The Hunt

[growl1]

(OOC: Well, Kala is now that's Mufasa's gone. But she's hoping that Azura might have heard about him or something or be able to make the connection between them. If not, Kala's going to tell her herself. If Mufasa was still alive, he would be. But he's not, so Kala had to take over as ruler.
G.1)

[Alex]

((OOC: Ohh I see! Sorry XD))

IC:
Taken-aback, Azura stared at Kala.
"Well, it - it used to be... Mufasa... wasn't it? Yes... and he died, a few months ago. I remember now, yes, he died, and I don't know who succeeded him. Why?"

Shana had to hide her grin; it was comical to see her aunt flailing to regain her dominance of the situation. Usually, it was Azura who put others in their places, and made them feel vulnerable - now it was the other way round.
Casually glancing around, Shana tried to spot a glimpse of Kiume, but he was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't wait to spend more time with him.

[growl1]

Kala replied,
"Why, Azura? Because I am the one that succeeded him as ruler of Pride Rock. I was his mate, and his queen. But now that he's passed on, I am both. So you would happen to be talking to Queen Kala of Pride Rock. Now are you going to let me explain how I got here?," Kala said calmly, tossing her head and staring straight at Azura, giving off that regal air. Now she had made sure that Azura knew that she was not" just about anybody."
She calmly waited for Azura to say something, hoping the information would shock her.

[Alex]

Open-mouthed, Azura couldn't believe her ears. She felt a stab of disbelief as she realised she had just spoken very rudely to the Queen of Pride Rock!
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I -"
Seeing the amused faces of most of the lionesses around her, Azura felt white-hot with anger. She could see Shana's grin and it made her furious. The little runt clearly thought Kala would fight her battles for her.
Easy, Azura, she reminded herself, Play the game wisely.
Swallowing her anger, Azura smiled graciously, and bowed low to the ground.
"I apologise, Your Majesty. I didn't know - I never dreamt that the Queen of Pride Rock would someday visit my humble pride. Please forgive my mistake... let's start afresh, shall we? I'm Azura, and this is the pride - our king should be here soon."
Aware that most of the pride were supressing sighs at her obvious attempt to charm the Queen, Azura caught herself.
"But of course - you wanted to explain how you came here."

As her aunt smiled - or rather, bared her teeth - at Kala, Shana couldn't believe how low Azura would stoop to get her own way. This was typical of her. She would jump into a situation with her sharp words before fully understanding what was going on, then try to cover her mistakes by blaming them on someone else; usually Shana. This charm tactic was a new low.
Shana sighed and tried to catch Kala's eye, almost to warn her not to fall for Azura's new approach. She wasn't sure if her friend had interpreted this glance correctly as she began to speak.

[growl1]

Kala thought, why in the world is she smiling at me like that? It looks almost like she's baring her teeth. She cleared her throat and said,
"Thank you. I got lost on a hunt with my pride about 5 days ago, and last night, I came here and decided to stay the night tonight. I'll be on my way in the morning, and I mean you no harm. Unless maybe you decide you want to harm me, which would not be very smart."
She looked at Shana, hoping that Shana understood that if her little aunt tried anything, it would get ugly, and real quick. And no one liked Kala when she got mad.

[Alex]

Relieved, Shana smiled when she realised Kala had understood her glance - it struck her that she and Kala had such a strong friendship already, despite only knowing each other for a few hours. She couldn't help but admire Kala's straight-to-the-point, independant attitude. Anyone who wasn't intimidated by Azura was an inspiration to Shana.

A flash of annoyance was quickly hidden by a smile as Azura dipped her head respectfully to Kala.
"I would be honoured for you to stay here - stay as long as you want! As for you..."
Azura turned to Shana, the smile becoming more and more forced. She knew that as long as Kala was here, she would have to lay off her neice.
"Leaving the cubs was a very foolish thing to do... but it's the first time you've done it, so I will just have to warn you not to do it again. Now, why don't you show Her Majesty around? And I suggest you stay out of your father's way until I've told him about Kala - he might jump to the wrong conclusion if he sees a stranger."
Without waiting for a reply, Azura turned away and headed off into the shade of the den, as if dismissing the pride.

[Lunar Crecent]

((OOC:May I Join With My Character Reika?You Can Find Her Info On The Character List.Thankies!))

[Alex]

((OOC: That's fine by me. Growl1?
And Reika sounds interesting btw!))


EDIT:
((OOC: Wooo just noticed I'm now a "regular member" with 104 posts! ;D Go me!
Ahem.))

[Lunar Crecent]

The form of a strange feline crept out from the shadows of the trees in the Savannah.She looked around with hr strangely colored yes and continued on toward where she saw a water pool.She sat down beside it and lapped up some water.

She looked up after taking in hr fill and saw a rock like pinnacle.She tilted her head and began walking toward it silently.Her form the size of a cheetah, but the color of the sky inverted on a snowy mountain.She came a bit closer, her tail moving side to side curiously, the clamp on it not seeming to weigh it down.She held a regal air as she walked up the steep stone.She looked around, her eyes cold and empty, but holding great depth.

"Greetings is anyone here?"She asked, her voice holding a strange accent as if a Russian accent was mixed with a Egyptian one.

She wished someone showed themselves so she could see if she was allowed in these lands or not.She sat down and waited patiently.

[growl1]

(OOC: Fine by me! She sounds like an interesting character. It will be interesting to see how she ties into the story.
G. 1.)
IC: Kala definetly did not like Azura. She sighed and said,
"Shana, your aunt is so--so--controlling, for lack of a better word."
Suddenly, she heard a voice calling out, and asked Shana,
"Did you just hear that?"

[Alex]

Shana laughed wryly. That's an understatement, Shana thought - then she was distracted by a voice. Nodding in response to Kala's question, she motioned for Kala to follow her and be quiet. Shana led the way down the slopes from the den, keeping low to the ground, as silent as a shadow.
At first she thought it was Kiume's voice they had heard, asking if it was safe to come out from wherever he was hiding, but then she realised the voice had sounded too far away to be Kiume - and anyway, he would have had more sense than to call out like that when the pride was just a short distance away. However, she continued to creep down the slope... even if it wasn't Kiume, she wanted to find whoever had called out before the rest of the pride. Shana's curiousity had always been so strong.

[Lunar Crecent]

Reika looked closer and saw two lioness coming out from the den.She bowed her head at them respectfully.

"Greetings..I Am Reika..May I Speak With The One In Charge?"She replied, her voice once again sounding like a Russian accent and an gyptian one mixed.

She looked at the two with her strangly colored eyse and held her head back up with a feel of royalty to her form.She gazed at the two, her eyes seemingly empty.

[growl1]

Kala thought,
who is this strange cat and why is she here? But she decided to leave the questioning up to Shana, and instead said,
"Hello, I'm Kala."

[Alex]

Shana couldn't help but stare at this strange creature. Reika was unlike any cat she had ever seen. However, her royal, proud air made her seem fascinatingly beautiful - Shana knew instinctively that this was a cat who demanded respect.
Bowing her head low courteously, Shana introduced herself;
"I'm Shana. My father is the king but... he's not here right now. My aunt, Azura, is the lead lioness, so I guess she's in charge at the moment."
Shana hesitated. She had no idea how her aunt would react to yet another stranger - and a very strange stranger at that! But she continued,
"Azura is up in the den. Would you like us to take you to her?"

[Lunar Crecent]

She smiled lightly at the two, the only warmth seeming to come from her form.She shook her head.

"I Am Sorry...I Have No Need For The Second In Charge..I Only Speak To Those Who Are In Charge or Those Closely Related....For That...I Must Speak With You Correct, Shana?"She replied, her voice sounding young, but holding wisdom of an elder.

She looked at the two who had greeted her so kindly and bowed her head back herself.She pulled it up slowly, her strange icy blue eyes seeming to glow brightly in the heat of the air.She stood, her shoulders held back as if she had been doing it all her life.She moved hr tail side to side slowly, the clamp on it not seeming to weight it down.On her neck was a black metallic like choker clamp that held gems of all colors that glistened in the sun brightly, as did the ones on her tail and the bracelet on her front and back paws.

[Alex]

Surprised that this proud, royal-looking cat wanted to speak with her, Shana replied,
"I - I suppose... I'm the King's daughter, so... yes, I guess you should speak to me. What... I mean... Why do you wish to speak with me?"
Smiling to ensure Reika didn't take any offence at her question, Shana's attention was caught by the clamp-like bracelets on the feline's neck, tail and paws. She must be royalty with jewels like that, Shana thought admiringly.

[Lunar Crecent]

She smiled at the feline and nodded.

"I Came to Speak as to Be come Part Of This Pride..."She replied bowing her head once again respectfully.

She saw the girl staring at her admiringly and smiled a bit.She nodded and waited patiently for the at to awnser.

[Alex]

Shana stared for a moment; then she realised how rude she must look. But what on earth did such an amazing creature want with a pride like hers? Her pride was unhappy; Shana's father was paranoid of attack and his paranoia made him a weak. Shana knew her father's anger and unhappiness stemmed from her mother's death - after all, Shana's mother had been his first mate, the only lioness he had ever loved. Even so, her father had let the pride run to ruin. Azura had appointed herself as the lead lioness and she ruled unfairly, choosing her friends to be high-ranking lionesses and demoting those she disliked, no matter their hunting skill or strength. Closing her eyes for just a moment, Shana imagined life away from her pride; a life of freedom. In that moment, she knew what she had to do.
"Reika, I mean no disrespect, but I don't think you should join this pride."
When she spoke now, her voice was clear and confident. Her caramel eyes shone with newfound hope. Turning to Kala, she went on:
"My pride is, to be quite honest, a joke. My father does not rule well anymore; and my aunt, who tries to rule for him... well, let's just say I don't want her to rule over me anymore. I'm tired of being told what to do. I just - I want to live my own life, to make my own decisions. So I'm making a decision right now."
She squared her shoulders and took a breath.
"Kala... Reika... And Kiume, when he comes out of hiding. I would like for all of you to come with me to start our own pride."

((OOC: I hope you don't mind me making this drastic decision! I just thought it might open up some possibilities for us! Let me know if you don't want the plot to take this twist))

[Lunar Crecent]

((OOC:I LOVE IT!))

She seemed taken back a bit, but then smiled.She nodded at each and bowed her head,

"Leader...Lead The Way..."She replied respectfully as she laid down, her head, still bowed.She stood them and her smiled dissapeared."But what about the others?the ones in this pride?"She asked quietly.

[growl1]

Kala thought, wow! Go, Shana! But she thought of her own pride, probably missing her terribly and wondering where she was. She spoke up.
"Shana, Reika, I'd like to, but I have my own pride to get back to. Of course, you guys are welcome to come join us. I don't mind in the least. But if you all want to go off on your own, good luck. But I can't come with you."

[Lunar Crecent]

Reiak swiveled her head toward Kala.She bowed her head in agreement.She looked back over to Shana.

"I Have No Home, but The Ruins Of My Master's Palace.....If You Wish......You can Come Live There..."She spoke toward Shana, she then, turned her head toward Kala."If You Wish You Can Bring Your Pride Aswell...It Is A Very Large Estate....?"She smiled at Kala waiting for both of the felines' awnsers.

[Alex]

Shana's shining eyes suddenly grew dull again. How stupid of her to expect Kala to just drop her old pride and join them. However, Reika's offer bouyed her spirits once more.
"Yes! We could stay there! Kala, would you... would you be willing to do that? Move your pride to Reika's palace?"
When she heard her words spoken aloud, Shana regretted them instantly. She felt embarrassed at her naivety.
"I'm sorry, I'm not thinking straight, of course you don't want to do that. I mean, the upheaval and journey and everything... you've got a family to think of. And I don't even know if Kiume would want to come with me." She looked sadly at Kala, then at Reika. "You're very kind, Reika - and I'm so grateful for all your help, Kala, but... I'm better off just staying here."

((OOC: Growl1, where's Kiume at? Is he hiding somewhere still? Just to clarify )

[growl1]

(OOC: Uh, yeah. He's hiding somewhere, listening to every single word Kala, Shana, and Reika are saying.)
IC: Kala replied,
"Shana, are you sure you're better off just staying here? That sad look you just gave us doesn't look like it. Reika, the offer to come with me when I leave tomorrow and join my pride still stands. And Shana, you and Kiume do what you think is right. That's all I'll say."
She really wanted to see that her friends were happy, but if she didn't leave in the morning, she didn't know how her pride would adjust. What if they thought she was dead?
No, she ordered herself, don't even think that. She sighed and waited for Shana to say something or Reika to accept or decline her offer.

[Lunar Crecent]

Reika just looked at both of the two felines and bowed her head.She then, looked up at both with her small smile.

"I Can Not Accept or Decline either of your Requests......I Will Not Force You To Leave..This Is Between You Two..Not I..Please...I Shall Come at Nightfall to hear. your awnsers..."She replied quietly as she stood and walked down the side of the rock like pinical and dissapeared through the tall grasses imediatly, her silver fur, surprisingly blending in perfectly.

[growl1]

Kala watched as Reika ran off, then turned to Shana and said,
"That was the most interesting big cat I've met in a long time."
Kiume rose up out of the grass behind them and said,
"Me, too,"
and they turned.
"Hey, girls. Sorry if I startled you. So, Shana, what are we going to do?,"
he asked, hoping she would make the right decision.

[Alex]

An enormous grin appeared on Shana's face when she saw Kiume. She bounded over to him and rubbed her cheek against his briefly.
"Reika is... interesting, to say the least. But incredibly generous to offer for us to join her in her home." Shana smiled at Kala. "And you are just so kind. No matter what happens, today is the best day of my life - I've made two amazing friends, and I've found you again, Kiume."
She rubbed her head gently against Kala's, then sat down beside Kiume.
"As for this decision... well, I really don't know. I'd like to be with all of you, and the only way we could all be together is if all of us come back to your pride, Kala. I don't know if Reika would do that. And Kiume... what do you want to do? You haven't told me where you've been all this time - for all I know you could have a pride waiting for you."
This thought had been troubling Shana. She didn't think she would be able to bear it if Kiume told her he had to leave again, to return to his pride. His departure would kill her, she was sure.

[growl1]

Kiume replied,
"No, I have no pride waiting for me. And I've basically been a nomad all this time, wandering around on my own. And I have no problem with going back with Kala, unless there's other males in her pride? Are there, Kala?"
Kala replied,
"No, Kiume. There aren't. And Shana, I've said this before, but I'll say it again, you do what you think is right."
Kiume said,
"So, if Shana is able to come with us, when should we leave?"
"I think tomorrow morning, before everyone else gets up would be best. Or if Shana asks her father, a little later in the morning after she's had a chance to say goodbye to everyone. So, what do you think, Shana, do you want to come with us? Or do you have to ask your father first?"
Kala and Kiume both turned to Shana, hoping that she would say yes. And Kiume said,
"Whatever you decide, I'll do the same. Because I love you and I don't wanna leave you ever again," he whispered, looking at her with love in his eyes.

[Alex]

((OOC: Awwwwww what Kiume just said is so sweet!))

Feeling her heart swell, until she thought it would burst with happiness, Shana licked Kiume's muzzle lovingly and whispered, "I love you too. I would follow you to the ends of the earth if I had to."
After a moment snuggled close to her long-lost love, she reluctantly pulled herself away.
"Thank you both for not pressurising me; this is the hardest decision I've ever had to make," she mused, gazing up at the den above them. "I was born in that cave and I've lived there my whole life. It's all I've ever known. But... I know now that my future doesn't lie here. With Azura ruling over me, I'll never be free. So I - I want to leave. I want to live with you both - and Reika. But I don't want to sneak off. I want to leave here with my head held high, so I'll talk to my father and Azura first. Is that OK with you two?"

[Lunar Crecent]

"I Think Its Perfect....."A Voice replied from the grasses.

Reika stepped out in silence with a small smile, the sun setting already in the distance.She bowed her head and made her way up.

"Is This What You Choose?"She asked quietly, her head bowing at Kiume.

[growl1]

Kiume replied,
"It's all right with me. Kala?"
"It's fine with me. I'd be very happy to have you guys live with us. And I'm sure we can take whatever your father throws at us. It's getting dark, They should be coming back soon," she said, noticing the sunset, happy that her friends were going to be with her forever, and also wondering what Shana's father would say when he found out about all this.