Meaning and Purpose [Closed to Julie_Skywalker]

[Carl]

"I'll deny it as well," the lioness laughed, not a cruel or sadistic or crazy laugh, but a pure one. Then, moments later, they were tussling like cubs, not just that, but like Pridelander cubs, the kind who didn't hurt one another with claws or teeth when playing. And she felt so... happy and alive. This feeling of youth and bliss, it made her somewhat nostalgic, but it was entirely new at the same time.

When she'd pinned him and he asked her that question, her eyes went wide. She tried to figure out the answer, but she didn't know, so in the awkwardness of the moment, she realized that her heart rate was increased, more so than a light tussle in the night should cause. She also noticed how close the two were, in a non-violent way. It was... strange, and though she liked it, she stepped off of him and backed up a few steps, sitting into the grass.

"I don't know," she said quietly, "I could ask you the same thing."

She pawed at the earth and twitched her tail. The night was surely half over or more, she realized, so they should be getting back and resting. He should especially after the beating he'd taken from herself and her subordinate during the day. However... she wasn't ready to rest. She was havingㅡ dare she even think itㅡ too much fun.

"What I do know is that tonight... has been fun," she admitted to him, a slight smile playing across her lips. It had been the first time she'd had fun since before Nuka's death, and while she wasn't going to say it now, or maybe not ever, she was grateful to this rogue for giving her that.

[Baya]

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[Carl]

Vitani snorted. "Puh, cubs. As if. If I got knocked up by some rogue, Kovu wouldㅡ" she cut off as she realized that she might like to see Kovu freak out over something like this, but instead of saying that, she just went on to say, "Well, I'd have more issues at hom than already. Though I'm not sure if I even care... but it doesn't matter! Baya and I won't be having any cubs!"

She made a deliberate effort to walk a little further away from the rogue, and forced a limp to make it seem more believable that they'd just gone out for more fighting.

"We just went out for another scuffle, and we didn't want to wake the others with it," she lied smoothly. Hey, the cub probably wouldn't know any better. She'd make fun and carry on, but that's what cubs did. She'd teased Nuka and N'gora all the time as a cub, but no one had ever taken the remarks seriouslyㅡ though after Nuka's death N'gora had shown changes that meant maybe it had been true. That was hardly the point, however, the point being that most likely, if this cub spoke of this to anyone else, they'd take it only for the mischief of a cub.

Vitani shook out her fur of remaining water droplets or loose blood and made her way back over to the place where her four lionesses were sleeping. Not surprisingly, she was greeted by wakeful eyes. The tears sisters were laying in the same place as though they slept, but their eyes were wide open, sparkling in the night.

"You went out," Dikeledi said.

"Alone," Masozi continued, "You are lucky to be in one piece still."

"Nah, I'm more than capable of handling myself," their leader replied.

"Are you also more than capable of handling Baya?" Dikeledi asked. Vitani cast a glance back over her shoulder in his direction and smiled briefly before turning a cruel grin back on her squad members.

"Of course I am. I know exactly how to handle him."

Then she lie back down and shut her eyes, ready for as much sleep as she would be able to get.

[Baya]

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[Carl]

Vitani's face fell as sadness washed over her. A flood of anger, hatred and unbridled rage swam up and pushed aside the anger in a second as she let out a mighty roar and rushed at Kovu, some of his pride members turned to face her, anger showing on their features, and despite her skills and those of her loyal crew, she stopped, eyes narrowed and shouted after her brother as he retreated.

"YOU FOOL!! HE GAVE ME SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE WE LOST MOTHER AND NUKA, AND JUST LIKE THEM, YOU HAVE TAKEN HIM FROM ME TOO!!! HOW DARE YOU TAKE AWAY EVERYONE FROM ME!!! HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME LIKE A FOOLISH CUB!!! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SPECIAL, DON'T YOU? WELL YOU'RE NOT! AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, YOU CAN STOP CALLING ME 'SISTER,' BECAUSE I AM DISOWNING YOU, YOU HEAR ME??!! AND I'M LEAVING YOUR PRIDE FOREVER!!! I WON'T EVEN RETURN IF SIMBA RECOVERS, EXCEPT MAYBE TO LAUGH AT YOU FOR EVER THINKING YOU WERE THE KING!!!"

At the end of her rant, she turned and sprinted over to Baya's body, beaten and bleeding. He looked so... destroyed. It was like he'd never had a chance. Despite her best effort to hold back her tears, one slipped down her muzzle and dropped onto the rogue's broken body. Her heart clenched and ached as she realized that the only one left who might have understood her, really understood her, was gone now, just like her mother and Nuka. And it was all Kovu's fault. Just like theirs had been.

Her team of loyal pridesisters approached her from a distance. Sauda was in a state of shock, completely bewildered that anyone could have taken Baya down. The other three were in shock as well, but their feelings of indifference to the rogue left them more able to function as normal.

"What do we do now?" Dikeledi asked, focused on Vitani.

"Find Shuja," Vitani said quietly, "We'll have to look out for her now."

"Of course," Masozi answered as she, her sister, and Sauda spread out in search of the cub.

"Are we really not returning to the Pridelands?" N'gora asked as she'd remained behind. Vitani's ears flattened, but she didn't turn when she spoke to her subordinate.

"Of course we aren't. Why should we. He treats us like cubs and then 'punishes' one who has helped us to prove some point. He's cruel and he's no brother of mine. I might owe Simba something, but the old king is dying... there is nothing left there for me... but you are free to return if you wish," she said evenly.

"Why should I, or the others, return there without you? You are our leader. You are the one we follow," N'gora assured her.

"Good. Then leave me for now and help the others find Shuja."

"Yes, of course, my liege."

When N'gora had gone, Vitani wept silently, tears rolling down her cheek and landing in Baya's matted fur. She leaned down close and nuzzled him very briefly, remembering fondly the night she'd had with him, playing like cubs and being... well... happy. Her heart ached at his loss, and she felt truly alone, no one was there for her. No one. They were all gone... all thanks to Kovu... and... thanks to herself. She roared at the realization. Then she shook her head.

"No, no, it's not my fault," she muttered to herself, "Nuka... poor Nuka, died because Kovu betrayed us. Mother... I tried to save her. Simba and Kovu would have killed her. If Kovu hadn't turned on us, we could have won, but not without him. Kovu forced me to surrender, and it isn't my fault I couldn't convince mother to. It's Kovu's fault she needed to. And Baya... Kovu killed you himself..."

She turned and lay her head on Baya's chest, feeling hopeless, but perked her ears when she heard it. It was faint, but it was there. Heartbeat. Heartbeat! Baya was alive!

"Of course you're alive," she said with a smirk as she sat up and wiped at her face with a paw, wiping away the evidence of her temporary weakness. It wasn't like her to have a breakdown like that. She smiled at the rogue beneath her paws. "You'll come to, and you'll be fine. I'll look after you until you wake up. Then... then if it's necessary we'll worry about Kovu. For now, you rest and get back in top form."

She looked around to see if the skull was near enough to drag him into. It was, so she leaned over him and finished her thought before grabbing him by the mane with her jaws and as gently as possible dragging him into the depths of the skull, "But of course you will return to top form; after all, you're Baya."

[Baya]

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[Carl]

Vitani placed a paw on the cub's head, then rolled it down her neck and to her back, pulling the cub close against her other foreleg.

"They are cowards," she said flatly, "And they only attacked him as a way to 'punish' me for not having killed him when he first intruded in our lands... Power has driven Kovu out of his mind, he doesn't know who he is anymore. I promise you they won't do this Baya again though. I will tear them apart myself if they try."

She took her paw off of the cub and strode out of the skull. Then she turned and pounced, climbing up to the top of the skull. From there, she raised her muzzle to the air and let out roar. It was a very specific roar, one to call back her loyalists. She then sat back on her haunches to await their return.

---

Masozi's ears perked up, and her head swiveled around.

"Did you hear that?" Dikeledi asked.

"I did. That's Vitani's roar. Should we return? We haven't found Shuja," her sister replied.

"No we haven't, but perhaps Vitani has."

"Or perhaps she has changed her mind about something."

"A cub would be defenseless out here on her own," Dikeledi murmured.

"So should we abort the mission or not?" Masozi asked.

"Idiots! Both of you. We abort and go back to her, she is our leader," N'gora hissed, appearing from out of the mist. The tears sisters shrunk back a little, but only barely.

"Of course," Dikeledi agreed.

"We were just about to go back," Masozi said matter-of-factly. N'gora rolled her eyes, cuffing them both on the back of the head. Then she pushed past them and began walking briskly back the way they'd come.

"Just as soon as you were done debating it... For all you know, time may be of the essence. Come on, let's report back!" she growled at them, before rolling her eyes again and double-timing it back towards the place where Vitani waited.


When the three arrived, Sauda already stood before the skull Vitani was perched on top of, and she was looking dead serious.

"There is no reason to continue searching for Shuja, she is here," Vitani said almost monotonously. Then, her eyes narrowing, she went on, "But there is a need to build up our forces."

"Mean you that we go to war?" Sauda asked.

Vitani shook her head.

"I... I don't know," she admitted, her face falling. She looked back up at them with a fierce expression. "Whether there is war or not, we need to be able to take out that whole pride if need be. As soon as Simba's life runs out, they will have no reason at all to keep us alive, and that's if they have a reason now. For all we know, Kovu might try to attack againㅡ and while we are stronger than those Pridelanders, they can defeat us with force of numbers... But we will worry about that later. First thing I want you girls to do is hunt. Baya will need food when he wakes."

"Vitani... are you alright? Baya's dead," Dikeledi mused.

"No! He yet lives. By force of numbers Kovu almost killed Baya, but luckily for us, he did not make sure of that. And that is why I am not sure if there will be war or not... if there is fighting, we need Baya, that's for sure. So you girls will help me to care for him! Now get hunting!"

"Yes commander!" N'gora said, saluting with a paw and then turning and loping back towards the Pridelands, the other three following after her. Only when they had gone did Vitani drop back off of the skull and return to the prone form of Baya within.

"Until you've the strength to defend yourself again," she said quietly, "I will remain nearby and fight off any attackers to keep you and Shuja alive."

[Baya]

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[Carl]

Vitani thought for a moment, trying to decide the best way to respond. She didn't really want to answer that question, especially since she still wasn't entirely sure if she really resented Kovu or not. In fact... she'd thought several times about going back to try and calmly reason with him.

"Maybe it's a bit of both. Maybe it's neither," she said after a long moment, shaking her head. "What does it matter? I did what I did and I don't regret it."

She stepped closer to the water, gazing down at her reflection as if it held the answers she was looking for. She sighed and swatted at 'herself' sending ripples through the water as she turned back to face Baya, her paw dripping now.

"Maybe it's because you're the only one I've had fun with since the loss of my mother and my brother," she admitted, "I don't know for sure. I just know it felt like the right thing to do and I will stand by my decision." She said the last bit firmly. Then she shook her head and went on more softly.

"You'll think me foolish, but I intend to go have a little chat with Kovu, the so-called 'king' and try and smooth things over. Unlike you, I'd prefer to avoid a fight in some cases, especially this one." She pawed at the earth, unsure of how to go on, or if she even should. Everything was confusing now, and she just wanted things to be clear. She wanted to go back, and though she couldn't, she wanted to at least try to patch things up with her remaining family member. Despite the trouble he'd caused her, Kovu was still her brother.

[Baya]

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