.:Orphaned:. Vissna's Past

[Angela]

.:Orphaned:.
Vissna's Past

Fear. It was the emotion felt by the new parents as a looming shadow wandered into their home. With it came the leader of their pride, a strong male of foul personality.
"You still haven't done it? I ordered you to get rid of them and you failed to comply. I suppose I'll just have to do it for you." He hissed, a sneer spreading accross his rude featured face.
A roar of protest came from the father and he leapt at the larger male. The battle that ensued was harsh. In the end, only one prevailed.
"Now, that's a little sad. All we have left is a widow with no cubs to remeber her late mate by. Tsk, tsk."
He crept closer to the female and her cubs, a wicked smile illustrating his complete pleasure.
"No! Leave us alone!" She leapt at the male, only to be thrown back immeadiately. He gave her a slash through the eyes, ruining her sight in a single stroke.
"That will teach you to interfere."
Little did he know, her lashing out was just to distract him from her hiding a cub behind her fallen mate. She had only managed one, but at least she had him. He looked very much like his father and would keep the memory alive.
With the father dead and the mother unconcious, the King took the opportunity to slaughter the cubs.

In the morning, the mother awoke. She was dizzy and aching from being thrown against the stone walls, but she had to see if he was okay. A sigh of relief.
She scooped up the little male and crept out of her home, ignoring the pain as best she could. The pride was still asleep and she managed to make it out without alerting anyone. Once clear, she ran. She ran as if the brute was chasing after her and her surviving cub, hunting her down. She ran for days, nonstop. Finally, when she could run no more, she stopped to rest in the thick savannah brush.
"Vissna....Vissna, keep his memory alive. Be your father's son. Be Vissna."

A months later, the damage from the battle became clear. It had taken this long for the damage to take its toll, but she couldn't take the pain any longer.
"Vissna..." He gave her a concerned look and rushed to her side. He was much older now, and definately much like his father. He had gotten his mother's mahogany in places, though. It was quite the contrast on the dark silver.
"Vissna, my amulet. Take it...give it to...your irst born son..."
"But mother, why? And what if I have no sons?"
"...to your mate, then. Take care...and never let anyone tell you that they deserve something that is...rightfully...yours..."
"Mother!" She was gone.
He decided that she would be better off going to the trees than being eaten by scavengers. Vissna toiled long and hard to dig beneath a tree on the savannah that they had made their home. He carefully lifted his mother's body and buried it beneath the tree.

Vissna still returns to the Mother Tree, as he calls it. It brings him hope when it seems to all haev been lost.