[PRIVATE] A Loner's Pride

[Ushujaa]

Ushujaa stood idly as he awaited Sius' decision, if Kasi is anything like you? that's one big if he thought. One thing was sure in his mind though, he did not want to wait. Who knows what those rogues could do if Kasi were to be caught. He wanted to act now! Still he knew that if the other members of this group were weary whether because of traveling or fighting, it would be in the best interest of everyone if they took the night to rest. " Sius i understand your concern but Zera is right, Kasi is a very resourceful lion i'm sure he'll be fine till morning.

The truth was Ushujaa was not sure, he wasn't sure of anything right now. What could those lion's have wanted with him, would he be safe leading Sius and the rest of pride into this unknown territory. Even if he could get them to the unchartered zone how would he be able to lead them directly to Kasi. The answers were still a mystery to him. Father, guide me through this nightmare. he prayed.

Ushujaa looked toward the obviously tired group, Well it's up to you Sius but in my opinion if we leave now we're putting everyone else at risk... He leaned in closer to Sius and whispered And it's your duty as the leader or the king whichever to put your people's best interest first. He yawned and started to walk near the entrance to the cavern, he paced a couple steps along the entrance where he could feel the cold night air and hear the pouring rain; then once he was comfortable he lay down to think about what he would do once the sun rose in the morning.

[TheWhistlerify]

After throwing the remaining herbs to the corner of the den, Dakari continue to lay by the passed out lioness' body and waited for Sius' party to leave. He suddenly heard Chanya adress him, and she seemed to have doubts in what he had done with Syira's wound. "Don't worry," he started, not knowing that the lioness didn't care at all, "I've seen this being done before." he then looked down at the wound again, hoping that Syira would feel better once she had woken up again. He then fell quite again as Chanya then started talking to another male, who's name had just turned out to be Taro. He didn't really know what was the reason for Sius to decide and leave all of a sudden, but he didn't ask because he didn't want to somehow get the king more worried than he already seemed to be

[Harvs]

At this point, Sius was faced with a choice. It seems that being the king of a pride was not all glitters and gold. Full of difficult decisions and impossible choices. Forcing the king to put his people before his family. And this isn't exactly what Sius had signed up for. He had no desire to be king. And yet, what would that solve? If he wasn't king, he wouldn't be able to leave to save his brother without the king's say so. Seemed like a lose-lose situation. And Sius was right in the middle getting the full experience.

If Sius could have chosen someone else to be king, who would he choose? Taro? Let me see A strong build... A good heart... and an almost regal appearance. Now if only I could hear his roar. That would be the nail in the coffin. On the other paw, Zera had potential to be a strong queen... if she so chose to stay. She probably wouldn't stay after things were all hunky-dory again. And that brought the question back to Taro. He was the only one who seemed like the proper king. However, Sius didn't want to give up his authority until Kasi was safe. Only once Kasi had been rescued and the Pride Lands were safe would Sius make Taro king. It seemed like an airtight plan.

Now that just brought him back to the current problem: His brother was in trouble and his pride was tired. What would Mufasa have done? Sius looked around the den. Syira was passed out, Dakari lay next to her, Zera looked completely spent, the list went on and on. Even Ushujaa seemed tired from the trip here. With the heaviest sigh ever, Sius climbed up a slightly elevated rock and said "Everyone, get some rest... we'll move out tomorrow." The words felt like hot coal in his mouth. He had never said such a difficult pairing of words.

Sius climbed down off of the rock and walked over to a small corner of the den. It wasn't where he usually slept, but he figured someone else would occupy his usual soft spot on the ground. Sius didn't care, he was in pain as is. For all he knew, Kasi could have been being torn apart by the rogues who outnumbered him. And what was Sius doing? Sleeping. Some brother he was. Oh, but he had previously said that they were leaving immediately. Now he was lying to his pride? Some king he was. He couldn't do anything right. Sius fell to the floor, a discontented look on his muzzle. Maybe today wasn't as good as it had previously seemed. Hurry up morning...

[zorayda]

Taro's smile widened to a grin at Zera's compliment, and his heart suddenly soared. "I...thank you," he said, blushing. Gods, why did he have to act like a cub right now? He didn't know what to say or how to react, and now his throat and mouth felt very dray. He nodded when she left to speak to Sius. "Uh, yeah, seeya around..." She left, and he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He really, really liked her... Zera was so pretty and interesting, he wanted to know everything about her...

Another lioness caught his attention and made him snap out of his daze, however. A new lioness that he'd seen in the den but hadn't been introduced to.

"Um, yeah. May I ask you your name?" He asked politely, his eyes focused upon her.

---

Eeve watched Dakari with an interested gaze, seeing the way he healed Syira as she lay on the ground unconscious.

"Hey, how are you doing that? Can you teach me?" She asked curiously. She noted that Zera and Sius had moved to speak alone, but remembered that Zera didn't have an interest in the red-maned lion. Jealous already? a small voice asked inside her head. She smirked and refocused upon Dakari, waiting for his response.

[TheWhistlerify]

Dakari was still lying down in the exact same spot of the den and was staring at the exact same spot of the cave's wall. His attention was then drifted to Eeve as the lioness showed some interest in what he had done to treat Syira's wound. "Oh, it's quite simple." he said, gesturing at the flowers which were placed by the corner. "See these? I found them in the field outside. You just break the stem of these flowers and there's liquid inside." he then pointed down at Syira's gash, which was covered with the transparent gel, "After you clean up the wound you just cover it with some of this, and rub it for a few moments if you think it's necessary. I'd show it to you again but it's important to let the area rest afterwards, so I kind of can't."

[XxRinaRoguexX]

The announcement of the 'king' was made and everyone seemed to have already made up their minds of what they were going to do anyways. It brought a sarcastic smile to Zera's face. A tired one, but still with sarcasm lacing through her lips. She could tell that even though Sius was saying all of this for the benefit of the others' health, he wanted to hit the road and get going. The lioness looked to her side when she saw him get off his little rock and she could only imagine how he must have been feeling. She of course, had no siblings nor did she ever have to hear about her mother or father in some sort of danger to make her feel helpless, but she knew it must have been hard on the wounded lion. But he was displaying so many good qualities of a leader that she couldn't help but feel like she needed to let him know-- since no one else was really going to do anything. She hoisted herself off the ground that seemed so welcoming to lay upon and rest and walked over to the male lion. "I know you're not the happiest kitty in the cave right now," she placed her paw lightly on his back while he lay, "but you're more of a king in my eyes than before". Making sure her paw wasn't pressuring against his stomach too badly, she massaged his back for a while before settling down slowly next to him. Though she would never admit it out loud, she knew he was probably the closest thing to a friend that she had right now. Bu would it stay that way? Would they remain to be friends? She was planning on leaving soon after the whole drama was done, but would she be able to now that she was starting to grow close to these lions and lionesses? (Well, some of them at least.) When she finally made her way back down to the ground that seemed more comfortable than the more awake lion would find it, she lazily tilted her head to look over at Syira. She hadn't stirred once while Zera had left, nor had she created a fuss when Dakari started to pay her medical attention-- as well as using her as a teaching dummy for Eeve's curiously cute feline learning. She would have cracked another small smile, but now she was just falling back to sleep. It took her a few moments to realize when she moved her tail to feel something in its way that she was sleeping beside a lion for once in a few months. Getting used to it slowly, tail movement by tail movement, she settled down and learned her boundaries so she wouldn't hurt him in her sleeping movements. Though she looked like she was asleep most of the time, she would raise her brows and glance over to Syira for any change, then close her eyes once more before completely being enveloped in deep sleep. I'll just figure out what I'm going to do tomorrow. I can't concentrate tonight...

"Oh, I'm Chanya. It's nice to meet you" she smiled happily and at the same time with a little twinkle in her eye. Chanya, though she wasn't being suspected of anything by most of the idiots in the cave, was observing and learning the dynamics of the group very well. The new ones were keeping their natures secret for now until they knew who they fit in with and how well they would, Syira was a hot-headed fool who could easily get herself into trouble, Sius was the supposed leader of the group with no obvious objections from the lions and lionesses, Zera was the sarcastic, respected one, and that just left the two attached at the hip: Taro and Eeve. The male was obviously looking out after Zera, and Eeve was screaming jealousy when it came to the interaction between Zera and Sius. Was this plan just making itself as it went along for her benefit? Because it was becoming way too easy. The cave was starting to lose its night life exuberance to the harsh fall of sleep sand sprinkling in the eyes of the young felines, which meant it was time for Chanya to get to work. The lioness rose from the side of Syira and crept over to Eeve with a smile on her lips. "Hi, I'm Chanya. You're Eeve, right? It's nice to meet you" her smile was soft and welcoming, something that would no doubt make the lioness with barely any friends in the group feel like she was being opened up to. The dark lioness, made to look even darker in night time, soon looked over to the duo of Sius and Zera, "they make a cute couple, eh?" Now to dive deeper into the lies, "I guess once Zera finally comes out and tells Suis that she's madly in love with him, it will only be a matter of time before we see little Zera and Sius cubbies running around," she began to lightly chuckle, "making it only a matter of time before us girls are the hunters and baby-sitters". Cubs...cubs...that's when it hit Chanya that Eeve had heard about Wafu's painful experiences of childhood. "Zera's grown up a lot since we were cubs" she started to just weave a whole new web like it was a second language, "she was always so bossy, and she beat anyone up who didn't listen to her. Especially Wafu...he was her favorite piece of meat to treat like dirt. Scratching him, pushing him, screaming at him, biting his tail...but I guess all lionesses change, right?"

[zorayda]

Eeve thanked Dakari for teaching her the tricks of the medical trade, locking away the information for future reference. She might need it if Taro ever got hurt... a new arrival caught her attention mid-thought, however, and her orange eyes snapped up to meet the new lioness's.

"Oh, uh, hey," she said awkwardly, but smiling as the lioness who called herself Chanya did. She seemed very kind and welcoming. "I'm Eeve--I came here with Taro over there," she said, jerking her head in his direction. She sat back on her haunches as Chanya began talking. Eeve also noted that this lioness was really very pretty... she had a certain way of moving and smiling that made her seem even moreso.

"Wait, wait... Zera is in love with Sius? But, she said..." No, Sius and Zera weren't a couple, Zera had even told Eeve to 'go for it', right? She wouldn't have said that if she was in love with him, would she? A small seed of doubt was planted in her mind, and her mouth turned down into a frown. Chanya was now telling Eeve a bit of Zera's back story...and it didn't sound very pleasant. She used to be a bully, too? What if she still was, and was playing with Eeve's heart just to be mean?

But, on the other paw, Zera had seemed so nice...a bit sarcastic, but okay overall...but, why would Chanya lie?

"She... no, it can't be... she said..." Eeve's voice got more and more feeble as she tried to argue against the lioness's words. Her heart felt like it was crumbling into pieces... she finally puts her trust in someone besides Taro and it all comes tumbling down on her. It just wasn't fair... She turned tail and ran out of the den, tears streaming down her face. She climbed the closest tree and started to cry, the sounds of her sobs echoing around the grasses.

----------

Taro shrugged when Chanya had suddenly left him, and decided to lie down for a bit of a rest. He settled down, his back legs higher than his rump, and his front paws stretched out before him. He couldn't see Eeve or anyone at this angle, and that was how he wanted it. Time to clear his mind and think for a while... but after only a few moments of this, a strange feeling tugged at his heart. Something was wrong.

He immediately stood up as if stung, his ears flattening against his skull in worry. He trotted over to where Dakari was, but Eeve wasn't there anymore. Chanya was still standing there, looking empathetic.

"Chanya, where did Eeve go? I think there's something wrong..."

[TheWhistlerify]

Dakari continued to just lay down at exactly where he was, and at some point lost track of the conversation that was going on between Chanya and Eeve. His ears straightened up all of a sudden as he heard Eeve running out of the cave. He hadn't heard the conversation, and so the first thing he did was look at Chanya with a suspicious look. He immediately dropped it though as he saw the sociable and rather surprised fake look on her face, and soon figured out that whatever Chanya had said, it probably wasn't on purpose, or so he thought. He slowly got up, before Taro arrived and walked out of his new pride's den. He stood outside silently for a few seconds, before the distant sound of Eeve's sobbing reached his ears. Unsure of what to exactly do, Dakari slowly followed the sound, and it wasn't long before he found her on one of the trees. "Uh... hey... Eeve?" he asked, quite nervously for some reason, while wondering to himself what was all the crying about. He tried to somehow sound calm and reassuring, and he hoped that he was doing that appropriately, "Why are you crying?" he began to feel sad himself for some reason which he wasn't able to figure out, "Please get down from there..."

[Harvs]

Sius felt the warm welcoming presence of another lion. Though he was in no mood to turn his head and see who. He couldn't be a king, he couldn't be a brother, perhaps it was best if he wasn't anything at all. When the lioness started talking, Sius recognized her from her voice as well as her sarcastic tone. It was Zera. And as she laid down next to him, trying to make him feel better, something clicked in Sius' brain. He had finally found a friend worth keeping. Though his heart would hopefully belong to Eeve, he had hoped that Zera would not leave now. That she would stay with him in his pride forever. "Thanks Zera." Sius said with a soft, heartfelt response. For once, he felt all of his troubles melting away into nothingness.

... That is until he heard someone leave the den. He got up immediately, still feeling a small pain in his stomach, and looked around the cave. Syira was still unconscious... Taro and Chanya were there too. When Sius overheard Taro ask his question, Sius thought in dread Oh no, I really blew it this time. He knew exactly what was going on. He had to find Eeve and tell her it was a mistake. Apparently, Dakari followed after her, so he might still be able to find them. Sius caught his balance and then bolted out of the cave. "Eeve! Eeve where are you!?" Sius stood in the cold rain for a while, hoping for a response... no such luck. He then took off in a desperate attempt to find the two. Little did he know, that he took off the opposite direction.

"Eeve! Please come out! Listen, it's just a misunderstanding!" He stopped. He prayed that Eeve would hear his pleas and understand... but she was nowhere to be found. For all Sius knew, Eeve had left forever. Yet another stupid mistake on Sius' part. He put his paw against his face, only this time it was to stop the flow of tears. He had a chance at a mate. And not just any mate, a beautiful, caring, and selfless lioness of which nobody could rival. Her orange eyes glistened in the savanna sunlight, and her fur, though plain, looked like gold in Sius' eyes. Yet it was glossy and was soft as the grass under their feet. Sius would never find another female like her again... and because of one mistake, it was all over. He laid down on the wet dirt and cried.

After a few minutes of crying, Sius looked up. It was around midnight, with no sign of the storm letting up. He thought about Kasi. He thought about how much danger he was really in. And the more Sius thought about it, the more he realized that this was his one chance. If he saved Kasi, not only would his bloodline be saved, but he would also redeem himself in Eeve's eyes... or so he thought. At this point, Sius wasn't thinking logically. He just wanted things to go his way for once... no matter the cost. Without a second thought, Sius got to his feet, ignoring the external and the internal pain and said, "I'll prove myself to you Eeve. I'll find Kasi myself. And I'll take those rogues down." He readied himself for a sprint. He didn't want anyone from his pride, or from anywhere else following him. Once he was sure he was alone, he let out a mighty roar as thunder crashed in the distance, wind blowing his crimson mane back. And like the wind *Zoom!* he was gone.

[zorayda]

Without waiting for an answer from Chanya, Taro followed Dakari out of the den as quickly as his paws would take him. On the way, he saw Sius running out as well, although he'd turned in the other direction. Probably doing something important, but it didn't matter right now. The large golden lion screeched to a halt, his claws sticking in the mud for traction. It squished between his toes, darkening the already-brown color of them.

He heard Dakari make his comments out of concern, wondering the same things himself.

"Eeve, honey....it's me," Taro called gently over the sound of her muffled sobs. He could see her front paw dangling down from a branch, mottled by the darkness of the night and the leaves of the acacia tree she'd chosen to climb. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to...just, please come down from here?" His voice was colored with tones of deep concern as he stood directly underneath the tree, his emerald eyes earnestly looking up in her direction.

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

The pale lioness sniffled a few times, pinning her ears at the sound of Dakari's voice beneath her.

"Just leave me alone," she snapped, tears falling quickly from her eyes. She couldn't trust anyone, she couldn't be with anyone...but then, an all-too-familiar voice reached her ears. "Taro? Is that you?"

He was just what she needed right now--an unromantic friend to spill out her heart to. She slowly followed his directions and clambered down the tree, her body sagging with the weight of her sadness. But...how could she tell him? How could she tell him about Sius and Zera without breaking HIS heart, too? Her lip quivered and she burst into a fresh set of sobs, coming forward to grab the golden lion tightly. She cried into the deep black mane of his chest while he confusedly touched her shaking shoulder with his muddy paw.