[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light

[Nakisisa]

Ra quickly found what she wanted, After finding a special herb, she ran back. Finding her mate, just alive, she ordered Neru out of the den, hissing as she did. She went back to her mate, and placed the herb onto his neck, licking it to activate the healing properties it contained. She then fed him some more herbs, healing him from the inside. She lay next to him, waiting for if he needed it.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani shook her head, "y-yeah" she replied, a little shaky. She had only remembered bits and pieced of what had happened back there with the others and the enemy. She remembered knocking out Ra, and then seeing Mulfalfa on the ground, and then telling Neru to back off. Then, there she was. In front of Tanga, and wondering how to fill in the blacks though she was afraid to even know.

"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost, or something" she questioned the male in front of her. She was concerned that while she was exactly 'there' that something had happened to make him act this way.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. Would Imani really want to know this? How would she react? It was obvious that she remembered some of what happened, but not all. The question for Tanga was, what part had she forgotten?

"I..." he stuttered, trying to figure out what to say, and how to say. "I'm just a little...stunned, really." He could not bring himself to tell Imani that he was slightly scared of her now. He looked back to where Mufalfa's body had lain, finding both it, along with Neru and Ra, gone. "You..." he wanted to tell her how brave she had been, how she had achieved what he could not, but did not know how to express it, particularly since there was a chance she would be horrified by her actions. "I...I think you saved us all," he finally said, looking at his paws, ashamed of his seemingly infinite cowardice.

He could not tell her anything completely. He was scared of exposing her darker side...he was scared of scaring her with the truth...he was scared of his own conflicting feeling for the lioness in front of him...why was he scared of everything?

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

She tilted her head and studied him. His form was saying something completely different from his words, and so she figured she shouldn't push it and talk to him anymore about it as much as she wanted to know herself. "Alright then" she told him, her ears lightly falling as she looked at the pitch dark sky.

It had fallen to almost midnight by the time they had all escaped from it all, and it seemed like the time went faster for her than anyone else in the group. What was wrong with Tanga? Did he hate her now, or something? The lioness wanted to ask him, but she knew if he were asked he would not answer the question nor would he tell the truth if he was to be asked full-on from her.

"Well I guess you're tired. You should get to bed, g'night" she smiled, laying down in the grass and putting her head on her paws. She didn't look at him and she waited to hear the sound of his footsteps leaving her be.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga gave Imani an odd look as she settled down in the grass. He had not expected that reaction from her, but decided against questioning it. She had been through a very rough day, as they all had...she deserved a break from his questioning, at the very least.

As he looked up the night sky, reminding himself of how late it was, he was amazed at the contradictory feelings running through his body. He felt like he had just run across the entire plains without slowing, and yet...he did not feel like sleep was going to come to him any time soon...too many thoughts were whirling in his head.

Those thoughts turned once more to his late parents as he stared up at the night sky, sitting down a short, but respectful distance from Imani, sighing heavily. Today had opened a lot of old wounds for him, and he desperately needed some relief, as much as he loathed to talk about it.

"I wonder if the stories are true," he said softly, but loud enough for Imani or Auni to hear if they were still awake. "I wonder if the Kings of old look down on us from those stars." He paused, wondering if he should actually ask the question, then decided he had to say something aloud about his past, or he was going to go insane. "I wonder if my parents are watching me?"

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

She did hear. She knew what he was thinking and what he meant by the wonderment of how the Great Kings were looking down on them, and if his parents were doing the same. She had wondered that herself many times when Ra was asleep. The lioness pretended to be asleep and just layed there, listening to Tanga talk to himself. She kept her eyes closed, but she was more than awake. She was almost ready to answer back to him but she decided against it and drifted to a deep sleep.

In her sleep, her lost her balance on her stomach so she rolled to her side and layed there soundlessly.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga just sat there after he posed his question, leaving it unanswered, knowing that either way, he would probably not like the answer.

Finally, after watching the stars for some time...he could not be sure exactly how long...Tanga turned back to Imani, finding her now lying on her side, looking completely peaceful in her sleep, completely undisturbed. He felt the corners of his muzzle twitch in a soft smile as her still form, which made him wonder about the lioness beside him.

Imani, along with Auni, was his first friend he had ever had...but was that all? Was that indeed the limit of his feelings? As he looked at Imani, even in the midnight gloom, he could still distinguish her creamy brown fur, and her darker underbelly, in the faint starlight. Tanga did not have much experience in the way of looks, having met so few other lionesses to compare her to, but to his mind, she was, at the very least, pretty.

And her eyes! Even though Tanga could not see them now, even thinking of her violet orbs, and the youthful, almost playful vibe they tended to give off, reminded him of a long-lost time of his life, when he still had his parents. He had been so full of life, back then...completely innocent and oblivious to the horrors of the world. It was a side of him that Tanga had not let out since that fateful day he had first met Mufalfa. His cubbish ways had gotten his parents killed, and he had been determined since then to stamp it out of himself. His playfullness lead to recklessness...and his recklessness got other killed, and could very easily be his own death.

But he missed it, he missed that ability to play and laugh without a care in the world...a trait Imani still seemed to possess. With that, his thoughts returned straight back to Imani with surprising single-mindedness. She was a good friend, if a little odd, mysterious and scary at times, and Tanga most definitely thought she was pretty, too...but what did that mean? With so little experience with friends, he just did not know where the line between friendship, and...something more...lay, or even if there was a line at all.

"I'm so confused," he whispered to himself as he flopped down on the grass himself, resting on his back and continuing to stare at the stars. The question kept repeating itself in his head, refusing to leave him alone: Was Imani just a friend...or was he starting to become attracted to her in THAT way? Tanga had never given any thought to having a mate...until recently he had never seen another lioness, save for his mother. But now that the notion had entered his head, it would not leave him alone.

He looked up the stars once more, the hint of a smile he had on his face since seeing Imani's sleeping form fading. "Please," he whispered, his voice directed to the stars. "Mum...dad...if you're up there. I could really use you help. I don't know what I'm doing."

He recieved no answer, although he had never really expected one, and with another heavy sigh, a gesture which was becoming way too much of a habit, he rolled over onto his stomach, resting his head on his paws and closing his eyes, even though he knew he would get no sleep tonight. There was too much for him to consider to be able to sleep.

[Skittakallista]

Auni had followed both Tanga and Imani away from the scene he'd woken up to but had lost control of his voice. His partial muteness frustrated him intensly and he wished he could speak. He still hadn't been told what had gone on and now Imani seemed to havve two personalitys too. The 'other Imani' wasn't as bad as the 'other Mufalfa' or the 'other Ra' but she had still been dangerous and scarey. There had been something in her eyes which had cared him to silence and even though she had gone back to her normal self and was no sleeping nearby him he had not regained the use of his voice.

He couldn't get to sleep either. He had shifted, figited, even rolled onto his back so he was staring at the stars, but he was still resolutly awake. Staring at the stars, he remembered the story that Tanga had referenced earlier, about the great kings of the past. As a prince, it had been one of the first stories his parents had told him. He sighed. He rolled back onto his front and stared at Imani. She was quite at peace now, but still had dry blood on her fur.

He saw Tanga out of the corner of his eye. He was appealing to his parents to give him help. They definatly needed some. Their rescue plan had bombed and they were all scared and tired. He watched Tanga further. He kept glancing over at Imanis sleeping form, with confusion and longing in his eyes. Auni felt for him. She had been changing weirdly all day and seemed to be a little uneasy around males. Tanga probably didn't know where he stood. If he had had control of his voice he would have tried to talk to him. But he didn't so he continued to stare, hoping he would notice and talk to him. He needed it.

[VitanisMate]

Neru was confused by her behavior and he sighed. "Is there some reason why you hate me? I am helping you am I not?" He sighed and looked at Ra though he expected she would slap him in a minute so he stopped immediately.

===

Mufalfa was still out but was getting better. He then got up knowing he had to tell Ra the truth. "Ra I am a li..." He gagged feeling his neck was about to fall off.

[Nakisisa]

"I don't hate you, I just neededsome time to do this alone" she said to Neru turning to the speaking Mufala, "Please my mate, rest" she said nuzzling him.