Meaning and Purpose [Closed to Julie_Skywalker]

[Baya]

(Post removed)

[Carl]

"Oh my, I'm blushing," Vitani said drily with a bit of a laugh. "Let me guess, this is the part where you win me over with compliments and then deal a killing blow while I'm all googoo gaga over you, is that right?"

She barked a laugh, shaking her head. "Don't count on it."

With that, she lunged at him, her eyes glinting. She didn't bother trying to bite or claw him, this blow had a different purpose. She wanted to use her sheer velocity to knock him over and expose his tender underbelly. She wanted to make him weak. She was getting a major thrill out of the idea. It wasn't often that she could assert her dominance over a lion so rightfully arrogant.

----

Surprised by his sudden playfulness, she tumbled to the ground. A little playful growl issuing from her, she fought back, and the two rolled around for a while, just trying to keep the other one pinned down. They were fairly evenly matched, but she wasn't keeping up with how many times who was pinned by whom. She was just enjoying herself with someone her age. For once. The only one her age around here was her brother who was always being trained by her mother, so they rarely played at all.

She grinned at this new cub. He was strange, but familiar. He was someone she could have fun with for a little while. The two spent a very long time playing around. So long in fact that, that she lost track of the time and didn't realize how late it was until the sun was setting. She wondered if her mother would be angry that she had been gone so long, and decided she had better get back.

"I should prolly get back home now, but I've had a great time," she said, smiling at him as she shook her head to straighten out her tuft.

----

Vitani let the memories slip away as she put on a huge smile and rammed into the rogue's side with all her force. Of course he didn't go down without a fight, but she had expected no less. She ended up causing them both to roll down a mass of bones and land atop a skull that gave way from their weight and dropped them both into the blackness of it's interior, cobwebs tangling in their whiskers and fur.



"This is getting intense," Masozi commented.

"Should we go after them in case she needs help or wait here?" her sister asked. Sauda huffed and rose, trailing leisurely in the direction they'd gone.

"Whether she needs help or not, I wanna see how this ends," she said with a flick of her tail. The other three looked at each other for a moment and then followed after her.

[Baya]

(Post removed)

[Carl]

Vitani stood looking at him in contemplation. This battle had exhilarated her, and that was something that didn't happen often. She was expected to kill this rogue for infringing on their territory and killing that scout, but if she killed him, she may never find such a worthy combatant again. If she didn't kill him, she had no way of knowing how he'd react, and she may be forced to kill him anyway. During the battle it had been her intention to end his life, but now, what purpose would that serve other than to end his life? He wouldn't be killing any of theirs again, she could be informed if he was spotted and then she'd be able to come out and defeat him again. In fact, as much as he'd clearly enjoyed this bout, she could probably use that as incentive not to attack the others of their pride if he returned.

"I'm not going to kill you," she said at last, "this has been an experience that I think would be worth reliving. If I end you now, I may never find a worthy opponent again. I need something to liven up the peaceful life."

She looked up at her squad peering down at her. How foolish for Kovu to think she'd needed them. The five of them would have been serious overkill. The lioness dusted the webs out of her tuft and whiskers. Then she studied her paw in a bored manner, not unlike the way a lion named Scar had once often done.

"If you feel the need to hang around the Pridelands, there's no need for you to bother picking off our scouts. No need to waste your time on them. Whenever you're aching for battle, just send them back with word of who comes and I'll be out to kick your ass again promptly," she went on with a devilish grin.

Then, she turned her back on him, and climbed out of the skull and back up to her squad. They looked at her with surprise at her words. The pride would not be pleased to know this Demon of the Desert yet lived. N'gora growled a bit, and made as if to jump down there and end him herself, but Sauda pinned her.

"Vitani has spared him, respect that," she hissed.

"Why do you let him live?! He killed one of ours, his punishment is death!" N'gora raged. She was furious not that he'd been spared, but that she was not allowed to fight him, that her jaws were not allowed to taste flesh this day. She was furious at what she perceived to be a sign of weakness in one of the two lions she was still loyal to, the only one she was loyal to because of seeing the worth. After all, Kovu had caused her beloved Nuka to die, and she was only loyal to him because Vitani commanded it.

"I let him live because I choose to," Vitani said simply. She had three reasons, actually, though she'd not admit it. She had been truthful in saying she wanted to battle him again. The other two drastically conflicted with one another however. He wanted to die in battle, he lived for the fight. He had only been bested by her. Therefore, he'd keep trying, and she could deny him that thing he wanted, a glorious death in battle. And the third reason? Simba and his had shown her pride mercy, had even been willing to spare her mother. It was what a good lion did. If they could let it go and spare her pride, then take them in and show them kindness, then she could show mercy too, and they'd be disappointed in her if she didn't. That reason, however, she'd never let slide past her lips. It was her little secret.

[Baya]

(Post removed)

[Carl]

"It's a deal," she told him in response to his offer. Having someone like him taking out the rogues would certainly help their pride out. She chuckled to herself as she began trotting back towards Pride Rock, her little squad following her. After the beating's they'd given one another today, she doubted they'd both be in prime fighting form tomorrow. She knew she'd be in good enough shape to beat him again, after all, she had been the victor, and she hadn't exactly gone easy on him.

She had many aches and pains of her own, bruises and places that just looked like smears of blood; but, a good night's rest and a decent meal would make her be in much better shape. As she led her troop back to the pride, she pondered how to report this. Should she tell them he yet lived? Should she go into the details of her arrangement with him? Was all that really necessary? She didn't think so. She'd report what they needed to know: Baya, the Demon of the Desert, would no longer be a problem for the Pridelanders.

Sauda moved up beside her, her eyes twinkling as she glanced back towards the elephant graveyard. She longed to impress that rogue in battle just as Vitani had, and was determined to at least see him each day.

"Hey, when honoring your agreement with him, would it be alright for me to come along?" she asked, "I was hoping I might be able to challenge him myself at some point, but I simply must watch." Her tone held a hint sadistic glee.

"I see no reason why you couldn't come. He never said there were to be no spectators. Hell, he might like the idea," the scruffy leading lioness said in a raspy voice, not looking over at her darker compatriot. Sauda grinned, pleased, and moved back into formation. Dikeledi rolled her eyes, frustrated with their squad-mate's antics.

They were silent the rest of the way back to Pride Rock. As soon as they arrived, Vitani barked a command for any of her squad to follow.

"Fetch Kovu."

When he stood before her, she reported, "We won't have any more problems out of that rogue."

[Baya]

(Post removed)

[Carl]

"I challenged him alone," Vitani said firmly in answer to her brother's question. Since he was asking, she decided to explain the entire situation to him.

"I wanted to have an interesting fight, so I took him on alone. He fought hard, and skillfully, as you can no doubt see. He lives for the battle. I defeated him, and afterwards spared him his life because so long as he is allowed to fight me each day, he has agreed to ward off any rogues who approach our lands. I know he won't go back on his word because, as I said he lives to fight. He will be fighting plenty guarding our borders and I will give him a match each and every day in exchange, as per the agreement, so he will not hunger for our pride's blood," she explained, studying her paw boredly.

She knew they wouldn't like this, that they would protest "what if you get hurt blahblah yadayadda," so she decided to head them off at the pass by saying something they couldn't argue with.

"It was the only way to protect the pride without killing him," she said.

"You didn't have to agree to that," Kiara said, frowning a bit as she came closer.

Huffing, N'gora led the rest of Vitani's squad back to the sunning stones. She wasn't going to have missed out on the fighting and watch this.

[Baya]

(Post removed)

[Carl]

Vitani groaned.

"You don't have to worry about that, Kovu. Sauda offered to come with me as a spectator. He's not going to try anything, and if I'm hurt too badly, she'll be able to finish him off. She's more than capable of putting up a good fight," she half-barked in annoyance. "I'm not some ignorant cub or ditzy lioness," she went on, her gaze landing briefly on Kiara at the last bit.

"I assure you it will be fine," she said in a gentler tone. "Besides... I met this rogue long ago when we were still cubs. He and I spent an entire evening playing. Today... it was almost like reliving that."

She strutted past them at that, quite sure she was done with this conversation. As she reached the area just before the path leading over to the sunning stones and the part of the pride she preferred to hang around, she stopped, turning her head over her shoulder to look back at Kovu.

"He's apparently infamous for his deadliness in battle. He said he's known as Baya, Demon of the Desert," she said with a wicked grin. Then she trotted away without waiting for another response.