[FIN] It Makes No Sense (Grinsen & Iki'renkli)

[mouselet]

The black lioness sighed moodily as she stared off into the nothingness of the night. She was lying on a rock above the watering hole, chin resting on her crossed paws. There were so many things she should be doing - cleaning her den, visiting her parents, catching up with her littermates, scheduling hunts, hunting, etc. And she was doing none of them. Hadn't been able to summon the interest.

Iki'renkli's mind was still stuck back on the night of the Hunters' strike. Her world had been turned upside down, not only by the revelation of how the rift between her mother and grandfather had begun but also by the fact that her insane sister was apparently not nearly as mad as she'd once seemed. The foundations had been ripped out from her world, and the Hunt Leader wasn't certain there was enough left for her to stand on.

Another gusty sigh escaped her lips at that depressing thought.  

[SilverLutz]

Tossing his head back to keep his mane out of his eyes, Grinsen padded through the darkened trees, yellow eyes bright as they caught the moonlight. He hadn't been in the Mwezi for very long but he was already very glad that he had joined. The rogue lands were entertaining for only so long. Here...here things were great! He had to take a strange drug of some kind that had knocked him out for a few days, and when he had woken up there was an uprising going on. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew most of the pride members were on the rebellious side, especially those in his class, so he had decided to join in and stir things up if the opportunity arose.

So far, it hadn't. It was a little disappointing, but he told himself to keep an eye out for anything strange or out of the ordinary. He wasn't too sure what he'd do if he actually found someone snooping around, but hey, didn't mean he wasn't going to look!

The grey male paused as his eyes caught sight of a lioness lounging on a rock by the water. He gave a low purr before changing his direction to head towards her. She was a beauty and he didn't pass up pretty females for anything or anyone.

"Evening, beautiful," he said with a grin, a confident but slow swagger to his walk. "Beautiful evening, too."  

[mouselet]

Iki'renkli hadn't become the youngest Hunt Leader because she spent her free time making up to boys. So it was not surprise to anyone who knew her that the lion's flirtatious words made no impression on her. That, in fact, she wasn't paying any attention to him because his meaningless noise could be directed at anybody else.

This ignored the fact that no one else was around to hear, but the lioness couldn't be bothered to summon the energy and look around.

It wasn't even a calculated insult to the male. Iki'renkli had never paid attention to such empty flattering phrases before, and now that she was focused on her own thoughts, they failed to register as applying to her.  

[SilverLutz]

The dark female's lack of reply - or even response, she didn't even twitch an ear in his direction! - made Grin's brows raise in surprise. He paused a moment before padding closer, curious now to find out what had her mind so occupied.

"Rough day?" he asked sympathetically as he sat beside her rock, his head about level with hers thanks to the height the stone offered. His yellow eyes were incredibly bright in the darkness thanks to the moon and the dark markings under his eyes made them pop even more. He gave her a little grin once again, tilting his head to the side to grab her attention. "Ol' Grin is all ears if you'd like to talk."

He was going out on a limb here, he really was. She could easily lash out and claw at his face if she didn't wish for his company, but he was willing to take that risk. She was gorgeous, the night was young, and he hadn't flirted in what felt like ages.  

[mouselet]

The lion did register as he came close and sat next to her. She still didn't realize he'd already addressed her before. He wasn't, from what she could hear, familiar. Which was not a bad thing, as the offer of a sympathetic ear was the very thing Iki was subconsciously seeking. Especially because, although he was clearly a pridemember, he wasn't anyone she knew.

"Rough moon is more like it," she replied after a long pause. Then the lioness gave a harsh bark of laughter. "No, a rough year. Years. Ever since Shangyue came to power," she continued. "That's when everything got so ******** up."

Had she found someone willing to listen? She had no idea who he was, Ol' Grin, or how much he knew about the pride - she didn't know how long he'd been here. But suddenly Iki'renkli desperately wanted to pour out everything that had been wrong with her life for, well, all her life.  

[SilverLutz]

Well, color him surprised. Generally when he offered an ear he was turned down. Here it seemed the female had been looking for someone to unload...well, years of something onto someone who might be willing to just sit and nod. His ears perked up at the name as it was one of the very few familiar ones he had learned so far. Shangyue was the current ruler, the one that everyone was rebelling against. Apparently he'd killed his own family members to get the throne faster. That was about the extent of what he knew.

"That's right...rough moon," he said, glancing up at the night sky. This pride was nocturnal which was more natural than some of the prides he had visited and been in, but it was hard to adjust. The long sleep he had undergone had helped him make the transition, but common sayings were slow to change.

"Years, huh? I thought this whole uprising thing was fairly new," he said, crossing his paws after resting them on the rock beside the female's head. His chin found a home on his paws, yellow eyes watching her intently. "Obviously I need to be filled in."  

[mouselet]

"I wasn't born then," Iki admitted, her voice soft, eyes still focused on the star-filled skies. She had yet to look at her companion, but it was better that way, allowing him to simply be a voice in the dark. "My eldest siblings were mere cubs when it happened. Shangyue killed his grandparents, the King and Queen, and then his parents. He was next in line for the throne." She couldn't quite imagine what it had been like.

"They say Grandfather tried to kill him. But Mother stopped him. She stood in his way and refused to move. If not for the fact that Shangyue didn't want to kill anyone else at the time, Grandfather might not have survived the night," the lioness added. Such a contrast to today. There had been deaths recently, and she wasn't foolish enough to believe they'd be the last ones.

"He was my hero for that." The words were quiet, spoken more to herself than to Grin as Iki'renkli stared at scenes only she could see.  

[SilverLutz]

Grin nodded slightly as the lioness spoke, telling him about the reason for this rebellion. His ears perked up a bit as she added to the story, though, putting in her own grandparents and parents. Now that was interesting...

"Family on two sides of the battle," he murmured softly. "That's got to be tough." Was quiet for a moment, letting the silence stretch comfortably between them. He shifted his weight, getting a bit more relaxed, before pressing on again.

"So...'was' your hero? He's not anymore?" he questioned. "Or does he still hold that title?"  

[mouselet]

"Mother and Grandfather haven't spoken since that night," Iki'renkli continued quietly, not answering the question. It wasn't clear whether she'd chosen to ignore it, or whether she simply hadn't heard it, like Grin's flirting earlier.

"Then there was my sister. I was only a cub at the time, just like she'd only been a cub when Shangyue came to power," the lioness paused, sighing. "Something...happened. She'd been normal before, a troublemaker, but smart. Then...they say she lost her mind. She started to tell anyone she saw that the Great Lion had turned His back on the pride because of Shangyue. She would go up to anyone at anytime and demand to know if they'd heard the Word. Whatever that meant."

A sister that Iki had barely known because of the difference in their ages had not only become a stranger, she'd become this bizarre individual that Iki was suddenly pitied for having blood ties to. Nobody had known what to make of it, and nobody could get her to stop.  

[SilverLutz]

Whoa...wait. Crazy sister? Grin lifted his head a bit in surprise. An older sister, it seemed, but a sister all the same. He wondered who the Great Lion was for a moment before recalling the crash course he'd been given before taking the class test. That was their god or some higher power that had something to do with the moon...important, that was for sure. And surely people would stare if someone told them they had angered him.

"I've met a few lions like that," he said thoughtfully, recalling his own daughter who had suddenly been able to see things yet to pass. "But...hm. Do go on. This is quite interesting." And it was a great way to learn about things that had happened that might have had something to do with this rebellion. Certainly having the rulers and their heirs murdered was enough reason for a riot, but it seemed there were other things at work as well.

He was glad she was unloading all this upon him even though she hadn't looked at him yet or told him her name. It seemed to be therapeutic for her. He could put on the moves once she was calm.  

[mouselet]

There was another long pause where, once again, it couldn't be said for sure whether or not Iki'renkli was listening to her companion's comments. She might have been marshalling her thoughts. She might have been paying attention and choosing not to respond directly.

"When I was younger, I went to my grandfather. I wanted to know why he and Mother didn't speak. She wouldn't tell me, though I'd asked repeatedly." A tear formed in the lioness' eye. "He said I should ask my mother." The drop of liquid rolled over the edge and dripped down into the fur of her black cheek.

"I knew I couldn't rely on him then. He hadn't done a thing since the coronation, even though everyone knew he hated Shangyue for killing his mother. They say that, before Selene grew up, Grandfather was her bodyguard. So that's why he wanted to kill Shangyue so bad. Maybe he still does," Iki mused aloud. It was a thought that only seldomly occurred to her, and at this time, it didn't hurt as much. After all, she was just talking in the dark to a lion who did or didn't know a thing about it, who was just a comforting presence. A stranger, no one important.  

[SilverLutz]

The tear glistening in the moonlight caught Grin's attention and he was silent as she spoke, and even after. He had no idea who this lioness was, but it was obvious before before the single tear that this rebellion was affecting her on a much deeper level than most of the pride. He himself only found it fun because it meant he'd get to cause a ruckus at some point, but to her this was her life.

He shifted a bit, reaching out a paw to lightly prod the female's leg, resting his toes on hers to let her know she wasn't alone. She hadn't looked at him this whole time and he wondered for a tiny moment if she realized he was actually here.

He didn't say anything this time. He felt that the little touch and his words combined might break the spell over them. That she might lash out or leave. He waited for her to continue, knowing that that was far from the end.  

[mouselet]

"We went on strike," she continued, bringing the story up to the present and recent events. "My grandfather and my sister were there." That was pretty much expected. Nyeusi was a Huntress after all, and any high class members who'd been present had been noteworthy, especially Uchanjaa.

"Things went as you'd expect, Nyeusi was in Prince Yuenyun's face, telling him straight out about how his father had murdered his parents and grandparents. Anyone could see how upset it was making him. So I tried to pull her away."

The lioness' voice faded off as she remembered how poorly that had worked out for her.  

[SilverLutz]

A strike. They were up to fairly recently. Grin had been here for the strike happening, but he was still so new he had no idea a rebellion was even stirring. The gathering and the talking after it was what had alerted him to the fact that something was up.

He pressed his toe against her paw slightly as he shifted, resting his head on the rock she was laying on. "And then?" he asked, prodding her verbally to continue. "I can't imagine that went well."  

[mouselet]

"She turned on me," Iki'renkli answered. "She asked if I thought my rank entitled me to command her offduty. Or if I thought my class did, as it's higher than hers. Then she said that was what the entire argument between my mother, a low-class lioness, and my grandfather, a high-class lion, was about." The lioness sighed.

"I knew all of that, of course. How could I not? And that wasn't the disturbing part. It was Nyeusi. The more she spoke, the less crazy she seemed. But she was insane. She'd been that way almost my whole life. And now.."

The lioness trailed off, staring into the darkness, as if she was afraid to complete the thought.