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 Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:36 pm
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Post 4 of 5
Matope stood silent and steady as Vitha demanded that the King step down. He didn't believe for a second it would happen, though he was realizing he was becoming fond of the idea of the council running things without a king.. but it was interesting to see the reactions it got. Most interesting were Soren and Kanoro.. a councilor and a cultist. Quite a pair.
His eyes rolled at Soren's assertion that Tau was a proper heir, but still he stayed silent. He didn't want to fight, he wanted the King to listen to Vitha, to all of them.
Anybody who blames either side is crazy.
It made sense, Iva could actually agree with them! But there was just something about how sure they were, and the bigger meaning behind it all.. she could agree on the face of it, but she couldn't let it rest.
"I refuse to believe there's nothing we can do against gods," she said, glaring at them, "King Tau is one mortal lion but he is responsible for the safety and well-being of this pride. If Vitha saw this coming, there's no excuse for letting it blindside us."
So many lions died.. if Vitha had been supported instead of ostracized, could that have changed? Could something have been done to save even one life that was lost that night? She frowned at Kushindwa and Madaha, but then was distracted when Vitha began to speak.
Step down.
Her expression lost the animosity that had been building to argue with the two beside her and she turned to look at their King. Whatever she had been expecting to come from this confrontation, this wasn't it.
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 12:27 am
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Madaha shared a look with Kushindwa, then looked at Iva, "Well, what would you have done different, in his position...?" She shifted, settling her weight a bit to relieve the dull ache from the meteor night. "What could any of us do to stop a god from wreaking havoc upon the pride's lands?" There was no malice in the question, only genuine curiosity. What would any of them do? Madaha herself didn't think she'd have been able to do much different. Maybe heed the warnings... But how much good could that do? She was very glad now her father had no ambitions to even begin to try and take over.
Kushindwa, too, contemplated it, before he finally asked, "Would having somebody else on the throne have improved the situation at all, do you think? Or would it have turned out much the same?" He flopped onto his side, heaving a sigh. "Probably the biggest thing to take from this is, what's done is done. There's no changing the past. You certainly can't run from it, all we can really do is learn from it, right?" His own red-eyed gaze went up to Iva, almost as if he dared her to make a counter-argument against it.
Ever late to the party! Sassalum had only just returned from a hunting expedition, where she'd been... Less than successful, honestly... When she'd spied the gathering number of lions around Pride Rock. It was a place she didn't often go, not entirely sure how she felt of the place, but sure it was a sign of being home. Usually it was peaceful, but today it was... Most definitely not. She was only in time to hear Vitha's rant, and the demand that the king step down, and... She wasn't sure how she felt about that. The white lioness hummed, taking a seat somewhere near the edge. Perhaps, she thought... She could see how it all played out, if somebody didn't convince her of one side or the other.
Quote: Sassalum is on the fence about it all - She's open to being swayed one way or the other yet!
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 10:32 am
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Post 5 of 5 for Iva
Iva looked back at Madaha and Kushindwa, her expression more neutral until the male asked his question and got an annoyingly smug look on his face. Her glare returned but this time when she spoke up, her voice was hushed. She didn't agree with Vitha now that the purpose of this particular confrontation was revealed but she was in too deep with a couple of lions she didn't even really know. She could backtrack but only so far. Even Madaha's genuine curiosity was lost when put beside Kushindwa's challenging tone.
"And this is Tau's chance to show us he is willing to learn from it," she snapped, focusing on the male, "When have we ever been anything but complacent? Even when something happens, we are on guard for a while and then go back to pretending nothing bad could happen here! If I were King and a subject came to me worried about our safety, I would do something. Investigate, recruit more scouts, check with other seers, double-up hunting parties.. anything more than letting a cult be how the rest of us find out that someone saw this coming."
The hyenas should have taught them a lesson after the last time, they should never have been able to do as much damage as they did but of course the Pridelands felt itself safe and immune. Even the deaths then didn't convince them to reconsider their invulnerability in the long term. And.. hadn't a hyena been spotted the night the stars fell, too?
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 9:25 pm
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Chandrakant stood next to his mother, eyeing the other lions around them. What was going on? Why there were so many other lions here, murmuring? What was going on? Was it something important? The cub's joints were stiff as can be, on edge and ready for anything. He wanted a piece of the action! He wanted to have a say! His paws dug into the ground in anticipation as he tried to look through the crowd..It was hard not to say anything even though he didn't know anything. To make it worse his mom seemed...tense too. "It's okay Momma, I'll protect you." He leaned up against the older lion's front legs, not taking his eyes off the crowd. He might not have claws but he had a bite enough to make his siblings howl!
The cup wasn't expecting the King to come out. At first glance, he had ignored the male that passed by. Big deal. It wasn't like he was someone important. Apparently, he was wrong. Very wrong. His purple gaze became awestruck as he watched the king avidly. What---"Momma, what's going on?" he said slowly, unsure himself as he nearly repeated his sister's words. It had to be big if the king was here. Even if it hurt his pride not knowing, he had to know. Did he---did he do something bad? What did....why was the king stepping down? "If he's not going to be king, I want to be the next one." Chandra puffed out his chest, eagerly. How hard could it be?
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 9:17 pm
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Haribu, Hasani, Aumia
Haribu smirked as Vitha finally said the words. A good chunk of the cult knew what she was going to do, but she wasn't sure if everyone knew. Many in the cult were pretty trustworthy, and that was what kept them together. Trust. She glanced over at some of the older lions, those that would stick with their selfish opinions until it killed them. She glanced over at the pair that were arguing with a red-eyed cream lioness, and let her gaze wander over towards a few of the council members. How did they not see the chains that were binding them?
"Tch, who do some of these idiots think they are, talking to Vitha like this." Hasani grumbled. Part of him wished his parents were here, so he could really show that he was dedicated to this cause. More than the loyalty he was expected to show to his parents. Haribu shook her head, her eyes brought back to her companions. "Fair is fair," she reminded the hot-headed male.
He seemed to want a fight to break out, to somehow prove how strong he was. None of them were trained very well in fighting, and they were still certainly out numbered. Vitha's statement had certainly thrown some of them off, and uneasiness settled over the group gathered.
"Shut up, Hasani. Talking is why we are here. To make them listen. From there, I guess we can see where it goes." Aumia wasn't one to look for conversation, and frankly she didn't care what anyone else had to say. They all were complicit in what happened.
Haribu snarled at the two of them, keeping it as low as she could. "Both of you need to keep yourselves in check. We aren't here to fight, even if that's what you both want. You can fight on the border. Keep an eye out for Vitha, continue the meal offerings. And sway those who seem unsure. We are the truth, and they all need to know that."
Aumia did not like being talked back to, but Haribu wasn't one to go after.
She was crafty, and she had a rather large brother lurking in her shadow. She groomed a forepaw, rubbing her face as she listened to the murmurs, the tension growing between the loyalists and the cultists. Even some surprise sympathies were having a hard time finding the right words, but they knew who was on the side of righteousness.
Hasani rolled his eyes but didn't talk back. "You know I'll keep my eyes peeled," he joked, his own read eyes glancing around before realizing that Aoife was staring right at them. Her glare sent a chill down the male's spine, and he quickly averted his gaze.
The dark brown lioness realized that there were quite a few that were not pleased with Vitha's declaration for Tau to step down. Time to put in her own words, more loudly so that more could hear her. "The council is perfectly capable...unless they believe they aren't?" She suppressed another smirk, wondering if that would get more lips to flap.
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 4:07 pm
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Chandrakat stood tall and proud, gleaming at his mother. Of course, it was a given that he was strong and brave. Power ran through his blood, after all. But it was always nice to hear his mother complimenting him, especially in front of his sibling. He gave Azurine a cocky grin before a familiar large tongue rasped against his fur, making him grimace. "Blech, momma." he gave her a petulant frown, eyes drawn into a glare. "I don't need to be groomed, I can do that myself." Chandra made a motion with his own paws clumsily. "See?"
And then his sister had to speak, he directed the scowl over towards her. "How hard could it be?" All he had to do was boss people around. He was way good at that. But his mother's interjection had him hanging his head, whipping around to look at her, wide eyed. "But mom," he shifted from one foot to the other. It could be so easy! "Can I at least be a part of the counsel?" Less power, sure. But it wouldn't be like he would be the sole lion there! He sighed, looking over towards the counsel members. "They look so cool." Almost nearly as cool as him.
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:09 pm
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Tau was starting to understand the true art of listening. It was easy to hear, but listening was something he had struggled with for a long time. It had always been easier to get someone else to help, to offer their opinion, to inform him of choices to make from those opinions. But he was beginning to take charge in his own way. That was why Simi had stayed behind from this meeting. Tau had to really step out of the old king's shadow to be taken seriously.
With the reactions to Vitha's calling for his resignation, he realized that some were really starting to take him seriously. They wanted him to stay, to be king and guide the pride past that awful night. He let everyone seemingly finish what they were saying, but he knew he couldn't wait too long to reply to the black lioness. She needed an answer, and he did not want to look weak in ignoring it.
"I have no intention of stepping down," he replied politely, if a little short. He straighted up his shoulders, facing the leader of the Cult of the Unknown head on. "We are stronger as a united front. The council is here to give me options. To be approachable to everyone. To be my eyes and ears when I cannot see or hear all within these lands. To cut off the head is to weaken it; we cannot allow that to happen, Vitha." He hoped that she would understand.
Aoife, on the other hand, was a mixture of frustration and fear. She knew that Tau had a painfully kind heart, and that night had really changed him. She was still able to speak with him and spend time with him, but he had begun to close off his own walls to everyone around him. Kituwe still saw him often, but Aoife wasn't able to carry the same conversations with him anymore. He had seemed to change, after the night the stars feel, as well as having cubs. He didn't seem to really agree with the cult, but... she was worried for him.
"Vitha... you can't really mean that." Aoife really didn't think that Vitha thought this through. Did she really want to drive more of the pride against her?
No one had stepped down in any recent history, and she couldn't imagine that Tau would agree to it. "That is madness to ask that, in front of everyone!"
Tau glanced over at Aoife, glad to see that most of the venom was absent from her words. His eyes glanced back over to his Councillors one by one, who all seemed to support him. |
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:23 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 8:08 am
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Post 5
It was interesting how a few simple words could bring a world of clarity to a clouded mind. So many sides to this story in their lands but his words 'To cut off the head is to weaken it.' All doubts melted away, yes lions were scared and worried-himself included. That didn't mean they had to rally behind their fear and choose the 'simplest' option, which in this case would be to have Tau step down. If you thought about it, him stepping down would cause more problems than it would solve.
"We have every right to be afraid of what happened, but to say that it is all because of one Lion....." It seemed mad the more you thought about it and said it out loud, his voice speaking up from where he stood next to Soren and his brother. "Our Great King is doing everything he can to help, he isn't cowering or having other's step up for him to do the job, and the recovery effort isn't just for one Lion alone, it's all of our duty to help." Oh God's he was being preachy so he decided to end his words there.
This whole thing was starting to make more and more sense to him, the confusion he was feeling before, the strength he felt now. If they turned on their King now, after all the destruction they had faced, what does that say about anyone?
- - - - - - - -
"I don't doubt you can clean yourself. Can't your mother give you a kiss when she wants?" Chuckling she pulled her son close to licked him once more before allowing him the freedom to move nearby her.
Azurine shook her head slightly at her brother, such high hopes for such a little fellow, even she hadn't thought that far into her future, but maybe he was onto something? Looking over towards the different members of their pride the blue and tan female wondered what her future would hold for her.
"We will have to see when you're older, besides, the council seems quite full so unless someone resigns, I doubt you'll get a chance at it." She couldn't help but be proud of his aspirations, though he was a cub and dreams had a habit of changing but who was she to smother them so she'd them breath a little while before reality kicked in.
- - - - - -
As different voices spoke up he wondered how this would turn out, it seemed there were a great deal of supporters here, for both sides. He just hoped it wouldn't end in bloodshed, he wasn't sure how prominent the cultists were and if they were eager to have him removed from the throne by force if he didn't resign peacefully. Still, the scout wouldn't stand idly by if someone attacked. This had been his home for as long as he could remember and he would be damned if he didn't at least raise a paw or do his very best to defend it, even if he was defending it from his own pride mates.
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AstoriaFallen
AstoriaFallen
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 8:43 pm
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"True, very true..." He tilted his head back, regarding the sky. When that started to cause him to fall over, he shifted and looked back down more earth-wise. His attention was soon drawn to Tau, listening to his words, and couldn't help a little smile. "Well, whatever everybody thinks as individuals, we can't say he's crumbling to the pressure yet."
Next to them, Madaha hummed, watching, then looked back to Iva, "So you would investigate, recruit more scouts, check with other seers, double-up hunting parties... But if the gods still came and caused death? Would it have made a difference to the end result of what happened?"
From where she sat, Sassalum's ears folded back. She spared Hasani a bit of a glance, frowning, not fond of blatant name-calling. It seemed far too cubbish for such a serious discussion as somebody wanting the king to step down. The lioness who spoke to the splotchy male about talking at least sounded reasonable. Or... Reasonable enough. Mature? Yeah, she'd go with mature. And then Sassalum tuned out a bit, looking up as the king declared he had no intention of stepping down. She did wonder, though... Was he getting closer to the lioness at his side, Aoife? She felt just a hint of jealousy at the lioness, for having the king's attention as much as he did. But then, she was just a huntress, no blood ties to much of anybody except, perhaps, that one heavily-scarred lioness and the family she'd brought to the Pridelands. Maybe. She wasn't entirely sure, herself, her own mother wasn't related... She shook her head, stopping a mental tangent.
Quote: Sassalum is on the fence about it all - She's open to being swayed one way or the other yet!
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:34 pm
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Vitha's brows knitted as she took another look at Aoife. She herself had seen how the lioness carried herself differently. She still had trust in the crown, in Tau. As a lioness with connections to some of the big families in Pridelands, Aoife had never truely struggled in her life. She greeted everyone with a bright smile and a compliment, and in turn would be fed the information or attention she desired. It had been all too easy for her in life, a source of jealousy that Vitha had tried desperately to push aside. The hollow 'victory' that Vitha had secured that night, undesired yet solidifying her claims, and forced Aoife to learn that life was much harder than feeling inconvenienced.
Well, Vitha herself would land the final blow, if what she suspected was true. The free exchange of information between Tau and Aoife had ebbed, and Vitha suspected that Tau was socializing less with those that weren't already in his circle. The council, his grandfather, and Kituwe.
"Madness?" she echoed. "No, madness is hiding the fact that Councillor Wahabu is missing." She shot over towards Tau, daring to take two steps towards the king. "You may still have your head, but you've lost an arm and pretend that it is still there. Where is Wahabu? Where is his mate, ? How can you pretend to function when you hide the fact that they are both missing? They are patriarch and matriarch of their family clan, and yet it appears that you would rather cover up the problem than ask for help."
Mkate had stood next to her this entire time, quiet. He was not the leader of the cult, nor much one to talk out after his mother had been murdered a few years ago. No one had seemed to care too much about one lioness gone, from the hundreds that still survived. Still, a question tugged as his mind, and he felt himself asking it before he could stop. "Did...the rest of the council know, King Tau?"
((I am so sorry for typos/etc. I will be linking Wahabu’s image for reference, but he should be at least familiar by name to a lot of the pride.)) |
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