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 Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:52 pm
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Post 6 of 5
Matope stood silently by, considering the exchanges between Vitha, Aoife and Tau. He was surprised to find Tau willing to listen and bringing up reasonable points, but he was just as surprised to find Aoife seemed to be lost. She was losing her footing while Tau gained his, it was a bizarre shift in the dynamics of the cult.
Quietly, he moved back to get closer to Haribu, Hasani and Aumia.
"This isn't quite how I expected things to go," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off the trio at the center of the goings-on even when addressing his allies, "I guess they can't reasonably keep ignoring us."
But if the gods still came and caused death? Would it have made a difference to the end result of what happened?
Iva was surprised when it was the female who pushed back harder, and after a moment to process exactly what she said- or rather, how she said it- she was livid. She hadn't started her day expecting to really get into it with anybody, she hadn't realized these thoughts were simmering in the back of her mind since that night.
"Would it have made a difference? Maybe, but you've obviously already made up your mind," she hissed, her voice rising back to a normal volume and still creeping upward, "You can live in a world where every god's whims matter more than anything you or a pride could do, but I refuse. And I'm done arguing about it."
She didn't want to align herself with the crazy people demanding their King step down when they most needed him to step up, but she was ready to pick a side and she hated to think that it might not be Tau. In a huff, she stomped away from the two lions she had picked a fight with and put herself closer to the action so she could see what was happening. She missed the revelation about Wahabu but she caught the end.
Did the council know what?
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 5:47 am
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Businge was shocked she had heard nothing of one of the council and their mate being missing, with everything that had happened it was hard to keep track of everyone, but she thought the king would have informed the council if one of their numbers was gone. She wasn't sure how to feel about this the king was her king and that was how she had been raised respect the royals, honor the kings of the past. This was a mess. She blinked when she heard a cub call out that they had a spot open that wasn't the point, they needed to find Wahabu. She, however, did not wish to scold the cub since it was very likely the little one did not understand what they said. She sighed out and considered if she should speak up that she did not know that Mahabu and his mate were missing.
-------------------------------
Nyimak agreed with the yellow female there was no telling what difference it would have made, the gods and mortal lions were unpredictable even for a seer as the seers had admitted they sometimes only knew what was going to happen a very short time before something happened or the visions came in flashes. She laughed "Living on the whim of the gods is a good way to go crazy, I prefer trying to make friends with the gods, a lot of them are rather nice." She knew it would be an unpopular opinion but she had a scar on her face from the star rock that had hit her in the face during the god attack. She refused to blame every god in the world for the actions of the few.
---------------------------------
Keiko scrunched up her face, she was confused and didn't understand a lot about what was going on or why they were still blaming the king for the bad stuff that really wasn't his fault as far as she could tell. Her little tail flipped back and forth as she sat thinking about trying to take on the spider web lady, but she was pretty sure her mommy would be really mad if she ever found out.
----------------------------------
Irit listened to everything and the news about the missing council member and he wondered whatever happened to the female he had followed into this pride in the first place. He frowned he had never expected something this dark from such a peaceful pride.
(All open for interaction) (Keiko is the cub) (Businge is my council member) |
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 9:31 pm
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 Haribu, Hasani, Aumia
Haribu didn't quite realize that Matope had drawn closer to her and her companions. Once he spoke, her attention went straight onto him. Rather handsome, a little too quiet (much like her brother), but still... at least he could think. Or put on the appearance of thinking. She offered him a small smile, a little wink, and a flirtatious pat of her paw. "Well, I certainly am not ignoring you."
Aumia rolled her eyes and glanced around. Many more lions were actively paying attention now. Clearly there was information that had been kept secret, and all that dirty laundry was now being aired out in front of everyone. "They can't ignore us when we are here to offer transparency; something that Tau and the council seems to lack." She was speaking a bit loud, letting herself be overheard by anyone that may be around. "Only when we don't hide what is happening can everyone understand what it is we're trying to do." The dark orange lioness glanced over to a sandy-brown female not too far from her, to see if there were any reactions to her words.
"Ugh, what are you doing Haribu?" Hasani couldn't quite believe that she was hitting on Matope in front of all this drama. Was she just crazy, or just taking advantage of the situation?
"I'm just entertaining myself. Why are you so serious, Hasani?" The dark brown lioness huffed, leaning closer to Matope just to see the sandy-maned male's reaction. The closer she leaned towards Matope, the more irritated Hasani looked.
"Ugh, seriously. I'm just going to ignore you two," the red eyed male said, his own eyes following around to the group. "Why are there so many cubs here?" he asked absentmindedly, forgetting the fact that if there was one things Pridelands was known for was population booms.
Haribu giggled, trying to calm herself before she drew too many eyes to herself. Everything was going so nicely, how could she not be enjoying this?
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:30 am
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His heart skipped a beat when Vitha exposed a weakness he had been trying to keep quiet. There were many different reasons why he had been keeping it quiet, but the largest one was it had been family that had noticed Wahabu and Shani missing. Family had been concerned, family had looked, and family had come to him with the request for help. To expose the family in such a way, when no one was sure what had happened to Councillor Wahabu and Head Hutress Shani made him angry. The king felt his face grow taut for two heartbeats before relaxing again. He had wanted Wahabu's children to control the narrative for what had happened, but here Vitha was again causing more trouble than she knew what to do with. It was maddening.
With a slow, deep breath, he decided to reply. "As a daughter of his brought the situation to my attention, I have been working with her and other family members of Wahabu and Shani to develop the pest protocol for finding them," he replied kindly. Simi had been teaching him to be more respectful of everyone, even if they were trying to unearth him.
Aoife's ears swiveled front and back, side to side. She was intently listening to everyone's reaction to the news. She hadn't known, but when she thought back on the last couple weeks, it was odd that she didn't remember seeing Habu around. He was a rather public face, even if he was quiet and polite and just sort of melted into the background. He was a male that had just always been there, as far as she could remember. Not noticing him helping with families patch themselves up after the disasterous night was starting to bother her the more she thought about it. What if... someone else went missing, someone who wasn't as well known. Whould anyone notice? Would anyone care as much as they would with Habu?
She chewed on the inside of her mouth, worry creasing against her brow. And no one had ever found Rinj, after her mother Kohaku was found murdered. What if...he was dead, but no one could find his body? Vitha would never be right about her bullshit premonitions, but she did not like the weakness that seemed rather apparent with their border, not when you started to put the facts together.
"Is this something we can help with, Tau?" she asked aloud, impatience feeding into a desire to undo the shock that Vitha's words had laid into the crowd.
His violet eyes looked to Aoife, then to Vitha, and one by one, to many of the faces that were looking at him, to see what his word would be. He did not like to do this, especially when he had much work to do with the council. He was king, and he would begin to take the action that so many clearly wished he would take.
"We will develop a larger search party," he began. "We had family members only to assist, but we will ask for more help. We will secure the border. We will do what we can to right these wrongs, to strengthen ourselves. We have a duty to protect the next generation, and that is what we will do." He firmly placed a paw down onto the ground, his voice raised to ensure that everyone here could hear him.
"We will close the border. We need to determine what happened to Wahabu.
In that same time, I would like for those who are willing to learn defensive combat to report to Giza; he is there," he gestured with his head at the dark blue lion. "He is new to Pridelands, but he is well trained. Reporting to him with, by extension, be reporting to the crown. Anyone who appears at the borders will need to petition to be allowed in; we will need more scouts to keep an eye on the border at all times. The logistics will be worked out, but to begin we will need to spread the word for volunteers."
He sighed, not pleased at having to close the borders. But something needed to be done. To lower the risk of more missing lions, he needed to protect who was already within his lands.
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 5:46 pm
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Post 7 of 5, Wrap for Iva
Haribu's flirtation got Matope's eyes off the King as he glanced over at her and smirked. He didn't mind as much as Hasani seemed to, and his gaze moved along the trio to the male as he scolded them for getting distracted. It would be nearly impossible to remain silent and stern through this whole thing, especially standing so close to them.
"Where else should we keep the cubs?" Matope asked when Hasani complained, but then he was distracted as the King's tone changed to address the group and not just Vitha. His ears perked up at the briefest of introductions given to Giza, a bright blue lion that didn't look at all familiar.. and again when Tau mentioned the Scouts. That was his job, to be able to officially keep an eye on these things was a huge improvement. One paranoid scout couldn't get much done on his own..
"About time," he said, his tone approving and his voice loud enough to carry beyond his friends.
We will need to close the border.
So more lions had gone missing. Amidst all this chaos with the gods and the meteors, she hadn't even thought that some of the absent lions might not have fallen then. She thought about Kohaku and Rinj, and her frustration turned into determination. Iva had never been more than a huntress but that wasn't what the pride needed most right now. There were a lot of mouths to feed but it didn't mean anything if they weren't safe here.
So she looked to the blue lion Tau gestured towards and memorized his unusual markings, a plan for her future slowly starting to form in her mind. |
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 8:46 pm
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Monifa heard some more griping and then she heard someone speak loud and clearly. She looked in the direction that the voice was coming from, and saw an orange lioness asking about transparency within the pride. The orange lioness locked eyes with her for a bit, and Monifa quickly turned away, a bit embarrassed to be caught looking. Still, what the lioness said was something to consider. The need for transparency was evident.
"Yes, it would be nice to have more transparency than we are currently getting. I know that some things may need to be kept a secret, but what about when it effects the entire pride? Are we supposed to be kept in the dark the whole time and just accept whatever comes about? If we know what's going on, we may be able to help too!" After all, she didn't want to just sit there when there was something she could do besides hunting!
Sure, hunting was helping the pack, but there were times when she had to be back in the main area of the pride and often felt as though she wasn't doing enough.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 3:56 pm
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Haribu, Hasani, Aumia
Hasani didn't have an answer to Matope's question. His ears flattened against his skull in shame, and he looked away from the dark male to Aumia. "Seriously, I feel like there has to be a better place than here..." Their little eyes watching everything, how they were so small and fragile and yet fearless. Did they even really understand what was going on?
"It's fine, Hasani," Aumia mused, her attention being split between him and the brown lioness that replied to her. She smiled, almost sweetly, at the attention. "Precisely. We need to make decisions based on the truth. Being a scout doesn't seem like such a bad thing.... or learning to protect ourselves better." She had always been half-hearted in being a huntress, perhaps changing careers would give her something more interesting to do.
"It isn't fine! We have nannies for a reason, right?" Hasani wasn't letting it go, so Aumia swatted him in the face. Stupid boy. "Like I said, it is fine."
Haribu decided it would be best to just ignore Hasani's little rant. "My, being a scout seems like rough work. Do you work in groups? Pairs...?" She was training to be a soldier, as pitiful as that training was going. Perhaps it would go smoother, with more recruits to practice with.
"I'm not sure if scouts working alone is safe enough," she purred, her eyes glancing from Matope to the king.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 7:50 pm
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Watching the lioness go, Kushindwa let out a hum, "Touchy, isn't she?"
"Downright bitchy, if you ask me. You can't change the past, so what's the point in chasing what-ifs?" Madaha gave a snort, "You can either run from it, or learn from it, and we're learning from it, and honestly it's a dishonor on the dead to point paws when we can't go back and save them now." She sighed, settling next to Kush. "This is all a-"
Her words cut off as Vitha's accusation registered, and the response. Madaha shot up, seeing red. "VITHA YOU GO TOO FAR!" No, not telling the king to step down, that didn't fully register as declaring it outside private conversation. But dragging what was somebody's private family business out into the public eye? THAT was too far.
With a start, Sassalum's ears went back, eyes widening. For the first time since arriving, she cried out, "That was surely PRIVATE until their family was willing to go public!" Any lingering doubts about which side she was on, the king's or the cult's, fell away. The pale lioness carefully extricated herself away from any she could identify as being from the cult, trying to find... Anywhere else to stand or sit. As she moved, she grumbled, "Airing somebody else's business, that's just uncouth!" She found what she felt was a better spot, away from the cult and under a tree. Here, she hoped, she might watch things play out better.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 8:54 pm
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Vitha couldn't believe her ears. Close the border? Where the hell had he been when the first murder had taken place? She glanced over to Mkate, concerned that he was thinking the same thing. The look on his face confirmed her fears, and she nudged him gently. The sudden burst of anger that was thrown at her lit a fire within her gut, and she felt herself confronted with the desire to shut that lioness up. She kept her forelegs tight, not letting herself move much.
"I went to far? When we probably could have found him if the pride was notified the moment he was realized missing? I think not." She was concise and to the point, and did her best to not raise her voice in return. The burnt orange lioness did not deserve any more of her energy than what she had already put out there.
Mkate ignored the raised voice at his mate, and instead looked at Tau, half incredulous. "Why was nothing done when my mother was killed? It has been years since she was murdered. No one but me and a few of my family members seemed to mourn her. Then, a year ago, when Kohaku was killed and Rinj went missing.... still, nothing happened? Now, when Wahabu is missing, someone with whom the crown is indebted to, is when action is taken? Only when the misgivings of the crown are laid bare, is action to be done?" His voice was a bit weak, and he felt himself choke up a bit when thinking about his mother. She had been taken from him, and even though he mourned her the pain had never fully healed. Even now, having his own daughter remind him so much of Biskuti....it hurt.
"I had always thought this pride was one where everyone was important, but I see that is not the case." He could have gone on, but he felt like he had said enough. He took a few steps backwards, gathering his cubs to hide underneath him. There was no protection for them from the crown, not that he could trust.
"You say you will protect us, oh Great King," Vitha said with mockery, distrust oozing from her body language. "We will see. Do not forget there is a murderer loose among us, let alone that Great Black Beast is still assumed to be in hiding. Who knows if it has been appeased from that terrible night. I hope for all our sake, it will never return."
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 9:12 pm
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Tau had a lot of things to take in. He took in a slow, steady breath, reminding himself that he didn't have to reply to everyone. He didn't even need to treat them nicely, but he was still a rather nice and patient male. He glanced over towards Aoife, who was looking rather concerned herself. A lot of things had been aired out today, and Tau didn't know what would come the following day. A decree was something that took time to implement, and he knew that his Councillors would more than likely want to speak to him about it.
"That is a question I cannot fully answer, Mkate. I will gladly converse with my grandfather on his reasoning for the lack of action after your mother's untimely death. I assure you, we are taking this most seriously, but we have protocols to fill." Which mean....
He glanced over to the two females, not close to each other, so his eyes had to travel, to let them know that he had heard them. He had listened. "I may admit that there was a minor misstep in how we handled it, but we can reexamine that process once we find Wahabu. For the moment, we have actions to take. I will have messengers reach the furthest corners of the Pridelands, as we will need everyone to be aware of my decision today."
Aoife still wasn't sure how she felt about everything, but she was starting to feel like maybe she needed to offer more to the pride than her visions of the future. They were not always accurate, or clear, but if she decided to be a messenger, would that help? She glanced between Madaha, Sassalum, and Tau, worry still creasing her brow. Tau was handling himself better than she had expected, and even chastised her earlier. Was he really starting to take up the mantle now? She hoped it wasn't too late; the cult still grew, even with his smart words. |
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AstoriaFallen
AstoriaFallen
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 8:16 pm
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Post 7
Areo nodded his head, closing the boarder sounded like a fair decision. Though, there were those in the pride that might not like that very much but at the same time, if it kept everyone safe then what else could be done? Moving towards Giza just to see what the male had to say he would stand in the back and listen, Areo was confident in his fighting skills, he'd beaten a Reaver or two from the Stormborn in his time and had a couple of scars to prove his worth. Still, he was more a lover than a fighter but would hold his own if it came down to it. Moving with some of the other's he just hung out to listen.
- - - - - - - -
Mag's heart sank a little. If the boarder's were closed how would she be able to see Parth? Would Parth be able to see their kids? Looking down at Chandra she gave a small nod of her head. "You may go, perhaps there are some basic things you'll be able to learn from him. BUT, I'll be watching from here."
She said allowing him to go and see what he could at least learn. While he wouldn't be playing a huge part in anything it wouldn't hurt for him to learn some basics at least.
Azurine watched and listened as some things she didn't understand much about were said by a lot of the adults. She didn't want to learn how to fight or anything like that. That wasn't something she wasn't really interested in, violence and stuff like that. Though, she did want to see how her brother did. "Wait for me, I'll come with you." but she was just watching only.
Porcelain Pinch this is pretty much a fin for my guys unless you need a few more posts? I can keep going back and forth with you ^^
- - - - - -
Hari listened as Vitha attempted to call Tau out but was put in her place by his response. His actions towards the family and their feelings and overall concern was very considerate and it spoke volumes that he had tried to solve everything without involving the public, but now it seemed everyone was in on the family business but perhaps it would help get their missing council lion found faster with more eyes searching.
At least all in all the female 'stepped' back from her earlier stance and everyone was on the same page, find the missing lion and also get more lions trained to fight.
Giving a heavy sigh he knew his skills weren't the BEST so he figured it wouldn't hurt to see what Giza had to show.
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 6:31 pm
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A minor misstep. She could hardly stand to listen to him anymore. A death, written off like it was the end piece of a meal. Mkate had done his best to recover from his mother's death; that pain is what brought them together. She had understood, listened, and assisted as best she could to help him heal. No one else had bothered.
"We will assist with the scouts," Vitha said dismissively. She had kept her own precious few resources in keeping the pride safe, but one with only a few pawful of volunteers versus the might of hundreds to a king's orders was an unfair advantage. She would keep her followers at the border, reporting to her what they saw. If there was good information, she would pass it to the king... somehow.
Mkate's features strained as he came to realize that the crown still did not care about his mother's death; they never would. Now, he wondered if more of his family was dead and not just missing. "Farewell, King." Mkate took his mate and their cubs, and decided that they had accomplished what they had set out to do; expose the decaying state of the crown and royal family. |
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 7:26 pm
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Haribu, Hasani, Aumia
Haribu had been enjoying her playful teasing of Matope, much to the second hand embarrassment of Hasani. She found it rather odd that a male with such affectionate (if a bit old) parents was shy about something as simple as light flirting, but that just made it all the more irresistible to do.
It seemed like the main intention for this show of power was over, however. How disappointing. "Aw, are we done already?" Haribu said with a smirk to her face. Aumia was, as usually, rolling her eyes at the coy lioness. "It seems like we completed our task. We have much work to do if we intend on finding Wahabu, and renewing our vows to keep this pride safe."
Hasani puffed up his chest. "Yeah, we'll find the leads first, and bring him back. And his wife!" Hasani hadn't forgotten about Shani, but the main point of interest was Wahabu, with his position on the council. "C'mon Aumia, let's see if we can get anyone else to help us instead of him," the blonde lion said with a glance towards the king.
"We will succeed, let us see if we can get our own messenger or two," she agreed, mumbling with Hasani as Haribu glanced back over to Matope. She had found the entire confrontation rather entertaining, and wanted to see how the seeds that were sown today would flourish within the coming weeks.
There was so much doubt and concern in the air, it was like plucking an easy treat for snacking. "Well, I guess we should get ourselves back to work, Matope."
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