Misguided Youth (Private ABB and Saraiya)

[abalancedbreakfast]

As the path winds, the faint smell of gazelle blood can be detected. The parting grass got wider to accommodate for this, making the appearance of a successful kill, as if the kill was being dragged. Yet the trail still kept going south, despite the appearance of a successful kill.

[saraiya]

Kela furrows her brows and continues to follow the trail. Where was he going? "Wapo? Wapotofu! Where are you?" She calls out.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Further down the trail, the river started to slowly be heard. It was hard to spot, but there were flowers, some of them cut off at the stem, seemingly the largest ones.

[saraiya]

Kela follows the river, catching up to a more recent scent of Wapo's. "There better be a good reason you're coming out this far." She mutters, beginning to move faster.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Suddenly, a whole host of new paths, about thirteen, converge on the path Wapo had made. The scent of multiple lions and lionesses, and more horrifying, a gazelle carcass and a bundle of large, yellow flowers are left lying there in a crushed mess, clearly indicating a struggle. However, no blood. The path widens drastically in the direction of the river, which can now faintly be spotted through the grass.

[saraiya]

"Wapo?" Kela asks, becoming more worried and follows the trail some more, ignoring the carcass and heading towards the river. "If this is a joke, it ain't funny!" She says, feeling scared for the first time in a long time.

[abalancedbreakfast]

By the time the last of the grass is pushed back, it becomes clear what happened. Wapo, surrounded by thirteen lions and lionesses, was being held back by three, and beaten in his stomach by another whenever he tried to talk back.

The male directly in front of him spoke. "Wapotofu-"

"Go to hell!" He exclaimed, earning him another punch to the gut.

"You are under arrest for the murder of thirteen lions, including but not limited to King Shaka, Prince Ilari, and Prince Razu, most recently. In addition, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Princess Kela."

[saraiya]

Kela snarls under her breath. Of course it was them that were the cause. She steps out of the tall grass and stands between the one talking and Wapo.

"Let. Him. Go." She snarls, unsheathing her claws.

[abalancedbreakfast]

The head lion stood perplexed by the sight in front of him. "Who are you?"

[saraiya]

"Princess Kela, and you're hurting my protector. I vouch for him, now leave him be." She stands up straight and tall, glaring down at the other lion.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Hmm... your protector, huh?"

The head lion violently pushed Kela out of his way to walk directly up to Wapo and punch him in his gut, forcing him to speak. "Ach! Kela, go, run, now! Leave me! I ain't worth it!"

Suddenly, the head lion turned to Kela. "As for you, we have no proof that you're who you say you are. Arrest her!" he said, forcing three more lionesses onto Kela to hold her back. "When the ambassador from your supposed former pride arrives here tomorrow, he will verify your identity and you will be returned home. As for your so-called 'Guardian', the murderer, he will be put to death when the ambassador arrives."

[saraiya]

Kela snarls at the lionesses, then looks apologetically at Wapo. "I'm sorry I got you involved." She whispers, the roars as loud as she can, hoping Mama Mlezi can hear her.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"What you doin'!" Wapo yelled before getting kicked in the gut.

"Quick, general, we need to take them to the caves! They have backup!" one of the lionesses said.

"Do it. Quickly, before sunset!"

With that, the two found themselves dragged across the river at a remarkable speed, Wapo kicking and screaming a whole host of obscenities, unwilling to die. One of the males delivered a knockout blow to the side of his head, knocking him out the rest of the way to the caves.

[saraiya]

Kela says nothing as they shove them both in a cave and block the entrance with a large boulder.

Instead, she finds herself curled in a corner and sobbing, trying to make herself as small as possible.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo slowly starts to stir, waking up at Kela's cries. Unable to get his balance fully yet, he started to claw his way over to her. "Kela... Kela... Kela, I'm here for you..."

[saraiya]

"I'm sorry." She apologizes as soon as she hears his voice. "The only reason you're stuck here is because they were looking for me. Now they plan to kill you." Kela sniffles and looks at him struggle to reach her. "You should be resenting me right now."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo wasted no time getting up and nuzzling her when she said that. "Kela, don't say that. Neva' say that. It ain't yo' fault."

[saraiya]

"Yes, it is." Kela sighs and nuzzles him back. "I wish things were different."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo simply pulled her in tight to him, trying to comfort her in any way he knew how.

"Kela.... you can still make it outta' 'ere alive... and free..." he said nuzzling her more, trying to dry her tears. "You can make a dash.... I can cause a distraction when they got me on the chopping block...."

[saraiya]

"I'm not leaving you to die!" Kela snaps at him. "I can't leave you. Not here and not now."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo sighed and pulled her into a tight hug. "Kela... I been waitin' fo' this day a long time..." He grabbed her paw, moving it up to his right shoulder. "Feel them scars... They's is lions i had ta' kill ta' stay alive...

He moved her paw back down. "I ain't no good person... I just a criminal. A thug who don't walk right, talk right, o' live right... Was only a matta' of time befo' it all caught up to me. I lucky I even got this far...."

"The point be, Kela.... you ain't gonna be leavin' me to die. I left myself to that a long time ago..."

[saraiya]

"So you're just going to leave me?" She asks. "After I just found out I might have feelings for you, you're just going to leave me?" Kela looks at him. "Why must you give up? You have to have something worth living for."

Kela shakes her head. "Ma sees you as her very own son. You must've known that. She told me the story about how she lost her unborn child and mate. Do you want to break her heart again?"

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo froze as he held her close. He hadn't known he had meant so much to the two lionesses in his life that he'd grown close to. "I... I just... I... You got feelings fo' me?"

[saraiya]

Kela freezes, realizing what she said. She didn't even realize those feelings herself until put in that situation.

"Yes, I do." She admits after a moment. "I'm sorry."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo looked at her. His night vision was starting to adjust, and as he looked over her, the expression on her face, he felt the need to admit it finally. "I... I think I got feelings fo' you too..."

[saraiya]

Kela looks at Wapo and smiles. "When we get out, can we just run? Leave this life behind?" She asks, licking his cheek, over his scar.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo licked her cheek back, a new warmth that he'd never felt before growing inside his chest. "Kela.... I'd love to run away with you... start a new life... I heard if you go far enough west, there be oceans and beautiful beaches... Maybe even some islands... I heard it from a bird" he said, pressing himself closer to Kela.

[saraiya]

"Sounds amazing. However, if we're going to see that, we both have to escape. Alive." She says softly, curling beside him. "But what can we do?"

[abalancedbreakfast]

The question was an important one, but he still wasn't able to answer it fully himself. "Maybe... If you attack that ambassador when he comes and gets you, they might be distracted and we can both run for it" he mused, petting her fur softly.

[saraiya]

She nods. "I can try. Are you okay? I realized I didn't ask about your injuries." Kela turns and looks at him.