Game of Spies (Private Balanced Breakfast, Leorgathar, Lyon)

[abalancedbreakfast]

At the sudden pun, even Marat, the experienced espionage expert, couldn't help but reflexively groan, revealing his hiding place to the whole group.

"And with that terrible line, maybe it's time I reveal myself" he said, taking a step out of the bushes and revealing himself to the group, causing Talisman to pop up and fly directly into his mane in an instant.

"Thank god you're here, Marat! This whole thing was getting really awkward, I had to pretend-"

"I know, Garuda. I've been watching this whole group since you reached the riverbed." The lion picked the bird up with extended claws and gripped him tight, holding him in front of his face with a menacing death glare."Nothing happens without me seeing it. A word, you and I, once this is done." Finished with the bird, he gave him one last squeeze to scare him, and dropped him to the ground, his anger, at least in the moment, satiated. Then he turned to Zainab. "Since you're not exactly a permanent liberator, and you're just working with me this once, I'll just advise you to use better situational awareness next time."

With this, Marat relaxed his death glare, and turned to the two lionesses at hand. "Ladies, my name is Marat. And I make a living finding prides living under oppressive rule and giving power back to the people. I've decided to stop here because there's a lot that you two don't know about the truth behind this drought. First, this dumb bird and that lioness are not actually a couple. That was just something this idiot-" he said, pointing at the dirt where the Drongo stood "-made up at the last second and had to stick with. Had we simply told you straight off, we were afraid you might run off to tell Dhalimu that there was somebody challenging his rule. And trust me. He has a vested interest in keeping this dam up."

[Leorgathar]

“Dam”

Zainab chuckled at the young lioness’ pun. It seemed to her that she was a natural at making fun of every situation, as grim as it may be. A childish trait, perhaps, but one needed very often too. Zainab liked that.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” she said regaining some seriousness.

"And with that terrible line, maybe it's time I reveal myself"

Zainab looked back to see the male lion approaching them. She was surprised to learn he had been stalking them for who knows how long, but she didn’t show any sign of it. Simply acknowledging his presence.

"Since you're not exactly a permanent liberator, and you're just working with me this once, I'll just advise you to use better situational awareness next time."

The lioness silently disapproved at the way Marat treated Talisman, especially since it had been her own fault in the first place for being spotted. She simply dedicated him a very judging glare with her chin up, it wasn’t the time to argue about it and give out too much information in front of two strangers they just met who could be potential traitors.

The male proceeded to address the two other lionesses.
"Ladies, my name is Marat. And I make a living finding prides living under oppressive rule and giving power back to the people. I've decided to stop here because there's a lot that you two don't know about the truth behind this drought. First, this dumb bird and that lioness are not actually a couple. That was just something this idiot made up at the last second and had to stick with. Had we simply told you straight off, we were afraid you might run off to tell Dhalimu that there was somebody challenging his rule. And trust me. He has a vested interest in keeping this dam up."

Zainab took a few steps towards the lionesses and followed Marat in addressing them.
“My real name is Zainab. I apologize for lying about our names and past before, but we couldn't take any risks, and it was necessary to keep our identities secret until you had seen this dam for yourselves. Dhalimu is very serious about keeping this a secret from your pride, and you can be sure he would do anything to cover his story up if someone were to go and tell him about it. He’s a very dangerous lion.” She then padded towards Talisman and lay down on her belly with the bird between her paws, facing the two lionesses. “We also know of at least two other lions, a couple, who wanted to murder Jalil, as well as Dhalimu himself, and take over the pride as the new king and queen. They are Nero and his mate, and we cannot allow that either. That said, I cannot tell you where Jalil is right now, but he is safe, and we intend for him to finally replace Dhalimu as the new king.”

Zainab bent down and licked Talisman’s back slowly.

“…Any questions?”

[Lyonize]

“…Any questions?”

Alari shot a paw up like a cub learning a lesson from her teacher. She waited until Zainab acknowledged her.

"Are you gonna finish that?" She said, glancing down at Talisman. She was only joking but she would continue to prod until she made sense of the actual relationship between Zainab and Talisman. Were they or weren't they a couple? She wondered. And what if they were a couple? What does that mean? Is that ok? It's kinda cute, but at the same time, a little bit... wrong. Which, for some reason, made it a little cuter to her. Alari knew these thoughts probably should've concerned her but these kinds of thoughts were normal for her if you could call them normal at all.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Marat stood up and addressed Alari. "She ain't gonna finish the bird, but I will. Talisman!" The bird flew to Talisman's shoulder.

"Yes sir" he replied.

"Get up there and fly overwatch, if your talons touch the floor before sundown without a good reason, you're up all night doing overwatch. Don't get yourself spotted again, understood?"

"I gotcha, Marat" he said, trying to stealthily shoot Zainab a copy wink before flying off, causing Marat to roll his eyes.

"As for you two, I already know your names. Alari, Sahara, how much longer do you think you can be away from Dhalimu before he suspects something?"

"I'm on Patrol all day, until Sundown at least. By that point Nero is taking over."

"Good. You know how to fight?"

"A little."

"Well, by the time Zainab is done with you, you'll know how to fight a lot. I'm going to head to Jalil and give some lessons to him. Mind pointing me in the right direction and training these two lionesses?"

[Leorgathar]

Zainab licked one of her upper fangs with a sensual smirk as a response to Talisman’s wink. She made sure to take long enough for Marat to notice it.

"Well, by the time Zainab is done with you, you'll know how to fight a lot. I'm going to head to Jalil and give some lessons to him. Mind pointing me in the right direction and training these two lionesses?"

“He’s staying in a cave northwest from here, if you go in that direction you’ll stumble with a big boulder that seems split in half, it’s north from that point.” Zainab got up and approached the two other lionesses. “And yes, I’ll gladly train these two for your little cause.”

As Marat left off to search for Jalil, Sahara looked at Zainab with skepticism.
“Wait, YOU are going to train us?” she asked. “No offense, but you don’t look very strong yourself, how will you even...”

Zainab looked into her eyes with a penetrating but relaxed stare. With a fluid movement she got closer and stroke Sahara’s neck with her chin, purring. The lioness froze blushing, feeling Zainab’s soft fur caressing hers. “What are you…” but her confusion got interrupted as Zainab suddenly brought her down locking her around the neck between her chin and her claw over her jugular, almost choking her.

“Muscle isn’t everything, sweetheart” she whispered in Sahara’s ear, then she released her, letting her regain her breath. “I can teach you both to keep your balance steady in a fight, how to use your opponent’s weight against them… trick them into thinking they’re stronger.” Sahara glared at her while coughing. “But first I must know how much time we can dispose of. How often can you come to this place without you being noticed?”

“Not as much as we would like to,” Sahara replied standing up again. “We are constantly being watched, either by Nero or his mate, Nabeela, all day long. They'll be looking for us soon.”

“Is that so?... Well, then we’ll have to do something about that. I’ll send a message to Marat with Talisman. For the short time we have now, let’s work on that fighting stance. You too, kiddo.” Zainab said looking at Alari.

[Lyonize]

Alari didn't mind being called "kiddo." She was, in fact, younger than everyone else there. She didn't think of it as an insult, but rather a confirmation of Zainabs underestimation of her. It was something she counted on a lot. To anyone who didn't know her, she was "just a kid." It worked in her favor countless times.

As Zainab approached Alari in a similar way she had to Sahara, Alari kept the only-slightly-amused expression on her face. Zainabs right paw left the ground to touch her but before she could, Alari snapped into a hunkered down position and at the same time, stepped on Zainabs left paw, and with a quick jab with the other paw, Alari landed a knuckle on the inside of Zainabs elbow, causing her forearm to go numb momentarily while pain shot up into her shoulder. Alari would've normally followed it up with a sweep of the legs or another jab to the throat. Instead, she jumped backward, creating some distance. Sahara stared, dumbfounded.

"You should probably focus on Sahara." Alari winked at Zainab, sliding back into a more casual posture.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Marat walked alongside Jalil, and the two had been talking for some time. He had scolded Jalil on his behavior with Zainab, and helped explain to the boy that he should stop being so naive. At the moment, the two were sitting down at the cave entrance. Marat decided it would be a good time to get to the heart of what his lesson for the day was. "Jalil... tell me- what do you think a king is supposed to be, first and foremost?"

The young boy had stopped twiddling his paw from the chewing out he'd gotten earlier and replied. "W-well... I suppose he does have to be strong. Stronger than me, anyw-"

"No, before that, Jalil. What does he do?"

His face froze. The king's job was obvious, he thought to himself, this question was pointless. "He rules the pride?"

"He rules it?"

"Yeah. His word is law, I suppose."

Marat stepped closer to the boy. "You have one fundamental thing wrong. Dhalimu rules this pride, yes, but is he a good king?"

"Well... obviously not, after all we found out yesterday."

"Exactly. So a good king?"

"I... he still leads the pride"

"Leads. That is the right answer. A good king doesn't rule, he leads."

Jalil shot Marat a confused look. "I... I don't get it."

"A ruler shouts orders from the back and reaps the reward of others. A leader is, first and foremost, a servant."

"What do you mean?"

"The leader's job is to make sure those underneath him are prepared for what's to come. His goal is not himself. His goal is the lions he cares for."

At this explanation, Jalil's eyes opened, as if something had clicked into place. "Then... if a leader is a servant, and a king is a leader-"

"Then a king is the ultimate servant of his lands."

Silence for a moment, before Jalil spoke up. "That's what Dhalimu did wrong. He never cared for us. He only cared about himself."

"Mhm. Remember, when you are king, you are placed on a high rock. But that isn't so other people can bow to you. That's so you can oversee all of them. So, when you become king, hunt with the lionesses every so often. Do a border patrol yourself. Check in with everyone, let all of your citizen's voices be heard and understood. You will have to say no to your subjects sometimes, that's just how things are. But never, ever think for a second that this is about you. This is about them. And when you take the position of king, you take on the lowliest position in the kingdom- the ultimate servant."

Talisman overflew the fighting instruction, deciding to land after he had circled and found nothing unusual. He was about to swoop down until he saw another round starting. Zainab and Alari. How quickly it was over actually astonished him. And that wink... made him suggest something odd was going here. He descended, flapping his wings hard to land on Zainab's shoulder.

"Sorry to distract you from this journey of lesbian self discovery, but Marat's got his lesson going with Jalil and I've got nothing better to do. We're all clear from above, might as well check if there's anything to take back to him. Anything noteworthy, Zainab?" he asked, moving to lay down on top of her head.

[Leorgathar]

Alari’s sudden counter offensive took Zainab by surprise. She was quick, and despite her appearance, she certainly had already some good previous experience in fighting. Zainab got up and looked at her with admiration.

"You should probably focus on Sahara."

Zainab smiled and chuckled. She had taken notice of Alari’s sense of humor before, which she enjoyed to have around, and that along with her agility in a fight meant she was very confident, ready for any situation. She was perfect.

“It seems that I underestimated you, kiddo. Good… very good.” Zainab’s smirk confirmed that she liked her. “Then perhaps you could teach a lesson to Sahara yourself, come on, I want to see your technique.” She turned to see Sahara with a delightful look in her amber eyes.

Sahara shifted her look between Zainab and Alari, feeling nervous. “You have to be joking!”

“Oh come on, you thought I was weak because I’m pretty, right? Look at Alari, she’s younger and far much prettier than me, surely she doesn’t pose much of a threat to you, does she? Or are you afraid because you saw her besting me in a single fight? Well, look how afraid I am.” Zainab lied down on her belly and crossed her paws. Sahara snorted offended. “Hey, for what I know I could be underestimating you too, maybe you’ll surprise yourself… Come on sweetheart, show me what you’ve got.”

Sahara faced at Alari and frowned, then she turned back angrily, walking away. “I’m not playing your games.”

Zainab smirked at Alari and signaled her with her eyes to attack.

“Lesson number one… Never turn your back on your opponent.”

At some point during training, Talisman landed on Zainab’s shoulder.

"Sorry to distract you from this journey of lesbian self discovery, but Marat's got his lesson going with Jalil and I've got nothing better to do. We're all clear from above, might as well check if there's anything to take back to him. Anything noteworthy, Zainab?"

“You know I’m more into birds nowadays, right?” Zainab said with a lick on Talisman’s beak. “We have the name of Nero’s mate now, it’s Nabeela, and from what I just gathered she’s also the huntress overseer. She watches the females’ every move, we’re lucky to have these two with us.”

[Lyonize]

Alari caught the glance Zainab had given her and with a quick lunge, she was on Sahara's right flank. She planted a quick jab on the inside of the lioness's hind leg and with another slide forward, a jab at the shoulder. Before any of the pain or numbness had time to set in, Alari sprung up and over the slightly taller lioness, rolling her back over hers. She landed shoulder to shoulder once again, but this time on the other side of Sahara. A quick lick on Sahara's cheek followed by a casually placed kick against her hind leg brought her crumbling down to the ground. It was flashy, but Alari enjoyed showing off to Zainab. The attention was getting to her head, but she didn't really care.

“Lesson number one… Never turn your back on your opponent.”

Alari remembered the same lesson. Her mother had taught her. She was the leader of security in the pride so she really couldn't've asked for a better teacher. Not that she ever would. She had about as much enthusiasm for each lesson as Sahara currently did. She always preferred to talk her way out of or around a bad situation. Even when she did become old enough to join the security and hunting team, she rarely had to use her fighting skills and her escape and evade prowess. It wasn't until after she left the pride that she truly appreciated the lessons in self-defense and subjugation. Her more lethal skills, however, she learned readily once she had been out on her own for a while. Alari learned to apply hunting techniques and lethal placement of claws and teeth to her already robust martial knowledge. Killing lions and other non-prey animals was easy, and it scared her. Before, she was just a tool for putting troublesome individuals in their place. But after that, she became something else. She was dangerous.

"Alari, I'm gonna kill you!" Sahara shouted, trying to lift herself back up. She looked like a newborn cub trying to stand up for the first time. It would be another ten seconds or so before the deadness in both her right legs came back.

"Get in line." She muttered as she faced Zainab. Talisman had just landed on the lioness's shoulder.

"Sorry to distract you from this journey of lesbian self discovery, but Marat's got his lesson going with Jalil and I've got nothing better to do. We're all clear from above, might as well check if there's anything to take back to him. Anything noteworthy, Zainab?"

“You know I’m more into birds nowadays, right?” There was a lick on the birds beak. Alrighty then. They're a couple. Can't wait to see where this goes. Alari thought with decadent fascination. “We have the name of Nero’s mate now, it’s Nabeela, and from what I just gathered she’s also the huntress overseer. She watches the females’ every move, we’re lucky to have these two with us.”

"Ok. So we knock down the dam, kill Dhalimu, then Nero and Nabeela if they don't like the new guy. Right?" It was what Alari would've done had she been alone, though, most times, she was accompanied by others who were smarter than she was and had better plans than she did. This was most likely one of those times, and she knew it.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Talisman hid his face in his feathers, cringing a bit. "No, no, good lord no. We don't just do that. Look, I've done this five times before with Marat, and knowing him, he'll probably want to find some way to convince the lionesses to do it. Our original plan was to lure them all out to discover that dam for themselves, then let them start their own rebellion. It's important that the lionesses do it themselves. That way there's no mass panic."

Marat stood up. "I gotta go pass this along to Marat. He'll be here soon. In the meantime, you guys keep doing some training." He pecked Zainab on the cheek once before flying off into Marat's direction.

Marat himself was pinning Jalil to the floor in sparring training by the time
Talisman had arrived and landed on a branch.

"Balance, Jalil, it'll be your friend."

"Sir" Talisman said after clearing his throat.

"What did I say? You're not supposed to land until-"

"Important information just came in, from Sahara. It'll change our plan."

He let go of Jalil. "You stay here. There's bugs to eat and water should be close by, even if it's scarce"

"Do I really have to eat bugs?"

"Do you want to be king?"

Jalil paused and sighed, going back to his cave.

"Now, Talisman, take me to them."

[Leorgathar]

Zainab smiled as she saw Talisman flying away. She thought maybe she was starting to have a thing for those sweet pecks he gave her on her cheek, or maybe it was something more. One thing was certain, and that was that they weren't just flirting to each other simply to annoy Marat, like they did before.

The lionesses resumed their training. Alari and Zainab took some rounds sparring with each other, and in most instances it was Alari who won with a better and quicker technique. Zainab got to pin her a couple of times, and that felt like a victory to her everytime. But Zainab never fell in frustration, she saw a lot of potential in Alari now knowing how good she was at fighting, and she even enjoyed training with her, it was like making a new friend who had a punchline for everything, like the sister she never had. She later wondered about what her past must have been like, where had she learned to fight and from whom. Maybe she would ask her that someday. But whatever her past was, she was certain that she would play a vital role in the rebellion to come, and Zainab wasn't going to miss it for anything in the world.

After she had finished with Alari, it was time to focus again on Sahara, who really seemed to avoid her training finding excuses for everything. At first Zainab thought she was just afraid, but something still seemed off about her. It was time to try a different approach.

"I told you I don't want to do this!" Sahara said as Zainab looked at her menacingly, but instead of facing her directly, she started to walk circling around her, as if she was some kind of prey. Growling, and intimidating her with her presence.

"What did you think of the dam?" Zainab suddenly asked.

"What?"

"The dam, what did you think of it?" Zainab asked again, not losing her ferocious look.

"I... I don't underst-"

"I'll tell you what I think... I brought you to the dam so you could see it with your own eyes, but you barely even had a reaction. Even Alari's joke was better and more convincing. I think you don't want to train because you don't want to be a part of this rebellion, you just want to go back home and warn your precious king about us".

Sahara started to tremble. A chill running down her spine, but she still spoke defensively
"W-What!? No, wait! You're wrong! I would never..."

"You saw me drinking water at the river this morning, that was farther north from here, way beyond your king's forbidden borders, do you expect me to believe you didn't know there was a dam stopping the flow of the river you just happened to stumble across? After so many years of not seeing a single drop of water?"

"Zainab please! I had never been there before, I swear! I just went up there because..."

"LIAR!" Zainab roared and advanced towards Sahara, staring at her with ferocious glowing eyes. Sahara started to step back, very scared. "You are nothing but one of Dhalimu's most loyal scum. You prefer to be a slave to him than taking freedom by your own paws. And you spy for him because he has broke you".

"N-no! Stop it! You're wrong, I'm not..."

"You are a liar, and a coward! You don't deserve to be freed because you wanted this drought in the first place. You're better off living from Dalimu's own dung, you and whatever cubs he gives you. They'll never see the light of freedom, never!"

"That's enough!" Something lit up suddenly in Sahara's eyes, teeth bared and claws unsheathed, she sprung at Zainab with anger. But Zainab simply dodged her, and with a kick she made her fall face down into a puddle of mud with a splash, getting it all over her face and her limbs.
She sat down and stood there, all dirty and miserable.

"I hate Dhalimu! I hate that stupid dam! And now I hate you too!" Sahara couldn't contain her tears. "I hate everyone!"

Sahara hanged her head down and closed her eyes shut, crying. But to her surprise, when she dared to look at Zainab again, she saw that she had walked into the mud as well, and her eyes were ferocious no more, but full of compassion. Zainab got closer and rubbed her neck with her chin, hugging her.

"Peace now, Sahara, I'm sorry... It was good to see anger flowing from you at last".

"...What?"

"I went too strong on you, that is the bully's way, and I promise you it won't happen again. I know you're not a traitor, or a spy. I could tell ever since I met you, when the bird and I had to act to get you on board".

Sahara looked confused.
"But... why were you so mean to me? You really hurt my feelings"

"I've been watching you, and I realized that you don't really express yourself too much, you are entitled to your own feelings, and holding in that anger wasn't doing you good. I needed you to realize what is at stake in this rebellion, and let that anger out".

"So you don't really think those horrible things about me? You just wanted to get me angry?"

"Sahara, anger can be a very useful tool, but it's really about how you control and direct your anger that matters. You sprung at me in blind rage, and I simply turned your power against you with a kick. Calm and purposeful, as you should be. To master the art of fighting, a true warrior must first master themselves. To know a true threat, and then to let anger come directed like a roar. To control it and strike with a calm, clear mind. That's the skill. Also, no, I really don't see you as anything less than an amazing lioness with so much to love about. Your only fault right now is being covered in mud"

Zainab walked out of the puddle and smiled at Sahara with pride.
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up, we can still do some more training before Marat comes back. I'll teach you some quick tips."

"O-ok" Sahara said, still feeling a bit humilliated, but also a newfound respect for Zainab, and willing to learn from her to fight.

[abalancedbreakfast]

After a solid half hour, Talisman arrived, landing on Zainab's shoulder. "I'm back, kitty."

Marat soon arrived, at a full sprint, stopping just short of the group. Sitting down, he took a moment to catch his breath before looking to Zainab. "Well, I trust this time has been productive. Jalil's got some more fighting skill now, and I gave him a little talk, life lesson to help him out when he runs this place. So, from what I understand, there's a bit of an issue. Sahara, Talisman told me you have Nero's mate watching the lionesses all day, right?" He said, his breathing starting to slow down before he caught Sahara's eye a moment. "Wait, have you been crying?" He walked up to her a moment, and put a paw on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

[Lyonize]

(Quick suggestion: Try to end your posts with something that doesn't force the next person to control an NPC. If your character starts an interaction with an NPC, go ahead and make the NPC reply.)

Alari was enjoying the practice with Zainab. She had an intensity about her that Alari liked. She was beautiful and held herself with dignity and each movement was graceful. She was a sophisticated lioness, but she knew how to take care of herself. Alari admired her. And her fur was so soft. No. Stop it, Alari. She's taken... by a bird. Alari had to stop herself. By now, she had learned not to let herself be taken so easily by a nice looking lion or lioness. But sometimes she just couldn't help it. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed losing to Zainab just a little bit. Almost as much as she enjoyed winning.

As the sparring slowed, Alari stood by and listened to Zainab's words directed at Sahara. For a brief moment, Alari almost stepped in to stop the onslaught of accusations. She didn't understand what was going on. Sahara's sudden burst of rage surprised Alari. She felt a string of compassion pulling to Sahara. "Wait..." She began to say inaudibly as Sahara landed in the mud.

What Zainab said to Sahara after that struck Alari. Zainab had compassion. No. Bad Alari. This is a bad idea. Zainab is off limits. The young lioness had to turn away. Drop it.

"I'm back, kitty." The drongo said as he reappeared.

Marat had also returned and began talking about the plan which seemed to be the only thing he ever did. At least he was diligent. Or boring. Yeah. Boring.

"Wait, have you been crying? Are you alright?"

Alari jumped in. "She got a bit of mud in her eye. The stuff gets everywhere." Alari leaned in and muttered. "You don't want to know where Zainab got it." She faked a grimace at... whatever it was she was implying.

"I'm alright. I got it all out." Sahara replied with the smallest corner of a smile at Alari and Zainab. "And that's correct." She answered Marat's question.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Okay" Marat said, relieved. "Good. Anyway, now that we have Nabeela watching over the huntresses 24/7, we might have to scrap our previous idea of taking the lionesses to the dam one by one. Zainab, I know you're a seduction artist. I'll need you to distract Nabeela long enough to have all the huntresses stumble on the dam as a group. That should incite them all to rebellion. I'll be there waiting for them to explain exactly who put up that dam. Alari, we'll need a prey animal to lure them over to the dam. First, you're going to have to leave Dhalimu tomorrow morning. I'll send in Talisman tonight to act like a Majordomo to tell you your father is sick and wants to see you before he's gone. That'll be reason enough for Dhalimu to not be suspicious. Tomorrow morning, come straight to me and Zainab. Once everything is in place, you'll go to the dam, find a prey animal who's strayed just a bit too far, and threaten his life if he doesn't agree to lead the hunting party to the dam."

He took a moment to look at Sahara. "Sahara, your job is to allow all this to happen. Lie to Dhalimu and tell him there's nothing to report. Got it?"

"Not entirely. How are we going to get rid of Dhalimu? And what about Nero?"

"I'm not sure. Dhalimu won't go down with seduction. I've stalked him for a week, he's faithful to his mate."

"Ehhh...." Sahara said, thinking of saying something, but deciding against it.

"Wait, no 'Ehh', what is it?" Marat asked.

"Well... You're right that no lioness can sway him from his wife..."

"But?"

"But a lion... A male one... Let's just say I've caught him being less then faithful with them..."

Marat froze for a moment. "Okay, so seduction is off the table."

[Leorgathar]

Zainab was surprised as much as Marat about the revelation of Dhalimu’s sexuality, and also disappointed because she still looked forward to the challenge of getting to seduce him. But now it seemed that strategy had to change.

"Okay, so seduction is off the table." Marat said, and Zainab chuckled.

“Are you sure about that, handsome? I could give you some tips.” The lioness said while examining Marat’s body with a smirk and a lifted eyebrow.

Joke aside, she then began pacing from side to side, thinking.
“About Nero and Nabeela… I was lucky enough to spy on both of them yesterday, so I got a vague idea of how their relationship is like. Nabeela seemed to be the boss of them two, my guess is that she has control over Nero, and he follows her everywhere. She’s also the lioness who hired me to kill Jalil and Dhalimu, making me believe she was just one more lioness who wanted freedom for the whole pride, when all she wants is to replace Dhalimu with Nero as King. She is very cunning, she won’t be easy to fool. Alas, she knows about me and the way I operate, but at least she doesn’t know how I look… I’ll have to play my character just right for her not to suspect me.”

Zainab lay on her belly and started grooming her fur.

“Nero, on the other paw… he didn’t seem to enjoy being bossed around, but he still does everything she tells him. He didn’t come across as very smart to me, I bet he would love to take a break from Nabeela without her knowing… He would be an easy target for me. I could find him, seduce him, and have Nabeela find out. That would keep them too busy to keep an eye on what the hunting party is up to”

The lioness ceased her grooming and stared at her paws. “But then… if she does find Nero cheating on her with me… she would immediately figure out it’s me, doing what I do best, and suspect that something’s wrong. That would certainly bring down the plan, unless…” Zainab rubbed her chin. “Maybe I could do it the other way around… Yes, if I seduce Nabeela instead of Nero, I could win even more time. It would be more challenging, she's smart, but it would still take her longer to figure out it’s me because I would cause a different first impression on her with a convincing enough performance. Besides, she must think I only can do my work on males.”

The lioness stood up again and faced the group smiling.
“Males are my area of expertise, yeah, but I’m confident that I can make a female fall in my charm just as well. I may even find her more enjoyable, who knows.”

[Lyonize]

“Males are my area of expertise, yeah, but I’m confident that I can make a female fall in my charm just as well. I may even find her more enjoyable, who knows.”

Alari's ear twitched. Her heart pounded once, sending a wave of heat across her chest and into her paws and cheeks. I believe it... She thought to herself.

"Yeah, it's not that much harder to do. I do it all the time." Alari blurted out without thinking. But she wasn't lying. Then she quickly looked down at her paws, pretending to examine one of them and then looking up into the sky, trying to act casual. Stupid stupid stupid lioness! Alari mentally kicked herself. That was a bit of a giveaway. Maybe not enough to allow Zainab to know that Alari was eyeing her, but smarter lions could figure things like that out. Things that would've gone over Alari's head. Either way, Zainab now knew that Alari played for both teams. She just had to hope Zainab wouldn't think it was an approach, even though it might've been. Even Alari wasn't sure if she wanted it to be one.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Marat just glared at Alari for a second, a confused look on his face, before shaking it off. "Riiight, as lesbian as this just got, we do have a job to do. Sun's almost down and you two should probably be at the cave to mask any suspicions. Don't go directly from here to the cave, both of you approach wherever you sleep from opposite sides, that way it doesn't look like you spent the day in the same place. Once the sun sets, Talisman will be over to give Alari an out."

"So I don't get to sleep with Zainab?"

Marat growled a little under his breath. "Talisman, I know you like to seduce any living creature with a pulse, but for one night could you please lay off it and do your job?"

"I'm not sure I can, Sir. You see, her fur is just so soft" He said, winking to her and landing on her shoulder to bask in the softness.

"Well, if you don't mess up tonight, I'll let you marry the damn lioness if you want. I don't care. Now, we ready to go."

Sahara turned to the dark pelted lion. "I guess so" she said, walking towards him, suddenly moving to him. "Thanks... by the way. For trying to save this pride. I've always known there was something wrong with Dhalimu. It means a lot to me that you care about this pride enough to risk your life like this, all of you."

Suddenly, she nuzzled Marat, and an odd thing happened. The watchful eye could notice a brief pause in Marat's gaze, followed by a brief flash of what seemed like pain in his eyes, before he pulled away and got some ground between himself and Sahara. It was quick, but noticeable. "D-don't mention it. It's what I live to do, I guess." he stammered out, before turning away and walking towards the safecave rather hurriedly. "Stay safe, both of you."

Talisman was worried to say the least. He leaned into Zainab's ear. "That didn't do him too good" he sighed. "Hey, Zainab. I need you to watch him tonight, okay? If he has nightmares when I'm gone, try to make sure he doesn't claw the ground until his paws are bloody. Just wake him up if it happens, okay?"

[Leorgathar]

"Yeah, it's not that much harder to do. I do it all the time."

Zainab took notice of Alari’s comment. At first she thought it might have been a joke, like the younger lioness did spontaneously at times, but Zainab was an expert in body language, and the way Alari moved and looked away from the conversation told Zainab that she was nervous about having openly admitted it, even as a seemingly casual comment like that. The revelation didn’t surprise Zainab much, but she still wondered if she said it because of her, or just because she tried to feel more comfortable fitting in. In any case, Zainab found it quite endearing, and she secretly smiled.

Talisman’s comment on her fur, and how he flew to her shoulder to feel it, distracted Zainab from her earlier thoughts, and she found herself now smiling for the drongo. Her smile faded, however, when she saw Marat’s expression as Sahara nuzzled with him. Based on what Talisman had told her, and again, her experience with body language, she could tell something in that gesture had saddened him. Sahara herself didn’t seem to notice, but Talisman surely did.

As soon as Marat left for the safecave, Talisman leaned on her ear and spoke in a worried tone.
"Hey, Zainab. I need you to watch him tonight, okay? If he has nightmares when I'm gone, try to make sure he doesn't claw the ground until his paws are bloody. Just wake him up if it happens, okay?"

“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll watch him and make sure he doesn’t get hurt, don’t you worry,” the lioness replied reassuringly. “You take good care of my girls here, watch them from above until they get to their cave, just in case.”

With that, Zainab saw as Talisman prepared to fly away, but she stopped him once more.
“Talisman,” she called, then approached him and kissed his little cheek with the tip of her tongue. “Remember you’re getting into a den full of hungry lions, and trust me, you are delicious… so be careful.”

When both the other lionesses and Talisman had gone, Zainab padded off to join Marat in the cave. She found Marat already resting on the overhang at his side of the cave, unsure if he had fallen asleep or not. She climbed to her own side and rested over her belly, facing the male to watch him as he breathed. Zainab wondered so many things about Marat, but she had already decided she wouldn’t betray Talisman’s trust not to ask him. Soon she closed her eyes and put her thoughts to rest.

[Lyonize]

I'm being shown up by a bird. A bird has the courage to get frisky with a lioness and I don't. What's wrong with you, Alari? Alari was in a stupor, arguing with herself in her mind. Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Zainab is off limits anyway. Remember?

“Remember you’re getting into a den full of hungry lions, and trust me, you’re delicious… so be careful.”

I'm jealous of a bird. She pushed the whole thing to the back of her mind. She couldn't afford to distract herself now. Finally, the group split off and Alari went with Sahara. There was a moment of silence as Sahara glanced back and then looked to Alari.

"Why are Zainab and the bird-"

"I don't know!" Alari interrupted just slightly louder than she had intended. Sahara wasn't helping keep the subject out of Alari's mind.

Soon they were close to the den and there was Nabeela, keeping track of who was coming in. She'd report any stragglers.

"Alari. Sahara. Good evening." She greeted the two as they walked in.

"Evening." Said Sahara.

"I trust everything is safe then? Nothing to report?"

"Nope." Alari said, keeping a sleepy, bored expression. Sahara just shook her head. "There was this weird bird though. Must've flown into a cliff face or something." She muttered.

The next morning, Alari woke to Sahara prodding her and telling her to wake up. Five minutes later, Alari was watching Sahara leave the den for the planned hunt. Now all Alari had to do was wait for Talisman. And here he comes.

"Dearest Alari! Thank goodness I've found you!" The drongo had put on a posh accent. It was the stereotypical 'royal servant' voice one might expect. For a moment, Alari wasn't sure it even was Talisman. "I bring urgent news." At that moment, Dhalimu stepped up next to Alari. Perfect timing.

"Alari. Who is this?" His voice wasn't harsh but it had a faint tone of caution.

"This is Tal-" Alari stopped herself, realizing she probably shouldn't say his real name. She cleared her throat. "This is Tally. He's the majordomo of my pride."

"Your majesty." Talisman addressed the king, bowing. "I bring news from Alari's home." He turned back to Alari. "I'm afraid it's your Father. He hasn't gotten any better. We don't think he has much time left. If you can, you should visit soon." He paused. "I'm so sorry."

Alari stood silent, trying to put herself in that situation so that she could best act it out. Then she thought of her mother. "I. I have to go. I'm sorry. I-I'll return, I promise." She said to Dhalimu with a lump in her throat.

"Go. You should make the most of your time with your father." He said. "But please. Do return. Your help here has been invaluable."

Alari bowed her head briefly. "Thank you! I'll be back! I promise!" she said as she turned and ran, Talisman following her. She took an indirect route to the meeting place.

[abalancedbreakfast]

With the last peck on the cheek from Zainab, and sensing a hint of envy from Alari, he set off from Marat and Zainab and moved to circle over the heads of the two lionesses. Landing on a far off hilltop, he decided he'd spend the night nearby. After all, it wasn't above Dhalimu to kill a problem lioness by a convenient "accident" in the midnight, and if anything went wrong, he wanted those two out safely.

This left Marat and Zainab together under the overhang. And as the two dozed off, things started calmly until the night terrors started to plague Marat.

A quick, labored form of breathing overtook the male and his sleeping form unsheathed its claws and began to claw at the dirt, scraping the rock and dulling his crucial natural defenses. That was when Zainab's ear perked up, and she awoke from sleep, knowing what was going on.

"Talis-" she said, looking for the bird before swallowing her words at the knowledge that he was out for the night. "Right..."

What am I supposed to do with this? She thought, taking a step to Marat. Maybe I should just try to keep his paw still so he doesn't hurt himself.

She quickly placed her paws on his, pinning them to the floor, but soon enough, he pushed back unconsciously. Placing all the weight she could on his paws, she held out for a solid minute, her frustration growing, until Marat clawed harder and broke her grip, seeming even more scared then before in his sleep.

She looked on at him, with a hint of pity and even sadness in her eyes. "What am I supposed to do with you, Marat?" She thought, before taking a deep breath. Whatever this is, it has to be the result of whatever Talisman had mentioned about his past. She stepped behind him as his breathing became more rapid. How did Talisman fix this... well, he didn't 'fix' it, she thought. But he helped to stop the clawing by whispering things into his ear with some female voice...

She leaned into his ear. "It's okay... I'm here". Immediately, it got worse. Tears started to stream down Marat's face as he gritted his teeth. Okay, I guess it has to be a specific female voice. Having to think fast, she got down on the ground and hugged him from behind, trying to lick his neck to calm him down like a cub.

In an instant, Marat woke up, grabbing her wrist and throwing her off of him before springing onto his feet and putting distance between himself and the lioness. His eyes showed fear, and were tinged with the red only tears could produce. His breathing wasn't helped either. "Zainab... what was that?"

She got up and looked at him with the greatest look of concern Marat had ever seen in his life. "What happened to you?" she asked as she walked up to him. "It's okay, I'm not trying to hurt you. Just talk to me." She took the risk of putting a paw on Marat's shoulder until he immediately smacked it away.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

"You're not fine, Marat... you were crying and clawing your paws to a bloody stump in your sleep! Stop lying."

"I'm not lying" he said, instantly putting an emotional barrier between himself and Zainab. "Just... I need to go on a walk, okay? Talisman isn't here to lookout, I'll do that for a bit."

"Marat-"

"Do it, Ujana!" He exclaimed a bit louder than he intended to, before freezing and staring at her, realizing his mistake, and turning away to head north.

Zainab was tired of this. She decided she wasn't about to just go back to bed. She couldn't do that in good faith. So she followed after him, stalking him in stealth.

Marat walked for half a mile, trodding along hopelessly as if he was a prisoner being pushed to his own execution. Every so often, a tear would fall out of his eye that he would wipe away. He managed to stay perfectly silent, trying to put on a stoic face even for himself as he walked up to what Zainab soon found out was a hollowed out gorge that the formerly running river produced. Hastily, she found a dry bush to hide behind as she watched Marat with worry.

He slowly walked over to the cliff, staring into nothing, before dropping his head a bit to examine the fall below. His paw shaked as he kicked a rock down the gorge. "One, two, three, four-" he counted out as the rock fell, timing the fall with a quivering voice. He stood there for five minutes, Zainab debating whether or not to interject, before Marat lifted a single front paw over the edge, holding a moment before drawing back and collapsing onto the floor as his breath hitched and he broke down into painful sobbing, punching the ground in a vain attempt to convert his sorrow to anger, until he cut his paw on a rock and collapsed onto the floor, burying his face in his arms.

Zainab stepped out of her bush. "Marat..."

Marat, startled, got back up and quickly stopped his crying, attempting, again, to appear as if nothing happened.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? From where I was standing, you were about to jump off a cliff!"

"No, I wasn't. I was just out here to think about strategy, okay?"

She looked at him in silence for a moment, astounded by the extent of which he was willing to deny the basic truth. "Who are you trying to lie to? Me? Because it only seems like you're trying to convince yourself."

Marat looked to the ground with a downtrodden gaze before standing up to walk past her. "It doesn't matter. It's not like you care anyway. I'm going back to sleep-"

"So you can claw your paws to a bloody stump? So you can keep acting tough while Talisman and Alari only come to know you for how bitter you are all the time?"

Marat froze in his tracks as he turned to face Zainab.

"Don't think I didn't hear him last night cooing over you in your sleep to calm you down."

"He did what?"

"Or earlier today when you flinched at Sahara when she tried to do something as simple as nuzzling you. Pathetic. There's your toughness for you."

"Don't insult me anymore."

"What's the point? That's all you ever do to Talisman, and he tries to show you nothing but kindness"

"Stop. Now." He growled out.

"Besides, it's not like you're abandoning an entire pride and consigning these people to drought by hurling yourself off a cliff like a coward-"

"I KNOW I'M A COWARD!" he yelled out, getting in Zainab's face. "Don't you think I know that? After having to relive my mate and son's death every night, day in and day out, for three years? After watching my pregnant mate's throat get torn out, by my own paw?"

Zainab's face dropped into shock as he continued. "You want to know what happened? I fell in love with a girl in a desert pride I was trying to liberate. I was young, I was stupid, and she was perfect in every way, and you know what I did? I got too close to her, and she got too close to me. I got her pregnant in a pride with only one maniacal dictator, thinking that for some reason, it'd all work out. But you know what happened? I woke up to claws, strangling my neck, and I did the first stupid, dumb thing, I acted without observing. I clawed it's throat out in instinct. Then when the sun rose, you know what I saw?"

"... Marat-"

"I saw the mangled corpse of the love of my life, dead on the floor from my lack of observation. From my inability to tell it was my own mate, sent in by a dictator, forced to choose between my life or her future cub's. And when I got out of there, you know what I did? I saw them, all of the lionesses and that... that devil who put her up to it, I killed all of them, guilty or innocent, in a blind rage!" Marat slumped to the floor, silently streaming tears out of his eyes as he covered his face with his paws. "I failed as a liberator, I failed as a husband, and I failed as a father... If I had known in that instant that it was Ujana strangling me, I would have let it happen. Instead, I'm just some worthless murderer."

He looked up at Zainab with red, stinging eyes. "So sorry if I'm a little bitter. Or if I seem distant. Or that I just want to throw myself off of a cliff at times because of how much I hate myself for killing the one true love of my life in half a second flat. It's just me trying to deal with it like a strong male should. Silently."

He stood up and took a step towards the safecave.

[Leorgathar]

Zainab didn’t immediately follow after Marat to the cave. Instead she let him to himself to calm down while being alone. She realized she had gone a bit too far trying to reason with the male. She knew something must have been troubling him from his past, but she didn’t expect it to be incredibly traumatic. The lioness looked down from the cliff Marat seemed to consider jumping off from, and tears began flowing down her cheeks, but she wiped them off as she looked away and growled to herself.

She never thought she would be in the position of caring about a male lion, after all she’s been through, the same reason why she had initially agreed to Talisman to not ask him about his past, or even mentioning love in his presence. But she knew there was something different about Marat he hadn’t seen before in any other male she’s been with, he had traumatic memories, just like her. But he dealt with them differently, by repressing them forcefully and hating himself in secret.

Zainab took a deep breath and padded to the safe cave when enough time had passed. It was very dark, but she saw Marat’s body outlined by the moonlight. Hearing a soft grunt as she walked inside and lay on her side let her know that he was still awake, but passively still in pain. Zainab supposed he must have been crying, having drained from all his rage. And he probably didn’t want her to see him like that. It is times like this when darkness is a comfort, a cloak for others not to sight upon a moment of weakness.

The lioness decided not to ask him any further about what he’s been through, or push him more into reasoning. But she started talking about herself instead.

“Noor,” she began. “…that was my daughter’s name… or rather what I would have named my cub had she been born, if she was a girl. I relive that night she was taken from me every time I’m with a male target, how they destroyed my body leaving no chance for me to meet her and hold her in my arms. To groom her or teach her how to hunt… to see her grow up.” Zainab shed a tear while stroking over her own belly, where her scar was, but she remained calm. “Believe me that I know how it is to lose the one you love the most. I too have taken revenge in my paws and left behind a kill count of males who were just like the one who took everything from me. I do it so no other female will ever be a victim again in the grasp of an abusive king.”

Marat turned around and looked at her, and what he saw in the faint moonlight were two bright amber eyes, with both a history of sorrow and compassion in them. Zainab remained quiet for a minute, then she stood up on her feet and began padding to the outside again, but she stopped and looked back at Marat. She wanted to hug him and reassure him she was on her side, but she thought of the painful look he had when Sahara nuzzled him, so she thought perhaps Marat still needed his personal space. But instead she hugged him with words.

“I’m no better than you at coping with the past, Marat… but remember you’re not alone. It will be worth it, all of this, for both of us. I promise you.” Zainab looked outside and continued walking out.

“Zainab…” Marat called. Zainab looked back once more. The lion still had a depressing look, but he seemed more calmed down. "...Thank you."

The lioness nodded at him with a barely visible smile and left the cave. Outside she sat near a cliff and gazed at the sun rising from the East. The beautiful warm colors of the morning soothed Zainab's heart, driving away the darkness in it from hours earlier.

Soon she spotted Talisman flying from the South, letting her know both him and Alari were on their way back. A very welcomed sight.

[Lyonize]

Alari and Talisman finally arrived at the meeting place and the sun had barely risen above the horizon. The orange sky to the east began to turn yellow and the dark sky in the east began turning blue as the stars slowly twinkled out. The two were met by Zainab who appeared to have been waiting for them. Talisman immediately flew to Zainab, as predicted by Alari. She didn't think anything of it. In the time it took to walk to the meeting place, she had put everything but the mission in the back of her mind. Serious mode activated.

"The hunting party is already out. They probably won't find anything for a while but we should hurry. I'll go find something they can chase."

"What if you can't find anything?" Talisman asked.

"I don't know. I'll get them to chase me if I have to."

"How?"

"I'll bite Nabeela in the or something." Alari replied with a hint of exasperation.

[abalancedbreakfast]

At this point, Marat had stepped out to greet them. "Alari, you're back. I assume you know what to do already. Just find a nice prey animal out there by the dam and 'convince' them to give us a hand navigating the hunting party to the dam. Talisman, anyone follow us here?"

"Not that I'm aware of, sir."

"Double check."

Talisman flew up, did a quick 360, and landed back on Marat's shoulder. "Nobody here."

"Hmm... something doesn't seem right. Dhalimu is smarter- not to mention more paranoid- than that. Alari, be careful out there. Something tells me that Dhalimu knows something is amiss. If you see him, try to find out what he's doing, and get out of there. Talisman, fly between Zainab, Alari, and I, and be ready to send messages. I'll head out to Jalil and get him moved over to position for our big reveal."

Marat turned to the direction of Jalil's hideout, and started on a dead sprint. "Stealth, both of you" he said as a final warning. "A good liberator never lets the lionesses know he was there!"

[Leorgathar]

Zainab sprinted to meet with her two favorite allies, greeting them with a smile as they reunited. She decided that Marat's revelation and her exchanges with him wouldn't interfere with the mission, and it wouldn't come between her partnership with the liberators. She purred when Talisman landed on her shoulder, nuzzling the bird's cheek, but she noticed something different in Alari’s voice tone. Her cheery sense of humor seemed to have vanished, like something had been bothering her overnight. Zainab wondered briefly what it might be, but unfortunately there was not much time to talk because the pride’s hunting party had already started their search, as Alari pointed out.

"I'll bite Nabeela in the or something."

Zainab chuckled. "Leave Nabeela to me, she's mine to distract while you guide the hunting party here, remember?" She then approached Alari and placed a paw on her shoulder. "You really impressed me yesterday, kiddo. I have no doubt that whatever they end up chasing, you'll do your part amazingly well." She told her with a warm smile, hoping to give the younger lioness some encouragement just in case, although knowing her she probably could do fine without it.

Marat joined the group moments afterwards, and had Talisman do a flyover to make sure they weren't being followed. When everything was settled and Marat had left off to Jalil's cave, the lioness also prepared to go.
"I'll border around the hunting grounds as not to be seen by the lionesses, and find Nabeela as soon as I can. I'll come back here when I'm done with her." She said with a hint of mischief in her eyes, then began trotting southwards, but stopped for a second to turn back and face Alari.

"I'll give Nabeela a bite in the for you!" She said and licked her upper lip, like every time she was down for serious business.

[Lyonize]

Alari was somewhat encouraged by Zainab's words. But that just contributed to the problem, if only slightly. It made Zainab that much better in Alari's mind. Still off limits.

"I'll border around the hunting grounds as not to be seen by the lionesses, and find Nabeela as soon as I can. I'll come back here when I'm done with her." Alari tried not to think about it. It would only distract her. "I'll give Nabeela a bite in the for you!" Aalari's cheeks reddened under her fur.

Still off limits! Still off limits! Still off limits!

"Good luck with that, I better go too!" Alari said quickly as she skipped away in the general direction of the dam.

It took her much longer than she would've liked to find anything worth chasing. She had to go beyond the dam a bit further before she spotted anything. At long last, through the heatwaves, the lioness saw a gazelle. For a minute, she thought it might've been a mirage, but the closer she got, the more clear it became that she was looking at a real live gazelle. It was perfect. Slowly, she snuck up on it, downwind as it's scent met her. It was male and it seemed pretty hydrated. Meaning it probably wasn't from around here. She got nearer and nearer to it. Alari was pretty bad at stealth so why hadn't it noticed her? Finally, she noticed it's eyes were closed and... was he humming to himself? What an idiot! Ah well. Makes my life easier. Guess it's his lucky day since I'm the one predator out here who doesn't actually intend to kill him.

"Sup."

The gazelle stopped his humming and opened his eyes to see a lioness right next to him. He inhaled briefly but suddenly lost the strength to stand as a tingly pain and numbness struck him in the gut and he fell over sideways. The yell he meant to make came out as a pathetic moan. Alari hopped over him and reclined against his back. He wasn't going anywhere for the next ten minutes.

"What did you do to me! Pleased don't-" Alari silenced the gazelle with a paw closed around it's muzzle.

"Ok. I'm reeeally hungry but I can't carry you all the way to my den by myself so I'm gonna have to pull off one of your legs." The gazelle's breathing became quicker and heavier under her paw and his eyes began to tear up. "But!" She said, holding a finger to his lips. "If you could do me a favor, I could stave off the hunger for a while. Sound good?" He nodded. "I need you to go cross the riverbed over that way, walk past it a good distance and just stand there. There's a hunting party out there and I need them to chase you to the riverbed and upstream to the dam. Can you do that for me?"

"I-I-I-what? You want me to be chased by a bunch of other lions?" He said in disbelief.

"Yes." Alari said with a smile, showing her pointy teeth.

"Y-you'll make sure I don't get caught though, right?"

"Do this for me and I promise, you'll live to hum another day." Alari said as she stood up, resting her paws on the gazelle's shoulder.

"No one's gonna eat me?"

"Nope! Shame... You look sooo good." Alari planted a long, drawn out lick up the gazelle's neck and across the cheek. He whimpered and... Yeah. Definitely hydrated... Alari hopped off and headed back. "Oh, and I know what you smell like, so if you don't show up, I'll come get you." She shouted.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Marat had finished his sprint to Jalil's hideout. Admittedly, he was a tad frustrated. Had he and Talisman been on their own, he'd have this phase take a little longer than just three days. But, admittedly, no plan ever survived first contact, so he just went with it.

There was one other thing troubling him, though. Dhalimu hadn't sent an emissary to follow them, or at least one he had known about. That was troubling. Nobody that Marat had ever taken down was that stupid. They could usually have this sixth sense of when their time was short, and it was at this time that these dictators were always the most volatile and unpredictable.

It was to Marat's horror then, when he called out to Jalil from outside the cave and heard no response.

"Jalil! Jalil!" he said, his breath quickening as he rushed inside the cave. "Jalil, I swear to the spirits above if you-"

He froze in his tracks at the sight in front of him. Dhalimu, in his dark pelt, looking almost like an older, more jaded reflection of Marat himself (the only exception being his mane style and red eyes) sat holding his claws to Jalil's throat. Thankfully, no blood had been shed, but from the expression on his face, Dhalimu was here to make a deal.

"So. This is the one I've heard all about, ain't it?" Dhalimu said, looking Marat in the eye with an oddly warm countenance, especially warm for having his claws up against a young adolescent's throat.

Marat knew he couldn't ramp up the volume too much. Dhalimu had a more quiet, courteous intensity about him that he'd have to match if he wanted to get out of this alive. "Depends on who you've been hearing about, exactly."

"Marat's the name, right?"

"It is indeed."

Dhalimu smiled a bit before loosening his grip on Jalil's neck, causing him to gasp for air. "Come on, have a seat here, son. Ain't here to shed no blood, just to talk. I'm a deal-makin' lion."

"So I know. Considering you built a whole dam solely to justify some sick sadism."

"Now how's that supposed to make me feel?" he said, flexing his grip on Jalil once more while feigning offense. "I come to you, peacefully-"

"You're using some awkward teen as a pawn-"

"I'm not awkward!" He said, awkwardly.

"-Peacefully! And you come in here, sittin' in my home, while I prepared this nice dinner for you-" he gestured to a zebra haunch "-which you know is very rare these days in my kingdom-"

"Who's fault is that?"

"I'm'ma get to that in a minute- insultin' me, before you even know what I'm proposing. Please. Eat this peace offerin' and lets get to talking and stop the nonsense." He slid the haunch over to Marat, who took it simply because he had to. "Now. You, me, and this young gentlelion here all three know that the dam over yonder's gonna come down any minute today. It was bound to happen eventually and I know it. You sendin' in some prey animal right now to lure the hunting party."

Marat developed the most confused look on his face. "How did-"

"Lets just say while you got eyes in the sky, I've got moles in the ground."

Marat was honestly shocked. Something he had not accounted for.

"Now, what I'm proposing is that when it comes down, you don't go around spillin' secrets about how I was it's architect and maintainer. I know I have other enemies here, namely Nero and Nabeela. My proposition is you pin the blame on them."

"And how do you plan on explaining why or even how they managed to do that?"

"They're a shady pack a characters, most any explanation I come up with they'll eat up like termites."

Marat froze for a second. "That's the difference between you and I, I don't call my subjects termites."

"No, no, no, that is not what I meant to imply at all. In fact, once that dam goes down, I ain't gonna go out of my way to build another one."

"And what exactly are you going to do to keep yourself in power?"

"I'll come up with a plan, as I always do. You and your friends get out of this alive, and I get out with no more friction from Nabeela or Nero. And don't worry your pretty little mane off about liberty none, either" he said, dropping Jalil and strutting over to Marat, leaning into his ear. "I promise, I'll walk the straight and narrow from here on out."

Marat stared ahead, ignoring the lion who was now stroking his back with his tail, before saying with the utmost seriousness and deadpan delivery, "I'd imagine it'll be the first time you've done anything straight in a while, sir."

Talisman had overflown when Alari had set up the chase perfectly. With a confident nod to himself, he had flown over in the direction of Marat to check his progress. But when he landed on a nearby branch, he saw Marat and Dhalimu's negotiations, and Jalil being used as a pawn between them. Marat had noticed his landing, glanced out the corner of his eye, and scratched his nose a bit with a paw. A non-verbal signal that things had gone south, and that it was now Talisman's job to take charge of the situation. He nodded to his superior, taking off immediately with the rush of knowing that Marat hadn't turned on him, but the dread of knowing that something had gone horribly wrong. Quickly, he flew off to Zainab's position to tell her of the news as soon as possible.

When he'd found her, she thankfully hadn't been busy yet, and quickly landed on her shoulder. "Zainab, something's gone terribly wrong. Dhalimu found us out, he's trying to negotiate with Marat using Jalil as a pawn! He's ordered me to take control of the situation for the time being!"

[Lyonize]

Now in front of the wall of logs and mud, Alari stood awaiting the hunting party. The gazelle had just arrived and panted heavily as it stood behind the young lioness, as he tried to catch his breath.

Sahara was the first to break through the foliage. She trotted up to the scene and gave a knowing half smile as she approached Alari. The rest of the lionesses soon followed, showing confused expressions as they slowly approached.

"C-can I go now?" the gazelle whispered to Alari.

"Yeah, you're good. Thanks." The gazelle was gone in an instant. No goodbye or anything.

The lionesses didn't react to the disappearance of their potential catch. Each and every one was transfixed on the dam.

"Alari? What's going on?" On of them asked.

Sahara turned and stood next to Alari.

"This," She said, motioning to the dam. "is what has caused the drought we have been enduring. Dhalimu had it built so that he would have a reason to tighten his rule over us." The hunting party murmured among themselves. "I know you're all surprised to hear about this. So was I, but the proof is here."

"How could he?!" One lioness shouted. "I trusted him to keep my cubs safe! But you're telling me he starves them to keep us all in line?"

"Ahani. Our cubs are precious to all of us. We should all be outraged." Sahara continued. "But we can change this!"

Just then, Talisman landed on Alari's back. "Alari. Something's gone wrong. Dhalimu found us out, he's attempting to negotiate with Marat! He has Jalil! I've just given Zainab the same message."

Alari stepped forward. "Everyone! Jalil is still alive and he's in trouble. Dhalimu wants to keep everyone in line and that means eliminating possible rulers who intend to take his place. If we go now, we can end all of this! Dhalimu had me fooled too. But you are the ones who have suffered."

"We should put him to trial!" One lioness shouted, outraged.

"What's the point of a trial?" Another replied. "I think we all know what the verdict is. The jury is all here! I say we end this! What say you?"

The rest of the lionesses roared in unison.

"Then it's decided." said Sahara. "Alari. Lead the way."

From there, Alari lead the lionesses through the dusty savanna toward the secret location.

[Leorgathar]

"Zainab, something's gone terribly wrong. Dhalimu found us out, he's trying to negotiate with Marat using Jalil as a pawn! He's ordered me to take control"

A growl grew in Zainab's throat. She began walking from side to side angrily. "Darn it! Seriously!? But... what can they negotiate? As soon as I take Nabeela's attention, the hunting party will be at the dam and Dhalimu will fall responsible, there's no escape from that! Unless..." She gasped. "Unless he's not taking the blame for it. Grrr... that coward!"

Zainab fell on her belly and looked at her paws. "Maybe we should abort this operation, reunite and think things through." She said. Talisman placed a wing on her paw and looked up at her. Zainab slowly calmed down as she looked back into the bird's little eyes.

"No... I don't know how they found out about the plan, but Nabeela still doesn't know how I look, and I really don't think Dhalimu has told her, they're enemies themselves after all. I'm still going to distract her according to the plan. The hunting party needs to know about the dam, whatever happens next we'll deal with it." Zainab bent down and licked Talisman's beak, then spoke to him calmly." Talisman, find Alari and send word to her about this. I'll catch up with you as soon as I'm done with Nabeela... I'll try to find a chance to get out at least."

Talisman fluffed his neck feathers and took flight. "Right away, Kitty!" He said before disappearing in the sky. Zainab then focused on her mission. Her usual method was to learn as much about her target to play with their desires accordingly, but in the case of Nabeela it was different, because she already knew about Zainab, plus she was female, so she had to plan a different approach. First she would need to change her appearance, a perfectly groomed lioness would give her away easily, so she first took a stop at the mud pit Sahara had fallen in and rolled in it, then she washed off the excess of mud in a small puddle of water she found. She shaked off the rest and looked down at her reflection in the puddle. Her fur was much scruffier now, which she thought was perfect. She then proceeded to practice face expressions to appear youthful and innocent. She stopped for a second to marvel at how despite looking so different now, she still looked beautiful. It somehow reminded her of Alari.

She shook off the thought and rushed towards the pride's boundaries, hastily, but stealthy enough not to be detected, and soon she spotted the hunting party in the distance, already spread to look for animal traces. Watching the hunt from over a high ledge, there was a lone figure that Zainab figured must be Nabeela, and indeed she recognized her when she got closer. She creeped up from the side and now walked carelessly so Nabeela could spot her.

"You! Over there! Why are you not in the hunt!?" Nabeela shouted, and Zainab turned around, faking nervousness. Nabeela frowned her eyebrows. "I haven't seen you before. Who are you?"

"I-I'm sorry, Mistress, I'm not from around here. My name is Noor, I've come looking for Alari, I'm afraid I bear terrible news from her family about her father's condition."

Nabeela snorted. "You idiot... a drongo came here last night to tell her the same news, so she already knows about her father. She left at the first light this morning. So go back where you came from, we don't like intruders wandering about."

"Oh... There must have been a mistake then... I'm sorry to bother you."

Nabeela didn't respond and just snorted instead. She turned back her attention towards the hunt. Zainab remained there, silent and not moving a muscle. Nabeela soon looked at her again.
"You're still here? What are you looking at!? Get out of my sight!"

Zainab looked down, still pretending to be awkward. "I-I'm sorry Mistress, it's just... Y-you're very pretty. I just thought... Nevermind, I'll just go." She turned around and began padding off away from Nabeela.

"...Wait" Nabeela halted her. Zainab secretly smirked, pleased that the first part of her ruse had worked. She turned around to face her again, back with her innocent expression. "What made you say that?"

"I'm sorry, I meant... There aren't many beautiful lionesses in my pride, and... our males are disgusting. I'm not used to seeing beauty.... not even in my reflection." Zainab hanged her head, now pretending to be ashamed of herself.

"Come here for a second" Nabeela called, and Zainab aproached her with careful steps. Nabeela lifted her chin with her paw and looked into her eyes. Zainab's powerful eyes stared back at the lioness leader, but unlike her other victims, she gave her an innocent, young look instead of a sensual one like she was used to. It seemed to have worked perfectly. Nabeela nuzzled her cheek and licked her. Zainab pretended to be embarassed.
"You have pretty eyes, and very soft fur... If you want I could groom it for you. Males will notice you and treat you well."

"I... I appreciate it Mistress, but... I'm not really into males." Zainab looked at her in the eyes again, smiling and with a hint of seduction this time. Nabeela smirked and licked her again.

"Come with me." She whispered in Zainab's ear and walked past her, stroking her with her tail. Zainab smiled very pleased. She liked it whenever her victims were fooled enough to think they were in control, as if any suggestion had been their own idea. She would keep Nabeela busy enough for the hunting party to pursue Alari's bait and find the dam.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"So. I trust we understand each other."

"We don't understand each other, Dhalimu."

Dhalimu tightened his grip on Jalil's throat.

"What do you mean, we don't understand each other?"

"If you wanted to negotiate, you should have done it sooner. The plan's already set in motion. There's no stopping it now."

"Why's that?"

"Because" Marat started to explain, smirking. "Alari and Zainab won't listen to a damn word I say."

After a loud roar of "Kill him" sounded from the direction of the dam, Dhalimu threw Jalil onto the floor in frustration, unsheathing his claws and bringing them to his throat. "Boy, if you get me out of here alive, I'll let Jalil live."

"Too late!" Said a voice from above as Talisman, alive with vigor and authority, landed talons first on Dhalimu's eyes, scratching them out as Dhalimu started to land swipes on Jalil's face in blindness.

Marat pounced at this opportunity, wasting no time picking up a loose rock with a paw and using it to knock him out cold. As he lay down on the floor, a cut on his head left a trail of blood flowing through the rocks.

"Talisman. You did good. What's happening with the others?"

Suddenly, Sahara and the rest of the lionesses burst through the foliage of the area, along with Alari.

Sahara opened her mouth in shock. "What... what-"

"Let's make a long story short, here. Dhalimu tried to bargain with me using Jalil's life. I knocked him the hell out. He's still alive, just not conscious, so have at him as much as you want. I've got other business to attend to."

He ran off at that moment with Talisman in tow. "Hey, captain, what's the plan for dealing with Nero, exactly?"

This caused Marat to freeze in his tracks. "Oh, right, good point." He turned back to the crowd. "Also, forgot to mention, Nero and Nabeela are in on the whole 'Dam' thing as well, so you might want to get them on the chopping block as soon as possible."

Of course, Marat and Talisman both knew that this was a complete lie, but in this line of work, he figured, you gotta use lies to take out bad lions. The thought was in the lionesses heads, they'd act on it soon enough.

He started to leave now, going back in the direction of the main den of the pride with Dhalimu's Zebra haunch in his mouth. "Now, time to go check up on the cubs."

It was a good walk to the den. Clearly, a long hike to get food every day for these unfortunate souls. The ground near the den was dead and hard packed, clearly in desperate need of something, anything to sustain it. There's no two ways about it, Marat thought. They're going to have to relocate for sure.

He set foot in the rocky den to the sight of about seven petrified, emaciated cubs. He dropped the haunch immediately. "P-please don't hurt us, sir!"

"You don't want any trouble with my mom!" one of them said, cowering in a corner.

"Hey, hey, relax, little ones. I got you some food" he said, placing the meat on the ground.

"Wha- Who are you?"

A little lioness cub took shelter behind her slightly older brother. "I'm scared..."

An adolescent stepped up, his mane only covering the top of his head, his back, and a small portion of his chest. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Marat kept a soft expression on his face. The adolescent reminded him of himself at that age, with the fire and grit. "My name is Marat. And I'm here to tell you that the drought is going to be over soon. I promise." He pushed the meat over to the group of cubs. "In the meantime, you all are growing lions. You'll need this more than I do. Stay safe, don't leave. Wait for your mothers to come in, okay?"

The younger ones all nodded their heads, while any of the cubs over six months old looked at him with suspicion.

"Good" he said, before turning off to the direction of Zainab. "Talisman, go check up on Zainab, see if she's still distracting Nabeela."

"Yes, sir" he said, flying off in the direction that Marat was walking.

[Leorgathar]

Nabeela lay half of her weight over Zainab's body, which lied on her side. The two lionesses had been enjoying each other's company for about an hour, simly being intimate alone and undisturbed.
"Don't you have a male mate for yourself?" Zainab asked, stroking the other lioness gently on her back with her claws.

"Yes, but he's useless as a mate..." Nabeela replied sighing. "I'm only with him because very soon he will be king, and when I'm his queen, I'll really be the one in charge here. Nero will simply be there to appear that he controls our subjects striking fear within them... But I'll be the one pulling the strings, and I'll choose whoever I want to be." Saying this she resumed kissing Zainab passionately.

"Sounds very clever, my Mistress," said Zainab nuzzling under her chin. "I'm very tempted to stay here forever under your ruling."

"I could make you a lady of my court, my young Noor. You would have access to my cave whenever you want."

"Lady of the court?" Zainab asked laughing. "Please, I'm just a poor lioness from a small far away pride. I don't even look the part, look at my fur! In all this time you've forgoten to groom me like you said you would. I'm hardly as pretty as a nobleborn like you, Mistress."

Nabeela buried her muzzle in Zainab's scruffy fur around her neck. "I think I like you this way much better, it suits you. Some lionesses prefer ungroomed fur, just like the ones in your pride. They don't come to me thinking they look ugly, like you did."

Zainab changed her expression and sighed thoughtful. Was it so obvious? She thought of Alari and how she didn't seem to mind about how her fur looked. Maybe she had caught Nabeela's attention with her act, but was it really how a lioness from Alari's pride would have acted? Her thoughts made her freeze for a second, showing a slight worry that interrupted her act.

"What's wrong?" Nabeela asked.

"I'm sorry, Mistress Nabeela... All of this was really nice, but it's getting late, and I should be on my way back home now. I'll hope we see each other again some other time." Zainab licked Nabeela's cheek one more time and stood up to walk towards the cave's entrance.

Nabeela chuckled from behind her "...That's it? You're not going to try to kill me, Zainab the assassin?"

Zainab froze in shock, but a deep growl immediately began growing from within her, unsheathing her claws. "How did you know?"

"I told you... you have soft fur, so delicate and easy to groom. I knew you were lying since the first time I licked you. Besides.... You're not the only lioness who knows how to seduce a male... or a female." Zainab glimpsed back to see Nabeela licking her upper lip, just like her own signature move. But she also saw that her stance was not a menacing one, but rather overconfident. Zainab calmed down her growl and instead smiled at her.

"You clearly have more experience with females than I do. That was very good. It was a priviledge learning from you... Thank you." Zainab said in a compliment, and to that Nabeela smiled, but also frowning her brow, showing some slight confusion. She opened her mouth to reply, but in a quick swipe, Zainab threw a fistful of dirt to her eyes, and less than a second later a jaw closed strongly in Nabeela's neck, bringing her down.

But right before Zainab could finish taking Nabeela's life, a male lion tackled her from her side and pinned her strongly to the ground. Nabeela coughed trying to recover from the other lioness' attack.

"Nero you idiot! *cough* You were too slow!"

"Sorry! I didn't expect her to... It took me by surprise too, ok!?" Nero said while forcibly restraining Zainab, who was snarling furiously, desperately trying to escape him, which she almost did a couple of times.

"Just do it already!" Nabeela shouted. Nero dragged Zainab with difficulty to a hole there was at the end of the cave on the ground. It was a really deep pit that led to an underground cavern, which served as some kind of prison. The male threw Zainab in the hole with a brutal force that made her hit her head with the rock wall, falling then into the darkness.