[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani looked up at Auni and listened to what he had to say. She knew he was very caring, much like Tanga, and she was glad to have him as a friend, but she didn't feel like saying anything. As if her lips had magically been taped shut, she kept quiet and turned her head away from him.

The tape unravelled and she sighed out, "I appreciate it, my friend. But, I'm fine" she felt like she was on repeat. She was saying it to everyone and no one was believing her words. Maybe she was going soft on the acting scene or something along the lines, but she was sure if they heard her say it enough, that they would finally just give up and she could move on sooner. "But thank you".

[Nakisisa]

"She... She... We didn't usually talk about personal things" Ra explained to Tanga with a sigh. "Being a rouge is eventful, and usually lonely. But being together me and Imani, we developed a bond, being able to read each others emotions, but Today, after everything that has happened, that bond... it's snapped" Ra sighed again, leaning into Taga's mane again. Realising what she was doing, she laughed. "I'm sorry" she said getting out of his mane, and licking his cheek again.

"Tanga, she sees you as a mate, and would tell you anything" Ra said looking into his eyes, "Things she wouldn't even tell me, try to get her on her own, and try to find out if there's anything we can do" Sighing, she had to try and keep Tanga on her side, "And she would have chosen well, if you took her as you're mate, you would have my blessing" Ra said smiling, giving him one last lick, and getting up to all four's, "I hope you dont mind snoring" Ra said laughing

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga looked at Ra, pity in his eyes, as she spoke. "It's fine," he said after she apologised for using his contact for comfort. "We all need a shoulder to lean on from time to time."

But as Ra talked about Imani, and her seeing him as her mate, he was left gobsmacked. "You...you really think so?" he said, listening as Ra finished what she had to say. "I...I don't know what to say. Just...thank you, both of you, for thinking so highly of me," he finally managed to squeeze out, giving the lioness a quick nuzzle to show his appreciation.

He turned towards where Imani had disappeared off to, and idea on how he could get her to open up forming in his mind. "I can't guarantee that I'll succeed, Ra...if my experience is worth anything, Imani is going to have a lot of trouble opening up. But I do swear to you that I will try with every part of me to make her feel better." And with those words, he padded off, quietly looking for Imani.

He eventually came to the clearing she was in, and was slightly surprised to find Auni there as well. His love-struck mind instantly tried to create scenarios involving Imani and Auni together, and make his jealousy flare, but Tanga forcibly pushed them down. He could see that Imani was struggling with some internal hardship, and Auni was trying, apparantly unsuccessfully, to get her to open up as well.

He initially though of stepping forward and asking Imani for a private word again, but knew that it would be rude on Auni. Events had moved fast the last couple of days, and Tanga had hated the fact that he had been forced to, for the most part, neglect the lion that had helped him so much. Sighing, he stepped forward. "Hey, you two," he greeting as he walked into clearing, smiling at the two of them.

He decided to get his words to Auni out of the way first. "Auni...I can see the lonliness in you, and know what's causing it. I know that, for a friend, I haven't been paying much attention to you. You've done a lot for me...for all of us, and I thank you for that. Once things settle down and we have a bit more free time, I promise to talk to you and hang around with you more."

He sighed once again. "And although I hate to say it...there's still one last thing I must do now, and it involves Imani." Giving Auni an apologetic look, trying to convey his promise once more through it, he turned to Imani. "Imani...fancy a walk with me for a little bit?" he asked, smiling a rather shy, pleading smile to his...future mate?

Ra had seemed adamant that Imani saw him as a mate...and Tanga knew he saw the same thing in Imani...but how could he possibly bring that up? That sort of proposal was not one made lightly, and Tanga knew that, once he had whatever secret Imani was carrying off her chest, he would need to think heavily on the matter before talking with her about it.

Pushing the thought of mateship with Imani to the back of his mind for now he turned away from the clearing, looking back at Imani questioningly, hoping that she would follow him...it would be so much for Imani to open up if it was more than just the two of them talking...and if Ra was right, it would actually be essential.

[Nakisisa]

"Thank you Tanga" Was all ra could muster as she went and lay a short distance away from Mufalfa.

[Skittakallista]

Auni felt joy and relief flood to his body at Tanga's words. "That sounds good to me." He smiled, beginning to get up. "I guess I should leave you two alone now. "Imani." He adressed the lioness. "If you don't feel like talking no, that's fine. But you will have to at some point. Confusing and unsolved memories and feeling can be very damaging." He gave each of them a nuzzle, then left the clearing, deciding to talk to his mother. He had alot to say.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani looked to see Tanga come up and managed a small smile, happy to have him next to her again. How she ever got so lucky to have him with her, she would never know. Although when the lion asked her to come with him, she was about to get up until she saw Auni get to his feet and nuzzle her a tad. She froze when she felt his fur dance with hers, and he leaned away to walk off. Imani blinked slightly before she pulled her paw to her neck and rubbed it before setting it back down on the ground and looked over to Tanga.

Her cheeks were boiling a little, but her fur hid it easily. "What's up?" She asked, sitting back down and relaxing for what he had to say. She had a feeling that this was going to either have something to do with her sister and her, or why she was being so closed about her brother. Even the thought about them conversing about her older brother was enough to make her stomach flip and her legs feel like they were about to give up on her. Kamau, you have no idea what you do to me, she thought.

The lioness shut her eyes tightly, and she traveled through the memories in her head. It brought her back to cubhood, where she was a tiny little thing and she came up beside a large, tall, well-built creamy lion.(:)

Kamau 1.png (104.98 KiB) Viewed 1091 times

"Kamau!" She happily giggled, grasping onto her older brother's leg but he shook her off. Imani looked up to him with a moment of sadness in her eyes before she got off topic. "Look at this cool trick!" She practically yelled, turning her head and picking up her tail in her mouth and letting out a giggle. "Daddy showed me today that I'm the one who moves my tail" she laughed. Kamau looked down at her with gold eyes before he walked away and left his kid sister behind. "Brother! Hey, brother!" She called out, coming to his side.

"Imani, go play with Ra" Kamau ordered her softly.

"Oh yeah! Okay! Well, we can play tonight, right?"

"If you shut up, we'll play" he answered back. That was good enough of an answer for the cub and she watched as Kamau walked off towards a lioness who smiled at him and gave him a nuzzle before they both darted off. Imani rose her eyebrow in wonder why they were running.

"Ra!" She called out, darting over to where her sister was. "Let's play!"

The lioness's eyes were distant and she looked from the floor to Tanga, waiting for what he had to say.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga watched as Auni left, slightly surprised at his reaction to his attempt to cheer the lion up a little. But he shook it off, knowing that he had to deal with Imani, and whatever it was she was hiding.

"Imani, I..." his words quickly trailed off as he saw Imani shut her eyes. All he could do was watch as her body twitched and jumped every now and again, as she obviously relived something from her own past. It hurt him to see the way she struggled to keep these memories back, but he waited, knowing she would not respond until the memory ran its course.

When it did, Tanga struggled to find his voice as those mesmerising violet eyes locked with his blue ones once more. "Imani, I...I can see that you're trying to hide something from us. I'm not upset or mad at you...just worried. I know what it's like to...to carry memories of your past."

He looked up at her, letting his worry for her, and the pain he felt when tried to hide his parents from the world show. "Ra's worried, Imani...and so am I. I hid my secret about my parents for a whole year, and every day it hurt, more than the last. I know you probably don't want to, Imani, but..." Tanga stepped forward, and this time it was him that put his head under her chin as he hugged her. "I love you too much to see you like this, Imani. And I know that letting it out always helps. Look at me...before I met you I couldn't bear to even think of my parents. Now I can talk freely about them without getting sad...because I talked to all of you about it."

"Pleased, Imani," he begged, hugging her a little tighter. "I just want to help."

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

While she was in his hold, she looked to the side where his head was on her shoulder. She didn't want to talk. She didn't want to reveal how Ra and Imani's brother ran off from their family when they were cubs. The twins were devastated when Kamau didn't come back, and mother went insane. It took a toll on the whole family, but Imani especially. Her entire world revolved around her older brother, but he didn't see the same for her. Or Ra. But it seemed like Kamau always got along better with the middle child rather than the youngest. As painful as it was growing up with him not paying any attention, shrugging her off, ignoring her, and treating her like dirt, it was harder with him not being there when she loved her older brother as much as she did.

"I have nothing to talk about" Imani replied, leaning away from him. When she was able to get a clear view of his face, she smiled a sweet smile and walked past him and back to the others and where they were placed. "Come on, let's get back".

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga felt his shoulders slump as Imani replied. He looked at her as she smiled, but could not smile back. He sighed heavily, knowing that if Imani did not want to talk to him, there was little he could do. She did not want to talk to Ra, nor him, nor Auni...but if she did not talk, Tanga knew that she bound to begin sufferring terribly...something he could hardly bear to think about.

"Please, Imani," he pleaded, one last time, not moving as she made to leave. "Please...I know there's something bothering you, I can see it." He dropped his head, his knowledge of Imani's sufferring making him feel terrible. He felt like he was failing both her and Ra for being unable to comfort her. "If you don't want to talk, I'll let you go...but whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting...and your sister will be, too."

With those words, Tanga lay down in the clearing, sighing once more as he rested his head on his paws, praying that whatever it was Imani was struggling with, that she would get over it soon. He loved her...and hated seeing her like this. But he did not know what he was supposed to do to help, especially since Imani seemed so desperate to hide whatever it was that was bothering her.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

As much as Imani wanted to reveal her past to him, she just wasn't ready. She hadn't even been ready to reveal it to her own sister, and Ra was the one who lived with her through the whole thing! And she couldn't even talk about one tiniest detail with Ra without letting all break loose from her system.

She felt bad for leaving Tanga back like that but he wouldn't follow her to the group and she was not going to go back to him because she knew he would badger her for the answer and if not, he would probably try to get her to talk by trying to make her feel bad. She wasn't in the mood to deal with that. But when she laid eyes on the others, she thought they would start to do the same thing. The lioness backed up a little before she looked over her shoulder to Tanga and then walked away from them all.

It was pretty dark now, and she was running through the thick night sky to get away from the questions.