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 Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 5:51 pm
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The storm had long since passed. No longer did thunder echo through the den. It...almost looked sunny out? At least, Nara thought it did, if she would be allowed out.
"Can we go outside now?"
It was probably the tenth time she had asked the God in the last twenty minutes. The young godlet was growing bored, and Mkhai was not keeping to his promise of being able to go play.
"Pleeasseee Warriors." She had learned the name of the other, but just as he had called her by her own domain, she decided to do the same for him. It was how her past self referred to the deity, perhaps some things never did change.
One day she would learn the form of teleportation, and just leave the den when she wanted to. She had done it one time before, at least, so she thought. There was no other explanation on how she went from being surrounded in soft white, to hard land in almost an instance.
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 7:18 pm
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Mkhai was struggling in a way he had never struggled before - dealing with a cub, and a god cub at that. He had no desire to parent a cub that was not his own, no matter who that cub was. It was why he had requested back up, though upon reflection he did not believe that the goddess he had called upon was more equipped to handle Nara than he. It was too late now to go back on that idea, and honestly he could not have the young one hanging around him too much. He had work to do in the pride, and he could not afford the distraction that she would unwittingly bring.
Thinking about her future kept him from thinking about her past, and he would do much to bury that tragedy.
Mkhai had no need for sleep, but he had certainly pretended to do so for the majority of the time Nara was up. He felt obligated to her, but a cub's nagging was something he simply could not defend himself against. It took a while for Nara to get any reaction out of him, and after one final question Mkhai opened a green eye to peer at her.
"The thunder has passed for now," he admitted grimly. It had frightened the cub some, but he would not baby her and protect her for much longer. One did not grow strong under the shelter of another's power. "We may go outside so you can familiarize yourself with the pride. Perhaps you can make some friends?" Please.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:53 pm
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Mkhai lifted himself onto his feet, the movement slow as if to put a halt on Nara's excitement. He had never been good around cubs, and in his mind if he slowed down she would be forced to do the same. She was a little, fragile thing. There should be caution behind her actions, but she had not been given a reason to learn that yet. "Yes, but we are not exactly the appropriate age to be friends," Mkhai emphasized patiently. She needed cubs her own age to frolic around with, and while he was loath to let mortal whimsies and weaknesses taint her... there was a lesson in mortality.
Fidelity would have to re-learn everything she had once knew, and all Mkhai could provide for her was protection against the worst the world could offer. "I do not," he answered the cub honestly as he followed her out of the den.
The weather was not exactly cooperative, but it never seemed to be in the Stormborn. Large clouds billowed overhead, signaling that more rain would come. The sun would occasionally peek through them, but it never lingered long upon the lands. "If you make a friend, and I trust that friend... then you may stay at their den." Like that was ever going to happen. "I am too busy and have much to do here that I cannot indulge you in having friends stay over at my den."
He really did not need cubs cramping his style.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:08 am
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"You do not, but you get along better with those who are more your age," he clarified to her. Being around Aldan so much should have had some effect on his parenting skills, but he had still developed none in the time since Aldan had grown from cub to adolescence.
She was a sassy little goddess, and Mkhai purposefully ignored her comment about him sleeping all day. If he told her that he did not sleep so much, then his ploy would be revealed. If he had to pretend to be asleep to avoid all her questions, then he very well would! "I like to fight." That was very fun for the god of Warriors. Nothing got the blood pumping like a good battle where one's wit and strength were tested.
"I know many, just because you haven't met them yet..." Ah, speak of the devil. He only noticed now that a form approached them, her body obscured by a heavy pelt. If he had not known who she was, he would not have noticed her at all. Her nature was such, and he found that it could be quite the useful trait for Nara to develop.
"She's here," he told the cub with a soft voice. Then, lifting his gaze back to Anonymity, "You are late."
---
She had arrived. Late, yes, but she was here. The Goddess of Anonymity did little for anyone else, and the fact that she had arrived here for Warriors was a miracle. But, she felt there was always something to gain in having a debt owed to her. Warriors was not the kind of god to forget who had shown him loyalty. Besides, she felt for the plight of the little goddess, though Nara certainly would not know what she had endured in her past life.
Sitiri herself did not know all the details, but in time she was sure they would come to light. "Mkhai." There was a smug tone to the way she said his name. She derived some pleasure from knowing his name, when all he knew about her was her domain. Sitiri did not give knowledge away so easily as she took it, and it would take far more than a few meetings to get her name out of her. She hadn't spoken it in so long that she could forget it entirely.
"I was delayed." The goddess offered no explanation as to why she was delayed. She doubted Mkhai would want to hear it. The 'delay' was a god that she had conveniently managed to slip away from for this meeting. Gaius would have followed her all the way here if she had let him.
"Hello, Nara. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." She greeted the cub with a kind smile, which was more than Mkhai could muster on a good day.
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:54 pm
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"The Goddess of Anonymity," he told young Nara. The truth was that he did not know her true name, and he suspected the one that he gave her was not it at all. She had only told him it after some reluctance, and he could tell when someone was being deceitful. Whatever her purpose was for keeping it close to her, he did not care. A name was nothing to a goddess like that, while Mkhai's name was everything to him. Something to represent him and his strength, a name for all to remember and for all to come to respect.
"It has been some time since I sent for you - that is quite the delay." Mkhai was not one to tolerate tardiness, but he knew he had little control of Sitiri. The goddess was here to help him, and he would not chase her away even if she annoyed him.
---
"Your watcher here gave it to me when he asked me to come by and visit," Sitiri told the curious cub with an easy smile. Of course, it was hard to see that smile behind the thick pelt over her face. "Do not worry over my name, you may call me Anonymity, or Anon for short." Even with a cub, she did not like giving out her name. It was a personal preference of sorts, something she kept close and dear to herself.
"I am like you, which is why Mkhai sent for me." Deciding it would be easier to address the cub on her level, Sitiri laid down in front of the pale little goddess. "You see, he asked if I would be interested in watching over you as you grow, taking care of you and teaching you how to be a goddess. Let's be honest, Mkhai's pretty stiff, and he's hardly fun to be around." That, and he did not have the patience to raise a goddess.
He clearly felt something for the cub to want her to have a god's influence in her life, but that seemed to be the extent of his empathy. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hang out with you a while?" In talking to Nara, she completely dismissed Mkhai's scrutiny of her actions. She did not have to explain herself to him.
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:01 am
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"I am not the right caretaker for you," Mkhai confessed softly. He cared for Fidelity, for who she was before and who she was now. But, he had plans here in the Stormborn, and raising a god cub was not one of them. He was ill-suited to doing it on his own, and there was no way another god would be convinced to do it with him. She was far better off in the paws of another, and Anonymity was smart and discreet. Nara would learn well from her, Mkhai was sure.
"This is for the better." He swept his gaze back to Anonymity, and gave her a solemn nod before he turned away and back to his den. Fidelity was in the other godddess' care now. Mkhai would hold no sway over her life, though he hoped it was a better life than the last one she endured.
---
"Essentially, it means to blend in and to go unnoticed." It was a bit of a simple explanation for her domain, but it was the easiest for Nara to understand.
"Well, how about I address you as Nara, then?" While she did not like giving away her own name, she had no problem using others'. It wasn't that she did not want to develop bonds and get close with other creatures, she was just very inept at it. She did not understand mortals well, and she barely understood other gods more than that.
"Ah, Mkhai is very naive then. Friends can happen throughout the different age range. I do hope we can be friends, even if I am the one taking care of you." Sitiri would have to parent the cub a little. While she didn't mind the cub doing as she pleased, she wanted Nara to be safe. Mkhai would find some way to try and murder her if anything were to happen to Nara, after all. He seemed far too invested in the cub's welfare.
Sitiri watched as Mkhai retreated into his den, signaling that his time watching over Nara was over. Well, things were in her paws now, and she did hope she did right by this little goddess. "I am glad you're okay with that. We'll stick around here for a while, just until you're old enough to start deciding where you want to go. Does that sound okay?"
An amused chuckle burst from her lips, "Yes, I am. Gods don't need wings to fly."
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:18 am
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 12:17 pm
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"Exactly," Sitiri answered with a little smile. The young goddess caught on quick. She did not think she would have any trouble parenting the cub. Her disposition seemed sweet, and she didn't appear to be a troublemaker. Of course, Sitiri had just met her and the poor thing had been nearly dumped into her paws. Only time would tell how their relationship would develop.
"It seems this place is rather... stormy. It hasn't stopped raining since I got here." That was problematic for a goddess who refused to remove her pelt. Some adjustments could be made, but she'd rather wear the full pelt than only bits and pieces of it. Her pelt was comforting, something to block the prying eyes of strangers she did not yet trust. "Oh... stay? I haven't figured that out yet, exactly. After all, I have only just arrived. But, I am sure we can find a spot suitable enough for you and I."
And maybe a tag along, but she wasn't ready to mention Gaius yet.
"You just... will it. I will try to teach you later how to do it, but once you have the hang of it, it's not very difficult," she assured the young goddess. "Mortals can't fly because while we may look the same as them, we are very, very different. They don't have the same abilities that we possess, and their lives flow far more quickly than our own. They probably wouldn't even have the time to learn how to fly."
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 12:39 pm
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:09 pm
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"No, I think Warriors is going to be very busy for a while." She was familiar with the other god, but not enough to want to linger around him. At first she had agreed to raising Nara just to have Mkhai indebted to her, but now that she had met the cub, she wanted to at least make sure she had a good start in life. Every cub deserved to be raised by someone who genuinely cared for them, and while she was sure Mkhai cared... he would hardly show it.
Sitiri rose back up onto her feet, the wet pelt over her back dragging down onto the cold stone beneath her. "That does sound rather exciting," she agreed with the cub. Besides, she had lost track of the time again, and needed to find a place to settle down before catching up with Gaius. The poor god was going to be left waiting for a while, but he should have known that possibility when he decided to hang around Anonymity.
"Let's go," she encouraged the cub, and turning away from Nara she guided the youngster into the depths of the foreign land.
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