OOC
This rp is backlogged! I've not had much time to RP Mizar and I would like to develop him from cub stage on.
He watched his paws as they walked, frowning at the ground with such resentment, that a part of him believed he could bore into the ground with his eyes. The cub had begun growing into his mane and had found his voice at long last. There were no complaints out of him most days, not about his name, not about his diet, not about his life, and certainly not about his new ‘home’. Zhao Yun had not made it a secret that he intended on sending the cub to the East house when he was old enough, but a part of him felt he would never be old enough.
He knew the place. He knew Yun, he knew their cave and their routine. He wasn’t looking forward to having to make a whole new life for himself or having to re-learn everything. One thing he certainly didn’t like was that nothing was registering in his mind as they walked. What if he wanted to visit? What if something horrible happened and he needed Yun to come and help? How would he find his way back?
For perhaps the thirteenth time, Long Wei threw a look over his shoulders and scanned the terrain. Yun had tried, earnestly and insistently, to teach him how to navigate. He told him to look for landmarks, things that stood out in his memory. A bent tree, a boulder with a strange color, a smell, a marker- anything. Sadly, no matter how hard he tried, Wei could never get any of the markers to stick in his mind. He could remember patterns- rock, tree, stream, tree, rock -but he couldn’t remember directions. Left and right? What was that? North, south, east, west? How cruel it was that the houses of this pride were named after directions that he couldn’t keep straight in his head.
He felt his companion’s eyes on him and turned forward, his ears pinned back.
“You’ll be able to come back at any time.” Yun assured him with a smile and a chuckle. “If time goes too long between visits, I’ll come and make sure you’ve not found your way up a tree again.”
The cub bit his tongue and threw his head up. If there was one sore spot, it was his lack of direction. It wasn’t something he could improve on, he felt, and it wasn’t something that he could help. He was good at many other things! “Well…”, he took a deep breath, squashing the sharp retort that sat on the tip of his tongue. “I would appreciate that, thank you.”
“You keep looking back.” Yun pointed out.
“I’m memorizing the markers.”
Yun stared, clearly as unconvinced as his companion.
“I… so who is this lion you’re taking me to?” Wei shifted topics eagerly, picking his paws up once more.
Yun, happy to oblige, started walking forward once more. “His name is Lu Xun- that’s his proper name. His common name is Firoz. He was an outsider, like yourself. From what I understand, his family was just a group of rogues. He had a mentor that taught him how to use his head more than his claws and somehow he found his way here. I think the two of you have a lot in common.”
Wei scrunched his nose up. “Just because we’re outsiders?”
“There is that…but you’re both thinkers more than anything. He’s a little more vocal about his musings, though. But he’s pretty young. Youngest advisor that I’ve heard of in his house. Perhaps the whole pride, I’m not certain.”
“Have you spoken with him personally?”
“Well…”, Yun cleared his throat. “A little, yes. He was at a wedding. We had some words, but it was more polite chit-chat.”
“You do a lot of that.” The cub noted. “I never see you interacting with the others.”
“I do when I need to… but I’ve had my paws full.” He glanced over to the youth, earning a sheepish tilt of his maw.
“Yeah, I guess you have.” He said quietly. The two walked in silence for some ways and the ground began to change slowly. New smells, new sights, new sounds once again. He might have come this way before once, but he wouldn’t know it if he had. He wondered, quietly, if they were walking in circles. Maybe Yun didn’t know where they were going…
Shaking from his thoughts, he looked back up to the older lion. “Thank you.”
“Hm?” Yun glanced down, shaken from his own thoughts. “Whatever for?”
“For… finding me. Keeping me alive. Teaching me.” Wei looked away, his gut twisting a bit. It wasn’t like him to get personal on any level. Yun often kept his own feelings rather neutral. It was polite to maintain a smile and a little distance. However, he had never properly thanked Zhao Yun for the service to him.
“Well…”, Yun, equally awkward in the flow of conversation, couldn’t help but smile a little more, “Be sure you pass along what kindness you get. There may be a day when someone needs your guidance.”
“Guidance.” The cub snorted.
“Well… in… life. Thinking?” Yun stumbled over his words.
“I understand.” Wei chuckled and shook his head. “Still, thank you.”
The cub paused and lifted his eyes. They weren’t the only ones on the road between houses. Apparently, they were expected. Word must have traveled fast or perhaps Yun had taken a detour on one of his hunting trips. Drawing in a deep breath, Wei filled his chest and stepped forward, trying to make himself tall as possible.
“Ah, that would be him.” Yun looked forward. Suddenly, he found it very hard to speak. It would be so different to go back to an empty den. To have no one to look out for… a small part of him wanted to reconsider this whole arrangement but it would be for Wei’s good. He wasn’t a fighter, he was a thinker. He needed more personal attention than Yun could offer him and he needed someone that was eager to take on a student. Lu Xun had more in common with the cub, and could likely teach him the ways of the pride much better than he could.
“I…” Yun looked down and offered a smile. “We’re in the same pride. I’ll visit often.”
Wei nodded his head slowly, offered his companion a smile, then stepped forward to meet his mentor.
Word Count: 1,068
