Inheritance of Chaos [Invite]

[TheRoguePrince]

Keto stood lazily, picking up the slow, uneven pace of the other lion, who seemed to be bothered both by his wounds and the ash laden wind as he struggled along. It was evident from the last few words the rogue had spoke to him that there was no empathy there, in fact, he seemed to be enjoying the pain Keto had showed. He had expected no different, but at least he could feel solace in the fact that he no longer had to feel guilty for the satisfaction hurting the rogue had given him. It would be a long time before those wounds would heal, but perhaps even longer before his own vanished, such was the consequence of survival.

In truth, Keto had mixed emotions about leaving the land behind. It was of course obvious that he could no longer survive here given the conditions presented, but he had grown up here, had called this place home. Regardless of his feelings, Keto kept quiet and followed closely behind the rogue, this time making sure to keep his eyes and ears working for him, even as he contemplated the impact of this decision was going to have on his life. Not that there was another decision available to him, well, one that didn't involve his imminent death.

Keto had no idea how far the fire had spread, but the ash covered land seemed to stretch on forever. The sheer devastation on this scale was enough to bring back a little bit of the fire that had consumed him the night before. No, it wasn't over here, the land was lost, the Pride was lost, but he was not, and as long as he was left standing he would seek the cause of this disaster. His claws dug into the soft ash beneath his paws as he walked onward toward the bleak horizon. Somewhere out there was his destiny, and maybe he would get there someday. For now he just kept his head down form the harsh wind and followed his companion through the wasteland. The fire burned in his heart, and the war for his soul was on again, only this time, Keto was winning himself back...

[DGFone]

Delano struggled to continue moving along, but he knew that the other lion was right behind him, and he only dared himself to show as little weakness as possible, so that he won't give the other lion any ideas of finishing what he had started yesterday. But while the other lion was content to mostly stay out of Delano's way, as Delano struggled along, his temper worsened ever so much.

The sun was already half way through the day's cycle when the other lion stepped lightly on a dry branch, causing it to snap. Even though the noise was barely audible, Delano snapped, turning around quickly and growling at the other lion. "Will you shut up?" He glared at the lion, who only seemed to be startled at the sudden outburst. "Why do you follow me anyways? Don't you have anywhere else to go?"

Without waiting for a reply, Delano sighed in annoyance and turned back, resuming his slow walk. He hated the ash, he hated the wind that was blowing the ash everywhere, and he hated the pain his wounds were causing him. And on top of that, he was being followed by a rookie who didn't even know how to avoid even the smallest of branches. Perhaps, once he finds the end of the ash lands, he can get the lion to finally leave him alone.

[TheRoguePrince]

Keto was taken aback and disgruntled by the sudden outburst of the rogue he had been accompanying. "No, I don't have anywhere to go! This WAS my home..." Keto said angrily, feeling as if a fight might be brewing again. He was surprised to see the other lion turn and keep walking again though, and despite the downward change in his mood, Keto didn't question ask any questions. It was obvious the ash and bad weather were getting to the other lion, who, by any standards, was entitled to his annoyance given his condition. No, Keto wouldn't blame him for that, not now that the rogue had completely by accident given him what he needed.

With regard to the fact that he had been careless, Keto watched where he stepped more carefully now, avoiding anything that might make a sound with utmost care. It was highly unlikely anyone else would be around, and it was more important he didn't trigger another, potentially fatal, outburst between the two of them. A snarl settled on his face as his attitude reached the surface, he too was displeased with the situation presented to them. It seemed that the other lion was not encouraging their continued collaboration for much longer, and Keto was going to have to work very hard to ensure that he changed his mind in the immediate future.

As much as he hated the idea, Keto almost hoped for something bad to happen to prove his value to the other lion. Simply showing competence was not going to help him with his wounded companion, and neither of them would benefit from splitting up. Pride wasn't going to help either of them given what they were up against, but he couldn't convince the rogue of that, only a freak accident would change his mind. Keto sighed quietly as he kept walking, once the land became tolerable they would likely be splitting up, and that meant learning to live alone again. Perhaps he would be able to survive, but what would that mean for who he was? A raw killer was likely to emerge, and nothing could be worse than living, at the price of his own sanity. Keto could not accept that, not that...

[DGFone]

Even though Keto answered Delano quit loudly, Delano didn't hear what the lion told him, too busy on walking away and not even wanting to listen to him. Truth be told, what Delano really wanted to do was to turn around suddenly and clobber the lion. Hard. Enough so that he will leave and not come back. But he chose to continue walking, not because he wanted to spare the lion a beating, but because Delano doubted that he would succeed if he tried. Even though he was succeeding in hiding it from the lion, he knew that e was struggling to even walk, let alone fight anyone.

Based on previous fights, the pain was always worst a little after the fight, when the rush waned, but the wounds were still fresh. Yet now, Delano felt that one of his wounds only seemed to hurt even more as time passed by, which was the real reason why his temper was so bad right now. But no matter how much he tried to ignore the pain and just keep walking, eventually Delano had to stop in order to catch his breath and keep himself from getting too dizzy. As he looked at the ground, he wondered how he had managed to miss the fact that he had wandered out of the ash covered areas.

Quickly looking around, Delano tried to see some ash, but didn't find any. It looked like the two of them had walked through normal savanna for quite some time now. His eyes fell on the lion again, and Delano sighed in irritation, wishing that he was alone instead. Despite the pain it caused, Delano once again resumed his walk, wincing with every step, now on the search for water where he will be able to wash all the dirt and ash off. And perhaps see what was causing his wound to burn so much while all the others felt like they were improving.

[TheRoguePrince]

For the first time in days, what seemed like a whole lifetime to Keto, there was soft grass under his paws and a fresh breeze in his face. There could be nothing sweeter to him, yet there was trouble stirring in his heart and mind as it seemed evident the journey would end with the first waterhole they came to. Keto, for all his logic, could not bring himself to let go of his new found companion, who, for all intents and purposes was little better than a conquered enemy who was biding his time to escape. They were as much allies as crocodiles and hippos in the same river. They coexisted, but there was never any real cooperation or desire to be supportive.

The two looked entirely alien to the land they found themselves in, they beauty and peace of their surroundings starkly contrasted with the limping, ash covered monstrosities they had become in the last couple of days. There might have been someone lurking, watching them, but who would dare to investigate something as sinister looking as them? Nothing remotely dangerous made itself known to them, despite the obvious value of the land they now found themselves in. Someone or something clearly must have laid claim to this area, but whoever they were, they were biding their time in approaching.

Keto decided that it was best to keep a good eye out for danger for the time being, and let the rogue deal with looking for the source of water they needed to clean up and refresh themselves. He scanned the tall grass and trees, almost asking for something to happen, something to loosen the terrible tension building as the rogue sought the end of the pair. Perhaps, he thought, if nothing happens I myself will lay claim to this land. It certainly seemed like a good idea at the time. In Keto's mind, anything was better than the terrible alternative of moving on, accompanied only by his thoughts and the lurking madness in him. An involuntary growl escaped him at the thought of this invisible enemy, threatening to destroy him even now. The rogue would never understand that feeling.

[DGFone]

Continuing in his search for water, Delano couldn't care much about how the land around him looked like for now. He was simply concerned with finding water, where he will be able to get cleaned up and find out why his wound was troubling him so much. And then perhaps he might finally be able to leave the other lion behind. The idea of being alone again made Delano smile lightly, but his feelings dampened again when he remembered that he was not alone yet, and that the other lion was still right there next to him.

Unlike Keto, Delano didn't see the other lion as an unwilling companion, but as competition and enemy. If he had the strength to do so, Delano would have already fought the lion again, determined to win and be able to separate himself and go on his own way. But as things were now, Delano knew that a fight will only end up with more wounds, and perhaps even with his own death.

But even with this in mind, when the other lion let out his growl, Delano's patience finally snapped. He whirled around, letting out a growl of his own, with a clawed paw outstretched and swinging at the lion. "I already told you to shut up!" His paw collided with the lion's head, sending him sprawling. He was about to use his advantage and attack the lion again while he was still down, but as Delano was about to do so, the pain in his wound spiked suddenly, and Delano fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. He struggled to get back up, but before he could do so, the other lion had already done so, and was facing him, looking very angry. Once again, Delano's anger turned into fear as he realized that once more, he was the one who was on the ground and helpless, facing an angry lion who most likely wanted to kill him now.

[TheRoguePrince]

The attack had been sudden, and Keto had almost not recovered as quickly as the lion had attacked, however, the wounds Keto had caused earlier saved his life. The rogue fell stricken by the wound that seemed to have been paining him most earlier, and Keto needed no invitation to take full advantage of the situation as it presented itself. Any dilemma he had had about taking advantage of the wounded rogue was now gone as he stood over the pained lion on the ground. Keto smirked at the lion's pained expression, and took his time unsheathing his claws and placing them on the rogue's neck.

"Thought you were going to kill me huh? Keto asked as he applied pressure with his sharp claws, "My home is destroyed, and I have absolutely nothing to lose. What would make you even think that attacking me again was a good idea? His anger was readily apparent, but Keto made certain to take it slow. The rogue was terrified, and he was going to savor every minute of his agonizing death as he was forced to sacrifice his sanity in favor of survival. If there was one thing the rogue was going to learn in life before Keto killed him, it was just how cruel life could be.

Nothing was going to stop him now that the nameless rogue had decided to give Keto another reason to kill him. Keto could give the lion mercy once, but it would be a great shame to let him live again, especially as he had taken a cheap shot at him for having emotional turmoil. A fiery rage now filled him, and an unreasonable expression settled on his face as he started to press his claws in to draw blood. First thing was first, he was going to enjoy the lion begging for his life. No harm in a little remorse...

[DGFone]

When the lion's claws pressed into his neck, Delano tried to scream in pain, but the pressure caused him to choke quietly instead. But was even worse than the lion's claws was the expression he wore as he pressed harder on Delano's neck. The lion was enjoying killing Delano, enjoying the torture and pain he was causing. Out of blind panic, Delano tried to escape, to run away from this deranged lion. But the harder he tried to run, the more the lion pressed on his neck, up to the point when Delano's vision started to fade and blur, and he stopped trying to run, struggling just to breath.

His world was nearly enveloped by darkness when Delano felt the pressure on his neck ease and he gasped loudly for air. "Please-" as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, the lion pressed down hard on his neck again, drawing more blood. Even as he tried to fight it and live, in his mind, Delano knew that this time, the lion was going to kill him for real. "Plea- don't do it - please-" Even as his vision started to fade again, he struggled to get his words out. "It's not- not worth it."

The pressure lifted again, and Delano once gain gasped for air that he desperately needed. "Don't do it... Don't kill me... I'm not worth your sanity..." He hoped that this will cause the lion to hesitate and maybe even let go of him, but instead, the lion grinned insanely and pressed down again, harder than ever before. Now unable to breath at all, Delano closed his eyes and ceased his struggle. He was scared out of his mind, not feeling ready to die, but at the same time, if he was going to die, he was going to die with dignity. Despite wanting to try and run one last time, Delano forced himself to relax and look calm in the face of death. To look better than the very lion above him who was about to kill him.

As his life slowly left him, the only reassurance Delano had was that with his death, the lion who killed him was going to suffer for the rest of his life. As the pressure continued to increase, Delano struggled to remain conscious, until doing even that took all of his effort. Unable to keep up the struggle, he allowed the blackness to overwhelm him.

[TheRoguePrince]

The rogue gasped a desperate plea for life as Keto applied tremendous pressure to his exposed throat, crushing the life out of him with great pleasure as he savored the feeling of destroying his foe's life. There, on the edge of insanity, Keto prepared to sate his primal lust for vengeance upon the lion who had tried to kill him not once, but twice. Consciousness escaped the dying rogue as Keto continued to enjoy the kill immediately before him, so assured as it was, the victim of his violence was not even awake to struggle anymore. Yet something bothered him, something he had almost forgotten in his passion to have his victory.

With a deep sigh, Keto released his murderous grip on the lion lying near death below him. "You're right..." he whispered to himself with a hint of distaste, "It's not worth it." Keto walked away from the scene, convinced he should never have followed the rogue to begin with, he wasn't the type of companion Keto needed, and not just for reasons of safety. Making certain to hide his trail, Keto made his way off toward the setting Sun, determined to put as much distance between himself and the rogue as he could. There would be no calm communication between them the next time they met, and Keto needed to get better prepared for this life before that happened, if ever.

For the first time in his life, Keto permitted himself to fully appreciate the fact that he was ruined. He had no friends, no family, no home, not even something to look back on. Everything was gone, and so was he. For even in his unexpected change of heart, he knew he had lost a piece of himself that he could never really hope to get back. Keto was no longer an innocent, and he would no longer be able to justify his actions. Destroying the rogue's ability to fight would have been enough, but no, Keto had taken pleasure in what he had done to the rogue, who had been helpless before him. Life was a precious thing, he had been taught, yet alone in the wilderness he found that that lesson had been lost on him. He was a killer at heart, even if he wanted to pretend he was something else...

[DGFone]

When Delano woke up again, at first all he felt was the tremendous pain he was in. The pain from his wounds, and now his neck felt like the lion was still pressing on it. But when he opened his eyes, the lion was not there. Confused, Delano struggled to roll himself over onto his stomach, gasping in pain from moving. He looked around, not trying to figure out what was going on. The last thing he remembered was the lion strangling him to death, but now Delano found himself all alone, confused, and in pain.

He tried to sand up, and even briefly managed to get up, but he fell back down to the ground almost right away. His breathing increased in pace as he began to panic, the realization coming to him that while he was spared from death by the other lion, he was in such a bad state, that he was sure to die now anyways. He desperately sat up, trying to see more than when his head was lying on the ground. But no matter where he looked, Delano was alone. "Help..." His voice was very quiet, and his throat hurt, but he was too scared to care about it now. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to try and call out loudly.

"Help! Somebody! Anybody! Please help me!" He desperately looked around again for any sign of any life, but didn't see any. Once again, he tried to stand up, to run somewhere and find any sort of life, but just as before, his limbs failed him and he fell back down to the ground. "Help! Please... help..." His calls for aid faded as he began to sob quietly to himself, realizing that he was destined to die here, alone and in pain. To die a slow death due to the elements. As he was now, Delano started to wish that the lion had not left him to die here, but had killed him properly instead.