[PRP] Growing Pains [Hila x Kafele]

[Vashtya]

The last few weeks had been almost unbearable. Since the new Warlord had swept in, snatching away the goal she'd set for herself as a cub in an instant. It wasn't even that she loved going a-viking for the sake of the goods earned, or some odd love of besting others by successfully...acquiring what they had. Instead it was the freedom that it had represented, to see the world beyond the stormborn's borders - and as a Captain, she would have largely been her own leader, the one making the decisions, rather than being reliant on someone else to do so.

However...she lacked the temperament to continue in the vein she had been since the announcement. She'd been angry, and short with everyone she came across, opting to spend more and more time doing what amounted to pouting, off on her own, so as to avoid taking her rage out on whomever happened to be close to her. She knew many of her pridemates would have had no qualms doing just that, but she prided herself on her self-control.

Sighing, she looked up at the grey sky - stormclouds hung low, rumbling threateningly - an apt reflection of how she still felt. Lowering her gaze, she stared out at the choppy water, making a face. Really, when it came down to it, she had a few options - she could continue railing at the unfairness of it all, and make herself miserable, or she could adapt, and could fight her way through the new ranks - which would allow her to at least eventually leave the pridal lands, even if she would have to answer to a male Captain to do so. She didn't like it, but she didn't like feeling like everything rubbed her the wrong way, either - so something had to give...and by pushing forward, she'd be in a better position to step into any opening that might come about later.

Grumbling, as if to demonstrate she hadn't completely let it go, she flung a paw full of debris into the water, eyes narrowed.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

The new Warlord had certainly tossed things up a bit in the pride, Kafele had noticed. His father was walking around with ruffled fur, he had heard his grandmother snarling in her den when he and Vidar had gone to visit her recently, and all in all it was a very divided group of lions. The intent had been to purge the pride of the bad luck that it had been having recently, but Kafele failed to see how a female Warlord was responsible for that. Now they were setting themselves back a few generations and although it didn't affect him all that much, there were plenty of lionesses he knew that it did.

Once such lioness he found on the cliffs near the sea, knocking small rocks and sticks down to the churning waters below. He and Hila had been set on becoming Reavers together - although that was before Kafele's change of heart - and they had teased one another as cubs as to who would become Captain first. Now it seemed she'd never get the chance to become a proper one, even though Kafele knew she had the right stuff.

He approached her cautiously, giving away the fact he was there by letting his paws knock against a few rocks, making noise to alert her. If there was one thing his grandmother Sebor had taught him it was not to take a female lightly when she was angry. Just from the way Hila's fur was slightly on end along her spine and her stiff body language he could tell she was pissed, and rightly so.

"Hey," he said cautiously, still a few paces behind her. "Nice day, huh?" The stormy skies matched his friend's mood, at least. Nothing was worse than being in a foul mood with a beautiful sky to match.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Hila stiffened at the sound of rocks knocking carelessly against one another - she might not be at her lowest point since the announcement, but she wasn't feeling like particularly good company, either. However, the voice was familiar, although it had deepened slightly from the last time she'd heard it. Turning, she attempted a small smirk, striving for normalcy. "It's a good day to die, hmm?" Although she liked the overcast skies, even when she wasn't feeling moody and temperamental - there was something in the potential of a storm that put a snap in the air, as if one was just waiting for events to unfold.

her eyes, which had been narrowed as she stared out at the water, softened slightly as she looked at her oldest, and if she were honest, best friend. He'd grown again, and was now sporting a full mane, she noticed with a start. When had he gone and grown up on her?! Her grin widened at his having stopped a few paces away, pleased to have instilled a sense of caution in someone for her temper. Hesitating for the barest moment, she tilted her head at him, reluctant to ruin the mood so soon. "How did your experiments with bone-setting go?"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele stood very still as if he was the antelope in this situation, hiding from Hila's gaze. He knew she could see him, though, and when her expression turned to a more familiar smirk he relaxed a bit, a hesitant grin crawling over his muzzle as well. Her traditional greeting made him laugh softly and he took that as an invitation to draw closer.

"It worked pretty well, actually," he said as she questioned the method he had tried the last time they had run into one another. "At least, I think it did. I'll have to try it on a mortal at some point to see how well it works for real, but from what I could tell it at least helped." He tilted his head just a bit, green eyes searching Hila's face for what was eating her. He had a hunch but you could never assume with anger.

"So...what's got your tail in a knot?" Kafele pressed, wanting to get right the heart of it. He wasn't a healer of the mind, but he did want to help his friend in any way he could and if her venting at him would help, then he'd be the most willing ear she'd ever come across.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Her smirk widened at his amusement, eyes sparking pleasantly. "That's good. Don't expect me to volunteer for you to try it out on, though." she snarked good-naturedly, almost believing her own facade of normalcy.

However...and it really shouldn't have surprised her (although...with how he'd been when they first became friends, she wouldn't have expected anything quite so...genuinely concerned), he prodded, his words prompting an almost immediate shift. Her nose wrinkled, her gaze sharpened...and her body tensed, discomfort clear. Suddenly reluctant, she side-eyed him for a moment before sitting back on her haunches, shoulders hunching slightly in evidence of her discomfort. Rage was her normal way of expressing herself, someone asking with some degree of concern what was wrong was....not. Forcing herself to exhale before she spoke, the breath whooshed out of her loudly.

"I'm sure you've heard the news, since it's all anyone's been talking about." she began, looking out at the sea as she spoke. "New ranks for females, but we can't be Reavers anymore...or be made Captain." Her voice roughened slightly as she forced the words out, the most obvious sign of her upset.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele could feel the change in the air about Hila as she glared out at the ocean once more. He sat beside her after a moment's thought, figuring she might like the solidarity he could offer. He knew what she was going to say before she said it, but he figured getting Hila to talk about it directly might help her in some way.

"Yeah, I heard," he agreed quietly. "I dunno why they decided to do that. This new Warlord's all...I dunno, high and mighty I guess. But that's not too uncommon around here." He gave a little huff and glanced out over the sea with Hila, trying to pick his words carefully so as not to offend her. He knew she could get her hackles up over simple things like too much honesty and affection, but he wanted to let her know that she wasn't alone in feeling devalued.

"Just gotta hang in there," he finally said. "Warlords come and go like the seasons, and their rules do as well. I know you've been working hard to get that Reaver title and that you'd make a great Captain," he added, glancing back towards Hila with a small smile. "Hell, maybe you should challenge this guy once you're old enough. He didn't go by the usual rules for challenging so you shouldn't have to, either."

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

She wasn't sure she liked this method of...discussion - on the one hand, for a lioness who prided herself on her self-control, the hair-trigger temper she'd been dealing with since the announcement wasn't fun for her, any more than it was for everyone around her...but this stopping to talk about it, even to the degree they were, almost made the pain sharper, like lancing a putrid wound.

Glancing at him again from the corner of her eye, she shrugged, sighing. "He's not the first one to think we aren't cut out for it." she said bluntly, finally turning to look at him directly again. She'd heard her share of remarks on the one viking she'd gone on with a band, rather than her uncle. They were wrong, but he wasn't the only one who felt that way, especially with the recent...misfortunes that had plagued the pride. Stupid, superstitious fools. Not even realizing it, her lip lifted in a snarl.

As he continued, she inclined her head stiffly, knowing he was right. With a forced smirk that probably looked decidedly tragic, she raised an eyebrow at him. "About time you recognized my potential for leadership," she tried to joke, before sobering again. "I don't think I'd want to be Warlord, though - I mean, on the one hand, there would be definite perks...but you have to put what's best for the pride as a whole first, if you're going to rule it right." The words just kept tumbling out, as if, now that she'd started talking about it, she couldn't stop them. She rambled on, the floodgates clearly open.

"I mean, Captain was my goal, but not for just the sake of being Captain, you know?" She hesitated, because actually, at first, that was exactly what it had been. "There's so much more out there that I want to see for myself, way beyond our borders, and I don't want it to be at the whim of someone else." And yet, these lands were home, or she'd have been more seriously tempted to just leave.

"I'm going to become a Shield Maiden, and then a Valkyrie, no matter what kind of s**t they throw at me." her tone hardened; she'd decided this previously, but this was her first time vocalizing it to anyone outright. "And when I get to that point, I'll have to figure out if that's...enough." She looked over at him, brows drawn low, as if she half expected him to poke fun, or mock her in some way.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele listened. He also watched. Letting someone vent to you wasn't just about hearing what they said but also involved reading body language, understanding tone, inflection, reading between the lines...there was so much more than just sitting there and nodding your head. He would have suggested leaving the pride to find greener pastures elsewhere, but that stubborn look on her face let him know that was out of the question. This was her home and she wasn't going to leave it just because things got a little tough.

The look on her face as she finished made Kafele chuckle softly and he reached out with a paw to ruffle her tuft, careful not to mess up the braid.

"I doubt it will be," he said with a grin as he lowered his paw. "But I think that's a good way to start. Get the highest rank you can and then demand more. I know you'll never settle until you're happy. And maybe by then there'll be enough unrest in the pride to make our new Warlord change his mind. I know my dad isn't too thrilled with the way things have gone...you'd definitely have him on your side and he's a Captain." The rank held a lot of weight now and to have a high-ranking male on the side of the females could definitely bring some much-needed help to their cause.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Ducking her head to avoid further...insults to her person, she bared her teeth in an expression that, to someone who didn't know her, probably would have looked serious. "Just because you have too much mane to keep neat doesn't mean you need to be messing mine up!" she muttered, side-eyeing him and trying to hide her smirk-grin, probably the first genuine one she'd thrown his way since they started this conversation.

His words were...both comforting, and in their own way, frustrating. On the one paw, his faith in her was almost as unwavering as her faith in herself - and to hear that there were others (unlike a stupid sibling she didn't care to name) who weren't the biggest fans of the recent changes was bolstering...but at the same time, the reminder of the rank that was now denied her was still too fresh to not be a sore point. "I'd like to meet your dad, someday." she said, giving herself a mental shake. "We could swap embarrassing stories about you." She bumped her shoulder against his, none-too-gently, ready to change the subject.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

"Hey, my mane is in great shape," Kafele said with a 'horrified' tone to his voice, pawing at the lower bit of his mane that rested over his throat and chest. It had recently grown in completely and he was quite proud of it, thank you very much. It wasn't nearly as full as his father's but he felt like a few more months and it would be at its full potential.

The mention of meeting Vidar made Kafele perk up a bit. They'd definitely get along as they both had that same sort of spirit, the 'I can do anything I put my mind to and everyone else had either accept it or get out of the way' kind. But at the mention of sharing embarrassing stories he gave a little cough of suppressed indignation.

"I did zero embarrassing things around him so he'd have none to share with you. And the only thing I can think of that might be close to embarrassing with you was that adventure into the tide pool cave." And that wasn't so much embarrassing as it was terrifying, to be honest.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Hila snorted, flashing him a toothy grin, accompanied by an eye roll. It was a rather nice mane, but she'd be damned if she'd tell him that. At his indignant cough, she laughed outright, tension leeching from her frame.

"Shocking though it might be, I don't think I believe that. I'm sure he'd have all sorts of embarrassing stories to share - especially when you were a tiny little cub, stumbling around." she taunted, waggling her eyebrows at him suggestively. At his mention of their...adventure, for lack of a better term, in the tide pool cave, she tilted her head slightly, feeling nostalgic. "That did end up pretty awkward," she observed. It remained one of her favorite childhood memories, though - they may have had to flee, but they'd managed to get away from the aggressive creature without injury. "And besides, you've always been the clumsy one, forever in need of help..." She trailed off, unable to hide the s**t-eating grin any longer.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Aha, it seemed Kafele had an ace up his metaphorical sleeve. His grin widened into something that was fairly close to his old s**t-eating grin of his youth although there wasn't the smug satisfaction behind it. It was just wide and toothy and gave of a 'ha ha gotcha' kind of vibe.

"No embarrassing cub stories from good ol' Dad. My siblings and I were with our mother for the first few weeks and she wasn't here in the pride." Na'ira had gone off after spending some time with their father and had only returned to drop them off with him once they were old enough to survive without her milk. He wondered if there hadn't been things happening up in the realm of the gods if she would have raised them herself. It would have been a very different life, to be sure.

"Sorry to disappoint. I know you were looking for stories about how cute I was, anyway," he said with a snicker and a teasing shove in return.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Well, that was interesting. "How...disappointing - I guess I'll just have to get blackmail material some other way." She said, expression deadpan. She snorted again, although those last words were the closest that he'd come to the banter that had made up most of their childhood interaction.

Swatting at him with a paw, she made a fake retching noise before prancing a few steps away, safely out of range of retaliation. "Cute isn't the four letter word I would use..." she trailed off, looking very much like the cat who'd eaten the canary.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele snickered at the tone of Hila's voice, clearly amused by her antics. The swat made him pull his leg away playfully and as she pranced a few steps away and teased him, he lowered himself down into a playful bow more suitable to cubs than fully grown lions.

"Oh? What four letter word is that? Nice? Kind? Char...uh...Ming?" Two four letter words counted, right? Either way, he pounced at her with a grin, glad he could distract her from the moody state he'd found her in a few minutes ago. With the way things were changing in the pride he knew she had every right to be upset, but stewing over it for too long wasn't healthy.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Rolling her eyes, she opened her mouth, ready to retort, when he pounced, and whatever 4-letter words she was going to suggest were lost in the look of surprise that flitted across her face. Not one to be caught flat-pawed, however, she leapt forward to meet him in the middle, taking a playful n** at his ear, growling in mock threat. While a moment of play might not fix...well, anything that was bothering her, in the grand scheme of things, for a moment, it made them slide out of focus.

SilverLutz