Majnaga was surprised when his annoucer came to him, telling him that a young lion had come saying his name was Izrail. Years ago he had met a kind young lioness who he had a quick flirtatious relationship with. She wasn't anything special though. A fish in a sea of millions really. However she had found him again and told him that she was having his cubs and she wanted him to raise the cubs with her. Being a father, at the time, wasn't something that interested Majanga. He told her that he would raise the strongest of the cubs. It didn't matter the gender, just as long as they would be strong and eventually help him deal with the Jedi that plagued the land that should belong to him.

He told her that if she had a male that was strong, that he wanted his name to be Izrail, after a sith master three generations above him. If he were to have a sith for a son, he wanted a proper name.

As the blue lion came further in, a small gentle smile fell upon Majanga's face. It was one he was used to. He wasn't always the furious monster others portrayed him as. In his own opinion he viewed himself as a lion who cared about others and didn't want to see them stray onto the wrong path. He wanted to help them become stronger then they were. There were times when this meant he had to punish them for their weakness, sometimes leaving them inches from death. But Majanga was proud to say he had never killed a fellow sith during training. He did not want to lower his already weak number of Sith.

“Hello Izrail, welcome to my land. I am surprised that it took you so long to get to me. Your mother said that she would bring you to me when you were a cub.” he said gently, watching the young lion. His son, Izrail, was large, much like himself, however there was a softness to the giant lion, something that needed to be fixed.


Izrail stepped closer. He looked up at Majanga who was sitting on a towering pedestal, stairs going up to it. It made Izrail feel more insignificant then he had already. Cracks in the ceiling made it so he could clearly see the older lion. Despite Majanga's size, he didn't look too menacing. However when Majanga spoke it sent shivers down his spine. Izrail decided it was just his nerves.

“You knew about me?” Izrail said. He had always imagined that if his father did know about him, he would at least try to find him. He say down, not wanting to get any closer to his new found father. “Why didn't you try to find me if you knew about me. My mother was sick and dying. You could have helped her.”

He knew that his father had to be a great lion to be treated like this. There had to be something he could have done for his mother. Even just showing up and caring for her would have been helpful. “She never even mentioned you to me.” he blurted out, “Not until she was near death anyways. She didn't want me to meet you. She wanted me to stay away from you, but I couldn't. I had to know who you were.”


Majanga nodded his head as the Izrail spoke. The young lion had little control over his speech. He almost let out a laugh, imagining the trip over here with 'the Apprentice.' Nuu'l was probably on his last nerve as they traveled. If there was anyway to teach a Sith patience, Majanga felt that sticking Izrail with them would be the perfect method. However he knew there would be a better chance that Izrail would end up hurt or even killed in the process. In the end it would be better to teach the young lion himself.

Izrail kept his emotion in plain view, something that would work to his advantage.

“I am afraid, even if I was there, I could do nothing for your mother. I do not posses healing powers. If I were there I believe it would have been even more painful for your mother. When I did not take over the role of 'father' that she wanted, she became very distraught with me and decided to never speak with me again. That is also the reason I never tried to find you. I asked her to let me raise one of the cubs and when she never brought you to me, I assumed the worst.”


Hearing his father speak about his mother was weird. He understood that not everyone was meant to be a father, but Izrail still felt it was his duty to help, regardless of the situation. Right now it was worth arguing about. “I am not mad at you for not raising me. My mom did a fine job at doing that and I would never want that to change.” He glanced at the ground, trying to hide back tears that were slowly swelling up. The lose of his mother had been tough and he still had a hard time talking about her. He took a deep breath in before continuing. “However I would like to learn more about you.”


“You would like to stay here? I have now issues with that. However, I would like to give you a greater opportunity. My land is in desperate need of assailants. I need pupils who will learn the way of the Sith and help defend our land and get back what is rightfully ours. I would like you to join me and my fellow Sith. I will train you personally in how to fight and control yourself as well as others. There are many battles to be fought when you are a Sith, not only must you fight and kill enemies but you must face your own inner demons.” His let out a chuckle. “The Sith's way of life isn't glamorous nor would I ever want it to be. It is a destiny I have, that I wish you would consider taking as well.”

“But you do not need to make your decision today. Stick with me for some time, and I will let you make your choice once you are ready. Just know once you make your decision that really isn't going back. If you leave, I will expect you to never return to this land and forget all about me and my land. If you join, it is a life long commitment.”

“Thank you for the opportunity,” he paused not knowing what to call his father. He bowed his head. “Lord Majanga. I promise to avoid being a burden to you. I will think about the offer you have given me and give you an answer as quickly as I can. Is that okay?” Then he sat there, watching his father, wondering what would happen next.

“My son, take as long as you need. I am looking forward to having you stay with us and I hope you choose to stay here. If not then I will be happy to see you find your own way in the rogue lands.” He stood up, a fur cloak wrapped around him as he made his way down the steps, each step more graceful then the last. “Follow me Izrail. There is much that I want to show you.”

“Yes father.” Izrail wondered how he could be so different from his father. He could never walk with grace. Most of the time he spent walking, he did his best not to trip and fall on his face. He stayed close to his father was they walked though and avoided eye contact with anyone else. The sith around them back away as they walked.

Izrail would be his new apprentice, his own son. He had waited years for this to happen. A son that was loyal to him and him alone. One who would not hesitate to follow an order even if it meant killing a comrade. His other apprentices were nearly flawless, but the thought of having one of his own blood was something special. He stopped at a lion. “Tell everyone that my son has arrived and that he must be treated with respect while he is here.”

The thought that his father had to order them to respect him made him feel smaller then ever. He would rather be ignored then be the center of attention. “You don't need to do that Lord Majanga. I should earn their respect. I am sure once they know me, they will welcome me into your lands.” He gave a hopeful smile to the lion his father talked to. The lion merely rolled his eyes before leaving.


His son was so ignorant, but that could be changed. There was nothing that couldn't be altered to make work for the Siths. Even his annoying son could be changed into a sith fighter given time. “If I don't tell them to respect you, they will tear you limb by limb, let the blood slowly drain out of your body as they mock you on all your weakness. I can not leave you alone with them without protection my son. Weakness is the greatest enemy of the Sith. And you are weakness in the form of a lion. They will think they are doing a favor to you by killing you.”

“But you do not need to worry. I will help you to make you stronger. In time you will earn their respect and fear. Then you will truly belong with us.”

Izrail gulped. He did not like the sound of that. “That's only if I stay right?” He gave an awkward half smile, his ears bent down.

“Yes Izrail. Only if you stay. I will not make you go through training unless you decide to dedicate your life to the sith. Now come along my son. We have a meal to eat.” Majanga said as they left.

His head nodded as he followed his father back into the building, toward the dark path.

WC: 1,708