((Word Count: 122 cool )
Darkness covered the lands of the Kuroi'nera as Hok'ee stirred from the place he had gone to sleep the night before. He prefered to sleep on his own now that he was an adult but he was still within ear shot of his father's family. He knew well that his father and his mate accepted him, and his siblings that had come to live in the pride, as their own but he still could not bring himself to accept them as his family. When he was younger he called them his family but as he had grown up his feelings had become mixed. He had seen far too much favoritism for his liking. He knew they were not entirely on purpose but the behavior showed how they trully felt toward him. His father he would never doubt loved him whole heartedly but his fathers mate he just wasn't for sure the love was true. He couldn't blame her though. If he had found out a female he loved had been with another male while they were not together and then the cubs had come to stay in his home he just wasn't sure he could trully love them as he would his own cubs.
He stood for a while listening intently for the sound of anyone awake at the den where his father and family slept. He heard nothing from the den and decided they were good and asleep. He gave a mental shrug and headed off for the prides borders. He hadn't told them but he planned to leave Kuroi'nera and just become a rogue. He'd heard the stories of his fathers adventures as a rogue and just didn't understand why he even chose to come and join this coalition. Love was still a foreign term to Hok'ee so the fact that Buluu chose to come here because of love just didn't make sense to Hok'ee.
Buluu knew his son better than he thought. He had been awake for a good while now just waiting for Hok'ee to awaken to leave. He'd seen the signs before in other youngsters and wasn't about to sit by and let this one just go. He'd even been clever enough to move away from the den and wait for him along the trail that lead for the secret passage out of the pride. He gave himself a mental pat on the back when he heard his son trotting up the path toward him. When Hok'ee got close enough to hear him Buluu spoke up. "So trying to get out of here without even saying good bye to your dear old dad?" Buluu grinned as he heard Hok'ee stop.
Hok'ee sighed as he recognized his fathers voice unable to believe that he would not be able to get out of the pride without incident. "Yeah I guess I was." Hok'ee replied to him. He had nothing to really say so just kept quiet after that. He had really just wanted to get out before someone tried to stop him. How niave he had been to believe that would happen.
Buluu waited a few moments before he said anything, just to give Hok'ee a chance to add anything else to his simple statement but nothing ever came. "Why would you want to leave Hok'ee? Do you not like it here with us?" Buluu asked. It trully made him sad to think his own flesh and blood did not like to be in the same place as him.
Hok'ee's ears fell back against his head and he looked away from his father. He'd not spoken to his father of the distaste he was having with the place and the family. He really just wanted to go somewhere that his flirtacious ways wouldn't get him in a crap ton of trouble and he wouldn't be forced to find a functionable place in the society. He just wanted to chill with ladies and eat. He could do both of those on his own in the rogue lands. "I don't know dad.... I don't feel like I belong here. I mean I like to flirt with girls and what class they are in doesn't matter to me but you keep telling me it's a bad thing since I am considered higher class." He sighed and just started pouring out his heart. "I just don't think it's fair just cause I am your son I am considered royal. I mean jeez your mate isn't even my mother. I know I'm being judged just for being your illegedimate son."
Buluu stood stiff from shock. He had never considered it being a big deal of his cubs from Bari being placed in the royal class. Emi had accepted them as hers and they had taken in a few of them to raise together. He thought they were accepted by all but perhaps they were only when he was around. "I'm sorry you feel like you don't belong here Hok'ee but you do. You deserve your class just as much as your half siblings do and for the same reason too. Because I am your father. I love you and so does Emi. We can't say we are happy when you go after a girl thats lower class but I was like you when I was younger and not even species mattered to me back then. I've gone after hyenas before just to prove I could."
Hok'ee gave his father a very strange look. He had a bit better standards than his father apparently. "Dad, no offense but that is nasty."
Buluu laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah it is but I'm just trying to get you to understand that you are no different than your old man. So I understand how you feel and would really like for you to give us one more chance before you go and leave forever." Buluu said and then a smile came to his lips. "We just don't want to lose you."
Hok'ee sighed and closed his eyes. He felt guilt tripped but he couldn't just walk away now with feeling guilty for hurting his father and his fathers mate too. He had to admit she tried to be just as loving and caring to him as she did her own cubs well as loving and caring as she usually was. He felt a bit better about his flirtacious ways now at least. "I know dad.... Alright I guess I'll stick around and try a bit harder to be part of the pride."
Buluu smiled and seemed to puff up a bit in happiness. "We'll find a place for you son. Hey we might be able to find you a position that will take you outside the pride for a bit too. We'll talk to Emi and see what she says. She might say being a royal that really it's not a good idea to do that but the heirs are sent out into the rogue lands to grow up so I don't see why it would be anymore of a stretch for you to go."
Hok'ee smiled and nodded at the idea. "That sounds like a good idea dad. I'd like that. Meet some ladies that don't already know my reputation." He chuckled and after a bump to the forehead with Buluu the two of them turn and head back to the den.
