Sphinx - normal
Kasai - bold
In the distance a large white lion stood, the horn upon his head glimmering against the sunlight. He stood beside the figure of another, a small female with a horn that would outshine his own. "I have to see for myself." the god spoke as he glanced over to the figure beside him. "If they are here I will bring them home." his tone trailed off into a small snarl as his eyes narrowed. These were the Stormborn lands. This is where his daughter and sister were being held. "So this is the Stormborn."
"It is..." the female spoke, nodding in agreement. They looked on from a safe distance, standing side by side.
...
Taking a walk alone wasn't abnormal for Ny, in truth the lioness enjoyed her personal time and space. When Gjen was busy the lioness would take the opportunity to investigate, keeping her curious mind active helped his absence feel less daunting. Maybe the female depended on him a little too much lately, even if she wasn't actively trying. He was all Ny had now in this pride, maybe someday that would change for her. Maybe someday the speckled female would make new friends. "Hmmm." She hummed as her paws took her to a nearby forest.
"Oh, how pretty!" Right away the trek had paid off in the form of bright blue flowers. The demigod smiled to herself. "I wonder if Gjen would like these?" Before her mind could settle on whether or not one would be plucked to bring back home her blue eyes went wide. "What..."
Yorshka and Aldan had become extremely close in the weeks following his return, finding love and comfort in each others presence. This change in dynamic meant the pair could express themselves openly now, without reservation or consequence. Well, without much consequence. Having to admit she was a thrall was still something the female seer struggled with, though in time Yorshka hoped that would change. The lovers lay side by side in a patch of tall grass as they exchanged secrets between soft whispers.
"Yorshka...?" Ny's voice called out as the lioness moved a bit closer to the pair, stammering when Yorshka's face lifted to greet her.
"Ny...?" Well, this was awkward.
...
"My heart-" the female spoke as she glanced over at the larger God. "Koy said that Yorshka was here, but how do we know Ny is too?" as she spoke her bright blue eyes found the ground, settling some place between despair and frustration.
"I know Ny is here, she left with an albino reaver in the night, without a goodbye." as Airion spoke he turned to face the Goddess, a deep frown settling across his face. "I have to bring them both home. This is no place for them. They would be enslaved and abused here, mother. They have to come home."
As her son spoke Zimran sighed, nodding in agreement. "We must do all we can, Airion, to bring our girls home safe."
...
Aldan barely could count the weeks that had passed since his viking return. Time was flying by since he had exchanged love and intimacy with Yorshka. He found himself falling for her more and more. He would teach her about the pride, show her places that he thought would interest her. The best news of all, Kristanf had left them alone. Since his return, Aldan had not seen the pale demon. Maybe his warning struck a cord with the older reaver.
Whatever it was, Aldan was glad not to question it.
The reaver was enjoying the moment, cuddled in the grasses of the land. He chuckled at the last words Yorshka had said, before another had called out her name. He blinked, giving a question look to the female, before his gaze shifted to the newcomer.
What shocked him more, was Yorshka called out the other's name. "Wait." He paused, blinking. "You....know her?" Uh-oh...
To say Nyati was baffled would be a huge understatement, it was like she was seeing a ghost as the darker lioness gazed into Yorshka's eyes. "What.... are you doing here?" Another question wiggled its way out of her puzzled mouth, it was hard lifting her jaw from the floor.
"Oh." Well, what was she going to say? Yorshka couldn't lie to Ny, yet she knew the truth was going to hurt far worse. For a moment the pale female sat paralyzed, unable to move or speak.
"Yorshka, who is this?" The other female wasn't letting up as her tail flicked from side to side in frustration. "What are you doing with my aunt?"
"Ny, please--", quickly the lioness moved to her feet as she started to plea with the other female. "It's not what you think-- Aldan is my...." Wait, could she call him her mate? "He is mine and I am his." A vague answer was going to have to keep her niece at bay.
It wasn't hard to see how uncomfortable the darker female was as Yorshka spoke. "You still haven't explained why you are here and not back at home?" Ny hadn't spoken to her father since she had left the Pridelands to be with Gjen, had she though... Yorshka's disappearance would have been a known fact.
...
"You must be careful, Airion. This pride is a pride of strong warriors." as Zimran spoke she moved to nuzzle her head against her son, sighing in deeply at the thought of danger. "I want our family whole, but I will not risk your life for it, do you understand?" large wide eyes settled upon his own as the Goddess stepped back. "I need you to be safe."
"I will be, mother." the God nodded in agreement as he gave his mother a half-smile. "I will bring them both home, this I promise you." his tone sunk deep into the earth as blue eyes scanned the area. If this was where his daughter was he would surly find her and bring her back home. Ny didn't belong in a place like this, these lions were scum. While Ny did run away... Yorshka was taken. His own sister stolen, right out from under his family's nose, mid-day. He would avenge her. He would find her, and he would put an end to the lion that took her from her home.
...
Aunt?
Aldan's eyes widened as the interaction took place. "Wait...this is your...niece?" He whispered. "Are you part of the pride?" His eyes narrowed, although the question was probably a stupid one. Of course she was part of the pride. No one would be this far in the lands if they weren't.
The male rose to his feet, following Yorshka's lead. He nodded as she spoke, not fully stating they were mates. Were they? His head tilted as he thought to himself, curiosity now hitting his thoughts.
"This is her home." Aldan answered the other, taking a step forward as if to protect the pale lioness. "Just like you seem to have settled in this pride and call it your own." His nose twitched. "Right, Yorshka?" He asked, giving her a questioning look.
"Don't speak for her." Ny snapped with a deep snarl. She shared her family's famous blue eyes, just like Yorshka and they held the same intensity as her aunt's. "She can answer my questions for herself." Maybe the darker female was being a bit harsh but this surprise wasn't a welcomed one, not when she knew Yorshka's temperament so well. Yorshka was her father's little sister after all, Ny kept close to her father and grandmother for years before starting her own life.
"Ny, don't." As quickly as Aldan moved to protect her the lioness shuffled past him so that he now stood behind her. Yorshka was protecting him. "--I was taken as a thrall against my will some time ago." She knew honesty would go a long way with her niece, Ny had a bit of a hothead when she was worked up. "Aldan saved me from a terrible fate." It wasn't like the pale lioness was telling a lie, she just chose to tell the story in a much... lighter light.
"Yes, this is my niece - my family, flesh and blood." Her pale eyes traced Ny's soft face. "I had no idea you moved here, Airion didn't tell me."
"It's because I didn't tell him. My father wouldn't understand-- I moved for love, you see? You know how he can be about... that subject." Ny felt a closeness to her aunt that she missed and in this moment it was hard not to feel thankful for her sweet smile. Still, hearing how she was taken against her will disgusted her. Had she been molested or mistreated? "Who's thrall are you? If you haven't been taken in let me claim you, you can come home with me."
Yorshka's heart sank. What....?
...
"Alright." the Goddess nodded as she gave her blessing, his body turning to face away. "Bring our girls home." to say she was afraid would have been a huge understatement. This moment left ice around her heart. On one had the idea of seeing her daughter again made her feel joy for the first time in months... but on the other? Fear. What if something happened to her eldest son? What if this was all in vein, and by the time Airion found Yorshka she was already....
No. Zimran couldn't think that way. She wouldn't allow it. She would see her daughter again. Airion would come home safe.
They just had to.
"Go back home, mother. I will bring them both back with me, but I need you safe and far from this place." as he spoke he turned to smile at his mother. He knew she would worry until the color in her face faded, but right now he needed her safe and back at home. Airion didn't need to worry about her own safety too. "Go now, please."
The large god stepped forward as a frown slowly started to creep across his maw.
It was time to bring them both home. He would avenge his family.
...
Aldan was taken aback when Yorshka had gotten between him and the other female. Wait. What? The confused look was evident on his features as the pale pridelander began to explain her story of how she got her. The reaver was glad she was omitting detail. She was sure the other would go at his throat if she had known the entire truth.
"...family?" He found himself frowning, his heart starting to pound in his chest. Aldan didn't think family would ever come for Yorshka, and look, there was one standing right in front of him. If she was here, could more join later, or worse, fight to take Yorshka away?
"Airion?" Aldan questioned. Her...brother?
"She has a home." Aldan found himself moving to stand next to Yorshka. "With me." His eyes narrowed. He didn't advise she was his thrall, but it was likely to be assumed as she mentioned her rank, and Aldan saying she had a home. "She won't be going anywhere with you, family or not." Aldan said hotly. No one would be taken Yorshka away from him. No one!
"I told you I have a lot of siblings, Airion is my eldest brother, a God." As the lioness spoke she smiled weakly at Ny. This meant Ny was just like them, a child of a Divine who also had visions of her own. "He spends a lot of time... looking after our mother, so he and I are pretty close. Ny is his daughter who once lived with us." They had a fairly large family that had also stayed close over the years, even if her God-siblings weren't related to her through a shared father, all the kids got along just fine.
"I guess you finally found your way to freedom." Yorshka smiled for Ny, she could understand the other's feelings now.
At first Ny stood perplexed with wide eyes and bristled fur. "Yorshka..." It was hard to understand what was happening here truthfully, being a thrall sounded awful and Ny was thankful she arrived before the new Warlord took over. "You belong with family, we can protect you." As the lioness spoke she stepped a bit closer, stopping only with Aldan stepped forward. His emotional reaction left Ny with a bitter taste in her maw.
"She isn't property." Another harsh snap. "Yorshka can make up her own mind." Ny wasn't aware of the true relationship the two shared so when she spoke her words came from a place of misdirection. "Is this guy hurting you - is he forcing you to sleep with him?" The lioness knew the kind of life thralls could live, that's why she and Gejn refused to keep any for themselves.
"It's not like that at all Ny--" Before Yorshka could speak Ny took a step forward, demanding again that her aunt come home with her.
"I love him." The statement came softly at first, meekly leaving the pale lioness as her eyes glanced down at her paws. "I love him, Ny. Please try to understand that this is where I want to be?"
...
"Alright." Zimran nodded in agreement as she slowly started to move back, her expression slightly warn. "I will be waiting for you all at the border. Please, Airion, bring them back home safely." with that Zimran turned completely, heading toward the borders of the pride. Her heart was heavy with worry and grief, but she had to have faith. Her family would be whole again, she just knew it.
As his mother turned to leave the large God nodded in agreement. Nothing else needed to be said - the fate of his sister's captor was sealed. He would find her and Ny, and together they would return home to his mother.
Slowly the God made his way toward the pride, his expression bitter and cold. The last time he was here he had met a slave lioness who was meek and afraid, abuse warn and frightened.
He would be damned if that same fate befell his own kin. Airion would have his justice. Blood for blood.
...
While Yorshka had told him about her siblings, he didn't recall her naming them. Oh...this one was the daughter of a god? A frown remained. What sort of visions did she get, he wondered. "I see." Aldan found himself saying quietly, not sure how to take this news.
He scoffed when Ny said she belonged with family. What was Aldan, chopped liver? He was Yorshka's family now. She was his love, and one of the reasons he actually woke up and continued with his life. It was corny to think, but he loved her, and could never imaging his life without her.
"What does she need protecting from?" Aldan asked, heat rising to his head. Did the female appear to be injured? Other than the scar on her flank, a nice little gift from Kristanf, the female didn't have many scars on her body.
"I never said she was property. Those are your words thinking she is." He snapped, a low growl behind his words. "I would NEVER hurt her." He found himself taking a step in front of Yorshka again. "How do I know YOU wouldn't. I have seen family hurt others. What's to say you wouldn't?" A full out growl now from the reaver.
His attitude seemed to drop when Yorshka admitted her love for him. The butterfly-like feeling in his heart began. Those words...he loved hearing them from her.
"...and I love her..." He found himself saying quietly, taking a step back to be by Yorshka's side once more. He gave her a small nuzzle, showing her his affection.
Before the female could react to Aldan's aggression her eyes shifted to Yorshka. It was hard to ignore the weight of those words, and the darker female knew it. The same feeling brought her here after all, far away from the home they once shared. Was she being a hypocrite with her anger toward the male in front of her? Hadn't Gjen done the same thing with her? True, she hadn't arrived here as a thrall but under different circumstances she could have. Maybe if the lioness let up a little this conversation would run smoother.
"Look I'm not here to tell you what to do, but I need to make sure you are safe and secure." Ny couldn't pretend her aunt wasn't in this pride with her now, this moment couldn't ever be erased. "Does Zimran know you're here?" Her blue eyes narrowed as frown crossed her face. "This is going to kill her."
As Ny spoke Yorshka did her best to stand her ground, keeping her emotions in check where Aldan couldn't. It must have been hard for him to hear her niece talk like this, the past always seemed to follow the pair like a dark shadow, for ever looming silently. "I am promise you I am safe with Aldan." A nod followed her statement. "I... she doesn't know and I am sure my mother is worried sick." Was it selfish of Yorshka to continue being here... knowing this?
"I know..." Ny's last statement cut deep.
"Look, I won't tell anyone but I can't just ignore this."
Aldan's affection kept her grounded.
Aldan couldn't help but wince as the girls spoke of Zimran. He had tried so hard his last viking mission to find her, only to be encountered by Yorshka's former den mate. She had given him the scar across his nose, and hadn't brought him to see the goddess either. Aldan refused to tell Yorshka of that, not wanting to have gotten her hopes up. Maybe his next viking he could try finding the pridelander nanny again. Although, this time, he would need to avoid the chocolate lioness.
He kept quiet as the other spoke. He hated being accused of abusing Yorshka. Forcing her to sleep with him? He would /never/. The first time didn't count, and they had come to a mutual agreement it was for the best. Their other intimate moments were on their own terms, no one elses. He remained silent, fearing his anger could get a hold of him again.
"I...We" Aldan glanced at Yorshka, "we wouldn't want you to ignore this. If you are here, you are family too. Yorshka can go to you whenever she wants if she wants. She knows the dangers of this pride," he didn't name names, but Kristanf's image came to mind. "....If you want to stay with her...I won't stop you." Giving the option made Aldan feel better about the whole owning a thrall thing. Maybe it would show Ny he would never hurt the pale lioness.
"Are you two sleeping together? You never answered. " Ny questioned quickly as Aldan spoke of Yorshka's freedom to go between households. "If you are you need to be very careful, Yorshka, any cubs you have will become thralls here as well."It was a hard truth but the lioness assumed that they had not even thought about the prospect of cubs if they were in fact being intimate. Ny understood what love was capable of and wanted to make sure her aunt was safe emotionally as well as mentally. "If you are lovers... and you love her like you say you do, keep that in mind-- protect her future as well as yours." The female knew more about the pride than she was letting on, Ny had learned a lot from her mate. They had similar talks before she chose to come here on her own terms.
"I can see you care deeply for him," she paused. "--and I know he loves you, I mean... look at him, he's willing to attack me for just mentioning you in peril." The dark female sighed. "But I need you to be aware of these truths."
As her niece spoke the younger female frowned, brows furrowing in embarrassment. Cubs? What... why hadn't that crossed her mind? They had been... very psychical lately, what if? No. That could never be. Yorshka refused to bring cubs into the world as thralls. They would have to be safe if this was true. "I understand... if you need to be blunt do so." Her voice lingered, full of sorrow and dismay.
"Aldan, will you allow me to visit from time too time? Well, as much as I'd like, really. I want to stay close to her... she is family.
As Ny asked the question if the two were sleeping together, Aldan felt his face flush. He never thought of the aftermath of their actions. Cubs? Maybe the two of them should have been more careful...Not that he would want to stop. Those nights Aldan found himself even closer to Yorshka, and he didn't want to risk losing them. But Ny did have a point. Any cubs that were born would be a thrall. He couldn't imagine having thrall children What would his father say? What would other family members say?
Aldan frowned at her comment 'Protect her future as well as yours'. What did she expect him to do? He couldn't just free her. He wasn't ready to let her go.
"Our future will be fine. We have been through a lot lately, I am sure we can get through anything the world throws at us." It was fact.
Aldan glanced at Ny as she asked if she could visit. "Of course." He said. "I would not want to prevent you from seeing her, or vice versa. I just ask if you have a red maned lion follow you to turn back, or go a different direction." Aldan didn't want Kristanf to learn about Yorshka's family in the pride. He'd probably have a field day if he found out.
"Mmm?" A red lion? What was this? The lioness flicked her tail as a frown crossed her puzzled face. "Do you have an issue with a pride member?" If anyone was trying to harm her kin Ny would skin them alive and regret would never phase her. "My mate and I can protect ourselves, but I will make sure to keep my guard up in case he does take notice. No one else knows of our relation." Gjen didn't even know, when Ny went home she would have so much to tell him.
"Thank you. I know I can come off harsh but I am doing it out of love, she knows it, I need you to know it too." The female paused. "I will always have my den open to you, Yorshka, please come to me anytime. I am so thankful you ended up in the hands of someone caring." The idea of her aunt being passed around amongst the reavers made her skin crawl. Females in this pride had it rough.
"Just be mindful of your actions as... a couple. Love won't change your rank."
"I know." Softly the pale female nodded, sitting back as Aldan spoke to Ny. Things felt more confusing now, how would this effect her future? She would need to speak to Aldan privately at some point, they needed to be on the same page. "I am thankful for you and I can not wait to see you again."
Ny flashed her gaze back to Aldan as she spoke once last time, her tone low and firm. "You keep her safe." With that said her head turned as the lioness moved to walk away. It was getting late and Ny would need to fill Gjen in on everything.
...
His mind would race with thoughts of death and despair as the large God made his way deeper into the pride, finding little comfort in his journey to reclaim his family. Never before had something so vile had happened to his family, so here he marched, ready for battle.
It would take him some time to find himself in the heart of the pride, glamouring his appearance to blend in. For now he would lay low, searching for them undetected.
Aldan had no idea who was coming for him, but soon he would know this God's wrath.