Being Hunted (Dark Huntress & Malenga)

[Dark Huntress]

Flashes to morning...

Kafele yawned and sat up. He scratched his right ear with his back paw then shook himself. He looked around,
a little puzzled about where he was. Everything thing came flashing back when he sighted a bright orange lioness: Gzifa.

"Hey, sorry about falling asleep," he smiled brightly, the sun having already put him in a good mood,"I guess I never did answer your question did I?"

His gaze fell towards the den and foremost to the trickle of lions and lionesses on a well-beaten, dusty path. "Where does that lead to?" He asked curiously. As if to answer, a lioness colored a medium tan called from the small group. "Hey! Ziffy? Want some water? I cover for you until Changa gets up here to take morning watch!"

He felt a smile tug on his furry lips. He liked this. He liked the sense of family and care, how everyone seemed to work together, even if they didn't exactly like eachother. His mind wandered over last night. If he were Moyo, maybe he wouldn't want to be Amunet's mate either-she seemed easily...agitated, for lack of a better word. He quickly decided to stay out of it though, not knowing at all what had happened before.

He yawned and stretched again, corded muscles and tendons rippling under his short fur. "How 'bout it, Ziffy?" He laughed softly.

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Amunet groaned as she was prodded in the stomach. "Ow, go 'way," she mumbled turned over. Changa rolled his bright blue eyes,"Alright, but you're already shirking your guarding duties-I've been watching the jailbird for two hours."

She bolted upwards. "I'm up, he's here, isn't he? I don't want to die young!" He chuckled at her melodramatic behavior. "Oh, calm down, Netty. He's snoring!" He smirked as she slumped back down. "Bad dreams?"

She put a paw over her face and peeked out through a gap in her toes. "Just. Don't." She laughed softly and laid back. "Thanks, Changa, I'll wake him up-you need to go get a drink and head towards the patrol post. You don't want to to keep Gzifa waiting."

"I doubt she'd mind." Despite that, the tan lion exited the den in search of the waterhole and his favorite lioness.

"Hey, sleepyhead! Get up!" She prodded Moyo with a claw then sat down to observe the results.


Not far off, a lioness with fur a bit darker than Amunet and Changa's watched her friend from a distance, wondering who the large white lion with her was. Prisoner? Friend? Boyfriend? She mused to herself. "Lesedi?" She called for the princess, not taking her eyes off of the two extravagantly colored lions in the distance. "Who is he?"

OOC: Can Nyota and Lesedi be 'okay', kinda friends c:

[Dark Huntress]

Eep! DOUBLE POST O.O xD!

[Malenga]

[OOC: Sure they can. c:]

Lesedi opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the light as quickly as she could. The enterance to the den showed quite the pretty day outside. And looking to the side, she noticed that only her father was left on the 'royal mount' of the den. Malenga was probably out and about, doing her own patrol. Without so much as a yawn, the princess shook her fur off as she got to her feet and started to walk outside. Shortly after, Jumo followed her form with his lazy eyes. He got to his paws and shook his mane out, making sure nothing was attached to the thick red locks of his. He steadily walked out of the den and joined Lesedi at her side.

"Good morning, your highness," he greeted, sitting down beside her standing body.

"Morning, Jumo," she replied.

"What's the agenda for today?"

"Well," she sighed, "I figure I might as well get my mother and father together with Moyo and Amunet so they can discuss possible expulsion from our pride."

Jumo was quiet for a few moments before he cleared his throat. "The both of them, or just Jumo?"

Lesedi peered over her shoulder, coldly. "Don't tempt me," she replied. After a few moments of silence, Lesedi turned her head back around and looked out at the territory, drenched in sun. "If it were me, I'd kick them both out. But since I'm not queen... yet," she stopped to hear Jumo snort, "I might as well let the king and queen talk it over with themselves before making the actual decision."

He nodded his head, standing up. "I shall fetch them for you," Jumoca offered, receiving a smile of appreciation in response.

"Please and thank you, my trusted advisor."

"Only for you, dear princess." Jumo let out a small laugh before turning away and walking over to where he figured the king and queen would be-- if they were together this early in the morning.

The princess watched Jumo leave, soon returning her sights to the path in front of her before she was caught by a voice who belonged to Nyota. "Hmm?" she beckoned the question before it was asked. "I believe his name is Kafele. Some rogue that Moyo brought back with him after the millionth time he ran away," she replied.

~*~

"What do you want?" Moyo grumpily questioned Amunet, rolling himself over, away from her sights. The lion had woken up in quite the mood this morning, given what happened yesterday evening. He knew she didn't want to be around him, and he was starting to detest her himself. Moyo groaned, and nuzzled his head into his paws, finding comfort in them again.

~*~

Turning her head over her shoulder, Gzifa nodded a 'good morning' to the white lion. "No problem. It wasn't your duty to keep watch," she commented, smiling down at him. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Gzifa's crown turned to look back at the rising sun. "This is my favourite part of the night shift," she sighed a happy sigh. "Watching the sun come up and seeing other animals begin their days." He called her attention to the path that lead back to the den area. She thought he would have known that by now, but maybe she was expecting too much of the new lion to the pride. "That leads to our den," she got to her paws and looked at the erupting bodies of giant felines starting their days. Letting out a yawn, Gzifa gave a long stretch with her back legs, making sure she didn't hit him so he could peacefully wake up in this morning.

Gzifa then turned her head to notice a lioness coming their way. "Good morning, Nyota," she replied to the lioness before hopping down off the rock. As Nyota neared her, she walked over to the female and smiled. "That would be wonderful. Thank you," she nodded her head, grateful that Changa could come to his post without having to keep the sleepy Gzifa waiting. She took another look back up to Kafele, her smile still vacant. "If you'd like, you can come to the water hole with me, or if you'd like, you can go check out the territory."

[Dark Huntress]

Amunet sighed at Moyo. "Come on, we will be summoned soon," she paused before refreshing his memory,"remember: you got me in trouble!" She glared at him. "Thank-you for your consideration and maturity," she huffed and stormed out of the den.

However, she poked her head back in a few moments later. "If you aren't out here in three minutes I'll mount your head on the den entrance and Lesedi and I will dance under it!" Her head disappeared from the view of anyone in the grotto and she sat down the groom herself on a patch of warm sand, which put her in a better mood as she waited for her groggy fiancé.

Her attention was snagged by Nyota, a lioness she wasn't sure if she like or not, taking Gzifa's place at the patrol station. Neither Gzifa nor Nyota were what interested her, however. Kafele, it seemed, had spent the entire night out there with Gzifa. Any significance? she wondered.

She soon discarded the idea for she knew Gzifa would never have allowed Kafele to be out there with her if she figured others would think anything of it. Of course, being nosy, they would, but Amunet thus rejected any ideas of a less than appropriate nature. Also, Kafele didn't strike her as the type. He was too shy.

"Moyo!" She whined unpatiently,"I want some water and I can't have any until you come with me!" She grinned to herself, thinking how much she sounded like a cub!

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"It is lovely isn't it?" Nyota smiled and looked around her. Her attention soon turned back towards the figures she was approaching. "You'd better hurry, everyone's swarming to the waterhole." She sat down by Gzifa. "Can you tell Changa to hurry, the sun is terrible for my complexion!" she joked, putting on faux airs to mimic a particularly vain lioness in the pride.

"I'd rather stay with you." Kafele gave the strange lioness a confused look then shrugged and started towards the apparent 'waterhole', knowing that Gzifa would come when ready and that she may want some privacy with the other lioness.

Nyota watched him disappear before giving Gzifa a slightly cheeky grin. "He's cute." Her grin widened as she watched Gzifa. "Any plans?" She poked her flame-colored friend. "And if things don't work," she stood to walk a little,"I call him next!" She laughed.

[Malenga]

Moyo rolled his eyes. At the call of his betrothed, the lion rose to his paws and followed her out. Or, so he began to. Once she stated she had to go get water but he was the one holding her back, the blonde rose his brow, slyly. "Oh, really," he cooed. With that, Moyo dropped his body on the ground, dust dispersing from his fall and he wrapped his paws comfortably around himself. Like a house cat, placing his paws under his chest and looking up at Amunet with a smile. "Guess you're going to be here a while," he replied.

He knew fully well that he was being a pain in the tail, but he didn't mind much. If she could put up with it since they were cubs, she could handle it now. He continued to look up at her, smiling triumphantly, and tapped his tail against the ground to show his own annoyance towards her.

~*~

"Of course," she nodded with a smile, laughing a little at Nyota's joke. She sat down beside her friend, watching as Kafele wandered off. She had to wonder how he was going to find it. Although, she knew the scent of water wouldn't be too far off. And judging by his rogue characteristics, he would be able to sniff it out.

Gzifa then took her sight away from his white figure and looked down at the lioness beside her. "He is," she agreed. Not like there was any shame in admitting you thought someone was good looking. Worst result was it getting out into the pride and getting to Kafele, but what would he really do? All he could do was be flattered and that would be that. Gzifa never had a problem stating what she honestly thought. She let out a laugh once more. "Oh, Nyota," she calmed her vocals a little before letting out a calm sigh, "I mean, he's cute and interesting... relaxing to be around, fun to talk to, and... cutely shy. But, he wouldn't see anything in me. So, don't be afraid to work your game if you'd like," she replied to the lioness.

Taking the hint of Nyota getting up to walk away, she thought they were both to attend the water hole, thusly Gzifa got to her fours and started to walk forward, almost leading the way there. Perhaps she had already decided that her friend was going to attempt to flirt with-- and possibly mate with-- Kafele, so she thought the conversation had drawn to a close. Though she couldn't help but want the lioness behind her to speak up, telling her she was being silly and she had something to offer the male just as much as Nyota did. But, Gzifa kept her thoughts to herself.

[Dark Huntress]

Amunet gave Moyo an unamused look and licked her tail tuft. "All down," she said as sweetly as possible, her tail swishing with irritation,"I just thought you'd take longer." With that she rose and slunk down the path. He really could be sooo annoying now that he was supposed to be more to her than a friend.

She sighed and let her fur soak up the sun. She wriggled a little in satisfaction, even her little black nose and tail tuft taking part in the movement. "What?" she asked as she turned, feeling like Moyo was watching her.

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Nyota rolled her eyes at Gzifa. "I'm not going to-its mean to interfere! Not to mention, I doubt I'll be successful!" With that rather enigmatic statement she flounced away.

"Friend?" Kafele asked he followed her towards the water source. He trotted up to her side. "So, do you still want me to answer the question? Or should we just continue the interrogation?"

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Changa eyed the surrounding lions and lionesses as he bent over the limpid water and began to drink. He sat there for several seconds then sat and shook himself automatically. "Lesedi?" He briskly traipsed up the path, ignoring the glances of the passing pride members. "Where art thou, princess?"

He gave Moyo and Amunet an appraising look. Aw, the soon-to-be newly weds. Aren't they so cute? he chuckled to himself. "Nyota? Gzifa? Anyone? I don't want to die alone?" He grinned widely at his dramaticism.

[Malenga]

As she turned her back, he snuck her a sarcastic smile, brows raised highly and his chin thrusting forward as though he was grinding his teeth. Once she was fully unaware of what he was doing, he dropped the expression and grunted, unamused by the circumstances of being with her. She didn't like him, it was obvious. But how was she supposed to know that he cared for her this much? He sure didn't act like it, nor did he feel like doing so right now in this time of annoyance towards one another. However, Moyo took a glance out of his vision once more as he noticed the pathway leading down to the patrol posts was empty and uninhabited.

The lion continued to look for a few more moments before he rose up, beginning to walk down the dirt road. Looking over his shoulder to see if anyone noticed him, Moyo bolted down the way and began to search his way amongst the greenery for a good spot to hide. Moyo soon found a nice spot of the territory where rocks lingered over large, tall grasses. It was up in the hills in the midst of the mountains of the Zawditu territory. A place not many had come to before, and it was mostly inhabited by other large cats. Maybe that's why he liked it up there so much.

~*~

Walking along side the male, she looked over at him with a soft glance as usual. They walked slowly, she noticed. Not that she minded the trip to the water hole taking a longer time than usual. If he was going to get comfortable with anyone in the pride, she hoped it would be her; she liked knowing there were others out there who took it easy around her. Gzifa didn't really understand why, but she liked being surrounded by others. Maybe because she didn't have to hear the little voices in the back of her head reason with her past and present.

"Yes, you never did tell me," she replied. The lioness kept taking peeks in front of her then back at the male. "Only if you'd like to though. No pressure."

~*~

Lesedi continued to walk forward, now leaving the others behind. She soon spotted the sights of a dark brown lion with a caramel coloured mane and an orange lioness, relaxed under the shade. Malenga's head rested against her mate's broad shoulders, while Cetshwayo bathed her along the stripe on her back like a guide.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the princess cooed.

Wayo was the first to look over at his daughter, then Malenga once she noticed it was her younger daughter's voice. "Hey," the king replied.

Lesedi stopped a short distance from her parents, looking down at them. "Have you already gone to the watering hole this morning?" They both nodded. "Ah okay, well, I'll see you later then--"

"Did you have fun last night with your friend?" Cetshwayo asked.

"What?"

"Last night, you came back a little late."

Lesedi switched her eyes from side to side, wondering what she was to say. However, the words seemed to come to her mouth when she noticed Malenga's curious stare. "Oh! Yeah! We had lots of fun. But Changa's boring and decided to head to bed early, so I hung out with Gzifa for a while."

"I'll have to get you to round up Amunet and Moyo this afternoon," Malenga commented.

Hesitantly, the princess nodded. "Right." She smiled nervously. "Well, off I go to the watering hole," chirped the princess before trotting over the hill and down. However, once she heard the voice of Changa, she rolled her eyes. "Crud...," she commented lowly in her throat. As quietly as she could, Lesedi began to slink away from the water hole, hoping that the male wouldn't spot her.

[Dark Huntress]

Amunet shook her head and the foolish male and continued towards her destination. Was both her and his dislike for one another that apparent? How the king and queen not see it? She shook her head and bent over the crystal 'pool of life', as Changa called it sometimes, in an attempt to discharge her thoughts.

It would've, too, had not Moyo been behind her. Thinking of Moyo...she thought. The little runt's probably trying to sneak off behind me.

She turned quickly, slinging water droplets with her tail, which she'd not realized had been for a swim, only to see Moyo. She gave him a distrusting look. "Drink," she ordered. She then sighed, knowing she probably needed to elaborate. "I don't want you running off behind my back. I'm already in enough trouble."

Bah! she thought, trouble? More like completely and utterly screwed! And I've never been in trouble... She'd never admit it but she was nervous. Well...she figured,if they can forgive Moyo a gazillion times, they can have mercy on me once.

"Not that they will...," she muttered to herself and splashed water on her face, keeping one eye trained on Moyo.

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"Nah, don't mind," Kafele kicked up a small dust of earth,"just don't know. Except for the lovers part. This really mean, creepy lioness called Jala. I would exactly call it 'love', more like her infatuated [still trying to figure with what] and me trying to escape. Unfortunately she was the princess..." He cocked his head. "You know, maybe I should tell Moyo there are worse things than an arranged marriage with a pretty lioness!"

He laughed, thinking back on old memories.

He shook himself quickly. "So we have that cleared, what about you? What about your family, friends, lovers." He said the last one rather hesitantly them muttered quite inaudibly "hopefully the last one is in the past!" Before turning his attention to her.

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"Oh, no you don't!" Changa exclaimed as he spotted the princess slinking away. "Not so fast, you don't want me to die alone do you?" He whine laughingly. He sobered quickly, however, and kicked at the dust. "Oh, wait, I forgr, you just want me to die," he said quietly, almost sadly.

"Go on, go find Netty and Moyo-I'll just go drown myself in the pool," he sighed dramatically and walking away slowly head drooping. "Alone!" he said loudly as he marked no reaction. Maybe he need to threaten her position as queen, her heart obviously wasn't in this,"Taint the water source!"

[Malenga]

Moyo comfortably settled himself down in the bushes, under the rocks where he felt more concealed. The lion sighed, enjoying the quiet before he let out a yawn, rolling over on his side. He draped his left side in grass before his back became a part of the earth. With paws happily flopped on his chest, Moyo sighed in contentment. Glad to be away from everyone, he thought to himself. Especially Amunet since she doesn't even wanna be around me, think about me, know me, touch me, or even acknowledge that I exist. He then felt a ping of uneasiness, stroking his mane carefully. She'd never know it, but I still love her.

"What are you doing here?" a feminine voice asked, Moyo automatically flipping himself around and looking to see the orange lioness of royalty. She didn't look amused at all.

"Y-Your highness! I was just, uh... I was--"

"You were disobeying orders," she answered for him.

Moyo sighed, and shook his head. He could just never win with any of these lions. "Yeah, sure. I was disobeying orders. You gonna kick me out of the pride yet?"

She rose her brow. "I'm starting to think that's what you want," she replied. She hadn't moved from her spot yet Moyo seemed to be having a rodeo of body movements.

"Well, that's what I've been trying to tell everyone," he replied. He shook his head, frustrated. Pacing, he flicked his ears as he noticed her change in facial expression.

"Have you talked this over with your mate?"

"Who? Amunet? She doesn't want me."

"She's your mate, isn't she?"

"Not by choice! It's because you and your mate told me and Amunet that we were going to be together."

Malenga took a moment to process what seemed like another language. Raising her brow ever so slowly, she looked as though she was getting to be angry. For no reason...? "So, hold on," she walked towards the male, "You and Amunet don't want to get married?"

"No. We can't stand each other," Moyo replied.

The queen took a few more moments to understand it before she crossed her brows completely, the hair on the back of her spine standing up as though she was about to fight. Moyo had to shrivel a little, hoping the abuse wasn't going to come to him.

"Go back to the pride. Get Amunet, and meet me at the den immediately," ordered the queen.

Nodding his head, Moyo jetted down the hill back to the main territory of the pride and reached the water hole. Sure enough, he found her. "Amunet. Come on, we gotta go," he turned himself around to head towards the den. "Queen's orders."

~*~

Gzifa attempted to laugh beside him, though she could still see why Moyo would be upset about the whole thing. As they continued to walk, the lioness nodded her head at his words, and understood where he was coming from. "I'm sorry that had to have happened," she replied solemnly. She smiled once again, but then looked forward.

She didn't want to say anything about herself. Though, she figured he had a rough time talking about himself, so it was only fair that she pay him the same amount of respect and courage to speak herself. But... she had an idea of what she was going to block out of the conversation.

She managed to shrug whilst they walked. "Not much really," she commented. "Family is another pride on the Western part of the Pridelands, friends are pretty much all here, and I've never had a mate before. I'm pretty boring," she laughed. She could understand why she was embarrassed to tell him; she was so much older than him, and she had a feeling he would find it foolish. Not to mention her attraction to Kafele making it a little unnerving to talk about ex-lovers and such. "Sorry," she leaned her head into him, thinking she heard him mutter something, "did you say something?"

~*~

Drown himself? Sounded like a good idea. Being alone? He deserved it. Tainting the water with the blood or a moron? That didn't work.

Lesedi, content to turn around and leave him, quickly turned herself back to face the lion before he made an attempt to even dip himself into the water. "What do you want, Changa?" she asked, bored. But before she could even listen to a thing he said, the princess pointed her attention to her father, now looming over the hill to the waterhole. "Daddy?"

He looked quite upset. And coming from the king, who was happy most of the time and looked to avoid fighting, he looked down at his daughter like he never had before. "Lesedi, your mother and I have something we want to discuss with you."

Lesedi was now worried. The tone her father used matched her mother's, and that usually never happened to daddy's little girl. Hesitantly, she got to her paws and began past the male and over to her father, who began to lead the way to the den. She noticed the bright orange lioness in the front of the den, Jumoca sitting quietly next to her, wildly looking at Lesedi, wondering what was going on. Lesedi couldn't offer him much of an answer, as she had no recollection of any sort of wrong doing she had done to any of the pride. Well... at least none that her parents would know about... right?

[Dark Huntress]

Amunet rose and obediently followed her future betrothed. "Where did you get off to?" She hissed in an undertone,"I thought I was dead!" She laughed humorlessly and cast nervous glances around her. This was going to be bad, she could feel it. How could it not-the queen wanted them.

She took her place in the council of lions. She held up under the queen's looks but cast Jumo desperate looks when he felt no one was looking. As she sat, she couldn't decide whether she wanted to be by herself or next to someone else. She decided by herself and scorched a little ways from everyone as subtly as possible.

"Your majesty," she addressed the king, feeling more comfortable speaking to him,"what is this about?"

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"Oh, nothing." Kafele looked over at her and gave her a gratifying smile. He knew she would be at lost for what it was for (it was for not hearing what he said). "Do you like being in a pride? They seem nice and all, but do you ever lack space or want to be by yourself?"

Changa trotted towards the snowy lion and fiery lioness. The king had deprived him of his entertainment and he was going to take his place to do his job.

"Good morning!" He gave them a cheerful smile as he passed. Kafele answered with an abrupt nod. He is so weird, Changa thought. He continued his way and smugly slipped behind Nyota. "You are relieved."

If she was surprised, she didn't show it. Instead, she gave him an oblivious look. "Oh, good," she then trotted away, not even stopping to talk for a few minutes.

"Thanks!" Changa said sarcastically and plopped his rear onto the ground, sending dust flying up. Patrols were so boring. His sighed, already bored beyond belief.