[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[SinChei]

Daxis was confused why Laini didnt look in Simbas face. He thought it was the common stance in front of the king and did as Laini did. The red maned cub went slowly next to Laini and bowed to the king too while looking on his paws. Daxis ignored the new lioness at first and said low in a apologetic voice.
"Im sorry for my behavior my king...."
It was confusing to him so he just did what Laini did.

[Mike]

Kovu finally reached his den, and in his haste to make sure his family was alright he made a slightly overly rambunctious entrance. He skidded back to a walk at the entrance and padded along slightly out of breath. Upon seeing both his beloved mate and their adopted cub safe he hung his head and let out a big sigh of relief. He then crossed the rest of the way to Kiara and nuzzled her passionately. He lay down against her and began to explain in a low voice for Taraji's sake.

"We've had some unwelcome guests in the pridelands." he said trusting Kiara to interpret correctly, given his agitation and her smarts. "Kivuli got them to leave, but Mila didn't come away from it too well. She'll be okay though, Nala's with her. Shani and Kivuli went off to make sure they don't come back. I'm just glad you're safe."

[KingKivuli]

Kivuli watched as Mila and the others departed Take care Mila He thought I hope you get better soon Kivuli watched as his crush walked back home in her mothers care. Now that it was clear Kivuli could turn his attention back to his task of patrolling the boarders with Shani. Usually Kivuli would do it alone but with his slight injury Kivuli didnt mind at all. Kivuli walked over to his brown companion and spoke

Looks like its just us now. We better head off, we have quite a bit of ground to cover. Hope you dont mind following my lead , but I used to live here and know the lands well Kivuli was unaware of Shani's full past and the fact he was a king. Instead the gray lion stood, looking down slightly with his blood red eyes, on Shani waiting for a response as a few drops of blood dripped from his side onto the grass below

[Mike]

Shani didn't mind taking the back-seat in this case. He didn't make a habit of antagonizing people he hoped would be allies in the future. Rahina had been a special case because of her oddly instinctive hatred and hostility. Besides, it it was true that Kivuli had once lived here, there was no shame in letting him show the lands. Shani's small size made it possible for him to play the role of either leader or follower. He was able to command respect, but also capable of fading into the background. He opted for a balance between the two here, in order to best get to know Kivuli and let him know a bit about himself without offending or challenging him.

"Lead on." Shani said with a casual nod, accepting Kivuli's role as the dominant personality in this particular excursion.

[KingKivuli]

Kivuli gave a short nod and a smile at Shani's approval. He turned round facing to the direction he had run from Lets head back that way just to make sure they are gone. We will then head east to follow the boarder round and finish back at the private waterhole. should take us too long Kivuli started jogging off. He took it easy due to the battle wounds which left a trail of blood in his path

[KiarasMate]

Letting her soft body support that of Mila’s weakened frame, Nala started to gingerly make her way up towards the main den, taking every step as lightly and delicately as she could to keep the younger lioness from passing out. From the looks of her, even though her wounds didn’t appear to be all that severe, Nala could tell that Mila wasn’t doing so well on the inside. As the pair of lionesses finally made it into the safety and comfort of the main den, Nala spotted the sleeping pelt that Kovu had been kind enough to prepare for Mila. Making her way over towards it now, Nala stood rigid as she waited for Mila to get situated before she took a seat and gently examined her fellow lioness a bit more thoroughly, now that they were alone, aside from Vitani, who was still resting quietly near by. Lightly maneuvering her fore paws around Mila’s frame, Nala took note of every little cut that adorned the younger lioness’ body, taking a little extra precaution when it came to her hind area, still worrying about the fact that Mila had mentioned that the rogues who had attacked her, had almost had their way with her, making the cream colored queen’s blood boil. Once all of Mila’s injuries were assessed by Nala, the caring lioness spoke in a loving tone to her foster daughter.

”I’m thankful that Kivuli got to you when he did Mila. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened, had he not shown up, but I feel a little cross in the fact that Kivuli had told your father and I that those rogues were deceased. I’m not trying to pit the blame on him Sweetie, but I just can’t help but to think that this trouble followed closely behind him. I just want you to be careful Mila Sweetie. I know you have feelings for him and all, but just remember that you’re taking on a lot more than you might realize if you see yourself being his mate. Not only do you get what you see, but you also get everything you can’t as well.”

Not wishing to bother Mila any longer with her trivial comments, Nala remained quiet as she stayed close to Mila’s side, waiting for the younger lioness to fall asleep before she would go and get some medicine from Rafiki.

==========

Outside the main den, Simba acknowledged Laini’s statement, nodding in response as he spoke directly to both the young lioness and Daxis.

”Well, I’m glad you have changed your attitude towards pride life Daxis and it’s nice to see this side of you. You are granted your request, just as long as Laini agrees to it as well.” Turning to face Laini, Simba continued. ”If that’s okay with you Laini, then it’s fine by me. This would mean that you would be partially responsible for Daxis however, seeing as you would be able to show him around and teach him the values of being in a pride. You don’t have to do this however if you don’t want to. It’s up to you. I’ll let you two work it out though and Laini, thank you.”

Giving Laini a warm smile as Simba had a sneaking suspicion that it was because of Laini’s help that Daxis had turned over a new leaf, Simba felt very appreciative towards her for that fact alone. Spotting Kopa and Rahina making their way towards where he was positioned at. Politely excusing himself from Laini and Daxis’s attention, the king of The Pride Lands directed his gaze towards the older lioness now, as he heard Rahina speak.

Kopa had followed his precious mate towards Pride Rock, staying quiet as they walked as his mind was too busy melding over the thoughts of Rahina’s condition. As she started to speak with Simba, Kopa just stayed by her side, just in case he was needed.

Once Rahina had finished speaking, Simba replied in a friendly tone as he motioned towards the main den.

”Good afternoon Rahina, good afternoon Kopa. It’s nice to see you both again. If you’re looking for Nala, she is in the main den attending to an injured lioness. If your matter holds some importance, you may go see her.”

==========

Spotting her mate’s return, Kiara smiled happily at him. Her please expression quickly melted though upon hearing what he had to say. Looking concerned, yet keeping her composure for Taraji’s sake, the golden furred princess spoke in a hushed voice as not to alert their daughter that something might be wrong.

”I’m glad you’re safe too Honey and I hope they don’t come back here. Our lands have been so peaceful now. Why is it that trouble always seems to follow whenever we get new members to our pride. Is it safe for us to stay out here or should we go into our den?”

Leaning gently upon her mate for both comfort and support, Kiara purred softly, despite the fact that tension still hung heavy in the air. Due to the strong feelings that gripped her now, the trouble that potentially faced her pride didn’t seem quite as important as other matters on her mind.

[Mike]

[[OOC: edit: woot, 2000th post, I'm glad it's in my favorite RP ^.^]]



As always, Kiara's presence acted like a soothing lullaby or a warm blanket. He melted against her side, and the world outside the den began to fade away.

"We're safe," Kovu said "and we can rest assured that so is our pride. They've gathered around Pride Rock thanks to Kivuli's warning, and Simba knows where we are. I think we should stay right here together." Kovu said, drawing closer to whisper into her ear. "How does that sound to you?"

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

Shani kept pace without speaking for a time. He studied Kivuli, this being the first time he'd actually encountered the other lion. For the most part he found that Kovu's description was accurate. Kivuli was a proud lion, as well as being slightly arrogant, He pointedly ignored his battle wound, and was taking care not to flinch or betray any sign of pain. Shani was slightly sheepishly reminded about his own journey to the pridelands with Vitani and Kovu. Then he too had smugly ignored the gash Vitani gave him, though that wound had scabbed over and was now just a long matted mark.

"You mentioned that you once lived here. What made you leave? Not Simba surely, you seem to be evenly matched with him at the least." His tone implied that the decision must have been Kivuli's; that the idea of Kivuli being exiled by force was unlikely. Shani asked the question knowing full well what the answer was, but he didn't want to appear omniscient. Kivuli might feel suspicious, or take his unusual knowledge as a threat.

[Lodrill]

Laini nodded. Even if she would have been relieved if Simba would have found another lioness to take care of Daxis she did not say it. As the King passed her she waited for Daxis to decide where he wants to go.

[hr][/hr]

"Thank you king Simba." Rahina nodded in appreciation. "I will then go and look for her there." Rahina turned to Kopa and with a bit lower vioce she asked "Do you want to join me or do you want to have a talk with the king? I mean he said she is mending an injured lioness..." Rahina tried to let it sound like the right thing to do not to aproach the injured lioness as a strange male. She still was concerned about Kopa joining her discussion with Nala.

[hr][/hr]

Taraji popped her head up and jumped on her paws running towards Kovu. She nearly tripped and fell over as she bounced against his paws snuggling her body around it to show how happy she was that he returned. She purred and licked his paw with her small tongue.

[KiarasMate]

Kopa’s ears perked as Rahina spoke to him, her words holding a great deal of truth to them as he knew that his presence might agitate this injured lioness, whoever it might be. Figuring that there was no harm in letting his beloved mate go to see Nala on her own, knowing that they had been accepted into the pride on a temporary basis at least, Kopa nodded as he spoke in a low but loving voice.

”Good thinking Hina. I’ll just wait outside the den, just in case Nala or you need my help with the examination. You should be able to trust her though, since she is the queen of these lands after all.”

Giving his precious lioness a tender nuzzle, Kopa made his way over towards one of the flat surfaced rocks that adorned the path leading up to the main den. He was about to relax there, when the sight of the promontory caught his eye. Seeing how he wasn’t able to get a nice view earlier from atop the majestic structure, Kopa decided that he would go solo, as the main den would still be in easy reach while he waited for Rahina to get her check up from Nala, or so he assumed. Making his way up the slope, Kopa passed the main den, giving a quick glance within, spotting the figures of several lionesses within, but not pausing long enough to decipher exactly who they all were, Kopa simply made his way along the promontory until he was a couple of paws length away from the edge, before he took a seat and admired the breathtaking view from above.

==========

Shifting her body now that Taraji had moved to be closer to Kovu, Kiara leaned her soft frame against her mate’s, much like she had done on many a cold night when they used to stargaze for hours on end. Despite it being late afternoon, the golden furred princess didn’t care, as she longed to be as close to her beloved mate as possible, although the words of her mother still lingered fresh in her mind. Hearing Kovu’s gentle voice, Kiara smiled sweetly at him as she murmured quietly.

”That sounds just so perfect Honey. Being here, with our cute cub and my handsome mate. What more could a lioness ask for.” Lightly caressing one of her dainty fore paws along Kovu’s muscular hind legs, Kiara added in a playful tone. ”Well, maybe two handsome mates.”

Giggling happily, Kiara leaned in close, licking lovingly over Kovu’s cheek as to show him that she was merely kidding around. Resting her head against Kovu’s side, her muzzle slightly buried within his thick jet black mane, taking in his wonderful scent as she purred soothingly, Kiara spoke in a softer tone as she continued her loving ministrations with her fore paw against Kovu’s hinds.

”It’s going to be really hard to sleep tonight Honey, seeing as Taraji will be with us, so we can’t…well, you know. It’s going to be torture for me, and I’m sure it’s not going to be easy for you either but I guess that’s the one drawback for having cubs around.” Pausing for a moment, dawning a sneaky grin, Kiara couldn’t help but to state. ”You think my mom would watch Taraji for a few hours, so we could…”

Meeting with Kovu’s gaze as she spoke, Kiara found herself giggling once more as her mate’s look seemed to amuse her to no end. Trying to compose herself from her fits of laughter, Kiara nuzzled Kovu lovingly as she resumed speaking.

”I shouldn’t get your hopes up Honey, or something else for that matter. Besides, I promised Cutie that I wasn’t going anywhere else today, so it looks like it will be a cold dip in The Waterhole for you instead.”

[SinChei]

Daxis was jubilant Laini accepted again and in front of the king. He slowly raised his head and twitched impatient left and right. The fevered cub asked himself if there live a few more cubs in his age to play with. Laini attracted Daxis attention now and asked her with impatiently voice.
"Do you know if more cubs in my age live here? i wanna play something with them!"
He started to run around and was looking for more cubs but couldnt find one. He did it again and again and finally he ran constantly in circles.