Part 4: Red Sky

[KanuTGL]

Dawn. A new day was here.

Satoba couldn't see it, but he knew instinctively that the sun was rising. A shiver went down his spine. The morning air was still cold, the sun hadn't had time to warm it up yet, but something else had caused the shiver too. He couldn't quite put his paw on what it was, but he had a very uneasy feeling in his stomach. As if something big and ominous was looming above them... Like the kind of feeling one would get looking at big black storm clouds in the distance. Only Satoba had never seen any. Either way, he didn't like the feeling one bit and he hoped that it was just a feeling; that it didn't mean anything and wasn't a warning about something that was about to happen... But something told him that this was not so.

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

The sun rose and coloured the sky blood red. Sumai was slightly nervous, but at the same time he was excited about what would happen once the sun had set again. The pride was still sound asleep and the night had been peaceful, which was just what they had needed. The old lion took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and felt quite rejuvenated. He looked forward to tonight battle. It would be nice to finally show those Burja characters who the true rulers around here were...

OOC: Kinda short, but it's a start :P

[Zorayda]

((Reposting with a little added flair, and I'm introducing Zor into the Feraga pride. ^^ Oh, and I'm borrowing Kanu's boldfaced speech idea, because this post is so long.))

Reicheru stood behind her little hiding spot, the large boulder, in front of the Burja pride and their meeting together. The others were whispering so that the young, pale yellow lioness couldn't hear them, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

The wind touseled Rey's shock of spiky fur between her pointed ears, revealing the purple mark under the fur. Her ability, telekinesis and a mild form of telepathic communication, was flaring up with her impatience and anxiety, and the purple mark glowed softly. Some of the pebbles at her feet danced in circles as her mind raced with her troubled thoughts.

Reicheru ran through the events that had led to this, her hiding and crouching behind this boulder with no home to go to...

The Burja pride, as she'd heard the Feragas call them while she was held captive there, seemed to cause her to have some sort of deja vu, as if she'd seen the faces in the pride somewhere before, as if she'd heard some of their voices. Even the leader, with her pale fur and long hair. Reicheru knew that she'd seen a lioness like that before...

The bump on the young lioness' head still throbbed. She'd woken up with it in the middle of nowhere, right next to the river. Then she wandered into the Feraga den, where she was treated medically but was also imprisoned due to their sheer paranoia. It seemed that they were at war with the Burjas across the plain and across the river. The quick acquaintance she'd made with a fierce telepathic lioness named Asuka had told her that the Feragas bitterly hated the Burja.

After some time, a lone blue feline had bolted down from the sky and slammed through the bars of her cage, breaking them and freeing Rey. She used the opportunity to send out her bullets and a thin, high pitched and piercing "scream" into the minds of the others, distracting them enough for her to run. Asuka had warned her telepathically that they were now enemies, and that it would be wise to never return to the Feraga pride.

Now she stood, staring at the young leader. Reicheru did not know this lioness' name, but she did so remind her of someone.

Then, an idea shot through Reicheru's mind, like a bolt of lightning. It caused her to straighten her spine instantly and for her pupils to reduce to pinpoints. The leader lioness DID remind Reicheru of someone--someone who was the leader of HER pride, a pride to which she BELONGED. The faces, the voices...of course she remembered these lions! They were her family! They were her pride! The memories flooded back into her head of herself as a cub, growing up here with the others.

And her leader...this lioness before her was not she, but Rey remembered the name...

"Ina..."

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

Zorayda tossed and turned in a restless sleep, a feeling of unease causing her insomnia. Her stomach felt queasy and her brows knitted together in worry. An attack on the Burja by sundown...no matter how much she hated the Burja for killing so many of her pride, Zor never felt right about harming anything. She was one of Feraga's 'birds' in the sky, an attacker and scout from the air.

She finally couldn't take it anymore and stood up, shaking out her indigo fur and stretching out her sizeable gray wings. Her skin twitched in irritation at the flies that surrounded her and bit her, and she flicked her wings in annoyance. She turned to see the silhouette of a large lion against the scarlet sky; it wasn't hard to figure out that it was her leader, the mighty Sumai. Zorayda blinked her mismatched eyes--one icy blue, the other milky white--against the steadily brightening sky and sighed.

She padded out towards Sumai, her blotchy blue paws making no noise though her body was rather stocky. She stood a bit behind and to the right of him, where he could see her out of the corner of his eye so she did not startle him.

"Good morning, Lord Sumai," she sighed. The wind tossed about the horselike 'mane' that covered her right eye and traveled down her neck, and she stretched out her wings to feel the breeze ruffle her feathers. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, her voice conveying her worries for her pride.

[kyto7878]

(I cant leave TLKGO This is like a home to me)

Moona layed in the cave as his wounds began to heal. And he began to regain statibility. He yelled out for a second "Wheres Onto!? Oreo!" moona's face was all beaten up from the fight he had gotten into and his fangs felt uneased like he needed to gnaw on something. Moona walked outside of the cave and yelled again "Onto!Oreo!"

[Kirsui]

"Good morning, Satoba."

Kirsui emerged from the den and came to stand beside the Burja healer. She gazed at the sunrise, and shivered at its blood red colours. She felt troubled. Something was amiss, but she couldn't quite point out what it was. The feeling crawled under her skin and made her feel anxious.

"Do you feel it?" she asked quietly.
"The pressure? As if something is looming over us..."
She shook her head.
"The sky is blood red", the young leader told to Satoba who couldn't see the sky's colour.
"I have never seen a sky as red as this... It makes me feel uneasy..."

"Ina..."

Kirsui blinked, and turned her gaze from the sky to who had spoken. Her gaze fell upon a pale yellow lioness. The lioness looked otherwise fairly normal, but it was the purple swirl on her forehead, barely hidden by the hair tuft on the lioness' head, that caused Kirsui to blink again and stare at the lioness.

"Reicheru...?"
She was positive that was this lioness' name. She had seen her among the pride, until one day Reicheru had disappeared. And now... She was back, and the young leader smiled.
"Reicheru... You have returned..."
She took a step closer, then halted when she remembered what the pale yellow lioness had called her.
"Rei... Do you remember me? I'm Kirsui."

---

Mwezi smiled with half closed eyes as she watched the sun rise. It was as if the sky itself was giving them a signal of what would be ahead of them later today. And the cheelion was thrilled.

"A blood red sky is a signal of a Great Battle. Embrace it, and you shall be victorious. Fear it, and you shall face your defeat."

Mwezi touched her amulet with her paw and her smile transformed into a faint grin. She could remember her father say those words to her. It had been when she had been just a cub, back when her mother too had still been alive. But she remembered her father's words, and today they would be at the top of her mind.

"Good morning, Lord Sumai. Are you ready for this?"

The dark cheelion turned to gaze at the two figures below her. She had spent her night outside at the highest point of the Feraga Den, guarding the Den while gathering strength from the star and moon so that she would be strong in the coming battle. And now, in the silent morning air, she heard Zorayda speak to their leader with a worried voice.

Mwezi stood up and stretched her muscles. She then shook her fur, getting rid of the morning dew that had gotten stuck on her silky fur. She then began to climb down from her lookout spot. She could have easily floated down as a cloud of mist, or she could have commanded the air to lift her and bring her down to Sumai and Zorayda. And normally she would have, but today she would not waste a single drop of energy even on simple things such as this when she could just as well walk down the steep path.

It took her quite some time to get down from the top of the den, and so she wasn't sure if Sumai had already answered Zorayda's question. She approached the two with that slight, excited grin still on her muzzle.

"Good Morning, My Lord", she said and bowed slightly at Sumai, then turned and nodded at the winged feline. "Zorayda..."

She then looked at the sky, and felt the thrilling shiver go through her body.
"Beautiful sky we have this morning", she remarked.

[epppe]

Arjuna woke up slowly to the sight of the sun as it rose for another day. The way the sun painted the sky blood red sent a jolt of excitement go through his body. He knew that today was going to be full of fun by just looking as the sun kept rising.

Starting to get a little jittery now, he started to teleport across the planes again just so he wouldn't be so bored. This continued until he found the Feraga den where he stood far enough away to be unnoticed hopefully. Not wanting to expose himself, he stayed in cover until figuring out who was who. The first thing he noticed was a group of three, one of them he remembers seeing at the last little battle.

Doing what he typically does, Arjuna teleported right behind the dark cheelion to here her comment.
"You got that right, nothin more beautiful than a bloody red sky." Arjuna replied to her in an almost sarcastic tone but with a smile on his face.

He turned his attention to who he thought was the leader by looking over the cheelion to see him.
"You look familiar, Have we met before? Oh wait, you were just an illusion last time,"He said before making his typical rude comment, "you looked much more threatening as an illusion, grandpa"

[xscar10]

Kituko was walking up a path, when he came to a pride.
"Hmm, I haven't come across another pride in a while." He walked into the pride, almost 7 foot tall he was standing well above the others. With every step his hooves rustled the grass. He looked to the sky, the red dawn was beautiful, he slinked down on all fours to smell the ground, stood up and continued walking.

[Kirsui]

((OOC: just to clear it out, which pride are you referring to, xscar?))

[xscar10]

((OOC:The Feraga))

[KanuTGL]

OOC: *creaky sounds come from the writings* Bah, suddenly I feel very rusty ;_; The Writer's block has caught me...

Xscar, your character is signed up as Feraga - are you a member that has been away for some time and came back or are you planning to actually join them now? If it's the latter, I could see a problem, as Sumai isn't particularly welcoming towards strangers, and especially not right now just before a battle xP

Also... "you looked much more threatening as an illusion, grandpa" - Hahaha XD

IC: "Good morning, Lord Sumai."

It was Zorayda. The old lion turned his head to look at her and then greeted the purple lioness with a nod, but said nothing.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked, concern in her voice.

Sumai sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the gentle breeze stroke his face, as if he was in deep though over what his reply would be. "Yes." was the simple answer. "As ready as I have ever been." He knew what Zorayda's opinion of the war was, and how it must trouble her that they were going to battle tonight. He opened his eyes again. "Are you?" Here in the morning's stillness, it was strange to imagine that the evening would bring so much chaos. And so much pain. Sumai hoped he would be able to make the strike swift and the casualties few. They had already lost many and it wasn't with ease that the leader put his pride and family at risk. "But it is the only way." he thought.

Mwezi soon joined them. Sumai returned the bow and couldn't help but grin slightly at the cheelion's remark about the sky. "Indeed." he said, holding back a chuckle. For a moment the nervous feeling vanished and the general's excitement returned. "Tonight is the night."

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Satoba noticed Kirsui approaching, but he did not stir. "Good morning, milady." They sat there for a moment, unaware that their opposing leaders were doing the exact same thing on the other side of the border, in silence.

"Do you feel it? The pressure? As if something is looming over us..." Kirsui's voice was quiet and she, too, seemed subdued this morning. "The sky is blood red. I have never seen a sky as red as this... It makes me feel uneasy..."

"Yes." the young male replied. His voice was as quiet as hers, as if he didn't dare to speak too loud. "I can feel it. Something is going to happen... and I'm not liking it..." Satoba turned his head away from where he knew the sun was rising and appeared to instead be looking at his front paws, but the dull, grey eyes saw nothing. What could this feeling of foreboding mean...? Then a third voice pierced the silence. For this Satoba was glad, as the silence felt almost stifling. It was a familiar voice; one he hadn't heard in a long time! "Reicheru...!" he whispered in surprise. Sure enough, there was her familiar purple glow below them. She had returned!

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

And suddenly their moment of peace was gone. Out of nowhere, in a flash of lightning, came a strange tan-furred lion with a leg that seemed to be made out of electricity.

"You got that right, nothin more beautiful than a bloody red sky."

Sumai was on his feet in an instant and stared, ears flat and eyes wide, at the new lion. It wasn't often that someone managed to surprise him to that extent. He quickly regained his composure. Was this the troublesome one that Pulsar had warned him about? The stranger looked to Sumai:

"You look familiar, Have we met before? Oh wait, you were just an illusion last time,"

Yes, Pulsar had mentioned that part of the ordeal too. Quite interesting.

"you looked much more threatening as an illusion, grandpa"

But that was it. With a growl, Sumai conjured up his flames and leaped towards the intruder. He purposely didn't try and catch him, but landed a step away from him. Attacking straight away wasn't very noble; an honourable fighter would give his opponent a chance to flee if they so wished. On the other hand, judging from what Pulsar had reported, it probably wouldn't be so bad if Sumai decided to cut him down here and now... The roaring fire surrounded the red lion like an aura. In the red sunlight, fire and feline seemed to blend into a single being; only Sumai's black mane and emerald green eyes marked where the fire ended and the lion began. "I don't know who you are, but you do best to disappear as quickly as you came, or I'll turn you to ash right here and now!" he hissed, the voice also seeming to blend with the fire's roar.

[xscar10]

((He is actualy rejoining, he left the pride in the past and is back.))

[KanuTGL]

OOC: Okay, good; just checking ^^

[epppe]

"I don't know who you are, but you do best to disappear as quickly as you came, or I'll turn you to ash right here and now!"

Arjuna just held his position with an even bigger smile than before. He could feel the heat right on his face and it was starting to dry out his eyes. This alone set a small shiver through Arjuna's back from just the excitement.

"That's more like it gramps, maybe you've still got a little ferocity in that withered body of yours" Arjuna said letting out a laugh right in the red lion's face, "But that's not gonna help enough."

Lifting his electrical paw, Arjuna reached right into the fire that Sumai had created. He knew fire had no effect on his electricity, and the electricity could surround his body in an instant
"Why does it seem fire users are always the first to make threats and yet the easiest to take down?"
Teleporting to the side of Sumai facing in the same way, Arjuna had his shield on and wondered who looked better at the moment.

"Hey miss lion cheetah thingy person, who looks more threatening at the moment?" Laughing yet again, Arjuna gave a small friendly nudge to Sumai giving him a small shock by accident. "Whoops, sorry about that little buddy, hope I didn't hurt ya."

[Zorayda]

Zorayda sighed in answer to her lord's question.

"I don't know, sir," she replied honestly. "I know that we must avenge the deaths of our own, but...I will not enjoy the war. I will not enjoy killing another being, no matter how horrible the deeds they've done," she said. "But I will fight with every ounce of skill, strength, and speed, if only for our former leader Xena, may she rest in peace, and all who have died against the Burja."

Zor flicked an ear when she heard Mwezi, earrings jangling. Zorayda had always liked the dark cheelioness, admiring her skill and her unshakeable personality.

"Good morning, Mwezi, Zorayda said, trying to inject the phrase with her usual cheerfulness and failing miserably.

Then a new lion showed up and began insulting her leader. Zor was shocked that the feline was able to sneak up so quietly, and also because he used such a rude tone with Lord Sumai.

The purple lioness bared her teeth and growled, her fur standing on end and her wings outstretched to make herself look bigger. "You will not treat Lord Sumai with such disrespect," she snarled, but didn't move to attack. She would wait for her leader's order.

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

The pale yellow lioness startled when she was suddenly addressed by members of her....former pride. It was strange, hearing them say her name...strange, seeing them when she barely remembered them....

"You're..." Rey struggled to find the names, and she knew that the long haired lioness was NOT Ina, but someone else. Then someone else called to her, becknoning her, welcoming her. Rey couldn't grasp the name of that one, either....

Tears started to fill her eyes as she grew more frustrated, and the purple swirl on her forehead glowed steadily. "I can't...I can't remember your names...." she moaned. Reicheru told them her story, of how she had hit her head and had been captured by the Feragas.

"...and then Asuka told me to watch out coming back because they would probably attack me," she finished. "They said we were at war....but I can't remember. Why are we at war with them....? And could you...could you please tell me your names again...?" she asked sheepishly, her eyes guiltily looking towards the ground.

[Kirsui]

"I can't...I can't remember your names...."

Kirsui's ears flattened momentarily, then a slightly sad but still friendly smile came to her face.
"It's all right", she said.
"You'll remember in time... I'm sure you will."

She listened as Reicheru told her story, how she had ran to the Feraga pride, and how she had escaped. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Reicheru had returned... But she had lost her memory. She couldn't even imagine what the pale yellow lioness felt like at that moment when she struggled to summon forth the small pieces of memories that she still had.

"They said we were at war....but I can't remember. Why are we at war with them....? And could you...could you please tell me your names again...?"

"Don't be ashamed that you can't remember", the long haired lioness said.
"I'm Kirsui, the leader of this pride. Ina, whose name you remembered, was the leader of this pride, Burja, until she stepped down and left. She gave the leadership to me, and I try to lead this pride the best I can on these... troubled times."
She looked at Satoba then, and smiled faintly.
"This is Satoba, our healer. He was here before Ina left, and he has saved many Burjas. I don't know what we would do if he would not be here with us."

She paused, then looked at the red sky before returning her gaze at Reicheru.
"We are in a war with Feraga", she explained.
"But... No one remembers why. It has been raging on for years, possibly for generations, and the original reason has become... blurred. Perhaps it was food, or merely the land,or perhaps our two prides came here when there wasn't as much water and they fought over waterholes."

She shook her head, and her long hair waved slightly. The two white feathers she had in her hair moved against her fur, and she momentarily wondered when she would be forced to use them.

"Which ever way it was", she continued after a moment of silence, "the Feragas certainly think it all was our fault. There were some... events, that happened before I joined this pride, and during those events Feragas lost their leader. Sumai, who leads them now, is most likely planning an attack against us."
She sighed, and gazed at the red sky with a troubled face.
"I fear it might be soon..."

---

"You got that right, nothin more beautiful than a bloody red sky."

Mwezi was startled, and she hissed like a provoked snake when she turned her head sharply to face the intruder. The lion, with a very strange, electrical leg, fit the description she had gotten from Pulsar. He had said this lion was a pain, and by the looks of what happened next, Pulsar's hadn't lied. She rolled her eyes when the fool insulted Sumai and teleported around.

"Hey miss lion cheetah thingy person, who looks more threatening at the moment?"

"I happen to know that you look ridiculous", she answered Arjuna with an unimpressed tone.
"Not only that, but you also are the most childish lion I know. If you are trying to impress someone, you are doing it terribly wrong."

She was well aware that Zorayda was at the point of attacking, and she was fairly sure Sumai was seething with rage. Mwezi herself was annoyed, but she still wanted to save all the energy she could for the battle they would be facing. At command - or if Arjuna would annoy her enough - she would attack, but for now she simply tilted her head and seemed to take a closer examination at the intruder.
"Unless... I simply mistook you were an adult", she said with a slightly mocking tone.
"Of course you are childish if you are a mere cub who has somehow managed to enlarge himself."

She paused and stared at Arjuna with half closed eyes that signalled she was very much bored of his precence.
"Or perhaps", she finally said.
"Perhaps you are just otherwise a little loose in the head. It has to be that, it explains everything you do perfectly."

[Nakisisa]

Finally, it had been a long job for Ra but it had payed off in a sort,Ra had been there for a long time, spying and being careful not to be seen, she finally crossed the border back from the Feraga territory, with it she changed her pace and ran back to the den, looking for Kirsui, it didn't take long

I fear it might be soon...
"You took the words right out of my mouth Kirsui." Ra said as she started to turn back into her normal colors, The mission you sent me on was almost fully successful, They" she said pointing towards the enemy "are planning to attack soon, at the latest tomorrow, i had to leave before i found out more, they all fell asleep, and i was almost detected. Also i had to warn you of this." she said, now in her normal coat again, "do you mind if i get some rest?" she asked exhausted

[xscar10]

Kituko looked up and saw the leader of the pride.
"Hmm. Who is this?" Kituko had been here long ago, but there had been a different leader last time.
He came over to the group around the king.
"I hope I don't disturb them, the last thing I need now is a fight, as enjoyable as it might be." He looked down at his strange clawed hands.
"What to do, what to do?" He said to himself.

[Zorayda]

Reicheru shook her head when she heard Kirsui's words.

"I'm sorry I forgot your name, Kirsui. But I'm mostly sorry that we're in such a bad war...I was captured by them, yes...but they healed me, they took care of me. And...and I think I became sort of friends with one of them. I hated being held captive, but..."

Rey sighed, the air messing her spiky shock of hair about.

"I'll do what you want me to do, Kirsui. I love my pride enough to do that. But I will more than likely need some help recovering my memory. And I would be prepared for battle if I were you," the pale yellow lioness warned.

"They seemed tense, and I think Asuka said something about wanting to attack us. Then again, it already looks like everyone here is already prepared for the worst," Rey said, frowning at the gloomy atmosphere of the pride.

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

Zorayda barked out a short burst of humorless laughter at Mwezi's words, still crouched low to the ground.

"It is as she says," the indigo lioness growled. "You're nothing but a child. No, less--an infant! Quit messing about and just leave us alone."

Zorayda's blind right eye began to glow ominously, and she grinned. "Leave or I will stick you full of holes," she warned.

[epppe]

Arjuna stayed where he was at when the leader's soldiers started to make comments. The cheelion only had insults to say to him but the winged lioness decided to add on with threats. He just grinned back at her while her eye started glowing.

"ooh, you're quite the threatening little pigeon now aren't ya?" Arjuna replied back to her ignoring the cheelion for now, "You should learn not to make threats you can't follow through on, otherwise someones going to keep those little wings of yours as a trophy."

Remembering the other two still there, he brought his attention back to them, "So I got one challenger, you two want to join in on the fun?"

[xscar10]

Kituko finally decided to walk over to the group. His promonant shoulders displayed by black stripes, and his eyes a glossy red.
"Hello, I am Kituko, might somone tell me who is king or at least leader?" He said looking down at them.
He waited for an answer from one of them, he always looked angery because of his hyena like jaw, not that it woul be easy to tell otherwise.

[KanuTGL]

The lightning clown reached, quite camly, a paw into the raging flames and, touching them, didn't even flinch.

Sumai's eyes widened and his mind was racing; what on earth were they going to do? Now was not a good time to fight. They needed every bit of their strength for the battle tonight! Zorayda and Mwezi had to be as strong as they could be, they could not waste any energy on this! But maybe Sumai could... He hadn't really fought such a strong electricity-controlling enemy before, but their powers had to be connected in some way. Electricity could start fires and generated heat after all, which was exactly what the red lion was built for. It was possible that the lightning would have little effect, but on the other hand if it did, being electrified wasn't quite how he had wanted to start his day...

Then, disappearing and reappearing in a flash (ha ha ha), the stranger was now right next to him, surrounded by a shield of blue electricity.

"Hey miss lion cheetah thingy person, who looks more threatening at the moment?" laughed the black-maned stranger and nudged Sumai, almost playfully. The electricity hissed as it for a moment brushed against the red lion's fur and Sumai flinched. The flames that surrounded him for a moment flared up and became larger, then went back to a slightly smaller size. Puzzled, Sumai looked towards his shoulder, where the sparks had touched him, looked to the tan lion next to him, then back to his shoulder. He hadn't felt a thing, but the flames had responded. "Interesting." the general thought.

"Whoops, sorry about that little buddy, hope I didn't hurt ya."

Sumai snorted. "No, thanks, I'm fine." Then after Mwezi and Zorayda had made courageous replies to the cheeky commentary delivered by the tan lion, Sumai growled. "Look, either you get out of here on your own, now, or I will make y--" On the ground, surprisingly close to them, was yet another character. For a split second, Sumai feared this was another intruder, but then he recognised the creature. He hadn't seen him in many years - the last time he had, Sumai had only been a young fighter - but this was undoubtedly a member of the pride. "I am your leader!" the red lion shouted through his aura of flames. "We have a... situation here at the moment, but I will take care of it. Join only on my command!" The general turned his attention back to the lightning lion. "Can you hear through that little shield of yours, buffoon? You have a choice - leave by your own accord or by mine. But you will not stay in these lands for much longer!"

[xscar10]

"I see." Kituko said, slightly angry.

"As you command." He said half heartedly. He wondered what had happened to the last leader.

"Sumai? I don't beleve it, you've moved up in the ranks I see." He said, looking down at him.

[epppe]

"Can you hear through that little shield of yours, buffoon? You have a choice - leave by your own accord or by mine. But you will not stay in these lands for much longer!"

"You're gonna try to force me out if I don't go? I think we've just proven to each other are powers don't affect one another." Arjuna replied back, noticing that the older lion never reacted to the shock. "You'd have to send the rest of your little group to chase me out, and that would probably tire them out before me."

He began to scratch his neck before saying more, "I'm sure you wouldn't want that, especially during a war, so I'll make a deal with you." Showing his wide grin once again. "Let me become one of your soldiers. you get the extra firepower for your side and I get to satisfy my thirst to be in another war."

Arjuna thought his idea should be good enough to accept, but this group seemed a little to proud and didn't like his nicknames for them, for it to turn out simple. "So what do ya think gramps, you catch that or were there to many gray hairs in your ears to hear?"

[Kirsui]

"You took the words right out of my mouth Kirsui."

The young Burja leader blinked her eyes and turned her gaze swiftly at Ra who appeared out of nowhere. She then smiled, grateful that her pride mate had returned safely, even though the news she brought worried her even more.

"do you mind if i get some rest?"

"Oh!" Kirsui exclaimed, flashing a quick smile. "Not at all, go ahead Ra and get some rest, you have well deserved it."
She then turned to look at Reicheru when the pale yellow lioness spoke, and she nodded when the lioness finished. So the Feraga were going to attack very soon... She would need to alert the pride.

Though... The pride was already alert, and all they could do now was wait for the enemy to come.

Remembering she wasn't alone, the long haired lioness blinked and smiled faintly at Reicheru.
"Thank you, Rey", she said and nodded slightly.
"I'm so glad you're with us again."

---

"Let me become one of your soldiers. you get the extra firepower for your side and I get to satisfy my thirst to be in another war."

Mwezi's eyes widened, but she didn't turn to look over her shoulder to see the teleporting fool and Sumai.
<You have got to be kidding me...> she thought with Arjuna's words pounding in her mind.

The idiot was already now a pain to stand... He was now becoming their ally? The cheelion barely held back a frustrated whimper. Better this way than if he was an enemy... But still!

[Lionsunrise]

OOC: Note that Jino is a panther and he's approaching Burja.

Jino felt like he was dying.

His head pounded, his skin felt raw, and his fur smoked from the damn green lightning his latest enemy had thrown at him, which he hadn't been able to absorb or dodge. At least the guy wouldn't be in any shape to do anything after their battle. Except breathe slightly. Jino wasn't a murderer, after all.
At least, not by choice.

His eys were shut against the blistering light. He navigated his way around through his other senses. He hissed in pain as his paw stepped on a thorn. He was good, but he wasn't perfect.

He thought he heard a female voice somewhere within a hundred metres. He decided the intelligent thing to do was call for help, humiliating as it might be for such a feared warrior.

"Help!" he called weakly. It sounded like "Heluh!" Fortunately or unfortunately, he tripped over a rock. He roared in agony, the hard ground like lava against his raw skin. Well, they probably heard that at least.

He cracked open a single yellow eye to see multicoloured blurs in front of a larger blur. The multicoloured blurs seemed to be approaching him cautiously. He teetered on the brink of insanity/unconsciousness, but decided he should try to stay conscious in case they'd eat him or something. Jino thought he should try to be nice.

"N-nice... Paws...?" Jino said hopefully. Oooowww! That was his throat's limit. Another blur or two seemed to be approaching him faster than the rest. He hoped it was friendly. Jino tried summoning a protective electric shield. It was quite pathetic really, barely able to make fur stand up on end.

[tittiana]

OOC: Ok.. i still don't know exaclty how to intoduce my character to the RP, so I'll just take a shot in the dark.

Darkness always had an eternal wrath on Tocho. So dreams were always a punishment. Her very own former pride's name was Ghadhabu, or 'wrath', and they seemed to have a special placement in Tocho's dreams. Tocho's mind still burned from the memory of her past leader, Frenzy. He was an old lion; his fiery pelt scarred and tinged with gray in spots. It wasn't a surprise that he surrendered to the first evil force that would come Ghadhabu's way. Tocho had to leave. The same with her nightmare. Always of a white male lion chasing her. his eyes glowed and his teeth sparked fire.... he was getting closer... must run away!

The light from the male's fur would turn to sunlight pouring into the Feraga den, covering and warming Tocho and her dreams. She blinked. She had overslept!

Tocho rushed outside, running into a lioness. Tocho eyes slowly glanced upward. "Uh...sorry..."

[Nakisisa]

(( Missed the new post, Please PM
Me if I don't reply within a day or two, Thanks ))

"Thank you Kirsui" Ra said, sounding less exhausted than she felt, "I will... Speak with you when... I awake." She finished with a large yawn, toting with the idea of dropping to sleep where she fell. In the end she decided to move away, and lay down near the mouth of the den, wanting to see the stars, as they made her relaxe.
"Hmmm, The red sky, soon to be as red as blood" Ra mused, knowing she would need all her strength, she allowed the shade of her fur to drop, and quickly fell asleep, prepared to wake at a moments notice.

[KanuTGL]

"You're gonna try to force me out if I don't go? I think we've just proven to each other are powers don't affect one another. You'd have to send the rest of your little group to chase me out, and that would probably tire them out before me."

"He's got some nerve..." Sumai thought, but said nothing as the intruder obviously hadn't finished speaking. And what came next was no less than surprising.

"Let me become one of your soldiers. you get the extra firepower for your side and I get to satisfy my thirst to be in another war."

The old lion raised his eyebrows, but did not show his reaction in any other visible way. On the inside Sumai couldn't have been more flabbergasted. "What!?" was his simple thought. That was an... unexpected move. However, it wasn't a completely idiotic idea... Having this clown for an ally instead of an enemy could save Feraga great trouble, and cause Burja some, but it would be a very risky move. They didn't even know all of his powers! And he could spread dissension among the troops. What if he was a spy from Burja? Though from Pulsar's description, it hadn't seemed that way. It looked more like he was out to cause trouble just for the sake of his own enjoyment. Those were dangerous characters. Could he be trusted? And maybe now wasn't the time to take chances. But then, if not now, when?

"So what do ya think gramps, you catch that or were there to many gray hairs in your ears to hear?"

Sumai snorted. The flames that surrounded him then faded in intensity to a smaller, less ferocious size but did not go out completely. "What's your name, soldier?"

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

Satoba had listened intently to Reicheru's story, terrified and fascinated at the same time. Then she asked them for their names. "She is suffering from memory loss..." Satoba thought. "And that's something I can't heal..." He felt bad, for he couldn't do anything for this long lost friend and hung his head low. "I'm --" he began, but cut his words short and pricked up his ears. He thought he had heard a sound. A voice... A cry for help... Somewhere... Satoba turned around, trying to find the source. He slowly got up and started walking carefully towards the sound. "Milady, I heard something." the grey feline mumbled as he padded along, concentrating both on the ground below him, so that he wouldn't trip, and on the sounds. A roar of pain gave him the clue he needed. "I think... I think someone's injured..." Soon enough he could sense an unfamiliar glow of another feline. It was a distinct golden yellow, but flickering and weak. Whoever this was, they were in deep trouble! Satoba walked a little faster.

"N-nice... Paws...?" the panther, for it had to be a panther, stuttered and something electric flashed around him for a second. A shield, probably, but hardly harmful in its wielder's current state. "Ssh... I think it'd be better if you didn't speak." Satoba said quietly and walked up to the glow, stopping where he estimated the panther's body would begin. "I'm a healer, I'll help you..." He reached out a paw to touch the stranger and instantly realised the state it was in. He winced and pulled his paw back for a moment - registering injuries usually stung, like a small electric shock, and ones that were especially bad stung more than others... "I see..." he mumbled to himself and lay his paw back onto the panther's side. "I am going to use my powers to heal your wounds. But I can't use too much. Okay? I'll explain when your strength has returned... My name is Satoba."

He took a deep breath, readying himself, then placed his other front paw on top of the panther's paw. "I'm going to heal you, but you need to let me. It's... hard to explain. Just try to relax and... clear your mind of thoughts. I need to combine my energy with yours, and to do this I need to have access to yours." The green energy Satoba summoned for healing filled his head and the usual darkness he saw turned into a bright world of swirling and dancing green colour. It made him very dizzy, but he had had enough experience to not fall over any more. The power filled his entire being and it felt as if he was floating in a sea of... energy. There wasn't really any other way to describe this force. Satoba focused, breathing steadily in and out, and carefully gathered some of the green from this ocean of power. After a few seconds it struck him that the panther might not be able to reply and Satoba decided to go ahead anyway. It could work...

He channeled the force downwards, through both his front paws and blended it with the golden glow of the panther. The shimmer slowly grew brighter and steadier. Satoba managed a faint smile. It was working. Healing felt like pushing a heavy weight forwards, and the worse the wounds were, the more the resistance. These ones were pretty serious... The healer panted; almost there now though. He couldn't use up much more or he would be too weak for too long. Then suddenly the resistance felt a lot lighter; as if someone was helping him. The golden glow seemed to have more green in it now, but where was that coming from? Satoba didn't have time to think much of it, just was grateful that someone would assist him. However they were doing that... After a while, Satoba decided it was enough and stepped off the stranger. Immediately the sea of green vanished and his world turned black again. Satoba sighed of relief and collapsed onto the ground. "That... that should be enough for now." he mumbled, dragging himself into a more comfortable lying position and rested his head on his front paws. "Phew... How are you feeling?"

OOC: ...I think I've never actually let Satoba use his powers before. So that's why this grew a bit lengthy... xP

[Lionsunrise]

Oooowww! Someone was touching his burns. Jino twitched and heard a voice through a sea of pain. <"My name is Satoba."> It sounded like an adult lion. Jino hoped fervently he was friendly. The lion put his paw on top of Jino's. <"I'm going to heal you, but you need to let me. It's... hard to explain. Just try to relax and... clear your mind of thoughts. I need to combine my energy with yours, and to do this I need to have access to yours.">

Clear his mind... Jino let his brain go completely blank, thinking about everything and nothing. He felt something like... energy flowing through him... Not like the dark strength of his fire, nor the familiar electricity... It was clean, pure and right. His burns were repairing, his skin growing back together and the sick headache pulsing in his brain subsided. Jino opened his eyes.

He was dazzled momentarily by the light, before glancing towards the paw on top of his and looking at it's owner. The feline above him had mainly dark red fur with a bit of grey, a slightly mohawkish fuzzy white mane and awesome markings. Jino looked at his eyes, and they were the unmistakable milky colour of blindness. He looked like he was tiring. Healing powers were generally exhausting. He looked at his repairing wounds and copied the power.

Jino concentrated. From what the lion- Satoba?- had said, his powers were to do with energy. That simply meant pouring more of his own energy into the stream of healing power Satoba was fixing him with. Aaaannndddd... There! Satoba looked relieved, as though someone had taken most of a weight he was carrying.

Satoba let out a breath and took away his paws. <"That... that should be enough for now."> Strange, how he seemed to always look directly at Jino despite his handicap. Perhaps he had other ways of seeing. Jino had once met a lion with hearing so keen it was at echolocation levels. Jino often cursed that he couldn't copy powers he couldn't see. <"Phew... How are you feeling?">

Jino stood up, a little shakily. He was taller than Satoba, thanks to his tiger size. He shook out his jet-black fur before stretching most of his limbs. He inspected the spiral neon-red markings on his legs and arched his spine, creating many and varied cracking sounds in the process. He let out a huge yawn. "I'm fine, thanks to you. I am Jino." He bowed to the healer. "I would like to thank you for healing me," he smiled gratefully. "It isn't often I encounter someone willing to heal a half-dead panther. I am in your debt." Jino looked around, noting the hill with the signs of a pride, and the lioness that was coming closer. "Tell me if there is any way I can repay you."

Jino took another examination around. There was a lack of prey and little water in this area, so that generally meant a fight was going on. He swished his tail back and forth, before wincing in pain at a mild burn he'd missed. Healing energy flowed to his left paw and he touched his tail-tip, wiping the burn away. It was only then he realized the lion had collapsed and was lying on the ground. "Hey, are you alright?" Jino asked, worried about Satoba. Before the lion could answer, Jino put his paw on top of Satoba's - much like what had happened a few minutes ago reversed - and sent a powerful stream of energy into the older feline. He was startled at the sudden drop in his strength, but only withdrew when he began to feel dizzy. Jino took his paw back, and nudged the older feline. "You okay now?"

[xscar10]

Kituko looked at the newest lion, surprised by his... spunk, but he liked him. He seemed a little bit like himself, only a little, but none the less.

"Sumai has changed a bit since the last time we met." Kituko thought, as he ran his claws across his chin.

He noticed how everyone was focused on the stranger, and it seemed kituko might not be welcome back here. He looked off at the horizon, and thought back.

"Last time I was here I never thought I would return, but here I am. He thought as a wind blew across his face. He turned to the entrance to the Feranga, and was thinking about leaving. After all he did leave last time, and what would be the difference now? This would probably be just a visit back, and no one would even care he was gone. He took a deep breath, and let out a sigh.

[Kirsui]

"What's your name, soldier?"

Mwezi raised an eyebrow curiously at Sumai, but she said nothing. It was his decision after all, and she hardly had any say in the matter. Besides, Arjuna seemed to be the type that would be better as an ally than a foe.

The dark cheelion turned her attention from her leader and the new recruit to the surroundings. The pride seemed to finally be awake, which could only mean that they would soon begin moving around the Den restlessly, waiting for Sumai's command to begin the attack.. Already now a few of the pride members who had been awake the longest were gazing at their direction every now and then.

Mwezi chuckled lightly. Oh how impatient some could be...

She yawned and turned her attention back to Sumai and Arjuna.
"My Lord", she addressed Sumai and nodded with her head faintly.
"If you would excuse me for a moment... I have been at guard the whole night and have not had any breakfast. I hear there is some leftovers from the prey that yesterday's hunting party caught."

---

"Milady, I heard something."

Kirsui's ears twitched as she attempted to hear what Satoba had heard. She watched as Satoba headed away towards what he had heard, and took notice of the direction. She then turned at Reicheru and smiled faintly.

"It is so good to have you back, Rey", she said. "If you are tired, you can go rest for a moment inside the Den.

She flashed another smile at Rey, then headed off after Satoba. Someone might have been in need of help, but she didn't feel comfortable at all to send the healer on his way alone.

She caught sight of Satoba quite quickly, but she noticed he was in the middle of healing a... panther...? She stopped when she was within hearing distance, and did not make any movement to approach unless the stranger would turn out to be hostile.

Soon enough the panther stood up to his feet while Satoba collapsed to the ground. Kirsui listened and watched in silence as the panther spoke to the Burja healder, and she tensed slightly when the panther suddenly reached out to touch Satoba, for a moment she thought he would hurt her pride mate. She relaxed again, though only slightly, when the panther just touched Satoba's paw lightly and seemed to... return some of the energy the Burja healer had given to him.

Kirsui decided it was time to make an appearance now and approached the panther and Satoba.
"He will be all right in a moment", she spoke quietly as she came closer to the two.
"In the mean time, I would wish to know who you are and why you are here."