|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 7:59 pm
Camulos wandered out of the family den, his red eyes bright. He had finally been growing into his paws as of late and his mane had extended down the nape of his neck. Still, he was as naive as any cub and took pleasure in the simplest of things. That particular night, he was enjoying the stars.
Oh, how bright and far off they were! He lied down and stretched out on his back, a content smile on his lips. Cam waved his paws in the air, batting lightly at the fireflies dancing about him. The juvenile was certainly proof that ignorance is bliss.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:18 pm
Kaihdin gazed up at the stars from her viewpoint. One of her most favorite spots recently had been to crawl and jump from rock to rock around the front of the family cave, until she rested atop the entire structure. A soft, spongy moss sprinkled the sparkling granite, and it almost felt warm to the touch.
The stars twinkled brightly, seemingly mocking her. It had been two days since the Betrayel, as she called it, and the nauseating feeling in her stomach refused to go away, only allowing her to keep food down.
A small bead of red caught her eye; her own red orbs swiveled downward, spotting her oldest brother and the elder of all six juveniles. And yet he still remained the most innocent. She liked to think of their relationship as a blessing, as they were closer than she was to any other in their family, and she would not give that up for the world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:25 pm
He heard the subtle shifts in the earth as Kaihdin hopped up into her spot and he twisted his head to look at her, smiling. "Kaihdin," he purred. "Hiya, sis!"
Kaihdin was the only of his siblings that he really got along with. Ibilisi was especially hard to cope with, considering she made it her mission in life to try and remove his ears. Indeed, there were scabs around the bases from where she had bit. Only his darkest coloured sister was, in his eyes, nice, and he adored her for it.
He still didn't know about her feelings for the captive's situation, however. Roho had simply told him that the other cub was to be ignored no matter how loud he was. Not knowing any better, Cam was a bit annoyed by the constant ruckus that Tain created, but brushed it off. Son does as mother says, after all.
In fact, he was proud of his sister for bringing the other juvenile to their pride. Roho made it no secret that Kaihdin had played a key role in obtaining him and, simple minded as he was, he thought it was wonderful that his sister had pleased their mother so much.
"Do you want to come down here?" he asked, eyes wide and lips forming a smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:30 pm
Kaihdin's mouth formed the ghost of a smile.
"No. Do you want to come up here? There are no fireflies to bother, but the stars seem a bit closer than there."
Cam made it his life's mission to please their mother, the poor juvenile. Kaihdin would have much preferred if their spots had been switched, and the eldest had been the rightful heir as it had been done for centuries past, but Roho was not one to bow down to anyone else's rules, and she was not about to start with her own cubs. Which left Kaihdin to bear the weight.
Even so, she did not think Cam would last long under the pressure. Not that he was weak, but his heart was not in the evil things he did, only in the reward of a proud nod at the end.
For which she did not blame him in the slightest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:22 pm
Cam was unaware of his sister's inner turmoil. He knew that she was not happy with the rigorous training and her status as heir, but that was about it. If he had, he probably would've tried to convince Roho to switch their places, unsuccessful as he might be. He was too kindhearted and caring to want his sister to suffer so much, and even though he wouldn't fare any better, he'd gladly take it upon himself.
At her invitation, he grinned. He'd never been up there before, knowing that it was special to her. It felt wrong to interfere with her special place, but since she had invited him, he was glad to join her. It was kind of boring down on the ground, anyway. "Sure!"
He leapt forward, his paws scraping at the rocks as he tried to gain balance. Finally, he teetered uneasily and padded towards her, sitting down. It was easier to balance when he was still, so he leaned over and licked her cheek. "Are you okay? You seem kinda distracted."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:30 pm
Her smile widened slightly. She was currently on her stomach, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"I guess I'm okay. Just...distracted, yeah. I guess." She could let down her barriers with him, and she gladly relaxed the tight shields. Because of this, and perhaps everything was catching up to her in a bundle, her eyes began to water again.
"It's just...it's so much. Do you know what he called me, when he figured out that we had planned and tricked him? He called me a horrible little girl. Cam, I feel awful. You know my guilty conscience; this is like the motherload of all of them. I cannot get that scene out of my head, and Mother..." she sniffed, a tear finally running down her cheek as she buried her face in her brother's black fur. "I don't know what to do anymore. I have to keep waiting until the time is right before I can leave. And I'll gladly take you with me, and we can leave, and find somewhere else and somewhere better to be. I'll take whoever wants to go.
"I'm so sick of this."
Another tear followed the other, and soon her other eye leaked as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:47 pm
As Kaihdin poured her heart out, Cam sat silently, listening to her feelings and fears. When she spoke about Tain, he frowned. Had he said that? Part of him welled with anger at how upset the captive had made her, but he realized how badly she felt for him, which made him reconsider his own feelings. Tain sure didn't seem happy... after all, Cam wouldn't be happy if he was locked away by himself, away from his family.
He wasn't sure how to comfort Kaihdin, though he wanted to so, so badly. Finally, he said the only thing he could think of. "I'll go with you," he murmured, blinking fondly at her. "There must be something better out there, and we'll find it."
He brightened as another thought entered his mind. "And maybe we could take Tain with us! I mean, he's kind of annoying and all, but he should be free too! I bet he'd be thankful if we did that, and besides, no one can be mad forever." Cam blinked, realizing that might sound wrong. "I mean, he'd probably understand, right? His parents probably make him do stuff too. And hey! If we set him free, then he can go back to his family, and we can leave, and everything will be right... right?"
He bent over and lightly pressed his soft tuft of a mane to her eyes, soaking up the tears. "We'll get out of here," he promised.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:54 pm
Kaihdin nodded dumbly, allowing her older brother to dry her tears.
"'Kay," she murmured, suddenly tired. The emotions had finally been let out, and in such a way that she had not expected. She had seen herself exploding at the final straw, and vented in anger. But this...this was a bonding experience with Cam, and it was different. But it felt okay.
"You really think they would understand? I mean, you haven't had anything to do with Tain. I tricked him. I don't think I could face him again. But we will take him along."
She sighed, laying down so her side was curled away from him; his paw was in front of her face. How big it was--he was going to be a giant as he got older!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:01 pm
Cam smiled gently at Kaihdin. "Mama has told me a bit about Tain's family and... well, you know the reason she doesn't like them. They're... er, well, nice." He coughed, still uncomfortable speaking badly about his mother. "Chances are, he's nice, too. I mean, look at us. There's six of us and only two are..." he hesitated again. "...good. So maybe it's the same with him. He's nice 'cause his parents are nice." It all made perfect sense to Cam.
"But," he continued, "we don't have to take him with us if you don't want you. We could just, y'know, help him escape before we leave. Whatever you want to do, Kaihdin. It's your choice." He hoped that his words were appreciated, since he knew that most of the time, it wasn't Kaihdin's choice - it was Roho's choice. He wanted to be the one that could give her the opportunity to do what she wanted to do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:06 pm
She smiled back up at him, reassuringly. "They're 'too' nice, apparently, and Mother thinks being inviting and gentle is a weakness. And weakness is worthless," she recited obediently. "Maybe. Parents are a big influence in a cub's life." Her gaze hardened. "We were two of the lucky ones."
She did appreciate his words. It was slowly getting to the point where Roho would truly ask her opinion, but each time Kaihdin replied with the right words and tone, which resulted in a proud nod and a continuation of that particular lesson. She had learned early on that if you didn't give the correct answer of what she wanted to hear...
Let's just say, it wasn't something she'd like to experience every time.
"I'm not sure yet. We can wait and see how he begins to handle the whole situation. Part of me hopes it's not 'til we're adolescants before we leave. You and Tain both need to mature a bit more before we're off on our own," she teased, laying a light paw over his. "You don't need to grow in body, just in mind. And it wouldn't hurt Tain, either.
"You have a say in all this, too; after all, you're coming too and you deserve your opinion. What say you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:23 pm
He pressed himself against Kaihdin, smiling at her teasing. "I agree," he said in his soft voice. "We need to be older. I think that with the two of us working together, it might work out now, but... well, it's not really a risk we have to take, right? It's probably hard for lions our age to try and make it on their own, but I know that adolescents can get by okay."
Cam went quiet, thinking about the situation. "I'll talk to Tain," he said decisively. "Like you said, he doesn't know me, and Mama doesn't really care what I do unless she wants me to help her." There was a bit of hurt in his voice that showed he wanted the affection most mothers showed. "So she won't notice if I'm talking to him or anything. If he's nice, then I can make friends with him and stuff. Then, when it's time, I'll tell him about our plan."
"Until then, I can try and sneak him extra food and stuff. He's not eating very much. Even if Mama catches me, she won't get too mad. She has to keep me on her side because she thinks I'm easy to manipulate." His eyes narrowed and showed his bitterness. "It's true that I want to make her happy, but... I'm not stupid, Kaihdin." He turned away in silence. Though he knew fully well that Kaihdin didn't think that of him, he felt the overwhelming need to say it out loud, and get it out there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:28 pm
She nodded again, this time decisively and finaly. "Then it's settled. We'll wait a bit more until we all grow. I'll keep learning from Mother and will gain...trust, I suppose, because I need her to be so indulgent of me that I can wander off on my own for a bit and not be bombarded with suspicious questions when I return."
And then she fell silent, contemplating on what he, too, and expressed. Theirs was a complicated and twisted family.
"No, you're not," she said softly. "And I'm lucky to have you for a brother. Tain will trust you; he'll like you, and if he knows that you will be there along the way, with me..." she trailed off for a minute, gathering her thoughts, "then perhaps he'll come a bit more willingly."
The stars twinkled brightly above them; the brighter they shone, the later it was, and the less time they had in private to discuss what they wanted.
"She's going to call for us soon," she muttered. "And one day there will be no one to answer, no one for her to call. No one will listen to her, and we will be gone. Far away, where she cannot rule over us any longer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:26 pm
Cam closed his eyes, letting her words sink out. What a grand thought that was, being out of their mother's clutches, free to go and be who they wanted to be. He sighed softly, looking up at Kai.
"Just a little while longer."
What else was there to be said? She had put it so eloquently, better than he ever could have. So instead of trying to come up with something just as insightful and hopeful, the black cub fell silent, trying to imagine a world without responsibilities and expectations. A free world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:41 pm
Kaihdin grinned at her brother softly before leaning against him again, sighing at the comfortable, peaceful quietness in the air, and no sound but their breathing reaching her ears.
"Okay. For as long as she'll let us."
And they did, sitting in each other's prescence in the little time of peace they so rarely had. For just a little while longer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
