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 Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:03 am
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 For the first leg of their rushed and frantic journey, Phanes had followed in his father's wake in disinterested silence. When the older male came blundering upon him, he had been napping quite peacefully in an attempt to forget the hunger that chewed at the inside of his belly. Stirred from his slumber so suddenly left him compliant and quiet until they got close enough to the dirt-cloud for Phanes to see what his father meant.
A distant reminder of something he had dreamed flashed into the back of his thoughts and his peaceful lull immediate shattered with a surge of frustration.
"Something fell," he mumbled, matter-of-fact, with that familiar air of grouchiness hanging over him. He brushed past his father and took a few careful steps forward until his paws met the edge of a crater. A few pebbles tumbled down in his wake, clattering as they rebounded from boulder to boulder until settling at last in the belly of the pit. The air here was so thick with the dustcloud that even that small shift sent a new wave billowing through the air and he coughed, stepping backward, suddenly wary of his brainless decision.
As he stumbled backwards and turned his gaze away, he noticed a thicket of dark brush in the distance - and the unmistakable shock of red that could just barely be seen. If the goddess could hear them or if she knew they were even there, she did not make any motion to prove such. She simply lay there, unmoving.
"D-dad," he sputtered around his coughing, "look.."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:30 pm
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Despite being their father and with much more world experience than either son, Vidar knew to trust what they said. There were those in the pride that were godborn or simply lucky enough to have visions that had predicted battles and deaths long before they had happened and to turn his nose up to what Phanes and Kafele were saying would be foolish. He nodded slightly as Phanes echoed what Kafele had said, although he didn't bother to say what it was that had fallen. He hoped Kafele had been wrong at that part.
"Careful," he cautioned as Phanes moved to the edge of the crater, examining what he could see. All he got were some lungfulls of dust and dirt, not smoke like he had originally thought. Looking around, he spotted the flash of red among the shrubbery just as Phanes called out to him. He knew that pelt even if it looked worse of the wear from back here.
"Oh dear," he muttered quietly, his mane jingling as he trotted over to the bushes. Sure enough, the closer he got the more he knew it was her. Na'ira. Kafele had been right. But what had happened? He could smell singed fur and flesh, see raw skin and tattered feathers. As he rounded the edge of the foliage his stomach rolled at the sight of the usually splendid goddess - if a mortal looked like her he would assume they were dead.
"Na'ira?" he said quietly, unsure if she had survived. She had crawled from the crater to here, at least, but who was to say if she was still breathing? Gods could die, after all.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 8:21 am
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It was hard to say what roused the sleeping pile of singed feathers and fur from her dormant state. Was it the distant, familiar jingling of Vidar's trophies or his peculiarly gentle, worried voice? Or, perhaps, simply a mother's knowledge of her child nearby? Whatever the cause, her brilliant blues cracked open upon the mortal world again and she offered the Captain a smile despite the sudden awareness of overwhelming pain that pulsed along every limb. Without her adrenaline and pride to dampen it, she felt a little like death warmed over.
"Be honest," she whispered softly, "do I look a mess?"
If she'd had the energy to laugh she would have, even if it were simply for Vidar's benefit. Vidar, and, well -
Her blood-shot eyes drifted past him to the hesitant form of her son standing beside him. The goddess wasn't prepared for the surge of emotion that swept over her and she wished, terribly, that this was not the way she was meeting him again.
"Phanes," she called softly, trying to push herself up but wincing and, immediately, forgoing it.
"D-don't.. don't move," the younger male stammered in a sudden fit of worry, stepping up next to his father and wishing terribly that he might curl up next to her to make her feel better. He didn't want to risk hurting her though - the wing that wasn't tucked beneath her seemed to be hanging at an odd angle and she was matted so thickly with blood and burns that he could barely tell what was her brilliant, ruby fur and what was injury. He wasn't prepared for the ache that hit him and had to ultimately look away, staring off in the distance as if it had some importance to him.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 8:39 am
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Vidar felt a rush of relief wash over him as the mass of feathers and fur and pain shifted. She was alive, although he couldn't say if she would remain that way given the extent of her injuries. But she was the goddess of rebirth, wasn't she? Perhaps this was normal for her. He hadn't really bothered to ask her much about what rebirth entailed for her specifically but now he wished he had in their short time together before this.
He felt Phanes approach and he turned to glance at his son, a worried look on his face. He didn't want him to see his mother like this but clearly the young lion had no choice. Vidar wasn't the largest lion and even now Phanes and his siblings were nearly as large as him despite not being fully grown. They'd have to work together to bring Na'ira to safety.
Her voice drew Vidar's attention back and he gave a weak laugh at the question. "Honestly? Yeah," he said, taking a few tentative steps forward, lowering his head to speak softly to her. It was then she noticed her son and he held his ground for just a moment, letting the two meet again for the first time in months.
"Easy now," he agreed, moving to inspect the wing and the goddess as a whole. No bones were poking through and although she was burned and bloody, everything at least looked as if it would heal given enough time. The only bit that looked a bit broken was the wing, but Vidar knew enough about gods to know they didn't need their wings to fly. He'd seen wingless gods buzzing about before after all.
"We gotta get you somewhere a little less exposed, all right? Phanes, get on her other side, you can lean on us. Kafele's getting our den ready, it's pretty big and empty now that the kids all a bit bigger and not constantly sleeping in there. Should be enough room for you." He gave her cheek a gentle nuzzle to try to get her up as he spoke, knowing that while he and their son may be able to help her walk, she'd need to rise on her own.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:59 pm
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The battered lioness knew deep down that her sweet Captain was right but it didn't change the overwhelming dread that curled in the pit of her belly as soon as she realized she would have to try and make some effort to get herself somewhere else safely. After all, she had barely managed to hoist herself out of the pit and into the only bit of brush that was nearby before she passed out from sheer exhaustion.
There was no sense in lamenting over it - if she showed too much weakness then she was certain Phanes was going to actually lose his mind before they were able to get her to the den. She studied him past Vidar's shoulder for a moment, drinking in the sight of his profile and the strong features he was developing, and wanted to tell him how handsome he was becoming. She knew the longer she lay there the harder it would be to convince herself to get up and decided to keep her mother's affection contained until it was no longer a distraction from their mission.
"Alright," she whispered back gently to the older male, leaning just briefly into the soft touch of his nose against her cheek.
As she shifted to roll more onto her belly, Phanes sidled up next to her so that he could support her on the side that didn't have the battered wing. He would let his father deal with that - he was big but clumsy and unsure of his own feet at times. If he tripped up and hurt her unintentionally he wasn't sure he would be able to handle it.
The goddess drew a deep breath through her nose and blew it out before she pushed herself up. Despite her intention not to let it show, a grimace struck her hard in the face as her bones jostled and sent fresh, searing pain up her limbs. It was a pain so sharp that it caused her to clench her jowls against what surely would have been a cry and she traded it for a sucking, ragged breath through her teeth. In that moment it was all she could do to remain standing, fighting to stay up as the pain pulsed and filled her vision with dancing grey stars. She did, though, even if she had to put her weight on her son.
"It's okay," his shoulder was solid as she slumped against him and his too-wide paws dug into the earth beneath him so that her weight wouldn't topple him over. For the first time he was beginning to feel useful.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:40 pm
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Vidar watched and waited as Na'ira summoned the mental strength to force herself onto her stomach, trying to piece together what had happened. When she had left the cubs with him she had warned him of a brewing storm, danger that would soon befall the lands. He hadn't known exactly what she had meant but he had been confident that he'd be able to keep their children safe. Perhaps this was the danger that had finally come to call.
"Easy," he said quietly as he situated himself beside her heaving body, mindful of her wing but also well aware that broken bones would mend eventually. Leaving her out like this was a death wish for certain. At least if she could survive the pain to get back to the den she might have a chance at recovery. Phanes joined him on her other side and together they supported her as she got to her feet.
The pained noises coming from the goddess tore at Vidar's heart. While he would only ever love one other lioness romantically, he cared for more and more the older he got. Obviously his children were number one in his life, both his first litter and the second, but Na'ira was among those he would never turn his back to if they asked for his help and who would always do whatever he could to aid them. There were a few other lions on that list, namely his band of Reavers, but it was growing almost every day.
"One step at a time," he encouraged once Na'ira was steady on her paws. "No rush. If you need a break we'll take one, but once you get moving let's try to keep going." Although he didn't want to push her to the point of passing out, he and Phanes were mere mortals and would tire eventually. If they could get to the den before that it would be ideal and all three would have to work together to ensure they made it.
"Phanes, if you get tired just say something. We'll rest if we need it too. We'll do you mother no good if we stumble."
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 4:41 pm
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Between the calming words of her ex-lover and the strength of her son as she swayed, a little bit of confidence began to build in the pit of Na'ira's belly. She wouldn't lie - she had been concerned about the pair of them trying to get her so far when she was in such a weak and miserable condition but she should not have doubted them. Her children, and anyone strong enough to raise them, were mighty things.
"Alright boys," she said low, finding that her words were raspy and raw on her throat. She took one deep breath to announce herself and then put one paw in front of the other. It hurt. Everything hurt. Regardless, she shifted and leaned her weight into Vidar instead of Phanes and then took another step forward. Between them it was easier to hold herself upright even if every single movement made her legs wobble with an unspoken threat. It was hard though, absolutely so. A few paces seemed like a mile.
With another deep and ragged breath, she tossed her bright blues sidelong at the Captain.
"How far is it?"
Phanes winced as she did because he knew two thing for certain: one, she must be exhausted already and two, it was farther than she was going to want to go.
"It's pretty far mom," he said softly, trying his best to be calming and hopeful despite his fear and worry gnawing a hole in his stomach. "We can make it though."
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 5:14 am
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Vidar kept himself sturdy as he felt the weight of the goddess shift completely to him as she took one laborious step, then ease off to press against Phanes as her momentum shifted. He knew by the end of this they'd all be exhausted, but they couldn't just leave her out in the open. Not with everything going on. Hopefully the strange hunger pains wouldn't affect her as well. As if on cue, Vidar's stomach gave a painful twist to remind him that despite eating, he was still starving.
"We can," he agreed as Phanes answered Na'ira's question. "One step at a time. Each one you take is further from where you started." At this rate it would take at least an hour if the pace was steady. They had only been searching for about ten minutes when they had found the crater.
"You landed within the pride borders...Kafele made it sound like you were out in the rogue lands," he said, holding still as her weight shifted back to him. "It's a good thing you did. Not sure we'd be able to help if you landed too much further away." He bit his tongue after that, not wanting to press for questions, but his mind burned with curiosity. What had injured her like this? Did it have anything to do with the strange lights and rumblings in the sky? Was it the danger she had warned him of months prior? But those were questions for once they were safe within the den and she had rested.
"Phanes, maybe a Viking song to take her mind off the pain?" he murmured. Bards were more the ones to sing songs and tell stories but there were a few that Reavers going a-Viking might sing to rally their spirits. He nudged Na'ira to try to get her to measure her paces, using her footfalls as the beat for the slightly chant-y tune.
"I've seen many lions wandering, all strong and brave and keen, see them growing into rulers but I long for the sea. Heard a rogue came from North to our lands for a day, and before misfortune knows I'll be on my way." Vidar certainly wasn't the best singer out there - he wasn't a Bard for a reason - but he did give it his best. It wasn't too hard to keep the beat with the way the goddess was swaying and he hoped his off-pitch 'singing' was distracting her a least a bit from her pain.
"I'm all set to veer away and I'm all set to go astray, all burdens I will leave ashore to find what I've been longing for- ouch!" One giant paw stepped on his own, the little jolt of pain making him stop his singing before laughing softly. It hadn't hurt so much as surprised him and he knew no lasting damage had been done. Pressing his nose against Na'ira's neck again, he tried to keep from grinning too much.
"It's a good thing I'm a very forgiving lion, Na," he teased, trying to keep the mood light. "Otherwise I might be looking for three favors for slighting me like that. If you wanted me to stop singing you could have just asked instead of trying to squish my poor toes."
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Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:37 pm
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Na'ira let Vidar's words fall over her and, despite all the power and might she had just been too close and personal with, she felt calmed by her mortal captain's words. It seemed such an absurd thing to admit to; how could he even know how badly she was hurt? Any other day and she would have simply teleported herself to his den or, likely, somewhere out of the way of any soul mortal or immortal. She couldn't though, she couldn't muster a fraction of the energy she needed for that.
Mkodi had very nearly pulled the stitches of her being apart, of that she was absolutely certain. Even being here with the Captain and their beautiful, strong son was a blessing in and of itself.
"I can do that," she whispered gently to them, beginning to count out her steps to the beat of the music that he strung out for her. It was a welcome distraction from the pain pulsing through her muscles as she focused on her footing - one, two, one two..
Beside her, after a moment's hesitation, Phanes let his voice rise up to join his father's - it cracked over some of the more melodious tones but he continued on, unabashed and unashamed of the signs of his aging at least so long as he was here alone with his parents. The words weren't as familiar to him as they were to his father and over a handful of lines he let his voice quiet to a mumble before singing out again, at least until his father cried out.
"I'm sorry," he heard his mother as his own voice cut out - was he imagining the sound of laughter in her tone? "I just got so distracted listening to him."
It was enough to make him want to flush beneath his pale, teal fur but he managed not to get sidetracked by it. She was still moving and as long as she was still continuing forward he would be there to help her, no matter how long it took.
"Keep singing, Captain," she murmured as she lifted her head high to look ahead of them, "this is a battle I'm going to win."
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 2:39 pm
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Vidar shook out his paw with a little grin on his face, not at all minding the squished toes. He had hoped that Na'ira's return to visit her children would have been a bit less dramatic than this, but he really had no say in the matter. As much as he hoped she'd hang around to chat with him a little as well he knew that her true desires rested on the shoulders of her cubs, to see them and get to know them now that they were older and starting to become more independent. To know she had been listening to Phanes singing warmed his heart even if it embarrassed their son.
"Damn straight you will," he encouraged, clearing his voice before launching into the next verse. He sang as long as he could, trying to recall any little ditty or lullaby or Viking tune he had ever heard, and by the time he ran his voice ragged his den was in sight.
"Not much further," he encouraged, rasping rather than speaking properly. He didn't mind at all, though. His voice would heal in a day or so, the goddess was in far more pain than he. Together the trio shuffled forward and Vidar was thankful for the strange things going on in the sky. It was keeping most of the pride away from the dens, instead heading out to the open areas of the pride to watch. A few cries of fear and pain could be heard still from dens where new mothers were trying to comfort their cubs from the pain in their bellies and the strange rumblings beneath their paws, but beyond that the area was deserted.
"Phanes, once we get her inside you'll help me drag some of the food the Thralls brought in to her," he said. Even though his own stomach felt shriveled to the size of a pea he could only hope that eating would assist the goddess in recovering. Could she even feel the hunger that wracked the lands?
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 4:25 pm
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As tired and weak as Phanes felt by the time their den was in sight, he was certain his mother must have felt a thousand times over. While his father had been singing, though, she had not brought a single complaint apart from the occasional wince and her pace had been steady even if it was excruciatingly slow. The sound of Vidar's voice faded and its wake was a sense of pride; Phanes had remembered very little of his mother and to see how strong she could be now, despite everything, was inspiring.
It wasn't just his father that was strong and fearless.
"Yes sir," he responded without question, even if the thought of food made his aching stomach claw at his insides. It never seemed to end and he wondered if maybe, just maybe, his mom might know something about this?
"Don't stress yourselves too much," she answered softly, sounding impossibly weary. "I intend to sleep the moment my belly touches the ground again."
It was the only thing that was driving the fiery goddess now that the sight of the den loomed ahead of her and the voices of the males had died. Each step brought it closer and closer and every moment became more about survival than comfort. True to her word, as soon as she passed the threshold and felt concealed deep enough in the shadows, she let her aching bones sink to the cool dirt and her great head settled without a second's hesitation.
"Thank you," she mumbled even as her eyes began to creak closed, "we can talk later, my loves."
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Vidar had managed to round up Phanes to help him in the mission Kafele had sent him on and the longer he had to ruminate on what his son had said, the more he was starting to believe it. Visions weren't something he was an expert on but with the way the sky kept flashing and how serious Kafele had been, the more he was inclined to believe something was up. Hopefully it wasn't too serious because in the end what could mortals do for a god? This was a pride of fighters, not peace keepers or healers.
