Freyja stood with the crowd, watching the return of the band that both her daughter and that flowery friend of hers had joined for a viking expedition. From the look of defeat on most of their faces, it seems they brought back little more than few trinkets and maybe 1-2 thralls, going by the smirks some of them seemed to bear, though she herself could see no new faces among them.
Finally, there was her daughter, a little dirtier than she would have liked, and... that thing. She sniffed un-appreciatively, but took advantage of a break in the surrounding lionesses to approach her daughter.

She HAD been enjoying her outing, but the minute she spotted the tell-tale expression of her mother's never-pleased face, she gave Astrid a sideways glance, "Maybe you should... wait here a minute." Without waiting for a reply, she stepped forward and met her mother before she could get too close to Astrid, ready to rebuff any mocking comments her mother was sure to make about the smallish feline behind her. Planting her feet firmly, she looked her mother square in the eye, knowing looking away would be something the older lioness would most definitely look down on. "I've returned, Mother."

Astrid opened her mouth to object, but watched her friend approach her demon with a strength she envied, but she supposed it was only from experience in facing her she could manage it. She considered leaving, but she knew it was better to get this interaction over with as soon as possible, and she stepped forward to greet her, "Hello, Freyj-" The words died on her lips when her luck came in the form of a jarred root at her feet, and she tumbled headfirst into the much stronger lioness. She quickly backed off, spewing one apology after another in an attempt to appease Freyja.

Of course she did! OF COURSE! Freyja had just been about to grudgingly greet the tiny one when she had bashed her in the face, of all places! She let out a vicious snarl and swiped at the cowering creature. "Blood for blood, you idiot! Stand up and take it as you so deserve!" She spat, but no sooner had she raised a paw, Freya was there, blocking her view. "Move, Freya."

Freya could've paled at the interaction, but she was quick to get in her mother's way, "No. It was an accident and you know it. You want your blood, you take it from me, not her. She is the same rank as you, and you will respect her." The flare in her mother's eyes was unexpected, but the claws that raked over her face were even moreso a shock, and it chilled her to the bone.

Astrid let out a gasp, and before she knew it she was tackling Freyja, snarling into her face, "You don't EVER touch her, do you hear me?! If you so much as lay a paw on her, I will see that you never experience another sunrise, is that clear?!" She didn't know where it came from, but the boiling under her skin was new, and she was happy to leave a few marks on the mother of her dear friend if it ended her tirade of terror over Freya.

To say the lioness was shocked was an understatement. She blinked, looking up at the... at Astrid, pinning her down and snapping jaws in her face, and she smirked. Hell, she full-blown smiled at her. "Well well, maybe you're worth more than I thought." She shoved her off with little more effort than it took to remove herself of the birds, and the tiny lioness was knocked off her. She licked her chops, tasting the distinct, coppery taste of blood from her nose, most likely from the accidental headbutt, and took a few steps away from the duo.

Freya was touching lightly to her face, but she drew back a paw and found no blood... odd, even for her mother. But she glanced up and noticed the sparkle in her mother's eyes, and she knew, she KNEW those wheels were turning. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" She couldn't fathom for what purpose, but she knew it in her blood that Astrid was her focus, and she wasn't sure why she was targeting the smaller lioness, but she hoped it was a good reason. Freya would snap one day, and her mother would most likely receive the largest scar yet, to shame the one she vainly prided on her shoulder from joining.

Astrid looked from one lioness to the other, her fur still thoroughly on end, and she spoke finally to Freya, "On purpose? What, your scratch? Or... " She glanced back at Freyja, hoping for an elaboration. What could the lioness be doing on purpose, and why do it? Did she intend to get Astrid, or maybe Freya, riled up for a fight? Was she looking for trouble, from her own child as well??

Freyja laughed, actually LAUGHED, when her daughter seemed to catch on. "You've got a brain, I see. Yes, it was intentional, and I would think you would understand by now the reason." She glanced at the two of them, sighing dramatically, "Surely you understand, if I have to find you a husband, I cannot leave out your precious... friend. And I won't marry off a weakling."

Freya stared, doing her best to keep her expression as neutral as possible, "You want... to... marry us off?" Her tongue felt thick in her mouth and she desperately wanted to scream, but she wouldn't give her mother the satisfaction of making a mockery of her, "Did you think, for one minute, I would accept a proposal like that, from YOU?"

Equally as shocked, Astrid looked at Freya, brushing off the look on her mother's face, "You don't have to do anything you don't choose to, Freya, remember? Let her find her own husband if she wants a marriage so bad."

Freyja shook her head, "You don't get it, do you Astrid? She'll do as I ask, whether she wants it or not, isn't that right, child?" She purred, approaching her daughter and giving her a nudge under her jaw for a gentle intimidation.

Freya was stone-faced, but the blazing look she turned on her mother in that instant could kill, "No. No I won't." She shoved her mother aside, gesturing for Astrid to follow, and started to stalk off in a huff, growling under her breath. She glanced back only once, barking out, "Astrid, LET'S GO." her temper pushed to its limit, before leaving her mother's prying gaze, wanting nothing more than to go to her own den, the one place her mother wouldn't follow to at the moment.

Astrid started after Freya in a heartbeat, but paused long enough to look back at Freyja, "You really have no sense of a heart, do you? All viking in your blood and only strong men to bear strong cubs? Or is it all a farce to cover for the fact you fell for a weakling once already? You can't push her forever, or she'll push back." With that, she bounded off after her friend, wanting to be as far from the intimidating female as possible considering what she'd just said. Good god, what compelled her to open her mouth? She was going to murder her in her sleep for sure. She might not even wait that long, actually. Maybe she'd just get her cornered and alone and blame it on a rival pride. Jeeeez, why did she open her mouth? She was going to die.

Freyja's glee fell at Astrid's comments, and it was written on her face. Luckily, the other lioness had her back turned and was off on her own before Freyja could lash out against her. She turned back towards her den. She would leave them alone, for now, but her will would be had is she died in the process. She would not have her child suffering a lonely life, as she herself was... NO, not suffering. It was freedom, her cubs were grown and she could go out and do as she wished. But her daughter was done with her viking, she wouldn't want any more adventure no matter how Freyja would push, and surely her friend would be no better, though that last bit of fight in her was something interesting for sure. She sat on her haunches, sighing to the wind. Was she right, about denying the fact she had born weak cubs? And although she had planned for them, she'd planned for them at a very wrong time, and with a very wrong lion. Perhaps Freya wasn't the daughter she'd hoped she was. She absolutely had to fix that mistake as fast as possible, she had to stop her daughter from failing. Like she had, she would admit only to herself later, in secret. She failed her daughter by being a terrible and unkind mother.

[Word Count: 1,500]