[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light

[Skittakallista]

Auni heard Tanga speak and was very relieved his friend was still alive, until he heard Imani roar. He turned just in time to see her rush towards were Neru had gone. Tanga got up and ran after Imani with a shout. Auni tried to get up too but an earlier injury (in his leg) gave a painful twinge and he yelled, unable to run. He started to limp over to where they had gone.

As he was nearing the pool he heard Neru's chilling laugh. It sent shivers up Auni's spine and his leg gave another twinge so he stopped moving and just sat at the edge of the clearing, obsesrving, unable to help. Imani had her claws at Neru's throat and had an expression of blind anger on her face. Neru looked suprisingly calm and amused to say that he was at Imani's mercy. Tanga was pleading with Imani, imploring her not to kill him. To these pleas, Neru gave another laugh and told Tanga his last terrible secret. "Here is my little secret Tanga. Your mother was pregnant and so when I ate her and your dad that day I killed your sibling as well."

Auni recoiled, prompting his leg to twinge again but he ignored it. Neru had eaten a pregnant lioness? It was bad enough he would have killed her anyay but to destroy the life of an unbornn cub aswell? This lion was pure evil. He tried to yell to Imani to kill him but discovered his voice to have gone again. His face furrowed in fustration but he continued to watch. Tanga's face had frozen with grief and Neru continued to taunt and jeer at him. He saw something snap in Imani's eyes, watched her kill Neru. Terrible understanding was flooding onto Tanga's face and he fainted, murmering.

Auni ran to his side again, ignoring his leg. His friend was not going to die now, not when his parents killer was now dead and unable to do anything like that ever again. He couldn't die, he couldn't leave him and Imani. Not now. He dropped at Tanga's side, nudging him, trying to get across his internal words. Please Tanga, don't leave us.... Please. You have your whole life ahaed of you, to bring joy to other cubs that you couldn't do for your sibling... You have so much to live for, don't give it up!

[Nakisisa]

"Mufalfa? Are you alright?" Ra asked moments before he fell into the pool of water, and seeing Imani come up to them bith, teeth bared and claws unsheathed, Ra was worried, until she turned and ran. Pulling Mufalfa out of the water, and laying him down, she heard her sisters roar, knowing something was wrong, Ra spoke. "Hang on there big guy, I'll be back for you." as she ran off towards her sister.

When she arrived, she saw the gash on Tangas neck, and him falling to the ground. Putting two and two toghether, she ran, headbutting Tanga in the stomach. "Come on wake up, you're not dying on me today!" she growled rolling him onto her back, to allow the blood to drain away. "Follow me!" Ra hissed as she ran increadibly fast towards 'the den' "Coke on Tanga, you still have a promise to keep, don't make me hold a grudge when I'm up in the stars with you!" she said as she picked up her speed.

[AustralianChaos]

While he was out...Tanga dreamed...sort of.

He could, in a way, see everything that was going on around his unconscious form...he had an outside view as Auni nudged him, trying to get him to wake up, and Ra roll him over, trying to stop the blood loss he was sufferring from his neck wound. Everything was slightly distorted, including their voices, but Tanga did hear enough of Ra's words to understand that she still wanted him to keep his promise to her.

"But I've kept it," he said, even though he knew they would not hear. He did see, and hear, his own 'real' form give a small groan as he spoke, though, indicating his current, 'spirit' form was still connected to his real form...but only just. "Imani's back with you, Ra...you have each other once more...I'm not needed."

Tanga nearly jumped out of his fur when a voice behind him answered; "You're wrong, Tanga." In the real world, his body twitched as he spun around...even though he already knew who the voice belonged to...he would never, ever forget that voice...not until the day he died.

"Mum?" he asked, wondering if his eyes were decieving him. But there she was...a mass of clouds had rolled in from the horizon, and were now swirling and shaping, forming a middle-aged lioness with exceptionally pale fur, including Tanga's silver belly and muzzle, bright blue eyes, and a black tail tuft. All Tanga could do was wonder if the others could see these clouds as well, even if he knew the vision of his mother was just for his eyes.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani looked behind her to see Tanga now on the ground. The eyes of the lioness returned back to their normal softness she held towards the male who was now passed out and she darted over to him. "Tanga!" She also noticed Auni, and upon seeing her sister go to Tanga, she changed direction to the other male.

"Auni, are you okay?" She asked, waiting for his response. Upon getting nothing from him but seeing he was still well enough alive, she sighed out in relief and picked him up onto her back. Mimicking her sister, she rushed off right beside her at the same speed and followed her sister's direction. Imani couldn't quite form thoughts right now as she was back in her own mind at this point so she was thankful she had her older sister to show her the way and what to do. Making sure Auni was still on her back every few strides, she kept herself going at a steady pace right beside her sibling and sometimes a little ahead before she would slow down.

"Is Tanga going to be okay, Ra? And what about Auni? They're both good friends, and I don't know what I'd do without them" she said low in her throat. She truly didn't know how she would last without her new friends. Though they hadn't known each other long they were still close to her and they changed her view on lions. For the best. Not to mention they helped her out of a tight fix.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga's mother - Kali - gave her son a warm smile, as Tanga gaped, unable to believe what he was seeing. "How?" he asked. "How are you...am I dead?" he finally asked, feeling like an idiot for simply asking. Behind him, he could hear his 'living' self make another mild groaning noise in time with his words.

Kali gave her son a sad smile, but shook her head. "No," she said, her voice seeming to echo all around him, even though he knew no-one back in the waking world would be able to hear her...or see her. "No...not quite, anyway."

As Kali talked, another lion formed behind her...another spirit. This one was male, and possessed a dark gold, almost brown fur...with a strange, bright mane that matched Tanga's golden pelt perfectly. He possessed deep hazel eyes that seemed full of calm wisdom. It was yet another lion Tanga would never, ever forget. Busara...his father.

"You are at the crossing, point, my son," Busara said, his deep, powerful voice filling Tanga. "Your body is wounded, but can survive...it is your own will to live that has taken you here. You have been given a choice, my son...it is up to you to decide where to go."

Tanga's living body twitched and shifted as Spirit-Tanga turned around from the vision of his parents, startled to find that Ra was currently carrying his living self, and Imani was beside her, carrying Auni and talking indistinctly. Imani seemed terribly worried, and Tanga had little trouble guessing why.

He turned back to his parents, one big question burning in his mind. "Is it true?" he asked, his living form on Ra's back making yet another small noise. "Was I going to have a sibling?"

To Tanga, the situation felt so completely surreal...yet somehow right at the same time. According to his father, he was at the crossing between life and death, and had the choice of moving on and joining his family, or fighting back and returning to Imani and Auni.

But Tanga was distracted from the implications of his choice when he saw his mother's face drop in sadness. "It's true," Kali said, causing Tanga's heart to just about break. "You were going to have a little sister in a few months at that point."

At this point, both Kali and Busara turned around to look behind them, and Tanga actually took a few tentative steps forward as he saw a third shape forming in the clouds - which he still could not tell if the others saw - behind his parents. All he could do was watch, mouth agape, his living body tossing and turning, as he prepared to see his little sister...for the very first time.

[Skittakallista]

Auni had passed out just as Imani had found him. He was vaguely aware of Imani carrying him on her back (She must have been very strong as Auni was very heavy) but was unable to talk or move. He heard Imani's panicked voice ask wether he and Tanga were alright. He wished he could tell her that he was fine, just shocked and exausted. He also hoped that Tanga was ok... That gash to his neck had been pretty nasty and he couldn't bear to think that he might be... He pushed that thought out of his head. Thinking hurt. He drifted away.

He was sitting by a lake. He remembered it from his childhood. It was the large, very blue one that was in their territory, that he had loved to sit beside and think. But right now, he wasn't alone. Towering above him was his mother. Wait. Towering? He put up a paw to see if she was a hallusination and was shocked to see how small they were. He gave a sqeak of suprise. That's right, a squeak! His mothers pale golden face went down then saying, "Shhhhh my little boy. What's the matter sweetheart? There, there..." She drew him closer to her. As he snuggled into her fur he realised this was a memory, from long, long ago, when his mother was still alive.

"Mama?" His little head whipped around. His brother, Muro, was running up, he tensed himself, wondering wether he was about to hit him, before realising that that kind of thing hadn't happened until after his mother had died. He was safe. Ish. He felt a warm something nudge his face and give him a lick. Tuli! His sister! Not talking, as usual, but the love she had for her little sibling was in her eyes. That was one of the best things about his sister, he remembered. Her beautiful eyes. Then a large shadow fell over them and he shrunk back, but it was only his father. Before his mother had died he had been devoted to his family. This was what he was remembering. The time when he had a proper family. He got comfortable in his mothers arms and dozed off...

He woke up, smiling and realised that that was how he felt when he was with Tanga and Imani. Like he was home with his family. His headache came back again and he went back to sleep.

[VitanisMate]

Soon a vision of Mufalfa appeared ruining the moments. "You fools. Hey Tanga when you see your mother why does she go away? Why doesn't she talk to you?!" He laughed and looked toward Auni. "Hey weakling spy when your ideal situation is dreamed of by you again why don't you remember what happened afterwards. Why don't you remember the treatment you got after your mother died!" He looked at them all and smiled. "Neru says hi." Soon another figure appeared with an evil smile. "He also says he enjoyed slashing that coward's throat." He laughed and said, "Tanga you coward I hope you know how it feels when that sibling was eaten." More evil laughter then silence as it seemed the vision ended. Mufalfa soon regained consciousness again with no memory of what happened.

[Nakisisa]

"Whoa, easy boy!" Ra shouted ignoring her sister as Tanga started thrashing about. Still oblivious to the illusions that the others would be seeing. "IMANI, CAN YOU FEEL HIS HEARTBEAT?" Ra shouted back, nearing the den, trying to prepare for what was going to happen

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani, being too occupied with keeping her friend on her back, ignored the vision of Mulfalfa's other side and kept on going with Auni. Keeping as close to Ra and Tanga as she could, she made sure not to let any part of Auni touch the ground except his tail.

The lioness watching in front of her, didn't pay attention to the ground under her. As she moved away from being too close to Ra if she were to stop, she felt her feet fly out from under her as she fell to the ground. Feeling the relief of Auni from her back, she skidded across the dirt and stopped slowly, letting out a growl of pain. She lifted her head off the ground and looked over to Ra, seeing her run on away from her and felt her vision spiraling on her so she dropped her head back down and let her lids close. Vaguely she could see Auni in front of her on the ground as well where she dropped him accidentally when she tried to force her eyes open.

Thanks to the little sleep she got and the fights she had been in without food or water, she was feeling the toll of exhaustion slam into her and she couldn't take it anymore. "Just five minutes..." she mumbled softly, drifting off into sleep.

[Nakisisa]

"IMANI! CAN YOU FEEL..." Ra started shouting, trailing off. Seeing Imani on the ground she growled, out of anger more than anything else, but she couldent blame her sister. "MUM, DAD, PLEASE, GIVE ME STRENGTH!" Ra shouted, as she saw the world slow arounder her, and tow voices spoke. "We are with you our child" the said as Ra ran with renewed speed, and faster than she ever had before. Soon after she lay Tanga by mufalfa, applyed some 'bandages' to his wound and tan back to his sister and friend, managing to pick both of them up and taking them back, hoping when they got there, one ofthem would wake and help.