“Nobody has reached the top of that damn tower!”
Gil sat in a rather questionable bar sipping a glass of expensive wine. The bittersweet red liquid almost seemed like blood in the crystal like glass. While the wine was expensive it still wasn't able to meet Gil's insanely high standards. Under normal circumstances he preferred to drink in silence or rather by himself, but he had to admit that he was rather intrigued as to what some of the nearby men were talking about. The men themselves, sat at the other end of the bar’s counter. They were middle aged, and seemed to be all scratched up and worn out. Each of the three men, had a glass of golden beer in front of them as they sat chattering amongst themselves. All Gil had heard was bits and pieces of their conversation but it was intriguing to say the least. They kept talking about some tower of sorts.
“I don’t think anyone can reach the top of that tower! We’re lucky we got out of there with our lives!”
Spoke one of the men, he seemed to be the younger of the three, with dark brown hair and a clean shaven face unlike the other two. Before the other two men could reply to their companion they were cut off by a loud laugh. Gil’s laugh to be more specific. It was loud, and it came from deep within his chest. He was so amused that he threw his head back and nearly spilled his wine.
“Hey what’s so funny over there pretty boy!” One of the bearded men growled, and stood up, his chair clattering to the floor. Gil stopped laughing an amused look on his regal features. He was intentionally trying to provoke the men,
“I’m sure whatever tower you're speaking of can be climbed as long as you don't send mongrels up to do it."
The bearded man lunged drunkenly but Gil avoided it with ease, slipping out of his chair and pushing it towards the man not. Both the chair and bearded man tumbled to the floor, and Gil stood tall and proud with wine glass still in hand, not a single drop of the wine had spilled. An expensive boot smashed itself onto the fallen man's face, the two other men standing up to defend their friend. Those two men soon froze as a hand held itself up to stop them, "I want no trouble." He pressed his foot down the man beneath it grunting. "I just want to know about this supposedly unclimbable tower of yours." Crimson eyes glinted maliciously in the dim lighting of the bar as Gil swirled his wine about in his glass. The tower intrigued him to say the least, though that was simply because it was unclimbable. Which sparked his curiosity and his burning need to simply be the best. "Climbing an unclimbable tower would certainly get me the recognition I deserve." It was almost childish the way he thought but it was hard for him to pass up such an opportunity. Just hearing someone say that ‘nobody’ could do it was almost offensive to Gil, it was as if they were challenging his very greatness. Naturally, of course he would prove them wrong once he found out about this tower. He couldn't climb it if he didn't know anything about it.“The tower? It’s Sky Tower! Stop that please!” One of the men begged as Gil’s foot pressed down harder on their flailing comrade. “Please stop! The top of the tower!” Gil motioned for the man to continue, “There’s a gem there! A beautiful gem that grants you the ability to 'learn with one's master once more'”
Gil removed his foot from the man’s head, and kicked him over to his companions. “I’ve heard all I needed. This gem shall be mine for all beautiful things should be mine.” One of the men in a fit of anger rushed at the blonde haired man but his face soon met with Gil’s wine glass. Wine and glass shattered on to the man's face, “Keep the wine. It’s cheap and befits the likes of you.”
"I hope you die up there!"
Choosing not to respond Gil waltzed out of the bar with his hands buried in his pockets. The gem intrigued him simply because it was supposed to be beautiful as was the tower. If there was one thing Gil adored it was beautiful things. Deciding that not only would he climb the unclimbable tower but he'd also claim the tower and gem for himself. For all beautiful things should be his. The only thing that brought him slight concern was the 'master' business. He had not the faintest idea as to what that was supposed to mean. "No one is my master. I am my own master." The only thing he could think of that might have been above him were the gods but even that was a stretch for Gil. "If that gem let's me meet the gods then I shall show them what a true god should be like. I'll become King of the Gods! I like the sound of that!" The ambitious and somewhat overconfident thought was what marked the beginning of Gil's quest.
~*~
The journey to the tower itself was a rather short one. Gil had summoned a Pegasus to help the journey go by faster. The winged horse only carried him perhaps half of the way and the other half he walked, keeping his crimson gaze focused on the tower in the distance. Even with such a great distance between himself and the tower, he could practically see it clearly as it was the tallest structure around. The men from earlier weren't kidding when they called it beautiful. The structure was incredibly tall but was still pearly white despite having been exposed to the elements for countless years. There was blue marks here and there on the tower making it appear almost Holy and pure. The top of the tower was hidden by fluffy white clouds but Gil had no doubt the top was just as grand as the rest of the tower.
By the time Gil reached his destination the sky was painted with various shades of orange and purple from the setting sun. The white of the tower matched the shades of the sunset making it seem even more gorgeous than before. While it was beautiful Gil paid no mind to it. Instead he had his gaze trained upwards, craning his neck and looking all the way up in an attempt to spot the top of the tower. Crimson eyes couldn't even spot the top, the tower seeming to go on forever into the orange lava like sky. "This is going to be a long climb." Gil sighed and made his way to the large ornately carved doors that served as the entrance to Sky Tower. The doors were made of a dark and polished wood, griffins carved into its surface. Despite also being exposed to the elements the doors seemed to be in perfect condition.
With a bit of effort Gil pushed the doors open, both of them swinging inside as if they were making way for the regal man. With a smirk and a ridiculous amount of confidence, Gil strolled inside as if he owned the place. His footsteps echoed eerily in the completely silent structure. The inside of the structure was completely circular, and was the same shade of white as the exterior. Torches hung from the walls to provide light and they casted a golden glow throughout the strangely empty room. There was a single set of blue stairs that curved along the wall of the tower, creating a never ending spiral that continued as far as the eye could see. The stairs seemed shiny and upon closer inspection it appeared as if they were made out of sapphire. "Stunning." Gil ran his hand along the crystal like railing, not a single spec of dust on it. The doors in which he had entered creaked shut, officially cutting him off from the outside world. Not bothered or startled in the slightest, Gil seemed as confident as ever. "Time to get started I suppose." With that Gil began the long and twisting climb to the top of the tower. Step by step he went, "This is worse than walking up the stairs to Tartarus. What a horribly designed tower!" None the less he continued his legs straining, with nothing but his footsteps and the sound of his breathing for company. He had thought about counting the number of stairs but lost count and patience after a while. Truth be told the walk up to Tartarus seemed to be a walk in the park compared to these stairs. After a while the torches on the wall soon gave way to glowing lacrima that provided much better lighting than before. Their golden glow illuminated the stairs giving them an almost translucent look to the crystal like steps. Despite the beauty the inside of the tower was not perfect. There was various scratches and markings here and there along the climb, even a few splatters of what Gil thought to be blood. It was as if there was a fight of some sorts but whatever had created those markings was no longer there.
Finally, after what felt like hours of walking Gil had to rest. He sat upon the sapphire like stairs. His breathing harsh and ragged but he was alone so he could care less as to what he sounded and looked like. It was only when others were around that he cared about how he held himself as if he had to prove his greatness to them. He leaned against the stairs, trying to get as comfortable as he could on the hard surface. Which was rather difficult considering the steps dug into his back rather painfully. Even after moving up for as long as he has, he seemed to be no closer to the top then before. There were no windows to speak of so Gil was unable to accurately guess as to how long he had been in the tower. With a groan that turned into a growl Gil turned onto his side, the stairs digging into his ribs and sides of his legs. Crimson eyes settled onto the shiny surface of the stairs briefly noting that they weren't actually made out of sapphire but some material that was supposed to be similar. Which angered him even more, "If they were going to make such a grand staircase then they should have made it out of sapphire not some cheap imitation!"
He sat for a few more moments in anger at the stairs and the tower in general. It was rare for Gil to have to exert himself this much. His breathing was now even but his legs were still incredibly sore as was his attitude. "Enough of this idiocy!" Gil growled his voice echoing the word idiocy. "Stop mocking me!" It was as if the tower was mocking him with the way in which it echoed back to him. With another growl Gil felt a burst of magic energy well up within him, ready to be cast.
"I command thee Cheetah to defend and protect your rightful king! Come to my side!" A golden light flashed and on the stairs beside him the spotted feline appeared. Gil could care less about the feline what he cared about was the sudden burst of energy in his legs. "Run!" He commanded the cat before it took off slipping for a moment on the surface of the stairs. Soon enough the large cat grew accustomed to the surface and used its claws to launch itself into a run, going up the spiral staircase as fast as its legs would carry it. Gil let the large spotted cat go first before taking off after it, using the speed he gained from summoning the fast feline. The blonde man took the stairs two at a time using the rail to help pull himself up along the way. His breath was labored but it came out even as if he was a practiced runner. Each step was string and he was as sure footed on the stairs, slipping or falling wasn't a concern noe that he gained the traits of the cat. He couldn't believe he didn't think of this sooner. The large cat never fell too far out of his sight, both of them close in speed. While, Gil could have taken the lead he let the spotted cat stay in front in case of any traps. There was previous signs of battle here and there so in the event that something were to attack it would get the cat first and not Gil. Yet as the two made their way up the seemingly endless flight of stairs it seemed as if they would have no problems reaching the top. Until one of the steps gave out and the cheetah nearly fell through if not for it's claws digging into the hard surface of the step above it. "So that's why those men were all scratched up. They must have fallen." While high up in the tower, directly falling from that high would have killed the men. However with the way the stairs were designed, they would have simply fallen twenty or so feet to the lower stairs of the spiral staircase. "Still a hefty fall." Gil jumped over his recovering feline who had just managed to pull itself up and out of the fallen step. He stopped, letting the large cat go first so it would encounter the falling steps before Gil could. While both he and the cat recovered the steps they stood on began to wobble and both master and servant took off at a run. "Shit!" A single glance back confirmed Gil's suspicions. The steps were disappearing as they went and were beginning to catch up to both Gil and his cat. Luckily a glance up showed Gil that he was close to the top, a light coming from a space above. However with a flash of golden light Gil's cheetah's time had run out and it returned to the world in which it was summoned from. Not only did the cheetah leave but Gil's speed did as well. With a growl of frustration Gil ran as fast he could but soon enough the steps were wobbling beneath his feet. If he fell no there would be no stairs beneath him to break his fall and that would mean certain death. One of the steps beneath him gave out and Gil launched himself forward grabbing for the first thing he could, which was not the blue stairs but rather a pearly white surface. Crimson eyes flickered down to look at the open space beneath him. The glance down caused his heart to quicken. He wasn't afraid if heights but anyone in their right mind would have felt fear at the thought of falling while so high up. Both of Gil's hands dug into the hard surface, straining to pull himself up. His legs flailed out searching for something to brace himself on but there was only air. "Come on!" He grunted slowly and surely pulling himself up. Muscles that had not been used in some time strained to do something that used to be so easy for him. First one elbow got on the hard white surface and then another, next up was his left leg that he swung up, and after that he had managed to pull the rest of him up with ease. For a moment Gil lay there upon the cool surface, staring up at the stars above him, the cool breeze rustling through his mane of hair and drying the sweat on him. Slowly but surely the adrenaline coursed out of his body and for a brief moment the noble man was relaxed. Before another flood of anger washed over him, "That was harder than it should have been!" A scowl appeared on his face as he lay there and prodded over himself worrying if he had gained weight or something. "Pulling myself up should not have been that hard." Perhaps he ought to cut back on the wine consumption.
With effort, Gil stood up, thankful that no one was there to see his rather pitiful and disgruntled state. He took a moment to study his surroundings, the top of the tower was completely flat and had what appeared to be a mural of sorts painted on its surface. “A mural of the sky? Beautiful but silly.” The man thought considering the real sky could be seen if one were to simply look up. He was a little surprised that it was night, he knew he had been in there for a while and the sun had just begun to set when he had entered the place, but still he did not think to make it out to the top in what appeared to be the middle of the night. “All the more reason to take the gem and go. I’m tired of this place.” He glanced about looking for the gem and spotting in a matter of seconds.
Held between two stone griffins was a clear gem, that seemed to almost glow outshining even the stars. “Mine.” Was his first thought and the blonde instinctively moving towards it. It was stunning and he simply had to have it, as all beautiful things were supposed to be his. So completely and utterly focused on the gem’s beauty that he forgot about the phrase that went with it. ‘To learn with one’s master once more’, those words didn’t even cross his mind as he approached it as if he was in a trance of sorts. The magical glow to the gem didn’t raise up any red flags in his mind, all that mattered was that he lay his hand upon its surface and take it for himself.
Gil held his hand out for a brief moment, pausing before his fingertips touched the precious stone. His hand was shaking along with the rest of his body, from excitement or something else he did not know. Gently, as if the stone might shatter if he touched it to hard, he touched the tips of his fingers to its surface. The precious stone was warm and inviting to the touch. Not one to decline an invitation, Gil’s hand clasped about the stone caressing it for a moment before pulling and trying to remove it from between the griffins. The gem didn’t so much as budge so Gil brought both hands about the stone and gave another harsh tug, grunting with the effort. Just as he was about to tug again, bright light bursted from the gem, shining through the cracks between his fingers. The gem was burning in his hand and when Gil went to let go he found that he couldn't. It was only then that he began to feel suspicious of the gem. Once more he tried to pull away but the light from the gem seemed to get brighter, and brighter, its heat nearly bearable, until everything went white.
~*~
Crimson eyes that were previously blinded with light opened up to see darkness. The first thing he noticed was the darkness, the second was the state in which he was in. He couldn’t move a single muscle but felt as if he was floating or rather drifting to be more precise. His first reaction was to panic because he couldn’t move and not being able to move was a terrifying thing to Gil. Control freak didn’t even begin to describe him. Just as quick as the panic came, a sudden wave of relief came to subdue it. With that relief came a feeling of complete safety, and a comforting warmth. Gil knew he should have been suspicious of his sudden change in emotions but he was far too comforted to do so.
Images, thoughts, and memories soon flooded through his mind. Things that he himself couldn’t recall anymore had managed to resurface themselves. Most if not all of the memories that floated through his head were one’s that he hadn’t thought about in years and for good reason. “This isn’t my doing.” Gil himself had no reason to be reminiscing in such a strange scenario. If anything he should have been trying to figure out how to get out of wherever he was. “I was on top of the tower and then the gem and the light….” Yet just trying to think those thoughts were becoming a struggle for him. It felt as if something was going through his head, digging through memories and other useless things, searching for something.
That was when the gem appeared in front of him, it’s shiny clear surface seemed to glint even though there was no light around for it to do so. “That things the cause of all of this. It’s looting through my head.” It was a rather sleepy thought, his crimson eyes trying to stay open as he suddenly felt drowsy. He remained awake long enough to see a magic circle of sorts come from the green gem but after that he could not say what had happened.
~*~
“Gah!” He grunted as his back met with the hard surface of….the earth? Gil rolled over on to his side, rubbing his back through his black t-shirt. When he opened his eyes he saw dirt and dead parched grass. On top of that he felt the heat of the blazing hot sun above him. “What?” Last he recalled he was on top of…..some sort of tower? What was its name again? Wasn’t it supposed to be nighttime? With a groan Gil’s hands were brought up to his head. It felt like his head was about to split open, “I must have a massive hangover. When was the last time I got such a bad one?” He was able to recall exactly when his last hangover had occurred. It seemed the only thing he couldn’t recall was where and what he had been doing the night before. “My name is Gil Vessalius. I’m one of the nine pillars of Tartarus. I’m a King and a mage.” He spoke aloud and to himself as he pushed himself up and off of the ground examining his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of Savannah, tall dead grass and dirt was what made up his surroundings. There were a few trees scattered off in the distance but they were skinny things. "Why on earth am I in the middle of a savannah?" He groaned once again trying to recall where he had been the night before. As he tried to remember a sudden pain shit through his head causing the man to wince and groan again. "I'm pretty sure I was not here last night but..." He pinched the bridge of his nose the headache feeling worse the more he tried to think about the previous night. It didn't help that the sun seemed to be glaring down at him only adding more to his mental pain.
Before Gil could make his way towards the tree’s for cover from the sun, some inner instinct told him to stop. The tall grass behind him rustled and not from the wind. Gil froze, straining his ears and listening for any sound that alerted him to another presence. There was no sound of movement so Gil turned around. “How silly of me as if there would be anything out here-” The thought was cut short as something slammed itself into Gil.
His back met with dirt of the earth one more, a hefty weight atop of him. His breath was knockednoutnof him and the blonde struggled to find his breath again. Claws dug into the earth by his head and a ferocious roar was let loose in his face. Rows upon rows of sharp white teeth glared at the crimson man. Then like that the grisly sight disappeared and a white muzzle took its place, then the muzzle backed off and turned into a face, to be more specific a lions face. It’s fur was white, it’s mane an even whiter color, and its eyes a red that rivaled even Gils. It took the blonde a moment before recognition broke out across his features. “You pesky old cat! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” He sat up with a frown and the large cat seemed to frown back at him. “Don’t look at me like that.” Gil commanded, feeling almost uncomfortable with the lions gaze. The two held eye contact for a moment more before the lion huffed causing Gil to roll his eyes. “I’ll have you know I’m a King!” He responded to the lion who in turn made a grunting noise. “I’m not some cub!” Gil growled between clenched teeth, regretting his ability to understand animals, especially to understand this particular animal. “I have plenty of ability to backup my words! How dare you call me a dog!” Gil was practically seething now while the white lion more or less seemed amused. The blonde man couldn’t recall the last time he had been so angered, it was completely unlike him. “I command thee tiger-” Gil cut himself off his crimson eyes widening with realization. “My magic….It’s not…” He couldn’t bring forth any magic. He could feel it, he had the mana to summon any of his creatures, but for whatever reason he simply couldn’t.
The lion made a noise again and Gil turned towards it listening and watching intently. “What do you mean ability without magic-” The lion pounced once again knocking Gil down to the earth and the air went out of him for the second time that day. He was stunned for a brief moment but the anger came flooding back and he was clawing right back at the lion on top of him. Both, he and lion tumbled around on the ground. Gil used all of his strength digging his hands into fur and mane, far too angry to realize that the lion’s own teeth and claws were barely knicking him, the large beast obviously holding quite a bit back.
The two of them rolled about in the dirt, wrestling each other for hours, each trying to assert dominance over the other. Neither seemed to gain an upper hand despite the best of Gil’s efforts. Until finally both human and lion lay panting in the dirt, the sun setting above them. Unlike usual Gil looked as if he was a complete disaster. His shirt was all but torn away by the lions claws, he had tiny scratches and bruises here and there, and his own blonde mane had fallen out of its usually slicked back state its golden strands pointing this way and that. The lion on the other hand didn’t so much as have a scratch on it, though there could have been a bruise or two hidden under its white fur. A white muzzle nuzzled itself into Gil’s shoulder before licking at a scratch there. “Gross! Don’t lick someone such as myself!” Teeth bit at Gil’s skin hard enough to draw blood and like a wounded cub Gil was quick to apologize, “Ouch! Shit! Sorry!” As if it understood the lion gave an apologetic lick to the newly formed wound. The two lay there for a long while in silence till the setting sun had gone away and was replaced with the pure silver light of the moon. “Why are you here? Why am I here?” Gil finally spoke up, moving from the dirt to rest his back against the white fur of the lion. He fit perfectly into the noble beasts side, and both man and beast seemed completely used to the acton. The lion huffed once more and Gil closed his eyes, “To prepare me for my master. You mean the Gods? I’ll show them a thing or two.” The lion flicked its tail out and hit him right in the face, “Ow!” He rubbed at his nose, “My magic master? You’re the one who taught me my magic.” The lion yawned and then made another noise that Gil interpreted, “Oh yes. Passed down through the bloodline. Yada, Yada, Yada! Who cares about the bloodline! I learned all I need already!” He was smacked in the face once more by the lions tail. “Would you stop that!?” Gil huffed and buried himself farther into the lions side and the lion yawned, Gil following suit. The last thing the blonde recalled before falling asleep was the warm vibrations of the lions pur lulling him into sleep and almost fond memories.
~*~
The next day Gil awoke on the same dirt and dead grass rideen ground that he had fallen asleep to. The only thing missing was the lion that he had fallen asleep with. "Disgusting." He wrinkled his nose as he brushed as much of the dirt off of him as he could. His shirt was in tatters so he simply threw it off, his pants remained though even those had countless tears in them from the lion's claws. "When was the last time my back hurt this much?" Gil wondered as he stretched, numerous popping sounds coming from his spine. "This is why I prefer feather beds-" A familiar weight slammed into Gil once more and he went tumbling forward. Both lion and man rolled the dirt and grass, clawing at each other, one more playfully than the other of course. The two did not stop until Gil found himself rolling headfirst into a river of sorts.
"Ah!" The lion jumped off of him and onto the bank watching the human with an amused look. "Would a good morning have killed you?" Gil frowned and waddled towards the bank awkwardly. Black wet pants and boots clung to his skin making him feel more than a little uncomfortable. Unfortunately when Gil made a move to go back to the shore the lion stood in his way. "Move!" Gil commanded but the white lion stared back at him refusing to do so. The blonde man took a few steps to the right, the lion mirroring him. "Really?" Gil made a move to charge at the beast but it simply headbutted him sending the human flying back into the water. "Fine! I'll bath in this disgusting river!" One boot flew at the lion and then another, and a pair of water ridden pants soon followed. Gil looked at the murky water with a frown standing in it with nothing but his dark grey boxers on. The mage preferred showers over baths, he himself hated baths. He loved being clean and prided himself in his appearance but he disliked large amounts of water whether it be tub water or the murkyness of the river. "Ugh!"He did his best to clean himself as much as possible and as quick as possible. He splashed the water up toned arms and legs, bending over to try and throw some water up on his hair as well. Once wet and somewhat clean, the man slicked his hair back in its usual style. As soon as he was done, perhaps a few minutes later, Gil went back to the muddy bank. The only sign that the lion had even been there was the imprints in the soft earth its paws had left. That and the fact that both his boots and pants were no longer there. "Haha very funny! Come out now!" Gil called out to the tall swaying grass but no response came. He waited there for a few more moments before realizing that the lion would not be coming and his pants and boots would not be doing so either. "I hate everything." He grumbled and made his way into the tall grass wincing as his one of his feet stepped on a particularly hard rock. "Ah shit!" Every step was uncomfortable and Gil had no doubt that there would be blisters and cuts there soon enough. "My flawless skin ruined by these beasts." He cursed under his breath and walked aimlessly through the tall grass. As the white lion appeared by his side as silent as a ghost, Gil hardly blinked let alone acknowledged its existence. The two walked side by side until a sudden rumbling caused both of them to pause. "Great now i'm hungry!" He sighed irritation thick in his voice. The lion flickered its red gaze to Gil before making a snorting noise. "Ha! Me? Hunt for food? What do I look like to you?" The lion made another noise. "A hungry human haha very funny." Gil rolled his eyes but soon realized that the lion was indeed being dead serious, “You actually want me to hunt? You do realize it’s been years right?” Another noise, “Of course I can still do it! I’m sure I’m better than you!” Gil huffed, apparently the lion had said something to tick him off.
The two prowled through the tall grasses until the lion suddenly stopped, crouching low to the ground. Gil mimicked the beast, trying to be as silent as possible but a bit of dry grass crunched underneath his feet and the sound of hooves taking off could be heard. The lion snorted and Gil growled, “I’m just warming up you overgrown house cat!” With that the two of them attempted to hunt once more.
~*~
It wasn’t until late afternoon that both man and lion were successful in their hunt. Old skills and teachings had begun to show themselves once more in the way the blonde haired mage, prowled through the tall grasses. Neither the lion nor the man made a sound as they stalked their prey. A herd of unsuspecting antelope was what the two were hunting. One, a younger one, had strayed from the herd coming dangerously close to the tall grasses. As quick as lightning Gil leapt out from his cover, wrapping his arms about the creatures slender neck. It took off running and bucking, dragging the mage along with it. “No!” He growled, and for the first time he was able to feel his magic flow through him, and the creature stopped dead in its tracks. The rest of the herd had taken off running at the first sight of Gil. With a bit of force, the neck snapped with ease and Gil’s lion companion came padding over. “You didn’t catch this!” Gil grumbled but allowed the lion to pick at the creature while he went to gather wood. Starting a fire took Gil longer than expected, it had been a long time since he had to actually start a fire himself with no tools or people to aid him. Cooking the antelope took even longer, or what was left of the antelope after the white lion had gotten at it. Nibbling at the now cooked scraps of antelope Gil turned his gaze up towards the sky that was painted purple. “What’d you say?” He asked and turned towards the lion whom had made another noise of sorts in response. “Wait up!” Gil hollered and scrambled to his feet grabbing the remaining bits of his dinner. The fire by now was nothing but a pile of embers. “Where we goin?” His regal attitude all but forgotten after hours of hunting. Apparently all it took was one day in the wild and Gil was almost humbled. The lion made no noise in response to Gil’s question and instead continued walking, checking every now and then to see if the human was still following. Even though his feet hurt, Gil had almost gotten used to the pain of walking without shoes. The two continued on in silence for quite some distance until a lioness appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, sneaking its way from the thick grasses of the savannah. The female lion took one look at the two of them before taking off in a light trot of sorts. Not wanting to be left behind the two of them took off after the female lion who suddenly stopped before disappearing from sight. “What?” Gil came jogging up to where the female lion had been only to realize that it didn’t disappear, there was simply a slope of sorts, and at the bottom of the slope was what could only be described as a lions den.
Before Gil was able to figure out what to make of the den, something pounced on him from behind and both he and his attacker went tumbling down the slope. “What the?” Gil grumbled and realized a cub had mistaken him for prey or rather a chew toy. The two tumbled down the slope and into the lions den. Gil was groaning still from the fall but the cub was attacking him with plenty of ferociousness. One cub turned into two, three, and then soon enough there were more of the small lions on him then he knew what to do with. However, he was surprisingly calm about it. He was neither panicked nor angry if anything he was actually playing with the cubs. “Come here you!” He wrapped one of his arms around one of that cats and yanked another one’s tail with a free hand. For the first time in a long time Gil was laughing, and not his mean ‘I’m laughing at you’ laugh. It was his genuine laugh, rumbling from within his chest, an almost pleasant sound. The regal man gone wild was soon in a fit of laughter with numerous lion cubs on top of him, purring or gently gnawing on an arm or a leg, not breaking the skin of course. After a long day of hunting and adapting to the wild once more, Gil was soon fast asleep much to the dismay of the lion cubs. Though they soon followed the humans example and fell asleep with him.
~*~
The white lion, apparently the king of the pride with the way the other lions backed away from it with their heads bowed, padded its way softly to the sleeping human and the cubs that surrounded it. They didn’t have much time left with the human before the real training began. None the less the human was swayed easily enough when put into a situation where he was forced to change. The lion however had no doubt that the human would easily return to his old ways once out of the wild. It was simply who the human was and nothing would change that. He simply changed his attitude to survive in the wild but traces of it still showed despite the sudden change. The arrogant smirk, the constant want for something more, it would alway be there but for now this was as good as the lion could do to prepare the human. After all, the true masters would kill his prideful little human in a heartbeat if he still had all of his previous attitude.
~*~
“I’m not a cub!” Gil protested as one large paw pulled him back causing him to fall to the ground once more. A rough tongue licked the side of his face and Gil made a gagging sound, trying to push the muzzle away. He had awoken only a few minutes before, most of the cubs from the night before were gone or rather busy. Countless cubs from the night before were with their mother lionesses, who licked at their fur bathing them. Much to Gil’s dismay, a lioness of sorts had decided to try and do the same to him. “Stop that!” He frowned and pulled away once more only to be pulled back by a large paw. Before any damage could be done a mighty roar had the lioness scampering off with tail between its legs. Crimson eyes turned to gaze at the white lion as if to say ‘took you long enough’. Despite being mildly irritated at the lion for having previously abandoned him, Gil followed after the large cat who padded off. The man didn’t even wince as he stepped on a jagged rock, apparently having gotten used to it. He didn’t even raise a complaint at his own disheveled state. He was covered in dirt, various scratches and bruises littered previously flawless skin, and his hair stuck up in every direction. His disgruntled appearance almost made him seem younger than he really was and though the man would never admit it he felt as if he was reliving his young teen years all over again.
“Are we hunting again?” He asked, he was hungry but he wasn’t up for another hunt just yet. The lion continued to pad off in silence and Gil followed after him, not wanting to remain with the others unless he wanted to fall victim once more to getting ‘bathed’ by a random lioness. A shiver ran up his spine at the thought, and he sped up his pace to follow along after the large cat.
The two continued on in silence, the day going by slowly but the distance going by fast. They must have walked miles with nothing but each other for company. The rustling of the grass and the occasional sound of a bird chirping as the only sounds that were made as they continued their journey, to where Gil had no idea. The two entered an area with thicker grass that went above Gil’s head and the lion had all but disappeared within it. “Hey wait!” Gil called out and dashed forwards, occasionally catching glimpses of white fur within the tall, tan, and thick grasses. The glimpses of white soon stopped, and no matter where Gil looked he could not see or hear the lion. In slight panic he turned about but everywhere he looked was the tall grass in which he entered. He moved forward, hoping to catch sight of the lion or at least get out of the maze of grass that he entered. He couldn’t say why he was so panicked but he was, something about the grasses and how he lost the lion was becoming a big worry to him.
He rushed forward blindly, unsure of which direction he was going on. The sun was directly above him so there was no way of telling where to go. He may have been in there for hours or maybe even minutes but when he burst through the tall grass he couldn’t have been more relieved. “Huh?” Red eyes looked up at the men who stood perched above him on a rock.
“Hey those eyes of his. Their red!”
“Did you say red eyes? You know what the means?”
“Yup! No mistaken eyes like that. He’s of the blood alright!”
A sudden feeling of dread washed over Gil, this situation all too familiar. For the first time in a long time his heart was pounding from fear. It wasn’t these men that scared him it was the memory of what came afterwards that scared him. Gil shook his head, his wild blonde mane shaking with the motion. “No!” He whispered taking a shaky step back getting prepared to run back into the labyrinth of tall grass. He’d rather wander around lost than go back with these men. At that moment something struck the back of his head, and Gil stumbled forward grasping at his head. The pain was blinding and he was seeing stars but he had still tried to look up at his attacker. All he saw was a the blunt end of a weapon coming down again on his head, and like that his vision went black.