[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

"I guess you kinda like her then... You keep looking at her, like your worried she'll die if you don't check on her."
Imani opened her eyes, but luckily she had her head away from the two so they couldn't see she was awake. But her eyes were shocked. Wide and surprised. Tanga liked her? He didn't act like he did...did he? Or was she just so oblivious in her own little world that she hadn't noticed in the least of the male's intentions or feelings? Either way, she hadn't noticed. And she was going out on a limb but, the way Auni said it to Tanga...did he feel the same for Imani too?

Maybe I'm just thinking too into it! Maybe Tanga is just being a really good friend and Auni is just tired! Or they could...actually...like me...? She listened to them more, and sighed out quietly. Do I like either of them as more than just friends...?

[VitanisMate]

Mufalfa passed out in front of Ra. Soon in the jungle where Tanga, Auni, and Imani was a violent storm with lightning and thunder and even hail. Soon a loud roar was heard also that shook the land around them. An evil laugh appeared that they knew all too well. A vision of Mufalfa appeared. "My what fools you are thinking you could kill Mufalfa. I live!"

He looked at Tanga amused. "Fool you are as close to avenging your parents as you are to being a hero." He looked at Auni and said, "Spy your mother does not look down upon you for I have been to that place and I did not see her." He then finally looked at Imani. "Your sister is dead because of her own insanity of finding out she tried to kill her sister." He laughed and the vision disappeared with no sound in sight.

[Nakisisa]

"Mufalfa!" Ra screamed as he fell asleep. "Neru, go find help quickly!" Ra demanded. Turning back to her mate, she noticed beads of sweat on his head, she licked him to cool him down. "Mufalfa, please wake up!" she begged gently shaking him, "Please... Please wake up" she begged. Ra! Your stronger than this, calm down and think for christs sake girl, he has a major wound and he's asleep, what do you do? the voice in her head asked. "Wake Him" she said calmyl, How? "You know your so annoying even for..." Ra started to say as the voice in her bea screamed How? "Water!" Ra shouted back, "Water!"

Ra carefully picked Mufalfa up and took him to the lake behind the cave. Being careful not to hurt him, she placed him in the water, dragging him to a deeper depth. When she got there, making sure his head had stayed above the water on the short journey, she dunked him fully under, quickly bringing him back up again. "Mufalfa!" She screamed, ready to do the process again in necessary.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

This time, she woke for real and she let the others know it as she jumped to her feet and looked up at the windy vision of Mulfalfa. Just when I thought I'd finally gotten rid of him, she thought. She just listened to his words while her tail flapped all over the place as he spoke and the wind whipped her body around, but she stayed put.

Once he dissapeared, she was silent for a moment until she turned her body and ran back to where the battle between the two sides took place. She was still the same Imani that she was when she first met them, and it was because of this that she leapt at the chance to make sure her sister was alright and alive. It was because she was the same Imani that she still felt the sisterly connection she felt to Ra to go after her and make sure she was being lied to when Mulfalfa was speaking the false words.

I know you're stronger than this, Ra, she jumped over some logs and into the water and out, going back as far as she could, just stay put and I'll find you.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga had been just about to reply to Auni's statement when the vision of Mufalfa had appeared in the storm. Had he been so obvious in how he showed his confused feelings for Imani? He was still coming to terms with the idea of falling in love himself, that he was not sure he could have answered the question, even if he wanted to.

But Mufalfa's vision appeared, proclaiming that the lion in question was still alive, and Tanga's answer was lost before it could be voiced as Imani jumped to life, while Mufalfa spat insults and taunts at all of them. Can't this guy just leave us alone? Tanga silently pleaded.

But, almost as soon as the stormy vision appeared, it vanished, and Tanga was left in shock. How had Mufalfa done that? For he had no doubt in his mind that the vision was a product of Mufalfa himself, and not some dign of impeding insanity on his part...by the looks on Imani and Auni's muzzles, they had seen it, too.

But then Imani took off again, almost bowling him over in her haste to head back towards the scene of their last fight. "Imani!" he called, but recieved no reply. He went to take off after her, but he had barely gone several paces before his gait faltered. Mufalfa rose to the forefront of his mind...along with his parents. "No...no, not again!" he said to himself as he stopped, sitting down and closing his eyes, screwing up his face with the effort of trying to drive back the horrible memories.

"I...I can't do this any more!" he finally said, feeling what little spirit he had left after his parents' murder breaking under the strain the day had brought. He could not bring himself to face Mufalfa again...not for his parents...not even for Imani. "I'm sorry..." he finally breathed. "Ra...Imani...mum, dad...I'm sorry!" He threw back his head and roared, a long, slow roar of shame and agony. "I can't do this any more! It's too much!" He collapsed to the ground, his whole body shaking with suppressed sobs as he gave in to his guilt and shame once more. "It's going to be all my fault...again!" he did not bother to check if Auni was still nearby, and did not care any more, either.

"I ran away from you when you needed me most!" he yelled to the heavens, pleading with his late parents. "I left you to die, when I could have saved you! And now I know why I did it...because I'm doing it again! I'm a coward...I can't face Mufalfa, even to save a friend! I left you to die, and now I'm leaving Imani to die as well! I think I might be starting to love her...so why can't I find the courage to run with her after Mufalfa?! WHY AM I SUCH A COWARD?!"

With that last, furious question, Tanga broke completely, curling up into a tight ball in the grass, allowing himself to drown in his misery, guilt and shame. In that moment, every hope he had of living a content life...possibly with Auni and Imani...vanished.

[Skittakallista]

Auni stared at the place where the vision of Mufalfa had been. "Your mother does not look down on you fool..." His words tore at his being. He tried to yell, even though Mufalfa was no longer there, but his voice had left him again, shocked into silence by the cruel vision. Then Imani tore off again, nearly knocking over Tanga. A cruel wind started to tear at their manes.

Then came the terrible part. As he stared he heard a terrible, heart rendering roar come from next to him. It took him a moment to realise it was Tanga. He had thrown himself to the ground, defeat etched in his face, sobbing and sobbing. "I'm A COWARD!!!!" He screamed over and over. Auni looked from him to Imani, who he could still vaguely see in the distance. Should he follow her? She was well into the distance by now. She could be running into danger and he couldn't bear if he did. But then there was Tanga... On the ground, apologising to the sky, saying he was a coward, that he couldn't take any more of this. He had to come to his senses before he did something he'd regret. And it looked like he was on the verge of doing so.

"Tanga!!!! Tanga snap out of it! Tanga please! Don't do this, not to us! Tanga, you're not a coward your not! A coward would have run away long before this! A coward wouldn't have fought Mufalfa or even Neru! You're a good lion Tanga! You're a great friend! You're NOT A COWARD!!!!!"

[VitanisMate]

Mufalfa awoke from his slumber all wet gasping. "Ra why are you trying to drown me?!" He gasped for breath and said, "I knew you hated me but I did not know you hated me that much." He looked ahead trying to wonder about the vision before him but he could remember nothing and sighed at the fogginess of his head.

Mufalfa looked at Ra and said, "For some reason I vaguely remember your friends and sister but I have not met them since before I was near death." He looked away confused as to why Imani and her companions were in his head. He hoped nothing had happened since their encounter that would anger them. He looked at Ra and smiled, "Why don't you rejoin your companions. I am fine now Ra okay? Tell them the truth of how I lied to you. I know you miss your sister and wish to return to her. I will be fine." He joked at getting wet. "Do you always make the guys you meet your laundry?"

He laughed a little and looked away again still trying to remember something as to what happened. He looked at Ra and said, "It would be better that I do not go with you for you know as well as I do your sister and her companions hate me but by all means go by yourself Ra."

[Nakisisa]

"Thank the gods" Ra gasped. "You passed out, and with you're injury, there's a good chance of you, Not waking up" Ra said blushing slightly. What Mufalfa said next made her sad. "Look, you're their father, if you don't want us to be together, at least wait long enough to see you children" Ra said, almost crying, "And besides, you've changed." Ra said licking his cheek, "Once the rest of them see that, i know they'll forgive you" She said dragging him out of the water.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani didn't look back to see if the others were behind her, and only made sure she made her way to where her sister was to prove the Mulfalfa in the sky wrong. She arrived to the scene where the fight had been. She remembered it well, knowing the smell of Mulfalfa's blood and the sweat that was still lingering on the leaves around her. The lioness bolted away from the scene where she saw a trail that looked like someone was pulling something heavy away from the scene, and she figured it had to be Mulfalfa being carried by his 'mate'.

She arrived finally to see a lioness that looked like Ra helping Mulfalfa out of the water. How had he gotten there in the first place though? She none the less, still didn't like him and stayed back to see if anything else he said was false. Ra looked like she was in good condition and was false truth from the stupid lion she was trying to save. Imani still didn't trust him so she hung back and watched the two, making sure there was no funny business going on.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga only barely heard Auni yelling at him, but it was enough to stop his spiralling emotions from free-falling completely. "But I am," he finally replied. "I...I ran...I killed my parents because of my fear."

And before he could stop himself, everything came out at once. "My parents are dead because I was too stupid to see the danger, and too much of a coward to face that danger with them! They let me head off on my first solo hunt, and where did I go? Straight into Mufalfa's claws! I walked right into his land without realising it, and he wanted to kill me for it! My parents came and fought him, but he was too strong! And when Neru arrived as well...I ran! When my parents needed me the most, I ran off and left them to die!"

He remained curled up on the ground, but moved his head so he was looking straight at Auni. "And now I'm doing it again! I...I can't bring myself to face Mufalfa again! The last two times we faced him today, I faced him because I had little choice. But now that we have the choice, I..." he struggled to maintain a grip on himself, to finish his massive confession. "But I don't think I can ever live with myself if I abandon you and Imani. I've already promised Ra that I'd help her, but now...I..." he finally stopped. His thought train had arrived at his feelings towards Imani, and he was still unsure about how he really felt.

His gaze shifted towards where Imani had run off to, back to Auni, and then up to the stars once more. "I failed you," he whispered sadly to the sky, his voice full of guilt. "I failed you...and now you're dead...and I'm so sorry."