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 Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:06 pm
Ute was distracted of late; though thankfully it wasn't her mother causing it. Her mom seemed to be doing well thankfully; despite the prides chaos and occasional craziness. It was that Rowtag. Not the Rowtag of her mothers hatred but one of... well.. of Ute's admiration... maybe that was what it was. In fact; she didn't know what it was. Was it his singing? She had come upon him deep in song; and Ute was amazed at his tenderness... if that was it.
She snorted and climbed upon a very familiar rock to her and her mother. It was a rock that Zii and her sister Azar used to play at. It was a rock that many played at actually. She scented the air; her ears forward and listening hard for any sounds that were suspicious.
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:13 pm
Little Kerra was making the most of Ute's distraction. And, as she climbed up the rock to which she was so familiar, behind her crept a small shadow. A red shadow with silver eyes. And, when he saw her scent the air, he dropped onto his belly on the sand where it ended and the rock began and looked up at her with pounding heart.
Had she seen him?
No?
Well then, perhaps it was best to take this moment to act! And, with a small smirk, he gathered his paws beneath him and leaped into a charge, dashing up the rock after her and throwing his whole weight at her at the last moment - his whole weight, admittedly, not being very much.
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:17 pm
She hadn't paid attention to any scents of familiar firekin scents; including his if she had caught it. She stood and gazed out into the sands with her crystal blue eyes and shut them just as the cub decided to 'attack'. Before she knew it; some little stranger was colliding with her hind leg. She startled, letting loose a small 'plurp' sound as she turned curiously to see what small thing had run into her. A cub. Red pelted and silver eyed. She didn't recognize him or who his parents might be; she tended to not make those types of connections much...
"Excuse me young fellow." She said softly; sitting her hind end down and gazing at him with a very amused smile on her muzzle. "What are you doing so far out here?" She asked, not wanting to immediately jump into what others called... mommy mode.
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:21 pm
The impact sent him tumbling backwards and for a moment the whole world seemed turned upside-down. When he righted himself it was to see her strangely marked face turned towards him, her eyes streaked with red and black. He looked up into them, blinking rapidly, and then seemed to realise that he had been spoken to.
"Hello!" He chirped back at her, though he did think her question a little strange.What was he doing? He was hunting her, of course! Just like he'd sneak up on the enemy. In response he gave a little shrug, his tail curling mid-air in the fashion that told him he didn't seem that concerned. "My dad is close by. But I got bored so I followed you." He continued after a moment. "My name is Kerra. Who are you?"
He blinked again. "You have strange markings, lady."
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:26 pm
Ute couldn't help but smile more at the apparent reaction to her. Though she was curious to the... odd look he had given her. She nodded her head with his greeting. The little shrug and the confidant air he had about him made her wonder whom his parents were. "Your father eh?" She said, curious who which scent the father was. She cocked her head. "I am Ute. My full name is long; so I simply go by that..." She said simply; not wanting to confuse him with the multi syllable title. "I am a guard. My grand parents are the regents. My mother is Zii'moto; she is the baby sitter; you may know her. She has the same mark that Is on my shoulder; only it is on her chest." She realized she was babbling.
"... Oh..." A bold little boy. "... I got my eyes from my father... and my paws. My mother is all white with yellow eyes. You have pretty unusual markings yourself Kerra."
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:34 pm
His mind whirred. SO many relatives. So many names. The Firekin, he had been told, were like this. A complicated heritage through which a number of lines merged, separated and formed with new blood. Still, he knew who the regents were and he couldn't help but be impressed at that. He wasn't all too familiar with his family tree yet but he was pretty sure his grandfather would have mentioned it if there was a relation.
"Ute." He echoed. "Short is best." He agreed. His own name was short, after all. Easier to say. Easier to remember. "I know Zii'moto." And they did share that marking! It was quite unique. Made people easier to put together into groups that way.
"My mum has pretty crazy markings." He explained with pride. "And my dad is all stripes."
And then to the topic that had caught his interest. "Oh, you're a guard? You probably know my dad! He's a guard too! And Grandpa! Dad is Heti, my grandpa is Azar'bijan. He's a corporal. And one day he says he's going to be the General. How cool would that be?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:41 pm
Ah, Ute knew of this Azar. It was a male that her mother did not favor. He used to call her names for being so pale and for being so little of firekin personality. She simply nodded though, not wanting to make it weird. She didn't know much of Azar's relations... but regardless this boy seemed well enough. "Ah yes I know them... " She wasn't close to either of them. "a general huh. Wouldn't that be something..." She said simply with a smile on her muzzle. she was skeptical of such things.
"One can accomplish a lot with just a little bit of hard work and dedication." For some reason the incident when she helped bring in the Hogoshan not long ago and taking the lead for it... made her wonder if she would some day be capable of a higher rank. "Being a guard is big business... you sure you can do it?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:44 pm
Thankfully, Azar seemed to be the black sheep of the family, his bad qualities so far staying with him alone. A good thing, to be sure. The pride was not big enough for two lions with his persona. "Uh huh." He bobbed his head in agreement. "He works real hard but he is a bit grumpy." It was hard not to notice that, even if Azar was kinder towards his grandkids.
"Pah, of course I can do it." He puffed his chest out. "I'm tough." And the way he said it was in an almost plaintive voice, as if trying to assure himself that he was. "I just don't know whether that's what I want to do yet. There's so many options and me and my siblings-" or some of his siblings, anyway "-don't know what is for the best."
He wrinkled his nose questioningly. "Why did you want to become a guard?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:53 pm
Ute coudn't help but chuckle at the little guy and his proud stance. His almost unassured comment at being tough. When she was little, she was coddled by her parents; in an effort to keep their relationship together. It was no big surprise by the time her parents split up. "You have time to think about it." She offered, holding up a paw to him and smiling. "I didn't know what i wanted to be until I was a juve... and only because my parents both were guards at that time."
She paused. "My mother; Zii; wasn't always a baby sitter. She got hurt really bad during a horrible dry spell here... she fell down a gorge and hurt her legs... so she can't walk around a lot anymore..." She looked sad for a moment. "She misses it sometimes but being around children makes her happy."
She hoped her mom would have more someday.
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:58 pm
Kerra nodded, slack-jawed. He wasn't sure why but he couldn't help but feel pressure mounting. He already felt like he should know what he wanted to be when he grew up. Except everything seemed so exciting! Well...not everything. He'd at least scaled it to three options. Guard. Soldier. Sentinel. All offered excitement and adventure and he definitely wanted that in his life.
"That's too bad." He replied in response to Ute's mother. To once have been a part of the military and then resorted to taking care of cubs...that had to have been a sad and horrible thing indeed. "I guess it isn't too bad." He offered. "She gets to watch me, after all, so there's that at least." He gave Ute a cheeky smile and then swept a paw through the sand in thought.
"So...you became a guard because your parents were? You didn't want to be different? What if your dad is a guard and your mum is a soldier? What then?"
So many questions.
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:03 pm
she smiled. "Yes. I don't suggest doing it simply because of parents... it is now awkward around my father sometimes. They are no longer together. Their love died.." She looked sad at this too. "But I love being a guard. I wouldn't want it any other way... I never wanted to be anything big or strong; and I am observant and have enough authority when I need it." She tossed her head back a bit.
"I didn't inherit my mothers soft emotion..." She chuckled. "If my parents were guard and soldier; I may have considered one or the other; but guarding is my life... to protect everyone I love."
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:07 pm
He looked thoughtful for a moment, contemplating on that. It certainly was a lot to think about and it seemed like such an important thing, too. One could not simply turn back once on the path - or so he assumed. Perhaps he should speak with some more guards and some more soldiers and see what he could gather from them. His grandpa was insistent that becoming a guard was the best thing. His father seemed content to let him decide. And here was Ute speaking of her love of protecting.
Was he a protector or a fighter or a seeker?
It was such a heavy burden for so small a cub. But as Ute had said, he still had time. Maybe he ought to talk with his brothers and sisters some more, too. It might help to know what their future plans were, too.
"Firekin aren't supposed to be soft." He said at last with another grin. "Else how would we beat the bad guys?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:14 pm
Ute smiled. "Oh I know. She knows that too... my mother knew she was soft and she never took to insults from others. Lot's of them referred to her as a 'slave' like in the old days... cause she was barely firekin... but she would fight if she had too; even with her movement not so guile anymore." She smiled. "I will happily beat the bad guys for my mother... anyone here..."
She stood. "And young cubs aren't supposed to wonder off... shall we walk you back to your father and chat some more?" She smiled down at him. "Tell me about your siblings?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:20 pm
"That's good." He exclaimed, glad to hear that she'd beat up bad guys even if she was 'soft'. And then, when she chided him on wandering off, he gave a loud, exaggerated sigh and shook his head. "I can take care of myself you know." But that was the only fight he put up. He leapt to his paws a moment later and began to slide down the rock, pausing at the bottom to knead his paws into the sand as he glanced back up at her.
"Okay, we can go back, but only if you tell me about some guarding adventures." He took a moment to think, his nose scrunching. "And I'll tell you about my siblings. I have this brother, he's called Bakar and there was this one time--"
--And Kerra could, quite happily, talk the whole way back to where his father was. This little one had yet to learn the meaning of 'shy'. Perhaps he never would.
/fin
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