Just Routine Patrols

Posts : 101 Pride Points : 447819 Join date : 2012-01-25

Ismahel was moving through dens of the Coldlands as he usually did. He wanted to make sure everything was in order. He smiled and greeted Sakitu as he passed the cub, who was heading out to look for Jabari and Ziko, "Be careful son." He said as he gave the cub a lick as he passed by, annoying him and messing up the cub's growing mane. With a chuckle, Ismahel continued on. All seemed well, Sarafina was most likely safe somewhere but he should probably consider checking up on her soon. He wondered how Shinikizo was doing lately? Ismahel wondered where the lion had been off to. He was one of the few that decided to stay behind when all others died or left, and Ismahel was hoping to make him a second-in-command of sorts, or an adviser. Well, perhaps he would see them soon. Many thoughts were crossing the white lion's mind, such as trying to get more information about the war, perhaps he should pay their neighbors, the Shadowlanders, a visit soon to see if they knew anything more and if Scar was trying to launch any attacks.

Stepping outside of one of the dens and sitting right at the edge, Ismahel went into thought. Knowing what he knew about the area, the Outlands were closest to the Pridelands, so if an attack was launched they would be attacked first. He would have probably heard something from the Outlanders by now if they were attacked. Still, a visit to the Shadowlands may prove worth while so he could run to the aid of the Outlanders. He would not be able to bring much, but he would still help defend the lands, because he knew they would help him defend his if the need call for it. Right now, there was not much else to do except think and patrol more, perhaps he should go see if he could not find more food to store in the Coldlands. He noticed meat tended to stay a lot fresher here, though he was not uncomfortable with eating it raw, he would if he had to. Hm, yes, a hunt would be in order today sometime later.

Posts : 49 Pride Points : 447563 Join date : 2012-01-27

The morning air awoke Shinikizo early, but early enough to be up before his two sons. As the boys woke up to run and play he stopped them, telling them that he would call for them later in the day. The boys didn't realize that when he called, they would become princes, but what Shinikizo didn't realize was that this call would show his boys the horrors of his deeds. Today Kizo would bring out the final attack upon the royal family. He would expel Ismahel and Sakitu from the position as the royal family and claim the throne for his. He would let them stay in the Coldlands, he wasn't that harsh of a lion for he found that even though Ismahel's family was -in his mind- a horrible choice for leaders, he saw the pale white lion as a friend and close ally. But if his family couldn't have stopped his own father from the attacks and let it slide? There was something wrong in the managerial approaches. No, under Shinikizo's rule there would be no abuse in the families. No child would be hurt by their father or mother. All lions would live in peace in these barrens and frosty lands.

The male thought back to Sarafina and how she had been staying in the Coldlands much to his dismay. She was clearly pregnant and to Kizo's relief, she did not say by who. He always stared at her in passing as to tell her to keep her mouth shut and thankfully she did. Ismahel had taken a liking to this rogue, but as soon as Shinikizo assumed the throne, her cub would be taken away and she would be exiled and later killed. She was too old of a lioness to be around with a small cub, and once Shani was in the Coldlands she would be able to care for the cub. Shinikizo couldn't wait to see the look on Nyota's face when he came to collect his family, when he had a right as king to bring them into his royal family. Then the boys would be able to lighten up since they would now have their sisters, brother, and mother to calm them down. He wouldn't choose an heir until his sons were all grown, in fact, who knows, he may even pick one of his daughters to rule the kingdom after him. He would never betroth his daughters to Sakitu however, there was no way he would let the son of many generations of kings back into the royal family. They would be forbidden to ever rule again until his family was all dead.

Shinikizo sat at the edge of the den and finally found the pure white king walking around doing his patrols. He sighed and unsheathed his claws before standing up and walking towards his king. "King Ismahel," Shinikizo said with a bow before looking back up at his monarch, "do you think I can have a word with you sire?" There had to be some topic that he could entice Ismahel about wasn't there? He would have to think of one rather quickly as he walked past his king. "Lets walk shall we?" The male would lead his king away from the dens, away from where anyone could help him. The death would be faked as an attack by a rogue, passed off as the rogue who impregnated Sarafina. He would place his paws in his former king's blood and run off to the nearest border before returning and alerting the pride of the king's death. He would say how the rogue saw him becoming too friendly with Sarafina, and decided that he wouldn't be the father of their cub. But then came brave Shinikizo, the only adult male in the pride, who ran the male off and would take the throne until Sakitu was old enough to rule. But by then, he would have chosen his own heir, denying the white cub the throne. But of course, this was all if Ismahel didn't step down peacefully, which Kizo knew deep down he wouldn't.

Posts : 101 Pride Points : 447819 Join date : 2012-01-25

Everything was as it should be. No one was reporting any problems. Ismahel had noticed that Sarafina was pregnant, and knew he was going to have to speak with her about that later. He would have preferred her come to him, and he was curious as to who the father was. There were only two males here, and one was Shinkizo and the other was Sakitu. Sakitu was too young to father cubs, could it have been Shinikizo? Perhaps she was pregnant before she came to the Coldlands? The poor lioness, he would just have to comfort her later.

The king followed the icy path. The floor was cold beneath his paws but he was far used to it. Even his white coat was a bit shaggier and a little more wooly to show he was adapted to the cold. Perhaps Sarafina would soon do the same. Until then, he would make sure she was plenty warm and was well fed. Along the lines of his patrols, he noticed the dark form of Shinikizo approaching him and then addressed him with a bow, "Ah, Shinkizo, you know you do not need to be so formal." He said with a smile, not wanting to be seen as someone who was higher up. The formal greetings and special treatment were never his thing. True, he did demand respect, but he still tried to see himself as equal as possible to his pride. After all, would they not work harder if he was a fair and gentle but firm king than if he were a tyrant?

It seemed Shinkizo had something to say to the white lion. "Of course you may." He said before the other lion had beckoned him for a walk. The white lion turned his own body as he began to follow outside of the dens and away from everyone. Hm, this must be important. Something was obviously bothering the other lion that he did not feel comfortable speaking about here. Well, that was fine. He understood that some things were best left spoken in private. Curious, Ismahel was wondering what exactly was bothering Shinikizo. Was he worried about hwo Ismahel felt about Shinikizo's cubs showing up without Ismahel having known about them in the first place? While Ismahel could say that he was not very happy, he would just ask Shinikizo to let him know next time. He would have welcomed the whole family in his pride.

Posts : 49 Pride Points : 447563 Join date : 2012-01-27

It was only a few minutes of silence as Shinikizo led his king away from the pride and soon enough he judged that it was a good distance away. No one would be able to hear, no one would be able to see them. No one would be able to know what exactly happened today and they'll never know. But Shinikizo couldn't just attack right now, he had to get some information out of his king before his departure. Shinikizo's voice was full of fake worry and concern, but it always seemed to be like that now-a-days. "My king, I have a question for you," it was hard for the male to ask this to someone he so dearly hated, but he had to, "how do you parent Sakitu? I mean, how can I become a better parent?" The male sat down and lowered his head, "My sons, they hate me Ismahel, Jabari even told me that I should parent more like you. But how?" The male was clearly troubled by the asking of this question for he hated Ismahel with a passion. Well, not Ismahel personally, but the royal family and their silly ideals. The lion lifted his head and looked at his king's eyes, a deep cerulean just as his daughter Sakina's. It made his blood boil.

"I fear as if I'm turning into my father, Ismahel, you remember him? How he abused me and gave me this scar?" There were many words that Shinikizo wished to say to this lion, but he waited for the right time to accuse Ismahel and his family for all of his troubles. "I just wish to train my sons, in survival no less, but they fear I'm trying to kill them. How can I help them see the light in all this training? How can I help them understand what I'm trying to do?"

(I'm sorry about this post, all muse for Kizo is gone. I can't think as him anymore. x.x But at least this hits over the word count!)

Posts : 101 Pride Points : 447819 Join date : 2012-01-25

Ismahel was just going to bask in the silence of the two for a while, though the wait was aching him. The white lion's paws would sink slightly in the powdered snow as he moved through. His blue eyes would often turn to the darker colored lion as he waited patiently, though anxiously, for him to speak. After a while, Shinkizo asked how he could become a better parent. The male tilted his head in a little confusion but before he could ask, Shinkizo had continued on, "I am certain you are a great parent. I am trying to teach Sakitu to survive as well. Cubs want to play at this age a lot, so perhaps use that to your advantage. Encourage them to play fight with you, or try to find you in a play hunt. They love it and they will be honing their own skills as fighters and hunters." He said with a reassuring smile, "I am certain you are a great father though and no matter what, they will still soon realize what you were doing and thank you." He added, though did not realize that the other lion had darker intentions. His smile dropped as Shinikizo brought up his father, Shinikizo's father that is. It was here that he appeared a little more serious, almost remorseful, "I vaguely remember, Shinikizo. I do remember my own father speaking harshly of him, but that is all I can remember." He said, "But you are not your father, and you should remember that." He said before the subject changed back to the cubs, "As I said, you could always try to use their want to play to your advantage to help make up games that will hone their hunting skills and fighting skills." He said again.

Posts : 49 Pride Points : 447563 Join date : 2012-01-27

Shinikizo listened with distaste as Ismahel talked about how cubs wanted to play and even play fight at this age. The dual-colored-eyed male knew that, and he had tried that tactic with his son Jabari. It didn't make sense that even if cubs wanted to play and run around why they looked to Ismahel as more of a father than their own. It irritated the male and he hated it so, this scum of a king had his own children why did he have to take away his two sons that he chose for himself? They were his sons, not Ismahel's! In Shinikizo's twisted mind everything was Ismahel’s fault; from Shani fleeing the Coldlands to his own personal scar. The white king was loathed in the male’s mind, he had had enough of the male and snarled to himself. “I see, alas I have already tried that tactic on the boys. Seems like the only one to respond to such a tactic was myself when I was younger. Speaking of boys, Sakitu seems to growing stronger every day,” He was silent for a moment and smiled a sick smile before speaking once more, “Too bad his father won’t be around to see him grow up, he would have made such a fine king as well. Just like the rest of your filthy blood, Ismahel,” The male launched himself forward in a frontal attack, leaving little to no time to respond. Shinikizo would land one hit before he was flung backwards by his king’s retaliation, a move that would cost Shinikizo his life.

The male was weaker than usual, and when he hit the ground he heard some of his bones crack from the fall. Blood started to pour out of his wounds gained from the short fight and Shinikizo knew that this was it. He looked to Ismahel and sighed, “I’m sorry, I blame your father for doing nothing to stop my father, and in turn I blamed your whole family. I-I thought that if I rid the lands of your rule I could bring Shani back, I could bring my family together, I could avenge my mother’s death,” he chuckled, “Now I can see that I could never be king. I blamed everything on your Ismahel, I lied and cheated, and in the end I still blamed you for everything. I’m sorry,” Shinikizo roared once as to signal his cubs to come, but he wouldn’t be able to say goodbye, only see their bounding forms over the hill side if they ended up deciding to see what that commotion was all about. Then a thought ran through his head, Sarafina’s cub. He sighed, it was now or never. The male winced in pain before speaking again, “Sarafina’s cub, it’s mine. Make sure you father it and that none of my cubs make any goo-goo eyes at it. But, don’t tell them they have a half sibling. Don’t tell them, or Shani. I don’t know what I was thinking, another heir to the throne, but in the end I turned out just like my father,” Just like his father, something that Shinikizo never wanted to be. And now, he had to face the reality that you couldn’t always get what you wanted by force.

Shinikizo was always a talker, but now he felt as if he was at a loss for words as he felt the numbness in his body grow larger. He thought back to Shani and how he had now lost her forever due to his stupidity, how he was leaving behind their gorgeous children without a father, and unknown to him, soon a mother. The lion sighed and looked to Ismahel and offered up one final request. “Please Ismahel, I know I have done the greatest dishonor to my pride and to you, but I wish for my cubs not to know that I died defying you. Please, tell them I was protecting you from a rogue. The other adults may know the truth, but please, keep my cubs naïve to their father’s actions. One last lie from my mouth, it will be the last lie to my children and my mate that will ever surface. Please, sire," The male thought he could hear the patter of paws in the background but it could have been the bids flapping above for all he knew. Shinikizo's life was fleeting from him fast, and he could barely hear whatever his king was probably telling him right now. He coughed again and wheezed a small amount as his eyes closed. They were heavy and he could feel his heartbeats numbered. His last words were almost silent, but he still made sure that they would be heard. "Ismahel. Make-sure-Shani-knows-that-I-love-her," the 'her' was his final word as he winced and his chest ceased to raise again. There was a darkness that surrounded Shinikizo that felt cold, but he could see something white in the distance. Standing there was his mother, but with a disappointed look on her face. She turned her back on her son but motioned him to come forward. Maybe Shinikizo had some good still left in him, for he was finally able to rejoin his mother in peace. He worried about the well-being of his cubs, but he knew that one day, he would see them again.

One day, he would be complete.

Posts : 101 Pride Points : 447819 Join date : 2012-01-25

It seemed that he had tried to it already and there was only one to respond to such training. Immediately, Ismahel's gears began to churn. There had to be more to this than what he was saying. Suddenly, Shinikizo began to seem to take a darker tone in his words and things began to get out of hand. Ismahel first smiled with pride at the mentioning of his son, "Yes, I am very proud." He said but then it became darker and Ismahel got a deep feeling in the pit of his stomach as he had an idea what was about to happen. He knew to be ready, but did not expect it when the attack came anyways. Suddenly, Shinikizo launched himself at Ismahel, and in defense Ismahel reared up on his hind legs to push him back. It seemed to work. Ismahel even had to unsheathe his claws in defense. He noticed the lion lay in a broken heap before him and his facial expression became shock and horror. It did look like a bit of a struggle took place here. His eyes began to fill with tears as he heard Shinikizo's last words, "It is alright Shinikizo. I forgive you." He said, since it was all he knew to say. He then heard the confession that Sarafina's cub belonged to Shani and asked him not to tell them that they have a half-sibling or to tell Shani. The white lion slowly lied down next to the dying lion, at least wanting to offer him some comfort before he passed. He felt guilty at heart, as though he had done this even when he was defending himself. He still felt the blood of this lion was upon his paws.

At Shinikizo's last words, Ismahel nodded. He would carry out his wishes. Was he being too soft? Perhaps he was, but Ismahel did not care. This was still a pride member, and he was going to treat him like one. He would bury him and fulfill his last wishes. "I will. I promise I will Shinikizo, and I will make sure your cubs are all well cared for." He said softly before noticing that Shinikizo had breathed no more. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and standing up. The white king looked over the horizon to see if the cubs were coming before moving to find a good place to bury Shinikizo but first he wanted to let the cubs come say their farewells. Deciding it best not to leave, the white lion returned to Shinikizo's side and sat. His head bowed as he waited, feeling a tear run down his muzzle but he reached a paw up to wipe it away. Why did he cry? Oh, he would weep for every one in his pride that was lost. He felt as though there could have been something more he could have done. Why did he not see it coming? If he had seen it coming, he could have tried to reason with him! No, there was no reasoning with Shinikizo. Well, at least he is at peace now.