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 Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 7:54 pm
Fireheart was bristling with annoyance and mild anger. She had just had a talk with Muhali and it hadn't eased her mind at all on the recent occurrences in the pride. While the major 'danger' had passed for the time being, an uneasy and vulnerable feeling had settled in Fireheart's chest and she couldn't shake it. With Riddle Mouth out of commission for the time being, the goddess had been put to the task of protecting the pride and, while she seemed to have changed her stripes on what 'protecting' involved - not cursing with insanity and patrolling the borders, mainly - Fireheart didn't feel safe. The goddess that had cursed them was back, and her return had caused a huge upheaval. Things were no longer simple, and now that the dreamers were here everyone was on edge. She had to talk to Riddle Mouth. While he was in recovery, she knew Muhali wouldn't leave. But once he was better... "Riddle Mouth?" she called out as she reached his den. She doubted he wanted visitors, but this couldn't remain within her any longer. She was sure she'd cut a tree in two with one swipe of her paw with how much anger and frustration would have built up by the time he was well enough to come out. "Uncle...I need to talk with you." That was all she said, though, and didn't move from the entrance of the den. She didn't wish to intrude upon his space without him giving her the okay to do so: as much as she wanted to talk, if he was sleeping or in too much pain to do so properly, she'd hold her tongue until a later time.
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Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:30 pm
It had been several hours since Hima had left him, since the alchemists had smothered his wounds and left him smelling like he had rolled in half the foliage, and since Muhali had come to make a formal apology. He had fallen asleep, and had fallen deeply, for several hours. The adrenaline had long burned off and the stress of the day had all but drained him of every ounce of strength he had. He couldn't worry about the dreamers at the moment. What was done was done, he had to trust both Muhali and Fireheart to be his eyes and muscles out there while he hid away. The pride didn't need to see him like this and if by chance another stranger or, gods forbid, a Bahari diplomat passed by, he was in no shape to be seen.
A gentle voice echoed from the mouth of his den, stirring him. When it called again the lion cracked a dark eye but didn't bother lifting his head up from his paws. It was light out, and the cold of the night had begun to burn away.
Groaning, he threw a paw over his eyes and rolled over to his side. He knew that voice. "Hurry on in, Fireheart, I still don't know why you bother announcing yourself at the door."
He chuckled quietly. "My den is always open to family."
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:34 am
Fireheart waited for a reply and the first sound she heard wasn't terribly promising. Her ears pressed against her head as the groan stopped and Shandor's voice took its place, calling her in. She stepped lightly into the den, moving into the shadows until she saw the bruised and beaten lion resting towards the rear, where the ceiling sloped down to meet the floor. She gave a little snort in reply to his words, shaking her head. Open, yes, but she still found it rude to walk in to a den without calling out first. That wasn't what she came here to talk about, though, so she let it slide. Taking a seat a few paces from the older lion, she wrinkled her nose as the smell finally hit her. "I'm surprised you can breathe, laying in a cloud of that stench," she said as she flicked her tail back and forth, the herbal smell making her nostrils tingle unpleasantly. "You look better," she added, now that the blood had been washed from his coat and the wounds were starting to scab over. There were some swollen areas still that hinted at bruising under his fur, but all in all, he was put together much nicer than the last time she'd seen him. "I need to talk with you about Muhali," Fireheart continued, not wanting to beat around the bush. "I don't think it's any secret that I don't trust her, and while the protection of the pride does not fall under my 'duties', I need to know where you stand on allowing her to stay after you're on your paws again."
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Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 8:01 am
"That makes two of us." He replied with a smirk. After a while the smell of crushed herbs and mixed pastes had faded from his awareness. Perhaps part of their cure was the smell. In some ways it was a little over-powering, but in other ways it was almost soothing. He hadn't enjoyed it when he was first treated, and he was soon due for another treatment, so he could well understand his niece's disliking for the stuff.
When she approached, he rolled to his belly and brushed the mane from his face. For all the hell he was feeling, he didn't want to look it as well. Gathering himself up, he folded his paws over themselves and lifted his head.
Muhali. Oh gods, what was he going to do? "I know... she pulled a fast one on us. For one, that's quite impressive. She fooled an entire pride of gypsies. Fast-thinkers, quick-paws, and sharp-tongued gypsies. If anything, we should be ashamed that we could not see through such an obvious trick. At least I should be ashamed, I encountered her once before coming here." He smiled a little with his admission. "And I didn't recognize her."
He waved a paw. "Love, you shouldn't be working yourself so hard. Let me worry about Muhali. I've spoken with her. I believe she is sincere in her apologies and she seems to know that her paws are walking over seashells. I don't think she's here to change our ways."
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Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:39 pm
Fireheart rolled her eyes as Shandor spoke. "Not so impressive when she can use magic, uncle. I wouldn't be ashamed for all the wildebeest in the savanna. Surprised, yes, and perhaps even stunned." The words that finished up the statement made her frown, though, and she narrowed her eyes just a bit. She didn't question it, though, and pressed on with what she had come here to talk about. "I shall work as hard as I see fit," she said with a quiet snort. "And I shall worry about whatever I please as well. Muhali is not just your problem. She has changed our ways, back to what they used to be. It might not be a involuntary thing, but you know how many of the pride members will go back to their idiotic states, how many curious cubs will fall victim to muses and be unable to let go." She paused her a moment to collect herself, finding her claws had come out and were digging into the floor of the den in irritation. "You didn't answer my question," she said, her voice calm once more. "Where do you stand on allowing her to stay once you're healed? I feel as though once she's done her patrolling duty, there is no further need for her here. We got along fine without her, made an alliance that may crumble because of her, and you know everyone won't be calm with having a goddess in our midst."
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Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 9:56 pm
"One of the greatest tricks that I've found the gods have performed, love, is convincing the mortals that they are without flaws or faults." He pointed out. "Magic or not, we should keep our eyes sharp. Magic is nothing more than clever tricks and manipulation. Don't we hide our stripes under a pelt or a pebble with a quick movement of a paw? I see it as much the same. If a god can trick, they can also be tricked. Now that we're a little wiser, we need to grow." His tone sobered a little. "For the sake of our pride, we must be able to see through even the gods."
He waved a paw. "No. She has created a pocket for the weak-minded to fester. She may have also created an opportunity..." He smirked and brought his paw under his chin. "Say we catch this would-be assassin. What better punishment than to throw him into madness? To make him depend on those he saw as unfit? She has given us a gift, Fireheart, even if she is unaware of it. A good gypsy can take even an old bone and fashion a gem from it." Regarding the potential cancer this 'blessing' could cause he frowned.
"This is why we will allow her to stay here, Fireheart. She can control it. We will welcome her the same way we welcomed the dreamers-" He leaned in a little closer. "We cannot trust her fully inside of our lands- but we can watch her. We cannot trust her fully outside of our lands- but our eyes are blind out there. Here- we know what to expect. If her madness spreads, we know what to do. We find peace by any means necessary. If she loses herself again, he can break it, even if it wears down on him."
He leaned back, knowing full well that that he was sounding heartless in saying so, but the pride came first. It came before him, Fireheart, and the gods themselves. Muhali didn't seem to have a malicious bone in her body, even with the intruder she hadn't brought her claws into the fray. She could have struck the pride mad for defying her original order, and she hadn't. He also hadn't heard any hint of deception in her tone. It sounded surprisingly open, honest, almost desperate. She wanted to be here, she realized she made a mistake, and it seemed she knew that she was going to have to earn trust.
"We have to be careful who we make enemies of. Besides, I would rather have her trickery with us than against us." He smirked. "And I would be lying if I said she wasn't easy on the eyes."
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Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:18 am
Fireheart didn't comment on his stance on gods. She wondered just how many times he'd come across one before the previous day. Obviously at least once, going by what he had said, but was that all? It had been her first, otherwise what she knew was from stories and fairy tales. In essence, they were products of the mind, of imagination, and as the curse had proved last time, there was no way to beat something that wasn't tangible unless it left completely. Still, perhaps she understood gods incorrectly. The could be weakened, as this god of peace apparently had been. Maybe they were more like mortals with powers unknown to her than she thought. "And possibly give him a muse that only encourages his killing attempts? No, thank you, uncle, but I'd rather see him tossed into the sea with rocks tied around his paws, just deep enough so the tide laps at his neck and waves crash over his head at high tide," she said dryly. "Or flat out killed. I have no need for those who attempt assassination here." As Shandor went on she shook her head in disapproval. Why invite the problem back in once it had been eradicated? That was just asking for trouble. "It's burned us once, Shandor," she said quietly, using his real name to convey her troubled thoughts. "Only fools play with something that's hurt them. I was a cub then and somehow evaded her 'blessing' while it was still around, but I remember those around me and I can't-" She paused, swallowing thickly. She had a family now, she had this whole pride to care for, and the thought of any of them ending up like that willingly or otherwise tugged at her heart to the point of pain. Collecting herself, she moved on. "It just doesn't sit right with me. You have the final say, of course, as the king. You must do what you think is right to protect the pride. I just want you to know that should things get out of our paws again, I'm going to chase her out of here myself, wings and magic be damned." Thalion Sorry if you have like a million tags on this...making early morning posts calls for lots of edits XD;;;
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 11:54 pm
"It was a creative suggestion." Shandor teased with a snort. "Though the rocks around the paws certainly isn't too bad of an idea. We just need to be cautious. The Mummer's ball is coming up very soon. The Bahari may be approaching us any time soon to make the arrangements. If they see something they feel.... is out of line they may reconsider our alliance with them." He motioned to his wounds. "Besides. The attempt was on my life, none others. For whatever reason, that eyesore was quite fixated on dispatching me. I didn't hear too much offense taken against the pride itself."
He raised a paw and gave his niece a firm look of understanding. "I will not pretend to like this. Any of it. The moment those fortune-tellers stepped into our lands my fur was on edge. Our paws are tied in this. If we send them away, more assassins may return. I will not claim to be a wise traveler of this world, but there were always stories of holy wars. Lions that felt they were destined to one place or another, guided by a god. They become so delusional that even the word of a god may not detour them. Here, we can at least keep an eye on them." He lowered his voice, nearly growling the next few words. "And dispose of them if they become troublesome."
"As for burning ourselves- the mummers do tend to singe some furs when they learn their fire-tricks. We may find some use of our dreamers. We are a resourceful lot."
He chuckled. "I have no doubt, Fireheart, you took your name well." The lion stood himself up, minding his hurts as he moved across the den to bump his head against hers. "Let me worry about the protection of the pride. You know what happens when a gypsy is torn into ten parts. I have eyes all over the place and every one of them is on the newcomers. If so much as a whisker is out of place, I will be sure to let you know."
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 9:31 am
Fireheart frowned as Shandor stood, moving to meet him halfway. She pressed her head against his own, a frown still on her face. "You shouldn't be getting up," she chided quietly, even though she did appreciate the contact. "I suppose there's nothing left to do but watch and wait." Which was infuriating for her. Letting out a quiet sigh, she shook her head and moved to the mouth of the cave. "Well. If there's anything I can do for you while you're recovering, don't hesitate to ask or to have someone send for me." She turned to look over her shoulder, arching a brow. "And please don't try to be all heroic and come out of this cave before you're healed. I know you like to show off for the ladies."
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 11:24 pm
"I shouldn't be doing a lot of things." He pointed out with a smirk. "And that has never stopped me before. I needed a small stretch, else my backside would begin to blister."
The lion prowled back to his spot and laid down against the wall, letting the cool stone ease some of the bruising in his back. Fireheart was already to the mouth of the den when she addressed him last. The gypsy smiled and waved a paw. "I don't have to be a hero to get the ladies, love. They come to me freely. For the next few days I may grow tired of all the coddling. Hima, no doubt, will be in daily, if not hourly, to give me some grief." He snorted.
"Take care of yourself. And give my regards to your family."
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