[PRP] Options (Radha/Vidar)

[KasaiLoki]

Arwach had gone out for a mission again. Or Viking. Whatever the pride liked to call them.

Radha found herself falling into a spiraling mood. Her cubs were older, and most being males she was sure the Captain would start the 'dispersal' process to move them elsewhere. While Radha always knew children needed to leave the nest, she did not want that to happen with hers. She wanted to keep them under her wing until she was dead. Then, they would also be too old to do anything with, and perhaps just be let go? It was a dream the starry lioness had, and it would likely be far from reality.

She sighed, meandering through the pride. Sometimes she just wanted to stick it to the Captain who had captured her. She thought of ideas to do so, coming up empty. She just did not want to harm her children in her actions. That would be her worse fears.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Vidar had raised cubs before. Three girls, all of whom were now strong, capable, intelligent ladies who fended for themselves. Those three cubs had been with a moral mother, though, and there had only been three. Now he found himself trying to oversee seven cubs, all of whom were about twice the size as his first litter of girls had been, and now there were five boys running around like crazed things that he was trying to keep track of. Normally he was free to do as he pleased but playing daddy to this gaggle kept him on a strict schedule.

Thank the gods his elder daughters were willing to help out to let him have a few hours to himself. Today was one of those days when he got some time to wander the pride. He couldn't leave, not when he had the responsibility of raising the cubs, but he could stretch his legs and clear his mind a bit. As he walked he spotted one of the newer Thralls in the pride...what was her name? R-something. All he knew was that she belonged to Arwach, a stuffy, self-important lion who thought he was the god's gift to the earth. He couldn't stand the guy and didn't try to interact with him. Knowing how much of a bummer he could be, he shifted his path to intersect the lioness.

"It's a good day to die," he said with a grin, giving her the traditional greeting. "Why the sour expression?"

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

SilverLutz

Radha had not noticed the approaching male. It was only when he spoke did she focus on the other.

It's a good day to die. She never understood the reference from the Stormborn, although she had heard it multiple times. She shook her head, not necessarily disagreeing with what the male said, but more so just trying to figure out more and more of this pride.

She finally glanced at the male. Just what she needed, another male of the pride to bother her. At least he seemed to be...a little more joyful than Arwach was?

"Just thinking of the future. And the future of my kids." Current cubs, she should say. Her first litter was well grown and on their own for quite a while. She was sure they were being raised right by their father.

"Tell me. Why do you guys do it? Why do you take a free lion against their will, and then allude to the fact of separating them as they grow older." She paused, shaking her head again as she sighed. "I just don't understand."  

[SilverLutz]

Vidar wasn't expecting sunshine and rainbows from the female given the expression on her face and who her Captain was, but when she spoke he could hear the frustration and disgust loud and clear in her voice. Her questions were valid and although he did have answers that fit within the Stormborn mindset, he knew she wouldn't be happy to hear them. He made a sympathetic noise instead, understanding the dislike of the practice of distributing cubs of Thralls.

"I could give you reasons all day long but none of them would make you feel any better about it," he said with a shake of his head. "It's just how we do things here." He tilted his head just a bit, the trinkets in his mane jingling pleasantly. "Not all that keep Thralls are like Arwach, though. I'm afraid you got unlucky in that department."

Realizing he probably was putting her on edge by striking up a conversation with her without introducing himself, he gave a little bob of his head in a more rogue-friendly greeting.

"I'm Vidar, by the way. And I truly do feel for you." He didn't have any Thralls himself, not because he couldn't capture any but because he was satisfied with his station in life. Some lions judged others on how many Thralls and saltwives one had, but Vidar was doomed to live the life of a bachelor already as the apple of his eye wasn't interested in mortals so what was the point in attempting to keep up appearances the usual way? The trinkets in his mane attested to his prowess and the Reavers in his band proved he was likeable at the very least.

"Arwach is a giant warthog's a*****e," he informed her with a little grin. "Can't stand him. Gives us Captains a bad name."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

SilverLutz

Again, her head was shaking. "That's not an answer." At least, it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. Her ear flickered at the sound of jingling in his mane. Interesting trinkets the lion wore.

"Lucky me." Radha said sarcastically, eyes rolling before glancing towards the brown male. Was he..introducing himself?

Radha was a bit taken aback. Other than the female thralls of Arwach, she hadn't had a member, actual member, of the pride strike up a conversation. "Radha," she returned the introduction, the frown slightly upturned. "Well, I appreciate your words," she didn't know if thralls words meant anything to another member, but she meant it.

Oh. He was...a captain as well? How interesting? "Hah. You could say that again." She smirked, regarding the warthog comment. "So, I take it you know him well then?" Radha asked curiously.  

[SilverLutz]

The reply made Vidar grimace just a bit. He could tell her but it wouldn't make her happy. Perhaps knowing was all she wanted, though, so maybe it would? He let it go for now, instead gauging her reaction to his greeting. Clearly she hadn't been given the time of day since she had arrived here.

"Radha, that's right," he said, recalling the name being spoken by the blue Captain during a gathering of those of the rank. They liked to brag about their recent victories and prizes and it always seemed he was coming back with Thralls. How many did he have now? Three? Four? Vidar knew he collected 'pretty' lions for his hoard, and he had to admit Radha was stunning in appearance.

"Oh no, not well at all," Vidar said with a little laugh. "I try to stay away from him, truth be told. He's not well liked here, his attitude and his loner ways aren't what being a Captain is about." He was a horrible leader and couldn't keep Reavers around for more than a Viking or two. He had informed the other Captains the only reason he had taken the title was because he wanted to rise as high as he could in the ranks so he could order others around. That was not why someone should pursue becoming a Captain. He only hoped he'd challenge the Warlord at some point and get his fuzzy a** handed to him in combat.

"I enjoy hearing about his failures as few as they are," he added with a grin. "He thinks he's the best, but one time I heard he got stuck in a large thorny bush while on his first Viking after joining."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

SilverLutz

"Ah, so you have head of me. Not sure if I should take that as a good thing or bad." She couldn't help but chuckle. She felt like she was back in the rogue lands, mingling with another. Vidar had not given her a bad first impression, so she took that opportunity and ran with it.

"Wish I could." She muttered softly. There was definitely a bitter tone every time the male was referenced. "I am glad he is not well liked. His thralls seem to enjoy his company. I wish I could just stick it to him." But she knew if she tried to rebel, her children could be at stake. He had threatened them before.

"Did he now?" Radha laughed out loud at the thought of Arwach being stuck in a thorn bush. "Maybe I should just start calling him Thorny. I wonder if he would appreciate that." She pondered out loud, the smirk on her maw.  

[SilverLutz]

Vidar snickered softly at her comment. He had overheard Arwach complaining about one of his Thralls and how she was incredibly insubordinate to him. She had recently had a litter of cubs, though, and he used that to his advantage for certain. It wasn't something Vidar liked to hear - especially once again saddled with his own cubs - but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"His other Thralls were taken under more favorable circumstances. Well...one of them was, anyway. The other two were much younger and couldn't put up a fight if they had tried. So long as you do as he says and stay in line he's not overly cruel, but I can see that's not your way of doing things." Which wasn't bad, not at all. Some lions were cut out to be Thralls and others weren't, and when one such lion was forced into servitude things could get a little heated.

"Probably not!" he said with a laugh. "There's gotta be a better way to 'stick it to him', as you said." He fell silent, thinking quietly before a little grin crossed his features. Oh, that would be good.

"Feel free to say no," he said, trying to figure out the best way to word his offer. "But I know Arwach is very protective of his Thralls and doesn't let anyone near them if he has a say. But he's often gone on Vikings and you obviously enjoy leaving the den. Perhaps once your current litter is old enough for you to leave them to their own devices you could fall pregnant once again. It would drive him mad not knowing who the father is. I can offer you my services, if you will, with the promise that I would claim them as my own. If you felt it safe enough you could even come to my den to have them so they're never even subjected to his presence."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

SilverLutz

Radha had heard many times about how the two thralls were taken. They had told her basically to keep her head down and she would be fine. But that wasn't Radha's way of life. It never had been even as a child herself. "You are right."

She watched the male fall silent, ears curiously perking forward at his comment. Feel Free to say no... Well, that never was a good sign, now was it. The smirk on her maw widened at Vidar's suggestion. She never thought about willingly laying with a male of the pride, vowing they were the scum of the earth. But Vidar here...he seemed much different than Arwach. Maybe not all males of the pride were bad/

"Well... I do enjoy the idea of making Arwach upset." Ah, what the hell. "You know, they are...old enough to do just that, as much as I dislike thinking it." She approached the male, a wily look in her eye. "I think I may have to take you up on that offer, Captain" she purred the last portion, walking just past the male, her tail giving him a small flick on his nose. It was a silent queue for the male to follow. There was no need to waste time. Who knew when Arwach would be back.  

[SilverLutz]

Vidar wasn't expecting her to answer so soon or so positively and the little flick of her tail to his nose had him blinking in surprise. Oh, now? He turned to look at her as she walked by him, his mind racing as he tried to think of what to do or say. Finally he decided on just going with it, glad to help her piss off the Captain that treated her so poorly.

"All right, then," he said with a little laugh, trotting after her to catch up. "My den's a bit preoccupied at the moment so we'll have to just find a secluded place, but if that's fine with you, let's go." The pair moved along side by side, chatting about finer details that would matter more when the cubs were born than at the moment. Vidar had told Radha he'd claim them as his own, after all, and if she couldn't slip away to give birth in his own den Arwach would surely figure out whose cubs they were. He was more than ready to face the wrath of the blue male, though. Perhaps he could put him in his place in the process.

Grinning like a cub about to get into mischief, he led the way off to a less frequented area of the pride, glad he had been able to help Radha at least a bit. Perhaps he could help her a bit more in the future as well, but for now this seemed the best way to 'stick it to him', as she had said.

KasaiLoki

Fin!