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His lessons with the goddess of Fidelity had been strange, and Mkhai was not all that convinced he had grown more suave. In the end, he was sure that his brute strength alone would be enough to convince any female to bear his cubs. He would just have to put it to the test against... actual females. For the first time in his life, he was unsure of his own abilities. At least it was in an area that he cared little for. As long as he was unquestionably the strongest, he could survive being socially inept.

Mkhai was back in the 'bachelor's' den area, a place that he felt did not befit a god of his standing. But, alas, this mortal game was a terrible one. Most of the time he slept outside of his own quarters, seemingly immune to the weather conditions. Within them, he couldn't help but feel... cramped. His wings were meant to take up more space than his den could offer. Mkhai couldn't help but be paranoid that he was going to break a wing in there.

Shaking his mane, Mkhai left his den behind in favor of patrolling through the pride. He needed to make connections, needed to make a name for himself within the Stormborn. Mkhai didn't think it'd be too difficult, but he wouldn't know until he tried. What he truly needed to do was join a captain and go out on a viking, but he was having difficulty coming to terms with the fact that he would have to obey someone else.

There were few who deserved his respect, even fewer who could earn it outright.

The young cub was wandering around. His head was beginning to hurt, something her found happened when he was away from his mother, but close enough to find her. He wondered if she was nearby, as tried to sniff her out. The scents in the land were quite different from where he grew up with his siblings. He frowned, eyes scanning for the dark red pelt he had grown accustomed to since birth. Where was she?

Aldan growled, stopping in front of a den. He winced, shaking his head as his eyes narrowed. Definitely not his mother’s scent.

Continuing on, his gaze stopped on a camo-looking male. Just as quick as the headache appeared, it was gone. Blinking, the male looked away. The slight throb started again. Aldan repeated the action, something that would look strange to anyone walking by. The winged pelted male didn’t care. Something about this lion was off.

Aldan rose to his feet, eyes narrowing as he approached the other male. “Why are you not making my head hurt?” The cub asked, tail thrashing. He did not know manners much, but he was still young. Also, would Stormborn cubs have manners? “Mum use to make them go away too. Do you know her?”

Mkhai hadn't noticed the cub at first. Little ones had no interest to them. They were untapped potential, but it wasn't up to him to mold and shape them. Leave that to their mortal parents - if they were worthy enough when they were older Mkhai would pay attention to them. Cubs to him only meant the continuation of bloodlines. Never would he normally be caught speaking with one.

But it was hard to ignore the impudent little snot. That was the terrible thing about cubs. They had no manners, no reasoning or 'common sense'. If the boy cub had posessed any of those qualities, he would not have approached Mkhai.

The god looked down his nose at the cub, frowning with disapproval. Lifting a paw, he pushed it against the cub's chest and slowly pushed him back. No. "I do not know your mother," he grumbled, wondering if the cub was trying to insinuate something. But, that couldn't possibly be the cub's intentions. Cubs weren't that smart. "Nor do I know why your head hurts. I do not walk around curing headaches," he told the young cub, unamused by the young lion.

The reaction for the cub to realize there was a hefty paw on his chest was quick, but not quick enough to avoid the male pushing him back. “HEY.” He snapped, lifting to his feet. He was a large cub, but still small compared to Mkhai’s form. He stalked right back up to the male. “How would you like it if I put my paws on you, huh?” To prove his point, his small paws were placed right on Mkhai’s larger one. At least the male had no fear when it came to this unknown stranger.


“You should know her.” He stated matter-of-factly. “My dad knows her.” Was his obvious-cub-logic answer.


“You must know why. Like I look away from you and it starts. I look back, and BOOM. Gone again. Did you just appear out of thin air or something?” The statement was a harmless one for an ordinary lion. However, both Aldan and Mkhai weren’t ordinary.


“You must have something special about you to cure them. You just don’t know it yet.”

Mkhai watched the cub, impressed by his spunk, but deeply unimpressed by the cub's poor judgement. The little paws against his own felt like nothing, and he knew how little strength it would take to send the creature falling back. Exercising restraint, Mkhai did not immediately shove the cub back away from him. "I would neither like nor dislike it, because I cannot feel a thing from your little paws." His answer was gruff, and after a few seconds he simply pulled his paw away from the cub to make his point clear.

"That is not how knowing someone works," Mkhai corrected. "You should go home to your parents, since they do know you and I do not." The large lion looked around, trying to pinpoint the cub's origins. He just needed to find its mother or a thrall to shove the young one on. Then he'd be able to go about his business unhindered by the rascal.

His eyes narrowed at the next comment. Disappearing and reappearing was definitely a trait of his godhood, but he had done neither of these things within the heart of the pride. A harmless statement, but it did set the god on edge. "I do not know what you are experiencing, so I also do not know how it works. You cannot assume me to be the source of the cure, little boy."

He was very tempted just to pluck the cub up and drop him off somewhere far away from himself.

When Mkhai pulled his paw away, Aldan stumbled a bit, but did not collapse to the ground. He glared at the other. “I bet I can make you feel something from these paws.” He sassed, small claws unsheathing as he batted at the other’s leg. “Feel anything?” The paw was grazing the thick pelt, but not strong enough to make a mark. The winged cub was just trying to make a point.

“Parent.” Aldan correct. “Mum dropped me off with my siblings at the border one day. She was almost as big as you. Pretty red. You sure you don’t know her?” The cub asked again. “Lions are big here, but you seem bigger than most.” He blinked. “I hope to be big like you and mum one day.” He commented. “Besides, dad will be fine knowing I am with someone. I need to figure you out before I go home.” There had to be a reason why this lion made his headaches go away. “I’m just going to keep coming around finding you until I know what’s up.” The cub said matter-of-factly.

“Shouldn’t adults know everything? You aren’t a very good adult then in my opinion.” The cub grinned.

The cub certainly had a spitfire personality, and for a moment Mkhai indulged the little one by letting himself get 'beat up' on. But that only lasted for a moment, and then with great disapproval he shoved the cub back. "Only annoyance. Your claws are too little yet, you should test them out on something your own size." There had been not a scratch left on him, which was for the best. Mkhai refused to go around with a cub-sized scar on his leg. If he was to be injured, he would not allow it to be from such a weak blow from a child.

There were no heartstrings to tug with Mkhai. He cared little for the cub's circumstances, and only thought that the trials life threw at mortals was the only way to make them stronger. Aldan would find no sympathy from him, but none ever did. "I know no such lioness of that description. I do not understand why you would think I would know her just because she is as large as me." A large lioness like that was impressive, but not out of the realm of possibilities. Besides, cubs had vast imaginations. Mkhai was sure the little snot was making most of it up.

"You are not staying with me." Mkhai eyed the cub and lifted his paw, as if trying to figure out how to best carry the creature and plop him down someplace else. "There is no great mystery here for you, boy."

Aldan fell at the shove. He made an ‘oomph’ as he hit the ground, staring back at the large male. “Testing them out on someone my size is not as fun though.” Besides, he would probably get an earful from his father if he was picking on his brothers or sister. There was always his older siblings…. His nose twitched in thought.

The cub had not wandered around the pride enough, but the headaches he had were a constant thing. It was like something in the pride was calling him, but he did not know what it was. Only when he neared certain individuals did he found the . A bird had caused the same reaction this lion was giving him one time too.

“Hmm…” Contemplating the young cub rose to his feet, starting to circle Mkhai. “What’s your name?” he asked. Maybe he could ask his father about this other lion. When he got to the back side of the lion, he paw grabbed his tail, lifting it with difficulty as to inspect it. Massive lion meant heavier appendages. Letting the tail go, Aldan snorted.

“You are no fun. I’m going to find you again. ‘specially if you make my headache go away.” Aldan smirked as he walked a few feet away from the other. “There’s gotta be something about you. I am determined to find it!” Who knew, maybe one day he would. If Mkhai did not kill him first that was.

"Picking fights with those larger than yourself only works if you are sure they won't kill you," Mkhai advised. He had never been outmatched by someone before, but for a little cub like this one... there were many foes in the world. The large lion felt no sympathy for the cub as Aldan tumbled backwards. Some lessons were best forged in pain, though he had no intention on wasting his energy on somebody else's brat. He wasn't sure he'd have patience for cubs of his own, if he ever got around to making them.

He sighed, a little irritated that the cub had managed to stumble back to him. Mkhai resisted the urge to whack the young lion with his tail, and instead sat still with his shoulders hunched trying to wait out the cub's interest. "It is Mkhai." He saw no reason not to tell the cub his name. There wasn't much Aldan would be able to do with it.

"You are very little fun as well, I hope I do not run into you again any time soon." Ugh, cubs were annoying. He'd make sure his own did not have mouths like this one. Mkhai stood up, eyeing the little lion with distaste. "Go home to your parent, take your mysteries elsewhere." He really could care less if the cub made it back home. Mkhai was done with him, and so he left.

Aldan debated following the lion. He kept his eyes on the other until he was out of sight. Sure enough, as soon as he couldn’t see him, the throbbing in his head started. The young cub sighed, rubbing his temple. “I don’t get it.” He muttered, turning away from where the other was just sitting.

Mkhai. Aldan thought. Who was this large lion? When he was bigger he would find out.

Right now though, he needed to find something to ease this increasing pulsation in his head. Maybe he could see if his dad knew anything about it, and could help him. Otherwise, he would just go crazy if it never stopped.

Sighing again, Aldan headed home, his thoughts muddled.