Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
Generally at this time of the day, Stormclaw would be hunting. When he wasn't patrolling, he was hunting or eating usually. Or sleeping of course. He was most certainly not one to doze.
But dozing he was, lying in a patch of sunlight among the trees. Baris, Percival, adn their little friend Ace had run him ragged earlier and he just wasn't in the mood for anything more at the moment than lying where he was warm and closing his eyes.
Every so often his ear would twitch, marking sure not bothersome little cubs snuck up on him and do gods' knew what, but beside that he actually looked relaxed. Almost at peace with the world, he was. It actually made him look more like a normal lion and less like the rock poorly turned to flesh that he normally did, what with his rigid stance and stony expression.
Livyathan / Shrew:
Shrew, her new name was, thanks to her sister, had to leave the den. It'd been days since they'd come to the pride, and her sister wouldn't shut up about Stormclaw and how he would be a perfect mate for her. Shrew wasn't looking for love. She had too much on her plate. She had to take care of Siren and make sure she stayed out of trouble. That's why she was walking right now. Aimlessly walking to get sime silence to clear her headache that her sister had given her. Those light blue eyes weren't even looking around her. They were staring straight off, but seeing nothing.
She felt at home here. In the jungle and with the beach so close. The ocean was her home. She'd known that from her trips near the Bahari'mtoto pride. She wasn't afraid of the water. So, if there were another lion around her, she didn't know it. By smell or sound or sight. Shrew was too wrapped up in the pounding in her head.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
His ear twitched. Stormclaw didn't move another muscle however. He was downwind of her and even with the sea air around them he could tell it was one of the sisters he had brought in, the older one to be precise. By the sound of her movements, she was coming towards him, too. When one eye opened and he got a look at her, he realized she was in a bit of a daze, her eyes unfocused and distant.
And if she kept on walking she would trip over him.
"Careful now. You keep walking like that and you'll trip," he said, his deep voice rumbling with the remark. He hated that he sounded just a little drowsy and immediately blamed the warmth of his sunlit patch. He should get up and shake the doze from his system. But he just couldn't seem to manage it just yet.
Livyathan / Shrew:
A sleepy rumble roused her from her daze and she blinked, looking down at Stormclaw. Blinking once, twice more she shook her head and sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry, Stormclaw... I should pay more attention to where I'm walking.." Even as she spoke her words were laced with a tinge of pain. She would have to find something to help her head. Perhaps she would go to another gypsy? If they delt with herbs. Sighing quietly to herself, she took a couple of steps baack before looking at him again.
"I am terribly sorry, Stormclaw..." It was all she could manage to say, really. What else would she say?
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
He moved, tucking his paws under his chin and opening his other eye to look at her properly. They were still fairly hooded, his posture still fairly relaxed. He blamed the doze.
"Why are you apologizing? I was only warning you," he replied, his tone a little confused at her response to his comment. Did she think she had upset him? Or perhaps she felt that she had disturbed him. She had, of course, but that didn't really seem like something she really needed to apologize for. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever understand females.
"Are you well? You looked in a daze." His tone was rather neutral, not really showing the concern his words should have been accompanied by. He wasn't really, but as a member of the pride now she, too, was under his and all the other patrons' protection, so it was in good form to ask. If she needed assistance getting to the healers, he would do so.
Livyathan / Shrew:
"I've disturbed you with my unfocused dazed cause by a headache. My sister hasn't shut up and from time to time it happens...." She sighed heavily, answering both questions at once. Her ears flattened a little, but she to got comfortable, sitting down on her backside and just stayed there. The sun was helping with the tenseness in her muscles. She hadn't really rested from their journey. She'd been walking around, getting the lay of the pride, trying to meet as many members as he could, but Siren managed to somehow ruin ever meeting and cut it short. Not everyone could handle Siren's personality. She'd feared as much.
He wasn't really concerned. Why would he be? They weren't friends. They were mere pride members and little else. They shared no bond of friendship, no deeper bond beyond a guard and a protectee.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
"Rest then. Close your eyes and try to relax," he replied, a shrug in his voice. It was how he dealt with the pounding his head took whenever the boys were particularly bothersome. Like today, actually. Well, he didn't have a headache, so it seemed that he was at the advantage here. He was a little run-down, but he wasn't out of it like she seemed to be.
He wasn't surprised that her sister was part of the problem. His first thought was to say that he wasn't surprised, that she had almost given him a headache when he first met them. But then that would be rude, wouldn't it? She would probably just get mad at him and Riddlemouth had told him to try and be more pleasant. It was a slow-going process, but at least he was considering it. That was something, wasn't it?
Livyathan / Shrew:
When he spoke again, she looked to his face and arched a brow. She had no reason to not trust him, yet she was hesitant. Sighing, after a moment, she closed her eyes and did as he said. She tried to relax. It was nice to be in the company of someone who didn't go on and on and on. It was actually pretty calming. Shifting, Shrew laid down on her stomach, tucking her paws underselfself and sighed, trying to relax in the sun.
The pounding was slowly, slowly starting to dull, but it would not be completely gone for a while, she knew. How she knew is this was not the first time, nor would it be a last she suffered like this.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
Stormclaw watched her settle down, never taking his eyes off of her. She looked hesitant at first, an act that displeased him greatly. He had been distant with her and her sister, even a little surly, but he had given her absolutely no reason not to trust him. She was in his pride, he was a protector, it was his lot in life. How could she for even a single moment thing that he would do otherwise. He knew there was the threat that he might, but she sure as hell didn't.
It took a lot of restraint not to feel insulted.
He remained silent while he watched her relax, giving her quiet for a while before speaking again.
"Better?" he asked, his voice surprisingly soft when he posed the question. He didn't want to upset her head by speaking too loud.
Livyathan / Shrew:
She hadn't meant to upset him. She didn't know she had, honestly, and she probably wouldn't since she couldn't read his facial expressions. Sighing to herself, as it dulled further. Nodding to his question, she opened one eye and gave him a soft, quiet smile. "Yes... Thank you..." She said softly, dipping her head in thanks. Her sigh was one or relief but her smile was calm and collected. Her head, while a dull ache, wasn't nearly as bad as when she started. Shrew watched Stormclaw for a moment longer before deciding she needed to talk.
"...I apologize about snapping when we first met, Stormclaw. I am protective of my sister. She's younger than me.. ...Our parents weren't around too much, so I basically raised her." Why she was explaining, well.. It'd give him a glimps into how close the sisters were and why. Something he might find interesting. Or she could be completely mistaken and she was waisting his time again.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
He looked like he was sleeping again, and at first he didn't say anything.
"You do have a mother's bearing around her," he finally said, one eyelid lifting again to consider her. She was apologizing for the day they had met. It had been a misunderstanding, and on her part he supposed, but Riddlemouth's voice echoed in the back of his head making him want to grumble. He didn't, but the thought crossed his mind.
"It was unfortunate you ran into me and not one of the others. I'm not the most... charming of individuals in the pride and 'I'm bored' is a phrase I truly cannot abide to hear," he replied with a small shake of his head. Whenever he heard that, his first instinct was to sigh, shake his head, and tell them to find something to do rather than complain about it. That was really all he had meant by telling her to find another hobby, considering she had gotten "bored" right after he ignored her advances.
Livyathan / Shrew:
Charming? Shrew thought he was charming enough until that point. He was polite, to a fault, and not afraid to warn new members about certain things. Then again, he was a tad rude. Still, he was probably just being himself. If he was, she felt like she could handle that. He wasn't aiming to push her buttons, which was good. Siren did that enough. It made her want to punt her sister form time to time, so someone quiet was nice to talk to.
Sighing again, Shrew nodded a little. "I do. I have to with a sister who gets herself into so much trouble. It's bothersome at times, but other times it has it's reward. At least I'll know how to help with the cubs if asked."
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
Stormclaw actually chuckled a little. At first he hadn't seen how there could be any reward in dealing with her sister if she acted that immature most of the time. But he then realized how practical this female was and it amused him. However, it also displeased him at the same time. He really did dislike the idea of another individual shirking their duties and dropping them into the paws of another and in his mind the idea of Livya having to act as mother to her nieces and nephews because her sister did not want to take responsibility for her actions was something that annoyed him very deeply.
But she had said help, so he would have to concede. He doubted she would allow her sister to completely avoid her duties as a mother, if fate saw that happening.
"What names have you chosen, then?" he asked, referring to their gypsy names. Oddly enough, he was curious, though he had a feeling that the little one would pick something seductive and charming to make her more enticing. He wanted to roll his eyes at the thought.
Livyathan / Shrew:
When he asked about their names, she sighed and looked to the side. She hated her gypsy name. It did suit her, but it was also so negative sounding. ".... Mihika is Siren... I... I'm.. Shrew," she muttered out, shaking her head. It was Siren's fault she was Shrew. She'd been talked into taking that name, but she honestly didn't like it. However, she couldn't come up with a better name for herself.. Maybe that's why she took it, ultimately. As a slight to herself. Shrew didn't have any real beauty to her next to Siren. She tended to 'suck the fun' out of a situation when Siren was involved... Was she really a shrew?
If Siren tried to dump all of her cubs on her sister, Shrew would not have it. Cubs would help Siren grow up and see that she can not continue being promiscuious without concequences. She'd given her that same speech several times, so if it happened, Shrew would see to it that Siren was the primary caregiver of the cubs. She was not going to shoulder that alone.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
Yup, just as he had expected, the little one was aptly named. A siren indeed, singing her song in an attempt to drive males to distraction, though she doubted she would ever have downright ill intents in mind when she did so. He even smirked a bit, proud that he was strong enough to resist the siren's... call... What did she just say? Shrew? She had taken the gypsy name of Shrew?
Stormclaw's ears perked towards her and his face fell into a confused scowl. For a moment he thought he hadn't heard her right, but no, his hearing was excellent, he had heard her correctly. Why in the world would she ever choose a name like that?
A sneaking suspicion in him grew, suggesting that the little Siren had something to do with it. Aye, that seemed like a very plausible explanation.
He knew he had to be delicate with his next comment otherwise he might upset her, but damned if he knew how. Females tended to have far more tender feelings than males did and he had no idea how to tip-toe around them like his king obviously did. It hadn't been an order, but Riddlemouth had suggested he try to be nicer. It was proving harder than expected.
"It doesn't seem to suit you..." was all he managed to say.
Livyathan / Shrew:
"No, it doesn't but it does at the same time. I stunt all of her fun. I won't have a mate for a long time. I'm not pretty like she is. I'm practical and prbably going to stay alone." She shrugged a little more and then sighed. Shrew was a confusing name for her. In time she might grow to like it, but for now it would be a confusing kind of torture for her. She wouldn't tell her unless she absolutely had to.
"Ah, well. In time it'll be better, I imagine. It'll suit me sooner or later."
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
Stormclaw snorted and waved a paw at her excuses. Pretty much all of her points were valid ones, but not logical reasons for the name. Siren's kind of fun was reckless, Livya was only watching out for her. He had no idea whether or not the young female would have a mate in the near future, that was her decision and it certainly shouldn't have been taken into consideration with her naming. There was nothing wrong with being practical.
Matron would have suited her far better than Shrew.
"Of course you're not pretty like she is, you look nothing alike," he replied, realizing after a short pause that he should probably qualify otherwise she would likely become angry with him. Or worse, feel even more poorly about herself. "Your appearance has its own fair qualities, ones that your sister does not possess in the same way."
Livyathan / Shrew:
Her brows knittied at his words. They stung. Shrew knew he didn't mean it in a negative way, but it still stung to have it confirmed by a male. So they did find her prettier. Ah, well, she knew that. She pushd the disappintment off her face and shrugged he shoulders carefully. "My appearance has no good qualities, I'm afraid. But I.... nearly prefer it this way. I don't need the male attention she gets. I wouldn't know what to do with it anyway."
Her tone was one as if she was talking about the weather and not putting herself down. Shrew did this often, put herself down when she compared herself to her sister. She was no match, and she knew it. "Either way. My name is Shrew. I have to get used to it."
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
And of course he mucked it up. A stubborn, feral part of him wanted to thrash his king for ever making the suggestion that he try to be more diplomatic. He just wasn't good at it! Even with his closest friend he was polite. He asked her how she was, he listened to her troubles, he offered to help her with them, but nothing more. He just didn't know how to be pleasant company.
Stormclaw couldn't resist growling a little and one paw moved to his forehead in exasperation.
"Your sister isn't as pretty as the two of you seem to think she is," he replied, knowing it was his opinion and it was a harsh one. She would no doubt just get angry at him, but he needed to at least try and fix the damage he'd done. "Her eyes are a dull color, her coat is completely unsuitable for anything practical unless she tried hunting for fish or in the dead of night."
He shook his head to emphasize his statements. His coat was also completely impractical for hunting but he managed well enough. Besides, he didn't need to hide when he was defending the pridelands. In fact, it was probably better to be seen in those instances. He could be quite intimidating.
Livyathan / Shrew:
The tone he took, to her, wasn't one of harshness, but one of trying to tell someone something for the billionth time. Exasperation. Frowning, she listened to him and then blinked a little more. Not once in her life did she ever hear a male put down her sister like this. He wasn't really putting her down, but he was pointing out how practically she was marked. It was interesting and she wasn't sure if she should be mad or not. Probably not, so that's what she went with.
Instead, Shrew shrugged and looked off to the side. He was intimidating, yes, but not intimidating in a I want to kill you kind of way. More like I don't know what I'm doing so I'm avoiding everyone kind of way. She supposed it was the same of her. She avoided talkng because she usually mucked it up by snapping to conclusions or just snapping in general.
"....I suppose, but she has the sparkle that attracts males and the personality." Was all that she could honestly say about that.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
Stormclaw snorted again.
"It's a reckless personality," he replied without really thinking about it first. But then, how could he fault it? It seemed like most of the females here, hell most of the other pride members had that type of personality. And there was only a small section of them that had anything different under the surface. Oh, he knew that while his uncle tried to charm pretty much any lioness tat came across his path, mated or not, he knew better. Half the time it was just a bit of sport. All the moons with him, he could tell the difference by now. The banter was usually just that, empty promises. Even little Percival had that look about him. He liked female attention, but Stormclaw doubted the cub would become his father.
He shook his head, amazed at how much this lioness had gotten him to say.
"But then, fitting here. They're all far too relaxed for my peace of mind." He didn't like it, there were too many risks, from within and without. He shouldn't even be here with Livya. There was no telling what could happen. For all he knew, his demon was just biding its time, waiting for him to relax his guard, to find someone he enjoyed spending time with before coming back with a vengeance.
He didn't want to think about it.
Livyathan / Shrew:
Why was sitting here and just talking to this male relaxing? Well, it beat screaming at Siren for doing something stupid, she supposed. There were no cubs about to take care of either, so there was that. Still, it was the most quiet she'd had in a long time and it wasn't even that quiet. There was a rumbling voice, an ocean in the distance, birds, bugs... Whatever. If Shrew put too much thought into it she'd probably drive herself insane.
Reckless was one way to look at it. Shrew looked at it as way too open and optimistic. Shrew was a realist. She thought of the worst case senarios and her actions reflected on preventing that. Sighing a little, she shrugged and nodded. Reckless, then.
"It's easy to be relaxed when you have so much whine noise going on. As well as when the guards take care of the pride so well." It wasn't a compliment towards him, but rather every guard. "I've crossed some pride lines by accident where the guards were really lax or not even there."
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
That was almost exactly what his uncle would tell him. Euri wasn't prone to hiding things from his family and his visions were certainly not one of those hidden things. He wasn't shy about life outside of the pride, either. In fact, he bragged about it. When he had lived in the outside world, his visions had been a danger. Stormclaw didn't have to worry much about his, they were brief enough that he could easily recover from them. Euri didn't have that luxury. His visions blinded him and took time. Without the protection of the pride, he could easily be killed if he had one in the middle of a fight.
He shrugged a little at her comment on the guards of the pride.
"With the pride as relaxed as it is, someone has to make sure everyone is safe from the... dangers outside of our haven."
Livyathan / Shrew:
Sighing a little more, Shrew rolled her shoulders and got even more comfortable. "I would have been a guard but I need to watch Siren and make sure she doesn't do something idiotic," she said after a long moment of silence. Her bright blue eyes seemed focused on nothing at the moment. She was thinking more than she should be. Gods, her head was wrapping around the idea that Siren would probably get knocked up and leave the cubs with her.
Cubs were cute and everything, but Shrew didn't want to take care of her sister's kids while her sister just went and did whatever she wanted. That's probably what Siren was counting on. This had been going through her head for along time now, ever since Siren started flirting. It hasn't happened yet, but she was sure it was going too. Well, she'd have to stop that.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
He considered her for a moment before he nodded his head.
"You might have made a good guard," he replied after he collected his thoughts. She seemed to be a fair judge of character if she could recognize the faults in her sister's personality and to not be afraid of him. He was intimidating, he tried rather hard to be of course, but he... he was no monster. No matter how his visions tried to tell him otherwise, he refused to accept that. He would fight fang and claw before he let himself hurt someone without due cause. She had been a little timid, but the way she had lectured him on his treatment of her sister... no, she hadn't been afraid. He almost wanted to smile over that.
"I fear all your time will be spent in that task." There was just the barest of hints of amusement in his voice when he spoke again. He didn't smile, but there was a bit of a narrowing to his eyes and a little sparkle there. It was far more honest than the smirk that sometimes found its way onto his face.
Livyathan / Shrew:
Yes, all of her time would be spent on that task and she knew it. Sighing a little more, Shrew looked to the side and let her brows knit. The amusement didn't go unnoticed, but she wasn't so amused. Honestly, Shrew didn't want to spend her whole life cleaning up after her sister or preventing messes. She wanted some form of relaxation and restfullness, but Siren wouldn't have that. If Shrew just gave up, Siren would get pregnant, have cubs, and the cubs would more than likely die because no one would take care of them. It wasn't in Shrew's mind to let cubs die like that; without having any chance what so ever.
Now she was just getting more and more annoyed. Letting her brows knit, the brown and blue lioness got to her paws and sighed. "I should find Siren. She's probably getting into some trouble. ...It was nice running into you again, Stormclaw," she said, dipping her head politely. It is better to back out now than lash out in annoyance at him.
Fuil'fiach / Stormclaw:
The silence went unnoticed for a while. He was used to it, after all, so it wasn't anything new. But when she stood, he hadn't missed that. His eyes had closed while she was thinking and they snapped open at the sound of her movement, looking up at her with a look that hinted at confused. The look on her face was more than enough to tell him what was going on. He had upset her in some way, gods knew though he wasn't sure how he had done it.
She mentioned her sister and realized that by talking about Siren, he had either insulted her or reminded her of her duties. A pity, that, a part of him had- A wall came up around him as his thoughts tried to betray him. He would not enjoy her company. He would not let his guard down. If he relaxed too much, he could end up hurting her and he refused to let that happen.
Without a word, Stormclaw stood and dipped his own head in a bow. At first he wasn't sure what he should say to her.
"Good luck finding your sister," was what he finally settled on.
Livyathan / Shrew:
Nodding, the female sighed heavily and turned her back to him, heading back to the pride. Pausing, Shrew realized how hastily her retreat might seem so she turned back to him and sighed. The only thing she could honestly do was offer a smile to him before she walked back. This was not going to be a happy day. She could feel it in her bones that it wasn't going to be. Her sister had something planned and she really didn't like that idea.
Then again, talking with Stormclaw had been interesting. He'd proved not as much of a stick in the mud as she thought. He was fascinating at times, with how much he actually spoke and the little bit of amusement in his voice at the end was something she had not expected. Maybe she'd talk to him again, soon.
