[PRP] What kind of a future lays before us. [FIN]

[Tanakako]

Mikael padded along, dark ears tipped backwards as he sighed, shaking his head to dislodge his fow-coloured fringe from in front of his eyes. He had got into yet another fight and was not looking forward to telling his mother about it. He wouldn't usually, but the blood still dripping from his pale belly fluff made it hard to hide what had happened this time.

Grumbling to himself he paused and tried to reach the wound behind his elbow but .. couldn't... quite. Wincing as his neck strained with the motion he gave up and resumed his walk. This time it had been three cubs who had attacked him, where as last time only two had tried and had failed, much to their surprise and substantial pain. He may be the son of a priestess and a reaver and not some famous Captain, but Ulfric was a great fighter and his mom was no one's punching bag. In fact she had taught him some of the trickier combat moves that had saved him from being even more beaten up than he was currently. “..And all because of my markings”. He grumbled to himself, pausing to peer down into a puddle of water, eyeing his own reflection. The highly distinctive stripes around his eyes were an exact match for many of the pride's members, revealing his connection to the old warlord Aesir. Aesir had in fact been his grandfather, for all the good it did him. It seemed that by inheriting the face markings, he had also inherited the hatred of a small section of the pride still loyal to the previous warlord, and Aesir's rival Njal. The traditionalist lion's followers clearly still felt some anger at their leader's loss and seemed intent on taking it out on him. Even though Njal had been beaten by Ruzski, whom had hardly been Aesir's friend. He wondered if it was something to do with the current warlord's familiarity with Aesir's daughter Kazul that made the Njalrians -as Mikael thought of them as- consider his family related to the current warlord.

Rolling his eyes he stepped over the puddle and continued on his trek. He wasn’t truly heading anywhere in particular, but he didn’t want to go home just yet, so he was... wandering.

AstoriaFallen

 

[Tanakako]

The battered and bleeding cub was well aware that someone was following him, but it certainly wasn't one of his tormentors so he ignored them. Or at least he did until the female stepped round in front of him and blocked his way. Coming to a halt he looked at her. He didn't recognise her, though she had a somewhat familiar marking on her back, those wings were very like the ones's Aesir had possessed, according to his mother. They turned up in the Ex-Warlord's bloodline every so often, though not as much as his own face marks it seemed. He had heard a lion with the same marking had caused a stir at a big gathering I the pride recently, he and another male had fought over a lioness. He had heard it had been incredibly violent, but he wasn't sure of the wing-marked lion had won or not.

Shaking his head to dislodge his wandering thoughts he forced himself to focus on her again, realising he hadn't answered her abrupt question. Evidently the pain of his wound was distracting him more than he had thought. "Just a fight." He replied, lifting his paw off the ground as his wound throbbed. It felt like every breath made it pulse, and walking was becoming harder to do the longer he waited. "I'm Mikael." He looked her over again, trying to recognise her but eventually he shook his head. "You didn't happen to see three male Cubs near here did you?" He asked, glancing back over his shoulder with a narrow-eyed stare. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were following me."

AstoriaFallen

Poked you in Skype, I don't have AIM any more.

 

[Tanakako]

"Three." He replied, correcting her. "There were three of them." His flank suddenly rippled as the sliced muscle contracted with a spike of pain, making Mikael wince. Though he continued to speak. "But yes, I cut two of them up pretty bad." Flexing his toes in an attempt to ease the pain from his wound -moving his whole leg just made it hurt more but he felt the need to move something- he nodded slowly. "Good." He didn't want to see those particular cubs again. Ever. Or at least not while he was injured and alone.

Her offer surprised him, and he blinked at her for a moment. Stretching his paw back to the ground he realised that it hurt even more now, the tear in his side stiffening the muscles about it and making his whole body ache. The pain spiked down his front leg when he tried to put his weight on it, causing him to flinch, and then lift it again quickly. "If you don't mind... I'd... " He paused, somewhat self conscious, but then he finally finished.. "I'd appreciate it." He needed to get home, so his mother could fix the wound. He couldn't abide the idea of those bullies leaving him with a pernament limp and ruining his chance at being a reaver. So if accepting help from a girl he didn't know was what he had to do in order to get revenge later on. Then that was what would happen...

AstoriaFallen

 

[Tanakako]

He watched her expression shifting as she looked him over. Clearly she was a thinker, and was thinking pretty hard right about then. All he really cared about was getting home, and having his wound tended to by his mom. As she moved up beside him and offered her assistance, he nodded slightly, carefully leaning into her shoulder. He was a boy, and she was a girl, he didn't want to shove her over by accident. Once confident she could help support his weight he started forwards, keeping his paw off the ground entirely now and using her to keep his balance as he hop-walked along.

"My den. Mom is a priestess, she will know what to do." He replied, glancing at her as they made their unsteady way along the path. "What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked after a while. He didn’t mind the silence, but talking may distract him from the pain under his leg. And anyway, Ember's den really was way out on the edge of the pride, backed by the higher peeks that often held snow all year round. She claimed it was quieter out there, and that having to walk that far made sure that any of her clients actually wanted to talk to her, rather than waste her time and gape at the 'fey spirit lioness'.

AstoriaFallen

 

[Tanakako]

Despite his focus being on walking without putting too much of his weight onto her, he tilted an ear towards her as she spoke, paying attention. After all, his mother had told him to always pay attention when he was being addressed, and even when he wasn't. One could learn much just by listeing to those around him. Wincing as he stumbled slightly he huffed out a tight breath. "What's your mother's name? Mine might know her.." He offered, after all Ember saw many lions in her role as a Priestess, he could very well have met her, though he was certain he would have remembered Valka if he had met her before. And since he didn't, he assumed he hadn't.

He glanced at her, awkwardly because of his poition mostly leaning on her, before facing forwards once mroe as he didn't want to trip and land on his face. "I was out exploring. I do that, between training sessions." He offered, resisting the urge to look at her as he spoke. He had been taught to look at someone when he spoke at them, it was polite after all. Now not looking at her was difficult, only the pain in his side kept him facing front. The last thing he wanted was to hurt himself more by falling. "Lots, I got four sisters and two brothers." He replied. "You?"

AstoriaFallen

 

[Tanakako]

"Anika hu.." He replied thoughtfully, sifting through his memory for any bells. Though ignoreing the pain of his body made thinking difficult, he finally nodded, the movement very nearly tripping them both up. "I know of her. Don't know how though.... " Was she the one that had trained under Ragnvard? It infuriated him that he couldn't pin down the ethereal memory into something more solid and detailed. Eventually he gave up trying to capture the illusive whisp of thought and turne dhis attention on her next question. That at least was far easier to answer.

"Mom of course, plus Captain Lucivar and Captain Svana, as well as most of their reavers. Kizuka and 'Izzah seem to be competeing for 'meanest trainer' though." He grumbled, refering to one of Ragnvard's reavers and an Outlander who apparently had come from a pride even more violent and bloodthirsty than the vikings, though he wasn't sure just how much to beleive... her tales were wild. His grumbling was mostly for show however. The tall black viking lioness and the bad-tempered Outlander had certainly advanced his training at a rapid rate despite their harsh manners. He still lost to Hakon, though only barely since meeting the two females, the big white cub was younger than him but being God-blooded he was hugely big and powerful, but Mikael had been shrinking the gap in strength between them rapidly and had given Hakon a good fight the last time the two boys had wrestled.

"Thats almost as many as me." He replied, glancing her way again. "At least of my own litter. I don't know how many cubs Dad has had before us... " He hadn't really cared to find out either, it wasn't like half-siblings were unusual in the pride. In fact if he would have been more surprised if he didn't have any. Almost shrugging but remembering his injury just in time he looked up ahead and sighed with relief, spotting the entrance to his mother's cave up ahead. Nodding he chuckled. "Come see me in a few days, we can fight then. Maybe I can even persuade Captain Lucivar or Captain Svana to train you too." He couldn't help but boast a little, being trained by not one but two captains was something he felt particularly proud of. It didn't even matter that Lucivar would train almost anyone who asked. He could ask two Captains for favours for his new friend, and he was sure that fact would impress Valka.

AstoriaFallen

 

[Tanakako]

The pain from his wound was quite distracting now, and he found himself loosing focus on their conversation. With effort he kept walking after she pulled away, determined to not look any more weak in front of her than he already had. Nodding as she spoke he managed to flash her a toothy grin despite the pain. "I'll be waiting for you!" He wanted to add a jest, a challange to redeem his honour in her eyes, but truly he felt so very sore now that his mind couldn't come up with anything fast enough. And before he knew it, she was gone, her rump vanishing round the corner of the trail.

Turning he limped into his mother's den.

AstoriaFallen

Fin!