[ORP] Celebration of the Heiress

[SilverLutz]

It felt like an age since he had been home. Mezlijin was constantly out in the rogue lands, spreading warning to lions that got too close to the pride lands and telling others about the pride that might wish to join to help. He missed his home despite the sadness that encompassed it, so he had made the decision to return after quite some time away. He had many stories to tell and many faces to greet when he arrived, he was sure.

As he reached the lands he knew so well the sounds of many voices reached his ears. It seemed there was a gathering of some kind! What good timing he had. A smile graced his fluffy face as he strode forward, a few cubs dotting the ground between legs. He spotted two half-siblings of his and decided to say hello to them first.

"Sorcha, Athair, it's been too long," the little leopon said as he reached his larger siblings sides, giving them both an affectionate bump with his nose. "What's all this about?" he asked, motioning to the other lions gathered. "A party?"

[OOC: I politely abstain from the raffle biggrin Just here for RP as well!]

Neon Fly

 

[I Lady Kiya I]

He was glad he wasn't the only one that didn't think the pride was as big as first impression. "This is exciting, no? " He said with a smile, keeping the conversation going, though he wasn't very good at being a conversationalist. He was curious on what was going to happen next. It was a joyous occasion, yet it was also sad too. He looked about again.

"I don't really know anyone" He said admitting that he was new in a sort of way. He stretched his legs a bit trying to get comfy even if it was slightly hard when your joints ached from time to time.

SSBrosB

 

[mouselet]

Humor lit Mstari's eyes as she observed this sore point for Aella. Clearly Mittere's offspring did take after her in far more than looks and training. The Priestess had heard an awful lot about the prickly Master Warrior, but had...successfully avoided spending a great deal of time in the older lioness' company.

"I can certainly see that," she informed Ua. "And I'm sure she'll show up eventually. After all, practically everyone will be here." Of course, Mittere being Mittere, Mstari gave it even odds that the antisocial lioness would refuse to come on principle. Not that she'd tell that to the two before her.


The brown lioness raised an eyebrow at her son. That little mischief maker didn't need a twin to cause trouble, not anymore! There would always be that twinge as she thought of Hashiel, but Saskiranel hoped Shulinav would realize that not only did the pain fade, but that it helped to remember the good times. Or rather, the fun times, such as when Hashiel would cover his white tail with mud in order to be a better twin to Shu.

"Why, if I'm old, old enough to be your mother, then you're young enough for me to spank...isn't that right, Shulinav?" the lioness asked dryly.


Haskaka was staring at his grandmother in awe. She really was old! She had seen things that he couldn't even imagine seeing! How cool was that? It was proof that she was the best grandmother ever!

Then Grandma Sas talked about spanking Uncle Shulinav. The little leopard started giggling. "Spank Uncle Shulinav? He's almost as big as you are Grandma! And he's all grown up too! Heehee! Uncle Shuli's gonna get spanked!" Haskaka was rolling on the ground, chortling at the thought.  

[Neon Fly]

Tipping his gaze down at the striped leopon that squeezed between him and his older sister, Athair smiled blithely at one of his many half-siblings, It really has. It's good to see you looking well though.

Catching the confused gaze Sorcha made over their sibling's head, he rolled his eyes unsympathetically. Maybe if she came home more often, she might actually be able to identify their relatives, let alone remember their names. He considered letting her flounder while trying to remember Mezlijin's name, but wasn't cruel enough to actually act on such a whim. Truthfully, I'm not quite certain what's going on either, Mezli. I noticed the hunters have been busy lately and everyone just started gathering here today.. I came to find out what was going on.

Narrowing her eyes in annoyance at the silent conversation being held over the fluffy blue head of their kin, she hated the look Athair gave her. Like she should know their family better than she did. She made a serious effort not to know! Truthfully, she wasn't sure why she'd become a bard. A scout probably would have suited her better, she had never been much of an entertainer, even with all the tales she had of her adventures in the roguelands, but she was too old and too stubborn to change now.

Mezli! Sorcha bubbled once her brother had been kind enough to offer the name she couldn't recall on her own, bumping her forehead against the leopon's in greeting. Last time I saw you you hadn't quite grown into your stripes.

Laughing at her own wit, the toxic colored female grinned wide at the pair of them. How was it that she was the only one who had any idea what was going on? At least Mez has an excuse for being out of the loop, but how do you not know that the Queen is announcing the new heiress today? Honestly, you should get your head out of your a** once and a while Athair!

Scoffing at Sliabh's doppelganger, her gaze turned back down to Mezlijin, noticing for the first time that he too had their father's golden eyes. Apparently it was a dominant trait. How does it look on the borders, meet anybody interesting recently?

SilverLutz

 

[Dulcea]

Eudeyrn's breath rattled as he made his way toward the clamor of the celebration. It had been a night without sleep, his mind occupied with prayer. Though it seemed to have done him little good, he did not seem concerned. His movements were slow and staggered, a limp marring his right side. He owed that to an episode some weeks ago, from which he hadn't truly recovered. The time was approaching, he knew, more quickly than he would have liked.

Life would go on without him, Pestilence would make her call and those like him, out of time, would answer. There was no use in fighting it. He kept up with his treatments, as his family insisted, but he had made peace.

















Ayelen lagged at her father's side, helping to steady him when his balance faltered. She had no knack for healing, no special talent with herbs. She watched and she reported, for all the good it did them. She was of an age where it was clear she was unaffected, or merely carried the disease, and she wasn't sure if that was a boon or a curse. Watching her family dwindle, it felt strange to be thankful. Her mother was strong, true, so long as she had her father by her side. But how long would that continue?

She had been surprised he had wanted to attend the naming, but then she shouldn't have been. Regardless of how he felt he was dedicated to the pride at his core. This new heiress, she would carry on.  

[Excited Apathy]

Unguzo'damu padded through the crowd, intense blue eyes taking note of everything. Anything noteworthy would be reported to the Queen, of course, but today it was enjoyable to simply mingle. He was hard to miss, with his flaming red pelt that was broken only by a few contrasting black streaks. His demeanor wasn't warm, but the leopard seemed approachable enough.

Kestven, on the other paw, looked like something of an azure thundercloud...right down to the ominous looming at the fringes of the gathering. This was perfectly normal for the large cheeton. Sooner or later, someone would talk to him, and he would...not be hostile. That was as much as could be expected, really. Even on his best behavior, he couldn't help being taciturn.  

[Bronze Coffee]

He arrived late because he could, basically. Mingling served one purpose in his mind, and that was to find someone interesting. Mitternacht had been bored as of late. He didn't converse easily but here he was. He wasn't here to make a 'friend' but just to fend off boredom.

Perhaps the black lion could figure out what was happening. He didn't pay attention to anything around him, usually. He focused on eating, sleeping, and sometimes going to check on family members to make sure they're not dead or something.

He knew there was an old male lion, Mel, who's mate recently died due to the illness, leaving him with a litter of cubs to handle by himself. Perhaps he could see what the new generation looked like. Despite how bitter he acted, Mitternacht had a soft spot for the little cubs. Part of him wanted to teach them how to be warriors, how to protect themselves. How to make sure they thrived if they didn't carry the sickness and let it claim them.  

[mouselet]

"Of course," the lioness answered Ua as if that was obvious. She nodded towards the striped Guard talking with a leopon and a leopard cub gamboling around their feet. "My grandmother, my uncle, and my brother," Mstari informed him, not bothering with names or ranks.

"And it looks like you've a brother here too, Aella," the dark lioness observed, nodding in the direction of a distinctive black and white male whose markings clearly proclaimed his relationship to Mittere.


The brown lioness smiled sadly, wishing her son could be more cheerful. She didn't blame him for his mourning, but Saskiranel did want to see Shulinav smile again.

It would happen. In time. That was the cycle of life and they all knew it well, being in the Kitwana'antara. It was simply the first time her leopon son had felt a death so keenly.

"Well, I suppose you're not misbehaving enough to warrant it," the lioness replied. She turned to the laughing leopard at their feet. "And what about you, hmmm? Do you need a spanking as well?"


Haskaka was instantly on his feet and contrite. "No Grandma Sas, you don't have to spank me. Really! I'm a good boy and Uncle Shuli is too so you don't have to spank us. For real!" He ran around his grandmother, intent to prove that he absolutely did not need a spanking. Then he went and hid behind his uncle.

"She's not really going to spank us, is she Uncle Shuli?" the cub asked in an overly loud whisper.




After finishing up a few things, Sedare joined the throng of people awaiting the big announcement. She caught sight of Aella and Ua standing together talking to a lioness who absolutely had to be related to Sliabh, along with several others that the Warrior could see from where she stood. Kestven had also made it, but it was Mitternacht she chose to target today.

"Well, brother, I wasn't sure I'd find you here," she offered as she approached him. "I'd've thought you'd be the last to arrive, after making sure all our erstwhile relatives made it here first." Privately, Sedare considered him a bit of a busybody sometimes, but that didn't mean she'd give up ammunition to tease him with!


"You're going to have to talk to people sooner than you'd like," a tart voice informed the blue cheeton. Mittere stepped up from behind him, pace as deliberate as her voice. She did understand where he'd come from - the kid had been the next thing to feral and mute when Tarafa had gone and adopted him - but if she was going to ensure that her job got done, he'd have to do better than refusing to talk.

The Master Warrior was not the best of role models in that respect. But, damnit, she would see to it that he improved before it was too late!  

[SilverLutz]

Mez gave a toothy grin as Athair smiled at him in return and he nodded a bit. He had been very well, yes, and he was glad to be back! The fact that the lion didn't know what the gathering was for made him chuckle, though, and he rolled his shoulders a bit to show it was fine. Perhaps this was just a spur-of-the-moment think that had cropped up.

Sorcha's greeting made him laugh a bit and he gave his half sister a playful swipe. "Has it been that long? I'm certainly gone more than I'm here. Well, here I am in all my glory! Although I can't say I've grown all that much since you've last seen me," he added, his small size not at all a bother to him. Others joked and he joked too, glad that he could provide some humor in the grim setting.

When she told him what the gathering was for he gave a soft 'ooh' of understanding. "That's quite exciting," he said, scanning the crowd to see if anyone important was there. No one seemed to be stepping up to many any speeches just yet, which was good.

"Mm, quite a few, actually," he said, carrying on conversation while they waited. "Some good interesting, some bad interesting, but they were all an experience."

Neon Fly

 

[mouselet]

The murmur of voices grew louder as Lutum finally approached the gathering. He'd been coaching a bit, asking last minute advice of his mother, and generally going over everything multiple times. He wanted this to be perfect, or at least as perfect as mortals could make it. The brown lion hadn't wanted to force such responsibility on his daughter, but he'd come to realize that she could, and would, bear that burden.

But not quite yet. Today was simply the celebration of her eventual ascendance. He hoped she'd be able to enjoy it.

"Welcome, everybody!" the Duke called out as he came to stand on a slight hummock where most of the pride could see him. "As you all know, we've been invited here to celebrate our Queen's newly declared Heiress. Those of you who know her will recognize her, and those who do not will have the opportunity to come to know her." He paused to be certain he had the crowd's attention.

"I'd like to introduce a lioness I'm honored to call 'Daughter' - Na'al, our new Heiress."


The navy lioness had begun her approach as planned, when her father said the word "introduce". By the time he'd said her name she'd come up next to him and could see the pride arrayed before her. She knew some of the lions by name, others by face, still others she could only guess family based on marking. Goddess, there were such a lot of them! And she would one day have to rule them all?

Well, not alone. That was what mates were for and thank Pestilence she had Maji who was waiting behind where she'd been. Still, Dad had mentioned she should say something to the pride. He didn't care if she'd rehearsed it or not, as long as it was "honest and pure of intent". Na'al swallowed nervously before taking one more half-step forward.

"Hi." Her voice didn't quite fill the silence Lutum's announcement had left. She tried again.

"I'm Na'al, you know." Did she imagine giggles and snickers? Well, at least they weren't too loud. "My grandmother is the most wonderful Queen I could possibly imagine, and I'm not sure I will ever be able to be her equal," she told the group. "Some of you know that I've got more training as a Guard than a Healer, though I'm trying to learn, so that I can do my duties."

"And to help with all those duties, I have Maji, who will be my Royal Escort and King to my Queen, one day. We look forward to getting to know everyone better in the days to come."


Maji also advanced on a prearranged signal so that he was standing even with Lutum, just behind Na'al and at her opposite shoulder from the Duke, when he was introduced. The blue lion nodded to the crowd, hoping he didn't look nervous or silly or something even worse. He was still trying to figure out how he really fit into here, but he certainly hadn't wanted to disappoint Na'al. The fact that she'd picked him was still so amazing.

And look! Ua and Grandmother and Kestven and Aella and Mitternacht and Sedare were all here! That was exciting! He hoped they'd be happy. Well, he wasn't sure Grandmother would be happy. She so rarely was. But hopefully she wouldn't be pissed.




"Well, my grandfather is Sliabh," Mstari explained to the confused Ua as if that explained everything. Which, coloration-wise, it did. If he couldn't figure out the obvious - that she had leopard blood as well - then that wasn't her fault. The Priestess was about to add some biting comeback about Aella's refusal to stand when the Duke came up for the big announcement.

Turned out, Mstari didn't have a good idea who the Heiress was. Or her Royal Escort. Shame. But she supposed stability for the pride was not bad thing. At least there was a celebration.


"I'm the fastest!" Haskaka informed his uncle proudly, running around said leopon a few times before stopping to pant and grin up at Shulinav. "See? No one can catch me for spankings!"








Saskiranel watched the two with a smile on her face that faded into seriousness as she caught sight of Lutum. She was surprised - and pleased - to recognize both Na'al and Maji. Former Guards both, good at what they did, nice kids. Certainly of appropriate lineage for their new positions and future ranks. The older Guard was well pleased indeed with this. Sure, the two would be missed among the Guards, but there were cubs and adolescents who could be trained to fill the gaps.

It was, after all, the cycle of life. And it was good to lose qualified people for reasons of joy, rather than sorrow.


Sedare had no time to do more than raise an eyebrow at her approaching sister when the announcement came. Oh good, she hadn't gotten here too early. The lioness only vaguely knew who Na'al was because, as a Guard, she'd gotten some training with Mittere. Maji though! Who knew that Sedare's wimpy little nephew would be the girl's Royal Escort?

"I guess we know why he wasn't glued to Ua," she murmured to her siblings.  

[nessiaing]

Metea smiled warmly at the red lioness. "Its great to meet you Kahlama. I hate to say it though I must slip away I just saw someone I need to speak to." She offered Kahlama a kind nod, before moving through the crowd towards her mate and brother.

Cubs were running around and having fun and she made a point to keep an eye on all of them, but for the most part their parents were here and the pride as a whole would look out for their next generation, they all knew how important they were to the pride surviving.

She came up beside Chimvi and gave him a soft nuzzle. Metea was always gentle with the male she loved, she knew that he wasn't in good health and infact she feared that she had fallen in love with someone who wouldn't be around to raise their cubs with her but that didn't change how she felt about him. She turned her gaze up towards him her eyes filled with love.

"Has Hatua been driving you nuts? Do I need to chase him away." she asked Chimvi softly while sticking her tongue out at her brother.

It was soon after that the announcement was made, Metea turned to see the new heiress and her escort. She let out a cheer in celebration, it was a good day and she knew that this announcement would mean many great things for the pride.

Velveteen Angel