the amu-het - - - - - - valley of kings

[zoocyte]

prompt D8 --- lhan & ithca

ithca is lhan's closest confidant, ally and friend. his affectionate nickname for her is amun-mesho, literally 'heart-friend'. they worked well in holding the pride together in its earliest stages, with lhan's wandering, creative mind anchored firmly by ithca's more realistic outlook.

throughout the early parts of their childhood, when lhan was a cub and ithca a young adolescent barely out of cubhood herself, ithca was a big sister to lhan. she was a pillar for him to lean on during what was a particularly troubling, confusing time for him. he was forced to question everything he knew to be true, about himself and his past and the people he had surrounded himself with, and throughout that period of doubt and loss there was ithca, always awkward in her comfort, but always undeniably sincere.

lhan on the other hand gave ithca a sense of purpose and an escape from the sharp ravings of her ill-tempered mother lesohin, with whom they were burdened with all the way into their adolescence until her eventual passing from old age. ithca had not had any real friendships until she stumbled across the blue-eyed cub all on his lonesome, who became to her a companion who did not rag on her every mistake or act unkindly out of spite, as her sisters had. lhan simply appreciated her as she was, and all her little acts of kindness meant the world to him. with only each other to rely on, they braved the wilds and the unknown lands, two young lions against it all. it has forged a partnership that runs deeper than any love they would ever feel for anyone else, a kinship that will last them a dozen lifetimes.

[zoocyte]

IC breeding prompt --- lhan & ilset

"i've asked ithca, she said yes. she was thrilled, actually!"
having come within earshot, lhan sat down neatly in front of the silver lion dozing on the grass. ilset blinked sleepily, the words muddily registering in his head. from laying on his side, he lifted his head and let it hover slightly off the ground, then asked groggily, "huh? yes to what?"

"to become the vessel to bring into this world what we cannot."
lhan's face was calmly set and he seemed completely at ease. only the slightest twitch of his tail gleaned the excitement rippling in him.

is he playing riddles like that bastard zekele? what's he on about? ilset squinted at his mate and sat upright. he stalled a response by smoothing down his disheveled mane with rough licks of his tongue.
"a vessel...to bring into this world...what we cannot," ilset said slowly after he finished.

lhan nodded patiently, and added, "she’s willing to be a benefactor to serving akja's will in our name and building the future of the pride."

"very helpful and very unambiguous of you, lhan." ilset said dryly, with a measure of mocking affection. he was still stuck on deciphering whatever inexplicit message lhan was trying to deliver. he decided it was worth venturing a guess. "is she writing a prayer...? poem? a hymn?” as soon as he said it he knew he was off the mark. writing was something lhan could do, and very well at that. didn’t fit the riddle. message. whatever you call lhan’s strange fits of nebulosity, where the meaning of his words did not quite match up with what otherwise would be a straightforward message (if any other lion had said it).

in recompense, ilset said, ”not really the type to do it, but, uh, what does it have to do with me?" he didn't recall whatever request lhan was referring to when he said that she had said 'yes'. the many busy hours of vigilant patrolling and tense negotiating with the neighboring prides still weighed heavy in his mind, so attempts to conjure up memories of his recent conversations with lhan was tiresome. usually decoding the tangly puzzle that was lhan’s mind and manner of speaking was a unique pleasure, but right now ilset would much rather return to his nap than jog his brain any further (he'd very much welcome someone to drop the poetics and join him in his unwinding, especially a certain brown lion).

"mm, she's doing nothing of that sort, no," lhan said, light amusement dancing in his shiny blue eyes. watching ilset try to unravel his hinting was a delight - he always strained the silliest expressions.

the cogs in ilset’s brain whirred and clicked together, finally falling into place. ”oh...she wants to carry the cubs?” the gray-and-brown of his eyes widened.

at this answer lhan’s smile brightened and he buried his head into the other’s thick mane, nuzzling to rest his head comfortably under ilset’s chin. ”we’re going to be fathers, ilset,” he whispered, with a gentle awe of the new life that was ahead of them.

[515/500]

[zoocyte]

prompt I 04 --- maezi

maezi is a monk, dedicated in service to her patron madat - god of wisdom, the future and the past, of directions and things to come and choices to be made. when she entered monkhood, she took a vow of silence, which was a symbolic gesture of offering her life's dedication to advising her pride in his name, so her words may always be pure and true and untarnished by mortal blemish, used only as a vessel for his guidance to reach the masses.

she spends majority of her time in madat's lair (an underground cavern a half-hour's walk away from the main camp). she's satisfied with only having to interact with the main bulk of the pride infrequently, to give aid and advice when she is called upon. she can always be counted on to be around for annual ceremonies and rites that require her. new apprentices are brought to the lair to be christened by her, giving them madat's blessing in their gradual journey through the trials and responsibilities of looming adulthood. maezi is also a teacher to young lions in the art of meditation, guiding them in clearing their minds and finding peace from within. she enjoys being able to teach the youth to better reflect on the world and their actions, and from there find themselves in the silence of a dark cave and in the solitude they learn to value as she does.

[237/150]

[zoocyte]

prompt I 43 --- maezi

she was the first to make her home in madat's sacred lair, away from the community life of the pride. she brings offerings to him everyday and spends most of her time in quiet, reflective solitude. though sometimes she is able to hunt small prey and always insists that she can handle her own feeding, the pride knows she would be living on an empty stomach if they trusted her limited hunting prowess. they send pridemates bearing food for her and also invite her to the singing stones to share meals with them, where they implore her to stay around for longer to mingle (albeit only communicating with rudimentary body language) and participate in pride life.

maezi has always been a staunch introvert and a loner though, and her past of having been trapped by birthright to maintain appearances and play the (much hated by her) role of a princess in an uptight monarchy still makes her wary of letting herself get entangled in the social sphere again. she's much more content to be left to her thoughts and her musings, and enjoy her life and the world and her every day one step at a time, at her own pace, in her own space, where she feels safe. at most she is a ghost in the camp, a spectator who watches and listens but does not interact unless she is spurred to by great need, usually of a spiritual instinct.

[241/150]