It had been six days since Abin had met his brother for the first time, and he knew he had made the right decision. The male was… amazing. Strong, smart, kind and rude all in one… it seemed he had a little bit of everything going for him. It was ridiculous to think he shared anything in common with the other, considering just how great Jeraha appeared to be. But he also saw that his brother was very guarded, unwilling to open up completely, even in moments where they were really getting to know one another with their conversations. He would always stop just before he said anything really personal- anything that might show some kind of weakness. Abin knew it was probably because he had grown up alone, and had only ever loved one lioness- a lioness he was no longer with to protect her from his past life. He doubted he would open up to anyone who wasn’t that lioness.
Very noble, but also very sad.
Abin wanted nothing more than to protect Jeraha. Show him that, as his brother, he would remain loyal to him as long as needed. And even longer than that- now that he knew him, he didn’t want to abandon him. Even if they went their separate ways, he would return whenever Jeraha needed him. They would both get to have the family they had not been allowed in their youth.
They just had one totally evil lion to get out of the way for that to happen. Once Angusho was defeated, they would have their freedom. Abin was still a little concerned about that, however. He didn’t like the promise he had made his newly found brother. A promise to stay out of the way.
A promise to let Jeraha fight Angusho alone.
The two males sat by Jeraha’s cave, enjoying the silence. The calm before the storm, it seemed. Abin frowned, unable to eat the freshly caught antelope they had hunted down together. “He’ll probably be here soon,” he said faintly, “it’s been long enough for him to have found your trail. Or mine, I suppose.” He looked towards his brother, who had a very strange expression on his face. It wasn’t scared, or angry. It was… thoughtful. Like he was considering something good, rather than something horrible. It made Abin curious- what was going through his strange brother’s mind?
Jeraha seemed to sense his wonder, and began to speak.
“My father will definitely be here soon,” he confirmed, “I smelled his blood in the air yesterday- he must have gotten into another fight. It is likely he is waiting for his injury to heal before he comes after us. The blood wasn’t in the air today, so I think it wasn’t anything serious.”
“Your nose is amazing- you really have trained yourself well, my brother.”
“You don’t have to call me that,” Jeraha said lightly, “if you don’t like calling me your brother, you don’t need to. I know it must be weird to be here, trying to help me. You’re a kind lion, but you don’t have to pretend to be anything you don’t want to be.”
“I only want to be your brother,” Abin replied, “it is nothing strange for me. I just hope I’m not freaking you out with all the brother talk… I didn’t get to know my family well before we split off to join other families after we were left alone. I have always wanted to know what it was like to really have a brother by your side. And I don’t think I could have asked for a better one.”
Jeraha chuckled. “You are young, I know, and eager. But there are many better than me. Still, I’m glad I was the one lucky enough to be related to you. Even if I’m still adjusting to this idea of having a brother, it’s… not a bad thing. Abin, you are nothing like our father, and for that alone, I’m happy.”
Abin smiled. Most cubs yearned to be like their fathers, and the two of them only wanted to be completely different. It seemed funny, in a cosmic kind of way.
“Whatever happens, I’ll always be happy we met.”
“Alright,” laughed Jeraha, “now it’s getting a bit creepy. Let’s just say we’re happy and leave it at that, alright? We’ll have plenty of time to learn to hate each other once we deal with our father. Or, rather, once I deal with him.”
“I remember the deal, though I still don’t think it’s a good idea. What if he’s too strong for you? I fought him once, and he almost killed me. AND he made it seem like he wasn’t even trying, too. You might be surprised by his power.”
“And he might be surprised by mine- have a little faith in me.” Jeraha looked indignant, but Abin could tell he was only trying to offer his brand of comfort. Maybe the other was right- he did need to have a bit more faith in him. As far as he knew, the fight could go either way. He’d seen Angusho fight, but he’d also seen his new brother hunt. They were both extremely skilled. At least Jeraha had age on his side, to rival his father’s experience. And he had said he’d been in plenty of battles before.
There was reason to hope. Bro’dee would have been proud of him for believing in it.
The two lions continued to sit with one another, talking about nothing as they waited for the time to pass. The time between their peace and the fight of their lives. Like all good things, their moment of gentle reprieve came to an end, and the both of them both soon smelled Angusho’s scent on the air. He wasn’t making any attempt to approach them down wind, or slip in unnoticed. No. Now that he had found Jeraha, it seemed as though he wanted his dear son to know he was there. Both the younger lions got to their paws, Jeraha looking at his brother and giving a slight nod.
It was time to go to war.
