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 Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:06 am
  "Were you asked?" Azar demanded of his son, rounding on him just outside of the central hub of the pride lands where - thankfully - they wouldn't draw the attention of everyone who wasn't out at work.
"Asked to do what?" This time, Heti had no idea what his father was so mad about. Likely it was something to do with the new regents. He had been very put out at that sudden resignation and now, it seemed, couldn't catch a break. With his father, however, it was sometimes hard to tell what was truth and what was just made up.
Azar'bijan did have an annoying habit of seeing what he wanted to see.
"Apparently one of the regents were recruiting personal guards for some important matter."
Ah. Heti could see where this was going now. There had been an opportunity to progress and poor Azar'bijan had been overlooked. "Did you really want the job anyway, dad? I didn't think you even liked---"
"---It would have been nice to have been asked," he growled, kicking up some sand with a paw. "We're a proud family of guards and not one of us was asked. This is an insult to our family by leaders who know nothing of the pride members and their heritage."
Heti gave a long-suffering sigh.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:19 am
 Oh this really was too good.
Asyria had settled comfortably into her new position within the pride and with it, she had taken the opportunity to find several good spots in which to watch and conveniently overhear various conversations. Suffice it to say that no one was safe from this particularly observant female, so long as they passed by one of her 'spots', they would be sure to be caught out. Fortunately the vast majority of the conversations she had heard were completely harmless and worthy of no concern.
However, she was still getting used to some aspects of the pride and as such she hadn't stuck her nose in to too much. Instead, she had been slowly but surely learning their history, their politics and their overall culture. Once she had a firmer grasp on the society she had slotted herself in to, she would then take a little more interest in the intrigue.
Well, most intrigues...
This intrigue she would absolutely stick her nose in to.
Thus it was with considerable interest that the lioness rested her chin on her paws, and wide eyed, stared down on the otherwise disgruntled red lion. Somebody was grumpy today, and his son was attempting to placate him - Asyria knew that this wasn't going to succeed. Short of sitting on tat particular fire, Heti wasn't going to be putting it out... And somehow she didn't see the loyal son suffocating his father any time soon.
By the sounds of it, somebody hadn't been promoted and was taking a little bit offence. Though by the sound of his son's words, he didn't actually want the job anyway. Another one of those moments when Azar just wanted to howl like a toddler then? She'd see how this played out, even as an impish smirk appeared on her lips...
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:33 am
"I should file a complaint," Azar continued, pacing back and forth a little now. "If Kidondo and No were still in charge, they'd have come to me, first. They entrusted me with the apprenticeship of their talented son, remember?"
How could Heti forget? Hraga had been Azar'bijan's favourite pupil and had made that clear from day one. Heti had never been able to match up to that, even now after all the years they had been on guard duty together. It didn't seem to matter how hard he tried, his father was always finding fault with his technique or his manner or something else. He'd long since given up entertaining the idea of 'out-guarding' Hraga by now.
"Change happens, dad. There's nothing we can do to stop that. Kidondo and No had ruled for a long time. I think some fresh ideas are needed - now more than ever."
Azar shook his head, "not all change is good."
"Now you're sounding like a traditionalist."
"What?! I'm not talking about worshipping some imaginary god," Azar retorted. Finar-Si was definitely not high up on his priority list. "But we've worked hard to be where we are and what do we get for it? Nothing! Who would they pick over me? Over us? Did Kerra say anything to you?"
Kerra was Heti's son - and also a guard after following in his family's footsteps.
"Not that I'm aware of. I haven't seen much of him recently."
"Well, maybe he knows something. Maybe he was asked." Azar didn't sound as unhappy at that particular thought (though later when he tracked down said grandson and found out that he hadn't been asked, either, he'd be even angrier).
"I don't think Kerra applies himself as much to guarding as you like to think," Heti replied, trying to prepare his father for the possibility that none of them had been candidates for this job that may (or may not) exist.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:51 am
She'd need a front row seat for that one as well. She would have loved to hear the blustering old fart file a formal complaint about whatever had irritated him. Gods forbid that he be looked over for someone more deserving, perhaps someone who wasn't quite so caught up in tenure and was more focused on skill or, oh she didn't know, talent?
Having heard enough, the lioness soon flicked a stone from her position and let it strike the disgruntled lion against the back of his head. It wasn't a heavy stone, just enough to give him a bonk and momentarily pause in his tirade. Or, she hazarded, he may be so preoccupied that he wouldn't notice and would continue as he was. At the very least his son would have seen the small stone fling from her vantage point and towards his father.
...Someone would know she was up there.
And when they did, they would be greeted with the amused gaze of the lioness who was clearly enjoying herself in the midst of the red lion's complaints. His tongue was certainly a free one when he wasn't happy, but she did wish she had more context around what he was complaining about. Suffice it to say that she wasn't privy to all of the leaderships changes as of late.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 5:08 am
The stone was certainly enough to catch him by surprise. His head swung around with a snarl, as if he expected some angry horde of rogues to come descending down upon them. In reality it was nothing of the sort--rather a lioness looking too amused for her own good.
Heti, having followed his father's gaze, was quicker to recognise the lioness than he was. The new member who had joined the pride on their recruitment day not so long ago. She certainly did know how to pick her timing! Most would have ducked their head and moved on, but not this female. Curious.
"How long have you been up there?" Azar snapped, relaxing his stance a little when he realised the 'stone-thrower' was just another member - albeit a new one.
"What he means to say," Heti added, "is 'hello'."
"No I don't. What did you throw at me? A stone?!" He was a corporal and what was she? A new member who should be giving him respect, not this abuse!
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 5:19 am
She smiled pleasantly at Heti from her vantage point but didn't appear to make any attempts to close the gap between herself and the pair of males. Oh she could pick her battles and right now she had an advantage, she could scramble higher up than they could if she had to. If she came down there then she might lose her hide, especially when she had the inexplicable urge to see just how far she could push the red male.
Perhaps Azar would lose his sanity?
"Hello, I hope your day is going well!" she chimed warmly to Heti and dismissed his attempts to be polite on behalf of his father. She knew what the blustering male meant, he hadn't yet been taught to check his attitude at the door with her. He'd learn though, slowly but surely he would realise that she was one to be respected, otherwise he'd be more than just grumpy.. He'd be traumatised!
"Why does it matter how long I've been here?" she asked with considerable interest, both brows raising, she soon gave them a curious wiggle. "And it might have been a stone," she pondered for longer than she should have. "Possible something worse," she added with a grin.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 5:26 am
Azar was getting angrier by the minute and Heti, with a nervous glance between them, took a small side-step as if to distance himself from the heat that seemed to be growing in intensity with every passing moment.
"You come down from there and say that!!" Azar raged, stamping a foot in the sand and eyeing up the rocks as if trying to find a way up that wouldn't see him tumbling down to his death (more likely to his embarrassment).
For a moment Heti seemed like he mgiht try to attempt defusing the situation and then, just as quickly, seemed to decide against it. There was little he could do now to aid the situation. Asyira was on her own. Well...mostly. Instead, he answered her question as if the whole anger thing wasn't even there.
"It's been rather stressful, actually...but, uh...can't complain too much." He took another step back.
"Spying on your fellow Firekin isn't exactly highly regarded. Did they not teach you that out in the roguelands?!" Azar kept on.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 5:37 am
"There is a considerable difference between spying and simply being in this particular spot when you decided to get on your pedestal," Asyria pointed out in a patient tone. Her father had always taught her that when one was patient around anger, it usually led to them becoming even more irritated or they settled down. She was honestly hoping he would get even more angry, she was safe up here for now and she could run fast, so she was in a sort of win-win scenario at the moment.
"Spying would imply I was following you the whole time and you're not exactly a subject of interest," she continued and pointed the toe of her paw towards him. "Unless you are and being this far out is an elaborate attempt to keep others from overhearing, in which case I really am all ears," she continued, the grin growing on her lips as she regarded Azar.
It was at this point that she turned to Heti and gave him a sympathetic look.
"I would say being around this windbag of hot air would be very stressful, yes," she agreed with a safe nod. She chose to completely ignore Azar's demands for her to come down to eye level, she wasn't suicidal, she'd survived this long on her own for a reason. "You know if we manage to locate a really sharp stone or stick, we might be able to pop him if we put it up the right spot," she paused briefly.
"Or maybe someone already did that. This might explain why he's like this, they clearly forgot to remove the apparatus..."
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 5:51 am
To say that Azar'bijan had ever encountered a female like this one would have been a lie. Most avoided him or acquiesced to keep the peace but she...she seemed to be purposefully baiting him! It was hard to know what to do under these circumstances. And yet, at the same time, he was already committed to his anger and to let of now would be looking like he had allowed her to win. (Apparently this had become a contest).
"I'm a corporal," Azar growled, "that's more than most ever make it in this pride."
He'd been a corporal for a while, though, and some might say he had stagnated for a long time, trying to find his niche and never quite making it. It was sad, really, because he was actually a rather good guard and a hard worker, at that. He just...wasn't particularly easy to get on with at the best of times.
Heti, meanwhile, looked absolutely shocked. Was she being serious?! If he hadn't been on ground-level with Azar he probably would have laughed out loud and, for a horrible moment, it seemed like his face wanted to contort into amusement right before he regained control of his expression. He choked a little and, slightly strained, said: "there have been rumours of promotions amongst the ranks, but...but they are just rumours."
Azar turned on him, "she doesn't need to know. This doesn't concern her." And, with that, he reared up on his hind legs and started to feel at the rocks as if he was going to climb up there. What he actually hoped was that he'd startle her into coming down, then he'd chase her off as a way of teaching her a lesson.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:03 am
So Heti did have a sense of humour! He must have inherited that from his mother given that Azar didn't seem to have a shred of it. He even appeared to have ignored what she had implied, instead focusing on his own importance. She had a very childish moment in which she wrinkled her nose at his emphasis on his position.
"Oh you're a Corporal, is that all?" she clucked her tongue. "You know what I think of you right now?"
What came next, was equally as silly as she finally got to her paws, turned round and promptly shook her backside in his general direction. She then turned back round once more and took a seat, examining one of her paws. If he had spooked her (and he had), she'd hidden it well as she peered down at both lions again.
"Since when do matters of my home not concern me?" she continued and raised a brow. "And why would a Corporal be of interest to me unless he's up to no good?" she added and raised her eyebrow. "Are we planning a coup? This would be quite the interesting turn of events," she pointed out. "Perhaps I might end up getting promoted for a discovery like that, hm?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:13 am
Heti took another step back and watched the scene playing out before him with a mix of amusement and horror. Part of him wanted to look away and yet his eyes were transfixed - as if waiting for the inevitable clash that would surely happen. Although...he wasn't quite sure whether he could see his father climbing up there. Would he be so angry that...? Actually, yes, yes he would...
The insult was too much. The lion dropped back to all fours and paced angrily, growling and mumbling under his breath as if plotting his next course of action. You could see the cogs turning but it was all too clear what was running them. Could he climb up and what would he do if he succeeded?
Azar'bijan's bite was a thousand times worse than his bite.
Was he angry enough that he might do something stupid?
"If you're trying to say that I'm some sort of...of....of...traitor--" he cut himself off, too angry to continue and Heti winced inwardly as the corporal threw his body at the rocks, scrabbling at them with his claws as he tried to gain purchase and pull himself up.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:23 am
"I'm not saying anything," she replied smoothly as she watched the lion continue to scramble. She was mildly concerned, she didn't have a game plan yet, but she was going to have to come up with one if he managed to make any further progress. She had a rough idea of what her next course of action would be, but she was going to have to be creative about how to do it. Getting to where she was now hadn't been too hard, but getting back up the way she had come would require all of her agility.
"You were the one who demanded to know why I was 'spying' on you," she pointed out and shook her head. "Only those who have something to hide would express such suspicion towards someone who was simply reclining on the rock," she continued. Pursing her lips, she glanced briefly at Heti who seemed to be completely fascinated by this series of events - evidently he wouldn't be intervening if she did have to bolt. He might have been staring, but he'd backed off a fair amount since this encounter had occured.
"For all you know I could have been asleep until you came in and started to complain," she added and clucked her tongue. It was at this point that she lowered herself back down, resting her chin on her paws again to get just a little closer. In the back of her mind she didn't know why she was doing this, it was absolute madness and one well timed jump could leave her with a nasty cut to the face... but she couldn't help herself.
...There was just something about seeming him quite so alive.
"You know you're highly attractive when you're angry?" she added. "You seem ten times bigger with your fur all puffed up and your eyes are so shiny..."
She paused thoughtfully.
"You know there's probably a few females around here that would agree with me, you should probably channel all that energy a bit more constructively into something else," she eyed Heti and smirked. "Despite your demeanour it seems like you produce good results, it would be a far better use of your time than plotting coups."
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:35 am
He paused to consider her words and frowned at the ring of truth about them. But was he acting suspiciously?! No. He'd just been having a conversation with his son and then she'd started throwing things at him! Which...of course...wasn't exactly the sort of thing a spy might do...
At this point his hind legs were still against the sand, his body resting against the rocks, claws hooked over the edges where it was possible for them to do so. He was at the wrong angle, though, and it would take more than just pure strength to pull himself up from that position. He shifted his weight, growling, and glanced about for a better way up. Curse his size! It was usually a thing that gave him the advantage but anything that required lighter footwork was not so easily done.
Her next comment, however, truly took him by surprise and, at her words, he dropped back down to the sand and took a few steps back - glaring up at her as if expecting her to come at him with some other wily, female trick.
His eyes followed hers--back over at Heti (who was standing there looking as if he'd been smacked across the face). At his father's glance he took another three steps backwards and seemed to be considering making a run for it.
When Azar turned back to Asyria his face had sobered somewhat, though he still looked defensive. Relationships had not been kind to him in the past and even her teasing about it seemed to have struck a nerve.
"Fine!" he snapped, trying not to look as if he was giving up - when he so totally was, "stay up there if you want, but you have to come down sometime, and when you do, I'll teach you a lesson on respecting your superiors!"
Heti, still close enough that his expressions could be seen mouthed a 'sorry', at her.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:52 am
When it came to males, you always seemed to be able to disarm them by implying something sexual. She couldn't quite work out why this was, but it had worked on Azar just as well as it had on any other. Admittedly she didn't know the cause of the reaction and it really wasn't in her interest to pry, but he had backed off for the time being and even seemed to have given up on attempting to reach her at this particular moment in time. This didn't mean that he wouldn't give it another go when he had recovered from his surprise, but for now...
Well for now she was 'safe'.
She waved her hand almost dismissively at Heti's apology, perhaps an indication that she didn't feel that one was needed and smiled. For all Azar's blustering, she had been the one to provoke him so this was largely her fault. If she had been harmed, it really wouldn't have been Heti's fault and even Azar's, although he might have been chastised for a lack of restraint!
"You are absolutely right, I do need to come down eventually," she agreed and shook her head. "But no one said anything about me coming down here," she added and tilted her head to the side. "You might be an impressive guard, but I'm the better lion when it comes to scoping out vantage points," she pointed out.
...Not just a pretty face then.
"You won't be catching me when I decide to descend, not unless you intend to enact your judgement in a very public spot."
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 7:02 am
He gritted his teeth together hard and felt his anger stirring again. What was this? She really didn't know when to stop? Ha! Eventually she was going to come up against someone who would teach her a lesson and he hoped it would be him. "Watch yourself," he warned, "we'll soon see who the better lion is. Then you'll be sorry."
And, with an angry snort, he turned and made his way back over to Heti, snarling at him when he attempted a placating word.
The striped Firekin cast one last look at Asyira and then trailed after his father. Azar's angry voice could be heard for some time after, though at least he wasn't complaining about missed promotions for a change.
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