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 Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:59 am
Akatta was roaming the pride lands with no clear purpose today. Her husband had left the den earlier and she’d seen him talking to a reaver just a few moments after. Not willing to interrupt their conversation, Akatta walked in the exact opposite direction, searching for a more densely-populated area.
Perhaps she’d try to find some cubs. Watching the little balls of energy always did put a smile on her face even if many of them had almost none of the old blood. God’s forgive them, some even came from thralls! It pained the dark lioness to think of how many rogues had been joining the pride and she couldn’t help but think that their Reavers had become far too lax and abiding. Joining the Stormborn was a great honor that only the strongest should be able to claim. Something felt very wrong with the pride lately.
The lioness sighed, a heartfelt smile almost reaching her eyes. Things would change one day, she was certain of it. Perhaps all she had was hope and no real hint that their reality would turn back to the old ways but Akatta truly did believe the pride would return to its former glory. It had to.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:04 am
Dalla, too, was roaming the pride lands. She'd strayed from the sanctity of her den; something that did not happen often - especially since the ordeal with Hroarr. Dalla was not an entirely prideful lioness, truth be told, but she was hesitant to come face to face with Aesir's son once more. Their last meeting hadn't gone as she'd expected, and Dalla did not want a repeat encounter. As the lioness moved throughout the central area of the pride, she had her eyes open for one lioness in particular. When her pale eyes landed on Akatta, Dalla's eyes brightened. She picked up her pace, gracefully trotting towards the dark female. "Good morning, Akatta." Dalla's maw parted in a slight smile. She did not bother with traditional pleasantries; such harsh words were better left to the menfolk. "I was looking for you, my dear."
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:24 pm
The dark lioness turned her head gracefully when her name was called, her curious expression vanishing in an instant. She, too, wasn’t particularly fond the greeting customs of her pride and she only did use them when talking to someone she didn’t particularly like or complete strangers. And even then, her inherent gentleness always did bore a striking contrast to the harsh words.
“Dalla.” Akatta greeted the other lioness by her name alone, her voice so warm and pleasant that one would think she’d been waiting for days to talk to the patched lioness. In a way, she had been. Good company wasn’t quite as easy to find as of late. “I am glad you found me then. Can I help you with anything?”
She smiled, admiring the other lioness’ beautiful coat for a few moments. The soft morning light shone brightly on her pale patches and her eyes were like bright jewels. “You look well.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:12 am
Dalla merely shook her head, the slightest smile gracing her muzzle. She leaned her head to the side, an indication that Akatta should follow, offering a softly whispered, "Come." The things that Dalla wished to speak of were not meant for idle ears; privacy was necessary. "You look as lovely as always, dear," Dalla purred softly, light footsteps carrying her further from the crowded central area of the pride. A part of Dalla felt utterly sorry for the other lioness; Thorgrim was relentless in his desire to turn the pride back to the old traditions - and Dalla knew that such stirrings did not bode well for Akatta's husband. Once they were a fair distance from the boisterous central area, Dalla sat. She promptly curled her tail about her paws and eyed Akatta with pale seafoam eyes. "I merely thought to check in on you, to see how you have been."
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:17 am
Akatta followed after the pale lioness with little more than a slight narrowing of her eyes and a tilt of her head to betray her curiosity. For one always so proper, the dark lioness had a secrete appreciation for the arts of gossip – for it was truly a remarkable talent to be able to use rumors and the secrets of friends and foes to one’s advantage – even though the dark lioness would much use such means for the improvement of her fellow pride members’ lives and the pride in general.
“I am well, my friend. I hope you are as well…?” Akatta asked with a smile as her blue flames burned softly in her eyes and this time she did look a little curious. Pleasantries hardly required a secluded location where the eyes and ears of nosy bystanders failed to reach. Her tone grew somewhat playful as she sat next to the pale lioness and looked around to make sure they were alone. ”But you didn’t bring me here just to ask me that, did you? Is everything alright?”
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:15 am
Dalla chuckled softly, using a paw to dislodge a bit of leaf from her shoulder. Bright gem-like eyes turned to Akatta once more. "You know me too well, dearest Akatta." Dalla briefly cleared her throat before continuing. "In truth, I just wished to check in with you. I know that... that your husband has likely not been as.. hmm. Attentive? as he might have once been." Dalla shrugged her shoulders and flicked an ear. "I wish to impart upon you the utter importance of the task your husband has before him." She wanted to continue, but it was a topic best left in secrecy. "Do you try for cubs, friend? Family is important." Bluntly said, but Dalla felt justified in asking.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:47 pm
Akatta chuckled with the pale lioness but her expression became more guarded when Dalla spoke again – not unfriendly, of course, just less obvious like she was simply resting peacefully and her heart hadn’t just started beating faster.
“He has been very busy lately.” Busy with what, Akatta was aware that her friend might actually know more on the matter than herself. She hoped Njal would explain the situation to her clearly but if he felt it was best to keep her in the dark for now, Akatta would trust his decision. “I understand.” It was a firm answer but there was obvious pride when she smiled again.
“Well, not as much…” she started hesitantly but her mouth closed suddenly. She laughed after a moment, looking extremely embarrassed. “My dear, that is a terribly personal question!”
She paused, considering the idea of having her own cubs running around the pride. Njal’s cubs. Oh, they would be perfect. The boys would be strong and honourable. The girls polite and proper. And beautiful, all of them. She could almost see them already.
“It would be nice though, wouldn’t it?” her smile grew gentler.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:37 pm
Dalla waved a paw as she laughed abruptly at Akatta's comment about her question having been too personal. "Akatta, sweetling. It is not so much a personal question as it is a query into the preservation of your bloodline. I know not what Njal has discussed with you, if anything - and Thorgrim is not the most," Dalla smiled wryly, "talkative Captain." She shook her head, turning serious, keen eyes back on Akatta. "It would be nice, Akatta."
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:52 pm
Akatta tilted her head just a little, wondering if she understood the full meaning of her friend’s words and realized that she probably didn’t. There was so much that escaped her these days that the dark lioness worried that she might be missing something terribly important because of that ignorance.
In this case, while she was eager to add another generation to her bloodline Akatta didn’t feel like there was any urgency in its attempts. Unless Dalla was implying that they should hurry before… what? Anything happened? To Njal? A worried frown brought a shadow to the dark lioness’ eyes.
“Thorgrim doesn’t say much, no.” she said quietly, deciding that what Njal told her or kept from her was not something she wanted to discuss at that point. “But I trust Njal.” Her husband was not the brightest lion in the pride but she believed he’d always make the right choices. Akatta would very much like to change the topic of the conversation as she was starting to feel a little light-headed.
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 8:56 am
"Good, good." For a moment Dalla almost appeared to feel sorry for her friend, though the expression was quickly swept away. She herself had not been completely privy to talks between Njal and Thorgrim, but she knew that plans were set in motion and the future of the Stormborn's true legacy was coming clearer with each passing day. "Trust is important, Akatta. I am certain that Njal trusts you as well." Dalla delicately cleared her throat, licked her muzzle before pressing onward. After all, she'd been sent to speak with Akatta for a reason, not idle chatter. "Akatta, do keep your ears open. Should you ah.. hear anything ill-said of Thorgrim or your Njal, please come to me about it?"
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 9:53 am
Akatta was starting to realize that Dalla seemed to know a lot more than herself when it came to her husband’s recent dealings and while she couldn’t say she liked the idea of another lioness knowing things regarding her husband that Njal had not chosen to share with her until that moment, the dark lioness was mostly just surprised that her friend seemed to be involved in the first place. She believed her husband trusted her completely but she very much disliked the idea of Dalla getting mixed up in whatever they were plotting. Thorgrim, a prime example of the old Stormborn’s blood strength and boldness, could be a terrible brute at times but she expected better of Njal.
“If I hear such things, I will tell Njal right away. I think… I will go visit Lena. She might be a little lonely with Thorgrim out of the den so often.” She said firmly as she started turning to leave. But Akatta hadn’t even taken one step when a great worry took over her expression. “Dalla… you’re not doing anything dangerous, are you?”
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 10:11 am
Dalla's eyes grew slightly icy but she refrained from speaking coldly. "I only seek to return the pride to the ways of old, Akatta. To protect the old bloodlines that run through much of the pride. I wish to see our pride harken back to the days where honor, strength and willpower were what really mattered." Her mouth twisted with distaste. "Yes, Lena. You should visit with her. It cannot be easy to come back after so long a time, especially with Runa here. You are a good friend, Akatta. A good friend and an ideal wife - do not fret for me. As long as all goes according to plan... well, life will be good, my dear." She rose to her feet and leaned forward to rub her cheek against Akatta's. "I shall see you soon, then?"
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 2:30 pm
Akatta did not miss the sharpness of her friend’ gaze but her eyes remained as gentle as ever. In her mind, she was too busy putting the pieces together now that Dalla’s words had begun to sink in. A return to the old ways. How long had it been since Akatta had started hearing rumors of a growing discontent amongst the older Stormborn families? And in a pride like theirs, change didn’t often come through dialogue as much as the clash of tooth and claw and the fall of a ruler. The b*****d-making Outlander Aesir. And Thorgrim, defender of the old ways, was having secretive meetings with her husband. If they were simply bashing the Warlord behind his back they would not require to keep it from their loyal wives. No, something more was going on. Thorgrim wasn’t a young lion anymore… was that why Njal had been spending so much time with him? Because Thorgrim had asked her husband to help him take down Aesir? Would Thorgrim be the next Warlord?
“I hope so, Dalla. I really do.” She smiled softly when the pale lioness nuzzled her cheek. Honestly, what were the men thinking?! The idea of allowing Dalla to become involved in their machinations was infuriating. Honorable lions did not have freeborn ladies risking themselves for the sake of their politics. “Of course, I will see you later. Stay safe, dear.”
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