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 Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 4:40 pm
 "Rejoice, for the end is nigh! Repent, for the Great Lion's back is to the pride!" The words came easily, but never, ever meaninglessly, to Nyeusi's lips. Her eyes shone (with insanity, some said) at odds with her disheveled appearance. There were some who posited that the black lioness hadn't groomed herself once since she'd begun to rave about the Great Lion's abandonment of the King. They might have been right - she honestly couldn't remember and didn't bother to try figuring it out. Then there were her other adornments. The vertebrae of small animals adorned her toes as rings. The same bones of larger animals had been thrust onto her tail, and they all shook and clattered with every step she took. However, lions could be forgiven for not noticing her jewelry, as her voice tended to drown it out. "Hearken to the Word! Hear where the pride stands in the eyes of the Great Lion!"
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:34 am
 Probably Meno shouldn't have stopped. His parents would have told him not to stop. They would have said that this wasn't any of his business, and then added in an undertone that he could be putting himself in a questionable situation by even being seen near this lioness, but it was much too late for that. Meno had already heard what she had to say, albeit secondhand, and he had been anxious ever since to hear more, from the lioness herself. So he drew up short and slowed his pace to match hers so that they were walking more or less abreast.
"I'm listening," he said quietly.
He didn't ask her how she knew what she knew. Not yet. First he just wanted to hear what she thought. Her conviction impressed him, and although some might have found the volume at which she expressed it intimidating, he was not among their ranks. It just made it easier for him to focus only on her words.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 3:39 pm
It was almost a surprise that she could hear the voice over her own high volume. But she did and turned eagerly to the brown male beside her, facing him. She didn't like to talk to nothing or to air, but liked to look her converts in the eye.
"Have you heard the Word?" she demanded of him, mouth hanging slightly open in a half-crazed grin. "It's the most wonderful thing to happen to the pride in a year!" She came close, almost up in the lion's face.
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 7:13 am
For some reason the first thing to cross Meno's mind when the lioness asked him if he had heard the word was bird. Over and over again: "bird, bird, bird-bird, the word." He didn't let it slip out though, because he was partially convinced that was a sign his mind was failing him, or something. Who thought things like that?
"Ah, really?" he asked, taking an alarmed half-step backward. "From the things I have heard, not the Word, necessarily, but other things, the Word isn't good. Was I mistaken?"
Of course, that was really rather subjective, whether the Word was good or not. It largely depended on how one felt about Shangyue, he supposed. Meno didn't really have a lot of original thoughts, and tended to reflect whatever belief was touted most noisily or recently in his hearing, so his opinion on the matter was that he didn't really have one.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 6:43 pm
"The Word is wonderful!" Nyeusi repeated. "Rejoice, for the end is night! Repent, for the Great Lion's back is to the pride!" she exulted. The brown lion didn't seem to be taking her meaning though.
"No longer must we submit to our Kinslayer King, for if he is not watched by the Great Lion, neither can we, for he is still King and we are yet his pride and his bloodkin!" the lioness went on, her volume going upwards along with her tone. She was, however distantly, still related to Shangyue.
"Rejoice in the Word!" she commanded the brown male, shoving her face into his until their noses nearly touched.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 12:51 pm
Wonderful. Well, that cleared up his misconception that the word was something to worry about. Meno's features relaxed and the tension in his spine that had been forming since the lioness began her noisy tirade began to diminish. Unfortunately, this didn't last very long, because she went on to say that the Great Lion had turned his back on the pride, and he really couldn't imagine how that could possibly be a good thing.
Working hard to piece together something reasonable from the lioness's creative terminology and syntax, Meno began to put together the impression that she was one of those who believed Shangyue was a murderer, and that his actions had turned the Great Lion against him, and therefore against the pride that followed him. That...actually made a good deal of sense. At least if he was understanding her correctly.
"Why rejoice when we're following a lion the Great Lion will not see?" he asked, taking a few steps back to maintain his personal space. How in the world could she stand to be that close to someone and actually talk? He wondered if she could even see him when she was that close. It made his eyes feel kind of crossed and awful trying to look at her.
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 8:22 am
The black lioness' eyes shone - whether with joy or insanity was up to interpretation - and she grinned at the male. He obviously needed to be freed from his misconceptions so that he too could rejoice in the Word.
"If the Great Lion is not watching, how can we be judged by whatever actions we take to restore His attention?" Nyeusi asked. "The King may have exploited this lack of attention when he brought down the old King and Queen, but now he himself is subject to it!" the lioness crowed happily.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 6:42 am
Woah. That was confusing. Meno blinked hard, trying to force his mind around what the dark-coated lioness had just told him. It took a second blink before the meaning of her message sank in and then something clicked. The leader was protected by the Great Lion, but if the Great Lion was not paying attention because he refused to gaze upon the leader, ignoring the pride as a side effect, the leader was not protected any longer. It did make sense, after a fashion.
"So.." he cleared his throat and glanced around, nervous now that he thought he fully grasped the import of what he had been hearing and what he was about to say. He continued more softly, "So if someone were to remove the King, there would be no repercussions because he does not enjoy the Great Lion's protection?"
There was one other question that nagged at him, but he didn't feel comfortable asking it. He couldn't make himself ask what the former King and Queen had done to lose the Great Lion's protection and make it possible for Shangyue to commit his crimes in the first place.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 9:26 am
Nyeusi just grinned and rolled her shoulders in a shrug. There were always repercussions, but she knew in her heart that the Great Lion would not punish anyone who removed the blind spot in His Eye named Shangyue. It was completely logical to her that the kingkiller had been able to slaughter his parents and grandparents so easily - because Shangyue could not be seen, and thus the Great Lion could hardly have known what the then-Heir had intended for His Blessed Ones.
"I guess that is the question to ask!" she answered cheerfully. "But now you know, so spread the Word!" After all, that's what the black lioness was going to do. If she didn't tell people, how could they possibly know this wonderful news?
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:56 am
"Thank you for explaining that to me," Meno said, polite as you please. He had been well brought up, after all, and she had answered all of his questions with a patience he would not have expected from someone who was so, well, loud and crazy-seeming.
"I do see what you mean."
He wasn't quite sure he was ready to go out proclaiming it to all and sundry as the black lioness was doing, but he might mention it to a few carefully chosen friends and colleagues. People who were also somewhat agog at the deadly drama that had been going on in the upper classes. He would have to think on it though. It would be very bad to say the wrong thing to the wrong person, after all. Maybe he could practice by explaining the lioness's point of view to his parents. They loved him, after all, and wouldn't say anything to get him into trouble, even if they disagreed with his reasoning.
"Good day," he bid the lioness before padding off to think.
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