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Keira laid in the rain, letting the water sweep over his face. The pink sunset in the background shone over his dappled fur, highlighting the beauty and loss in such a pristine form. Casumi grunted, settling down next to him. The broodmother had grown old, she realized numbly, as her joints gave a familiar ache. She paused to glance at Keira, remembering softly of him just as a cub; Now before her was yet a king.
The gentle she decided to hold her tongue, hold from speaking. Keira looked at ease here. She didn't want to disrupt him. Having lived through 3 other king's reigns, not including now Keira's, she knew how much stress and anxiety could affect a king. How could she dare to bring his leadership up? Yet as she pondered, Keira turned his head to her; "Casumi, you come for a reason," He purred in melancholy. "I see it in your face. What is it that bothers you?"
Casumi simply shook her head in response. "Keira, I raised you like I had birthed you. To me, you are my son. What is it that not bothers me? I am in fear. Fear I will lose another son."
Keira turned away at these words, perhaps a flicker of guilt in those misted eyes. The rain buried her thoughts in gentle thrums. It was only when the sun had moved another inch did he speak again. "You have raised almost the whole pride," He said in the same soft, sun-reminiscent tone. "Every day, the lionesses risk their lives upon hunting for us. Why are you not worried for them?" He slowly let his eyes flicker back towards Casumi. She couldn't help but smile. No matter what power he held amongst the pride, he was still the naΓ―ve cub she remembered.
"You are a king, Keira," Casumi put a soft sorrow into her tone. "Your duty is to your pride. A huntress can back off from a fight, a huntress can run from a battle. A king can do neither. You must engage to keep us safe. That is your duty as king. I will you to understand, my son. I am fearful I will lose you as I have lost my sons before, watching them succumb one by one. Now, Sunburst has left you to the throne. A lion no more than two years of age. You have not seen the brutality of the world as I have, Keira. How can you expect me to not feel fear? One day, I will lose you too. It is the curse a broodmother must bear."
Casumi quieted. There was no tension in the air as she had guessed there would be. With a sad expression, she gave Keira a long look. The king had turned away, his gaze even sadder. Casumi wondered if he finally realized what her words meant.
"When you lose me," Keira's voice was choked and taunt. He had to pause, for a dear moment, and the rain filled the gaps. Casumi felt it drip upon her eyes and over her silky fur. "When you lose me, I assure you, that it will not be I who had been lost. I plan to breathe until the breath leaves your body. Past that, I will breathe until my pride does not. Only then shall I lay down and allow myself to rejoin you all, when my duty as a king has been done."
The old lioness and the young king laid side-by-side, the silence cut through by rain neither comfortable nor discomforting, yet there was peace in the way Casumi looked at her son.
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Starting stats: 553
You were feeling a little bit of anxiety over the rumor that the hyenas would attack soon. Keira sat next to you, however, and told you that he would proudly stand by your side no matter what happens.
Keira is spread out in a dark corner, brooding intently. Your lionesses are looking at him, tittering and giggling. You have the sudden urge to swat him.
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