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A New Chapter
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When Akira told Ia she was leaving, Iaso knew she didn't want her to leave. She took Akira's paw in hers and pressed her nose to the other lioness' cheek. "Akira, please stay, " she whispered. "Or, at least let me come with you." And that's where Ia began to turn. At first, Iaso began to understand what needed to be done - the pride needed a "new revolution." She knew they needed someone outside the war to fix it, and she knew that was a stretch. But she started to notice in her youngest brother a kind of... intelligence, which she understood was to be necessary in the winning of this war. So Ia took him in the night. She never told her mother why - at least, not until she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. She starts to form a plan. She takes Azmon to Akira's cave and raises him there. At the cave she finds herself falling in love. She knows feelings for Akira, and Akira feelings for her. At some point, they started dating. They spend about 50 years together, and he whole time, Iaso lied. She told Akira she left the pride because it tore families apart. Akira shared that opinion. But Iaso never told her she intended to use her brother like a pawn, that she never truly cared for him as she seemed to. Then, Chili showed up. She had to get him to a healer, so she took him to the pride. Corone followed her around for days, until she finally got her daughter's attention.
Iaso, fed up, told her that it was her fault that she left. That she was too blind to see that Aris was stolen, too stubborn to see the signs that she would, and too disengaged to raise her only remaining son properly. Corone was devastated. She didn't know for sure why, but Iaso never felt bad for telling her that. Actually, it gave her an idea. She went back to the cave and looked Az over again. He was almost grown - and soon he'd be ready to go back to the pride. He needed a test, and she knew exactly what. She told Akira what she planned - what she had always planned, and what she was planning now. She would take az back and force him to reconcile her mother's and her relationship. It didn't go well. Akira kicked them out, and broke off the relationship. So she took him back. She took him back to the pride, to their mother and brother, and she waited. Having been of this belief for so long, she has now come to blame her mother for what happened. Azmon, through no fault of his own - failed his "test", and Iaso started to see him as nothing more than that. A failure. She stopped seeing her family as anything other than a burden. She started to wander to the edges of the pride, creating space between her and the lions who raised her - and the one she raised. She came to her duties less and less, eventually realizing she had no interest at all in them anymore. While out moping one day, Iaso met a black lion. He was cold and confused, but Iaso couldn't hold it together anymore, and instead of attacking as she normally would in that situation, she ran to him for help. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do - and having fought with the lion in the past, she figured he'd know her well enough to at least sit and listen. As she poured her heart out to him, she started to gain composure again. Tibolt invited her back to his den to rest and get her mind off of it, and she marveled at the extreme softness of his den. He apologized for the mess and explained to her that he can have dreams that cause him to thrash about and was tired of waking up with bruises. Iaso wasn't listening, though, as she was already rolling on the furs, enjoying their softness and marveling at how a den could be so beautiful. The two continued to talk, and they became very close. Soon, Iaso began to seek his company more and more - until the day she realized she loved him. As she was singing him to sleep - as she so often did, she sung him a lullaby confessing her love. Tibolt returned the affections and the two became more than just friends. Iaso soon moved in officially, and they became mates. Iaso was finally, truly happy - caring for her mate and coming home to such unconditional love daily. She did her best to return the feeling he gave her, and they lived happily. Iaso woke up one day and went to get some water - only to realize she was now pregnant with Tib's cubs. She was absolutely overjoyed - and she ran home to tell Tib. They rejoiced and Iaso planned to tell her parents, until she remembered she hadn't been home in a very long time. She avoided her parents and siblings from then on, only talking to Aris n their regular meetings. She told Aris about her cubs and how excited she was, and while pregnant, she gave every moment of thought to what she would name her darlings, and trying to come up with things she could take them to do. She had raised a cub before, and knew she would do it right this time. When the cubs were born, Ia never left their sides. Iaso loved her cubs to death. She taught them the proper way to eat, and the proper way to address elders, and the proper way to take care of their voices - but she'd also lead them on midnight hunts and take them out to the cliffs to watch the celestial skies shift and talk about the stars. She'd sing them to sleep every night - except, of course, when they want to sing her to sleep, and she'd hug them constantly because they're just so perfect. She constantly wondered if they were really hers - if she deserved something so beautiful. She took long walks with them and told them every little thing about them that she loved because she doesn't want them to end up how she did. Broken, alone, and lost. She took them to see their uncle Aris and makes sure they have that support, because she didn't. She taught them how to fight without hurting each other to settle their differences, and how to give mercy. She taught them that it's okay to be who they are, because her father never really understood. Iaso protected her cubs with her life, because they were her life, and she couldn't imagine what would happen if harm did come... She looked to her mate for strength, and to her cubs for hope. Because that's what they were, hope for her future. Word count: 1,154 words Lions that can claim EXP: Tibalt, Azmon, Corone, Akira - ask if otherwise. |
Confrontation |
Her family was the last thing on her mind that day. She had come to the pride, yes, but not for them. She had seen something she thought her daughters would like in the market a few days prior, and her sole intent was to acquire it for them. She never considered the possibility of her brother being there, and when he stepped out of the crowd, She almost didn't recognize the short-breathed male. He had been initially polite, though he was terse, but as the conversation went on, she noticed he was still bitter. "I'll raise them better, you know." she said, cutting him off. "I'll raise my daughters better than I raised you. You don't have to worry."
"You had... cubs, Ia?" Azmon looked at her incredulously. "I find that hard to believe, after the fit you threw about me." Already flustered by the comment and heated from their past conversations, Iaso was ready to fight him already. "Yes, I had cubs, Azmon. And I won't let you ruin them." "Ruin them? Me?" he spit back, hackles raised. "You're the one who failed, Iaso. You're the one who messed up my chances of being anything more than a stupid pride member!" By this point, the lions nearby had stopped to listen in, and their stares made the world feel smaller. Iaso felt the world begin to darken as her brother spoke, accusing her so harshly. His blatant insult of the rank she had chosen for herself caused her to set her ears forward and take a fighting stance. Azmon fed off of her obvious offence and continued, "And those cubs - you aren't capable of raising them, Iaso." The whole of the pride felt as if it was pressing in on them now, "You weren't cable of raising me, your own brother!" he screamed, starting to wheeze. He took a moment to breathe, his eyes locked on hers. No other sound penetrated the tension - a ringing filled the two lions' minds as their contempt and hatred for one another continued to rise. Iaso's intense gaze narrowed as she began to lower her head. Her brother took his eyes off of her to look around at the gathered lions a moment, an act of defiance, telling her he isn't afraid. "In fact, I don't think you're fit to raise anything at all." He looked her in the eye now, gaze more intense than she'd ever seen anyone's. He knew what he was doing - he was taking her soul from her. He was clawing out her redemption."I'll take them myself, just to be sure that they're safe." "Don't-" Ia growled, the glow in the halo around her neck getting brighter and brighter as her anger rose. Az cut her off with the deep slice of his next words. "I'll take them, Iaso, and I'll let mother raise them. She'll do better than you ever did." Iaso's eyes lit up. There was a moment of tension, and in a split second, Ia was on top of him. She had abandoned all reason - pounding him with every ounce of her strength. She pushed in on him though he was already underneath her, screaming at her claws to come out so she could do more than just pound. She finally felt her claws strike flesh - which only emboldened her as she attempted to thrash her tail around towards him. The crowd pressed in to pull her off the smaller male, and by the time they'd moved the massive lioness, she'd injured several of them in her despair to get to him. Once they'd blocked her off, she came to her senses, and she ran. She ran home - straight to her den. Her cubs were playing in a soft corner, her beautiful, perfect daughters. No one would ever take them from her, of that she was sure. She hugged them, and let them play with her glow. And she refused to leave their sides, ever again. In fact - she refused to even let them out of the den. She refused to let them out of her sight. She stopped sleeping, even when her mate and kids begged her to. She stood guard, watching the blood red moon and replaying his words over and over in her mind. "I'll take them, Iaso, and I'll let mother raise them." Word count: 722 Lions that can claim EXP: Azmon |