[VIKING] Blue Shadows (Fastný x Sliabh)

[SilverLutz]

The Viking had gone well, Fastný had to admit. There hadn't been any huge adventure or spoils, but they had done some fighting and had a nice little haul to bring back in the form of a beautiful pelt from a zebra that they found struggling with a broken leg. She was more excited that when she came back into the pride she'd be a Reaver and she could find a troop to join and...well. She knew which troop she'd join. Vidar just needed to become a Captain first. So a temporary troop.

As the group returned to the pride, something made her hang back. Her golden eyes turned to the forest once again and she let the males continue on without her. She'd find her way back, it wasn't as if they were far. Plus, whatever was pulling her to the woods wasn't a dangerous presence. Her vision had a sense of urgency to it, but it wasn't a dangerous one. It was one that begged her to come and see what it was that was lurking on the edge of the pride.

So she stepped forward, leaving the path the males had taken, and began to forge her own. She was cautious, of course, but steady in her footing. Her ears were forward and alert, ready to fight or dash at a moment's notice.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Sliabh had moved from the boulder, instead he had settled a little way within the forest he had avoided earlier. But he had made sure he was well away from the path the band of lions had used when leaving. Since it seemed reasonable that they would return by the same route. And indeed they had. The big scarred male had passed by not five minutes ago, accompanied by the patchy male and the brother.

With them safely gone, he had emerged from his resting place and now stood hidden only by the forest shadows. His white forelimbs glowed ghost-like in the dim light, his skull mask and blue jacket markings a weaker gleam. All of a sudden the female stepped into view and for a blinding moment, a vision struck that was so intense all he saw was white within his own head.

Managing to blink the blindness away he breathed deeply, fighting the sickness such strong attacks always gave him. Once steady again he stepped forwards into the sunlight. He still wasn't sure what the visions were trying to communicate, but it seemed safe to guess. He simply didn't know if the female would be open to the idea. Still, no way could he simply walk off now, he would likely get struck down by the White blindness again for trying.

Hoping his extreme size, usually so frightening to regular rogues, was not as alarming to her, given her earlier company and her own height, he chuffed a low call of greeting. Still too far away to actually call out to her properly. He hoped she might accept him and come closer, it was about as much of a plan as he had been able to form.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Fastný approached the forest with caution, unsure of what lurked within. She knew sometimes there were Stormborn hopefuls that would wait there to challenge a Reaver, so perhaps that was what she had seen, Technically she wasn't a Reaver yet, but perhaps if that's what was on the mind of whoever or whatever was in there she could help them out by going back to get Samael.

What she saw surprised her so much that she stopped dead in her tracks. A dark lion appeared from the shadows, moving into the light to make himself known. He was large like her brother but that's where the similarities ended. Where Tryggr was straight forward and blunt, this male seemed warm and inviting. When he made a quiet noise she found her paws moving towards him again, her vision returning to her.

The blue lion. This was him!

She paused when she got within speaking range, her tail flicking back and forth behind her curiously. "Hello," she said after a moment, not wanting to appear rude or aggressive. "Sorry...you surprised me.' Sort of. Hadn't she known all along that there was a blue lion waiting for her in the forest? Yes...although she hadn't realized it until this very moment.

Now, to figure out what it was he wanted.

"Are you lost?"

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

somthing akin to relief flooded him as she came closer. The impossible pressure his visions had left in his head eased the nearer she walked, so much so that when she was finally close enough to speak, he was nearly dilarious with the lack of pain. Rarely had his gift been so forceful, though it had been increasing in frequency lately which he wasn't sure about. But for the time being just to be free of the suffocating sensation made him eager to keep her close even more than usual.

Her words surprised him, for he never really had cause to hide and didn't think himself very good at it. Chuckling softly he made an apologetic motion. "I am sorry, I did not mean to do so. I just... " Pausing he glanced in the direction the three males had gone. ".. didn't think it a good idea to draw their attention." He didn't mention his vision, most lions didn't have them and found such talk unusual in the extreme. Instead he smiled at her again, his expression open and curious.

"Not in so many words..." He offered, looking a little wry. "I'm a travailer. My home is very far from here, I am on a mission from my Queen." Pausing he smiled again, a kind of saddened, wistful expression. He hadn't been home properly in a very long time, only going back to visit his family and lately, to take back his newest cubs, given over to the care of his large family. They were the first litter he'd had for some time and he missed them with an intensity that surprised him, given how often in the past he had done the same thing. Thoughts of going home and just staying. But for now he had a mission to complete and it seemed his seer power was intent on directing him.

"Forgive me, my name is Sliabh." Having realised he had forgotten to introduce himself.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

The lioness gave a soft 'ah' of understanding as the blue lion explained he was a traveler. The Stormborn wasn't the best of prides to simply stumble upon, but there were worse places to end up. He was a lion, and a large one at that, so an attack wouldn't be imminent unless he posed a threat. He seemed very peaceful, though, and her ears finally relaxed.

"Yes, that was a good idea," she added with a tiny smile. She knew her brother wouldn't have done anything, but the other two...well. She couldn't say for sure. The Captain they had followed had been giving off strange vibes the entire time and the Reaver just sort of went along with what he had said.

"I'm Fastný," she offered in reply. "I'm glad to meet you. You'll...heh, probably think I'm a bit strange in saying this, but. I have visions from time to time and I saw a stranger in the woods, so when I saw movement in the shadows earlier today I knew I had to investigate. I'm glad you were actually here...my visions are usually very confusing and I don't understand what they mean."

God-born were common enough within the pride that Fastný didn't feel shame in her admittance of visions, nor did she think it odd. Certainly it was common knowledge to most, right? Or that's what she thought, at least.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

He shook his head as she spoke. "Not strange at all actually. I have visions often." He smiled again, finally relaxing. Something about her pride set him on edge, but strangely, he felt an unusual urge for her to like him. An emotion Sliabh had not felt for some time but a welcome change from the heaviness that had plagued him recently. His bouts of depression had been growing more frequent and were lasting longer.

Shying away from such thoughts he focused on the female before him. "I saw you in a vision..." He admitted. ".. with your brother and those two other males. It is why I stayed near by." He glanced about but the ghostly shadows of the pride had dissipated. "Your pride.... Who are they?" He needed to hear her answer, hoping it would drive away the pressure in his skull for good. As while her appearance had eased the nagging pressure within his head, experience had taught him hat he needed to find out what it was trying to make him do, or he would be suffering new bouts of sharp pain fairly soon.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

While Fastný knew other lions had visions, she had yet to meet someone that wasn't a sibling of hers that had them. To hear Sliabh had them as well made her smile a bit more. He completely understood her, then! That was wonderful. When he said he had seen her in a vision as well she knew there was something that needed to be done here. What, she had yet to discover.

"Oh...the Stormborn," she said with a little nod. "We're essentially warriors, although most of our time is spent out Viking, which is what the group I was with was doing. We go out to explore, find treasure and trinkets to bring back, things like that."

She was quiet for a moment before voicing her own questions. "What about you? You said your'e on a mission from your pride? Where do you hail from?"

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Her bright expression was a relief. She could easily accused him of stalking her, though he had to admit it did appear that way and was quite possibly exactly what he had been doing, in a roundabout way. Listening while she explained her pride and its actions, he felt something akin to puzzled elation. The puzzlement was his, but the other was certainly his vision. Whatever it wanted, it was based on this female, on Fastný.

“I see, then you must be very skilled as a pride. Such a life seems far more dangerous than most prides I have encountered on my travails. Certainly the Pridelands was a very relaxed, peaceful place, and even the Demons did not seem to stray beyond their boarders as much as these lions did. But still, he still felt as if there was a chance here, that these Viking lions held the secret to his own pride’s survival.

Her question made him bow his head slightly. This was always the worst part… admitting who he was and what he wanted… in trying to explain his home to someone who had never lived there. The pain in his heart flared up, forcing him to swallow tightly, desperately struggling to keep that darkness pushed deep down inside himself.

“I am from the Kitwana’antara. It is a very reclusive pride and none but a very few of us stray beyond its boundary. For we are blessed by the Goddess Pestilence.” Taking a slow breath he met her gaze, his own holding a lifetime of sorrow and shadows, and yet a kindness and gentleness that was whole and complete. No matter how long he was gone, his heart always resided back home, with his family. “I was sent out into the world beyond our boarders by our Queen, to bring back new blood, either willing members or my own cubs. For our pride will not survive without them. Most of us die young, struck down by our Goddess’ disease. I am immune and so I will not die, nor am I a danger to others. But my immunity is rare among us.” A deep, heavy sigh escaped him, for he could not sugarcoat his words. His pride was a place of death, and yet there was so much life there. No outsider could possibly understand why he risked his own cubs by taking them home. But it was home, and the love and care every member showed for another regardless of family ties, or whether sick or no, was the light that kept him going.

“My visions lead me to places, often to those willing to aid me with my quest.” It was time to be blunt, to see if his visions still guided him true. “Are you such?” His voice had gotten quieter, softer. He hoped she agreed, and yet he questioned if it was the right thing to do…. No, his Queen was pure of heart and mind, no order she gave could be unjust. And more than that, he could never regret his children. Saoirse, always sickly and now close to death, had been the purest joy in his life. She gave to so many, had raised spirits on the darkest days. Her daughters and sons would never have been born.. Would it have been better had she never lived at all? He could not think so. For all that her life would be cut short, she deserved a life, and in her own words, she had told him so. No regrets, only the fondest memories. That was to be her final gift to this world.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

As Sliabh told his story Fastný couldn't help but feel a slew of emotions at once. Sadness for the state of the pride he was from, awe at the emotion she saw on his face and heard in his voice, pity for those that succumbed to whatever illness it was that struck their pride, and an overwhelming urge to help the poor lion in whatever way she could. Her father being the god of chivalry certainly was evident in her actions within the pride, and now she hoped to extend her kindness and willingness to give and help to those outside of it. It seemed Sliabh would be her first.

The quiet question made her smile and without hesitation she nodded. "My father did the same for my mother when she first joined this pride," she said quietly, deciding to share a bit of her own story. "You see, this pride wasn't always as wonderful as it is now. Our leader before our current Warlord looked down on females, restricting them to what they could and couldn't do within the pride. They were not allowed to leave it, to seek fortune and gifts for themselves or their families. They were den keepers, cub rearers, thrall masters, and that was all. My mother is....well." She paused to chuckle. "She's very proud of who she is and, although this pride was perfect in every way for her, she wasn't happy with the fact that she couldn't become what she wanted. A Reaver. She knew it would be hard to find a male within the pride to give her cubs so she could raise them with the 'proper' mindset of females being just as capable as males, and once she joined she couldn't leave unless she wished to never come back. My father...he is a god himself, you see...he came to her rescue. My siblings and I were brought up by my mother alone, but I've been told I take after my father in more ways than my mother."

She paused, realizing she'd been rambling for a bit, and laughed happily. "I'm sorry, I don't wish to bore you. But I do want to help! I think it is only fitting that I can return the favor that my father granted my mother. I must ask logistics, though...as much as I am my father's daughter, my mother still had quite a bit of influence on me," she said with a wink. "You can't possibly stay here and remain a part of your home pride. You'd be taken as a Thrall by any band of Reavers that heads in this direction. I would suggest going far from here, but to tell me where you might be heading. I can send a messenger to look for you once the cubs are born, or if you'd rather not deal with traveling with little ones, I can raise them until they are old enough to leave on their own to find you and their home."

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

He listened quietly, at first simply beyond grateful that she had not thrown him out with enraged disgust, as was indeed her right, considering what he had told her. Instead she seemed eager, almost, and his astonishment grew as she spoke of her own family her Father’s Godhood and at the end, plans for his retrieval of the cubs. So easily had she taken not only his appearance on her boarders, but his story and explanation as to why he was there, carrying it onwards to his reason for lingering without any further need of his explanation.

He could not remember a situation in which he had not had to excuse his behaviours nor one for which he was more grateful than now. As without prompting she had offered him what he usually had to work so hard to achieve and often felt guilty for doing so. Gratitude hit him solidly in the chest, forcing him to swallow around the sudden up-well of emotion.

Shaking his head as she apologised he managed a slightly shocked smile, still trying to process her offer and willingness to hand over her cubs to him after what he had told her about his pride. “Not at all, there is no need to apologise. I can only say how very grateful I am that you would do so much for a cause that is not your own.”

He had to take a moment more to shift from his grateful surprise to considering the future. It certainly would not be the first time he had escorted very young cubs and he doubted it would be his last.

“I would offer to stay and help, I could have hunted for and protected you and the litter. But…” He glanced at the forbidding woods behind them. “.. as you say, I don’t think that would work, and I can not afford to be lost to my pride and kept here. I am needed too badly.” He gazed at her, still in awe over her generosity and warmth of spirit.

“I can find a den near enough for a messenger to come seek me. I would not feel right if I were to simply leave and not be here to protect them on the journey, older or younger. And truly, time is not something my home ever has very much of.” He added, clearly sorry for that bit of information. Death was their companion in the Kitwana. “I will do well enough at foraging while they wean.”

Stepping forwards he pressed his great maned head against her own, relief filling him with a strange lightness, as if the vision fully approved of their plans.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

A den far enough away would be suitable. Perhaps she herself could bring the cubs to him when they were ready. That way she could say goodbye to them properly. Of course she'd raise them for the few weeks they'd need her to know that they were going with their father, but she could only imagine what it would be like to walk away from the only comfort they had known with a strange lion. Although her father had done this service for her mother, it was very different in the fact that they had stayed with Sebor rather than leaving with Talfrid.

The gentle pressure from Sliabh's head on hers made her smile, though. She knew he was kind-hearted and had good intentions. Her vision had projected that sensation to her, and his voice was so full of emotion now she knew he'd be a good father. From the sound of it this wasn't the first time he'd done this.

"Very well," she said with a nod. "This is my first time out in these lands, but allow me to come with you to find one. If you're found wandering alone I can't promise you'd be able to leave safely, but if your'e with me I could come up with a reason for escorting you."

That, and they were awfully close to the pride as it was. If they could find a den a decent distance from the pride they could make good on their agreement there and she could return home without a fuss from anyone that might overhear.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Stepping back he nodded to her words, as she certainly knew this land far better than he did. “It would be nothing but a pleasure.” He assured her, finally feeling a little more like his old self as they turned their backs on the imposing forest and set off into the open land of the savannah.

“I should like very much to avoid any unnecessary fighting, nor do I wish to get you in trouble.” He agreed, relaxing as they started the search for his temporary home.

SilverLutz

Fin!