[PRIVATE] A Loner's Pride

[zorayda]

Eeve dropped Sius gently when he requested, surprised when he stood to speak to Mufalfa and his 'son', Wafu.

"Wait, you're hurt!" She argued, but her voice was drowned out by the red-maned lion's words. She looked desperately at Taro, wondering whether or not she should stop Sius and force him to rest. He would harm himself further because of his injuries...

Taro was skeptical about Mufalfa's claim to be Wafu's father. He had one eyebrow raised and his mouth was set in a deep frown. Was this all an act? Would the two lions join forces to attack the rest of the pride? Taro didn't believe Mufalfa's speech about backing down one bit. Bullies like him would be stubborn until the very end. He looked around at Zera and Syira, realizing that, while they were very strong, they were still lionesses.

Lionesses were naturally smaller and less strong than males...so it would be his job to protect them...and Eeve. He subtly shifted his body so that he would be in Wafu's and Mufalfa's way if they decided to attack either of them. He didn't say anything to them, however, not wanting to offend either of them. He also noted, with some confusion, that the dark brown lioness Zera kept gawking at him and zoning out at odd moments. Was it something he said? He shook his mane and perked his ears forward at Sius's small speech, putting the lioness's stares out of his mind.

"I agree with Sius. While I have no desire to attack or kill you, you need to leave. And if Wafu so chooses, he may leave as well." Taro's words rang with authority, and his mane blew in the wind regally. He was, after all, planning on becoming king of a pride...now was his chance to become the lion he needed to be to rule over others. "If you decide to leave, you may have the night to rest and eat with us before you go. But by sunrise, you must be gone. If you do not leave...I am afraid we have no choice but to force you."

[XxRinaRoguexX]

Mulfalfa needed to learn to shut that mouth of his-- he wouldn't call her anything like he did just moments ago without learning that there were boundaries with this lioness. At his 'baby' remark, Zera's mouth reared open and she showed those bone-crushing teeth of hers while a roar hurled past them to warn him that she was no one's 'baby'. And if he didn't get it through his skull, she would sink something else into that lack-there-of of a brain that tiny little skull of his.

When Taro moved in front of her Syira, she perked her head up and out of her daze to look at him. "You don't need to protect--" she started but was cut off by Sius speaking. When did he wake up?! None the less, he was requesting of her to do something she wasn't even planning on in the first place...but what a good idea. Her ears were flooded with his voice, as weak as it sounded, and was filled with his powerful desire for her to spare a life. At least he knew she was capable of taking one which is something that Taro wasn't too sure of by the way he was looming ahead of her and the lioness beside her in a protective manner. She didn't need protecting; she had protected herself the minute she was out of her birth pride and on her own. But it was kind of him anyways...

She knew Sius was right...and she didn't feel like having to settle a score this time anyways. Zera's shoulders dropped back down to the regular positioning in her slender frame as well as her neck resting so it wasn't erect for an uncomfortable threatening front to the two blood relations opposing her and this supposed 'pride' of hers. Though her eyes signaled she was on red alert with the two, she backed out of the box that was built for her by the female at her side and male in front so she could go and help Eeve and Sius out. Without words and only closed eyes and a frown on her face, she walked up to Sius and picked up the scruff of his neck to throw him up as hard as she could in time for her to get under his body. She wanted to say something to that male on her back. 'You're too nice' didn't seem to be enough to comprehend what he was, so she kept her mouth shut and held onto the male slowly picking up her pace in walk. "Taro, Syira. Let's go" she requested without emotion in her voice in fear of giving something away. Dealing with the extra weight as well as dealing with the fact that she needed to get some water, she would worry about that when they got Sius to his den and the others were settled.

[xLilacVixenx]

The eyes of Syira widened as she heard Mufalfa’s story on how he was Wafu’s father. “I guess it does make some sense,” she muttered to herself as she thought of how their names were similar. However, she did not believe for one minute that this cruel and selfish lion could ever be a father. Her eyebrows lowered as she suspected something amiss about the lion. He obviously is trying to save his life, nothing more. Syira glanced at Mufalfa, her eyes glowing anger and slight contempt; she was going to slap him across the face, when Sius, suggesting peace among the groups, interrupted her. She glanced confusedly at him and looked backwards at Mufalfa; she knew it was the right thing to do, but it was very hard giving up a good fight. The fight would be a coward’s fight, however. If it were around five lions to one lion, it would be mean and cruel, as much as the lion deserved to get some sense knocked into him. Taro concurred with Sius’ plan, so Syira decided to hold her tongue for fear of letting bitter words escape her lips. There was nothing better to do if two lions agreed to keep the peace. She shrugged her shoulders as though it was nothing, but it really was something or at least to her. If she let the lion go, he would surely follow them and probably kill them in the middle of the night. Glancing at Zera’s face, she noticed how she was zoning in and out of this realm; the lioness nudged her newfound friend’s shoulder whispering in her ear, “Zera, you need to snap out of it. We have some important matters at paw.” She smiled at her to let her know that she meant it in a good way.


Syira sucked in a huge amount of air before letting it whoosh out from her mouth. Whether she liked it or not, she had to behave somewhat kind to this lion, as much as she hated him. It was the right thing to do, and she would never be accepted into her friend’s group if she kept acting thus. She sighed once more and looked at Zera again. Thankfully, she had snapped out of her dream world and stepped back into reality, at the present time. When Zera issued that the lions should move out and to go to Sius’ den, Syira reluctantly nodded her head; but as they were leaving, she turned around at Mufalfa and Wafu. “I’m watching you,” she hissed with striking malice. “And I don’t believe for a second you’re telling the truth. If you dare touch my friends, I swear I’m going to tear you apart until you scream for mercy.” Without turning her back away from them, she backed away with her friends; never taking her eyes off the two lions that just stood there. The lioness swore to herself she would not stray away from their gaze until out of sight; and even out of sight, she would constantly be on her guard. With that thought, she nodded at her new code and turned around, since they were now out of sight. Syira did not keep thinking of them, however. They were constantly on her mind, so she tried to focus on something on paw. Turning her attention towards Sius, she smiled at him. “That was a very kind thing you did, letting them live like that.” As much as she wanted to kill the lions, though perhaps not Wafu, she needed to remain happy and cheerful to the group. They were, after all, her friends and she loathed to make them feel insecure. Besides, it was the best for all of them, particularly her. It might teach her to be more caring towards others.

[zorayda]

Taro glanced back at Zera when she started to snap at him. "I'm sorry...I don't know you very well, and I just always sort of...well, you know," he said apologetically, his smile sheepish. "I don't mean to insult you or make you feel weak. I just...have always done this."

The golden lion turned his attention back towards Mufalfa, waiting for his reply.

In the meantime, Eeve huffed and sat down on her haunches. It was enough that Sius was injured by Mufalfa, and now he was going to just...let him go? And Taro too! She shot a glare in his direction when he agreed with Sius.

"If it were me, I'd have killed him already," she muttered. Eeve wasn't a very patient or forgiving lioness, but her heart was usually in the right place. Right now, she just didn't want to see anyone else hurt...and seeing Sius, limping and cut, pulled at her heartstrings in a way that she'd never felt for Taro...she stepped up to the red maned lion, concerned.

"Hey, we should get you some rest," she said gently, her eyes soft. She put a paw on his shoulder. "The others can take care of Mufalfa, now," she suggested, looking over at Taro and the lionesses.

[XxRinaRoguexX]

By the time the male had even said anything to back up his side of the story as to why he was treating Zera like she couldn't even defend herself as a rogue lioness, she was gone and taking Sius with her. Yes he was awake and she was aware, but was she going to let him stand on his own, let alone walk, when he was in this kind of state? Not a chance. Not to say as she had developed feelings of friendship towards him or any of the others, but she had the maternal instinct on her side in the first place. She did however catch what Eeve started saying to Taro, resulting in her turning her head to face the male and female duo. They must have been mates since she was acting to friendly to him.

A little part of her sank inside, but she was in the state of mind where she knew that there was a task to be done at this moment and she couldn't worry about something as stupid as feelings. "She's right; we can take it from here" she didn't smile but she wasn't glaring or looking like she was a force to be reckoned with. "But if you two want to follow, we could use all the help we could get to make sure we don't...y'know, come to this ever again" she was referring to the little incident where Mulfalfa and Wafu could potentially win in a fight against her and some of the more injured lions and lionesses. She doubted that Sius would fight a battle, but she knew that if he was provoked enough he might set something off-- but not in the shape he was in.

None the less, it was from a tiny scratch that couldn't have hurt that much.

[Nukascar101]

Wafu stood there listening to all the things the lions said, he had a rather blank expression on his face as he didn't want to show the wrong expression and trigger anything. On the inside though he was slightly nervous at the fact that a whole pride may turn on him and his 'dad' and if that happened the odds of survival where very slim. However upon hearing the what Zera said his ears perked up as he tried to interpret what she said.
"Oh yeah this will never happen again, I'm sure my dad didn't mean to hurt your friend. I remember when I was a cub he was always a little harsh to try and toughen me up, especially since we got run out of our own pride" Wafu said still truly believing Mufalfa was his father and speaking every bit the truth.

[Harvs]

Sius felt the need to keep his mouth shut. He had already won several friends and stood up for a lion who tried to kill him earlier. He had enough to deal with in his mind without striking up a conversation. Syira's words had gotten to Sius. 'Kind' didn't even begin to cover it. Never once had Sius killed another animal on purpose. Only did he kill while hunting, and even then, he apologized to his dieing prey as their life snuffed out. Where did he pick up such behavior? From Hisani, no doubt. He was lucky that Kasi had protected him for as long as he did. Even now, Kasi still watched over Sius, making sure he didn't do anything to get himself killed. Hm, slackin' on your job, eh Kasi? Sius thought with a light chuckle.

The quiet lion laid on Zera's back, traveling slowly and steadily in a relatively unfamiliar environment. Until they passed a rock formation that Sius recognized, then he realized that they were going the right direction indeed. He heard footsteps behind him. Obviously that of Zera and Syira... but it also sounded like Eeve and Taro were trailing along as well. Well then, Sius' stupid actions hadn't cost him his chance at a pride. If fate should have this pride fall through, then Sius wouldn't complain. But should fate frown upon that idea, then he wouldn't lose any sleep. He had been a rogue for a long enough period of time to know how to survive as one.

As the slow trek continued up a small hill, Sius' mind started to wonder. So just what was the relationship between Eeve and Taro? They seemed to be just friends... but how far away is friendship from love? or even blood relations? The question boggled his mind. Perhaps he could ask them later? Now was not the time for such trivial pursuit. Sius worried for a moment. He worried that his blood was dripping onto Zera's pelt. Though... if she was concerned about that, she wouldn't have picked him up in the first place. They reached the top of the hill. A beautiful view if you ever did see one. In the distance, one's eye could not wonder past the magnificent Pride Rock. Such an awe-inspiring sight... and just in-front of the group, a small, unappealing cave lay surrounded by two small trees. Though there wasn't much to it, the cave was rather large and roomy. Still, to Sius, this worthless little hole was home. "Well," Sius began, breaking the silence of the journey. "There it is. Me casa, es su casa."

[zorayda]

Eeve wandered along behind Zera, Taro, and Sius, quietly thinking about Wafu and Mufalfa. Hopefully they wouldn't follow them, or maybe Wafu would leave along with Mufalfa. At the moment, she was also eyeing Sius sharply, noting his small wounds and how they bled a small amount as Zera moved with him. Eeve also found herself wondering whether or not Sius was single, and what kind of relationship he and Zera had...she was intrigued by the gentle and--she found herself wrinkling her nose at her own thought--handsome lion.

Taro wanted to offer to carry Sius, but seeing as his overprotectiveness earlier had insulted her, he dare not pose such a question. So he trailed along in silence, his ears perked forward and his green eyes alert, ready to help when he could. He found himself meandering a bit into Eeve's direction, not paying attention, when he accidentally ran into her.

"Hey, move over, ya big lump," Eeve said irritably, shoving at him.

"Sorry," the golden lion said, shaking himself back into reality. He put a good amount of space between them and continued walking.

"Hey..." Eeve began, directing her attention to Sius and Zera. "What are the sleeping arrangements? I'd like to get up early to hunt, but I don't want to wake the others that want to stay... also, Taro snores. I don't wanna sleep near him," she added, her orange eyes glinting playfully as she looked at her friend. Taro mock-glared at her and swatted her head with a massive brown paw.

"I do not!" He shouted indignantly. Eeve just rolled her eyes at him in response.

[XxRinaRoguexX]

Zera would have never taken Eeve to have that kind of tone with anyone. None the less, Taro. But she hadn't known the lioness for long so she shouldn't have been one to make a judgement of character so quickly and think she was crazy. As they walked along with the injured lion on her back and the others following close behind her heels, she eyed out for a place that looked like there was a similar look to the den that belonged to Sius. He was starting to get heavy but they hadn't even been going for a long time to get to the den. Zera's eyes dodged around her to make sure that no one saw her weakening knees and looked behind the limp lump she carried to see Taro looking at Sius' body. She was aware that he had been looking at the two of them for a while, and as to why he was she had assumed that he was trying to stop himself from saying anything about carrying the male instead of her. The lioness turned her head back to look ahead of her before she heaved out a light sigh and directed her blue hues back to the blue distance ahead of them. "Would you be so kind as to tell me where we're going exactly, seniour?" she replied to his Spanish comment. He was an African lion...how the heck was he even able to know Spanish, let alone speak it? [[Smart kitteh ]]

Sleeping arrangements? Uhh...that was a good idea to think about. She had her own little arrangement she had to have in order for everyone to think the same of her as they did now and not after the night they would see her in a..."different state of mind" as she liked to refer to it. Well it wasn't her area to say since she was going to be a guest of Sius' den and not her own so all she could do was stay silent and hope someone said something. She didn't expect Sius to say anything since he was injured, but she was hoping she could have him answer just so she could put her own input in it as well.

The lioness couldn't help but shift her head to look to the side where she could look out for any other animals before she took the next few steps. Nothing was out of the ordinary where she looked and walked, so she assumed that there was nothing that she should be looking out for. Still, the thought that there were two lions like Mulfalfa and Wafu near them shook her a little more than she would admit, and she had to keep on her red alert. The others would need to as well and learn to do it all the time since they wouldn't have her around forever. I'd better just stay the night and then head out, thought Zera. Her eyes slowly dragged along the ground before she peered over to Taro, who was walking behind her and close to Eeve. She flicked her ears momentarily before crunching her face up a little and then turning back to watch where she was walking.

[Harvs]

Sius had hoped that he could go to sleep right after saying a witty comment in a different language. Sadly, that wasn't the case for Zera, as she replied with yet another sarcastic comment that rivaled even that of Sius. He was somewhat impressed that a sleek lioness such as herself could look so serious, be so brave, and still have a marvelous sense of humor. Not to say that Sius was jealous. He had simply never met anyone who could so flawlessly match his sarcastic nature. If it weren't for her seeming uninterested, Sius might have found a mate. One whom he could always share a good laugh with. Then again, Sius had seen the way Syira lit up after he talked to her back under the tree. She seemed like a nice lioness as well. And he couldn't forget Eeve. She was very lovely too. Her bright orange eyes glistened in the Africa sunlight. However, he still didn't know the relationship between Eeve and Taro. He would have to figure out before the day was done. Why was life never straight forward with difficult decisions such as this? Not to say that any of the lionesses would take him though. Still, it was a nice thought that made Sius value his traits of kindness.

Wait a second? Wasn't there something that I'm forgetting? Something someone asked me before my mind wandered off... Sius thought to himself. He looked down at the grass in hopes to get an idea of what he had forgotten. He noticed Zera's paws still standing motionless as he felt her knees weakened from underneath his weight. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he jerked his head back to a somewhat erect position. Oh crap! I should probably answer Zera! He thought with a worried expression on his muzzle. Concerned that she had lost her patience with him, as quickly as he could, Sius said "Just down there in-between those two trees. That's my den. If you could just drop me off there, that'd be great."

Sius looked back at Eeve as much as he could from his position. Sleeping arrangements? Well, as far as room in the den, there was more than enough for Sius, Eeve, Taro, Syira, Zera, and Wafu if he so chose. "I don't think that arrangements will need to be made. Wherever you want to sleep is fine with me..." He thought for a moment about that statement, and how it wasn't entirely true. "Well... except for the very back of the den. Nobody is allowed there." He probably shouldn't have said that. The group probably wouldn't have bothered looking back there anyways, and now he would have to lay there waiting for whoever to ask 'What's in the back of your den?', a question that he really didn't want to answer.