Thalion:
The lion ran a paw over his face and took a deep breath. Fatherhood was much harder than he originally thought. Of course, with seven cubs, anyone would be run dry, but for a lion of his age it was that much more difficult. He had Tifu to suckle the little ones, but she didn't want to touch them if at all possible. Her seer abilities often drove her into an anxious panic. She was, however, the only female he could trust with his offspring. They had no mother, and they needed milk. Ciyari wouldn't do it and there was no way he could impose such a thing on her. She was terrified of children, terrified of opening up. Now and then, she would startle at his touch even.
The lion shook his head. Things would never be easy... never be ideal. Perhaps that was just the standard for living. Perhaps the only rest anyone would ever find was in the quiet embrace of the eternal.
He glanced back to the den, his eyes softening at Tifu's sleeping form and the small bundles beside her belly. He needed just a small walk. Just enough to stretch his limbs and force the sleep from his head.
DFA:
“But Daaaaaddy!” struggling around was impossible for Fuhari, given the fact her father was so much larger than her and had her easily held by the scruff of her neck, “I really don’t want to do this! What if I get lonely, or scared! What if I get scared, daddy?” the juvenile’s voice turned into a sort of squeak-whimper at the thought, her head never managing to turn to look her father in the face, “I think... I think that the best idea would be to just forget this whole business and go back home! Yup,” she nodded her head some, crossing her paws over her chest.
Silos snorted slightly as he walked, “Kiddo, it’s not like I want this, but I really do need to go. And sadly, well... I... sweetie, you have no wings with which to follow me, and while I know wingless gods can fly, I have no idea when your ability will kick in, if at all,” his words were slightly muffled by the scruff of neck that he held between his teeth, “And I’ve heard good things about this pride. Besides, weren’t you getting a tingling feeling from this pride? It means you have a job to do here. you can do your job here, and I can do mine where I’m needed,” the god of youth turned his head left and right before jumping down into the valley, “I’ll be back before you know it,” and just as he mumbled this, his eyes caught sight of a lion in the distance, “Hey, hey, neighbor!”
The little juvenile let out a small whimper but otherwise remain quiet as her father approached the grey colored lion.
After approaching Maji, but remaining at a partially safe, cordial distance, Silos dropped Fuhari on the ground, taking care she wouldn’t hurt herself before turning towards the mortal, “Are you, by any chance, part of that pride I keep hearing about? The one that offers.... what I can only guess is like some sort of babysitting service for children of Gods? Because I’m in dire need of such help,” he placed his paw on top of Fuhari’s head, “I need someone to take care of this munchkin while I go take care of some business, mostly because... well, her lack of wings would make it really hard for her to follow, if you get what I mean. I would come back for her though, at some point in the future,” a small squeaky, almost miserable yip from the tiny goddess made Silos rephrase, “NEAR future. Very near future.”
Thalion:
Maji nearly jumped out of his skin as a voice called out from the mists. He was still learning the faces, names, and voices of each of the former Neled lions, but this one was one that he hadn't even heard from a distance. The male was small, almost pathetically so, and more lean than muscular. All his strength was in his shoulders, which were veiled by a long, fine mane braided neatly in some places to pull away from his face. While there was some youth in his handsome face still, the mortal looked world weary and almost sad. Once the initial shock wore off, a new surprise replaced it.
He hadn't encountered a god in quite a while... The Neled were fond of the gods and often spoke of entertaining them once more, but that seemed more of a dream than a reality. The gods he had met... they'd not exactly stood on his side of things. This one, however, was strange. Very strange.
"You've come to the right place." The male answered in a calm, gentle voice. "I... see." The magi looked down to the youngster. My- even their offspring were large.
"I understand. I will escort her to the oracle house immediantly. I thank you on their behalf for your faith in us."
DFA:
Strange indeed; after all, silos had always much prefered the company of mortals over that of other gods, for the most part. His mate, Roko, was probably the exception, but then... she knew how to have fun. Most other gods were pretty much sticks in the mud, as far as Silos was concerned, and mortals, well... they were more fun. His powers affected them readily, and more often than not, they were happy to be affected by them, “Aye, thanks mate!” he padded nearer, having to grab the cub by the scruff of her neck when she tried to dive for cover behind her father, “Ah-ah! Where do you think you’re going, lil’ niblet? You’re gonna stay here, sweetie.”
“But daddy...” she was easily dragged out front once more, and dropped carefully right in front of Maji’s paws, where she looked up at the older mortal with a wince, “Daddy...” she turned her head and lowered her voice, her ears flopping down, “I’m scared, Daddy. I really don’t wanna do this... can we not? It really doesn’t sound like fun at all,” and boy, did she know what she was talking about, when she spoke about fun. After all.... playfulness was her domain; she knew a thing or two about having fun.
“Awww... munchkin, I really can’t take you with me, and your mother’s busy with your brother. You’re just going to have to be brave. I’m pretty sure these here lions will treat you well,” he lifted his head just so, arching a brow at Maji in a clear, silent ‘you better do so’, before lowering his head and nuzzling the small juvenile, “I’ll be back before you know it, and I’m sure they have other cubs for you to play with and get to know, aye?” He turned to Maji once more, “Her name’s Mtafurahi, but we call her Furahi. She... oracle?” a brow arched as she gently pushed the cub forward, “Explain?”
Thalion:
Maji found himself standing up a little straighter. A few of his aches began to fade and while he hadn't slept well, he didn't feel like dropping either. As the god approached he even felt a little of his strength flowing back into him. Some of the fategue faded from his eyes but what remained was a lingering, private sorrow.
They softened, however, as he looked down to the bundle at his paws. A little girl... Well little as in young, not as in size. She was almost as large as he had been when his man had nearly filled out.
Looking up to the father, he gave him a short, empty smile of assurence. He'd not harm the little one. His question was answered first with a short glance towards a distant formation of rocks. The caves were located in a crack in the ground, situated close to the water and behind the waterfalls that ran down from the rivers that found their end where the earth split like a giant, hungry mouth.
<"The house of the oracles is further north. That's where the seers reside. The mother oracle there will be in charge of the keeping of the little ones. She guides the seers in developing their abilities."> He glanced down to the cub. A seer, presumably. If she was the offspring of a god.
"Her... coloration may be troublesome outside of the seer house. But there are many little ones running around now, and to my knowlege they are not isolated from one another regardless of their talents."
He shifted one of his paws and lowered himself a bit. "And... I have a litter of my own. They'd love to have a new playmate."
DFA:
Seers?
Ooooh.
Oooooh, well then, wasn’t that just absolutely hilarious! The lion thought Furahi was a seer, rather than a goddess herself, and Silos being, well, Silos, really, couldn’t bring himself to tell the old mortal he was very much wrong in his assumption. A small chuckle resonated through the god of Youth as he sat himself down, still shoving the juvenile forward every so often when she tried to make an escape, “Ahhh.... yeah, okay. I got it,” he offered Maji a smirk, looking much like the cat that had eaten the canary, or perhaps just like someone that knew something everyone did not, “Well, I doubt she’ll be any trouble. She’s a very good lil niblet, aren’tcha, honey?”
‘Honey’ was currently trying her hardest to slip away from the spotlight, attempting time and time again to slink or otherwise drag herself away and possibly hide behind her father. Unfortunately... she was having no luck at all. For all answer, she lifted sorrowful eyes at her father, offering him a large pout, which the god ignored as he pushed her softly up to Maji once more. Turning her head towards the mortal, she watched him lower his head and speak up.
Instantly, Furahi’s ears perked up, “There’s cubs here too?” a small pause followed, during which she somehow managed to look both terribly excited, and yet terribly shy at the same time, “I can play with them, then, if I stay? Promise?” another pause, “Will you play too, mister?”
After giving his daughter another small shove forward, Silos grinned, “Well then, that’s settled. I don’t think she’s displayed any sort of seer powers, but... she’ll start displaying powers soon enough,” another chuckle resonated through him, “Prepare yourselves for when that happens, that’s all I can tell you, because it might get interesting,” he paused briefly, and then after just a second of hesitation, leaned forward and touched the old mortal in the forehead with his nose, “I bless you with the gift of youth,” he told Maji as he leaned away, allowing his power to flow through the mortal, “It’s only... temporary, but man, you’re gonna need it, I think.”
Thalion:
Maji looked back down to the youngster as she squirmed, protested, and attempted to crawl back to her father's side. He could well understand her fear. The attatchment to a parent, however, was something he could not relate to. He'd never known a mother or a father, or a figure that had filled that gap in his life. He'd raised himself, looking to carvings and scripts in the stone to teach him and experience to help him grow. But the fear of abandonment- he could relate all too well to that. The panic in the little girl's eyes tugged at his heartstrings.
"Of course you can play with them." The male smiled softly. "As often as you would like. See there?" He motioned back to his den. "That's where I live. See the markings around the den? That's what you look for to find your way back here. They match the marks on my shoulder."
He looked back to the little girl and offered a smile. "My name is Maji. If you ask, the oracles will help you find your way back- just in case."
As for his own playing. The lion looked genuinely confused. Playing... he'd never played before. Never. By the time other cubs had come into his territory, he was growing into his mane. Their lives had been hard as his, though in different ways, and play was not something they had the time for. Their youth was spent trying to survive. "I... I'm afraid I don't play, little one. I'm a little old for that."
And just then, the god stepped in. A wave of energy filled his body and eased away some of his aches. Quite suddenly, the middle aged lion felt his youth return to him. The small fire urging him to take on the world and the strength to make such a foolish attempt. He stood, his mouth agape, and his eyes wide. He'd forgotten what it felt like to be free of aches, to feel like he had energy again. So...that's what gods did?
DFA:
Furahi looked from the male’s shoulder to the den, and then back before looking off towards where he’d mentioned the oracles’ dens were. The place looked quite large, and... intimidating, in all honesty. She’d never lived in a pride, or a group bigger than her small family of four. Still, the notion of cubs had visibly perked her interest, and the small goddess kept taking peeks and glances towards the obscure den.
That is, at least, until the male spoke up again and she turned towards him, offering him a childish frown, “Well, you should, Mister. Play is very important,” she told him, with all the conviction a child could have, “You should play with me too!” and then, her father stepped in, and she watched a surge of emotions pass through the mortal’s eyes’ at Youth’s touch. She grinned, aware of what had happened, though unable to replicate it in her own way. At least... not yet; her powers were still developing and she had very little control, if any at all.
Silos’ grin matched that of his daughter as he leaned away from the mortal; he’d always enjoyed watching the confusion that followed one of his blessing (or curses, mind you), and the subsequent joy of being young again, “Feeling better, I take it?” he paused, and then raised a paw, using a finger to snap poor Maji’s mouth shut, “Careful, you might suck in a mosquito or something, mate,” his words were followed by a good natured chuckle, but it was obvious he was happy for the male, “I’m afraid... it won’t last more than a couple of days, three at most, give or take, but yeah, have a gift, from me to you for taking care of the lil niblet. When I come back... well, we’ll see if I can do something a bit better for you. How about that?”
Thalion:
"I...", Maji shook himself from the self-induced trance. How rude of him... he must have been outside of his right mind gawking like that. Still, he hadn't felt so good in years. The thought that it wouldn't last was sombering, and he gave the god a short nod of his head. "Thank you. Truely, I... I have been so tired as of late." Between his thoughts and the motherless litter in his den, his nerves had began to wear thin and it was starting to seep into his bones. It was good to have a rush of renewed strength. The soure was unlikely as ever, but he wouldn't complain.
"I will make certain they care for her well. You have nothing to fear from us.'
Looking back to the cub he smiled thinly. "Ah... play is just not omething I am well versed in. I'm afraid I would be a bore for you. My sons, however, would be delighted. There's tell of another litter that just blessed the mists as well. All boys as well. You'll have to settle for my daughter for this... girl-talk." Whatever that was.
DFA:
The large god chuckled, and offered the male a small nod before finally standing up and beginning to walk away while his daughter was otherwise preoccupied with the mortal. Then, he spread his tiny wings, which seemed to grow large, or otherwise... change shape somehow, before he beat them once and he was gone, almost in the blink of an eye.
“I can teach you!” came the small godlet’s reply, “I know all about play!” something deep inside her told her that this right here... was important, and that even if she couldn’t press the issues now, she would have to in the future. Something was telling her this ‘Maji’ needed this, for some reason, and though she had no idea what her job was, or what she was to be doing in the pride, her gut told her this male was important. Her father always told her to go with her gut feeling, after all.
Furahi turned around to offer her father a grin, almost as if seeking approval but upon turning, the god of Youth was nowhere to be found, “Daddy....” her ears flopped back down in sadness before she lifted her eyes to the heavens, “Someday,” she told Maji, “I’ll fly too,” and then, she jumped to her feet, and it almost looked like the moment of sadness was all but gone, “I’m going to go see the cubs!” that said, she began trotting towards the cave.
Thalion:
Maji watched quietly, respectfully, as the god took his leave. He would never get used to that. He'd seen a god in the past but that one had been a terrible creature. Crude, insulting, brazen, and completely lacked manners. War? Battle? Something of that nature. There had been something deeply troubling about him and his lioness. The memories earned an involentary shudder.
He looked back to the cub, wincing at the sad look in her eyes. Knowing those feelings all too well, he lowered his head and gave the cub a short nudge. Flight. Sure.... perhaps in her stories or imaginings. Seers shared very little with their godly parents, from what he understood. He'd have to have a long talk with one of the oracles.
"Careful- let them sleep." He cautioned, stepping lightly behind her. "Their eyes just opened this morning... they are very young"