Deucalion
It had been one of the darkest nights that Deucalion could remember. The moon was meant to be full and luminous yet so many clouds had left the whole territory shrouded in the blackest of black. The boy couldn't see his own siblings within the den they shared when he woke.
He should have stayed asleep. But he couldn't. He was thirsty and it could not be ignored. As he had exited the small nest his groggy brain told him to pause as whispers stirred from behind. From his mother and father's dwelling. Mostly his mother's. Father didn't often sleep there with her. Sometimes Deucalion or one, or all, of his siblings would sneak in and cuddle next to the Queen.
One of the whispers was a woman. Maybe his mother. Maybe she would walk him to the watering hole. It was dark and something was putting him on edge.
The dark cub padded closer, squinting through the darkness and following his ears to what now did not sound like his mother. Was someone visiting her? So late? He was sure it was not Calandra. Though he had not seen her he had felt his sister in their den.
When he crept closer the whispering stopped and everything fell into utter silence. So quiet that he was sure one could hear him breathing from a mile away. The moon peered out from behind a cloud allowing some of its light to break through. Though it was only for a moment Deucalion saw what looked like his mother's hind paws. Sprawled out as if she were laying down rather ungracefully. When he went to take another step closer he paused with wide eyes. The wind caught some of the vines covering the entrance of Calista's den. And from within he saw sharp lime green eyes staring right at him.
Just as the moon became obscured once more the eyes seemed to slip closer. Then he could see them no longer. He had every intention of running but the ground seemed to drift away. Even within total darkness everything seemed to simply drift away.
Deucalion had woken to the sound of shouting and various stern voices. Groggily he sat up and immediately regretted it. His paw flew up to rub the top of his head; finding the hard knot that throbbed there. His sister was up as well. Looking as if she had been up for quite some time. She lay alert and staring with wide scared eyes out of the den. Frozen.. Amruh was just beginning to stir.
Confusion mixed with the pain. How did he get back to the cub den? He asked his sister who simply looked over at him. Why was she looking at him like that? Amruh asked what was just said. Deucalion went to repeat himself but was hushed by his brother. Not that, he hissed. Out there. What was just said out there?
Tears dripped down Calandra's cheeks. Tears that Deucalion had not seen before. Both bothers looked to their sister for answers. She had been awake the longest.
Then he heard it.
The Queen!
The Queen is ----
Deucalion flew from the den, eyes screaming as the sunlight irritated the headache he had. The pride was in an absolute frenzy. Deucalion's eyes locked onto his father and he called out to him. There was something he needed to tell him. He needed to know if what was being said was the truth. He needed to know if last night was a dream or .. something else.
He shoved his way through the adults and for a moment he swore his father glanced his way. But he did not stop. Why? Father! Almost there. Almost there.
A bulk of a lion stepped into Deucalion's path, glaring down at the prince. Deucalion moved to bypass the guard but was stopped. He was stopped?! The prince looked around the hulking beast to spot his father again, this time standing with other guards. He made the mistake of drifting his sight downward. Down to familiar red fur. Lifeless red fu-.. No!
Eyes shot back up with a trembling jaw. No. Nononononono.... From the group crowding around his father there was a flash of green. His heart stopped and for a moment the world tilted. A lioness. As dark as night but eyes so impossibly lime green. She was talking to his father but looking at Deucalion. Looking right at Deucalion. And grinning..
----------------------------
Deucalion lay on an outcrop staring at nothing in particular. His eyes were rimmed a sleepless red. Rest was no longer his friend. It had abandoned him months ago. Now he knew only exhaustion.
A deep breath as he shifted his head from one paw to the other. Heavy lids slid closed but they snapped open just as fast. His sister would be back eventually and he had to be vigilant. The two had survived the horrors of the desert together and now took turns hunting small prey. They both could not risk depleting their energy at the same time. But dark thoughts left him to wonder. He would be easy enough pickings just laying here. Especially if he just laid here unconscious.
Many lions had come and gone from this passage but he and his sister had set up camp a couple of miles away from the path of all that foot traffic. Being only a year old they would need a pride eventually. Keyword eventually. He wasn't sure what Calandra thought about it, but he personally was not up for another pride. And strangers at that. Strangers they could not trust. Strangers they had no reason to trust. Where had trust gotten him? Abandoned, half dead and a list of memories he would love nothing more than to forget. Trust had killed his mother. Had killed his brother and led Deucalion to be a murderer himself. Not to mention the cannib- No!
The yearling growled deep and shook his head violently. Claws dug into the outcrop. Fuck trust! It got you nowhere and brought only pain.
So here Deucalion sat. Tired. Angry. Hungry. Thirsty. Waiting.
He should have stayed asleep. But he couldn't. He was thirsty and it could not be ignored. As he had exited the small nest his groggy brain told him to pause as whispers stirred from behind. From his mother and father's dwelling. Mostly his mother's. Father didn't often sleep there with her. Sometimes Deucalion or one, or all, of his siblings would sneak in and cuddle next to the Queen.
One of the whispers was a woman. Maybe his mother. Maybe she would walk him to the watering hole. It was dark and something was putting him on edge.
The dark cub padded closer, squinting through the darkness and following his ears to what now did not sound like his mother. Was someone visiting her? So late? He was sure it was not Calandra. Though he had not seen her he had felt his sister in their den.
When he crept closer the whispering stopped and everything fell into utter silence. So quiet that he was sure one could hear him breathing from a mile away. The moon peered out from behind a cloud allowing some of its light to break through. Though it was only for a moment Deucalion saw what looked like his mother's hind paws. Sprawled out as if she were laying down rather ungracefully. When he went to take another step closer he paused with wide eyes. The wind caught some of the vines covering the entrance of Calista's den. And from within he saw sharp lime green eyes staring right at him.
Just as the moon became obscured once more the eyes seemed to slip closer. Then he could see them no longer. He had every intention of running but the ground seemed to drift away. Even within total darkness everything seemed to simply drift away.
Deucalion had woken to the sound of shouting and various stern voices. Groggily he sat up and immediately regretted it. His paw flew up to rub the top of his head; finding the hard knot that throbbed there. His sister was up as well. Looking as if she had been up for quite some time. She lay alert and staring with wide scared eyes out of the den. Frozen.. Amruh was just beginning to stir.
Confusion mixed with the pain. How did he get back to the cub den? He asked his sister who simply looked over at him. Why was she looking at him like that? Amruh asked what was just said. Deucalion went to repeat himself but was hushed by his brother. Not that, he hissed. Out there. What was just said out there?
Tears dripped down Calandra's cheeks. Tears that Deucalion had not seen before. Both bothers looked to their sister for answers. She had been awake the longest.
Then he heard it.
The Queen!
The Queen is ----
Deucalion flew from the den, eyes screaming as the sunlight irritated the headache he had. The pride was in an absolute frenzy. Deucalion's eyes locked onto his father and he called out to him. There was something he needed to tell him. He needed to know if what was being said was the truth. He needed to know if last night was a dream or .. something else.
He shoved his way through the adults and for a moment he swore his father glanced his way. But he did not stop. Why? Father! Almost there. Almost there.
A bulk of a lion stepped into Deucalion's path, glaring down at the prince. Deucalion moved to bypass the guard but was stopped. He was stopped?! The prince looked around the hulking beast to spot his father again, this time standing with other guards. He made the mistake of drifting his sight downward. Down to familiar red fur. Lifeless red fu-.. No!
Eyes shot back up with a trembling jaw. No. Nononononono.... From the group crowding around his father there was a flash of green. His heart stopped and for a moment the world tilted. A lioness. As dark as night but eyes so impossibly lime green. She was talking to his father but looking at Deucalion. Looking right at Deucalion. And grinning..
Deucalion lay on an outcrop staring at nothing in particular. His eyes were rimmed a sleepless red. Rest was no longer his friend. It had abandoned him months ago. Now he knew only exhaustion.
A deep breath as he shifted his head from one paw to the other. Heavy lids slid closed but they snapped open just as fast. His sister would be back eventually and he had to be vigilant. The two had survived the horrors of the desert together and now took turns hunting small prey. They both could not risk depleting their energy at the same time. But dark thoughts left him to wonder. He would be easy enough pickings just laying here. Especially if he just laid here unconscious.
Many lions had come and gone from this passage but he and his sister had set up camp a couple of miles away from the path of all that foot traffic. Being only a year old they would need a pride eventually. Keyword eventually. He wasn't sure what Calandra thought about it, but he personally was not up for another pride. And strangers at that. Strangers they could not trust. Strangers they had no reason to trust. Where had trust gotten him? Abandoned, half dead and a list of memories he would love nothing more than to forget. Trust had killed his mother. Had killed his brother and led Deucalion to be a murderer himself. Not to mention the cannib- No!
The yearling growled deep and shook his head violently. Claws dug into the outcrop. Fuck trust! It got you nowhere and brought only pain.
So here Deucalion sat. Tired. Angry. Hungry. Thirsty. Waiting.
