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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:25 pm
Ever since Abeni had spoken with Hewa the day before, she couldn't help but wonder... was she doing the right thing? The male, Marik... She was forcing him to stay here with her even though it was fairly obvious he didn't wish too. Was she justified?
She sat outside her dens and stared down the path, a slight frown on her face. It was odd that she'd go away from the steaming pools to think. She always tried to get the god's advice on things... But right now she needed to figure things out on her own. The advice she'd given Hewa seemed to make sense at the time, but now she wondered...
No... the gods HAD to be right. Marik didn't know any better. He didn't know what demons were, what he had slumbering inside him... He should be grateful to her. After all, she'd been the one feeding him the past couple days, and tending to his wounds. He was growing stronger because of her. And soon she'd be able to unlock his full potential. Her vision just HAD to be true...
Because of the constant care Abeni had give him, Marik was finally beginning to feel a bit like his old self. The fresh wounds on his legs were healing properly and his various scars were slowly starting to fade, leaving only the deepest cuts as memories from his many battles in the roguelands. The male was still thin in comparisson to the muscled pride members.
While Marik was still improving in health his protruding rib cage and arched back were still clear signs that he hadn't properly taken care of himself when he had been on his own. The male had been a rogue in every sense of the word, challenging others wherever he was and struggling to catch a meal big enough to satisfy his constant hunger. Abeni had taken him in as a slave, but as far as Marik was concerned, he was being given a life worth living.
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:26 pm
She'd made up her mind. He'd stay until he really understood what a demon was... Until he understood. If that time came, and he still denied himself... well... no! That wouldn't happen. He'd have to accept her offer to stay. Letting out a small huff she stood and turned to trot back into her dens, eyes glancing around to and fro.
She knew he couldn't have gone far. So she went to where she had left him sleeping a bit before, ears perked. She hadn't really spoken to him much since she'd brought him here, but now that needed to change. His lessons needed to begin.
"Marik?" She called out, stopping a few feet from him.
Resting comfortably on the warm stone ground of Abeni's den, Marik was reluctant to lift his head in order to find what his 'savior' wanted. She stood before him, appearing as regal as always, adorned with her interesting pieces of a costume that only added to her curious nature. Marik knew nothing about the lioness or what she wanted with him. For now he simply took advantage of what she offered and remained relatively obedient.
With ears perked at the sound of her voice, the male responded lazily in his rumbling voice, "Yes, Abeni?" As he awaited a response, he found himself routinely looking her over as though trying to put together a complicated puzzle. It was as though he saw each individual piece for what it was, but couldn't see the entire image.
There seemed to be so much to the female before him. Perhaps this would be his day to learn something.
She sat, keeping her posture good and upright while she looked down at him, a serene but serious expression on her face.
"While I'm glad that you have not rebelled against me keeping you here... I find it odd that you have not asked why. Do you know anything about what this pride means...? Why what it means for you to be here, by these sacred pools, with me?" She watched him attentively, noting every movement and reaction he made as she went on. "It is of uttmost importance that you understand who you are. What you are."
Marik had been expecting Abeni's first question for some time. Had he not been silently planning his escape once he was in good health he may have been more curious about just what the female wanted with him. At this point in Marik's life he did not plan or expect to remain a captive of that pride and thereofor was not concerned with their ideals and beliefs. Glancing towards the pools curiously, Marik shrugged. "I have been curious, but what good would that do? Do you plan on explaining everything to me?" Marik voice was deep and increasingly bitter. While he was glad to learn something, why did she want to teach him anyhow? Was it her intent to keep him there forever? Would she expect his attempt to escape and do something to prevent it from happening? Marik's ears fell against the sides of his head as he waited for her explaination. It was then that something genuinely peeked his interest. "What I am?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:47 am
For the first time since he'd been there she glared at him, even a low growl rumbling from her throat. How could he be so selfish! She had saved him! The lioness moved a little closer, her bright golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Do not take that tone with me, your savior. Or would you prefer for me to give you back the pain and the wound, leave you back in the middle of no where to rot under the sun, ending as nothing but scraps for vultures! Or do you want something more...? Tell me, Marik, what is you want out of life?" She inched closer still, her eyes now errily wide. "I could give you power and strength that you couldn't imagine..."
When Marik first had come to Abeni he would have cowered at the sound of her angered rumble and lowered his stature to show her that he was thankful - not out of obedience and respect, but mere self preservation. He had been a skeleton of what he was before. Now, having been cared for for such a long time, the once proud male was regaining his former self, filling out and willing to once again take on the world. Lifting himself, for the first time since his arrival, the male stood tall before the priestess. His legs trembled at first, but then finally kept their ground, planting him firmly where he was. "I did not ask for your assistance." He hissed in return, eyes narrowed. "And how are my desires a concern of yours? Do you believe that it is my desire to be pitied and taken care of?" Marik was torn. He knew it was only because of Abeni that he lived, but what right did she have to claim a reward for her actions? He did not ask to be saved! Lowering his ears, the male's fur began to stand on end. "I would have been happy to have died. I would have died a more noble death!"
She stood as tall as she could, unphased by his superior height... And growing build. She growled again, but lower this time. "Even if you did not ask to be saved, you at least owe me the time to listen to what I have to say. So sit down or I will make your legs imcapable of standing." She let out a sharp grunt and eyed him disaprovingly. "You really think that I pity you? I would not have bothered with you if I thought you were weak. The gods would not have told me to save you if there was not some purpose... If you weren't something more... Ah yes..." Her eyes widened again in that odd way, her purpose unbreakable in her mind. "You see, you are something more, Marik. You're not just a lion... You're a demon, just as I am. Inside you rests a power. Yes, it is sleeping now, you do not see or feel it because you are ignorant to our ways, but I see it, I see it in all it's glory... You must believe, you must know what lives within you."
When Abeni stood and looked Marik in the eyes, the male couldn't help but feel his body tremble. It was a strange sensation. Marik found himself not fearful of the dark lioness standing before him, but almost empowered by her presense. She gave off an incredible aura that seemed to enforce each and every word she spoke. Marik remained where he was, unable to move and feeling increasingly vulnerable in his position. He felt a gnawing on his insides, demanding that he swipe the scarred face that stared so boldly into his eyes. Abeni spoke as though she knew him better than he knew himself!
As Abeni explained to Marik how she did not pity him and believed him to be incredibly strong, the male felt his ego begin to be stroked by her kind words. It was only when her eyes widened again and she continued that Marik felt something inside him truly pull him towards her and what she was saying. Abeni's words seemed to be drawing him to her, as though he longed for the powers that she spoke of.
How could that be true? What she spoke of seemed only possible in fables and lore...
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:36 pm
She inched slightly closer, her eyes still wide with excitment, though it was... odd. Some energy that didn't quite seem her own. Her gold eyes almost seemed luminescent in the dim light. Then she smiled after seeing his reaction. Good... He wasn't denying it, at least not yet. She had his attention.
"This volcano is our home... It is a gateway for our demons, a gate that lets their power flow into us... Can't you feel it?" Her eyes closed then, while her head tilted back while she breathed in the mist that floated off of the pool behind her. "It vibrates through these lands like drums, like thunder. Igniting our souls and changing us into something... more... Say you can feel it... Surely..." Her eyes opened again, just as bright as before. "Say it, Marik..." Another step towards him.
As Abeni crept forward, Marik felt his fur stand on end and his body continue to tremble. He had an urge to shake his head and deny everything that she was saying, but he couldn't bring the muscles in his neck to move. It was madness to think that there could be a demonic creature living inside his body! But if he were so certain, why was it that the moment Abeni had begun to explain things a sort of understanding came over him? As he found himself recollecting all of his past thoughts and actions they all seemed to make so much more sense.
Abeni was demanding his answer now and nothing other than 'yes' would satisfy her hunger. Her eyes glimmered wildly as she continued to near him. Swallowing hard, Marik began to take a few steps back. The sudden movement of his body seemed to clear his mind and he felt his familiar pain return to his joints. Doubt and questions filled his mind and the male managed to raise a paw to stop the female before their bodies hit one another. He opened his mouth to speak, but as he returned his gaze back to the priestess he felt golden eyes capture him once again.
She frowned. No... she'd been so close! She could feel it! That he knew... Why was he denying it? Denying himself! Had he no pride?
"What?" She snapped, her frown turning into an impatient sneer. "Speak your thoughts, Marik." She had to know why...
Abeni's change in tone seemed to be the final push Marik needed to return to his original state of mind. He seemed to have been trapped for a moment in the priestess' gaze, soaking up her words with eager curiosity. With a shake of his head, the male continued to take a few steps back. Everything she had said still floated about his mind and left a bitter taste on his tongue. It was madness.... right? Marik still couldn't push through the deep connection he felt with the strange lioness in front of him.
Ignoring his lingering questions for the time being, Marik turned his back on the female and laid himself down to rest again. His back legs were sore and clearly not yet prepared for standing, let alone walking. Glancing back to look at Abeni, the dark colored male spoke calmly, "I feel weak, Abeni. I need rest." While it was true that he did indeed feel stressed from the sudden rush of adrenaline, what Marik needed more than rest was time to think over what Abeni had said to him.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:36 pm
The priestess frowned again, her ears drooping. She was disapointed and discouraged by his lack of enthusiasim in the end. She didn't understand why he was being difficult! It'd seemed so natural to her... she'd accepted being a demon almost instantly. Abeni knew he was one... Without a doubt. Ugh!
"Fine." She grumbled, eyes narrowing at him in annoyance. "Take your time to rest... And think about what I said." She grumbled, sneering at him distastefully for a moment... But then it softened and she just sighed, turning away from him. "I'll go find something for you to eat."
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