[PRP] Wake Up Call [Huo/Shui/Azar/Tapana]

[Kimaria]

Tapana was angry. The Firekin were clearly more progressive than she had given them credit for and now, it seemed, the inevitable rogue breeding would be looming over their heads. To say she didn't see the reason would not have been true, but she did not think it too much to ask that these rogue males and females make the effort to join the pride. Strong, they might be, but survivors like they who lived in the desert? Ha, not likely! She snorted angrily. There was no way she'd ever have a rogue's cubs.

The thought of it hurt her heart.

Beside her the gruff corporal stalked silently across the sand. He;d been quiet a while now and, from what she had heard of the lion, this could be considered unusual. Maybe he was trying to stay professional? Hm. She knew he had disapproved as well. Perhaps he was just unsure how to be around her?

Perhaps they would end up wed with children...

Tapana grimaced, her muzzle wrinkling in dismay. No...she wasn't really the mothering type and her affections, generally, lay elsewhere. Although, in her head, she was considering a match, if only to spite those who wanted change. She'd find a nice royal-blood male just distant enough for the cubs to be acceptable and be proud of their ancestry instead of caged by it.

"Has there been much trouble on the borders, recently?" she enquired.

The older male, without missing a beat, replied; "no. It's been quiet. A few rogues have been looking for membership. Some others just passing by."

"That's good." Tapana was perhaps one of few members who had no desire to go hunting Nergui. Nothing had been seen of them for so long she didn't think that they'd ever come this way again. Maybe they'd found some other pride to torment - one more their own size. "Let's hope the rogues continue to join."

Azar grumbled at that, but said nothing.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"You know..." Shui remarked, neck deep in sand. "I saw this going differently... in my mind," he confessed, peering up at his brother who was regarding him with interest. They had come up with a plan to find the water, it had initially started with digging, but eventually they had gotten to such a depth that Shui had disappeared from view. Or rather, he had disappeared to a point, his head was still visible, even if the rest of him wasn't.

"In what way?" Huo asked, lifting his paw to rub at his chin as he peered down into the hole. At this rate he was going to have to haul his beloved brother out by the tail. They had both concluded that the sand here was similar the dunes at home, untouched by water it was so fine that you couldn't get traction. Thus, if Shui wasn't careful then he was going to end up trapped in there for a considerable amount of time.

"Well," Shui's tone was musical as he pulled himself up onto his hindlegs and promptly flopped his forepaws over the top of the hole, turning his attention to gaze about the horizon. Since their last encounter they had been left largely to their own devices, particularly given they had followed the rules and hadn't caused any disturbances for that particular pride. "You'd think there would be water around here somewhere, and yet it's not here."

"Maybe they just walk really far to get it," Huo murmured.

"Explains why they're so grumpy," Shui replied with a half smile.

"Except for that lioness, she was quite nice," Huo admitted.

"Aye she was, shame about the old fart though."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Eventually the boys would hear the steady thud of the Firekin approaching, occassionally joined by the rise of a voice during their somewhat broken conversation. Azar, for whatever reason, had pulled ahead a few paces which meant their voices were louder to compensate.

The border was in view now and, without a word, the pair began to cut themselves off, moving to trace the invisible line that separated their lands and the rogue lands. The horizon was clear and beautiful and Tapana found herself enjoying the journey now. A place to clear her head and breathe. No wonder the guards seemed mostly happy in their work. It was long hours and tiring but...they had a sense of freedom out here, too.

"There should be a patrol already here, should there not?" she called over to Azar'bijan.

"They're likely late. It happens." It happened a lot. Time keeping was difficult out here in tricky conditions where water and shelter were sparse. "We'll keep going until we see them."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

They hadn't intended to cause trouble, they really had been very well behaved since their arrival. They had done it in honour of Shaak who had been so pleasant to them, but when they heard that familiar voice... It seemed that neither of them could completely resist the call of mischief. Thus, it wasn't long before Huo had dove into the hole alongside his brother and both had ducked their heads - their intention, to remain out of sight until the very last moment.

It was safe to assume that neither of them had a complete plan, but they did seem to function very well as a unit. They had both seemingly agreed, with a series of glances, that they would be greeting the approaching lion in a way he might appreciate a bit more. No more small talk, no more pleasantries, he was such an arse that they would respond in kind. Maybe if they hit him hard enough he might get the stick knocked out of his but!

They waited, both eyeing each other pointedly.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long as the male lion seemed to be walking at a reasonable pace, and when he came within 'striking' distance both lions sprang from their trench in a flurry of white fur. A little battlecry escaped from one, while the other hollered something that may have sounded like 'think fast, grandpa'... though which had done what remained something that was open to debate.

For now though, it was this flurry of white that rapidly approached him, clearly able to traverse the slippery sands. One on either side, all the signs pointed to some sort of pincer maneuver.

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

For a time the desert was what it had always been. Quiet. Hot. Dry. Nothing but the pair of Firekin and the open expanse that offered very little respite. And then, out of nowhere, the sound of an attack. Tapana looked up to see two smaller white shapes come rising up out of the sand as if summoned, their descent onto Azar'bijan up ahead so swift that it was like watching a pair of eagles dive for a single hare.

Except the eagles were young lions and the hare was Azar'bijan - who had frozen in place in shock. Tapana realised, a moment after, that she had done the same - her mouth slightly agape at the scene playing out before her.

"What in the--" the rest of Azar's expletives were cut off as he realised who the attackers were. Those brats that Shaak had taken the time to question. What were they still doing here?!

With a loud snort he had only enough time to brace himself against the sand and lower his head defensively.

Tapana, usefully, did little more than watch in the few seconds that had been and would follow...

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Thunk.

It was Huo who landed comfortably on Azar's back and wrapped his paws around his neck. However, it wasn't done in a way to kill or strangle, it was almost as if he was trying to hug the lion. Despite bracing himself for impact, there was at least enough of Azar's mane to grapple and as such, he found himself in the company of a rather large and loving 'cub'. Those damn kids as it were, didn't really seem to have any intention of harming him, even if they might have achieved a heart attack in anyone less healthy.

Shui on the other hand, after giving Azar a prompt smack to his rump, had slid to a halt and was regarding him in a thoroughly amused fashion. In fact, one would have been accurate in their assumption that he was just a touch smug. Hadn't this old fart said that he could take them? He'd only been called off by the nice lioness, and here he was...caught out.

By two teenagers...Hiding in a hole.

"Might want to get your eyes checked, old man," Shui remarked merrily and tilted his head to the side before peering at the stunned lioness a little distance away. "Ooooh you really are good with the ladies," he added.

"Is he?" Huo asked from his vantage point.

"Yeah he's got another pretty one with him and everything," Shui confirmed.

"Oooh, turn around," Huo gave Azar a pat to the neck. "I want to see!"

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Azar stood there, quite still, doing little more than growling quietly under his breath as he was ambushed by the teenagers. The sound wasn't really that audible but it was there, all the same. "What are you two still doing here? Weren't you going on your way, already?" It had been a few days, at least, since he'd last been this way and yet it seemed the kids had chosen to stick around instead of going to find some nice, comfortable climate to hang out in. The idea of it made no sense if they had no interest in joining. Had they been planning this?

His head jerked upwards as Huo patted him on the neck and, with another growl, he tried to shake himself free in the manner of a wet dog. "Get down if you want to see," he hissed through gritted teeth. "And show her respect, she's our Regent." Or one of them, at least.The more agreeable one, apparently.

Tapana, who had regained her composure by then, had begun padding forwards towards the group, blinking first at Huo and then at Shui, "friends of yours, I take it?"

"No friends of mine," Azar'bijan growled.

"But you've met them before?"

"Once. They should have moved on."

Tapana looked curious, "and yet, they have not. Why is that, I wonder?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Huo didn't get off of Azar...Instead, he simply stood up (carefully) and turned himself round to examine the Regent. All in all, Azar was going to have to do more than demand that the teenager do as he was told. Given Azar had already demonstrated that he was easily riled, it made sense to him to simply make him grump even more until he lightened up. He was soon able to see Tapana and did make a small mew of agreement that she was pretty enough.

"We never said we'd move on," Shui glanced over his shoulder towards Azar and raised both eyebrows before raising a paw and giving a small wave. "I have no idea what a Regent is, I'd assume that it was pretty important but this guy said he was important too and I'm not so sure I buy it," he confessed.

"Yeah, he kinda gives off that demand-respect-vibe and we're more of an earn-it kinda people..." Huo agreed and offered a warm smile. "Name's Huo and this here is Shui," he motioned to his blue maned brother. "Don't mind us, we're just exploring."

"For science," Shui added, though he didn't specify what that was exactly. "And perhaps you can help us with that..." his expression became one of clarity and he exchanged a brief glance with his brother.

"Oooh fair point there," Huo mused.

"Soooo... What exactly is a 'Regent'?" They asked in unison, both inquisitive faces settling upon Tapana once more.

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

What had he done to deserve this, Azar thought grimly to himself. He really couldn't seem to catch a break, even when he was just out and about doing his normal day job - albeit with a rather important member tagging along. And now, when he had wanted everything to go smoothly in front of her, he'd ended up being hounded by a pair of kids who had nothing better to do than make his life a misery - and they weren't even members!!!

If he'd worried that Tapana would be angry, however, he needn't have.

This particular regent excelled in formal occasions and this, to her, was one of those moments - albeit rather unplanned and surprising. She'd not exactly thought she'd ever hold audience with a pair of young outsiders like these. They were clearly not intimidated by a large male lion on the borders of his own territory - though perhaps they could sense that Azar would not bring harm upon them - even with all his angry growling and gruff words.

They were just words, after all.

"Our pride is ruled by a pair of regents," she answered simply, "when our monarchy was deemed obsolete many years ago." She wasn't sure whether that was a change she had ever agreed with, either, though it had clearly worked in her favour. Being a female and with many, many male heirs born before her, she'd never have gotten as far as she had without those reforms.

"My name is Tapana," she added, "and you know the corporal already,"

Azar, still standing his ground and growling lowly, tried his best to look annoyed and defensive but it was hard to take him seriously when there was a youngster on his back.

She schooled her amusement into mild interest, "come then, sate my curiosity. How can we be of service? The Firekin don't usually entertain outsiders unless they're looking to join," which was all about to change - and on her watch, too!! "So ask your question now if you have one."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Isn't a Regent just the same thing as a monarchy though?" Shui asked as he regarded Tapana thoughtfully. "I mean, our father is in charge of our home and our mother helps when he's absent," he pointed out.

"You elected or sommat?" Huo asked, furrowing his brow slightly as he slid off Azar's back and promptly gave him a pat on the rump before striding towards the lioness. "Although technically dad was elected..." Huo murmured.

"By the sea though," Shui pointed out.

Whether Tapana cared to pursue that line of thought was up to her, but Shu and Huo would be quite open in the knowledge that their father was very distant royal blood. It had been through traditional rituals that he had been identified as the worthy successor and as such, he had been given royal ascent by the ocean itself. Actually, if Shui had been given a moment to think about that, then this land without water probably didn't know what that was...

"S'pose that's true," Huo agreed and returned his gaze to Tapana. "But for real, how is two regents any different than having a monarch?" he asked curiously.

"Both can make pretty crap decisions," Shui agreed and raised both eyebrows. "And both are in charge..."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Tapana had gone to answer the question only to hold back and listen to the brothers talk, working through the differences themselves. Their, father - apparently - was someone important, though what they meant by 'elected by the sea', she was not so certain. Like almost every Firekin born in the desert she had never strayed far from the borders of the territory. However, her history as a 'watcher' had always instilled that sense of curiosity. Now, more than ever, the idea of getting to know their neighbours was appealing. She wondered how far these lions had wandered to get here. Wondered what the 'sea' was who had chosen their king.

A god, perhaps.

She licked her lips at the prospect of that and, when they were finally ready to hear answers, she gave them a reply.

"The Firekin regents are elected, as you said. Votes are cast by the entire pride and the pair who gain the most votes are elected. Myself and another, Agni-Pariksha, were voted in. Before the change, the King would rule until death to which the seat was passed down to his eldest son. And so on and so forth. However, when you are gifted a throne and power without needing to earn it..." she trailed, feeling torn again. She was fiercely proud of her royal blood but there was no point denying that change had needed to happen. Her head knew that. Her heart still mourned at times. Her head won most of the battles.

"My views differ somewhat from my counterpart's and we have a council of lions to aid us in decision making." They were right, though. That didn't make anything foolproof. Agni-pariksha was proof of that with her recent antics. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.. Tapana wanted to hate her for it but she couldn't. She admired the other female too much for that.

"Chosen by your sea, or not, am I right in assuming that you are both princes in your father's kingdom?"

Azar'bijan, with a strangled noise of disbelief, finally gave in to the weight of the 'prince' on his back and sat himself heavily in the sand.

Tapana, meanwhile, pictured these boys fully grown, all confidence and cocky and strong and all the Firekin women who would be eyeing them up if there was ever a meeting between them. She almost sighed at the image -
not wanting to be proven wrong on the whole 'rogue-breeding' front.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Both nodded in unison at the lioness's question, though it was clear that even without their titles they would have been just as sure of themselves. To say that they placed any significant weight upon their own titles would have been inaccurate, particularly at this age when they were expected to lose the title and take up a role in society. In terms of 'royalty', they weren't going to be afforded any additional consideration any time soon!

"That'd be us," Huo confirmed with a smile.

"Although we don't keep that kinda title when we're this age," Shui added and raised his paw to rub at his chin thoughtfully. "We have to take up our place in society, so we're not Jana anymore, or at least we won't be when we go home," he explained. Truthfully he hadn't given his future much of a thought and wasn't sure what his career path might be when he got back - beyond not wanting to babysit, he didn't know what he wanted to do.

"Not really sure what we wanna be yet," Huo confessed and then shook his head. "But we have time, that's why we're out here," he gave Azar a pat and approached Tapana. "We had itchy paws and our dad agreed we should see the world, it might give us some inspiration when we go home," he grinned. "Though who'd of thought we'd end up so far in land and still find sand?"

"Just without water... Or food," Shui's eyes became owlish. "You folks are a gluten for punishment or you just don't eat clearly."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

A prince who, despite being the son of a king, who did not retain the title of such? It was an odd concept that made little sense to her. Were they just forgotten princes, then, until the king died and the heir had to step up? "Your father must be a very relaxed ruler if he allows two of his sons to go wandering alone," she said - more to herself than anything.

"I don't know," Azar broke in, glaring at Huo who had given him a 'pat' as if he were nothing but a meek cub, "maybe he wanted some respite."

Tapana, brushing the comment off with a smug flick of an ear, said: "it is hard but the Firekin are fiercely protective of their desert. The Motoujamii is a sacred land to us and even though it treats us unkindly, we would never give it up." It was ironic, though, to think of such a barren land being fought over by the factions. Much might change within the pride but their territory would forever remain in place - or so she hoped. She thrust the fear of that particular line of thought away and continued, "you hope to better your home with this travelling? Or just to better yourselves?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Both," Huo and Shui responded to Tapana in unison and smiled, temporarily choosing to ignore Azar's dig. Admittedly, if Azar had met their father he might have discovered that he wasn't entirely wrong in his assumption. Ram's thought process had been that they would calm themselves eventually if they were allowed to explore and answer many of their questions. They would always have some level of enthusiasm, but for now, it was best for them to explore before it became destructive.

...Bored teenagers were never good.

"We had too many questions for him to answer, or at least to answer to our satisfaction, so he..." Huo made a shooing motion with his paw and tilted his head to the side.

"He gave us plenty of rules and tips to follow though," Shui admitted with a shake of his head. "Wanted to make sure we didn't get kidnapped and enslaved, that kinda thing."

"Murdered etc," Huo added.

"Aye, that too," Shui agreed. "Although so far we've been pretty lucky, haven't ran in to anyone just yet who wants to murder us in cold blood or turn us into something subservient," he paused an raised a brow. "This land must be really special though if you put up with it being unkind to you..."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

She liked these boys, for all that they were outsiders and young. She'd have been proud of them if they were her sons. Brave, bold, seeking answers to questions that most their age wouldn't have even begun to think about. Their lands clearly produced good children - or royalty, at the very least.

In the back of her head she could hear Agni-pariksha laughing at the realisation. Perhaps all outsiders were not so weak and useless, hm? She flicked an ear to dismiss the thought as if it were no more than an irritating fly. Still, it was likely it would come back to haunt her later.

"Unfortunately advice on who to avoid in the rogue lands is beyond us," she gestured needlessly towards Azar'bijan who sat stone-faced and silent. "Neither of us have had much dealings with outside prides and our enemies have long gone quiet," it hardly seemed worth bringing up the Nergui these days. Certainly they were nowhere close. "Although, that might well be changing..." she trailed and Azar'bijan growled - shifting anxiously on the sand.

Tapana nodded again, "the land is very, very dear to us. That will never change, even if everything else does."

"We've lingered too long," Azar warned, "we've not met the patrol yet. They might have run into trouble..."

Tapana gave a soft 'hm' and stretched her limbs in preparation to continue the walk, "in that case we must bid you both farewell. Stay safe on your troubles and, who knows, perhaps we will meet again." It was unlikely, she realised, but not impossible.

Epine de Rose