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Like a queen at court, Heldig arranged herself prettily at the top of a small sloped hill. She sent her brother, Stakkar, a sneer. He was, by far, her most favorite to tease. Sometimes she would tease him without even realizing that she was teasing him. It was only when he made irate vocalizations that she recognized what she was doing - and it only made her that much more pushy, that much more prissy.

"So I'm going to be the Queen and Resimus is the Warlord. Stakkar, you are a Thrall. Dyrebar, you are a Thrall too - shut up, I don't want to hear it."

Dyre was always complaining. It was so tiresome.

"I don't care what you want to do, Nitschei," Heldig waved a paw dismissively. "And I don't care what you do either, Klona - but tell Skogund to stop hiding in the bushes because he's creeping me out."

"I always have to be a Thrall, Heldig, and it isn't fair, I say. It isn't fair!"

The unfortunate male huffed softly, whuffling his mane out of his eyes with the rush of breath. She was always picking on him. Always. He was always a thrall, or a rotten carcass, or a wildebeest or something equally revolting. He gave his cousin-thing, Dyre, a very despondent glance.

"She always makes me be a thrall. Why can't I be a captain?"

Dyrebar ignored Stakkar, her own composure faltering when she thought of Heldig being queen to Resimus' warlord. That wasn't fair! She let out a low, keening groan of annoyance, watching Heldig bat her eyes at Resimus.

"You got to be the queen last time, why can't I be the queen this time? It's not fair!"

She was blatantly ignored by both Heldig and Resimus which drove her to promptly pout.

"It isn't fair."

Nitschei was not concerned with the current topic of playtime politics, though Dyre earned a sympathetic glance before he moved closer to his poor brother. He was always being shoved into the role of Warlord by either Dyre or Heldig. It was obvious to Nits that each young lioness favored his brother, and he pitied poor Resi.

"Do you want me to walk you home, brother?"

Resimus sighed softly with a shake of his head. "No. It will only upset Heldig, and Gods know I don't want to do that. You know how she gets." The last was mumbled softly beneath his breath.

She could be a hellion. Then again, so could Dyre.

Thankfully they all recognized that he tired easily; plagued by a weak disposition, Resimus was pampered forever by his father and brothers, but sometimes it just wasn't worth upsetting one of the girls.

"A warlord can have two wives if he wishes, can he not?"

This was spoken loudly as he tried to get the attention of the rapidly-blinking Heldig and the loudly whining Dyre.

Klona was a very quiet, somewhat meek and increasingly odd little lioness. She was nearly mute when it came down to social interaction, relying heavily on her brother to help her with her cues and responses. He tried to be something of a wallflower when it came to Klona and her attempts to make friends, but there was nothing not awkward about the pale, pretty lioness. Her words sometimes came out garbled, mangled, or choppy - and she hadn't quite mastered properly stringing together sentences.

"Tell Heldig to shut up," Skogund rasped from the depths of the bushes, scowling. "No, wait -- "

"Shut face," Klona babbled quietly, lifting her paw in Heldig's direction before giving a haughty lift of her chin. "Sko say."

Erskine thought playing was kind of boring usually. He liked play-fighting, but that was serious business. It was like junior sparring.

But this playtime was going to be awesome. Tossing his tiny flop of a mane arrogantly, Erskine marched up through the crowd of young lions. "I'm going to be a Captain," he announced. "I even brought a Thrall so Stakkar won't be lonely." He turned on the little hyena trailing behind him. "Tindra, go fetch my berries!"

Tindra had never played with lion cubs before, but she had tagged along with Erskine on the principle that playing with someone was better than playing with no one. The lion adults were all so boring, and chased her off even when she was trying to be helpful and braid flowers into their manes and so forth. It was unfair.

"Uh, okay, Captain," Tindra said, staring around for some berries. There didn't appear to be any nearby. Unsurprising really. Shrugging, the hyena sauntered up to Stakkar. Maybe he knew how to play this game better than she did. "Hello, other Thrall," she said cheerfully.

Sehvi didn't know why everyone wanted to be a queen. She frowned at Dyre and Heldig. "Being queens is dumb," she said loftily, picking herself up and stomping over to stand next to Resimus and Nitschei. "I'd rather be a Warlord." She squinted at Resimus appraisingly. She could probably take him down, yeah.

Of course, that probably wasn't the game Heldig had in mind. Boring Heldig. Sehvi snorted. Honestly, all of the girls were just so dumb.

Meanwhile, Gitte was quietly observing the other young liones (and one hyena). She knew better than to get in the middle of a fight between Dyre and Heldig over who got to be queen. And there was Sehvi, who always seemed kind of like a bully. Gitte's forehead wrinkled in a frown. Nope, she could tell that those girls were going to be kind of jerky.

Still, Gitte didn't want to wander off just yet. She made her way over towards the white female with the red markings. "Hullo, I'm Gitte. Are you playing too?" She hadn't met the other young female before, she was quite sure of it. That pure white coat was so distinctive.

"Shut up Sehvi, you are just as stupid as your sister, so you can be a thrall too. And Kivi, I will hurt you so bad if you ever talk such filth again! Resi makes the best warlord -- and -- no, Resi, you cannot have two wives!"

Heldig was so sick of her family - Sehvi and Dyre were both such little fuddy-duddy bunts!

"Besides, you can't be a Warlord because you're a girl. You're only good for being a thrall - or a Freeborn lady. Like me - only normally, because today, I am the queen."

She batted her eyes at Resi again - pausing in the frantic whipping of her lashes for only a moment so that she could send Klona a glare.

"And Skogund is a fairy-blooded tree-hugger! Do you hear me, Skogund?!"

Stakkar let out a loud whine and glared at Tindra.

"Why are you so happy, thrall? This is so dumb, oh my Gods. I'm stuck as a thrall with a real thrall and this is just ridiculous, Heldig! You're the worst queen."

He paused.

"And you have a crush on Resimus - and it is like, SO OBVIOUS TOO."

Probably not the best time to bring that up, but he was feeling rather annoyed by the whole thing.

"And you too, Dyre, could you be any more obvious? Really?"

That being said, Stakkar grunted and flopped bonelessly to the ground. This truly was the worst day of his entire life.

Dyre had to agree with Heldig on one thing - her sister was rather stupid.

"We're Freeborn ladies, Sehvi," she trilled righteously, glaring at Kivi.

"She can't be a Warlord because Resi is always Warlord. He's the best, most handsome -- I .. I mean ..."

Had she really just said that?

Wilting visibly, Dyre cleared her throat and made a panicked sound.

"Actually I think Sehvi should be Warlord too, and then Skogund can be her wife."

Dyre desperately hoped that covered up her rambling well enough.

Nits gave his cousin a sideways glance, having found the interactions of the other probably-related-lions to be quite entertaining.

"Just drama. The usual - you know, I think everyone here is related somehow. That group," he pointed towards the heaps of brown, striped lions, "that group," his green-smattered paw gestured towards Sko and Klona and their siblings, "and then us. And it turns out," Nits continued with intrigue in his voice, "that Heldig and apparently Dyre both think your cousin - my brother - is the most handsome lion ever to be seen."

That earned Nits a rather pained glare from his brother, and Resimus turned towards Yolla briefly.

"Your wounds are looking better," Resimus gave a nod of approval before turning back to Heldig.

"I vote let Sehvi be Warlord. I don't feel like it today."

End of story.

"They are the worst," Skogund replied as he crept out from the bushes so that he could hover near Klona. "Especially Heldig. She's a raging .. a raging b***h." Sko looked terrified when Klona turned that eerie orange gaze upon him.

"You say bad, Sko." She looked utterly disappointed at her brother before turning to give Burzum a quick nuzzle - reciprocated or not, she didn't care, he was her brother and she loved all of her siblings - before moving towards her sister Anette.

"'lo, sister," she chimed quietly, giving an intense look at the blood that still marred her sister's cheek. "Dirty. I clean."

That being said, Klona started helping her sister by cleaning her cheek.

Skogund grunted - loudly - and peered at the dark lion with the bright blue marks on him.

"I hope you beat him soundly," he grumbled quietly in Burzum's direction.

Okay, so the girl with the pretty white pelt was kind of a b***h. Gitte sighed quietly. She was, sadly, used to most of the girls her age being kind of bitchy. Kivi being an exception. "It looks like it might be fun," she said to Anette politely.

When the girl with the orange markings came over to them Gitte smiled. "Hi, I'm Gitte," she said, introducing herself yet again. She had heard the girl speaking kind of oddly, but Gitte didn't mind. Odd was better than mean.

Erskine was annoyed. He was a Captain, and he felt that everyone should be busy marveling over his fighting prowess instead of bickering about who was going to marry who. This was turning into a girl's game. And it looked like almost all of his brothers and sisters were here now, too. Erskine frowned.

"Who cares if Sehvi's the Warlord? It's us Captains that are going to get the glory." He scowled up at Heldig. "No one wants an ex-queen around, so I think you should be an outlander, and then we can go on a raid and capture you."

Well jeez. You just couldn't talk to some people.

Tindra might be a thrall, but she was still a hyena and she didn't like being bossed by boys. Especially not boys that were stupid and rude like this Stakkar was. She tossed her head haughtily.

"I'm happy 'cause I'm being useful which is more than you, you big lump." No self-respecting Stormborn cub would complain to adults about being sassed by a thrall pup, so she was confident that she was safe from tattling. "Since I'm a real thrall I'm the senior thrall here so I get to boss you. You go get Captain Erskine his berries."

With every cub that agreed she should be Warlord, Sehvi drew herself up just a little taller. She kept quiet throughout, with a terribly smug look on her face. Finally she couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Ha!" Sehvi exulted. "See, Heldig, everyone wants me to be the Warlord!"

Maybe they could finally play a cool game about raiding or something instead of just sitting around arguing about who got to marry who.

"So you'n Dyre don't start fussing over who gets to marry me, after Captain Erskine captures Heldig I'm going to take her as my saltwife so she can clean my den. And Skog is going to be my main wife. Dyre can be the High Priestess." She cast around, looking for allies, and lit on Kivi ... perhaps the only female that didn't sound stupid. She gestured towards the yellow cub. "She can be a Lawspeaker."

Clearly, Sehvi was just as bossy as Heldig.

Heldig was growing increasingly agitated by the sudden turn of events. She didn't want to be an outlander, and a panicked glare was turned onto Erskine an instant before she hissed at him, loudly.

"You're too fey-blooded to be a captain," she sneered, heedless of the repercussions. "Just like your stupid brothers - I see you over there, Skogund, and I think you're just as creepy now as you were when you were hiding in the bushes!"

Culling the screechy-tone her voice had taken, Heldig turned to Dyre.

"I hate you. And you," she finished, turning to Sehvi.

Heldig turned to Kivi - looking utterly upset.

"But Sehvi wants to make me her saltwife, and Dyre wants to murder me. And then what will happen?"

She gave a panicked look in Resi's direction, but the youth seemed far too interested in what his cousin was saying.

Stakkar could only take so much from the females. This might probably be the worst day of his entire life, really and truly. And then - and then! - the stupid thrall Tindra actually said that she was a senior thrall?!

"There is no such thing as a senior thrall, stupid girl. Stupid beast. You're lucky that you're a girl or I'd slap you so hard - but my mamas say I mustn't hit girls - even thrall girls - so why don't you go get some stupid berries because this game is stupid and I don't even want to play anymore oh my GODS."

He sniffed. All was silent for a moment.

"And I'm not a lump."

Okay, being the High Priestess didn't sound like such a bad thing. Dyre beamed at Sehvi; her sister actually was very good at delegation, unlike stupid Heldig.

And then Stakkar started screeching like his life was ending in the saddest most pathetic way.

"Oh Stakkar, do shut up and get me my materials so that I can craft a potion to murder the Warlord's saltwife. Maybe if you're lucky, the warlord will take you as hi -- her new saltwife."

Dyre sniffed with self-importance before moving to sit near her sister.

Nits and Resi both glanced over in the direction that Yolla had indicated. There was no 'playing it cool' - the duo blatantly stared in the direction of Burz and Sko. They were out-weighed, that much was immediately obvious - at least, Resi was, and it wasn't like Nits was going to do anything to get his brother hurt.

Well, probably.

Resi gave a thoughtful hum, lifting his brows as the pale lion shouted out that Yolla should be a thrall. He bristled. Health be damned, Resi wasn't going to let anyone pick on his family.

Nits bristled the instant that he saw his brother poof up.

"Hey," the green and white lion called out to Burz and Sko, "I think the two fairy-bloods should be sacrificed to the gods!"

Resimus giggled softly behind a paw. "Nice one."

"No," Klona purred softly at Anette, continuing the gentle grooming of her sister's pretty face. "Mostly, Anette. Shh."

The awkward little lioness kept brushing her rough tongue against Anette's cheeks and muzzle, pulling back now and again to double check the progress she'd made. All seemed to be well and proper-clean, and with a pleased tinkling laugh, Klona pulled back.

"Done. So nice?" It was her awkward way of asking if Anette approved of the cleaning; she frowned when she realized that there was no way for her sister to check and see if she'd done a good enough job. She hummed for a moment before reaching out a paw.

"It's good." A reassurance. "Klona do good."

Skogund snarled in Heldig's direction. Oh, how he hated that whole family. All horrid. Stakkar, Heldig, Kivi, Sehvi, Dyre. All of them. Worthless. However, when Burz let his opinion be known, Sko couldn't help but let out a crow of laughter. It annoyed him that they seemed to be stuck with the stigma of being feyborn. Ridiculous, and now even the stupid trio were rankling his nerves.

"Burz and I ain't afraid'a you outlanders! Bring it on, we know how to fight." He raised his voice.

"Just ask your stupid cousin-thing there, he'll tell you! Right, Yolla Sonofsissy?!"

Gitte was coming to see why none of her siblings or cousins liked the funny white cubs much. They were rude, and weird, and altogether unpleasant.

Gitte tried to be a nice girl, but she wasn't going to beg these rude girls to like her. Without another word she turned on her heel and marched over to sit beside Kivi. Those white cubs didn't even want to play. Hmmph.

"I'll be an outlander too," Gitte volunteered. "But I want to be an outlander warrior."

She really wasn't very warlike, but she figured someone had to protect Kivi and Heldig.

Displaying a keen grasp of playground politics, Sehvi decided to defuse the situation between the woods-brothers and the splotty brothers. If any more fairy-blood this and fey-blood that got tossed around, the boys would just end up brawling. "If you boys want to fight, you can do it later," Sehvi said sternly. "Klona and Resi and all the rest just want to have fun." She didn't really know what to think of either Klona or Resi, but she knew the two cub-factions were fiercely attached to their weakest members. "We need a sacrifice," she agreed, "But since the thrall Stakkar is disobeying the High Priestess, I think he should be sacrificed. If the High Priestess agrees, o'course."

That left everyone else. "Okay, all of you outlanders go hide so the raiders can find them. Anette and Skog should be outlanders too since you've been lurking this whole time, and Nits since you're a loudmouth. The rest of you Reavers, wait while the High Priestess performs the sacrifice, and then you go out raiding."

Sehvi could get used to being the Warlord.

Erskine was ready to tell Heldig to shut her fat stupid mouth, but he liked Sehvi's idea a little better. Hunting for hiding outlanders sounded like fun. More fun than yelling at Heldig at least, or picking a fight with the two ugly cousin-things that were talking about sacrificing his brothers.

The little 'Captain' marched self-importantly over to Burz and Skog. "Let's beat them up later, I want to see Dyre sacrifice Stakkar." He grinned. "I hope he cries."

Tindra laid her ears flat when Stakkar went off on her. She had to tell herself quite sternly that proper hyena girls did not cry, especially not just because some big fat lion whiners shouted at them.

And then Sehvi was talking about sacrificing Stakkar, which sounded very agreeable to Tindra. "I'll help you sacrifice him, High Priestess!" Tindra piped up, running to Dyre's side.

"No!"

Oh Gods, she was not going to be relegated to saltwife, she simply wasn't going to have it, she was the daughter of a Freeborn and there was simply no way that she was going to be the saltwife of the Warlord.

Stomping about while screeching wasn't going to really accomplish anything but it certainly made Heldig feel better.

"This is my game and you can't steal it out from under me, that's not far and I'm going to tell my mom, just you wait and see JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE!!"

"I always have to get sacrificed and it's not fair! Why can't Dyre be sacrificed, or one of the fey-bloods?! This isn't fair and I hate this game and more importantly," Stakkar gave Tindra a terrible look, "I hate you! You're just a dumb, stupid thrall and I don't even know why you're here, don't you have things you should be doing like eating poop?!"

Yes, Stakkar, because that's what thralls do. They eat poop.

For once, things were turning out okay. Whenever Heldig made a game, she always made Dyre a thrall or worse, and thanks to someone else taking charge, Dyre was feeling pretty good about her role in the games. High Priestess was something that she might aspire to be someday, after all, and it would not be such a bad thing to get practice in early.

"Honestly, Heldig, you're acting like a big baby. Isn't she acting like a big baby, Resi?"

There was no answer needed. At this point, Heldig was thrashing on the ground acting like a big baby, indeed.

"PRAISE THE GODS," Nits boomed, growing more and more ridiculous by the second. He was mad with power, mad with it, and all of his attention was on the filthy feyborn cubs that openly challenged them.

"Maybe we're even going to capture you! Stupid, weak lions. I don't even care if the Warlord is your gran, I think you're all dumb and we're going to make you our thralls and force you to clean up after us!"

He lifted a paw and clapped Yolla on the shoulder before timidly patting Resi in a much gentler fashion.

"MINT AND BERRIES FOR MY BAND OF MIGHTY WARRIORS," he bellowed, directing a very stern look in Klona's direction. "Make Klona a thrall so that she can bring me mint and berries, and then we can hit her like Gaved hits that one stupid lioness with the lisp. Come on!"

Resimus was too busy trying to shut his brother up to answer Dyre.

"Nits. Oh, Gods, Nits, shh. Please, please -- oh, Gods."

He had a feeling that this wasn't going to go over well. Not at all - and as he cringed back, Resimus had to fight the urge to clap a paw over his eyes. And Nits was still laughing - nay, cackling - like a power-hungry madman.

Resi couldn't help but feel like s**t might have just gotten very, very real. He was almost afraid to look in the direction of Klona, let alone Sko and Burz.

"I think it might be lunchtime, guys."

He cleared his throat.

"Guys?"

Klona heard her name and perked slightly. It took her a moment to understand what was going on, what was being implied. When she did, Klona slowly unfurled herself from her comfortable spot next to Anette. Before she moved away, Klona nuzzled her sister's cheek quite calmly before tottering over to Nits.

Her bright eyes were expressionless as she sat herself down before him, and she moved so quick that Nits' surprised yelp was the only real way to be sure that her paw had caught him right on the nose - claws sheathed, of course.

"You mine now." She thumped him again. "Berries, mint." Klona narrowed her eyes.

"Now."

There was a tense moment where Skogund felt like he needed to rip Nits limb from limb. There was no denying the protective nature he felt over his sister. Nits' tone caused all laughter and mirth to drain from his face immediately; the young lion bristled terribly, an ugly expression contorting his features until he was hard-pressed to keep any semblance of control.

When Klona rose to her feet, Sko watched her carefully; thank the Gods his brother was here - he knew Burz would have his back if things went south, but there was no way he was going to let his sister be hit.

So when Klona popped Nits on his stupid nose, Skogund couldn't help but laugh. It was a mean sound, immediately followed by a, "You heard her, Thrall! Move yourself!"