The Mystics. *Private Arani and QOPR*

[AdAstrα]

Vitani gasped. "Oh no..." she wailed, anxiously looking around. "Do you reckon she managed to escape somehow, or.." Her stomach lurched as it occured to her that the young lioness might not even be alive right now. "I mean she could just be..hurt or something."
"What about this?" Ayira asked as she finished examining something on the ground she had quickly identified as a large tuft of fur. "This can't be from Hofu, can it? It's so soft."

[Arani]

"No, it can't be. It's to light." Hatari's heart skipped a beat when she heard a loud, shrill scream. She whiped her head around to look at the gourge. "Did you hear that?" She asked, looking around for something, anything.

"Hear what?" Tahi asked.

"That scream!" She exclaimed, trying to pinpoint it's origin. "None of you heard it?" She asked, looking at their confused faces.

[AdAstrα]

"No." Ayira said, "But I have the strangest feeling ever. I've never felt anything like it before, it's.." She fell silent. She couldn't possibly describe the sudden feeling that had struck her like lightning the very second Hatari mentioned the scream. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, neither soothing nor thrilling. She couldn't explain it. It wasn't even vaguely familiar, in fact she was absolutely certain she had never felt anything like it before.

Vitani shook her head. "None of us heard anything and there's no sign of Hofu or the youngster anywhere." she said sadly, "If she's alive, we have to find her. But where do we look? They could be anywhere.."

[Arani]

"If is not good enough!" She snapped, making everyone jump again and look at her in a very strange way. "We have to find her alive. I won't make the same mistake twice." She walked towards the huge crack at the gourge, looking down. "I think I found her!" She suddenly exclaimed. Everyone ran over and looked down. There was a tan figure down there... not moving. Hatari started to make her way down. Everyone else followed. It took a while, but they finally made it to the bottom. They slowly approched the tan spot. It was Tania, dead and thrown away.

"Oh my god..." Tahi nudged the body. "She's dead, Hofu already got to her." Hatari just stared. She then then turned abruptly, teeth clentched and growling slightly as she walked away. Vitani, Ayria and Tahi watched her go with surprise.

[AdAstrα]

Vitani stared at the corpse for a while, a massive lump forming in her throat. She blinked, repressing a sudden urge to burst into tears. Such a young lioness...it wasn't fair...
Upon seeing Hatari leave, she turned around rapidly.
"Where...where are you going?" she asked, gobsmacked.

[Arani]

Hatari never answered, just kept mumbling to herself. "Stupid stupid stupid. You just have to keep making mistakes, dont'cha Hati? Well good going, you finally managed to get another one killed." She muttered other random stuff as she walked down the gourge length. She didn't care where she was going... just some place away from the sight and smell that reminded her to much of that terrible day... the day she made her biggest mistake, the day her father was killed.

[AdAstrα]

Ayira could feel that Hatari was upset and blamed herself for Tania's death, but wasn't sure whether or not to attempt to speak to her. In a situation like this, she was nothing but a stranger. Yet, she couldn't just sit here and do nothing, that would be against her nature. She could never bear watching others hurt..
Without any futher hesitation, she began to cautiously follow Hatari, ready to turn around would she express any wish for her to do so.
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Hofu looked up, the taste of blood still in his mouth, adrenaline still pumping in his veins. A lioness. He crept closer, peering at her from behind the rock where he had retreated to get some rest before moving on. "Hatari." he whispered, baring his teeth. "Must be....destroyed.."

[Arani]

Hatari kept walking, aware that Ayria was following her, but pretended not to. She stopped when she smelled the blood, and that scent that she had smelled only a few moments ago. "I know you're there, Hofu." She spoke, Ayria stopping behind her. "I know you can hear me. I heard your call... I did. I know what it is now. But for today, if you want to live another day, don't test me." She kept walking, Ayria running up closer to her for added protection. She knew Hofu heard her.... and she thought she knew what had happened now. But, she wasn't sure, and saying those words might have given her some kind of clue. Her plan failed, because she heard nothing in return.

"Come on, Ayria." She said, walking faster. "Tahi and Vitani have already left, lets hurry up and get out of here."

[AdAstrα]

Hofu snorted. "As if you could beat me, little queen." he whispered, his lips slowly curling into a grin. "I shall get what I want..soon.." he mumbled to himself, still gazing at the two lionesses. The one with lighter fur and strange markings all over her body especially caught his interest. A beautiful lioness , he thought. A beautiful lioness indeed. Too bad she would have to die soon. Too bad they would all have to die...
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Ayira shuddered . Even as the distance between them and Hofu grew larger, she could still hear every single breath he took, every little whisper that he uttered, and it frightened her. Even though it didn't seem likely at the moment,who was to say he wouldn't suddenly decide to attack them? Her heart lurched as she thought of Tania; an innocent youngster brutally murdered by a dark, sinister creature. A monster.

She looked up, suddenly hearing something approach them from behind. Slowly and carefully, as if trying hard to stay undetected..
"Is he following us?" she whispered, turning to Hatari, her heart pounding inside her chest.

[Arani]

"He better not be." Hatari growled. She started to walk faster. "But to tell you the truth Ayria... I don't know." She rarely ever admited those three words. She just wanted to get out of the darkness and away from the smell of Hofu and Tania's blood. Soon, they would be out and away. Far away...