|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:19 pm
 A large white figure stalked through the bones of the graveyard toward the border of the pridelands, toward that place where the scent of life so magnificently faded in the clutches of the death and sorrow of the dark land. Anyone fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to have encountered the white beast would have also know that his mate must have been nearby, the red lioness who was never far from his side.
But today Tanaka was restless, and while Kiuma rested, he had risen with the hopes that a walk would settle his paws. What made him restless he was not sure, but there was something in the air, something familar, but something distant, something he couldn't quite put his paw on.
He walked with a slight limp, his white coat still bearing the marks of his previous encounter with the god of war. Normally after meeting his brother, the white demon would have been in a foul mood for days, but the time he had spent with his mate had changed that, and he was in good spirits, or at least as much as such a demon could be.
But despite his unusually good mood, the incident had not been forgotten, it still boiled beneath the surface, rage and hatred ready to rise again were any foolish enough to provoke him.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:37 pm
Na's life since coming to the Pridelands had been more than hectic. Used to spending a life where only his dreams could scare him, the blue lion had come within inches of his life, staring death in the face. Now he bore his own scars, deep wounds that were only now beginning to heal, inflicted by the claws of his father and despite their severity, only in glancing blows. Despite this, Na did not dwell on the danger of once again approaching the land's borders. Only red was cautious and for the time being, he remained dormant.
Na contentedly bounced along after a butterfly, like some sort of large blue kitten, his mane, an exact inverse of his father's bright in the sunlight. As he ran, he sang a tuneless but jovial song.
But the butterfly quickly vanished as the grassy lands sloped off to the ashen death of the graveyard. He froze, gawping, feeling unsteady, unbalanced. Something was amiss.
His song was forgotten as unbidden to his thoughts came visions of the "bad lion", his father. Something triggered them, he was sure.
Anger. Sheer unbridled hatred directed at a lion more demon than mortal, white as death with tattered wings.
He stepped back from the unfamiliar vision, reeling from the fury entwined with the thought.
Then he spotted him, a white figure not too far off. Any normal lion would have turned and ran but Na was not known for his survival instincts. He smiled dumbly and bounded towards Tanaka.
"Hey you!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:12 pm
The white lion's gaze narrowed as a hint of blue touched his green eye, a blue he knew all too well, a blue that brought all his hatred and rage to the surface, and a low growl to his throat. Mrost... But there was something different, no, it wasn't his brother. But then why did this mortal bear that same blue, why was there something in him that eeriely reminded him of the god of war?
Tanaka's expression fell on the blue lion, a hint of hellfire showing in his green eye, his posture showing the slightest hint of a threat, tail flicking behind him. This creature was...an idiot, certainly not his brother, but was he.... No, that couldn't be, how could this creature possibly be releated.
And now the creature stood before him, grining like child who had never learned much sense. Tanaka had been too startled to respond for a moment with anything but a confused blink. The creature had shown no fear, or even any indication that it knew to feel fear. What the...who the hell was this lion?
"Why do you look like my brother?"
His words were more a demand than a question, the word brother accented with a slight snear of hatred, as if it were distateful to speak of the blue god of war.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:22 pm
Na froze in his grinning and walking and just stopped still at Tanaka's words. It wasn't necissarily his words that stopped the blue lion dead in his tracks but more his aura. Na could generally /feel/ the sheer latent danger of gods and suddenly he could smell blood on the air despite there being no trace.
He didn't like it and stammered once before attempting to regain his happy attitude, despite Tanaka's chilly demeanour.
"Uh...uh...I'm sorry sir. I don't think I've met you or your brother before."
Unless his father...no, monsters like that didn't have family, they couldn't have.
"Unless..." he faltered, despite his naivety feeling that saying what he was currently thinking aloud could be dangerous. After all, if Mrost had family then what was to say said family wouldn't be as "friendly" as he was.
"Nah, you are much nicer!"
He hoped.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:39 pm
Tanaka's brow furrowed, a quizzical and suspicious expression on his maw, his firery green eye seeming to bore into the blue lion's soul for answer's to who he was.
"Really..."
The lion's tone made he clear that he did not believe the blue lion. Tanaka was certain this creature was becoming more and more certain that this creature was connected to his brother, he could feel it, but he couldn't quite place how.
It was now Tanaka who stepped toward Na-Be, circling the smaller lion, scanning his form, searching for some answer. Massive white paws fell to the earth with each step, dust stirred in his wake in what normally would have been a threat, but now his steps were motivated more by intrigue, examing the blue creature before him. His search complete for now, Tanaka paused in his steps, again facing the blue lion.
"Tell me, who is your father?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:50 pm
It was normally pretty hard to shatter Na's facade of constant excitement and enthusiasm, but in the face of Tanaka's cold, metholodical manner, coupled with the unnerving memories of the chase, where Mrost almost killed him, he couldn't maintain it. The blue lion flicked back his ears and cowered slightly, his tail curled around his paws. He didn't like being cornered like this and could already feel Red stirring in his mind, ready to lash out, ready to run.
He stamped out the impulse knowing that was suicide, he was much too far from the pridelands and this white lion was larger than his nightmares, calm for now but with a tone that hinted that messing him around was not a good idea.
His golden gaze shifted to the ground as the white demon spoke. He couldn't lie, it was against his nature and all he stood for. So, taking a deep breath he let out a nervous laugh. "Ehehehe. Well, I know it sounds crazy but my father..well he's got wings." he didn't dare shift his eyes from the ground "He's a bad lion. A very bad lion." he spat the words as though "bad" was suddenly the most henious insult.
Red surfaced for a second in an unprecidented snarl. "MROST." he snarled. "The b*****d is called Mrost."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:04 pm
Tanaka met the lion's snarl with one of his own, the mention of his brother's name bringing a surge of rage and hatred to the surface, his tail flicking behind him angrily, talons emerging to slash at the earth beneath his paws.
And then the anger was gone, replaced by startled surprise, and Tanaka thought he would fall over from the shock. This strange creature, this odd blue lion, this was the offspring of his brother? The demon didn't know whether he should laugh at his brother's misfortune, or kill this creature now for being related to the god of war. He elected for neither, though he did make a mental note to mention this encounter to his brother next time they met, a wicked smirk crossing his maw at the thought.
Settling back on his haunches, Tanaka gave no threat for the moment, an amused look in his eye. However there was something there beneath the surface, something that said this demon never let down his guard, that he would not hesitate to rend the other to shreds were the blue lion to attempt his own threat.
"I see," his eyes narrowed in an almost mocking smirk, "then you do know my brother."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:59 pm
Na seized control forcibly back from Red and let the snarl fall from his lips, leaving only embarrassed silence. He eyed Tanaka with surprise and marvel, unaware that creatures of the same kin of his father even existed. Still, at least this white god hadn't tried to murder him, not yet anyway. He nodded.
"I know him. Probably know him better than anyone." He wasn't lying. Not many people were forced to see what Mrost seen, feel his emotions, all on a somewhat regular basis. He frowned, as always, oblivious to the connotations of what he said.
"He hates me more than anything. Maybe even as much as he hates you." Knowing now that Tanaka was Mrost's brother Na could see that this lion was the object of many of his father's murderous thoughts.
"But I don't see why he hates you /that/ much. You don't seem that bad."
Oblivious.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:27 pm
Tanaka had been simply watching the blue lion in silence, still not over the shock of this creature being his brother's son. Apart from the blue coat and the markings, which were a dead give away, this lion was nothing like the god of war and Tanaka found himself wondering if this creature was all there or if his mind had wandered off somewhere, lost in a field of magik mushrooms never to return.
But as those last words met his ears, there was no escapng the harsh, demonic laughter that fell from his maw. It was eerie, chilling, mocking, if nothing else this creature was amusing.
"You really have no idea do you."
Tanaka raised one paw, examining his talons as he flexed them, a maleviolent look in his eye at the thought of the hatred he held for his brother. This was not a nice lion, in fact he was just as 'bad', if not moreso, as his brother. There was a malicious air about him, though it was not directed at the blue lion for the moment, it was simply the air that the demon always carried, the air that sent most mortals, or at least the smart ones, fleeing at the sight of him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:33 pm
Na flicked his ears back again at that laughter, familiar in some ways to him but how he didn't know. But it was short lived and despite Tanaka's comment, he smiled again.
"I don't really know much m'afraid. It's Red who does all the thinkin'" he beamed.
Na might have been clueless, blank as a clean chalkboard, but Red was always there watching what went on. He perceived the danger the white furred god posed to them both from his place in the darkness. He could scent the deathly scent that Na could not, see the gleam of the talons and the relaxed power in his muscles. Red knew but was for the moment stifled for to show himself would indicate that he posed more of a threat - if only marginally - than Na-Be with his idiocy seemed to.
But as always, Na had to make an fool of himself.
"Red thinks you are as scheming and backstabbing as Mrost."
Good job. Idiot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:56 pm
Again that harsh, demon laughter echoed through the air, mingling with the scent of death in the air of the bones of the graveyard, like walking through a cemetary on halloween night. The lion's tail flicked, his talons flexing ones more before his paw settled on the dusty earth.
"Well then, Red is very perceptive, though backstabbing really isn't my thing. It's far more rewarding to strike when you can be seen."
The great lion smirked, a single fang vissible in that maleviolent grin. Red was it then, that settled it, this creature was definitely missing a screw or two...or all of them. Oh but this was far too entertaining, this creature, no wonder Mrost hated him so. And the great lion found himself smirking in evil childish glee at the thought of his brother's misfortune, oh the irony of it all. And while he hated more his brother more than anything, a part of him actually wanted to meet the blue lion again solely for the purpose of taunting him over the failure that was his offspring.
"So then, Red, is that your name or your imaginary friend?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:12 pm
Na didn't see what was funny but laughed anyway, never one to miss out on a good bit of cheer. Inwardly, as always, red was cringing at the sheer stupidity of sitting here when this lion could turn at any moment and kill them both. Na nodded. "Oh yeah, Red is clever, he helps me read my dreams. But he's a BAD LION too. He does things that are just outright naughty when he shouldn't." He frowned. "Red? Uh....Red is me. But at the same time isn't. I'm Na-be, he's Red. He only comes out at night. Mostly." he fretted a bit "Since Pale made him go away."
He grinned broader, relaxing more the longer he didn't get attacked. "Red wants to get Mrost before he gets us."
Red was saying nothing. He'd be damned if he gave any hint he was there, thereby confirming that Na was capable of lateral thought rather than his scattered randomness he normally spouted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:34 pm
Tanaka's tail flicked, a look of suspicion in his eye. Despite his massive size, the white lion was far more than brute strenght, he was calculating and clever, far more intune with the mental realm than he was with the physical. Na-Be, as he called himself was defintely out there, a scatter-brained idiot. But something told Tanaka that there was something more to this lion, something unstable, something far more dangerous.
"I see."
For a moment there was a look of pity in the great lion's eye, mixed with a newfound disgust for his brother. This creature seemed to be implying that Mrost had tried to kill him, the blue god's own son. Tanaka was pure evil, choatic in his nature, commiting acts of villiany for their own sake. But even he had a sense of honor and killing one's own child was a despicable, unforgiveable act, even if that child was a total idiot and a disgrace.
"Don't waste your life, a mortal like you could not possibly hope to defeat him."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:46 pm
Na nodded, glad that at least with Tanaka, the lion would listen to him. For all his danger and potential, almost tangible to Red, there seemed a redeeming quality in the white lion. Valor or something akin to it, some code of living that placed him above Mrost in terms of morality but detracted nothing from his character in doing so.
He nodded.
"I know. But like Red says, he's going to get us eventually, why not at least do something to try and change that? I mean we only just got away from him a few days ago." he glanced at the scars across his back and sides and frowned. "I don't know why he wants me dead. I'm not a bad lion." his tone wasn't self pitying, just confused.
"But I'm probably babbling again. Red says I babble all the time and I'm only useful for visions." he shrugged "But 'm happy here in the pridelands and that's all the matters. Besides, I'm sure father will be wary with you around." He looked around conspirationally. "Because I know he's not that far away, not far enough."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 6:15 pm
Something flashed in Tanaka's eye, a look of digust that turned to something akin to fear as his thoughts shot back to his mate and the family the children that they would bear. If this blue lion was correct, and Mrost was skulking around the pridelands, then he posed a definite threat. That meant Tanaka would have to remain on his guard, always ready to rend the limbs from his brother should he dare to get to close.
"There is no knowing what goes on in his twisted mind, not that I'd ever want to know."
Tanaka's tail flicked thoughtfully as he looked over this strange lion. Most lions in Na-Be's position would have either given up long ago, or been reduced to nothing but a blubbery heap of cowardice. Yet this lion had done neither, instead he was blissfully happy, living his life as if nothing was wrong, Tanaka wasn't convinced that had entirely to do with him being an idiot, though the blue lion certain was one. But still, there was something admirable in that.
"He should be wary, for if I catch him, I will kill him myself."
There was a slight snarl in the lion's voice, a brief wave of anger that escaped him at the thought of his brother, a rage that begged to tear the blue god limb from limb and rid himself of his brother's existance once and for all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
