Sphinx - normal
Kasai - bold

Once Ny had left, Aldan felt his cheeks heat up at the conversation again. The male wasn't a usual open person when it came to explaining relationships, and having someone, let alone Yorshka's niece know the two were intimate was something he found rather embarrassing. It wasn't that it wasn't /obvious/. He just...preferred not to speak of it to anyone.

"We probably should head home," Aldan murmured to Yorshka, glancing at her. "It's getting late." A scent crossed his path, causing the male to freeze up. Kristanf was nearby.

Aldan's hair seemed to stand on end as a low growl emitted from his throat. He stood closer to Yorshka, in case the male wanted to show his ugly mug in their path. "We should go quickly." He said quietly, nudging her slightly as he took a step forward.

It was hard to say where the lioness was, her mind felt blank for the first time ever and emotions seemed lost to her. The hurry in his voice hadn't yet reached her... not until it was a little too late. "Sorry," the female stuttered, nodding as her white dipped-paws moved to follow Aldan blindly. Yorshka hadn't caught the scent yet, if she had that might have motivated her to move with haste. For now though the pale female felt a little confused. Seeing Ny was a surprise and filled her heart with joy but... the conversation the two shared left her feeling hollow inside. Cubs...

Her existence was still a obstetrical she had to overcome. Her title still lingered over Yorshka's head. "What's wrong?" Finally the female snapped back to reality with a puzzled look crossing her masked face. "Aldan?" The lioness was starting to notice the worry in his voice. Had she upset him? "Aldan?--"

It hit her hard, that familiar scent, a smell that made the lioness feel sick to her stomach. The day that demon died would be a grand day indeed.

Aldan was lost in thought. It wasn't until he had heard his name repeated where he was brought back to the now. "Shh," he found himself hissing quietly, not out of spite, but their said bundle of joy was nearby.

Aldan's dark eyes narrowed as he found himself holding a paw back toward Yorshka, so not to cause distractions to themselves and give them away.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from overhearing part of the conversation, or demands, rather.

"Get up b***h. Kristanf growled as he swiped at the darker thrall. The lioness before him winced, shaking as she cried out from the action. "You were suppose to be home hours ago. THIS is where you were. DOING WHAT EXACTLY?!" Kristanf reached out to strike the female again before she could answer.

Aldan winced, looking away. Even though Yorshka was a thrall, he would never raise a paw to her. He knew others in the pride weren't as nice. His point exactly at the scene before them. "We...should keep going...before he notices us." Aldan said sadly. They couldn't help the other thrall. If they interfere, what would stop Kristanf from coming after Yorshka?

It had taken Yorshka a moment to come to terms with what she was seeing, the violence made her stomach crawl and eyes water. Even though she could not hear what Kristanf was saying it didn't change a thing, he was as deplorable as ever. Apart of the pale lioness wanted to reach out to save the other female yet she knew this wasn't a possibility, not after everything she had already endured at the hands of the red-headed b*****d. "..." The seer said nothing.

Slowly her white paws followed Aldan as the lioness did her best to keep her head low, the last thing she wanted was to start fight that could possibly end in her receiving another scar. Even though Aldan had grown considerably and Kristanf's size was no longer a real threat her mind worried, for herself and for her lover. "...He will pay for this." Her voice was a faint whisper as she cursed Kristanf before heading into the den the two shared.

"I hate him." Finally she spat with a flicking tail and bristled fur. "Damn him." Yorshka's frustration was palpable. "Someday he is goint to pay, Aldan."


Aldan nodded. "I can't wait for the day for him to become a Captain." The male found himself saying It was probably an unusual thing to advise, but if Yorshka knew... Well, he could always tell her. "The majority of times one becomes captain is when they kill their own. I can see him pissing off the right lion enough to cause an end to him." It was a dark thought, but perhaps one that was needed for the dark creature known as Kristanf.

"He will get what is coming to him. It may not be today...it may not be tomorrow. But...I know it will happen." Aldan was hopeful. That was all he could be.

When they arrived at their shared den, the male sighed as he entered. He made his way over to the pelt the lovers shared, gesturing for Yorshka to join him.

"I'm worried...Yorshka." He found himself saying. "What if more of your family comes...would you...leave with them?" He asked out loud, the thought obviously lingering in his mind from earlier. He wrapped his paws around the lioness's mid section, drawing her close.

"What would you do if we...if we had cubs together...?" Another lingering question from earlier. They would be thralls under the new war lords command. Aldan didn't know if he was ready for that.

It was healthy to vent to one another like this, if they always kept anger locked inside they would surly poison themselves to an unhealthy degree. Even if things felt bleak right now Yorshka knew he was right, the b*****d would get what was coming to him, fate would see it to - this was all the female had to believe in now, justice felt lost in this pride. Her pale eyes narrowed as she turned to face him, his question felt uncertain and full of anguish, and it left her feeling uneasy. Why was he doing this right now? "Aldan-," the lioness paused as her paws took her closer to him, close enough for him to reach out to her before the male pulled her in with closed limbs. Her lean frame toppled into his as a faint smile cross her pale face. "I....," another pause.

"I'm not sure what to say, I honestly don't think my mother would show up here... ever." As the female spoke her ears curled back in frustration. "-and Ny keeps her promises, I'm sure she wouldn't want my brother to know where she is now anyway..." Home. The idea made her heart skip, for a long time now Yorshka had given up on the idea of ever seeing that beautiful place again. Would she leave if given the chance? The question had never crossed her mind. For a long second she flirted with the idea before realizing she couldn't give him an honest answer. This was the first time the female had ever lied to him.

"No." Though the lioness did her best to reassure him and settled his uneasy mind, in the back of her own wandering mind, in a private place Yorshka pondered on the idea. It was going to take her sometime to find the honest truth. When the subject changed however, things started to feel tense. His arms held her close.. yet the female felt miles away. "Aldan..." Softly her words trailed off into silence.

"I...I don't want that, not for my own children, I can't bring cubs into a world of thralldom, not after living the life... not after seeing what I've seen." Her pale eyes shut tightly as her body lay limp beside his. "We have to be careful, we can't risk... that."

"I...I just don't want anyone taking you away." He found himself murmuring into her neck. "I don't think I could let you go. I...I know it would ultimately be your decision, but..." He felt a lump in his throat. But what? Would he fight her family to assure she would always be his? Would that make him on the same spectrum of Kristanf?

He shook his head. No. He couldn't think of it. It wouldn't...no....it couldn't happen.

The reaver found himself nodding. He couldn't help but agree with her, but...he didn't want to stop their intimate moments on the possibility of cubs arising. They hadn't happened yet. Maybe when children of gods couldn't procreate, and they were lucky? It was a farfetched idea, but Aldan didn't know any better.

"...I know...the priestesses had concocted something during the times of the famine...If...if that was to happen, we...we have that option." It wasn't an ideal solution, but that would be a guarantee no cubs were brought to thralldom of his blood. "We will be careful." He purred, "look at me." He commanded softly. He wanted to see her eyes, see her reaction. "I promise you." Once again, Aldan was making promises her could only hope to keep.

"I know, I do." It was hard to comfort the larger male when she herself felt so conflicted, though she would continue trying. This feeling was something that was going to have to be kept down deep inside, locked away for another time and conversation. Yorshka knew he wouldn't be able to handle her honesty, at least... not right now. "I'm right here, so don't fixate on what could be, focus on the now." As the conversation shifted back to something far more personal her eyes sank back down to her paws. How could she tell him how she really felt? "No...," soft words hushed him. "Don't think like that-"

This conversation had left a lump in her throat as the female sat and absorbed his words, she could only wince at the idea of taking something foreign to... Ugh, the thought made her sick. "If it comes down to it... we might need to try to abstain from..."Why was this so hard to talk about? The intimate relationship they shared was consensual, right? Why was Yorshka starting to feel so uneasy? Pale eyes narrowed as she frowned before Aldan asked her to turn to face him.

Another promise? How many promises could he keep, really? The night felt lost to depression as the pale female did her best to ward off any negative thoughts. It was such an uphill battle, but Yorshka would endure. This was becoming second nature... enduring painful moments in order to find peaceful ones. Aldan hadn't done anything to harm her, yet... in this moment the disconnect could be felt from both sides. The Demi-god was being so sweet and honest with his own feelings, so why was Yorshka struggling to face her own? He had... never asked her if she even wanted cubs, or how she felt about them... or if she ever wanted them with him. Maybe that was where her bitterness was stemming from.

How could Aldan know without her bringing it up first? Normally conversations came so easy with the wing marked lion, so why was she struggling now? Pale eyes closed as a sigh escaped her before the lioness moved to sit up right with a flicking tail.

"I know you mean well, Aldan, but tonight my mind is troubled, I'm sorry." Yorshka was finding it hard to be close.

“Oh...Kay...” he said almost defeatedly as Yorshka mentioned about abstaining from the intimacy. If that was what she wished... Aldan would have no problem trying to abide by it. It would be hard, he’d have to admit. If you would have asked him in his adolescence about his thoughts on the matter it would be an instant disapproval. Now? Not so much...

He didn’t know what emotion he could see lingering in Yorshka’s eyes, but it wasn’t one that Aldan could say he was comfortable with seeing. This was a tough subject, one perhaps older lions would have thought about. But they weren’t older. Both the lions in the den were young and had little experiences under their belt.

As Yorshka got up, Aldan’s head lifted. Oh no. Was this the start of something bad? The reaver didn’t know how to feel as Yorshka mentioned her troubled mind. In truth, his was feeling the same, but the two normally could just talk it out, enjoy a moment, and go to sleep. This seemed different. It seemed... wrong.

He almost asked if she wanted to stay with her niece. Almost.

Aldan felt anything he would do or say wouldn’t help, so he remained silent, retreating to the confines of his mind as he found himself flipping over, curling in almost a ball for comfort.

Nothing was going to be able to ease her mind tonight, this fact was painted across Yorshka's disheartened face. The conversation had turned sour quickly and though the lioness hadn't meant for things to become so confusing between them the outcome was all the same. Good intentions wouldn't save this moment now. "I'm sorry," the female paused as a worried look blanketed her once cheerful smile. "-try to sleep, I will join you soon."

As soon as Aldan made himself comfortable and settled in for the night the pale female sat at the entrance of the den, gazing out into darkness quietly. They had a lot they needed to talk about and most of it wasn't wrapped in a heart shaped package, the issues they faced were firmly planted in reality, issues they were going to have to face if the relationship they shared was going to continue and grow. Yorshka loved Aldan, this fact never faltered... but tonight she never joined him in bed.

Her worried mind kept her awake, despite her efforts to sleep. Aldan would notice her lack of warmth.