Primary Lessons

Shinikizo had alerted his dark pelted son Jabari to meet him at the Ice Fields for his first part of training. It had been in this exact spot where the dark tan lion had met Shani, the mother of his five amazing cubs and for now Shinikizo sat. He thought back to the day where he went to collect his two eldest sons in fear that Ismahel had sent them away back to where their mother was born. His sons had defied him every step of the way, and Kizo let it happen. Nothing worried him more than his children not trusting him, but that seemed to be exactly what was happening. It was almost as Jabari and Ziko were scared to even say no to their father! But this was something Shinikizo was going to end today, but first, Jabari's training.

The male had wondered what his son's training would be like, and in the three month stay away from Shani he had been given ample time to think. But for some reason, Shinikizo couldn't. He hoped that by the time Jabari had arrived he would think of something clever to train him in, but suddenly it hit the father of five. They were on the ice fields were they not? Kizo had passed this part of the territory in order to ensure that his sons were not hurt on their journey back home to the Coldlands. So what better way to begin their first training exercise than balancing on the ice? It would teach his son to see everything around him and to keep his focus on one thing at a time as well. The dual eyed lion stared out to the lands that he hoped to rule in the coming future, they were beautiful in his eyes and he wanted everything to be his. Once he was king, Shinikizo would send for Shani and the rest of his cubs to come and take their place in the royal family alongside him. It was perfect in Kizo's eyes, but he didn't know that it would never happen.

Kizo was sitting just beside the ice where the snow and hard ground still lay undisturbed. He imagined his sons warming up to him and running and sliding on the ice around with their father. But he knew that his sons would be scared of their father for the majority of their young lives, for showing for a split second his claws to their mother. It was a moment that Shinikizo wanted to erase entirely, but what was done was done and there was nothing he could do about it. So now, the male waited for his son to join him for his training. Yes this was only basic, but Shinikizo hoped that he could install some type of trust for him in his young son before the real training began. He wanted his sons to be strong, ferocious, and protective of their own family; but he knew that unless they gave him some leeway it would never happen. But a father could only hope correct? Even if it took Shinikizo years to install a form of trust in his children, he would continue to work for it. But now came his first chance with Jabari, and he hoped to the Great Kings of the Past that he wouldn't screw this up.

Despite the months that had passed, the dark cub still had grown fully accustomed to the chill of the mountain air. The snow made his paws feel numb as they sunk into it the icy stuff, sometimes all the way up to his chest. He spent many nights awake, shivering, still refusing to go anywhere near his father. Jabari had decided his first night in his new home that he would rather freeze than cuddle with the lion for warmth, in spite of whatever efforts Shinikizo made to convince the cub to trust him, if only a little. That day, he had been off playing with Ziko and Sakitu when he was told his father wanted to see him. Instantly, Jabari was filled with a sense of dread.

He felt a hint of sadness when he thought of his mother in the jungle, but in a way, her actions had been unforgivable to the cub. Jabari missed Upendo and his sisters mostly, but when he felt himself growing lonely for his mother's attention and love, he would force himself to remember that she was the one who let him go. Then his sadness would be replaced with anger, and a growing sense of bitterness that he found more appealing than allowing himself to dwell on the fact that this was his home now, like it or not. His meals came from Shinikizo now, and whether or not he trusted or even liked the lion, he had no choice but to rely on him until he was big enough and strong enough to survive without the brute.

So he had no other option but to go to his father near the ice fields, though Jabari definitely took his time in getting there, dragging his paws along the way. When he saw the light brown lion waiting for him, the cub had to resist the urge to turn around and run away. His heart pounded hard against his rib cage, suddenly fearful of what was to come next as he finally approached Shinikizo, head low and submissive. "What do you want?"

When Shinikizo saw his son approach his heart filled with joy, but then when he had addressed him in such a way the male's stomach twisted into a knot. Shinikizo sighed and looked down on his son and offered up a small smile, one that could easily go unnoticed. "Now now Jabari, maybe I just wished to see and spend some time with my son?" It was true, Kizo wanted desperately to spend as much time as he could with his two boys but it seemed as if they were going to be difficult in doing so. Seeing as his sons wanted to only spend time with each other and Ismahel's son Sakitu. Jabari's violet eyes seemed to be averted from his father's mismatched ones and Shinikizo shrugged it off. "Actually even though I want to spend time with you Jabari, I think today was a good day to start your training," A lie quickly formed into the male's head on why Jabari needed this training and Kizo went through with it.

"You see my son, the world out there has many dangerous lions that could kill you in a moments notice. I wouldn't know if I could live without any of you alive! This training is meant to make sure you know what to do and to be strong so you can fight off whoever tries to defy you," the male sighed and looked to his son again, "there may come a time Jabari where you may have to venture away from the pride on your own, and you'll need to be able to be able to protect yourself and your family," Shinikizo would let this sink into his cub's mind and then he would stand and turn towards the ice. Kizo pointed with his paw at the slick surface of the frozen water and nodded, "For your first lesson you are going to learn how to focus on one thing at a time, but also be able to pay attention to your surroundings. By balancing on this ice you should be able to pay attention to the one thing that is important, your balance. But," the father of five paused and motioned with his paw, "would you be able to effectively dodge an incoming attack?"

Kizo realized what he had just told his son and he shook his head, "My claws will remain hidden, and I will not touch you Jabari, you can trust me my son," Shinikizo would walk onto the ice, relishing the feeling of the slick surface beneath his paws. He would wait until he felt Jabari was fully focused on being balanced and he would swipe his paw quickly to the side of his cub, but still far enough away where he wouldn't touch his son at all. He didn't wish to hurt his cub if he fell on the ice, but it was a part of his training. Shinikizo would wait quietly and patiently until he felt Jabari was balanced once more and he would swipe at his paws. It would be sort of a dance for Shinikizo, swiping at his son's sides and paws and watching his son react and hopefully stay balanced. He wouldn't dare touch his son unless his son touched him and swiped his paw away. But the touch would be his son's touch on him and not the other way around. Shinikizo would continue this 'training' method for a while and then would swipe once and only once at his face. But his paw would be more towards his ear than any other place. He couldn't screw this up, Shinikizo could not let his efforts of trust be destroyed.

Jabari's eyes remained cast downward as his father spoke, suggesting that he merely wanted to spend time with his son. This seemed highly doubtful, and the cub opened his mouth to argue, but quickly thought better of it and said nothing. The last thing he wanted was for Shinikizo to grow angry with him, for there was no telling what would happen then. Moments later, the lion revealed his true motive, and Jabari snorted. Of course there was another reason. It wasn't because Jabari was worth spending time with, he needed training... For what? "Training?" He repeated the work skeptically, finally looking up at his father with narrowed violet eyes.

Shinikizo was a master of deceit, and once again, his words were conjured up to trick someone. The lion wanted to use his son against his own king, ultimately, but the truth certainly wouldn't help him to make his case to the cub. Jabari listened quietly as his father explained that he was just a cub that could easily be destroyed by others much bigger than himself, and his heart began to pound double-time. Now he was thoroughly frightened, but the lion had a point. Jabari wanted nothing more than to be big and strong and self-reliant, and so the idea of training wasn't immediately a turn-off for the dark cub. It would only benefit him to know how to defend himself in the future, when he was old enough to leave the pride - and his father - behind. In spite of his reluctance, Jabari didn't argue or even breathe a word. He was certain Shinikizo was planning something though, and it made him all the more wary as he followed the larger male onto the ice.

The moment Jabari saw the lion swatting at him, he screamed in utter terror -- so loudly that he surprised even himself. As promised, Kizo didn't touch the cub, but Jabari had no faith that the unstable lion would keep his word. Instantly, Jabari lost his balance on the ice and fell hard with a soft "oomph!" as the air was knocked out of him. He glared at the lion with all the fury he could muster, even hissing in his direction as he got back to his paws -- only to have Kizo swipe at him again, which, minus the ear piercing shriek, ended the same way as the first attempt, with Jabari falling onto the slippery ice with a pained cry. "What are you doing?! Are you crazy?" Again and again, every time Jabari climbed to his feet again, but before he had a chance to slide away from the onslaught, the huge paw was swiping at him, never making contact but still menacing, making the cub fall, and each time it hurt: collapsing on his stomach, legs crumpling beneath him and stretching out in impossible directions, even falling once hard on his chin.

Was this a game to the full grown lion, to torture the cub? Jabari was fuming, imagining how amusing it must be for Kizo to watch him stumble and fall repeatedly on the ice. Finally, when Jabari thought he could take no more abuse, Shinikizo swatted near his face. This was the last straw. With an enraged snarl more fierce than even Jabari had anticipated, his claws fell loose and he ripped into the flesh of his father's light colored paw when it passed close to his ear. "You stop it right now! This isn't funny!"

Every time that Jabari hit the ice Shinikizo visibly winced, he hated to see his son be hurt and knowing that it was by him was devastating. But finally it seemed that Jabari had enough of Kizo's training and he struck his paw. Shinikizo however felt no pain from the attack by his son and yet he smiled. But not only did he smiled but he grinned, this is what Shinikizo had wanted Jabari to learn from the lesson, to be able to retaliate when focused on doing something else like keeping balance. "That's it Jabari, that is what I wanted to see," Kizo put his bloodied paw on the ice and watched as the crimson stained the clear solid before him. "You were able to strike back without falling, that was the whole point of the training exercise! And you passed with flying colors! I couldn't be more proud of you," It was true, the retaliation was glorious to the father of five, and he loved it when his son fought against him. It was extra training indeed, and he only hoped Ziko's training would be this enjoyable as well.

Shinikizo lifted his paw and inspected his wound again, the blood had finally stopped flowing. Maybe Shinikizo was becoming masochistic, but he smiled and motioned his paw to himself, "Your next part of your training, is to "attack" me in the same manner I just "attacked" you," He knew his son needed an outlet for all the anger and hate he had built up for his father and he knew that the best way to release all that was to deal with it at the source. The male didn't specify if Jabari could use his claws or not, but if he did show them, Kizo would dodge the attacks as Jabari was supposed to have been doing. And doing so, Shinikizo backed up slightly and stood strong, waiting for the retaliation that his son was bringing to the table. The male's eyes turned soft and he looked to his son with adoration in his eyes. He wanted nothing more to be the best father he could but unknown to him, Shinikizo was seemingly turning exactly into his father. Although, he would never touch his sons the wrong way, his touches would be of affection; that is if his sons would ever let him give them the affection that he wanted to give them.

The male thought back to his daughters and son -who unknown to him was loathing him at the moment- who were with their mother in the Lowlands. He wished to see them so he quickly decided that they would leave in the following days to meet up with their family. He knew Jabari would be reluctant to leave and Ziko would possibly the same way. But there was an agreement with their mother, unless he could convince an alteration? But by now, Shani was probably too attached to her daughters and other son to 'lose' them as she had her eldest two sons. Shinikizo let the thoughts of the switching fall into the dark recesses of his mind and he nodded to his son, "Begin," The male would keep dodging for as long as his son had his claws shown, and for as long as he would keep attacking. But for a treat? Shinikizo had an idea in his mind, if his son wanted to use his claws so much he had the perfect idea. Plus, it might also be considered training as well!

The smile that appeared on the older lion's maw after Jabari's best attempt to injure him only enraged the cub further. He had wanted to hurt Shinikizo, but instead the lion was pleased. It was what he wanted. Instead of getting upset with the cub and reprimanding him for lashing out, as his mother would have done, the lion was encouraging him to spill blood and act on his violent impulses. This was a strange concept to accept, since Jabari had been told before that it was wrong to be so disrespectul, and that he shouldn't hurt others. Apparently it was okay, here in the Coldlands. The rules were different. As Kizo spoke of being proud, Jabari's angry expression slowly changed to one of disbelief as he sunk down to his stomach so that it touched the ice. His legs were already shaky from the effort of standing after falling repeatedly, and he was not interested in continuing this bizarre lesson in brutality.

In his imagination, he pictured himself towering over Shinikizo, rather than the reverse... Grinning down with malice, menacing the scared lion the way he had just done. If only the tables were turned, but Jabari knew he was nearly helpless to control his situation, which only frustrated him more. If he ran away and refused lessons, maybe then he would be punished. A sob threatened to break through his defenses, but he quickly choked it back, biting his lip hard to control the rush of emotions he was experiencing. He would have to learn a way to ignore what he felt before he went mad under his father's odd training methods.

The lion encouraged him begin, but Jabari just stared up at him with his eyes wide. "N-No. Mama taught us that was wrong. Hurtin' someone just because. Didn't your mama ever tell you that?" Still, there was a big part of Jabari that would have been more than happy to tear into the older male's flesh, to see the blood dripping onto the ice, tainting the pure white to a pale pinkish color. Twice now, he had lashed out at his father in a moment of loathing, but even Jabari knew that probably wasn't right. He just glared at Shinikizo, eyes locked, wishing the lion could read all the awful thoughts processing through his brain at that moment that he was too afraid to say out loud. Then, he began to inch away slowly, crawling backwards on his belly towards the solid ground and away from his father.

As shocked as he was when Jabari said no to hurting his father, Shinikizo understood. It would take time to change his son's nature into how he wished for it to be, but for now he needed to open up to him. But as his son began to inch away on his belly, Kizo's heart twisted and he knew that he had to do something, "Jabari wait," it wasn't an order, but more of a plea, "look, I'm sorry that I'm being the most horrible lion and father to you right now, I just hope you understand that it's not who I wish to be," Finally, some truth out of his lies! It pained Kizo to think back to his mother but he did so anyways, "I never got to talk to my mother, my father wouldn't let me, in fact, my father was a worse father than I am probably being to you right now," A scoff appeared, "You know how I have this scar on my eye? Yeah, that's from him, because I tried to raise a cub that I found and avoided my lessons," And now Shinikizo had to switch tactics so his son didn't fear that he would scar him because he avoided lessons, "But his lessons were not like yours are right now Jabari, he wasn't teaching me to survive, he was teaching me to kill,"

Kizo frowned and slipped into his mood swings once again, and the lionesses of the pride compared him to a bi-polar, hormonal, teenage female in heat. "Your brother Ziko looks exactly like my mother, sans his eyes, nose, and eye shades. He reminds me of her every day, of how I should and struggle to be nice to you two, to be the best father I can. I wasn't trying to let you hurt me just because, it was just a survival exercise, but we can stop now if you wish my son," The lion looked down to the ice and smiled, he brought out his claws, turned away and smacked the solid, breaking it and giving way to the freezing arctic-like water underneath. A deep breath was given and he shoved his paw into the water, pulling up a fish moments later. A slight squeeze was given to put the fish out of it's misery and Shinikizo took the aquatic life into his mouth. He padded back over to his son and placed the fish in front of him, sheathing his claws again to make sure to not bring them near his son, "Here Jabari, try this, it's called a fish! Be careful though, there are really small bones in there, we don't want you choking now would we?"

The tan lion placed his paw on his own head and rubbed his temple slightly, being a father was hard work, even more so since your children hate you. But the male smiled and cleared his throat, "I haven't told your brother yet, but I think you should be the one to tell him. We will be returning to the Lowlands to visit your mother, sisters, and brother in the coming days. We need to prove to your mother that I haven't pushed you off a cliff like everyone thinks I'm doing," Shinikizo offered an amused chuckle and tried to meet his son's violet colored eyes, they were those of Shani's and he loved them so, "I have to say Jaba," the male stripped off the last syllable of his son's name to give him a more loving nickname, "I'm really glad you inherited your mother's eyes, it makes me long for the days were we would be a complete family again," A silent vow became clear, "And that's what I'm going to do, I'm going to make it so your mother and siblings can come live with us up here without any fear of persecution, one day, we'll be a family again," And there was nothing that Ismahel could do to stop Kizo's mind from thinking up this dastardly plan.

Try as Shinikizo might, every word he spoke only comfirmed Jabari's worst fears: that he was being trained for dark purposes, and that avoiding training meant punishment. The rosy scar that graced his father's own features were proof positive that Jabari had better watch himself around the older lion. The cub was too young to understand Kizo's tales of his past, it was too much for him to process. Hearing how much Ziko looked like their grandmother made Jabari realize just how different he was from his brother, and from the royal family of the Coldlands. Their snowy white fur made them perfect fit for the mountains, but Jabari's best camouflage was mud or tree limbs, not the ice he was still precariously balanced on. His head dipped, silently feeling like an outsider in his own pride.

The dark brown cub had no desire to continue any lessons, but he made no further attempts to retreat. His face was just fine without any scars. As much as he would enjoy seeing his father's blood dye the ice a deep crimson, he knew he was simply too small to do any real damage. The last thing he wanted was for Kizo to be pleased, to feel as if he was successful at all. As his father dipped his paw into the icy water, the cub's eyebrows raised curiosity. He had never seen a fish before, and was intrigued by it. For a second, he thought Kizo would allow the cub to make his first kill, but was disappointed when his father easily crushed the life from the creature himself. Despite being dead, the fish was still twitching on the ice, and the younger lion stared down at it. Jabari made a mental note to attempt to catch one on his own soon, to see how it felt to rob another living thing of its life force.

When Shinikizo cleared his throat, the cub looked up, and his expression lit up at the prospect of seeing his family in the Lowlands again. He missed his brother and sisters dearly; the last time he saw them, both girls had been in tears, and Jabari had tried to comfort them before being taken away by their seemingly cruel father. "Really? We're going back?" Even if it was only temporary, Jabari would gladly brave the long journey back to the jungle. But when his father said next wiped the smile off of his face, just as soon as it had appeared. "Maybe Mama doesn't want to live here. What about that? You force me and Ziko, and you want to make Mama come here, too."

The irritation the cub felt towards his father was taken out on the fish instead, and he swiped at the slippery skin repeatedly, leaving the fresh meat in tatters. Was that the meaning of family, to control those you supposedly loved? "And by the way?" He added testily, ears set back flat against his head, "My name is Jabari. Not Jaba." With an indignant huff, he lowered his head to nibble on the destroyed fish, but his amethyst eyes remained fixed on his father wearily.

Rage built up inside Shinikizo when Jabari claimed him of forcing him and his brother to come live in the Coldlands with him. The tan male was not the enemy in this case! "Is that what you think I did Jabari? That I forced you and Ziko to come here? You sit here accusing me of this and yet you have no idea of what you're talking about! The day you and your siblings were born, your mother agreed with me on letting the two of you stay here," Anger was present in the male's voice, but he wasn't going to let any of the anger out onto his son, nor was he going to advance upon him. Instead, Shinikizo backed up to give him a small safe zone between him and his son, "I came looking for you two because I thought Ismahel chased your mother out with you all! Your mother and I agreed that you two would be the best of the cubs suited for life in the Coldlands," Shinikizo sighed and tears started to break through, falling down his face. Man, was he bipolar in these last few months.

"Look Jabari, despite what you think, I didn't force you to come here. If I did, do you think I would have stopped at just you and your brother? Why didn't I take Upendo with me? Think of what his name means! I left him with your mother because of the love I have for her. If I was how you think I am, I would have taken him with me too just because he was a male," The tears didn't seem to effect Kizo's speech patterns and it almost seemed as if he was used to talking with tears falling from his eyes. Did they not affect him anymore? "Think about it Jabari, your mother has most of you all, not me. And by make I meant to give her the possibility. Force your mother is something I would never do, I love her as much as I love you all, I'm sorry that you can't see that," Shinikizo shut his eyes when his cub started to yell at him with a testy voice, stating not to call him Jaba but Jabari. And when Kizo saw him ruthlessly tearing into the fish he shook his head. "You may not like it, but you will always be my Jaba. It's a nickname Jabari, a sign of respect and love for you,"

Shinikizo backtracked to the hole in the ice and sat there for a moment before dumping his paw in and bringing out yet another fish. But this time he didn't kill it, his son seemed to be ruthless today and Kizo wanted to see how much. The fish flopped around in the air as Kizo put it's tail in his mouth. By now Jabari should have been finished with the previous fish and he dropped this one in front of the cub. The fish flopped around more now that it was on the ground than it did when it was in Kizo's mouth, but it didn't seem to be noticed by the male lion. He would push away the bones that Jabari would have left and he pointed to the dying aquatic life, "Here, have another one, Jaba," A slight smile marred his face as he emphasized the now hated nickname of his son, he did it on purpose to get a reaction out of him. Oh how he would love to see his son rip his tiny claws into him like on the day they had first 'met', but he only hoped that he would see that even if Shinikizo was being a 'bad' father, he was just trying to care for him.

The male was almost ready to dismiss his son but decided to give one last remark to see how he would react. "I'm sorry Jabari, sorry that you can't see what I'm trying to do for you. Maybe you can tell me what I'm doing wrong, how I can be the perfect parent in your mind," He paused, "and taking you back to your mother is not a suitable answer," He chuckled once, "No one's a good parent when they first start out Jaba, it takes time and experience. The last thing I want to be is your grandfather, but from your reactions it seems that he's exactly whom I am acting like. Teach me then Jabari, tell me what you need from me!" The father of five would take all of his son's suggestions into thought and he would try his hardest to fulfill every one of those suggestions. But they would take time, something that the dark tan male did not have. Not in the slightest.

Jabari watched in annoyed silence as his father broke down due to the cub’s accusations, violet eyes glaring as his father’s muzzle became wet with tears. "You didn’t ask us if we wanted to come or not. I liked the jungle!" he declared defiantly. Despite his growing loyalty to Ismahel and Sakitu, Jabari longed for the days spent many miles away in the land of his mother, the tropical paradise he had once called home himself. The dark cub missed his pale brother Upendo, and his sisters. Shani, he wasn't so sure about anymore. Why had his mother let him go, if she loved him as much as the others that more closely resembled their parents? Still, Jabari relished the idea of seeing each of them all again, even his mother.

As the lion spoke of the son he had left behind in the jungle, Jabari uttered a soft sigh. But whatever emotion tried to escape was quickly shut down by the cub, and he snorted. "I bet that's not even true. You didn't want Upendo for another reason," the cub stated blindly. He could never guess the truth: that Shinikizo simply didn't want a look-alike son roaming the Coldlands, but Jabari was unable to guess just why Ziko and himself had been picked. It seemed in the elder lion's mind, love meant taking, and threatening. This was all that the cub had perceived, anyway, from the limited interactions between his parents that Jabari had witnessed. The sight of his father's claws menacing his mother was a memory that would remain with the young lion until his final days.

Love meant getting something. Apparently it also meant the cub would endure a nickname he did not care for, and his sour expression made his feelings clear even before he opened his mouth. No longer wary of his words, Jabari began to say the thoughts that lingered in a mind already twisted from the start. "If you keep calling me that, I'll come up with a nickname for you, too." For a moment, the cub paused as if deep in thought before a wicked smile crossed his maw. "Like Meanie Tail. Or Ugly Face." But he fell silent as the older male’s paw dipped into the freezing water once again to scoop out a fish, still wiggling, and felt a flutter of excitement as the fish was presented to him.

Kizo continued to try to convince the cub, who was growing more irritated and upset with every apology as he watched the dying fish flop on the ice. "I can't see. And I don't wanna." The cub had experienced only two forms of parenting personally: his mother’s frazzled, overwhelmed but gentle caring, and his father's manic, nonsensical 'training.' How could he be expected to conjure up the image of a perfect parent, when he had never seen such a thing? Then, something occurred to him, and he spoke lowly, quickly, "Be more like Ismahel." As soon as the words had escaped, the cub grabbed the fish, the salty taste of flesh and blood filling his mouth. He would enjoy killing the creature, but not if his father was watching. The cub slipped and slid back to the shore and off of the terrible ice, grinning triumphantly as the fish grew still in his grasp.

The male sighed, "It wasn't your decision Jabari, your mother and I decided it ahead of time. We wanted what was best for you and your brother and that was what was decided. That you and Ziko would join me in the Coldlands," His paw slammed on the ice, but his claws stayed sheathed as Shinikizo became slightly angrier at Jabari's accusations that Shinikizo didn't want Upendo in the Coldlands for other reasons. Whilst it was true that the male didn't wish to see another one of him running in the Coldlands, there was the fact that he wished for his little Upendo to live in the Lowlands with his mother. "You are not the one to make such assumptions Jabari," Shinikizo snarled, "When we return to the Lowlands your mother will confirm everything that I have told you, then how will you feel? Degrading me will get you nothing in life Jabari, you might feel satisfaction for it, but in all reality you're starting to like your grandfather. And look how he turned out; abusive and dead because he lacked survival training," Was this what Jabari wanted? A reaction out of his father? To somehow feel better and feel stronger than Shinikizo was? Where did he receive such an attitude? Had it been Shinikizo's doings? Or was it just genetics?

Shinikizo's eyes narrowed at the cub as he spurted out the harsh cubbish nicknames of hate. They weren't bad, but one shouldn't be calling their father that. No, no cub should try to think of their father as an equal or of a lower status. And that was exactly what Jabari was doing. "You're testing my patience boy, act like your mother taught you to be!" The last part was said in a stern voice, his tone deep and almost in a small scream. Shinikizo wasn't going to have anymore of this. It even ticked off the lion more when Jabari said that he didn't want to see what Shinikizo was trying to show him. "Sucks then Jaba, your judgement will always be clouded if you continue like this. You'll think you see that I try to play favorites, but equality is something I stand for. Isn't that something the Lowland Queens taught you and your siblings?" But the final chord was struck when Jabari muttered out those words. To be more like, Ismahel? Horror shot through Shinikizo and his eyes widened, mouth hung agape. Tears threatened to shove through his eyes, but the male wouldn't let them. His claws were pushing against his skin but he resisted every inch of anger to lash out at his son.

"Ismahel and his family, I will never be like them Jabari. Maybe if you lighten up I'll tell you why some day." But as his son stormed away, Shinikizo turned and lashed out at the ice around him. After blowing off his steam, he sat and looked to the sky, his breathing deep with anger. "Oh mother, please bring my son some peace to his heart. Please," With that Shinikizo stormed off of the ice in the opposite direction of his defiant son, maybe some hunting would be in order to clear his mind?