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 Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 8:15 am
Pausing in his stride, Artemis cast a long look behind him. Although he could no longer see him, the ground seemed to whisper to him about the pawsteps his cousin had taken. It felt odd, being on his own after traveling for so long with Apollo, but it could not be helped. If both of them joined the same pride, it would start conflict. After all, that was why they'd left the old pride, because there would be no point fighting each other over becoming leader. Even so, he missed the lion deeply. They had been closer than brothers.
Turning his head back, he hesitantly put a paw over the scent markers that distinguished this as pride territory. Would this pride be friendly? Would they let him in? Taking a few more pawsteps so that he was over the border completely, he scented the ground carefully. It appeared that a lion was close by. Following the scent, he pricked his ears up and padded forwards confidently, scuffling his paws against the ground slightly to alert the lion to his presence.
"Greetings, I am Artemis. Are you part of the pride who resides here?" He called out, his voice polite.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:02 pm
Malek was not exactly hiding but he was certainly well concealed amongst the tall dry grass that sprouted from the ground where he was lying. Narrowed eyes followed the approach of the stranger who was moving dangerously close to his territory and the pride members within it. Despite the fact that the brown male was hardly trying go unnoticed, Malek was still unhappy about the intrusion and a low roar left his muzzle as the other male introduced himself.
He stood up very slowly and waited for the chocolate male to move closer, blatantly examining Artemis from head to tail. But because the stranger had been polite, the blue lion felt he should at least give the lion the benefit of the doubt.
“Evening, stranger. I’m Malek. And I do belong to the pride whose territory you’re currently trespassing.” Even if his tone was slightly confrontational, his expression remained relatively calm and pleasant.
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 1:26 pm
As a large, blue male approached him, Artemis dropped his head in respect. Within pride territory, any male part of the pride instantly became of a higher ranking than the loner passing through. His tail was lowered, but not too low, and his ears remained upright despite his lowered head. After all, he didn't want to appear weak. His eyes glanced at Malek's well-toned body. Was he the leader? He could well be.
Even though Malek's voice was far from conversational, it did not hold the tone of dismissal he had been looking out for. Maybe this pride would accept him? Well, you didn't get anywhere just by standing around and doing nothing. He had to ask.
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I have wondered far, and though I know it is much to ask, I look for a pride who will take me in." His voice was cautious. This was a risky move. Some males would attack him simply for that suggestion, whilst others might be more diplomatic. He hoped this lion would be of the latter variety. Still, it held a degree of politeness in it that echoed from his former high rank within his past pride.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:02 am
“Such a bold statement could cost you an eye in some places, Artemis.” Malek answered slowly though he recognized the caution in the other male’s words. His eyes traveled through Artemis’ body as he evaluated the male. Fit and well fed with a sort of regal composure that not many possessed. Interesting.
“Our pride is relatively small. I’m sure there is room for a new addition. That said, you don’t look like a rogue so I wonder what has caused you to become quite so… prideless.” Malek’s last words sounded very closely to an accusation.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:28 pm
Artemis bowed his head in agreement as the lion stated the obvious, feeling a slight shimmer of relief spread through him. He was past the first block with no injuries, it seemed. He could feel Malek's eyes upon him, judging him, taking him in.
His facial expression did not change, remaining composed through the stinging accusation. "Ah... yes." The moment where he would have to describe his past had invariably come at last. "My previous pride was a good one, and I had much difficulty leaving it behind. You see, there were two heirs to the leadership of the pride: myself, and my cousin, Apollo. Not only were we born of the right blood, but we were by far the most obvious choices for the position in other aspects as well." His voice held no vanity within it, retaining its cautious qualities from before. This lion could still attack him at any moment if he so wished. "The two of us were evenly matched in every way, and when the day came to choose the leader, both of us knew it would be a pointless battle to fight. If we had fought, neither would win, but one had to take the throne. I had no wishes to see my pride torn apart by the rage of war, nor did I wish to be the cause of such a blood feud. The decision was unanimous, Apollo and I both left to protect the pride." He paused, his chocolate eyes gazing at Malek's evenly. "We parted our ways not too far back, knowing that no sane pride would take in two strange, male lions."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:54 pm
An heir? The chocolate lion was growing more interesting with every little discovery.
“Two strange males might unbalance most prides but as the Bhanu consists mostly of males anyway, it wouldn’t be quite so farfetched to imagine it.” Malek said with the tiniest smile, revealing the name of his pride for the first time. He looked rather pleased.
“As a former heir, do you have any ambitions to reach a high position within this pride?” The blue lion asked bluntly and his gaze narrowed ever so slightly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 2:41 pm
((EDIT: Didn't realize I was on my mule. Pretend this is my main account Dx Oops!))
Artemis felt the lion's change in tone slightly, the air seeming to grow less tense as Malek smiled slightly. Returning the gesture, the lion allowed himself a bit more freedom, relaxing his muscles a little from their ready to flee/defend as appropriate stance. Bhanu. He mentally reminded himself. The name was not one he had heard previously.
As the blue lion continued to question him, Artemis' face grew somber, his eyes serious as velvet chocolate gazed at ocean blue. "I will do whatever my pride requires me to do, even if that means one day ascending to a high position, but my focus will never be to rise through the ranks." He raised his head slightly, looking almost wistfully at the sky. "My focus would be to hunt well for the pride, even in times of famine, to care and protect the weak, at all costs and to offer my strength in any way needed for the pride to grow and thrive. A high rank is second to everything else."
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:39 pm
There is but a hint of disappointment in the blue lion’s eyes as takes in the other’s answer. Though he doesn’t feel Artemis shows enough desire to one day take his role as the pride leader – something he has been secretly waiting for ever since the pride was formed – there was still some hope in the former heir’s words... at least enough to make Malek wonder if he’d be a worthy successor.
Then again, perhaps the chocolate lion was simply refraining from showing a little too many aspirations on the first encounter.
“Good hunters are always needed within every pride… but a healthy strong lion will always be useful no matter their main task is. After all, the truth is… we’re rather close to Da’lin territory. The pride is big enough to keep them at bay but that doesn’t mean they won’t try something from time to time. Are you feeling up to that?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:14 pm
Artemis felt the disappointment in the other lion's glare. Though it was true that he did not try to rise through the ranks like some would, doing anything just to rule, he did not turn down his leadership qualities either. But that did not mean he was without ambition either, which he could see had obviously been incorrectly communicated here, he had just learned to convey this desire into more positive attributes, rather than letting it consume him until he could think of no other thing. However, there are some things that cannot be shown just from one meeting, and this was one of them. Maybe, if he was given the chance, he could show Malek the true ambition that ran through his blood, that made up his very ancestry.
As the blue lion asked him another question, a flicker of hope passed through him. Despite the slight stumble, it appeared his paw steps were still taking him in the right direction. "I'd feel up to anything with a good pride beside me." Or indeed, behind me. The thought followed itself on simply in his mind, but he did not feel the need to say it out loud.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:53 am
Malek’s head tilts a little to the side.
“Good, good. I’m sure you’ll have more than enough opportunities to prove it. Let me introduce myself again. I’m Malek, the pride leader.”
There was suddenly a mischievous grin adorning the blue lion’s features, giving him a very close likeness to that of a friendly conspirator. Russo would probably have asked for a stricter questioning but Malek believed the best way to test the promising new recruit was to actually live and work alongside with him. He turned his back on Artemis – which by itself already showed some degree of trust in the chocolate lion – and then turned his head back, signaling hing him to follow.
“Welcome to the Bhanu pride.” (the end)
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