(PRIVATE) Past, Present & Failure.

[KiarasMate]

This is a Private RP devoted to myself and NightyByeSparrow only. This RP follows the lives of two lion siblings named Zende and Terria, as the pair wander across new lands and meet new faces, all in the hopes of finding their places in life. Feel free to read along with this RP as it progresses and to find out more about the backstory of this RP, please read Zende's Character Profile for a detailed history about his and Terria's family and why they are in the current situation that they are.

This RP picks up right after Zende and Terria flee their home and upon Terria's second birthday. Over their adventures, both siblings wil be tested both emotionally and physically and their struggle for life and their sibling bonds will be put to the ultimate test. What will happen in the long run? Stay tuned to find out!

Character Line Up: (Note: This list will update with each new face that's introduced within the RP however, only Zende and Terria will have actual Character Bios written up for them, unless we see fit to do otherwise for the supporting characters as well.)

Zende: KiarasMate
Terria: NightyByeSparrow
Sliver: KiarasMate

Prominent Locations: (Note: List will be updated as new locations are introduced within the RP)

Sunrise Plateau: Sometimes refered to as SP by Zende and Terria for short, these were their original homelands.
Sliver Springs: A tranquil looking jungle with crystal clear pools of water. Home to an unusually large snake named Sliver who rules over the lands in question.

[KiarasMate]

With his heart still pounding wildly within his chest and having the adrenalin still coursing through his veins from his earlier actions, Zende finally started to slow their break-neck pace as he called out to his younger sister who was running directly in front of him, his voice sounding a bit winded from the intensity of their travel.

”Okay, slow it down a bit Ria, we should be safe now.”

Taking his own advice, Zende’s strides became shorter as he gradually came to a stop within the lush grasslands that they had been running through for the past several hours nonstop under the cover of darkness. Panting heavily and looking quite worse for wear as his fore paws and chest were still spackled with dry blood, Zende finally took a first look behind him, towards the direction to which the siblings had come from. With the very first rays of light beginning to swallow up the dark night sky above, Sunrise Plateau was barely even visible from where the two were at now, gone with it, were the graphic memories that still seemed burned upon the back of Zende’s eyelids as he shook his head to try and clear his thoughts while he caught his breath. Turning back to face his sister now, noting how tired she looked, as well as the very apparent worry upon her face from their sudden departure from their once peaceful homelands, Zende knew that he had a lot of explaining to do but now just wasn’t the right time for such things. Gaining his own composure back now, Zende spoke in a softer, more gentle voice to Terria as he tried to reassure her that everything would be okay.

”Look Ria, I know this all must seem really scary for you right now but I promise that we’re going to be okay. You do trust me, don’t you? I would never let anything bad happen to you. Now that Mother and Father are gone, we only have each other to depend on. The most important thing is for us to try and get as far away from SP as possible. Who knows what those humans have planned. We can’t ever go back there. Do you understand me Ria?”

In his haste to get his sister to leave their homelands with him, Zende had lied to her and pit Hekima’s death on the humans that resided down by the river bank near their home. While this would seem farfetched in the fact that for the past eight seasons or so, there never had even been a single confrontation between Zende’s family and the humans, Zende could be very persuasive and convincing when he needed to be and truly needing his sister in his life, telling a little white lie wasn’t anything below what Zende was willing to do in order to stay by her side. Giving himself a quick examination, noting the small traces of his father’s blood that stained his pelt and paws, Zende looked around their surrounding area as he stated in a thoughtful tone.

”We should try and find a waterhole Ria. I look like death itself after trying to save Father’s lifeless body. Plus we both could use a drink. You look like you’re about to collapse. C’mon, you know the deal, you take lead.”

Waiting for his sister to react, as Zende always traveled with her in front, this way, he could always keep an eye on her, lessening the chances of her coming to any harm, Zende took one last regretful glance behind him back towards the blotch on the horizon that was Sunrise Plateau, before turning his focus back to Terria as he waited for her to move.

[NightyByeSparrow]

Terria looked back at her older brother's face, which still looked somewhat like a huge shadow that loomed across the sunrise at this point. Part of her was absolutely bewildered by the news Zende was feeding her now about her father. But at this rate, the young lioness would most definitely collapse by the time she was even in definite sight of Sunrise Plateau again. Plus, her brother and therefore only hope seemed desperate to escape. But unlike her brother, she didn't glance back at her homeplace.

"Whatever you say, Zen." The words almost felt like giving in, but as long as Terria was close to water and rest at this point, that was all that mattered to her. She slowly and exhaustedly led the way and started to trod on sore paws that she could hardly feel each time they touched the ground.

However, many questions still filled her mind about her father's passing away. After what assumed to be the peacefulness that had lasted between human and lion on her old home for seasons now, something still didn't seem right about the entire thing. Terria quickly came to mind of a question, but it became extremely obvious to her that he didn't want to talk about last night. However, she still stopped in her tracks for a second and looked back at Zende again to blurt out the very next question that came to her mind.

"Where are we going to live now? We can't travel forever.." she said while seeming to stare at the ground, not wanting to look at her brother. Terria desperately hoped that her brother would, by mere luck, have any intelligence of the surrounding lands at this point. But what were those odds?

Terria shook herself up to her feet once more as she walked, her eyes scanning left and right for any change of water. As long as she had her Zende next to her, she might have hope.

[KiarasMate]

Following behind Terria closely, his mind still a jumble of the past events, Zende was caught slightly off guard by his younger sister’s comment as she came to a rather abrupt stop in front of him, causing the dazed male to skid to a stop so that he didn’t collide with her. Thinking over what she had stated to him, Zende finally responded in a confident voice, although he himself wasn’t entirely sure of what their future would hold for them now that both their parents were gone and they were on their own.

”I wish I knew what to tell you right now Ria, but I’m just as confused about this whole situation as you are. I know we can’t wander around forever but the one thing I do know is that we can’t stay here. Keep going.”

Giving his sister’s side a gentle nudge with his fore paw to get her to move once more, Zende waited for her to continue along their way before he resumed speaking to her, trying his best to shed a bit of light upon their current predicament as well as to lend a bit of comfort to her as well.

”I know things will work out for us Ria. They always do. If there’s one thing you need to understand, it’s that Mother and Father taught us well. We’re strong and we can survive as long as we stick together. You know that they will always be a part of us too, even if they are gone. Just as long as you keep their memories close to your heart.”

Sighing softly, Zende fell quiet as he trailed after his sister, his eyes finally beginning to survey the surrounding area to try and pinpoint their exact location. While he and his father didn’t always see eye to eye, Hekima made certain that his son was well versed in the surrounding lands and while he and his family never traveled too far outside the borders of Sunrise Plateau, Zende was still quite knowledgeable when it came to the neighboring territories. Hoping to put this knowledge to some good use, Zende thought back to his lessons with his father as he kept up a steady pace to keep up with his sister as the two continued to look for a source of water.

[NightyByeSparrow]

Not wanting to cause any sort of disagreement between her and her brother at the moment, Terria simply forced a loving smile at Zende and looked back at the direction which was currently "forward" for her. Without even bothering to look at grass-covered ground and most definitely not looking back at the long-gone-from-sight Sunrise Plateau, Terria quickly took in her brother's helpful words, nodded to herself, and pressed on forward. She still had no idea where he was going, and so did her brother. However, he was right, they couldn't stay here. Terria raced on to nowhere, her legs and heart throbbing as her quest for water and shelter became more urgent than ever.  

As she ran, every few minutes Terria would take a glance at either side of her to see what else the surrounding areas lay. Eventually came what seemed to be a huge line of tall and rather tropical-looking trees one side of her and Zende. After a while, she seemed to figure out something, even though she didn't know much about geography; where there were trees, there should be life. And where there is life, there must be water. 

Once she realized this fact, Terria's speed slowed down until eventually, she came to a halt. So her brother wouldn't kindly nudge for her to move on again, she spoke first. 

"Zen, I think I've found a place where we've finally found the water we needed. See those tall trees to the left?"  Terria paused to make sure Zende was paying attention to where she planned to go.

"Follow me, okay?" 

Terria then went into the trees, keeping a steady pace so that she wouldn't disappear in the eyes of her brother. Within several pawsteps, she was sure that she had made a good choice. The trees were a bit shorter than she had pictured originally, but still at a good height. Mostly everything around her had a bright color to it. Soft chirps of other creatures filled the air. She felt that her mother and father were guiding her, from the sky or wherever they were. With every pawstep she took, the more confidence she had in finding water. 

[KiarasMate]

Shadowing his sister, Zende too, took in their changing surroundings as the siblings continued along their way. Coming to another halt, this time, at a more steady pace, Zende listened to what Terria was telling him. Following her gaze towards the distant patch of trees, the observant male nodded and responded in a proud tone.

”Looks good to me Ria. If anyone can find us water, it’s you Sis.”

Picking up the pace once more, Zende followed Terria deeper into the dense jungle that now seemed to envelop the siblings. While it was a rather peaceful looking environment, there was something that just didn’t settle right with Zende. Trying his best to recall his father’s lessons about the surrounding lands, although not being able to think of much other than what had happened the previous night, Zende couldn’t quite put his paw on what exactly kept sending shivers up his spine the further they traveled into these unfamiliar lands.

As the pair worked their way deeper into the thick jungle, Zende’s nose finally picked up the scent of fresh running water, causing his muzzle to salivate at the prospects of a cool drink. Moments later, his onyx eyes caught sight of a crystal clear pool of water, evoking a satisfied growl to leave his throat as he quickly dashed up to the tranquil waters and hurriedly dunked his muzzle deep into the refreshing liquid, lapping mouth full after mouth full of the cold fluid down.

Once his thirst was quenched, Zende went about the task of washing off the blood from his pelt and paws, all the while, keeping an observant eye over his sister as she enjoyed a drink from the lucid waters. Splashing a jet of water over his face with his paws, Zende closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to clear his thoughts. As Zende opened them and peered down into the clear pool, his eyes widened as the reflection staring back up at him was not that of his own, but of a rather disturbing image of his father’s face, shortly after Zende had ended his life, his thick claw still protruding out from the base of his neck. Quickly scrambling away from the pool, Zende rubbed his eyes with a fore paw, a look of disbelief clearly etched upon his face as he felt his heart rate picking up once more.

[NightyByeSparrow]

Just mere moments after Terria noticed a sort of gleam in Zende's eye, she followed behind her brother to see what he also saw. She almost couldn't believe her eyes; a crystal-clear pool of water, right there in front of her. At first she felt hesitant to walk up to it; what if it was just a mirage? But as Zende seemed so sure of its reality, that Terria mild-mannerly walked up to the pool and took a sip. As tired as she was, she immediately began to drink more out of the pool. She felt relaxed, collected.

Once she had her fill of water, Terria lifted her head up from the clear water, to see where her brother was now. Sure enough, Zende was still at the pool, but with a strange new look on his face, that Terria didn't seem to comprehend.

"Water taste funny or something?" Terria said with a small laugh and a smile as she walked over to Zende's side, trying to add a bit of humor to this situation.

As she waited for Zende's response, she looked back behind her where some young shrubs were growing. Behind them, she heard a highly unusual sort of rustling sound coming from behind her. She had never heard something even remotely similar to that sound before. It didn't seem like something she'd normally explore, but refreshed from her drink, she turned around and eyed the shrub, wondering if she'd manage to find a meal there.

[KiarasMate]

Trying to clear his mind from the horrid image that he had just seen, or at least, he thought he had seen within the surface of the water, Zende placed a fore paw over his forehead and responded to his younger sister’s inquiry in a calm voice.

”No, just, um, a little tired from all the running is all Ria. No worries, kay?”

Taking a deep breath with both his eyes closed, Zende slowly opened them, only to spot Terria looking away towards some nearby shrubs. A bit confused by what was so interesting about them enough to grab his sister’s attention, Zende stated in a joking manner as he rose to his paws.

”You gotta go or something Ria? You’re looking at that bush like it’s heaven or something.”

It wasn’t until Zende’s eyes noticed the small rustling of the blades of grass around the shrubs, did he catch on to what had grabbed Terria’s focus. Making his way over to his sibling’s side, Zende flashed her a curious expression as he exclaimed in a thoughtful voice.

”Something’s watching us it would Seem. Stay alert Ria.”

Turning his attention towards the swaying shrubs, Zende spoke up in a bold tone as he took a step towards the moving bushes. ”Whoever’s there, you might as well show yourself. We aren’t here to cause trouble so there’s no need to…”

Just as Zende was saying this, the head of a snake popped out from the shrubs to which both siblings were staring at, it’s tongue flickering from it’s mouth as its rounded eyes locked upon both felines. While the shrubs still covered the majority of the snake’s body, or at least, from what was visible from Zende and Terria’s perspective, it didn’t seem obvious that this serpent was anything out of the ordinary.

As the snake’s head suddenly appeared, Zende flinched slightly as he halted in his tracks, immediately reverting back to the lesson his father had taught him about snakes. Keeping one eye glued upon the serpents every movement, while the other stayed averted, just in case the slithery creature would try something funny, Zende spoke up once more, a hint of annoyance clear in his voice.

”A snake? Why would you be spying on us? Snakes don’t eat lions, from what I know at least.”

Rolling its eyes, the bothered serpent hissed profusely as it spoke in a raspy manner.

”Ssstupid lion. You know nothing, do you? Thisss is my landsss and you two don’t belong here.”

Turning to face Terria momentarily, Zende couldn’t help but to let an amused chuckle leave his muzzle as he exclaimed in a curious fashion.

”Snake’s ruling over lands? Now I’ve heard it all Ria. Please pinch me, cause I must be dreaming.”

Looking rather infuriated by Zende’s reaction to what had been said, the lone snake’s eyes narrowed as it rose higher into the air, more of it’s body becoming visible as brightly colored patterns of red, black and yellow coursed across its scaly body. Adopting a much more hostile tone, the riled serpent spoke again.

”Sssomething funny boy?”

Turning his gaze back to the strange creature, Zende shook his head as he tried to compose himself before replying in an apologetic manner, although his words were still laced with sarcasm.

”No, not at all, it’s just, why should we be intimidated by you and what exactly did we do to piss you off so badly?”

Hearing Zende’s question, the curious looking serpent fell silent as it just stood there, its eyes locking onto Terria seemingly for the first time as a crafty looking smile seemed to form around it’s scaly lips.

[NightyByeSparrow]

Seriously, why even bother to ask? You know he won't even bother to give you a proper answer. "Oh, uh, well, okay," Terria muttered, too low under her breath for her brother to hear her properly. Even after Zende had noticed her sudden interest in a bush, she refused to say anything more, even a simple shrug or a witty comment shot back at Zende. Part of her didn't know where or who to turn to anymore, with everything wrong that seemed to be going on in her life right now...

Finally, the two of them both got caught into the eyes of the snake. She seemed to know exactly what kind of animal it was, but she didn't know from where. However, she did have the horribly increasing notion that this snake could be dangerous. As Zende debated even more and more with Sliver, she knew that there would be more to bring him down then smushing him with her strong forepaws.

Terria's eyes met into Sliver's. Obvious fear began to pulse in her veins, like never before. She knew she had to do something. But what? This was by far one of the largest yet longest creatures she had ever seen. And if he ruled the lands, like the big mouth said he did, would he have an army of other snakes beside him? She would been hugely outnumbered at that point.

"You heard him. What do we need to do?" she said harshly, her eyes narrowing so that she didn't have to look deep into his eyes yet again.

I don't know what to do anymore. Mother, Father, help me please...

[KiarasMate]

Holding his stare upon Terria for a moment, his beady eyes scanning the young lioness as if to try and decipher just what exactly she was thinking, Sliver soon turned his focus back to Zende as he now had both felines undivided attention. Hearing Terria’s remark, the sly snake scowled as he hissed back at her in a menacing voice.

”Ssshut it Lioness! You will not ssspeak to me in such a manor! Don’t you know who I am?”

Beginning to feel quite bothered by this rude creature, especially with the tone of voice it had taken up with his sister, Zende chimed in quickly, fielding the question that had been posed to Terria as his dark red claws started to dig into the dirt below him, signifying his annoyance with the situation.

”Obviously you’re not very important, as we have no damn clue who you are but we don’t have to sit here and take your crap, just because we stopped for a drink in your so called lands.” Turning to his sister, Zende continued speaking. ”C’mon Ria, let’s go before this idiot says something he’ll regret.”

As Zende turned around to leave, Sliver’s voice seemed to boom out as the massive serpent finally revealed the entire length of his body, his seemingly never ending frame quickly coiling around the two felines, trapping them in a mass of scales and coils. Raising his head high, so he could glance down at the two trapped siblings within his grasp, Sliver jeered at both Zende and Terria as he spoke up once more in a confident manner.

”Sssee what you made me do now? If I want to, all I need to do is sssqueeze the life out of your pathetic bodies. That isss, if I want to torture you two. I could always just bite your headsss off and let my venom ssslowly decay your worthless being. Which option sssoundsss better to murder you two with?”

Zende was a bit taken aback by Sliver’s gigantic size. Never in his lifetime, had he seen such a lengthy creature and the fact that he and his sister were suddenly surrounded by the mass of Sliver’s body, only infuriated the agitated male further. About to lunge at the nearest part of Sliver’s frame, Zende seemed to freeze up as the word ”murder” rang through his ears, once more, causing the horrid images of his father’s lifeless body to come into view again. Quickly shutting his eyes to try and clear his mind, Zende hesitated on what to do, leaving Terria to fend for herself for the moment as he struggled with his own thoughts.