Hiiro - NovaCracker
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Kilalanungu - Das Tor
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Kai - Das Tor

Word Count: 1086 (according to Google Docs)


She didn't often get in a mood to baby her long-grown cubs. But sometimes...well, sometimes, Kilalanungu got the urge. Because no matter how big they got, they were her cubs, and she their mother. And so she tracked down the most easily found of them, because where his mate was, he was, and his mate really wasn't hard to find. Kai was sweet, but she was always up a tree or cliff or something if Hiiro wasn't keeping her grounded. Girl really should have been born a bird of some sort.

And it was indeed a tree she found Kai up, the girl after a fruit that clung stubbornly to the tree, despite being ripe.

"Kai, where's Hiiro?" The dark-pawed lioness blinked and looked down at her mother-in-law, then grinned and pointed.

"Where else would he be? He's being the ever-silent Guardian, trying to pretend he's not a giant fluffy dork."


Hiiro watched, sitting attentively at the foot of a tree as he watched Kai climb a tree to get one piece of fruit from a precarious branch, and if he didn't know better, he'd swear his mate was suicidal. Always into the wrong things, climbing, and generally being bat-s**t stupid, he always followed, because that was his job.

Still, when his mother asked for him, he silently slipped out of hiding, blinking at her lazily.

"Hn."


Kai giggled, amused by her mate. "You should know you can't hide from me, Mister Grump." She finally managed to grab the fruit and bring it down to the ground with her in the odd sort of fluidity she had when climbing. Kilala simply trotted over to her son, sat down, and started grooming his ear.

"Chased off any ill-tempered rogues lately?" For all that Kilala was sweet and had taken to life in the CD well, she was still Aali born and bred, and had no issues discussing beating off rogues.


Hiiro nodded silently, ignoring his (wonderful but very silly) wife for the moment to watch his mother with significant focus, expression blank.

"There's too many rogues." He stated blankly. "Far too many."


Kilala nodded. "Perhaps. Don't chase them all off, though. We do need more new blood among us. There's...only three or four bloodlines here right now, really. That could end horribly for us if we aren't careful." She kept at grooming, moving from one ear to the next. Kai moved over, setting the fruit down and curling up next to her mate.

"We won't always be small. One day, we'll have many bloodlines, and many souls among us. The wheel of life will turn and bring us new faces, new cubs..."


"Hn." Hiiro sat pefectly still, allowing the affection insofar as he didn't walk off or growl, regardless of who it was, but he seemed tyo listen, the male staring before looking to his mother.

"They'll get in the way or take our land." He said, tone as monotonous as ever.


"Ah, not all of them, Hiiro." Kilala chuckled as she continued the grooming. "Some of them will want to help us, and will become functioning members in the pride. Our job is to pick them out from the ones that mean to take our home from us. Those that mean ill...well, we chase them off. By whatever means necessary." The green lioness' grin was one rarely seen on her face, the grin of a lion raised to guard, to fight, to turn intruders away. Kai rolled her eyes, tail flicking in annoyance.

"You're both paranoid. The ones who actually seek us out are the ones who need us, who need the stability and love and companionship we offer."


"Most outsiders are dangerous." Hiiro scowled to his mate, pawing her calmly, claws sheathed. "We could be hurt or killed by trusting the wrong lion, and then where would we be?"

He grunted.

"Even those demons are probably sizing up our territory."

The male snorted, his lineage as a provider and guardian showing clearly.


Kai gave her mate a flat look. "Really? Hiiro, not every outsider is dangerous. Those demons...they won't hurt us. Hell, their goddess is pretty much my sister!" It was kind of cool, having family with wings. She rather envied them, though. Flying would be nice...

Kilala stopped her grooming and looked at Kai oddly. "What? How is that giant red thing your sister?" Kai giggled.

"Da is her god-mate's father." Kilala sighed.

"Ah, through mating. Okay. Sheesh...had me wondering about you for a moment. As for the demons...well, I want to keep an eye on them. I'm not sure about them, and I'd rather rely on my own intuition and observations than seer visions, no offense meant." Her daughter-in-law shrugged.

"No offense taken."


"Your brother is also an idiot at times." Hiiro had no qualm insulting Primitus - not really. The male shrugged, leaning into his mother calmly.

"Mother is right. We can't always count on seers. They might be dangerous."


"Oh gee, thanks dearest." Kai stuck her tongue out. "I'm only dangerous when pissed off, and you know it." She sat up, putting a paw to her chest. "Otherwise, I prefer to heal." She was a skilled healer, after all. Seasons of patching up her own stupid. And the stupid of siblings and other pride members. Kilala smiled again.

"My son, gifted with words." Hiiro had inherited his curtness from someone else in the family. Certainly not Mery or herself. After all, she loved to tell stories and Mery was the son of a Pharaoh.


"Not the seers. The visions. You can't see everything." Hiiro stretched, leaning and grooming Kai's ear with a lick before stretching, turning to his mother calmly.

"But it is true. Visions are risky."


The lick was appreciated, Kai giving her mate a shy smile. She would have tried to lean in...but, well, his mother was there. Kai felt awkward being too lovey-dovey in front of Hiiro's mother. Kilala had a very, very active imagination. "That's true...honestly? I say we just see where these alliances take us. Assess as we go."

"That's probably all we can really do at this point." The older lioness nodded. "See where this goes, and be ready if it goes sour or stale." Friendly as she was, she would always be on guard. That was just how she was, how she needed to be.


"Hn." Hiiro grunted, frowning but didn't argue, setting and shaking his head. He didn't speak though. He saw no need to.