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Description
He could hear the yelling of the dogs from his hiding place. He was bunched together, paws placed over his face, and tail shaking against his belly.

There was an earth shaking roar, and he whined, pressing his chin against the dirt.

He was vaguely aware of Zira standing near him, peering between the grass blades. Having run to hide alongside him after Mgeni came to tear the dogs away from him.

She had ran back- she came back for him after the dogs missed her. She ran right for him after they were chased away from Ni.

She had cling onto him in the beginning, before moving away to watch their father fighting. Of course not before she whispered in his ears a faint, “Daddy is gonna get you.”

Which- Ni shook- whining to himself and trying to twist his body away. As if that would block out the sounds of the now dying fight.

He didn’t do anything wrong! He didn’t! He just- Ni was just exploring. It wasn’t often their mother let them wonder too far away without a sitter. Going places that was warned off, him and Zira daring one another to just go a little further.

How was he supposed to know there was a Pack of strange Painted Dogs out here?

“Boy!” He flinched into his paws, and his brows pinched together. “Get out here now,” he could hear the growl in the voice, and he shook, “boy!”

“C’mon, Ni,” Zira whispered and- he cried out as her paws slapped his shoulders. “Oh stop being a cub!” He glanced at her with watery eyes and she scoffed at him, “c’mon Daddy wants you.”

“But,” he whispered, trying to glance around her, “I don’t want to,” he glanced down at his dirty paws.

With a roll of her eyes, she turned away from him, “if you just hide he’ll come get you. And then it’ll be worse! Y’know this.” With a small hum, she burst through the grass, “here Daddy!”

Sniffling, he could hear Mgeni rumble warmly- and he could already see him nosing along at Zira’s side, tucking her close to his leg. Even with his ears slicked back, he could hear the faint, “good girl.”

Rising up shakily, Ni breathed just as much, and he heard the rumble becoming a growl. He moved through the grass, his head hanging low, and his paws unsteady.

He could still feel the force shaking his body.

“Dad,” he whispered poking his head out. Immediately he faltered, staring at the dark red eyes that glowered at his direction. Zira was grinning sharply, brows pinched together as she glanced back to him. Dropping his eyes, “Daddy-“

“Zira go over there,” Mgeni interrupted him, and he could hear her trotting away. Trotting away to plop to watch the two. “Boy,” his voice dropped, and he nearly hit the ground, “what did you do?”

“I,” he blinked, shaking his head lightly, “I don’t know,” he glanced up, brows rising. “I don’t know,” he repeated.

He snarled and moved silently towards his son, “you don’t know?” He asked, raising his head, and lip peeling back to show off rows of fangs, “you don’t know?” He paw slammed the ground with a grunt, “are you that stupid you can’t even realize you’re outside Mbala?”

Blinking in surprise, Ni glanced to Zira who stared back smugly. “What!” He glanced back to his father, gapping and breathing heavily, “but we- I-“

“But nothing!” Mgeni snapped, moving swiftly towards his son, and the cub became quiet with a yelp. “If it wasn’t for your sister, you would’ve been killed like the trespasser you are!” He didn’t lean close, instead glancing away with a snort, “you couldn’t even be sneaky about it, walked right into those mongrels.”

“I told him not to!” Zira piped up, and Ni just flinched, hunching over himself. “I said we were going too far!”

Mgeni huffed, “Quiet Zira,” he closed his eyes, and raised a paw to rub at his face. “At least your sister has some sense. It would be a shame if the only blood I had was you.” He muttered mostly to himself, but he still flinched.

He glanced back to the ground, “Dad, Daddy… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Mgeni didn’t respond immediately, but eventually he offered a, “you’re lucky you’re even alive, Ni.” His voice had softened.

Blinking again, he glanced up at his father, his face- his face not harsh or stony. He looked… Ni didn’t know how to describe it. It wasn’t like how he looked at Zira, but he had never once offered Ni anything but a disappointed scowl.

“Dad?” He raised his head up, cringing at the slight twinge of pain that sharply ran through his spine.

His face twisted, lip quivering, as he muttered again, “lucky, that’s what you are.” He glanced over to Zira with a raised brow, “if it wasn’t for your sister,” he glanced back to him with a familiar scowl, “you wouldn’t be worth the effort.”

-

Alright this has been planned ever since I started thinking of Ni as Zira’s brother. Cause I started envisioning the relationship the two had with Mgeni (or Strange Lion) being like Ozai with his children.

Which is also my HC voice for Mgeni.

It’s a complicated mess, with Zira still loving her brother (Unlike Azula), but very much still a kid who thinks that how her dad treats the kids are correct. She doesn’t get punished often, or seen with disgust normally. So she doesn’t get the same fear Ni has.

She’s a daddy girl. And Mgeni likes her since in his eyes, she’s quite literally a mini him. Ni is a bit too weak, and soft willed. A cry baby. He wouldn’t mold like Zira had been.

Plus he doesn’t look like him like Zira. Which that’s alright, it was just disappointing in the beginning and he sort of favored Zira from the get go.

Zira does genuinely love Ni, it’s just complicated.

Background is taken from TLK II

Description
He could hear the yelling of the dogs from his hiding place. He was bunched together, paws placed over his face, and tail shaking against his belly.

There was an earth shaking roar, and he whined, pressing his chin against the dirt.

He was vaguely aware of Zira standing near him, peering between the grass blades. Having run to hide alongside him after Mgeni came to tear the dogs away from him.

She had ran back- she came back for him after the dogs missed her. She ran right for him after they were chased away from Ni.

She had cling onto him in the beginning, before moving away to watch their father fighting. Of course not before she whispered in his ears a faint, “Daddy is gonna get you.”

Which- Ni shook- whining to himself and trying to twist his body away. As if that would block out the sounds of the now dying fight.

He didn’t do anything wrong! He didn’t! He just- Ni was just exploring. It wasn’t often their mother let them wonder too far away without a sitter. Going places that was warned off, him and Zira daring one another to just go a little further.

How was he supposed to know there was a Pack of strange Painted Dogs out here?

“Boy!” He flinched into his paws, and his brows pinched together. “Get out here now,” he could hear the growl in the voice, and he shook, “boy!”

“C’mon, Ni,” Zira whispered and- he cried out as her paws slapped his shoulders. “Oh stop being a cub!” He glanced at her with watery eyes and she scoffed at him, “c’mon Daddy wants you.”

“But,” he whispered, trying to glance around her, “I don’t want to,” he glanced down at his dirty paws.

With a roll of her eyes, she turned away from him, “if you just hide he’ll come get you. And then it’ll be worse! Y’know this.” With a small hum, she burst through the grass, “here Daddy!”

Sniffling, he could hear Mgeni rumble warmly- and he could already see him nosing along at Zira’s side, tucking her close to his leg. Even with his ears slicked back, he could hear the faint, “good girl.”

Rising up shakily, Ni breathed just as much, and he heard the rumble becoming a growl. He moved through the grass, his head hanging low, and his paws unsteady.

He could still feel the force shaking his body.

“Dad,” he whispered poking his head out. Immediately he faltered, staring at the dark red eyes that glowered at his direction. Zira was grinning sharply, brows pinched together as she glanced back to him. Dropping his eyes, “Daddy-“

“Zira go over there,” Mgeni interrupted him, and he could hear her trotting away. Trotting away to plop to watch the two. “Boy,” his voice dropped, and he nearly hit the ground, “what did you do?”

“I,” he blinked, shaking his head lightly, “I don’t know,” he glanced up, brows rising. “I don’t know,” he repeated.

He snarled and moved silently towards his son, “you don’t know?” He asked, raising his head, and lip peeling back to show off rows of fangs, “you don’t know?” He paw slammed the ground with a grunt, “are you that stupid you can’t even realize you’re outside Mbala?”

Blinking in surprise, Ni glanced to Zira who stared back smugly. “What!” He glanced back to his father, gapping and breathing heavily, “but we- I-“

“But nothing!” Mgeni snapped, moving swiftly towards his son, and the cub became quiet with a yelp. “If it wasn’t for your sister, you would’ve been killed like the trespasser you are!” He didn’t lean close, instead glancing away with a snort, “you couldn’t even be sneaky about it, walked right into those mongrels.”

“I told him not to!” Zira piped up, and Ni just flinched, hunching over himself. “I said we were going too far!”

Mgeni huffed, “Quiet Zira,” he closed his eyes, and raised a paw to rub at his face. “At least your sister has some sense. It would be a shame if the only blood I had was you.” He muttered mostly to himself, but he still flinched.

He glanced back to the ground, “Dad, Daddy… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Mgeni didn’t respond immediately, but eventually he offered a, “you’re lucky you’re even alive, Ni.” His voice had softened.

Blinking again, he glanced up at his father, his face- his face not harsh or stony. He looked… Ni didn’t know how to describe it. It wasn’t like how he looked at Zira, but he had never once offered Ni anything but a disappointed scowl.

“Dad?” He raised his head up, cringing at the slight twinge of pain that sharply ran through his spine.

His face twisted, lip quivering, as he muttered again, “lucky, that’s what you are.” He glanced over to Zira with a raised brow, “if it wasn’t for your sister,” he glanced back to him with a familiar scowl, “you wouldn’t be worth the effort.”

-

Alright this has been planned ever since I started thinking of Ni as Zira’s brother. Cause I started envisioning the relationship the two had with Mgeni (or Strange Lion) being like Ozai with his children.

Which is also my HC voice for Mgeni.

It’s a complicated mess, with Zira still loving her brother (Unlike Azula), but very much still a kid who thinks that how her dad treats the kids are correct. She doesn’t get punished often, or seen with disgust normally. So she doesn’t get the same fear Ni has.

She’s a daddy girl. And Mgeni likes her since in his eyes, she’s quite literally a mini him. Ni is a bit too weak, and soft willed. A cry baby. He wouldn’t mold like Zira had been.

Plus he doesn’t look like him like Zira. Which that’s alright, it was just disappointing in the beginning and he sort of favored Zira from the get go.

Zira does genuinely love Ni, it’s just complicated.

Background is taken from TLK II