In Love and War [Private]

[Nakisisa]

The words rang in his ears. I'LL KILL YOU those words made him scared. For the first time in many moons, he was scared. And not just for himself, like the lioness in front of him, he to have a lion to care for. He to would kill for his love and he didn't care what happened to him, Zorayada was his Priority.

Not noticing the fact Zorayada had let him take command of the situation, he tried to look strong and brave, but he knew that he looked scared. Zor... I love you... he muttered almost inaudibly and you know that I would do anything for you... he kept muttering trying to stare down the lioness please... please... run... let me hande......

His voice becoming more determined, he looked around his tone becoming almost a rumble as deep as the darkest thunder. ...le it... he said noticing a lioness by his side. His heart skipped a beat, the gentle breeze ruffling her fringe, her figure becoming more royal, more regal, her voice melting his heart, he just looked at her... seeing absolute perfection.

“You, young lioness, are not the only one who has someone to protect,” Zorayada said, her voice strong but quiet. “So do not think that I would let you lay a single claw upon Bardu,” Her voice so soft made him realise the situation, he looked up and grinned seeing only one lioness before him. Notice Odongo on top of the male, and the other female laying motionless, he knew they had won. He spoke matching Zorayada's toneZorayada, Do tell me if my eyes deceive me, but I only see one opponent, and three of us.

***** Jata *****

Calming slightly, the adrenaline still pumping through her body, Jata strained to hear what the lion was muttering. She knew a fight was coming, and that she had to be ready. Her stance was constant, aggressive and powerful, yet when Taro started to speak, she turned and listened.

“J-Jata...what are you saying...?” Looking at Taros body, Jata knew she had burst out without telling him that she really loved him. A bright blush appeared on her cheeks, and her tense, nervous stance relaxed as she took a nervous step towards him.

Looking at the ground, by Taros paws, Jata smiled, and gathered up her confidence. I'm ready to fight a fully grown lion and his mate, yet I can’t even say 'I Love You?' Jata thought, realising that love was the hardest thing she had to do. T...Taro... she said weakly, reverting back to the small young inexperienced lioness she was. I... I... Do love you... she said, willing to continue before the opposing lioness spoke.

“You, young lioness, are not the only one who has someone to protect, ... So do not
think that I would let you lay a single claw upon Bardu,” Jata lashed her body around quickly, Growling and hissing at the both of them, She didn't hear Taro's last murmur, yet she did hear Bardu’s Taunt. Zorayada, Do tell me if my eyes deceive me, but I only see one opponent, and three of us.

Panicked, Jata looked around and saw Taro was pinned by a strong looking white lion, she saw Eeve lying unconscious and three possible attackers. No... NO... Jata said, her composure breaking, a tear leaking from her eye... she knew she had lost, and she began backing away, looking one last time at Taro. Looking one last time at Eeve. They were her family and she had to save them. Another tear. Help... Jata whimpered, her voice breaking, almost inaudible.

Again, She was alone.

***** Odion Odongo *****

All To Easy. Odion thought as he leapt, the male and female hadn't noticed him, and with Zorayada and Bardu in front of the other lioness, he knew they had won. I hope there alright Odion thought as he glanced at Bardu and Zorayada. I hope they don’t hurt that lioness to much... she doesn't deserve it but...

SMACK. Odion hit something head first. He heard a roared "No!" and that there was the feel of fur on his face. Something had hit him, No, Someone he thought as he opened his eyes as he crashed into the lion taking him to the ground. The landing was awkward and hurt. he saw stars floating around his head, and an unfamiliar blackness closed in his eyes. He was hurt, and he knew he was useless, and he had left Bardu and Zorayada alone.

Looking quickly around, as the darkness became more profound, he saw a lioness laying a few feet away from him. In his last few moments he knew that was 'the someone' he had hit, and that they were sharing his fate. He tried walking over to the lioness, but instead stumbled, and fell over a paws length away. Again he had failed... He had to see if the lioness was alright. He had to see if he had killed her. He had to save her. He had... he had. He did nothing.

the darkness closed in on him and he fell to the floor gasping, Away from the lion he had pounced, away from lioness he had made, away from his family, away from the friends he had made, Away from Zorayada and Bardu. He knew the lion would take his revenge yet only two thoughts passed through his rapidly failing mind.

I hope she's alright.... I hope its quick.

[zorayda]

(Naki, I thought it was "Odongo", not "Odion"... ^_^;;)

Zorayda had her eyes closed as she stood in the midst of the chaos and noise. It wasn't supposed to end up this way...all the brown lioness had wanted to do was to keep the peace and make sure that nobody was hurt--and now, Eeve was on the ground, unconscious, and Odongo had pounced upon the male stranger, who was now also unconscious. The other female looked terrified for her friends, and Zorayda couldn't blame them.

She turned her head to look at Bardu as he spoke. His eyes bored into hers... "Zor... I love you..." he muttered almost inaudibly. "...And you know that I would do anything for you..." He kept muttering, trying to stare down the lioness. "Please... please... run... let me hande......"

The entire time he spoke, Zorayda did not move or blink or even breathe. She held his gaze, her eyes locked upon his face, as he told her what was probably a secret he'd held for a very long time. After he stopped speaking, she stood frozen for a few seconds, her expression blank and unreadable. Then she went to him and slipped her head under his chin. The contact lasted only a moment, but her message was clear...Zorayda accepted what he said and reciprocated it as well. But now wasn't the time to be dealing with love confessions....

"I know you're worried, Bardu. But I need to help my friends just as much as you do...it's the type of lioness I am. I wouldn't be happy if I didn't do everything I could to--" She cut off her words with a sudden snarl as the she saw that Eeve's block had knocked Odongo to the ground. A split second later, Zorayda had put herself between Odongo and the Jata, the fur on her neck raised and her ears laid flat against her head. Zorayda's eyes burned with fury and magnificent rage and her white teeth were bared in a feral snarl. She would protect Odongo, no matter what.

"Now..." Zorayda said slowly and clearly. "I won't attack you if you don't attack us. Why don't you start with your name and your purpose here?"

[Nakisisa]

(( No lioness has hit Odongo, It was from the "crash" he had when Eeve tried to stop him, and he was going to see if he was alright, Taro is free to move XD just thought id let you know ^^;;; ))

[zorayda]

((Oh... *goes to fix post*))

[Nakisisa]

(( thanks, It needed that XD, Back to smaller posts I think. MSN? ))

Bardu stared and watched helplessly after Zor had moved. He knew that she loved him and the nuzzle was... unexpected. it took his breath away, the soft gentle smell of the Savannah and he own unique smell. it filled his noes and mind. He did nothing but stand and stare as Zor confronted the other lioness of the group.... Well, this is interesting he thought.

***** Jata *****

Knowing it was utterly hopeless, Jata sat down, retracting her claws and unbarring her teeth. she listened as the other lioness spoke, and thought about her answer for a short while before she spoke. all the while the tears streamed down her face.
Im.... Im Jata... Over there is Eeve, and he's Taro... She said his name and blushed lovingly, knowing that she had a lot of explaining to do to him. Were here to.... start a pride, we were looking for other lions.... and we found... you? the tears became worse as she spoke.

[zorayda]

Zorayda immediately relaxed her angry pose as she saw the younger, smaller lioness begin to cry.

"Oh, dear..." the brown lioness immediately went to Jata's side, her motherly instincts kicking in. "It's all right... I'm so sorry, we all just panicked..." Zorayda looked over to Bardu, tears forming in her own eyes. "Bardu...could you please check on them? I think they'll be okay, but just to be sure..."

She looked at Jata once again. "We won't hurt you. I promise. We'll stop attacking or fighting, okay?" Zorayda put a paw on the young lioness's shoulder sympathetically.

------------------------

Eeve blinked her eyes slowly, her vision fuzzy as it came into focus. The first thing she saw was a big wall of white. Confused, she fluttered her eyelids a few times before the image before her came into focus. A white lion, lying in front of her, facing her with his eyes closed. This was the lion she'd blocked in an attempt to keep him from pouncing on Taro. Her tail flicked feebly at the thought.

A few moments in, she heard noises--a female voice, calm and soothing, and someone crying. What was going on?

"Ugh..." She managed a small groan--a sign to one of them that she was awake. After all, if they hadn't killed her yet, maybe they would help her...

[Nakisisa]

(( Did you see kings and time travellers ))

Jata smiled at the older lionesses words. she knew that they had all panicked and that both of them would have done anything for love, but even that made her slightly scared. she had never been in love before, in this way anyway, and she was scared how much it would change her personality. She knew she still acted like a cub, and she wanted to grow up but she didn't want to change.

Feeling the elder lionesses paw on her shoulder she turned the moment into a hug, pulling the brown lioness into a short embrace, yet she was quick to shift her gaze back to Taro. When would he wake up.... would he be ok? She thought then realised she had to respond to the question the lioness had asked.

T...Thank you Jata croaked at the lioness, she knew that the other people meant no harm, but it would take a lot of getting used to if they were going to be a pride, especially if it was a small one.Y...yoy wouldnt m...mind if w...we stayed with y...you? Jata asked finally, hoping above hope that the lioness would say yes.

***** Bardu *****

Zorayda looked over to Bardu, tears forming in her own eyes. "Bardu...could you please check on them? I think they'll be okay, but just to be sure..."
The tears got him. she looked amazing without the tears, and even as the young lionesses hugged, Bardu couldn't help himself. When the younger lioness bke the embrace, Bardu quickly padded forwards and licked the tears from Zorayada's face, he softly nuzzled her and the looked deeply into her eyes.

In that moment everything else seemed to drift away, and he was left looking at the most beautiful lioness in the world. In that moment he wanted to take her paw and run away with her, leave the rest of them alone and be happy for ever. but he knew he couldn't do that. reluctantly he broke the stare and turned towards the injured lions and lionesses.

When he heard one of them moan, he quickly ran over to them and checked the all over quickly. The males were both fine but unconscious and the female seemed fine also, he thought she was also unconscious but a second moan told him otherwise. Bardu lay next to the lioness and began talking softly.

Hey.... Dont worry, were all on the same side... the fighting has stopped.... take your time, wake up Bardu said as he gently shook her, leaning down to her head to lick her brow and the top of her head to calm her and make her feel safe; after all hats what his mother had done to him as a cub, why wouldn't it work on another lioness?

[zorayda]

Zorayda looked taken aback by Jata's question. "W-well, I don't see why not...two of you are injured, so you can at least stay until you're healed up," she answered, trying to still Jata's fears. The poor lioness was trembling with fear and shock from the aftermath...

She looked up at Bardu and smiled when he took a moment to tend to her tears and sadness, and she was very grateful for his gentle nature. "Thanks, Bardu..." she said softly. Turning back to Jata, she added, "Why don't you try to wake your friend? The big male lion? I'm sure he needs to know that you're safe now," Zorayda said, her eyes understanding.

-------------------

"Nnng..." Eeve closed her eyes and let the feeling of a tongue brushing her brow wash over her, taking in the feeling of comfort. A few moments later, she moved, her feet gathering under her to stand up.

"Whoa..." she said, feeling wobbly. She sat back on her haunches to gain her balance. Her eyes were still a little bit unfocused, and her mind was fuzzy.

"Who...is that?" She mumbled, looking at the unconscious white lion. Another glance told her that Taro was still out cold. But she couldn't get herself to stop staring at the white lion's prone form. He was...huge, and his fur was a beautiful snowy white. He looked so majestic and regal, even when down on the ground...the sight of him made her a little breathless. "He's...so pretty..." she said. Her mind was still unfocused, so many of the things that she was thinking were coming out without her knowledge. "What's his name?" She asked Bardu in a small, cublike voice. She giggled softly, drunk with her concussion.

[Nakisisa]

"W-well, I don't see why not...two of you are injured, so you can at least stay until you're healed up," Jata slowly stopped shaking, and slowly moved away from the lioness, trying to support herself, and allow the other lion access the lioness, which he quickly took and showed the love he obviously felt for her, as he began licking away the tears and nuzzling the lioness.

Jata's mind blanked out the world for a few moments as she imagined herself in tears, and taro walking in on her, quickly running to her side and licking away her tears. She would nuzzle him and kiss him, she loved him, and she had said it, but how would Taro react when he woke?

As she returned to reality, she vaguely heard the lioness speak to her, and without hearing what she said, she knew what was going to be said. Slowly she padded nervously over the Taro, ignoring Eeve, the white lion, the other male and the other lioness; it would take time to come to accept them as friendly but she knew she could do it.

Slowly, Jata nervously lay in front of Taro, after she rolled him to lay him on his stomach so she could look at his muzzle. Sitting directly in front of taro, Jata laid her paws on his own, and whispered nervously. T-Taro? Taro? Can you hear me? she said, adding a lick to his nose to see if he was awake.

Nervously, she looked around and saw that Eeve was awake and sitting on her haunches and giggling like a cub. She turned and gave a weak smile to the Lioness, and spoke softly, relief and a slight purr in her voice. Hey sleepy head... are you OK? That was some stunt you pulled there[b]

*** Bardu ***

Relief flashed through Bardu as the young lioness slowly awoke, and moved to a sitting position. As she moved, Bardu stopped licking her brow, but rather put a paw on the lionesses shoulder to stop her falling over and to re-assure her that she was in safe paws and that if she needed him, he was there.

[b]I'm called Bardu, I'm from the other... "pride" I guess you could call us. I'm a lion, but don't worry... we’re not fighting any more. He said, trying to confirm with her that the fighting had stopped and that the two groups of lions were safe in each other’s company. He listened carefully as the lioness spoke and carefully looked up his best friend.

"Who...is that?" ... "He's...so pretty..." ... "What's his name?" She asked Bardu in a small, cublike voice. She giggled softly, drunk with her concussion. Bardu couldn’t help but smile, not so long ago, he was thinking about what would ever happen to Odongo if he told Zor his feelings, but now he knew that Odongo had a chance with love, that was if he took a liking to the young lioness.

He's my best friend, and one of the nicest lions you'll ever meet, He's called Odongo, and if you called him pretty when he was awake, he would be blushing madly He said, laughing slightly from what he was saying, taking a quick glance at his friend to make sure he was ok, and still asleep.

*** Odongo ***

Odongo didn’t wake up as soon as the others, he had taken a blow to the head, two blows in fact, and he knew as the darkness took him a while ago, he would still be feeling that days after he woke up... if he woke up.

As he was unconscious, the day’s events played over and over again, but all he could think of were the lion and lioness he had taken down, and that he hoped that both Zor and Bardu were ok, and that the little lioness that in the inevitable fight, they would be ok and that there would be no more blood.

Even if he didn't know it, the snowy white fur he had, wouldn’t be white for much longer. From the two head wounds he had sustained, somehow he had been cut, and a crimson liquid was oozing onto his fur, staining it a deep red as it dried into his fur.

[zorayda]

Eeve snorted with laughter, the mirth crinkling the corners of her nose into a smile. She padded drunkenly up to the large white lion and touched his face gently with her paw.

"Odongo...I bet he is really nice. I like him..." She bent down to put her soft muzzle close to his ear and closed her brilliant orange eyes. "Wake up...wake up for me... please?"

---

Taro's eyelids flickered, the sharp emerald color piercing through the small slit that showed as he awoke. He was vaguely aware of figures around him, and a soft female voice, young and sweet, caused him to keep calm as he woke. The bright gold lion also noticed that a pain was building up in his head, a dull, aching throb that pounded with each heartbeat. He really felt the strength of that white lion that slammed into him...

A sudden realization came to him--memories of roaring, and panic, and the black-maned lion instantly jumped to his four brown paws.

"Jata! Eeve! What's going..." A wave of nausea and blackness hit him, and the lion swayed on the spot. "I...I..." A moment later, he calmed enough to lie back down, the world spinning around his head. Taro shut his eyes to try and help, but to no avail. "I don't feel so great..."

---

Zorayda smiled up at Bardu warmly, absolutely adoring the attentions he was lavishing upon her.

"Bardu... I... I really like what you're doing, but..." She glanced at the three strangers meaningfully. "Perhaps we should get more serious about it later, when we're alone?" She winked at him and tossed her fringe flirtatiously before sauntering over to the others.

Zorayda giggled at Eeve's antics, but then became more somber when she realized that Taro and Eeve could have serious injuries, as well as Odongo.

"I don't have any medical expertise, but something tells me that they need to be checked by a professional..." she said, her face becoming concerned as she looked back at Bardu.