Rogue: Paths to Redemption [Private; S66 & TRP]

[Harvs]

[spoiler]Keto - TheRoguePrince
Kasi - Simba66
Ri - Simba66
Kumata [minor character] - TheRoguePrince
Njia - TheRoguePrince[/spoiler]

Have you ever wanted to just start over? Have you ever wanted to just close your eyes and forget what has happened? To forget the injustice of the world and remember a time when there was more to this world than evil. I can remember a time when good existed and radiated in these lands. A light that no longer shines in our lives... a light that used to grace us with its presence but now torments us with its absence.

My brother and I have been traveling these lands for weeks now, searching for that light which has abandoned us. Determined to find happiness again, no matter how long it takes.

You see, two months back, my brother and I lived in a pride of our own. We too had a family and were, at that point, happy. But like cruel ironic fate, our peaceful existence was torn asunder by an outside force far greater than any we had seen before. A hyena raid came to our land. It started off an immigration of annoyance, and escalated into a bloody invasion. Their leader had no meaning of mercy or leniency, only malice and agony. His name remained a mystery, though his troops destroyed our entire pride. The king of our once proud pride soon fell victim to his relentless assault. Yet for some reason, his army left my brother and me alive. Perhaps he figured that this was a fate worse than death? To wander these endless plains alone until the end of time; only a dark mind would concoct such a devilish plan.

And so for three weeks, we have travelled to hell and back searching for something. Just what, we are not sure yet. We have heard rumors of a kingdom in which justice is a common idea. A land that has seen its share of evil, but has actually returned to its origin, on multiple occasions I may add. A land ruled by a wise and just king, with a wise and just prince: A prince who came from a dark past, just as we have. And maybe, if my brother and I are lucky enough, we shall also be accepted into his pride. Perhaps, if fate is on our side, we will find the fabled Pride Lands. And we shall find the light once again.

-------

Our story begins in a dank little cave just on the border of the plains and the jungle. The residence of this cave, be there any at all, remain unknown and so two tired lions stayed there for the night. Kasi and Keto, brothers of a decimated pride, lay resting in the cramped cavern, as the first rays of morning creep through the mouth of the den. Having travelled for days on end without sleep, Kasi rolls over in his dreams away from the light of day. And thus begins the first chapter of the tale of two rogues. The paths to redemption are long and filled with trials and tribulations.

[TheRoguePrince]

I awakened from a black sleep, no dreams, no fullfilment, another night of nothing to do but contemplate survival. Kasi was still asleep, rolling in the turmoil of a bad dream, and he's not to be blamed. The most horrible event in all of known history had just befallen us, and yet we survive. The reasons for that are not known, the wicked brute that destroyed the rest of our Pride let us escape, yet alone and without hope, how can we say we profitted any? My brother has long had one failing when it comes to fighting, he is wicked fast, but fears being injured. I have been his protector now for over three weeks, and we have no end in sight. Kasi has been getting us food, small game mostly, but it will suffice for now. I still have problems moving with my usual vigor, wounds don't heal quickly, and I have my share. I don't let Kasi know that though, no, that would only dampen his spirits even more.

We do have a bit of hope though, father once told me of another pride some distance away that could provide a decent home for two lost souls. The only problem, between them and us is several hundred miles of hostile territory, and we are two lions, only just grown. Hostiles... that's the last thing I need to be thinking about, those dratted hyenas, if only I could get my claws on one of them... I carefully step around my brother to the mouth of the cave, our tiny home. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, how many times I'd watched that sight with silent apprehention, and now it provides a calming effect. We're now facing the hardest journey we've ever known.

I might as well let Kasi sleep for a while longer, despite his feverish dreams, he'll need the rest, and we're in no hurry. Our cave is on the edge of the desert territory, and travel will be a hellish experience once we enter. Two lions alone in the desert are not nearly as formidable as normal, and that would be if both of them were ready for a fight. I look back at my sleeping brother and wonder what nightmare has taken hold of him this night...

[Harvs]

I ran through the desert, blindingly fast, breathing heavily for this moment could be my last. I must give it everything I've got. I turned around but once to catch a glimpse of my pursuer... or rather, my pursuers. The danger had escalated to a group of five silhouetted hyenas. Laughing maniacally, they close in on me. Turning back to my front, I see an enormous gap in the ground, closing in fast. Contemplating nothing on how it made sense, I burst into full speed and leaped the hole. But it was not enough. I fell through darkness. Falling... falling with no hope of light again.

*CRASH!* I yelled in pain as I felt the weight of my body crush my hind leg. The sting of pain corses through my body as I am unable to get up. Unable to move... unable to breath. Unable to even see the light of day. Suddenly, the hyenas who chased me into the pit enclose upon me. Standing over me and cackling. A sound that you can never forget. A sound that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Without warning, they make an opening in the circle. What awaits me now?

A gargantuan beast places its paw down in-front of me. Horns raised from his head, and razor sharp teeth. As it echoed a deep laughter with its minions, it digs its claws into my flesh. Each inch, a blazing hot sting rushes through my body. Slowly and painfully, another claw penatrates my skin. How I wish I could make this pain stop. Another claw? Will this horrible beast ever stop? Suddenly, he leans down into my face. I gaze into his soul peircing eyes and I know... I finally know that he was the one... the one who took everything I knew away from me. And the last thing I had. My very life... he was about to take

"AAAAUUGH!!" I awoke with a terrified scream. Looking around, I see that my brother, Keto, has already awakened. Quickly, I looked at my hind leg. Completely uninjured. I gave a heavy sigh of relief and rose to my paws. It had been a rough night, but not nearly as rough as the day would be.

[TheRoguePrince]

"Get some breakfast from last night's scraps and get ready, we have a long way to go..." , I said, some concern registering on my face, more and more often Kasi has been having these dreams, and I'm not sure how much more he can take. I returned to the cool interior of the cave, catching a last sensation of cool air in preparation of the long, hot run this day would bring, and the pain along with it. Yes, the wounds weren't bad, just some lacerations from teeth and claws, but their position along my side made it harder to breathe during our long runs, not that Kasi would notice, seeing as he's always ahead. One thing about him being the fastest, always the fastest...

I had long since forgone the opportunity of taking from the scraps, I eat enough as it is, if there's one thing I'm faster at, it's eating. Kasi, with his large expenditures of energy would need it more anyway, if some trouble arose, it would be best that he got away. Not that there was much likelihood of trouble in the desert, the only predators there were the hawks and the jackals, neither of which posed much of a threat. That being said, there were other things he was worried about.

Over the past few weeks I had noticed the presence of the hyenas nearby, which was unsurprising. The surprising thing was that no matter how many times I hid the tracks from Kasi, there were always more, which can only mean one thing... but no, why would they follow us? They already have our lands, our food, and the lives of our family. What more could they want? One thing that I musn't do is alert by brother, the Kings know he's having enough trouble as it is. He was always the friendly one, while I got the short end of the stick. It must be horrible having all those friends gone, on top of the grief of losing our family. That's what gets me, my family...

I watched Kasi for some time, making sure he was alright. Those dreams of his are causing more and more stress, and that can do no good. Between the stress of our flight from our homeland and the terror that awaits him at night, will he last? Yes, he can outrun nearly all his foes on land, and those faster than he are still yet smaller, but in his dreams a monster awaits him that cannot be outpaced. His own mind. That scares me most. My claws and teeth can't save him from himself.

[Harvs]

Finally settling down from my unpleasant night, I turned toward my brother. It wasn't the worst dream I'd had. At least this time, Keto wasn't in it. I've lost all of my friends, my family, my home... the last thing I have left is my brother. And if I am to witness the loss of him again... that is just too much to bare. I gave my brother a small smile, which were scarce now-a-days. Happiness in general was a rare thing for my brother and me. And why should we be happy? Everything we had known was gone. And nothing was going to get it back.

But I mustn't keep my mind on the negative. The only thing that can keep my brother and me going is the thought of reaching the light again. Through scorching desert and hostile territory, we would struggle on. I only hope that this journey will not be in vain. "Thanks Keto." I said quietly to my brother. I meant to say it louder, but my breaths were still struggling from the nightmare.

I walked over to the scraps of meat I found lying around the jungle yesterday, still not having identified the torn carcass. I noticed that Keto had not eaten as much as he usually did. He had kept that trend up for about two weeks now. It both touched my heart that he cared for me so much, and also worried me that he wasn't getting enough nutrition. I am ashamed to admit, but I am deathly afraid of being injured. The very sight of my own blood is enough to make me faint. And if Keto becomes malnurished... I won't stand a chance.

After poking at the torn limbs with my paw a few times, I leaned down and grasped a small... leg I think, and swallowed as much as I could in one bite, I glanced at Keto. "I'm really not hungry this morning. You can have the rest." I truly hope that he will accept my offer. Keto has always been kind to me. But perhaps, a bit too kind now. If he doesn't start eating more, then he won't last in the desert. Not like we had much food over these weeks anyways. But every scrap helps.

I finished my breakfast and shook off the extra sleep in my bones. Now if only I could shake the dreams from my mind. Calming my body isn't the problem. Keto looked deep in thought this particular morning. He seemed more concerned about my dreams now. Had it really been this obvious that they were getting worse? I hope that he won't worry so much on me, that he forgets to be worried about himself. Thinking quickly, I nudged the rest of the carcass over to my brother's paws and looked at him with a caring, brotherly look. "Please Keto. You're gonna need your strength."

[TheRoguePrince]

"Perhaps just a bit" , I said, careful to accept the offer, it would do no good to worry Kasi any more. His very posture betrayed his nerves, that and the unnatural smell of fear on him. That's just not right for a lion to have. His frail attempt at happiness was endearing, but also evident of the true feeling beneath. Neither of us knew what we were in for, and likely we wouldn't be doing this if we did. I let out a sigh, still thinking about all we had been through, and all we were about to witness.

I took a few of the mangled scraps, how Kasi ever managed to stand all this blood is beyond me, seeing as he has a severe phobia of his own. Yet daily he managed to find something, despite the increasingly barren landscape. The nearby jungle had provided a meal last night, but going into there meant we likely wouldn't be coming back out. No, the desert was a far better option, even if it did mean the dry, intense heat. Soon we would likely only be moving at night, I had a feeling we couldn't keep up our day jaunts for long, and it might help foil our assumed persuers. The sun was nearly up as it was, and the heat was apperant.

I walked out of the cave on a short trip to get as much water as I could in the jungle before starting out. Leaving Kasi behind made me nervous, but not as much as him being in tight courters with so many predators around. I had been extrememly dissatisfied to find that he had been in here in the first place after prey. Just the looks of this place gave me the creeps, but water is water. That was something we couldn't avoid.

Returning to the cave took some time, the thick jungle was hard to navigate, especially with my already lacking agility at such a poor condition. I exited the jungle at a point about half a mile from the cave, that's when I saw it, the unmistakeable form of a hyena, standing on a slight rise a short distance away, it was time to leave...

[Harvs]

I smiled at my brother when he accepted my offer. It wasn't just that I was caring for myself. I would never put myself before my brother. But with the trials we are bound to face, Keto won't be able to maintain his strength on such little food. And I just can't take watching Keto die again. It was a blessing for such a sight to have taken place in my mind. But now, it was day: the sun had risen, and all manner of creatures have begun to go about their daily lives. We are not of a pride anymore. And if we don't accept that, then we may be dead by the end of the day.

After eating, Keto left our meager abode, most likely for a drink. As for me, going into the jungle seemed like a bad idea. There was little to no room for a sprint if I needed one, and my bright coat of fur would give me away if I attempted to hide. No, it would be much safer for me to stay here in this little den.

However, soon after thinking about how dangerous it would be to trek into the jungle, thirst began to creep its way into my mind. Keto had his mind set on travelling through the desert. A good idea as opposed to the desert. The only problem being water and food would be very scarce out in that desolate stretch of land. And if one of us were to become dehydrated, that would spell trouble for both of us. And it Keto was willing to eat less so I could have my fill... then I can risk venturing out into the jungle to save us both in our journey for today.

I stepped out of the cave, the sun at first blinding me, and looked at the jungle ahead. All the while, thinking of Keto. There was something about him that gave me confidence. Whenever I'm around him I feel... braver. Naturally, he is my older brother, but it's this interesting feeling I have when I am with him. It's as if... I have no fears. That I am as strong as he is. Together, we can't fall. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I shook my head back and forth one last time to wake up completely. My vision is instantly halfed as my mane falls back into its natural position over my right eye. I would enter the jungle in search of water when my brother returned. Perhaps he could show me where the drink could be found.

I sat on my haunches, staring out into the desert. So that's our next destination huh? I thought to myself quietly. Keeping as still as a tree, I didn't take my eyes off that enormous task ahead of us. I was so fixated on that barren wasteland, that I didn't even know that at this moment... I was being watched.

[TheRoguePrince]

It is said that few things in nature are as dangerous as a mother with child. At this moment my mind, if I was thinking about it, would have placed the top three of those something like this: 3. Fire, I had had an unfortunate run in with fire as a cub, apperantly the embers are dangerous, as my left foreleg attests, the marks made grew back fur, luckily, but darker fur. 2. A Hyena clan, for obvious reasons these things are on my list, seeing as they had destroyed everything I had ever known. 1. Me, what can I say, I had had it. It's true that compared to most lions I have always been a bit of a loner. The list of things I trust contains one name, Kasi, while the one containing things I don't have a taste for could stretch from here to the Pride Lands, and that's just the index.

Most of the time I was cold and calculating in anger, despite my formidable size I found it better to plan revenge than get caught fighting. However, upon a few occasions something has made me angry enough to forget myself, one of those times is now. If there was any pain from my wounds I didn't know it, right now I was invinsible. The pace I was carrying reflected this feeling, I had never run so fast. A wiser course might have been to consider whether alarming my brother was necessary, but I was enraged, my younger brother was in peril. This was no time for careful feelings.

I did however see the need for a plan of action. First, my objective, simple, get between anything dangerous and Kasi. Second, rules of engagement, with a feral growl I unsheathed my claws what rules? Even with my bulk I closed the distance in less than a minute, as full of adrenaline as I was. I could only hope that Kasi was still ok. If he wasn't, there would be hell to pay, and I didn't mind the thought of dishing it out at all. Besides, my brother had pretty good looks, it would be a shame if anything was to hurt him before the lionesses had their time... Now that I would make sure of.

[Harvs]

I stared into the desert with a mixed bag of expressions. I was saddened by all that we had seen. It was a depressing thought that remained in my mind, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake that feeling. I was feeling anxious about venturing out into that unwelcoming desert. I was afraid that my brother and I might not make it through. What if we are unable to make it to the Pride Lands?

Suddenly, memories of my father came rushing back to me. I remembered one day in particular. The sun was setting on our lands, and I stood with my father in the grassy plains. A truly beautiful sight to behold. And I remember my father turned to me and said "You know son, life is a precious thing. The grass and the sun and the clouds and every creature of this land is life." I looked at him with confusion in my eyes. What was he talking about? The clouds are life? What could that mean? "I just want you to remember that in the midst of defeat... there is always life."

I still don't entirely understand what he meant. I understand how we have life, but how the clouds? And the sun? I looked down at a small patch of grass at my feet. Raising my eyebrow, I poked at it with my paw. The grass isn't alive, is it? His words stayed in my head for the longest time. Concentrating on the meaning behind his words... until I was interrupted by Keto bolting right at me.

I had never seen him move so fast. What was up? "Hey Keto." I quickly looked back at him and tried to figure out what he was doing. "What's going on Keto? What's wrong?" I asked as he growled, his claws unsheathed. Finally, I saw what it was he was looking at. My jaw dropped and my heart stopped. I couldn't believe my widened eyes as I made contact with a silhouetted hyena. I was so frightened, I couldn't move a muscle. I thought things couldn't get any worse, until the numbers escalated to three hyena shadows. Was my dream coming true? Finally recollecting myself, I moved behind Keto. I had no time to think of my fathers words of life now... for we were in the presence of death.

[TheRoguePrince]

"Go, now, run!", I said, setting myself between Kasi and the hyena. If there was one thing I would not have it was Kasi in the middle of this fight, and I had quite the desire to repay the little debt I owed to my family. For weeks now I have been running away from the most despicable carnivors in all of the land, it was payback time. I was unhappy at having to alarm Kasi, and even more so at having to have him flee into the desert, but until the true level of the current threat was known, all I could do was get him to safety.

I lowered my center of gravity and prepared for the fight that was sure to come. I just hoped that I would be ready for it. Kasi was certainly not as much of a fighter as me, but one thing I've been tought is that no matter how good you think you are, you can always be beaten. That being said, I was much larger and better conditioned than any hyena I was likely to meet, which certainly had its advantages, but how many were there? I had seen only one thus far, but no sane hyena would make itself visible by itself. There had to be others lurking about.

Turning my head slightly, not even knowing if Kasi was still behind me, I whispered, "If I don't follow by sunset, don't come back..." That was the end of it, if today was the last day I was to spend alive, at least I would go down ensuring my brother doesn't die too. Heck, I might even bring a few down with me, at least that would be a pleasure. I mean, it's not like I have all that much to live for anyway. I have to family, no friends, little hope. If anyone in our Pride has the right to stay alive, it would be my brother, at least he has a chance of making something of himself...