[META ORP] The Calm Before

[Krysin]

ChexaRain

"Perhaps, but maybe this is what we need," Afya looked over her shoulder to her brother who now sat near her. Their relationship as brother and sister was peaceable, though not without the usual brother-sister fights. There were days when she wanted nothing to do with Noresi, and there were days when all she needed was her brother by her side. She'd admit to neither of these things - had to keep up the appearance of indifference. It was her best quality.

Having a new Onyeisi meant the pride could start moving forward again, but she still had her concerns over the direction it could take. Would she ever actually bring them up to someone like Itiri? Of course not. It wasn't her place to make these sorts of decisions, and she would ride out the changes the best she could. She was young and adaptable, but had never shown favor towards those who carried rogue blood. They were easy to pick out in the crowd.

There was Nkocha, beautiful, but with a pelt of such dark red it was clear to tell which family she was from. The plague-bringer. Afya tolerated her presence, but had made it clear on more than one occassion that she wanted nothing to do with Nkocha. The lioness herself had never done anything wrong, but Afya could not bring herself to shower Nkocha with kindness. She was a stark reminder of what bringing a rogue into the pride could cause.

Then there was the Ahujoo siblings, easy enough to pick out in the crowd. Their pelts were startling in color, soft blues and pinks that did not blend in with the rest of the pride. She had just gotten to the point where she opened up to them, but it had taken her a long time. The sister had managed to break through Afya's normal icy exterior. They were born into the same family as Nkocha, but carried less of her burden. But, perhaps it was a sign that in time Afya could come to open up to Nkocha as well.

It just wasn't today.

For a moment her blue eyes landed on Nkocha, but when she thought she saw the lioness meet her gaze, she turned them away.

"I am worried about the rogue. I know to turn away a lioness in her state would be cruel, but..." The last time they had taken in a rogue hadn't exactly gone well. The pride was still too hurt by it, too divided by it. Bringing her in now would only cause conflict. It was like licking an open wound that had yet to heal.  

[SilverLutz]

Oh, now that was a bit of gossip Zuko hadn't heard. He arched a brow and pursed his lips slightly, a curious expression on his face for a moment. Courting? He hadn't heard of a reason why the youth had gone into the catacombs but perhaps this was part of it.

"Courting? I wonder if that had anything to do with his entrance. Although it is rather fitting, isn't it? Love is blind," he said with a chuckle. Love was one of the family names within the pride as well which was incredibly fitting even if Ebere hadn't died from his mistake. He was sure there were some in the pride who thought that he should perish, but Zuko found the results were satisfying.

"I'm sure it put a damper on his willingness to try again, regardless of the reason," he added with a flick of his tail.

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

SilverLutz

Mgbamizu thought for a moment. "You know, I never really put two and two together untili you mentioned it." That would mean Naani would be partially at fault, if she had told him to do something, and if how Naani described the adolescent was true, would do anything she would ask of him.

A snort emitted from his maw. Love is blind. "Literally, now," shaking his head.

"He's a persistent boy. You never know. Though, I'm sure his father will probably keep a closer eye on him now," he nodded to the older lion, who had made his way to Itiri. He did not know the N'anya family that well, normally sticking to the Aguus. "Wonder what he is going to say to him." His ears strained to listen when it was Urupuru turn to speak with the Onyeisi.  

[Meepfur]

As her gaze fell on others, one here and there would notice and return the study, eyes on the red-earth pelt she'd inherited from her Elo-born mother, and a trait she shared with her closest living blood relative, the Amusu of that family, who approached her now.

Eyes passed down from the plaguebringer blinked slowly at her uncle - not the look of a dullard, but of deep and considered thought.  He, like all the others, must be reminded of loved ones lost when he looked at her, more recent for him than for any of the rest. "Uncle," she returned his greeting, holding his gaze for a moment before hers drifted back to the crowd. "I am quite well, thank you."

The easy, expected, distant answer, so that if all that he wanted was to see to the necessary pleasantries, he needn't be trapped by more. "And you?  The Amoosu...have their paws full, it seems."

An observation that could be taken any way he pleased.  The new King, the trespasser in the catacombs, the stranger most of them had yet to lay eyes on.  It was a busy time.

Excited Apathy

 

[Z o m b i k ii]

The orange lioness was known for being just a little too soft; just a little too gentle. Her heart was broken, her spirit weeping. Ebere; he was just a child. Nyarai held unexpectedly strict beliefs. She did not often share them; she was far too optimistic and care-free to want to spend her time talking about the politics and rituals the pride upheld. However, just because she did not spend her days throwing her opinions around, did not mean that she did not hold them close to her soul. It did not mean that the N’ezi did not possess every fibre of her being and every hair on her pelt. She wept for Ebere, not because she thought the consequence was not just, but because this is the way things had to be.

If nothing else, she hoped that this would be a lesson. She would tell; her nieces, her nephews, her sons and daughters about what happened. She would tell them to befriend him, to love him, but remember their ways whenever they looked upon his face. This is the way things had to be.

She was late to the party it seemed, sneaking in just in time to hear Afya speak. Bright eyes looked at her pride sister and she forced a smile on her face as she approached. A lean body was suddenly rubbed up the side of Afya, a purr in her throat as Nyarai rubbed her face against the lionesses neck as she walked passed. She valued the life of her dear Afya, her precious Khwezi; over a rogue female. The young lioness held no hatred in her heart towards the rogue and wished the female and her cubs the best; however, she could not expose her heart to any more loss. If anything happened to them if they did not learn from the lessons passed, it would be their fault this time.

Wandering away from Afya slightly she saw the dark pelt of Inkumbulo. Her ears picked up a little, her face still wearing a sad smile as she approached him. Closing her eyes she stood next to him, placing her face in his mane. It was only hidden under his fur that her expression faltered and her face reflected the ache she felt. ”If I close my eyes, will you tell me when the storm has passed? Will you keep watch for me?” The rain had not stopped that day, it had only ceased in its fall from the sky. It was still here, soaking their spirits, dampening hope, waiting for them to drown.

Anderleit

Krysin

 

[Lightning Shadow X]

Sod it, her brother would've found her eventually and she was eager to congratulate the new Onyeisi in her own laid back manner, besides seeing a shy violet like Sadiki push herself to be the first to greet him was one hell of a confidence booster. Pushing herself to her paws she made sure to pass by certain lions and catch them up on their conversations as a passing whisper.

Catching Zuko's tasteless comment as she passed had her pause if momentarily to give a disapproving stare out of those bright red eyes of her, but that was all she had for him. They softened all too quickly as she offered a friendly nod to Mgbamizu though and continued her trek towards their new King.

She would however give pause and words towards Nkocha, approaching with a calm smile and spotting how stiffly her uncle had come to give her greeting whilst she loosely stepped towards the crimson lioness and gave a brief bow of her head.

"It's good to see you out of the sidelines Nkocha," The sincerity rang true in her voice. "I hope we get to see more of you in the days to come, but I'll let you catch up with your uncle." She glanced to Kemmasi briefly before walking off, just a simple and neutral glance before her paws made headway again and she spotted Sadiki and Itri.

Again another smile on her muzzle as she approached the pair and offered the new King a polite, steep bow of her head.

"So! Day's finally here, was it like you imagined?" She arched her brow, a tickle of amusement in her voice to hopefully help Itri feel more at ease. The tension in the air could've been ripped through with claws.

SilverLutz

Meepfur

ExcitedApathy

Epine de Rose

So many lions, the big bumbling fellow could barely keep his nerves together with all these pretty faces. He swore he could feel his heart trying to escape him if he hadn't kept his mouth shut.

Nkocha, Afya, Nyarai, so many beautiful lionesses and he knew he had to keep a nice level head, be respectful, represent his bloodlines with pride...but with his nerves acting up he would've been lucky if he didn't end up with a bruise or fall top over tail.

So for now he opted to sit still and stay mostly out of everyone's way and wait patiently for his turn to give Itri his congratulations.  

[Epine de Rose]

And just like that the flood gates had opened; it had taken the confidence that few would have expected from Sadiki to encourage others to step forward and Itiri would have to be mindful to afford them all a reasonable amount of his attention. Fortunately he possessed the ability to hold several conversations at once and while Sadiki mulled over his reply regarding his sibling, he took the opportunity to regard the others who had approached him. It would be beneficial for him to prioritise them and though it probably would be well received by the elder lion, Itiri deemed it necessary to delay him for a brief period.

Thus the dark lion turned his gaze towards Isithunzi and raised a brow at her jovial demeanour; first he had been congratulated by one of the more quiet in the pride...and now he had another who practically radiated positivity against all the pesimism - let no one ever say that the pride was filled with doom and gloom. In among all of those sceptics their existed those with just a spark of something and it was those very sparks that Itiri sought to tend to. Therefore it should have been a surprise to no one to find that he soon afforded her a smile of his own and released a small chuckle.

"Yes, I thoroughly enjoy a good bit of drama and intrigue," he said, shaking his head. "It's all quite a bit to take in, one thing after another... You would think that someone was trying to send us a message," he raised both eyebrows in a peculiar manner, leaving his remarks deliberately vague. It might very well have been a jibe towards those who were festering and stagnating - some held back by fear, others held back by stubborness.

"You have my thanks for the congratulations," he added and pursed his lips. "And the optimism, I think both you and our shy friend here are something we sorely need at the moment," he added, providing a compliment to both females. They had all forgotten how to live, they simply existed, and in doing so they failed to remember that passing on and moving in to the world beyond life became so much more difficult when a soul was unfulfilled!

Unfortunately it would be rude to delay Urupuru any further and it was with that in mind that he finally shifted his gaze to the pale male. His expression was neutral, schooled in to something largely unreadable as he assessed the general mood of the lion in question. Suffice it to say that he was well aware of precisely why the lion was here, though Itiri was unlikely to provide great comfort to him in the given circumstances. He would at the very least hear him, that was what he was here for after all (within reason) and given the severity of Uru's son's situation and the overall gossip surrounding it, he did deserve to be heard.

"And what may I do for you?" he asked at last, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

Syrius Lionwing

Lightning Shadow X

 

[Anderleit]

Just because festivities were going on, didn't mean the pride's borders could be left undefended. Inkumbulo came in with the knowledge that he was going to be late, and his stay among his brethren brief; there was work to be done, work that he didn't feel right leaving up to others. For now, though, there was a moment to spare. Let the other protectors watch his back: he at least wanted to see their new Onyeisi.

Though as it turned out, that was only one of the many things on the pride's mind. He could hear it as he passed, in whispers and hushed voices. It was not for nothing that he was one of the pride's watchers, after all. The rogue came up more than once, not that Ink strained to hear anything more. He hadn't believed, at first, that there was a stranger among them. Pregnant, to boot. But the word had spread more and more, until there was really no doubting it... Lies usually didn't manage to travel around the N'ezi-ozu with such mad fervor as the far-fetched truth.

More startling still, however, was the news about Ebere. Ink really didn't know how he felt about that one. He was just a boy! A boy fallen afoul of one of their oldest and most well-known laws. It wasn't like he didn't know what the punishment for being caught in the catacombs was! But...but... Was that one mistake, made so young, worth a life of darkness? He just didn't know. Moreover, he couldn't decide if trying to figure it out was worth the headache.

Thankfully, he didn't have to. As always, especially lately, the golden pelt of Nyarai was a welcome sight. Ink nearly smiled, before realizing that the crush of her muzzle into his neck wasn't a welcome.

He swallowed past a lump in his throat. "Always. Although if you can bear the sight, you might find that the storm isn't all that bad." The sheer sadness in her voice! Apparently she could bring him up short no matter what the emotion. Ink pressed his nose into her forehead, only tangentially aware of the sight they presented to the rest of the pride. Maybe at some other time he would have been more cautious, even bashful, but... The thought of not comforting her, for the sake of decorum no less, never once crossed his mind.

Z o m b i k ii

Hail to the King. Dharau appraised Itiri with bemused eyes, watching as he interacted with the first of what would surely be many well-wishers. One corner of his mouth quirked into the smallest of half-smiles. Publicly, and today, they were well-wishers. Tomorrow? Who knew. It was a curious game being played in the pride nowadays, it seemed to the teacher, and this was just another step. Now a progressive King sat the throne. Now the displaced brother heirs had power enough to oppose the Amoosu properly.

They'd already proven that, hadn't they? A new member of the pride, a pregnant rogue in their midst. He descended into the mass of lions, shaking his head at his recollection of the news. No vote, no opinion - and all done while Isiike was down among the bones.

But the head Amusu had made a move of his own. Dharau suspected that blinding Ebere had - while being well within the priest's rights - prompted the King's controversial decision.

It was just that controversy the green-eyed male was hoping to see amidst his pride-brothers and -sisters. He trod among them with a smile, taking in those who had sectioned themselves off to chat while he searched for one pelt in particular. He nodded to Zuko and Mgambizu, tail giving an amused flick at an overheard quip from the latter. He spotted his Amusu beside Nkocha on the outskirts, making sure to offer his silent greeting to each of them in turn.

Inwardly, he kicked himself a bit. Tragedy lie in the red-pelted female, but he rather liked her mindset in spite of it; she knew how to play her cards close to her chest - or so he assumed, by the distance she maintained from them all. He could respect that.

And as far as Kemmasi, he quite simply should have had words with him before now. He couldn't afford not to know the Elo family's Amusu, particularly given the game at hand. He made a mental note to rectify that oversight while he still had the chance - on both counts.

While those were both noble goals, neither of them helped him right at this second. His eyes combed once more over the crowd, with no results; only then did his smile begin to falter. Where in the world was Licha?  

[viatorai]

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"I figured." Her voice was small, but she followed up with another shy, small smile. There was of course that that needed taken care of, and she hadn't thought about it. She wanted to meet with the lioness, but she supposed being both surrounded by an air of negativity and full of cubs didn't help with wanting to be social.

Unfortunately for her, she'd managed to be the one to break the gate open. It wasn't meant to be her leading the charge, but that's what seemed to happen. It would have been fine if it was just one or two others that were like her and involved with none of the issues, but...

She really didn't want to be between Itiri and Urupuru.

"If there's anything I can do to help you...erm, to help her? the Lioness? At all, I'm...I'll do what I can." It was a genuine offer laced with growing anxiety, she could feel the sweat from nerves under her coat, but he needed, she figured, to hear that he had support. Even if she felt overall useless.

With a quick bow of her head towards Itiri, then to the others gathering around him, she retreated enough to be out of the way, close enough to hear what was said, and just far enough that she could take some slow, calming breaths.

Epine de Rose

 

[SilverLutz]

"Mm. Hopefully he has learned his lesson and will think twice about disobeying. They might not just take his eyes next time," Zuko said, his eyes caught by Isithunzi as she passed by. Her disapproving look was met with a neutral expression, and the two turned away at just about the same time. He had no problems voicing his opinions and would talk to anyone who thought different than he did willingly, but there were some who didn't wish to be bogged down in arguments and that was fine. Not on a day like today, anyway. It was supposed to be for rejoicing and celebrating, not nitpicking.

He shifted his attention to the crowd of well-wishers gathering around Itiri, listening for a few moments as small talk was made. He had no preference on which brother would take the rank of Onyeisi as they were both quite liberal in their thinking - had there been a more traditional brother he probably would have hoped for that one to claim the title - and he was quite interested to see how much would change under the new rule.

"What do you think of him?" he asked Mgbamizu after a few moments. "I, for one, am interested to see what path he leads the pride down. I can see things stirring in his mind already."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

SilverLutz

The male lion flashed a warm smile towards Isithunzi as she passed. He made note to seek her out a bit later, whether it'd be during the festivities or when the excitement started to die down. He wanted her opinion on what was going on.

With his attention focused back on Zuko, the male nodded in agreement. "Hopefully. But you know children that age," both males were adolescents, they probably understood how those particular hormones worked.

"I think..." he paused, not really sure what to expect from the new Onyeisi. "I think there will be a buzz, albeit good or bad, in the pride for a quite a while, and I partially believe it will stem from his reign." He locked his gaze with the dark lion's crimson orbs, a slow shrug rolling off his shoulders. "Maybe once we see more of what he does will a different opinion formulate of him." Mgbamizu had no reason not to trust the Onyeisi. He was curious to see though what events would happen from here forward however.
 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

Urupuru waited calmly, or as calmly as he could, he couldn’t completely hide his agitation after all. The well wishing pridal members were quick to give their celebratory words and the new leader of their pride gave them diplomatic answers. He was old enough to see sense in this, after all his own worries were much more, distressing.

By the time pleasantries had been made and the lavender lioness had moved aside, he had managed to calm himself enough that his fur did not bristle when he was spoken to. “I believe, congratulations, are in order.” He started, his voice slow, steady, careful. He did not want to gain the ire of the new lord of the pride, but it was difficult, almost impossible even for him to hold all of the anger out of his voice.

“There are words that need to be whispered in a less public setting.” Again a pause but he looked at the darker male, his duel coloured eyes ful of hurt, pain and above all anger. “I would request a meeting when it becomes convenient.” The silver male let a breath roll over his lips. There was no place here for airring his complaints with all of these ears listening in and the rumour mill already churning. Still he knew that it would not go un-noticed that he was requesting a private audience with Itiri and of course, all would know that the meeting would only be about one thing. Truly for Urupuru the naming of a new king was over shadowed by the pain he felt for his child.  

[ChexaRain]

"Maybe." He allowed, considering what had transpired and trying to weight the pros and cons of the entirety. He found himself making the same glances she did when it came to Nkocha, and although his sister had an aversion to the red lioness, he'd made an effort to be peaceable on both of their behalf. She was a descendant of the plague-bringer, sure, but she herself had survived as they all had through it and was a part of them, born here as they were.

And it would be that line of thought he was on when his sister spoke again.
"Worrying is natural, but we have to face facts. She's here already, not out there." And if she brought anything with her like those before her, it's already spreading. He remarked to himself, though he was sure the implication was there and could easily be sensed by his sister without him saying it aloud, a small sigh escaping his lips.

He glanced over as the Onyeisi met with a few lions willing to approach, and Noresi himself had half-stepped forward when he'd spotted Urupuru and hesitated, only imagining what must be going through his mind at the moment as the murmurs reached his ears of what the silver male had requested. He glanced in his sister's direction, a mild curiosity dancing in his eyes.

Krysin

 

[MangoMeow]

She was relieved he agreed. Annoyingly commanding as he was, he was still at least somewhat of a friendly face, and that was a comfort in and of itself. Plus, his presence seemed to be hiding hers for the time being, and she was grateful for that.

So she nodded, muttered an "It's not....", and then turned her attention to watch those brave enough to make the first move. The lioness tensed when she saw Urupuru make his way over to Itiri, and couldn't help but to p***k her ears forward to try and listen harder. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, though it didn't seem like much yet. She wanted to know though... were they talking about Ebere? Did he know?

God, this was going to end up driving her insane, she was sure of it.

Naani's tail twitched nervously around her ankles. She was glad she hadn't gone up yet too. Otherwise she would have been up there when Urupuru decided to make his move, and she wasn't sure her heart could have taken that. On the other paw though.... now she was stuck here for however long this took. With a whine, she dropped down into a flop on the ground.

ChexaRain

The white lion was disgruntled at the sight of so many others, though he shouldn't have been surprised. With a sigh, he forced himself forward and making a bee-line for where the food was. The nice thing about meals? People felt less inclined to talk to you if you were in the middle of eating. He snatched up something fairly plump, a large rabbit by the looks of it, and turned to find a spot to eat.

Hm, there was a fairly empty spot nearby. Kione walked quickly over to it, and plopped down to the ground to enjoy his meal. He was planning on taking it as painstakingly slow as he could, so no one would bother him.

As he ate, he watched as the new Onyeisi finally decided to show up, or had he always been there? He hadn't really been paying that close of attention. There were a few walking up to congratulate him, and Kione hoped he wasn't one of the ones who would have to do so as well. He'd pretty much come here for the food. That was it.

((Kione is still available to approach for anyone who still needs to drop in. <33))  

[oo Ded]

Nchekwube gave a grunt of acknowledgement to his father and turned towards the feast, glancing over his shoulder as he walked away. His father was talking to Itiri. Two lions, both with conflicting beliefs, that be both admired greatly. His father, who would make a confrontation for those he cared about. The Onyeisi, who would make decisions for what he truly believed was right, even if others disagreed with them.

He wondered if one day he would be capable of such strength.

There, in the middle of those thoughts, his eyes fell upon Naani and his steps came to a halt. He wanted to talk to her. Wanted to ask questions, to tell her that he wasn't mad at her or anything, but… But he just couldn't handle it right now. His eyes, brimming with tears brought on by all these feelings, dropped to the ground and he backpedaled away from the lioness he only vaguely knew.

As he turned, he bumped straight into a lioness that must have been around the edges more.

"I…" he started, a sniffle escaping him as he tried to choke out words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" His eyes dropped again and he did his best not to make eye contact. Not to make it obvious that he was on the verge of crying. He wasn't a baby anymore. He should have been able to handle this, and he scolded himself for not holding it together any better.

Kivras