OOC
This rp is backlogged! I've not had much time to RP Mizar and I would like to develop him from cub stage on.
It had taken weeks to restore the cub to a state that anyone could consider to be healthy. While Zhao Yun was hardly the fatherly type, he had learned quickly how to take care of the little stray. Once the cub had been fed, he spent a good deal of time cleaning his coat between the watering hole and his tongue. The cub had been a sad, sorry mess with scabs all over his tiny body, cuts and scrapes, little knots in his fur, and even some balding patches. He had eaten like every meal might have been his last and perhaps the worst of it- he never spoke.
The cub was barely recognizable anymore. He’d put on a good deal of weight, filling out and even gaining the healthy, rounded belly typical of cubs his age. His coat had filled out, the bald spots almost completely gone, and his stringy, gaunt figure a thing of the past. He was still in the awkward rounded cub stage where his paws were too big for his body and he waddled more than he walked. Anything that moved became a target for his claws, and soon his teeth, and he would nod off at the blink of an eye.
Yun was beginning to warm up to the cub’s antics, even encouraging them at times. He would lay in the sun, flicking his tail more than was strictly necessary to gain the cub’s attention and make a game out of trying to keep it away from the little paws that soon came thumping after it. The cub had good reflexes and a very keen eye but…he lacked one thing. One sadly essential thing- a sense of direction. Often times, Yun would return to his den to find that the cub had wandered off. Where he found him was always a source of both panic and amusement. Once he’d found the cub halfway up a tree trunk, mewing like he was on the verge of death itself. Another time he’d found the cub with his head stuck in a hole, another time he had nearly wandered into the southern territory. Perhaps it had been his illness beforehand, perhaps he’d caught a fever in that rough time, or perhaps he was just born without a mental compass of any sort. How or why he managed to get himself where he had was anyone’s guess.
Thankfully, the cub hadn’t wandered far when Yun had gone to fetch something for them to eat. A jackal wasn’t exactly a feast, but it would put some meat in both their bellies and hold them over until Yun could track something a little more wholesome. He’d eaten what he felt was a fair share and laid nearby, watching as the nameless cub picked at the rest of the kill.
“You know… I’m going to have to figure out a name for you.” He said out loud, perking the cub’s interest. Yun smiled in response, not really expecting an answer. The cub hadn’t spoken since he’d found him. He wasn’t a mute- the cub had made quite a racket several times. “Two names, actually. If you intend on staying around here, that is.”
The cub frowned and began licking at one of his paws eagerly, hoping to resolve a sudden itch.
“I don’t expect you have anywhere else to be, though. If you did, I wouldn’t think you’d manage to find your way there anyway.” He snorted. “You should have something…maybe that can make up for your rough start. Something strong, or something that beckons luck. You could use it…”
Again the cub didn’t answer. He lowered his paw and, content with his meal, waddled back over. His over-sized ears rolled forward as he listened to the older lion ramble on.
“…you’re hopeless.” the lion reached a paw out and pulled the cub close. His face was covered in blood from the kill from chin to the center of his forehead. It didn’t take long for Yun to clean him up and get him settled in-between his paws. Like clockwork, as soon as his belly was full, the cub would nod off for a few hours at a time.
“I wouldn’t feel right giving you a given name.” He continued his train of thought as the cub rolled onto his back and stretched his paws out in the air. “That’s something that… I think you should decide. But perhaps I can help you think up a pride name… or rather, give you one so I have something to call you until you come up with a given name.”
He sighed and looked upwards. Here he was talking to a cub… he really should learn to be more social with the rest of the pride.
“Hm…something with fortune perhaps?” He looked down to the cub. He was watching him, his eyes droopy but sharp enough. He could see that he was listening- and perhaps even absorbing some of what he said. Perhaps talking with him could nudge the shy little thing out of his mental box and into some conversation. “…perhaps not. He continued. I don’t want to expect anything of any gods or fates watching over you. It might be seen as a little intrusive.”
He was met only with a wide-mouthed yawn.
“Something strong then. You managed to survive where most wouldn’t have. It will make a decent story once you’ve grown old enough to tell it. Doubtless, the house will be curious about you. I’ve already broken out of my normal routine.” He sighed, well that was an under-statement. “Something….bold.”
He thought for a moment. His own name… it was difficult to place. “Yun” meant ‘cloud’, he knew that much, but “Zhao” was more of a family name. One given to him to separate himself from his sire, Tyro. He knew so little of the lion and it truly pained him. At times, he felt isolated as well. A b*****d from a royal line, a noble line, but a b*****d regardless.
He looked down to find his companion sound asleep. “…hm. How about Long Wei? Loosely translated, it means ‘Dragon greatness’. I think it suits you.”
Word Count: 1,027
