Sometimes when Tsubaki closed her eyes Kyria would be just around the corner, and the worry that consumed her every thought was vacant. She wasn't being led into deep, underground chasms by males who made her very skin crawl beneath her fur. Being around so many manes, males, smells, snarls...it made her feel as small as a newborn cub.
"What am I being charged with? What have I don't wrong?!" She questioned, her voice rising with desperation. When the topic of trespassing was tossed around her she bit her lower lip, trying her best to remain stoic given the circumstances. Trespassing was a grave offense; she knew it more than anyone else, as a guard to her own pride. What kind of punishment did they have waiting for her?
Sandalphon had heard the commotion long before he'd even risen from his nap. As he'd grown these...dreams of his were becoming more troublesome, manifesting into nightmares that kept him from a decent night's sleep. What resulted were dark circles around pale eyes and a worse personality than the one he already claimed. The young royal's reputation had spread; not a soul would talk to him unless goaded by another and all waited on baited breath for him to snap.
The news about a female in the dens wasn't new, nor did he see it as important, but he'd hustled down to check it out anyway, just to shut them all up. He could hear voices echoing all over the damn place!
Gaining speed, he came to a halt in front of the Mother's den, and gave a cross look to the guard presiding before stepping in. He could spot her from the start; she was the only one who didn't show him an ounce of respect or reverence. Instead, she remained huddled, her bright pelt signaling her as a new threat to his peace. "Do you have any idea where you are?" Sandalphon bellowed, his voice carrying throughout the space. "What did you hope to accomplish, snake? Tell me, and quick."
While she wasn't exactly sure who this new male was, his stature and voice commanded her attention. Tsubaki gulped and rose, keeping her tail as stiff as it could be. Physically there was nothing about her that looked like the simpering wall flower she was inside, which was no doubt why she was getting such a cross look from him.
"I-I-I have no idea where I am, that's what I was trying to ask, but then they put me here..." She trailed off, looking about her like a hare caught under his paw. "I wasn't trespassing; I mean, I didn't mean to trespass, I had no idea this was pridal territory and I- Um, are you okay?"
Somewhere along her prattling Sandalphon had developed a sensation of blurred vision, and even as he felt another nightmare pull across him he tried valiantly to push it away. He closed his eyes to it as she rambled on about something or another, oh, right, the trespassing, until he was forced to lower his head. His breathing intensified, his chest falling in great heaves, and his body wracked with a cold sickness. The last thing he remembered before passing out was voices calling to him, and feeling his paws fall from under him.
Flowers. Bright flowers. Tall, in tall grass looking green with a soft paw, pressing down on his stomach. A laugh, a smile, and an embrace. He reached out for the shape, the creature that eluded him....and was awoken to claws scraping against the stone cavern floor.
Seeing the fire go out in a lion like that...it had scared her. Tsubaki had backed off when he dropped to the ground, standing at a distance as the guard called for someone else as the wing marked lion spazzed on the ground. When he opened his eyes all she could see where the whites, and seeing his body jerk up off the ground was something she'd only ever seen once in her life.
Still, to see the guard so quiet and hushed, almost as if this were normal was odd to her. It was almost as if they were trying to keep others from knowing. How very...odd.
When the male woke up, she approached softly, making her steps known and non threatening. "How strong are your visions? The seeing process looks painful, and I can only guess it makes you very tired afterwards."
"Do.Not.Speak.To.Me." Sandalphon snarled. The lion stayed prone on the ground, trying his best to get his vision to work correctly as the world spun around him. At least this time he hadn't gotten sick all over himself like usual. He scrunched his nose, trying to get a good look at her and being rewarded with a large blob of white.
"Trespasser," He murmured, pulling himself to right his body, to look more purposeful. "You're still a trespasser here, female, don't forget that." Sandalphon sounded weak, even to himself. There was none of the fire in his voice, though it was becoming increasingly pained to talk. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more to sleep, but there was work to be done.
But still..."How do you know about the dreams?"
Tsubaki waited on baited breath, her ears laid back against her head and a frown on her maw. He certainly could be bossy, couldn't he? Even in such a state he was so sure of himself. In a way, she envied him, and his assurances in life.
That is until she saw the blood coming form his nose. She moved forward, careless to the growl coming from his mouth, and lifted a gentle paw to assist him, since he didn't seem to be able to do it himself. "They're called visions. A friend of mine is the daughter of a God, and she sees the past when she touches someone. Although, they're not always like that, for everyone." Tsubaki stepped back and sat, a little calmer now, simply because she couldn't fear someone in so much pain.
"It's called being a Seer. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it before, since I'm sure there are others like you here. Sometimes the visions are strong, sometimes not, some are triggered by touch and others just like dreams."
"So I am cursed, then?" Sandalphon snarled sardonically, and flinched away from her touch, though he was unable to make her move. He wanted nothing more than to spit on her offering, and walk away, but so far she was the only real answers about his "illness" that he'd heard thus far. "Is that it? Cursed with these...visions, as you call them."
His were erratic, at best. Some times they may not come onto him from weeks, maybe months, and sometimes they would hit back to back, as had been the case for the past few days. They were never strong, though; just as premonition that left him sickened and feeble. "I am no son of a God, just a King and a Witch, so I doubt these are anything less than a taint in my blood." Something to dilute him, to deter him away from the throne...Whatever they were, he wouldn't bow to them!
"Leave, GET OUT." He snarled, snapping at her even though he couldn't see her properly. "I don't need you telling me what I already know!"
Tsubaki felt true pity for him. It was obvious this was a problem he had dealt with on his own for such a long time, and if he would just let her...Well, it didn't look as if he was going to be spreading the knowledge anytime soon. Just knowing he was a Prince or some form of royal b*****d had her blood on edge. If she'd known that, then she wouldn't have been talking to him so damn bluntly!
"I'm sorry, I was just...I'm so, so sorry." Tsubaki lowered her golden gaze and stood, skittering to the edges of the cavern under the watchful eye of another lion, who led her away form the lone royal. Scared as she was, she was more worried for him. What was going to happen to him when she left?
She couldn't say, but maybe one day, he would at least find peace within himself.
If he'd known...If he had known he was going to be so HUMILIATED he would never have come down here. Sandalphon gripped his claws into the stone, and released a frustrated, mournful roar that shook the walls around him. What Den Mother's still resided scurried away, though some of the braver ones stuck around to watch.
He would find a way to stop these visions, to find the flower...lion, cheetah, whatever! and go on with his life. It was obvious he couldn't twist them to work for him, so they had to be stopped, no matter how natural she seemed to think them to be. She was wrong, WRONG. There was no Gods involved in something this unholy. He was cursed, damned, and forever stained.
In an exhausted huff, Sandalphon laid his head back down on the ground, and against his best wishes, closed his eyes, giving into the tiredness that he could no longer fight.
(WC: 1532)
