[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light II: A Shattered Pride

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga simply sat back and watched his mate as she pulle daway from his embrace and turned to face the rising sun, appearing alert for something. Tanga still could not read his mate's feelings and naunces completely yet, but he did know she was not alerted to something...simply because there was nothing out here to be alerted by. She could be jumping at shadows, but Tanga doubted it...something else was drawing her attention.

He got his answer when she spoke up, suggesting the Pridelands as a possible place to move to. Tanga's own ears flicked up at her words, and even as he opened his muzzle to reply, the words died as he hesitated. The Pridelands... Tanga's mind shifted backwards, back to a time before he had met Imani, which now seemed so long ago, but in reality was simply a pawful of months. After his parents had been murdered by the twisted, if slightly mysterious Mufalfa, he had sought shelter in the Pridelands himself as he tried to cope with the grief and loss.

But Tanga's hesitation was derived from thos experiences...the Pridelanders had taken him in and sheltered him, given him a home and food...but that was pretty much it. After his arrival, the Pride had pretty much completely ignored him, left him to wallow in his misery and guilt over the deaths of those he loved. His hesitation was born from those past experiences...they were far from pleasant, and he did not want history to repeat itself.

But he soon shook it off, standing up and moving so he was beside, and slightly behind, his mate, looking over her shoulder at the Pridelands himself. His past was not something he talked about much, even to Imani...he had told her the absolute basics, that he had come here once, and had not really been properly accepted, but he had never gone into proper detail. Sighing, he turned to her, offerring her a genuine, if half-hearted, smile of encouragement. "That's as good idea as any, Imani," he said, his voice betraying the emotional weight he was carrying. "It'll be far better than here, at the very least," he added, while waiting for the questions Imani was likely to send his way for his hesitance, and his reluctant tone.

He had always worn his emotions on his fur, and even complete strangers were usually able to read his general thoughts with almost practiced ease. Imani...as his mate...would always have an even easier time of it. So he simply turned to face the Pridelands once more, passively avoiding her gaze as he mentally prepared himself...he would not lie to his mate. Besides, he thought. Maybe things have changed...maybe they'll be more accepting of me now...

[XxRinaRoguexX]

"You know my offer is still open" a male voice intruded in their little moment, but Imani didn't need to turn her head to know it was her brother, Kioja not too far away from him.

The male strolled down the hill he perched himself on top of and slowly walked down to meet his sister and her mate in a what was soon to be-- probably-- heated debate on who was going where on whoevers' accord. Imani remained silent before she turned and peered into the eyes of Kioja, that were still distant as they were the day Auni had...joined the Great Kings, as they liked to call it for her sake. Though she could have been identified as sad and upset, it was only her eyes that revealed her true feelings while her face was shielded with the same cold, murderous stare she gave everyone. Except Kamau. "I know" Imani answered lightly, giving a toothless smile in appreciation, peering from his face to his paws and then back to the woken sun. "You live in the Pridelands, don't you brother?"

"There a problem with that?" Kioja asked, instantly making Imani look to the fierce lioness and draw her ears back. It wasn't much of a question to know what Imani meant when she said it, but more of a question to see how Imani felt about traveling to the new lands as well as spending more time with her brother than they were both used to.

"N-no" replied the creamy brown lioness before looking back out. "I just don't know...," she peered back at her sleeping sister, "it's a long ways for Ra and she's probably not willing to move much".

"I can carry her" Kamau offered, trying to look like a good brother and a gentleman before he was given a look by Kioja.

"She's a little pregnant, if you haven't noticed. It doesn't work the same as slinging her over your back like you would another" the voice of reason thanks to Kioja spoke, and brought some more thinking process into Kamau's head. Meanwhile, Imani looked at Kioja.

"But if we don't move sooner or later, there's not going to be anything for the cubs to eat when they come out...". Imani's ears were still pinned to her head but this time with more unhappiness than fear of Kioja for what she might say, only to have her naiive attitude rewarded with a sigh from the lioness across from her. Next one she looked to was Tanga who no doubt was thinking of something at this point.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga managed to snap himself out of his thoughts as Kamau and Kioja interrupted their moment, offerring their pieces of advice and assistance to their little problem...in their own way, of course. Tanga still was not sure what to make of the two of them...his first impression he had left on Kamau had hardly given Imani's brother any reason to like him, and had actually resulted in Imani being rather angry at him for the rest of the day. But since then, he seemed to be showing a much nicer side of him. Kioja, on the other paw, was a lioness Tanga did his best to steer clear of most of the time. She seemed to have a bit of a fragile temper, and Tanga had no interest in setting it off...he had enough scars, both physical and mental, as it was. But whenever he was in their company, he did his best to remain civil and polite to both of them, as even after these months, he still did not understand them fully.

But as Imani once more brought up Ra's expected cubs, and the world they were about to enter, Tanga noted her lowered ears and realised that, despite the fact that she was not their mother, she was already protective of them...not that he could blame her. She was their aunt, and they were innocent, defenceless cubs...they all had every right to be protective of them.

He gave Imani a comforting nuzzle, before turning to Kamau and Kioja. "Imani's right here...if we don't find somewhere else to live fast, Ra's cubs are simply not going to survive...and I doubt we'll last much longer..." he glanced a little self-consciously at his excessively skinny, undernourished frame at his last words, his golden pelt having long since lost its old shine, but he quickly pressed on. "It sounds like...like the Pridelands may be our only option..." he added, fighting tooth and nail to hide the hesitance in his voice...with only marginal success. He did not want to look like he wanted to avoid the Pridelands, despite his past experiences there...he had to suck it up and face them again...for Imani, for Ra's cubs...for all of them.

[XxRinaRoguexX]

"Then there is no other choice; you need to come with us, Imani. You, Ra, and your mate" at the mention of Tanga (or lack there be of his name), Kamau lightly sneered over to the golden male and then back at his youngest sister. To his blunt and ill mannered request, Kioja looked to her side over at her friend and then over at Tanga, then back to Imani. "If you go there on your own, who knows what would happen to you".

Imani perked her ears up and looked Kamau over with a risen brow and a stare, "I'm not a baby anymore, Kamau. I can take care of myself and my pride". She was being stubborn...as usual and expected with her brother in front of her. And when he heaved a sigh, others knew he was going to get into it with the youngest sibling of his. But Kioja wasn't willing to listen to another fest of sibling rivalry that seem to have come from out of no where.

Before the eye contact was too spiteful and the body language was too harsh, she stepped in putting her front paw in the middle of them which brought her to the viewing of her back through their eyes. She then looked down at Imani, "what Kamau means is that with Ra having her children soon, maybe even before we get back, there could be more dangers to them than you or your mate. Not to mention a recovering mother". She spoke with a smooth and steady voice, keeping her tone mutual to both sides but still trying to convey concern for the lioness and the other two. Kioja then looked up at Tanga before back at Kamau to warn him not to say anything to mess up what she had smoothed over for him...again.

Imani looked down at her paws, "he could'a just said it..." she drew shapes in the thin dirt.

"Yes but he's a boy". Kamau cocked a brow and his head before Kioja smirked over at him and aided his side with her presence once more. Finally there was room for smoother discussion about what was going to happen.

"So I guess we're really doing this then?" Imani nodded before looking at her brother with a half-hearted smile. "Just one problem..." they both slowly looked to Ra; Kamau turning his head to look over his shoulders and Imani peering around Kamau's broad legs-- almost bumping her head into Tanga's-- and they both peered down at the sleeping beauty. "Whose gonna wake her?"

"Well who here wants to die?" Imani counter questioned. But the lack of answers from the four brought them to a standoff in which they started to look at each other and completely ignore the sight of the sleeping Ra.

[Nakisisa]

(( post removed by author, character killed ))

[XxRinaRoguexX]

Imani suddenly fell off the topic and looked at her brother and Kioja, "wait, you've been away from your pride for almost a month! Wouldn't your mate...and your kids, be in danger by now?" She was starting to worry about the well being of her nieces and nephews, seeing as how she was about to get some more. She had to keep them as safe as she could, even if it meant protecting whom she had never met before.

"Not while Jed's there" Kamau replied, keeping his posture relaxed and his sights looking at his frantic little sister. The calm nature of her brother was probably becoming contagious since she was starting to transition from scared and anxious to confused and questioning. But Kamau figured he would fill the answer for her before she had the thought of asking, "he's one of my friends. I asked him to look out for my kids and mate while I was gone, and he promised me he would". He could still see that Imani was restless on his answer so he contributed more, "I trust him with my life". Pretty soon Imani's breathing pattern was the same and her form was cooled down.

Though it returned when she looked to her sister but there was something wrong with the scene: she wasn't there any longer! "Ack! Where did she go?!" Without even a breath to aid her, she shot away from the lions and lioness to search for her older sister, following the trail of scent as best she could before it was gone. She must have left a little earlier than she had hoped for since there was nothing to go by. "How could she have just left?! We were right by her, and she gets up and leaves?! I'm the worst sister ever--AHH!" Imani screeched before she fell forward a little and onto her stomach and chest. The lioness groaned before she looked at what tripped her, spotting a paw print. A few...and they were leading her... She took a breath before she rushed off, "Ra!" Imani's eyes tracked the prints along a trail until she reached...Mulfalfa's cave!

It was almost like a tidal wave that she couldn't have seen coming when she thought about the fact that Ra was there all over again. Her facial expressions changed from scared and fearful for her sister to cold and angry, resulting in a roar to erupt from her throat and she raced forward. "Ra! Mulfalfa, if you're in there, you're going to get it! I'm gonna rip your--" she hurried in only to see...no one in the cave.But her smell was still around there, and so that must have meant she was near or around there. With little to no effort, Imani's paws hurried her out of the cave and around where she glanced over the dull tones to spot a sister of hers, and not looking like she was feeling very good. With a swift few blinks Imani lost her face to a new one of disbelief that she got so caught up in wanting to kill something and now she was just standing there, looking around for someone she was clearly not going to find. What was going on with her nose today? She usually had such a good scent tracking talent, especially for her own sister, and now it seemed like it went up in flames just as their home did. It reminded the lioness of how badly they needed to move on...but how could she without her own sister? But she had the rest of her pride to think about...Tanga. If there was any chance for her and her mate to survive and expand the small pride of theirs, they had to get going...

She knew she was going to regret it later and her stomach, as well as her heart, was already punishing her as she turned her body away to walk back to the rest of the pride. Her posture wouldn't be called 'jolly' as usual, but this was something she felt like she needed to go through with. After all, it wasn't just her own tail that was hanging on the borderline of starvation. With that newfound thought in her mind, she knew there was nothing more she could do. If fate was kind, and the Great Kings were watching out for her...they would bring Ra back to her and the rest of the family. And so, Imani lifted her head up with a determined look on her face, spotting the bright mate of hers with her brother and Kioja, entering into the scene. Her ears pinned and violet orbs hesitant and shimmering she looked up at him, "we're leaving for the Pridelands".

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga simply watched as Imani talked with Kamau and Kioja over their plans to retreat to the Pridelands, not wanting to interrupt them. He had thrown in his opinion, and drawing more attention to himself was just going to risk them asking questions about his past he did not really want to answer right now...he was still struggling with the idea of how the Pridelanders would react to his return. Would they even remember me? Tanga snorted lightly at his own question, already knowing the answer. No...there was no chance at all that anyone would remember him, except the cubs he had entertained, maybe.

Tanga's muzzle lifted at the corners in a slight smile as he thought of them, they would most likely be adolescents by now, growing up and almost ready to face the adult world. But all he could do was hope that some of them remembered him, and maybe he would at least get a slighty warm welcome there. If the Pridelanders took his return poorly, he'd never forgive himself, because he would be forced to leave, and he knew that Imani would want to follow.

He looked up, pulling himself out of his thoughts as Imani realised Ra was gone, and before Tanga could even say anything, she was off, looking for her. He stood, watching her go, but did not immediately follow. He may be Imani's mate, but she and Ra were sisters, and lifelong companions...he decided to give them a couple of minutes before seeking them out...give them a chance to talk alone. Besides, he thought, heaving a heavy sigh as he looked down at his chest, the sight of his ribs partially showing through his dull fur no longer the shocking sight it had once been. I can't afford to waste my strength...not when he have a journey ahead of us.

In the end, though, he did not have to wait overly long before Imani returned, once more alone, and looking very sad...resigned, even, like some terrible decision had just been made that she was forcing herself to carry out. Concern lanced through him as he took in her stance...something was wrong, something to do with Ra...

His unspoken question was partially answered as Imani looked at him, a grim, sad determination on her muzzle as she finally spoke up, declaring that they were leaving, causing Tanga to give her a mildly questioning look. "Hang on...what about Ra?" he asked, glancing around her any sign of the expectant mother. He saw no sign of her, and as he looked at Imani further, the grim, but sad determination still present, he slowly put it together, his head falling slightly. "She, wait...she's...not coming, is she?" he asked, his tone almost pleading with his mate to contradict him, to tell him that she was simply doing something, and would catch up with them later. He definitely did not want to leave Ra alone...not so close to birth.

[XxRinaRoguexX]

[[Would it be safe to say that VM and Naki have died? Just a thought. xD]]

[Nakisisa]

(( post removed by author, character killed ))

[XxRinaRoguexX]

Imani looked up at her mate and simply closed her mouth that was starting to shift nervously and shut her eyes to stop the water trying to trickle down lightly. Those violet eyes had never been so heavy with regret but she was doing what was best for them...

"Imani" Kamau started in on her, but he knew better when Kioja bumped his side to pause his track of speech and withdraw himself from speaking. All they could do was watch as the lioness made her way forward, her ears pinned back and brows furrowed weakly upwards. Kamau looked at Kioja who was looking at Tanga and then Imani's form. "Something isn't right...it's not just Ra..."

"I know" Kioja replied. Though Kioja and Imani weren't the best at talking about feelings with each other, there was still that level of feminine understanding that Imani obviously wasn't getting from her mate, brother, and no longer her sister. She knew that Imani needed someone to talk to, but there was a fat chance that she was going to come out and talk about what was bugging her with the big group. The feared lioness walked away from the group of males and over to Imani, beckoning her eyes to look up into her seafoam green hues. "Imani, are you okay?" She absently nodded which signaled the obvious lack of comfort. Aside from them being in the worst part of the Pridelands thanks to the fire from that stupid Mulfalfa, there was something else on her mind. "Something you're not telling any of us?"

She shook her head slowly, "nope".

"There's something about you these days...you're softer, off in your own little world more than usual, moodier more than we're used to seeing from you," Kioja paused before taking in a breath, "Imani, you're not...are you?"

The creamy lioness merely hung her head and looked down at her paws. Her chocolate brown toes were matching to the ground she stood on while she thought about what to tell the lioness what she hadn't even told her own brother-- none the less her own mate.