[Maikito]

Vizier x High Priest

Every man has a shadow, though some are shrouded by night's veil.

Tired, depressing lines arch across the face of this once alert and proud Lupine. Within Akil's Life, many hardships have come to past and tested his faith in his family, friends, and even the gods. If one were to come up with one subject that described this man's entire existence, no other word would do besides "Trust". Trust has always been something that Akil had in his own family. From the moment they were borned, til the day they died, Akil always had faith in his families word over anyone else's. He lived by this creed as he and his brothers were raised to become fine leaders of the Anubite Clan. Zaheer and Horus were most certainly dependable above all else in Akil's childhood, as they were always to his side whenever he needed. And he was willing to do the same for them, as there were times when older children picked at them, but together the trio was nearly unstoppable.

Though, as they got older they drifted from one another as Zaheer found himself falling in love with Omorose Anubite. Akil was not different from Zaheer in that light, as he had also found himself a wonderful woman by the name of Nubia. She was a beautiful, energetic, and wise lupine who possessed an acute knowledge of focus and magics. Akil had almost always been a serious man, but when he was with Nubia, it was as if he was an entirely different person. He saw the good in all things, and his expressions could not be brighter as he walked hand and hand with her. It was no surprise when she bore him two children; Tabia and Isis. They could not be happier, as they held one another in each others arms through the night. They thought of their future, and the future of the wonderful clan they had been blessed by Anubuna to be apart of.

Happily ever after is something that is stated at the end of many children's story. And that statement is just the same as those stories it exists in; Fictional.

Akil awoke one early morning, before dusk to find that the settlement had been in turmoil. There were words spoken of a large battle was being fought throughout the area. He had never learned of the true cause of this fight, but he had been told many things in the aftermath. Some said it was rebellion, as loosely related Anubitians grew upset at decisions that the clan leader had made within recent years. Others said that it was an attack made upon them by a rival clan who wished to finally claim all Anubitian territory as their own. Though, the reason never really mattered to Akil, all he cared was for the safety of his clan and his family. As he heard the cries of his fellow clan members in the darkness and fog of war, he couldn't help but feel urged out onto the battlefield. Even so, he could not abandon his wife and his children to fend for themselves in this chaos within the morning twlight. Akil paced throughout the room he and has family had huddled in anxiously, jumping every now and then at the sound of a crash or scream within the area. His eyes widened and ears perked to the point that it felt like he would jump from his skin when a trembling man bursted through his front door, looking like a nervous wreck. It was none other than one of the highly esteemed warriors of the Anubite clan, but even then, Akil knew something about him was off though he could not quite put his finger on what it was. If you asked the veteran lupine now, however, he could tell you what he reeked of in a heartbeat: Cowardice.

The man fumbled about the house clumsily, knocking over various pieces of furniture and fixtures. Akil composed himself after a while, finally getting grasp upon reality as he rushed over to the man to shake him out of his destructive, haphazard movement."A-Ah! S-Sir Akil!", he cried out to Akil," It's Your father! They're after him! I-I Tried to save him b-but! T-they killed everyone! There were too many of them!", he managed to finish, his speech full of stuttering and slurs. These words brought a vice to Akil's heart, in a metaphorical sense. On one hand, he had his beloved father, and the clan leader, and on the other, his wife and his future. He growled, his teeth gnashing in the same instance as those crimson hues of his looked towards where his father resided. Akil gave a long, loving look to Nubia, and she returned the same look back to him."Go", the words were so foreign to Akil at that point, he didn't recognize where they came from. Nubia spoke once more, now with a playful tone to her voice,"Your father needs you, Grumpy, so get going!" Akil looked at her with a bewildered look on his face once more, but now finally responding to the woman,". . But what of your safety? I can't jus-", he then looked over towards the warrior who had entered his house."You! Make sure they are safely guided from the village and this turmoil!", Akil said before looking back towards Nubia. "Are you sure?", he said. . . those final words to his better half, his everything, his true love.

"Faith is what a marriage is based on. And Faith is what will protect us."

Nubia's words burned themselves into Akil's brain as he ran off to ensure the safety of his father. Much of what occured after was a blur to Akil, though he only knew for sure he was unable to find his father at first during the chaos. As the light of day began to shine on the settlement and reveal the destruction that had occured, the violence had died down almost synchronously. Akil trudged his sore and tired back to his home, his efforts without conclusive results. calloused feet pattered upon the stone floor within his room as he noticed that something was amiss. In his ear, a faint high pitched sound keep ringing out from beneath the bed. He slowly approached the bed with the utmost care as he examined the area. This sound he was hearing was not from some sort of instrument or animal; It was from a child. As soon as he heard this, he rushed over to the bed with the utmost urgency. Claws dug into the comforter and everything that has came between him and anything beneath as he pried it off the top of the bed frame. And there lied all of his hope, and all of his happiness. Nubia laid across the ground in eternal serenity, clutching onto her two crying children for dear life. Though, her life was beyond spent, as there was a trail of dried blood strung from her neck. Akil cried out in horror as he saw this gruesome sight, warping his very mind in that single instant. How could this happen? Where was the family he had so much faith in? Why didn't faith protect his love? Did he make the choice? Who is to blame? Questions bombarded his mind like ballistae on a castle during siege. He took his two children into his arms as tears streamed down his face. Not only did Nubia die that day, but also a piece of Akil died that would never return.

Only a fool would give trust to anyone who is undeserving of such. Every man has a shadow, though some are shrouded by night's veil. Akil wandered checking on his fellow clan members with his child in tow. It appeared most of them had survived, and that the Anubites had been victorious for the most part. It was a bittersweet victory for them, and all the more so for Akil. While making his rounds, heading back towards his home, he noticed a strange odor in the air in an alleyway nearby. It was the smell of some very hard liquor that had assaulted his nose in fact. As if by some force, he found himself drawn towards the source of said odors as also he heard the sound of snoring. Eyes of a man broken, and filled with hatred were the eyes Akil possessed after seeing the sight he saw now. There, the Warrior he had trusted with the safety of his family was sleeping in a puddle of his own filth and alcohol. There would never be another man on this earth, who Akil had held more contempt as he merely walked away from him without a word. He did not beat him, or kill him, no. . .Nubia would not want that. Not while there were children present.

It was from that day forward, Akil spent most of his life trying to grasp an understanding on the concepts of "Trust" and "Blood". Not everyone could be trusted, but not everyone was untrustworthy. Family should always be trusted, but not all family are trustworthy either. Lost after lost and many years later, and this dark, cold man could not be farther from the answers he wishes for. The only light left for him to hold on are in his new beloved one, and children who still live. But not even they could resurrect the pieces of this man that were lost as he lived on as lost more and more people that were precious to him. The thoughts of ending his suffering with an eternal rest always skitter across his conscience, Maybe perhaps then he could finally have. . .

Happily Ever After