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 Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 12:38 pm
Two days later, and things hadn't seem to get better. Ea had returned to the ward with a look of ice that could have sent the entire motoujamii into a snowstorm. She'd done her job looking after Veru overnight, and the next morning she was gone again. She didn't have to make it more apparent that they were not on 'speaking' terms. And any attempts to reconnect with Armada had been met with the same amount of disinterest. She didn't want to talk until the cubs had arrived. She was busy with her patrols. Not interested.
So with both women effectively not speaking to him, Vlam tried to rationalize the situation the best way he could. He was doomed. For the second time.
Heartbroken, Vlam had decided to accept defeat and leave the wards. It was only agitating Ea all the more, and no matter his feelings, there were people legitimately sick. They didn't need his drama clouding out their own needs. So he retired to a small outcropping of rocks that he'd once taken naps upon as a younger male. He'd picked them because, at the time, it had put him in what he believed to be the center spot of the pride. Where everyone could look at him and admire.
Now, he just felt... quiet. The white lion sighed, resting most of his limp weight on the stone below. Whatever didn't fit simply draped off unceremoniously to the sand below. And so he sat. For most of the day.
Long enough for An to come looking. With Ea raging, Nur off on some adventure, and Veru babbling insanity, the caves were getting more then a little off putting. She was starting to legitimately fear leaving home. Not because she didn't want to see the outside world. She did! But how on earth was everyone going to function without her?! It was giving her grey hairs just thinking about it. A young lioness did not need grey hairs!
"Hey, I was wondering where you'd gotten to!" An chimed merrily as she approached. Vlam made not indication of moving.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 1:23 pm
Heti was in fine spirits - as he always was - and moving swiftly across the sand, heading towards the heart of the pride. He was fresh off of morning patrol, but clearly had enough energy to go strutting around the pride lands sticking his nose into other people's business.
And he was not alone.
Lagging a few steps behind was the orange-red form of Naar-Ehuka. The female was, all in all, the complete opposite of Heti. He was talkative where she was not. He was happy where she was not. He was handsome and bright and charming where she - yep, you guessed it - was not. She could have been all of those things, and had been once. But then her sister was gone and she had lost a part of herself, too. Some days she thought it might be easier to just forget the Firekin and strike out into rogue lands to find her sister. Other times...other times she wondered whether she had the courage to even take a step out of the lands.
Probably not.
"Listen, kitten, you going to follow me around all day?" Heti had paused to let her catch up and then slowed his pace so that they could walk side by side. She moved with a hunched posture, her head low; ears flat against her head. She looked a rather sorrowful sort.
"You mind?" She asked, not even lifting her eyes to look at him.
"Not really, but--" He paused and lifted his head up to the rocky platforms to their side. Probably, the two of them would have walked right on by, but An's voice was clear and loud in the otherwise quiet desert. "Hey, what's going on up there?" He asked, not really expecting an answer.
Naar lifted her head to see what he was talking about and spotted the shape of An, her very un-red pelt somewhat soft under the sun's touch. "Sister..." She'd meant it to be a silent thought, but the word came unbidden to her mouth.
"Huh?" Heti blinked and gave her a shove. "Come on, might as well check it out." He leapt up onto the first of the rocks and began the short climb up.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 1:37 pm
An smiled as the other two approached. Trying to get Vlam to respond had been fruitless, and in the time it took for Heti and Naar to arrive, An had taken a seat next to the heartbroken fellow. Occasionally she patted the swell of mane just above his head, like a mother might a petulant child. There was no hiding that the blonde youth was a busybody. At this point, An simply ignored most formalities with people. Even when she did not know them, she tended to know them.
"Hey you two," she called pleasantly. Her paw rose, as though to wave them over. It would do Vlam some good to talk to people not involved in this. Well...not talk she supposed but...! "You'll have to excuse my friend here. He's not having a good day. How are you?"
Vlam twitched his tail irritably. He might have been able to tolerate An's pity, she was a child. He wasn't about to take it from his own peers. The big lion rose up onto his legs, and started to make motions to leave. Sensing his escape, An did the best she could to try and trip him up. All the while, she continued to grin through clenched teeth. "You don't look so well, Naar! How are you feeling?"
Vlam gave her a good shake, and An stumbled forward. She was a strong lioness, but she still wasn't big enough to hold the male down. For what it was worth, he stopped struggling, but simply turned himself completely around. He might not have been able to speak, but his body language was clear: he didn't want any part in this.
An recomposed herself and sat back down, tossing Vlam a sorry gaze. She looked back at Heti and Naar, extending her paw as a silent plea not to ask too many questions.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:00 pm
Heti scrambled for a name and found it, or so he hoped. "Hey there, An. Hey Uncle Vlam." He nodded his head towards the white lion and pulled himself up onto the same level as they, seating himself on the warm slab of stone once he had ensured there was enough room for Naar to join them if she wished.
Apparently she did.
She appeared next to Heti a few moments later and sat slowly, seeming a little uncomfortable. She kept her eyes downwards for the most part, but could not help but lift them to glance nervously across at the sandy-pelted youth. How long did she have before she, too, was cast aside? Deemed as not good enough to live among the sands?
With a small shrug, Heti decided to join in the conversation first. "All these bad days. Bad days everywhere! I, on the other hand, am having a fantastic day. As always." He grinned, realising perhaps a moment later that it probably wasn't the best thing to do to bring up how wonderful his life was when there were two here that couldn't really say the same. "Uhhh..." He gave an embarrassed sort of laugh and shifted uneasily.
"Feel well." Naar replied after a moment, looking once more, at the floor. "Not sick...just..."
Just what, exactly?
"She was wondering around out there like a little lost cub." Heti ended for her, working to change the subject. "And, since I didn't fancy dropping round to see the old man, figured I'd allow myself the distraction." He'd been avoiding Azar'bijan...for...certain reasons.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:27 pm
An decided very quickly that she liked Heti. There was far too much angst around the pride these days- hopefully fellows like him would ease her soul a bit when it came time for her to leave. She didn't want to return home someday to find nothing but a few skeletons and a crater. To An, every day was a new adventure. She didn't see the point in being sad about things. But she still understood the cause for sorrow. Which was why she was determined to find a way to fix it.
Now it looked like there were two cases on the table! Two cases, and seemingly two willing detectives. This pleased An greatly. She didn't take coincidences lightly. Her ears swayed somewhat. Naar... what about Naar rang a bell. She didn't usually forget key information. "Hey, you're one of Veru's friends, aren't you? Did you know we're taking care of him?"
She hopped down from the rock. She liked to be active when she was onto something. Kaanga often said that An had fire on her paws. She wasn't entirely incorrect. "Actually, that's sorta loosely related to our problem. Ea's busy taking care of Veru right now, so I've got some freetime. Your uncle thinks he's dying of a broken heart, you see!"
Vlam bristled. But he did not move.
An sat, no doubt to move moments later. "I think am thinking up a very compelling plot to rectify this situation."
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:37 pm
Naar dared to lift an ear with interest. "Veru?" She did not recognise the name and followed up with a small shake of her head, realising a moment later that An must have been speaking about the white rogue that she and Fia had found about. Naar didn't tend to mix with people but Veru certainly wasn't a name she recognised amongst their own ranks, so... it was a sound enough assumption.
"He's...sick?" Her head lifted a little higher and she finally seemed able to make eye contact with them. "He...lost his sister, you know..." Her voice was so quiet that the last statement might have been lost to the others.
Heti, however, gave the female a sidelong glance and gave An a slightly bewildered look. He didn't do well amongst such sorrowful souls. Reaching sideways, he threw a paw across Naar's shoulders and gave her a squeeze as if she were a child and not a fully grown lioness. At hearing of his uncle's predicament though, he could not help but stifle a laugh.
"Broken heart? Uncle, truly?" He snorted softly. "That's just the reason I'll never let a woman get a hold of mine." He gave a matter-of-fact nod, though deep down, he was a rather romantic cat. He just...hadn't found that special one yet. He was thinking he never would. Which was fine, maybe, because at least he could charm any female he wanted without fear of being beaten up by a mate out of a fit of jealousy. Not good...not good at all...
"If I can help with plotting, I am at your service!" He gave a little bow of his head, grinning all the while.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 2:58 pm
Wait, Veru had a dead sister? He hadn't mentioned that one before... or... no, better to focus on the task at hand! It seemed she'd gotten Naar's attention in any case. That was a good start. She had a feeling coaxing the forlorn looking lioness help Vlam out might cheer them both up. Maybe. Or maybe it'd just make them both mad at her. But An was fairly confident in her charm. There wasn't a bitter heart out there she wasn't determined to dismantle, reconfigure, and set back to sorts.
"Perfect!" An proclaimed, as though they were planning something criminal. She shot Heti a mischievous grin. As though she knew something about women, even at her young age. "You should never underestimate the power of female wiles! After all, that's what got us in this predicament in the first place."
And at about that point, Vlam decided he'd once again had enough. He stood up, this time unhindered by An's flailing limbs. He wasn't able to voice his complaint, so a switch of his tail would have to do. As he started to walk, An tried to pull him back. "Aww, Vlam, wait! This is serious business, now! I've got a plan and everything!"
Did she? Maybe she did! An tended to think of things on the fly. She looked over at Heti and Naar. "And, we've got assistants! It's surefire to work, it is!" That would be up for debate. She conveniently left out the fact that it was Ea they were trying to woo. And that wooing her was almost tantamount to going out and slaying a dragon. Better her comrades go into this unawares!
Vlam simply shook his head and sat. He didn't really care about plans at this point. Bothering Ea about this was only going to make her madder. A thought which he couldn't voice, but An no doubt seemed to come to on her own.
"See, the thing is..." An's voice trailed off, thinking on how to phrase this. "The lady in question is a bit..uh... interesting! Yes, she's a very interesting individual. But also stubborn. I think... the best course of action is to trick her!"
Vlam flicked his ear. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had a feeling this was going to get them all in a lot of trouble.
"Yes. The best way to woo her is to trick her." Much like slaying a dragon indeed!
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:57 pm
Heti gave the young female a crooked grin, rolling his eyes. As far as he was concerned, he had complete control over his heart and would never fall for such wily tricks! After all, he could flirt and flirt, so long as he didn't take it any further than that.
He could talk the talk.
Anything more than that, though...? And that's where the similarities between him and his father were more clear. A fear of responsibility in that respects. A mate. Children. Heti shuddered to think of it. He was still young. He needed to enjoy himself first and not get himself into the same situation as his father had - having children as an adolescent indeed!! Even still...this plan sounded like too much fun to not get involved in.
"I think you should listen to her, Uncle Vlam. She seems to know what she's talking about. Besides that, if your moping about all by yourself, how could it get much worse?" He gave a light shrug and turned his attention to An. "Sounds like Uncle chose himself a particularly challenging female." He laughed. "But I'm all up for a trick. It's been a long time since I got myself into some trouble. I think I'm due for some. What about you, Naar?"
But the large, sullen female looked just as unconvinced as Vlam and she cast the white lion a silent but clearly apologetic look. She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, only to find Heti clapping her shoulder and declaring: "See, she's up for it too! Okay, time to plot."
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:03 pm
Vlam doubted that. If there was anything he'd learned through his short list of life experiences, it was something always got worse. It seemed as though he'd spent all his luck as an adolescence. Every moment since then had been an out of control descent. How could he possibly expect things to turn around now? Life just didn't work that way. Fate, or whatever governed the universe, seemed content that he had his life and nothing else.
But at the same time, Vlam was so heartbroken he couldn't really discourage An. Not that he would have gotten very far had he tried. An and Ea shared a similar cord. Both were wild and stubborn. Perhaps there was some fleeting hope that the younger lioness somehow knew something he didn't. But he wasn't going to hope too hard.
"I think this is the perfect setup!" An proclaimed, giving an espiecially appreciative look to Naar. "Now, I'm not going to lie. It's not going to be easy! But, I think we've got just the right number of people to do it. And just the right amount of smarts."
To this, she knocked the side of her head casually with her paw. Ever in motion, the lioness started to trot back and forth. "Alright, so this is my idea. E- I mean, this person, is a very caring, gentle sort." None of those words accurately described Ea. "So, I think we need to appeal to her better nature!"
"Naar, I bet you are a really good actor. You and me, we're going to go talk to her. We're going to tell her that she has a secret admirer!" An was very proud of this. "And that he wants to meet her. When she gets here though, it'll be Heti!"
There was a long silence, due mostly to the fact that Vlam couldn't voice his aggravation. An decided to explain herself before anyone asked. "How does that help, you may be thinking! Well. She'll be so disappointed to find out that it isn't Vlam trying to apologize to her! Trust me, I know."
"After that, we start up part two," she continued. Apparently the plan had multiple levels to it. "But we'll get to that when we get to it!"
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:13 pm
Heti - who had been so eager only a moment ago - couldn't help but feel his heart sink a little in his chest. Just a little, mind you, but enough to have him worrying about how terribly wrong this could go. His grin was still in place but it looked slightly shakier than it had previously.
"I have the oddest feeling that I might have to prepare to dodge some angry swipes before this day is done." He voiced his concern, never much one for keeping things in. He gave a sort of dismissive shrug, gave a sidelong glance to his Uncle - who still looked rather unhappy - and then returned his gaze to the girls, unsure whether Naar would agree to this.
"Um..."
She seemed to be considering it, at least.
"I...I don't know. Guess I could try." The female cast another wary glance across at Vlam and then, with a soft huff, got to her paws and moved to stand next to An. "We...do need the people we love, after all."
Heti laughed. "Exactly." He continued: "Well, it looks like you've got your team together, An. I take it you know how to find Vlam's woman, then, right?" He seemed to be rather eager to get the plan under way, possibly because he just wanted it to be over and done with. It would be rather amusing, he supposed, even if he did end up with a bruised face for his efforts.
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:24 pm
"Oh, no...no- it won't come to that," An said, her face stretched into a broad grin. Which was the perfect inverse of the absolutely fearful look on Vlam's face. Upon noticing it, the lioness scrunched her brow and gave the ground a slap with her tail to show her resolve. "Absolutely no one will end up maimed! I promise. I have factored such things into my plan."
The fact that An had considered possible maiming in her grand scheme probably should have been a red flag right there.
The blonde lioness hopped down from the steep scale of rocks, and danced around Naar. "Alright now. It's up to you and me! Heti, you wait here. And Vlam you'll, uh..." her voice trailed off for a few moments. She seemed to be considering something. "Well, I guess you can't come with us and you can't be here. And your not apart of plan number 2. So you'll have to just hide somewhere for a while!"
Vlam simply shook his head, and looked disinterested.
"I am sensing a lack of enthusiasm!" An continued. "Trust me on this, it won't fail. I have it all worked out."
With that, she took a few steps back and motioned for Naar to follow. "Come on! We've got the most important part to do! All that really matters is that she come with us." Hoping the forlorn lioness was following behind, An shot the two boys another wry grin, and headed off.
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