Part 3: The Coming Twilight

[kae]

Madaha coughed and pushed up against the ground, only to fall into the dust again. She looked up at the lioness in agony. She was starved and so thirsty. She needed help, and soon.

((OOC: Sorry... no muse. ^^))

[KanuTGL]

"I can't believe she left..."[/b]

Satoba nodded slowly, still sniffling, and rested his head on his front paws once more. Lorien's attempt to comfort him was surely not much, but it helped more than anything else at this time. Having someone who felt the same way lie next to him was the best he could ask for right now and almost unconsciously he shuffled closer to the lioness. A moment of silence passed, then Lorien spoke again:

"What's going to happen now? Any news about Feraga?"

Satoba shook his head. "Nobody knows. Feraga haven't been seen or heard of since the day of Ebun and Auri's dea... the day they reclaimed the den..." Recalling too much in detail the demise of his fellow pridemembers was too painful right now. He suddenly shivered in the heat of the day. The thought of battle still frightened him to his very bones and he prayed that there would never be a direct attack on Burja's grounds. If that ever happened... Satoba knew he was at a huge disadvantage whenever something or someone came against him at too much speed; this because detecting where a claw or fang would strike was obviously incredibly difficult for him. As a cub he had never enjoyed play-fights either, due to his handicap, and he couldn't recall the last time he had used his claws for anything else than making eating easier. The grey feline possessed no powers capable of defence other than his healing skills and he had certainly no power of offence. Yes, he was certain that he would perish quickly of he was ever put in a situation where weapons decided whether the other lived or died.

"It's probably only a matter of time before they retaliate."

Satoba nodded again.

"They'll especially want revenge after..."

Lorien's words suddenly faded to nothing. The young male raised his head in question. It had sounded like the abrupt stop of realisation, as if she had suddenly remembered something she had forgotten. The lioness was quickly on her paws.

"Satoba...where's Kirsui?"

"I... I don't know." said he and was suddenly curious. The young feline rose as well, scanning the area for Kirsui's pink-and-blue glow, but it was nowhere to be found. "Maybe she's out on patrol?" If she was, she could be anywhere... and their kingdom was big. "Is it important, what you need to tell her?" Judging by the tone of voice she had used last, Satoba guessed that Lorien indeed knew something about the war-effort that he did not... Was that what she had done while she was away? Spying on the enemy?

[Lorien]

Knowing now that Kirsui wasn't reachable at this moment (after all, she could be anywhere on their territory), Lorien calmed down slightly. She looked to the blind male beside her, wondering if the things she knew were known to the rest of her pride. Taking a deep breath, Lorien spoke.

"Xena...she's dead." Lorien had a good guess that Burja knew nothing of this. "She was killed when they reclaimed their den..." Thinking back to that night, that night when Ebun had returned, she shuddered. The smell of burning flesh came back to her, and she turned her head, trying not to return to that night and its horrors. "It was Auri who dealt the blow...before he was killed."

She sighed as she sat down. Kirsui, nor most of the pride for that matter, would not be pleased as to how she had obtained her information. "I ran into Chaza while I was away..." She turned her head, knowing that most in the pride would be disappointed to know she had fraternized with the rogue. "He told me all about it."

Suddenly getting over her guilt, Lorien quickly got up again. "This is why I must tell Kirsui!" Though Satoba could not see, Lorien's face was wracked with urgency. "She needs to know the danger we could all be in!"

[Zorayda]

((OOC: Please disregard all posts of Zorayda's before this one! As of right now, my character is brand-new. So, here it goes...))

((BIC:))

She didn't know how long she'd been lying there, but Reicheru--the young, pale yellow female claiming special abilities--only knew that she had an enormous headache.

Rey put a paw underneath her fringe and touched the swirly purple mark hidden by it. She cringed and felt a bit sick when she looked at her paw to find crimson colors of half-dried blood sticking to it.

Rey got up (slowly) and gingerly tested all of her limbs to make sure that they were in working order. She came to the conclusion that, though she was slightly wobbly, nothing was broken or sprained.

Next came the part of explaining what had happened. But, try as she might, she couldn't remember how she had gotten into this predicament. In fact... she couldn't remember anything at all! Rey's mind raced... She remembered her name--Check. She remembered her own ability to move things with her mind and shatter them, and she remembered that she could send messages to others without talking. Check.

Other than that... she couldn't remember her age, her family, whether or not she even had a family...

Reicheru started to panic. Who was she? Why couldn't she remember...! She closed her eyes and drew in deep, calming breaths. Okay, she told herself. There's a creek just ahead. I'm going to CALMLY go to it and wash this... stuff... off of me. She shuddered, the movement going in a wave from nose to tail. Blood made her nauseous.

She walked to the creek and began to take a dip in the shallow, cool water when a barely detectable scent reached her nose. The scent of a male lion....? She climbed out of the water and shook the droplets out of her pale fur. She stuck her nose in the air and smelled several other scents--four males and one female. Plus some other faded scents.

Hope filled her heart and she trotted quickly--well, as quickly as she could without causing herself enormous pain--towards the scents, and soon she saw the figures that carried the scents she'd detected.

She would have happily sent a "mind message" ahead to them to announce her arrival, but something about the four males' stances told her to stay back a ways.

"I--WILL--KILL--YOU!"

Reicheru stopped still to listen and to stay unnoticed by the males--a black fellow with a teal mane (whom she found to be rather cute, but that wasn't important at the moment), a wolfish-looking blue male, and a male with--wings?! Four of them! And the winged one was pushing the blue male aside in a show of strength.

Then the (seemingly) foolish blue male opened his mouth and sent a long, powerful musical note towards the winged cat and sprang away with a little cocky look on his face. Males, she thought, rolling her bright green eyes.

Reicheru was sure the winged male would be enraged, so she waited for her introduction to this group until things had cooled down a bit.

In the meantime, she would lie down and watch the show.

[Tamber]

I am the entertainer,
And I know just where I stand:
Another serenader,
And another long-haired band.
Today I am your champion.
I may have won your hearts.
But I know the game,
You will forget my name,
And I won't be here
In another year,
If I don't stay on the charts.

I am the entertainer,
And I've had to pay my price.
The things I did not know at first,
I learned by doin' twice.
Ah, but still they come to haunt me,
Still they want their say.
So I've learned to dance
With a hand in my pants,
And they rub my neck,
And I write 'em a check,
And they go their merry way.

I am the entertainer,
Been all around the world.
I've played all kinds of palaces,
And laid all kinds of girls.
I can't remember faces,
I don't remember names.
Ah, but what the hell,
You know it's just as well.
'Cause after a while
And a thousand miles,
It all becomes the same.

I am the entertainer,
I bring to you my songs.
I'd like to spend a day or two.
I can't stay that long.
No, I've got to meet expenses.
I got to stay in line.
Gotta get those fees
To the agencies.
And I'd love to stay,
But there's bills to pay,
So I just don't have the time.

I am the entertainer,
I come to do my show.
You've heard my latest record,
It's been on the radio.
Ah, it took me years to write it,
They were the best years of my life.
It was a beautiful song.
But it ran too long.
If you're gonna have a hit,
You gotta make it fit--
So they cut it down to 3:05.

I am the entertainer,
The idol of my age.
I make all kinds of money,
When I go on the stage.
Ah, you've seen me in the papers,
I've been in the magazines.
But if I go cold,
I won't get sold.
I'll get put in the back
In the discount rack,
Like another can of beans.

I am the entertainer,
And I know just where I stand:
Another serenader,
And another long-haired band.
Today I am your champion.
I may have won your hearts.
But I know the game,
You will forget my name,
And I won't be here
In another year,
If I don't stay on the charts.

The cocky blue cat ran along the African plains alone with a gallant song radiating around him. He sang out words that he knew only half the meaning of, simply enjoying a song he had learned a while back and playing and singing it around him to match his rushed and happy mood. His heart pounded with growing, self-imposed excitement. It felt good to be out on his own again, feeling the breeze in his hair as he maneuvered through the grasses, over the land, jumping with the beat from rock to rock, hill to hill, pond to pond. It was a pasttime that was dear to him, and anything to disrupt him now would certainly be an almost painful experience, like stopping in the middle of a bathroom session.

((Thank you to Billy Joel for the marvelous song writing))

[Kirsui]

Mwezi was becoming more and more restless at each passing moment. Sure, the sun was warming her dark fur very nicely, making it shine with dark blue tones when she moved... But she had always been more of a night person, especially so since the moon and stars would restore her energy. That, and her dark fur blend in well with the shadows of the night.

She chuckled amusedly. Sometimes she had thought her father had given her the glowing amulet only so that everyone would know where she was during the night.

However, the amused smile disappeared as she tried to take a better positon on the stone. When she failed, she rolled back on her belly and rose to her feet, shaking the dust out of her fur and thus causing her hair to wave around her before it settled down to its usual place.

She sighed, glancing down at Inlasta who still remained unconscious. Truth was that under her calm expression she was worried for the horned lioness. The landing must have been exceptionally hard...

So she chose to wait and push down her growing restless feeling and need to wander around and possibly spy on the enemies. She could do that... at least for a few more moments.

---

Kirsui stood still on the rock she had chosen to be her look-out spot. She was close to the Feraga lands, and all her senses were alert as she gazed upon the enemy lands.

Nothing. No movement at all. And for some reason this made her more restless than if there had been someone out there. A chill ran up her spine, for she thought all this silence upon the enemy lands could mean they were plotting something... something big.

"-- the entertainer -- where -- your champion. I may -- hearts. -- know the game, You will forget my name, -- won't be here --"

The creamy lioness' ears twiched and her eyes narrowed faintly. The wind had brought those words to her, which could mean only one thing: there was someone close to her, and most likely that someone hadn't yet noticed her since said someone was singing.

She gazed harder, towards the direction where the sound had come from, and indeed, she saw now a flash of blue among the grass. At first she thought she had imagined it, but once she saw it again she knew someone was there.

Too bad for her though, this blue creature, who ever or what ever it was, was still at the enemy lands, and so she could do nothing... yet. Kirsui stood still on the rock with a calm expression on her face and without a threatening pose. And she waited, for as soon as the lone creature would lay a paw upon the Burja lands she could take suitable actions.

[Zorayda]

Reicheru watched as the blue feline ran straight past her as if she weren't there--he seemed too engrossed in the song he was singing. It was quite beautiful, and she listened to him sing until he was out of earshot.

She turned her head and ears forward to look at the other males at the mouth of the earthy den and stood up.

She slowly began to walk that way, the bump on her head still making her dizzy. She made sure to look very non-threatening and she stopped a ways away from the angry winged lion to make sure that either A.) she didn't get mauled by the big cat, and B.) to appear as if she did not want to attack. She still needed some protected rest to recover from her injury.

[Tamber]

As the invisible instruments of his song drew to its closing, Timbre decelerated to a relaxed walk, a calm smile still upon his face. He breathed in a happy breath of air and proceeded with a calm stroll over the plains, his breath only rushing slightly but his tongue lolling hotly.

He wasn't entirely sure where to head at this point. Turn and run to find a new pride to entertain or bother? It seemed to be the only option. Still, part of him was back with that mysterious and hostile pride, particularly with the grouchy Pulsar. Timbre giggled to himself at how easily the lion was peeved, and he wished he could pull one more prank on the haughty male before finding a new place to indulge in himself.

As the cat strolled on, he came upon a large den, one resembling the cave he had found with Milo the night before, but much less ominous. No, this stone fortress seemed more friendly, and as he drew closer he noticed a few lions and lionesses lounging outside its mouth. He was quite surprised to find another pride already. Maybe I added a few too many verses to my song...must have gotten ahead of myself, he thought.

Still, Timbre wasn't quite ready for another group of strangers yet. He was still quite far from the den, and he chose to walk a bit more, maybe play a few more songs and sing along to them (in his head this time). Maybe after a few hours he would be in the mood for new company.

[Kirsui]

That was it. The strange blue feline had crossed the border, and, from what Kirsui understood, was now heading somewhat towards the Burja Den. She narrowed her eyes momentarily, and gracefully hopped down from the rock upon which she had stood on guard. The blue feline was not far, but to her it seemed that he had fallen to his thoughts.

"Halt."
She said this with a clear voice when she had reached the earshot, positioning herself then so that she stood between the blue feline and the Burja Den. She knew she smelled of a pride, so she saw no reason to even try hide that fact.

What concerned her slightly though was that this blue feline smelled of other lions as well. Not as strongly, but... She examined his scent a bit more, and realized then she could recognize at least one of the scents he carried. The one belonging to that winged lion, Pulsar. However, whether or not this strange cat belonged to the enemy pride was something she wasn't sure about.

"Who walks upon the lands of Burja?"
She asked this with a slightly curious tone, and her pose remained calm and relaxed, so that the blue feline would understand she was not threatening... Yet anyway.

[kyto7878]

Moona had been looking for his parents for a couple of days. Moona was wandering in the Burja land when he saw a really tall tree. Moona figured that he could sleep of in the tree tonight and look for his parents again tomorrow. When he got to the tree he tried to get onto the first branch. But he couldn't grasp the branch. Moona yelled out in sadness "I hate being part panther! People always mistake me for a girl because i dont have a little bit of a mane on my head and im sick of it!"


Moona looked up into the stars and then just plopped down in the cold muddy floor.

[Zorayda]

The aqua-colored creature opened her eyes.

Fine, champagne-like bubbles made a tickly curtain that spread upwards around her chest and face and vanished upwards towards the sunlight. Judging by the sun, she estimated that it had been about two years since she'd gone to the surface. This river was a second home to her. But now it was high time that she went to the Place Above the Water.

She knew of the war between the two prides near her home and decided that they knew of her hatred towards it. Perhaps they would not listen, but she could try before any more lives were taken.

Aquila struck out with her paws, the water pulsating under the extreme webbing like a heartbeat that matched her own. Her dorsal fin and her mermaid-like tail moved in synch with the current until her nose broke the water silently. The clean and cold water ran across her scales as she blinked her violet eyes in the dry heat.

'Quila took an unnecessary breath through her nostrils and scented something...familiar. The sensation was almost new to her but she remembered how to use her nose.

She climbed up the riverbank gracefully and allowed the sun to dry her off, the droplets sparkling against her scaly skin.

A blue blur dashed past her, singing a beautiful song that was unknown to her and clear as a bell. How long had it been since she'd actually heard sound above water? It was very much missed and forgotten.

She decided to follow this... rogue... and see if she could figure out who was at war with whom.

At length, he was stopped about a half a mile ahead of her by a female. Aquila broke into a quick, loping and graceful run to catch up and meet these two strangers.

"...walks... land of Burja?"

Aquila stopped to hear the young lioness's voice say. She was not short of breath--no, she had no need of oxygen at all, courtesy her father, the water dragon. He'd long since been missing and her lioness mother had died when Aquila was a cub.

"Burja, is it? Your pride's name?" Aquila questioned. She bowed her head to be polite. "I am Aquila, and I have been following this rogue out of curiosity. Who might you be, and what is Burja?"

[Tamber]

The blue feline purred quietly as he listened to a song in his mind. Is was calming, peaceful, and very happy, and it reflected his mood perfectly. He was glad to be far from the negative aura of the Feraga pride, and he wondered why he had even spent so much time in such a hostile place. Oh, right, he thought, Big Bad Pulsar...what a tool. The cat snickered to himself at his cunning with the lion.

But suddenly Timbre's giddiness was interrupted. The word "halt" rang through his ears, and so reluctantly he had to pause the song in his mind. This was a horrible, unfinished sensation to Timbre, and he only hoped that this approaching lioness would be worth his time.

"Who walks upon the lands of Burja?"

Another pride, though this female greeted Timbre in a very different way than the last party of three he had come across. She didn't seem worth taunting, her expression honest and her posture peaceful. She was quite interesting to the eyes, as well, with the longest hair Tim had ever seen upon a lioness. It was shiny and it echoed the light of the sun beautifully.

Suddenly Timbre heard another voice from behind him, and as he turned he saw the strangest creature his eyes had ever beheld. It was a scaly, fishlike lioness, and the blue of her skin shimmered in the sunlight, water droplets still upon them from her last dip. Timbre quickly learned that she was not of this pride, either, but she had been following him, which was a strange piece of information to digest.

Timbre turned back to the long-haired lioness and answered her question. "Timbre be my name, madam," he announced with a smile. "My apologies...I didn't know I was on anyone's...land." Timbre hestitated, remembering the last experience he had on a land someone had claimed for themselves. He was not eager to be chased off again. Still, the lioness remained calm. She raised no fireballs, spread no threatening wings, showed no teeth. She simply stood there proudly but peacefully, and Timbre was relaxed by her demeanor.

[kyto7878]

Moona woke up from his slumber. He was all muddy and got up from the mud. Moona didn't know what was going on all he knew was that he was lost. Moona began padding farther into the Burja prides land until he ran into a blue lioness and a lioness and another lion in the distance.

As Moona padded closer and closer towared the lions. Moona noticed that the blue lion was being questioned so he walked up behind her hiding in the grass trying to hide, but Moona was well seen. As moona watched the 3 lions his canines began to grow larger and larger; they sparkled in the sunlight.

When Moona noticed the size of his canines he shrunk his teeth back to normal size and tried to pounce on top of the blue lioness, but he missed and fell and hit his head on a rock. Moona yelped out "Ooowwwww!!!!"

[Kirsui]

((OOC: Kyto, just to point out, it's day time at the moment))


"Burja, is it? Your pride's name? I am Aquila, and I have been following this rogue out of curiosity. Who might you be, and what is Burja?"

Kirsui was slightly startled when the oddest looking creature she had ever seen appeared there. Sure, a lion with wings was a sight she had never thought to see, but this... This lioness with scales and the tail of a fish... mer-lion?

"Timbre be my name, madam. My apologies...I didn't know I was on anyone's...land."

The long haired lioness turned her gaze back to the blue feline, rather pleased to find out he was polite - and even more pleased to see he was not from Feraga... unless he lied. She kept her suspicions hidden, however... After all, this was the time of war.

So first Kirsui smiled slightly at Timbre, as he was after all the one whom she had stopped.
"A pleasure to meet you, Timbre", she replied, even nodding her head politely at him so that both her hair and the two, large white feathers that were tied on it moved slightly before returning to their previous place.
"And, as a reply to your question, Aquila..."
She nodded now at the mer-lion.
"I am Kirsui, and indeed these are the lands of my pride that goes by the name Burja.."

"We are", Kirsui continued after thinking for a moment, "at war, unfortunately... Our enemies, the Feraga, have kept a low profile for quite some time now... It is only a matter of time when they make their move and strike against us."
She sighed unhappily. She didn't like the whole idea of the war, but she couldn't really wash her hands - or paws - out of the matter and watch her pride get killed.
"That is why I am here, at the border... To check if there is any suspicious activity close the borders."

She paused, examining both the strangers. She wasn't still all too sure about them. Well, Aquila didn't smell of anything else than fresh waters and river plants. But Timbre still carried the scent of Feragas.. He claimed not to be aware these lands belonged to someone, but whether or not he spoke the truth was still uncertain.

Suddenly she felt unsure. She knew that the feathers tied to her hair no longer wore the scent of their original owner, but would Timbre recognize them as feathers from Pulsar's wings?

The distraction she had tried to come up with came, in the form of a small cub who suddenly pounced out of nowhere. Apparently, the little one had tried to surprise Timbre, but he had miscalculated the distance and direction and fell so that he hit his head. Kirsui's gaze flickered to the cub, and then back at Timbre and Aquila.
"And who is this...? Might either of you know this cub?"

[Tamber]

"I am Kirsui, and indeed these are the lands of my pride that goes by the name Burja...We are at war, unfortunately. Our enemies, the Feraga, have kept a low profile for quite some time now. It is only a matter of time when they make their move and strike against us. That is why I am here, at the border... To check if there is any suspicious activity close the borders."

Timbre was relieved to see that the long-haired lioness continued to keep her cool and treat both him and Aquila fairly. For a moment, Timbre thought it strange to behave this way to strangers in a time of war, but he soon realized it was simply because of the unhappy welcome he had received at the other border. This, he thought, was much more diplomatic and practical. Good for her, her thought of Kirsui. I hope the rest of her pride is this kind. Perhaps they would enjoy my company for a while.

But one word uttered by the lioness caught his attention...

"...Feraga..."

So this was the pride that Feraga was so tight on its haunches about! This was Burja, the pride fighting with them, the reason they were so impatiently receptive of him when he entered their land. Timbre was dying to go in great detail of his story with her and the rest of the pride, but for some reason he found it inappropriate and kept his mouth shut. Something inside of him told him to wait to tell the lioness later. That is, assuming he would still be with her later.

A little spuff...clonk rang through Tim's ears, and he looked down between him and Aquila to see a little cub lying in the grass next to a rock. He looked hurt, and Tim's assumption of his membership in Burja was thrown out as Kirsui asked if either of them knew who he was.

"I don't," Timbre replied, trying to avoid comforting the child. He wasn't much for children unless they were in fun, playful moods. Hopefully Aquila would take care of it. Timbre looked up to Kirsui again and let out a short, dry laugh. "We're not sending a wave of newcomers at you on purpose, I swear," he said with a big smile.

[Pulsar]

(Sorry for not posting in a while, and sorry for the length =P)

After the initial blast of sound from Timbre (Which Pulsar ended up having to shield himself from via his wings) Pulsar let out a growl, removing his wings shortly after only to see the outsider darting off in a triumphant array of sound and song.
"Thank the kings... I thought he'd never leave..."
The lion let out in a half annoyed half angered tone of voice. Both pleased to see Timbre leave but angered in the way he left.

"Now... as for you..."
The black and white lion said as he turned his head to look at the companion Timbre had been traveling with.
"what the!?"
He let out, rather surprised to see that the other outsider was also gone.

"huh.."
The winged lion let out a quick, low chuckle as he closed his eyes before finally sighing.
<Seems his friend got the idea and snook away while my back was turned...>
Opening his eyes, he turned to look in the direction the outlander had darted off in. It seemed that the one called Timbre was heading for Burja territory. Not that this meant much to Pulsar, as far as he was concerned, let the Burja deal with that obnoxious little punk.

"I better get back to check on Inlasta... She'll no doubt be waking up by now..."
With that said the winged lion spread out his wings sending a small gust in all directions, rustling the nearby grass and trees.
Pulsar, too occupied with other thoughts hadn't noticed the new outsider that was just a short distance from him, something which would probably come back to him later down the road should the outsider continue toward the Feraga Den.

With a slow flap or two before take off to stretch his wings, Pulsar began walking, which then quickly turned into a run and then a jump, the short action launching him enough into the air to get a decent flap in. And with a mighty stroke of his wings the lion shot off into the sky.
He took in a deep breath as he launched out into the freeing embrace of the air above. Something about being up there had always made the lion feel like he had no worries in the world.
"Sorry my love..."
He said lowly as he looked around at the clear sky and clouds.
"I've no time to stay with you today..."
The lion smiled after speaking, as if he was addressing the sky itself.

"This moment in time is sadly no time for me to have my head in the clouds...."
He continued as his wings tilted and shifted, changing his course and making his way back to the Feraga Den.
"Shesh..."
The lion let out as he shook his head.
"Can't believe I just made a pun as bad as that...."

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

As the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, the light began spreading over the entrance of the Feraga Den. As it touched the eyelids of the sleeping lioness Inlasta, she began to stir from her sleep.

At that moment in time, her crystals began chiming out in celebration of their creators awakening, and thus showing she was ok.

"Ok... I'm awake i'm awake..."
The lioness let out in a low tone as she rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times.
"Ugh... whe-where am I?"
The black and white creature stood to her feet, blinking a few more times as her eyes adjusted themselves to the light of the day.

The crystals all let out a low hum as they took up their usual positions hovering around and above their master.
Inlasta smiled at her 'babies' glad to see that none of them were missing or cracked.
As she recalled the last events she could remember, she began looking around. From what she could recall, her and Pulsar had fallen from the sky and crash landed in a forest somewhere, so the question now was, where was here? Since it certainly wasn't a forest.

It wasn't long before her question was answered, as when she turned her head she was met with a gaze from Mwezi. The sudden shock made the clumsy lioness stumble backward onto her hunches.
"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly from the surprise.
"Oh.... It's you.... Mwezi..."
The lioness let out a sigh of relief to see a familiar face, although one she hadn't seen in ages. Last time Inlasta had seen Mwezi was before she had left with Pulsar on that long patrol and before Mwezi had set out on her little.. well, what ever it was Mwezi had gone to do...

Standing up, Inlasta brushed herself off.
"It's good to see... uhmm, you again..."
She said to Mwezi as she smiled rather sheepishly.
It had been a while since Inlasta had dealt with other animals, since the only company she had had for all that time had been Pulsar.

At that moment, Inlasta's crystals flew over to Mwezi and began circling the feline. While the others just hovered silently, the crystal named Moi began letting out a completely incoherent chime on it's own, although thankfully the sounds was very low.

[Zorayda]

Aquila blinked her ultraviolet eyes rapidly, not used to the air and wind on them.

The long-haired lioness called Kirsui told Aquila that this was, indeed, one of the prides responsible for the war she heard wind of. She also learned that this war was somewhat... unwanted.

"Why are you at war still when you obviously don't wish to be? Have you tried a stalemate, or a truce? Have you negotiated with the other pride?" Aquila asked in her low, melodic voice.

The question remained unanswered, however, because a small cub came from nowhere and leapt at the male--Timbre--but missed and fell in a faceplant.

Aquila remained unfazed and decided to ignore the cub unless it spoke to her--she was not so great when it came to following a maternal instinct. Perhaps Kirsui, who had a kind face--although it looked as if she'd matured mentally rather quickly--would take care of the problem.

She didn't smile at Timbre's little joke, but it wasn't because she didn't think he was funny. She simply wasn't used to speaking with others of her own... well, you couldn't call them her own species, but still...

"I am no newcomer," she said rather stiffly. "I have lived in these lands for a very, very long time, no matter who wishes to claim them. I prefer not to show myself unless the peace is disturbed," she said, glancing at Kirsui.

******

((OOC: How do you make a break again?))

BIC:

Reicheru saw the winged lion head back into the cave, and noticed that the cute-looking black and teal lion had vanished along with his friend. Rey pouted. What a shame.

She walked until she came upon the mouth of the den, wobbling slightly with light-headedness. A black... cheetah-lion-thing was there, wearing a pretty ornament around her neck.

"Um... hello?" she said cautiously.

Then, the cheelioness was surrounded by small glowing crystals, and a black-and-white lioness was there, greeting her.

Uh-oh... I hope they don't get mad at me for intruding... Cool crystals, though!

Reicheru's vision began to swim slightly with the head injury she'd acquired.

"Umm.... not ta be a bovver, or anysheeng, but... could... you be... kin'.... 'nuff--t-to..." Reicheru slurred, suddenly feeling sleepy. Her eyelids fluttered and only the whites of them showed.

And then she passed out cold on the floor at the feet of the two lionesses, completely at their mercy.

[kyto7878]

Moona heard Kirsui as who he ws so he responded with i sigh "My name is Moona. I lost my mom and dad and i havent seen them in 3 days. Moona layed down on the ground still hurting from the pain of his face. Suddently after Moona layed a cricket jumped up from behind him and landed on his nose.

Moona got up a while later and streched allowing his claws to feel the earth. Moona walked up to Kirsui and asked her " Have you seen a Panther (Black Lepord) around anywhere? Shes my mom."

[Kirsui]

The expression on Mwezi's face might have been calm and relaxed, but everything else in her told the opposite. She stood impatiently, her dark teal gaze flickering from one movement of her pride mates to another. Her tail flicked behind her, hitting both her hind legs in turn, and she almost tapped the ground with one of her front paws.
'I swear', she thought, 'if Inlasta will not wake soon I will... huh?'
The cheelion's head turned as she heard someone move in Inlasta's direction.

"Oh! Oh.... It's you.... Mwezi..."

Mwezi couldn't help the amused chuckle that escaped her when she saw the surprised expression on Inlasta's face turn into a sheepish smile.
"It is good to see you awake, Inlasta", she replied to the horned lioness.
"You were knocked out for some time. Pulsar mentioned the landing was not ah... the best possible one."

Suddenly she found herself surrounded by Inlasta's crystals. She couldn't help but laugh, especially so when one of the crystals begun chiming. She had never been good in remembering the names of these crystals, but she sure remembered now how amusing they could be every now and then.

Suddenly Mwezi's laughter died and her head twirled around. She was right, she had heard someone speak out weakly, and that someone happened to stand there now. She was about to hiss out at the stranger, she hadn't forgotten how rude the previous two wanderers had been before Pulsar had guided them away...

But something stopped her from hissing, even though her eyes still flashed with slight annoyance. Something in this stranger was different.

"Umm.... not ta be a bovver, or anysheeng, but... could... you be... kin'.... 'nuff--t-to..."

The stranger passed out in the middle of what she was saying. Mwezi glanced at Inlasta, then back at the stranger. Great, what were they supposed to do with this stranger now? They couldn't just leave her there, but they couldn't really tell her to get off their lands either!

In her mind the dark cheelion cursed her bad luck as she slowly begun to move towards the unconscious stranger. It seemed she'd be forced to remain glued to the Den for a bit longer...

---

"I don't. We're not sending a wave of newcomers at you on purpose, I swear."

Kirsui chuckled slightly.
"No, I didn't think you were doing that."
Then her attention was back at Aquila, who told she had lived on these lands for a long time. Kirsui lifted an eyebrow slightly, but decided not to ask more how that was possible without anyone noticing her before. The mer-lion was rather odd sight, so would a long age be such a hard thing to understand?

She then turned to look at the cub who now stood at her feet. She smiled pleasantly at Moona, listening to every word he had to say.
"No, unfortunately I have not. There are not many leopards around these parts, and even less black panthers."
She glanced at Timbre and Aquila, and sighed mentally. It seemed that looking after the cub would fall on her shoulders, since both of the two newcomers didn't seem all too keen on having anything to do with Moona.

Too bad for her, because she too had other, more pressing matters that required her attention than just looking after Moona.

Then she figured out what to do. Moona obviously couldn't be left alone, and so perhaps she could bring the cub with her to the Den. And what came to the two others, Timbre and Aquila...
"I have some matters that require my attention at our Den", she told Timbre and Aquila.
"Would you want to come with me? If not, unfortunately I would have to ask you to leave our lands at once. That would be a shame, for I would gladly speak with both of you."

Then she looked at Moona.
"And you, young one", she said, "can come with me as well. You could ask my pride members if they have seen your mother at other parts of our lands. If not, then you are free to stay with us as long as you like."

[Zorayda]

Aquila nodded slowly and graciously.

"Of course I will come with you," she said with the air of politeness. Aquila noticed that her questions had been expertly evaded, but she didn't push any further on the thought. She didn't believe in being rude. Aquila's nose twitched as she glanced at Timbre. Something about him told her that he didn't quite have the extra-polite gene in him.

Aquila was grateful to Kirsui for taking in the cub. It was simply something that she wasn't prepared to handle.

---

Reicheru twitched in her unconscious state, dreaming. She saw blurred images of... something. The only thing she saw was... colors.

Cream, white, gray... why were they so familiar?

She felt more than saw the black cheelioness approach her, and her eyelids flickered.

"Ow..." she whispered, and then giggled to herself softly. Wait, pain wasn't funny. Rey guessed that she needed some serious therapy.

Without lifting her head or opening her eyes, she said "Sorry for... falling on your... floor..."

[kyto7878]

Moona was excited about getting to see the Lions den; he had never been in a lions den before he had always slept in the trees with the other black lepords. Moona asked "Umm Kirsui where is the lions den?" Moona began padding a little bit away looking for a bug. Moona noticed a butterfly in the grass and pounced to get it. When Moona got it he let it flutter away into the trees. Moona smiled as he watched the butterfly fly away.

Moona found a rock and layed there thinking about where his mom and dad could be.

[Tamber]

Timbre grinned a big cheezy, toothless smile at Kirsui when she invited him and Aquila to join her. It was fortunate, the ease in which he was able to weasel into this pride. "Sounds good to me," he said happily as he stood up and began following the long-haired, angelic lioness. He felt some guilt for leaving her to care for the cub, at least for now, but he knew it wasn't a god idea for him to take it in. I'd certainly screw the little thing up. But all cubs need play time! he thought as he pictured himself goofing off with poor Moona and teaching him to be a little rascal like himself.

So Timbre had made his way into yet another pride. Something was definitely special about this time around. He had never had relations with a pride at war before, and Timbre laughed devilishly to himself at the thought of coming upon that crazy Pulsar again. I can't wait to chew that old man out again.

[Kirsui]

"Umm Kirsui where is the lions den?"

The long haired lioness chuckled lightly, her blue eyes sparkled lightly in amusement.
"Follow me."
She begun to lead the trio towards the centre of the lands that her pride claimed as theirs. Though her ears twitched, listening for unexpected noises, and though her gaze swept over the area as if she was constantly on guard, her mind already worked on something else. The question that Aquila had spoken, it was fresh in her mind.

"Why are you at war still when you obviously don't wish to be? Have you tried a stalemate, or a truce? Have you negotiated with the other pride?"

Why indeed...? She doubted anyone remembered the real reason for the war, or if they did... Well, she hadn't met any. She knew only the most recent events in the war zone, but she knew the war had been going on much longer than that.

Pushing that question aside, she thought of the two suggestions Aquila had mentioned. Truce... negotiation... She chuckled bitterly. There was no way Feraga would discuss with them now. And even if a negotiator from Burja would reach Feragas and manage to stay alive... No, there was no way the enemy pride would listen.

So deep in thought she was that she didn't notice how fast the time - and distance - passed. But as she noticed familiar sounds in the air, she finally broke from her thoughts and lifted her gaze fro the ground. All troubles that might have been on her face were gone now, and a small smile spread to her lips.
"Welcome", she said to the three felines that followed her, "to the Burja Den."

Kirsui could see the guards watch their arrival closely. She could almost taste their confusion when they saw she wasn't returning alone. But she simply nodded at the guards with her head, greeting them and thus sending one of them to race about the den to inform that she had returned.

[Zorayda]

Aquila noted that, upon arrival, the Burja guards looked worn, tired, and overly suspicious. Upon closer inspection, she saw the tired and hardened expression that comes only from war. She shrugged her shoulders and stretched, her muscles tired from being unused to regular gravity.

She waited patiently just at the mouth of the cave, which looked peaceful, quiet, and dry--she would not enter until it was clear that she was invited in. She did not greet any of the Burja members except with a slow nod of her head as they passed by her or caught her eye.

So these are the lions who have suffered so much, she thought, looking at every lion and imagining their individual talents and personalities and likes and dislikes. Each of them contribute to our world, and here they are, so downcast and hard-hearted... She closed her eyes in silent grief for a brief moment and then regained her composure, sitting on her haunches and carefully moving her strong tail aside.

[Pulsar]

Inlasta was just about to approach her old friend Mwezi, that was... Until an unknown lioness stumbled toward them. The suddenness of the event made Inlasta withdraw backwards slightly for she knew not who this new female was and their face did not seem familiar at all.

The horned lioness just stood there looking on in confusion as the outsider did her best to dribble words out of her mouth before collapsing. Sensing their masters concern and confusion, the crystals were all too quick to cease their hovering around Mwezi and return to orbiting around Inlasta.

The black and white lioness had hopped that her friend would know what to do, but when she looked at Mwezi she could see that they were both in the same sense of uncertainty.

"Sorry for... falling on your... floor..."

The outsider said to them both, her words seeming to draw little more reaction other then more confusion as to who she was and what she was doing here.

Inlasta opened her mouth to speak and ask of who the lioness was, but her questions were halted as a familiar sound caught her attention. The lioness' ears perked up as she turned her head to where the sound was coming from. As she turned her eyes caught sight of Pulsar diving down out from high in the sky.

At tremendous speed the male dropped down, through the clouds, almost looking like he was about to crash into the ground the close he got. But just as he came within jumping distance from the ground, his wings quickly shifted and with one flap his speed was reduced from everything to nothing. It took one or two more slow gestures of his wings before his body was gently lowered to the earth.

"Inlasta! You're awake!"
He said rather overjoyed at the site as he walked toward both his friends, his wings tucking and folding inward.
"I see Mwezi took good care of you while I was gone!"
He continued in a cheery voice as he got closer to them. Inlasta's expression of confusion as she looked at him didn't seem to hit the male lion until, that was, the outsider came into view.
"It's good to know that I can, always count.... on... you......"
The yellow maned lion's sentence to Mwezi drew to a slow hault as he got closer and closer to them and the new creature with them.

Pulsar everntually stopped walking when he was beside both Mwezi and Inlasta, but his gaze never ventured toward either, it stayed fixed on the new face.
<A lioness....>
He tought to himself as he looked at her.
"Who's this?"
He said tilting his head to show he was speaking to Mwezi but keeping his gaze on the currently presumed outsider. After all Pulsar had been gone a while, he had no way of knowing who was in the pride, this female could just be another pride member.

"she just kinda....."
Inlasta spoke briefly in a voice that quickly faded to a whisper.
"She just came out of nowhere and collapsed here... I don't know who she is..."
The horned lioness continued in the same quietly sheepish tone of voice.

Pulsar looked at Inlasta briefly before looking back at the unknown lioness, his eyes scanning her over seeing if there was anything of note, like marking or maybe some feature that might show she had powers, however, the only thing that caught his eye was the bump on the lioness' forehead.
"Mwezi? care to share some insight?"

The male asked as he motioned his head toward the cheelion. Again as before though, his gaze remained fixed on the female in front of them.
Pulsar walked over to the unknown lioness and sat down in front of her, while he waited for a reply from Mwezi.
The lioness seemed to be dazed at the moment, so Pulsar seen no need to be too concerned.
Leaning down slightly, he used one paw and lifted up the female tuft of fur that covered her fringe. The bump seemed rather nasty, but that wasn't the first thing that caught the male's eye.
<odd....>
Tilting his head for a better look the male could see a strange purple mark on the females forehead.
<hmm.....>

"Seems she's hurt..."
The winged lion said as he withdrew his paw and stood up before taking a step or two back so the others could see the outsider once more.

[Zorayda]

Reicheru winced slightly as one of the pride lions checked the bump on her head.

"Ouch..." she said, but the pain made her wake up. She slowly raised her head to find that she was surrounded by a bunch of the den's members.

"Ummm... sorry about that..." she said sheepishly. "My name is Reicheru, and unfortunately, I can't tell you much more than that--thanks to this," she said, her emerald eyes looking up at her head.

Suddenly her head swam with pain, and she closed her eyes and lay her head down.

Through slightly gritted teeth, she asked, "Would any of you happen to know how to cure a really big headache?"

[Lorien]

As Lorien waited for Satoba's reaction, her eyes strayed to the land that she called home. She saw a guard coming toward them and feared the worst. Was Feraga attacking? A sigh of relief escaped her muzzle when she realized he was announcing the return of Kirsui, their new leader.

Finally! She had found Kirsui, and she could see the light creamy lioness, her long hair giving her away. However, she also saw three others along with her. I wonder who they are... The lioness looked over at Satoba, her feet frantic to get away and tell Kirsui of what she knew. "Sorry Satoba, Kirsui's come back. I've got to go tell her about Xena!"

With that, she walked from the den now seeing that Kirsui and the other three had arrived. She bowed her head slightly to the others in introduction. Forgetting that she had been gone a while and that it might come as a shock to the new leader that she had returned, Lorien began speaking.

"Kirsui! I'm so glad that you've returned. I have news of Feraga that everyone in the pride should know! We could all be in danger..." She was breathing slightly heavier than normal seeing as she was so excited, but not in the good way. She waited for a reply before bombarding Kirsui with the news of Xena's death.
___________________
Paws made their way across the vast savanna, leaving imprints behind as the body they carried marched forward. Blood dripped from the mouth of the lioness, a cold, glazed look upon her face. The zebra, usually a hard catch for even a few lionesses, had hardly put up a struggle. Shehad made sure of that. She had watched as the equine writhed in pain as she slowly induced the worst pain she had ever conjured up upon the animal. She ignored the ever growing pain in her own head, enjoying watching the animal suffer. Finally with a quick snap of the neck, the zebra stopped it's writhing and breathing. She had ripped through the carcass, the pain from her telepathic excursion numb to the thoughts in her head, driving her mad. She had envisioned the zebra to be that fluffy-tailed lioness, the one who had drained her of her energy, of her very life force and had left her for dead on the battle field. But she wasn't dead. It would have been better for that little brat had she taken the life completely away.

Asuka was going to have her revenge, once and for all.

Her feet thumped upon the ground, sending dust spouting out from beneath them. The cold stare upon her face was unmoving. Her scarred eye had completely glazed over now, a constant reminder of that coward lioness. While her mind focused on one thing, the death of that brat, her mouth muttered incomprehensible words, just the ramblings of a lioness gone mad. She had picked herself off of the ground, alone at their makeshift den, having finally regained the strength to move again. She didn't know how the little lioness had done it, but she had sucked out everything from her. Now, with Feraga's den in sight, she slightly came out of her trance. She could see Sumai atop the den but did not see Xena anywhere. She saw others around the mouth, but could not focus as well as usual with the loss of one eye's vision.

Her head hung low as did her tail. She used to be so nice. Of course, Asuka could not remember those days. Her memory was cut at the day of the first battle with Burja. The lioness that had come before that, the motherly, kind lioness, was gone. It was like a new being had taken possession of Asuka's body. She licked at her lips, the blood having dried to the tan fur around them. She didn't care of how she looked at the moment. She was still a bit physically weak, but the food that was passing through her body was helping to bring back her strength. As she approached the den, she looked around for the black leader. She couldn't spot her, but she did see three faces that she had not in a long time. I see Pulsar and Inlasta are back from their little trip...and Mwezi too. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to look around for Xena to tell her of her return. She nodded her head to Sumai as she entered the den. Her eye then came upon the newcomer whom she did not recognize.

"Where's Xena?" she asked the three that she had not seen in a long time, not even acknowledging their return. Her voice had gotten colder and even now had a slight rasp to it. No, this was not the same lioness from before the war.

[Kirsui]

"Mwezi? care to share some insight?"

The cheelion's gaze was focused on the stranger even as Pulsar asked her this question. There was something odd about this lioness, but she couldn't quite figure out what.
"I would gladly", she replied finally as the winged lion moved closer to the newcomer and examined her injuries.
"But I am as confused as you are, my friend..."

Then the newcomer seemed to wake. Reicheru, hm? No, that name didn't sound familiar at all. Mwezi's expression remained blank when Reicheru asked if anyone could heal a headache. Her eyes had narrowed slightly in suspicion. What if this lioness was... a spy?

"Where's Xena?"

Surprisingly enough, the dark cheelion was visibly startled when a new voice spoke. She blinked her draconic eyes, and only then seemed to realize who it was that had spoken. It took a moment from her to recognize the tan lioness, so different she looked when compared to her memories.
"Asuka...?"
Was this really the same creature? The Asuka Mwezi remembered had been a gentle looking creature. This Asuka had dried blood around her muzzle, her other eye was glazed into a blank white orb, and from her tone the cheelion could detect hatred.

Then, she snapped out of the surprised state and made the blank, calm expression return again.
"I thought you would have known, Asuka", she said carefully.
"Xena is dead. Killed off by Burjas. Sumai has the lead now."

---

Kirsui, though she wasn't directly looking, noticed Aquila's reaction upon coming to the Den. She wondered for a moment what exactly went through the mer-lion's head, but she chose not to ask of it. Everyone had their rights for their own thoughts, after all...

"Kirsui!"

The long-haired lioness' ears perked up at the familiar voice, and a wide, happy smile spread to her lips when she saw the grey lioness approach her.
'Lorien...'
She was happy to see her friend again. For a while she had thought she would never see her again.

"I'm so glad that you've returned. I have news of Feraga that everyone in the pride should know! We could all be in danger..."

The smile disappeared from her face as a serious, concerned expression took its place. She could tell from the way Lorien behaved that these news were very important. And so she nodded. These news were much more important, she was sure, than the three quests they had received.
"Then do tell me, Lor", she said.
"I can call up a pride meeting and tell the news to everyone, but I'd gladly know what the news are about before I'll do that."

[Lorien]

Lorien nodded and gazed at the other three slightly before returning her focus to Kirsui. "I ran into Chaza while I was away..." At this she winced a little, knowing that Kirsui had not been too fond of the rogue, however, she didn't leave room for rebuttal of her actions. "He had left Feraga, and I learned that Xena is dead. Auri killed her that night when they reclaimed their den..."

She looked out over Kirsui's shoulder, toward the land of their enemies. "They'll surely want revenge after this..." She then turned her attention back to the Burja den, a few of the pride members coming out at the return of their leader. "I don't know if you knew of this already, my having been gone and all, but if not....Well, I would prepare everyone for the worst."

This war certainly had changed Lorien. She used to be so carefree and full of youth, but the war had aged her faster than she would have on her own. She was concerned for the safety of her pride and was frightened at what lie ahead.
_________________________
Asuka spat onto the cold rock ground, cursing under her breath. "Those Burja scum; they will surely pay for their foolishness..." She then looked to the group, not acknowledging the stranger. "I see you are all back from your travels. This bodes well for our war effort. We will finally have some of our strength back on the lines."

The dark teal eye then shot to the stranger, her eyebrow furrowed a little. "And who is this?" She sniffed the air to see if she recognized the scent. "She doesn't smell of Burja, at least." Not caring past the fact that she was simply a stranger, Asuka returned to the outside of the den to make her presence known to Sumai.

"I've heard of Xena's death," she said, approaching the firey male. "They will be sorry for what they have done; we will make sure of it."

[kyto7878]

Moona was confused on what to do now so he went up to Kirsui and asked her "Where do i stay?" Moona looked at her curiously and began to flick his tail.