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 Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:21 am
 It was just after dawn, and while most of the pride was still sleeping, Hila stalked restlessly toward the pridal borders. Having recently decided to channel her frustrations with the...changes in management (so to speak) into earning the rank of Shield Maiden (a stepping stone to Valkyrie), she saw no purpose in waiting around. Stopping for a short moment on top of a small rise, she inhaled, enjoying the way the cold air felt as she drew it deep into her lungs.
This was, perhaps, becoming one of her favorite times of the day - early enough that the bustling of a pride as large as the stormborn had not yet really begun for the day, and, while she wasn't particularly poetic, as a rule, watching the sun climb into the sky had a way of making her feel like she could accomplish just about anything she set her mind to...and today, she was determined to take her first steps toward her modified goals that she'd set for herself.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:53 pm
Perhaps she would just grow old and lonely, a crone that mothers would ward their daughters away from. 'You need to find yourself a nice young man or you'll turn out like this old hag here'.
Koharu's red eyes rolled at the thought. She would just have to carve out her own path, and ah, here was the perfect victim to test her skills on. In the distance, Koharu spied a similarly dark lioness with a bright red tail. It was a beacon in the early morning... some would dare say a target. Koharu smirked and hunkered low to the ground, making a stealthy approach towards Hila's back. She had no idea what she would do if she managed to make it all the way too the other teen... Honestly, she was expecting to be noticed at some point before she reached her red-tailed destination.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:34 pm
Hila was not always the most observant, still being occasionally-prone to distractions, but one thing her second viking had shown her was that one couldn't be completely inattentive, or you ended up ambushed, and at someone else's mercy. And so, while she didn't hear Koharu immediately, when the other adolescent crept within a short distance of her, she heard the scraping of a paw-pad on rock, and stiffened, her ears flicking backwards, immediately intent.
Turning to face her would-be-stalker, she lowered her shoulders slightly, as if daring the other teen to pounce. Lifting her upper lip into the beginning of a snarl, she eyed the other female warily. "Preybeasts not challenging enough for you?" she quipped, waiting to see how the other responded.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:24 pm
The game was over. Koharu noted the moment Hila's ear flicked her way, and knew that the other adolescent had caught onto her presence even before she turned to face her. Koharu was rather used to being noticed before an ambush - her stalking skills were not bad, but they still could use a great deal of improvement.
With a sigh, the girl rose to stand tall in front of Hila. She was a pretty youth, prettier than the lioness she thought to be her mother... but not nearly as pretty as her actual mother. She flipped her two-toned braid back from her eyes and smiled coyly at the other female. "Not when we've got them caged up for easy pickings," she answered with a small shrug of her shoulders.
"Besides, your were so easy to spot with the bright red tail tuft of your's," Koharu purred, subtly pinning the blame on Hila for her own actions. How could she help it if Hila acted like the perfect target?
"I'm Koharu, daughter of Njia and Ciro'mekaitso." The introduction was rather formal, but spoken with a sweet enough tone to beckon forgiveness from Hila. She hadn't intended to hurt the other female - if she had that would have been obvious.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:58 pm
She had a point, there. As Koharu continued though, Hila rolled her eyes, making it obvious for the other to see that she was doing it. "Not exactly something I can help, unless I want to cover it up." she observed drily. To be fair, it was bright enough that on a viking, she'd have to be careful not to give herself away with it...well, assuming that she ever got to go out on another one, with the new regime.
She straightened when Koharu introduced herself, though, instinctively responding in kind. "Hila. Daughter of Ushma and Tanaka." she inclined her head slightly, her gaze almost suspicious at the sweeter tone, as if expecting some sort of sly remark to follow. "So if hunting your pridemates wasn't the goal, what brings you out here so early?" she asked, her tone deliberate, unable to help the small dig even as curiosity compelled her to continue the conversation. The border wasn't going anywhere, after all - and while she'd hardly grown up a loner, she hadn't gotten to know many of her peers particularly well, with one glaring exception.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 12:21 pm
"I'm sure you could cover it up. Some mud, twigs? I imagine it would feel terrible, so perhaps it is not so much of a viable option." There was a mischievous tone to her voice as she towed the line between baiting Hila and befriending her. Koharu had not hung out with many other lions beyond her siblings, but now that they were growing older they had started to drift apart. Every one of them were trying to find their place in the world, and Koharu was chief among the stragglers in the family.
"I do not recognize the names, is your father a reaver?" Her father was a captain, but they weren't talking about her father. He had been around during her youth, but had seemed to become easily distracted. That, or he liked going out on vikings too much. It meant he wasn't home so often anymore, and when he was he had other things to attend to. Her parents had been close at one point, but she couldn't help but wonder if something had happened between them lately.
Koharu laughed, and when she spoke the tone of her voice reflected her amusement. "Even if it wasn't the goal, it was a nice side quest. Anyways, I've got restless paws. Every now and then I just get the itch to get up and do something to occupy myself." That was the truth, though it was obvious Koharu wasn't going to dive deeply into the 'whys' of it.
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 10:43 pm
Rolling her eyes, Hila nonetheless grinned. "I'd also run the risk of having the mess fall off, or bump into things and make noise...so probably more practical to just leave it as-is." she observed, playing along with the suggestion for a moment longer.
"Hmmm...no, my father's a God, not a reaver." perhaps surprisingly, her tone wasn't boastful (perhaps because so many of the stormborn were descended from gods), instead leaning toward the matter-of-fact. She had loved her father as a cub; he'd taken her flying more than once, and introduced her to a sense of freedom that she was still struggling to find elsewhere, hence her continued dissatisfaction with having been denied the possibility of the position of Captain, herself...but he also had not seemed nearly as keen to spend time with his offspring as they aged out of the 'cute and fluffy' stage of childhood.
At Koharu's laugh, and statement, Hila couldn't contain a small snort of amusement. "Fair enough. And I can certainly sympathize with that feeling." Although for the red-tailed adolescent, the restless paws made her want to go out, seeing the areas outside of the pride's borders, rather than potentially hunting down her fellows. "What do you do when there's no one around to stalk, then?" she asked, smirking slightly at the other lioness.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:11 pm
"Oh," Koharu replied in such a way that Hila likely could read the thoughts as they scrolled through her mind. 'Not another one'. God-blood flowed rampantly through the pride, and Koharu was perhaps one of the few to claim that she was not descended from the gods. No, whatever skills she possessed were earned through her limited less-than-godly means. At the very least, Hila seemed just as enthused about her heritage as Koharu was about it. As in, they weren't. For the most part, Koharu rarely believed anyone these days when they claimed to be descended from the gods.
"I have quite a few siblings, there's always someone to stalk," she countered with a small smirk. Of course, she did not want to exactly say that she spent her days in leisure. A majority of the pride went out on Vikings or helped the pride out in various ways. Koharu was young enough where not much was expected of her. With Ushindi's reign, the most that would be expected out of her was to marry and produce strong cubs for the future benefit of the pride.
It hardly sounded exciting, so pardon her for not being thrilled.
But, Koharu likewise had no desire to be a 'Shield Maiden' or whatever hand-me-down rank females were given now. "Besides, there's not much else to do around here. Socializing has never been my strongest suit, I kind of like to do things on my own and at my own pace. I'm sure you get how dull life can be."
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:25 pm
Hila, perhaps surprisingly, didn't bristle - it wasn't that she wasn't proud of her heritage - she was, but it was surprisingly common in the pride to be descended from one (or more) of the gods that wandered around. She wanted to be known for her own accomplishments, though, not her birthright.
At Koharu's comment about stalking her siblings, Hila grinned. She wasn't one to stay lingering around the den she'd grown up in, and only had two siblings, besides....but the imagery amused her, if nothing else. "Family gatherings must be rather...exciting, then, I'd imagine." she said drily.
"I usually spend my days out by the borders, anymore," she said, making a face even as she shrugged. It was boring work in its own right, that...especially since she hadn't had much luck in finding outsiders to duel. She wasn't averse to socializing, but if that was all she had to look forward to for the rest of her life, well...she'd be looking for the nearest cliff, or sneaking across the borders the next dawn.
"I wanted to make captain one day, and while that's no longer an option," if a hint of bitterness tinged her voice, who could blame her? "I still want to see more of what lies outside our borders, so I'll just have to make Valkyrie, now." she said, raising her eyebrows, almost challengingly, at the other teen.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 1:13 pm
"You could... say that," Koharu answered loftily. "How about I invite you to the next one?" It was a dare of sorts, because no one would be crazy enough to wedge themselves into her family. She had a lot of brothers. A lot of teenage brothers who did not know how to handle themselves around any female, let alone one their age. Koharu was vaguely interested to see who survived the longest in such a gathering. Her bet wasn't actually on Hila, either. She suspected the lioness would excuse herself as quickly as she could manage.
"So you just... sit out here?" How was that any better than how Koharu spent her own days? It sounded terribly boring when there were at least more sociable things to do. Court a nice husband, marry, have cubs, blah blah blah. At least it was better than sitting on one's own tail.
Koharu looked vaguely unimpressed, though none of her actions could actually be considered antagonistic. Skeptical, however, was exactly what Koharu was. "The new Warlord definitely has... his ideals. Honestly, I never wanted to be a Captain. Exploring the world sounds fine and dandy, but the way vikings go is usually a lot of blood, murder, and mess." She preferred actions to be more subtle, and much less like a cluster ******** a battle usually ended up being.
"Well, good luck with that, hope the new guy doesn't change his mind about letting us ladies have any rank." She smirked, implying that Hila would have to get a move on her plans since nothing was secure anymore.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:17 pm
Hila snorted, suspecting that that was an understatement. At the countering challenge in the other youth's voice, she straightened slightly. "Anytime." she said, full of false bravado. How bad could it be, after all? She'd been on an actual viking, with the side eyes, not-so-sly remarks and occasional 'accidental' jostle from her peers who hadn't thought it was a female's place...much like their new warlord, apparently.
When Koharu asked her own question, Hila's shoulders rounded slightly in annoyance. "For now, yeah." she muttered, eyes narrowing. "It's a means to an end, though - I'm willing to put up with it temporarily, if it gets me what I want."
She cocked her head slightly to the side, some of her sharp, overly proud demeanor falling away as she considered her words - the other teen wasn't wrong, she thought, remembering just how bloody and messy her last viking had ended up.
"It depends on the viking, but they can certainly end up that way." she agreed. "But then, nothing in life comes free - there's a price for everything, it just comes down to deciding what you want, and what you're willing to put up with to get there, I guess." For her, not feeling stifled, even trapped, was worth the curled lips, the disrespectful words..and yes, even the occasional violence that went with it.
"Ugh, isn't that the truth, though." visible irritation wrinkled her brow, although she rather hoped he was done bringing back archaic rules, at least in regards to female ranks. "What do you want to do, beyond stalking your siblings, then?" she turned the question around, one eyebrow raising slightly, a slightly mocking tilt to her own maw - while Koharu hadn't exactly been poking fun, her dismissive tone had ruffled Hila's fur a bit, pricking her somewhat sensitive ego.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:21 am
"I'll remember that," Koharu answered with an amused smirk, tucking away that agreement for later usage.
She listened to Hila for a moment, and for the most part she could understand where the other lioness was coming from. Not... that Koharu exactly agreed. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," she spoke with a soft laugh. "There are many things in life that are free, and many more things that the cost is small enough to be dismissive. Vikings are just one way of life, and an important one, sure. But it surely can't be the only way to advance oneself." Koharu loathed the idea of being so direct. It wasn't that she disliked confrontation, but she wanted to find a way to sneak around it.
Claws scratching, teeth bearing, blood flying... all of it was so bold.
The dark lioness shrugged her shoulders, "Why should I want to do anything? Why is it so certain that I either choose the path that was laid out for me or so starkly go against it?" She sighed and tossed her head back, pushing her braid away from her face. "Honestly, I don't know, and I'm not sure it's because I'm still too young to know or that I will... never know." It was about as frank as Koharu was going to get.
"My mother's bloodline is from outside the pride. It makes me wonder if I am truly suited to this place. I do not want to simply be someone's wife, but I also do not want to become a scourge upon the lands, taking from them with brutality and without mercy." The lioness stretched her legs out in front of her, trying to ease her own tension. "I can almost admire someone who knows exactly what it is they want from life and can pursue it without hesitation. But, I am not that way."
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 1:53 pm
] Hila rolled her eyes, disagreeing completely. "It's all about knowing the cost - nothing comes completely free...even if it's only effort, or time, or energy being paid." she retorted. "That's true enough, though - I want the freedom to go farther than the pridal borders, though, and am not averse to the goods that come with a successful Viking." she shrugged. It wasn't as if she didn't have her own doubts about some aspects of the practice, either...but it was better than the alternatives.
Her expression softened slightly, almost imperceptibly, as she weighed the honesty of Koharu's words. "I have a tough time understanding that sort of approach to life, myself - it's almost the opposite of my own." A small smile accompanied a shrug. She couldn't imagine leaving the pride permanently, however...she had friends, and even family, who she wouldn't want to walk away from forever.
"There are other options though, even now - there's priestesses, and healers, and lawspeakers....but yes, there's always the option of leaving altogether, if the way of life is really...unsuited."
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 3:21 pm
"I think we can agree to disagree," Koharu spoke with a soft chuckle. She did not find Hila's opinionss to be offensive - she was raised to have thick skin. A difference in opinion did not always lead towards a confrontation. So, she'd let Hila believe that every action in life required a price to be paid. Koharu was better off believing otherwise.
"The territory is large, and who is to say what lies beyond the borders?" The Reavers and Captains knew, but Koharu suspected that they exaggerated their tales to look more impressive. She did not know whether to or not believe what bile they spewed from their tongues. "Perhaps it is for the best that the Freeborn remain within the boundaries of the pride. Either they lack the skill or will to push farther. Even the status change for us females would not hold us back that much if we pushed hard enough for it." Not that Koharu really wanted to, it seemed like a lot of work.
"I suppose that makes it another case of agree to disagree." The humor was clear in the tone of her voice. She enjoyed this little chat with Hila.
Hila's last statement gave Koharu pause, and the lioness quieted for a moment as she mulled her options over. It was too early to decide what exactly she wanted to do with herself. She supposed she would wait until inspiration struck or something happened to change her course in life. "I would never leave, though. My family is here, and despite my complaints about the weather and the people, I do like it here." The Myrsky Syntynyt was her home, and nothing could convince Koharu to abandon it.
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 4:31 pm
Rolling her eyes, Hila nonetheless allowed the subject to drop - the other adolescent was wrong, but she had long since realized that she preferred having the option of the company of others over rubbing their noses in her superiority. It helped too, that Koharu had seemed disinclined to debate it further.
Shrugging, Hila raised an eyebrow "I went on a couple of Vikings, before the rules changed." She practically drawled the words. "And while I also suspect a large number of the tales brought back are...embellished, there are definitely sights, smells...and spoils that differ from what we can find here."
"While I can't claim to have done more than scratch the surface, it was enough to confirm that there a lot of differences to be seen abroad." Not all of it was positive, she couldn't help but remind herself, a flash of sorrow flitting across her expression as she remembered the brutality surrounding her taking of Skare as a thrall. But it was still different, and so she longed to see more of it.
Hila couldn't help the short bark of laughter that escaped her, almost involuntarily. Koharu was so different that it was almost incomprehensible to her - how was anyone content to let life carry them as it willed?! Just the thought of it was enough to make her vaguely uncomfortable. But then, she didn't have to. She was determined to stick to her goals, even if it made little sense to others.
"Now that, at least, we may be in agreement on." She said, smirking. "I'll be curious to see where your path takes you, though, with so little steering."
Krysin THIS IS SO OVERDUE I'M SORRY ILUUUU
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