|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 6:16 am
They'd won, but it didn't really feel like a victory.
At least, not the kind she had been hoping for. Once the judgement had had a few days to settle in, all it had really left them was the same thirst. And for Ea, the same worries. She had sick lions to care for, one of which deathly ill. The idea that a little lack of water could just pluck her away was... it made her agitated. And when Ea was agitated, there was only one person suited to take her rage out on.
"Vlam!" The medic snapped as she picked up stride with him. It was early morning, and for the moment you might not even think the desert was such a miserable place. The water-seekers always started out early, trying to find what little water they could from the night before. When he heard her call, the scarred male turned his head. "I'm going with you. Maybe this way you might actually find something."
The white lion gently nodded his head, seemingly unconcerned with Ea's jab. He was always more than pleased to walk beside her. Particularly when the walk would be a long one. The immediate pride territory was being handled by the new recruits- which left the more dangerous portion of the desert up to the more knowledgeable seekers. But it wasn't easy. Ea might have been yelling up a storm half the way there, but he'd always liked the sound of her voice.
"- it's just, it's ridiculous!" She muttered bitterly. "Did you see the way Armada left? All smug faced like she'd won anyways? I hope her eye pops out and comes crying to me to put it back in, that's what I think and I can't even believe that-"
Yes, he did enjoy the sound of her voice. Luckily, with no means to communicate otherwise, it didn't mean he had to pay attention to what she was talking about.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:48 pm
"My, she's a right little fireball, isn't she?" A drawling voice commented, sounding amused. "Although if her bloodlines are as pure as her coat, at least she comes by it honestly." A massive lion stepped out from behind the nearest sand-dune. His own coat was a brilliant blood-red, ticked with white markings, and a luxurious alabaster mane and tail-tuft. Two purple eyes watched the medic and her mate, narrowing a little as he regarded each in turn. He kept a wary distance, however: he could fight, but it would be such a waste if it had to come to blows, and he'd much rather talk at the moment. Kope had been gone so long from the pride, however, that he didn't know the current treatment of rogues wandering pride territory, and he didn't flatter himself that they'd recognize him as a son of a former king. In fact, depending upon who had taken over, that might not be a recommendation.
It had not been difficult to locate Ea and Vlam, not with all the ruckus the female was making. He had no idea why she was so upset, but it was entertaining enough to watch her: she looked about ready to spit at someone. The male looked more subdued, as if he was used to hearing such tirades, and if this was her mate or brother, he probably was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:25 am
Kope might have kept his distance- but such sense was not familiar to Ea. She held back for all the time it took to squint her eyes in a vicious glare. And that was all. A second later she stormed off in the direction of the stranger, leaving Vlam at the wayside. The scarred male looked more surprised then bothered. But once his mind caught up with what Ea was doing, it took a few long strides to catch up with her.
"Oh, look!" Ea said rather sharply, suddenly intruding upon the stranger's space in an attempt to force him backwards. "A smart a** rogue! My Vlam, like we didn't have enough of those!"
Vlam's answer would forever be unknown, but he swiftly attempted to back her off a bit. Ea bristled, and shoved him aside with a quick push. She continued as if he hadn't bothered at all. "And what do you want? Trolling around because you think you deserve a place here? Or are you just another hurt fool begging for help? Because I'm full up on those too."
Vlam pushed himself off the sand, and this time was a bit more effective in pushing Ea a step or two back. But not by much. Her tail twisted, and swatted at her mate in annoyance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:39 pm
Amusement and surprise lit the purple eyes as Ea stalked in his direction, clearly so roused with anger that she was going to try to take it out on the first thing in fighting distance that raised her ire - namely, him. He did not back up as she came into his space, but he did lift a paw, leaning back a little as he casually watched her, clearly interested but not intimidated. His obvious amusement would probably only spark her anger more, but she was rather fun to watch like this.
To his equal surprise, the male didn't say anything except try to pull her back, which was probably the more sensible of the two approaches, although Kope would not have liked to face both of them in a fight: he hadn't had a scuffle in awhile, and he might well lose.
"I already did have a place here," He drawled in response. "This is a ... bit of a homecoming, you mire say. I'm hardly begging for help and - " He raised a brow. "I don't normally associate myself with being a 'fool,' but there's always a first time for everything." Shifting his gaze to Vlam, Kope asked, rather idly: "Does she have a quieter tone, or is this as good as it gets?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:10 pm
Vlam simply offered Kope a blank, but perhaps cautious, expression. He didn't seem to be too sympathetic. In fact, once he was certain Ea wasn't about to get further up into the male's face, he settled in behind her. Not so much in apprehension then in silent affirmation of his loyalties. He might have been partially crippled, but he was a large lion. Sometimes it was best to let Ea do the talking and simply let his presence be known.
And Ea certainly did the talking. "Oh, you had a place, did you? Well that's even worse. What happened? Ran away like a coward? Or are you coming back with your tail tucked lookin for a place to stay?" Her nose crinkled. "I don't know what's worse. Rogues, or ex-safi crawling up like termites in the sand."
The lioness paused for a moment, and glanced over at Vlam. It wasn't exactly what one might call a loving look. "He doesn't talk, so don't bother. Memories of a time when we were not so cautious about who we let in. If I seem hostile, it's with good reason."
"If you're looking for a fight to join, look someplace else. I'm sure there are plenty of hot tempered young little pig-headed guards looking to prove themselves and give you an evaluation," she rambled. "But that's not what I do. So you're barking up the wrong tree."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 5:03 am
The white lion was mute? He'd never met someone who couldn't talk before. Kope eyed Vlam for a minute, but his attention was swiftly recaptured by Ea, who didn't appear to have any trouble making up for her mate's lack. Damn, she was persistent. He hoped she had other redeeming qualities, or he felt a little sorry for the poor b*****d.
"I got bored," He stated, lifting a brow at her. "Pity I wasn't here for my brother's little revolution, as it were. It might've been worthwhile to stick around and watch. Mother probably wasn't pleased."
As she continued, he frowned a little. A fight? Fortunately, Kope was decently quick on the uptake, and understood what she was getting at swiftly. He approved, really; fighting meant only the strongest rogues were going to get in, therefore not diluting the bloodlines too much. He wondered how tough the guard had gotten in his absence; he himself had gotten a little lazy in the past few moons. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied drily. "I haven't had a good scrap in awhile."
He paused, then continued with: "Do I at least get to know who I'm talking to, princess?" There was heavy sarcasm in his voice as he watched her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 5:35 am
Her nose crinkled. His brother? Was he talking about Kidondo? She sure hoped not. The last thing she needed was to be related to another annoyance. Given Ea's luck, she wasn't exactly surprised. It seemed half the pride was made of varying shades of annoying relatives. "Yes, it must be a pity," Ea drawled. "Nice to have others do all the work for you though, isn't it?"
Maybe she was being a bit harsh. She typically was. "Well, be prepared to. With things are the way they are these days, you should be happy there aren't hordes of battle crazed soldiers leaping from the shadows." Her strange eyes squinted, turning toward the desert. For the moment, she seemed thoughtful. "Strange things happening these days."
After the moment's thought, she walked past Kope. Her heels dug into the sands. "I'm Ea, the pride's medic." Truly, a bastion of firekin care and compassion if there ever was one. "Kidondo, is my father."
"...he'll probably be happy to see you. I'd watch out for my mom though," she said with a bit of amusement. "Uneasy times put her in a rather ill mood."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:28 am
Perhaps to her surprise, he actually laughed. "That's about right," he replied back, without a trace of shame, giving her an amused glance. Why work for something when others were perfectly willing to do it for you? Of course, there was a line between prudence and sheer laziness - he tried to make sure he didn't cross it. Kope wasn't about to become fat and unfit; he'd become an easy target if he did, even with his bulk. And the desert did not tolerate such individuals.
As she continued, he tried not to let the shock show on his face. Damnit. This was his niece? How many cubs had his brother whelped, anyway? He'd met one cub who was his grand-niece - and that had made him feel old - and now another who was his niece. And she was a princess, of a sort ... even if such ranks perhaps had been dropped here. The cub's reaction to the word 'king' suggested that they had been.
His brows narrowed a little as he watched her walk past. "I've heard you're having some troubles these day," he pointed out, with a hint of amusement. "I would think, as your father's daughter, you'd welcome another lion into the pride - wasn't there talk about some threat from the north?" And the water drying up; or so the cub had said. She hadn't even known what was in the north, just 'monsters,' which could mean almost anything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:37 pm
"I find it hard to welcome another mouth to feed and another body to bandage," she said sharply. "My parents might be more generous... in their way. I am not. But then again, given the state of things I suppose everyone is glad I'm not the one calling the shots." There were more then a few individuals she'd of gotten rid of by now.
These Hongshan lions would have been at the top of the list. "Yes, monsters. So say the cubs. We adopted a group of refugees, and like any good group of refugees, they brought with them all their problems." Her nose crinkled. "They say there is a pride amassing to the north of here. A pride that destroyed their home and speaks some strange language. Tortured them. They seem to think they're traveling south."
She looked off in that direction. "Personally, I think they're shell shocked and looking for a good reason to get everyone scared. But who knows. Maybe you're one of them. A 'Nergui' spy, claiming to be an uncle. If I was an evil group looking to infiltrate a pride, that's how I'd do it."
Vlam didn't seem to approve of Ea's glibness. He nudged the medic on the shoulder, his face stern.
Ea simply rolled her strange, mistmatched eyes. "We have other problems to deal with. I can't imagine why a pride would bother with us when we can barely keep water down our throats."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 7:15 am
He laughed, roughly, covering up the fact that he had no idea what she meant by 'another body to bandage.' Truth be told, he wasn't even certain what a medic did. No doubt this was more part of the policy his esteemed sibling had implemented. "I don't expect you to find my meals, princess. I can feed myself. Interesting about the northern pride. One would think you'd want more claws to fight with, if those so-called rumors are true."
At her statement, he laughed louder, his teeth flashing white against his like-colored muzzle. "That's easy enough to test. Just drag me to my brother, he should be able to at least recognize me, even after all these years. It would actually be an idiotic way to get into a pride - once nobody recognizes you, it becomes clear that you're not who you say you are. And if you're easy pickings, maybe this other pride has their eyes set on this territory." He shrugged. "There won't be drought conditions forever, princess. And if you know how to live off it - this land can be quite plentiful in better times." Kope gave her a rather woflish grin. "Maybe that's something they're banking on."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:15 am
"Hmph," Ea muttered, her brow furrowing harshly in the center. Vlam insistance didn't seem to help her mood much either. "Maybe. Or maybe he'll simply call you out on the bluff that it is."
She hoped anyways. Ea thrived on high drama. But she had a sense that this would not be one of those situations. Judging by the male's infuriating expression, he was probably some relation. These days it seemed half the desert was, so this wasn't exactly a compliment. "Its been a long few years. You'd be surprised by how people change. My father among them."
The wild cat swung her head back to Vlam, and motioned for him to follow. "But if you want to see my father, its your funeral. I won't stop you. I'm not a guard, so I can hardly be faulted for bringing in some sort of traitorous uncle spy." Uncles did seem to have a high likelihood of being evil after all. Particularly mysterious ones.
"This way," she indicated, and started off towards the mountains in the distance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
