[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Her face was now in Ra's neck and she was being asked to let it all go. How could she do that? Kamau wouldn't have wanted that to happen, so Imani held herself to the same standard and painted a fake smile on her face pulling away from her sister. "I'm fine, Ra. Kamau is not a concern of mine any longer" she lied through her teeth, walking forwards and back to their friends.

She was lying more than she needed to. At the very thought of their older brother, she felt like she was about ready to break down and not come out of a slump of depression for a long while. Kamau had that effect on her, even though he wasn't there with her in the flesh, he was still out there and the thought of him not being with her and her sister made her feel like he wasn't loving towards them anymore. Her older brother, Kamau, resembled her father, Oni, in almost every detail that it was chilling sometimes. Aside from his eyes which were the same color as his mother's, golden yellow, he was a reincarnation of Oni.

Imani walked on, expecting the others to follow close. She didn't say a thing on the way back.

[Night night, Naki!]

[AustralianChaos]

When the sisters moved on, Tanga got up and quickly moved to join them. He smiled at Imani...only for the smile to fade as he read her body language. He could tell that she was trying to hide something that was troubling her...and Tanga was afraid of what it could be.

"Imani...are you okay?" he asked. "Is it about Ra being upset? Because I'm sorry, I should have thought about what I told her about my parents before I said anything...I guess I'm too sentimental, too quick to get my past off my chest."

He hung his head...once again reminding himself of his vow. "When I'm done talking to Mufalfa, I promise to try and be more cheerful, Imani. It's not fair that my depressing stories get everyone else down...I just hope you can teach me to be a bit more carefree, like you seem to be when you're happy."

[VitanisMate]

Mufalfa looked toward Tanga and gulped. "Though Neru...ate your parents I killed them and ordered Neru to do it." He had his head down and said, "You would be right in seeking revenge by killing me." He nodded showing he approved of Tanga of killing him right then and there. When Tanga did nothing he held nothing back. "Tanga I killed your parents not because they trespassed on my land but because I did it for pure fun." He looked back at Ra and sighed, "You are all 100 times better than I am. I am the one who is the murderer."

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga looked to Mufalfa. As the lion that had been haunting the edges of the nightmares spoke, Tanga could feel his anger rising, and found himself wanting to agree with the words Mufalfa was saying.

But when Mufalfa seemed to wait, as if expecting him to strike out, crush his neck and kill him there and then, Tanga hesitated. Part of him was screaming to do it, to unsheathe his claws and strike Mufalfa across the neck like Imani had, only this time making sure the damage was permanent. But another part of him stopped himself from doing it.

Mufalfa had shown that he was a lion of two souls...two personalities. One of them appeared to have disappeared...the same one Tanga knew would have been responsible for killing his parents. But Tanga still could not shake his anger, and he felt his claws slowly reveal themselves as he took one slow, calm step forwards.

As he fought the internal battle to decide whether or not to claim vengeance, Tanga decided to speak up one last time...give Mufalfa one last chance to say something. "Before Neru died...he told me something about that day," he said, his voice dead even and emotionless. "Something he said not even you knew." He did not keep his voice quiet...Mufalfa was the last one to be unaware of this secret, and speaking so that everyone else could hear him meant that he should never have to repeat this story again.

"When Neru...desecrated my parents...he discovered something else. My mother, Kali...she was bearing another cub. If it weren't for that day, I would have had a little sister to play with and take care of."

Tanga sat back, a couple of paces from Mufalfa, never taking his eyes off the lion as he waited for his reaction. He claws were still out, and Tanga could almost feel Ra's gaze on his back, watching for any sign that he was about to attack, but ignored it as he continued to wage his internal war, and observed the one responsible for him losing so much, so young.

[VitanisMate]

Mufalfa looked genuinely shocked at what Tanga had said. "What?!" He looked at Tanga and said, "I have no doubt even if I did know I would have not held him back. I told you I am evil. Now what I also need to say is that...before Neru ate the...bodies I...killed your parents slowly and they experienced pain more than you can ever imagine." He knew from what he said he would not live considering Tanga' s behavior towards him. He knew though that he had no problem with Tanga taking his life right now. "Tanga no matter what my friend I hope for your happiness."

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

They had all just entered the ground when Mulfalfa spoke of his blood-shedded past and Tanga's parents. The lioness looked at Tanga, knowing he was about ready to let loose on the male, but it was surprising that he held back. She looked back at Mulfalfa who looked at Ra and then the rest of them again.

"I could have told you that that he was a thousand times worse" she whispered, looking to the side. Her voice was bitter, and antagonizing. "But if you're not aware, Ra has held us to not killing you. As long as she's my sister, you're not killed by the fate of my paws". She walked forwards and past him, "but I'm not quite sure about Tanga". With that, she walked on and let them have their conversation. She decided to sit down beside Auni and relax as much as she could in the choking thick, angry atmosphere.

[AustralianChaos]

Mufalfa's shocked exclamation to Tanga's revelation caused him to freeze, but he found himself gripping the dirt hard with his claws as the rest of Mufalfa's words reached his ears...as he fought tooth and claw to hold onto his emotions, and his fierce desire to rip the lion in front of him to shreds.

Imani's fierce words also left him rooted to the spot, and as he watched her leave the situation, he silently wondered what this conversation would do to their new relationship.

But as the various arguments, both for and against Mufalfa's execution, raced each other around Tanga's brain, he actually found himself retracting his claws, and his expression softening. Breathing deeply as he rode out the last waves of hatred and anger, Tanga's head bowed as he spoke. "No, Mufalfa...in an odd way, you actually had no part in it."

He looked up at the lion before him, continuing softly. "I know my parents...and I know they would not want vengeance just for the sake of it. It won't bring them back...it won't bring my sister back...and all it will achieve is to make me a killer as well. I've also seen you're...dual personality. I also know which one I'm talking to now, and that it is not the one that got my parents killed."

"The Mufalfa that killed my parents is gone...I can see that." He stepped forward and took a closer look into Mufalfa's eyes, making sure they were both staring at each other as he spoke once again. "I don't think I will ever be able to completely trust you, Mufalfa...but I am not going to hang my parents' deaths on your shoulders. I'm not like that."

With that, Tanga backed off, sitting back in the grass and letting out a huge breath. To him, that had probably been one of the hardest things to do...to practically forgive the lion that had killed his parents. but as he turned his head skyward, he could almost sense the pride coming from his family, letting him know that he had done the right thing in the end.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

The lioness nodded lightly at Tanga's words, proud of him for choosing the right words to say and the right way to say them. When he looked over at her, she gave him a soft smile and closed her eyes to relax.

[Nakisisa]

Relief washesd Over Ra. Tanga had practically forgiven Mufalfa, but she still needed to speak to her sister, "Imani, please are you alright?" she asked moving to her sisters side.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

She nodded her head lightly. "Yeah".

She kept her eyes focused on being shut so she didn't have to look at her sister.