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 Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:02 am
 A crisis had been avoided this day... with the timely intervention of one particular lioness. It had been her 'sacrifice' that had helped to seal the deal in question and as a result, the leader of the Bahari'mtoto now returned home without one of his pride. She had been sure of her decision and comfortable in the midst of the strange pride, but she had left it in his paws to pass this news on to her mother. Admittedly, Zephranthes was of a reasonable age and had already been recognised as an adult but this didn't mean that her mother would ever see her as nothing more than one of her babies!
...And right now, Ram had no desire to get between any more parents and their offspring.
Alas, he heaved a sigh as he pressed his way towards the dens, his head bowed in thought as he pondered over the best way in which to approach the situation. Did he simply tell her, or should he elect to grace Zephyr's mother with pretty words? He wasn't the greatest of wordsmiths if he was completely honest, but he could certainly give it a shot. By the time he had reached the mother's den he had at least come to a decision, and as he drew to a halt he cleared his throat and presented himself.
"Neoni'liga, might I request your presence for a moment?" he enquired.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:37 am
Epine de Rose (( Sorry for the delay! ))
She paced back and forth in her den, her crimson eyes staring at the shifting sand beneath her paws. So many over-lapping paw prints, yet currently, she was alone. Her son had been so furious when he learned about what had happened to the cubs. She had made him promise not to go with the group, and instead stay behind and guard the cubs that remained. Her other three daughters were all Pombukas, so they too would be looking after the young families that remained. With any luck, all of those families would be whole again very soon.
As if her thoughts had echoed outside of her den, a voice suddenly broke the silence. Although the Bahari'mtoto was growing it size, it was still a reletively close-knit Pride, and so she recognised the voice almost immediatly. "Ram!" She quickly moved to meet him at the mouth of the den, bowing her head respectfully as she stood before him. It wasn't long though before she lifted her head and looked around. He was alone.
"Ram, were you able to find the cubs and bring them home? Is Zephyranthes alright? Was anyone hurt?" Neoni'liga couldn't help her outburst, as the fact that the Pride's leader was here to see her all on his own could mean anything. She found herself looking over Ram's body for any signs of a fight, before taking in a deep breath and exhaling it. "I'm sorry Ram, I've just been so worried.
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Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 6:36 am
She was so full of questions... He had anticipated this and as such, remained silent until she had gotten all of them out of her system. He dismissed the irrelevant and remembered the important, only choosing to speak when she had settled and was now expecting him to answer. Alas, this didn't stop him from pausing to find the best wording for each of his responses before he did provide her with the information that she desired.
"The cubs have been found and they have been returned to their families," he began and motioned to the dens nearby. "There were no casualties and all of the children are with their families again," he murmured reassuringly. Having addressed her immediate concerns he then turned to the final one, the reason he had chosen to come himself rather than have the information passed to the lioness by another.
"However, Zephyranthes is currently in the care of the Kizingo'zaa," he didn't mince his words, instead electing to be honest and upfront in regards to the issue. "She used herself as a bargaining chip to strike a deal with the pride. In exchange, the cubs have been returned and we have received a charge of our own. An exchange of blood until the younger generations on each side have matured," he cleared his throat and then released a heavy sigh.
"Come next year she will be released to return to us and we will also release our charge, however this does not mean you cannot see her. You may move freely between these lands and the Kizingo'zaa... she is just confined to their territory until the ceremony," he continued. Taking a seat, he mentally prepared himself for the backlash after he had completed his explanation.
"Truth be told, had she not intervened their would have been bloodshed and war would have been highly likely. Instead we have found a powerful ally and the existence of a ward in each land is purely symbolic," he tilted his head to the side and hazarded a wry smile. "It seems that it is true what they say, females are the most level headed - while pride stood in the Kizingo'zaa king's way and stubbornness in mine, she presented us with an accord."
"...My daughter made a grave mistake in her judgements. You have raised your children well, you should be proud of her courage and conviction... but I can only apologise for the situation she now finds herself in," he finished.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:32 am
Neoni'liga listened intently to Ram's every word, the ever changing expressions on her face saying more than words ever could. At first there was relief, having learned that all of the cubs had been returned to their families, and that there was no casualties. Then there was a look of complete and utter horror, having learned that her darling daughter Zephyranthes had been left behind, having been used as a 'bargaining chip' to secure the release of the cubs. At that point she wanted to speak up, but she could tell that Ram wasn't finished, and so she held her tongue.
It was just as well that she did, as when Ram went on, it was revealed that things were not as horrendous as they had first sounded. She would be allowed to visit her daughter, and she would also be allowed to return to them eventually, although next year seemed like a lifetime to the distraught mother. Her red eyes glistened as tears trickled down her face. Thanks to Zephyranthes' sacrifice, a war had been avoided. She couldn't help but be proud, but at the same time, she couldn't get over the fact that her baby had been used in this way, regardless of whether or not it was her own choice.
Ram ended with an apology. Neoni'liga was clearly upset, her feelings as a mother completely overpowering all other thoughts and senses. "Why her?" Her voice was shaky as she struggled to fight back the tears. "Why not a male? One who can defend themselves if they-" Her eyes once again widened in horror as all of a sudden, the worst case scenario hit her like a wave. This Pride was ruthless enough to steal another Pride's cubs, so what if they decided they wanted to make their own cubs with Zephyranthes, against her will? At that point, she lost it.
"Ram how could you do this?!" Neoni'liga had never been so devastated, and so it was hard for her to control her emotions. "How could you just walk away and leave her with those monsters?!"
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:53 pm
He raised a paw as the lioness made her thoughts known; the increased volume of her voice left little doubt in his mind that she was unhappy. This came as no surprise, he sincerely doubted that any mother (or any parent for that matter), would be happy in the same position. He hadn't been happy himself and she wasn't even his child, yet she had been insistent and when he had been given time to consider the situation it seemed that she was in safe paws. For all their faults and their foolish decision to kidnap the Bahari offspring...it had all been done out of desperation.
"Because they aren't monsters," he said at last, once he was certain that she had finished shouting at him. His expression shifted into one of weariness and he lowered his paw again. "They are foolish, and they were desperate. The very fact that the cubs have been returned to us and more than one of their own pride expressed unhappiness at the King's plans is testament to this." he pointed out. "Unfortunately when we are desperate for a solution we make the wrong choices."
He paused.
"Zephyranthes knows that she can return to us at any time if she feels frightened and we will protect her, but this entire exercise is more a test of trust between both parties," he tilted his head to the side. "Do you not think that a mother in the Kizingo'zaa may not feel as you do as well?" he asked.
"As to why it was her..." he shook his head. "She was very insistent and she seemed to have discussed it in advance before we could put forward another in her place."
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:58 am
Ram's explanation as to why this invading Pride wasn't made up of a bunch of monsters was completely unsatisfactory to her, although she couldn't ignore what he said about many in the Pride having disagreed with what was done. "No civil Pride would ever do something so vile as to steal the cubs of another, no matter how desperate they are." Neoni'liga's already red eyes were bloodshot from where she had been crying, although she was able to stem the flow of tears for now.
Even if it had been only the King of the Kizingo'zaa who wanted to do what they had done, the fact is that the Pride went along with it. If Ram had asked such a thing of the Bahari'mtoto, she would like to think that they all would've refused, despite how highly she regarded Ram as the leader of her Pride.
At the talk of trust between both Prides, she recalled what Ram had said about a member of the opposing Pride being put in the same position as Zephyranthes. She frowned deeply and shook her head. "How could their mother feel the same? We have given them no reason not to trust us, have we?" Ram had said that bloodshed had been avoided, and so what reason would there be for them not to hold up their end of the deal? The way she saw it, the Kizingo 'zaa had set out to gain new blood to protect their bloodlines. In holding Zephyranthes, they still had that.
At the mention of her daughter's insistence that she be used in this way, Neoni'liga once again felt as though she would break down in a flood of tears. She held it together though, allowing for only one tear to trickle down her face. "My beautiful Zephyranthes." How like her daughter to want to help in this way, to sacrifice herself for others. Still, this was all too hard to take in, without hearing it from Zephyranthes and without seeing for herself what this Pride of cubnappers was really like. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ram, but she couldn't share in the seeming trust he had for the Pride which now held her daughter.
"I have to see her Ram."
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:50 am
"You assume a 'civil' pride would simply let itself die out?" he asked, raising a brow at her declaration. It was safe to say that Neoni was a lioness who was filled with ideals, a striking contrast to one such has him. Truth be told, if they had been so desperate for new blood, then Ram might very well have instigated the same type of plan. "Sometimes things in life are not black and white, while I appreciate you may wish to take the higher ground, there are many who would darken their morals to ensure the survival of their families and friends."
"What is necessary is not always what the majority regard as right," he pointed out before shaking his head. It was better for him to drop the subject and he regarded her with a level stare as she continued. She certainly wasn't buying in to what her daughter had done, her views were very biased, but he really couldn't blame her for that either...
"As to why they require our trust - who says we cannot simply execute are visitor in an act of revenge, hm?" he tilted his head to the side. "Not that we would, but there is always a risk."
"However there is nothing to stop you seeing your daughter, if you desired you could travel to see her now. The borders are open."
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:54 am
Neoni'liga blinked at Ram as he seemingly defended the invading Pride. "I would sooner die than steal a cub that did not belong to me." If such a thing had happened to her when her cubs were born, it would've ruined her. She could never inflict such a thing on another mother. "Don't you dare tell me that they had no other options."
The blue lioness found herself getting increasingly wound up at what Ram was saying. It was true, she would do anything to ensure the survival of her family and friends, but how would stealing the family of others really help in the long run? "They could've moved to another area, sought out another small Pride to unite with. They could've asked passing rogues if they were willing to join, much as we have done on occasion." Her ears lowered somewhat. It was so unlike her to speak with such anger, let alone to the Leader of her Pride.
Indeed, she too felt that it was best to move on. What was done was done, and now the most important thing was to go and see her daughter. First though, she would have to tell her two sons and two other daughters what had happened. "I will have to tell my other children what's happened." Her eyes fell towards the ground. How ever would she tell them?
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 2:35 am
"They had no other options," he responded, defiant in this respect at the very least. She gave options, of course she had, but she failed to realise the logistics of those options. Horrifying as it might have been to her as a mother, cubnapping had been the most practical and viable solution at the time. Though he dared not to say it to anyone, if this pride had been truly desperate... there was a high chance he would have done the same.
...Although, perhaps a little more discreetly.
Nevertheless he gave his head an abrupt shake and cleared his throat, he wasn't the best with infuriated females and riling this one up further would do him absolutely no favours. Contrary to popular belief he did rather value his own hide on occasions!
"You should speak with your children," he said at last. "At the very least, let them know that they can visit their sibling and she will be back within the year."
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:06 am
Why was he defending them? The Pride which stole their cubs, and then trade them for her daughter? Neoni'liga had always been the type to see the good in everyone, but as far as she was concerned, there was no good to be found in this Pride. "You are wrong Ram." Apparently she could be just as stubborn as her Leader, when she wanted to be.
At that point, she had nothing more to say to him on the matter. What was important now was informing her sons and daughters of what had happened, before they found out from someone else. Her heart broke at the thought of it, but she would have to stay strong. Then they would go and see Zephyranthes together. "I'll come and find you when we are ready to go and see her." With that, she turned and headed in the direction of the Nursery, which was where she would find her other three daughters.(( Finished! ))
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