[FIN] Tomorrow's Guardians (Mittere x Uzochi)

[Uta]

Uzochi stared down at himself near the watering hole, his blue eyes studying the subtle changes in his makeup. He was getting along in age and was practically a youth. His mane was getting thicker, his body taller and longer, and he was less clumsy on his paws. He didn't know when the change had happened, but there it was. . . It wouldn't be long now before he'd have to be apprenticed.

Thankfully, the young juvenile wasn't particularly concerned about his future. There was time enough to enjoy the day, the sunshine that warmed his coat, and the cool water that had previously quenched his thirst. Reaching out, he batted at the water to make ripples in his reflection. As was taught early within the Kitwana'antara, one could never settle upon the future, or look too far ahead. Tomorrows, of course, were never guaranteed. . . . especially in the land of the sick.

Turning away from the water, Uzochi considered his options. He didn't quite want to go back to the den, and unfortunately for him, his brother was off minding his own affairs. That didn't leave much in the way of things to do. So, he decided he'd go and attempt to find his grand father. Why shouldn't he look for Sliabh? He was a guard, he was bound to be somewhere in the pride, likely by the borders. . . where he wasn't allowed to roam. But he was big now! Mature. Practically an adult.

Why shouldn't he go? He could help the other guards, or . . . or something. He'd promise not to get under paw, after all. Not at all concerned by the trouble he was bound to get in to, the young juvenile trotted away from the heart of the pride. He attempted to be as slick and as sly as possible, avoiding the adults, pretending to groom himself non-nonchalantly when they passed, and occasionally trotting after a group of cubs who were headed the direction he was going.

Yeah. That's right. Look at how NOT suspicious he was acting. . .  

[mouselet]

The pink lioness was heading in after a stint on the border. It was a shame, in many ways, that she spent more of her time assisting the Guards than training her Warriors...but there were very few of the latter and so she couldn't justify not helping on the border. Not that she really minded. It was freer there, and one had the opportunity to get some truly fresh air.

She should pull Tarafa out there sometime. The blue lioness had hardly left the den ever since Nyesha's death and Mittere wasn't about to let her mate mourn herself to death. Nyesha's demise had been heart-wrenching, but it was sadly common in this pride and the Master Warrior refused to let it pull her down. In many ways, it was much like what she'd seen as a mercenary - though those she fought with had died, it was her responsibility to keep on fighting and see to it that their deaths were not in vain. So they must honor Nyesha by living their lives and not joining her in death until it was their time.

Mittere's thoughts were interrupted by something brightly white in front of her. Focusing on the present, she saw a juvenile lion. He must've been a pride member, to be here, but she didn't personally recognize him. His behavior, however, was another thing entirely. He seemed to be up to no good - the way he slunk when he thought no one was watching, then pretending to be casual whenever someone was.

He didn't seem to have noticed her yet, probably because her angle to him was somewhat oblique. With a sigh of resignation, the pink lioness changed the angle of her approach to intercept the youngster and see just what he thought he was doing.  

[Uta]

The juvenile did not notice Mittere, at least not at first. So focused on getting away from the heart of the pride and out to the open lands of the Kitwana'antara, Uzochi forgot that he must listen and look behind him. Unfortunately, he did not remember to turn his head and ears until Mittere was practically upon him, and he was far enough from the dens to look suspicious.

But he wasn't suspicious.

Yeah.
Yeah that was right.

While a small part of him automatically came up with an excuse -- a fib -- the moral part of the cub knew he would get in even more trouble if he lied. So he couldn't bring himself to do that. . . especially to an adult! But on the other paw, how did she know he didn't have any business out there?

So instead of looking guilty, like he almost did, the blue eyed cub quickly puffed out his chest, tail swinging behind him, and carried on as if he were meant to be headed to the open lands of the pride. If he could whistle, he would have, his body language that of complete nonchalance despite Mittere's presence.

See? He was just . . . .heading out, not doing anything wrong here, nope. Doot.

 

[mouselet]

"I hope you haven't tried that on your parents, since I doubt it fools them any more than it has me," the pink lioness said dryly as she came up behind the boy. Even if he was a juvenile, she was an adult with a correspondingly longer stride and a great deal more stamina.

A couple more steps brought her even with the white lion, and blue eyes met blue eyes steadily, waiting for his response.

Really. Did he think adults were stupid or something?  

[Uta]

Fiddlesticks.

The pink lioness was now walking next to him, and apparently had caught on that his entire walk was nothing more than a guise! On the other paw, he wasn't really doing wrong -- he was simply going out to find his grandfather! Granted, it then occurred to him that even if he found Sliabh, the other might not exactly be pleased to see him out there by himself. . . .

So maybe it wasn't the best thought out of plans.

". . . I'm just explorin' a bit," he added amicably, giving a little shrug. That was closer to the truth, at any rate, especially now that he'd begun to change his mind. "I'm not a cub anymore. I was going to find my grandpa but, I've changed my mind." Granted, just because Sliabh wasn't the end-goal anymore, didn't mean he was going back to the dens. In fact, he kept up his walk with Mittere, not put off by her scarred hide even though he knew exactly who it was he spoke to.

As a Master Warrior, she could eat him, and from the rumors he herd, it might not be that far of a stretch if she did. But surely she wouldn't eat someone just for walking. . . . right?
 

[mouselet]

The pink lioness raised a silent eyebrow as she considered the boy beside her and mulled over what he'd said. "Exploring" was a standard excuse and as a reason, it did have some merit. Just...not in this direction. And now he mentioned he'd wanted to find his grandfather...if she'd had any idea of who the juvenile was in the first place, she might be able to figure out who the grandfather was. As a personal guess, she'd say Sliabh, but that was simply because the Guard had far too many children and grandchildren in general.

Regardless, Mittere was certain that the boy had only changed his mind as soon as she'd come onto the scene. It was, after all, the only logical conclusion.

"As a juvenile, you're still a youth and thus the same as a cub for all intents and purposes," the pink lioness reminded the boy. It was easier, logistically and strategically speaking, to lump the two youngest groups of children in together as "not useful" and "to be protected" all together. Adolescents at least had the mental faculties and physical strength to be given assignments and trusted to obey orders. Any younger than that, and it was far more of a headache than it was worth.

Of course, the juveniles in her experience tended not to see things the same way she did.  

[Uta]

Uzochi couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in distaste as Mittere coolly stated that he was lumped in to the category of being a mere cub. That wasn't a very fair assessment, really, He was smarter than some of the cubs that ran around -- smarter than some of the juveniles for that matter -- and he had done a lot of maturing and developing since being a cub! Even his mane had grown thicker. . . . wasn't that a sign of something great?

Thankfully though, the blue eyed lioness didn't appear to be stopping him. Yet. "Well, maybe so, but at least I'm old enough to do some 'splorin. I know a lot of cubs that can't much leave their dens, let alone train or wrestle or practice huntin'." So it was, the pale lion puffed out his chest with a bit of pride and continued on his way.

Cool and composed. . . . But now that Mittere was so close, he did get better view of her scars. His walking slowed a touch as he craned his neck to look at her. "Say, where'd you get all those scars? I mean, I know you're the Master Warrior, but . . Were you part of the Great War that happened 'fore I was born?" He knew the prides history, at least some of it. Like all cubs, he knew about the great battle that too place between the Kitwana'anatara and one of its neighbors.

Logically, with how scarred Mittere was, he had to guess that was the case. He'd wear cool scars too, someday, and be strong just like Sliabh.

 

[mouselet]

She was far from surprised at his distate from being equated with a cub. That didn't make it any less true from her point of view, however, and she had started subtly angling her steps so that they would be heading back to the heart of the pride in the end. She knew better than to speak to the restrictions some youths did or didn't have - those were the choices of their parents and it wasn't her place to approve or disapprove them so long as the children were well within the pride's borders.

The pink lioness did raise an eyebrow as the boy asked about her scarred appearance. Most of the pride didn't ask - the older members remembered how she'd come to be here and the youngsters seemed to think they already knew.

"I did not fight in your Great War," Mittere replied. "But I have fought in the same for other prides, far from here."  

[Uta]

Uzochi practically stopped, his blue eyes growing wide when she admitted that she came from Somewhere Else. Woah, woah, woah . . . This was big news to the little pale cub, who so very rarely had the opportunity to talk to those who were not already restricted to the pride.

Oh, sure, his grandpa Sliabh had stories about his adventures when he was asked to leave the pride and come back with cubs. Everyone knew that, and someday he too hoped and wished that maybe he'd be immune, and be allowed to do a little roaming. But until then, he was stuck. Besides, he'd heard all of Sliabh's stories. . . . this Mittere might have something new.

"You came from out there!?" He questioned, giving a nod towards the borders. Uzochi was clearly impressed -- where Mittere might have lost points for claiming he was useless as a cub, the juvenile found renewed intrigue in the pink lioness. Not just because she was a little scary and scarred, but because she lived a life far away from the Kitwana'antara, and had even been in wars. "What was it like to go to battle? Were you ever scared? Did you ever kill anybody?" He was not afraid to ask, nor was he afraid of the answer.
 

[mouselet]

The pink lioness had taken another couple steps before she realized her stunned young audience had stopped. A quick mental tally, not to mention the boy's next words, reminded her that there weren't quite as many former rogues in this pride as in some others.

Given that, she wasn't utterly surprised by the bombardment he fired at her following that revelation. She considered whether or not those questions should be answered. The boy was eager and seemed unafraid. Good qualities in any would-be fighter. Not good in a trained warrior, but that was different. There was potential here and, if properly nurtured, it could result in another fighter for the pride.

"There is nothing like battle excepting itself," she answered simply. "Only a fool does not fear it." Mittere examined her claws for a moment before looking sharply at the boy. "Of course I've killed. I am a Warrior, and that is what I do."  

[Uta]

Uzochi was still young enough to be a fool, and while he took her words to heart, that it was all right to be afraid of battle. . . he was still too young, too proud, and far too inexperienced to really understand what that might be like. In fact, the lion didn't suspect that he'd be afraid, but he certainly didn't say it, and certainly wasn't going to admit it. He didn't think Mittere would like that answer, and he wanted to impress her, after all.

Blue eyes brightened with renewed respect as she spoke about the admittance of killing someone, or at least something. He wanted to hear her stories of glory, of all the scars that he could clearly see upon her body. Still, she was no bard, and she was here to fight and defend, not weave tales of her adventures. Besides, Uzochi knew that if he ever did find himself in battle, it would be a terribly serious time for the Kitwana'antara. It would not be a fun and game sort of thing, and it was possible people, his own pride, could get hurt or killed.

But that's why they needed warriors, not just guards! They needed those to fight, just like Mittere. "I want to become a warrior someday!" He staunchly admitted, practically jumping up and down in his belief. "I know I need all sorts of training, and am small now, but . . . but I want to defend the pride and not just be a border guard." He had nothing against guards, there were many within his own family, and yet. . . His goal and task were clear.
 

[mouselet]

Hmmm...young and impressionable. She would have to remember that as a decent way to inspire the children to desire a more active path to protecting the pride. Her general disdain for children had led the pink lioness to overlook this method of grooming the youngsters to be a new generation of fighters - both Guards and Warriors. Such a foolish tactical mistake that she had no intention of repeating in the future. Even if it meant dealing with...ugh...kids.

But she had this opportunity right here and now with the white juvenile.

"An admirable goal," Mittere replied. Her face and body showed a sublte relaxation of tensed muscles - if Tarafa had been there, the Bard would have recognized the expression as the next best thing to a smile.

"Perhaps you might wish to see what such a responsibility entails," the lioness suggested.  

[Uta]

Uzochi didn't seem terribly put off by the serious nature of Mittere. He knew that the Master Warrior was a little bit frightening, but she had to be -- she was a Master! She knew what it meant to be fierce, and you had to be tough to kill bad guys. She was strong and tough and everything awesome, and the fact that she was talking to him was almost a dream come true.

He'd need follow in her foot steps if he wanted to grow up strong and tough.

"Oh, would you show me? I mean, I know it's gonna be hard, but. . . I guess I don't really know what Warriors do." Blue eyes blinked in consideration of this fact, as his tail twitched a bit in thoughtfulness. What did a warrior do? "Other than defend the pride against bad guys. And kill things sometimes. I think." And have tales of guts and glory and strength and determination and victory. Perhaps his cub mind romanticized the reality, but deep down, Uzochi knew his calling very well.

He had seen it.

Little did he realize the vivid daydreams of imagining himself a fighter weren't always, entirely, what they seemed. Unfortunately, the little cub wasn't yet aware enough of himself, or his dreams, to truly know the difference.
 

[mouselet]

Excellent. The boy was thoroughly distracted from his earlier quest to the border, she had a potential new recruit on her hands...it was all good. This could be a near-perfect ending to the day.

"All duties are hard," Mittere chided the white lion. "That of a Warrior is simply more physically demanding than most. And, as you well know, there are many fewer lions who have the strength and the stamina for the job in this pride." She knew it was important to impress upon the boy how much work this would be, but the pink lioness certainly didn't want him to disdain the other ranks in the pride just because they didn't require physical strength.

"Come, I will show you our training grounds and perhaps a bit more," the adult hinted, herding the juvenile further inward. Not that she had any fear of losing his attention now that she had it. He seemed like the sort that would go forward at full tilt...until he ran out of energy and collapsed for several hours, before waking again to return to his task.

She could use a lion like him. Best impress him now, while he was still impressionable.