{Keep} Your {Friends} Close [Xarkla]

[{Mactíre}]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] It was dawn. The sky was painted a lovely pink, and strewn with small, gauzy clouds; the sun itself was bright orange as it began its ascent on the edge of the horizon. It promised to be rather cold; a chill breeze whipped through the streets of Hexasol, howling like a wounded wolf as it went, knocking over dustbins and causing trees to sway. All this beauty was lost on Nebula as she padded over the border and into the Iris Pridelands, the carcass of a young doe hanging from her powerful jaws. She wished it had been a dog, any dog; the fact that it was the first time she’d caught something bigger and harder to catch than a large bird or rabbit did nothing to shake that longing from her mind. Since the first time she and her brother Alex had killed a dog several days ago, she’d wanted to do it on her own. But no, she was still too young, and not yet fully grown. Once she felt she was old enough, strong enough, she’d make sure every canine in Hexasol was scared for its life. Oh, yes. She’d make sure that, by spring, Nebula the white lioness would be known and feared, be the bogey that bitches threatened their disobedient children with. Go to sleep, pup, or Nebula will come and make sure you never sleep again. Eat your food, child, or Nebula will come and eat it, and you as well. The feline remembered with a pang that her mother had once had such a reputation. He manufactured rage expanded in to real, full-blown hate then. How dare they kill her mother, take her away like that, when she was needed and loved by her family? How dare they – she stopped herself abruptly, snorting a breath through her nose. Why ignore it? Said that voice inside her head, the one that sounded a little like Florence herself. You hate the canines for what they did, but you can’t change it, you cannot bring her back from the dead. Get on with your life – end this snivelling, and become something that would have made Florence proud of you. Setting the deer down on the ground and settling herself next to it, she sat and thought. Yes, she had to get rid of it, the combination of grief and anger and guilt that her mother’s death had caused. Well, not get rid of it, but stop letting it dominate her life. For the last five months it had been at the edge of her thoughts, haunting her dreams – and she couldn’t take it much longer. She wasn’t getting enough sleep, Alex was virtually the only creature she’d talked to in months, and she wasn’t taking care of herself properly. Her coat, although fairly clean, was untidy and in a condition that did not befit the princess of the Iris Pride. Closing her brown eyes firmly, Nebula took a deep breath and forced herself to relax, loosening her taut muscles and slumping against the wall of the building behind her. Mother is dead; I accept that I can’t change that, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever forget her or stop wishing she was still alive. I, however, am alive, and have my whole life ahead of me. She didn’t sacrifice herself for us so that we could spend the rest of our lives mourning her. She died so that we could live. She thought these words, letting them run through her mind again and again as if they were a vow. If she was to grow up, to make something of herself, then she had to stop her mother’s death hanging over her like an ominous storm cloud. Exhaling slowly, the white lioness opened her eyes, turning her face up so that she could gaze at the sky. Awe washed over her as she took in its vastness, watched as the sun began to emerge, as the sky changed colour from pink to blue. Sudden energy flooded through her, and she felt glad to be alive. The grief was still there, but it was bearable, a small rock in her mind rather than a boulder, a slight ache rather than a agonizing spasm. Rising to her paws, she stretched leisurely, and was about to pick up the deer carcass once more and continue on her way when a flash of colour distracted her, and the scent of another young lioness reached her.

[/justify][/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/size]

[xarkla]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true]

[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/2vwa5bt.png] Ember walks. Ember talks. Ember's thoughts. Ember was attracted by the smell of fresh meat and the tang of blood in the air. The small and scrawny cub scrambled to her paws as she came out of the covering of a bush. A lioness with fur as white as her mothers stood over a doe. The cub knew this was one of Florence's cubs as news spread of the litter being rescued by dogs. Ember didn't understand why the Pride had such an issue with the species. Surely they couldn't be that bad? Being born and raised in Lexis Tribe made her think differently. She barely remembered being dragged from the Tribe to here by her mother. Ember assumed she would just visit every once in a while to see her brother, Crouse. She missed him dearly. "Did you catch that by yourself?" She asked as she padded up towards the stranger. The ivory lioness was around 6 months older than Ember as she glanced at the kill. She was curious but a bit cautious. Every since she had arrived here, Ember had been confused by cats would cast her a stare as if she was different. I'm just like everyone else, right? She remembered glancing at her paws and studying herself in a puddle of water. Without her brother she had been very lonely. "I'm Ember. My mommy is Icefang and my daddy is Streiter. Crouse is my brother. He isn't here though." Her voice faltered at the end as she stared at her paws. She didn't like to think of her brother but she shook off the thought as she stared at Nebula.

[/justify][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[{Mactíre}]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i39.tinypic.com/34ysmyc.jpg,true] Nebula blinked as the cub approached her, and she realised that it must have been the mouth-watering smell of the deer meat that had attracted her attention. She was only about three months old, a child who would shouldn't really be straying from her mother's side. Either she must have a very irresponsible mother, or her mother's dead, she thought, with only a tinge of bitterness and grief for her own mother. At the younger feline's question, she put one large front paw almost protectively on the deer carcass. "Yes, I did, but it is the first time I have made such a kill," she replied evenly, her curiosity piqued. Who did this cub belong to? Her white fur and face was vaguely familiar, but she was willing to swear on anything that she'd never seen her before. The youngster seemed unsure of herself; well, to the white lioness's knowledge, there were no other lion or tiger cubs in the Pride at the moment, unless one counted Nebula, and her remaining brothers Alex and Denim. She was about ask her name, when the cub gave it, and answered her unspoken question. She was Ember, the daughter of the dead Lexis leader Streiter and of Icefang, an ally of Panja and Florence's, and a member of the Iris Pride. She had a brother named Course, who would take over the Lexis Tribe, one day when he was old enough. She knew the details from the Pride gossips; it was common knowledge now, really. And it made the female look at Ember in an entirely new light. Ember's voice faltered at the mention of her brother; Nebula felt a small pang of sympathy. It wasn't nice to be seperated from one's family, especially one's siblings. Yet there was no other way iy could be, but maybe the she-cub would have been better off in Lexis, where she would not have been ridiculed for having Iris blood. "So, you're a Lexis half-breed, then. You and your brother." The words came out almost briskly, and the ivory feline twitched nose in disgust. Of course Icefang would leave her cub on her own! Who would want a half-bred child following them around.

[/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[xarkla]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i40.tinypic.com/143gumw.jpg] "Speech" As the female placed a paw over her kill, Ember took two paces back. It seemed as if the ivory female wasn't intending on sharing. "Is that going to the whole Pride? Maybe you could teach me to bring something down that big!" Her voice squeaked in excitement as Ember's brown eyes lit up. She was quite scrawny for a cub as her stomach rumbled in hunger. Being raised with three or four other cubs that had came from her second mother, Fliatweet, she had to struggle for every drop of milk. Neither her or Crouse were the runt of their own litter, but the rich source found in her own mother's milk wasn't found in Fliatweet. Perhaps this was the very reason that Ember's coat was not as thick as it should of been and her body not as filled out. "What's your name?" She asked quietly. So far this lioness fascinated her. Ember already saw she wanted to be somewhat like her. Until the words had slipped out of her mouth. Fury rose in the cub's chocolate depths as her tail lashed. "I'm no different than any other being in this Pride!" She snapped as the fur on her body rose with aggression. The one thing that got to Ember was being thought differently of her mixed blood. This Pride was much different. She had expected that her blood wouldn't be an issue here, but it was. They treated her as if her father was a dog! A small growl came from her, as her look would of reminded anyone of Icefang. "You don't know anything I'm capable of."

[/justify][/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/size

[{Mactíre}]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] Nebula couldn't help but smile at the younger cub's excitement. Ember, from her size, was at least a season younger than her, but maybe she was slightly older than she looked, since she hadn't had the benefit of her real mother's milk until recently. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "It will probably be given to whoever needs it, although you and I could eat it, maybe. I am rather hungry, and no one can really punish me of all felines in the Pride." She smirked, thinking that being the daughter of the Iris Pride leaders had many advantages. The little lioness put her head to one side when Ember asked her name. Everyone in the Pride knew who she was; this wasn't arrogance, it was one of things about being a high-ranking Iris Pride member. Ah, she realised after a moment, she only came to live in the Pride recently, so it's understandable that she wouldn't know my name, even if she knows what position I hold. "I'm Nebula. The sole daughter of the Iris Pride leader." Even if she had gotten over her mother's death, the ivory feline wasn't ready to say her name to others again, except maybe to her brothers. Nebula raised an eyebrow at the other youngster's sudden outraged outburst. "But you are," she said quietly and not unkindly, suddenly wanting to explain to Icefang and Steiter's daughter why she had to face derision and scorn, and finding that she no longer wanted to be unkind. Her face was serious and unsmiling as she continued. "You've been raised amongst a community who accept canines and felines as equals, and you think like them. Be assured, if Streiter had been the leader of a Pride, or a group of dog-hating felines, you would not be treated as anything less than an equal by anyone in Iris." The mature cub paused for a moment, sighing as certain memories flooding her mind. "Believe me, I know what it's like to be mocked by others and treated as if I were dirt. The Tempest Pack didn't exactly welcome me and my brothers when they captured us." Nebula smiled slightly at Ember's last defiant declaration. "It's true, I don't, but you don't know what I'm capable of, either." A sobering thought flitted through her mind, and she hesitated for a moment before speaking again, and when she spoke, her voice was as quiet as it could be unless she whispered. "Ember, I suspect you don't have many friends in the Pride. But I'll tell you a secret. Apart from my brothers, I don't, either." OOC;; Sorry this took so long, and it would be a longer post, but my muse really only kicked in about halfway through!

[/justify][/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/size]

[xarkla]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true]

[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/2vwa5bt.png] <DIV align=justify> Ember walks. Ember talks. Ember's thoughts. Ember nodded up at the ivory lioness. "I'm hungry but since it's your kill, you should decide what to do with it." At the information she was given, the half bred cub pricked her ears. "Really? Is it fun being treated like royalty?" The cub would know what it feels like to be treated like scum. But the fact it was by her own kind, even if they were lions or not would inflict damage to her. She wasn't a canine. If it wasn't for the fact her mother was known as the second most dangerous creature in the Iris Pride (besides Florence) she would have been bullied even more. Her claws dug into the dirt as she felt surprise spill into her. "They treated you badly too? I really don't know this but..." She pasued as she took a breath to ask her question. "Do you know my story? I've heard things about a brother, my father named Streiter, and then a Lexis Tribe." The brown lioness looked at Nebula. "I can't really remember anything...only flashes of images come to mind." This was true. She was confused from everything that had happened. She had been with her father and brother playing in a peaceful forest. Her brother had run off after a leave and before Ember knew her, her mother had snatched her up and carried her to the Iris Pride. Icefang had told her that she had been stolen by Streiter when she was just born. She wasn't sure what to believe. And she was still too small to go out and find the truth herself. The cub held out a paw. "Maybe we could be friends?" A small smile started to grow on her lips. OOC: Sucks... </DIV>

[{Mactíre}]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] Nebula gazed at the other cub, who she suspected was only a month younger than her, if that. Sighing at her impartial response, the princess thought for a moment, before grinning recklessly. "Let's eat it. Really, what can anyone do, since it was my kill?" Taking her paw off the deer carcass, she took a pace forward so that it lay at her side instead of between Ember and herself. Smiling wryly, the little lioness answered, "I suppose, but I can always tell that half of the felines in the Pride don't really respect me at all, except for my status. You can tell almost straight away that they think I'm a stupid little cub." Pausing for a moment, she added, "It's lonely, being high up in the Pride hierarchy. That's one reason I have no friends, I suppose, because everyone treads carefully around me, thinking that if they say or do something I don't like, they'll be punished. It's also because they think that I think I'm too good for them, and I do, sometimes. Some of them are such idiots." And some of them would like to see me and my siblings dead, she thought, the face of her half-brother Apollo swimming before her for an instant before vanishing. "I suppose you know how I feel, but everyone says it openly to you, instead of just thinking it." She gave the other female a sympathetic frown. The ivory cub nodded gravely at Ember's first question, and waited for her to finish speaking before giving a response. "I do, everyone's been talking about it." Letting her eyes focus on the slightly younger feline, she felt pity and empathy needling her; she knew what it was like to be without a sibling and one parent. She told Ember softly, "I'm sorry. Your father, Strieter, was killed not long ago; I've heard that what happened when you were born was that Icefang had wandered into Lexis territory, and after giving birth, she was helpless to stop Streiter from taking you, and your brother, away from her. Then. . . I'm not sure whether it was after he died or not, but Icefang managed to take you from him, not your brother. That's about all I know." When Ember held a paw out to her, Nebula's own smile widened and became more warm as she took a pace forward and covered it with her own before nuzzling the other cub's neck with her snout. "Maybe? No. Definitely? Yes." Stepping back to give her new friend some room, she winked at her. "Well, why don't we have something to eat before we perish of hunger?" Grabbing hold of the doe's slim neck in her strong jaws, she dragged it forward, so that she was on one side of it, with Ember on the other, the belly and legs of the beast pointing towards the golden cub. "Dig in!" Without hesitation, the female sank her teeth into the backbone and surrounding skin, tearing a hunk of meat off the rapidly-cooling meal, and chewed the bloody, tender meat with relish. OOC;; Sorry for the long wait!

[/justify][/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center]