|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 6:48 pm
Except Nina-dini. She paused as she walked, glaring up at the sky. The Great Lion had, as she saw it, turned his back on her the night she and her three brothers had been born. In fact, as if an extra mockery, she was the only girl in the litter. Nina felt shorted by the Great Lion, by life itself. If she'd been born male, she'd have been able to simply marry into another class like her brothers. Instead, she was stuck
Trapped.
And then Shangyue had come along, taken over... And she didn't feel SO trapped. Sure, she was still in the Low Class... But she wasn't a slave. No, no more would she answer anybody, no more would she be PITIED. That was what she hated the most - The pity. The sorry looks. Lions trying to 'protect' her. She could take care of herself! She didn't need them to shelter her from danger! She had teeth, she had claws!
The lioness huffed, then looked around. She heard faint rustling, somebody out and about. She inched toward the sound, suspicion high as it had been since the night Shangyue took power that somebody was sneaking around and plotting against the king. "Who's there?!"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:01 pm
 Lailah was wandering through the pride, moonlight reflecting easily off her white fur. She had no real destination in mind, no real thoughts to ponder. In fact, the Apprentice spent rather more time than she should have avoiding thinking. It wasn't that it was too much work or too difficult, but it was rather uncomfortable. Things had stabilized after the coup, but even now she hesitated to call them "settled". The sudden and unexpected voice startled the older lioness and a squeak escaped her mouth. Looking around, her eye finally fell on a familiar figure. "Nina! You scared me!" she answered her sister indirectly. Then Lailah's expression softened as she realized how hard her half-sister was looking to do her duty. "The King is lucky to have someone as alert as you looking out for him." The unspoken subtext of her statement, that King Thoth could have benefited from similar precautions, might have gone over the younger lioness' head. Might. Nina-dini had been one of the first of Lailah's siblings to declare her loyalty to Shangyue, and the Apprentice really couldn't speak to what did and didn't go through her sister's head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:10 pm
Though she was small for her age, Nina held her head high as she walked up to her sister. "Thank you. I try my best to be as alert as possible." She turned and pointed to a tree. "There is a bird sleeping there, for instance." The bird in question popped one eye open, glared, then turned around so its tail feathers faced them. Nina paid it no further mind as she returned her bi-colored gaze on her half-sister.
She was, admittedly, very jealous of Lailah. The older lioness had had the fortune of being born not only in a higher class than Low, but in the actual High Class. If she had so chosen, the pale lioness could have been a Lady, by Nina's estimation. She had admiration for Lailah, though. Instead of being another Lady, she'd strove to become something more.
"So, what brings you out here tonight?" She looked up at the sky, sneering a bit. "As the Great Lion closes his eyes on us..." Anything could happen on a night when the eye was fully closed. This much had been proven the night of the coup, and in fact it put her on higher alert. Anybody could attack the king on a moonless night. She glanced back over to her sister.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:18 pm
Lailah smiled a bit more to herself as Nina accepted the compliment and demonstrated more of the alertness that made her a good guard. It was no bad thing that the younger lioness had been given the opportunity to be something more than a simple slave, and for that Lailah could give Shangyue credit. She was still uneasy with how he'd come to be in charge, but she did have to admit that his attitudes about the low class were, for the most part, better than what they had replaced.
"Oh, nothing much," the white female admitted. "I do enjoy strolling around the pride by myself...and sometimes I just need to get away from Stellaluna." It wasn't the best thing to admit, but Lailah's teacher often made the simplest conversations feel stifling. She did care for and appreciate the older lioness, but she needed time to be herself as well.
The Apprentice considered the new moon above them before looking back to Nina. "You know, in the old days, there was a group within the pride that thought a lion was luckiest on a night of the same moon as her birth."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:30 pm
She couldn't help but let out a snorting laugh. Indeed, sometimes one had to get away from their mentors, if only to have a little breathing room. She enjoyed getting away from training exercises now and then, relax and clear her mind. She couldn't even imagine what it was like for her sister.
Her gaze returned momentarily to the sliver of moon, then back to her sister again. "I suppose... It was such a night that led to me being more than a slave, at least." She flexed her shoulders, smiling. "I adore what King Shangyue did for us. No more will we have to only be pitied and sheltered..." She let out a laugh. "It's like he gave us a way to MAKE the Great Lion see us!" At least, that was how Nina-dini saw it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:56 pm
Lailah let out a small, slightly uneasy laugh, and rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "There are many different, though special, moons in the sky throughout the year," she observed. "And there are more ways to view them and interpret them than even a Shaman can count." It was one way to say that Lailah might not agree with Nina's exact interpretation, but that didn't make it any less valid.
Though her half-sister could rightly point out that no opinion Lailah might hold concerning the low class was valid, seeing as the Apprentice must be in the high class.
"It is good to see you well, and happy," was the response the white lioness settled on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:40 pm
"Well enough, anyway..." She let out a puff of air, then opted for something not related to the Great Lion, though still in the family. "Do you know where Mom went to? I've heard nothing yet, but she vanished not long after King Shanyue came to power, and I've... Kind of..." She hesitated, ears folding back as she looked away. "I've worried... The last time I saw her, the terms weren't so good... Because I was siding with the king..." Given her situation, what other prospects DID she have? Her only other option was to try and leave the pride... And she wasn't about to leave her family behind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:37 pm
Lailah found it...somewhat unexpected that Nina-dini would ask about their mother. After all, it was fairly public knowledge the rift that had grown between Aysu and several of her younger offspring concerning Shangyue. In fact, given their mother's reputation for gossip, it was fairly remarkable that she'd continued to avoid her estranged children.
"She's around," Lailah answered. "She's...not pleased with things at the moment, but she hasn't left." Like some people, the unspoken subtext added. There were several who had given up on the pride and left for other places and greener pastures. The white lioness couldn't find it in her heart to blame them, and a part of her wanted to go with them.
She couldn't, and wouldn't, of course, but that didn't stop her from daydreaming about it occasionally.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:38 pm
Her ears went back. Aysu was still around the pride... "Maybe our paths just haven't crossed since then..." It WAS entirely possible. She didn't want to think their mother was actively avoiding her. Still..
"I know she wasn't happy with me... But what other choice did I have? King Shangyue gave me something more to do, to be something better than a slave. She has no idea what it's like, at the bottom... To be the object of pity..." Her ears fell back, as she sighed. "When the king has an heir, I hope he or she doesn't remove the rank. I don't think I'd be able to take it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:44 pm
The white lioness was silent for a time after Nina spoke. She had always been in the high class, had always been the Shaman's Apprentice, and really couldn't speak to what her half-sister felt, probably knew it even less than their mother did. The only thing she did know was that even when Thoth had reigned, the future had never been certain.
"None of us can know what the future holds," Lailah replied at last. "From what I've seen, our King has yet to look at a lioness for more than her loyalty or job. In that respect, it seems you'll be a Royal Guard for some time yet."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:49 pm
On one paw, the idea that Shangyue had no plans for an heir thrilled Nina, as it meant his continued rule and her continued service as a Royal Guard. On the other... It meant that if he died unexpectedly... Who would rule? Who would take his place? She let out a puff of air. "Maybe none interest him yet, that's all. After all... You can't be sure who you can trust when you're the king, and she would HAVE to be high class, anyway..." She flicked an ear. "Well, that's something to file away and not think much about. The king's personal business on who he's doing or not doing with is his own business. I should get back to mine, which is patrolling the area." She gave a bow of her head to her sister. "I'll see you around, Lailah." As she padded off, she contemplated on her own words... COULD she trust her own family..?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:52 pm
"Goodbye, Nina," Lailah replied after letting the younger girl babble on a bit. Her concerns were valid, but, to be honest, the white lioness didn't care much. True, Shangyue had done some good for the pride, but she would continue to miss the days before their monarchs and heirs had been murdered. The world had been a much simpler place then, not to mention far more peaceful.
Ah well. There was no use to dwelling on the past. She had to live in the present and plan for the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
