[PRP] Blood and Loyalties [Fashaq x Na'ani]

[oo Ded]

The sun was high, the pride was bustling, and Fashaq walked by the foggy cliffs with a set jaw and purpose in his eyes. It hadn't been long since the viking that had made him a captain, but long enough to where his wounds no longer stung. The promotion certainly wasn't one that came without a price. There were stretched along his side that would become deep, pearly scars, and he was told that he should be thanking the stormlords for leaving him unblinded.

And then there was the matter of the band that he inherited. The deceased captain had kept a loose grip and low standards on his reavers, something Fashaq had intended to change.

It made for busy days around the pride, though he supposed he wasn't too worked up about that fact. Fashaq had never been a fan of lazing around waiting for the next viking. He hadn't seen Myrnh for days, a worrying fact that would occasionally encompass his thoughts, but he didn't have the time to worry about her at the moment.

Besides, how much trouble could she get herself into around here?

The thought pressed Fashaq's mouth into a thin line, but he shook it out of his head. He had things to do. Lions to meet. Lines in the dirt to draw.

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

It was... going to be okay.

She was a lady, and she would not cry in front of others any more. Ladies weren't supposed to be sad, concerned, or upset. Her mother had told her these things with the kindest of smiles, all while she wasted away in their family's den. Na'ani was young, but she was not blind. There were many lions within the pride that were sick from the famine, but none mattered so much to her as her mother. The past few days had been better for Yhe, enough where she had encouraged her daughters to go out and play.

At least, that's what Na'ani was made to believe. Her mother was strong enough now that she didn't need her children watching over her.

So, she was going to be fine.

She sniffled back a tear and tried to compose herself. Na'ani was a small cub, though getting to the age where she could wander about without fear of getting trampled on. The famine hadn't been kind to her growth and she was still a petite, delicate creature. Na'ani and her twin Na'anu had favored their mother from birth, but perhaps it was the strength found in their father that allowed them to survive during these difficult times. Her coat was predominantly white and somehow pristine even in the harsh climate of the Stormborn. Her mother wouldn't let her wander around looking like a scamp, and Na'ani didn't dare roughhouse with any of the older cubs in fear of the disapproval her mother would show her.

It was why she was alone now, separated from her twin and the few friends they had made within the pride. Even her jackal pup had wandered off to play with her own sibling. Na'ani didn't mind too much - she was a lady. Refined, delicate, picture perfect, with manners that would please any adult.

The cub chased after a butterfly, careful to avoid puddles or slippery rocks. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something a lion with what looked to be like a very serious injury. Na'ani gasped and abandoned her private game to trot up to the male. Her voice was soft, but concerned, her words crisped by proper pronunciation. "Sir, you're hurt!" It didn't occur to her that he likely knew he was hurt.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Her voice caught him unexpectedly, but Fashaq's pace only slowed enough for him to find the small figure. "I'm fine," he said, his voice its normal rough sandy tone and his words cut short and gruff. She was so small and so pale, with words as delicate and pristine as her markings. Her markings.

His eyes lingered a moment more. If you asked him about it later, Fashaq would have said that his heart seemed to react faster than his mind did, puling his steps to a halt and twisting his stomach into knots. The cub was pale, more so than even his sister or mother. It made the soft pink of her markings stand out. The soft spiderwebbing around her eyes. It couldn't be… Could it? He had met others with those markings, but not this similar. Not in that shade of pink and blue. But he had also never met his father before, and run-ins with his side of the family were few but frequent enough to lend him the idea that they did exist. But…

The captain's mouth pressed thin and he swallowed hard. His heart beat in his ears. He glanced over his shoulder, out in the direction towards where he should have been going, then looked back towards the little cub.

"I'm fine," he repeated head lowering so he could speak in his best attempt at a soft tone. "My name is Fashaq. Captain Fashaq. What's your name?"

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Na'ani visibly flinched at the tone of his voice, wondering if she had somehow misspoke to him or otherwise managed to upset the male. Clearly, she must have done something wrong for his words to be so short towards her. She sucked in a soft breath and held it for a few seconds, forcing herself to calm down. It would be very improper for her to be upset now! "I am sorry, I did not mean to offend." Her mother would have been very proud of her, of that Na'ani was sure. Even though Yhe was ill, she never seemed to let her daughters slack in their manners.

If only Na'ani understood it was all because Yhe was worried they would become more like their father.

The pale cub sat down, her posture perfect with her tail curled almost sweetly around her feet. After apologizing, he seemed to be more gentle towards her. Na'ani had certainly done something wrong earlier, but at least now they were over the little bump in the road. "A captain?" Her blue eyes widened in awe. "Father is a Reaver, but I think one day he will be a Captain too!" Na'ani's adoration for her mother and father were unending. Though that relationship was far from perfect, both Bast'ion and Yhe seemed to keep their problems well hidden from their children.

"My name is Na'ani. It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Fashaq." She bowed her head politely, and when her chin raised again there was the sweetest smile upon her face.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

"No offense taken, little one. You just startled me."

Fashaq's mind was taking in the information and spinning together the possibilities faster than he could follow. Na'ani. There was no possible way that was a coincidence. A reaver father. One of his brothers? He could perhaps see one of his brothers making their way to the Stormborn, but naming a daughter after their mother? Na'resh would probably sooner drown himself than name a child after their mother. And imagining one of his brothers with a daughter this polite and proper? The thought would have brought a laugh from his gut, had he not been so mentally engrossed.

Yhe.

The facial markings and the way she spoke should have been obvious from the get go. Yhe. For a moment Fashaq thought back to his ragtag family. His family was everything to him, though it was problematic at best. It was the engine that kept his heart going. To say that Yhe was his favorite sibling would have been an understatement. Yhe, too good for any of them to deserve. And when Myrnh had left, Fashaq had felt his heart nearly tear in two, but he had followed the sister who he thought had needed him most (though the pale orange-marked lioness would vehemently protest to such observations).

Purple eyes flicked to the side again, and back to the pale little cub. Her smile pulled him out of his stupor. "The pleasure is mine, Na'ani," he said, his words tempered and almost soft. "Think your father will become a captain, hm? And who, might I ask, is your mother? I must give her congratulations on raising such a finely mannered daughter."

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

"I am sorry, I did not mean to. I just saw that you were hurt and wanted to make sure that you are okay." There had been a time when she had begged and pleaded for someone to help her, only for her pleas to fall onto deaf ears. The adults had way bigger problems in the pride to tolerate the cries of one so young, even if Na'ani had been desperate at the time. Despite the pride spurning her, she had already made up her mind to still try to help others regardless of how she was being treated. It was what her mother would want, and she desperately wanted to make her mother proud of her.

The cub clearly brightened up at mention of her mother, proud to talk about her and show her off. She did not understand that her mother was a thrall or any less of a lion because of it. "My mother is Yhe," she purred happily. "She would be very proud to hear that, I am doing my best to be the lady that she is."

Her mind whirled from excitement to almost instantaneous devastation upon the realization that Fashaq would not be able to meet her mother and tell her this directly. Unbidden, tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Na'ani had tried very hard to forget that her mother was not well. She couldn't let her mother's weakness effect her. After all, she still needed to become the perfect lady... the best daughter for her mother.

"I-I'm sorry!" her voice broke, and if she were not so sad she would have been deeply embarrassed by the childish noise. "She is just not well right now, so you can't see her... B-but I promise to let her know that you think she's doing a good job." Her enunciation of her words worsened the more she babbled. Thank goodness her parents were not here to see her looking so foolish!

She lifted a paw up to her eyes and rubbed them dry, putting forth her best effort to wear a brave face.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Hearing his sister's name from the cub's mouth, Fashaq's first response was elation. Joy at the prospect of reuniting with his sister. The thought hadn't occurred to him that, of his siblings, Yhe was the least likely to come through the Stormborn borders by challenging a reaver to battle. He hadn't considered the lionesses sweet demeanor and beautiful markings, both things that would draw any reaver into claim her as their own. All these concerns were drowned out by the possibility of seeing his sister again.

But the elation didn't last long.

The cub's sudden change in mood made his heart drop. The lion took a breath deep into his chest and held it there. 'She is just not well right now, so you can't see her'. Unwell? Unwell enough to not take company? It took a concerted effort to keep Fashaq from rolling through the emotions that overcame him, one after another. Anger. Helplessness. Fear.

"It's okay, little Na'ani," Fashaq spoke finally. He had seated himself, his voice dropping in volume into a warm rumble. "Your mother will be okay." He spoke grimly, as if he could will it to be truth as long as he spoke with enough conviction.

"If you or your mother need anything. Anything. You let me know, okay? Send someone for me. You remember that." He met her eyes then, speaking with a slow emphasis of importance. "Tell you mother. If she needs anything, Captain Fashaq can help."

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

With a delicatelittle sniffle, she tried to swallow down the last of her tears. If a certain cub caught her crying again, she'd surely never hear the end of it. Na'ani wasn't meant to be strong, and she really didn't want to be either. She just did not want to give Ku'san a chance to pick on her again over it. "She will be," Na'ani agreed simply because she could not allow herself to think that her mother would be anything less than okay. Her mother had always been the strongest in her small family. While her father was physically strong, Yhe was far more emotionally and mentally fit.

She would get through this. She... had to.

The pale cub nodded her head fiercely, her little braid falling over bright blue eyes. "I will." Though she did not quite understand how Fashaq could help them. Na'ani had not yet learned not to place her faith in every lion she came across. She expected the best out of everyone she met, trusted that they would not lie to her or mean her harm. Youthful naivety.

"I hope I will be able to find you again. There are... a lot of lions here." For a moment, her expression showed her concern. The sweet frown on her face voiced the little bit of doubt that if she did need Fashaq, he would not be able to be reached in time to help. "But, I will try. I'll let mother know that I met you today! She would be very pleased to know I hung out with someone as nice and cool as you."

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Fashaq gave her a small smile that he had meant to be reassuring. The little cub reminded him of Yhe in her youth. Part of him almost let all he was thinking about spill out right then and there. That he was her uncle. That he hadn't seen her mother in what seemed like lifetimes. That she had an aunt here, too. Part of him wanted to drop the preexisting obligations that he had and demand that the cub take him to her mother.

But if his life had taught him anything it was that rushing bull-headed into something almost never worked out the way planned. So he kept the outburst in his heart and settled for a quiet reassurance and a resolve that he would find Yhe.

"I have faith that you'll find me. You seem a very competent young lady, Na'ani." Fashaq shifted on his feet. He seemed almost set on continuing conversation with the young lioness, to see if he could get more information about Yhe from her, but his thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling from a little ways away.

"Captain Fashaq!" The voice called, that of a gruff male. "The band is ready for you!"

Fashaq cursed under his breath and sat up, looking over his shoulder at the reaver, then back towards the cub. "You'll find me if you need me, I promise. Be sure to let your mother know you met me, okay? Let her know my name, so she can find me if she needs."

He moved away from her then, back towards the pride, though on more than one occasion he turned his head over his shoulder to get one last glance.

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

"Oh, thank you!" Na'ani politely answered his praise, her smile sweet and demure. She had already picked up on her mother's mannerisms, though at time some of the Stormborn roughness could creep up on her. Na'ani just knew that if she didn't use her manners, someone would overhear her and then tell her mom. Her mother disappointed was not something Na'ani ever wanted to face alone.

Her ear flicked as a voice called out for the lion that was keeping her company. She resisted the urge to pout, knowing that such an expression was not very impressive. Na'ani was sad to see the male go - it was very rare that anyone sat down and listened to her. Everyone else seemed to be so wrapped up in their own problems that they couldn't afford to give attention to the cub.

"I promise I will let her know, on my honor and the honor of my family!" It was... a little dramatic, but she thought that was how those sorts of things were supposed to be. She smiled brightly, impressed with herself. "See you later, Captain Fashaq! It was a pleasure talking to you!" It was difficult to hide the excitement from her voice.

For a little while, she watched as the Captain retreated back towards his band. Once he was out of sight, Na'ani turned back towards the direction of home and pranced her way back towards it.

oo DeD

finite!