A Change of Plans [PRIVATE: AC & The Whistlerify]

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga waited for Marini, watching the direction she had pointed in. He could now make out the antelope herd. "So," he said as she caught up to him. "How are we going to do this? I was thinking one of us runs a distraction, tries to seperate one of the younger ones from the main herd, while the other takes it down."

As he spoke, he shook the water from his swim off, keeping a distance from Marini so he wouldn't go and drench her all over again. In her current, soaked state, it did not really matter, but to Tanga, keeping polite was always a priority whenever he remembered it. That, and, with his feelings for Marini, he thought he should be nice to her whenever he could.

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Scar looked at Sarafina curiously. "You've been, watching me, have you?" his voice betrayed no emotion other than his general curiosity. "And yet done nothing to stop me...I would have thought you would be in Sarabi's good graces. The Great Kings know both of your little ones get along well. So why haven't you done anything?"

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Sarabi just stared at Sarafina in complete shock. She did not bother to act like her friend was currently doing...she was too shocked to put on any sort of act for Scar's benefit.

"Sarafina, please...don't do this..." her desperate pleas were spoken in the context of Sarafina revealing herself to Scar, but to the murderous lion, the words could easily be misinterpreted as referring to Sarafina's blatant betrayal of the pride, and her allegiance with Scar.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini nodded at Tanga, "Sounds good." she said and tried to remember the way the herd looked like when she was on the tree, if she remembered well, the little antelopes were playing a few feet away, so a lion right between the adults to the younger ones will scare the younger ones away, where she or Tanga would be waiting. "The younger antelopes are playing a short distance away from the adults, right there on the left." she said pointing a little to the left from where they were heading to. "One of us will circle around to their left and wait for the younger ones to right straight to him."

Sarafina hope Sarabi would just understand she was only acting. "Because we shared the same feeling. Jealousy, and hatred for those who have what we always dreamed of."

[AustralianChaos]

Scar looked at Sarafina, noticing Sarabi had now fallen silent, just looking betweent he two of them with shock and horror. "And why are you here today, and now, of all times?" he asked, quickly formulating a plan to test Sarafina's loyalty to his cause. He was all for having an ally in his schemes...the hyenas were numerous, but none had the brains, and Sarafina would be an intelligent addition...as long as she was truly loyal to him, and not simply testing both sides...or acting to try and save Sarabi, which Scar had considered as a possibility.

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Tanga nodded, feeling his muscles tense up as he prepared for the hunt that was to come. "Okay...do you want to split them up, or should I?" she asked. He was quite happy to take whichever role Marini wanted him, too, and therefore was willing to let her choose.

Either way, he was on his first hunt, and it left him both excited and nervous. Excited because of the thrill it was already bringing him, despite the fact that they had not even started...but nervous because there were no adults to guide them, and their small size made this far more difficult than it would have been normally.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini looked at Tanga, "You'll wait on the left and catch one as soon as you get the chance. I'll chase them towards you so I can help you when you catch one." She then looked at where they were heading, "We're getting close."

Sarafina knew Scar was testing her, but remained calm, thinking that it might actually work. "I must admit Scar, you didn't show much promise." she said, trying to look as if she was now completly willing to support him, "But your plans... How do I say this... Brilliant."

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga looked up, realising that they were close. "Okay, I'll head off...you go distract them...good luck, Rini."

With those words, Tanga moved off, once more adopting his low, silent gait as he moved, carefully controlling his breathing this time around to ensure he was being completely silent. He took a few moments, moving until he could see the young antelope a short distance away...directly between himself and the adults in the main herd, the perfect spot for when Marini caused her distraction.

From his low stance in the grass, he could not see her, so he simply sat low, controlling his energy and urge to pounce at the antelope, waiting for Marini to make her move. Doubts over their ability to succeed at this chased themselves around Tanga's mind, but he pushed them all down. They could do this...just because they were smaller in both size and number to the usual hunting part did not mean that they could not succeed...Tanga thought his plan had a lot of merit to it.

He just hoped everything went as he had planned...the price of failure would be to starve.

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Scar smiled at Sarafina. "I thank you for your admiration," he said, before frowning again. "But how do I know I can...trust you?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini went to the other side of the young group and waited a short moment just to ensure Tanga got to his position before she caused the distraction. When she decided that she waited enough for Tanga to settle in his position, she walked as close as she could to the antelopes without showing herself before running out of her hiding place, causing all the young antelopes to run back towards the adults, and Tanga who was right between them.

Sarafina knew this question would come. "We both know that I could have blown your cover if I wanted to." she said, now standing a short distance from Scar, "And I think you could use my help." She hoped Sarabi wouldn't do anything stupid. Her plan was to convince Scar that exiling Sarabi would be a punishment worse then death so that she could survive, and maybe group with Tanga and Marini. Then she could stage Simba's death so that Scar would consider himself victorious, while Simba grows up somewhere safer.

[AustralianChaos]

Scar nodded thoughtfully. "That is true..." he mused, pretending to think on it, even though his plan was already set out...a plan that would truly test how loyal Sarafina was.

"However, I need a bit more...persuading, before I can be assured that you are helping me...I'm sure you understand." Scar then turned to Sarabi, a wicked smile on his face. "Our former queen here has become privy to our schemes, unfortunately. It seems she saw fit to follow me this morning, and now knows too much. She must be...disposed of, and I'm sure you can deal with her, right here, right now."

Scar grinned once more as Sarabi's jaw dropped. The idea was simple; if Sarafina was loyal to him, she would kill Sarabi right there, in front of him...if she wasn't, she would refuse. Scar sat back and waited, expecting at least some sort of resistance from Sarafina...he doubted she had ever killed a fellow leonine in cold blood before.

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Tanga smiled as he saw Marini leap out from the grass, driving the young antelope along, back towards the adults. The young beasts thought that they were running straight for safety, since their herd was all they could see...but there was trap waiting for them...a trap that had just been sprung.

Remember at the last moment Marini's comment about him growling as he pounced, Tanga snapped his jaw shut as he jumped out from his hiding place, aiming for one antelope that was heading right for his position, his legs working rapisly underneath him as the chase began.

The antelope, spotting the danger, turned sharply, trying to dodge around the threat, but the attempt to turn caused it to skid in the grass, slowing it down enormously as it turned sideways, completely exposing it's neck to Tanga. With a growl, Tanga leapt, paws outstretched, managing to wrap himself around the young beast's neck, his weight and momentum pulling the antelope off it's feet and dragging in to the ground.

Tanga fought with the beast as it squirmed and struggled, yelping as one of the beast's kicking hooves caught him across the shoulder, leaving a long, but shallow gash. After a few more seconds, he finally managed to pin down the creature's neck, and took the oppourtunity, his jaws clamping down hard and fast, causing the young animal to stop struggling instantly, finally defeated.

Caught in the moment, Tanga stood tall and proud, blood covering his muzzle, as he released what he had intended to be a triumphant growl, letting the herd, and Marini, know that he had won. But instead of a growl, a forceful, if high-pitched, roar escaped his muzzle, managing to surprise himself with it...the roar was not the deep, powerful boom most lions could pull off...but it was far from the squealing growl most cubs produced when they attempted to roar.

[TheWhistlerify]

Sarafina knew she couldn't do it. But right where she was it was either Sarabi, or the two of them to die. She walked over to Sarabi and pushed her friend to the ground. Her back turned to Scar, she bent over to Sarabi, pretending to be trying to reach her neck, but she whispered to her quietly so that she wouldn't be over heard, "Pretend." She then rose her head up, pretending to be getting ready for the final blow. She bit her back of the neck, deep enough to show bite marks, but not hard enough the kill her friend, hoping Sarabi's acting will save them both. Sarabi didn't move and Sarafina needed to get her body somewhere she could flee from once everyone was gone. "I have an idea on where to throw this to." she said, pointing at the 'dead' Sarabi, "It would be a familly re-union."

Marini wanted to catch the antelope, but as she reached there Tanga had already defeated it. "Nicely done!" she said, impressed by how quick he had managed to kill it and without any help.

[AustralianChaos]

Scar smirked. Oh, Sarafina...I never knew you could be so cold! But the way she had killed her was enough to gain his trust...he could see her marks on her necks, and the blood seeping from them, and knew the deed had indeed been done. "An excellent suggestion! You go and take her to the gorge...I have to get the hyenas in line, and come up with some story that'll explain Sarabi's...disappearance."

Scar then turned, leaving Sarafina to find her own way to the gorge with Sarabi. "Don't bother coming back here, either...I'll see you at the den whenever we both get back."

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Sarabi had to stifle a yelp when Sarafina bit down on her neck, but managed to make it sound like it was cut off along with her spine, as she went limp, closed her eyes, and listened, breathing as little as physically possible, waiting for Sarafina to get her out.

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Tanga looked up as Marini came up to him, managing an embarrassed smile. "Uhh...t-thanks," he stammered back, a little distracted by not only the roar he was just loosed, but the fact he knew he must look horrifying. He could feel the antelope's blood all over his silver muzzle, knowing it must now be a rusty brown, and he could also feel blood seeping from his shoulder, although the wound could hardly be considered serious. It still stinged though, and he knew he'd have to take it easy on his left foreleg for the rest of the day.

He hopped off the dead antelope, staggerring a little as his hurt shoulder protested slightly, before grinning at Marini. "Well, dig in...our first kill!" the thought made him feel exceptionally proud of them both. They had succeeded in their first, but minimal knowledge of hunting, and no adults to assist them. Tanga silently wondered how many fourteen-month-old cubs could lay claim to that sort of achievment as he got to work satisfying his hunger.

[TheWhistlerify]

Sarafina's releaf was almost palpable, but she decided to fill up Scar's orders before anything else happend. She picked up Sarabi and placed her on her back, making sure not to move her neck too much while doing so, and began carrying her towards the gorge, leaving the remaining hyenas behind.

Marini walked over to Tanga and looked at his shoulder, "Oh... are you okay?" she asked, completly forgetting about the kill they pulled off together. "Let's eat and then head back, I'll try to clean this wound up a little."