[PRP] Who Watches the Watch Lion? (Ezen x Vikali)

[SilverLutz]

Ezen was feeling rather proud of himself today, which was fairly rare. He wasn't one to sing his own praises and, as was the case with many, he was his biggest critic. Still, he had never been very good at fishing, but he had managed to out-fish Tikahn, even with the ice cracking under his paws. He had even managed to catch a rather colorful, odd-looking fish on his first try! Not bad for someone who hadn't tried that particular skill since cubhood.

It was as nice as day as any, what with the warm weather starting to move in, and Ezen was taking his usual stroll around the edges of the island, a bit more pep in his step than his usual plodding pace. He doubted his little fishing adventure would yield any prize, but that was fine with him. He had won his own by beating the smaller lion. Tikahn had managed to surprise him with a friendly comment after he had won, though...maybe Elsa was right about him. That he wasn't some timid little wimp that couldn't be trusted.

He paused to sit on a little hill that overlooked the lake, part of which was still frozen through, the other part not so much. There were lions fishing down there, and he decided to stop at watch. It wouldn't do to have any one fall in, after all. Not everyone was a strong swimmer.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

Vikali was a quiet lion in his own right. He was infinitely patient and could spend an eternity waiting if he needed to, unmoving. So, comparatively, his time in the pride, watching over his half sister, was rather action packed. He might have spent most of his days standing in the shadows, watching, but that was still more than he could be doing. He had no opinion on it, either way, of course. He was a bit too stoic to really care.

He did care about protecting his sister, though, and making sure the pride she was in charge of maintained itself, and lasted through time. He wanted to see them not only exist, but thrive, which was rare for him. The God of Durability tended to only care if something was able to last, even if that meant staying the same, but he just wanted to see this place get better.

That meant making sure everyone who was currently in it knew their roles, and were suited to them. He had seen Ezen around Elsa quite a lot, and knew that this was meant to be one of her personal guards.

She needed someone that could be counted on, so Vikali felt he needed to have a word with Ezen, to see what kind of a lion he really was. He had not even started to consider Tikahn yet, or what THAT lion's role was.

"Hello," he said stiffly as he padded toward the white, blue maned lion. They were on a hill, and he saw others fishing below, but he was not worried about them yet.  

[SilverLutz]

Ezen's ear twitched as he heard snow crunching a bit of a ways off. He turned away from the fishing lions to see who was approaching and frowned just a bit. The lion that came forward appeared friendly and he was sure he had seen him a few times in the pride, but he couldn't put a name with the face. The voice was rather stiff, but not in a gruff or tense way, and Ezen knew he wasn't in danger. He was, after all, a member of the pride. Or....he thought so, at least.

"Hello," he returned, his voice was cold and stony as his expression. He wasn't the best at making friends, that was for certain. "Is there something I can help you with?" It wasn't uncommon for lions to approach him with requests for the queen, since he could find her fairly easily in most cases, or to use his strength for one thing or another. But this lion seemed very strong and powerful himself, so he wasn't sure why he was being approached. His reputation in the pride was that of a loner. A helpful, terrifying loner, and that was how he liked to be know.

Lithiasaur

How did I put this in the Rouge section? If you'd like to stick it in the Frozen thread I'd be much obliged

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

"I wanted to speak with you about something."

Vikali could not tell this mortal that he was a god, or that he was Queen Elsa's half brother. Or he could, but he was not willing to. Elsa did not know of her lineage and she certainly did not know she was being guarded over by the God of Durability. Though, in his mind, there was not a better God out there for such things.

"I know you are close with the Queen, and I wanted to ask you about why. You are her guard, are you not? Do you think you are fit for this job? That you will be able to keep her safe should something come to stand against her? And as you age, how long do you think you will be able to keep this position?"

Because those that could not last had no business trying, in his book.  

[SilverLutz]

Ezen raised his brows to indicate the other lion should proceed with his questions, but when they came, his expression changed to one of distaste. Who was this random male to question his position, his loyalty, his ability to protect Elsa? He didn't even know his name? Rather than answering anything that was asked of him, Ezen bared his teeth in annoyance.

"Who are you to ask such things? I don't even know your name, nor your title here."

He kept his eyes narrowed and trained on the lion, wondering if he were some sort of spy from a rival pride. Did they have rival prides? He wasn't sure...there were those they traded with, but were any of them particularly jealous of their living situation? He didn't think so.

"All you need to know is I will guard the queen until I draw my last breath, be it from age or from battle, and if you're on some round-about way to attempt to accomplish this, then stop beating around the bush and attack. I have no time for chit-chat."

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

"My name is Vikali," the God of Durability said.

Giving out his name would not be enough to give him away, after all, so he saw no harm in being truthful there. Anyway, he lived in this pride, and he needed to maintain some sort of a cover. If they knew him by name, at the very least, then they would not question his being there. He had lived there a long time, but lurking often meant no one was aware he was nearby.

He needed to be more visible, but not entirely so. There was a careful balance to be found.

"I have lived in this pride since the Queen was a baby, and I have kept an eye on her through her growing up. I saw you when you first started defending her, and I watch you now as she ages, and comes into her own. She is spending more time with others, in the rogue lands, on the ice with her beau. Away from your sight. If something were to go wrong, if she were to go missing, how could you protect her?"

He did not relent in his questioning, even as Ezen got defensive. Maybe he did sound like he was trying to threaten Elsa, but even if it did come out that way it would show him what Ezen was capable of.  

[SilverLutz]

Wonderful, now he had a name. Unfortunately, he'd never heard that name before, not once in his life. He narrowed his eyes, nose wrinkling in a snarl once again. These statements were impossible and unbelievable and infuriating all that the same time. How could he have seen that? How could he watch Elsa at every moment? If he'd been here since she was a cub, how had he never seen him more than what he had?

"It's a bit concerning you're so intent on watching her, Vikali," he growled. "She is a grown lioness, a queen. She does not need a baby sitter. She also does not need a stalker. I don't know how you've seen such things, but I do know she'll be made aware of it and I'm sure she will ask you to stop. And if you do not, I will take care of things."

She had asked him in the past, after all, to put things through her first rather than attacking right off the bat. Unless, of course, there was immediate danger to the pride.

"I am nearly always close enough to come to her aid should she call. Just because I am not by her side doesn't mean I'm not there. The exception is when she goes out into the Rougelands. She leaves me here to protect the pride, and I trust her judgement on her own prowess and power."

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

"Why is it any more concerning that I watch her then you?" He watched the other lion, his expression bland, though he felt a small, clawing amusement in the back of his mind. The more he spoke to this lion, the more he understood that Ezen did mean to keep Elsa safe. Vikali's knowledge and stealth was clearly frustrating to the guard, who could not understand how Vikali was able to watch Elsa so well.

Flying helped. Being a God was definitely cheating, if this was a competition, but Vikali did not think the safety of the Queen or the pride was a game.

"I would rather you did not tell Elsa about me," he said, with a grunt. He'd pushed his hand a bit too far, so to speak, and had revealed too much. He did not want Elsa worrying about him or looking over her shoulder all the time, as that was not what he was supposed to be here to do. He was supposed to be invisible, and he was simply there to make sure the pride endured. That meant all of them, not just the Queen.

"I just wanted to see how determined and fit you are for the job of protecting her. You are not the only one she is important to, and your job is an important one. But you at least seem to take it seriously."  

[SilverLutz]

Ezen let out a little snarl at the question. "She is the queen! I am a servant, a protector. Anyone would realize the issue here." Why was it more concerning to watch the backbone of a pride that was already on shaky paws? Gods, did he have to spell it out for the male? He tried to keep his temper in check, but the statement that followed made him nearly attack just to get Vikali to be quiet.

"Not tell her about you. Someone who has been watching her for longer than I have," he growled, although there was some sort of calmness to the lion, a serenity and sturdiness that Ezen couldn't help but feel meant safety. There was something definitely off about the lion but...was it a bad thing? Taking a moment to look past his anger, he tried to assess just what was going on. A strange lion who didn't look much older than he, who had been here since Elsa was young, watched her even when he could not...

Realization slowly dawned on Ezen. He certainly wasn't the brightest lion in the pride when it came to riddles and games, but even he could tell something bigger was at play here. Why someone like Vikali would have taken an interest in Elsa was beyond him, but if he wished to watch over her, he certainly wouldn't stop him.

"I take it very seriously," he snapped, although the bite wasn't there any longer. "Just don't let me catch you doing anything shady, do you hear? You'll be chased out or killed, despite whatever Elsa might say." There, the warning had been issued, even though he felt as though he didn't need to say it. Vikali wasn't here to harm and, while he was still not clear in the details, he felt as though he was here to help the pride and certainly not hinder it. He could use a friendly pair of eyes to help, too.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

Vikali watched him very patiently for a moment, seeing Ezen's temper flare at all the prodding and questioning. It seemed like the other lion really was dedicated to protecting Elsa, despite just being made of flesh and blood, and not being at all as durable as, say, a God might be. It was a tough bar to be compared to, of course, as no one could last forever as a mortal. Not even his half sister, when it came down to it.

But with lions like Ezen around, she had a pretty good chance. And of course Vikali would do his part to protect them both, though neither would ever know it.

"I will do my best to abide by the laws of this land, as I have done. You do well, you know, as her protector. Your intentions are honest, and that is the most important thing. Keep doing what you're doing, and things, I think, should remain peaceful here. These can be good times."

He did not seem fussed with Ezen's threats, his eyes gentle now, though he did not smile. He nodded his head and moved to turn away, walking off as though he intended to disappear into the snow altogther. Which, as it turned out, he could. It had to be a trick of the eye, but the lion seemed to vanish into a snow drift, leaving Ezen to his thoughts and wonders, and letting him draw his own conclusions.  

[SilverLutz]

Ezen continued to glare at Vikali, although it wasn't as intent as it had been before. There was something ethereal about this lion, and when he disappeared into the snow after speaking with him it only solidified the fact that he wasn't a normal pride member. There was something magical about him, something...well. Ezen didn't want to think too hard about it. He disliked thinking about anything too hard when it came down to it.

He shook his head and turned back to the view over the lake, watching those who were fishing below. An odd encounter, to be sure, but he wasn't as anxious about Elsa's safety as he had been a moment before. With someone like Vikali watching over her as well, there was certainly nothing that could happen to her.

FIN