[Open] The Aftermath

[Baya]

Kovu smiled as he could smell a new scent coming from the cave. Simba smiled as well.

"Congratulations. You are a father." Simba said with a nod at Kovu.

"Termite Kovu a father?" Vitani said as she jumped up the steps of pride rock. "That would make me an aunt wouldn't it?" Vitani said as she walked up to Kovu and Simba.

[Mike]

Kiara gasped as one of the new lives left her body. She wanted to go over and examine it right away, and see if it was a boy or a girl and cuddle and clean her to welcome her into the world. But she wasn't done just yet; There were two more cubs waiting to enter the world. Knowing that Nala would make sure the first cub was alright, Kiara concentrated all her efforts on the others. After two more great efforts she fell back, utterly exhausted but content. She started to giggle weakly, happy that she'd made it through.

As soon as she had the strength, Kiara shifted over so that she could see the newborn cubs for the first time. Nala had neglected to clean them, so Kiara got straight to work, licking each in turn until their beginnings of fur shone. The cubs still had their eyes closed, and wouldn't be able to open them or move on their own for several days. Newborn cubs required feeding, love, and sleep, and that was just what Kiara was prepared to give them. She exposed her belly and brought it into range of the cubs' blindly questing mouths, knowing that their instincts would lead them well.

Examining the cubs, Kiara found that the middle one was the only male, and would therefore be the Future King. She planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. It was difficult to tell what cubs would grow up to become, as they often changed their fur colors and patterns as they grew, but this little cubbie's dominant color seemed to be a thick, deep gold. "I'll call you Tero my little prince." she whispered. The oldest cub, even if it was only by moments, was a darker brown, almost chocolaty. "You will be my Maua." she said, caressing the cub. Finally she reached the last born of the litter. This cub was the smallest, but she shared Tero's regal color. "Shani." She said quietly. "Welcome to the world little Shani."

--------------------

"You're right of course" Zira said, thinking quickly. She didn't want to move before she'd rested up a bit more, but on the other hand, she was certainly in no shape to defend herself against a powerful and determined predator. "It's unwise to lie exposed for any amount of time."

Zira flexed her muscles discretely. Thankfully they all responded. The repulsive meal had done it's job, and Zira could feel the strength of a more or less full belly giving her a brief moment of energy. Determined not to waste it, she once again gathered her paws under her body and pushed herself up. This time she was able to stand, and she grinned wolfishly in satisfaction. It was impossible to keep Zira down. She was a leader and a queen, and she knew it.

"Let's move to safety." she said in a self-assured voice. "Lead on, quickly."

[Baya]

Shwari got up too, not even taking a second to respond. He noticed that her voice had a ton of authority and for some reason he respected that great authority. He quickly padded his way through the trees before hearing a low growl. He turned to look at Zira, knowing it didn't come from her.

"You look very familiar little one..." A voice growled from above. The voice sounded feminine and very matured. However it also had a bit of a snarl to it. Shwari looked up at one of the tree branches and laying there looking down at both Zira and him was a black jaguar. The Jaguar's amber eyes gazed down to the cub with a hungry look, and then at Zira. "Ah yes. I remember now. You are the one that got away. Many nights i was mocked because of your sneaky snake like escape." The jaguar growled as she jumped down in front of Shwari and Zira. Shwari was frozen. He did not know what to do right now. Should he run and leave Zira to fend for herself? Or should he stay and give Zira enough time to get away?

"Y-You don't frighten me." Shwari said as he shook and stepped back slightly. The jaguar laughed with a shake of her head.

"No, No you are shaking because of the chilly weather." the Jaguar cooed sarcastically.

[Mike]

Zira cursed inwardly as exactly what she didn't want to see appeared. An aggressive looking jaguar had hopped down into their path. If she was back at her normal strength she would have thought nothing of tearing the arrogant little cat to pieces, but now she would have to rely on Shwari's help, and Shwari didn't exactly look sure of himself. Zira had to take control of the situation before things fell apart. She still had her impressive size and muscled body to work with, and the panther might not know that it didn't have much fight in it at the moment.

Get a hold of yourself." Zira said bracingly, sounding far more in control than she felt. "the little cat is outnumbered, and little tree cats are no match for lions." She then fixed her most viciously intimidating glare on the panther. "I'd leave now." she said, and her voice was liquid menace. "Before you regret showing yourself to us." Zira trailed off to a deadly hiss. It was a performance that she would have been very proud of if her life didn't possibly hang in the balance.

[Baya]

The jaguar looked to Zira with a piercing glare of her own. "It would be wise to shut your mouth when you are in no condition to be threatening me. First i'll deal with the boy, then i'll deal with you." The jaguar said preparing to pounce. Shwari closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them looking back at Zira. He was afraid, but not for himself. He was afraid she'd be killed and he'd be the coward that let her die instead of that river. He saved her, and now she was his responsibility. As a cub that was a huge weight on his shoulders but he didn't care. His eyes went from scared, to intent.

"T-Take me. Leave her. I humiliated you in the forest, made you look like a gutless idiot." Shwari said trying to taunt the jaguar. The Jaguar snorted.

"Have it your way brat!" the jaguar said as she raised her paw to deliver a fatal slash to the cub.

[OOC: Just have Zira you know what slap the jaguar into a tree and knock it out :3 ]

[Mike]

Zira snapped her neck up in shocked indignation. She drove her teeth together. The arrogance of the little tree cat threatening a pair of lions, and Zira of the Outlanders no less! She'd make her pay for her carelessness. The jaguar seemed to be pointedly ignoring Zira as she prepared to deliver a nasty swipe at Shwari. Zira used her righteous indignation as a fuel for her movements and lunged at the jaguar from the side. It was a relatively clumsy attack, but the jaguar had left herself completely exposed, and Zira's mighty paw delivered a solid blow to her neck and shoulder. The jaguar was thrown to the side, and her head hit the thick trunk of a tree with a sickening thud.

Zira took a moment to recover, and then walked with slow majesty to the place where the jaguar lay unconscious. She looked down at the cat with disdain. "Never underestimate your opponent." she hissed down at her defeated foe. Finally Zira turned back to Shwari, who had been standing frozen when Zira made her attack. "And equally important:" she said to Shwari "Never underestimate yourself. When you're cornered by enemies you must fight until they lie broken around you... or until you have nothing left to give, but never accept your fate."

"And now," she said softly, "there's just one thing left to do before we move on." Zira positioned herself above the broken jaguar's exposed throat and prepared to strike.

[Baya]

Shwari frowned slightly at the lioness's words.

"Never underestimate yourself". Those words echoed through his mind as Zira prepared to kill the jaguar. Shwari finally snapped out of his trance like state and looked to Zira. Shwari did not know whether to stop the lioness from killing the jaguar or to condone it. If they let this jaguar live, she'd track them down and kill them with stealth. If they killed this jaguar more would come seeking revenge for the murder. Shwari quickly jumped in front of the jaguar protectively. "Z-Zira. If we kill this one, we will be hunted down no matter where we are in the jungle. I told you jaguars were mean killers. If you kill one of them, they'll come after you. Just leave this one, so you'll have less to deal with." Shwari said as he looked up at the towering figure of the lioness.

[Mike]

Zira hesitated, unsure whether to just go for the kill anyway, or listen to Shwari. As much as she hated being told what to do, Zira decided that it would be foolish to ignore a native's advice in his own home. She was unfamiliar with the area and needed to accept the fact that she wouldn't have all the answers again until she got familiarized with her surroundings. After a brief moment while her eyes glittered dangerously she nodded curtly.

"Usually you don't leave an enemy at your back." Zira said critically, eying Shwari, this time with thoughtfulness. "Not unless you want a set of jaws in it. But I'm forced to trust that you know how things work in your homeland. I hope I don't regret it."

Satisfied that she'd gotten the last word in, Zira stepped back with dignity and waited for Shwari to continue towards his home and shelter. She didn't lock down though, and still appeared engaged enough to answer questions or listen to Shwari's response as they moved if he had the will to ask.

[Baya]

Shwari was glad the lioness decided to listen to his advice. If she killed that jaguar, then they'd be dead within the next two or three days. Shwari smiled as he began to lead the way towards the cave now. He stepped over several rocks, tree roots, and walked through bushes, looking back every now and again to see if Zira was following. Shwari finally stopped at the mouth of a horrific looking cave in the side of a cliff. It had vines, and moss growing all around the entrance. When Shwari got close enough to the cave he heard a soft whistling noise coming from it. He knew it was just the wind coming into, or out of the cave. "We are here." Shwari said happily as he now trotted into the cave.

The cave was relatively dry, with just a few puddles of water within it. The stone walls were smooth in some parts, and rugged in others. Stalagmites hung above, dripping water slowly into the few puddles of water. The cave was only a bit dark, but Shwari's feline eyes adjusted to it after staying here for a day or two. Shwari stopped walking deeper into the cave and sat down. Where he was sitting there was a relatively big pool of water for drinking out of, and a soft jungle leaf bed he made for himself. "This is it..." Shwari said with an eager smile as another wind whistled through the cave.

[Mike]

Zira followed Shwari back to his shelter, limping slightly. She was certainly looking forwards to a rest in a safe place. Her body needed time to digest and repair itself. Even a few hours of sleep would help immeasurably. She gave a quick visual inspection to the cave that Shwari lead her into before following him inside. It wasn't exactly inviting, but then again the blood red sky that she'd lived under for the last years of her life wasn't much better. She was thoroughly used to dark and macabre thoughts and scenes.

Inside it was darker, but enough light spilled in through the mouth for them to see each other more or less clearly. Zira knew that it would get dark much quicker inside, but she fully planned to sleep through the night anyway.

"You've found a secluded place to live here." Zira said, not really interested in discussing it, but plopping down on the floor while he watched didn't appeal to her. She didn't like to show weakness.