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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 7:48 pm
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The day was growing closer. The day he would have to leave the safety of his father's den. Not just into the uncertainty of the roguelands. But to make his own den. With his own Banu. No matter how much he was taught about it, he didn't feel ready. He didn't feel grown up. He still felt like a cub. He had little to no interest in getting Banu.
Harith had moved to the mouth of the den, being sure to keep his half dark coat away from the sun bearing down. Besides him, his tail sat curled, flicking a bit at the end. There was a bit of fur on his chest, the pure white color of the little tufts of his future mane that sat on his head. Visible signs that his time was coming.
It wasn't exactly a strange occurrence to see Harith sitting by the mouth of the den. His blue eyes watching those who passed by. Those who were interacting or doing a small task in sight of the den that he could watch. He had never been much of a playful cub, preferring the quiet to the rough housing. Something not familiar to the scene was, of course, the deep look of concentration upon the young lion's face. His occasional frown.
He couldn't help but worry about it. He hadn't spoken to anyone about these worries, afraid of making himself look like a weak male. Then he'd tell himself how impossible it was for anyone not to worry. The roguelands were so large. How did one simply not get lost?
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 7:57 am
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Ilyas kept meaning to take his sons aside and talk to them about the upcoming quest they would soon embark on. He wanted to take them out into the rogue lands for a few days to give them some practice at the skills they would need to survive. He, himself, had felt woefully under prepared when he went out, and that feeling had been confirmed when he was finally on his own with no banu to hunt for him and no idea what constituted a safe place to take shelter. Not to mention just the challenge of dealing with strange cats who had completely different upbringings and ways of life. There was a lot he wanted to warn his sons about before they left.
Unfortunately, finding the time to do that had been something of a challenge. Now that they were older his sons were rarely in the den all at one time, and when they were it was usually because they were eating or sleeping, which were neither of them ideal times to have serious conversations. It was true that he could have exercised his paternal right to tell them that they would stay in the den and listen to him while he tried to help them, but in all honesty Ilyas had been hoping his sons would demonstrate sufficient foresight to seek him out and ask him themselves.
Now there was little doubt that his sons would soon be departing. Their manes were beginning to look like proper manes and not just tufts of fluff, and their limbs were lengthening. Soon they would be considered adolescents by the pride and he would have to send them out. There was simply no more time to postpone the inevitable. Ilyas would have to seek out his sons one by one. He sighed heavily at the chore that represented and went to the entrance of the den, where Harith sat silently.
He could begin with Harith. Coming up behind his son Ilyas cleared his throat to get his attention.
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 7:57 pm
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Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:01 am
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:42 am
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'Remiss?" the young male repeated, as if he didn't understand the word and needed it said out loud to fully comprehend its meaning. The formal tone of his father caught him off guard. As such, he wasn't sure what to say in response to this. In truth, Harith didn't think Ilyas was so bad at his parenting. 'Specially for his first litter. He always tried to keep up with them and keep them occupied. He was sure his brothers enjoyed this, but Harith would have just preferred more moments like this. Where Ilyas wasn't trying so hard.
By the time Harith's train of thought stopped, the older male was already gone off on his next point.
Had he given thought to his quest? Mental attention to his quest was all he ever seemed to be doing as of late. He just couldn't seem to stop the predictable pattern of his days. Wake up. Worry. Go outside for fresh air. Worry. Fill his stomach. Worry. Even his dreams seemed plagued with the same images. Rejections from rogue lionesses. Flooding from lots of rain when he took shelter by mistake in an old riverbed without realizing it.
Harith wasn't aware he was frowning, again, as he shifted his weight to fully face Ilyas. He shook his head, the expression disappearing as if the action had wiped it away like a tail will etchings in the sand.
"It happens. Easy for one to get caught up in the moment and lose track of time." Nothing new to the cub. He had been doing just that his entire short life up until just recently, when his quest loomed over his shoulder threateningly. "I think about it often.," was all he said in regards to the question. Inside, he was screaming at himself to speak up about his worries and ask questions. Instead, he wanted to see where this would go before he decided whether or not to express himself.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:35 am
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 4:41 pm
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A small smile curled on the lips of the young male at the first comment. Even if most of his thinking were just worrying over what it would be like out there, it made him feel better to hear that. But it still didn't completely rid him of the pit in his stomach over the subject of the quest. He hadn't wandered around the pride much, nor did much practicing of hunting small game. His only memory of that was the little mouse he and Ima had found once and chased into its burrow.
He had been practicing what to say to the females in the roguelands. Going over it in his head silently as he sat around the den, both inside and outside. Sometimes even rehearsing with himself in the lake's reflection. In the beginning, it had made him feel more silly than prepared. Now it just amused him. He couldn't imagine himself as a lioness staring back at him.
"Mostly what to say to them," he confided, not sure he wanted to share his fears of the world beyond his homelands. Though he knew he should. If you couldn't talk to your family about these things, who could you talk to? "I know I'd rather they come of their own free will, so I was practicing the words. And I'd like them to be quiet."
Had he thought much on strategies? The honest truth was no, he hadn't. Harith was too concerned with getting the words right and how to deal with the roguelands in general to think of much else.
At the next question, he simply shook his head. At least, none had come to him. Far as Harith was concerned, they were probably thinking their quiet and lazy brother would be a hinder to them. Though he planned on being no such thing. His small pride made him want to try this by himself.
"Is it that rough out there?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 11:47 am
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 4:22 pm
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:02 am
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"Oh, well, I think at some point in your life someone is bound to be unhappy with you, Harith, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. I certainly don't think your banu are going to be unhappy. Just make sure you explain to them what it means to be part of the Ukuucha'Wafalme. Lots of banu from outside don't understand, and so the get here and they're disappointed to learn they're one lioness out of many."
Ilyas had tried to be upfront with his banu about that. Elsa hadn't seemed to mind very much, but she had also imagined, initially that she was just coming back for the safety he and the pride could provide. That had turned into more for her, and Ilyas was fond of her. He still cared more for his beybanu, the mother of his sons, but that was to be expected.
"Longer than I should have been," Ilyas said. "And for my trouble I came back with a lioness who was beautiful, but damaged and not worth the effort. Itzel was her name. You never met her, but you might still take a lesson from her: get to know your banu, and don't be taken in by a fine form and coat."
He gave his son a hard look. It was difficult to tell sometimes whether Harith's sobriety made him more or less inclined to be taken in by others. "I'm serious about that. Not just for yourself, but for the peace of the pride. Bringing in the wrong sort of banu can have a universally negative effect."
This talk wasn't going as he had meant for it to go at all, and Ilyas had no idea how to fix that. Tumbling and tussling and playing with his boys he could handle, but doing the dad thing...Not so much.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 6:51 pm
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"Like that family you tell us to stay away from?" Harith tried to pipe in helpfully. Being such a hermit all his short life, the cub hadn't much experience with such felines who would dislike him. Or much experience with many felines in general. At least outside his family. Which did make for a lot of experience...If family wasn't required to love you, no matter what you did.
At the next bit, Harith was sure to nod his head vigorously to make sure Ilyas saw he was paying full attention to the advice. Fully explain. Got it.
And get to know them. He could do that...He hoped. Not much experience outside ones rather large family didn't make for an individual very confident in meeting with strangers who might be his potential Banu in the future. In no way was he suave or romantic. More awkward and tripping over his words. Or just staring at them in the face. Oh, how he wished for the carefree days of cub, again. Or at least, not a huge duty hanging on his tiny shoulders.
"Yes, Papa," was all he could find to say after that speech. The butterflies were fighting in his stomach.
After a pause, the youngster couldn't resist asking, "What was wrong with her?"
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Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 9:56 am
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:06 am
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Harith shifted his weight slightly, feeling a little awkward now for asking. His curiosity had overridden his common sense that the tale would obviously be a bit painful to repeat, even if his father didn't show it. In his shoes, at any rate, Harith wouldn't enjoy having to repeat his failure like that. Worse of all to his own son. But these thoughts he kept to himself, merely nodded his head thoughtfully and a little slowly to show his sympathy over the matter.
Getting up, the cub stepped a few paces away from Ilyas, turning his head back around to offer a small smile. "Thank you, Papa. I am sorry about Itzel, but I think you've made up for the loss in Mama and Elsa." Because sympathies and kind words were what one said in situations like this. Harith wasn't just giving his sympathies, but believed in his words completely. One defected Banu was nothing when one had two good ones. His mother suited his father like the birds suited the Hippos. Benefiting each other in a relationship that could do no wrong to the other involved.
At least that was how he saw it. He was still a cub, but he paid attention to these things.
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