The War for Surra: On the Brink

[KanuTGL]

Sumai's shield of flames was like an aura of light around him as he charged towards the enemy lines. Already the Mwani pride had revealed a few of their long-ranged fighters; one of them had shot a ball of what seemed to be a freezing fire at them, and Sumai knew that someone had been hit, but right now was not the time to check statuses. There was another flash of light from above and the next projectile seemed to be aimed at him specifically. Sumai was about to make a dodge to one side when the object suddenly shattered, as if it had struck an invisible barrier. The work of Mlezi, naturally. "Mlezi!" he shouted over his shoulder "Stay with me! And keep them safe!" What came next made even Sumai raise his eyebrows. Two elephants, elephants made of fire, was coming towards them. What a marvellous trick - why had he never thought of that? Now he also knew that they had another skilled firemaker on their paws, but this didn't concern him all that much. If there was one thing the old general knew how to fight, it was fire! With another roar, one of warning, Sumai dashed ahead of the pride, making use of his great speed, to keep them at a safe (safer, at least) distance from what he was about to do. In a flash, he summoned forth what seemed to be almost a wall of fire, of nearly equal size to that of the elephants. The black-maned lion leapt forward, charging headfirst into what for a moment became a firey inferno. With an earth-shaking boom, the two powers clashed and lit up the night in an almost blinding flash of light. As Sumai emerged on the other side, the sea of flames had faded into almost nothing. The fires had neutralised each other and only a few scattered embers remained, floating on the gust of wind created by the collision. The general couldn't help but smirk - it had been a long time since he had faced an opponent capable of such force. Stretching those muscles again was a pleasant experience!

---

Ghedi sat tight with Zito's group, crouched in the tall grass. Ahead of them, the battle had begun. He gasped as the massive fireballs collided and had to shield his eyes with a paw in order to not be blinded. He did need to be able to see Sumai's signal later after all... "Well..." the dog mumbled "Looks like our leader found a friend..." A deathly glare from the lioness Bone silenced him. "If looks could kill..." Ghedi thought, rolling his eyes, and continued watching the battle unfold.

---

With one more vicious roar, Sumai at last reached the Mwani front lines and leapt at an unfortunate lioness, pinning her to the ground before delivering a powerful blow to the head with a massive paw. Not staying around to see if this had done the job, he continued on, summoning his flames as a shield around him once more. They were not a small pride, the Mwani. They would probably put up a decent fight. As Sumai advanced, knocking off some weaker soldiers as he went, he spotted the lion that had to be the source of the fireworks from before. A large male, red with a mane ablaze with fire! He would definitely be an intimidating figure to your average lion. This had to be their king - he carried himself with the pride and confidence only a competent leader possessed. Well, then, now Sumai knew who to aim for...

[Zorayda]

Mlezi staggered back as the heat of the fire-elephants singed her, and she suddenly felt something that was akin to a glimmer of fear. But her indomitable spirit came through and she turned to pay attention to her leader.

"Mlezi! Stay with me! And keep them safe!"

"Aye!" the lioness confirmed, and stayed close behind him enough to keep an eye on him, as well as looking for projectiles that came through their ranks. She watched in awe as Sumai suddenly rushed past, summoning forth a huge wall of fire that exploded into a blinding light. She blinked, dumbfounded for a moment, then yelped when a sharp pain bit into her foreleg. Mlezi growled and looked down, seeing a glowing white bolt digging into her leg before disappearing into nothingness a moment later. The flying lioness... Looking up, the protector saw the winged purple lioness panic and back away from the huge fire wall, singeing her tail. Mlezi smirked before going back to her duty.

She hunkered down and lowered her center of gravity as a canine bull-rushed her bravely, using her shields to block his bone-crushing bite at the last moment. With a quick snap of her jaws, she broke his neck and sliced his jugular easily, sending him to his death. The taste of his blood was a copper tang on her tongue and only served to fuel her bloodlust. She hardly felt the minor injury in her foreleg, and already the puncture wound was closing up, clotting... it would take more than that to take her down. Mlezi's gold eyes glinted as she stood tall, powerful, ready to defend her pride and her leader.

---

'Too hot! Hot, hot, hot, hothothothot--' Zorayda thought frantically, swinging her singed tail to cool it from the intense heat of Moto's and Sumai's combined firepower. Thankfully, it wasn't a bad injury, but some of her tail fur would be missing for a few weeks. Wheeling around, she saw the flames flash and go out, negating Moto's fire-elephants that might have given them an advantage. Snarling, she swooped down to slash quickly at a ground-bound feline, snapping and clawing before flapping back up again. Blood trailed from her mouth and claws and made a scarlet arc before it splashed on a few of the pride members down below. Hopefully she'd killed her target... she glanced down to see a huge black and white tiger staggering and roaring in pain, eventually stumbling to the ground to be down for the count.

Opening her mouth for a ferocious roar, she swooped down again, this time to aim straight for a jackal that had been close by the shield-producing lioness. Her claws and maw were ready for an attack, already stained with one of the Belbel's blood... as she came closer, she saw that the jackal had dark fur and gold eyelashes--strange that she noted such detail, but in a war when your blood was pulsing, who knew what your mind did to keep up...

---

The coldness would touch her heart, she could feel it.

With a start, Rey awoke, then immediately curled in on herself and shivered violently. She could feel the fire's icy touch deep in her bones and ribs, freezing her lungs to stiff bags of air that rattled when she exhaled. Coughing, the wolf yelped in panic when she saw that her left leg had no fur and was a deep, morbid black color. In trying to move it, she discovered that she could not... she couldn't even feel it anymore.

"Don't get up. Please," she heard. It was the voice from before. Snarling, she disobeyed, yipping when her leg dangled uselessly. The yellow fur along her spine bristled, green eyes alight with her telekinetic power.

The brown lion rogue yelped in protest as she sent a rock zipping in his direction, stinging his haunch. Then, suddenly, she couldn't move the earth around her anymore... as if something was holding it back. Rey noticed the look on the lion's face and panicked. He was concentrating.

"I'm not going to hurt you! You're seriously injured, you've got frostbite and--"

"Frostbite!? How does that make any sense? It's not cold at ALL outside!" she argued, teeth bared and tears forming in her eyes. The lion gave her a grim, stern look.

"You can't use your leg anymore. It's gone. You might as well have it... taken off," he explained. Rey was stunned... and angry.

"NO!" she screeched, then ran from the rogue.

Haraka sighed, knowing that he should stop her... he placed an earthen wall in her path, making her bark in alarm and stop in her tracks.

"Calm down. You'll live. Just calm down, first," he demanded, a fire in his golden eyes. Rey panted in panic, ears flat, pupils tiny. She slowly sat down, her left foreleg still limp and useless. She looked away from it, unable to bear it all anymore... she never wanted in this war. And now, she had paid the price for following a leader she never agreed with.

"I'm gonna have to get that leg off of you," Haraka explained. Rey looked up, snarling and on the three legs that worked. "But, first..." a rock of exceptional size rose behind the wolf, and after a jerk of his power, Rey was out cold again on the ground.

[Kirsui]

Kirsui kept hurling her fireballs towards the enemy, uncertain how many - if any - she managed to hit. It didn't matter, for she knew that once the prides would engage in full scale battle, she wouldn't be able to provide her ranged support as much as she was now. She didn't, after all, wish to hit her pride mates.

Suddenly she spotted the Belbel leader charge towards them, creating a large wall of fire while he did so. The very next moment the creamy lioness had to avert her gaze briefly from the field of battle when Sumai and Moto's powers clashed. When she turned to look again, both Sumai and Moto's fiery creations had vanished.

She had to keep an eye on that one, just in case the Belbel's fiery leader got too close to her and the Mwani healers. Meanwhile, however, she continued to hurl her fireballs towards the enemies that had not yet come close enough to her pride.


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


Anapa's gaze was trained at the sky as she zigzagged past her pride mates and headed for the healers. So far none of the blue fireballs had come close enough for her to block their paths, but she dared not to avert her gaze even for a moment. She didn't want to get hit by one.

What she spotted though wasn't one of the blue fireballs coming at her. It was the winged lioness from the Mwani pride, the one that had been flying above them during the whole battle. And now she was swooping towards her, teeth and claws bared and ready to strike.

Without even blinking Anapa brought forth her already focused powers and raised a sandy projectile from the ground. With her usual, eerie silence she launched the projectile towards the lioness like a spear while she herself pounced away to avoid the lioness' claws. As she landed she twirled around, already preparing to raise another projectile if the lioness kept coming at her.


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


"Looks like our leader found a friend..."

Zito smirked faintly when his ears picked up Ghedi's comment. Indeed, it seemed that the battle had started out marvellously. His smirk widened into a full grin at his excitement.

Soon.

[Deleted]

Moto had to cover his eyes upon seeing the blinding light that came to be from a collision of two powers. It was obvious that there was someone else who could wield fire like him."This is going to be a bit harder than I thought." He advances up the battlefield a little with others behind ready to fight. Not knowing who could have gotten rid of his elephants he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of fire being conjured.

He took out some enemy forces causing his now extended claws to drip with blood. He continued to go a little bit further making sure he didn't venture too far from the den. He avoided some attacks from the enemy line before summoning a fire wall around himself, wiping out the forces the got too close to it. After the wall cooled down with the ashes and embers being blown away by the wind, he decided to head back to the den to make sure they weren't being overrun by enemy forces. He noticed some blue flames being fired from the den as he headed back. It was obvious that Kirsui was the cause of these flames.

When he made it to den he noticed someone that with no doubt was the leader of the Belbel. Some sort of large male hybrid resembling a lion with red fur and a black mane that's not fully developed. "That must be the one who got rid of my fire elephants!" he said quietly to himself. He shot a ball of fire at him to get his attention. He continued to run towards the den until he got close enough for him to hear him."Hey you! Your the leader of the Belbel right?" he shouted.

[Lionel]

Meusi ran into the bunch of lions. He just attacked anyone, who came closer than a paw touch. Meusi's claws were in blood. Adrenaline was rushing trough his veins, the blue lines on his back where so bright, it was haard to look at them, and the roguyes white mane had a red tone. Meusi didn't know a thing, he just attacked.

Somewhere in the side, fireballs were flying around. Light sparks and flashes confused Meusi, and voke up a mercyless monster inside of him. Who dares to stand in front of this rogue, this black and blue, white maned lion, who isn't going to stop untill everything clears out.
He was really close to the fire fighting bunch and he attacked the closest lion. How will this turn out for him?

[KanuTGL]

OOC: Okay, I lied, but it's only one day late so it's okay, right? Right? xD

IC: Sumai steadily made his way towards the lion with the mane of fire, and it seemed that his opponent had the same idea. The general's shield of flames neutralised the incoming fireball with ease and, once within earshot, he came to a halt, looking up at the other lion. He was the sole object of Sumai's attention and the rest of the battlefield seemed to fade into a distant blur.

"Hey you! Your the leader of the Belbel right?" the other lion shouted.

Sumai stood at his full height, flames ablaze, trying to look as intimidating and as much a leader as Xena once had. "Yes. I am Sumai, the Firemaker. And you must be the resident king." He took a step forward. "The Belbel pride lays claim upon these lands!" The general opened his mouth to say something more, but a flurry of black, white and blue caught his attention at the last moment and the old lion leapt out of its way, snarling furiously. How dare he interrupt? Who did not have the sense to allow the leaders to exchange their intentions, as the war code proclaimed? An uneducated member of this pride, it seemed... Or, was it? Judging by the look on the king's face, this glowing lion might not belong to them either. A third party...? The general raised an eyebrow, but didn't get a chance to think of it further as a lioness suddenly charged past him, intending to tackle the dark lion to the ground. It wasn't a Belbel warrior, so Sumai turned his attention back to the fire-maned king. This extra bit of confusion might even turn out to be quite fortunate.

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

Talha fought the best she could; she hadn't expected there to be so many of them! And that other fire-user... She had to admit that that explosion had made her frightened. But on the other hand, Moto would probably be able to do the same to their fires, so that would neutralise the other side too. Hopefully.

Talha wasn't the most powerful of lionesses, but her vision and agility still made her a useful soldier; so far she had knocked over a couple of enemies, at least. She had activated her power of sight and her golden eyes had changed to black, allowing her to see everything around her. The red lioness looked for Moto, not wanting to lose sight of him in this chaos, and saw that he was facing another lion - one surrounded by an aura of flames. That was probably the one responsible for the explosion earlier... She started making her way towards her leader, thinking that maybe she could help watch his back, when something caught her attention. There was a black, white-maned lion headed straight for Moto! She gasped. No, she wouldn't let him! Without thinking, she leapt forwards, claws extended and fangs bared, hoping to slam the attacker into the ground.

[Lionel]

Meusi was running towards Sumai, when he got tackled. He felt claws in his side. A lioness had tackled him, no, slammed him into the ground. Meusi grabbed the paw of the lionesss and used Darknes, draining the attacker's strenght. He didn't let the lioness go.
"Are you the attacker?! Or defender?"
The lion-without-past- asked the tackled lioness. He wanted to know, who is the one responsible for charging at the den he got out. Meusi wanted to help, and he looked around. There was chaos all around. Canine and feline bodies in the air and on the ground. The frustration made Meusi's lines so bright, that everyone could see them. If this doesn't end, there will be an energy overload. Meusi won't be able to move, untill someone helps him.
He let the lioness go, and used his ability Roar, stunnning everyone around him. That helped the lion to let some energy out.

((I'm making Meusi an allie to Mwani. So next strike will be pointed to Sumai or someone around him,.))

[Zorayda]

There was nothing but pain.

Fuzzy darkness creeped away from the edges of her mind, and slowly she could hear slight shuffling and the sound of her own breathing. Each heartbeat brought a fresh bout of throbbing to her head, and to her foreleg...

'It hurts...'

Rey sniffled as she came to, blinking emerald eyes as she tried to focus. Everything was blurry, and her body felt heavy and abnormally...big. Unwieldy, cumbersome.

"Help..." she rasped. Her throat felt like it was lined with sharp rocks... The wolf found it difficult to speak, let alone shout. A louder shuffling... pawsteps. They sounded heavy... like a lion's.

"Kid? You feeling all right?" a soft male voice sounded, gruff but concerned. Rey groaned in reply, unable to move or speak properly. Haraka padded to her side and sat down. He remained somber and quiet for quite some time, just listening to the young wolf's rhythmic breathing.

"I... I had to take your leg, kid. I'm sorry. The ice was hella bad; it was gonna kill you..." Haraka hesitantly explained.

Rey closed her eyes as if it someone had just hit her. She kept silent... the only sign that she had heard were the tears that slipped from the corners of her eyes and tracked down her muzzle.

"G'way..." she rasped.

"What?" Haraka asked, turning his ears towards her so he could hear her better.

"Go... away..." Rey growled, using the last of her strength to do so. Haraka thought about putting a paw on her side as comfort, but thought better of it and left her to rest.

---

The winged lioness's eyes widened as the projectile rushed forward, ready to strike her... that jackal had seriously amazing reflexes to react that fast to Zorayda's attack... Spiraling to one side, Zor managed to keep the spear from damaging her precious wings, allowing her to remain airborne--however, the sharp rock-sand rushed past her to slice her side near her right haunch. Hissing with pain, Zorayda angled upward and flapped her huge wings to carry her up and above the jackal, as well as the other Belbel. Crimson drops of searing-hot blood dripped down her leg... she flexed her leg and side. It was painful, but just a flesh wound. It wouldn't kill her or cripple her too badly... Still, that jackal was a serious one to contend with.

Wheeling around once more, and this time angry with pain, Zor's left eye focused upon the jackal and sent a solid beam of light her way--straight and true. Hopefully she could use her flight to her advantage, wear the jackal down from above, and swoop in for the kill...

---

Mlezi's ears twitched, head whirling towards the source of a nearby shout--the Mwani leader... The fiery-maned lion was standing proudly, courageously calling Sumai out mano a mano. The stoic lioness had to give the other fire-user credit; he was certainly bold and brave. She admired that in others. However, no matter how admirable his intent, he was still out for her leader, and that simply wouldn't do.

With a growl, her head lowered, gold eyes darkening to amber with cold anger and protective instinct. She said nothing as Sumai's magic deflected Moto's as easily as a little fly, his words steady and powerful... just like his personality. But then, a flicker of glowing blue and black fur, and a stranger was upon them--a Mwani? But, a Mwani member took the rogue out, scuffling... he was from a third part, then... odd. Mlezi narrowed her eyes suspiciously towards the rogue, but then snapped her attention back to Moto, watching his every move and readying her shields. No lion or dog would ever come near her leader...

No one would ever harm her Sumai. No one.

A sudden sound made her freeze, her nerves suddenly aware of one thing--the inability to process her thoughts and make her body move. It only lasted a very brief moment, but one thing was for sure--the random rogue had power. Though he seemed confused about what side he was on, he was dangerous. Mlezi gave him a once-over again, analyzing him... Perhaps that red lioness would take care of him. If not, Mlezi herself was going to go for the kill and put down the nuisance herself.

[Deleted]

Sumai: "Yes.I am Sumai, the Firemaker. And you must be the resident king. The Belbel pride lays claim upon these lands!"

Moto was filled with rage and hatred upon seeing Sumai. His pride has lived here for so long in peace and harmony but now... now it was set to stage the war that had just begun. But it wasn't Sumai that made him angry. The fact that him and his pride's home was about to be in ruins due to this battle made him even more mad and he couldn't convince Baridi to fight who was still inside refusing to come out because of the fire. He also felt sorrow and pain for those who lost there lives on BOTH sides. It wasn't their choice to get in this war. But he had to erase these thoughts from his mind and focus on the battle as hand. But before he could say anything another lion of black, white, and blue ran towards Sumai who leaped out of way. Whoever this lion was he wasn't sure what to think as to were he was from. A rogue...or a member of another pride. If there was another pride he surely would've known, so he assumed he was just a rogue who seemed to be trying to help one of the prides...but who? He quickly turned his attention to Sumai. They still haven't exchanged there thoughts yet and as much as he wanted to attack him he knew it would be a foolish attempt to do so. "Why did you not agree to our treaty Sumai?", he finally says.

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

A dark figure stands behind a brush peering out onto the battlefield with bright yellow eyes. Anti-Moto had been anticipating this war for some time now, and lucky for him it finally started. Instead of being in the battle himself he decides to just watch it instead saving his strenght for when it was needed. He loved all the destruction he saw with the blazing fire that continued to grow and the pitch black smoke that continued to grow thicker. But there was one thing he didn't like seeing... Sumai. Oh, how he hated Sumai, finding it that he Anti-Moto should be the leader of the Belbel instead that old fool. He had been plotting to kill him and take the throne. Now was just not the time. Then he turned his attention to Moto. He had been wanting to meet him for a very, long time. He loved the thought of finishing him off. But he decided that he has seen enough of this battle and leaves, his eyes still shining bright in the darkness.

[KanuTGL]

Talha had managed to strike the attacker and drive him into the ground, thus saving Moto, for the time being... The young lioness' heart and was pounding and her breath fast, reeling from the shock of what she had just done. An idiot's move. But, what things made sense in the heat of battle? Then suddenly the glowing lion grabbed her paw and she shrieked, feeling as if all her strength was being drained right out of her! The world started spinning and it became difficult to tell earth from sky. It was as if an immense force was pulling her down and before she knew it, she was on the ground, legs buckling beneath her. A stranger's voice echoed through the ringing in her ears, it had to belong to her attacker...

"Are you the attacker?! Or defender?"

"You're the attacker!" the lioness howled, still too disorientated to stand, and flailed her paws around, hoping to maybe hit him through a strike of luck... "You're... on... Mwani land!" She closed her eyes, focusing all her powers on just standing up. On shaky legs, the lioness managed to gather just enough strength to balance on all four paws. Growling, she opened her eyes again and tried to focus through the dizzy haze on the glowing, blurry mass in front of her. "Get... out!" To this, the stranger responded with an immense roar and in her already weakened state, this was enough to knock Talha right over again. She screamed with anger at being struck a second time, but simply could not move. No! This was not the way! She had promised...!

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

"Why did you not agree to our treaty Sumai?"

Treaty? What treaty? Sumai scoffed at the other lion's words. "I will not make bargains. I give you this chance to surrender. This kingdom will become Belbel ground and if you will not give it to us, we will fight for it!"

[Deleted]

Sumai: "I will not make bargains. I give you this chance to surrender. This kingdom will become Belbel ground and if you will not give it to, we will fight for it!"

"Come on Sumai you don't need to this! I sent one of my pride members named Zorayda to send you a message asking for peace between our prides and share the land! We wouldn't be doing this right now if you agreed!" Moto was even more angry now and was about to go into a rage.He snarled angrily at Sumai for what he was doing. He might be stronger, but that doesn't mean he can win. "Fine, have it your way." he says angrily. His mane grew two times bigger than before and his body was surrounded by a aura of fire. He went into a rage."You wanna fight Sumai?! Well I'll give you fight!" Fire starts to swirl around the ground before turning into a dome of fire encircling the two leaders. "Well bring it on!

[Kirsui]

Anapa couldn't hear the winged lioness' distress, but she could see the injury she had caused and felt satisfaction. However, her satisfaction vanished when the lioness spiralled around and sent a beam of light towards her. She reacted on instinct, knowing she would not be able to dodge the attack and raised the sand to shield her.

Only she was too slow, and the bolt was only partially blocked. The rest of the searing light seeped past her sand shield and the bolt grazed her back. No sound escaped her, but she opened her maw into a silent yelp. Her sensitive nose picked up the repulsing scent of burned fur and flesh, and though she knew the wound would heal without leaving a scar, she swore the lioness would pay for daring to cause such harm to her.

Knowing that she would not be quick enough to block another attack from the lioness if she dropped her shield, she allowed the grains to gather around her and form a large ball of sand. It would be more difficult for her to move this way, but she gladly sacrificed movement for protection with this flying opponent. She would need to do something about those wings and bring the winged lioness within her pride mates' reach.

Smirking mentally, the jackal focused on the sand ball around her split the grains into three parts. Only one of them remained around her, while the other two moved further away from her. She allowed all three sand shields to take her shape as she began to move both herself and the two copies of her in different directions. Maybe this would distract the winged lioness enough for her to land a critical blow.


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


Kirsui spotted Zorayda in the distance, clashing attacking some of the Belbel members. She made sure not to shoot her fireballs anywhere near the winged lioness, having no desire to accidentally cripple her.

As she swept the battlefield for new targets, she noticed how close both prides' leaders were to each other. At the same time she noticed Talha near them, struggling with an unknown lion. The later roared, and though Kirsui was further away she could feel the power of his roar, and thanked her good luck that she was far enough from the source to not be affected by it.


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


Zito flexed his muscles, his ears pointing forward as he eagerly took in the sounds of battle. He heard someone roar, but knew that this was not Sumai's sign for them to join the battlefield.

The tiglon's tail twitched and he continued waiting.

[Zorayda]

The winged lioness saw red as she rushed her opponent, her feathered appendages beating at her sides and pushing the air at her very whim. She could feel the eddies hitting her flanks, the cut at the one the blasted jackal had sliced burning. Her whole body moved like an arrow shooting straight at Anapa; the jackal with gold eyelashes and a... wall of defense? Zor's eyes widened as the sand fortified a circular wall around the canine. It looked solid, like the sand had turned back into rock...Well. It was time to punch some holes in the dog's defense and show her what Zor's bolt powers were made of! The violet-furred feline flew in, slowing her dive to examine the shield for weak points. What she didn't expect, however, was for three projectiles to fly her way in a tri-formation, headed straight for her. They were aimed at her chest and wings, and coming fast--too fast for Zor to think about. 

With a yelp she twisted her body into another barrel roll, the movement chopping up the wind and slowing her down. Thankfully her agility had saved her from injury, but now she was a flailing, upside-down mess above the legion of Belbel who had murderous looks on their muzzles. Zor screeched, straightening out and diving right back at Anapa's shield, her wings tucked at her sides and forepaws outstretched. Her lips were pulled back in a determined snarl as she pushed off of the sandy wall, back paws meeting the rock as well as she pushed off for lift. Her breath was bated as she made the first few flaps, trying to get aloft--she prayed that she would not suffer injury for her foolish head-on attack.

---

Mlezi's ears perked forward and flattened back as the other leader mentioned a treaty. Treaty? What treaty? Perhaps Ghedi was mistaken in his message from them? But it did not matter anyways. The Belbel were warriors; they did not make treaties. They took what they wished and never asked forgiveness. They would destroy these enemies just like the others. A shriek in the air made the bulky lioness look up; the flying Mwani was having trouble and struggling to stay in the air, thanks to one of their own. A small, proud smile came to Mlezi's muzzle... the Belbel would always triumph under the strong paw of Sumai. He would always lead them to victory.

She nearly chuckled aloud when she realized... Moto and Sumai. Fighting fire, with fire... this would be a very, very interesting battle. Sumai would toy with the inept fighter and then win--he always did. Always. Mlezi turned about and saw another ice-flame projectile fly by--and she turned her golden eyes to meet the source. A young, pale lioness, with long fringe and a red tail, was the source. The Mwani's eyes were alight with power... Hm. Interesting. Determined to make her mark on this battle, the barbarian lioness strode forth, her mind open to get a shield ready if need be. It was time to take out this nuisance and get her to stop crippling their numbers. She roared, a battle-cry to encourage herself and others around her, and charged the icy mage, ready to fight and use her powers to overtake the Mwani.

---

Haraka's eyes grew moist as sobs echoed from within the small den. The little wolf would of course grieve over her lost limb... it was a horrifying trauma that no one should have had to face... but she was alive. The rogue sighed, head hanging. He may have had a hard life, but none of what had ever happened to him had truly hardened his heart. A few minutes passed... maybe hours. The sounds of battle could be heard from far-off; roars and screams and howls. It was a nightmarish song of death and blood...

"I..." the brown lion turned to see the young wolf had hobbled her way out, unsteady in her new form. "You saved me, didn't you? From dying?" Haraka, stunned, nodded dumbly. Rey looked down, ears flattened. "Oh." They stood there in awkward silence for a while, not knowing what to say to one another. 

"So... what happens now?" Rey asked, breaking the silence. "I... I want to go home, but... with this leg, well, I guess without it--I don't think my pride will want me back," she said bluntly. Haraka frowned. He didn't want this young wolf to die, but to take care of her indefinitely? That would be... he didn't want to do that, either. But she'd die without help, that much was obvious. Her question hung in the air, unanswered. Haraka shrugged nonchalantly and went back into the den, leaving the Ethiopian wolf to think about everything that had transpired recently.

---

Edai growled low, impatient. When was Sumai setting off the signal? Surely by now they were needed! Pacing, he flattened his ears and snarled. Perhaps the leader was unable to give them orders? Maybe they needed help? The wolf did not like being useless, that was for certain. But he wouldn't be rash... yet. He would wait a little while longer, and if Sumai still did not signal for his troupe to attack, he would rush in anyways.

[KanuTGL]

OOC: Just something short to advance the plot a little xP

IC: "You wanna fight Sumai?! Well I'll give you fight!"

Fire rose from the ground, surrounding the two leaders as Moto gathered his powers.

"Well bring it on!"

Sumai roared a battle cry, unfazed by the other lion's display of strength - after all, if there was one thing he did not fear and if there was one thing he knew how to fight, it was fire. Summoning his own aura of flames, the red lion wasted no time and launched himself forward, fangs and claws bared. The target was Moto's throat - he intended to make this fight a quick one... At the same time he reckoned that now was the opportune moment to call forth the rest of his forces and, while still in the air, Sumai sent a ball of fire reminiscent of a flare into the sky. It exploded with a low 'boom' high above the battle. Now all they had to do was wait for the oncoming chaos.

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

Ghedi pricked up his ears upon seeing the flare and he stared with wide eyes as it made its unassuming bang high above before continuing to sail across the sky until faded into nothing. That was the signal! It was time! With an excited howl, the dog sprang into action, charging ahead with the rest of the group. This would show them!

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

Talha groaned, still on the ground, and tried desperately to get her paws to do what she told them to. She was in an extremely dangerous position and it was vital that she got on her feet at once. The glowing lion seemed to have left her be for now, so as long as no other enemy took advantage of her helpless state, maybe she'd be okay. Maybe she'd survive. Surviving was all that mattered now - she had to get away!

[Kirsui]

A wide grin spread on Zito's lips when he saw the ball of flame rise on the sky and explode. This was it, their signal!

"CHARGE!" the tiglon roared his command, noticing how Ghedi already sprang forward. The wide grin remained on the tiglon's face as he ran, allowing his excitement over the coming battle finally to take over and fuel his movement.


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


Anapa didn't even flinch when the winged lioness came at her again, having just barely survived her attack. The purple feline was trying to dig into her sand shield and apparently lift her and the grains of sand on air. The fool.

The jackal brought more sand from the ground to join the grains already around her. At the same time she created tendrils of sand that snaked their way around the lioness' legs, making withdrawing from her that more difficult. No, the lioness would not be getting anywhere any time soon, unlike the jackal who now pushed herself out of the shield and retreated to the safety of the Belbels close by.

"Finish her off!" she raised her eerie voice to give her command, and the Belbel members closest to her complied eagerly, heading swiftly towards the winged lioness. Anapa herself continued retreating, eager to continue her way to the healers and hoping that they had stayed out of trouble.


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


As Kirsui sent another fiery projectile towards the enemy, she suddenly noticed movement closer to her than she would have liked. Turning her gaze towards it, she saw one of the Belbel stride towards her. The creamy lioness' eyes widened slightly when the Belbel roared and charged, clearly intent on taking her down.

She pushed her initial surprise away, fully aware that sooner or later someone from the enemy pride would have taken her on anyway. She glanced towards the Mwani healers, and felt determined to do her part and keep them safe. The creamy lioness sent a fiery projectile straight towards the reddish brown Belbel heading towards her, more intent on slowing her down so that she herself could take action. At the same time she released her own battle cry and pounced down from the rock that she had stood on, allowing her flames to erupt into a bright blue aura around her as she headed straight towards her opponent.


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


Zito's claws glowed bright green when he saw the first Mwani members. The looks on their faces were priceless, just as he had expected them to be at the sight of even more of their enemies pouring into the battle. Zito struck the first Mwani he came across down with a ferocious grin, enjoying the yelp that the Mwani made when the fool came in contact with his acidic claws. He continued to cut his way into the heat of battle, leaving more or less injured Mwani for his pride members to deal with. He spotted Sumai in the distance, battling with the Mwani leader, no doubt. Much closer to him he saw a creamy lioness surround herself with blue flames, charging towards a lioness that he recognized as Mlezi.

Zito kept going, having full confidence in Mlezi's ability to take down who ever that creamy lioness had been. When the tiglon allowed his gaze to sweep over the battlefield, his gaze landed upon a lone, rusty red lioness who seemed desperate to get back on her feet. His grin spread wider and he charged towards her.

[Lionel]

Meusi quickly looked around and then whispered to the lioness:"If you wwant to live, act dead." And then he ran away. The power will come back fast to the lioness. Now he wanted to get to the both lions, that were in the lead of this chaos. Meusi got into a rumble with some tiger, but it was short, and soon Meusi left the tiger lying on the ground in blood. The blood coloured the tigers white stripes red, as Meusi moved on. He looked at the lions fighting, looking for a way to get to Sumai. He saw a jackal. It seemed to be the last big problem before ending this. Meusi got ready and juped. He aimed for the tail and one of the legs. He misssed and got ready to charge. A ROAR! to weaken everybody around him, and a charge at the jackal, who was in a group of other fighters.

[KanuTGL]

"If you want to live, act dead."

The glowing lion finally left her, but Talha had no intention of lying here so exposed. She snarled with the effort to stand but finally found herself steady. Her golden eyes turned black with the use of her power and it allowed her to see everything around her. She saw that the fight between Moto and the Belbel leader had commenced... She saw the pain and death on both sides... She saw members of her pride struggling to flee the attackers... She saw... she saw a white tiger with blue stripes and glowing green claws heading right for her...! The red lioness gasped and her heart started racing. What should she do? Flee? She'd never be able to run in this weakened state; only keeping up her complete vision sapped precious power. Fight? She wouldn't stand a chance. But what else could she do? Talha growled and lowered her body into a defensive stance, ears flat against her head. She swayed a little, still dizzy from the glowing lion's previous attack, but tried to stay steady. As the tiger came nearer she readied herself to pounce and when the moment seemed right, she activated her 'time lock' power. It'd give her the advantage of seeing time in slow motion, but only very briefly. Hopefully it'd be enough to avoid being hit while still managing to land a decent swat at the attacker's face...

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

Sumai struck his opponent successfully, but he had felt that it hadn't been a direct hit. None the less, Moto was thrown backwards, slamming head first into the solid rock. He didn't get up. The Mwani leader's flames faded and Sumai smirked triumphantly. An easy victory. The red lion threw his head back, letting out an earthshaking roar and lit up the night with fire.

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

There was a loud sound, a roar, and Talha's concentration broke. Suddenly the blue-striped tiger was coming at her at full speed again...! She would have no chance of avoiding the hit. The young lioness braced herself.

[Lorien]

Lorien started the long trek home, a smile playing on the young lioness's face. She had just spent the past couple days away from her home, away from her pride. She loved her pride, the Mwani, but lately she had grown restless of seeing the same things day in and day out. Being young, one of the younger adults in the pride, she needed to stretch her legs every once in a while. Even though she was timid and far from outgoing, a sudden burst of curiosity and spunk had hit her in the days past. Perching on her favorite rock lost its allure, as did pestering the crabs along the coastline on the sandy shores. That is when she had heard the passing birds chattering above her head. Her ears had perked up at the sound, and she followed close underneath the pair until they perched on a acacia tree, never pausing in their conversation. Lorien tread quietly, not wanting to scare them off before she caught what was going on. As it turns out, a passing group of giraffes were expecting a baby. Lorien's eyes went wide with glee. She had never seen a baby giraffe and was quite curious to see one for herself.

She set off when everyone seemed to be taking their respectful naps, hoping no one saw her leave. She didn't think that she would get scolded, seeing as she didn't have any real responsibilities as of yet within the pride. She had seen Satoba outside the communal den, but she was almost certain that she was out of his aural vision's reach. With a look of determination, she raced off in the direction the birds had said the herd was traveling, hoping that she wouldn't miss the birth.

She slowed her pace when she caught scent of, what she thought, a giraffe. Her paws were sore and her thick coat was clinging to her in the setting sun's rays. Lorien was quite thankful that the sun was setting. It was hot, and she needed to rest and find a source of water soon. She had passed over the border of Mwani territory a long way back, and as she slowed to a walk, she wondered if she had been missed yet. Lifting her head, she searched the horizon for a sign of something to drink. Her eyes rested on a small spring below small tree. As she padded over to it, she suddenly became aware of the danger she had put herself in. She was out on her own, far from her own territory. She may have had sharp claws (and her abilities, though she had never really gotten much of a chance to use them before), but she did not have any combat experience. If a rogue lion or other predator were to attack, she would not know what to do. Way to go, Lorien, she thought. As she made it to the spring, she moved under the tree, glad for the oncoming cover of night. She lapped at the water, scanning the horizon with her pale green eye, stopping when she saw something that set her mind at ease. It was the group of giraffe she had been tracking to the best of her ability. She sighed with relief, laying down under the tree and watching the tall animals. They seemed to be settling for the night, so she decided that she could do the same. She was small enough that maybe, just maybe, she could approach them in the morning without causing alarm. At least that's what she hoped.

When Lorien's eyes fluttered open the next morning, she yawned, and fear struck. She had forgotten where she was, and it took her a few seconds to remember her surroundings. Lifting her rump, she stretched her forelegs out in front of her, extending her claws, eyes clenched shut. As she stood tall, she shook her head, getting rid of the last of her sleep. Lorien's eyes returned to the area she had last seen the giraffes, and, at seeing they were no longer there, her heart sunk. After taking a quick drink of water, she trotted quickly over to where she had seen them, hoping that she could find traces of where they had gone. Footprints! A smile came back to the grey lioness's face as she followed the tracks, the scent strong in her nostrils as she got closer. Before she knew it, she saw the yellow and brown creatures, and her eyes went wide. There, on the ground, was a newborn calf. It was as big as her! She stopped to watch as the youngling got up to its feet to nurse. Without her brain really recognizing, she found herself moving closer and closer, dying for a better look. It was as if she forgot what she was, that she was a predator, a threat, to this family of giraffes. The mother giraffe quickly stood over the baby, stamping in warning to the young lioness, bringing her out of her trance. Well, I guess I'm not getting any closer... Lorien stopped, happy to just watch, hoping that if she stopped advancing, the giraffe would back down. It didn't, a mother's resolve very strong when it comes to protecting her young. Lorien, instead, backed off, settling herself down beneath a grove of trees. She watched continuously as soon, the giraffe babe was up and running. Lorien's head on her paws, she watched most of the day, content to just watch the young creature, fascinated by the wonders of life. When she drifted off to sleep, she did not notice the pride of lions crossing the lands, scaring off the group of giraffes. She slept, hid by the cover of the grove, as the Belbel brought war to her home.

When Lorien woke, it was nearing the end of the day. When she looked around, she couldn't see the giraffes any longer, but she could smell...something on the air. The hairs raised on her back, a sense of danger encompassing her being. She felt she needed to get out of there, back to the safety of her pride. Even though the night was coming, she knew it was time for her to return. Well rested from her long nap, she set off back toward the direction she had come, hoping she didn't get lost making her way back to Mwani territory. The coming dusk frightened her, again out on her own, but this time out in the open. She quickened her pace, a quick trot, and hoped that she would make it back before the nocturnal predators came out. She thought she would be safe once she made it home...little did she know.

With the sun setting behind her, she finally started seeing landmarks that told her she was close to the border of her pride's lands. A sound in the distance caught her ear, but she shrugged it off as a predator making a kill. When she finally reached the border, the smell of home and comfort welcoming her, she sighed, smiling. She was glad to be home and couldn't wait to see her pridemates, hoping no one had worried while she had been gone. She heard a sound again, this time closer. She stopped, straining her ears, because it sounded like it was coming from the direction of...and that is when she saw it. With the darkening sky, the wall of fire was hard to miss. Her eyes went wide as the sky lit up all in one moment. She took a step back, fear enveloping her. She knew Moto, the pride leader, was a master of flames, but she couldn't imagine any situation that warranted such a huge demonstration of power...except. That's when she heard the roars, the battle cries, the screams. She started at a sprint, her eyes catching the blue flames, the streaks of light coming from the sky down to the earth. Her paws were sore from her voyage, but she pushed her muscles and grit her teeth to make it to where she knew her pride was in danger. How had this happened? She hadn't been gone long; why was there an ongoing battle?

Out of breath, she finally was able to make out the shapes of creatures. She saw some bodies littering the ground and almost retched. She knew some of those now dead pride members. Her visible eye was wide with terror with everything going on around her as she approached the battlefield. She had to snap out of it quickly as, what looked like, a spark of lightning came hurtling toward her. She pivoted, quickly changing her direction toward the den. She saw Kirsui there, and was glad to see her alive. She then stopped as she saw Moto and a fierce looking lion locked in battle. She sneaked toward the den, her eyes never really leaving the one-on-one fight. She didn't know what to do, who to ask what was going on, so she watched, all the while keeping her surroundings in close check in case she needed to ward off any attackers.

OOC: So this is literally the first time I have really written anything since I stopped RPing years ago. So please bare with me. Sorry if it isn't good, because I feel it could be better. My brain doesn't really want to work as well as it used to. But anyway, glad to get into the story and back into writing =D Also disregard mistakes. The 11 month old likes to push buttons.

[Zorayda]

[Well, I was GOING to post last night, but I crashed out because tired. Whoops. Here's the post though, it's kinda long. Sorry ]

It was funny, really, how much time passed in the last seconds before your impending death.

Zorayda watched as a dozen or so enemies pranced below her as she struggled fruitlessly against her sandy manacles that grounded her. Their eager, grinning faces and snapping jaws should have been frightening, but it was as if she’d run out of fear to feel, like she was totally numb to what was happening to her right now. Zor felt as if she was a detached third party, watching herself from a distance with an uncaring sort of attitude. She was going to die. It was inevitable; that jackal had outsmarted her and trapped her so she was helpless to the ill intentions of the Belbel. She hoped it would be quick; she didn’t want to go down screaming from the pain of having her body ripped to shreds by tooth and claw and who knew what else... Her huge gray wings flapped and pulled her upwards in vain; her back paws were shackled and she was going nowhere. And with each pull, she felt her muscles trying less and less, like she was losing the drive to stay alive, like she was giving in.

Was it so bad, really? To die? Would it be so bad to just let go and give in to the inevitable? Would anyone hate her afterwards for giving up? She felt her will leave her like the life out of a gazelle when it was being throttled for the hunt. She felt herself accept her fate, though half of her mind screamed at her for doing such a horrible thing. Friends, family... forgive me. I love you all.

A shriek and a roar made her glance over indifferently. If things were happening, they no longer had anything to do with her. She was already among the dead, soon to be unable to do anything to help her comrades. She watched as Sumai struck Moto down, knocking him out and sending a fiery signal into the air. She saw as two flanking troops of Belbel, led by a white tiger and a red wolf, surrounded them and closed the Mwani into their very home which had suddenly become a death trap. She watched as Talha was swarmed by Belbel, bracing for impact against the tiger which had charged her. Kirsui was being attacked by Sumai’s bodyguard, looking determined to stay alive. All around Zorayda there were nothing but dead bodies and carnage, screams, roars, blood. The Mwani were going to lose. Her friends were going to die. Her pridemates. Her family. All of the Mwani, the ones who had nursed her from a cub to an adult lioness, the ones who had provided her food, shelter, and love. A home. They were all. Going. To. Die.

“...No! No, no, no, NOOOO!”

Out of their own accord, Zorayda’s wings snapped open and shoved the air down once more, this time with so much ferocity that she could feel tendons tearing in them. She could feel no pain or fear--the only sensation she was aware of was the sound of her lifeblood pounding in her own ears. The snapping jaws below her looked surprised as she flapped and kicked with every fiber of her being; the need to survive and the will to do something was everything. A screaming roar tore through her throat, powerful, raw, and terrifying in intensity and with a few kicks, she was free, careening into the air and away from certain death. She soared into the air, her body pumping adrenaline into itself and making her feel almost numb. Zorayda looked down upon the carnage that was happening to her beloved home and she roared, this time a fierce, angry sound that didn’t sound anything like she thought she could have produced.

“MWANI! BRACE YOURSELVES FOR DARKNESS!” The winged lioness knew that her pridemates would understand what she was talking about--her ability to douse the land in darkness using her innate powers so nobody could see. She was sure one of them had fire, or glowing abilities, or something to aid them, to help them retreat, run away, or defend themselves against the incoming attack from the Belbel. It was Mwani’s second chance in this war to help themselves escape slaughter. Zorayda closed her eyes and summoned the willpower, and in the blink of an eye the lands were plunged into pitch blackness. She could hear the cries of surprise from the Belbel soldiers and knew that they were confused. Zor allowed herself a feral grin. Something inside her had changed, and she knew it was permanent. She had faced Death itself, and now... now she could do anything. She was invincible. And now she was going to help the others avoid death... just as she had just done.

”Pridemates! TO ME! STAY TOGETHER!” Zor called out, swooping over them in the blackness.

---

Mlezi was stunned and for the first time, afraid. She had just seen her beloved Sumai strike the other fire-lion down--the pathetic king couldn't even last a full minute in battles. The lioness had whooped for joy and then continued her charge towards the fire-ice lioness, who had been suddenly joined by a gray feline (good, she'd kill two little birds with one giant stone), when her whole world was suddenly black. Gasping in surprise, she came to a sudden halt. She couldn't even see two inches in front of her nose! A roar and a shout was heard overhead--probably one of the Mwani, and then everything was chaos. Shouts, roars, cheers, and screams sounded all around Mlezi, who instinctively created a shield all around her to protect herself from incoming attacks. It was taking every ounce of concentration not to be distracted by the darkness and to keep up a full-body blockade, but she dared not move for fear of taking a blow from a Mwani. Then, with a gasp, she realized--Sumai! He would be in the same situation! But, then, he could create fire--a natural light source. She calmed immediately at the thought. Sumai would be just fine... she hoped. But, for now... what was she to do? Her shields were wearing out quickly, along with her sanity at being doused in darkness...

[Kirsui]

Zito's grin turned feral when the rusty red lioness noticed him. She would have no chance of escape, none at all, and it seemed that the lioness knew this too. He was somewhat pleased when she didn't even attempt a fleeing, and instead braced herself for his assault.

That is when he noticed something odd. The tiglon could swear that when ever the lioness made even the slightest of movements, her form became blurred. It was as if she was moving faster than his eyes could properly see. Zito cursed in his mind, realizing that his intended easy prey might not be so easy after all.


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


Anapa watched in eerie silence as her pride members closed in on the winged Mwani lioness, all the while she kept backing away. She only hoped that the Belbel healers would not be under attack, as she had no idea if they had anyone who could protect them so that they could tend to the wounded.

It was then when she saw a flicker of movement at the edges of her field of vision, and realized two things: she was once again under attack, and she would not have time to raise a sand shield now that she was chaining down the winged Mwani lioness.

Out of pure instinct the jackal pounced, feeling the rush of air as the attacker's paw just barely missed hitting her hind leg. She was not going to stay still and wait for another attack, however, not when she couldn't protect herself properly should she wish to keep the winged Mwani chained with her sand. And thus she simply ran, intending on getting lost in the crowd and shadows thanks to her dark fur.

However, she didn't get even nearly as far as she would have liked when she suddenly heard a loud roar. It send her tumbling to the ground, and at that very moment she felt her focus on keeping the sand intact falter. She grit her teeth, a rare change in her usually expressionless face, as she tried to form a coherent thought. She couldn't move, not much anyway due to the power of the roar, and she realized that the attacker would soon be upon her again.

She didn't make any attempts of moving, and instead closed her eyes and focused purely on her ability. With sheer willpower she managed to keep her control on the winged lioness' chains, knowing that it would be too dangerous to let her fly again even if she herself suffered an injury for that.

“...No! No, no, no, NOOOO!”

Anapa's eyes snapped wide open when she realized her control had faltered enough to weaken the sand chains that were keeping the winged lioness locked down. When the Mwani flapped her wings and began to struggle free with so much more ferocity than Anapa had thought possible, she realized she had failed. The jackal could feel the sand crumble under the winged lioness' power, and when the Mwani was finally free she let the sand pillars fall.

It was then that she remembered she was still under attack, and somehow she managed to move her head just enough to see the black lion with blue markings and white mane charge straight towards her. She could see what would happen, the lion would tear her to pieces and she would not be able to move a muscle. It didn't matter to her. She had come close to death before, and she had survived. Perhaps now was indeed her time to...

No.

She would not die.

Not by this cowardly lion who took on a much smaller opponent than he was, and had to paralyse them in order to get them killed.

"Not today."

Her thoughts cleared, and though she still could not move her body, her mind was her own again. And so long as she could form coherent thoughts, she was not defenceless. With her ability to think restored, she focused on the sand around her and formed three projectiles that she flung towards the black lion with white mane.

“MWANI! BRACE YOURSELVES FOR DARKNESS!”

The winged lioness' shout gave Anapa a pause. What did she...? Her wordless question was answered though when the world was suddenly plunged into darkness. The jackal realized she couldn't see at all, and by the sounds of confusion around her, she figured she was not the only one.

Knowing that the lion with white mane was still a possible threat, Anapa did the only thing she thought reasonable. She enveloped herself in sand, forming a small, smooth hill where she laid. She could still hear muffled sounds from the outside, but this way she would be impossible to find in complete darkness. She would stay there, safe and sound, while her body would recover from the paralysis.


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


A fierce roar echoed through the battle field, and Kirsui felt her determination falter for the briefest of moments. Her gaze flickered towards where Moto and Sumai had been locked in battle, only to see the later let out his victory roar that seemed to strengthen the fire swirling around him.

Moto had fallen, and soon, without a leader to guide them, the Mwani would follow.

It was then that she spotted Zorayda rise above the battle field with such ferocity that the creamy lioness had to take a second look just to be sure it was still her winged friend. When Zorayda's words, though distant, reached her ears, Kirsui's determination to see this through returned, and she turned her gaze back to her opponent, knowing what would come next.

As the darkness swallowed the world, Kirsui focused most of the fire around her into one massive fireball that she sent towards the Mwani she had been about to attack. Only a small flicker of flames swirled around her paws, just enough for the lioness to see where she was walking, and she turned around and returned to the healers. She heard Zorayda's rallying cry, but she knew they would not be able to turn the tide of battle even with the darkness. They had to retreat, regroup and plan their strategy.

"Wynna?"

The creamy lioness called one of the Mwani healers as stared at the ground. Judging by what she saw, she was fairly certain she was close to where Wynna and the other healers were.

"Wynna? Everyone? Can you hear me? We need to get out of here."

She would lead the healers and those injured that had come to them away from the battle field, to the remote outpost where they had sent those incapable of battle. She would not ponder the effects of Moto's fall, or the loss of the Mwani den, until everyone she considered under her protection was safe. She only hoped that the other Mwani would do the same, hoped that they would realize this was their chance to live and fight another day.


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


Zito's ears perked up when he heard Sumai's roar, and his grin returned when he realized the sudden sound had disrupted what ever the rusty red lioness was doing. She was no longer blurred in his eyes, and he could now take her down with ease.

That was what he thought, until the world turned black.

"What the...?"

The tiglon could no longer see in the darkness, but he had too much momentum to slow his charge. Realizing how much unintentional damage he could cause with his claws to his pride mates, he reined in his ability just in time as he felt himself collide with another creature, which he assumed to be the rusty red lioness he had aimed for. The collision together with his momentum sent him rolling on the ground, and when he finally came to a halt he had to shake his head to get his bearing.

His paw felt wet. Blood, he determined, though whether it was his or the lioness', he didn't know.

"Consider yourself lucky, Mwani", the tiglon snarled at the lioness as he got up on his feet. He didn't really know where she was, or if she was still alive and able to hear him, but he was too annoyed at the darkness to care. "You'd be in a lot more pain right now if I could see you."

[Lionel]

Meusi charged at the jackal, when suddently he got hit...by sand. He got lucky to enough to dodge the first two of the attacks, but the third one hit him in the chest. He felt and rolled quite far, and started gasping for air. When he finnaly got a gulp of air, the winged lionnes shouted somehing, that Meusi couldn't hear, and everything went black. The only light he had was his blue lines. He got up and started roaring, and his lines got lighter and starting glowing more. He didn't know where to go, what to do or why he should do anything.
He wasn 't a pride member, but he folowe d the lionneses order and moved to the voice. While walking, the lion tripped over something. Sand again. But Meusi decided not to wait or stay here, so he just kept moving, pushing someone from time to time. What will happen next? His lines made him a easy pray in this world of darkness.

[Lorien]

Lorien watched with horror as Moto was struck down by the attacking lion. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. This was NOT the way she wanted to return to her pride, not at all. Mentally kicking herself, she swore she would never leave her family again. She knew she would not have been a much better asset in the beginning of the battle, but maybe, just maybe, her defensive powers could have come in handy. Her mind drifted to her mother, the power that had been sapped from her....no. She promised herself long ago that she would never reveal that side of her, that awful power. These were dire times, but she didn't want to go through the pain of losing her mother at her own paws ever again.

She looked around, for familiar faces. She needed to get a handle of what was going on, needed to lend her power to the cause if she could. "Wynna!" She was glad to see her hyena friend was unscathed. She rushed toward the den, glad that they still had the power of healing at their advantage. It seemed like they needed every advantage they could muster. "What is going on?" she tried to yell amidst the confusion and clamor. The sounds of pain and attack were all around them. Her ears lowered as she watched the battle ensue. She stood in front of Wynna, knowing that facing her would leave herself open for attack. She would protect her as best she could from attackers. Lorien had to do something.

Just then, she heard a ferocious roar. She tried to gaze above the heads of the battling creatures, trying to see who had made such a noise. It was Zorayda. Another friend was still alive, thank goodness.

"MWANI! BRACE YOURSELVES FOR DARKNESS!" the winged lioness had yelled, and Lorien knew what was happening next.

Darkness enveloped everything around them. There were a few glowing lights lingering, creatures with flame capabilities more than likely. Other than that, she could not see a thing. Shaking her head, she moved the hair from her right eye, hoping that the eye that only saw darkness would have a better advantage in this pitch black. No use. Zorayda's power had sucked all the light that was needed for sight. She heard the confusion ensue around her, the attackers obviously in a panic at the sudden onset of pure darkness.

Lorien then saw a faint trickle of blue flame as a familiar voice sounded above it."Wynna? Everyone? Can you hear me? We need to get out of here."

"Kirsui!" Lorien rushed over toward the blue flames, careful not to run into the creamy colored lioness. "What has happened? Moto...he..is he?" So many things were going through the young lioness's mind. She was panicking. Realizing that it was doing no good to ask questions now, she shook her head to rid it of the dizzying thoughts. "I think I can help us escape." She wasn't sure if what she was thinking would work or not, but they had to try. It would make the escape more flawless. "I know that my phasing ability works with one other if they are touching me. Maybe, just maybe, if I concentrate hard enough, we can all escape without touching a thing." She looked around, though there was nothing to see. They had to get their weak out of the battlefield. They had to regroup. She needed to know what was going on, and she wouldn't be able to until they got out of the war path. "We have to at least try. Maybe we could make a chain, holding each others' tails. We can phase through everyone and get to safety, with no one getting hurt or lost." She knew it would take a lot of energy to pass her phasing ability to that many other creatures, but she had to do it. She had missed the battle, had been useless in the effort thus far. Lorien had to make up for it.

[KanuTGL]

“MWANI! BRACE YOURSELVES FOR DARKNESS!”

The general's black ears twitched and he looked up, just in time to catch a glimpse of the winged lioness above. Then, the world was plunged into complete darkness. The din of battle was briefly exchanged for one of surprise and confusion and even Sumai found himself startled at this unique power. In all his time, he had not met anyone who could cause a blackout this extensive. But he quickly collected his wits and mustered an even greater aura of flames to surround himself with. It was if the fire struggled to light the area, as if the blackness around them was like a thick smoke, absorbing all the light it could. The general growled, narrowing his eyes. What a bothersome power. None the less, the Mwani leader had fallen and this gave the Belbel an immense advantage. The red lion pondered over what to do next. Sumai knew that not all of his warriors were equipped to fight in pitch blackness. Surely this lioness couldn't keep them all shrouded in this darkness forever, but until it lifted... Maybe now was a good time to gather his troops around him to take the den. Some enemies would definitely take such a moment to flee, but Sumai was certain that his warriors would quite easily be able to track them down come morning. Yes, now was a time to drive them out. The red lion gave another mighty roar. "BELBEL!" he cried into the dark. "To me!" Currently the shield of flames was like a beacon of light and he knew it wouldn't be hard for them to find him. And the Mwani would stay away if they knew what was good for them.

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

Talha knew she had hit something, but it was difficult to say who or what. Moments before the collision with the blue-striped enemy, the world had suddenly turned black. She knew it. That was it. She was dead.

Or was she? The lioness blinked a few times, lifted herself up rest on her elbows and found that she could still see. Not much, due to the almost pitch blackness of her surroundings, but it was enough to make out the shapes of felines and canines fighting around her. This was Zorayda's work, she knew it was. How wonderful; it would buy her, and them, some more time. No one but Talha should be able to see much in this lack of light, which gave her a perfect opportunity to slip away to shelter and surely it would do the same for many others too. She smirked, proud of her pride sister.

"Consider yourself lucky, Mwani. You'd be in a lot more pain right now if I could see you."

The young lioness had almost forgotten about her attacker and, in a sudden surge of confidence, scoffed at him. But she found that only a splutter came out of her mouth. Suddenly she became aware of the warm, wet something trickling down her throat and at the same moment, a sharp, terrible pain struck her. She gasped for air but choked, coughed and panicked. Absolute horror gripped her. No! No, she didn't want to die! This. wasn't. the way! Talha could no longer keep herself upright and with a thud her head slumped onto the ground, the roars and screams of all those around her seeming to slowly grow distant. Talha wanted to move, but could not. This wasn't right. She didn't want to die alone. Not like this! She still had so much to achieve! So much to see and do! She wasn't ready for this! But her time was running out and she could do nothing to stop or delay it. Only one pride member was on her mind.

"Satoba... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." she whispered as the darkness closed in around also her. And the world faded into nothing.

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

As warriors began to gather around Sumai, he shouted further instructions. "We will take the den! This is what we will do this night! Follow me!" With these words, and glowing with the excitement of the coming certain victory, Sumai began to carve a path through the mass of creatures towards the rock-formation that was the Mwani stronghold. It wasn't far now. Not far at all.

[Zorayda]

'Please... please let us survive this...' Zorayda begged the gods above as she flew blindly, her power still active over the shocked troops of Belbel. Their shock was wearing off, however... she could hear shouts of anger and scuffling as they recovered from their surprise and began to gain their bearings once more. Her wings were screaming in pain from the torn tendons and overstretched muscles--a result of her daring escape from the clutches of death, and from that eerie jackal's sand trap. But she powered through it, trying to shout out to her pridemates and get them to follow her to safety. Tonight, they would lose the den... but Zor refused to allow her entire family to be slaughtered by those Belbel monsters.

"Retreat! Evacuate the den! Everyone, let's go!" She called... she briefly wondered how the pride would survive without Moto, who had seemingly been killed by a fateful blow to the head, but she shook those thoughts away right now. She did not need to falter now, when the pride was counting on her to lead them away by the sound of her voice, when her powers of darkness were their only hope of escape. The violet lioness only hoped that her friends had all made it out safely... she did not know how she would handle it if she discovered that one of them had died at the paws of the violent Belbel.

The lioness gritted her teeth as her flight pattern faltered slightly... her wings were failing, and now she was going to fall. She held on, straightening the large, gray appendages forcefully to drift upon the heated currents of air. The others were coming along behind her as the Belbel leader shouted out to take their den. Zorayda ignored this for the time being and focused on leading her pride away from the jaws of certain death. She flew on and on, roaring and calling out, ignoring her weakened body. The land flew under her, and finally her powers of calling upon darkness were fading away a bit at a time. The land was beginning to come under the bloody sunset once more, and Zor could now see the sprawled bodies of her family as well as a few Belbel. 

She almost vomited when she saw a familiar body laid out peacefully, blood darkening the ground around her neck... Talha, her friend and pridemate, had fallen.

Zorayda could not hold back tears. They poured down her face as she flew, barely keeping herself aloft as choked sobs escaped her muzzle, vision blurred by the wetness in her eyes. But she could not fall apart, not now... her pride needed her. Only a little more... After what seemed like endless hours of flying over dead bodies, they finally left the battlegrounds and came upon the forest's edge. Zorayda lowered to the ground and landed, but her landing was terrible--instead of alighting neatly on her paws, her wings trembled at the last moment and made her falter. She crashed upon the ground, hard, and she cried out in pain--a quiet, sickening snap told her that something was broken, and as she tried to get up to stretch out her wings, she found that she could no longer move the right wing. It was broken, rendering her flightless and vulnerable... but now she was at the Fila Forest's edge. She was safe, with most of the others--for now.

"H-help..." she cried out weakly. "We... lost... Moto has fallen..." Her body trembled with both physical and emotional pain, and yet still she endured, limping along and dragging her right wing alongside her. With a yelp, she tripped over it, and unbearable pain shot through her system... she felt as though she was about to faint, but she willed her body to keep moving, to survive. She needed to help the others. They needed her, and she would not let them down.

---

The rust-red lioness smelled blood. She was unsure of where it came from in the darkness, but a familiar roar sounded somewhere to her left flank, and she whipped around, calling out to the voice. "Zito! It is I, Mlezi!" She called out to him in the blackness, making sure his rampaging claws did not poison her on accident... her shield was let down and she followed alongside where she thought he was, allowing her sense of smell and hearing to guide her in this chaos. Then, out of the confusion, a guiding voice roared out... it was Sumai, and he was ordering them to overtake the Mwani den! With a roar of affirmation and eagerness, Mlezi ran harder, barreling into other lions and not caring if they were in her way... she was nearing the den, she could hear her echoing pawsteps! Now all to worry about was that lioness who kept throwing long-range shots of ice at them, but even she could not ruin Mlezi's euphoria in the face of victory. The Belbel were victorious once again, thanks to their amazing, courageous leader's guidance!

"Take their home in the name of our fierce leader!" Mlezi roared out triumphantly. Her strong haunches flexed as she leapt in, her claws and jaws tearing into a nearby Mwani... she heard a yelp, tasted blood, and the weakling had been felled in an instant. They were going to win yet another war... and claim their prize as a result. Today was a wonderful day for the Belbel, indeed...

[Kirsui]

Anapa had no idea what was going on, and the muffled sounds from above were definitely not enough to inform her of the situation. She laid in the darkness of her cocoon of sand, unconsciously pulling herself deeper under the ground as she waited her recovery from the paralysis. The sand was warm and dry, and her body's recovery felt swifter in the comforting embrace of her most beloved element.

She twitched her muscles. Despite some remaining effects of the paralysis, her body was her own again and she prepared to emerge from her sandy tomb. However, she paused. What if the lion who had caused her predicament and ultimately freed the winged Mwani from her sand trap was still out there? It would be unwise to poke her head out of the ground, only to have it ripped off by the scum who had thought he could best her in the field of battle by taking away her ability to move.

With that in mind the jackal reached out with her control over sand, poking at the ground around her to determine its nature. She was pleased to find that though it was formed of different types of ground, sand was still present, and as long as sand was present she could move underground without detection.

Not hesitating one bit, the jackal quickly took off to the direction of the Mwani Den, knowing it would be the ultimate goal of her pride in this battle. She allowed the grains of sand roll across her fur, filling the space behind her as if she had never been there. At the same time those same grains pushed her forward, giving her precious time to recover from the last remnants of the paralysis while she still moved forward.


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


Zito scanned the darkness after his annoyed words had left his lips, his snarl only barely contained. He was on his guard in case the Mwani he had been attacking would take the opportunity to sneak up on him. He thought he heard a soft, spluttering sound in the darkness, but it was so quiet that it could have just as well been a trick his sense of hearing played on him.

"Zito! It is I, Mlezi!"

Mlezi? Zito's snarl died instantly and he was now scanning the darkness for an entirely different reason. He didn't want to give away his position in case there were still Mwani lurking around him, but in this darkness a member of his pride with an ability like Mlezi's would come in handy.

"BELBEL! To me!"

Zito's eyes flashed and he turned his gaze at the sound of Sumai's call. He hesitated only a few seconds, giving his last brief glance at the surrounding darkness before he bolted into a light run towards where he had heard Mlezi's voice, hoping he could catch up with her before reaching Sumai's fiery beacon of light. Before such a thing could happen, however, further order's from Sumai reached his ears, and an eager grin once again found its way on his lips.

"Take their home in the name of our fierce leader!"

Zito's grin widened even more at Mlezi's triumphant roar not far ahead of him, and with the grin still plastered on his face his claws caught their green glow once more as he caught the sight of an unsuspecting Mwani that tried to use the cover of darkness to sneak up on Mlezi.

Without a second thought the large tiglon pounced, his poisonous claws cutting deep into the Mwani's back. The Belbel officer detached himself from the fatally injured enemy and joined the fray with his a triumphant roar of his own. "For Belbel! For Sumai!"


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


At the sound of her name, the creamy lioness' ears perked up as relief washed over her. She recognized the voice as Lorien, and soon enough the grey feline came to her view from the darkness. However, her relief washed away when Lorien asked the very thing Kirsui feared.

"What has happened? Moto...he..is he?"

Kirsui licked her lips with a feeling of dread and shook her head. She glanced over Lorien's shoulder to the darkness where she hoped the healers were, though she was unable to see more than a few shapes in the pitch black that Zorayda had created. Her gaze flicked back to Lorien, and though her large, blue eyes held a sad expression over the Mwani leader's fall, she could not voice it aloud in fear of despairing those few of her pride mates unscratched by the battle.

Not yet. The enemy was still upon them, and they needed to get to safety. It seemed that Lorien realized this too, for the grey lioness stopped her questions and laid out a plan for their escape.

"Retreat! Evacuate the den! Everyone, let's go!"

Kirsui's ears twitched at the sound of Zorayda's call for retreat, and the creamy lioness' expression shifted to one of determination as she nodded her head at Lorien before slipping past her to address their awaiting pride members. With the faint glow of the flames around her feet she saw the scared faces of those nearest to her, though the rest were still covered in shadows.

"You heard Zorayda's call", she told them, her voice still strangely calm. "The Den is lost, and the outpost at the edges of the Fila Forest is our only option. We shall escape with the cover of Zorayda's darkness, and with the aid of Lorien's power."

She looked at her grey furred friend, confidence at Lorien's ability to keep everyone safe evident on her face. She opened her mouth to tell everyone to regroup so that they could escape, when suddenly a triumphant roar and a pained yelp broke the silence.

"Take their home in the name of our fierce leader!"

Her eyes widened with horrified realization, and the creamy lioness did the only thing she could think of to keep everyone safe.

"Lorien! GO! Take them out of here!"

She didn't spare her grey furred friend a second glance as she leapt towards the triumphant roar of the Belbel who had reached them in the cover of darkness. A second roar and yelp reached her ears, and by the deep, masculine sound she knew another Belbel had found them. With a challenging roar of her own she allowed the faint flickers of blue fire around her ankles to erupt into full power, enveloping her whole body in a roaring inferno of bone-chilling death.

For the briefest of moments she pondered at the calm that had settled in her heart after it had become evident that the Mwani could not win today. She knew that the brilliant shine of her blue flames would draw all attention to her, and it would make her a target.

And she was counting on it, for in the distraction that she could provide the remaining Mwani could escape.

The creamy lioness threw away the last remnants of caution and raised her voice to another roar of challenge that, she hoped, would pull even more attention away from any Mwani that still had the chance to escape.

"Come at me, you Belbel scum!" she roared, her flames pulsing around her body to emphasize her words. "Defilers! Murderers! You think the Mwani defeated? YOU SHALL SEE YOUR FRIENDS BURN BEFORE ME BEFORE YOU SLAY ANOTHER ONE OF MINE!"

[Leto]

Evacuation. War. Casualties. Wounded. The words had seared themselves into her brain, a good indicator of what was coming and how difficult their coming days, months, hell even years could possibly become. The blindfolded, white lioness kept a steady pace; guarding the tail of the group of refugees making sure any stragglers were not abandoned. All of them were following Lo, a liardess who had taken point. Gently nudging the young mother beside her to move, despite her being visibly heavy with cubs this long trek was difficult for her, not just cause of added the baggage but the uncertain fate of her mate which had stayed behind to defend the den, and what slaughter he and the others could possibly meet on the battlefield, as well as the ever nagging question if he, that is to say if anyone was ever coming home.

The moment they reached the forest there was as if a heavy burden had been lifted of the entire group, despite the fact that she couldn’t see it Na’hina could feel it in the air, everyone were settling into the dense protection of the forest, helping to make the young mother comfortable and also make preparations for the arrival of the wounded that would most certainly come. But from what the firetailed lioness understood of the layout of this forest she couldn’t  the supposed safety this place actually provided, sure it was far from the main den on the very edge of Mwani territory, but if they did lose this battle it was only a matter of time before the enemy would crop up here and finish the deed.

Stepping towards exposed forest edge she sat down, listening if she could catch any news on the wind, there was nothing but an eerie silence. That wasn’t until the sound of flapping wings caught her ears, attention directed to the sky, and her body was tensing up, and the winds weren’t blowing in her favor so she could not tell whether it was a friend or a foe, however as the creature came down for landing the loud thud sounds and the unmistakable snapping of bones could be heard. Uttering a gasp Na’hina rose to her feet, calling towards the forest behind her “We have injured!” as she raced towards the downed feline, who she now recognized through scent as Zorayda.

"H-help..."

Coming up beside her, Na’hina gently placed a paw on her shoulder, “Shh, you’re safe now.” She whispered trying to calm her down, "We... lost... Moto has fallen..." Those five words however made the very blood in Na’hina’s veins freeze like ice, Moto? Moto was dead? The blindfolded lioness could feel a painful lump clogging her throat; her breath exited her in shallow gasps, felt like she wanted to scream! Yet no sound came, she couldn’t afford to mourn yet, she had a badly injured pridemate to take care of, but with Moto dead the battle was as good as lost, she could only pray the survivors had ordered a full retreat. Her paws gently worked over the winged feline’s body to find the place where the broken bone was, much to her sadness it was one of the wings that from what she could feel had suffered a rather complex fracture.

“Come, let’s get you inside.” She rasped, gently prodded at Zorayda’s side urging her friend to stand, while easing herself under the broken wing to give it some support and lessen the pain of it dragging along the ground.

[Zorayda]

[Prepare for a long post! Sorry ahead of time >.>]

The blue-spotted canid swept worried eyes across the scene that played before her. Death. Destruction. Despair. The scent of blood and fear hit her nose and barraged her heart with intense negative emotion. Oh, how she wanted to be able to heal them all... her wise age dictated that her magic was powerful and controlled, but without enough water nearby... her healing powers weren't even a quarter their normal strength.

“MWANI! BRACE YOURSELVES FOR DARKNESS!” The hyena gasped as she recognized Zorayda's voice, one of the younger pridemates. She had powers that concentrated around light and dark, so the healer knew that in the next moment, thick, black darkness would envelop them. The hyena closed her aquamarine eyes in a silent prayer, thanking the gods above for her pridemate's gift. Because of the dark, they would make it out alive. A worried, girlish voice called her name in the darkness, and the hyena perked her ears towards the sound.

"Wynna? Everyone? Can you hear me? We need to get out of here." The words were harried, nervous. Kirsui was obviously terrified, though biting back that fear in the face of her pride's endangerment. She was right, though; the Mwani needed to retreat. They would live to fight another day. Wynna nodded calmly, her own fear bubbling to the surface in her eyes. Kirsui's terror was infectious, it seemed, and Wynna thanked the gods above again for the darkness to hide her frightened flinch. "Yes. Yes we do," she said in a slow voice, as calm as the surface of unrippled water. She listened to Lorien's idea of using her phasing powers to help them and nodded, impressed. "That is a wise idea, we should do so and evacuate the area. The forest is--" A roar, fierce and raw, sounded, and Wynna could hear the sound of her heart pounding faster. "Quickly! Get out of here, we must leave!" Her cry was echoed by Zorayda's voice as she flew overhead, desperate to lead her pridemates to safety. Wynna was about to rush over to Lorien, scrambling to find her in the darkness, when she noticed that Kirsui hadn't moved. Wynna didn't recall hearing her shuffling paws, didn't feel her pressing against her to move in the darkness. Confusion furrowed Wynna's brow for a brief moment. "Kirsui-mchawi? What..."

"You heard Zorayda's call." Kirsui's young, kind voice was suddenly as ice--hard, deceptively calm. It sent chills up and down Wynna's spine with its intensity, and right away the hyena knew exactly what Kirsui intended. "The Den is lost, and the outpost at the edges of the Fila Forest is our only option. We shall escape with the cover of Zorayda's darkness, and with the aid of Lorien's power."

"Mchawi... you aren't going to stay here?" Wynna asked in a hushed tone. Frustrated that she could not see in this darkness, she nosed the young mage-lioness's side. "But you are so young... you should go with them." But Kirsui's stance had stiffened stubbornly, and Wynna felt the cold bite of her ice-fire surround her as she willed it into being. With a deep sigh and a determined internal decision, Wynna growled deep in her throat. "Then I will stay with you, little mchawi. This will not be something you shall do alone." And, bracing herself, Wynna surged forward just as Kirsui did; a new fire forced the hyena's old limbs to move quickly and without hesitation, racing ahead of the young lioness to help give her young pridemate a fighting chance. Perhaps, gods willing, Wynna would give Kirsui a slim chance of survival... "Here, you cowards! This hyena will have your heads!" She barked out, drawing as much attention as possible to herself. Snarling and barking with the eerie laughter of a hyena, Wynna reached down deep into the wells of calm waters and produced the rage of an angry ocean, battering its victims upon the sharp rocks. "The Belbel will regret having ever stepped paw on our lands! You dare attack the Mwani and their bite will be felt in return!" Her crushing jaws latched onto something in the dark, an unfamiliar-scented pride member of the Belbel, and did not let go. She growled between her teeth as whoever it was howled in pain... Her powerful jaw muscles flexed and she felt something break and snap. Even without powers, hyenas bone-crushing bite were legendary, and Wynna put it to work. She would cripple and maim, cause distraction, anything to help Kirsui to live.

Her minor victory was short-lived, however, as a figure approached, and even in the darkness, Wynna saw the glint of golden eyes. Claws ripped into her side and she let go of her crushing grip, tumbling to the ground. She felt hot blood spill from her belly, and searing pain was felt in slashes. Undeterred, she grit her teeth and got up to fight again, ignoring her pain and healing the cuts a tiny bit to keep them from bleeding. But the strong Belbel lioness only slashed again with powerful claws, and in an instant of hesitation from the pain, she felt jaws surround her windpipe. Horrified, Wynna noticed with a distant air that she could feel each tooth as it popped through her skin and into her trachea, and she felt as they yanked with one swift movement. It was only a few seconds later, as the hyena gurgled and choked on the ground, that blackness consumed her, and Wynna's frame sagged as Death claimed her. The suffocating darkness slowly, slowly lifted, and the dying rays of sunset touched upon the body of the hyena, though her wide aquamarine eyes could no longer see it.

---

The yellow adolescent's ears twitched with the sounds of the surf. It was calming, soothing... they called to her. She gave her amputated foreleg a glance and shuddered. Her pride would never accept her back this way... broken, useless for battle. The Belbel were a fierce race, and as much as she hated her leader, she still believed in the pride's culture from back when she was but a pup, and Xena reigned. Xena... the black feline was raw, powerful, intense. Nothing could tame her... except Death. Her last wish was to invoke leadership in Sumai, to put him in charge... the only decision Xena had made that Rey had ever disagreed with. The old lion was ornery, sexist, and battle-hungry. He would lead them to ruin, she just knew it. And yet... she found herself regretting that she could never be a part of the Belbel pride again; even if they did accept her back, she would be a useless weight upon them.

No. Better this way than to bring shame to her family and pride. Better this than the alternative--the death of her soul. She would not break that way. She would not.

---

Far away from all the fighting, Haraka awoke after a brief, restless nap, having lacked sleep for the past few days during various hunts. He yawned and stretched leisurely, sleep taking memories from him for the brief moment, when his spine stiffened. War. It was going on, right this second, and the prospect of so much death made the normally care-free lion cringe. His expression sobered further when he remembered that he was supposed to be caring for his ward, a young wolf that he had no idea what to do with. The tan lion got to his feet, amber eyes worried. How was he going to care for another when he could barely care for himself? He gave himself a once-over. Haraka was scruffy, dirty, and underfed. There was no way he could feed someone else... Not once did his thoughts turn to abandoning her, despite the normally selfish attitude he displayed most of the time. He had a soft spot for young ones, and Rey... she was only just out of puphood, it seemed.

Though he'd only recently met the kid, he harbored feelings of protectiveness for her somewhere deep. Seeing her injured and helpless, looking into her eyes to see her youth, recognizing the snappy and sarcastic words as something he would say to someone else... he felt a kinship with her. Perhaps the start of a wobbly friendship. He'd saved her life, and she was dependent on his kindness; and though she said otherwise, he knew she was grateful for his help.

Sighing, he turned to exit the small shelter to find Rey.

"Hey, kid, how're you holdin'--" he stopped when he realized that she wasn't where he left her last. Brow furrowed, he glanced about, calling her name... but she was gone. Slowly, he realized that there were paw prints--irregular, and only three of them at a time. The prints suggested that she'd hobbled awkwardly, and quite a long ways. He followed them curiously, wondering where she went. His gut told him that something wasn't right... faster he trotted, and a little faster as his heart sank. He realized where the footprints were leading...

Straight to the cliffs overhanging the beach, where many a creature had gone to commit suicide. She couldn't be thinking... she wouldn't do that, would she? Panic settled into Haraka's heart, and he smoothed the earth beneath him with his powers to run faster, paws carrying him forth much more quickly than ever before. Before he knew it, he was there, and sure enough, the young wolf was standing at the cliff's edge, looking down as if pondering.

"Rey! NO!" He screamed. Her head jerked up to see him, and instead of looking abashed, she gave him a little smile. Even from this distance, Haraka could see her muzzle form words.

"I'm sorry."

"NO!!!" Haraka called, but too late... the wolf leapt over the edge of the cliff and fell. The brown lion could not bear to watch her land, but his ears could hear her body break upon the craggy rocks of the shore even over the waves of the gulf. "...Rey..." he choked. With a bitter wail, Haraka flung himself onto the ground and sobbed. His first friend, and in one day he'd already lost her to her own despair...

---

Mlezi grinned ferociously to herself as the Mwani fell under her paws... a worthy adversary, standing even when nearly disemboweled to face her again, only to succumb to Death under her jaws. Tasting blood only made Mlezi's soul sing with rage and battle-lust. The winged lioness led many of the Mwani away, and Mlezi let them go, knowing a retreat when she heard one. Other Belbel weren't so kind, however, and began to follow, when a desperate, enraged roar filled their ears. The winged lioness's powers of darkness were fading as she left, and Mlezi could suddenly see with the rays of sunlight left in the day. Mlezi wondered briefly who it was that roared... The answer came in the form of a pale, cream-colored lioness, her young face alight with righteous fury. 

"Come at me, you Belbel scum! Defilers! Murderers! You think the Mwani defeated? YOU SHALL SEE YOUR FRIENDS BURN BEFORE ME BEFORE YOU SLAY ANOTHER ONE OF MINE!" The lioness bellowed, the blue flame surrounding her pulsating with each spat word. Mlezi smiled secretly. Oh, how she was going to adore a battle with an enraged Mwani member... Mlezi came forth, gold eyes glittering. An unspoken command of battle shone through her gaze to lock with Kirsui's, her shield powers humming just at the surface of her thoughts. Unconsciously, Mlezi began to circle the cream-colored lioness as she issued an order to her Belbel pridemates. "Make sure none are left in the den. Chase them all out, kill them, I don't care. Leave this little cub to me," she said in her slow tones. Muscle rippled beneath her haunches and shoulders as she slowly made an arc around Kirsui, keeping her eyes open and her senses alert. "So, you are the little nuisance that kept Mwani from dying an instantaneous death... I applaud your efforts, but they were in vain," Mlezi taunted. If a fight was to be had, it was going to be a spectacle... better to give a courageous enemy a tale-worthy death than to quickly kill them. In her mind, Mlezi was actually doing this little mage a favor... unlike the piteous whelp of a leader Sumai had taken down so quickly.

---

Zorayda recognized the blindfolded visage of one of her soft-spoken friends and pridemates--Na'hina, the ghost-speaker. The white lioness approached Zorayda, worry coloring the dulcet tones of her lovely voice. At Zor's news, she could feel Na'hina falter, horrified... Zorayda did not blame her. The death of their leader was terrible for morale... if they were to live, they needed a new plan, and quickly. The pride could not survive in the nearby desert, and the forest being so close meant violent territory wars and constant battle with the neighboring Belbel left over in the Mwani den. The winged lioness yelped as Na'hina inspected her side and wing, her healing touch painful even if she was only trying to help. Zor bit back the urge to pass out, however, and allowed the fire-tailed lioness to limp her back towards the forest.

"Tend to the others first. My wounds are not fatal," the violet lioness insisted, even as Na'hina's gingerly led her back into the thick of trees. Zor looked back to make sure the others had made it... she saw Lorien and a few (too few, she thought with a sinking heart) of the Mwani make their way to Fila Forest along with the cubs, elderly, and their protectors. Their bodies were semi-transparent, phased so that they would pass through the battlegrounds safely. The winged lioness gave a grateful nod to Lorien for her help, though Zorayda could not manage a smile.

She wondered if she would ever be able to smile again...

[Lionel]

Meusi made his way to the Mwani den, to be precise, he spot, where he heard a lioness shout something. Now he had a picture in his head, who's the attacker and who needs help. He triped over something. A body. Meusi put his paw on the face, letting his blue lines let some light. It was the same lionnes, that tackled him earlier. He turned away, and felt something new. Guilt. It was his Roar, that weakened the lioness, and maybe if not him, the Mwani pride would have one fighter more. But it was war, and he was lucky to be alive. Now, he had to mask his lines. Blood was everywhere, and so was some gravel and sand. He was disgusted by the thought, but he didn't want to die.
He rolled in th blood, covering his black fur and white mane with dripping, red spots. Then he rooled in the sand. He had masked his scent and his colours. He continued sneaking towards the both lionesses.

"Come at me, you Belbel scum!" "Defilers! Murderers! You think the Mwani defeated? YOU SHALL SEE YOUR FRIENDS BURN BEFORE ME BEFORE YOU SLAY ANOTHER ONE OF MINE!"

Meusi was surprised, and moved even closer to the two. Hidding behind something, he closely watched and tried to find the right moment to attack.

"Make sure none are left in the den. Chase them all out, kill them, I don't care. Leave this little cub to me," "So, you are the little nuisance that kept Mwani from dying an instantaneous death... I applaud your efforts, but they were in vain,"


His eyes widened. so, that' how they play. Not enough of the chaos, they even want to duel? Well, not on his watch. He got ready, right when Mlezi was infront of him, he jumped, letting his claws and teeth out, trying to inflict as much damage as he could.

[KanuTGL]

OOC: Oh, look, a post xP

IC: Ghedi had stayed close to the lioness Bone during what had turned into an easy victory for the Belbel. As much as he thought that she was an unnecessarily hateful and pessimistic creature, she was a good fighter and a strategically good companion during a battle. She didn't care for him much, but her sense of honour worked in Ghedi's favour and they had fought together as a good team. He would charge ahead, bite down on whatever pitiful creature was in his way and once they were weakened by his venom, the lioness would fire her bone projectiles and strike them dead. It had been a fairly efficient method.

The wild dog, while never underestimating an opponent, couldn't help but smirk as his and Bone's teamwork brought down another enemy - a red-furred jackal. The Mwani seemed afraid, and that was excellent. The dog and lioness stood back-to-back, looking for new targets. They hadn't seen Sumai fight against the fire-maned lion, but information spread quickly through the mass of battling animals and they knew that their leader had won. "What do you reckon, Bonnie? How long until Sumai stands on top of that den?" Ghedi shouted through the noise.

Bone cringed and it took large amount of self-control to stop herself from smacking Ghedi for the use of the nickname she hated. He was useful in battle, but damned if he wasn't the most irritating dog she had ever known (and she had known many). "I don't know." she grunted, keeping her bright eyes focused on her surroundings. "But it won't be lo--" There was a sudden yelp from Ghedi and she whipped around to find him pinned to the ground by a large leopard. With a snarl she tackled the Mwani, pushing him off and pressing him down. Ghedi was quick to respond and he threw himself onto the enemy with surprising ferocity, not needing any extra assistance from Bone to quickly put the leopard out of its misery. Wild dogs of his kind could be vicious and were widely known for tearing apart their prey alive... "Thanks, Bonnie." Ghedi panted "I almost thought I'd met my fate for a second."

The grunt with which Bone replied could, perhaps, with a bit of imagination, be interpreted as a 'you're welcome'.

When the battlefield became shrouded in darkness, the two warriors stayed even closer in their back-to-back formation and slowed down to move carefully across the ground. Ghedi dared not charge for fear of striking one of his own and Bone's night vision was next to useless. When they caught sight of Sumai's beacon of light they headed for it and joined their fellow troops without further mishaps. The Mwani were fleeing and the Belbel were ever advancing; Ghedi felt as if his whole being was pounding with excitement.

---

Near the top of the rock formation, Sumai stopped and looked out over the battlefield, or, what little could be seen of it. He had heard the word 'Retreat!' be shouted and the Mwani were retreating. It was now only a matter of chasing them away far enough.

"Take their home in the name of our fierce leader!"

"For Belbel! For Sumai!"

The red lion's heart swelled with pride and, spurred by the shouts of his pride members, he pressed on. None dared defy his flames and those he met during his ascent fled. Wise; knowing when they were defeated. The Belbel pride swarmed around the cliffs and caves, chasing out or killing any enemy in their path. Now, however, the number of opponents seemed to be thinning out. No guards remained on the way to the top any more and step by step, Sumai got ever closer. His reaching the peak would be the definite symbolic victory.

And now he had it. Sumai had reached the top.

He stopped for a moment, looking out on the land below. The pitch black darkness from before had faded and the savannah now bathed in moonlight, revealing some of the gruesome scene before them. Bodies of both felines and canines lay strewn across the field where they had fallen, in pools of black blood... Sumai let out a sigh. So much death. Around him his pride members, family and friends, were rejoicing over their easy victory, but had it been easy? At what cost had it come? Those were questions they would be able to answer in the morning, once dawn again rose in the east and the light returned. For now his warriors would be able to rest and celebrate, but Sumai would make sure that the sacrifices their fallen comrades had done for their pride - for him - would not be in vain.

The general inhaled to let out a final yell of victory, but something below caught his eye. A set of bright blue flames, ablaze in the night. He squinted to see better and found that it was Mlezi that had taken on this Mwani - the last Mwani - in what seemed to be a duel. The Belbel pride members who weren't finishing off enemies or cheering their victory had started to gather in a semi-circle to apparently watch the spectacle. Sumai pondered for a moment over what to do. Mlezi was certainly capable of handling a single enemy on her own, but on the other hand the general couldn't sit down and consider the battle won while it was still unfinished. He started making his way down the rocks, watching the fight unfold. She had spirit, that young Mwani, that was for sure, but this was a foolish effort... Her pride had already gone; was she buying them time to escape? An honourable action then, but foolish none the less. Lives were not made to be wasted and she was throwing away hers. But as Mlezi made her leap, another lion barged in, heading right for her. It wasn't a Belbel, and that was all Sumai needed to know. With a snarl, he charged ahead, reawakening his shield of flames, and by use of his remarkable speed he was at Mlezi's side almost immediately. He swiped a massive, firey paw at the other lion, hoping to strike him down as easily as their weak leader...

---

Sumai joining the duel was the only motivation Ghedi needed. Mlezi had claimed the lioness for herself, but this lone lion was free game... The adrenaline was still running wild in the canine's body and the euphoria from winning the battle made him feel like he couldn't possibly lose now. He growled and ran forwards, fangs bared, and leapt for the mud- and blood-covered lion. All he needed was to land a single bite, anywhere, to make this an easy fight. With Sumai striking him from the front, he would surely have little idea of what was coming from behind, so Ghedi aimed first for the back. Failing that, he would go for a leg, or maybe even the tail. Yes, all he needed to do was pierce the skin once - just once - and let the venom do the rest...

---

Satoba paced the cave, fraught with worry. The sounds of battle did not reach them here - deep in the Fila forest - but he was certain that the war had begun. Some of the others were asleep, but not him... How could anyone sleep at a time like this? The young lion hybrid hated the wait and he was afraid for his friends. Where were they? Why didn't they come?

Then the sound of pawsteps made him stop in his tracks and he heard a shout, not far away; "We have injured!"

It was the voice of Na’hina, his fellow blind pride member and healer. Satoba gasped, cold fear gripping him, but he did not move. He didn't know what to do - should he go and try to help them? Should he stay here and wait for the injured to come to him? He knew he was expected to fulfil his own duty now, to heal those who had returned, but he had no idea of how to go about it and ended up just standing still. Maybe Moto or Talha would be able to help him, when they came. If they came... No! He couldn't think like that. They would come, they had to come.

[Kirsui]

Kirsui was surprised of how little she was afraid of the situation she had gotten herself into. Her pride's safety was the only thing on her mind as she charged for the Belbel, and though she briefly thought she should have felt fear, she was surrounded in a blanket of calm. Her furious words, her pulsing aura of blue fire... They were a ruse to draw attention.

She spotted the reddish lioness she had seen before on the battlefield, right before Zorayda had covered the land in darkness. Their gazes locked, and instinctively the creamy lioness slowed down her wild charge, her blue eyes sweeping her opponent's form with a calculating gaze. Kirsui could see right away that the lioness was physically stronger, so her only chances of defeating her was to be swifter.

With determination the creamy lioness began to match her steps with the Belbel as the larger lioness began to circle her. She would not turn her back on the enemy, and she would not let her fires die.

"So, you are the little nuisance that kept Mwani from dying an instantaneous death... I applaud your efforts, but they were in vain."

The young lioness didn't grace her enemy with an answer, only kept moving while the lioness circled her. She would have to be quick if her opponent attacked now. She took brief notice of how other Belbel had formed a loose circle around her and her opponent, but for now none of them thought to interfere after the red lioness' demand of a duel.

What happened next took her completely by surprise. As Mlezi began another circle around her, a lion pounced at the red lioness. Kirsui's eyes widened for a moment when she realized she did not know this lion, and for a brief moment she wondered who this third perpetrator was.

A loud snarl from the crowd snapped the lioness out of her momentary surprise, and her eyes widened slightly when she realized that Sumai had suddenly appeared to stand right next to Mlezi. His fiery aura was once again ablaze around him, and even through her own cold flames felt calming to her, she could sense the heat of Sumai's fire. She hissed, taking an involuntary step away from the fiery Belbel leader, uncertain of what would happen if their powers would clash.

Then she spotted movement from behind the lion, and realized that another Belbel had taken the opportunity to strike at him. It was a wild dog, running with speed that would make it difficult to avoid an attack from him while also trying to fight off Sumai.

With a fierce snarl Kirsui allowed her aura to pulse as she dashed to one side, hoping to get around Mlezi and Sumai in order to get a clear shot at the wild dog without harming the lion that had decided to help her fight off the Belbel.


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


Zito found himself standing between Ebaha and Trion in the group of Belbel that had gathered around Mlezi and Kirsui. His dual coloured eyes were flashing with excitement at the commencing duel, though he partly wished that Mlezi had not claimed the young lioness completely to herself. His lust for blood was still strong after the battle, but he would let Mlezi have her fun... for now.

However, such a moment would not come to pass, for another lion suddenly charged at Mlezi. Zito snarled, realizing he was too far from Mlezi to interfere before the lion would be able to land a blow. His rage dimmed somewhat when Sumai himself came to defend the red lioness, and when Ghedi quickly followed their leader's example and prepared to attack the lion from behind.

A snarl and slight flash of blue caught the tiglon's attention, and his gaze flicked to the young Mwani that had stayed behind to buy her pride time to escape. She was on the move again, darting quickly to one side in what Zito realized was an attempt to get a clear line to land a ranged attack at the attacking Ghedi. Narrowing his eyes, Zito made a swift decision to interfere before the Mwani would be able to do what she was planning.

"Ebaha!" he spoke to the caracal next to him, his tone commanding. "Cover me."

Without further thought at his safety, the large tiglon leapt towards the young Mwani. He could feel the chill of her fire get stronger as he got closer, and he realized he would have to be swift in order to avoid a possibly fatal injury.

With a few quick leaps he stood in the middle of the young Mwani's path, and with some satisfaction he saw her eyes widen with surprise. Without a second thought he lifted his massive paw and aimed a direct smack for her face. With the momentum the lioness had she would not be able to dodge, but clearly she was confident he would flinch away from his attack the instant he would come in contact with her fiery aura.

Zito smirked at how wrong she was. He heard Ebaha hiss in pain when his paw swung through the Mwani's fire, and saw how her eyes widened a fraction when his blow contacted with the side of her face. She was struck down and her fires flickered momentarily and threatened to vanish completely for a short moment. Zito glanced briefly down at his paw, flexing the muscles of his toes to make sure nothing was damaged. Ebaha could only shield his senses, after all, and though he now felt a small sting from where the lioness' freezing powers had touched his paw, he was fairly certain he had not suffered any major damage.

Either way, he would have a healer check it later on. For now he returned his attention to the young Mwani that was now getting back up on her feet. She had gotten her fiery aura back in control, but she was eyeing him warily.

"Just stay put", the tiglon told her with a small smirk. "Your turn will be soon enough..."