[PRP] New place new face (Tarni & Thrymr)

[Syrius Lionwing]

She had crossed the border. Having spent her whole life on the sea shore of the Bahari’mtoto Tarni knew no other place. She had left without any complaints with a plethora of family. Her arrival in the Kizingo’zaa had been a welcoming one. She had been set up quickly with a place to stay and her family had stayed for at least a short time helping to set up her den. They had brought reminders of home with them and pelts from her own den in the Bahari. It meant her new home was soft and warm and smelled of the sea she knew.

It was strange that she wasn’t that far away from all she knew yet this felt like a completely different place. Normally she was a brief stroll from her family but now she would have to wait for them to come to her. She of course knew they would come back but when was the query. They had all left one at a time leaving her alone in a pride she didn’t know.

Her heart hurt. She didn’t know what to do here she was protected of course, but what would she do alone here in this unknown place? She wished her family had stayed, she knew this wasn’t their home, they had a life on the beach, they had jobs and the rest of her family was there, which was why it hurt. She was so close to them yet so far away. She’d acted so bravely at the meeting, her legs had felt like they would drop out from under her at any moment but she knew she had to take responsibility for her mistakes.

Here in her new, temporary home she looked up at the canopy that cast long dappled shadows and she let tears roll down her cheeks. She would cry this once, she would cry for her silliness and feel sorry for herself just in this moment then when her babies came, when they arrived she would be happy and she would raise them right. She would raise them in the way of the Bahari’mtoto and one day she would walk down familiar sands and she would be home.

The teal lioness touched her distended belly and smiled sadly “You’ll be loved so much.” She whispered. “I won’t let anyone hurt you I promise.” She coughs a little catch in her throat. She wished she was home with her family, she wished deeply she was home but not being home didn’t mean she was going to love her new family any less.  

[Epine de Rose]

He'd been warned off this course of action by several of his family, not least by his older brother who had made it abundantly clear he was outgunned. Nevertheless when it came to this particular lion he had inherited much the same stubbornness as the rest of the males in his family and he was determined to have his way. As a result the white lion soon found himself in the lands that had been described by his mother... beyond that he had little to go on.

Tethys had left him with some advice though and that was, for the most part, to remember his manners. This place was somewhere that both his mother and brother had referred to as the Kizingo'zaa. While friendly to outsiders they were unlikely to tolerate any unrest or violence in their own home, so if he was going to do anything stupid he would do well to remember to lure the individual in question beyond the borders so as not to cause too much of an inconvenience!

For now though he'd decided to simply get his bearings and for that reason, he could be found meandering in a rather lost fashion as he attempted to take note of the various landmarks that might prove useful at a later date. So far he'd found nothing of immediate significance... But he had been keeping to the outside of the pride so as not to ruffle any feathers unintentionally. He hadn't been invited after all and it wouldn't do well for him to show up and cause havoc... He'd be a disappointment to everyone, not least his mother.

...He wasn't quite so concerned about the views of his brother though, it seemed Tethys had caused his fair share of chaos in his time.

Still, the lion was growing ever closer to the pride he had been advised to give space, Tethys hadn't gone in to details but he had been so forceful on this point that Thrymr had taken note. His mother had seemed rather alarmed as well, according to her the Bahari'mtoto had always been peaceful, but it seemed something was amiss.

Thrymr had half a mind to suspect it might have been his brother.

For now though he would honour his request and it was for this reason that he came to a halt by the borders and cleared his throat. Glancing here and there, it took him a moment to settle on a new path to walk down, and he would have walked down it already had it not been for the fact he appeared to have stumbled upon a small settlement and a rather pensive female. Wasn't she a little far out from the center of the pride, or had they decided to live in the outskirts?

"You have my apologies, I was under the impression the pride tended to keep to the center of their home as opposed to the outskirts unless they were hunting," he had the good grace to excuse himself at least. "But it appears I was incorrect as you are most assuredly...not hunting," he added as he regarded her belly. Evidently he could remember some of his manners, but that didn't necessarily mean he had remembered how to be subtle!

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

She looked up surprised that the male had managed to ‘sneak’ up on her the truth was she hadn’t been paying attention so lost was she in her own meandering thoughts. Of course when he spoke the first words out of her mouth were words she didn’t really mean to blurt out “This isn’t home.” She stated rather too quickly. Backtracking wasn’t really an option after such a statement though so she decided to expand on her answer before he got the wrong idea. “Well.. It is home a little bit.. it’s temporary until my babies are old enough for us to go home.”

She paused, she’d managed to blurt all of this out when she should have been more worried. And unknown male had simply meandered in to her temporary living space and instead of finding herself on the defensive she’d explained why she was here. She gave a sigh, inwardly prodding herself she was supposed to be careful, she was supposed to be on her guard, she was supposed to not just speak to anyone and let them know that she was on her own out here...

Clearly she was failing miserably at being here. She really didn’t know any other way to be though, she had lived in the safe borders of the Bahari her whole life, she knew so little of the Kizingo’zaa really. She wished desperately that her family was here. All of these thoughts caused small stinging tears to well in the corners of her eyes.

“If you’re looking for the pride they are further in.. This is just.. closer to home, my family can come to see me easier here.” She lifted a paw and wiped her eyes, pushing away the sadness she felt.

She couldn’t help but laugh at his words about hunting, she could hardly hunt properly at the moment her belly prevented the swift movements needed to hunt anything furry and swift of foot. “I am a little dependent on this pride at the moment, I am good at fishing though so I can provide for myself. At the moment at least.” Again, honesty in the face of a stranger. “You.. Uhm don’t smell like here, are you new as well?” Having rambled through all of this she frowned just a little looking at the lion, perhaps properly for the first time. She laughed inwardly, why was it that some males reminded her of Tethys? Maybe it was just wishful thinking but his odd face mask and colour pallet reminded her of her babies father. She shrugged the thought away, definitely wishful thinking.  

[Epine de Rose]

Huh, so she wasn't a local? Her words seemed to imply that she was here as a result of her children, but as he couldn't see them, he wasn't able to determine why. He did well to stop his brow from raising and instead here merely shook his head. He'd been trying to avoid the inner pride in just the same fashion as the one he was looking for was likely to do. Admittedly Lucivar would be having a much easier time of that given his fur colour, but Thrymr had confidence he would do fine.

"Just passing through," he said finally, and it was the truth. He had a home and he was expecting to return to it now that his mother had stirred from her slumber. Both he and his other siblings would be reunited with the bulk of their family with only a small number of notable exceptions. However before Thrymr chose to step over that threshold again he had determined that he would like to settle one matter personally.

...He was going to remove a minor inconvenience.

Fortunately, it wasn't Tarni!

"Looking for someone actually," he admitted with a half smile as he motioned towards the lioness. "But since you sound like you've only just arrived too I don't think you'd know anyone," he added. She seemed like the type who would have offered help and he was giving her the option to avoid that awkwardness.

"So how long until you pop?" He added as he glanced at her stomach. "You shouldn't have to wait long, you look ready to burst," he pointed out. He wasn't entirely aware that her cubs weren't allowed back until they had done something specific, he was still under the assumption it was until she gave birth. That enough was enough to cause tears in a pregnant female, he'd have given her grounds to bawl her eyes out if he'd known the truth...

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

“Have you travelled from far?” She tilted her head, he certainly didn't smell of the sea and while this pride smelled of the sea, in its own way, it didn’t smell like her stretch of the sea. It didn’t smell like home and the lions from here didn't smell even remotely like the soft white sun kissed sands of home.

“I am not from far away though, just over the border in the Bahari’mtoto, perhaps I can help you any way? A lot of creatures travel our way, some stay others just admire the view and move on.” She would never not think of the bahari as home and while she may be exiled for the moment, the distance from her home and family only cemented that she would return. She had of course for the very briefest of moments considered staying in the Kizingo’zaa, stay and avoid the stigma she would carry for the rest of her life, but the thought of any second she could spend with her family might be spent else where hurt her down to the very root of her soul. She desperately wanted to go home. She really was quite emotionally wrung out from it all and she could feel the sting of tears in her eyes just thinking about the rock pools and dens and the deep shadowed jungle with its babbling streams and inlets that all lead to home.

Tarni looked at the pale male and tilted her head at his words, for a moment, she was confused. Pop? a frown wrinkled her brow, though realisation quickly dawned on the females face “Oh you mean when will they be here?” She giggled, it was the first laugh she had heard from herself since her family had dropped her off. She felt grateful for his words, she couldn’t really remember the last time she had laughed properly. “My sister says it won’t be too long now, she’s done this a few times before, so she would know.. This is my first so I.. I really don’t know. I hope soon, its a little lonely without my family all here and I don’t think their father would come back this way any time soon..” She trailed off, this topic made her sad, she didn’t love Tethys, she knew that but he had left her with such a beautiful gift however part of her would have liked to have told him he had cubs.

“No one ever told me how uncomfortable it gets near the end. I suppose that is their little way of telling you they are ready to come though.” She smiled at the big male “I certainly hope I don’t actually pop though.” She laughed feeling amused at the concept. “I’v seen babies born before it is quite messy enough thank you.”  

[Epine de Rose]

"Uh...the desert," he wasn't lying either, his mother had quite literally uprooted them from their home and moved them in to the desert to protect them. All things considered she had moved under duress, and she had been required to raise her cubs alone. In a way there were parallels, though Arimathras had been forced to move to save their lives while it seemed that Tarni's requirements had been rather differently. Regardless of how it was looked at though, neither lioness had been placed an easy position and he had no doubt that Tarni was feeling an array of different motions.

...That was quite the brave face to be putting on a raw deal, his mother would have liked her a great deal for that. Thrymr however, would be offended on her behalf in much the same way that he was riled on his mother's behalf. Arimathras may not have wanted him to be chasing after who he was, but he was going to do it on principle.

"I'd say it was a fair distance away, no where near the one nearby," he added, referring to the very old desert that the Nergui now lived within. "But I'm not entirely sure if you can help, probably better that you don't get involved if I'm honest," he admitted. That's all he needed, for a pregnant lioness to place herself in harms way, that wouldn't benefit anyone!

As for what she said next, he probably could have done without that and his cringe probably showed it!

He'd never seen a cub born, nor did he feel the need.

"Erhm...well I sincerely hope that the delivery goes well?" he hazarded. "She will be coming to help I assume," he added, it wouldn't be right for the lioness to be on her own; his mother hadn't been alone either and it wouldn't sit well for him to have to acknowledge that this one would be...

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

”Well, if you are sure you don’t need my help, I was sort of looking for a distraction..” She mused, she supposed her slow movements would probably only hold him back though he seemed to be on some important mission, she didn’t want to hold him back, he seemed so kind.

“A desert? You’re used to sand then?” She smiled softly, she did love the sand and she had heard many things about places that just had sand and no water. Her grandmother was from the Firekin after all, she had been told in depth about the harshness of a place with no water, boiling days and freezing nights. “The only desert I really know about is the firekin desert. My grandmother was from there she says it is a very harsh environment. You seem to have fared well though, you look big and tough.” She laughed gently, she could think of no better compliment for the almost ghostly male.

His cringe and clear squirm made her smile. She didn’t know males could get so uncomfortable, she knew so many very level headed males, and males that had been forced or wanted to attend births that she didn’t think much of it. It was a natural process after all.

“Oh.. Uhm.. Well I hope so but I don’t know at the moment, there is a lot of unrest in the Bahari.. That’s why I’m here, mostly, but my sister, she’s a great nanny, she’s helped lots of mothers give birth.. It’s just her own cubs are really little and she can’t well, leave them for long periods.. It’s okay though...” She trailed off, her words felt heavy on her tongue. She wished Afina was here, she wished her whole family was, she wished she was home surrounded by those she loved. The kizingo’zaa lions had been lovely to her so far but there was nothing like home and family and at the moment both were absent, it gave her much too much time to think and fall in to melancholy.

“Someone will come later, maybe my grandmother or one of my cousins.. or my father or mother.. Someone will come by when they are ready to come.”  

[Epine de Rose]

"Oh... You know them?" Thrymr seemed amused. His mother had placed them far beyond the borders of the Firekin, in the most hostile regions of the desert that even those lions chose to avoid. It was why they had always left that border so lightly guarded, if anyone managed to get across the sands it would have been an absolute miracle. Alas, his mother being who she was had found a manner in which to sustain them and though he wouldn't impart that secret on anyone, he was eternally grateful.

...Strange how small the world could be though, evidently his family weren't the only ones to place their paws on the soils of multiple territories.

"We lived nearby, and I use nearby very loosely," he admitted with a chuckle. "So you could say I'm reasonably used to the sand," he agreed and returned his attention her predicament. So she'd chosen to leave a pride that was in turmoil? It sounded like others had had children in it and they were completely safe but she had exited. Something didn't quite add up for him and he pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Forgive me my bluntness but if she's there then why don't you simply go back?" he asked. "If she has children within the pride then that would mean that yours would be safe as well," he pointed out. "Leaving and placing additional emotional burdens upon yourself seems a bit counterproductive," he added.

It just made more sense to him to go back, what could possibly be wrong with that?

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

“My grandmother always says it is far enough away that you can’t smell the sea at all. I can’t really imagine such a place.” she smiled, truly she couldnt think of a place where the sea wasn’t always within a stones throw. It was such a foreign concept. Travelling in itself was a rare bird to her, something really beyond her knowledge yet always there in the corner of her mind. she had even very seriously considered leaving the Bahari at one point but that thought had flittered away after her trist. She really had only considered it after all, she had ultimately decided that the Bahari was home so, when’s he had been told she would have to leave, she had been absolutely heart broken.

The lioness gave a sigh. “Our king died and his son believes that those of us who are not married and bear cubs are to blame for the prides misfortunes...” She trailed off and looked at her swollen belly. “I mated with a male who was not my husband so I have been asked to leave until these little ones pass their Rites then I can go home, but until then.. I get to stay here.. It is nice..” She managed unable to blink the tears from her eyes this time, she let a large droplet fall down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry you don’t want to hear my sob story.” She brushed her eyes but couldn’t really stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. “I want to go home.. I just can’t.” She took a deep breath steadying her words. “You sort of look like him.. the father of these cubs. He was very kind to me too..” she swallowed hard. “He left me with such a wonderful gift but to the pride they are a curse until the sea accepts them. I’m being punished for my mistake and I accept that.. I really do it is just so hard to be some where so.. unfamiliar, so, not home.”  

[Epine de Rose]

"It smells...dry?" It was the best way he could describe the place. It would only be in hindsight, probably a few hours later, that he realised that would make absolutely no sense to the lioness who had always lived by water. Alas, such realisations were something to groan at another time, for now he elected to listen to what she had to say.

So the whole religious omen thing happened around here too, huh? If it wasn't for the fact his mother was a goddess he probably would have been an atheist, but he knew that forces of nature did exist and there was a distinct possibility that one or two might very well be exasperated by some unknown moral code that had been ignored.

"Soooo what," he sat down and lifted a paw to make a spinning motion. "Do we just dunk them in the water a few times head first, say a couple of hail marys and send them on their way?" he asked. It was a deliberate decision to lack tact on this occasion, if only because it seemed she responded better to something a bit more ridiculous. He could be serious when he needed to, but it seemed that a somber tone would only make things worse at the moment.

Nevertheless when she made reference to a lion that looked like him...

"Please tell me you didn't fall for the rough and tumble, scarred get up my older brother sports," he hazarded. "Our faces are pretty distinct," he admitted. "If that's the case he really gets around, good grief..."

"He should get himself looked at by a medic, that's probably not normal," he concluded.

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

The thought of a place that smelled dry confused her just a touch, she couldn’t imagine the scent that some where without the sea would smell or feel like. She would probably never know so she let the thought slip away as swiftly as it had come.

A dunk in the water and Hail Marys? She couldn’t help but laugh at his words. He certainly knew how to cheer a girl up. Sure her thoughts were still in the back of her head but his candid nature made her smile. “It’s not exactly like that, the sea can be a dangerous place so when they are ready we take them to the water and if the sea accepts them, they become full fledged members of the pride. There is no dunking, well, there is but the cubs do it themselves.” She chuckles gently, her own rites had been so long ago but knowing that she belonged to the sea on some level always made her feel relaxed and happy.

“B..Brother?” She tilted her head, a confused look in her eyes until it truly dawned on her. He couldn’t be anyone else could he? “You are Tethys’ brother?” She laughed gently, she had heard from Tethys himself that he had been to many places. She knew full well of course that she had never been the only one, he had simply treated her kindly and that was what she had needed at the time. It felt strange speaking to another relative of his, one that most certainly wasn’t from the sand as Solomon was.

“He told me he travelled around a lot.” She flushed lightly, she hoped the pale male did not think less of her. “He was very kind to me.. No one has ever looked my way before.” She shrugged a little, it was partly an excuse, she had welcomed his attentions and at the end of the day she had ended up in the mess she was in now. “He left me with a wonderful gift. I simply wish that, well things hadn’t gone the way they did..” She trailed off she wasn’t sure if Thrymr knew about their kings death, or the phantoms or anything else for that matter. It was a story she didn’t know all of the angles to and one she certainly couldn’t completely re-tell, she only knew a few things.

“Your brother, he has been blamed by many in the pride for our kings death. It might be best if you don’t go that way after all, though I am sure Solomon would be pleased to see you. He’s such a generous soul.” She paused and sighed touching her rotund belly “I guess you are going to be an uncle as well.” She laughs gently a soft smile on her maw, she did worry about her cubs and the stigma they may face, not only as rogue born cubs but also as their fathers children. It was one of the reasons she had decided, that despite the argument between the kizingo’zaa and the Bahari that she would move here. She didn’t want her babies to be ostracised. Still she missed home deeply and she wondered how long she would actually stay away, she could go home, but if the king decided to toss her out who knew where she would be going to? Perhaps it really was best to just stay put.  

[Epine de Rose]

"I'm his younger brother," Thrymr confirmed, releasing an exasperated sigh as his suspicions were confirmed. Evidently Tethys had been his usual self, based on his own mother's descriptions, and provided her with yet another ample supply of grandchildren to dote on when she found time to visit. Arimathras would be positively ecstatic when she heard the news, but Thrymr would have to provide that information to her at a later date when he was done with his hunt.

"That aside, I think that perhaps you owe it to yourself to be a little more complimentary to your own appearance," he added with a shake of his head. The lioness was hardly difficult to look at, he hadn't seen many in his time due to his own isolation, but he assumed she was pretty. It wasn't as if he'd had an adverse reaction to her when he'd seen her, she looked like most healthy females.

...Just a touch more pregnant.

Nevertheless when she went into the details as to why he probably shouldn't enter the Bahari'mtoto, his expression changed to one of clarity. For all Tethys's faults, that explained why the Viking had even been there, he'd been hunting. That was why his older brother had also warned him not to go back, the hunt had succeeded, but at great cost.

"I think I know how this one turned out," he said finally. "Weird black monsters, right?" he asked. "They came, they saw, they caused chaos and your King went with them."

He paused.

"Am I close or am I way off?"

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

The lioness smiled, she could see his resemblance to Tethys but he seemed more level, she supposed that was the word she was looking for, but she couldn’t really put her paw on it.

She laughed a little at his words, she had hardly ever thought of herself as anything but average. “Thank you, thats very kind of you.. I will try..” She wanted to say something different to him, that she diodn’t expect to be loved but that was a little deep for a stranger.

“They attacked like a big black wave and went just as quickly as they came. Our king, he sacrificed himself for the pride.” She sighed gently her ears flattening against her head. “I worry a little about these cubs, if they look like their father they may have a very hard time when we go back to the pride, but the bahari, it is my home I can’t even think of any where else to live. As nice as it is here.. I want to go home.”

She tilted her head at the large pale male. “I don’t know how long I am going to stay here.. Maybe just long enough for them to be born, I feel lost without the sea in my ears.” She sighed “I’m sure you would love the sea too, it is a beautiful place. When it is peaceful.”  

[Epine de Rose]

"So it went exactly like it was supposed to," he remarked as she recounted her story. Just as his mother had described, and just as his brother had indicated, they had swept across the land. All things considered they had left something in their wake, generally they didn't and most regions ended up as wastelands. Then again, within the Al Siq the lions wouldn't always bend the knee and sacrifice their own simply to keep themselves safe.

...The needs of the few did, on occasion, outweigh the needs of the many apparently.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said at last and cleared his throat. "Was there a funeral?" he asked. He assumed the pride had some form of ceremony to denote the passing of an individual, so by extension she must have attended it. Either that or he was way off and this wasn't really the done thing in the Bahari at all... Suffice to say that he had a lot to learn about what lay beyond the desert oasis his mother had flown to in order to protect them.

"Rumour has it where I'm supposed to come from has a sea, apparently my father's territory is positioned against it," he replied with a wry smile. "I'll be sure to take a look at it when I have a moment," he promised.

As for her return home...

"Honestly if you miss home that much you should just go back," he pointed out. "If they don't like it they can shove it," he added and rolled his shoulders in a light shrug. "If they're really that dumb and weak that they would need to hound cubs then..." he rolled his eyes. "You might as well just point out how lame they are publicly. If they want to be rough and tough, at least pick on someone they're own size," he made it all sound so simple.

"You seem like you could punch them, so you probably should, just gotta work on that swing so it lands properly."

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Epine de Rose

Tarni’s ears flattened and she shook her head sadly “There was no body.” She whispered, the sea had claimed their king and the rival who had brought the scourge upon their land. She had seen few lions go to their final resting place, laid upon the driftwood surrounded by family and friends and their trinkets. Returning to the sea as was the way of the bahari. “Many hoped he would return, rise from the sea, he was a good king, a great leader..” She paused and shook her head. By comparison his son, even she felt was not doing a very good job of holding up his fathers legacy.

“Different stretches of the sea smell different. Your brother, Tethys, he smelled of a different sea entirely to the one I am used to, even here, though I am hardly a million miles from home, smells differently. It does not feel like home. At least I can still hear the sea though. I suppose I would be more unnerved if I could not hear it at all.” It wasn’t even like the Kizingo’zaa was not on the sea, it was, the different feeling of it. It wasn’t her home shore, it wasn’t her sea. This wasn’t home, it wasn’t her pride and her heart ached for the pale sand, the paw built dens, family.

She smiled wistfully, she had left with such aplomb that it felt almost hard to her to get up on her paws and just go home. She knew of course that her family would protect her, but the whispers of those traditionalists, the shady looks from the new dark council and its mad king. She wasn’t sure she wanted to put herself or her babies in that situation.

Something deep down though, something in her core told her she should return home. Though the Kizingo’zaa had welcomed and accepted her, though her cousin had joined her willingly, there was no place like home.

She smiled at the big male, she blinked away the tears, he wondered what sort of lioness he saw before him, someone strong perhaps? She didn’t feel very strong at all. “The Bahari is a very peaceful pride, we don’t usually resort to violence.” She chuckled gently, looking away towards the path she had followed to get herself to the Kizingo’zaa, it wasn’t;t even an obvious path but she was fairly sure she could find her way home with her eyes closed. “Do you want to come with me? You can show me that right hook on the way.” She paused for a moment, she would have to find her cousin and let him know they were going back. Not unlike her decision, made swiftly, without much of a thought, at the kings announcement, this short conversation with someone related to her babies had convinced her home was better and maybe, just maybe, she could change their minds. Well, that was a little far fetched, she was hardly a great speaker, she would just have to close her ears to the whispers, close her eyes to the sideways glances. there wa son place like home and having her babies upon the familiar beach was preferable to any where else.