Roll with the punches. (Sellion & Usare)

[[Eskimo]]

Sellion walked along the borders of the demon lands, head low, glowering. His mind was a whir of fast thoughts, many of them meaningless. But the ones he was thinking of most were of his meetig with the demon lion, Iartuupe.

Sellion did not fully understand why he was sent away. Surely it was a test of some sort...He knew it had to be. He himself was full of all the qualities needed to be a demon. He had played tricks on many people, loved violence, was filled with hate, and...And...Other things. Besides, was it not enough just to want to be a demon to be accepted into their pride?

Sellion chewed his lower lip bitterly, pink eyes glaring around. He was trying very hard to think of how to pass this "test". A small-ish figure in the distance interrupted his thinking and the feeling of deja vu tugged at his mind. "Hmmm?" Sellion hummed, forgetting his thoughts. In the distance...Was it truly...

Another demon lion?

Sellion's heart skipped happily and he grinned, staring at the young lion that stood many yards away. But Sellion would close the gap. He began making his way towards the lion.  

[Manda]

Usare had wandered away from where most of the other cubs were - having decided to do a bit of exploring. He was getting very tired of Nyoko always bragging about having scars and driving off invaders and all that s**t ... so he'd come toward the borders. He was hoping he could do something about some intruder or other... and get some glory of his own.

Ooh, and look! It seemed like his lucky day. There was another creature up ahead ... not a lion. Which meant, in his book, not welcome.

As he got closer to the other, he sped up a little, then stopped and puffed out his chest. "Who're you?" he challenged, trying to make his voice a little deeper, scary.  

[[Eskimo]]

Good thing after good thing was happening to Sellion. He could hardly believe his good fortune. Certainly Chana was smiling up at him from down below! What an amazing sister he had...She was always looking out for him, always being so good to him...Sellion's eyes clouded over as he thought of her, watching the young lion approach him.

Hmmm? He thought he was a tough little demon, did he, this little lion? Sellion lowered his head and stared, pupils thinning to slits and a lip curling to reveal his fangs. "I am Sellion." he introduced darkly. He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "And I'll be a demon soon." Then he sprang up and choked down a giggle. He was so excited to become a demon. He still couldn't believe it was happening to him! All he needed to do was pass this strange test...

"And who are you?" he asked brightly, smiling at the young lion.  

[Manda]

That statement threw Usare off a little, and he frowned - deflating just a bit. He'd thought... only lions could be demons. That's what Iar had said, anyway. "How're you gonna do that?" he asked. "You're not even a lion." It was obvious to him that it was impossible, anyway!

Hmph... "As for me! I'm Usare... I'm one've the heirs to the pride. You can't just come walking in here and say you're gonna be a demon without talking to my dad or the other Aran'shale anway!"  

[[Eskimo]]

Sellion tilted his head at Usare's words.

Not even a lion...? No, he wasn't. He was a cheetah. But what did that have to do with anything, he wondered? As he thought on that he remembered that Iartuupe had said the same thing...What strange creatures demons were. It was so enticing!

Then his mind reeled and he almost lost his footing at the next words of the juvenile. "HE-HE-HE...HE...HEIR." Sellion gasped, clutching the ground under his feet hard with his claws. It was too good to be true...Too good to be true. Here was an HEIR to the demon pride. ROYALTY. So many good things had been happening to Sellion lately...He felt that he could die happily now.

"The arnarshala...Shale...?" Sellion repeated, fumbling over the syllables and frowning. Then his face turned dark and he bared his teeth. "Hmph, what sort of thing are you speaking of?" he asked. "I do not need to speak to ANYone to become a demon!"  

[Manda]

Usare blinked and frowned at the other. He was obviously crazy. What the hell was he doing here anyway?

"Aran'shale," he repeated slowly - as if talking to a baby. "Yea, I'm an heir. And I'm telling ya, you have to talk to one of them, if you want to join the pride." He glared at the other.

"Though you could just be a slave, cause you're a cheetah. Only lions are demons. Dad told me that."  

[[Eskimo]]

Sellion took no notice of the word the young lion was trying to teach to him. His mind was moving too fast to slow down and study the foreign title. Instead, he moved directly onto the next subject.

Hmm, he did wish to join the pride, but did one need to join the pride to become a demon? He had forgotten. But then--

"A SLAVE?" Sellion shrieked, lifting a paw and gaping. And then the next words shocked Sellion the most. Only a lion could become a demon...?

LIARS!

FILTHY LIARS!

Chana, his beloved, precious, dearest sister was a demon--IS a demon. She had been a cheetah. A pure-blood cheetah. What a monstrous pride. What a pride of liars. How could they? How dare they speak of demons in such ways? As if only lions could be demons...Sellion's face was wincing and twisted and he doubted his own ears for many moments. But no, he was sure he had heard the young lion right...And that other lion...These things were what they believed.

Slowly, Sellion lowered his head and stared deep into the heir's face, unblinking. "It seems to me you lack truth in your...Pride." Sellion remarked lightly, though his expression was the opposite of lightness.  

[Manda]

Usare blinked as the other screeched like that, staring at him. What in the ... he really was crazy. And a part of the younger lion thought that maybe he should leave the cheetah alone. But... he was a demon. And he would not back down. Not now, not ever.

Standing his ground even as Sellion loomed closer, he snapped teeth in the other's face. "What do you know? You came from outside. You weren't born here, and you don't belong here. If you want to stay, you would be a slave," he said slowly, voice calm ... almost as if ice was creeping into his tone.

"So if you have a problem with that. Then leave." And he sneered at the other - truly an heir of the pride, with all others below him ...  

[[Eskimo]]

Leave?

He was told to leave?

Why?

He only wanted to become a demon. He only wanted...He only wanted to see Chana again; just to be with her once more. That was all he wanted. Why was it so hard to achieve that? Why were there so many damn obstacles? Couldn't he just have what he wanted for once?

Damn the world and all the creatures in it. He would get what he wanted. No one would stop him.

Sellion's lips curled back slowly, angrily, and a deep hiss began to come forth from his throat. His eyes glowed with anger and he glared sharply at the heir before him. "You make a poor decision in sending me away, Small Heir." Sellion said darkly. But it was fine. He would go. Perhaps he really just wasn't ready to become a demon? Perhaps he just needed to wait longer and prepare himself more?

But he would be back.  

[Manda]

Usare didn't move an inch even when the larger cheetah hissed at him like that. He was better and he was stronger, even if he was smaller. And he would prove it.

Ah ha! See? Now the cheetah was leaving. He'd done it! And without even fighting ... chest puffing out with pride, the young lion spat after Sellion. "Yea well we'll see about that!"  

[[Eskimo]]

"We certainly will." Sellion mumbled darkly under his breath, pink eyes glaring back at the young lion. But he turned and continued on his way, away from the demon pride's lands...Away from the borders he had paced for so long.

That was twice he was sent away; twice he had failed in his mission.

Perhaps he wasn't fated to become a demon like his dear sister? Perhaps he was forever doomed to dwell in her shadow, pining for a time when he could be at her level and see her again? Maybe he wasn't meant to become anything other than a normal, boring cheetah?

...Or perhaps it was like the first demon lion had said...And those who were demons were born that way?

Perhaps Sellion was already a demon and his powers just hadn't awakened?

OF COURSE.

Sellion grinned devilishly, the pride's lands fading away behind him.

He would be back.