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 Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 2:28 am
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It took all of Chausika’s strength not to roll her eyes at Katiti’s words; a tongue she could live without, the loss of her sight would be a death sentence if she ever returned to the Roguelands. Chausika doubted there was any sound that Katiti enjoyed more than the sound of her own voice. It made her the perfect ‘pet’ in a way, Kat could drone on all she wanted without interruption, holding conversations with herself whilst Chau nodded along and tried to look engaged. It was a monumental task; since Chausika was too naive to the Pride’s customers to understand what she was talking about the good majority of the time. Not a proper Outlander yet it seemed, she wondered if there was a time scale that Katiti was working towards, a limit to her patience when it came to her ‘reform’.
Though admittedly the black lioness was paying attention to this exchange; preferring the company of Azzan to Katiti despite everything that happened. She had blamed the whole situation on poor timing, sure that their meeting had not correlated with the returning of the Pride the outcome would have been very different. If those few days they spend cohabitating had been a few weeks she was sure she would have;-
It was not worth thinking about anymore, really.
A good warrior adapts to his environment. That earned a small smirk, her eyes not moving from the spot they were on the ground. She knew she was no warrior, but she could not help but wonder if that was his advice to her. Despite her reluctance to accept the fact, she was part of this Pride now; though it was questionable with the rank she held. Other Prides called lions in her positions slaves or thralls, the Outlands called them Tarnished, but the principle remained the same. Adapting to it was the only thing she could do if she wanted to keep that tongue of hers; if she wanted to survive her sentence.
The trail of thought was cut off as she heard the sound of paws on the dirt, her eyes looking up just in time to catch a glimpse of the Prince before returning to their position. Katiti had made it more than clear she was not supposed to expose royalty with her worthless presence. Then, the sound of wings. What was going on? All the young rogue could do was guess what was unfolding in front of her. Be amazed by how obedient and loyal the birds were to their mistress, and wonder what messages black wings carried. Katiti then left; the Tarnished knowing better than to follow her to the Queen.
What was the expected to do now, then? Her nose wrinkled slightly in frustration, the Seer had dragged her out of her hiding place to leave her in the middle of unfriendly faces. Azzan’s sigh had her looking up towards him, catching his duel eyes as she did so. The Claw seemed as clueless as she did about what had just unfolded; he must not have liked that. Once she would have asked him so many questions, none of which she knew how to convey now. After all, it was not only her circumstances that had changed; once the sole protector and heir to these lands, everything here was under his control and diligence. He had lost more than she ever had.
Maybe in a more private setting, she would have tried to be more comforting, bolder. Not at a gathering though, not when she was with a Scion of Takka. Instead, she just rolled her head in the direction of the Soul; as if to suggest he follow her. That was his place, not here with her.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:25 am
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Zawadi wasn't alone long before something worrisome cropped up. A flock of birds, known to be loyal to the Monarch's Soul, Katiti, suddenly appeared, stirring the winds as they came. The sounds caused enough of a ruckus to pique the interest of quite a few lions nearby, curious as to what was happening. The lioness wasn't particularly close to the scene, but she was able to see some shuffling of important characters begin to happen at the sight of the flock.
A small pit started to form in Zawadi's stomach, but she waved it off. It was silly to be worried here, amidst her new pride, all these grand fighters. It was day one of things - what was there to be concerned about? Even so, Zawadi searched around for someone to chat with idly about the incoming scene. She immediately glimpsed a very dark lion like herself, and she believed she saw the faintest sight of purple in his eyes, much like her own. Smiling, Zawadi padded forward, "Ah, hello, I'm Zawadi - did you happen to see what's going on over there? I wonder what's happening," she said, not quite understanding that she'd found a brick wall to talk to.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 9:07 am
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Ajani tensed just slightly as he noticed someone approaching him. Well, that hadn't lasted long, and this time he didn't have Shetani to continue the conversation for him. In retrospect, he probably should have guessed that this would happen, considering how many people were gathered here and itching to get to know each other, but he hadn't, and now he had to flounder to come up with what to say.
Clearing his throat, the lion decided to start with answering the question. "Ajani," his voice was gruff, "and I'm not sure." He narrowed his eyes as he turned to watch the birds converse with Katiti before being ordered off.
He snorted, "Whatever it is, it's probably not good. I doubt her birds would have shown up to such a gathering otherwise."
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:28 am
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Almost immediately, it became clear that the male before her - Ajani - wanted to be left alone. Zawadi sensed it, and decided then to leave him be. However, the situation just seemed so curious - what on earth could those birds be doing?
At his response, the lioness frowned. "And here I thought today would be a simple and joyous occasion," she said, feeling the pit in her stomach begin to grow. "Pleased," she said, nodding at him and padding away. If he didn't want to converse, she'd leave him in his peace - she certainly understood wanting to be left alone sometimes. In this moment, however, she needed a distraction from whatever seemed to be happening over by Katiti. Turning around, Zawadi scanned the crowd again, hoping to find some friendly face. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:53 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:39 pm
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Kufu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh you know I didn't." He grinned, finally releasing his brother's tail, now knowing he wasn't going anywhere. "Besides, she's got that weird sense thing to see what you have been doing or something. I don't need to whisper any sort of praise for you, when she can see it for herself." he shrugged.
"What, can't a brother stop and talk to his only brother? Here I thought you would be happy to see me." The lion feigned hurt, rising to balance on his two hind legs, dramatically posing. "Woe is me. My brother hates me." Kufu sighed, dropping on his shorter, yet muscular sibling. "Don't hate me brother."
After he excused himself, Ebbe had started proceed into the mass of lions, heading towards the fields. He didn’t make it far, as he felt a form collide with his own. The lion grunted in response, eyes narrowing at the quick tongued response from the other.
His gaze was cold as he looked over the offending party. Dark gray with just a tad of color in her fetlock. She was someone Ebbe did not immediately recognize, but it was something to be expected with how long the lion had been out in the Southlands.
“Distractions can get you killed.” The Claw stated, his tone gruff. “You lack focus.” He observed her, ear flickering.
“Name.” The lion growled out. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 6:12 pm
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Ashiki & Kethiwe
The queen did not move as she watched her son dutifully make his way to Katiti, nor did she budge as the female slipped through the crowd and intercepted a bird. She could already feel several eyes upon her, the ones that knew what changes to look for in her demeanor, and she knew more would follow if she made a great scene.
Luckily, Kat was a quick lion.
The news made her scowl deepen and her eyes narrow more. Guests? If the avians were fussed then that meant they were very, very likely not Outlanders. No one should have been entering the lands uninvited yet. Her tail snapped behind her out of annoyance as she stared off, silent, thinking. She remained that way for a long time before she shifted, turning immediately to look at the lions gathered around her.
At some point Kethiwe arrived behind the Seer, shoulder-to-shoulder with Azzan and staring up at his mother expectantly. He knew that Azzan had been protecting the lands from outsiders for so long that it felt like his duty to see to this, but-
"Amachwane," the Queen's voice rang out, interrupting her son's thoughts. Truthfully, Azzan and the Prince looked so expectant that she wanted to smack their heads together. There was no time for this. Her eyes swiveled up to find the gold male staring back at her from where he had been lingering with his other siblings. "See to this."
It was a short and sweet command, he could figure this out. Her gaze shifted back to the Crown Prince and Azzan, hesitating for a moment over which one would draw the least attention. Surely the quiet, sneaky one?
"Azzan, please ask my other Viziers to meet me at the peak," her gaze slid sidelong to Katiti. "Let us go see if we can get a good view from my den, shall we?"
Azzan
Azzan had left Chau behind as she suggested. It was odd, knowing exactly what she meant even in her silence. Maybe it was only because he had gotten the chance to know her before her sentence passed but with his heart so tender and the wound of his loss still raw, he was certain that she had meant some encouragement.
She was right, he couldn't become a recluse now and stand to lose more.
He had followed Kethiwe up to greet the Queen and waited to see what task she might set him now that she had her own children to help her. Of course, he hadn't quite expected that task to be messenger boy. With only the tiniest of scowls on his mug, he turned and headed for the closest one he could see - Shetani.
Sliding up beside her carefully, mindful of the big red female she had been speaking with, he spoke low to try and avoid more attention.
"The Queen would like you to meet her up by her den at once."
Aithne
Aithne laughed softly under her breath and dipped her head in what she hoped was a polite acknowledgement of the praise Shetani had for her kind. Proud Firekin as she was, she had always wanted to find her Father's family. She had thought she would have been a proud Pridelander too but after having been intercepted by Ashiki she could no longer see that being true.
"Well, I hope that I impress. Your lot seem to be pretty damn skilled from what I have seen so far. Have you met the Queen's youngest? Isigidi? I once saw him-"
Her words halted at the sudden appearance of Azzan and the rather.. concerned look on his face. He spoke too low for her to get a good listen at what was said but she could tell that something was amiss. Just what, exactly?
Delphi
The lioness went from politely demure to bristled in the matter of a few breaths. Why was he so damnably annoyed with her? She had apologized! She felt her temper pulsing beneath her fur and had to do her very best not to respond with absolutely aggression.
"I like to think of it as selective attention, actually."
So she would just settle on jabbing comments instead, it seemed. She tossed her head with a little too much attitude on her face, making the bright shock of electric yellow in her hair shift away from her eyes.
"And it's Delphi. Unbranded."
Telal
"Ye-eah I can," he chimed immediately, laughing halfway through the first of his words. It was crazy what a difference in a few feet could do for being able to see?
He sat upright on the rocky termite mound, lowering his rump down, and began to look at all the lions that surrounded him. Some of them he knew and some of them he didn't but it wasn't hard to tell which ones were the boys! They all had manes and he would too some day, a thought which made him puff his chest out proudly.
"One, Two, Three," he began, using his paw to point as he went, "Four, Five, Six, S-" he paused and screwed his face up as he tried to remember, looking at his mom for a moment as if she might have the answer. Then, abruptly, shouted: "Seven!"
He laughed to himself and looked back out at the group just in time to see an odd little blob of green crawling in between the legs of the adults. Suddenly, he hopped back up onto his paws in excitement.
"Mom, look! There's a cub!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 9:20 pm
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Shetani almost missed Azzan coming up next to her, but when he did, she flicked an ear up and glanced over at him. Her eyes narrowing were the only sign of interest and concern that she gave, before she nodded back at him in answer.
Turning back to Aithne, she gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I'm going to have to cut this conversation short. Perhaps we can continue it some other time?" She purred, "Mayhap I'll even get to see your fighting skills in action for myself sometime."
She nodded, "Excuse me," and then turned to make her way nonchalantly through the crowd.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:25 pm
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Ebbe's glared at the female, ignoring her answer for the time being. A paw quickly shot from underneath him, grabbing at her face just under her chin to get a good look at the female.
"Call it what you want now." He tilted her head to the left, observing her. "First words are always the truth in what you meant," meaning she was distracted, not this 'selective attention' as she so eloquently put it.
Ah. Unbranded. That explained a lot. Releasing her face, Ebbe's paw pushed back the blonde mane on his head, a menacing scowl placed on his maw. "Well, Delphi - Unbranded. Ebbe. Monarch's Claw. I hope your quick tongue is not one to distract you on the battlefield." He said with a small snort, turning away from the darker female more into the crowd.
His orange eyes focused on the Azzan meeting with Shetani. Quirking an eyebrow, he glanced over Ashiki, noting she had disappeared. Hm.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:58 pm
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Kat had her birds for a reason, and for once she felt it was very justified by the circumstances. Not once had she experienced a vision while she was awake. Often Kat could be found dozing off at any time during the day, because while they never came when she was awake, the visions always came when she was asleep. It was why her birds were so valuable. Their keen sight had been necessary while the pride was away, and she supposed even now they were showing off their usefulness. It was well worth the few trinkets she had regrettably given over to them as payment.
For a lioness who was so materialistic, it was a great sacrifice for the good of all.
At Ashiki's suggestion, Kat feigned a pleasant smile. It was best to try not to draw too much more attention to themselves. After all, all eyes were focused on the returning Queen. If they hinted too much towards their concern about their borders, surely the pride around them would become unsettled. It was best to leave the pride to the festivities, and keep a watchful eye on the events that unfolded. Her blue eyes cast up to the sky, watching her flock of birds growing smaller in the distance. They'd relay information to her quickly, though that was the best they could do.
The young Prince would have to handle things on his own. He was Ashiki's son, so she was sure Amachwane would not disappoint. If he did, well, if he didn't get a mouthful from his mother, he'd get one from Kat.
"Yes, let's." Kat glanced once more around the gathered pride. Chausika would have to fend for herself, though she wasn't terribly worried about the lioness. If she spoke, Kat would know. If she misbehaved, Kat would also know.
It was a safe assumption to make that if Kat didn't know in the moment, she would later.
---
Zakiya waited patiently as her soon began to count aloud his answer, her eyes warmed with affection and pride for her little boy. As he struggled to come up with the number seven, Zakiya offered the youngling no assistance. He knew the answer. He was a smart and strong cub. All he needed, rather, was the time to figure it out. When he did the brightest smile graced her features, "Well done! How did I end up with a son as smart as you? What a lucky mother I must be," she praised Telal.
Almost instantaneously her cub jumped towards the next subject. Zakiya hadn't seen any cubs yet in the pride, but that wasn't to say there was none. She arched a curious brow and ducked her head, trying to see the cub from between the legs of the adults. "All right, we've got a new mission then."
She stepped in front of the termite mound and bent her knees a little. If her cub was daring enough, he could jump down onto his mom's back and from there to the ground. If not, she'd be quick to help him down. It was hard to tell with her boys, who seemed to be in the stage where they could do everything but at the same time nothing at all without an adult. "Let's go find you a friend!"
---
Majuto quickly withdrew his tail back between his legs to give his brother one less bit of leverage. If Majuto wanted to leave now, he very well would do so with or without his brother's dismissal. He still happened to think of him as the elder brother, though it was indefinitely unclear over who had been born first.
"I am going to be an only brother if you don't stop being so weird!" Majuto retorted. Breath snorted out from his nostrils, pushing up a ridiculously long piece of mane that covered one of his eyes. It really was growing just about everywhere on Majuto. He watched his brother dubiously, not knowing what the charade was for or what had gotten into his brother.
"She's poisoned you!" he finally decided, just as Kufutwa landed on top of him.
"Get off, you oaf! You're so embarrassing." Well, they were brothers after all. It'd be a surprise if they didn't nag at one another every now and then.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:38 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:17 pm
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Ashiki and Kethiwe
The young crown prince followed the two ladies as they wound with an expert's knowledge through the tunnels and up the ridge to the perch his mother often sat upon to look over the pride. He didn't take a seat next to his mother as she sat carefully next to the edge and curled her tail around her paws but even from his distance behind her, he could see Amachwane's bright golden pelt as it lead a party out to the Southland bridge.
"He's making good time already," she mused aloud to no one in particular. Beyond him, she could see the blots of color that must have been the group - it was too hard to tell how many there were with them clumped all together but if she had to wager a guess..
"Four, maybe five of them Kat?" Her eyes narrowed for a moment before her gaze tore away long enough to glance at her Soul. "Any inclination as to why they're here?"
Azzan
The bright rust male watched as Shetani disentangled herself from her conversation and made her way through the crowd towards the tunnels, knowing that she would be up with his Aunt in seconds. He spared a glance to look up at the sight of her and Katiti sitting at the cliff's edge, then turned to finish his mission - one more vizier to go.
He happened upon the grizzled, roguish brute just as he finished taunting some young female with her teeth grit behind his back. Choosing not to make a comment on that (he'd had his fill of sassy ladyfolk lately) he sidled up alongside the Queen's Claw and lowered his head to Ebbe's ear.
"She wants your presence at the royal den, we have guests."
Delphi & Aithne
Delphi's mouth opened and closed in alternation at the words Ebbe left her with. She both wanted to sass him with a smart retort and swallow her tongue down because everything she could think of sounded much less bold when he had just announced himself as one of the Queen's esteemed Viziers. She didn't know much, but she did at least know that.
With a scowl on her face and her teeth grinding together, she took the opportunity to slip away from the male as another pride member came waltzing forward. Looking around, she realized that Kat had disappeared somewhere too - how had he managed to catch her at the worst time? Defeated and annoyed, she slid back through the crowd and plopped herself at Aithne's side.
The look on her face, however, seemed only to amuse her large, Firekin friend.
"Aww, did someone mock your bangs again Delphi?" she laughed as she spoke, earning her an overdramatic roll of the eyes from her best friend and a shove against the shoulder that did little more than rock her gently.
Telal
"A new mission!" he half-roared excitedly, bouncing on his paws again.
Luckily, he seemed to be an act-first-think-later sort of fellow because the moment his mother ducked down he lowered his shoulders and fell into an adorable mockery of a crouch. With a decided 'ooph!', he launched off of the mound and jumped clumsily onto his mother's back, landing flat on his belly.
He seemed winded by the endeavor but was already looking around them for any sign of the cub he had seen.
"Over there, mom!" He secured his little paws around the back of her neck, holding on as he stretched flat on his tummy.
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:50 am
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Ebbe watched as Delphi walked away, shaking his head slightly as Azzan whispered into his ears.
It was how Azzan mentioned guests that caused the hearing appendage to pin back, blending under the blonde mane. "Thank you Azzan." He stated, turning from the male to the direction of the royal dens. He ignored any stares or murmurs around, as he continued on.
When he arrived, he found Ashiki, Kethiwe, Katiti and Shetani already present. Late to the party. he commented dryly to himself, taking a spot next to the Monarch's Soul.
"You think I'm am embarrassing you, brother?" He voice got louder for just a moment before he quieted again. It was obvious the lion was trying to make a small scene, although he was not committed to it.
His green eyes focused on some murmuring around before it flickered to the Queen. Or...where the Queen stood. His eyes narrowed as he gazed back to Katiti, noting she was gone, and the Monarch's Mind and Claw retreating as well.
He removed himself from his brother's back, craning his neck. "Wonder where the Queen and the viziers went." He stated, sobering up from his previous antics. "Ever curious to know what they discuss in private?" He asked his brother, staring towards the termite mounds. |
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 12:53 pm
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Kat took a seat just behind and to the left of her Queen. Below her, the Prince moved swiftly to meet the rogues that had ventured too close for anyone's comfort. "There's not enough of them to move against us with any sort of purpose," Kat proposed. This time, she did not need her sight to venture a guess at the rogues' intentions. The numbers were too small to pose any real threat, though for the gold Prince's group they could be a handful.
"But it's no small number. They're after something, whether it's here in these lands or elsewhere." They could be a number of things, but right now their best option was to sit back and wait to see how things unfolded.
Her blue eyes glanced behind her in time to see both Ebbe and Shetani arrive. At another time she would have teased the two for being late, but considering there were a group of rogues at their border she suppressed the desire. "Ebbe, perhaps you could shed some light upon the situation at hand?" He was a skilled warrior, perhaps his battle-oriented mind would come up with a more precise answer.
---
Zakiya silently told herself that she needed to stop letting her cubs climbing all over. Telal was a little heavier than the last time she had let him jump on her, and in a few months it would be out of the question. She let her cub get positioned on her back, and not caring the least bit about how ridiculous she looked, she paced through the crowd.
'Over there' wasn't exactly an actual direction, but Zakiya was determined to help her cub out on this adventure. Ever since having her boys, she had dedicated herself completely to raising them. They were her purpose, and the loves of her life. "Do you see them yet?" she asked her son. "Your eyes must be so much sharper than mine, I can hardly see anything small!" Her gaze did sweep around, but she simply could not find whatever had caught her son's eyes.
As long as he was willing to look for the mystery cub, Zakiya would be glad to carry him.
---
Majuto only noticed that the high ranking members of the pride had disappeared when Kufutwa mentioned them. At least his brother had finished tormenting him, because if Kufu had made any more of a scene he was going to have to duel him just to get him to shut up. "See what you've done now? You're such a distraction that I didn't even see where they went." Majuto stepped away from his brother, putting enough space between them that if Kufu decided to act up again he'd be able to slip away.
"I don't know, man... Sometimes I think I'm better off not knowing what they're discussing." Of course, he was curious. Majuto recognized that his curiosity would probably just land him into a lot of trouble, and so he kept it at bay. For all he knew they were discussing perfectly boring things, and he wanted nothing to do with that.
Maybe even the not-boring things too.
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