|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:42 am
 |
|
|
 |
 "Dad!"
Ealhild was a grown lioness. No one could dispute that. Least of all anyone who saw her now, tearing her way through the camp at a breakneck pace. Muscles rolled sleekly beneath roan fur, leaping over lions in her path and dodging around thralls. Teal stripes, luminescent amid the brown, gleamed as she passed - though less so now than in recent months. Then again, everything around the Stormborn was a bit duller these days. And that, combined with words of an angry god, had the normally fickle lioness on edge. All around, her pride lie in distress.
And to make matters worse, now there were lights in the sky - like no storm the young adult had ever seen. The whole thing made Eal's pelt crawl. As a proper treasure hunter and damn fine future reaver, she was hardly one to ignore her intuition: and right now, every sense that mattered was screaming at her to check on those things she held dear. Her treasures were safe, rescued from a hidden alcove and safely strapped about the satchel on her back. That left only the big one, the only lions that would dare cross her mind at a time like this - and it was for them that she fled through the main body of the pride, shouting for her father like a frightened kit.
It was ridiculous. Perhaps a shade over-dramatic. And any other time, that behavior would have bothered her. But now? Now, the world was ending, honestly, so who gave a s**t?
"Vidar? ...Dad?" Worried eyes sought out the lion's den. She'd give anything to hear the tinkle of his mane within. To see even a glint of his ornaments in the darkness! "Are you there?" Her head sunk lower, worry in every lash of her tail. Ugh, she should have come to check on him sooner. But no, she had to go traipsing around at the borders... |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 6:18 am
|
|
|
|
 
Strange times they were living in, that much was for certain. Vidar had lived through quite a lot but this endless hunger and now the strange lights and noises in the sky were certainly winning the 'weird' battle in what he'd experienced in his lifetime. The Captain had been pride-bound for a few months now as he'd been saddled with a gaggle of cubs once again, but it wasn't something he had done with regret or dislike. He enjoyed being a father quite a bit and the fact that he had three beautiful, powerful daughters to help certainly made things easier. Now those cubs were growing into the manes or, in the case of the single daughter, starting to mature much faster than he noticed the boys were. He was glad they were growing up a bit because to hear them cry out like the other youth of the pride would make him heartsick.
He was in the den with Kafele, one of his sons, when he heard someone calling out his name at the mouth of the den. It didn't take long to spot his near-twin in female form, Ealhild, and he smiled at his daughter as she hovered at the mouth of the cave.
"Yes, I'm here. So is-"
But before he could finish Kafele came rocketing out of the den, pouncing on his sister with gusto and a laugh. Despite all the strange things going on the young male was always full of energy and vibrancy, much like Vidar in his youth and to this day.
"Eal! Look, look at my mane," he said while chewing on her brown ear, tugging to try to get her to play. "See how fluffy it's coming in? I bet you wish you had one too," he said, letting go to slide off her back and bend into a play bow. Despite being older he certainly still was very cub-like in personality, a kid in a giant's body. Thanks to his mother's goddess status he would have quite the massive lion, but for now he was still manageable. Give it another month and he'd be about on par with Vidar himself and he wouldn't even be fully grown yet.
"What's that face for?" he added, noticing the worried pinch to his sister's expression. Sure, there was weird stuff happening, but it was kinda cool, right? An adventure he could have at home!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 7:38 pm
|
|
|
|
Tension released from places Eal didn't even know she'd been holding it, making clenched muscles sag with relief. So it was that when a fiery orange blob rocketed out of the den mouth, it took her with much more force than usual. Didn't hurt that Kafele seemed so much bigger every time she saw him! "Argh!" The lioness gasped, feigning very real surprise as an over-dramatic game, instead. She snapped playfully at the front legs dangling over her shoulders until the adol disengaged - then slipped into a crouch herself, growling around her grin.
What was that about being an adult? Ah well, she was young yet. And a ferocious love for her half-siblings made her that much younger when they needed it.
"Oh, I see it, alright. Fluffy, indeed! Better be careful, or you'll grow too pretty to be a warrior." One brown paw shot out, ruffling the shock of white growing from Kafele's brow. Once again, his size shocked her. Almost all of her paw fell evenly across his forehead, and he wasn't even fully grown! "Won't be long before you'll be able to braid it!" Her smile grew. That was what she was really looking forward to, and it'd come as no surprise to any of them. She wanted to find something nice for each of them, as they came into adulthood, to braid into their manes - or around the tail, perhaps, for her half-sister. A fitting trinket, one special from her.
His question dimmed her expression some, a little of that worry creeping back into place. Reluctantly, she eased back to her full height. Clearly, there wasn't as much to be concerned about as she had first thought. Kafele was obviously fine, after all, and so was her father. And now that she actually thought about it, she had passed through a busy pride to get here. Maybe not so hectic as it typically was, but certainly not dead. Her ears fanned backwards, hating the way that 'yet' lingered so close to end of that sentence in her head.
Outwardly, she stepped forward. The urge to bury herself in her father's mane, as she might have when she was so much smaller, was hard to resist. "Weird things have been happening. Do you know anything about why? I've been..." She didn't want to say 'worried', not if they were fine. Not if it meant worrying them unnecessarily. Still, her voice lowered a fraction. "Have you guys been hunting alright? Are you hungry?" There was solace in knowing Vidar was safe, that they were both okay. She couldn't decide yet if that was enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:58 am
|
|
|
|
Kafele grinned as his sister commented on his mane getting longer and more full. He couldn't wait to take after his father and braid his prizes into it! He was sure he'd look just as fabulous as him some day, but for now he had some growing to do still.
"Pah, no such thing as being 'too pretty'," he scoffed, lifting a paw to fix his mane after Eal had ruffled it. "I'll stun all my future thralls with my beauty and grace and capture them with my wit and charm!" As much as he enjoyed roughhousing Vidar had taught him that everything didn't need to be solved with physical conflict. You could catch more flies with honey than spoiled meat, or so the saying went.
Vidar watched his children with a fond expression even if it was tinged with a bit of worry. Things were strange indeed around here these days, even before the lights and the rumbling had appeared in the sky and on the earth. The question about hunting made his stomach snarl in agony but he kept it to himself. Everyone was hungry, after all. Just because he was didn't mean complaining would make it any better.
"Hunting just fine, and as others have noted once you get into the rogue lands the pain leaves you. But we're doing all right," he said and Kafele nodded to agree. Thanks to the youth's god blood the pain wasn't quite as strong and he had taken a page from his father's book to keep his head held high.
"As for why...your guess is as good as mine," Vidar went on. "How have you been holding up?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
