[META-SRP] An Ocean's Embrace (Solomon/Ijiraq/Siarnaq)

[Epine de Rose]

 

[Epine de Rose]

[This SRP would have been open to all Bahari'mtoto as all would have been evacuated to the shoreline for their safety. You may use this for reference in character development and as prompts for your own RPs!]

"But why -" Solomon was quick to hold up his paw towards the cubs at his heels. Though they were beginning to come of age, they were still much too young to know the significance of what awaited them. Even he didn't know the full extent, but his father had been explicit in his warnings. The children, where possible, were not to see any of what was about to occur within the confines of the pride. What would happen within mere yards of them would be enough to damage them irreparably if they saw too much and it was imperative that this was reinforced. Solomon knew his duty, while not the leader of the Pombuka or the Pomithi, he knew that Afina could be relied upon to make sure this message was heard. No cub was to see anything, they would do what they could to manage the fall out of what was heard at a later date.

Solomon had already come to terms with the conversations he would need to have with his children, he knew there would be difficult questions to answer and there would even be some that he simply couldn't lend his expertise to. Suffice to say that he was also a realist and he knew all too well that Tethys would not be around to answer them either. Solomon had had enough time with his father to appreciate this, to become aware of the fact that this was not the final war, but merely another battle in what would become even more drawn out and bloody than the Bahari could possibly comprehend.

However, what he did know, was that his half brother had a determination to remove this 'scourge' from the shores of the Bahari and to chase it into whatever festering hole it had come out of. The white lion could appreciate that on this occasion violence was the only option and it would be a hard lesson for the youngest of them to learn, but one that would be no less valuable in the future. They would learn from this, it would shape them, and perhaps in time some would go on to explore methods in which to resolve the conflict that seemed to stretch far beyond Solomon's own lifetime. After all, as Spectre had said, this was a war that not even Tethys truly understood.

...It was a war that had gone on for generations, long before Spectre was even a glint in the eye of an ancestor.

"No but -" His daughter gave a frustrated tisk as she padded along after her father, brothers and sisters in tow. Her mother was somewhere nearby and had followed them with a surprisingly lack of protest. Ijiraq was beginning to suspect that it was the manner in which he had entered the den; his face devoid of its usual expression. She'd never seen him like this before; he'd been so serious and it was clear to the cub that he had no interest in arguing. They were to do as they were told and it was in their best interests not to test him. That didn't mean that the cub wasn't going to give it a go, she was her mother's daughter after all, but she was having difficulty getting anything from him as he frog marched them towards the shoreline.

Beside her, Siarnaq seemed unusually muted and while he had always been the quieter of the pair, it was unlike him to be so pensive. She'd have prodded him as well, but it seemed for the best that she left her sibling to his own thoughts as he followed after Solomon as well. Whatever was about to happen, it was clear that they couldn't be in their home for it; it was almost as if their father was placing them into the care of the very thing they held with such reverence. It wasn't just her family either, as countless pride members could be seen moving towards the shoreline.

They were looking to the sea to protect them; under the watchful eye of the moon no less.

What was going on?

"Daddy..." she whined, causing Solomon to glance round briefly.

"You will understand in time," he replied softly as he continued to walk.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Siarnaq said at last, causing his father's ears to flick back. "I've seen them, they're waiting for us," he murmured uncertainly. It was enough for Solomon to pause and turn to his son, his lips pursed just a touch, though not nearly enough to mask his concern.

"Who is?" he asked gently.

"The war hero thinks he knows where they are, but I can see them."

"...See who?" Solomon pressed cautiously.

"They're watching," he said simply as he padded along, though it didn't seem like he had the capacity to elaborate. Solomon's brow furrowed, though he elected to continue on his way. This did not stop him from occasional glances towards nearby shadows however, in an attempt to find what his son might very well be referring to. Could it be that Siarnaq's abilities had woken up early? Given his latent bloodline, it wouldn't be terribly unlikely, he came from an extensive line of god blood and seers after all... But this didn't quell Solomon's concerns. A seer's sight could be puzzling and on occasions it might even be symbolic rather than entirely accurate, but of all the times for it to appear...this really wasn't one of them.

Ijiraq hazarded a glance towards her brother, a touch wary as she followed after her father and kept close to her family. She'd make a mental note to ask him what he had seen when they were allowed to stop; what he had seen. But that didn't stop her from trying to work out if he meant literally or figuratively as she glanced towards the jungles and the darkness that lay within.

If only she had caught the deep red eyes that had opened, and gazed back...

Word Count: 1,002