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 Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 1:21 pm
The latest victim of the murderer (or murderers) hiding within the pride's borders was her older sister. She couldn't say they had been close but they were still sisters, and they were more similar than they seemed on the surface. Their family was so large and had so many branches that it took a dedicated social butterfly to keep up with them all. Masuka had been happy to live her own life with her children and Iva had always kept to herself. Now, she wanted to make sure Masuka's children didn't feel left behind in a giant family in an overcrowded pride with a father who almost nobody here had even seen before.
When she wasn't harassing her nieces and nephews, she was working. The pride didn't just need scouts now, it needed warriors. She knew how to hunt but it wasn't enough. There were so many lions from so many different backgrounds in the pride, she just had to find the right training partner.
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 1:45 pm
Adrastos had taken some level fo apprenticeship in being a solider, but he had a lot to learn in coming to terms with what it really meant. Fully fleshed adulthood hasn’t prepared him for the shifted tone of life when the peace of the Pridelands was shattered. Every time he thought it would begin to heal, another tragedy struck. Instead of throwing himself into the midst of it all, he had reflected back on his early training. It never prepared him for the realities of being a “soldier” in the sense of battle; more like an elaborate guard. But times were changing, and the white lion thought that the pride as a whole needed more intense training to keep one another safe. So he had begun to attempt to train himself. It wasn’t going as smoothly as he wanted to, but the improvements to his stamina and strength meant that some measure of progress was being made. If only they could find a way to have more skilled teachers, how much more would he improve? Another day of training by himself seemed silly, and so he attempted to pull himself out of his own shell and find someone new to train with. Someone that would probably point out his flaws without fear, so he could improve himself while they waited out this false sense of peace. It felt inevitable that something else would happen, even if Adrastos didn’t want another death to happen on these lands.
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 1:57 pm
When she stumbled upon Adrastos, Iva nearly overlooked him entirely. It was so easy to forget that not all plain white lions were who you thought they were at a glance, he probably had the same problem with his family.. the glimmer of gold in his mane got him a second look and she realized who it was. She hadn't properly met him before but she recognized him from the soldiers. He didn't look busy so maybe he had some time to kill.
Too determined to be shy, she approached without hesitation.
"Hello! You're a soldier, right?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 2:18 pm
Likewise, she may have been a lion that Asrastos normally would overlook. Her cream coat was commonplace in the Pridelands, though her red eyes gave her a more striking look than the warm golds that he saw a lot of. It took him a moment to realize that she was referring to him; the ambient sound around them from living in such a large pride could have made him heard incorrectly.
“Me?” He asked stupidly. “Yes, on my way to train, actually. Is there something I can.... assist you with?” He was a rather unassuming lion, so he was no used to being pointed out like this.
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 3:15 pm
His strange attitude didn't go unnoticed but Iva didn't let it deter her. In fact, she perked up when he said he was on his way to train. This was perfect then. Chances were good he was her senior in this particular profession and if he wasn't, he was at least a new face with unique strategies that she could benefit from. So, whether he wanted it or not, he was getting a new training partner for the day.
"My name is Iva," she said brightly, "I just became a soldier recently and I'd like to train with you. What's your name?"
Maybe it was the tint of yellow in his mane or the yellow eyes but up close.. he really looked nothing like her father or brothers. White was white but when you really looked, his shade had a completely different feel to it.
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Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:15 pm
Well, even if he only admitted to himself, she seemed pleasant enough. It was true that the general demeanor of Pridelanders was nice, but she had an edge to her niceness that he found interesting. A drive, at the very least. Better than some others he knew, even within his own family.
"It is a pleasure, Iva. I... I am Adrastos," he said with a slight stumble. He wasn't one to really exchange too many words, so he wasn't skilled at any sort of small talk.
"I'd enjoy sparring with a new partner," he added on, feeling the weight of potential silence envelop him. Clearly if she was a soldier, she would know where to go to practice... so should they walk step to step? "Shall we go to the practice ring together?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 7:38 am
"Adrastos," Iva repeated brightly, "I'd appreciate that, thank you."
Of course soldiers in the Pridelands were the same kind and accommodating one could expect from any other member of the pride. It made them more welcoming to the new recruits, Iva imagined. She definitely needed that, even if she wouldn't have let herself get scared off by a grump. This lion didn't look like he had it in him, though.. but he must have, otherwise he wouldn't make a very good soldier. Maybe that was the trade off for being a Pridelander, it gave you a mask to hide your skill behind.
"Sure, let's go," she said, skipping ahead eagerly, "How long have you been a soldier, Adrastos?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 7:58 am
The white male lurched forward to catch up with the sandy-coated lioness, not quite expecting her to just skip ahead without much of a care. Was it excitement or something else? She must have her motives, but he didn't want to pry. Not when the only thing he knew about her was her name.
"I uh, I've been a soldier since my mane grew in," he shrugged. "It was a rather quiet skillset when I started, but its quickly becoming apparent that we truly need skilled soldiers, and not glorified guards." Which is exactly how he felt for the beginning of his career...
"So you've recently shifted...did you used to be a hunter?" It was the most common sort of 'job' that one held here, but important with all the mouths that constantly needed to be fed.
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 9:23 am
Iva stumbled when her companion said he had always been a soldier. She stopped briefly to look him up and down, noticing that he didn't appear to be that much younger than she was, if at all.. had there always been soldiers here? How had it escaped her notice for so long..
"I was," she confirmed, "Not as flashy or interesting as some of the other jobs but we all gotta eat. I just figure we need more soldiers now than we did before. I'm not going to let the gods take our home without a fight."
Were the gods the murderers? It certainly seemed that way.. but what could Masuka have done to cross them? Or that councilor and his wife? How strong would the Pridelanders need to become to fight back?
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 9:34 am
Adrastos nodded grimly as he walked next to Iva. "It is true. We were a small bunch when that visiting group of dignitaries from the birthlands of Tau were here; they trained a few of us, and a few more joined and were trained as well. We didn't have much to do after they left, so soldiers back then were pretty easy to overlook." He grimaced a bit, not sure how much he should admit to someone who hadn't even noticed them in the beginning.
"Well, the need is great now, and we are struggling to keep up. I'm sure you'll do well, and we do need to do our best to put up a good fight to protect everyone here. Is that your drive? To protect what you hold dear?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 9:47 am
Oh, right.
How had she forgotten about Tau's arrival and the visit from the Tianxia that had followed? She truly did live in her own isolated little bubble, knowing only enough to support the monarch and do her share of the work in the pride.
"Yes," she answered confidently, "If those weirdo cultists think the King has failed the pride, then so have we. We've all been too complacent. Even when I decided I would fight back, I didn't move fast enough to protect my family. I won't let that happen again, I have to work harder."
Iva skipped ahead again.
"So thank you for training with me today," she said, "Let's go."
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