[Closed] Kopa's Captivity

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini was about to take off after her dad when she saw Kopa's tear falling down again. Again she felt bad for him, even though she didn't know exactly how he felt, but she could see he wasn't feeling too good. With an urge need to comfort him she walked up to him spoke. Trying not to sound irritating, her caring side kicking in. "Why don't you swim a little?" she asked him, "it always makes me feel better." Turning her back on him and facing the waterhole, she nodded him to join as he jumped next to her dad

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga listened to Kopa's talk about missing his mum and dad, and never getting to say goodbye to them, and his heart broke for the young cub as he felt his own eyes swim with tears. Tanga had never been ashamed to admit that he was a rather emotional lion...it was one of the traits the previous leader had said was the reason he had been chosen to succeed him.

Rather than looking at Kopa, Tanga turned his gaze skyward, looking up at the bright blue sky and the rolling clouds, letting his mind wander back to the past. He had hoped he would be able to delay his story, but Kopa needed some assurance that his situation was not unique, that others had been through what he was going through. "I know you miss them, Kopa. It would be impossible for you not to, especially since they sound like such a nice lot." His gaze held on the sky as he felt the tears build further, very close to breaking. "I miss my family, too, Kopa."

He shuffled slightly in his position, making sure that Marini was still by his side, before continuing. "When I first came here, Kopa, I was like you. I was older than you are now when I was brought here, but I had come from another pride, and I had friends, and family. I've lost all that...for two years, I've wondered what happened to my old pride. Every day I've been here, I have wondered about my old home, and how they are doing without me..." he momentarily lost his voice as he lost himself in the emotion of the moment, feeling a single tear sliding down his cheek.

"When I first arrived here, I wanted nothing more than to escape and make my way back home. For days and days I searched this land, trying to find a way to get past these cliffs that surround us. I would not stop, and I would not give up."

He finally brought his gaze down, staring Kopa directly in the eye, not bothering, or even trying, to hide the water in his eyes. "I know how you feel, Kopa. And while I'm not sure what I can do to help you, I want you to know that I'm here to help you as best I know how. Heshima and Marini will be all too happy to help you, as well. The next few days will be hard, but know that you are not alone...and I for one will do everything I can to help you."

Even though he was not consciously controlling his expression, Tanga knew that it would instinctively show his sincerity and concern. He was concerned for the cub in front of him...several lions, including Heshima, told him he was a natural parent...and despite his general sense of modesty, he knew that Kopa here was proof of that. He wanted the cub to feel safe, to know that, even though he had been seperated from his family, that his present company did care for him, and would help him out as best they could.

"Kopa, if you want something, do not be afraid to ask. If you want to be alone for a bit, just say so and I'll leave you. I just want to help."

[KiarasMate]

Kopa's heart ached even more as he heard the sound of Marini's sweet voice drifting towards him. She sounded so kind, yet the distraught young male couldn't bring himself to taking her up on her offer to simply go back and swim some more while forgetting about his thoughts. As much as it pained him to refuse, Kopa shook his head before replying to Marini in a trembling tone, his eyes averted from her stare so she wouldn't bare witness to him crying.

”No thanks Rini. You go and have fun without me. I'm just not feeling good right now, sorry.”

Tanga was the next to speak up as Kopa continued to try and compose himself, his tears lessening as he listened to what the black maned lion was telling him. Understanding that Tanga himself had been in his exact situation at some point in time, Kopa began to relate to what Tanga was stating, his words obviously having the desired effect upon the young male. Drying his eyes one last time with his fore paw, Kopa met with Tanga's gaze, his watery looking eyes staring deeply into the larger male's blue orbs. Noting the genuine sincerity within Tanga's look, Kopa managed to pull himself together as his mournful cries faded and were replaced by a weak smile. Glancing up at Tanga with a hopeful expression, Kopa nodded in an understanding fashion as he responded to the black maned lion's comment, his voice gradually steadying itself as he did so.

”Thank you again Sir. I will try and be happy for now.” Rising to his paws, Kopa took a few small steps towards Tanga before adding in a softer voice. ”Do you mind if I..”

Motioning towards Tanga's chest with a nod of his head, Kopa timidly moved himself in next to Tanga, pressing his small body against the much larger male's, feeling his warmth for the first time as his little head rested against Tanga's chest. Listening to the black maned male's heart beat, Kopa seemed to relax as his small frame snuggled in close to Tanga's, finding solace in the large lion's company. Closing his eyes as his breathing stabilized, Kopa spoke up once more to Tanga as he looked up towards him.

”Will the pain ever go away Sir and will my mom and dad ever forgive me for what I did?”

[BlitzRogue]

Arria felt herself almost wanting to apologize again for what she had said after seeing Shani's reaction to her comments. She hadn't meant to condescend or degrade his value as an individual; she only wanted to point out that he could be a little bit less brusque in the way he spoke about Tanga and his mate, even if the words were occasionally justified. The urge passed as Shani's face twisted into an amused smile, though Arria still felt somewhat guilty that she might have gone a bit too far in her accusations.

When Heshima broke away from her mate and daughter, as well as the new cub, Arria prepared herself to greet the "queen", quickly putting behind her previous conversation with Shani. Most of the Enclosure pride knew that Shani wasn't particularly fond of the way Tanga and Heshima ran the pride, but now probably wouldn't be the most opportune time to reveal that she may agree with him, if only to an extent. As it would turn out, there was no real need; Heshima appeared to think better of her approach and instead found her own spot on the outskirts of the area to lay down.

Arria then turned her attention to the other lion now joining the ranks in the vicinity. After Shani pointed him out, she could just make out the longing in his eyes. Arria followed his gaze to the new cub, whom Tanga was now comforting, and felt a stirring curiosity about why Grunge might be looking so uncomfortable. "Hm..." Arria found herself studying Grunge now, carefully checking and rechecking for further signs to confirm her on-the-spot hypothesis.

After a few moments with neither a real conclusion nor a proper disproval, Arria gave up. For the time being. Grunge seemed to have regained his composure and it would be pointless to question him about it; that'd likely only drive him back to his usual seclusion. Slightly counter-productive.

"I reserve my judgement for now," she finally said aloud.

Looking at Shani, half-expecting him to say something similar, Arria realized that she hadn't actually said anything else yet; her investigation had been entirely one-sided and completely inside her head.

"Oh... right. I was thinking. Hehe. Sorry, Shani."

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini waited for Kopa to join her. Even though he tried to hide it, Marini noticed his tears again. Feeling all sad for him she got outside of the water and sat down a few feet away from him and her dad, remembering what she promised to him a few minutes ago.
Marini understood Kopa's need for some affection as he snuggled up next to her dad. His parents were no where to be found after all. She always slept close to her mom or dad when she was scared, mostly when it rained.
As much as she wanted to try and comfort him she kept quiet, feeling like Kopa feels better about talking those things out with her father

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga was a little startled when Kopa gestured towards him, making a vague request. By the time the father figured out the cub's intentions, Kopa was already snuggled against him, obviously drawing comfort from the contact as Tanga put a foreleg hesitantly over the cub, to show that he did not mind Kopa's request one little bit...he and Marini did this all the time.

"Don't be afraid to show how you really feel, Kopa," he said in response to the cub's comment about trying to be happy. "No-one will think any less of you for it, and it is always better to let your feelings out, rather than trying to hide them. I've tried to hide how I truly felt several times...and every time all it has done has made me feel worse."

Then Kopa made the comment about the pain, and his parents' forgiveness, and Tanga knew exactly what he was talking about. "Everyone copes differently with this sort of thing, Kopa. My best guess will be that yes, the pain does go away...but not entirely. Every now and then I have one of those days where I really miss my family, but it helps to remember that I have a new family here," he gave Marini a warm smile at that, before continuing. "Just try and think of something nice about this place every day, and I'm sure you'll do fine."

"As for your parents...I'm sure that there is nothing for you to be sorry about. No-one ever comes here on purpose, Kopa, and I'm sure you have your reasons for ending up here. I'm certain beyond a doubt that if your parents knew what you had been through, they would tell you that there is nothing to be sorry about."

He thought about what Kopa had told him about his parents, and realised that there was probably one more thing to add. "And I'm also sure that if they could see you now, that they would be extremely proud of you. For someone so young, you have handled today far better than most would expect. I was an adult when I came here, and I must admit, I think I cried non-stop for a whole week before I started to settle in." Tanga grinned at Kopa, showing that his comment was deliberately light-hearted, and exaggerated, but the compliment within it was honest and true, as well.

It was at this point that Tanga looked up, and noticed Shani and Arria watching them nearby, with Grunge also looking on a little off to the side. "Well, it looks like most of the pride knows you're here now, Kopa." He gave the cub another warm smile, hoping to reassure him before he got too nervous. "Remember, meeting the pride is up to you. I will have to tell them about your arrival this evening...but you don't have to meet any of them until you are ready. I might be the leader of this place, but as a new guest, it's up to you what you do."

[KiarasMate]

As Tanga's words permeated his being, Kopa stayed cuddled up against the large lion's chest, his head resting lightly upon Tanga's soft fur with one ear listening to the calming sound of the black maned male's heart beat, while the other picked up upon what was being said. Hearing Tanga's comment about how his parents might be feeling about him, Kopa's facial expression shifted into a hopeful look as the young cub glanced up to meet with the older male's stare. Tanga's compliment had seemed to re-instill courage back into the youngster as Kopa made one more pass over his eyes with his fore paw to dry them completely before dawning a genuinely appreciative looking smile up at his company. Speaking up to Tanga in a gracious voice, Kopa moved his head towards one of the large lion's fore paws, giving it a friendly nuzzle to show just how thankful he was for what Tanga had just done for him.

”You really think so Sir? Thank you. That helps so much. I always want my mom and dad to be happy cause I love them so much. I don't ever want to lose them. Thinking for a moment, Kopa added in a sincere tone. ”You remind me a lot of my dad Sir. You're so nice and caring. Marini is very lucky to have such a wonderful dad.”

At around the same time Tanga had noticed that there was a small audience around them now, not too far from where the trio were laying, Kopa followed Tanga's gaze and noticed the onlookers as well. Even though he started to feel slightly nervous once more with having three new unfamiliar faces staring down at him, Tanga's words still rang clearly in his head, allowing Kopa to maintain his composure as he gradually rose to all fours and took a few steps back from Tanga, still making sure not to stray too far from the black maned male's side though. Looking from one new feline to the next, Kopa did his best to try and gain an impression of the strangers who stood in front of him now, his curious eyes scanning over each individual in turn before the young cub turned his attention back to Tanga upon hearing the older lion's remark. Taking note of Marini, who was still hanging around not too far from where he was standing, Kopa swallowed hard before making up his mind. Padding himself over to where the cream colored cub was, Kopa spoke up to Tanga as he stood bravely alongside his daughter.

”I think I'll be okay Sir. I would like to meet the rest of your pride, as long as they are nice of course.” Glancing over to Marini, Kopa addressed the young lioness in a hopeful voice. ”Will you come with me Rini while your dad introduces me to the others?”

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini smiled slightly at Kopa words. She did love her dad alot, he always looked after her.
"Sure." Rini answered simply with a smile and followed her dad

[Mike]

"Alright," Shani said, glancing curiously at Arria, "Whatever you say. If we have to do this though we might as well get it over with." Shani turned away, shaking his head discretely. That was Arria alright, and that was okay with him. What had she meant about reserving judgment? It wasn' something he'd have expected Arria to say. Arria, who was usually so accepting, often blindly so, was not someone he'd think would be overly concerned with judgment.

With Heshima retreating alone, it was up to Shani and Arria to go join Tanga by themselves. Shani began to pad off, sparing a glance over his shoulder as he did so to check if Arria was following. "You coming?" he said, hopefully nudging her out of any lingering daydreams. Not that Shani could fault anyone for daydreaming, but he could be an impatient lion when dealing with others that slowed him down.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga smiled, only just resisting the urge to pull Kopa into a bone-crushing bear-hug as the little cub nuzzled his paw, and voiced his thanks. But when he added the comment about him relating to Kopa's own father, Tanga had to fight to keep his voice level. "Thanks, kid...that means a lot. I'll have to hear some stories about your home one day. And trust me, I'm the lucky one for having Marini as my daughter." He gave a wink to the little lioness in question, smiling at her as Kopa got to his feet, showing just how much inner strength he had by holding himself together in the face of such overwhelming change and uncertainty.

His parents would be so proud of him, Tanga mentally repeated as Kopa commented on the new pride members he was currently watching. The Kings Above know I already am. Tanga once again could not help but openly laugh as Kopa made the comment about the rest of the pride being nice. "'As long as they are nice'?" he repeated, still laughing. "I'll have to talk to a few of them before you meet them, then." He looked back up at where Arria and Shani were, noting that they were already making their way towards him...or at least Shani was, Arria seemed to have slipped off into her own world...again.

He decided it would probably be best to meet up with Shani before he got too close to Kopa, and attempt to get him to control his usual...bluntness. Tanga knew that Shani was not in any way a bad lion, it was more that he had no inhibitions regarding speaking his mind about others. He tended to make a habit of insulting others, which would not do Kopa any good at this point in time. Tanga just hoped the lion would listen to him today. Shani did not seem to respect him as much as the others. Tanga had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the way he lead the pride, but without any proof, he could not be certain.

It was two steps later that Tanga turned back to Kopa. "Just stay with Marini for a bit, Kopa...I need to talk to this lion before he meets you." He gestured towards Shani as he spoke, before giving Kopa one last smile. "And by the way, I respect your politeness, but I prefer to be called Tanga...or whatever nickname you might come up with for me." With that, he turned back, and walked slowly up to Shani.

He gave the lion a polite, respectful nod of greeting as he sat down in front of the lion. "Afternoon, Shani," he greeted. "Come to say hello to our newest visitor?"