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 Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:52 am
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It had not taken long for the white lioness to realize three of her cubs were missing. There was a time she would not have been so concerned, the pridelands was a quiet and peaceful place, but the land she had grown up in had grown more tumultuous of late and she found herself growing worried about her young cubs.
She was certain they could not have gotten far, first searching near the den entrance. A quiet sigh, why was it always the same cubs, she was going to have to have a talk with them, as soon as she found them that was.
"Qui-gon! Obi-wan! Raijin!"
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A short distance away, and rapidly approaching the den, a dark cub and a tan cub may have ducked a bit as a familiar voice calling their names reached their ears. Uh-oh, mom had already figured out they were gone.
The dark cub shook his head, standing tall. There was no hiding it, not that there had ever been a chance of sneaking back unseen. Afterall, they were not alone, behind him was a dark lion than may or may not have been their father, there was no hiding that.
"There's mom."
He spoke to his brothers as much as to the dark lion behind him. It was time to get their questions answered.
The tan cub hung back a step, ducking behind the large lion's paw as he name was called, mamma didn't sound happy. As they drew closer, his gaze shifted between the lion, his mother, and back again until his curiosity again over-rode his hesitation and he bounded toward the waiting lioness.
"Mamma, mamma! Look who we met, he looks like Qui-gon, and he has the same flame! And I asked if he's our dad, but he wouldn't say, he said you have to say, so....Is he our dad?"
It may have been difficult to understand him as he spoke, rapidly blurting out his questions in his excitement as if he had suddenly forgotten to breath or pause between his words.
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 9:02 am
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When the sound of the female's voice hit his ears, Ciro couldn't help but smirk. Ahhh. Yep. He knew that lioness. Well..he didn't know her 'well' so to speak, but he never forgot a female's face of whom shared a den for an evening.
As she called out to the three boys, Ciro found his steps slowing, while the tan cub, Obi, ran ahead.
Raijin glanced towards Qui-gon before back towards Ciro, before following his tan counterpart. He rubbed up against his mother's leg, giving her giant puppy dog eyes. "I tried to tell them not to give information to a stranger, but they wouldn't listeeennn." Rai said quietly, squeezing his way under his mother as he stood in between her front paws, watching Ciro curiously, waiting for answers that he hoped their mother would speak of.
Ciro, on the other hand, paused just before Meiyo. A goofy grin on his maw as he looked her up and down. "Meiyo," he greeted. "It's been...a while," he peered behind her towards the den, half expecting more cubs to start running out. |
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:19 am
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The lioness let out a small sigh of relief as her three missing cubs appeared, oh but she was still going to tell them off for sneaking away and making her worry. Her eyes narrowed, a curious look as her gaze fell on the dark lion behind them. For a moment she thought it must have been another pridelander (perhaps one of the pride's nannies) returning the wayward cubs home. And yet there was something familiar....oh.
"Mekai. It has indeed, I did not think I would see you again."
There was a hint of a smile when she thought of that night, though it faded when she thought of just how fat she had been while carrying eight cubs, no wonder moving around had been so hard.
Meiyo looked down at the two cubs who were now at her paws. Oh do not give me that look, Raijin. Adorable you may be, but you are still in trouble. all three of you.
"Well, he..."
There was no avoiding Obi's question, she could not lie to her children. It was not that she was hiding their father from them, she just, well she had not expected them to find him on their own.
"He is."
Qui-gon did not run for his mother as his brothers had, instead settling on the stone floor between his mother and the lion. No excuses, no cute pouty face or puppy eyes. He was going to sit here and wait for his answers.
"Mekai? I thought you said your name was Crow."
The dark cub turned, shooting a look at his father.
Obi's eyes lit up, nuzzling against his mother before running back to the darker lion to brush against one of the male's large paws. He knew it! He had found his father! Looking very pleased, Obi settled to sit next to his father, looking up at him with a grin.
"Hi, dad!"
Oh just wait until grandpa found out! Obi couldn't wait to show him!
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:28 am
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The sheepish grin on his maw widened as she called him by one of his many nicknames. And, of course, one of the children had brought up the difference.
"Well, it is," He told Qui-gon. "I am known as quite a few names. Ciro'mekaitso," he bobbed his head, shooting a small, apologetic look towards Meiyo. It wasn't as if he intended to deceive her with his name, just...had to be careful as that particular viking mission involved raiding the very lands she lived in.
He wasn't taken aback when she admitted he was their father. "Surpriseeee?" He chuckled, just as Obi rubbed against his paw. "It's good to see you again Meiyo." Ciro let one of his paws shimmy Obi's mane. "You look good."
Raijin glared between the two. "He's still a stranger. Why is he here now? Why wasn't he here yesterday? Or the day before?" An accusatory look towards his 'father', Raijin huffed slightly. |
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:28 pm
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The look Meiyo gave Ciro seemed to say she was not falling for his charms this time. She could not deny she had enjoyed the time they'd spent together, nor could she claim regret over the small balls of fluff the encounter had brought into her life (even if there were EIGHT of them). A smile, no, no, she was not falling for it this time, she had enough cubs.
"If you are trying to seduce me again, Mekai, I suggest you not do so where my father can hear you."
If Ciro were to look further into the den, he might have seen the form of a dark lion, or felt the dark blue eyes matching Obi's watching him from the shadows, surrounded by a number of small cubs.
"Well, little one, you will have to ask your father that question."
Meiyo smirked, her head lowered to nuzzle at the tan cub between her paws. She too would like to hear his answer to Raijin's question.
Qui-gon gazed at his father, seeming (at least for the moment) to accept his explanation, though he would later wonder why he needed so many names. There were other questions he wanted answers to, he wanted to know his father, more than he wanted to know his name.
"He's not a stranger, Raijin..."
The dark cub rolled his eyes at his brother, though he could not deny he had asked a question he wished answered as well. His attention turned back to his father, standing to his paws to try to look into the dark lion's eyes.
"Where did you come from? You're not from here, are you?"
Obi-wan batted playfully at the paw that ruffled his mane. As his mother spoke, he peered past her into the den where he knew his grandfather was watching with his siblings. A broad grin spread across his maw, a paw raised to wave.
"Hi papa! Guess what, we found dad!"
The little tan cub seemed less concerned with questions than his brothers. He already knew what he wanted to know, he knew who his father was.
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 7:27 am
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Wait? Father?
Golden eyes widened slightly at the words, seeing the shadow of another much larger lion from within. He flashed a sheepish grin and a small wave towards it, before returning his gaze towards Meiyo. "Noted." Well, he couldn't try anything anyways with children present. If they were alone, completely different story.
"Er..." Ciro glanced down at the cubs. "You see uh...I live far away. And I can't make it out this way very often." The captain tried to explain.
"He is a stranger." Raijin huffed, still glaring. He made a small hmph as he refused to move from his mother's side.
"Right, I am from a land called the Stormborn. It's quite a trek to get there, filled with danger and mishap along the way. You three will not go there, understood? Not unless your mother gives you permission, and only after you have full manes." The one thing Ciro did not want to see was his children being captured as thralls. Being an adult meant more chance of fighting their way in, and succeeding if they were to choose so.
Ciro glanced at Obi, as he called out to 'papa'. Thissss was not how he expected today to go. |
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 10:03 am
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The lioness chuckled at Ciro's reaction to her father, silently wondering if he would have stayed clear of the den entirely had he realized the older male was present.
"Don't worry, he's harmless...mostly."
There was a hint of sadness in her expression as she wrapped a reassuring paw around Raijin, whispering quietly to him that it was okay. She had known that Ciro was not from the pridelands, it did not take much to deduce that, nor had she expected him to stay in those lands, to do so would have been unfair to him. But to explain this to small cubs who had just met their father was much more difficult.
Qui-gon's tail flicked, not quite resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at his brother. He didn't care what Raijin said, this lion was their father, that made him not a stranger.
"Stormborn..."
There was great interest in the dark cub's eyes. What was that land like? Why had his father come here? Was he going back? Would he come back here to see them again? Was it really as dangerous and his father had said, or was he just doing that thing were adults tell stories to scare cubs so they'll do what they want?
"What's it like there?"
Obi's expression fell, looking up at his father with that most adorably sad cub face again. He didn't really live so far away did he? But Obi wanted him to stay with them!
"You don't have to go back do you? You could stay with us, right mama?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 11:02 am
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Qui-gon listened intently as his father spoke, an inaudible wow spoken as he tried to imagine such a place. Of course there were storms in the pridelands as well, great rains that kept the grass lush and the prey plentiful. But a land so full of storms, so many that it was part of the name, he could only imagine what it must be like.
"What are gods?"
He had never heard that word before, it was not one often spoken in the pridelands.
Obi pressed against his father, small paw clinging to one far larger. There was a sniffle in his voice, tears touching the corners of his eyes.
"But why can't you stay? Mama! I want him to stay!"
Meiyo smiled at the dark male, a nod.
"You are welcome to visit them any time."
A sigh, her head lowered to gaze at the little tan cub. Oh Obi, she knew it was hard to understand for one so young, what could she say to him to help him understand.
"Boys, why don't you go wake your siblings, I am certain your father would like to meet them as well."
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 11:11 am
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Ciro head tilted at Qui-gon's question. "Oh um," he looked towards Meiyo. Did this land even believe in deities? Ciro knew they existed, for he had seen (and even had been with) them. But, he knew other prides would turn a blind eye to the concept.
"They are...large lion like creatures that hold powers over their domain. Like, a god of the sun, or of lakes. They can be more physical, or even less. Like a goddess of survival, or god of famine." The Captain wasn't sure if the children would understand.
"Fine by me. He doesn't need to stay." While Raijin had been more opened knowing Ciro was a stranger rather than his father, he found himself closing off from the other male. He wasn't trusting of him, and already he said he wasn't going to be staying. Why get attached? He scooted from underneath his mother, heading back into the den.
"I would like that." Ciro said to Meiyo with a small purr. He had found out recently as well he had another litter hanging out near the stormborn lands. Now this one? If he had time, he would need to swing by a few other places to see if others existed.
He foresaw a whole bunch of trips out to different lands in his future. |
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:24 pm
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Qui-gon listed as his father spoke, fascinated by his description of such beings. There was a curiosity in his gaze, touched by a skepticism. Did such things truly exist, or was this another one of those stories? An exaggerated tale to impress and frighten? Hmmm, perhaps one day he would find the answer for himself.
"I've never seen anything like that."
Obi wiped his eyes with the back of his paws, standing as if to follow his brother into the den. A few steps, the tan cub stopped, turning back to look at his father, an expectant look his eyes.
"You'll come back? You promise?"
Meiyo smiled at her children, ushering both Qui-gon and Obi-wan into the den where their siblings waitied. No doubt the dark lion was soon to find himself surrounded by many very excited little fuzz balls, eight of them in fact. Have fun, dad.
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