[PRP] Border Stalking

[KasaiLoki]

The young Goddess frowned as the pride seemed to be in a downfall. Lions were laying around, groaning, not moving. Her frown increased, wondering why they were being affected?

Mortals were such fickle creatures. Perhaps there was a tainted herd around they had recently shared. Nara didn't dwell on it much, until she had seen Aldan, the first lion she had met in the pride, start to show symptoms. The male tried to stay upbeat with the cub, but in the end, it ended with him resting on the ground, dismissing her to go her own way.

That worried the goddess. She knew she was different. She knew she wasn't like the mortals, and was part of something bigger but the concept between the two was still quite blurred. She'd learn eventually, but in her young mind, it was still the same. They were like her, and she was like them.

It was dark. The Goddess wore her normal gear as she left the den, her pendant charms clinking together as she trotted. With how empty the pride was being during the day, she was sure the reaction would be the same. Nonexistant.

She passed a group of adults as she walked. They didn't look too well. She gulped, sighing, heading towards the borders. Were things bad on the edge, as they were in the center of the pride?  

[Syrius Lionwing]

When night came he walked the borders. In his god form he had always been a formidable looking beast. Larger than the average male lion as most gods where but his frame looked forever starved. His ribs poked through his skin and his fur looked thin and patched, lacking in nutrition. His ears had been plucked and bitten by one scavenger or another and his eyes were dull, dead gray eyes seemingly sightless.

As he walked the mist that rose from the ground parted around his paws and swirled up around his tattered mane. Every step seemed pained, his tight gangly muscles stretched over bones that creaked every time he moved.

Every so often he would remember to breath. Those breaths whistled over lips that were sewn shut and rattled around in his chest, a rattle akin to the last breath of a dying animal. That rattle echoed off rocks and trees enhancing the deathly sound. He was stalking the border as he did every night letting what he was seep in to the very soil of the stormborn lands.  

[KasaiLoki]

Syrius Lionwing

Bright eyes watched the borders, spotting the swirling mist that seemed to appear out of nowhere. From it, a scraggily looking male wandered. There was a familiarity there, as if Nara had met this creature before. However, she would definitely remember those wings, sprouting from his body.

Nara had only met a few gods previously. One in their mortal form, the other who did not even have the appendages. She had seen birds with wings, but never lions. It was safe to assume what this male was.

But the question was, why was he here? Fidelity watched him stalk the land, her pendant glowing a light blue around her neck. She looked down at it. Interesting. she thought to herself, rising to her feet. She hadn't figured out the jewelry yet, but one day she would.

She was slow to approach the other, watching his menacing form. A name came to her maw as she whispered out to the land. "...Tan?"  

[Syrius Lionwing]

KasaiLoki

The innocent little voice that rose to his left made him pause in his steps. The little lioness pale in the moonlight, her necklace glowing blue in the darkness. The name she spoke was one of innocence of course, he had been in his mortal guise when she had spoken to him. Still the youngsters eyes were keen and she hadn’t failed to notice his similarities to the lion she had dubbed ‘Tan’.

He folded his wings slowly, the tattered membranes flapped noisily as he let his wings settle against his clearly visible spine.

“Nara.” He spoke quietly, his lips unmoving, yet he clearly spoke. “You should not be out here so late little one. Nothing good moves in this mist.” He rumbles his dark eyes settling on the young female. She was a goddess, she wasn’t hiding who she was any more. Perhaps she had decided to embrace her fate and her identity. She certainly wasn’t hiding any more.  

[KasaiLoki]

Syrius Lionwing

The frown on her maw increased as his wings tucked. She couldn't draw her gaze away from them just yet. She shook her head when he spoke, gaze finally meeting is gray one. He looked so different...Did all gods do this?

"Are...Are you the one doing this to the pride?" She tried to put two and two together. The hunger, the meager look of Jaddis himself. Everything. "Are you the one making everyone sick?" Her voice was still quiet, but she approached the other, not caring his words about nothing good moves in the mist.

"That's what you meant...when you said you couldn't leave. Isn't it?" Her eyes were big, holding tears in them. "Why?" She asked, wanting to look away from the other deity, but finding it hard to do so.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

The elder god slowly lowered himself in to a sitting position. He didn't have to do this, he knew of course that it would take time and effort for him to get back to his paws and the creaking of his joints cried in pain as he settled on to his rump. “They have done this to themselves.” He stated, again his voice echoed from him, rattling around off his bones. His dead eyes fixed on Nara as she approached him.

He let a long breath whisper over his lips, when he remembered to breath the sound cascaded noisily seemingly off every rib and visible bone in his body, the breath seemingly caused the sickly frame pain and his lips twitched which caused blood to drip from the strings which bound his mouth shut.

“I am famine child, that is what I am, what is happening to this pride is because of their arrogance and greed, their disgusting natures.” His brow moved in a frown, a tiny movement of his face that contorted his expression in pain. He felt guilt in his breast as she spoke to him. He felt guilty for the children he was hurting. This young goddess was one of them.

“It is something that must be done.”  

[KasaiLoki]

Syrius Lionwing

Nara shook her head, not wanting to believe what he was saying.

"But you are hurting...innocent lions. Cubs are dying. Those who haven't even had a chance to live life are not going to see it further if you continue this." Nara argued. She was speaking on behalf of her adolescent friend, who's cheerful smile seemed to be long gone.

"There are other Gods that reside here...Are you not worried they will come after you, rid them from their home?" She asked, the tears spilling down her face.

"This doesn't need to be done. You are wrong." She said, anger forming in her tone. "If they deserve this, then I should too. This is my home as well," for the time being at least. "Why are you not affecting me?"  

[Syrius Lionwing]

KasaiLoki

Jaddis listened to the lionesses words. He did feel sorry for her. He let his emotions spread across his face. The pain he felt when she spoke broke his heart. She reminded him of his own children. He had daughters and if they suffered and cried to him as this youngster did he would have backed off. This was not one of his children though. This was a child who did not know what eh had seen.

He took a breath, a long, deep rattling breath. “Gods cannot harm other gods.” He stated simply, his stone gray eyes stared at the little female. “No gods will come for me child. They do not want what I have. I am far older than many gods.” He paused, he hadn’t remembered to breath for a while he decided not to bother. Remembering to breath required effort.

“I can kill no one child. I can only make them starve.” He blinked slowly, many had died because of famine but he had never killed anyone. He could only make them famine he could not push them to death. They chose if they wanted to live. Of course a famine stopped females from giving birth. A place that starved could not support new life.

“This pride is full of evil Nara. They will learn the error of their ways.”  

[KasaiLoki]

Syrius Lionwing

"If this pride is full of evil...then I am evil too." She said to the God.

"You should curse me. You have cursed my friend, and they have done nothing wrong. He helped me." It was days like this she wished she was like the mortals around her. She could suffer with them. There was no reason she shouldn't have been affected, when the pride she lives in was. She stood, turning away from Famine. "Maybe it is you who is the evil one here..." She said quietly, shaking her head as she took a step away from the famine creature.

She didn't know what to do. Should she go tell Sitiri? Should she go tell Mkhai? Even Aldan, who was wasting away, starving as the God had put it.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

KasaiLoki

The skeleton thin god sighed lightly. He didn’t think that at all. He knew there were innocents here. He knew that what he was doing not only hurt those who deserved it but also those who did not. His power was always singular, it affected everyone the same way, only those who claimed immortality as gods did not feel the famine that he naturally exuded.

“Perhaps you are right.” He rumbled a frown creasing his normally still brow. He let a long bone shaking breath whistle over his tightly sewn lips.

Picking up his paws he continues his lonely wander, his paws kicking up the ghostly mist that rose from the rocks around him. His wings spread and whipped them down the matted membranes of his wings flapping.