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 Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 2:48 am
Iloziya was sore, looked as though he'd gotten in the bad books of a badger, and overall appeared to be in awful spirits. He'd made a bet and though he lost the bet (to the most outrageous female ever) he planned on keeping his word, which meant answering some questions he wasn't sure he was prepared to answer. Coming to the Stormborn had meant a fresh start - which was more than he could have asked for elsewhere, though did other prides have a pushy lioness that couldn't keep her nose out of other lions business? The likelihood was that he'd be doomed no matter what.
"Hopefully she is just in and out." He muttered to himself without realizing what a pun he'd just stated. Iloziya had begun to pace his den, she would know where it was - the pair of them had spent plenty of time together on personal matters (basically attempting to prove he wasn't gay) though this would be the first time, that he could recall, of her coming here with only talking in mind. An interesting thought.
"She better get here soon." He grumbled impatiently.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 1:00 pm
"In and out is more your style."
The voice was heard long before she was seen, but, not one to disappoint, she did eventually swan into his den. If the lioness had any bruising it was virtually impossible to tell, the rest after this morning's bout had proved beneficial to her and she was in very good spirits. Then again, one always felt good when they were getting what they wanted, especially when work was required...and by gods had she worked for it.
Nevertheless, it also helped that Iloziya was a lion of his word. Naima had very much put her trust in that one, for all she had known, after his defeat he might have changed his mind and stormed off (as some were inclined to do), but on this occasion he had taken the high road. Despite his defeat and the rather sore patches across his back, he was honouring their bet and she was finally going to get her answers. To say she was intrigued was an understatement but she had always loved lore, it was part of the reason she'd felt so drawn to the Vikings in the first place.
"So is this the point where I find out who the Great Lion is, or do we have to start from another point in time for the story to make sense?" she asked curiously, making herself comfortable as she lay down in what was apparently her favoured spot...She certainly knew how to make herself at home.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 3:11 pm
If the day had gone differently he’d have found some humor in what she had said, but instead he gave a quick ‘ha’ and immediately his face fell to the frown that had taken over. His eyes looked just as grim, though they sparkled a tad and it would have been easy to discern that tears were a possibility – he fought them hard though and found that he was able to win a single battle today (thank goodness). Those golden eyes watched his companion as she found her way into a section of his den that had basically become hers, he found that even when she wasn’t present he had kept it just the way she would have left it the last time she was there – it had become habit, one he didn’t even realize he had until he watched her from a distant.
“Probably better that we start from the beginning, my beginning so to speak.” He said, heaving a deep sigh that was followed with a roll of his shoulders as though he was preparing for a fight and not just a chat. “I’ll begin with my parents.” His origin story, not something he anticipated to be sharing with anyone and most certainly not her. Yet it seemed that (even though they battled for it) there was special bond he couldn’t break with her. “Shangyue, my Father and Tyfu, my Mother.” He began by providing names to ease into things a little bit. “My home was the Mwezi`Johari and I was one of the b*****d sons to the King – King Shangyue.” One of many, he was sure of that as a fact. He paused, waiting for a reaction so far.
“Tyfu was the Head Guard, promoted by my Father for her loyalty to him – you see my Father has a dark history all his own and there were many who didn’t pledge loyalty to him for that dark past.” Iloziya had mulled over his past numerous times and attempted to see things from different points of views. His wasn’t the only life effected and no he didn’t disapprove of his Fathers actions, but things had worked out poorly in the end, certainly not the way he had anticipated (which was the other thing that got him thinking). “My Father was not next in line to be King, he wasn’t meant to take the throne and yet he couldn’t deny himself that honor.” He inhaled slowly, imagining what his family was like before his Father had made this choice for himself. “He ended up murdering his own flesh and blood so that he could find himself in position to be crowned.”
He paused again, this time to make sure the lioness was following. Iloziya felt vulnerable and a touch shaky – he’d rather be fighting for his life then seated here and now.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 3:22 pm
Naima had always liked a good story, and even when a cub elected to tell her their own, she often sat in silence and waited for the full tale to be told. it didn't matter who silly or how serious the tale was, it was always afforded a considerable measure of respect. Thus, Naima's expression was schooled into an unusually neutral one, her lips pursed ever so slightly as she waited for him to collect himself and begin to tell his story. If anyone had asked her what she thought that story might be, it certainly hadn't been this one...
"They don't exactly dissuade those here from doing the same thing if they want rank and station," she replied softly and gave a little wave of her paw to coax him in to telling her more. If he was ashamed of where he'd come from, or what his father had done, it would perhaps be a helpful reminder for him to recall that the Stormborn had their own way of doing something. When it came to Shangyue's relatives, they might very well have concluded they were unworthy and it was their own foolishness that had resulted in their death.
...Still, how did this relate to the great lion?
Was it his father?
She refrained from questioning him further given that it was still very early on and it was clear that he wanted to go in a specific direction. If she had questions at the end, or at periods in which he gave her an opening to interject, then she would probably ask him. For now though? Well, the pale lioness simply remained in her place and continued to regard him without her usual merriment. A small comfort to know that she wasn't going to turn everything in to a joke despite her usual inclination to do so.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 2:12 am
It seemed that the pale lioness, whom usually had something to say in regards to just about anything, was in fact a good listener. This bewildered him, but eased his mind quite a bit - the fact that someone here might know his history was still alarming, but if he was made to be honest about it he was actually comfortable with the fact that he was telling her. What had started all of this? Iloziya recalled his leaving his home and even the days leading up to and including his joining his new home. His attitude hadn't truly wavered or relaxed, this was the start to something much different.
"You're right about that.." He said, realizing that to others within the pride that what his Father had done would be deemed average at best - even if it had shook his home pride to it's core. He thought briefly about this and found comfort in it, to a point.
"The Great Lion is a religious figure within the Mwezi`Johari." He began to get to the center of her question, as though he could read her mind. "My Father was doing what he believed to be the right path, for himself and for his family - including my self, but it wasn't meant to last. Some believe that the Great Lion doesn't look down upon our bloodline with fortune, instead they believe the Great Lion provides no favor for us and therefore we are cursed." He pulled it all together, deciding against going into to many gory details. "The Great Lion truly doesn't have much to do with why I've been acting the way I've been acting - I failed my Father." Truth be told it was likely his appearance would make little difference in the outcome, but that didn't stop him from feeling as though he could have done more for either of his parents.
"During the struggles my parents had faced I was no where to be found - I appeared as a coward, but I'm not. You know this." He found comfort in being able to say that - he knew she should know that he wasn't a coward, perhaps all that he had faced so far in his past made him a little more brave? Iloziya wasn't entirely sure. With each word he spoke he began to feel quite a bit relaxed, loose and the tension that appeared in his posture was beginning to release. To help his body loosen up he rolled his shoulders and stretched a little bit.
"When it was all said and done I was brought before the new Queen - a Queen chosen by our.. their Shaman. That Queen gave an option to those considered suspicious, individuals she feared might commit treason and try to avenge Shangyue in someway. I was one of those individuals - I'm also not sure I wouldn't try to avenge my Father, kill that Queen in favor for a King that traveled the same beaten path as Shangyue." He remarked in a harsh and unforgiving tone. "But in my shame I chose to leave - I hadn't been there to stop anything from happening, what would push me to do anything about it then?"
His eyes, which had landed on her several times, now avoided her like she was the sun itself. His choice to be entirely vulnerable would go one of two ways - his choice could back fire, but he wasn't sure she was that type of lioness and if she was he'd take the stick from out of his a** himself and beat her with it.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:28 pm
Ah, so it was one of those prides, with that kind of mythos... There seemed to be a few of them lying around, and nearly all of those with a single entity as their representative tended to have some rather backwards views on the world. When he made reference to the fact his father had been killed and a new Queen chosen by a shaman, she couldn't help the fact that her eyebrow had raised. No doubt it was a heretic who believed or claimed she saw more than she really did - quite a lot of pageantry to be had there, but ultimately it would always be a farce.
...No doubt if Tethys knew of this he would be the first to shoot down any reference to false prophets. Neither he or his sibling were very forgiving of those who claimed they could see anything when they saw nothing. They seemed to become increasingly defensive whenever those prophets claimed to gain visions from the 'divine'.
She couldn't ever guess why!
Nevertheless, Naima knew better than to call his deity out as false immediately. While she might have called bullshit on such a ridiculous notion, it was for Ziya to decide whether or not he would leave false idols behind, or cling on to them. He had earned his place here and while his views might face ridicule in public, they were his to enjoy. Let someone else point out his idols and the prophets were false, she had no intention of doing so herself. Well, she wouldn't unless she was asked anyway.
"Last time I checked you couldn't see the future and you weren't a mind reader," she mused at last, her tone measured. "If your former home want to regard you as cowardly because you lack the supernatural powers to predict when you are needed, then let them," she shrugged her shoulders delicately and tilted her head to the side. "You can categorically say that they have achieved nothing of significance... ever," she added wryly and shook her head.
"Other than their former rulers being assassinated by an individual who had an idea for the future; who took matters in to his own hands instead of letting others tell him what he should do, not what he could do," she paused.
...Honestly, his father would have been regarded favourably here.
"Your father spat in the face of false prophets; when they spouted superstitious nonsense that he was unworthy he shut them down and he did rule for a time. The fact he lost his position is unfortunate but his achievements are no less valid." She pointed out and hazard the slightest smile.
"The new queen is arguably in a very weak position, her attempts to purge your former home are a sign of weakness and she's scared... " she didn't really know where she was going with that point so she elected to drop it.
"By the sounds of it she didn't give you a choice, you would either leave or you would be destroyed, armies take a while to build up and I suspect you couldn't have done it in the brief instance you chose to deny her the pleasure of your loyalty," she had finally figured out where she was aiming to go with her train of thought.
"Choosing to live to fight another day isn't shameful, when you would have been picking a fight against something you couldn't defeat. The shame would have been if you had exhibited that level of stupidity and even attempted it..."
Another pause.
"And there's nothing to stop you from going back some day," she pointed out softly, though she imagined the Stormborn wouldn't be terribly thrilled if he turned their back on them after they had given him the respect and honour of joining them. "If you wanted to cut that path it would certainly be there for you to try... And no prophet or supposed deity can tell you otherwise."
"Neither of them can see the future; and they certainly don't have the divine influence over everything that you think they do," she smirked. "And if you don't believe me, you can ask your Captain about that one."
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 2:53 pm
The silence beat figuratively beat him from the inside out, leaving a small trail of bruises that ached at each beat of his heart. Fortunately he wasn't left to his own device for long and her thoughts were immediately recognizable as those that wouldn't attack him - she was being quite kind actually. As she began to speak his golden eyes were finally able to settle on her. "Thank you." At first that was all he could get himself to say as he worked through a series of emotions that rendered him a much sturdier looking lion who was just happy to get things out of his system.
"Shangyue was certainly a lion with ideas. He had a vision of what he thought the pride could be and acted upon his desire to see it through." The more he spoke the more he realized what an idol this lion might have been in the eyes of other folks. The Queen, he knew as weak as well, he wasn't thinking about it while he made his choice to leave that place but he knew that she'd be worrying about the seeds planted within the pride - swearing loyalty and acting by loyalty were two different things and he didn't imagine the lions he knew to be quiet for long (unless they couldn't raise power quickly enough). He snorted softly. "Royalty, within that pride specifically, doesn't tend to remain breathing for long - she is likely squirming upon her throne as we speak." He recalled some history lessons fondly.
False prophets? An interesting notion. The thought was fleeting - he hadn't spent much time on his beliefs and only now came to realize that beliefs varied fairly largely here. From 'some' to 'none'. Lately he seemed to becoming more a 'none' crowd, even the words 'Great Lion' felt strangely on his tongue after having remained silent on the subject for so long. Perhaps this would be the last of it, the last he'd ever speak or think of it.
"The choice was there - I just made the right one. I'd never return though, there is nothing for me there, but brothers who chose to stay when I was choosing to leave." He remarked bitterly. "Even if power was raised up against Royalty once again I'd want nothing to do with ruling them - I'm a Viking now." His eyes narrowed almost dramatically.
Slowly his face relaxed though as he worked through the last of his disgruntled emotions and he even worked up a smile.
"When did you become so damned nice?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:31 am
"Then he was a lion worthy of respect, and one I would no doubt have liked to meet," Naima replied smoothly and smiled. "The same can't be said for a little princess who is desperately grasping at her throne, and demanding loyalty...rather than earning it," she tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. All in all, Shangyue probably could have sculpted that pride into something much more progressive if he had survived long enough... But that was the problem with prides so deeply entrenched in their own faiths; they abhorred change.
...Even if it was at the cost of the happiness and freedom of some of their own kind.
"He can at least be honoured as a visionary here, you arguably come from strong blood, even if your former home does little to show it," she smirked. "It seems you may have gotten your father's fire where your brothers had none," she pointed out and then shook her head. It was his final question that puzzled her and she took a considerable amount of time to form her answer which was arguably one of her shortest in the end!
"I've always been nice, you've just never been in a situation where you've seen it..."
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 11:53 pm
Pride grew on his face which had visibly changed for the better as his counter part spoke, her smiling sealing in his confidence. She could have remained silent and he'd have gotten more out of the conversation than he had out of most of his life. Yet she continued to speak words that just simply made sense, he was amazed at the lioness she was in front of him.
"My Father would have enjoyed your company if he'd have kept company long enough to know what it was like." He mused lightly. In his home it was no secret that his Father was ever surrounded by a select group of lions he'd chosen as his ideal company, thinking on it he didn't fault him for that choice. Then he blushed a small amount at her compliment - perhaps the kindest thing she'd said to him thus far, strong blood and fire. The lion before her was settling into the confidence boosted feeling happily.
"I'll hope that these situations come along more often, but I certainly won't hold my breath." He snickered lightly, enjoying the lighter turn the conversation had gone.
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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 1:18 am
"No doubt, and he'd probably have looked fabulous too," she mused and rubbed her chin. "He did sire you and you're not half bad looking, but at least we both know he's not inclined towards men," she added with a smirk. Oh she knew Iloziya wasn't inclined towards males, but now that she had gone down this path she was going to stick to it. There was something highly entertaining about watching the poor guy get so utterly exasperated when he was reminded of his star crossed lover.
Tethys.
The lothario.
The one that got away.
"Or maybe he just swung both ways and you've just happened to inherit that portion of his disposition," she grinned and raised a brow. "He certainly sounded pragmatic, so it would have made sense," she teased and waved a paw. "But you really must let go of the failings of your former home, they weren't your fault and their decisions to regress back to the stone age are entirely on them. Your father tried and failed to make them more progressive in that respect, you made the decision that was right for you." She finished.
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:13 pm
"Not half bad.." He made a 'pfft' sound and tossed his mane slightly to fluff it up. "Darling, I'm damn near perfect." The smirk that grew on his maw could have rivaled hers and was certainly much better than the usual grump he chose as his go to look. Then the smirk grew into a scowl as she mentioned his so-called 'desire' of men.
"Firstly."
He began with a dramatic clearing of his throat. "My Father most certainly preferred lionesses - I have many half siblings, I'm sure of it." A firm nod followed Ziyas statement that meant to secure the truth behind that fact. "That last part you've said is true .. the rest I'll deny 'til the day that I die." He admired her views, they helped him to understand himself - though he hadn't truly tried before, which was why he'd left his home confused more than likely.
"Thanks Naima."
He said, the conversation had been one of the more productive ones he'd ever had in his life, that he could recall at least. Even if the thanks came off as sissy - heck the whole thing was something that may likely haunt him (even if just between Naima and Ziya) for a long while.
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