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 Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:25 pm
What did need to happen, though, was a one-on-one conversation with Tapana. The council had made their decision to see what would happen when news spread about what she had done but actually talking privately with her ruling counterpart had been too difficult to bother trying. The closer she got to giving birth, though, the more urgent it became.
She she was waiting for Tapana by the Regent's den, the most likely place to cross paths with the other regent. It hadn't been very long since the argument at the council but it still could have been too long. Hopefully she hadn't made things harder for them both by avoiding Tapana so far.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:03 pm
Tapana had been both glad and annoyed by the lack of opportunity to cross paths with Agni-pariksha and as time had gone on, it felt odd even starting up a conversation with her again. It wasn't as if there was no excuse to speak with her. There were plenty! It was just that...no answer had come to Tapana to make this whole situation okay and that made her hesitant to even approach the subject again.
She was, however, caught unawares by the dark regent waiting by the entrance to her den - enough so that she faltered and raised her head; eyes widening. She cleared her throat, roughly, and tried to regain some of her usual; demeanor before hurrying to break the silence.
"Not arrived yet, then," she directed her gaze at the regent's belly - dreading the day that the cubs did actually bless them with their presence.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 3:24 pm
"No," Agni confirmed gruffly, clearly displeased with the fact that the cubs had yet to arrive. It was clear that however she felt about what she had done and what she thought it might accomplish, she was not a fan of actually being pregnant. Not this pregnant, at least. And despite appearances, she didn't bother to hide it. It would be more strange, she had decided, to act like this was the best feeling.
"We should talk about it, tough," she said, taking a seat to show she wasn't going anywhere this time. She didn't think Tapana was a flight risk at this point so she kept on talking.
"We decided to see how things go but that's not really enough once they're born," she said, "And they'll be here soon."
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 1:07 am
Tapana nodded grimly, easing herself into a wary seating position. he supposed that now was a good a time as any seeing how this problem wasn't about to go away.
"We need to consider the types of reactions the Firekin will have to your litter. Some will be in favour of it - hopeful, even." As set against rogue-breeding as Tapana was, the days of mulling over the facts had made it clear that some lionesses would celebrate at the chance of a non-complicated breeding arrangement. "Others will be outright hostile." She swept that away with a paw, not wanting to dwell on that too much, either. Hostile to both the cubs and the mother. Tapana felt herself beginning to panic even at the slightest hint of that notion.
"We have to hope that most of the Firekin will be sceptics who can be lured to your side. Some might want to call your children huria as rules were broken. And we also have to come up with a way to get around the 'father being involved' rule."
Urgh. Her head hurt.
"I hope you've freed up your schedule for the day...
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 1:24 am
Agni nodded along as Tapana got out many thoughts she had on the subject of the cubs, pleasantly surprised that she had calmed down so much and thought it through this well. This could only help.
"There's no father so he can't be punished for neglecting his offspring," she said with a shrug, having completely forgotten the expectation that both parents be involved and how it would play into her pregnancy, "If the concern is simply male influence, I'm sure my father would be willing to help. If the concern is a proper nuclear family, I have both of my parents and my brother."
She hadn't thought enough about that rule to figure out a good response. If it was something deep and meaningful about how a cub should be raised, that was potentially tricky. If it was simply the expectation that you take responsibility for life you helped create, that was fine.
"But I did want to talk about them being huria," Agni said, "I think it's a good idea. I thought about what you said about their father being untested-- even though one could argue that, as leader of a pride where he is expected to face challengers to his position, he is a worthy choice--"
She spoke slowly to emphasize her reasoning yet again, risking provoking a fight to make it clear again that she still didn't think she had acted thoughtlessly.. even if she was conceding to concerns raised by Tapana at the council meeting.
"Call them huria and demand a challenge," she said, "Reassure the hostile that my cubs are not considered proper Firekin and give them the same chance as any rogue."
And let us prove them wrong. Let us prove you wrong.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 2:01 am
That was true. Agni-pariksha did have male family members who could help. Maybe if one - or both - helped out in raising the cubs in the way that a father might, that would be enough to appease...
Only time would tell for that one, she supposed.
"Will they be happy to do that?" She asked, needing confirmation even if it wasn't particularly needed.
Tapana was surprised at what the other regent had to say next, though did better to hide it this time. Sure. Non-Firekin coloured cubs would always be huria - a risk that Tapana herself was never sure she could take. But did she mean the suitable cubs as well?
She gave a loud snort at the mention of Andhaka. The Bonelander made her feel angry. Like she wanted to go over there and see just how tough he really was. In her mind he was not good enough for Agni-pariksha - even if her unspoken opinion matter to no one but herself.
"For all of your cubs? If that's what you want, then I will. It makes sense that they should prove their father's genes when he is not here to prove himself. Have you even thought about how you might feel if one of them is born with a huria pelt?" Maybe they all would and make this problem go away...
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:09 pm
"Of course," she said, already knowing very well that she had the support of her parents. Whether or not they might have supported the idea in general didn't matter, she was their daughter and she always had their support. If the pride needed reassurance that the cubs would be given something resembling a 'normal' family experience, she was happy to involve them. She expected to, anyway.
"Yes, for all of them," Agni said confidently, "We don't get a lot of rogue brats joining but isn't that the formal procedure for them, too?"
She wasn't as sure as maybe she should have been but the idea of it was enough to allow her to compromise on this particular topic. Even if it wasn't true, it would be a suitable response.
"I have no problems with true huria," she added when asked about it, "That's another reason I chose a Bonelands sire. Ideally, any proper huria will be female and can go live there after standard training."
Any huria sons could go where they pleased, though she had implied that she would keep them out of Andhaka's mane. That would be dealt with in the future, if necessary.
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:25 am
Well, that was something, at least. Perhaps these cubs would end up more family-orientated than your average Firekin. Wouldn't that be ironic?
Tapana tried to think back on whether she remembered any rogue adolescents attempting to join them. It was possible, but rare. She wasn't sure it had ever happened in her lifetime.
"Having them earn their place would work in your favour. At least if they do that no one can say they don't belong - even if they might not be viewed very favourably at first."
"I hope you don't live to regret this," Tapana continued, sounding moody now that she had dwelled on the reality. "Part of me wishes that you weren't so stubborn but then I remember that's also the trait I like about you." She eyed the other regent through slightly narrowed eyes, next. "Speaking of which, I was rather hoping you'd agree to a guard once your cubs are born. Just, you know, as a precaution..."
She had a few guards in mind that could be up for the job. "More for my peace of mind, really."
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:14 am
"There's no shame in earning the right to stay," Agni-pariksha said, daring to grin, "They'd learn that anyway, this will just be more direct." Truly, everybody in the Motoujamii worked hard for their place here, it was just more strict and obvious in the duels the rogues took part in.
Her head tilted and her grin widened when Tapana said she liked her. She even used the present tense, she was mad but she didn't hate her over this dramatic effort to start a much overdue conversation. Then ... her expression wavered when a guard was suggested, and she had to take a moment to bite back a retort about taking care of herself. Tapana understood a part of the Firekin Agni simply couldn't, and didn't want to.. and if it made her even a little more agreeable..
"Alright," she said finally, "But I want to pick them."
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 1:20 pm
Having Agni-parkisha's cubs earn their right to stay did stave off a multitude of Tapana's worries. If one overlooked the 'rogue father' part, then they were no different from the rogues who fought to join them. What this meant for future breeding, however, she was not so sure. Was this to be the beginning of a huge change that she'd have to fight against? Or would the idea be quashed the moment it reared its ugly head? Tapana could do nothing but hope it would end up the latter.
She gave a low growl at the compromise that was coming and despite wanting to argue against it, knew that she should quit whilst she was ahead (or on level ground, at least). Besides, Agni-pariksha would choose well. She was of military background and likely had some good candidates she could headhunt.
Fine. It was agreeable.
"Very well. You may pick. I suppose it's only fair." She gave her counterpart a slightly more humoured look, "I do hope your cubs don't take too much after you, else we'll be in for a whole heap of trouble."
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 4:13 pm
Agni's grin returned, she knew exactly where to start looking for guards. They were overdue dealing with the gaps in the upper ranks of the military, she could use this opportunity to investigate the options.. though ideally the tournament would happen soon, too. She was actually glad her cubs might actually get to witness it.
"Excellent," she said, then dramatically rolled her eyes at the quip about her cubs' nature, "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"(( Probably a good place to end
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