Bonds as strong as Time [[For LoneDigger and Myself]]

[LoneDigger]

Dakari gazed up at the elder with an almost indignant expression on his face. If he hated it so much, why didn't he just sit back up? But instead he just kind of stared back into the other's eyes quietly. He was still pissed, but somehow less so than would be expected.

 

"Um... Obviously."

 

He replied with the typical, arrogant dismissive attitude that could only belong to someone of his age. Old enough to think they knew better than anyone else, but still young enough that he barely had enough life experience.

The prince quieted down to listen to what Katsu was going on about next, and his lips curled back in annoyance. But he didn't make any more quick remarks. Instead he had already murdered them both in his head five different ways,

-especially Kisame-

But imaging it was okay, the Sentinel had taught him that when he was young and unable to control his temper. Even disturbed thoughts were considerably better than having a hungry/angry hyena cub chewing off your limbs.

 

Dakari slowly pushed himself back up off the ground, Katsu may have been done with him, but the younger certainly wasn't done with him yet. Quietly he stalked the snow leopard through the mist, following him just to the edge of it before shooting out his hand and digging two fingers firmly against the Sentinel's jugular.

 

"You're dead."

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Tensing briefly the moment he felt those two fingers against one of the weakest areas of his body, an area that almost made him want to snarl simply because it was being touched, Katsu blinked down at that hand before a smile was appearing on his face. He had somewhat felt it in his bones that Dakari wasn't about to let him walk away so quickly, not without another attack and he was pleased to see the teenager was persistent if nothing else. He had managed to get past Katsu's defenses, though the feline knew he could have easily warded off the attack had it been an actual enemy....so the Sentinel supposed Dakari needed a praise of sorts.

 

Of course, not without a reminder at first.

 

"Well done....but you should remind yourself to keep an eye out on your surroundings, cub" the Sentinel somewhat teased by using a term he hadn't addressed Dakari with in quite some time.

 

At the Prince's feet, he would find small spikes of ice swelling out of the ground and slowly pressing closer to his legs...not quite striking but waiting for a reason to almost like a snake. A little further back, a larger spike of ice had formed and arched delicately in its growth to aim a sharp tip towards the middle of Dakari's back. Like the smaller spikes, it did not strike but also seemed to be waiting for a command as well. However, it was a command that would never come because the boy's pain was not something the Sentinel wanted.

 

"Remove your hand so I might go have a word with your father, Princeling. Surely you don't want me to teach you yet another lesson of the difference between both of our speeds" Katsu remarked, waiting for Dakari to pull his hand away.

 

He could flip the boy easily away from him once more but as amusing as it sounded, he preferred Dakari to actively pull away without having to be forced to find himself submitting again.

[LoneDigger]

"I already showed you what I do to those stupid icicles of your's."

 

Dakari smiled, again with the rude attitude that could only be blamed on his age. Or maybe he just wanted Katsu to recognize him so badly it was causing him to act worse than usual. That had always been the case when it came to the hyena and impressing the elder.

But he removed his fingers without being asked again, standing back with a small scoff.

 

"Yeah, I get it.... You're fast, I'm fat. But you can tell my father I'm ready to finally be of use to our kingdom."

[Full_Moon_Rising]

"And yet these 'stupid icicles" can pierce your heart in a faster speed than of which you could blink or even consider destroying them....Keep in mind, just because you have fire at your disposal does not make you impossible to beat...Especially with your current mentality" the snow leopard sighed with a brush of patience.

 

Truly, ever since the boy had become a teenager, his tendency for attitudes and cockiness had skyrocketed. It should have been alarming but Katsu supposed it was normal. He hadn't exactly been the best teenager either when he had been going through the phase. He just hated having to be on the receiving end and not having more response than to cuff Dakari's ears off, at least when they were in their other form. Other than that, he strove to ignore the teenager's snarky responses...no matter how hard that was.

 

"I'm not sure if you and your....heavy body will be exactly of use to your Kingdom. That is not something I can concede to giving your lack of posè, skills, and complete battle tactics......But having your soldiers at least be able to see you in camp around them will be enough to reassure them. Rest assured, your fighting skills will not be judged" Katsu replied playfully, chancing a glance back over his shoulder at the teen before he was walking off again.

 

"Now that you've gotten your way, surely you have other people to provide your snark to instead of me. I have things to do before we leave in a few days time and I doubt you'll be entertained with any of it" he tossed over his shoulder.

[LoneDigger]

"If you just mean fucking around with Kisame before battle then yeah, it's not that amusing."

 

It seemed that Dakari was not yet done giving Katsu some of his delightful sarcasm. The snow leopard was just pissing him off, Katsu always got one over him, and he could never seem to do anything right when the elder was watching him. He really hated that, especially now he was running out of time to prove himself worthy. Especially when he felt that Katsu was hardly taking him seriously, in fact, he was feeling kind of mocked. Which only made it more of a challenge to face for the prince.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Pausing in his stride, Katsu turned to angle his body just partially back towards Dakari and when his eyes fully landed on the Prince, they were narrowed with mild irritation in their depth.

 

"Princeling, I believe I have asked you to watch your tongue when you speak about people. Especially of matters concerning other Sentinels. That is not how a Prince should conduct himself" the man didn't bother to hesitate to say.

 

Honestly, it had been an ongoing struggle with this new attitude the boy seemed to have developed. While Katsu did have a soft spot for the Prince and he did feel drawn to him in more than one way, he just couldn't turn the blind eye to disrespect. Especially when Dakari's disrespect seemed to skyrocket in anything regarding himself and the shark.

 

"Now, what Kisame and I decide to do with our time together is our business not something that should be important to outsiders. We are adults and as you are more mature and open to understanding things better now, you should accept that certain things have no place for you to meddle or place opinions in. I know you don't like him, but Kisame is my partner on the battlefield and we are able to accomplish well when we work together as a unit" the snow leopard added half a second later, blue eyes never leaving the youth in front of him.

 

In the years that had passed, Katsu had hoped the boy's intolerance for the shark would dim but it had been a lost battle. He just hoped he wouldn't have to curve the boy's tongue when they actually went off to join the others.

[LoneDigger]

"Clearly not, he's just distracting you from more important matters with his nonsense."

 

Dakari argued, but he could barely think of anything else to prove why the shark was bad, because really Kisame wasn't. He just hated that he got to have such a close relationship to Katsu. It wasn't right... Like... the snow leopard should just be this untouchable person. Yet he wasn't, and apparently he had a things for sharks. The loud mouthed annoying kind especially.

 

"You know Sharks make terrible mates... There own mothers abandon them at birth, and honestly I can see why."

 

The prince continued to be an insufferable teenager. Making excuse after another to belittle Kisame and make the snow leopard see that he wasn't so great and he should definitely stop being intimate with him.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

It took just those last few words for Katsu to feel his patience begin to fracture at the edges and the temperature plummeted faster than should have been normal. The snow leopard didn't care whether the boy had the power of fire inside his soul or if the sudden cold would affect him or not, all he cared about was putting the Prince in his place. Because whether he was royalty or not, the boy had no right to talk about a Sentinel the way he just had. If anything, it showed his lingering immaturity and his lack of readiness to show the people what a good Ruler he could be one day. And quite frankly, it both bothered and disappointed Katsu to hear such words leave the teen's mouth.

 

Kisame was his friend, a very close friend at that. The shark had kept him stable when even Hiyori had been unable to do it. He had burdened the weight of Sentinel duties along side him and never had Kisame doubted his judgement. He was his first friend after the death of their parents and he had stuck around for far longer than Katsu had assumed. Despite his occasional bad temper and snaps of irritation, Kisame had stuck by Katsu without having a need to. They were not mates....no, but they were as close to that as possible. They protected and cared about each other differently than how mates did but just as purely...and the snow leopard would not allow Dakari to stand there and speak of what he didn't know.

 

"You should show care of how you speak about others when they're not here.....its quite distasteful to have to bear witness to it. And yet you speak of what you have no idea of. Kisame is greater a man than most in this realm and the next and he is one of our most loyal Sentinels. You should be thankful to him, without him, I wouldn't be alive right now. I owe him much more than you can ever begin to imagine, Prince Dakari" Katsu finally parted his lips to speak after spending moments glaring coldly at the boy he had grown so fond of.

 

Maybe he had been wrong, perhaps his attraction for the Prince had been misplaced...he wasn't sure, but at the moment that wasn't what he wanted to focus on.

 

"Before you decide to belittle someone simply because you harbor a dislike for them, educate yourself. Read up on your history, speak to those who had family that were around during the Great War. Listen to the stories of every individual Sentinel and you will see that none of us deserve to be spoken about as you seem to think is acceptable. You disappoint me and your words bring disgrace to the years I have spent training you. A Prince of your stature should never badmouth those who would give their lives for him in a heartbeat....he should honor their loyalty and will to sacrifice....and yet, I don't know exactly where my lessons have gone wrong with you" Katsu continued after a moment, eyes so cold and emotionless that they were chilling. A completely different appearance from the warmth and affection they usually had when Katsu looked at him.

 

"If you are quite done ridiculing your Sentinels, I believe I will take my leave. Word will be sent to your father and I suppose you should prepare yourself for the journey in a weeks time. I hope you have a good rest of your day, My Prince" the snow leopard finished quietly, turning fully to perform a rare, complete bow to the Prince before he was rising to his full height once more and turning his back to continue on his way. The bow should have been something respectful and pure, but it felt anything but that.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari had wanted to get a rise out of Katsu, but the other's sheer disappointment was not what the prince had been hoping for at all, even if he should have expected such after behaving so rudely.

He instantly regretted his own words, but there would be no taking it back now. He'd have to remain on his best behavior if he had even the faintest of hopes of redeeming himself after that chilling look the elder had shot at him.

 

"Kisame is great at what he does... I respect him for that. But he's... your..." He sighed, not sure how to put. "You're both a thing and that's... okay too, I guess. I'm just too stupid to know what that means. I'm sorry I disappointed you."

 

Again, it was so difficult to voice his own feelings into coherent words. Katsu on the other hand always knew what to say, maybe that's why others trusted him so much, and followed him. He knew how to work a crowd with his words and presence alone.

 

Have a good rest of the day?

 

Followed that snide bow had the prince's temper surfacing again and he curled up his lips, then again as if not learning a thing, spoke again.

 

"Oh? Don't you mean... I hope you go fuck yourself? Because that's what I think that pathetic bow of your's was meant to say to me."

 

It was like the prince wanted to make the elder angry now, and here what he really thought of him. Dakari was trying to provoke some truth out the man, but this may have been a very bad time to do that.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Pausing once again in his departure, Katsu stared straight ahead instead of turning to face the boy after he had spoken. To hear Dakari apologize for the disrespect he had shown in his earlier statements was good, yet the snow leopard doubted the boy would leave it at that. Because honestly, this was Dakari and if there was one thing the boy excelled at, it was pushing his buttons. Even if the Sentinel had a remarkable way of covering up his emotions most times than not. Yet right now, after the last few words the boy had spoken...his emotions and anger were bubbling up just beneath the surface and he didn't know how much longer he could swallow his need to knock some sense into the boy.

 

'Breath, Katsu. Breath in. Hold. Breath out. That's it, nice and easy. Don't let the brat get the better of you' the snow leopard found himself thinking silently as he did exactly what he was coaxing himself to do with closed eyes. Yet that had less than a desired effect on the want to figure out just what the hell Dakari was playing at.

 

Feeling his hands twitch at his side with the need to curl into fists, it took an alarming amount of willpower to stop them from doing so as he finally turned to face rhe Prince once more. The fire in those normally calm and at ease cerulean blue eyes spoke volumes of how far from calm and tolerant the snow leopard was feeling at the moment.

 

"I'm sorry but is there anything actually fucking important you wanted to say to me or are you simply trying to continue to waste my bloody time by this ridiculous provoking" Katsu spoke, voice sounding like a mixture of a growl and hiss all in one. Cursing himself for not managing to fully control his ill tempered tongue when he finally had had enough, the snow leopard continued to eye the younger male with clear impatience.

 

"Speak your mind, Dakari. You seem absolutely adamant to refuse to allow me to leave in peace. So talk and explain to me what the bloody hell you want from me" Katsu demanded.

[LoneDigger]

"I just would like you to not fuck around with me again... You think I'm just that same stupid little kid who doesn't know better? You didn't mean anything but disregard when you spoke and then... curtsied, I believe. It was cute, but I'm not so easily entertained. Nor was I blessed with the same ever loving patience. Fucking try me."

 

What the hell was going on? Dakari wasn't really making sense, but once he let his emotions take over it was pretty much just as effective as using a sprinkler to put out a wild fire. Once he got heated, it was so hard to cool him back down.

His hormones certainly weren't doing any favors, his instincts screamed that he needed to show his future mate who he belonged to, and punish him for even daring to sleep with another. But again, this was a subconscious reaction instead of an actual thought in the prince's head. Even if by now he was aware he may have a crush on the sentinel, he hardly believed that they were destined as mates. No... When he was older he'd be chosen a mate based on politics and the fate of the kingdom, not his own preferences.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Eyes narrowing as pupils turned into slits shining in barely suppressed rage, Katsu tried his best to count to ten in his head. To try and calm his furious thoughts and to release the fists his hands had curled into without his knowledge...yet nothing worked. Anger was clouding his judgement and confusion wasn't so far behind. This damned kid wasn't making any amount of sense yet for some reason, this was the Sentinel's fault. That was just plan rich.

 

"In what was have I 'fucked' with you. You didn't like the bow? Well, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Yet you claim I think of you as a child still. In what way would I have treated you as a child? Explain it to me because I truly do no understand. Have I not trained you to face down enemies small and large? Have I not taught you about our Kingdom and the weight you hold in it? Have I not taken you from the palace and allowed you to explore my domain? Have I not shown you things in my Tower that no outside eyes would normally be allowed to see? Is what I've done for you not good enough?" Katsu all but snarled, a muscle ticking his his jaw and wind picking up force around them.

 

"What's next? Hmm? Do you want me to bend down and kiss your feet? To bless the sheer ground you walk upon? The kill anyone who might have the slighest ill thought about you? Humiliate someone who doesn't agree with you? Not talk to anyone else because it displeases you? If you want me to treat you like you're some sort of God reborn, you have the wrong bloody Sentinel. If this is going to be a problem, by all means, pick someone else as your mentor. I have too much things to worry about than having to satisfy the every whim of the Kingdom's Prince. I'm not your babysitter nor your parents, it is not my job to make sure you get everything you throw a tantrum over" the snow leopard spat, tone cruel and far from pleasant but it couldn't be helped.

 

Katsu wasn't one to lose his temper often, but right at this moment, he had had enough of the teenager's unprovoked aggression and he wasn't tolerating it anymore.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari couldn't even rebut a single thing Katsu had spoken, it was like it had knocked the posture right out of the cocky hyena and left the prince with his head hanging a bit lower than normal, and oddly silent for once as he let the other's words hit him. Even if he wanted to close his ears, he had to hear this. It was like the wind that had kicked up during the whole ordeal had suddenly snuffed out the flame of the prince's rage and just left him shivering in defeat.

 

"I know... but you're still my mentor... No one else can be that... Only you, Katsu..."

 

He spoke softly, not even looking at the other. Instead he chose a suddenly conveniently interesting rock to stare at instead.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Watching the boy's posture change and his gaze drift away, Katsu wished that was enough to satisfy his awoken temper....but it wasn't even close. The kid have overstepped the finely drawn line in the sand and Katsu wasn't about to forgive him like this whole biting conversation had not happened. Dakari wanted to be treated like an adult right? Well consider this a lesson as an adult. Little apologies like those didn't work when his previous words had been cutting and disrespectful. He wasn't a child anymore that could get away with that and Katsu would make that clear.

 

"If you consider that true, then I suggest you measure your words before you say them. There was no need for this to have gone so far but you seem to lack control or care for what others under your verbal assault might think. Until you figure out exactly what it is that seems to be bothering you so much, you have the rest of the week to pack. Like I've stated before, I'll send word to your father about my intentions in taking you wish me. I don't know how he'll react but I'll assume he'll consider this a good thing for you" Kaysu declared in that same cold tone though his words were much more quiet and soft tones than before.

 

Giving the Prince one more nod, the man turned for the last time and headed out of the space they had designated for training purposes. While he should talk to the King today, he was much to riled up for that. He had watched Dakari's father since the man had been a toddler and the King had idolized his Sentinels like most others. He would be able to tell something was off with the feline. So having any conversation with the King would have to wait until tomorrow or something. Just long enough for him to cool off in his mountains.

[LoneDigger]

Somehow, it was decided that it would be a good lesson for the prince to join the Sentinels on the front lines. Dakari hadn't been allowed to be there for the conversation between his father and Katsu, but judging from the snow leopard's coldness he couldn't help but wonder if it had been one pushing the idea more so than the other. Or that they both only said yes to punish him, or was it a privilege?

The hyena did not want to stay behind, even if the other was still mad at him. He wanted to fight alongside Katsu and the others.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

"Look, all I'm saying is that, yeah he messed up, but don't you think you should let up a bit already? It's been a week since you two had your little verbal match. I think it's enough time to let him off the hook" Kisame sighed heavily.

 

The shark was walking alongside Katsu as the snow leopard headed in the direction of the front of the Royal Palace where the troops specifically assigned to their orders awaited for them. Since the snow leopard had come to the Tower a week ago, he had been in a rather indifferent mood and any talk about a certain Prince had him narrowing his eyes and changing the topic completely. Kisame was no fool, Katsu had told him all about the spat he had had with Dakari and while the shark had been righteously offended by the Prince's words and behavior, he had eventually let it go a day later. Yet his best friend seemed unwilling to do just that.

 

"If I were to 'let him off the hook' and go back to indulging him whenever he wanted, the boy would never understand the lesson I'm teaching him. He's no child anymore and I will not continue to turn the blind eye to the way he speaks when irritated. He must understand that above all, he is a Prince and the people will look to him for guidance one day. As such, his behavior can not be allowed to continue" Katsu replied, tone dry and far from impressed by Kisame's argument.

 

His friend had been pecking at him for the last day and a half to forgive the Prince, but the snow leopard wasn't about to let Dakari off without a proper punishment. The Prince had crossed the line and Katsu had had enough to his attitude and less than appealing words. If trying to be tolerant and forgiving hadn't worked, then Dakari would just have to learn the hard way and accept it.

 

"But his behavior is what makes him the damned brat we know and want to protect. Katsu, you can't just expect him to change overnight....besides, I know you miss the damnable brat anyways. It's weird not seeing you guys attached at the hip anymore and I kinda miss being threatened by him, it doesn't feel the same" Kisame protested, eyeing the feline with a mixture of a pout and grimace on his face after what he had just admitted.

 

"Kisame, you only miss that because you loved to throw threats back with logical reasons. Just because you miss tormenting the boy doesn't mean I'm just going to accept him back in. Besides, if you miss him so much, torment him without involving me. I'm not either of your parents or mate" The Sentinel of Ice huffed, a light sense of annoyance in his tone the moment he cast Kisame an irked glance.

 

Grumbling under his breath, Kisame rolled his eyes as Katsu's stubbornness even as his attention was drawn to the large number of men and women all standing at attention waiting for them to be addressed. The pair of Sentinels had already spoken to the King and Queen and said their goodbyes. Natsume was perched in his avian form on top of one of the two ivory colored massive stallions that waited in front of the men and women for their riders to arrive. As much as both Sentinels would have preferred traveling on foot or in their animal forms, they knew the leading Generals of a battalions often rode on horses to make more of an authority like image, as was tradition. Regular horses as that, not shifters like the rest of them.

 

Just to the left of the ivory stallions, just a small pace away stood an equally large gorgeous sorrel colored horse waiting for the arrival of the Prince who would ride him. Their two battalions were ready to march off into battle and as Katsu and Kisame gracefully swung onto their rides, so were their Sentinels. The armor the two warriors wore shone beautifully in the sunlight and gave them a more surreal appearance and they waited for the Prince to finally join them so they could leave.

[LoneDigger]

"You know... I'm really starting to believe you two are mates after all. You're bickering like an old married couple, worse even."

 

Dakari grinned at the pair, even if Katsu was ignoring him. He wasn't going to ignore the snow leopard back, even if he had wanted to that would just be impossible for the cocky prince to keep up for long.

 

"Oh, Hello Kisame. Looks like you're going to have to be my offical punching bag because someone isn't training me anymore. You up for it?"

 

The hyena grinned up at the shark, was it up? Dammit... still taller than him. The prince had grown well, but he still was far from the tallest, though it depended who he was with. Katsu yes, Kisame... no so much. It was just slightly annoying.

 

"I said some really mean things about you, but I was just trying to be honest... It's not my fault the truth hurts, but I won't do it again. I'll just keep my thoughts to myself and we can just... I don't know, get along or something like that."

 

The teenager finished his little apology speech as he mounted his stallion. He had rode many times before, but something he never told anyone was that he had a slight fear of riding. He didn't know why exactly, it wasn't like anything bad had ever happened, but he just didn't trust that wouldn't fall off one day or that his ride would betray him. Prey animals were... shifty. Sadly Dakari did have a bit of bias towards animals that weren't predators such as himself.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Blinking down at Dakari, the shark quickly found a grin sliding smoothly onto his face as he barked out a laugh. "Trust me, I bet being this guy's mate would be quite the ride. Hell, I have fun without being his mate, adding that to the loop would be a definite bonus" he replied without the least bit of hesitation.

 

"I'd rather have my heart pierced by a blade....you'd drive me to insanity within a day" the snow leopard's answer was instantaneous even as he refused to so much as acknowledge Dakari with anything but a brief glance.

 

"That's dramatic...love you too, Icicle" Kisame chuckled fondly towards the cat before turning his gray eyes back on Dakari.

 

"You know kid, the older you get the more I find you amusing. Loud mouthed, rude little shit that you still are....you make days with you interesting" Kisame's grin grew widely to show the white gleam of those deadly sharp teeth before adding "Now, I wouldn't know if I could classify that as an apology or not but I don't really care. All I know is if you think I'm gonna take it as easy on you the way Katsu does, you're in for a whole new world of experiences. Right, Katsu?".

 

Barely casting a glance at them, Katsu gently urged his mount of begin to walk forward while saying "I suppose so. He'll just have to wait and see".

 

Grumbling softly at the snow leopard who was already set on leaving the conversation behind, Kisame flickered his slitted eyes back to Dakari. "Come on, little Prince. We might as well keep up before he decides to leave us behind....we can't have that now, can we? Gotta make this journey to the frontlines as fun for him as we possibly can" he spoke, quickly urging his own horse to begin to walk after the other Sentinel who by now had their battalions falling into line loyally behind him.

[LoneDigger]

"Hah! Hear that? Katsu rather be dead then be stuck with you~"

 

Dakari grinned back, pressing his own stallion into a brisk walk to keep up with the two Sentinels.

 

"Pfft, I knew you liked it... What can I say? Everyone loves me~"

 

The prince bragged shamelessly, but Kisame was only fueling the fire by humoring him with such replies. Maybe the teenager just liked the attention it gave him, or maybe it was just fun to banter back and forth. It was more fun than sitting around at the palace.

It had been years since he'd the shark in battle and he still admired the other in a way for saving their lives, mostly Katsu though.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

"Katsu would also rather be dead than deal with disrespectful Princes" Katsu remarked with a note of calm indifference even as he referred to himself in third person.

 

Snorting out a sound amusement as he eyed the snow leopard from where the man road beside him, eyes facing forward and face a perfect picture of serenity, Kisame shook his head fondly and rolled his eyes. It had been a long time since he had last seen his old friend give someone the cold shoulder and while he was glad and amused that the treatment wasn't directed towards him, he felt rather bad for the young Prince. Heavens knew how long Katsu would continue to steer his path away from the boy's.

 

"Now now, brat, I wouldn't say I love you. There's only a handful of people in this world I genuinely love and you still haven't reached that level. Maybe one day I might respect and value you as a person to be followed, but you still haven't proved your worth to me" Kisame chuckled and he playfully winked at the Prince riding at his other side.

 

Turning his attention back to the other Sentinel on his right, Kisame briefly tilted his head to one side before asking "Since we'll be meeting up with some of the others on the frontline, what do you think would be the best strategy to deal with the chokehold we're in?"

 

"Spread out and scout out the enemy stronghold. We were sent word that they are surrounded by every touch of nature at all sides... it could make things a bit easier. I'll take a squadron through the mountains, get a look at how many enemies we're looking to face from above. You can take a squad through whatever body of water we find. It'll be easier for you to gather information if you move through your element, take those that have attributes similar to your own. We'll discuss things further with the others to see what roles would be best for them" Katsu replied easily, not even the slightest hesitance in his tone of voice.

 

"What about the brat?" Kisame asked curiously, flickering a glance over at Dakari.

 

"He'll be safer and more useful on the plains with Yuuta. Yuuta will able to steer him right and his battalion is made up of younger individuals. He'd fit in there"

 

"Wait, so you don't want him with you?"

 

"He's not equipped to handle traveling through mountainous terrain the way my battalion is. And I can't afford distracts"

 

Blinking a few times at the other Sentinel, Kisame raised a brow before he shook his head again and chuckled "You sure you aren't going to be worrying yourself into an early grave without being able to have your eyes on the kid? I know how protective you can be, Katsu".

 

"Yuuta will protect Dakari just fine. He's our Prince after all and Yuuta is a fine Sentinel, young as he may be. The Prince will be safe in his hands while they rest of us are busy" the snow leopard answered, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.

 

Running his hands through his long hair, Kisame huffed in disbelief but his attention was slowly turning to Dakari. "Well I guess you'll have it easier than the rest of us. I have a feeling you and Yuuta should get along just fine. Do you have any questions and concerns you might have though?".

[LoneDigger]

"Oh, really? Good luck finding a new occupation in Hell then."

 

Dakari teased. Maybe it was a bit too edgy, but completely just another offensive joke from an insensitive teenager. He then laughed and steered his stallion to walk closer to Kisame, seeing as he was indulging this nonsense more.

 

"I doubt that... But in the meantime you can just practice kissing my ass because it's not far coming that I will reign over all."

 

The prince chuckled, he knew his day would be soon... Not as soon as he'd like, but it was closer at least then when he had been small. He stopped grinning like an idiot and cracking idiotic come backs when the snow leopard spoke. And again the hyena seemed to kind of slump slightly, Katsu was really actually still pissed off at him. No... He wasn't even mad sounding, just careless and that was even worse. At least when the snow leopard hissed at him he had earned his temper, right now he was nothing to him. Not even worthy of getting upset over, unimportant.

 

Dakari was not used to being disregarded so, not by anyone, and especially not by Katsu.

 

"Yeah actually... Who the fuck is Yuuta? And to Katsu: Why are you such a stuck up prick? I fucking said I was sorry..."

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Sighing when the snow leopard didn't even seem Dakari's comment worthy of a response, Kisame closed his eyes and prayed for a patience he rarely wanted. This was going to be a long trip if Katsu kept to ignoring the kid and barely paying him any attention. The shark knew the feline was far from pleased with the Prince, but damn if Katsu couldn't hold a lesson or grudge for a long time. He had known the man for centuries and he knew that it wasn't wise to be on the bad end of Katsu's indifference. But somehow, that was exactly where Dakari had landed himself in and Kisame was damned if he didn't find a way to fix this situation somehow.

 

"I think you need to remind yourself that I will never kiss your ass, future King or not. It doesn't run in my blood, I might humor you...hell I'll even be polite, but I'd rather fade to dust before I bend over to kiss any asses" Kisame grinned widely sounding entirely too amused.

 

Holding his breath from where he wanted to just slump over in his ride and sigh in defeat at these two idiots, Kisame mumbled softly under his breath before pinching the bridge of his nose to answer Dakari. It was clear that Katsu had no intention to.

 

"Yuuta is one of our youngest Sentinel members. He just filled the role about 2 centuries ago when the previous Sentinel of the North Western Tower faded away after deeming him ready. He's a Grizly shifter and though he's still a newbie, he's proven his loyalty and strength time and time again" Kisame answered even while he reached out a foot to tap Katsu's ankle in an effort to make the feline reply to the other question asked.

 

"Apologies mean nothing to me if they mean nothing to the one saying them. I recall saying I was done with this nonsense of an attitude you've developed. Once you fully realize what consequences your actions have then we will move on" Katsu replied but the way he said it was almost like he was reciting words from a text than actually giving a crap about the answer he was giving the teenager.

 

"You realize he's a teenager and by the time he realizes his bipolar-mess is the problem, we'll probably be dead and in the wind" Kisame put in lightly, trying to lighten the mood of the other.

 

"Then we'll be dead in the wind and away from it"

 

"Come on now, snow cat, you don't actually mean that. We've both gone through our adolescent years and our adopted parents figured out how to deal with us somehow"

 

"Truly? My father did essentially what I'm doing until I came to the conclusion he needed me to accept. Just because one is young is no excuse towards ones behavior against others"

 

"You sound like an old fart when you talk that way"

 

"Spoken from a man that has lived more centuries than we can count together with me"

 

"Alright, I'll concede that point....But still, Katsu, don't you at least want to try and forgive him"

 

"Not at all"

 

"....Not even a little. Katsu, you can't fool me. You know that I know that you know that you miss him more than you want to admit"

 

"You've lost you mind. And clearly you've become delusional if you think for a second that completely irritating sentence holds any truth"

 

"Now that's just rude" Kisame laughed, matching Katsu's mild glare with a wide smile that had the feline rolling his eyes and snorting softly in just a trace of amusement. "Eh, give him some time, kid. Katsu's just a stubborn old cat that doesn't like to budge from his chosen tasks much" the shark shot those words towards Dakari. Words that were fond if not a hint exasperated as well.

[LoneDigger]

"You know... I'm glad you're sending me off with the younger guys. It would so boring being stuck with a bunch of old bastards. Heh, you'll be sorry when you're too stubborn and slow to win... You'll be begging for me to come and save you."

 

Dakari kicked his stallion's side, making the horse trot ahead slightly.

 

"If facing the consequences of you being a little bitch right now is working... and it's really fucking old, so you can stop now."

 

The prince moved his horse in between the pair of sentinels then, bumping them apart slightly as the equines snorted.

 

"I was trying to insult Kisame you know, and he's already over it so stop being sorry for him. Kisame's a bastard, but at least he has a sense of humor."

 

That wasn't even an insult, well it was, but also a compliment to the shark.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

" You save us....we'd rather die"

 

The pair of Sentinels answered in perfect unison before exchanging a glance with one another and letting out soft laughs. Well soft in Katsu's case, Kisame's laughter was louder but just on the right side of contained. If the day ever came that they needed the Peince of their realm to save them then it would be a day the boy had risen to meet every expectation and responsibility that came with carrying the weight of their realm. Neither men thought that day would be anytime soon so they doubted the Prince would be 'saving' anyone. More than likely, he'd be the one being saved in most cases.

 

"If you want me to stop....then why don't you find a way to make me. You seem so confident in every other aspect in your life. It should be considered surprising to find you infinitely lacking in this one" Katsu replied without a care in the world, not once so much as glancing at the man when Dakari pushed his way between them.

 

Blinking at the duo even as he let Dakari push himself between them, Kisame rolled his eyes playfully at the boy's words. The insists had bugged him when he had first heard of it but he had let it go eventually because he couldn't be bothered to hold grudges. Especially when actions spoke louder than words and he knew he could make the Prince eat any insult he said. But Katsu had been raised differently, with more morals and values. Honestly, for the shark, it was what made the feline lovable yet infuriating stubborn at the same time.

 

"Then maybe you should continue to impose your truly breathtaking mannerism and absolutely lovable personality on Kisame and leave me out of it so I can focus on more important aspects" the snow leopard answered smoothly enough, barely bothering to glance at Dakari before his eyes were turning forward again.

[LoneDigger]

"I'll it for Yuuta later... You both aren't much fun to play with."

 

Dakari grinned, at least he had gotten Katsu to respond to him. That was an accomplishment.

He knew the snow leopard couldn't stay closed up for long, and by the time they rejoined again the other would be sorry when he saw just how much he didn't need him.

 

Maybe it would be good being with someone more his age, it wasn't often that he got to. In fact he wondered if he would even know how to act, he guessed the way he was now was already pretty immature, so that should work perfectly right?