[PRP] Fall From Grace (Imbra & Katapatan)

[Princess_Feylin]

Imbra supposed she might have gone out exploring once she woke up, as long as she told Tomkrie where she was going. It was one of the perks to being older, that Tomkrie let her charges have their mornings to themselves as long as they kept out of trouble. They were permitted to go anywhere or do anything which was not otherwise forbidden by the rules of the pride itself. Generally they were also cautioned against annoying important people in the pride if they came across them, and warned to be polite to everyone.

Imbra usually enjoyed getting out of the den and poking around the pride to discover new places and meet new people, but for the time being she was content to stay in the den. She was tired, having trained very hard the day before and then stayed up late on the off-chance that Mana might come to talk to Tomkrie. He rarely spoke to her during hours when Imbra and her siblings would be awake, she had figured out, but she could only vaguely remember hearing his voice at nights. So she'd decided to stay up and wait, but he hadn't come.

It was a bit of a disappointment that he had not shown up. More so because it meant she was too tired for serious exploring this morning. But it was better to miss out on explorations than to do badly in her self-imposed training, she thought. And the lessons Tomkrie taught them, too. Those were also important, and she couldn't afford to do badly at anything. Not if she was going to be the best of her litter and make her father proud of her.  

[Chi Sohma]

[image coming soon]

Unaware and mostly oblivious to her sister Imbra. Only because she was always either around Mana or self where.. so she just assumed she was out. Her ears peeked up as felt the sun slip and reach in to the den. A smile as her paws hand lead her to the opening of the cave and taking a good look around the pride. She saw some of the usual suspects around but more than that. She didn't see her sister. Her ears went back and she turned only to see Tomkrie there. Then her eyes lead her to her sister not to far off. Usually she wasn't overly excited on seeing her.

Tarou on the other hand- both him and herself had been training together to be Nyoka's personal henchman but it always seemed Imbra was one step ahead so it was an ongoing battle between siblings. It was a spark that Nyoka gave them in their heads. Implanted and waited for the seed. Tarou would surely be picked.. Maybe even Imbra. Since she was the most aspiring of them, but Kata wanted to wish and hope that one day. She would be in the ranks like her father.

But something odd loomed over Imbra today.. so she drew near and with the sight of a confused Tomkrie she made it over to Imbra. Lower her head and poked her snout against Imbra's head. "...Sis." She asked.. ears big and slitted.. the began to slowly get bigger from the light differences.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Imbra held still and watched through blue eyes as her brightest sibling emerged from the den. She still wasn't exactly happy with Kata, though Tomkrie had told her several times that she really ought not to be angry with her, since it wasn't anyone's fault that Kata and Tarou had gotten to meet Lady Nyoka and Imbra hadn't. Imbra found that hard to believe. She knew her father spent a lot of time with her, and she spent a lot of time with her father, so it stood to reason that one of those times she ought to have seen Nyoka.

She bit back an exasperated sigh when she noticed Kata was coming toward her. One person she really didn't want to deal with when she was tired and grumpy was the reason she was grumpy. Well, Kata wasn't the reason she was grumpy, but she was definitely a contributing factor, and when she was tired Im wasn't the sort of cheetah to make distinctions between factors and causes. Everyone was the bad guy right now, even her father, who was usually her favorite person in the world.

"Ugh, stop it Kata," Im said, drawing away when Kata bumped her head. "I'm busy."

She wasn't. But even doing nothing was better than spending time with her siblings right now. Except Zuri. She wasn't unhappy with him. He hadn't gotten to see Nyoka before the inspection, either. Maybe she should have gone looking for him and played with him instead. Then she wouldn't have to deal with Kata.  

[Chi Sohma]

She fanned her ears up and then slitted them back down. Tilting her head again to the other side as she gotten more closer. Then flopped down. "Busy?" Her voice was slightly boyish but with a hint of softness. "But... your awake.. but laying down." Placing her chin to her paw as she looked at her sister. Wondering what was wrong with her, she didn't sound happy at all and ever since the inspection. Well... Things got rougher in the house as if Nyoka's presence she made everyone an enemy! Even her brother was rubbing at that 'competitive' streak. Well they all knew Imbra was but still..


"Are you mad at me." She finally had the courage to ask.. though her insides, she could feel that the mood wasn't very happy and it influenced how she saw Imbra on a daily basis. Always with dad. Stuck up in a way. She, always wished she could be Imbra.. The luckiest one of the siblings to have their father's attention. How he made her look so regal beside him. On the inside she sighed about it and envied from afar. How can one that is lucky be angry?  

[Princess_Feylin]

Imbra stood up as soon as Kata flopped down. She was feeling contrary and everything irked her. It didn't make a difference to her at the moment that Kata was being perfectly friendly, and making an effort to be so despite Im's equally determined effort to be difficult and unpleasant. It was very likely that it would come down to which sister became exasperated and walked away first.

"I'm not lying down anymore," she pointed out. "I was just about to go out and start training."

She really wasn't in the mood to train, but a part of her pointed out that it was very likely the adults in the pride weren't always in the mood to do their jobs either, and yet they did them anyway. She had never heard of her father shirking his duties because he didn't feel like doing them, and Tomkrie was always there to care for Im and her siblings, awake before they woke and long after they fell asleep.

The dark girl with blue eyes narrowed her eyes at her sister for an instant before widening them as if she was astonished. "How could anyone be mad at you, Kata?"  

[Chi Sohma]

Tilting her head at her sister. Then to another. Imbra was the oldest, the most beautiful, yet. So grumpy in the morning. She was about to stand- but then sat as she let her sister point it out to her. “Training?” She thought, why yes, they had started their training but she knew Imbra had been training long before they were given the order to train. Then the next words made her sigh.

“Sister, the one I look up to, whom is most like father. You seem more distant than usual, I have ears to listen. Maybe we can go training together? Someone to spar with always helps more than a rock would?” Lifting her paw lightly as she extended it out to her. “Rocks do not fight back.” Still, she was very much influenced by Tomkrie’s kind nature and the kindness she showed them, though she knew her duties lied within the rank that her father was. Knowing full well that her older sister seemed to be more stronger than the rest more showy too as she catered to father’s ways. Sometimes, it made her slightly jealous how much time she spent with him but that just fueled her want to strive for more. Still, she retained admiration towards Imbra regardless of the fact she was the first chosen to follow in those footsteps.

"You do not have to hide it, there is something wrong isn't their?"

 

[Princess_Feylin]

"Cut it out, Kata," Imbra grumbled

She was not sure if she was being made fun of, with all her sister's talk of looking up to her and finding her the most like their father. They were things Imbra wanted to hear and wanted to believe, but in the context of the conversation she couldn't make herself believe that her sister really meant them. She was probably just saying nice things to make Imbra quit being mad. Or she was making fun of her. Either way, Imbra wasn't going to be fooled. Hers was a suspicious mind at times.

"You're right about rocks not fighting back, but they're harder, and if you hit them it hurts you a little bit. You can learn to be stronger that way."

She didn't really want to admit that Kata was right without also pointing out a way in which she was wrong. She also wasn't about to admit that fighting with rocks hurt more than a little if you hit them with all your strength, and that she was tired of doing it. It was hard for a cub to make herself do something that hurt, knowing it was going to hurt more each time than the time before.

"It's not as if there's anything you could do about it if there was something wrong," Imbra said to her sister. "It's already over and done with."  

[Chi Sohma]

Then she flopped on her rump and sighed. Shaking her head. "Is it Lady Nyoka and father?" Looking at her, curious and rather patient for being her sister. Slowly she lowered herself to look at her sister as she laid on her stomach. Quietly examining her features. Yes, she was made and there was little she could do. Why was she being so stubborn? Who gave her such a trait.. Huffing softly in disappointed of being denied again.

"Then I challenge you to train with me. What. You scared I'm going to beat you?" She was trying to lure her sister out and though it didn't seem like her to taught, she rarely did if not ever. Her concern over her sister was that much more important.. She offered a paw to her sister- her eyes wicked as she lifted her body up. A smirk crossing her maw..

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Imbra didn't reply to Kata's question. Irritatingly, her sister was dead-on, but she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of being right. While she was precocious in some ways, Im was still only a juvenile and her emotions weren't as fully developed as they might be, and she wasn't really able to differentiate between the people involved in making her unhappy and the people who were actually to blame.

As far as she was concerned Mana was at fault, and Lady Nyoka, and Kata, too. She didn't like any of them right now, and Kata being nice to her just made it that much worse. Like she felt sorry for Imbra and was being nice to make up for the fact that she knew she had gotten special attention from the most important person in the pride. Im wasn't willing to be pitied. She would rather die.

So instead of answering Kata's first question she just stared at her. Through her, really. She was still doing that when Kata posed her next question, a challenge to train with her. At that point she had truly had enough. Not only did Kata pity her, but apparently she also thought she was stupid.

"No," she said firmly.

Imbra didn't specify whether she meant no to the challenge or no she wasn't scared of being beaten. In reality it was both. She strongly doubted that any of her siblings could actually beat her when it came to fighting. They had other strengths that surpassed hers, but fighting was something she did, and she did it well. It made her happy, usually, but today she could tell her mood was wrong for it.

"I'd hurt you." That was the truth. She was too hurt and angry to help it, and she knew she would enjoy doing it, too, even if she might be sorry later. It would be better not to give herself the opportunity to do it. Tomkrie would be disappointed in her and Mana would certainly be angry. Not that she cared what Mana thought!