Past Demons [PRIVATE: AC and TheIvanMuse]

[AustralianChaos]

As the lion stepped closer and closer, the cub took a couple more fearful steps back, scared of what the lion's intentions were. As the adult's head lowered over his own, the thick mane brushing lightly against his head, he ducked low, whining helplessly as he waited for the lion's fangs to sink in. His fear was overwhelming him now, rendering him immobile...otherwise he would probably have run off there and then, and never looked back, no matter how badly he needed the help.

But when the lion instead grabbed his neck fur and lifted him up, the cub gave a terrified squeal of pure fear. "No! What are you doing?!" he cried, struggling to free himself, but getting nowhere as the lion carried him away into the darkness, the cub now sure he was going to die. "Please...please just don't hurt me..." he whimpered, eventually stopping his struggling, almost resigning himself to his fate as he got no answer. He had tried to find help, and found another enemy, it seemed.

But when he was put back down on the ground again, the runt cub did not run, as his shaking legs could barely keep him standing. All he could do was watch as the lion reached into a small pit, wondering what he was doing, and why he wasn't just killing him already. The cub yelped in surprise, jumping back when the slab of antelope meat hit the ground in front of him. Before he could recover and let his ravenous hunger take over, though, the lion placed his paw over it, forcing him to look up at the adult as he posed his question.

Looking down at the meat, then back up at the lion, the cub realised that this lion seemed to want to help him...but wanted to know some things first. What he had taken as intolerance and aggression was actually just caution on the adult's part...which did not help relieve his fear, unfortunately. Looking at the meat again, though, he realised he needed to answer...he wanted this lion's help, anyway. "Tanga..." he finally said in a whisper-quiet voice. Realising he probably couldn't be heard, he forced himself to speak up, although his voice still shook his noticable fear. "My name is Tanga," he finally said, looking up at the adult as he said it, trying to be brave despite the intimidating presence of the lion. He quickly looked back down at the meat again, his mouth already filling with saliva at the meal, so close to him, yet still out of reach, hidden under the adult's paw. "Please..." he whimpered, not taking his eyes off the meat. "I'm so hungry..."

[TheIvanMuse]

As Mufasa grabbed the young lions neck fur, he could almost taste the fear. That sensation was only increased by the smell of blood that Mufasa breathed in as he was carrying the cub that was by this point clearly very concerned or better said terrified about what Mufasa's intentions were. the cub almost begged him to not do him any harm,but he was silent,as he had no intention of doing so,and the cub would see that too.

As Mufasa dropped him back to the floor,he noticed that the cub almost couldn't stay on his paws. He kept asking himself who could have done something like that,as he had never seen that cub before,nor felt his scent. When he lifted the meat up and threw it in front of the cub,he jumped back in suprise. He could see the cub's hunger taking over,as the only thing he was looking at was the still bloody pound of meat,waiting to feast on it,as he clearly hadn't eaten in quite some time.

Upon placing his paw on the meat,the lion cub seemed rather worried of whether he'll get to that piece of meat. When he asked him the question,the young cub hesitantly said something in a very fragile and silent tone. Mufasa didn't quite hear him,but when the young cub repeated it out loud,Mufasa was rather impressed that the young cub showed boldness said it out loud while looking him in the eyes. He still though felt the fear that he had only increased since he demanded the cub to leave his hide earlier. When the cub said that,he immediately lowered his sight back to the meat. Mufasa knew that it would only be rude to torture the young lion anymore by not allowing him to eat.

''Tanga...'' ,Mufasa said in a silent matter. ''If I had intentions of killing you,I would have done it long ago.''. When he said that he moved the paw away from the meat and made a little nod to the lion,as allowing him to finally get his meal.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga shied away instinctively when the the lion mentioned killing, but forced himself to look back up as he heard the rest of the words, which suggested to him that this lion was not going to hurt him. When he looked into the big lion's eyes, he could see the horror and sympathy there, and knew that he must look a mess, and that this adult did not like seeing him this way.

But before he could say anything in response, the lion's massive paw moved away from the meat, and Tanga's core instincts took over, as he literally dived on the hunk of antelope meat, tearing into it with a ravenous frenzy, all manners forgotten. He was just too hungry, and needed something in his belly. Despite the fact that the meat was fairly old, tasting hard and dry, to Tanga it was the most delicious thing he had ever had, having been deprived of food for days now.

But as it was, his disused belly could not handle too much food at once, and before long he felt fuller than he ever had in his life, despite having only eaten a small portion of the meat given to him. Unsure why he had filled up so fast, but not caring, feeling satisfied despite the continued visibility of his ribs, Tanga pulled his muzzle away from the meat, wiping his silver chin with a paw to remove the scraps of meat there, before looking up at the lion expectantly, still slightly fearful. Now what? his mind asked...although his mild sense of politness did not let him word such a crude request.

[TheIvanMuse]

The second Mufasa allowed the cub to go for the meat,the cub just jumped and drove his fangs right into it. He was rather shocked with how much severeness the young lion ripped piecec out of the antelope meat. It was clear the lion didn't have any taste of meat for more than just a few days. It however pleased Mufasa to see someone enjoy a meal that much,a meal he provided for him. He felt happy as he thought he made the right decision in not driving this cub away.

The cub seemed to have been full in a very short time,which was very confusing for Mufasa,as he thought that Tanga would have teared all the flesh from the bone. He raised his eyebrow upon the cub wiping his muzzle and looking the big lion in the eyes. It seemed as if the cub was now a bit less frightened,but the basic fear was still there. The cub's eyes were looking rather confused as the cub only stood there without a motion. For a second,a thought hit Mufasa's head. This cub reminded him of Simba,as he had the same look in his eyes that Simba had when he'd have an an outburst of questions coming in Mufasa's direction.

As he was making eye contact with the cub for more than half a minute,Mufasa asked him a question once again. ''Where do you come from,Tanga?'' ,he asked him with a stern demand for an answer,but also trying to get through to the cub when saying his name. He lowered his head to Tanga's level and told him: ''If you wish to stay here any longer,you'll answer me.'' The strictness in Mufasa's voice made it clear that me meant what he said. He didn't want an unknown lion,whether it was a cub or an adult,patrolling across the Pride Lands,or even worse,around Pride Rock.

Mufasa also noticed that the cub was not shaking as much as he did before anymore and therefore he decided that it was probably a good idea to soon show the cub where he could rest through the night,if he was to tell him of his past. Mufasa was also tired,he had a long day,a hard day,which was only intensified with Simba getting into trouble again.He wanted to get some sleep as well,before deciding what to do with the cub in longer terms in the morning.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga kept eye contact with this lion for some time, and although his gaze wavered slightly at times, he never completely broke eye contact. But once the lion asked him where he came from, Tanga's gaze dropped to the ground, a single paw idly tracing meaningless shapes in the dirt. The question obviously made him extremely nervous...he was afraid to answer.

"I...I-I can't tell you..." he finally answered, still not looking up. "No...no Outsiders can ever know about us...that's the law...they'll kill me if I tell you..." he wanted to say more...wanted this lion's help...but his fear was still running wild from the mauling he had received, before he had managed to escape. "I...I don't want to leave, though," he finally said sheepishly. "Please, they'll kill me...and I have nowhere else to go..."

His last statement was true enough...he had no knowledge of the lands around his home, and counted himself lucky that he had stumbled across this lion, even if it was completely by accident. And besides, even with that quick meal, he knew if he was thrown out, that would last all of a day before he was back to being starving again...he'd probably last all of two days before dying.

[TheIvanMuse]

Demandingly asking for an answer,Mufasa was not surprised with the nervousness that came up in the young cub. As Tanga dropped his gaze down and with that started to draw meaningless lines in the dirt,Mufasa realized that he was not very willing to tell him to truth yet.

The cub was talking about it as if he was part of some rather unusual group. Whoever he was part of,they didn't like something that the cub had done,as he was beaten up. Mufasa had doubts about whether he should ask the cub any more questions,as the cub was acting very nervous about talking of anything that had to with his past. The last words that the cub managed to say only weakly, made Mufasa consider just leaving this whole thing off for tomorrow. He was tired himself and the cub clearly took a lot too.

Finally,Mufasa decided to let the young cub stay near Pride Rock this night. He let out a sigh and said: ''Follow me. Mufasa picked up the piece of meat that he had dragged out of the pit for the cub and started walking towards the cave. But he didn't enter the cave,he threw the piece of meat behind a rock near the entrance of the cave. ''You can sleep here'',he said,showing the young cub that he's going to leave him the piece of meat in case he gets hungry. Mufasa then turned around,going towards the entrance of the cave,but stopping right near it. He then layed down in front of the cave,so that he can keep an eye on the cub and on his pride,while still being cautious of whatever my lurk nearby.

Whoever harmed Tanga,may also come to finish his job and he wasn't going to put this cub nor his pride in any danger. Mufasa rested his head on his big paws,but he didn't close his eyes yet. He was going to keep an eye out,for just a little longer...

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga heard the sigh of the adult, along with the command to follow, which he obeyed, although he kept a small distance behind, making sure that he could react and run if the lion suddenly attacked. He could tell the lion was disappointed with his answer...but he had to protect himself...he could not ever mention where he came from, under pain of death. The law was so ingrained into him that his young mind was certain that speaking of his home, even from this distance, would alert them to his crime, and make them hunt him down to finish him.

As he walked, a slight limp in his left foreleg, where one of his more serious wounds lay, became more and more pronounced. By the time Pride Rock came into view, he was struggling to hide his pain and discomfort. But all that vanished as he looked on the magnificent rock formation...one that he had heard stories of. I...how did I end up here? he thought, pausing for a brief moment, before quickly catching up with Mufasa, trying desperately to hide his new-found nervousness and fear, both of which were fast returning in full force as they approached Pride Rock.

As the made their way towards the den inside Pride Rock, the lion instead guided him to a rock near the cave, putting the meat there and telling him this was his place for the night. Tanga took one look at the den, but made no protest or complaint...he was used to sleeping ouside, at the mercy of the elements...and he doubted he could sleep too close to this pride this lion must be leading anyway...not after what he had just learned...

Trying to force his half-panicked thoughts aside, he watched the lion as he settled close to the entrance of the cave, obviously to keep an eye on him. Tanga tried to make himself comfortable in his designated sleeping spot, taking a small bite from the meat to try and calm his nerves. Eventually, though, he had to ask a question...had to make sure he was where he feared he was. "Umm...what...what's your name, sir?" he asked, his voice extremely hesitant, but loud enough to carry to the adult's ears, he could not bring himself to look into the adult's eyes anymore, and instead focused on a crack in the rock just above the lion's head, as he waited for the lion to answer, dreading what he would hear.

[TheIvanMuse]

Mufasa noticed how during the walk towards Pride Rock,the cub was maintaining a distance between him. He couldn't blame him for it though,as he was always very cautious about new lions as well. All this time Mufasa thought about what might have causes the group of lions to attack Tanga,attack him as viciously as they did. But even more,how did the cub escape and did they follow him. All this made Mufasa extremely cautious as he was keeping his guard up the whole time.

As they arrived at Pride Rock and Mufasa showed him where he could sleep,he saw the young lion limping towards the spot he had shown him. He was surprised how Tanga never said anything during the walk about his hurt paw,never complained nor even gave out a single yelp. Mufasa was impressed,the cub clearly was no one that can be taken down by life easily,just as Mufasa himself. But no ,matter how sorry he felt for the cub,how impressed he was with the level of tolerance the cub has for pain,his pride and family always came on first place for him. With that,he had to protect them at all costs. The arrival of a new cub could mean the arrival of other lions as well,the lions that harmed the cub. That was the thing that concerned Mufasa the most.

Mufasa didn't rest for even a minute,when he heard a question from Tanga. He turned his head towards the cub and responded with a minor smile on his face and a deep tone in his voice:''Mufasa.'' As he said that,he kept eye contact with the lion cub,as he was expecting a few more questions to come to his direction. But first he wanted to ask the cub something. ''Where are your parents?''

[AustralianChaos]

For a split-second, Tanga's attempt to hide his growing panic faltered, and his eyes widened in fear as he heard the lion give his name...Mufasa! Of all the prides he had to find to help him, he found the very one he feared the most...the Pridelanders! Realising that Mufasa would likely grow suspicious of his shock at the name, Tanga quickly forced his features back to their previous expression, turning away from Mufasa as he did so, taking another bite of meat to try and distract himself...he was in the presence of his home pride's sworn enemy, the lion they said needed to be killed!

With that thought, and inner conflict started within Tanga. He had been raised to believe that all Pridelanders were vile, evil lions...to he hated and, when he was older, killed. But Mufasa had seemed fairly nice so far, if a little cautious...and his home pride had tried to kill him for his attempts to convince the pride that they should find over ways of resolving their differences with the Pridelanders. But his home pride was still his family...even if they were horrible.

Speaking of family... Tanga thought sadly, his ears folding flat against his head as Mufasa asked him about his parents. He turned to face Mufasa once more, his expression pained as he decided to answer...vaguely. "Home..." he answered with a trace of envy, before turning away from the great king again, still nervous. What would happen to him if Mufasa found out about his past, and where he came from? The thought actually made Tanga shudder. He was certain Mufasa would kick him out straight away...or perhaps even kill him, if the truth got out. He had to hide it...he did not want to be off on his own again. He'd rather stay with Mufasa than die. Besides...he's been nice so far, Tanga thought. Maybe we were all wrong?

[TheIvanMuse]

As Mufasa said his name,it seemed as if the cub was rather shocked to hear it. His widened eyes made Mufasa suspicious of what the young cub was thinking upon hearing his name. The suspicion only got bigger when the cub turned away in an instant to grab a bite out of the meat. Maybe he had heard of him before... Whatever it was,Mufasa didn't take his mind of the fact that the cub might know him. It seemed as ih the mere mention of his name cause the cub to become very nervous. Whatever it was,Mufasa didn't want to just leave the subject be.

The question about Tanga's parents seemed to have caused the lion cub to become kind of sad. Something happened to him,something terrible. The thoughts of what might have happened to him were bombing Mufasa's mind. Who could have done it and why? What if his parents were the ones to blame for this all. However,he had expected that any further questions about his parents probably would have left him without an answer. But there was something else that was on his mind as well. Something that could involve him and his pride.

It intrigued Mufasa even more why the cub had reacted the way it did. He was worried,what if those lions that did this to him knew about Mufasa and his pride. Mufasa's protective instinct instantly woke up,as the suspicion rose in him as well. He raised his eyebrow and asked Tanga: ''Why are you so shocked to hear my name?'' Mufasa now stood up and faced towards the little cub.