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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 7:54 am
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He'd found Kerra and questioned him about these rumoured guard positions and had been angered to find (as Heti had warned him) that his grandson knew nothing of it, either. He'd spent some time raging about it and then, as the days had passed, he'd started to try to figure out who had been asked to take on the new position. There was one easy way to find out, of course, and that was to approach the regent pair but...Azar'bijan wasn't quite ready for that yet.
He needed to figure out a plan.
Stretching his claws into the sand he cast a critical eye up towards the training ground, homing in on the new recruits. It was a good idea to check the place out for new talent and poach the good ones for his guard patrol...not that he really had a specific patrol, not being a captain and all. Still, if he kept at it, sooner or later he'd be granted a promotion and then all the talented lions would be his to command. An unstoppable force that were called upon in times of crisis.
His name would be written in legend!
He was smiling away to himself when, out of nowhere, something came charging into his shoulder. He blinked, turning his head to see who had struck him and blinked again as two large eyes peered back at him. A...cub.
"Watch where you're going," he said gruffly, pushing the cub backwards with a paw.
Spitting out sand, the cub righted herself and gave a loud sniff of disapproval, "don't push me!"
Oh. Fabulous. It was a loud-mouth cub. His favourite kind!
"What are you going to do about it, kid?" Not a lot. Probably.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 8:08 am
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"So you're from the outside?" The little cub had installed herself at the lioness's side and hadn't really let her out of her sight. This had been ever since said cub had overheard her discussing her experiences beyond the borders. As a foreign animal, a stranger, something new, Asyria had then become a subject of great interest to the cub who had already been causing havoc in the general area.
What had then occurred, was a barrage of questions that would have put any warden to shame.
"Yes," Asyria replied patiently, even though she'd been asked the same question at least four times. It seemed as though Shakti didn't believe her, perhaps she had settled in well enough in the young cub's eyes to give off an air of being a local. Still, from what the larger lioness had gathered, this young cub had already decided where she wanted to be in later life. Shakti had no intention of quizzing suspicious individuals, she had every intention of policing the borders.
"Not that far from here though," she glanced round and pointed at the mountains she could see in the distance. Those had been her home for as long as she could remember, even if Shakti might never see them for herself. "But it was quite a bit different," she mused.
The inquisitive cub continued to query her in much the same fashion even as they drew nearer to the corporal and what seemed to be Shakti's very own sibling. Now what a surprise that would be when Asyria caught sight of the direction she was heading in; she didn't have a game plan and suffice it to say that if she got too close she might not be able to outrun the lion who already had it in for her!
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 8:21 am
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"I'm...I'm..." the cub floundered and Azar'bijan gave a small chuckle of amusement. Cubs were so dumb, shooting their mouths off before thinking. Getting themselves into trouble that they couldn't get out of.
"What?" he encouraged, "speak up. I can't hear you."
"I'm..." and then the bewilderment passed and the cub's face gained focus, having clearly reached a decision. She gathered her paws beneath her, shuffled her little bottom as if preparing to pounce and, without further hesitation, leapt at his paw; sinking teeth into his unsuspecting toes.
Azar jerked away from the cub in surprise, shaking his paw free from vicious little needle-sharp teeth and gave a low growl. "Did you just bite me?" he could barely believe it and when she grinned up at him all innocent - despite that toothy grin - he could only gape in surprise. Where were her parents?! Why were they not running over here now offering their deepest apologies? He could hear voices now. Perhaps he was about to be rescued.
"How did I do?" the little cub questioned, "my mama says I have a good bite!"
"Well if she likes it so much, go attack her."
The cub jutted her jaw stubbornly. "No."
"Go away."
"No."
"Now."
"No." And the cub, Xaphan, pounced again, forcing him to his feet so that he could prevent further toes from being bitten. Cut feet on sand was not the most pleasant experience in the world and he couldn't be sure that her teeth wouldn't pierce through the pads of his paws.
"Then what do you want?" he asked through his teeth, losing patience fast and not sure where to go when he couldn't leap to his anger response. It had been a long time since he'd had cubs and he'd not been much good back then, either. Heck, he'd been an adolescent!
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 2:38 am
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Azar sat quite still, his face twisted into a half-snarl that he seemed to be trying to control. It was hard to have a proper argument whilst a cub was climbing over his face and another one looking like she was about to follow suit. Indeed, when it looked like Xaphan was about to lunge forwards, he swung out a paw and pressed it to her forehead to put a stop to her momentum.
She hissed and grabbed hold of his paw with her forelegs.
"You throw rocks," Azar replied, "why not a cub? I wouldn't put anything past you." He couldn't believe that he'd even had the misfortune to bump into her again so soon after their last encounter. He was still super mad about that and likely would have attempted to chase her down if he'd not found himself an impromptu babysitter. "And if you--ow--" he sucked in a sharp breath and winced as teeth clamped down on his ear. Sharp, little teeth that had found their way to a place not protected by his mane.
Xaphan, throwing herself clear of Azar's paw at last, peered up at her sister and whooped with joy at the success of the climb. "He wouldn't fight with me," she whined, "but with you here, now he has no choice!" She flung herself at him again, colliding with his shoulder and scrabbling to climb up his mane to join her sibling.
Azar growled again. He didn't even know who these cubs belonged to. Why where they not being watched? Where were the cubsitters when you needed them?!
"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get your cub under control?" for all he knew, she had become a cubsitter since joining and the one currently sinking her teeth into his ear had come with her.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 4:12 am
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He frowned at her words and growled softly as the cubs continued their relentless assault. "What laws are you expecting me to break?" he snapped, "I was born and raised here, remember? I know them better than you." Oh he wanted to just smack that smirk from her face and show her what was what.
Xaphan gave a delighted shriek when her sister moved down to help her and in moments she was pulling herself up with assistance and hooking a leg over his shoulders to better stabilise her position. "Seems like it!" she replied, laughing, and used a paw to pat at Azar's mane as if he were harmless. That seemed to be the last straw, though, as the male drew in another breath and suddenly lowered his head to throw the cubs off balance. If that failed to work, he followed up with a vigorous shake in hopes of unhooking little claws.
"I'll show you how harmless I am! You better run if you don't want to get pounced on!" he sounded ferocious enough - or so he thought.
Xaphan, who had tumbled back to the ground, gave a high-pitched shriek and dashed off, "run, run!"
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 4:25 am
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Shakti wasn't ready to give up just yet and with a fierce howl, a cub battle-cry, she dug her little claws in to his neck. She was still tangled up in his mane just enough to keep her hold, and she was already scrambling to try and get back up so that she could 'control' the beast. However as her sister fled she gasped and adopted the more heroic, matyr role.
"Go Xaphan, go!" she cried dramatically. "I'll buy you some time!" she continued and then returned her gaze to Azar. "This ends now, cowardly beast!" she declared and puffed out her cheeks.
As for Asyria?
Well, she simply grinned at Xaphan's retreat and taking that as her cue, she also darted away, though she made sure to follow after Xaphan to make sure that the impish cub stayed out of trouble. She wouldn't justify Azar with a response this time, it would annoy him far more if she just ignored him again. After all, he seemed to get really worked up when she didn't play by his rules.
He was a bit of an arrogant old fart really, that was probably why it was so much fun to push his buttons.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 4:42 am
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Her sister was so brave! Xaphan would never forget her! She'd make sure that there were heroic stories told of how a cub had thwarted a giant, angry, fire-breathing lion and won! (well...sort of). Anyway, the details didn't matter. It would be a fine story and she would tell it well!
Azar, stood there looking quite mortified. One cub had gone. The lioness too - having chosen to further insult him by ignoring him and dashing away as quickly as she had come. And, after all that, still one cub remained. He heaved a great sigh and sat down heavily, trying not to look as weary as he felt. Firekin were big and strong and proud and their cubs...well...these cubs would grow up to be perfect specimens. That didn't mean that he had to like them!
"You did it," he declared, "you have bested me!"
And, now that Asyira was out of sight, he rolled slowly onto his side and played dead.
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