Phlegyas tossed about in a half-sleep. It was night time, and plenty dark, but the juvenile was restless and bothered. Dissatisfied. He rolled to his feet and shook off what was left of sleep's hold on him before he looked around, his red eyes scanning the lowly light plains. Slipping away from his litter mates, he walked off, with no real rhyme or reason, other than he couldn't sleep. It was a problem that had been nagging him as of late, but there wasn't anything to do besides wandering the lands aimlessly, a very dangerous thing to do in a pride of demons. But the few lions he passed held no interest or purpose with the young male, and carried on like shadows. He would grin at their disinterest, mistaking it for respect, and with each passerby he carried his head a little higher.
Umlindi, however, was not one to simply let the young ones traverse the pride as they willed, not when they were still too small or too ignorant to handle the obstacles that would come before them. In a pride that valued strength - both of spirit and body - the Yana'hine were the ones charged with sparking that strength and nurturing it into the fires that burned within each of the Aikanaro'hini. Thus, as Phlegyas drew nearer, head held high with each step, the dark lioness reached out to hook a paw over the other's back.
She was lucky to be so dark, she could materialize and disappear in shadows almost by magic... and it quite startled many cubs. It was their first - always be aware of your surroundings. Her voice was rich and dark like the shadows around her as spoke, "And where, young hunter, are you bound for? It is not the time for Hirao'alph to play at stalking shadows."
The unseen force grabbed Phlegyas, and in spite of himself, he yelped. He tumbled over his feet to look up in fear and confusion for the source. Only his ears found it, and he stared blindly into the darkness until they adjusted, but even then he could only make out the silhouette of the lioness. "Who wants to know?" He was in no position to act like a superior, but he was cocky. Were it not for a genuine unease he would have grumbled further. He scrambled to his feet, ears half-cocked in fear and anticipation for her answer, and nose wrinkled.
He squinted his eyes further and was able to make out the shine on her eyes, but no more. He couldn't identify her as anyone he knew, be it half-sibling, member, or rogue. He could only hope it wasn't the latter, though the other options weren't necessarily any better.
"Yana'hine." She replied, lips splitting into a toothy smile, giving the effect of a chesire grin, "I am Umlindi'umame, young one. You, and the others of your age, are under my watch. I ask again, where are you bound for? Do you think it wise to wander when you cannot even sense another so close?" She blinked and rose, coming into the pale moonlight. Umlindi was not a large lioness by any standard, she was small, compact, and feline, moving with a unconcious grace.
The juvenile cast his eyes away, embarrassed, though hoping the night would conceal his shame. "I wasn't going anywhere. I was just going." The name rung no bells, though he'd been watched plenty of times by Yana'hine. Iar wasn't a very good father, much less a mother to his cubs, to say the least. He watched her figure emerge, little by little, and could only make out a red hue to her coat (though there wasn't much else).
"I-Its not fair!" He said, throwing his tail on the ground with a dull thump. He wasn't sure what he was accusing her of, or what could possibly make such a situation 'fair'. She was right, but he was too proud to admit it, though the edge of a smile in her voice chewed away at what self-confidence he had.
"Not fair?" She tilted her head to the side, expression expectant, "And what isn't fair? You think you can fend for yourself so soon? Better, perhaps, then those who hear not the demon's call, but still young and vulnerable." Again, Umlindi smiled and turned away, presenting her back quiet deliberately to the juvenile, "Do you insist on your midnight patrol? I will accompany you."
She was absolutely right, and he knew it, but still. The truth stung. Without reply he tensed his muscles, falling for her taunt. He wasn't very well prepared, and lunged for her tail, rather than anything really worth attacking. He latched on and snapped shut, digging his hind feet in and pushing against her legs as though he was trying to savagely rip her tail from her back. In reality and without realizing it, he looked like a naughty cub egging on his mother for a play fight. He scowled at his quarry, growling and snarling through his teeth as he waited for her to surrender, almost expecting it through his idealistic aspirations.
She grit her teeth and let the pain wash over her, staying still for a moment before moving on, dragging her new charge. "I doubt that will be a pleasant way to walk about, young one. What's your name, so I might at least call you by something other then your rank?" Umlinding glanced over her shoulder, unable to flick her tail for the weight that was trying, and failing, to gnaw through her tail.
The juvenile shook his head one last time for effect, resenting to let go, but knowing it'd be the only way to give a clear answer, but he still held on with his paws. "Phlegyas. Son of Iartuupe. Aran'shale of Morifaer. And my mother is," a pause as he considered 'was' "Posca. Goddess of Decay." He dropped to all of his feet, unhappy at having dredged up thoughts of his mother. He walked to Umlindi's side, and waited for some acknowledgment of his birth or instructions on what to do next.
