"Uncle."

Vaskr considered his nephew with the slightest of tilts in his head. His eyes were bright in the evening sun. His nephew, on the other hand, disappeared into undiscernible geometric shapes in the growing shadows. Uuni's blood had been diluted in the younger male (and his sister was already petite), so Vaskr's bulking mass stood significantly larger than Fashaq's smaller frame. Still, the other lion stood firm. He couldn't tell if his nephew's high-held head was a show of confidence or foolishness.

There was a moment of silence as the two lions held each other's gaze before Vaskr broke eye contact, looking over Fashaq's shoulder with a look on his face that was almost amusement. "Is your sister around?" he asked, his voice a low rumbling velvet.

"No," Fashaq replied, his own voice like a raspy scrape of claws on bone. It took everything in him not to wince as Vaskr's growing smile indicated knowledge of the younger lion's lie. Instead, he continued the conversation forward. "What do you want, Vaskr?"

The older lion raised a brow, looking once more at his nephew. So, he knew his name. His tail brushed against the ground and he didn't respond for a little while. Vaskr moved around the other lion into the dimly lit cave. "Just in the area," he mused, "I saw you, but I'm sure this isn't news." The lion's voice trailed off as he spoke. His steps slowed and he peered thoughtfully into the darkness before his bright eyes turned back towards his nephew. "Tell me, what are you running from?"

Fashaq hadn't moved, only turned slightly so he could watch as the bulking mass that was his uncle moved further into the cavern. He remained silent. The only sound around them was the dripping of water that had accumulated around the damp cave. It was silent and eerie.

He had known this moment was coming. Na'an had told her children of their aunts and uncles. He had a full uncle and aunt that he knew of, the two sides of the chaotic and lawful spectrum where his mother sat in the self-interested center. There was the plethora of half-aunts and uncles, the other children of Uuni that Na'an had known little about. And then there was this lion.

Na'an had told her son about this other lion. This son of Blood Magic. She didn't know who his father was and hadn't even met him, only seen her half-brother in visions that shook her to her core. Visions of blood where she would have sworn that he saw her seeing him.

So Fashaq knew of this lion. He knew that Vaskr was a powerful seer, where he himself was moderate at best. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do. I don't think you give yourself enough credit, nephew. Neither does that dear sister of yours. And your mother…" his voice trailed, and a smile emerged on Vaskr's face. "Well, your mother is another story on its own." The lion stretched, claws raking into the damp dirt as he did so. As far as he had known, Na'an had had only one batch of children thus far (where her siblings had none), and the lion standing before him was the only seer of the group. It was a shame, really. So much potential gone to waste.

"What I mean to say is," Vaskr continued, turning and moving back towards Fashaq. He stopped himself on the side of the other lion that faced the inside of the cave. He wasn't trapping him by any means. He didn't figure the other lion to run. He knew better than that. "I don't understand why you feel the need to follow your sister about." Vaskr didn't sit as he spoke, standing tall and closer to Fashaq than the younger lion would have preferred. "Quite honestly, she's a bit of a nuisance. She thinks herself so high and mighty with nothing to back it up. Her roar is sharper than her claws, I'm sure." His voice dropped to an amused croon, his ears pinning back. Oh how he hoped that the pale lioness was somewhere nearby, close enough to voice her opinion. He'd love to swipe that nagging mouth right off her little face.

"And what would you have me do instead?" Fashaq asked in return, though it was clear in his tone that he had no intention of living his life any differently. Myrnh was… difficult at times, but she was his sister. They had stuck with each other since they were children. When their other siblings went their separate ways, Myrnh had stayed with them. Their family wasn't one that had loving relationships in the same sense as others but it wasn't the opposite, either. She was his sister, and though they wouldn't ever say it out loud, they cared for each other.

Vaskr considered him for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant, passive motion. "For one such as yourself? I'd say the possibilities are endless. You just need a little… practice. You have the raw abilities, now it's a matter of building up a platform for you to stand on. Honing your skills. Cultivating the right…" his voice trailed off as he thought for the right word. "Mindset."

Fashaq snorted, his lavender eyes narrowing. He stood his ground, muscles tensing. "I'm not going with you," he stated matter-of-factly as he looked the larger lion square in the eye. Silence fell over them again. The sound of dripping remained present, a low and monotonous metronome making background for their conversation. Finally, Vaskr responded with a faint smile on his maw.

"Suit yourself," he murmured, his voice low and quiet. Fashaq couldn't decipher was as passive as he made it seem, or if his uncle held undertones of a threat in his voice. Regardless, the larger lion moved past his nephew with little incident, his pale form disappearing out of the mouth of the cave as quietly as it had come. "I'm sure you'll find me if you change your mind. My best regards to your sister."

(WC: 1023)