putting her in exactly the position to do that?
It just felt a bit like defeat.
"Thank you, Heti," she said quietly. They had a long walk ahead of them... but for the moment, it was nice to have the company.
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