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 Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 5:13 pm
The longer he had been friends with Kituwe, the more he had become relaxed. Gone was the rigid divide between royals and commoners. Gone was the expectation that he would get everything he wanted. He knew that he was still a bit stiff around strangers, but he didn't detest them as much as he used to. He was more willing to follow along with his grandfather and speak about the concerns that the pride members had. He didn't have all the answers, but he was starting to understand the role that he was playing within this massive pride.
And the day that his grandfather decided that his mane fully grew in was the day that Tau grew terrified of the pressure on him.
He didn't know why it had taken so long for everything to sink in. The dual cultures he tried to handle had always overwhelmed him, and so he clung onto his Tianxian ways for so long. Now, he had to face the way that Pridelanders truly lived, and he wondered if any of them would actually accept him as their future king.
"Kituwe," he breathed, the two of them within the large royal cave of Pride Rock. It was empty at the moment, with the sun's evening rays dimly lighting each of them. "I don't understand these waves of anxiety." He had ever fully been anxious before in his life, and the sensation was overwhelming. In a matter of days he would be officially announce as their heir again, but given power, unlike before.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 5:34 pm
Despite some early skepticism and a shaky first meeting, Kituwe had come to consider Tau his closest friend. There weren't many lions out there that he made a point of seeing outside of a hunt, excepting family of course. It had been interesting, being so close to the young prince as he adjusted to life in the Pridelands. Now Kituwe knew a little more about the world outside and he wasn't surprised that Tau had taken his time.
He was wandering in a circle around the cave, never seeming to tire of looking around despite the undeniable fact that its intrigue dropped dramatically after the first time you got a good look inside.
"What are you anxious about exactly?" he asked, stopping and looking over at the nervous prince. It was an odd way to approach the issue but Kituwe always found talking about it helped him, not that he ever really had much to be anxious about.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:03 pm
"I don't know. Grandfather will probably live until the end of time, but its just...I've been the Crown Prince for so long, but now I really feel it." He started to pace around, anxiety nipping at his heels. He was sure that Kituwe would understand him, to a point. The male seemed pretty empathetic to his worries, and it had completely helped him relax his stuck up ways.
"Like, I'm supposed to get power soon. My words will mean more...and may actually hurt, unlike my stupid childish ways in the past." He had moreso just ignored everyone 'below' him, but now he felt like every word may matter. Simi always seemed confident in everything he did, and it was hard for Tau to follow in those footsteps.
"Ugh...I'm sorry, Kituwe." He flopped dramatically on the floor, a small puff of dust rising up around him.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:10 pm
When Tau began to pace, Kituwe decided it would be better if he took a seat rather than contribute to the anxious movement around the den for now. He didn't interrupt the prince as he tried to explain his anxieties-- and then he smiled when he apologized.
"That sounds about right to me," he said, "I'd be nervous if it were me."
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:21 pm
"Uuuugh." Tau rolled onto his back, rubbing at his lower neck and only feeling thick mane. The only connection he really had with his mother, beyond his violet eyes, was the necklace-like marking she had. Now that his mane had grown in, it was gone from him forever. He sighed, still rubbing at his mane.
"This sucks. Grandfather says it'll be fine, but he says that about everything. I swear, no one around here knows how to worry about anything."
He watched the light slowly fade, sad that this day was ending sooner than he wanted it to.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:34 pm
"Eh, that sounds about right, too."
Kituwe swayed a bit in his seat but stayed where he was, watching Tau roll around and worry about everything all at once. It was hard not to parrot back the same old speeches and reassurances that Simi had already offered, but as long as things were peaceful there really wasn't a whole lot to worry about once you got rolling.
"Being worried about it probably helps, if you care enough to be nervous then you care enough to make sure things get done right," he offered optimistically, "You're doing a lot better 'round here than you were before."
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:40 pm
Tau rolled off his back and onto his belly again, giving quite the look to Kituwe. "Yeah, well who's fault is that?" he laughed. Moreso it was Wahabu's fault for setting up their initial meeting, but Tau wasn't going to point fingers!
"Well, as long as you're still around to bother, I guess I'll survive." He was deeply considering Kituwe's words, and hoping that they were true.
"I think he's going to do the announcement in the next couple days. Hopefully you can help me gauge the crowd's reaction." He figured that they both knew that Tau still wasn't completely welcomed, but with his mother's marking from his neck hidden, it was hard to argue that he didn't fit along side Simi anymore.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:50 pm
Kituwe puffed up, grinning. He would gladly take credit for any and all success, never minding if it was really his own. There weren't many opportunities for it around here, even for the rulers.. nice, giant, peaceful place that the Pridelands was.
"Well, you definitely haven't made anywhere else sound particularly appealing so I'll be sticking around here for a while yet," he said brightly, assuming that he would get into some trouble if he ended up somewhere with a little more outward respect was demanded by the nobles.
"I wonder what he's waiting for now, how do you even decide something like that?" Kituwe wondered aloud, "Do some days just feel more right for big announcements than others?"
Was that something Tau had been taught? Was it something anybody could be taught?
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:53 pm
"Hey! My homelands is nice! Its just.....really far away." Well, that wasn't the only reason maybe Tianxia didn't sound amazing, but Tau would always have a soft spot for it. Even if he hadn't been there since he was a cub.
Still a bit sulky, he shrugged. "I don't know. He probably decides what day his bones feel best and goes for it. Grandfather isn't terribly predictable, even if he's old and a bit crippled." Tau may never completely understand Simi, and that was more of the generational and cultural gaps than anything. Simi was easy going and knew what his job entailed, while Tau was just beginning to learn it, not just hear about it.
"Anyway, just be ready for it!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:58 pm
"Pfft, yeah. And I'd do great there," he chuckled at Tau's defense of the Tianxia. Unless you really wanted to leave the Pridelands, the idea of adjusting to a pride with more strict social rules would always seem ridiculous. Tau would probably never really lose that feeling, but then a king probably never could.
"Oh, I will be ready!" he said, standing up and shaking himself off, "But you might want to stop rolling around in the dirt. What if Simi decided right now was the best time to present you to the pride?"
He shook his head in mock disappointment.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 7:02 pm
Tau laughed. "The sun is setting, no one would be able to see me!"
He blinked a few times, realizing that it was getting darker by the moment.
"See??" He asked, hopping up and waving a paw around. "Too dark to see the dirt. Besides, don't give my grandmother the idea of bathing me. I think she would relish in it, since I'm the only grandchild she has around."
Yeesh. "Maybe we should leave before someone over hears us and tells her!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 7:07 pm
Kituwe laughed at Tau's hopping around.
"Alright, alright," he agreed, then looked around them suspiciously at the idea that they might be overheard while hanging around and chatting, "You know, it is pretty weird how quiet it is in here."
He looked up and around one more time.
"And it is pretty dark to be hanging around inside," he added.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 7:09 pm
"Not weird. Suspicious."
He let that hang in the air for a moment before laughing, knowing that at least here, there were very few things to worry about.
"It is. Let's see if there's some extra food somewhere to snack on. All that talking and worrying made me hungry!"
With that, he turned to leave, knowing that Kituwe would follow him....and probably share a bit of that meal with him, too. It was nice to have a friend.
Fin.
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