[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

"So, that's what we'll do," announced Ari, pounding a paw onto the ground for added emphasis, clearly having regained her composure and drive once the other lionesses were near. "Nothing that none of us shouldn't be able to handle. I'll try to act as much like Fila as possible, and you all just follow my lead as if I were her. Stay close, don't strike unless I give the command. Once the command is given, we'll head into Formation Alpha. We can do this, my friends," she flashed a look back at Kito. "We have to if we want to both eat tonight and quell His Majesty's misgivings about us. It's not going to be easy, but I've seen what all of you can do, and I have no doubt that if we can find our prey, it will be ours. Now, that's all. Thank you," she smiled pleasantly, hoping that her explanation of what they were to do had sufficed.

The lionesses slowly departed from beside Ari, falling back into line behind her. Ari glanced back at Kito and Hiroshi, who seemed to be in a bit of a quarrel after what Kito had pulled. Internally, she was glad for Hiroshi seeming to defend her and for seeming completely uninterested in Lulu. At the very least, it made her feel wanted by her friend. Grinning to herself, she returned her gaze to the land ahead.

They were passing the borders of the Pride Lands, as Ari had suggested they do. They would hopefully not have to walk much further to find at least some sufficient prey to bring back to Pride Rock. Ari walked in almost complete silence, focusing on the task at hand and clearing her mind of all things she would normally trouble herself with, including Hiroshi.

The land was slowly becoming more and more laudable. More and more grass was sprouting from the ground, and remnants of past tenants of the land existed amongst the ground. This was capped off, as they scaled a small hill, with a large plain, which Ari was the first to notice held some highly enticing contents.

Rushing back suddenly and throwing a paw toe over her muzzle to quiet the rest of the Hunting Party, Ari motioned for them to lay low to the ground. "Wildebeest herd," she whispered excitedly. "Just over that hill. It's small, but it's something."

Glancing back over her shoulder before returning her gaze to the lionesses, "We're going to have to go around the plain in order to catch them by surprise. The grass is taller over yonder. Once we're near... well, you know what to do." She nodded, and, staying low to the ground, slunk off around the hill and off toward the opposite side of the abundant plain, hoping the rest of the party would follow.

------

Kweli blinked once, suddenly aware of Rafiki crouched over him, looking at him curiously and speaking with hints of concern and awe in his voice. Shaking his head as he tried to snap his mind out of its stupor, he rose to his paws, sighing pronouncedly. He glanced at the mandrill, who was still looking at him expectantly.

"Rafiki... before I say what I've seen, I want you to know something about my past."

And with those words Kweli delved into his past, as he had with Hiroshi and Ari before him. He let out no details, wanting Rafiki to know everything, so that he would be able to answer his questions when and if needed. Ending finally on his finding of the Pride Lands, he took another deep breath and started again.

"The reason I tell you all that is this: you're right, I think I've had a bit of an epiphany. At least, that's what I'm hoping. Once we went into our meditation, it somehow didn't take long for me to catch on. I don't know why that is, but either way, I felt myself being lifted--into another realm, it felt, or however you would describe it. And then..."

"I saw them, Rafiki," Kweli blurted out finally. "My mother and Bashasha. I don't know where they are exactly, but I saw them. The ground was worn and barren, even more so than our lands. They're... they're scrounging for food, Rafiki. They're struggling. I could see it in my mother's eyes."

Kweli looked up at Rafiki with a somewhat confused, yet hopeful expression across his muzzle. "I think they're alive, Rafiki. Something tells me this vision was not just a dream. I don't know where they are exactly, but... they're out there somewhere. I just know it."

Sitting back on his haunches, Kweli looked to the sky, bewildered. "What's happened, Rafiki? Is this something that happens often? Did I see the past? The future? The present? Or was this just a dream brought on by my relaxation. What do you think?"

[KiarasMate]

A resounding nod seemed to sweep over the majority of the lionesses as they all listened to Ari’s plan of attack. Aside from Lulu, the other four lionesses seemed content enough with Ari’s choice of hunting tactics and as their new leader began to press forward, everyone fell in line with little to no resistance. Lulu was still reluctant to accept Ari as the new hunting leader however and her attitude clearly showed as she turned to one of her fellow lionesses and spoke up in a loud enough voice where she knew Ari would hear her but it wouldn’t seem as though she was intentionally trying to cause any problems.

”Did you hear her? Who the hell does she think she is? There’s no way she’d ever be as good of a hunter as Fila. She probably only got the job for muzzling Scar or something.”

Being close enough to where Lulu was speaking, Samira shook her head from what her fellow lioness was saying. Quickly making her way in front of where Lulu and the other lionesses were in a vein attempt to try and block what was being said from Ari, Samira met with her hunting leader’s gaze as she silently mouthed a few words of reassurance to Ari, hoping that she wouldn’t lose her focus again. They needed to be on their toes if they were going to even pull off a successful hunt and unnecessary drama was the last thing they needed to deal with at this point in time.

Walking in the back of the group, still keeping his distance from Kito, Hiroshi found himself panting from the combination of the sun above and the walk itself. Typically he would have barely broken a sweat from such little exercise but his body seemed to be running on empty for some reason or another. Taking a quick glance around their current surroundings, Hiroshi caught sight of a near by watering hole, all be it a small one. Licking over his muzzle lips and feeling his headache gradually beginning to increase with every step he took, Hiroshi fell back from the group as he made his way to the distant pool. Upon arriving, Hiroshi wasted no time as he dipped his muzzle into the water and drank rapidly, hoping to quell both his thirst and the swelling heat that seemed to be slowly taking over his body. After a minute or two, Hiroshi pulled his muzzle out from the cool liquid and hastily dipped a fore paw into the waterhole, hurriedly splashing the cold substance onto his face before holding a saturated fore paw up to his head, trying his best to shake off the dizziness that began to set in.

Back at the main group, Kito had noticed Hiroshi taking his leave but had paid it no mind. His main focus still remained upon the band of lionesses in front of him as he continued to follow along, taking note that they had now crossed the border of their lands and had entered new territory. Spotting the group ahead of him coming to a sudden stop, Kito’s attention shifted over to where Ari was motioning for the group to look towards. Following Ari’s gaze, Kito could tell that there was potential prey somewhere over the hill that lay in front of him but being unable to actually see what Ari was targeting, worried him slightly. Still, keeping his composure, Kito fell back in order to let the lionesses do what was needed of them.

Sizing up the situation for herself, Lulu found it difficult to keep her temper in check as she listened to Ari’s commands. While she had chosen to approach the unsuspecting herd in the best manner possible, Lulu knew that this would be a timely venture and even though they might be ensured more than one kill if they went with Ari’s tactic, the chance of the winds shifting to give away their position was just too much to risk in Lulu’s opinion. Glancing over to where Ari had moved off to, Lulu could see that Samira was the first to follow her lead. Silently stalking towards the other three remaining lionesses, Lulu addressed them in a hushed voice, giving them a signal that was well known amongst the veteran huntresses.

In the blink of an eye, the four lionesses broke from cover, two of them darting past Ari and Samira as their presence was clearly detected by the wildebeest herd as they began to panic and flee towards the opposite direction to which Lulu and the other lionesses were already waiting expectantly for them. Looking quite confused from what was happening, Samira merely went with the flow as she sprang out from hiding and charged along with the other two lionesses, driving the rest of the herd towards their pride sisters. Unfortunately, their careless actions only resulted in a single wildebeest kill as their movements weren’t coordinated properly and it showed. Lulu had managed to down the lone kill while the other lioness cut off it’s wind pipe with a swift bite to the neck. Panting heavily, Lulu, stood up and looked over at Ari as she sneered and spoke in a spiteful voice.

”And you call yourself a huntress? Why don’t you go home to Scar. I’m sure you’re more accustom to having your paws up in the air, rather than on the ground. At least that’s the only way you’d ever bring down anything, although I suppose you’re used to being the one who goes down, now aren’t you Ari. Jeez, I guess failure runs deep in your family’s genes, huh? Nafsi never could quite cut it as leader material and looks like her daughter can’t either.”

==========

Looking quite intrigued by this point, Rafiki comfortably positioned himself while he listened to Kweli telling him about his past. It was a lot of information to take in but if the wise Shaman was good at anything, it was listening. Once Kweli had finished speaking, Rafiki took a few moments to reflect over what he had just learned about his friend. Appearing to be deep in thought as he stroked his chin with his hand, Rafiki weighed the options in his mind before glancing back over to Kweli and formulating a response. Speaking up in a hesitant voice, the wise mandrill addressed Kweli as he rested a hand upon his company’s shoulder.

”My dear boy, I think you’ve truly had a Premonition. Now, we can’t jump to any conclusions here because sometimes the mind can play tricks on us but if this is a true, honest to god Premonition, you must act upon it.”

Carefully moving his hand over Kweli’s fore head, Rafiki checked to make sure that his friend wasn’t running a fever, thus eliminating the possibility that he might have just hallucinated the whole ordeal. Finding his temperature to be normal, the wise Shaman moved his hand away before gazing into Kweli’s eyes, looking for any signs of doubt within his stare, but finding nothing, which helped to confirm his own suspicions. Taking another moment to meld over his thoughts again, Rafiki finally spoke up once more as he glanced up towards the sky above.

”I wish I could give you a certain answer on what you should do Kweli, but when it comes to this sort of thing, it’s more of a personal decision on whether or not to follow your Premonition. It could very well be that your beloved Bashasha and mother are still alive, but there again, this might just be what your heart is hoping to be true. I would hate to give you false hope and to tell you to go and find them, only to have you be disappointed in the end, but there again, I feel as though you are wise beyond your years my boy and there for, I think you’ll know what to do. Just don’t go rushing into things now. You must consider everything carefully before you decide on what to do but know this. He whose mind is lead astray, may not live another day. But he who finds that which he seeks will surely live happily for many weeks.”

[YFWE]

Ari stalked toward the tall grass that would be their concealment, hoping it would be enough to keep them hidden from the herd long enough to bring down at least a few wildebeest. She could hear movement behind her, assuming that the other lionesses had taken to following her lead. Ari was unsure if her intentions would come to fruition, but she was hopeful that they could at least bring down a few wildebeest that might appease Scar for the time being.

Alas, she was unable to see this plan come to be, as Ari witnessed the four lionesses bringing up the rear of their group splitting off almost immediately, barreling off toward the suspecting herd, which had seen the approaching lionesses and were now panicking and retreating themselves. "Wait!" Ari called in distress, quickly changing pace and following behind the lionesses. "This wasn't the plan! No! STOP!"

As they ran, the scenario ran through Ari's mind again and again. Why had this happened? Why had the other lionesses not listened to her? This should have been different... this should have gone a lot better.

When all had been said and done, the Hunting Party had been able to take down one wildebeest. One measly wildebeest. It would not be nearly enough to feed the entire pride, though it would at least feed Scar.

Adding to Ari's frustration was Lulu's seething comments as she basically attacked not only Ari herself, but her mother as well. Completely distressed as she could not see how this was her fault, she took a moment to compose herself before snapping back at the lioness.

"How in the hell is this my fault, Lulu? You're the one that didn't follow the plan. Has all that sleeping around over the years made you unable to follow basic directions? You can explain to His Majesty while our hunt failed. As can the rest of you," she narrowed her gaze to the other lionesses, aside from Samira. "I will not tolerate this again, as long as I'm the leader. Should Scar choose to pick me as party leader again, I will be certain to make sure you stay back at the den. I'm sure Scar will find some use for you."

Ari turned toward the carcass of the dead animal and quietly asked for Samira to help her to carry it back to Pride Rock. As she placed its haunches on her shoulders, she glared once more at Lulu. "And never," she sneered, "insult my mother or go near Hiroshi again if you know what's good for you."

With a determined expression upon her face, she padded off toward the Pride Lands, not even letting her gaze linger even for a moment on Kito or Hiroshi, wanting to cool herself off first before she spoke to anyone else.

[KiarasMate]

”Who the hell do you think you are you little skank!” Lulu growled, her teeth bared and claws extended as Ari’s words reached her ears. ”You think you can just push us veteran huntresses around just because you give yourself to Scar each and every night? Well, welcome to reality Missy. Unlike you, the rest of us have worked our asses off to earn our spots within The Hunting Party and we don’t take kindly to pompous little ingrates moving in on our territory.”

It was clear that Lulu’s pride had been bruised by Ari’s new found position as Hunting Leader and as she watched the younger lioness taking charge and beginning to move the wildebeest, which in Lulu’s eyes, was her own personal kill, it seemed to push her over the edge as she turned towards her pride sisters and let out a defiant roar before exclaiming in an irritated voice.

”You see, she’s trying to take the kill for herself. Probably wants to go back and give the kill to Scar just to take all the credit for it. Are you all really going to be ordered around by that inbred little snot?”

Lulu’s remark seemed to hit home with most of the lionesses, aside from Samira of course who had already started to help Ari drag the fallen wildebeest carcass along. Having the majority of the mob on her side, Lulu jeered viciously at Ari as the small group of lionesses advanced towards the lone pair of females. Realizing that they were heavily outnumbered and not wishing for any violence to break out, Samira flashed Ari an apologetic gaze before she let her half of the wildebeest go and wisely retreated a safe distance away from the approaching mob.

Kito, who had been hanging back while the lionesses had performed their hunt, finally breached the grassy hill and took sight of what was going on. He hadn’t witnessed what had happened, however sensing the tension in the air and seeing the group of lionesses closing in on Ari and the slain wildebeest, Kito’s better instincts kicked in as he dashed over to Ari and pried her away from the kill before the band of lionesses overtook her. Knowing how stubborn Ari could be but also knowing how ruthless Lulu and company could also be, Kito had to play it safe as he struggled to restrain Ari while attempting to maintain order through the chaos that had suddenly ensued.

”Damn it, what’s going on here, what’s with you all. Ari, chill out. Lulu, for gawd sake, calm your group down.”

Looking quite pleased now that the wildebeest kill was in her possession, Lulu merely huffed at Kito and Ari before picking up the downed creature with the help of the three other lionesses. Without another word, the small party disbanded, leaving Ari, Samira and Kito to their own accord as they made their way back towards the far off figure of Pride Rock. Watching the others depart, Samira lowered her ears as she glanced towards Ari with a pitiful expression upon her muzzle. Feeling horribly guilty for the way things had turned out, even if it wasn’t her fault directly, Samira addressed Ari in an apologetic voice.

”My apologies Ari. You’ll have to excuse the way the others acted. They are just too easily swayed by Lulu’s position within the hunting ranks and most of them just can’t come to terms with the fact that you were appointed Hunting Leader over the others who have been a part of The Hunting Party longer. Lulu had no right to insult you the way she did but that’s just her way of trying to deal with the fact that her efforts have gone unnoticed by Scar himself. I know if the others had followed your lead, we would have been a lot more successful today but at least our king will be appeased for the time being.”

By this point, Hiroshi had finally made it back to where Ari, Kito and Samira were gathered at. He had passed the other lionesses on the way and had noticed the wildebeest kill. Assuming that everything had gone accordingly, Hiroshi unknowingly began to praise Ari for a job well done, even if that hadn’t been the case. Having managed to suppress his headache for the time being, Hiroshi felt a little better as he called over to Ari in a proud voice.

”Now that’s a kill to be proud of Ari. That wildebeest didn’t stand a chance against your clever mind. Why aren’t you with the others though? Don’t tell me you’re already taking advantage of your new found power and having the others carry the kill home.” Hiroshi stated in a joking fashion as he took a seat next to Ari, his mane still dripping wet from the combination of water and sweat.

[YFWE]

Ari kept her gaze focused on the path ahead of her, not daring to look back at Lulu and to take her incessant, seething barbs to heart. She trudged onward, knowing in her heart that it was not her intent to take credit for the kill; she merely wanted to end the argument as quickly as possible and head back to the Pride Lands. However, it became increasingly apparent that this would be impossible, as Lulu and the other lionesses seemed completely unwilling to back down from an altercation.

The lioness felt the bulk of the wildebeest's weight fall down upon her as Samira slunk away and let the kill fall to the ground as she flanked the approaching group of lionesses, keeping a stern gaze upon Lulu. She spoke not a word to them, but stood her ground, the kill beside her.

"Alright then," growled Ari. "This is the way you want it? Well then come and get it, [censored]."

She poised herself to lunge for the approaching lead lioness, her blood boiling with rage, her eyes set upon the pretty neck of Lulu. Oh, how she would love to get her jaws around it. To assert her dominance, to make the little skank regret everything she had said...

Ari's vengeance was short-lived, however, for as she padded toward Lulu and the band of lionesses, Kito intervened, holding back Ari as she snarled and spat. "Let go of me. KITO. LET GO OF ME."

Slowly, she felt her breath slowing as she calmed herself down. It took every ounce of Ari's self-control to hold back her own emotions as Lulu and the other lionesses took over the carcass and made their way back to their lands without a word. She felt Kito's grip on her slacken, and without another moment's hesitation she walked, head low, back toward the Pride Lands, snapping out of her trance only when Samira came to her.

"Don't mention it, Samira. Thanks for backing me up, anyway. Least you could do. As long as Scar finds the hunt successful, everything should go back to normal."

She noticed Hiroshi approaching and let her gaze fall to the ground once more. Not even the sight of him could cheer her up then, and what he said afterward certainly did not help.

She looked up at Hiroshi, mouth momentarily agape, as if to say something, but Ari thought better against it, giving her friend a mere shrug before returning her gaze to the distant Pride Rock. She would perhaps explain to him what really happened in time, but at that point, she needed quiet. And perhaps a nice, reassuring meeting with her mother.

------

Kweli's gaze met Rafiki's expectantly as he searched the mandrill's face for an indication of what his next logical move could be. He was still undeniably confused at this point concerning what he had witnessed--or, rather, what he thought he had witnessed--and hoped that Rafiki would be the bringer of some good news.

His spirits sank when he found that there was, in effect, nothing that Rafiki could do for him, nor could he choose the clear path for the lion. He had somewhat expected this anyway and knew deep down that it was a journey that he and only he was meant to take, but his confusion over what had happened fogged his perception of the task at hand, though he was certainly attentive to the shaman, taking in as much as he could before he made a decision himself.

Rising to his paws in a bit of a daze, Kweli focused his gaze on Rafiki long enough to give him a weak pat on the shoulder. "Thanks, Rafiki. I... I really appreciate it," he gulped. "I think I'm going to go rest for a while, get a drink of water or something. Thanks a lot for your help today. Sorry I have to leave on such short notice."

And with those parting words he stumbled away from Rafiki, still somewhat unsure on his paws as he walked, trying to make sense of what had happened. He decided he would pay a short visit to the waterhole; perhaps that would clear his mind up somewhat.

[KiarasMate]

Having seemingly resolved the conflict between Ari and Lulu, Kito flashed Hiroshi a quick glance as if to tell him not to question the hunt further, before he dashed off to catch up to the rest of the lionesses, followed closely by Samira, leaving Hiroshi and Ari to their own device. Looking a bit befuddled by Ari’s reaction to what appeared to him as being a successful hunt and ignoring Kito’s foreboding warning, Hiroshi slowly padded after the golden furred lioness, stumbling slightly over his paws as the dizziness momentarily returned to him. Coming up alongside Ari and seeing her facial expression, Hiroshi spoke up in a concerned voice as he gently halted his golden furred friend in her tracks.

”Hey, is everything okay Ari? Why do you look so down? Did something happen?”

Priding himself on always being able to be there for Ari in her time of need, Hiroshi did his best to look as though he wanted to cheer Ari up for whatever reason. Even though he wasn’t feeling entirely himself at the given moment, this fact mattered not to him as Ari’s well-being always took priority in his mind. Recalling how Ari had acted the previous night when she had returned from her solo hunt and comparing that reaction to this hunt in which she had actually made a significant kill, or so it would seem to Hiroshi, the thoughtful male continued to try and get Ari to spill her feelings to him as he sat in front of her, blocking her path to some degree as he waited for a response.

==========

Giving an understanding nod to Kweli as he watched his friend taking his leave, Rafiki gathered up everything he had brought down from his baobab tree back into the scrying bowl before vanishing up into the snarled branches. Setting everything down in its rightful place, the wise Shaman made his way over to where he had drawn the pictures of all the various important members of the pride upon the trunk of the ancient tree, his focus shifting from the small group of lions who represented Kito, Ari, Hiroshi and Kweli, back to the lone sketch of the cub Simba, and back again. Letting out a dejected sigh, Rafiki took a seat in front of the painted mural before losing himself in deep thought once again.

[YFWE]

They continued their return to Pride Rock, Ari still deathly silent as she attempted to both calm herself down and come to grips with what had occurred. This was it; she almost certainly could never return to the Hunting Party again, not with all of the animosity between her and Lulu, unless she was relegated to a more background role. And this would likely not happen if Scar was not as adamant about getting on her good side as he was rumored to be.

Ari heard Hiroshi pad up to her side once more as she watched Kito and Samira join up with the rest of the party. She was still quite unhappy and wanted nothing more than to curl up into the corner of their den alone, but nonetheless felt a twinge of longing for Hiroshi in that moment as she listened to his query, knowing that if there was a soul in the world that could cheer her up at that moment in time, it was her friend Hiroshi.

And so she proceeded to let the black-maned lion know what had happened while he had been away, of her plans for the hunt and of Lulu's blatant disregard for said plan, and of the quarrel that had resulted.

"I know it's probably a good thing that I failed, since maybe Scar won't throw me into the lead huntress role again..." continued Ari, "but... I still wanted to succeed, you know? I wanted to make my pride proud. I wanted us to actually have food for once."

The lioness sighed, rubbing once against Hiroshi's neck, feeling his warmth. She glanced up at him. "Hiro... you're burning up," Ari said with concern. "Are you okay?"

------

Kweli walked along, still slightly dizzy from his... Premonition, as Rafiki had named it. Though he felt as if there was a lot on his mind to comprehend at that moment, he found that he could not truly consider any of it. His mind was blank and empty and time seemed to be going by at an almost alarming pace. He had reached the waterhole before he knew it.

Reluctantly stepping to the edge of the depleted pool, Kweli dipped his head low into the water, letting it submerge gently as he braced his position on the bank with his front paws. He let the cool water rush over him, the fog that had descended over his mind finally seeming to recede slightly. When he knew it was time to take a breath, he did so, breathing in deeply as soon as he had brought his muzzle from the cool liquid.

Blinking once, twice, and a third time, the small lion shook his head rapidly in an attempt to dry it, and reclined a short distance away beside the waterhole, laying his head in his paws, trying to make sense of what he had seen and what Rafiki suggested.

[KiarasMate]

Thankfully for Hiroshi, Ari seemed to open up to his plea as she started to inform him on what had taken place while he had been off trying to ease his own discomforts. Hiroshi had begun to feel a little unsteady on his paws and having the opportunity to sit still while Ari spoke to him was a blessing in disguise. Staying nice and attentive as he took in every little detail that the golden furred lioness revealed to him, Hiroshi’s own temper started to rise, which didn’t help matters any as his temperature was already at a feverish level. Gritting his teeth and holding back from letting any snide remarks about Lulu escape his muzzle, Hiroshi waited for Ari to finish her speech before piping up in a bothered voice.

”What a selfish lioness. Makes me feel dirty that she even gave me that look earlier Ari. I’m so sorry to hear about what happened. I know you’re the best damn huntress out of any of the lionesses here. Don’t let her jealousy get to you, okay? I know you deserve to be Hunting Leader, even if His Majesty has some underlying intentions for giving you that title. You’re amazing at what you do Ari and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Dawning a supportive looking smile, Hiroshi watched as Ari moved in to nuzzle him affectionately. Compared to the heat that was already radiating off of his fur from how he was feeling, Ari’s touch seemed cold in comparison as Hiroshi inadvertently brought himself closer to Ari’s body, trying to soothe his own body temperature. Upon hearing Ari’s next words and noting the hint of concern laced within her voice, Hiroshi swallowed nervously as he pulled away from her and gingerly rubbed the back of his head with a fore paw in an innocent fashion before replying in a casual voice.

”I do Ari? Hmm, maybe it’s just because I’m next to such a mighty huntress.”

Flashing a cheeky looking grin as to try and persuade Ari into buying his excuse, all be it a cheesy one, Hiroshi didn’t want to let on that he was, in fact, feeling quite under the weather. Knowing how fussy Ari could be whenever he felt sick and not wanting to add even more onto Ari’s plate of worries that had already been filled from the drama that had taken place, Hiroshi continued to play it cool as he slowly rose to all fours again, his legs looking a little unsteady as they supported his weight. Blinking a few times to try and clear his blurred vision, Hiroshi addressed Ari in a nonchalant fashion as he turned to make his way back towards their den.

”Why should you even report back to His Royal Highness anyways Ari? Let’s just let Kito deal with things and forget about what happened. Maybe a nice rest in our den will help.” Hiroshi stated with a smile, hoping that Ari would take him up on the offer, seeing as he himself needed to take a load off as soon as he could before his strength was completely zapped.

==========

Taking a quick glance behind him, seeing that Ari and Hiroshi had stopped for some reason or another, Kito paid this fact no mind as he continued to follow the rest of the chosen huntresses back to Pride Rock/I]. Melding over what had happened, or at least, what he himself had witnessed, Kito hoped that Scar would at least be satisfied with the lone wildebeest kill, yet something told him that this probably wouldn’t be the case. Feeling slightly guilty from the fact that Ari hadn’t enjoyed the recognition that she had deserved for at least leading a successful hunt, Kito decided to let karma take its toll. Upon arriving back at [I]Pride Rock, Kito addressed Lulu as he motioned for the other lionesses to take their leave.

”Lulu Babe, you know I love you but you shouldn’t have been so hard on Ari. It was her first hunt as leader you know. Anyways, why don’t you go deliver the kill to Scar and then meet me at the back of Pride Rock for a little special time.”

Looking quite pleased with this fact, Lulu happily obliged as she gave Kito a seductive looking nod before dragging the wildebeest carcass up the slope leading to The Main Den. Once she was out of sight however, Kito turned to take his leave as he headed off towards The Waterhole for a much needed drink instead of going to the specified location that he had instructed Lulu to join him at later, knowing that after what she’d surely be put through from having to explain such a dreadful hunting exhibition to Scar, that making love would be the last thing on Lulu’s mind. It didn’t take Kito long to reach The Waterhole and as he approached the withering pool, his emerald eyes spotted the familiar figure of Kweli, who seemed to be relaxing near the bank of the once plentiful water source. Quickly satisfying his own thirst, Kito couldn’t help himself as he silently wandered over to where his friend was laying before addressing him in a mocking voice.

”Hmm, I didn’t know patrolling the borders was such a lazy job Kweli. No wonder you always take so long to give your reports to Scar. You’re just lucky that today, I think he’s going to have wasted a lot of his anger on another unfortunate soul, but if I were you, I’d still not pres my luck. You just might want to wait a little while before giving your daily report if you know what’s good for you.”

[YFWE]

Though Ari was internally grateful at Hiroshi's kind words concerning the hunt, she still could not help but feel as if everything was not as easy to forget as Hiroshi had told her. However, any such thoughts were soon pushed into the back of her mind as she felt her friend's alarming warmth. Hearing his response, Ari was not quite convinced by Hiroshi's excuse, but felt herself blushing slightly at his compliment, cheesy as it was.

She nuzzled him again, trying to push her concerns away from her immediate conscious and simply enjoy Hiroshi's company on what had been a particularly dreary day. Looking up into her friend's gaze as he recommended their early detour into their den, Ari gave a small smile and a nod. She barely even needed to consider such a notion.

"That sounds just lovely. I could use the rest and you look like you could too," the lioness said with a wink. "Kweli shouldn't be back yet and Kito almost certainly won't be there... we should have plenty of quiet time," she mused as their den came into view.

Ari stepped inside, noting that it was, in fact, empty. Yawning once, she padded over to her pelt and laid down, head in her paws, waiting patiently for Hiroshi to join her.

------

Kweli continued to recline lazily by the waterhole, completely unaware at first of Kito's sudden appearance. Snapping out of his trance once his friend spoke, Kweli lifted his head, which felt rather heavy given his delusion, and rolled his eyes at Kito as he blinked his eyes a few times to unblur his gaze.

"Hello to you too, Kito," murmured Kweli. "Sorry, His Majesty normally doesn't expect the report until sundown, unless anything of note needed to be reported, as I recall. Everything's fine; there's nothing of note that the King needs to know. But thanks for the advice."

Rising to all fours and giving his body a long stretch, Kweli glanced toward Pride Rock for a few moments before returning his attention to Kito. "Who's the unfortunate soul, then? I take it the hunt didn't exactly go up to expectations?"

[KiarasMate]

Falling in line behind Ari as she lead the way back to their den, mainly to prevent her from noticing his unusual looking gate, Hiroshi stayed relatively quiet as he trailed after the golden furred lioness. Thankfully, they didn’t have long to travel before their quaint abode came into sight. Allowing Ari to enter the den first, Hiroshi took a moment to try and clear his vision a little more by wiping a fore paw over his eyes before he too, joined his friend in the confines of their cool home. Making his way over to where Ari had already settled herself down upon her sleeping pelt, Hiroshi clumsily stepped over her before letting his body collapse upon the soft surface below him. Being relieved of the Burdon of having to hold up his own weight now, Hiroshi relaxed as he rolled onto his side in order to be able to face Ari, his tongue dangling from his muzzle as he panted quietly. Normally, Hiroshi would have been the first to speak up in a situation like this but due to the way he was feeling, only a few words managed to escape his muzzle as he laid there.

”I feel a little sleepy Ari…”

No sooner had the words left his muzzle, did Hiroshi silently doze off as his exhausted body began to shut down due to lack of nourishment. Unbeknownst to Ari herself, Hiroshi had only eaten the half of the passion fruit she had offered him the previous night, and nothing else for the past three suns. While Ari was on her solo hunt, Hiroshi found himself feeling too nervous about his friend’s well-being to even find the time to eat, not to mention that food was scarce to begin with due to the conditions of the lands as well. He had managed to play it off up until this point but his body had finally had enough. At first glance, it wouldn’t appear as if anything was wrong, as Hiroshi simply looked as though he were snoozing peacefully, aside from his parched looking tongue protruding from his mouth but his body temperature and slightly sporadic breathing pattern were very subtle indications that something might be amiss.

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Having already known that Kweli would take his comment out of context, as he only had said what he did to get a rouse out of his friend, Kito humored the smaller male as he listened to his response, merely giving a halfhearted nod in response before dipping a paw back into the murky looking water to dampen it before running it through his mane to straighten it out a bit. Perking up his ears from hearing Kweli’s inquiry however, Kito couldn’t help but to chuckle as he adopted a thoughtful looking smile before replying to his friend in an amused voice.

”Actually, the hunt was quite successful compared to previous ones as of late anyways. Aside from a little drama between Lulu and Ari, I’d say things went well, but that’s probably because I was there to keep things in order Kweli. It seems Ari’s temper rubbed Lulu the wrong way but don’t worry yourself over that. Lulu’s going to get what’s coming to her. I hate to admit it but Ari is quite a good hunting leader if I do say so myself. Of course, I’d never tell her that directly as I’d never give her the satisfaction of knowing that I actually thought highly of her or anything but you know how things are between us.”

Spending a few more minutes fiddling with his mane, Kito glanced up at the setting sun before returning his focus back to Kweli. Seemingly noticing his friend’s distant looking expression for the first time, Kito’s own curiosity was sparked as he wondered just what was on the smaller male’s mind. Typically he wouldn’t have even inquired about such things but finding himself having nothing better to do at the given moment and not wishing to return back to Pride Rock himself until he knew that Scar’s wrath would be over and done with in regards to the semi-failed hunt, Kito found himself speaking up to Kweli in a quizzical tone.

”Why do you look like that brainless mandrill Kweli? Don’t tell me you were hanging out with him again? You’ve got that same look on your face that just screams clueless.”

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A short while had passed back at the den where Ari and Hiroshi were resting before a familiar voice drifted in from the entranceway. The voice belonged to Samira and as the older lioness entered the den carrying a small portion of the wildebeest kill within her jaws, it became apparent on why she had dropped by. Gently setting the meat down in front of Ari’s sleeping pelt, Samira gave a respectful bow to Ari before she stated in a hushed voice, noticing that Hiroshi seemed to be asleep.

”Sorry to disturb you Ari, but Scar insisted that I bring you this. It’s your portion of the kill as being Hunting Leader. Typically, it’s your right to take the choice bits of the kill but well, you know, after what happened, I understand why you decided to not go back to The Main Den. It’s a shame too, cause you missed quite an entertaining show.” Samira stated, a mischievous looking smile working its way over her muzzle as she did so.