The Pride Lands (Zeke, NM, kovu42, morri908)

[Zeke]

Zeke saw Mila falling and let go of the cliff in an attempt to catch her but she was out of reach. He got flung off the cliff with her but managed to catch hold of a ledge on the side of the cliff. He watched as Mila vanished into the violent storm, speechless. He just hung by one paw onto the small ledge and looked into the abyss that just swallowed up the beautiful lioness. An anger brewed inside of him, one he knew he could no longer control. He roared into the storm, hearing it echo and roar back at him. He felt like letting go of the ledge, it was his fault that she fell, he could have saved her, he could have waited, but he didn't.

[morri908]

Tai was awestruck when Zeke slid off the edge of the cliff. In hopes to save at least one life, he slid down the icy hill as fast as he could. Tai looked over the edge of the cliff to see Zeke hanging from it. He reached for Zeke and said, "Zeke come on, Grab my paw!"

[Zeke]

Zeke hung there, stunned at what just happened. He kept looking down, wishing time would run backward and Mila would still be here. He looked up to see Tai extending his paw toward him. Letting go would solve all of his misery but he knew his friends needed him. He reached up with his other paw and grasped Tai's, waiting for assistance.

[morri908]

Tai pulled Zeke up; and after making sure Zeke was okay, he walked up to Nanati but said nothing. As he headed back toward the cave, he kept looking back at Nanati and Zeke, he was worried for them both, as they were both very close to Mila. He entered the warm cave, and headed toward the back hoping that it would be the warmest. When he got there, he laid down and fell asleep.

[Zeke]

Zeke stood at the edge of the slope, looking down. Though the winds howled and ice pummled his ears, he could hear nothing, everything was silent. He couldn't believe that she was gone. In his mind, it was his fault; I could have saved her, I should've gone down farther, I should have waited. Anger flowed through every vein in his body, his claws cracked a small layer of ice that covered the ground and he let out a loud roar. It shattered the silence around him and the storm began to howl again. Tears began to freeze on his muzzle but he could not control it. He just stood in place.

[NightmareMoon]

Nanati was devastated. She lost one of the greatest lioness friends she had ever had the pleasure of knowing. The thought of her death was just way too much for the poor lioness to handle, so she denied its occurrence. In a hasty attempt to get away from the cliff that had the essence of death, she grabbed Zeke in a comforting yet hurried manner, indicating that it was necessary to get back to the cave. She didn't want Zeke jumping off the cliff or something for Mila.

Nanati quickly gathered the two lions and ran back towards the cave, knowing that the lions should have been following. Upon entering, she collapsed in the middle of the den and began bawling her eyes out. Her only real lioness friend, who over the past few weeks had gotten to know and idolize, engulfed in the everlasting storm that never gave up tormenting her. She knew Zeke must have had 10 times the amount of pain she was enduring, with their relationship and how Mila explained that they had just fallen in love.

Upon seeing Zeke finally enter the cave, Nanati let the lion travel inwards a bit before walking over to him and giving the poor lion a sweet and gentle hug filled with care and comfort. Her tears were far from over, as the sweet lioness shared the terrible pain that the two had just lived together with the lion that she knew would be deeply troubled.

[Zeke]

Zeke sat silently as the salty, cold tears trickled down him scarred muzzle. He felt the soft fur of Nanati hug up against his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him but all he felt was pain. It welled inside him and ate a way at his conscience until there was little of him left. He looked over at Nanati as the tears rolled down his face, she was obviously in pain from the loss. "Nanati, its all my fault." He stopped for a second, his voice crackling. "I...I could have saved her. I could have waited. I'm sorry."

[NightmareMoon]

The sharing of emotions and the gentle grasp that the two shared didn't move as Zeke talked to Nanati. They were both too devastated to even move at all, and Nanati needed someone to cry on and someone to help relinquish her pain. In lieu of the overwhelming pain she was trying to accept and endure, she was becoming fatigued, and it just so happened that as her tears rained out from her gentle, innocent eyes, they began to close.

"It's NOT your fault Zeke. You shouldn't be saying sorry. We tried to save her.." Her words were interrupted by a small whimper followed by a few more tears. "You would have done anything to save her, I know it." She added. "She probably kne.w.... it... too.."

As Nanati said this, her mind wandered into a different state. A state of sleep. Right then and there, as she was talking to Zeke, she just fell asleep. Her emotions and physical pain had just gotten the best of her.

And as she slept, tears could still be seen running down her golden cheeks. Every now and then, an almost silent whisper escaped her sweet muzzle with a emotional cry for.... "Mila.."

[Zeke]

Zeke did not realize that Nanati had dozed off and continued talking. "I just wish I could have gotten there faster. I could have run faster to get to her. She could be here with us, in this warm cave. I could have saved her, I know it. I just..." Zeke looked back at Nanati who was sound asleep across his back. His first instict was to begin to move away from Nanati but he stopped. There's no point, He thought to himself, resting his chin on his wet paws. "I just wish you were here Mila," He muttered. Tears were still steadily rolling down his cheeks and onto his numbed paws. The pain was unbearable and his tears wouldn't stop. He lay silently on the ground, an empty shell of the lion he once was. There was now a gaping hole in his heart, spilling anger and loneliness though his body, and clouding his thoughts. He could not remember the last time he cried for he never showed his sorrow. It was usually locked away, hidden from the eyes of others around him, but he could no longer control it. "I love you Mila," He whispered into the darkness as sleep's curtain began to fall upon him.

[morri908]

Tai was having a wonderful dream. He dreamt that he and Nanati were walking in a field that had once belonged to them, before his pride was attacked. Then suddenly his dream became a nightmare, he was watching Nanati fight the attackers, then the dream changed and he was watching who he thought was Mila hanging onto the cliff trying to climb back up but, instead of it being Mila it was his mate, Nanati that was hanging off the edge. He reached out for her but didn't get to her in time. When she started falling he awoke with a jolt and saw her laying on Zeke. crossed Tai’s mind, but he blew it off as a comfort thing as he stood up and stretched, then walked to the opening of the cave and laid back down. The storm wasn't as bad, he hoped that if they waited a few more hours that it would clear up enough that they could leave. Tai looked back at Zeke and Nanati, they were both very close to Mila, he just hoped that they would be okay.