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 Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:39 am
 
He'd started to notice alliances and animosities within the crowd of younger cubs and juveniles around him. He was surprised, expecting them to behave like any other family in that regard, when he realized that few of the cubs got along. Even their siblings were rivals for attention and future benefits. In fact it almost seemed strange to them that he tried to get on so well with everyone. And maybe he wanted to befriend them all because he secretly missed his own family.
And so it was with mixed emotions that, one day while walking the border of the lands (he'd figured his future task would either be this very act, circling, guarding, marking, or else traveling out of the pride's lands to recruit more. Of all the youth in the pride, he'd traveled the longest and farthest, and had the best skills to survive alone for extended periods) he spotted a familiar red form heading his way. Hadn't Bele stopped following him yet? He had to admit, she looked good. Sleek and large, and better than him at least. His time in the Aikanaro'hini land had left his perfect hide scarred and marked. It was funny, seeing her so sleek and clean was almost...odd.
He sat back and waited for her to near, knowing she'd seen him and was after him on purpose. A whisper in the back of his mind mentioned that, aside from the streaks of white on her (something that caused him to involuntarily frown, then blink in surprise for reacting so strongly) she was a perfect red...He shook himself. She was his sister, not some prospective member to be inspected like a prey animal. It had been so long...a smile split his face and he called to her before she got to close. "Heeey Bele! Still trailing after me, huh? I thought you'd have woven yourself into someone else's life by now!" He teased, poking fun at her skills. Ah, he was glad to see her.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:19 am
[note: I have yet to order it in a shop, but she has two red feathers in the tuft on her head, along with a few red and white beads. Just thought you might like to notice <3]
Moto'ubele trotted across the lands, aiming for that crimson-streaked black pelt that was so familiar from her youth. Although the female's finest trait was her crafting ability, she had grown rather good at tracking (only because she was following her brother, of course), and used this to follow Mahewa. She'd been tracking her brother for a while, but only decided to finally greet him now. She could smell a different tang in his scent, and was suddenly intensely curious. This must be some kind of pride's land, she assumed.
She sped up and raced to catch Hewa, who had stopped to greet her. She couldn't help but grin widely at him as she neared him. In response to his smart attitude, she retorted, "Well, it sounds like you're singing a surprising tune yourself." She winked a jade eye at Hewa as she came to a stop in front of him. Bele pressed her cheek to her brother's muzzle in a little embrace saying, "It's good to see you again nevertheless. So what's going on these days? Have you woven yourself into someone else's life already?" The red adolescent laughed at him, taunting him gently.
She stood back and admired her favorite sibling. His gorgeous red stripes had grown only more lovely, thickening with his pelt. His black mane had also grown dramatically, now flowing down his neck and over his shoulders. He really is growing up, she noted of her somewhat younger brother. His eyes glowed cheerfully at her, and she was just so glad to see him, if only to see that familiar face again. Despite all of this, she still couldn't help but notice his surprisingly heavily scarred pelt. All of the soft dark gray fur was broken up by jagged pink marks, some of them looking frighteningly fresh. She would have to ask him about those later.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:47 am
Hewa couldn't help but purr and nuzzle his best sister back. She alone had been around his whole life, even if it was just as a red speck a few miles behind. "I guess you could say that. Though it's more like they wove themselves around me." He puffed his chest up, proud of his minor accomplishment. "I've joined a pride...well this pride." He looked back over his shoulder at the faintly smoking volcano and the lands around them. Dark specks, lions, roved in the far distance, and though he felt no love for them (yet at least) he did feel a sort of budding bond. That was good, right?
"They're an interesting bunch...sort of like the lions dad used to talk about. They're certainly strong, and very...well they can be aggressive. And they revere the volcano, that's that steaming mountain there." He remembered how Bele had always bragged about going back to the firekin lands of their father as a cub. Of course, they both knew that was out of the question. This place was something like that though, as close as they might get without becoming slaves or going to war. "They have a different rhythm to be sure, and their harmony is strained, but they're a proud people." He flicked an ear, a thought occurring to him then. There were many cubs in the pride, to be sure, but only a handful of adults. Though he'd learned one wasn't thought of that way until passing certain rights, he'd noticed his elders giving him more duties of late. He was the eldest of the non-adults, and was busy helping out...maybe a second set of paws would be of use?
He looked Bele over again...she really was a grand sister, in appearance. Her glorious red fur had always made him a little envious, and even now some part of him admired her clean side. His intention of keeping himself clear of all scars had been dismissed after that first scrap with Kasdeya, and since he'd become quite decorated. But of course, he had the protective feelings of any little brother. The thought of her with the scars the pride would see fit filled him with a mix of anger and...well more anger. He could protect her though...right? "Did you make those?" He raised a paw to the beads draped on her, accenting her fur here and there. "They look good. You know, I've noticed there aren't any crafters in the Aikanaro'hini...that's my new pride, by the way."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:44 pm
Bele smiled at her brother, glad to see he was finally finding a place to settle. He'd always been a wanderer, and it was good to see he was finally finding some true ties to live by. "Well congrats, I guess," she said. "At least someone wants you around!" she made fun of him, despite the fact that they both knew that the two of them had always wanted each other around. They were siblings and best friends; how could they not enjoy each other's presence?
Her ear's perked up immeadiately at the mention of their father (her biggest hero; even if it might have been exaggerated in a way, she thought the world of him). Similar to the Firekin? she thought to herself curiously. "Volcano?" she asked. "Like a mountain of fire?" A mountain of fire certainly sounded Firekin-worthy, not to mention the aggression. She believed in peace through conflict, however, so she didn't see anything wrong with this statement. But she knew this couldn't be the Firekin lands; it smelled nothing like the rough sent Father had, and they were too close to the Mwana-a'lela pride. A slight shiver went down her spine at the thought of those vampires and their dark, seductive ways. She didn't want to go near that place again.
But she brightened at her brother's compliment to her accessories. "Yes, I did! Aren't they lovely?" she said, her smile widening with pride. "I found a good ruby mineral a little ways back and decided to experiment with them...." But she trailed off, knowing that she would probably start ranting if she told the whole story of how to make beads; Mahewa was a singing soul, not a crafting one.
Bele didn't miss the subtle invitation in his voice, and responded with a sly smile, "No crafters? None at all?" she gasped in mock-astonishment. "How absolutely unfortunate for them. I might just have to show them a thing or two sometime, now won't I?" she winked, still feigning disapproval.
In a way, she really was shocked. As far as she knew, Sanaa's followers ranged far and wide, through all the lands. She was living proof of this, having trekked mile after mile following her brother. Thus she did find it somewhat hard to believe that this pride didn't have a single crafter of any kind.
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:47 pm
Hewa rolled his eyes at Bele. Oh yeah, someone wanted him. Kasdeya had made that plain and clear. For his eyes, his fur, and whatever skills he could give them. It was a nice feeling though, being wanted. And of course, he wanted Bele where he was. They were family after all, and no pride could change that or replace her. "Yeah, a mountain of fire, with lava pools and everything."
"And no, no crafters. If you could do some things with bones, they'd love you. Not that they won't already...Oh, and those rocks...rubies? They look like fire. They love lava, and fire...I'm betting that you could be set for life, if you could find some around here. How far was where you got those?"
As if sensing the decision being made in his sister, Hewa stretched and stood, tail lashing a bit. "They need a crafter...you want to...?" It would be odd, to travel with his sister, and not in front of her for once, but it made him happy.
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:34 pm
Bele chuckled at her brother's sarcastic annoyance, glad to get a reaction out of him, even if she didn't fully understand what he meant. "I could live with fire," she stated with slight arrogance. "My name does mean 'Flame Feather,' after all!" The flaming-red lionness laughed at her own joke.
"Dear brother, bones are my specialty," she said with a sly smile. "Aside from feathers, of course." Bele nodded her head to wave the feathers on her head for emphasis. "Yes, they are rubies!" she exclaimed, a huge smile splitting her maw. "I guess you actually know something about 'silly rocks' after all," she continued, referencing how Hewa had once mocked her as a wee cub. "I slept in a little cave at some point when I was following you, and found a little stash of them. Rubies are rare, you know; it was quite a find."
She had been waiting for her brother to ask him the open-ended question. "Of course I'm gonna join, silly!" This time Bele rolled her eyes at him. "Like I followed you all this way just to leave at the last second, oh please!" She was still just teasing him, but what she said was the truth. She couldn't just leave him; she was his best friend and brother. Whatever it took, even if it was only because she the best craftess around, she would join this pride.
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 6:42 pm
Hewa didn't offer a sigh of relief when Bele said she'd join, no, nothing that would show how distressed he'd be that she'd say no. Rather he shoved her over, and bolted, running back across the border and into the pride's lands. He went a few yards, turned, and struck the same play-pose he'd used since cubhood, tail lashing in the air. "Come on then, let's get on in! They're a weird group...like really weird, but you get used to it! We'll kind you a king to talk to, and hake you official!"
Knowing Bele could work with bones AND rubies...the pride would call them firestones or something, he knew already, but that would secure a grand place for her. Everyone would come to her, even the kings, to get things from her. She would be famous, and she would be safe. And he'd have a real bit of family here.
He hoped she'd like it. Or at least, learn to like it. They were such an odd group, but they liked fire...and hearing their father's tales of fighting had never frightened his big sister...She should like it, in the end. There was only one place she may have liked more, and that place was a place she would never go, if only for his sake. The Firekin lands weren't for them anymore, even though that noble blood ran hot in them. Now if only he could let the rest of his family know they were well off...one day, maybe, they'd be able to visit.
But for now, he just wanted to get Bele settled in her new home.
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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:58 pm
Bele gasped slightly as she lost her balance, then she bared her teeth in a wicked smile when she remembered the game. She let loose a low growl as she chased after her brother in their old play-fighting routine. The thick scent of the new pride almost overwhelmed her as she crossed the border, but she quickly overcame the slight light-headedness. Lunging at Hewa, she said, "And we aren't weird? Come on, brother, we have muses." She attempted to pin him to the ground as she continued, "Why don't we find ourselves a king then?"
She was slightly confused by the way he had said "a king." Can a pride handle more than one king at a time? The idea surprised her. From what she'd heard, those in line for the throne had to battle it out if there was more than one option. But the notion that this pride was able to maintain control with two kings certainly said something about their power. What exactly that meant was still unclear. I'll find out soon enough, she reminded herself as she tried to gnaw playfully on Hewa's ear.
The red lionness couldn't help but feel a little arrogant at the idea that she'd be the only local crafter. I'm gonna be someone important! she swelled with pride at the idea. After all, what good is a pride of fighters without a lion to fit their armor?
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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 1:39 pm
Hewa accepted the tackle Bele launched at him, rearing up, paws wide as if to catch her between them. He rolled back in the grass, pinned, but not defeated. His back legs braced, paws flat on her gut (claws retracted of course) and with a show of youthful muscle he slowly pressed straight up, lifting her back end up and off him. He chuckled. "Man, wish I could have done that as a cub. You can't pin my half as long now, Bele! You've been slacking with all your crafting, I think." He winked and rolled away.
"I'm not sure who we'll find. Iartuupe, he was the one I met, or Vergil. The pride sees them as earthly embodiments of the two gods they follow. Those're Morifair and Sparda. I haven't talked much with Vergil, but I hear he's rather nice, for a demon." Hewa explained. Might as well start teaching now, Bele had to catch up. By her age most demons would find hearing this child's play. But then, Hewa'd had to race to secure his place too.
"They'll ask you some questions, just tell the truth. Then if you answer how they like, you're in. Some of the adults who I've seen join had to fight...but I think they won't fight you. You're to good already, with your crafting." It was the truth. At most she might have to do only work for the kings for a little at first, or make some things to go in the volcano. Not that she couldn't fight if she had to, he was sure she could...but like any good brother, he knew he'd rather her be safe.
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Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 5:18 pm
Bele's brief cry of victory was cut short by a heavy grunt as Hewa kicked her off. She tumbled away through the grass, jumping back up onto her paws mid-roll. "You've gotten a bit sly, brother," she said as she shook off the brown grass clinging to her coat. She reached up with a paw to check that her precious crimson feathers were still secured before trotting back to him. She cuffed him playfully over the head before he could stand back up. "I haven't needed the practice lately, I suppose. What would I have needed to fight?" she asked rhetorically with a laugh. "Because, as you know, rubies are ferocious little devils," Bele said sarcastically, pretending to claw at the delicate red beads on her head.
A nice demon? she thought skeptically to herself. Who's ever heard of a nice demon? But she had to recover to drink in all of this new information that Hewa was throwing oh-so-casually at her. "So two pride leaders, and two gods," she recited. "And they're the same thing? So I'll have get the all-clear from a god?" She plopped down with a sigh, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, that'll be easy." Continuing on their circular course, her jade eyes swung over to wink at Hewa. "Of course, if they let you in, it should be a breeze for me." The red lionness grinned wickedly, but braced herself if her brother should want to take the moment to pounce.
"And I can answer questions easily enough," she assured him. "If you're right, then I'm glad I won't have to fight. However," she paused, and raised a black-tipped paw. "I have both the craft and the weapons to fight my way in if I need to." The sheathes on her claws were relinquished to reveal massive, ebony-coated claws. She grabbed a talon in her teeth and simply pulled it off, revealing the true black lion's claws. "Teeth," she explained simply, showing off the long, sharpened bone between her teeth. She placed the razor back on her claw and set it upon the ground again. They seemed to hold an almost unnatural gleam, stark-white against her jet-black toes. "I custom-fit them myself," she said proudly, her voice almost husky. "They're much larger and stronger than normal claws, you see, and can be easily sharpened." Bele looked down at her paws as she worked the dry soil with her artificial claws, easily cutting through the earth.
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Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:04 pm
Hewa accepted his sister's cuff with a chuckle. Maybe he was a sly one now, but he was still himself. "Oh yeah, I hear they're especially good at going for the throat!" He fake-lunged, then laughed, nuzzling his sister as they moved a little deeper into the heartlands. They were one and the same, when it came down to it. Different muses...different demons, but they were the same.
"Yeah, pretty much. They call the kings 'Aran'shale' and they're supposedly the gods incarnate...as it is, I think the one, Iartuupe, is just descended from the one. But close enough, right?" He nudged her, urging her back up and on. "I'm sure it will be." He pouted a little when she teased him. "Beleee! You know any pride would want me! You wanted me, right?" He bumped heads with her. "You're the one who followed me, after all." He pouted a bit more, then winked.
He was, frankly, startled to see just how good Bele had become. He stopped dead and sat with a thump. He lowered his head and ooohed at his sister's claw adornments. "Bele..." He whispered, voice nearly as husky with excitement. "Bele...how did you ever...they're magnificent Bele!" His voice rose on the last words, like a lark taking flight. "Bele, if I got you some teeth, could you fit some for me? And maybe...Bebe," And here he invoked his childhood name for her, the one only he had ever called her, to show how serious he was,) "Could you keep these a secret?" Something told him they were special and not to be spread about too widely.
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 8:13 am
Bele licked Hewa's forehead affectionately when he fake-lunged at her, a calm smile crossing her face. She used to always do that to him when they were cubs, but lately his new mane has been getting in the way. But it didn't matter; she licked what smooth fur was left. It's so good to be with my brother again, she thought to herself.
"I may have followed you, but that doesn't mean I wanted you," she retorted jokingly. "I just needed to make sure you stayed out of trouble, but here you are, off traipsing with demons!" Bele let loose an exasperated sigh, but returned his head-bump with a smile nevertheless. They were always teasing, but they both knew that they probably wouldn't be able to live without each other. Neither had really created such a close bond with any of the other cubs in their rather large litter, but these two always seemed close.
Bele was proud of everything she made, and these claws were her most prized possessions. Not the feather of her namesake; not the ruby beads; not even the marble beads; no, these claws were far more important. She smiled smugly at Hewa's wonderment, but just continued to tear through the soil.
"I could probably make something, sure," she agreed. "But I'd have to ask for something in return." Bele glanced up at him and winked a jade eye. What she'd ever want from him, she had yet to know, but she couldn't just go off empty-handed. A full set was time-consuming to make, and she herself had fallen behind a little in her tracking of Hewa while she was working on them. They were potent weapons, to be sure; she only had to slash once at a klipspringer's neck to bring it down.
Her ears immeadiately perked up at the sound of her baby-name. She hadn't heard it in a very long time, but she knew her brother was serious now. Her claws stopped working the ground, and she looked up in slight confusion. "Why a secret?" she asked, sheathing them. Bele couldn't really see why you would want to make a public thing out of them, but nor did she understand why they would have to be kept hidden.
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Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:54 pm
"That'd be great!" Hewa whooped with excitement and did a little spin. Oh having Bele back made him feel young again! Well not that he was old but the last time they'd been together had been weeks and months ago. "Oh what could you want from me? You've already got my dashing personality and my word for you to the Kings...But alright alright, whatever you want!" He laughed, nearly kicking up his heels at the thought of his own set of such fine tools.
"Why a secret?" He reiterated. "Well...I dunno. It just seems like...He shrugged. "I dunno. Just a feeling. Keep something for the family, a little extra aside from being Nobel Firekin, hmm?" He winked, shrugging it off. Bele was smart. He could figure she'd only show them to anyone who she trusted.
So should we get going? We've got to find a king to start with, and then he might not see you today...I had to wait a week for my meeting, but that was because Kasdeya insisted I met Iartuupe, her father. Oh, Kasdeya is the one who got me in, by the way. Still just a cub, but she's a nasty little spitfire." He frowned, but the emotion wasn't as intense as it had once been. He was understanding her more and more of late.
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:32 pm
Bele laughed at her brother's pirouette, but she knew the feeling. These weapons gave her power; the very action of having them made her feel important. "And dashing you are, my darling little brother!" she said, still smiling. "Without you, how could I ever even possibly get into this equally dashing pride?" The young lionness swooned dramatically, teasing him as usual.
"I can live with that," she agreed. Keeping secrets wasn't hard; she had yet to tell anyone of her Noble status, despite her rather obvious adoration of the giant red lions of her blood. Besides, it would only ever be the two of them that had these tooth-claws, so it wouldn't be anything easy to give away, especially if this pride was of a good size. They could be the heroes in an epic battle.... Bele briefly escaped into a daydream, but she easily slipped back to the present at Hewa's urgent question.
"Oh, yes, the sooner we get moving the better," she said briskly, rising back to her paws. "And I don't mind waiting, as long as I've got you." Bele winked jokingly at her brother, though what she said was the complete truth. Now there's finally a place where we can be together all the time, she thought to herself. No more of this whole tracking business with miles between us. It's like cubhood all over again.
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:42 pm
Hewa nodded and led on, spouting more details about the pride. Eventually his conversation turned more to how excited he was to finally have her with him. He was sure they would be able to live together, just like they had before being stolen and split up. "My den isn't big, but it would fit us both. It's pretty close to the volcano too. It's good, joining while the pride is small. We can get choice territory before it starts getting crowded."
He would have to make a point of introducing her to all the people he knew. There was Kasdeya, who he felt she would respect, but probably not get along with. Nyota he may not take her to at all, he disliked the young cub. Some of the adults were nice, and he knew that she would treat them with difference, though her own self-pride might make some trouble. Oh but it was good to be with her again! Everyone else could be revealed to be horrid and harsh, as long as he had Bele that made no difference.
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